Apparatus and method for detecting contaminants on the surface of a card
US6044695A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 2, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 4, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 2, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K1/12
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus and method for detecting potentially damaging contaminants on the surfaces of a plastic card, such as a credit card, an identification card, and the like, prior to a thermal printing operation being performed on the card. The apparatus includes a roller assembly including a first, driven, rotatable roller and a second, floating, rotatable roller parallel to the first roller. The card is directed between the first and second rollers so that the first roller is engageable with one side surface of the card and the second roller is engageable with the opposite side surface of the card. The second roller is supported in a manner to permit the second roller to pivot about a fixed axis when either one of the first and second rollers encounters a contaminant on one of the side surfaces of the card. An encoder is linked to the second roller for collecting data on the movement of the second roller as the card travels between the first and second rollers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.