Abstract: A thermal printing apparatus including a print station, a transport mechanism for positioning a record medium at the print station, an arcuately-shaped platen, a line of printing elements and a thermally responsive ribbon. Relative movement between the platen and the printing elements is effected from a pivot point. Printing in a variety of styles of fonts like E13B is possible on documents like checks or deposit slips, for example. Special spring and wire members facilitate the separation of the ribbon from the document after printing.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for control of the temperature of a thermal printing device. Thermoelectric heat pumps are used to cool a thermal print head which does not cool between cycles sufficiently below the threshold temperature for the thermal paper or thermal transfer ribbon being used, due to heat build-up, particularly during high-speed operation. A sensed thermal print head temperature is digitized and compared to a reference temperature for a determination of whether or not operation of the heat pumps should be initiated or halted.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for enhancing the visual quality of dot matrix characters printed by means of thermal printing technologies, particularly in enhancing diagonal lines and blended radii of curvature. Two independent techniques can be combined or used in isolation to effect this print enhancement. The first, quarter dot step resolution, enables printed dots to be positioned at one quarter their previous step displacement distance. Memory must be expanded to handle increased dot position resolution. The second technique is element energy control, which enables each element in the printhead to emit different energy levels. The individual dot energy control translates into control of the printed dot shape and size, which when properly controlled, allows printing of diagonal lines and blended radii of curvature. This second technique further increases the required memory space by an additional factor.

Abstract: A thermal printing apparatus and method are disclosed which allows a plurality of thermal print head elements to remain concurrently active, with each individual element being capable of remaining active for a time duration unique to itself and independent of burn times required by the remaining elements. This individual element burn time control is obtained by the high-speed loading and reloading of the thermal print head shift register, with the contents of the individual shift register cells being the controlling factor. Once the thermal print head element resistances have been dynamically measured, specific energies are derived for each element in the printhead by modulating the on time for each element, thus allowing grey scale printing and the like.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in endorsing documents, like checks, in a banking system. A magnetic stripe is printed or encoded on the back of each document entering the processing system. Human readable, endorsement data is also printed next to the magnetic strip at the time that the stripe is being printed. The endorsement data is also magnetically written into a portion of the magnetic stripe during a subsequent, real-time operation to provide both machine-readable and human-readable forms of data to facilitate tracing a document's processing trail through several banks. A low-cost method of providing endorsements on checks through using the MICR encoder to print the usual monetary amount, inverting the check, re-entering the check, and using the MICR encoder to print the endorsement on the back of the check is also disclosed.

Abstract: A thermal printing apparatus is disclosed in which ribbon advancing mechanism including a supply spool and a take-up spool operated by a stepping motor is disclosed. Mechanism is provided for reversing the direction in which the take-up spool is driven by a specified amount during the printing cycle, in order to provide ribbon slack, so as to avoid smudging of the transferred ink on the receiving document and possible ribbon breakage during printing. The circumference of the accumulated ribbon on the take-up spool at any given time is considered in determining the number of steps and the step rate of the stepping motor in the reverse direction which must be taken in order to produce the desired amount of ribbon slack and slack take-up.

Abstract: A system and method for locating intelligence data like the courtesy or monetary amount on a document. The intelligence data is presented in the form of a matrix of binary data which corresponds to image data associated with a financial document like a check or deposit slip. From the matrix of binary data, an input character located on a predetermined side of the data is examined. If the input character is identified as a clue character, it means, generally, that a portion of the matrix of binary data which is associated with the clue character may be the binary data associated with the monetary amount. In the embodiment described, the clue characters are asterisks (*) and dollar signs ($) of different expected varieties. Having found the binary data associated with the monetary amount, it can be subjected to character recognition techniques to machine-read the monetary amount on the document.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for precisely positioning a movable member to a desired fine position after a selected coarse position is reached. In a preferred embodiment of the invention a processor-controlled typewheel servo control system is responsive to a command signal for a selected coarse position for selectively utilizing from a memory circuit preselected stored adjustment information for the selected coarse position comprised of an associated coarse position count and quadrant information related to the sinusoids generated by an optical encoder in order to make a precise fine position adjustment in the position of a typewheel after the selected coarse position is reached for that typewheel.

Abstract: A plurality of vertically aligned sensing members scan a matrix type bar code on a document. During the scanning of the bar code, the time period between the detection of succeeding bars is determined. An average time period which occurs during the detection of a number of bars is then generated. Each succeeding time period generated as a result of detecting the next bar is divided by the average time period to determine the presence or absence of the bar in addition to the number of spaces preceding the detected bar. This information is used in decoding the bar code label.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for automatically detecting any change in average printhead resistance due to continued usage of the printhead and for automatically correcting for such resistance change in order to maintain constant printing energy. In a preferred embodiment of the invention a voltage regulator is turned off during a test mode of operation to test or measure each of the thermal elements in a thermal printhead. When the voltage regulator is turned off a constant current is sequentially allowed to flow through each of the thermal elements. The flow of constant current through an element develops a sense voltage which has an amplitude proportional to the resistance of the element being measured. The sense voltages for the elements are sequentially converted into digital signals by an analog-to-digital converter, summed together and averaged in order to develop an average printhead resistance.

