Documentary storage and retrieval systems

• US 3,176,841 A
• Filed: 09/29/1960
• Issued: 04/06/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1960
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Henry N. Staats
• Original Assignee: Henry N. Staats
• Inventors: Staats, Henry N.
• Application Number:
  US04/059,207
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• US Class Current: 209/571
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0009 with sequential access selection of a record carrier from the card-file, e.g. relative movement between selecting device and card-file

Claims

1. A CARD STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LIKE FILE CARDS HAVING INFORMATION INDICIA THEREON, ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MEANS ON AN EDGE PORTION OF EACH CARD EXPOSED AT PREDETERMINED CARD EDGE LOCATIONS IN CODE POSITIONS ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION ON EACH CARD;

FRAME MEANS, STORAGE MEANS ON SAID FRAME MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF LIKE FILE CARDS ON EDGE IN VERTICAL POSITION IN CLOSELY SPACED FACE-TOFACE RELATION WITH THE CODED EDGES DISPOSED IN A COMMON DIRECTION, CARRIAGE MEANS, MEANS MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID CARRIAGE MEANS FROM SAID FRAME MEANS, MEANS ACTING BETWEEN SAID CARRAIGE MEANS AND SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID CARRIAGE MEANS CONTINUOUSLY TO TRAVERSE SAID STORAGE MEANS PERPENDICULAR TO THE FACES OF SAID CARDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PREDETERMINED ARRANGEMENT, MEANS FOR SENSING THE POSITION OF SAID CARRIAGE AND ACTING TO REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF TRAVERSE THEREOF UPON REACHING A LIMIT POSITION IN EITHER DIRECTION, A PLURLITY OF ELECTRICAL SEARCH MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE RESPECTIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH THE CODED LOCATIONS OF SAID CARDS WHILE SAID CARRIAGE IS MOVING, ELECTRIC MEANS ON SAID CARRAIGE FOR ENGAGING AND EJECTING CARDS FROM SAID STORAGE MEANS WHILE SAID CARRIAGE IS MOVING, AND ELECTRIC MEANS INCLUDING SELECTIVE SWITCH MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID SEARCH MEANS AND SAID EJECTING MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID EJECTING MEANS WEN SAID SEARCH MEANS ENCOUNTER THE CARD ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVE MEANS AT PREDETERMINED EXPOSED LOCATIONS.