Internal bar code reading apparatus
First Claim
1. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing a first form negotiable for goods or services having first machine-readable indicia disposed thereon on validation of a second form having second machine-readable indicia disposed thereon, said second form providing at least partial payment for said first form, said apparatus comprising a housing, said apparatus also including means for accepting said second form when said second form is inserted from outside said housing into said housing and means from inside said housing for dispensing said first form, said dispensing means and said accepting means having a common machine-readable indicia scanner for reading said first and second indicia, said apparatus further including means for processing information from said first machine-readable indicia to identify a security problem and means for validating said second indica before allowing said accepting means to accept said second form in at least partial payment for said first form.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A gift certificate dispensing device having an internal machine-readable indicia reader is disclosed for printing and dispensing a certificate either based upon payment by a user or upon the insertion of a pre-paid form into a slot in communication with the scanner. A plurality of gift certificate dispensing devices can be connected in a network under the control of a central processing unit. The central processing unit identifies and keeps track of all the certificates within the network by way of indicia disposed on the certificates, which are scanned by each device as they are dispensed therefrom.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing a first form negotiable for goods or services having first machine-readable indicia disposed thereon on validation of a second form having second machine-readable indicia disposed thereon, said second form providing at least partial payment for said first form, said apparatus comprising a housing, said apparatus also including means for accepting said second form when said second form is inserted from outside said housing into said housing and means from inside said housing for dispensing said first form, said dispensing means and said accepting means having a common machine-readable indicia scanner for reading said first and second indicia, said apparatus further including means for processing information from said first machine-readable indicia to identify a security problem and means for validating said second indica before allowing said accepting means to accept said second form in at least partial payment for said first form.
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2. A method for dispensing a certificate having a first machine-readable indicia disposed thereon from a dispensing apparatus in response to receiving a payment from a user, the payment being in the form of cash, a card having magnetically coded data disposed thereon, or upon insertion of a form having a second machine-readable indicia disposed thereon, the apparatus having a sensor, a printing means, a dispensing means, a scanner, and a control means, the method comprising the steps of:
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activating the scanner in response to the sensor sensing the presence of the form inserted in the apparatus; scanning the second indicia on the form with the scanner; verifying through the control means that the second indicia scanned by the scanner is valid to enable issuing of the certificate; and activating the printer means upon verification by the control means of the payment received; dispensing the certificate after it has been printed by the printer means, said dispensing step including scanning the first indicia with the scanner as the printed certificate is dispensed by the dispensing means; determining through the control means whether a security investigation needs to be made based on the first indicia of each certificate scanned by the scanner being in proper sequence or not. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. A new dispensing apparatus for an item of value having first machine-readable indicia on validation of a form having second machine-readable indicia disposed thereon, said form providing at least partial payment for said item of value, said apparatus comprising;
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a housing; means for receiving said form as at least partial payment for said item of value, said payment receiving means including a scanner within said housing for reading said machine-readable indicia, said housing having a wall and said receiving means including a slot in said wall; means within said housing for sensing physical presence of said form; means for activating said scanner when the physical presence of said form is sensed by said sensing means; means for validating said machine-readable indicia read from said form by said scanner; means for dispensing said item of value after said machine-readable indicia is validated by said validating means, said dispensing means including means for guiding said item of value and said form so that said first indicia is scanned by said scanner as said item of value is dispensed by said dispensing means and so that said second indicia is scanned by said scanner when a portion of said form is inserted through said slot; and means for processing information from said first machine-readable indicia to identify a security problem. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification