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US 4,814,589 AGranted
Information transfer and use, particularly with respect to objects such as gambling chips
AssigneeLeonard Storch
InventorsLeonard Storch, Ernst van Haagen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeLeonard Storch
InventorsLeonard Storch, Ernst van Haagen
Estimating the term…
Coding systems utilizing machine-readable coding are disclosed. The coding systems are extremely simple to use and preferred embodiments of the machine-readable coding require no external reference or reference code or starting point or orientation for reading or decoding. The number of usable codes for any given number of code elements (bits or digits) is maximized, or, conversely, a minimum number of code elements is required for a given application, thus allowing each code element to be of maximum size for a given coding area. Also, methods and apparatus for encoding objects, and for reading, decoding, processing and using the information obtained from such encoded objects are disclosed. The coding may be applied to objects such as casino chips, currency, automated production line components, consumer products, household items, zip coded objects, etc. The coding system and systems using the coding can be mployed for enabling positive real-time detection of counterfeits (rather than mere counterfeit deterrence, cash monitoring, information gathering, object identification, etc., at minimum cost with maximum reliability and real-time speed. Preferred embodiments of systems concern round casino chips and paper money. Signals and data may be encoded independently of physical objects while obviating the need for any reference or synchronization in the coding.
A system which associates information with objects comprising:
A system which associates information with generally disc-like objects comprising:
A method which associates information with objects, comprising the steps of:
A method which associates information with generally disc-like objects comprising the steps of:
A plurality of objects each having associated therewith machine-readable code elements which define given information associated with respective objects, said machine-readable code elements associated with respective objects extending in a substantially closed loop, there being no specific machine-readable starting point associated with a respective object to interpret said code elements associated with that object for obtaining said given information therefrom.
A plurality of objects each having associated therewith machine-readable code elements which define given information associated with respective objects, said machine-readable code elements associated with respective objects being adjacently disposed and extending in a substantially closed loop, there being more than one machine-readable starting point associated with a respective object to interpret said code elements associated with that object for obtaining said given information therefrom.
A plurality of objects each having associated therewith machine-readable code elements defining given information associated with respective objects, said code elements associated with respective objects extending along at least one line, there being no specific machine-readable starting point associated with a respective object to interpret said code elements associated with that object for obtaining said given information therefrom.
A plurality of objects each having associated therewith machine-readable code elements which define given information associated with respective objects, those code elements which define said given information being machine readable from a same side of a respective object along at least one line, there being more than one machine-readable starting point associated with said same side of a respective object to interpret those code elements associated with that object which define said given information for obtaining said given information from that object.
A plurality of objects each having associated therewith machine-readable code elements which define given information associated with respective objects, said code elements associated with respective objects extending along at least two non-parallel lines, there being more than one specific machine-readable starting point associated with a respective object to interpret said code elements associated with that object for obtaining said given information therefrom.
A plurality of objects each having associated therewith machine-readable code elements which define given information associated with a same side of respective objects, those code elements associated with respective objects extending along at least two lines, there being at least two machine-readable starting points associated with a respective object to interpret those code elements associated with that object for obtaining said given information therefrom.
A system for individually identifying a consumer article in a set of similar consumer articles of the type typically sold in retail stores such as supermarkets, drug stores, hardware stores and the like, each article in said set having unique information associated therewith comprised of machine-readable code elements coded according to a detectable series, the system comprising:
A system for individually identifying a consumer article in a set of similar consumer articles of the type typically sold in retail stores such as supermarkets, drug stores, hardware stores and the like, each article in said set having unique information associated therewith comprised of machine-readable code elements coded according to a detectable series, the system comprising:
A system for individually identifying objects of currency, each object having unique information comprised of machine readable code elements coded according to a detectable series, the system comprising:
A system for individually identifying objects of currency, each object having unique information comprised of machine-readable code elements coded according to a detectable series, the system comprising:
A system for identifying an unauthorized object from a set of authorized objects, each authorized object of said set having unique machine-readable randomly-selected authorized information associated therewith, the system comprising:
A plurality of objects, each being encoded with machine-readable adjacently-disposed code elements which represent given information, said code elements being associated with a predetermined area of a respective object, said code elements including two end code elements and at least one code element between said end code elements extending along a same line, at least said at least one code element representing said given information, said given information being obtainable from machine reading said end code elements and said at least one code element from said same line, said code elements being uniformly arranged along said same line and having substantially equal extents extending along said same line, said given information being coded in binary arithmetic and said code elements being represented by one of two machine-readable contrasting properties selected to represent said given information in binary arithmetic, each two adjacent of said code elements sharing a common boundary, without space therebetween, said predetermined area of a respective object representing a first of said two contrasting properties of said code elements, a second of said contrasting properties being imparted in or on said predetermined area to create said code elements, said two end code elements always being of the same contrasting property.
