U.S. patent number 3,791,516 [Application Number 05/216,536] was granted by the patent office on 1974-02-12 for batch ticket reader.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pitney-Bowes, Inc.. Invention is credited to Herbert Tramposch.
United States Patent |
3,791,516 |
Tramposch |
February 12, 1974 |
BATCH TICKET READER
Abstract
Ticket reading apparatus is disclosed having a moving grooved
belt for transporting tickets fed singly thereto by separator
rollers controlled by a clutch and brake in relation to information
recording speed. Reading is accomplished by at least two detectors
spaced to read information along the length of the ticket
regardless of end-for-end orientation. Each detector comprises a
light source and photocell detector having a narrow rhombic
aperture for optimum reading of tickets oriented longitudinally on
the belt or only slightly skewed. There is also provided a ticket
routing gate assembly operated by a switch enabled by the
information recorder to divert tickets to one of two routes and to
stack tickets which have not been properly read.
Inventors: |
Tramposch; Herbert (Riverside,
CT) |
Assignee: |
Pitney-Bowes, Inc. (Stamford,
CT)
|
Family
ID: |
22807441 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/216,536 |
Filed: |
January 10, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
209/539; 271/4.1;
271/265.01; 271/265.02; 209/563; 209/583; 209/587; 209/941;
271/303 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K
13/073 (20130101); G06K 7/10 (20130101); Y10S
209/941 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06K
13/073 (20060101); G06K 7/10 (20060101); G06K
13/02 (20060101); B07c 003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;209/74,111.7,73
;271/62B,45 ;198/134 ;250/200 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Knowles; Allen N.
Assistant Examiner: Church; Gene A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Soltow, Jr.; William D. Scribner;
Albert W. Wittstein; Martin D.
Claims
Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is:
1. Batch ticket processing apparatus, comprising in
combination:
A. a reading station having means for reading information encoded
on tickets to be processed;
B. feed means for moving tickets singly in a path adjacent said
reading station, 1. including guide means for substantially
aligning the ticket before it passes said reading station;
C. recording and control means electrically connected to said
reading means;
D. switch means positioned adjacent said feed path for actuation by
a ticket,
1. said switch means spaced downstream from said reading station
along said feed path,
2. said switch means being electrically connected to said recording
and control means and selectively enabled thereby;
E. ticket routing gate means interposed in said feed path and
spaced downstream from said switch means for diverting tickets to
one of two routes,
1. said gate means being electrically energized through said switch
means upon the coincidence of enablement by said recording and
control means and actuation by a ticket,
whereby a ticket is diverted to one of said two routes depending
upon whether or not information is accurately read therefrom as
determined and controlled by said recording and control means.
2. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said
reading station comprises at least two light sources and at least
two photocell pickup devices for receiving receiving reflected
light from a ticket passing by said light soruces, each photocell
device being associated with one of the light sources, said light
sources and their respective photocell devices being separated by a
light shield member mounted on said reading station and closely
spaced to said ticket path.
3. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said
reading station comprises at least one light source and photocell
detector device as detector means for determining the configuration
of light reflected from a ticket, including an aperture between the
ticket and said photocell detector device, said aperture being of
rhombic configuration.
4. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said
feed means comprises separator roller means for feeding tickets one
at a time from a stack, said separator roller means being driven by
a shaft having a clutch and brake assembly connected thereto, and
wherein there is provided control means comprising a ticket
detector adjacent said separator roller means and electrically
connected to said recording and control means to signal the
beginning and end of a ticket, said clutch and brake assembly being
electrically connected to and operable by said recording and
control means in response to signals from said ticket detector.
5. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said
feed means includes a ticket carrying belt having at least one
groove in the direction of belt travel on the ticket carrying side
thereof and said ticket routing gate means comprises a pivotable
member having at least one extended portion normally positioned in
said belt groove.
6. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said
reading station is provided with at least two light sources and two
detectors in adjacent positions and spaced apart in relation to
information positioned on the tickets, each detector being adapted
for separate detection of information, whereby ticket information
may be read regardless of end-for-end ticket orientation.
7. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said
ticket routing gate means comprises a pivotable ticket gate member
normally held closely adjacent to the feed path of said feed means,
solenoid means connected to said gate member for pivotably moving
said gate member away from the feed path, said solenoid means being
electrically connected to and operable by said swtich means, and
ticket stacking means adjacent said gate member for stacking
tickets in the same orientation as the tickets were moved by said
feed means.
8. Batch ticket processing apparatus comprising in combination:
A. a reading station having at least two detectors in adjacent
relation for separate detection of information on tickets to be
processed;
B. feed means for moving tickets singly in a path adjacent said
reading station, including
1. a continuous moving belt having at least one groove in its
ticket carrying surface in the direction of belt travel, and
2. guides along said belt to urge the tickets into a substantially
longitudinal orientation on said belt;
C. recording and control means electrically connected to said
reading station;
D. switch means having an actuator arm extending into said groove
of said belt,
1. said switch means being spaced downstream from said reading
station along said feed path, and
2. said switch means being electrically connected to and enabled by
said recording and control means, and
E. a ticket routing gate assembly interposed in said feed path and
spaced downstream from said switch means for diverting tickets to
one of two routes, comprising,
1. a gate member having guide extensions,
a. one of said guide extensions protruding into the groove of said
belt,
2. a solenoid assembly connected to said gate member for moving
said gate member toward and away from said belt,
a. said solenoid being connected to and actuated by said switch
means,
whereby information on a ticket may be detected by either of said
detectors regardless of its end-for-end orientation and said switch
means is enabled by information recorded from the ticket at said
recording and control means and said switch is operated by the
ticket to actuate said gate solenoid assembly to route the
ticket.
9. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said
reading station comprises at least two light sources and photocell
detectors, said light sources and detectors being positioned to
reflect light from the ticket and there are provided apertures
through which the reflected light is passed to said detectors, said
apertures being of a narrow rhombic configuration, the shortest
transverse dimension thereof being about the width of bar
information on the ticket to be read.
10. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein there
is further provided a lens between the ticket and each detector for
magnification of the reflected image from the ticket.
11. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein there
is provided ticket stacking means adjacent said gate member,
comprising rotating stacking wheel means for receiving tickets when
said gate member is not moved away from said belt by said solenoid,
and a ticket stack guideway whereby tickets not properly read at
said reading station will be routed to and stacked by said stacking
means.
12. Ticket processing apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said
feed means includes a separator roller for initiating the single
feeding of tickets onto said belt, said separator roller being
driven through a brake and clutch assembly, said brake and clutch
assembly being controlled by electrical connection to said
recording and control means, whereby tickets are fed to said belt
at a rate in response to the rate of information recorded by said
recording and control means.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to batch ticket reading apparatus and more
particularly to such apparatus wherein information may be read from
a ticket oriented in more than one position and wherein tickets
which are properly read are separated from those which have not
been properly read.
Sheet material processing apparatus for counting and printing,
cutting or otherwise handling sheet material such as letters,
bills, currency, tickets and the like have been known. Such
machines, for example, may be of the general type disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 2,378,250. Such machines generally operate by means of one
or more separator feed rollers which pull single sheets from a
stack of material, moves the sheets past a counting or imprinting
station and then delivers the sheet material to a stack or bin. In
the operation of such sheet handling apparatus the single sheet
material whether it be a document, piece of currency or a ticket,
generally pass one at a time past the counting or imprinting
station.
While such sheet handling devices are capable of counting or
imprinting tickets, for example, the function of machine reading of
the ticket while it is being processed is desirable in the handling
of sales tickets for retail merchandise. Such sales tickets may
contain a substantial amount of information in coded machine
readable form as well as alphanumeric and eye readable material.
Thus it is desirable to have sheet material processing equipment
which can singly process information-bearing sheets such as retail
sales tickets and read and record the information relating to each
sale represented by the ticket.
