Coded document

Claim 1

A substantially rectangular document bearing information encoded in a machine-readable format including a plurality of code groups each of which furnishes at least one essential bit of information for each coded character; said document comprising on at least one face thereof: a. a first area adjacent a first edge of said document and bearing a first one of said code groups; b. a second area adjacent said first area and bearing the remainder of said code groups; c. and a third area adjacent an edge of said document opposite said first edge, said third area being at least as large as said first area in a direction transverse to said edges whereby incorrect positioning of said document in a reader device interposes said third area in the portion of said reader which is designed to read first area, and said third area is devoid of code bits of said format whereby the absence of an output derived from said first area provided an indication of the incorrect positioning of said document in said reader; there being at least first and second code groups, the first code group having at least three bit positions and the second code group having at least four bit positions, and said code format employing at least one photo-electrically readable bit in each group; said non-coded third area being contiguous to said second code group area; said bits employed in said first and second code groups being imprinted with luminescent material; and said document being a non-ink-receptive card and said non-coded third area being covered with an ink-receptive material to carry a signature.