INDICIA SYSTEM FOR CREDIT CARDS AND THE LIKE

• US 3,700,862 A
• Filed: 08/26/1969
• Issued: 10/24/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard K. Snook, Rodney W. Stout
• Original Assignee: Richard K. Snook, Rodney W. Stout
• Inventors: Stout, Rodney W., Snook, Richard K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook, Daryl W.
• Application Number:
  US04/853,138
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 235/61.12M,61.114,61.7B,61.12R,61.12N 340/149A,149R
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components

Abstract

A system for imprinting indicia in binary form on credit cards and similar plastic members which includes a printing mechanism for printing two tracks of clock or synchronizing pulses and two tracks of data pulses on spaced portions of a credit card. One data track is recorded in such manner that it is a complement of the other data track in order to provide at least 100 percent redundancy. A reading system is also disclosed and which involves a gating structure for determining true states of the complementary data in each of the data tracks at clock pulse time. In addition, the reading system compensates for a condition of skew in the printing or in the reading of the card.

Claims

1. An information bearing member capable of rendering information recorded thereon in digital type format, said member comprising a surface having a first clock pulse track with a plurality of bit positions thereon, a clock pulse in each bit position, a first data track having a plurality of bit positions corresponding to the bit positions on said first clock pulse track, binary type data pulses recorded in certain of the bit positions in said first data track, a second clock pulse track having a plurality of bit positions corresponding to the bit positions in said first clock pulse track, a clock pulse in each bit position on said second clock pulse track, a second data track having a plurality of bit positions corresponding to the bit positions in said first data track, and binary type data pulses recorded in certain of the bit positions on said second data track in complimentary from to the data pulses in the bit positions on said first data track so that a data pulse exists in a bit position on said second data track where no data pulse exists in a corresponding bit position on said first data track.

2. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that the member is formed of a plastic material.

3. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that the member is a credit card.

4. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that the first data track and first clock pulse track are spaced from the second data track and second clock track.

5. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that all four of said tracks are located in substantially parallel relationship and that the first data track and first clock pulse track are spaced from the second data track and second clock pulse track.

6. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that each of said pulses are recorded thereon with magnetic material.

7. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that each of the data pulses in said first and second data tracks form a plurality of digital characters and each of the data pulses in said first and second data tracks are repeated in said respective tracks to form a second set of the same digital characters therein in spaced relation to the first named set of digital characters.

8. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that the member is formed of a plastic material.

9. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that the member is a credit card.

10. The information bearing member of claim 1 further characterized in that the first data track and first clock pulse track are spaced from the second data track and second clock track.

11. An information bearing member capable of rendering information recorded thereon in digital type format, said member comprising a surface having a first clock pulse track with a plurality of bit positions thereon, a clock pulse in each bit position, a first data track having a plurality of bit positions corresponding to the bit positions on said first clock pulse track, binary type data pulses recorded in certain of the bit positions in said first data track, a second clock pulse track having a plurality of bit positions corresponding to the bit positions in said first clock pulse track, a clock pulse in each bit position on said second clock pulse track, a second date track having a plurality of bit positions corresponding to the bit positions in said first data track, and binary type data pulses recorded in certain of the bit positions on said second data track in complimentary form to the data pulses in the bit positions on said first data track so that a data pulse exists in data bit position on said second data track where no data pulse exists in a corresponding bit position on said first data track, each of said pulses being recorded with a finely divided ferroMagnetic material having no particular value of orientation or magnitude or remanent induction and which are capable of being read by a low resolution variable reluctance device.