Patent ID: 8204309

Claim:
A method of processing pre-printed cards, comprising: feeding individual pre-printed cards of sets of cards, cards of each set pre-printed with an identical plurality of different markings such that, for each card of a given set, there is a like card in each other set pre-printed with markings that are identical to markings on said each card, singly through an imaging station; for each card: at said imaging station, imaging at least a corner of said each card; based on said imaging, (i) identifying pre-determined markings on said each card, if present, and (ii) determining a position and orientation of any said markings with respect to card edges forming said at least a corner; based on said determining, further determining whether each said position and orientation are within a pre-determined tolerance; if said position and orientation are not within said pre-determined tolerance, rejecting said each card and otherwise feeding said each card to one buffer of a plurality of buffers such that each buffer stores the like card from each set; feeding one card from each of said buffers to a conveyor such that cards on said conveyor have a random order.