Recognition Equipment Incorp.

Other

Docutel Corporation

James O Lafevers

Charles T Kao

Richard T Kushmaul

James E Webb

James R Ingram, Jr

Elwyn E Grant

John F Blanton

Donny R Walker

Ted R Scott

Richard P Tribble

An apparatus is provided for reducing customer transaction time in an automated teller machine (ATM) having various peripheral devices associated therewith. Each peripheral device associated with the ATM; e.g., a card handler mechanism, a printer mechanism, one or more cash dispenser mechanisms, and a depository mechanism, include a dedicated processor and memory for controlling the operation of the peripheral device connected thereto. The ATM also includes a peripheral control unit connected to the various subsystem controllers and to an ATM control unit for receiving generated transaction sequence event messages and in response thereto concurrently processing the messages to initiate simultaneous real-time operation of the various peripheral devices. For example, the concurrent processing of transaction sequence event messages allows completion of the card read activity, entry of a customer PIN and printing of the customer receipt header to take place simultaneously. This parallel activity of the peripheral devices reduces the elapsed time for a customer to complete an ATM transaction.

Apparatus for completing a customer initiated ATM transaction

Automatic terminal machines for banking transactions utilize a document dispenser for delivering bank notes to a customer. The document dispenser moves the bank notes from a storage bin by means of a picker mechanism that moves along a path profile established by the configuration of a pair of cam tracks and associated cam followers. The picker mechanism includes vacuum cups for lifting the first document from a stack in the storage bin for delivery into a document transport. Connected to the vacuum cups is a vacuum/pressure supply that includes a multiple chamber cylinder that provides both vacuum and pressure synchronized with operation of the picker mechanism. The piston is pivotally mounted to enable swivel action when driving the interconnected pistons in respective chambers. When provided, the document dispenser includes a cassette having a loading door and an unloading door, each separately equipped with a locking device. These locking devices provide a tamper-proof cassette configuration when the cassette is removed from the dispenser for servicing. The various locking devices are released by locking the cassette housing into the document dispenser.

Dispenser picker apparatus

Dispenser cassette

A document transport for data entry and document processing for such documents as checks or credit card slips with transport means for entering the documents into a feed station, moving the documents past two read stations, wait in a hold station then return through a print station and a validator station with provision for entering data into the system and printing upon the document. The transport moves document in one direction and is reversed and moves documents in a second direction in the processing steps prior to depositing the document into a stack station.

Document processing transport

Magnetic ink characters on a document 1A are sensed by a single gap magnetic reading head which employs a segmented linear array having adjoining magnetic sensing elements. Each sensing element is a C-shaped laminated core with the reading head comprising an array of contiguously aligned cores where the core gaps are on an axis perpendicular to a document travel path. A pickoff coil encircles the vertical member of one arm of each laminated core and pickoff coils for juxtapositioned sensing elements are staggered on either side of the core gap so that no two coils are immediately adjacent. A chrome over copper plate about the core gaps is employed to improve the read head wear life and narrow the side-view angle of the sensing elements. The resolution and signal to noise ratio of the sensing element responses thereby is improved.

Single gap magnetic read head

A system for accurately merging data signals generated by two spaced apart multi-element MICR read heads is provided. Digital data signals are sampled near the signal peaks, converted to NRZ (non-return-to-zero) data and synchronized to a common fixed frequency. The digital data signals then are serialized to form two digital data streams, each of which corresponds to the responses of one of the two read heads. Phase differences between the two data streams are detected and corrected. In accordance with the invention, the data streams are interlaced to form a single digital data stream accurately representative of the information field sensed by the MICR read heads.

Data interlacing system

A magnetic ink character reading system is provided in which multi-element read heads are positioned in a spaced apart and staggered arrangement. Data signals occurring in the analog responses of the read heads are detected, and converted to discrete logic level signals under the control of a dynamically adjustable threshold. The logic level signals of each read head are sampled in response to independent data sample signals which are phase locked to the data rate of the respective read head. NRZ (non-return-to-zero) data signals formed thereby are synchronized to a common fixed frequency, and serialized faithfully to represent the characters appearing on documents passing the read heads.

MICR data lift system

CMC7 characters as coded by variations in spacing between vertical bars of magnetic material are automatically read as they pass a reading electron by separately sensing all magnetic materials in each of a multiplicity of side-by-side paths spanning the height of the characters and extending the length of the field on which the characters may appear to produce a like multiplicity of analog signals. Positive excursions of the signals above a predetermined amplitude level are summed as a first time amplitude function. Negative excursions of the signals above a predetermined level are summed as a second time amplitude function. A first train of pulses is generated, one pulse for each peak in the sum of the positive excursions. A second train of pulses is generated on pulse for each peak in the sum of the negative excursions. Signals are produced from the first and the second trains representative of leading and trailing edges of bars forming the character for identification of each character in dependence upon the bar spacings.

Growing community of inventors

Richardson, TX, United States of America

James O Lafevers