GB876631A - Record card processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

876,631. Feeding record cards. MAGNAVOX CO. June 9, 1958, No. 18408/58. Class 106 (1). [Also in Group XVI] In a record card feeding device, e.g. for a card collating machine, cards 10, Fig. 1, are fed from a stack 12 by a rotating suction drum which grips the cards in succession and carries them past a row of sensing devices 150 and a retaining device 90 is disposed in engagement with the top card adapted, when vacuum is applied, to prevent it leaving the stack, the retaining device being controlled by information read from the cards. The retaining device has a number of orifices 92 which transmit the suction in pipe 95 to the face of the top card. The suction is controlled by a valve 96, Fig. 3, which consists of a block having a transverse bore 100 in which slides a member 104 with a piston 106, 108 at each end. The bore 100 has vents at each end either of which can be closed by blade springs 130, 140, the member 104 being drawn by the vacuum in chamber 124 towards the closed end to connect the pipe 95 with the vacuum (as shown in Fig. 3) or to atmosphere. As shown in Fig. 1 the blade springs are fixed at one end and pass between the poles of magnets 136, 146. Current passed along the length of the blade moves it into or out of operative position. Sensing.-The cards may carry magnetically recorded data which is read by a row of sensing heads. A row of clock marks each denoting a card column is read by head 150 the signals being amplified and used to set a flip-flop 154, reset through delay line 156. The clock-pulse output from the flip-flop passes to a counter 160 which may be a trigger chain and is arranged to produce an output when the count reaches a predetermined value, which passes to flip-flop 162, another input being from signal source 164. Outputs from the two sides of flip-flop 162 control tubes 168, 176 which supply current to the blade springs 130, 140. Current in either blade causes it to rise and open the corresponding vent to bore 100, the piston element moving accordingly to apply vacuum or atmospheric pressure to the retaining device 90. A signal from source 164 sets flip-flop 162 and cuts off the vacuum from retainer 90 to allow the top card to leave the stack on drum 16. As the card moves the columns are sensed in turn by the row of sensing heads and the column marks by the head 150. The counter receives the clock pulses derived from the column marks and, when a predetermined number of vertical columns have been sensed, it produces an output to reset flip-flop 162 and re-apply the vacuum to the device 90 to prevent the next card being fed. In a modification the valve 96 has only one controlling blade spring, there being a source of air pressure connected to the bore to drive the member 104 to one end when the blade closes the vent, the member being returned to the other end by a spring when the vent is opened. Specification 876,630 is referred to.