Coded data carrier and reader and electronic security tour system employing same
First Claim
1. Apparatus for recording the attendance at and checking of plural mutually spaced station locations by a watchman, said apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of coded data carriers located and secured at respective station locations, each data carrier comprising plural coded indicia uniquely identifying the station at which that data carrier is located;
a portable housing adapted to be carried to said station locations by said watchman and including passage means accessible by an access slot for permitting entry of individual data carriers into said passage means;
data reader means disposed in said portable housing for reading data from said data carriers in said passage means;
decoder means disposed in said portable housing and responsive to said data reader means for providing identification signals representing an identification of a coded data carrier which has been inserted into said passage means;
time-keeping means disposed in said portable housing for providing signals representing the time of day;
memory means disposed in said portable housing;
processing means disposed in said portable housing and responsive to said decoder means and said time-keeping means for storing in said memory means the identification and time of day of insertion into said passage means of each coded data carrier; and
printer means disposed in said portable housing for printing out in alphanumeric characters the information stored in said memory means representing inserted coded data carriers and time of day of insertion.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A watchman'"'"'s tour recording system includes a portable housing containing a data reader for reading and recording data from tour stations and a printer for printing out recorded station data and entry time in alphanumeric form. The printer is located in a locked compartment and is accessible by supervisory personnel for periodic tour entry monitoring. Station keys carry coded identification as a linear array of apertures filled with alternative pellet materials which are transmissive or non-transmissive to infrared light but are visibly indistinguishable. Strobe holes are positioned in a parallel linear array for synchronizing data reading. During assembly, the pellets are mutually distinguishable by split and continuous rings which serve as energy directors during ultrasonic welding of the pellets into the key, and which are hidden from view in the assembled product. A key reader in the portable housing includes a passage across which three infrared beams are directed toward respective infrared detectors, one for successively reading coded pellet data during key insertion and withdrawal, another for detecting strobe holes, and a third for detecting full insertion of the key. The strobe hole detector beam is pulsedly emitted until a key entry is sensed; thereafter, a read mode of limited duration is established wherein all three beams are energized continuously, and during which a key must be inserted and withdrawn for a valid code reading to take place. Data detected during insertion and withdrawal is compared to assure valid readings.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. Apparatus for recording the attendance at and checking of plural mutually spaced station locations by a watchman, said apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of coded data carriers located and secured at respective station locations, each data carrier comprising plural coded indicia uniquely identifying the station at which that data carrier is located; a portable housing adapted to be carried to said station locations by said watchman and including passage means accessible by an access slot for permitting entry of individual data carriers into said passage means; data reader means disposed in said portable housing for reading data from said data carriers in said passage means; decoder means disposed in said portable housing and responsive to said data reader means for providing identification signals representing an identification of a coded data carrier which has been inserted into said passage means; time-keeping means disposed in said portable housing for providing signals representing the time of day; memory means disposed in said portable housing; processing means disposed in said portable housing and responsive to said decoder means and said time-keeping means for storing in said memory means the identification and time of day of insertion into said passage means of each coded data carrier; and printer means disposed in said portable housing for printing out in alphanumeric characters the information stored in said memory means representing inserted coded data carriers and time of day of insertion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A data reading and recording system comprising:
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a plurality of coded data carriers each comprising a body member having plural coded indicia arranged in spaced relation along the body member for uniquely identifying that data carrier, each of said coded indicia having a code state determined by the indicium being transmissive or opaque to light energy at a predetermined frequency, each indicium being formed by a respective aperture defined through said body member, wherein said body member is either opaque or transmissive to light energy at said predetermined frequency, and wherein each body member further includes a series of spaced strobe passages for conducting light energy through said body member, each strobe passage being positioned proximate a respective code indicium; a data reader for reading coded data from said data carriers, said data reader including; passage means adapted to receive a data carrier inserted into said passage means; a data light source for controllably emitting light energy at said predetermined frequency across said passage means and in a position to pass through said apertures unless blocked by opaque material disposed in said apertures; a data light detector disposed across said passage means from said data light source for receiving light emitted from said data light source; a strobe source for controllably emitting light across said passage means so as to successively pass through said strobe passages in said series as a data carrier is inserted and withdrawn from said passage means; a strobe light detector positioned across said passage means from said strobe source to receive light emitted from said strobe source which is not blocked by said body member; means for establishing a standby mode by pulsedly actuating one of said source in the absence of a body member from said passage means to cause light emitted from said one source to be emitted as a series of light pulses of short duration and low duty cycle; control means responsive to an interruption of said light pulses at the light detector positioned across said passage means from said one source for establishing a read mode by continuously actuating both source to emit continuous beams of light; said control means including timer means for monitoring said read mode only for a short predetermined time interval and for thereafter automatically restoring said standby mode; an end-of-carrier source for controllably emitting light across said passage means in a position to be intercepted by said body member after the body member has been inserted sufficiently far into the passage means to permit all of the coded indicia in said body member to pass between said data light source and said data light detector; an end-of-carrier detector positioned across said passage means from said end-of-carrier source to receive light emitted from said end-of-carrier source which is not blocked by said body member; said control means including means for continuously actuating said end-of-carrier source in said read mode; said apertures and said strobe passages being arranged in said body member in respective straight lines, and wherein said apparatus further includes; means responsive to said data light detector and said strobe light detector for decoding and temporarily storing insertion data from a coded data carrier upon the carrier being inserted into said passage means; means responsive to interruption of the light received at said end-of-carrier detector and to said data and strobe light detectors, for decoding and temporarily storing withdrawal data from the coded data carrier as it is withdrawn from said passage means; comparator means for comparing the stored insertion and withdrawal data; means responsive to a match between said insertion and withdrawal data from said comparator means for permanently storing said insertion data; the means for permanently storing being additionally responsive to said timer means for inhibiting permanent storage of the compared data unless all insertion and withdrawal data are detected from said data light detector within said predetermined short time interval of said read mode; and wherein said portable data reader is disposed in a portable housing adapted to be carried by a watchman to spaced station locations, said apparatus further comprising selectively actuable printer means disposed in said portable housing for printing out in alphanumeric characters the identification and time of insertion of coded data carriers from said means for permanently storing. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. Apparatus including a coded data carrier comprising:
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a rigid body member made of a base material which is non-transmissive of radiant energy in a predetermined frequency range; a plurality of spaced data fields disposed in an array in said body member and visibly discernible in said body member by the human eye, said data fields comprising respective apertures defined through said body member, each aperture having disposed therein a code member containing either a first data material which is relatively transmissive of radiant energy in said predetermined frequency range or a second data material which is relatively non-transmissive of radiant energy in a predetermined frequency range, wherein said first and second data material appear visibly the same to the human eye; said body member having a plurality of spaced open synchronization throughholes defined therein, at least one throughole being disposed generally proximate a respective data field; said code members comprising respective inserts secured in respective apertures, each insert including a physical characteristic which identifies whether the first data material of the second data material is contained in the code member, said physical characteristic being disposed within the body member aperture in which the code member is disposed so as to be bidden from view; and wherein said code members and said body member are made of plastic materials which are ultrasonically weldable together, and wherein said physical characteristic comprises welding energy directing means having a first configuration to identify said first data material and a second configuration to identify said second data material. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. Apparatus including a portable data reader and a coded data carrier comprising:
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a rigid body member made of a base material which is non-transmissive of radiant energy in a predetermined frequency range a plurality of spaced data fields disposed in an array in said body member and visibly discernbile in said body member by the human eye, said data fields comprising respective apertures defined through said body member, each aperture having disposed therein a code member containing either a first data material which is relatively transmissive of radiant energy in said predetermined frequency range or a second data material which is relatively non-transmissive of radiant energy in a predetermined frequency range; a data reader comprising; a housing; passage means defined in said housing for receiving said body member; data energy source means for emitting a beam of radiant energy at said predetermined frequency across said passage means at a location such that the beam sequentially strikes said data fields as said body member is passed through said passage means; data energy detection means disposed across said passage means from said data energy source means for receiving said beam from said source means in the absence of interposed material which is non-transmissive of said beam; said body member having a plurality of spaced open synchronization throughholes defined therein, at least one throughhole being disposed generally proximate a respective data field; said data reader including synchronizing means for sensing passage of said open synchronization throughholes past a predetermined location in said passage means; said array of data fields being in first straight line and said synchronization throughholes defining a second straight line parallel to said first line, and said synchronization means comprising photodetection means; data carrier end detector means disposed in said passage means for detecting insertion of said data carrier to a predetermined extent into said passage means, said predetermined extent corresponding to passage of all of said data fields through said beam and allignment of said end of data carrier opening with a radiant energy source and the end of carrier detector means of radiant energy passing through the opening; there being a plurality of coded data carriers, each substantially identical to said first-mentioned coded data carrier except that the array of data fields is arranged in different sequential combinations in each body member to thereby define a unique identification code for each coded data carrier; means securing said plurality of coded data carriers at respective mutually spaced station locations; said housing being a portable housing in which said data reader is disposed, said housing having an access slot in communication with said passage means for permitting entry of individual coded data carriers into said passage means; decoder means disposed in said portable housing and responsive to said data reader for providing identification signals representing an indentification of a coded data carrier which has been inserted into said passage means; time-keeping means disposed in said portable housing for providing signals representing the time of day; memory means disposed in said portable housing; and processing means disposed in said portable housing and responsive to said decoder means and said time-keeping means for storing in said memory means the identification and the time of day that each coded data carrier is properly inserted into said passage means. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification