GB1307742A - Removable card-handling cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

1307742 Card selection apparatus SPERRY RAND CORP 19 May 1970 [29 May 1969] 24205/70 Heading G4M A removable cartridge 12, Fig. 1, includes a plurality of end-coded cards which are retained on selector bars, a separator for maintaining the cards spaced from each other is mounted in the side walls 50, 52 and gating rods which, in one position release the cards and in another position lift the cards out of contact with the selector bars, are mounted between front and rear walls 42, 54, the separator and gating rods being actuated from outside the cartridge. The separator is preferably in the form of high resistance air nozzles 64, Fig. 6, supplied from pressure chamber 190, ducts 26<SP>11</SP> in side walls 50, 52 of the cartridge and ducts 26, Fig. 1, in card handling apparatus 10. The nozzles 64 are each in the form of a narrow slit extending across the depth of the stack of cards, the air flow keeping the cards separate without inducing flutter. The gating rods 94, 94<SP>1</SP> may be rotated by solenoid-actuated rack-and-pinion mechanisms which engage coupling members 38, 40, Fig. 1. The selector bars which may be rotatably mounted at each end or which may be fixedly mounted and flexible, co-operate with coded tabs on the top edges of the cards. Each bar has a set of apertures 154 through which spring-biased actuating rods 160 freely pass, except for the one corresponding rod 160 which is coupled to the bar as at 174. The rods 160 are actuated by solenoids 170 through apertures 172 in a side plate 16 of the support structure and apertures 72, Fig. 1, in the side plate 50 of the cartridge. The cards may be magnetic-coated plastics material and may be automatically returned to the cartridge after processing by apparatus 10. The cartridge includes a clamping plate for pressing the cards together when the cartridge is removed from the apparatus. Separation of the cards in a newly-inserted cartridge may be effected by actuating the gating rods a number of times before commencing selection.