Feeding system for punch cards and the like

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR CORRELATING THE ADVANCE OF A SUCCESSION OF PUNCH CARDS WITH THE OPERATION OF A PROCESSING STATION OF SAID CARDS, COMPRISING FRICTIONAL FEED MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID CARDS ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH; A GENERATOR OF TIMING PULSES INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CYCLICALLY ENERGIZABLE PULSE SOUCES SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID FEED MEANS FOR PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF INTERLEAVED PULSE TRAINS DURING MOVEMENT OF A SINGLE CARD PAST A GIVEN LOCATION ALONG SAID PATH; A PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES AT SPACEDAPART LOCATIONS ALONG SAID PATH RESPONSIVE TO THE PASSAGE OF AN EDGE OF SAID CARD FOR PRODUCING EACH A CORRECTIVE SIGNAL UPON SAID SUCH PASSAGE, SAID SENSING DEVICES BEING DISPOSED ALONG A SECTION OF SAID PATH SHORTER THAN SAID CARD; CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID GENERATOR AND SAID SENSING DEVICES FOR DERIVING FROM SAID SIGNALS AND SAID TIMING PULSES A SERIES OF CONTROL PULSES AT A CADENCE RELATED TO THAT OF SAID TIMING PULSES BUT WITH A PHASING DETERMINED BY THE OCCURRENCE OF SAID SIGNALS; AND OUTPUT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CIRCUIT MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID CONTROL PULSES TO PROCESSING EQUIPMENT AT SAID STATION, THEREBY CORRELATING THE OPERATION OF SAID PROCESSING EQUIPMENT WITH THE POSITIONS OF SAID CARD AT SUCCESSIVE STAGES OF SAID OPERATION; SAID CIRCUIT MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FIRST COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL TO SAID SENSING DEVICES AND INDIVIDUALLY TO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID PULSE SOUCES, A LIKE PLURALITY OF BISTABLE ELECTRONIC SWITCHES CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUTS OF THE RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS FOR CHANGEOVER FROM A FIRST TO A SECOND CONDUCTIVE STATE UPON COINCIDENCE OF A SIGNAL FROM ANY OF SAID SENSING DEVICES WITH A TIMING PULSE FROM THE ASSOCIATED PULSE SOURCE, A LIKE PLURALITY OF SECOND COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS EACH CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID FIRST BISTABLE SWITCHES AND TO THE ASSOCIATED PULSE SOURCE FOR PRODUCING A CONTROL PULSE ONLY IN RESPONSE TO A TIMING PULSE FROM SAID ASSOCIATED PULSE SOURCE WITH THE CORRESPONDING BISTABLE SWITCH IN ITS SECOND CONDUCTIVE STATE, CONDUCTOR MEANS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL TO THE OUTPUTS OF ALL SAID SECOND COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS, AND LEADS EXTENDING FROM THE OUTPUT OF EACH BISTABLE SWITCH TO THE INPUTS OF ALL OTHER BISTABLE SWITCHES FOR RESTORING ANY SWITCH FROM ITS SECOND TO ITS FIRST CONDUCTIVE STATE UPON CHANGEOVER OF ANY OTHER SWITCH TO ITS SECOND CONDUCTIVE STATE.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR CORRELATING THE ADVANCE OF A SUCCESSION OF PUNCH CARDS WITH THE OPERATION OF A PROCESSING STATION OF SAID CARDS, COMPRISING FRICTIONAL FEED MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID CARDS ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH; A GENERATOR OF TIMING PULSES INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CYCLICALLY ENERGIZABLE PULSE SOUCES SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID FEED MEANS FOR PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF INTERLEAVED PULSE TRAINS DURING MOVEMENT OF A SINGLE CARD PAST A GIVEN LOCATION ALONG SAID PATH; A PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES AT SPACEDAPART LOCATIONS ALONG SAID PATH RESPONSIVE TO THE PASSAGE OF AN EDGE OF SAID CARD FOR PRODUCING EACH A CORRECTIVE SIGNAL UPON SAID SUCH PASSAGE, SAID SENSING DEVICES BEING DISPOSED ALONG A SECTION OF SAID PATH SHORTER THAN SAID CARD; CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID GENERATOR AND SAID SENSING DEVICES FOR DERIVING FROM SAID SIGNALS AND SAID TIMING PULSES A SERIES OF CONTROL PULSES AT A CADENCE RELATED TO THAT OF SAID TIMING PULSES BUT WITH A PHASING DETERMINED BY THE OCCURRENCE OF SAID SIGNALS; AND OUTPUT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CIRCUIT MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID CONTROL PULSES TO PROCESSING EQUIPMENT AT SAID STATION, THEREBY CORRELATING THE OPERATION OF SAID PROCESSING EQUIPMENT WITH THE POSITIONS OF SAID CARD AT SUCCESSIVE STAGES OF SAID OPERATION; SAID CIRCUIT MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FIRST COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL TO SAID SENSING DEVICES AND INDIVIDUALLY TO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID PULSE SOUCES, A LIKE PLURALITY OF BISTABLE ELECTRONIC SWITCHES CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUTS OF THE RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS FOR CHANGEOVER FROM A FIRST TO A SECOND CONDUCTIVE STATE UPON COINCIDENCE OF A SIGNAL FROM ANY OF SAID SENSING DEVICES WITH A TIMING PULSE FROM THE ASSOCIATED PULSE SOURCE, A LIKE PLURALITY OF SECOND COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS EACH CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID FIRST BISTABLE SWITCHES AND TO THE ASSOCIATED PULSE SOURCE FOR PRODUCING A CONTROL PULSE ONLY IN RESPONSE TO A TIMING PULSE FROM SAID ASSOCIATED PULSE SOURCE WITH THE CORRESPONDING BISTABLE SWITCH IN ITS SECOND CONDUCTIVE STATE, CONDUCTOR MEANS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL TO THE OUTPUTS OF ALL SAID SECOND COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS, AND LEADS EXTENDING FROM THE OUTPUT OF EACH BISTABLE SWITCH TO THE INPUTS OF ALL OTHER BISTABLE SWITCHES FOR RESTORING ANY SWITCH FROM ITS SECOND TO ITS FIRST CONDUCTIVE STATE UPON CHANGEOVER OF ANY OTHER SWITCH TO ITS SECOND CONDUCTIVE STATE.