Credit card embossing and recording system

• US 4,866,545 A
• Filed: 02/25/1988
• Issued: 09/12/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Business Systems Incorporated (Output Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Business Systems Incorporated (Output Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kull, Leo, LaManna, Richard J., Cucksey, Edward L., Hinton, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Canney, Vincent P.
• Application Number:
  US07/160,335
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 360/53, 360/2, 235/437, 371/24
• US Class Current: 360/53
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/007 Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/387 with automatic plate transport systems, e.g. for credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/12 otherwise than by punching
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/02 the verifying forming a part of the marking action

Abstract

A system and method for embossing a plurality of lines and recording encoded tracks of digitally encoded characters for credit cards is disclosed. The system provides an improved recording station for sequentially recording the characters and verifying that the characters were recorded without error. The improved method verifies the accuracy of the encoded data by a comparison of recorded data with data which was the source of the recorded data.

Claims

1. A method for verifying the accuracy of recording encoded data on one or more tracks of a magnetic recording medium by a comparison of the recorded data with data which was the source of the data which was recorded comprising:

storing a data record of the one or more tracks to be recorded on the recording medium, each track having a plurality of characters with each character being encoded with a fixed number of bits;

calculating a check character as a last character to be recorded for each of the tracks to be recorded for the data record;

recording the one or more tracks of the magnetic recording medium with the encoded characters by relative movement of a magnetic recording means in a first direction with respect to each track, each track being recorded with the check character being recorded after the other characters in the track are recorded with a repeating bit pattern being recorded after the check character;

playing back each of the one or more tracks of the magnetic recording medium by relative movement of the magnetic recording means with respect to each track in a second direction opposite to the first direction to produce a sequence of played back bits, the bit stream from each track being shifted through a shift register means associated with the track as the bits are played back with the shift register storing a number of bits equal to the number of bits for encoding a character for that associated track;

comparing as each successive bit is played back from each track the check character of that track with the contents of the associated shift register means until a match is detected with the check character for that track; and

comparing for each track, after a match is detected for each track, each played back character with the corresponding stored character for that track to detect any errors in recording.

2. A method for verifying the accuracy of recording encoded data in accordance with claim 1 wherein the comparison for each track of each played back character with the corresponding stored character comprises:

storing in the shift register means successive groups of played back characters which follow the check character; and

comparing each character stored in the shift register means with the corresponding stored character to determine if a match exists.

3. A method for verifying the accuracy of recording encoded data in accordance with claim 2 wherein the order of comparison of the played back characters for each of the tracks is opposite the order in which the characters were recorded.

4. A method for verifying the accuracy of recording encoded data in accordance with claim 2 further comprising:

storing for each track any failure to detect a match of the recorded check character of that track within the played back track as an error in the recording process; and

for each card storing for each track any errors in recording of the characters other than the check character.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the recording medium is a blank which is to be embossed into a credit card.

6. A system for sequentially recording a track of a plurality of digitally encoded characters each encoded with a plurality of bits on a recording medium by movement in a first direction of a recording and playback means along the recording medium and for verifying that the recorded characters were recorded without error by movement of the recording and playback means in a second direction opposite the first direction to sequentially playback the bit stream recorded in the track in an order opposite to the order of recording comprising:

means for moving the recording and playback means in a straight path from a first position to a second position to cause the track of a plurality of digitally encoded characters to be recorded on the recording medium and for moving the recording and playback means from the second position back to the first position to playback the recorded track of digitally encoded characters;

a memory for storing the track of characters to be recorded including a check character as the last character of the track;

means for determining the check character for the track of characters to be recorded which is recorded as the last character in the track;

means responsive to the recording and playback means and the memory during playback for comparing the played back bit stream bit by bit with the check character until a sequence of played back bits identical to the check character is found, and for comparing after the sequence is played back bits identical to the check character is found, sequentially the played back characters with corresponding characters stored in the memory to determine if all characters were recorded without error.

7. A system in accordance with claim 6 wherein the order of comparison of the played back characters stored in the memory is opposite to the order in which the characters wre recorded.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein if a sequence of bits identical to the check character is not found during playback, the entire track is again recorded.

9. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein if an error is found in a character within the track other than the check character, the entire track is again recorded.

10. A system in accordance with claim 6 wherein the means for comparing includes

shift register means for storing a number of bits equal to the number of bits for recording a character on the track which has an input coupled to the recording and playback means and an output with each bit which is inputted causing the discarding of a bit at the output which preceded the inputted bit by a number of bits equal to the number of bits stored by the shift register and wherein;

the comparison of the played back bit stream to identify the check character is made between the stored check character and the contents of the shift register means as each bit is inputted, and the comparison for each of played back characters is made between a totally new group of bits stored within the register and the corresponding stored character.

11. A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the means for comparing during the comparison of played back characters with the stored characters shifts a new group of bits equal to the number of bits for encoding a character each time a new character is compared with the new group of bits being determined with respect to the last bit of the bit pattern in the played back bit stream which is identical to the check character.