Patent Publication Number: US-2005133591-A1

Title: Control method and control device during fabrication of cards

Description:
The present invention relates to a control method and a control device during fabrication of a series of cards, preferably credit or ledger cards, in which series each card has hobbed symbols, preferably the name of the card possessor or card holder and the card number.  
      GB 2205529 A illustrates in  FIG. 17  and describes in the associated text a control method during which erroneous positions are detected by reading cards by means of a laser.  
      In other prior art control methods, the text on cards is read by means of cameras. If the cards are provided with images or shiny coatings, e.g. metal coatings, the camera reading is disturbed, which can lead to faults, particularly if quick reading of the cards is required when they move quickly relative to the camera.  
      The object of the present invention has been to remedy this problem and this is done according to the invention by providing the initially defined control method and the initially defined control device with the characterizing measures and features respectively, of subsequent claims  1  and  17 .  
      By carrying through the control measures and reading the individual information about the card possessor on the card by means of laser light, a safe reading of the cards for various purposes is ensured even if the cards are moved at high speed and even if the cards are provided with all sorts of information and/or images not hobbed into the cards. 
    
    
      The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic side view of a control device according to the invention during control of cards;  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of an enlarged part of the device of  FIG. 1  with portions of a card in section;  
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of a card during control thereof; and  
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of a card during control thereof and a carrier on which the card is situated. 
    
    
      The control device  1  illustrated in the drawings is adapted for control of individual cards  2  forming part of a series and each card has different hobbed symbols  3 .  
      The cards  2  are preferably credit or ledger cards and the hobbed symbols  3  preferably represent information which is individual for the card possessor or card holder, e.g. digits in a card number, an account number  4 , numbers representing year and month  5  and the name  6  of the card possessor.  
      With hobbed symbols is meant symbols which are hobbed to protrude from the upper side  7  of the card  2  as is illustrated in  FIG. 2 .  
      The control device  1  comprises a laser emitter/receiver  8  which has an emitter  9  for emitting laser light  10  towards the cards  2  and a receiver  11  for receiving laser light  12  reflected by the cards  2 . The laser emitter/receiver  8  is in this embodiment fixedly mounted above a schematically illustrated transport or conveying path  13 , along which the cards  2  in the series of cards are located after each other when they are transported or fed at high speed in the direction of the arrow  14 .  
      The laser light  10  of the laser emitter/receiver  8  is adapted to read the hobbed symbols  3  of the cards  2 , whereby the reflected laser light  12  provides information about the read hobbed symbols  3  on each individual card. This information is transmitted electronically to a comparing device  15  with software or similar for comparing the information obtained during reading, representing the hobbed symbols  3  of the individual cards, with predetermined information for controlling if said informations correspond.  
      The comparing device  15  can be programmed with various predetermined information with which the read information shall correspond. Examples of such information are individual information about the account holder, e.g. his or her name, birth date, card number or any other individual information. This information can be used for controlling that there is only one individual card in the fabricated series and/or for controlling that the account number  4  and/or the name  6  of the account holder are correctly stated on the card  2  and/or correspond. If there is no correspondence between the informations, this is indicated as an error such that the error can be corrected.  
      Information which can be controlled is if an individual card  2  passes the laser emitter/receiver  8  only once for each series, since of course two or more cards  2  with the same information may not pass. Other information which can be controlled is if all information on the card  2  is correct and correspond. Thus, it is also possible to control if the hobbed symbols  3  correspond with information  16   a  on a magnetic tape  16  if there is such a tape on the card  2 . The card  2  can be attached to a carrier  17 , e.g. a sheet  20  which can be used as a postal packet or formed into such a packet. Thus, the sheet  20  can be folded along a line  21  into a double folded card or letter which can be sealed. Additional information which can be controlled is whether the information on a card  2  corresponds with information on a carrier  17 . The sheet  20  can be provided with the name of the card possessor and the name  6  on the card  2  can be compared in the comparing device  15  with the name  6   a  on the packet  17  in order to ensure that the packet is sent to the right person.  
      The comparing device  15  may also be used for comparing information about the number of cards  2  passing said device with information about the number of cards included in the series. Hereby, it is possible to control if the number of produced cards  2  is correct or if any is missing or if there erroneously is any duplicate.  
      A discerning device  18  can be provided to discern control information from uninteresting information and this can be carried through by means of software or similar found in the discerning device  18 . The discerning device  18  may e.g. separate information obtained from hobbed symbols  3  found above the upper side  7  of the cards  2 . Hereby, it is ensured that a correct reading is taken even if the upper side  7  is not level, i.e. the card  2  is bent.  
      The laser emitter/receiver  8  can be of any suitable type, but it should be mentioned that a semiconductor laser (diode laser) operates with good results for the control in question. Such a semiconductor laser can operate within a wave length range of 650-658 nm, it can emit and receive visible light and preferably emit light fields of such width that all hobbed symbols  3  on each card  2  can be read when they pass the light field.  
      The invention is not limited to what is described above and shown in the drawings, but may vary within the scope of the subsequent claims. Thus, it should be mentioned that the cards  2  may be of plastic and/or another suitable material and that the cards  2  can be adapted for various purposes, i.e. be credit or ledger cards, identity cards, membership cards etc. The cards  2  can be provided with information and/or images  19  of e.g. the card possessor, which are not hobbed, and this information and/or images may be in colour or in black and white.