US 5,479,532 AGranted

Apparatus for reading magnetic information from a document having a read head mounted on a circuit board portion permitting resilient deflection

AssigneeDirect Data Systems

InventorsJay A. Abel, David B. VanHorn, Jalem M. Getz

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Abstract

A device for reading magnetic information from documents hand-fed to the device is described herein. Such a device may be configured as a hand-fed check reader for reading MICR information from a check. The check reader includes a housing having a configuration designed to allow a human operator to efficiently hand-feed checks to the reader. In particular this configuration includes a check support surface and associated rail which assists the operator in guiding the check to a read head located adjacent to the surface. The read head is coupled to circuitry for generating signals representative of MICR information, and may be supported by a circuit board which also supports the circuitry. The reader also includes a drive mechanism having a drive wheel for forcing the check against the head while the check is driven along the head during reading. To increase the reading accuracy of the reader, a pair of magnets are supported relative to the support surface to align the dipoles of the MICR information prior to reading by the read head.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A device for reading magnetically encoded information from documents which are hand-fed to the device, each of the documents having a first planar surface, the device comprising:

a housing including a second planar surface having a document guide rail, the document guide rail extending upwardly from the second planar surface and along a direction of travel for a document parallel to the second planar surface, wherein the second planar surface is configured to slidably support the first planar surface of a document;
a magnetic read head including a top surface, wherein the magnetic read head is mechanically supported relative to the housing in a position suitable to permit the magnetic read head to read information from the first planar surface of the document;
a circuit board mechanically supported by the housing and being fabricated from a material, the circuit board including a support portion and a support member, the support portion and the support member being fabricated from the material such that the support portion is suspended relative to the support member to permit resilient deflection of the support portion relative to the support member, wherein the magnetic read head is mechanically supported on the support portion;
and
first and second magnets supported by the housing relative to the top surface such that dipoles containing magnetic information of a document passed along the top surface are aligned;
the magnetic read head and the first and second magnets being positioned along a line parallel to the direction of travel, and the housing being configured such that the second planar surface is exposed to permit a human hand to press the first planar surface of a document onto the second planar surface and urge the document against the document guide rail, and to manually slide the document along the second planar surface, the document guide rail and the line from the first and second magnets over the magnetic read head.

3 more elements

A device for reading magnetically encoded information from checks which are hand-fed to the device, comprising:

a housing including a planar surface having a straight check guide rail and an opening extending through the planar surface, the straight check guide rail extending upward from the planar surface and along a direction of travel parallel to the planar surface, wherein the planar surface is configured to slidably support a check;
a magnetic read head including a top surface, the magnetic read head being mechanically supported relative to the housing to extend through the opening with the top surface substantially in a same plane as the planar surface such that the top surface contacts a check in contact with the planar surface;
a circuit board mechanically supported by the housing and being fabricated from a material, the circuit board including a support portion and a support member, the support portion and the support member being fabricated from the material such that the support portion is suspended relative to the circuit board to permit resilient deflection of the support portion relative to the circuit board, wherein the magnetic read head is mechanically supported on the support portion;
and
a first magnet having a first pole of a first polarity and a second pole of a second polarity;
and
a second magnet having a third pole of the first polarity and a fourth pole of the second polarity, the first and second magnets being supported by the housing on opposite sides of the planar surface such that the first, second, third and fourth poles are located generally along an axis which is perpendicular to the plane of the planar surface and one of the pairs of the first and third poles, and the second and fourth poles are located adjacent to the planar surface;
the magnetic read head and the first and second magnets being positioned along a line parallel to the direction of travel, and the housing being configured such that the planar surface is exposed to permit a human hand to press a check onto the planar surface and against the straight check guide rail, and to slide the check along the planar surface and the straight check guide rail along the line in a direction from the first and second magnets to the magnetic read head.

5 more elements

A device for reading magnetically encoded information from checks which are hand-fed to the device, comprising:

a housing including a planar surface having a straight check guide rail and an opening extending through the planar surface, the straight check guide rail extending upwardly from the planar surface and along a direction of travel parallel to the planar surface;
a magnetic read head including a top surface, the magnetic read head being mechanically supported relative to the housing to extend through the opening with the top surface substantially in a same plane as the planar surface such that the top surface contacts a check in contact with the planar surface;
a first magnet having a first pole of a first polarity and a second pole of a second polarity;
a second magnet having a third pole of the first polarity and a fourth pole of the second polarity, the first and second magnets being supported by the housing on opposite sides of the planar surface such that the first, second, third and fourth poles are located generally along an axis which is perpendicular to the planar surface and one of the pairs of the first and third poles, and the second and fourth poles are located adjacent to the planar surface;
a circuit board fabricated from a material, and including a support portion and a support member, the support portion and the support member being fabricated from the material such that the support portion is suspended relative to the circuit board to permit elastic deflection of the support portion relative to the circuit board;
and
an electric circuit coupled to the magnetic read head and supported upon the circuit board, the magnetic read head being mechanically mounted on the support portion and the circuit board being mechanically supported by the housing;
the magnetic read head and the first and second magnets being positioned along a line parallel to the direction of travel, and the housing being configured such that the planar surface is exposed to permit a human hand to force a check onto the planar surface and against the straight check guide rail, and to move the check along the planar surface and the straight check guide rail along the line in a direction from the first and second magnets to the magnetic read head.

5 more elements

A hand-fed check reader for reading magnetically encoded information from a check, comprising:

a housing having a generally planar check support surface configured to slidably support a check and bounded on one side by a guide rail, and a first opening extending through the housing adjacent to the guide rail, wherein the support surface is configured to facilitate manual movement of a check along the support surface;
a read head configured to read magnetically encoded information from the check, wherein the read head is supported relative at the first opening, the read head having a read surface, the read surface being in a same plane as the support surface such that the read head contacts a check in contact with the support surface;
a circuit supported within the housing and electrically coupled to the read head to produce signals representative of the magnetically encoded information;
a circuit board fabricated from a material and including a support portion and a support member, the circuit being supported on the circuit board, the read head being mechanically mounted on the support portion, and the circuit board being mechanically supported by the housing, wherein the support portion is suspended relative to the support member to permit resilient deflection of the support portion relative to the support member;
a first magnet having a first pole of a first polarity and a second pole of a second polarity;
and
a second magnet having a third pole of the first polarity and a fourth pole of the second polarity, wherein the first and second magnets are supported by the housing such that the first, second, third and fourth poles are located generally along at least one axis which is perpendicular to the support surface with at least one pole from each of the first and second magnets being located adjacent to the support surface;
the read head and the first and second magnets being positioned along a line parallel to the direction of travel, and the housing being configured such that the support surface is exposed to permit a human hand to press a check onto the support surface and against the guide rail, and to slide the check along the support surface and the guide rail along the line in a direction from the first and second magnets and over the read head.

5 more elements

A hand-fed check reader for reading magnetically encoded information from a check, comprising:

a housing having a generally planar check support surface bounded on one side by a guide rail, and a first opening extending through the housing adjacent to the guide rail, the support surface being configured to facilitate manual movement of a check along the support surface;
a read head configured to read magnetically encoded information from the check, the read head being supported relative at the opening;
a circuit supported within the housing and electrically coupled to the read head to produce signals representative of the magnetically encoded information;
a first magnet having a first pole of a first polarity and a second pole of a second polarity;
a second magnet having a third pole of the first polarity and a fourth pole of the second polarity, the first and second magnets being supported by the housing such that the first, second, third and fourth poles are located generally along at least one axis which is perpendicular to the support surface with at least one pole from each of said first and second magnets being located adjacent to the support surface;
and
a circuit board including a spring member fabricated from, and integral with, the circuit board, wherein the read head is mounted on the spring member, the circuit is fabricated on the circuit board and the circuit board is supported by the housing;
the read head and the first and second magnets being positioned along a line parallel to the direction of travel, and the housing being configured such that the support surface is exposed to permit a human hand to force a check onto the support surface and against the guide rail, and to move the check along the support surface and the guide rail along the line in a direction from the first and second magnets to the read head.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.