US7103438B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System and method for searching and verifying documents in a document processing device
Assignee: Cummins Allison Corp
•
Filing: 2003-09-15
•
Granted: 2006-09-05
•
Expires: 2023-09-15
Abstract
Abstract A method of processing barcoded tickets in a document processing device including receiving a stack of barcoded tickets in an input receptacle of a document processing device. Each barcoded ticket includes a document-identifier or ticket number that identifies the barcoded ticket. At least one specific document-identifier is inputted by the operator to search for a specific document in a stack of documents. Each of the documents are transported, one at a time, past a detector, which detects the document-identifier of each ticket. A determination is made whether a detected document-identifier matches the specific document-identifier requested by the operator, and if so, the ticket in question is directed to a pre-programmed or user-specified output receptacle.
Inventors
- 👤 Curtis W. Hallowell
- 👤 Robert Fitzgerald
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 05:10
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07D; G07D7/00; G07D7/004; G07D7/0043; G07D11/00; G07D11/20; G07D11/30; G07D11/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 55
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of processing documents in a document processing device, the method comprising the acts of: receiving a stack of documents including substitute currency media in an input receptacle of a document processing device, each substitute currency medium bearing a document-identifier; accepting as an input at least one specific document-identifier to be searched; transporting each of the documents, one at a time, past a detector; detecting the document-identifier of each substitute currency medium; determining whether a detected document-identifier matches the at least one specific document-identifier; and directing the substitute currency medium that bears the specific document-identifier, such substitute currency medium being termed a specific document, to at least one output receptacle based on the act of determining.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of processing documents in a document processing device, the method comprising the acts of: receiving a stack of documents including substitute currency media in an input receptacle of a document processing device, each substitute currency medium bearing a document-identifier; accepting as an input at least one specific document-identifier to be searched; transporting each of the documents, one at a time, past a detector; detecting the document-identifier of each substitute currency medium; determining whether a detected document-identifier matches the at least one specific document-identifier; and directing the substitute currency medium that bears the specific document-identifier, such substitute currency medium being termed a specific document, to at least one output receptacle based on the act of determining.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein said substitute currency media are one of barcoded tickets, casino cashout tickets, and coupons.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the act of halting operation of said document processing device after the step of directing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein said document-identifier is a ticket number.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of detecting is carried out using at least one of a barcode reader, an optical scan head, a magnetic sensor, a thread sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet/fluorescent light scan head, an image scanner, and an imaging camera.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the act of directing all of the documents in the stack of documents except the specific document to a second output receptacle.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the act of directing all of the documents in the stack of documents except the specific document to any one or more output receptacles other than the at least one output receptacle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 7 , further comprising the act of directing the documents to a first output receptacle until a predetermined limit is reached.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the act of storing the document-identifier for each document in a memory.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the act of indicating that the document-identifier on the specific document matches the specific document-identifier.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein said act of indicating is one of an audible and visual indication.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the act of accepting as inputs a plurality of specific document-identifiers, each specific document-identifier being associated with a respective specific document.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
159 words
A device for processing documents, comprising: an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of documents including substitute currency media, each substitute currency medium being associated with a document-identifier; at least one output receptacle adapted to receive documents after the documents have been processed; a transport mechanism adapted to transport the documents, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the at least one output receptacle along a transport path; an evaluation unit comprising at least one detector disposed along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacle, the at least one detector being capable of detecting the document-identifier for each document; and a controller coupled to the evaluation unit, the controller being adapted to control the operation of the transport mechanism and the operation of the evaluation unit, the controller including a memory, the memory storing instructions that determine whether a detected document-identifier matches a specific document-identifier received as an input by said controller.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
159 words
A device for processing documents, comprising: an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of documents including substitute currency media, each substitute currency medium being associated with a document-identifier; at least one output receptacle adapted to receive documents after the documents have been processed; a transport mechanism adapted to transport the documents, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the at least one output receptacle along a transport path; an evaluation unit comprising at least one detector disposed along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacle, the at least one detector being capable of detecting the document-identifier for each document; and a controller coupled to the evaluation unit, the controller being adapted to control the operation of the transport mechanism and the operation of the evaluation unit, the controller including a memory, the memory storing instructions that determine whether a detected document-identifier matches a specific document-identifier received as an input by said controller.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein said specific document-identifier is a ticket number of a ticket to be found in said stack of documents.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
