US2873669A - Tabulating machine for billing - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1959 J. J. LYNCH TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24, 1954 HVVENTOR JOHN J. LYNCH BY aw/14.

ATTORNEY 4 @h v 5 MN. 05 u M v v l l va 3 mm o o a 5 hm w 5m mm 1,, 0 1.. TE 6 w I l mv 9 uvw O s Q X 3 FAG O Q N m Q mm 9 i s mm O S 8 n. i! ii I 1 Feb. 17, 1959 J. J. LYNCH 3 9 TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLING Filed Aug. 24, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 uu u INVENTOR.

JOHN J. LYNCH ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1959 J. J. LYNCH 2,873,669

TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLING Filed Aug. 24, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F|G.|O

I CONTINENTAL LIGHTING co. NoRwALmyNN, 7

I :05 JOHN JONES :GAS 3.1

67 MEDA ST lELECTR/C 2.35

n o R w A L K CONN- |TOTAL 5.49

l 9,8 I a F|G.l2

I CONTINENTAL LIGHTING CO. 1': NORWALK, CONN.

0,45 3 1 4 ELECTRIC/ 2 3 5 TOTAL 5 4 9- INVENTOR. JOHN J. LYNCH ATTORNEY United States Patent TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLING John J. Lynch, East Norwalk, Cnn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Sperry Rand Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 24, 1954, Serial No. 451,802

r 8 Claims. (Cl. 101-93) This invention relates to tabulating machines and to the method and means employed therein for preparing bills, statements and the like.

It has become the practice of public utilities companies to send customers a' bill or statement for gas, electric, water, or like service, by mailing a post card containing on one face thereof the name andaddress of the customer, and on the reverse face thereof the amount of the bill and related consumption data. These post card bills are usually printed on two separate machines, the address on one face being printed by an addressing machine, and the bill data on the reverse face being printed by a tabulating or other accounting 'machine. The fact that the bills are printed upon by difierent machines makes the coordinated assembly of the cards in the tabulator, and the plates or stencils in the addressing machine, imperative; otherwise the addresses andthe statement data will not match and the -bills-will be incorrectly prepared. Further, frequent if changes of customers addresses require constant revision of the address stencils or'plates, and in handling they become accidentally misplaced and frequently result in incorrect billing.

An important object of the invention, therefore, is to adapt a standard typetabulating machine, that is con-' trolled by successively fed cards perforated with data in code form, to'the production of public utility bills with a minimum of change in structure andfor maximum speed in printing said bills.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a machine of the character referred to, a change in the printing means whereby in each normal single .printing cycle of the machine two lines of printing can ,be done so that the address face and bill face of the statement may be completed in two printing cycles. 7

Another object is to produce a finished mailing piece in post card form, on the opposite faces of which the data of the bill and the nameand addressof the customer,

respectively, have been printed simultaneously in one machine, and .to provide a post card form, on one face of which the bill data and the name andaddress are printed in one operation before the form is completely processed to produce the finished post card.

Still further objects and principal features of the invention reside in the use of paper of ordinary texture and limpness in sheet or web form, and unsuited for post card use in such form, that can be line spaced past the printing point in association with the regular platen of printing machines; that can have applied'to one side thereof a suitable adhesive, such as glue or a thermo setting plastic, before or after printing; that can be folded to bring the adhesive surfaces together to unite the paper so that, when said folded paper form is passed through pressure or heating means; or both or actinically treated to render the'adhesive efi'ective asa bonding agent, the paper attains sufficient weight and rigidity to meet the postal requirements for a post card, and becomes impervious to moisture and atmospheric conditions; and that the printing appearing on the opposite faces of the finished card has been done simul-' taneously.

specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

' Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the upper part of a tabulating machine to which the invention is applied, some of the parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of a fragment of the firing pin mechanism forming part of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in sectional elevation of the firing pin and type carrier mechanisms shown in relation to the platen;

. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective showing the structure of a type carrier, and how it is applied to a printing rack;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing how the type carriers are mounted on the upper ends of the printing racks;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a fragmentary portion of a group of type showing, in dotted lines, the relative positions of characters to be printed in a single impression;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing a fragmentary portion 'of the upper ends of a number of columns type illustrating alternate columns in normal raised position;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of structure;

Fig.9 is a face view of a strip of paper web scored to delineate post card bill forms;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged face view of a fragment of the web. shown in Fig. 9 illustrating the method in which the printing is done thereon;

Y 3 'J 'Fig..j11- is;a view showing the front of a finished post card bill prepared in accordance with the invention; and Fig-12 is a view showing the back of the post card illustrated in Fig. 11.

It is not deemed necessary to illustrate or fully describe a' tabulating machine towhich the present invention is applied. A tabulating machine of the Remington R'and' which are mounted type carriers. The type are projected by hammers against paper supported on a platen at the printing point so that, from the standard card of ninety columns, in present use, ninety characters can be printed at once horizontally on the paper.

For the purpose of employing a standard tabulating machine, as above referred to, in the production of public utility 'bills in accordance with the present invention, the Bowden wire transfer mechanism is wired so that data punched in normal sequence in any of the spaced columns of a card can be transposed to be printed from adjoining type carriers, alternate ones of which are positioned one character higher on the racks so that printing of two lines is accomplished simultaneously, as will be later explained.

In the printing of public utility hills, which come in a strip or web and are delineated in usual statement form, the feed of the bill form may be automatically controlled by a mechanism of the tabulator as shown in Patent 2,311,456 granted to John Mueller February 16, 1943, or in Patent 2,468,341 granted April 26, 1949, to John Mueller et al. In the present invention the paper, initially positioned at the printing point for a two line printed impression, is line spaced one movement for another two line printing after which it is fed to the printing point of the next bill form. This is done by the mechanism shown Patented Feb. 17, 1959 in Patent 2,468,341 which is illustrated as being. applied to the tabulating machine disclosed in Patent 2,381,361.

When the printing racks have brought the type to printing position the type is thrust against the paper by the operation of hammers and to this end reference is made to Fig. 12 of Patent 2,381,361 wherein the printing mechanism finds its counterpart in Fig. 1 of the present disclosure in which each type hammer is pivoted at 11 to a frame bar 12 and is impelled by a spring 13 and restored by a bail 14 having a time oscillation. Each hammer 10 is restrained by-a latch lever 16 having a fixed pivot 17 and also influenced by the spring 13. A trip link 18 pivoted to the latch lever 16 as at 19 is held in inactive position by a link 21 against the tension of a spring 22. The link 21 is pivoted. to a control lever 23 whose free end is normally urged against a pin 24 on each associated type carrier rack 26. When the latter rises the spring 22 swings the trip link 18 until a shoulder 27 thereon comes into the path of a flange 28 on a print bar 29 which at the proper moment is moved rearward, slightly. Only those latch levers 16 whose associated type carrier racks 26. have been set to a printing position are tripped to release the hammers by the action of the trip links 18. The print bar 29 shown in Fig. 1 coincides with the print bar 633 in Fig. 12 of Patent 2,381,361 in Fig. 6 of the latter of which, the operation of the print bar from a suitable rock shaft 640 is illustrated. The sensing mechanism of Patent 2,381,361 will be modified as illustrated in Patent 2,421,078 granted to John Mueller May 27, 1947 so that multi-stage sensing of the record card can be accomplished.

Each piece of type 31 (Figs. 4 and 5) is mounted for projectile movement in a type carrier 32 whose flanged edges 33 are bored to provide horizontally aligned openings 34 in which the type 31 are slidably mounted. The edges 33 constitute front and rear faces of the carrier and are notched as at 35 to receive the laterally projecting tabs 36 formed in the upper portions 37 of the type racks 26. Each portion 37 forms a closure wall for the associated carrier 32. The tabs 36 are in horizontal alignment when the printing racks are in lowest or home position, this being the well known structure of the tabulating machine exemplified in Patent 2,381,361. In the alternate type carriers 32A however, as shown in Fig. 4 herein, the notches 35 are cut one line space lower than the standard notch indicated as at 36 in outline. In this manner alternate type carriers 32A are one line space higher than the normal position of the intermediate type carriers 32N without any change being made in the normal position of all the racks 26. Each carrier at its lower end has a depending mounting or guide tab 38 slotted as at 39 to form leg portions 41 fitting closely about a lock pin 42 so that one of the legs rests on the rack pin 24. The difference in the dimensions of the tabs is shown in Fig. 4 wherein the slot of the standard tab of alternate carriers is shown in outline as at 43 and the lengthened leg of each raised alternate carrier is illustrated as at 44. By mounting each alternate type carrier one line space higher it is possible, with a corresponding change in the firing pin assembly, to print two lines of information at the same time, the upper line being printed by the type of the relatively raised alternate carriers 32A and the lower line being printed by the type in the intermediate normally mounted carriers 32N.

