US3325096A - Card punching device - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1967 E 5 S 3,325,096

CARD PUNCHING DEVICE Filed Jan. 27, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR E. 5 EAST s I 1 Q LA AT'TO EYS',

FIG. 2

June 13, 1967 E. E. EAST 3,325,096

CARD PUNCHING DEVICE Filed Jan. 27, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR E. E EAST BY W.

fifim agggm ATT June 13, 1967 E. E. EAST CARD PUNCHING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 27, 1966 'FIG. 5

INVENTOR E E EAST ATTORNEY-7.

June 13, 1967 E. E. EAST CARD PUNCHING DEVICE Filed Jan. 27, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 8

INVENTOR E. 5. EAST United States Patent 3,325,096 CARD PUNCHING DEVICE Elvin E. East, 412 24th Ave. E., Cordele, Ga. 31015 Filed Jan. 27, 1966, Ser. No. 523,354 9 Claims. (Cl. 234-106) This invention relates in general to the field of machine accounting and more particularly to a device for punching holes in a business machine card at locations indicative of desired information.

One of the major problems in machine accounting systems such as those utilized in consumer billing operations is punching information indicating holes on the large volume of business machine cards which serve as the initial input to computers. The succeeding steps of billing and record keeping can be controlled by computers, but the punching operation must normally be done by manually controlled machines located in a central oflice. The labor needed for this operation is a serious item of expense, and in addition can delay the operation as either the work load or the labor force fluctuates. Punching of cards at the point where the initial billing information is derived as, for example, at a gas station in a gasoline card credit operation, or at meters indicating the consumption of electricity, water, or gas would avoid this obstacle, but key punching machines in general are too expensive to be used so widely. In addition, cards can be punched at the initial location only if the least skilled person likely to use the machine can reliably punch cards, As a result, handwritten notations are normally made at the point where the original information is collected, and these are forwarded to a central oflice where the large volume of cards to be punched creates an obstacle to the orderly processing of such records.

While some devices have been proposed for automatically punching such cards, they have been gene-rally complex and expensive. One reason for this has been the need for a fairly substantial force to force a punch through a card. Complex mechanisms are normally used to brace and hold the punches during this cutting operation, or to move them against the cards.

Among the objects of this invention is the provision of a card punching mechanism which is (1) simple and inexpensive enough in construction to be widely used as, for example, on all gasoline pumps of an oil company, or all meters of a utility company, or at all restaurants participating in a credit card system, (2) which is simple enough in operation to be used by the least reliable member of the public or employee likely to use it, (3) which is capable of being made secure enough to minimize unauthorized tampering, (4) which can be simply connected to a rate measuring device such as a gasoline pump fiowmeter to punch holes indicative of quantities measured by the meter, (5) which can produce printed records readable by individuals who do not know the hole punch location code used, and (6) which does not require complex punch bracing or moving mechanisms and is accordingly of inexpensive construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a cord punching device in accordance with the persent invention;

FIG. 2, a section on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1

FIG. 3, a section on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4, a section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5, a fragmentary side view illustrating a portion of the reverse side of the machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6, a perspective view of another modification of the invention;

FIG. 7, a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of still another modification of the invention; and

3,325,096 Patented June 13, 1967 FIG. 8, a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the machine of FIG. 7.

Briefly stated, in one embodiment of the invention the objects desired are accomplished by a card punching device that includes ten cams mounted on a rotatable shaft arranged to rotate with some measuring device such as a time clock, or a gasoline pump fiowmeter. One hole cutting punch is mounted above each cam. Successive cams have raised portions which are spaced about the shafts axis at equi-angular positions located to successively raise one punch after another to a punching position. The top surface of each raised portion is flat so that a punch in cutting position can rest upon it and transmit the cutting force to support structure. The punch raised at any particular time indicates some numerical quantity. Additional rows of punches and associated shafts carrying cams are aranged to turn of a revolution on the completion of each revolution of the first shaft. Accordingly, three rows of punches can be arranged, for example, to indicate monetary quantities up to $9.99.

With further reference to the drawings, a card punching machine of the present invention has a base 11 carrying movable punches 12 actuated by cam mechanisms 13, and a recess 15 for receiving a credit card 16 which has raised punches 17 for punching holes at locations which will indicate the identity of the customer. Above the base 11 is mounted a movable cover member 20 which includes a business machine card receiving tray 21, lower die plate 22, and upper die plate 23, having punch receiving openings 24 at positions corresponding to the location of each of the punches 12 and a paper chip chamber 25.

Cover member 20 has an operating handle 29 and is mounted for parallel movement relative to the upper surface 30 of base member 11 by parallelogram links 31 pivoted at their lower ends to base 11 and at the upper ends to angle members 33. Angle members 33 are slidably mounted at each side of the cover member 20 by headed 'bolts 34 which project through slots 35 in the angle members and are fixed to the top of the cover mem ber. Operating handle 29 is fixed to one end of each angle member 33 and joins them. The sides 37 of base 11 have upwardly raised portions 38 having guide slots 39 therein for receiving headed bolts 40 secured to the side 41 of cover member 20. The end of paper chip chamber 25 is closed by a slidable plate 42 to permit emptying of accumulated paper chips.

Base 11 carries three rows of ten punches each. Normally greater numbers of rows are provided, but the number of rows has been reduced to simplify illustration and explanation. Each punch 12 is slidably mounted in guide openings 45 in upper guide plate 46 and lower guide plate 47. Each punch includes an upper cutting end 48 mounted in opening 45 in upper guide plate 46, a central shoulder 49, which abuts against lower guide plate 47, and a lower follower portion 50 which projects through opening 51 in lower guide plate 47. A coil spring 53 surrounds upper cutting portion 48 and acts between shoulder 49 and washer 54 which is in engagement with upper guide plate 46 to normally hold a punch 12 in its lower inoperative position.

Below each row of punches is mounted a cam shaft 56 having ten cams 57 thereon. Shaft 56 is mounted in bearings 58 fixed in the side walls 37 of base 11. Each cam 57 has a cam surface including a lower portion 59 which is generally circular and has a radius which is less than the distance between the axis of cam shaft 56 and the cam follower portion 50* of the punch. Lower portion 59 continues in a smooth curve through rise portion 60 which gradually lifts the punch and then continuous to raised portion 61 located at an appropriate radial distance from the cam shaft axis to hold the punch in its upper or cutting position. Raised portion 61 is followed by a sharp cut-off portion 62 which extends back to lower portion 59 in a direction which is radial to shaft 56. The raised portion 61 is generally circular about the axis of shaft 56 and extends through substantially 36 of shaft rotation, that is, of a circle. The rise portion extends through the minimum angular distance which permits smooth lifting of punch 12. While a punch is being lifted by rise portion 60, another punch is in the raised position. A flag disk 64 is fastened to the shaft just inside a side wall 37 of the base 11 and has red fiag markings 65 which show through a window 66 when two punches are raised. The operator then knows that a business machine card should not be punched until the red marker is moved past the window.

Cam shaft 56 is turned by a flexible shaft 70 secured to one end. Flexible shaft 70 is connected to some rotating part of a desired measuring device, for example, a time clock as in FIG. 6. If desired, the mechanism of the present invention can be built integrally with measuring devices such as meters and a direct mechanical connection (not shown) can be provided to turn cam shaft 56.

A removable hand-wheel 71 is fixed to the opposite end of cam shaft 56 to permit manual positioning of the cams. The hand-wheel carries numerical indicators 72 which are aligned with a pointer mark 73 painted on the side of base 11. When a numeral is directly aligned with the pointer mark, only one punch of a cam is in the raised position. Accordingly, there is no necessity to see flag window 66 which the hand-wheel overlies. The hand-Wheel is removed when it is desired to prevent unauthorized changing of the punch position, and the flag window is then visible. The necessity for limiting the use of the device to times when only one punch is raised can be eliminated by appropriate programming of the computer used with the cards. The computer can be programmed to read only one hole on the card should two holes appear in a row on the same card.

