US3178177A

US3178177A - Card receiving device

Info

Publication number: US3178177A
Application number: US117723A
Authority: US
Inventors: James R Thompson; Stuart E Hotchkiss; Leroy C Kleist
Original assignee: Magnavox Co
Current assignee: Philips North America LLC
Priority date: 1961-06-16
Filing date: 1961-06-16
Publication date: 1965-04-13
Anticipated expiration: 1982-04-13

Description

April 13, 1965 Filed June 16. 1961 J. R. THOMPSON ETAL CARD RECEIVING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JAMES R. THomPsoN.

STuAPfr E. Horcnxnss and LEROY C. KLensT Fig. 1.

April 13, 1965 J. R. THOMPSON ETAL 3,178,177

CARD RECEIVING DEVICE Filed June 16. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 T IIL-mm: d

w l E "Mum ...wlw

INVENTORS JAMES R. THoMPsoN.

By STUART E.Homn \ss and LEROY C. KLE\sT MMM 8M 411mb/ J. R. THOMPSON ETAL April 13, 1965 GARD RECEIVING DEVICE L{Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 16, 1961 Fig. 6.

Eig. 5.

' INVENTOR. JAMES R. THoMPsoN. STUART E. Horcnmss and LERcY C. KLE\sT Kw1/ml 20m/ad 5mi #Zz/M A++orneys 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3 M m mv,no .K I \9 I N l@ n m 0. 1

J. R. THOMPSON ETAL CARD RECEIVING DEVICE April 13, 1965 Filed Jun-e 16. 1961 INVENTOR. JAMES R.THoMPsoN, STUART E. HoTcuKlss, and Lenov C.KLE|sT United States Patent O 3,178,177 CARD RECEVING DEVICE .lames R. Thompson, Urbana, Stuart E. Hotchkiss, Charnpaign, and Leroy C. Kleist, Ogden, lll., assignors to The Magnavox Company, Fort Wayne, 1nd., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 16, 1961, Ser. No. 117,723 11 Claims. (Cl. 271 64) This invention relates generally to filing systems utilizing small sized photographic film segments, hereinafter called cards, and more particularly to a card receiving station for removal of cards from a conveyor in a card handling machine.

It is known in the art to establish filing systems using small lm records or cards of documents, whereby it is unnecessary to keep files of the original full sized paper documents. Various systems of storing documentary information on microfilm have been devised. Certain of these, which operate almost completely automatically, require complicated and expensive equipment. In an effort to simplify the equipment involved in such systems, various inventions have been made including a Card Transport System disclosed in the application of Donald E. Craig, Serial No. 67,825 filed on November 7, 1960, and a Card Feeding Device disclosed in the application of Stuart E. Hotchkiss et al., Serial No. 138,742 filed on September l5, 1961, now Patent No. 3,137,496. These applications disclose means for transporting cards on a conveyor and for feeding cards from the storage container, hereinafter called a capsule, to the conveyor.

In addition to the means disclosed in the aforementioned applications, it was necessary to provide an etlicient, reliable and relatively inexpensive receiving dev-ice for removing cards from the conveyor and storing them for return to the capsule. Cards could then be removed from the capsule, placed upon a conveyor by the feeding device, read or reproduced by stations designed to accomplish these functions, and then removed from the conveyor and prepared for return to the storage capsule.

lt is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a station for removing cards from the conveyor and collecting them in an orderly sequence for return to a storage capsule in which they were originally stored.

It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the foregoing object by a device which can remove cards from a conveyor at various speeds.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an etlicient, reliable and relatively inexpensive device for accomplishing the foregoing objects.

Related objects and advantages of the Iinvention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

This invention includes in its scope a hopper assembly for mounting to a conveyor assembly and disposed above the card transporting conveyor belt. The hopper is equipped with a ramp which may be solenoid operated to descend between the belts and remove cards therefrom as they pass therealong. After the card is picked up by the ramp and has entered the hopper assembly in an amount equal to slightly less than the full card length, it actuates a switch which causes a solenoid disposed below the belts to actuate a plunger which moves the card up above a pair of supporting lips in the hopper. Subsequent cards may be removed from the belt in the same way.

When the hopper is full of cards or Whenever a desired number of cards has been received lin the hopper, the entire pack of cards may be raised as a unit into a capsule mounted to the top ofthe hopper whereby they may be conveniently stored for future reference or use.

