US3242319A

US3242319A - Sensing unit with printed circuit

Info

Publication number: US3242319A
Application number: US130541A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Eugene J Le Brun
Original assignee: Sperry Rand Corp
Current assignee: Sperry Corp
Priority date: 1961-08-10
Filing date: 1961-08-10
Publication date: 1966-03-22
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-22
Also published as: CH407614A; BE620770A; DE1213153B; NL281866A; FR1330024A; GB982803A

Description

March 22, 1966 J, LE BRUN, JR

SENSING UNIT WITH PRINTED CIRCUIT g Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. l0, 1961 NOE ENVENTOR. EUGENE J LE BRUN/JR.

March 22, 1966 E. J. LE BRUN, JR

SENSING UNIT WITH PRINTED CIRCUIT z Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 10, 1961 INVENTOR. EUGENE J LE BRUN,JR.

United States Patent O tion of Delaware Filed Aug. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 130,541 12 Claims. (Cl. 235-6111) This invention relates to a card sensing unit employing printed circuit components and more particularly to a unit of this type including a plurality of electrically conductive sensing brush elements mounted on a removable support member.

One conventional method of storing information on a card for controlling business machines is the punching of data perforations therein in a predetermined code usually columnwise of the card by the use of suitable card punching mechanism. In subsequent control by or retrieval of the stored information, the card is moved at high speed through a sensing unit Where the information is taken from the card and utilized for desired purposes. One type of card sensing unit employs a plurality of spaced, conductive elements for completing individual eletrical circuits between a common electrically conductive member positioned on one side of the card and the elements positioned on the opposite side thereof. Conveniently, there have been employed a plurality of flexible conductive wire or brush elements, one for each column of the card, which brushes are positioned along a line extending across the path of the moving card and laterally of the columns thereof to complete individual electrical circuits depending upon the position of the perforations in each of the columns of the card. In addition to the need for a large number of individual brush elements or wires in a relatively confined space, there is also required a like number of individually associated insulated wires or leads for delivering the electrical current impulses from each of the brush elements to cooperating electrical apparatus. Since the data cards are moving at exteremely high speed, and since the brush elements are relatively delicate, damage to or destruction of the brush elements often occurs during the operation of the sensing unit. Subsequent removal and replacement of the individual brush elements or the member acting to support all of the brush elements is achieved only with great difficulty since the multitude of wires or leads are rigidly coupled normally to the individual brush elements.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide an improved card sensing unit of the electrical brush type in which the brush elements may be readily and easily removed without interference from the individual brush leads connected thereto.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved card sensing unit of the multiple brush element type which is of extremely simple construction and is readily adapted to structures employing printed circuitry connections to the individual brush elements.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved ca-rd sensing unit of the multiple brush element type in which the danger of destruction or damage to the brush elements or to the parts associated with the sensing unit, during removal of the brushes from the unit, is greatly minimized.

Further objects of the invention are: to provide for collective and individual adjustment of the brushes; to provide positive control of the brush unit so that it can be safely removed at only one position of adjustment Without damaging the brushes, the record card or the printed circuit carrier; to yieldably position a brush carrier so that it Will automatically break contact of the brushes with the data card to be sensed and the printed circuit carrier prior to removal as a unit from the machine; and to provide for fool-proof positioning of the brushes with respect to the data card and the printed circuit carrier after insertion of the brush unit into the machine.

Other objects of this invention will be pointed out in the following detailed description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which disclose, by way of example, the principle of this invention and the best mode which has been contemplated of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of that portion of the machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is an end elevation taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a detail view of the sensing roll adjusting means,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section on the line 66 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a section on the line 77 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 8 is a section on the line 88 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 10 is a view in elevation of one end of a modified form of brush mounting,

FIG. 11 is a vertical section on the line 1111 of FIG. 10, and

FIG. 12 is a detail view of a spring mounting used in the structure of FIG. 11.

In general, the apparatus of this invention comprises a card sensing unit of the multiple brush element type including an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and adapted to feed or support a moving card. A printed circuit board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated stationary contacts is positioned adjacent the conductive member carrying the perforated card. Intermediate these members is provided a brush support member including a plurality of individual, cooperating spaced conductive bl'LlSll elements and support means allowing the brush support member to be moved toward and away from the elongated conductive member and the printed circuit contact board, to allow individual electric circuits to be completed from the conductive member to the individual, associated printed circuit board contacts, while facilitating removal of the brush support member from the unit.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 10 indicates a part of the body of a card sensing machine having side brackets 11 to which are boiled or otherwise secured end wing portions 12 connected by an integral bar section 13 constituting a support from which is suspended a sensing brush holder unit 14. The latter along its upper edge carries

channel members

16 and 17, FIG. 3, the former having upwardly diverging sides and constituting a slide fitting into an undercut slot 18 in the bottom of said bar section 13, the sides of the latter of which are embraced by the sides of the channel 17 which acts as a guide for removal and replacement, in endwise direction, of the brush holder unit 14.

