Monetary document profile location and predetermined selected path apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for locating the denomination indicia contiguous with the Treasury seal on documents of United States paper currency each having a portrait thereon and a margin thereabout and said indicia being imprinted with magnetically susceptible iron oxide ink and said seal being printed with ink that is not magnetically susceptible, and for selecting a predetermined longitudinal path through said indicia comprising means for transporting said documents, lengthwise, along a course; means associated with said course for magnetizing the iron oxide ink printing of documents transported therealong; a first magnetic reproduce head, associated with said course, having a plurality of tracks oriented along a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of motion of each document transported thereagainst; a second magnetic reproduce head, associated with said course, having a like plurality of tracks oriented along a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of motion of each document transported thereagainst, said tracks of said second head being aligned with said tracks of said first head in the course direction; means associated with said first head for detecting a leading edge of said margin of each document transported against said first head; means responsive to detection of said leading edge margin for producing a set of timing signals; a like plurality of latch means responsive to said tracks of said first magnetic head upon receipt of one of said timing signals indicative of a likelihood of a portion of said denomination indicia being in proximity to said first head; shift register means having a like plurality of stages responsive to said latch means when said likelihood of a portion of said denomination indicia is initially in proximity to said first head; means for applying a series of clocking pulses for shifting said shift register means at a time interval when said likelihood of a portion of said denomination indicia is in proximity to said first head; counting means for providing a count at an output thereof; means for clearing said counting means prior to detection of said leading edge margin; means for incrementing the count of said counting means by effectively applying a single clocking pulse thereto prior to said interval and for applying additional clocking pulses thereto during said interval; means responsive to the outputs of a plurality of selected stages of said shift register means being in the same state for providing a track select enable signal and for causing said counting means to cease incrementation, though some or all of said additional clocking pulses have yet to be applied to said counting means during said interval; an amplifier; and switching means, enabled by said track select enable signal, and responsive to said count of said counting means for selecting one of said tracks of said second magnetic reproduce head for coupling to said amplifier, whereby, said amplifier becomes adapted to provide a signal indicative of said predetermined longitudinal path through said indicia.