US2343377A - Indicating device - Google Patents

Description

March 7, 1941@ H. H. KEEN INDICTING DEVICE 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2, 1939 @muh i @NNN NE. Nb

QQ x) INVENTOR ATTORN EY iMarch 7, 1944. IH. H. KEEN INDICATI'NG DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1939 b BYM 1 A TfoRNEY Patented Mar. 7, 1944 INDICATING DEVICE Harold Hall Keen, Letchworth, England, assignor( to International Business Machines Corporation, York New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Application June 2, 1939, Serial No. 277,037

In Great Britain June 17, 1938 5 Claims. (Ci. 23S-61.6)

This invention relates to visual indicators for record-card-controlled printing machines.

When preparing returns, statements or other documents in record-card-controlled printing machines, the cards are arranged in groups and it is required to print the information derived from each group on a separate form. It is frequently desirable to use different kinds of forms for the different groups of cards, the kind of form used being dependent on the nature of the transaction recorded on the cards and to be printed on the form. Thus an insurance oiilce will issue a large number of different kinds of policies that can be classified in a smaller number of classes, the kinds of policies within each class being similar in that the returns, or other documents regarding them, are in the same form. In order to avoid any risk of the Wrong form being used it is the practice, rst to sort-I all the cards into large groups each relating to single classes of transactions, and then to run eachl group through the machine separately so that only one kind of form is used in each run. The preliminary sorting operation uses up valuable time of the sorting machine and it may also be necessary to sort all the cards back to their original order, thus doubling the time wasted. Further, the preliminary sorting operation may render it impossible to produce the printed documents in the order which m'ost facilitates their subsequent handling and-may thus add to the expense of handling the finished documents.

In preparing such documents, the printing machine is arranged to stop, when the last card of a group has been read and the information from that group of cards has been printed, in order to allow the operator time in which to insert the next form. It is'known to provide a visual indicator controlled by the rst card of each group to indicate, when the machine stops, the group indication of the next group of cards that is to control the machine. ables the operator to insert the correct for-m where each form is preassigned to a particular group by matter pre-printed on it but is otherwise the same as all the other forms, for example in a ledger sheet already containing entries.

This last-.mentioned indicator is not used in practice to assist the operator in the selection of the proper form out of a number of different forms and could only so be used if each card carried an additional designation indicating the kind of form on which the information it contains should be registered. This is, however,

- open to the objections that valuable card space is occupied in designating the kind or kinds of vnot afterwards be altered without repunching a.

large number of cards.

Broadly, the present invention provides an indicator that is adjustably operable to give any one of its indications in response to each .of a number of designations, selected at will, on the cards.

According to the present invention, therefore, there is provided the combination with a recordcard-controlled printing machine arranged to stop after the last card of each of a. number of groups of cards has controlled it, of a visual indicator, control devices, each operable to cause the indicator to give an indication of a diierent form, selecting means adjustable under the control of a number designation on the first card of a group, before that card'is fed-in to control the machine, into the appropriate one of a number of conditions corresponding each toa different designation possible, and means for adjusting any selected control device to be operable by the selecting means in any condition or conditions, selected at will, of the selecting means. With this arrangement the indicator will indicate a given form in response to any one or more single or plural ordered designations on the cards and any designations normally provided on the cards may be used to control the indicator.

Another object of the invention is the selective plugging of an indicating control relay bctween various units and tens order digital controlled lines so that only a certain multide'nomi- This indicator enl lective indication.

Further and other objectsof the present invention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in the drawings which show by way of illustration a preferred embodiment and the principle thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated of applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention employing the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes made as desired by those skilled in the art withoutl departing from the present invention and within the Fig. 3 shows a chart illustrating the timing of the special cam contacts.

The present embodiment of the invention will be described as applied to a Hollerith tabulating machine such as disclosed in British Patent 422,135, or United States Patent 2,174,699, fitted with the semi-automatic form feeding mechanism described in United States patent applications Serial No. 202,220, filed April 15, 1938, now -Pat ent 2,244,252, and Serial No. 228,000, filed September 1, 1938, now Patent 2,192,610.

It will be assumed thatnot moregthan twelve diilerent kinds of forms will be needed and that these kinds will be designatedform A to form L inclusive. It will also be assumed that there are not more than 99 sub-classes of cards which are grouped in classes inaccordan'ce with the kind of form that is to receive informationfrom a card. The sub-classes will be designated 1 to 99 inclusive and each card has the number` of its sub-class recorded on it. Thus, in insurance work each sub-class number may indicate a diierent kind of policy so that the classiiication is by kinds of policy.

