Optical mark recognition for controlling input devices, hosts, and output devices

• US 4,571,699 A
• Filed: 06/03/1982
• Issued: 02/18/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Herzog, Alexander, Nagda, Jagdish M., Rehage, Teddy A., Honomichl, Larry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Gareth D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Daniel K.
• Application Number:
  US06/384,708
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 382/6 L
• US Class Current: 358/408
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/02 Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1093 sensing, after transfer of the image of the data-field to an intermediate store, e.g. storage with cathode ray tube
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00366 Marks in boxes or the like, e.g. crosses or blacking out H04N1/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00371 on a separate sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00376 Means for identifying a mark sheet or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32042 with reading of job-marks on a page
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32411 Handling instructions for routing or relaying

Abstract

The operation of a document distribution network having one or more input work stations, a linking network with one or more nodes and one or more output work stations, is controlled by a job control sheet. The job control sheet is partitioned into a plurality of control zones. Each zone contains dedicated marked sense information for controlling the input work stations, the network nodes and the output work stations. The input work station includes a marked sense recognition device which coacts with the job control sheet to identify the presence or absence of the control zones. Marked sense information which is associated with the input station control zones is extracted and utilized to control the input work station. The marked sense information which is associated with network nodes control zone is encoded and transmitted with identifying marks to the network nodes for further processing. The marked sense information which is associated with the output station control zone is extracted, encoded and is transmitted to the network node. The network node routes the information to the output work station.

Claims

1. The combination comprising:

documents containing information to be communicated over a network means, said network means including

a plurality of station means, each station means including

scanning means for converting the information contained in said documents into electrical signals,

transmission means coupled to said scanning means for transmitting said electrical signals,

receiving means for receiving transmitted electrical signals, and

printing means coupled to said receiving means for converting received electrical signals into documents; and

a plurality of interconnected host means, each coupled to at least one of said station means for selectively routing transmitted electrical signals from the transmission means of a coupled station means to a designated host means, for selectively routing transmitted electrical signals from one host means to another host means, and for selectively routing transmitted electrical signals from a host means to the receiving means of a designated coupled station means;

job control document means for conveying information via said scanning means and transmission means of a station means to control the selective routing of electrical signals by said host means, said job control document means including

means for conveying input control information,

means for conveying output control information, and

means for conveying routing distribution information;

means in each of said plurality of host means for recognizing and interpreting input control information to cause said host means to accumulate electrical signals representative of a number of documents containing information to be communicated, said number of documents specified by said input control information; and

means in each of said plurality of host means for recognizing and interpreting routing distribution information to cause said host means to route said accumulated electrical signals to another host as specified by said routing distribution information including output control information and routing distribution information for intermediate host means in the path to said designated coupled station means.

2. The combination comprising:

a plurality of facsimile machines for transmitting and receiving signals representative of documents;

a plurality of node means for providing communications of signals from one of said plurality of facsimile machines to a different one of said plurality of facsimile machines, each of said node means including

means for coupling each said plurality of node means to at least one of said plurality of facsimile machines,

means for coupling each said plurality of node means to at least one other one of said plurality of node means,

switching means for routing signals from a coupled one of said plurality of facsimile machines to a coupled other one of said plurality of node means, from a coupled other one of said plurality of node means to a different coupled other one of said plurality of node means, and from a coupled other one of said plurality of node means to a coupled one of said plurality of facsimile machines according to routing command signals; and

control document means capable of being read by said facsimile machines for providing control information including said routing command signals.

3. The combination claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said node means further includes

control means for controlling a coupled one of said plurality of facsimile machines according to machine control signals

and the control information provided by said control document means also includes machine control signals.

4. A method for controlling the interconnection of a plurality of facsimile machines in a communications network wherein each facsimile machine is selectively connectable to every other facsimile machine of said plurality through a series of n switching nodes in response to routing command signals, where n is an integer greater than one, comprising the steps of:

reading a control document by an originating facsimile machine where by control information from said control document is converted to routing command signals;

communicating routing command signals to a first switching node;

connecting said originating facsimile machine to at least a second switching node through said first switching node according to the communicated routing command signals;

transferring from said first switching node to said second switching node those routing command signals for controlling said second switching nodes and any subsequent switching node in said series;

repeating as necessary said connecting and transferring steps to connect an i-th switching node to an (i+1)-th switching node according to the transferred routing command signals and to transfer those routing command signals for controlling the (i+1)-th switching node and any subsequent switching node in said series, where i is an integer having successive values from 2 to n-1, inclusive; and

connecting the nth switching node to a destination facsimile machine according to the transferred routing command signals.

5. The method claimed in claim 4 including the further step of

transmitting from said originating facsimile machine to said destination facsimile machine a number of documents controlled by said first switching node according to said control information from said control document.