Patent Application
20060196371
The invention refers to a portable imprinting credit card device, which has the potential to imprint, by applying pressure, upon a document (e.g. transaction receipt) the embossed characters of a credit card and a merchant plate.
The imprinting credit card devices are devices that are found in a variety of retail establishments, which deal in the field of credit buying. The particular apparatuses imprint the embossed alphanumeric characters on a credit card and the vendor's information on a merchant plate, by applying pressure upon a joined pile of forms (i.e. triple form).
The imprinting credit card devices usually consist of a rectangular base plate and a moving carriage said imprinting head, which is manually pulled back-and-forth along the length of the base plate. The imprinting head comprises one cylinder said rolling platen mounted on one axle or two cylinders said rolling platens, each mounted on two separate axles and is adjusted upon the base with the use of a specially designed sliding ledge. The most common dimension of such a device is approximately 300×140×70 mm (length×width×height).
The merchant plate is adjusted permanently onto the base plate and a set of guide fingers is positioned for the credit card and the form set.
Once the formset said sales slip is placed within the set of guide fingers, with a hand operated back and forth movement of the imprinting head over the base plate, the rolling platens press the form set against the credit card and the merchant plate. As a result the credit card's as well as the merchant plate's embossed characters are printed onto the form set.
The merchant plate generally is a rectangular plate and usually having raised embossed characters provides the account number, name, address and in some cases the official sign or symbol of the retail establishment that is making the sale.
The credit card having embossed characters provides information concerning the owner of the card. Such information is the card number, name and address of the purchaser as well as the expiry date of the card and the official sign or symbol of the credit card company.
The formset, which is used, consists of a number of pre-printed paper having blank spaces and with carbon paper in-between the copies. The purpose is to imprint upon the joined form sets' blank spaces the credit card's and merchant plate's correct data, which in continuation the credit card company will properly use in order to complete the transaction. The transaction amount is also written usually on the sales slip by pen as well as the signature of the credit card's owner.
Usually the credit card imprinting devices are quite rigid constructions in order to be able to imprint properly the sales slip with the embossed data from the card and the plate the moment the print pressure is applied. For this reason the credit card imprinters are quite bulky and heavy.
The credit card imprinting devices comprise a carriage, which includes one or two rolling platens. In cases where only one rolling platen is used, then with only one sole movement along the base plate the embossed data of both the card and the plate are imprinted upon the sales slip, with this one movement. In other words there is only one printing cycle. A drawback related to such an imprinter appears when the raised letters of a credit card differ in height, even slightly from those of the merchant plate. In such a case the imprinting of data, resulting either from the card or the plate will not be one of high quality. The above problem can be dealt with the adjustment of two different rolling platens, which respectively in one direction will imprint the data of the merchant plate and in the opposite direction those of the credit card, upon the sales slip.
Regarding devices that use two rolling platens, each time that the imprinting head changes direction, the rolling platens change respectively. When the imprinting head is pulled over the formset in one direction (usually right) the first rolling platen imprints. At the end of this travel across the base plate, with the help of a special stop (end), which is located at the end of the base, the specific rolling platen is urged upwards and the other rolling platen is shifted from the upward position to a downward print position. This occurs while the imprinting head is changing direction (traveling left) to return to the starting position. Once the imprinting head has reached the starting point, a second stop (end) forces the rolling platen to change again positions. Thus the latter rolling platen is shifted again upwards and the former downwards. The above procedure guarantees excellent quality in imprinting, even in cases where the card and the plate differ in thickness.
For some devices however the users themselves are in position to adjust the distance between each rolling platen and the base plate with the use of small screws, which exert pressure on the rolling platen's axles. By this way the users can control easily the dark quality of the imprinting, according to the thickness of the form set used.
The foregoing devices are appropriate for use only in indoor stores, restaurants, e.t.c. They are usually placed on desks next to the counter. Their bulky size makes them inappropriate to be used as portable devices. As a result the sales person always has to take the customer's credit card with him and go to the desk where the imprinter is placed, imprint a form set and return to the customer with the imprinted form. In a large restaurant or department store, this procedure may cause a considerable delay, resulting in wasting the time of both the sales personnel and the customer's. Likewise a heavy and bulky apparatus is also difficult to be carried and be used by a taxi driver or street vendor.
A solution regarding the above problem relies on manufacturing a device which will be sufficiently light and portable so that it may be carried, at any time or place, by a waiter, a employee of a store or even a taxi driver. In addition, the imprinting can be applied in presence of the customer.
The portable credit card imprinters manufactured nowadays to manage the demand related to the field of credit buying, have the following drawbacks:
In conclusion the portable devices that are manufactured today cannot function properly and for a long period of usage.
The new invention is a small credit card imprinting device (approximate dimensions 160×105×35 mm, length×width×height) with a base plate manufactured by aluminum, supporting the upward and downward shifting of the two cylinders respectively and the user's adjustment of the distance between the rolling platens and the base plate. The device is very rigid and provides high quality printing for prolonged periods of usage, irrespective the thickness of the card or the plate. At the same time, it is very easy to use and it is very robust to user's inappropriate treatment (accidentally dropped or damaged).
This particular credit card imprinting device consists of a one piece small integral base plate (1), made of an extruded piece of aluminum and an imprinting head (2), made of thermosetting plastic material that is injection molded. The imprinting head travels in a reversible motion across the base plate.
The shape of the base plate (1) is rectangular, having its two larger ends forced upwards, forming an inverted Greek letter Π and bending (closing) slightly inwards, forming two grooves—edges (3, 4) along the length of the base's larger side walls and two flat surfaces (5, 6), upon which the imprinting head (2) slides in order to run over the base plate. At one side of the base there is a specially formed long but narrow cut (7), through which the insertion of the card can be accomplished. Along the length of the same side the aluminum is specially formed (8) in order to facilitate the insertion of the card. Along the top surface, maintaining its distance from the long—narrow cut (7), there is a specially formed projection (9), used to define the card's position (card receiving area) and to lead the form set to the correct position over the credit card and the merchant plate. At the two ends of only one of the base's side walls and indicated at the lower part of the base plate, there are two cuts (10, 11), at which the two plastic ends (12, 13) are assembled by screws. In addition, at the lower part of the base plate and within appropriate distances there are four cuts (14, 15, 16, 17), which are used for anchoring the merchant plate to the base plate. Finally, at the lower part of the base plate, but upon projection (9), there are two cuts (18, 19), used to support the small document's stop end (20).
At the ends of the base's internal grooves—edges two plastic end walls (12, 13) are adjusted. These are used as covers and as ending lines (stop lines) for the imprinting head's (2) reciprocal movement as well as the respective upwards and downwards shifting of the two rolling platens (21, 22).
The plastic end (12), illustrated in
The plastic end (13), illustrated in
Along the length of the base's two flat surfaces, slides the imprinting head (2), being at the same time perfectly fastened to the base. The imprinting head (2), consists of two special geometrical shape sections (32, 33) that are bound together by two screws (34, 35).
On the upper part of the imprinting head (32), as depicted in
The lower part of the imprinting head (33), as depicted in
The axle (26), illustrated in
The four sliding parts (45, 46, 47, 48), illustrated in
The cover (42) of the imprinting head (2), illustrated in
The aforementioned parts are firmly and unbreakably bound not only among each other but also with the base of the imprinter.
The imprinting quality of the specific device is so good that it could even replace the conventional stationary (immobile) devices that are manufactured today and found at almost all retail establishments.
While only a single suggested model of the invention has been described, it should be understood that in practice many variations might be made without thereto departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. The present application aims at establishing all the variations that may accrue, within however the scope of the appended claims.
