Key-identifying lock system and components therefor

Claim 1

APPARATUS COMPRISING, LOCK MEANS TURNABLE BY THE INSERTION THEREIN OF ANY ONE OF A SELECTED PLURALITY OF KEYS OF DIFFERENT SHAPINGS, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRIC CONTACTS EACH CORRESPONDING TO A RESPECTIVE SINGLE ONE OF SAID KEYS, EACH CONTACT BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID SHAPING OF THE CORRESPONDING KEY WHEN INSERTED TO PROVIDE A SINGLEVALUED ELECTRIC SIGNAL SELECTIVELY INDICATIVE OF THE IDENTITY OF THAT KEY, SAID PLURALITY OF CONTACTS ACCORDINGLY BEING ADAPTED TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF SUCH SIGNALS OF WHICH EACH CORRESPONDS TO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID CONTACTS AND OF SAID KEYS, DRIVE MEANS TO ADVANCE A RECORD SHEET THROUGH A RECORDING ZONE, AN ARRAY OF SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE RECORDING ELEMENTS DISPOSED AT SAID ZONE AND LESSER IN NUMBER THAN SAID CONTACTS, ELECTROMECHANICAL POSITIONING MEANS FOR SAID ELEMENTS, SAID ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO EACH OF SAID SIGNALS TO SET UP A DIFFERENT POSITION PERMUTATION OF SAID ELEMENTS AND BEING RESPONSIVE ONE AT A TIME TO EACH OF ONES OF SAID SINGLE-VALUED SIGNALS TO SET UP THE POSITION PERMUTATION CORRESPONDING TO SUCH SIGNAL BY CHANGING THE POSITION OF MORE THAN ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS, AND RECORD-FORMING MEANS ACTUATED AFTER A ONE OF SAID PERMUTATIONS HAS BEEN SET UP TO PRODUCE A RECORDING ON SAID SHEET BY SAID ELEMENTS OF RESPECTIVE MARKS REPRESENTING THAT PERMUTATION.