Consumable card activated apparatus
OwnerJohn J. Houghtalinginventor
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Abstract
A device adapted to be activated when a consumable portion card with consumable unit portions is inserted therein, the insertion of said card and other articles being blocked by a gate operable if a valid consumable portion or unit still remains on said card, the card taking the place of a coin. The device can be used to operate a bed vibrator, turn on a radio or television for a predetermined time, or activate other types of devices hitherto started or operable by coin-operated mechanisms.
Claims5
In a card-operated device for activating an apparatus, the combination including a housing having an insert slot for receiving a card with a consumable portion which is crimped and extends longitudinally along an edge of the card and is subdivided into a plurality of units, gate means within said housing normally blocking the insertion of a card therein to an operative position, means responsive to a portion of said consumable portion for opening said gate means to permit insertion of said card, gear means having play between the meshing teeth corresponding to the thickness of the crimped portion of the card responsive to an unconsumed part of said consumable portion to provide a signal for activating said apparatus, and means responsive to said consumable portion for cancelling one of said units each operation, whereby said card can only be used the number of times corresponding to the remaining number of units on said consumable portion.
In a card-operated device for activating an apparatus, the combination including a housing having an insert slot for receiving a card with a consumable, magnetically encoded strip means magnetically subdivided into a plurality of units, means responsive to an unconsumed part of said consumable, magnetically encoded strip means to provide a signal for activating said apparatus, and means responsive to said consumable, magnetically encoded strip means for physically removing one of said units in each operation, whereby said card can only be used the number of times corresponding to the remaining number of units on said consumable, magnetically encoded strip means.
In a card-operated device for activating an apparatus, the combination including a housing having an insert slot for receiving a card with a consumable, continuous magnetically encoded strip means subdivided into a plurality of magnetic units, gate means within said housing normally blocking the insertion of a card therein to an operative position, means responsive to a portion of said consumable, continuous magnetically encoded strip means for opening said gate means to permit insertion of said card, means responsive to an unconsumed part of said consumable, continuous magnetically encoded strip means to provide a signal for activating said apparatus, and means responsive to said consumable, continuous magnetically encoded strip means for removing one of said units in each operation, whereby said card can only be used the number of times corresponding to the remaining number of magnetic units on said consumable, continuous magnetically encoded strip means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.