Method and apparatus for reading documents

Claim 2

Apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media comprising first sensing means for generating a control signal in response to sensing field identifying indicia, second sending means for generating signals in response to sensing successively M format and N data indicia, control means responsive to said control signal for generating a first signal indicating the sensing of format indicia and a second signal indicating the sensing of data indicia by said second sensing means, and means responsive to M sensed format indicia as indicated by said first signal for selecting M of N sensed data indicia as indicated by said second signal.

Claim 3

Apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media comprising sensing means having a plurality of channels including channels for sensing field defining indicia and channels for sensing data indicia, data type defining means responsive to signals from said field defining indicia channels for indicating detection of a particular type of fielded defining indicia, control means responsive to an indication by said data type defining means having detected a particular type of field defining indicia for generating a first control signal for indicating that the indicia being sensed by said data channels is a format character and for generating second control signals in response to said data channels sensing data indicia, means responsive to said first and second control signals for storing the signal from said data channels as a format character, means for generating selection signals for each signal from said storage means forming said format character, and means responsive to said second control signal for storing data signals from only those data channels selected by said selection signals.

Claim 4

Apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media comprising sensing means having a plurality of channels including channels for sensing field defining indicia and channels for sensing data indicia, data type defining means responsive to signals from said field defining indicia channels for indicating detection of a particular type of fielded defining indicia, control means responsive to an indication by said data type defining means having detected a particular type of field defining indicia for generating a first control signal for indicating that the indicia being sensed by said data channels is a format character and for generating second control signals in response to said data channels sensing data indicia, means responsive to said first and second control signals for storing the signal from said data channels as a format character, means for generating selection signals for each signal from said storage means forming said format character, and means responsive to said second control signal for storing data signals from only those data channels selected by said selection signals.

Claim 5

The apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media is in claim 2 wherein said data type defining means is a logical AND circuit.

Claim 6

The apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media as in claim 2 wherein the first of said second control signal is used to terminate said first control signal.

Claim 7

The apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media as in claim 2 wherein said means for generating selection signals comprises a clock for generating a plurality of phase pulses, a counter advanced by one of said phase pulses from said clock, and a plurality of logical AND circuits connected to receive signals from said counter and said format signals from storage.

Claim 8

The apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media as in claim 2 wherein said means for storing signals from only those data channels selected by said selection signals is a shift register.

Claim 9

The apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media as in claim 2 further comprising means for transferring data from said means for storing signals from only those data channels selected by said selection signal under control of one of said second control signals.

Claim 10

Apparatus for reading codeD data on information bearing media comprising sensing means having a plurality of channels including channels for sensing field defining indicia and channels for sensing data indicia, and a micro programmed processor including means for selecting signals generated by said sensing means to determine if said sensing means has sensed field defining indicia of a particular type, means responsive to the sensing of the field defining indicia of a particular type for testing to determined if any of the data channels of said sensing means has sensed any data indicia, means for initiating a window timer sequence of signals in resoonse to sensing data indicia, means for storing signals from said data channels during said window timer routine, means for indicating completion of said window timer routine, means responsive to completion of said window timer routine for indicating that the first character sensed by said data channels is a first character, second data storage means, means for transferring said stored data upon completion of sensing a first character to said second stroage means, third storage means, and means for entering bits of a second character sensed by said data channels under control of said first character.

Claim 11

Apparatus for reading codeD data on information bearing media comprising sensing means having a plurality of channels including channels for sensing field defining indicia and channels for sensing data indicia, and a micro programmed processor including means for selecting signals generated by said sensing means to determine if said sensing means has sensed field defining indicia of a particular type, means responsive to the sensing of the field defining indicia of a particular type for testing to determined if any of the data channels of said sensing means has sensed any data indicia, means for initiating a window timer sequence of signals in resoonse to sensing data indicia, means for storing signals from said data channels during said window timer routine, means for indicating completion of said window timer routine, means responsive to completion of said window timer routine for indicating that the first character sensed by said data channels is a first character, second data storage means, means for transferring said stored data upon completion of sensing a first character to said second stroage means, third storage means, and means for entering bits of a second character sensed by said data channels under control of said first character.

Claim 12

Apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media comprising sensing means having a plurality of channels including channels for sensing field defining indicia and channels for sensing data indicia, and a micro programmed processor coupled to said sensing means and having an assembled instruction sequence for performing a field mark detection routine to identify data field types, said field mark detection routine after identifying a field mark initiating a look for data routine to detect data sensed by said data channels to initiate a window timer routine for controlling collection of data sensed by said data channels, and a data translate routine having one branch for indicating that the data indicia sensed by said data channels and collected during said window timer routine is a first character and another branch for selecting data bits of a data character collected during said window transfer routine under control of bits of said first character, completion of said translate routine initiating said look for data routine.

Claim 13

Apparatus for reading coded data on information bearing media comprising sensing means having a plurality of channels including channels for sensing field defining indicia and channels for sensing data indicia, and a micro programmed processor coupled to said sensing means and having an assembled instruction sequence for performing a field mark detection routine to identify data field types, said field mark detection routine after identifying a field mark initiating a look for data routine to detect data sensed by said data channels to initiate a window timer routine for controlling collection of data sensed by said data channels, and a data translate routine having one branch for indicating that the data indicia sensed by said data channels and collected during said window timer routine is a first character and another branch for selecting data bits of a data character collected during said window transfer routine under control of bits of said first character, completion of said translate routine initiating said look for data routine.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a data transfer routine which is initiated upon each completion of said another branch of said translate routine for transferring the selected bits of a data character to form an assembled record of data characters.

Claim 19

A record medium comprising first sensible indicia located thereon to define data fields and to define the type of data within the associated fields, second sensible indicia located within said fields defined by said first sensible indicia to define which M of N data positions are to be sensed, and third sensible indicia located in said data fields in said M positions defined by said second indicia to represeNt data according to a predetermined code.

Claim 20

A record medium comprising first sensible indicia located thereon to define data fields and to define the type of data within the associated fields, second sensible indicia located within said fields defined by said first sensible indicia to define which M of N data positions are to be sensed, and third sensible indicia located in said data fields in said M positions defined by said second indicia to represeNt data according to a predetermined code.

Claim 21

The record medium as in claim 13 wherein said second and thord indicia are located in relationship to said first indicia so that said first indicia is a reference to facilitate sensing said second and third indicia.