Abstract: An embossing machine and method is provided in which the mass of the carriage assembly carrying the card to and from various operations in the machine is significantly reduced by the utilization of a card carrying carriage mounted for movement in one direction from side to side on the machine via a stationary motor. The carriage is mounted on a guide bar which, together with the carriage, moves from the front to the back of the machine via a stationary motor. A new card supply hopper is arranged to stack cards vertically and feed them to the carriage one-by-one as the carriage approaches the hopper. An embossing assembly is operated by a single interposer arranged in a crank drive or two interposers arranged between actuating levers and the rams of associated male and female embossing wheels. A topper assembly minimizes foil usage by winding up only that foil which has been used during the topping of the previous card.

Abstract: An embossing machine and method is provided in which the mass of the carriage assembly carrying the card to and from various operations in the machine is significantly reduced by the utilization of a card carrying carriage mounted for movement in one direction from side to side on the machine via a stationary motor. The carriage is mounted on a guide bar which, together with the carriage, moves from the front to the back of the machine via a stationary motor. A new card supply hopper is arranged to stack cards vertically and feed them to the carriage one-by-one as the carriage approaches the hopper. An embossing assembly is operated by a single interposer arranged in a crank drive or two interposers arranged between actuating levers and the rams of associated male and female embossing wheels. A topper assembly minimizes foil usage by winding up only that foil which has been used during the topping of the previous card.

Abstract: A system for embossing a plurality of lines and recording encoded tracks of digitally encoded characters for credit cards is disclosed. The system has an improved recording station for recording digitally encoded characters, indent embossing unit, card transporting unit, process for verifying the accuracy of recording the tracks; and stacker.

Abstract: An improved credit card having a clear, unbroken metallized surface with printed graphics thereon which is scratch resistant and a method of making the same are disclosed. The method involves heat transferring a metallized foil to a first surface of a plastic substrate, silk-screen printing over the metallized foil with ultraviolet curable ink, drying the ink with ultraviolet light and overlaminating the printed foil with a clear polyester film coated with a heat-activated adhesive or coating it with an ultraviolet curable varnish which is cured by applying ultraviolet light to the coating. The plastic substrate is in the form of a large sheet from which a plurality of cards are die cut after the printing and application of the transparent film. A magnetic tape is then applied to the back of each card.

Abstract: A system and method for embossing a plurality of lines and recording encoded tracks of digitally encoded characters for credit cards is disclosed. The system provides an improved recording station for sequentially recording the characters and verifying that the characters were recorded without error. The improved method verifies the accuracy of the encoded data by a comparison of recorded data with data which was the source of the recorded data.

Abstract: An electronic printing system for printing digitally stored images which achieves extremely high throughputs as a consequence of control of the addressing of various memory sections being allocated to hardware assist units which operate independently of the processing unit. The processing unit rotates words retrieved from a font storage memory with respect to word boundaries in a page memory of a raster storage unit at high speed to achieve proper positioning of the words for storage in the page memory. The system further has a readout system for reversing the order of readout of the significance of pixels of words stored in both the font storage memory and from the combined output of the raster storage unit and the raster form storage unit which cuts in half the necessary storage requirements of character orientations in the font storage unit for duplex printing and printing on either side of a page for pages which have been punched for storage in ring binders.

Abstract: An embossing system is disclosed for embossing cards with characters of at least two pitches. A number of embossers equal to the number of lines of characters to be embossed on the card are positioned in line. Each embosser is dedicated to the embossing of a particular line of characters with a particular pitch. A common transport belt conveys the cards from an input hopper past the embossing stations of each of the in line embossers to a wait station. During embossing, the transport belt is moved from the current longitudinal position to the longitudinal position where the closest next character(s) are to be embossed by any one of the embossers. The embossed cards are conveyed from the wait station to a topper which applies topping to the embossed characters.

Abstract: An embossing system is disclosed for embossing cards with characters of at least two pitches. A number of embossers equal to the number of lines of characters to be embossed on the card are positioned in line. Each embosser is dedicated to the embossing of a particular line of characters with a particular pitch. A common transport belt conveys the cards from an input hopper past the embossing stations of each of the line embossers to a wait station. During embossing, the transport belt is moved from the current longitudinal position to the longitudinal position where the closest next character(s) are to be embossed by any one of the embossers. The embossed cards are conveyed from the wait station to a topper which applies topping to the embossed characters.

Abstract: A system for embossing a plurality of lines and recording encoded tracks of digitally encoded characters for credit cards is disclosed. The system has an improved recording station for recording digitally encoded characters, indent embossing unit, card transporting unit, process for verifying the accuracy of recording the tracks; and stacker.

Abstract: An improved data compaction process for encoding digitized images is disclosed. The process uses four fields of data with field one encoding the number of lines having an identical format, field two encoding the number of bytes having bits of one pre-designated single binary value up to the maximum number which can be defined with the field, field three containing the byte of image points immediately following the last byte encoded by the preceding field, and field four encoding the number of sequential bytes having bits of only the binary value of the last bit of the preceding field of data, up to the maximum number which can be defined with the field. Fields three and four are repeated to encode all points along a line of the digital image. The above process is repeated for each line of the digital image until the entire image has been encoded.

Abstract: A variable field imprinter is provided including a platen carriage adapted to be reciprocated over an imprinting surface and then locked in a position to one side of the imprinting surface by a releasable blocking system. The blocking system consists of (i) a platen carriage blocking mechanism and (ii) a digit wheel sensing mechanism these two mechanisms must be interconnected by a credit card. Resetting of at least one of the digit wheels provides a force from the digit wheel sensing mechanism which is transmitted by the credit card to the platen carriage blocking mechanism to disarm the blocking system so that the platen carriage can be moved for imprinting.

Abstract: A motor operated imprinter is disclosed. The imprinter is easy to use as a consequence of the print bearing elements and formset being retained on a generally horizontal disposed surface. A head bearing a rolling platen is pivoted from an open position which exposes the surface for retaining the print bearing element and the formset to a closed position to activate the motor and the imprinting cycle. A brake mechanism including a head anester is provided to slow the opening movement of the head after the imprinting cycle.

Abstract: An embossing system is disclosed for embossing cards with characters of at least two pitches. A number of embossers equal to the number of lines of characters to be embossed on the card are positioned in line. Each embosser is dedicated to the embossing of a particular line of characters with a particular pitch. A common transport belt conveys the cards from an input hopper past the embossing stations of each of the in line embossers to a wait station. During embossing, the transport belt is moved from the current longitudinal position to the longitudinal position where the closest next character(s) are to be embossed by any one of the embossers. The embossed cards are conveyed from the wait station to a topper which applies topping to the embossed characters.

Abstract: A motor operated imprinter is disclosed. The imprinter is easy to use as a consequence of the print bearing elements and formset being retained on a generally horizontally disposed surface. A head bearing a carriage with a rolling platen is pivoted from an open position which exposes the surface for retaining the print bearing element and the formset to a closed position to activate the imprinting cycle. An uncomplicated mechanism is used for transmitting power from a motor located in the base to the carriage in the head. The motor is actuated when the head is closed.

Abstract: A credit card imprinter is disclosed herein in which printing of the sheet is inhibited or prevented if the credit card is inadvertently incorrectly positioned on its support. The imprinter has a manually-operated printing carriage movable along a support member on which a sheet can be arranged to overlie an embossed credit card. In one embodiment a combined detent and trip mechanism is provided to prevent movement of the printing carriage over the support member and to raise a printing roller in the carriage away from the support member. The mechanism is disabled by the correct insertion of the credit card. In another embodiment, a resilient means is provided for preventing the sheet from being positioned on the support unless the credit card has been properly positioned thereon.

Abstract: A digit wheel assembly for use in connection with a variable imprinting device comprises a plurality of digit wheels rotatably mounted on a common fixed digit wheel shaft, each of said digit wheels having raised printing indicia spaced along the circumference thereof; a plurality of thumbwheels rotatably mounted on a common fixed thumbwheel shaft, said thumbwheels being equal in number to said plurality of digit wheels; a first plurality of sprockets equal in number to said plurality of digit wheels, each of said first plurality of sprockets being operatively associated with one of said digit wheels so as to rotate therewith; a second plurality of sprockets equal in number to said plurality of digit wheels, each of said second plurality of sprockets being operatively associated with one of said thumbwheels so as to rotate therewith; and endless flexible drive means connecting each of said first plurality of sprockets to one of said second plurality of sprockets, whereby the rotational position of a given one