Device for intermittently moving an information card or the like for an adjustable predetermined distance

Claim 2

In a device for intermittently moving an information card or the like for an adjustable predetermined distance, in combination, a. a reversibly rotatable drive shaft; b. clutch means comprising: i. a toothed wheel secured to said drive shaft, ii. a rotary disk loosely mounted on said drive shaft, and iii. a pair of arms pivotally mounted on said disk for engagement with said toothed wheel and respectively operatively engageable with teeth of said wheel during rotation of said wheel in one direction and in an opposite direction, for drivably connecting said disk with said wheel; c. means for controlling said clutch means, including i. means for continuously resiliently biasing both of said arms toward engagement with said wheel, ii. a pair of members for respectively holding said arms out of engagement with said wheel against the force of said biasing means, said holding members being movable to release said arms for engagement with said wheel and to displace said arms out of engagement with said wheel upon rotation of said disk through a predetermined angle in either direction, and iii. means for controlling movement of said pair of members; and d. means connected to said clutch means for transmitting motion therefrom.

Claim 3

A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said clutch-controlling means includes stationary support structure; wherein said movement-controlling means comprises a solenoid; and wherein said members comprise a pair of levers pivotally supported by said support structure for transmitting signals from said solenoid to said pair of arms.

Claim 4

A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said pair of arms are disposed symmetrically in mirror-image relationship with respect to the rotational axis of said disk.

Claim 5

A device as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said arms has a pawl engageable with a tooth of said wheel and a stop portion engageable with one of said levers, each said stop portion having aN engaging surface and a back surface formed as an inclined relief surface.

Claim 6

A device as defined in claim 4, wherein said arms and levers are mutually shaped and disposed for interengagement at intervals of one-half revolution of said disk.

Claim 7

A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said levers and said solenoid are mutually disposed and adapted for symmetrical pivoting of said levers, by energization of said solenoid, into or out of engagement with said pair of arms.

Claim 8

A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said transmitting means comprises: a. an output shaft; b. a first gear connected to said clutch means; c. a sun gear secured to and coaxial with said output shaft; d. at least one planet gear meshing with said first gear and said sun gear; and e. a support plate rotatably supporting said planet gear, said support plate being mounted so as to be arrestable for transmission of drive from said clutch means to said output shaft but being rotatable to rotate said output shaft through a very small angle for fine adjustment of information card position following transmission of motion from said clutch means by said transmitting means.

Claim 9

In a device for intermittently moving an information card or the like for an adjustable predetermined distance, in combination, a. a reversibly rotatable drive shaft; b. clutch means comprising: i. a toothed wheel rotated by said drive shaft, ii. a separately rotatable member mounted coaxially with said toothed wheel, and iii. a pair of arms pivotally mounted on said rotatable member, and respectively operatively engageable with teeth of said wheel during rotation of said wheel in one direction and in an opposite direction, for drivably connecting said rotatable member with said wheel; c. means for controlling engagement of said arms with said teeth to initiate drivable connection of said rotatable member with said wheel and to terminate said drivable connection thereafter upon completion of a predetermined extent of angular displacement of said rotatable member in either direction; and d. means for transmitting motion from said rotatable member, connectable to impart motion to an information card or the like.

Claim 10

In a device for intermittently moving an information card or the like for an adjustable predetermined distance, in combination, a. a reversibly rotatable drive shaft; b. clutch means comprising: i. a toothed wheel rotated by said drive shaft, ii. a separately rotatable member mounted coaxially with said toothed wheel, and iii. a pair of arms pivotally mounted on said rotatable member, and respectively operatively engageable with teeth of said wheel during rotation of said wheel in one direction and in an opposite direction, for drivably connecting said rotatable member with said wheel; c. means for controlling engagement of said arms with said teeth to initiate drivable connection of said rotatable member with said wheel and to terminate said drivable connection thereafter upon completion of a predetermined extent of angular displacement of said rotatable member in either direction; and d. means for transmitting motion from said rotatable member, connectable to impart motion to an information card or the like.

