US2064482A - Perforated record controlled machine - Google Patents

Description

15, 1936., MAUL 2,064,482 r PERFORATED RECORD CONTROLLED MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jnvezzioj 15, 1936. M. MAUL 2,064,482 I I PERFORATED RECORD CONTROLLED MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 1936 --UNITED STATES PERFQRATED RECORD CONTROLLED MACHINE Michael Maul, Berlin-Johannisthal, Germany Application August 25, 1931, Serial No. 559,286 In Germany September 4, 1930 3 Claims. (Cl. 235 -92) The present invention relates to perforated record controlledmachines and more particularly to perforated record card controlled tabulating machines.

It is the main object of the invention to increase the capacity of perforated records so that upon the same card space a larger number of perforations of distinct values may be represented and that the register and/or printer actuating mechanism may be controlled accordingly.

A further object is to provide means for selectively controlling entry of numbers represented by hole combinations in one or two digital orders of said register and/or printer actuating mechanism.

Another object is to provide a translator for hole combinations adapted to control selectively in one or two digital orders of said mechanism by a hole combination;

Another object of the invention is to provide in a machine a limited number of translators adapted to translate hole combinations, representing either a decimal or duodecimal single value, and means to connect said translators at will with the analyzing means of any record column and with any digital order of said mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be seen from the specification and claims and the drawings which show a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The invention relates more particularly to machines controlled by perforated records wherein a single record column comprises combinational perforations representing either a decimal or duodecimal single value and wherein a plural denominational order register and/or printer actuating mechanism is under the control of said perforations; means are provided in said machine responsive to the controlling perforations of a record column for selectively controlling one or two digital orders of the mechanism and means for controlling the one digital order in accordance with the units digit of said value and for always controlling a single unit in the digital order of the next higher denomination when said single value is a duodecimal number.

It has already been suggested to control one or two digital orders of a mechanism by so called overpunched record columns. However, in such overpunched record cards the record column proper and the overpunched area are each punched according to the single hole system and, moreover, a separate digital order of the mechanism is coordinated to each, the record column proper and said oyerpunched ,area. The

provision of perforations in a single column rep- Y machinery by such record columns; however, in

said prior machines only a single. digital order the number 11 of the mechanism is always controlled by perforations having either a decimal or duodecimal value.

The invention may be used in connection with accumulating means or printing means or with both means simultaneously, and for controlling said means differentially timed impulses are preferably used.

The invention may also be carried out in connection with machines adapted to analyze the perforations while the records are in motion past the analyzing means and preferably a single analyzing brush for a single record column is used for said purpose.

Since in machines of the type referred to translator means for the hole combinations are usually provided, said means for selectively controlling numbers into one or two digital orders of the mechanism may be preferably responsive to the adjustment of said translator means.

Now the practical advantages of the invention will be explained more in detail:

The known hole combinational systems require at least four hole positions for the distinct representation of controlling characters corresponding to the numerals 0 to 9. Now, four hole positions permit the representation of more controlling characters than are absolutely necessary for the numeral 0 to 9; as is known, 15 distinct hole combinations may be represented within four hole positions so that in addition to the ten hole combinations used for the representation of the numerals 0 to 9 five other hole combinational characters may be represented within the same hole positions; these five hole combinations may be used for the representation of the numerals 10 to 14. For instance, if upon a record card there are four hole combinational columns pro vided, normally only numbers of four digital orders may be represented within said column, i. e., the highest numberrwhich can be represented is 9999. If now hole combinations-are used representing the characters 10 to 14, upon corresponding perforations in the thousand denomination, the following numbers may be represented by perforations within only four record columns:

There may be represented within four record columns:

the numbers 10,000 to 10,999 the numbers 11,000 to 11,999 the numbers 12,000 to 12,999 the numbers 13,000 to 13,999 the numbers 14,000 to 14,999

It will be clearly seen that without any increase in card space the capacity of a record field the number 10 the number 12 the number 13 the number 14 having a predetermined number of record columns may be increased for about 50%, and depending upon the number of record fields upon a card exploited in such a way, the capacity of the whole card is correspondingly increased. Such hole arrangements are of practical importance and may be applied if there do not occur so many numbers that provision of,a further record column is absolutely necessary; this is for instance the case if an insurance business has more than 10,000 but not more than 14,999 policies,.or if as month designation the numbers 11 and 12 (November and December) are used which Val require usually tworecord columns; however,

according to the present invention the numbers orders of the register and/or printer mechanism must be provided, and these devices may preferably be connected selectively to the analyzing means of any hole combinational column and also selectively to any of the various digital orders of said mechanism.