The cards are arranged in groups in any desired manner which may have no connection with the classication in sub-classes.

The cards are passed through the machine and each card is fed first past upper brushes and then, one cycle later, past lower brushes. The items are read from the cards by the lower brushes,

added in accumulators and, if desired, printed by a printing unit on a form. When the last card ola group has passed the lower brushes, conventional automatic group-control mechanism operates to interrupt card-feeding and initiate one or more totaling cycles in which the totals for the group of cards is printed on the form in the printing unit and the accumulators are reset.

The machine is provided with automatic group control mechanism which compares group numbers on the card passing the lower brushes with the group numbers on the card passing the upper brushes and maintains the master-control relay` de-energized as long as these group numbers agree. If the group numbers disagree, indicating that the card passing. the upper brushes is the ilrst card of a new group, the automatic control' mechanism energizes the relay and initiates a totaling operation.

Referring to Fig. 2A, if corresponding columns in the group number iields ci two succeeding cards contain the same hole the circuit will be completed from the line |03 through cam contacts L-|0, a contact roll IIS, the upper brush reading the column in question, a plug socket ||2, a plug connection, a plug socket H3, an operating coil CM--I of a control relay, a plug socket III, -a plug connection, a plug socket H5, the lower brush reading the column in question, a contact roll Ill, contacts LCLRh of the lower card lever relay, and contacts T-l to T-S to the line |02. The contacts T-- to T-5 are operated during card-feeding cycles only.

A similar circuit is completed for each column of the group number field in which corresponding holes are present, in two succeeding cards, so that, it the group numbers agree, all the control relays in use will be energized at some time during the cycle. If the group numbers do not agree one or more of the control relays will not be energized. When energized, the coil CM-I closes contact CMb to-provide a holding circuit extending through upper card lever relay contacts UCLRg, the contacts CMb in question, a

holding coil CM--2 and cam contacts L-3 and L-S. This circuit is maintained until the end of the cycle and is then broken to de-energize the control relay.

When energized, each control relay closes an associated pair of contacts CMa. These contacts are connected in series and between each pair of contacts is connected a plug socket I I8 by means i of which the contacts can be split into a minor group of contacts, an intermediate group of contacts and a major group of contacts in a known manner.

The control circuits are arranged to allow of me cards being divided into maior groups, each of which is in turn divided into intermediate groups, each intermediate `group being in turn divided into minor groups. At the end of a minor group of cards one or more oi' the minor group contacts CMa will be open. At the endof an intermediate group of cards one or more of the intermediate group of contacts CMa will be open, while at the end of a major group one or more of the major group of contacts CMa, will be open. These three groups of contacts control a minor control circuit, an intermediate control circuit and a major control circuit.

The major control circuit extends from the line |03 through a line 89, cam contacts L-20, relay coil MA, relay, contacts MAa which are held closed by the relay MA and tend normally to open, lower card lever relay contacts LCLRc and normally closed contacts 58h in parallel and cam contacts P-2|, relay contacts |2b and relay contacts IRc in parallel to the line |02. The cam contacts L-20 open towards the end of each cycle but if there is no major group change during .that cycle the major group contacts CMa will be closed and a shunt circuit will exist about the contacts 1.-20, extending through contacts UClLiRf, a plug socket |2|, a plug connection |22, the major control contacts CMa, a plug connection |23 and a plug socket |20. The major control circuit will thus be maintained. On the other hand, if there is a major group change, the major control circuit will fail and the relays in it will become deenergized, the contactsMAa opening to prevent the circuit being re-established when the cam contacts L-20 close.

The intermediate control circuit is similar and includes cam contacts L-2|, relay coil I, relay contacts 'Ia of the coil I and the .contacts MAa of the maior control circuit. `A shunt circuit about the cam contacts L-ZI extends through the plug connection |22, all the major and intermediate control contacts CMa, a plug connection |24 and a plug socket I9. It will be noted that the intermediate control circut will fail on an intermediate group change and also on a major group change when the major control circuit fails. f

The minor control circuit includes cam contacts L22, relay coils R26 and MI, contacts MIa controlled by the relay MI, and the contacts Ia and MAa. The shunt circuit about the cam con tacts L-22 includes all the control contacts so that the minor control circuit will fail on each change of group, whether it is a minor change, intermediate change or major change.

The cam. contacts L-20 can be shunted by closing a switch |25 so as to maintain the major control circuit permanently energized. With this switch closed, the machine will operate under intermediate and minor control only. The cam contacts L-2I can be shunted by a switch |26. With this switch closed the intermediate control circuit is maintained permanently energized.

When both the switches |25 and |20 are closed the machine will operate under minor control only. Finally, the cam contacts L--22 can be'shunted by closing a switch IN to maintain the minor control circuit permanently energized. With all three switches closed the automatic group control mechanism is entirely inoperative and a total will only be printed when the last card has been, fed from the magazine. I

The machine is adjusted so that the usualautomatic restart of card-feeding after the totaling cycles is suppressed and the machine is left idle except that a platen in the printing units is rotating to feed out the printed forms.

The operator selects a blank form and places it on a tray in the machine whence it is automatically fed into the machine. The machine is then restarted. 'I'he first form is selected from an inspection of the rst card before the cards are placed in the machine. The remaining forms are selected with the aid of an indicator which will now be described.V

It will be assumed that six forms are needed to deal with a. batch of cards comprising 1l subclasses and that the forms are assigned to the sub-classes as follows:

Form A is for sub-class 2 Form B is for sub-classes 3 and l Form C is for sub-classes 23 and 2d Form J is for sub-class 55 Form K is for sub-classes 5, S and 'l Form L is for sub-classes @l and 78.

The indicatoncomprises a cabinet or holder rack I@ (Fig. 1) with twelve shelves or compartments II one for each ofthe twelve kinds of forms. in the example assumed only the six shelves for forms A, B, C, J, K and L are used. Beside each shelf is a separate indicator I2 comprising a lamp 93A to I3L (shown in Fig. 2) behind a window. Each window is glazed with frosted glass which has a form designation, in the present case a.v letter from A to L on it. If the forms are differently colored, the glass in each indicator may be correspondingly colored so that` the operator at a glance can see that each shelf contains only the proper forms. When the machine starts to perform totaling cycles one of the lamps NA to I3L will be illuminated to indicate the proper form to use for the next group of cards and the operator can take a form from the related shelf and place it in the machine.

'I'he lamps are controlled in the following manner. As the last card of a group passes the lower brushes the first card of a group will pass the upper brushes which will read the sub-class or group number from the card and adjust selecting means accordingly. The selecting means comprises a set vof primary selecting control relays ULI to UL4 and ULG to ULS (Figs. 2 and 2A) adjusted in accordance with the units digit and a set of primary selecting control relays TLI to TLl and TLB to TLB adjusted in accordance with the tens digit. As the card passes the upper brushes, the brush reading the units column will encounter a hole and complete a circuit including one, two or three of the relay coils ULI, UL2, ULI and ULl and a commutator I4. ,The commutator Il is operable in synchronism with the card movement to connect the relay coils in circuit in a different manner as each hole-position in the column passes the upper brush so that the coils which are energized depend on where the lhole lis in the column and therefore on the disit it'represents. The arrangement is such that:

Hole 0 energizes no relay Hole 1 energizes relay ULI Hole 2 energizes relay UL! Hole 3 energizes relays ULI and ULI Hole 4 energizes relay ULl Hole 5 energizes relays ULI and ULS Hole 6 energizes relays UL! and ULI Hole 'l energizes relays ULI, UL! and UL3 Hole 8 energizes relay ULI Hole 9 energizes relays ULI and UM Each relay coil ULI, ULI. UL) or UL4 closes contacts ULIB, ULZB, ULIB or ULBXFig. 2) to energize a holding coil ULIH, ULIH, ULIH or ULIIH which holds the contacts closed. The circuits for the holding coils ULIH to ULGH include cam contacts L40 which open momentarily at the end of each cycle to de-energize the relays. The coils of the relays ULB and ULI are connected in series with the holding coil ULIH of the relay ULI so that they will be energized when this relay is energized. The coil of the relay ULI is connected in series with the holding coil ULIH of the relay UL2. The relays ULB and UL'I and ULB are provided4 to allow the use of small relays having only two sets of contacts; the relays ULI, ULG, and ULl operate together as one. and the relays ULZ and ULB also operate as one. These relays have triple contacts which serve to connect one supply line through cam contacts T1 and minor control contacts RMB to one of ten "units sockets SUI) to SU! each of which is allocated to a different units digit 0 to 9 respectively. The contacts are so arranged that onlyl one connection is established for each relay or' combination of relays energized. These circuits are as follows:

9 1, s, 1mm 'gsoema In the above table the prefixes UL and SU have beenomitted to save space and the different sets of contacts are designated A and B; where the contacts are underlined they are to be understood as having been shifted from their normal tens socket STO to ST8 inclusive.

position and the connection includes their normally open side.: For example, for an 8 hole the connection is through the normally open contacts ULIA and the normally closed contacts ULIA to the socket SUI.

