Patent GB-874473-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to punched card to magnetic tape converters
Filed: 1957-10-23
Abstract: 874,473. Statistical record card apparatus. EASTMAN KODAK CO. Oct. 23, 1957 [Oct. 24, 1956], No. 33016/57. Class 106 (1). A card-to-tape converter for recording on a magnetic tape data read from a series of cards including master and detail cards, the master and detail cards being distinguished by code symbols, comprises a data reading station and a code reading station, means being provided responsive to the detection of a master card to pass the data thereon to a data storage device and means responsive to the passage of a detail card for causing the recorder to record first the data from the data-store and then the data read from the detail card. The cards are fed from a hopper 33, Fig. 1, moving first columnwise in direction 36 and then lengthwise in direction 38. The code sensing station 35 senses the end two columns of the card during the first movement and a row of sensing elements 37 sense the card column by column during the second movement. A slotted disc 65, Fig. 2, rotating synchronously with the movement of the cards is photoelectrically sensed to produce first timing pulses on lead 74, Fig. 2, corresponding to the digit positions sensed as the card moves in the first direction 36, second timing pulses on lead 73 corresponding to the column positions along the length of the card and an end-of-cycle (or startof-cycle) pulse on lead 75. This is also delayed to provide resetting pulses. The first timing pulses are gated with the signals from cells 81, 82 of the sensing station 35 for the end two card columns to produce an output on appropriate ones of two columns of terminals on plug-board 88. The second sensing station 37, Fig. 1, consists of a series of cells 102, Fig. 2, the signals from which are passed column by column to a diode matrix 105 which converts the data into the six-point magnetic tape code. After leaving sensing station 37 the card passes over or under a pivotally mounted deflector 39 controlled by a reject solenoid 47 to pass the card to a reject hopper 41 or allow it to pass to storage hopper 40. The control unit 48 receives the sensed signals over lines 49, 59 as described above and controls two recorders A, B over lines 51, 52, 53 and the reject solenoid 47 over line 54. The master cards are assumed to be distinguished by an " X " perforation in the 80th column and detail cards have classification holes in the 79th column. A detail card with a " 9 " hole, for example, is to be recorded on recorder A, cards with " 1," "2" or "3" holes are to be recorded on recorder B and cards with "12," " X " or " 0 " holes are to be rejected. Signals corresponding to these holes appear on the upper column of sockets 88 for the detail card and the lower column for the master card. Plug connections are made from appropriate ones of these sockets to sockets A, B, R and S, as shown in Fig. 2 to set triggers FFA, FFB, FFR and FFS. Master card.-When cell 82 senses an " X " hole in the eightieth column a signal from socket 107 passes via plug lead 108, socket S and lead 109 to set trigger FFS. This opens gate 110 to allow a delayed "end of cycle" pulse from cell 69 to set trigger FFD thereby opening gates 111 and closing gates 137. Trigger FFD is reset almost immediately to close input gates 111 and open circulating gates 137. The output signals from the converter matrix 105, representing the data read at station 37 from the same card, are passed by gates 111 into store 113 which is a 24-column, 6-row magnetic core matrix, able to receive the data from 24 columns of the master card, and read it out column by column through amplifier 114. The desired 24 columns are selected by making plug connections on board 56 between certain of the eighty sockets 132 and the twenty-four sockets 124. The sockets 132 are energized in turn by the stages of a counting chain stepped by the column timing pulses on line 73 and the selected sockets 124 connected to them in condition in turn the twenty-four columns of the data store so that as the coded data is applied column by column through driver 112 the data of the selected columns will be set up in the cores. The stepping chain 130 has 104 stages corresponding to the number of timing pulses in a card cycle. The frame on the record contains eighty columns of detail card data and twenty-four columns of associated master card data which precede the former. The master card data is read out of the data store by connections from the first twenty-four stages of the stepping chain to the columns of the core matrix. Data read out passes to the recording head and is recorded by the operative recorder. This data is also re-entered over a loop through delays 136 and gates 137. These gates are closed when a new master card is detected and gates 111 open again to pass the new data into store. Detail card.-According to the classification holes of the detail card signals will be sent to sockets A, B or R to set triggers FFA, FFB or FFR. If the first is set, " A " gate 92 is opened and "A" gate 93 is closed. The trigger FFB will have been reset by a delayed end-of-cycle pulse on line 77 to open "B" gate 93 and close " B " gate 92. An end-of-cycle pulse passes over line 75 to these gates and passes through the "A" gate 92 to the start terminal of the A recorder and through the " B " gate 93 to the stop terminal of the B recorder. Trigger FFA is reset almost immediately by the next delayed end-of-cycle pulse on line 77. If the reject trigger FFR is set, an end-of-cycle pulse passes through gate 100 and pulse stretcher 101 to energize reject solenoid 47. The card is then rejected to hopper 41. Combinations of the A, B and R control circuits may be used; for example, a card may be recorded on both recorders. Specifications 711,497, 711,498, 792,861 and 816,434 are referred to.