Patent GB-640011-A (GB)
Title: Record controlled reproducing system
Filed: 1947-04-25
Abstract: 640,011. Statistical apparatus. WESTERN ELECTRIC CO., Inc. April 25, 1947, No. 11122. Convention date, May 1, 1946. [Class 106 (i)] [Also in Group VIII] In a record controlled reproducing system one of a plurality of reproducing devices is selected to reproduce on a secondary record member a group of intelligence characters from a plurality of such groups on a primary record member, the selection of the appropriate reproducing device being effected by one or more of the characters forming said group of characters. The term #intelligence character " is defined as referring to a hole, a dot, or embossment on, for example, a card, sheet or tape adapted to be sensed by mechanical means as shown, or by electro-mechanical means, for example, means for differentiating between electrically-conducting characters and non- conducting record member or by sensing means utilizing radiant energy adapted to differentiating between reflection or transmission characteristics of the characters and the record member. As shown, perforations in the primary record member, a tape 85, are sensed by sensing members AA ... FE of a tape sensing device TS and corresponding punches in all reperforators RPO ... RP9 (only RPO and RP9 being shown) are moved into punching position by means of magnets AAM-FEM. A reperforator selector RS of known code-bar type then actuates a punch 71 of the selected reperforator, which is selected by interperforation of a certain group of characters on the primary tape 85. Tape sensing device.-The tape 85 has a series of intelligence characters which take the form of cup-shaped embossments which mate with conically shaped holes in a feed roller 81 so that when the roller is rotated the tape is fed. The sensing members AA ... FE are mounted on springs 21 which are connected to earth. The springs 21 are held to the left and therefore with the sensing members away from the tape 85 and from contact with spring contacts 22 by a rest bar 20 carried by a pivotally mounted arm 6 having a return spring 19. A roller on the arm 6 follows a cam 9 on a driven shaft 84, thus allowing the feelers AA ... FE to be reciprocated towards and away from the tape 85. Also mounted on the shaft 84 is a cam 10 which is 90 degrees out of phase with the cam 9. Riding on the cam 10 is a follower on a pivoted L-shaped armature of a stepping magnet STP carrying a pawl 15 for engagement with a ratchet-wheel 83 on the roller cylinder 81 and having a return spring 17. As the shaft 84 is rotated and the sensing members AA ... FE are reciprocated, the armature lever is rocked, feeding the roller 81 and the tape 85 when the sensing members are not engaged with the tape. The feeding mechanism may be disconnected by depression of a key 18 which energizes the magnet STP rotating the armature clockwise and bringing its follower clear of the cam 10. On de-energization of the magnet STP the spring 17 rotates the wheel 83. When the feelers AA ... FE engage in perforations, contact is made between the respective springs 21, 22 and the corresponding conductor C1 ... C28 is earthed. Reperforator selector RS.-This device comprises pivoted U-bars UO ... U9 equal in number to the reperforators RPO ... RP9, and magnet-controlled code-bars CA ... CE equal in number to the number of code-perforating positions in each group of intelligence characters, five being shown. The code-bars have on their upper side a number of notches so arranged that on the actuation of any two code-bars magnets CAMS ... CEMS one only of the U-bars will be allowed to fall into aligned notches on all the code-bars whilst the notches for the other U-bars will not be aligned, so keeping them in a relatively raised position. The U-bar which falls into the aligned notches will make contacts 27 individual to each U-bar and each having a conductor 40 ... 49. In the inoperative position of the selector a resiliently urged release bar 28 maintains the U-bars clear of the upper surface of the code bars by means of fingers 29. In the operative position the release bar 28 is drawn towards a magnet RM which is energized by the making of contacts 13 due to a cam 11 on the shaft 84. The cam 11 has a point of highest eccentricity coinciding with that on the cam 9. The code bar magnets CAMS ... CEMS are connected at one side to an earthed battery and at the other to movable contacts 1 ... 