Apparatus for reading punched cards

Claim 3

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sensing mechanism is adapted to sense for the presence of a hole in a locked carrier after a punching operation to operate said carrier locking release means for allowing removal of said carrier from said holder.

Claim 4

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said punch mechanism comprises a punch head engageable with a carrier received in said holder and a driving member to which said punch head is mounted, and said sensing mechanism comprises a hole sensing element and a support member therefor, said driving member and said support member each having a plurality of corresponding positions at which said punch head and sensing element respectively are mountable to act at selected areas of a carrier received in said holder, said punch head and said further sensing element being mounted at corresponding positions on said driving member and support member respectively to act at the same area of said received carrier.

Claim 5

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said punch mechanism and said sensing mechanism are located with said holder therebetween, said holder having one or more apertures therein opening into said space at the opposite side thereof to said one or more further punch apertures and in alignment therewith, said sensing mechanism including one or more sensing elements projecting through said one or more apertures opposite said one or more punch apertures and means by which said one or more sensing elements are supported, said support means being displaceably mounted for movement to withdraw said one or more sensing elements from said space; and further comprising means for displacing said support means coupled to said punch mechanism to cause such withdrawal of said one or more sensing elements upon operation of said punch mechanism.

Claim 6

Apparatus for reading information from a flat information-bearing carrier bearing the information in the form of punched holes, the apparatus comprising a holder defining a space for receiving such a carrier, said holder being apertured to allow inspection of said carrier for the sensing of the punched holes therein; a plurality of sensing elements mounted to project through said apertured holder to sense the presence of information-representing holes in said carrier; a further aperture in said holder; a punch mechanism operable through said further aperture to punch a further hole in said carrier; releasable means for locking said punch mechanism to prevent operation thereof, said punch locking means being actuable on receipt of an electrical signal to release said punch mechanism for a punching operation; a further sensing element located to sense the presence of a hole at the area of a carrier received in said holder at which said punch mechanism acts; locking means actuable upon the insertion of a carrier into said space to retain said carrier therein; means operable to release said carrier locking means and responsive to the sensing effected by said further sensing element to release said carrier locking means when said further sensing element senses a hole in said carrier; said punch mechanism including an actuator therefore to cause operation of the punch mechanism, said actuator being actuable in response to the release of said punch locking means.

Claim 7

Apparatus for reading information from a flat information-bearing carrier bearing the information in the form of punched holes, the apparatus comprising a holder defining a space for receiving such a carrier, said holder being apertured to allow inspection of said carrier for the sensing of the punched holes therein; a plurality of sensing elements mounted to project through said apertured holder to sense the presence of information-representing holes in said carrier; a further aperture in said holder; a punch mechanism operable through said further aperture to punch a further hole in said carrier; releasable means for locking said punch mechanism to prevent operation thereof, said punch locking means being actuable on receipt of an electrical signal to release said punch mechanism for a punching operation; a further sensing element located to sense the presence of a hole at the area of a carrier received in said holder at which said punch mechanism acts; locking means actuable upon the insertion of a carrier into said space to retain said carrier therein; means operable to release said carrier locking means and responsive to the sensing effected by said further sensing element to release said carrier locking means when said further sensing element senses a hole in said carrier; said punch mechanism including an actuator therefore to cause operation of the punch mechanism, said actuator being actuable in response to the release of said punch locking means.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said further sensing element is adapted to sense for the presence of a hole in said received carrier after a punching operation.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said punch mechanism comprises a punch head engageable with a carrier received in said holder and a driving member to which said punch head is mounted, and said sensing mechanism further comprises a support member to which said further sensing element is mounted, said driving member and said support member each having a plurality of corresponding positions at which said punch head and said further sensing element are mountable to act at selected areas of a carrier received in said holder, said punch head and said further sensing element being mounted at corresponding positions on said driving member and said support member respectively to act at the same area of said received carrier.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said holder comprises a base member and a flap member pivotally mounted thereto for movement between an open position at which a carrier is insertable into said holder, and a closed position at which said base and flap members define therebetween a slot locating a received carrier for the sensing of the information-representing holes therein; and said carrier locking means comprises a catch actuable between said base member and said flap member to lock same in said closed position.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said information sensing elements and said further sensing element each comprises a spring-loaded pin, and wherein said apertured holder has a first set of apertures in said base member through which respective pins project towards said space and a second set of apertures in said flap member aligned with said first set for allowing entry of a pin passing through a hole in a received carrier.

Claim 12

Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein each spring-loaded pin is operable to adopt a first or second position in dependence on whether a hole is sensed or not respectively in a received carrier, and each sensing element further comprises electrical contact means actuable in dependence upon the position of the respective pin to read out the presence or absence of a hole in the received carrier as an electrical signal.

Claim 13

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said holder has a further aperture in alignment with said aperture through which said punch mechanism acts to provide access to said space opposite said punch mechanism aperture, said further sensing element projecting through said further aperture.

Claim 14

Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sensing mechanism further comprises a displaceably-mounted support member for said further sensing element, said support member being displaceable to withdraw said further sensing element from said space; and further comprising means for displacing said support member coupled to said punch mechanism to cause withdrawal of said further sensing element upon operation of said punch mechanism.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 10 comprising switching means connected to said contact means of the information sensing elements to supply potential thereto, said switching means being controllable by said further sensing element to prevent and allow the supply of potential thereto when said further sensing element senses the presence and absence respectively of a hole in a received carrier.

Claim 16

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 having a carrier bearing information in the form of a set of instructions inserted in said holder; means coupled to said information sensing elements and responsive to the sensed information to implement said set of instructions; and means for providing an electrical signal indicative of the implementation of said set of instructions, said punch locking means being connected to receive said electrical signal as said signal to release said punch mechanism for a punch operation.

Claim 17

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 having a carrier bearing information in the form of a set of instructions inserted in said holder; means coupled to said sensing mechanism to lock said punch sensing mechanism upon the sensing of the absence of a hole at said area by said sensing mechanism; means coupled to said information sensing elements and responsive to the sensed information to implement said set of instructions; and means for providing an electrical signal indicaTive of the implementation of said set of instructions, said punch locking means being connected to receive said electrical signal as said signal to release said punch mechanism for a punch operation.