US2514531A - Sequence and selective sortable marginal cards - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 11, 1950 ration v Aiapli'catibnttseptemlier 15, mamse'fiar minimize;

amma 129 46.1

Thvpresenh inventionupertains twperforated recordfcarda checksasheetsyandzthe-like, (herein-vafier; for: conveniencep referredflto asflcardsii), andvmbre particularly;toziperfonatedzcardsewhich candierused in both-sequence sortingandeseleea tive so'rtingJv ASLiSTWBIII'kHOWI-IlilI-T theqart, marginally punched cards a-re sorted :in twoadifierentaways; eitheraby sequence-.fsortingmr selectiveasortings Sequence sortingzinvolvesathe rearrangement got: all cards lntoesanyr predetermined Fora-desired? order, while selective: sorting tincludes: the remova1 from a a fileeori stack; of cards-of;lonly -thosetcardsarelatin toaagvspeeificwlassification,ion group; Heretofore, the difierences imthe two'cardvsorting procedures haveerequired}; differing numbers and. :arrangements :of rholeslinwthercards used,-'rendering,mar ginally punched cards designed for sequence sort inganoeadaptablefltowthe performance-.013 selective sortingga Converselm cards.clsigned punchednand notched for selective-sorting h'avemotheenpcomfmercially adaptablesto .sequencesortingnbecause ofatheelarge number of hole's and attendantexcess cardr-edg'erspacmperedigit groupawhich the'latter procedure requiresaparticularly m :thoseoinstances whereelargenumbersoareeused-ltol identify, classificati'bns,-;

It%:is,a accordingly; an object ,ofjstlieflpresent rm, ventionu to. provide afl numeric, grouping of per:- iorationsaon'lcards adjacent their; edges which cards} "when slotted lore notched fin. a particular pattern to. orsb'etweens the perforations, render th'emmcapabl of being readilysorte'd sequentially as well as selectively Another object-for ith'e invention is to pr'oyide a-sc'ard having maovumew ho1esperdi'git'group adjacent .tl'iejcard edge; ,but which, nevertheless, renders itseli .ireadilygadeptable'forsequence-sort inggandfselectivesorting; 1

videiarrimproved:F'manneroftr'notchingand"slot videoinmmmenwrdigirfiems;

Email collectively mamaw's manner 'in 2 whic1r':=any,-field omthe? card-ad-isclosed-win 3113;) [1 could;beinotchedaon slotted toydesignate the numa bers=0-? ton-V9? inclusive. 4

Fig 32-18521 vieW----oi;--,-a .fragment of ar -caz=dl=dllusa trating its notchingw; anda slotting to.-= designate the number-3091?;

Fig 4. is a-z-view-similar to! Eig af3 ill-ustrating the. .mannerofadesi-gnatingthe-.rnumberi, 3 0" on thea-card-o- Figs; 5 a is ja -v view--of aefragment of armodifled form of card embodying thesinventions In therspecificsjorni obthe inventiorn disclosed in-, :-Figs=,.1at0 -4 inclusive, ca: car-d l B-. is..pr0vided having perforationsnl I I -I a adjacentlonezroiz-I the card -edges? 12 which; are--separated- ;.into\ d-ig it fields," {3 by lines-1 4 --extending perpendiculanato thez-card;edge.:=; Perforationsaor holes i fare dislposedequidistant from eachnother inwardlyot the-oardiedge: I 2 and-.parallelthereto. Such-holes in.=each .fild I 3 -zmay-r. be numberedfl, 2} "*4? and: .73 beg i-ni'iingi adj acentlthe arigh t :handlihe 14,-. Anothers-holeal la is provided in-zeachL-field l3-inwandly 015 one. of tlie.aother- -numbers;,sucli asthe numeral..- 1,5? lyi-ngeon -'-a.v1ine passing through -the two holes and perpendicularl-to-sthe card :edgel 2.; This iriwa-rdly extending, ho1e .repl- 13658111351 and is designated on :th cardlby the number OB Qisposedwin: alignment with" the outer. row; of- 'holes; ll and-.adj'acent-.a.- beveled cornen l 5 on;t1 1e .-card is, anothenhole..orfiperfdrartion I 6 through". which" at sortingarodior needle (not shown) is to pass in connection rwithlaflselective: sorting roperation, as describedgm'ore 11113 hereinafter B3 referring to Fig.2, .itvwillvb'e.notedtliat each 0f..the fields {I 3,alongq an edge of the cardis' either slott'ed ior notchedfldependingjfupomthe' particu, lair number. to'be indicated :m that field.).Whicih is designated bi an elongated" slot l 1 "extending between the "0"f'and'l perforations-x However, this slot does not extend *to" the edge l 2fof". the

