Embossed card package production system with modular inserters for multiple forms and card verification apparatus

• US 5,923,015 A
• Filed: 05/09/1996
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dynetics Engineering Corp.
• Original Assignee: Dynetics Engineering Corp.
• Inventors: Hill, Gregory S., Bretl, Robert J., Kassabian, Fred J., Hill, Jeffery L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Application Number:
  US08/647,158
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/462, 235/385, 235/470, 235/435, 235/440, 235/462.01, 235/486, 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/369 Magnetised or magnetisable materials
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/425 by deformation, e.g. embossing
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/48 Controlling the manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/485 by electronic processing means
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 5/027 Sheets or cards attached to a carrier strip or web shipping forms B42D15/006
• CPC Class Codes: B43M 3/045 for envelopes with only one flap
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1914 Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/14 Associating sheets with webs
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 498/10 Spiro-condensed systems
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 7/21 Cyclic compounds having at least one ring containing silicon, but no carbon in the ring
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 77/388 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 183/08 containing silicon bound to organic groups containing atoms other than carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/23 Photochromic filters
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices

Abstract

A card package production system (10) with interchangeable inserters (24A, 24B) and carrier folders 86B) to enable use of forms (26A, 26B) of different types verifies the carriers (30) if they are properly produced and rejects them if they are not prior to the attachment to a carrier. The embossed characters and encoding read from the card are compared with the stored card data to verify accuracy and are compared to coding on the carrier form (26A, 26B) to determine if there is a match. A code on the carrier is also compared to stored carrier data and to the cards provided for insertion and are rejected without cards if incorrectly prepared.

Claims

1. A method of mounting cards to carriers, comprising the steps of:

reading card information from each of the cards;

sensing a code printed on the carriers;

automatically determining which of a plurality of different possible types of codes corresponds to the code sensed from each carrier;

decoding from each carrier the code in accordance with the type of code automatically determined to correspond to the code of each carrier to obtain carrier information;

comparing the card information from each card with the obtained carrier information to determine if there is a match;

rejecting cards which do not match the carrier information decoded from the carrier; and

mounting cards to carriers which have carrier information decoded from said plurality of codes that matches the card information of the cards including the steps of

storing a plurality of different subroutines for decoding a plurality of different types of codes, and

automatically actuating a corresponding one of the plurality of different subroutines to decode the code read from the carrier form in response to automatic determination of which type a code is on the carrier form.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the plurality of different types of codes includes at least one of bar code, interleaved two of five code, interleaved three of nine code, Codabar UPC-A&

E code, EAN-8 code, and EAN-13 code.

3. An embossed card package production system for mounting cards to carriers, comprising;

means for reading card information from each of the cards;

means for sensing a code printed on the carriers;

means for automatically determining which of a plurality of different possible types of codes corresponds to the code sensed from each carrier;

means for decoding from each carrier the code in accordance with the type of code automatically determined to correspond to the code of each carrier to obtain carrier information;

means for comparing the card information from each card with the obtained carrier information to determine if there is a match;

means for rejecting cards which do not match the carrier information decoded from the carrier;

including

means for mounting cards to carriers which have carrier information decoded from said plurality of codes that matches the card information of the cards, and

means for storing a plurality of different subroutines for decoding a plurality of different types of codes, and

means for automatically actuating a corresponding one of the plurality of different subroutines to decode the code read from the carrier form in response to automatic determination of which type a code is on the carrier form.

4. The embossed card package production system of claim 3 in which the plurality of different types of codes includes at least one of bar code, interleaved two of five code, interleaved three of nine code, Codabar UPC-A&

E code, EAN-8 code, and EAN-13 code.