5 operated by a key KY. The key KY may be operated to enable the movable contacts to make with either right or left fixed contacts in order to allow the reperforator to be selected according to the value to the last group or the last but one group of the particular intelligence characters being sensed. The right fixed contacts are connected to conductors C24 ... C28 corresponding to the sensing members FA ... FE of the last intelligence character of each group, and the left fixed contacts to the conductors C19 ... C23 of sensing members EA ... EE for the last but one intelligence characters. Contacts may be arranged for all intelligence characters in this manner. Code.-As shown in Fig. 5C there are 28 positions for perforations or embossments aa ... fe, each corresponding to a sensing member AA ... FE. The positions are split into six groups A ... F, the group A comprising three positions recording the digital values 1, 2 or 3 in the position aa, ab or ac and the groups B ... F whereby perforations may be made in each group corresponding to the digits 0 ... 9 in accordance with the following code:- Digital value Positions punched 0 a, b 1 a, d 2 b, d 3 d, e 4 b, e 5 c, d 6 a, c 7 b, c 8 c, e 9 a, e Reperforator device.-The conductors C1 ... C28 are each connected to a corresponding magnet AAM ... FEM and the magnets are connected to an earthed battery. The armature of each magnet is connected to a wire W (W1, W28 only being indicated) which is connected to a punch 38 on each reperforator RPO ... RP9 and to a spring 65 on the frame 61. The punches 38 are carried in slots 50 in plates 36, 37. On energization of any magnet AAM ... FEM the corresponding punches are drawn into their operative position. The drive to the reperforators is similar to that of the primary record having a cylindrical roller 1<SP>1</SP> with conically shaped holes fed by a ratchetwheel 3<SP>1</SP> engaging a spring loaded pivoted armature having a pawl 15<SP>1</SP>. Each reperforator has its punch head 71 mounted on pivoted levers 52, 53. The head 711, Fig. 5B, is narrow enough to pass between punches 38 in the inoperative position. The punch armature is operated by energization of a magnet PM and has a return spring 58. The magnets PMO ... PM9 (only PMO, PM9 being shown) are each connected to an earthed battery and at the other side to a continuity switch 33 and to one of the conductors 40 ... 49 individual to each reperforator. On the conductor 49 being earthed at the primary end of the system the magnets RSM9, PM9 are energized, the pawl 15<SP>1</SP> moves to the next tooth on the ratchet-wheel 31 and the punch-head 71 is moved downwards on to punches 38 which have previously been set in the operative position. On the conductor 49 being energized the return spring 58 on the punch operates, springs 51 on the punches 38 withdraws the punches from the secondary tape 39 and the spring on the armature of the magnet RSM9 moves the tape 39 through the ratchet-wheel 3<SP>1</SP> and the cylinder 1<SP>1</SP> to its next position. Operation.-With the key KY in the position shown in Fig. 1 (i.e. selecting the appropriate reperforator by interpretation of the sixth' group F), the tape 85 having the perforations aa, bb, bc, cb, ce, dd, de, ed, ee, fa, fb (corresponding to the digits 174330 and as shown in Fig. 5c), in the reading position and the shaft 4 in the' position shown in Fig. 1, the sensing members AA, BB, BC, CB, CE, DD, DE, ED, EE, FA, FB will make contact between their respective contacts 21, 22, thus earthing their respective conductors (only C1, C18, C22, C23, C24, C25 being shown). Magnets AAM, BBM, BCM, CBM, CEM, DDM, DEM, EDM, EEM, FAM, FBM are then energized and move their respective punches on all the reperforators into the operative vertical position. The conductors C24, C25 provide the switches 1, 2 on the key KY an earth to the magnets CAM, CBM, which become energized, drawing forwardly the code bars CA, CB. Coinciding with this position of the shaft 84, cam 11 earths the magnet RM, drawing forwardly the release bar 28 and allowing the U-bars to fall on to the code bars CA ... CE. Since the last digit of the example is " 0 " only the U-bar UO will fall into aligned notches, thus making its contact 27. Since the contacts 14 are made by the position of the cam 12, an earth is made in the contact 40 causing the magnets RSMO, PMO to be energized in the reperforator RPO and the secondary record 39 thereon to receive embossments corresponding to the impression on the primary record 85. Since the shaft 84 is continually rotating, the cams move from their highest eccentricity against their followers and the sensing members are moved backwards, the rollers 81, 1<SP>1</SP> on the reperforator RPO move to their next position, and all magnets de-energized.