US1969332A

US1969332A - Method of forming records in record cards or the like, particularly for use in statistical or like machines

Info

Publication number: US1969332A
Authority: US
Inventors: Smith Newton Gerard; Thomas Arthur
Original assignee: Accounting & Tabulating Corp
Current assignee: Accounting & Tabulating Corp; ACCOUNTING and TABULATING Corp OF GREAT BRITAIN Ltd
Priority date: 1930-09-26
Filing date: 1931-08-26
Publication date: 1934-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 1951-08-07
Also published as: FR723223A; DE555191C; BE382837A; GB363431A

Description

Aug. 7, 1934. G s nm- AL 1,969,332 METHOD OF FORMING RECORDS IN RECORD CARDS OR THE LIKE, YARTICULARLY FOR USE IN STATISTICAL OR LIKE MACHINES Filed Aug. 26, 1931 jazdanlow JV 671371117X 5A .ZZQMAS ployed in the tabulating machine.

Patented Aug. 7, 1934 METHOD OF FORMING RECORDS IN REC- RD CARDS OR THE LIKE, PARTICULARLY FOR. USE IN STATISTICAL 0R LIKE MA- CHINE S Newton Gerard Smith,

Amersham, and Arthur Thomas, Thornton Heath, England, assignors 'to The Accounting & Tabulating Corporation of Great Britain Limited, London, England Application August 26,

In Great Britain 13 Claims.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for perforating and verifying record cards for use in statisticalor like machines.

As the invention relates chiefly 'to the treatment of record cards for use in statistical machines, its application to such cards will be referred to by way of example throughout this description.

In the employment of statistical machines, it is usual to perforate record cards differentially with record holes denoting data recorded in an original entry.

These holes are punched in a machine termed a perforating machine, usually comprising a key board, the keys of which are operated to actuate punches.

The card is ultimately used in a tabulating machine, which is a machine which translates the. holes into printed ciphers reproducing on a 1 6 printed sheet a copy of the original data.

Before thecards are used in the tabulator, the holes which have been punched in the record card have to. be verified, that is checked against the original data before they are em- Sometimes this is done by a visual inspection of the cards.

It has also been proposed to verify the cards by placing them on a perforated plate, the perforations of the plate corresponding tothe pos- 3o sible number of perforations on the card, means being provided for covering certain of the perforations in the plate according to the data of the original entry.

Lighting means are arranged under the plate, so that if the card is correct all holes are obscured, if incorrect the light shows through incorrect holes, in which latter case the card has to be verified by comparing it with the original data and either making a new card or correct- 4 ing the old card by making the full perforations necessary so that the record is correct.

Generally speaking it' may be stated that punching the records has heretofore been one distinct step, and verifying a' second distinct 5 step. In accordance with the present invention verifying as such is entirely eliminated,

According to the present invention a method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consists in forming the individual records in a plurality of recording stages (e. g. two) complementary to each other.

By such a method of producing the records the occurrence of an error by way of incorrect l. as punching or .the omission to punch in one or 1931, Serial No. 559,470 September 26, 1930 other stages will be immediately obvious on sight of the card as the record Will either be incomplete or of an incorrect shape.

Complementary punching according to the invention may be effected by producing the normal round perforation in two stages, for instance, by punching a semi-circular perforation in the first stage and the other half of the hole in the second stage. If, at the end of the stages of perforating the cards, any half circular perforations are visible, the card contains an error.

In further modifications punching machines as at present employed may be used for obtaining the usual round hole, and then the sec-- ond punching operation may produce a slight irregularity in the hole. For instance, the finished record hole may be of the shape which resembles the section of a feathered shaft if the second punching is done with a rectangular punch.

In another form the first punching may be done in a machine with punches of a smaller diameter than those usually employed and the second punching operation done with a larger punch, namely one of the normal size, but in such case viewing the cards would only detect errors of omission, namely errors constituted by punching in the wrong holes. As it is essential to detect errors of omission it is preferred in constructions according to the invention to employ machines for complementary punching, which leaves holes of a shape differentiating between correct punching and incorrect punching.

By themethodsaccording to the invention a perforation obtains by reason of the two punching stages. If they agree, then the punching is correct and checked; if they do not agree then the card has to be referred to the original data to see where the first punching operation was incomplete or incorrectly effected, and then the second stage punching has also to be verified.

. Alternatively, the shape of a record may be defined as a plurality of spaced apart holes of the sameor different shape and/or size, punched in a plurality of recording stages complementary to one another. For example, a record may comprise two spaced apart perforations of similar shape and size, one of which is punched in the first stage and the other in the second stage, whereby punching in both stages is correct when the'pair of perforations appear, and punching in one or other of the stages is incorrect when one of the perforations is missing.

Apparatus for punching according to the present invention may be machines of the type described in British patent specifications Nos. 328,281; 328,255; 328,285, 321,952, and 321,953, two such machines being usually employed for carrying out the punching operation, one machine having one part of the punch and the other machine the complementary part, thereby punching is effected and a comparison attained by employing the skilled operatives of punching machines during punching operations, whilst the final viewing may be efiected by unskilled hands which merely have to look out for holes of wrong shape, which most easily and satisfactorily can be effected by viewing the back of the cards.

