Scannable form having a control mark column with encoded data marks
AssigneeNational Computer Systems, Inc.
InventorsJohn V. McMillin, Jay V. Clark
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A scannable form for use in an optical mark reading system has a timing track that is pre-encoded with data information known or determined prior to a respondent completing the scannable form. The data information is pre-encoded in the control mark column on the scannable form by utilizing that portion of the control mark column that is not essential for conveying the scan control information associated with the scan control marks. The data information is encoded using data marks that represent the data information in a binary or other similar coding technique. The data marks are column-aligned with the scan control marks in the control mark column.
Claims22
A scannable form for use in an optical mark reading system with optical sensing means of the type wherein sensing the presence or absence of response marks placed by a respondent in predetermined response areas on the form is triggered by sensing of a sequence of scan control marks associated with the predetermined response areas, comprising:
- a generally rectangular sheet of material;
- at least one column of control marks located on said sheet and oriented substantially parallel with an edge of said rectangular sheet comprising a plurality of spaced scan control marks defining data mark areas located between adjacent scan control marks nd aligned within the column of control marks;
- at least one response area on said sheet associated with one of said scan control marks comprising a plurality of response bubbles in a specified rotation with said scan control mark;
- and
- a plurality of data marks located on said sheet in said data mark areas aligned within the control mark column, said data marks comprising optically scannable marks that represent encoded data information that is known or determined prior to a respondent completing said scannable form by marking one or more of said response bubbles, such that said data marks will be scanned and decoded by the optical mark reading system during the scanning of said control mark column.
A scannable form for use in an optical mark-reading system with optical sensing means of the type wherein sensing the presence or absence of response marks placed by a person in predetermined response areas on the form is triggered by sensing of a sequence of scan control marks associated with the predetermined response areas, comprising:
- a) a sheet;
- b) a plurality of blank response bubbles on the sheet, able to be marked by a person;
- c) a column of spaced control marks on the sheet defining data mark areas that are located between adjacent control marks and aligned within the column of control marks, said control marks being used for triggering the optical sensing means in the optical mark-reading system to read the response bubbles;
- and
- d) data marks located on the sheet in said data marks areas aligned within the column of control marks, each data mark comprising one or more scannable marks that represent encoded data information that is known or determined prior to the person marking one or more of the response bubbles such that the data marks will be scanned and decoded by the optical mark reading system.
A scannable form for use in an optical mark-reading system with optical scanning means of the type wherein sensing the presence or absence of response marks placed by a person in predetermined response areas on the form is triggered by sensing of a sequence of scan control marks associated with the predetermined response areas, comprising:
- a) a sheet;
- b) a plurality of rows of blank response bubbles on the sheet, able to be marked by a person;
- c) a column of spaced control marks on the sheet, including control marks each of which is
- i) associated with a unique one of the rows of response bubbles, and
- ii) able to activate the optical scanning means in the optical mark-reading system which reads the associated row of response bubbles;
- and
- d) data marks located on the sheet in data mark areas defined by the spaces the exist between adjacent control marks within the column of control marks, each data mark comprising one or more optically scannable marks that represent data encoded information that is known or determined prior to the person marking one or more of the response bubbles such that the data marks will be scanned and decoded by the optical mark reading system during the scanning of the column of control marks.
A method for providing data marks representing encoded data on a scannable form for receiving response marks, said encoded data being known or determined prior to the form receiving response marks and said data marks and the response marks to be sensed by optical scanning means past which the form is transported, said scanning means being of the type wherein sensing the presence or absence of response marks placed by a respondent in predetermined response areas on the form is triggered by sensing of a sequence of scan control marks associated with the predetermined response areas, comprising:
- providing a generally rectangular sheet of material;
- providing on said sheet of material at least one response area in which response marks may be received;
- providing on said sheet a column of control marks in specified relation to the at least one response area, at least a portion of said control marks for generating response mark scan signals causing the optical scanning means to scan the sheet of material for possible response marks in the at least one response area, said column of control marks having within it inter-mark intervals between individual control marks;
- and
- providing on said sheet a plurality of data marks located in the inter-mark intervals and aligned within the column of control marks, said data marks representing encoded data sensed in the same optical scan as the control marks whereby said data marks provide signals representing predetermined data in addition to the response mark scan signals supplied by the control marks.
An optical mark reading system of the type wherein the presence or absence of response marks placed by a respondent in predetermined response areas on a scannable from in sensed in response to sensing of a sequence of scan control marks on said form associated with the predetermined response areas, comprising:
- scanning means for optically scanning to sense the presence or absence of marks;
- and
- a generally rectangualr sheet of material for scanning by said scanning means comprising;
- at least one column of control marks located on said sheet and oriented substantially parallel with an edge of said rectangular sheet comprising a plurality of spaced scan control marks defining data mark areas located between adjacent scan control marks and aligned within the column of control marks;
- at least one response area on said sheet associated with one of said scan control marks comprising a plurality of response bubbles in a specified relation with said scan control mark;
- and
- a plurality of data marks located on said sheet in said data mark areas aligned within the control mark column, said data marks comprising optically scannable marks that represent encoded data information that is known or determined prior to a respondent completing said scannable form by marking one or more of said response bubbles, such that said data marks will be scanned and decoded by the optical mark reading system during the scanning of said control mark column.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.