초록 ▼

A card sorting apparatus includes at least two card stackers, a sensor for reading characters, symbols and the like attached to the cards, a card rack for holding a plurality of cards, and a memory for storing information indicative of the cards held by the card rack. The card rack is connected to a

A card sorting apparatus includes at least two card stackers, a sensor for reading characters, symbols and the like attached to the cards, a card rack for holding a plurality of cards, and a memory for storing information indicative of the cards held by the card rack. The card rack is connected to at least one of the card stackers accommodating cards. A predetermined number of cards are first transferred to the card rack and a comparison is performed between a group of cards in the card rack and cards transferred to the card rack next. Cards satisfying comparison conditions are fed into either of the card stackers and cards are sorted in advance between the card rack and card stacker. Also provided is a card sorting rack for the sorting apparatus, the rack having a plurality of card supporting members for supporting cards, and a moving member for selectively moving at least one of the card supporting members to extract the corresponding card.

대표청구항 ▼

A card sorting method for sorting cards into a predetermined order based on characters or numerals borne by said cards, comprising the steps of: (a) initially accommodating a plurality of cards to be arranged in one of plural card accommodating means (101, (1), (2); (b) reading characters or numeral

A card sorting method for sorting cards into a predetermined order based on characters or numerals borne by said cards, comprising the steps of: (a) initially accommodating a plurality of cards to be arranged in one of plural card accommodating means (101, (1), (2); (b) reading characters or numerals borne by cards selected to be delivered from one of said plural card accommodating means to a card holding means (103), (5); (c) delivering a predetermined number of read cards to said card holding means from one of said plural card accommodating means; (d) comparing cards held in said card holding means with one another; (e) delivering a card which meets a selecting condition corresponding to said predetermined order in said card holding means to a receiving section (28, 29) of one of said plural card accommodating means to empty one portion of said card holding means (5); (f) replenishing said portion of said card holding means from which a card has been delivered to a said receiving section with a read card from said one of plural card accommodating means; and (g) repeating steps (d) through (f) until all of said plurality of cards initially accommodated in one of said plural card accommodating means have been read once and selected to be arranged in at least one of said plural card accommodating means, and said card holding means contains no cards; (h) and thereafter, if more than one of the plurality of card accommodating means accommodate cards which are not arranged in said predetermined order then causing the merging of the plurality of arranged cards between said plurality of card accommodating means until all cards are arranged in the predetermined order in a single one of said card accommodating means.