DEVICE FOR PUNCHING CARDS OR THE LIKE

• US 3,680,774 A
• Filed: 04/15/1970
• Issued: 08/01/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Herman Post, Orrin Millie, Stephen Prigozy
• Original Assignee: Herman Post, Orrin Millie, Stephen Prigozy
• Inventors: Post, Herman, Prigozy, Stephen, Millie, Orrin
• Primary Examiner(s): Yost, Frank T.
• Application Number:
  US05/028,708
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 234/99,100
• US Class Current: 234/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/08 Card punches

Abstract

Device for punching cards or the like in which a card is fed stepwise beneath a row of punches which are movable between a rest and a punching position and selectively moved between the positions thereof by selector means comprising a drum having rows of punch-actuating portions. The drum is turnable about its axis, to bring a selected row of punch-actuating portions in alignment with the punches, and movable between an inactive and an active position for engaging and moving selected punches to the punching position.

Claims

1. Device for pinching cards or the like comprising support means having a surface;

guide means for guiding cards or the like movable in a first direction along said surface to and beyond a punching station;

a plurality of punches mounted at said punching station on said support means, each movable between a rest position in which one end of the punch is spaced to one side of said surface and a card placed thereon and a punching position in which said one end is located at the other side of said surface and has penetrated through a card placed thereon, said plurality of punches extending substantially normal to said surface and are located located spaced from each other substantially in one plane extending transverse to said first direction;

die means beneath said punches and cooperating with the latter during movement of the same to the punching position;

means cooperating with said plurality of punches for biasing the same to said rest position;

selector means mounted on said support means turnably about a turning axis located in said plane between a plurality of selected positions in which said selector means is adapted to cooperate with the opposite ends of selected ones of said plurality of punches, said selector means being movable in each of said selected positions between an inactive and an active position in which said selector means engages the opposite ends of the selected ones of said plurality of punches to move the same against said biasing means from said rest to said active position, said selector means comprising a shaft having a first portion extending along said axis and an end portion integral with and extending at an angle to said first portion, said end portion having a free end mounted on said support means tiltable about an axis substantially normal to said first shaft portion, a sleeve turnably mounted on said first shaft portion, a drum mounted on said sleeve for turning therewith and having a peripheral surface and short punch-actuating portions integral with the drum and projecting in substantially radial direction from said peripheral surface, said punch-actuating portions being respectively arranged spaced from each other in direction of the drum axis in a pluralitY of rows extending in direction of said axis and being circumferentially spaced from each other, indexing means connected by said sleeve to said drum for turning therewith for indicating the angular position of said drum relative to said plane in which said punches are located and for aligning a selected row of punch-actuating portions with said punches, further biasing means cooperating with said shaft for yieldingly maintaining the latter on a position in which the punch actuating portions of the drum which are aligned with said punches are out of contact with the aligned punches, handle means fixed to said sleeve for turning said drum and said indexing means to a selected position and for moving the shaft against said further biasing means in a direction in which said punch actuating portions which are aligned with said punches will engage the latter to move the same from said rest to said punching position;

means cooperating with the cards for transporting the same stepwise along said surface; and

transmission means between said selector means and said transporting means for actuating the latter during movement of said selector means from said active to said inactive position.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the arrangement of said punch-actuating portions in each row differs from the arrangement of said punch-actuating portions in the adjacent row.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, and including means for releasably locking said drum in any selected angular position.

4. A device for punching cards or the like comprising support means having a surface;

guide means for guiding cards or the like movably in a first direction along said surface to and beyond a punching station;

a plurality of punches mounted at said punching station on said support means, each movable between a rest position in which one end of the punch is spaced to one side of said surface and a card placed thereon and a punching position in which said one end is located at said other side of said surface and has penetrated through a card placed thereon, said plurality of punches extending substantially normal to said surface and are located spaced from each other substantially in one plane extending transverse to said first direction;

die means beneath said punches and cooperating with the latter during movement of the same to the punching position;

means cooperating with said plurality of punches for biasing the same to said rest position;

selector means mounted on said support means turnable about a turning axis located in said plane between a plurality of selected positions in which said selector means is adapted to cooperate with the opposite ones of selected ones of said plurality of punches, said selector means being movable in each of said selected positions between an inactive and an active position in which said selector means engages the opposite ends of the selected ones of said plurality of punches to move the same against said biasing means from said rest to said active position, said selector means comprising a shaft having a portion extending along said axis, a drum turnably mounted on said shaft portion and having a peripheral surface and short punch-actuating portions integral with said drum and projecting in substantially radial direction from said peripheral surface, said punch-actuating portions being respectively arranged spaced from each other in direction of the drum axis in a plurality of rows extending circumferentially spaced from each other in direction of said axis, indexing means connected to said drum for turning movement therewith for indicating the angular position of said drum relative to said plane in which said punches are located and for aligning a selected row of punch actuating portions with said punches, and means connected to said drum and said indexing means for turning the same to a selected position and for moving said drum at least from inactive to said active position;

means cooperating with the card for transporting the same stepwise along said Surface, said transporting means comprising a second shaft turnably mounted on said support means downstream of said punches, a second drum mounted on said second shaft for turning therewith and having a plurality of radial projections circumferentially and uniformly spaced from each other and adapted to cooperate with preformed holes in the card, and means for maintaining a face portion of said card in engagement with the peripheral surface of said second drum during transportation of the card; and

transmission means between said selector means and said transporting means for actuating the latter during movement of said selector means from said active to said inactive position, said transmission means comprising a ratchet wheel fixed to said second shaft and including a plurality of teeth each having a substantially radial extending face and a slanted face, and feed pawl means comprising a pawl in form of a leaf spring having a face engaging the tips of said teeth of the ratchet wheel in a first position of said leaf spring, and an inturned free end engaging said substantially radially extending face of a tooth in a second position of said leaf spring, resilient means cooperating with said leaf spring for yieldably maintaining the same in said first position, means carrying said leaf spring in the region of said other end for movement between said positions, and actuating means on said first shaft and cooperating with said carrying means for moving said leaf spring to said second position each time said selector means are moved to said active position.

5. A device as defined in claim 4, and including holding pawl means comprising a roller engaging the slanted face of a respective tooth when said leaf spring is in said first end position, means mounting said roller for movement toward and away from said ratchet wheel, and spring means cooperating with said mounting means for biasing said roller into engagement with said slanted face of a respective tooth.

6. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said mounting means comprise a first arm mounted in the region of one end thereof on said support means for tilting movement about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said second shaft, a second arm pivotally mounted at one end at the other end of said first arm, said second arm carrying said roller in the region of the other end and means cooperating with said first arm for adjusting the angular position thereof.

7. A device as defined in claim 5, and including means connected to said second shaft for turning the same and said second drum fixed thereto independent of the movement of said selector means.

8. A device for punching cards or the like comprising support means having a surface;

guide means for guiding cards or the like movable in a first direction along said surface to and beyond a punching station;

a plurality of punches mounted at said punching station on said support means each movable between a rest position in which one end of the punch is spaced to one side of said surface and a card placed thereon and a punching position in which said one end is located at the other side of said surface and has penetrated through a card placed thereon;

die means beneath said punches and cooperating with the latter during movement of the same to said punching position;

means cooperating with said plurality of punches for biasing the same to said rest position, said biasing means comprising a plurality of levers, one for each punch, each tiltably mounted on one end thereof on said support means and each connected at the other end to the respective punch, and a single leaf spring engaging said levers to yieldably maintain the same in a position in which the punches connected thereto are held in said rest position;

selector means mounted on said support means movable between a plurality of selected positions in which said selector means is adapted to cooperate with the opposite ends of selected ones of said plurality of punches, said selector means being movable In each of said selected positions between an inactive and an active position in which said selector means engages the opposite ends of the selected ones of said plurality of punches to move the same against said biasing means from said rest to said punching position;

means cooperating with the card for transporting the same stepwise along said surface; and

transmission means between said selector means and said transporting means for actuating the latter during movement of said selector means from said active to said inactive position.

9. In a device for punching cards or the like by punches movable from a rest to a punching position, a drum comprising a plurality of discs each having a peripheral surface and short punch-actuating portion projecting in substantially radial direction circumferentially spaced from each other from the peripheral surface of each disc and having each a width smaller than that of the respective disc, each of said punch actuating portions having a weakened cross-section adjacent to the periphery of the respective disc;

and means to align said discs along the axis of said drum in a predetermined angular position with respect to each other.

10. A drum as defined in claim 9, wherein each of said disks is provided on side face thereof with a plurality of cavities respectively aligned with said punch-actuating portions.

11. A drum as defined in claim 9, wherein each of said punch-actuating portions is provided on a side face thereof with an indicia and wherein each of said disks is provided with two bores parallel to the drum axis, and aligning means extending through said bores for aligning punch-actuating portions having the same indicia in direction of said axis.