Apparatus for discriminating specified sorts of printed matters

Claim 1

An apparatus for discriminating printed matter having an identification pattern printed in magnetic ink, comprising: (a) an input passage having a printed matter-inserting port; (b) feeding means for feeding the printed matter inserted in the inserting port into the passage; (c) magnetic sensor means for magnetically scanning the printed matter fed into the passage along a given path thereof, and producing an analog pattern signal corresponding to the identification pattern thereon; (d) timing signal generating means for producing a timing signal with a time interval proportional to the feed speed of the feeding means; (e) standard memory means for storing a standard signal including at least a series of digital reference data; and (f) control means including means for, sampling and digitizing said analog pattern signal in response to said timing signal for producing a series of digital sample data indicative of the amplitudes of the analog pattern signal, comparing the digital reference data with the digital sample data respectively a plurality of times wherein the series of reference data is successively shifted relative to the series of sample data by a datum corresponding to the time interval of the timing signal, for the occurrence of a coincidence in reference positions of the sample data and reference data, counting the number of coincidences or non-coincidences of the respective data occurring in the comparison for each data-shifted time, determining a coincidence or non-coincidence of the series of the sample data and the series of the reference data by the number of coincidences or non-coincidences counted each time, and outputting an output signal indicative of the determined coincidence or non-coincidence of the series of the sample data and the series of the reference data.

Claim 2

An apparatus for discriminating printed matter having an identification pattern printed in magnetic ink, comprising: (a) an input passage having a printed matter-inserting port; (b) feeding means for feeding the printed matter inserted in the inserting port into the passage; (c) magnetic sensor means for magnetically scanning the printed matter fed into the passage along a given path thereof, and producing an analog pattern signal corresponding to the identification pattern thereon; (d) timing signal generating means for producing a timing signal with a time interval proportional to the feed speed of the feeding means; (e) standard memory means for storing a standard signal including at least a series of digital reference data; and (f) control means including means for, sampling and digitizing said analog pattern signal in response to said timing signal for producing a series of digital sample data indicative of the amplitudes of the analog pattern signal, comparing the digital reference data with the digital sample data respectively a plurality of times wherein the series of reference data is successively shifted relative to the series of sample data by a datum corresponding to the time interval of the timing signal, for the occurrence of a coincidence in reference positions of the sample data and reference data, counting the number of coincidences or non-coincidences of the respective data occurring in the comparison for each data-shifted time, determining a coincidence or non-coincidence of the series of the sample data and the series of the reference data by the number of coincidences or non-coincidences counted each time, and outputting an output signal indicative of the determined coincidence or non-coincidence of the series of the sample data and the series of the reference data.