Apparatus for reproducing and recording information

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING AND TRANSPORTING DISCRETE PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS, EACH ELEMENT HAVING A CODE FIELD CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF COLUMNS OF CODED WORDS, ONE OF WHICH IS AN IDENTIFYING CODED WORD, AND A SORT FIELD, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A SUPPLY STATION FOR SAID ELEMENTS, A RECEIVING STATION FOR SAID ELEMENTS, A READING STATION ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID SUPPLY STATION AND SAID RECEIVING STATION, DRIVE EMEANS CARRIER MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR INTERMITTENT MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID STATIONS AND PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF APERTURES OVER WHICH SAID ELEMENTS ARE POSITIONED, AN APERTURE BEING ALIGNED WITH EACH OF SAID STATIONS WHEN SAID CARRIER MEANS IS STATIONARY, TRANSFER MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE MEANS AND ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO SAID CARRIER MEANS AND SAID SUPPLY STATION AND SAID RECEIVING STATION FOR WITHDRAWING SAID ELEMENTS INDIVIDUALLY FROM SAID SUPPLY STATION AND POSITIONING THEM ON SAID CARRIER WITH RESPECT TO SAID APERTURES AND FOR REMOVING EACH ELEMENT FORM SAID CARRIER MEANS, WHEN POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO SAID RECEIVING STATION, AND INSERTING THEM INTO SAID RECEIVING STATION, SAID TRANSFER MEANS BEING ACTUATED AFTER EACH MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIER MEANS AND DURING THE INTERVAL SAID CARRIER MEANS IS STATIONARY, MEANS FOR READING SAID CODED WORDS ON EACH ELEMENT MOVED INTO SAID READING STATION AND DERIVING A GROUP OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF ONLY SAID IDENTIFYING CODED WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH ELEMENT, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID READING MEANS FOR STORING THE GROUP OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS AND FOR PROVIDING SUCCESSIVE GROUPS OF OUTPUT SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF EACH CHARACTER IN THE STORED IDENTIFYING CODED WORD, RECORDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO EACH GROUP OF OUTPUT SIGNALS FOR CONVERTING SAID OUTPUT SIGNALS INTO LEGIBLE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE IDENTIFYING CODED WORD CHARACTER BY CHARACTER, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR INITIATING A CYCLE OF OPERATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID CARRIER MEANS, SAID TRANSFER MEANS SAID READING MEANS, SAID STORING MEANS AND SAID RECORDING MEANS, AND A PROGRAMMER MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID CYCLE OF OPERATION AND RESPONSIVE TO EACH LAST GROUP OF OUTPUT SIGNALS RELEASED BY SAID STORING MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID CARRIER MEANS OPERATIVE TO MOVE THE SUCCEEDING ELEMENT INTO SAID READING STATION AND INITIATING ANOTHER CYCLE OF OPERATION.