Patent GB-765231-A (GB)
Title: An electro-mechanical document filing apparatus
IPC: A47B63/06
Filed: 1954-06-30
Abstract: 765,231. Electric control systems. BERTELLO, E. June 30, 1954 [Oct. 19, 1953], No. 19126/54. Class 40 (1). [Also in Groups XV and XXXVII] An electro-mechanical document filing apparatus comprises one or more rotatable drums, each having a plurality of file drawers, with a keyboard device for bringing the drawers to an access position selectively and for opening and closing them when in that position, each drum being caused by the keyboard device to rotate to the access position by the shortest path, and an index device having a plurality of index panels capable of being brought to a viewing position selectively by push-button control to provide the information to be used on the keyboard in obtaining a particular drawer at the access position. The index device (R, Fig. 1, not shown) comprises a rotatable drum with automatically-opening panels, stated to be of known construction and not described in detail, the device providing a three-figure number referring to the drum to be selected and the drawer required. Drum selection and operation.-Each drum 1 is mounted on a shaft 2 journalled on a main frame 17 and fitted with drawers 3 opening radially at the access position, control being by three series of keys 5, 5<SP>1</SP>, 5<SP>11</SP> on a keyboard 4 through an electric circuit (N, Fig. 12, not shown) closed when one key of each series is closed. A push-button 111 returns the opened drawer 3 to its closed position. A motor GH (Figs. 3 and 8) is fitted with a worm 6 to mesh with a wheel 7 keyed on a shaft carrying two pinions 8 to operate rack members 9 having gearing teeth along a portion of their underside, the members 9 being shifted longitudinally thereby until end contacts 10 strike against the depressed keys of the series 51, 5<SP>11</SP> to supply current to the drum motor for the drum selected by key 5. On return movement of the racks 9, contacts 101 at their other end are operated to cut off the current to the motor. To block the keys 5, 51, 5<SP>11</SP>, a plate 114 (Fig. 9), is movable along guiding rails in the box 4 by an electromagnet 113, the keys lying in slots 115 and each key having a groove engageable in the depressed position by a lever 116 pivoted to the plate 114 at 116<SP>1</SP> and pressed by a spring 117 against the key. On energization of the electromagnet 113 when the drawer is in its openedout position, stops 118 on the plate 114 move the levers 116 out of the grooves to release the blocked keys which are spring-pressed upwardly. To turn the drum through the correct angle to bring the drawer selected by the shortest path to the access position, the racks 9 carry gearteeth 11 on their upper side meshing with pinions 12 keyed to the shaft of a wheel 13 through epicyclic or other gearing in a sleeve 12a, the wheel 13 being connected by a driving chain 14 to a gear-wheel 15 keyed to a shaft 16 carried on the main frame by bearings 18. Selection discs 19-23 (Fig. 5) of electrically insulating material are mounted on the shaft 16, discs 21, 22, 23 being fixedly mounted and discs 19, 20 being loose but rigidly connected with a gear-wheel 36 joined by a driving chain to a gear-wheel keyed to shaft 2 so as to rotate the discs 19, 20 with the drum 1. Discs 19, 20 and 23 carry on their whole circumference a conducting ring 24 and discs 21, 22 carry rings 25, 26 mutually opposed to each other and extending just under the half circumference to leave a gap between the ends 27, 28. Brushes 33, 34 electrically connect the discs 19, 20 to the half rings 26, 25 which are also connected to the ring 24 of disc 23. Since the brushes 33, 34 are parallel, at any given moment only one of the brushes can be in touch with a conducting section 25, 26 of discs 21, 22, the other brush lying on a non-conducting section 35. Discs 19, 20 and 23 are connected respectively by brushes 29, 30 and 31 to conductors 103, 104 and 39. Electrical feeding of the discs occurs through conductor 39, causing current to flow in ring 24 and half-rings 25, 26 and, according to the angle of rotation of the shaft 16 by longitudinal movement of rods 9, either the disc 19 or 20 will be electrically connected, the conductor 103 or 104 energizing a coil B or coil C (Fig. 12, not shown) to determine the direction of rotation of motor BC to drive the drum 1 along the shortest path. The motor BC is energized until the brush 33 or 34 reaches the non-conducting portion 35, the other brush not having yet reached its conducting half-ring, the brushes 33, 34 being rotated with the discs 19, 20 and gear-wheel 36 from the drum shaft 2. Each drum 1 comprises hoops 40 and spokes 41 which act as guiding rails to the drawers 3 held in position by retainer hoops 40<SP>1</SP>. The hoops 40 rest on grooved pulleys 42, 43 which drive the drum by friction, the pulleys being driven from motor BC by belt 47, pulley 46 and auxiliary belts 44, 45. Brake mechanism.