DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

• US 3,598,964 A
• Filed: 12/06/1967
• Issued: 08/10/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Crews John Benjamin, Dell Robert
• Original Assignee: Crews John Benjamin, Dell Robert
• Inventors: DELL ROBERT, CREWS JOHN BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US04/688,422
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0163 by means of additional timing marks on the record-carrier

Abstract

Data processing apparatus and cooperating tickets adapted for use in a transportation system. The ticket has fare data encoded on one side, as well as direction-of-travel indicia. Reading heads will read the indicia on the ticket irrespective of ticket orientation. Gate circuits responsive to a direction-of-travel indicia-reading head and data-reading heads place the data read into a storage register with the digits in proper significant order, whether the highest or lowest significant digit is read first. The read data is then compared with preset data, and a barrier release signal is provided if the read data is satisfactory.

Claims

1. An electronic binary-coded data reading and processing system for tickets having markings recorded thereon representing date information, travelling data and timing data, comprising a first set of sensing heads responsive to the date information markings recorded on the ticket to produce signals indicative thereof, a further set of sensing heads responsive to the data and timing markings to produce distinctive output signals indicative of each, direction-indicating means responsive to the markings recorded on the ticket to provide signals indicative of the orientation or direction of travel of the ticket with respect to the sensing heads, gating means responsive to said timing signals and to said orientation signals and arranged to pass the timing signals to one or other of a pair of counting devices according to the orientation of the ticket, to initiate a count therein, further gating means responsive to output signals from said one or other counting devices indicative of the count therein and to said data signals, to pass a data signal upon coincidence between an output signal from the counting device and a data signal, means for storing said data signals passed by said further gating means, matrix means for comparing the data signals stored in said storage means with preset travelling data and arranged to produce a distinctive output signal whenever identity between sensed and preset data is established and control means responsive to said distinctive output signal to effect operation of a ticket barrier gate.

2. An electronic binary-coded data reading and processing system for tickets as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said pair of counting devices comprises a binary counter having a content equivalent to the number of timing markings recorded on the ticket and having the output of each stage coupled to a matrix having a number of outputs equivalent to the counter content, each matrix output being connected to one input of a respective one of a plurality of gating devices each having a further input connected in common to means supplying said data signals whereby whenever an output signal from a counter coincides with a data signal, the latter is passed by the respective gate to said storage means and the interconnections between one counter and the respective gating devices being reversed compared with the interconnections between the other counter and the respective gating devices such that when a count is initiated in one or other of the counters, data is stored in said storage means in the correct order irrespective of the orientation or direction of travel of the ticket with respect to said reading heads.

3. An electronic binary-coded data reading and processing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein date information markings recorded on a ticket are sensed by photoelectric sensing means and timing and travelling data recorded on the ticket are sensed by magnetic sensing means.

4. An electronic binary-coded data reading and processing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein all data markings recorded on the ticket are sensed by magnetic sensing meaNs.

5. An electronic binary-coded data reading and processing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said direction-indicating means are reset by the last count content of either counting device.

6. An electronic binary-coded data reading and processing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said storage means comprises a plurality of individual storage units each having associated therewith a respective decoding matrix arranged to provide a single output signal whenever identity is established between sensed and preset data signals supplied to said matrices, a further storage device being responsive to output signals from said matrices to produce a gate release signal from said further storage device whenever a predetermined number of tickets have been sensed.

7. An electronic binary-coded data recording and processing system as claimed in claim 6 wherein generation of a gate release pulse is arranged to reset all storage units to zero.