Claim 11

A device as defined in claim 8, wherein said controlling means comprises: a. means for resiliently biasing said arms into engagement with teeth of said wheel; b. a pair of pivotally mounted levers respectively engageable with said arms at least at one predetermined angular position of said rotatable member for holding said arms out of operative engagement with said teeth; and c. solenoid means for pivoting said levers to positions for releasing said arms for engaging said teeth, and for returning said levers to arm-engaging position for arresting and holding said arms out of operative engagement with said teeth at least upon return of said rotatable member to said one predetermined angular position.

Claim 12

A device as defined in claim 9, wherein said levers are engageable with said arms at each of two predetermined angular positions of said rotatable member.

Claim 13

A device as defined in claim 9, wherein said arms are respectively pivotally mounted on said rotatable member at opposite sides of the axis of rotation of said member; wherein said levers are respectively mounted adjacent opposite sides of the axis of rotation of said member; wherein each of said levers includes a projecting detent portion engageable with one of said arms; and wherein each of said arms includes a stop portion having a surface positively engageable with the detent portion of one of said levers when the stop portion approaches the detent portion in one direction of rotation, to stop portion having a slanted reverse surface for slidably passing the last-mentioned detent portion when the stop portion approaches the last-mentioned detent portion in an opposite direction of rotation.

Claim 14

In a device for intermittently moving an information card or the like for an adjusTable predetermined distance, in combination, a. a reversibly rotatable drive shaft; b. an output shaft connectable to impart motion to an information card or the like; c. clutch means comprising: i. a rotatable member, each of said drive and output shafts being separately rotatable relative thereto, and ii. means for drivably connecting said rotatable member to said drive shaft in either direction of drive shaft rotation; d. means for controlling said connecting means to initiate drivable connection of said rotatable member with said drive shaft and to terminate said drivable connection thereafter upon completion of a predetermined extent of angular displacement of said rotatable member; and e. means for transmitting drive from said rotatable member to said output shaft, said means being operable to produce controlled angular displacement of said output shaft in either direction following termination of said drivable connection as aforesaid; said transmitting means comprising i. a first gear driven by said rotatable member; ii. a sun gear operatively connected to said output shaft; iii. a planet gear meshing with said first gear and said sun gear; and iv. an element mounted for rotation about the axis of said output shaft for rotatably supporting said planet gear in axially stationary relation to said sun gear for transmission of drive from said first gear to said sun gear; v. said planet gear being carried by said element for orbital movement about said sun gear, in meshing engagement with said sun gear and said first gear, upon rotation of said element about the axis of said output shaft, thereby to effect angular displacement of said output shaft when said first gear is stationary.

Claim 15

In a device for intermittently moving an information card or the like for an adjusTable predetermined distance, in combination, a. a reversibly rotatable drive shaft; b. an output shaft connectable to impart motion to an information card or the like; c. clutch means comprising: i. a rotatable member, each of said drive and output shafts being separately rotatable relative thereto, and ii. means for drivably connecting said rotatable member to said drive shaft in either direction of drive shaft rotation; d. means for controlling said connecting means to initiate drivable connection of said rotatable member with said drive shaft and to terminate said drivable connection thereafter upon completion of a predetermined extent of angular displacement of said rotatable member; and e. means for transmitting drive from said rotatable member to said output shaft, said means being operable to produce controlled angular displacement of said output shaft in either direction following termination of said drivable connection as aforesaid; said transmitting means comprising i. a first gear driven by said rotatable member; ii. a sun gear operatively connected to said output shaft; iii. a planet gear meshing with said first gear and said sun gear; and iv. an element mounted for rotation about the axis of said output shaft for rotatably supporting said planet gear in axially stationary relation to said sun gear for transmission of drive from said first gear to said sun gear; v. said planet gear being carried by said element for orbital movement about said sun gear, in meshing engagement with said sun gear and said first gear, upon rotation of said element about the axis of said output shaft, thereby to effect angular displacement of said output shaft when said first gear is stationary.

Claim 16

A device as defined in claim 12, wherein said controlling means comprises means for holding said rotatable member and said first gear stationary except during drivable connection of said rotatable member with said drive shaft by said connecting means as aforesaid.

Claim 17

A device as defined in claim 12, wherein said first gear, said sun gear, and said element are mounted for rotation about a common axis, said planet gear being mounted on said element for rotation about an axis spaced laterally from said common axis, and for orbital motion about said common axis in correspondence with rotation of said element as aforesaid.