Automatic trimmer for edge-punched cards

Claim 1

A NON-CONSECUTIVE AUTOMATIC TRIMMER FOR A CONTINUOUS WEB OF CARDS WHOSE JUNCTIONS ARE DEFINED BY TRANSVERSE LINES OF PERFORATIONS, EACH CARD HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SERIES OF PUNCH-HOLE CODE POSITIONS AND A CONTROL HOLE, EACH CODE POSITION IN THE LONGITUDINAL SERIES THEREOF BEING CONSTITUTED BY A TRANSVERSE COLUMN HAVING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF HOLE PLACES, A DATE MESSAGE BEING FORMED BY THE CODE POSITIONS EXTENDING ALONG ONE OR MOVE CARDS AND THE CONCLUSION OF THE DATE MESSAGE BEING REPRESENTED ON THE LAST OF THESE CARDS BY THE ABSENCE OF PUNCH HOLES AT ANY PLACE IN THE COLUMN IN THE LAST CODE POSITION THEREON, SAID TRIMMER COMPRISING A PLATFORM HAVING A CUTTING STATION PROVIDED WITH CUTTING MEANS, A SENSING STATION PROVIDED WITH SENSING MEANS, AND CONTROLHOLE CHECK MEANS, MEANS INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING SAID WEB ALONG SAID PLATFORM WHEREBY EACH CARD FIRST PAUSES AT SAID SENSING STATION TO REGISTER THE LAST CODE POSITION THEREON WITH SAID SENSING MEANS AND THEN PAUSES AT SAID CUTTING STATION TO REGISTER THE TRANSVERSE LINE WITH SAID CUTTING MEANS, AND TO REGISTER SAID CONTROL HOLE WITH SAID CHECK MEANS IN THE EVENT SAID CARD IS PROPERLY ALIGNED, SAID SENSING MEANS SUBJECT TO THE ACTUATION OF SAID CHECK MEANS PRODUCING A SIGNAL ONLY IN THE ABSENCE OF PUNCH HOLES AT ANY PLACE IN THE COLUMN IN THE LAST CODE POSITION, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNAL TO ACTIVATE SAID CUTTING MEANS WHEN SAID CARD PAUSES AT SAID CUTTING STATION.