Information retrieval apparatus

Claim 1

DATA RETRIEVAL APPARATUS COMPRISING A FRAME, A CARRIAGE MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME, SAID CARRIAGE HAVING A SLOT DEFINING A READ STATION, TRANSDUCER MEANS LOCATED IN AND FACING SAID SLOT, SELECTIVELY CONDITIONABLE CARRIAGE POSITION DETERMINING MEANS LOCATED AT UNIFORM INTERVALS PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF SAID CARRIAGE, MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CARRIAGE FOR SENSING CONDITIONED CARRIAGE POSITION DETERMINING MEANS, A SHAFT, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT ABOVE SAID CARRIAGE AND OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID SHAFT BETWEEN UPPER AND LOWER POSITIONS RELATIVE TO AND PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF SAID CARRIAGE, A PLURALITY OF CENTRALLY SLOTTED DISCS HAVING DATA RADIALLY RECORDED THEREIN AXIALLY MOUNTED ON AND MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID SHAFT, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID DISCS AXIALLY SPACED AT INTERVALS CORRESPONDING TO THE SPACING INTERVALS OF SAID CARRIAGE POSITION DETERMINING MEANS, SPACED DRIVE ROLLERS PARALLEL TO SAID CARRIAGE PATH MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, SAID SHAFT MAINTAINING SAID DISCS ABOVE SAID DRIVE ROLLERS AND OUT OF THE PATH OF SAID CARRIAGE WHEN IN ITS UPPER POSITION, DRIVE MEANS, MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE OPERATIVE TO ENGAGE SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR INITIATING CARRIAGE MOVEMENT, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE DETECTION OF A CONDITIONED CARRIAGE POSITION DETERMINING MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE ARREST OF CARRIAGE MOVEMENT AND OPERATIVE ON SAID SHAFT SUPPORTING MEANS TO EFFECT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SHAFT TO ITS LOWER POSITION WHEREBY A SELECTED DISC ENTERS SAID SLOT AND IS FRICTIONALLY PERIPHERALLY DRIVEN BY SAID ROLLERS TO THEREBY PERMIT DATA RECORDED IN SAID SELECTED DISC TO BE READ.