US2103559A - Selector for sorting machines - Google Patents

Description

` Dec. 28, 1937. W Q Sim/ER l 2,103,559

SELECTOR FOR SORTING MACHINES Filed June 20, 1956 INVENTOR,

Patented Dec. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES earner Fries 8 Claims.

. This invention relates to sorting machines for record cards, and the primary object is to pro Vide in such a machine, a plurality of analyzing elements, each of which is controlled by one `of the record cards as a large number of said cards passinto the machine, tothe end that disposition of one of the cards being analyzed is determined by the relative natures of the cards which are simultaneously in engagement with the analyzing elements.

Another important aim of this invention is to provide, in a sorting machine of the conventional type, a plurality of analyzing elements, electrically interconnected in such manner as `to cause disposition of one of the record cards according to the structural relationship thereof with respect to cards which have preceded it into .the machine, one of which co-operates with the said card being acted upon in making or breaking the electrical circuit having the said analyzing elements therein.

A yet further object of this inventionkis the provision, in a sorting machine of the conventional type, having a single analyzing element of a co-operating analyzing element, the action of Which is controlled by a record card passing into the machine ahead of the Vrecord card that is being engaged by the customary analyzing element so that no duplicate cards will remain in a stack of record cards after the same have passed into the machine. Y i

Minor objects of the invention and the manner of attaching the supplementary analyzing means will appear during the course of the iollowing specification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic view, illustrating a part of a sorting machine having analyzing elements disposed as contemplated by this invention, and,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical View illustrating the electrical circuits and a group of adjacent cards, all of which co-operate with the two analyzing elements that are interposed in the circuit.

Sorting machines of the character upon which parts embodying this invention might be mounted are known in the art, and so far as I am aware, there has never been means in such sorting machines for removing duplicate cards from a stack of record cards, so that whenthe cards of the stack had been run into the machine, one

`of the pockets thereof will contain cards of different natures. In practice, duplicate record cards not desired have had to be removed from the stackV by hand, and as a result of this shortcoming in the sorting machine, a vast amount of time is consumed when it becomes necessary to remove fromV the record cards, the duplicates which have been placed therein as a result of fulfilling some bookkeeping requirement which 5 necessitates making up a record card which is a duplicate of one already in the stack.

Record cards l are each provided with a series of lfigure columns, such as shown in Fig. 2, and which are cf well known type. P-erforations 6 10 are provided in the record cards at different locations thereon so that the operator, by glancing at the record card, can at once conclude what number is designated by the punchings or perforations therein. Throughout this specication and the claims, reference torelative natures of cards t must be construed to be the relative positions of perforations E3, which combine to designate a particular number.

There is but one complete number designated by each card il, and the cards tobe sorted are placed in a magazine 8 and fed from the bottom thereof by a feeding device it, which projects the lowermost card t into the machine between upper rollers i2 and lower rollers lli. These rollers are driven in the direction indicated by the arrows 25 in Fig. l at a very rapid rate of speed, and the cards are successively fed into the machine, and in the nal analysis dropped into the plurality of card-receiving pockets i6, each of which is assoelated with one ofV the distributing passages I3, the receiving ends of which are opened or otherwise' made ready to receive one card 4 after it 4passes through the main analyzing element 2li.

rThis analyzing element essentially comprises means for making and breaking an electric cir- 35 cuit, and arm 22 carries brush 24 so that it rides over the periphery of roller 2B. A brush 28 is in irictional engagement with roller 26 and as one of record cards d passes between brush 24 and roller 26, the presence or absence of a periorao tion t will determine whether or not the circuit is opened or closed and the exact location of perforations e will govern the opening of the receiving end of one of the distributing pas sages i8. 45

When attaching structure embodying this inr vention to the regular sorting machine now in common use, the receiving pocket i6 closest to analyzer 2li is not used andpocket normally numbered I2 will be used as a reject pocket.

To fuliill the principal object of the invention, a second analyzing element 3Q is placed so that its brush 32 will ride over one of the record cards Il the Sametime that the following record card` is being engaged by brush 24. Brush 32 is mounted for lateral adjustment in precisely the same way as brush 24 and the bracket 34 may be carried on a transverse shaft 36 that is attached to the sides 38 of the machine.

A table 40 is also attachedY to sides 38 and insulated therefrom so that brush and table 32 and 4U respectively might be interposed in the circuit with brush and roller 24 and 26 respectively. Thus when a series of cards is passing into the machine, two adjoining cards will be simultaneously analyzed and the relative natures of the two cards will determine the pocket receiving one of said cards. It will be made clear at a later point, the manner in which a third card preceding the two cards being simultaneously analyzed will enter into the combination of rejecting duplicates and maintaining only cards of unlike natures in one of the card receiving pockets.

vMeans for opening or conditioning the receiving ends of distributing passages I8 is electrically operated, andfor purpose oi exemplication, the electro-magnet 42 is shown as a part of the complete circuit. The force exerted when this electro-magnet'42 is energized may be transmitted to the mechanical elements 44 of the machine, which open the receiving ends of passages I8. The electrical connections involved when making a sorting machine embodying the improvements will consist of a wire 46 connecting brush 28 and brush 32, a-wire 48 joining table 40 and electro-magnet 42, a wire 50 extending from electro-magnet 42 to one side of a source of electrical supply 52, and a wire 54 joining the other side or line 56 with brush 24.

In the instance exemplied in Fig. 2, the circuit is completed and closed because perforations B ofY successive adjoining cards are in the same relative location on the cards and, therefore, brushes 24 and 32 are allowed to contact roller 26' and table 48 respectively. Obviously, electromagnet 42 will be energized by the closing of the circuit through wire 54, brush 24, roller 28, brush 28, wire 46, brush 32, wire 48, electro-magnet 42, and wire 50.

One of the distributing passages I8 leading to a card-receiving pocket which corresponds to the number 3 which has been punched will, therefore, receive the last card or the one being analyzed by analyzing element 22. Because of the nature of the third or lead card, the card being analyzed by element 30 will be in the passage I8 leading to pocket I6, which is the reject" pocket and the one that is used to receive all of cards 4 from the magazine which are not duplicates of other cards. The card to the right in Fig. 2 will obviously pass to pocket IB for number 6 cards and, after the pack of cards has been run through the machine, it will be known that this card is a duplicate of one that forms a part of the group of cards in the reject pocket from which all duplicates have been removed.

As an explanation of the immediate foregoing statement with respect to the middle card (Fig. 2) being within a distributing pasage I8 which is directing the card to the reject pocket, a transposition of the three cards one step to the right must be pictured in order to make it apparent that the circuit cannot be closed when the cards are so transposed or moved back one step and, therefore, the central card of the group of three illustrated, will pass into distributing passage I8 leading to the reject pocket.

In short, whenever a card passesv beyond main Y pocket other than-the analyzing element 2B with the circuit open, it is destined for the reject pocketl and, in gaining the advantage of this invention, that is the pocket where all cards not being duplicates are deposited. Obviously, since the two cards to the left of the three illustrated are being simultaneously analyzed, and since perforations 6 of the two cards are not in like positions thereon, it will be impossible for the two brushes 24 and 32 to close the circuit and, therefore, the central card, being this time the lead card ahead, will Y follow said lead card to the pocket-receiving cards of different natures, but as soon as cards of duplicate natures, such as in the case illustrated, are presented for simultaneous analysis, a duplicate card will at once be detected and it (being the right hand card in Fig. 2) will be rejected or removed from the stack as a duplicate and sent to one of the other card-receiving pockets for disposition as the operator desires.

It is conceivable that if a number of cards, duplicate in nature to those two being analyzed, should follow the last card entering the machine, thatv they too-would be passed toa card-receiving reject pocket, and there would be left in the reject pocket, only one of that nature of card.

The first card sent into the machine is always a blank card without punching in the column being analyzed so that brush 32 is insulated from plate 40 until the second card or first punched card is under brush 32 for analysis. Such positioning of a blank card as a first one will obviously permit the next two punched cardsV to locate beneath brushes 24 and 32 respectively to (Jo-operate in controlling the circuit in the manner herein set down.

The two analyzing elements are in tandem, or one in alignment with the other, so that the same column of figures on the two cards being analyzed are traversed by the brushes.

