GB584984A - Improvements in mechanism for sensing statistical records - Google Patents

Abstract

584,984. Statistical - apparatus. REMINGTON RAND, Inc. Oct. 23, 1944, No. 20444. Convention date, Nov. 20, 1943. [Class 106 (i)] A record controlled printing machine comprises means for sensing data from successively fed records, means for feeding records to the sensing means, means for holding the records in operative relation to the sensing means, and actuating means controlled by the sensing means for rendering effective the operation of selected portions of the sensing means, preventing the feeding of records and selectively enabling the holding means to permit the entry of data in the machine from a plurality of pre - selected portions of an individual record. The invention is applied to a machine of the type described in U.S.A. Specification 2,323,816. U.S.A. Specifications 2,044,119 and 2,160,113 also are referred to. Feeding means. The cards are fed ,from a magazine 106, Fig. 1, in a known manner by a picker arm 234 adapted to be arrested by a latch 223 engaging a notch 224. The card is fed by rolls 103 to the card chamber 114 where it is held by a stop 115 during the sensing operations. The sensing of a special hole 277, Fig. 11, during the analysis of the upper zone 155 of the card, actuates a pin 278, Fig. 1, and rocks an arm 281 which depresses a rod 174 connected to an arm 175 on a shaft 173, Fig. 8. A second arm 214 on this shaft is linked by a member 238 to a bell-crank 239, Fig. 1, which is rocked so that a pin 241 obstructs the movement of an arm 242 and thus prevents the removal of the card stop 115. The rocking of the shaft 173, also operates the linkage 216, 218, 217, controlling the latch 223, causing it to engage the notch 224 and thus prevent the feeding of another card. Thus the card is held in the card chamber for a further cycle while the lower zone is sensed. Sensing'means. As the pin box 109, Fig. 5, is raised by an eccentric 108 on the main shaft 107,-locking slides 116, 117 are moved laterally to support positively those pins finding perforations in the card, which then lift the upper set of pins 120. The apertures in the locking slides are arranged so that one slide 116 is effective only for those pins sensing perforations in the upper zone of the card and the other slide 117 is effective only for the lower zone. The sliders are operated by blades 134, 135, 136 fixed to shafts 131, 132, 133, which are rocked by depending arms 147, 158, 166, spring-urged towards cam plates 149, 161, 168. The arm 147 rocks its shaft 131 at each reciprocation of the pin box because the blade 134 operates the plates 116 and 117 for those columns of the card reserved for the designation number 144, Fig. 11. The blade 135, Fig. 5, controls the remaining " upper zone " plates 116 and is rocked during the first reading and the blade 136 controls the remaining " lower zone " plates 117 and is rocked during the second reading of the card. A cam gate 169, Fig. 8, masks the cam plate 168 which would otherwise permit the rocking of the shaft 133 during the reading of the upper zone of the card. This cam gate is held in place by the engagement of pin 179 with a dog 178 on the shaft 173. The rocking of the shaft 173 by the rod 174, as described above, releases the cam gate 169, but lowers an arm 181, Fig. 7, to engage its dog 182 with a pin 183 on a second cam gate 161 masking the cam permitting rocking of the shaft 132. Thus, the shaft 133, and therefore the slides 117, are held inoperative during the first reading of the upper zone of the card, and the shaft 132 and slides 116 are held inoperative during the reading of the lower zone. To prevent operation of the slides 116, 117 when there is no card in the sensing chamber, a latch 191, Fig. 6, pivoted on an arm 194 on the shaft 131, engages pins on depending arms on the shafts 132, 133 and also a fixed pin 204. Normally, when the pin box is raised, a special pin 202 engages the card, is depressed and rocks a lever 197 which renders the latch 191 inoperative. The upper pins 120 lift bars 260, Fig. 4, which are shaped and arranged so that the " upper zone " and " lower zone " bars enter common slots in a plate 268 and together operate Bowden cables 272, three cables being operated by 'each pair of bars so that the data sensed from the cards is reproduced in three places on'a a form 142, Fig. 11. The bars 260 are normally held together by a pin 265, Fig. 4, but this pin could be omitted, in which case 'the bars of one zone would operate two of the cables to print in two selected places on the form, and 'the bars of the 'other zone would operate one cable to print in another place. Data from the zones of subsequent cards are printed on successive lines on the form 142 unless a change in designation occurs, in which case a total-taking operation is initiated and the total is printed on the form as shown.