US3391927A - Card feeding mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 9, 1968 C. E. STRACK CARD FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 2, 196$ 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 mull ATTORNEY C. E. STRACK July 9, 1968 CARD FEED ING MECHAN I SM Filed Dec.

3 Sheets-Sheet c. E. STRACK 3,391,927

CARD FEEDING MECHANISM l966 Z5 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 9, 1968 Filed Dec. 2,

United States Patent 3,391,927 CARD FEEDING MECHANISM Charles E. Strack, Phoenix, Ariz., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 598,689 Claims. (Cl. 271-44) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A picker knife for translating cards from a hopper having a card engaging knife surface at the apex of its U- shaped configuration which oscillates with virtually sinusoidal motion causing substantial linear reciprocal motion of the knife.

This invention relates to apparatus for recording on or reading coded information from information bearing mediums such as sheets or cards and more particularly to an improved card feeding mechanism for use with such apparatus.

In known card punching and reading devices, the cards are processed one at a time. As there are usually a great number of cards to be handled, means must be provided for removing the cards from a storage hopper one at a time and feeding them to a punching or interrogating means. In addition to operating at a high rate of speed, the card feeding mechanism must be able to handle the cards with care so as not to bend, tear or mutilate them in any manner. Rough handling of the cards may cause malfunctioning of the card reading and punching apparatus.

Heretofore, two widely accepted methods of feeding cards from a storage hopper or stack to a data processing device have been used, namely friction and picker knife feeding methods. The frictional feeding method usually involves the use of air pressure or a vacuum to separate and move the cards in the stack. With this method, the possibility of moving more than one card at a time from the storage stack is ever present since the punched holes in the cards create a leakage path for the air pressure or vacuum which may interfere with the satisfactory operation of the system. Further, any sudden decrease or failure of the pneumatic or vacuum source will cause malfunctioning of the data processing system.

Most of the picker knife feed mechanisms used today require elaborate gearing and cam mechanisms for satisfactory operation and operate with pure linear reciprocal motion. Sliding shuttle members formed by plate-shaped elements are arranged to move along guides and, with each movement of the shuttle member, one card is fed to the card transporting mechanism. With this type of operating motion, there is present the possibility of the picker knife engaging the bottom card remaining in the stack during its shuttle action, thereby causing web damage. A web may be defined as that portion of a punched card extending between punched holes in adjacent columns and rows.

In accordance with the invention claimed, an improved picker knife feed mechanism of relatively simple construction is provided. This mechanism comprises a single U- or V-shaped member of spring steel having machined into its bight or apex a knife surface. One leg of the member is fastened to the base plate of the machine while the other leg is fastened to a pin of a clutch assembly. As the clutch rotates, the member oscillates with virtually sinusoidal motion causing substantially linear reciprocal motion of the knife surface for moving a punched card yet utilizing the slight deviation therefrom to prevent damage to the cards remaining in the stack. By utilizing this construction, an extremely smooth and noiseless operating mechanism is obtained.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an improved picker knife feed mechanism of relatively simple construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide a picker knife feed mechanism for card punch and reading devices whose operating motion substantially eliminates damage to the punched cards remaining in the stack.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved picker knife feed mechanism for card punch and reading devices which is extremely smooth and noiseless in operation and eliminates the roller bearing structures of the shuttle type prior art structures.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a card reader constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the structure shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line 22;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of the structure shown in FIG. 2 illustrating the knife edge of the picker knife mechanism in position to engage a punched card;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of the structure shown in FIG. 2 illustrating the knife edge of the picker knife mechanism during movement of a punched card;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the picker knife;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. 1 illustrating in full lines in more detail the card transporting mechanism;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial top view of the timing belt shown in FIG. 1 with a punched card positioned adjacent one of the belt tabs; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the timing belt and card arrangement shown in FIG. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings by characters of reference, FIG. 1 discloses an information processing device such as a serial card reader 10 for processing data from a moving record such as, for example, a plurality of tabulating or opaque punched cards 11. The card reader broadly comprises a gravity feed storage card hopper 12 wherein the punched cards are stacked and individually fed to a card transporting mechanism 13. The card transporting mechanism 13 moves the cards past a card interrogating or reading station 14 where the data is sensed to a card collector 15 where the cards are received and stacked after interrogation.

