Abstract: A container transfer system in which containers such as plastic bottles having been newly formed are brought to a transfer conveyor in upright condition, reoriented to a horizontal position along a transfer conveyor and are engaged by their necks by carrier members on a carrier conveyor, removed from the transfer conveyor, and carried to subsequent container operations with substantially the entire exterior surface of the container exposed for subsequent operations such as coating or decorating.

Abstract: Disclosed is a reversible cross flow drying or curing oven including first and second ducts on opposite sides of the heated oven chamber. A fan forces heated air through a main supply passage into one or the other of the first and second ducts for transmission into the oven chamber. The air in the oven chamber is returned to a main return passage through the other of the first and second ducts thereby establishing a cross flow of heated air in the oven chamber from one duct to the opposite duct. The main return passage communicates with the main supply passage for recirculation of the heated oven air. Flow control devices are provided in the supply and return passage to alternate the direction of the flow of air across the oven chamber between the ducts to provide for even drying or curing of the articles in the oven chamber.

Abstract: Credit cards to be used with automated systems such as vending machines or the like have various identification and other data encoded on them for use with a particular system for which they are intended. To prevent persons familiar with the system operation and the manner of encoding data on such credit cards from developing unauthorized cards which will work in the system, a random number generator is used to produce a mask for relocating the bits of encoded data in a random manner to various locations on the credit card. This mask is stored in a microprocessor memory and is used both in encoding and decoding such cards.

Abstract: Disclosed is an overvarnish unit for applying varnish to a web of printed material as a protective overlay. The overvarnish unit includes a varnish fountain for receiving paste varnish, a form roller, and a plurality of rollers intermediate the fountain and form roller. The form roller engages an impression cylinder roller forming part of a printing assembly. The varnish is transferred from the fountain to the form roller by the intermediate rollers which also mill the varnish as it is being transferred to reduce its viscosity. The form roller is driven at a peripheral speed greater than the linear speed of the web over the impression cylinder roller. This form roller overspeed provides a smearing action in applying the varnish to the web rather than a one to one or line by line printing action thus achieving control over the thickness of the applied varnish and the appearance of the final product.

Abstract: In an information computer and data processing system where transactions controlled by the system are initiated and set up by a card inserted to a magnetic strip card reader, provisions are made to terminate the transaction and set the card out of the reader in response to certain conditions of the data supplied by the card reader to the system. Each card to be used with the system has a start character encoded at the beginning of characters corresponding to unique variable data identified by that card. An end character always appears at the end of the unique variable data, followed by an LRC (longitudinal redundancy check) character. Each character on the card also is provided with a parity check bit and a provision is made for detecting a parity or LRC error to terminate the transaction and to set the card out of the reader and to similarly terminate the transaction and set the card out of the reader whenever an end character is detected before a start character.

Abstract: A process and system are set forth for improving an oxygen-enriched Claus plant by recycling effluent from the first condenser back to the reaction furnace to moderate oxygen induced high temperatures and thus allow additional oxygen-enrichment and attendant throughput in the Claus plant.

Abstract: To reduce the number of different software packages required for document controlled systems of the type used in automated fueling systems, automated bank teller systems, and the like, a "format" character is encoded in a preestablished location on the card used to activate the system. Typically, the system activation cards include an identity section having a maximum number of characters in it which may be utilized to perform the identity function. Different system users, however, frequently divide this identity section into different formats of groups of characters separated by "space" characters. Insertion of space characters into the encoded indentification field on the card, however, uses valuable space which otherwise may be required for the full identification functions in the system. By employing a separate format identity character, a wide variety of formats may be possible while using all of the characters possible in the identity field for their chosen function.

Abstract: An electronic control system particularly suited for use with an automatic fuel dispensing system uses a centrally located computer to supply serial polling signals to various sub-stations. At the sub-stations, the polling signals are decoded into signals used to control the operation of specific system relays operated by the system. The status of the decoded polling signals as well as the operating status of the relays is supplied back to the computer for verification. A time-out control circuit continuously monitors the input polling signals applied to the relay terminal. If activity does not appear on the input signal line at the terminal after a pre-established time interval, all of the system relays at that terminal are turned off or rendered inoperative, irrespective of the status of the relay control signal obtained from the output of the polling signal decoding circuit.

Abstract: A remotely controlled verification lockout of the verification memory used in conjunction with fuel dispensing systems, service dispensing systems (such as automatic bank tellers), and the like is provided. At each user location, a verification memory is provided in which a single binary data bit is stored at each different verification address location. Each document or credit card used with the system has unique identifying information encoded on it for addressing a specific location in the memory which corresponds to the verification check for that credit card. Provision is made for automatically initializing the status of all of the information stored in all of the verification memories in the system by the transmission of an initializing signal to those memories from a central processor by way of suitable communications lines.