The. type are impelled by a bank of firing pins 46 of rectangular form slidably mounted in slotted side plates 47 fixed to a cross bar 48 supported between the side frames of the machine. The pins 46 (Fig. 3) are yieldably held in retracted position by springs 49 and are limited' in movement by the abutting action of an extended portion 51'thereof with a side plate 47 and a ledge 52 on the cross bar 48. The hammer struck ends 53 of the pins are aligned horizontally with each other, but the alternate pins 46 at their opposite or type engaging ends are offset as at 54 to align with the type 31 of the alternate type carriers 32A, which it will be remembered, are one line space above the intermediate carriers 32N. The type 31 of the latter are struck by firing pins whose type striking ends 56 are axially aligned with the type of the racks 32N. Hence, in the well known firing pin assembly it is necessary to replace every other straight pin with one having an offset end 54 so that alternate types will print on two different lines on the paper, when the hammers are fired, as shown in Figs. 3, 7, and 8.

Patent 2,421,078 shows means for cross totalizing and printing in successive sensin-gs from two or more fields of a card. The first sensing of the card used herein, will cause a two line single printing impression to be made including, as shown in Fig. 10, the name, street address, gas charge and electric charge. The second sensing of another field of the same card will cause a second two line single printing impression to be made including the city, state, and total, it being also possible, if desired, to print another item such as a tax or appliance charge in the space between the electric charge and the total. Four lines of matter can thus be printed in two printing impressions involving two sensing cycles of the machine. The paper feed mechanism, shown in Fig. 1, is fully disclosed in Patent 2,468,341 and shows a paper carriage 57 including a main carriage bar 58 providing grooved channels 59 embracing the fixed rail 61 along which the carriage can slide, although for the purpose of the present invention the carriage is prevented from having any movement. The carriage 57 supports a platen shaft 62 for revolvably mounting a platen 63 facing the type 31 which platen is used herein as a feeding means for the web of paper P, a reel of which is conveniently mounted on the carriage.

The line space mechanism shown in Fig. 1 includes a line space ratchet 64 operated by a pawl 66 pivoted at 67 to a plate 68 pivoted on the platen shaft 62 and limited in its oscillation by a stud 69 in a slot 72. The pawl 66 is actuated through links 73 and 74, connected by a trifurcate lever 76, from a shaft 77 by an arm 78. The rock shaft 77 along with another rock shaft 79, is suitably supported in the frame parts and the rock shaft 79 has an arm 81 which presses on the upper surface of a flange 82, projecting from the shaft 77, and normally holds the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1 against the tension of a spring 83. In line spacing, the shaft 79 is permitted to be rocked clockwise by the spring 83 until a pin 84 on an arm 86, fast on said shaft 79, is arrested by one of the steps 87 of a settable stop plate 88. This causes the plate 68 and pawl 66 to advance a distance of say two tooth spaces of the ratchet depending upon the setting of the stop plate 88. Upon movement of the shaft 79 counterclockwise, the pawl engages the ratchet and revolves the latter to rotate the platen two line spaces. In this machine after the first and second line printing impression the paper is spaced a two line increment for the third and fourth line bill impression and then long fed to bring the next form to printing position. The mechanism for providing the long feed movement of the platen is fully set forth in Patent 2,468,341 and further illustration thereof herein is not deemed essential. The cards being fed through the machine will each contain a control hole and the total amount punched therein as well as the rest of the data shown on the bill form. When a web of paper is placed in the machine and brought by the operator to printing position, the data on the first card sensed will be printed and, as in the present instance, if there is only one card for each bill form, the control hole in each will control the feed mechanism to advance the paper to the next form to be printed. The plate 88 is swung about its pivot 89 by a vertical link 91, the plate being adjustable for variable line spacing. The main paper feed drive shaft 92 lies behind the carriage and has a worm Wheel 93 driven by a worm 94 and a vertical shaft .96, Which is in efiect an extension of the vertical shaft 65 of Patent 2,468,341. r. f r a In Fig. 8 the firing pin'bank has been omitted and alternate hammers 100 are provided with striking faces 101 vertically spaced from the striking faces 102 of the intermediate hammers 103 so that the upper and lower alternate type 104 and 105 respectively print on two horizontal levels simultaneously. a

In Fig. 9 a web P of paper is shown, scored vertically to provide a central fold 97 and scored horizontally as at 98 todelineate a post card form 99.presenting a front or address face 106 and a back or bill face 107, both of which are previously printed as at 108. The back of the web P is treated to provide an adhesive surface 109 on which any suitable adhesive such as glue or a thermosetting plastic is sprayed or otherwise applied. The latter is preferable as the form can be readily handled in the tubulator from which, after printing, it is fed out and folded on score 97, passed between suitable pressure or heated rollers for close cohesion or bonding of the faces to provide a mailing piece of sufficient rigidity and moisture resistance to meet postal requirements, and then severed on lines 98 to form the individual mailing pieces. While a postal card is referred to, the bill forms need not be of this nature, but may be folded without the glue backing for separation and mailing in a window envelope in which the address will be displayed. In either use the advantage of the method, as carried out by the tabulator printing means, is the printing of each bill in two printing impressions, each impression printing two lines across the form. In the usual use of the tabulating machine it would require four printing cycles to accomplish what the present invention does in two, thus effecting a saving of time in the production of the bills, and preventing separation of the name and address of the user from his utility billing which is all punched in a single card. By the use of alternate printing type carriers two lines at each printing cycle can be printed, each line of which is horizontally disposed across the face of the web so that the name and address appear on one face of the form and the bill data appears on the other face thereof.

While the alternate type carriers 32A. are described as being positioned one line space above the normally positioned type carriers 32N, it is evident that they could be interchanged by dropping the carriers 32A one line space below the level of the carriers 32N. This positioning of the carriers does not alter the position of the type racks 26 which operate in the same manner as in the standard tabulating machine in printing operations. The type faces shown in Fig. 7 can be varied, as desired, for instance to arrange the sequence of the characters so that a minimum amount of movement is used in bringing the carriers to printing position for the most frequently used characters, which is common practice.

Any suitable adhesive may be used to cement the two portions 101 and 102 of the card together, but thermosetting plastic cements have been found preferable, as they are impervious to moisture and they increase in density once polymerized, with the result that the finished card is stifiened and rain proofed. These plastics are advantageous in that they can be applied to the form before printing, as they may be used in the dry state after all of the solvent has been evaporated. A preferred bonding substance is a cement which polymerizes at a relatively low temperature, which temperature can be maintained in suitable pressure rolls without damage to rolls vor paper. Use may also be made of an adhesive that can be actinically treated, such as by the use of infra-red rays. The adhesive gives body and Weight to the combined folded parts of the form and suflicient rigidity to the finished product to permit its use as a post card under postal regulations.

It is, therefore, obvious that the invention results in great saving of time, insures accuracy in billing, makes use of paper that has been previously printed with a bill form and whose reverse side is coated with a bonding agent that is dry and does not interfere with the handlingof the bill paper either in web or single sheet form, and

upon which the complete address of, and bill for, the

steps of printing, applying the adhesive substance, drying the same, folding the form, subjecting the folded form to heat andpressure or other adhesive bonding means, and then, if necessary, trimming the form so that the plies of the paper are coextensive.

While I have described what I consider to be a convenient means of carrying out my invention, it is obvious that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: r

1. In a tabulating machine, for printing on a web of paper divided into forms, having means for feeding the web line by line and form by form, racks selectively movable in tabulating and total computing operations for positioning the type of carriers mounted on said racks at horizontally aligned locations to print one line of bill data at a time on said forms including a total of the bill amounts, a firing pin for projecting each type and a hammer for operating each firing pin; the combination with alternate racks of means for mounting the associated type carriers to space the type thereof a one line increment vertically with respect to the type in alternate carriers, and alternate pins being shaped to project the spaced type where the pins are struck by said hammers, whereby printing on two horizontal levels is done simultaneously without affecting the total taking operations of said racks.

2. In a printing device having computing means including a series of type carriers mounted on racks for controlling the operation of the computing means and a series of associated firing means for said type carriers normally disposed in a horizontal line; means for vertically olfsetting alternate type carriers on said racks without affecting the operation of said computing means, and

means for ofisetting the carrier associated firing means whereby printing on two horizontal levels is done simultaneously.

3. In a punched card controlled tabulating machine having a computing mechanism and a printing mechanism including type, carriers for mounting said type vertically, racks supporting said carriers and means for selectively adjusting said racks vertically to control the computing mechanism and to bring the type of the carriers into single line horizontal alignment; that improvement which includes means for mounting alternate carriers on the racks to position the type thereof in a horizontal line vertically spaced from the horizontal alignment of the type of the intermediate carriers without affecting the control of the computingmechanism by said racks, and means for projecting the type of both lines simultaneously to print two lines of matter across a record sheet in a single printing impression.

4. In a punched card controlled tabulating machine having a printing mechanism including type carriers, differentially movable racks supporting said carriers to bring selected type thereof into horizontal alignment; the combination with the alternate racks, of means for supporting the type carriers and the type thereof at a different horizontally aligned position than the type of the intermediate carriers, and means for projecting the type 7 to print two horizontal lines of matter simultaneously.

5. In a machine of the character described in claim 4 including pin means on the racks, feet on the. carriers for engaging said pins to support type in one horizontal row, and the feet of alternate carriers being extended to position the type'of said alternate carriers in the other horizontal row.

6. In a machine of the character described in claim 4 including tab means on said racks, said carriers being notched for engagement by said tabs, and the notches of alternate carriers being at a different level than the notches of the intermediate carrier whereby alternate type brought to the printing point presents two separate lines of matter to be printed across the form.

7,. In a machine of the character set forth in claim 4 including horizontally aligned pin means on said racks, said carriers having foot portions for engagement with said pin means, and the foot portions of alternate'carriers terminating at a different level than the foot portions of the intermediate carriers whereby alternate type brought to the printingpoint presents upper and lower lines of matter to 'be' printed.

8. In a tabulating machine for printing on a web of paper divided into bill forms, having means for feeding theweb line byline and form by form past a printing position, racks differentially movable for operating computing mechanism and for positioning the type of carriers mounted on said racks at horizontally aligned locations, and firing means for projecting the type simultaneously to print one line at a time on said forms; the combination with said racks of tab means, locking pin means and support'pin means, each. of said firing, tab, lock and support means being in horizontal alignment'when the racks are in home position, said carriers being notched. for engagement bythe tabs, a foot portion on each carrier resting on said support pin means, and the notches and foot portions of the alternate carriers beingiat a difierent level than the notches and foot portions of the intermediate carriers to elevate the type of said alternate carriers and offset portions on alternate firing means for projecting the elevated type whereby two separate lines of matter can be printed across the form, simultaneously without affecting the operation of the computing mechanism by said racks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 823,219 Hensley June 12, 1906 1,455,555 Sundstrand May 15, 1923 1,700,050 Henderson Jan. 22, 1929 1,701,307 Racz Feb. 5, 1929 1,872,130 Elliott Aug. 16, 1932 1,957,193 Armbruster May 1, 1934 2,153,144 Grilfillan Apr. 4, 1939 2,421,060 Haskins May 27, 1947 2,468,341 Mueller Apr. 26, 1949 2,501,447 Lambert Mar. 21, 1950 2,507,117 Mueller May 9, 1950

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