As previously mentioned, the tabulating or punched cards 11 may comprise a plurality of data columns in which information, in this instance in the form of specially located punched holes, may be contained in one or more positions in each column. One example of such a tabulating card is the I-Io'llerith card commonly used in todays data processing systems. The punched cards are fed one at a time from the storage card hopper 12 by means of a picker knife 16 shown in FIGS. 1 through 5.

Picker knife 16 is provided for delivering or translating the punched cards 11 one at a time from the storage hopper 12 to the card transporting mechanism 13 and comprises a single substantially U- or V-shaped piece of resilient material such as a spring steel cantilever mountedat the end of one of its leg members to base 17 of card reader 10. The other leg member 18 of the picker knife is rotatably attached to a single revolution olutc'h member 20 for rotation about its axis 21. Rotation of clutch member 20 causes rotation of leg member 18 of picker knife 16 thereby causing a generally linear reciprocal movement of the apex or bight of the picker knife. A knife edge 22 is provided at the outer surface of the bight of picker knife 16 for engaging an end edge of the punched card 11 and driving the card longitudinally of the card reader structure through a lower throat opening 23 shown in FIG. 2 to the card transporting mechanism 13. As the picker knife 16 is cantilever mounted to the base of the card reader, pure linear reciprocal movement of the knife edge 22 is impossible; however, the deviation from pure linear reciprocal movement, although small, is advantageous since it insures that no damage will occur to the remaining cards in the storage hopper because the edge ofthe picker knife will be moving away from the storage hopper during the latter part of its card driving movement or travel.

When a signal is received by the card reader structure from a control means (not shown) indicating that a card should be read, the free end of the picker knife leg member 18 is rotated from the position shown in FIG. 2

V initially to the left a short distance in order for the knife edge 22 to engage the rear edge of the bottom punched card in the storage hopper 12. Further rotation of the free end of the picker knife causes the knife edge 22 to move to the right to deliver a card through throat opening 23 and out of the storage hopper to feed roller 25 of the card transporting mechanism 13.

This stroke or loop of the .picker knife is continuously repeated for each signal received from the control means (not shown) requiring a read card operation. On each cycle the card in the lowest position in the storage hopper is moved out of the stack of punched cards after which the remainder of the stack in the gravity feed storage hopper 12 drops down and the process is repeated in this manner for each following card. A weight (not shown) may be placed on top of the card stack to assure that there is always enough pressure to keep the punched cards moving down through the storage hopper and also to press the individual cards flat so that they mate properly with the knife edge 22 and the exit or throat opening 23. In order to assure that only one punched card is picked up on each cycle, the height of the knife edge 22 is slightly less than the thickness of a standard punched card while the height of the throat opening is between one and two such thicknesses.

Electric motor 27 provides the prime moving force for actuating the picker knife 16 and the card transporting mechanism 13 through a set of drive and driven sprockets 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and interconnected by a plurality of drive belts 36 and 37. More particulanly, motor 27 drives sprocket 30 which drives rotatably mounted driven sprockets 31 and 32 by means of an interconnecting drive belt 36. As shown in FIG. 6, sprocket 32 is fixedly mounted on shaft 38 for rotation therewith and, upon rotation thereof by drive belt 36, rotates drive sprocket 33 arranged juxtapositioned thereto on shaft 38. Drive sprocket 33 drives driven sprocket 34 by means of the interconnecting drive belt 37. Driven sprocket 34 is mounted on axis 21 of clutch member 20. Upon receipt of a read signal by the card reader, latch 28 is withdrawn from locking notch 29 in clutch 20 to cause a single revolution of clutch 20 by the driven sprocket 34. This action causes the picker knife 16 to remove one card from the card storage hopper and to move it to the card transporting mechanism 13.

The card transporting mechanism further comprises a plurality of card drive or feed rollers 25, 40, 41 and 42 shown in FIG. 6. Roller 25 is mounted on shaft 38 and is arranged to provide a groove surface at its outer periphery for housing a pair of belts 43, 43'. Each belt is made of suitable material for frictionally engaging and moving the punched cards passing *over roller 25.

Driven sprocket 31 is fixedly mounted on shaft 44. Shaft 44 supports for rotation therewith feed roller and drives this feed roller upon rotation of sprocket 31 by motor 27. Feed rollers 41 and 42 are mounted on shafts 45 and 46, respectively, and are interconnected by drive belts 47, 47'.

As noted from FIG. 6 of the drawings, feed rollers 25, 40, 41 and 42 are spaced longitudinally of the card reader along a given path. Cooperating with each feed roller is a pinch roller rotatably mounted on the frame of the card reader structure. As seen in FIG. 1, pinch rollers 61, 62, 63 and abut the feed rollers 25, 40, 41 and 42 and the drive belts associated therewith so that a punched card passing between the feed and pinch rollers is held in frictional engagement with drive belts 43, 43' and 47, 47' for continuing movement of the card. As a result of the punched card being in engagement with the feed and pinch rollers, the card is transported through the reading station 14 and ultimately to the card collector 15.

As seen in FIG. 1, a punched card travels only a short distance from the card hopper 12 before it is interrogated at the reading station 14. Although any suitable interrogating means may be used, a photoelectric system is shown and disclosed. Specifically, the interrogating means may comprise a plurality of spaced photoresistors one for each row in the punched card to be read and one for the timing mechanism. A suitable lamp 48 is disposed in the card reading station 14 and so positioned that the tabulating or punched cards pass between the lamp and the photoresistors when moved by the card transporting mechanism. Lamp 48 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is mounted below the punched cards and photoresistors of the reading station and may be masked by a plate having a narrow slit. The slit and the photoresistors are vertically aligned so that the amount of light and its beam direction are carefully controlled. Discrete electrical signals 'or synchronizing impulses indicating the presence or absence of a punched hole in each row of the card being read are transferred via external conductors 59 to a data processor where the information read from the punched cards is utilized.

As each punched card passes between the lamp and the various photoresistors, illumination from the lamp passing through punched holes in the card impinges on the photoresistors causing their electrical resistance to decrease. By connecting the photoresistors to suitable electrical circuitry, signals are obtained which are representative of the information recorded on the punched cards. Since it is necessary for the card reader to know when the reading station of the card reader senses the data on the card and more particularly to know exactly which data column 'on a tabulating or punched card is being read, a movable signal generating element such as a positively driven timing'means is provided. This timing means moves at exactly the same speed as the punched card being interrogated so that it is possible to determine which data column on a punched card is being read. As shown, the timing means comprises a light responsive endless timing belt 49 which is wrapped about a plurality of guiding members 50 51 and 52. The guiding member 50 is spring loaded so as to maintain tension on the timing belt 49.

Timing belt 49 is mounted adjacent the lateral edge of the card transporting mechanism and is so arranged on the card reader that it is engaged by the punched card as the card is moved through the card reader by the card transporting mechanism. The timing belt is provided with a plurality of elements such as tabs 54 spa-cedly arranged along the length of the belt. These tabs may be cut from and formed integrally with the material forming the belt or may be of like or different material fixedly attached to the belt. Each tab is arranged to extend laterally from the surface of the belt and may be bent back against the timing belt so as to form a notch 55 between the tab and the belt. A punched card, upon traveling a short distance.

through the card reader al'ongfthe given path by the card transporting mechanism 13, engages in a predetermined position one of the notches 55 on the timing belt 49 and pushes the timing belt along with it as it moves through the card reader structure. FIGURES 7 and8 illustrate how the punched card engages one of the notches formed by a tab and the timing belt.

The timing belt 49 is provided with an elongated timing track 53 having successive light responsive elements spaced in correspondence to the successive recording of data in the card and comprising more particularly a plurality of apertures or holes 56 cut through the belt material immediately downstream of each tab 54. These holes are arranged to extend in a row along the length of the belt, as shown in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 and are so arranged that each hole corresponds to a column position on the punched card which abuts against the tab. When they pass a photoresistor in the reading station, timing signals are developed one for each hole in the timing track.

Since each punched card moving through the card reader must overlap a portion of the timing 'belt 49 in order to drive the belt, two further groups of apertures or holes 57 and 58 are arranged along the length of the timing belt. Groups of holes 57 and 58 are arranged to align with given rows of the punched cards so that any data in the form of punched holes, selectively positioned at the intersections of the matrix of the vertical columns and the two lowest horizontal rows on the punched card, may be interrogated by the card reader and will not be blocked from interrogation by the material of the belt. A belt which overlaps a portion of the card also permits the use of a tab extending across all or a good portion of the width of the timing belt. Thus, the tab of the timing belt overlaps a relatively wide portion of the leading edge of the :punched card being read, thereby eliminating or substantially reducing the possibility of damaging the corner of the punched card.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a partial view of the movable timing belt 49 and a standard 80 column, 12 row punched card showing the recorded punched information, represented by rectangular impressions or holes, at the intersections of the various rows and columns. The punched holes in the cards 11 represent binary ls and the blanks (i.e., no punch impressions) at the intersections of the various rows or columns represents binary 0s in the logic circuitry used to connect the card reader to a processor (not shown).

