US4550247A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical scanning reader system for loading computers
Assignee: Databar Corp
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Filing: 1984-01-13
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Granted: 1985-10-29
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Expires: 2004-01-13
Abstract
Abstract Computer programs or other informational data are recorded on one or more sheets in the form of lines of optical bar code. At least one Control Array line containing characters which define the format for the program or other informational data to be transmitted to a specific digital computer is included in the optical bar code in addition to the data lines which contain characters representing the particular program of other information. A bar code scanner scans the lines of optical bar code and converts the scanned marks and spaces of the optical bar code into digital data representative of the characters in the line which is scanned. The digital data from the Control Array line is stored as Control Array data, and the digital data from one or more data lines are stored as program or informational data. After a predetermined amount of program or informational data has been stored, the scanner transmits the stored program or informational data to the digital computer in a format which is based upon the stored Control Array data.
Inventors
- 👤 Arthur J. Winter
- 👤 Rodney L. Larson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 08:25
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K7/00; G06K7/10; G06K7/10544; G06K7/10821; G06K7/10881; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/08; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/44; G06F9/445
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
195 words
A system for loading prerecorded computer programs into a digital computer, the prerecorded computer program being recorded in the form of a plurality of lines of optical bar code, the plurality of lines including at least one Control Array line containing characters identifying the digital computer for which the program is written and defining a format for program data to be transmitted to the digital computer, and the plurality of lines including at least one data line containing additional characters representing the program data, the system comprising an optical bar code reader for providing an output representative of mark and space bars of the optical bar code as relative movement of the reader with respect to the optical bar code occurs, means for converting the output of the optical bar code reader for each line into digital data representative of the characters in that line, means for storing the digital data from the Control Array line as Control Array data, means for storing the digital data from the data line as program data, and means for transmitting the stored program data to the digital computer in a format based upon the stored Control Array data.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
195 words
A system for loading prerecorded computer programs into a digital computer, the prerecorded computer program being recorded in the form of a plurality of lines of optical bar code, the plurality of lines including at least one Control Array line containing characters identifying the digital computer for which the program is written and defining a format for program data to be transmitted to the digital computer, and the plurality of lines including at least one data line containing additional characters representing the program data, the system comprising an optical bar code reader for providing an output representative of mark and space bars of the optical bar code as relative movement of the reader with respect to the optical bar code occurs, means for converting the output of the optical bar code reader for each line into digital data representative of the characters in that line, means for storing the digital data from the Control Array line as Control Array data, means for storing the digital data from the data line as program data, and means for transmitting the stored program data to the digital computer in a format based upon the stored Control Array data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 1 wherein each line begins with a predetermined start-of-line character.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 2 wherein the means for converting does not begin converting the output of the optical bar code reader into digital data until the output has changed in a first predetermined manner indicative of the start-of-line character.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 3 wherein each line ends with a predetermined end-of-line character.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the means for converting discontinues further converting of the output between a time when the output changes in a second predetermined manner indicative of the end-of-line character and a time when the output changes in the first predetermined manner indicative of another start-of-line character.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
The system of claim 1 wherein each line includes at least one character for defining a line number for that line, and wherein the system further includes means for checking the line number of each line based upon digital data from the means for converting, and means for providing a warning signal if the line number of the line does not have a predetermined relationship to preceding line numbers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
77 words
The system of claim 1 wherein each line includes at least one checksum character representing a value which, when summed with values of the other characters of the line, produces a predetermined value, and wherein the system further includes means for summing the digital data from the line to produce a checksum total, and means for providing a warning signal indicating the line was not read correctly if the checksum total does not equal the predetermined value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the Control Array data includes a transmit block length, a number of times the block is to be transmitted, a leader length, an Inter-Record Gap length, a gap content, and start, mark, space and end bit waveform times.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 8 wherein the Control Array information further includes mark, space and Inter-Record Gap marks.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the Control Array line includes function characters which identify it as a Control Array line, and wherein the data line includes function characters which identify it as a data line.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
186 words
A system for loading information into a digital computer comprising carrier means having thereon at least one Control Array line of optical bar code and at least one data line of optical bar code, said Control Array line containing characters representing Control Array data which define a format for information data to be transmitted to the digital computer and said data line containing characters representing the information data to be transmitted, and bar code scanner means for scanning said lines of optical bar code and loading the information represented by the data line into the digital computer, the bar code scanner means including means for providing an output representative of the mark and space bars of each line, means for converting the output for each line into digital data representative of the characters in that line, means for storing the digital data from the Control Array line as the Control Array data and the digital data from the data line as the information data, and means for transmitting the stored information data to the digital computer in the format defined by the stored Control Array data.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
186 words
A system for loading information into a digital computer comprising carrier means having thereon at least one Control Array line of optical bar code and at least one data line of optical bar code, said Control Array line containing characters representing Control Array data which define a format for information data to be transmitted to the digital computer and said data line containing characters representing the information data to be transmitted, and bar code scanner means for scanning said lines of optical bar code and loading the information represented by the data line into the digital computer, the bar code scanner means including means for providing an output representative of the mark and space bars of each line, means for converting the output for each line into digital data representative of the characters in that line, means for storing the digital data from the Control Array line as the Control Array data and the digital data from the data line as the information data, and means for transmitting the stored information data to the digital computer in the format defined by the stored Control Array data.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 11 wherein each of said lines begins with a predetermined start-of-line character.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 12 wherein the means for converting does not begin converting the output of the optical bar code reader into digital data until the output has changed in a first predetermined manner indicative of the start-of-line character.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 13 wherein each line ends with a predetermined end-of-line character.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of claim 14 wherein the means for converting discontinues further converting of the output between a time when the output changes in a second predetermined manner indicative of the end-of-line character and a time when the output changes in the first predetermined manner indicative of another start-of-line character.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
73 words
The system of claim 11 wherein each of said lines includes at least one character for defining a line number for that line, and wherein the bar code scanner means further comprises means for checking the line number of each line based upon digital data from said converting means, and means for providing a warning signal if the line number of the line does not have a predetermined relationship to preceding line numbers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
80 words
The system of claim 11 wherein each line includes at least one checksum character representing a value which, when summed with values of the other characters of the line, produces a predetermined value, and where the bar code scanner means further includes means for summing the digital data from the line to produce a checksum total, and means for providing a warning signal indicating the line was not read correctly if the checksum total does not equal the predetermined value.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
44 words
The system of claim 11 wherein the Control Array data includes a transmit block length, a number of times the block is to be transmitted, a leader length, an Inter-Record Gap length, a gap content, and start, mark, space and end bit waveform times.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
159 words
A system for loading a computer utilizing a program and Control Array recorded on a carrier in the form of a plurality of lines of optical bar code comprising a Control Array line on the carrier containing a start-of-line character, a function byte which identifies the Control Array line, a machine type byte which identifies a computer for which the program is written, a plurality of bytes which define a format for program data to be transferred to the computers, a checksum byte which, when summed with other bytes of the Control Array line, yields a predetermined value, and an end-of-line character, the carrier further including thereon at least one data line containing a start-of-line character, a line number byte, a function byte which identifies the data line, a plurality of data bytes which represent the program data, a checksum byte which, when summed with other bytes of the data line, yields the predetermined value, and an end-of-line character.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
159 words
A system for loading a computer utilizing a program and Control Array recorded on a carrier in the form of a plurality of lines of optical bar code comprising a Control Array line on the carrier containing a start-of-line character, a function byte which identifies the Control Array line, a machine type byte which identifies a computer for which the program is written, a plurality of bytes which define a format for program data to be transferred to the computers, a checksum byte which, when summed with other bytes of the Control Array line, yields a predetermined value, and an end-of-line character, the carrier further including thereon at least one data line containing a start-of-line character, a line number byte, a function byte which identifies the data line, a plurality of data bytes which represent the program data, a checksum byte which, when summed with other bytes of the data line, yields the predetermined value, and an end-of-line character.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3238501A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-10-28 | 1989-04-29 | 1989-10-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-10-28 | 1993-04-29 | 1993-10-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-10-28 | 1997-04-29 | 1997-10-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |