AUTOMATIC ARTICLE SORTING AND PUNCHING MACHINE

• Main Authors: TRINGALI D,US, SWARTZ R,US, DILLARD J,US, HINSON E,US
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 23.10.1973
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS; PHYSICS; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECOGNITION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS

An automatic sorting machine for automatically sorting record receivers according to the elapsed time data printed thereon and for automatically punching the record receivers in accordance with printed time of day data appearing on the receivers. The machine includes apparatus for serially feeding record receivers to a scanning station having three scanning heads mounted to scan and convert printed data into radiant energy pulses that are analogues of the data. The pulses are sensed and converted to elapsed time and time of day BCD (Binary Coded Decimal) analogues. The elapsed time BCD analogues are applied as inputs to elapsed time error checking and correction logic which automatically corrects for error appearing in the printed data on the record receiver to generate elapsed time signals. The elapsed time signals are applied by electronics to selectively operate gate solenoids related to specific record receiver storage bins in the sorting machine. The time of day BCD analogues are applied as inputs to time of day error checking and correction logic which provides time of day signals corrected as stated above to selectively energize punch solenoids. The punch solenoids are energized by the signals while the record receivers are at the scanning station after which the record receivers are released to be automatically transported by the machine and stored in the bins selected by the elapsed time data. All logic is automatically restored in timed sequence with machines' rate capability for storing documents.