GB1571121A - Code bearing record material - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CODE BEARING RECORD MATERIAL (71) We, CONTROL SYSTEMS LIMITED (formerly Bell Punch Company Limited), a British company of The Island, Uxbridge, Middlesex, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which is is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to ticket machines and, more particularly, to ticket machines for cancelling tickets bearing data and tickets for use therewith.

One form of ticket cancelling machine is used with multi-journey tickets. These are tickets provided with a series of printed areas along one or more edges thereof. A journey is paid for when a ticket is inserted into a canceller which is arranged to cut off one or more of the printed areas. Usually the canceller is arranged to operate a barrier after the area or areas have been cut off. A ticket canceller of this kind is described in British patent specification No.

1,065.764.

It has been found necessary to counteract fraud and increase the usefulness of the ticket system by providing multi-journey tickets with a machine readable code. This ensures that a barrier will be operated only after a correctly coded ticket has been inserted into the canceller.

Nevertheless, it is possible by skillfull manipulation of a ticket to operate a canceller to record insertion of a genuine ticket, so that the barrier will be operated, and yet withdraw the ticket to prevent removal of an area of the ticket. Another disadvantage is that due to unsteady hand feeding or "dither" coded data may not be read correctly by the canceller.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved ticket machine for cancelling tickets bearing data.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved data bearing ticket.

According to one apsect of the present invention there is provided a ticket machine system including a ticket machine and tickets for use therewith wherein the tickets bear a data track and two clock tracks the marks of the second clock track being offset lengthwise of the tracks with respect to the marks of the first track and wherein the machine has a circuit to sense the marks of the two clock tracks to determine the direction of movement of the ticket and a register to store data entered from the data track, means for sequentially entering the data into the register from the ticket when the ticket is moved in a forward direction and for sequentially removing the data from the register when the ticket is moved in the reverse direction and means for generating a signal when a predetermined amount of data has been entered into the register wherein the signal is utilized to operate a mechanism for cancelling the ticket.

The invention will now be described, by way of example.only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a ticket, FIGS. 2a and 2b together constitute a logic diagram of a ticket machine according to the invention, FIGS. 3a and 3b are pulse diagrams of pulses derived by the circuit shown in Figs.

2a and 2b when a ticket is being respectively inserted into and withdrawn from the machine, and, FIGS. 4a and 4b are front and rear views of a ticket.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a ticket I having a base sheet made of cardboard and which is printed with spaced apart rectangular areas forming a first clock track A, a second clock track B and a data track C. The tracks are intended to be sensed by detectors in a machine when the ticket is hand fed into the machine.

The rectangular areas of the clock tracks A and B are of equal size but the areas of the second clock track B are offset with respect to the areas of the first clock track A. At the leading edges of the tracks A, B and C, each of the tracks is provided with a printed area 2 shown diagrammatically at 2.

Each of the areas of the clock tracks A and B is printed with an ink which absorbs infra red light while the spaces between the areas, being the unprinted surface of the ticket, reflects infra red light. In similar manner the data track is provided by printing marks in the track in the pitch formed by each printed area and adjacent space of the second clock track B.

The detectors referred to above are shown diagrammatically at 3 and are sensitive to infra red light which is supplied by the light emitting diode (LED).

Therefore pulses are received by the detectors when portions of the corresponding tracks A, B and C, passing under the detectors change from a printed area to an unprinted area. Since each of the tracks A, B and C, leads with a printed area 2, a pulse will be recorded by the detectors 3 when the first unprinted portions of the tracks are under the corresponding detectors. A binary signal 1 is generated when an unprinted portion of the ticket is detected and a binary signal 0 is generated when a printed area of the ticket is detected.

Since the printed areas of the second clock track B are offset, or staggered, with respect to the printed areas of the first clock track A, data is clocked in only when the detector 3A of the first clock track has already generated a 0 pulse and the detector 3 of the second clock track changes from I to 0. In the accompanying drawing, the ticket 1 is shown at the instant of clocking in a second data bit bearing the code 01100.

Data is clocked out when the detector of the first clock track has already generated a 0 and the detector of the second clock track changes from 0 to 1. This only occurs during reversal of the ticket movement.

In this manner the reversal of the ticket causes removal of data which has previously been entered so that entry of the data on the ticket to ensure operation of a canceller machine, and thus operation of an entry gate associated therewith, is not accomplished. Consequently, the double clock track arrangement ensure that code detection is independent of unsteady hand feeding or "dither".

It will be appreciated that by providing the printed areas of the ticket in an ink which is absorbant of infra red light great freedom is provided from spurious signals generated by ambient light and by dirt on the ticket. Standard inks can be used for the printed portions of the ticket and the printing operation can be carried out on conventional presses. In this manner the cost of producing the tickets is kept to a minimum. Furthermore, the code of the ticket, according to the present invention, can be overprinted by a black ink transparent to infra red light for greater security.

Referring to Figs. 2a and 2b there is shown four photocells, 3A, 3B, 3C and 4 for receiving light, which may include ultra violet light or infra red light outside the visible spectrum, reflected from the ticket shown in Fig. 1, the light rays incident on to the ticket emanating from four light sources (not shown) respectively. The photocells are arranged in a throat (not shown) of the ticket machine so that when the ticket is inserted into the throat the photocells 3A and 3B co-incide with the clock tracks A and B respectively and the photocell 3C coincides with the data track. Photocell 4 is tripped when rays of light incident upon it are intercepted between a light source and a sensing device by the ticket upon insertion of the ticket into the throat.

The photocell 3A is connected through a Schmitt trigger 5 and an invertor 6 to an input of an AND gate 7. Similarly the photocell 3B is connected through a Schmitt trigger 8 and an invertor 9 to an input of an AND gate 10. The output of the AND gate 10 is connected to-a second input of the AND gate 7.

An additional output is derived from the output from the photocell 3B. This is achieved by means of a line 11 which is connected to the output of the Schmitt trigger 8 and which supplies an input of an AND gate 12 via a delay circuit 13, a Schmitt trigger 14 and an inverter 15. The input to the inverter 15 is connected to a second input of the AND gate 10 and the input to the inverter 9 is connected to a second input of the AND gate 12. The output of the AND gate 12 is connected to an input of an AND gate 16. A second input of the AND gate 16 is connected to the output of the inverter 6.

Connected to the output of the AND gate 7 is a line 17, which supplies a shift register 18, and a line 19 which supplies an up/down counter 20. Similarly a line 21 connected the output of the AND gate 16 and a second input of the shift register 18, and a line 22 connects the output of the AND gate 16 and a second input of the up/down counter 20.

Further inputs of the shift register 18 are connected to the photocell 3C through a Schmitt trigger 23 and an inverter 24 and to the photocell 4 through a Schmitt trigger 25.

The output of the Schmitt trigger 25 also is connected to a third input of the up/down counter 20.

There are four outputs of the shift register 18 each being expanded and inverted and each of the outputs is connected to a respective bus bar 18d and the eight connections on the bus bar are each connected to a respective one of eight socket connections 18D. Connection is made from the socket connections 18D to four pairs of NOR gates 26, 27, 28 and 29. The four connections are selected by virtue of a wiring plug connected to connect the selected four outputs to the NOR gates 26, 27, 28 and 29 and are selected in dependance upon the ticket code required for operation of the machine (e.g. adult fare, child fare, staff pass and pensioners' pass (off-peak only)) and there being two periods for each catagory to enable tickets to be accepted for two codes when a ticket coding is changed.

The outputs of the pairs of NOR gates 26, 27, 28 and 29, are connected to the inputs of OR gates 30, 31, 32 and 33 respectively. One of the inputs of each of the OR gates 30 to 33 is connected to a bus bar 34 and another of the inputs of each of the OR gates 30 to 33 is connected to a bus bar 35. The bus bars 34 and 35 are connected to terminals respectively of a PERIOD SELECT KEY SWITCH 36. The Schmitt trigger 25 is connected by a line 37 to an input of a flip flop 38. A second input of the flip flop 38 is supplied from a NOTCH SWITCH 39. The output of the flip flop 38 is connected to an input of an AND gate 40 and to an input of an AND gate 41. A second input of the AND gate 41 is supplied by gated outputs of the up/down counter 20.

Outputs of the OR gates 30, 31, 32, and 33 supply an input of AND gates 42, 43, 44 and 45 respectively and second inputs of the AND gates 42 to 45 are supplied by the output of the AND gate 41. The outputs of the AND gates 42, 43, 44 and 45, supply inputs 46, 47, 48 and 49 respectively of COUNTERS (not shown), an input of AND gates 50 and 51 and are gated to a second input of the AND gate 40. The output of the AND gate 40 is connected at terminal 52 to a BUZZER.

Unlike the outputs from the AND gates 42 to 44, the output from the AND gate 45 includes an AND gate 53 which is enabled from an OFF PEAK SWITCH 54.

Each of the AND gates 50 and 51 is enabled by pulses received from the output of an AND gate 55, the inputs of which are supplied by signals received from a REMOTE CONTROL UNIT INHIBIT 56 and from a BARRIER INHIBIT 57 respectively. The output of the AND gate 50 enables AND gates 58 in lines from the AND gates 42-45 to the inputs 46--49 and also supplies a BELL AND BARRIER OUTPUT connected to a terminal 59. The output of the AND gate 51 strobes a multiplexer 60 the outputs of which are connected to a PRINT AND CUT mechanism via a terminal 61, a SERIAL NUMBER AND RESET via a terminal 62 and an INHIBIT TO REMOTE CONTROL UNIT via a terminal 63.

Referring now to Figures 3a and 3b, the first two pulse trains are derived from the clock tracks of a ticket when it is inserted into the throat. Each time a light area of a track moves under the photocell 3A or 3B, a pulse is generated by the Schmitt trigger 5 or 8. Pulses A and B are generated by the Schnitt trigger 5 and 8 but these are inverted by the inverters 6 and 9 and thus are represented in Figures 3a and 3b by the pulse trains A and B respectively. Since the two clock tracks are offset with respect to one another, the pulse train B is out of phase with the pulse train A. The effect of the delay circuit 13 is to cause the Schmitt trigger 14 to generate a pulse train which, after having been inverted by the inverter 15, is similar to the pulse train B but delayed.Pulses DB thus are generated by the Schmitt trigger 14 but these are inverted by the inverter 15 and thus are represented in Figures 2a and 2b as DB. The pulses shown in Figure 3a are generated when a ticket is being inserted into the throat and the pulses shown in Figure 3b are genrated when a ticket is being withdrawn from the throat.

Each time a pulse DB is generated by the Schmitt trigger 14, the pulse DB is received on an input of the.AND gate 10 together with the pulse B already received on the other input of the AND gate 10. The output of the AND gate 10 thus carries a pulse B DB as shown in Figure 3a. When pulses B.DB are gated with pulses A at AND gate 7, the pulses on the output of AND gate 7 are received in the shift register 18 as FORWARD CLOCK PULSES.

In similar fashion, each time a pulse B is generated by the Schmitt trigger 8, the pulse B is received on an input of the AND gate 12. Subsequently the pulse B is gated with a pulse DB received from the inverter 15 and the output of the AND gate 12 thus carries a pulse .DUB, as shown in Figure 3b. The pulses B.DB are gated with pulses A at AND gate 16 and the pulses on the output of AND gate 16 are received in the shift register 18 as BACKWARD CLOCK pulses.

The arrangement is such that data on the data track of the ticket is sequentially loaded into the shift register 18 when corresponding clock pulses are decoded as FORWARD CLOCK PULSES and data is sequentially unloaded from the shift register 18 when corresponding clock pulses are decoded as BACKWARD CLOCK PULSES.

When a ticket such as shown at Figure 4a, Figure 4b is inserted then pulses are put on the output ofthe up/down counter 20 when the counter counts four forward clock pulses. If more or less than four forward pulses are counted, no pulses are supplied to the AND gate 41 from the counter.

When a ticket has been fully inserted into the throat of the machine, the portion of the ticket which is to be cut'off engages and operates the NOTCH SWITCH 39.

Consequently, the flip flop 38 will be operated thereby issuing pulses to the AND gates 40 and 41.

However, no pulses will be placed on the output of the AND gate 4: until a pulse is received from the counter 20.

This will occur when the counter counts four marks and consequently the AND gates 42 to 45 will be enabled.

By this time the shift register 18 will have been loaded with data from the ticket and, depending upon the category of the ticket, one of the gates 42 to 45 will have been gated in accordance with the data in the register 18. Pulses thus issue to the AND gates 40, 50 and 51.

In the case of AND gate 40, unless this has been enabled by pulses received from the flip flop 38, a pulse issues to the BUZZER via the terminal 52. The BUZZER is provided so that a supervisor of the canceller (i.e. the bus driver if the canceller is installed on a bus) will know that an incorrect ticket has been inserted into the throat of the machine. On the other hand the AND gates 50 and 51, will issue pulses only if they are not disenabled by pulses received from the REMOTE CONTROL UNIT INHIBIT 56 and the BARRIER INHIBIT 57.

Pulses issuing from the AND gate 50 are fed to a BELL AND BARRIER OUTPUT via the terminal 59 and thereby effect operation of a bell and barrier so that the holder of the ticket inserted into the throat is permitted to pass. The pulses from the AND gate 50 are also fed to the AND gates 58, one of which has already been enabled by whichever one of the AND gates 42 to 45 was gated. Consequently, a signal would have issued via a corresponding one of the inputs 46 to 49 to the COUNTERS so that the appropriate one of the COUNTERS will be incremented by '1'.

Pulses issuing from the AND gate 51 strobe the multiplexer 60 and, in consequence, signals are distributed via the terminals 61 62 and 63 respectively to the PRINT AND CUT mechanism whereby the ticket is cancelled for one journey by being overprinted in an appropriate area of the ticket and a printed area representing a journey is cut off; to the SERIAL NUMBER AND RESET whereby a counter for counting a running total of tickets which have been inserted in the throat and cancelled is incremented by '1' and elements of the circuit described above are reset together with the barrier; and to the INHIBIT TO REMOTE CONTROL UNIT whereby operation of the remote control unit is inhibited until all the functions relating to printing and cutting of the ticket and resetting have been dealt with.

The Remote Control Unit controls variable information, such as fare stage and off-peak periods, which is used to process cancelling of tickets, for example printing of cancelling information on tickets and checking whether a ticket issued for use in off-peak periods is in fact being used during such a period.

Each of the pairs of NOR gates 26 to 29 is bused to receive data from the register 18 representative of different Catagories such as Adult Ticket, Child Ticket, Staff Pass and Pensioners' Pass (off-peak only) and each of the NOR gates is output to a corresponding counter via one of the terminals 46 to 49. In this manner, the total number of operations of the barrier in response to data received from register 18 representative of the different catagories is recorded in addition to the overall total of operations recorded by the SERIAL NUMBER AND RESET operated from signals received via the terminal 63.

The pair of NOR gates 29 receives data from the register 18 representative of Pensioners' Pass (off-peak) tickets. When the NOR gates 29 are gated a pulse will only issue to the AND gates 40, 50 and 51 when the AND gate 53 is enabled i.e. when the OFF PEAK SWITCH 54 is in the correct mode.

When fares are increased, it is necessary to adjust the canceller so that multi-journey tickets purchased prior to- the date of increase can be used with the canceller for a predetermined period subsequent to the date. This is achieved by the PERIOD SELECT KEY SWITCH 36. The switch 36 is normally switched to one of the bus bars 34, 35 but at the date of coming into force of the increased fare the switch 36 is swtiched to an intermediate or neutral position of the bus bars 34, 35. This has the effect of permitting two kinds of tickets to be accepted for a limited period.

At the end of the period the switch 36 is switched to its new position when it will inhibit the issue of a ticket relating to previous fare values.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the barrier will only be relaxed for operation when a pulse issues from the AND gate 50. This will occur only when the counter 20 counts four forward pulses and the NOTCH SWITCH 39 is operated and the correct ticket code presented to the machine. At the same time that the barrier operates the PRINT AND CUT mechanism operates since a pulse issues from the AND gate 51 to strobe the multiplexer 60 simultaneously with the pulse issuing from the AND gate 50.

In this manner, a ticket cannot be inserted into the canceller to operate the barrier without the ticket being cancelled for a journey. Similarly unsteady hand feeding or "dither" of a ticket into the throat of the canceller will not result in data being incorrectly read by the canceller because data is entered into and withdrawn from the register 18 in accordance with forward and reverse feeding of the ticket relative to the photocells in the throat of the canceller.

Referring to Figs. 4a, 4b of the drawings there is shown a multi-journey ticket to operate the circuits of Figs. 2a, 2b. The ticket 1 comprises a base of cardboard printed on its front face (Fig. 4a) with columns 70 representative of stage serial numbers and routes and also printed at one side with a series of numbers 71 representative of numbers of journeys. The side parts bearing these series numbers are arranged to be cut off by mechanism of the kind described in British patent specification No. 1,065,764, one number at each insertion of the ticket. Each time the ticket is inserted it is located by the leading edge 72 of the side part of the ticket made when the next previous side parts of the ticket was cut off.

The rear face of the ticket bears areas 73 of coded information corresponding to the areas shown in Fig. 1. It also bears locating printed area 74 part of which includes a non-printed area 75. This area 75 is located in such a way that the sensing heads 3A, 3B are de-energised by it to give a notification to the machine that all the journeys available to the ticket user have been used up and therefore the ticket is no longer valid.

By cancelling the part of the ticket relating to a predetermined number of journeys the side parts bearing numbers will all have been removed so that the sensing heads 3A, 3b are rendered inoperative before the side edge is located.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A ticket machine system including a ticket machine and tickets for use therewith wherein the tickets bear a data track and two clock tracks the marks of the second clock track being offset lengthwise of the tracks with respect to the marks of the first track and wherein the machine has a circuit to sense the marks of the two clock tracks to determine the direction of movement of the ticket and a register to store data entered from the data track, means for sequentially entering the data into the register from the ticket when the ticket is moved in a forward direction and for sequentially removing the data from the register when the ticket is moved in the reverse direction and means for generating a signal when a predetermined amount of data has been entered into the register wherein the signal is utilized to operate a -mechanism for cancelling the ticket.

2. A ticket machine system for cancelling tickets according to claim 1, wherein the sensing means comprises photocells to receive light (which may be outside the visible spectrum) reflected from ticket bearing areas, some of which reflect light and others of which absorb light.

3. A ticket machine system according to claim I or 2, having in combination therewith a barrier mechanism released when the mechanism for cancelling the ticket is operated.

4. A ticket machine system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the sensing means includes a device sensitized by the insertion of a ticket into the machine.

5. A ticket machine system for cancelling tickets according to claim 4 comprising an additional sensing device to sense a third track, which third track represents the data to be entered into the register.

6. A ticket machine system constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. In this manner, a ticket cannot be inserted into the canceller to operate the barrier without the ticket being cancelled for a journey. Similarly unsteady hand feeding or "dither" of a ticket into the throat of the canceller will not result in data being incorrectly read by the canceller because data is entered into and withdrawn from the register 18 in accordance with forward and reverse feeding of the ticket relative to the photocells in the throat of the canceller. Referring to Figs. 4a, 4b of the drawings there is shown a multi-journey ticket to operate the circuits of Figs. 2a, 2b. The ticket 1 comprises a base of cardboard printed on its front face (Fig. 4a) with columns 70 representative of stage serial numbers and routes and also printed at one side with a series of numbers 71 representative of numbers of journeys. The side parts bearing these series numbers are arranged to be cut off by mechanism of the kind described in British patent specification No. 1,065,764, one number at each insertion of the ticket. Each time the ticket is inserted it is located by the leading edge 72 of the side part of the ticket made when the next previous side parts of the ticket was cut off. The rear face of the ticket bears areas 73 of coded information corresponding to the areas shown in Fig. 1. It also bears locating printed area 74 part of which includes a non-printed area 75. This area 75 is located in such a way that the sensing heads 3A, 3B are de-energised by it to give a notification to the machine that all the journeys available to the ticket user have been used up and therefore the ticket is no longer valid. By cancelling the part of the ticket relating to a predetermined number of journeys the side parts bearing numbers will all have been removed so that the sensing heads 3A, 3b are rendered inoperative before the side edge is located. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A ticket machine system including a ticket machine and tickets for use therewith wherein the tickets bear a data track and two clock tracks the marks of the second clock track being offset lengthwise of the tracks with respect to the marks of the first track and wherein the machine has a circuit to sense the marks of the two clock tracks to determine the direction of movement of the ticket and a register to store data entered from the data track, means for sequentially entering the data into the register from the ticket when the ticket is moved in a forward direction and for sequentially removing the data from the register when the ticket is moved in the reverse direction and means for generating a signal when a predetermined amount of data has been entered into the register wherein the signal is utilized to operate a -mechanism for cancelling the ticket.

2. A ticket machine system for cancelling tickets according to claim 1, wherein the sensing means comprises photocells to receive light (which may be outside the visible spectrum) reflected from ticket bearing areas, some of which reflect light and others of which absorb light.

3. A ticket machine system according to claim I or 2, having in combination therewith a barrier mechanism released when the mechanism for cancelling the ticket is operated.

4. A ticket machine system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the sensing means includes a device sensitized by the insertion of a ticket into the machine.

5. A ticket machine system for cancelling tickets according to claim 4 comprising an additional sensing device to sense a third track, which third track represents the data to be entered into the register.

6. A ticket machine system constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.