US1534532A - Relayless counter - Google Patents

Description

April ZI, 1925.

"1,534,532 c,V D. LAKE y RELAYLAESS COUNTER 'original Filed Jupe 17,1922 a'sheetwsneet 1 April 21; 1925. 'v '1534532 C. D. LAKE RELAYLESS COUNTER original Filed-Junelv, 1922 @sheets-sheet a ma Apg. 21, g1925. -V f 1,534,532

f @UNITED STATES; PATENT .oi-Trice. f

cLm n. LAKE, or nmc'mmon, New Yonx, .essicnon 7.ro nur. rnnunnrme n j onine coursier, ornnnrcorr, New roux, .e centenarios: or NEW imam.

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onginalappntinn mea :une 17, 19242, semi ne. teams. nivicecane uns applicaties mea :une as. 1924. `semi no. 722,972.

' To all whom it may concern: K ing means for shouting the card circuit and Be it known that I, CLAIR I). LAKE., a at the same-time maintaining themagnet- 55 vcitizen of the'United States of America, recircuit. n d siding at Binghamtom in the county of The present invention is directed tothe` r5. Broome and State of New York, haveinprovision of a simple arrangement of cir- Ventedfcertain new and useful Improvecuitsv and controlling-devices,therefor which ments in Relayless Counters,I of which the will provide for the shouting of the cardfcir- 60 following is a full, clear, and exact desir-{p- A cuit and for maintainin the magnet circuit tion without the necessity o employing supple; 10 This invention relates to improvements' in mental relays for shunti the card circuit.

tabulatingr apparatus, and more particularly Other and more detai ed objects -of the.

to improvementsin the record card circuit,` present invention will be hereinafter pointed.. 65

the controlling means thereforand the conout in the accompanyingspecification `and l l trolled rmagnet circuit as were heretofore of -clalms and vshown in the 'drawings vvhch` 15. the typer employed in electric tabulators show by way of illustration a'preferred emshow'n in Hollerith lPatent No. 945,236 and bodinient of the invention. Lake Patent No. 1,307,740. In the drawings,

` The circuits commonly and generally used Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic view cfa in tabulating apparatus maybe subdivided conventional tabulating apparatus embody-v 210 intotwo generalclasses.` In one construcing the invention.

tion, Which .isl the abOVe HOllellllll Patent, Fig.' 2 is an enlarged detailV 0f One counter -as an example, the record card circuitconand its associated controlling contacts. 7 z trols the energization ofthe counter magnet Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing dif- Iand the establishment of its circuit.` After ferent forms'of record-card circuit control- 2.5` the circuit is initiallyenergized the record 1ers embodying balls for the contacts. card circuit is shunted by a suitable relay OI In Fig. 14 of the drawings, 10 designates other Lmeans so vthat arcing. at the `index 'a stack of record cards Whichare fed by the point perforations is obviated by materially usual upper and lower feed rolls 11 and 12.A y cutting down the flow of current in the card past ycooperating brushes 13 and contat .3ft circuit., During these periods the magnet blocks 14:. If desired, the index point ciri circuit .1s maintainedonly tube iinally incuit controlling means may be of theorm' terrupted by a supplemental circuit conn shown in Figs. Sand 4.-. Herenietalli'c balls 85 troller or contact device. are used to maire the contacts through the Inother construfrztions",` ofwhich the Lake index point perforations in the cards. In 3% Patentisanexample,.the cardgcircuit initi- Fig. 3,` two balls are provided, each being ates the energization of the magnet and the pressed 'into contact by means of spring 16. establishment of the circuit. Immediately The contact block 14a is suitably recessed to 90 thereafter both lthe card circuit and the receive one of lthese springs and the common magnet circuit are automatically broken, brush holder bar l'i'ais recessed to receive the and at the end of thefcycle the magnet cirother... Fig. d illustrates a similar construccuit is reestablished kleaving the parts in tion except that one of the balls 15 is elimi- 1 proper condition for a new cycle upon the nated and contact is madedirectly with oon- 9 5 next closure of thefcard` circuit. This artact block lli.l These devices are adapted to rangement prevents arcing at the card since establish the4 cardf'circuit when an index the card circuitis broken and no current is point perforation comes under vthe ball or flowing yat the time the brush leaves the balls;V index point perforation in the card. yThe gearing for rotating the feed rolls isv 190" p In certain types of tabulating apparatus shown conventionally at 18 in Fig. 1v. This it is desirablerto maintain the flow of curgea-rino receives its drive from4 a shaft 20 50 rent in magnet circuits duringaJ part ofthe which :ay ar belt andv pulley `connection ,is card cycle as inthe Hollcrith construction. driven by t'abulator motor 21'. vA shaft 22 It is also desirable to prevent arcing at they forms the main drive shaftof thetabulator -15 p `brushes andthis maybe effected byprovidand is shown broken eway'in the-mpper part;A

of Fig. 1 and extended into cooperation with two tabulator counters in the lower part of the figure. A similar shaft 23 driven in unison with the card feeding devices carries a number of cams for operating certain contact devices as will be hereinafter described. The card feeding section of the machine is provided With the usual card lever 24 which closes card contacts 25 when cards are passing under the brushes.

To start the tabulator into operation the operator first closes main line switch` 26 to the supply main. Thereafter start key 27 is depressed which, upon the closure of its contacts, establishes a circuit from line 28 through start key 27, motor relay magnet 29, stop key 30, tabulator motor 21, and back through Wire 30, etc., to source. The energization of motor relay, magnet 29 estab lishes a holding circuit for the tabulating motor 21 through the armature of motor rela-y magnet 29, line 31, through cam contacts 32 which are closed after the motor has rotated the parts, thence back through Wire 28 to source. Cards now pass downwardly through the feed rolls and close the card contacts 25. Cam contacts 33, 34 are make and break cams generally used in tabulating apparatus and serve to establish a circuit 35 to the card lever contacts 25 and to interrupt this circuit once per card cycle. The closure of the card lever contacts 25, when circuit 35 is established, energizes counter control relay magnet 36 and motor control relay magnet 37, current liowing from these magnets back to source. The attraction of the armature of motor control relay 37 establishes another holding circuit for the tabulating motor 21 through a line 38 and thence through motor relay 29 and through t'he rest or' the circuit as previously traced. This holding circuit maintains the machine in operation when cam contacts 32 break once per card cycle. rl`he purpose of the contacts 32 is to interrupt the tabulating operation upon deenergization of motor control' i relay 37 after the last card has passed through the machine and 25 to open.

The energization of counter control relay 36 attracts its armature and closes a circuit 4() supplied from the make and break cam contacts 34, 33. From Wire 40 current flows through the armature of relay 36' thence through line 41 to the common brush bar 17 or 17a. Current also Hows through a line 42, the purpose ol which will hereafter be described.

It will be assumed that an index (point perforation in one of the record car s 10 which has come under one of the controllin brushes or its equivalent ball contact an permitted current to flow through one of the lines 43 or 43, forminor part of the card circuitand through the plug connections to permitted contacts the corresponding counter magnet 44. The energization of the counter magnet 44 will attract its armature 45 Which serves as' a latch for clutch lever 46 and permit this clutch lever to swing counterclockwise under the influence of the resiliency ot' blade spring 47. rlhe movement of the clutch lever is independent of the encrgization of magnet 44, but is controlled thereby through latches 45. This movement of the clutch lever causes the clutch member 48 to engage its complementary clutch member whereupon the counter Wheel 49 is rotatedin the usual manner of a Hollerith counter. The swinging to the right or' blade 47 Will also allow contacts 50 to close and establish a direct shunt circuit from line 42 through the counter magnets 44. This circuit thus estab. lished shunts the card circuit and prevents arcing at the record card circuit controller when the brushes or their corresponding ball contacts leave the perforations in the cards. This circuit also maintains counter magnets energized during the remainder of the adding cycle, then break cam 34 opens circuits. The parts just described take the place of the relays heretofore used in counters of the Hollerith type. At the completion of the adding cycle a suitable cam 5l displaces a knock-olf bar 52 and restores the clutch lever permitting the same to be relatched by the armatures 45 and disengages the counter Wheel or wheels from the constantly contacts 50.

The foregoing description has described the operation of the counter' unit shown to the left in Fig. 1. The description of the modih'ed circuit controller shown in cooperation with the counter unit to the right in Fig. 1 need not be here given as it forms the subject matter of a copending application, Serial N o. 569,078, filed June 17, 1922, of which the present application is a division. The aforesaid parent application also covers generically both forms of circuit controllers, namely, the embodiments shown in cooperation with both the left and right hand counter units in Fig. 1.

The subject matter directed -to the ballv contact devices is not herein claimed as it forms the subject matter of another copending application, Serial N o. 672,333, filed No'- vember 2, V192,3.

That I claim is 1. In a tabulating apparatus, the combination with a record card havin an index point, of a record card circuit an a magnet circuit, circuit controllers in said circuit one of said controllers being o erated by the record card to establish both tllie card circuit and the magnet circuit, a. ma magnet circuit, means contro magnet and comprisin circuit controllempwhicg et in said' ed by said one of aforesaid il yoperable inderotating drive shaft, also opens m0 pendently' of the'energiiation of the magnet for shunting the card circuit andfor mainf taining a flow ocurrent in the magnet c1rcuit.

2. In a tabulating apparatus, the combinationl with a record card havin an index point, of cooperating record car and magf net circuits, a record card actuated circuit controller in the circuit yand a controlling inarnet in its circuit, means for energizing said magnet and establishing its circuit upon the closure of the card c1rcuit, meansv controlled by the magnet circuit byoperable independently of the magnet for rendering the card circuit ineiec'tiveand for prevent-- ing arcing at the record card circuit controller, said last mentioned means having provisions for concurrently and Subsequently maintaining' a flow of current in the magnet circuit. l

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, in combination with counter Wheels and controlling magnets, of a record actuated'circuit controller of circuits including said magnets and said controllers, of shunt circuits through said magnets adapted when established to shunt the record actuated circuit controllers out of the aforesaid circuits, and circuit controllers for said last mentioned shunt circuits adapted to be operated by means controlled by the counter 'magnet but operable independently thereof.

4. In a counter of the kind described, the combination of counter Wheels or corresponding electro magnets and intermediate clutchy levers lfor el'ecting the proper movements of said counter wheels, armature for said magnets normally latching lsaid clutch levers out of operation, spring actuated means for moving said clutchy levers, and contact devices associated with said means adapted to be actuated upon the unlatching of the clutch levers, a record card controlled circuit for initially energizing the counter magnets, aisupplementary circuit including said contacts adapted to shunt the record card controlling means out of circuit and to maintain in circuit the counter magnets during the adding cycle.

In 'testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

CLAIR D. i

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