Abstract: A pressure-sensitive pen for use in a signature verification system is responsive to the handwriting pressure applied by the pen user to develop a signal representative of the pressure. In the preferred form, the pen comprises a cylindrical barrel that houses a ball-point pen cartridge encased within a rigid tubular member. The tubular member is secured by a flange to the lower end of the barrel, and is closed at its upper end. The pressure of the cartridge writing tip on the writing surface causes the upper end of the cartridge to bear against the closed end of the tubular member and cause strain therein. The strain in the tubular member is sensed and translated into a signal representative of the user's handwriting pressure.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for controllably moving a load in a return mode back to a first or home position by a motor driven shaft, which shaft moves the load toward a second position in a forward mode to track a moving object field. An apertured fan-shaped timing disk or element is secured to the rotating shaft to move therewith. A position feedback sensor senses the angular displacement of the shaft by generating a feedback signal upon optoelectronically sensing an aperture in both the forward and return modes. An optoelectronic sensor detects the passage of the moving object field to provide a return signal after the object field has passed a predetermined position. A motor and its amplifier controllably move the load back to the first position in the return mode in response to the return signal. The inertia of the system causes the shaft to rotate to move the load to the second position in the return mode after responding to the return signal.

Abstract: An electronic circuit is provided for controlling the energization of the windings of a stepper motor. The electronic circuit is responsive to a sequencing circuit which selects which one of the stepper windings is to be energized. The electronic circuit includes switching transistors which are electrically connected to the stepper windings. The switching transistors are responsive to a control circuit to allow a selected one of the stepper windings to be energized by a voltage source. The switching transistors interrupt the energization of the selected stepper winding when the control circuit senses a predetermined amount of current flowing through the selected stepper winding. The control circuit causes the switching transistors to maintain this interruption for a predetermined time period after which the control circuit allows the energization to continue. The control circuit includes a resettable delay monostable multivibrator which is reset upon receiving a sequencing signal from the sequencing circuit.

Abstract: A document processing apparatus that detects magnetic characters on documents as they pass therethrough. The apparatus includes a transport path, pairs of wheels for driving the documents through the apparatus, a DC magnetic writing device and a magnetic reading device. The DC magnetic writing device orientates the magnetic dipoles of the characters on the documents; and the reading device detects the orientated dipoles of the characters. The writing device precedes the reading device and is provided by two magnets, one of which is located on each side of the transport path, with the magnets having like magnetic poles facing toward each other.

Abstract: An apparatus is described for reducing the number of undetected errors serially read along the length of a magnetic stripe containing binary information. The magnetic stripe is adhesively attached to a plastic card. A serial self-clocking data stream is developed from a manual magnetic stripe encoded card reader. The data stream comprises clock and data signals including a start signal, an end signal and a summation signal. A four-stage down counter counts a predetermined number of clock signals which occur in a predetermined portion of the stripe after the occurrence of the summation signal. State machine control circuitry delays the detection of the data signals occurring after the end signal for a predetermined time to prevent the detection of the summation signal. Control circuitry controls the down counter and provides a finish signal after the down counter has counted off the number of clock signals in the predetermined portion of the stripe.

Abstract: A beam-of-light (BOL) sensor having means for regulating the intensity of the sensor light source to compensate for extraneous factors in its operating environment, e.g., dust accumulation, component aging, misalignment, etc., that may affect consistent sensor operation. The BOL sensor includes a photosensor whose output signal is compared against a reference signal to determine if the light source intensity is of the proper level. The comparison signal is used to gate clock pulses to a counter to adjust its stored count upward or downward, dependent on whether the light source intensity is low or high, respectively. A filter is provided to override interruptions in the photosensor output signal below a predetermined minimum time duration.

Abstract: A beam-of-light (BOL) sensor having means for regulating the intensity of the sensor light source to compensate for extraneous factors in the operating environment, e.g. dust accumulation, that may affect consistent sensor operation. The BOL sensor includes a photosensor whose output signal is compared against a reference signal to determine if the light source intensity is of the proper level. The comparison signal is transformed into a digital pulse that adjusts the stored count of a counter upward or downward in accordance with the comparison of the photosensor signal and reference signal. The adjusted count is converted to analog form and fed back to drive the light source.A trailing edge detector enables the counter to count up or down when an object is in the sensing station defined by the light source and photosensor.

Abstract: A high-speed apparatus that processes a stack of documents such as bank checks. The apparatus includes a feeder for serially feeding the documents, an error-indicating character reader for reading characters on the documents, an operator's console for manually inputting characters rejected by the character reader, and a sorter for sorting the documents into groups. The error-indicating character reader includes a character reader, a printer located a fixed distance from the character reader and an AC synchronous motor that drives each document serially past the reader and printer in a continuous motion. The character reader provides a first electrical signal when it cannot read a character. A motor velocity detecting means provides a second electrical signal representative of the motor velocity.

Abstract: A document photography system photographs the obverse and reverse faces of a moving document by tracking the document with a moving lens. The motion of the lens is in timed relation to the velocity of the document and in dimensional relation to the reduction of the lens. The lens is supported in a flexural mounting which allows the lens to be displaced upon the application of motive power. Motive power is provided by a rotational motor which has its output translated to rectilinear motion by mechanical linkage. The motor output is fed back by an optical tachometer to a phase-locked servo system to maintain uniform, linear lens motion.

Abstract: A semiautomatic free standing credit card information handling apparatus comprising a rectilinearly movable carriage supporting read/write means slidably movable across the face of a vertically disposed information bearing credit card in read/write registry therewith. Means is provided for flattening the credit card each time the apparatus is initialized for a read/write operation effective to maintain the read/write means in constant contact with the information storage portion of the card. Oppositely disposed magnet means indicate the limit of travel right and left of the read/write means. Solenoid operated interlock means including manual initiate and override means operable in conjunction with cam means engageable by the credit card enable and disable the apparatus and concurrently prevent removal of the card prior to the termination of the read/write cycle of operation.

Abstract: In a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) system, a document bearing magnetizable ink characters is transported past a write station for magnetization preparatory to reading the characters. Each of the ink characters is divided into a plurality of discrete vertical segments; each segment being individually magnetized by a write head in the write station. The velocity at which the document is transported is sensed and time-correlated to the magnetization of each discrete segment to avoid irregularly spaced magnetization due to non-uniformities in transport velocity.

Abstract: An endorser for use in document processing apparatus is provided with a matrix wire printer for printing variable information on documents as they are transported at a controlled speed along a transport path forming part of an endorsing station, and with a rotatable ink stamp driven by a controlled speed motor for printing fixed information on the documents in predetermined relationship with the variable information. A rotatably mounted endorser head assembly comprised of a velocity control member and an interrupted curvilinear platen, in addition to the ink stamp, is drivably rotated by the controlled speed motor to initially intercept and decelerate a document entering the endorsing station, and to thereafter print the fixed and variable information on the document. Deceleration of the document is accomplished by the velocity control member of the endorser head assembly in cooperation with a first biased back-up roller.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying a character which cannot be machine read so that an operator may observe the identified character and make the necessary correction. A document such as a bank check or the like which has a field of encoded characters thereon is moved along a transport path to a read station. When the read station is unable to identify a character, a "can't read" or reject signal is generated and this reject signal can be used to locate the identified character which cannot be machine read for later use. The document then proceeds to a marker station and when the reject character is properly positioned with respect to the printing station, a single wire dot printer mechanism is used to place a mark or dot above or below the character which could not be machine read or in some other suitable location which will positively identify the character which could not be machine read.

Abstract: A decoder clutching system for use in a minicomputer such as the Burroughs Series-L or TC-Series minicomputer is employed to reduce noise and extend the life of the decoder while minimizing power consumption. An electromagnetic master clutch is secured to a main motor which enables a decoder to be intermittently driven in response to decoder alert or command signals representing anticipated binary to decimal conversion by the decoder. The motor operates continuously so as to drive the decoder only when the electromagnetic master clutch is energized and to release the drive to the decoder when the master clutch is de-energized.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recognizing a presented character are provided. The apparatus includes a scanner for extracting black and white information from a document in the form of an analog electrical signal. The analog electrical signal is converted into a three bit binary number by a multi-level quantizer to consequently form three weighted data field geometric configurations consisting of rows of binary signals, which binary signals are stored in a storage area in three data field arrays. A selected one of a plurality of progression word detectors detects in a sequential fashion a plurality of binary progression words or progressions by decoding predetermined combinations of the binary words from all the field arrays. The combinations of binary words represent overlapping neighborhood dependent areas from the data field array.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring the length of a continuous strip of material, such as film, is disclosed. The apparatus includes an alternating current actuated supply motor which drives a rotatable shaft which retains and dispenses a roll of the strip. A capstan drive system receives the dispensed portion of the film from the shaft and a capstan drive shaft incrementally moves the film a predetermined length in steps. An alternating current actuated take-up motor drives a take-up member to take up the film from the capstan drive system. The output from two pairs of sensors operatively connected to the capstan drive system, a signal indicating the incremental movement of the film and the sinusoidal actuating signals are fed into an electronic circuit for monitoring the length of the film remaining on the shaft after a particular rotation and the length of the film on the take-up member.

Abstract: A digital rate compensator for accommodating a wide dynamic range of data speeds derived from a encoded card reader thereby allowing downstream logic to compensatably follow said derived data. The digital rate compensator additionally includes a start message check for conclusive determinations of beginning of card reads.

Abstract: A signal conditioning system for improving the analog signal-to-noise ratio. The system first filters (to reduce the extrinsic noise outside the bandpass), then squares (to reduce the intrinsic noise inside the bandpass), finally transforms the improved analog signal into a digital-like signal (using a threshold circuit) to interface with associated control logic in an ink jet droplet apparatus.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to item or document signing apparatus for imprinting a legally acceptable signature and/or date, etc., upon individual items or documents fed on demand thereto at high speed from an input to an output hopper in a stop-start operation. An adjustably positionable item stop mechanism permits the printing of the data at selectable locations along the longer dimension of the item. Both date and signature imprinting means are simply efficiently and easily demountably removable and replaceable permitting alteration and/or rapid change of the imprinted data. Novel to be automatically maintained regardless of document thickness.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a magnetic patch attaching device wherein a continuous roll or reel of adhesively backed magnetic stripes are arranged so that introduction of a document into the machine by means of which the stripe is to be attached permits the reel of tape to be advanced in such manner that an individual stripe is peeled away from the backing tape and applied to the document while the latter is simultaneously withdrawn from the apparatus, the tape being pressure bonded to the surface of the document during withdrawal of the document, leaving the apparatus available for the introduction of the next document.