Abstract: A sheet decelerating and stopping apparatus which may be used as a staging apparatus in a sheet-feeding environment. A pivoting member having decelerating and stopping areas thereon is spring biased to an operating position in which the decelerating area on the member cooperates with a decelerating area on on wall of a sheet-feeding track in which the sheet is fed to decelerate the sheet. The stopping area on the member stops a sheet if it is not stopped by the cooperating decelerating areas. An actuator moves the member to an inoperative position to enable a sheet to be released from the apparatus.

Abstract: A method and system for processing a batch of documents such as checks for achieving concurrent, reject re-entry and repair of rejects of the batch of documents in association with a sorting machine. A document reader such as a MICR reader for example, and an imaging apparatus are included along the document track to generate MICR data and digitized image data for each document passing thereby. A document whose MICR data is read correctly is routinely sorted while a document whose MICR data for a field is missing, for example, is sorted in a reject pocket. The data needed to complete the missing field is obtained by an operator viewing an image of the document on a data entry terminal while the associated document which was sorted in the reject pocket is stored at an encoder coupled to the reject pocket. The now-complete data obtained by the operator is used by the encoder to print the now-complete data for the missing field on the associated document.

Abstract: Thermal printing apparatus includes a magnetic core having a gap, an electromagnetic coil mounted on the core for generating an electromagnetic field in the core and through the gap, a rotatably mounted cylindrical thermal print head having type characters on its periphery and located partially within the gap in the magnetic core, and a mechanism for rotating the print head to locate a selected type character in printing position in cooperative relation to a pressure element. The magnetic field generates circulating currents in the print head for heating it to a temperature necessary for causing heat-sensitive ink to be transferred from a ribbon to a record medium, both of which are positioned between the print head and the pressure element.

Abstract: An impact hammer assembly, suitable for high speed MICR printing, is disclosed. The impact hammer assembly comprises an impact hammer having first and second flanged portions respectively positioned at first and second ends along a first longitudinal surface of the impact hammer and a hammer face positioned at the second end of the hammer on a second longitudinal surface opposite from the first longitudinal surface. The hammer is pivotally mounted at a pivot between the first and second flanged portions for movement between a rest position and a print position. A first electromagnetic coil positioned adjacent to the first flanged portion is energized by a first pulse from a control circuit to impel the hammer face toward the print position. A second electromagnetic coil positioned adjacent to the second flanged portion is energized by a second pulse from the control circuit to cause a fast return of the hammer to the rest position.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for detecting picture element failures in a multielement array. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the illumination of a reference background by a lamp is controlled by a controlled power supply to be off in a first mode of operation and on in a second mode. During a diagnostic operation, the reference background is scanned by a N element CCD array t provide N reference pixels for each scan during each of the first and second modes of operation. During the first mode, a first error signal is developed for each of the N reference pixels in a first mode scan that is greater than a first reference signal level. During the second mode, a second error signal is developed for each of N reference pixels in a second mode scan that is less than a second reference level.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing documents comprising a unit for reading machine-readable data and for generating image data from the documents as the documents are moved along a track in operative relationship therewith. The unit also includes recognition circuitry receiving the image data and a portion of the machine-readable data to produce recognition data along with confidence level data relative to the recognition data for each document. A control processor is used for storing the machine-readable data, image data, recognition data, and confidence level data by an identification number which is assigned thereto by the control processor for each corresponding document.

Abstract: A circuit for adjusting the sensitivity of a sensor which is used typically in document handling equipment is disclosed. A special application of the circuit relates to using a plurality of the sensors in a height-determining operation which is used in conjunction with an imaging device, which scans or images the front, for example, of a document. The height of the particular document being scanned by the imaging device is used to "scan" only as far as the height of the document so as to eliminate meaningless data from the image of the document.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus operates upon binary signals corresponding to a scanned image. The binary images are stored in a matrix as concentric windows of interconnected rows and columns. The binary signals contained in the rows and columns are summed and logically compared against the sums of binary signals in adjacent windows and if the sums and logical combinations do not exceed preselected amounts it is assumed that the binary signals within a particular window are spurious, and means are provided for cleaning these signals from the window. Incrementing the binary images that are stored in the matrix permit the total scanned image to be analyzed.

Abstract: An electro-optical imaging system is disclosed which automatically self-diagnoses the operations of its photosensor and its video processing circuitry during each of first and second modes of operation of a processor, when no object is being imaged. In a preferred embodiment, a power supply is controlled by the processor to prevent a light source from illuminating a reference background during the first mode of operation and to enable the light source to illuminate the reference background during the second mode of operation. The photosensor sequentially develops first and second signals respectively proportional to the intensity of reflected light received from the reference background during the first and second modes of operation. The video processing circuitry is responsive to the first and second signals for sequentially developing respective first and second data signals.

Abstract: A system is provided for the sensing of documents, which system includes an arrangement of reflective elements capable of directing illumination onto the object to be sensed in such a manner that the flux density of the illumination is greater adjacent to the boundaries of said object than in the middle portion thereof. This compensates for the vignetting effect found in lenses. A source of illumination is positioned on a first focal line of a cylindrical elliptical mirror, with the object to be illuminated being positioned at the second focal line. First additional mirrors forming end pieces for the elliptical mirror, and second additional mirrors located adjacent to the boundaries of the object to be sensed, cooperate to direct light from the source to the object in such a way as to achieve the desired distribution of illumination across the object. Several different embodiments of the cylindrical elliptical mirror are disclosed.