Patent GB-405317-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card controlled multiplying machines
IPC: G06F7/46
Filed: 1932-08-03
Abstract: 405,317. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London. Aug. 3, 1932, No. 21755. Convention date, Aug. 4, 1931. Addition to 307,025, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.], and 398,851. [Class 106 (i).] In a record-controlled machine for effecting multiplication of factors obtained from cards as described in parent Specification 307,025 and for punching a record of the resulting product as described in Specification 398,851, the factors instead of being read and entered concurrently are read column by column as the card is fed lengthwise through the punching section of the machine. The multiplicand is set up on a number of relays and the multiplication process is initiated when the first figure of the multiplier is read, the components of the partial products obtained being transmitted as impulses to the counter magnets of right and left hand accumulators. The resulting components are then added and the product read out and punched on the card. The machine shown in Figs. 1 and 1a comprises a card reading and punching section 100 and a multiplying unit 101. Card reading and punching section. This unit is similar to that described in Specifications 362,529, [Group VIII], and 398,851. The cards are placed in a magazine 123, the lowermost being engaged by a picker 150 mounted on a card feed rack 151, Fig. 9a. Energization of a feed magnet 175, Fig. 5, couples a one revolution clutch pawl 166 to a motor driven shaft 155 which rotates the wheel 163 to cause the rack 151 to move to the left. The initial displacement of the rack allows a pawl 186 on an arm on a shaft 188 to engage a notch in a disk on a wheel 184 whereby the shaft 188 is rotated to displace another rack 152 to the right until a card pusher 163, Fig. 9 falls behind the trailing edge of the card. The rack 152 is associated with a known form of escapement mechanism 195 and with a removable skip bar 196 having notches 197, 197a, 197b cooperating with a lever 198 to control the escapement. The punch mechanism, Figs. 5 and 5a, comprises a set of punches 200 selected by interposers 201 under the control of keys 203, or magnets 204. The interposers are operated by a bail 202 and a linkage connected to the armature of a magnet 205. In addition a spacing magnet 204a is provided to feed the card column by column during the reading cycles. The reading mechanism comprises a set of brushes 126 and a common contact block 127. Fixed to the frame alongside the rack 152 is a plate of insulating material 211 with conducting stops and strips that co-operating with brushes 224, 225, Figs. 1 and 9, carried by the rack. The stops 212 and strip 213 are associated with the multiplicand relays, and the stops 214 and strip 215 with the multiplier relays. In the zone of the multiplicand and multiplier stops are conductor strips 216, 217 and adjacent thereto additional stops 219, 220. Stops 221 and a strip 222 arc utilised for reading out the product. In the last columnar position are stops 226, 227. An ejector assembly 237 of known form i.; provided to deliver the card to a storage receptacle 128 after punching the product, the operation being under the control of a rack 228, Fig. 9, operated by the card feed rack 151. The rack 228 co-operates with contacts 231 ... 234 to control various circuits. Multiplying unit. This mechanism comprises the conventional accumulator units 103, 104, Fig. 1a, as described in Specification 183,867, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.], with reading out commutators as described in Specification 356,304 and consisting of sets of conducting segments co-operating with a brush assembly driven by a motor driven shaft 102 under the control of the clutches associated with the counter magnets. The resetting of the accumulators is effected in the usual manner under the control of a reset shaft 105. The unit is provided also with a pair of impulse emitters 109, 110, Figs. la and 8. The brush of the emitter 109 is operated continuously from the shaft 102 but the brush 111 of the emitter 110 is operated intermittently through a gearing 114 and a one revolution clutch 115 from the shaft 102. The emitters have each a conducting segment corresponding to the digits and an extra segment 109a, 113, respectively. The emitter 109 is employed to transmit the impulses in the multiplying process while the emitter 110 serves to transmit the impulses when transferring the left hand product to the right hand accumulator. Circuit arrangements and operation. With a supply of cards in the magazine the card lever contacts 250, Fig. 10a, are closed and with the rack 151 in its extreme right hand position the contacts 231 are closed. On depression of a start key 258 a circuit through the motors M, and 124 and a holding relay 259 is completed and the card feed magnet 175 is energized through the closed contacts 231. The card is thereby fed longitudinally until picked up by the pusher 163. At the same time the brushes 224, 225 traverse the plate 211 to a position beyond the stops 212 213, 216 217, and the contacts 231 are opened to de-energize the magnet 175. The further movement of the card is now under the control of the escapement 195 and skip bar 196 and is arrested when the brush 274 is aligned with the stop 212 corresponding to the highest significant figure in the multiplicand. The reading brush 126 corresponding to the digit perforation in this column completes a circuit through the plate 127 and the corresponding magnet 262. The energization of the magnet 262 closes a corresponding pair of contacts in each of the sets of nine contacts 265a ... 265e. The sets of contacts 265a ... 265d correspond to the denominations of the multiplicand and the set of contacts 265e control multiplier relay coils X1 to X9, Fig. 10b. The closure of the contacts establishes a circuit through the live spot 212, brush 224, strip 213 and relay coil 264b. The corresponding relay 266 establishes a holding circuit for itself and through its contacts 269, 270, Fig. 10c, effects a primary selection of circuits for the transmission of impulses through the operated relays. The relay coil 264b closes a circuit through a lead 272, Fig. 10e, to the spacing magnet 204a which initiates a feed movement of the card to next denomination. The circuit, when a magnet 262 in this position is energized, will extend through the closed contacts 265b and energize a holding relay 266 in this denomination, the values in the lower denominations are registered in a similar manner. The rack 152 then escapes until the brush 224 engages the strip 215. At this time in the cycle cam contacts 252, Fig. 10a, close and a reading of a multiplier hole by a brush 126 establishes a circuit through the closed contacts 265e, one of the magnets X1 to X9, a relay coil 273, strip 215, brush 204 stop 214 and a column shift relay coil 275, Figs. 10a, 10d. The particular magnet X1 to X9 energized closes the corresponding relay contacts RH LH, Fig. 10b, and selected impulses are transmitted from the emitter 109 over a group of lines 279 and appropriate leads 280, 282 to the multiplicand relays, the contacts 269, 270 of which have been closed. These selected impulses which represent the partial products are transmitted by leads 283, 284, Figs. 10c and 10d, to the appropriate denominational columns of the accumulators 103, 104. The arrangement of relay contacts, Fig. 10b, is similar to that described in Specification 358,105. At the end of this entering operation an impulse through the emitter segment 109a energizes relay coil 264b and space magnet 204a. The card moves to bring the next column under the brushes 126 and another multiplying operation is initiated and so on. Following the last operation the brush 225 moves off the strips 216, 217 thereby deenergizing the multiplicand holding relays 266 and completing a circuit through the closed contacts 233, the stops 219, 220 and the emitter clutch magnet 116. At the same time a relay coil 286 is energized to connect the reading out commutators 288 of the accumulator 103 to the counter magnets 117 of the accumulator 104. Impulses a'e then transmitted from the emitter 110, now operative, over the lines 289 so as to register the final product on the accumulator 104. At the end of this cycle of operation the segment 113 is rendered alive to energize a space relay coil 264c, a holding coil 291 and a punch control coil 292. The coil 264c completes the circuit to the magnet 204a so that the card is moved to a position where the skip lever 198 drops into notch 197b and closes contacts 199. These contacts through the relay contacts 292a, Fig. 10e, establishes a circuit to the conductor strip 222 and current passes through the brush 225 to the first stop 221 and the other stops successively. The stops 221 are connected by plug sockets 293, 293a to lines 294 leading to the reading out commutator 295 of the accumulator 104 and circuits are established in turn to the punch selector magnets 204. The closure of contacts 209 by the selected interposers 201 establish a circuit to the punch operating magnet 205. At the end of the punching operations the contacts 199 are opened and the brush 225 moves on to the conductor stops 226, 227 completing a circuit through the contacts 234, the reset magnet 107 and the ejector magnet 240. The action of the ejector magnet opens contacts 232, 233, and 234 and closes contacts 231 for a new card feeding operation. When a zero hole is read from the card a circuit is established through a relay coil 264a, the contacts of which close the circuit to the space magnet 204a to shift the card one step.