US3564210A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus combining a variable amount imprinter with credit verification circuitry
Assignee: Farrington Manufacturing Co
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Filing: 1968-11-29
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Granted: 1971-02-16
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Expires: 1988-11-29
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a credit verification imprinter for use with a credit card embossed or etched with data typically corresponding to the customer''s name, address, and numerical identification. Also provided on the card is magnetically BCD encoded data relating to (1) the charge limit the card may be used for in a predetermined period of time, preferably a month; (2) the time interval in which the card was last used; and (3) the accumulated money total of charge purchases made with the card during the time interval indicated in (2). The sales clerk registers into a variable money amount imprinter the money amount of the current transaction together with the current date, this information to be imprinted together with the information of the charge onto a sales slip or the like if the current credit transaction is approved. Before the imprinting operation can take place, the magnetically encoded data is read by movable read/write head disposed beneath the print bed. A credit verification test is then conducted by appropriate circuitry to determine whether the card has been used for credit transactions exceeding the limit listed in (1) above during the interval of time indicated by the month setting on the variable date wheels of the imprinter. Other checks are also made to establish the authenticity of the information magnetically encoded on the card to insure that no tampering or data transmission errors have occurred. Different colored lights are provided on the imprinter chassis to indicate the occurrence of different conditions detected by the data verification circuitry. Upon completion of the data verification check, a stop is removed from the path of travel of the imprinting head thereby permitting the imprinting operation to take place. After the imprinting head has been returned to its start position a switch is caused to close and thereby reset all credit verification registers preparatory to the next credit operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Anthony J Presti
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:04
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G06; G06Q; G06Q40/00; G06Q40/02; G07F7/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
201 words
Apparatus comprising: imprinter means for imprinting information from a printing plate onto a document, said imprinting means including means for registering first data manually by an operator, said first data relating to a current credit transaction proposed for said plate; said printing plate including second data recorded thereon relating to (1) the usage of said plate prior to said current transaction and (2) the maximum permissible usage of said plate for credit transactions, said data recorded on said plate not being visible to the unaided human eye; means for converting said first data to first electrical signals; read/write means movably mounted with respect to said imprinting means; means for fixedly positioning said plate on the print bed of said imprinting means; means for moving said read/write means with respect to the data recorded on said plate to read the data recorded on said plate and thereby generate second electrical signals corresponding to said second data; credit verification circuitry responsive to said first and second electrical signals for determining whether said plate has been used for credit transactions exceeding the maximum permissible usage established for said plate; and means for indicating to said operator whether said maximum permissible usage has been exceeded.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
201 words
Apparatus comprising: imprinter means for imprinting information from a printing plate onto a document, said imprinting means including means for registering first data manually by an operator, said first data relating to a current credit transaction proposed for said plate; said printing plate including second data recorded thereon relating to (1) the usage of said plate prior to said current transaction and (2) the maximum permissible usage of said plate for credit transactions, said data recorded on said plate not being visible to the unaided human eye; means for converting said first data to first electrical signals; read/write means movably mounted with respect to said imprinting means; means for fixedly positioning said plate on the print bed of said imprinting means; means for moving said read/write means with respect to the data recorded on said plate to read the data recorded on said plate and thereby generate second electrical signals corresponding to said second data; credit verification circuitry responsive to said first and second electrical signals for determining whether said plate has been used for credit transactions exceeding the maximum permissible usage established for said plate; and means for indicating to said operator whether said maximum permissible usage has been exceeded.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 where said second data is magnetically recorded with respect to said printing plate and said read/write means is a magnetic read/write head.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus as in claim 2 where said print bed includes an aperture therein, the magnetically encoded portion of said printing plate being disposed over said aperture when said plate is positioned in said print bed, and the path of travel of the movable read/write head being disposed beneath said aperture.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus as in claim 3 where said data verification circuitry updates the said second data recorded on said plate if the proposed current credit transaction is approved and generates a third electrical signal corresponding to the updated data; and where said read/write head is responsive to said third electrical signal to write said updated data on said printing plate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as in claim 4 including means for insuring that the movable magnetic read/write head is moving at full speed before said third electrical signal is written on said magnetically encoded portion of said printing plate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
145 words
Apparatus as in claim 4 where said means for insuring that the read/wirte head is moving at full speed includes: first sensing means for sensing the position of said read/write head when it is at the beginning of the path it traverses with respect to the magnetically encoded portion of the printing plate; record sensing means for sensing the position of said read/write head when it is a predetermined distance from said beginning of the path, said predetermined distance corresponding to that distance from the beginning of the path where said head will reach its full speed; and means responsive to said first sensing means for preventing said read/write head from writing said third electrical signal unless said read/write head starts from the beginning of said path to thereby insure that the head is traveling at full speed when it passes said second sensing means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
80 words
Apparatus as in claim 6 where said means for moving the read/write head includes: a reversible motor; biasing means tending to position said read/write head at the beginning of its path of travel; third sensing means for sensing that said read/write head has reached the end of said path; means responsive to said third sensing means for reversing said reversible motor; and said read/write head being returned to the beginning of said path under the control of said biasing means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as in claim 7 where said means for moving said read/write head includes wheel and pulley means connected between said reversible motor and said head via a cord for moving said head forwardly along said path.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 including a stop member means for preventing the imprinting operation until said credit verification circuitry has performed its check, said stop member being responsive to said circuitry.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
57 words
Apparatus as in claim 9 where said stop member projects into the path traveled by the imprinting head of said imprinting means; and where said apparatus includes means for retracting said stop member from the last-mentioned path, when said credit verification circuitry indicates that said printing plate is approved for usage with the current proposed credit transaction.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
Apparatus as in claim 10 where said means for retracting said stop member from said paths includes a solenoid responsive to said credit verification circuitry, the plunger of said solenoid being moved when said credit verification circuitry indicates approval; and means responsive to the movement of the solenoid plunger to remove said stop member from said paths.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
70 words
Apparatus as in claim 9 including means for indicating that the imprinting head of said imprinting means has returned to its start position after completing an imprinting operation; and means responsive to said last-mentioned indicating means for resetting all registers of said credit verification means and for deenergizing said solenoid to thereby prevent another credit transaction until the credit verification for said another transaction is determined by said verification circuitry.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 where at least some of said first data registered in said registering means by said operator are represented by decimal digits; and where said apparatus includes a plurality of means for respectively converting said decimal digits to BCD encoded electrical signals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
160 words
Apparatus as in claim 13 where each said means for BCD encoding one of said decimal digits includes a movable strip; means for moving said strip with respect to said apparatus in response to said operator registering said digits in said registering means; said strip being divided into ten successive portions Disposed along the strip, each portion containing electrically conductive terminals so positioned with respect to one edge of the strip so as to correspond to one of the BCD codes for the decimal digits and all ten of the codes being respectively represented by all ten of the portions along the strip; and means fixedly disposed with respect to said apparatus having at least four fingers for sensing said successive portions along said strip, certain ones of the fingers being energized depending upon which portion of the strip the fingers are positioned over, the energized conductors corresponding to said BCD code of the registered digit corresponding to said strip.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
57 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 where said first data registered on the imprinting means by said operator includes the money amount corresponding to said current proposed credit transaction which is to be approved or disapproved by said credit verification circuitry; and a predetermined time interval for which said credit transaction is to be approved in relation thereto.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus as in claim 15 where the second data recorded on said plate includes (1) the maximum charge sum permitted for the plate within said predetermined time interval; (2) the time period in which the plate was last used; and (3) the accumulated money amount of past credit transactions.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
88 words
Apparatus as in claim 16 where said credit verification circuitry is responsive to the last time interval in which the plate was used and the current time interval for which the credit transaction is to be approved or disapproved to establish whether the time interval for which the plate was last used is later than the current time interval to thereby determine if the plate or imprinter register means have been tampered with or the information has been erroneously transmitted from either the card or the imprinting means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 where said second data includes error detection information and where said data verification circuitry includes circuits for determining whether said second data has been tampered with or whether data transmission errors have occurred.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus as in claim 18 where said error detection information includes a single bit of data which should always be
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
13 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 where said printing plate is a credit card.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus as in claim 20 where said credit card includes a strip of magnetic tape attached to the back of said card and where said second data is magnetically recorded on said strip of tape.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus as in claim 20 where said second data is recorded along one track disposed along said strip and where said second data includes clock signals for said credit verification circuitry recorded along a second track disposed substantially parallel to said first track.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
55 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 including means for securing said plate on said imprinting means so that a substantially constant clearance is maintained between the plate and the read/write means as the latter means moves with respect to the plate in spite of the fact that the plate will tend to become wrinkled with use.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
105 words
Apparatus as in claim 23 where said plate securing means includes: lever means rotatably mounted with respect to the forward portion of the imprinter head of the imprinting means; spring means for normally maintaining said lever means clear of said plate; and a post so positioned on the print bed of said imprinting means that when the imprinter head is positioned adjacent where the plate is placed on the bed, the lower arm of the lever means will engage the post so that the upper arm of the lever means will be rotated to a position where the upper arm holds the plate in place.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-02-15 | 1974-08-17 | 1975-02-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-02-15 | 1978-08-17 | 1979-02-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-02-15 | 1982-08-17 | 1983-02-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |