Automatic washing machine, more particularly for self-service laundries

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINE, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR SELF-SERVICE LAUNDRIES, HAVING A DEVICE ADAPTED TO BE CONTROLLED BY A PUNCHED CARD AND ACTUATING THE ELEMENTS OF THE MACHINE REQUIRED TO BE ACTUATED IN ORDER TO PERFORM A WASHING PROGRAMME, WHILE THE PUNCHED CARD IS PROVIDED WITH HOLES ARRANGED IN ROWS WHICH DETERMINE THE WASHING PROGRAMME, CHARACTERISED BY A ROTATABLE PRISMATIC DRUM, THE SIDES OF WHICH ARE FORMED BY PUNCHED CARDS CORRESPONDING TO VARIOUS WASHING PROGRAMMES AND WHICH IS CONNECTED TO A SETTING ELEMENT WHEREBY THE REQUIRED PUNCHED CARD CAN BE BROUGHT BETWEEN A PICKUP HEAD AND A LIGHT SOURCE MOUNTED IN THE INTERIOR OF THE PUNCHED CARD DRUM; BY PHOTOSENSITIVE ELEMENTS PROVIDED IN THE PICKUP HEAD AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE LINES OF THE PUNCHED CARD, WHICH-VIA AMPLIFIERS-CONTROL RELAYS IN AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT, THE CONTACTS OF WHICH IN TURN CONTROL THE ACTUATING DEVICE; BY A COIN RECEIVING DEVICE; BY A COMPARATIVE CIRCUIT DEVICE WHICH COMPARES THE SETTING OF THE PUNCHED CARD DRUM WITH THE AMOUNT PAID BY INSERTION OF COINS INTO THE COIN RECEIVING DEVICE AND, IN CASE THE PAYMENT IS SUFFICIENT FOR THE PRICE OF THE WASHING PROGRAMME SELECTED, ESTABLISHED AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WHICH IS NECESSARY FOR THE AUTOMATIC PERFORMANCE OF THE WASHING PROGRAMME CORRESPONDING TO THE SELECTED PUNCHED CARD.