Automatic operating means for accounting machines

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, CAPABLE OF SENSING INFORMATION FROM TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDIA, PERFORMING COMPUTATIONS WITH THE INFORMATION SENSED, AND RECORDING THE RESULT OF THE COMPUTATIONS ON ONE OF THE TWO TYPES OF MEDIA, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING COMPUTING MEANS CAPABLE OF SENSING INFORMATION FROM A FIRST TYPE OF MEDIUM AND PERFORMING ARITHMETIC COMPUTATIONS USING SAID INFORMATION, INCLUDING TOTAL-TAKING OPERATIONS; READING MEANS FOR SENSING DATA FROM A SECOND TYPE OF MEDIUM; MEANS CONTROLLED BY THE READING MEANS FOR ENTERING DATA FROM THE SECOND TYPE OF MEDIUM INTO THE COMPUTING MEANS; OVERDRAFT MEANS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER THE TOTAL OF DATA COMPUTED BY THE COMPUTING MEANS IS POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE IN SIGN; FIRST OVERDRAFT-RESPONSIVE MEANS CAPABLE OF PREVENTING FURTHER OPERATION OF THE READING MEANS IN RESPONSE TO A NEGATIVE TOTAL; SECOND OVERDRAFT-RESPONSIVE MEANS CAPABLE OF PREVENTING FURTHER TOTAL-TAKING OPERATION OF THE COMPUTING MEANS IN RESPONSE TO A NEGATIVE TOTAL; OVERDRAFT SELECTOR MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY RENDERING EITHER THE FIRST OVERDRAFT-RESPONSIVE MEANS OR THE SECOND OVERDRAFT-RESPONSIVE MEANS EFFECTIVE TO FUNCTION IN THE EVENT OF A NEGATIVE TOTAL; SORTING MEANS FOR SORTING A RECORD MEMBER OF THE FIRST TYPE INTO ONE OF A PLURALITY OF RECEPTACLES UPON COMPLETION OF ITS USE BY THE COMPUTING MEANS; AND MEANS CONTROLLED BY THE OVERDRAFT SELECTOR MEANS TO OPERATE THE SORTING MEANS TO CAUSE A RECORD MEMBER OF SAID FIRST TYPE TO BE SORTED INTO A SELECTED RECEPTACLE IN THE EVENT THAT A NEGATIVE TOTAL IS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH.