Terminal for issuing and processing data-bearing documents
First Claim
1. A compact terminal for processing plastic cards, said cards bearing personalized human-readable and machine-readable data, said terminal comprising:
- a housing defining a segmented horizontal path between an entry port and an exit port on which a card is transported within the terminal, said path comprising respective spaced-apart first and second segments disposed on each end of a lateral segment, said first and second segments disposed in substantially parallel relationship and defining respective opposite directions of transport;
a receiving station positioned adjacent said entry port for feeding said cards onto said path;
a magnetic transducer for processing at least a portion of said machine-readable data;
a printer for printing said human-readable data; and
a transport system within said terminal for transporting said cards on said path, said transport system comprising a mechanism laterally transporting said card between said first and second segments and along said lateral segment.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A card issuing and processing system embodied in a terminal to accomplish issuing and processing operations on cards bearing both human-readable and machine-readable data, e.g., cards bearing visual indicia, one or more magnetic stripes, and/or an integrated circuit ("chip") is provided, having an input hopper mechanism for storing and dispensing new cards, multiple transport mechanisms for transporting the cards, and various processing stations, including a cleaning station, an IC station, a magnetic-write station, a magnetic-read station, and a print station. The cleaning station cleans the surface of the card in preparation for a subsequent operation. The IC station accomplishes electronic data transfer with cards bearing a chip. The magnetic-write and read stations accomplish magnetic data transfer with cards bearing either high and/or low coercivity magnetic medium, and the print station accomplishes the application of visual data, including graphic images, text, background designs, or even bar codes. Input/output devices, including a PIN selection device, or modems may be used with the terminal as appropriate. Image capturing devices may also be used with the terminal to provide pictorial data such as a photo-image or security logo for the card.
344 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A compact terminal for processing plastic cards, said cards bearing personalized human-readable and machine-readable data, said terminal comprising:
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a housing defining a segmented horizontal path between an entry port and an exit port on which a card is transported within the terminal, said path comprising respective spaced-apart first and second segments disposed on each end of a lateral segment, said first and second segments disposed in substantially parallel relationship and defining respective opposite directions of transport; a receiving station positioned adjacent said entry port for feeding said cards onto said path; a magnetic transducer for processing at least a portion of said machine-readable data; a printer for printing said human-readable data; and a transport system within said terminal for transporting said cards on said path, said transport system comprising a mechanism laterally transporting said card between said first and second segments and along said lateral segment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of processing plastic cards to maximize the compactness of a card processing terminal, said terminal including a housing having an entry port and an exit port and a plurality of card processing stations, said method including the steps of:
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defining a segmented horizontal path between said entry port and said exit port on which a card is transported within said terminal, said path comprising respective spaced-apart first and second segments disposed on each end of a lateral segment, said first and second segments disposed in substantially parallel relationship and defining respective opposite directions of transport; positioning said plurality of stations along said segmented path; transporting said cards along said path to each of said plurality of stations; and processing said cards at said respective stations. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification