Data processing system

Claim 1

IN DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS HAVING A FIRST SOURCE OF POWER, A PLURALITY OF RECORDING DEVICES CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE FOR RECORDING INFORMATION MARKS ON RECORD MEMBERS ADVANCED THROUGH SAID RECORDING DEVICES, A KEY OPERATED PRINTING DEVICE, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THE KEYS OF SAID DEVICE FOR ACTUATING SAME AND CONNECTED IN PARALLEL CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID RECORDING DEVICES AND NORMALLY DISCONNECTED FROM SAID SOURCE, A PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES SPACED FROM SAID RECORDING DEVICES TO READ THE INFORMATION MARKS OF THE RECORD MEMBERS ADVANCED THROUGH SAME FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION FROM SAID SOURCE TO ONE OF SAID RECORDING DEVICES AND THE RELATED ONE OF SAID MEANS CORRESPONDING TO THE POSITION OF THE SENSED MARKS ON THE RECORD MEMBER, MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY ADVANCING RECORD MEMBERS THROUGH SAID RECORDING AND SENSING DEVICES, AN ELECTRICAL CONTROL CIRCUIT INCLUDING A SECOND POWER SOURCE CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT RELATION WITH SAID SENSING DEVICES AND SAID MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRINTING DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE PRINTING OF THE SENSED INFORMATION, ANOTHER PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES SPACED FROM SAID FIRST MENTIONED PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES TO READ PROGRAM MARKS FROM A RECORD MEMBER FOR PROVIDING ELECTRICAL COMMAND SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO THE PROGRAM MARKS, MEANS FOR CYCLICALLY ADVANCING A PROGRAMMING RECORD MEMBER THROUGH SAID LATTER MENTIONED SENSING DEVICES IN A TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF SAID RECORD MEMBERS THROUGH SAID RECORDING AND FIRST MENTIONED SENSING DEVICES, SWITCHING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE COMMAND SIGNALS AND CONNECTED TO BE ENERGIZABLE THROUGH SAID FIRST POWER SOURCE AND SAID ANOTHER PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES FOR DISCONNECTING AND CONNECTING SAID RECORDING DEVICES FROM SAID FIRST SOURCE AND TO ALTERNATELY CONNECT AND DISCONNECT SAID FIRST MENTIONED MEANS TO SAID SECOND SOURCE OF POWER IN RESPONSE TO A COMMAND SIGNAL, TIMING MEANS ARRANGED IN CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID SWITCHING MEANS, AND SAID POWER SOURCES FOR CONTROLLING THE APPLICATION OF POWER TO SAID RECORDING DEVICES AND SAID FIRST MENTIONED MEANS TO ALLOW THE ACTUATION OF SAME THROUGH SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES, AND DETECTION MEANS COMPRISING A NORMALLY BALANCED BRIDGE CIRCUIT CONNECTABLE TO SAID SECOND SOURCE OF POWER AND INCLUDING SAID FIRST MENTIONED PLURALITY OF SENSING DEVICES IN ONE LEG OF SAID BRIDGE CIRCUIT FOR DETECTING A BLANK AREA ON SAID RECORD MEMBERS, SAID DETECTION MEANS INCLUDING SWITCHING MEANS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH THE LEGS OF SAID BRIDGE CIRCUIT TO RESPOND TO AN UNBALANCED BRIDGE CONDITION WHEN SAID SENSING DEVICES ARE INOPERATIVE FOR DISABLING SAID APPARATUS.