US1738816A - Counter cut-out - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 10, 1929. 1.. J. CLAIRIYS 1,738,816

COUNTER CUT-OUT Filed June 21, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l an ntoz' Lou/s 'lqiri D 1929. L. J. CLAIRIS 1,738,816

COUNTER CUT-OUT Filed June 21. 1926 2 Sheets- Shet 2 AMOUNT c(NO- AMOUNT llllllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllll II II I l anowntoz Lou/s C/a/ r/s.

Patented Dec. 10, 1929 3' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS JEAN CLAIR/IS, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE TABULATING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK, {L CORPORATION OF. NEW JERSEY COUNTER CUT-OUT Application filed June 21,

This invention relates to tabulating machines. and more particularly to counter control circuits and mechanism therefor.

In tabulating machines at present employed it is customary to provide a record card having perforations in columns to indicate various items and data with which it is desired to control the machine. The card is divided into a plurality of groups of columns in order that various data corresponding to a certain item may be simultaneously entered and printed, if a printing device is employed, in diiferent columns on the record sheet. In case a number to be entered into a particular group of columns contains a smaller number of digits than the number of columns set aside for that entry, certain of the columns "will remain unpunched and the card area represented thereby is in that particular case unproductive. However, if means is provided for rendering inoperative a certain portion of an accumulator bank when the columns normally controlling that bank are left blank on a particular card, those card columns may be used for operating other deyices with a consequent saving in card surace.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for rendering inoperative a portion of an accumulator bank during the passage of a single card. 1

'Another objectis to provide means for splitting an accumulator bank whereby a portion thereof only is operative to receive items from a record. v

A further object is to provide means for permitting the use of a record card to-indicate a greater number of items than that ordinarily represented by the total number of columns thereon.

The above objects, and others which will be apparent as the nature of the invention is disclosed, are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by splitting the common return connection to the accumul'ator bank, connecting one ,portion permanently to the line and connecting the other portion to the line through a contact which is controlled by a relay coil included in cir+- cuit with one of the card reading brushes.

1926. Serial No. 117,368

Means is provided for energizing the relay coil whenever a perforation appears in a certain index position of the selected column and, when energized, the contact completing the circuit to the second portion of the accumulator bank is broken. After the con- ,tact has been broken means is provided for preventing it from bein closed before the completion of a card cyc e.

' Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention have been pointed out with particularity in -the claims appended hereto, the invention itself as to its objects and advantages, the manner of its organization and the mode of its operation maybe better understood by referring to the following description taken in,

0rd card used for controlling the tabulator.

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section of a portion of an accumulator bank to which this invention applied, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view ofone" portion of an accumulator bank.

Referring to Fig. 1, a motor TM isreme ployed for driving a printing tabulator during tabulating and listing. This motoris controlled by a series of relays and contacts 10. A reset motor RM is provided for driving the tabulator during the totaling and reset operations at which time a circuit is completed to the motor through a-series of contacts and relays 11. The various details of the'motors and the motor control circuits' are disclosed and described in a copending application of G. D. Lake Serial Number 639,153 filed May 15, 1923, and form no part 'of the present invention.

The operation of the machine is controlled by perforated record cards which are passed successively between upper brushes 12 and lower brushes 13. Group indicator bank G1' and group control contacts GO may be connected in circuit with these brushes, or any particular selected brushes, by means of plug art. Brushes 13 are adapted to be i I manently to one side ofithe main supply line 21, and the circuit to the other portion being completed from bus bar 22 to line 21 throu h relay contact 23. Whenever con-' tact 3 is closed the entiretabulating' and printing bank is in operative condition ready to receive items from the perforated index card. However, when contact 23 is open,

.a ortion only, in this case one-half} of the ta ulating.bank is in operative condition.

Any perforations occurring in the index point columns normally operating the. other portion of this bank Will'then be of no effect. The perforations in those columns may therefore be employed to represent a different set of items and used to control other mech anism a y A circuit is completed to relay boil 24, which is adapted to operate contacts 23, from line 21 to jack 25 which may be plugged to any desired brush, cam operated contact 26,

card'lever 27, cam contact 28 and contacts 29 to the other side of the main line 30. *Cam contacts 26 are designed to close at a time corresponding to a particular index point position on therec'ord card. If at that time brush 12 senses a hole in the record card the circuit above traced will be completed to relay 24 which will be energized and contact 23 broken. Although cam contacts 26 may be adjusted to complete the'circuit at any desired index point positionit is desirable to choose an index point position lying outside of the usual range perforated on the card'to indicate'data to be entered. On a Well known type-of Hollerith card extra positions called the 11 and 12 or X and Y positions are provided at the top of the card. Consequently a perforation in one of those two positions may be employed to effect the v counter control. Cam contact 31 opens when contact 26 is closed and prevents a short-circuit between the two sides ofthe line. When contact 26' is open contact 31 is closed to complete the circuit to brushes 12 in the usual manner.

