Unisys Corporation

Burroughs Payment Systems, Inc.

Other

J Michael Spall

Johan P Bakker

Ronald G Shell

Zhongtai Chen

Randy C Keller

Kimberly A Gearns

Thomas L Raupp

Thomas J Shelton

Michael N Tranquilla

David Brian Tratar

Paul John McCarthy

Joe M Gagnier

Rand A South

An apparatus includes a document track, a processing device, and a selector gate after the processing device. The document track includes a second, return path extending from a location at the selector gate to a location before the processing device. A bi-directional drive mechanism receives the document as the document passes through the selector gate in the forward direction. A gate actuator selectively moves the selector gate. Upon the bi-directional drive mechanism reversing direction after receiving the document to drive the document in the reverse direction, when the selector gate is in the first position, the selector gate diverts the document into the return path and re-introduces the document to the processing device with the document now in a reverse orientation. When the selector gate is in the second position, the selector gate allows the document traveling in the reverse direction to be re-introduced, in reverse, to the processing device.

Check-processing device with conditionally-reversible track direction

A document processor receives a document to be processed and captures data from the document. The document processor includes a plurality of processing devices and conveys documents past the plurality of processing devices to allow the processing devices to perform operations on the documents. A programmable endorser prints an endorsement on a document as the document is processed. The programmable endorser includes a plurality of character segments in the form of various shapes such that the endorsement is printed by building characters from the character segments.

Endorsement printing by building characters

An apparatus for capturing images from checks and other financial and payment-related documents includes a base unit including an input slot for receiving a document to be processed. A transport stage located within the base unit receives the document from the input slot. The transport stage includes a document track, a processing device located along the document track, and a one-way gate located along the document track after the processing device. The document track includes a second, return path extending from a location at the one-way gate to a location before the processing device. A bi-directional drive mechanism receives the document as the document passes through the one-way gate in the forward direction. The bi-directional drive mechanism then reverses direction to drive the document in the reverse direction. The one-way gate is arranged to divert the document traveling in the reverse direction into the second, return path and re-introduce the document to the processing device with the document now in a reverse orientation.

Check-processing device with single image camera

A document processing system includes a document track composed of a pair of opposing rigid track walls. The documents are moved along the document track in a series to allow operations to be performed on the documents. An apparatus for detecting a document with an attachment includes a strike plate formed by a separate section of a wall of the document track. A magnet is arranged to attract material toward the strike plate. An accelerometer is mounted to the strike plate. The accelerometer detects an impact of an attachment to the strike plate when a document with an attachment passes the strike plate.

Document processing system with mechanism for detecting staples, paper clips, and like foreign items

A low-profile document feeding machine includes a feeder, a hopper, at least one processing device, and an output pocket. The feeder feeds documents one at a time from a document stack in the hopper for processing by the at least one processing device and reception by the output pocket. The hopper has a hopper floor including a hopper floor extension that extends beyond a footprint of the low-profile document feeding machine so as to better support longer documents. The hopper floor extension extend a to a sufficient extent such that a total length of the hopper floor is at least about 5.5 inches.

Low-profile document feeding machine with hopper extension

A low-profile document feeding machine includes a feeder, a hopper, at least one processing device, and an output pocket. The feeder feeds documents one at a time from a document stack in the hopper for processing by the at least one processing device and reception by the output pocket. The hopper includes a floor-wall construction for holding the document stack. The floor-wall construction is configured to column-form documents in the document stack. The column-forming provides increased stiffness in the vertical direction and prevents documents from falling/folding over due to top-heaviness.

Low-profile document feeding machine with hopper floor for column forming documents

A document processing system includes a feeder stage and a transport stage. The document track assembly includes at least one feedback section forming a document return path that extends from an exit point at one part of the document track to a reentry point at another part of the document track further back, upstream. The document track assembly is configured to allow the selective rerouting of a document through the document return path to make a repeat pass through a processing station located between the document track reentry point and the document track exit point. This provides increased reliability in document processing, particularly when processing involves checks, obtaining electronic images of checks, and check truncation.

