Pole/zero Corporation

Robert G Schumacher, Jr

Eugene A Janning, Jr

Joseph J Janning

A cashless business transaction system (e.g., a vending system, a material tracking system, or a highway toll system) incorporates a method and apparatus for transmitting a digital information signal. A signal generator ( ) generates a constant frequency signal. A phase modulator ( ) varies the instantaneous phase of the constant frequency signal to represent digital information, thereby producing a phase modulated signal ( ). A tuned resonant circuit ( ) filters and averages the phase modulated signal to produce a simulated FM signal, and transmits the simulated FM signal via its antenna ( ). One such business transaction system (e.g., a vending system) incorporates such a transmitter to facilitate transmission of billing information from a device located within a substantially electrically shielded environment. Another such business transaction system preferably incorporates such a transmitter to facilitate half-duplex transmission of digital information regardless of whether or not the digital information is transmitted from a device located within a substantially electrically shielded environment.

Method and apparatus for transmitting a digital information signal and vending system incorporating same

A transmitter prepares digits for transmission, e.g. as spread spectrum data accompanying commercial radio, using code sequences having exactly zero cross-correlation. The code sequences include phased versions of the maximal length sequence, with an additional '0' bit appended to the end of each phased version. Information signals (which may be analog signals, or digital signals encoded as two or more analog levels) are transmitted by multiplying each information signal by one of the code sequences, and adding the resulting sequences together to form an output sequence for transmission. A receiver that recovers the information signals correlates the received sequence with each of the code sequences, producing results which are directly proportional to the information signals.

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West Chester, OH, United States of America

Robert G Schumacher, Jr