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US 4,529,281 AGranted
Microfiche reader transport system
AssigneeMF Reader Development Fund
InventorsTerrance P. DeRoche, Thomas A. Hollander, Charles H. Smoot
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microfiche reader transport system permitting the automatic and selective accessing of one of a plurality of microfilm frames mounted on a microfiche card. The transport system is independently actuable in the X and Y directions via stepper motor means which are, in turn, selectively controlled via an operator keyboard and a programmable microprocessor controller responsive thereto. The transport system further has the capability of accommodating microfiche cards of various frame formats, and includes means for adaptively adjusting to different magnification ratios of the reader optics and for audibly prompting and verifying operator selections and error conditions.
Claims12
A microfiche transport system for controllably positioning a microfiche card relative to a magnifying lens system so as to read data contained upon individual frames affixed to said microfiche card, comprising:
- (a) a frame member including a slidable saddle movable along a first axis and a microfiche card holder slidably mounted upon said saddle and movable along a second axis;
- (b) first drive means for moving said saddle along said first axis;
- (c) second drive means for moving said microfiche card holder along said second axis;
- (d) keyboard means for directing the axial movement of a contained microfiche card relative to a magnifying lens system and selecting one of a plurality of frames contained thereon for viewing;
- (e) memory means for storing a plurality of preprogrammed variable duration drive signals;
- (f) control means responsive to said keyboard means for determining the magnitude and direction of directed movement along said first and second axes and for accessing said storage means and independently sequentially coupling a plurality of said drive signals to said first and second drive means, thereby controllably accelerating and decelerating said saddle and said microfiche holder during the positioning of a selected frame relative to said lens system.
3 more elements
A microfiche transport system comprising:
- (a) a frame member;
- (b) a saddle slidably mounted on said frame member for motion along a first axis;
- (c) a microfiche holder slidably mounted upon said saddle for motion along a second axis orthogonal to said first axis;
- (d) first means for moving said saddle, including:
- (1) a first stepper motor affixed to said frame member, and
- (2) screw means coupled to said first stepper motor and rotatably mounted to said frame member and through said saddle for moving said saddle along said first axis;
- (e) second means for moving said microfiche holder, including:
- (1) a second stepper motor;
- (2) a plurality of pulleys affixed to said frame member, said saddle and said microfiche holder, and
- (3) a wire affixed to said base and looped about said plurality of pulleys and rotatably coupled to said second stepper motor for moving said microfiche holder along said axis;
- (f) keyboard means for operator directing the axial movement of said saddle and said microfiche holder relative to a magnifying lens system and one of a plurality of selectable magnification powers and to one of a selected plurality of microfiche formats;
- (g) memory means for storing a plurality of addressable sequences of drive signals of differing durations and wherein each drive signal is exponentially related to a previous drive signal;
- (h) processor means responsive to said keyboard means and a selected lens magnification and microfiche format for determining the direction and magnitude of each selected axial movement along each of said first and second axes and for accessing said memory means and independently coupling selected sequences of said drive signals, depending upon the respective magnitudes of selected axial movement and said selected lens magnification and microfiche format, to each of said first and second means so as to accelerate and decelerate said saddle and microfiche holder as they move between selected positions.
10 more elements
A transport system for controllably positioning a microfiche card comprising:
- (a) carriage means for supporting a microfiche card having a plurality of frames mounted thereon;
- (b) drive means coupled to said carriage means for independently moving said microfiche card along at least a first and a second axis;
- (c) keyboard means for directing the movement of said microfiche card relative to a magnifying lens system from an initial position to the center of a selected destination frame;
- (d) means for storing a plurality of sequences of drive signals of differing durations, wherein the duration of each drive signal is related to a previous signal by 1/X, wherein "X" is the duration of the previous signal;
- and
- (e) processing means for scanning said keyboard means, calculating the magnitude and direction of directed axial movements and accessing said storage means and selectively coupling axially dependent ones of said drive signal sequences to said drive means relative to the magnitudes of directed movement and thereby cause the smooth transition of said microfiche card along said first and second axes and positioning of the selected frame relative to said lens system.
3 more elements
A transport system for controllably positioning a microfiche card having a plurality of frames mounted thereon comprising:
- (a) carriage means for supporting said microfiche card and operative upon the initialization thereof to a predetermined first position;
- (b) drive means coupled to said carriage means for independently moving said microfiche card along at least a first and a second axis;
- (c) keyboard means for directing the movement of said microfiche card to center selected frames relative to a magnifying lens system;
- (d) means of storing a plurality of sequences of drive signals of differing durations;
- (e) processing means having a plurality of preprogrammed sub-routines for determining the absolute magnitude and direction of each directed movement along each of said axes upon detecting move commands and for accessing said storage means so as to independently couple ones of said sequences of drive signals to said drive means to controllably accelerate and decelerate said carriage means said decelerating drive signals being applied once said carriage means is of a predetermined separation from a selected destination coordinate along each of said first and second axes, thereby causing the smooth transition of said microfiche card along said first and second axes to the selected frame destination and the centering of a selected frame relative to the magnifying lens system.
2 more elements
A microfiche transport system for controllably positioning a microfiche card relative to a magnifying lens system so as to read data contained upon individual frames affixed to said microfiche card, comprising:
- (a) a frame member including a slidable saddle movable along a first axis and a microfiche card holder slidably mounted upon said saddle and movable along a second axis;
- (b) first drive means for moving said saddle along said first axis;
- (c) second drive means for moving said microfiche card holder along said second axis;
- (d) keyboard means for directing the axial movement of a contained microfiche card relative to a magnifying lens system by selecting one of a plurality of frames contained thereon for viewing;
- (e) memory means for storing a plurality of addressable sequences of drive signals, each of said drive signal sequences providing for the application of a different total duration of drive power and consequent total magnitude of movement;
- (f) control means responsive to said keyboard means for determining the magnitude and direction of each directed movement along said first and second axes and for each axis independently selecting and applying selected ones of said drive signal sequences to said first and second drive means so as to move a predetermined constant distance with each individual dirve signal and controllably accelerate and decelerate said frame member during the positioning of a selected microfiche frame relative to said lens system.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.