A large number of advantages arise from the employment 'of such equipment in sorting machines, and while one embodiment of the invention has been exemplified, it is understood that changes and modifications might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: Y

l. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successively carrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,

and distributing passages leading to the pockets, Y

the combination of electrical means having spaced-apart brushes for simultaneously, individually analyzing a plurality of the cards, and means operated by said analyzing means to open the receiving end of one of the distributing passages for one of the cards being analyzed, the relative natures of the plurality of cards being analyzed determining the pocket receiving one of said cards, said distributing passages having their receiving ends between said spaced-apart.`

brushes.

2. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successively carrying cardsinto the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets, and distributing passages leading to the pockets, the combination of electrical analyzing means having brushes for simultaneously,v individually sweeping correspondingparts cfa pair of cards, and means operated by said analyzing means to open the receiving end of oneofthe.distributing;

.sweeping corresponding parts passages for one of the cards being analyzed when the cards of the pair are of a like nature, at least one of the cards being analyzed being Within one of the distributing passages.

3. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successively carrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets, and distributing passages leading to the pockets, the combination of electrical analyzing means having brushes for simultaneously, individually of each of a plurality of cards, and means operated by said analyzing means to open'the receiving end of one of the distributing passages for one of the cards being analyzed when the cards are of a like nature, at least one of the plurality of cards being analyzed being within one of the distributing passages, another of said cards being analyzed being outside of the plurality of distributing passages, the relative natures of the plurality of cards being analyzed'serving to effect the analyzing means to determine the passage and pocket receiving the outside card.

4. In a sorting Vmachine having card feeding devices for successively carrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets, distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing each card prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including a circuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card to enter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a second analyzing element interposed in` the said circuit to analyze the same part of the said card after the same has been analyzed by the first mentioned analyzing means and has passed into one of the passages, said second analyzing element being positioned to act upon parts of the card while corresponding parts of the next succeeding card are being analyzed by the first mentioned analyz ing means.`

5. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successively carrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets, Y

distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing each card prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including a circuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card to enter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a second analyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyze the said card after the same has been analyzed by the first mentioned analyzing means and has` passed into one'of the passages, the rst mentioned analyzing means acting upon the next succeeding card being fed into the machine as the said irst card is being analyzed by the second analyzing means.

6. In a sorting machine having card feeding. devices for successively carrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets, distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing each vcard prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including a circuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card to enter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a second analyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyze the said card after the same has been analyzed by the first mentioned analyzing means and has passed into one of the passages, the rst mentioned analyzing means acting upon the next succeeding card being fed into the machine as the said rst card is being analyzed by the second analyzing means, said circuit being closed by both analyzing means, to render eiective the electrical means for causing one of the cards to enter one of the distributing passages, when the two cards being analyzed are of a like nature.

7. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successively carrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets, distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing each card prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including a circuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card to enter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a second analyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyze the said card after the same has been analyzed by the rst mentioned analyzing means and has passed into one of the passages, the first mentioned analyzing means acting upon the next succeeding card beingfed into the machine as the said first card is being analyzed by the second analyzing means, said circuit being maintained open by at least one of the analyzing means, to render ineffective the electrical means for causing the cards to enter one of the distributing passages, when the two cards being analyzed are of an unlike nature but each individually capable of causing one of the said means to close the circuit thereat.

8. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successively carrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,

distributing passages leading to the pockets one of Which is always open to receive the cards, means for analyzing each card prior to its entry into any passage, electrical means, including a circuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card to enter one of the distributing passages other than the said one passage, the combination of a second analyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyze the said card after the same has been analyzed by the first mentioned analyzing means and while the first mentioned analyzing means is acting upon the next'succeeding card, said second analyzing element being positioned to act upon parts of a card While corresponding parts of the next succeeding card are being analyzed by the first mentioned analyzing means, either of said analyzing means being capable of opening and closing said circuit when the other analyzing means is in the circuit closing position whereby the rst card of a group of cards,` similar in operating effect upon the two analyzing means, will enter the said one open passage and the next succeeding cards of the group will be directed into one of the other distributing passages. 4

WILLIAM C. SILVER.

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