Cartridge card tray

Claim 2

A card tray for carrying a pack of information cards both in storage and in a card sorting apparatus comprising: a bottom including a bottom support means for supporting the bottoms of the cards, side support means connected to the bottom support means, and, rear stop means, also connected to the bottom support means, for limiting rearward movement of the cards into the tray, the front end of the tray being opened to permit the insertion and removal of cards into and from the tray, said bottom support means including a front platform and a rear platform, both of said platforms extending across the bottom front and rear of the tray, respectively, and positioned to support, respectively, the front and rear of the bottoms of the cards, the bottom being opened between the front and rear platforms to provide a space beneath all of the cards large enough to receive therein the code bars of a card sorting apparatus.

Claim 3

A card tray according to claim 1, including an operating lever means having a card locking bar attached thereto, the operating lever means being movable between at least a first position at which the card locking bar is located higher than the height of the cards above the bottom support surface to permit entry and removal of cards and a second position lower than the first position at which the card locking bar is positioned in front of the cards to prevent removal thereof out the front of the tray, said operating lever means comprising a lever constrained within the tray for movement in a vertical plane which extends front to rear of the tray.

Claim 4

A card tray according to claim 2, said operating lever having a grip portion extending forward beyond the forward edge of cards located in the tray, said code locking bar attached to the lever and extending completely across the front of the tray, said lever being movable forwardly and downwardly from said first to said second position to move the card locking bar from a location on top of the cards in the first position to a location in front of the cards in the second position.

Claim 5

A card tray according to claim 2, said lever having: a horizontal guide surface terminating rearwardly at an upwardly extending vertical surface which terminates at a locking recess surface, which surfaces ride on a fixed locking pin, and a horizontally extending slot and a fixed pivot pin located therein, and wherein when the lever is in its forwardmost position, the guide surface terminates forward of its locking pin while the pivot pin is located at the rear end of the slot, whereby at said forward position of the lever the lever pivots downwardly about its pivot pIn as the locking surface engages the locking pin.

Claim 6

A card tray according to claim 4, including a lift bar located in the plane of the lever and therebelow, means mounting said lift bar for limited vertical movement, said lever including a lift bar control surface extending downwardly and engaging the lift bar, permitting the lift bar to move upwardly in said first position and moving the lift bar downwardly in said second position, whereby said lift bar cooperates with fixed parts of a card sorting apparatus to permit or limit horizontal movement of the tray within the apparatus.

Claim 7

A card tray according to claim 4, said tray including a handle attached thereto and movable between a raised operable position and a lowered retracted position, and including a handle locking pin attached to the lever and positioned to hold the handle in the retracted position while the lever is in said first position.

Claim 8

A card tray according to claim 1, both of said side support means comprising walls including a recess in the bottom thereof, wherein said tray is positionable in a card sorting apparatus with the bottoms of the cards accessible to code bars between the said platforms and said recesses in the side walls to permit vertical relative movement of the code bars and the cards.

Claim 9

A card tray according to claim 1, including an alignment means on the tray cooperating with a card sorting apparatus for blocking the tray against horizontal movement after it has been inserted into the card sorting apparatus.

Claim 10

A card tray according to claim 8, said alignment means including means for adjusting the entire tray vertically from a raised position when the operating lever means is in its second position blocking the cards to a lowered position in response to movement of the operating lever means from its second position to its first position within the card sorting apparatus.

Claim 11

A card tray according to claim 9, including a lift bar located below the operating lever means, means mounting said lift bar for limited vertical movement, said operating lever means comprising a lever including a lift bar control surface extending downwardly and engaging the lift bar permitting the lift bar to move upwardly in the first position of the lever and moving the lift bar downwardly in the said second position of the lever, whereby said lift bar cooperates with fixed parts of the card sorting apparatus to permit or limit horizontal movement of the tray within the apparatus.

Claim 12

A card tray according to claim 1, including a handle attached to the tray and movable to an operative position spaced above the tray and to a retracted position adjacent the top of the tray, and said operating lever means including means for locking the handle in its retracted position when the operating lever means is in its first position.

Claim 13

card tray cardtray according to claim 11, said operating lever means comprising a lever constrained within the tray for movement in a vertical plane which extends front to rear of the tray, and said means for locking the handle comprising a locking pin fixedly attached to the lever.

Claim 14

A cardtray card tray carrying a pack of information cards comprising: a bottom support surface for the cards, side wall means connected to the bottom support surface, a rear stop means for limiting rearward movement of the cards into the tray, and wherein the front of the tray is opened to receive cards, a handle attached to the tray and movable to an operative position spaced above the tray and to a retracted position adjacent the top of the tray, an operating means movable to at least a first position at which the front of the tray is left unobstructed and a second position at which the operating means blocks the front open end of the tray, and said operating means including means for locking the handle in its retracted position when the operating means is in its first position.

Claim 15

A cardtray card tray carrying a pack of information cards comprising: a bottom support surface for the cards, side wall means connected to the bottom support surface, a rear stop means for limiting rearward movement of the cards into the tray, and wherein the front of the tray is opened to receive cards, a handle attached to the tray and movable to an operative position spaced above the tray and to a retracted position adjacent the top of the tray, an operating means movable to at least a first position at which the front of the tray is left unobstructed and a second position at which the operating means blocks the front open end of the tray, and said operating means including means for locking the handle in its retracted position when the operating means is in its first position.

Claim 16

A card tray according to claim 13, said handle being pIvotally attached to the tray for pivotal movement between said raised and retracted positions, and said operating means including a locking pin which is positioned to prevent said pivotal movement of the handle from the retracted position to the raised position when the operating means is in its said first position.

