US2063118A - Tabulating machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1936. R. E. PARIS Y 2,063,118

TABULATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1923 5 Sheets-Shea; l

. 8, 1936. R. E. PARIS TABULATING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

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TABULATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Qwumtoz WZW shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TABULATING MACHINE v Robert E. Paris, NewYoi-k N. Y.' Application December v, 1928, Serial o. 324,427

. 11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tabulating machines and is shown as applied to a tabulating machine of the well-known Powers type such for instance as shown in U. S. Patent 1,236,481. The invention resides principally in mechanism to be inserted between the pin-box and stop-basket which takes the place of the usual connection-box, and forms a flexible connection device between the pins and stops such connection device being manually settable to transpose data and to effect all'that may now be accomplished by Y-wires, inverted Y- wires, N-wire, etc., and to make it possible to setior different forms without removing the connecting mechanismpommonly known in the art as the connection-box from the machine. This not only facilitates manipulation of the machine, but greatly cuts down the expense, for the present connection-box is so exacting as to manufacturing accuracy that each one is practicallya hand-made job.

In order that such a mechanism could be constructedfor the present Powers machine, it has been found necessary to create a novel preliminary representation device consisting of movable stop-lifters which are first set under control of the pins (themselves controllable by the the punched record), to positions representing-the data to be entered in the stops, and thereafter are all raised to enter the data on the stops. This device also permits an early ejection of the card or record from the machine and entry of another record, whereby speeding up the operation of the entire machine.

In constructing the flexible connection device, a sort of keyboard has been provided whereby electrical connections may be made so thatdata from one. zone of the record or punched card may be entered at any desired place inthe field of stops in the tabulator head. Thus data at the left-hand of the card may be printed by the right-hand unit of the tabulator or may be printed and added in a multiplicity of places in the adding head. This will be fully understood when the mechanism is understoodin detail.

All of these objects are attained'by mechanism Fig. l is a fragmentary, vertical front-to-rear section of a machine showing my invention'and the correlated parts of a known tabulating me'chvices.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view substantially on line "5li of Fig. 1 and showing one of the bars carrying slides co-operative with the pins of the pin-box.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of one of the controlling slides, taken substantially on 5 line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a front view of the control box.

. Fig. 8 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section of the control box taken just inside the lower frame of the same.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view showing characteristic wiring.

Like characters refer to likeparts in all views.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and in particular to Fig. 1, the parts of well-known mechanism will first be described. The upper plate of a pin-box is indicated at 20, the pins being indicated at 2|. In a well-known form of tabulator these pins operate wires of what is known as-a connection-box-to set stops. Such stops are shown at 22 as mounted in afstopbasket 23. These stops when raised are frictionally held raised until returned by means not here shown, but well known; and when raised, they control the excursions of actuating racks or segments and printing sectors. The cover for the tabulator head is shown at 24. Main frame members are indicated at25' and 26.

A good sectional view of a Powers tabulator is given in Fig. l of the patent to Powers 1,236,481,

in which the stop basket, connection-box and pin box and associated parts are shown.

Taking up next the new mechanism of the present invention, 21 and 28 represent front and rear cross bars upon which are removably mounted a series of rails 29, there. being one rail 29 for each denominational row'of pins'2l and located directly thereover. The rails may be suitably spaced by collars or washers and all rails are locked in place by a locking bar 30 extending across the rear ends of all of the rails. Each rail carries. an adding slide 3| and asecond slide 32'which are mounted for sliding movement longitudinally of their respective rails. The slides of each rail are constantly urged toward each other by a spring 83,

but are normally held apart by universal cross bars 34 and 35.

The pins 2! are all grounded in any suitable manner, as for instance by grounding their guide plate 20. Each rail 291s of inverted U-shaped cross-section and carries a contact plate 36, provided with .a lead 38. The contact plates .36 are insulated from the rails 29 by insulating material indicated at 40. The slides 3|, are constructed electronna t e pin plate ounted on each slid-e The slides 1 i 1..

i211 and provided win pieces 53 by the may be moved 11,165}; ctive bars Each slide 3i ed with a. -shaped spring coir-actor i rista tly in engagement with the respe the center portion of which may he moved -nto engagenient with the grooved upper face of any one of the bars It will thus be seen that moving any slide cl alon bar 5% no the adding plates ii may L73 brought into 3 suit with the respective one of the eiectro-znagnets It will also be seen that by putting a plurality of slides Si in contact with a single bar 4E, a plurality of magnets 52 be simultaneously actuated by action of a single slide 3!. This is useful where of a single card zone is to be entered on two or more accumulators of the tabulator head. There is one rail 29 for each row of pins 2 i, there being one row of pins 2i for each column on the data or controlling card. There is one electro-magnet 52 for each row of stops 22, each row of stops 22 being associated with a respective accumulator wheel. Therefore, each bar 50 represents a respective one of the accumulator Wheels and by properly adjusting the slides 6|, any digit represented on the data card may be added to any accumulator wheel or plurality of such.

At the right and left hand sides and at the center of the frame 41 are grooved strips 86 which have no connections 38 and when the spring contacts E5 engage these bars no circuit can be closed for operating the respective electro-magnets.

The cross bars 34 and 35 extend through slots 68, Fig. l in the housing 69 of the rails 29 and are secured at their ends to respective links 10 and H at opposite sides of the housing. The links 10 are pivotally connected to the lower ends of rock arms i2 pivoted on a cross-shaft I3; and the links H are pivotally connected to the lower arms 0! rock levers l4 pivoted on a cross shaft 15. Links 16 and connect one of the rock-arms I2 and one of the rock levers M with an eccentric strap 18 operable by an eccentric 19 mounted on a rotatable shaft 80 of the machine. While only one each I it and i4 is shown, in 1, that there one of at e housing 83 pin bars 34 c circuit 1.,- 2 i, that par results which ticular n gn will now be s to be turned there- The earn Hi such roller being mounted the of a bell B3. The bell crank 83 is pinned on a cross-shaft 8 4 having a pair oi substantially horizontal arms 85 extending under the stop basket 23, only one arm 85 being shown in Fig. 1.

ESecured to the arms 85 is a cross-bar 86 so as to form a frame. Extending upwardly at each end this frame is an. ear 81, the ears 8! supporting between them a pivot rod 88, upon which are mounts the rear ends of rails 89, the connection being by slots in bars 89. here is one rail 88 for each row of stops 22 and arranged thereunder. The front ends of the rails 89 are mounted on a cross-rod 90 carried by ears secured to the frame member 25. Mounted on each rail 89 is a slide member 9| formed with a downwardly extending portion 92, and with a series of ten teeth 93. Each slide member Si is also formed with four bent lips 94 by which it is retained on its bar or rail 89. For each slide 5i there is provided a stop actuator 95 which is formed with a spring ear 96,a bent over lip 91 and a stop-actuating finger 98. Each actuator 95 is slidably secured to its slide 9| by a screw 99 which passes through a slot I00 in its respective slide 91; and is held in any one of ten positions on the slide 5| by engagement of its lip 9! in any one of ten notches Hll formed in the upper edge of each slide 9!. Springs I020 tend constantly to draw members 95 and BI toward the rightin Fig. 1, and to hold lips 91 in engagement with any desired notch IN, the fingers 98 extend laterally across members 95 so as to give wide upper or stop-operating faces. The slides 9| are normally held in left-most position by a universal bar I02 carried by links I03 secured to the upper arms 0! levers H. The bar I02 may be supported and guided in a. slot in a frame or other stationary member (not shown).

Each of the electro-magnets 52 is provided with an armature I to the free end of which plate I06. Each of the stop rods I! is positioned under the slide 9| of the row of stops 22 with which the respective electro-magnet is associated.

When the machine starts to operate the rock levers 14 move the cross-bar I02 so as to permit the springs I020 to draw the slides 9| along their respective rails 89. When the elements 44 of an operative slide 3| contact a raised pin 2|, the

. circuit is closedthrough the electro-magnet 52 a with which it has been operatively connected and such magnet drawsup its armature I04 thereby lifting its respective stop rod I05 until its upper end is in the path of one of the teeth thereby stopping further advance of that particular slide 9|. Inasmuch-as bar I02 controls the slides 9I to move in timed relation the slides 3|, the stop rods I05 are raised so as to stopthe bars 9| with the fingers 90 under the stops 22 corresponding These slides 9| in being raised .bring the fingers 90 into contact with the lower ends of desired stops 22, raising the latter so as to control the accumulators as is well understood. in the art. In case no hole has been punched in a column of the card, the corresponding slide BI will have moved its associated finger 98 beyond all stops 22 and no stop beraised thereby.-

A spring I01 holds arm," with roller 02 in contact with the periphery'of cam BI. The ends of arms 05 are pivotally connected to a vertically reciprocating frame .comprising side frames we and cross bars I09, the latter operating when the frame is lowered, to return the stops 22 to ineffective position. Since this frame moves up with arms 85, the cross-bars I00 are moved up ahead of the stops 22 and do not interfere with the operation of the fingers 98.

