US3627197A - Auxiliary keyboard for card punch machine - Google Patents

Abstract

An auxiliary keyboard for use as an accessory to a card punch machine that punches information into data processing cards, such keyboard having lead wires connected into the circuit of the card punch machine for applying an operating voltage to preselected portions of the circuit in response to manual depression of finger keys of the keyboard. The keyboard has three keys, the first for causing the card punch machine to space in automatic succession without requiring repeated depressions of the key for traversing across the individual spaces, the second for causing the machine to skip spaces at a higher rate than the first key, and the third being for operating the duplicating function of the machine at a greater rate than ordinarily achieved when the machine is in its manual mode of operation.

Description

iinited States Patent inventor Daniel J. Stevens 2690 S. Stoughton Road, Madison, Wis. 53716 Appl. No. 866,672

Filed Oct. 15, 1969 Patented Dec. M, 1971 AUXILIARY KEYBOARD FOIR CARD PUNCH MACHINE 2 Claims, 1 Drawing liig.

Primary Examiner-William S. Lawson Attorneys-Arthur H. Seidel and Alllan W. Leiser ABSTRACT: An auxiliary keyboard for use as an accessory to a card punch machine that punches information into data processing cards, such keyboard having lead wires connected into the circuit of the card punch machine for applying an operating voltage to preselected portions of the circuit in response to manual depression offinger keys of the keyboard. The keyboard has three keys, the first for causing the card punch machine to space in automatic succession without requiring repeated depressions of the key for traversing across the individual spaces, the second for causing the machine to skip spaces at a higher rate than the first key, and the third being for operating the duplicating function of the machine at a greater rate than ordinarily achieved when the machine is in its manual mode of operation.

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v m m INV ENTOR DANIEL J- STEVE NS ATTORNEY m vN - BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to the operation of card punch machines for inserting information into data processing cards and to increasing the speed of certain functions of such machines. More particularly, it is primarily intended as an auxiliary item for International Business Machines Corporation (herein referred to as IBM) card punch machines such as the Model 29 for increasing the speed of space, skip and duplicate functions.

In the lBM card punch machine, such as the Model 295, there is a card punch station in which a card is moved a space at a time under a set of punches. There are 12 punches in a line for making perforations in the card to represent data or information. There are 80 spaces through which the card is progressively moved, so that l2 rows with 80 columns are provided for the receipt of punched information. The card punch machine also has a reading station in which the perforations of a previously punched card may be read, or sensed, so that the information in such card may be repeated, or duplicated in a card in the punch station.

For the punching operation, a previously prepared program can be fed into the machine for automatic, successive movement of the 80 columns of a card under the set of punches, and for automatic punching of information as proper columns are brought beneath the punches. For this automatic operation, a program cylinder containing information is placed in the machine and a set of rotatable star wheels ride on the cylinder to read out the program coded into the cylinder. The program will punch in certain data, and also can be utilized to bring the card being punched to certain positions where special data can be inserted by the machine operator by operation of a keyboard similar to that of a typewriter.

In addition to the automatic operation, the machine may be placed in a manual mode of operation, and the keyboard is then operated to punch in the desired data. For the manual mode, the star wheel elements are raised out of engagement with the program cylinder. One instance of use of the manual mode is where an existing card is to be corrected to receive revised information. For this operation, a fresh card is placed in the punch station and the card to be revised is placed in the reading station. A duplicate key (hereinafter referred to at times by the three-letter term dup) is then pressed, and the fresh card will have duplicated in its columns the punched information appearing in the card to be corrected. When a column to be corrected is reached the dup key is released, and new information is then manually punched, or coded into the fresh card by use of the keyboard. The dup key can then again be depressed for a duplicating function until the next column to be corrected is reached. This procedure is repeated for the length of the card, i.e., the 80 columns.

The keyboard of an IBM card punch machine has a space bar, similar to that of a typewriter, for which a depression will advance, or space a card for one column. For successive spacing there must be successive depressions of the space bar. The keyboard also has a skip key, but in the manual mode it functions like the space bar, i.e., one column or step of movement per depression. The primary purpose of such a skip key is to rapidly skip a "field" when operating in connection with an automatic program utilizing the star wheel, a field being defined as a preselected group of successive columns.

The operation of either the dup key or space bar of an IBM Model 29 is quite slow when the machine is in the manual mode of operation. For example, a depression of the dup key will advance a card at about 9.5 spaces, or columns, per second, and for the space bar operation is at the slow rate of how fast an operator can repeatedly depress the bar. If these functions could be accelerated a definite efficiency in machine operation could be achieved. It is to this problem of increasing machine speed to which the present invention is addressed.

SUMMARY OF THE llNVENTION The invention resides in an auxiliary keyboard for a card punch machine with a set of manually depressible buttons, or keys that close associated switches to connect machine working voltage to specific parts of the :machine circuit that will give accelerated dup and space movements for the manual mode of operation, and which further introduces a skip function that is still faster operation of the space function.

In an IBM Model 29 card punch machine the speed of column movement for the dup function when in automatic operation is 20 columns per second, but as noted hereinbefore when in the manual mode of operation the speed drops to about 9.5 columns per second. The manual space function is a repeated manual operation that can be accomplished at only about three to five spaces per second. The auxiliary keyboard of the present invention increases card movement for the dup and space operations to 20 columns per second, and a skip function is provided that advances a card at columns per second. This very fast skip function is used when there is a considerable distance of blank columns to be traversed, so that in operation the skip key is depressed until the area in which information to be inserted is. reached, and then the operator moves to the space key until the exact column to be punched is reached.

As an example of the advantage of the invention, let it be assumed that 500 cards are to be corrected in a days time. Using the machine in its normal condition the time to duplicate the cards with individual corrections being made in each may be approximately 80 minutes. If the keyboard of the invention were employed the time may be reduced to about 40 minutes, or one-half that required without use of the invention. The time saving is noteworthy.

It is the prime objective of the invention to increase the speed or efficiency of a card punch machine, particularly when in the manual mode of operation, and when a substantial amount of a card is to be duplicated or skipped. Other objects are to achieve the prime objective with minimal rearrangement of the basic card punch machine and at a minimal cost. A simple circuit and easily manipulated auxiliary keys are further objectives.

The forgoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description, in which description reference is made to the accompanying drawing which shows by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment does not represent the full scope of the invention, rather the invention may be employed in a variety of embodiments, and reference is made to the claims herein for interpreting the breadth of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing there is shown a wiring diagram of an embodiment of the invention together with a representation of some of the circuit elements of a card punch machine in conjunction with which the invention may be utilized.

DESCRlI'I' ION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, a circuit of the invention is shown within the rectangular, dotted outline l, and outside of the dotted rectangle 1 there are a number of circuit elements that form a part of a card punch machine. The elements of the card punch machine are shown for the purpose of indicating an environment within which the invention may be employed, and no attempt is made to render a complete circuit of a card punch machine, for such circuits are known in the art and can be found in manufacturers bulletins. In the description herein sufficient reference is made to the card punch machine circuit and some aspects of its operation to indicated the mode of operation of the invention, so that it may be constructed and utilized by those who work in the art.

tons 2, 3 and 4 are provided, and they are referred to herein as keys" of the auxiliary keyboard of the invention. The key 2 is for performing the space function, the key 3 for the skip function, and the key 4 provided for the dup, or duplicate function. One side of each of the keys 2, 3 and 4 is connected in common with the other keys and an input lead 5. The input lead 5 is also connected to one side of the normally open holding contacts 6 of a control relay 7. The control relay 7 includes a coil 8 and a set of normally closed contacts 9. The side of the normally open contacts 6 opposite the connection with the lead 5 is joined in common with one end of the coil 8, and the other end of the coil 8 is joined to ground. The side of the coil 8 connected with the normally open contact 6 is also connected through a set of diodes 10, 11 and 12 and a set of leads 13, 14 and 15 back to the keys 2, 3 and 4 respectively. This connection of the coil 8 with the keys 2, 3 and 4 is at the side of the keys opposite to the connections with the input lead 5.

It is further seen from the drawing that the side of the space key 2 connected to the lead 13 is joined through a diode 16 to an output lead 17, that the skip key 3 is connected through a diode 18 to an output lead 19, and that the dup key 4 is connected through a first diode 20 to one output lead 21 and through a second diode 22 to an output lead 23. To complete the circuit of the invention the nonnally closed relay contacts 9 are joined to control leads 24 and 25.

To feed an operating voltage to the keyboard circuit, the input lead 5 is connected to the supply voltage of the card punch machine, and this voltage is normally in the amount of 48 volts. When the invention is employed with an IBM Model 29 a judicious point of connection for the input lead 5 is at the nonnally open stationary contact 24-6 of the so called card lever relay. (The numeral 24-6 is an IBM identification, and such numerals will be referred to herein for clarity of explanation to those in the art.) The opposite side of the selected contact of the card lever relay is joined directly to the 48-volt power source, and hence whenever the card lever relay contact 24-6 is closed 48 volts will be applied to the circuit of the invention. This application of voltage will occur throughout the cycle of one card passing through the card punch station of the machine, for this is the operating nature of the selected card lever relay, and as will hereinafter, appear, this periodic interruption of voltage to the circuit 1 will cause the circuit 1 to deenergize and become ready for the next card for which the space, skip or dup function of the auxiliary keyboard is desired.

Whenever one of the keys 2, 3 and 4 is depressed the operating voltage will be applied through the particular key depressed and its associated diode 10, 11 or 12 to the coil 8 of the control relay 7. The relay is thus energized to close the normally open contacts 6, and these contacts then apply the operating voltage directly across the coil 8 to maintain the relay in an energized state until that point of time when the voltage supply is cut off by operation of the card lever relay of the card punch machine. Thus, the relay 7 will hold its normally closed contacts 9 open throughout the time period comprising the cycle of moving one card through the card punch station.

The purpose of holding the normally closed contacts 9 open is to insure that the star wheel circuit of the card punch machine is inoperative, whereby the machine will be in the manual mode of operation. It is contemplated that the machine operator will normally disengage the star wheel system, and thus place the machine in the manual mode of operation prior to utilization of the auxiliary keyboard of the invention. However, to have an automatic assurance that the machine is prepared for the manual mode of operation the normally closed contacts 9 are provided.

The leads 24 and that are connected to the normally closed contacts 9 are joined into the star wheel energizing circuit in such a manner that the opening of the contacts 9 will insure deenergization of the star wheel. in the example of the drawing, this is done by connecting the lead 24 to the normally closed stationary contact of the machine relay contacts 23-4 and the lead 25 to the normally open movable contact of the relay contacts 24-4. The machine lead which usually connects these two relays is removed from the active circuit, and thus whenever the contacts 9 are open the 48 volts of the star wheel which are usually fed to the star wheel circuit through the relay 23-4 will be unavailable, wherefore the card punch machine will be in the manual mode of operation. in the drawing, the manually operable program switch 26 is also shown. This program switch 26 is normally raised by the machine operator to open the lead 27 which extends to the star wheel circuit, but in the event an operator does not so move the program switch 26 the control circuit of the invention will insure that the proper operation occurs'wherein the manual mode of operation is selected.

Referring now to the space key 2 and its output lead 17, such key 2 is joined into the circuit of the card punch machine at the stationary contact of relay contacts 104. The relay contact 10-4 is a part of the escapement interlock system and through it the key 2 and lead 17 are joined to the escape magnet 28, which magnet is connected at its opposite side through a cam switch 29 to ground. in the operation of the card punch machine the escapement interlock causes the contacts 10-4 to open and close 20 times per second and thus the escape magnet 28 will be energized and deenergized at the same frequency. With each energization, the magnet 28 operates an armature of a stop to allow the machine drive clutch to advance a card one space through the machine. Thus, operation of the space key 2 will advance a card 20 spaces per second in a manual mode of operation, whereas the normal machine keyboard has a slower rate of about four spaces per second.

Turning to the skip key 3, the lead 19 is connected to the skip relay 30 of the card punch machine circuit, and the connection may conveniently be made at the normally closed stationary contact 24-5, which is a part of the machine card lever relay. Then, when the skip key 3 is depressed the skip relay of the card punch machine will be continuously energized. Energization of the skip relay causes the card punch machine to move a card successively through the punch station of the machine, but there is no accompanying action of the interlock relay as there was in conjunction with the operation of the space key 2. As a result, the stepping, or spacing at 20 spaces per second does not occur, but rather the machine will move a card ahead at a faster rate of approximately spaces per second. As hereinbefore noted, the skip key 3 is used only when it is desired to move a card through the punch station for a field, or when it is desired to make a gross movement in advance of slowing the stepping of the card down to a rate that can be better controlled.

Turning now to the dup key 4, it has associated therewith the pair of output leads 21 and 23. The purpose of the lead 21 is to apply a voltage to a card punch machine circuit to insure that it is placed in alpha operation. By way of background explanation, a card punch machine such as an IBM Model 29 has two items of information for each key of the manual keyboard. When the machine is in alpha operation one piece of information will be provided by each key, and when the machine is removed from alpha operation the other item of information will be provided by each key when depressed. This is somewhat similar to a shift register of a typewriter, which causes a second item of information on each key to be printed whenever a "shift" is made. In the operation of a card punch machine it is internally constructed so that it will not duplicate a blank column of a card in the reading station unless the machine is placed in alpha operation. Hence, it is desirable to have an assurance that whenever the dup key 4 of the auxiliary keyboard of the invention is depressed that the card punch machine is in alpha in order to duplicate blank columns.

To have the lead 21 insure the placing of the circuit in the alpha mode, it is connected to the alpha relay coils 31. To have a convenient connection for this purpose, the lead 21 may be connected to the common element of the relay contacts 14-4. This connection of the lead 21 with the alpha relay coils 31 is through a set of contacts generally designated in the drawing by the numeral 32, but in operation of the card punch machine one or the other of the parallel circuits through the contacts 32 will be closed so that their presence is immaterial. To carry out the duplicating function the output lead 23 is connected to the coil of the dup relay 33, and this can be conveniently done by making a direct connection with the relay coil 33 at its side opposite from ground. Thus, when it is desired to duplicate a part of a card in the reading station into a card in the punch station depression of the dup key 4 will cause a continuous energization of the dup relay 33. The duplicating function will then proceed at the rate of 20 columns or spaces per second.

