Keyboard signal generator

Claim 1

IN A KEY-CONTROLLED SIGNAL GENERATOR USING A LIGHT SOURCE AND A PHOTOCELL TO ESTABLISH A LIGHT PATH, A KEY MECHANISM HAVING A PLURALITY OF KEYS, A PLURALITY OF DISCS IN FACE TO FACE RELATION, MEANS MOUNTING SAID DISCS FOR ROTATION IN SAID LIGHT PATH, EACH DISC HAVING CODE-DEFINING LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE AND OPAQUE AREAS WITH THE BITS OF THE CODE ARRANGED SERIALLY, A DRIVE ROLLER ADJACENT TO THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID DISCS, EACH DISC HAVING A CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE DISC AND SAID ROLLER WHEN SAID DISCS ARE IN THE REST POSITION AND CONTACTING SAID ROLLER WHEN INITIALLY MOVED FROM THE REST POSITION SO THAT SAID ROLLER ROTATES SAID DISC, EACH DISC HAVING A PROJECTION, A MOVER FOR EACH DISC, SAID MOVERS OPERABLE TO ROTATE SAID DISCS IN RESPONSE TO ACTUATION OF SAID KEYS BY EXERTING A FORCE AGAINST SAID PROJECTIONS THEREBY INITIALLY MOVING SAID DISCS, A STOP ASSOCIATED WITH EACH KEY-CONTROLLED MOVER AND NORMALLY FORMING AN ABUTMENT FOR A DISC-PROJECTION, SAID STOP BEING MOVED TO A POSITION TO FREE SAID PROJECTION FOR ROTATION WHEN A KEY IS ACTUATED THEREBY ALLOWING SAID ROLLER TO ROTATE A SAID DISC THROUGH A COMPLETE CYCLE, AND SAID STOP RETURNING INTO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID PROJECTION WHEN THE KEY IS RESTORED TO ITS REST POSITION.