Apparatus and method of verification of credit cards, including sensing information thereon and comparing said information with information on a specially designed pre-printed carrier, followed by insertion of one or more cards in the matching carrier as required, folding and stacking card-inserted carriers in a manner ready for subsequent insertion into mailing envelopes. Sensing, input, comparison logic, and timed command circuitry for coordination of operation includes a pause mode of card advance and may optionally include a multiple card search mode to find matching cards when card sequence is improper.
Background
In the United States there were about 500 million credit cards in circulation in 1974, and an additional 200 million were issued that year on new accounts or to cover maintenance (renewal). These numbers do not include the emerging debit card field (for bank or S and L account access), nor the ID and security card fields.
Such cards (called herein "credit cards" for simplicity) being equivalent to or providing access to money, property or credit, must be handled with accuracy under stringent security during issue of the cards, i.e., manufacturing, preparing for distribution, and actual distribution (e.g., by mailing) to the cardholder-customer. The correct number of cards must be correctly embossed and/or encoded with the cardholder's account number and other data. The embossed cards must be protected from theft until they are in the hands of the cardholders.
The preparation for distribution of the cards must likewise be done accurately under stringent security precautions. The cards are normally placed in what is called a carrier and mailed (first-class, registered or certified mail) to the cardholders. Advance notice and/or follow-up verification mailings may also be used to help insure against theft or notify promptly of non-receipt by the addressee-card user.
It is an extremely serious matter when the wrong cardholder receives the wrong card or wrong number of cards. If a cardholder is supposed to get two or three cards and receives only one, or if a cardholder receives a card of another account, there is a chance for theft of goods by credit cards. The average loss is in the four-figure range with highest losses in five figures. The matter is even more serious in the case of debit cards. Such cards give access to a person's checking and/or savings account. Cards going to the wrong person creates a theft potential. This highlights the need for carrier forms and machine methods of accurate inserting and preparation for distribution.
Most cards are inserted manually in the two-slit, no-slit or pocket carriers. There are two basic approaches. In one, the person inserting the card has a stack of precut, single-sheet carriers having no account information thereon, and a stack of presequenced cards. They also have a stack of separate sheets of thin paper which are presequenced mailers with address and account information. The inserter compares the account number on the card to that on the separate mailer. The cards are inserted by hand into the slits or pockets of the carrier, assembled with the mailer, and then placed in envelopes. The second approach involves having account information typed onto the individual carriers which are presequenced and assembled with presequenced cards. A top-rated inserter is capable of inserting 1,500 accounts in an 8-hour day with an average of 1.7 cards per account. The average acceptable rate is generally, 1,000 accounts per day, and low is 750/day.
Correct presequencing of the cards and carriers or inserts is critical to any reasonable rate of manual insertion and to reducing the frequency of mismatch errors. Further, such manual insertion rates require many workers in order to keep up with the rate of production of credit or debit cards. For example, automated embossing machines have a current card embossing rate ranging from 350 to 1,500 cards/hour. The rates are the same for encoding cards bearing magnetic stripes.
We believe there is a machine available that can insert a card in a four-slit carrier by flexing the card along both its major and minor axis so the four corners can be popped into four respective corner slits. Another machine is capable of putting a dab of glue on the carrier and depositing the card thereon. However, neither machine matches the cards and carriers, so mis-match errors will occur unless exact sequencing is maintained. In automated equipment of this non-verifying type, once a sequence error occurs, all subsequent insertions will continue to be mis-matched.
There is thus a need for an improved high speed automated credit card insertion apparatus that has a verification function, i.e., that can "read" both the credit cards and carriers therefor that contain special photo-optically readable machine instruction information, cardholder identifying information, or issuer information, and compare the data to ensure there is a match of the correct number of cards for the proper carrier, and which machine is programmed to insert the cards in the carrier when the data matches.
THE INVENTION
Objects
It is among the objects of this invention to provide automated apparatus and method for verification of cards and carriers, insertion of cards in carriers, folding inserted carriers, pulling bad accounts, and stuffing of completed carriers in mailing envelopes.
It is another object of the invention to provide a high speed modular verification and insertion system apparatus.
It is another object of the invention to provide a high speed modular verification and insertion system apparatus which is adapted to photo-optically read verification and/or identification information from special credit card carriers, which information includes machine instructions for the operation of the system apparatus.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method of automatic verification and insertion of cards in carriers and preparation of the carriers for manual or machine insertion into mailing envelopes.
It is another object of this invention to provide a high-speed, automatic card and carrier verification and comparison machine and method capable of inserting the correct number of cards in the appropriate carriers at speeds of 1,200 cards/hour or more.
It is another object to provide a method and apparatus for optical character recognition capable of reading information from specially designed carriers which information may be processed and used in verification and insertion of credit cards in the carriers.
It is another object to provide a special continuous web, or plurality of webs of carriers, and apparatus for continuously bursting and folding individual ones of said carriers from said webs.
It is another object to provide apparatus for reading the embossed characters on the credit cards, and apparatus for converting the information therefrom into electronic form for data match comparison, verification, log and command funtions.
It is another object to provide method and apparatus for continuously picking individual ones of cards in a stack and sequentially feeding them to a station where the embossed characters or magnetic codes on the cards are read in a manner to provide information for data match comparison and verification with information on or relating to carriers therefor for logic and command functions.
It is another object to read cards containing information in any one or more of a variety of modes including reading Hollerith punch, embossed characters mechanically or optically sensed or read, reading bar codes printed on the cards, or sensing information contained in the magnetic stripe of the cards.
It is another object to provide for method and apparatus for sequentially searching through stacked cards where a mismatch between cards and carrier information is observed and/or detected.
It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus and method of partially folding carriers preparatory to inserting cards therein, and completing the folding of carriers having cards already inserted therein for inserting in envelopes.
It is another object of the invention to provide special programs for automated high speed verification and insertion of credit cards into carriers.
It is another object to provide special electronic and logic circuitry for an automated high speed credit card verification and insertion system apparatus.
It is a further object to provide an automatic verification and insertion system meeting one or more of the objects above which is constructed of easily assembled modules including a mechanical module, a microprocessor module, a power supply module and a keyboard module as will be described below.
It is still another object to provide an automated apparatus of the type described infra which includes means for automatically providing appropriate instructional information to an operator for correcting a malfunction or inoperative conditions of the apparatus.
It is yet a further object to provide an apparatus having one or more of the objects above in which control of the apparatus is achieved through a microprocessor.
It is still another object to provide an apparatus having one or more of the objects above in which operations performed by the machine are automatically controlled in accordance with information contained on the very carriers being processed by the apparatus.
It is also an object to provide a machine which is controlled in accordance with a prerecorded program and information provided by sensors indicating the status of various mechanical operations performed by the machine.
It is another object to provide apparatus for verification of the number of cards in a carrier after being sealed in an envelope and rejecting those having an incorrect number of cards, and for pulling bad accounts after sealing and before mailing.
Still further and other objects of the invention will be evident from the description which follows.
Figures
The description which follows will have reference to the drawings, which in appropriate instances are simplified for clarity, e.g. by omitting fasteners; showing multiple parts as a single part; showing parts, functions, operations in schematic form or partly in schematic form; breaking away or removing parts not essential for the description; and in which:
FIG. 1 is a highly simplified, partly schematic overview of an apparatus and method of this invention for verification and mechanical insertion of cards in the special carriers, and wrapping of the inserted carriers;
FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of the card and carrier processing steps in accord with apparatus and method of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a specially imprinted 2-pocket carrier of the type covered by U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,210 used with the verification and insertion apparatus system in accord with the method of this invention, and showing the optical character reader initial positions.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inserted and nearly completely wrapped carrier after being cycled through the verification and insertion system apparatus in accord with the method of the invention, with a part broken away to show the electro-optically readable bar code thereon, and two cards inserted therein in the pockets;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective of the verification and insertion system apparatus of this invention showing its modular nature and arrangement of the parts;
FIGS. 6A through 6C are a series in plan view of the mechanical module, with:
FIG. 6A showing a first carrier in the pocket 2 insert position while a second carrier is being fed into the unit;
FIG. 6B showing the first carrier half wrapped and the second carrier after bursting and partially indexed toward the P-1 position; and
FIG. 6C showing the first carrier completely wrapped, and the second carrier now in the P-1 position with the first card being inserted;
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the keyboard and display portion of the logic command module (LCM);
FIG. 8 is an elevation view of the mechanical module showing the drive train from the wrap side (the right side of the module as seen in FIG. 5);
FIG. 9 is an elevation view of the mechanical module showing the power train, burst bar crank, card feed tray, picker assembly and the upper (A) and lower (B) carrier streams from the burst side (the left side of the module as seen in FIG. 5);
FIG. 10 is a perspective of the carrier lead-in chute with the upper (A) and lower (B) streams of carriers being fed therein;
FIGS. 11A and 11B are a series of rear diagonal perspective views showing the bursting (separation) of individual carriers from the carrier streams followed by indexing into the P-1 position during which the OCR (optical character recognition) head scans the carrier bar code, with:
FIG. 11A showing the feed of the carrier into the burst station with the burst bar in the raised (up) position; and
FIG. 11B showing the lateral motion of the burst bar to bring the side edge of the carrier into the nip of the indexing pinch rollers;
FIGS. 12A through 12C are a series in elevation of the feed-in and bursting operations taken along the line 12--12 of FIG. 6, with:
FIG. 12A showing the burst bar in its raised position and a first carrier being fed into and sensed by the carrier feed sensor;
FIG. 12B showing the burst bar partly descended, the burst floor pivoting downward, and the carrier just starting "pull-up" prior to being burst by bending along its perf line across the burst blade; and
FIG. 12C showing the burst bar fully forward and moving transversely during indexing and OCR "reading" of information means on the carrier after the carrier is burst from its stream;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view, partially broken away to show the detail of the OCR head and travel of carrier with respect thereto for reading during indexing;
FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective showing the sensors used for carrier feed sensing, the P-1 and P-2 sensors, and the wrap sensor;
FIGS. 15A through 15C are a series in plan view of the picking of cards from the card chute and feeding them through the ECR read station and the card insert module, with:
FIG. 15A showing the picker in the forward (home) position on completion of the insertion stroke, just removing a third card from the stack and feeding it through the entry slot, and just prior to pushing a preceeding second card through the ECR read station and on into the card laydown door, while the insert wire has just completed inserting a first card into a pocket of a carrier;
FIG. 15B showing the picker at the end of the read stroke with the picker cammed to push the second card onto the laydown door, and the picker flag hitting the read sensor and the LCM doing a data match just prior to commanding the accept/reject solenoid to be followed by laydown and insertion or rejection of a card;
FIG. 15C showing the card track mechanism in the laydown stroke and the picker halfway back to its home position preparing to pick the next card in the stack;
FIGS. 16A through 16C are a series of perspective views of the picker, ECR (Embossed Character Reader), laydown door and insert mechanisms, which views correlate to FIGS. 15A-C, with;
FIG. 16A showing the completion of the insert stroke with the card in the insert trough end partway into the P-1 pocket;
FIG. 16B showing a card just arriving in the laydown door and the insert wire in the retracted position; and
FIG. 16C showing the card being dropped into the load bucket with the door at the bottom of the laydown;
FIGS. 17A through 17D are a series in perspective of the operation of the wrap station, with:
FIG. 17A showing the feed of a just-inserted carrier into the station with the C panel being deflected by the wrap pulley into the wrap bar;
FIG. 17B showing the C panel of the carrier completely fed into the wrap bar and the credit card deflecting the wrap pulley;
FIG. 17C showing the C panel being folded over the M panel by the pivoting wrap bar;
FIG. 17D showing the completely wrapped carrier exiting the station;
FIG. 18 is a block diagram of the logic control module or LCM 7 including the keyboard control input switches 75, the display 16 and the logic module 400, together with a block diagram of the various machine function sensors 74 providing inputs thereto and the various clutches to which output signals are provided;
FIGS. 19A and 19B form a composite block diagram illustrating in greater detail the logic module 400 and the various connections of its inputs and outputs with related circuitry;
FIG. 20 is a comparative timing diagram illustrating the sequence of operations performed by the logic module 400;
FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a preferred circuit for one of the clutch and brake driver blocks of FIGS. 19A and 19B;
FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of a preferred circuit for a representative one of the status indicator lamp driver blocks of FIGS. 19A and 19B;
FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a preferred circuit for one of the function or status sensor blocks of FIGS. 19A and 19B;
FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a preferred circuit for another one of the function sensor blocks of FIGS. 19A and 19B;
FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of a preferred circuit for a representative one of the sensor channels of the ECR head shown in block form in FIGS. 19A and 19B;
FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram of a preferred circuit for a representative one of the sensor channels of the OCR head shown in block form in FIGS. 19A and 19B;
FIGS. 27A and 27B are a series of section views through lines 27--27 of FIG. 6A illustrating the insertion of cards in a carrier pocket and the action of the long and short tongues.
