US1978931A

US1978931A - Tabulating machine

Info

Publication number: US1978931A
Application number: US492183A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Bryce
Original assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Current assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Priority date: 1930-10-30
Filing date: 1930-10-30
Publication date: 1934-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1951-10-30
Also published as: FR723025A; GB391486A; DE631674C

Description

Oct. 30, 1934i J. w. BRYCE TABULATI NG MACHINE Filed Oct. 30. 1930 assesses C85" PRlCl -Q00000Od00 00000 1 I 1 IO! 1 CR5" PRICE C REDIT PRIC E oaeoeea qaaaao 39 9 383 nrrumzcz:

5 Shets-Sheet l VENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1934. J. w. BRYCE TABULATING MACHINE Filed Oct. :50. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 INVENTOR BY A m-04m Oct. 30, 1934. J. w. BRYCE TABULATING MACHINE File d o t. so, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 lsA.

INVYEZIZTOR km 7% ATT'ORNEY Patented Oct. 30, 1934 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'raaum'rmc mom James W; Bryce, Bloomfield, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 30, 1930, Serial No. 492,183

9 Claims. (Cl. 235-92) This invention relates to tabulating machines Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram 01 a complete tabuand more particularly to counter control mechlating machine constructed in accordance withanism therefor. the invention. In tabulating machines of the type normally Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram of a modification.

5 controlled by records having index point desig- In Fig. 1 is shown a type of card having fields nations in columns it is customary to employ designated N and B representing cost price a plurality oi entry receiving devices such as and cash price" respectively. In Fig. 2 the accumulators or printing elements and operate corresponding fields A and M contain informaeach entry receiving device in accordance with tion relating to cash price and credit price". designations in a particular index column 01' the If these cards were run through the normal record which normally is in the form of a pertabulator, fields N and A would be added to-' i'orated card. It is frequently desirable to make gather and fields B and M would also be added certain types of entries such as cash price and together giving meaningless sums. To distincredit price, either of which may occur in the guish one type of card from the other a special same field, into separate entry receiving devices, designating perforation is made in the card of and to accumulate their combined sums in a Fig. 1 in the 11 or X" index point position of third entry device. In such cases it is desirable a predetermined column as shown in column to conserve accumulating mechanism by utiliz- 16. The mechanism for sensing this hole will ing a single accumulator for all ofthe above control the operation of the machine to cause types of entries of the same class entered in fields A and B to be added together and also difierent fields oi the record cards. to be separately accumulated. A final result It may happen that diilerent types of cards of a run of promiscuous cards of the types or have similar iniormation in differently located Figs. 1 and 2 will give separate totals of the fields and it is desirable to accumulate the data datain fields A, M, N, and B and a combined from such related fields into the same accumutotal of fields A and B. The mechanism -inlator. volved in deriving this result will ndw be ex- It is therefore an object or this invention to plained in detail. provide a system whereby entries from a plu- Referring more particularly to Fig. 3 a taburality of difierently located fields in successively lating motor TM controlled by associated coni'ed record cards may be selectively entered into tacts and relays 10 is employed for driving the a single data controlled device. tabulating machine during listing and tabulat- Another object is to provide a system whereby ing operations and reset motor RM controlled items in fields of a record card may be selectively by its associated relays and control circuits 11 entered into receiving devices in accordance is utilized for driving the machine during reset with the classification data of the record card. and totaling cycles The above mentioned re- A further object is to provide a system wherelays and control circuits are well known in the by data contained in difierently allocated fields art and for further description thereof referof successive record cards may be separately ence may be had to the copending application accumulated in accordance with the location of of C. D. Lake, Serial No. 639,153, filed May 15, the fields and collectively accumulated at the 1923, now Patent No. 1,822,594, dated Septemsame time to obtain a sum of the separate her 8, 1932. The machine is controlled in reaccumulations. sponse to perforated record cards'12 by means Various other objects and va tages of my 01' a set of upper brushes 13 and a set of lower invention will be obvious from the iollowing brushes 14. Group indicating contacts GI and particular description of one form of mechanism group control contacts GC may be inserted in 100 embodying the invention or from an inspection the circuit between upper brushes l3 and lower of the accompanying'drawings; and the invenbrushes 14 if desired, the connections therefor tion also constitutes certain new and novel feabeing set forth in detail in the patent to Lake tui'es'ot construction and combination of parts No. 1,600,413, dated September 21, 1926. hereinafter set forth and claimed. A plurality oi banks of accumulating elements 105 In the drawings: A, 13, C, M and N each comprising counter 1 is a detail of a fragment of one type of magnets 20 and printer magnets 21 connected. in record, x the usual manner are all adapted to be con- Fig. 2 is a detail of a fragment of another nected by plug connection to lower brushes 14. type oi record. Banks A, and C are connected to brushes 14 no which sense fields A-N of the record cards through relay coil 25 and its associated contacts 26 and 2'? respectively. Bank M is connected to brushes 14 which sense fields M-B of the record cards through contacts 28. With the relay in the position shown, contacts 26, 2'1 and 28 are closed and entries may be received from fields A--N of the cards in' banks A and C simultaneously and from fields M-B in bank M. Energization of coil 25 will shift themulti-contact device to open

contacts

26, 27 and 28 and

close contacts

29, 30 and 31 thereby connecting brushes 14 of fields AN to bank N through contacts 29 and connecting brushes 14 of fields M-B to banks B and C through

contacts

30 and 31 .respectively.

Relay 25 is controlled by an index point designation in the record controlling the machine as will now be described. In the usual type of Hollerith card ten index point positions are provided into which data for controlling the tabulating machine is entered. Two extra positions are also provided at the top of the card commonly called the 11 and 12 positions or the X" and Y positions. Since data are not ordinarily entered into these last two positions they may conveniently be selected for controlling the operation of relay 25. Assuming the "x" position to be selected, cam contacts 32 are designed to be closed only at the time the X" index point position of the record card is under the upper brushes 13. If a perforation is then encountered in this position by a brush 13 a circuit will be completed through relay coil 25 from left side of line 37 traced through contact 33, brush 13, hole in the X position, plug connection 34, contacts 32, coil 25 to binder post 35 at the rightside of the line. Two cam contacts 32 are shown inasmuch as the time of make and break may be more accurately determined than would be the case were a single cam member used and adjustment is thereby facilitated. Contact 33 is designed to open before the record card has passed brushes 13 in order to avoid back circuits and also to avoid circuits being established between cards.

The coil 25 is controlled from brushes 13 to shift its associated contacts just before the card leaves these brushes. The actual entry. of the data designated on the card field into the selected banks occurs during the following machine cycle while the card is passing under brushes 14. The energizing circuit of coil 25 then, when once closed, must be maintained during that portion of this following cycle in which the data designating portion of the card field is passing beneath brushes 14 and the circuit must be opened before the X index point position of the following card reaches brushes 13. A holding circuit is therefore provided which runs from contacts 33, contacts 32 through relay coil 36 to post 35. Coil 36 closes its points 364 and a circuit is subsequently made from line 37, wire 38, cam contacts 39. points 36a, coil 25 to post 35.

The cam contacts 39 are designed to be automatically closed by the machine operation Just prior to the closure of contacts 32 and to be opened during the following machine cycle after the entire data designating portion of the card field has passed the lower brushes 1! but before the X index point position has reached such brushes. Just prior to the analyzing of the x" index point position as explained above, the holding circuit is broken by contacts 39 so that the following record card may likewise energize the relay 25 or not depending on the presence or absence of a selecting perforation in its X index point position.

The apparatus just described operates as follows: If a record card contains no control perforation in its "X" point position of a predetermined column, the relay coil 25 remains unenergized,

contacts

26, 27, and 28 remain closed and the data on the card of Fig. 2 in field A will be entered into the accumulator banks A and C and that in field M will be entered into bank M from the brushes 14 through the contact device and connections as shown. However, if a control perforation is present in the "X" position of the card as in Fig. 1, relay 25 is energized,

contacts

26, 27 and 28 open and

contacts

29, 30 and 31 close whereupon the data on the card in field B will be entered into banks 13' and C and that in field N will be entered into bank N through the plug connections as shown.

Thus where distinct types of cards contain related data in unalined fields data may be collected into a common accumulator. Also a greater amount of data may be designated in a lesser number of card columns, as for instance in the examples chosen, columns 1 to 8 are used to record cash price" and cost price" and columns 9 to 15 contain "credit price" and cash price", the machine automatically separating the unrelated items into appropriate counters for separate tabulation.

Thus at the end of a run of cards accumulator bank A will contain a total of all cash price items of the type of card in Fig. 2. Bank B will contain a total of all cash price" items of the type of card in Fig. 1. Bank C will contain a total of all cash price" items of both types of cards, and banks M and N will contain separate totals of "credit price items and cost price" items respectively.

