Peter
Alan, Jervis
Edward
Richard, Stanford
Christopher
John
Peter
Alan, Jervis
Edward
Richard, Stanford
Christopher
John
| 1. | A metering device for use with an elongate magnetic data bearing card (C), in which card transport means has an opening (0) at a front face (FA) of the device and a transport path (P) extending behind said front face (FA), in which said opening (0) has a portion (RC) recessed with respect to said front face (FA) such that when such a card (C) is in the device with its rear edge level with said front face (FA) a rear portion of the card can be manually held, in which a card driving wheel (W) and a magnetic data processing head (H) are positioned on opposite sides of the transport path at a distance behind said front face equal to the length of such a card (C), said magnetic head (H) having a reading circuit (13) and a writing circuit (14) connected thereto, in which the total length of the transport path (P) is twice said distance, and in which card sensors (SI, S2 ) are positioned along the transport path (P) at arti behind the mid point and are connected to a processing and control circuit (16) for controlling the driving wheel (W) and magnetic head (H) such that for a metering operation the driving wheel (W) is started when a card (C) has been manually inserted to where its rear edge is level with said front face (FA) and the magnetic head (H) then reads data from the card (C) during a fully forward drive, after which the magnetic head (H) modifies some of the data on the card (C) during a backward drive to a position where it does not emerge from said recessed opening (RC), after which the magnetic head (H) reads data from the card (C) during a further fully forward drive, after which the card (C) is driven fully backward so that it can then be manually withdrawn from the device. |
| 2. | A metering device as claimed in claim 1 for use with such a card (C) having first, second and third magnetic strips (Ml, M2, M3) aligned along the length of the card, the first magnetic strip (Ml) being adjacent one end of 5 the card, a first nonmagnetic region (Nl) extending along the length of the card between the first and second magnetic strips (Ml, M2), a second nonmagnetic region (N2) extending along the length of the card between the second and third magnetic strips (M2, M3) and the third magnetic strip (M3) 10 being adjacent the other end of the card, the first and * third magnetic strips (Ml, M3) each having data which is not to be modified by the device and which comprises timing information, and the second magnetic strip (M2) having data which is to be modified by the device and which 15 comprises information determining a token value of the card, in which the device is arranged to read the data in the second magnetic strip (M2) at a rate determined by the timing information on the third magnetic strip (M3) during each said fully forward drive of the card, and in which 20 the device is arranged to modify the token value of the card during said backward drive to a position where it does not emerge from said recessed opening (RC) wherein the first magnetic strip (Ml) precedes the second magnetic strip (M2) past the magnetic head (H), the processing and 25 control circuit (16) being responsive to information from the card sensors (SI, S2) and to said timing information received from the first magnetic strip (Ml) via the reading circuit (13) such that it switches the writing circuit (14) on while the first nonmagnetic region (Nl) is passing the 30 magnetic head (H), then writes modified data on the second magnetic strip (M2) at a rate determined by said timing information and then switches the writing circuit (14) off while the second nonmagnetic region (N2) is passing the magnetic head. 3 A metering device as claimed in claim 2 for use with such a card (C) in which the three aligned magnetic strips (Ml, M2, M3) are centrally disposed with respect to the width of the card, in which case following insertion of the card into the device orientated so that the third magnetic strip (M3) enters the device before the second magnetic strip (M2) the device is arranged to perform said metering operation, and in which following insertion of the card orientated so that the first magnetic strip (Ml) enters the device before the second magnetic strip (M2) the device is arranged to drive the card fully forward and then fully backward in an operation in which the data on the second magnetic strip (M2) is read but not modified prior to ejection of the card. 4. A metering device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which shutter means are provided and arranged to open in response to detection of an authorised card by an associated sensor (HS) to allow manual insertion of said card (C), the shutter means including a shutter member pivotable about an axis (A,A) which is parallel to the plane of the transport path (P), the shutter member having a closure portion (41) which is normally spring biased (50) to extend into the transport path (P) behind and near to the rearward limit of said recessed portion (RC) of the transport means opening (0), and the closure portion (41) having a ramped rear surface (42) such that upon a said card (C) being driven against the closure portion (41) in said fully backward drive the rear of the card rides on said ramped rear surface (42) so as to move the closure portion (41) out of the transport path (P) without the need for detection by said associated sensor (HS. |
Some such devices are required to modify the magnetic data on the card in a metering operation, and in this case it is desirable for such an operation to consist of reading this data, followed by modifying it, followed by reading the modified data for the purpose of verification. An example of a device where such an operation may be desired is a vehicle parking meter in which the modification of the data decrements the token value of the card. It is important that the card which has been manually inserted into the device prior to the metering operation should not be manually removeable until after the complete sequence, including verification, has been performed. Another desirable feature of some such devices is that they should have small overall dimensions, which necessitates a card transport path within the device of compact length. An example of a device where this other feature of compactness is desirable may again be a vehicle parking meter. A problem arises in that the provision of the complex operat¬ ion according to the first-mentioned feature is prima facie incompatible with the compactness of the second-mentioned feature. An object of the invention is to provide such a metering device in which both the above-mentioned desirable features are incorporated.
According to the invention there is provided a metering device for use with an elongate magnetic data bearing card, in which card transport means has an opening at a front face of the device and a transport path extending behind said front face, in which said opening has a portion recessed with respect to said front face such that when such a card is in the device with its rear edge level with said front face a rear portion of the card can be manually held, in which a card driving wheel and a magnetic data processing head are positioned on opposite sides of the transport path at a distance behind said front face equal to the length of such a card, said magnetic head having a reading circuit and a writing circuit connected thereto, in which the total length of the transport path is twice said distance, and in which card sensors are positioned along the transport path at and behind the mid point and are connected to a processing and control circuit for controlling the driving wheel and magnetic head such that for a metering operation the driving wheel is started when a card has been manually inserted to where its rear edge is level with said front face and the magnetic head then reads data from the card during a fully forward drive, after which the magnetic head modifies some of the data on the card during a backward drive to a position where it does not emerge from said recessed opening, after which the magnetic head reads data from the card during a further fully forward drive, after which the card is driven fully backward so that it can then be manually withdrawn from the device. A metering device as described in the above para¬ graph may be for use with such a card having first, second and third magnetic strips aligned along the length of the card, the first magnetic strip being adjacent one end of the card, a first non-magnetic region extending along the length of the card between the first and second magnetic strips, a second non-magnetic region extending along the
length of the card between the second and third magnetic strips and the third magnetic strip being adjacent the other end of the card, the first and third magnetic strips each having data which is not to be modified by the device and which comprises timing information, and the second mag¬ netic strip having data which is to be modified by the device and which comprises information determining a token value of the card, in which the device is arranged to read the data in the second magnetic strip at a rate determined by the timing information on the third magnetic strip during each said fully forward drive of the card, and in which the device is arranged to modify the token value of the card during said backward drive to a position where it does not emerge from said recessed opening wherein the first magnetic strip precedes the second magnetic strip past the magnetic head, the processing and control circuit being responsive to information from the card sensors and to said timing information received from the first magnetic strip via the reading circuit such that it switches the writing circuit on while the first non-magnetic region is passing the magnetic head, then writes modified data on the second magnetic strip at a rate determined by said timing information and then switches the writing circuit off while the second non-magnetic region is passing the magnetic head.
Modification of the data on only the second magnetic strip is advantageous for the compact arrangement in which this modification takes place during an intermediate backward drive of the card at the end of which it is not available for manual removal by the user. Furthermore, reading and then writing along the same track in a single drive of the card has the advantages of enabling timing control to be acquired from the card itself and then applied for re-writing on the card using only the single magnetic head. The provision of the non-magnetic regions which precede and follow the second magnetic strip in a writing operation and the procedure of switching the writing circuit on and then off while these non-magnetic regions
-it- pass the magnetic head ensures that the ill-defined pulses which necessarily accompany these switching operations are not reproduced as ill-defined magnetic transitions on the card. If such ill-defined transitions were produced on the card, then an accummulation of them from successive re-writings on the card could cause significant problems in correct reading of the re-written data.
The metering device as described in the penultimate paragraph may be for use with such a card in which the three aligned magnetic strips are centrally disposed with respect to the width of the card, in which case following insertion of the card into the device orientated so that the third magnetic strip enters the device before the second magnetic strip the device is arranged to perform said metering operation, and in which following insertion of the card orientated so that the first magnetic strip enters the device before the second magnetic strip the device is arranged to drive the card fully forward and then fully backward in an operation in which the data on the second magnetic strip is read but not modified prior to ejection of the card.
Such a bidirectional use of a magnetic card having centrally disposed data for either modifying the data on the card or for reading its value without modifying it has been previously proposed for use with parking meters and it is a further advantage that this facility can be incorporated in devices and cards according to this invention.
A metering device according to the invention may have shutter means provided and arranged to open in response to detection of an authorised card by an associated sensor to allow manual insertion of said card, the shutter means including a shutter member pivotable about an axis
which is parallel to the plane of the transport path, the shutter member having a closure portion which is nor¬ mally spring biased to extend into the transport path behind and near to the rearward limit of said recessed portion of the transport means opening, and the closure portion having a ramped rear surface such that upon a said card being driven against the closure portion in said fully backward drive the rear of the card rides on said ramped rear surface so as to move the closure portion out of the transport path without the need for detection by said associated sensor.
In this arrangement, ejection of a card from the device is achieved solely by the mechanical action of the rear of a card moving over the ramped rear surface of the shutter and pivoting the shutter against the spring bias. It is an advantage that a further sensor is not required for operation of the shutter to enable ejection of a card. The absence of such a further sensor also has a space saving effect in that in the arrangement in which it is required to move a card backwards towards the shutter and then forwards within the device as part of the processing of the card prior to ejection, such backwards movement of the card may be taken all the way to the rear of the shutter. An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 shows a plan view of a magnetic data bearing card for use with a metering device according to the invention, Figure 2 shows a metering device for use with the magnetic card of Figure 1, the mechanical arrangement of the device being shown in schematic side view and the associated electrical circuits being shown diagrammatic- ally in schematic blocks,
. Figure 3 is a detailed side view of the shutter arrangement, consisting essentially of a shutter member and a solenoid mounted to each other and to a card transport path, in the direction of the arrow I on Figure 5, Figure 4 is a front view of the shutter arrangement in the direction of the arrow II on Figure 3,
Figure 5 is an underneath view of the shutter arrangement in the direction of the arrow III on Figure 3 > Figure 6 is a section view of the shutter arrangement along the line IV-IV of Figure 5, on an enlarged scale with respect to Figures 3 to 5, and
Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the shutter member of the shutter arrangement and its position with respect to the transport path and a card, with the solenoid of the arrangement omitted for the sake of clarity.
Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, an elongate magnetic data bearing card C has three magnetic strips Ml, M2 and M3 aligned along the length " of the card and centrally disposed with respect to the width of the card. The magnetic strip Ml is adjacent one end R of the card C, a non-magnetic region Nl extends along the length of the card between the magnetic strips Ml and M2, another non¬ magnetic region N2 extends along the length of the card from the magnetic strip M2 towards the other end F of the card and the magnetic strip M3 is adjacent that end F of the card. The magnetic strips Ml and M3 each have data which is not to be modified by the metering device and comprise timing information in that data. The magnetic strip M2 has data which is to be modified by the metering device and that data comprises information determining a token value of the card C.
The card C also has two magnetic strips M4 and M5 aligned along the length of the card and displaced across the width of the card with respect to the data bearing strips Ml to M3 at one longitudinal edge of the card. The
magnetic strip M4 is- at the end F of the card and separated from the magnetic strip M5 by a non-magnetic region N3- A number of magnetic flux transitions included in the mag¬ netic strip M4 is spaced by a predetermined distance along the length of the card from a number of magnetic flux transitions included in the magnetic strip M5. Two magnetic strips M6 and M7 are aligned along the length of the card C and displaced across the width of the card with respect to the data bearing strips Ml to M3 to the other side of those strips at the other longitudinal edge of the card. The magnetic strip M6 is at the end R of the card and separated from the magnetic strip M7 by a non-magnetic region N4. Magnetic flux transitions are included in the magnetic strips M6 and M7 and spaced along the length of the card in the same manner as for the magnetic strips M4 and M5. The magnetic strips M4 and M6 are for the purpose of allowing entry into a metering device past a shutter only of an authorised card having such strips as will be des¬ cribed in detail later. The magnetic strips Ml to M7 are all in the region of the same one of the two major faces of the card C, and a suitable method of providing these strips is to simul¬ taneously print them by a silk screening process.