Summary
The invention includes apparatus and method for verification and insertion of cards in continuous and single-sheet, plural-cardholding, multi-panel (or flap) credit card carriers. The carriers are used for retaining the cards during certain credit card issue procedures, including mailing to the cardholders. A first marginal panel, the P panel, contains from one to four specially designed slits for receiving the cards by manual or automated insertion, in vertical (preferred) or horizontal orientation. The cards may be inserted sequentially or simultaneously, single or piggy-backed (two or more in a single slit). The P panel cooperates upon folding along internal perf lines with a central M panel and a second marginal panel, the O panel, to retain the cards by wedge trapping without loss or misalignment (cocking) during handling and mailing.
The P panel contains special positions thereon for receiving and carrying information relating to the account which may be read visually by manual inserters or by checker-operators, or may be read automatically by mechanical, optical, electromechanical, electro-optical (photo-optical), magnetic and/or electronic scanner means to provide information during automated insertion or thereafter, e.g., stuffing or pulling operations. Typically, the information is in the form of alphabetic, numeric or optical characters (e.g., 1-bar, or I-bar code) or mag stripes and contains information about the account, the card issue, number of cards to be placed in the particular carrier, and the like. Account indicia, for example, may be numeric and positioned adjacent to an internal perforation (carrier form fold line) so that account numbers may be presented for visual scanning when the carriers are completely inserted, folded and stacked ready for insertion (stuffing) into mailing envelopes.
The carriers are produced by a multi-step process, broadly broken down in two stages: Stage 1 is production of blank carriers or carrier webs in continous form or single sheets. Stage 2 involved printing of the individual issue and account information by data processing equipment to ready the carriers for card insertion, folding, pulling and stuffing into mailing envelopes.
The carriers may be fan folded along perf lines (called burst/fold lines) and boxed for shipment to data processing centers of the card issuer or service organization. Alternatively the carrier web or sheets may be fed directly to the Stage 2 imprinting operations.
Stage 2 imprinting involves applying individual account information to the front and/or back face of the individual carrier forms, typically by data processing equipment such as impact (line or drum) or non-impact printers. Such printers may be computer controlled and apply preselected information about the accounts to individual carrier forms in the proper sequence. These printers may also apply machine-readable code, such as 1-bar or I-bar code, variable space or variable width bar code, and the like to preselected portions of the carriers. These codes are positioned on the carriers to cooperate with read heads in automatic card inserting machines and to supply instructional (command) or verification information to such machines.
In one embodiment, a special I-bar binary code presents information which identifies the number of cards to be inserted in the carrier, the card issue (run number), the issue number, cardholder account number, spaces, and an end signature or batch instruction. This carrier information is compared by the machine with information on the cards, and command logic initiates mechanical insertion of the appropriate number of correctly matched cards in their appropriate carrier.
The code information also permits last minute automated pulling of bad accounts after insertion and just before stuffing by permitting in-line or stack scanning of completed inserted/folded carriers to produce an up-dated issue. The up-dated issue of completed/folded carriers is then stuffed into window-type mailing envelopes with the address indicia oriented for visual reading.
The instant verification and insertion system (VIS) apparatus and method involves: sensing information in or on cards (embossed, magnetic strips, printed, punched, inlaid, permanent magnetic code embedded cards, and the like); feeding continuous carriers or single-sheet carriers into the VIS apparatus; in the case of continuous carriers, separating individual carriers from the web; sensing information carried on the carriers; comparing the information on the cards and carriers; automatically inserting the appropriate number of correctly matched cards in the appropriate carriers; and folding the carrier in a form ready for automated stuffing into mailing envelopes; pulling bad accounts after folding; and stuffing in mailing envelopes. Reject, pause and search modes of operation are provided.
It should be understood that throughout, the term "credit card" is a shorthand reference to any type of card susceptible of being or requiring transporting or handling by a carrier, and includes by way of example credit cards, bank cards, debit cards, retail cards, identification cards, account cards, security cards, pass cards, key cards, photo ID cards, charge cards and the like.
"Carriers" or "credit card carriers" include carriers of any kind and include mailers and/or envelopes therefor where applicable. "Information" includes information relating to the cardholder and/or account as applicable and includes any form of representation. "Indicia" or "number" includes markings of all sorts, numbers, letters, designs, fonts, codes and the like. "Pulses" include any form of information bit transfers whether mechanical, electrical or in the electromagnetic wave spectrum, for example, electrical signals, visible, UV or IR light waves, microwave, magnetic bubbles and the like. "Readable" or "scannable" includes any manual (visual) or mechanical manner of ascertaining information from the carriers or labels, and by "mechanical" is meant to be included in whole or in part any optical, electro-optical (photo-optical), magnetic, electronic, electromechanical, electric, and purely mechanical methods and apparatus. Reference to "cardholder account number" or "account number" includes any unique identifying or code number relating to an individual cardholder and is not restricted to a financial-type account. It may include a number assigned to an employee permitting access to certain buildings, rooms, files and the like. " Web" includes an extent of sheet material whether in single sheet form or continuous form. "Verification" or "verifying" or "verifier" refers to apparatus and method of reading data from cards and carriers and comparing them to see if there is a match of the data. This may include storage of the data and initiation of commands (machine instruction pulses) in accord with a predetermined program depending on the condition of match or mismatch. The term "data match" and "match of data" are used interchangeably in a descriptive sense.
The apparatus comprises a series of operatively interconnected modules: (1) the mechanical module, (2) the logic command module (LCM), including its keyboard (input/display) submodule and (3) the power supply module. There are, of course, a housing or desk for these modules including wrapped carrier output hopper, and necessary cabling and connectors. In the case of continuous 2-wide carrier forms, a slitter/merger/interleaver, such as a Standard Register Model SMI/300, may be employed to separate the forms into an A-stream and B-stream of carriers ready for continuous feed into the carrier lead-in chute of the mechanical module.
The mechanical module, in turn, is an assembly of a series of sub-modules, comprising: (a) mechanical module frame, (b) carrier lead-in chute including feed roller idlers; (c) burst station including burst frame, pivoting burst floor, burst bar, burst blade, feed rollers, OCR (optical character recognition) head, carrier feed sensor, burst sensors, and associated drives; (d) card tract assembly, including card input hopper, ECR (embossed character recognition) assembly, picker/drive assembly, card laydown assembly; (e) card reject hopper; (f) load bucket (card insertion) assembly; (g) indexing assembly, including index floor, pocket tongues, sensors (P-1 and P-2 sensors), index rollers (driven), indexing pinch rollers (idlers) and associated drives; (h) wrap station assembly, including wrap frame with pinch and drive rollers, wrap fingers, wrap bar, and wrap sensor.
The logic command module (LCM) comprises (a) a keyboard/display; (b) an interface board; (c) a microprocessor; and (d) associated processor chips and controls. The interface board (IB) takes data and conditions it (converts it to digital pulses) for input to the microprocessor.
The IB contains the following:
______________________________________
a. Inputs b. Outputs
______________________________________
1. 4 ECR; 1. Machine drive clutches;
2. 4 OCR 2. Keyboard status; (button signal)
lights;
3. 8 Machine function
3. Display (Burroughs)
(status) sensors; and
4. Keyboard 4. Card and account cummulative
counters; and
5. Audio alarm (error buzzer).
______________________________________
The Microprocessor comprises: (a) a machine operations program; (b) 4K bytes of EPROM (Eraseable Program Read-Only Memory) and (c) 1K bytes RAM (Random Access Memory), on an appropriate mounting board and connections.
The Keyboard/Display comprises a housing in which are disposed: (a) a Burroughs Model SSD 00132-0040 gas tube display; (b) 13 status command/control buttons (lighted, push type); and (c) PC board with appropriate connections and switching. The Power Supply Module includes supply for .+-.5 V D.C., .+-.12 V D.C., +14 V D.C., +250 V D.C., audio alarm, account counter, card counter, and hour meter.
In the operation of a principal embodiment, web line printed carrier pairs are separated longitudinally into a pair of fan-folded carrier streams, an A stream and a B stream, which are fed into the Mechanical Module of the apparatus in alternate, step-wise fashion. Individual ones of the carriers are then burst from the stream, a first flap (the P panel) folded, and the folded carrier advanced (indexed) to a first card insertion position, the P-1 position. While being indexed, information printed or contained on the carrier in a specially oriented position is read by a photo-optical head (the OCR) to provide information about the account (including the number of cards to be inserted in the carrier) to the logic and command circuitry (LCM). As carriers are fed into the system, credit cards are picked individually from a load track (card hopper), advanced through a reading station where information about the individual cards is sensed by the ECR head and forwarded to the logic and command module (LCM). In the LCM the information about the account is compared with information from the cards. If there is a match in the data (data match), the correct card and correct number of cards are automatically, mechanically inserted sequentially in the special carrier slits or slots.
Where, for example, the account information indicates only one card is appropriate for the carrier, the carrier will be cycled sequentially through the second insertion position without additional cards being inserted. This is accomplished by a programmed command function which causes the picker to stop, while the carrier continues to be advanced. In addition, where there is a carrier/card mismatch, the LCM can optionally command the mechanical module to cycle through a plurality of cards while the carrier remains stationary. Rejected cards are retained in a reject hopper and may be recycled to the load track. This preprogrammed search mode may be repeated as desired by an operator. The carrier with its individual complement of from one to eight cards is then advanced through a wrap station where a third flap (the O panel) is folded along the second transverse fold line completing the wrapping of the carriers.
The folded carriers exit the apparatus into the carrier output hopper folded and in account sequence. The completed carriers are oriented in a manner that account information is visible along the upper edge, which information is presented so that it may be selectively read or sensed for further processing, pulling or checking. The completed carriers, alone or with other mailer information, may then be inserted or stuffed into envelopes for mailing to customers.
The carrier sensing or read station function may be carried out by any appropriate sensing apparatus, such as photooptical sensing heads, bar code readers, or the like. The code on the carrier may be of any type, including bar code, special optical characters, or the like. We prefer to use 1-bar or I-bar code oriented in 1, 2 or 4 lines which gives unique information to the input/logic/command module of the apparatus of this invention. Optionally, the account information may be magnetically encoded on a magnetic stripe provided on the carrier, or may be embossed in the carrier or provided as holes punched though the carrier. More detailed description of the carriers and information is presented in copending U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,210, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The card sensing or read station may employ any appropriate sensing or "reading" devices for recognition of the embossed characters on the cards and/or of information in the magnetic stripes on the cards, where applicable. Thus, magnetic pick-up heads, photo-optical devices or mechanical sensing means may be employed to obtain information from the card and forward it to the LCM. These include means for sensing or reading Hollerith punches, optically or mechanically sensing embossed characters, optically reading bar codes, and sensing information encoded on magnetic stripes on the cards. We prefer to use a special mechanical/fiber-optic/photo-transistor sensing head that reads the front (raised) or back (recessed) side of the card, which device is the subject of our copending application Ser. No. 723,215, filed Sept. 14, 1976, entitled "Embossed Character Reader", the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The device and process of the instant invention may be used in combination with tape or computer-driven credit card embossing machines to feed embossed cards directly into the card tray or picker station. It can also feed completed carriers directly into envelope stuffers or inserters. The device and process can also be preceeded in operative combination with a line or drum printer, and where the carrier forms are two (double-up) or more wide, with an intermediate slitter and/or slitter/merger/interleaver. Use of a drum printer with a one-wide web in which the axis of the card-holding slits in accord with this invention are oriented adjacent one margin and parallel to the longitudinal axis (rather than a one, two or more wide web printed transversely with a line printer) is also within the scope of this invention. In this alternate embodiment, the carriers are fed continuously transversely into the carrier read station without change of web or carrier direction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following detailed description has reference to the figures and specific examples which are by way of illustration and not by way of limitation of the principles of the invention. The description which follows may be divided into subheadings which refer to subassemblies and/or their functions, carriers, and process operations, for ease of understanding, and such subdivision is not meant to limit the combinational or subcombination aspects of the inventions disclosed herein.
VIS System Overview
By way of introduction, FIG. 1 shows in perspective one embodiment of a verifier-inserter system 1 for automatic folding and inserting of credit cards in the carriers of the present invention. A two-wide carrier form set 2 (not shown) is split or boned along its center and drive strip perfs to provide an A stream and a B stream which are fan folded into two stacks 3 and 4, respectively. The stacks are shown separately in FIG. 1 but they may be interleaved as shown by arrow 5. The streams are fed into the mechanical module 6 of the VIS unit 1, in an upside down orientation (the side shown in FIG. 3 being down; this is the side containing the OCR readable machine instruction information), with the B carrier stream under the A stream. The B stream is advanced into the VIS unit by a friction drive engaging the carrier stream web centrally thereof. The marginal drive strip has previously been boned (peeled off) the carrier form prior to the first folding step. Similarly, the A carrier stream is advanced by a corresponding friction drive (See FIG. 11) into the mechanical module.
It is preferred to slit or bone off any pin drive strips with a decollator prior to the carrier streams entering the VIS unit. Boning is breaking the ties (pieces of paper between cuts; a cut plus tie is a perf), and this may be accomplished in a conventional decollator, for example, a Moore Business Forms, Inc. Model 284B decollator or a Standard Register SMI 300. Boning is preferred to slitting as the operator may misalign the central and marginal slitters to produce the wrong-sized forms. Where the strips are boned or slit prior to feeding into the VIS, advancement of the carrier forms through the VIS are by friction drive rather than by pin drive.
The carriers enter the unit, O panel first through carrier lead-in chute 110. The carrier form is then separated (burst) from the subsequent carrier along stream fold/burst lines 15 and 18 (as the case may be), e.g., by drawing the carrier under tension across a relatively sharp edge or wire. The P panel of the separated carrier 9 is simultaneously or sequentially folded back toward the M panel as shown by arrow 12 and retained at an acute included angle as shown at 23 in FIG. 1. The carrier is then advanced or indexed sideways, as shown by arrow 35 so that read head 16 scans the information means 124b (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the read head is an optical character reader (OCR) scanning 1-bar code. The head may be any other type above-described to scan the appropriate mode of information from the carrier, i.e., mag stripe, mag code, delta distance code, punch holes, embossed characters or the like. The scanned information is transmitted by line 17 to a logic and command module 7 (LCM). The LCM stores the information about the carrier including account identification number and number of cards to be inserted in that carrier.
A stack of credit cards 8 is placed in a receiving tray 27 of the VIS unit. The cards are advanced by pusher 19 to picker 10 as shown by arrow 11. The cards are removed from the stack one by one and advanced through an embossed character reader (ECR) 13 as shown by arrow 14. The ECR reads the account number embossed on the card and the information is transferred to the LCM 7 via line 20. It should be understood that the card reader may be any type of reader and is not limited to an embossed character reader. For example, the reader may contain heads for reading magnetic stripes, indicia or bars on or embedded in cards, or an optical reader for reading characters, indicia, fonts, color bars and the like printed on or embossed in the cards. The preferred head is more fully disclosed and claimed in co-pending application Ser. No. 723,215 referred to above.
The LCM compares the information from the carrier and the card, e.g., bar code to embossed, or embossed to magnetic, magnetic to magnetic, punch to embossed, punched or embossed to magnetic, and the like, or vice versa. If there is a match, the card is placed into an insertion mechanism load bucket 21 by a laydown mechanism 22 and inserted into the first slot or slit (pocket) 24 of the carrier. If the card does not match the carrier, the card is ejected to reject tray (hopper) 25, or the carrier is advanced to reject tray (hopper) 26. The LCM then initiates a search mode in which cards 8 are advanced through the read station 13 until the correct card for the carrier is found. Alternately, the VIS can search through the carrier by advancing them through the read station 16 until the matching carrier is found. It is preferred to search the cards since the rejects may be replaced, in sequence, from reject tray 25 to the card feed tray (hopper) 27 more simply than refeeding carriers after finding the correct card. Further, if one or more cards have been inserted in the carrier it is simpler to find the card than advance the carrier.
Where there is verification, i.e., a match between card and carrier, the card is laid down and inserted. Where the information from the carrier indicates a second card is required, the carrier is advanced to align a second pocket 28 with the insert mechanism 21. The cards and carriers are advanced simultaneously so that the card will be in place for insertion in the pocket upon indexing (advancing) of the carrier pocket into position. When the correct number of cards are inserted in the carrier, two are shown in FIG. 1 in pockets 24 and 28 at position 29, the carrier is advanced again out of the insert mechanism into the wrap station 140 and the O panel folded over the exposed cards in the P panel as shown by arrow 30. The completed, inserted and folded (wrapped) carrier is then ejected 229 and stacked in carrier output hopper 31, or forwarded directly to a mailing envelope stuffing operation, or to be scanned prior to stuffing in a premailing pulling and checking operation.
The command outputs from the LCM 7 are shown in FIG. 1 in schematic as carried by line 40 to activate the VIS motor 33 which transfers power to the various subunits described above by jack shaft 34. Power is selectively transferred to the individual subunits by selective activation of clutch means on the jack shaft on command from the LCM via lines 44 through 46; in one embodiment to the power clutch (line 41), motor stat (line 42), and to the picker and card laydown mechanism 43. Likewise, power is activated off the jack shaft via line 44 for indexing the carrier, via lines 45 and 46 advancing the carrier streams into the VIS unit, and for the final fold, all by clutches on command from the LCM. Machine status sensor inputs to the LCM are shown via line 74. The keyboard/display is 84.
The numbers I, II, III, and IV in FIG. 1 refer to four individual carriers fed into the mechanical module of the VIS unit in that numerical sequence. Items 50, 51 and 52 are optional glue strips adjacent the side edges of the carriers so that when folded the carrier is sealed by the adhesive forming a completed (mailable) envelope. This is more completely described in our U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,210.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the method of this invention and further illustrates the operative steps of the VIS unit as described above with respect to FIG. 1. The upper, A-stream 3 and lower, B-stream 4 of merged interleaved carriers 5 are alternately fed into the burst station 90 of the mechanical module. In the mechanical module, the P panel is folded 12 and the individual carrier (see carrier 9 in FIG. 1) is indexed 35 through the carrier read station where the OCR head reads the information specially imprinted on the carrier. The carrier data 17 is transferred to the LCM 7.
A supply of cards 8 is placed in the card feed hopper 27 which are then advanced 11 to the card feed picker mechanism 10. The picker removes each card in sequence from the stack and advances it 14 past the ECR station 13. The ECR reads embossed or mag stripe information on the card. The card data 20 is transferred from the ECR to the LCM. The picking of the next card in the stack automatically transfers 61 the card which had just been read to the card laydown mechanism 22. he indexing 35 of individual carrier has been completed and it is now in the first pocket insert position 29a.
The LCM is preprogrammed so that if the card data from the ECR matches the carrier data from the OCR, a data match condition 60 occurs, the card is accepted and dropped by the laydown door 22 into the card insert mechanism (load bucket) 21, which inserts 62 the card into the first pocket 24 of the carrier. Depending on the information read by the OCR from the carrier, additional cards may be inserted into the carrier as follows: Where the special information imprinted on the carrier indicates that two cards are required, the LCM is preprogrammed to command the carrier to be advanced by the indexing mechanism to the P-2 carrier pocket position. As noted in more detail below, the binary numbers 11 through 14 on the carrier indicate one through four cards to be inserted in the typical two-pocket carrier. Where the binary number is 11, the carrier is further advanced 32 through the wrap station 140 and out to the wrapped carrier output hopper 31. Thus, when the card quantity equals 0, the command 65 for advancing through the wrap station to the output hopper is initiated by the LCM. At the same time, the command 66 to the burst station (item 90 FIG. 5) is initiated to call for the next carrier in sequence for its feeding and bursting operation 12.
Where the card number is binary 12, 13 or 14, the preprogrammed LCM commands 67 the next card to be fed from the card picker through the ECR for data match and insertion into an appropriate pocket of the carrier. This next card command occurs when the card number does not equal 0, that is, additional cards remain to be inserted in the carrier. In addition, the LCM is preprogrammed so that any card quantity that is not a valid number, i.e., is not binary 11-14, automatically sets the card quantity to 0 and the carrier goes right on through the wrap station to the output hopper, being effectively pulled from the card insertion sequence.
There is also an optional card search mode preprogrammed into the VIS unit LCM. Where the data from the card and carrier does not match, i.e. a match error 68 occurs, the LCM can cause the card to be rejected 69 and the card then forwarded 70 to the card reject hopper 25. Optionally, the LCM can include a preprogrammed card search mode. In this mode, the LCM is preprogrammed so that upon a match error 68, the LCM can command 71 the card feed picker to advance another card through the ECR to check the data for match. If a match then occurs, the normal program is reentered and the card is inserted into the appropriate pocket of the carrier. In the optional card search mode, the LCM may be preprogrammed to search through ten or twenty cards in the stack to find the correct card to match the carrier in the P-1 or P-2 position in the insert station. If no card has data matching that called for on the carrier, an operator warning light or alarm buzzer may be sounded alerting the operator to termination of the operation for that cause, or the machine can automatically shut down at that step. In normal processing, the wrapped carriers in the output hopper are then transferred to a stuffing machine 72 such as a Phillipsberg machine which inserts the wrapped carriers in mailing envelopes. Optionally, bad accounts may be pulled 73 at that point in the processing.
The LCM also receives inputs from function sensors 74 of the mechanical module. In the specific embodiment described in more detail below, there are eight sensors on the machine, seven of which indicate the status of operation of the machine to the LCM during cycling operation. These inputs permit the LCM to compare the actual stage of operation of the machine with the program, and if the machine parts and carrier therein are in their proper positions, the machine automatically proceeds through the program in proper operational sequence. The LCM has a keyboard display assembly 84 which includes a keyboard 75 and a display portion 76. This is connected as at 77 for 2-way transfer of information. The keyboard functions to permit operator input of commands to the microprocessor and signal light confirmation of actuation via an interface board described in more detail below. The display permits output display of the status of the machine and operating steps of the program to a human operator. It also can display the account number and number of cards being read either by the ECR or OCR heads.
