Superimposable card system based on novel records

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ENTERING CODED DATA IN THE FORM OF RADIATION-PERMEABLE SPOTS AT MATRIX POSITIONS IN SELECTED ONES OF A PLURALITY OF MATRIX AREAS SPACED IN AT LEAST ONE DIRECTION ALONG A LENGTHY RECORD STRIP, EACH MATRIX AREA BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A CODED REPRESENTATION OF RADIATIONPERMEABLE SPOTS ON SAID STRIP, COMPRISING: (A) POWER MEANS FOR FEEDING SUCH A RECORD STRIP IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO ONE MAJOR COORDINATE DIRECTION COMMON TO ALL OF SAID MATRIX AREAS, (B) CODED SENSING MEANS ADJACENT THE MEANS OF TRAVEL OF SAID RECORD STRIP, FOR SENSING SUCCESSIVE MATRIXPOSITION IDENTIFICATION CODES PRESENTED THERETO DURING THE MOTION OF SAID STRIP, (C) SPOT RECORDING MEANS ADJACENT THE PATH OF SAID STRIP FOR CONTROLLABLY REGISTERING CODED DATA ON SAID STRIP IN THE FORM OF RADIATION-PERMEABLE SPOTS, (D) A PROGRAM SOURCE FOR GENERATING SUCCESSIVE CODE SIGNALS IDENTIFYING MATRIX POSITIONS ON SAID STRIP IN WHICH NEW INFORMATION IS TO BE RECORDED, (E) COMPARISON GATE MEANS UNDER THE JOINT CONTROL OF SAID PROGRAM SOURCE AND SAID CODE SENSING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE ENERGIZATION OF SAID POWER MEANS TO ARREST THE MOTION OF SAID STRIP WHEN A DESIRED MATRIX AREA IS POSITIONED IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SPOT RECORDING MEANS, AND (F) MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID PROGRAM SOURCE FOR ACTUATING SAID SPOT RECORDING MEANS UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF AN OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM SAID COMPARISON GATE MEANS.