When a hole has been encountered in the 'control position by upper brush 12, relay 24 is energized and contact 23 broken, means must now be provided for holding contact 23 open while the card is passing'lower brushes 13 and datais bein entered intothe counter meehanism. One 'nd of holding device wh1ch maybe employed and which has been illustratech herein is controlled by reset bar 32 which is moved once per card cycle to i release the clutches to'the index wheels of accumulators 15. Reset bar 32 and the arma- I ing wheels. This normally occurs when the.

sensing brushes are at the 12 position on a Hollerith card. Inasmuch as cards are pass ing the upper and lower brushes in synchroni'sm the 12 position of a record card will traverse up er brushes 12 at the time the preceding car is occupying a corresponding po sition under brushes 13v and the counter wheels which have entered the data contained on the preceding card are being released. If at that time a perforation occurs at the 12 position on the card passing the upper brushes, reset bar 32 being depressed, relay 24 is energized and contact 23 broken. As reset bar 32 re-assumes its normal position contact 23 is held open while that record card is passing the lower brushes, the contact being closed at the next reset operation after the card has completely traversed the lower brushes provided a controlling perforation is not present in the following record card. I

The details of construction of reset bar 32, relay 24 and contacts 23 are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Referring to those figures clutches 35 controlling counter wheels 36 are released by bars 37 pivoted on reset bar 32in a manner well known'in the art. For a more detailed description of the particular structure and mechanism for operating the reset bar and its.

associated clutches reference may be made to the United States Patent to Lake No. 1,307,- 740, dated June 24, 1919. a Bent arm 40 is rigidly attached to reset bar 32 and moves in conjunction therewith. This arm' is posi-- tioned to cooperate with an insulating sec.- tion 41 carried by the armature of magnet 24 and movable in connection therewith. -.Arm 40 prevents movement of the above armature except when reset bar 32 is moved to the left which occurs during the reset operation once per "card-cycle as heretofore explained. If a circuit is completed through magnet 24 at a the end of that cycle when bar 32 is moved to effected by employing the present invention.

item in this case entitled amount.

The record card illustrated in Fig. 2 has a field of eight columns set aside to print an In case only the right hand four of those columns are employed the left hand portion of the field would remain blank. The card shown in Fig. 3 utilized the four left hand columns which would otherwise be left blank for the purpose of indicating other data. vPerforation 4:5 in the 12 position or. this card serves to control the relay circuit heretofore described and disconnects the portion of the accumulator bank normally cooperating with these four columns on the record card whereby the perfora tions'made therein do not affect the accumulator bank used for indicating the amount.

' 1 The cards which utilize only four columns for the amount may then be sorted out from the rest and other accounting operations deal ing with the number columns can be performed on these cards.

Although this invention has been shown as applied to particular apparatus operated in a specific manner, it is not to be limited thereto but only in accordance with the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an accounting machine, a bank of accumulator elements, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes for deriving data from record cards, and means controlled by a particular brush of one set for rendering inoperative a portion of said other set during the passage of a record card. a

2. An accounting machine normally controlled by perforated record cards, a plurality of sets of brushes for sensing the data entered upon said cards, an accumulator bank, means connecting said bank with one of said sets of brushes and means for disconnecting a portion of said bank from said brushes, said last mentioned means being controlled by one of said second sets of brushes.

3. In an accounting machine controlled by perforated record cards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes for deriving data there-- from, an accumulator bank, means for connecting said bank with one of said sets of brushes, and a relay .for rendering inoperative, a portion of said bank said relay being controlled by said second set of brushes in response to a perforation in a particular index point position on said record card.

4. In an accounting machine controlled by perforated record cards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes for deriving data there-' from, an accumulator bank, means for connecting said bank with one of said sets of brushes, a relay for rendering inoperative a portion of said bank, said relay! being controlled'by said second set of brushes in re-,

sponse to a perforation in a particular" index point position on said record card, and means for maintaining said portion in inoperative position during a complete card cycle.

5. In an accounting machine operated in response to perforated record cards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes, a bank of accumulator elements, means for connecting said bank to one of said sets of brushes, means for disconnecting a portion of said bank, comprising arelay and armature,

means controlled by said second set of A brushes for rendering said relay operative whereby said contact is broken, and means for holding said contact in an open position for the duration of a cardcycle.

6. In an accounting machine operated in response to perforated record cards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes, a bank of accumulator elements, means for connecting said bank to one of said sets of brushes, means for disconnecting a portion of said blank, comprising a relay and armature, means controlled by said second set of brushes for rendering said relay operative whereby said contact is broken, and -means for holding said contact in an open position for the duration of a card cycle comprising a detent carried on the reset bar of said accumulator.

7. In an accounting machine operated in response to perforated record cards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes, a bank of accumulator elements, means for connecting said bank to one of said sets of brushes, means for disconnecting a portion of said bank comprising a contact, a relay and armature associated therewith for controlling said with said bar adapted to prevent said armature being moved except when the bar is moved during a resetting operation whereby said contact is held in either open or closed position while said record card is traversing said first mentioned set of brushes.

8. In a tabulating machine controlled by 9. In an accounting machine,' a bank of accumulator devices, a lurality oi sets of sensing elements for eriving data, from record cards to control the accumulator de-' vices, and means controlled by a particular 0 element of one set for rendering inoperative aportion of said other set 'when the record cardis being nalyzed.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

' LOUIS JEAN CLAIRIS.

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