It is sometimes desirable to enter two items simultaneously in a pair of totalizers and upon the occurrence of a specially designated card enter the two items in the pair of totalizers in an inverse manner.

An arrangement whereby this can be accomplished is shown in Fig. 4. When a card such as shown in Fig. 1 but without the special hole in the sixteenth column controls the operation, coil 25 is not energized. An item representing field N is entered by contacts 26 and wires 40 to totalizer N M. An item representing field B of the same card is entered by contacts 28 and wires 41 to totalizer A B.

When a special card such as that shown in Fig. 2 but provided with the special hole in the sixteenth column controls the machine coil 25 is energized, as previously described. Thereupon, the item of field A will be entered by contacts 29 and wires 42 to totalizer A B, noting that the item of the same field of the card in Fig. 1 was entered in totalizer N M. The item represented by field M of the card shown in Pig. 2 will be entered by contacts 31 and wires 43 t totalizer N M.

It will be observed that to secure this result only two totalizers are necessary and the plug connections for the undesired ones are removed when employing this arrangement.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions andmbstimtionsandchangesintheformandlsd details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims:

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a tabulating machine controlled by records having item representing index points arranged in columns, a plurality of totalizers, means whereby items in certain columns are entered in said totalizers, and means whereby a special index point causes the items in said certain columns to be entered into said totalizers in transposed order.

2. In a tabulating machine controlled by records having item representing index points arranged in columns wherein several columns comprise a data field; there being a pair of data representing fields, a pair of totalizers associated therewith and adapted to receive entries under control of the data representin fields and record controlled means adapted to cause the entries of both fields in the pair of totalizers simultaneously, or to cause the entries to be effected simultaneously in the totalizers in a transposed order.

3. In an accounting machine adapted to be controlled by records in which data of the same classification may be designated in different record fields of successive records, an accounting device, means for normally connecting said device for entry of data from a field of a record and means controlled by the classification designation on another record for automatically disabling the first named connecting means and connecting said accounting device to receive data under control of a different field.

4. In an accounting machine adapted to be controlled by records in which data ofthe same classification may be designated in diflerent record fields of different records, a plurality of sets of sensing devices adapted to analyze the several record fields, an accounting device, andv means controlled by the absence or presence of a classification designation on a record for automatically determining which 01" the sets of sensing devices related to the different controlling fields are to control the entries in the accounting device.

5. In a tabulating machine, a group of threetotalizers, means for connecting one of said totalizers to function as a grand totalizer to receive items entered under control of two different record fields 'of successive records, means controlled by the record characterization for connecting one or the other of the two remaining totalizers to receive items entered under control of the other field of the record in accordance with which record field controls an item entry in the grand totalize and devices for controlling the different item entries.

6. In an accounting machine, a group of at least four totalizers, means for entering one or two items in a single machine operation, means for causing one of said totalizers to function as a grand ,totalizer to receive items entered during successive machine operations, means for causing two other totalizers of said group to separately totalize the last named items entered,'and means for preventing another item entered during the same machine operation an item is entered in one of the two other totalizers mentioned from being entered in the grand totalizer and causing it to be entered in a related totalizer comprising the remaining totalizer of the group.

7. In a tabulatingmachine, a group of five totalizers, means under control of the records for entering an item represented by one,of two different fields of successive records into a common totalizer of said group, means controlled by classification characteristics of records for causing the items represented by said fields to be selectively entered in two other totalizers of said group, and means for preventing the item represented by the other record field of each controlling record from being entered in any of the totalizers mentioned and for causing said item to be entered selectively in another totalizer of the remaining two totalizers of the group.

8. In a tabulating machine controlled by records having designations comprising a plurality of card fields representing different classes oi! items, a plurality of totalizers and controlling elements therefor, analyzing brushes, one for each card field, an electrical switch comprising a plurality of switch blades electrically connected to said brushes, contacts of said switch contacting with said blades to enter the items in said totalizers by electrical connections to said controlling elements, and means for shifting said blades to cause contact with only other contacts ofsaid switch'and by other electrical connections to said controlling elements to enter items in said totalizers in a transposed manner.

9. In a tabulating machine controlled by records each having designated thereon at least two difi'erent controlling and item representing fields, a plurality of totalizers, means under control of a record having a single index point designation at a common predetermined position-of the records for effecting the entry of the items represented by the record having such designation in certain of said totalizers, and means dependent solely upon the absence of the single index point designation at said common predetermined position of another record for causing the items represented thereon to be entered in certain other totalizers.

JAMIE W. BRYCE.