manner 'by""a:notc'h" l8 extending jrom'the'perforati'o'n" designating; a. particular .numberroni the card out to'fth edge; l 2 :orthei card? Thus; the numbers 1;? "*2,,""4" and '7? are indieatedlo'y a inotcnil a'iexte'nding' goutwardlir from thecorreispondin'g, perforations to" the edge of "the" card;

numbers 1 and 2; number 5 by notching both the number 4 and 1 perforations to the edge of the card; number 6 by notching the number 4 and 2 perforations to the edge of the card; number 8 by notching perforations 7 and 1 to the edge of the card; and number 9 by notching perforations 7 and "2 out to the edge of the card. In each instance, any number is either notched, or, in the event the digit in the field is to be designated as a 0, such field is slotted between the 0 and 1 numbers.

As an eir'amplathe number 309 is designated in Fig. 3, the numbers 2 and-1" perforations being notched to the edge 12 of the card, the next adjacent field being slotted between the 0 and 1 perforations, and the succeedingfield being notched to the edge of the card from the number 7 and number 2 perforations. Similarly, assuming that there are a total of four-fields along the edge of the card and that the number 30 is to be designated, the card would actually be both slotted and notched in thepattern of 0030, as represented in Fig. 4.

Thus, from the foregoing description, it is apparent that the digit 0 is indicated in a particular field by a slot 11 running between the 0 and 1 perforations. This mode of designating the number 0 is unlike the arrangements heretofore used, in which the number 0 is disregarded,'the particular field designating 0 by remaining free from notching or slotting. In the prior arrangements, sequence sorting could be performed readily with a card of the character indicated in the drawings, but selective; sorting could only be performed with great difficulty, since the selective sort was productive of a large number of selected cards which had to be visually removed from the actual cards desired. For example, in the prior arrangements the number 309, such as indicated in Fig. 3 in the drawings, would have been designated by the notched grouping in the first and third fields,but there would have been no notching or slotting in the intermediate field, thereby designating the number 0. Accordingly, attempts at selectively sorting all cards numbered 309 would'have been accomplished merely by passing sorting rods and needles through the number 2 and 1 perforations in the first field and the number '7 and '2 perforations in the third field. No sorting rods or needles would have been passed through'the intermediate field. Accordingly, all cards ranging from numbers 309 to 399 would have been selected by this type of sort, in view of the lack of any means for preventing cards notched in the intermediate field from dropping from the stack or pile of cards.

' In the present instance, the selective sort would result in the removal of all cards which are-inj dicative of the numbers 309.

The sorting rods or needles would be placed throughthe first and third fields, as before, and a' sorting rod would also be placed through the .10 perforation in the center field of the stack of cards. Accordingly, uponelevation of the card 'stack all cards which have been both notched and slotted in accordance with the 309 designation would drop down from the remaining cards a distance equal to the distance between the 0 and 1 perforations. The remaining cards :w ould stay in their elevated positions on the needles. Since the distance between the outer and inner rows of perforations ll, Ila is greater 'than the distance of the outer row of perforations I H from the card edge I2,the cards that have been selected, which, in the example shown in Fig. 3, have been slotted and notched to indicate the classification 309, would have dropped downwardly so their upper card edges H were disposed below the outer row of perforations H or below the sorting rod holes l6 outside of the digit fields l3 and adjacent the beveled corners I5 of the cards. Thereafter, a sorting rod or needle can be passed through the corner holes IS in the upper cards and the other sorting needles removed, which will allow all cards which have been notched and; slotted jingza ccprdance with the desired classification to 'dro'ip from the remainder of the stack, which is held in suspended position on the corner sorting rod.

In the. eventv that the number 307 were notched and slotted, instead of the number 309,

all cards in which the number '7 had been notched'would also drop from the stack, and such jcards would include those notched and slotted to the pattern of 308 and 309, as well as 307. Thereafter, the desired cards of 307 could be visually selected from the group or set of cards I that responded to the sort.

Another example of a selected classification is given in Fig. 4, in which the'number 30 'is notched or punched in a four digit field. If only the tens field were notched to indicate the number 30, selective sorting would be extremely difficult, since any other grouping of digits in the four fields that included the notching to the number 2 and number 1 perforations in the tens field 'would'respond'to the sort. By also slotting the 0 numbersin the digitfields that are not designated by any other number; only those cards in the-stack will drop downwardly a distance equal to the distanc'ebetween the inner and outer rows of perforations 'I la, I l'which have been slotted in the pattern 'of 0030"upon pass ing of the sorting rods or needles through the thousands, hundreds and unit-fields,=-a s 'well as through the 2 and 1 perforations inthe tens field. I v

Keypunch machines employed in 'connection with cards embodying the present invention are equipped to punch the 0 slot H in alldigit fields, unless a' key designating another figure depressed. For example, in the fo'ur digit fields illustrated in Fig. l, in which the number 30 is to be designated, if the card'is placed in the machine and operated without depress mg any keys whatever, the card field would be slotted in the '0 position in each of the four digit fields. If, however, the keys are first depressed" to designate the number 3 in the tens field, upo'n'operation, the machine will notch the card for the number 3 inthe tens field, thereby cancelling the 0 slot in that field, and slot all other digit fields for 0, as illustrated in Fig. 4'.

It is, thus, apparent that selective" sorting can be performed very readily in connection with the cards whose fields have the general number groupings indicated. Cards which have been notched and slotted in the manner described herein may also be rod or needle sorted sequentially by following the usual and established procedure. In performing such'sorting, the presence of ciphers in the code member's isig'nored, and, since the 0 designations are made on the cards with slots I1 which do notlextendto the edges [2 of the cards to.formnotche s,, the presence of the 0 slots does not interfere with the skilled in the art, since sorting rods are not placed through the field in which the 0" 8101; I1

2:5 reisei appears, in sequence sorting the presence or ab- '"sence of such slot makesnc difference, and the cards are sorted sequentially in the prior manner.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form of the invention, in which a more compact arrangement ofeperfo'rations or holes in each digit field is provided. "The outer row I lb of ,perforations in eachfield is indicative of thenhmbusflf" "2 and 4, whee the inner row ofgperforations in each'fieldinclude's aperforation I la forithe number? ,'ifi. alignment" with 'the n'umber: '1.perforati'on on a line perpendicular-to the eardedge I2, and a second perforation i la indicative of the number 7 on a line perpendicular to the card edge [2 and running through the center of the number 4 perforation. As is known, the numbers 7, 8 and "9 are obtained by a deep notch running from the card edge 12 to the number "7 perforation, the numbers 8 and 9 also being indicated by a shallow notch running from the card edge to the number 1 or number 2 perforations, as the case may be.

In the card illustrated in Fig. 5, the numbers 1 to 9, inclusive, are designated in each field by a shallow or a deep notch or notches I8 running from the card edge [2 to the particular perforation, or combination of perforations, while the number 0 is indicated by a slot I! extending between the 0 and number perforations, which slot does not extend to the edges l2 of the card. A stack of cards having the perforation pattern indicated in Fig. are sorted in the same general fashion as was described in connection with the other cards shown in the drawings, the number 0 not being ignored, but being designated in the fields where the digit is 0 by the slot I'l.

