SHEET IDENTIFYING DEVICE

• US 20100026990A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Corp., SETA Corporation (Universal Entertainment Corporation)
• Inventors: Nireki, Takao, Nonaka, Nobuyuki, Fujimoto, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,194,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/71
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/205 Matching spectral properties

Abstract

A sheet identifying device comprising a light-receiving section (26) for reading each pixel on a sheet which involves color information including a brightness, has a predetermined size, and is handled as one unit, a RAM (114) for storing image data constructed of read pixels, a pixel data increasing/decreasing section (116a) for increasing/decreasing the number of pixels of the image data, and a judging section for judging authentication of the sheet on the basis of the increased/decreased image data.

Claims

1. A sheet identifying device, comprising:

a reader for reading a sheet in pixels, a respective one of which includes color information having brightness, a predetermined size of which is defined as one unit;

a storage section for storing image data made up of the plurality of pixels read by means of the reader;

an increasing/decreasing section for increasing/decreasing a number of pixels in the image data; and

a sheet identifying section for identifying authentication of the sheet, based upon the image data increased/decreased by means of the increasing/decreasing section.

2. The sheet identifying device according to claim 1, wherein the number of pixels is increased/decreased by means of the increasing/decreasing section at a ratio different from another one in a sheet acquisition direction and in a direction orthogonal thereto.

3. The sheet identifying device according to claim 1, comprising a parameter setting section for setting an increasing/decreasing ratio so that increasing/decreasing the number of pixels by means of the increasing/decreasing section is executed at a predetermined increasing/decreasing ratio in the sheet acquisition direction and in the direction orthogonal thereto.

4. The sheet identifying device according to claim 1, comprising a variable wavelength light-emitting section which is capable of irradiating a print area of the sheet with light beams having different wavelengths.

5. A sheet identifying device, comprising:

a variable wavelength light-emitting section which irradiates a print area of a sheet with light beams having different wavelengths;

a sensor for sensing at least one of transmission light and reflection light obtained from the sheet with respect to light emitted from the variable wavelength light-emitting section;

a storage section for storing reference sheet data of the sheet obtained from light having a wavelength in response to the wavelength of the light with which the sheet is irradiated; and

an authentication judging section for comparing the sheet data sensed by means of the sensor with the reference sheet data based upon the wavelength of the irradiated light, and thereafter, judging authentication of the sheet.

6. The sheet identifying device according to claim 5, wherein the variable wavelength light-emitting section is capable of irradiating a sheet with light having any wavelength in a range from a ultraviolet-ray zone to an infrared-ray zone.

7. The sheet identifying device according to claim 5, wherein the variable wavelength light-emitting section is capable of irradiating a sheet targeted to be transferred, with light beams having different wavelengths while the sheet is transferred.

8. The sheet identifying device according to claim 5, wherein the variable wavelength light-emitting section is disposed along a transfer direction of the sheet and is capable of irradiating the sheet with linear light.

9. The sheet identifying device according to claim 5, wherein the variable wavelength light-emitting section has a surface light emitting element.

10. The sheet identifying device according to claim 5, wherein the storage section is capable of rewriting reference sheet data of the sheet.