The bar section 13 also carries a removable panel member 19 to which is fixed by any suitable means a printed circuit card 20 or element, constituting a stationary contact member.

This frame has journalled therein a conductive member in the form of a cylinder or roll 21 over which is fed a card 22 containing perforations 23 arranged in any the card. While the elongated conductive member 21 is shown as a cylinder, and may be rotatable about its own axis to correspond with the movement of the card 22, this member 21 or platen may take any other desired form, that is, it may be stationary and have a perfectly flat surface over which the card can be fed, the only requirement being that it be electrically conductive to complete an electrical circuit between its surface and rigid or flexible brush elements 26 carried by the sensing brush holder unit 14.

In this sense. roll 21 is conventionally termed the hot roll and may also be referred to herein as a sensing roll. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, there is provided a second identical brush element 27 which makes contact with its associated conductive portion 28 of the printed circuit element 20 to achieve an electrical circuit passing from the fully conductive hot roll 21 through the lower brush element 26 and the upper brush element 27 to the printed circuit contact member 20.

One aspect of the present invention is directed to an improved arrangement for the supporting means 24 for the

individual brush elements

26 and 27, which are moved or rotated out of contact with the hot roll 21 and the printed circuit contact member 20 respectively, facilitating removal of the brush support member 26 from the assembly for subsequent replacement or repair of all or any of the brush elements or of the associated circuitry without in any way affecting the great number of electrical conducting elements or wires normally associated with the sensing brush structures of this type.

Referring to FIG. 3, the brush support member or holder unit 24 for the individual brush elements takes the form, in the preferred embodiment, of an elongated, rectangular carrier rod or bar 29, preferably of insulating material and having substantially a cruciform shape in cross section. Bar 29 has formed on opposing top and bottom surfaces or faces 31 and 32 respectively, a number of spaced parallel grooves or slots 33 acting to re ceive the upper and lower individual, flexible, conductive brush elements or

wires

27 and 26 respectively. The

free ends

34 and 36 respectively of these elements extend outwardly beyond the sides of the bar 29 in opposite directions and are beveled to insure maximum contact with the associated printed circuit stationary contacts 20 and the hot roll 21. In order to insure electrical continuity from one of the flexible brush elements 26 to the oppositely positioned and aligned element 27, as well as to secure the brush elements within their respective slots 33, there is provided a plurality of set screws 37 which pass completely through the insulating rod 29 to engage and frictionally secure the rear portions of the

brush elements

26 and 27 in their slots 33.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a pair of removable brush guides 38 which are connected to the sides of the rod 29 by screws 39 during the initial mounting stage and have surfaces 41 which abut the inner end of the

brush elements

26 and 27 to accurately position the elements longitudinally within their respective slots. After the

individual brush elements

26 and 27 have been aligned or adjusted they are secured within their slots by tightening of screw bolts 37 which are slotted as at 37A to receive the brushes 26 and 27 (FIG. 8), after which the guides may be removed. Thus, all of the brushes may be aligned simultaneously or they can be adjusted individual ly to compensate for wear.

In order to facilitate longitudinal removal of the brush support member 24 from the sensing unit, without interference from the associated stationary contact members and to guard the brushes against damage during and after removal of the unit, bar 29 may be rotated through a limited number of degrees about its own axis. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the elongated rod or support member 29 has affixed at each end a coupling member 40 having flanges which are rigidly secured to the opposite sides of the bar 29. Fixedly attached to each flanged member is a detent arm 43 which in the lowered position (FIG. 3) will prevent longitudinal removal of the unit 14 by engaging the frame, and a central shaft 44 whose ends extend through suitable apertures formed in stationary support brackets 46 at opposite ends of the apparatus, the apertures forming bearing surfaces allowing rotation of the shaft. At the right end of the unit, as seen in FIG. 1, there is provided the laterally directed detent arm or lever 43 which has a bore receiving the end of the shaft 44 and having a set screw or other means to secure the detent arm 43 on the shaft 44 in any desired position. The shaft 44 is allowed a limited rotation of approximately 20 degrees with the lever 43 moving from an inclined position where the brush ends 36 and 34 are protected within the openings 14B and 148 to a position approximately horizontal to locate

brush elements

26 and 27 in contact with the associated roll 21 and the printed circuit board 20.

