Method and apparatus for detecting credit/debit cards in connection with the processing of bulk mail
US6445808B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 7, 1996 |
| Grant date | Sep 3, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 2, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB07C3/16
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Envelopes with unspecified contents are inspected by a “magnetic imaging” device which operates to identify magnetic indicia associated with the contents of the envelopes in order to identify the orientation of contents within the envelopes and/or to identify magnetic indicia indicative of the magnetic stripe of a credit/debit card or its remnants, in addition to a second detection device (e.g., a thickness measuring device or a metal detecting device) which can then verify whether the indicia indicative of a magnetic stripe signify the presence of a credit/debit card or some other stimulus such as a paper clip or the like. Similar assurances can be provided by employing a thickness measuring device and a metal detecting device, in operative combination (with or without the addition of a magnetic imaging device). Alternatively, the magnetic imaging device may be deleted in favor of a thickness measuring device which, through additional processing, operates to remove subsequent analyses from the time domain in order to achieve a more reliable determination of the contents of an envelope, in less time. Such techniques are applicable to the detection of credit/debit cards …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.