Credit card counter with phase error detecting and precount comparing verification system

• US 5,046,076 A
• Filed: 02/07/1990
• Issued: 09/03/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dynetics Engineering Corp.
• Original Assignee: Dynetics Engineering Corp.
• Inventors: Hill, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heyman, John S.
• Application Number:
  US07/476,565
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 377/26, 377/28, 377/39, 235/487, 364/266.3, 364/403
• US Class Current: 377/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 3/02 for performing an operation at a predetermined value of the count, e.g. arresting a machine G06M3/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 9/00 Counting of objects in a stack thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A card counter (10) prints card inventory information locally and communicates with a remote computer (43) for permanent storage and retrieval of inventory information. A microprocessor controller detects a counting error in response to the actual count failing to match a preset count, failing to match a precount information machine read from a machine readable precount label (130) attached to the cards (18), in the event of a phrase error from a pair of parallel scanning card sensor circuits (58, 59) or if the final counts of the two card sensor circuits (58, 59) do not match. In the event of detection of a counting error, an error indication is provided and entry of the count into an accumulator memory is inhibited. The present number is entered into memory by selectively entering an actual count into the preset memory. A pair of separate accumulators are provided for concurrently accumulating totals of two different groups of cards (18). The card sensor circuits (58, 59) are digitally filtered by the microprocessor (44) which also automatically performs self diagnostics to reduce counting errors due to malfunction. Malfunction of a scan drive motor (61) is reduced through provision of a slip clutch (FIGS. 10A and 10B). Alphanumeric display units are both electrically connected to the control circuit (FIG. 2) and releasibly, mechanically attached to a printed circuit board (112) of said control circuit (FIG. 2) by means of a multiline electrical connector (120) attached to the edge of the printed circuit board (112).

Claims

1. In a card counter with first and second means for counting a box of cards to simultaneously obtain first and second final card counts for the box, the improvement being a count verification system, comprising:

means for determining if the first and second card counts differ from one another during a period of counting before the first and second final counts are reached; and

means responsive to said determining means for detecting a phase error if the first and second counts differ during said counting period even if the final first and second card counts are the same.

2. The card counter of claim 1 including

an accumulative count memory for storing the final count of the cards from each of a plurality of boxes, and

means for disabling said accumulative count memory from receiving the final count in response to detection of said phase error.

3. The credit card counter of claim 1 including

an accumulative card count memory for storing the card counts of a plurality of boxes, when enabled,

means for enabling said accumulative card count memory to receive the final count for storage in response to said first and second final counts being the same, unless inhibited, and

means for inhibiting said accumulative card count memory from receiving for storage the final count in response to detection of a phase error, even if otherwise enabled in response to the final counts being the same.

4. The credit card counter of claim 1 including means for indicating occurrence of a phase error in response to detection of a phase error.

5. The credit card counter of claim 1 including means displaying the first and second final counts.

6. The credit card counter of claim 1 including means responsive to detection of a phase error for indicating the location in a rack of cards of where the phase error occurred.

7. The credit card counter of claim 6 in which said indicating means includes means for displaying the intermediate count of at least one of the first and second counting means extant at the time of phase error detection.

8. The credit card counter of claim 1 in which said determining means includes

first and second means for providing input pulses to first and second counters, respectively, and

means for detecting a phase error whenever two input pulses are provided to either of said first and second counters in succession before at least one input pulse is provided to the other of said first and second counters.

9. In a card counter having a sensor for detecting the individual cards in a box of cards, means responsive to said sensor for establishing an actual count of detected cards for each of a plurality of boxes and an accumulator memory for storing the total counts of a plurality of boxes, the improvement being a verification system, comprising:

means for reading a precount indicia associated with each box;

means for automatically comparing the actual count of detected cards of the box with a precount number of said precount indicia;

means responsive to said comparing means for providing an indication of error in the event the recount number does not equal the actual count of the box.

10. The card counter of claim 9 in which said error indication providing means includes

means for entering the actual count into storage of an accumulator memory for storage of the actual counts of a plurality of boxes,

means for disabling said storage entering means from storing said actual count in the accumulator memory in the event the precount number does not equal the actual count, and

means for indicating whether said actual count has been stored.

11. The card counter of claim 9 including

means for storing a preselected preset number,

means for comparing said precount number with said preselected preset number, and

means for providing an indication of a preset error in the event the preset number does not equal, the precount number.

12. The card counter of claim 9 in which said reading means includes means for scanning a preprinted label and means for moving the scanning means.

13. The card counter of claim 9 in which said precount indicia is in the form of a bar code.

14. The card counter of claim 9 in which

said precount indicia has a start code and includes information relating to at least one of (a) card type (b) date of precount (c) precount operator identification and

said verification system includes means for temporarily storing all said information.

15. The card counter of claim 9 in which

said precount indicia includes :

information relating to card type, and

said verification system includes

means for storing the precount card type information read from the first box of cards of a group of cards when an accumulator count is zero, and

means for comparing the stored precount card type information with the precount card type information of subsequent boxes of cards counted.

16. The card counter of claim 15 in which said verification includes means for enabling said comparing means only when precount card information is in storage in said storing means.

17. The card counter of claim 15 including means to enable the storing means to store the next card type information read from said precount indicia in response to a card count accumulator memory being cleared to a count of zero.

18. The card counter of claim 15 in which said verification system includes means for transmitting count data to at least one of a computer and a printer in response to a good comparison of both card type and card count information.

19. A method of taking an inventory of cards, comprising the steps of:

precounting a box of cards;

placing a precount label on the box with indicia designed to be machine readable which contains inventory information developed from said precounting;

subsequently machine reading the precount label in the course of machine counting the cards in the box; and

providing an indication of error in the event that the precount inventory information read from the label does not match inventory information developed from machine counting the cards.

20. The card inventory method of claim 19 in which said machine readable indicia comprises a bar code.

21. The method of claim 19 in which said precount label contains information relating to at least one of card type, data of precount and operator identification in addition to information relating to card count.

22. The method of claim 19 including the step of protecting the box against removal of any cards with a warp and in which said step of placing a precount label on the box includes the step of adhering the precount label to the wrap.

23. The method of claim 22 in which said information includes the card count for the box.