Memory system

Claim 1

IN A TEST APPARATUS HAVING A PLURALITY OF TEST STATIONS FOR TESTING ARTICLES TO DETERMINE TO WHICH ONE OF A PLURALITY OF GROUPS THE ARTICLES BELONG; A PLURALITY OF SORTING STATIONS, EACH OF WHICH CORRESPONDS TO ONE OF SAID GROUPS AND INCLUDES AN EJECT MECHANISM; AND AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR INTERMITTENTLY MOVABLE TO FEED THE ARTICLES, WHICH ARE DISPOSED ON INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTS, FIRST INTO THE TEST STATIONS WHERE THE ARTICLES ARE TESTED, AND THEN INTO THE SORTING STATIONS WHERE THE ARTICLES ARE SORTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESULTS OF THE TESTING OF THE TEST STATIONS, A TEST MEMORY AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM THEREFOR, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A MEMORY BLOCK MOUNTED ON EACH SUPPORT AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF "ON-OFF" PHOTOELECTRIC MEMORY DEVICES CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO THE GROUPS TO WHICH AN ARTICLE CAN BELONG, AND ARRANGED IN A SPACED LINEAR ARRAY SUCH THAT THE DEVICES LIE IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE CONVEYOR, EACH MEMORY DEVICE INCLUDING A NEON LAMP AND A PHOTOELECTRIC CELL, AND BEING IN ITS "OFF" STATE WHEN THE NEON LAMP THEREOF IS UNLIT, AND BEING IN ITS "ON" STATE WHEN THE NEON LAMP THEREOF IS LIT, THE NEON LAMP AND PHOTOELECTRIC CELL OF EACH DEVICE BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED IN SERIES AND PHYSICALLY SITUATED WITHIN A MEMORY BLOCK SUCH THAT, IF THE DEVICE IS IN ITS "OFF" STATE, LIGHT IMPINGING ON THE PHOTOCELL LOWERS THE RESISTANCE THEREOF TO THEREBY CAUSE THE NEON LAMP TO LIGHT, THE LIGHT FROM THE NEON LAMP IMPINGING UPON THE PHOTOCELL AND MAINTAIN ITS RESISTANCE AT ITS LOWERED VALUE AND THEREBY MAINTAIN THE LAMPS IN ITS LIT STATE; (B) A "READ-IN" UNIT AT EACH TEST STATION, EACH "READ-IN" UNIT INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LIGHT SOURCES CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO THE GROUPS TO WHICH AN ARTICLE CAN BELONG, SAID LIGHT SOURCES BEING ARRANGED SIMILARLY TO THE MEMORY DEVICES OF A MEMORY BLOCK SO THAT WHEN AN ARTICLE SUPPORT IS POSITIONED AT REST IN A TEST STATION, EACH OF THE LIGHT SOURCES ASSOCIATED THEREWITH IS ALIGNED WITH A CORRESPONDING ONE OF THE MEMORY DEVICES OF THE MEMORY BLOCK OF SAID ARTICLE SUPPORT; (C) MEANS AT EACH TEST STATION FOR SUPPLYING THE RESULTS OF THE TESTING OF AND ARTICLE THEREAT TO THE ASSOCIATED "READ-IN" UNIT TO ENERGIZE THOSE LIGHT SOURCES OF THE UNIT REPRESENTING GROUPS, THE REQUIREMENTS OF WHICH AN ARTICLE HAS FAILED TO MEET, THE ENERGIZED LIGHT SOURCES RADIATING LIGHT ONLY TO THEIR CORRESPONDING MEMORY DEVICES TO TRIGGER THESE DEVICES TO THEIR "ON" STATE IF SAID DEVICES ARE NOT ALREADY IN THEIR "ON" STATE BY VIRTUE OF THE TESTING AT A PREVIOUS TEST STATION; AND (D) A PHOTOELECTRIC "READ-OUT" UNIT AT EACH SORTING STATION, EACH "READ-OUT" UNIT BEING SITUATED IN ITS RESPECTIVE SORTING STATION SUCH THAT WHEN AN ARTICLE SUPPORT IS LOCATED AT REST THEREAT THE "READ-OUT" UNIT IS ALIGNED WITH THE MEMORY DEVICE CORRESPONDING TO THAT SORTING STATION TO SENSE THE STATE OF SAID MEMORY DEVICE AND TO ACTUATE THE SORTING STATION EJECT MECHANISM TO EJECT THE ARTICLE, IF THE SENSED MEMORY DEVICE IS IN ITS "OFF" STATE.