US1914292A - Tabulating machine - Google Patents

Description

c. REYNoLD A1,914,292

' TABULATING MACHINE June 13,1933.

Filed Aug. 13, 1930` ,3.6 FIM @ggf IT/59 @I Haz/22 E?" l',

le /w n n 18 lll Il m m m n n1 n V. uw www `i\\\\;\\\\\\\\\\\ Y in Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LYNUs CLYDE REYNOLDS, or SWEETWATER, TENNESSEE,l AssIGNoR `To THE TABULAT- ING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ENDICOTT, NEW'YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY TABULATING MACHINE `Application led August 13, 1930. Serial No. 474,927.

This invention relates to tabulating machines and more particularly to those controlled by perforated record cards. It is t-he primary object Iof' the present invention to provide an automatic control device for con'- trolling the operation of a tabulating typewriter of the type disclosed in applicants Patent No. 1,519,054, issued December 9, 1924.

The device provides contacting mechanism adapted to sense the perforations in a particular field of a record card in advance of the regular data sensing devices to determine whether the card belongs to the group being tabulated. The detection of a change in group number will cause the cessation of machine Operation if all cards being run through the machine have been pre-sorted to the same group number. The stoppage of the machine will be an indication that there has been an error in sorting and the misplaced card may be removed before the data thereon has been accumulated with the data of the preceding cards.

A further object resides in the provision of a novel Contact device past which the cards are movable transversely of the columns thereof and including an'arrangement whereby the circuits for controlling can be opened or rendered inoperative for certain columns of the cards which are not used for automatic control. f

Further and other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims, and shown in the drawing, which by Way of illsustration shows what is now considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic Viewl of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the automatic control drum and selectively operated sliders.

In the drawing, 10 represents the solenoids which are suitably connected to the tabu- `lating devices of the tabulator in a mann-er fully disclosed in the patent referred to.

The punched cards v11 are fed from a convenient magazine by 'a reciprocatorypicker 12, one by one in a longitudinal direction.-

into cooperation with a Control drum 13 and an analyzing drum 14. These drums are driven in unison by a motor 15 and are spaced apart so that the field of the cardv bearing control number perforations will be sensed by brushes 16 before the -data i'elds are'analyzed by brushes 17. IIt is obvious that by spacing the drumsfurther apart, the entire card may be sensed by brushes 16 before the leading edge of the card encounters brushes 17. The drums have a rolling Contact with the cards as they pass by and feed rollers (not shown) may be provided to assist in moving the cards through the machine. The

-manner in which the cards are successively fed past the brushes is fully shown and described in Patent No. '1,519,054 and need not be further explained here. Suiiice it to say that for each card passed through the machine drums U13 and 14 will make one com plete revolution, making rolling contactwith the surface of the cards and cooperating with each card in like manner so that a particular point on a drum will contact with the same point on each card.

Drum 13 is constructed of insulating material and has its circumference slotted 'to receive a plurality of sliders 18, fitting into wedged shaped slots which restrain the sliders against radial displacement. A contact.

ing sleeve 19 has a flange 20 engaging the lnnier edge of the various sliders 18. The

brush 21 is constructed so as to have a wiping contact against the endof the sleeve 19, as the drum 13 rotates.

Each slider 18 has a projection 22 and the Asame is manually slidable in an axial di- The device has been shown as being adapted toy Control machine Operations through a single column and by means'of theselectlve arrangement of sliders 18. the particular slider selected to correspond to the controlling column ofthe card may be moved to rect perforation in this column, the machin-ev will continue to opprate, but if no perforation is present in the index position in question or one is present in some other index position, the operating circuit will be interrupted and the machine will stop before the data` has been sensed by the analyzing brushes`17 so that the operator may remove the card.

Referring now to the electric circuit of the machine, the disk 25 of drum 14 is connected directly by wires`26 and 27 to one side of battery 28 and analyzing lcircuits will be completed through the data eld of the card by brushes 17 connected to solenoids 10 which in turn are connected through wire 9 to the other` side of battery 28. The function of solenoids 10 -is well explained in the above mentioned patent.

One brush or termin-al of the motor 151s connected to wires 29 and 30 extending from battery 28 while wire 31 leading from the other brush or terminal of the motor is connected to one of a pair of contacts 32. The other contact of said pair being connected to Wire 33 so that the switch 34 controls the circuit 31-33. Wire 33 terminates in7 one of a pair of contacts 35, the other contact of which is connected to a'wire 36, and a switch 37 connects the two contacts 35 to complete the circuit B3-36.

