Abstract: An imprinter includes a base having a flatbed for receiving a credit card and merchant plate having characters to be imprinted on a formset, and a carriage supported for motion in first and second opposed directions along the flatbed. The carriage has platen holder supports and first and second rolling platen units attached to the platen holder supports. Each of the first and second rolling platen units include a platen holder having opposed sidewalls, the sidewalls having opposed openings therein, and a rolling platen having an axle supported in the opposed openings of the sidewalls. The openings have at least two lobe shaped portions, each having a closed end and an open end, joined together at their open ends to form a substantially L-shaped opening. The first rolling platen unit has opposed openings having closed ends of the respective, opposed first lobes facing the first direction and the closed ends of the respective, opposed second lobes facing the flatbed.

Abstract: A card hopper for receiving plastic cards that are to be fed to a card processing apparatus. The hopper includes an elongated trap member having a bottom surface and first and second side surfaces. A layer of fiber material on each of the side surfaces holds plastic cards received in the card hopper in a substantially vertical position and substantially aligned one behind another. Preferably, the fiber material has fibers extending at substantially 90 degrees from the side surfaces, with the fibers being spaced in the order of about 10/1000-inch apart and at a depth of pile in the order of about 3/16-inch.

Abstract: A plastic card transport apparatus and a plastic card inspection system. A group of lower support wheels is positioned with their circumferential surfaces aligned to define a card transport path having a plurality of card operation locations therealong. The wheels support a plastic card by its lower edge as the plastic card is transported along the card transport path from a first one of the card operation locations to a second one of the card operation locations. A drive source continuously drives selected ones of the lower support wheels to move the plastic card along the card transport path between card operation locations.

Abstract: An imprinter of simplified construction, including a base having a flatbed for receiving at least one character bearing element having characters to be imprinted on a print receiving element, and having a pair of opposed upwardly extending sides as well as a lid having a top surface, a pair of platen holder supports, and downwardly extending sides engaged with and slidable along the upwardly extending sides of the base to support the lid for sliding motion in first and second opposed directions along the flatbed and to limit movement of the lid orthogonal to the flatbed during movement in the first and second directions.

Abstract: An imprinter (10) for imprinting a formset (12) with embossed data from a card (14) and a plate (16) in accordance with the invention includes a flatbed (20) having a top surface (22) on which the card and the plate are held below the formset during imprinting; a movable carriage (24) having at least one rolling platen (48 and 50) with the at least one rolling platen imprinting the embossed data during movement along the flatbed; and a single piece skirt (26) having a periphery (28) which extends peripherally outside the flatbed and which is attached to the flatbed to from a unitary structure of the flatbed and the skirt with the skirt having a plurality of projections (30 and 32) extending inward onto the top surface of the flatbed with the projections defining a card receiving surface area (34) on the top surface of the flatbed for holding the card during imprinting and a formset receiving area (36) on the top surface of the flatbed for holding the formset during imprinting.