Credit-and access-control equipment

Claim 2

In equipment for use in control of a credit operation of the type comprising first means to receive an information-bearing token, second means to provide a discrete record of information borne by the received token, third means for reading from the record part at least of the recorded information, and fourth means operable to signify authorization of said operation in dependence upon the information read from said record whereby authorization of said operation is dependent upon the existence of a readable record in accordance with the token-borne information: the improvement wherein said second means comprises a reader for reading information from the token and operative to supply signals in accordance therewith, material capable of receiving data recordings for credit-accounting purposes, signaloperable means to record data in accordance with the signals supplied by said reader on a discrete element of said material so as to provide thereby said record of the token-borne information, and means for presenting a fresh element of said material to said signal-operable means for data recording in respect of each successive occasiOn on which a token is received by said first means so that the successive elements of said material provide individual loggings of data in respect of the successive operations of the equipment.

Claim 3

Equipment according to claim 1 wherein said reader comprising means for reading information recorded magnetically on the token.

Claim 4

In equipment for use in control of a credit operation of the type comprising card-receiving means for receiving an information-bearing credit card, recording means operative to provide a hard-copy record of information borne by the credit card for accounting purposes, reading means for providing a read out of at least part of said card-borne information, and credit authorization means operable to signify authorization of said credit operation in dependence upon the card-borne information read out by said reading means: the improvement wherein said recording means comprises a reader for reading information from the token and including means operative to provide signals in accordance therewith, said recording means further comprising an imprinter responsive to said signals for imprinting record material in accordance with said signals to provide said hard-copy record, and said reading means comprising means for providing said read out from the hard-copy record provided by said imprinting means, whereby authorization of said credit operation is conditional upon the making of a readable hard-copy account record dependent upon said card-borne information.

Claim 5

In equipment for use in control of a credit operation of the type comprising card-receiving means for receiving an information-bearing credit card, recording means operative to provide a hard-copy record of information borne by the credit card for accounting purposes, reading means for providing a read out of at least part of said card-borne information, and credit authorization means operable to signify authorization of said credit operation in dependence upon the card-borne information read out by said reading means: the improvement wherein said recording means comprises a reader for reading information from the token and including means operative to provide signals in accordance therewith, said recording means further comprising an imprinter responsive to said signals for imprinting record material in accordance with said signals to provide said hard-copy record, and said reading means comprising means for providing said read out from the hard-copy record provided by said imprinting means, whereby authorization of said credit operation is conditional upon the making of a readable hard-copy account record dependent upon said card-borne information.

Claim 6

Access-control equipment for selectively enabling access to a facility in response to a request made by a person presenting an information-bearing token to said equipment, comprising first means for receiving within the equipmEnt the information-bearing token presented thereto, second means for providing from the received token a discrete record of information borne thereby, said second means comprising a reader for reading the information from the token to provide signals in accordance therewith, elements of a data-recording medium, and signal-operable means to provide said record in accordance with said signals on one of said elements, third means for reading from said one element part at least of the information recorded thereon by said signal-operable means, and fourth means operable in dependence upon the information read from said record to enable said person access to said facility whereby access to said facility is conditional upon the making of a readable record of said token information, said second means including means operative to present successive ones of said elements to said signal-operable means in respect of successive requests for access so that the record-retaining elements provide a logging of the token-borne data in respect of those individual requests for access.

Claim 7

Access-control equipment for selectively enabling access to a facility in response to a request made by a person presenting an information-bearing token to said equipment, comprising first means for receiving within the equipmEnt the information-bearing token presented thereto, second means for providing from the received token a discrete record of information borne thereby, said second means comprising a reader for reading the information from the token to provide signals in accordance therewith, elements of a data-recording medium, and signal-operable means to provide said record in accordance with said signals on one of said elements, third means for reading from said one element part at least of the information recorded thereon by said signal-operable means, and fourth means operable in dependence upon the information read from said record to enable said person access to said facility whereby access to said facility is conditional upon the making of a readable record of said token information, said second means including means operative to present successive ones of said elements to said signal-operable means in respect of successive requests for access so that the record-retaining elements provide a logging of the token-borne data in respect of those individual requests for access.

Claim 8

Access-control equipment according to claim 4 wherein said reader is a magnetic reading-head.

Claim 9

Access-control equipment according to claim 4 wherein said signal-operable means is means to provide a printed record in accordance with said signals.

Claim 10

Access-control equipment according to claim 6 wherein said third means is photoelectric-reader means for deriving electric signals in accordance with the said printed-record, and said fourth means includes means for supplying an electric control signal selectively in dependence upon the signals derived by said photoelectric-reader means, and means responsive to the supply of said control signal to enable access to said facility.

Claim 11

Access-control equipment for selectively enabling access to a facility, comprising first means for receiving an information-bearing token presented to the equipment, second means for providing from the received token a record of information borne thereby, said second means including a reader for reading the information from the token to provide signals in accordance therewith, and signal-operable printer means to provide a printed record in accordance with said signals, third means for reading from said printed record part at least of the recorded information, and fourth means that is operable in dependence upon the information read from said printed record to enable access to said facility, said second means further including means for storing in bulk record material capable of receiving and retaining print, and feed means responsive to each occasion on which said first means receives an information-bearing token to feed a discrete element of the stored record material through said printer means to receive said printed record in respect of that token, said feed means being operative to feed successive elements of the stored record material through said printer means on successive occasions of token-reception so as to provide discrete printed records in respect of those occasionS.

Claim 12

Access-control equipment for selectively enabling access to a facility, comprising first means for receiving an information-bearing token presented to the equipment, second means for providing from the received token a record of information borne thereby, said second means including a reader for reading the information from the token to provide signals in accordance therewith, and signal-operable printer means to provide a printed record in accordance with said signals, third means for reading from said printed record part at least of the recorded information, and fourth means that is operable in dependence upon the information read from said printed record to enable access to said facility, said second means further including means for storing in bulk record material capable of receiving and retaining print, and feed means responsive to each occasion on which said first means receives an information-bearing token to feed a discrete element of the stored record material through said printer means to receive said printed record in respect of that token, said feed means being operative to feed successive elements of the stored record material through said printer means on successive occasions of token-reception so as to provide discrete printed records in respect of those occasionS.

Claim 13

Access-control equipment according to claim 8 wherein said record material is paper tape.

Claim 14

Access-control equipment according to claim 4 including manually operable meanS for enterinG into the equipment a plural character word, the particular word entered being dependent upon manual selection, comparison means for detecting whether a predetermined correspondence exists between the information read from said record and the manually entered word, and meanS for operating said fourth means to enable access to said facility only in the event that said predetermined correspondence exists.

Claim 15

Access-control equipment according to claim 4 in combination with a dispenser for performing a dispensing operation in response to each operation of said fourth means.

Claim 16

A dispensing system for dispensing items in response only to the concurrence of a number of conditions one of which is the prior making of a readable logging record of iNformation appearing on an information-bearing token, comprising dispensing means that is selectively operable to perform a dispensing operation, entry means for receiving an information-bearing token presented to the system as part of a request for operation of said dispensing means, token-reading means for reading information from the token and for providing signals in accordance therewith, elements of a data-recording medium, recording means for providing on one of said elements a record of information borne by the token in accordance with the signals provided by said token-reading means so as thereby to log said information, record-reading means operative in response to the making of a readable log-record of said information for reading from said one element at least part of the recorded information, manually-operable means for entering a number into the system as a further part of said request, and comparison for comparing a number dependent upon the information read from said one element with the number entered into the system, said comparison means including means for operating said dispensing means to perform said dispensing operation as aforesaid in dependence upon whether a predetermined correspondence exists between the compared numbers, said system further including means to present successive ones of said elements to said recording means in respect of successive requests for operation of said dispensing means so that the record-retaining elements provide account logging of information in respect of the successive requests.

Claim 17

A dispensing system for dispensing items in response only to the concurrence of a number of conditions one of which is the prior making of a readable logging record of iNformation appearing on an information-bearing token, comprising dispensing means that is selectively operable to perform a dispensing operation, entry means for receiving an information-bearing token presented to the system as part of a request for operation of said dispensing means, token-reading means for reading information from the token and for providing signals in accordance therewith, elements of a data-recording medium, recording means for providing on one of said elements a record of information borne by the token in accordance with the signals provided by said token-reading means so as thereby to log said information, record-reading means operative in response to the making of a readable log-record of said information for reading from said one element at least part of the recorded information, manually-operable means for entering a number into the system as a further part of said request, and comparison for comparing a number dependent upon the information read from said one element with the number entered into the system, said comparison means including means for operating said dispensing means to perform said dispensing operation as aforesaid in dependence upon whether a predetermined correspondence exists between the compared numbers, said system further including means to present successive ones of said elements to said recording means in respect of successive requests for operation of said dispensing means so that the record-retaining elements provide account logging of information in respect of the successive requests.

Claim 18

An item-dispensing system according to claim 12 wherein said recording means is means to provide a printed record in accordance with said signals.