GB2271316A

GB2271316A - OCR cards for use in a computer-aided management system.

Info

Publication number: GB2271316A
Application number: GB9221264A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yoko Sasaki
Original assignee: SOC Corp
Current assignee: SOC Corp
Priority date: 1992-10-09
Filing date: 1992-10-09
Publication date: 1994-04-13
Also published as: BR9204063A; GB9221264D0; NL9201816A; DE4235341A1

Abstract

Identifying colours (9) for classifying OCR cards are provided, being displaced for each unit of classification, at the peripheral portion (6) of an OCR card, which portion cannot be read by an OCR card reading apparatus. Furthermore, graphics, characters and the like (12) which represent the contents of the data to be read out are printed by use of drop-out colour ink at the portion of the card which can be read by the optical reading apparatus. Thus, classification of OCR cards is made easier and ingress of cards which have been wrongly classified can be easily determined. For example, classification can be easily done by observing the graphics, characters or the like printed by drop-out colour ink without having to interpret the contents of the data, such as code numbers or the like, and reading error rate can be reduced to zero. <IMAGE>

Description

2271316 OCR CARDS FOR USE IN A COMPUTER-AIDED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM The

present invention relates to OCR cards for use in an optical character reading (OCR) apparatus'which is used for a computer-aided management system and, in particular, such OCR cards as are capable of being easily classified.

Since OCR cards are advantageous in that the content may be readily recognized and consequently identified by visual observation if a user cheeks the specifications of the cards to be input in a computer, they are usually used as a means of inputting the data of a computer-aided management system, such as a manufacture's production control system.

In a computeraided management system, when OCR cards are used, it is normally necessary to classify the OCR cards which have been input with data, for example by department, (i.e., production department or sales department) and by the categories of products.

In order to mechanically execute this sort of classification, it was necessary to utilize a custom designed card reader which classifies OCR cards by reading the classification information inputted on them.

Accordingly, employment of such a mechanical OCR card classifier is normally limited to use in a large-scale control system utilizing a large scale computer, and as 2- a consequence it is not widely used in many management systems.

Thus at present, classification of such OCR cards necessitates visual observation of the content of the data inputted onto OCR cards, which, in turn, requires tremendous labour and time.

An object of the present invention is to provide OCR cards capable of being readily classified.

In order to attain this object, in the present invention the OCR cards for use in an optical character reading apparatus which is used for a computer-aided management system are characterized in that an identifying representation for classifying the OCR cards is provided at an optional position on the portion of one surface of the OCR cards which cannot be read by the optical character reading apparatus.

Since the OCR cards according to the present invention are provided with identifying representation for the purpose of classifying the OCR cards as above described, ingress of the OCR cards having a wrong classification may be easily checked by visual observation. Furthermore, although, the identifying representation is not needed to be input in a computer, it can be provided with such a management function as an instruction to an operator or the like.

Accordingly to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the representation of at least a part of the contents of the data read into the optional position of one surface of the OCR cards which is read by the optical character reading apparatus is provided by a drop-out colour ink.

Accordingly, the OCR cards may be provided with an identifying function by way of visual observation of the 1 representation in dropout colour ink. As a consequence, the OCR cards which contain information readable by the OCR card reading apparatus and information unreadable by the OCR card reader but readable by a person, allow their function to for exceed the function of a mere input to a computer, and enables information classification by visual observation to be immensely widened, whereby a management system may be endowed with a control function which is quite valuable in respect of system control.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the manner the OCR cards according to the present invention are read by an optical character reading apparatus available on the market.

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the OCR cards according to the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be explained by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is the perspective view showing the manner the OCR cards according to the present inventlon are read by an OCR card reading apparatus available on the market, and Fig. 2 is the plan view of the OCR cards according to the present invention. In both of the accompanying drawings, numeral 1 designates an OCR card which is inserted into a scanner section of the OCR card reading apparatus 2 (the scanner section being the part of the apparatus for focusing the characters on the card as an optical image and converting the optical information into an electrical signal), whereby the characters on the card are read and the derived signals are identified by the character recognition section 5 located beneath the table 4.

The OCR is not limited to any particular shape, circular, trapezoidal or triangular shapes may be used.

In the present embodiment, a rectangular card 6 is employed.

Nor is the OCR card limited to a specific size, but due to the restriction caused by the printing capability of the printer which inputs or prints data on the OCR card, a size (vertical X horizontal) ranging from 52 X 75 mm to 305 x 346 mm is employed.

The material of the card 6 is also not specifically limited. In the present embodiment, paper rigid enough to be free of crimp and having paper quality of 70 - 135 kg is used.

The printable locations on one surface of an OCR card are classified into portion 7 (referred to as "unreadable portion"), which cannot be read by the OCR card reading apparatus 2, comprising, for example, the peripheral portion 6, and portion 8 which can be read by the OCR card reading apparatus 2 (referred to as "readable portion").

In the present embodiment, the OCR card 1 is inserted into the OCR reading device 2 with the upper side of the OCR card 1 shown in Fig. 2 entering first. As the OCR card 1 is inserted, the data input onto the card is detected. The unreadable portion 7 comprises three peripheral portions excluding the insertion side 6a, i.e., the left side 6b, the lower side 6c and the right side 6d.

It is to be noted, however, that the unreadable portions according to the present invention are not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned portions. More specifically, if the OCR card reading apparatus 2 includes a mechanism for reading portions other than the upper and lower, as well as left and right peripheral portions, the upper peripheral portion 6a of the OCR card may also be included in the unreadable portion 7. Conversely, if the readable portion 8 is established at a portion of the internal area other than the peripheral portion 6, then the remaining area may be included in the unreadable portion 7.

