US1920993A - Tabulating machine - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 8, 1933. w. w. LAsKER TABULATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 3. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'Q :L i|

INVENTOR BY WWW ATTORNEY Aug. 8, 1933. w. w. LAsKER TABULATING MACHINE Filed oct. s. 1929 `2 Sheets-Sheet' 2 WITNESSES ATTORNEY `joined tooth `s lsheet or st printing instrumentalities. Y v record 'discloses number of classifications of Patented Aug. 8,`

.fifss` *Versier isms-3 Remington Rand incorporated,

New York,

N. Y.,'a Corporation ci Delaware :applicaties october s,- i

929. Serial No. 397,082

' 2 Claims. (Cl. Mib-9(5) My invention relates to card-controlled tabulating machines which automatically print columns of items on record-sheets, and by which each column is printed with a unit that forms a component ci a fixed row of accounting 'and printing units vthat act on 'a sheet supported by a rotary platen and framework in which the platen is mounted, which framework is motionless while the machine prints and while it performs a series of operations wherein any 'unit then printing 'iten'is prints them all one column. vThe iiivention relates especially to the combination with `the r w of accounting and printing units con- VVing, if desired, ruled columnar nelds distinguished by printed headings. A record-sheet may be j reeordfsheets, called also work-` h'eets, all forming 'acontinuous :web or multiple ip withprinted forms'thereon and with interleaved carbon strips. f 1` In machines oi the type disclosed in patent to Powers #1,245,502, and to which the devices of my inve tion are herein shown attached, there are usually a plurality ci independent adding mechanisms, each being associated with its own Thus, when a card data, it is possible to allot an individual adding and printing mechanism to each classification. Byv sov doing, separa '-e totals of each classification may be simultaneously accumulated on the multiple record sheets from 'a succession of record cards that may be fed through the machine.

Theconstruction of the present invention includes means whereby records pertinent to the various'adding and printing mechanisms Vmay be printed simultaneously on a plurality of superposed work sheets or` strips, (with vinterposed' carbon strips between them) so that each item will be printed in substantially the same" location of` each of the work sheets, while permitting a simple and speedy adjustment oi such sheets to bei made without destroying the relationbetween assembled sheets. f

An object of they invention is also to provide means that permit the vuse of assembled work sheets for cooperation with certainftotalizer and printing units oi `an accounting machine, While an independent record or tally sheet is being simultaneously used in conjunction With other totalizer and printing units, allowing of dilerential columnar adjustment without aiiectingthe assembled relation of the Work sheets.

A further object of the invention consists in the provision of supporting, guiding and, feeding means for a plurality of assembled work sheets and in the provision of an independent paperr roll with means wherebyadjustments for various widths voi Work sheet, and for paper roll may be made without disturbing the feeding characten istics, and whereby the relativity oi either kthe paper roll or work vsheets maybe changed in respect to the adding totalizers and printing mechanisms, without affecting the feeding mechanism or assembled relation of the work sheets.

To the above yand other ends which Will hereinafter appear, my invention consists Vin the features of construction, arrangements ci parts, and combinations of devices set forth in the follow-y ing description and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.k l x lin the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference' characters designate corresponding 80 parts in the different views:-

Fig; l is a fragmentary, detail, side view with parts in section of that portion of the paper feeding carriage of the Powers tabulating machine with which the devices of my invention cooperate.A

Fig.` 2 is a 4detail perspective View showing the adjustable lower support and side guides'ior controlling thepassage of the assembled work sheet and interleaved carbon strips from the supporting tray to the'r feeding mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, iront view of the machine with parts broken awayand showing the devices of my invention attached to the carriage, together with some of the printing instrumentalities, etc. i,

In order to better explain the purpose ofmy invention, l have disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in addition tomy novel mechanism, certain parts of theprinting and paper feeding instrumentalities of the Powers accounting Ina- 100 chine, as shown in said Patent #1,245,502.

As an example of the work that isv performed Y through the instrumentalities of my invention l refer to thelmethodoi summarizing the value, class, district, rand sales-office records of shipments made from a central establishment to branchoirices. In such a case, a plurality of duplicate records are required to be made, wherebydata is immediately furnished to different department heads giving full information concerning the outgoing merchandise. The general sales manager uses his record for general information. The billing dept. may use its record for invoicing. The stock clerk fromrhis record prepares data for the production manager, while a record may be sent to the receiving clerk as a debit memorandum to check against the goods when received. A tally slip bearing the record of totals only is made at the same time to furnish a record of the value of the days gross shipment value.

Assuming the foregoing conditions, therusual card is punched from the records of a sales order, price lists and extended value, and according to the particular requirements, certain of the totalizer and printing units are selected 'to operate in conjunction with cross folded continuous strips of forms arranged with interleaved carbonv paper and suitably perforated to-permit the severing of each group of superposed sheets having registeringY printed forms thereon after same have been printed and passed through the Inachine.

My construction provides a suitable tray or basket tosupport the supply or cross folded stack and analyzing unit associated with the tally roll with the particular totalizer allotted to the .corresponding value to be recorded on the multiple forms, is met by so-called Y wire connections in the connection box of the tabulating and accounting machine commonly used in such machines and fully described in the pending application Ser. No. 97,915 of Merkel, led March 27, 1926.

A common platen for the tally roll record and the work forms or vsheets is actuated through a common actuating means well known and found in Powers accounting machines.

My novel mechanism is carried by the usual carriage so that any lateral adjustment of the carriage would result in moving the talley roll and cross folded forms carried thereby, bodily with respect to the printing and totalizer units, to get certain relative adjustments.

Beyond this, it is possible to separately locate the tally roll with respect to the cross-folded forms, giving a very flexible and simple means of adjustment, orthe carriage with `:my novel unit attached is laterally movable, so that the machine may be speedily adapted to any columnar and tally-roll positionl for'cooperationwith selected printing and totalizer units and without changing in any way the paper feeding,^printing, and totalizer sections.

AThe upper portion of the cover of the vvell known Powers accounting machine is represented by the reference numeral l, and is shown in Fig.

1 as Vseen from the right hand side of the machine, and a portion thereof is broken away to expose the rock shaft 2a and pinion 2 mountedv thereon. These members are operated from the main operatingfshaft of the machine (not shown) the brackets 9 and thus provide a track on which the paper carriage may be slidably adjusted to different set positions. A main carriage plate 15 has riveted thereto an upper guide bar 16, and

a lower guide bar 17 which extend the whole length of plate 15, and arev slightly thicker than plate 14. The guide bars 16 and 17 are spaced apart to receive the fixed supporting plate 14 between them and guide the carriage along said plate. Closure plates 18 which over-lap the opposite side of the plate 14 from that to which the plate 15 is secured, are fastened by screws 19 to the guide bars 16 and 17.

The carriage end plates 7 are also provided with right angle inwardly extending anges 20 having holes through which rivets 21 pass to secure plates 7 to the slidable plate 15. Extension arms 7a are secured by screws 22 to the side plates 7 and have open ended slots or bearings 23 at their upper ends to receive and support a tally roll supporting rod or shaft I 24. This rod has peripheral grooves therein to engage the arms 7a and thus prevent axial movement of the rod 24 in its bearings in the arms 7a. A cross or tie rod 25 is fixedly mounted between the arms 7a at a point somewhat lower` than the rod-24 and serves to carry the adjustable horizontal paper supports and side guides, each designated as a whole by the reference numeral 26. Each of these guides, as shown at Fig. 2, is suitably formed with an inclined sheet supporting portion 26a and a vertical flange 27 which constitutes a side edge guide. Fixedly secured to these vertical flanges 27 are hubs 28 that are mounted on and may be adjusted along the rod 25. Thumb screws 29 enable the guides 26 to be held in any positions to which they maybe adjusted along the rod, such adjustment being made to suit the width of the work sheets that they are to be guided-'between the flanges or side guides 27. The downward eXentsion 30 on each guide 26 is so disposed as to lead thed paekof multiple work sheets down to the platen 31 at the introductory or rear side thereof. The platen is carried on the revolving shaft 32 carried in bearings provided in the carriage end plates 7. Pressure feed rolls 33 loosely turn in cradle arms 34 and direct the multiple work sheets from the guides 26 around the platen up in front thereof past the printing line. A xed rod 35 mounted between the plates 7 supports at suitable positions depending arms 36 which at their upper forwardly off-set endsv have outward extending lugs to which the upward tensioned springs 37 are attached. Each arm 36 has a lower forwardly extending arm which carries a screw stud 38 on which is loosely mounted the rocking cradle Varms 34. A flattened shaft, 39, also rotatable in bearings in plates 7, has its flattened side adjacent the lower linger 40 of each of the arms 36 and serves, when turned by its finger piece 39a, to cam the arms 36 away from the platen 3l against the tension of springs 37, to thus relieve the gripping pressure of the feed rolls, so that the work sheet may be adjusted on the platen.

