Machine for selecting and counting sheets

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR THE HIGH SPEED HANDLING OF PAPER SHEETS, SUCH AS BANK NOTES, THE COMBINATION OF A SINGLE SHEET REMOVING AND DELIVERING UNIT COMPRISING MEANS FOR REMOVING SHEETS ONE BY ONE FROM A STACK OF SHEETS PRESENTED THERETO, AND A ROLLER SYSTEM FOR RECEIVING AND CONVEYING SHEETS SO REMOVED; A SHEET CARRIER UNIT COMPRISING A CARRIAGE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS FOR RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE STACKS OF SHEETS OF DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATION, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID CARRIAGE FOR MOVEMENT; OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARIAGE TO PRESENT SELECTED INDIVIDUAL ONES OF SAID COMPARTMENTS TO SAID SHEET REMOVING MEANS; MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID OPERATING MEANS TO EFFECT POSITIONING OF A SELECTED COMPARTMENT FOR SEQUENTIAL REMOVAL AND FEEDING OF SHEETS THEREFROM; COUNTING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF COUNTERS CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO SAID COMPARTMENTS; SEPARATE ELECTRIC CIRCUITS FOR RESPECTIVELY INDIVIDUALLY ENERGIZING SAID COUNTERS; AND MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID CONTROLLING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO PASS OF SINGLE SHEETS FOR SELECTIVELY CLOSING SAID ELECTRIC CIRCUITS ONE AT A TIME TO ENERGIZE THE COUNTER APPROPRIATE TO THE COMPARTMENT SELECTED FOR PRESENTATION OF THE STACK OF SHEETS THEREIN TO SAID SHEET REMOVING MEANS.