US 5,206,486 AGranted

Data recorder and stylus therefor

AssigneeElection Data Corporation

InventorsRichard J. Stephens, Harry H. Boucher

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Abstract

A data recorder includes a unitary housing such as comprised of a molded plastic having an open upper portion, a removable lower cover, and a data card receiving arrangement at one end thereof. The data card receiving arrangement includes a narrow slot of precisely fixed dimensions for preventing the insertion of more than one data card at a time. Disposed within the housing are various flat template members arranged in a layered array, with each template having a plurality of spaced apertures therein. Upon full insertion of a data card in the data recorder, the leading edge of the card urges a forward-biased mask member to the full aft position for aligning the apertures of the various layered members allowing the tip of a stylus to be inserted through aligned apertures in the mask and template members to permit severing of chips or punch portions from the data card, which may be either scored or unscored. The recorder includes a seal/lock arrangement and means for removing a hung-up card without disassembling the recorder. Several telescoping stylus designs are contemplated, one employing a trigger mechanism which activates a pointed, inner telescoping member when a predetermined force is manually applied to the stylus, causing the inner member to pierce the data card and remove a chip therefrom in a manner which provides an aural and tactile indication to the user that the data card has been punched.

Claims18

Dependent claims

Apparatus for recording data on a data card by removing portions of said data card with a stylus, said apparatus comprising:

a unitary housing having an open upper portion and first and second end portions, said housing including:
positioning means integral with said housing for receiving at least one page containing information relevant to the recording of data on the data card;
data card receiving means integral with said housing and disposed adjacent to the first end thereof and including an elongated, linear slot for receiving the data card inserted in said housing in a sliding manner, wherein said slot is precisely dimensioned so as to prevent insertion of more than one data card in said housing;
a plurality of generally flat, fixed templates arranged in a stacked array in said housing below and in alignment with the open upper portion thereof, wherein each of said templates includes a plurality of spaced apertures and wherein the apertures of adjacent templates are in common alignment;
and
a movable template disposed in said stacked array of fixed templates and having a plurality of spaced apertures, wherein said movable template is adapted for engagement by the data card inserted in said housing and is linearly displaced thereby so that the apertures of said movable template are aligned with the apertures of said fixed templates permitting the stylus to be inserted in said aligned apertures and through a designated portion of the data card in alignment with said apertures.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.