Document retrieval system

Apparatus for (a) selecting plural desired edge-notched coded documents from different decks of similarly coded documents successively delivered to a document selector from a remote mass document store, in which selection process the selected documents extend only partially out of their respective decks in a direction parallel to their code-notched edge, and (b) successively fully removing the partially extending documents selected from the various successively retrieved decks and temporarily storing them in a temporary storage zone prior to ejecting them into a stationary container in which they are accumulated for manual removal at the convenience of an operator. Also included is a movable selected document removal and temporary storage assembly which traverses along a path adjacent the document selector proximate the leading edges of documents selected from the deck thereat. The traversing assembly is provided with means for successively removing from the deck selected documents extending into its traversing path at different points therealong and temporarily storing the selected cards so removed in a temporary storage zone incorporated in the traversing assembly. The traversing assembly further includes a document ejecting assembly which, when the traversing assembly is in its home position clear of the document selector following traversal of each deck, is effective to eject selected documents located in the temporary storage zone thereof into a stationary container adjacent the home position for accumulation and subsequent manual removal by an operator.

This invention relates to mechanized document retrieval, and more 
particularly to automated apparatus for selecting and removing desired 
documents from different positions within a deck and thereafter 
accumulating them in a stationary container remote from the deck. 
For many years automated document retrieval systems have existed which are 
capable of automatically selecting and partially ejecting a desired coded 
document from among a plurality of similarly coded documents stored in a 
deck. An illustrative system of this type is disclosed in Parry U.S. Pat. 
No. Re. 27,762. While the Parry system has been a very substantial 
commercial success, its full potential has not been achieved in certain 
applications by reason of the fact that heretofore it was necessary to 
manually remove from the deck the partially ejected documents which were 
automatically selected by the retrieval apparatus. This "manual removal" 
requirement is particularly undesirable where the document selector 
cooperates with a mass document store containing a large number of 
individually retrievable document decks. In such systems, the decks are 
successively transported to the selector, searched, and returned to their 
respective storage locations in the mass document store, thereby 
facilitating selection of documents on a successive basis from different 
decks. 
In automated multi-deck systems of the type described, particularly those 
under microprocessor control, the user can enter through a suitable 
keyboard or the like the identification numbers of 50-100 documents or 
more scattered among different decks, and the automated retrieval 
apparatus, in response thereto, successively retrieves the different decks 
containing the identified documents and partially ejects from each deck 
the desired document or documents therein. Unfortunately, in automated 
retrieval systems of this type heretofore existing, successive decks 
containing desired documents entered into the system keyboard by the 
operator cannot be retrieved for searching by the document selector until 
the selected and partially ejected documents from each previously 
retrieved deck at the selector are manually removed by the operator. Since 
retrieval of a deck and its subsequent return to the mass document store 
remote from the selector consume considerably more time than the actual 
search of a deck at the selector and manual removal of the selected cards 
therefrom, there is a substantial amount of wasted operator time in prior 
art systems represented by the intervals of time required for deck 
retrieval and return when the operator is doing nothing of a productive 
nature. 
Accordingly, it has been an objective of this invention to provide an 
automated document retrieval system which eliminates the wasted operator 
time heretofore existing in prior art systems. This objective has been 
achieved by eliminating the need for manual removal of selected cards 
partially ejected from the deck following each deck-searching operation. 
As a consequence, plural decks can be retrieved, searched, and returned 
without operator intervention at the conclusion of each deck-searching 
operation. In accordance with the principles of this invention, the 
document selector is provided with a selected document removal and 
temporary storage assembly mounted for traversal along a path adjacent the 
deck proximate the point where the leading edges of selected cards are 
located when partially ejected from the deck as a consequence of selector 
operation. The traversing assembly includes a document-engaging element 
movably mounted thereon for initially engaging selected documents during 
traversing movement therealong and initiating advancement thereof toward a 
temporary storage zone incorporated in the traversing assembly. Further 
included on the traversing assembly are friction drive means which feed 
selected documents, initially advanced by the movable document-engaging 
element, into the temporary storage zone with the leading edges thereof in 
registry with a first document stop member and the faces of the selected 
documents disposed parallel to a second document stop member. The 
traversing assembly also includes a document ejecting mechanism which, 
when the traversing assembly returns to its home position following a 
deck-traversing operation, ejects the selected cards temporarily located 
in the storage zone thereof into a stationary container for accumulation 
and removal at the convenience of the operator. 
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the friction drive 
means of the traversing assembly includes a first friction drive assembly 
located proximate the movable document-engaging element, and a second 
friction drive assembly spaced from the first friction drive assembly 
(measured in the direction of document removal) a distance substantially 
equal to the length of a document. The second friction drive assembly has 
a document advance speed which exceeds that of the first friction drive 
assembly, insuring that the trailing edge of a "first" removed document 
being driven by the second friction drive assembly clears the leading edge 
of a "second" removed document being driven by the first friction drive 
assembly. This, in turn, insures that successive documents removed from 
the deck are not driven between the preceding document and the second 
document stop which, if permitted to occur, would prevent successive 
documents from drivingly engaging the second friction drive assembly and 
being advanced thereby to locate their respective leading edges against 
the first document stop as is desirable for subsequent ejection into the 
accumulation container. 
In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, the traversing 
assembly is provided with a document shifting mechanism. This shifting 
mechanism maintains removed documents temporarily located in the storage 
zone of the traversing assembly against the second document stop and out 
of engagement with the ejection mechanism while the traversing assembly 
travels along the deck removing and temporarily storing documents, but 
which, when the traversing assembly has completed deck traversal and 
returned to its home position, shifts the removed documents into 
engagement with the ejection mechanism for ejecting the removed documents 
into the accumulation container for subsequent removal at the convenience 
of the operator. 
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the documents are 
provided with a ferromagnetic chip in the leading edge thereof, and the 
document-engaging member which is mounted on and movable relative to the 
traversing assembly takes the form of a rotating magnet which magnetically 
attracts the chip of selected documents as the deck is traversed to 
advance them toward the temporary storage zone into engagement with the 
first friction drive assembly, thereby promoting complete removal of 
selected documents from the deck. An aspect of this feature of the 
invention is the provision of an elongated magnet disposed transversely to 
the ferromagnetic chips of the documents in the deck for aiding selection 
movement of the desired documents and partial ejection thereof from the 
deck during the document selecting operation, which transverse magnet at 
the conclusion of the document selection operation drops below the 
traversing assembly. This prevents mechanical interference between the 
traversing assembly and the transverse document selecting magnet as the 
traversing assembly moves along the deck to remove and temporarily store 
documents selected with aid of the transverse magnet. 
An important advantage of this invention is that manual removal from a deck 
of selected documents partially ejected therefrom is totally unnecessary. 
As a consequence, plural decks each containing desired documents can be 
successively retrieved and searched at the selector and the documents so 
selected automatically removed and accumulated in a stationary container 
separate from the selector without attendance of an operator. When all 
documents desired by the operator, for example, 50-100 or more located in 
a number of different decks, have been selected, removed, and accumulated, 
only then need the operator be in attendance to remove the accumulated 
documents from the stationary container to which they were transferred 
from their respective decks by the traversing assembly. Thus, apart from 
the need for an operator to enter into the keyboard the identity of the 
desired documents and to remove an accumulation of such documents from a 
single container after the various decks containing the identified 
documents have been successively retrieved and searched, operator 
attendance is unnecessary.

The document retrieval apparatus of this invention, as more particularly 
seen in FIG. 1, includes a mass document store 10 located within a cabinet 
11. The mass document store 10 includes a plurality of addressable crypts 
C-1, C-2, . . . C-n arranged vertically one above the other in adjacent 
columns 12-1, 12-2, . . . 12-n. Normally stored in each one of the crypts 
C of the crypt column 12 is a cartridge 16. Each cartridge 16, which is 
shown in more detail in FIG. 16, contains a plurality of randomly stored, 
coded, edge-notched documents, preferably cards of the type shown in FIG. 
17 to be described in more detail hereafter, although other types of 
documents can be utilized. Each cartridge 16 is removably supported along 
the top thereof in its respective crypt C-1, C-2, . . . C-n by a pair of 
generally horizontal, spaced-apart, confronting, cartridge support rails 
18 and 20, with respect to which associated ledges 70-1 and 70-2 (FIG. 16) 
mounted on the cartridge slide to facilitate insertion and removal of the 
cartridge with respect to its crypt. 
A cartridge retriever 22 is also provided which is selectively indexable 
horizontally along the Z axis in a forward/rearward direction to align 
itself with individual crypt columns 12-1, 12-2, . . . 12-n and 
selectively indexable vertically along the Y axis in alignment with 
selected ones of the crypts C-1, C-2, . . . C-n of a selected crypt 
column. In addition to the cartridge retriever 22 being selectively 
positionable in a horizontal direction along the Z axis in alignment with 
a particular vertical crypt column, and positionable in a vertical 
direction along the Y axis in alignment with a particular crypt of a 
selected column, the cartridge retriever 22 also includes means (not 
shown) for engaging a cartridge aligned therewith and transferring it in a 
horizontal direction parallel to the X axis from its associated crypt onto 
the cartridge retriever as well as returning a cartridge on the cartridge 
retriever to its associated crypt. The horizontal and vertical drive means 
(not shown) of the cartridge retriever 22 are also operable to deliver a 
retrieved cartridge in operative relation to a platen 28 of a card 
selector 26-1, to be described in more detail hereafter, as well as return 
a cartridge from the card selector to its associated crypt. 
A crypt array and cartridge retriever suitable for use in this invention 
are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,916 in the name of Richard C. 
O'Brien, assigned to O.K. Partnership. The entire disclosure of U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,786,916 is expressly incorporated herein by reference. A platen 28 
suitable for use in the document selector 26 of this invention is also 
described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,916. 
The card selector 26-1, in a preferred form of the invention, is located 
adjacent the forwardmost crypt column 12 at a point below the lowermost 
crypt therein. The document selector 26-1, except for a document-moving 
magnet support to be described hereafter, is preferably of the general 
type disclosed in Parry U.S. Pat. No. Re. 27,762, the entire disclosure of 
which is specifically incorporated herein by reference. The Parry et al 
selector 26, as schematically shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2a-2f, includes a 
stationary, horizontally disposed, planar platen 28 which supports a 
cartridge 16 containing a deck of approximately 2000 randomly stored, 
vertically disposed documents, e.g., cards 23. The cards 23 each are 
disposed generally in the Y-Z plane, with their bottom code-notched 
sorting edges resting atop the platen. Also included in the selector 26-1, 
and described in more detail hereafter, is a transversely disposed 
elongated electromagnet 29 common to all the cards 23 and in alignment 
with ferromagnetic chips 31 implanted in the leading edges 44 of the 
cards. A drawer 33 is mounted for sliding movement between an outer 
position (FIG. 2f) in which the magnet is displaced forwardly and below 
the forward lowermost corner of a selected card 23a and an inner position 
(FIGS. 2a and 2b) in which the magnet 29 is in contact with the 
ferromagnetic card implants 31 when the cards 23 are stored in their 
normal home position on the platen 28 (FIGS. 2a and 2b). In the course of 
moving from the inner position (FIGS. 2a and 2b) to the outermost position 
(FIG. 2f), the drawer 33 moves between a first intermediate position (FIG. 
2c), in which the desired card 23a is withdrawn by the moving magnet 29, 
to a partially selected position and a second intermediate position (FIG. 
2d) in which the desired card 23a is moved to a fully selected position by 
the moving magnet. 
As best seen in FIGS. 2a-2f and 17, the cards 23 each have a toothed 
sorting edge 32, preferably the lower edge thereof, provided with 
alternate teeth 34-1 to 34-6 and registration notches 35-1 to 35-6. Each 
of the teeth 34-1 to 34-6 is susceptive of being encoded in binary by 
selected removal, as by notching, of the tooth. Six teeth and six 
registration notches are shown for simplicity, although in practice it 
will be understood that substantially more teeth and registration notches 
are usually provided for the purpose of increasing the coding capacity of 
the system. For example, in a typical installation, the cards 23 are each 
provided with sixty encodable teeth which, when divided into twelve groups 
of five teeth each, can be utilized to encode twelve characters, for 
example, letters and/or numerals in a conventional two out of five code 
format. Two of the characters can then be utilized to represent the 
address in binary-coded-decimal form of the particular cartridge of a 
multi-cartridge storage system in which the card is typically stored, 
while the remaining ten characters can be utilized to identify the card 
with respect to the other cards stored in that cartridge. 
The sorting edge 32 further includes a lock notch 36 located between the 
group of encodable teeth 34 and registration notches 35 and the rear 
vertical card edge 38, herein called the "trailing edge". Adjacent to the 
lock notch 36 is a removed portion 40 of the card 23 located intermediate 
the lock notch 36 and the trailing edge 38. The card 23 further includes 
the ferromagnetic chip 31 implanted in the front vertical card edge 44, 
herein termed the "leading edge". 
When the cards 23 of a cartridge 16 located in the selector 26-1 are in 
their normal unselected position on the selector platen 28, the 
registration notches 35-1 to 35-6 and the lock notch 36 are aligned with a 
plurality of transversely disposed select bars or blades 48-1 to 48-6 and 
a lock bar or blade 50 which are disposed transverse to, and in common 
with, all the cards, that is, a direction parallel to the X axis. Both the 
sorting bars 48-1 to 48-6 and the lock bar 50 are approximately positioned 
in slots formed in the upper surface of the platen 28. The select bars 
48-1 to 48-6 and the lock bar 50 are elevatable vertically between a lower 
reset position wherein the upper edges thereof are flush with the upper 
surface 28a of the platen 28, and an upper set position wherein the sort 
bars extend above the platen surface 28a into the associated registration 
and lock notches 35-1 to 35-6 and 36, respectively, of cards located atop 
the platen. Elevation of the bars 48-1 to 48-6 and 50 is effected by 
solenoids controlled by a keyboard console or a specially programmed 
microprocessor. 
Assuming cards 23 are properly located on the platen 28 of selector 26-1 
(FIG. 2a), by virtue of having retrieved and deposited a selected 
cartridge thereon, to select a card or cards 23 having a particular code, 
for example, a card 23a having teeth 34-2 and 34-6 removed, from among a 
group of cards 23b not having teeth 34-2 and 34-6 removed, the appropriate 
sort bars 48 are elevated above the platen surface 28a to the set 
position. Specifically, sort bars 48-2 and 48-6 corresponding to the 
removed tooth pattern of the desired card 23a are elevated to the position 
shown in FIG. 2b. With the sort bars 48-2 and 48-6 in the set position, 
the desired cards 23a having teeth 34-2 and 34-6 removed can be shifted 
forwardly along the Z axis, a distance equal to the width of one tooth, to 
produce an initial or partial separation of the desired cards 23a from the 
undesired cards 23b. However, the undesired cards 23b not having tooth 
34-2 and/or 34-6 removed are restrained from forward movement in a 
direction parallel to the Z axis by one or both of the set or elevated 
select blades 48-2 and 48-6, which, in the set position, mechanically 
interfere with the unremoved teeth 34-2 and 34-6 of the undesired cards 
23b. 
With the select blades 48-2 and 48-6 conforming to the removed tooth 
pattern of the desired card 23a in the set position, the drawer-mounted 
magnet 29 is shifted by a drawer 33 forwardly parallel to the Z axis a 
distance equal to the width of one tooth to the position shown in FIG. 2c. 
Those cards free to shift, namely, the desired cards 23a, move with the 
magnet 29 a distance of one tooth width effecting an initial or partial 
separation of the desired and undesired cards. Movement of the desired 
cards 23a in this fashion aligns the removed portion 40 of the desired 
cards opposite the lock blade 50. The undesired cards 23b do not move 
forwardly in the direction parallel to the Z axis by reason of the 
engagement of one or more of the unremoved teeth 34-2 and 34-6 with the 
select blades 48-2 and 48-6, respectively. Consequently, the lock notches 
36 of the undesired cards 23b remain aligned with the lock blade 50. At 
this point the initial or partial separation phase of the card selection 
operation is complete. 
Further separation of the desired cards 23a from the undesired cards 23b in 
a retrieved cartridge at the selector 26-1 to effect the final card 
selection phase of the retrieval operation is accomplished by elevating to 
a set position the lock blade 50 and returning to an unset position the 
select blades 48-2 and 48-6, as shown in FIG. 2d. Setting lock blade 50 
prevents the undesired cards 23b from moving forwardly in response to the 
continued forward movement of the magnet 29 in a direction parallel to the 
Z axis. Resetting or lowering the sort blades 48-2 and 48-6 after the 
initial card separation phase enables the selected cards 23a to continue 
forward movement parallel to the Z axis in response to movement of the 
magnet 29 in this direction by reason of the unremoved portion 40 thereof 
being aligned with the elevated set block bar 50. 
With the lock bar 50 elevated and the selected bars 48 all in their lower 
reset position, the magnet 29 is advanced further forwardly in a direction 
parallel to the Z axis to the position shown in FIG. 2e, further 
separating the desired cards 23a from the undesired cards 23b. At this 
point, the final card selection phase of the retrieval cycle is complete, 
marking the completion of the card selection operation. For reasons to 
become apparent hereafter, upon conclusion of the card selection 
operation, the magnet 29 is de-energized to release the desired cards 23a 
in the fully selected position shown in FIG. 2e, and the drawer 33 and 
magnet 29 are moved forwardly to the position shown in FIG. 2f, wherein 
they are located below the cards. 
It is significant to note that the desired cards 23a which have been 
selected from the cards in the retrieved cartridge located at the selector 
26-1 are not fully removed or withdrawn from the remaining undesired cards 
23b. Thus, at this point the desired cards 23a have been selected from the 
undesired cards 23b and displaced forwardly thereof in a direction 
parallel to the Z axis a substantial distance, but a distance which is 
less than the length of the card defined by the distance between its 
leading edge 44 and trailing edge 38. 
It is also significant to note that as a result of the card selection 
operation just described, plural cards may have been selected and advanced 
to the fully selected position shown in FIG. 2e. Additionally, the plural 
selected cards, by reason of the fact that the cards are randomly stored 
in the cartridge, can be located at any point in the cartridge. For 
example, the plural selected cards may each be spaced from each other 
along the X axis by a distance of one or more inches, or alternatively, 
the selected cards may be grouped together immediately adjacent to each 
other. 
In card selectors of the type heretofore known, such as described in Parry 
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 27,762 and O'Brien U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,916, the desired 
card or cards, once advanced to the fully selected position shown in FIG. 
2e, were manually removed by an operator by grasping the upper front 
corner of the card and physically withdrawing from the cartridge. If 10 to 
15 cards were selected from a given cartridge by selector 26-1, manual 
removal of each card could be a relatively time consuming operation. In 
addition, if it were necessary to select multiple cards from different 
cartridges, it would be necessary to manually remove the selected card(s) 
from each cartridge before the successive cartridge could be retrieved and 
the desired card(s) selected and removed. Thus, if a search necessitated 
retrieval of 10 or 15 cartridges and cards selected and removed from each 
successively retrieved cartridge, the operator must continuously remain in 
attendance while the successive cartridges are each retrieved and 
deposited at the selector, the selection operation performed, and the 
cartridges returned to their respective crypts. This constitutes a 
considerable waste of operator time, particularly since actual removal by 
the operator of cards selected from the successively retrieved and 
searched cartridges constitutes a mere fraction of the total time 
necessary to retrieve, search, and return the plural cartridges to their 
respective crypts. 
To minimize the need for the operator to manually remove selected cards 
from retrieved cartridges at selector 26-1, a selected card 
removal/accumulation device 19, to be described more fully hereafter, is 
provided. The device 19 functions to automatically remove and accumulate 
in a container 84 cards selected from retrieved cartridges delivered to 
selector 26-1 by cartridge retriever 22. 
The preferred embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIG. 1, further 
includes two independent buffer selectors 26-2 and 26-3, each having 
associated with it a cartridge 16-2 and 16-3 of cards 23-2 and 23-3 
encoded in the manner described in connection with FIGS. 2a-2f and 17. 
While only two buffer selectors 26-2 and 26-3 are shown, more or less can 
be used. The buffer selectors 26-2 and 26-3 and associated cartridges 16-2 
and 16-3 of cards 23-2 and 23-3 are substantially identical to the 
selector 26-1 and its cartridge 16-1 of cards 23-1, except that the 
movable magnets 29-2 and 29-3 and drawers 33-2 and 33-3 thereof only move 
between the inner rearward position shown in FIG. 2a and the outer forward 
position shown in FIG. 2e; the magnets and drawers do not drop below the 
cards as shown in FIG. 2f. The independent buffer selectors 26-2 and 26-3 
search their respective cartridges 16-2 and 16-3 of encoded cards 23-2 and 
23-3 simultaneously with the searching of cards 23-1 of cartridge 16-1 
located in selector 26-1. The cartridges 16-2 and 16-3 of selectors 26-2 
and 26-3, in whole or in part, can be divided into compartments for 
holding cards with respect to which specific functions are to be carried 
out. 
For example, cartridge 16-2 of selector 26-2 in its entirety may be 
utilized for temporarily holding, such as for a day or week, new cards 
ultimately to be stored in the mass data store 10. By temporarily storing 
new cards, which are ultimately destined for document store 10, in the 
buffer selector cartridge 16-2 of buffer selector 26-2, such temporarily 
stored new cards are available for search and selection notwithstanding 
that the new cards have not yet been positioned in their particular 
cartridges 16-1 normally stored in the mass document store 10. 
In a similar manner, other buffer selector cartridges, such as cartridge 
16-3 of buffer selector 26-3, can be dedicated to temporarily holding 
cards retrieved from the mass document store 10 with respect to which 
other functions are to be performed. For example, buffer selector 
cartridge 16-3 of buffer selector 26-3 may be divided into compartments 
16-3a, 16-3b, 16-3c, and 16-3d into which cards retrieved from mass 
document store 10 are temporarily stored while awaiting duplication, 
copying, updating, and refiling in the document store 10, respectively. 
In certain system installations the cards 23-1 stored in cartridges 16-1 of 
the mass document store 10 must periodically be retrieved and copied. 
Often the actual copying of cards retrieved from the document store 10 in 
a given day will be made at one time, for example, at the end of the day, 
while the system operator may actually retrieve from the document store 10 
the cards which are to be copied intermittently throughout the entire day. 
For example, cards retrieved from the document store 10 and delivered to 
the container 84 by the selected document removal/accumulation device 19 
are periodically transferred throughout the day to the compartment 16-3b 
of buffer selector cartridge 16-3 of buffer selector 26-3. At the end of 
the day the retrieved cards to be copied, which have been placed in 
compartment 16-3b, are removed and copied. Following this, the cards are 
placed in the refile compartment 16-3d. Eventually the cards in the 
duplicate, copy, and update and refile compartments 16-3a through 16-3d of 
buffer cartridge 16-3 and new cards located in the in-file buffer 
cartridge 16-2 are returned to their respective cartridges in the document 
store 10. Such may occur on a weekly basis, or on some other basis, either 
more or less frequently. 
Importantly, cards which have been retrieved from the document store 10 and 
which are to be copied, duplicated, or updated and located in their 
respective duplicate, copy, and update buffer cartridge sections 16-3a, 
16-3b, 16-3c, remain in the system and susceptive of being searched at all 
times except for the brief period when they are actually removed from 
their respective buffer cartridge sections at the end of the day and 
duplicated, copied, or updated. Thus, by virtue of buffer cartridge 16-3, 
which is searched simultaneously with respect to the cartridge 16-1 of 
document selector 26-1, cards which have been retrieved from the document 
store 10 and which are to be operated upon at a later time remain in the 
system and capable of retrieval by buffer selector 26-3 on a continuous 
basis except for the very brief period when they are actually removed from 
the buffer selector cartridge 16-3 for duplication, copying, updating, or 
the like. 
As seen in FIG. 16, the cartridges 16, in a preferred form, each include 
spaced vertical side walls 60 and 61 and a rear vertical wall 63 which 
spans the side walls 60 and 61 proximate their rear vertical edges. The 
cartridge 16 also includes an open front wall 64 through which selected 
cards are advanced to the position shown in FIG. 2e, and an open bottom 65 
which functions to expose the sorting edges of the cards in the cartridge 
for operative cooperation with the select blade 48 and lock blade 50 when 
the cartridge is deposited on upper surface 28a of the platen 28 of the 
document selector 26-1. To prevent the cards 23 in the cartridge 16 from 
falling under the force of gravity through the open bottom 65 thereof, 
front and rear card support rails 65a and 65b spanning the lower front 
corners and the lower rear corners, respectively, of the side walls 60 and 
61, are provided. The support rails 65a and 65b underlie the forward and 
rear portions of the sorting edge 32 of each card in the cartridge 
proximate the leading and trailing edges thereof. When the cartridge 16 is 
seated on platen 28 of selector 26-1, rails 65a and 65b seat in grooves 
28b and 28c (FIG. 1) provided along the front and rear edges of the 
platen, thereby enabling the lower card sorting edges to contact platen 
top surface 28a. 
To maintain the cards 23 in the cartridge 16 in a generally vertical 
orientation, separator panels 66 vertically disposed at periodic intervals 
between the side walls 60 and 61, are provided. The separator panels 66 
are preferably secured along their respective rear vertical edges to the 
rear vertical wall 63 of the cartridge 16. 
To selectively block the open front wall 64 of the cartridge 16 while the 
cartridge is being transported by the cartridge retriever 22 between its 
crypt and the selector 26-1, as well as when the cartridge is stored in 
its crypt, a pivotal card retainer 68 is provided. The card retainer 68 
includes a central elongated portion 68-1 disposed in a direction 
generally transverse to the side walls 60 and 61 and the separator panels 
66, and a pair of rearwardly extending brackets 68-2 and 68-3 which are 
pivotally mounted to the exterior of the side walls 60 and 61, 
respectively. 
When a retrieved cartridge 16 is deposited on the platen 28 of the card 
selector 26-1, the retainer 68 is pivoted upwardly above the upper edge of 
the open cartridge front wall 64, permitting selected cards 23a to be 
advanced out of the cartridge to the position shown in FIG. 2e. Pivotal 
movement of the retainer 68 to the card unblocking position (FIG. 1) when 
the retrieved cartridge is deposited on platen 28 of the selector 26 can 
be accomplished by providing a stationary abutment 69 (FIG. 1) in the path 
of the retainer 68. The abutment 69 functions to effectively pivot the 
retainer 68 to its upper unblocking position as the retrieved cartridge is 
lowered onto the platen 28 of the card selector 26-1 by cartridge 
retriever 22. As the retrieved cartridge at the selector 26-1 is being 
elevated upwardly by the cartridge retriever 22 for return to its 
associated crypt, the retainer 68 automatically pivots downwardly to 
return to its lower, card blocking position to preclude horizontal 
movement of the leading edges 44 of cards in the cartridge through the 
open front wall 63. 
Rigidly interconnected with the upper edges of the side walls 60 and 61 and 
the vertical separator panels 66 is a cartridge suspension member 70 
having forwardly and rearwardly extending ledges 70-1 and 70-2 which 
slideably engage the upper surfaces of the confronting rails 18 and 20 of 
the crypt for slideably supporting the cartridge in the crypt. Ledges 70-1 
and 70-2 also slideably engage confronting rails (not shown) on cartridge 
retriever 22 to support a retrieved cartridge in transit between its crypt 
and the selector 26-1. 
The selected card removal and accumulation device 19, hereinafter for 
convenience referred to as the "accumulator", is now described in detail 
with reference to FIGS. 3-15. More specifically, and with particular 
reference to FIGS. 3-6, the accumulator 19, which is associated with 
selector 26-1, is seen to include a movable assembly 80 mounted on a 
carriage 82 for reciprocating motion in a direction parallel to the X axis 
forward of the platen 28. The assembly 80, as it traverses along a path 
parallel to the X axis forwardly of the platen 28 of selector 26-1, 
functions to successively remove cards in the fully selected position 
(FIG. 2f) which have been selected from a cartridge 16-1 at the selector 
26-1 in the manner heretofore described in connection with FIGS. 2a-2f. 
The assembly 80, in addition to removing selected cards from the cartridge 
16-1 located on platen 28 of selector 26-1, is also operative to 
temporarily store all selected cards which have been removed from the 
cartridge until such time as the assembly 80 returns to its home position 
shown in FIG. 3 rightwardly of the selector. When accumulator assembly 80 
reaches its home position, the temporarily stored cards removed from the 
cartridge 16-1 at selector 26-1 are ejected through a slot 83 formed in 
the housing front panel 11 into the container 84 aligned therewith. 
The cartridge 82, as shown best in FIGS. 3 and 4, is generally L-shaped 
having a lower horizontal section 82-1 and an upper vertical section 82-2. 
The vertical carriage section 82-2 is provided at its upper end with a 
pair of guide rollers 86 and 88 rotatably mounted on vertical shafts 90 
and 92 anchored at their lower ends to a horizontal platform 94 which is 
secured to the upper rear surface of the vertical carriage section 82-2 by 
an angle bracket 96. The guide rolls 86 and 88 are spaced apart to 
guidingly engage rear and front vertical guide surfaces 97 and 98, 
respectively, of a stationary horizontal guide rail 100. The guide rail 
100, which is supported at its opposite ends by stationary vertical plates 
101 and 103, is disposed parallel to the X axis above and forwardly of the 
front edge of the platen 28 of the selector 26-1. Guide rail 100 functions 
to guide the upper portion of the carriage 82 for reciprocating motion 
parallel to the X axis forwardly of the platen 28 of the selector 26-1. 
The lower carriage section 82-1 at its opposite ends is provided with 
vertically extending brackets 102 and 104 which are secured to opposite 
ends 106 and 108 of a drive chain 110. The drive chain 110 engages 
sprockets 112 and 114 mounted on horizontal shafts 116 and 118. The shaft 
118, which is not driven, is mounted in a stationary bearing block 120, 
thereby enabling the sprocket 114 to function as an idler sprocket. Shaft 
116 to which sprocket 112 is mounted is supported in a bearing block 122. 
The rear end of the shaft 116 is driven by a motor 124 mounted to a 
stationary plate 126 extending laterally from the fixed side frame 101. 
Sprocket 112 is bidirectionally driven by the motor 124 to reciprocate the 
carriage frame 82 parallel to the X axis. 
To guide the lower carriage section 82-1 in a direction parallel to the X 
axis, guide blocks 128 are mounted to the rear of depending extensions 102 
and 104 extending downwardly from the lower carriage section 82-1. The 
guide blocks slidingly engage a stationary horizontal guide rod 130 
disposed parallel to the X axis. The guide rod 130 is stationarily mounted 
to the forward edge of a horizontally disposed bar 132 of an extrusion 
having a vertical web 134 which is secured to a stationary horizontal 
channel member 136. 
With reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 10, the accumulator assembly 80 is seen 
to include a rigid frame consisting of a top plate 141, a bottom plate 
142, a side plate 143 to which the upper and lower plates 141 and 142 are 
rigidly connected, and a front vertical post 144 positioned between and 
rigidly secured to the lefthand front corner of the upper and lower 
plates. The accumulator assembly frame 141-144 is fixedly secured to the 
carriage 82 by bolting the front edge of the side plate 143 to the left 
rear surface of the vertical carriage section 82-2 with fasteners 145. In 
this way, the accumulator assembly 80 is rigidly secured to the carriage 
and reciprocates horizontally in a direction parallel to the X axis as the 
carriage 82 reciprocates in an X-Y plane along guide members 100 and 130. 
Accumulator assembly side plate 143 is fastened to vertical carriage 
section 82-2 at an elevation appropriate to locate the upper surface of 
plate 142 flush with the upper surface 28a of the selector platen 28 of 
the document selector 26-1 to facilitate sliding transfer of a selected 
card 23a from a cartridge 16-1 positioned on the platen 28 at document 
selector 26-1 onto the plate 142 of the accumulator 19. The top plate 141 
of the accumulator assembly 80 is positioned above the bottom plate 142 a 
distance sufficient to permit a selected card 23a sliding on the plate 142 
from platen 28 to have its upper edge 24 clear the lower surface of the 
top plate 141. 
To initiate removal of a selected card 23a which has its leading edge 44 
projecting forwardly in the Z direction relative to the undesired cards 
23b of a cartridge 16-1 located at the card selector 26-1, a card 
withdrawal assembly 147 is provided on accumulator assembly 80. The card 
withdrawal assembly 147 includes an upper driven friction roll 148, a 
lower driven friction roll 149, and a driven magnet wheel 150 the 
periphery of which exhibits circumferentially alternating north and south 
magnetic poles. The driven friction rolls 148 and 149, as well as the 
driven magnet wheel 150, are keyed or otherwise fixed for rotation with a 
driven shaft 152 vertically disposed for rotation in a lower bearing 153 
anchored in the bottom plate 142 and an upper bearing 154 anchored in the 
top plate 141. The upper end of the shaft 152 has a pulley 155 secured to 
it. A motor 157 is secured to the plate 141 such that the motor output 
shaft 158 is disposed vertically, passing freely through a suitably 
disposed aperture (not shown) in the top plate 141. A pulley 159 is 
secured to the upper end of the motor shaft 158. A drive belt 169 engages 
pulleys 155 and 159 to drive the shaft 152 and in turn the upper and lower 
driven rolls 148 and 149 and the driven magnet wheel 150. The motor shaft 
158 rotates in a direction such as to produce counterclockwise rotation of 
the driven friction rolls 148 and 149 and the magnet wheel 150, as viewed 
in FIG. 10. 
The magnet wheel 150 is secured to the shaft 152 at a vertical elevation 
such that it is aligned vertically with the ferromagnetic chip 31 of a 
selected card 23a positioned with its lower sorting edge on the surface 
28a of platen 28 of selector 26-1 and on the upper surface of bottom plate 
142. This assures that a selected card 23a will be magnetically attracted 
to the magnet wheel 150 as the assembly 80 scans the front of the selector 
26-1 following a card selection operation, assuring removal of selected 
cards 23a from the cartridge 16-1 located at the selector 26-1. The upper 
driven friction roll 148 is positioned vertically to lie slightly below 
the upper edge 24 of selected cards 23a which have their lower edge 
supported by the platen surface 28a. The driven friction roll 149 is 
positioned vertically to engage selected cards 23a at a point slightly 
above the point where the magnetic wheel 150 magnetically engages the card 
chip 31. Collars 162 and 163 located above friction wheel 149 and below 
magnetic wheel 150, respectively, are fixed relative to the shaft 152 for 
locating wheels 149 and 150 at the desired vertical elevation. A collar 
164 disposed below driven wheel 148 is fixed to shaft 152 for locating the 
upper driven wheel 148 at the desired vertical elevation. 
Cooperating with the friction rolls 148 and 149 are a pair of upper and 
lower friction rolls 166 and 167 which are keyed or otherwise fixed for 
rotation with a shaft 168. Shaft 168 is free to rotate in lower and upper 
bearing blocks 169 and 170. Bearing blocks 169 and 170 are provided with a 
square cross-section to permit the bearing blocks, and hence the shaft 168 
and the friction wheels 166 and 167, to move in a direction toward and/or 
away from driven friction rolls 148 and 149. An upper tension spring 172 
and a lower tension spring 173 urge the shaft 168, and hence the friction 
rolls 166 and 167, toward the driven rolls 148 and 149. Spring 172 is 
connected between the upper end 168a of the shaft 168 and a vertical pin 
175 anchored at its lower end to the top plate 141. Spring 173 has one end 
connected to the lower end 168b of shaft 168 and the other end to the 
lower end of a pin 177 which is anchored at its upper end to the bottom 
plate 142. 
For purposes to become more apparent hereafter, the shaft 168, and hence 
the friction wheels 166 and 167, have applied thereto frictional drag for 
the purpose of applying a braking torque. The frictional braking torque is 
applied to the shaft 168, and hence to the wheels 166 and 167, by means of 
a first annular friction disc 180 which is coaxially fixed to the bearing 
170 and a second annular friction disc 182 which is splined to the shaft 
168 such that it can move vertically with respect thereto, but not 
rotationally. A compression spring 184 located between the friction disc 
182 and a vertically adjustably positionable nut 186 is provided to 
regulate the frictional force between the friction discs 180 and 182, and 
hence the braking torque applied to the shaft 168 and, in turn, the 
friction rolls 166 and 167. By advancing the nut 186 downwardly or 
upwardly the degree of compression of the spring 184 is increased or 
decreased, applying greater or lesser frictional force between the discs 
180 and 182 and greater or lesser amounts of braking torque to the shaft 
168 and in turn to the wheels 166 and 167. A suitable lock nut 188 is 
provided for locking the spring compression adjusting nut 186 in the 
desired vertical position with respect to the upper threaded end of the 
shaft 168. 
The effect of applying torque to the friction wheels 166 and 167 is to 
preclude the removal of more than one selected card 23a at a time by 
driven friction rolls 148 and 149. The braking torque applied to the 
friction wheels 166 and 167 should be such that these wheels apply a 
retarding force to a card fed between rolls 148, 149 and rolls 166 and 167 
which is less than the card-removal force applied to the card by the 
driven rolls 148 and 149. In this way, if two cards enter the nip defined 
by driven friction rolls 148, 149 and braked rolls 166 and 167, the force 
applied in the forward Z direction to the card in contact with the driven 
rolls 148 and 149 by these driven rolls will exceed the retarding 
frictional force applied to the card in contact with the braked fraction 
rolls 166 and 167 by these rolls. Thus, if two cards simultaneously enter 
the nip defined by driven friction rolls 148, 149 and braked friction 
rolls 166 and 167, the card in contact with the driven rolls 148 and 149 
will be withdrawn from the cartridge and advanced forwardly in the Z 
direction while the other card in contact with the braked rolls 166 and 
167 will not be advanced to any significant extent in the forward Z 
direction. 
Of course, when two cards enter the nip of rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167, the 
retarding force applied to a card by the braked friction rolls 166 and 167 
must exceed the friction force applied to such card by the other card in 
contact with driven rolls 148 and 149 which is being advanced in the 
forward Z direction by the action of the driven friction rolls 148 and 
149. Otherwise, if two cards enter the nip between rolls 148, 149 and 166, 
167, the net force on the card in contact with the braked rolls 166 and 
167 would be such that the card would be advanced in the forward Z 
direction, albeit at a velocity less than the velocity of the card in 
contact with rolls 148, 149 which is being driven directly by these rolls. 
Preferably the force applied to a card by the driven friction rolls 148 
and 149 is approximately 5 grams while the frictional drag force applied 
to a card by the braked friction wheels 166 and 167 is approximately 3 
grams. The frictional drag between adjacent cards is approximately 1.0 
grams. If a single card enters the nip defined by driven friction rolls 
148, 149 and braked friction rolls 166 and 167, a net force in the forward 
Z direction of approximately 2 grams will be applied to the card. If two 
cards simultaneously enter the nip, a net advancing force of approximately 
1.0 grams will be applied in the forward Z direction to the card in 
contact with driven friction rolls 148 and 149, while a net retarding 
force of approximately 2.0 grams will be applied to the card in contact 
with the braked friction wheels 166 and 167. 
To fully advance the leading edge 44 of a card against an appropriately 
located vertical stop 190 extending upwardly from the bottom plate 142 to 
which the stop 190 is secured at its lower end, a second pair of driven 
friction rolls consisting of an upper roll 192 and a lower roll 193 are 
provided. Friction rolls 192 and 193 are mounted for rotation with a 
driven shaft 194 disposed vertically in suitable bearings of an elongated 
C-shaped channel member 195 having upper and lower flanges 196 and 197 and 
an integral central vertical flange 198 (FIG. 7). The channel member 195 
is horizontally disposed and mounted for pivotal motion in a horizontal 
plane by the vertical shaft 152. Suitable bearings 200 and 201 in flanges 
196 and 197 permit the channel member 195 to rotate relative to the shaft 
152 which is driven by the motor 157. The friction wheels 192 and 193 are 
located vertically to contact a selected card 23a withdrawn by the card 
transport assembly 147 at points slightly below and slightly above, 
respectively, the upper and lower edges of a selected card 23a. Friction 
wheels 192 and 193 are fixed to the shaft 194 by hubs 204 and 205 integral 
with wheels 192 and 193, respectively, the hubs 204 and 205 being suitably 
keyed or otherwise fixed to the shaft 194. To rotate the shaft 194, and 
hence the friction wheels 192 and 193, a pulley 206 is fixed to the shaft 
194. The pulley 206 is driven via a belt 207 from a pulley 208 keyed to 
the shaft 152. The channel member 195 is biased in a clockwise direction 
(FIG. 10) about shaft 152 by a tension spring 210 which has one end 
connected to a bracket 211 extending from beneath the channel member and 
the other end secured to a vertical post 212 extending upwardly from the 
bottom plate 142. The spring 210 biases the driven friction wheels 192 and 
193 toward a vertically disposed side plate 214 extending upwardly from 
the base plate 142. A dashpot 216 having a viscously damped plunger 217 is 
secured to the side wall 143. The viscously damped plunger 217 at its 
outer end bears against a vertical flange fixed to the channel member 195 
to minimize oscillatory movement of the channel member about its pivotal 
mounting shaft 152. 
The distance between the nip defined by driven rolls 148, 149 and retarding 
rolls 166 and 167 and the point at which driven rolls 192 and 193 contact 
the side plate 214 is less than the length of a card measured between the 
leading and trailing edges thereof. In this way, the leading edge 44 of a 
selected card 23a being removed from the cartridge by the transport 
assembly 147 will have its leading edge positively driven into contact 
with driven rolls 192 and 193 by the action of driven rolls 148 and 149. 
The size of the pulleys 206 and 208 relative to each other, as well as the 
size of the rolls 192 and 193 relative to rolls 148 and 149, are selected 
such that the peripheral speed of rolls 192 and 193 exceeds that of rolls 
148 and 149. Assuming two cards simultaneously enter the nip defined by 
rolls 148, 149 and rolls 166 and 167, once the trailing edge of the 
"first" card in contact with rolls 148 and 149 advances forwardly of the 
nip associated therewith, it will be advanced at a faster rate by rolls 
192 and 193 than the rate at which it was advanced by rolls 148 and 149, 
thereby assuring that the trailing edge thereof will move forwardly of the 
leading edge of the "second" card which is in contact with braked rolls 
166 and 167. After the trailing edge of the "first" card being advanced by 
rolls 192 and 193 clears the nip defined by rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167, 
the "second" card which had been in contact with braked rolls 166 and 167 
and which was retarded thereby while the "first" card was being advanced 
by rolls 148 and 149, now comes into contact with rolls 148 and 149 and is 
advanced by these rolls. Since rolls 192 and 193 have a greater peripheral 
velocity than rolls 148 and 149, the "first" card now being advanced by 
rolls 192 and 193 advances at a faster velocity than the "second" card 
being advanced by rolls 148 and 149. This fact, coupled with a deflector 
plate 220 secured to the rearward portion of the channel member 195, 
assures that the trailing edge of the "first" card will be urged toward 
the side plate 214 and the leading edge of the "second" card will not be 
driven between the "first" card and the side plate 214 which, if it 
occurred, would prevent the "second" card from being driven by the rolls 
192 and 193. Stated differently, with the trailing edge of the "first" 
card forwardly of the leading edge of the "second" card and the "first" 
card urged against the side plate 214 by deflector 220, the "second" card 
will be driven by rolls 148 and 149 into contact with rolls 192 and 193, 
assuring that the "second" card will be advanced to locate its leading 
edge against stop 190 as was the "first" card. 
As the accumulator 19 is moved in the X direction by the driven carriage 82 
from right to left as viewed in FIG. 1, selected cards 23a extending in 
the forward Z direction from the cartridge at the selector 26-1 are 
successively removed from the deck by the action of driven rolls 148, 149 
and 192, 193 causing them to be stacked against plate 214 with their 
leading edges 44 abutting card stop 190, with the first card that was 
removed being against the plate 214 and successive cards being stacked 
against them in the order in which they were removed. As the number of 
selected cards removed by wheels 148, 149 and 192, 193 increases, the 
thickness of the stack of removed cards against plate 214 and stop 190 
increases. This increase in thickness of the stack of removed cards is 
accommodated by the pivotal mounting of the channel 195 which, while urged 
against plate 214 by spring 210, is nevertheless free to retract away from 
plate 214 as the thickness of removed cards between plate 214 and wheels 
192 and 193 increases. 
In operation, prior to each selection operation by the selector 26-1, the 
accumulator 19 is in its home position rightwardly of the selector 26-1 as 
best seen in FIG. 1, the accumulator 19 having been returned to its home 
position at the conclusion of the previous selected card removal operation 
following the previous card selection operation. Assuming the accumulator 
19 is in its home position, a card selection operation is effected in the 
manner described in connection with FIGS. 2e-2f, with the result that the 
selected cards 23a are advanced in the forward Z direction relative to the 
undesired cards 23b of the cartridge located in the selector 26-1. With 
the desired cards 23a projecting from the cartridge and the magnet 29 in 
its lowered position (FIGS. 9 and 2f), the carriage motor 124 is energized 
to drive the carriage 82 leftwardly in the X direction (FIG. 3). Movement 
of the carriage leftwardly in the X direction continues at a relatively 
rapid rate until the card removal assembly 147 is proximate and rightward 
of the leading edge of the rightmost selected card, as determined by a 
card sensor to be described, whereupon the carriage drive motor 124 is 
switched to a much slower rate of speed. This insures that the rightmost 
selected card will be magnetically gripped by the magnet wheel 150 and the 
rightmost card advanced into the nip defined by rolls 148, 149 and 166, 
167. When the rightmost card is advanced into the nip 148, 149 and 166, 
167, a microswitch to be described is tripped, de-energizing the carriage 
traverse motor 124, stopping the traversing movement of the accumulator 
assembly 80. When the selected card is fully removed and its leading edge 
against stop 190, the motor 124 is re-energized at its high traverse rate 
until such time as magnet wheel 150 is proximate the next selected card in 
the path of the pickup assembly 147. When this occurs the carriage 
traverse motor 124 is again operated at its slow traverse rate by the card 
sensor until the leading edge of the card has been advanced by the magnet 
wheel 150 into the nip defined by wheels 148, 149 and 166, 167. 
To sense when the magnetic wheel 150 is proximate a selected card in the 
course of carriage traversing movement in the leftward X direction, an 
optical sensing device 225 is provided on the righthand rear upper surface 
of the bottom plate 142. The optical sensor device includes a suitable 
light source 226 which directs a beam of light leftwardly in the X 
direction along the path of travel of the optical sensor 225 and a 
transducer 227 which is responsive to light from the source 225 which is 
reflected by a selected card extending into the path of the moving optical 
sensing device 225. Thus, as the carriage-mounted accumulator assembly 80 
traverses leftwardly along the X axis, when the magnetic wheel 150 is 
proximate a selected card extending from the carriage at the selector 
26-1, light from the source 226 reflected from the card incident on the 
transducer 227 reaches a level exceeding a predetermined threshold, 
causing a suitable electrical signal to be developed for reducing the 
speed at which the carriage motor 124 advances the carriage in the 
leftwardly X direction. As previously noted, this permits the magnetic 
wheel 150 to reliably magnetically grip the implanted chip 31 of the 
selected card and advance it into the nip defined by friction rolls 148, 
149 and 166, 167. 
To terminate energization of the carriage motor 124, after the carriage 82 
has slowed down in response to sensing the proximity of a card with the 
optical sensor 225 and the leading edge of the card has advanced into the 
nip defined by friction rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167, a suitable 
microswitch 228 mounted to the bottom surface of the top plate 141 is 
provided. Cooperating with a movable microswitch actuator 228a is a 
card-operated trip plate 230 mounted for pivotal motion on the shaft 152 
between the driven wheel 148 and the lower surface of the top plate 141. 
The trip plate 230 is normally spring-biased in a clockwise direction as 
viewed in FIG. 6 about its mounting shaft 152 by a suitable spring member 
(not shown). When the leading edge of a card enters the nip formed by 
friction wheels 148, 149 and 166, 167 under the action of the magnet wheel 
150, the trip plate 230 pivots in a counterclockwise direction as viewed 
in FIG. 6, causing the rear edge 230b thereof to strike the microswitch 
actuator 228a of microswitch 228. 
The microswitch 228 is a "normally closed" single pole, double throw switch 
which is in series circuit with the carriage motor 124. This allows the 
carriage motor to drive the accumulator assembly 80 when the trip plate 
230 is in the position shown in FIG. 6, but to interrupt power to the 
carriage motor when the trip plate pivots clockwise as viewed in FIG. 6 in 
response to entry into the nip defined by rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167 of 
the leading edge of a selected card advanced by the magnet 150, thereby 
terminating energization of the motor 124 to stop the carriage and 
accumulator 19. 
When the trailing edge of a selected card withdrawn by the assembly 147 
advances forwardly sufficiently to have its trailing edge leave the nip 
defined by rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167, the trip plate 230 pivots 
clockwise as viewed in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 6. This 
deactuates the microswitch 228 allowing the motor 124 to be energized and 
the carriage to continue its traversing motion in the leftward X 
direction. If the next selected card to be withdrawn by the assembly 147 
is not within the operative range of the optical sensor device 225, the 
deactuation of the microswitch 228 when the trailing edge of the last card 
passes forwardly of the nip defined by rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167, will 
result in movement of the carriage by the motor 124 at its high rate of 
speed until such time as the next closest selected card is sensed by the 
sensor 225 whereupon the speed will be reduced until the card trips the 
microswitch plate 230 which actuates switch 228 and stops the motor. 
If, when the trailing edge of a selected card advances forwardly of the nip 
148, 149 and 166, 167 to deactuate the microswitch 228, the next selected 
card to be withdrawn by the assembly 147 is within the range of the 
optical sensor device 225, the motor 124 will be energized, but only at 
its slow rate of speed. Such motor energization at the slow speed rate 
will continue until the leading edge of the next card has been advanced by 
the magnet wheel 150 into the nip defined by rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167 
to trip the plate 230 and actuate the switch 228 whereupon the motor 124 
is completely deenergized. When the trailing edge of the card advances 
forwardly of the trip plate 230, switch 228 is again deactuated and the 
process repeated. 
If two or more selected cards are located adjacent each other the trip 
plate 230 remains in its tripped position, actuating microswitch 228 and 
de-energizing carriage motor 124 from the point in time when the leading 
edge of the rightmost card is advanced into the nip defined by rolls 148, 
149 and 166, 167 until the point in time when the trailing edge of the 
last of the adjacent cards passes forwardly of the nip. Thus, where 
multiple selected cards are closely adjacent to each other, once the 
carriage stops traversing motion in response to tripping of plate 230 by 
the leading edge of the first card, the carriage remains stopped until the 
last of the several proximately located cards has advanced to a point 
where its trailing edge is forward of the trip plate 230. Only after this 
has occurred does the microswitch 228 become deactuated to permit the 
carriage motor 124 to again become energized to advance the carriage 
leftwardly at either its fast or slow rate depending upon whether the next 
selected card to be removed from the cartridge 16-1 at selector 26-1 is 
outside or inside the range of the optical sensor 225. 
If a desired card is not physically present in a retrieved cartridge at the 
selector 26-1, the selection operation discussed in connection with FIGS. 
2a-2f will not result in the advancement of a card in the forward Z 
direction from the cartridge into the path of the traversing card pickup 
assembly 147. Under such circumstances, it is unnecessary to cycle the 
movable accumulator assembly 80 through a traversing cycle from the home 
position, leftwardly in the X direction across the front of the selector 
26-1 and then rightwardly in the X direction to return back to the home 
position. To avoid cycling the movable accumulator assembly 80 when the 
desired card has not been selected as a consequence of searching a 
retrieved tray at the selector 26-1, a second selected card sensor is 
provided which includes a source of light 234 and a light transducer 233 
positioned at the selector 26-1 slightly forwardly of the leading edges of 
undesired, unselected cards in the cartridge at the selector (FIG. 1). 
With the light source 234 and light sensor 233 so positioned, if at least 
one card is not selected as the result of searching a retrieved cartridge 
at the selector 26-1, the light beam 235 from the source 234 reaches the 
transducer 233, providing a signal which inhibits cycling of the 
accumulator from its home position leftwardly in the X direction across 
the front of the selector and rightwardly back to return to its home 
position. Thus, if the desired card is not selected as a result of 
searching a retrieved cartridge at the selector 26-1, an unnecessary 
selector traversing operation by the movable accumulator assembly 80 does 
not result. Of course, if one or more cards are selected as the result of 
searching a retrieved cartridge at the selector 26-1, the light beam 235 
from the light source 234 does not reach the transducer 233 and a signal 
to inhibit cycling of the movable accumulator assembly 80 is not produced. 
As noted, if as a result of searching a retrieved cartridge 16-1 at the 
selector 26-1 one or more cards are selected to interrupt the beam 235 
from the source 234, the carriage-mounted accumulator 19 starts traversing 
leftwardly along the X axis and, in a manner previously described, the 
selected cards are sequentially withdrawn from the cartridge 16-1 at 
selector 26-1 and advanced into the accumulator with their leading edges 
against the stop plate 190. Upon removal of the last, leftmost, selected 
card from the cartridge 16-1 at selector 26-1 by the accumulator 19, the 
light beam 235 from the light source 234 is no longer interrupted and once 
again reaches the light transducer 233. When this occurs an electric 
signal is produced, inhibiting further leftward scanning motion of the 
accumulator assembly 80 in the X direction, and returns the 
carriage-mounted accumulator assembly rightwardly along the X axis to the 
home position. Thus, unnecessary leftward travel of the carriage is 
avoided following removal of the last, leftwardmost selected card. 
Upon return of the carriage-mounted accumulator 19 to the home position 
following leftward traversing motion across the front of the card selector 
26-1 and removal of the selected cards from the cartridge thereat and 
transfer to the accumulator with their leading edges against stop 190, the 
accumulated cards abutting stop 190 are sequentially ejected from the 
assembly 80 forwardly in the Z direction to a container 84 via the slot 83 
in the front housing of the mass document store 10. To facilitate ejection 
of the accumulated cards which have their leading edges against stop 190, 
a card ejecting mechanism 240 is provided as best shown in FIGS. 6, 8, and 
10. The card ejecting mechanism includes a rotatable friction drive wheel 
241 mounted to the lower end of a vertical motor shaft 242 by a hub 243 
integral with the wheel 241. The shaft 242 is driven by a motor 244 which 
is mounted to a horizontal plate 245 fixed to the base plate 142 via a 
suitable bracket 247. When the motor 244 is energized the card-eject wheel 
241 rotates in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 10 about its 
motor mount shaft 242. 
The motor shaft 242 which mounts the ejection wheel 241 is located to 
position the periphery of the ejection wheel leftwardly, as viewed in FIG. 
8, of the left edge 190a of the card stop plate 190 by a distance greater 
than the width of a single card and less than the width of two cards. By 
so positioning the periphery of the ejection wheel 241 relative to the 
left edge (as viewed in FIG. 8) of the card stop 190, a card gate 239 is 
provided therebetween which permits only one card at a time located with 
its leading edge against card stop 190 to be ejected by the wheel 241. 
As previously noted, at the conclusion of a carriage-traversing operation, 
selected cards which have been removed from the cartridge at the selector 
26-1 by the pickup assembly 147 are held against the plate 214 by the 
spring-biased channel 195 and wheels 192, 193 with the leading edges of 
the cards against the rear (leftward as viewed in FIG. 10) surface of the 
card stop plate 190. When the accumulator assembly 80 has removed the last 
selected card and returned to its home position, the removed cards are 
ejected one by one through the gate 239 by the motor-driven ejection wheel 
241. However, at this point the removed card closest to the periphery of 
ejection wheel 241 is still physically displaced from the periphery of the 
ejection wheel 241 by a distance depending upon the number of selected 
cards removed. To advance the removed cards toward the periphery of the 
ejection wheel 241 and thereby facilitate sequential ejection of the 
removed cards through the gate 239, it is necessary to move the leading 
edges of the removed cards which abut the card stop surface 190b 
rightwardly (upwardly as viewed in FIG. 10) in the direction of the X 
axis. 
To accomplish the foregoing motion, a selectively slideable plate 246 is 
provided. The plate 246 is suitably mounted to the bottom plate 142 to 
permit sliding motion only in the X direction. A tension spring 246a 
having one end connected to a pin 248 extending upwardly from the 
righthand end of the plate 246 and the other end connected to a pin 249 
extending downwardly from the motor mounting plate 245 (FIG. 8) is 
provided to normally bias the plate 246 rightwardly in the X direction. A 
stationary solenoid 250 mounted to the upper surface of the base plate 142 
is provided. Solenoid 250 has an armature 251 connected via a spring 252 
to an angle bracket 253 which is fastened to the plate 246 for selectively 
advancing the plate along the X axis in a rightwardly direction (upwardly 
as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 10) when the solenoid is energized. 
Specifically, when the solenoid 250 is energized, the armature 251 moves 
rightwardly (upwardly as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 10), causing the angle 
bracket 253, and in turn the slide plate 246, to move rightwardly. The 
slide plate 246 is provided with a vertical throat 254 defined by vertical 
walls 254a and 254b which are angled toward each other in the forward Z 
direction. Walls 254a and 254b extend vertically upwardly from the slide 
plate 246. When the slide plate 246 is in its normal leftward position 
shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, selected cards which have been removed by the 
assembly 147 and advanced forwardly such that their leading edges abut the 
stop plate surface 190b are positioned with the leading portion of the 
cards between the throat walls 254a and 254b of the throat 254. With the 
leading portions of the removed card so positioned between walls 254a and 
254b, when the plate 246 is urged rightwardly by energization of solenoid 
250, the rightmost card is urged against the periphery of the ejection 
wheel 241 and the cards are ejected sequentially in the forward Z 
direction through the card gate 239 into the container 84 via slot 83 in 
the mass document storage housing 11. When the leftmost removed card which 
is closest to the side plate 214 has been ejected by the driven roll 241 
through the gate 239 into the container 84, the solenoid 250 is 
de-energized and the slide plate 246 returns under the action of spring 
246a to its normal position shown in FIGS. 6 and 10. 
As is apparent from FIG. 8, the throat wall 254a is substantially lower 
than the throat wall 254b. This permits throat wall 254a to pass beneath 
the lower horizontal surface of the eject wheel 241 when the solenoid 250 
is energized and moves rightwardly in the X direction to advance the 
removed cards with their leading edges abutting stop plate surface 190a 
into contact with the periphery of the ejection wheel 241. 
With reference to FIGS. 10 and 12-15, the card removal and ejection 
sequence can be more readily understood. As shown in FIG. 10, the 
accumulator assembly 147 is proximate the first card A of three grouped 
cards A, B, and C. In a manner described previously, the magnetic wheel 
150 advances the rightmost card A into the nip formed by wheels 148, 149 
and 166, 167. The friction wheels 148 and 149 then drive the card A in 
contact therewith forwardly in the Z direction to a point where the 
leading edge thereof is engaged by the driven friction rolls 192, 193 
(FIG. 12). At this point the trailing portion of the card A is still 
engaged by the friction wheels 148, 149. As the friction wheels 148, 149 
and 192, 193 continue to be driven, card A advances further until its 
trailing edge is deflected by deflector 220 leftwardly of the leading edge 
of the second card B to a point where the trailing portion of card A is 
against the side plate 214 (FIG. 13). Since friction wheels 192, 193 have 
a greater peripheral speed than friction wheels 148, 149, movement of the 
trailing portion of card A leftwardly of the leading edge of card B 
against plate 214 is assured. 
When the trailing edge of card A passes forwardly of the nip defined by 
rolls 148, 149 and 166, 167, the leading edge of the second card B comes 
into contact with the driven friction wheels 148, 149 to advance this card 
forwardly (FIG. 13). Card B is then advanced, first by friction rolls 148, 
149, and thereafter by friction rolls 192, 193, to its forward position 
with the leading edge thereof against the stop plate surface 190b (FIG. 
14). 
The foregoing process continues, with the accumulator assembly 80 
stationary, until the leading edge of the last card C of the group is 
advanced with its leading edge against the stop plate surface 190b. The 
carriage then advances leftwardly in the X direction to position the card 
pickup assembly 147 proximate the next card D and this card is removed in 
a manner described previously. When all selected cards have been removed 
and accumulated between the plate 214 and the rolls 192, 193 with their 
leading edges against stop plate surface 190b, as shown in FIG. 14, the 
carriage-mounted accumulator returns to its home position. Upon reaching 
the home position whereat the card gate 239 is aligned with slot 83, the 
solenoid 250 is energized urging plate 246 rightwardly in the X direction 
to bring the cards against the periphery of ejection wheel 241. The 
removed cards are then ejected on a sequential basis by the wheel 241 
through the card gate 239 into the container 84 via slot 83 in the mass 
document storage housing 11. 
With the removed cards now in the container 84, the accumulator assembly 80 
is ready for another selected card removing cycle which may be in 
association with the same cartridge 61-1 at the selector 26-1 or another 
and different cartridge. While it is preferable to eject the removed cards 
at the conclusion of a cartridge traversing operation when the accumulator 
assembly 80 has returned to its home position and prior to beginning a new 
traversing operation for removing selected cards from another cartridge, 
this is not necessary. For example, and assuming that the throat 254 is 
designed to accommodate 100 removed cards, the accumulator assembly 80 
could be cycled with respect to plural cartridges, each having selected 
cards which are removed, until the capacity of the throat 254 is reached, 
whereupon the accumulator assembly 80 returns to the home position and the 
accumulated cards therein are ejected into the container 84. 
Significantly, the selected cards which are removed by the traversing 
accumulator assembly 80 are ejected via the slot 83 into the container 84 
on a sequential basis in the same order in which they were removed from 
the cartridge(s). If the order of ejection of the cards into the container 
84 is preserved, when the retrieved cards are ultimately removed from the 
container 84, they will be stacked in the same order as they were removed 
from their respective cartridge(s). 
If buffer selectors 26-2 and 26-3 are searched simultaneously with the 
searching of selector 26-1, desired cards residing in trays 16-2 and 16-3 
at selectors 26-2 and 26-3 should be removed as they are selected. This 
removal can be performed manually. After the desired cards selected at 
selector 26-1 and ejected into the container 84 are removed therefrom and 
suitably processed, the cards are returned to random locations in the 
buffer 26-2. At some convenient point in time the cards in the buffers 
26-2 and 26-3 are returned to the mass document store in accordance with 
the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,916. If desired, before processing 
selected cards ejected into the container 84, the cards may be temporarily 
stored in various compartments 16-3a, 16-3b, . . . 16-3d of the cartridge 
16-3 assigned to different functions for subsequent processing and 
thereafter return on a random basis to the selector 26-2. 
Operatively associated with the platen 28 and forming a part of the 
document selector 26-1 is a transversely disposed longitudinal 
electromagnet 29 having a length at least equal to the length of a 
cartridge measured in the X direction. As explained previously in 
connection with FIGS. 2a-2f, the electromagnet 29, when energized, 
functions to apply a force in the forward Z direction to all cards in 
contact therewith during the card selection operation, the force being 
applied to the cards via the ferromagnetic chips 31 implanted therein. 
The elongated magnet 29 is mounted for movement on an elongated horizontal 
mounting bar 260, as best shown in FIGS. 9 and 11. Depending from the 
magnet mounting bar 260 at opposite ends thereof are a pair of vertical 
guide members 261 and 262. Extending rearwardly from each of the vertical 
guide members 261 and 262 are horizontal cam members 263 and 264, 
respectively. Each of the horizontal cam members 263 and 264 has on its 
lower side a downwardly and forwardly sloping cam edge 265. 
Also associated with the longitudinal magnet 29 is a horizontally movable 
drawer 33. The drawer 33 includes a vertically disposed front panel 33a 
which terminates at its opposite ends in vertical surfaces 33b and 33c. 
Intermediate the ends 33b, 33c the drawer has a pair of vertical guide 
slots 33d and 33e. Guide members 261 and 262 which depend from the magnet 
support member 260 reciprocate vertically in guide slots 33d and 33e, 
respectively, thereby limiting movement of the magnet support member 260, 
and hence the magnet 29, relative to the drawer 33 to the vertical 
direction. Extending rearwardly from the ends 33b, 33c of the drawer panel 
33 are a pair of horizontal bars 33f and 33g. The frame (not shown) of the 
selector 26 is provided with suitable horizontal guide slots (not shown) 
for slideably receiving the members 33f and 33g to restrict movement 
thereof relative to the platen 28 to a horizontal direction parallel to 
the Z axis. 
In operation, horizontal motion is imparted to the magnet 29 to effect the 
card selection operation shown in FIGS. 2a-2f by a roller 267 
eccentrically mounted for rotation about an axis 268. This roller 267 
engages an arm 269 fixed to the drawer 33. The elliptical orbital path of 
the roller reciprocates the drawer 33. 
A vertical motion is imparted to the magnet 29, as the drawer is 
horizontally reciprocated, by the engagement and disengagement of the cam 
surfaces 265 with a shaft 272. Thus, during that portion of the travel of 
the drawer 33 when cam edges 265 engage shaft 272, the magnet has both 
horizontal and vertical components of motion imparted to it. 
As is apparent from the discussion of the selection operation in FIGS. 
2a-2f, combined horizontal and vertical motion is imparted to the magnet 
29 when the drawer 33 moves from the position shown in FIG. 2e to the 
position shown in FIG. 2f upon completion of the card selection operation. 
As the drawer 33 is driven from the position shown in FIG. 2e to the 
position shown in FIG. 2f, the magnet 29 drops below the level of the 
bottom plate 142 of the carriage-mounted accumulator prior to its traverse 
across the front of the selector to remove selected cards. In this way, 
mechanical interference is avoided between the magnet 29 and the 
traversing accumulator assembly 80. At the conclusion of the selected card 
removal operation after the accumulator assembly has returned to its home 
position rightwardly of the selector 26, the drawer 33 can be returned to 
its normal elevated position shown in FIGS. 2a-2e wherein the magnet 29 is 
located in the same horizontal plane as the chips 31 of cards located at 
the selector. 
To avoid dragging selected cards downwardly and forwardly with the magnet 
29 when the magnet moves from the position shown in FIG. 2e to the 
position shown in FIG. 2f, the polarization of the magnet is reversed at 
the conclusion of the step shown in FIG. 2e. The reversal of polarity of 
the magnet at this point in the operation of the selector effectively 
terminates the magnetic attraction force applied by the magnet 29 to the 
chips 31 of the selected cards; in fact, reversal of polarity of the 
magnet effectively repels the chips of the selected cards with respect to 
the magnet, thereby insuring termination of the application of magnetic 
force to the chips of the selected cards in the forward Z direction. 
Automatic control of the energization and polarity of the electromagnet and 
of the motors and solenoids which operate the various moving parts of the 
apparatus of this invention can be effected utilizing a suitably 
programmed microcomputer responsive to a keyboard input identifying a 
particular card to be retrieved and suitably positioned limit switches 
which provide signals reflecting the location of the various movable 
members. Alternatively, the apparatus of this invention can be under 
semiautomatic control from a keyboard having individual keys for 
controlling the energization states of the various motors and solenoids 
which impart motion to the moving parts of the apparatus.