Apparatus for producing updated information on a tangible medium

An instrument, comprising:

• (a) a housing;
• (b) first peripheral means for producing first data words having present information;
• (c) programmable data processing means, having centralized control and software, for storing second data words having updated information and for comparing the first data words and the second data words and for generating third data control words having the updated information in response to the comparison, said programmable data processing means being physically remote from said housing;
• and
• (d) second peripheral means for functioning in response to the third data control words to output the updated information, said first and said second peripheral means being housed in said housing.

Apparatus for transferring information onto a tangible medium having present data including present information, comprising:

• (a) a hand-held type instrument including optical means for reading the present data from the tangible medium and for generating first data words representing the present data;
• (b) programmable bus oriented computing type network means including means for storing second data words having updated data including updated information corresponding to the present data and present information, said network means processing the first data words with the second data words and producing third data control words having the updated information;
• and
• (c) ink jet printing means for writing the updated information onto the tangible medium under control of the third data control words, said ink jet printing means being included in said hand-held type instrument and said network means being spaced-apart from said hand-held type instrument.

Apparatus for producing updated information on a blank tangible medium, comprising:

• (a) data processing means for storing and for outputting output information being the same as the updated information;
• (b) data transfer means, responsive to the output information, for transferring the updated information onto the tangible medium;
• and
• (c) means for acquiring the transferred updated information from the tangible medium, said data processing means including means for processing the stored output information with the acquired updated information to determine if the updated information has been properly transferred onto the tangible medium.

Apparatus for producing updated information on a tangible medium having present data including present information, comprising:

• (a) means for acquiring the present data having the present information from the tangible medium;
• (b) data processing means for storing updated data having the updated information and for processing the present data and the updated data to produce output information being the same as the updated information, said data processing means including
• (i) means for producing the updated data, and
• (ii) programmable bus oriented computing type network means for receiving the updated data from said producing means, said producing means being external to said programmable bus oriented computing type network means;
• and
• (c) data transfer means, responsive to the output information, for transferring the updated information to the tangible medium.

Apparatus for producing updated information on a tangible medium having present data including present information, comprising:

• (a) means for acquiring the present data having the present information from the tangible medium;
• (b) data processing means for storing updated data having the updated information and for processing the present data and the updated data to produce output information being the same as the updated information;
• and
• (c) data transfer means, responsive to the output information, for transferring the updated information to the tangible medium, said data transfer means including
• (i) ink jet printing means for producing ink droplets to print the updated information onto the tangible medium, and
• (ii) means, responsive to the output information, for controlling said ink jet printing means.

Apparatus for producing updated information on a tangible medium having present data including present information, comprising:

• (a) means for acquiring the present data having the present information from the tangible medium;
• (b) data processing means for storing updated data having the updated information and for processing the present data and the updated data to produce output information being the same as the updated information, said data processing means including programmable bus oriented computing type network means for generating the output information in response to software control;
• and
• (c) data transfer means, responsive to the output information, for transferring the updated information to the tangible medium, said data transfer means including
• (i) ink jet printing means for printing the updated information onto the tangible medium;
• and
• (ii) electronic control circuit means, responsive to the output information, for controlling said ink jet printing means.

Apparatus for producing updated information on a tangible medium having present data including present information, comprising:

• (a) means for acquiring the present data having the present information from the tangible medium;
• (b) data processing means for storing updated data having the updated information and for processing the present data and the updated data to produce output information being the same as the updated information;
• (c) data transfer means, responsive to the output information, for transferring the updated information to the tangible medium;
• and
• (d) means, connected to said data processing means, for displaying the present information and the updated information and for displaying a signal representing an insufficient acquisition of the present data and for displaying a signal representing that updated data corresponding to the present data is not in storage in said data processing means.