Presettable control system

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE TOOL HAVING A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY MOVABLE MEMBERS CAPABLE OF PERFORMING A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS IN PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE; A PLURALITY OF PRESETTABLE POSITIONING MEASURING MEANS OPERATIVE TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE POSITION OF EACH OF SAID MEMBERS; A VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION SELECTIVELY CONNECTIBLE TO DRIVE A PREDETERMINED ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AT A PREDETERMINED SETTING OF SAID POSITIONING MEASURING MEANS OPERATIVE TO DEACTIVATE SAID TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FOR STOPPING MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORT IN PREDETERMINED POSITION; PRESETTABLE CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF MANUALLY SETTABLE SWITCH MEANS RESPECTIVELY OPERABLE IN COACTIVE GROUPS TO IDENTIFY THE MEMBER TO BE MOVED, THE RATE AT WHICH SAID TRANSMISSION IS OPERABLY CONNECTIBLE TO DRIVE THE SELECTED MEMBER, AND TO PRESET SAID POSITIONING MEANS FOR INDICATING THE EXTENT OF MOVEMENT OF THE SELECTED MEMBER, EACH OF SAID COACTIVE GROUPS IN FUNCTION SWITCH MEANS BEING ENERGIZEABLE WHEN ACTIVATED TO CORRESPONDINGLY ACTIVATE SAID PRESELECTED PROGRAM MEASURING MEANS AND TO CONNECT SAID TRANSMISSION FOR MOVING THE SELECTED MEMBER THE REQUIRED DISTANCE AT THE SELECTED RATE; A SUB-CYCLE CONTROL SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE SEQUENTIALLY INTERCONNECTIBLE CYCLE SELECT SWITCH MEANS PRESETTABLE TO PROGRAM A CYCLE IN WHICH A PLURALITY OF SAID GROUPS OF SELECTOR SWITCH MEANS ARE ACTIVATED; A PRESETTABLE PROGRAM CONTROL SYSTEM INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SEQUENTIALLY INTERCONNECTIBLE PROGRAM SWITCH MEANS RESPECTIVELY PRESETTABLE TO PROGRAM THE SEQUENCE IN WHICH INDIVIDUAL GROUPS OF FUNCTION SWITCH MEANS AND SAID SUB-CYCLE CONTROL ARE ACTIVATED; AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PRESET ACTUATION OF SAID POSITION MEASURING CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO EFFECT SEQUENTIAL ACTIVATION OF SAID PROGRAM SWITCH MEANS TO EFFECT CORRESPONDING ACTIVATION OF SAID FUNCTION SWITCH MEANS AND SAID CYCLE SWITCH MEANS FOR EFFECTING A PREDETERMINED PROGRAM OF MACHINE MOVEMENTS.