As explained in the patent referred to, the

typewriter carriage at the completion of each cycle of operations under control of a card will bring a pointer 38 Aagainst. the contact 39 which will. close the circuit of magnet 40 and thereby move switch 37 away from the contacts 35. This will open the circuit ofmotor 15 which includes battery 28, wire 29, motor 15, wire 31, contacts 32, wire 33, contacts 35 and wires 36 and 27. This interruption of the motor circuit will cause stoppage of the drums 13 and 14. The motor 41 is thereupon brought into operation so as tov return the carriage. This circuit is completed through the switch 37 from battery 28,v wire 30, contacts 50, motor. 41, wires 43 and 27 back to battery 28.` The motor 41 will cause return of the carriage in a known manner and upon completion of its movement the carriage will cause a tripping member disclosed in the patent to move against switch 37 and rock the switch back against the contacts 35 thereby stopping motor 41 and again bringing the motor 15 into operation.

This will continue the movement of the cards by bringing the next card into position between drum 13 and brushes 16 to sense the control column.

' The arrangement and timing of the device is such that during the above feeding cycle the brushes 16 traverse the control column before the data lield is presented to the brushes 17 for analysis and control of the accumulating mechanism. If the correct perforation is presented, the opening of contact 24 will be prevented from breaking the nor, mally closedv circuit of magnet 42. This circuit extends from battery 28, wires 27 and 43, magnet 42, wire 44 to normally closed contact 24 and thence through wires 45, 46` and 30 back to battery. Contact 24 is adapted to open at the instant the selected column is presented to the brushes 16 so that if the correct perforation is presented the cir-A cuit through the contact will be shunted from the magnet 42 through wire 47, brush 16, hole rush 21., wires 46 and 30 back to battery. l The absence ofthe perforation at the Vselective index point osition will not shunt contact 24 at its brea ing position and consequently the circuit through magnet 42 is broken and its .armature switch will be rocked under the influence of its spring to open contacts 32. Theopening of these con'- tacts in turn will interrupt the circuit to motor 15 and the device will cease operating. This is a signal to the operator that acard having a different control perforation than those being tabulated is presented to brushes 16 and the operator will be apprised thatthe first ,card of the new group is present and may therefore proceed to totalize the j foregoing cards, and clear the accumuljators preparaftory to entering information from the new n the card, projection 22, slider 18, sleeve 19,

and pointed out thefundamental. novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will he understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. lt is the intention therefore to belimited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims:

1. In a machine of the class described, a plurality f analyzing devices for sensing perforations in columns of a record card which is adapted rto'be fed transversely of the columns thereof past said analyzing devices, ay member movable with said card and having a selectively positionable contacting device adapted to be positioned for registration With a single one of said analyzing devices, through a perforation in the card and means for controlling the operation of the machine as an incident to the registration of said contact and ther selected analyzing device through va perforation in the card.

2. In combination a tabulating machine having means therein for successively'and continuously feeding record cards transversely of the columns thereof, ari-automatic control device provided with settable means for sensing the perforations in said cards column by column and for interrupting the continuous card feed when the perforations in the card do not agree in arrangement with the setting of said settable means.

3. In a card controlled machine of the class described in combination, a tabulating machine, analyzing means for successively analyzing the columns of perforated record cards to lcontrol said tabulating machine, a settable automatic control device positionable to cooperate with a selected indexpoint position in a selected card column and means controlled by said control -device for preventing the further operation of said tabulating machine WhenA said device fails to register with a perforation inthe selected card column index point position.l

4f.r In a card controlled machine of the class described, in combination a tabulating machine for accumulating items from record .i cards, and provided with means for cony device in the arrangement of its control forations.

tinuously andsuccessively feeding cards therethrough i Ltransversely of the columns thereof, a settable control device adaptedv to move synchronously with the cards, means "for comparing the arrangement ofthe perforations of said cards -with said settable device, and means called into operation by said device for interrupting the. continuous card feed when a cardl is unlike the settable 5. In a machine lof the class described haviig feeding mechanism adapted to feed cards continuously and successively in a direction transversely of the columns thereof, -l a series of brushes, one for each vindex polnt osition adapted to analyze the cards vcolumn y column as they progress through themachine, a drum moving in synchronism the card and having a contacting slider, positionable to' cooperate with any one of said mental brushes sense control hole perfora-v tions before data perforations'arrive at the analyzing brushes, a drum having contacting sliders positionable to conform to the location of control positions on the card, means for moving said sliders into column by column cooperation with the card, a circuit adapted to be completed through the control perforations between the supplemental brushes and the sliders and to be interrupted if the locations of perforations do not agree with the location of the sliders.

7. In a machine of the class described in claim 6 in combination therewith, a magnet in said circuit and contacts controlled by said magnet to control the operation. of the machine.

In testimonywvhereofl hereto ailix my brushes, a machine controlling circuit adapted to be completed between said brushes -and slider through a perforation in therecord card and means forinterrupting said circuit upon failure ofsaid slider to cooperate with said brush due tothe absence of tion in the preselected index position.

a perforaius.J

Images