Credit card validation system

Claim 1

Apparatus for verifying the credit of a particular account wherein said account is evidenced by presentation of a credit card having a plurality of embossed decimal digits representing thE account number and wherein each embossed decimal digit is a raised portion extending from the plane of the card, comprising: a holder adapted to receive and hold the credit card, said holder including a backplate and a relatively thin front plate fastened to an edge of an overlying said backplate and exerting pressure on a face thereof but, nevertheless, allowing for insertion of the credit card between the backplate and the front plate whereby said credit card is held under pressure contact between said back and front plates, said front plate being cut away so as to form a plurality of tongues therein which are disposed in parallel relationship with respect to each other and thereby providing spaces between adjacent tongues, said spaces extending serially across the face of the front plate and exposing the backplate when the credit card is not being held between said plates, the raised embossed portions, representing the digits, protruding into said spaces between the tongues and being visible together with said front plate when said card is being held between the plates, the edges of the protruding raised portion of the embossed digits abutting the edges of the adjacent tongues whereby the embossed digits are maintained in accurate optical registration; means for directing light onto the credit card and illuminating the embossed digits thereon; means for moving said holder and the inserted credit card with respect to said light direction means and illuminating means; means for focusing light reflected from the embossed digit; a mask for receiving the reflected light from said focusing means, said mask having a set of apertures therethrough for receiving the reflected light from the focusing means, said set of apertures in said mask being comprised of 15 separate apertures arranged in three vertical columns ad five horizontal rows, said holder and card inserted therein being movable in the presence of the light directing means whereby the focusing means directs reflected light from each embossed digit one at a time as said holder is moved past the focusing means onto the mask and wherein the light so reflected passes through selected ones of said 15 apertures depending on which one of the embossed digits, 0 through 9, is reflecting light, each of the embossed decimal digits, 0 through 9, uniquely reflecting lights as they move past the focusing means so that the reflected light passes through different apertures through the mask; means for generating set of signals at each aperture in the mask from each of the embossed digits to the focused reflected light in response to the focused reflected light on said apertures, each generated set of signals being representative of an individual one of said decal digits; encoding said set of signals in binary form; and, comparing said binary signals with other binary signals representing a plurality of stored account numbers in order to verify the credit of the account represented by the decimal digits of the credit card.