AlllDBQTDQfifl

COMPUTER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

SELECTION OF DATA

ENTRY EQUIPMENT

QC

100

U57

NO. 500-55

1979

NBS Special Publication 500-55

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

The National Bureau of Standards' was established by an act of Congress on March 3, 1901. The Bureau's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation's science and technology

and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Bureau conducts

research and provides: (1) a basis for the Nation's physical measurement system, (2) scientific and technological services for industry and government, (3) a technical basis for equity in trade, and (4) technical services to promote public safety. The Bureau's technical work is per- formed by the National Measurement Laboratory, the National Engineering Laboratory, and

the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology.

THE NATIONAL MEASUREMENT LABOR.ATORY provides the national system of

physical and chemical and materials measurement; coordinates the system with measureiment

systems of other nations and furnishes essential services leading to accurate and uniform

physical and chemical measurement throughout the Nation's scientific community, industry,

and commerce; conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement,

standards, and data on the properties of materials needed by industry, commerce, educational

institutions, and Government; provides advisory and research services to other Government

agencies; develops, produces, and distributes Standard Reference Materials; and provides

calibration services. The Laboratory consists of the following centers:

Absolute Physical Quantities' — Radiation Research — Thermodynamics and

Molecular Science — Analytical Chemistry — Materials Science. THE NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY provides technology and technical ser- vices to the public and private sectors to address national needs and to solve national problems; conducts research in engineering and applied science in support of these efforts; builds and maintains competence in the necessary disciplines required to carry out this research and technical service; develops engineering data and measurement capabilities;

provides engineering measurement traceability services; develops test methods and proposes

engineering standards and code changes; develops and proposes new engineering practices;

and develops and improves mechanisms to transfer results of its research to the ultimate user. The Laboratory consists of the following centers:

Applied Mathematics — Electronics and Electrical Engineering- — Mechanical

Engineering and Process Technology' — Building Technology — Fire Research —

Consumer Product Technology — Field Methods.

THE INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY conducts

research and provides scientific and technical services to aid Federal agencies in the selection, acquisition, application, and use of computer technology to improve effectiveness and

economy in Government operations in accordance with Public Law 89-306 (40 U.S.C. 759), relevant Executive Orders, and other directives; carries out this mission by managing the Federal Information Processing Standards Program, developing Federal ADP standards

guidelines, and managing Federal participation in ADP voluntary standardization activities; provides scientific and technological advisory services and assistance to Federal agencies; and

provides the technical foundation for computer-related policies of the Federal Government.

The Institute consists of the following centers:

Programming Science and Technology — Computer Systems Engineering.

'Headquarters and Laboratories at Gaithersburg, MD, unless otherwise noted; mailing address Washington, DC 20234. ^Some divisions within the center are located at Boulder, CO 80303.
DEC t 0 1979

COMPUTER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

SELECTION OF DATA ENTRY EQUIPMENT ^^"^^^

Steve A. Recicar

Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE'

Luther H. Hodges, Jr., Under Secretary

Jordan J. Baruch, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Director

Issued November 1979
National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 500-55

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 500-55, 77 pages (Nov. 1979) CODEN: XNBSAV

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 79-600173

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON; 1979

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Wasliington, D.C. 20402

Stock No. 003-003-02133-4 - Price $3.50. (Add 25 percent additional for other than U.S. mailing).
SELECTION OF DATA ENTRY EQUIPMENT

Stdv* A. Reciear

ABSTRACT

Thii publication ppovldaa i nf opmat 1 on to be used. by Faderal

opoani lat 1 pnt In the selection of data entpy eaulpment. The

objective is to make aval 1 abl e 1 nf opiret 1 on that could lead

to the telectlon of mope efficient and economical data entpy

ayttemt. This pepppt ppovidea infopmation about economic

and genePal opePationa) considePationi, itePi to be followed

in acquisition and t Pai n1 ng# . and othep factops pePtlnent to

data entpy equipment selection. Equipment ppofiles fop the

diffepent data entpy methods aPe also ppovidedt

Key wopdsi Appllcetlon; chapactep set; comoutep

intepfacei costi data entpyi editi ooePatoP speedi

pecopd size) tpansaction volume) tpansfep speed!

validate) vepify.

EftCflfloilifin, An OpePatlons RePOPt entitled "Data Entpy

Guide" was published about 1975 by the Ooepatlons Reseapch

Division* ReseePch Design Centep» at GunteP Alp Fopce

Station, Alabama, with Captain Donn Keapna as ppoject

offlcePt That pepopt ppovided the basis fop many of the

equipment ppoflles In this PePOPt,

iii

Contents

Page

Introduction 1 PuPDOie of this Report 1 Organlietlon of thU Report 1 Factors In Data Entry Equipment Selection 2 General Considerations 4

Economic Considerations 5 Steps to be Followed In Selecting Data Entry

Eaulpment 7 Chapter 1 9

BASIC KEYBOARD INPUT DEVICES 9

1. 1 Keypunch 9

1.2 Keyboard-to-Tape 12

1.3 Keyboard-to-Di sk 16

1.4 Portable Keyed Devices 19

1.5 Alphanumeric Displays 22

1.6 Teleprinters 27

Chapter 2 31 READER TYPE DEVICES 31

2.1 Optical Character Readers (OCR) 31 2.2 Optlcel Mark Readers (OMR) 36

2.3 Optical Bar Code Readers (OBR) 39

2. a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) 41 2.5 Remote Scanners 44

2.6 Prepunched Tag Readers 44

Chapter 3 45

SPECIAL INPUT DEVICES 45

3.1 Pushbutton Telephone 45

3.2 Industrial Data Collection Equipment 47

3.3 Voice Recognition 49

3.4 Mixed-media (Keyboard/Readers) 53

3.5 Digitizing Tablets 56

3.6 Polnt-of-Sale (POS) 59

Glossary 64

Bibliography 68

Tables

Table 1. General Summary of Characteristics Follows 6

(Fold-in)

V

SELECTION OF DATA ENTRY EQUIPMENT

Steve A, Reclcar

The PUPpoie of thie reoort it to provide Federal ADP

managers en aid for leleetlng data entry equipment. The

coit of data entry repreients from 30 to HO Percent of the

total EDP budget In typical 1 nttal 1 at 1 ona. Since data entry

is more labor-intensive than most EDP operat1ons# proper

equipment selection can produce substantial aavlnqs In

operator ^osts. The process . of data acQuisltlony

transcription and entry Is continually evolving. Keeping

track of this market becomes more challenging every year.

The types of products being marketed are extremely varied.

The number of vendors who are Participating In this market

is auite large* as Is the size of the market itself. It Is

estimated that by the end of 1976 there were over 2f000#000

data entry devices installed In the United States. It is

also estimated that the overell installed base will grow at

17 percent per year over the next five years.

Because of this enormous growth rate* in numbers and

technology* new opportunities are continuously being

presented for use of more efficient and economical advanced

data entry systems In many Federal agencies. It Is expected

that this report will make It easier for the Federal ADP

manager to take better advantage of these opportunities.

QCQinliit Ipo fil XhXi &ABa£l

This report is divided Into three chapters— Basic . Keyboard

Input DevieeSf Reader Type Devices* and Special Input

Devices. These three chapters provide equipment profiles

for the different data entry methods. Each chapter Is

subdivided into equipment categories (such as keyboard-to-disk* optical character readers* voice

recognition systems, etc,). Within the equipment profiles,

the following Information Is provldedi

..A general description of the equipment category

including its definition, characteristics, and options

normally available,

, Operator requirements normally associated with the

equipment.

• A cost range for the eoulpment,

• Typical applications of the equipment.

1
• Advantages and d1 iadvantaget of the equipment.

(Most equlement referred to in thia guideline operates from

60 HZf 115 volt Power sources and reaulres less than 2

k1 lowatts.)

The basic information needed by an ADP manager to select

equipment categories meeting the requirements of a data

entry application Is presented. It should be stressed that

this report Is not Intended to provide comprehensive

specifications for every data entry device (or system)* but

rather to introduce the types of data entry equipment that

are available. There are several other reference sources

(such as Auerbach/ DataPro* and Data Entry Today) which

cover specific dsta entry devices in grester detail. Some

other sources of Information about data entry arei

• Studies such as those done by "Computerwor 1 d" and

others.

• Manufacturers' brochures and presentations.

, Courses by organizations such as the Data Processing

Management Association and the American Management

Association.

• Meetings with others interested In the advancement of

data entry# auch as DEMA (the Data Entry Management

Association).

, GSA's National Archives and Records Services' program

of paperwork rnoderni lat 1 on* Including the use of source data

automation techniques,

• The organizations' own data entry* data processing*

or user personnel

.

Once an equipment category has been selected* these

reference sources should be used to research Individual

devices or systems In order to determine which are beat

suited for the application.

The selection process Is complex* especially In large

agencies with many departments originating transactions in

multiple locstions. Three levels of selection factors can

be identified as pr i mary* _ secondary* and tertiary factors

according to their relative importance.

The three ariaiAfi^ factors in the selection of data entry

equipment aret

• Transsetlon volume

• Point of data origin

. Transaction class

Transaction volume Is probably the single most significant

factor In Properly selecting data entry equipment! however*

transaction volume and point of data origin should be

2
eonsiderttd together beeeuse Individual remote locations

within an agency may generate sufficiently large transaction

volumes to Justify specialized equipment or even the

i nstall at 1 on of multiple data entry systems at a single

remote location. Volume analysis can help determine whether

or not an optical character reader or distributed processing

system can be justified. For example^ the data entry volume

that originates from remote locations can help determine

whether data entry can be economically decentralized* or whether data collection equipment is a viable alternative to

centralized keying. For large agenc1es# the volume at each

decentralized data entry location will govern which

equipment type should be selected for each remote location.

There are three baale classes of data entry transactions!

1. BtCftCgi &£AAlifiQl File additions that Involve

creating a file or adding complete records to an existing file. Examples are new customer aceountsi

new employees^ new part numbers, new suppliers,

etc. where the input transaction consists of

adding a record or account not already contained in

the file.

2. &Ai:6££l ^odiiixAlion t Record changes that Involve

modifying or correcting complete records In an existing file. Examples of record changes are

changes of marital status, beneficiary, address,

gross pay* deductlonsf etc.

3. QaIa Ufi£lAllOfit Data field activities that Involve

only changing or updating certain data fields

within the records of a file. These consist of the

day"to-day transactions for established files.

These Include any other activity on an established

file except for Items 1 and 2 above.

The significance of claaalfying data entry transactions Into

these classes Is that different categories of equipment are

better suited for handling different types of transactions.

As a general rule, transaction classes 1 and 2 must be

entered using general purpose alphanumeric data entry

equipment. Class 3 transactions can be keyed on the same

devices as classes 1 and 2. However, class 3 transactions

usually are much simpler In nature, the data frequently

consists of numerics only, and relatively few characters are

required to accomplish each transection. Consequently,

ether less costly, and In some cases, highly specialized

devices have evolved for class 3 transactions, to enable

fast and accurate operations by relatively unskilled

operators

.

The 1A&&Q£U£^ factors In equipment selection are accuracy

controls and administrative controls for ensuring Proper

administration. Accuracy controls are equipment features

that may be designed Into the equipment to enhance the

accuracy of data entry. For example* field controls on

3
keypunch equiornent can prevent alphabetic charactept frpm

being entered In numeric fields or vice veriat

Admi ni tt rat 1 ve controls include such Items as accounting

functions^ data security provlslonsf and various features

that may be provided to limit or restrict data entry

operations from Improper employee actions,

IftJtliw^ factors In data entry equipment selection Include

media compatibility and communications considerations. For

example* If a data transmission link Is to be used between

the data entry stations and the processing center* there are

communication factors that must be considered to ensure

compatibility between the remote and central sites.

Alternatively* locally-prepared magnetic media such as diskettes* cassettes* or cartridges mav be required for

accounting purposes to ensure the integrity of each remote

data entry station* providing a basis for auditing as well

as for archival storage.

l^i'hen considering equipment for data entry applications* the

following questions should be asked.

Performance

, Is the equipment sufficiently reliable for the

application?

, Are keys arranged on the keyboard for most efficient

operation?

. Is the effective speed and accuracy of the data entry

equipment adequate to meet application throughput

requi rement s7

• Win parallel operation of multiple units be

requi red?

Physical Specifications

. Is the currently available source of power adequate

for the device?

• Are there any special* hard-to-sat 1 sf y environmental

requi rements?

, Win the necessary number of data entry stations and

related equipment fit the available spaca?

• Is portable equipment required for the Intended

appl 1 cat 1 on?

Input

, Is the type of Input medium appropriate for the

intended application?

, Are special forms required?

, Must special fonts be, used to prepare data for Input?

, Is the method of the input mode (real-time or batch)

appropriate for the Intended application?

4
• Does tht device support an adequate character set for

the appi i cat 1 on?

• Is the character set compatible with that of the

installation's computer or will certain special conventions

be required^ such as keylns a "X" to represent a "("?

, Ape provisions included for entering characters that

are not contained In a standard character set?

Output

, Are the format control facilities adequate to meet

the requirements?

. Are the output facilities suitable with respect to

type end size of medium, coder character set, and record

1 ength?

Error Checks and Safeguards

• How convenient are the error correcting procedures

for the operator?

t Does the verification process require a separate

machine?

, Do the error detection facilities meet the accuracy

requirements of the application?

Training and Maintenance

, Is adequate customer training available for new

operators?

• Is maintenance available where the equipment will be

located end with the responsiveness required bv the

appl 1 cat i on?

Future Growth Potential

• Can the system be upgraded?

, Does the manufacturer of this equipment make more

soPh 1 St 1 Cited equipment? Does Its product line Include

current "state-of-the-art" systems?

, How expensive Is upgrading the system?

, How much retraining or program and format changing

win It Involve?

Table 1 is a summary of th» more significant characteristics

of the principal categories of data entry eaulpment. The

information In the table was obtained primarily from the

following Chapters 1, eti and 3 and Is provided so that the

reader may more easily compare the various systems.

Economic Justification of a data entry system should be

based upon a cost /per formance comparison between the

proposed systems and the currently-Installed system or among

5
candidate syatamt \f none la ppeaently InstaHad. A valid

economic analyala peauirea that the tatAi lilt c^filfi coii of

a data entry syatem be determined and evaluated, Thia

includea the initial orocu rement » operating and maintenance

coata, accounting for potentially Increasing data entry

volumea* the need for system augmentation and the effects of

annual inflation. Accurate cost and performance eatimates

ahould be based on detailed knowledge gained from the

analysis of the user's data entry applications and from a study of available data entry equipment or techniques.

Data entry system cost /pef ormance comparisons are normally

specified in terms of cost per character of input. In order

to calculate accurately the coat per character of Inouti the

volume of data and the total cost of entering this data must

be known.

The following generallied formula can be used to compute the

cost per character of input.

Cost Per Character of Input « (Equipment Costs + Personnel

Costs + Cost of Supplies + Facilitiea Coats + Error Handling

Co8ts)/Data Entry Throughput

Equipment costs generally Includel

, Rental or purchase cost of the data entry equipment

• Maintenance costs

, Communications cost (if on line)

Personnel costs generally ineludei

, Operator salaries

.Personnel overhead (supervision* leave benefitsr

vacation* etc)

Cost of supplies generally Include the cost ofl

.The recording media (punch cards* Paper tape*

magnetic tape* magnetic disk, etc.)

• The storage and handling of each Item

Facilities costs generally Include the costs oi'i

. Floor space

. Environmental controls (air conditioning* heating*

etc .

)

, Electrical Power

Error handling costs generally Includel

, Personnel costs for the time it takes to track down

and correct an error

• System throughput reduction caused by the error

6
:ter Sets Available

Edit/Validate

Capabil ities Operator Requirements

Keypunch lerith, EBCDIC, or

Keyboard-to-Tapjierith, EBCDIC,

r vendor unique sets

Keyboard-to-Dis|ierith, EBCDIC,

ir vendor unique sets Alphanumeric DiicD, or EBCDIC

Teleprinters >cd, EBCDIC, or

Optical Charact»cR-B, Farrington 7B,

1428

Optical Mark Rel

Optical Bar Cod^^BAR^ Distribution

Telexon codes 3i others Magnetic Ink Che

q thru 9 plus 4 or

^1 characters

Pushbutton Teley ^^^^^^^ characters

lenerated Voice Recognititj

a vocabulary of

leric and command

Digitizing Table

Point-of-Sale

and control

;rs

1 imited

moderate to extensive

moderate to extensive

extensive

limited to moderate

(buffered devices only)

moderate to extensive

most are limited

1 imited

moderate

1 imited

moderate to extensive

None

limited to moderate

skills higher than those

for typists

somewhat more skill/training

than for keypunch

somewhat more skill/training

than for keypunch

limited skills may be adequate - depends on the application

limited skills may be adequate

depends on the application

limited skills may be adequate

depends on the device and the

appl i cation

limited skills are adequate

limited skills are adequate

limited skills are adequate

limited skills are adequate

limited skills are adequate

drafting skills preferable only

in inputting mechanical or graphic drawings

cash register experience is helpful

Keypunch

Keyboard- to- Tape

Keyboard-to-Oisk

Alphaniineric Displays

Teleprinters

Optical Character Readers

Optical Hark Readers

Optical ear Code Readers

fegnetic Ink Character Recogm

Pushbutton Telephone

Digitizing Tablets

Transfer Speed

depends on quality & type of line or cable - up 1

1 ,000.000 characters pe

keypunch

10,000 keystrokes

depends on the capabilities of the

ice and the interface

up to ZaOO bps

I imited by speed of operator

up to 3500 characters

I forms per minute

about 2 words per

up to 6600

lordinate points

depends on configuratic

20 sq. ft.

30-25 sq. ft.

20-25 sq. ft.

5 sq. ft.

up to 16 sq. ft.

25 sq. ft.

less than 1 sq. ft.

less than 1 sq. ft.

generally up to 128 character;

80-1920 characters

depends on co>nputer softifare

up to 7000 characters

isually 12 nuneric cl

up to 60 characters

depends

at tl

[|/A

Character Sets Available

, Hollerith, EBCDIC,

ASCII. BCD, or EBCDIC

ASCII. BCD. EBCDIC.

Typically. 18-26 c

imited skills may t idequate - depends c ipplication

ted skills may be adequate

depends on the device and the

appl ication

limited skills are adequate

limited skills are adequate

limited skills are adequate

Hi ted : ills ? adequate

drafting skills preferable

in inputting mechanical or

graphic drawings

TABLE 1. GEtyERAL SUMMARY OF CHARACTERISTICS

Data entry throughput 1» defined as the average number of

correct characters entered during a specified Period of

time. This period of time must be the same as that used for

the costs (e.g./ monthly).

Total Justification for a data entry system Includes not

only cost/performance consi derat 1 onsr but also system

flexibility* user acceptance* and the feasibility of

possible future enhancements to the Installation's data

entry operation.

It Is appropriate at this point to discuss error handling

costs* because they can be a significant percentage of the

total cost of a data entry system. Furthermore* the cost of

error detection and correction can b© quite sensitive to the

time and place of discovery. For example, It has been

estimated that errors detected and corrected at the time of

data entry are relatively 1 nexpensi ve--about 10 cents per

character In error* but those that go undetected until they

reach the destination file media or the processing

environment are much more expens 1 ve"-52 or more oer

character depending on the Installation, Error handling

costs can exceed 30 percent of the total cost of a data

entry system. This fact provides considerable motivation to

Incorporate one or more data validation checks as early as feasible in the sequence of the data acquisition*

transcription* and entry processes.

The basic function of all data entry equipment Is to prepare

Information for entry Into a computer. Some computer

applications can tolerate inaccurate data more than others.

In general* the recorded data must constitute an accurate

representation of the source data* within the accuracy

limits dictated by the application requirements and the

necessary economic tradeoffs. Prospective users should

realistically evaluate the overall cost of undetected errors

(including the intangible factors such as customer

irritation)* and weigh it against the cost of more powerful

error-control facilities to decide Just how much protection

against errors is really necessary.

The following basic steps should be taken In the process of

selecting data entry equipment. Some applications or circumstances may dictate omitting some steps* taking the

steps in a sequence different than the order In which they

are listed* or taking additional steps. Also* in most

cases* several steps in the selection procedure will be

conducted concurrently,

1, State-of-the-Art Familiarization

, Review available alternatives

, Talk to others having similar applications

• Talk to others using the various types of

7
•quipment being considertd

, Select equloment category

• Research Individual devices

Requirements Analysis

, Perform workload analysis

, Conduct technical , feaslbll 1 ty study

, Conduct cost/benefit analysis

Soec 1 f 1 cat 1 on Development

, Prepare procurement Justification documents

. Prepare technical spec 1 f 1 cat 1 ons » statements!

etc, for Inclusion in RFP

a. Solicitation

, Request for proposal

5. Evaluation

• Review vendors' proposals

• Arrange demonstrations by vendors

• Run benchmarks

, Perform formal evaluation

6, Contract Award

• Instal 1 system

7. Acceptance

• Run acceptance tests

8, Operation

, Initiate parallel operation and cutover

, Conduct Post-1 nstal 1 at 1 on evaluation (continuing

basi s)

Considering the magnitude of the costs and the potential

benefits involved, careful study end sound selection

procedures are essential*

With the Passage of time* some of the equipment profiles Jn

this report will become out of date due to advances In

technology. Also, as a result of competition and advances

in technology, the prices In this report will become

increasingly Inaccurate, They ere entered here merely for

comparison purposes. Accordingly, the user of this report

should take these factors Into account.

2.

3.

8
Chaotep 1 BASIC KEYBOARD INPUT DEVICES

Several factors influence the proaeectlve Performance of any

keyboard encoder and can have a significant effect on throughput. These factors Include!

.The operator's keying speed,

.The time reaulred to feed; dupllcater skip* backspace^

check, punch, or record,

.The time required to correct errors and machine

faults.

Physical limitations of the human operator of keyboard Input

data entry equipment permit steady keying speeds on the

order of 3 to 4 keystrokes per second. This would

correspond to a sustained keying speed of about 11,000 to

15,000 keystrokes per hour. Machine speeds are much faster

than those of even highly skilled operators, Machine

function time. In most cases. Is negligible in comparison to

the time required to key data or to correct errors. Some

types of equipment can automatically duplicate repetitive

portions of the data and this, of course* Increases the

operator's effective speed,

1.1 &flUiELffiADl CAlAflfl^^i Keypunch • A keypunch is an electromechanical device which converts operator keystrokes

into machine-readable holes on cards. Typical components of

the device Include an Input card hooper, a card punch

mechanism, a print mechanism, a card Interpret mechanism* a card stacker, a keyboard, and control electronics.

It 1.1 £auififfl«&i LbA£AfilA£iAll£A

1.1.1.1 CAfiA&iI^^SBAA£i

1.1.1.1.1 l£AOAlA£ ^AAd - For most commerlcally available

keypunch equipment, the hardware capabilities generally

provide for a transfer rate from keyboard to a single card

ranging from 18 to 65 characters oer second (this speed does

not reflect delay caused bv mechanical feeding of cards),

1.1.1.1.2 ^lufflA tt& Uail ol li&A " Based on an average 7500

keystrokes per hour and an average of 60 characters punched

per card, a keypunch has a data entry volume of

approximately 125 cards per hour (this speed Is limited by

two facterst mechanical feeding of cards and the soeed of

keypunch operators).

1.1.1.1.3 QfiA£AlQ£ ^AA£i - Operator speed ranges from 8000

to 15,000* keystrokes per hour which is equivalent to 100 to

*Soeeds include both buffered end unbuffered keypunches. In

most instances the lower speeds are for unbuffered units and

the higher speeds are for the buffered units. The speed

advantage of the buffered units is due to their ability to

overlap the keying and mechanical punching operations,

9
200 eighty-character cards per hour. Most sources rate the

average keypunch operator at 10»000 keystrokes per hour Cor

slightly less then 3 characters per second) on unbuffered

devices and slightly higher on buffered devices. However#

this speed does not take Into consideration factors such as card and document handling* coffee breaks, error correction

t1me# etc. These factors restrict the average sustained

speed In a typical commercial application to approximately

7500 key strokes per hour.

1.1.1.2 Qtumifioal And Loi^ilfinoiftalAl RfiflulcfiffiftaiA

1.1.1.2.1 lAmcft£AlU££ZldU3ii£lii^ B,ftaui£ftai£QlA - Keypunches can

be operated In an office environment. Punched cards,

however, generally require a controlled environment,

particularly when stored for long periods; otherwise the

dimensions of the cards will change with changes in humidity

and result In equipment malfunctions. Cards must also be

kept free of contaminants such as dirt and oil,

1.1.1.2.2 A££AZ£h^AifiAl LaCAliaa - Eaulpment is desk sized

self-contained units reauiring approximately 20 square feet

per unit,

1,1 •1.2,3 CfimBUlAt iBlAtlAfiA - Keypunches create 60 or 96

column EDP cards. Some units offer online caPebilitles but

are generally limited to slow speed card reading and

punch 1 ng,

1.1.1.3 laoui C^£A&lA£iaii&A

1.1.1.3.1 EAcard fiiXAA - Depending on card type, maximum

record siies per card are limited to 80 or 96 characters.

Longer records may be accommodated by employing a sequence

number field In each card designating the card's position

within the record,

1.1.1.3.2 LhAWlAL fieXA A^AllAl2lft - Keypunch and card

tabulating units with up to 6a alphanumeric and special

characters using BCD, Hollerith, EBCDIC, or USASCII code

sets are available.

1.1.1.^ Quljaiil LABAlailiiiAA • Output from keypunches Is

recorded as rectangular holes punched in standard EDP cards

(whose dimensions are defined by ANSI X3. 11-1969). Most

keypunches also print the Punched data along the too margin

of the card.

1.1.1.5 ^dllZiAlidAlA CACAbllitlAl " Keypunches have a limited range of capabilities including printing, field

definition, zero insertion, skipping, check-digit

generation, and character Inhibition,

1.1.2 QatienA • Available options include the followingi

punch/verify capabilities, from 1 to 31 Program levels

10
(itored data entry fopmatt)* from SO to 800 character buffer

•toragei batch production totala, and others depending on manufacturers.

.Ul»3 QBt£Aifl£ EAflUiffimAOll r Keypunches are operated by one

operator per station. Skin levels and salary levels are

usually higher than those for tyolsts,

1.1.4 Call SADflfiA

U1.5 I^QicAl ^DQllcaliaoA - Punched cards had

been the most widely used data entry media. The keypunches

which create these cards are used as Input devices for m«ny

data entry applications. Almost every type of data entry

application has been or is still being Performed by

keypunches.

1.1.6 Asl^AaiAasA And 2l£aaa ^fiiolA

.Many data processing systems today ere card-oriented

and do not reauire modification when additional keypunch

equipment is added.

.Keypunches have been used many years and both data

processing personnel and users are familiar with their

operat 1 on. •Equipment cost Is low,

.Individual card records are easy to manipulate*

inspect* and change manually.

1.1.7 QiA&d^AQlASAA Aod LimiiAlionA

,Re-t ransc r 1 Pt 1 on of data (i,e.# keypunching from data

sheet to punched cards followed by "reading" the punched

cards to convert the data to electrical signals) results in

additional cost and time for computer data preparation,

, Keypunching usually requires a separate unit for

verification or the use of more expensive punch/verify

aqui pment

,

, Keypunching Is susceptible to undiscovered data errors

because of the manual keying process and because the

keypunches are generally not near the source data location.

.Punched cards are fixed In record or record segment

8l«e and do not allow for flexible record formats.

.Errors In cards require that entire new cards be

Unbuffered

Buf f ered

Purchase

$1,800 - $10,000

$4,600 -$11,500

$35

$60

lease

$200/mont h $260/mont h

11
created.

.The noise generated by keypunches adds to the fatigue

of the operators and reouires that the devices be

acoustically Isolated from other offices,

.Keypunches are slow due to the mechanical card

movements duplicating* end skipping operations.

.Card storage can be expensive.

1.2 ^fiuiaaftol Cal&aariit Keyboard-to-tape. A keyboard-to"taoe unit Is an electronic data entry device

which converts operator keystrokes Into mach 1 ne-readabl

e

codes recorded on magnetic tape.

This category includes both the

keyboard-to"Computer»compat 1 bl e tape* and the

kevboard-to-magnet 1 c cartridge/cassette devices. The

keyboard-to-coaiBUtft££CfiS&AiiblA tape type devices are now

considered to be obsolete. These machines perform both

encoding and verifying functions. Output Is either used

directly by the computer or may be merged with other tapes

end pooled onto a master taoe at higher recording density

for computer Input,

A typical keyboard-to-taoe data " recorder Includes a keyboard

conforming to either a keypunch or typewriter keyboardr a tape transport, and control electronics,

1,2,1.1 QaIa C£fiACiI^Z3Bftft£l - Online transmission speeds

(from the keyboard-to-t aoe unit to the central computer)

normally do not exceed 2^00 bps. The data transfer speed

from the keyboard to the taoe Is not the determining factor

when analyzing the speed oi' this eaulpment. Ooerator speed

and automated entry features, such as automatic field

duplication* determine the throughout of the device,

1.2.1.1.2 ^alUfflft Unii ILml - f^eference sources have

estimated a 20X increase In throughout for the key-to-taoe

devices over keypunch units (covered In section 1,1), This

increase in throughput Is due to the absence of mechanical

card movement (particularly with regard to the unbuffered

keypunch) and Improved entry and validation features for the

key-to-tape eguloment,

1.2.1.1.3 QfiA£Aifl£ SfiAA£l - Some sources estimate that 10,000

*Keyboerd-to-comPuter-compat i bl e taoe produces an Industry

standard 1/2 Inch wide, 7 or 9-track (556/800 or 800/1600

bpl) magnetic tape (usually on a reel 10,5 Inches In

diameter) which can be read by computer peripheral magnetic

tape drives.

12
to 18|000 keystroke! per hour ere possible on kevboard-to-taPe systems. However, In an actual production

environment It Is difficult to sustain this speed. One

study found that 7150 keystrokes per hour Is a more

peallstle average,

1.2.1.2 QfierAliooAl AO£i £Q:y:i£fiOfliftQiAl ^fluiiAmfiniA

1.2.1.2.1 Ififf&A£AlU£AZtiUnidii^ ^flUirAOLAQtA • Mormal office

environment Is acceptable,

1.2.1.2.2 ^A/Sh^Al£Al LoCAlioa - size of the units vary

depending on the design of the system. Some are completely

self-contained units with the keyboard* logic and recording

device In a desk sized Package that occupies 20-25 square

feet per unit,

1.2.1.2.3 CfiSBUlA£ InlAJClaCA - Kevboard-to-taPe devices are

primarily intended to Interface to computers via 1/2 Inch

magnetic tape. Tapes from Individual units ere often pooled

by a tape pooler Into a more efficient master tape. Some

keyboard"to"taPe units produce 0,15 inch tape on Phillips

type cassettes or ,25 inch 3M type tape cartridges. These

media are prescribed by FIPS PUB 51 "Magnetic Tape Cassettes

for Information Interchange" end FIPS PUB 52 "Recorded

Magnetic Tape Cartridge for Information Interchange,"

Most models offeP online operation in a "store-and-f orwerd"

modsi where a batch of data Is keyed, recorded on magnetic

tape* and later transmitted to the central computer or to a pool Ing device,

1.2.1.3 laaut £hA£A£ifi£i&tiCA

1.2.1.3.1 ^£a£ji ^2AA " Maximum record sizes are generally

less than 200 characters.

1.2.1.3.2 ChA£AfilA£ £a1A A:i^AllAi;;lft - Keyboard- to- tape units

are available with up to 96 (upper and lower case)

alphanumeric and special characters using BCD, Hollerith,

EBDCID, USASCII, and vendor unique code sets. Except for

the tape control ^unctions* the keyboard layout can either

be a keypunch keyboard style or a typewriter keyboard style.

The latter is normally found on many of the text-oriented

cassette recording devices,

1.2.1.3.3 &aA&iAl EO£ffl Saaui£ftaAPla - Tape reaulrements

range from 10,5 inch computer-compatible tape reels for 1/2

Inch wide computer magnetic tape to the self-contained

cassettes or tape cartridges.

1.2.1.4 Qulcul £A&Al2J.lili«A - AH keyboard-to-tape devices

incorporate some means of displaying recorded data. Some

units produce a Printed copy of the recorded dataf other

units* lacking hardcopy capability, display only the current

13
ehepacter. In this category, there ere two prlncloal types.

One Is a binary configuration designating the charectep.

The other Is the display of the actual character entered.

However* the use of alphanumeric displays (CRT's) fop

display of the entire format is becoming more prominent.

Other types of output Include punched card» punched paper

taper and online operation with central computer, or other

Iteyboard-to-taPe units,

1.2.1,5 UimAlifilAK Cfi&AiailUiAi - The following features

are common with the stand-alone keyboard-to-t aPe systemsi

• Check digit verification « A check digit is appended

to a numeric field as an additional character whose value Is

determined by a simple formula. Its value can be checked at

any later time to enhance confidence In the validity of the

data field.

, Data verification/format checks - This guards against

fklpping designated fields during keying (must-enter

fields), Placing alpha characters In a numeric field or numeric characters In alpha fields, and overruning records,

, Record search - This allows searching tape for a record Identified by a unlaue key.

In addition to the above, keyboard-to"tape systems which

Incorporate a shared processor have many of the features

described for the keyboard-to-disk (shared processor)

equipment category presented In section 1,3,

1.2.2 Qotiaai - Options available for the keyboard-to-tape

systems include the followlnoj

. Line printers

. Card punches

• Communication Interfaces

, Tape poolers

. Data converters

, Unattended operation mode (data transmission)

. Search and edit tape functions

. CRT displays

. Paper tape punches

1.2.3 QBftCAlfl£ EftaulCAfflftnlA One operator per station.

Keyboard operation Is similar to that of a keypunch (or

typewriter)^ but tape threading, etc.i may reauire somewhat

more ski 1 1 /t ral n1 ng than keypunch operation. Reference

sources Indicate that operator acceptance Is normally higher

for the key-to-tape units than for keypunch equipment,

1.2.4 Catt SACflAA - The cost of keyboerd-to-t ape units Is as

fol lowsi

Purchase - $3,000 - 510,000

14
Lease/month - $100 - $250

lt2,5 fi£ftftis£itfiQs£fiinli4l - The monthly lease coat of the

keyboaPd-to-teDe units Is generally more than twice that of

the widely used IBM 029 keypunches. Several factors should

be considered when analysing the cost effectiveness of the

keyboard"to-taDe units versus the keypunch.

First, a replacement ratio of three to five can normally be

applied. That Is, three keyboard-to-taPe units can replace

9 combination of five keypunch and verification un<ts. This

Is due to a tHrouphput Increase of 20 to aox and the fact

that the keyboard-to-tape units function as both data

transcribers and data verifiers.

Second, maanetic tapes are reusable and punch cards are not.

Third* the cost of storing and handling cards is normally

much higher than that of magnetic tape since cards occupy

much more space and usually reauire environmental controls

to ensure that dimensional stability Is maintained.

Fourth, If a data converter (for cassette devices) Is

reoulred or if pooling eouloment Is used# the cost of

replacing the keypunches will Increase, If, however, 10 or more keyboard-to-tape units share this additional equipment*

the cost per unit would not significantly Increase,

1.2,& I^QicAl UaIA LnLz^ ^QQlicaliaaA " Key-to-tape units

ere normally used for direct keypunch replacement. With

online capabilities, the keyboard-to-tape units can be used

for remote data entry In a store-and-f orwerd mode. In this

mode, data Is batched on tape and transmitted at a later

1 1 me,

1«2,7 Asl^AaiAOAA Aa£i Slraao ^fiial&

, Keystrokes per hour can be from 20-40X higher with

key-to-tepe devices than with keypunches,

, Magnetic taPe, as an Input medium. Is much faster

than punch cards,

, Operators can concentrate on keying data with no interruptions i'or card handling,

, Data search and error correction capabilities are

aval 1 abl e,

, The edi t /val 1 date features of key-to-taoe devices are

more extensive than those of keypunch equipment,

• Key-to-taPe units can be located at the functional

users site and be used as a source data entry device.

• Keying operation Is quiet and generally acceptable In

office environments,

1,2,8 QilAd^OlAflftA AO£i LiffliiAiifiQA

• Keyboard-to-taoe units are from two to three times

15
more exptnslve than keypunch units,

• Data conversion or tape pooling Is usually necessary

prior to Input Into the computer,

K3 LflUifilDftni . CAi6aa£^s Keyboard-to«d1 sk - A keyboard-to-disk is an electronic data entry device which

converts operator keystrokes Into digital codes recorded on magnetic disk. This category Includes both the

shared-processor keyboard-to-disk and the stand-alone

keyboard-to-diskette units, A keyboard-to-disk system

typically includes a small processor with 8K or 16K word

memory* a magnetic disk drive* a tape drive* a supervisory

station and '^rom a to 64 key entry stations. Data keyed

simultaneously from any number of stations first goes

through the processor for formatting, verification, and

editing and then Is stored on disk. At selected time

intervals, a command sent from the supervisory station win

"dump" the stored data onto magnetic tape. Some systems

also allow data to be transferred from disk directly to the

host computer. The disk storage of these systems can also

be used to store up to 1,000 pre-programmed file, record, or page formats,

1.3,1 £aUiaA£Ol CllA£Afiift£iAlifil

1.3.1.1 QaIA £AfiACJ.X^Z2Qftft£l

1.3.1.1.1 lXA&llftC^LCaoaniAAia& S&e&d - some systems offer

online operation with up to 2a00 bps transmission speeds.

The data transfer speed from the keyboard to the disk Is not

the determining factor when analyzing the soeed of the

equipment. Operator keying speed and entry

f eatures/so^ twar« determine t^e throughput of the device,

1.3.1.1.2 ^aluffift tAt Uall fil lifflfi - It Is estimated that a 25-50X increase In throughput can be realiied for the

keyto-disk devices over keypunch units. This Is due to the

absence of mechanical card movement, to the systems' ability

to Insert constants* justify, skip, duplicate* and to the

many software features which may be implemented In the

shared-processor systems,

1.3.1.1.3 Qfi££Ala£ Sfififi£l - Speeds of from 12,000 to 20*000

keystrokes per hour are possible* but an average of

approximately 7150 keystrokes per hour can be expected for a typi cal appl 1 cat 1 on,

1.3.1.2 Qafi£AlifiOAl Aad £a^i£floaftaiAl BlAauifAsftfiiA

1.3.1.2.1 lAffiBftlAlU£fiZtiugii£lii^ aftflUitftmAnlA - A normal

office environment Is acceptable,

1.3.1.2.2 ^AAZEhJtAifiAJ. LoCAiiao - Space required for each

unit varies depending on the arrangement of the clusterd

units (shared-Processor) but each Individual unit requires

16
apDPoximetely 20-25 square feet. The self-contained units

oecuoy about the same npaee.

1.3.1.3 iQfiUi £Uj:A£lA£illi&i

1.3.1.3.1 .SAtOld SlUil - KeyboaPd-to-di sk systems are

capable of creating records larger than 60 characters.

