Record card verifying machine

Claim 1

IN A RECORD VERIFYING MACHINE ADAPTED TO READ A DETAIL RECORD AND A PROGRAM RECORD CONCURRENTLY IN COLUMNBY-COLUMN FASHION, THE COMBINATION OF: SETTABLE ELEMENTS ADAPTED TO BE SET SELECTIVELY IN VARIOUS STATES TO REPRESENT SELECTED DATA; PROGRAM-CONTROLLED SETTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE READING OF A PREDETERMINED CONTROL INDICIUM IN THE PROGRAM RECORD TO ESTABLISH A PREDETERMINED AUTOMATIC SETTING OF SAID SETTABLE ELEMENTS DURING THE READING OF AT LEAST ONE DETAIL RECORD COLUMN; AND READING CONTROL MEANS FOR COMPARING THE SETTING OF SAID RESETTABLE ELEMENTS WITH DATA READ FROM THE DETAIL RECORD TO INTERRUPT THE READING OF THE DETAIL RECORD AT A COLUMN THEREOF WHICH DOES NOT CONTAIN DATA CORRESPONDING TO THE SETTING OF SAID SETTABLE MEANS; SAID PROGRAM-CONTROLLED SETTING MEANS BEING ADAPTED, UPON THE SENSING OF SAID PREDETERMINED CONTROL INDICIUM, TO ESTABLISH A ZERO SETTING OF SAID SETTABLE ELEMENTS, THEREBY ENABLING SAID READING CONTROL MEANS TO CHECK AUTOMATICALLY FOR THE PRESENCE OF A ZERO REPRESENTATION IN AT LEAST ONE DETAIL RECORD COLUMN FOLLOWING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH ZERO SETTING; SAID PROGRAM-CONTROLLED SETTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SENSING OF SUCCESSIVE ADDITIONAL CONTROL INDICIA IN THE PROGAM RECORD FOR CAUSING THE ZERO SETTING OF SAID SETTABLE ELEMENTS TO BE EFFECTIVELY MAINTAINED DURING THE READING OF CONSECUTIVE RECORD COLUMNS IN A GIVEN DETAIL RECORD FIELD UNTIL THE FIRST COLUMN IN THAT FIELD LACKING A ZERO REPRESENTATION IS SENSED.