To facilitate removal of the brush supporting carrier bar 29, the stationary support bracket members 46 are generally U-shaped in configuration with legs 54 being rigidly coupled by suitable set screws 60 to longitudinally extending, horizontal

support strip members

56 and 58. The opposite end of shaft 44 from the detent arm 43 carries a gear 62 which meshes with a pinion 64 secured to a stud shaft 63 journalled in a bracket 65, which shaft has secured thereto the collar 66 of a handwheel 67. The collar has a radially extending pin 68 (FIG. 5) coacting with spaced limit pins 69 on the bracket to define the rotation of the stud shaft and the extent of rotary movement of the detent arm 43 by reason of a suitable ratio of operation of the

gears

62 and 64. The stud shaft 63, FIG. 5, is slidable endwise against the resistance of a spring 70 so that locking pins 71 projecting from the-end of a gear hub 72 can be withdrawn from holes 73 in the bracket 65 to free the handwheel 67 for rotation. The position of the pins 71 maintains the proper position of shaft 44 so that the brushes are located in the desired position, especially when positioned to cause the brushes to maintain contact between the hot roll 21 and the printed circuit 20. Such means, however, does not prevent the ready removal of the brush support member by the simple process of pulling on the handw'neel to free the pins 71 and rotating the handwheel or swinging the lever 43 counterclockwise to rotate shaft 44 from the normal circuit completing position to the inclined position, at which time, the

brush elements

26 and 27 will leave their contact surfaces to break the circuits and allow the brush support 24 to be removed longitudinally from the left as in FIG. 1.

It should be noted that the present invention is most advantageously used with stationary contacts of the printed circuit type. The upper end of the panel member 19, FIG. 3, is provided with conventional electrical connecting means 75 allowing a relatively large number of individual insulated electrical leads or wires 76 to be connected to a single element printed circuit board or member 20 which includes a plurality of spaced electrical conductive portions or stripes 28 which are aligned at one end with the spaced brush elements 27 and make cooperative contact upon rotation of shaft 44 in the manner specified previously. In conventional sensing units of this type, each of the individual leads or wires 76 is required to be connected directly to its associated wire brush element, thus preventing or at least greatly complicating the removal of any or all of the brush elements. With the greatly simplified structure of the present invention, there is only the requirement of a single element printed circuit board 20 having a desired configuration allowing individual, spaced conductive portions 28 to be placed in contact with aligned cooperating brush elements positioned on a single brush support member which may be rotated or moved to facilitate easy removal of the brush unit 14, should such removal be necessary.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 which basically comprises the same elements as in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 9. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 11, there is no need to preliminarily rotate the elongated brush support member prior to removal of this element from the sensing unit. Referring to this figure, there is shown a sensing brush assembly 81 which includes a generally rectangular, elongated rod or brush support bar member 84 of insulating material which is fixedly attached to the sensing brush assembly 81 by conventional means which may include a metal supporting member or bracket 91 at opposite ends, each having an upwardly directed end or flange 92 which is secured by means of suitable screws 93. Instead of using a pair of oppositely disposed brush elements positioned on either side of the bar 84 in the manner of the preferred embodiment, there is provided an obliquely positioned single brush element 82 which includes a downwardly directed flexible portion 94 having a beveled tip 95 which makes contact with the hot roll 80. In similar manner to the preferred embodiment, each brush element 82 is secured within a suitable transverse slot 86 of bar 84 by means of a slotted screw'bolt 87. The opposite upwardly disposed end of the brush element 82, rather than being flexible, may be relatively rigid and is adapted to contact a conductive surface 96 formed on the printed circuit board 83 rigidly secured to a suitable support member 97. A flexible wire lead 88 may be connected to the printed wire circuitry 96 of board 83 by suitable electrical connector means 89. In order to provide some flexibility to the contact arrangement between the brush element 82 and the conductive surface portion 96 of printed circuit board 83, there is provided behind the portion 96 a flexible spring stop member 98 which has an outwardly curved terminal portion 99 giving a desired degree of resilience to the terminal portion of the printed circuit element 83.

In this embodiment, instead of rotating the elongated brush support member prior to removal thereof, it is only necessary to release suitable clamps 90 by swinging the same aside and then lift the brush support member vertically out of its recess in the body 10.

In order that the brushes 82 will not be damaged, spring means are used to cause the brush assembly 81 to pop-up when clamps 90 are released. At opposite ends, in a recess in the bottom of the body A, bolts 102 threaded into the brush assembly 81 pass through a bottom plate 103 (FIGS. 10 and 12) and are surrounded by springs 104 which seat in suitable recesses in plate 103 and exert raising pressure on the bottom of sensing brush assembly 81 to give the latter a floating or yieldable elfect. The bottom plate 103 has a longitudinal opening 107 into which the lower ends 95 of the brushes 82 are lifted when the clamps 90 are released so that after the brush holder or assembly is lifted out of the body it can be set down on a work bench or other surface without damage to the brushes.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A card sensing unit comprising an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and adapted to support a moving card; a printed circuit board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary contacts positioned adjacent said elongated conductive member; an elongated brush support member adapted to be positioned intermediate said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board; a plurality of individual, spaced, insulated, conductive brush elements mounted on opposing sides of said brush support member at right angles to the axis thereof with their free ends extending away from said brush support member in opposite directions; means for electrically connecting said aligned conductive elements on said brush support member; means for rotatably mounting said brush support member between said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board whereby said oppositely positioned, individually aligned, conductive elements on said support member can be moved into and out of contact with said elongated conductive member and associated contacts on said printed circuit board to facilitate removal of said brush support member from said unit; and further including a hand wheel positioned for rotation adjacent said rotatably mounted brush support member, gear means interconnecting said hand wheel and said brush support member and means for preventing rotation of said hand wheel when said conductive brush elements on said support member are moved into contact with said elongated conductive member and the associated contacts on said printed circuit board. 1

2. A card sensing unit comprising an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and adapted to support a moving card; a printed circuit board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary contacts positioned adjacent said elongated conductive member; an elongated brush support member adapted to be positioned intermediate said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board; a plurality of individual, spaced, insulated, conductive brush elements mounted on opposing sides of said brush support member at right angles to the axis thereof with their free ends extending away from said brush support member in opposite directions; means for electrically connecting said aligned conductive elements on said brush support member; and means for rotatably mounting said brush support member between said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board whereby said oppositely positioned, individually aligned, conductive elements on said support member can be moved into and out of contact of said elongated conductive member and associated contacts on said printed circuit board to facilitate removal of said brush support member from said unit; and, wherein said means for rotatably mounting said brush support member include a first shaft fixed to said brush support member, a second shaft, means for mounting said second shaft for limited axial movement between two positions, gear means interconnecting said first and second shaft, positive locking means on said second shaft adapted to prevent rotation of said second shaft in one axial position and adapted to allow free rotation of said shaft in said other axial position, and means for biasing said shaft to said first axial position whereby said brush support member is prevented from rotation except upon axial shifting of said second shaft.

3. A card sensing unit comprising an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and adapted to support a moving card; a printed circuit board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary contacts positioned adjacent said elongated conductive member; an elongated brush support member adapted to be positioned intermediate said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board; a plurality of individual, spaced, insulated, conductive brush elements mounted on opposing sides of said brush support member at right angles to the axis thereof with their free ends extending away from said brush support member in opposite directions; means for electrically connecting said aligned conductive elements on said brush support member; and means for rotatably mounting said brush support member between said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board whereby said oppositely positioned, individually aligned, conductive elements on said support member can be moved into and out of contact with said elongated conductive member and associated contacts on said printed circuit board to facilitate removal of said brush support member from .said unit; and, wherein said means for rotatably mounting said elongated support member includes a first shaft rigidly coupled to said brush support member and adapted to be freely rotatable within said sensing unit, a second shaft having its axis extending parallel to said first shaft, gear means interconnecting said two shafts, support means for said second shaft allowing free rotation and limited axial movement, a pin extending axially of said second shaft, stationary means including a cooperating aperture positioned in the path of said axially moving pin, means for biasing said second shaft in an axial position such that said axially moving pin protrudes within said aperture whereby said brush support member is prevented fro-m rotating when said aligned conductive elements are in contact with said elongated conductive membet and the associated contacts on said printed circuit board.

4. A card sensing unit comprising an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and acting to support a moving card, a printed circuit board stationarily positioned adjacent said elongated conductive member and carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary conductive portions, an elongated insulating brush support member, a plurality of individual, spaced, conductive brush elements mounted on opposing sides of said elongated support member at right angles to the axis thereof with their free ends extending away from said support member in opposite directions, means for electrically connecting aligned opposed conductive elements on said support member, stationary support means for mounting said elongated brush support member between said elongated conductive member and said stationary printed circuit conductive portion, means for rotating said elongated brush support member on said mounting means whereby said free ends of said oppositely positioned brush elements on said support member may be moved into and out of contact with said elongated cylindrical conductive member and associated conductive portions of said printed circuit board, and means allowing said elongated brush support member to be slid axially away from said unit on an axis generally parallel to the axis of said elongated conductive member after said brush elements have been rotated from a contacting position to a noncontacting position so that said brush support member may be easily removed from said unit.

5. A card sensing unit comprising an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and adapted to support a moving card, a printed circuit board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated stationary contacts positioned adjacent said elongated conductive member, an elongated insulative brush support member having a cruciform cross sectional configuration, a plurality of spaced, aligned brush receiving slots formed on opposite faces of said brush support member at right angles to the axis thereof, a plurality of conductive brush elements positioned within said slots, means for rigidly securing said brush elements within said slots and electrically connecting oppositely aligned brush elements, said brush elements including flexible free ends extending away from said support member in opposite directions, stationary support means for supporting said elongated brush support member between said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board with individual brush elements aligned with associated conductive portions on said printed circuit board and means for allowing limited rotation of said elongated support member on said support means whereby said oppositely positioned, individually aligned conductive elements on said support member may be moved into and out of contact with said elongated conductive member and said associated stationary contacts of said printed circuit board to facilitate removal of said brush support member from said unit.

6. A brush support member for a card sensing unit including an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and adapted to support a moving card and a printed circuit board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary contacts posi-; tioned adjacent said elongated conductive member, said I brush support member adapted to be positioned intermediate said elongated conductive member and said:

printed circuit board for completing desired electrical circuits, said brush support member comprising a pair of oppositely disposed face portions having a plurality of spaced slots positioned generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of said brush support member, individual elongated conductive brush elements adapted to be positioned within said slot having free ends extending therefrom in one direction along one face portion and in another direction along another face portion, said brush support member having threaded bolt receiving apertures extending through said member at right angles to said spaced slots, a cooperating conductive mounting bolt positioned in each of said threaded apertures, said mounting bolts each having a pair of transverse apertures formed therewithin and acting to respectively receive apair of said conductive brush elements when positioned in said slots whereby rotational movement of said mounting bolts within said bolt receiving apertures acts to secure said pair of individual brush elements within their respective slots allowing individual adjustment.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said brush support member includes a plurality of aligned slots on opposing faces of said brush support member to receive two duplicate sets of brush elements and said conductive mounting bolt includes a pair of apertures formed Within said bolt near the inner and outer extremities thereof, said bolts positioned within said bolt receiving apertures and said brush elements positioned within said slots and extending through respective apertures in said bolts to securely position in electrically conductive relationship a pair of brush elements within their respective slots.

8. A removable brush support assembly for a card sensing unit including an elongated conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and adapted.

to support a moving card, and a printed circuit board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary contacts positioned adjacent said elongated conductive member, said brush support assembly including an elongated insulative support member having a plurality of spaced, conductive brush elements positioned on opposing sides of said support member with the brush elements including free ends extending away from said support member in opposite directions, means for electrically connecting said conductive brush elements, stationary support means for supporting said brush support assembly between said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board while allowing longitudinal removal thereof, said brush support assembly further including means for rotatably mounting said elongated brush support member, a pair of brush protective members positioned on either side of said brush support assembly and extending longitudinally thereof, said brush protective members having an elongated, longitudinally extending, central slot, through which the free ends of said brush elements extend, and means for rotating said brush support member within said brush support assembly whereby the free ends of said brush elements move from a protected position within said slots to a position in which the free ends extend away from said brush assembly exterior of said slot, thus protecting the brush support assembly during removal of said brush support assembly from said stationary support means. I

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 including detent means mounted on said brush support member and adapted to prevent longitudinal removal of said brush support assembly when said brush support member is rotated to a p ti n where the free ends of said conductive brush elements extend exteriorly of the slot of said brush protective members.