The arrangement of the tens relay TLI to TLI and TLS to TLS is the same except that' the contacts `serve to connect the other supply lineto y The arraangement and operation of these relays need not therefore bedescribed.

Certain of the relays ULI, etc., and TLI, etc., are energized each time a card passes the upper brushes but normally, no circuit is completed through their contacts because the minor control contacts RZSB are open. These contacts y form part of the automatic control and close, in

. at D in the cycle, Fig. 3.

a' known manner, when the last card of a group passes the lower brushes. After they have closed, the cam contacts T1 close momentarily so that the supply lines are connected respectively to the tens and units sockets corresponding to the tens and units digits of the sub-class number of the first card of the next group. If an intermediate or secondary selecting control relay CSI to CSIS is plugged between these sockets, it will be energized. Thus, for example, if the sub-class number is 23, a circuit is completed through the contacts T1, R26B, ULLA (upper), UL'3A (upper), UL8A (lower) and ULEB (lower), the socket SU3, a plug wire I6, the relay coil CS3, aplug wire I1, the socket ST2 and the contacts TLGB (upper), 'FLSA` (lower), TL3A (upper) and TL4A (upper) to energize the relay CS3. The relays CSI to CSIS, when energized, each close corresponding normally open contacts CSIA to CSIBA to connect the minor control contacts R26B to a related plug socket in a first set of sockets SI. Each lamp I3A to ISL is connected, in series with a holding relay I4A to HIL, respectively, to a related plug socket in a second set of sockets S2. Any socket SI in the rst set can be plug connected to any socket S2 in the second setto form a circuit such as the one comprising a plug wire I8 between a pair of sockets S3, and S4, the lamp ISA, its holding relay coil I4A, the contacts CSIA of the intermediate selecting relay CSI, the minor control contacts R26B and the contacts T1. When the intermediate relay CSI is energized,

the aforesaid circuit is completed and the holding relay IAA closes contacts I IIIA. to provide a holding circuit for itself and the lamp I3A through a plug connection I9 between sockets S5 and S6 and cam contacts T6 which are normally closed The lamp is thus illuminated. The cam contacts T6 and T'l operate in card feed cycles only and the contacts T6 open at the beginning of each card feed cycle. Thus the lamp will be illuminated until the machine recommences card feeding and this will not occur until a new form has been fed into the machine. The plugging necessry to produce the operation of the indicator in response to the various subclass designations given above is shown below.

Intermediate Tens Units Lamp relay socket socket 13A CS] STO 2 13B CS2 -ST0 SU3 and 4 13C CS3 ST2 SUS and 4 13.1 US5 ST5 SU5 13K CSB STO SU5 13K CS? STO SUG 13K CSS STO SU7 13L C S9 ST6 SU7 `l3L CSlO ST7 SUS Each lamp shown in the first column is plugged for control by the intermediate control relay shown in the second column and this relay is con.- nected between the sockets shown in the third and fourth columns. Thus if the sub-class number on a card is 02, the relay CSI is energized and completes the circuit for the lamp IBA. If the number is 03 or 04, the relay CS2 and lamp I3B are energized; if the number is 23 or 24 the relay CS3 and lamp I3C are energized and if the number is 55, the relay CS5 and lamp I3J are' energized. The lamp K is controlled by three relays CSS, CS1 and CSB which are energized respectively when the number is 05, 06 or 07. The reason for not connecting the units sockets SU5, SUS and SU1 together and t0 a single intermediate relay is that a circuit could then be completed through the relay CSB when the number was 56 or 57. The units sockets SU5 and SUI must not therefore be connected together. In the same way, a circuit could be completed when the number was 66 if the units sockets SUB and SU1 were connected together since the relay CSS would then be connected between the tens socket ST8 and the units socket SUB through the socket SU1. For similar reasons the lamp L is controlled by two relays CSS and CSN which are energized when the numbers are B1 and 18 respectively.

It will be appreciated that each lamp and its circuit forms a control device for the indicator and causes it to indicate a particular form. Were it not for the possibility of the faulty circuits pointed out above, each lamp and its holding re- 1ay could be plugged directly between the tens and units sockets. The intermediate control relays are provided to remove the possibility of wrong connections by allowing two such relays to be used to control one lamp and to separate the circuits where interconnection would lead to wrong results. v

Rectiers 20 are provided to render impossible the formation of back-circuits through the relay coils ULI to ULI and TLI to TL4 and rectifiers 2| serve the same purpose for the relay coils CSI to CSI 8.

It may be noted that the devices disclosed here- ,inbefore may be applied to the selection of objects other than forms and operations other than indicating and form selection. The devices are applicable wherever there is need for selective control in one of a plurality of ways, each of which is related to one or more digital or multidenominational designations on records.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be 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. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as in dicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a record controlled machine, means for sensing designations on the records, a plurality of primary control devices, means under control of said sensing means for operating a different combination of said primary control devices for each of the various designations sensed a series of secondary control devices, means under control of said primary devices for making the secondary control devices selectively effective, and responsive to a plurality of different combinations of said primary devices, a plurality of indicators, means for selectively connecting each indicator to certain of the secondary devices for selectively operating an indicator representative of a plurality of sensed designations, whereby a single indicator is selectively responsive to secondary devices operated by a plurality of combinations of primary devices and thereby selectively responsive to a predetermined plurality of sensed designations.

2. In a record controlled machine, means for sensing plural ordered designations on the records, sets of primary control devices, one set for each order of designations, means under control of said sensing means for operating certain combinations of said primary control devices according to the designations sensed, a series of secondary control devices, means under control of said primary devices for making the secondary control devices selectively effective, and responsive to a plurality of diilerent combinations of said different sets ol primary devices. a plurality of indicators, means for selectively connecting each indicator to certain of the secondary devices related to a plurality of the sets of primary control devices or selectively operating an indicator representative of a plurality of plural ordered designations, whereby a single indicator is selectively responsive to secondary devices operated by a plurality oi combinations of said primary devices in different sets and thereby selectively responsive to a plurality oi' predetermined plural ordered designations when sensed.

3. In a record controlled machine, means for sensing designations on the records. a plurality of communicators, two series of control relays, one series for each denomination of deignations sensed, means cooperating with said sensing means and said commutators for energizing combinations of said relays representative oi sensed duodenominational designations, two series ci holding relays operated by said control relays, two sets ot circuits with pyramfidically arranged contacts arranged in series and operated by said holding relays. a single series of selection relays. means for selectively connecting said selection relays in said circuits between said sets of contacts to be energized by various combinations of closed contacts in both sets, a plurality of indicating lamps, contacts in series with said lamps and operable selectively by effective selection relays to light the lamp representative of the selected combinations of sensed designations, and a holding circuit established through the lighted lamp.

4. In a record controlled machine utilizing forms arranged in groups, each group containing one or more forms of the same classiilcation, the combination of a plurality of indicators each associated with a group oi' forms and each indicator when operative indicating the kind of form to be required, means for sensing multidenominational designations on the records, a series of primary control relays ior the units denominational order, a series of primary control relays for the tens denominational order, units circuit connections including ten pluggable sockets made selectively effective by the umts primary relays, tens circuit `connections including ten pluggable sockets made selectively eilective by the tens primary relays, a set of secondary relays between the units and tens circuit connections, means for plugging any of said secondary relays to any unit socket and to any tens socket to be representative of a multidenominational designation. contacts operated by said secondary relays. electrical connections for each indicator, means ior selectively connecting one or more of said contacts in series with the electrical connection of any indicator and means under control of said sensing means for energizing the units and tens primary relays corresponding to the sensed designations and thereby making effective the secondary relay plugged to the effective circuit connections to operate the related contacts connected to an indicator which is operated to indicate the group of forms related to the sensed multldenominational record designations.

5. In a record controlled machine, means for sensing multidenominational designations on the records, a plurality of indicating lamps, each related to certain multidenominational designations on the records, a series of primary control relays for the units order, a series of primary control relays for the tens order, units circuit connections including ten pluggable sockets made selectively eiective by the units primary relays, tens Icircuit connections including ten pluggable sockets made selectively effective by the tens primary relays, a set of secondary relays between the units and tens circuit connections, means for plugging any of said secondary relays to any unit socket and to any tens socket to be representative oi a multidenominational designation, contacts operated by said secondary relays. electrical connections for each lamp. mns for selectively connecting certain of said contacts in series with the electrical connection or any lampand means under control of said sensing means for energizing the units and tens primary relays corresponding to the sensed designations and thereby making eilective the secondary relay plugged to the eilectivecircuit connections to operate the related contacts connected to a lamp.

HAROLD n. msnm.`

o CERTIFICATE GORHECHON. Ptnt No- 2,515,577. mmh 7, 19m

mmpm HAIL mn.

It is hereby certified thnt error appears 1n the printed Aslzyecitlomtlon of the above numbered patent reql.' iring correction sa follows: Page 5, first column, line 26, for "'two sets of circuits with read --circuits withl two sets of; and that the said Letters Patent should be reed with this correction therein that the'eeme may conform to the record of the cs-se 11"; the Patent office.

signed and sealed this 25rd du er my, A. D. 191m.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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