Apparatus for positioning and retaining record material

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A BUSINESS MACHINE HAVING A PRINTER MECHANISM REGULARLY ACTUATED FOR RECORDING SELECTIVE INDICIA ON A RECORD MATERIAL DURING EACH MACHINE CYCLE OF OPERATION, APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING A RECORD MATERIAL TO A PRECISE POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE PRINTER MECHANISM AND FOR RETAINING SUCH RECORD MATERIAL AT THE PRECISE POSITION UNTIL INDICIA HAS BEEN RECORDED THEREON; SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A RECORD MATERIAL RECEIVING CHUTE MOUNTED IN FIXED HORIZONTAL RELATION ACROSS SAID PRINTER MECHANISM; GUIDE MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID CHUTE FOR SLIDINGLY SUPPORTING HORIZONTALLY ALL RECORD MATERIAL RECEIVED THEREWITHIN; A COMBINED RECORD MATERIAL STOP AND URGING MECHANISM ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CHUTE; SAID STOP AND URGING MECHANISM BEING NORMALLY POSITIONED FOR LOCATING ALL RECORD MATERIAL ENTERED INTO THE CHUTE AT A FIRST POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID PRINTER MECHANISM; SAID STOP AND URGING MECHANISM BEING OPERABLE FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION FOR SHIFTING RECORD MATERIAL FROM SAID FIRST POSITION HORIZONTALLY ALONG SAID GUIDE MEANS; A RECORD MATERIAL CLAMPING MECHANISM ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CHUTE; SAID CLAMPING MECHANISM BEING NORMALLY POSITIONED FOR ENABLING ALL RECORD MATERIAL ENTERED INTO THE CHUTE TO MOVE FREELY THEREWITHIN RELATIVE TO SAID PRINTER MECHANISM; SAID CLAMPING MECHANISM BEING OPERABLE FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION FOR RETAINING RECORD MATERIAL IN A FIXED POSITION WITHIN SAID CHUTE; AND DRIVE MEANS OPERATED DURRING EACH MACHINE CYCLE OF OPERATION TO FIRST ACTUATING SAID STOP AND URGING MECHANISM FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION TO A POSITION WHERE A RECORD MATERIAL LOCATED AT THE FIRST POSITION THEREBY IS CAUSED TO BE TRANSFERRED HORIZONTALLY WITHIN SAID CHUTE TO A SECOND POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE PRINTER MECHANISM, AND FOR THEN ACTUATING SAID CLAMPING MECHANISM FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION TO A POSITION WHERE THE TRANSFERRED RECORD MATERIAL IS CAUSED TO BE MAINTAINED WITHIN THE CHUTE AT SAID SECOND POSITION.