Endorsement apparatus

Abstract

 Documents (16) fed or transported in a device can be endorsed using a print wheel (11, 14) made of a porous, self-inking material (4) such as neoprene. The endorsement apparatus prints only when documents are present. Furthermore, the endorsement wheel can itself contain additional self-inking type wheels that can be easily set to obtain a plurality of distinct _"endorsements".

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a document endorsing apparatus and more particulary to an apparatus as described in the first part of the attached main claim.

[0002] Automatic endorsement devices presently known normally require in addition to a type wheel or roll. a separate inking ribbon or roll, or solvents, etc In order to produce an endorsement or a document. Examples of such devices are described in Swedish patent publications 343.799 and 376.870 as well as US patent application 617.035.

[0003] These devices are mechanically complex and are awkward to mount and demount by non-technical personnel, such as might be required in a commercial banking environment, for example.

[0004] Another problem with known apparatus, when used in an automatic document feeding system, such as an input-output terminal unit, is the risk of document smearing due to speed variations between documents and endorsements means.

[0005] The invention as claimed is intended to remove these drawbacks.

[0006] The advantages offered by the invention is mainly that a mechanically non-complex apparatus is provided.

[0007] Another advantage offered by the present invention is that the endorsement apparatus is self-inking and that it can easily and removably be attached to an existing document transport system in a terminal device for automatically endorsing a transported document without smearing the endorsement.

[0008] Still another advantage offered by the present invention is to provide for a terminal device with a document feeder, an automatic endorsement apparatus that Is self-inking, compact and that when endorsing does not impact upon other concurrent operations on the document in the device.

[0009] Yet another advantage offered by the present invention is to provide an endorsement means that, in addition to being self-inking and easily mountable/demountable in a document transport mechanism, provides for variable endorsements by containing easily rotated, re-settable typewheels that are also self-inking.

[0010] The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows the endorsement apparatus of the present invention mounted opposite a drum and on a belt wheel in the document feed mechanism of an GCR (Optical Character Reader) device.

Fig. 2 shows an endorsement apparatus with fixed text, in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the endorsement apparatus according to the present invention having rotatable self-inking type wheels facilitating easily settable variable endorsements.

[0011] With reference to fig. 1. a document transport drum (1) rotates on axle (12) and is driven by transport actuating means (15), e.g. a motor or belt, etc and belt wheel (3) rotates on axle (8) driven by a belt (shown as actuator (15)) from the drum such that its peripheral velocity Is equal to the peripheral velocity of the dru. The device cover or a document support member (2) is positioned a distance from the drum such that a gap (17) exists. The protruding text (5) of the endorsement apparatus is positioned over this gap so that the printing ink does not come Into contact with the device itself, when no document is present.

[0012] When a document (16), e.g. a bank check, Is present, i.e. transported by the drum (1), the portion of the document entending over gap 17 is endorsed by the endorsement wheel (11). The endorsement is repeated for each revolution of the endorsement wheel.

[0013] The endorsing ring (4) with protruding text (5) in the preferred embodiment is made from self-inking porous material such as neoprene. That is to say, the endorsement "ink" Is in the ring Itself and prints for a long duration without requiring a re-inking mechanism such as an ink ribbon or cushion.

[0014] The neoprene ring (4) is mounted Into an endorsement wheel (11) which in turn slides on a bearing wheel (14).

[0015] Bearing wheel 14 is constructed such that it functions not only as a bearing for the endorsement wheel (11) but also accomodates means for reversibly locking the endorsement apparatus onto the belt wheel (3).

[0016] The endorsement apparatus of fig. 2 or fig. 3 can be for example removably mounted onto belt wheel (3) by means of a screw (6) and a rubber ring, commonly referred to as an O-ring. The friction of the latter holds the apparatus in position on the belt wheel. The former locks the bearing wheel axially and is used as a handle when mounting and demounting the apparatus. Thus, to mount the endorsement apparatus the user simply pushes it lightly onto the belt wheel, using the screw as a handle, and the friction of the rubber O-ring holds it in position. To remove the apparatus, the user simply grips the screw handle and pulls it off. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bearing wheel 14 contains a groove at one end Into which an O-ring (10) is mounted and a slot at the other, into which a screw (6) is mounted. Locking the endorsement apparatus onto the belt wheel can also be accomplished using other methads, e.g. magnetically.

[0017] The endorsement apparatus functions such that when the document transport mechanism starts, the beltwheel starts its rotation and the endorsement apparatus starts its rotation due to the friction in the bearing (14). When a document is fed in, the document itself imparts the correct peripheral velocity on the endorsement wheel (11) due to the wheel being mounted on the bearing. This is necessary in order to prevent blurring the endorsement at the beginning, at the same time as providing a correct endorsement and not Jeopardizing other concurrent operations on the same document, such as reading code markings, etc.