In accordance with .the present invention, the hole combination is adapted to effect control in one or two digital orders depending upon the meaning of said hole combination, and provision is made that the control is automatically effected according to the amount as well as to the denomination. If, for instance, a hole combination having the meaning 8 is analyzed, only the digital order corresponding to the respective record column is controlled accordingly. If, however, in the same column of another card a hole combination should occur representing the numeral 14, digital order of the mechanism will be automatically controlled in accordance with the value 4 corresponding to this column and control according to the value 1 willbe effected in the digital order of the next higher denomination.

The present invention provides also detecting means adapted to determine whether the analyzed hole combination belongs to the group of characters of 0 to 9 or to the group of characters of 10 to 14, in order to determine whether control in one or two digital orders of the mechanism must be effected. In the latter case, two digital orders of the mechanism will be automatically set under ,the control of the hole combination. When a translator mechanism is used for the hole combinations, provision is made to translate each hole combination at first into a single value, and the detecting means will then determine to which group this single value belongs, and depending upon the result of said detecting operation one or two digital orders of the mechanism will be controlled by the translator.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings: 1

Fig. 1 shows the diagram of a hole combinational record cardcontrolled tabulating machine with a translator mechanism and a digital order of an accumulating and printing mechanism controlled by said translator.

Fig. 2 shows a special translator mechanism being provided for record columns in which hole combinations of a duodecimal value may occur,

and this figure shows the electrical means serving for the control of two digital orders of the mechanism by a single hole combinational column.

Fig. 3 shows the perforation code according to which the hole combinations are provided in the record cards.

Fig. 4 shows a record card with hole combinations, said card having in the extreme left record column a perforation representing a duedecimal number.

Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of a tabulating machine for the hole combinations which are translated by a translator mechanism into single impulses. The cards II are gripped one by one by means of a knife from a stack of cards and are moved downwardly between the feed rollers l2 and are fed by the latter between the contact plate 13 and the analyzing brush [4 for a record column. In the drawings only a single analyzing brush I4 and the translator mechanism coordinated to said brush is shown, though, of course, for each record column the same arrangement is necessary. The machine is started for operation by closing the start contact I6, thereby establishing a current circuit over the tabulator motor l5 and relay H, and upon energization of motor relay I! a. stick circuit for the tabulator motor l5 will be established over the armature of relay l1 and cam contact l8, the latter being closed after the motor has started for operation. The cards are then fed by the feed knife and feed rollers l2 downwardly and will close the card contact 2|. The known cam contacts I!) serve to establish a current circuit to the card contact 2| and to control energization of relays 20 and 2t. The contacts close only if the card passes beneath the brushes and consequently also the relays 20, 2! will only be energized during the same period and by means of the armature of relayZl the contact plate I3 will be connected only during the same time period to the contacts l9 as long as the succeeding cards keep the contact 2| closed. The contacts under the control of relay 20 and contact 18 open therefore once in each machine cycle, however not simultaneously but with a certain time difference sothat the current circuit of the motor IE will normally always be maintained over one of the two contacts. If, however, the last card has passed at 2|, due to the contact 2| now remaining open, the relays 20 and 2| will no longer remain energized, and the contact of relay 20 will open if the contact I8 opens so that the motor circuit will be interrupted and the machine will be stopped. Each analyzing brush l4 may be connected on a plug board by a wire 22 with a commutator generally indicated at 23 and coordinated to a translator for one digital order of the illustrated mechanism; one translator and commutator mechanism is provided for each digital order of the mechanism. The commutator includes a contact arm 24 and a contact strip 25 which latter is connected to the brush I4; the commutator is also provided with contact pieces 26 leading to the various translator magnets 21 which in turn are connected by a common line 28 to the left side 10 of the current source. The contact arm 24 rotates synchronously with the card passage and encounters the contact pieces 26 in the same moments in which the hole positions of a record column pass under the brush l4 so that the magnets 21 will be energized in different combinations in accordance with the perforations in the column. The