A Geneva mechanism 74 is provided to turn successive cam shafts 56b and 560 of a revolution upon completion of one revolution by the next preceding shaft. Cam shaft 56 carries a pin-wheel 75 having a single pin 76 thereon which engages a radial slot 77 on disk 78 fixed to shaft 56b. Disk 78 has ten radial slots 77 equally spaced about its periphery. A similar slotted disk 8-1 on shaft 56b is turned of a revolution by an appropriately positioned pin 82 on disk 78.

Shaft 56 carries a printer-wheel 84 which projects through printed slots 85 in the upper and lower guide plates 46 and 47 and lower die plate 22. Similar printer-wheels 84b and 840 are fixed to shafts 56b and 56c and are positioned at different axial positions on their respective shafts so that they overlap each other. An inking mechanism 86 is fixed to the bottom of base 11 below the printer-wheels. Indicator wheels 87 and 88 are positioned on the ends of shafts 56b and 560 adjacent hand-wheel 71.

The device is easy to use. Assume, for example, that the machine is connected to a gasoline pump and the sale has been completed. The operator places the customers credit card 16 in recess and a business machine card in tray 21. He checks to make certain that no flag mark 65 shows in window 66 and then pulls operating handle 29 and thus punches the business machine card with desired indicia showing the amount of the customers purchase and the identity of the purchaser. If a flag mark 65 is visible, he advances the shaft slightly by either use of handwheel 71 or by delivering a little more gasoline to the customer. This flag checking operation could be eliminated if desired by programming the computer so that it acted upon the reading of only one hole when two holes appear in the same row. If the customer makes additional purchases such as oil, the operator sets the charge for such purchases by use of hand-wheel 71 and punches additional cards. Two or more cards can be punched at the same time; one of these, perhaps the printed card, could be given to the customer as his receipt.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the invention intended for uses wherein the differences in two quantities are to be computed, for example, on a time clock 99 in which the elapsed time between entering and leaving the working place is to be computed. A stop bar 100 fits in slots 102 on a raised portion of the side wall of the base 111. The stop bar is positioned in any desired set of slots and the business machine card is inserted until it reaches that slot. When it is desired to record the second quantity, as, for example, when employees leave work, the bar is moved to a different pair of slots 102. In each case, the card is punched, the operation of the machine being generally similar to that disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 5 except that the card is held on the base member during the punching operation rather than the cover member. The card is thereafter used as the input to a computer that figures the workers elapsed time, pay due for that time, the necessary salary deductions, and prints the pay check.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a different modification of the invention. A number of rows of punches 117 are mounted in a base member 118. Two slidable cam bars 119 and 120 are mounted beneath each row of punches in slots 122 in base 118. Each cam bar has a raised cam portion 124 near one end and a lower surface 125 extending through the rest of its length. Lower surface 125 is below the cam follower portion 150 of the punches at all times, but raised camming portion 124 is sufficiently high to raise the punches to their cutting position. Each bar has numerals from 1 to 12 marked thereon at distances corresponding to the spacing of the punches, numeral 1 being the closest to the end of the cam bar and numeral 12 being the furthest from the end. A handle 127 is fixed to the outer end of each cam bar.

A stripping plate 130 is movably mounted relative to the punch upper guide plate 146 by perpendicular rods 132 which are fixed to its lower surface and project through openings 133 in the punch upper guide plates 46' and 47 A coil spring 134 fixed about rods 132 between lower guide plate 147 and a shoulder 135 biases the stripping plate away from upper guide plate 146. Shoulder 135 also serves as a stop to limit the upper movement of the stripping plate. Cover member 20' is box-like in shape and has its lower member 22' formed with punch receiving openings '24. Its interior 25 serves as a paper chip chamber.

Except for the differences noted, the structure of the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is otherwise generally similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5.

In use, the structure 110 serves as an inexpensive card punching device. If it is desired to punch holes corresponding to given numbers, both cam bars 119 and 120 are slid out as a unit to the designated number indicator 126. This raises the punch corresponding to that number. The card is then punched as before. If it is desired to punch holes indicating letters of the alphabet instead of numbers, two punches are raised by placing cam bars 119 and 120 in different positions. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a device for punching with the well recognized Hollerwith code, used by business machine cards, containing eighty rows of twelve-hole locations in each row. Letters of the alphabet are indicated by punching two holes in the same row at particular locations. The device can be easily modified to punch holes for other code systems by appropriately spacing the punches.

