679,405. Statistical apparatus. POWERSSAMAS ACCOUNTING MACHINES, Ltd. April 6, 1951 [May 17, 1950], No. 12380/50. Class 106 (i). In a sorting machine having feeding means to feed in succession to a sensing position documents having data recorded thereon by lightreflecting sub-areas thereof for sensing by photo-electric cells adapted to control the operation of actuating means for timing devices co-operating with deflectors to guide documents into selected compartments, apparatus for selectively operating the timing devices comprising in combination a photo-electric cell for each data-indicating sub-area of a column or sub-areas on a document, transparent lightguiding elements, one for each photo-electric cell, extending lengthwise between the cells and the document sensing position to guide ligtht refleced from sub-areas in sensing position to the cells, a slotted obturator supported for reciprocation between the cells and the ends of the light guiding elements adjacent thereto and in a direction transverse to the lengths of said elements, obturator actuating means to permit the passage, in timed relation with the feeding means, of light from the elements to the cells only when a document is in position for sensing, and an amplifier to amplify electric impulses from the cells to provide an amplified impulse to control the operation of the timing device actuating means. Cheques bearing the data representing area shown in Fig. 2 are fed from a magazine, not shown, by a gripper 9 supported on a carriage 10 which is reciprocated along guides 11 by a link 12 and a crank arm 13. When a cheque engages the stops 8 it is held in this position by a presser 16, pivoted at 17 and rocked about its pivot by a cam 18 on the shaft 14, the presser 16 being connected with the cam 18 by links 19, 20. When the cheque is released by the presser 16 it is engaged between feed rollers 21, 22 which move it transversely of its length against a vertically reciprocable stop 23, Fig. 4. The stop 23 arrests the cheque in scanning position until it is released for delivery in known manner to receiving compartments 27, Fig. 3, by feed rollers 28, 29. A source of light 30 illuminates the data area of the cheque and the reflected light is received by a lens system 31, 32 which transmits an image of a single vertical column 7 to the lower ends of light guiding elements 33 which guide the light from their lower ends to their respective photo-cells 35. Only one vertical column is scanned at a time, the cheques being run through the machine several times. The data bearing area in the example shown is divided into five columns, each column representing the numerals 0-9 by means of the well known 8-4-2-1 code, thus, in the example shown in Fig. 2, the cheque bears the number 10976. A shutter 34, Fig. 6, is manually operated to select one row only of the lightguiding elements for each run through the machine, only one vertical column being sensed at a time. Specifications 128,207, [Class 106 (i)], and 396,805 are referred to.
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