Method and apparatus for automatically producing typed letters or the like

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AND READING A FAN-FOLDED CHAIN-LIKE TAPE COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL TAPE LINKS EACH HAVING UNPUNCHED LEADING AND TRAILING SECTIONS AND AT LEAST ONE INTERVENING PUNCHED MESSAGE SECTION, THE LINKS BEING DETACHABLY HELD TOGETHER IN A LENGTHWISE DIRECTION BY OVERLAPPING SAID LEADING AND TRAILING LINK SECTIONS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A TAPE SUPPORTING TABLE, (B) A TAPE SUPPLY HOPPER MOUNTED AT ONE END OF SAID TABLE, (C) A TAPE READER MOUNTED ADJACENT THE OTHER END OF SAID TABLE, SAID READER HAVING AN EXPANDABLE GAP OR OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID TAPE IS DRAWN, (D) A FIRST FEEDING MEANS TO FEED SAID TAPE OVER SAID TABLE AND INTO AND THROUGH SAID READER GAP, SAID HOPPER AND SUPPLY TABLE BEING SO ORIENTED AS TO FORM A BEND IN SAID CHAIN-LIKE TAPE WHEREBY THE TRAILING SECTION OF A FIRST LINK LIFTS THE LEADING SECTION OF A FOLLOWING LINK INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST FEEDING MEANS THEREBY TO PREVENT ENDWISE SEPARATION OF SAID TAPE LINKS AS THEY ARE TRANSPORTED FROM SAID SUPPLY HOPPER, (E) A SECOND TAPE FEEDING MEANS MOUNTED BELOW SAID READER, (F) A RECEIVING HOPPER TO RECEIVE SAID TAPE AS IT IS FED THERETO BY SAID SECOND TAPE FEEDING MEANS, AND (G) MEANS CONTROLLED BY PUNCHED INFORMATION IN SAID TAPE TO ENLARGE OR EXPAND SAID READER GAP TO ACCOMMODATE THE OVERLAPPED SECTIONS OF SAID TAPE AND TO REDUCE OR CONTRACT SAID READER GAP TO ACCOMODATE THE SINGLE OF THICKNESS MESSAGE SECTIONS OF SAID TAPE.