MACHINE TO READ INFORMATION FROM PUNCHED CARDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DATA PROCESSING SAID INFORMATION AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF SORTING, COLLATING AND MERGING SAID PUNCHED CARDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID PROCESSED INFORMATION

The present apparatus provides two read stations which simultaneously read cards at a high rate of speed and two associated transport means which enable cards to be transported toward a common receiving station and which are capable of transporting punch cards of various sizes. In addition the high speed transport systems have means to readily remove card jams. Further each of the transport systems has a waiting station therein which holds two cards simultaneously, each of said cards having been previously read and each of said cards being compared with a third card being transported through the associated read station. In addition the system provides an arithmetic means as well as a comparison means in order to permit the information from the cards to be processed arithmetically, i.e., added or subtracted and to be compared with a standard value or with an answer arrived at by virtue of the arithmetic process. Yet further the present system provides an editing means for inserting or deleting information as well as a means for translating from one code to another to accommodate a prescribed checking sequence priority. Another feature is the read-in and read-out means by virtue of which the present system may be used as a peripheral device with another data processor.