REPORTING AND SECURITY SYSTEM

• US 3,757,089 A
• Filed: 08/24/1971
• Issued: 09/04/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Norman Nathan Hockler
• Inventors: Hockler, Norman Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilbur, Maynard R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sloyan, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US05/174,329
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 235/61.7B,61.6R,61.7R 340/149A 194/4R
• US Class Current: 235/431
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/14 with apparatus adapted for use with individual cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/145 for revolving doors or turnstiles

Abstract

A reporting and security system in which a person identifies himself at a station by means of an identifying indicia bearing member, such as a card which may be inserted in a card reader to provide personal identifying information along with time, date, number of station, and other fixed and/or variable information, the information input being recorded as tones on a low cost cassette recorder associated with the station in a computer compatible form suitable for playback and processing at a convenient time. Authentic indicia bearing members may also be used to operate a security device such as a lock or turnstile when presented to the identification station. The system may be used simply as an attendance reporting system or as a system which provides variable information related to job reporting, inventory control, banking information, and the like.

Claims

1. In a system for providing employee attendance records in which each employee has a personal card including a plurality of indicia, each of which indicia represents a number in the decimal system;

different cards having different indicia to provide a discrete identification for each employee;

the improvement comprising at least one reporting station having a set of number representing conductors, each of which conductors is preassigned to represent a different number in the decimal system, said set of conductors being connected for use with a plurality of different data input means, one of said data input means including a plurality of sets of electrical contact members, each of which sets represents the possible digits of a different one of the card indicia, and each of which is operative to connect an associated marking conductor to a different one of said number representing conductors;

reader means for operating the electrical contact members in each set which represent the digits on an employee'"'"''"'"'s card as presented to the reporting station;

scanner means for providing marking signals in a preprogrammed sequence to said marking conductors to thereby provide a marking signal on said number representing conductors in a given sequence to identify the card digits on said number representing conductors;

converter means having an input circuit connected to each of said number representing conductors for providing different frequency output signals which represent the different digits which are marked on said number representing conductors according to a predetermined code; and

output means for coupling the signal output of said converter to an associated recorder equipment.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 in which one of said plurality of data input means comprises at least one manually adjustable switch means which is operable to different positions to represent correspondingly different numbers in the decimal system, an electrical contact member for each of said different positions of said switch means, each of which is operative with movement of said switch means to its associated position to close a marking path to the one of said number representing conductors which is represented by said switching position.

3. A system as set forth in claim 1 which includes at least one control conductor for providing signals for operating associated data processing equipment, and which includes means for establishing a path to said control conductor and means for connecting said path to said scanner means to receive a marking signal in each cycle of said scanner means.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 in which said scanner means includes a plurality of scanning positions, and stepping means for successively providing a marking signal to each of said scanning positions, and program means for selectively connecting each of said positions to the marking conductors for the electrical contacts of a different one of said sets to thereby program the order of marking of said representing conductors which are selected by said electrical contact members.

5. A system as set forth in claim 1 in which said scanner means is operative in a system readout to provide a predetermined number of signals over said marker conductors to said number representing conductors in each cycle, and which includes counter means connected to said number representing conductors to count the number of digits which are represented thereon in each cycle of said scanner means, and digit check means controlled by said scanner means and said counter means in response to a signal count other than said predetermined number in a cycle to provide an output signal indicating the receipt of an incomplete data set.

6. A system as set forth in claim 1 in which one of said plurality data input means comprises timer means having further electrical contact members and associated marking conductors positioned for scanning by said scanner means, and clock means in said timer means operable to selectively operate the ones of said further electrical contact members to connect their associated marking conductors to the ones of said number representing conductors which represent the time of day provided by said clock means.

7. A system as set forth in claim 1 which includes further data input means comprising a plurality of selection circuits, each of which is hard wired to a different one of said number representing conductors, and means for connecting said scanner means to apply marking signals to at least certain ones of said selection circuits in each cycle of said scanner means.

8. In a system as set forth in claim 1 which includes an external output device connected to said number representing conductors including means responsive to the signals on said number representing conductors to provide a hard copy print simultaneously with the recording of said frequency output signals which represent the information applied to said number representing conductors.

9. A system as set forth in claim 8 in which said means for providing a hard copy includes a solenoid pack having solenoids for operating the keys of a manual keyboard which are identified by the signals on said number representing conductors.

10. A system as set forth in claim 1 in which said reader means includes sensor means which are closed responsive to complete insertion of the card therein, means enabled by said sensor means to institute operation of said scanner means, and means for retaining said card locked in said reader means during operation of said scanner means to a predetermined position.

11. A system as set forth in claim 1 which includes security means for normally preventing access to a given area, and means responsive to the application of a predetermined number of counts to said number representing conductors to operate said security means.

12. A system as set forth in claim 1 which includes playback means for reading out the frequency signals recorded on said recorder means and tone receiver means connected to the output of said playback means, a permanent record producing means connected to said tone receiver means, and means for providing computer compatible signals responsive to the frequency signals provided by said playback means.

13. A system as set forth in claim 12 which includes data access means for coupling the output of said recorder means to a telephone line, and data access means connected to the remote end of said telephone line for connecting the multifrequency signals received over such links to an associated tone receiver.

14. A system as set forth in claim 5 in which said counter means comprises a stepping switch, and an OR gate having a plurality of inputs, each of which is connected to a different one of said number representing conductors, and an output circuit connected to the energizing circuit for said stepping switch;

said stepping switch having a contact bank and a wiper which is driven over said contact bank by said stepping switch, and in which said total digit check means includes means for establishing a circuit over said wiper and a preselected one of said contacts in the stepping switch bank only when a predetermined number of signals are input over said OR gate to said stepping switch in a given cycle of said scanner means.