US3672668A - Large-capacity card supply magazines comprising a device for retaining and transferring cards - Google Patents

Large-capacity card supply magazines comprising a device for retaining and transferring cards Download PDF

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Publication number
US3672668A
US3672668A US65675A US3672668DA US3672668A US 3672668 A US3672668 A US 3672668A US 65675 A US65675 A US 65675A US 3672668D A US3672668D A US 3672668DA US 3672668 A US3672668 A US 3672668A
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United States
Prior art keywords
cards
card
magazine
ramp
stack
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US65675A
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English (en)
Inventor
Gerben Jan Keulen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Bull General Electric NV
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Bull General Electric NV
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Publication date
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K13/00—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism
    • G06K13/02—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism the record carrier having longitudinal dimension comparable with transverse dimension, e.g. punched card
    • G06K13/08—Feeding or discharging cards
    • G06K13/10—Feeding or discharging cards from magazine to conveying arrangement

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to improvements in largecapacity card supply magazines comprising a device for retaining and transferring cards.
  • the data to be processed are often introduced into the machines by means of record cards on which data are recorded in the form of marks, perforations, etc.
  • Machines constructed for use with these documents are becoming increasingly faster in their action and it has become necessary to provide the machines with card supply magazines of very large capacity which can store a stack of 2,000 to 5,000 cards or more.
  • the cards are introduced into the magazine either manually or by means of loading devices permitting. 2,000 cards or more at a time to be handled.
  • the card-extracting mechanisms constructed for extracting cards from a supply magazine are generally not very well suited to being able to operate correctly under the weight of such loads and without risking damaging the cards to a greater or less extent.
  • supply magazines have been proposed wherein the cards to be treated are stacked in a large-capacity loading ramp at the bottom of which the cards rest on a magazine for retaining and transferring cards.
  • This is adapted to support the stack of cards and to transfer the cards from the said ramp at a predetermined rhythm into a lower reception magazine arranged below, under the control of a monitoring device adapted to monitor the level of the cards in the said lower magazine, from which the cards are extracted in known manner to be introduced into a card conveying system of the machine.
  • the lower magazine is dimensioned to contain only a few hundred cards.
  • magazines which comprise a retaining device adapted to eliminate substantially all friction between the transferred cards.
  • the cards situated at the bottom of the stack in the charging ramp rest by their ends on retaining rollers the rotation of which is controlled by a device which monitors the level of the cards in the reception magazine and causes the escape of cards which fall into the said lower magazine.
  • the present invention has as its object to obviate these disadvantages, and concerns a card supply magazine of large capacity provided with a device for retaining and transferring cards, wherein a lower reception magazine is provided with at least three vertical walls, namely one large wall and first and second small walls arranged to guide cards in a stack by one large side and two small sides respectively, and wherein a loading ramp situated above the lower magazine is provided with three substantially vertical walls, namely one large wall and first and second small walls arranged to guide a stack of cards by these same sides.
  • the horizontal section of the ramp is turned relatively to the horizontal section of the magazine about a vertical axis passing through a corresponding point in the large wall of the lower magazine and at the bottom of the large wall of the ramp, so that the cards in the ramp are supported at one side by two triangular surfaces respectively on .the top of the first small wall and the top of a portion of the large wall of the lower magazine.
  • a frictional-periphery roller which can be driven in rotational movement by a motor is situated to provide a third supporting point under a corner of the non-supported small side of the stack of cards in the ramp and has its axis of rotation oriented approximately to pass through the said vertical axis, so that when the roller rotates in an appropriate sense, the lower card of the stack of cards in the ramp turns about the said vertical axis, leaves its two supporting surfaces and the wheel, and falls into the lower magazine.
  • an arrangement in this manner has chiefly the advantage of being extremely simple mechanically and absolutely reliable in operation.
  • a card magazine constructed on this principle for supplying for example a rapid card-sorting machine can transfer cards intermittently at an instantaneous speed of 4,000 cards per minute, whereas cards are extracted from the lower, magazine at a lower average speed, for example, 3,000 cards per minute.
  • FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a card supply magazine with cards in the loading ramp and in the lower magazine
  • FIG. 2 shows a card supply magazine similar to that of FIG. 1, but without cards
  • FIG. 3 shows a diagrammatic plan viewillustrating various parts of a device for retaining and transferring cards according to the invention
  • FIG. 4 shows a front view of the lower magazine associated with a device for extracting cards
  • FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the main elements of the lower magazine of FIG. 4,
