Abstract: A document sorting process utilizes existing or natural incoming sequences of documents each of which includes a sort key code thereon and which are sequentially arranged in accordance with a trace, locate and retrieve number (TLR). The documents are machine-sorted by the sort key code in numerical sequence and the corresponding trace, locate and retrieve number is checked for ascending or descending order. Whenever the trace, locate and retrieve number is seen in ascending order, the created sort number remains the same, whereas on a descending record the sort number is incremented by one digit. A reduction in the number of sort numbers reduces the passes required for physically sorting the documents.

Abstract: Method and means are disclosed for detection of overlapped sheets transported along a path. A plurality of detection means are aligned substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of said sheets, each detection means including one or more radiation sources and one or more radiation detectors. The overlapping of one sheet by another produces a shadow on the surface of the overlapped sheet along the edge of the overlapping sheet when radiation is directed obliquely on to the sheets from one of said radiation sources, the direction of such radiation necessary to produce a shadow being dependent on the direction of the overlap of one sheet by another. Reflected radiation from the sheets is received by one or more of the radiation detectors, and shadows or marks on the sheets are detected by reason of their lower reflectivity.

Abstract: A printing device is provided for printing bar code or other indicia on record media such as bank checks and similar documents. The bar code indicia consists of a series of symbols which may be "01" or "10", in which "1" is represented by the presence of a bar and "0" is represented by the absence of a bar in a possible bar position on the record media. The printing device includes a platen having two angled printing surfaces, each of which may be in the configuration of a bar, on one end and being rockable between two positions in each of which one of the printing surfaces is parallel to the path of movement of the record media, and the other of said surfaces is not. A hammer driven by a constant-speed cam coacts with the printing surfaces on the platen to print on the record media during each cycle of cam rotation, and suitable controls position the platen by means of a solenoid during each cycle to determine whether a first symbol or a second symbol will be printed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing data used in a character recognition system in which a threshold voltage value is developed to be applied to an analog waveform representing an unknown character to determine the start of the character waveform. Samples of the first peak of the waveform are generated and a value representing the area under the first peak is developed. Data processing means divides the area by the number of samples taken to arrive at a threshold voltage value which, when applied to the samples taken, determines the start of the character waveform. The voltage amplitudes of adjacent samples of the character waveform are then averaged and the number of samples reduced by one half. A predetermined number of samples having the maximum voltage amplitudes located within peak areas of the waveform are normalized for use by a utilization device in recognizing the unknown character.

Abstract: A character recognition system is disclosed in which feature characteristics of an analog waveform representing an unknown character are applied to a plurality of templates each representing a known character and consisting of a number of windows in which the feature characteristics of the known character are to be located. Hardware implemented circuits compare each feature characteristic of the unknown character with each window of the template. If a feature characteristic is found outside the window, the distance between the location of the feature characteristic from the location of the window is found. The sum of the distances for each template is generated and the templates having the two minimum distances are selected and evaluated to determine if a character can be recognized from the value of the two minimum distances.

Abstract: A system for detecting the presence of more than one document along a path during the processing of the documents. A capacitance is introduced by the plural documents in contact with each other and wherein a delay signal is combined with an original signal to generate a multiple document detect signal for indicating the presence of the multiple documents.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting a multiple-feed situation with regard to documents having encoding arranged thereon in a predetermined manner and with the documents being moved along a transport path. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the documents are encoded with magnetic ink. A sensing member is positioned along the transport path in operative relationship with the encoding on the documents for generating a first signal in response to a character of the encoding being in moving relationship with the sensing means. A first circuit is used for receiving the first signal and for generating a first time frame. A second circuit is used for generating a second time frame beginning upon the expiration of the first time frame; and a third circuit is used for generating an output signal indicative of a multiple-feed situation when a subsequent signal from the sensing means occurs during the second time frame.

Abstract: A document or other record media along with an associated inked ribbon and a type character are pressed together at the same time from two sides by means of two pressing members pivoted on a common shaft. The pressing members are connected with a toggle linkage which is caused to be actuated from a home position to a printing position and return. The actuation of the linkage moves a platen and a hammer towards each other to perform the printing on the document.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for processing documents having human readable intelligent bearing written indicia located thereon and includes optical scanning means (46) for generating signals representing the pattern of the written indicia scanned by the scanning means. Means (40) also are provided for generating recognition data pertaining to certain characteristics of the written indicia associated with the owner of each document, which means includes an operator keyboard (26) for entering the location of the written indicia on the document, together with a number (60) identifying the owner, the number being located on the document and being used as an address in a storage unit (41) to store the recognition data generated which is employed in recognizing the characters of the indicia associated with the document.

Abstract: A magnetic character reader system for reading and identifying magnetized characters printed on a document such as a check, in which analog waveforms derived from scanning the characters are analyzed by rectifying and integrating the waveform to generate a value representing the gain of a programmable gain amplifier for use in amplifying the waveform to compensate for variations in ink intensity. Means are provided for generating a value representing the center of gravity of the area under each peak of the amplified waveform for use in retiming the peak sampling windows for compensating for variations in the speed of the document past the magnetic read head. Digital values representing the area under each peak curve in the waveform are compared with corresponding values of a plurality of reference characters to identify the unknown character.

Abstract: A magnetic character recognition system is disclosed for reading magnetized characters printed on a document such as a check, which system determines the magnitude and position of each of the peaks of an analog waveform representing each character read by a single gap magnetic read head. Means are provided for normalizing the peak amplitude by dividing the amplitude of each succeeding peak value by the amplitude of the first peak value read and generating a digital value representing the ratio of the succeeding peak values to the first value. Further means are provided for normalizing the peak position by determining the ratio of the position of each of the peaks within the waveform to the position of the first position peak of the waveform. The digital values of the normalized peak amplitude and position are then processed and compared with corresponding values of a plurality of reference characters to identify the character read. Threshold values are applied to insure a valid recognition operation.

Abstract: A microprocessor is programmed to generate reference envelopes of a specified time duration and synchronized with clock pulses, and circuit means is associated with such microprocessor for indicating desired speed of a prime mover through comparison of prime mover actual speed with said reference envelope, and means is provided for adjusting prime mover speed to correspond with such reference envelope.

Abstract: In impact printing mechanism for encoding magnetic or optical characters on documents, a hammer energy control is utilized for maintaining constant impact pressure for the various surface areas of such characters. The constant impact pressure is derived by selection of the correct hammer pulse width for the surface area of each character.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for determining the velocity of a document over a fixed distance of travel. Sensing means are provided for generating signals which are used in determining the value of the time the document requires to move over the fixed distance. Using terms of a Taylor series expansion of the velocity equation, a value of the velocity is determined utilizing digital elements requiring only multiplication and addition operations. The elements include a digital multiplier and accumulator together with a plurality of storage devices which utilize the value of the time together with a plurality of predetermined constants to determine and output the value of the velocity to a display which displays the velocity in numerical form.

Abstract: A data compression system is disclosed in which the left-hand boundary of a character is developed in the form of a sequence of Freeman direction codes, the codes being stored in digital form within a processor. The number of binary data bits required to define the character using different criteria is then generated and compared to determine which criteria defines the character in the minimum amount of binary data bits.

Abstract: An endless ribbon follows a path around a U-shaped guide member and is driven by a drive roller which is in contact with an inking roller. The inked ribbon has a loose or slack portion in the area immediately downstream of the drive roller but the ribbon is taut or tensioned across the open end of the guide member and upstream of the drive roller. The guide member has a ribbed tracking surface with spaced flanges for maintaining the ribbon in a precise path past a printing station. The loose or slack portion of the inked ribbon enables the ribbon to adhere to or track on the ribbed surfaces and also allows the ribbon to gravitate to a flange portion of the guide member.

Abstract: A back-up member is provided wherein a single bracket supports an elongated member at several points therealong, one face of the elongated member serving as a flat surface for a plurality of resilient pads which are positioned to be formed in a curved manner by a spring member which is adjacent slant-edged portions of the bracket and secured at the several points thereof. The spring member thereby presents a pair of surfaces for applying pressure on record media to maintain such media in close proximity to associated read and write heads.