Instead of employing two separate machines with different size punches, exactly similar machines such as described in British patent speci fications Nos. 328,281; 328,255, and 328,285, may be used for each of the complementary punching operations by merely varying the feed of the card to one of two machines of normal type, so that the one punching operation is slightly ofiset to the other, whereby a hole of irregular shape obtains where the punching in the second stage conforms exactly with a punching in the first stage.

By this arrangement the individual records are formed by contiguous offset perforations, the shape or size of which depends on the shape or size of the punches employed.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one form of apparatus, by way of example, for varying the feed of the cards to the punches of a punching machine, so that offset punching may be obtained.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an adjustable stop plate for the cards, on the discharge side of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the throw of the eccentric of the stop plate of Fig. 1 the operating mechanism being removed for clearness.

With reference now to the drawing, a card is fed as customary between die plates 1, 2 containing many perforations as it is possible to make in a card, while 3 is a vertically reciprocating stop plate on the discharge side of the machine, which positions the card beneath the punches 4.

In order to adjust the feed the reciprocating stop plate 3 is made adjustable by mounting the plate to pivot on a vertically reciprocating memher 5 for the stop plate, by means of a spring 6 engaging in a recess '7 of the lever 5, the plate 3 being slotted as at 8 to engage over the member 5 as shown.

To rotate the stop plate 3 about its pivot a rod 9 extending transversely of the machine and rotatably mounted in brackets 10 on the frame of the machine is provided and eccentrically mounted on the rod 9 are a pair of levers 11 pivoted at their free ends 12 to right-angled brackets 13 on arms 14 of the stop plate 3. The rod 9 at one end, is provided with an operating knob 15 and has mounted thereon against the bracket 10 a setting plate 16, having

recesses

17 and 18 adapted to be engaged by a roller 19 on the end of a spring pressed lever 20 pivotally mounted on the bracket 10. In the normal position of the parts as shown, the roller 19 is resting in the recess 18 and the top ends of the arms 14 of the stop plate 3 are in the vertical position giving a normal feed of the card. Rotation of the knob 15 in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 1, lifts the roller 19 out of the recess 18, rotates the rod 9 and thereby due to the eccentric mounting of the levers 11 moves the stop plate 3, about its pivot point into a position as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, the limit position of the parts being determined by the roller 19 dropping into the recess 17 under the action of the spring controlling the lever 20.

The spacing of the recesses around the plate 16 is such as to permit only of the proper rotation being given to the rod 9 to ensure that the top ends of the arms 14 are displaced the correct amount and accurate offsetting of the cards obtaining.

In this position of the parts, the top ends of the arms 14 are displaced from normal and consequently a card is arrested only when it has progressed between the plates 1, 2 to a greater extent than normally, and thus offset punching of the card is effected.

It will be understood that the stop plate 3 is reciprocated vertically at the proper time in a cycle, in well known manner from the main shaft of the machine, the stop plate being lowered subsequent to punching to permit of the card being passed to the eject feed rollers ER which feed the cards to a suitable receptacle (not shown).

In further modifications of carrying the present invention into effect one of the punching operations may be substituted by a printing operation, preferably effected in a machine having keys of exactly the same nature as in the punch. The printing may be effected on the back or front of the card, or both, and then either the previous or subsequent punching operation efiected.

Where the printing and punching operations agree a ringed hole will result, but where they disagree an unringed hole is produced, or a ring without a hole is shown.

Instead of printing a ring a spot may be printed.

Further, the invention may be applied to the production of cards which are read by sensing apparatus involving the employment of actinic light, that is to say, the reflection or non-re flection of the light from the card determines, by varying the resistance in electrical circuits, the

operation of members of which there is one for every possible position on the card.

Accordingly the invention covers not merely the production of a record card in two stages in which the records are produced by perforated holes, but any form of record card in which the records are produced in two stages whereby one checks the other.

It will be understood that although the invention has been described more particularly with reference to forming the records in two stages, such records may be formed in a greater number of stages if required, although for practical reasons and also due to the fact that the object of the invention is achieved by the use of two stages only, the preferred embodiment of the invention forms the records in two stages.

What we claim is:-

1. A method of producing individual records on a record. card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of two concentric perforations each of which is punched in one of two recording stages.

2. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of spaced apart perforations punched in a plurality of complementary recording stages.

3. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of spaced apart perforations punched in two complementary recording stages.

4. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of two spaced apart perforations respectively punched in one of two complementary recording stages.

5. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of spaced apart perforations of a predetermined shape punched in a plurality of complementary recording stages.

6. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of spaced apart perforations of a predetermined size punched in a plurality of complementary recording stages.

7. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of spaced apart perforations of a predetermined shape and size punched in a plurality of complementary recording stages.

8. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of contiguous ofiset perforations punched in a plurality of recording stages.

9. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of contiguous ofiset perforations punched in two recording stages.

10. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of two contiguous offset perforations respectively punched in one of two recording stages.

11. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of contiguous offset perforations of a predetermined shape, punched in a plurality of complementary recording stages.

12. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of contiguous offset perforations of a predetermined size punched in a plurality of recording stages.

13. A method of producing individual records on a record card or the like particularly for use in statistical machines consisting in forming the individual records of contiguous offset perforations of a predetermined shape and size punched in a plurality of recording stages.

N. GERARD SMITH. ARTHUR THOMAS.