  • FIG. 6 shows a simplified diagram illustrating the monitoring and control circuits of the device for retaining and trans ferring cards.
  • the cards of a main supply of cards C are packed face-to-face, as shown stacked in a loading ramp section which is provided with walls ll, 12 and 13 to guide the cards.
  • the wall 11, designated the large wall guides the cards at one large side whereas the walls 12 and 13, referred. to as small walls, are ar' ranged to guide the ends of the cards.
  • no fourth wall is provided, and consequently the wall 11 is slightly inclined towards the rear so that the cards in the stack bear against the said wall.
  • the lower receiving section or reception magazine which is situated below the bottom or discharge end of the loading ramp, is provided with a large wall which comprises a lower portion ISA and an upper portion 15B (see FIG. 2) and two narrower walls designated as small walls, the first of which comprises a lower portion 16A and an upper portion 16B, whereas the second 17 is provided with a discharge control plate 49. (FIG. 4).
  • the walls of the upper ramp are turned relatively to the walls of the lower magazine about a vertical axis X which, in the example described, passes (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) substantially centrally of the width of the wall 11, at the bottom of the ramp and approximately centrally of the length of the large wall of the lower magazine.
  • the position of the vertical axis X which passes through a corresponding point of the large wall of the ramp and the large wall of the lower magazine can be situated at another place, for example at X! (FIG. 4) which is approximately at a third of the width of the wall 11 of the ramp, or in any other position regarded as suitable along the wall 15B.
  • the stack of cards C which is in the upper ramp is biassed downwardly toward its discharge end by gravity but is supported partly by two triangular card restraining supporting surfaces 18 and 19 (FIGS. 2, 3) which are provided respectively by the upper edge of the walls 16B and 15B of the lower magazine.
  • the card restraining surfaces 18 and 19 support the end card C at the bottom of the pack adjacent the discharge end of the loading section and thus support the pack by contacting the end card only on two angularly meeting edge portions of the end card.
  • the surfaces are preferably inclined towards the bottom of the lower magazine.
  • the lower or end card of the stack of cards C is contacted and supported on the other hand (FIGS. 1 and 3) by a card displacing member, in the form shown, a rotatable roller 22 provided at its periphery with a material having a high coefficient of friction.
  • the upper portion of the said roller, on which the cards rest, is arranged, with the supporting surfaces 18 and 19, substantially in a plane perpendicular to the wall 11 of the upper ramp.
  • the roller 22 contacts the lower end card in the pack at a location spaced from the card restraining surfaces 18 and 19, and hence spaced from the two aforesaid angularly meeting edges of the end card.
  • the rotatable roller 22 is mounted on the shaft 23 of a driving motor 24 whose axis of rotation Y is preferably oriented (FIG. 3) so as substantially to intersect, i.e. to pass substantially through the vertical axis X.
  • each card thus successively entrained is ejected by its bias and leaves the supporting surfaces 18 and 19 and also the rotatable roller 22 to come into a position where it falls into the lower magazine.
  • the cards Under the action of the rotational movement of the roller, the cards are first of all slightly staggered relatively to one another in the direction of transfer, and then are displaced together so as to fall successively into the lower magazine.
  • the friction between the cards is very variable and depends inter alia on the weight of the stack of cards in the loading ramp, the number and distribution of perforations in the case of perforated cards, the state of the surface of the cards and, where appropriate, static electricity carried along by the said cards.
  • a beater member e.g., a vibrator 26 is arranged (FIGS. 1 to 4) at the bottom of the stack C and against one small side of the cards.
  • This vibrator comprises a surface 27 parallel to the stack and given a rapid vibrating movement in the direction of the double arrow V (FIG. 3) perpendicularly to the surface of the stack of cards, under the action of an electromagnetic motor 28 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6).
  • the vibrator is actuated at the same time as the roller 22 is driven.
  • cards arranged at the bottom of the stack are brought towards the vibrator.
  • the latter is provided, at its lower portion, with an inclined surface 29 which permits the passage of the cards during the course of transfer.
  • the vibrator promotes the regular staggering of the transferred cards and also ensures the transfer of the last cards of a stack which otherwise might remain in the upper ramp.
  • the lower edge 25 of the wall 11 of the upper ramp may be straight over the entire width of the wall (FIG. 2).
  • the lower portion of the wall 11 of the ramp could be partly set higher up from the axis X onwards, as indicated at 35 in FIG. 4.
  • control means comprising a photoelectric monitoring sensing device (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) is provided.
  • the device S comprises an electric lamp L and a photoelectric cell P arranged at a specific level in the lower magazine (FIG. 4) and in such a manner that, when the cards are present at this level in the said magazine, the light emitted by the lamp L towards the cell P is intercepted by the cards.
  • a similar device M is arranged (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) to monitor the presence (or absence) of cards in the said magazine. To constitute the bottom of the magazine there has been shown by way of example (FIGS.
  • This device of the conveyor belt” type comprises (FIGS. 5 and 6) two belts 40 and 41 mounted on the one hand on driving pulleys 42 and 43 and mounted on the other hand on supporting pulleys 44, 45, 46 and 47.
