Logic for color bar printer

Claim 2

In a system in which a sequence of colored bars of three different colors is caused to exist on a record medium in response to a given binary code, said sequence representing said given binary code according to the transition from one color to another color in such a manner that transitions from first to second, second to third, or third to first colors represent one binary value and transitions from third to second, second to first, and first to third colors represent the other binary value, a binary code to color bar code converter comprising: means for providing a plurality of bit signals, one at a time, each bit signal being indicative of one of said values of said given binary code; a modulo three counter which is responsive to said bit signals in such a manner that a bit signal indicative of one of said binary values will cause the count in said counter to increase by one and a bit signal indicative of said other of said binary values will cause the count in said counter to decrease by one, each different count in said counter representing a different color of said sequence of colored bars; and means which in response to the sequence of counts in said counter provides signals to cause said sequence of colored bars to exist on said record medium.

Claim 3

The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for providing signals to cause said sequence of colored bars to exist includes a decoding circuit for determining the count in the counter at any given time.

Claim 4

The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for providing signals to cause said sequence of colored bars to exist includes a decoding circuit having first and second outputs, there being a signal provided at said first output whenever the count in said counter is a first value and there being a signal provided at said second output whenever the count in said counter is a second value; and wherein said third color is the background color of said record medium and said first and second colors are caused to be printed on said medium in response to said signals provided at said decoding circuit outputs.

Claim 5

In a system for causing a coded sequence of adjacent color bars of at least three different colors to exist on a moving record medium in response to a given binary code, said sequence representing said binary code according to the transition from one color to another color in such a manner that transitions from first to second, secoNd to third, or third to first colors represent one binary value, and transitions from first to third, third to second, or second to first colors represent the other binary value, each of said bars existing in one of a plurality of adjacent areas of said medium, said medium moving by an amount equal to the distance across two adjacent areas and thereafter becoming stationary during each of a plurality of given periodic time intervals, the bars of said first color being printed on said medium by providing said system with a first pair of printing elements which are so positioned with respect to said medium that each time said medium is stationary, an adjacent pair of said areas is associated with said first pair of printing elements, there being a first print signal, which may be applied to either one of said first pair of printing elements during each time said medium is stationary, to cause a bar of said first color to be printed in the one of said areas which is then associated with said one printing element of said first pair of printing elements, the bars of said second color being printed on said medium by providing said system with a second pair of printing elements which are so positioned with respect to said medium that, each time said medium is stationary, an adjacent pair of said areas is associated with said second pair of printing elements, there being a second print signal, which may be applied to either one of said second pair of printing elements during each time said medium is stationary, to cause a bar of said second color to be printed in the one of said areas which is then associated with said one printing element of said second pair of printing elements, the bars of said third color appearing in at least some of the remaining areas in which said bars of said first and second colors are not printed, a binary code to color bar code converter circuit comprising: a counter having a modulo equal to the number of colors present in said sequence of colored bars, said counter being of a type which increases its count when signals representing bits of said one binary value are applied thereto, and which decreases its count when signals representing bits of said other binary value are applied thereto; means for apply to said counter signals which represent two adjacent bits of said given binary code during each of said time intervals, said signals being applied one at a time; means for providing a first count signal during each interval, said first count signal being indicative of the count in said counter after the first one of said two signals representing said two binary bits is applied to said counter, said first count signal being applied during a given time as said first print signal to one of the printing elements of said first pair of printing elements in the event the count in said counter is a first value, and said first count signal being applied during said given time as said second print signal to one of the printing elements of said second pair of printing elements in the event the count in said counter is a second value; and means for providing a second count signal during each interval, said second count signal being indicative of the count in said counter after the second one of said two signals representing said two binary bits is applied to said counter, said second count signal being applied during said given time as said first print signal to the other of said printing elements of said first pair of printing elements in the event the count in said counter is said first value, and said second count signal being applied during said given time as said second print signal to the other of said printing elements of said second pair of printing elements in the event said count in said counter is said second value.

Claim 6

In a system for causing a coded sequence of adjacent color bars of at least three different colors to exist on a moving record medium in response to a given binary code, said sequence representing said binary code according to the transition from one color to another color in such a manner that transitions from first to second, secoNd to third, or third to first colors represent one binary value, and transitions from first to third, third to second, or second to first colors represent the other binary value, each of said bars existing in one of a plurality of adjacent areas of said medium, said medium moving by an amount equal to the distance across two adjacent areas and thereafter becoming stationary during each of a plurality of given periodic time intervals, the bars of said first color being printed on said medium by providing said system with a first pair of printing elements which are so positioned with respect to said medium that each time said medium is stationary, an adjacent pair of said areas is associated with said first pair of printing elements, there being a first print signal, which may be applied to either one of said first pair of printing elements during each time said medium is stationary, to cause a bar of said first color to be printed in the one of said areas which is then associated with said one printing element of said first pair of printing elements, the bars of said second color being printed on said medium by providing said system with a second pair of printing elements which are so positioned with respect to said medium that, each time said medium is stationary, an adjacent pair of said areas is associated with said second pair of printing elements, there being a second print signal, which may be applied to either one of said second pair of printing elements during each time said medium is stationary, to cause a bar of said second color to be printed in the one of said areas which is then associated with said one printing element of said second pair of printing elements, the bars of said third color appearing in at least some of the remaining areas in which said bars of said first and second colors are not printed, a binary code to color bar code converter circuit comprising: a counter having a modulo equal to the number of colors present in said sequence of colored bars, said counter being of a type which increases its count when signals representing bits of said one binary value are applied thereto, and which decreases its count when signals representing bits of said other binary value are applied thereto; means for apply to said counter signals which represent two adjacent bits of said given binary code during each of said time intervals, said signals being applied one at a time; means for providing a first count signal during each interval, said first count signal being indicative of the count in said counter after the first one of said two signals representing said two binary bits is applied to said counter, said first count signal being applied during a given time as said first print signal to one of the printing elements of said first pair of printing elements in the event the count in said counter is a first value, and said first count signal being applied during said given time as said second print signal to one of the printing elements of said second pair of printing elements in the event the count in said counter is a second value; and means for providing a second count signal during each interval, said second count signal being indicative of the count in said counter after the second one of said two signals representing said two binary bits is applied to said counter, said second count signal being applied during said given time as said first print signal to the other of said printing elements of said first pair of printing elements in the event the count in said counter is said first value, and said second count signal being applied during said given time as said second print signal to the other of said printing elements of said second pair of printing elements in the event said count in said counter is said second value.

Claim 7

The invention according to claim 4: wherein said sequence of colored bars includes bars of three colors, said last color being said third color; wherein bars of said third color appear in each area in whicH bars of said first and second colors are not printed; and wherein said counter is a modulo three counter of the up-down type.

Claim 8

The invention according to claim 5 in which said third color is the color of said medium and bars of said third color exist in their respective areas by not printing anything in these areas.

Claim 9

The invention according to claim 4: wherein said first pair of printing elements and said second pair of printing elements are separated by a whole-number multiple of said areas; and wherein the second print signals applied from said first and second count signal providing means are delayed prior to being applied to said second pair of printing elements.

Claim 10

The invention according to claim 7 wherein said second print signals are delayed by an amount proportional to the separation of said first and second pair of printing elements.

Claim 11

The invention according to claim 4 in which said bars of said first color are printed by further providing said system with a first ribbon means which includes a first ribbon positioned between said first pair of printing elements and said surface, said first ribbon moving an amount equal to the distance across one of said areas each time said first print signal occurs in response to a signal applied to said first ribbon means, said first ribbon movement occurring prior to the occurrence of said first print signal in the event said first print signal is applied to said one printing element of said first pair of printing elements, and said first ribbon movement occurring after the occurrence of said first print signal in the event said first print signal is applied to said other printing element of said second pair of printing elements, and by providing said system with a second ribbon means which includes a second ribbon positioned between said second pair of printing elements and said surface, said second ribbon moving by an amount equal to the distance across one of said areas each time said second print signal occurs in response to a signal applied to said second ribbon means, said second ribbon movement occurring prior to the occurrence of said second print signal in the event said second print signal is applied to said one printing element of said second pair of printing elements, and said second ribbon movement occurring after the occurrence of said second print signal in the event said second print signal is applied to said other printing element of said second pair of printing elements: wherein a signal is applied to said first ribbon means prior to said given time each time said first count signal is said first value and a signal is applied to said second ribbon means prior to said given time each time said first count signal is said second value; and wherein a signal is applied to said first ribbon means after said given time each time said second count signal is said first value and a signal is applied to said second ribbon means after said given time each time said second count signal is said second value.

Claim 12

In a system in which a sequence of first, second and third indicia of respective first, second and third different detectable characteristics is caused to be printed on a record medium in response to a given binary code, said sequence representing said given binary code according to the transition from one characteristic to another characteristic in such a manner that transitions from first to second, second to third, or third to first characteristics represent one binary value and transitions from third to second, second to first, and first to third characteristics represent the other binary value, a binary code to indicia code converter comprising: means for providing a plurality of bit signals, one at a time, each bit signal being indicative of one of said values of said given binary code; a modulo three counter which is responsive to said bit signals in such a manner that a bit signal indicative of one of said binary values will cause the count in said counter to increase by one and a bit signal indicative of said other of said binary values will cause the count in said counter to decrease by one, each different count in said counter representing a different one of said characteristics of said sequence of indicia; and means which in response to the sequence of counts in said counter provides signals to cause said sequence of indicia to be printed on said record medium.

Claim 13

In a system in which a sequence of first, second and third indicia of respective first, second and third different detectable characteristics is caused to be printed on a record medium in response to a given binary code, said sequence representing said given binary code according to the transition from one characteristic to another characteristic in such a manner that transitions from first to second, second to third, or third to first characteristics represent one binary value and transitions from third to second, second to first, and first to third characteristics represent the other binary value, a binary code to indicia code converter comprising: means for providing a plurality of bit signals, one at a time, each bit signal being indicative of one of said values of said given binary code; a modulo three counter which is responsive to said bit signals in such a manner that a bit signal indicative of one of said binary values will cause the count in said counter to increase by one and a bit signal indicative of said other of said binary values will cause the count in said counter to decrease by one, each different count in said counter representing a different one of said characteristics of said sequence of indicia; and means which in response to the sequence of counts in said counter provides signals to cause said sequence of indicia to be printed on said record medium.

Claim 14

The invention according to claim 10 wherein said means for providing signals to cause said sequence of indicia to be printed includes a decoding circuit for determining the count in the counter at any given time.

Claim 15

The invention according to claim 10 wherein said means for providing signals to cause said sequence of indicia to be printed includes a decoding circuit having first and second outputs, there being a signal provided at said first output whenever the count in said counter is a first value and there being a signal provided at said second output whenever the the count in said counter is a second value; and wherein said third characteristic is the background characteristic of said record medium and said first and second characteristics are caused to be printed on said medium in response to said signals provided at said decoding circuit outputs.