Information retrieval and storage systems

Claim 1

AN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM COMPRISING AN INPUT READ-WRITE UNIT FOR SENSING ALTERABLE DATA ON A MOVING INPUT TAPE, A PROGRAMMER FOR STORING DATA SIMILAR IN FORM TO THE ALTERABLE-DATA, A COMPARATOR MEANS COUPLED TO THE INPUT READ-WRITE UNIT AND THE PROGRAMMER FOR COMPARING ALTERABLE DATA FROM THE MOVING INPUT TAPE WITH THE DATA STORED IN THE PROGRAMMER, INCLUDING MEANS FOR DEVELOPING AN ACCEPTANCE PULSE WHEN BOTH OF THE DATA ARE IDENTICAL TO EACH OTHER, THE ALTERABLE DATA INCLUDING AN ANSWER CODE, A PORTION OF WHICH CODE HAS INFORMATION AS TO A SELECTED NUMBER OF SHEETS OF UNALTERABLE DATA ON THE INPUT TAPE RELATING TO THE ANSWER CODE, A LAMP COUPLED TO THE COMPARATOR MEANS FOR CAUSING REPRODUCTION OF THE SELECTED NUMBER OF SHEETS OF UNALTERABLE DATA OF THE INPUT TAPE UPON A SENSITIZED OUTPUT TAPE, A "NUMBER OF SHEETS" COUNTER COUPLED TO THE INPUT READ-WRITE UNIT, SAID "NUMBER OF SHEETS" COUNTER BEING PRESET BY SAID PORTION OF THE ANSWER CODE HAVING INFORMATION AS TO THE SELECTED NUMBER OF SHEETS OF UNALTERABLE DATA ON THE INPUT TAPE FOR COUNTING THE SELECTED NUMBER OF SHEETS OF UNALTERABLE DATA, A "NUMBER OF COPIES" COUNTER COUPLED TO THE PROGRAMMER, SAID "NUMBER OF COPIES" COUNTER BEING PRESET BY DATA STORED IN THE PROGRAMMER FOR COUNTING A PRESET OUTPUT PULSE FROM THE "NUMBER OF SHEETS" COUNTER FOR EACH COPY OF UNALTERABLE DATA REPRODUCED, A CYCLING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE COMPARATOR MEANS, TO THE "NUMBER OF SHEETS" COUNTER AND TO THE LAMP, SAID CYCLING CIRCUIT BEING ACTUATED BY THE ACCEPTANCE PULSE TO (1) TRANSMIT PULSES TO THE "NUMBER OF SHEETS" COUNTER TO STEP SAID COUNTER, AND (2) ENERGIZE THE LAMP FOR CAUSING REPRODUCTION OF THE SELECTED NUMBER OF SHEETS OF UNALTERABLE DATA OF THE INPUT TAPE UPON SAID SENSITIZED OUTPUT TAPE, MEANS COUPLED TO THE INPUT TAPE READ-WRITE UNIT TO RECORD THE ALTERABLE DATA RECEIVED FROM THE INPUT TAPE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY AS THE UNALTERABLE DATA IS BEING REPRODUCED, AND SIGNAL MEANS COUPLED TO "THE NUMBER OF COPIES" COUNTER AND THE CYCLING CIRCUIT AND RESPONSIVE TO A PRE-SET OUTPUT PULSE OF THE "NUMBER OF COPIES" COUNTER TO STOP THE TRANSMISSION OF PULSES IN THE CYCLING CIRCUIT.