Programmed signal generating apparatus

Claim 1

Programmed signal generating apparatus comprising: at least one programmed record medium containing programmed information composed of an array of light-transparent portions representative of a predetermined program; rotatable advancing means for rotationally advancing said record medium along a circular path of travel, said means comprising a rotatably mounted hollow drum having a transparent cylindrical surface portion; positioning means for positioning one record medium in a predetermined position on said drum to enable reading of the programmed information contained on said record medium, said positioning means comprising means defining a plurality of holes in said drum circumferentially spaced around the periphery of each end portion of said drum, and means defining a plurality of holes in said record medium corresponding to said holes in said drum and overlying said holes in said drum when said record medium is in said predetermined position on said drum thereby enabling positioning of said record medium in said predetermined position on said drum; connecting means coacting with said positioning means and operative only when said record medium is in said predetermined position for releasably connecting said record medium around an external surface of said drum, said connecting means comprising a pair of annular members disposable around both an exterior portion of said drum and around said record medium and each having means defining holes therethrough overlying the holes in one end portion of said drum and said record medium when connecting said record medium to said drum, and a plurality of threaded members each insertable through one of said holes in said annular member and said record medium and each threadable into said threaded holes thereby connecting said record medium to said drum when same is in said predetermined position; and reading means disposed along said circular path of travel for optically reading the programmed information during rotational advancement of said record medium and generating corresponding electrical output signals, said means comprising a plurality of light sources fixedly mounted on the external side of said drum in longitudinally spaced-apart relationship therealong, and a plurality of light-sensitive devices fixedly mounted on the internal side of said drum normal to said transparent cylindrical surface portion each positioned in spaced-apart relationship from one of said plurality of light sources to receive light therefrom and operable to generate an electrical output signal in dependence upon the amount of light impinging thereon; whereby light passing from said light sources through both the transparent drum and light-transparent portions of the record medium impinges on the light-sensitive devices causing them to generate electrical output signals inaccordance with said predetermineD program.