Referring now to Figure 2, a metering device for use with the card C has a drive wheel W for moving the card C along a transport path P by frictional contact with the card C. The length of the path P between an opening 0 at the front face FA of the device and an end stop E is equal to twice the length of the card C and the drive wheel W is positioned half way along the length of the path P. A magnetic data processing head H is positioned adjacent the path P opposite the drive wheel W, and two photo-electric sensors SI and S2 are also positioned adjacen the path P, the sensor SI being half way along the length of the path P and the sensor S2 being behind the sensor SI towards the end stop E. The drive wheel W, magnetic head H and sensors SI and S2 together constitute card processing
eans. A shutter SH and an associated magnetic sensing head HS in front of the shutter SH are also located along the transport path P behind the opening 0. A brush B is also located behind the opening 0 and is opposite the magnetic sensing head HS such that the brush B both excludes extraneous matter from entering the device when not in use and presses the card C against the head HS during manual insertion of the card.
The opening 0 has a portion RC recessed with respect to the front face FA such, that when a card C is in the device with its rear end edge R level with the front face FA a rear portion of the card C can be manually held. The shutter SH has a closure portion which is near to and behind the rearward limit of the recessed portion RC of the opening 0. This closure portion is normally spring biased to extend into the transport path P and has a ramped rear surface. The magnetic sensing head HS, shutter SH, and card processing means ( ,H,S1 and S2) are connected via respec¬ tive operating circuits 10 to 15 to a processing and control circuit 16. The circuit 10 is an amplifier suitable for the magnetic sensing head HS. The circuit 11 is a suitable drive amplifier for a solenoid (not shown in Figure 2) which actuates the shutter SH. The circuit 12 controls a motor (not shown) which drives the drive wheel W. The circuits 13 and 14 are respectively a reading circuit and a writing circuit for the magnetic data processing head H. The circuit 15 is a sensing circuit connected to the sensors SI and S2. The processing and control circuit 16 includes a suitably programmed microprocessor. The metering device is operable by a battery 17.
The processing and control circuit 16 and the amplifier 10 are continuously enabled and use a low current from the battery 17. The operating circuits 11 to 15 are disabled when a card C is not in the device and use a high current from the battery 17 only when they are enabled by the processing and control circuit 16 via power=up circuitry 18. In an example where the device is a vehicle parking meter the battery 17 may have a capacity of 6 ampere-hours, the
processing and control circuit 16 and the amplifier 10 continuously use less than 1mA in the low power mode, and when the operating circuits 11 to 15 are enabled in the high power mode they use a quiescent current of approx- imately 200mA.