A Ysuitable feed ratchet 41 connected to the platen is advanced step-by-step by the feed or line spacing lJaWl 42 carried by the double ended rocker armor lever`43 mounted to turn on the axis of the platen. Y FiXedly mounted on the end of the Ipinion shaft 6 is the arm 44 and a connecting link 45 is pivoted at its upper end to thisarm44, and is pivotally connected at its lower end, to the lower end of the rocker arm 43. "This provides a driving connection between the lpinion shaft 6 and the platen 3l so that the latter is revolved in a clockwise direction,V as seen in Fig." l, by increments of vmovement dependent upon the extent of rocking movement imparted to the pinion shaft'.

`Since the driving pinionr2 has no lateral movement but meshes with the vpinion shaft 6, it is obvious that inasmuch as, the platen 3l, the vside plates 'T'supporting same, and the'e'xtensions 7e supporting the shafts 24and 25 and guides 26, are

mounted on the sliding plate 15,"any work sheet carried thereby may be laterally'adjusted to different set positions withv respect to the vfeed controlling pinion 2, without impairing the feeding of the work sheet around the platen 3l. In order to' attain the purposes of the'present invention, such characteristics must befmaintained in Powers accounting machines, whenr columnar printing is carried out, and when this printingis to be made on either continuous rolls ofpaper that can be carried by the rod 24 or on continuous webs or sheets of limited length that can be conveniently supported by the carriage without encumbrance. In Fig. 3 there is presented'more or less'diagrammatically, and respectively marked, A, C, D, F, G, the outline of ve of the different groups of printing type commonly used in conjunction with. the plurality of accumulators, (usually seven) found in the Powers' accounting: machine. Due to the breaks fin Fig. 3 only five` of lthe seven printing groups usually employed are represented, the B andE groups ccming in the broken away portions. The purpose of this plurality of accumulatorsand printing devices, is to afford a means of segregating the totals of different values that are simultaneously collected from the perforated record cards that are fed tothe machine for the automatic analysis of this data. "In performing this work it has been customary` to Vprovide work sheets of such width as to accommodate the entire range of type from group A to group G, and the plotting of Fig. 3 is intended to illustratethe relativity .of

' v several of such typegroups, which are immovable laterallyand the platen and worksheets set to coact therewith. f I

While av platen of adequate length is provided to extend completely across the faces of the printing type of all groups A, B, C, D, E, F, G, dirhculties arise when the work sheets are of narrower width than would include all groups simultaneously, and where two more work sheets (arranged side-by-side) are fed through simultaneously, in order to collect'the'respective dataA on different and independent work forms accordingV to the classication of detail and the uses to which the collected data is put. There has arisen a demand for collecting printed data, part of which is reextending up 'from the platen, as shown in Fig. v 1, and is simultaneously fed with the group of multiform work sheets or webs. In this class of work,- possibly data collected from the printing instrumentalities of groups D and Fmight be l desired on themultiform sheets, while the data of group F would be required to be lprinted on the tallyl strip. vBy mechanism disclosed in the hereinbefore mentioned application of Merkel Athe group A printing instrumentalities would simultaneously record the same data as is being recorded by group F. In the event that a second `tally* record was required of group D, then a printing unit acting on a strip carried by another tally roll suitably positioned on rod 24 could be made to record the second tally record. Because of the desirability of providing multiple copies, the various work sheets or webs X withthe` forms printed thereon kare preferably assembled with interleaved carbon paper or strips of a width and 'length equal to the work sheets X which are much easier to handle than a numthe selected printing instrumentalities and accumulators is found necessary, ink order to ac- 'Io aid inmaking these adjustments, I 'have devised in addition to the features hereinbefore referred to, the attachment now to be described, so that large stacks of folded forms can be as readily 'handledf "In1 Figs. l and 3, 48 represents the two end frames, preferably of aluminum castings, which constitute the supporting members for a 4basketorV tray formed bysecuring gauze orperforat'ed'sheet metal around and across the three edges of each l of the frames 48, as shown at 49 in Fig. 1. Fig. l illustrates the perforated metal in section and exposes to view a stack 50. of multiform continuous webs or form sheets, it being understood that each fold may be supposed to include a plurality'of l layers of paper with interposed carbon paper, as

`many as six orseven layers, sheets or webs of paper being employed at'times. Brace rods 51, 52 rigidly connect and maintain the frames 48 spaced apart at their upper ends, and serve to .carry the guide rolls 53 and 53a which rotate thereon, and over which the multiple `work sheets are led in the direction of thefarrows in Fig. 1. The multipleweb is led from the stack 50 in the tray over the'lower roll `53, the supporting and' l .side guides 26, round the platen-31, and thence over the upper roll 53e to be discharged to-a receiving point where the operator may sever the sheets at perforated lines provided at the folds.V The frames 48 are provided with forwardly ex- 1 tending arms 48a at the forward end of each of which is a boss having a hole or bearing opening through which the carriage rod 25 passes to afford a means for anchoring the tray to the car-. riage and for affording a lateral adjustment of the tray on the carriage.v A thumb screw 54 received in a tapped opening in one of the bosses of an arm 48a is used to secure the tray in its position of lateral adjustment on the carriage. In order to relieve the strain on rod 25, an angle commodate the requirements called for by the w1 lsosheet columnar rulings.

bracket 55, Figs. 1 and 3 has its vertical extension riveted to the vertical perforated metalwall ad- `jacent the accounting machine cover, and to the horizontal'bracket extension is secured a" shouldered stud 56 which carries arollerf57 retained on the stud by .the large headed screw 58. y This roller 'l'bearing against a verticalside of the accounting machine cover, provides a support and rolling contact thatrelieves ther `strain on the rod 25 when a heavy stack of work sheets is supported on the -tray 49, and makesV the .lateral sliding `adjustment ofthe tray on the rod 25, when the thumb screw 54 is backed' up, aneasy matter.

Whenever necessarythe tray 49 may be adjusted in relation to. the platen 3l, and it also may be necessary, to adjustA the guides 267cm the rod 25 to accommodate the width of the `Worksheets' and to ensure the latter being controlled accurately with respect to the particular groups of type'fthat are being employed in recording the data.- Furthermore, the tally roll 46 on rod 24 may-also be adjusted relative to both the guides 26 and the Workl sheet tray 49, by the'adjustable collars 59 with their thumb screws 60. 1

Thus, it is seen that-,I provide means 4that readily .permit the setting of printing instrumentalities Ifor producing printed records on a plurality of sheets from a plurality of printing units simultaneously and-in a differential manner, and insuring a uniformspacing of the successive I printed items, notwithstanding the use of a bulky stack of work sheets in continuous strip form.

The constructionr is such that it may be lmade toaccommodate itself to a wide range of uses and may bereadily set up to take care of the varying conditions of use in which 'the machine may be employed. For example, the detachability ofthe Supportingrod or shaft 24 enables one or more `tally rolls to be readily placed thereon, or all of said tallyA rolls maybe removed from-r the -supporting rod when not required. Various widths lof work sheets may be employedand the guiding` devices 26 which coact therewith'may be adjusted accordingly and the work sheets may be variously broughtto different positions along the platen for coaction with different printing groups, andthe carriage maybe adjusted to and maintained set in different positions with the Ysame object in view.

From the foregoing description it will be see that I have provided simple, inexpensive and eilicient means for carrying out the purposes of the present invention.,

sets of type havingits type arranged in consecutive serial order and in lprogressive denominational orders, and automatic means including a record for selecting type from the groupsof sets of type for a printing impression, the combination of a laterally adjustable frame for supporting a platen for carrying record material constructed and arranged to simultaneously receive a printing impression from a plurality of type in any set ofY type, and means for supporting, guiding, and adjusting a pre-arranged-pre-printed/ :record material web including a container for said record material attached to the frame for supporting the platen,.mutually adjustable web guides for said record material, and optionally adjustable means for locating said laterally adjustable frame in any position within a predetervmined range whereby webs of diiering arrangements may receive printing in optionally selectable positions.

2. In ay machine of the class described having a plurality of groups of sets of printingtype, each of said sets of type having its type arranged in consecutive serial order and in progressive denominational orders, and means including a record for selecting type from the groups of sets of type for a printing impression, the combination of a laterally adjustable frame for supporting a platen for carrying record material constructed and arranged tofsimultaneously receive a printing impression from a plurality of type in vany set of type, and means for supporting,

guiding, and adjusting a series of record material Webs including a container for one record material Web attachedv to the frame for supporting the platen, Vvmutually.adjustable web guides for one of said record material Webs, and optionally adjustable means for locating said laterally adjustable frame in any position Within a predetermined range vwhereby a series of webs of diiering arrangements may receive printing in optionally selectable positions at the will of the operator.

WILLIAM W. LASKER.

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