Card package production system card with insertion prevention and method

• US 7,036,723 B1
• Filed: 07/12/1999
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dynetics Engineering Corporation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Dynetics Engineering Corporation Incorporated
• Inventors: Hill, Gregory S., Bretl, Robert J., Kassabian, Fred J., Hill, Jeffery L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIZKALLAH, KIMBERLY NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US09/352,192
• Time in Patent Office: 2,486 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/479, 235/485, 235/486, 235/375, 235/435, 235/462.01, 235/470, 235/487, 235/483, 156/64, 156/219, 156/277, 156/299, 156/378, 156/387
• 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 (86A, 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. In an embossed card package production apparatus having means for producing cards, means for automatically inserting the cards into matching card carrying mailing forms, and a memory for storing stored card information apart from the card and the carrying mailing forms, the improvement being a verification system, comprising:

means for automatically determining when a card has been incorrectly prepared by comparing information carried by the card with the information stored apart from the cards and the carrying mailing forms; and

means for preventing a card automatically determined to be incorrectly prepared from being inserted into a matching carrier.

2. The embossed card package production apparatus of claim 1 in which the information stored apart from the card is information used to produce the card.

3. The embossed card production system of claim 2 in which the automatically determining means compares at least one of (a) embossed information read from the card, (b) magnetically encoded information read from the card with the stored card information.

4. In an embossed card packaged production apparatus having means for producing cards, means for inserting the cards into matching card carrying mailing forms, and a memory for storing card information apart from the card and the carrying mailing forms, a method of verification, comprising the steps of:

determining when a card has been incorrectly prepared by comparing information carried by the card with the information stored apart from the cards and the carrying mailing forms; and

preventing a card automatically determined to be incorrectly prepared from being inserted into a matching carrier.

5. The method of claim 4 including the step of using the information stored apart from the card to produce the card.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the step of determining includes the step of comparing at least one of (a) the embossed information read from the card and (b) magnetically encoded information read from the card with the stored card information.