GB1087653A - Card feed mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

1,087,653. Selective punching machines. SOROBAN ENGINEERING Inc. Oct. 12, 1964 [Oct. 15, 1963], No. 41598/64. Heading B4B. Means for feeding record cards through a punching machine comprise a pair of parallel arms 223 the upper ends of which are mounted at the ends of a rotatable shaft 213 and the lower ends of which each have mounted thereon a pair of clamping jaws 251 (252, Fig. 4, not shown), the arms being oscillatable simultaneously through a predetermined arc by means of a cam 211 on a shaft 201 and-the jaws being operable by means of a shaft 234 which is oscillatable by means of a cam 212 on the shaft 201, the arrangement being such that the jaws are clamped when the arms 223 are stationary at one end of the predetermined arc and are maintained clamped during the entire movement of the arms to the other end of the arc and the jaws are released when the arms are stationary at the other end of the arc and maintained released during the entire return movement of the arms to the one end of the arc. The cards are released during the punching operation by means of spring fingers 8. Each jaw (252, Fig. 4, not shown) is fixed to the lower end of an arm 223 and each jaw 251 is secured to a U-shaped flexure member 248.carried by a strut 247 secured, through a flexure member 246, to a bendable arm 242, or 243, secured to the ends of the shaft 234. Each member 248 is secured to a stub shaft 249 in turn secured to the lower end of an arm 223. When the shaft 234 is rotated clockwise by the cam 212, each member 246 and strut 247 are pulled upwardly raising each lower clamp member 251 towards the upper clamp member (252, Fig. 4, not shown). The shaft 234 has depending therefrom an arm (257, Fig. 3, not shown) which is normally latched by the hook (256) of the spring- pressed pivotally-mounted armature (254) of an electromagnet 253, the arm (257) being freed when the electromagnet is energized. The cam 212 unloads the latch during both latching and unlatching operations. The shaft 213 and a follower 218 carried thereby and engaging the cam 211 are counterbalanced by a shaft 224 carrying a mass 228 which has a follower 229 also engaging the cam 211. The followers are both maintained in contact with the cam by means of a compression spring 233. The shaft 234 carries a follower 239 which is biased into engagement with the cam 212 by means of a torsion quill 241 extending through the centre of the shaft. Each card, upon being fed by a picker mechanism (2, Fig. 1, not shown) passes through a slot 262 in the punching machine and between a die plate 263 and a guide block 264. The card is initially positioned relative to punches 266 by means of an L-shaped gate 267 which has a curved front portion concentric with the shaft 213. The gate is withdrawn by the energization of an electromagnet 271. The withdrawal of the gate depresses a pin 288 to cause energization of the electromagnet 253. Another pin 289 is provided which in its raised position energizes the feed solenoid of the picker mechanism (2, Fig. 1, not shown) and in its lowered position, caused by the introduction, of a card, brings about the withdrawal of the gate 267. After the card has been punched, it is caused to pass between a plate 274 and the belts 279 of an eject mechanism, the card being ejected when a pivotally-mounted roller 281 is raised against the action of a spring 287 by the energization of an electromagnet 286.