Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
  • G07F17/26—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T11/00—2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
  • G06T11/60—Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Definitions

• Figures 12 - 23 is a flow diagram of the card selection, customization and printing process.
• Figures 24a, b, and c show a plain card stock with prescored fold lines and a trimmed edge, as well as, the folding sequence.
• a customer may choose the card for purchase, which is then printed upon a blank card stock by printer 58.
• Audio component 60 aids the customer by offering help and informing the customer when incorrect selection or customization criteria have been entered. Control of the above elements is accomplished by the computer 56 located within the enclosure.
• the first character from the string is moved into a storage array. Its printed height is determined by multiplying the height data for that character (from the font data file) times the size factor (from RAM 66) .
• the size factor ensures that the customized text is the correct size in relation to the printed stored text.
• the first character's printed width is determined by multiplying the width data for that character (from the font data file) times the size factor (from RAM 66) .
• the starting point is determined by first calculating the length of the entire character string. The starting point will then be either 1) the positioning x,y coordinate (for left side justification) ; 2) the coordinate obtained from subtracting the length of the entire string from the x coordinate of the positioning x,y coordinate (for right side justification) ; or 3) the coordinate obtained from subtracting one-half the length of the entire string from the x coordinate of the positioning x,y coordinate (for centering the string about the positioning x,y coordinate) .
• the text is to be inverted on the card stock, e. ⁇ . , all text appearing in the upper left and right quadrants will be printed up ⁇ side-down, so that the appear normally when the card is folded. In this situation, the starting point is determined in the opposite manner than starting point determination for the non-inverted print.
• the terminal unit 50 may also preferably include a payment receiving device 62 for accepting revenue to a bill and/or coin receiving mechanism or a credit card reader.
• a payment receiving device 62 for accepting revenue to a bill and/or coin receiving mechanism or a credit card reader.
• Stored on the hard disk 76 is the data for the graphical representation of the menu or query screens displayed on the monitor, as well as parameters associated with each screen.
• syst «em operation may begin by presenting a recurring display of graphic images for the purpose of advertising (steps 101 through 106) , to attract the attention of customers passing by the unit.
• the program at step 103, checks for the existence of a sound file that may correspond to the current graphic image. This process of matching graphic displays with associated sound file may occur every time that an image is displayed. If an appropriate sound file exists, it is then read from the hard disk into memory and "played" through the audio component 60, attached with a special adapter to a parallel port of computer 56 (step 112) .
• a touch on the monitor screen can interrupt the process at any point.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Record Information Processing For Printing (AREA)
• Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
• User Interface Of Digital Computer (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
• Multi-Process Working Machines And Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=27102194

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Families Citing this family (13)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1992
  • 1992-03-24 NZ NZ242110A patent/NZ242110A/en unknown
  • 1992-04-01 EP EP92910281A patent/EP0578753A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1992-04-01 WO PCT/US1992/002603 patent/WO1992017851A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1992-04-01 PT PT100328A patent/PT100328A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1992-04-01 AR AR92322053A patent/AR247451A1/es active
  • 1992-04-01 CN CN92102331.6A patent/CN1071019A/zh active Pending
  • 1992-04-01 AU AU17534/92A patent/AU1753492A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1992-04-01 CA CA002106878A patent/CA2106878A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1992-04-01 IL IL10144392A patent/IL101443A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1992-04-01 JP JP50944892A patent/JP2002517980A/ja active Pending
  • 1992-04-01 BR BR9205833A patent/BR9205833A/pt active Search and Examination
• 1993
  • 1993-09-30 NO NO933489A patent/NO933489L/no unknown
  • 1993-10-01 FI FI934321A patent/FI934321A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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