The full nature of the invention will be understood ice from the accompanying drawings and the following description and the claims.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a conveyor or card transport system incorporating the receiving station according to the present invention.

FIG. 1a is a top plan view of the conveyor shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the lines 2 2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the hopper assembly of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a section through the hopper assembly taken along the lines 4 4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an end View of the card hold down device of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a side v-iew of the card hold down device of this invention.

FIG. 7 is an end view of the capsule which may be used according to this invention.

FIG. 8 is a section taken along the lines 8 8 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a view into the open end of the capsule of FIG. 8, with the capsule empty of cards.

FIG. 10 is a transverse section of the hopper with a capsule mounted thereto in position for reception of a stack of cards from the hopper.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, base plate 11 carries an upright 12 alhxed thereto. Base 11 provides a support for the motor 13 driving a pulley 14. The upright 12 provides a support for the shaft 16 carrying the pulley 17. A pair of belts 1S, carried by the pulleys 14 and 17, is driven by pulley 14 in the direction of arrow 15. Suitable idlers 19 are provided for the belt.

Cards may be delivered to the belt from a feeding device indicated by the dotted outline 21, which, as indicated heretofore, is disclosed in the aforementioned application of Hotchkiss et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein insofar as is necessary to amplify this disclosure. The cards are retained to the belt by a vacuum system as disclosed in the aforementioned application to Craig, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference insofar as is necessary to amplify this disclosure.

A hopper assembly 22 is mounted to the card guide track 23 which is mounted in turn to the upright 12. The hopper assembly 22 includes a ramp 24 the nature of which may be readily appreciated by referring to FIGS. 3 and 4. The ramp is pivotally mounted at 25 and is of a width such that it may descend into the space between the belts 18 to pick up a card 26 (FIG. 2) carried thereby. Cards may thereby be caused' to enter the hopper 27.

A solenoid mounting plate 23 is affxed to the upright 12 and carries a solenoid 29 having a housing 31 and suitable windings 32 therein. A plunger rod 33 extends through the solenoid 29 on theaxis thereof. The rod 33 has a head 34 at its upper end with a soft pad 36 mounted thereto. The diameter of the rod is reduced at the shoulder 37 and reduced again at the shoulder 38 and the rod has threads 39 adjacent its lower end.

The solenoid includes a plunger sleeve 41 having a hardened ange 42 at its lower end. The plunger stop consisting of a plate 43 mounted by means of the screw 44 to the plate 28, limits the downward motion of the plunger sleeve produced by the plunger sleeve return spring 46. The plunger rod 33 is maintained in the normally down position as shown in FIG. 2 by means of the plunger rod return spring 47 which engages the underside of flange 42 and the upper surface of the plunger guide nut 48 which is threadedly received on the rod 33. The downward movement of rod 33 is limited by the engagement of the shoulder 37 thereof with the upper edge of the solenoid bushing sleeve assembly 49 carried by the solenoid frame 51. A space is provided between the up- 3 per margin 52 of the solenoid plunger sleeve 41 and the lower margin 53 of the solenoid bushing sleeve assembly 49 so that the solenoid plunger sleeve may move the plunger rod upwardly a predetermined distance prior to being stopped by the bushing sleeve assembly.

Provision is made for manual movement lof the plunger rod 33 upwardly by means of an unloading handle S4 fastened by means of the screws 56 adjacent its lower end to a plunger guide block 57. An operating connection between the plunger guide block 57 and the plunger guide nut 48 is provided by means of the pin 58. Fixed guide rods .59 and 61 are provided to guide the plunger guide block when it is raised by the upward movement of the handle 54. d

A card hold-down device 62 is provided which is mounted to the hopper 22 by means of the block .63. Vertical support 64 carries adjacent its upper end a pivot arm 66 pivotally fastened thereto by means of the screw 67. A hold-down rod 68 with a knob 69 at its upper` end is slidably received in the pivot arm 66. Additional details of the hold-down device will become apparentin the description of the FIGS. and 6 which follows.

VA card level switch 71 is mounted to the block '63 and has an operating arm 72. extending therefrom and into a slot 73 (FIGS. 2 and 3) in the one end 74 of the hopper 27.

A ramp actuating solenoid 76 (FIG. 10) is mounted to a side of the hopper 27 and has a plunger 77 extending downwardly therefrom with a plunger return spring '7S bearing against a flange 79 on the plunger. A ramp operating wire 81 is pivotally coupled tothe lower end of the ramp solenoid plunger 77 between

flanges

79 and 80.

Referring to FIGS. .3, 4 and 10 a hopper base plate 82 is provided having two

side portions

83 and 84 respectively. The side portions carry adjacent their

inner edges ledges

85 and 86 respectively. The ledges are disposed rearwardly of ramp 24 and extend inwardly far enough toward each other that the cards removed from the con-r veyor by means of the ramp 24 may be readily supported and guided thereby. Two plates having

lip portions

87 and 88 are mounted on

members

83 and 84 with the lips disposed above the ledges and spaced farther apart than the ledges. The lips provide an upper guiding means for each card ask it enters the space between the ledges and the lips upon removal from the conveyor by the ramp 24.

A ramp actuating solenoid control'switch 90 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is mounted to the rear side or wall 89 of the hopper. This switch has an actuator button 91 loaded by the spring 92. It includes an actuator arm 93 pivotally mounted to the switch on the pin 94 and extending through an opening 96 in the rear wall of the hopper. The lower end 97 of the switch actuating arm extends just below the

lips

87 and 88 so that .it may be actuated by a rapidly moving card upon entry into the spacebetween the ledges and the lips. The actuator arm 97, returning to its normal position under the inuence of button return spring 92 may then move the card forward toward the front wall 74 of the hopper to abutting relation with the inside face thereof at 98, as the switch resumes its normal condition ready for actuation by the next entering card.

The upper margin of the hopper includes a plurality of camming surfaces 101, 102, 103, 104,106, 107', 108 and 109. These surfacesv are adapted to receive the capsule to be described hereinafter.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, additional details of the card hold-down device are shown. At the lower end of the hold-down rod 68, there is a pin 111 supporting a sleeve 112. At the lower end of the sleeve 112 is a holddown pad 113. A hold-down spring A11d is disposed around the sleeve and longitudinally conned by the pin 111 and the pad 113. A slot 116 in the sleeve permits relative axial movement between the sleeve and the rod 68 against the bias of the spring. The hold-down device is designed to maintain a slight downward bias against cards in the hopper, but small enough that once. the cards have been moved upwardly past the

lips

87 and 88 into the hopper, the holddown device will not push them back downwardly through the lips.

Referring to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, details of the capsules used for storage of cards used in the present invention are shown. rThe capsule 121 comprises a container 122 having exible, resilient side walls or panels 123 which have inwardly projecting lips or tabs 124 at their distal ends. Within the container 122, there is provided a spring 126 which has on end anchored about an annular base 127 integral with the container and has its other end anchored about an annular base 128 forming a part of a card engaging plunger 129. When the capsule 121 is dismounted from the receive or feed station, the tabs 124 are positioned as shown in FIG.I9 and function to prevent the cards from moving out of the capsule under the urging of the plunger 129. On the other hand, when the capsule is installed on the top of the hopper as shown in FIG. l0, the camming surfaces at the upper margin of the hopper, spread the side walls or panels 123 of the capsule thus spreading the tabs 124 suiiciently to admit cards from the hopper into the capsule. As cards accumulate, the plunger 129 is forced inwardly compressing spring 126 and when the capsule is filled, it is removed from the hopper so that tabs 124 assume their innermost position to retain the cards within the capsule under pressure of spring 126.

To understand the operation of the invention, it should rst be appreciated that the receive station described in the foregoing may be used as an active receive station, a plurality of them being spaced along the conveyor, or may be used as a passive receive station at the end of the conveyor to remove all cards remaining on the conveyor before the belts round the driving pulley. To describe the operation of an active receive station, a card reading station may be disposed at a predetermined position over the conveyor between the card feeding `rstation and the .passive card receive station. The reading station, designated by dotted outline 3d in FIG. l, may be designed to recognize a certain card and thereupon send a signal to the ramp actuating solenoid of the active receive station to cause the plunger thereof to rise, thus rocking the ramp 24 to drop the forward end of the ramp down between the belts to pick up the card from the conveyor.

Upon ascending the ramp 24, the card will be deflected by the clips S7 and 83 and will be received between the ledges and the lips and will be stopped by the plunger actuating switch arm 93. This switch arm absorbs the kinetic energy of the card and then the switch button return spring 92 moves the arm forward to move the card forward to a position where it engagesl the surface 93 of the front wall 74 of the hopper. The card plunger solenoid 29 is actuated by the switch 90 and the solenoid plunger head 34 moves Aupwardly between'the belts and pushes the card upwardly. The card is sufficiently flexible to bend and slip past the:

lips

87 and 83 into the hopper. At the same time the card hold-down device affords a backing means whereby the card is not randomly oriented 1n the hopper but is maintained inV a position for plane parallel to the plane in which it rested between the ledges and the lips. Upon return of the card plunger head to lts initial normal position, the card hold-down device will return the card to a position where it is firmly at rest on the upper edges of the

lips

87 and 88.

The next time a signal causes the ramp 24 to descend and pick up another card, the same procedure will be followed.

As cards accumulate in the hopper, they eventually reach a level where they have raised the pad 113 enough to move the switch actuator arm 72 outwardly. This switch may then be used to stop the conveyance of cards so that the cards may be removed from the hopper.

In order to remove the cards from the hopper, the card hold-down device is raised by means of the knob 69 and swung to a position out of the way of the top ofthe hopper. A capsule may then be installed on the top of the hopper as illustrated in FIG. 10. Tabs 124 are deflected outwardly to permit a stack of cards to be removed from the hopper into the capsule. The unloading handle 54 may then be manually elevated to cause head 34 to elevate the stack into the capsule. While the unloading handle is in the raised position the capsule may be removed from the top of the hopper thereby permitting the lips 124 carried by the side panels ofthe capsule to resume their normal position so that they will retain cards when the capsule is removed from the hopper. The unloading handle may then be released whereupon the return spring 47 will return the plunger rod 33 to its initial position,

and the operation of the conveyor may be resumed.

It should be recognized from the foregoing, that the receive station can effectively remove the cards over a Wide range of conveyor speeds as well as a wide range of pickup frequencies. It should also be understood that where the term card is used herein, particularly in the claims which follow, it should not be considered limited to the specific iilm segment mentioned in the disclosure but may include a wide variety of card shapes, materials and thicknesses.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to lbe considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and Within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. In combination for stacking a plurality of cards,

a conveyor for the cards to obtain a transport of the `cards and to provide the cards with kinetic energy as a result of such transport,

a card holding station constructed to hold the cards in stacked relationship, the card holding station being provided with first and second walls displaced from each other in the direction of movement of the cards and With third and fourth walls disposed in displaced relationship to each other and in transverse relationship to the rst and second walls, the card holding station being provided with a mouth and with a pair of lips on a particular pair of the iirst and second Walls or third and fourth walls at a position adjacent to the mouth,

means movable between iirst and second positions and disposed between the card holding station and the conveyor and operative in the first position to provide a transfer of cards from the conveyor to the card holding station at a position adjacent the mouth of the card holding station and operative in the second position to provide a movement of the cards on the conveyor past the position of transfer to the card holding station, and

means responsive to the movement of the cards to the iirst wall of the card holding station lfor lifting .the cards into the `card holding station through the lmouth of the card holding station and past the lips in the card holding station to obtain a retention of the cards within the station by the lips.

2. The combination set forth in claim l wherein the last mentioned means are also operative to absorb `the kinetic energy of the cards after the movement of the cards to the iirst Wall and wherein the last mentioned means are further operative to move the cards toward the second wall after the movement of the cards to the iirst Wall.

3. ln combination for stacking a plurality of cards,

conveyor for the cards,

a card holding station constructed to hold the cards in stacked relationship, the card holding station being provided with iirst and second walls displaced ffrom each other in the direction of movement of the cards -by a distance corresponding to the length of the cards, the card holding station being provided with a mouth through which the cards are transferred,

means movable between lirst and second positions and disposed between the conveyor and the card holding station and disposed relative to the conveyor and the card holding station in the first position for providing a transfer of cards from the conveyor to the card holding station and disposed relative to the conveyor and the card holding station in the second position for providing a movement of the ycards on the conveyor past the position of transfer to the card holding station,

means disposed relative to the cards on the conveyor and responsive to particular information on lthe 4cards for obtaining a movement of the movable means from the second position to the first position upon the occurrence of such particular information, and

means operatively coupled to the irst wall of the card holding station and responsive to the movement of the cards to the iirst Wall for absorbing the kinetic energy of the cards and for moving the cards into the card holding station through the mouth of the card holding station.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein the card holding station is provided with means to receive a capsule having a pair of oppositely disposed resilient Walls and wherein the card holding station is provided with means to spread lthe resilient Wal-ls for providing a movement of the cards in the card holding station into the capsule and wherein the card moving means are provided with means disposed relative to the card holding station and the capsule to lift the cards from the card holding station into the capsule.

5. In combination for stacking a plurality of cards and for providing `a transfer of the cards into a capsule having a pair of resilient walls,

a conveyor for the cards,

a card holding station constructed to hold the cards in stacked relationship, the card holding station being provided with rst and second walls displaced .from each other in the direction of movement of the cards, the card holding station 'being provided with a mouth between the dirst and second Walls for a transf-er of the cards into and out `of the station,

means disposed relative to the conveyor and the c-ard holding station fior providing a transfer of the cards from the conveyor to the card hodling station,

means disposed relative to the card holding station and the conveyor for moving the cards into the station through the mouth of the station upon the transfer of the cards from the conveyor to the card holding station, and

camming means in the card holding station at the opposite end of the station from the mouth in the station for receiving the capsule and for spreading the resilient walls in the capsule to provide for a transfer of cards from the card holding station into the capsule, the capsule and the card holding station being disposed relative to each other to provide for a transfer of the cards lfrom the card holding station into the capsule upon a movement of the card moving means toward the capsule, the camming means being disposed to provide for a removal of the capsule from the camming means and to provide for a retention of the cards in the capsule upon the removal of the capsule from the camming means. i

6. The combination set forth in claim 5, wherein means are provided at the end of the card holding station opposite to the mouth in the station 'and wherein ,7 such means are movable between first and second positions and are disposed in the first position against the cards in the card holding means to vretain the cards in 'the card holding means in stacked relationship and wherein such means are disposed in the second position in displaced relationship to the cards in the card holding station to provide for a disposition of the capsule on the camming means.

7. In combination for stacking a plurality of cards,

a conveyor for the cards,

a card holding station constructed to hold the cards in stacked relationship, the card holding station being provided with first and second walls displaced from each other in the direction of movement of the cards and separated from each other by a distance corresponding to the length of the cards,

means movable between first and second posi-tions and disposed between the conveyor and the card holding station and disposed in the iirst position relative to the conveyor and the card holding station to provide a transfer of the cards on the conveyor to the card holding station and disposed in the second position relative to the conveyor'and the card holding station [to provide for a movement of the cards on the conveyor past the position of the transfer of the cards to the card holding station, and

means operatively coupled to the second wall of the card holding station and responsive to the movement of the cards to the second wall after the transfer of the cards from the conveyor for obtaining a return of the cards to the first wall and for obtaining a transfer of the cards into the card holding station in a direction transverse to the first and second walls.

8. In combination for stacking a plurality of cards,

a conveyor for the cards,

a card holding station constructed to hold the cards in stacked relationship, the card holding station being provided with first and second walls displaced from each other in the direction of movement, the second wall being disposed on the downstream side in the direction of movement of the cards on the conveyor,

Y the card holding station being provided with a mouth through which the cards are transferred into the card holding station,

means disposed relative to the card holding station and the conveyor for obtaining a 'transfer of cards on the conveyor to the card holding station,

a switch having a stationary contact and a movable arm contiguous to the stationary contact, the movable arm of the switch being provided with resilient characteristics and being disposed relative to the second wall in the card holding station to absorb the kinetic energy of the cards upon the transfer of the cards to the Vcard holding station and upon the movement of the cards to the second Wall, the movable arm being moved by the cards into engagement with the stationary Contact to actuate the switch, the movable arm being responsive to the engagement with the stationary contact to move the cards toward the iirst wall of the card holding station, and

means responsive to the actuation of the switch for moving ythe cards into the card holding station through the mouth of the station.

9. The combination set forthin claim 8, wherein the card holding station includes a pair of lips near the mouth of the station to obtain a retention of the cards in the station after the movement of the cards through the mouth'and past the lips and wherein the card moving means includes a plunger movable into the card holding station through the mouth of the station and past the lips in the station.

