US2116653A - Tabulating and accounting machine - Google Patents

Description

May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930' 14 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER. 2,116,653

7 TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930 14 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGLI B INVENTOR May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930 14 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE l4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 5, 1930 wuu muu muu May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930 14 Sheets-Sheet '7 \iliiliiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil* y 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER 2,116,653

TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER 2,116,653

TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930 14 Sheets-Sheet 9 May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930 14 Sheets-Sheet 10 IN VEN TOR. Wm M May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRIIJSTER 2,116,653

TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed. Feb. 5, 1930 14 Sheets-Sheet 12 May 10, 1938. 1 r J. w. ARMBRUSTER TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5; 1930 l4 Sheets-Sheet 13 STATE QTY NAME

WLICY n Inn-p -I E W r s 00-0-- l W t I: P b n i- In N o u W E" INVENTOR.

May 10, 1938. J. w. ARMBRUSTER 2,116,653

TABULATING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930 14 Sheets-Sheet 14 ROTATION OF THE MAIN SHAFT IN DEGREKS CONTROL MEI-II.

PRINTING PAPER KNIFE MTIMTOR MWL IN ON OTALS CONDITIONING BAIL INVENTOR w w W FI (x1 Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TABULAT'ING AND ACCOUNTING MACHINE Application February 5, 1930, Serial No. 425,966

33 Claims.

This invention relates generally to machines of the type wherein a punched card controls the setting of the items, and more particularly to that class adapted to totalize a series of items, and employing printing devices for obtaining printed records of totals and items. Many novel control devices useful in machines of different commodate the increased amount of data to be printed. A totalizer of novel form and compact construction, which accumulates items as they are entered into the machine, is provided and is adapted to control the printing devices in printlng totals. A novel comprehensive form of nonadding and non-printing control is provided by means of which the magnitude of the data in the alphabetic, numerical or date scales determines whether the data will or will not be added, printed or totalled. H

One phase of the invention has for an object the provision of improved devices for sensing combinational hole records and transposing the result of such sensing into differential linear positions of adding and printing actuators in the machine. In the disclosed form of jacquard mechanism, the combinations of only four punched holes in a record card control the positioning of an actuator into one of sixteen positions. Also, the combinations of five holes control the positioning of an actuator into one of thirty-two positions. A novel use of differential gearing is disclosed in the jacquard mechanism, and the method of construction disclosed may be expanded to be employed where any number of record holes are sensed in combination. The maximum number of combinations of the record holesare used to determine different actuator positions. The jacquard structureis novelly constructed so that it is of such shape and thickness that a plurality of such structures may be operated in the same plane and may cooperate with a single column of record holes in a record card. By means of the differential gearing construction used in the disclosed jacquard devices, a plurality of members operated under control of the card sensing mechanism are adapted to contribute simultaneously to the movement of an actuator. Thus, the time of operation is much shorter than if each member separately effected a partial movement of the actuator.

It is an important object of the present invention to construct the totalizers so that a large number of them will occupy but a small amount of space. The few parts in the novel totalizer have been so arranged that each order or bank of the totalizer will require but one thickness of metal. In the past, a plurality of parts arranged in different planes were necessary to the proper functioning of a transfer mechanism. Herein is disclosed a totalizer structure requiring only the absolute minimum of space per bank, namely; a space equal to the thickness of one part. Therefore, it is possible, by utilizing the principles of construction herein disclosed, to confine a bank totalizer in a space one inch in width, one inch in thickness, and about two inches in height (this is only an illustrative example).

The transfer mechanism embodied in this machine is of the nines coupling type, so that transfers are effected simultaneously in ali of the orders of the totalizer that are set to receive a transfer.

A feature of the invention is the use of a large tooth on the totalizer wheel as a coupling means when the wheel stands at the nines position.

Another feature is the utilization of the movement of the pinions out of mesh with the actuators as a means of rotating the pinions which are due to receive a. transfer. I

The above features, together with a simple bail for the transfer mechanism, all contribute to the novel construction shown of a simple form of totalizer composed of a few inexpensive stamped parts easily manufactured and assembled.

