Abstract: A shared document feed station includes a common drive mechanism for normally advancing a receipt tape through a receipt tape zone and for selective operation to advance an alternative document through an alternative document zone. Document detectors sense the presence of a document in the alternative document zone and function to inhibit the drive mechanism from advancing the receipt tape while enabling the advance of the alternative document.

Abstract: A disk file machine having a transducer or a pressure pad opposite a transducer movable to engage a magnetic disk rotatably disposed in a magnetic diskette assembly in the machine and having a pressure plate opposite a platen portion for holding the disk in a proper data transferring plane, and a manually operable knob mechanically connected with the movable transducer or pressure pad and with the pressure plate for moving these parts from original positions, which are widely separated from the opposite parts to allow positioning of a magnetic diskette in the machine, to intermediate positions in which the spacing is less. The machine includes a solenoid mechanically connected with the movable transducer or pressure pad and mechanically connected with the pressure plate for moving these parts from their intermediate positions to final positions in which the movable transducer or pressure pad engages the disk and in which the pressure plate grips the diskette and holds it in a proper data transferring plane.

Abstract: A gripping or picker device, particularly for a jacketed magnetic disk or diskette, comprising a pair of arms extending along each other and fixed with respect to a common support and having outwardly diverging cam surfaces on their distal ends to provide a throat into which an article may be thrust. One of the arms has a flat leaf spring portion for moving the arms together, and the arms have plane substantially parallel facing surfaces connected with said cam surfaces for gripping the article frictionally when the article is thrust between the arms. One of the cam surfaces extends farther toward the common support than the other so that it faces the plane support surface of the other arm, and one of the arms has a stop portion abutting the other arm to limit the approaching movement of the arms toward each other to a distance which is equal to or greater than the thickness of the article to be gripped.

Abstract: A machine operative to sequentially pull jacketed flexible magnetic disk units (which may be termed "diskettes") into a data transferring position, close a collet on a disk driving spindle for clamping the disk onto the spindle for drivingly rotating the disk from the spindle and move magnetic heads into contact with the disk for a data transferring action. The machine includes a clothespin like picker or gripping device reciprocative so as to move into embracing relationship with the diskette and to then pull the diskette into data transferring position. The diskettes are contained in a magazine which is translatable transversely with respect to the path of travel of the picker device so that the picker device may be operative to grip any one of the series of diskettes, depending on the translated position of the magazine.