10. In combination for stacking a plurality of cards,

a conveyor for the cards,

a card holding station constructed to hold the cards in stacked relationship, the card holding station being provided with first and second walls displaced from each other in the direction of movement of the cards on the conveyor by a distance corresponding to the length of the cards, the second wall being disposed downstream from the tirst wall in the direction of movement of the cards on the conveyor, the first and second walls being disposed to deiine a mouth through which the cards are moved into the station,

retaining means in the station near the mouth of the station for retaining the cards in the station upon the movement of the cards into the station,

means disposed relative to the conveyor and the card holding station for obtaining a transfer of the cards from the conveyor to the station,

a switch having a stationary Contact and a movable arm made from a resilient material, the movable arm of the switch being disposed relative to the second wall to receive the cards upon the movement of the cards to the second wall after being transferred from the conveyor to the card holding station and to absorb the kinetic energy of the cards and to provide a movement of the cards toward the first wall, the movable arm of the switch being disposed relative to the stationary contact of the switch to provide an actuation of the switch upon the movement of the cards to the second wall of the card holding station,

a plunger disposed in contiguous relationship to the mouth of the card holding station and movable into the station through the mouth in the station to obtain a transfer of the cards into the station,

means operatively coupled to the plunger and to the switch and responsive to the actuation of the switch for obtaining a movement of the plunger into the station, and

stacking means disposed at the opposite end of the card holding station from the mouth of the card holding station and pressing against the cards in the card holding station for retaining the cards in the station in stacked relationship.

ll. The combination set forth in claim l() wherein the stacking means are movable between rst and second positions and wherein the stacking means press against the cards -in the station in the first position and are displaced from the cards in the station in the second position and wherein the card holding station is provided with camming means at the end opposite to the mouth of the station and wherein the camming means are constructed to receive the opposite resilient walls of a capsule in the second position of the stacking means and to spread the resilient walls of the capsule for a transfer of cards into the card holding station and wherein the plunger is movable into the station a particular distance to transfer the cards from the station into the capsule and wherein the capsule is .removable from the camming means upon the transfer of the cards into the capsule.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/60 Johnson et al.

3/60 Bassi@ 20a- 111.5 X

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION FOR STACKING A PLURALITY OF CARDS, A CONVEYOR FOR THE CARDS TO OBTAIN A TRANSPORT OF THE CARDS AND TO PROVIDE THE CARDS WITH KINETIC ENERGY AS A RESULT OF SUCH TRANSPORT, A CARD HOLDING STATION CONSTRUCTED TO HOLD THE CARDS IN STACKED RELATIONSHIP, THE CARD HOLDING STATION BEING PROVIDED WITH FIRST AND SECOND WALLS DISPLACED FROM EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE CARDS AND WITH THIRD AND FOURTH WALLS DISPOSED IN DISPLACED RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER AND IN TRANSVERSE RELATIONSHIP TO THE FIRST AND SECOND WALLS, THE CARD HOLDING STATION BEING PROVIDED WITH A MOUTH AND WITH A PAIR OF LIPS ON A PARTICULAR PAIR OF THE FIRST AND SECOND WALLS OR THIRD AND FOURTH WALLS AT A POSITION ADJACENT TO THE MOUTH, MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS AND DISPOSED BETWEEN THE CARD HOLDING STATION AND THE CONVEYOR AND OPERATIVE IN THE FIRST POSITION TO PROVIDE A TRANSFER OF CARDS FROM THE CONVEYOR TO THE CARD HOLDING STATION AT A POSITION ADJACENT THE MOUTH OF THE CARD HOLDING STATION AND OPERATIVE IN THE SECOND POSITION TO PROVIDE A MOVEMENT OF THE CARDS ON THE CONVEYOR PAST THE POSITION OF TRANSFER TO THE CARD HOLDING STATION, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE CARDS TO THE FIRST WALL OF THE CARD HOLDING STATION FOR LIFTING THE CARDS INTO THE CARD HOLDING STATION THROUGH THE MOUTH OF THE CARD HOLDING STATION AND PAST THE LIPS IN THE CARD HOLDING STATION TO OBTAIN A RETENTION OF THE CARDS WITHIN THE STATION BY THE LIPS.