Printed and encoded mass distributable response piece and method of making the same
AssigneeWebcraft Technologies, Inc.
InventorsStanford Silverschotz, George P. Hipko, Michael Dennis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of simultaneously encoding successive groups of printed paper sheets or mass distributable material wherein the sheets are provided with unperceptable and virtually invisible common code pattern by laser means which is supplied with a distinct series of coded pulse signals in synchronism with control pulses to produce a different optically-scannable coded hole pattern on each group of printed sheets.
Claims20
The method of simultaneously encoding a plurality of paper sheets, comprising the steps of:
- a) arranging a plurality of different sheets in successive groups;
- b) passing the successive groups beneath a laser which is capable of piercing the sheets of the group simultaneously producing on each sheet with a series of accurately spaced holes which are visually unnoticeable and in their aggregate form a code;
- and,
- c) operating the laser to place a different coded series of holes on each successive group as its passes the laser, each coded series of holes being exclusively machine-readable.
The method of simultaneously encoding successive groups of printed paper sheets, comprising:
- a) providing an industrial laser which emits pulsed beams of coherent light capable of simultaneously perforating all of the printed paper sheets contained in the groups;
- b) moving said groups of printed paper sheets along a linear path;
- c) correlating said pulsed beams with the linear speed of the groups of printed paper sheets by applying a series of laser beam controlled pulses to the laser to enable the laser to produce a visually unnoticeable coded hole pattern over a series of potential perforation locations through all of the paper sheets of a given group;
- and,
- d) supplying for each group of printed sheets a distinctive series of coded pulse signals to the laser which is synchronized with the laser control pulses to produce a different machine readable coded hole pattern on each group of printed sheets.
The method of encoding a response piece disposed within a multiple page signature, comprising the steps of:
- a) inserting the response piece as an individual interior page of a multiple page signature,
- b) moving successive signatures past an industrial laser capable of piercing the sheets and the interior response piece with a hole having a diameter sufficiently small to be visually imperceptable,
- c) pulsing the laser to produce a series of holes on a response piece which form an optically machine readable code, and varying the code for each group of signatures to provide a different code for each successive coupon piece.
The method of simultaneously encoding successive groups of paper sheets, comprising the steps of:
- a) arranging a plurality of sheets in successive groups along a conveyer;
- b) inserting the successive groups into an envelope-wrapper having a distinctive addressee for each successive group of sheets;
- and,
- c) encoding the sheets of each group simultaneously through the wrapper with a coded series of perforations from a laser to identify the addressee.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.