Patent GB-686121-A (GB)
Abstract: 686,121. Workmen's time recorders. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. April 21, 1950 [June 1, 1949], No. 9857/50. Class 106 (iv). A time recording machine whose operation is initiated by the insertion of an attendance card and which includes a guide for guiding the card along a predetermined path, and printing means, such as type-wheels, disposed along said path and perforating means disposed along said path and coacting with the printing means, comprises mechanism for simultaneously operating the printing means and the perforating means including interposing means having members adapted to be disposed in the path and means actuated by the card for disabling the interposing means. Printing and punching mechanism. In the embodiment described a card is guided into a slot 10, Fig. 1, formed between two vertical plates 11, 12 and as the card is pushed down it displaces restraining means in the form of a spring 14 to allow interposing means in the form of a finger 13 to search for a hole, it displaces the knee of a toggle 17 and, if the card has not previously been used, its bottom edge eventually reaches a projection 18a on a slide 19 and depresses it to cause an upper projection 19a to depress a slide 35 whose lower end then closes a switch 42 to energize an electromotor 44 which retracts its plunger 45 to pivot levers 49 about their bearing-rod 47. The levers 49 lift levers 53 pivoted thereon to rock links 55, 56 against springs 59 and the links 55 rock operating arms 48, pivoted thereto, about the rod 47 to pull forward rods 62 screwed at their rear ends into a bar 24 which carries a punch 15p and platen 16 and so causes punching and printing of the card. If a card has previously been punched, the feeler 13 finds the lowest hole and pressing the card down causes the lower end of the feeler to depress the slide 35 to close the contacts 42 to cause punching and printing. At the end of the above operation an upward projection 53a rocks a bell-crank lever 39 in pin- and-slot connection with the slide 35 and moves the slide 35 to disengage its upper end from either of the projections 19a or 13d if engaged. If a card is inserted when already fully used, the feeler 13 senses the lowest hole before the leading edge of the card can push aside the knee of the toggle 17 whose lower projection 17b remains in the path of the lower end of the feeler 13 forming disabling means which prevents further depression and prevents operation. Ink-ribbon mechanism. An ink ribbon 64, Fig. 2, stored on spools 65 on shafts 66, passes between the platen 24 and type-wheels and is advanced after each printing operation by conventional feed mechanism actuated by a plate 90 mounted by slots on the shafts 66 and reciprocated by the engagement of an ear 89 with an extension 88 of the left-hand operating arm 48. Driving mechanism for type-wheels. A cam 71 is fixed to the output shaft of a synchronous electric clock motor 70 and reciprocates once a minute a cam follower 72 mounted on a shaft 68 upon which type-wheels 69 are journalled together with a locking-arm 73 linked to the follower 72 by a spring 74. The free end of the follower 72 carries a pawl 75, spring-urged against a stop 76, which advances a minute type-wheel through a gear-wheel 79 attached thereto. Locking type-wheels and storing drive during printing. When the plate 90 is reciprocated by the extension 88 of the arm 48 engaging the ear 89 a spring 93 causes a bell-crank lever 92 and bale 94, interlinked by yoke and pin means 94a, to rock counter-clockwise and lock the type-wheels 69 with a series of detents 96 with springs 97 carried by the bale 94. At the same time an extension 94b on the bale 94 engages the locking-arm 73 to prevent jamming of the pawl 75 against the teeth of gear 79 in the event of the follower 72 dropping off the cam 71 at the instant that the solenoid plunger 45 is actuated. Indicating off-schedule printing. A typewheel 106, Fig. 5, fixed to a gear 105, has " asterisks " and " blanks " in alternate positions and is advanced when the gear 105 is engaged by a pawl carried by a bale 104 supported by the follower 72 unless inhibited by an extension 103 on a bale 102 supported by a lever 98 pivoted at 99 and urged downward by a spring 100 on the follower 72 when the latter rises on the high of the cam 71. The extension 103 allows the type-wheel 106 to be advanced during a revolution of the cam 71 only when a tip of the lever 98 can slip down into the composite slot provided when cut-out parts such as 119, 120 in the peripheries of two programme discs 107, 108 are co-aligned. A gear-wheel 111 is fixed to the disc 108 and is driven from a shaft 82, driven from a gear 80 fixed to the minute type-wheel gear 79, to which are also fixed two one-tooth wheels 113, 114 which drive a gear 110 fixed to the disc 107 through a Geneva gear 115. The gear ratios and location of the cut-out parts of the discs are chosen to accord with a desired programme. Time indication. The driving gears for clock hands are connected to a shaft 84 driven through gears 83, 81, 80 from the minute typewheel gear 79. Overtime. Overtime may be printed on the reverse side of the card when the holes for determining depth of card insertion will be punched down the opposite edge and will not interfere with the first series of holes for normal times. Confetti container. A confetti shoot guides clippings from a chamber 31 in front of the punch to a container detachably mounted behind the card slot 10. Adapting for different card lengths. The slide 19 carrying the stop 18a is formed with projections at two higher levels. To adapt the apparatus for long cards the upper two projections are broken off to leave the stop 18a operative, for medium length cards the upper projection is broken off, while for small cards all are left intact so that the top one is operative.