Referring now to FIG. 3, this figure illustrates in plan view one side of a credit card carrier in accordance with our U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,210 which is used in conjunction with the VIS unit of this invention. The carrier shown here is a two pocket carrier containing two spaced-apart V-shaped slits 24 and 28 in the P panel. This is joined to the O panel by an M panel centrally thereof. First transverse fold line 36 along with the marginal edges 47, 48 and 15 define the P panel. Likewise, the second transverse form fold line 39 along with form marginal edges 47, 48 and 18 define the outer O panel with the M or middle panel aligned therebetween. Address indicia 37 and account indicia 38 are located in this example on the O panel, but it should be understood that they may be located on any suitable panel or side of the carrier. In this example, the margin 48 also forms the central longitudinal perf line of a 2-wide form.
The special information means which is readable by the VIS unit of this invention may be disposed on any panel of the carrier, and may comprise the numeric (Arabic) account information 38, or the alphabetic and/or numeric address information 37 on the O panel, or the information means 123 on the P panel. It should also be understood that the slit or slot means for retaining the credit cards need not be disposed solely on the P panel, but may also be located on the M or the O panel, depending on the manner in which the carrier is folded. The closed type of letter fold shown in FIG. 4 is given by way of example only. The open-type letter fold (also known as a Z-fold) may also be employed. Where the Z-fold is employed, wedge trapping of the cards is best achieved by having the card carrying slits or slots disposed in the M panel.
It should be understood that the machine readable information 123 may be of any suitable type, such as is readable by optical character recognition type devices, or as magnetic stripes or bars which are electromagnetically and electronically encoded and read. The information may also be presented as Hollerith type punches, as bar codes readable by photo-optical scanners, as embossings readable optically or by mechanical devices having sensing fingers, as OCR readable font (such as IBM 1428 or OCR Type A), as OCR readable delta distance code (like the universal product code found on grocery items), as codes or indicia printed in fluorescent ink or struck from fluorescent ribbon and OCR readable under ultra-violet illumination, as mark sense codes, as bars printed in magnetic ink or struck from magnetic ribbon and readable by electromagnetic readers, as visually or OCR readable color bars, as magnetic ink or struck ribbon font readable by electromagnetic readers (like MICR readable font on checks), and the like. By way of example the bar code form is shown herein, but it should be understood that the principles of the invention apply equally to the other forms mentioned or contemplated.
Referring still to FIGS. 1-4 and 13 (and most particularly to FIGS. 3 and 13), information means 123 may be placed on any panel, on a label disposed on a panel, or on an envelope or label on an envelope. In the following discussion, by way of specific example, there is particular reference to I-bar or 1-bar code information 124b readable by the OCR head 16, but it is understood that any part or all of the information 123 may be machine "read", including the arabic numerals 124a in OCR 1428 type A font or the like, as above described. Note that the I-bar or 1-bar code 124b is the binary translation of the information 124a for ease of reading by the particular OCR head used by the VIS system of this invention. "Reading" the information 123 directly (reading 124a) or indirectly (reading 124b) is equivalent for machine function. The information means 123, and more particularly machine readable information 124b, may be placed on any panel, on a label disposed on a panel, or on an envelope or label on an envelope.
The information 123 should be disposed in a position to be scanned visually or by the mechanical reading means for inserting, verifying, pulling and/or stuffing devices. The information 124b is particularly suited to be disposed on a carrier panel juxtaposed opposite a special window in a mailing envelope, so that it is readable therethrough. This permits sealed enveloped detection and pulling of accounts even after stuffing in envelopes. In another embodiment, information 124b is printed in transparent fluorescent ink over the address indicia 37 and is readable under ultra-violet illuminated through a standard envelope window, yet the code does not obscure the address and is not detectable by ordinary means.
The bar code specifically illustrated is 1-bar code in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, and I-bar code in FIG. 13, as these are printable by standard printing devices, such as line printers, drum or roll printers, non-impact printers and the like. I-bar or 1-bar is preferred over 1-bar code as the top and bottom crossbars assist in producing reject error messages (cross talk) if vertical line weave occurs. The code 124b is different for each carrier, and contains information which serves a plurality of functions including identification of the particular carrier as that of a particular account (person), instructions as to the number of cards to be inserted, the card number to be inserted for verification (matching) of cards being supplied, the issuer number, issue number, run number, series number, carrier sequence number, and the like.
In FIGS. 3, 4 and 13 the bar code is shown as disposed in four horizontal rows, but may be in two sets of two rows, or as a single row. This code is a binary code of 4 bits 1, 2, 4 and 8, the bars in each row representing 1 bit value. Referring to FIG. 3, the uppermost row 161, each 1 represents a one, the next row 162 below that contains the twos bars, the third row 163 contains the fours bars, and the bottom row 164 contains the eights bars. The rows can be paired with a first pair to the left of a second pairs, for example, the ones and twos rows to the right of the fours and eights rows. In the alternative, the ones and fours rows may be spaced to the left with two and eights to the right. In short, any convenient pattern of rows may be employed so long as the scanning device for reading the bar code is oriented appropriately:
______________________________________
1 4, or 1 2, or 1 8, or 8 2,
etc.
2 8 4 8 4 2 1 4
______________________________________
The rows may also be spaced along a single line with the rows order illustrated being 1, 2, 4, 8; of course, any convenient sequence may be employed: 1, 8, 2, 4; 4, 1, 8, 2, etc.
Another form of single line code that may be used is double frequency coherent phase encoding (an encoding technique developed by Aiken in 1954). The data is comprised of data and clocking bits together. An intermediate bit occurring between clocking bits signifies a one, the absence of an intermediate bit between clocking bit signifies a "zero". Of course, other techniques of encoding, single or multiple line, may be employed.
The areas 165, 166, 167, 168 represent initial starting portions that scanner heads look at when the carrier is properly indexed into the automated card insertion/carrier folding apparatus (mechanical module 6). When the carrier and scanner heads are moved relative to each other, e.g., in the direction shown by arrow 49 in FIGS. 3 and 13, the four binary bit rows are scanned simultaneously. In the alternative, the rows may be scanned sequentially, if desired, by applications of the scanner head or controlling the carrier motion.
Vertical spacing of the rows is not particularly critical. Standard vertical spacing of line printers is either 1/8 inches of 1/6 inches. "I" or 1 symbols are preferred rather than plan vertical bars to detect vertical crosstalk. Only the center portion of the bar is optically scanned; therefore vertical spacing drift into the row above or below results in a much longer dark pulse width producing a detectable error from the optical character reader with an alarm to notify the operator to correct the vertical alignment of the line printer.
Similar error detection has been designed into the system for horizontal spacing errors. For the 0.1 inch bar code spacing shown, the printer can shift position .+-.0.050 inch, i.e., a half-space, yet the code is readable. Ability to accept carriers within such a latitude is an important aspect of the invention.
For example, in the four line bar code should one or more lines drift left or right, the phase of the four channels would be not synchronous. For a 3-pocket carrier used for up to 3-card issues, 1 card per pocket, in the event the horizontal drift or error becomes so large as to approach a full space (1/10 inch), the logic is arranged to require a binary number code 11, 12 or 13 in the first digit, a binary number code 14 in all blank digits, and a binary number code 15 in the last digit space. It is obvious that these conditions would not be met, and the horizontal error would be immediately detected. Of course, other unique logic arrangements can be used to detect misalignment errors due to faulty printer set up.
For a 2-pocket carrier, the "first" position or column (see column position 173 in FIG. 3) is reserved for card quantities one through four (for up to a 4-card issue), and a binary number 11 through 14 is utilized in that position. If binary 11-14 appears in any other position, it is an invalid word, and may represent, among other things, a line printer error, error in input, or the like. If any binary number other than 11-14 for card quantity appears in the "first" position, the program automatically sets the card quantity to zero and the carrier is pulled, i.e., cycled on through the VIS without cards being inserted. In columns 2-20 (positions 174-177 in FIG. 3), a binary 1 through 10 appears. The VIS is programmed so that a data match between card input 20 from the ECR 13 and carrier input 17 from OCR head 16 occurs only with those numbers. In columns 2-20, a binary 15 represents a space so that if there is drift, that number changes to a 14 or an 8 etc. and there is a match error. The 21st position (position column 178) is batching instruction position for the machine. A binary 15 in that position is used for all but batch carriers and as an end sentinel for non-batch carriers. A batch carrier is the last carrier in a batch. That carrier may have any binary number 1-10 (or optionally 11-14) in the 21st position. It could even be left blank; absence of a number could signal a batch carrier. Thus, the LCM can be programmed so that anything but a binary 15 (or any other preselected number) in the selected batching instruction position indicates the batch carrier and instructs the mechanical module to go through selected shut down procedures, or other selected steps (start processing next batch, call operator, etc.).
The code sequences of indicia 124a are important, and the binary bar code representation 124b of the indicia 124a is specially adapted for the instant VIS invention. Code sequence 170 (see FIG. 3) has a number of subunits, some of which are optional. Unit 171 is the zip code of the account (cardholder). Unit 172 is conveniently the batch number of cards in that particular issue. Unit 172 may also be or include an issue number, a batch number, quantity number, process date (Julian day), or an issue and batch number, or an issue, batch, card or carrier sequence number depending on the number of digits and spaces. While shown as a three-digit number, it may be any number of digits to included the desired identification. Units 171 and 172 may be to the left of unit 173 as shown, or to the right of unit 178.
Unit 173 is the number of cards in the account, e.g., 1 to 4 in the examples herein. An important aspect of this invention is the binary designation of 11 for one card, 12 for 2 cards, 13 for 3 cards, and 14 for 4 cards in the account. Where there are up to eight cards in a carrier (four retail card slits carrying two cards each in piggy-back configuration), the unit 173 may be 2 or 3 digits (spaces or positions) wide for the appropriate binary code. Thus, binary 14 in the first space followed by binary 13 in the second indicates 7 card total (4+3); 13, 12, 10 (or 15) indicates 5 cards (3+2+0), and the like. In normal binary code the values are 0 through 9, whereas in the present code the values are 1-10. In normal binary, nothing (no mark) in a space means zero. In the present code, zero is an error and detectable as such in the present binary bar code. For spaces between numbers or units, a binary 15, i.e., a 2 bar plus 4 bar plus 8 bar is used in the instant code, and is detectable as such. There is no confusion between a zero and a space in the code of this invention.
Unit 174 is the number of the issuer, e.g., the bank, savings and loan, company, etc. Unit 175 is the branch number of the bank, factory number, type of account, state code or the like, as desired. Unit 176 is the account holder number. Unit 177 may be unused and provides for growth in the number of accounts, or may be used as a carrier sequency number, or the like. Unit 178 is a stop scan command number, batch carrier position, or the like.
There are a maximum of 19 digits, including spaces, in a credit card account number. In the carriers of this invention, we provide a minimum of twenty-one and a maximum of twenty-eight words or positions, including spaces, in the field 170 or subfield 173-178. Nineteen of these words correlate to the credit card account number, and one word is for an end sentinel (stop scan signal), batch carrier number, or the like 178. In the figures, one word (position, space, character or binary digit) has been provided for the number of cards 173 for our minimum of 21. When more than four cards are inserted in the carriers, up to two additional words are provided for the number of cards 173. Optionally, we provide one word for start scan and one for a parity check, for a total of 25 words in the field length. In the carrier illustrated, the dista