Abstract: A punched card reader for use in systems such as bulk fuel terminal dispensing systems, automated unattended bank teller machines and the like includes security provisions to prevent operation of such systems by counterfeit cards. Specifically, the system operates with a punched card made of laminated plastic or the like having a rectangular plate made of magnetic material sandwiched between the card layers. This plate is located in an area of the card adjacent the portion encoded with the variable data uniquely identifying the card and the controlling its function, etc. The card entry throat of the tape reader is modified to have a pair of spaced-apart, magnetically actuated reed switches on one side of the card entry slot. On the opposite side of the card entry slot a pair of corresponding permanent magnets are located.

Abstract: A card reader having a limited capacity for use with digitally encoded cards is used in conjunction with a system requiring a greater amount of information than is encoded on a single card. A multiple stage buffer storage memory is placed between the card reader and the utilization system. The memory has specific memory locations corresponding to locator data which is uniquely encoded on each of the different cards of a set of cards employed to supply the necessary information to the utilization system. A data locator is connected between the card reader and the buffer storage means and is responsive to locator data read from the cards by the reader to direct the information data on the cards to the proper location in the buffer storage memory. The cards may be inserted into the reader in any order; and when all of the areas of the buffer storage memory have the necessary data encoded in them, the information is transferred from the buffer storage memory to the utilization system.

Abstract: A power failure detection and restart system for use with a microprocessor (microcomputer) control system includes first and second cascaded voltage comparators, the first of which responds to a drop in the supply voltage supplied to the microprocessor to produce an output pulse causing a software freeze of the microprocessor. The microprocessor operates in response to the software freeze pulse to transfer the contents of certain registers thereof to a battery protected memory for temporary storage therein. A positive feed-back circuit is used on the first voltage comparator to insure its rapid and complete change of state; and this change of state signal is applied through a time delay circuit to the second voltage comparator, which produces an output signal a predetermined time after the software freeze pulse is obtained from the first voltage comparator to reset the microprocessor to an initial circuit condition.

Abstract: A radio communication system includes a polling central station and a number of remote stations. Each remote station is identified by a unique address transmitted from the central station preceding a message intended for such remote station. Each of the remote stations also may be programmed to respond to the address of a "partner" station in addition to responding to its own address. The "partner" station address is employed whenever one of the remote stations is located such that a transmission link problem exists between such station and the central station polling station. When this condition exists, the station which has difficulty communicating directly with the central station is provided with a new address and no longer is responsive to the address of messages transmitted to it from the central station.

Abstract: A system used to provide a verification check of a credit card or credit document includes a large capacity read/write memory having a single binary data bit stored at each address location. The credit card has unique identifying information encoded on it for addressing a specific location in the memory. A readout is provided in response to the insertion of the credit card to indicate whether the card is a valid one or not. To program the memory initially, a provision is made for individually addressing each of the different memory locations and to establish a "valid" or "non-valid" binary data bit storage at each location corresponding to a different credit card. In addition, manually operable addressing switches are provided to change the specific bit stored at any given address subsequent to the initial storage of data in the memory.

Abstract: An automatic fuel-dispensing system for dispensing fuel at unattended fueling sites includes a number of fuel pumps capable of dispensing different types of fuel. A common control console is used to control the operation of the fuel pumps and to record the data relative to the customer identification, site location and quantity of fuel used. The control console includes a card reader, and a customer inserts a card which uniquely identifies him into the reader, enters an odometer reading, and selects a pushbutton for the fuel pump from which he desires to obtain fuel. If a validity check of the card against preset validity check data fails, a red invalid panel indicator illuminates on the control console; and no product can be withdrawn from the selected dispenser. If the inserted card passes the validity checks, the odometer reading and customer identification data is stored in a RAM memory uniquely associated with the selected dispenser.

Abstract: An MOS RAM read/write memory system has thirty-two 1 .times. 512 bit RAM memory chips arranged in a matrix. The system pretests all data bit locations for each address prior to the entry of any data into that address, and automatically skips an address having a faulty data bit location in it. In addition, the system functions, upon reading out of data information from the memory chips, to uniquely identify any faulty MOS RAM memory chip; so that it may be removed and replaced if desired.

Abstract: A digital card reader is connected to supply input data to a random access memory corresponding to pre-coded information on cards inserted into the reader. The insertion of a card into the reader causes a binary counter to advance one binary count to address the next location in the memory for storing the data on the card. The outputs of the binary counter, which have encoded thereon the binary addresses, are further coupled to a digital-to-analog converter having an output lead on which an analog representation of the selected address appears. This output lead of the digital-to-analog converter is used to operate an analog meter, such as an ammeter, having a scale calibrated to indicate the degree of fullness of the memory as determined by the binary encoded address information.

Abstract: A transducer for measuring gravital fluid flow includes a composite weir member having a downstream Palmer-Bowlus flume section and an upstream uniform channel section. A flexible sealed envelope partially filled with dielectric fluid is disposed in the bottom of the uniform channel, and is in open flow communication with a sealed vertical column secured to the channel wall. A pair of capacitive probe electrodes are disposed within the column and the envelope. Fluid pressure of the liquid flowing in the weir forces the dielectric fluid up into the column, thereby altering the capacitive coupling of the electrodes in a manner which is a direct function of the amount of fluid flow in the weir.