Microfiche viewer-copier with billing data storage

Claim 2

In a microfilm copier having optical projection means, means for identifying a desired unit having a plurality of fixedly arranged individual microfilm image frames and for identifying a desired frame by digital codes and selecting the desired unit from a library and positioning said desired frame in said projection means to project an image thereof to a copier, and selectively actuatable means for initiating a copying operation; the improvement of combining an operations recording system with said copier comprising means responsive to the unit identifying means for holding the unit identifying code, means responsive to the frame identifying means for holding the frame identifying code, a counter responsive to the number of copies made, means responsive to the completion of a frame copying transaction for reading out the unit and frame codes and count in the counter and resetting the counter, a storage means, and means for coupling the readout to said storage means.

Claim 3

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 1, said selectively actuatable means including a plurality of separately actuatable means each responsive to a separate key means, said recording system including means responsive to said separately actuatable means for identifying the key means used, said read out including said key means identification.

Claim 4

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 1, said unit being a microfiche card.

Claim 5

In a microfilm copier having optical projection means, means for identifying a desired unit having a plurality of fixedly arranged individual microfilm image frames and for identifying a desired frame by digital codes and selecting the desired unit from a library and positioning said desired frame in said projection means to project an image thereof to a copier, and selectively actuatable means for initiating a copying operation; the improvement of combining an operations recording system with said copier comprising: an information storage device, a plurality of electrical bus lines coupled to said storage device each identifying a separate recording position in said storage device, a plurality of banks of electrical gates, in each bank each gate having its output coupled to a separate one of said bus lines, all gates in each bank having a common input line, the unit identification code means being coupled to at least one bank of gates with a separate line for coupling different digital code elements to an input of different ones of the gates, the frame identification code means being coupled to at least a second bank of gates with a separate line for coupling different digital code elements to an input of different ones of the gates, and means responsive to the copier upon completion of a frame copying transaction for sequentially energizing each of said common input lines, whereby each bank of gates is triggered in sequence to provide momentary output signals on said bus lines corresponding to the informational inputs carried by the gates of each bank as the common line of each bank is energized.

Claim 6

In a microfilm copier having optical projection means, means for identifying a desired unit having a plurality of fixedly arranged individual microfilm image frames and for identifying a desired frame by digital codes and selecting the desired unit from a library and positioning said desired frame in said projection means to project an image thereof to a copier, and selectively actuatable means for initiating a copying operation; the improvement of combining an operations recording system with said copier comprising: an information storage device, a plurality of electrical bus lines coupled to said storage device each identifying a separate recording position in said storage device, a plurality of banks of electrical gates, in each bank each gate having its output coupled to a separate one of said bus lines, all gates in each bank having a common input line, the unit identification code means being coupled to at least one bank of gates with a separate line for coupling different digital code elements to an input of different ones of the gates, the frame identification code means being coupled to at least a second bank of gates with a separate line for coupling different digital code elements to an input of different ones of the gates, and means responsive to the copier upon completion of a frame copying transaction for sequentially energizing each of said common input lines, whereby each bank of gates is triggered in sequence to provide momentary output signals on said bus lines corresponding to the informational inputs carried by the gates of each bank as the common line of each bank is energized.

Claim 7

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 4, a counter responsive to the copier for counting the number of copies made, the counter being coupled to at least a third bank of gates with a separate line for coupling different counter output stages to an input of different ones of the gates, said means for sequentially energizing said common input lines also resetting said counter.

Claim 8

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 5, said selectively actuatable means including a plurality of separately actuatable means each responsive to a separate key means, said plurality of sepArately actuatable means being coupled to at least a fourth bank of gates with a separate line for coupling different ones of said separately actuatable means to an input of different ones of the gates.

Claim 9

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 6, said unit being a microfiche card.

Claim 10

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 6, said means for sequentially energizing each of said common input lines including shift register means with each of said common input lines being coupled to a separate stage output of said shift register means.

Claim 11

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 8, means responsive to the completion of a frame copying transaction of the copier for coupling a clock pulse source to said shift register means to cause it to step from stage to stage.

Claim 12

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 9, said shift register means having two parts, a first part having its stages coupled to the common input lines of said first and fourth banks of gates, and a second part having its stages coupled to the common input lines of said second and third banks of gates, said second part having automatic reset means, said first part having reset means actuatable by said unit selecting means, whereby said common input lines of said first and fourth banks of gates are energized once after the unit is changed, and said common input lines of said second and third banks of gates are energized on the completion of each frame copying transaction.

Claim 13

In a microfilm copier as set forth in claim 10, said unit being a microfiche card.