Detachable imprinter providing secure paper path between optical scanner and ballot box
Embodiments of systems and methods are disclosed herein to print a unique identifier on a printed election sheet, wherein the printed election sheet includes a voter's voting selections in an election. More specifically, the present disclosure provides improved systems and methods that provide the capability of printing (or “imprinting”) a unique identifier onto a printed election sheet when the printed election sheet is scanned to create an electronic cast vote record (CVR) of the voter's voting selections.
1 . An election voting system for processing a printed election sheet of a voter's voting selections in an election, comprising:
a scanner comprising an input port coupled to receive the printed election sheet, an optical scanner subassembly configured to optically scan the printed election sheet and generate a scanned image of the printed election sheet and an output port coupled to output the printed election sheet;
an imprinter detachably coupled between the scanner and a ballot box configured to store the printed election sheet, wherein the imprinter is not integrated within the scanner, wherein the imprinter is coupled to receive the printed election sheet output from the output port of the scanner and configured to print a unique identifier onto the printed election sheet before the printed election sheet is provided to the ballot box, wherein the scanner controls movement of the optically scanned printed election sheet through a paper path of the imprinter, and wherein the imprinter does not include a roller, a belt or another movable component configured to actively guide the optically scanned printed election sheet through the paper path of the imprinter; and
a host processing device communicatively coupled to the scanner and the imprinter, wherein the host processing device is coupled to receive the scanned image of the printed election sheet from the scanner and configured to use the scanned image of the printed election sheet to create an electronic cast vote record of the voter's voting selections, and wherein the host processing device is further coupled to supply command signals to the scanner and the imprinter to independently control operations performed by the scanner and the imprinter.
2 . The election voting system of claim 1 , wherein the imprinter is configured to print the unique identifier onto the printed election sheet during or after the electronic cast vote record is created, yet before the printed election sheet is provided to the ballot box.
3 . The election voting system of claim 1 , wherein the imprinter comprises:
an input port coupled to receive the printed election sheet output from the output port of the scanner;
a paper guide mechanism positioned between the input port of the imprinter and an output port of the imprinter for passively guiding the printed election sheet through the paper path of the imprinter;
a printer subassembly configured to print the unique identifier onto the printed election sheet while the printed election sheet is positioned within the paper path of the imprinter; and
wherein the output port of the imprinter is coupled to provide the printed election sheet having the unique identifier printed thereon to the ballot box.
4 . The election voting system of claim 3 , wherein the imprinter further comprises a removable cassette comprising a consumable print medium, and wherein the removable cassette is at least partially removed from the imprinter to gain access to the consumable print medium while preventing access to the paper path of the imprinter.
5 . The election voting system of claim 3 , wherein scanner further comprises the host processing device, and wherein the host processing device is communicatively coupled to the optical scanner subassembly included within the scanner and the printer subassembly included within the imprinter to independently control operations of the optical scanner subassembly and the printer subassembly.
6 . The election voting system of claim 3 , wherein the optical scanner subassembly comprises:
hardware components configured to optically scan the printed election sheet and generate the scanned image of the printed election sheet;
a roller subassembly for actively guiding the printed election sheet through a paper path extending between the input port of the scanner and the output port of the scanner; and
a microprocessor coupled to control the hardware components and the roller subassembly in response to command signals received from the host processing device.
7 . The election voting system of claim 6 , wherein the host processing device is coupled to supply:
a first set of command signals to the optical scanner subassembly, which cause the roller subassembly to feed the printed election sheet received at the input port of the scanner into the optical scanner subassembly; and
a second set of command signals to the optical scanner subassembly, which cause the hardware components to optically scan the printed election sheet, generate the scanned image of the printed election sheet and supply the scanned image of the printed election sheet to the host processing device for further processing.
8 . The election voting system of claim 7 , wherein when the imprinter is not coupled between the scanner and the ballot box, the host processing device is coupled to supply:
a third set of command signals to the optical scanner subassembly, which cause the roller subassembly to continue to feed the printed election sheet through the paper path and the output port of the scanner into the ballot box.
9 . The election voting system of claim 7 , wherein when the imprinter is coupled between the scanner and the ballot box, the host processing device is coupled to supply:
a third set of command signals to the optical scanner subassembly, which cause the roller subassembly to continue to feed the printed election sheet through the paper path and the output port of the scanner into the input port and the paper path of the imprinter;
a fourth set of command signals to the printer subassembly to print the unique identifier onto the printed election sheet; and
a fifth set of command signals to the optical scanner subassembly, which cause the roller subassembly to continue to feed the printed election sheet through the paper path and the output port of the imprinter into the ballot box after the unique identifier is printed onto the printed election sheet.
10 . The election voting system of claim 9 , wherein the fourth set of command signals comprises a print command, the unique identifier and a time delay specifying when to print the unique identifier onto the printed election sheet.
11 . The election voting system of claim 9 , wherein the fourth set of command signals comprises a print command and the unique identifier, and wherein the imprinter prints the unique identifier onto the printed election sheet upon detecting a sense mark provided on the printed election sheet.
12 . An imprinter for use in an election voting workflow utilizing a printed election sheet of a voter's voting selections in an election, the imprinter comprising:
an imprinter housing detachably coupled between a scanner and a ballot box, wherein the scanner is configured to optically scan the printed election sheet and generate a scanned image of the printed election sheet, and wherein the ballot box is configured to store the optically scanned printed election sheet;
an input port provided on a top cover of the imprinter housing, wherein the input port is coupled to receive the optically scanned printed election sheet from an output port of the scanner;
a paper guide mechanism positioned between the input port of the imprinter and an output port of the imprinter for passively guiding the optically scanned printed election sheet through a paper path of the imprinter;
a printer subassembly configured to print a unique identifier onto the optically scanned printed election sheet while the optically scanned printed election sheet is positioned within the paper path of the imprinter;
wherein the imprinter does not include a roller, a belt or another movable component configured to actively guide the optically scanned printed election sheet through the paper path of the imprinter; and
wherein the output port of the imprinter is provided on a bottom cover of the imprinter housing and coupled to provide the optically scanned printed election sheet having the unique identifier printed thereon to the ballot box.
13 . The imprinter of claim 12 , wherein the imprinter further comprises a removable cassette comprising a consumable print medium, and wherein the removable cassette is at least partially removed from the imprinter to gain access to the consumable print medium while preventing access to the paper path of the imprinter.
14 . The imprinter of claim 12 , wherein the printer subassembly is coupled to receive command signals from a host processing device communicatively coupled to the imprinter to control the printing of the unique identifier onto the optically scanned printed election sheet.
15 . The imprinter of claim 14 , wherein the command signals received from the host processing device comprise a print command, the unique identifier and a time delay specifying when to print the unique identifier onto the optically scanned printed election sheet.
16 . The imprinter of claim 12 , wherein the paper guide mechanism comprises:
an elongated paper slot for positioning and passively guiding the optically scanned printed election sheet through the paper path of the imprinter; and
an opening adjacent to the printer subassembly that exposes a portion of the optically scanned printed election sheet when the optically scanned printed election sheet is positioned within the paper path of the imprinter.
17 . The imprinter of claim 16 , wherein the paper guide mechanism does not include a roller, a belt or another movable component configured to actively guide the optically scanned printed election sheet through the paper path of the imprinter.
18 . The imprinter of claim 17 , wherein the scanner controls movement of the optically scanned printed election sheet through the paper path of the imprinter.
19 . The imprinter of claim 17 , wherein the imprinter further comprises a removable cassette comprising the printer subassembly and a consumable print medium, wherein when the removable cassette is fully inserted within the imprinter housing, a print head of the printer subassembly is positioned adjacent to the opening in the paper guide mechanism at a distance that enables the print head to print the unique identifier onto the optically scanned printed election sheet.
20 . The imprinter of claim 19 , wherein the removable cassette is at least partially removed from the imprinter housing to gain access to the consumable print medium, while preventing access to the paper path of the imprinter.
21 . A method to print a unique identifier onto a printed election sheet of a voter's voting selections in an election, the method comprising:
providing an imprinter having: (a) an imprinter housing that is detachably coupled between a scanner and a ballot box, (b) an input port that is aligned within an output port of the scanner, and (c) an output port that is aligned within an opening in the ballot box;
receiving a printed election sheet at the input port of the imprinter, wherein the printed election sheet is received from the output port of the scanner after the printed election sheet is optically scanned by the scanner to generate a scanned image of the printed election sheet;
advancing the printed election sheet through a paper path extending between the input port and the output port of the imprinter;
printing the unique identifier onto the printed election sheet while the printed election sheet is positioned within the paper path of the imprinter;
transferring the printed election sheet having the unique identifier printed thereon to the ballot box for storage; and
wherein said advancing the printed election sheet through a paper path extending between the input port and the output port of the imprinter and said transferring the printed election sheet to the ballot box are performed by the scanner in response to command signals received by the scanner from a host processing device communicatively coupled to the scanner and the imprinter.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the imprinter does not include a moveable component capable of advancing the printed election sheet through the paper path extending between the input port and the output port of the imprinter or transferring the printed election sheet to the ballot box.