An object, having two or more distinguishable sets of machine-readable information comprised of code elements machine-readable from one side of said object, each set of information indicating a particular orientation of said side of said object.
Apparatus for automatically determining the total number of essentially physically-identical, generally disc-like objects in a stack, comprising means for supporting a plurality of said objects in a face to face relationship in the form of a stack, means for providing a first signal related to a physical property of said stack, said physical property being cumulative of a like physical property of each of said objects in said stack, and means for processing said first signal and information related to said like physical property of said objects and providing a second signal related to the total number of said objects in said stack.
A management system for automatically determining counts of essentially physically-identical, generally disc-like objects from each of a plurality of locations and making information relating to said counts available for management purposes, the objects for which counts are desired being arranged at the respective locations in respective stacks, the system comprising first means at each of said locations for generating count signals indicating counts of objects and second means disposed at a different location than at least one of said locations for receiving count signals from each of said first means, said first means at each of said locations comprising:
Apparatus for determining the total number of generally disc-like objects in a stack without counting individual objects comprising a rack including at least one channel-like receptacle having a plurality of discrete locations for receiving and holding a plurality of said objects in a face-to-face stacked relationship, means for detecting the presence of objects in said at least one channel-like receptacle including means disposed at each of said discrete locations in said at least one receptacle for detecting the presence of an object therein, and means responsive to said presence detecting means for providing, without counting each object whose presence is detected by said presence detecting means disposed at each of said discrete locations, a signal related to the total number of said objects present in said at least one receptacle.
A rack for holding and obtaining information from objects such as gambling chips in more than one orientation thereof, said objects having opposed faces and a peripheral portion extending between said faces, said objects including information defined by a plurality of code elements which are machine readable from said objects, said rack comprising:
Apparatus for machine reading binary levels encoded on objects which are adjacently disposed without spaces therebetween so that adjacent binary levels share a common boundary, the apparatus being adapted to read the binary levels without regard to the relative orientation of the reading means and the boundaries, the apparatus comprising:
Apparatus for machine reading binary levels encoded on objects which are adjacently disposed without spaces therebetween so that adjacent binary levels share a common boundary, the apparatus being adapted to read the binary levels without regard to the relative orientation of the reading means and the boundaries, the apparatus comprising:
A system for identifying objects having machine readable coded information according to a code having a plurality of adjacently disposed code elements, there being no specific machine-readable starting point defined for the code, the system comprising:
A system for managing gambling chips and the like, said chips having machine-readable coded information comprised of a plurality of code elements, the system comprising chip racks disposed in a plurality of locations, means disposed at said locations for machine reading said code elements from each of a plurality of chips disposed in a respective chip rack to obtain coded information from said chips, means for associating read coded information and monetary values, means for processing monetary values of chips whose coded information has been read by the reading means, and means for storing the processed monetary values.
A system for managing stacks of gambling chips and the like, comprising a plurality of stacks of chips disposed in a plurality of locations, means for automatically generating information relating to the total number of chips in chip stacks at each of said locations without counting individual chips in a respective stack, and means disposed remotely from at least one of the locations for receiving said information and making information relating to the chips available for management purposes.
A system for managing gambling chips and the like, each chip or groups of similar chips having unique machine-readable information defined by a plurality of machine-readable code elements, the system comprising at least two means for machine reading the code elements from the chips, at least one reading means being disposed at each of at least two locations, means for correlating code elements read by a reading means with that reading means and thereby correlating the information related to code elements that are read with the location at which the code elements were read, means for associating the monetary value of chips with information obtained from reading code elements from the chips, means for storing the monetary value and correlated location information and said obtained information, means for inputting correlated location information and monetary information into the storing means for storage with said obtained information with which such correlated location and monetary information is associated, and means for providing from information read from the storage means selected correlated information.