[0018] The outer diameter (5) of the endorsing ring is adapted to provide sufficient pressure on the document to obtain good readability.

[0019] The embodiment in fig. 3 differs from the embodiment in fig. 2 in that the endorsement wheel (11) is constructed such that it can Itself contain a plurality of self-inking (e.g. neoprene) endorsement wheel assemblies. Also, the endorsements can be of two types, if so desired: fixed text or variable text. A fixed text (fig. 2) endorsing ring (4) is mounted directly in a groove in the endorsement wheel (11) and has an outer diameter that is equal to that of the endorsement wheel, with only the text (5) itself protruding beyond that point.

[0020] The variable text endorsement apparatus is well suited for applications utilizing date or work station stamping or endorsement.

[0021] With reference to fig. 3, variable text endorsing rings 104 with protruding characters 105 are each mounted on a respective small wheel 111. This combined assembler will hereafter be referred to as a ''small endorsement wheal" 111. A given set of such wheels has a common axle 120 or 120' about which each wheel can be rotated, e.g. manually, to define the desired endorsement. The diameter of the smaller endorsement wheels 111 is less than half of the outer diameter of the larger endorsement wheel 11. The common axles 120 and 120' for the smaller wheels (111 and 111') are secured in the body of the larger wheel (11) and are positioned such that one character 105 on each small wheel protrudes beyond the outer diameter of the larger endorsement wheel 11, just as in the case with fixed text. Each of the characters on a given smaller wheel can be easily set or reset by manually stepping the small endorsement wheel to a distinct position using for example a pencil or pen, etc.

[0022] Also with reference to fig. 3, the endorsement wheel 11 can, in addition to the aforementioned "smaller wheel" 111, have a second type of endorsement wheel 211. Endorsement wheel 211 is mounted in an axle 220 attached to endorsement wheel 11. Endorsement wheel 211 also has a self-inking endorsement ring 204, with protruding character representations 205, inserted in it. It has an outer diameter that is slightly less than the outer diameter of wheel 11, and is eccentrically placed such that it Is tangent to the outer diameter of wheel 11 Just as for example the small wheels 111'. Endorsement wheel 211 is the wheel positioned farthest out along the axis of wheel 11 and is supplied with a wing grip, 212 that facilitates easily rotating the protruding character representation on the endorsing ring 204, to the endorsing position manually.

[0023] When date stamping is employed, the smaller wheels 111' might well have the numbers 0-9 for Indicating the year and month and larger variable-texted wheel 211, the numbers 1-31 for Indicating the day of the month, for example*

[0024] Excluding the O-ring and the neoprene parts of the endorsement apparatus, the other parts can be molded or worked in plastic or aluminum, for example.

Claims

1. Endorsement apparatus for printing characters on documents (16) moving in a document transport mechanism (1, 3),
characterized by at least one endorsement wheel (11, 14) mounted on an axle (8) to be driven synchronously with the document transport mechanism, said wheel (11, 14) including endorsing means (4, 5) of self-inking, porous material.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherin the endorsing means (4) is made of neoprene.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the endorsement wheel (11, 14) comprises fastening means (10) for manually mounting and demounting the endorsement wheel on the axle (8).

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the fastening means (10) comprises a rubber ring.

5. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the endorsement wheel comprises a bearing wheel (14) and at least one endorsing ring (11) slidably fastened to the bearing wheel (14) by a locking member (6), sald endorsing means (4, 5) being attached to the endorsing ring.

6. Apparatus according to claims 1 and 5, wherein the transport mechanism comprises a transport drum (1), a support member (2) and a transport wheel (3) for feeding a document (16) between the transport wheel and the transport drum such that the ring (11) is sliding on the bearing wheel (14) and Is rotating with the same peripheral velocity as that of the document being endorsed, whereas the endorsing ring will rotate with the same speed as the bearing wheel (14) without sliding when no documents are passing under the endorsement wheel (11, 14).

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of subendorsement wheels (104, 105, 111, 204, 205, 211) are attached to the basic endorsement wheel (11, 14).

8. Apparatus according to claims 5 and 7 wherein the subendorsement wheels (104, 105, 111) are attached to the endorsing ring (11) of the basic endorsement wheel with at least one subaxle (120, 220).

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the subendorsement wheels are manually rotatable on the subaxle in order to perform variable text endorsement on documents.

Drawing