Claim 17

A card tray according to claim 14, said operating means comprising a lever constrained within the tray for movement in a vertical plane which extends front to rear of the tray, and said means for locking the handle comprising a locking pin fixedly attached to said lever.

Claim 18

A card tray for carrying a pack of information cards comprising: a frame comprising, a bottom support surface for the cards, an opening in said bottom support surface, side walls means connected to the bottom support surface, and a rear stop means also fixed to the bottom support surface for limiting rearward movement of cards into the tray, and wherein the front of the tray is open to receive cards; and including alignment means on the tray cooperating with a card sorting apparatus for blocking the tray against horizontal movement in the front to rear direction after it has been inserted into the card sorting apparatus, said alignment means comprising a lift bar movable between a first position to permit movement of the tray into the card sorting apparatus, and a second position to lock the tray against horizontal movement by engagement of the apparatus with the frame through the open bottom thereof.

Claim 19

A card tray for carrying a pack of information cards comprising: a frame comprising, a bottom support surface for the cards, an opening in said bottom support surface, side walls means connected to the bottom support surface, and a rear stop means also fixed to the bottom support surface for limiting rearward movement of cards into the tray, and wherein the front of the tray is open to receive cards; and including alignment means on the tray cooperating with a card sorting apparatus for blocking the tray against horizontal movement in the front to rear direction after it has been inserted into the card sorting apparatus, said alignment means comprising a lift bar movable between a first position to permit movement of the tray into the card sorting apparatus, and a second position to lock the tray against horizontal movement by engagement of the apparatus with the frame through the open bottom thereof.

Claim 20

A card tray according to claim 16, an operating means movable to at least a first position at which the front of the tray is left unobstructed and a second position at which the operating means blocks the front open end of the tray, said lift bar mounted on the tray for limited vertical movement between said first and second positions, and said operating means including a lift bar control surface extending downwardly and engaging the lift bar and permitting the lift bar to move upwardly in said first position and moving the lift bar downwardly in the second position, whereby said lift bar cooperates with fixed parts of the card sorting apparatus to permit or limit horizontal movement of the tray within the apparatus.

Claim 21

A card tray according to claim 17, said operating means comprising a lever constrained within the tray for movement in a vertical plane which extends front to rear of the tray, said lever including a downwardly extending portion which includes the lift bar control surface at the bottom thereof.

Claim 22

A card tray according to claim 18, said lever having: a horizontal guide surface terminating rearwardly at an upwardly extending vertical surface which terminates at a locking recess surface, which surfaces ride on a fixed locking pin, and a horizontally extending slot and a fixed pivot pin located therein, and wherein when the lever is in its forwardmost position, the guide surface terminates forward of its locking pin while the pivot pin is located at the rear end of the slot, whereby at said forward position of the lever the lever pivots downwardly about its pivot pin as the locking surface engages the locking pin.

Claim 23

A card tray for carrying a pack of information cards comprising: a bottom support surface for supporting the bottom of the cards, side wall means connected to the bottom, rear stop means for limiting rearward movement of the cards into the tray, the front end of the tray opposite from the rear end being opened to permit the insertion and removal of cards into and from the tray, and including an operating lever means having a card locking bar attached thereto, the operating lever means being movable between at least a first position at which the card locking bar is located higher than the height of the cards above the bottom support surface to permit entry and removal of cards and a second position lower than the first position at which the card locking bar is positionEd in front of the cards to prevent removal thereof out the front of the tray, said operating lever means comprising a lever constrained within the tray for movement in a vertical plane which extends front to rear of the tray, said lever having a horizontal guide surface terminating rearwardly at an upwardly extending vertical surface which terminates at a locking recess surface, which surfaces ride on a fixed locking pin, and a horizontally extending slot and a fixed pivot pin located therein, and wherein when the lever is in its forwardmost position, the guide surface terminates forward of its locking pin while the pivot pin is located at the rear end of the slot, whereby at said forward position of the lever the lever pivots downwardly about its pivot pin as the locking surface engages the locking pin.

Claim 24

A card tray for carrying a pack of information cards comprising: a bottom support surface for supporting the bottom of the cards, side wall means connected to the bottom, rear stop means for limiting rearward movement of the cards into the tray, the front end of the tray opposite from the rear end being opened to permit the insertion and removal of cards into and from the tray, and including an operating lever means having a card locking bar attached thereto, the operating lever means being movable between at least a first position at which the card locking bar is located higher than the height of the cards above the bottom support surface to permit entry and removal of cards and a second position lower than the first position at which the card locking bar is positionEd in front of the cards to prevent removal thereof out the front of the tray, said operating lever means comprising a lever constrained within the tray for movement in a vertical plane which extends front to rear of the tray, said lever having a horizontal guide surface terminating rearwardly at an upwardly extending vertical surface which terminates at a locking recess surface, which surfaces ride on a fixed locking pin, and a horizontally extending slot and a fixed pivot pin located therein, and wherein when the lever is in its forwardmost position, the guide surface terminates forward of its locking pin while the pivot pin is located at the rear end of the slot, whereby at said forward position of the lever the lever pivots downwardly about its pivot pin as the locking surface engages the locking pin.

Claim 25

A card tray according to claim 20, including a lift bar located in the plane of the lever and therebelow, means mounting said lift bar for limited vertical movement, said lever including a lift bar control surface extending downwardly and engaging the lift bar, permitting the lift bar to move upwardly in said first position and moving the lift bar downwardly in said second position, whereby said lift bar cooperates with fixed parts of a card sorting apparatus to permit or limit horizontal movement of the tray within the apparatus.

Claim 26

A card tray according to claim 20, said tray including a handle attached thereto and movable between a raised operable position and a lowered retracted position, and including a handle locking pin attached to the lever and positioned to hold the handle in the retracted position while the lever is in said first position.