Punch card read-out device

Claim 1

A PUNCH CARD READ-OUT DEVICE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RECIPROCATIVE SWITCH ELEMENTS MOUNTED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR ARRAY, MEANS INDIVIDUALLY YIELDABLY BIASING THE SWITCH ELEMENTS, STOP MEANS NORMALLY LIMITING DISPLACEMENT OF SAID ELEMENTS UNDER FORCE OF THE BIASING MEANS, AND RECIPROCATIVE OPERATING MEANS FOR SAID SWITCH ELEMENTS INCLUDING A PUNCH CARD HOLDER MOVABLE AGAINST THE SWITCH ELEMENTS IN A DIRECTION OPPOSING THE BIASING MEANS AND OPERABLE THEREBY TO DISPLACE SLECTIVELY AND POSITIVELY AGAINST THE BIASING MEANS THOSE ELEMENTS CONTACTING SOLID AREAS OF THE PUNCH CARD WHILE PASSING THOSE ELEMENTS PRESENTED TO PUNCHED AREAS OF THE PUNCH CARD, AND RETURN MEANS MOVABLE IN DRIVE RELATIONSHIP AGAINST THE SWITCH ELEMENTS IN A DIRECTION WITH THE BIASING MEANS AND OPERABLE THEREBY TO DISPLACE THE SWITCH ELEMENTS POSITIVELY WITH THE BIASING MEANS TOWARD SAID STOP MEANS, SAID PUNCH CARD HOLDER AND RETURN MEANS COMPRISING TWO MULTIPLY APERTURED PLATENS JOINED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO PASS THE SWITCH ELEMENTS THROUGH ALIGNED APERTURES THEREOF, SAID STOP MEANS COMPRISING A MULTIPLY APERTURED PLATEN DISPOSED BETWEEN AND SPACED FROM SAID TWO PLATENS TO PASS THE SWITCH ELEMENTS THROUGH APERTURES THEREIN, AND SAID SWITCH ELEMENTS INCLUDING STOPS THEREON WHICH ARE ALTERNATIVELY ABUTABLE AGAINST MUTALLY ADJACENT FACES OF THE STOP MEANS PLATEN AND THE RETURN MEANS PLATEN.