Patent GB-433805-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to statistical machines
Filed: 1934-04-07
Abstract: 433,805. Statistical machines. THOMAS, A., 11, Sandy Lane South, Wallington, and BROUGHAM, L. E., Brillig, Riddlesdown Avenue, Purley, both in Surrey. April 7, 1934, No. 10563. [Class 106 (i)] Apparatus for analyzing perforated record cards includes in combination sensing pins 3 for reading group-designation perforations in the cards and means, operated by the pins, for indicating visually the group perforations read. The invention is illustrated in the machine described in Specification 271,935, [Class 106 (i)], the cards passing through a designation-reading pin-box, Fig. 1, before passing through the normal tabulator pin-box. As in the prior case, each pin in the designation box consists of lower, intermediate, and upper parts 3, 4, 5 respectively in line with one another and means are provided for retaining the designation-reading in the pin box until a card of a different group is read. The designation pin-box may be moved horizontally on cross-rods 9 so as to cover any desired field of the cards. At the top of the pin-box are an electrically-conducting plate 39 and an insulating plate 40 which are spaced by an insulating block 41. These parts 39-41 have holes in line with the sensing pins. In each hole a pin 42 consists of a conducting part 42<a> and an insulating part 42b rigidly connected together. The upper part of pin 42 is surrounded by a spring 43 connected to a conducting stud 44 which is mounted in the upper plate 40 and has attached to it a lead 45 connected to one pole of the corresponding indicator lamp 46, Fig. 4. The lamps are mounted in a common conducting plate 47 which contacts with the other pole of each lamp. When the pin-box, Fig. 1, is lowered to read a card the sensing pins which pass through holes allow the conducting parts 42a of their corresponding pin 42 to remain on the plate 39, closing the circuit to the corresponding indicator lamps. But all the other designation-reading pins are raised by the card and lift their pins 42<a> off the plate 39, breaking the lamp circuits. To ensure that lamps can only be lit during card-reading, contacts 58a, 58 are inserted in the circuit, Fig. 5. When the pin-box is lowered, if a card is present, a special pin is lifted by the card material and raises a pin 66 to close contacts 58, 58a. Plug and socket connections 61, 62 are provided in the leads 45 to permit dis-connection of the group-number indicator. The latter consists of a compartmented frame 48 with a glass front 49 and a transparent plate or stencil 50 bearing the numbers or cyphers. In a modification, each pin 42 is replaced by a short insulating pin, resting upon the top of each pin 5 ; and resting upon the insulating pin is a conducting stud whose stem is surrounded by a spring tending to move the stud into contact with the conducting plate. The apparatus of the present invention is particularly suitable for use with sheet-feeding mechanism as described in Specification 422,344, [Group XVI], wherein a new sheet is fed into the machine whilst the preceding sheet, bearing the total of the preceding card-group, is ejected. To give the operator time to insert the new sheet, means may be provided which stop the machine before the total of the preceding card-group is printed, i.e. whilst the new group number is still on the indicator. For this, a cam 166, Fig. 9, on the main shaft 67 reciprocates a lever 161, but normally a shoulder 164 on lever 161 reciprocates below an offset 162 on arm 163. When the group changes, a cam 59 is rocked and allows lever 161 to rock clockwise so that on the next reciprocation the shoulder 164 meets and rocks the arm 163 and with it a lever 75 connected to means which set the total-taking mechanism. Similarly a lug 76 on lever 161 now meets lug 77 on an arm 78 so that the latter is rocked and actuates lever 84 and rod 87 to stop the machine. The designation-reading pins may energize relays which close the lamp (46) circuits and hold them closed until they are reopened by cam contacts. Instead of lamps, magnets may be energized which bring number-bearing discs into indicating position.