-The brake mechanism (Fig. 3), operated to hold the drum 1 when the motor BC is stopped, comprises pawls 64 on a block 63 which hold between them one of the pins 65 on the hoops 40, each pin corresponding to a particular drawer 3. Block 63 is carried at one end of a slide 50 in a cradle 48 pivoted at 49 and pulled by a spring 105 into holding or gripping position. The slide 50 has a pair of guiding brackets 51, 52 with limit stops 54 slidable independently between the ends of a slot in the slide 50 and having extensions 55, 56. A shaft 59 is attached at one end to arm 62 on cradle 48 to pass through extension 56 and a spring 60 operates between the head 61 of the shaft and the extension 56 to act as a damper spring as one or other of the pawls 64 is engaged by the pin 65 under the momentum of the drum 1 and causes extension 55 or 56 to compress the spring. An arm 66 pivoted at 66<SP>1</SP> to the cradle 48 carries a hooked end 67 to engage a corresponding hook 68 on an arm 69 pivoted on the frame 17 and having at its other end a link 79 connected to a lever 80 pivoting at 81 and subject to attraction by an electromagnet 82 to hold the hooks in locked position. Through a slot in arm 66 lies the shaft on which a gear-wheel meshes with worm 74 of brake motor AF and on which a disc 73 is keyed, the disc 73 carrying a pin (75, Fig. 6, not shown) to strike against a pawl (76, Fig. 6, not shown) on arm 66 and an extension 77 to operate a cut-off switch 78. The brake motor AF is started when the rod ends 10 strike against the keys 51, 5<SP>11</SP> and the disc 73 rotates until pin 75 strikes against pawl 76 to shift arm 66 lengthwise so that hook 67 is is in a position to be engaged by hook 68 and so that the cradle 48 is pivoted to release the previously engaged pin 65 from pawls 64 and strike a contact 83 to close the feeding circuit from the drum motor BC and for the electromagnet 82, the latter causing the hook 68 to engage hook 67. At the same time extension 77 operates switch 78 to cut off the brake motor AF. The electromagnet 82 is de-energized to release hooks 67, 68 when the required drawer 3 comes into position and the bracket 48 is pivoted under the action of spring 105 so that the pawls 64 engage and grip its pin 65. Drawer operation.-Each drawer 3 (Fig. 2) at the inspection position may be moved forwards and back by a motor DE set into operation by movement of the brake member 63 to the " on " position, which closes a contact 84 to energize a coil D (Fig. 12, not shown), in the motor circuit. The motor DE moves a toothed rack 88 forwards and back through a belt 85 to pulley 86 connected to a gear-wheel 87 meshing with the rack 88 which has at its front end a hook device 89 to engage and hold an extension 90 on each drawer 3. A swinging pawl (891, Fig. 11, not shown) connected to a lever (L, Fig. 11, not shown) is fitted on the hook 89, the lever L being lifted by an inclined plane P on the main frame 17 at the end of the return stroke of the rack 88 to release the drawer 3 from the pawl 89<SP>1</SP> and hook 89. Two switches 91, 92 are closed by the drawer in its closed and open positions respectively. Opening of switch 91 as the drawer is moved forward by the motor DE stops and reverses the motor GH to return the rods 9 to their position of rest and discontinues feeding of current to the selection discs until the drawer is returned and also energizes for the same period the electromagnet 113 to free the keys 5, 5<SP>1</SP>, 5<SP>11</SP>. When the opened drawer closes contact 92, the motor DE is stopped and circuit 110 (Fig. 12, not shown), of push-button 111 is closed, so that the motor DE is reversed and operates to return the drawer on manual operation of push-button 111.