10. A card sensing unit comprising an elongated, conductive member connected to a source of electrical potential and acting to support a moving card, a printed circuit board stationarily positioned adjacent said elongated conductive member and carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary conductive portions, an elongated brush support assembly, means allowing said assembly to be longitudinally slid into position between said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit board, said assembly including an elongated brush support member rotatably mounted on said assembly and carrying a plurality of individual, spaced, conductive elements on opposed surfaces of said support member, said conductive brush elements being mounted on said support member at generally right angles to the axis thereof with their free ends extending away from said support member in opposite directions, a pair of stationary brush protective plate elements, positioned on opposite sides of said rotatable brush support member, said protective plate members including central, longitudinally extending apertures acting to protectively receive said brush elements when said brush support member is in a first position, and acting to allow said brush elements to extend through said apertures when said brush support member is rotated to a second position enabling the free ends of said oppositely positioned brush elements to move into contact with said elongated conductive member and associated conductive portions of said printed circuit board while allowing said brush support assembly to be slid axially of said unit on an axis generally parallel to the axis of said conductive member after the brush elements have been rotated to a noncontacting position thus facilitating removal of said brush support assembly from said unit.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 further including detent means positioned on said elongated brush support member extending away from the axis thereof and acting to contact a portion of said card sensing unit to prevent axial movement of said brush support assembly with respect to said card sensing unit when said brush support member is in said second position.

12. A card sensing unit comprising an elongated conductive member connectable to a source of electrical potential and adapted to Support a moving card, a printed 1Q circuit contact board carrying a plurality of spaced, insulated, stationary contacts spaced from said elongated conductive member, a brush support assembly including a plurality of individual, cooperating spaced conductive brush elements, and means for supporting said brush support assembly for movement with respect to said elongated conductive member and said printed circuit contact board whereby individual electric circuits can be completed from said conductive member to associated printed circuit board contacts with said brush support assembly being readily removable from said unit, said brush support assembly including two oppositely disposed face portions having a plurality of spaced slots positioned generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of said brush support assembly, said individual conductive brush ele ments being adapted to be positioned within said slots having free ends extending therefrom in one direction along one face portion and in another direction along the other face portion, a brush member having threaded bolt receiving apertures extending through said member at right angles to said spaced slots, a cooperating mounting bolt positioned in each of said threaded apertures, said mounting bolts each having a pair of transverse apertures formed within said bolt member and acting to receive said conductive brush elements when positioned in said slots whereby rotational movement of said mounting bolts within said bolt receiving apertures acts to secure a pair of said individual brush elements within their respective slots allowing individual adjustment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,839,398 1/1932 Lee 23561.11 2,395,557 2/1946 Leathers 23561.11 2,543,906 3/1951 Ford 200-46 2,615,626 10/1952 Luhn 235-61.11 2,615,627 10/1952 Stuivenberg 23 561.11 2,829,831 4/1958 Stewart 23561.11 2,833,473 5/1958 Engel 23561.11 3,014,654 12/1961 Wilser 23561.11 3,015,004 12/1961 Fowle 20046 MALCOLM A. MORRISON, Primary Examiner.

WALTER W. BURNS, JR., Examiner.

Claims

4. A CARD SENSING UNIT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CONDUCTIVE MEMBER CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL AND ACTING TO SUPPORT A MOVING CARD, A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD STATIONARILY POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID ELONGATED CONDUCTIVE MEMBER AND CARRYING A PLURALITY OF SPACED, INSULATED, STATIONARY CONDUCTIVE PORTIONS, AN ELONGATED INSULATING BRUSH SUPPORT MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL, SPACED, CONDUCTIVE BRUSH ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON OPPOSING SIDES OF SAID ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS THEREOF WITH THEIR FREE ENDS EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, MEANS FOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING ALIGNED OPPOSED CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, STATIONARY SUPPORT MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID ELONGATED BRUSH SUPPORT MEMBER BETWEEN SAID ELONGATED CONDUCTIVE MEMBER AND SAID STATIONARY PRINTED CIRCUIT CONDUCTIVE PORTION, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ELONGATED BRUSH SUPPORT MEMBER ON SAID MOUNTING MEANS WHEREBY SAID FREE ENDS OF SAID OPPOSITELY POSITIONED BRUSH ELEMENTS ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBER MAY BE MOVED INTO AND OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL CONDUCTIVE MEMBER AND ASSOCIATED CONDICTIVE PORTIONS OF SAID PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD, AND MEANS ALLOWING SAID ELONGATED BRUSH SUPPORT MEMBER TO BE SLID AXIALLY AWAY FROM SAID UNIT ON AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID ELONGATED CONDUCTIVE MEMBER AFTER SAID BRUSH ELEMENTS HAVE BEEN ROTATED FROM A CONTACTING POSITION TO A NONCONTACTING POSITION SO THAT SAID BRUSH SUPPORT MEMBER MAY BE EASSILY REMOVED FROM SAID UNIT.