RECORD CARD READER, FEEDER AND TRANSPORT DEVICE

• US 3,680,853 A
• Filed: 12/01/1970
• Issued: 08/01/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Frank A. Houghton, Thomas N. Yesowich
• Inventors: Yesowich, Thomas N., Houghton, Frank A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blunk, Evon C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stoner, Jr., Bruce H.
• Application Number:
  US05/094,093
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 271/DIG.4,44,49,3,59,51,58
• US Class Current: 271/3.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/08 Feeding or discharging cards

Abstract

A record card reader, feeder and transport is provided in which three, progressively disposed orthogonal, coplanar card paths are defined, each having card feeding and driving means, the feeding means of one being a plunger roller overlying and actuatable toward a drive roller peripherally recessed below the card path.

Claims

1. In a record card reader, feeder and transport device having a ready station disposed at each of two respective junctures of three, progressively disposed, orthogonal, coplanar card transport sections, the card paths therethrough being of predetermined, restricted lengths such that cards entering either ready station may temporarily and partially overlap cards exiting therefrom to maximize the rate of card processing while maintaining the rate Of card travel at a level low enough to minimize card leading edge damage, there being card feeding and driving mechanisms operatively associated with each card path, the medial card transport section of the three aforesaid transport sections including, in combination:

a horizontally elongated base plate forming a card-supporting surface cooperating with a similar, superposing cover plate having a card-guiding surface in closely spaced, opposing relation to the card-supporting surface of the base plate and defining the medial card path therebetween, a continuously rotatable drive roller disposed peripherally below the card-supporting surface of the base plate, said drive roller extending partially through the base plate but being peripherally recessed with respect to its card-supporting surface, a pinch roller normally disposed peripherally above the cardguiding surface of the cover plate and actuatable through the cover plate toward said drive roller to depress individual record cards into engagement with the drive roller for feeding the same along the medial card path, and means for feeding individual record cards into the medial card path in a direction normal to and in the plane of card travel therein from a preceding card path, each card passing freely thereinto by virtue of the peripherally recessed dispositions of the drive roller relative to the card-supporting surface of the base plate and of the pinch roller relative to the cardguiding surface of the cover plate.

2. In a record card transport system through which cards are fed in seriatum and having a card transport section disposed at the juncture of two orthogonally related, coplanar card paths of predetermined, restricted lengths such that a card entering the transport section will temporarily and partially overlap the preceding card exiting therefrom to maximize the rate of card processing while maintaining the rate of card travel at a level low enough to minimize card leading edge damage, there being card feeding and driving mechanisms operatively associated with each card path, the transport section including, in combination;

a horizontally elongated base plate forming a card-supporting surface cooperating with a similar, superposing cover plate having a card-guiding surface in closely spaced confronting relation to the card-supporting surface of the base plate and defining a narrow card path therebetween, a rotatable drive roller disposed peripherally below the card-supporting surface of the base plate, said drive roller being rotatable about a fixed axis and being dimensionally related to the base plate so as to extend upwardly partially through the base plate but being peripherally recessed with respect to its card-supporting surface, means connectible to a source of rotary power for rotating said drive roller continuously at a substantially constant rate of speed, an idling pinch roller carried by the cover plate and normally disposed peripherally above the card-guiding surface of the cover plate and actuatable through the cover plate toward said drive roller to depress an individual record card in the transport section into engagement with the rotating drive roller so as to cause the record card to be propelled by the drive roller along the card path of the transport section, and means for feeding record cards individually into the transport section in a direction normal to that in which each such card is propelled by the drive roller and in the plane of card path therein, each such fed card passing freely into the card path of the transport section during the normal peripherally recessed disposition of the pinch roller relative to the card-guiding surface of the cover plate and by virtue of the peripherally recessed disposition of the drive roller relative to the card-supporting surface of the base plate.

3. The record card transport system as defined in claim 2 characterized in that an electromagnetic device is carried by the cover plate for causing the actuation of the Pinch roller toward the drive roller.