Momentum-transfer card brake

Claim 2

Card brake apparatus for use in card-handling apparatus wherein a plurality of cards are stacked, with each of the cards having a predetermined width and having similar predetermined masses, and wherein individual moving cards are to be stopped and added to the stack, said card brake apparatus comprising: movable brake means having a rest position and arranged for receiving the impact of a moving card, said movable brake means having a mass substantially equal the mass of the card, whereby the momentum of the card is transferred to said movable brake means and the card is stopped while imparting no substantial reverse-direction acceleration to the card; and housing means slidably supporting said movable brake means for returning said brake means to said rest position after impact by the card.

Claim 3

Card brake apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said movable brake means includes impact-bearing means for transferring the momentum of the card to said mass of said movable brake means and for cushioning said impact, thereby minimizing impact-damage to a card.

Claim 4

Card brake apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said impact-bearing means comprises leaf-spring means having a length substantially equal the width of the card.

Claim 5

Card brake apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said movable brake means includes a pair of sidewall members, each of said sidewall members having a slot extending along their length, said sidewall members being parallelly arranged with said slots being oppositely disposed; a top member for joining said sidewall members together; and leaf-spring means fixedly disposed in said slot for receiving said impact of the card and transferring the momentum of the card to said movable brake means.

Claim 6

Card brake apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said housing means includes a pair of parallelly arranged sidewalls for slidably engaging said movable brake means, top means for joining said pair of sidewalls, support means mounted on said pair of sidewalls for supporting said movable brake means in said rest position, and resilient stop means mounted on said top means for stopping said movable brake means following impact and transfer of momentum from the moving card.

Claim 7

Card brake apparatus for use in card-handling apparatus wherein a plurality of end-coded cards are stacked in a side-by-side relationship on a plurality of selectively actuatable card-retaining pins for individual selection of desired ones of thE cards by coded actuation of the card-retaining pins, said card brake apparatus including: housing means having a pair of parallelly arranged sides, each of said sides having predetermined length and height dimensions, upper extremities, and lower edge surfaces, top means extending along said length dimension of said sides and joined to said upper extremities, supporting means extending along said length dimension of said sides and joining said lower edge surfaces, said supporting means including a card-receiving slot along said length dimension for receiving the end of a moving card, and stop means mounted intermediate said sides on said top means; and movable brake means slidably disposed in said housing means on said support means and having a length dimension approximately equal the width of the moving card and a mass substantially equal the mass of the moving card, said movable brake means including impact-bearing means mounted in a cooperative relation to said card-receiving slot for receiving the impact of the moving card for transferring the momentum of the moving card to said movable brake means and stopping the moving card without imparting any substantial reverse-direction acceleration thereto.

Claim 8

Card brake apparatus for use in card-handling apparatus wherein a plurality of end-coded cards are stacked in a side-by-side relationship on a plurality of selectively actuatable card-retaining pins for individual selection of desired ones of thE cards by coded actuation of the card-retaining pins, said card brake apparatus including: housing means having a pair of parallelly arranged sides, each of said sides having predetermined length and height dimensions, upper extremities, and lower edge surfaces, top means extending along said length dimension of said sides and joined to said upper extremities, supporting means extending along said length dimension of said sides and joining said lower edge surfaces, said supporting means including a card-receiving slot along said length dimension for receiving the end of a moving card, and stop means mounted intermediate said sides on said top means; and movable brake means slidably disposed in said housing means on said support means and having a length dimension approximately equal the width of the moving card and a mass substantially equal the mass of the moving card, said movable brake means including impact-bearing means mounted in a cooperative relation to said card-receiving slot for receiving the impact of the moving card for transferring the momentum of the moving card to said movable brake means and stopping the moving card without imparting any substantial reverse-direction acceleration thereto.

Claim 9

Card brake apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said movable brake means includes a pair of sidewall members, each of said sidewall members having a slot extending along their length, said sidewall members being parallelly arranged with said slots being oppositely disposed; top member for joining sidewall members together, and leaf-spring means fixedly disposed in said slots for receiving said impact of the card and transferring the momentum of the card to said movable brake means.

Claim 10

Card brake apparatus for use in card-handling equipment, wherein a plurality of cards are stacked in a side-by-side relationship, each of the cards having an end-coded portion for permitting individual selection of desired ones of the cards for reading or recording thereon, said apparatus including; a plurality of selectively actuatable card-retaining pin means for cooperating with the end-coded portion of the cards for retaining the cards in the stacked relationship; card return means for guiding moving cards to a predetermined portion of said selectively actuatable card-retaining pin means for returning the cards to the stack; and card brake means coupled to said card return means, said card brake means including movable brake means having a rest position and arranged for receiving the impact of a moving card, said movable brake means having a mass substantially equal to the mass of a card, whereby the momentum of the card is transferred to said movable brake means and the card is stopped without imparting substantial reverse-direction acceleration thereto and housing means for slidably supporting said movable brake means, said housing means including a card-receiving slot for cooperating with the end-coded portion of the moving card, whereby the stopped cards are positioned to be retained by said selectively actuatable card-retaining pin means.

Claim 11

Card brake apparatus for use in card-handling equipment, wherein a plurality of cards are stacked in a side-by-side relationship, each of the cards having an end-coded portion for permitting individual selection of desired ones of the cards for reading or recording thereon, said apparatus including; a plurality of selectively actuatable card-retaining pin means for cooperating with the end-coded portion of the cards for retaining the cards in the stacked relationship; card return means for guiding moving cards to a predetermined portion of said selectively actuatable card-retaining pin means for returning the cards to the stack; and card brake means coupled to said card return means, said card brake means including movable brake means having a rest position and arranged for receiving the impact of a moving card, said movable brake means having a mass substantially equal to the mass of a card, whereby the momentum of the card is transferred to said movable brake means and the card is stopped without imparting substantial reverse-direction acceleration thereto and housing means for slidably supporting said movable brake means, said housing means including a card-receiving slot for cooperating with the end-coded portion of the moving card, whereby the stopped cards are positioned to be retained by said selectively actuatable card-retaining pin means.

Claim 12

Card brake apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said movable brake means includes a pair of sidewall members, each of said sidewall members having a slot extending along their length, said sidewall members being parallelly arranged with said slots being oppositely disposed; a top member for joining said sidewall members together; and leaf-spring means fixedly disposed in said slots for receiving said impact of the card and transferring momentum of the card to said movable brake means.

Claim 13

Card brake apparatus as in claim 9 wherein said housing means includes resilient stop means for stopping said movable brake means following impact and transfer of momentum from the moving card.