Normally the lips 91 are located in the first notch IOI as shown in Fig. l.

The remaining'notches II are provided s that a number punched on the card may be arbitrarily changed when printed, as forinstance when a hole in 0 position may indicate factory No. 3, so that it is desired to print "3, etc. This of course, would only be used in cases of split column work, where only a portion of a column of the record card was utilized for sensing a specific kind of data, such as factory numbers. While other uses might be found for this construction, such construction was developed with the split column feature in view. I

The slides 3I are so positioned that when the elements 44 of a slide II reach the "9" pin 2|, the corresponding finger 90 will be under 0 stop 22. This period of idle movement is provided because there are normally provided II" and "I2" pins' 2| which are ordinarily disregarded in straight tabulation. By arranging elements 91 and IOI the II and "I2 pins may be utilized to efiect desired code designations such as factory or warehouse numbers, etc. In the Powers machine, as placed on the market, the I I and I2" pins are used in conjunction with the alphabetic unit for controlling printing of letters, and in the numerical units additional signs or sign type may be placed on the numerical type sectors and controlled by such pins.

stops 22 of two units of the adding head. In

the present instance the sliders 0| representing the desired denominations of the adding heads are moved onto the bars 46 connected with the sensing members 36 of the desired card zone. For instance, if it were desired to enter data from the-first column on the card, in the first row of stops of units one and two of the tabulator, then the slides GI, numbered I and II in Fig. 7, would be moved onto the first bar 46 and if a 3 were punched in the first column of the card, the magnets 52 of the first and I eleventh rows of stops 22 would be operated to hold the respective fingers under the 3" pins of these two rows.

When it is desired to transpose data, for in- V stance from thefirst column of the card to the eleventh row of stops, the connection wire in the present Powers machine is bent so that the lower end cooperates with a pin 2| of the first column and its upper end will operate a respective stop 22 of the eleventh row. With the present. invention, it is only necessary to move the number eleven slide GI into'cooperative relation with the first bar 46.

When it is desired to enter datafrom two 001- a umns of a card into a single row of stops 22, the present Powers construction, in commercial use,' use s what are termed inverted Y -wires. In the present invention-,z-this may be accomplished by moving'the two slides SI of the required one of the rails into cooperative relation with the respective bars 46 corresponding to the columns of the card. When an electric impulse is then sent over either of these bars 46, itv will operate the magnet 52 of the required common column. It must be born in mind that the use of inverted Y-wires and of the present construction just mentioned, is limited to work where data will be punched in only'one or the other of the columns of the card which are thus correlated to a single row of stops 22' of the adding unit.

These examples are illustrative of the work which may be performed by the'described construction and are not intended to indicate the limits of the applicability of the device to various forms. Itis however. suggestive to those skilled in the art of the necessary adjustments of slides SI for any form desired. I

It will now beseen' that by properly adjusting.

amounts may be added in a plurality of columns. Also the use of twosliders permits data from two columns of the cards to be entered in 'a single column. I

It will be seen also that the slides SI and their members 85 form an intermediate representation device whereby the amounts may be retained and entered into the tabulator even after the card has started to be ejected, thereby providingfor rapid operation. I While I have described what I consider to be the most desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many changes could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact construction shown nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as hereinbefore described, and as hereinafter claimed.

the slides 6|, data on a card may be added, or

wone, eieotro n ef' ers.

ietion oi tabulated an ei t J member in circuit with each I nets. e nerd-controlled element, a member with said card-controlled element, and etteb-le means mounted on one of said members opera ie for connecting said member combination of tabulator stops, electromagnets for oentroillng selecting oi said stops, 3 series of members each in circuit with a respec-; tive one of said magnets, a plurality of oardseries of members each in A one of said elements, ed on the members of able to connect any member of the other nozninational so My representaany one of said t to: setting said 'ion in a. card, table members 'ZHTS said elei ieot control said stops e record cord sensing a'i orders, a ets of re Jiers, a oluraiity of and means inof i "elation to other and associated 'deble n: illative elements to render. any one of the said elements capable of oontroiling e. plursiitjy of the second said elements according to the setting of the manipulaii. "in combination a plurality of card mnsing elements of respective denominational orders, a plurality of tsbuiator controlling elements of respective denominational orders, a plurality of slidable manipulative elements, and means ineluding two groups of conductors arranged angularly with relation to each other and associated with said slidable manipulative elements to render a plurality of the first said elements capable of controlling any one of the second said elementsw ROBERT E. Prams.

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