Patent GB-359038-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card-controlled statistical machines
Filed: 1930-07-17
Abstract: 359,038. Statistical machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London.-(Assignees of Carroll, F. M. ; 1080, Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, New York, and Bakelaar, J. H. ; 25, Barnet Place, Paterson, New Jersey, both in U.S.A.) July 17, 1930, No. 21700. Convention date, July 18, 1929. [Class 106 (i).] Statistical cards.-A grouped-card-controlled machine having item-printing mechanism, means for feeding separate record sheets to the printing station, and automatic group control mechanism which controls this sheet feed, has also detecting means for comparing group perforations in the cards with group perforations in the record sheets; on disagreement of the perforations the machine is stopped. The machine is of the automatic group control kind described in Specification 190,144, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.]. The cards are read by upper and lower brushes 20, 21, Fig. 14, and the record-sheets, Fig. 2, on which are printed the items 25 and totals 26, have their group member perforations 28 (printed number 29) read by brushes 121. The upper, control brushes 20 are wired to magnets 47 and lower, adding brushes 21 to magnets 50. For each card column a pair of magnets 47, 50 control a pair of contacts 56. All contacts 56 are in series in a circuit 57 which, if broken, initiates total-taking. Each magnet pair 47, 50, Fig. 9, has a common armature lever 52 with a lug 53 engaging a notch in a bell crank 54 holding contacts 56 closed. If both magnets are energized this lever 52 remains still, but if brushes 20, 21 read dissimilar group holes on successive cards, one magnet 47 or 50 is energized before the other and lug 53 cams bell crank 54 clockwise to allow contacts 56 to open and initiate total-taking, after which a bail 58 relatches contacts 56 in closed position. At a group change, a new record-sheet 27 is fed by shaft 109 rotated only at total-taking, from magazine 115, Fig. 6, to rollers 114, 113, past brushes 121 and to a platen 122 ; this platen being driven to feed the sheet into the correct initial printing position by a cam on shaft 109. Means are provided for adjusting this initial feed. After listing and total-printing the record sheet is ejected by rollers 170, 171. Rollers 171 are on a pivoted frame 172 linked by 174 to lever 175 controlled by a cam on shaft 109, so that frame 172 is rocked to engage 171, 170 only after total-printing. The ejected sheet is guided by a curved plate into a discharge box. The cards are fed with " 9 " holes leading but the record sheets pass brushes 121 with " 0 " holes leading. For comparison with the numbers read off the record sheets, the complements of the numbers read off the cards are set up. For this, each upper brush 20 is wired to a magnet 32 whose armature 35, Fig. 7, normally latches a detent 36. Three members 40 for each denomination are mounted frictionally on a shaft 41 rotated from the listing shaft of the machine once in three card cycles. When a magnet 32 is energized by a card hole the detent 36, 38 engages the teeth 39 and holds the member 40 against its frictional drive until after the " 0 " hole position, when bail 94 removes detent 36. Teeth 39 move past 36 synchronously with the card holes under the brushes, so that the member 40 is retarded an amount directly proportional to the digit read. After release the member 40 is driven supplementally whilst the blank portions of the cards are passing under brushes 20. Each member 40 has a cam 42 coacting with the foot 43 of an arm 44 operating contacts 46. A member 40 having been retarded according to the digit read off the corresponding control column, of the first card of a group, a totaltaking operation ensues and 41, 40 are rotated synchronously with the passage of the next record sheet past the brushes 121. If the group holes of the first card correspond to the group holes of the record sheet, the retardation of 40 will be such that the cam 42 closes contacts 46 at the same moment that corresponding brush 121 reads a hole. This will complete a circuit through a magnet 125 (one for each control column), Fig. 14. Energization of 125 closes contacts 136 to maintain circuit 138 closed. If, for any control column, 46 and 121 do not close at the same moment, circuit 138 is opened to stop the machine. Magnets 125 are energized momentarily but contacts 136, once closed, are latched closed until they are again unlatched during the first tabulating cycle on the new card group. During total-taking the shaft 41 is driven from the shaft 109, Fig. 6. A slotted, hollow shaft 89 is rotated each card cycle and total cycle to lock the detents 36 away from the teeth 39 except at the appropriate times. For resetting the retarded members 40 a frame 97 is rocked, this frame having a shaft 98 carrying teeth 100 coacting with shoulders 101 on the cams 42 of members 40. Indicating group number read from the cards. Each member 40 has a cam 76 and for each set of three members 40 there is a feeler 77 coacting with cams 76. This feeler is pivoted at 81 to arms 80 rigid with a shaft 45 and has a link connection 79 with the indicator 78 which is loose on shaft 45, the latter being driven from the listing shaft of the machine. When the card hole energizes magnet 32 and retards member 40, the cam 76 will take a position relatively to feeler 77 corresponding to the number read. Shaft 45 being rocked, arms 80 and feeler 77 move until the latter meets cam 76, after which feeler 77 swings about pivot 81 to raise the indicator 78 to show the appropriate number at a sighting window. This number will be according to the time elapsing before 77 meets 76, i.e. according to the adjusted position of cam 76.