Record reader

Claim 1

A READER FOR A RECORD MEMBER ARRANGED WITH A PRESELECTED NUMBER OF ROWS AND COLUMNS FOR RECORDING INFORMATION BY MEANS OF PERFORATIONS IN A PARTICULAR ROW AND COLUMN, INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, A RECORD MEMBER RECEIVING TRAY MOUNTED FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF A READING POSITION, SAID TRAY BEING DEFINED WITH A PLURALITY OF GROOVES CORRESPONDING TO THE NUMBER OF ROWS ON THE RECORD MEMBER TO BE READ AND WITH THE GROOVES SPACED APART A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE SPACING OF THE ROWS ON THE RECORD MEMBER AND FURTHER DEFINED WITH A PLURALITY OF SPACED ROW CONDUCTOR BARS CORRESPONDING TO THE PLURALITY OF ROWS OF THE RECORD MEMBER AND INSULATIVELY SPACED APART A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE SPACING BETWEEN THE GROOVES, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE SENSING ELEMENTS FOR DETECTING A PERFORATION ON THE RECORD MEMBER AND THE CORRESPONDING ROW CONDUCTOR BARS, SAID SENSING ELEMENTS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRAL SENSING FINGER AND A PAIR OF SPACED SENSING FINGERS ARRANGED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CENTRAL SENSING FINGER AND SPACED APART A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN A ROW GROOVE AND THE CORRESPONDING ROW CONDUCTOR BAR, EACH SENSING FINGER OF THE PAIR OF SENSING FINGERS BEING SPACED APART A PRESELECTED DISTANCE RELATED TO THE WIDTH OF A COLUMN ON THE RECORD MEMBER, A SUPPORTING MEMBER MOUNTED IN A SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID TRAY AND RELEASABLY HOLDING EACH OF SAID SENSING ELEMENTS IN A FORCED RELATIONSHIP AND YET ALLOWING THE SENSING ELEMENTS TO SLIDE UPON THE PRODUCTION OF RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE SUPPORTING MEMBER AND THE TRAY, THE SUPPORTING MEMBER BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED AS HAVING A PLURALITY OF COLUMN CONDUCTORS INSULATIVELY SPACED APART A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE COLUMNS OF THE RECORD MEMBER AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING THE SENSING ELEMENTS IN A NON-READ POSITION AND A BLANK COLUMN BUT ARRANGED THEREON AT AN OUTER EXTREMITY, THE SENSING ELEMENTS BEING HELD AND SECURED IN THE NON-READ POSITION WITH A SENSING FINGER ENGAGING THE BLANK COLUMN BUS, THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE TRAY AND THE SUPPORTING MEMBER CAUSING A RECORD MEMBER TO BE READ TO BE PRESENTED TO THE SENSING ELEMENTS TO SEQUENTIALLY SENSE EACH ROW THEREOF WHEREBY WHEN A SENSING ELEMENT ENGAGES A RECORD PERFORATION AND THEREBY ENGAGES THE CORRESPONDING ROW GROOVE OF SAID TRAY, A SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE SENSING ELEMENT CAUSES A DISENGAGEMENT FROM THE NONREAD POSITION AND THE TRAVEL OF THE PAIR OF SENSING FINGERS AT THE OPPOSITE END TO ELECTRICALLY ENGAGE THE CORRESPONDING ROW BUS WHEN THE TRAY IS IN A READ POSITION WHILE A SENSING ELEMENT PRESENTED WITH A BLANK COLUMN REMAINS IN THE NON-READ POSITION.