At a given optional position in the unreadable portion 7, different colors 9 for various units, such as different departments or products, are printed for each unit of classification. To classify the OCR cards 1, the operator does not have to discern the data input thereon, and instead be can easily classify the OCR cards 1 by turning them over to observe the identification colour printed at the given positions for classification.

G- Instead of identification colours, any symbols or characters 10 respectively expressing the units of classification, such as departments or products as above mentioned, may be printed or a combination of the above identification colours and these symbols or characters may also be used.

Furthermore, in order to make classification of the OCR cards 1 easier, the positions of printing the identification colours in the unreadable portion 7 may be so displaced that different identification colours will not be partially or wholly super imposed.

For a similar purpose, the identification colours may be printed to the edge of the peripheral portion 6 of the OCR card. If the identification colours are thus printed to is the edge of the OCR card 1, the colour or position of the printed colour may be identified from the side when the OCR cards 1 are stacked, so that any ingress of a different OCR card 1 may be readily detected.

If the identification colours are printed with normal ink or the readable portion 8, they will be read by the OCR card reading apparatus 2 as input data. Therefore, it is necessary to print them with an ink which cannot be read by the reading apparatus 2. Such an ink is already in use in this technical field and is referred to in the present specification as "drop-out colour ink" which is printed on the OCR card, cannot be read by the OCR card reading apparatus 2, but can be recognized by a person by the colour and the printed pattern.

Characters recognizable by a person (such as the name of an entity, numerals, or the like) are printed at a given optional position on the readable portion 8, such as the position designated by numeral 11, by using this drop-out colour ink.

It is possible, instead of printing characters at a given optional position on the readable portion 8, to print by use of a drop-out colour ink rectangular patterns as designated by numeral 12 encircling characters, numerals, symbols (referred to as "recognizable character") or another pattern, designated by numeral 14, and which can be read by the OCR card reading apparatus 2.

If the representation printed by the drop-out colour ink is made to correspond to the contents of the input data, such as a code number or the like representing a department, and has been printed to be read by the OCR card reading apparatus 2, it is possible to immediately understand the contents of the data without having to interpret the contents of the input data. Thus, the utility of the OCR card 1 provides not only the means of inputting a computer but also many other functions.

According to the state of the art at the present time, if hand-written characters or dotted characters are utilized as the characters for input data of an OCR card 1, the reading error rate by the OCR reading apparatus 2 will not be zero. In view of this fact, in the present embodiment, such dotted characters are not used, and only integrally formed characters or types (for example made of type metal) with character font in accordance with JIS X-9010 General are used. This excludes the use of hand written Chinese characters, 'Siragana" characters, (a kind of Japanese characters), etc., so as to attain a zero reading error rate of the recognizable characters 12. In this way, even if unstable conditions are found with respect 1 to insertion of the OCR card 1 or the surface of the OCR card 1, there is no fear of reading error by the reading apparatus 2.

In Fig. 2, reference numeral 14 designates the cut out portion which suggests the direction of insertion of the OCR card 1 into the OCR card reading apparatus 2.

An exemplary use of the present invention will next be explained. The issuing department where data are input onto:OCR cards 1 issues the OCR cards 1 by printing recognizable characters 12 on them. The execution department, such as a production department or a production control department, will subsequently receive the OCR cards 1 and input the OCR cards 1 into the OCR card reading apparatus 2 to acquire the information thereon, record the contents thereof and interpret them so as to commence the respective work. In this instance, wrong classification of the OCR cards 1 or other errors may be readily found and corrected by identification through the identification colours or the like, as mentioned above.

As explained above in detail, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide various modes of classification of the OCR cards for use by visual observation in a computer-aided management system, by printing identification colours on different -g- positions of the peripheral portions of the OCR cards, and/or by printing different colours on the same positions of the peripheral portions of the OCR cards. Furthermore, use of integrally formed fonts as the graphic characters enables an optical character reading apparatus to correctly read the data even if the printed surface of an OCR card becomes irregular. As a consequence, use of this OCR card makes it possible for an optical character reading apparatus to attain zero reading error rate. Furthermore, since classification error or other irregularities may be detected through visual observation and necessary information may be immediately acquired, it is possible to provide a computer aided management system which obtains quick and correct inputting and reading of data.

In addition, if graphics and characters are printed with drop-out ink at positions other than the peripheral portions of an OCR card, classification through eye observation may be immensely expanded and the volume of information which can be directly acquired by eye observation may be much more increased. Thus, the effect provided by the present invention may be greatly enhanced.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

We claim:

1. An OCR card for an optical character reading apparatus for use in a computer-aided management system provided with identifying representations for classifying the OCR card, such representations being located at a given 1 optional position on the portion of one surface of said OCR card which cannot be read by an optical reading apparatus.

2. An OCR card as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said identifying representations are provided by identifying colours.

3. An OCR card as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said portion which cannot be read is the peripheral portion of said OCR card.

4. An OCR card as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said identifying representations are provided up to the edge of the peripheral portion of said OCR card by means of identifying colours.

5. An OCR card as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a representation-representing at least a part of the contents of the data to be read out is provided by means of a drop out colour ink at a given optional position on the portion of one surface of said OCR card which can be read by an optical character reading apparatus.

6. An OCR card as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the characters provided on the OCR card which can be read by an optical character reading apparatus are printed by using integrally formed types.

11

7. An OCR card for optical character reading apparatus substantially as described herein and with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.