US1376556A - Electrically-controlled sorting-machine - Google Patents

Description

W. W. LASKER. ELECTIHCALLY CONTROLLED SORTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, I919- Patented May 3, 1921.

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. 17y lag/fie? W. W. LASKER. ELECTIIICALLY CONTROLLED SORTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED IIINEJ-O. I9I9. 1,376,556. Patented May 3, 1921.

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W, W. LASKER. ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED SORTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, I919.

Patented May 3, 1921.

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By Fl zls filly UNITED STATES PATIENT. OFFICE;

WILLIAM W. LASKER, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR '10 POWERS ACCOUNTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ELECTRICALLY-CONTROLLED SORTING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 10,

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM W. LASKER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electricall -Controlled Sorting-Machines, of which t e following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for sorting perforated cards of the kind used in automatic accounting and calculating machines, in which cards are passed from the card analyzer and deflected into the appropriate compartments by deflectors which are not operated until the card reaches the deflector.

The invention relates more particularly to improvements in the sorting machine de scribed in my U. S. Patent No. 1,315,370, issued Sept. 9th, 1919, for sorting machines.

One object of the invention is to provide an efficient electric means associated with each compartment to the exclusion of the others for controlling each deflector by the card in the analyzer destined to be deflected by such deflector into the associated compartment.

While herein I describe minute details of the invention, the invention is not limited to these, since the features of construction and combination may be greatly varied without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing showing by way of example, two of many possible embodiments of the invention- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine:

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental perspective view showing the timing arrangement;

Fig. 3 is a face view of a timing disk with the settable cams thereon;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken through the setting means for setting the settable cams, and

Fig. 5 is a face view showing the arrangement of another form of setting means.

As shown in Fig. 1, the machine comprises a base 10 on which are mounted a pair of side plates 11 on which are mounted the card feeding means 12, the analyzer 14 and other parts of the mechanism to be mentioned. The card feeding means 12 of the analyzer 14 are similar in construction Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921. 1919. Serial No. 303,155.

to that described in the U. 'S. Patent to James Powers, No. 1,282 626, issued Oct. 22nd, 1918, and the U. S. Tatent to W. W. Lasker,'No. 1,298,971, issued April 1st,1919; hence they need not now be shown or described in all their details.

The upper part of the feeding means comprises a magazine hopper 18 adapted to receive a pack of cards to be sorted; and at the lower part of the feeding means there is provided a reciprocating block 19 guided in the lower part of the feeding means and connected by means of a link 20 to a lever arm 21 mounted on the shaft 24 carried between the side plates 11, and connected by the link 26 having its end 28 eccentrically mounted on the eccentric shaft 29 suitabl driven, as will be hereinafter describe from the motor 30, whereby the block 19 is reciprocated in the lower -part of the magazine 18. The block 19 is provided with a picker knife 34 whereby when the block is reciprocated the lowermost card in the magazine is fed forward through the micrometer slot 35 at the outlet side of the feeding means.

From the micrometer slot 35 the card is received between the roller 36 and a roller mounted on a shaft 38 suitably driven by the sprocket 40 and chain 41 or the like from the drive wheel 44 of the motor 30. From the shaft 38 suitable gears 45, 46, and 47 convey power-to the eccentric shaft 29 and toa conveyer roller cooperating with the conveyer rollers 49 and 50, which latter are adapted to withdraw the cards from the analyzer 14 and deliver them to the conveying means to be later described.

The cards are conveyed by the roller 49 and the cotiperating roller into place between the perforated plates 51 suitably supported on the side plates 11. The pin box 52 is disposed above the perforated plates 51 and is vertically reciprocated by meansof links 58 having their lower ends receiving the eccentric 59 of the eccentric shaft 29.

The pin box is provided with rows of pins- 65 which may be caused .to register with any one of the rows of perforations of the plates 51 by means of suitable adjustments as explained in said last named copending applications.

