High-speed automatic card embosser

Claim 1

In a credit card embossing machine including: a. a front of selectively operable character embossing punch and die pairs, b. a continuously reciprocating drive means for operating said embossing punch and die pairs, c. signal operated selective interposer means for each punch and die pair to engage said drive means and operate said embossing punch and die pair, d. a card guide, traversing said font between said punches and dies, e. indexing means associated with said card guide for indexing a card in an indexing cycle past said embossing font, the improvement comprising: f. a medium having sensing data thereon representing the characters to be embossed, g. means for sequentially sensing said data, said sequence representing character positions on said card, and transforming said sensed data into electronic data signals, h. logic means to receive said sequential electronic data signals and to translate said sequence to a sequence correlating said index means and the selected embossing die pair to be operated, i. memory means to receive said translated signal sequence and to store said signals, j. means to generate from said memory means, in register with each index cycle, an interposer activating signal for each punch and die pair which said previously read data signal and said logic sequence translation means call for selected engagement during said index cycle, whereby, said data is sensed, translated, stored and called for as said card is indexed past said font of embossing dies and saiD embossing sets representing said data signals are activated as the selected portion of the card is indexed past said set.