The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 21, 1983
Filed:
Oct. 01, 1981
Henry J Flair, Franklin Park, IL (US);
Charles C Rayburn, Mt. Prospect, IL (US);
Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A cash replacement system including an encoded plastic card and a card acceptor mechanism is provided by punching a number of specially shaped apertures with predetermined orientations into a card. The acceptor mechanism which receives the card has a sensor pin aligned with each of the punched apertures of the plastic card. The sensor pins have a probe section at one end which is shaped to substantially conform to the shape of the punched apertures of the plastic card so that when they are in alignment with the apertures the probe sections will fit in the apertures as the sensor pins are depressed toward the card. The sensor pin also has a surface area adjacent the probe section which engages the card so that when the probe section extends through the aperture it insures that the aperture is of the correct shape and orientation. The sensor pins are lowered toward the card by a drive mechanism which is linked to a handle or other control device. The upper end of the sensor pins have grooves in them, and an operating plate is driven by the control device which has protrusions that pass through these grooves when all of the sensor pins are located in the holes of the punch card with the proper orientation. If no hole is present in the card, or if the opening is too wide, so that the aperture does not correspond to the particular desired shape, the corresponding sensor pin will pass entirely through the aperture and the protrusions on the operating plate will not pass through the grooves and the control device will not be actuated sufficiently to produce the desired result, such as opening a door of a vending machine.