# US 4,394,568 A · Card reading apparatus

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- Number: US 4,394,568 A
- Document ID: US4394568A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/294,054
- Filed: 1981-08-18
- Granted: 1983-07-19
- Earliest claimed: 1980-09-05
- Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd.
- Inventors: Yoshinobu Nakatsu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4394568A

## CPC

- G06K 13/10: from magazine to conveying arrangement
- G06K 13/067: Checking presence, absence, correct position, or moving status of cards
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS

## Abstract

A card reading apparatus having a hopper in which cards bearing digital information such as punched cards or marked cards are accommodated, a card drive unit for feeding the cards from the hopper and a reading station for reading the information recorded on the cards is disclosed. The hopper is provided with a first switch for detecting the presence or absence of the card and a second switch for detecting the presence or absence of a card weight. Different instructions are given to the card drive unit in accordance with the transition of the status of the first and second switches to feed the cards in the hopper to the reading station in different modes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A card reading apparatus for reading information recorded on a card, comprising:
(a) a hopper in which cards are accommodated or inserted,
(b) a card weight disposed on said hopper or the cards stacked in said hopper,
(c) a feed roller for feeding the cards stacked or inserted in said hopper, p1 (d) roller drive means for driving said feed roller,
(e) read means for reading information on the cards fed from said hopper,
(f) card detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the card in said hopper,
(g) weight detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the card weight in said hopper,
(h) mode selection means for selecting a sequential read mode or a single card read mode for a card read mode of said read means,
(i) memory means for storing detection signals of said card detection means and said weight detection means as status signals, and
(j) processing means for determining a mode setting signal from said mode selection means and determining transition of mode and an immediately previous status when the status transits based on information from said card detection means, said weight detection means and said memory means and further determining if a transition time from a first status to a second status is within a predetermined time period and if a status immediately previous to the second status is the first status in order to discriminate a one card out of stack read mode and a single inserted card read mode and provide a control signal to said roller drive means in accordance with the discriminated mode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A card reading apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a timer for measuring the transition time from the first status to the second status.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A card reading apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a start switch for causing the cards to be fed to said reading means one at a time for each depression of said start switch.

### Claim 4

A A card reading apparatus for reading information recorded on a card, comprising;
(a) a hopper in which cards are accommodated or inserted,
(b) a card weight disposed on said hopper or the cards stacked in said hopper,
(c) a feed roller for feeding the cards stacked or inserted in said hopper,
(d) roller drive means for driving said feed roller,
(e) read means for reading information on the cards fed from said hopper,
(f) card detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the card in said hopper,
(g) weight detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the card weight in said hopper,
(h) a mode selection switch for selecting a sequential read mode, a one card out of stack read mode or a single inserted card read mode for a card read mode in said read means, and
(i) processing means for determining a mode setting means from said mode selection switch and determining a status based on signals from said card detection means and said weight detection means in order to provide a control signal to said roller drive means in accordance with the selected mode and the status.