US1760393A - Card-group control for tabulating machines - Google Patents

Description

May 27, 1930- s. c. BARTHOLOMEW CARD GROUP CONTROL FOR TABULATING' MACHINES 2 SheetsShee t 1 Filed April 24, 1926 W F/G.

W) m y Mk M 0 R MM m% um Ma M 4 .3 a m W 0% un 2 MW May 27, 1930. s. c. BARTHOLOMEW 1,760,393

CARD GROUP CONTRQL FOR TABULATING MACHINES Filed April 24, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 25161, 5 fr (:2 #402 1/ n I ca way a e j JQZZZZQ Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCOTT C. BARTHOLOMEW, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO REMINGTON RAND, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A GORIPORATION OF DELAWARE CARD-GROUP CONTROL FOR TABULATING MACHINES Application filed April 24,

The present invention relates to perforated card-controlled machines and more particularly to a mechanism for causing a predetermined operation of such a machine where there is a change from a group of cards having a certain group designation to a group of cards having'a differentgroup designation. j

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide a control mechanism for perforated card-controlled machines whereby the use of space and total cards is unnecessary to cause the machine to automatically function for space and total operations; to provide means for automatically operating a card-controlled machine in a predetermined manner when a group designation changes; to provide a mechanism whereby the time ordinarily lost by the manual placing of space and total cards is saved; to provide a group designation sensing device whereby a tabulating machine automatically makes an idle or space stroke, takes a total, makes another idle or space stroke, and then resumes traveling whenever there is a change from a group of cards having one designation to another group of cards having a different designation; to provide means for rendering a group designation control ineffective during a total taking operation of a tabulating machine; to provide a stop feed mechanism operative to discontinue the feeding of cards for a pre' determined interval while a change is made from one group of cards to another group of cards having different group designation; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 represents a side elevation in part section of a designation control unit, and its adjuncts, embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a detail of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 represents a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents a perspective of a modified construction: and Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, one form of the present invention is shown applied to a printing tabulating machine, though only 1926. Serial No. 104,502.

a fixed part 14 and a collar 15 upon a slide rod 16 which transmits its motion to the arm 10. The total connecting link 11 is pivoted to an arm 17 fast to a rock shaft 18 which has a bell crank 20 keyed to it, one arm 21 of such bell crank being arranged in the path of movement of a slide lug 22 when this lug is positioned in line with it by means later described, and'the other arm 23 thereof being arranged to be engaged by a latch 24 pivoted to a bracket 25 and carrying a roller 26 which in set position of the latch 24 is inthe path of movement of a trip arm 27 fast to a side face cam 28, the groove 30 of which carries a cam roller 32. This roller 32 is journalled upon one arm of a pivoted bell crank 33, the otherarm of-which is fastened to a hook member 34 having its hook end in position to engage and shift the slide lug 22 when the lug is positioned in line with it. lVhen this lug 22 is aligned with the hook member 34 and the arm 21. the movement of the former is transmitted to thelug 22 and thenceto the bell crank 20, which is rocked counter-clockwise and causes the link 11 to actuate the total taking mechanism. The latch 24 automatically holds the bell crank 20 while the total stroke is carried out, and is then released by the trip arm 27 so that the parts return to their non-total positions. The total taking control mechanism is shown in its operated latched position in Figurel just after it has been adjusted and latched at the end of the space cycle.

For controlling the operation of the arm 10, the slide rod 16 has one end fitted within a sleeve 35 in abutting relation with a pin 36 which enters the sleeve through a hole 37 from one side and is carried by a movable arm 38 having a slot 39 to permit relative movement of the pin 36 when reciprocated by the sleeve 35. This sleeve has a bearing in a fixed part 40 and carries a cam roller 41 riding upon the face of a cam 42 under the influence of a spring 43. The shape of the cam 42 is such as to transmit by way of the pin 36 the required reciprocating movement to the card feed control arm 10, but when the pin 36 is removed from the sleeve 35, the latter can reciprocate but transmits no motion to the rod 16. g

In order to render the card feed control arm 10 inefi'ective for a predetermined time cycle, two spring pressed plungers 45 and 46, (Fi s. 1, 3 and 5), are slidably mounted in the bearing part 40 at one side of the sleeve35 and arranged to be reciprocated respectively by cam rollers 47 and 48 riding upon cams 50 and 51 which are keyed to the main shaft 12 upon which the cam 42 is also keyed. The plunger 45 is provided with an opening 52 to receive the pin 36 and likewise the plunger 46 has an opening 53 for the same purpose. .Thus'when the two 0 enings 52 and 53 are in register with the ole 37, the pin 36 can pass into its operating position between the sleeve 35 and the rod 16 to transmit motion from one part to the other as shown in Figure 5. The cam 50 is circular except for a high portion 54 and the cam 51 is also circular except for a high portion 55, these two high portions being so proportioned and located as to cause the plunger 45 to be actuated a certain time in advance of the plunger 46 in space-totalspace operations. As here shown, the high portions 54 and 55 are located angularly at one hundred and twenty degrees. The cam 42 has a high portion 56 of relatively greater peripheral length than the part bounded by its low portion, and in this instance the high portion 56 extends approximately two hundred and forty de rees and in overlapping relation withthe high portions 54 and 55 of cams 50 and 51. The low portion of the cam 42 is of the same height as the high portions 54 and 55 so that when the plungers 45 and 46 are positioned respectively by their dwells 54 and 55 and the sleeve 35 is positioned. by the low side of the cam 42,.then the three openings will be in register. The pin passes successively through plungers 45 and 46 and into sleeve 35in the following manner. The cams 42, 50 and 51 are shown in the neutral position in Figure 1. 'Assume that the pin as just been withdrawn. As the cams rotate counter-clockwise, the high portion 54 will permit the pin 36 to enter the plunger 45 during the first cycle. During the next cycle the high portion 55 will permit the pin to enter the plunger 46. At the very end of this cycle, the cam 42 will permit the pin to enter the sleeve 35 and the picker will feed a card during the following cycle, that is, the space cycle after the total taking cycle.

For withdrawing the pin 36 to cause the card feeding mechanism to discontinue feeding, the arm 38 to which it is attached, depends from a rack 57 which is under the tension of a spring 58 normally tending to return the pin 36 to its operative position. Motion is transmitted to the rack 57 in the opposite direction by any one of a plurality of levers 60 arranged respectively to engage the teeth 61 of the rack. These levers 60 are respectively pivoted to arms 62 which are keyed respectively to rock spindles 63, arranged in parallel relation and each mounted adjacent a row of analyzing pins 64 of the upwardly spring pressed type slidably mounted in a reciprocable pin box 65. As hereillustrated, the length of the spindles 63 is such as to include nine pins of a row, as this is sufficient for explaining the designation control by the analyzing pins, though, in practice, conditions may require'some considerable variation in the number of pins employed for this purpose. Also in the present control shown by way of example, five transverse rows of the analyzing'pins are included and consequently there are five of the spindles 63.

In order .to rock a lever "60, there is a connecting hook member 66 suspended from a slide 67 in dovetailed engagement with a convenient part of the pin box 65, and when the slide 67 is set in a predetermined position the selected member or members 66 will be located to pick up the end of the adjacent lever 60 to thus rock it about its pivot 68. This rocking movement is transmitted to the rack 57 to carry out the desiredoperation. The lever 60 is swung into the path of the hook member 66 to carry out the aforesaid action, by the swinging movement of the arm 62 under the rocking action of the spindle 63.

For causing rocking of the spindles 63, each carries a plurality of pawls 70 which have a limited rotational movementrelative to the spindle upon which. they are mounted. Thus the hub part of each pawl 70 has a segmental groove 71 receiving a pin 72 projecting radially from the spindle 63. Thus any pawl 70 of a row when swung counter-clockwise, as seen in Fig. 2, will rock the spindle 63, while the remaining pawls 70 on that spindle will remain in their normal position. Each pawl 70 is provided with a cam faced offset 73 projecting into the path of a latch lug 74 upon the adjacent analyzing pin 64 so that when any one of the pins 64 traverses a perforation in a record card 75 its upward movement will rock its pawl-70 out of its path and then seat upon the'ofiset 73 when the pin box 65 makes its return ornon-analyzing stroke, and it so remains held until there is a change in the designation control column or columns. Springs 76 return the pawls 70 to their normal position and the tension of these springs can be automatically increased at times when upward movement of the pins 64 is to be prevented. For this tension control the springs 76 are respectively connected to pivoted levers 77 the free ends of which are arranged respectively to be picked up and moved by a plurality of arms 78 fixed to a rock shaft 80. This latter carries a crank arm 81 joined by a. link 82 to the lever 60 located at the end of the control housing, so that rocking of the lever 60 counter-clockwise transmits motion to the shaft 80 and causes the arms 7 8 to swing the levers 77 in the direction to increase the tension of the pawl control springs 76. A stop 83 limits the swing of the levers 77 and'positions them to maintain the tension required to return the pawls 70.

In order to prevent all of the analyzing pins 64 from being held up by their pawls 7 O when no card is in the pin box, each lever 60 is provided with a latch seat 84 to receive a pin 85 fixed in the path of movement of the seat 84. Thus when a lever 60 is swung by the arm 62 to the position shown in Fig. 2, the latch seat 84 will engage the pin 85 when the member 66 rocks the lever 60 counterclockwise and so prevents return of the pawl shaft 63.

Reciprocation of the pin box takes lace by means of side standards 86 (Fig. 3 at opposite sides of the pin box and respectively having cam rollers 87 riding in cam grooves 88 of the cams 90 which are fast to the main shaft 12. But one side of the pin box operating means is shown and the operation should be clear therefrom.

While the foregoing description deals with a designation control including a five digit number, the invention is not so limited, nor is it limited to any particular row of pins used for such designation control. In Fig. 4, a modification is illustrated whereby selec tion of the designation control can be made at will so that any single row of the pin box may be taken for designation control purposes, or more than one row according to requirements.

In carrying out this modification of the invention the designation control unit has its housing 91 supported by tubes 92 guided upon rails 93 so that moving the tubes 92 axially results in shifting the control unit with respect to the pin box 65 and brings the pawls opposite different rows of pins 64. A crosspiece 94 connects the tubes 92 and the end of the piece 94 may terminate opposite a scale upon the machine in order to assist in loca ting the unit. Attached to the cross-piece 94 for vertical movement is an arm 95 having a laterally disposed pin 96 riding in a slot 97 of a horizontally movable rod 98. This last is provided with ahorizontally stepped member 100 providing as many relatively shortsupporting surfaces 101' as there are control levers 60. In this instance each lever 60 has a projecting arm 102 with an offset finger 103 and these arms 102 are stepped as to length to correspond to the surfaces 101. Thus when the rod 98 is moved to the left, as seen in Fig. 4, first one and then the next finger 103, and so on will ride off of its supporting surface so thatone or more of the levers 60 can drop to operating position according to the adjusted position of the rod 98. A plurality of key stops 104 are mounted at a convenient location so then when any one is depressed it will take a position in the path of movement of a lug 105 on the rod 98. As here shown the first key is down and hence the rod 98 is held so that only the lever60 at the left endis dropped to operative position.

In control mechanism as heretofore constructed it has been necessary to divide different groups of cards, that is groups each representing a different designation, by placing cards between the groups which, through the analyzing unit, causes a total to be taken at the end of each card group. Furthermore two space cards are required one at each side of the total card so that the tabulating ma-' chine will automatically provide a space before the total and after the total. As these space total cards are manually placed their insertion between the groups of cards requires considerable time and care and is the cause of many mistakes due to the errors in inserting them in proper order and at the proper place. In accordance with the mechanism of the present invention but one card is required between different-groups of cards and it is a. blank card punched to correspond to the designation of the group which it is to control. These designation control cards may be properly placed in a stack of cards by running them through the sorting machine after the total number of cards has been sorted into the different groups. This is done by placing all of the designation control cards on the top of the stack of cards and hence, after all of the cards have been sorted into groups, the machine will automatically distribute the designation control cards u on the top of the respective groups. There ore, when groups are taken out for tabulating purposes, the first card of each group of different designation will be preceded by a designation control card perforated in accordance with that group.

Assuming now thatseveral groups of cards are in the machine readyfor analyzing by the unit 65, the first group will be automatically fed through the unit 65 and the entrance of the first card into the unit will result in the pin 64 which registers with the designation control opening passing through that open control set for this group of cards, the machine continues to operate until the designation control card ofthelnext group enters theanalyzing unit 65. lVhen this happens a pin 64 will pass through the perforation of the designation control field and in so doing rocks its pawl 70 and the latter in turn rocks the shaft 63., This rocking of the shaft 63 swings the lever 60 into the path of movement of the hook member 66 which as it follows the movement of the pin box 65 upward will rock the levers 60 to cause linear displacement of the rack 57. The movement of the rack 57 thus shifts the slide lug 22 beyond the path of the hook member 34 and removes the pin 36 from the sleeve 35 and plungers 45 and 46, and disables the card feeding mechanism. When the high portion 54 of the cam operates the plunger 45, the pin 36 will enter the plunger 45 and permit the rack 57 to position the slide lug 22 into the path of the hook member 34 and in line with the arm 21 of the bell crank 20. and consequently when the action of the cam 30 rocks this member the lug 22 will swing the bell crank 20 to rock the arm 18 so that motion is transmitted to the total taking arm 11. The shaft 63 is prevented from return movement by the interlocking of the latch seat 84 with the pin 85, this being essential to the holding of the parts in set position until the mechanisms controlled by the rack 57 have functioned. In this locked position of the lever 60 the link 82 has rocked the arm 78 whereby the levers 77 have increased. the tension of the springs 76 so that, for the three strokes of the analyzing unit during which the total and two idle operations take place, the pins 64 are prevented from upward movement since their lugs 74 strike the respective oifsets 73 but do not have suflicient strength to overcome the tension of the springs 76.

The idle stroke, followed by a total operation, and then another idle stroke, takes place while the card feeding mechanism is at rest and the latter is caused to resume in proper timed relation by the action of the three cams 42, 50 and 51. Thus the cam 50 first brings its apertured. plunger 45 into register with the pin 36 in the latter part of the first cycle and the latter is immediately shifted by the action of the spring 58 so that it enters the opening in the plunger 45. This permits the rack 57 to shift to bring the lug 22 in func-' tioning relation with the hook member 34 and the arm 21 of the bell crank 20, to permit the total control mechanism to be operated by the cam groove 32 at the end of thefirst cycle. The relative angular arrangement of the cams is such that the opening in the plunger 46 is not brought into register with the pin 36 until the shaft 12 has rotated through approximately two hundred and forty degrees after the cam 50 has functioned and when this happens the pin 36 enters the hole byreason of the tension of the spring 58. Atthe end of the second cycle, the low portion of the cam 42 permits the sleeve 35 to move to the left to permit the pin 36 to enter the sleeve to enable the feeding mechanism to function on the next cycle. This movement of the pin 36 permits the rack 57 to shift the lug 22 out of the path of the arm 21 to prevent operation of the total control mechanism at the end of the second cycle.

Selection of the rows of pins for designation purpose can be made at will by proper adjustment of the rod 98 for individual row selection and by shifting the rod 92 for selection of which of the rows are to be used for designation control purposes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A card-controlled mechanism comprising an operating mechanism for a card feeding device, a reciprocating means for transmitting motion to said operating mechanism, a detachable connection between said reciprocating means and said operating mecha nism, a card analyzing unit, means including a rack actuated by said analyzing unit to shift said connection to detached position, and a timing device for restoring said de-,

" tachable connection.

2. A card-controlled mechanism comprising an operating mechanism for a card feeding device, a reciprocating means for transmitting motion to said operating mechanism, a detachable connection between said reciprocating means and said operating mechanism, a card analyzing unit, means including a rack actuated by said. analyzing unit to shift said connection to detached position, a main shaft, and a timing device for restoring said detachable connection after a plurality of revolutions of said main shaft.

3. A card-controlled,mechanism oomprising an operating mechanism for a card feeding device, a reciprocating means for transmitting motion to said operating mechanism, a detachable connection between said reciproeating means and said operating mechanism, a card analyzing unit, means including a rack actuated by said analyzing unit to shift said connectionto detached position, a main shaft, and a timing device comprising a plurality of cams for restoring said detachable connection step by step during a number of revolutions of said main shaft. 4. A card-controlled mechanism com rising an operating mechanism for a card coding device, a'reciprocating means for transmitting motion to said operating mechanism, a detachable connection between said reciproeating means and said operatin mechanism, a card analyzing unit, means including a rack actuated by said analyzing unit to shift said connection to detached position, a main shaft, and a timing device comprising a plurality of cams for successively engaging said detachable connection to restore it to erative pounder control of said member in one of its s1t1on after a predetermined num er of revopositions as it is returned to home posltion.

lutions of said main shaft. Signed at Chicago, county of Cook, State 5. In a machine of the class described, the of Illinois, this 19th day of April, 1926. combination of analyzing elements, means S. G. BARTHOLOMEW.

carrying said elements into and out of contact with a card, space-total-space control means, an operating means for said control means actuated by said carrying means, and means operable by said elements upon a change in I designation for connecting said space-totalspace control means to said operating means. 6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with analyzing elements adapted 15 to be moved into sensing position relative to a card, means controlled by said elements upon a change in designation for causing the machine to make a total operation, and means operated by said first mentioned means for 20 preventing an analyzing operation of said elements when brought into sensing position during a total operation.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination with spring pressed analyzing 25 elements, means controlled by said elements upon a chan e in designation to cause the ma chine to ma e a total operation, and means operated by said first mentioned means to apply a braking effect upon said spring 30 pressed analyzing elements during total taking operations. 8. In a machine of the class described, the combination wth spring pressed analyzing elements, means controlled by said elements 35 upon a change in designation to cause the machine to make space and total operations, and means operated bysaid first mentioned means to apply a braking efiect upon said spring pressed analyzing elements during 40 space and total taking operations. 9. Ina machine of the class described, the combination of card feeding means, analyzing means, a main shaft, a cam on said shaft, a plunger actuated by said cam for operating 1 45 said feeding means, said plunger comprism ing telescoping elements, two other cams on i said shaft, 'apertured plungers operated thereby, a pin normally extending through said .apertures and between said telescoping 60 elements and constituting a transmitting element for the latter, and means operated by said analyzin means for causing withdrawal of said pin from said plungers, said cams being constructed and related to permit said 55 pin to resume its normal position step-by-step to successively'cause space, total, and space operations.

10. In a machine of the class described, the combination of analyzing means, a member 00 movable under control of said means from r home position to an o erated position, means operated by said mac ine for returning said member step-by-step to home position, and means also operated by the machine for caus- 65 ing the machine to make a total operation

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