Cal

analyzer 31'.

meaning of the perforations is indicated in Fig. 3; the hole positions are indicated by roman numerals and the magnets '21 (Fig. 1) under the control of said hole positions are designated by corresponding roman numerals. Each magnet 21 has a bar coordinated thereto which is under the control of the armature of said magnet; after energization ofthe magnet said bar will be arrested in its raised position in a known manner by a pawl 3| so that depending upon the energization of the magnets 21 in different combinations one of the indicated current paths will be selected. The pawls 3| will be released at the end of the operating cycleby means of a bar 32 so that they are permitted to drop under the influence of their coordinated springs to the lower rest position shown in Fig. 1. This. release is effected by a magnet 33'which receives current over the cam contact. 34 shortly before the end of the operating cycle. If, therefore, a hole combination has passed under the brush l4, the control bars 33 will be adjusted in different positions and consequently a certain current circuit will have been selected from line 35 over the translator and one of the lines 38 to the commutator generally indicated at 36; as is well known and may also be seen from Fig. 1, only one of the ten lines 38 leading to the commutator 36 will be selected. The commutator 36 is provided with a rotating an: lyzing arm 3'! adapted to connect the lines 38 terminating in the comniutator with the line 40. The analyzer 31 rotates once during each machine cycle so that the lines 38 are analyzed by-its pivotally mounted analyzing fingers twice in each cycle, i. e. once during the first half of the rotation and once during the second half of the rotation of the The lines 38, however, are only supplied with current during the second half of the rotation and said current supply is controlled by the cam contacts 4|. The line 40 may be connected by a plug wire 52 with any registering magnet 42; one registering magnet 42 is cocrdinatedto each digital order of the mechanism and all magnets are connected by a common line 43 with the right hand line of the current source. Provision is made in such a way that until the end of the first half of the operating cycle analysis of the hole combinations in the various record columns is effected, and that during the second half of the operating cycle control through the commutator 36 is effected according to the analyzed hole combination. The accumulating and/or printing mechanism may be constructed in any known way; in Fig. 1 a single digital order of the mechanism is shown, said digital order corresponding normally to a single record column; each digital order of the mechanism includes a control bar 44 provided with a toothed frame 45 and a set of type 46. During the sec- 0nd half of the operating cycle all control bars 44 are raised by a reciprocating frame H synchronously with the analysis of the lines. 38 by the analyzer 31, and depending upon the selected line 38 the magnet 42 will receive differentially timed current impulses; accordingly, the pawl 41 will be released, engaging thereby the teeth 48 of the control bar 44 and arresting the same in the upward movement. At the end of the operating cycle the type being in printing position will be impelled by the type hammer 49 against the printing platen 50 and before the' return downward movement of the control bar 44 the accumulator wheels 5| which are pivotally mounted upon a frame and which havebeen held disengaged from the toothed frame 45, will be rocked in engagement with said frame. Upon the return of the control bar 44 which takes place at the end of the machine cycle, the printed.

amount corresponding to the meaning of the hole combination will be entered into the accumulator wheel 5|. Just the same as each analyzing brush l4 may be connected by a plug wire 22 with any translator, each translator may be connected by a plug wire 52 with any digital order of the mechanism so that the arrangement of the columns upon the record sheet fed over the printing platen 50 and of the accumulator wheels may be entirely independent. from the arrangement of the columns upon the record known punching machine for hole combinations} it is only necessary to' provide the machine with the required number of keys and to control the punch selectors by said keys in accordance with the perforation code in Fig. 3; since alteration or construction of a punching machine in the aforesaid way may easily be accomplished, no further reference thereto seems to be necessary herein. A mechanism adapted to be controlled by hole combinations-of the type indicated will now be described more in detail in connection with Fig. 2.

combinations of duodecimal value there are only a limited number of special translators necessary depending upon the number ofrecord columns of the card in which such hole combinations may occur. Since ,between the analyzing brushes and the translators on the one hand and the translators and ,the registering places on the other hand any selective connection may be established, it is possible to connect the analyzingbrushes of columns in which only ordinary hole combinations occur with regular translators and y to connect the brushes of the columns in which also duodecimal hole combinations may occur with special translators according to the present invention, and connections to two digital orders of the registering mechanism may be made from each of the last mentioned translators. Such special translator (which I willcall in order to distinguish from the usual translators and also for reasons of clarity a duodecimal translator) is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2. It is now assumed that the analyzing brush I4 at the extremeleft shall analyze the record column at the extreme left in Fig. 4. The before mentioned brush l4 (Fig. 2) is connected by a plug wire with the commutator 23 of the usual construction. The commutator connects inthe' above described l4, the magnets 21 areenergized in different combinations. The magnets2'l will control their coordinated control bars 30 and the same will select a certain current path from the left side manner the various magnets 21 one by one with thebrush l4 by means of arm 24 and depend ng 1 upon the perforations passing under the brush 35,1;0 the right, side of the translator lines. The

For the utilization of the above mentioned hole 4 control bar 33 coordinated to the control magnet 21-IV controls, however, contrarily to a regular translator as shown in Fig. 1, not only ten but :fourteen lines, and depending upon the energization of the magnets 21 in diiferent combinations one of the lines 38 (corresponding to the numerals to 9) or one of the lines 53 (corresponding to the numerals to 14) will be selected. With each duodecimal translator is associateda regular analyzing commutator 3.6 and a regular analyzing commutator 54 to which, however, onlyin the 1 position a line 55 is connected. In place of this commutator also an ordinary cam contact closingin the proper moment could be used; however, for reasons of simplicity the same standard parts are used in the commutator 54 as in the commutator 36. The lines 36 corresponding to the numerals 0*to 9 lead in a similar manner as in Fig. 1 to the commutator 36 and are analyzed as above described during the second half of the machine cycle by the analyzer 31. The lines 53, however, terminate in contacts 55 which may be connected by means of shiftable contact plates 58, controlled by the magnet 51, with lines 59. If the magnet 51 is instantaneously energized and if due to the stop pawl 3| the control-bar 36' is held in raised position in a similar way as the magnets 21, the lines 53 will be connected with the lines so. The lines 59 lead to the lines as a and provision is made that upon connection of line 53 with lines 59, corresponding lines will be connected, 1. e. the 10. line 53 is then connected to the 0 line 38, the 11 line 53 is connected to the 1 line 38, the 12 line 53 to the #2" line 38, the 13 line to the 3 line and -the 14 line 53 is connected to the 4 line 38. The contact bar 30' of magnet 51 is also provided with a contact plate-60 controlling the connection of the line 6| leading to the cam contacts 4| with the line 55. The contact strips 64 of the commutators 36 and 54 are now connected by the plug lines 52 with the magnets 42 Which are adapted to control the bars 44 (Fig. 1) in two digital orders of the mechanism in the above described way. It will be seen that the selected magnets 42 are energized if a current circuit is closed through their coordinated commutators 36 and 54 so that the respective digital orders of the mechanism are controlled accordingly However, before controlling of the mechanism tion has been eifected i. e. if the arm-24 has. moved over all contacts 26 and if the shift bars 33 have been adjusted according to thehole combination just passed under the brush, all cam contacts 66 will be simultaneously and instantaneously closed by their coordinated cams and in the same moment also the contact 68 bridging the contact 4| will be closed by its cam. This closure takes place a short moment before the analysis of the lines 33 and 55 through, the commutators 36 and'54, and shortlybefore closure of the contacts 4|. It now the previously passed hole combination has selected a line 33 corresponding to one of the hole combinations 0 to 9 no current circuit will be established over the contacts 68, 66 since the lines are not connected to the contacts 66,, and on the other hand no current impulse will be released over the commutator 36 since in this moment the lines 33 and the commutator 36 are still open. The lines 53 are therefore open and if in the course of the operating cycle the commutator 36 is analyzed, the control magnet of the digital order of the mechanism coordinated to the analyzed record column will control the amount corresponding to the analyzed hole combination of a decimal value into the mechanism. However, if one of the hole combinations corresponding to the numerals I to l4 has passed under the brush, a current circuit will be completed over one of the lines 55,

contact 66 and lines over the magnet 51; the magnet 51 will therefore raise the control bar 30 and the same will then be held in raised position by its coordinated pawl 3| until the end of the machine cycle; then it will be released together with all other control bars 3|! by the release magnet 33 to permit all bars to drop downwardly in their normal position. Consequently, it .through the energization of the magnet 51 the control bar 30 has'been raised, the lines 53 will beconnected with the lines 59 and the line 55 with the line 6|. Upon the analysis of the commutators 36 and 54, the commutator 35 will therefore receive a current impulse in the moment corresponding to the selected line 53, the

current flowing oversaid last mentioned line and line 59; if the 10 line 53"has been selected, a current impulse will be released in the 0" moment; if the 11 line has been selected, in the 1 moment; if the 12 line has been selected, in the 2 moment; if the 13 line has been selected, in the 3 moment, and if the 14" line has, been selected, a current impulse will be released in the 4 moment. The commutator 54, however, will receive only in the moment 1 a current impulse from the left side 10 of the current. source over the lines BI, 55, and since said commutator is connected to the digital order next higher, the order corresponding to the commutator 36, an amount corresponding to the meaning of the hole combination will be controlled into both digital orders of the mechanism. Now, if we assume that the brush H at l the extreme left in Fig. 2 analyzes the thousand column of a record field, the commutator 36 coordinated to said column will control its magnet 42 after analysis of a decimal-value hole combination in accordance with the meaning of said hole combination. If, however, a duodecimalvalue hole combination has been analyzed in the thousand column, also the commutator 54 will become effective in addition to the commutator 36 to control the tenthousands digital order of the mechanism. If, therefore, in the thousand record column of the card there is punched one of the duodecimal-value hole combinations 10 to 14, the commutator 54 will control always one unit into the ten thousands digital order of the mechanism while in the thousand digital order one of the values 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 will become effective, depending upon the value of the hole combination and it will be clearly seen that the purpose of the invention is obtained. The translator shown inFig. 2 for duodecimal hole combinations may be provided as an independent unit and may be connected on the one hand by plug wire 22 with any of the analyzing brushes l4 and on the other hand by plug wires 52 with any two digital orders of .the registering mechanism.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention it will be understood that vari-. ous omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine controlled by perforated records wherein a single record column comprises combinational perforations representing either a decimal or duodecimal single value, a plural denominational order register and/or printer actuating mechanism under control of said perforations, means responsive to the controlling perforations of a record column for selectively controlling one or two digital orders of said mechanism including means for control-,

plural denominational order register and/or printer actuating mechanism under the control of said single analyzing brush, means responsive to the controlling perforations of a record column analyzed by said brush for selectively controlling one or two digital orders of said mechanism including means for controlling the positioning of one digital order of said mechanism in accordance with the units digit of said value and for always controlling the positioning of the digital order of the next higher denomination in accordance with a single unit when said single value is a duodecimal number.

3. In a machine controlled by perforated records wherein a single record column comprises combinational perforations representing either a decimal or duodecimal single value, a translator mechanism adjustable in accordance with the combinational perforations of said single record column, a plural denominational order register and/or printer actuating mechanism under the control of said translator mechanism, means responsive to the adjustment of said translator mechanism for selectively controlling one or two digital orders of said mechanism including means for controlling the positioning, of one digital order of said mechanism in accordance with the units digit of said value and for always controlling the positioning of the digital order of the next higher denomination in accordance with a single unit when said single value is a duodecimal number. 1 MICHAEL MAUL.

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