  • the driving pulleys 42 and 43 are fast with a shaft 48 which can be driven (FIG. 6) by a motor 36. When this motor is energized and rotates, the belts 40 and 41 frictionally drive cards which pass below the discharge control plate 49 and issue from the magazine in a partially overlapping relationship.
  • FIG. 6 shows a simplified example of control circuits for a card supply magazine provided with a device for retaining and transferring cards constructed according to the invention.
  • the motors 24 and 36, and also the electromagnetic motor 28 of the vibrator can be energized with direct current.
  • the electrical current is supplied through and terminals to a control panel T to which there is connected the motor 36 for the extraction of the cards from the lower magazine, and also the monitoring device M similar to the photoelectric monitoring device S and adapted to stop the motor 36 in known manner when there are no longer any cards in the lower magazine.
  • the panel is provided with a manual control element W to effect the starting of the motor 36.
  • a manual control element AR is used for effecting stopping.
  • the upper level of the cards drops in the lower magazine and when this level descends below S the switch I is closed. From this instant, the motor 24 of the roller 22 is driven and the electromagnetic motor 28 of the vibrator 26 is actuated for the transfer of cards into the lower magazine. It has been said that the cards are fed or transferred into the lower magazine at a greater rate than that at which they are extracted from the said magazine so that even during the extraction of cards the card level or amount of accumulation of cards can be maintained approximately constant in the lower magazine or receiving section by the addition of the transferred cards.
  • the switch I is opened and the motors 24 and 28 are stopped. If it is assumed that the extraction of the cards is continued, the level of the cards drops again and so forth.
  • the opening and closing of the switch circuit I under control of the photoelectric device S is obtained with a certain delay which has the result that during the extraction of the cards the level of the cards in the lower magazine can vary between a first level N1 which is only slightly higher than the level of S and a second level N2 which is distinctly lower than the level of S, as long as cards can be transferred from the upper ramp.
  • the monitoring device M brings about the stopping of the motor 36 and an electric current is transmitted through a line LS to actuate a control or signalling device to indicate that the supply magazine is completely emptied of cards.
  • the upper ramp may be perfectly vertical, provided that different guiding for the cards is ensured, or may be inclined much more than in the example described if it is desired to reduce the component of the weight of the cards acting on the transfer device.
  • a card supply magazine an arrangement comprising a loading ramp situated above a lower magazine from which cards are extracted, and a device for retaining and transferring cards which is arranged between the upper magazine and the lower magazine
  • the said arrangement being characterized in that the said lower magazine is provided at least with three vertical walls, namely a large wall and first and second small walls arranged to guide cards in a stack by one large side and two small sides respectively
  • the said loading ramp being provided with three substantially vertical walls, namely one large wall and first and second small walls arranged to guide a stack of cards by these same sides: the horizontal section of the said ramp being turned relatively to the horizontal section of the said lower magazine and about a vertical axis passing through one and the same corresponding point in the large wall of the said lower magazine and at the bottom of the large wall of the said ramp, so that the cards in the ramp are supported at one side by two triangular surfaces respectively on the top of the said first small wall and the top of a portion of the said large wall of the lower magazine, and a frictional-periphery roller
  • a loading section for holding a face-to-face packed main supply of cards and having a discharge end from which cards biassed toward said discharge end are to be delivered; a receiving section positioned relative to said loading section for receiving cards discharged from said discharge end of said loading section; means adjacent the discharge end of said loading section providing two restraining surfaces for contacting an end card at the end of said supply of cards adjacent said discharge end of said loading section only on two angularly meeting edges of said end card; a card displacing member for contacting said end card at the corner thereof opposite to said two angularly meeting edges of said end card; and means for moving said card displacing member in a direction to rotate said end card in its plane about an axis extending through the supply of cards in the direction of packing thereof, thereby to remove said end card edges from said restrainin surfaces and to permit the biassing of sald main supply of car 5 to e ect said end card from said loading section for delivery into said receiving
  • Apparatus according to claim 5 further including means for feeding cards from said receiving section at a rate slower than the rate of delivering cards from said loading section to said receiving section, whereby a supply of cards will accumulate in said receiving section; and control means including sensing means responsive to the amount of accumulation of cards in said receiving section for stopping the operation of said card displacing member when said accumulation builds up to a predetermined amount, and for starting operation of said card displacing member when said accumulation is reduced to a predetermined amount.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
US65675A 1968-02-02 1970-08-20 Large-capacity card supply magazines comprising a device for retaining and transferring cards Expired - Lifetime US3672668A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL6801512A NL6801512A (xx) 1968-02-02 1968-02-02

