Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
201 words
A system for keeping accounts between a plurality of institutions having affiliated customers who provide identifying information to and receive documents of value from a plurality of document dispensing machines; and a plurality of entities supplying documents to said machines; wherein each of said machines includes at least one removable container for holding documents prior to dispense therefrom; and wherein said accounts are computed and stored in a computer means for computing amounts owed by said institutions to said entities responsive to signals representative of said customers and said dispensed documents generated by said machines, said computer means including a processor and a memory, said memory including data on said customers, institutions, entities, and accounts; wherein an improvement in said system comprises: a machine readable indicia on said containers, said indicia having a first arrangement associated with a first entity supplying documents in a first container; means in said machines for reading said indicia when said first container is positioned therein and for generating first signals representative of said arrangement; and wherein said computer means receives said first signals, identifies said first entity and computers amounts owed to said first entity by said institutions for documents received by their affiliated customers.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
201 words
A system for keeping accounts between a plurality of institutions having affiliated customers who provide identifying information to and receive documents of value from a plurality of document dispensing machines; and a plurality of entities supplying documents to said machines; wherein each of said machines includes at least one removable container for holding documents prior to dispense therefrom; and wherein said accounts are computed and stored in a computer means for computing amounts owed by said institutions to said entities responsive to signals representative of said customers and said dispensed documents generated by said machines, said computer means including a processor and a memory, said memory including data on said customers, institutions, entities, and accounts; wherein an improvement in said system comprises: a machine readable indicia on said containers, said indicia having a first arrangement associated with a first entity supplying documents in a first container; means in said machines for reading said indicia when said first container is positioned therein and for generating first signals representative of said arrangement; and wherein said computer means receives said first signals, identifies said first entity and computers amounts owed to said first entity by said institutions for documents received by their affiliated customers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system according to claim 1 wherein said machine readable indicia comprise a plurality of protuberances extending from a wall of said first containers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system according to claim 2 wherein said wall includes a plurality of holes and said protuberances are spring loaded buttons extending through said holes.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
190 words
A method for keeping accounts between a plurality of institutions having affiliated customers who provide identifying information to and receive documents from a plurality of document dispensing machines, each of said machines having at least one removable document container for holding documents prior to dispense; and a plurality of entities supplying documents in said containers; and wherein in said method accounts owed by said institutions to said entities are calculated in a computer which receives signals from said machines representative of said customer information and said documents dispensed to said customers, and said computer stores information on said affiliation of said customers to said institutions; wherein an improvement in said method comprises: labeling a first container installed in a first machine with machine readable indicia, said indicia having a first arrangement associated with a first entity providing documents therein; reading said indicia with reading means in said machine, and generating first signals representative of said arrangement; identifying said first entity from said first signals in said computer, and calculating an amount owed to said first entity by said institutions for documents received from said first machine by their affiliated customers.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
190 words
A method for keeping accounts between a plurality of institutions having affiliated customers who provide identifying information to and receive documents from a plurality of document dispensing machines, each of said machines having at least one removable document container for holding documents prior to dispense; and a plurality of entities supplying documents in said containers; and wherein in said method accounts owed by said institutions to said entities are calculated in a computer which receives signals from said machines representative of said customer information and said documents dispensed to said customers, and said computer stores information on said affiliation of said customers to said institutions; wherein an improvement in said method comprises: labeling a first container installed in a first machine with machine readable indicia, said indicia having a first arrangement associated with a first entity providing documents therein; reading said indicia with reading means in said machine, and generating first signals representative of said arrangement; identifying said first entity from said first signals in said computer, and calculating an amount owed to said first entity by said institutions for documents received from said first machine by their affiliated customers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 4 wherein said machine readable indicia comprises protuberances extending from a wall of said container, said protuberance located in a plurality of locations, and wherein said first arrangement is formed by locating said protuberances in selected locations.