The presence of the diodes 16, 18, 20 and 22 is to block current flow that might otherwise occur from the presence of the 48-volt voltage supply at any of the leads 17, i9, 21 and 23 during operation of the card punch machine at times when the auxiliary keyboard of the invention is not active. The presence of 48 volts on either of the leads 17, 19, 21 and 23 would cause an energization of the control relay 7 with its attendant breaking of the star wheel circuit, which would be disruptive of normal machine operation. The diodes 10, 11 and 12 isolate the three keys 2, 3 and 4 from one another, so that a depression of one will not transmit the 48 volts to the circuits of the other two.

There is shown and described herein an auxiliary keyboard for a card punch machine that increases the rate of operation of the machine during times when cards are being stepped through the machine by manual operation for such purposes as card correction. The increased rate of operation occurs during both duplicating and spacing functions, so that cards can be transported through the machine faster than heretofore possible when corrections have been undertaken on individual cards. in addition, a manual skip function in which a card is moved very rapidly through the machine is also made available to the operator.

I claim:

1. ln a keyboard for a card punch machine having an escape magnet energized through an escape interlock relay, a skip relay, an alpha relay, a duplicate relay, a star wheel circuit, and a card lever relay for intermittently applying a voltage, the combination comprising:

a set of three manually operated keys for space, skip and duplicate functions respectively;

a control relay having a coil and a set of contacts;

power input connections joined with one side of each of said keys which are for connection with said card lever relay to receive an intermittent voltage therefrom;

the first of said keys being a space key joined to an output lead for connection through said interlock relay to said escape magnet, and also joined to said relay coil;

the second of said keys being a skip key joined to a lead for connection with said skip relay, and also joined to said relay coil;

the third of said keys being a duplicate key joined to leads for connection "with said alpha relay, said duplicate relay, and said relay coil; and,

connections for joining said relay contacts into said star wheel circuit for interrupting the circuit upon operation of said relay.

2. in a keyboard for a card punch machine having an escape magnet, a skip relay, an alpha relay, a duplicate relay, a star wheel circuit with input leads, and a card lever relay for applying a voltage, the combination comprising:

a set of three manual, normally open keys for space, skip and duplicate functions respectively;

a control relay having a coil, self-holding contacts and normally closed contacts;

power input connections joined with one side of each of said keys and with one side of said relay self-holding contacts which are for connection with said card lever relay to receive a volta e therefrom; the first of said teys being a space key oined through a diode to a lead for connection with said escape magnet, and also joined through a second diode to said relay coil;

the second of said keys being skip key joined through a diode to a lead for connection with said skip relay, and also joined through a second diode to said relay coil;

the third of said keys being a duplicate key joined through one diode to said alpha relay, through another diode to said duplicate relay, and through a third diode to said relay coil; and

connections for joining said normally closed relay contacts into said star wheel circuit input leads.

Claims (2)

1. In a keyboard for a card punch machine having an escape magnet energized through an escape interlock relay, a skip relay, an alpha relay, a duplicate relay, a star wheel circuit, and a card lever relay for intermittently applying a voltage, the combination comprising: a set of three manually operated keys for space, skip and duplicate functions respectively; a control relay having a coil and a set of contacts; power input connections joined with one side of each of said keys which are for connection with said card lever relay to receive an intermittent voltage therefrom; the first of said keys being a space key joined to an output lead for connection through said interlock relay to said escape magnet, and also joined to said relay coil; the second of said keys being a skip key joined to a lead for connection with said skip relay, and also joined to said relay coil; the third of said keys being a duplicate key joined to leads for connection with said alpha relay, said duplicate relay, and said relay coil; and, connections for joining said relay contacts into said star wheel circuit for interrupting the circuit upon operation of said relay.

2. In a keyboard for a card punch machine having an escape magnet, a skip relay, an alpha relay, a duplicate relay, a star wheel circuit with input leads, and a card lever relay for applying a voltage, the combination comprising: a set of three manual, normally open keys for space, skip and duplicate functions respectively; a control relay having a coil, self-holding contacts and normally closed contacts; power input connections joined with one side of each of said keys and with one side of said relay self-holding contacts which are for connection with said card lever relay to receive a voltage therefrom; the first of said keys being a space key joined through a diode to a lead for connection with said escape magnet, and also joined through a second diode to said relay coil; the second of said keys being skip key joined through a diode to a lead for connection with said skip relay, and also joined through a second diode to said relay coil; the third of said keys being a duplicate key joined through one diode to said alpha relay, through another diode to said duplicate relay, and through a third diode to said relay coil; and connections for joining said normally closed relay contacts into said star wheel circuit input leads.

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