Apparatus for punching, printing and verifying data cards

Claim 2

Apparatus for punching data cards, comprising means for transporting a card to a punching station, means for selectively advancing said card through said punching station in a first direction in predetermined increments, at least one punch and die at said punching station, means coupled to said punch and die for selectively moving them in predetermined increments and in a path generally perpendicular to said first direction to position said punch and die transversely with respect to a card for each punching operation, and a punch head including means for selectively operating individual punches to punch the card.

Claim 3

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein two or more punches are disposed along a line extending parallel to said path at spaced intervals, to facilitate simultaneous punching along said line.

Claim 4

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means for selectively operating individual punches comprises a unitary punch actuator member, a punch drive member selectively movable between an inactive position and an operative position wherein it is interposed between said punch actuator member and the punch with which it is associated.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including first solenoid means for normally holding said punch drive members in their inactive positions, and selectively actuable selector solenoid means associated with individual punch drive members to facilitate movement of said punch drive members to their operative positions.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said punch actuator member comprises a ram member, means for driving said ram member, individual armature members supporting said punch drive members, means coupled to said cam member and said armature members for moving said punch drive members to their inactive positions.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said punching station includes three punches, and said means for selectively moving said punches provides for movement of said punches in at least five increments.

Claim 8

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, and a printing head adjacent said punch head, said printing head comprising alphanumeric character printing means.

Claim 9

Apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said alphanumeric character printing means are disposed in said line parallel to said path.

Claim 10

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, and light actuated punch verifying means adjacent to said punch head for sensing the positions of holes punched in said card.

Claim 11

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, and light actuated punch verifying means adjacent said punch head for sensing the positions of holes punched in said card, said verifying means comprising a light source, a plurality of light conducting elements disposed in a row extending parallel to said path on one side of the card, and light collector and sensing means disposed on the other side of the card.

Claim 12

Apparatus in accordance with claim 10, and said light conducting elements being spaced at intervals corresponding to the positions of said punches as said punch head is incrementally moved.

Claim 13

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said means for transporting a card to a punching station comprises a constant tension spring member, said spring member having an abutment thereon for engaging the bottom card of a stack, and means coupled to one end of said spring member for elongating said spring, said elongation causing said abutment to remove the card from the stack and propel the card toward punching station.

Claim 14

Apparatus for punching data cards, comprising means for transporting the card to a punching station, means for selectively advancing said card through said punching station in a first direction to predetermined increments, at least one punch and die at said punching station but no more than N/2 punches and dies at said punching station (where N is the number of rows that make up a column in a data card), means coupled to each punch and die for selectively moving them in predetermined increments and in a path generally perpendicular to said first direction to position each said punch and die along the column of said card for each punching operation, and a punch head including means for selectively operating individual punches to punch the card.

Claim 15

Apparatus for punching data cards, comprising means for transporting the card to a punching station, means for selectively advancing said card through said punching station in a first direction to predetermined increments, at least one punch and die at said punching station but no more than N/2 punches and dies at said punching station (where N is the number of rows that make up a column in a data card), means coupled to each punch and die for selectively moving them in predetermined increments and in a path generally perpendicular to said first direction to position each said punch and die along the column of said card for each punching operation, and a punch head including means for selectively operating individual punches to punch the card.

Claim 16

Apparatus in accordance with claim 13 wherein said punch head includes punch drive means, punch depressing means, and means for selectively interposing said punch drive means between said punches and said punch depressing means.

Claim 17

Apparatus in accordance with claim 13 wherein said punch head means includes a punch drive means for each punch, and means for selectively interposing said punch drive means between said punch and a punch depressing means at a plurality of incremental positions of the punch and die with which said punch drive means is associated.

Claim 18

Apparatus in accordance with claim 13 wherein said punch head includes punch drive means, a ram for depressing said punches, means for selectively interposing said punch drive means between said punches and the ram for depressing said punches, means for restoring said punch drive means to their initial position, means for restoring said punches to their initial position, and a cam shaped to generate motion for said ram, said means for restoring said punches, and means for restoring said drive means.