As noted from FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, the timing track 53 is preceded by a large rectangular hole which causes light to fall on a given photoresistor in the reading station 14 causing a signal to occur which alerts or starts the timing operation. Each following aperture in the timing belt is downstream a given distance from the data column of the associated punched card being read so that the logic circuitry associated with the reading or interrogation of the data columns of the punched card may be properly correlated and provide in cooperation witth the moving record a signal indicative of the position of the record or card being sensed. Thus, it is possible to detect by means of the timing signal which data column is being interrogated at any time during the reading of a punched card as long as no error exists between the timing belt 49 and the punched card 11.

To ensure that no error exists, the distance from each of the tabs 54 on the timing belt 49 to the first aperture in the timing track is made precisely a given distance correlated with the distance from the leading edge of a punched card to the first data column on the card. Thus, there is a subsequent aperture 56 in the timing track 53 that is correspondingly spaced with each succeeding data column in the punched card being read. Since the photoelectric interrogating means in the reading station which reads the timing track 53 is aligned or correlated with the photoresistors which read the data columns, information contained in the first data column is simultaneously read with the first signal generated by the timing track and, as the belt and punched card proceeds through the card reader, each subsequent data column is read and synchronized with each subsequent timing signal generated by the timing track of the timing belt.

The timing belt 49 is made of low mass material requiring very little force to accelerate and continue its movement while still being of suitable strength and durability to withstand thousands of starting and stopping operations. In this instance, an aluminum belt coated with Mylar (a polyester film made from polyethylene terephthalate and produced by the Du Pont de Nemours Company) has been used to provide the desired operating characteristics. However, it is not the intention of this disclosure to be limited by the composition of the belt since any material may be used that exhibits the qualities of low mass, strength and durability.

Thus, the punched card contacts the tab of timing belt 49 as it is moved on to feed roller 25 by the knife edge 22 of the picker knife 16. The tab is bent back over the card as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 as the card moves through the card reader. Although the card is normally bent downstream of the direction of movement of the timing belt, the throat formed by guiding member 51 and the frame structure 60 of the card reader further bends the tab over the punched card, if necessary, as it moves through the card reader structure.

The engagement of the punched card with the tab 54 of timing belt 49 occurs before the data columns on the punched card arrive at the reading station 14 and remains in contact with the tab until after the last data column on the punched card has been interrogated. In order to facilitate contact between the punched cards and the timing belt, the distance between tabs on the timing belt is greater than the length of a card. Since the mass of the timing belt is very low, the momentum generated by the velocity of the card is low, thereby causing the timing belt to come to rest very quickly after the driving force of the card has been removed from the timing belt. Hence, timing belt 49 is positively driven by the punched card being interrogated. Thus, data columns on the punched card are always synchronized with the timing belt regardless of changes in the velocity of the punched card. By utilizing such an arrangement, the probability of misreading a punched card is greatly reduced or eliminated.

After the punched card has been interrogated by the reading station, it is moved by the driving belts 47, 47' to the card stacker 15. During the movement of the punched cards by belts 47, 47', the timing belt is moved by the punched card. When the punched card is driven into the card stacker 15, it disengages from the timing belt and is collected under the influence of gravity in the card stacker. Since the timing belt 49 has three tabs 54 spacedly arranged along its length, it may be engaged readily by each successive card being read without unreasonable time delay.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in an illustrative embodiment, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, the elements, materials, and components, used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operating requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications, within the limits only of the two spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A card feeding mechanism comprising a hopper for receiving a stack of cards and having a lower throat opening through which cards are consecutively translated, a card feeding head disposed below said hopper for engaging the rear edge of the lower card and driving it through said throat opening, said head comprising a U- shaped resilient member having a pair of legs and a bight, one of said legs being fixedly attached to the card feeding mechanism, selectively activated drive means coupled to the other of said legs for causing said head to move during a part of its travel substantially in alignment with the rear edge of the lower card of the stack of cards, and a knife edge arranged at the bight of said U-shaped member for engaging the rear edge of the lower card when said member is at a predetermined point in its travel.

2. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 1 wherein said U-shaped resilient member comprises a single piece of material having the knife edge machined into the material.

3. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises a clutch.

4. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises a single revolution clutch.

5. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 4 wherein said drive means rotates the end of said other of said legs through a closed loop path.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,510,559 6/1950 Daly 27144 3,145,023 8/1964 Cerf 27141 EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner.

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