1376271 Electrically operated fasteners TOKYO MAGNETIC PRINTING CO Ltd 21 Feb 1973 [11 May 1972 22 June 1972 (2)] 8505/73 Heading E2A Signals recorded on a magnetic cord are read out to a logic comparator circuit for comparison with a stored predetermined code signal, the circuit output being transmitted to a control device for controlling a fastening mechanism. A magnetic cord is fed into a read out magnetic device comprising two heads 1A, 1A', Fig. 1B, one to read out the code signal and the other to read out a clock code signal; both signals are passed through amplifiers 2A, 2B, 2A', 2B', and waveform shaping devices 2C, 2C' e.g. monostable multivibrators to a series-to-parallel converter circuit 3A. Here, pulses of the clock code signal causes successive pulses, or bits, of the key code signal to appear sequentially at respective parallel terminals of a group of flip-flops forming the comparator circuit 3B with a group of diodes, Figs. 4C, 4D (not shown), the diodes forming an AND, gate so that an output will be provided only if all the comparisons coincide between the parallel key code inputs and corresponding parallel predetermined code inputs, for a storage device 4A. The control device 5A Fig. 4E (not shown) comprises a relay actuated by the output signal to actuate transistors controlling a fastener solenoid, to change the state of the fastener (locking or unlocking). Removal of the cord from the read-out device deactivates the relay to complete the operation. Other relays are incorporated for manual operation of the fastener mechanism. Fig. 5 shows apparatus for providing an output signal from any one of a series of key cords. Here, the read out signal from the comparison circuit passes to a temporary storage circuit 22, and is then simultaneously sent out to parallel comparator circuits 24-1, to 24-5 each accepting a different predetermined code signal, the comparator outputs passing to an OR gate, to allow the one, if any, output signal, corresponding to a matching comparison, to the control device. The apparatus in Fig. 8 shows the avoidance of a plurality of parallel terminals by the comparison of a signal of a series of pulses, with a predetermined series signal (no series to parallel converter circuit). Part of the read-out signal is sent as a clock signal to a storage circuit 83 to trigger the predetermined signal. The comparator output passes to a coincidence storage unit 84 where a low constant signal is passed to an AND gate 85, if the signals coincide, or a high output signal is passed if they do not coincide. In the former situation, the AND gate 85 transmits a signal for fastener actuation, due to reception of an end of read-out signal from the storage unit 84.