It is, accordingly, apparent that a comparatively simple card and manner of both sequence sorting and selective sorting have been provided, which enables, a grouping of numbers to be placed in each digit field adjacent the edge of the card, which is not only compactly arranged, but which numbers are relatively few, thus allowing a larger grouping of fields to be indicated along the edge of the card. The arrangement enables sequence sorting to be made rapidly in the usual manner, and also allows the same arrangement and grouping of the perforations to be used very readily in selective sorting, in which substantially only the desired cards responding to the selective sort are removed from the stack, requiring in some instances the visual removal of only a relatively small number of cards from the group or set of cards which responded to the sort.

While I have shown and described my invention specifically, it is to be understood that it is not limited to the specific examples set forth herein but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a card having an outer row of perforations arranged adjacent and parallel to one edge of the card and an inner row of perforations adjacent and parallel to said outer row, the perforations in said inner row being aligned with perforations in said outer row in a direction perpendicular to said edge, said perforations in said rows being disposed in fields of five perforations each with a single inner perforation in each field being identified on the card by the numeral 0 and the four perforations in the outer row of each field by the numera1s1,2, 4, and '7, whereby the-digits 1," "Mann '7 of anyfiel-d may each be in dicated by notching-the card edge to the perforation :of the-"outer row of that "field so identifie'd and the dig'its 3, 5, 6, "8and-9 may be'indicated by-notching the card-edge to any two' perforations of the outer row of that field'whos'e combined numericalvalue equals that of the selected digit and whereby the -digit 0 may beidentified by an internal slot extending between the perforation in the inner row and a perforation in the outer row in alignment therewith.

2. As an article of manufacture, a card having formed therein similar fields of perforations relative to one edge of the card, each field of perforations comprising an outer row of four perforations arranged adjacent and parallel to the edge of the card and an inner perforation in alignment with one Of said outer perforations in a direction perpendicular to said edge, the perforations of said outer row being identified on the card by the numerals 1, 2, 4, and 7, commencing with the perforation at the right hand end of each field and the inner perforation being identified on the card by the numeral 0 whereby the digits 1, 2, 4, and 7 of any field may each be indicated by notching the card edge to the perforation of the outer row of that field so identified and the digits 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9" may be indicated by notching the card edge to any two perforations of the outer row of that field whose combined numerical value equals that of the selected digit and whereby the digit 0 may be identified by an internal slot extending between the perforation in the inner row and a perforation in the outer row in alignment therewith.

3. As an article of manufacture, a card having formed therein similar fields of perforations relative to one edge of the card, each field of perforations comprising an outer row of four perforations arranged adjacent and parallel to the edge of the card and being identified on the card by the numerals 1, 2, 4, and 7, commencing with the perforation at the right hand end of the field, and an inner perforation in each field designated by the numeral 0 disposed in alignment with the perforation identified by the numeral 1 in a direction perpendicular to the card edge whereby the digits 1, 2, 4, and 7 of any field may each be indicated by notching the card edge to the perforation of the outer row of that field so identified and the digits 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 may be indicated by notching the card edge to any two perforations of the outer row Of that field whose combined numerical value equals that of the selected digit and whereby the digit 0 may be identified by an internal slot extending between the perforation in the inner row and a perforation in the outer row in alignment therewith.

4. A method of notching and slotting a marginally perforated card for subsequent sorting, said card having formed therein similar fields of perforations along one edge of the card, each field of perforations comprising an outer row of perforations arranged adjacent and parallel to said edge of the card and an inner perforation arranged in alignment with one of the outer perforations in a direction perpendicular to the adjacent card edge, said inner perforation in each field being identified on the card by the numeral 0, and the other perforations in each field being identified on the card by the numerals 2,

PHILIP M. ZENNER.

v REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record, in the .file ofthispatentz UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,062,155 WeIket a1. Nov. 24, 1936 2,198,127 Rembold Apr. 23, 1940 2,213,607 Nevin Sept. 3, 1940 2,289,380 .Nevin July 14, 1942 I 2,338,133 sandell Jan. 4, 1944 v C onnor Feb. 1. 1949

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