# US 9,411,291 B2 · Multifunctional magnetic reading device and control method thereof as well as printer

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 9,411,291 B2
- Document ID: US9411291B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/404,907
- Filed: 2013-06-19
- Published: 2015-12-24
- Granted: 2016-08-09
- Earliest claimed: 2012-06-25
- Assignees: Shandong New Beiyang Information Technology Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Shandong New Beiyang Information Technology Co., Ltd
- Inventors: Chuntao Wang; Zhuanlong Yu; Zhenhu Xie; Lei Zheng
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9411291B2

## CPC

- G03G 15/60: {Apparatus which relate to the handling of originals (for photographic purposes in general G03B)}
- G06V 30/2253: {Recognition of characters printed with magnetic ink (G06V30/2247 takes precedence)}
- G11B 5/00808: {magnetic cards}
- G03G 2215/00312: Other special types
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R)

## Abstract

Disclosed are a multifunction magnetic reading device and a control method thereof as well as a printer. The multifunction magnetic reading device comprises a magnetic head component, a driving mechanism and a controller. The magnetic head component comprises a first magnetic head and an electromagnet. The first magnetic head comprises a first sub-head and a second sub-head. The electromagnet is configured to magnetize the MICR character. The driving mechanism is configured to drive the magnetic head component to reciprocate horizontally along a medium path in the medium path. According to the disclosure, a check and passbook processing device is also capable of reading a check inserted horizontally, and a user does not need to perform complex operations, which makes the multifunction magnetic reading device to be used conveniently.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multifunction magnetic reading device, comprising:
a magnetic head component, comprising a first magnetic head and an electromagnet, wherein the first magnetic head comprises a first sub-head and a second sub-head; the first sub-head is configured to read magnetic coded data recorded in a medium magnetic stripe;
the second sub-head is configured to read a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) character on a medium; the electromagnet is configured to magnetize the MICR character;
a driving mechanism, configured to drive the magnetic head component to reciprocate horizontally along a medium path; and
a controller, configured to, when a medium is medium with a magnetic stripe and the medium is horizontally inserted, control the first sub-head to move along the direction of the magnetic stripe to read magnetic coded data recorded in the magnetic stripe and, when determining that the medium is a medium with a MICR character and horizontally inserted, control the electromagnet to be powered on first to magnetize the MICR character on the medium, then control the second sub-head to read the MICR character on the medium, wherein the horizontal insertion direction is an extension direction of the magnetic stripe or the MICR character of the medium perpendicular to a medium conveying direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: when a medium is medium with a magnetic stripe and the medium is longitudinally inserted, control the first sub-head to read magnetic coded data recorded in the medium magnetic stripe during convey of the medium, wherein the longitudinal insertion direction is an extension direction of the magnetic stripe of the medium is parallel to the medium conveying direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 2, further comprising:
a second sensor group, comprising at least one sensor configured to detect whether there is a longitudinally-inserted medium in the medium path.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine the type of the medium; and/or
determine whether the medium is inserted horizontally or longitudinally.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: when a medium is medium with a MICR character and the medium is longitudinally inserted, during a moving process of the medium along a first direction, control the electromagnet to be powered on first to magnetize the MICR character on the medium and, after the magnetization, during the moving process of the medium along a second direction, control the second sub-head to read the MICR character on the medium, wherein the longitudinal insertion direction is an extension direction of the MICR character of the medium parallel to the medium conveying direction; the first direction is an insertion direction of the medium and the second direction is a direction opposite to the first direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine the type of the medium; and/or
determine whether the medium is inserted horizontally or longitudinally.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 5, further comprising:
a second sensor group, comprising at least one sensor configured to detect whether there is a longitudinally-inserted medium in the medium path.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 1, wherein
the multifunction magnetic reading device further comprises: a second magnetic head provided downstream of the electromagnet along an insertion direction of the medium,
wherein the controller is further configured to, when a medium is medium with a MICR character and the medium is longitudinally inserted, during the moving process of the medium along a first direction, control the electromagnet to be powered on first to magnetize the MICR character on the medium, then control the second magnetic head to read the MICR character on the medium, wherein the first direction is the insertion direction of the medium.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine the type of the medium; and/or
determine whether the medium is inserted horizontally or longitudinally.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine the type of the medium; and/or
determine whether the medium is inserted horizontally or longitudinally.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 10, wherein
the multifunction magnetic reading device further comprises: a communication interface configured to receive a medium type instruction from an external control device;
the controller is further configured to determine, according to the medium type instruction received by the communication interface, the type of the medium.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first sensor group, comprising at least two sensors configured to determine whether there is a horizontally-inserted medium.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 1, wherein
the multifunction magnetic reading device further comprises: a medium conveying mechanism; the medium conveying mechanism includes a medium conveying motor and a conveying roller component; the medium conveying motor is configured to drive the conveying roller component to rotate, wherein the conveying roller component is configured to convey the medium longitudinally along the medium path;
wherein the driving mechanism comprises a carriage driving motor configured to drive the magnetic head component to reciprocate horizontally along the medium path in the medium path.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

A printer comprising the multifunction magnetic reading device according to claim 1.

### Claim 15

A control method of a multifunction magnetic reading device, the method comprising:
when a medium is medium with a magnetic stripe and the medium is horizontally inserted, driving a magnetic head component to move horizontally along a medium path and controlling a first magnetic head in the magnetic head component to read magnetic coded data recorded in the magnetic stripe; and
when a medium is medium with a MICR character and the medium is horizontally inserted, driving the magnetic head component to move horizontally along the medium path, and controlling an electromagnet in the magnetic head component to be powered on to magnetize the MICR character on the medium, then controlling the first magnetic head in the magnetic head component to read the MICR character on the medium,
wherein the first magnetic head includes a first sub-head and a second sub-head, the first sub-head being configured to read the magnetic coded data recorded in the medium magnetic stripe and the second sub-head being configured to read the MICR character on the medium.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The control method claim 15, further comprising:
determining whether the medium is inserted horizontally or longitudinally and, when the medium is medium with a MICR character and is longitudinally inserted, reading the MICR character by the following methods:
Method 1:
during a process of controlling the medium to move along a first direction, controlling the electromagnet in the magnetic head component to be powered on to magnetize the MICR character on the medium, and
after magnetizing the MICR character, controlling the medium to move along a second direction and controlling the second sub-head to read the MICR character on the medium; or
Method 2:
during a process of controlling the medium to move along a first direction, controlling the electromagnet in the magnetic head component to be powered on to magnetize the MICR character on the medium, and
after magnetizing the MICR character, continuing to control the medium to move along the first direction, and controlling the second magnetic head to read the MICR character on the medium, wherein, in the insertion direction of the medium, the second magnetic head is located downstream of the electromagnet, the first direction is the insertion direction of the medium, and the second direction is a direction opposite to the first direction.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein, when a medium is medium with a magnetic stripe and the medium is longitudinally inserted, the method further comprises:
controlling the first sub-head to read magnetic coded data recorded in the medium magnetic stripe during convey of the medium, wherein the longitudinal insertion direction is an extension direction of the magnetic stripe of the medium parallel to the medium conveying direction.