Maximum record sizes vary depending on the hardware*

generally up to 128 characters for data entry and 1024

characters for tape output operations,

1.3.1.3.2 £hA£A&XA£ Sftll A^AilAblfi - Keyboard-to-disk

systems are available with up to 96 (upper and lower ease)

alphanumeric and special characters using BCD, Hollerith,

EBCDIC, ASCII, and vendor unique code sets. Keyboard layout

can be either keypunch or typewriter,

1.3.1.3.3 EfiACiAl EocnA RaaulffibealA " The medium for output

is normally computer-compatible 10,5 Inch reels or Industry

standara flexible diskettes,

1.3.1.4 Qulfiiil LAfiAkililiftA

(1) Visual Output

. CRTs

. Typewriter Printers

• Line Printers

• Character Displays

(2) Computer Media Output

, Punched Cards

, Punched Paper Tape

, Online communi c<?t 1 ons with computer

• 1/2 Inch magnetic tape

, Diskettes

1.3.1.5 tjlU^^UdAlA CAttAlaiiiiiAa - tumeric Checks - Insure

the numeric correctness oi* keyed-ln data. Some of these

• rei

• Check digit. A check digit Is appended to a numeric

field as an additional character whose value Is determined

by a simple formula. Its value can be checked at any later

time to enhance confidence In the validity of the data

field,

. Zero Balancing, This provides summation or subtraction of specific data fields before and after data

entry. The results are then compared,

, Range values. This checks that the data lies within

prescribed numeric limitations,

• Logical cHecks, This checks that keyed data from one

field Is In specific relation to other data fields, e.g.»

greater than, less than, etc.

.Format Checks. These checks guard against skipping

specified data fields during keying (must-enter fields),

17
Placing alphe characters In numeric fleldt or numeric

character! In alPha fields, and overruning records,

• Table Lookup, This Is a comparison of keyed data

with data stored on disk.

Most editing/validation of data can be done "on the fly"

which permits error detection and display during keying.

The system will stop and display the error to permit

Immediate data correction.

In addition to the listed features, the shared-processor

systems are flexible and perform many user-defined

edit/validate functions,

1*3,2 Qalifi&A - Optional eouipment available for

keyboard-to-disk systems Include the following:

, Line printers

• Card punches

• Card readers

, Communication Interfaces

• Data converters

, Paper tape punches

• Paper tape readers

• OCR, OMR readers

• Additional memory and/or disk capacity

1.3.3 QBftCAlA£ EAOULCfifflAalA - One operator per station.

Operators with keypunch or typewriter skills can be easily

retrained to operate key-to-disk systems.

1.3.4 CfiAt SAOflAA -

Lease/mo, /station Purchase/station

Stand-alone diskette «l60-$250 $6, 000-$ 1 0 , 000

Shared processor systems

4 station system $170-uP $8,000-up

8 station system $l50-$275 $6, 1 OO-S 12# OOO

16 station end up $100-$215 $a, aoo-$8, 500

1.3.5 &£ftAj(-fiyfin£&fllail - The keyboard-to-disk devices

suffer from the same cost disadvantages (when compared to

keypunch) as the kevboard-to-t aPe devices described In

Section 1.2, The same factors mentioned In the

kevboard-to-taPe profile should also be considered for the

keyboard-to-disk systems. Most of the keyboard-to-disk

systems share a Processor and otHer common components. This

sharing makes the economi cs-of-scal e more apparent. To be

cost effective* the keyboard-to-disk units will have to be

deployed in centralized configuration containing 16 of more

units, and a keypunch/verifier to keyboard-to-disk

replacement ratio of either 5 to 3 or 8 to 5 Is required,

1.3.6 I^l£Al H&La £ol£y ^a&lifiLAllQCtA - Moat

keyboard-to-disk systems are Intended to replace large

18
central lied keypunch ooepatlont. Individual keyboards can

be as much as 2000 feet from the shared processor Cup to

tiOOO feet with the use of In-line amplifiers). This tends

to decentralize source data entry to a limited degree. The

stand-alone diskette systems can be located at remote sites

and be used as source data entry devices. The outout from

these units must be converted to a computer compatible

format

1.3,7 2i£anfl Bfliaii AO£i ailyAnXASAi

a Shared-processor systems possess both a. price and

speed advantage over most stand-slone encoders If a user hat

a large enough Installation to require a number of

kevboardSi Since multiple keyboards share a procetsorf

Intermediate storage devices and taoe drives^ the cost of

having a taPe drive and controller unit for each keyboard Is

eliminated. The cost of a larger* more versatile processor

and of Intermediate storage devices is substituted,

• Shared-processor systems with disk storage eliminate

the need for pooling tapes,

• Verification can be Initiated before record entry is

compl ete.

, Numerous edit/validate programs can be stored In a program library and called by a single key,

, Operator can enter data fields In most efficient

seouence and the system can reformat the data for Input to

the computer,

, Many key-to-disk systems make validation checks

possible at the data entry leveW thus eliminating the high

cost of error correction at the mainframe,

• In comparison to keypunches* It Is estimated that

operator productivity Increases 25X-50% due to the system's

ability to Insert constants and to Justify, skip* and

duplicate fields,

• The use of key*to-d1sk systems eliminates the cost of

card handling and card storage,

• Key-to-disk operation is reasonably aulet* making It

suitable for use in an office environment and essentially

eliminating operator noise-fatigue.

1.3,6 QiftAd^AOlaflftA AOd LimiialiaoA

• Failure of a shared component In a shared-processor

system will render the entire system Inoperative.

, Most keyboard-to-disk units are not easily adapted to

decentralized source data entry because of the limited

distance (up to 2000 or aoOO feet) they can be from the

processor,

, Keyboard-to-disk units are more expensive than

keypunches

,

1.^ LaulB&AOl CAififlAX^t Portable Keyed Devices - Portable

data recorders are small* lighwelgKt* lew cost,

manual 1 y-ooerated data recording devices. They record data

19
on punch cards, paper taP«i magnetic tape# or storage media

or they mav be designed to transmit data directly to a computer through a communications Interface. These devices

are simple to operate since their principal application is

for on"8lte date entry, usually performed by other than data

processing personnel,

1.4.1.1 !2a1A &AQA&il^i£Cftftlt

1.4.1.1.1 LCAOAlft£Zl£AQAQlilliflO a&ftAd " The transmission

speeds of the online devices vary from 100 bps to 2400 bPS,

1.4.1.1.2 mumft £ft£ Unit ai liaa - The volume of data

transmitted or recorded Is dependent upon the speed of the

operator. However^ some of the devices producing punched

cards may be limited In speed by their mechanical operation,

1.4.1.1.3 QBA£Atfl£ 2q£££| - The speed of the operator Is the

limiting factor for most of the portable recording devices,

1.4.1.2 Qfift£A liooAl AQ£t ^oJi^iifiQaiftaiAl &fiaui£efflfiata

1.4.1.2.1 IftQBA£AiU££ZMUfiidii^ a&fiuiXfii&AalA - Portable data

recorders that will be exposed to extreme weather conditions

are designed to withstand these conditions. The devices

which produce Punched cards are not suited for areas with

high humidity. The devices which record on magnetic tape

and the units with communication capabilities usually have a temperature range of -16C to 50C and a humidity range of OX

to 100% (as long as condensation does not occur),

1.4.1.2.2 A.£fiAZ£h^Ai£Al LoCAllfia - Some of the units such as the portable teleprinters, CRT's, card punches, etc,#

require a table too. Others are small hand held devices

which may be carried In the hand or Placed on a working

surface for ease of use,

1.4.1.2.3 CfiiiiautA£ l££££lACfi - Some of the devices offer

online operation through standard Interfaces such as the EIA

standard 232C designed for use with modems or acoustic

couplers used with telephones. The devices that record on magnetic cassettes or cartridges require a data converter to

produce comouter-compat 1 bl e magnetic tape,

1.4.1.3 iQCyi CtiA£A£i££iAllfiA

1.4.1.3.1 aA£0£fil £i2AA - The devices producing punched cards

are limited to 80 character records. The record size

limitations of the other units vary depending on the

equi pment

,

1.4.1.3.2 ChA£AfilA£ Sa1& A^AilAblA - The larger, less

portable, units (teletypewriters, etc,) are available with

20
up to 96 el pHenu(fl«p1 c and special cherectert producing

ASCII, EBCDIC, BCD, Bauaot, or HoHerlth codes. The small

hand held units (and some des^ too models) typically have

from 12 to 18 keys. Including 0-9, a few aloha characters

and several function keys,

1.4. 1.3, 3 afi£&XAl Eara Sftayiifimftnla LLt&.QLslina mfillAl - The

following recording media may be required depending on the

type of portable recording devicej

• Thermal paper

• i^agnetlc tape cassettes

• Paper taoe

• Paper strip roll (for strio printer)

• Plastic cards (similar to credit cards)

, 80 column punch cards

l.^.l.^ QulfiUl CA&AklliliftA - Typical display of Input data

is on Paper, plasma display, LED (light emitting diodes)

display* or CRT's, Some of these portable data entry

devices may also be equipped to function as a computer

output device* In this cassf outout from a computer Is

limited to those devices which have online capabilities.

The output media may Include hardcooy, visual (LED or CRT)

display, or voice response,

1.^.1.5 WitZiiaiidAia CaoahililiAi - The edi t/val Idate

features of Portable keyed devices are either non-existent

or were not covered by the sources reviewed.

1.4.2 QBliflOl

• Hard copy printers

• Communication Interfaces

, Magnetic tape cassette recorders

• Optional character sets

• Paper tape punches/readers

• Memory size

i.4.3 Qaft£AlA£ EaOULcAist cm - Most of these devices are

designed to be operated by the user at the site where the

data Is generated. In many cases, these devices have

spec 1 al -purpose features and keyboard arrangements

specifically designed to the application. Typing or adding

machine skills are usually advantageous.

Type

Tel epr 1 nter

CRT

Punched card

Hand held cassette recorders

Purchase Price

$l,500-$3,800

Adppox. $4,000

5 55-$l,500

$ 950-$2»500

1.4,5 I^aicAl QaIa £ni£^ ABfill£AliacUI - These devices are

21
well suited for caoture of data at Ita source. The use of

portable keyed devices should be considered for the

following aoDl Icatlons;

• Inventory control

• Maintenance reporting

• Any deta entry task accomplished In

the field or at remote locations,

1.4.6 Ad^aniig^a Aod Sitaafl ifiioia

, The devices can be used for source data entry by the

functional users In offices* In shops* or wherever data

orlgl nates,

, Many of the units can be used In extreme

environments, 1,e,i in areas not normally suited for other

data entry eouloment,

• The units are simple to operate,

• Many of the smaller units do not require an AC power

source since they operate on batteries,

, The portable keyed devices ere less expensive than

most other data entry equipment,

1.4.7 QiAAd^A&lAflfiA AQd LiffliiAliaaA

, The portable keyed devices lack the edit/validate

features available on othef types of data entry equipment,

, The data recorded on magnetic tape cassettes by some

of the devices require data conversion prior to Input to the

computer

,

1,5 LayiCBiftfil ^Alftaaf^t Alphanumeric Display Terminals - An

alphanumeric display terminal Is a compact unit that

resembles a small television set equipped with a keyboard.

Although there are a variety of screens on which

alphanumeric data may be dlspleved (Including light-emitting

diodes, liquid crystal, and plasma screens), the most common

type, and the one discussed In this report. Is the cathode

ray tube (CRT) display,

CRT display terminals are available In one of two basic

terminal configurations, stand-alone or cluster.

Stand-alone units are typically those that contain all

components that support the operetlon of the terminal*

Including the CRT screen, keyboard, communication Interface,

buffer memory, and in some cases varying degrees of locel

processing or editing capability provided by a small

processor with program memory, all In a single cabinet, A cluster configuration typically Includes a terminal control

unit and a number of Individual* cable-connected

keyboard/display units. The component- shering technique

used In cluster systems usually results In a lower cost per

d1 spl ay unl t

,

Display units can be connected directly to a computer for

22
online operations op to sorne ^orm of Independent storage

unit for off-line operations,

1.5.1.1 QalA &AfiACll^Za&Afid

1.5.1.1.1 l£A011fi£Zl£AOiaiilliflO acftAd * ^ost units have

selectable transmission speeds ranging from 110 to 9,600

bps. Their speed Is limited by the quality of the

communication llna. The following ere speeds obtainable

with various types of line quality!

• Voice-grade switched network • up to ^800 bos

, Leased or private lines - 9600 bps

• Direct cable connection to a computer - Some vendors

publish rates of up to 1,000,000 characters/second. This

speed may be restricted by the ability of the application

program to accept data or by the speed of the I/O channel

used for connecting the unit. Also* cable characteristics

and length affect speed.

1.5.1.1.2 i^Qlufflft QA£ Unit fll liaa • The throughput of the

display unit Is generally higher than for other less

soph 1 St 1 eeted data entry devices as a result of various

human-engineered features that may be provided to enhance

operator accuracy and speed. In any case, the throughput

will be limited by the skill of the operator and by the

features actually available on the device. These

human-engineered features Includes

, Keyboard design

, SpI i t screen d1 spl ay

, Operator prompting ( f i 1

1 -1 n-t he-bl ank

)

, simole data editing or error correction

1.5.1.1.3 QB«£Ala£ £fi««£l - Because of the higher degree of

equipment and software sophistication providing various

automated functions, the operator of a display te'*m1nal

probably needs less than average keypunch or typing skills

in a source data entry application. Features such as operator prompting and split-screen display serve to

compensate for lack of skill and may significantly Increase

throughput in many applications,

1.5.1.2 Q&ft£«tiaQAl AOd ^Q^irfiOAftalAi &fiflUi£fiffifi&lA

1.5.1.2.1 IftafiA£AlU££ZtiUaiidii^ &AflUi£ftffiAalA - ^ost units

require a normal office environment although some units cen

operate in less controlled environments, such as warehouses

or shops.

1.5.1.2.2 A£«AZ£Ja^AifiAl LofiAliflQ - A typical alphanumeric

display unit requires approximately 5 square feet and can be

placed on a desk or table too. Some displays have

23
detacHable keyboards, provlcUng Incptased configuration

flexIblHtv and operator convenience.

1,5,1,2.3 £aaiBUtft£ latftXlAfifi - Alphanumeric displav

terminals ere Interfaced to a computer by:

, Direct connection to computer via cable, or

, Communication lines (leased or dialed)

1.5.1.3 lOfiUl CilA£A&lfi£illi£l

1.5,1,3.1 Sftcatd SilfiA - Record sizes are limited to the

slie of the Internal buffer which Is at least eaual to the

maximum number of character positions which can be displayed

on the Screen, Typical record sizes may range from the

number of characters In a line (60) to the number of

characters disolayed on a full screen (1920),

1.5,1,3,? C]ia£4filft£ fifita iitfiilataift - ^ost units offer bU to

95 graphic character keyboards, representing ASCIIs BCD, or EBCDIC code sets,

1,5,1,3,3 SqacIaI taxffi EftQUiieffiftQlA - None,

1.5,1. a Quicyi UfiAtaliiiifiA

, Hard copy pointers - thermali InkJet, or impact

• Photographic devices that use polaroid or microfilm

techniques for permanent record of CRT display

• Visual disDlay on CRT screen, typically from 480 to

1920 characters

, Peoer tape punches

, Magnetic taPes • computer compatible or caasette

• Card punches

1.5.1.5 £aliI^^fliislAtfl LftDabiiitiea - Alphanumeric display

units are usually considered to be one of the most flexible

source data entry devices currently available. The features

which aid in the edit and validation of data include the

fol 1 owl ng:

. Protected fields - This feature allows the use of

forms for a f 1 1 1 • i n-t he-b 1 ank" technique of data entry.

The transition from a manual method is eased when a familiar

form can be displayed on the screen and the user can insert

the required information in the appropriate fields. All

data entry applications can have the formats of reouired

i'orms stored for retrieval when needed,

, Split screen - This feature is similar to protected

fields, Qne part of the screen can contain fixed

(protected) data and the other part of the screen is used

for the variable data to be entered by the operator,

, Cursor movement - On most units, the cursor can be

moved up, down, right, left, and home. This allows the

operator to easily progress to any field for data entry or for correction of an error.

24
, Error correction - Characters or lines can be

Inserted or deleted,

. Tabulation - The cursor can move to a oredeterml ned

position. This feature Is similar to the tab function on a typewrl ter

,

• Character or field emohasls - Characters or fields

can be emDheslzed by varying their Intensity and/or causing

them to blink on the Screen,

, Scrolling - This technique eliminates the too Cor

bottc") line of displayed dataf moves all lines of data up

(or down) the Screen one llne^ and Inserts a new line at the

bottom (or top). This feature Is normally used for

reviewing textual data,

, Paging - This feature stores two or more frames or Pages of data and displays any selected Page,

1.5.2 Qctiona • Alphanumeric display devices offer a wide

range of options, Including both peripherals end operating

features. The most common peripherals Includet magnetic

taoe (computer compatible and cassette), hard-copy printers

(thermal, InkJet and Impact), remote TV monitors, magnetic

disk, card readers, card punches, oaner tape readers, paper

tape punches, photographic recorders, badge readers and

light Pans, Optional operating features Include; choice of

keyboard style (keypunch or typewriter), numeric cluster and

special function keys, various numbers of characters per

displayed line or lines per pager variable transmission

speeds, communication Interfaces, protective housings, a choice of character sizes, character sets, and memory sizes,

special purpose software and firmware, and bells or buzzers

(for operator attention),

1.5.3 QaetAlfifi SfiflUilfilftQtl - Alphanumeric displav devices

can be used effectively by the personnel responsible for the

capture of source data. These devices are being used In

many applications by professional as well as clerical

Personnel, f^any levels of skill can be accommodated by the

alphanumeric display units because of their flexibility.

Obviously, the more skilled operator can achieve more

throughput. The operational procedures can be designed so that the operator can be led through each Input step, not

worrying about which field comes next, or how many leading

zeros are needed* for example,

1,5, a Laat Eaaaea - The cost of alphanumeric dlsolav units

has been steadily declining during the past few years,

primarily as a result of decreases In the cost of

electronics hardware and logic components. This trend to

lower prices for the same functional capabilities Is

expected to continue as user acceptance (and sales volume)

increases, T^e price of a display unit Is Influenced by the

number of characters displayed on the screeri, the editing

and formatting features offered, and the ouaHtv and

legibility of the Image. The cost of a display terminal Is

also affected significantly by whether the terminal operates

25
In a complete stand-alone mode or whether It is one terminal

in a mul t i termi nal system in which much of the storage and

logic reauired for each terminal is centralized in a control

unit. The purchase price of units range from less than

fl» 000 to $15, 000 and lease prices fron* $50 to $400 per

mont h

,

1.5.5 I^&ifial Uald &0l£^ iC&liCAliaaA - Alohanumerie

displays are considered to pe the most flexible data entry

devices available today. Almost any application can be

accommodated with alphanumeric displays. Professional and

clerical Personnel find the units easy to use because of the

unit's ability to display formats, operator instructions,

error conditions and other helpful information. Typical

data entry aopHcations include: inventory control,

production control, accounting and finance. Personnel,

maintenance^ flight scheduling end online software

deve 1 opment

,

1.5.6 Asl^AnlAflftA And SiLQaa ^qIqIa

. Speerj • An alphanumeric display is an electronic

device that is inherently faster than its electromechanical

competitors. Teleprinters typically operate at 10

characters per second, .During input, a CRT can display as fast as the operator types? during output it can operate up

to aO, 000 characters per second, i'Jhe" memory is used in the

display, data exchange with the computer can be at the same

speed regardless of the direction of transmission. However,

speed limitations (typically from 300 to 600 characters oer

second) are usually imposed on display operations when they

are connected by telephone lines to the computer,

• Human Factors • An alphanumeric display is reasonably

noiseless and therefore preferred in environments that are

Sensitive to disruptive sounds. Operator noise fatigue does

not present the problem that is found in the

electromechanical devices.

. Flexibility and Convenience - A user typically has a number of uniaue data input and output reau i rement s . An

alphanumeric display can be used to fulfill many of these

specific needs by combining input and output capabilities

within one unit. In addition, unique date presentation

features reduce operating complexity and facilitate

operator/computer information interchange. The ability to

Partition display memory, for exan^ple, allows the user to

display instructions or special forms to aid the operator in

Performing his task without having to retype permanent or semipermanent information. The data formats displayed on the screen can be quickly changed by the computer or bv the

operator. The display* therefore* is uniquely suited for a variety of data input/output applications,

• Error Control - Immediate data display* special

26
editing features^ end the Interaction between tHe co'nouter

and the terminal operator greatly slTolIfy and Improve error

detection and correction. Since the data Is not permanently

recorded on the Cpt screen. It can be changed easily.

Typical operating experience Indicates that 90 percent of

the keyed errors are sensed by the operator and can be

corrected Immediately after tHey are made, Comouter

contpoli In many cases, can detect data Input errors as they

are being recorded. Conseauent 1 y # the complexity of error

detection a^d correction Is greatly reduced, and the

resulting "correction time" Is minlnilzed.

1.5.7 ai&Ad^AQid9fi£ AOd Li£ii£liQO&

, Cost - AiDhanumerIc displays themselves are normally

less expensive than the keypunch? but, In addition to the

cost of the display, communication interface costs and line

costs must be considered. Generally this additional cost

results In the comparative cost being slightly higher,

. Lack of hard copy capability - A printing device

(sometimes a built-in feature) Is required to produce a hard

copy of the Image displayed on the screen,

1.6 ^flUiasefii CalftOaX^i Teleprinters • A teleprinter Is an electromechanical typewriter-like keyboard entry device

designed to transmit data over communication lines. It also

provides hard-copy paoer outout capability. The teleprinter

can perform as an online remote data entry terminal.

Although data Is usually not buffered and Is transmitted

asynchronously (character by character) as the keyboard Is

actuated, a oaPer or magnetic tape attachment permits

off-line date orePeratlon and storage for batched continuous

transmissions. Recently, bubble memories, diskettes and RAm

memories have become Increasingly pooular aS storage devices

for batched continuous transmission Instead of punched oaPer

tape eaulpment,

1.6,1 Eauioffifioi £b.A£aclsciili£i

1.6.1.1.1 l£analft£Zl£aD4Daillian aaAftd • Older teleprinter

equipment Is electromechanical and Is generally classified

as a slow data communications device. While some of the

more recently developed electronic units contain

InPut/output data buffers and can operate up to 9600 bos,

most units receive and transmit asynchronously In a range

from 110 to 300 bps. This range equates to approximately 10

to 30 characters per second,

1.6.1.1.2 i^lumfi Ea£ Unit fl± lio* - While teleprinters are

generally slow, low-volume devices, throughput Is limited by

operator keying speed (most units are unbuffered) and

low-speed electromechanical keyboard and printing

mechanisms. These constraints have been overcome in more

27
fnorlern units that have electronic keyboards and ink Jet,

electrostatic or thermal printers,

1,6,1,1«3 QBfi£Ata£ ^Cfifid - ^s noted above, operator keying

speed is sometimes a limiting factor when assessing the

speed of teleprinter devices. The keying speeds achieved on these devices are generally lower than those of other

keyboard devices that have such human-engi neered features as better keyboard design, skipcing, automatic field

Justification and field definition,

1.6.1.2 Q&&£Aiiao aQ£l £a^i£&nffieaial E&auineffifiQlA

1 . 6 . 1 • 2 . 1 IftiSfifi£Aiy£fiZtlU£iiill^ &&sui£&sifinls - ^ 0 s t teleprinters are designed to operate in the normal office

environment. Some units are more ruggedly designed for use

by the military or to operate i r» a less controlled

environment such as a warehouse or shoo,

1.6.1.2.2 ^££aZ£ll^aical Lacaiica - The typical unit reauires

slightly more space than an office typewriter, Many units

are available with small table or pedestal fixtures,

1.6.1.2.3 QafflBUi,ft£ iolft£laCft - ''•ost teleprinter units are

designed to interface with a computer by cable or bv

telephone lines through either a modem or an acoustic

coupler, Off-lin© operation can be accomplished using paper

taoe, magnetic tape cassette, or a diskette,

1.6.1.3 la&ul Cha£a&ia£i&£.i£a

1.6.1.3.1 aa£a£fil &i2fi& - other than the number of characters

that can be typed per line, the grouping of characters to

form records is determined by the computer to which the

teleprinter is attached; thus record sizes are dependent on the software controlling the teleprinter. If the

teleprinter uses a Paper tape or magnetic taPe unit for

buffering, logical records could be caotured by one of these

medi a

,

1.6.1.3.2 £iia£a£tfi£ £fil& Aiaiiahia - Newer teleprinter

models are available with uo to 128 (upoer and lower case)

alphanumeric and special characters representing ASCII,

EBCDIC, eCD, and APT character sets,

1.6.1.3.3 Scatiai Eaiffifi Efiaui£fi!&aQl& - Depending uPon the

printer mechanism, paper requirements for teleprinters range

from specially treated oaper for thermal printers, to

standard paper used with the impact orinters. Many of the

teleprinters have attachments for handling paoer taoe,

magnetic taoe or diskettes for Performing off-line

batch-oriented data entry operations.

1.6,1, a Qylfiiil Caealaiiiliaa - Teleprinter output

capabilities Include orinted hard copy, punched paper tape,

28
magnetic taper cUskettesi end onHne commun 1 cat 1 one with a comogter

,

1.6.U5 IsLiUUliSiAtA CABAi2iiiliAA • Ed U/ validate features

of teleorlnter devices are available only on those devices

that provide some form of bufferinq,

1.6.2 Qatiflni Teleprinter options include!

• Various communication Interfaces and transmission

speeds

, Intermediate storage devices such as Paper tape units

and magnetic tape units,

, A choice of character sets and keyboard layout,

• Several printing technloues (InkJet* impact* or thermaO and printing speeds,

1.6.3 Qqa£aIo£ £Aflyi£emftalA - In a production environment*

the operator Should possess teleprinter or typewriter

skills. If the device Is used In a functional area (source

data automation environment)* these skills win prove

benef 1 c 1 al , 1.6.^ Cfi&t SA&flfiA - The purchase prices of teleprinter

devices range from $600 to $12*000, Lease prices range from

$U0 to 5550 per month,

1.6.5 I^aicAl £oL£^ A&alic,Alian& - Teleprinter

terminals find use In many teleprocessing and data

communication applications* with computer time sharing being

perhaps the most significant. Other applications Include

file updating* data retrieval* data dissemination and

message Interchange, Traditionally, the primary application

of teleprinter terminals has been for lowvolume*

time-dependent communications where the data Is not

temporary in nature and a local hard copy Is needed,

1.6.6 i£l^Anl£SAA AQd £l£QOfl £fiial&

• Teleprinters are low cost date entry termlnels,

, They can be used as a source data entry device.

, Many units are designed to be rugged and portable and

can be used anywhere a telephone Is located,

• They produce printed hard copy,

, Their operation is no more compHcated than an

el ect r1 c typewr 1 ter

,

, Units with temporary storage devices (paper tape*

diskette* magnetic tape) can be operated In

store-and-f orward mode,

1.6.7 UiAAd^AQlAaAA Aod LimiiAliaoA

, Teleprinters are one of the slowest terminal devices

available,

• They generally have no edit/validate capabilities.

29
. Ooerator acceptance fs normaUv not as high as compared with the electronic devices such as al ohanurner 1c

display units,

. Some of them are very noisy.

30
Chaoter 2

READER TYPE DEVICES

2*1 EflUiCfflfiOl CAlfiflfi£^t Optical Character Readers

(OCR)* - An optical character reader Is a device which

recognizes the shaPe of characters bv the contrast of light

and dark areas created when light Is reflected from the

surface of a document Cor transmitted through a film),

OCR's ape genereUy classified bv three characteristics:

, the style of characters or fonts which can be

recognlied

• the character sets and repertoire which can be

recognlied

• the size or type of forms which can be accommodated

Based on the number of character styles (fonts) an OCR can

recognize, It Is classified as a single-font, multi-font,

multiple-font, omnl-font, or handprint reader, Within these

classes, OCR's may be further divided by the character

set(s) reeognlzedl numeric* alphanumeric* symbols, and

special function notation. In addition, OCR's are

distinguished by the size or type of forms that the device

will accept. Page readers typically accept forms up to U

by 14 Inches while document readers typically accept forms

UP to 4 by 9 Inches, An example of a form used on a document reader Is the "turnaround" credit card document.

Document readers generally read one or two lines per

document, while Page readers are cepeble of reading a whole

page.

Other forms frequently used aS Input to OCR devices Include

Journal tapes (e,g,, paper cash register rolls) and

microf 1 Im,

There are two basic modes of operation used with OCR

systems. When the generation of source documents can be

controlled (1,e,, the correct font Is u*ed, the auallty of

the Paper and of the printing Is consistent, and acceptable

document sizes are used) a Direct Read mode Is used. This

means the source documents are read directly by the OCR,

However, If the generation of source documents cannot be

controlled, a Retype mode is used. In this mode, oart or

ell of the source data Is retyped on acceptable forms using

an appropriate font.

Before the advent of key/disk systems, typing on electric

typewriters and subsequent scanning (the retype mode of

*OCR Is also used as an abbreviation for Optical Character

Peeognl t i on.

31
operation) proved to be more economical and accurate than

keVPuncHIng and verifying, If the Installation was utilizing

8 large typing pool comprising thirty or more employees. At

the present time, using the retype mode of operation would,

in most cases, be difficult to Justify,

2,1.1 £auiCffl£Ol £llA£A£ifi£iA£.ifiA

2.1.1.1 Q&lA LA&A&il^ZSBfifiili

2.1.1.1.1 l£AOAlft£ZICdOlSli&AlfiQ Sfififid - OCR speeds are

limited by three factors! the rated speed of the

communications Interface used, the capabilities of the

mechanism that handles the documents or pages to be read and

the electronic character reading speed of the device.

2.1.1.1.2 ^filumft £ft£ iioil Ol - Typical speeds for page

and document readers are as follows:

Page Readers Up to ^00 Up to 3600

Document Readers Up to 1600 Up to 3600

2.1.1.1.3 QfiACAlfij: £CfiA£l Not applicable,

2.1.1.2 Q^iAliacAl Afid La^iiaoflfiLlAl atauiifiinAaiA

2.1.1.2.1 lAffifie£AtU£AZtiUSlidii^ E.AflUi£Ai&eOl£ - ^^OSt OCR units

can Operate In ordinary office environments; however, some

of the larger units reoulre supplemental air conditioning,

2.1.1.2.2 ^£AAZ£h^liCAl LoCAtifiQ - ^^ost of the OCR units can

be connected directly to a computer through an I/O channel

similar to that used by a card reader. Other OCR units are

designed for remote operations and are connected to a computer through a modem and communication lines. Some

OCR's are designed to be used In an off-line mode and

provide an Intermediate magnetic tape* magnetic disk,

punched cards, or punched oaoer tape,

2.1.1.3 laayl £hA£A£ifi£liiiaA

2,1,1,3,1 aA£a£fil Si2AA - Minimum and maximum record sizes

for OCR devices range i'rom several characters oer document

for the simpler single line special purpose devices up to

approximately 7,000 characters oer Page for the more

sophisticated paQe readers.

2.1.1.3.3 C.tA£A£l&£ Sell d>^AilAblA " The most significant

difference among OCR's Is their ability to recognize

different shapes (styles) of machine-generated characters

(fonts) and their ability to recognize handprinted

characters. The more common mach 1 ne*generated fonts Include

ANSI OCR-A and OCR-B, Farrlngton 78, and IBM 1^28, Most

OCR's with the ability to recognize handprinted characters

32
are Mm'lted to a srnall reeertolre of characters InclucUng

nunneries only or numerics and few alpha end soeclal

characters such as C# T, X» Z# and However/

several OCR manufacturers provide machines that can

recognize the full set of alpha ana numeric handprinted

characters. Although handprinting at the source seems to be

a very good technique of collecting data In certain

application areas where data collection personnel can be

adequately trained* error rates ranging from 3 percent to 20

percent are common depending on the operating environment

end data preparation controls, FIP3 PUB 32 "Optical

Character Recognition Character Sets" and FIPs PUB 33

"Character Set for Handprinting" provide Information In this

area of Interest,

2, 1,1. 3. 3 S.C«&iAl EoCffi Bftaui£ftmftQlA - Forms are probably the

most critical requirement of an OCR operation. The design

of the form must meet the requirements of the reading device

and also have an efficient layout for the user. The OCR

depends on the contrast of the characters to the background

of the form for character recognition. The Paper must be of

high quality* free of dirt and other foreign substances, and

Its thickness must be In a specified range. Data usually

must be in predefined locations and the characters must be

properly registered** criso* and well defined with very

little skew, FIPS PUB 40 "Guideline for Optical Character

Recognition Forms" provides guidance In this area,

2,1,1,^1 QutBUt CABAblliliftl - The Input to optical character

readers Is In human-readable form and the output Is in

machine-readable form. Optical character readers can

operate In either an online or an off-line mode. When

operating online* the OCR transmits to a host compute'' via

communication Interfaces or a direct channel connection.

Off-line* the OCR uses a temporary storage medium for

output. This may take the form of punched cards, oaper tape

or magnetic taPe. Some OCR's use a CRT for communications

with the operator, displaying operational status and error

conditions. The CRT also facilitates error correction If

employed with a keyboard,

2,1,1.5 LditZifliifilAtfi Caaaliiiitiftl - The control component

of any OCR system Is a minicomputer. As with medium and

large scale computers* the capability to manipulate and edit

or validate data In local storage Is thus a" inherent

feature of all OCR eaulpment.

The following are examples of editing functions that can be

performed by the OCR:

• Character deletion

The Physical Positioning of a character, vertically and

horizontally* with relation to the form.

33
• Lint deletion

• Header data Insertion

• Keyboard insertion

• Nurneric field check

, Rearranging of fields

Reject correction can be accomplished "on the fly" using a CRT device,

2.1,2 Qatiaai - Options available on Optical Character

Readers are as follows!

, CRT terminals

• Line printers

, Communication Interfaces

, Expandable computer memory

• Disk dr 1 ves

. Tape drives

, Teleprinters (consoles)

• Optional fonts, Including handprinting, mark-sensei

etc •

, Paper tape punches, Paper taoe readers

, Card readers

• Journal tape readers

. OMR, MICR

• Additional sort pockets

, Journal tape listers (printers)

, Microfilm/microfiche Image recognition

2,1,3 QBft£Aia£ &*aui£affl«alA - If the OCR system uses a keyboard device (CRT or teleprinter) for error correction,

keying skills are beneficial. However, the Personnel who

Place the data on the forma read by the OCR are the critical

link In the success of an OCR system. This Is especially

important where the reading of handprinted characters Is

Involved, If the OCR Input is prepared on a typewriter, the

typist should be specifically trained In the preparation of

the OCR forms. If the Input will be hendprlnted, the

Personnel preparing the OCR Input should be thoroughly

familiar with the rigid reauirements of OCR handprinting,

2.1.^ &aAi EanSftA • The price of OCR has decreased

considerably during the last several years due to the

decreasing cost of electronic logic components. Document

readers can be rented for under $1,000 per month, single

font page readers for $2,000 to Sa,000 per month, and

multi-font readers for over $10,000 Per month. Purchase

price for single-font readers range from $20,000 to $30,000

while purchase prices for multi-font readers range from

$100,000 to $1,000,000, Although low-cost OCR devices offer

an economical means of data capture, they require tighter

controls on preparation of forms than do higher-priced, more

soPh 1 St 1 cat ed units,

2.1.S I^Qicdl I2aiA LciJ:^ ^QBllCaliaoA - in many Instances,

34
OCR's ape used as direct replacement for keyouncKes with

tyolng and visual verification beinq substituted for the

keypunching and verification orocesses. An application

which requires the generation of a hard copy as a by-product

of data collection could lend Itself very easily to an OCR

system, OCR's have had a tremendous Impact on aooHcatlons

using "turn-around" documents as In the Insurance! retail

and oil Industries, The ability of Optical Character

Readers to read handprinted characters should make the OCR a prime candidate for aPollcations where small amounts of data

need to be collected from many locations. This ability

makes the pencil and Paper a powerful source data entry

tool , 2.1.6 id^AQlAflAA AOd £l£Qaa ^&iCLl&

, OCR'S convert human-readable and human-orepe red date

directly Into computer-readable codes. The key to efficient

and more economical data entry lies In the elimination of

data transcription and the associated labor costs by direct

data capture at the source. Optical Character Readers offer

a means to accomplish this feat by direct reading of

printed* typed* or handprinted data without special manual

intervention,

. When the OCR Is used as a keypunch replacement, the

keypunch can be replaced by a typewriter. Reference sources

state that the operation of the typewriter Is faster and

generally more accurate than keypunching. Users

consistently suooort t^^e Idea that accuracy via typing and

proofreading Is comparable with that obtained by keyounchlng

and verification! I.e.* 1 to 3 percent error rate.

, Extensive edi t /val 1 det 1 on procedures can be applied

to the date as It Is being read by the OCR. Software

executed on the OCR's minicomputer can assume some of the

data manipulation normally accomplished on the larger host

computer,

2.1.7 Qiiad^^aolAaftA do£i LiaiiAliana

, OCR operations are unique In that document control

plays a significantly more Imoortant role In reading

reliability than does any other single consideration, When

there 1« strict control over source documents* OCR works

well. Controlled conditions exist when operating personnel

are experienced* well trained* and can be directly

supervised. (Nhlle low-cost OCR devices offer an economical

means of data capture* they require tighter controls over

the form than do higher priced* more sophisticated units.

To date* only very large aooHcetions can Justify the

expense of the more sophisticated character readers capable

of functioning satisfactorily with completely uncontrolled

field documents.

35
• In addition to the high cost of the hardware* the

introduction of OCR units Into an EDP system can entail

Indirect or hidden costs, These^ Include comprehensive

design of forms to meet OCR reaul rements# adjustments of

inout oreoeratlon procedures» and modification of the data

processing svstem Itself,

• The most serious shortcoming of OCR readers today

Hes In the reliability with which they Interpret

handprinting. Handprinting Is presently being read* but

with an appreciable rejection and substitution rate.

Rejections reauire human Intervention* thus a high reject

rate can essentially neutralize the automation benefits of

the reader. Errors may not be discovered until late In the

data processing cycle* and correction then Is usually more

costly. In brief* new technology is needed to lower the

rejection rates and thus reduce the need for correction

procedures

,

• Key-to-disk systems are currently more cost-effective

in many data entry environments than are optical readers.

The combination of key-to-disk and OCR systems Is being

offered by some vendors. This combination offers the best

of both systems and will be covered in section 1,^ of this

report,

2.2 taiiiataftal Caleaof^! Optical Mark Readers (OMR) - Optical Mark Readers are electronic devices which sense the

Physical position or location of marks on a document and

correlate each mark position to a previously defined

equivalent character. There are three categories of optical

readers; Optical Character Readers (OCR), Optical Mark

Readers (OMR), and Optical Bar-Code Readers (OBR), OMR

readers are the simplest of the three different types of

optical readers. Some of the mark readers handle

conventional 80-column cards while others handle full-size

sheets of Paper, Mark readers typically read data in one of

two ways. The first is by interpreting rows of marks in

exactly the satie way as punches In a card are interpreted.

Thus, one column of marks can be used to represent one

character. This technique is usually limited to the coding

of numeric information, since manual encoding of alohabetics

reauires at least two marks In a column and requires

memorization of the Hollerith code. The second technique

used by mark readers transmits to the computer a binary

image of the marks which is then Interpreted by software.

