Unisys Corporation

Unisys Corporation (formerly Burroughs Corp.)

Burroughs Payment Systems, Inc.

Gary B Copenhaver

Johan P Bakker

John D Vala

Clive E Catchpole

David J Concannon

Robert Timothy Rourke

David J Valice

Paul Stolis

David Brian Tratar

Gerald Banks

Paul John McCarthy

Michael John Kiplinger

Michael James Spall

Michael A Saunders

An automated document processing system is disclosed. The system includes a magnetic character reader located along a path of travel of a document. The system also includes a first image scanner located after the magnetic character reader along the path of travel, the first image scanner configured to capture an image of a first side of the document. The system further includes an endorser located after the magnetic character reader along the path of travel, where the endorser is configured to print an endorsement on at least one side of the document. The system also includes a second image scanner located after the endorser along the path of travel, the second image scanner configured to capture an image of the at least one side of the document endorsed by the endorser.

Document processing system having improved operational sequencing

In a document processing array, an imaging/illumination arrangement for illuminating and imaging the documents at one or several imaging-sites as they are rapidly transported there-past, each site having, as its illumination source, a hollow Lambertian integrating cylinder housing lamps which project essentially all their light onto the inner cylinder walls to be reflected/diffused thereby in Lambertian fashion and sent to the imaging site(s).

Illumination system

An arrangement for illuminating objects wherein a large number of objects are rapidly and continuously transported past one or more stations, each illuminated by a cylindrical, integrating Lambertian reflecting/diffusing cavity having one or more like light sources therein so as to generate and project a highly intense, highly uniform and highly diffuse beam of illumination, while incorporating optical guide means to couple said illumination beam to the face of the objects at said station and to couple the reflected image of the object back to the cavity.

Methods for illuminating documents

A method of arranging an item imager with a least two imaging site, each lit by a beam through a fibre-optic array, this method including: providing a beam-intensity-adjust array including a lens stage for focusing each beam on each fibre optic array such that a shift in lens-focus changes output light from the array.

Method for imaging of documents

A method of processing documents involving: transporting the documents at high speed unidirectionally and without pause along a prescribed transport path past at least one image-lift site; scanning the entirety of respective document faces at the sites with illumination from a light-source; providing a light-guide along a path between the light-source and the sites; providing an energy-shaping gate, disposed at each of the sites and acting to channel the imaging illumination energy there; and providing a heat-dissipation stage disposed operatively adjacent the light source and acting to extract infra-red energy therefrom and dissipate it so as to shield the sites; this heat-dissipation stage comprising an infra-red extraction unit arranged and adapted to remove a substantial part of the infra-red energy projected along a prescribed beam-path from a high-intensity spectral source; the extraction unit comprising: a selective reflector interrupting the beam path and adapted to divert infra-red energy as an infra-red beam along a second path; and an associated infra-red dissipation unit including multi-blade surfaces; disposed within an enclosure, adapted to receive the infra-red beams and to trap them and convert them to surface heat; these surfaces being arranged in an infra-red trap configuration to receive infra-red energy beams at an input portion and to allow essentially none of them to re-emerge; the reflector being interposed across the beam path and adapted to divert only infra-red energy to the dissipation unit; these blade surfaces comprising opposed sets of parallel blades, disposed obliquely to the direction of the infra-red beams, the blades being arrayed to converge upon the infra-red beams and block them, thus forming a convergent, infra-red trap preventing reflection back of any significant portion of an entering infra-red beam.

Apparatus for extraction of IR from illumination for check processor

In a check processing array, an imaging/illumination arrangement for illuminating and imaging checks at one or several imaging sites as they are rapidly, continuously transported past two or more imaging stations, each station having, as its illumination source, a hollow Lambertian integrating vessel, housing lamps which project a highly uniform, diffuse Lambertian illumination-beam to its respective imaging site.

Document imaging with illumination from lambertian surfaces

Apparatus for illuminating documents

A lamp projecting a high-intensity optical beam of spectral radiation, with an IR-extracting (cooling) array including an IR-dissipating 'black-box' arranged to receive IR and convert it to box-heat, plus an IR-diverting 'hot-mirror' interposed along the beam to divert (only) the IR to this 'black-box'.

Automatic imaging of documents

A set of track gauges for use in aligning, focusing and normalizing an imaging system of a high speed document processor have been provided. Each of the gauges fit within a track (14) in front of the imaging system (10 or 12). The depth gauge (70) is used to align the secondary light beam (26) with the primary light beam (22) so that all documents passing through the track (14) will be evenly illuminated from two points symmetrically offset from a line normal to the track (14). In addition, the depth gauge (70) is used to align a normally reflected beam (32) with a photodetector array (56). Two different trunnion mirrors (54 and 28) are adjusted in the two different alignment operations. The focusing gauge (80) includes a set of black 87 and white 88 stripes positioned on a middle region 86. The white reference gauge (90) has a reflective white coating in its middle region 96. An oscilloscope (100, 210, 300, or 400) is used to display the intensity of reflected light (32) impinging on the photodetector array (56) during all optical alignment and focusing operations.

Arrangement for aligning, focusing and normalizing imaging system

A method of processing documents involving: transporting the documents at high speed along a prescribed transport path past at least one image-lift site; scanning the entirety of respective document faces at the sites; providing an energy-shaping ate, disposed at each of the sites and acting to channel the imaging illumination energy there; and providing a heat-dissipation stage acting to extract infra-red energy therefrom and dissipate it so as to shield the sites; this heat-dissipation stage comprising an infra-red extraction unit that includes a selective reflector interrupting the beam path and adapted to divert infra-red energy as an infra-red beam along a second path; and an associated infra-red dissipation unit including multi-blade surface; disposed within an enclosure, adapted to receive the infra-red beams and to trap them and convert them to surface heat.

Document processing with infra-red extraction

Imaging of documents

Techniques for illuminating objects

An arrangement for illuminating documents in a document-processing system wherein a large number of documents are rapidly and continuously transported past one or more imaging stations, each station having, for illumination, an integrating structure which houses one or more cylindrical, integrating Lambertian reflecting/diffusing cavities, each cavity having one or more like light sources, so that each cavity generates and projects a highly intense, highly uniform and highly diffuse beam of illumination, while incorporating imaging camera means and optical guide means to couple the illumination beam to the face of the documents at the imaging station and to couple the image of the document to the imaging camera.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Gary B Copenhaver