Data processing equipment

Claim 1

INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL EQUIPMENT COMPRISING: (A) A FILE OF CARDS DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANES AND HAVING NORMALLY REGISTERING FRONT, REAR, AND BOTTOM EDGES, SAID BOTTOM EDGES BEING CODED; (B) SELECTOR MEANS OPERABLE FROM RETRACTED TO OPERATING POSITIONS ADJACENT SAID BOTTOM EDGES IN RESPONSE TO A CODED IMPULSE FOR ALLOWING WANTED CARDS TO DROP BELOW UNWANTED CARDS, SAID SELECTOR MEANS, WHEN IN THE OPERATING POSITIONS THEREOF, DISPLACING CORRESPONDING CODED WANTED CARDS FROM THE REMAINING CARDS OF SAID FILE; (C) EJECTOR MEANS MOVABLE FROM A RETRACTED TO AN OPERATING POSITION ALONG A PATH ACROSS WHICH THE DISPLACED, WANTED CARDS EXTEND TO SHIFT THE SAME TO AN ACCESS POSITION; AND (D) CARD POSITION CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING (1) A CARD SUPPORT EXTENDING BELOW THE SEVERAL CARDS ADJACENT THE FRONT EDGES OF THE CARDS AND MOVABLE VERTICALLY UPWARDLY FROM A RETRACTED TO AN OPERATING POSITION INTO SUPPORTING RELATION THERETO, (2) AN UPPER CONTROL MEMBER EXTENDING ALONG THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE REAR EDGES OF THE CARDS, SAID UPPER CONTROL MEMBER EXTENDING BELOW THE TOP EDGES OF THE UNDISPLACED CARDS A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE WANTED CARDS ARE DISPLACED SO THAT THE UPPER EDGES OF THE DISPLACEED CARDS ARE BELOW SAID UPPER CONTROL MEMBER, SAID UPPER CONTROL MEMBER LIMITING THE UNWANTED CARDS AGAINST MOVEMENT UPON SAID SUPPORT INTO THE PATH OF THE EJECTOR MEANS, AND (3) A LOWER CONTROL MEMBER EXTENDING ALONG THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE FRONT EDGES OF THE CARDS AND LIMITING THE UNWANTED CARDS AGAINST MOVEMENT AWAY FROM THE UPPER CONTROL MEMBER, SAID SELECTOR MEANS, EJECTOR MEANS, AND CARD SUPPORT BEING MOUNTED TO OPERATE IN A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE IN WHICH, WITH THE EJECTOR MEANS AND THE CARD SUPPORT IN THEIR OPERATING POSITIONS, THE SELECTOR MEANS FIRST RESPONDS TO SAID CODED IMPULSE, THE EJECTOR MEANS AND CARD SUPPORT ARE RETRACTED TO FREE THE WANTED CARDS FOR DISPLACEMENT FROM THE UNWANTED CARDS, THE CARD SUPPORT IS MOVED TO OPERATING POSITION WITH THE SELECTOR MEANS RETRACTED TO TILT THE WANTED CARDS INTO SAID PATH OF THE EJECTOR MEANS, AND THE EJECTOR MEANS IN MOVED FROM RETRACTED TO OPERATING POSITION TO SHIFT THE WANTED CARDS TO THE ACCESS POSITION THEREOF, SAID WANTED CARDS WHEN IN THEIR TILTED POSITIONS BEING DISPOSED WITH THEIR UPPER REAR CORNERS BELOW AND FULLY DISENGAGED FROM THE UPPER CONTROL BAR TO FREE THE WANTED CARDS FOR MOVEMENT TO SAID ACCESS POSITIONS THEREOF.