Method and apparatus for communicating between printer and card supply

• US 6,694,884 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Fargo Electronics Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Meier, James R., Pribula, Martin A., Klinefelter, Gary M., Upin, Jeffrey D., Lenz, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eickholt, Eugene H.
• Application Number:
  US10/071,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 101/484, 271/104, 400/208, 400/624, 400/625, 235/380, 358/1.18, 358/1.14
• US Class Current: 101/484
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/009 Detecting type of paper, e.g. by automatic reading of a code that is printed on a paper package or on a paper roll or by sensing the grade of translucency of the paper
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/12 specially adapted for small cards, envelopes, or the like , e.g. credit cards, cut visiting cards
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 17/36 Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsible to material breakage or exhaustion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 35/36 Alarms, indicators, or feed disabling devices responsive to ink ribbon breakage or exhaustion
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/06 for separation from bottom of pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/31 Supports for sheets fully removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1914 Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards

Abstract

A card supply for use with an identification card printing system includes a card hopper and a supply circuit. The card hopper contains a stack of cards. The supply circuit is mounted to the card hopper that includes a memory containing supply information relating to parameters of the card supply.

Claims

1. A card supply for use with an identification card printing system comprising:

a card hopper containing a stack of cards and including;

an end wall having an outlet opening therethrough aligned with an end card; and

a control gate that adjusts a height of the outlet opening; and

a supply circuit mounted to the card hopper and having a memory containing supply information relating to parameters of the card supply.

2. An identification card printing system comprising:

the card supply of claim 1; and

a controller in electronic communication with the supply circuit and adapted to access the supply information stored in the memory.

3. The card supply of claim 1, wherein the card hopper includes:

a card housing having an opening for containing the stacked cards; and

wherein

the control gate has a flexible blade at the outlet opening that reduces a height of the outlet opening to less than a thickness of the end card, whereby the flexible blade flexes in response to the card when driven through the outlet opening by a card feeder mechanism.

4. The card supply of claim 1, wherein the supply information relates to at least one parameter selected from a group consisting of card type, card size, card features, card identifiers, initial card count corresponding to a number of cards contained in an unused card supply, a remaining card count corresponding to a number of cards remaining in the card supply, card thickness, card orientation, card supplier information, dealer information, a security code, and a printer setting for the card supply.

5. The identification card printing system of claim 2, wherein the controller includes a communication circuit for accessing the supply information in the memory of the supply circuit through one of a wireless communication link, a physical communication link and a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

6. The identification card printing system of claim 5, wherein the controller includes a radio frequency (RF) communication circuit that receives the supply information from the supply circuit through the RF communication link in accordance with a communication protocol.

7. The identification card printing system of claim 6, wherein the supply circuit includes an antenna for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals.

8. The identification card printing system of claim 2, including a card sensor for detecting a feature of a transported or processed card and having an output signal providing detected card information.

9. The identification card printing system of claim 8, wherein the output signal provides notice of a processed or transported card and the supply information includes a remaining card count, which is updated by the controller in accordance with the output signal.

10. The identification card printing system of claim 8, wherein the card sensor includes a signal source adapted to generate a signal that is directed to a signal receiver, wherein the signal is broken by cards being processed.

11. The identification card printing system of claim 8, wherein the feature is a marking on the card that is detectable by the sensor and is selected from a group consisting of a hologram, a barcode, a pattern, and a watermark.

12. The identification card printing system of claim 2, including a key card input for receiving a key card code, wherein the controller controls printer operation in accordance with a comparison between the key card code and a corresponding code stored in the memory of the supply circuit.

13. The card supply of claim 3, wherein the supply circuit further includes an antenna.

14. The card supply of claim 1, wherein the supply information is encrypted.

15. The identification card printing system of claim 2, wherein the supply information stored in the memory is encrypted and the controller is adapted to decrypt the encrypted supply information.

16. An identification card printing system comprising:

a card supply including a card hopper containing a stack of cards;

a supply circuit mounted to the card supply and having a memory containing supply information relating to parameters of the card supply;

a print head;

a transport mechanism adapted to transport cards along a print path and present the cards to the print head for printing; and

a controller adapted to access the supply information and control printer operation in accordance with a comparison between a printer operation parameter and a corresponding parameter stored in the memory of the supply circuit.

17. The identification card printing system of claim 16, wherein the card hopper includes:

a card housing having an opening for containing the stacked cards;

an end wall having an outlet opening therethrough aligned with an end card; and

a control gate having a flexible blade at the outlet opening that reduces a height of the outlet opening to less than a thickness of the end card, whereby the flexible blade flexes in response to the card when driven through the outlet opening by a card feeder mechanism.

18. The identification card printer of claim 16, wherein the supply information relates to at least one parameter selected from a group consisting of card type, card size, card features, card identifiers, initial card count corresponding to a number of cards contained in an unused card supply, a remaining card count corresponding to a number of cards remaining in the card supply, card thickness, card orientation, card supplier information, dealer information, a security code, and a printer setting for the card supply.

19. The identification card printing system of claim 16, wherein the controller includes a communication circuit for accessing the supply information in the memory of the supply circuit through one of a wireless communication link, a physical communication link and a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

20. The identification card printing system of claim 19, wherein the controller includes a radio frequency (RF) communication circuit that receives the supply information from the supply circuit through the RF communication link in accordance with a communication protocol.

21. The identification card printing system of claim 20, wherein the supply circuit includes an antenna for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals.

22. The identification card printing system of claim 16, including a card sensor for detecting a feature of a transported or processed card and having an output signal providing detected card information.

23. The identification card printing system of claim 22, wherein the output signal provides notice of a processed or transported card and the supply information includes a remaining card count, which is updated by the controller in accordance with the output signal.

24. The identification card printing system of claim 22, wherein the card sensor includes a signal source adapted to generate a signal that is directed to a signal receiver, wherein the signal is broken by cards being processed.

25. The identification card printing system of claim 22, wherein the feature is a marking on the card that is detectable by the sensor and is selected from a group consisting of a hologram, a barcode, a pattern, and a watermark.

26. The identification card printing system of claim 16, including a key card input for receiving a key card code, wherein the controller controls printer operation in accordance with a comparison between the key card code and a corresponding code stored in the memory of the supply circuit.

27. The card supply of claim 16, wherein the supply information is encrypted.

28. The identification card printing system of claim 27, wherein the controller is adapted to decrypt the encrypted supply information.

29. A method for use with an identification card printing system to manage a card supply having a card hopper containing a stack of cards and a supply circuit mounted to the card hopper and having a memory containing supply information relating to parameters of the card supply, the method comprising steps of:

(a) retrieving supply information from the memory; and

(b) using the supply information during processing of cards; and

(c) controlling operation of the identification card printing system based on the supply information.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein:

the supply information includes a remaining card count corresponding to a number of cards remaining in the stack; and

the using step (b) includes;

(b) (1) processing a number of cards; and

(b) (2) updating the remaining card count in the memory by subtracting the number of cards that were processed.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein:

the supply information includes a remaining card count corresponding to a number of cards remaining in the stack; and

the using step (b) includes;

(b) (1) retrieving the supply information from the memory;

(b) (2) counting a number of processed or transported cards;

(b) (3) updating the remaining card count by subtracting the number of processed or transported cards; and

(b) (4) storing the updated remaining card count in the memory of the supply circuit.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the using step (b) includes displaying the retrieved supply information to a user.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the using step (b) includes checking card compatibility with the identification card printing system based on the supply information.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the supply information relates to at least one parameter selected from a group consisting of card type, card size, card features, card identifiers, initial card count corresponding to a number of cards contained in an unused card supply, a remaining card count corresponding to a number of cards remaining in the card supply, card thickness, card orientation, card supplier information, dealer information, a security code, and a printer setting for the card supply.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the controlling step (c) includes receiving a security input code and operating the identification and printing system in accordance with a comparison between the security input code and a corresponding code stored with the supply information.

36. A card supply for use with an identification card printing system comprising:

a card hopper containing a stack of cards; and

a supply circuit mounted to the card hopper and having a memory containing supply information relating to parameters of the card supply including at least one of card size, card thickness, card orientation, card supplier information, dealer information and a printer setting for the card supply.

37. An identification card printing system comprising:

the card supply of claim 36; and

a controller in electronic communication with the supply circuit and adapted to access the supply information stored in the memory.

38. The card supply of claim 36, wherein the card hopper includes:

a card housing having an opening for containing the stacked cards;

an end wall having an outlet opening therethrough aligned with an end card; and

a control gate having a flexible blade at the outlet opening that reduces a height of the outlet opening to less than a thickness of the end card, whereby the flexible blade flexes in response to the card when driven through the outlet opening by a card feeder mechanism.

39. The card supply of claim 36, wherein the supply information further includes at least one parameter selected from a group consisting of card type, card features, card identifiers, initial card count corresponding to a number of cards contained in an unused card supply, a remaining card count corresponding to a number of cards remaining in the card supply and a security code.

40. The identification card printing system of claim 37, wherein the controller includes a communication circuit for accessing the supply information in the memory of the supply circuit through one of a wireless communication link, a physical communication link and a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

41. The identification card printing system of claim 37, including a card sensor for detecting a feature of a transported or processed card and having an output signal providing detected card information.

42. The identification card printing system of claim 41, wherein the output signal provides notice of a processed or transported card and the supply information includes a remaining card count, which is updated by the controller in accordance with the output signal.

43. The identification card printing system of claim 41, wherein the card sensor includes a signal source adapted to generate a signal that is directed to a signal receiver, wherein the signal is broken by cards being processed.

44. The identification card printing system of claim 41, wherein the feature is a marking on the card that is detectable by the sensor and is selected from a group consisting of a hologram, a barcode, a pattern, and a watermark.

45. The identification card printing system of claim 37, including a key card input for receiving a key card code, wherein the controller controls printer operation in accordance with a comparison between the key card code and a corresponding code stored in the memory of the supply circuit.

46. The card supply of claim 36, wherein the supply information is encrypted.

47. The identification card printing system of claim 37, wherein the supply information stored in the memory is encrypted and the controller is adapted to decrypt the encrypted supply information.