Record handling and reading apparatus

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR READING INDICIA CONTAINED ON A DRIVEN SHEET ITEM, A ROTATABLE DRUM HAVING A PORTION OF ITS SURFACE OF HIGH COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION, AN ELEMENT MOVABLE AT THE SAME SURFACE SPEED AS SAID DRUM AND CO-OPERABLE WITH THE FRICTIONAL SURFACE PORTION THEREOF FOR ADVANCING A SHEET ITEM THEREBETWEEN, SAID ELEMENT AND SAID DRUM GRIPPING THE SHEET ITEM THEREBETWEEN WITHOUT DEFORMING IT, A STATIONARY MEMBER HAVING A CURVED SURFACE OF THE SAME RADIUS AS SAID DRUM AND CONCENTRIC THEREWITH, A READING UNIT MOUNTED IN SAID STATIONARY PORTION AND FLUSH WITH ITS CURVED SURFACE, AND BAND MEANS MOUNTED TO CONFORM TO SAID CURVED SURFACE IN THE VICINITY OF THE READING UNIT AND TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF SAID SHEET ITEM THEREBETWEEN, WHEREBY ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ITEM BY SAID ROTATABLE DRUM AND ASSOCIATED MOVABLE ELEMENT PULLS SAID ITEM BETWEEN SAID READING UNIT AND SAID BAND UNDER RADIAL PRESSURE OF THE LATTER TO CAUSE THE INDICIA ON THE ITEM TO BE BROUGHT INTO CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE READING UNIT.