US 4,330,063 A · Machine-retrievable card and card retrieval apparatus and method therefor

Abstract

A machine-retrievable card and associated card retrieval apparatus and method therefor is disclosed in which the card is provided with a code-notched sorting edge located between the leading and trailing card edges which has (a) a predetermined configuration of complementary and primary digit code teeth which are removed and retained, respectively, to encode the card with a particular digit, and (b) an acquisition tooth at the leading edge and associated acquisition slot, and (c) a return tooth at the trailing edge and an associated notch. The card retrieval apparatus includes complementary and primary code blades which selectively engage associated complementary and primary code slots of the card, respectively, as well as a pair of acquisition blades and a pair of return blades which cooperate with the acquisition and return teeth, respectively. The blades engage the card sorting edges and shift in a specified sequence to shift the cards in stages between home, intermediate and advanced positions to thereby select a desired card from the deck.

A card selection system comprising:

a plurality of cards supported in face-to-face relation in a deck, each card having leading and trailing edges between which is located a sorting edge along which are provided:
(a) an acquisition tooth of specified width W bounded by said leading edge and an acquisition slot,
(b) a return tooth of width W bounded by said trailing edge and a notch of width at least 2W,
(c) a complementary code region of N equally spaced removable complementary code teeth each of width W, said complementary code region also including N equally spaced complementary slots with each complementary slot being located forwardly of its associated complementary code tooth,
(d) a primary code region of N equally spaced removable primary code teeth each of width W, said primary code region also including N equally spaced primary slots with each primary slot being located rearwardly of its associated primary code tooth,
(e) said cards in said deck encoded in M digit out of N digit format with complementary code teeth removed, and primary code teeth remaining, only at M locations corresponding to the M digits,
a card-locating member against which the cards can abut to locate said cards in a home position,
a first acquisition blade disposed opposite said leading edge of said cards in said home position, said first acquisition blade being movable between engaged and disengaged positions relative to said acquisition slot of a card in a partially selected position displaced forwardly of said home position a distance W, said first acquisition blade positively preventing rearward movement of a card in said partially selected position when engaged with the acquisition slot thereof,
a second acquisition blade disposed parallel to said first acquisition blade and forwardly thereof a distance W, said second acquisition blade being movable between engaged and disengaged positions relative to said acquisition slot of a card in a fully selected position displaced forwardly of said home position a distance 2W, said second acquisition blade positively preventing rearward movement of a card in said fully selected position when engaged with the acquisition slot thereof,
N equally spaced complementary blades, each corresponding to a different code digit, disposed parallel to said acquisition blades, said N complementary blades being disposed opposite said N complementary slots of a card in said home position, said N complementary blades being movable, one at a time, between engaged and disengaged positions relative to complementary slots aligned therewith, each of said complementary blades, when in its engaged position, positively preventing forward motion of an undesired card having an unremoved complementary code tooth rearwardly of said engaged complementary blade,
N equally spaced primary blades, each corresponding to a different code digit disposed parallel to said acquisition blades, said N primary blades being disposed opposite said N primary slots of a card in said home position, said N primary blades being movable, one at a time, between engaged and disengaged positions relative to primary slots aligned therewith, said primary blades being movable forwardly from a nonselecting position to a selecting position displaced forwardly of said nonselecting position a distance W, each of said primary blades when in its engaged position and moving forwardly a distance W from its nonselecting position to its selecting position being effective to positively move forwardly a distance W a card having a primary code tooth forwardly of said engaged primary blade,
a first return blade parallel to said acquisition blades and located, when in its return position, opposite the forward edge of the return tooth of a card in said partially selected position, said first return blade being movable rearwardly from its return position to a normal position displaced a distance W rearwardly of its return position, said first return blade being movable between engaged and disengaged positions relative to said notch of a card in said partially selected position, said first return blade, when simultaneously in its return and engaged positions and moving rearwardly, positively returning a card having its return tooth rearwardly of said first return blade from said partially selected position to said home position,
a second return blade parallel to said acquisition blades and located, when in its return position, opposite the forward edge of the return tooth of a card in said fully selected position, said second return blade being movable rearwardly from its return position to a normal position displaced a distance W rearwardly of its return position, said second return blade being movable between engaged and disengaged positions relative to said notch of a card in said fully selected position, said second return blade, when simultaneously in its return and engaged positions and moving rearwardly, positively returning a card having its return tooth rearwardly of said second return blade from said fully selected position to said partially selected position,
first selectively operable blade actuating means for selectively moving said primary, complementary, return, and acquisition blades between their engaged and disengaged positions,
second selectively operable blade actuating means for selectively moving said primary and return blades between their nonselecting and selecting positions and their return and normal positions, respectively, and
sequence control means for energizing said first and second blade actuators on a selective and sequential basis to positively select and displace, in M sequential digit selection steps corresponding to the sequence of M digits, a desired card forwardly a distance 2W relative to the remaining undesired cards while positively retaining undesired cards against a relative displacement of distance 2W.

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Machine-retrievable card and card retrieval apparatus and method therefor

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Machine-retrievable card and card retrieval apparatus and method therefor

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Abstract

Claims30