Problems airse however in the reading and sorting of tickets with
respect to the location of the machine readable information on the
ticket and the orientation of the ticket as it is stacked in the
machine for processing. It is impractical to have sorting of retail
sales tickets so that the machine readable code is oriented in the
proper direction as the ticket is being processed. For example the
ticket may be reversed end-for-end in the stack. Further, such
tickets may be stacked upside down wherein the machine readable
code faces away from the reading station as the ticket is being
processed.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a
batch ticket reader which can reliably read information from sheet
materials such as retail sales ticket.
Another object of the invention is to provide a batch ticket reader
of the above character wherein the ticket may be read from more
than one orientation as it is passed through the machine.
A further object of the invention is to provide a batch ticket
reader of the above character which will reliably separate
improperly read tickets from those which have been properly
read.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a batch
ticket reader of the above character which optically reads
information from the ticket.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in
part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,
combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be
exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the
scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the
invention, reference should be had to the following detailed
description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a side diagrammatic view of the ticket transport, reading
and routing assemblies of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the routing gate assembly
for separating tickets which have been properly and improperly
processed.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the ticket transport, reading and
separation assembly of the invention.
FIG 4 is an enlarged partial view of the ticket routing switch.
FIG. 5 is a partial diagrammatic vieew of the reading station,
taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial view of the rhombic aperture through
which reflected ticket information is read.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises the combination of a ticket reading station
with ticket transport apparatus and the provision of a routing gate
and control assembly for separating properly processed tickets from
those which have not been properly processed. The reading station
is provided with two or more detectors oriented to detect machine
readable information in at least one of two positions as the ticket
is moved past the reading station. The detectors preferably
comprise light sources and photocell detectors for receiving
reflected light from the ticket through a shaped aperture in the
form of a narrow rhombus to provide for the reading of a ticket in
a limited skewed position. The reading station further is provided
with a preamplifier for each of the detectors for transmission of
information to a recording and control unit. The routing gate and
control assembly therefore comprises a grooved transport belt for
carrying the ticket with the routing gate engaging the groove at
the downstream end of the belt. The gate is operable by a switch
interposed between the reading station and the gate and which is
enabled by an on-off signal from the recording and control unit
indicating whether or not the ticket has been properly read.
Improperly read tickets will not actuate the gate and are routed to
a stacking assembly for reinsertion into the ticket reader after
the stack is turned upside down. Properly read tickets are routed
to a bin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 1 the batch ticket reading apparatus of the
invention comprises separator rollers 10 for feeding one ticket at
a time from a stack 12 of tickets onto a grooved transport belt 14.
Belt 14 moves the ticket to be read past the reading station 16 and
then past routing switch 18 and to routing gate assembly 20.
Routing gate 20 separates properly read tickets from those not
properly read and routes the improperly read tickets for stacking
by wheel 22 or into bin 24 for those that are properly read.
As shown in FIG. 3 the separator rollers 10 are driven on a shaft
26 through a clutch 28 and brake 30. The clutch and brake
assemblies permit single ticket feed by rotating the separator
rollers 10 as required to feed one ticket onto belt 14. The clutch
and brake assembly are operated by recording and control unit 75 in
response to a signal from photocell detector 34. A light source 32
(FIG. 1) is cut off by a ticket as it is fed by the separator
rollers 10. When the ticket has passed between light source 32 and
detector 34, a signal is generated and electrically transmitted via
electrical connection 31 to the recorder and control unit 75 and
then via electrical connection 27 to stop the rotation of rollers
10. Actuation of the rollers 10 is again initiated by unit 75
through connection 27 to feed another ticket. Thus the feed rate is
geared to the speed with which the recorder can handle information
from the tickets. A light shield 25 is preferably around reading
station 16.
The ticket transport belt 14 is driven by drive wheel 36 which is
connected by its shaft 38 to a power source (not shown). Idler
wheels 40, 41 support the belt top with the bottom portion of the
belt passing under idler wheel 43 and around end wheel 42 as shown
in FIG. 1. Guide rollers 44, 46 initially urge the ticket into
contact with the belt 14 as the tickets are individually fed by the
separator rollers 10. Idler wheels 48 over the path of ticket
movement keep the tickets in frictional contact with the belt.
As best seen in FIG. 3, guideways 50, 52 urge and keep the tickets
in approximate longitudinal orientation on the belt 14. Guideway 52
is fixed and is angled toward the belt 14 to urge the ticket into a
more longitudinal configuration as it comes under the reading
station 16.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 it will be seen that the reading
station comprises three light sources 54, 56, 58 with associated
apertures, 60, 62, 64, picking up the reflected light from a ticket
to be read. Each light source and pickup aperture is separated by a
vertical divider 66, 66 and behind each aperture 60, 62, 64 there
is a lens 67 as representively shown in FIG. 5 for magnifying the
light signal and focusing it through a rhombic aperture 68 to the
photocell detector 70. The rhombic aperture will provide an optimum
signal of striaght or slightly skewed tickets as they are carried
on the belt. As shown in FIG. 7, the rhombic aperture 68 is narrow
across its short dimension and preferably about the width of a line
on the bar code to be read. Thus the optimum signal from the bar
code will be received by each detector whether the ticket is
longitudinally straight on the belt or is slightly skewed.
Signals from the photocell pickup are then amplified by
preamplifier 72 for transmission to recording and control unit 75
via electrical connection 74 (FIG. 3). Typically the retail sales
ticket 12a is imprinted with a bar code 12b of lines and spaces
containing the machine readable information. Thus as the ticket 12a
is moved under the reading station with the bar code facing
upwardly, the information thereon will be read through aperture 60
which is positioned over the bar code as it passes thereunder as
shown in FIG. 6. If the ticket is turned end-for-end with the bar
code facing upward the bar code will be read through aperture 62
since the ticket is guided by guides 50, 52 into reading registry
with one or the other of the apertrues 60, 62. The light source 58
and aperture 64 may be utilized for reading wider tickets in which
case guide 50 would be moved further apart from guide 52 to
accommodate such larger tickets.
In the event that the ticket is being fed under the reading station
upside down, that is without the bar code being exposed to any of
the reading apertures, the ticket will be routed for reprocessing.
For those tickets which are properly read and the information
thereof recorded, they will be routed past gate 20 and into bin
24.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the ticket routing gate assembly 20
comprises gate member 76 which pivots about shaft 78 and which has
end extensions 80, the central one of which extends into groove 82
on belt 14. The groove 82 extends around the entire ticket carrying
surface of the belt and provides a positive means for engagement of
extension 80 with a ticket carried by the belt. Thus when member 76
is in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the ticket will be
separated from the belt and pass between driven roller 84 and idler
86 and then will be stacked at 88 by driven stacking wheel 22. The
stacked tickets will generally be those that have been fed to the
reading station upside down, i.e., there was no readable indicia
exposed to the detectors. Accordingly, the whole stack 88 by be
reprocessed by turning them upside down and reinserting them into
the ticket reader in a stack as at 12.
If the ticket is properly read a signal is generated by the
recorder and control unit 75 to enable switch 18 through electrical
connection 19 (FIG. 3), the switch then being engaged by the read
ticket. As shown in FIG. 4, switch 18 is provided with a depending
arm 90 which extends into groove 82 of belt 14. Thus the passing of
a ticket on belt 14 engages arm 90 to operate switch 18. If the
switch has ben enabled by the ticket being properly read, solenoid
92 which is connected to the output of switch 18 through electrical
connector 91, is operated to pivot member 76 through arm 77 away
from the belt, thus permitting the ticket to pass thereunder and
drop into bin 24. As best seen in FIG. 1, the switch 18 is carried
on a mounting assembly 18a which can be variably positioned by
screw means along slot 18b in relation to reading station 16 with
respect to the speed of belt 14.
It should be understood that the term ticket as used in the
specification and claims herein should not be considered as
limiting, but includes sheet material having machine readable
information thereon, such as a retail sales ticket.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those
made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently
attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above
constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it
is intended that all matter contained in the above description or
shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *