Typewriting machines – Including interposed inking device for record-medium – Package for ribbon facilitating mounting of ribbon on...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-22
2001-06-26
Eickholt, Eugene (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Including interposed inking device for record-medium
Package for ribbon facilitating mounting of ribbon on...
C400S240300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250825
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tipper apparatus, and more particularly to a tipper apparatus for pigmenting the embossed section (raised characters for copying) of a card used by a customer for transactions at financial institutions or the like. The card may be a magnetic card with a magnetic stripe, or an embossed card without a magnetic stripe. The present invention also relates to a card-issuing system featuring the use of such a tipper apparatus. The present invention further relates to a color ribbon used in such a tipper apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional card embossers or tipper apparatus (tipping mechanisms) operate such that a monochrome ribbon is installed in each tipper, and embossed characters are pigmented when a card is issued. Consequently, tipping is limited to a single color when a card is issued using a card embosser.
When, however, a plurality of cards are issued and multicolor tipping is involved, tipper apparatus corresponding in number to the colors must be provided, resulting in a bulky card embosser profile and higher equipment costs.
In cases in which only one tipper apparatus can be mounted on the card embosser, the color ribbon must be replaced with the ribbon of the desired color each time the tipping color is changed, making it necessary to adjust the pressure, temperature, and time of the pusher for tipping matched to a particular color.
A drawback of such conventional examples is that multicolor pigmentation cannot be achieved with a single tipper apparatus. In other words, tipper apparatus or card embossers whose number is equal to the number of tipping colors must be made available in order to perform tipping with the desired color or to perform tipping with a color that matches the ground color of the card. This arrangement is disadvantageous in that tipper apparatus equal in number to the number of tipping colors must be provided when the goal is to issue multicolored cards with the aid of a single card embosser, increasing the external dimensions of the card embosser and raising equipment costs.
Another drawback of such conventional examples is that because a monochrome ribbon is mounted on a tipper apparatus, the color ribbon must be replaced every time the tipping color is changed when multicolor cards are issued with the aid of a single tipper apparatus, making it necessary to adjust the pressure, temperature, and time of the pusher during tipping in accordance with the tipping color, making it more time-consuming to issue cards, and impeding automation.
Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication 59-50775 discloses a technique in which a pressure-sensitive coloring film is provided to the card surface, and embossed characters are pigmented without the use of a color ribbon by employing the pressure exerted during the formation of the embossed characters on the card. A drawback of this approach, however, is that intricate operations involved in the pasting of the pressure-sensitive coloring film over the card itself must be performed, raising the manufacturing costs of the card. In addition, there is the danger that portions subjected to accidental pressure will be colored if such pressure is applied to the card as a result of an impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tipper apparatus capable of transferring a plurality of colors to the embossed section of a card, and of issuing cards by selecting tipping colors; and to provide a card-issuing system and a ribbon for use therewith.
With the foregoing in view, the tipper apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a card feeder for feeding a card; a pusher for pressing a color ribbon against the embossed section of the card fed by the card feeder; a ribbon driver for advancing and winding the color ribbon; and a controller for controlling the card feeder and the ribbon driver on the basis of tipping signals received from a host apparatus, transporting the card and the effective section of the ribbon to the pusher, and actuating the pusher.
In addition, the controller comprises a color selector for performing a control routine such that the ribbon driver is controlled when a tipping color has been specified by the host apparatus, and a color area of the same color as the tipping color is selected from a plurality of color areas on the color ribbon and is transported to the pusher; and a pressure setter for setting the mode of operation for the pusher in accordance with the tipping color specified by the host apparatus.
Furthermore, the arrangement adopted for proposed the color ribbon, which is mounted on a tipper apparatus for pigmenting the embossed section of a card and which is pressed against the embossed section, is such that ribbons constituting two color areas are connected to provide an alternating arrangement of these two color areas.
The controller of the tipper apparatus performs a control routine such that when a tipping color has been specified by the host apparatus, the color selector controls the ribbon driver, selects a color area of the same color as the tipping color from the plurality of color areas on the color ribbon, and transports this area to the pusher. In parallel with this, the pressure setter sets the mode of operation for the pusher in accordance with the tipping color specified by the host apparatus. This allows the controller to perform a control routine whereby the pusher exerts pressure based on the pressure, temperature, and time that correspond to the tipping color specified by the upper-level apparatus in accordance with the operational settings of the pressure setter. As a result, bichromatic pigmentation can be achieved with a single tipper apparatus (or tipper mechanism) through the use of a color ribbon in which two types of color areas form an alternating arrangement. This approach makes it unnecessary to prepare a plurality of tipper apparatus in order to issue a plurality of types of cards.
Tipping colors can be selected from the same color ribbon because the tipper apparatus is provided with a color ribbon in which ribbons constituting a plurality of color areas are connected to form an alternating arrangement of this plurality of color areas, and the controller of the tipper apparatus then performs a control routine such that when a tipping color has been specified by the host apparatus, the color selector controls the ribbon driver, selects a color area of the same color as the tipping color from the plurality of color areas on the color ribbon, and transports this area to the pusher. In parallel to this, each color can be tipped in an optimum manner because the pressure setter sets the mode of operation for the pusher in accordance with the tipping color specified by the host apparatus. Consequently, multicolor pigmentation can be achieved with a single tipper apparatus (or tipper mechanism) through the use of a color ribbon in which a plurality of color areas form an alternating arrangement. The result is that a plurality of types of cards can be issued using a single tipper apparatus.
The present invention also allows the desired color to be selected and tipped on the embossed section of a card because the color ribbon is provided with leading-edge markers or position detection markers. In addition, using the present tipper apparatus makes it possible to reduce the outside dimensions and the cost of a card-issuing system (or card embosser) provided with such a tipper apparatus. Furthermore, processibility is improved because there is no need to replace the ribbon every time a new tipping color is used.
It is possible to prevent areas other than the embossed section of a card from being pigmented as a result of an accidental impact because the embossed section alone is pigmented with the color ribbon. In addition, the running costs of issuing cards can be kept low because several thousand cards can be tipped with a single multicolor ribbon.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3589279 (1971-06-01), Deutsch
patent
Kazo Osamu
Kokubo Tsuyoshi
Eickholt Eugene
McGuireWoods LLP
NEC Corporation
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