The device of claim 13 , further comprising a visual indicator adapted to indicate that a document bearing a document-identifier that matches said specific document-identifier has been found.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein said substitute currency media are casino cashout tickets.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device of claim 16 , wherein said substitute currency media includes at least one of casino script, casino cashout tickets, retailer coupons, and gift certificates.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
14 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein said substitute currency media are barcoded tickets.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one output receptacle is exactly one output receptacle.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one output receptacle is exactly two output receptacles.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one output receptacle is at least eight output receptacles.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the transport mechanism is adapted to transport the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 600 documents per minute.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the transport mechanism is adapted to transport the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1000 documents per minute.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the transport mechanism is adapted to transport the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1200 documents per minute.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
51 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the detector includes at least one of an optical scan head, a magnetic sensor, a size-detection sensor, a density sensor, a thread sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet-light scan head, a fluorescent scan head, a barcode reader, an image scanner, and an imaging camera.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
13 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the document-identifier is an imprinted barcode.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 13 , wherein the document-identifier is an imprinted set of alphanumeric characters representative of said document-identifier.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
190 words
A method of processing documents in a document processing device, the method comprising the acts of: receiving a plurality of documents including substitute currency media in an input receptacle of a document processing device, each substitute currency medium bearing a document-identifier; transporting each of the documents, one document at a time, past a detector in said document processing device; detecting the document-identifier for each substitute currency medium; converting the detected document-identifier into a representative set of alphanumeric characters; storing said set of alphanumeric characters in a memory of said document processing device; directing a first set of the plurality of documents to at least one output receptacle until a predetermined limit of documents has been received by the at least one output receptacle, said first set of the plurality of documents being termed a first stack of documents; assigning a stack-identifier to said first stack of documents; correlating said stack-identifier with each document-identifier associated with substitute currency medium in said first stack of documents; accepting as an input at least one specific document-identifier to be found; and determining whether said specific document-identifier is located within said first stack of documents.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
190 words
A method of processing documents in a document processing device, the method comprising the acts of: receiving a plurality of documents including substitute currency media in an input receptacle of a document processing device, each substitute currency medium bearing a document-identifier; transporting each of the documents, one document at a time, past a detector in said document processing device; detecting the document-identifier for each substitute currency medium; converting the detected document-identifier into a representative set of alphanumeric characters; storing said set of alphanumeric characters in a memory of said document processing device; directing a first set of the plurality of documents to at least one output receptacle until a predetermined limit of documents has been received by the at least one output receptacle, said first set of the plurality of documents being termed a first stack of documents; assigning a stack-identifier to said first stack of documents; correlating said stack-identifier with each document-identifier associated with substitute currency medium in said first stack of documents; accepting as an input at least one specific document-identifier to be found; and determining whether said specific document-identifier is located within said first stack of documents.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 28 , wherein said stack-identifier includes at least one of a date stamp and a time stamp.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 28 , wherein said stack-identifier is unique from all other stack-identifiers assigned in the step of assigning.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 28 , wherein said predetermined limit is 2,000 documents.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 28 , further comprising the act of printing a receipt that includes at least one of the date of printing, the time of printing, the number of documents included in said first stack of documents, and a set of alphanumeric characters uniquely identifying said first stack of documents.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 28 , further comprising the act of causing said first stack of documents to be stored in a storage cassette.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 28 , further comprising the act of causing said first stack of documents to be stored in a storage bag.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 28 , wherein said substitute currency media are barcoded tickets and said document-identifier is a ticket number corresponding to a barcoded ticket.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 28 , further comprising the act of generating a table in memory that stores the value of each document-identifier with its corresponding stack-identifier.
Claim 40
Independent Claim
217 words
A device for processing documents, comprising: an input receptacle adapted to receive a plurality of documents including substitute currency media, each substitute currency medium bearing a document-identifier; at least one output receptacle adapted to receive a predetermined number of documents after they have been processed, said predetermined number of documents being termed a first stack of documents; a transport mechanism adapted to transport the documents, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the at least one output receptacle along a transport path; an evaluation unit including at least one detector disposed along the transport path between the input receptacle and the at least one output receptacle, the at least one detector being capable of evaluating documents and detecting the document-identifier for each substitute currency medium; and a controller coupled to the evaluation unit, the controller being adapted to control the operation of the transport mechanism and the operation of the evaluation unit, the controller including a memory that stores a stack-identifier assigned to said first stack of documents, the memory including the document-identifier of each of the documents comprising the first stack of documents, each document-identifier being correlated with a respective stack-identifier, the memory further including instructions for determining whether a specific document-identifier inputted into said controller is located within said first stack of documents.
Claim 41
Independent Claim
217 words
A device for processing documents, comprising: an input receptacle adapted to receive a plurality of documents including substitute currency media, each substitute currency medium bearing a document-identifier; at least one output receptacle adapted to receive a predetermined number of documents after they have been processed, said predetermined number of documents being termed a first stack of documents; a transport mechanism adapted to transport the documents, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the at least one output receptacle along a transport path; an evaluation unit including at least one detector disposed along the transport path between the input receptacle and the at least one output receptacle, the at least one detector being capable of evaluating documents and detecting the document-identifier for each substitute currency medium; and a controller coupled to the evaluation unit, the controller being adapted to control the operation of the transport mechanism and the operation of the evaluation unit, the controller including a memory that stores a stack-identifier assigned to said first stack of documents, the memory including the document-identifier of each of the documents comprising the first stack of documents, each document-identifier being correlated with a respective stack-identifier, the memory further including instructions for determining whether a specific document-identifier inputted into said controller is located within said first stack of documents.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the memory includes instructions to assign at least one of a date corresponding to said stack-identifier and a time corresponding to said stack-identifier.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein said stack-identifier is unique from all other stack-identifiers assigned by said controller.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
13 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein said predetermined number is 2,000 documents.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
14 words
The device of claim 37 , further comprising a printer coupled to said controller.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
40 words
The device of claim 41 , wherein said printer is adapted to print a receipt that includes a date, the number of documents included in said first stack of documents, and the stack-identifier associated with said first stack of documents.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the substitute currency media includes at least one of casino script, casino cashout tickets, retailer coupons, and gift certificates.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
17 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the document-identifier is a ticket number of a barcoded ticket.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
18 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the at least one output receptacle is exactly one output receptacle.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
18 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the at least one output receptacle is exactly two output receptacles.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the at least one output receptacle is at least eight output receptacles.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
36 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the transport mechanism is adapted to transport the documents along the transport path at a rate of between about 600 documents per minute and about 1600 documents per minute.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
13 words
The device of claim 37 , wherein the document-identifier is an imprinted barcode.
Claim 54
Independent Claim
123 words
A method of processing documents in a document processing device, the method comprising the acts of: receiving a stack of documents including casino cashout tickets in an input receptacle of a document processing device, each casino cashout ticket bearing a document-identifier; accepting as an input at least one specific document-identifier of a specific casino cashout ticket to be searched; transporting each of the documents, one at a time, past a detector; detecting the document-identifier of each casino cashout ticket; determining whether a detected document-identifier matches the at least one specific document-identifier; and directing the casino cashout ticket that bears the specific document-identifier, such casino cashout ticket being termed a specific document, to at least one output receptacle based on the step of determining.
Claim 55
Independent Claim
123 words
A method of processing documents in a document processing device, the method comprising the acts of: receiving a stack of documents including casino cashout tickets in an input receptacle of a document processing device, each casino cashout ticket bearing a document-identifier; accepting as an input at least one specific document-identifier of a specific casino cashout ticket to be searched; transporting each of the documents, one at a time, past a detector; detecting the document-identifier of each casino cashout ticket; determining whether a detected document-identifier matches the at least one specific document-identifier; and directing the casino cashout ticket that bears the specific document-identifier, such casino cashout ticket being termed a specific document, to at least one output receptacle based on the step of determining.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2009-09-04 | 2010-03-06 | 2010-09-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-09-04 | 2014-03-06 | 2014-09-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-09-04 | 2018-03-06 | 2018-09-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |