Automatic document handling and control apparatus

Claim 1

A DOCUMENT HANDLING AND CONTROL APPARATUS, COMPRISING: A PRINTING STATION; MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND GUIDING A DOCUMENT; FEEDING MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID SUPPORTING AND GUIDING MEANS TO FEED A DOCUMENT PAST SAID STATION; SELECTIVELY OPERABLE MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID FEEDING MEANS AT DESIRED TIMES DURING A PRINTING OPERATION; CONTROL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SUPPORTING AND GUIDING MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID FEEDING MEANS PRIOR TO SAID PRINTING OPERATION TO FEED A DOCUMENT TO AN INITIAL PRINTING POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID STATION, AND FOR OPERATING SAID FEEDING MEANS SUBSEQUENT TO SAID PRINTING OPERATION TO FEED SAID DOCUMENT TO A SECOND POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID STATION, SAID CONTROL MEANS HAVING A GUIDE PORTION WITH REGULARLY SPACED INDEX MARKS THAT ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF INCREMENTS OF MOVEMENTS OF SAID FEEDING MEANS; FOLLOWER MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONTROL MEANS AND POSITIONED FOR CONTINUOUS MOVEMENT FROM AN INITIAL POSITION AND IN PROXIMITY TO SAID INDEX MARKS TO GIVE AN INDICATION OF THE POSITION OF SAID DOCUMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID PRINTING STATION; MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID FOLLOWER MEANS TO SAID SUPPORTING AND GUIDING MEANS, SAID COUPLING MEANS HAVING AN ENGAGED CONDITION AND A DISENGAGED CONDITION; FIRST MANUALLY SETTABLE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR SELECTING SAID INITIAL PRINTING POSITION, SAID MEANS HAVING A FIRST ELEMENT EXTENDING INTO THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER MEANS; SECOND MANUALLY SETTABLE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR SELECTING SAID SECOND POSITION, SAID