The pins 65, as explained in the first mentioned of said applications, are yieldably pressed against the erf orated' cards, andcarried in suitable guide plates 86 transversely slidably mounted between'the side plates -11, as explained in said last named copending applications. The plungers 85 when depressed by the analyzing pins, make connection with the terminal 87 of the insulated electric wires 89, covered with insulation 90, for operating the selecting mechanism of the card conveyer as will be explained.

It is, of course, necessary that the plungers 85 always remain in register with the analyzing pins 65 as for instance when the pin box is adjusted so that the pins register with the row of rforations which are to be analyzed. hese mechanisms, however, form no part of the present invention and are described in detail in said last named application.

The cards are received from the roller 50 (Fig. 1) and are finally conveyed to the compartments 92 formed by transverse partitions 93 mounted at their lower ends uponthe base 10 and having their upper ends secured to retaining pieces 95 carried upon the bearing supports 96 mounted upon the lower edges of the extension plates 98 secured to the side plates 11. Rotatably "mounted in said bearing supports 96 are a plurality of deflector shafts 99, one for each compartment, on which are secured deflec tors 100 (Fig. 2) formed of strips of material bent upon themselves and secured by means of rivets 101 to the deflector shaft. Upon each deflector shaft 99 there are rotatably mounted a pair of lower guide rollers 102 against which are yieldably pressed the upper guide rollers 104'rotatably mounted in brackets 106 loosely mounted on pivot bolts 108 secured to the extension plates 98.

On each upper shaft 105 there is fixed a pinion 112 meshing with an idler 113 rotatably mounted on one of the bolts 108.

The end bracket 114 is loosely mounted on a short bearing shaft 115 on which is fixed a drive pinion 116 and a drive sprocket 117 the latter being driven by means of a sprocket chain 118, on the sprocket wheel 120 carried on the shaft 121 operatively connected to a gear wheel 122 in turn driven from the gear 48. On the shafts 121 and 124 are mounted rollers 125 which receive the cards from the analyzing plates 51 and convey them to the rollers 102 and 104 which latter convey the cards in a horizontal path above the deflectors 100, when the deflectors disks 136. disk equal angles apart, are a plurality of are deflected upwardly so that a card-pass- 1 ing from the analyzing. plate passes to. the

underside of the deflector, such card is deflectedinto one of the compartments 92' on to the receiving plate 127.

Means for operating the deflector will now be described.

Mounted upon one'of the side plates .11 (Fig. 2) is a bracket support 130 upon which are mounted elbow brackets -'131 provided with timing shaft bearings 132 and deflector shaft bearings 134, the latter receiving the'ends of the deflector shafts 99. In the bearings 132 there is disposed a timing-shaft 135 on which are fixed, one for each compartment, a pluralityof timing Disposed around each timing tripping supports or pivots 137 on which are pivotally mounted settable tripping cams 138 provided at their inner edges with a cam projection 140. Said cams are held spaced from thedisk by means of spacing collars 141. At the free end of each settable cam there is secured a. pivot pin 143 (Fig. 3) on which is pivotally mounted a detent 144 provided with an upwardly pointing releasing finger 145 and an inwardly pointing detent finger 146 provided with an active detent shoulder 147 and an inactive detent shoulder 148 either one of which is adapted to rest upon the detent pin 150 mounted upon the disk. Said finger 144 is held pressed against the detent pin by means of a coil spring 152 wrapped around the collar 141 and pressing against a projection 153 carried'upon the detent 144.

Upon each pivot pin 143 there is also carried a. tripping roller 155, adapted, when the active shoulder 147 engages the detent pin, to engage the operating arm 156 (Fig. 2) fixed upon the deflector shaft 99, whereby as said disk rotates and brings said roller into contact with said arm 156, the deflectors 100 are raised and deflect the cards into the compartments. After the operating arm 156 has been thus operated, the releasing finger 145 engages the'releasing pin 158 carried upon the outer end of the operating arm 156, whereby said active shoulder 147 is forced away from the detent pin 150 and the spring 152 causes the tripping cam and detent to move inwardly until the detent pin 150 is engaged by the inactive shoulder 148. The deflector operating means as thus far described is vshown in said first named application.

Each timing shaft bearing box 132 (Fig. 4) is provided with a reduced extension 160 on which is fixed by means of a set screw 161, a plunger bracket 162 provided with an opening receiving a threaded extension 163 of a thimble 164 held in place by a nut-165.

Said thimble is provided with a longitudisuch a distance from the associated operatnal bore 166 reduced at its inner end to form ing arm 156 that the tripping cam which an annular shoulder 167. comes into operative relation with such In each bore there is disposed a sleeve plunger at the time that the card is in the 168 in which is slidably received an armaanalyzer will have just time to pass from 7 ture core 169 between which and said shoulsuch tripping plunger to said operating der 167 there is disposed a coil spring 170 arm as the card which operated such plunfor holding the core retracted. To each ger r uires to pass from the analyzer to core 169 there is fixed by means of a the de ector. Inorder to fulfill these conthreaded connection a triptping or settin ditions the plungers 171 must be placed plunger 171 passing outwar' 1y through sai spirally around the timing shaft, the plunbore 166. Around said sleeve 168 is wound gers associated with the most remote coma solenoid 174 having one end 175 of its partments being placed the greatest diswire connected to the insulated electric tances from the operating arm 156, such 1 wire 89 (Fig. 2). The other end of the distances being measured forward from the solenoid wire is connected by the conductor plunger in direction of rotation of the disks 176 (Fig. 4) to one terminal of a suitable indicated by the arrow at the right of Fi source of current 177, the other terminal 2. As the embodiment herein described is thereof being, by means of the conductor provided with 12 compartments, and the 20 178, grounded on the frame of the machine. timing disks are provided with only six here is one solenoid 168 electrically contripping cams, it is necessary that the tripnected by the wires 175 and 89 to each ter-' ping cams, of one disk be placed in stagminal 87 (Fig. 2). As the plungers 86 aregered relation with the tripping cams of the grounded on the frame of the machine, it adjacent disk so that the tripping cam on 5 will be seen that whenever a plunger 85 is every disk will be coming into operative 90 depressed to contact with a terminal 87, a relation with the associated tripping luncircuit is formed comprising said plunger ger just at the instant that the card is bepin 85, the terminal 87, the wire 89, the ing analyzed. Otherwise some of the tripend 175, the solenoid 168, the conductor 176, ping plungers would be operated at an in- 0 the source of current 177, the conductor stant when the point of the disk midway be- 178, and the frame of the machine. When tween adjacent cams would be opposite the the circuit is thus formed by the depressing plunger, and no setting of the trlpping cam of a plunger 85, the corresponding solenoid would take place. The number of tripping is energized and the corresponding tripping cams could be either greater or less than 35 or setting plunger 171 is projected. shown, if desired.

The timing shaft 135 is rotated by means From the foregoing the operation of the of bevel gears 180 (Fig. 1) driven by suitentire machine shown in Figs. 1 to 4 will be able gears 181 from'the gear 47; and these readily understood and need now be only gears are so proportioned that each time a very briefly summarized as follows:

40 card is analyzed in the analyzer, one of the By means of the reciprocating picker tripping cams 138 is just coming into opblade 34, each card is fed from the lower erative relation with one of the plunpart of the magazine hopper 18 to the roller gers 171. 38 whence it is carried between the perfoen a card'is in the analyzer and the rated plates 51, after which the pin box of 45 analyzing pin 65 finds aperforation and the analyzer is lowered and the plunger pin presses upon the plunger 85 the solenoid 85 and the tripping plunger 171 associated projects the tripping plunger 171, wherewith the compartment to which said card is upon, the tripping plunger engages the trip-. destined, are operated, thereby bringing ping cam 138 at that time coming into opabout the setting of the tripping-cam 140 as 50 erative relation therewith. sociated with said compartment just as it As the various compartments 92 are comes into operative relation with such tripplaced progressively greater distances from ping plunger. When this .takes place the the analyzer, it requires a greater length of set tripping cam 140 and the card which time for the card passing from the analyzer causes its setting, respectively travel toward 55 to reach the compartments more remote the operating arm 156 and the deflectors 100 1 0 therefrom; and provision is made for opassociated'with such compartment; and becrating the deflector just at the instant that cause of the relation between the location of the card reaches it so that each card may. the plunger setting, the remoteness of the be deflected into its appropriate compartcompartment from the analyzer, and the 60 ment without having to wait until sufiicient speeds of travel of the set tripping cam and time has elapsed for a card to be deflected the card, said tr pping cam comes into 0perinto the most remote compartment. In ative relation with the operating lever 156 order to accomplish this it is merely necesjust before the card comes into opertive resary to place the plunger 171 associated lation with the deflectors whereupon the set 65 with each compartment and timing disk tripping cam operates the operating lever ately passes on and and consequently the associated deflectors and deflects the card into the appropriate compartment. The operating cam immedis ermits the deflectors to fall, so that a card immediately following the card thus deflected may pass over said deflectors for a more remote compartment. If such card was destined for the same compartment, the deflectors will be immediately deflected again in the same manner just described.

appro riate compartments.

As soon as the operating arm 156 has been operated, the tripping finger 145 engages the tripping pin 158 thus releasing the shoulder 147 from the detent pin 150 whereupon the trippingcam resu mes its normal position. This operationis repeated until all of the cards areanalyzed and deposited in their In t e alternative form of timing mechanism shown in Fi 5 the tripping member -means of a setting p 238 is similar to t e tripping cams 138 except the former is not provided or supplied with a cam operating-edge, and is set by nger 240 pivoted at 241'to the tripping member and operated by the plunger core 242. -slidable in the solenoid 243. I

' Each solenoid 2431s grounded at one end 247 of its wire upon the timing disk, and therefore to the frame of the machine. The other end 248 of the solenoid wire is electrically connected to one of a series of commutator' plates separately mounted in the insulating rin 251 mounted on a collar 252 mounted on t e timing shaft 135. As the timing shaft rotates, the commutator plates come successively into contact with the sprin brush 255 electrically connected to the wire 89. To each tripping member 238 'tain compartment is just enough remote from the arm 156 of such compartment. The construction and o ration of the parts op- 'erated by the tripplng cam 138 and the tripping member 238 are identical.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, sorting stations; an analyzer; a deflector for each station; a sleeve for each station; a core in each sleeve; a plunger fixed to'each core and to bring about the actuation of saidlgeflectors'; and a solenoid on each sleeve a --ele ctrically connected to the analyzer. H

2. In an apparatus of the character describedys'orting stations; an analyzer; a deflector for each station; revoluble settable devices adapted to trip said deflectors; a

sleeve-thimble for each station; a core in each sleeve; a plunger fixed to each core and adapted to set said devices; and a solenoid on each sleeve andelectrically connected to the analyzer.

.3. In an apparatus of the character described, sorting stations; an analyzer; a deflector for each station; a rotary timing 4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a plurality of sorting stations; an analyzer; an individual deflector associated with each station; a rotary timing shaft disposed longitudinally of the machine; timing disks on said shaft, one

for each'station; a plurality of settable tripping devices on eac disk adapted when 'set to trip said deflector; brackets disposed at different angles around said shaft and each provided with an opening thereon; a thimble provided with a longitudinal bore reduced at its inner end to form an annular shoulder, and provided with a threaded ex: tension received in saidopening; a nut by which said extension is held 1n place; a sleeve fast in each core; a core slidably received in each sleeve; a coil s ring disposed between said core and'sai shoulder for holding the core retracted; a setting plunger fixed to said core by means of a threaded connection and pasisng outwardly through said bore and adapted when projected to set said settable trippin'g devices; and a solenoid wound around each sleeve and having one end of its wire grounded on the frame of the machine and the other connected to' the analyzer.

WILLIAM W. LASKER. a 8.]

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