Card package production system with a multireader card track and method
AssigneeDynetics Engineering Corporation
InventorsRobert J. Bretl, James G. Bretl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A card package production system (30) for producing card packages each with at least one card (48) bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card (48) with a card multireader (54) having an elongate card track (52) with a succession of reading stations located along the track (52) with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card (48) with means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards (48) along the track (52) in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations of the multireader 54 for simultaneous reading of the card information at the different locations on the cards (48) by the multireader (54).
Claims51
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card;
- and
- means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards along the track in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers, said card sliding means including a plurality of pusher members for pushing the cards along the card track to said succession of reading stations, respectively.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card;
- means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards along the track in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers;
- and
- a lateral reject station located along the track after the succession of reading stations with means for laterally removing rejected cards from the elongate track which have been improperly coded.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card;
- means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards along the track in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers;
- and
- a pocket station located along the rack after the succession of reading stations, said pocket station including means for laterally removing a card from the track to a pocket position for attachment to a carrier form.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card;
- means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards along the track in seriatum relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers;
- and
- a pocket station located along the track after the succession of reading stations, said pocket station including means for laterally removing a card from the track to a pocket position for attachment to a carrier form, said laterally removing means including means for selectively removing underlying support for the rejected cards to enable them to fall off the track.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card;
- means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards along the track in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers;
- and in which
- one of said readers is a computer chip reading assembly including
- a chip reader with a plurality of contacts for making electrical contact with corresponding terminals on opposite sides of a computer chip carried by the card,
- means for mounting said plurality of contacts for lateral movement of the contacts toward and away from the terminals on opposite sides of the computer chip, and
- means connected with the simultaneous sliding means for laterally moving said contacts into sideways engagement with the corresponding terminals after the card has been moved to the reading station of the chip reader.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card,
- one of said readers being a computer chip reading assembly including
- a chip reader with a plurality of contacts for making electrical contact with corresponding terminals of a computer chip carried by the card,
- means for mounting said plurality of contacts for lateral movement toward and away from the terminal, and
- means connected with the simultaneous sliding means for laterally moving said contacts into engagement with the corresponding terminals after the card has been moved to the reading station of the chip reader;
- and
- means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards along the track in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers,
- said simultaneous cards sliding means including
- a carriage with a plurality of pusher members for pushing the plurality of cards,
- means for mounting the carriage for reciprocal movement along the track, and in which
- said laterally moving means including a member carried by the carriage for engaging the mounting means to move the contacts into engagement with the corresponding terminals when the carriage reciprocally moves in a direction opposite to a direction it moves to move the cards to the reading station with said chip reader.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card;
- and means for simultaneously sliding a plurality of the cards along the track in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers, and
- a card feeder assembly for feeding cards inot the elongate track having
- a pair of card hoppers for respectively storing two stacks of cards to be read,
- a pair of picker mechanisms respectively associated with the pair of card hoppers for picking the bottom card of each stack to remove it from the stack,
- a bi-directional electrical motor, and
- means of for linking the bidirectional motor to both of said pair of picker mechanisms to selectively drive the picker mechanism in opposite directions to alternatively drive the pair of picker mechanisms to remove the cards from the associated pair of hoppers.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a card multireader, comprising:
- an elongate card track;
- a succession of reading station located along the track with readers for respectively reading the card information at the different locations on the card;
- and
- means for simultaneously sliding a plurality ,of the cards along the track in seriatim relationship through the succession of reading stations for simultaneous reading of the information at the different locations on the cards by the readers, and said card sliding means slides said plurality of cards along the track intermittently.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a method of reading the card information, comprising the steps of:
- simultaneously sliding a plurality of cards along the track in seriatim relationship through a succession of reading stations by pushing the cards along the card track to said succession of reading stations, respectively;
- and
- simultaneously reading the card information at the different locations on the card with different readers at the succession of reading stations.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a method of reading the card information, comprising the steps of:
- simultaneously sliding a plurality of cards along the track in seriatim relationship through a succession of reading stations;
- simultaneously reading the card information at the different locations on the card with different readers at the succession of reading stations;
- and
- laterally rejecting cards from the elongate track which have been improperly coded.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a method of reading the card information, comprising the steps of:
- simultaneously sliding a plurality of cards along the track in seriatim relationship through a succession of reading stations;
- simultaneously reading the card information at the different locations on the card with different readers at the succession of reading stations;
- and
- laterally removing a card from the track to a pocket position for attachment to a carrier form.
In a card package production system for producing card packages each with at least one card bearing card information at a plurality of different card information locations on the card, the improvement being a method of reading the card information, comprising the steps of:
- feeding cards into an elongate track with a card feeder assembly;
- picking the bottom card of each stack to remove it from the stack with a pair of picker mechanisms respectively associated with the pair of card hoppers;
- selectively driving the picker mechanism in opposite directions with a bi-directional motor to alternatively drive the pair of picker mechanisms to remove the cards from the associated pair of hoppers;
- simultaneously sliding the plurality of cards along the track in seriatim relationship through a succession of reading stations;
- and
- simultaneously reading the card information at the different locations on the card with different readers at the succession of reading stations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.