It will be apparent that card punching apparatus has been provided which is sufliciently inexpensive in construction to be widely used, which is reliable in operation, and which can be used by individuals with little training or skill. In addition, the apparatus of one form of the invention can be simply connected to devices which measure quantities.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and, therefore, the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for punching holes in information storage records in which the location of a hole indicates particular information, comprising:

a punch supporting frame having a substantially fiat surface and a row of openings therein,

an elongated rod-like punch having a hole-cutting surface at one end and a cam follower surface at the opposite end mounted in each opening for perpendicular movement of the hole-cutting surface from below to above the punch frame surface,

a cam supporting member rigidly fixed below the cam follower portions of said punches,

a cam member movably mounted on the cam supporting member having:

a raised camming surface which in camming position is substantially parallel to the punch frame surface and engages a punch cam follower surface to raise the punch to cutting position,

a lower surface located so that it does not engage the cam follower surfaces of the punches immediately above it, and

an intermediate rise surface connecting the raised surface and the lower surface for gradually lifting the punches to hole-cutting position, and

means for holding an information storage record against the punch supporting frame, whereby raised portions cut holes in the record.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which there are biasing means mounted normally holding the punch cutting surface below the punch frame surface.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which the cam supporting member comprises a shaft supporting bearing, the cam member includes:

a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing for movement about an axis parallel to a row of punch openings in the frame surface,

a circular cam fixed on the shaft below each punch in the said row,

a raised portion on each cam having a surface circumferential about the shaft axis of a radius such that it engages and holds the associated position,

a lower surface generated by radii of less than the distance from the shaft axis to the punch cam follower surface,

an intermediate rise portion connecting the lower surface and the raised surface of each cam, and

the raised portion of each circular cam being of substantially equiangular extent and being equiangularly spaced about the shaft axis.

4. The structure of claim 3 including means to rotate the shaft in coordination with the movement of a quantity measuring mechanism.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which the said means is a flexible shaft connecting the cam shaft and the shaft of a quantity measuring mechanism.

6. The structure of claim 3 including manual means for rotating the said shafts.

7. The structure of claim 3 in which there are a number of shafts, a row of punches associated with each shaft, and substantially similar rotary means on each shaft for operating a selected punch in the associated row of punches, the first shaft having means to rotate an adjacent shaft an amount suflicient to raise one punch associated with the second shaft during a full revolution of the first shaft.

8. The structure of claim 1 including means to print information on the card corresponding to that indicated by a punch raised a particular time.

9. The structure of claim 3, the means for moving the information receiving record includes a movable member including a pair of spaced plates having punch-receiving openings therein, and means are provided to move the said pair of plates to a position at which a suitably raised punch projects through one of said holes and cuts an information-indicating hole in a card held therein.

punch in cutting References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,554,323 5/1951 Cade 346-104 3,156,518 11/1964 Bud 346-20 WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner. G. A. DOST, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING HOLES IN INFORMATION STORAGE RECORDS IN WHICH THE LOCATION OF A HOLD INDICATES PARTICULAR INFORMATION, COMPRISING: A PUNCH SUPPORTING FRAME HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE AND A ROW OF OPENINGS THEREIN, AN ELONGATED ROD-LIKE PUNCH HAVING A HOLE-CUTTING SURFACE AT ONE END A CAM FOLLOWER SURFACE AT THE OPPOSITE END MOUNTED IN EACH OPENING FOR PERPENDICULAR MOVEMENT OF THE HOLE-CUTTING SURFACE FROM BELOW TO ABOVE THE PUNCH FRAME SURFACE, A CAM SUPPORTING MEMBER RIGIDLY FIXED BELOW THE CAM FOLLOWER PORTIONS OF SAID PUNCHES, A CAM MEMBER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE CAM SUPPORTING MEMBER HAVING: A RAISED CAMMING SURFACE WHICH IS IN CAMMING POSITION IS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE PUNCH TIME FRAME

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