Fluid sorter

Claim 1

A FLUID APPARATUS FOR SORTING ON A RECORD CARD MOVING IN AN INITIALLY UNDEFLECTED DIRECTION THROUGH A CAR PATH, SAID SORTING BEING PERFORMED ACCORDING TO THE PRESENCE OF A PERFORATION WHICH CAN BE PUNCHED IN ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF CODE HOLE POSITIONS ARRANGED ON THE CAR IN A COLUMN PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF CARD MOTION BETWEEN LEADING AND TRAILING CARD EDGES, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A PLURALITY OF CARD COLLECTING CHANNELS EACH HAVING A FIRST OPENING FOR RECEIVING A RECORD CARD, AND A A SECOND OPENING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION WITH CARD UTILIZATION MEANS INDIVIDUAL THERETO, WITH ALL OF SAID FIRST OPENINGS BEING LOCATED ADJACENT TO A SAME ONE SIDE OF THE CARD PATH AND ARRANGED IN A COLUMN PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF CARD MOTION; (B) A PURE FLUID AMPLIFIER MEANS INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A POWER STREAM INPUT CHANNEL AND POWER STREAM SOURCE THEREFOR, A FLUID INTERACTION CHAMBER, CONTROL FLUID INPUT MEANS, AND FIRST AND SECOND POWER STREAM OUTPUT CHANNELS, SAID PURE FLUID AMPLIFIER MEANS CONNECTED WITH ITS SAID FIRST POWER STREAM OUTPUT CHANNEL EXHAUSTING TO A REGION ADJACENT TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CARD PATH SUCH THAT POWER STREAM FLOW THEREIN DEFLECTS AT LEAST THE LEADING EDGE OF A MOVING RECORD CARD TOWARD SAID FIRST OPENINGS IN ORDER THAT THE RECORD CARD CAN ENTER ANY ONE OF SAID CARD COLLECTING CHANNELS, WHERE SAID PURE FLUID AMPLIFIER MEANS IS RESPONSIVE TO CONTROL FLUID APPLIED TO ITS SAID CONTROL FLUID INPUT MEANS OF ENERGY BELOW A PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD VALUE FOR CAUSING POWER STREAM FLOW IN ITS SAID FIRST POWER STREAM OUTPUT CHANNEL, AND OF ENERGY EQUAL TO AND ABOVE SAID PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD VALUE FOR CAUSING POWER STREAM FLOW IN ITS SAID SECOND POWER STREAM OUTPUT CHANNEL; AND (C) VARIABLE CONTROL FLUID ENERGY GENERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONTROL FLUID INPUT MEANS AND INCLUDING AN OUTPUT ORIFICE, SAID ENGERGY GENERATING MEANS PRODUCING CONTROL FLUID ENERGY BELOW SAID PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD VALUE IN RESPONSE TO THE SUBSTANTIAL UNBLOCKING OF ITS SAID FLUID ORIFICE AND PRODUCING CONTROL FLUID ENERGY EQUAL TO AND ABOVE SAID PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD VALUE IN RESPONSE TO THE SUBSTANTIAL BLOCKING OF ITS SAID FLUID ORIFICE, WHERE SAID FLUID ORIFICE IS LOCATED ADJACENT THE SAID OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID CARD PATH SUCH THAT IT IS REACHED FIRST AND IS THEREAFTER SUBSTANTIALLY BLOCKET BY A RECORDE CARD UNTIL A SAID PERFORATION THEREIN COMES INTO ALIGNMENT THEREWITH.