2.2.1 £flUiQm£Oi £^A£A&lfi£iAilfil

2.2.1.1 QaIa CABA&il^Z2aftft£l

2.2,1,1,1 l£AaAl.ft£il£AQ&miAAlan S&ftAd - The online

transmission speeds of the OMR readers vary depending on the

model and manufacturer. They are, however* usually limited

by the paper-handling mechanism, the speed of the

36
commun 1 cet 1 on Hne or by the electronic reading soeed of the

dev ice,

2.2.1.1.2 ^aluifi £e£ UqJLI al liaft - The reeding soeed of an OMR reader la apollcatlon deoendent. Reeding soeeda

generally range from 1,000 to 250#000 marks oer second and

from 80 to 1#500 forms per minute. The faster soeeds In the

range are possible when both sides of a form are read

concurrent 1 y

2.2.1.1.3 Qa££Atfl£ flDfifld - Not applicable,

2.2.1.2 Qa£££iifindl AQ^ &Qki£QQaifiaidl afifluii:ftffifiQi&

2.2.1.2.1 IftacejidlUffiZtiusQidiiY Q.&fluiiienftQlA - omr units wni

operate in a normal office environment,

2.2.1.2.2 AjtfiaZEhittifidl LaCLAlioa - OMR's are commonly found

In computer rooms and In offices. Some units are contained

In stand-alone cabinets about the size of an office desk

while others, such as the remote OMR's covered In section

2,5» can be Placed on a desk or table top,

2.2.1.2.3 CaaiBUtfit lDtft£lacft - Most of the OMR readers can

be connected directly to the computer through an I/O channel

similar to that of a card reader. They can also be

connected by commun 1 cat 1 on 1 1 nes , OMR's used off-line may

create punched cards, magnetic taoe* or punched PaPer taPe,

2.2.1.3 lo&yi Cta£A&ift£i&Il&i

2.2.1.3.1 £ftcfl££| j^iZfiA - Record slies are dependent upon the

maximum number of mark (or response) positions which can be

accommodated on the largest form size or Page acceptable to

•n Individual OMR unit. Typically a single S-1/2" by 11"

form can accommodate about 1,000 marks on each side, each

representing a "yes" or "no" binary choice.

2.2.1.3.2 CjlA£A&ift£ Sftia ^^AilAblfi - Optical mark readers

sense the presence or absence of marks on the form being

scanned. The location of these marks is interpreted by the

software In accordance with previously defined meanings,

2.2.1.3.3 ficftClAl £fi£A £fiaui£ft&eall " Generally/ each

application has unique reauirements for the design of a form. It should be noted* however* that in many cases forms

manufacturers may already have developed a form which will

satisfy any particular application.

Forms used on OMR equipment must be of high quality and free

frOTi dipt, steins, and other foreign substances* and their

thickness must be within a specified range. The design of

the form Tiust also be acceptable to both the user and the

OMR reading device. Since an OMR detects only the absence

or Presence of • mark, and since it may be used in an

37
appHcatlon whepa erasures can occur# OMR forma can be

"rougher" than OCR forms, ThU roughness Implies less Hght

reflectivity; however, this Is acceotable for O^R's since

they only need to detect marks (as opposed to reading

characters)

.

2. 2*1.^ QulCJJl LABAlaililiAA - 0^1^ readers can ooerate In

either an online or an off-line mode. Online, the OMR

transmits directly to a host computer via communication

Interfaces or directly to an I/O channel # Off-line* the OMR

uses a temporary storage medium for output such as punched

cards, Paper tape* or maQnetIc tape. Some OMR's use a CRT

or teletypewriter to communicate with the operator,

2.2.1.5 ^ait/iiaiisiAtA CAQAtiiilifti - A few of the Ootlcal

Mark Readers a''e minicomputer-controlled and have the same

edit/Validate capabilities as the OCR readers discussed In

Section 2.1. However, most OMR readers have very limited

edit/validate capabilities.

2.2.2 Qatiflua • Options available on Optical Mark Readers

1 nc 1 ude t he f o 1 1 ow 1 ng

j

Punched card read feature

^agnatic tapes

Paper tape punches

Communication interfaces

Error stackers

CRT or teletypewriter operator consoles

Edit and reformatting features

2,2.3 Q&e£Al££ EfiQUiXAfflfialA - Operator skills play a small

oart In the 0<*^ operation. Individuals who enter data on the OMR forma should have Instructions and basic training on how to fill out the for". In general, however, the training

reoulrements for OMR are much less than those for OCR since

the OMR eguioment Is more tolerant* accepting greater

tolerances of marking. Information has been successfully

captured fpr many years on OMR forms in such applications as test scoring and taking surveys. These applications

typically Involve people who are given only a few

instructions and who then are able to complete the forms

eas 1 1 y

.

2,2,'^ Caat EaOflSl - The purchase price of optical mark

readers are much lower than OCR readers and are generally In

the $2,000 to $50,000 range. Lease prices range from $50 to

over $1,000 Per month,

2.2.5 i^aicai i2aia ^Olr^ AQCllCaliOOA - One of the most

common Q^A^ applications Is in the field of testing and test

Scoring. Multiple choice guestlons are used and the Pei'son

taking the teat simply "marks" the appropriate box. Other

applications include meter reading, surveys, inventory

accounting, exception reportlngs, and sales ordering.

38
ApoHcatlons which need to capture a Umited amount of data

from sem 1 -cont ro n ed aourcea could ba a candidate for an OMR

system,

2.2.6 Ad^AalAflfti Aod ^liaoQ £fiial&

, OMR eaulpment Is much simpler and less costly then

OCR devices.

. Preparation of OMR data does not have to be as closely controlled as data for OCR eoulpment,

, Date can be collected wherever there Is an acceptable

form and a pencil or Pen,

2.?. 7 Qi&Ad^AQid9ft& An£l LimiiAliaai

, OMR systems are Inflexible due to preprinted forms,

packed format, and difficulty In human reading of the data,

, It is questionable whether the optical mark reader is

a "state-of-the-art" data entry technique. Most sources

agree thet as soon ss OCR's handprinting readability

Improves (ana Its cost becomes more competitive) the OCR

w1 1 1 repi ace the OMR,

2,3 tauianiAnl CAlaflaX^I optical Sar code Readers C06R)

Optical bar code readers are electronic reading devices

which optically sense spec^al combinations or afranqements

of marks (bars) and correlate these marks to previously

defined characters. Various types of marks ere used, but In

most cases they cannot be formed by hand and are not easily

readable by humans. Usually* soeclal devices are required

to produce the bar code Imprinting, The most significant

area of OBR aPPHcatlon Is In point-of-sale (POS) equipment.

This equipment category Is described In section 3,6,

2,3.1 ^flUiOfflfiOl LhA£A£lfi£iAli&A

2.3.1.1 QaIA CAQA£il^Zi£Aft£i

2.3.1.1.1 ItaOAlAtZIXAnimillian a&eA£i - OBR's ere typically

connected on-line to a local microprocessor Incorporated In

a cash register. The transmission speeds are at the device

reading speed between the OSR and the microprocessor,

2.3.1.1.2 ^aluBA Eal Unit fll liaft - OBR's reading speeds

range from 50 to 400 characters oer second and from 8 to HBO

forms per minute. These speeds are limited by the

operator's ability to handle the products being scanned,

2.3.1.1.3 QBA£.Ala£ £fifiA£l - Not applicable

2.3.1.2 QsutlAtiaOAl AQd &a^i£QasaftQlAl aftauiXfifflAOlA

2.3.1,2.1 XAaBA£AtU££^!dU£idii^ &ft2Ui£AaifialA - Most units can

operate In a normel office or store environment. Some of

the scanners used for package routing (label reading) are

39
Placed in facilities with harsher envi ronnnents* such as wa reHouses

.

2.3.1.2.2 ^£ftaZ£h^4i£al LoCAlifia " The size end location of

OBR units vary from the Sfrall hand-held wand readers used in

POS systems to the larger units which require a table toe

eedestali or dedicated floor space,

2.3.1.2.3 Caaieulafi Iciatlace - OBR readers can be connected

directly to the host computer throuph a channel similar to

that of a card reader. Some offer on-line capability via

communication interfaces. In an off-line mode* OSR's may

use peripheral devices to produce punched cards* magnetic

tape* or punched paoer tape,

2,3,1,3 la&Ul Ctia£A£ifl£i&li£S

2.3.1.3.1 RftfiaW Eiiaa - Record sizes are dependent on the

number of characters that can be represented on a form

(label* document* etc.). Twelve numerics are most commonly

used.

2.3.1.3.2 ChafifiCtar 2fila - Characters are represented by

combinations of marks (bars), Most bar code sets are

limited to numerics, A typical bar code is the Universal

Product Code (UPC) which is now found on the labels of many

grocery items. Some other bar codes areJ CODABAR* for

library book inventory and circulation control;

Distribution Symbol* for use on distributor shipments as shipping container outer markings? and* Telexon Code* used

for shelf marking of in-store inventory,

2.3.1.3.3 Sfiaciai E.a£iii Eaauiramaala - Some applications use

ordinary typing Paper* some use specially designed

turn-around forms. Imprinting on self-adhesive labels is

becoming common in shipping/receiving and inventory

eopl i cat 1 ons

,

2, 3.1, a Quiayl CaQablliliaa - optical bar code readers can

operate in either an on-line or off-line mode. In an on-line mode* the 08R transmits directly to a host computer

via communication interfaces or an I/O channel connection.

In an off-line mode* the OBR uses a temporary storage medium

for output, e,g,* punched cards* Paper tape* or magnetic

tape,

2.3,1,5 £cU.maii£!ala CaeabiliUaa • a check digit is

included with each bar coded label. Also* a Parity bit is

associated witH each character,

2.3.2 Qfitiooa • Options available for OBR readers include

line printers* card punches* Paper tape punches* magnetic

tape drives* and communication interfaces,

2.3.3 QBatalai S-aauirainaiita - This is not a critical

40
reaul rement , An advsntase of the OBR U that \t U not

oarticularly sensitive to direction of scanning and does not

reauire more than minimal operator training or attention,

2.3.4 Cflit SAfiasi " Purchase prices of optical bar code

readers range from approximately $6,000 to saOrOOO,

2.3.5 IxfiiCAl QaIA &Oi£X dfi&li£&iia&A - Some credit card

applications use bar code Imprinting for sales receipts.

Point-of-sale (POS) applications use bar codes such as the

UPC code. Supermarket, Inventory and wareHouse applications

use bar codes Imprinted on labels for routing and Inventory

control functions,

2.3.6 Ad^AQlAflfiA aa£l filiaofl ^fiiaia

, optical bar code readers are simpler and less

expensive than optical character readers,

• Skew and character registration is not as critical

for OBR readers as It Is for OCR's, Thus, bar coding can be

read on containers of different shapes (other than flat

surfaces)

2.3.7 QiiAd^oidflfiA AO£l LimiiAliooA

, Bar code readers are limited In their usefulness In

human-oriented systems since the bar codes cannot be easily

read and are Impossible to write by humans,

, Bar cedes are not space-efficient, 1,e,, a considerable amount of space Is reoulred to represent a few

characters,

2,4 £auiaDUiDl CaiAflAX^t Magnetic Ink Character Recognition

(MICR) - MICR readers are electronic reading devices that

recognize characters by analyzing the magnetic waveform of

the Individual characters end Identifying th^m. The Ink

used In imprinting these characters is a special Ink with

iron oxide particles. This Ink Is magnetized prior to

reading. The entire MICR technology was developed for and

Is presently used almost exclusively by the banking

Industry, MJCR characters are encoded on ct^ecks and deposit

slips (through a manually operated keyboard device that

encodes amounts and serves to validate amount totals of

these documents), MiCR readers ere usually dual purpose

devices. In addition to reading, they also sort the

documents Into as many as 32 sort pockets,

2,4,1 EfluiOIBAOl Li3.A£A£iA£iAiiAA

2,4,1,1 QaIa LABACii^^aCAAd

2,4,1,1,1 l£aDAlA£Zl£An4aiAAifla SbaA£I - MICR readers can

operate In an online or an off-line mode. In the online

41
mode* the rtader is connected directly to the computer via

an I/O channel and can read and sort documents and send the

Information directly to the computer. In this mode*

transmission soeed Is limited to approximately 1600

characters per second Cbesed on 1600 documents per minute

with 60 characters per document). In the off-line mode# the

MICR reader Is only capable of reading the documents for the

purpose of sorting them,

^fliufllfi; ttL Unil Ql liaft - The maximum volume

currently available Is 1,600 six-Inch documents oer minute

and Is limited by the reader's oaoer handling mechanism,

2,^,1,1,3 Qaawlaj: ICAfifil • The operator speed Is normally

not a factor In MICR reader operation,

2.4.1.2 Q&e££lifiOAl AO£l £a^i£fiOSia&lAl deflUlCftaAOlA

2.4.1.2.1 l6SQfi£AtU££ZtiU!£jUlil^ aaSUlHAOXAQlA * ^ICR readers

are designed to connect directly to the computer and are

usually In the controlled environment of a computer

facility,

2.4.1.2.2 i£AAZ£ilit4l£Al LftCAtiaa - The MICR reader can be as large as Cor larger than) a standard card reader (depending

on the number of sorter pockets). The unit Is normally

located In a computer room,

2«3.1,2,3 CafflCiiI.A£ XclA£i,A£fi " MICR readers are normally

connected directly to a host computer via an I/O channel,

2.4.1.3 laoyl L]lA£A££fi£iAtl£A

2.4.1.3.1 £A£C£fi( &i£AA - Most MICR readers are capable of

reading up to 60 characters per document,

2.4.1.3.2 ChA£A£lfi£ SfilA A^AilAlalfi - Character sets used

with MICR readers are generally limited to the numerics 0 through 9 and four or five special characters. These are

uniquely shaped characters printed with magnetic Ink, The

special characters are symbols used In the banking Industry,

Some MiCR units provide OCR capabilities with character sets

typical of OCR readers,

2.4.1.3.3 SoAciai £a£ai £aaui£AmAn£A - ^ost ^*ICR readers are

capable of reeding documents ranging In length from 5-3/4

inches to <J-l/2 Inches end ranging In width from 2-1/2

inches to 4-1/2 Inches, Paoer quality Is not as critical In

MICR applications as It Is In OCR, Characters reed by MJCR

readers must be printed with a special Ink containing Iron

oxide Part Icl es,

2.4.1.4 QulBUl CABAbiiltiftA - ^ICP readers transmit directly

to the computer. Some units offer lister attachments which

list transactions as they are being processed. Operator

42
con^inuni cat 1 ons and reentry correction ooeratlons ere

sometimes accomplished throuah the use of CRT units,

2.^.1.5 tdiiZmifilalfi Lfiaaililitift* - In MICR applications,

edit/validate operations are normally performed by the use

of c^^eck digits and software executed on the host computer,

2,^,2 QfilifiAl - Some of the more common options available on MICR readers Include combination MICR and OCR reading

capability, automatic endorser, and additional sorting

pockets. Some vendors offer such options as microfilming

systems, a wide variety of reject-reentry systems

(key-to-dl sk, punch card, OCR), and sophisticated document

repair eaulpment (mechanical devices that physically ^ePalr

items so they can be Processed automatically),

2,<i,3 QaftjiAlar ^ftfluirfinfinli • Except for the document

handling functions that Involve loading the reader, clearing

Jams, and removing unreadable documents for reentry, this Is

not a critical factor In a MICR operation,

2,^,4 Laat SiCflfil • Purchase prices of MICR readers range

from below $30,000 to over $200,000 and lease prices range

from around $700 to over $3,000 per month,

2. a, 5 I^EliCAl L0l£^ ififillCftliaOA - since Us Inception,

MICR equipment has primarily been used for a single

application, the processing of banking documents (especially

checks). Almost all of the MiCR readers features have been

dictated by its prime user, the banking Industry,

2, A, 6 Ad^AQlAflfiA aa£t Siraofl Baiaii

, They allow the direct readlrig of magnetic Ink encoded

characters which are Insensitive to eencll or ink

overmarklngs,

, They have been used successfully for many years In

the banking Industry,

, MICR specifications are standardized (A,msi x3. 2-1970

"Print Specifications for Magnetic Ink Character

Recognition" and ANSI X3. 3-1970 "Sank Check Specifications

for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition"),

2, a, 7 Qi&ASl^£QiAfl6& AO£l LifflilAtiaOA

, micb readers reauire soeclal forms preparation and

read a limited character set,

, Ultimately, the development of Inexpensive, flexible,

fast, and reliable optical character readers will probably

replace most micR readers,

, mICR's have not gained popularity In anv Industry

except banking. For this reason, capabilities and features

which would be beneficial to other types of applications are

not readi 1 y aval 1 abl e.

43
2.5 £auiQ!Eft£l CAlaoox^t Rernote Scanners - Remote scanners

are oDtlcal readers (either OCRf OMR, or OBR) which are

configured to oeerate as remote data terminals, Thev are

deslgr^ed to provide both remote data capture and timely

transmission of Processed data to the computer. Previous

sections of this report were devoted to large* fast, and

generally expensive optical readers that are usually

configured to operete as centralized data Input devices. In

contrast, the remote scanner Is capable of economically

scanning data at decent rsl 1 led locations and allows the

functional users to retain complete control of their source

documents. Present remote scanners vary In their capability

to read marks, bars, and characters. Each, however, permits

operator Intervention via a keyboard at the source for

operator communication and reentry/error correction.

Because previous sections have covered the basic

characteristics of OCR, OMR, and OBR equipment, the

equipment profiles for the remote scanners will not be

included In this report,

2.6 ^flylQiAftfii CalAOOC^t Prepunched Tag Readers - Prepunched

Tag Readers are reading devices that read small merchandise

tags encoded with prepunched holes. Prepunched tag systems

have been In use for nearly 20 years In the retail

merchandising Industry, Currently the systems are being

replaced by magnetic encoded tags and other more

sophisticated POS systems. Reference sources do not

consider prepunched tag readers to be "state-of-the-art"

data entry devices. For this reason* an equipment profile

for this device win not be included In this report.

44
Chaottr 3

SPECIAL IMPUT DEVICES

3.1 EauiaaftOi Calftflaiit: Pushbutton Telephone - Pushbutton

telephones use pushbuttons rather than rotary dials for

entering the cHaHng 1 n f o r-riat 1 on , Rotary-dial telephones

have a disk with 10 " f 1 nger hoi es » " with each hole

representing one of the 10 nutiericSf 0 throuqh 9. Dialing

Information (telephone numbers) Is entered by placing a finger In the hole representing the appropriate number and

then rotating the disk clockwise.

Pushbutton telephones have a pushbutton keyboard (similar to

the numeric keyboard of an adding machine* although the

order of the keys Is Inverted) Instead of a rotary-dial

disk. The depression of the pushbuttons (keys) enters the

dialing Information, Each key generates a unique

combination of frequencies which Is Interpreted by the

telephone switching system.

In addition to the pushbutton telephone's primary purpose

(voice communi cat 1 on) r It can easily be adapted to function

as a data entry terminal. In this mode» the user simply

"dials" the host computer's telephone numbert awaits the

connection, and then enters data through the pushbuttons.

The host computer can communicate to the user by

transmitting audible tones Or by voice response (machine

genei'ated or recorded speech),

3.1.1 Eauioaeor CliA£Acifi£iAiic&

3.1.1.1 QaiA LA&a&iiyZ3cfifi£i

3.1.1.1.1 IlAOllfirZIrAnAsaiAAlfiQ 3.a&&sl - Transmission speed

Is the user's keving speed,

3.1.1.1.2 Volume Eft£ Unit al liaft - The throughput of a pushbutton telephone would be limited to the keying speed of

the operator.

3.1.1.1.3 QC££Ai,Q£i SCfifid - H has been estimated that the

average operator keying speed using a pushbutton telephone

Is 1,5 characters a second,

3.1.1.2 Qaft£AiifiQal Aod ^QJi^iifioaift&lal £ftflui£esfiOlA

3.1.1.2.1 lftfl!Cfi£atU£AZtluaidiiy B,eaui£taiftQta - Telephones can

be Placed In al^nost any environment, Including offices,

shops* warehouses* outside* moving vehicles* etc.

3.1.1.2.2 ^£iaZEJl^ai£al LaCAliaO - Telephones require less

than one square foot of space.

45
3,1,1,2,3 Cfioautftt Xfilfi£lA£ft - Normal telephone Hnes are

used for transmission,

3.1.1.3 ICLBUl ChA£A£ifi£i&liCS

3.1.1.3.1 aAcatd &il£A - Pata Is transmitted one character

at a t^me and record sizes are deoendent on the number of

characters grouped together at the computer,

3.1.1.3.2 ChAfiflClar SfilA ^itailAblft - The keyboard of the

pushbutton telephone has 12 keys (16 keys are also

available) - numeric 0 through 9 and two (or six) keys which

can be used as function or special purpose keys.

Alphanumeric characters can be generated by the pushbutton

telephone. Numeric characters require only one key

depression while alpha characters require two or three key

depressions. Another way of entering data is by prepunched

plastic cards which can contain up to 14 characters and are

read by a Card Dialer, The card can be divided into fixed

fields and can stop after each field transmission, thus

permitting variable date to be entered at the keyboard,

3.1.1.3.3 aSAClAl Eofffl &ftflUi£AfflaalA - Not applicable.

3.1.1.4 Qutaut CABA&iXiiiAA - Hard copy output capability

exists by means of a quarter-inch strip printer attached to

the telephone. Audio response capability^ either bv tone or voice response* is used to communicate with the user,

3.1.1.5 LcLLtZi^AlidAtA CAOAlaiiiliAA - '^'hile there are no error- detection features associated with the touch tone

Pad» the computer program may perform this function and

interact with the user. On the other hand, when the user

recognizes one or more keys have been depressed in error,

data correction can be accomplished by depressing the

appropriate button (or special combination of pushbuttons)

that indicate the last character(8) were in error. The

character(s) in error will be deleted and the user may then

enter the correct data. The user is notified of rejection

or acceptance of input by either an audible tone or by the

verbal repetition of the input received,

3.1.2 QciiaflA - Normal options include a hardcopy strip

printer (one quarter inch paper), an automatic card dialer,

and audio response (at the host computer), A pushbutton key

Pad and adapter are available for use in conjunction with

rotary-dial telephone sets,

3.1.3 QaA£Aifi£ BAflUl£ASAalA * Not applicable,

3.1.4 CaAl SaOAAA " Pushbutton telephones range from $7 to

$30 per month. The higher rates include the hardcopy strip

printer,

3.1.5 I^&icAl QaIA £d£.£^ ^fifiliCAlifiOA

46
, Seles orderlpiQ

, Remote Inquiry such es credit authorization, bank

bal anccf etc •

, Production control

• Inventory control

3.1.6 A£i^aQl£ada aq£| IHqoa £aialA

• Equipment cost Is low,

• Telephones are comrponly found In almost any location,

, Audio acknowledgement of data transmission ii

possible with a voice response system,

. Fixed or constant type Information can be transmitted

with the optional automatic card dialer. The card may

contain Inforrnatlon such as a telephone number* a salesman's

number* a product code* etc,

3.1.7 Qi&ad^dQlaaft& Aod LiEiilAiicQ&

. Data entry Is slow,

. Generation of alpha characters requires two or three

keystrokes* thereby Increasing entry time and the

probability of keying errors,

• Limited hardcopy output.

. All editing/validation of data must be done by the

computer

,

• Error correction is complex,

3.2 &flui&mAOl &Alefla£yt Industrial Data Collection

Equipment • This equipment category covers specialized date

entry systems designed to capture data In an Industrial

(factory) operating environment. The devices In this

section are classified on the basis of the applications for

which they are used. These applications Include employee

time reporting, Plant security, materials accounting,

production scheduling* quality control* maintenance*

shipping/receiving, sales/marketing, and purchasing,

Industrlel Data Collection systems Incorporate many

automated analog and digital* sensing and data entry

devices. Some of the most common devices Includes

Badge Readers - These devices read Identification cards

or badges which contain prepunched or magnetically encoded

Information such as employee number or social security

number. Badge readers are commonly found In employee time

47
reporting systems, oroductlon control, and plant security

systems a Time Clocks • These devices are usually configured with

a badge reader (or other Identification devices such as a keyboard or card reader) and are used to capture data

concerning an employee's work time.

Card Readers - These are normally slow-speed,

low-volume punched card readers used to capture Information

such as employee number, product code* routing Information,

operation code* etc.

Remote Scanners - Optical ?ar Code Readers C08R) are

often used to read product information from bar coded

labels, Aoplications Include inventory control* production

control, materials routing, Quality control, etc.

Keyboards, Levers, Thumb-wheels* Toggle Switches,

Rotary Dials - These devices are used to input information

such as employee number* work station, operation code*

product number* inspection data* security codes* and

1 ocat 1 on 1 dent 1 f 1 ers

,

Hand Geometry Recognition Eauioment - This eauipment

recognizes the unigue features or shape of an individual's

Hands Cthe fingers and Palm), It Is primarily used In

limited-access security systems.

Voice Recognition Systems - These systems are most

often used In Industrial data collection or control

applications which reguire that the operator enter data

while His hands are used for other purposes. Voice

recognition systems ere described In section 3,3 of this

reoort

•

Hand-held Portable Keyed Devices - These devices are

used in data entry applications where operator mobility is

reouired. This equipment category is described in section

1,4 of this report

.

AlpHanumeric Display Units - These devices with

keyboard input are used in many industrial data collection

applications, Because of their flexibility* they ca" be

used in conjunction with the capture of almost any type of

data. Alphanumeric displays are described in section 1,5 of

this report.

Teleprinters - Industrial data collection applications

which require an immediate hardcopy of the Input data

frequently use teleprinters. This equioment category is

described in section 1,6 of this renort.

These individual data entry devices (above) can be combined

to form a configuration referred to as an integrated data

48
entry system. The Heart o^" the Integrated date entry ayitem

is a controller or ml n1 corrouter which Is capable of

coordinating data entry from all the entry stations* editing

and validating the data* manipulating local files* Informing

managers or supervisors of exceptions* and communicating

with other computers. Because Industrial data collection

encompasses such a broad spectrum of specialized eaulpment*

the profiles for Industrial data collection will not be

Included In this report,

3,3 tauiBHAUt Calftflfll^i Voice Recognition Systems (Speech

Recognition Systems*) - Voice recognition systems are

electronic systems which are capable of Interpreting spoken

words according to predefined meanings. Voice recognition

represents a new dimension In source data entry techniques,

l^'h11e the technique Is still In Its Infancy* with

considerable research currently being conducted by a number

of companies* there are many applications of voice

recognition that employ spoken vocabularies ranging from lO

to 100 or more words.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has

been using a 100 word vocabulary speech recognition system

since November 1973, The United Parcel Service and several

commercial air carriers have been using speech recognition

systems with somewhat limited vocabularies of 20 to 50 words

for Package and baggage, sorting operations. Several

companies have been Identified as having commercially

available voice or speech recognition systems that can be

used for source data entry. In all of these systems* It is

necessary for the system to be adapted to recognlie each

speaker In a training session before actual operation,

3.3,1 iflUififfifiOi £hA£AClfi£iliifiA

3,3.1,1 QaIa CA&fi&ll^Za&ftfi£t

3.3.1.1.1 iXAQalfttZIraniffiiAaian SBfiftd - vendors were found

to provide Interfaces for data communications with rates up

to 19*200 baud.

3.3.1.1.2 ^alyma ttz Unit Qi liaift - Throughput Is limited to

the speed with which an operator can clearly pronounce

words

,

3.3.1.1.3 QfiA£Ala£ Sfiftad - One reference source Indicates

that acceptable rates of speech are a words per second for

reeding out loud* 2.5 words oer second for spontaneous

*SPeecH recognition Is a process or Interpreting spoken

words according to predefined meanings whereas speaker

recognition Is a process of Identifying a speaker by

analyzing his speech Pattern,

49
speech, and approximately 2 words per second for machine

distinguishable voice Input (Isolated word recognition).

This date rate Is substantially faster than writing or

I«ey1ng, Keying aoeed (typewriter), for example, Is

approximately one word per second. Handwriting and

handprinting speeds are approximately 0,4 words per second.

Keying speed using a pushbutton telephone is rated at 0,3

words per second, Marking on a mark sense card is rated at

0,1 word per second,

3.3.1.2 Qaft£Aiioaal ao£l ELayinaonftaiftl ififlulxAaAoifi

3.3.1.2.1 IfimC££Al^£fiZhUffii£ill^ EL&OUitftmfinll - Voice

recognition equipment will operate in most environments,

3.3.1.2.2 A.£fiflZ£b^ai£ai LaCAtioa - The only device reauired

at the source data entry location is a wired or wireless

microphone* or in some cases, a telephone. The recognition

hardware (preprocessor, minicomputer, etc.) can be located

elsewhere.

3.3.1.2.3 taocutftf lQtft£l4£A - The speech recognition

process requires considerable computational capability and

as a consequence all ' voice recognition systems operate

online to a computer which may also be shared for other

processing functions. Additionally, some vendori provide an intelligent terminal option, permitting the system to act as an off-line, remote interactive terminal. Between the

speaker and the computer, there is usually a microphone,

cable, and a preprocessor/feature extractor. The

preprocessor and computer (usually a minicomputer) are used

to convert the voice input Into predefined digital format,

once this conversion is accompl 1 ihed, the resulting code can

be directed to a storage medium, used to update or manipulate local files, or transmitted to another computer,

3.3.1.3 iQOiil Cba£A£ifi£i£ll&A

3.3.1.3.1 aacO££l ^ilti - Not applicable,

3.3.1.3.2 £ilA£A£tfc£ A^ftllafcifi (Vocabulary) - The

vocabulary of a voice recognition system is the set of

predefined words which can be converted into machine

understandable code. The NASA system, referred to earlier,

has a vocabulary of 100 words. Most systems have a basic

vocabulary of 3? words and are expandable In 64 word units.

Memory size and Processing speed ere the two primary factors

which limit vocabulary. In a source data entry application,

the vocabulary could Include spoken alohanumeric and command

words. Examples of these would be "one" (1), "two" (2),

"zero" (0), "alpha" (A), "delete" (delete last entry), etc.

New speakers or new vocabularies are accommodated by a "training" session with the system. This is accomplished by

keying the word, on a CRT or teletypewriter, and then

entering the word vocally. f»er1odic "training" sessions may

50
be needed to reduce errors to within en acceptable range.

3.3.1.3,3 SfifiCiAl EO£ffi BftauiLftOlftOi * Thl8 requirement

deoends on the oerlpherals used with the system. For

instance^ If a paoer tape reader Is usedf paper tape would

be required. If a thermal printer Is used, treated Paper Is

needed,

3.3.1.4 QuXcyl LaaAlaililiftA - Output from a voice

recognition system can be In several forms. Output from the

system can be transmitted to another computer. Voice

response can be used as an ac l<now 1 edgement of the voice

Input or to request data entry In a tutorial mode.

Alphanumeric displays ere used (CRT or light emitting diode

dltplav) for Input ver i f 1 cat i on » operator Instruction, error

correction, and for the system "training" sessions referred

to earlier. Teletypewriters can also be used to produce

hardcopy output. There are many output devices available

for use with minicomputers. Although they are not usually

Included In standard configurations, magnetic taPe units,

magnetic disk units, line printers, paper taoe punches, and

other devices can be used for output from a voice

recognition system,

3.3.1.5 EdUZiiAiifilalfl UaalaiiUUl - a high degree of data

editing and validation can be accomplished by the voice

recognition system. Since a minicomputer is normally used

as 8 controller, software separate from that employed for

the recognition function also can Perform the necessary data

edi t /val 1 dat 1 on requirements. The amount of memory

available and the processing speed of the minicomputer will

determine how extensive the data editing software can be.

Data correction can be accomplished with operator feedback

using voice response or an alphanumeric display followed

either by respeaking or use of a keyboard,

3,3,2 Qotiona " Typical options avaiable for voice

recognition systems include the followingi

• Additional inout stations,

, Additional minicomputer memory. This Is required

when the vocabulary slie is increased over the standard

size,

« Expanded vocabulary size.

. Optional microphones, Basic voice recognition

systems include a headset tyoe microphone. Optional noise

cancelling microphones may be needed If there is a noise

background at the data entry location.

, Voice response. Data entry verification can be

accomplished through the use of a voice response system.

The voice response can be digitally synthesized (machine

generated) or "played back" fpom a recorder,

, Many of the peripheral components (such as magnetic

tape cassettes, magnetic disk. Paper tape units, punch card

units, and keyboard devices) commonly available for

51
ml n1 computers can oPtiondHy be configured with the voice

recognition system.

3,3,3 QcftLAlflfi EfiQUilfiZfiQlA - One operator Is reaulred for

each active Inout station. The ooerator can be oerformlng

other functions as long as It does not affect his speech

input. Reference sources Indicate that onlv minimal

training Is required for the operator. However, It would

probably be advantageous to use an operator that Is

wel 1 -d1 ac

1

pH ned In clear and consistent pronunciation of

words

•

3,3,^ £Q&t £aQ2SA - Basic system cost Is $10,000 to $20,000,

This Includes a minicomputer, two microphones, a 6a-word

vocabulary, a l6"character display and a local ooerator

eonsol e,

3,3,5 I^QiCAl OdiA £al£^ ^caiiCAliaaS - Systems are used by

airlines for baggage-handling. These systems permit an airline employee to direct baggage via a computerized

conveyer system by simply Indicating the flight number or destination Into a headset microphone. Systems a^e also

being used by a producer of glass products for quality

control. In this application, an Inspector can Inout

television tube measurements while his hands are free to

manipulate gauges,

IBM field ef^gineers are using a voice recognl 1 1 on/resoonse

system via telephone* as an aid In equipment diagnostics.

The user Inputs equipment model number, responds to query

type of questions with "yes/no" answers* end Is directed to

the cause of the problem by audio response.

Voice recognition systems have

security applications for

1 dent 1 f 1 cat 1 on

,

successfully been used in

spealcer verification and

Voice recognition systems can be used In many applications

In Government systems such as;

, Equipment and process control

• Tactical data entry

• Automated checkout* diagnosis and Instruction

• Air traffic control

• Target search* acquisition* and weapon control

, Computer programming and Interactive problem solving

• Access control to secure area

. Aids for handicapped

3,3,6 Ady&&XAafiA Aod Si£aQ2 ^fiiaiA

• Voice recognition systems allow the user to Input

data and at the same time perform manual tasks. For

instance* an operator can be inspecting equipment, counting

Parts Inventories* operating machinery* etc»» while

52
inouttlng data vocally,

• Vocabularies are flexible to a certain extent, Words

can be added» changed, or deleted frorp the vocabulary.

However, additions to the standard vocabulary size may

reauire a faster processor and additional memory,

• Speaking Is substantially faster than writing or key 1 ng,

• Telephones are currently unacceptable as an Input

device for some of the commercially available voice

recognition systems. Reference sources Indicate that the

Quality of telephone transmission Is not adequate. However,

some systems use telephones as their I/O media. Telephones

can be used successfully aa an Input device to a voice

recognition system. In add1t1on# It may be possible to

enter data through a portable microphone and radio

transmitter, thus eliminating such constraints as cables or other wire connections,

3,3,7 !2i&a£U£QlAafi& AO£l LiffliialiaaA

, Voice recognition systems are still relatively

expensive, A typical configuration for- one or two entry

stations would probably cost In the range of $10,000 per

Stat 1 on.

, Error rates may be a problefn. Vendors claim that

overall error rates of as low as 1 percent can be achieved.

There are not, however, many voice recognition systems In

commercial use, thus error rates based on extensive

practical use are not currently available.

, At present, voice recognition systems are not capable

of doing a good Job of automatically recognizing speeci^ In a general sense* 1«e., with a vocabulary approaching that of

the average Person and as normally spoken in a connected/continuous manner. Presently each word must be

spoken as an acoustically separate unit (Isolated word

recogn 1 1 1 on)

,

3,y SflUiamftDl Calfiflar^ - Mlxed-^edla (Keyboard/Reader)

Systems - A mixed-media system Is an electronic data entry

system which Incorporates both keyboard-to-disk and optical

scanning equipment, A market for mixed-media systems has

developed because many organizations have data entry

applications that are well suited for optical scanning yet

also require a certain amount of keyboard data entry.

Investing In two separate systems could be a waste of money.

If keyboard-to-disk and optical scanning Is combined Into

one system, then duplication of the minicomputer controller,

memory, edit/validate software* and other features can be

eliminated. Source documents unsuitable for scanning are

assigned to the key entry section of the Installation and

53
processed In tHe conventional manner. In addition! data

found In error by the optical scanner can be corrected at

the key-entry stations. Input from all entry devices Is

stored on disk and then transferred to computer compatible

tape for further processing,

3.4.1 ^flUicSAOl Cb.a£AfilA£lillifiA

3.4.1.1 I^Ala CAfiACii^Z^&tlftd

3.4,1.1.1 l£AailftIlZl£AQicallli.aa a&fifid • Operator keying

speed* optical reader speed» and entry features/software

determine the throughput of m1xed*med1a systems.

3,4,1,1,? iiLalumt ttt iinil al liaa - The throughput rates of

mixed-media systems are In the general range of 800-3600

characters/second, 180-650 forms/minute,

3,4,1.1,3 QfifilAiar fifiA££i - Operator keying speed win affect

the system's throughput. Keying speeds from 12*000 to

20*000 keystrokes per hour are possible* but an average of

approximately 7150 keystrokes Per hour can be expected based

on estimates for typical keyboard-to-disk systems In a production environment,

3.4.1.2 Qfit£AliOQAl flOd £Q^i£fiO01fiQlAi &fiflUi£efflftalA

3.4.1.2.1 lAS&fi£AlU££ZtlUnidil^ aAflUlUfiOieQiA - ^OSt of the

equipment of this type (optical scanners and

keyboard-to-disk) can operate In a normal office

env 1 ronment

.

3.4.1.2.2 A£fiAZ£ii^&iCAl Lo£Alioa - This varies depending on configuration and location of the keyboard terminals.

3.4.1.2.3 CofflBU£A£ IolA£lA£A - M^xed-medla systems usually

operate off-line and Produce computer co"^Pat1ble Tiagnetlc

taPe, Communication Interfaces are available for online

operation or online transmission of data recorded on magnetic tape.

3.4.1.3 iQQUl £ilA£A£lA£iAiiCA

3.4.1.3.1 £A£fi£d tiiZAA - Maximum record sizes range up to

4096 characters but practical maxima are normally under 500

characters

,

3.4.1.3.2 ChA£A£lA£ SaIA ^aIIaI^Ia - Some of the mixed-media

systems Incorporate multifont OCR readers capable of reading

most scannable fonts Including handprinted characters. The

character sets available on the keyboard-to-disk subsystem

are typical of the sets available for keyboard-to-disk

systems covered In section 1,3.

3.4.1.3.3 £ba&1a1 Efi£ffl £AflJii£A&AO£.A - Paper for optional

54
Hne printers/ oaper tape punchei, or teletypewriters mav be

reaulred. Forms are probably the most critical requirement

of an OCR operation. The deslan of the form must meet the

requirements of the reading device and also have an efficient layout for the user. Since OCR depends on the

contrast of the cheracters to the bacl<ground of the form for

character recognition, the oaoer must be of high quality and

free from dirt and other foreign substances. Its thickness

must be within a specified range. Data usually must be in

predefined locations and the cheracters must be properly

registered; crisp, and well defined with very little skew,

3,^,1, a QulCUl iABAbilitifti - M^xed-medla systems are

capable of generating hard copy output, recording on magnetic taPe and magnetic disk, and transmitting to a computer,

3,^>,l,5 Ldit/iiAlifilatfi CfiBabiiitifti - The mixed-media systems

have most of the same edit/validate features typically found

on OCR's and keyboard-to-disk systems. The controlling Part

of the system Is usually a minicomputer, and the capability

to manipulate data In memory Is an Inherent feature of the

minicomputer. Software can perform the editing as the data

is being entered. The use .of alphanumeric displays for

operator feedback In combination with OCR Increases the

edit/validate capabilities, OCR error/rejects can be

handled bv video Image display and keyboard correction

techniques. The video Image Is a duplicate of the field In

error exactly as It was "seen" by the optical scanner. In

addition* features such as character delete/insert,

split-screen, " f 1 1

1 -1 n-t he-bl anks , " and conversational modes

of data entry ease the task of data editing end validating,

3,^,2 Qotiooi - Options available for mixed-media systems

include Journal tape and line printers, punch tag readers,

teletypewriters, additional memory, magnetic tape drives,

magnetic disk drives, an expandable number of key-stations,

application software/ user programming languages, and

various communication Interfaces,

3,^,3 OattAiafi &fiaui£fifflft&lS * since mixed-media systems

incorporate both an OCR system and keyboard-to-disk system,

operator requirements should be the combination of the

requirements for both systems. The requirements can be

found In sections 1,3 (Keyboard-to-disk) and section 2,1

(Optical Character Readers),

3,^,^ Cait EAQflfil " The least expensive mixed-media system

sells for approximately $100,000 for a 20-stat1on

configuration and $150,000 for a 32 station configuration,

^^ore sophisticated systems cost from approximately $200,000

to $600,000 depending on the options end the number of

keystations used,

3,^,5 I^aicai Qiia £nt£^ AaDlitatiana - Because of high

55
equ1pf?ient costa and potentially high throughput, mixed-media

• vitefpa ire primarily suited to h 1 gh-vol ume# centraHzed

data entry. Mixed-media systems should be considered for

applications which can justify an OCR but must also process

non-scannabl e documents,

3. a, 6 i&d^AOiAflfiA And filZOna £fiial& - By sharing of

components, mixed-media systems offer a cost advantage where

both optical scanning and keyboard-to-disk capabilities ere

reaul red.

Extensive edit/validate features can be applied to both

keyed and scanned data, easing the burden on the mainframe

computer

,

Most of the strong points and advantages that apply to the

categories of optical character readers and iteyboard-to-d1 sk

systems (covered In sections 2,1 and 1,3, respectively) also

apply to the mixed-media systems,

3,4,7 Ui&Afii^aoiafl&a aqcI LisitAlian& - Most of the

disadvantages and limitations that aoply to the categories

of optical characte-r readers and keyboard-to-disk systems

(covered In sections 2,1 and 1,3, respectively) also apply

to the mixed-media systems. In addition. It should be

emphasized that the failure of a shared component win

disable the entire mixed-media system and may create a severe date entry bottleneck,

3,5 ^auiamfinl La1£S0£^{ Digitizing Tablets - Image

digitizers (of which digitizing tablets are a specific tvoe)

are the broad category of electronic devices which sense the

movement or position of a cursor (a stylus or other drawing

mechanism) relative to a flat working surface. These

devices are generally used for digitally recording the

continuous representation of some analog function or measurement or other applications requiring graphic Input,

Typically, a digitizer Is a two-axis device with a cursor

that Is free to move over a flat working surfacet Cursor

position Is detected and recorded digitally for output to

cards, magnetic taoe or a computer Interface, The most

common digitizer appears to be the digitizing tablet.

One tablet that Is being marketed Is a sonic digitizer

incorporating a sound emitting hand-held stylus, a H x la

Inch square (optionally up to 72 Inches) writing or drawing

surface with a perpendicular L-ahaped microphone sensor

bordering two sides of the tablet, with the standard 14

inch by 14 Inch tablet, 4,000,000 points on a 2,000 by 2,000

matrix can be detected and digitized (converted) Into (X,Y)

coordi nate pal rs. Another manufacturer provides a digitizing tablet which

incorporates a 14 Inch souare tablet surface and a Hand-held

stylus. It has Its sensing electronics embedded In the

56
tablet surface.

3.S.1 LouiSffifiOl CtA£A£lfi£iAri£A

3.5.1.1 QAld CAQACil^ZSCftfid

3.5.1.1.1 IIADllftCZIraaiffiiiaifln aafitd - Online transmission

speeds of digitizing tablets were not found In the reference

sources used In preparing this report. However^ the rnaxlmum

digitizing rate ranges from approximately 200 to 6600

coordinate points oer second,

3.5.1.1.2 ifllynift Efti UqH al liaft - It is inconceivable that

an operator can accurately move the stylus faster than the

device can sense the movement. Therefore* the volume of

digitized points Per unit of time Is limited to the speed at

which the operator can trace* drew* write or touch the

tablet surface,

3.5.1.1.3 QBfi£ata£ ScSfid - Operator speed Is a limiting

factor In predicting the Inout speed of the digitizing

tab! et

,

3.5.1.2 Q&a£Allaaal and Lo^iianaiftalal S-aauiceaifioia

3.5.1.2.1 IfiS&fi£AlU££Ztdyaiidii^ aaaui£ftmfiQlA - Temperature

and humidity ranges are not critical for this eoulpment,

3.5.1.2.2 AxsaZEilitaiaal LaCAtion - "ri^la egulpment reaulres

approximately i4 to 5 sauare feet of space on a table or desk

top.

3.5.1.2.3 CafflBiitfl£ IntA£lAaft - The digitized coordinates

generated by digitizing tablets can be recorded on external

peripheral devices or they can be transmitted to a computer.

The communication Interfaces end line speeds available for

digitizing tablets were not Included In the reference

sources used In preparing this report,

3.5.1.3 laaui £hA£Aalfi£iAliaA

3.5.1.3.1 &A£a££i ^iZAA - '"^ot applicable

3.5.1.3.2 CilA£A£lA£ SfilA i^AilAk^fi - ^ot applicable

3.5.1.3.3 aOAfiiAl Ea£ffl aftayiifiOAQiA - Pre-prlnted forms can

be Placed on the tablet surface. Various form designs can

be used. By assigning specific meanings - alphanumeric

characters, programming commands, graphic symbols, even

whole sentences - to specific coordinate pairs, the assigned

meaning can be determined from the coordinates generated

each time the stylus touches the prescribed area. This type

form Is commonly associated with a menu, where the operator

selects his choice by simply touching the Item with the

styl us.

57
3. 5,1, a Qutayt Caaaisilitiftl • Outout from the dlgl tiling

tablet can be directed to Paoer taoe, magnetic taoe, punched

card» Plotter* programmable calculator, computer Cuauallv a minicomputer), or small display device which displays the

CX#Y) coordinates. These (X|Y) coordinates can be In the

form of a four digit number or an eleven bit binary number,

depending on the application's regulrement. Output can also

be directed to a graphic display which reproduces ell or Part of an Image, or to a microfilm, or to a slide Image

generator

,

3.5.1,5 Ldit^iiaiUaiA UBalailUiea - The digitizing tablet

does not possess edit/validate ceoabl 1 1 t 1 es

,

3.5.2 Qatioai - Options available for digitizing tablets

1 nc 1 ude l

, Tablet sizes up to 72 Inches by 72 Inches

, CX,Y) cooi'dlnate display screen

• Magnetic tape units

• Paper tape punch units

, Punch card units

, Bell pol nt Pen stylus

, Microf 1 1 m/sl Ides

. Flat bed plotters

3.5.3 QBft£alfl£ EftflUiraofintl - H the digitizing tablet Is

used for the Inputting of mechanical or graphic drawings,

the operator should preferably have drafting sKllls,

Otherwise, source data entry applications would not reauire

operators with special skills,

3.5.4 Caal. - The purchase price of a digitizing tablet

begins at approximately $3,000. This price includes only

the basic components of the system-tablet surface,

microphone sensor base, stylus, end control unit,

3.5.5 £fiaoainl£ CaQ&i£lfi£dliaoi "It would be difficult to

Justify the use of digitizing tablets for alphanumeric data

entry since each tablet costs $3,000, This is not to say

that digitizing tablets should not be considered, but

instead that there are many keyboard devices in the same

price range which have more general flexibility, ^ost of

these keyboard devices are capable of receiving output from

the host computer and the actual characters entered are

visually displayed rather than Just the coordinates which

represent them,

3.5.6 IxBical Cala £otr^ ^CCiicaliaBa - Image digitizers are

used for many diverse applications, with little in common

except that they all convert graphical data to digital form

for computer processing. Digitizers ere used in fully

automated drafting systems for such applications as: the

conversion of Parts drawings to digital form which are

recorded on magnetic taPe to be used by numerically

58
controlled machine toolsr the generation of Input from rough

sketches to produce accurate drawings, and the digitization

of the shapes of design models used In the ship building,

automotive, and aircraft Industries, and In architectural

oes 1 gn • Digitizing tablets have been successfully used In source

data entry applications such as Inventory control,

production control, order entry, end In other applications

where untrained Personnel enter datat

3.5.7 Ad^aaiAflfiA aq£| fiiraoa Bfii&ii

. Digitizing tablets can be located In most source data

entry locations.

• Their operation can be very simpler thus skilled

operators are not required.

, Complex drafting or design Jobs can be computer

assisted at great cost savings,

3.5.8 Qiafi£i^AOlAflfi& AQSi LimilAliaoA

• Digitizing tablets used for alphanumeric source data

entry do not possess the capabilities of other similarly

priced data entry devices,

• The data captured by the digitizing tablets Is In the

form of matrix coordinates. These coordinates must then be

converted Into the appropriate meanings by software on the

host computer,

3.6 £fluiQDiAai CalftOOX^I PoI nt-of-Sal e (POS) - A POS system

Is basically a source date collection systefn designed for

the retail trade. It Is used to collect business data at

the point of transaction and record It In computer-usable

form, thereby eliminating the need for intermediary

handling, wost POS systems are modularly designed and are

usually configured In one of three wavsi local recording

systems* centralized or In-store controlled systems* or remote online Interactive systems,

A local recording system typically Includes stand-alone cash

registers with a built-in processor and a magnetic taoe

recorder (cassette or cartridge). In this environment, the

POS terminal operates very much like the conventional cash

register, except that It can collect more business data

faster and more accurately.

The centralized, or In-store, configuration Includes a number of terminals sharing one controller (minicomputer or

a preprogrammed hardwired Processor), Centralized systems

can perform many more sophisticated processing functions

that are not feasible with stand-alone terminals. These

59
Include credit verification, automatic price lookup,

inventory control, extensive editing and forrpattlng

capabilities, generation of management reports, end data

communications with a host computer.

The online system usually consists of several In-store

subsystems which communicate with a central host computer.

In this configuration, control originates from the host

computer with the driving programs housed In the store-based

controller (or minicomputer). The on-line system provides a further dimension of processing sophistication not Possible

with Isolated 1n"8tore systems.

Regardless of the differences In system configuration and

processing capabilities among these three alternatives, they

are essentially the same with regard to data entry at the

point of Sale, Data entry is accomplished by the cash

register keyboard supplemented by an optical character or bar-code reading device. Additional Infofmetlon on optical

character and optical bar-code type devices may be found In

sections 2,1 and 2,3 of this report,

3,6,1 iflUlQffiADl £b,A£A£lfi£iAli£&

3.6.1.1 !2aXA CAfi££U^ZSfifift£l

3.6.1.1.1 l£ao£lft£Zl£ac&0lilliflO S&ftftd - Some POS systems are

restricted to 2^i00 bits oer second, while others can

transmit up to P600 bits per second,

3.6.1.1.2 iialuffifi £ft£ Unii Ol liaift - The throughput of POS

systems Varies depending on th© eQulprrient configuration,

3.6.1.1.3 QMiataj: Ssafid • The speed of operators using POS

equipment was not found In the reference sources used In

preparing this report,

3.6.1.2 QafiiAiiaoal Aod EQ^ircDaifiaiAl &ftflui£fiaeai&

3.6.1.2.1 IftOCfilAlUIfiZiiUOlidii^ aftauirfiSOAQlA * POS equipment

Is designed to operate In the environment commonly found In

retal 1 stores,

3.6.1.2.2 ICftftZEh^aical LacalifiQ - The size and location of

POS equipment vary dePenoln-T on configuration,

3.6.1.2.3 CaaBiltAt InLt&i&CS, - Local or stand-alone POS

equipment Interfaces with the computer by magnetic tape

(cassette or cartridge). Some of the older equipment uses

punched paper tape as the computer Interface, Centralized

or In-store POS systems are cable-connected to a minicomputer or hardwired processor. Online POS systems

Interface to the host computer via communication lines

(usually leased or switched network telephone lines).

60
3.6.1.3 Xa&iii £iiA£&£lfij:iiiic;i

3.6.1.3.1 SftCflJlfil - ThU Information was not available

in the reference sources used In preparing this reoort,

3.6.1.3.2 C^A£aClfi£ Sftl& A^AilAblfi - POS equipment Is

designed primarily to capture numeric data. The keyboards

of electronic cash registers^ credit verifiers* etc.*

usually are limited to numeric and special function keys.

Bar codes such as UPC (Universal Product Code)* commonly

found on food packages, represent numeric data and are read

by f1>»ed or hand-held bar code scanners (optionally

available on some POS systems).

3.6.1.3.3 SoA&iAl Ea£D &ftQui£fiffl.Aala " Forms requirements

vary depending on the equipment In making up th© PQS system.

The most common forms required for POS systems are

Identification/price tags and rolled paper used for printing

customer receipts,

3, 6,1, a Qutout CABAbilitiAA - ^^ost of the POS terminals,

such as cash registers, provide both visual output and hard

copy printed output. In addition, data Is usually either

recorded at the station on magnetic tape or punched Paper

tape* or It Is transmitted to the host computer,

3,6,1,5 E-dUi^AlidAlA LAaAbiiitiea - The stand-alone POS

terminals have self-contained processors with limited

capabilities. They are caPable of automatically extending

totals, adding sales tax, etc., but they are not capable of

Performing meaningful edit or validate routines,

CentreMied and online systems incorporate minicomputers or small business computers, with the processing capabilities

of these computer- based systems, a wide range of edit and

validate functions can be performed as data Is captured at

the POS terminals,

3,6,2 QatioDA - Options available with POS systems Include

the f ol 1 owi ngi

, Bar code scanners which read preprinted bar codes

(such as the UPC code) are available. These scanners can be

permanently attached to a surface. The operator (or

conveyor belt) moves Items past the window of the scanner

and the bar codes are read. They may also be hand-held

scanners which are small portable devices that can be

manipulated by the hand of the operator to feed preprinted

bar codes,

, Temporary recording media such as magnetic taoe

cassettes (or cartddgea) and PaPer taPe are available.

These options are commonly found on POS terminals and used

for either back-uP data storage or for Primary data

collection (when the terminal Is not online with the host

computer)

,

61
, Electronic weight scales

• AutofPstlc change dispensers

, Voice response

• Optional memory sizes for minicomputer controller

• Software packages for edit/validation and data

man 1 pu 1 at 1 on

, Many options available for the minicomputer

control 1 er

• OCR Journal tape

3.6.3 Qefttalfli fiftQuififtiBftQia - ^'^ost PQS systems Include

electronic cash registers, Ei<Per 1 ence/skl 1 1 on these

devices would be helpfuli but training Is not usually a problem,

3,6,y Caat £a02&S * Purchase prices ^ange from approximately

$5,000 to over $1,000#000 per complete system, depending on the degree of sophistication and the number of terminals

Involved,

Examples of prices of the three different configurations

discussed In section 3,6 are the followlngi

Local recording system $5,100

In-store controlled system (Includes $200,000

30 terminals and minicomputer)

Remote on-line Interactive system $123,500

(Includes 30 terminals and

concentrator but does not Include

central host computer)

3.6.5 I^QicAl Qdid £ni£^ ^filiCAliaa& - systems have

been designed for (and are used almost exclusively for)

capturing data at the point-of-sale In retail sales

establishments. Several large general merchandisers have

installed POS systems. Grocery store chains are finding

that POS systems Increase the productivity of cashiers and

provide better sales and Inventory data than were available

with standard cash registers,

3.6.6 ^d^aiAflfiA AOfii ai£finfl B&ialA - systems are

designed to minimize key deoressslons and maximize

throughput. The operator Is guided by seguentlally lit keys

or a message panel to progress through each transaction. If an optical scanner is used to read product codes and/or

prices, the number of key depressions Is reduced even more.

The results are---', fewer calculation errors, faster checl<out

time, fewer cashiers required for a given amount of

62
bu8lnes8» end batter customer service. Sales recelots to

custonners are more detailed than those from cash registers.

Inventory data is captured at the point-of-sale quickly and

accurately. This results In faster re-order actions and

better buying decisions.

POS systems are capable of automatically verifying the

credit status of customers. With the Increased use of

credit cardSf this means less credit losses and a faster

response to credit approval,

3.6.7 Qi&A^l^anlAafiA AOd LiffliLaliana - POS systems are

expensive. Their use Is normally restricted to the larger,

high volume type of retail business. Examples are large

department stores, fast food restaurants, and suoermarkets.

One reference source lists the lack of application software

as being a disadvantage. This problem should be solved as POS systems gain more popularity and POS vef^dors broaden

their application base.

63
AcfiUAlid CfiUClAI " A modem designed for ooeration over the

DubHc telephone network, A connection 1i providea between

the data terminal and the communications Hne using a conventional telephone handset. Data to be transmitted la

converted from a aerial stream of binary digits to a aeauence of tones (mark and space frequencies); at the

receive end# the tones are converted back Into a stream of

binary digits corresponding to the original Input datat It

is connected to data terminal equipment by a cable which . generally complies with some standard; e.g.r EIA RS-232C, ] A&LII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange

(also known as USASCII), An American National Standard

binary coding scheme consisting of 128 seven-bit patterns

for printable characters and control of eaulpment. Also ' known as International Alphabet No, 5,

iudlA AQ&l^e.£ba£Ji " Audio response (which can be in terms of \ tones or machine-generated soeech) normally associated with

an 1 naul ry-response system.

iAkdfii - A system of coding for transmission of data In

which five bits represent one cha!*acter. Also known as International Telegraphic Alphabet Mo, 2,

I at£ - Binary Coded Decimal, A binary notation In which 1 Individual alphanumeric characters are represented by a pattern of four or six bits,

^ Bil - The smallest unit of Information In the binary number

system. It Is the abbreviation for "binary digit" where a bit Is represented by a one or a zero. These states may in

turn correspond to conditions within equipment such as on or i off* the presence or absence of a voltage or flow of

j current, or a switch contact being ooen or closed, 1

a£fi - Bits per second,

Ca££i diaiftr • ^ ur>^t that automatically dials telephone

numbers by Insertion of a olastic card that contain the

numbers. It may also be used in a TOUCH-TONE (TM) data

system to transmit constant numeric data to a computer,

CLA.ttia£lfi££Ay tuhSi " *n electronic vacuum tube

containing a screen on which input or output data may be

displayed In graphic form or as character images,

CilAOOAl - A Path along which signals can be sent; e.g.f

data channel, output channel,

CasLLoa LQ.tai Also called keypunching or data entry form.

The form from which the kevpuncher enters data. It may be

64

J
the same att or separate frorp* the source document,

CuiAor • ^ movable markep^ visible on a CRT dlsplaVr used to

indicate the position at which the next operation (e.g,#

Insertion^ repi acernent # or erasure of a character) la to

take place.

Qa^UISfiCi LAASi&L • a reader havinq the capability to read

documents of less than standard 8,5 x 11 Inches letter size,

A document reader penerallv reads one or two lines oer

document* while "page readers" can reed many lines from each

document

,

Qol t^A-tliJl " A method of generating characters utilizing a matrix of dots, each of which may be Independently turned on or off. The combination produces a human readable

character

,

£&£i2IL • Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code, An

alphanumeric character code containing upper and lower case

characters, and special symbols. EBCDIC Is an e-b1t code,

- To modify the format of data, Including deleting

unwanted data, selecting pertinent data, or Input,

tOAtt A set of characters of a given size and style,

Hollfitiiil L&dt - A standard l2-channel punched card code In

which a decimal digit, letter, or special character Is

represented bv one or more rectangular holes punched (or

marks entered) In a vertical column,

lanOACl Eti&lfi£ • An output unit which mechanically prints

characters on the Page by a fast-action hammer causing

contact between the Paoer and a type slug at the exact

moment the required character la In position,

lai Jel BtiOler • A hlgh-soeed prlntei* that produces Images

by discharging tiny droplets of Ink In a stream from a ^ow

of nozzles. As these droplets are discharged, they Pass

through electrical fields which Induce electrical charges on selected droplets. Those droplets that are not changed will

Impact the paper while the charged droplets are

electrostatically deflected from the stream to be returned

to the Ink system,

la&iil - CI) The data entered Into a computer for processlngi

(2) The process of entering datal (3) Pertaining to the

devices that enter data,

lalA£lACfi A common boundary between automatic data

processing systems or parts of a single system,

LiflhlzofiQ • A photosensitive device that Is used to ooint to

a Particular element on a display screen. The light-Pen

65
causes an interrupt to be Initiated and tHe computer or the

display processor Is able to Identify the element by reading

an address or identification buffer in the display

processor

•

tlarjf, SlAOAft - Sensing of marks on a Page» document, or card,

and t rarismi ssi on of the aporopriate code (depending on the

position of the mark on the page).

fidaiXil matfiJlioa - a pattern recognition technique used by

optical readers to recognize characters. It is based on comparisons between the predefined matrix representation of

each character (in the character set(s) recogniied by the

optical reader) and a similar matrix representation Produced

by the reader as the character to be interpreted is scanned.

When the matrices "match," the character is recognized,

blofUna • A contraction of MOdulator DE^^pdul ator, A device

that modulates and demodulates signals transmitted over data

communications facilities,

Mullisiaal £AA£ifi£ - A reader having the capability to read

multiple fonts intermixed on the same Page,

fidUltialft lanl £ftAdA£ • a reader having the capability to

read several fonts, but only one at a time? i,e,, fonts

cannot be intermixed on a Page# and special action must

occur before changing to another font. Switching between

fonts can be a manual or a Programmed feature.

QoiQlifial - The capability to recognize characters printed in

any type font. The user inputs the characteristics of his

Particular font thereby "teaching" the optical reader

another "character set,"

BftflA £AA£tft£ " An optical reader having the capability to

read letter-sized (8,5 x 11 Inches) or larger documents.

Page readers can read many lines from each document (as

opposed to "document readers" which are generally caOable of

reading only one or two lines Per document),

BaQliOfl - The combining of data records recorded at

individual taPe stations onto a single tape for entry Into a computer system,

SiaalA iQDi £Aa£l££ - An Optical reader equipped to read one

type font only,

SoU££fi £ifiCua£Ol " The user's application documents which is

a source of data eventually processed by the comnuter

program. Examples Include time cards, vouchers, and bills

of lading,

£lfi£ArAnd:lfi£ttA££i - Data (in the form of cards, taPe# etc.)

is temporarily stored at some location for later transmittal

66
to the computer site. An eKemole 1$ the generation of

magnetic taoe from a remote kev"to-taPe station. The taoe

Is stored temporarily until It can be later carried or transmitted to the main computer facility,

ItftXMl ClCi0i6£ " A printer which uses heated electrodes to

selectively darken the surface of mul t

1 -1 ayered Paper in

such a way as to reproduce the desired Image(s) on a hard

copy,

Itl£AyS.tlfiUl " The total amount of productive work performed

by a data processing system during a given Period of time.

67
Bi bH ography

Auerbach Comouter Teci^nology Reports, Product Class

RePort-"Inte1 H gent Terminal Systems; PhHadelphla* PA (now

Pennsauken, NJ)| Auerbach PubHshers* Inc.? 1972 Mayi

770.0000,100. 9 P.

Auerbach Comouter Technology Reports. Specification

Chart--Indu8t r 1 al Data Collection; Philadelphia* PA (now

Pennsauken* NJ); Auerbach Publishers* Inc.; 1972 October;

292.0000.510, 3 P.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports. Systems

Desi gn--Commun1 cat 1 oas Facilities overview; Philadelphia;

PA (now Pennsauken* NJ); Auerbach Publishers! Inc.? 1973

July; 705.0000.210. a p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports. System

Des 1 gn--Equ1 pment Selection Checklist; Philadelphia* PA

(now Pennsauken, NJ); Auerbach Publishers, Inc.; 1973

Jul v; 705.0000.230,. 4 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Systems Des 1 gn--E r ror Control In Data Communications Systems; Phlladephla* PA

(now Pennseuken* NJ); Auerbach Publishers* Inc.; 1973

July; 705.0000.220. 6 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Specification

Chart--Po1 nt-of-Sal e Systems; Philadelphia* PA (now

Pennsauken, NJ); Agerbach Publishers* Inc.? 1973 October;

290.0000.500. 8 o. Auerbach Computer Technology Reports. Specification

Ch8rt--Intel 1 1 gent Terminals; Philadelphia* PA (now

Pensauken* NJ); Auerbach Publishers* Inc.; 1974 October?

770.0000.500. 2 P.

Auerbac*^ Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

RePort*-Indust r 1 al Data Collection Systems? Pennsauken, NJ?

Auerbach Publishers, Inc.; 1975 March; 292,0000.200. 5 o. Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

RePort--Key-to-Storage; Pennsauken, NJ; Auerbach

Publishers* Inc.? 1975 March? 275,0000,200. 9 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Specification

Chart"-Key-to-Magnet 1 c Storage A-F; Pennsaukent NJ;

Auerbach Publishers Inc.; 1975 March; 275,0000,510, 8 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports. Specification

Chart --Key-tO"Magnet 1 c Storage G-l; Pennsauken, MJ;

Auerbach Publishers, Inc«? 1975 March? 275.0000.520. 6 o.

68
AuerbacH Computer TecHnoloQV Reports, Soec 1 ^ 1 cat < on Chart--Key-to-Magnet 1 c Storage M»Z| Pennseuken, NJ;

Auerbach Publishers, Inc.; 1975 Marchj 275,0000.530, 9 p,

Auerbach Coinputer Technoloay Reports, Product Class

Reoort--Mul t 1 -Medl a Systems; Pennsauken, NJ; 1975 April;

283,0000,200, 6 P,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Search

Chart-«Intel H gent Terminals; Pennsauken, NJ; Auerbach

Publishers, Inc,; 1975 June; 770,0000,010, 2 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

RePort--Punched Card Equipment; Pennsauken, NJ; Auerbach

Publishers, Inc,; 1975 October; 255,0000,200, 12 p,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

RePort--Modems and Telephone Couplers; Philadelphia, PA

(now Pennsauken, NJ); Auerbach Publishers, Inc.; 1975

December; 725,0000,200, 8 p,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

RePort--Tel eorl nters; Pennsauken, NJ; Auerbach Publishers,

Inc.; 1975 December; 755,0000,100, 14 p,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Search

Chert--Ai ohanumer 1 c Display Terminals; Pennsauken, NJ;

1976 February; 760,0000,010. 6 p,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Basic System Design

Concepts; Pennsauken, MJ; Auerbach Publishers, Inc.; 1976

March; 705,0000,020, 7 p,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reoorts, Specification

Chart--Al phanumer 1 c Display Terminals; Pennsauken, NJ;

1976 April; 760,0000.500, 2 p,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Specification

Chart*-Al phanumerl c Display Terminals; Pennsauken, NJ;

1976 April; 760,0000.510, 49 p,

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports. Product Class

RePort--Ai ohanumeric Display Terminals; Pennsauken, NJ;

1976 May; 760.0000,200, 10 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

RePort--Magnet 1 c" Ink Character Recognition; Pennsauken, NJ;

Auerbach Publishers, Inc,; 1976 May; 265,0000,200, 11 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

RePort--OPt 1 cal Character Recognition; Pennsauken, NJ;

Auerbach Publishers, Inc.; 1976 November; 280,0000,200, 13

p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Product Class

69
ReDort--Ret all Pol nfof-Sel e Syste'n8>

Auepbach PubHsherSf Inc.? 1976 DeceTiber?

P.

Penn8auken# NJ;

290,0000,200, 8

AuepbacH Computer TecHnologv Reports,

Chert««Key-to-Me??net 1 c Storage? Pennsauken, rjj?

PubHshera, Inc.? 1977 March? 275,0000,010, 3 p.

Auerbach Computer

Chart--Mu1 1

1 -f^edl a Systems?

Publishers, Inc.? 1977 April?

Technology Reports,

Pennsauken, nJ?

283,0000,010, 1 p.

Search

Auerbach

Search

Auerbach

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports,

Chert»-Mul 1

1 -f^edi a Systems? Pennsauken,

283,0000,500. 2 P,

Auerbach Compute

Character Code

Publ < shers, Inc , ?

Spec i f < cat 1 on

NJ? 1977 Aprl 1

?

r Technology Reports, Search Chart--Opt < eal

and Mark Readers? Pennsauken, NJ? Auerbach

? 1977 October? 280,0000,010, 3 P.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports,

Chart--OPt 1 eel Character and Mark Readers?

Auerbach Publishers* Inc,? 1977 October?

p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports,

Report"-Qot 1 cal Character Recognition

Pennsauken, NJ? Auerbach Publishers, Inc.?

280,0000,200. 1 P,

Spec 1 f 1 cat 1 ons

Pennsauken, NJ?

280,0000,530, 28

Product Class

Report Update?

1977 November?

Auerbach Computer

Preparation and

Publ 1 shera, Inc ,

?

Technology Reports, Serech Chart-'Card

Handling? Pennsauken, nJ> Auerbach

1977 December? 255.0000,010. 1 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Search

Chart--Indu8t r 1 al Data Collection Systems? Pennsauken, NJ?

Auerbach Publishers, Inc? 1977 December? 292,0000,010, 1

Auerbach Computer Technology Reoorts, Search

Chart-"Po1 nt-of-Sal e Systems; Pennsauken, NJ? Auerbach

Publishers, Inc,? 1977 December? 290,0000,010, 2 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports. Specification

Chert--Keypunche8 and Verifiers? Pennsauken, nJ; Auerbach

Publishers, Inc.? 1977 December? 255.0000.530. 3 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports. Search

Chart--Magnet 1 c Ink Character Recognition; Pennsauken, NJ?

1978 February? 285.0000,010. 1 p.

Auerbach Computer Technology Reports, Specification

Ch8rt--Magnet 1 c Ink Character Recognition; Pennsauken, NJ?

Auerbach Publishers, Inc,? 1978 February? 285,0000,510, 5

p.

70
Datapro Reports on Data Communications, A i phanumer i

Display Terminals-Basic Characteristics; Delran, nj;

OataPro Research Corporation; 1978 April; C25-010-101 to

C25-010-161,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, All About Graphic

Digitizers; Delran# NJ; Datapro Research Corporation;

1977 March; 70D-010-92a to 70D-010-92r,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, All About Data Collection

Eaulpment; Delran* NJ; Datapro Research Corporation; 1977

June; 70O-010-85a to 70D-010-85r,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, How to Analyze Your Data

Communications Needs; Oelranr NJ; Datapro Research

Corporation? 1977 October; 70G-050-0la to 706-050-0 1 f f

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, All About Modems;

Delrenr New Jersey; Datapro Research Corporation; 1978

February; 70G-500-01a to 70G-500-01zz

,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, How to Select and Use

Data Entry Devices; Delran, NJ; Datapro Research

Corporation; 1978 February; 70D-010-70a to 70D-010-70m,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, All About Teleprinter

Terminals; Delran» NJ; DataPro Research Corporation; 1978

March; 70D-010-21a to 70D-010-21pp,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, All About Alpahnumeric

Display Terminals; Delran, NJ; Datapro Research

Corporation; 1978 April; 70D-010-15a to 70D-010rrr,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, All About Data

Communications Facilities; Delran» NJ; Datapro Research

Corporation; 1978 May; 70G-100-01a to 70G-1 00-0 1 f f . Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, User Ratings of Key Entry

Equipment; Delran^ NJ; Datapro Research Corporation; 1978

September; 70D-010-72a to 70D-010-72e,

Datapro 70 the EDP Buyer's Bible, All About Optical

Readers; Delran» NJ; Datepro Research Cor'^orat 1 on; 1972

October; 70D-010-78a to 70D-010-78f f , MacCormack, Robert D,» "Evaluating Data Entry Systems," Data

Management, la;10 (October 1976), 6p,

Management Information Corporation, Pathways Through Data

Processing -- Data EntryJ Cherry Hill, N,J,, 1978, 201p.

Meadow, Charles T,; Man-Machine Communications; New York;

Wiley and Sons; 1970; 422 p,

Martin, James; Introduction to Teleprocessing; New Jersey;

71
Prentlco-Hal 1 Series? 1972; 267 p.

Martin* Thomas B,; Applications of Limited Vocabulary

Recognition Systems; Invited paoers presented at the 197^

IEEE Symposium; New York; Academic Press; 1975; 55-72,

^^ertln, Thomas B,; Practical Applications of Voice Input to

f^ecHines; Proceedings of the IEEE; 1976 April; 6y(a5;

a87-501.

Operations Research Report, Source Data Entry Guide;

Gunter AFS# Alabama; Data Systems Design Center* Operations

Research Division, Directorate of adp Management; no date

(approximately 1975) ; 88 p,

Sehanti, Herbert F,; Optical Character Recognl t i on--The

Impact of a '•Maturing Technology on Future User Applications;

OCR Today; 1977 November; 1C3); 6-7.

Schantz, Herbert F,; Economic Considerations In the

Selection of OCR Systems; OCR Today; 1978 May; 2(1);

19-22,

Sippl, Charles J,; Computer Dictionary and Handbook;

Indi anapol 1 s# Kansas City* New Yorl<; Howard W, Sams & Co.*

Inc.* The Bobbs-Me r r 1 1 1 Co.* Inc,; 1967; 766 o. United States General Accounting Office. New Ways of

Preparing Data for Computers Could Save Money and Time and

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Van Brimer, Russell H,; High Speed Ink Jet Technoloay;

Digest of Papers COMPCON 7^} 197U February; 137-139.

72

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ; 1979 O—303-706
NBS-114A (REV. 9-76)

U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. 2.6oV^l. Accesstwi No,l 3. (»eciptertt'<t Accession No, BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO.

NBS SP 500-55

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Computer Science & Technology:

Selection of Data Entry Equipment

5. Publication Date November 1979

5. Performing Organization Code

7. AUTHOR(S) 8. Performing Organ. Report No. Steve A. Recicar

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, DC 20234

10. Pfo}ect/tat*/Work Unit No.

11. Contract/Grant No.

12. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS rsfreer. City, State. ZIP)

Same as item 9,

13. Type of Report & Period Covered

N/A

14. i^3onsorjng Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 79-600173

I I Document describes a computer program; SF-185, FIPS Software Summary, is attached.

16. ABSTRACT {A 200-wotd or lesa factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant bibliography or

literature survey, mention it here.) This publicat

in the select

the Federal I "Guideline fo

make availabl

efficient and

about economi

in acquisitio

equipment sel

methods are a

ion provides information to be used by Federal organizations

ion of data entry equipment. It serves as a supplement to

nformation Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB) 67,

r Selection of Data Entry Equipment." The objective is to

e information that could lead to the selection of more

economical data entry systems. This report provides informatior

c and general operational considerations, steps to be followed

n and training, and other factors pertinent to data entry

ection. Equipment profiles for the different data entry

Iso provided.

17. KEY WORDS Csrx to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only the first letter of the first key word unless a proper name;

separated by semicolons) Application; character set; computer interface; cost; data entry; edit;

operator speed; record size; transaction volume; transfer speed; validate;

verify.

18. AVAILABILITY [3 Unlimited

I I For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS

FyI Order From Sup. of Doc, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, SD Stock No. SN003-003-02133-4

Order From National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA. 22161

19. SECURITY CLASS

(THIS REPORT)

UNCLASSIFIED

20. SECURITY CLASS

(THIS PAGE)

UNCLASSIFIED

21. NO. OF

PRINTED PAGES

77

22. Price

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW PUBLICATIONS ON

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Superintendent of Documents,

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NBS TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS

PERIODICALS

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH—The Journal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards reports NBS research and develop- ment in those disciphnes of the physical and engineering sciences in which the Bureau is active. These include physics, chemistry,

engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences. Papers cover a broad range of subjects, with major emphasis on measurement

methodology and the basic technology underlying standardization.

Also included from time to time are survey articles on topics

closely related to the Bureau's technical and scientific programs.

As a special service to subscribers each issue contains complete

citations to all recent Bureau publications in both NBS and non- NBS media. Issued six times a year. Annual subscription; domestic

$17; foreign $21.25. Single copy, S3 domestic; S3. 75 foreign. NOTE: The Journal was formerly published in two sections; Section A "Physics and Chemistry" and Section B "Mathematical

Sciences." DIMENSIONS/NBS—This monthly magazine is published to in- form scientists, engineers, business and industry leaders, teachers,

students, and consumers of the latest advances in science and

technology, with primary emphasis on work at NBS. The magazine

highlights and reviews such issues as energy research, fire protection, building technology, metric conversion, pollution abatement,

health and safety, and consumer product performance. In addition, it reports the results of Bureau programs in measurement

standards and techniques, properties of matter and materials, engineering standards and services, instrumentation, and

automatic data processing. Annual subscription; domestic $11;

foreign $13.75. NONPERIODiCALS

' Monographs—Major contributions to the technical literature on

I various subjects related to the Bureau's scientific and technical aci tivities. Handbooks—Recommended codes of engineering and industrial

practice (including safety codes) developed in cooperation with in-

! terested industries, professional organizations, and regulatory

I bodies.

i Special Publications—Include proceedings of conferences sponj sored by NBS, NBS annual reports, and other special publications

j appropriate to this grouping such as wall charts, pocket cards, and

I bibliographies. Applied Mathematics Series—Mathematical tables, manuals, and

' studies of special interest to physicists, engineers, chemists,

i biologists, mathematicians, computer programmers, and others

|! engaged in scientific and technical work.

|! National Standard Reference Data Series—Provides quantitative

I data on the physical and chemical properties of materials, compiled from the world's literature and critically evaluated. Developed under a worldwide program coordinated by NBS under

the authority of the National Standard Data Act (Public Law

90-396).

NOTE; The principal publication outlet for the foregoing data is the Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data (JPCRD)

published quarterly for NBS by the American Chemical Society

(ACS) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Subscriptions,

-reprints, and supplements available from ACS, 1 155 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20056.

Building Science Series—Disseminates technical information developed at the Bureau on building materials, components,

systems, and whole structures. The series presents research results,

test methods, and performance criteria related to the structural and

environmental functions and the durability and safety characteristics of building elements and systems.

Technical Notes—Studies or reports which are complete in themselves but restrictive in their treatment of a subject. Analogous to monographs but not so comprehensive in scope or definitive in treatment of the subject area. Often serve as a vehicle for final reports of work performed at NBS under the sponsorship of other government agencies.

Voluntary Product Standards—Developed under procedures

published by the Department of Commerce in Part 10, Title 15, of

the Code of Federal Regulations. The standards establish nationally recognized requirements for products, and provide all concerned interests with a basis for common understanding of the

characteristics of the products. NBS administers this program as a supplement to the activities of the private sector standardizing

organizations. Consumer Information Series—Practical information, based on NBS research and experience, covering areas of interest to the con- sumer. Easily understandable language and illustrations provide

useful background knowledge for shopping in today's tech- nological marketplace. Order the above NBS publications from: Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Order the following NBS publications—FIPS and NBSIR's—from

the National Technical Information Services, Springfield. VA 22161.

Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS

PUB)—Publications in this series collectively constitute the Federal Information Processing Standards Register. The Register

serves as the official source of information in the Federal Govern- ment regarding standards issued by NBS pursuant to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 as amended.

Public Law 89-306 (79 Stat. 1127), and as implemented by Executive Order 11717(38 FR 12315, dated May 1 1, 1973) and Part 6 of Title 15 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations).

NBS Interagency Reports (NBSIR)—A special series of interim or

final reports on work performed by NBS for outside sponsors

(both government and non-government). In general, initial dis- tribution is handled by the sponsor; public distribution is by the National Technical Information Services, Springfield, VA 22161,

in paper copy or microfiche form.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

The following current-awareness and literature-survey bibliographies

are issued periodically by the Bureau:

Cryogenic Data Center Current Awareness Service. A literature sur- vey issued biweekly. Annual subscription; domestic $25; foreign

$30. Liquefied Natural Gas. A literature survey issued quarterly. Annual

subscription; $20.

Superconducting Devices and Materials. A literature survey issued

quarterly. Annual subscription; S30. Please send subscription or- ders and remittances for the preceding bibliographic services to the National Bureau of Standards, Cryogenic Data Center (736) Boulder, CO 80303.
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