Method and apparatus for detecting the presence of magnetic ink within a package by magnetizing and selectively remagnitizing the ferro-magnetic materials in the package
AssigneeElectroCom Automation, Inc.
InventorsDavid M. Bubenik, Gerald August, Richard K. Niles, James M. Pippin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of magnetic ink within a package without opening the package or altering its contents. The method and apparatus detects items marked with magnetic ink, such as bank checks, in an unopened package independently of the item's location within the package and despite the presence of such magnetic clutter as staples and paper clips. The apparatus and method is designed to eliminate magnetic noise from the equipment itself and from the environment.
Claims8
An apparatus for detecting the presence of magnetic ink within a package, comprising:
- magnetizing means that produces a magnetic field passing through the package such that enclosed ferro-magnetic materials are magnetized and selectively remagnetized to generate resultant magnetic moment vectors that are a function of the field as well as the magnetic characteristics of the enclosed materials, said magnetizing means further comprising
- a first magnetic field that magnetizes the ferro-magnetic materials within the package such that their magnetic moment vectors are aligned in a first direction that is normal to a plane that is anticipated to contain magnetic ink;
- and
- a second magnetic field that remagnetizes by reducing and aligning, in a second or more directions, the magnetic moment vectors of magnetically soft ferro-magnetic materials, where at least one such second direction of alignment is chosen to lie within a plane anticipated to contain magnetic ink;
- a detector that generates signals responsive to the magnetic moment vectors within the package;
- and
- a processor that receives the signals, compares at least one characteristic of the signals to at least one standard, and determines whether magnetic ink is present within the package.
A method for detecting the presence of magnetic ink within a package which comprises:
- magnetizing all ferro-magnetic materials enclosed within the package such that the magnetic moment vectors are aligned in a first direction normal to an anticipated plane containing magnetic ink within the package,
- remagnetizing the magnetically soft ferro-magnetic materials within the package by reducing and aligning in a second or more direction, the magnetic moment vectors of the magnetically soft ferro-magnetic materials, one of which directions lies within a plane anticipated to contain magnetic ink,
- generating signals responsive to the resultant magnetic moment vectors of materials within the package, and
- comparing at least one characteristic of the generated signals to at least one standard to determine whether magnetic ink is present within the package.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.