Card storage and information retrieval apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN ELECTRO-MECHANICAL STORAGE APPARATUS WHERE INFORMATION IS STORED ON RELATIVELY THIN STIFF CARDS STORED SIDE BY SIDE IN SPACED RELATION IN CONTAINERS OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE HEIGHT OF THE CARDS DISPOSED IN PARALLEL ARRAY WITH EACH CARD HAVING A NUMBER OF PARALLEL TRACKS OF INFORMATION RECORDED THEREON, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A HAVING A PREDETERMINED FUNDAMENTAL OSCILLATION FRESAID CONTAINERS, EXTRACTION AND RETURN MEANS MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A LINE INTERSECTING THE PLANE OF A CARD IN A CONTAINER TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE CARD, CARRIAGE POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE CARRIAGE FOR MOVING THE CARRIAGE ACROSS THE EDGES OF CARDS IN A CONTAINER, EXTRACTION AND RETURN POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE EXTRACTION AND RETURN MEANS FOR MOVING THE LATTER, AND TRACK READING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE AND ADJACENT TO A PLANE INCLUDING SAID LINE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: SAID EXTRACTION AND RETURN MEANS INCLUDING TWO PAIRS OF FORCEPS-LIKE GRIPPERS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF A CARD ALONG A LINE PARALLEL THERETO, MEANS FOR CLOSING SAID GRIPPERS INTO CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH A CARD AFTER MOVEMENT TOWARD SAID CARD IN THE PLANE THEREOF, AND CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID POWER MEANS TO MOVE SAID CARRIAGE TO POSITION THE GRIPPERS IN THE PLANE OF A SINGLE SELECTED CARD ONLY, TO MOVE SAID GRIPPERS FROM AN OPEN CONDITION INTO GRIPPING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SELECTED CARD, TO MOVE THE GRIPPERS IN SAID PLANE AWAY FROM THE CONTAINER THEREBY CARRYING ONLY A PORTION OF THE CARD OUT OF THE CONTAINER AND PAST SAID READING MEANS DURING WHICH MOVEMENT THE CARD IS READ, AND THEREAFTER RETURNING THE CARD TO STORED POSITION IN THE CONTAINER, OPENING THE GRIPPERS, AND RETURNING THE GRIPPERS TO NORMAL POSITION AWAY FROM THE CARD.