Abstract: Apparatus for detecting a magnetic pattern having a plurality of spaced magnetic areas includes an array of magnetic sensors which are configured and spaced from each other to detect the spaced magnetic areas of a magnetic pattern brought into contiguity with the array. Electrical circuitry connects the array of magnetic sensors in series and a single source is provided for supplying current to the array of magnetic sensors through the electrical circuitry.

Abstract: A non-magnetic material such as cardboard or plastic is used as the packaging material for the product to be protected from counterfeiting. The packaging material is configured as a box whose parts are bonded together by use of a hot-melt adhesive. The adhesive contains magnetic particles such as barium ferrite, and small molten globules of adhesive are applied to appropriate surfaces of the box during box fabrication. The box parts are folded to form the finished box, and under the application of pressure the globules of adhesive spread out and solidify, bonding the box surfaces together. It will be noted that presence of the magnetic particles in the adhesive does not modify the box fabrication procedure in any way, and that the box material may be processed and the box's surfaces printed in the usual manner.

Abstract: A medium having an information pattern encoded as changes in two values of a medium characteristic, including start and end key patterns which have characteristic value changes spaced a fixed distance apart, and including intermediate characteristic value changes, which, with the key patterns, encode information.Two sensors are spaced from each other the fixed distance for sensing the medium characteristic value changes as the medium and the sensors are moved relatively to each other, and for producing signals representative thereof.Circuitry for processing the signals from the sensors to produce an information signal is provided.

Abstract: A copyright protection system is provided in which copyrighted articles, such as documents and photos, have associated with the article magnetic material which is detected when the article is copied on a scanner/reproducing machine. The magnetic material may be secured to the article so that it cannot be removed without destroying the article, or the magnetic material may form part of the article. The scanner/reproducing machine is provided with a magnetic detection system for automatically detecting the copyrighted article.

Abstract: A credit and access control card and reader system comprising: a magnetically encodable card comprising a body having upper and lower surfaces and side and end edges, the body being formed of plastic material having magnetic particles uniformly dispersed throughout the plastic material; and a reader having a magneto resistive (MR) head for reading the magnetically encodable card as it is moved past the MR head.

Abstract: A camera having an annotation system comprising an optical imaging system for exposing photosensitive media to a scene, a digital imaging system for producing a digital image of the scene, a display for displaying the digital image, a touch sensitive user input layer overlaying the display for inputting annotation data, and a data recorder for recording the annotation data on the photosensitive media.