GB823596A - Improvements in control means for office machines controlled electrically by signals - Google Patents

Abstract

823,596. Statistical apparatus. DIRKS, G. April 3, 1956 [March 30, 1955], No. 10081/56. Class 106 (1). Record card magazines.-A magazine has guides to receive record card or sheets each with magnetic data marks, means for selecting any record in the magazine, means for withdrawing the selected record to bring the required area into register with a reading head and means for making a sensing movement between the head and the record. The magazine of Fig. 1 has parallel channel-shaped guides 3 at top and bottom between which the records 4 can slide. Along the top edge of the magazine is a rail 5 on which slides a carriage 6 having a slotted guide 7 bearing a second carriage 8. The reading head 10 is slidably mounted on a guiderod 9 extending from carriage 8. The sliding movements necessary to bring the head to the required position on the extended record may be effected by screw-and-nut mechanisms controlled by address signals. The head may slide along rod 9 to sense the selected row or the sensing may be effected as the card is withdrawn, the row being selected beforehand. The data rows may be vertical, in which case the record need only be pulled out as far as is required to position the desired row opposite the reading head. The extraction of the selected record may be done manually or grippers on the reading head may pull the required record out of the magazine as it slides along guide 9. A rotatable toothed wheel or wheels may otherwise be provided in the reading head, rotating to extract the record by engagement with holes or depressions 11. In the form of Fig. 3 the magazine is circular and the records are carried in radial guides. Three rotatable telescopic pairs of arms 16 carry vertical guides. 15 on which slide the reading heads 14. A masking plate 17 prevents displacement of any record except those aligned with the arms 16. The record may be selected by displacement of appropriate ones of a number of combination bars having transverse grooves for the reception of cross-bars, one for each record. The record whose cross-bar falls into the grooves and thereby operates a contact, is selected. In another form of selection each record has a particular combination of contacts and a slider with five sensing contacts sweeps over the record contacts until the desired record is found. The selection control may be from a keyboard or from a record tape or card, for example a ledger card bearing account details. Specifications 786,022, 786,037, [both in Group XVI], 786,041 and 786,046 are referred to.