Hand-operated document reader/imager with speed limiting device including a viscous damper to insure uniform scan rate
View Patent ↗A hand-operated document processor includes a base for receiving a document containing magnetic ink character data to be read and recognized. A manually operated moving magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) subsystem includes a MICR read head and is attached to the base such that movement of the subsystem causes the MICR read head to pass over the magnetic ink character data on the document. MICR reading and recognition logic receives the signal from the MICR read head. A speed limiting device includes a viscous damper, and is connected to the MICR subsystem. The viscous damper provides a resistance load when the MICR subsystem is moved across the document being processed. The resistance load increases as the operator increases the speed of the MICR subsystem to encourage the operator to maintain a constant scanning rate over the length of the document.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a document processor including:
a base having an upper surface;
a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) subsystem including a MICR read head, wherein the MICR subsystem is arranged:
(1) in an opposing relationship with respect to the upper surface of the base, and
(2) slidably-attached to the base for movement of the subsystem across the upper surface of the base between a first lateral side surface of the base and a second lateral side surface of the base; and
a speed limiting device connected to both of the base and the MICR subsystem, wherein the speed limiting devices includes a slidable movement resistance device that imparts a controlled slidable movement resistance load to the MICR subsystem when the MICR subsystem is slidably-moved across the upper surface of the base to maintain a controlled scanning rate performed by the MICR read head as the MICR subsystem is slidably-moved across the upper surface of the base.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the slidable movement resistance device includes
a dashpot that comprises:
a piston connected to a piston rod, and
a double-ended pneumatic cylinder, wherein the piston and the piston rod are disposed in the double-ended pneumatic cylinder, wherein the slidable movement of the MICR subsystem across the upper surface of the base drives the piston in the double-ended pneumatic cylinder.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:
an attachment member extending from the MICR subsystem, wherein the attachment member includes a passage;
a linear guide shaft including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is attached to the first lateral side surface of the base, wherein the second end is attached to the second lateral side surface of the base, wherein the linear guide shaft is arranged within the passage of the attachment member, wherein the linear guide shaft linearly-guides the slidable movement of the MICR subsystem across the upper surface of the base.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:
a first belt and pulley arrangement including a first pair of pulleys connected by a first belt, wherein the attachment member is connected to the first belt for attaching the MICR subsystem to the first belt;
a second belt and pulley arrangement including a second pair of pulleys connected by a second belt; and
a third belt that connects a pulley of each of the first and second pair of pulleys for connecting the first belt and pulley arrangement to the second belt and pulley arrangement.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the second belt is connected to an end of the piston rod for connecting the speed limiting device to both of the base and the MICR subsystem.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the double-ended pneumatic cylinder includes
at least one bleed orifice that refines the controlled slidable movement resistance load to have a value between:
(1) a minimum resistance value when the slidable movement of the MICR subsystem is conducted at about a minimum speed limit associated with the MICR read head, and
(2) a high resistance value when the slidable movement of the MICR subsystem is conducted at about a maximum speed limit associated with a contact image sensor connected to the MICR subsystem.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a size of the at least one bleed orifice is non-adjustably fixed.
8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a size of the at least one bleed orifice is adjustable.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:
at least one valve in communication with the at least one bleed orifice, wherein the valve permits the at least one bleed orifice to be arranged in one of an opened or closed orientation.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the MICR read head includes
MICR reading and recognition logic that is communicatively-coupled to the MICR read head; and
an encoder that is communicatively-coupled to the MICR reading and recognition logic, wherein the MICR reading and recognition logic receives:
a first output signal from the MICR read head, and
a second output signal from the encoder, wherein the first output signal includes a magnetic ink character signal, wherein the second output signal includes speed feedback information of the MICR subsystem resulting from the slidable movement of the MICR subsystem across the upper surface of the base.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the MICR subsystem further comprises:
a contact image sensor.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controlled slidable movement resistance load to the MICR subsystem is
a constant slidable movement resistance load such that the controlled scanning rate performed by the MICR read is
an equal scanning rate.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controlled slidable movement resistance load to the MICR subsystem is
a non-constant slidable movement resistance load such that the controlled scanning rate performed by the MICR read is
a non-equal scanning rate.
14. A method, comprising the steps of:
supportably-arranging a document in a fixed orientation upon an upper surface of a base of a document processor, wherein the document includes magnetic ink character data;
slidably-moving a MICR subsystem that is slidably-connected to the base across at least a portion of the upper surface of the base that supports the document in the fixed orientation, wherein the MICR subsystem includes a MICR read head; and
imparting a controlled slidable movement resistance load to the MICR subsystem from a speed limiting device that is connected to both of the base and the MICR subsystem as the MICR subsystem is slidably-moved for
maintaining a controlled scanning rate performed by the MICR read head when the MICR read head scans the magnetic ink character data of the document that is arranged in the fixed orientation upon the upper surface of the base of the document processor.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the slidable movement resistance device includes a dashpot that comprises: a piston connected to a piston rod, and a double-ended pneumatic cylinder, wherein the piston and the piston rod are disposed in the double-ended pneumatic cylinder, wherein, responsive to the slidably-moving step, further comprising the step of
driving the piston in the double-ended pneumatic cylinder.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the MICR read head includes-MICR reading and recognition logic that is communicatively-coupled to the MICR read head; and an encoder that is communicatively-coupled to the MICR reading and recognition logic, wherein, responsive to the slidably-moving step, further comprising the steps of
utilizing the MICR read head for reading the magnetic ink character data; and
receiving, at the MICR reading and recognition logic:
a first output signal from the MICR read head, and
a second output signal from the encoder, wherein the first output signal includes a magnetic ink character signal indicative of the magnetic character data that was read by the MICR read head, wherein the second output signal includes speed feedback information of the MICR subsystem resulting from movement of the MICR subsystem across the upper surface of the base.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the MICR subsystem further comprises: a contact image sensor, wherein responsive to the slidably-moving step, further comprising the step of
utilizing the contact image sensor for imaging the document, wherein the controlled slidable movement resistance load results in
limiting speed of the slidable movement of the MICR subsystem across the upper surface of the base to be between approximately about:
a maximum speed limit that prevents failure of the imaging step performed by the contact image sensor, and
a minimum speed limit that prevents failure of the reading step performed by the MICR read head.
18. A method, comprising the steps of:
supportably-arranging a document in a fixed orientation upon an upper surface of a base of a document processor, wherein the document includes magnetic ink character data;
slidably-moving a MICR subsystem that is slidably-connected to the base across at least a portion of the upper surface of the base that supports the document in the fixed orientation, wherein the MICR subsystem includes a MICR read head and a contact image sensor; and
imparting a controlled slidable movement resistance load to the MICR subsystem from a speed limiting device that is connected to both of the base and the MICR subsystem as the MICR subsystem is slidably-moved for
maintaining a controlled scanning rate performed by the MICR read head when the MICR read head scans the magnetic ink character data of the document that is arranged in the fixed orientation upon the upper surface of the base of the document processor, and wherein, responsive to the slidably-moving step, further comprising the steps of
utilizing the MICR read head for reading the magnetic ink character data, and
utilizing the contact image sensor for imaging the document, wherein the controlled slidable movement resistance load results in:
limiting speed of the slidable movement of the MICR subsystem across the upper surface of the base to be between approximately about:
a maximum speed limit that prevents failure of the imaging step performed by the contact image sensor, and
a minimum speed limit that prevents failure of the reading step performed by the MICR read head.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the slidable movement resistance device includes a dashpot that comprises: a piston connected to a piston rod, and a double-ended pneumatic cylinder, wherein the piston and the piston rod are disposed in the double-ended pneumatic cylinder, wherein, responsive to the slidably-moving step, further comprising the step of
driving the piston in the double-ended pneumatic cylinder.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the MICR read head includes-MICR reading and recognition logic that is communicatively-coupled to the MICR read head; and an encoder that is communicatively-coupled to the MICR reading and recognition logic, wherein, responsive to the slidably-moving step, further comprising the step of
receiving, at the MICR reading and recognition logic:
a first output signal from the MICR read head, and
a second output signal from the encoder, wherein the first output signal includes a magnetic ink character signal indicative of the magnetic character data that was read by the MICR read head, wherein the second output signal includes speed feedback information of the MICR subsystem resulting from movement of the MICR subsystem across the upper surface of the base.