The operation of the device for decrementing the token value of the card C is as follows. The card C is manually inserted into the path P through the opening 0 orientated so that the end F precedes the end R and the magnetic strips M4 and M5 are aligned with the magnetic sensing head HS. Immediately following this manual insertio the processing and control circuit 16 responds to detection by the magnetic sensing head HS of a predetermined number of magnetic flux transitions, for example four, in the magnetic strip M4 so as to temporarily switch to its high- power mode in which the operating circuits 11 to 15 are enabled via the power-up circuitry 18 and to temporarily operate the shutter SH via its operating circuit 11, for example for a period of approximately 150ms, to allow continued manual insertion of the card C with the end F passing the shutter SH. The processing and control circuit1 then reverts to its low power mode until the card C is further manually inserted into the device to a position where the end F of the card reaches and covers the sensor SI. At this position the first of the magnetic flux transitions in the magnetic strip M5 is at the magnetic sensing head HS. The composition and arrangement of the drive wheel W is such that although it engages the card C at this position it allows continued manual insertion- of the card C into the device for ' a small distance so that a predeter ined number of magnetic flux transitions,again for example four in the magnetic strip M5 are detected by the magnetic sensing head HS The processing and control circuit 16 responds to this detection to switch again to its high power mode in which the operating circuits 11 to 15 are enabled via the power- up circuitry 18. The processing and control circuit 16 will then respond to detection via the sensing circuit 15 that the sensor SI is covered so that the drive wheel
is rotated to drive the card C forward in a direction into the device all the way to the end stop E while all the magnetic- data on the card C is successively read from the magnetic strips M3, M2 and Ml via the reading circuit 13. The rate at which all this data is read is determined by the timing information on the magnetic strip M3. When the end F of the card C reaches the end stop E the sensor SI is uncovered (with the sensor S2 covered) and the processing and control circuit 16 responds to this information from the sensing circuit 15 to reverse the direction of rotation of the drive wheel W via the motor control circuit 12 so as to move the card C in a direction out of the device. In this backward movement of the card C the data on the magnetic strip Ml is first read via the reading circuit 13- The processing and control circuit 16 responds to the information from the sensing circuit 15 indicating the start -of this backward movement together with the timing information read from the magnetic strip Ml to switch on the writing circuit 14 while the mid point Gl of the non-magnetic region Nl of the card C is passing the magnetic head H then to decrement the token value of the card C by writing modified data on the magnetic strip M2 at a rate, determined by the timing information received from the magnetic strip Ml. The end F of the card C reaches and uncovers the sensor S2 (with the sensor SI covered) when the mid point G2 of the non¬ magnetic region N2 reaches the magnetic head H. In this position of the card C, its end R has not reached the shutter SH and the card is not manually accessible. The processing and control circuit 16 responds to the inform¬ ation from the sensing circuit 15 at this point to switch off the writing circuit 14 and to reverse the direction of rotation of the drive wheel W to move the card C forwards ' again towards the end stop E. During this second forward drive of the card the rewritten data on the magnetic strip M2 is read via the reading circuit 13 into the pro¬ cessing and control circuit 16 for the purpose of
veri ication. When the card C reaches the end stop E for the second time the sensor SI is again uncovered (with the sensor S2 covered) and the processing and control circuit 16 responds to this information being received for a second time from the sensing circuit 15 to reverse the direction of rotation of the drive wheel W so as to move the card C in a direction out of the device without operation of the magnetic head H for either reading or writing until both the sensors S2 and SI are uncovered by the passage of the end F of the card at which time the drive wheel W is stopped and the processing and control circuit 16 switches back to its low power mode. During this just-described fully backward movement of the card the end R of the card C rides on the ramped rear surface of the closure portion of the shutter SH so as to move that closure portion out of the transport path solely by mechanical action without the need for detection by a sensor. The card C has then been ejected from the device, that is to say the end R of the card is in line with the opening 0 and a portion of card C is manually accessible for removal via the recess RC in the opening 0.
The operation of the device for reading the data on the card C without decrementing its token value, normally in order to display the token value to the user, is as follows. The card C is manually inserted into the path P through the opening 0 orientated so that the end R precedes the end F and the magnetic strips M6 and M7 are aligned with the magnetic sensing head HS. The response of the device to the magnetic strips M6 and M7 to allow insertion of a card authorised by the presence of these strips is the same as that described above in relation to the magnetic strips M4 and M5. The processing and control circuit 16 is then responsive to a difference in the data on the magnetic strips Ml and M3 to control a sequence in which the card is moved once fully forwards to the end stop E while reading all the magnetic data on the card C and then moved
once fully backwards to eject the card C from the device.
For both the operations of the device described above the card C is manually inserted into the device with the major face on which the magnetic strips Ml to M7 are present facing the magnetic heads HS and H. If the card C is inserted with its other major face nearest to the magnetic heads, the thickness of the card should distance the magnetic flux transitions in either the magnetic strip M5, or the magnetic strip M7 as the case may , be, which is then at the leading end of the card suffic¬ iently far away from the magnetic sensing head HS to prevent it detecting those transitions and hence to prevent the shutter SH being opened. Figure 1 shows non-magnetic gaps between the magnetic strips M5 and M7 and the respect- ive ends R and F of the card C. These gaps serve as an added precaution so that if the card is inserted the wrong way round as just described and transitions are detected from the magnetic strip M5, or the magnetic strip M7 as the case may be, the card will have advanced to the shutter SH and jammed against it before the shutter SH can respond to these transitions to move the closure member out of the transport path P.
The shutter arrangement of the metering device shown in Figure 2 will now be described in more detail. . Referring now to Figures 3 to 7, upper and lower plates 110, 111 provide the front opening 0 and the trans¬ port path P extending behind the front opening for a card C (Figures 6 and 7).
A one piece plastics moulding has a T-shaped central portion with the crosspiece portion 21 of the T extending parallel to the plane of the transport path P and the upright portion 22 of the T extending perpendicular to and away from the plane of the transport path P. A frontwards extending part 23 of the T crosspiece 21 has two screw holes 24 via which it is held to a rib 115 - (Figure 3) on the underneath of the plate 111. The
upright portion 22 of the T crosspiece 21 holds .a solenoid
30 with the path of the solenoid plunger 31 (Figure 6) extending parallel to and along the length of the trans¬ port path P. One end of the body of the solenoid 30 near the plunger 31 extends through a hole 25 in the upright portion 22 and is held to it by a nut 32 and a mounting plate 33 (Figure 6). Two triangular webs 26 (not shown in Figure 7) extend between the frontwards extending part 23 and the upright portion 22 of the T crosspiece 21, one on either side of the solenoid 30. A shutter member includes a frame portion 40 of the one piece plastics moulding surrounding the T shaped portion • substantially in the plane of the crosspiece 21. A hinge connection is formed integrally between the rear of the frame portion 40 and a backward extending part 27 . of the T crosspiece 21 by two thinned and grooved hinge pieces 28, one at each side of the T crosspiece 21. The two hinge pieces 28 provide an. axis A-.A parallel to the plane of the transport path P about which axis the shutter member is pivotable. A closure portion 41 of the shutter member extends from the whole width of a front portion of the frame 40 towards the transport path P and the shutter member is normally spring biased so that an upper portion of the closure portion 41 extends into the transport path P through a slot 116 in the plate 111, this upper portion having a ramped rear surface 42. An actuating portion 43 of the shutter member extends from the middle of the rear portion of the frame 40 away from the transport path P and is in the path of the solenoid plunger 31. In the normal position of the shutter member, the spring bias is provided by a spring 50 held between the lower ends of the. actuating portion 43 and the mounting plate 33, and the head of the solenoid pluger 31 just rests against the middle of the actuating portion 43. Two triangular webs 44 (not shown in Figure 7) extend between the rear of frame portion 40 and the actuating portion 43. The magnetic sensing head HS is located in front of the shutter slot 116 to respond to the passage of an
authorised card C towards the shutter portion 41 and cause , a pulsed energisation of the solenoid 30. Thus in the case where the front of an authorised card C is manually inserted through the front opening 0 the solenoid 30 is energised to move the plunger 31 against the actuating portion 43 and so pivot the shutter member about the axis A-A against the bias of the spring 50 to move the closure portion 41 out of the transport path P and enable movement of the card C over the closure portion 31 into the metering device. If the front of an unauthorised card is inserted through the front opening 0 towards the shutter, the sensing head HS will not respond to the passage of the card and the solenoid 30 will not be energised. The card will then bear and jam against the front of the shutter closure portion 41 and tends to pivot it further into the. the transport path P and against the plate 110. When a card C is driven against the closure portion 41 from within the device the rear of the card C rides on the ramped rear surface 42 so as to pivot the shutter member against the bias of the spring 50, move the closure portion 41 out of the transport path P and enable movement of the rear of the card C over the closure portion 41 for ejection from the device without the need for energisation of the solenoid 30. Thus ejection of a card from the device past the shutter is achieved solely by the mechanical action of the card moving against the shutter.
Next Patent: SHUTTER ARRANGEMENTS