Document processing system with track allowing selective reprocessing of documents

A system for feeding and transporting documents includes a feeder stage and a transport stage. Documents are fed singly, in order, from a stack of documents in a hopper assembly. A flag/flag block arrangement provides a force to move the documents along the hopper floor toward the feeder and to feed a document with a presentation force. The flag block includes a horizontal element for concentrating the presentation force at a desired position at the feeder. The horizontal element has sufficient depth away from the feeder such that the documents are essentially free to expand, thereby concentrating the presentation force while reducing drag forces. The flag/flag block arrangement is useful, for example, when the system is used to process envelopes.

Flag block for a document feeding system

A system for feeding and transporting documents includes a feeder stage and a transport stage. The feeder stage includes a feeder and a hopper assembly. The hopper floor carries the document stack, and includes a flag providing a force to move the documents along the hopper floor toward the feeder and to feed a document with a presentation force. A vibration source means vibrate the hopper floor such that the hopper floor vibration is stronger at the far end and weaker at the near end to cause a dynamic weight of the document stack to be reduced through vibration, particularly at the hopper floor far end when the document stack is large so as to reduce variation in the presentation force at the feeder.

System for feeding and transporting documents

A system for feeding and transporting documents includes a feeder stage and a transport stage. The hopper assembly includes a hopper floor that carries the document stack and a flag that provides a force to move the documents along the hopper floor toward the feeder. A fixed force means biases the flag with a fixed force while a spring means biases the flag with a variable spring force. The spring force varies with flag position to cause each document in the stack to be fed with an appropriate force due to spring force decreasing as the stack size diminishes.

An arrangement for adaptively driving the flag element of a document-handling device, such as a document sorter. The rotation of a first cam exerts a first force on the flag element. The profile of the first cam is such that the first force exerted on the flag element varies in accordance with the size of the document stack of the document-handling device. Alternatively, a second cam, rotatably connected to the first cam, causes a rotation of the first cam such that the first cam exerts a second force on the flag element. The first cam is shaped such that the second force exerted on the flag element is constant.

Adaptive flag weight for document handling apparatus

An arrangement for adaptively driving the flag element of a document handling device, such as a document sorter. The invention uses a force generating mechanism to produce torque at the periphery of a cam. A flexible connector that is wrapped around the cam is used to pull the flag element. The cam is shaped such that the force exerted on the flag element produced by constant torque varies in accordance with the size of the document stack in the hopper of the document handling device.

A machine for processing documents has a document feeder adapted to selectively adjust document feed rate and interdocument separation. The document feeder has a feeder surface for feeding documents into the machine. There is a nip between the feeder surface and a separator surface. The end document of a stack is urged, singly into the nip and advanced therebeyond by the feeder surface. The separator surface restrains the remaining documents of the stack. A control adjusts the speed of the separator surface to be continuously variable and independent of the speed of said feeder surface, with the separator surface speed adjusted to optimize the document feed rate, optimize interdocument separation, and minimize damage to the documents being fed into the machine.

Document feeder with variable-speed separator

A method of providing an implement for removing debris from a transport track of an article processing machine. The method includes providing a strip of non-conductive material, such as polycarbonate resin sheet material. The strip has a generally rectangular configuration and includes a plurality of corners. The strip is adapted to define a hook-shaped structure at each one of the corners, and the hook-shaped structure includes a hook-point that coincides with the corner of the strip at which the hook-shaped structure is located. The strip is modified to define a concavity proximate each of the corners, the hook-point being defined by an exterior edge of the strip and an interior edge of the strip defining the concavity. The hook-point as provided on the strip is suitable for engaging the debris and urging it along the transport track.

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Commerce, MI, United States of America

J Michael Spall