Patent GB-1377965-A (GB)
Title: Microfiche carrier plates
IPC: G03B21/11
Filed: 1971-12-02
Abstract: 1377965 Picture mounts ADDRESSOGRAPH-MULTIGRAPH CORP 2 Dec 1971 [7 Dec 1970] 55975/71 Heading A4X [Also in Division G2] A microfiche carrier 10, Fig. 2, comprises a plate formed from one or two sheets of flexible, slippery transparent plastics material joined to form a pocket for receiving a microfiche 12, the plate 10 including transversely flexible legs 14 at its front corners, each leg including a detent concavity 15 that receives a cylindrical detent element 21 on the side wall of a magazine 18. Each carrier plate 10 has a coding protrusion 17 on its front edge, and in the magazine 18 the protrusions 17 are staggered and extend outwardly through a front window. The loaded magazine 18 is inserted into a retrieval read-out device 24, Fig. 3. A selection control knob or switch 26 is set to select a desired carrier 10. A pusher bar 27 is powered to move perpendicular to the plane of the figure to a selected location and towards the magazine 18. It abuts the protrusion 17 of the selected carrier 10 and pushes it out of the back of the magazine, the detents 15, 21 being disengaged. The leading edge 28 of the selected carrier 10 enters spring guides 25 that guide it through spaced guides 30, that receive the edges of the carrier, to spring clamps 33. The trailing edge of the carrier never leaves the magazine. Positioning switches or knobs 36 are set in accordance with the location of the desired frame on the microfiche and an X-Y mechanism 32 moves clamps 33 longitudinally until the column containing the desired frame is located beneath a projection lens 37. To move the desired frame centrally beneath lens 37, the X-Y mechanism 32 produces movement, perpendicular to the plane of the figure, of the magazine 18 the guides 30 and the clamped microfiche carrier 10. Mirrors 39 and lenses 41 produce an enlarged image on a screen 42. A printout may be provided. When the carrier is returned to the magazine a solenoid operated finger may securely seat it. Instead of knob 26, the selection of the carrier may be performed manually, electrically, or by a computer; the X-Y positioning may be performed manually. In an alternative carrier positioning arrangement, Fig. 4, the ejected carrier is moved longitudinally by motor driven rollers 46, 49 and its edges are received in fixed guides 48. A spring- loaded longitudinally movable follower arm 51 abuts the leading edge 28 of the carrier and the longitudinal location of the carrier is always indicated by a feedback potentiometer 52 coupled to arm 51. The feedback voltage from potentiometer 52 and a control voltage (56), Fig. 5 (not shown) obtained from a potentiometer associated with control knobs 36 are both applied to a summing network (57). If these two voltages differ, an output signal is applied, via an amplifier (58) to a drive motor (59) which moves the carrier to its correct location at which the two voltages are equal. The lens 37 is mounted on a transversely movable belt 53, and optical compensating elements may be employed. The carrier may be returned to the magazine by mounting the rollers 46 on spring-loaded pivot arms; or, the detents 21 may be replaced by toggle springs.