Publications (1)

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US3672668A true US3672668A (en) 1972-06-27

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US65675A Expired - Lifetime US3672668A (en) 1968-02-02 1970-08-20 Large-capacity card supply magazines comprising a device for retaining and transferring cards

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US (1) US3672668A (xx)
BE (1) BE727569A (xx)
DE (1) DE1904883A1 (xx)
FR (1) FR1559297A (xx)
NL (1) NL6801512A (xx)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3790162A (en) * 1972-05-15 1974-02-05 S Halbert Picking and transporting apparatus and method
US3847382A (en) * 1971-11-15 1974-11-12 True Data Corp Card handling apparatus
US5222720A (en) * 1990-08-27 1993-06-29 Newsome John R Hopper with third lifter

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2533932A (en) * 1948-09-29 1950-12-12 Arthur F Hayek Card feeding device
US2731271A (en) * 1952-07-14 1956-01-17 Robert N Brown Combined dealer, shuffler, and tray for playing cards
US3062531A (en) * 1960-12-28 1962-11-06 Ibm Form handling apparatus

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2533932A (en) * 1948-09-29 1950-12-12 Arthur F Hayek Card feeding device
US2731271A (en) * 1952-07-14 1956-01-17 Robert N Brown Combined dealer, shuffler, and tray for playing cards
US3062531A (en) * 1960-12-28 1962-11-06 Ibm Form handling apparatus

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3847382A (en) * 1971-11-15 1974-11-12 True Data Corp Card handling apparatus
US3790162A (en) * 1972-05-15 1974-02-05 S Halbert Picking and transporting apparatus and method
US5222720A (en) * 1990-08-27 1993-06-29 Newsome John R Hopper with third lifter

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Publication number Publication date
DE1904883A1 (de) 1969-09-11
NL6801512A (xx) 1969-08-05
FR1559297A (xx) 1969-03-07
BE727569A (xx) 1969-07-01

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