A totalizer engaging mechanism of a novel and simplified form is employed in the present machine and is so constructed that a control section of the machine will be adapted to easily alter the accumulating functioning of the machine during operation, as a control is exercised.

Another object is to provide a totalizer selection device which is adapted to select by operation of the machine at one time and by manual setting at another time. During regular adding operations this selection device selects two totalizers, one special and one common. However, when a total is to be taken, and the selector is manually set, it is only possible to select one totalizer for each operation of the machine.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide printing devices which are able to print more data simultaneously in a limited space than was before possible in machines of the tabulating or accounting class. The mechanism disclosed is adapted to print from one record card in one operation the same amount of data that before required three record cards and three operations of a machine. By means of the present printing device a name, address, amount, etc., can now be printed in one operation and in the proper position on the record media. A feature of the printing devices is that an address may be printed directly under a name, in the standard mailing form, during a single operation of the machine. The position of the name and address on the record paper (it may be a bill, receipt, statement, etc.) is important, especially when used in the mails with a window envelope. To secure the novel results described above, related type bars are arranged alternately between other type bars, and they are impressed against a platen by eccentrics. results in a simple noiseless type of printing that does not require printing hammers and the space usually required for such devices. An additional feature of the printing devices is that they are constructed to print a. duplicate record of all matter printed.

A more complete control of the functioning of an accounting machine is also an object of this invention. Heretofore, when a control of the functioning of a machine, such as no-print, noadd, total, etc., was set, that control would prevail and would not be varied no matter what data were printed, added or totalled. The present machine provides control for many of the functions of the machine that is so devised that when the data presented by the record card do not satisfy predetermined requirements, which are decided upon and set up on the machine before its operation, the said controls will separate such data from the other data that do satisfy the requirements. Because of its complexity, this object will have to be explained in detail.

In this specification it is assumed that the date scale starts at January and progresses along to December so that July would be higher than June in the scale. In the alphabetic scale, a. may be taken as the first letter and all other letters in order up to 2 may be mentioned hereinafter as being higher in the alphabetic scale.

An object is to so make the control that not only can one denomination of a number, or period of a date, or letter of a name, be the determining factor of control of printing, accumulating, totaltaking and sorting; but, that a full number, date or name, may be the determining factor. The highest order of the number, etc., set up will not be the only order capable of manifesting that the data presented by the card are of a lower or higher place on the scale used, but every order of the setup has this power. If, for instance, 76, 82 be set up for a control and 76, 92 be presented by the card, then the dimes order control will have the ability of manifesting that the number tendered is larger; if 77, 62 be presented, then the dollars order control will have this power of discrimination. The same is true of the controls in the date and alphabetic scales. When a number is set up to control, a plurality of denominational order elements in the control device are so cou-' pled, that control will not be exercised by dimes, dollars or cents alone, although that is possible,

but a full number consisting of the units, tens,

hundreds, etc., denominations may be set up on the controls and then said control will be affected by the full number of units, tens, etc., denominations presented by the punched card. In a like The use of these operating eccentrics manner, when a date is considered, not alone can a certain year, month or day be made the controlling factor, but the full date of all three periods combined may control at the same time. A control of a date consisting of a certain year, month and date may be set and will simultaneously act as a unit in controlling according to the place in the date scale of a date on the punched card of a certain year, month, and day, which also acts as a unit. During operation under name control in the present machine, the first letter or any letter of a name is not alone the sole determining factor of control, although it may be so used. In a novel fashion all the letters or a few of the letters of a name may at the same time be controlling factors in selective control, according to the place a name of a man, city, state, etc., presented on a punched card occupies in the alphabetic scale. For example, the letters OM'I'IN may be decided upon as the control wished exercised over certain names about to be presented in the machine by punched cards. As the cards run through the machine, and the control mechanism functions, not only will names such as Prota or Winte, which are higher in the alphabetic scale than the first letter, influence the controls to make manifest that these names are higher in the alphabetic scale, but names such as Omtip or Omwal will have the same influence, even though the change in the alphabetic magnitude occurs in the center or at the end of a name. To exercise this novel control, the devices are arranged so that the setting of manipulative elements to a certain place in the numerical, date, or alphabetic scales, plus the setting of an element to indicate whether control is desired above, below, or exactly at that certain place in the scale used, will, upon operation of the machine control devices, vary the regular printing, paper feeding, accumulating, total taking, and sorting of the data within the control of the two elements, from the data outside of the control of the range predetermined by the two elements.

The above mentioned manipulative elements are so situated and constructed that when they are set in a particular position above a related type bar or actuator, the movement of the actuator to an extent corresponding to the particular position held by the manipulative element, presents a notch in the actuator and allows a controlling movement of the manipulative element to take place. On each side of the notch, the actuator is cut to present a different level to the said element, thus affording an indication whether the actuator has moved more or less than the number set up.

The requirements which the operator of the machine may desire, are made ready to exercise control by first setting up a certain amount, number, agent, age, policy number, date, operator, occupation, name or address, by the manipulative knobs provided for the purpose; then next he can require, by moving a lever, that the above data will control in one of five different ways. The first position Print" of the lever denotes that the machine is to function in its usual fashion, which means it will print and add any data presented by the punched cards. The second position of the lever is the above index position. With the lever in this position, the machine will print, add and sort only the data which include a name, number or date which is higher in the numerical, dating or alphabetic scales than that name, number or date set up by the manipulative knobs. Thus, if $15.00 is set up by the a,11o,cos

knobs and a punched card presents data including the amount, $15.00, or under, the data will not be printed, added or sorted. However, if the data included an amount $15.01 or over, the data would be printed, accumulated and sorted. In

' a like-manner, if Dec. 29, 21 is set up by the knobs, and data are presented dated Dec. 29, 21 or before, the data will not be printed, added or sorted, but if the data are dated Dec. 30, 21 or later, printing, adding and sorting will take place in the usual manner. If EN is set up by the name knobs and data are presented including a name such as EIRIGHT or EMSILL or a name lower in the alphabetic scale; the data will not be printed, added or sorted. However, if the data include a name such as EODISE or EPSTEIN or a name higher in the alphabetic scale, then printing, adding and sorting will occur. Any other datum such as policy number, kind of occupation, address, etc., may be used to control in a similar fashion. By progressive setups of the name knobs, an alphabetical listing and sorting of a group of cards is possible. The third position of the lever is the exact position. With the lever in this position the machine will print, add, and sort only the data which include a name, number, or date which is exactly the same as that requirement which is set up on the manipulative knobs by the operator of the machine. The fourth position of the lever is the below index position. Under this control the machine will print, add and sort only the data including a name, number, or date which is smaller or lower in its scale than that set up on the adjustably set knobs. With this control, the action of the lever in the above index" position is reversed. Taking the same examples of the setting of the' manipulative knobs given above, then given data presenting $14.99 or under, a date of Dec. 28, 21 or earlier, a name of EMSILL or lower in the alphabetic scale, such data will be printed, added, and sorted, and any data higher in the respective scales will be rejected. The fifth position of the lever is the no print" position. In this position a control is affected so that printing will not occur, regardless of the nature of the data on the card or the setup of the adjustable knobs. Accumulating will take place in the normal fashion at this time, unless an accumulator control key about to be described is depressed.

The above general discussion gives an outline of the control exercised by the manipulative control lever and adjustable knobs during the normal operation of the machine. Aside from the above,

. however, other special controls are provided for use during total taking operations to vary the control in accordance. with conditions existing at such times. These novel features will next be described as additional objects of this invention.

totalizer engaging during total taking. An accumulator control key is part of this mechanism. During regular adding operations, this key determines whether adding will always take place, or whether the adding will take place under control of the control section described above. When under such control, data not printed will also not be added. During total taking, however, depression of this key will result in novel control of the totalizer meshingwith the actuator. The usual total, sub-total, and non-add keys are provided, and they will normally cause the machine to time the totalizer engagement with actuators in the usual fashion as is their action in most accounting machines. Under such normal condi- The machine includes many novel methods of tions the total key will, when depressed, cause clearing of the totalizer and printing of the amount standing thereon. The sub-total key will cause printing of the amount standing on a totalizer, at the same time retaining the amount in the totalizer. The non-add key will, as its name implies, prevent adding. Now, however, depression of the accumulator control key in addition to one of the above mentioned keys will cause functioning not heretofore possible in any accounting machine and of decided utility in many uses of such machines. Depression of both the total and control keys will result in a control of total taking by the amount standing on the totalizer. The control lever will be put in one of its five positions, and the adjustable knobs mentioned above will be set to a particular amount. Then, upon operation of the machine, any amount not meeting the requirements set by the controls will change the totalizer meshing so that the amount taken out by the restoring of the totalizer to zero will again be put in the totalizer, thus changing the total taking function to sub-total taking. Therefore, the amount that does not satisfy requirements, or that for some other reason is wished retained, will be kept in the totalizer for all future operations, such as additional adding upon, or reference to, in checking up delinquents in payment, or accounts overdrawn, etc. It is apparent that the retaining of certain data in the totalizers at times, even though they are set for zeroizing, is a useful method of operating the machine. With this type of use of the machine it would be well to arrange the printing on the detail strip so that it will always occur. This can be done by an alternative way of construction as suggested above in connection with printing.

If the sub-total and accumulator control keys are both depressed there will result a control adapted to change the sub-total function according to the amount standing on the totalizer. With the controls set and the machine operated, movement of the actuators to an amount satisfying the requirements set by the controls will change the totalizer meshing so that the amount rolled out of the totalizer wheels as they are brought to zero will not be rolled back in again, thus the sub-totalling function will be changed to zeroized total taking. In this way any amount that satisfies set requirements, or for some other reason such as closing an account that is paid up, or clearing after a last. installment is paid, is cleared out of the totalizer.

The usefulness of clearing out a totalizer, when set for a sub-total is believed apparent. The adaptation of the machine to choose either a total or sub-total function, depending upon the amount in the totalizer, is believed novel and of decided utility. It is. also contemplated that additional wheels could be put on the totalizer so that all the data now presented by the punched card could be held in a totalizer and represented by positioned wheels. With this done, the total taking function could be varied and controlled, not only by the amount standing on a totalizer; but also by the date, name or some other designation presented by the totalizer when a total is being taken therefrom.

If the non-add and accumulator control keys are both depressed at the same time no change in function will take place, the totalizers will be held out of mesh with the actuators throughout the entire stroke.

Another method of control has been devised and is thought admirably fitted for use in the present machine. It departs only slightly from the construction of the controls mentioned above, but effects an altogether different mode of control. The controls described in outline above. control when data is below, above or exactly at a certain point in alphabetic, dating or numerical scales. This other control would be exercised between two points in a scale. One example is control between two dates such as between December and April, representing a quarter year in which it is often convenient to have the data falling within that period tabulated and accumulated and assorted aside from all other data.

- Another example is that of amounts or numbers.

At times it is well to isolate data having numbers say between 500 and 800, or having amounts between $60.00 and $90.00, from other data outside this range of numbers. So also in alphabetic control it may be well at times to separate data including names beginning with K, -L and M from all other data.

It is an object that this control between two points should exercise all the same controls that have been explained above in connection with the control that was exerted on data below, above and on a certain index. Such controls include accumulating, printing, paper feed, sorting, etc., during normal operations, while during total taking, the functions of zeroizing and sub-total taking may be changed under influence of the control.

An important object is to secure a sorting or selecting device that will separate out of a mass of data a certain group of data, not alone of one characteristic, but of a group of characteristics between variable limits set by the machine. Heretofore, selection depended upon a single characteristic of the data andonly by later combining the results of single selection was group selection secured.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sorting device that is incorporated in the tabulating and accumulating machine. Thus, the usual extra sorting machine is dispensed with. Sorting of the punched cards is accom-- plished in the present machine simultaneously with printing and accumulating operation. Thus, the extra time usually required for sorting is saved by the present device. The sorting is done under the influence of the novel control described generally in these objects and more specifically further along in the specification.

While the above outline of objects presents the general purpose of the present invention. many other worthy and novel purposes will be apparent as this specification continues.

The illustrative machine To aid in describing this invention, it has been thought advisable to apply it to a specific case.

thought will best illustrate the practical use of the novel features of the invention. The. machine illustrated is adapted for use by a large insurance .company. It is thought that such a concern may have different districts each having auaesa a group of agents who solicit the disposal of the various policies of the company to the public. Each district would have a machine such as that disclosed and also have a punch card system cooperating with the machine. This punched card system would require a keypunch machine and operator for transferring the incoming data from the policies, etc., onto the punched cards. These cards would then be filed in accordance with a certain system. It will be assumed here that they are filed according to the kind of policy, each group of cards say of the same color, being of the same type of a policy. These policies may demand different terms of payment'some annually, some quarterly, some monthly. The present machine is adapted to print bills ready to send out or statements calling for such payments.

The data recorded on the punched card are intended to cover most statistical requirements. Thereis plenty of room left on the card, after the following data are on, for other records. It will include the following:

The policy holder is given a number that will completely distinguish him from any other having the same name, etc. This number will also be a convenient means of sorting a particular record card out of a group of other record cards. A region punched to represent an amount is also on the card. This amount is the premium of the policy and requires payment at intervals to keep the policy in force. If the amounts increase or decrease, a slight change in the layout of this machine would provlde different spaces, one for each amount, which could be progressively printed as the policy matures. The age of the policy holder at the date of the taking out of the policyis recorded on the card mainly for statistical use. The agents are assigned numbers and these numbers are also recorded on the record card. The agent who is responsible for the taking of the policy is recorded by having a punching corresponding to his number inserted in a section reserved for it on the punched card. The occupation of the policy holder is given one of a number of code numbers, and punching corresponding to this number is cut in an appropriate portion of the record card. This'also is an item mainly for statistical use. The code number of the key punch operator who transfers the data to the record card will also be represented by a combination of holes in the card. This designation is provided merely for placing the responsibility for mistakes made in making the record cards. The date of the issue of the policy is also represented by a combination of holes on the card. This portion of the record is useful in governing the time of sending annular or periodical statements and for statistical purposes also. The kind of policy is also represented on the card and may be used inf'sorting aside from the color differentiation. The full name and address of the policy holder are also presented by code punchings on the card. These punchings provide the means of addressing the statements, besides furnishing means whereby an alphabetic listing of records according to name may be made, or a listing according to location in a certain city or state is possible. The convenience of having all these data on one card instead of on three or more cards is believed apparent. Thus, it is seen that a complete record of all information concerning a policy is contained in a single record card.

Full printing facilities are incorporated in the machine for recording all the data mentioned above, as they are required. The group of punched cards upon which operation is desired is placed into a feeding rack on the machine. From this rack they are fed down into cooperation with a jacquard device which utilizes all combinations ofholes on the card to move type bars or actuators to an extent necessary to place a pair of type on the bar, corresponding to said combination, opposite the platens. Printing may then be performed on two record sheets. The one sheet is of the form of a blllyand it is cut off a supply roll and issued out of the machine after printing. This sheet is suited for mailing and may be sent out in a windowed envelope to the policy holder reminding him of a payment due. The other sheet is of the form of a record strip and it is kept in the machine, being wound on a storage roll after each printing operation. This strip is well suited for bookkeeping or statistical department use and may be removed from the machine for such use at any period, most likely at the end of every day. Means for no-printing, total printing, and other controls will be explained hereinafter.

There is a group of totalizers provided in the machine. The group comprises a separate totalizer for each of fifteen agents; and a grand totalizer. During regular item entering operations, the correct agents totalizer is automatically selected by a train of connections controlled by the movement of the agent typebar under control of the related combination of holes on the card. At the same time the grand totalizer is meshed simultaneously with any one of the agents totalizers. These totalizers are operated by rack teeth cut in the amount typebars which are also under control of a section of the punched card. Thus, it is clear that during regular operations the totalizer operation and selection is wholly automatic and under control of the punched card. However, during total taking other conditions are prevalent. Only one totalizer at a time is engaged, and besides at that time it is contemplated that a blank card will be in the jacquard device so that no selections will be made by automatic means. A selection lever is provided for this purpose, and movement of it to one of several notch positions out of normal, will select one of the fifteen agent totalizers or the grand totalizer for total taking.

During the regular operation, as the cards pass through the machine, an agents totalizer will have accumulated on it the amounts standing on every card which contains the combination of holes denoting that that particular agent wrote out the policy. Thus, as the bills are issued for the policies for which a certain agent was responsible, there will be accumulated in the related totalizer the amount of those bills. At the same time, since the grand totalizer is always accumulating during regular operations, it will have accumulated in it the total of the amounts standing on all agents totalizers. Of course. th s will also be the sum total of the amount of all the bills sent out.

Number, totalizer, sub-totalizer, and non-add keys are provided to condition the mechanism meshing the totalizer with the actuators so that a total, sub-total, or non-add operation of any of the totalizers can be secured. Upon depression of the total key, movement of the selection lever to one of sixteen positions, and subsequent operation of the machine, the total of the selected totalizer will be printed and the totalizer will be cleared. Movement of the selection lever will also place a designation type in position to print upon the rec- V 0rd material, adjacent the item, the agent's numher and a total sign showing that a total has been taken. At the time of taking a total a blank card appears in the Jacquard frame to prevent actuation of all the feeler pins and movement of all unnecessary type bars. In almost an identical manner, operation of the machine in combination with the sub-totalizer key will produce a printed total of the amount standing on a certain totalizer, leaving the amount remain in the totalizer at this time, however. The non-add key is suited for use during regular operations of the machine. At

such times as this key is depressed, printing may a take place but accumulation of the amounts in the totalizer will be prevented. One use of this feature would be when follow up or duplicate bills are needed; but the amount does not want to be added at this time for then it would be presented twice in the totalizer.

The uses to which the totalizers could be put are many. As described in connection with use in registering the amounts of an agent, they could be used to find out the commission due the agent for his efforts in placing the policies. The amount on the totalizer, 01' course, is the amount billed the various policy holders solicited by the agent, and his commission will only be a percentage of it. As these commissions may diminish in percentage as the policy ages, only the policies secured by him over a certain period, usually say a year, may be selected at one time. These cards as they are selected (by devices about to be described) from others of their group (printing bills and a record meanwhile) will accumulate the amount over the certain period. This amount may be printed, and in crediting the agent, it will later be multiplied by the percentage of commission that the period calls for. So also, in a like manner, cards of another period may be selected and accumulated and later totalled from the agent's totalizer. This process may continue until the records are up-todate. This may be done to determine the commission of fifteen agents simultaneously, and meanwhile the grand totalizer will record the sum amounts upon which the commissions for all agents are based. The agents commission may also vary with the kind of policy. This condition could be taken care of exactly as above, but selection of accumulation would depend on kind of policy rather than on date. When the commission is affected by two of the characteristics of a policy, there can be two selections by two operations of the machine. The first operation will be a non-add and will merely select required cards according to one characteristic. The next operation will select and add according to the other characteristic.

The above example of letting the totalizer represent an agent was chosen for its simplicity. There are many other uses to which the totalizers may be put in the machine perhaps to better advantage. But it is believed that the essence of the invention is fairly well illustrated when used as described. The totalizers may represent a kind of policy, a certain period of time, or even the policy holder. Many novel conditions would be brought about if the machine were provided with a large number of totalizers, each one representing a policy holder and being selected by his number. Then the amount accumulated on a totalizer would represent the amount paid on a policy, providing that all the bills issued by the machine were paid. If they were not paid, any follow-up system as now used would detect delinquents. Dividends, etc., could be figured from that amount. Delinquents in payment could also be detected from shortages in these amounts.

The machine could also be enlarged so that a set of totalizers may be provided for each characteristic of the data on the cards. With this construction an amount could be accumulated simultaneously in the tot'alizer for an agent, kind of policy, date, policy holder, etc. The construction of a totalizer occupying small space greatly enlarges the feasibility of such a multiple totalizer machine keeping within a reasonable size.

At the front of the machine is located a control section. It consists of a control lever on one side, and a control plate extending across the machine and having a plurality of notched slots in which knurled knobs may be shifted. The control lever is shiftable in a notched slot to one of five controlling positions. Each position determines in what way the control knobs are to effect control of the machine. Each control knob cooperates with a related type bar or actuator, and has as many controlling positions as the type bar has printing positions, for example, the months control knob has I2 controlling positions. These control knobs are arranged in groups, each group being a separate characteristic of the data handled by the machine. For example, there are 5 amount control knobs, 3 date control knobs (year, month, day), 2 policy holders name control knobs, etc. It is contemplated that usually only one group of knobs would be used for controlling at a time, although there is no reason why two or more groups should not be used as a simultaneous control. To aid in placing the control knobs in position, the slots in the control plate are notched and on the side of each notch are indicia identifying the position. So that once a certain number, name, or date is decided upon as a desired control, all that is necessary is to lift the related group of control knobs out of their inoperative position at the front of the control plate and move them to, and place them in, the notches corresponding to the number, name, or date selected. The knobs will remain in this position until moved by the machine operator for other control. In this position they are adapted to change the functioning of the machine in many ways, the one way in which they are to control at one time being determined by the control lever already mentioned. This control lever in one position (print) disables the controlling action of the knobs so that printing, accumulating, etc., will occur no matter what position the control knobs occupies. In the next position above index of the lever suppressive control is exerted on data* whose magnitude in their respective scales is below that magnitude to which the control knobs have been set. For example, if the amount control knobs are set to $3.69, and a card with an amount of $3.75 is tendered to the machine, such data will be acceptable, and printing, accumulating, sorting, etc., will occur in the normal manner. If the amount had'been $3.65, however, the controls would have functioned to disable the printing, accumulating, etc., of the data. In the same manner any other group of controls, say in the name or date scales, would have exerted their control on any data presented that were lower in their scale. The exact index position of the lever is one of decided utility. When the lever is in this position and the control knobs of a group are placed to represent an amount, name, date, etc., only the data including that certain amount, name, or date will be printed, accumulated, etc. All other data will not be printed,

accumulated, etc. For example, if Jan. 10,1920, is set on the date control knobs, only data including that date will be printed, accumulated, etc. In the next position "below index of the lever, the conditions described above in relation to the above index position are just reversed. For example, if SM be set on the name control knobs at this time, data including a name such as Sloss will be printed, etc., but if a name such as Snover is presented, the data associated therewith will not be printed, etc. The next position "no print of the lever, controls for preventing printing, accumulating, etc., no matter what data are presented by the punched cards or what position the control knobs assume. Another position between index, a control mechanism for which is shown in the drawings, could be added on the lever or the above index position could be used. It would control between two points set by two control knobs in a slot of any scale. For example, two knobs in the date scale could be set at Mar. and July, then operation of the machine would print, accumulate, etc., only those data of a date between Mar. and July. All others would be rejected.

, These various controls above mentioned are very useful for statistical work in a large insur- Or, with the lever in "above index" position and the amount control knobs set to a certain amount, only the records of policies having premiums larger than that certain amount will be printed, etc. All others will be merely fed through the machine. So also with below index control, only policies of smaller premiums than the set up will be recorded. And with a between index control, only policies having premiums ranging between the amounts set up will be recorded.

With the age control knobs set to a certain age, and the control lever in "exact index position, only those policies having, in the data on 0 them, that certain age will be printed, accumulated and sorted. All others will be discarded. If this control is used in conjunction with the date control, the statistics can always be kept up to date as regards the age of policy holders, the age on the record card being that of the policy holder when taking out the policy. The method to use would be, first; sort the cards according to date, giving a batch of cards for each year,

say 1916, 1917, 1918, etc. Then if the present date is 1920 and the 1917 batch of cards is being tabulated under an age control of 25, the real age of the people holding those 1917 policies is 28 years, and this fact could be considered in compiling the statistics. With the above index or below index control being exercised, only policies are recorded in which their holders are above or below, respectively, the age set up by knobs. This control would be well employed in finding how many policies are outstanding to people in a dangerous age to'insure, say above years and below 9 years. The between index control would effect such a control also, if the age control knobs are set to include a certain range of ages,

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