A system for identifying gambling chips and the like including detecting the use of counterfeits, each chip having machine-readable coded information, the system comprising means for reading coded information from the chips, means coupled to receive the coded information read by the reading means for decoding information encoded on the chips, means for storing information corresponding to identifying data, means for comparing the information decoded by the decoding means with the coded information stored in the storing means for identifying chips which do not have coded information corresponding to information stored in the storing means.
A system for identifying gambling chips and the like including detecting the use of counterfeits, each chip having machine-readable coded information, the system comprising means for reading coded information from the chips, means coupled to receive the coded information read by the reading means for decoding information encoded on the chips, means for storing information corresponding to identifying data, means for comparing the information decoded by the decoding means with the coded information stored in the storing means, and means for identifying two or more chips having the same identifying information.
A method for managing gambling chips and the like comprising the steps of encoding the chips with information defined by a plurality of machine-readable code elements, machine reading the code elements from the chips to obtain said information, storing identifying information corresponding to information encoded on the chips, obtaining other information including at least one of the times at which said information was obtained by reading code elements from respective chips and the respective locations at which said information was obtained, and storing said time and location information in association with said information obtained from reading code elements from the respective chips so that such correlated information is accessible.
A method of encoding objects with machine readable coded information according to a code having a plurality of code elements, comprising the steps of:
A method for encoding objects with sets of coded information having a preselected number of elements, comprising:
A method of applying to objects machine-readable coded information having a preselected number of elements which when read in opposite directions yield unique two-way readable identifying information, comprising:
A method of encoding a pair of objects with a pair of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of elements which when read in opposite directions yields one set of unique two-way readable identifying information, comprising:
A method of encoding an object on two areas thereof with a pair of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of elements which when read in opposite directions yields one set of unique two-way readable identifying information, comprising:
A pair of objects encoded with a pair of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of elements which when interpreted in opposite directions yields one set of unique two-way readable identifying information.
An object encoded on two areas thereof with a pair of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of elements which when interpreted in opposite directions yields one set of unique two-way readable identifying information.
A method of encoding a group of objects with a corresponding group of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of code elements which when read using any of the code elements as a reference for reading yields one set of unique identifying information, comprising:
A method of encoding an object on preselected areas thereof with a group of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of code elements which when interpreted using any of the code elements as a reference yields one set of unique identifying information, comprising:
A group of objects encoded with a corresponding group of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of code elements which when interpreted using any of the code elements as a reference yields one set of unique identifying information.
An object having encoded on preselected areas thereof a group of machine-readable coded numbers having a preselected number of code elements which when interpreted using any of the code elements as a reference yields one set of unique identifying information.
A method of applying to objects unique shifted sets of coded information having a preselected number of coded elements, comprising:
A method of encoding a signal with unique shifted sets of coded information having a preselected number of code elements, comprising:
Apparatus for generating coded binary information according to a code having a plurality of code elements and applying same in machine readable form to objects, comprising:
Apparatus for generating coded binary information according to a code having a plurality of binary code elements and encoding same in a signal, comprising:
Apparatus for generating sets of binary coded information having a preselected number of binary elements and applying same in machine-readable form to objects, comprising:
Coding comprising a plurality of code elements defined by machine readable properties associated with an object, said code elements being obtainable from said properties when said properties are machine read, said plurality of code elements representing given information, said properties being selected so as to represent the binary digits of "0" and "1" and be interchangeable with each other so that at a first time a first of said properties represents binary "1" and a second of said properties represents binary "0", and at a second time after said properties have been interchanged said first property represents binary "0" and said second property represents binary "1", said properties being coded so that when said properties are machine read to provide said plurality of code elements, said plurality of code elements represents said given information at said first time and at said second time regardless of said properties having been interchanged.
Coding comprising a plurality of code elements defined by detectable signal levels associated with an electronic apparatus, said code elements being obtainable from said signal levels when said signal levels are detected, said plurality of code elements representing given information, said signal levels being selected so as to represent the binary digits of "0" and "1" and be interchangeable with each other so that at a first time a first of said levels represents binary "1" and a second of said levels represents binary "0", and at a second time after said levels have been interchanged said first level represents binary "0" and said second level represents binary "1", said levels being coded so that when said signal levels are detected to provide said plurality of code elements, said plurality of code elements represents said given information at said first time and at second time regardless of said levels having been interchanged.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.