WO2009037414A2

WO2009037414A2 - Document processing apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2009037414A2
Application number: PCT/GB2007/003541
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Andrew Barnfather; Stephen Bainster Green; Marcus Leon David Keel; John Strawbridge; Stephen Mackenzie; Stephen Burrows; John F. Graham; Scott Sloss; John Thomson
Original assignee: De La Rue International Limited
Priority date: 2007-09-18
Filing date: 2007-09-18
Publication date: 2009-03-26
Also published as: WO2009037414A9; WO2009037444A2; WO2009037444A3

Abstract

A document processing apparatus is disclosed which is particularly well adapted for the processing of passports or other booklet-style documents. The apparatus comprises a feed module for inputting documents one-by-one from a stack; optionally, an RFID shuttle module for programming e-passports and the like; a printer module for printing data such as personalisation information onto the document; optionally, an auxiliary module which is replaceable with alternative processing modules; a lamination module for applying a laminate patch to the document; a Quality Assurance (QA) module for testing the processed document; and a stacker module for stacking the processed documents.

Description

Document Processing Apparatus

This invention relates to an apparatus for processing documents and associated methods. The apparatus is particularly well adapted for the processing of security documents of value such as passports which typically incorporate a number of security features. The apparatus is especially well suited for the personalisation of such security documents, i.e. incorporating information identifying the document's owner (for example) into the document securely. However, the apparatus could be used for many other types of documents processing. As such, the description below will largely focus on the use of the apparatus in the personalisation of passports. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not so limited. Similarly, the apparatus will be referred to interchangeably as a document processing apparatus or passport processing apparatus, the latter term being used as an example and not as an intention to limit the scope of the apparatus.

Conventionally, personal data is incorporated into passports during the manufacture of the passport booklet itself. Traditionally, personalisation data consists of printed details of the owner provided on a page of the passport, typically the penultimate page. An example of a typical passport is illustrated in Figures (iii) a, b and c. As is well-known, a typical passport booklet 10 comprises a front cover 11 and a back cover 12 joined along a spine 13 into which a number of pages 14 are bound. Typically, personalisation information is provided on the last page 15 preceding the back cover 12.

As shown in Figure (iii) b, personalisation information typically consists of a number of elements including a machine readable zone 16 on which is printed encoded data. On passing the machine readable zone 16 through an appropriate reader, the code can be optically captured and decrypted by a computer to access details such as the owner's name, passport number etc. So that the passport 10 can readily be matched to its owner, the personalisation information typically further includes a photograph 17. The remainder 18 of the personalisation information comprises details such as the owner's name, date of birth, residence, passport number and nationality.

Recently, it has also become common to incorporate non-visible personalisation data into a passport by means of a computer readable chip such as an RFID tag incorporated within the passport. Typically, this is achieved by embedding an RFID tag and antenna into one of the covers of the passport booklet 10. The RFID tag is programmed with data relating to the passport owner using a data encoder and transponder. To prevent the printed personalisation data being tampered with or forged, the page 15 on which the information is provided typically also includes a number of security measures such as intaglio printing, embossing, security inks and/or holograms. The sheet material carrying page 15 is therefore conventionally processed separately from the remainder of the pages 14 so that it can undergo printing of the personalisation information and have the security elements applied as desired. The page 15 is then assembled together with the remaining pages 14 into the booklet form. If the passport is also provided with an RFID tag, this is programmed in a separate step.

This conventional technique poses a number of disadvantages since the procedure is long and complex. Moreover, there is a risk that once the personalised page 15 has been created and appropriate security features applied, if any errors occur in the subsequent fabrication of the booklet or programming of the RFID tag, the personalisation page 15 will require re-printing and the application of new security elements at considerable cost. Therefore, this technique can lead to wastage of expensive security elements.

Alternative techniques which have been used include personalising an assembled passport booklet, but due to the difficulty in handling such an irregularly shaped article, this has had to be carried out manually. As shown in Figure iii(c), the cross-section of a typical passport varies considerably from one side to the other: typically, when opened to the personalisation page 15, the front half 10a of the passport is of much thicker dimension than the rear half 10b, due to the number of closed pages 14. This makes it extremely difficult to pass the document through any conventional printer without experiencing skew. Instead, it is necessary for an operator to insert only the personalisation page 15 manually into a printer and then apply the necessary security elements. Again, programming of any RFID tag is carried out separately. Such techniques are of course time consuming, expensive and prone to user error.

The present invention provides a document processing apparatus as described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. 0. Overview

Figure (i) depicts a document processing apparatus 1 and identifies its main constituent modules. The apparatus is supported by and enclosed within a housing 100, described in Section 1 below.

A passport or other document to be processed is input to the apparatus 1 via a feed module 200. As described in Section 2 below, the feed module 200 accepts a stack of passports which have been opened to the page which is to be provided with personalisation data. The feed module performs separation of the stack such that each passport is fed one-by-one into the apparatus 1.

The open passport is received by an RFID shuttle module 300 which comprises transponder means for programming any RFID tag provided in the passport. Since this programming step can be slow, the RFID shuttle module is provided with two laterally spaced bays, each of which is equipped with an RFID transponder. The module can therefore receive a first passport for programming the RFID tag using the module's first bay. Before or during programming, the shuttle can move the first bay out of the document path bringing the second transponder bay into register with the input feed so as to receive a second passport and attend to its programming. This avoids the RFID shuttle module 300 slowing the overall process, so that output levels can be maintained. The RFID shuttle module is described in more detail in Section 3 below.

The passport is then passed to a printer module 400 in which personalisation data is printed onto an open page of the banknote. As in conventional systems, typically it is the penultimate page 15 on which the data printed. The printer module 400 typically applies a machine readable code 16, a photograph 17 and additional data 18 as described above in relation to Figure (iii) b. Further details of the printer module can be found in Section 4 below.

The printed passport is then passed to an auxiliary module 500. This is an optional module which may be omitted or replaced in certain embodiments. In the example described below, the auxiliary module simply consists of a linear transport assembly for conveying the passport to the next module. However, it is preferable to include this auxiliary module should it be desired to enhance the functionality of the apparatus in the future. For example, it is envisaged that the auxiliary module could readily be replaced by a second printer module or other device for applying security features, for example. In essence, the auxiliary module is provided to "futureproof" the apparatus. The auxiliary module is described in greater detail below in Section 5.

The passport then reaches a laminator module 600. The laminator module 600 applies a laminate "patch" over the page on which personalisation data was printed in the printer module 400. The "patch" may take any desired form but typically may include holographic elements and/or security inks such as those which change appearance on application of heat. The laminator module 600 is described in Section 6 below. Once laminated, the passport enters a quality assessment (QA) module 700.

The purpose of the QA module is to check the quality of the printing on the passport and, if the passport is equipped with an RFID tag, confirm that it is operating correctly. A number of variants of the QA module are available, and these are described in Section 7 below. In one example, the QA module comprises a reader which scans only the machine readable zone 16 of the data for confirmation that this can be properly decoded. In alternative embodiments, the QA module may be equipped to perform a full page scan of the personalisation data to check the quality of all of the printing. The QA module is equipped with an RFID transponder which may be used either to simply ascertain that any RFID tag in the passport is responsive, or to read the full data programmed thereon to determine whether it is correct.

The passport is then transferred from the QA module 700 to a stacker module 800. As described in Section 8 below, if the passport has successfully passed the tests applied by the QA module 700, the stacker module manipulates the open passport into its closed booklet form and outputs the passport into a secure container in which the processed passports form a stack. The secure container is preferably arranged so as to form a horizontal stack such that the operator has quick access to any of the processed passports and not just those at the top of the stack. If the passport has not passed the QA test, the stacker module outputs the open passport into a reject pile. It is preferable that more than one reject pile is provided into which passports are divided according to the reason for their rejection. In this way, it may be possible to reuse any rejected passports which have not been printed on or subjected to lamination. As shown in Figure (ii), the apparatus is controlled by two processors, known as the machine-based server 905 and the host server 910. The machine-based server 905 communicates with module controllers provided in each of the modules described above. In this way, the machine-based server controls the transport of each passport through the apparatus 100 and performs low level control of the various devices contained within each module. The data is provided by host server 910, which controls printing by the printer module 400 and RFID tag programming/checking in the RFID shuttle module 300 and QA module 700. The host server 910 also makes all decisions and issues instructions to the machine- based server 905. The host server may be provided alongside the apparatus 1 and machine-based server, or could be located remotely and communicate with the machine-based server 905 via a network such as the internet. The control aspects of the apparatus will be described in more detail in Section 9 below.

1.0 Housing and Structure

The various modules of the document processing apparatus 1 are supported by a cabinet 101 and housed within a superstructure 150. Both structures are shown in Figure 1 A, the superstructure 150 being shown lifted away from the cabinet 101 for clarity.

The cabinet 101 also houses a number of components which will be described in connection with the relevant modules.

1.1 Cabinet 101

The cabinet 101 comprises a rectangular framework having front, side and rear walls 102a - d. Front wall 102a is provided with two doors 103a and103b which are openable to access the interior of the cabinet 101. Preferably, each door is also equipped with a lock for restricting access to authorised persons only.

The top surface of the cabinet 101 is completed by top plate 149 and has three distinct regions. At the left end of the cabinet, components 110 are provided to support and power the feed module 200. At the other extremity, components are provided to support and drive stacker 800. Between these regions, components 120 are provided to support each processing module, namely the RFID shuttle 300, the printer module 400, the auxiliary module 500, the laminator module 600 and the QA module 700. As described below, each module is supported in such a way that it can be easily slid out of the apparatus for repair or replacement without disturbing any other module. The components provided in each region are shown in more detail in Figures

1 B(i) and 1 B(ii).

1.1.1 Feed Modules Support Region 110

In use, the feed module 200 is supported on struts 112 and 113 which run parallel to the front 102a of the cabinet 110 and are laterally spaced by the width of the feed module 200. Each strut 112 and 113 extends between the left side wall 102b of the cabinet 101 and the first RFID shuttle module strut 115. Each strut 112 and 113 is provided with a runner 112a and 113a on which the feed module rests and which confines the lateral position of the feed module 200. Vertical plates 111a and 111b, best shown in Figure 1 B(ii), are affixed to each strut 112 and 113 to define the front and rear sides of the feed module. When assembled, these cooperate with the superstructure to complete the enclosure. On rear vertical plate 111 b are mounted a number of control elements for providing power to and controlling the functions of the feed module 200. This includes a transformer 117, a 24v supply 118, as well as components which are not visible in the Figures, including mains input, mains noise reduction filter, mains distribution panel and a 5v supply. To the front of the feed module (its position is defined by struts 112 and 113) are housed individual USB connections and a low voltage power supply board.

1.1.2 Processing Modules Support Region 120

In use, the central region 120 of the cabinet 101 supports all of the modules which carry out processing of the documents. Each processing module is supported on a pair of strut extending between the front and rear walls of the cabinet 101 and corresponding runners.

Preferably, at least some of the modules have the same footprint area to allow for easy interchangeability and insertion of new modules in the future. In this case, the central three modules, namely the printer module, the auxiliary module and the laminator module have the same width whereas the RFID shuttle module and the QA module are approximately half the width. The RFID module 300 is supported on parallel strut 115 and 121 and corresponding runners 115a and 121 a. Each strut is fixed into position in the cabinet via bracket such as 114. Other brackets are not shown for clarity.

The printer module 400 is supported on parallel struts 112 and 113 and corresponding runners 122a and 123a. The auxiliary module 500 is mounted on parallel struts 124 and 125 and corresponding runners 124a and 125a. The laminator module 600 is supported by parallel struts 126 and 127 and corresponding runners 126a and 127a. Finally, the QA module 700 is mounted on struts 128 and 129 and corresponding runners 128a and 129a.

1.1.3 Stacker Module Support Region 130 The stacker module 800 is supported on parallel struts 131 and 132 extending between the front and rear walls of the cabinet 101. Underneath the stacker module, the cabinet region 130 houses a number of drive components to be described in Section 8 below, which take part in the stacking procedure. Aperture 134 is provided in the top surface 149 of the cabinet through which the drive components couple with the stacker module.

1.2 Superstructure 150

The superstructure 150, shown separated from the cabinet 101 in Figure 1A and depicted in more detail in Figure 1 C is assembled in use to the top surface of cabinet 101 and houses the various processing modules therewithin. This is necessary both for operator safety and to ensure cleanliness during the printing and laminating operations. As shown in Figure 1A, the superstructure 150 comprises four main assemblies. Structure 160 provides a surround for the feed module 200 and houses control and drive components thereunder. The main central portion 170 of the superstructure 150 houses the RFID shuttle module 300, the printer module 400, the auxiliary modules 500, the laminator module 600 and the QA module 700. This section is closed by a door assembly 180 which allows access to the processing modules. Finally, the right hand end of the superstructure 150 comprises a stacker module cover 190.

1.2.1 Feed Module Surround 160

The feed module surround comprises a cover plate 161 which, when assembled, fits over the feed module support region 110 of the cabinet 101. The cover plate is provided with an aperture 162 which aligns with the support struts 112 and 113 to enable the feed module 200 to extend therethrough in use (see Section 2 below).

The cover plate 161 also supports a display 169 which is preferably in the form of a flat screen monitor or a touch screen display which may be used to provide a user interface (preferably a graphical user interface). The user interface is discussed further in Section 9 below. As shown in Figure 1C(Ni), the rear of the cover plate provided with a mounting 164 for a fan to enable cooling of components housed therein, as well as an entry port 163 to enable power and communication cables to access the interior. Clips 165a and 165b are provided to secure the cover plate 161 to the cabinet 101.

1.2.2 Processing Module Housing 170 and Door Assembly 180

The housing 170 comprises a rear wall 171 b and left and right side walls 171a and 171c which divide the central region of the superstructure from the input and stacker module regions respectively. The housing 170 is provided with two viewing windows 172a and 172b in its rear wall 171b for monitoring the processing of each document as it passes through the modules. The rear wall 171 b is also provided with mountings 173 for fans or other environmental control components. It is preferable that the interior of the superstructure is maintained at a positive air pressure in order to avoid the ingress of dust or other particles which could interfere with the printing or laminating processes. The housing 170 is provided with an aperture 174 in the left wall 171 a through which each document enters the enclosure from the feed module 200. At the other extremity, aperture 175 is provided in right wall 171c for exit of the processed document into the stacker module 800. The enclosure is completed by door assembly 180 which comprises door panel 181 which is shaped as shown in Figure 1C(iii) to close the region. The door panel 181 is provided with a viewing window 182 for visual inspection of the document processing within the enclosure. The door panel 181 has a hinge 184 for pivotable connection to the housing 170. A latch 183 is provided for locking the door assembly 180 in its closed position.

1.2.3 Stacker Cover Assembly 190

The stacker module assembly 190 comprises a cover plate 191 which, in use, sits over the stacker module support region 130 of the cabinet 101 and encloses the stacker module 800 therewithin. The cover plate 191 includes an aperture 192 through which successfully processed passports are presented for forming into a stack, as will be described in Section 8 below. The cover plate 191 is also provided with a door 193, which is preferably transparent, through which the user can access the one or more reject piles of passports which have not been successfully processed. The door 193 is preferably hingeable via hinges 194. Clips 195a and 195b are provided to secure the cover plate 191 to the underlying cabinet 101. An optical sensor (not visible) is provided on the front interior wall of the cover plate 191. This generates a beam of light which crosses the stacker module in the region of the reject piles (see section 8 below) and is reflected by reflector 196. If either pile is full, the beam is broken and this will be detected by the sensor.

2.0 Feed Module 200

The feed module 200 is shown generally in Figure 2A. The main function of the feed module 200 is to feed a stack of documents into the processing apparatus one by one. The feed module 200 is particularly designed to feed booklet-style documents, such as passports, in the open condition (i.e. opened to a selected page). Since users will need to process a variety of different sized booklets, it is important that the feed module be capable of feeding a range of booklet types. As will be described below, the feed module shown in Figure 2A can perform successful separation and feeding of many booklet types commonly used as passports, for example ranging from 32 page "standard" passports to 64 page e- passports (i.e. including an RFID tag).

The stack of passports to be fed is loaded into hopper assembly 260 which sits on top of a feed drive assembly 210. The hopper assembly 260 is removable from the feed drive assembly 210 for ease of loading. The hopper assembly is preferably capable of containing sufficient documents for continuous processing of a batch without requiring operator intervention. For example, the hopper described below can hold up to 60 passports. On request from the control software, the feeder drive assembly performs a friction feed to extract the lowermost passport from the stack and presents it to the first processing module, here the RFID shuttle module 300. This is achieved using a twin drive belt assembly 240 opposed by an idler roller assembly 230. This method of feeding is different from conventional approaches where a pusher place is typically used to push each passport from behind and also prevents double feeds by holding the stack away from the passport to be processed.

In order for the lowermost passport to be successfully extracted from the stack by the friction drive belt, the drive force applied by the belts to the lowermost document must be great enough to overcome all frictional resistance. The friction from the next book and weight of the stack applies the main resistance. The book- to-book friction coefficient is significantly less than the book-to-belt friction coefficient. However, when the bottom passport is more than halfway out of the hopper stack, the surface of the subsequent book may contact the transport belt, which would potentially cause a double feed. This is avoided by the use of a stack support mechanism 250 which supports the weight of the stack, lifting it away from the lowermost passport once this bottom booklet has partially fed.

The feeder drive assembly 210, including the friction feed components 230 and 240 and the stack support mechanism 250 are described in Section 2.1 below. The hopper is angled at approximately 45° from the vertical which ensures that each passport remains open and flat. To ensure that the lowermost passport is always presented to the twin drive belts in a uniform manner, a retractable weight is provided which, in use, rests on the uppermost passport in the stack to urge the stack towards the drive mechanism. The weight is concentrated over the front half of the passport which, as described in Section 1.1 below, is the driven side of the document. The retractable weight is of particular importance to the feeding of the last few passports remaining in the stack.

The feed module ensures successful separation of the lowermost passport from the rest of the stack using a retardation device 280 forming part of the hopper assembly 260. In addition, a spine roller may be provided to assist the stack support mechanism 250 and help support the stack's mass. These and other features of the hopper assembly 260 will be described in Section 2.2 below.

The particular combination of features provided in the feed module 200 work together to allow, on request from the system, a passport to be separated from the stack and driven into the subsequent processing modules of the apparatus, whilst preventing double feeds, jams or feed failures.

The feed module 200 operates under the control of the machine computer

905 discussed in Section 9 below. The relevant control processes and error states are discussed in Section 2.3.

2.1 Feed Drive Assembly 210

The feed drive assembly 210 forms the base of the feed module 200. Base plate 201 is sized to be fitted and secured to support struts 112 and 113 provided in the top surface of the cabinet 101 (see Section 1 above). On the underside of the base plate 201 is mounted a control PCB 297 for controlling the various subsystems of the feed module 200. Vertically spaced from the baseplate 201 is a hopper support plate 201 on which the hopper assembly 260 is placed in use. The base plate 201 and hopper support plate 202 are affixed by a series of spacers 203, as best shown in Figure 2B.

On the hopper support plate 202 are affixed front and rear guide beams 205a and 205b between which the hopper assembly 260 is positioned in use. Left and right location bars 206a and 206c are provided on corresponding spaces 206b and 206d for accurate lateral positioning of the hopper assembly 260. When the hopper assembly 260 is mounted in use, the forward half of stack of passports is situated over the right hand region of the drive assembly 210. Here, the drive belt assembly 240 extends through the hopper support plate 202 to meet the lowermost passport. The drive components are completed by idler assembly 230 which is removable for access to the document path. These components will be described in more detail in Section 2.1.1 below. As the passport is conveyed away from the stack, its rear half is guided by deflector block 207a and guide plate 207b which have a gap therebetween sized so as to receive the rear half of the passport and maintain the passport in register. An optical sensor 208 mounted on housing 209 is provided to detect when a passport is positioned to exit the module. This is referred to as the module exit sensor "FS6" in Section 2.3 below.

Also housed within the feed drive assembly 210 is a stack support mechanism 250, described in Section 2.1.2 below. In use, this mechanism helps to take the weight of the stack of the lowermost passport and so assists in single feeding.

2.1.1 Drive Belt Assembly 240 and Idler Assembly 230

Figure 2C shows a cross-section through the feed module 200 with the hopper assembly 260 mounted on the drive assembly 210. A number of passport documents 10 are schematically illustrated in position within the hopper assembly 260, and it will be seen that they form a "stepped" stack. Referring to the overview above, each passport is open as illustrated in Figure (iii)c. The passports are arranged such that the front half 10a of each passport is oriented towards the front of the feeder module. The front half 10a of the lowermost passport rests on top of friction belts 241a and 241 b viewed most readily in Figure 2B(i). The thinner rear half (1 Ob) of the passport rests on the hopper baseplate to be described in Section 2.2 below. Thus, as in all of the processing modules 200 to 700, the passport is conveyed by driving the front half 10a of the booklet, which is typically thicker than the rear half 10b.

The friction belts 241 a and b are provided with a high friction coating in order to ensure sufficient drive force to propel the lowermost passport out of the stack. The drive force must be sufficient to overcome the weight of the stack plus that of the retractable weighting element 265 (described in Section 2.2 below) bearing down on the lowermost passport, as well as frictional forces between the lowermost book and its neighbour in the stack. The belts are supported by a pair of rollers 249a and b at their left extremity, and rollers 241a and b at the right, which constitutes the exit point of the feed module 200. These exit point rollers 241 a and b are mounted on a shaft (242¹) supported by bearings 243 a and b in plates 298a and b which form part of a feed motor housing 298, best shown in Figure 2D. The feed motor housing 298 supports drive motor 299 which drives pulley 246. The drive is transferred to the rollers 241a and b via a timing belt or O-ring 245 and a pulley 244 mounted on the drive roller shaft 242'.

The rollers 249a and b are mounted on a shaft (not visible) which is supported between the front and rear plates of the motor assembly 298, and are permitted to idle. Between the driven and idler rollers 241 and 249 are mounted two guide beams 296a and 296b (see Figures 2B(i) and 2C) which allow the drive belts 241 to move freely thereover but maintain a flat transport path and retain each belt in its correct lateral position.

The transport belts 241 are opposed near the module exit by idler assembly 230. As shown in Figures 2C and 2D, the idler assembly comprises four idler rollers 247a, b, c and d, spring-mounted within a pivotable holder. The holder plate 231 is supported by a mounting 204 joined to baseplate 201 and hopper support plate 202. The holder plate 231 has mounted thereunder front and rear support plates 236a and 236b. A first idler shaft 248a is supported between the plates 226a and b in vertically elongate apertures (not shown). The first idler shaft 248a supports idler rollers 247a and 247b thereon. In use, idler rollers 247a and 247b oppose the drive rollers 242a and b respectively.

A second idler shaft 248b (see Figure 2C) is supported to the left of the first idler shaft 248a also in vertically elongate slots provided in front and rear support plates 236a and 236b. The second idler shaft 248b has mounted thereon idler rollers 247c and 247d which oppose the transport belts 241 a and 241 b respectively at a position just spaced from the hopper assembly 260.

Both idler shafts 248a and 248b also support a positioning block 248 between the two pairs of rollers. As shown in Figure 2C, the positioning block 248 is biassed away from the support plate 231 by a pair of compression springs 248c. In this way, the idler rollers 247a, b, c, and d are urged towards the friction belts 241a and b in use. When a passport driven by the friction belts 241 approaches the first pair of idlers (comprising idler rollers c and d), its thickness causes deflection of the idler roller assembly, allowing the passport to pass through the nip defined between the idler rollers and the transport belts whilst maintaining sufficient friction therebetween to ensure adequate drive.

To allow access to the document pathway, the idler assembly 230 is pivotable so as to expose the underlying transport belts 241a and b. This permits straightforward jam clearance by the user. The components which achieve this are best shown in Figure 2D.

The support plate 231 is pivotably engaged with mounting plate 204 by means of a pivot shaft 233 which passes through a tab 204a provided at the uppermost extremity of the mounting plate 204 and the front edge of support plate

231. The shaft 233 is fixed laterally in position by pin 235 which passes through the mounting plate 204 and the shaft 233. The right end of the shaft 233 is supported in a bracket 232 affixed to the mounting plate 204. The tab 204a and bracket 232 define a cut-out therebetween. The support plate 231 has a locking tab 231a which extends at its front edge perpendicular into the defined cut-out. The tab 231a has mounted therein a dowel 234 which, when the idler assembly is in its closed position (as shown), extends a short way into a hole 232a provided in bracket 232. A compression spring 233a is provided about shaft 233, between tab 204a of the mounting and locking tab 231a, to urge the support plate 231 against the bracket

232, the dowel 234 preventing the idler assembly from pivoting. To unlock the assembly, the user slides support plate 231 to the left, compressing spring 233a. In doing so, dowel 234 is released from bracket 232, and the idler assembly 230 is free to pivot about shaft 233 toward the user to reveal the transport path. A handle 239 may be provided to assist the user in performing this operation. 2.1.2 Stack Support Mechanism 250

When the lowermost passport has been fed more than halfway out of the hopper stack, the surface of the next passport in the stack can contact the guide belt 241 which may lead to double feeding. In order to avoid this, a stack support mechanism 250 is provided to hold subsequent passports away from the drive belts.

Figure 2B(i) shows stack support pin 253 extending through hopper support plate 202 in its raised position in which it contacts the second passport in the stack to hold it clear of the transport belts. The components which actuate the mechanism can be viewed more clearly in Figures 2C, 2E and 2F.

The stack support pin 253 is retained in a housing 253a attached to the underside of hopper support plate 202. The stack support pin 253 is vertically slideable within the housing 253a between a raised position (as shown) and a retracted position in which the top of the pin does not extend beyond the vertical position of the drive belt 241.

The stack support pin 253 is moved between its retracted and raised positions by an actuator block 254 mounted underneath the pin housing 253a on a rotatable drive shaft 258 driven by stack support motor 259 (see Figure 2F in which the actuator block 254 is shown in dashed lines so that the motor shaft 258 becomes visible). The actuator block 254 supports an idler roller 254a on a shaft at its end furthest from the rotatable shaft 258. The base of the stack support pin 253 rests on the idler roller 254a. When the motor 259 is signalled to raise the stack support pin 253, the drive pin 258 is driven in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Figure 2F) to raise the idler roller 254a and side the stack support pin 253 up to the position shown. When the pin 253 is to be lowered, the motor 259 rotates drive pin 258 in the opposite, counterclockwise, direction which lowers the idler roller 254a and the stack support pin 253 falls under gravity to its retracted position.

In some alternative embodiments, the motor 259 can be replaced by a solenoid arranged to move the pin 253 up and down upon actuation. In order to sense the position of the stack support pin, the actuator block 254 is provided with a protrusion, in this case screw 257 which extends out at the base of the block 254, to cooperate with a pair of optical sensors 256a and 256b. In its raised position, the protrusion obstructs the light gate of optical sensor 256a, as depicted in Figure 2F. When moved into the retracted position, the protrusion 257 pivots with the rest of the actuator block 254 to clear the first sensor 256a and to obstruct instead the light gate of the second sensor 256b. The two sensors 256a and 256b can therefore be used in combination to determine the position of the stack support. The sensor is referred to as the stack support sensor (FS1) in Section 2.3 below.

2.2 Feed Hopper Assembly 260

The feed hopper assembly 260 is shown generally in Figures 2G (i)-(iv). The assembly mainly consists of a hopper 261 formed of front and rear halves 261a and 261 b to define a stack cavity therewithin. A retractable weight 265 is provided which, in use, rests on the top of the stack of banknotes to urge them toward the drive belt at the base of the stack. These components will be described in Section 2.2.1 below. As described in Section 2.1 above, successful passport feeding can only be achieved when the drive force overcomes the forces on the lowermost passport resulting from the weight of the passport stack and friction between the lowermost passport and its neighbour. To reduce the effect of the passport stack bearing down on the lowermost passport, a spine roller 270 may be provided as discussed in Section 2.2.2 below. The main part of the passport separation to achieve one by one feeding is performed by retardation device 280 discussed in Section 2.2.3 below.

2.2.7 Hopper 261

The hopper 261 comprises two halves 261 a and 261 b formed of shaped sheet metal which define a channel therewithin. As shown in Figure 2G(iv), the periphery of the channel need not be closed but may preferably remain open in at least one region to allow access to the contents and easy loading. The channel ends are angled at approximately 45° to the long axis of the channel such that, when fitted to the feed drive assembly 210, the long axis of the hopper 261 sits at an angle of approximately 45° to the horizontal (and to the vertical). This is designated angle θ in Figure 2G(i). The horizontal cross-section of the hopper 261 is dimensioned to fit an open passport document. The hopper walls 261a and 261 b are preferably made of a low friction material or provided with a low friction coating to ease loading as well as the passage of documents therethrough.

The hopper 261 is fixed at its lower end to a hopper support plate 263 which, as shown in Figure 2G(iii), has a cut-out through which drive belts 241a and b extend in use to meet the lowermost passport in the stack.

Additional support for the hopper 261 is provided by front and rear struts 262a and 262b which extend between the hopper 261 and the hopper support plate 263.

The hopper 261 is angled as shown in order to maintain the stacked passports in an opened and flat state. Conventional mechanisms which use vertical stacks of booklets suffer from the problem that the booklets have a tendency to close due to natural resilience in their spines. In the present apparatus, the sloping upper wall of the angled hopper 261 presents an obstacle to the closing of the booklets, holding the stack flat. It will be appreciated that the angle of the hopper need not be precisely 45° in order for this to be effective, indeed any value of θ less than 90° would assist in preventing the booklets from opening. However, if the angle is too small, the stack cannot be formed properly and it is difficult to convey the banknotes to the drive belts. The angle of 45° has been found to be a good balance between these two effects. The hopper support plate 263 includes a recess 263b which, when the hopper assembly 260 is mounted to the drive assembly 210, receives an magnetic sensor 264a which extends from the hopper support plate 202 (see Figure 2G(v), which is a plan view of the hopper support plate 262 with the hopper removed). A magnetic cover 263c is integrated into the hopper base plate 263 in the recess 263b which, when the hopper assembly 260 is positioned correctly, is detected by the magnetic sensor 264a and used to confirm that the hopper is correctly in position. This sensor is referred to as the feed magazine sensor (FS3) in Section 2.3 below.

As already mentioned, a captive weight 265 is provided to urge the stack of passports towards the drive belts. As shown in Figure 2J(i), the weight comprises a substantially flat plate held by a perpendicular weight support 265B with a handle 265C. In use, the weight support 265B engages a guide channel 267 in a mounting plate 268 provided between the front and rear hopper halves 261 a and 261 b along the length of the hopper 261. As shown more clearly in Figure 2J(i), 2J(ii) and 2J(iii), the mounting plate 268 consists of front and rear halves 268a and 268b which define the guide channel therebetween. The guide channel includes a recessed groove 268c, shown in Figures 2J(ii) and 2J(Ni). In use, the recessed groove 268c receives pegs 265d and 265e which are provided on the weight support 265b. As shown in Figure 2J(N), the two pegs 265d and 265e slidably engage with the recessed groove 268c to maintain the weight 265 in a horizontal position on top of the passport stack. As the passports are fed into the apparatus and the stack height decreases, the weight 265 slides downward relative to the hopper 261 , the pegs 265d and 265e maintaining the weight in a horizontal orientation at all times.

During loading of the hopper 261 , the weight 265 is lifted out of the hopper 261 and retained in a storage position as shown in Figure 2J(i). As the pegs 265d and 265e exit the recess groove 268c at the top of the hopper, they are received by block 266 which is shaped so as to guide the weight 265 about approximately 180° into the position shown in Figure 2J(i). The block 266 includes stops which engage the pins 265d and 265e to prevent the weight 265 moving any further or being removed from the apparatus.

As shown in Figure 2J(i), the weight 265 is shaped so as to concentrate its mass over the forward half 10a of the passport stack, a cut-out 265a being provided at the rear half which helps to maintain the weight 265 in a laterally horizontal position. The weight 265 which also provides a further cut-out 265f in the front half region which, when the weight 265 reaches the bottom of the hopper for feeding the last few passports in a stack, the stack support pin 253 described in Section 2.1.2 above extends through the cut out 265a when in its raised position. This prevents the stack support pin lifting the weight 265 off the lowermost passport since it is necessary for it to remain in contact to ensure the passport remains flat during feeding.

This captive weighing system has a number of benefits. Firstly, since the weight cannot be removed from the apparatus, the operator is not given the opportunity to forget to insert the weight or to mislay the weight. The storage position allows the weight to be retracted to allow easy loading of the stack. Importantly, the weight helps to ensure that the passports remain flat and open and that each one is presented evenly to the drive belt since the majority of the weight is concentrated over the driven side (the front half) of the passport. The hopper 261 is also provided with sensors for detecting when the hopper is empty and when the stack content is low. As shown in Figures 2G(i) and (iii), the hopper 261 is provided with front and rear apertures 276a and 276b which are aligned with each other a short distance above the base of the hopper. When the hopper is fitted into the drive assembly 210, an optical sensor 275a (see Figures 2B(i) and (N)) is aligned with the apertures 276a and 276b. The sensor 275a generates a beam of light which crosses the hopper and is returned to the sensor by reflector 275b. When a certain minimum number of passports are present in the hopper, the stack breaks the beam. When the stack falls below this threshold, the light is detected by the sensor 275a and this indicates that the stack is running low. This is referred to as the "hopper low" sensor in section 2.3 below. The sensors 275 and reflector 275b are mounted on support beams 205a and 205b of the drive assembly 210.

Also provided in the hopper support plate 263 is a magnetic sensor 264b (visible in Figure 2G(v)) which is used to detect when the hopper is empty. When the last passport has been fed out of the stack, the weight 265 contacts the support plate 263 and the magnetic sensor 264b, which detects the presence of the weight 265 to indicate that the hopper is empty. This is referred to as the "hopper empty" sensor in section 2.3 below.

2.2.2 Spine Roller Assembly 270

As an optional additional measure for supporting the weight of the stack, a spine roller assembly 270 may be provided as shown in Figure 2H. This comprises an idler roller 271 mounted in a support block 272. The idler roller 271 is positioned such that it aligns with the spines of the open passports in the stack. As the passports move down the stack, they come to rest first on the spine roller 271 which supports the weight for a period as it turns due to friction between the roller and passport, thereby relieving pressure on the lowermost passport in the stack. The support block 272 is slidably mounted to shaft 273 which allows movement of the spine roller assembly towards and away from the hopper 261. An adjustment wheel 274 is threaded onto the shaft 273 and engages the support block 272 to move it relative to the shaft 273. 2.2.3 Retardation Device 280

To prevent feeding jams or double feeds, the critical parameter is the height of the slot through which the lowermost passport exits the hopper. As shown most clearly in Figure 2C, this slot is defined between the drive belts 240 and the retardation device 280. If the exit slot is too narrow, booklets can become jammed if they are not perfectly flat. If the exit slow is too wide, double feeds may occur. To avoid this, the retardation device 280 is arranged to apply retardation to any second booklet which might escape the hopper. Any such second passport would only be driven out by frictional drag from the lowermost document. The retardation device 280 provides a counteracting frictional drag and optimises the gap dimensions to prevent any double feed event occurring. The components making up the retardation device 280 are shown most clearly in Figures 2K and 2L. The retardation device 280 is quite distinct from conventional mechanisms in that it performs two functions: setting the height of the exit slot and providing retardation to act against any second passport which might escape the exit zone. The mechanism is mounted to the exterior of the front hopper half 261 a.

The main components are a housing 281a, which is affixed to hopper 261 , and a retardation arm 284, which extends into housing 281 and is slidable relative thereto and to the hopper 261. The retardation arm 284 has mounted thereon an adjustment knob 283 as a pin which has thread allowing the adjustment knob 283 to be tightened towards the retardation arm and loosened away from it. At its lowermost extremity, the arm 284 is provided with a retardation plate 285 which includes an angled face extending over the edge of the hopper 261 towards the drive belts. On the angled face is provided a retardation pad 285c of high friction material for contacting any second passport exiting the hopper. The retardation block 285 is attached to retardation arm 284 via a screw 285a which extends through an elongate slot 285b provided in retardation block 285 to permit coarse adjustment of the exit slot height by sliding retardation block 285 relative to retardation arm 284.

Figure 2L shows the housing 281 in dashed lines so as to make visible the interior components. The retardation arm 284 extends almost to the uppermost extremity of the housing at which point a compression spring 287 is provided to urge the retardation arm 284a towards the drive belts. The peg on which adjustment knob 283 is mounted extends through an elongate slot 281 b through the housing 281. When the adjustment knob 283 is tightened, it abuts the exterior of housing 281 and the friction therebetween overcomes the effect of spring 287 to hold the retardation arm 284 in the desired position. Adjacent its uppermost extremity, the retardation arm 284a is provided with a notch 284a. This engages a cam 282 which is pivotably supported in housing 281 a via shaft 282a. The housing is also provided with a slot defined between the uppermost extremity of the housing 281 and a protrusion 281a. The cam 282 is shaped so as to extend into the slot so defined. When the arm 284 is not constrained by adjustment knob 283, the effect of the spring urging the arm 284 downward also urges the cam 282 to contact the protrusion 281 a, thereby "closing" the slot. This arrangement can be used to set the height of the exit slot defined between retardation pad 285c and the drive belts by inserting a passport of the type to be processed into the slot when the retardation device is in the condition shown in Figure 2L The thickness of the passport causes deflection of the cam 282 away from the protrusion 281 a. The cam 282 pivots about shaft 282a which in turn urges the retardation arm 284 upward as a result of the cam's engagement in groove 284a. The distance moved by the arm 284 is the same as that moved by the cam 282 and therefore matches the thickness of the passport inserted into the slot. The gap dimension is fixed by tightening adjuster knob 283. In this way, the height of the exit slot can easily be selected as appropriate for the passport type to be processed.

2.3 Feed Module Processes

The basic feed sequence is shown in the flow charts of Figures 2M, 2N and

2P. Figure 2M depicts an initialisation process which must be completed prior to starting feeding. Figure 2N illustrates the feeding of a booklet out of the hopper, and Figure 2P depicts exiting of a passport from the module. Figures 2Q(i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) depict the five error states which may be encountered during feed processing.

2.3.1 Processing Sequence During the initialisation procedure shown in Figure 2M, the control checks that the feed module 200 is ready to begin feeding. The process starts at step s200. In step s202, the control queries the module exit sensor FS6 to determine whether the module exit position is clear. The module exit sensor FS6 comprises optical sensor 208 described in Section 2.1 above. If the exit position is not clear, it means that there is a passport ready to exit the module and the process moves to sequence FP1 in order to transfer the passport to the RFID shuttle module 300. This will be described in relation to Figure 2N in Section 2.3.2 below.

If the module exit position is clear, the process moves to sequence FP2 and queries feeder magazine sensor FS3 to determine whether the hopper assembly 260 has been affixed to the feeder drive assembly 210. The feeder magazine sensor FS3 comprises magnetic sensor 264a described above in Section 2.2. If the hopper is not present, the control enters a time out loop s205 and continues to query the sensor FS2 until the time out loop s205 expires. If at the expiry of the time out loop the feeder magazine is still not sensed as being present, the control goes to error FF2 depicted in Figure 2Q(N) and described in Section 2.3.2 below, which instructs the operator to fit the feeder hopper to the module.

If the feeder magazine is present, the control queries the hopper empty sensor FS4 to determine whether there are any passports present in the hopper. The hopper empty sensor FS4 comprises magnetic sensor 264b described in Section 2.2 above. If the hopper is sensed to be empty, the system enters a time out loop s209. If at the expiration of the time out loop the hopper is still sensed to be empty, the control moves to error state FS3 in step s210, depicted in Figure 2Q(Hi) and described in Section 2.3.2 below, in which the operator is instructed to insert passports.

If the sensors confirm that passports are present in the magazine, the system moves to step s212 in which the hopper low sensor FS5 is queried to confirm whether the quantity of passports in the hopper is above a minimum threshold. The hopper low sensor comprises optical sensor 275a described above. If not, in step s213, a "magazine low" message is displayed on a screen in order to alert the operator. However, the process is not interrupted and, whether or not the passport quantity is above the minimum threshold, the system moves to step s214 in which the stack support pin is retracted into the lower position to enable the lowermost passport to contact the drive belts properly. In step 216, the system queries optical sensors 256a and b to determine whether the stack support has been properly retracted. If not, the system enters a time out loop s217 and returns to step s214 to make another attempt to retract the stack support. If, at the expiry of the time out loop, the stack support pin has still not been successfully retracted, the system goes to step s218 and enters error state FS1 described in relation to Figure 2Q(i) below.

Once the stack support has been successfully retracted, the system is ready to feed a passport. Typically, all the steps s200 to s216 will be carried out before the feeding of each passport document from the stack.

The processing moves to sequence FP3 shown in Figure 2N. In step s220, the system requests an application program interface (API) identifier and book configuration from the host software. This is described in more detail in Section 9 below. The system then checks in step s222 whether a document identifier is available from the host and if not enters a time out loop s223. If at the expiry of time out loop s223 still no document identifier is available, the control moves to step s224 which enters error state FS4 described in Section 2.3.2 below and shown in Figure 2Q(iv), requiring a supervisor to input application records to the host software. If a document identifier is available, in step s226, the system runs the feeder motor 299 to drive the belts 240. In step 228, the system checks whether a passport is present at the module exit using sensor FS6. If not, the system enters a time out loop s229 and continues to drive the belt. If at the expiry of the time out loop still no passport is present at the exit, the system moves to step s230 and enters error state FS5 in which any jammed passport is removed.

Once a passport is detected as present at the module exits, in step s232, the system stops driving the motor 299 and in step s234 the stack support motor 259 is energised to raise the stack support pin into its upper position. Step s236 checks whether the stack support pin has been raised using optical sensors FS1. If not, the system enters a time out loop s238 and, if the stack support pin has not been successfully raised by the expiry of the time out loop, the system enters error state FF1 in step s240. If the stack support has been properly energised, the system enters processing sequence FP1 and in step s242, sends a ready signal to the RFID shuttle module 300. In step s244, the system queries whether the RFID module is ready and if not, in step s245, waits for a ready signal from the RFID module before proceeding. Once it has been confirmed that the RFID module is ready, the system moves to step s246 shown in Figure 2P in which the motor is once again driven to run the belt 240.

In step 248, the exit sensor is queried to determine whether the module exit is clear and, if not, the system enters time out loop s249 and continues to drive the belt until the exit is clear. If the time out loop expires before the exit position is detected to be clear, the system moves to step s250 and enters error state FF5 depicted in

Figure 2Q(iv) below. Once the exit position is clear, the drive belts are stopped in step s252 and, in step s254, the control returns to the feeder start position. Step s256 indicates the end of the control sequence.

2.3.2 Error States

The five error states are shown in Figure 2Q(i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v). If a problem occurs with the stack support and it is either not retracted successfully in step 216 or energised successfully in step 236, the system enters error state FF1 shown in Figure 2Q(i). A motor (or solenoid) malfunction error message is displayed on the screen in step s260. In step s262, the operator is instructed to open the apparatus and to clear the fault in accordance with steps which may also be displayed on the screen. In step s264, the system queries whether the fault has been cleared using optical sensors FS1. If not, in step s265, the system calls for further operator intervention and the apparatus may be shut down. The operator may be given instructions to call qualified personnel to service the machine, or the system may itself send such a request. If the fault can be cleared in step s264, the system resumes its process in step s266. If in step s204, the system determines that the feeder hopper has not been properly assembled to the apparatus, the system enters error state FF2 shown in Figure 2Q(ii). In step s268, messages are displayed on the screen instructing the operator to attach the hopper and providing him with input options to confirm when this has been completed. In step 270, the operator performs this intervention by loading the feeder magazine and then confirming this via the input. In step 272, the system queries whether the input ("ok") has been entered and if not returns to step 270 to continue to wait. Once the input has been received, the system clears the display screen in step s274 and returns to process point FP2 shown in Figure 2M. The process continues by performing step s204 to check that whether the hopper has been correctly fitted.

If in step s208, the system determines that no passports are present in the hopper, the control enters error state FF3 depicted in Figure 2Q(Hi). In step s278, messages are displayed on the screen to instruct the operator to load passports and then input confirmation. In step s280, the operator performs this intervention by loading passports into the hopper and confirming this via the interface. In step s282, the system queries whether this input has been received, and if not returns to step s280 to wait for the operator intervention to be completed. Once the input has been received, in step s284, the display screen is cleared and in step s285, the system returns to processing step FP2 shown in Figure 2M. The process goes on to check both that the feeder magazine is present in step 204 and that there are passports present in the machine in step 208, since it is possible that the operator will remove the magazine in order to load the passports and so it is advantageous to check that the magazine has been correctly refitted before continuing.

Once the feed module is ready to process passports, if in step s222, the system does not receive a document identifier from the host, the control enters error state FF4 shown in Figure 2Q(iv). In step s286, a message is displayed on the screen instructing the operator to enter application records and then to confirm this through the interface. In step 287, the operator performs this intervention and inputs confirmation. In step s288, the system checks whether this confirmation has been entered. If not, it returns to step s287 to wait for the intervention to be completed. Once the system has received confirmation, the process moves to step s289 and the display screen is cleared. In step s290, the system returns to processing point FP3 shown in Figure 2N and continues by requesting a document identifier from the host.

Once feeding has begun, if at step s228, no passport is present at the module exit after a predetermined time, the system enters error state FF5 shown in Figure 2Q. In step s291 , the motor driving the feed belt is stopped. A passport jam message is displayed on the screen in step s292. In step s293, the system logs the fault type and retains the API identifier for the next passport document. In step s294, the operator is instructed to intervene by opening the apparatus and clearing the jam in accordance with steps which may also be displayed. At step s295, the system queries whether the operator has indicated that jam has been cleared, and if not continues to wait for the operator intervention to be completed.

Once the jam has been successfully cleared, in step s296, the display screen is cleared and in step s297, the system returns to feeder start position (step s200) to begin processing the next passport in the stack. The final disposition of the rejected passports will be decided at local supervisor level.

3. RFID Shuttle Module

3.1 Overview

The RFID shuttle module is configured to perform one or more of the following functions: document serial number recognition and RFID chip encoding. In the following description reference is made to a passport; however the apparatus and methods may equally be used to process other documents, such as identification papers, certificates, official documentation and articles of value. A camera-based system is typically provided to automatically recognise and read a passport serial number pre-printed in an optically recognisable font, typically OCR-B, and/or a laser perforated passport serial number. Optical character set OCR-A may alternatively be used, however OCR-B is typically easier for human operators to read. The laser perforated serial number may also comprise a check digit symbol as disclosed in International Patent Application Number PCT/GB2007/002551. In other embodiments a pre-printed and/or laser perforated serial number may be read by other image capture devices such as a line-scan apparatus. Passport serial number recognition is typically performed before RFID chip encoding as successful serial number recognition is required to retrieve associated passport data from a personalisation data store or production database. This passport data may then be used for chip encoding, i.e. may be written to a RFID chip and/or used to verify data read from a RFID chip, and personalisation printing. The recognised serial number may also be used to ensure that records are updated for stock control & auditing purposes. The automated nature of this in-line process ensures that an identification or serial number printed during personalisation always matches that pre-printed or perforated in the processed document itself. Additionally, the automatic storage of the allocated passport serial number in the central database provides a fail-safe means of reconciling the passport book, chip and personalisation records. The document processing machine 1 is flexible in its ability to program a variety of different format International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) compliant electronic passports ("ePassports"). The RFID units present within the machine 1 are configured to program contact-less chips on either side of an opened passport, that is, either at the front or the back of the book. The software used to interface the machine with passport personalisation software may also support several RFID chip operating systems.

The RFID unit consists of two separate programming stations and a shuttle mechanism that allows one or more passports to be programmed simultaneously. This not only optimises the process but also allows the machine to write a variety of data sizes to the RFID chip. For example, future official passport specifications may require that fingerprint data is stored within the RFID chip within the ePassport. This would increase the size of the data to be written to the chip which in turn would increase the chip write times. By writing data to one or more chips in parallel, i.e. having two or more passports present in two or more RFID units attached to a shuttle base, additional data may be included in the write data without generating a bottle neck in the processing cycle of the machine 1.

With regard to RFID processing, the material used to construct the RFID shuttle module may be selectively chosen to prevent interference. The RFID system may also be further configured to perform automatic antenna switching in each programming nest and each antenna is independent from the RFID reader to enable future upgrade of the reader and/or antenna hardware.

3.2 RFID Module Apparatus

An example of the radio frequency identification RFID shuttle module is illustrated in Figures 3A to 3G. The apparatus in these Figures is shown as an example and various embodiments may vary from the description below.

The RFID shuttle module 300 comprises two RFID units 320 slidably mounted upon module base 301. Module base 301 comprises base plate 301 D and two side plates 301 C. Module base 301 slots into the appropriate section of the machine housing 100. The weight of the module is supported by support feet 302A and 302B which make contact with the frame of the machine housing 100. These support feet also allow the whole module apparatus 300 to be removed from the larger superstructure 100 and placed on a separate flat surface. This facilitates repair and replacement of each module. Cut-out sections 301 A and 301 B comprise two areas wherein the sheet metal forming module base 301 has been removed. The periphery of each cut-out section is configured so that the inside corner of each section mates with suitably positioned dowel members (not shown) located upon the machine housing 100. This ensures that the module base 301 is corrected fitted within the appropriate area of the machine housing 100.

A pair of guide rails 303 are attached to the top of module base plate 301 D. Unit mounting plate 304 is slidably coupled to guide rails 303. This enables the unit mounting plate 304 to slide laterally along the length of the module base 301. The two RFID units 320 are then mounted upon the unit mounting plate 304. In use one of these RFID units will be aligned with the transport path formed by the transport mechanism of the other modules. The RFID unit aligned with the transport path may then be altered by moving or "shuttling" the unit mounting plate 304 upon the guide rails 303 up and down the length of the module base 301.

The shuttle mechanism is shown in more detail in Figure 3B. The unit mounting plate 304 comprises two pairs of linear nylon slides attached to the underside of said plate (not shown). Each pair of nylon slides is laterally spaced so that two nylon slides are aligned with each central channel section of guide rails 303. Typically, one nylon slide is mounted toward the front of mounting plate 304 and the other nylon slide is mounted toward the rear of the same plate. The unit mounting plate 304 is then free to move upon these nylon slides along these central channel sections. The positioning of the nylon slides within the central channel section of guide members 303 prevents movement of the mounting plate 304 in a direction perpendicular to that of the shuttle motion.

Movement of the unit mounting plate 304 is achieved using a rack and pinion system. This rack and pinion system is driven by shuttle motor 308. Shuttle motor 308 is connected to the unit mounting plate 304 using L-shaped motor mounting block 313. The shuttle motor 308 drives motor axle 310A upon which is mounted motor gear 310C. Gear retainer 310B prevents motor gear 310C from moving beyond the end of the motor axle 310A. The rotation of motor axle 310A by shuttle motor 308 rotates motor gear 310C which in turn rotates pinion gear 311C. Pinion gear 311 C is rotatably mounted on pinion axle 311 A and is kept in place by two gear retainers 311 B. Pinion axle 311 A is mounted within a suitable aperture in motor mounting block 313. A portion of pinion 311C resides within pinion aperture 312. This allows the base of pinion 311C to mate with a rack member (not shown) that extends along the partial length of module base plate 301 D. A clockwise rotation of motor axle 310A rotates motor gear 310C in a clockwise direction which then rotates pinion 311C in an anticlockwise direction. Rotation of pinion 311C in an anticlockwise direction then moves the unit mounting plate 304 toward the back of the module 300, i.e. to the right in Figure 3B. Conversely, an anticlockwise rotation of motor axle 310A produces a frontward motion of unit mounting plate 304, i.e. movement of the unit mounting plate 304 to the left in Figure 3B. Shuttle motor 308 is connected to a control printed circuit board (PCB) located on the underside of the module base 301. The control PCB provides power to the shuttle motor 308 and also enables the motor to be controlled. A cable protector 307 is provided to prevent damage to the cables connecting the shuttle motor 308 to the control PCB. The unit mounting plate 304 is adapted to shuttle between two positions: a first position wherein RFID unit 320A forms part of the machine transport path: and a second position in which RFID unit 320B forms part of the machine transport path. The first position corresponds to the case wherein the unit mounting plate 304 is located at the front of module base 301 as shown in Figure 3A. The second position corresponds to the case wherein the unit mounting plate is located at the rear of the module base 301 , i.e. to the left in Figure 3A.

Two position sensors 305 are provided to sense the position of the unit mounting plate 304. These sensors are shown in Figure 3B. Front position sensor 305A typically comprises a refractive optosensor. When the unit mounting plate 304 is at the first position, as shown in Figure 3B, sensor block 309A, which is connected to the unit mounting plate, obstructs the light path of the front position sensor 305A. This produces a change in the state of the front position sensor and allows the control system to sense when the unit mounting plate 304 is at the first position. Similarly, rear position sensor 305B and rear sensor block 309B allow the control system to sense when the unit mounting plate 304 is at the second or rearward position. Position sensors 305 are connected to the control PCB located under module base plate 301 D.

The two RFID units 320A and 320B typically comprise identical apparatus. An example of a general RFID unit that may be used for either unit 320A or 320B is shown in Figure 3C. Each unit 320 comprises two halves: a guide section 350 and a transport section 360.

Guide section 350 comprises base block 353 upon which is mounted left top surface panel 355 and right top surface panel 352. Three support legs 354 support the weight of the base block 353. In use, each support leg is fastened to the unit mounting plate 304. One side of the guide section 350 is positioned next to the transport section 360. An L-shaped edge guide plate 351 is then mounted to the opposite side of the guide section 350. In use, one or more back pages of a passport or document are guided between the top of surface panels 355 and 352 and the lower surface of the horizontal section of edge guide plate 351. The vertical portion of edge guide plate 351 is used to mount the guide plate to the base block 353.

Transport section 360 operates in tandem with upper section 340. The upper section 340 comprises a plurality of rollers and defines the top of the passport transport path. The transport section 360 comprises two driven transport belts which form the bottom of the passport transport path. Access to the transport path is provided by rotating the upper section using transport access structure 330. Transport access structure 330 comprises side panel frame 331 which is connected to side panel 361 A of transport section 360 via fasteners 332. The upper portion of side panel frame 331 comprises two laterally-spaced, vertically-extending members. Each end of pivot axle 335 is mounted at the top of each vertically-extending member. Horizontal pivot block 333 is then rotatably connected to pivot axle 335. Pivot block 333 is also connected to the upper section 340. In use, pivot block 333 is prevented from rotating and thus opening the transport path. However, when a force is applied to handle 336, pivot block 333 may be pushed along pivot axle 335, against the force of spring 334. This action releases the pivot block 333 and allows the block to pivot clockwise, thus opening the transport path by rotating the upper section 340 in an arc.

Upper section 340 is shown in more detail in Figure 3D. Upper section 340 comprises front frame member 341 A and rear frame member 341 B. Frame members 341 are laterally spaced between the pivot block 333A, which is attached using pivot block fasteners 346, and dowel members 344A and 344C. The upper section 340 comprises four pairs of freely rotating rollers. Each roller pair comprises a front roller 342B and a rear roller 342C. Each roller is attached to a roller axle 342A and held in place with a circlip 342D. Each roller axle 342A is mounted within a pair of axle apertures: aperture 343A on the front frame member 341 and aperture 343B on the rear frame member 341 B. Each aperture is vertically elongated in order to enable the vertical movement of the roller pair. This vertical movement thus allows the height of the transport path to vary as documents of varying thicknesses pass along it. Each roller axle is biassed to a default position wherein the axle is at rest at the bottom of the set of axle apertures. This biasing is achieved using the horizontally-extending arms of springs 345B and 345D. Hence, when a document passes along the transport path below the rollers are vertically displaced against the force of the springs. The transport section 360 is shown without the upper section 340 in Figure

3F. The transport section 360 comprises two transport belts: a front belt 364A and a rear belt 364B. The front belt 364A is looped around two transport pulleys: front transport belt 364A is looped around front left pulley 363A and front right pulley 363C and rear transport belt 364B is looped around rear left pulley 363B and rear right pulley (not shown). The left pulleys 363A and 363B are mounted upon left transport axle 362A and secured in place using circlips 362B. The left transport axle is supported in two apertures: one aperture in side panel 361 A and another aperture in side panel 361 B. The right pulleys 363C are mounted upon right transport axle 374A. Right transport axle 374A is also mounted within two apertures, one aperture in each of the respective side panels 361 A and 361 B. Bearing housing 374D allows the free rotation of right transport axle 374A.

The right transport axle 374A is driven by drive motor 371 through a pulley system. The axle 374A is connected to upper pulley 374B, which is held in place using retainer 374C. Upper pulley 374B is driven by drive belt 373 which is looped around the upper pulley 374B and a lower pulley 372B. Lower pulley 372B is mounted upon motor axle 372A which is rotated by drive motor 371. Drive motor 371 is statically fixed to right side panel 361 A. The rotation of motor axle 372A by drive motor 371 thus rotates transport belts 364A and 364B via drive belt 373.

One of the functions of the RFID unit 320 is to allow read/write operations on an RFID chip located within a document moving along the transport path. If this document is an ePassport or other RFID-enabled document, an RFID chip may be located above either guide section 350 or transport section 360. In the case of an ePassport this may correspond to whether the RFID chip is located within the front or back page of a passport book. To accommodate variation in the location of the RFID chip within the document both the guide section 350 and the transport section 360 may further comprise an RFID antenna. In the guide section 350, the RFID antenna (not shown) is located within mounting or nest 390 and is located underneath left top surface panel 352. In the transport section 360, the RFID antenna 392 is located within mounting or nest 391 in the centre of the transport section 360 between the two transport belts 364A and 364B. To prevent interference and cross-talk, the material used in mountings 390 and 391 is typically non-metallic. In a preferred embodiment lower mountings such as 390, 391 and 353 are made using brown Tufnol, while white nylon 66 is used in the upper sections such as 352 and 355.

The underside of the RFID unit is shown in Figure 3E. Control board 382A is mounted between PCB mounting members 382B upon the bottom of base block 353. Each of the antennas is connected to control board 382A, which is responsible for performing RFID processing and communications. Also mounted to the bottom of base block 353 are the support legs 354. In Figure 3E, only one support leg is shown for clarity. At the bottom of transport section 360, there is side panel spacer 380 which sets the lateral spacing of side panels 361 A and 361 B and strengthens the section. The side panel spacer 380 is connected to side panel frame 331 via fasteners 332A and B. In use, a camera assembly is located above the RFID shuttle 300 to capture an image of a passing document. Such a camera assembly is shown in Figure 3G. The camera assembly comprises a camera 315 and an illumination source 317. Both the camera 315 and the illumination source 317 are attached to the left side wall 171a of housing 100 using mounting block 316A. Camera 315 comprises digital camera 315B, lens 315A, interface circuitry 315C and connecting lead 315D. The camera is positioned above the RFID unit that is currently forming part of the transport path. Lens 315A is configured so as to obtain an in-focus image of a document located within such a RFID unit.

In the present example illumination source 317 comprises an infrared (IR) source; however, other wavelengths of light may also be used such as visible light or ultra-violet light. IR illumination is typically used when processing passports with laser-perforated serial numbers as this wavelength of light maximises the contrast between the perforated serial number and the surrounding passport page; IR illumination prevents embellishments or patterns on the passport page, which form a background to the perforated serial number, from obscuring the number and thus complicating optical character recognition (OCR). When capturing an image of another document or another form of serial number the illumination is typically chosen to optimise the image capture or OCR process and so may differ from IR in other embodiments. In the present embodiment, the illumination is provided by a plurality of IR LEDs 317B which are mounted in a circle within illumination housing 317A. Illumination housing is attached to L shaped mounting section 316B which is connected to mounting block 316A using threaded dowel 316C. The illumination source 317 is set at an angle in order to reduce detrimental shadows forming upon the document whilst it is present in the transport path. Detrimental shadows are also reduced by the circular arrangement of LEDs 317B.

3.3 Possible Variations

In the above example the RFID shuttle module 300 comprised two units 320 mounted upon a shuttle base that moves along the length of the module. However, in other embodiments this arrangement may vary depending on requirements. For example, in certain embodiments the RFID shuttle module may comprise more than two RFID units. Depending upon the width of the cabinet 101 three or more units may be mounted upon an extended unit mounting plate, wherein the shuttle mechanism allows each on of these units to form part of the transport path of the machine 1.

In another embodiment the RFID shuttle module may be adapted to shuttle the RFID units in a vertical direction. This contrasts with the horizontal shuttling performed in the description above. In such a case the RFID shuttle module is located behind panel 102a within the interior of cabinet 101. Such an arrangement is advantageous if the width of the cabinet is limited because of space considerations.

3.4 RFID Module Control

3.4.1 Main Control

Examples of control algorithms used to control the RFID module are shown in

Figures 3H to 3M. Such algorithms are intended as an example of the functional procedures performed by the RFID shuttle module 300 and as such may vary in certain embodiments. These control algorithms may be stored within the memory of machine-based server 905 and processed in turn by the processor of the same server. Alternatively, the algorithms may be implemented upon dedicated control hardware based within the control PCB attached to the underside of module base 301. Typically, the algorithms are implemented through the co-ordinated operation of both software running upon the machine-based server 905 and the hardware of the module control PCB.

Figure 3H shows the first steps involved in the operation of the RFID shuttle module 300. The methods start at step S301 and then moves to functional grouping S3010. This grouping comprises steps S302 and S311 to S315. Its function is to check whether a document or passport is present waiting to be transferred to the printer module 400 within a RFID unit. If a passport is present it is transferred to the printer module 400. If a passport is not present the RFID unit is moved into place using the shuttle motor in order to await the receipt of a passport from the feeder module 200.

At step S302 the control algorithm checks whether a passport is present within the transport path of the first 320A RFID unit. This is typically achieved by checking the status of a reflective opto-sensor located within the transport section 360 of the RFID unit. The sensor typically emits a beam of light upwards from the transport section and, if a passport is present, light will be reflected from the passport into the sensor. If the first RFID unit 320A does not contain a passport then control proceeds to step S311. At step S311 from the position sensor 305A is checked to see whether the first RFID unit 320A is aligned with the transport path of the machine 1. This is typically checked by checking the status of position sensor 305A, i.e. whether unit mounting plate 304 is at a forward position. If position sensor 305A is not obstructed by sensor block 309A then the RFID unit 320A is not aligned with the transport path of the machine and so shuttle motor 308 is driven forward in step S312. The shuttle motor is driven forward in a control loop until the front position sensor 305A detects that the unit mounting plate 304 is at the front position at step S311. During this loop, at step S315, the time elapsed within the loop is monitored. If the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined value then control proceeds to step S314 wherein error routine RF1 is called. If at step S311 the first RFID unit 320A is detected as being aligned with the transport path of the machine then control proceeds to step S315 wherein the shuttle motor 308 is stopped. If the control algorithm detects that a passport is present within the transport path of RFID unit 320A control then proceeds to step S303. At step S303 the control algorithm checks whether the current passport is an ePassport. This is achieved by checking a temporary data record corresponding to the passport currently set as present in the RFID unit. Whether a passport is an ePassport is typically set within initial passport configuration data sent from the host server 310 (see section 9). If the passport is not an ePassport then control proceeds to point RP2 at step S304. Point RP2 (S366) is shown in Figure 3K.

If at step S303 it is determined that the passport is an ePassport then control proceeds to functional grouping S3011. This grouping comprises steps S305 to S310 and mirrors steps 302, and 311 to 314. The function of this grouping is to perform the checks of grouping S3010 with regard to the second RFID unit 320B. At step S305 a check is made as to whether a passport is present within the transport path of the second RFID unit 320B. Again this check is typically made by checking the status of a reflective opto-sensor as was described in S302. If another passport is not present in the other RFID unit 320B control proceeds to point RP1 at step S306. Point RB1 (S345) is shown in Figure 3J. If the sensor in the second RFID unit 320B detects that a document or passport is present within the transport path then control proceeds to step S307. At step 307 a check is made as to whether the second RFID unit 320B is aligned with the transport path of the machine 1. This check is made by examining the status of rear position sensor 305B, wherein the status of this sensor will change if the sensor is obstructed by sensor block 309B. If the RFID unit is not aligned then the shuttle motor 308 is driven in reverse within a control loop to move the unit mounting base 304 toward the rear of the RFID module 300. The time spent within this control loop is monitored at step S309; if the time within the loop exceeds a preset limit error routine RF1 is called at step S310. Once the second RFID unit 320B is in position the method proceeds to step S315 wherein the shuttle motor 308 is stopped.

After step S315 an empty RFID unit will be aligned with the transport path of the machine. The control algorithm then proceeds to functional grouping S3012 comprising steps S316 to S320. This grouping is configured to transfer a passport from the feeder module 200 to the RFID shuttle module 300.

At step S316 a ready signal is sent to the feeder module 200. At step S317 the control algorithm checks whether a ready signal has been received from the feeder module 200 indicating that this module is ready to pass a passport to the RFID shuttle module 300. If the control algorithm has not received a ready signal then control proceeds to step S318 wherein the system waits for such a signal from the feeder module 200. At step S319 the time elapsed while waiting for the ready signal is compared with a predetermined threshold; if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined threshold then control proceeds to point RP1 at step S320. This timeout loop at S319 allows a passport present in the other RFID unit to be passed onto other modules in the event of a delay at the feeder module or wherein the passport is the last in a batch. If the elapsed time is below a predetermined threshold then the control process loops around to step S316. If a ready signal is received from the feeder module at step S317 control proceeds to functional grouping S3013.

Functional grouping S3013 comprises steps S321 to S330 and is responsible for implementing the required OCR functions. At step S321 the drive motor 371 of the RFID unit currently aligned with the transport path is run. This is designed to transport the passport from the feeder module exit into the RFID unit. At step S322 a check is made as to whether a passport is present at the position required for OCR image capture. This check may comprise checking the status of a reflective opto- sensor mounted in the transport section 360 near the left of the module i.e. by left transport axle 362A, or may comprise using camera 315, located above the transport path, to detect the passport position. If a passport is not present at the OCR position power is continually supplied to the drive motor 371 in a control loop to transport the passport into the current RFID unit along the transport path. Again the time elapsed within the control loop is compared with a predetermined time limit, and if this limit is exceed at step S323 then control proceeds to a second error routine RF2 at step S324. If a passport is detected at the OCR position at step S322 then the drive motor 371 is stopped at step S325. Control then proceeds to step S326 in Figure 3I.

The control algorithm shown in Figure 3I continues from point A (S326) of Figure 3H. Once a passport is present at an OCR position the next step is to read the printed or perforated passport serial number at step S327. This number is read by camera system 315 and as part of step S327 a lamination device 317 is switched on to illuminate the passport. The camera system 315 is connected to the machine- based server 905, which is adapted to receive an image from the camera system 315 and to extract a passport number from this image. As well as extracting the passport number a percentage accuracy of the OCR read may also be calculated. The passport number and any other data is then sent to host server 910 at step S328. Typically any images that result in a failure to recognise a passport number and/or the last twenty images will be saved within the machine-based server. At step S329 a signal received from the host server 910 is examined. If the data sent to the host server 910 is valid then the method proceeds to functional grouping S3014. If the data is invalid then the method proceeds to step S330, which in turn calls error routine RF3. Functional grouping S3014 comprises steps S331 to S334, S337 and S338.

This grouping prepares a passport for RFID processing. At step S331 power is supplied to the drive motor 371 of the RFID unit currently aligned with the transport path of the machine 1 to drive the passport forward to a position at which a read/write operation can be performed on an RFID chip. Typically, whether the passport is at the read/write position is determined by interrogating the exit sensor checked in step S302 or S305, i.e. the reflective opto-sensor located at the exit of the transport path of the RFID unit. If a passport is not present at the RFID program position in step S332 then the RFID drive motor is continually run in a control loop until the state of the exit sensor changes or a predetermined time limit is exceeded. In the latter case this check is made at step S333 and if the result is positive control proceeds to error routine RF5 (step S334).

When a passport is present at the RFID program position a further check is made at step S335 to determine whether the passport is an ePassport. Again this is typically determined by checking the temporary data record of the passport currently present in the RFID unit. If the passport is not an ePassport then control proceeds to point RP2 via step S336. If the passport is an ePassport then control proceeds to step S337.

At step S337 the control algorithm determines whether an RFID chip is present at one of the antenna in the RFID unit. This may be the antenna located within the guide section 350 or within the transport section 360. The antenna to be used may be decided based on a passport configuration file obtained by the machine-based server 905 or may be detected by alternatively activating each antenna and looking for a signal from an RFID chip. At step S337, if an RFID chip is not present at either antenna then control will proceed to error routine RF3 at step S338. If an RFID chip is present at one of the antenna then the control proceeds to functional grouping S3015.

Functional grouping S3015 comprises steps S339 to S344, which control the RFID read/write process. At step S339 a request is sent to the host server 910 to say that the passport is ready to perform RFID processing. The host server 910 then replies at S340. If the request to program the RFID chip is declined then error routine RF3 is called at step S341. If the request to program the RFID chip is approved at step S340 then the control proceeds to step S342 and the steps shown in Figure 3J. After step S342 the RFID chip is programmed and/or verified, typically under control of the host server 910. After the RFID chip has been programmed and/or verified, control then proceeds to RFID start (S301) via step S344.

Functional grouping S3016 comprises steps S345 to S365, which check the result of the RFID processing and control the shuttle movements of the module 300. The grouping begins at step S345, which is the calling point of steps S306 and S320. In this grouping steps S346 to S354 are performed in parallel with steps S355 to S363. Steps S346 to S354 are near identical to steps S355 to S363, with the difference being that steps S346 to S354 relate to the first RFID unit 320A and steps S355 to S363 relate to the second RFID unit 320B.

At step S346 a check is made to as to whether the RFID processing is complete. If the RFID processing within the present RFID unit is not complete then the steps S346 and S347 are looped for a predetermined amount of time. If this predetermined amount of time is exceeded at step S347, the control proceeds to error routine RF3 at step S348. If the RFID processing is found to be complete another check is made at step S349 to see whether the program and/or verification routine was successful. If the RFID processing was unsuccessful then error routine RF3 is called at step S350. If the RFID processing was successful then control proceeds to step S351. Steps S351 to S354 are identical to steps S311 , S312, S313 and S314, i.e. if a selected RFID unit is not aligned with the transport path of the machine 1 , then the shuttle motor 308 is controlled appropriately to align the selected RFID unit with the transport path. At step S364 the shuttle drive motor is stopped and control proceeds to step S365 in Figure 3K. Steps S355 to S363 control the second RFID unit in a similar manner.

Figure 3k shows steps S366 to S376 which comprise functional grouping S3017. This grouping controls the transfer of a passport to the printer module 400. The routine begins at step S366, after one of steps S364, S303 or S336. Control then proceeds to step S367 wherein a ready signal is sent to the print module 400. This ready signal is sent when a passport is available for transfer into the printer module 400. At step S368 a check is made to see whether the printer module 400 is ready to receive a passport. The printer module 400 will send a ready signal when it is ready to receive a passport, hence at step S369, if a signal is not received the RFID unit will wait for such a ready signal. The dotted lines around step S369 denote that this process is performed in conjunction with processes performed in the printer module 400. Once a ready signal is received from the printer module 400, control proceeds to step S370. At step S370 the drive motor 371 of the currently aligned RFID unit is driven to propel the passport from the RFID unit into the transport path of the printer module 400. In parallel with step S370, the printer drive belt motor is also run to facilitate transport between the two modules. At step S371 a check is made as to whether the RFID module exit is clear. As before, this typically comprises checking whether a reflective opto-sensor located at the exit of the transport section 360 is clear of a passport. If the RFID module exit is not clear then the control is looped back to step S370 until a predetermined time limit is exceeded. If the time is exceeded at step S372 control then proceeds to error routine RF5 via step S373. If the RFID module exit is clear at step S371 then the RFID drive motor 371 is stopped at step S374. Control then returns to the RFID start position (S301) at step S375 and the control process ends at step S376.

3.4.2 Error Routines

Figures 3La,b,c and 3Ma,b illustrate five exemplary error handling routines that are called from the RFID control algorithm. Routine RF1 begins at step S377 shown in Figure 3La. At step S378 a "shuttle malfunction" error is displayed on one or more of the touch-screen connected to the machine-based server 905 and a display screen of host server 910. This error may be displayed as a message or as a message box. After the error has been displayed then at step S379 the current passport is marked as a reject within the current passport record, i.e. the API identifier is marked as a reject, and the fault type and/or time is logged in a log file. At step S380 the machine is shut down and a request for a qualified technician is made. The routine then ends at step S381.

Error routine RF2 begins at step S382 shown in Figure 3Lb. At step S383 the RFID unit drive motor 371 is stopped. At step S384 a "passport jam message" is displayed on one or more of the touch-screen connected to the machine-based server 905 and the host server screen. At step S385 the current fault type and/or time is logged and an API identifier is held for the next passport. At step S386 a message is displayed calling for operator intervention. At this step the passport is physically removed from the machine. This is achieved by opening the top housing guard and clearing the jam as instructed within the message. At step S387 a check is made as to whether the jam has been cleared. If a jam has not been cleared then an operator is directed to clear the jam again. If a jam has been cleared then the error message is cleared from the screen at step S388 and control returns to the RFID start position (S301) at step S389. The routine then ends at step S381. Error routine RF3 starts at step S390 in Figure 3Lc. At step S391 the current data record of the current passport, i.e. the current API identifier, is flagged as a reject and the fault type and/or time is logged. At step S392 the RFID unit drive motor 371 is driven in order to move a passport to the exit of the RFID unit 320. At S393 a check is made to see whether a passport is present at the module exit position of the currently aligned RFID unit 320. This check may be made by inspecting the exit optical sensor. If the passport is not present at the module exit position then the routine loops back round to step S392. This loop continues until the passport is present at the module exit position or a predetermined time limit has elapsed. The time elapsed is checked at step S394 and if the time limit is exceeded then the machine moves to point RF2 at step S395. If a passport is present at the machine exit position, the routine proceeds to step S396 wherein program flow returns to point RP2. The routine then ends at step S381.

Error routine RF4 begins at step S397 of Figure 3Ma. At step S398 the current data record, i.e. the API identifier, for the current passport is marked as a reject and the fault type and/or time is also logged. The program flow then moves to point RP2 at step 399 and the routine ends at step S381.

Error routine RF5 begins at step S3000 in Figure 3Mb. At step S3001 the drive motor 371 of the current RFID unit 320 is stopped. At step S3002 a "passport jam message" is displayed on one or more of the screens and at step S3003 the current data record or API identifier of the current passport is marked as a reject and the fault type and/or time is logged. At step S3004 operator intervention is signalled, wherein an operator is directed to physically remove the passport from the machine by opening the top guide member and clearing the jam as instructed by message prompts upon one or more of the display screens. At step S305 a list of "live" OCR numbers are displayed on the touch-screen. The "live" OCR numbers refer to the passports currently at each module stage that have not been flagged as complete, i.e. that have not reached the stacking cassette or reject tray of the stacker module 800. The operator then selects the OCR number on the touch-screen corresponding to the passport that has been removed at step S3004. At step S3006 a check is made to see whether the jam has been cleared. If the jam has not been cleared then the operator is again instructed at step S3004 to clear the jam. If the jam has been cleared then the routine proceeds to step S3007 wherein a status report is sent to the host server 910. This then aborts the current session of passport processing. Then at step S3008 program flow returns to point RFID start (S301) and at step S381 the routine ends.

4. Printer Module 400

From the RFID shuttle module 300, the passport is transferred to the printer module 400 which prints personalisation information onto an area of the open passport document. As described in the Overview section above, the personalisation information is typically printed onto the penultimate page 15 of a passport document 10 (see Figure (iii)). Typically, the personalisation information includes a machine readable zone 16, a photograph 17 of the owner, and various other data 18. The printing is carried out by a high resolution inkjet printer 470. The printer

470 is controlled by processor 490, which receives data and commands from the control PC 910 (see Section 9 below).

The passport is conveyed through the printer by a drive assembly 410 which, as in the other processing modules, transfers drive to the front half 10a of the open passport. The rear, thinner half 10b of the passport follows a guide structure through the module. In order that the printing is synchronised with movement of the passport through the printer module 400, while printing is taking place, the drive assembly 410 is driven by the printer 470 itself via printer drive arrangement 420.

Forming the upper side of the transport path are pre-print gantry 430 and post-print gantry 440.

The transport assembly as a whole will be described in Section 4.1 below, including the drive assembly 410, the printer drive arrangement 420, the pre-print gantry 430 and the post-print gantry 440.

In order to ensure the passport document is properly aligned for printing, the printing module 400 includes a repositioning mechanism 450 for accurately locating the passport prior to printing. This is described in Section 4.2 below.

The majority of the printer 470 itself is conventional, but the manner in which it is incorporated into the module will be described in Section 4.3 below.

Details of the manner in which the module is controlled will be given in Section 9 below. However, processes which are relevant to the printer module will be discussed in Section 4.4 below.

4.1 Transport Assembly Figure 4A(i) shows a front perspective view of the printer module 400 and its main constituent modules. Figure 4A(ii) shows a view of the module from the right hand side. The printer module 400 is supported on base plate 401 which is sized so as to engage struts 122 and 123 in the upper surface of the cabinet (see Section 1 above). The base plate is provided with four feet 402 which rest on the cabinet's upper surface.

As shown best in Figures 4B and 4C, front and rear mounting plates 403a and 403b are affixed to the surface of the base plate 401 to support the transport assembly. As shown most clearly in Figure 4C, the transport assembly has front and rear halves: the front half includes a twin drive belt arrangement for conveying drive to the thicker, front half of the passport document 10, whereas the rear half consists mainly of a series of guide plates and idler rollers for guiding the thinner, rear half of the passport through the module.

The drive belts 413a and 413b extend between idler rollers 411a and 411b at the leftmost extremity of the transport module, and drive rollers 413a and 413b at the right hand end. Each pair of rollers is supported between front and rear drive assembly plates 405a and 405b. Figure 4E shows a view from the left of the module in which a number of components have been removed, including the base plate 401 and the front drive assembly plate 405a. It will be seen that the drive assembly plates 405a and 405b are affixed to drive assembly brackets 408a and 408b. Each bracket 408a and 408b engages the top of a respective shaft assembly 406a and 406b. Each shaft assembly 406a and 406b comprises a cylindrical housing 406a'" and 406b'" which is affixed to the underside of the base plate 401. Through each housing extends a pin 408a' and 408b', the top of which meets the respective bracket 408. Between the bracket 408 and the housing 406a'" is a compression spring 406a" and 406b". The opposite, free ends of the two pins 406a' and 406b' are joined by a strut 407. The compression springs 406a" and 406b" urge the bracket upward, away from the base plate and so support the drive assembly plates 406a and 406b (and so the front half of the drive assembly) towards the transport path.

The idler rollers 413a and 413b are mounted between the drive assembly plates 405a and 405b on shaft 411c. The drive rollers 412a and 412b are supported between the drive assembly plates 405a and 405b on shaft 412c. The two friction belts 413a and 413b extend the length of the drive assembly plates 405a and 405b. Guides 416a and 416b are attached to inner sides of the drive assembly plates 405a and 405b in order to maintain each belt flat and restrict any lateral movement. Hence the drive belts assembly is sprung towards the transport path by means of springs 406a" and 406b".

The belts are driven in one of two ways. Initially, when a passport is being conveyed into the printer module, towards the printing station, the drive belts are driven by drive belt motor 419, mounted between the drive assembly plates 405a and 405b. Drive is transferred to the drive rollers 412a and 412b via gear 418, timing belt 415b and pulley 415a which is affixed to the end of shaft 412c, which is held by bearings 414a and 414b in the drive assembly plates 405a and 405b. A clutch 415C is provided in order to disconnect the drive rollers 412a and 412b from the motor 419. When the passport approaches the printing station, the clutch is used to disengage the rollers from the motor, and drive is provided instead via printer drive assembly 420. As shown best in Figure 4D, printer drive shaft 421 (described in Section 4.3 below) is controlled by the printer 470 itself as the passport passes under the printer heads. The drive is conveyed to the drive belts via timing belt 425 which is maintained taut by pulleys 423 and 424. Drive is transferred to the shaft 412 via pulley 216, timing belt 427 and pulley 428 affixed the front end of shaft 412. The pulley 426 is provided with a clutch so as to disengage the printer drive from the belts at all other times.

Once printing is completed, the drive belts are once again drive by motor 419 to convey the passport out of the module and towards the auxiliary module 500.

The rear half of the transport assembly comprises a guide plate 409 defining the underside of the transport path. The plate 409 is joined to the drive assembly plate 405b and so is spring-mounted towards the transport path in the same manner as the driven half of the transport assembly.

The upper side of the transport consists of pre-print gantry 430 and post-print gantry 440. Each gantry consists of a guide plate 431 ,441 which is mounted on front and rear support plates 403a and 403b.

The pre-print gantry 430 comprises a guide plate 431 having a series of apertures therein through which idler rollers 432a to 432d, 433a to 433d and 434a to 434c extend. Idler rollers 432a to 432d are supported on shaft 432e between struts 435a, 435b and 435c affixed to the top surface of the guide plate 431. Idler rollers 433a to 433d and 434a to 434c are mounted in a similar manner to shafts 433e and 434d, respectively.

The idler rollers are arranged to oppose the drive belt 413a and 413b so as to provide a series of pinch points for transport of the passport through the system. The springs 406a" and 406b" urge the drive belts 413a and 413b towards the idler rollers to ensure that drive is successfully transferred to the passing passport.

The pre-print gantry includes an alignment aperture 439, best shown in Figure 4C. As described in Section 4.2 below, this is used to ensure that the passport document is properly aligned prior to printing. The repositioning aperture comprises a registration block 439a which is affixed to the underside of the plate 431 and provides a flat surface such that the rear edge of the passport can be accurately located against it. A repositioning block 439b with a curved, bevelled edge is provided to define the opposite side of the aperture. As described below, in use, the passport is viewed through a window defined between blocks 439a and 439b by camera system 499 to check that it is correctly positioned before printing begins. The shaping of repositioning block 439b enables the camera to see the passport with no shadow and helps to keep the passport flat.

The post-print gantry 440 comprises plates 441 and 442. The two plates are separated across the printing zone which is aligned with the printer head discussed below in Section 4.4. To adjoin the plates 441 and 442, and to ensure the passport remains flat during printing, a number of separator bars 443a to 443e connect the plates together. The separator bars 443a to 443g are strategically positioned over portions of the passport which are not to be printed on, so as not to present an obstacle to the printing process. A series of idler rollers are provided on the plates 441 and 442 to complete the transport path. Just prior to the printing station, on plate 442 are mounted four idler rollers 448a, 448b, 448c and 448d on shafts mounted in supports 449a, 449b and 449c. Just after the printing station, on plate 441 are provided three shafts each supporting a set of idler rollers. The shafts 444f, 445d and 446d are supported between struts 447a, 447b and 447c in a manner similar to the rollers disposed on the pre-print gantry 430. On the front half of each shaft, rollers 444a and 444b, 445a and 445b and 446a and 446b are provided in the form of conventional friction rollers for opposing the drive belts 413a and 413b. The rear half of the transport comprises narrow, lightweight plastic rollers 444c, 444d, 444e, 445c and 446c. These are chosen to minimise the area of the freshly printed passport page which is contacted by the rollers. Each of these rollers can be provided with a serrated edge to reduce its contacting surface area still further.

A number of sensors are provided along the transport path in order to monitor the progress of the passport through the module. Just before the printing station, an optical sensor 436 is mounted between the drive belts (see Figure 4C). In the printing station itself, a sensor 437 is arranged as best shown in Figure 4D. This consists of a pivotable flag element which, when the passport passes underneath, moves an obstacle into the light gate of an optical sensor. Since this is in the area of the print head, a physical sensor is preferred to an optical sensor, which could produce erroneous signals due to the different ink and passport colours in the region, and the movement of the print head. A flag sensor is also not affected by ink spillage. Towards the exit of the module, a further optical sensor 438 (see Figure 4C) is provided between the drive belts.

4.2 Repositioning Device 450

As already mentioned, it is important to ensure that the passport is correctly positioned prior to the start of printing. In order to ensure the passport is accurately located, repositioning device 450 is provided. Components making up the device are best shown in Figures 4E, 4F and 4G, in each of which some parts of the module have been removed for clarity.

In order to perform any lateral repositioning of the passport, the passport must first be released from its friction hold between the belts 413 and the idler rollers 432, 433 and 434. As already described, the front half of the transport is mounted via springs 406a" and 406b" which urge the drive belt 413a and 413b towards the transport path. When a passport is to be repositioned, the drive belt assembly is pushed downward, against the action of the springs by motor 460 shown best in Figure 4F. The motor is mounted to the base plate 401 of the module via a bracket 462. The motor spindle is affixed to a cam plate 461 which engages a protrusion 463 affixed to the rear side of the rear drive assembly plate 405b (which has been removed for clarity). Thus, when the motor 460 is activated, the cam 461 rotates, pushing the protrusion 463 downward into a cut-out 462a provided in bracket 462. The movement of protrusion 463 acts on the whole of the drive belt assembly via drive assembly plates 403a and 403b and the brackets 408a and 408b (see Figure 4E) joining them. The rear guide plate 409 is fixed to the front half of the drive assembly and so is also moved down.

In some embodiments, the motor 460 may be replaced by a solenoid arranged to move the assembly up and down when activated. Once the drive belt assembly has been lowered with the passport resting on it, a repositioning solenoid 453 is activated. The repositioning solenoid 453 is connected to a repositioning arm 451 via a solenoid pin 453. The repositioning arm 451 is pivotably attached to the front of drive assembly plate 405a via block 452 as shown best in Figure 4E. At the top of repositioning arm 451 is provided a nudger plate 451 a for contacting the front edge of the passport in use. Figure 4G shows the repositioning device with a passport 10 in the repositioning location. When the solenoid 453 is activated, the solenoid pin 453a moves forwards which pivots the repositioning arm 451 such that repositioning plate 451a nudges the passport towards the rear of the module. The rear edge of the passport contacts plate 439a shown in Figure 4C and discussed above. The passport is illuminated by a light source 498 (typically an array of LEDs) from above (preferably at an angle), and an image is taken through the repositioning window 439 using camera 499. As discussed in Section 9 below, this is used to determine whether the passport is properly registered and ready for printing. The solenoid may be activated and deactivated a number of times in order to successfully nudge the passport into position. Once repositioning is complete, the motor 460 is reversed and the drive belt assembly returns to its upper position under the influence of compression springs 406a" and 406b".

4.3 Printer 470

Figure 4H shows the printer module with the main components of the printer 470 in position. The printer itself is a conventional ink-jet printer, such as those manufactured by Epsom™, e.g. an Epsom 800. The printer 470 is mounted in a housing 473 which consists of front and rear walls and a cross beam extending between them. The housing is supported at its front end on mounting 474 and at the rear on mounting 476. Between the front and rear ends of the housing 473 is a supported printer head shaft 472 and printer drive shaft 421. A printer head 471 slidably engages printer head shaft 472. The printer head includes a number of ink jet heads and is controlled by processor 490 to move along shaft 472 in accordance with the data to be printed. Printer drive shaft 421 is controlled by processor 490 via printer drive motor (not visible), and as described above, transfers drive to the transport assembly during printing.

4.4 Printer Module Processors

Figures 4J to 4R depict the printer module control sequences. The basic print sequence is depicted in the flowcharts of Figure 4J, 4K, 4L, 4M and 4N. Figures 4P, 4Q and 4R depict six error conditions which may be encountered during printing.

4.4.1 Print Sequence

The control starts at step s401. In step s402, the control queries optical sensor 438 to determine whether the exit point of the module is clear. If not, the system goes to sequence PP2 in step s403, described later with reference to Figures 4M and 4N.

If the module output position is clear, the system queries whether the RFID shuttle module 300 is ready. The RFID module will send a ready signal when a passport is available for transfer into the printer module. If the system has not received a ready signal, the control moves to step s405 and waits for the ready signal from the RFID module 300.

Once a ready signal has been retrieved, the control activates motor 460 to lower the drive belt assembly. In step s408, the system queries optical sensor 464 (Figure 4F) to determine whether the drive belts have been successfully lowered. If not, the system enters time out loop s409 and if, at the end of the time out loop, the system has not detected that the drive belt has been successfully retracted, the control moves to step s410 and enters error state PF1 depicted in Figure 4P(i) below. The system demands operator intervention before the process can be resumed.

Once the drive belts have been successfully retracted, the system determines whether the passport has been successfully processed thus far, that is whether it has passed the optical recognition sequence and RFID processing in the RFID shuttle module 300. The system will identify the passport as a reject if error codes were returned from the control computer 910 during either operation. If the passport has not been processed successfully, in step s412, a ready signal is sent to the RFID module 300, and then the printer drive belt motor 419 is run in step s413. The RFID drive belt motor must be run in parallel to facilitate passport transfer between modules. The system then moves to step s414 and the processing sequence PP1 depicted in Figure 4M to bypass the repositioning and printing operations to move the passport to the module exit.

If the passport has been successfully processed so far, in step s415, the system sends a ready signal to the RFID module 300. The printer drive belt motor is then run in step s416 in parallel with the RFID drive belt motor to convey the passport into the printer module.

In step s417, the system queries optical sensor 436 to determine whether the passport is in the correct location for repositioning. If not, the system enters time out loop s418 and if at the end of the time out loop s418 the passport is still not been sensed as reaching the optical sensor, the system moves to step s419 and enters error state PF2 depicted in Figure 4P(ii), and the operator is instructed to clear the jam.

Once the passport is detected as reaching the repositioning location, in step s420, the drive belt motor is stopped. The control then moves to Figure 4K to reposition the passport. In step s421 , the repositioning solenoid 453 is energised to nudge the passport toward reference block 439a. In step s422, the system queries sensor 455 to determine whether the solenoid has been properly energised. If not, the system enters time out loop s423 and waits for the solenoid to be energised. If this has not occurred at the expiry of the time out loop, the system moves to step s424 and enters error state PF3 depicted in Figure 4-P(SM), requiring operator intervention.

Once the repositioning solenoid has been detected as properly energised, in step s425, the drive belt assembly is raised by activating motor 460. In step s426, the system queries optical sensor 464 to determine whether the drive belt assembly has been properly raised. If not, the system enters time out loop s427 and if at the expiry of the time out loop s427 the drive belt has still not been raised, the system goes to step s428 and enters error state PF1 depicted in Figure 4P(i) and demanding operator intervention. Once the drive belts have been raised, the system de-energises the repositioning solenoid 453 in step s429. In step s430, the system queries optical sensor 455 to confirm the solenoid has been properly de-energised and if not, the system enters time out loop s431. If at the expiry of the time out loop the solenoid has still not been de-energised, the system moves to step s432 and enters error state PF3 depicted in Figure 4Q(iii) below.

Once the repositioning solenoid has been de-energised, the system uses camera 499 to calculate whether the repositioning has been successful. That is, as described in Section 9 below, the image of the page in the repositioning window is processed to determine the position of the page relative to the reference block and whether there is any skew. This data is sent with a validation request to the control computer 910 in step s434. Moving to Figure 4L, in step s435, the system queries whether the repositioning data is within predetermined limits. If the answer from the control computer is negative, in step s436, the system enters a retry loop and the drive belt assembly is once again retracted in step s437. In step s438, the system queries whether the drive belt assembly has been properly retracted and if not enters another time out loop s439. If the belts are not properly retracted at the end of the time out loop, the system moves to step s440 and enters error state PF1. Once the drive belts are fully retracted, the system returns to sequence PP3 shown in Figure 4K and repeats the repositioning procedure. If this is still not successful, the system moves to step s442 and enters error state PF4 shown in Figure 4Q(i).

If the repositioning data is within acceptable limits, in step s443, the control runs the drive belt motor 419 to convey the passport towards the printing station. In step s444, the system queries sensor 437 to determine whether the passport has arrived at the printer. If not, the system enters time out loop s445 and if at the expiry of the time out loop the passport has still not been detected as reaching the printer, the system moves to step s446 and enters error state PF2 to clear the jam.

Once the passport has been detected at the printer, in step s447, the drive belt motor is stopped. In step s448, the printer drive belt motor is then run to a fixed position and stopped once more in step s449. In step s450, the system sends a print request to the control computer 910. In step s451 , the system queries whether the printing request has been approved. If not, the system enters time out loop s452 and if at the expiry of the time out loop the printing request has still not been approved, the system moves to step s453 and enters error state PF4 depicted in Figure 4Q(i) below.

Moving to Figure 4M, if the printing request is approved, in step 454, the control computer 910 controls the printer 470 to print personalisation data onto the passport. Throughout printing, transport of the passport is controlled by the printer in a printer drive shaft 421. At step s455 the system queries whether the printer has confirmed that the printing is complete. If not, the system enters time out loop s456 and waits for the end of printing. If at the expiry of the time out loop the printing is still not complete, the system moves to step s457 and enters error state PF5 depicted in Figure 4Q(N) instructing the operator to clear the jam.

Once printing is complete, in step s458, the drive belt motor is run and in step s459 the system queries optical sensor 438 to determine whether the passport is present at the module exit. If not, the system enters time out loop s460 and if at the expiry of the time out loop the passport has still not arrived at the module exit, the system goes to step s461 and enters error state PF6 depicted in Figure 4R and instructs the operator to clear the jam.

Once the passport has arrived at the module exit, the drive belt motor is stopped in step s462, and in step s463, the system sends a ready signal to the auxiliary module indicating that it is ready to output a passport. The system then queries whether the auxiliary module is ready to receive the passport in step s464 and if not, the system waits for a ready signal from the auxiliary module in step s465. Moving to Figure 4N, once the ready signal has been received, in step s466, the drive belt motor is run to convey the passport out of the printer module. In step s467, the system queries the exit sensor to determine whether the exit position is clear and if not, the system enters time out loop s468. If at the expiry of the time out loop the exit position is still not clear, the system goes to step s469 and enters error state PF6.

Once the exit position is detected as being clear, in step s470, the drive belt motor is stopped and finally in step s471 , the system returns to printer start position in order to receive the next passport from the RFID shuttle module 300.

4.4.2 Fault Conditions Figures 4P, 4Q and 4R depict six fault conditions which may be encountered during printing.

If, when raising or lowering the drive belt assembly, the motor (or solenoid) 460 malfunctions, the system enters error state PF1 shown in Figure 4P(i). In step s480a, an error message is displayed on the screen and in step s480b, the operator is instructed to clear the fault. In step s480c, the system queries whether the fault has been cleared and if not, the system is shut down and a call is sent for qualified personnel in step s480d. If the fault can be successfully cleared, in step s480e, the process can be resumed. If the passport does not successfully arrive at the repositioning position, the system enters error state PF2 shown in Figure 4P(ii). In step s485a, the drive belt motor is stopped and a jam message is displayed on the screen in step s485b. In step s485c, the passport identifier is marked as rejected and the fault type is logged. The operator is instructed to clear the jam in step s485d. A list of current passport numbers being processed is displayed on the touch screen and the operator is instructed to identify that which is being removed in step s485e. In step s485f, the system queries whether the jam has been cleared, and if not waits for the operator to do so. Once the system has been cleared, a status report is sent to the control computer 910 in step s485g indicating that the processing of the passport has been aborted. The system then returns to the printer start position in step s486h to receive the next passport from the RFID shuttle module 300.

If during repositioning of the passport, the repositioning solenoid 453 malfunctions, the system enters error state PF3 shown in Figure 4P(iii). In step s482a, an error message is displayed on the screen and in step s482b, the operator is instructed to clear the fault. In step s482c, the system queries whether the fault has been cleared, and if not, in step s482d, the system is shut down and the operator is instructed to call qualified personnel. If the fault has been cleared, in step s482e, the process can be resumed.

If either the repositioning data obtained from the camera does not fall within approved limits, or the printing request is not approved by the control computer 910, the system enters error state PF4 shown in Figure 4Q(i). In step s490a, the passport identifier is marked as rejected and the fault type is logged. The drive belts are retracted in step s490b. In step s490c, the system queries whether the drive belt has been retracted and if not enters the time out loop s490d. If the system does not properly retract the drive belt before the expiry of the time out loop, the system goes to error state PF1 described above in step s490e. Once the drive belts have been successfully retracted, the system runs the printer drive belt motor in step s490f and at step s490g determines whether the passport has arrived at the module exit position. If not, the system enters time out loop s490h and if at the expiry of the time out loop the passport has still not arrived at the exit position, the system goes to error state PF2 described above in step s490j. Once the passport has been detected as arriving at the module exit position, in step s490k, the system goes to processing sequence PP2 to convey the passport out of the module. If a passport jam occurs in the printing zone, the system enters error state

PF5 depicted in Figure 4Q(ii). In step s495a, an error message is displayed on the screen. The passport identifier is marked as rejected and the fault type is logged in step s495b. In step s495c, the operator is instructed to intervene and clear the jam. A list of the passports being processed are displayed on the touch screen and the operator is instructed to identify that which has been removed. In step s495e, the system queries whether the jam has been cleared and if not, the system waits for the operator to finish clearing it.

Once clear, in step s495f, a status report is sent to the control computer 910 indicating that processing the passport has been aborted. The system then returns to the printer start position in step s495g.

If a passport jam occurs after printing, the system enters error state PF6 shown in Figure 4R. In step s499a, an error message is displayed on the screen and in step s499b, the passport identifier is marked as rejected and the fault type is logged. In step s499c, the operator is instructed to clear the jam and in step s499d, the list of live passports being processed is displayed on the touch screen and the operator is instructed to identify that which has been removed. In step s499e, the system queries whether the jam has been cleared and if not continues to wait for the operator. In step s499f, once the jam has been cleared, a status report is sent to the control computer 910 indicating the processing of the passport has been aborted. The system then returns to the printer start position in step s499g. 5. Auxiliary Module 500

The Auxiliary Module 500 is positioned between the Printer module 400 and the Laminator module 600 and in use operates as a form of buffer section between the two processing modules. The Auxiliary Module 500 is configured to receive a document or passport from the Printer module 400 and then to transport it to the Laminator Module 600 when the Laminator is ready to receive a new document. Using an Auxiliary Module 500 also allows extra time for any slow drying inks printed upon the document to dry sufficiently before lamination. In certain embodiments the Auxiliary Module 500 may be replaced with other processing modules. The presence of the Auxiliary Module 500 thus allows future upgrades and additional functionality to be added to the machine 1. For example, the Auxiliary Module 500 may be replaced by a Laser Marker Module or a second Printer Module. The Laser Marker Module may be configured to use a laser marker to add a security feature to the printed personalisation details. Alternatively, the second Printer Module may be configured to print one or more security features on or beside the printed personalisation details using one or more security inks.

5.1 Auxiliary Module Apparatus

An example of the Auxiliary Module 500 is illustrated in Figures 5A to 5E. The apparatus in these Figures is shown as an example and various embodiments may vary from the description below.

The Auxiliary Module 500 comprises a single Auxiliary transport unit 510 fixed upon module base 501. Module base 501 comprises base plate 501 D and two side plates 501 C. Module base 501 slots into the appropriate section of the machine housing 100. The weight of the module is supported by support feet (not shown), which make contact with the frame of the machine housing 100. These support feet are fastened to the base plate 501 D using support feet fasteners 502A to 502D. The support feet allow the whole module apparatus 500 to be removed from the larger superstructure 100 and placed on a separate flat surface. This facilitates repair and replacement of the module.

Cut-out sections 501 A and 501 B comprise two areas wherein the sheet metal forming module base 501 has been removed. The periphery of each cut-out section is configured so that the inside corner of each section mates with a suitably positioned dowel member (not shown) located upon the machine housing 100. This ensures that the module base 501 is corrected fitted within the appropriate area of the machine housing 100. By using these cut-out sections in the design of other module platforms, the Auxiliary Module 500 can be easily replaced with another module and the operator can be confident that the replacement module will be aligned properly with the machine housing.

An example of a typical Auxiliary transport unit 510 is shown in Figure 5B. Each unit 510 comprises two halves: a guide section 550 and a transport section 560.

Guide section 550 comprises a metal plate that is bent to form three sections: horizontal section 554, which is fastened to base plate 501 D; vertical section 553, which comprises elongate aperture 553B to reduce weight and material use; and horizontal upper guide section 551 , which acts to guide one half of a document as it is transported from left to right along the module below. The guide section 550 also comprises lower guide section 552. Lower guide section 552 comprises a further horizontal metal plate that is fastened to the vertical section 553 using fasteners 552B as shown in Figure 5E. The left end of the lower guide section 552 comprises a guide flange 552A, wherein the end of the plate forming guide section 552 is bent at an angle below the horizontal to guide a lower part of an incoming document between the upper and lower guide sections. A similar guide flange 551 A is found at the left end of the horizontal upper guide section 551 , wherein the guide flange is angled at an opposite angle to the horizontal to guide an upper part of an incoming document between the upper and lower guide sections. Vertical section 553 comprises a similar guide flange 553A, that extends from a portion of the vertical section 553 and guides a lateral edge of an incoming document to move along the side of the vertical section 553. Similar guide flanges may also be found upon edge guide plate 351 of the RFID unit 320.

Transport section 560 operates in tandem with upper section 540. The upper section 540 comprises a plurality of rollers and defines the top of the document or passport transport path. The transport section 560 comprises two driven transport belts which form the bottom of the passport transport path. Access to the transport path is provided by rotating the upper section 540 using transport access structures 520 and 530. Transport access structures 520 and 530 are shown in more detail in Figure 5C.

Transport access structure 520 comprises side panel frame 521 which is connected to a spacer member 580A mounted between side panels 561 A and 561 B (see Figure 5E). The upper portion of side panel frame 521 comprises two laterally- spaced, vertically-extending members. Each end of pivot axle 525 is mounted at the top of each vertically-extending member. Horizontal pivot block 523 is then rotatably connected to pivot axle 525. Pivot block 523 is also connected to the upper section 540. In use, pivot block 523 is prevented from rotating and thus opening the transport path. However, when a force is applied to handle 526, pivot block 523 may be pushed along pivot axle 525, against the force of spring 524. This action releases the pivot block 523 and allows the block to pivot clockwise. Transport access structure 530 comprises items 531 , 533, 534, 535, and 536 that are identical to items 521 , 523, 524, 525 and 526 of transport access structure 520. When a force is also applied to handle 536, in addition to the force applied to handle 526, both pivot blocks 523 and 533 may be pushed concurrently against the force of springs 524 and 534, releasing both pivot blocks 523 and 533 and allowing the whole of the upper section 540 to rotate clockwise in an arc, opening the transport path.

Upper section 540 is also shown in more detail in Figure 5C. Upper section 540 comprises front frame member 541 A and rear frame member 541 B. Front frame member 541 A is attached to pivot blocks 523 and 533. The upper section 540 comprises seven pairs of freely rotating rollers 542. Each roller pair 542 comprises a front roller 542B and a rear roller 542C. Each roller is attached to a roller axle 542A and held in place with a circlip 542D. Each roller axle 542A is mounted within a pair of axle apertures: aperture 543A on the front frame member 541 and aperture 543B on the rear frame member 541 B. Each aperture is vertically elongated in order to enable the vertical movement of the roller pair. This vertical movement thus allows the height of the transport path to vary as documents of varying thicknesses pass along it. Each roller axle is biassed to a default position wherein the axle is at rest at the bottom of the set of axle apertures. This biasing is achieved using the horizontally-extending arms of four springs 545B. Each spring has one or two sprung arms extending from a cylindrical wound body encircled around dowel members 544A that bridge the two frame members. Hence, when a document passes along the transport path below the rollers are vertically displaced against the force of the springs.

The transport section 560 is shown without the upper section 540 in Figure 5D. The transport section 560 comprises two elongated transport belts: a front belt 564A and a rear belt 564B. The front belt 564A is looped around two transport pulleys: front transport belt 564A is looped around front left pulley 563A and front right pulley 563C and rear transport belt 564B is looped around rear left pulley 563B and rear right pulley 563D. The left pulleys 563A and 563B are mounted upon left transport axle 562A and secured in place using circlips 562B. The left transport axle is supported in two apertures: one aperture in side panel 561 A and another aperture in side panel 561 B. The right pulleys 563C and 563D are mounted upon right transport axle 574A, which is mounted within two bearing housings 574D and 574E, each housing located upon one of panels 561 A and 561 B.

The right transport axle 574A is driven by drive motor 571 through a pulley mechanism. The axle 574A is connected to upper pulley 574B, which is held in place using a pin which locks into the axle. Retainer 574C forms part of the upper pulley 574B. Likewise part 574F locks drive pulley 563D to shaft 574A. Upper pulley 574B is driven by drive belt 573 which is looped around the upper pulley 574B and a lower pulley 572B. Lower pulley 572B is mounted upon motor axle 572A which is rotated by drive motor 571. Drive motor 571 is statically fixed to right side panel 561 A. The rotation of motor axle 572A by drive motor 571 thus rotates transport belts 564A and 564B via drive belt 573 which enables a document to be transported from left to right along the module. As the length of the Auxiliary Module 500 is greater than the comparative RFID and QA modules, belt support members 591 and 592 are attached to respective side panels 561 A and 561 B to provide support for transport belts 564A and 564B and to reduce the likelihood of belt twist.

At the exit of the module, near the drive mechanism, an exit opto-sensor is provided to detect the presence of a document above. This exit opto-sensor is typically found within the other modules and allows the control system to determine when a document is at the exit of the module, ready for transfer to the next module. In the present example, this exit opto-sensor comprises a reflective opto-sensor that is adapted to emit a beam of light, typically IR, and measure the amount of light reflected back into the sensor. When a document is present above the sensor a greater quantity of light will be reflected modifying the state of the sensor. 5.2 Auxiliary Module Control

5.2.7 Main Control

Examples of control algorithms used to control the Auxiliary Module 500 are shown in Figures 5F to 5H. Such algorithms are intended as an example of the functional procedures performed by the Auxiliary Module 500 and as such may vary in certain embodiments. These control algorithms may be stored within the memory of machine-based server 905 and processed in turn by the processor of the same server. Alternatively, the algorithms may be implemented upon dedicated control hardware based within the control PCB attached to the underside of module base 501. Typically, the algorithms are implemented through the co-ordinated operation of both software running upon the machine-based server 905 and the hardware of the module control PCB.

The control algorithm used to control the functionality of the Auxiliary Module 500 is illustrated in the flow diagrams of Figures 5F and 5G. This control algorithm comprises five main functional groupings S501 to S505.

The algorithm begins with grouping S501 , comprising steps S511 to S513, after start point S510. The steps of grouping S501 check whether a document or passport is present at the exit of the Auxiliary Module 500. At step S511 the algorithm interrogates the exit opto-sensor 590. If the state of the sensor indicates the presence of a document, for example if an emitted beam of IR light is reflected back into the sensor, then control proceeds to step S512, wherein the document present at the module exit is transferred to the Laminator Module 600. If the no document is detected at the module exit then control instead proceeds to step S513, wherein a "Ready" signal is sent to the Printer Module 400 indicating the Auxiliary Module 500 is ready to receive a printed document. The algorithm then moves to functional grouping S502. Grouping S502 is responsible for checking whether the Printer Module 400 is ready to send a document or passport to the Auxiliary Module 500. At step S514 the algorithm checks whether a "Ready" signal has been received from the Printer Module 400. If a signal has been received control proceeds to functional grouping S503. If a signal has not been received, indicating that the Printer Module 400 is not yet ready to send a document, the algorithm enters a loop at step S515 and repeats step S514 at regular intervals until a "Ready" signal is received.

Functional grouping S530 comprises steps S516 to S520 and is responsible for transferring a document or passport from the Printer Module 400 to the Auxiliary Module 500. At step S516 power is supplied to the auxiliary drive motor 571 to rotate transport belts 564A and 564B in a clockwise direction. At the same time the printer drive belt motor 419 is also driven forward which acts to transfer a waiting document from the exit of the Printer Module 400 to the entrance of the Auxiliary Module 500. At step S517 the exit opto-sensor is interrogated to see whether a document is present at the exit of the Auxiliary Module 500. This check is similar to that performed in step S511. If a document is not detected then the auxiliary drive motor 571 is continually driven in a control loop to transport the document received from the Printer Module 400 to the exit of the Auxiliary Module 500 using the clockwise rotation of transport belts 564A and 564B. A time-out check is provided in the control loop at step S518 to check whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed; if it has then control proceeds to error routine AF1 at step S519. Once the document is detected at the exit of the module, i.e. the state of exit opto-sensor 590 changes, then power is cut to the auxiliary drive motor 571 at step S520. Control then proceeds to functional grouping S504 via point S521. Functional grouping S504 comprises steps S522 to S524 and is responsible for checking whether a document is present at the Auxiliary Module exit, ready to be transferred to the Laminator Module 600. At step S522 a "Ready" signal is sent to the Laminator Module 600 indicating the Auxiliary Module 500 is ready to transfer a document for lamination. At step S523, the algorithm checks whether a "Ready" signal has been received from the Laminator Module 600, indicating the module is ready to receive a document. If a signal has been received control proceeds to functional grouping S505. If a signal has not been received, indicating that the Laminator Module 600 is not yet ready to receive a document, the algorithm enters a loop at step S524 and repeats step S523 at regular intervals until a "Ready" signal is received. Once a "Ready" signal is received control proceeds to functional grouping S505, shown in Figure 5G, via point A (S525).

Functional grouping S505 comprises steps S526 to S531 and is responsible fro transferring a document or passport from the exit of the Auxiliary Module 500 to the entrance of the Laminator Module 600. At step S526 power is supplied to the auxiliary drive motor 571 to rotate transport belts 564A and 564B in a clockwise direction. At the same time the laminator drive belt motor 629 is also driven forward which acts to transfer a waiting document from the exit of the Auxiliary Module 500 to the entrance of the Laminator Module 600. At step S527 the exit opto-sensor is interrogated to see whether a document is still present at the exit of the Auxiliary Module 500. This check is similar to that performed in step S511. If a document is still detected then the auxiliary drive motor 571 is continually driven in a control loop to transport the document from the exit of the Auxiliary Module 500 using the clockwise rotation of transport belts 564A and 564B. A time-out check is provided in the control loop at step S528 to check whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed; if it has then control proceeds to error routine AF1 at step S529. Once the exit of the module is clear, i.e. the state of exit opto-sensor 590 has changed and the document is now in the Laminator Module 600, power is cut to the auxiliary drive motor 571 at step S530. At step S531 control then loops around to start point S510, ready for a cycle of operation and the flowchart ends at step S532.

5.2.2 Error Routines

Figure 5H shows a flowchart of an exemplary error routine S550 that is used in the operation of the Auxiliary Module 500. Control begins at point AF1 (S551) after the routine is called from step S519 or S529. At step S552 the drive motor 571 of the auxiliary unit 510 is stopped. At step S553 a "Passport Jam" message is displayed on one or more of the screens. At step S554 the current data record or API identifier of the current document or passport is marked as a reject and the fault type and/or time is logged. At step S555 operator intervention is signalled, wherein an operator is directed to physically remove the document or passport from the machine by opening the top guide member and clearing the jam as instructed by message prompts upon one or more of the display screens. At step S556 a list of "live" OCR numbers are displayed on the touch-screen. The "live" OCR numbers refer to the identifying OCR numbers of documents or passports currently at each module stage that have not been flagged as complete, i.e. that have not reached the stacking cassette or reject tray of the stacker module 800. The operator then selects the OCR number on the touch-screen corresponding to the document or passport that has been removed at step S555. At step S557 a check is made to see whether the jam has been cleared. If the jam has not been cleared then the operator is again instructed at step S555 to clear the jam. If the jam has been cleared then the routine proceeds to step S558 wherein a status report is sent to the host server 910. This then aborts the current session of passport processing. Then at step S559 program flow returns to point Auxiliary Start (S510) and at step S560 the flowchart ends.

6.0 Lamination module 600

From the auxiliary module 500, the printed passport document 10 is conveyed to laminator module 600. The assembled laminator module 600 is shown in front perspective view in Figure 6a(i), rear elevation in Figure 6a(ii) and rear perspective view in Figure Ga(Mi).

The main function of the laminator module 600 is to apply a transparent laminate "patch" to the page of the passport which has been printed with the personalisation information in the printer module 400. The laminate patch covers the printed information, protecting it from environmental factors such as moisture which could affect the print quality and preventing any changes being made to the personalisation information. The laminate patch typically incorporates one or more security features therewithin, such as holographic elements and/or security inks including optically variable inks (OVI) such as thermo-chromic inks, which change appearance on the application of heat, pearl, fluorescent inks and such like. The laminate patches are supplied in the form of a web which is conveniently stored as a roll. In Figure 6b, the loaded web roll is designated WR, and the path that the web takes through the laminator module is shown in bold and indicated as W. The web W comprises a series of laminate patches adhered to a carrier material using a releasable adhesive. The carrier material may comprise a polymer such as polyester or a paper material. The laminate patches themselves are typically polymeric but may have matt or gloss finishes.

The laminate patch is applied to the passport page by the application of heat and pressure. Typically, the outermost layer of the laminate patch, furthest from the carrier layer, comprises either an adhesive (which may be temperature activated) or a polymer layer having suitable characteristics to allow softening on the application of heat. Once applied, the laminate patch cannot be removed from the passport or otherwise tampered with without damaging the underlying page or leaving detectable marks in the laminate patch. The provision of security elements in the laminate patch makes it extremely difficult and expensive to produce counterfeit patches.

The laminate patches therefore represent a high cost consumable which must be kept under secure conditions to avoid the possibility of any unused patches being appropriated by would-be counterfeiters. In order to achieve this, each patch is associated with an identification code on the web, adjacent the patch. As will be described in more detail below, in the present system a camera 696 is provided to image the identification code such that the destination of each patch can be recorded and the stock controlled. As in the other processing modules, each passport is conveyed through the laminator module 600 by a drive assembly 610 which conveys drive to the front half of the open passport 10a using a twin drive belt assembly 620. The thinner, rear half of the passport 10b is supported by a guide structure 630. The drive assembly 610, including both the drive belt assembly 620 and guide structure 630 will be described in Section 6.1 below.

As the printed passport document enters the lamination module, it is important to ensure that the page to be laminated is correctly positioned such that the laminate patch can be applied accurately. This is achieved using a repositioning mechanism 640, described in Section 6.2 below. The web of laminate patches is provided in the form of a roll WR, as shown in

Figure 6b. The roll WR is mounted on a spool and the web W takes a convoluted path as shown in Figure 6b to an empty spool 652 for storage of the "empty" web once the laminate patches have been removed. The web transport 650 is described in Section 6.3 below. The web path W meets the passport in a nip provided by heated roller assembly 670. The laminated patch is heated and pressure is applied as the passport is conveyed through the heated roller assembly 670 in order to affix the patch to the printed page of the passport. The heated roller assembly is detailed in Section 6.3 below. Once the patch has been applied, the laminated passport is conveyed by the remainder of the drive assembly 610 to the module exit where it is passed to the QA module 700 described in Section 7 below.

The lamination process is controlled by the machine computer 905 as discussed in more detail in Section 9 below. The particular processors relevant to the laminator module 600 are described in Section 6.5 below. The laminator module is supported on a base plate 601 sized to engage struts 126 and 127 provided in the top surface of cabinet 101 described in Section 1 above. On the underside of the base plate 601 are provided four feet which allow the module to be rested on a surface such as a desktop when lifted out of the apparatus. Two of the feet 602a and 602b are visible in Figure 6a(ii). Vertical support plate 605 is mounted on the baseplate 601 using side struts 606a and 606b. As will be described below, the vertical support plate 605 is used to mount the web transport components as well as the heated roller assembly 670.

Behind the vertical support plate 605 are provided a motor controller assembly 699 and a relay and digital controller 698 which receives input from the machine computer 905 described in Section 9 below. Control is implemented through the motor controller assembly 699 and PCB 603 provided on the underside of the baseplate 601. Power is provided through aperture 604.

6.1 Drive Assembly 610

As shown in Figure 6a(i), the drive assembly 610 comprises a twin drive belt assembly 620 for conveying the front half 10a of the passport, and a guide structure 630 for supporting the rear half 10b of the passport. Figure 6a and 6b show a passport 10 having just entered the laminator module 600 for reference.

The twin drive belt assembly 620 is shown best in Figures 6c and 6d. The twin drive belt assembly 620 is mounted to the base plate 601 by left and right mounting brackets 611 a and 611 b. On the brackets are affixed front and rear plates 621a and 621b, shown best in Figure 6d. The plates 621a and 621 b support between them belt rollers 622a and 622b on shaft 623a at the leftmost extremity of the plate 621. The rollers 622a and 622b support one end of friction belts 624a and 624b which extend the length of the assembly 620. At the rightmost extremity, the friction belts 624a and 624b are supported by drive rollers 625a and 625b on shaft 625c as shown in Figure 6d. The drive shaft 625c is supported in bearings 626c between plates 621a and 621b and, in use, is driven by drive belt motor 629 mounted between the plates 621a and 621 b. The drive belt motor 629 transfers drive to the drive shaft 625c via pulley 629a, timing belt 629b and pulley 629c affixed to drive shaft 625c.

The drive belts 624a and 624b are supported along their length by guide plates 627a and 627b, just visible in Figures 6d and 6e. The guide plates help to maintain each drive belt flat and keep it in its correct lateral position.

Opposing the friction belts 624a and 624b are a series of sprung idler rollers 623a to 623g. The idler rollers are arranged in a series of seven pairs 623a and 623a', 623b and 623b', 623c and 623c', 623d and 623d', 623e and 623e\ 623f and 623f and 623g and 623g' along the length of the drive belt assembly 620. Each pair of idler rollers is supported on a shaft 623a", 623b", 623c", 623d", 623e", 623f" and 623g". The idler roller shafts are supported in idler plates 628a and 628b in vertically elongate slots. A series of springs 629a, 629b, 629c and 629d are mounted on pegs 629a', 629b', 629c' and 629d' at intervals along the drive assembly and are arranged to urge each idler pair downwards towards the transport path. As the passport 10 approaches each idler pair, the thickness of the front half 10a overcomes the force of the relevant spring 629a to 629d and the idler pair is deflected away from the friction belt 624 to allow the passage of the passport through the nip defined therebetween whilst maintaining pressure on the document as it passes.

To monitor the progress of the document along the transport path, three optical sensors are provided between the drive belts 624a and 624b, spaced along the transport path. The first and second of these are shown in Figure 6g. Optical sensor 691 is a reflective sensor positioned so as to detect the leading edge of the passport as it enters the lamination module. When sensor 691 detects the leading edge, the passport 10 is known to be located ready for repositioning by repositioning device 640 as will be discussed in Section 6.2 below. A short distance further along the transport is provided a second reflective optical sensor 692 which detects the leading edge of the passport as it reaches the lamination position in the vicinity of heated roller assembly 670. The third optical sensor is provided between the drive belts adjacent the module exit and is shown in Figure 6d. Here, optical sensor 693 detects the leading edge of the passport as it approaches the end of the friction belts. To allow access to the transport path, the idler roller pairs 623a to 623g are arranged to be pivotable away from the drive belt 624. The idler support plates 628a and 628b are mounted on arms 613a and 613b which pivotably engage with mounting brackets 61 1 a and 611 b respectively. Each arm 613 is supported in a recess 612 of the corresponding mounting bracket 611 on a shaft 615. A compression spring 616 is provided on the shaft to urge the arm 613 against the opposite side of the recess 612. As shown most clearly in Figure 6d, at the top of each recess is provided a dowel 618a and 618b which is arranged to extend out of the mounting bracket 611 and, when the idler rollers are in their operational position, into an aperture 617 provided in the arm 613 (see Figure 6c). When the dowel is so engaged, the idler rollers are fixed in position opposing the drive belt 624a and 624b. To disengage the idler rollers, the arms 613 are slid to the left of the module, compressing the springs 616 and releasing the dowel 618 from the hole 617. The arms 613a and 613b are therefore free to pivot about shaft 615a and 615b to raise the idler support plates 628a and 628b and the associated rollers away from the transport path. Handles 614a and 614b are provided to aid the user in completing this operation.

The guide structure 630 for supporting the rear half 10b of the passport through the laminator module is shown best in Figures 6c, 6d and 6e. Also, Figure 6b shows the laminator module from the front with the twin drive belt assembly 620 removed to reveal the guide structure 630. The rear half of a passport is indicated as item 10b. The underside of the transport path is defined by lower guide plates 631a and 631b which are positioned to the left and right of the heated roller assembly 670. As shown best in Figure 6e, the left lower guide plate 631a has a bevelled edge so as to assist the leading edge of the passport towards the intended transport path as it enters the module.

The lower guide plates 631a and 631b are mounted on reference blocks 647a and 647b to the vertical support plate 605. In use, the reference blocks 647a and 647b contact the rear edge of the passport to ensure it is in register with the lamination apparatus. The repositioning device for ensuring the passport is in contact with the blocks is described in Section 6.2 below.

On the upper side of the guide structure, a series of components are provided to maintain the rear half of the passport flat as it approaches the heated roller and as it is conveyed away. As shown best in Figure 6e, as the passport enters the lamination module, its rear half 10b passes under three parallel guide blocks 632a, 632b and 632c which are laterally spaced across the passport on shafts 633a and 633b, mounted in vertical support plate 605. The underside of the guide blocks is positioned at a predetermined spacing from the lower guide plate 631a so as to allow passports to pass therethrough yet prevent pages from opening such that a flat surface is presented to the heated roller assembly 670 for lamination.

After the heated roller assembly 670, the laminated passport reaches lower guide plate 631b which is opposed by adjustable guide block 634, shown best in

Figure 6d. The vertical position of adjustable guide block 634 is fixed by means of shafts 636a and 636b on which the adjustable guide block 634 is mounted to vertical support plate 605. As shown in Figure 6b, the leading edge of the adjustable block is bevelled so as to direct the laminated passport towards the intended transport path as it leads the heated roller assembly 670. To avoid the leading edge of the laminated passport "missing" the guide block, the leading edge of the guide block must be placed as close as possible to the heated roller assembly 670. To aid assembly and to allow easy insertion of the laminate patch web W, the adjustable block is provided with an eccentric cam 635 therewithin to which the adjustable block 634 is affixed by axle 635b. A peg 635a is provided near the periphery of the cam and extends through an arcuate slot provided in adjustable block 634. The eccentric cam is arranged such that when the peg 635a is slid around the arcuate slot 634b, the cam rotates and urges against one or other of the shafts 636a or b to move the adjustable block 634 towards or away from the heated roller assembly 670. Slots 634a are provided in the adjustable block 634 to permit this lateral motion. Figure 6d shows the adjustable block moved away from the laminator.

6.2 Repositioning Device 640

In order to ensure successful lamination, it is essential that the incoming passport is correctly registered relative to the heated roller assembly. In order to achieve this, repositioning device 640 is provided to adjust the location of each passport as it enters the lamination module. The components making up repositioning device 640 are shown best in Figure 6e. A passport is ready for positioning when it reaches the position shown in Figure 6c: that is, the first two idler roller pairs 623a and 623a', and 623b and 623b¹ have been deflected by the incoming passport. An optical sensor 691 (Figure 6g) detects when this position has been reached and halts the transport.

To perform any lateral repositioning, the passport must first be released from its friction hold between the drive belts 624 and idler rollers 623 and this is achieved by solenoid 641 which is mounted on idler support plates 628a and 628b (the front idler support plate 628a has been removed from Figure 6e for clarity) by a solenoid support bracket 642. The solenoid pin (not visible) connects to a strut 643 which extends between shafts 623a" and 623b" of the first and second idler pairs. Upon receipt of the command signal, the solenoid 641 is activated and its pin retracted upwards which lifts struts 643 and the associated idler rollers 623a, 623a', 623b and 623b' off the passport.

With the idler rollers raised, the passport is nudged against reference block 647a by repositioning arm 644. The repositioning arm 644 is pivotably mounted to the front of drive belt support plate 621 a via a shaft 645. At its uppermost extremity, the arm 644 has a plate 644a which has a flat surface for contacting the edge of the passport. At its opposite extremity, the arm 644 connects to solenoid pin 646 of solenoid 646. When the solenoid is activated, the solenoid pin 646a is pushed forward and the repositioning arm 644 pivots such that the plate 644a contacts the front edge of the passport, pushing it towards reference block 647a. This may be repeated a number of times in order to ensure good positioning. When the solenoid 646 is deactivated, the repositioning arm 644 returns to its original position when it does not contact the passport.

An optical sensor 646b is provided mounted on the rear drive belt support plate 621 b for monitoring the operation of the solenoid 646. A protrusion (opposite to item 646c shown in Figure 6c) is provided on the solenoid which moves with the solenoid pin 646a into and out of a light gate provided in optical sensor 646b to detect whether the actuation of the solenoid 646 has been successful.

Once the nudging sequence has been performed an appropriate number of times (see Section 6.5 below), the solenoid 641 lifting the idler rollers 623 is deactivated, allowing the idler rollers to return to their lower position and contact the front half of the passport. The drive is then reactivated to continue the transport of the reposition passport through the laminator apparatus.

6.3 Web Transport 650

The path taken by the laminate patch web W through the module is best shown in Figure 6d. Before the start of processing, a web roll WR is fitted onto web roll shaft 651. The web is passed around a series of rollers to maintain tension and the free end of the web is affixed to a core mounted on empty web shaft 652. Both the web roll shaft 651 and the empty web shaft 652 are connected to individual motors 669 and 665 as shown best in Figures 6a(iii) and Figure 6f, and discussed in more detail below. However, the main drive which transports the web from the web roll WR to the empty web shaft 652 is achieved by drive roller 653, located above the heated roller assembly 670. The drive roller 653 is connected to a third motor 667, shown in Figure 6f.

The three web motors 669, 668 and 667 are used in combination to maintain the correct tension on the web W. Each time the web is to be advanced, the drive roller 653 is driven forward which pulls the web from web roll WR. The web roll motor 669 is also driven forward but this can be controlled to be slightly slower than the speed of the drive roller 653 so as the maintain a desired tension on the intervening web W. Simultaneously, the empty web shaft 652 is driven forward by motor 665 and this may occur at a slightly faster speed than that of the drive roller 653 in order to avoid any slack occurring in the web between the drive roller and the shaft 652. The rotational speed of the web roll shaft 651 and empty web shaft 652 is varied by the motor controller 699 during operation in order to take account of the changing roll diameter in each case.

Figure 6f shows a perspective view of the web transport with the web itself removed for clarity. The web roll shaft 651 comprises a tapered spindle 651 a, the diameter of which decreases away from the vertical support plate 605. A circular plate 651 is fixed to the base of the spindle 651a to rotate therewith so as to avoid contact between the moving web roll and stationary surface 605. Over the tapered spindle 651a is placed a split core 651b which comprises two semi-cylindrical halves joined at one end by a screw cap 651 d. At the opposite end, an O-ring 651c is provided to maintain the two halves in position. In use, the web roll WR is first placed on the split core 651 b which is then fitted over the tapered spindle 651a, causing the two halves of the split core 651 b to move apart and therefore increase in the overall circumference of the shaft, thereby preventing the removal of the web roll WR. This is secured by tightening screw cap 651 d which maintains the shaft in position.

From the web roll, the web passes over idler support rollers 654 and 655, each of which comprises a shaft 654a and 655a mounted in vertical support plate 605, with a free wheeling cylindrical roller supported thereon. From roller 655, as shown best in Figure 6b, the web is passed down to roller 656, adjacent the passport transport path and the heated roller assembly 670. The roller 656 is of a similar construction, having a support shaft 656a and a free-wheeling roller 656b thereon. The web W passes underneath the roller 656 into the nip of the heated roller assembly 670. As will be described in more detail in Section 6.4 below, the heated roller assembly applies heat and pressure to the web in order to affix the laminate patch to the passport conveyed thereunder.

The final pressure point to ensure the passport remains flat when it exits the heated roller assembly is provided by adjustable roller 657 positioned at the exit of the heated roller assembly 670. This component is best shown in Figure 6g. The roller 657 comprises a support bracket 657c having a recess defined therein within which a shaft 657a extends to support roller 657b. The bracket 657c is connected to the underside of side wall 680b of the heated roller assembly which will be described in more detail below. Three shafts 657d, 657e and 657f extend into the bracket 657c from the wall 680b. The forward and rear shafts 657d and 657e have compression springs provided between the lower edge of wall 680b and bracket 657c so as to urge the bracket 657c and associated roller 657b downward, towards the transport path. The centre shaft 657e is additionally provided with a compression spring arrangement 657g which is exposed by an aperture in wall 680b and has an adjustment wheel for adjusting the force applied by shaft 657e to the bracket 657c. In this way, the vertical position of roller 657b can be adjusted by turning adjustment wheel 657g to fine tune the amount of pressure applied to the web and the passport.

From roller 657, the now empty web passes around idler rollers 658 and 659, each of which comprises shafts affixed to vertical support plates 605 and cylindrical free-wheeling rollers mounted thereon.

Returning to Figure 6b, from roller 659, the web is passed to drive roller 653. The drive roller comprises a cylindrical core having a high friction surface in order to ensure good transfer of drive to the web. To ensure tension is maintained around the drive roller 653, a tensioning device 660 is provided adjacent to it. This is best shown in Figure 6f.

The tensioning device 660 comprises a block 660a supported on a shaft 660b affixed to the vertical support plate 605 adjacent the drive roller 653. The block 660a defines a recess therewithin which supports a shaft 660c and a roller thereon. A cap 66Of is provided on the end of shaft 660b to support a spring 66Og thereon which acts on the end of shaft 660c to urge the roller 66Od towards the drive roller 653. To load the web W onto the rollers, the tensioning arrangement must be biassed away from the drive roller 653 in order to pass the web between it and the tensioning roller 66Od. This is achieved by the operator using handle 66Oe to rotate the tensioning device a small distance against the action of the spring 66Og. When the operator releases the handle, the spring returns roller 66Od into its tensioning position as shown in Figure 6b.

From the tensioning device 660, the end of the web reaches empty web shaft 652 which has similar construction to that of the web roll shaft 651.

The web transport motors are shown in more detail in Figures 6A(iii) and 6F. The web roll motor 669 is mounted to plate 668a which is supported on cylindrical shaft 668b behind the web roll shaft 651. Drive is transferred from the motor 669 to the shaft 651 via gears 669a, 669b, and 669c shown best in Figure 6a(iii). Gear 669c is connected through cylindrical shaft 668b to drive the web roll shaft 651.

Motor 667, which drives drive roller 653 is mounted between the vertical support plate 605 and plate 666a as shown in Figure 6a(iii). Drive is transferred to the shaft via a series of pulleys 667a, 667b and 667c and through cylindrical shaft 666b to the drive shaft 653. The empty web shaft motor 665 is mounted behind vertical support plate 605 to plate 664a and drive is transferred via gears 665a, 665b, and 665c, through cylindrical shaft 664b to the empty web shaft 652.

The web transport path is equipped with a number of sensors for monitoring the position of the web and for stock control of the laminate security patches thereon. As already mentioned, each laminate patch is expensive and its whereabouts must be known at all times in order to prevent patches falling into the hands of would-be counterfeiters, or at least detecting if any such loss should occur. This is achieved by the provision of a video camera 696 which is mounted to the interior of the housing superstructure 150 (see Section 1 above). An angled mirror 697 is also mounted to the superstructure and is positioned above the web W between the rollers 654 and 655 as shown best in Figure 6b. As the web is driven forward, the camera 696 receives an image of the web reflected by mirror 697. The web includes an identification code associated with each laminate patch, typically provided on the carrier backing alongside the relevant patch. As described in Section 9 below, the detected data may be used in a number of ways. In some cases, the detected identification codes are simply recorded in order to keep track of which patches have been used (and conversely which patches are still on the roll). In other embodiments, the detected data may be matched to the identifier of the passport to which the patch will be applied, and records kept. As the web approaches the heated roller assembly 670, a reflective optical sensor 695 is provided to detect the position of the patch on the web. As shown in Figure 6b, the reflective sensor 695 is positioned in a housing mounted above the guide blocks 632. On the opposite side of the web transport path, a reference plate 694 is provided, affixed to a wall of the heated roller assembly 670 which helps to maintain the web in close proximity to the sensor 695 and also acts as a control background to assist the reflective sensor in detecting indicia on the web. As will be described in more detail in Section 6.5, the reflective sensor 695 is used to detect features provided on the web to identify the start and/or end of each patch. This is used to ensure that the patch is correctly positioned before laminating.

6.4 Heated Roller Assembly 670

The laminate patch is adhered to the passport page by the application of heat and pressure in the heated roller assembly 670, shown best in Figures 6G, 6H and 6J. The heated roller assembly is mounted through an aperture of the vertical support plate 605 on a backing plate 607 affixed to the support plate 605. The heated roller assembly is housed between left and right walls 680a and 680b, top 678 and front wall 682 (which has been removed in Figure 6G for clarity). The housing helps to insulate the heated roller assembly from the environment, prevents any other section of the web from contacting the heated roller and prevents the operator from touching any hot elements. As described in Section 6.4 above, the right side wall 680b supports at its lower end one of the web transport rollers 657.

Inside the housing is a heated roller 671. The roller 671 has a substantially D- shaped cross-section and shown in Figure 6G with its curved face orientated upward, away from the passport transport path. In operation, when a patch is to be laminated onto a passport, the roller 671 rotates anticlockwise (as seen in Figure

6G) such that the curved surface comes into contact with the web and the passport.

The centre of the heated roller 671 is hollow and engages at its front end a mounting block 672a via a bearing 673a. The front mounting block 672a rests on a spigot 682a which couples with the front wall 682 (see Figure 6F) to support the block in position. At the rear, the heated roller 671 has a portion of lesser diameter which extends through a rear mounting block 672B (just visible in Figure 6H) through a further bearing 673b (shown in Figure J). The rear mounting block 672B rests on a spigot 672C which engages backplate 607 to support the rear of the heated roller. A toothed gear 676 is affixed to the rear face of the heated roller 671 for conveying drive to the roller as will be described below.

Making up the central core of the roller is a cartridge heater 675 which extends the length of the roller 671. A cartridge heater is used to ensure fast heating of the whole roller drum 671 and a long lifetime. The element can also be replaced straightforwardly should this be required. The electrical connection to the cartridge heater 675 is just visible in Figure 6J at the rear of the roller assembly. A slip ring assembly 687 is provided to enable electrical contact with the heater whilst allowing it to rotate freely with the roller 671. As shown in Figure 6H, the slip ring assembly 687 is mounted in a plate 608 directly behind the roller 671 as shown in Figure 6H. A hole is provided in the side of the plate 608 through which a grub screw locks and fixes the outer slip ring in position to stop it from rotating. The extension of the slip ring assembly 687 to the left of plate 608 is connected by a spade clip to the heater cartridge and rotates with the cartridge and drum 671 , rotation taking place inside the slip ring 687. The plate 608 also supports a temperature sensor 688 via a mounting block 688a.

The pressure applied by the heated roller 671 can be adjusted using shaft assemblies 674 at the front of the roller and 677 at the rear (see Figures 6G(i) and 6J). Figure 6G(ii) shows a schematic cross-section through shaft assembly 674. The shaft comprises an upper shaft 674c having an internal thread which receives a lower shaft 674d of narrower diameter therewithin. The lower shaft 674 extends into and engages the mounting block 672 on which the front of the roller 671 is held. Compression disk springs 674 are provided between the upper shaft 674 and the mounting block 672. An indicator tab 674a is affixed to the upper shaft 674c and rests on the top plate of the heated roller assembly housing 678. The indicator tab 674a points to markings 674e and gives a guide for pressure adjustment. This is the same for 677a and 677e at the rear. Pressure is adjusted by turning upper shaft 674c onto lower shaft 674b compressing disc springs 674d. Secondly, the roller height/gap can be set by adjusting spigot 682a between the two rollers. This is also applicable to same mechanism 672c. At the rear of the assembly, shaft 677 has similar construction and engages rear mounting block 672b (just visible in Figure 6H) to vary the height of rear of the assembly. The heated roller 671 is opposed by a drum roller 683 shown in Figures 6B, 6G and 6J. The drum roller 683 creates a nip between itself and the heated roller which provides the pressure point for applying the laminate patch to the passport. The position of the drum roller 683 position is fixed, such that the gap dimension must be set by adjusting the height of the top heated roller. The drum roller is of the same diameter as the heated roller 671 but is of solid construction save for a number of bores provided parallel to the rotation axis to reduce its weight and the effects of thermal expansion. When a patch is to be laminated onto a passport, the heated roller 671 and the drum roller 683 are rotated synchronously in the passport transport direction. Drive is provided by motor 679 shown in Figures 6H and 6J. The motor spindle (not visible) drives a cog 684 affixed to drum roller 683 directly. The cog 684 engages gears 685 and 686 which transfer drive to the heated roller cog 676. This is best shown in Figure 6J. The rotation of the heated roller assembly is controlled via motor controller 699 by the machine computer 905.

6.5 Laminator Processes

Figures 6K, 6L, 6M, 6N, 6P, 6Q, 6R and 6S are flow diagrams depicting the laminator control processes. The basic lamination process is shown in the flow chart of Figures 6K to Figure 6N and described in more detail in Section 6.5.1 below. Figure 6P is a registration process used to identify each laminate patch and register it with the system, and this is discussed in Section 6.5.2 below. Finally, Figures 6Q to 6S depict seven error states which may be encountered during lamination, as discussed in Section 6.5.3 below.

6.5.1 Lamination Process

As shown in Figure 6K, the lamination sequence starts at step s601. The sequence begins by querying the module exit sensor 693 to determine whether the module exit position is clear. If not, this means that a passport is ready to be output from the module and, in step s603, the system moves to sequence LP2 shown in

Figure 6N.

If the module out position is clear, in step s604, the system queries the temperature sensor 688 to determine whether the heated roller 671 is within predetermined temperature limits. If not, the system enters a temperature control loop s604a in which the current supplied to the cartridge heater 675 is varied and/or a period of time is allowed to elapse before step s604 is repeated. If the temperature control loop s604a expires without the heated roller reaching the correct temperature, the process moves to step s605 and enters error state LF5 depicted in Figure 6R(ii). As described below, this involves displaying an error message and seeking user intervention.

Once the heated roller is detected as falling within the desired temperature limits, the system queries the auxiliary module 500 to find out whether it is ready to output a passport to the laminator module. If not, in step s607, the system waits for a ready signal from the auxiliary module. Once a positive reply is received from the auxiliary module 500, in step s608, the system queries whether the passport to be received by the laminator has successfully passed all the stages of processing so far, namely visual capture, RFID processing and printing. If the passport has not been successfully processed thus far, in step s609, the system sends a ready signal to the auxiliary module which then passes the passport to the laminator. In step s610, the drive belt motor 629 of the laminator is run to convey the passport through the module. The system goes to step s611 which moves the process to sequence LP1 shown in Figure 6M in order to convey the unprocessed passport out of the module and to the QA module 700.

If on the other hand the passport has been successfully processed, the system sends a ready signal to the auxiliary module in step s612 and, in step s613, the laminate patch ("MLIS") registration process is initiated as discussed in Section 6.5.2 below. Simultaneously, in step s614, the drive belt motor is run to convey the passport into the laminator. In step s615, the system queries optical sensor 691 to determine whether the passport has reached the repositioning location. If not, the system enters time out loop s616. If at the expiry of the time out loop s616 the passport has still not been detected as reaching the repositioning location, the system moves to step s617 and enters error state LF2 depicted in Figure 6Q(ii). This identifies the passport jam, marks the passport as rejected and instructs the operator to intervene and clear the jam. Once the passport is detected as having reached the repositioning location, in step s618, the drive belt motor is stopped and the passport halted. The control moves to Figure 6L to reposition the passport.

In step s619, the solenoid 641 is activated to raise the upper idler rollers 623a and 623b. In step s620, the system detects whether the idler rollers have been raised by confirming that a command has been sent to activate the solenoid. If not, the system enters a time out loop s621. If at the expiry of the time loop s621 the system still has not detected the raising of the idler rollers, the system moves to step s622 and enters error state LF1 shown in Figure 6Q(i) and instructs operator intervention.

If the idler rollers have been successfully raised, in step s623, the system energises the repositioning solenoid 646 to nudge the passport into position. In step s624, the system queries optical sensor 646b to determine whether the repositioning solenoid 646 has correctly activated. If not, the system enters time out loop s625. If at the expiry of the time out loop s625 the system still has not detected activation of the repositioning solenoid, the system moves to step s626 and enters error state LF3 described below and depicted in Figure 6Q(Ui), which demands operator intervention.

Once the repositioning solenoid 646 has been successfully activated, the idler rollers are lowered by deactivating solenoid 641 in step s627. In step s628, the system confirms whether a de-energise signal has been sent to the solenoid to lower the guide rollers. If not, the system enters time out loop s629 and if at the expiry of the time out loop the idler rollers have still not been successfully lowered, the system moves to step s630 and enters error state LF1 shown in Figure 6Q(i). Once the idler rollers have been detected as successfully lowered, the repositioning solenoid is de-energised in step s631. The system queries optical sensor 646b to determine that the solenoid has been properly deactivated and if not, the system enters time out loop s633. If at the expiry of the time out loop the system has still not detected the successful de-energisation of the solenoid, the system goes to step s634 and enters error state LF3 shown in Figure 6Q(iii) below.

If the repositioning solenoid has been successfully de-energised in step s632, the system moves to step s635 and the drive belt motor is activated to convey the passport away from the repositioning location and towards the laminating position. In step s636, the system queries optical sensor 692 to determine whether the passport has reached the laminating position. If not, the system enters a time out loop s637 and if at the expiry of the time out loop the detector has still not noted the presence of the passport at the laminating position, the system moves to step s638 and enters error state LF2 described below with reference to Figure 6Q(ii) which rejects the passport and instructs the operator to clear the jam.

Once the passport has successfully reached the laminating position, the control moves to Figure 6M. In parallel, the MLIS registration procedure is being carried out as will be described in Section 6.5.2 below. A successful outcome of the MLIS registration procedure is that the web is in position for lamination. In step s639, the system queries whether the web is correctly positioned and if not, waits for a ready signal from the MLIS registration process in step s640. Once this process is complete, in step s641 , the drive belt motor is run to convey the passport into the nip defined in the heated roller assembly 670. Simultaneously, in step s642, the heated roller assembly is run by activating motor 679, in step s643 the web drive motor 667 is driven to move the web forward and in step s644 the web take-up motor (empty web shaft roller 665) is driven to avoid slack in the web. The feed motor 669 may also be driven in the opposite direction at lesser power to maintain tension.

These motors continue to run as the passport passes through the nip and the laminate patch is applied to it. In step s645, the system queries the output sensor to determine whether lamination has been completed (and the passport therefore moved to reach the output sensor) and if not the system enters time out loop s646. If at the expiry of the time out loop the lamination is still incomplete, the system goes to step s647 and enters error state LF7 depicted in Figure 6S. Once lamination is complete, in step s648, the heated roller assembly motor 679 is stopped in step s648, as are the web drive motor and film take up motor in steps s649 and s650. The drive belt motor continues to run.

In step s651 , the system queries optical sensor 693 to determine whether the passport has arrived at the module exit. If not, the system enters time out loop s652 and, at the expiry of the time out loop s652, if the passport has not reached the module exit, the system goes to step s653 and enters error state LF2 depicted in Figure 6Q(ii) below.

Once the passport is sensed at the module exit, in step s654, the drive belt motor is stopped and the system moves to the flowchart of Figure 6N. In step s655, the system sends a ready signal to the QA module 700 to indicate that the passport is ready for transfer. In step s656, the system queries whether the QA module 700 is ready to accept a passport and if not, in step s657, the system waits for a ready signal from the QA module. Once the QA module is ready, in step s658, the drive belt motor is run to convey the passport out of the laminator module. In step s659 the system queries optical sensor 693 to determine whether the exit position is clear and if not, the system enters time out loop s660. If at the expiry of the time out loop s660 the module exit is still not clear, the control goes to step s661 and enters error state LF2 depicted in Figure 6Q(ii) below. Once the module exit position is clear, in step s662, the drive belt motor is stopped and in step s663, the process returns to start ready to receive the next passport.

6.5.2 Web Registration Procedure

The flowchart of Figure 6P depicts control of the laminate patch web. In step s664, the system queries reflective sensor 695 to determine whether a visible feature in the form of a dark registration bar is present in the sensor region. If not, the system goes to step s665 and enters error state LF6 demanding operator intervention.

If the registration bar is detected, in step s666, the web drive motor 667 is run in reverse by a fixed amount to reposition the patch in question in the field of view of the camera 697. Simultaneously, in steps s667 and s668, the web film take up motor and web film feed motor, s665 and s669 respectively, are driven in reverse to maintain tension in the web.

In step s669, the camera is used to image the web and the identification code is retrieved.

In step s670, the identification code is sent in a number validation request to the control computer 910. In step s671 , the system queries whether the data is valid and the patch to which it corresponds available for use. If not, the system enters retry loop 672 and re-images the identification code. If a second number validation request is still unsuccessful, the system enters second retry loop 673 and the film is driven forward to a position in which the next registration bar is detected by the sensor 695. The system then returns to s664 and the process is repeated. If this fails, the system goes to step s674a and enters error state LF4 described in Figure 6R(i) which demands operator intervention.

If the number validation request is successful, in steps s675, s676 and s677, the three web motors 669, 667 and 665 are all run forward simultaneously. In step s678, the system once again queries optical sensor 695 to determine whether the registration bar has returned to the sensor vicinity. If not, the system enters time out loop s679 and the motors continue to run until the registration bar is sensed. If at the expiry of the time out loop the registration bar is still not sensed, the system goes to step s680 and enters error state LF6 depicted in Figure 6R(Ni), requiring operator intervention. Once the registration bar is detected by the sensor, in step s681 , all motors are stopped and in step s682, a ready signal is sent to the laminator module. In step s683, the control returns to the lamination process depicted in Figure 6M.

6.5.3 Error States

There are seven error states which may be encountered during laminator processing. If during repositioning the idler roller solenoid fails to actuate or deactivate, the system enters error state LF1 shown in Figure 6Q. In step s690a, an error message is displayed on the screen and the operator is instructed in step s690b to open the apparatus and clear the fault in accordance with a set of instructions. In step s690c, the system queries whether the fault has been cleared and if not, the system is shut down and the operator is instructed to call qualified personnel. If the fault has been cleared, in step s690e, the process can resume. If there is a jam meaning that the passport has not arrived at one of its expected checkpoints, the system enters error state LF2 depicted in Figure 6Q(ii). In step s691 a, the drive belt motor is stopped and a passport jam message is displayed on the screen in step s691 b. The passport that is jammed is marked as a reject and the type of fault is logged on the record in step s691 c. In step s691 d, the operator is instructed to open the apparatus and clear the jam. In step s691 e, the list of passport identifiers which are currently being processed in the system is displayed on the touch screen and the operator is instructed to identify which of the passports has been removed. In step s691f, the system queries whether the jam has been cleared and if not the system returns to step s691 d and waits for the operator to clear the jam. Once the jam has been cleared, in step s691 g, the system sends a status report to the control computer 910 reporting that the processing of the identified passport has been aborted. In step s691h, the system is returned to the start of the processing sequence at step s601. If during repositioning, the repositioning solenoid malfunctions, the system enters error state LF3 shown in Figure 6Q(Hi). In step s692a, the system displays an error message on the screen and in step s692b, the operator is instructed to open the apparatus and clear the fault. In step s692c, the system queries whether the fault has been cleared and if not, in step s692d, the system is shut down and the operator is instructed to call qualified personnel. Once the fault has been cleared, in step s692e, the process is resumed.

If during the web registration procedure described in Section 6.5.2, the system does not receive a valid data signal from the control computer 910, after two retries, the system enters error state LF4 depicted in Figure 6R(i). In step s693a, the passport is held at the laminating position. An error message is displayed on the screen in step s693b. In step s693c, the operator is instructed to intervene by replacing the MLIS film or contacting qualified personnel to add MLIS data to the control computer. In step s693d, the system queries whether the error has been cleared. If not, the system requests operator intervention to shut down the system and call qualified personnel in step s693f. If the error has been cleared, in step s693e, the system returns to process sequence LP3 shown in Figure 6M.

If during the lamination procedure, the heated roller is not found to be within accepted temperature limits, the system enters error state LF5 shown in Figure 6R(ii). In step s694a, an error message is displayed on the screen and in step s694b, the operator is instructed to shut down the apparatus and call qualified personnel. The process cannot be resumed until the fault has been cleared.

During the MLIS registration procedure, if the registration bar is not present at optical sensor 695, the system enters error state LF6 shown in Figure 6R(Mt). An error message is displayed on the screen in step s695a and in step s695b, the operator is instructed to open the apparatus and clear the fault. In step s695c, the system queries whether the fault has been cleared and if not, the system is shut down and qualified personnel are called. If the fault has been cleared, the process can be resumed in step s695d. If the lamination process does not complete successfully, the system enters error state LF7 shown in Figure 6S. In step s696a, all motors are stopped. A jam message is displayed on the screen in step s696b. A list of the identifiers corresponding to the passports currently in the system is displayed on the screen and the operator is instructed to identify that which has been removed in step s696e. In step s696f, the system queries whether the jam has been cleared. If not, the system returns to step s696d and waits for the operator to finish clearing the jam. Once the jam has been cleared, in step s696g, the system sends a status report to the control computer indicating that the processing of the passport has been aborted. In step s696h, the system returns to the start of the laminating process to receive the next passport.

7. Quality Assurance Module

7.1 QA Module Apparatus

An example of the Quality Assurance (QA) module is shown in Figure 7A.

This example uses a machine readable zone (MRZ) reader to obtain data from the MRZ in a standard passport. The module 700 comprises QA unit 710 which is mounted to module base 701. Module base 701 comprises base plate 701 C and two side plates 701 B. Like the previous modules, the module base 701 is located within the appropriate slot within the housing structure and is supported by support feet (not shown). The support feet are fastened to the module base 701 by support feet fasteners 702. Module base 701 also comprises cut-out sections 701 within base plate 701 C. These cut-out sections 701 A mate with suitably designed dowels located within the housing structure area in a similar manner to section 301 A and 301 B described in section 3.1. This ensures that the module base 701 is always correctly secured upon the housing structure and can be quickly and easily removed and replaced. MRZ control board 705 is attached to base plate 701 C by PCB mounting panel 703. MRZ control board 705 is spaced from the PCB mounting panel 703 by spacers 70 to allow cooling and electrical isolation 6. MRZ control board 705 controls the image capture functions of the QA module 700.

QA unit 710 is similar to RFID unit 320. The QA unit 710 differs in that the edge guide plate 351 is replaced with a MRZ reader 720. The QA unit 710 is shown in detail in Figure 7B. Figure 7B also illustrates the module control PCB 707 which is mounted to the bottom of module base plate 701 C. To provide electrical isolation and to prevent excess heating and interference, module control PCB 707 is spaced from the base plate 701 C by spacers 709. Control board interface 708 allows the module control PCB 707 to interface with the main machine based server 905.

In a similar manner to the RFID unit, the QA unit 710 comprises a transport access structure 730 comprising side panel frame 731 which is fastened to the side panel 761 A via fasteners 732A and 732B. Pivot block 733 is rotatably mounted to pivot axle 735 which in turn is held within apertures present within vertical arms of side panel frame 731. Pivot block 733 is secured to the upper section 740 containing the top transport rollers and can be pivotably rotated by using handle 736 to apply a leftward force against spring 734. The upper section 740 comprises a pair of rollers 732B and 742C mounted on an axle 742A and secured with circlips 742D. The roller axle 742A is located within a pair of axle apertures and is biassed to the bottom of these apertures by the arms of a spring unit 745D, 745E. Two of these spring units are mounted upon spacer dowels 744C and 744A. The guide section 750 and transport section 760 are shown in Figure 7C.

Transport section 760 is similar to the transport section 360 in the RFID unit 320. Hence, transport section 760 comprises two side panels 761 A and 761 B spaced by a spacer block 780. The transport section 760 further comprises two transport belts 764A and 764B which are looped around two sets of pulleys 763A, 763B. The left transport axle 762A supports left pulleys 763A and 763B and is allowed to rotate freely within apertures on side panels 761 A and 761 B. Right drive axle 774A support the right pulleys and is driven by motor 771 via a pulley mechanism comprising drive pulley 772B, drive belt 773 and upper drive pulley 774B.

Guide section 750 is similar to guide section 350 with the difference that instead of edge guide plate 751 , guide section 750 comprises MRZ reader 720. The MRZ reader 720 is shown in more detail in Figure 7D. The MRZ reader 720 comprises MRZ read-head 726 which is mounted within base panel 728A. Base panel 728A is then fastened to vertical support panel 727A. Vertical support panel 727A is connected to horizontal read-head mounting block 725A by read-head fasteners 727B and 727C. Read-head mounting block 725 is then further connected to horizontal spanning block 724A via fasteners 725B and 725C. Fasteners 725B and 725C are located within two extended apertures which allow the horizontal position of the read-head mounting block to be altered. Horizontal block 724A is connected to pivot block 723 via horizontal block fasteners 724B and 724C. Fasteners 724B and 724C are also mounted in respective vertically-elongate apertures, enabling the vertical position of horizontal block 724A to be altered. Pivot block 723 is fastened to pivot axle 722A, that is allowed to freely rotate within a set of apertures within unit mounting block 721 A. Pivot axle 722A is held in place by a number of circlips 722B. In a similar manner to the transport access structure 730, the pivot axle 722A and hence the pivot block 723 is prevented from rotating in use. However, when the pivot block 723 is moved against a force of spring 722C wound around the axle, the pivot block 723 is allowed to rotate. The rotation of the pivot block 723 rotates the MRZ read-head in an anticlockwise direction for access to the transport path. Unit mounting block 721 A is then attached to the side of base block 753 via fastener 721 B. Fastener 721 B can be unscrewed to allow replacement of the MRZ reader 720.

The QA unit 710 shown in Figure 7C also comprises two RFID antennas similar to those used in the RFID unit 320. One antenna (not shown) is located within mounting 790 under surface panel 752 and another 792 is located within mounting 791 between transport belts 764A and 764B. One or more of these antennas are used to read and/or write to an RFID chip present within a passing document. The bottom of the QA module 710 is visible in Figure 7E. In a similar manner to the RFID unit 320, an RFID control board 782A is attached to the base of base block 753 via PCB mountings 782B.

7.2 QA Module Control

In the present example the Quality Assurance (QA) module 700 may have one of two different configurations: a first configuration involving a machine readable zone (MRZ) reader and a second configuration comprising a full scan device adapted to capture an entire image of an open page of a passport. Both configurations may involve optical character recognition (OCR). As these two configurations have different control algorithms for performing quality assurance checks they will be discussed separately below.

The algorithms discussed below are intended as an example of the functional procedures performed by the QA module 300 and as such may vary in certain embodiments. These control algorithms may be stored within the memory of machine-based server 905 and processed in turn by the processor of the same server. Alternatively, the algorithms may be implemented upon dedicated control hardware based within the control PCB attached to the underside of module base 301. Typically, the algorithms are implemented through the co-ordinated operation of both software running upon the machine-based server 905 and the hardware of the module control PCB.

7.2.1 MRZ Reader Configuration

The control algorithm for the MRZ-reader configuration is shown in Figures 7F to 7J. The control algorithm is grouped into nine functional groupings, S701 to S709. The first grouping S701 comprises steps S711 to S715 and functions to check whether the passport is present at the exit of the QA unit 710. Typically a passport is detained at the exit of QA unit 710 before being transferred to the stacker module 800. If a passport is present then a number of steps are performed to transfer a waiting passport to the stacker module 800. If it is found that no passport is present at the exit then the QA unit 710 is configured to receive a passport from the laminator module 600. If the QA unit 710 is to receive a passport from the laminator module the control algorithm checks to see whether a passport is available for transfer at the exit position of the laminator module 600 and if not waits for a passport to arrive at said exit. Additionally the control algorithm will check whether the passport is "good", i.e. successfully processed, before being transferred from the laminator module 600.

The control performed by grouping S701 begins with step S711 wherein the exit of the transport path of the QA unit 710 is checked for the presence of a passport. This check is typically performed by a reflective opto-sensor mounted towards the right of transport section 760. Such a sensor is typically reflective as when a passport is present at the exit of the QA unit 710 a light signal will be reflected from the passport back into the sensor changing the default state of the sensor. Hence at step S711 the state of the sensor is checked and if the presence of the passport is detected the sequence moves to point QP1 at step S712 and if a passport is not detected, i.e. no light is reflected back into the sensor, the method moves to step S713. At step S713 the control algorithm checks whether a ready signal has been received from the laminator module 600. The laminator module 600 will send a ready signal when a passport is present at the exit of the transport path of this module and is thus available for transfer into the QA module 700. If a ready signal has not been received from the laminated module at check S713 then the control algorithm waits for a ready signal from the laminator module at step S714. This process then loops until a ready signal is received. When a ready signal is received control proceeds to step S715 wherein a check is made to see whether the passport has successfully passed a number of previous processing steps including at least one of OCR recognition at the RFID unit, RFID reading and/or writing and printing. The check at step S715 is made by examining any error codes that were returned from the host server 910 in any of the previous listed processing operations. If the passport has successfully passed all the previous processing operations then a ready signal is sent to the laminator module at step S723 to declare that the QA module 700 is ready to receive a passport. If the passport has not been successfully processed then the steps within functional grouping S702 are performed. Functional grouping S702 moves a reject passport to the exit of the QA unit

710 without performing any data read or RFID processing. Hence a passport waiting in the laminator module 600 is received by the QA unit 710 and is then moved to the exit of the QA unit. If after a certain amount of time, the passport has not reached the exit of the QA unit 710, as detected using an exit sensor, then a passport jam is flagged. If a passport does reach the exit of the QA unit 710 then a series of steps transfers the passport to the stacker module 800.

Grouping S702 begins with step S716 wherein a ready signal is sent to the laminator module 600. At step S717 the QA unit drive motor 771 is run to rotate transport belts 764A and 764B in a clockwise direction within transport section 760. In parallel with step S717 the laminator drive motor 629 is also run which facilitates passport transfer between the laminator module 600 and the QA module 700. The QA unit drive motor 771 is run until a passport is present at the module exit. As before, the presence of a passport at the module exit is typically detected by a reflective opto-sensor located near the exit on the bottom transport path of the transport section 760. The check for a passport is made at S718 wherein the state of such a sensor is examined. If it is found that a passport is not present then the control routine loops back to step S718 until a passport is present. Step S719 performs a check during this loop that the time elapsed within the loop has not exceeded a predetermined value. If the elapsed time has exceeded a predetermined value then S719 causes the loop to exit and control proceeds to QF1 via step 720. When a passport is detected at the module exit by the exit sensor at step S718 control proceeds to step S721. At step S721 the QA unit drive motor 771 is stopped and then control proceeds to point QP1 at step S722.

If a passport has successfully passed a number of previous processing steps at step S715 the control algorithm proceeds to grouping S703. Grouping S703 comprises steps S724 to S730. Steps S726 to S730 are shown in Figure 7G. Grouping S703 performs the steps required to scan the two lines of text in the MRZ of the passport as the passport travels through the module. After the passport has reached the module exit position, data validation and RFID processing are performed. If the passport does not reach the exit sensor position then a passport jam is flagged.

Grouping S703 begins with step S724 which is performed after the ready signal is sent to the laminator module 600 at step S723. At step S724 the QA unit drive motor 771 is supplied with power to drive the transport belt 764B and 764A in a clockwise direction. This feeds a passport along the transport path towards the exit of the QA unit 710. In parallel with step S724 the laminator drive motor 629 is also run which facilitates passport transfer between the two modules. Whilst the drive motor 771 is being driven, steps S725 to S729 are performed. At step S725 data in the MRZ of the passport is read by MRZ reader 720. Typically as a passport is transported along the transport path of the QA unit 710 the spine of the passport is aligned between the guide section 750 and the transport section 760 and the appropriate page of a passport containing the MRZ passes over the guide section 750. At step S725 the control algorithm detects the leading edge of a passport using MRZ reader 720 and begins reading the printed data in the MRZ as the passport is driven through the QA unit 710. Control then proceeds to point A (S726) and the process moves onto Figure 7G. Turning to Figure S7G the process continues from step S726. At step S727 a check is made to see whether the passport is present at the exit of the QA unit 710. Again this is typically performed using a reflective opto-sensor mounted near the exit of the transport section 760. If a passport is not detected at the module exit then the process loops until a passport is detected. A timeout check is provided at step S728 wherein if the time elapsed within the loop exceeds a predetermined value the method proceeds to error routine QF1 at step 729. If a passport is present at the module exit as detected by the module exit sensor then the method proceeds to step S730 wherein the QA drive motor 771 is stopped. The passport is now held at the exit of the QA unit 710, which is also the position used for RFID processing.

Before any RFID processing the control algorithm proceeds to functional grouping S704 comprising steps S731 to S734. These steps allow data scanned from the MRZ of a passport to be sent to the host server 910. After scanning the MRZ, the control algorithm waits for a data validation signal from the server 910: if the control algorithm does not detect such a signal the algorithm attempts to resend the data a number of times. If this is again unsuccessful then an error is flagged. Functional grouping S704 starts with step S731. At step S731 a data validation request is sent to the host server 910. At step S732 the control algorithm waits for a reply to the request. If a reply is not received or the data is not approved the process continues to step S733 wherein a control loop is initiated and the data validation request is resent to the host server 910. After a set number of attempts at resending the data the process proceeds to step S734 wherein error routine QF2 is called.

If a successful validation signal is sent from the host server 910 then control proceeds from step S732 to functional grouping S705, said grouping comprising steps S735 and S736. At this stage a check is made to see whether the passport is an ePassport, i.e. contains an RFID chip. This check is made at step S735. The check is made by examining a configuration file for passport currently present within the QA unit 710. If the passport is not an ePassport the process proceeds to step S736 wherein control then proceeds to point QP1. If the passport is an ePassport then control proceeds to functional grouping S706 which comprises steps S737 to S742.

Functional grouping S706 is featured in Figures 7G and 7H and is used to detect the presence of an RFID chip within the front or back cover of a passport. If a RFID chip is identified then a request is made to host server 910 to verify the chip or possibly to program the chip. If the RFID chip cannot be identified then an error routine is called.

Functional grouping S706 begins with step S737 after the passport type is confirmed as an ePassport at step S735. At step S737 a check is made to see whether an RFID chip is present within the passport. Typically the back page of the passport will be located above the guide section 750 and the front page of the passport will be located above transport section 760. If the RFID chip is located above the transport section 760, e.g. is located within the front page of a passport, then an antenna present in mounting 792 is activated. Conversely if the chip is located above the guide section 950, e.g. is located in the back page of a passport, then an antenna present in mounting 791 is activated. Whether an RFID chip is present or not may be detected either by attempting to perform a read operation using each one of the antenna or may be detected using book configuration information stored within machine-based server 905. If no RFID chip is present or detected then the control routine proceeds to error routine QF2 at step S738. If a RFID chip is detected then a request to program and/or verify the RFID chip is sent to the host server 910 at step S739. Control then proceeds to step S740 and Figure 7H. Turning to Figure 7H, after step S740, a check is made to see whether the request sent at step S739 is approved. This is performed at step S741. If the request is not approved then error routine QF2 is called at step S742. If the request is approved, i.e. an approval signal is sent from the host server 910 to the machine- based server 905, then the method proceeds to functional grouping S707.

Grouping S707 comprises steps S743 to S748, which are used to verify and/or program a RFID chip present within the passport currently held within the module 700. At step S743 an attempt is made to program and/or verify the RFID chip. The verification may comprise a ping command addressed to the RFID chip. At step S744 a check is made as to whether the RFID processing is complete. This check is made repeatedly in a control loop until either a complete signal is received or the time within the loop exceeds a predetermined value. Step S745 checks whether the elapsed time within the loop has exceeded the predetermined value and if it has directs control to error routine QF2 via step S746. If the RFID processing is complete then control proceeds to step S747. At this step a check is made as to whether the programming and/or verification was successful. If the programming and/or verification was found to be successful then the process continues to functional grouping S708 via step S749. If the process was found to be unsuccessful then control proceeds to error routine QF2 via step S748.

Functional grouping S708 comprises steps S749 to S759 and is responsible for transferring a passport from the exit of the QA unit 710 to the stacker module 800. At step S750 a ready signal is sent to the stacker module 800. At step S751 a check is made to determine whether a ready signal has been received from the stacker module 800. The stacker module 800 sends a ready signal to the machine- based server 905 when it is available to receive the passport. If a ready signal has not been received from the stacker module, i.e. the stacker module is not ready, then control will proceed to step S752 wherein the system waits for a ready signal from the stacker module 800. In other embodiments, step S752 may form part of a control loop comprising a time-out check to determine whether a predetermined time limit has been exceeded. The dotted lines around steps S751 and S752 show that these processes are to be performed in conjunction with processes performed by the stacker module 800. Once a ready signal has been received from the stacker module control proceeds to step S753. The remaining steps of grouping S709 are shown on Figure 71. After step S753 control proceeds to step S754 wherein the QA unit drive motor 771 is driven in a clockwise direction in order to rotate the drive belt 773 and thus transport belts 764A and 764B in a clockwise direction. This action propels a passport in the transport path to the exit of the QA unit 710, i.e. to the right of the module's transport path. At step S755 a check is made as to whether an exit sensor, for example a reflective opto-sensor, located in the transport section 760 has detected the presence of a passport. If the module exit is not clear, i.e. the light path from a reflector opto-sensor is not blocked by an object, then control proceeds to step S756 wherein the process enters a control loop to continually drive the QA unit drive motor 771 , and thus continually propel any passport present toward the module exit. Again step S756 checks whether the loop has been running for a predetermined time and if a predetermined time has elapsed then control proceeds to error routine QF2 at step S757. Once the exit sensor detects the absence of a passport at the exit to the module, i.e. that a passport has been transferred to the stacker module 800 then the drive motor 771 is stopped at step S758 and the process returns to QA start point (S710) at step S759. This then ends the control process at step S760.

7.2.2 Error Routines

The error routines called by the previous described control algorithm are shown in Figures 7Ja and 7Jb. Control routine QF1 begins at step S761 in Figure 7Ja. After this routine has been called then the QA unit drive motor 771 is stopped at step S762. A "passport jam message" "is then displayed on the touch screen of the machine 1 at step S763. A message may also be shown on the screen of host server 910. At step S764 the API identifier for the present passport, i.e. the temporary data record stored by the machine-based server 905, is marked as a reject and the fault time is logged. At step S765 an operator is directed to physically remove the passport from the machine 1. Typically a number of instructions will be displayed either on the touch screen of the machine 1 or on the screen of the host server 910 to tell the operator to open the guard of the machine and clear the jam. At step S766 a number of "live" OCR numbers are displayed on the touch screen of the machine 1. "Live" OCR numbers refer to passports that are currently within the other modules of the passport machine 1 but which have not yet been flagged as completed. At step S766 the operator selects the OCR number on the touch screen corresponding to the passport he has just removed. At step S767 a check is made to see whether the jam has been cleared. If the jam has not been cleared then the routine returns to step S765 wherein the operator is again instructed to clear the jam. If the jam has been cleared then the flow proceeds to step S768 wherein a status report is sent to the host server 910 and the present processing is aborted. The flow then returns to the QA start position (at 710) at step S769 and routine QF1 ends at step S770.

Error routine QF2 begins at step S771 in Figure 7Jb. At step S772 the API identifier for the present passport is marked as a reject and the current fault type is logged. Control then proceeds to point QP1 at step S773 and the error routine ends at step S774.

7.2.3 Full Image Scan Configuration

In the present example, the MRZ unit 720 may be replaced with a full image scan unit. Such a unit has an image detector which allows the passport page resident above the guard section 750 to be captured in its entirety. The apparatus used to record a full image scan may be lowered on to the relevant page of the passport using a solenoid system. By raising and lowering the scan apparatus an image can be captured before raising the head and allowing the passport to be transported out of the QA module 700. The control operations used in conjunction with the full image scan apparatus may differ in some respects from the control sequence used with the MRZ reader configuration. The full image scan control operation will be described below. As will be seen several steps mirror the steps performed in the original MRZ reader control system flow sequence. The QA module full scan control sequence comprises seven functional groupings S7001 to S7007, wherein each grouping comprises a number of steps adapted to perform a particular function. The QA module full scan control system also makes use of the error routines QF1 and QF2 as described above with regard to Figure 7J. A further error handling routine QF3 is then introduced with operation particular to the QA module full scan control sequence.

The QA module full scan control sequence begins at step S7010 and control proceed to functional grouping S7001. Functional grouping S7001 is responsible for checking whether a passport is present at the QA unit 710 exit waiting to be transferred to the stacker module 800. If a passport is found to be present then control flows to a number of steps designed to transfer the passport to the stacker module 800. If a passport is found not to be present then the QA module 700 is assumed to be ready to receive a new passport from the laminator module 600. At step S7011 the exit position of the QA unit 710 is checked. This will typically involve checking the status of a reflective opto-sensor located near the exit of the QA transport section 760. If the module-exit position is clear, for example as detected by a lack of a reflected light signal from a reflective opto-sensor, then the control proceeds to step S713. If an object is detected at step 7011 , for example as detected by the presence of a reflected light signal, then control proceeds to point QP1 at step S7012, wherein a number of steps are undertaken to transfer a present passport to the stacker module 800. If the module output position is clear then the QA unit 710 is ready to receive a passport from the laminator module 600.

At step S7013 a check is made as to whether a ready signal has been received from the laminator module 600. If a ready signal has been received then the laminator module is ready to transfer a passport to the QA module 700 and control proceeds to step S7015. If a ready signal has not been received from a laminator module then the control algorithm waits for such a signal at step S7014. This sequence loops until a ready signal is received. In other embodiments this loop may also comprise a time-out check to flag an error if a predetermined amount of time has elapsed within the loop. At step S7015 the scan head of the image scanner (not shown) that replaces the MRZ reader 720 is raised by activating a solenoid (not shown). This then opens the transport path above the guide section 950 to allow a passport to be received from the laminator module 600. At step S7010 a check is made to determine whether the scan head is in the raised position. Such a check may be made by interrogating a sensor adapted to be activated when the scan head is raised; for example, such sensor may be an appropriately placed micro-switch or opto-sensor. If at step S7016 there is no report from the scan-head position sensor then the sequence loops around to step S7015 and power is continually supplied to the solenoid. If a predetermined amount of time has elapsed and the scan-head sensor has still not detected that the scan head has been raised at step S7016, the loop is broken at step S7017 and error routine QF3 is called at step S7018. If the sensor does detect that the scan head has been raised at step S7016, control then proceeds to step S7019. At step S7019 a ready signal is sent from the QA module 700 to the laminator module 600. This signal indicates that the QA module is ready to receive a passport. Control then proceeds to step S7020 wherein the QA drive motor 771 is driven to rotate transport belts 764A and 764B in a clockwise direction to receive a passport from the laminator module and to transport said passport into the QA unit 710. The QA drive motor 771 is continually driven until an exit sensor detects that a passport is present at the QA unit exit. This exit sensor is typically the sensor that is also used in step S7011. If a passport is not detected at the module exit then the QA motor 771 is continually run at step 7020 until the passport is detected, e.g. the module exit sensor changes state, or a predetermined amount of time elapses. In the latter case, after the time has elapsed step S7022 calls error routine QF1 at step S7023. Once a passport is detected at the QA unit exit at step S7021 the QA drive motor 771 is stopped at step S7024 and control proceeds to step S7025.

Turning to Figure 7L after step S7025 control proceeds to functional grouping S7002. Grouping S7002 checks the status of a received passport, i.e. whether the passport present in the QA unit has been successfully processed by the preceding modules, and then acts accordingly. At step S7026 a check is made to see whether the passport has passed at least one of the following processing operations: OCR character recognition, RFID read/write and printing. This check is typically performed by examining whether any error codes were returned from the host server 910 after any of these operations. If it is found that an error code has been returned and thus that processing has not been successful then control proceeds to step S7027 wherein the flow of the processing moves to point QP1 , bypassing the QA and RFID operations. If the passport has successfully completed all the previous processing operations then control proceeds to functional grouping S7003.

Functional grouping S7003 comprises step S7028 to S7036, which lower the scan head of the image scanner into a scan position and scan a full image of a passport located below the scan head. At step S7028 the scan head is lowered by providing power to the solenoid previously used to raise the scan head at step S7015. At step S7029 is check is made to determine whether the scan head is in a lowered position. This check is typically performed by checking the status of a sensor similar to that used to check the raised position of the scan head. This sensor may comprise either a microswitch or an opto-sensor that is adapted to change state when the scan head is in the lowered position. If the sensor detects that the scan head has not been lowered then control loops to step S7028 and power is continually supplied to the solenoid. Power is supplied to the solenoid until either the sensor detects that the scan head has been lowered in step S7029 or a predetermined amount of time has elapsed and thus time-out check step S7030 passes control to error routine QA3 at step S7031. Once the scan head is detected at a lowered position at step S7029, a full page of the passport located under the scan head is captured. This is performed at step S7032. The scan head apparatus may be a two-dimensional image detector or may be a line scan apparatus adapted to move across the appropriate page of the passport. At step S7033 the full page image of the scan page is sent to the host server

910. The full page is sent as part of a data validation request. At step S7034 a check is made to determine whether the host server 910 has replied to the data validation request. If the host server 910 has not replied to the data validation request then steps S7032 and S7033 are performed a number of times until timeout loop S7035 dictates that error routine QF2 should be called at step S7036. If a successful data validation verification is received from the host computer 910 then control proceeds from step S7034 to functional grouping S7004.

Functional grouping S7004 comprises steps S7037 and S7038. Step S7037 checks whether the passport type is an ePassport. This is typically achieved by examining the current passport configuration data received from the host server 910 at an initialisation stage. If it is found that the passport is not an ePassport then control proceeds to step S7038, which directs the operational flow to point QP1. If the passport is an ePassport then control proceeds to step S7039 and the steps shown in Figure 7M. Turning to Figure 7M after step S7039 control proceeds to functional grouping S7005. Functional grouping S7005 comprises steps S7040 to S7044. The steps are identical to steps S737 to S742 as described with regard to functional grouping S706 in Figure 7G and 7H in section 7.2.1 above. After step S7043 control proceeds to functional grouping S7006. Functional grouping S7006 comprises steps S7045 to S7050; these steps are identical to steps S743 to S748 in grouping S707 as described in section 7.2.1. After grouping S7006 control proceeds to functional grouping S7007 as illustrated in Figure 7N. Functional grouping S7007 comprises steps S7052 to S7062. These steps are identical to steps S749 to S760 as shown in Figures 7H and 7I and also described in section 7.2.1.

7.2.4 Additional Error Routines

Figure 7P illustrates error routine QF3 which is provided in addition to error routines QF1 and QF2 for the full image scan control algorithm. Control begins at point S7063 and then proceeds to step S7064. At step S7064 a "solenoid malfunction" error message is displayed on one or more of the touch screen of the passport machine 1 and the screen of the host server 910. At step S7065 an operator is instructed to open the guard and to clear the fault following instructions displayed on one or more of the previous screens. At step S7066 a check is made as to whether the fault has been cleared. If the fault has been cleared then the process is resumed at step S7068. If the fault has not been cleared then the machine is shut down and the operator is instructed to call a qualified technician out at step S7067. Typically as part of step S7067 the processing of passports in upstream modules is completed before shut-down. After step S7068 and S7067 the error routine ends at step S7069.

8. Stacker Module 800

8.1 Stacker Apparatus

The stacker module 800 is illustrated in Figure 8A and comprises six main functional components: a reject transport 830 for transporting a document across the module; a reject unit 820 for storing rejected documents; a stacker transport 840 for transporting a document along the length of the module; a passport rotate mechanism 860 for receiving a document from the stacker transport 840 and rotating said document; a passport lift mechanism 850 for raising a document vertically; and a cassette module comprising cassette mounting 870 and stacking cassette 810 for storing validated documents.

The reject transport 830 moves a document across the module 800 to one of two positions: a first position allowing the document to move along the stacker transport 840 and a second position allowing the document to drop onto the reject unit 820. The chosen position for each document will depend on the processing history of the document through the machine 1.

The reject transport 830 and the stacker transport 840 are shown in more detail in Figure 8C. In contrast to the previous transport modules, the reject transport 830 comprises a driven transport belt 831 on the top of the document transport path. This reject transport belt 831 is looped around transport pulleys 832E and 832F. Each pulley is mounted on respective axles 832C and 832G. These axles rest within a pair of respective apertures in front transport frame member 833D and rear transport frame member 833C. The front transport pulley 832E is driven by reject transport motor 832A via transport drive belt 832B. Transport drive belt 832B is looped around front transport pulley 832E and drive pulley 832D. Drive pulley 832D is connected to right transport axle 832C. The transport motor 832A is secured to motor support block 833B. Motor support block 833B is connected to top support block 833A and horizontal platform 804. In use, a document is transported between the lowest surface of reject transport belt 831 and a set of small elongate rollers mounted within bottom support member 837A. Bottom support member 837A is better illustrated in Figure 8D. Said support member comprises a number of elongate apertures or indentations 837F within which elongate rollers 837B are rotatably mounted upon a dowel axle. Each dowel axle is free to rotate within each elongate aperture or indentation 837F. Elongate rollers 837B are thus able to fully rotate within the apertures or indentations 837F.

Bottom support member 837A is movable so as to release a document onto either the stacker transport path 840 or the reject unit 820. While being transported, a document is typically held between the lower surface of reject transport belt 831 and the elongate rollers 837B. To release any document the bottom support member 837A is configured to move towards the front of the module (i.e. to move right in Figure 8B) to remove the lower contact force that supports the underside of the document. To perform this movement the bottom support member 837A is connected to three movable struts. Struts 837B and 837C each comprise a projection on their lower surface which freely slides within a respective elongate channel in guide members 836B and 836A. Central moveable strut 837E also has such a central protection and corresponding guide member (not shown) and is additionally mechanically coupled to a rack and pinion system to provide longitudinal movement. This rack and pinion system is shown in more detail in Figure 8E.

Rack 838C is connected to central strut 837E and mates with pinion 838B. Pinion 328B is in turn mounted upon the end of an axial projecting from geared motor 838A. From a default position, wherein the bottom support member is located under transport belt 831 , the pinion 838B is rotated counter-clockwise by the geared motor 838A which moves the rack 838C towards the front of the module (to the left in Figure 8E). This then moves the central strut 837E towards the front of the module which in turn moves bottom support member 837 removing the contact force applied to the underside of a document present in the reject transport. As in use a document will be held flush against guide panel 837G, the forward motion of the bottom support member 837A allows a document to either fall into passport support shelf 843A or onto one of the stacks that make up the reject unit 820.

In order to sense the position of the central movable strut 837E, and thus the bottom support member 837A, a slotted opto-sensor 835A is provided. This sensor comprises two arms with a "slot" there-between. A beam of light is projected from a transmitter in one arm to a receiver in the other arm. When an opaque object moves into the "slot" between the arms the path of light is broken and no light is subsequently detected at the receiver: this then changes the state of the sensor. Other references to slotted opto-sensors within this description refer to similar apparatus. Returning to Figure 8D, sensor block 835B resides within the slot of the opto-sensor when the central movable strut 837 is at a rearward "default" position. As the central moveable strut is driven forwards by the rack and pinion system the sensor block 835B moves out of the slot, allowing light to be transmitted across the arms of the slotted opto-sensor 835A. Hence, the relevant control algorithm is able to detect when the central movable strut 837E is at a frontward "release" position.

In order to detect whether a document is in the first or second position along the reject transport path two further optical sensors are used. These opto-sensors are shown in Figure 8B. In the present example the sensors comprise reflective opto-sensors that detect the presence of a document through the detection of a high level of reflected light, i.e. when a document is present below the sensor a beam of light emitted by a transmitter within the sensor is reflected by the document back into a receiver within the sensor. However, alternative embodiments may use slotted opto-sensors and pivoted obstruction members. In this case the obstruction members are pivoted about their mid-point so that an upper portion of the member resides in the slot of the slotted opto-sensor when the presence of a document applies a force to the lower portion of the member. Document position sensor 843B detects the presence of a document in the first position and is mounted to the rear transport frame member 833C via detector mounting 834D. Document position detector 834A detects the presence of a document in the second position and is mounted to the rear transport frame member 833C by detector mounting 834C.

The guide members that allow movable struts 837C, 837D and 837E to move longitudinally are fixed to horizontal platform 804. Horizontal platform 804 is mounted between front vertical frame member 803A and middle vertical frame member 803B. Middle vertical frame member 803B also provides support for passport support shelf 843A together with rear vertical frame member 803C. When a document is deposited onto the passport support shelf 843A it is transported towards the passport rotate mechanism 860 at the rear of the module using the stacker transport 840. The components of such a module are illustrated in Figure 8F.

After being deposited in the passport support shelf 843A by the movement of the bottom support member 837A, a document will be pushed towards the passport rotate mechanism 860 at the rear of the module 800 by pushing block 844A. Pushing block 844A comprises two pushing members 844C which project through two elongate apertures 843B and 843C within passport support shelf 843A. Pushing block 844A and its members 844C are configured to move longitudinally along the length of the passport shelf 843A. In Figures 8B to 81 the pushing block 844A is shown resting at an extreme rearward position.

Returning to Figure 8F, pushing block 844A is connected to motor mounting block 844B to which is attached a stacker transport drive motor 842A. Motor mounting block 844B is slidably mounted within guide channel 845A which allows the motor mounting block 844B to slide along the length of the guide channel. The guide channel 845A is connected to rack support frame 845B which is fixed to front vertical frame member 803A and rear vertical frame member 803C. The motor mounting block 844B is moved along the guide channel 845A though the use of a rack and pinion system. Such a system is shown in Figure 8H. Rack 845C is secured at the bottom of rack support frame 845B and mates with pinion 842B. Pinion 842D is connected to motor axle 842C which is rotated by stacker transport motor 842A. The stacker transport motor 842A is fastened to the motor mounting block 842B. Hence when the motor 842A rotates motor axle 842C in a clockwise direction a force is applied by rack 845C to move the whole motor mounting block 842B and motor 842A towards the front of a module 800 along guide channel 845A. Conversely when the motor axle 842C is rotated counter-clockwise the motor mounting block 844B and motor 842A are driven towards the rear of the module 800.

When not actively processing a passport, the motor mounting block 844B is typically held toward the front of the module 800. Hence, when a document is dropped onto passport support shelf 843A via the frontward movement of the bottom support member 837A, the pushing members 844C are located in front of the document. Then when the motor 842A rotates the pinion 842D in a counterclockwise direction the motor mounting block 844B moves towards the rear of the module which then enables pushing members 842C to apply a rearward pushing force to the document to push said document longitudinally along the passport shelf 843A.

To sense the position of the motor mounting block 844B two slotted opto sensors are provided: a first sensor 841 A at the front of the stacker transport 840 and a second sensor 841 B (visible in Figure 8B) at the rear of the stacker transport 840. Motor mounting block 844B further comprises two obstructing members attached to the front and rear of the block. In use, these obstructing members move between the arms of the slotted opto-sensors to obstruct the light receiver sensors therein. For example, obstructing member 841 C is adapted to reside within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 841 A when the motor mounting block 844B is at a frontward position. Presence of obstructing member 841 C within the arms of the slotted opto-sensor 841 A prevents light from travelling between the arms of the slotted opto-sensor and hence generates a signal indicative of the position of the motor mounting block 844B. A similar sensor set is also provided at the rear of the stacker transport 840.

At the end of the stacker transport 840 there is a folding front member 804B (shown in Figure 8D) that is configured to fold an open document such as a passport. Typically a passport is transported along reject transport 830 in an open configuration. In this configuration the open side of the passport with the greater number of pages, i.e. the thicker side of the passport, is held between bottom support member 837A and top transport belt 831. Hence when the passport is released at the first position and falls onto the passport shelf 843A the passport is aligned with the spine of the passport perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stacker module 800, the greater number of pages being located in front of pushing members 844C. As a passport is pushed towards the rear of the module along passport support shelf 843A a number of free pages on the rearward side of the passport make contact with folding frame member 804B which is angled to fold the free pages back on themselves and thus close the passport book. Supporting frame member 804B is attached to the rear vertical frame member 803C via the support blocks 804C and 804D. Hence at the exit of the stacker transport 846 (as shown in Figure 8B) the document will be folded with the folded spine directed towards the rear of the module.

The rear of the stacker transport 840 leads onto the document turn mechanism 860 and the vertical lift mechanism 850. These mechanisms are shown in Figure 8I. As the passport exits the stacker transport 840, the spine of the passport slides within two channels forming part of the passport turn mechanism 860, each channel located within a respective clamping block. These blocks are shown in more detail in Figure 8N. In use, a document slides in direction 868 into channels 866. These channels 866 are formed within a clamping block 862. The turning mechanism 860 comprises two such clamping blocks 862 which are connected via a central member 862C. Each document clamping block 862 comprises a top member 862A, 862B a bottom member 862D, 862E and a central spacer 862F₁ 862G. Mounted within each bottom member 862D, 862E are two pivoted document retainer blocks 867B. Each document retaining block 867B is pivotably mounted to axle 867C. The front of each document retainer block is bias towards the top member 862A.862B by an arm of a spring connected to axle 867D. In use, said passport entering each clamping block in direction 868 will apply a downwards force to the front of each document retainer block and thus rotate the block around rear axle 867C. The force provided by each spring will thus act against this downward force to hold the document in place whatever its thickness. This enables the turn mechanism to accommodate a variety of document sizes without loss of function. Central member 862C is aligned with axle 865A which forms the axis of rotation of the pair of document clamping blocks 862. Axle 865A is mounted within a pair of mounting blocks which in turn are resident within respective apertures in a pair of support plates. These support plates are shown in more detail in Figure 8L. Figure 8L illustrates the orientation of the document clamping blocks 862 for movement of the document in a near-vertical direction. As stated previously, the document clamping blocks 862 are connected to axle 865A which is mounted between side members 861 A and 861 B. This axle 865A is rotated using a drive motor 863A which is fastened to support plate 861 A. Power is provided by drive belt 863D. One end of the drive belt 863D is looped around drive pulley 863C, wherein drive pulley 863C is attached to the drive axle 863B which forms part of the drive motor 863A. The other end of the drive belt 863D is looped around pulley 865F which is attached to axle 865A. Hence, clockwise rotation of the drive axle 863B by drive motor 863A rotates document clamping blocks 862 in a clockwise direction; conversely, a counter-clockwise direction of drive axle 863B rotates the document clamping blocks in a counter-clockwise direction.

Typically the clamping blocks are rotated between two positions: a near- horizontal position as shown in Figure 8N and a near-vertical position as shown in Figure 8L After a document has moved along the stacker transport 840 it is received by the document clamping blocks 862 which are in an orientation as shown in Figure 8N. The blocks are then rotated counter-clockwise so that the clamping blocks are arranged as shown in Figure 8L. To prevent further counter-clockwise rotation of the clamping blocks 862 buffer blocks 861 D and 861 C are provided. These buffer blocks are fastened onto support plates 861 A and 861 B. In order to sense when the clamping blocks are at the two extreme positions, a position wheel 865B is provided upon the end of axial 865A. This position wheel operates in tandem with slotted opto-sensors 864A and 864B. Each opto-sensor is mounted onto sensor mounting block 864C which is in turn mounted onto support plate 861 A. The position wheel comprises two notches: location marker 865D and location marker 865E. When the document clamping blocks 862 are at a near- vertical position as shown in Figure 8L, location marker 865E resides within the two arms of slotted opto-sensor 864B. This then allows light to be transmitted from one arm of the slotted opto-sensor to the other and thus provide a positive signal. In comparison, light is prevented from being transmitted from one arm of slotted opto- sensor 864A to the other by the rim of position wheel 865B. Thus the presence of a positive signal from opto-sensor 864B and a negative signal from opto-sensor 864A signifies that the clamping blocks 362 are in the near-vertical position.

Conversely, when the clamping blocks 862 are aligned in the near-horizontal position, location marker 865D resides within arms of the slotted opto-sensor 864A. This then allows a beam of light to be transmitted between the arms of slotted opto- sensor 864A and thus generates a positive signal from this sensor. In this position, location marker 865E has rotated away from the slotted opto-sensor 864B which means that light within slotted opto-sensor 864B is prevented from travelling between the arms of the sensor by the rim of the position wheel 865B. Hence, the presence of a positive signal from slotted opto-sensor 864A and a negative signal from slotted opto-sensor 864B signifies that the clamping blocks 862 are aligned at the near-horizontal position. Figure 8M shows the features of the document turning mechanism 860 from another perspective.

Returning to Figure 8I, after the document or passport has been rotated within clamping blocks 862 it will be orientated near the vertical with the spine of the document or passport at the top of the clamping blocks. The passport is then moved vertically at a slight angle along the channels 866 formed within clamping blocks 862 by vertical lift mechanism 850. Vertical lift mechanism 850 is shown in more detail in Figures 8J and 8K. Turning to Figure 8J, vertical lift mechanism 850 comprises pushing members 854A and 854B which are adapted to slide freely within member guides 856A and 856B. Both pushing members are connected to member base plate 853 located below lift mechanism aperture 801 B. Member base plate 853 is also attached to threaded member 852B. Threaded member 852B has a continuous screw-thread machined on its circumference that runs along the length of the member. Lift motor 852A then comprises a rotating threaded barrel within which the threaded member 852B resides. By rotating the threaded barrel rotary motion within the lift motor 852A is converted into a linear displacement of threaded member 852B. Rotation of the threaded barrel within lift motor 852A in one direction causes the threaded member 852B to move vertically in direction 858A; conversely a rotation of the threaded barrel in the opposite direction causes threaded member 852B to move downwards in direction 858B. As threaded member 852B is fastened to member base plate 853, to which pushing members 854A and 854B are also attached, linear displacement of threaded member 852B will also cause an associated displacement of the pushing members. Hence when threaded member 852B is moved in direction 858A by a rotation of lift motor 852A pushing members 854A and 854B are also moved in direction 858A.

In use, when a document is located within clamping blocks 862 the edge of the document, i.e. not the spine, is located above the pushing members. In this orientation, movement of the pushing members 854A and 852B in direction 858A will push the document along the channels 866 within the clamping blocks 862 and hence move the document in a vertical direction.

Member guide blocks 856A and 856B are mounted within member guide block 857. Member guide block 857 is then further attached to guide block mounting members 851 B and 851 C, which are in turn connected to mounting panel 851 A. Mounting panel 851 A is fastened to the support plates 861 A and 861 B of the turning mechanism 860.

Typically, the vertical lift mechanism 350 moves the pushing members 845A and 845B between two extreme positions: a rest position as shown in Figure 8J and 8K and a vertically extended position (not shown) wherein pushing members 854A and 854B are in an extended position in direction 858A. To sense the current status of the vertical lift mechanism 850 two slotted opto-sensors are provided. Slotted opto-sensor 855A is mounted to the top of member guide block 857 and detects the position of pushing member 854A. Slotted opto-sensor 855B is mounted to the bottom of member guide block 857 and detects the position of pushing member 854B. Opto-sensor 855B may be seen more clearly in Figure 8K.

When the pushing members are fully retracted in direction 858B the top of pusher member 854A resides below the arms of slotted opto-sensor 855A. This enables light to travel between the arms of the sensor and thus send a positive signal to control circuitry. At this time, pusher member 854B is present between the arms of slotted opto-sensor 855B thus causing slotted opto-sensor 855B to generate a negative signal. When the pushing members are fully extended in direction 858A pushing member 854A is resident within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 855A and thus a negative signal is generated. However, in this position, sensor aperture 855D in the base of pushing member 854B is present within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 855B allowing light to be transmitted between said arms. Hence, in a fully extended position in direction 858A₁ slotted opto-sensor 855A generates a negative signal whereas slotted opto-sensor 855B generates a positive signal. Using these signals control circuitry can calculate the state of the vertical lift mechanism 850.

The combination of the orientation of clamping members 862 and the pushing force of vertical lift mechanism 850 allows a document to be pushed into the stacking cassette 810. In use, the stacking cassette 810 is mounted on cassette mounting 870, which is located above the document rotate and lift mechanisms 860 and 850. Figure 8P(i) shows the cassette mounting 870 without the stacking cassette 810 present. The cassette mounting 870 comprises a mounting platform 876 which contains a document opening 871 through which a document is pushed. In use, stacking cassette 810 is located onto the mounting platform 876 by locating pins 874A and 874B. The stacking cassette then mates with end mounting block 872 and is located within side mounting blocks 873A and 873B. The locating pins 874A and 874B engage the stacking cassette and a small force is required to disengage the pins and remove the cassette. Opto-sensor 875 detects the presence of a stacking cassette 810.

The stacking cassette 810 is shown in an exploded view in Figure 8Q(i). The stacking cassette 810 comprises lower base panel 814 and side panels 817A and 817B. At the front of the stacking cassette 810 is front panel 815 which comprises a Perspex aperture 815A within a handle depression 815B. The rear of the stacking cassette 810 is provided by rear block 811 which contains mounting apertures (not shown) which in use receive mounting pins 874A and 874B. The shape of rear mounting block 811 guides the passport into the stacking cassette and furthermore prevents a document from falling back through passport opening 871 once the document has moved into the cassette.

Figure 8P(H) shows how the profile 811 A of rear mounting block 811 directs a passport into the stacking cassette when the stacking cassette 810 is fastened onto the mounting platform 876. A passport moves in direction 868 from clamping blocks 862 and is guided around angled profile 811 A. During the entry of the passport into stacking cassette 810 the passport is bent slightly around the lip formed by the rear edge of base plate 814 and panel 816E. Once the trailing edge of the passport moves beyond the lip formed by the rear edge of base plate 814 and panel 816E, the bending force applied to the trailing edge of the passport is removed and thus this edge of passport springs forward over the lip preventing the passport from falling through aperture 871.

On top of the base plate 814 is panel 816E. Panel 816E comprises elongate aperture 816B within which packer plate 816H is slidably mounted. Figure 8Q(ii) illustrates the sliding mechanism of the packer plate 816H in more detail. Packer plate 816H is fastened to frame member 8161 and comprises a vertical document rest, which extends vertically from the floor of the cassette, that provides an vertical end support for vertically stacked passports. Sliding block 816F is mounted to frame member 816I and enables the member to slide forward and back upon guide member 816G. Sliding block 816F is pushed along linear guide member 816G by the entry of subsequent passport into the stacking cassette 810. Typically, sliding block 816A is attached to a spring and a forward force on packer plate 816H, provided by passports present in the cassette, acts against a constant rearward force provided by the spring. The packer plate 816H also keeps the incoming passports upright in the stacking cassette 810. Strips 816C and 816D provide a low friction surface upon which the edges of the vertically attached passports can slide. In use, passports are supplied to the stacking cassette until a "cassette full" sensor 819A is activated, at which point the machine goes into a controlled stop. The stacking cassette will then need to be emptied. Before the "cassette full" sensor is activated, another sensor 819B is also typically activated to send an "Almost Full" warning message to the operator. Both sensors are typically provided by diffuse reflective opto-sensors that detect whether position block 816A is present above the sensors. Alternatively, in other embodiments reflective opto-sensors 819A and 819B emit a beam of light that passes through respective apertures in panel 816E. When the packer plate 816H is present above these apertures it reflects a beam of light back to the opto-sensor indicating that the plate is in a specific position corresponding to "Full" or "Almost Full".

The top of the cassette is provided by cassette top 812 which in use is locked into position by lock mechanism 813. In use, the lower half of lock mechanism 813 sits within aperture 815C in the top of front face panel 815. Lock mechanism 813 is secured by rotating a moveable arm attached to the mechanism to secure the arm under the top of the panel 815.

Returning to Figure 8A, if for some reason a document is not suitable to place in the stacking cassette 810, it will be placed upon the reject unit 820. To place a document on the reject unit 820 the document is moved along reject transport 830 until the second position is reached. At this point the bottom support member 837A is driven to the front of the module using geared motor 838A as described for the first position. This removes the support for the document that was previously provided by bottom support member 837A and thus allows the document to fall onto one of the reject stacks that reside on a reject tray of the reject unit 820. The reject unit 820 is shown in more detail in Figures 8R, 8T and 8U. In the present example, the reject unit 820 comprises two reject stacks 825A and 825B. Each reject stack is positioned upon a shuttle base 823 and the documents are held in place within retainer members 824A and 824B. Guide panel 822 also provides support for side of each document stack. In use the shuffle base 823 moves up and down guide rails 821 B and 821 C in order to allow a document to drop on to either stack 825A or 825B. Guide rails 821 B and 821 C are attached to unit base 821 A, which is mounted next to the stacker module base 801 within the housing structure. The unit base 821 A is fastened into position using unit mounting block 821 D.

In Figure 8R the shuffle base 823 of the reject unit 820 is located towards the rear of unit base 821 A to allow a document to fall onto reject stack 825A. In use the shuttle base 823 may be moved towards the front of the stacker module 800 in order to allow a document to fall onto reject stack 825B. The shuttle base and the shuttle mechanism are shown in more detail in Figure 8T. The shuttle mechanism comprises a shuffle motor 826A which rotates a motor axle 826B which is attached to pinion 826C. Pinion 826C mates with rack 826B allowing rotation motion of the pinion to be translated into linear displacement of the rack. Rack 826D is then attached to shuttle base 823. Hence, in Figure 8T, clockwise rotation of motor axle 826B by the shuttle motor 826A will move the rack to the left (i.e. to the front of the module) allowing the second reject stack 825B to be located underneath the reject transport 830. Shuttle motor 826A is attached to mounting block 826D which is in turn attached to unit base 821 A. In order to sense whether the shuttle base is aligned to accept documents onto reject stack 825A or reject stack 825B two slotted opto-sensors are provided below the shuttle base 823. The sensors are shown in more detail in Figure 8U.

Position sensor 828A comprises a slotted opto-sensor wherein one of the arms of the sensor comprises an optical transmitter and one of the arms of the sensor comprises an optical receiver. Typically, light is allowed to be transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver thus creating a positive signal from the sensor. However if an object moves between the arms of the slotted opto-sensor then a negative signal is generated which can be used to indicate the presence of an object. In the present case position block 827C is attached to shuttle base 823 via front position block fasteners 827A as shown in Figure 8T. Hence, when the shuttle base 823 is at the rearward position as shown in Figure 8T, position block 827C resides between the arms of slotted opto-sensor 828A thus generating a negative signal which signifies that the shuttle base 823 is in a position to receive documents onto reject stack unit 825A. Conversely, when the shuttle base 823 is located towards the front of the stacker module 800, position block 827D moves between the arms of slotted opto-sensor 828B and thus generates a front position event.

The reject unit 820 also comprises a number of sensors to sense the number of documents present upon each stack. Typically, these sensors comprise pressure sensors 829A to 829D that sense the weight of a plurality of documents above. These pressure sensors extend through the shuttle base 823 through holes 829E to 829H. The value returned by pressure sensors 829C and 829D reflect the weight of the stacked articles within reject stack 825A. If an analogue system is used then the value returned by the pressure sensors 829C or 829D is proportional to the number of passports within the stack 825A. If a set of digital pressure sensors are used then the sensors 829C and 829D can be configured to change state once a set weight of passports is present upon reject stack 825A. In both cases the lower passport in the reader stack 825A makes contact with the top of each pair of pressure sensors 829C and 829D. A similar arrangement applies for pressure sensors 829A and 829B, which extend through holes 829E and 829F, and detect the weight of the plurality of documents on stack 825B.

8.2 Stacker Module Control

An example of a control algorithm that may be used to coordinate the systems of the stacker module 800 is shown in Figures 8V to 8*l. The steps shown within these diagrams are shown as a non-limiting example of steps that can be used to operate systems 820, 830, 840, 850 and 860 as shown in Figure 8A. The control process described herein is configured to transport a document or passport received from the QA module 700 to either the reject unit 820 or the stacker cassette 810. The control algorithm will be described in terms of 18 functional groupings S801 to S818.

Grouping S801 comprises steps S816 to S823. These steps provide a number of initial checks relating to the stacking cassette 810. The stacker module control algorithm starts at step S815. From this step control flows to step S816, wherein a check is made to determine whether the stacking cassette 810 is present upon cassette mounting 870. This may be performed by checking whether slotted opto-sensor 875 registers the presence of a blocking object between the arms of the sensor. If the stacking cassette 810 is not present then further checks are performed in a loop until a predetermined amount of time has passed. After a predetermined amount of time has passed time-out check S817 directs control to error routine SF1 as seen in step S818. If the stacking cassette is present, for example if a slotted opto-sensor registers an object between the arms of said sensor, then a check is made at step S819 as to whether enough capacity is available within the stacking cassette 810. This may be checked using sensor 819A present within the stacking cassette 810. The capacity of the stacking cassette 810 is checked within a loop until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. After this predetermined amount of time has elapsed time-out check S820 directs process control to error routine SF2 at step S821. If there is capacity available in the stacking cassette 810 then flow proceeds from step S819 to step S822. At step S822 the further sensor 819B within the stacking cassette 810 detects whether the stacking cassette 810 is nearing maximum capacity. If the stacking cassette 810 is nearing its maximum capacity then control proceeds to step S823 wherein a "stacker almost full" message is displayed either on the touch screen of the machine-based server 905 and/or on the display screen of the host server 910. If the stacking cassette 810 is not nearing its maximum capacity then the flow bypasses step S823 and proceeds to step S824.

Steps S824 and S825 form part of functional grouping S802. These steps enable the control system to check the status of a passport present at the QA unit exit. In step S824 a check is made as to whether the passport has passed at least one of the following processing operations: OCR recognition, RFID read/write, printing, lamination and quality assurance. The check at S824 is performed by examining the current passport record and checking whether any error codes were returned from the host server 910 during any of the previously listed operations. If an error code has been returned during one of these operations then control proceeds to step S825 wherein the reject start routine is performed. If no error codes have been returned and the passport has successfully passed all the previous processing operations then control proceeds to grouping S803 wherein the passport is transferred to the stacker transport 840.

At step S826 motor 838A is driven forward in order to make sure that bottom support member 837A is at the rearward or default position. At step S827 a check is made to determine whether detector block 835B is present within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 835A. This is typically performed by checking whether light is being transmitted from one arm of the slotted opto-sensor to the other. If light is prevented from being transmitted across the arms of the slotted opto-sensor then this indicates that the bottom support member 837A is in the rearward or "home" position. If this is the case the control proceeds to step S830. Conversely if light is still able to be transmitted from one slotted opto-sensor to the other then this leads to the repetition of step S826 until the bottom support member 837A is in the rearward or home position. If a predetermined amount of time has elapsed within the loop and the bottom support member 837A is not in the rearward position then timeout check S828 directs the control to error routine SF9 via step S829.

Assuming that the bottom support member 837A is in the rearward position the motor 838A is stopped at step S830 before proceeding to step S831. At step S831 the reject transport drive motor 832A is activated to rotate drive belt 832B, and in turn reject transport belt 831 , in an anti-clockwise direction transferring a passport on the document path from the QA module 700 to the stacker module 800. Typically, at this point the transport belts of the QA module will also be run to facilitate the transfer of the passport between the modules. The activation of reject transport motor 832A enables the passport to be transported between the reject transport belt 831 and the elongate rollers 837B of the bottom support member 837A. While the reject transport motor 832A is activated control proceeds to step S832.

Turning to Figure 8W, following on from step S832 while the reject transport motor 832A is still operational, a check is made at step S833 to determine whether the passport document has activated passport position detector 834B. This passport position detector 834B is also known as the "transfer" sensor. If the passport has not activated this "transfer" sensor 834B then the control algorithm loops until this sensor has been activated. If within the control loop a predetermined amount of time is exceeded then step S834 will direct the control to error routine SF10 via step S835. Once the passport has activated position detector 834B then step S833 passes control to step S836, wherein the reject transport motor 832A is deactivated. At this point the passport is held above the passport support shelf 843A with the thick portion of the passport held between the elongate rollers 837B of the bottom support member 837A and the transport belt 831. At step S837 motor 838A is driven into reverse causing central movable strut 837E to move towards the front of the module and thus removing bottom support member 837A from below the passport. At step S838 a check is made as to whether the bottom support member 837A is in a frontward or "away" position. This may be determined by the absence of detector block 835B within the arms slotted opto-sensor 835A or may be determined by an additional slotted opto-sensor (not shown) into which detector block 835B moves when it reaches the away or frontward position. If the bottom support member 837A is not detected to be at the frontward position then steps S837 and S838 are looped until this is the case. Again if a predetermined amount of time has elapsed within the loop then this is detected by time-out check S839 which then passes control to a routing SF9 via step S840. Once the bottom support member 837A is in the frontward or away position, control proceeds from step S838 to step S841 wherein motor 838A is deactivated. At this point the passport should have dropped onto the transport tray 843A due to the removal of the support of the bottom support member 837A. The control then proceeds to functional grouping S804.

Functional grouping S804 comprises steps S842 to S849. At step S842 a check is made to determine whether the passport is present upon the passport support shelf 843A. This check is made by checking whether a reflected light signal is received by reflective opto-sensor 843S located below the passport support shelf 843A. If a passport is present upon the passport support shelf 843A then control proceeds to step S845. If a passport is not detected upon the passport support shelf 843A then step S842 is repeated for a predetermined amount of time. When the predetermined amount of time has elapsed time-out check S843 directs control to error routine SF3 via step S844. Once the presence of a passport has been detected then the bottom support member 837A is moved to the rear of the module via the forward running of geared motor 838A. This then drives central movable strut 837E rearward and moves the bottom support member 837A into its default position underneath the transport belt 831. At step 846 a check is made as to whether the bottom support shelf 837A is at its rearward or default position. This check is made by examining the state of sensor 835A: if detector block 835B is present within the arms of the slotted opto-sensor 835A then this indicates that the bottom support member 837A is in the rearward or default position. If the bottom support member 837A is not in the rearward position then steps S845 and S846 are repeated until either the bottom support member 837A is detected to be in the rearward position or until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed wherein time-out check S847 will direct the control to error routine SF9 via step S848. Once the bottom support member 837A is detected to be in the rearward position at S846 then the motor 838A is deactivated at step S849 and control proceeds to step S850. The process flow then moves to Figure 8X.

Turning to Figure 8X, from step S850 control moves to step S851 which is part of functional grouping S805. Functional grouping S805 comprises steps S851 to S860 and is responsible for transporting the passport along the stacker transport 840. At step S851 motor 842A is driven forward to drive pushing block 844A towards the rear of the module and thus push the passport along the passport support shelf 843A toward the folding frame member 804B. The folding frame member 804B acts to fold the passport as it moves, spine first, under the member. The passport is pushed by the pushing block 844A towards the back of the passport support shelf 843A through the gap formed between the folding frame member 804B and the passport support shelf 843A, which finalises the closing of the passport. As pushing blocks 844A further advance towards the rear of the module the passport is pushed spine first into the channels 866 of clamping blocks 862 which form part of the passport rotate mechanism 860.

At step S852 a check is made to see whether the passport is present in the passport rotate mechanism 860. This check may be made using rear opto-sensor 841 B to detect that the motor mounting block 844B is at an extreme rearward position or may be performed using pressure sensors to detect whether an object is applying force to one or more document retainer blocks 867B within channels 866. If the result of step S852 is negative then steps S851 and S852 are repeated for a predetermined amount of time. This loop will then exit once a passport is present in the rotate mechanism 850 or after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. If the latter case occurs then time-out check S853 will direct control to error routine SF3 via step S854.

Once a passport is present in the rotate mechanism 860 control proceeds from step S852 to step S855 wherein motor 842A is deactivated bringing the movement of the pushing blocks 844A to a halt. Control then proceeds to step S856 wherein motor 842A is run in reverse to move the motor mounting block 844B to the front of the module using the rack and pinion linear actuator system. At step S857 a check is made as to whether the motor mounting block 844B is in the frontward or "home" position. This is detected via the presence of detector arm 841 C within slotted opto-sensor 841 A. If the motor mounting block 844B is not detected to be in the frontward or "home" position then steps S856 and S857 are repeated until either sensor 841 A is activated or a predetermined amount of time has elapsed at which point time-out check S858 will direct control to error routine SF4 via step S859. Once sensor 841 A is activated then control proceeds from step S857 to step S860 wherein motor 842A is deactivated. Control then proceeds to functional grouping S806. Functional grouping S806 comprises steps S861 to S881 and controls the combined movements of the passport rotate mechanism 860 and the passport lift mechanism 850. Beginning with step S861 the drive motor 863A of the passport rotate mechanism 860 is driven forward, i.e. driven so that drive axle 863B rotates in an anti-clockwise direction which rotates clamping blocks 862 and the clamped passport from a near-horizontal position to a near-vertical position. At step S862 a check is made as to whether the clamping blocks 862 have been rotated to the near- vertical position. This is performed by checking the presence of location marker 865E within opto-sensor 864B. If location marker 865E is not within opto-sensor 864B then steps S861 and S862 are repeated for a predetermined amount of time until either location marker 865E is detected within opto-sensor 864B or a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. In the latter case time-out check S863 passes control to error routine SF5 as shown in step S864. Once sensors 864A and 864B have a status that shows that the passport clamps are in the near-vertical position, i.e. that the passport has been rotated, then control proceeds to step S865 and Figure 8Y. Turning to Figure 8Y at step S866 the drive motor 863A is stopped and control proceeds to step S867.

At step S867 lift motor 852A is activated in order to drive threaded member 852B, and hence pushing members 854A and 854B, in direction 858A and thus to push the edge of the passport upwards through channels 866 into the stacking cassette via aperture 871. At step S868 a check is made to see whether the passport is in the stacking cassette 810. Typically, this is performed by looking at the state of opto-sensors 855A and 855B. If opto-sensor 855B generates a signal which indicates that light is transmitted between the arms of the sensor through sensor aperture 855D, this signifies that the pusher members 845A and 845B are in an extended position in direction 858A and thus that the passport should reside within the stacking cassette 810. If such a signal is not received from the opto- sensor 855B then steps S867 and S868 are looped until a positive signal is received or until a certain amount of time has elapsed. Once a set amount of time has elapsed time-out check S869 will pass control to error routine SF3 via step S870. Once it has been detected that the passport should be within the stacking cassette 810, the lift motor 852A is deactivated at step S871 before the direction of the motor is reversed at step S872 to return the pusher members 854A and 854B to the at-rest position as shown in Figures 8J and 8K. At step S873 a check is made to determine whether said members are in the at-rest position. This is achieved by checking opto-sensor 855A, wherein in the retracted position in direction 858B the top of the pushing member 854A should reside below the slotted opto-sensor 855A and thus allow light to be transmitted between the arms of the sensor. If the relevant signal is not received from opto- sensor 855A then steps S872 and S873 are repeated in order to maintain the reverse drive of motor 852A and this is continued until the correct signal is received from opto-sensor 855A or until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. In the latter case time-out check S874 passes control to error routine S56 at step S875. Once a signal has been received from opto-sensor 855A indicating that the pushing members 854A and 852B are in the retracted position in direction 858B then the lift motor 852A is deactivated which prevents the further movement of threaded member 852B and thus by extension pushing members 854A and 854B.

After step S876 control proceeds to step S877, wherein drive motor 863A is driven in reverse, i.e. rotated clockwise, to return the clamping members 862 and the central member 862C to a default near-horizontal position. This near-horizontal position is detected by the presence of location marker 865D within slotted opto- sensor 864A. At step S878 the state of opto-sensor 864A is checked and if it is found that location marker 865D is not within the arms of the sensor 864A, i.e. light is not transmitted from one arm of the opto-sensor to the other, then steps S877 and S878 are repeated in order to continue the reverse drive on the drive motor 863A. The drive motor 863A is driven in reverse until location marker 865D is resident within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 864A at which point control proceeds to step S881. Alternatively if a predetermined amount of time has elapsed within the loop then time-out check S879 will direct the control to error routine SF5 at step S880. After the passport rotate mechanism 860 is detected to be at the default or home horizontal position power is cut to drive motor 863A at step S881 and control proceeds to step S882.

Turning to Figure 8Z, after step S882, steps S883 and S884 are performed which together in combination comprise functional grouping S807. At step S883 a status report is sent to the host server 910 signifying that the passport deposit process is complete and the control proceeds to the stacker start point via step S884, which ends the stacker module control process at step S885.

Figures 8V to 8Z illustrate the steps involved in transporting a successfully processed passport into the stacking cassette 810; however, if at step S824 it is detected that an error code has been returned from the host server 910 in one of the previous processing operations then the control algorithm is adapted to perform the reject steps shown in Figures 8*A to 8*C. After step S825 the reject start routine begins at step S8001 in Figure 8*A. The reject start routine comprises three main functional groupings S808 to S810 before branching into a "scrap" routine or a "reuse" routine. The "scrap" routine transports rejected passports to a "scrap" stack within reject unit 820 and the "reuse" routine transports rejected passports to a "reuse" stack within reject unit 820.

Functional grouping S808 comprises steps S8002 to S8007. Step S8002 checks whether there is capacity in the "reuse" stack. The "reuse" stack corresponds to reject stack 825A located within retainer members 824A. In other embodiments the "reuse" stack could comprise another stack or could have another purpose. At step S8002 the available capacity is checked using pressure sensors 829C and 829D. The capacity of the reuse tray 825A is checked a number of times if no capacity is at first available. This check is repeated a set number of times before time-out check S8003 directs the control process to error routine SF7 at step S8004. If capacity is available in the "reuse" stack then the control proceeds from step S8002 to step S8005. At step S8005 a similar process to S8002 is performed wherein pressure sensors 829A and 829B detect the weight of documents within the "scrap" reject stack 825B. If the pressure sensors 829A and 829B show that there is no capacity available in the stack 825B then step S8005 is repeated a set number of times before time-out check S8006 directs the control to error routine SF8 at step S8007. If capacity is available in the "scrap" reject stack 825B then control proceeds to S8008 which is part of functional grouping S8009.

Functional grouping S8009 comprises steps S8008 to S8016. Steps S8008 to S8016 are similar to steps S826 to S836, however in the present case the reject transport 830 is activated so that the passport is transported across to the second position which is detected by position detector 834A. At step S8008 geared motor 838A is driven forward in order to move central strut 837E to the rear of the module and thus move the bottom support member 837A towards the rearward default position. At step S8009 the control system checks whether the bottom support member 837A is in the rearward position by checking whether detector block 835B is obstructing a transmitted path of light within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 835A. If detector block 835B is present within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 835A then it is assumed that the bottom support member 837A is in the rearward position and control proceeds to step 8012. If detector block 835B is not present within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 835A then steps S8008 and S8009 are repeated a number of times. After a set amount of time has elapsed or a set number of loops have been repeated the time-out check S8010 directs the control to error routine SF9 and step S8011. After it has been confirmed that the bottom support member 837A is in the

"home" or rearward position then the reject transport motor 832A is driven anticlockwise in order to rotate transport belt 831 in an anti-clockwise direction and thus move the passport from the QA unit 710 into the stacker module 800. Typically the transport drive mechanisms of the QA module 700 are activated concurrently with the activation of reject transport motor 832A to facilitate the passing of a passport from the exit of the transport path in the QA module 700 to the reject transport 830 of the stacker module 800. An incoming passport is typically held between the reject transport belt 831 and the elongate rollers 837B mounted within bottom support member 837A. The rotation of the reject transport belt 831 thus drives the passport laterally across the stacker module 800. In contrast to step S833 in the present case passport position detector 834B is ignored and instead a check is made at step S8013 whether a passport has been detected at passport position detector 834A. If a passport has not been detected at passport position detector 834A then steps

58012 and S8013 are repeated until the passport arrives at sensor 834A or until a set number of iterations or a set time period has elapsed. If a set number of iterations or time period has been exceeded then time-out check S8014 directs control to error routine SF10 at step S8015.

Once a passport is detected at reject sensor 834A control proceeds from step

58013 to step S8016 wherein the reject transport motor 832A is deactivated to stop the transport drive within the reject transport 830. The passport should now be located above the reject unit 820 and below the passport position detector 834A.

Control then proceeds to grouping S810 which comprises steps S8017 to S8019. Step S8017 checks whether the passport is reusable. Whether a passport is designated as having "reuse" status or "scrap" status will be decided by the host computer 910. The status of the passport is typically stored as a field within the current passport record. If the passport is decided to be reusable, i.e. if the passport can be successfully re-fed for processing then control will proceed to step S8019 and the control algorithm calls the "reuse" routine shown in Figure 8*C. If the passport is found to be "scrap" at step S8017 control is directed towards step S8018 wherein the "scrap" routine shown in Figure 8*B is performed.

The scrap routine in Figure 8*B begins with step S8020. The control then proceeds to step S8021 wherein shuttle motor 826A is run in reverse in order to move the shuttle base 823 toward the front of the reject unit 820 via the rack and pinion mechanism. At step S8022 a check is made to see whether the shuttle base 823 is in the correct position. This is determined by checking whether position block 827D is within the arms of transmissive opto-sensor 828B. If position block 827D is not present within the arms of position sensor 828B then steps S8021 and S8022 are repeated. After a set number of repetitions or after a set amount of time has elapsed then a time-out error will be generated at step S8023 wherein control will be directed to error routine SF11 as shown in step S8024. Once the shuttle base 823 is detected as being in the correct position, i.e. position block 827D is present within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 828B, then the control proceeds to step S8025 wherein shuttle motor 826A is deactivated to stop the movement of shuttle base 823. Control then proceeds to functional grouping S812.

Functional grouping S812 comprises steps S8026 to S830. These steps are identical to steps S837 to S841 in Figure 8W. At step S8026 motor 838A is run in reverse in order to move bottom support member 837A towards the front of the module and thus remove any supporting force applied to a passport residing above. The position of the bottom support member 837A is checked at step S8027 by looking at the position of detector block 835B within position detector 835A. If the bottom support member 837A is not yet in the frontward position then steps S8026 and S8027 are repeated until a set time has elapsed at which point error routine SF9 is called via steps S8028 and S8029. Once the bottom support member 837A is detected as being in the frontward position, the motor 838A is deactivated at step S8030 to stop any further movement the member. After the bottom support member 837A has been moved towards the front of the stacker module 800, any support given to a passport residing above is removed and thus the passport is allowed to fall onto the reject unit 820 below. At this point due to the movement of a shuttle base 823 the "scrap" reject stack 825B will be present underneath the end of the reject transport 830 and thus the passport will drop from the reject transport 830 onto the "scrap" stack 825B. At step S8031 the control system waits for a predefined amount of time, for example two seconds, to ensure that the passport has fully dropped onto the stack. Once this time has elapsed control moves to step S8032 wherein the motor 838A is run in the opposite direction to move bottom support member 837A back to the default or rearward position. At step S8033 a check is made as to whether detector block 835B is resident within the arms of opto-sensor 835A which signifies that the bottom support member 837A is in its default or rearward position. If the bottom support member 837A is not in its rearward or default position then steps S8032 and S8033 are repeated a set number of times or for a set time period. After a certain number of repetitions or the set time period, time-out check S8034 calls error routine SF9 via step S8035. Once the bottom support member 837A is detected to be in its default or "home" position then the control proceeds to step S8036 wherein the motor 838A is stopped. Control then proceeds to functional grouping S814.

Functional grouping S814 comprises step S8037 and S8038. At step S8037 a status report is sent to the host server 910 and the processing of the present passport is signified as being completed. Then at step S8038 the stacker control returns to the stacker start position and at step S8039 the "scrap" routine ends.

The "reuse" routine is similar to the "scrap" routine and is shown in Figure 8*C. The "reuse" routine starts at step S840 and then moves along to step S8041. At step S8041 the shuttle motor 826A is run in a forward mode in order to move the shuttle base 823 to a configuration as shown in Figure 8B, wherein the "reuse" stack 825A is located underneath the end of the reject transport 830. The position of the shuttle base 823 is checked at S8042 wherein the control algorithm examines the state of sensor 828A, i.e. checks whether front position block 827C is present within the arms of said sensor. If the position block 827C is not present within the arms of slotted opto-sensor 828A then steps S8041 and S8042 are repeated until this event occurs. If a set amount of time has elapsed and the shuttle base 823 is not in the correct position then time-out check S8043 calls error routine SF11 via step S8044. Once the shuttle base 823 is in a position with the "reuse" stack 825A underneath the reject transport 830 then the shuttle motor 826A is deactivated at step S8045. Control then proceeds to functional grouping S816.

Functional grouping S816 comprises steps S8046 to S8050. This grouping is then followed by step S8051 and functional grouping S817 comprising steps S8052 to S8056. This in turn is then followed by functional grouping S818 which comprises steps S8057 and S8058. Steps S8046 to S8058 are identical to steps S8026 to S8038 as shown in Figure 8*B. In a similar manner to the process described with respect to Figure 8*B the bottom support member 837A is moved towards the front of the module so that the passport present within the reject transport 830 is deposited upon the "reuse" stack 825A which is now positioned under the reject transport 830 via the steps of functional grouping S815. The "reuse" routine then ends at S8059.

8.3 Error Handling

Figures 8*Da to 8*l illustrate error routines SF1 to SF11.

Beginning with Figure 8*Da, error routine SF1 begins at step S8100. Control then proceeds to step S8101 wherein an "Attach stacking cassette" message is displayed on one or more of the touch screen and the host server display informing the operator that the stacking cassette 810 must be attached. An "ok" button is also concurrently displayed. Control then proceeds to step S8102 wherein the operator is required to attach the stacking cassette 810 and press the "ok" button, either by selecting an area of the touch screen or by using a mouse attached to one or the servers. At step S8103 a check is made as to whether the "ok" button has been pressed or clicked, if it has not been pressed then steps S8102 and S8103 are repeated. Once the "ok" button has been pressed, control proceeds to step S8104 wherein the screen is cleared and control proceeds back to the stacker start position at step S8105. The error routine then ends at S8106. Figure 8*Db shows the steps involved in error routine SF2. This routine starts at step S8150 and then control moves to step S8152. At step S8152 a message is displayed upon the screen saying "Unload passport from stacker cassette". An "ok" button and/or message is also shown upon the screen. This screen again may be the touch screen and/or a screen connected to host server 910. At step S8153 the operator is required to unload the passports within the stacking cassette and then to press the "ok" button displayed on the screen. At step S8154 a check is made as to whether the "ok" button has been pressed on the screen or clicked with a mouse. If this event has not occurred then steps S8153 and S8154 are repeated. Once the "ok" button has been pressed and/or clicked then the screen is cleared at step S8155 and then the routine returns to stacker start position at step S8156. Routine then ends at step S8157.

Figure 8*Ea shows the steps involved in error routine SF3. This routine starts at step S8200. Control then proceeds to step S8201 wherein the message "Passport jam in transfer pocket" is shown upon a screen. As before this screen may be the touch screen and/or the screen of the host server 910. At step S8202 an API identifier relating to the current passport is marked denoting that the current passport is a reject and the present fault type and/or time is logged. At step S8203 operator intervention is required to open the housing guard and to clear the jam as instructed by on-screen instructions. At this point a passport will need to be physically removed from the machine. When the passport has been physically removed from the machine, control proceeds to step S8204 wherein a list of "live" OCR numbers are displayed upon the touch screen and/or screen of the host server 910. The operator is then required to select the OCR number corresponding to the passport they have just removed. "Live" OCR numbers are passport numbers relating to passports that are present at a number of module stages but yet have not been flagged as complete. At step S8205 a check is made as to whether the jam has been cleared. If a jam has not been cleared then step S8203 and S8204 are repeated until the jam has been cleared. After it has been confirmed that the jam has been cleared at step S8205, a status report is sent to the host server 910 at step S8206. This status report states that processing on the present passport has been aborted. Control then returns to the stacker start position at step S8207 and error routine SF3 ends at step S8208.

Error routine SF4 is also illustrated in Figure 8*Eb. This routine begins at step S8250 and proceeds to step S8251. At step S8251 a message is displayed on screen telling the operator that an error has occurred with the stacker transport 840. At step S8252 the operator is required to open the guard protecting the modules and to clear a passport jam as discussed previously. At step S8253 a check is made as to whether the fault has been cleared. If a fault has not been cleared then further operator intervention is required at step S8254 wherein the machine is shut down and the operator is informed to call a qualified technician. If the fault has been cleared at step S8253 then process is resumed as step S8255 and the error routine ends at step S8256. Before shutting machine down at step S8254, processing of passports in upstream modules is typically completed. Figure 8*Fa shows error routine SF5. Error routine SF5 begins with step S8300 and then moves to step S8301. At this step a message is displayed on screen informing the operator that an error has occurred with the passport rotate mechanism 860. Steps S8302 to S8306 are then identical to steps S8252 to S8256. Error routine SF6 illustrated in Figure 8*Fb is also similar to error routine SF4 and SF5 wherein at step S8351 a message is displayed on the screen informing an operator that an error has occurred with the lift mechanism 850. Steps S8352 to S8356 are then identical to steps S8252 to S8256 and steps S8302 to S8306.

Figures 8*Ga and 8*Gb respectively show error routines SF7 and SF8. Error routine SF7 begins at step S8400. At step S8401 a message is displayed on the screen informing the operator to "unload passports from the reuse tray". An "ok" message is also displayed on the screen. At step S8402 an operator intervention is required wherein the passports within the "reuse" stack 825A are removed and then the operator presses or clicks the "ok" button. At step S8403 a check is made as to whether the "ok" button has been pressed or clicked and if not steps S8402 and S8403 are repeated. At step S8404, after the "ok" button has been pressed or clicked, the display screen is cleared and at step S8405 the routine returns to reject start position. The method then ends at step S8406.

Error routine SF8 is similar to error routine SF7: steps S8451 to S8456 are similar to S8401 to S8406 with the difference being that in the case of SF8 the operator is instructed to unload the passports from the "scrap" tray 825B at step S8451 and then the operator has to unload passports from this tray at step S8452.

Figures 8*Ha and 8*Hb respectively illustrate error routines SF9 and SF10. Error routine SF9 starts at step S8500. Control then proceeds to step S8501 wherein the operator is informed via an error message displayed on screen that an error has occurred with the bottom support member 837A mechanism within the reject transport 830. At step S8502 operator intervention is required to open the guard protecting the module and to clear the fault following instructions displayed on screen. At step S8503 a check is made as to whether the fault has been cleared. If the fault has not been cleared then the operator is required to shut down the machine at step S8504 and call a qualified technician. Typically, before the machine is shut down passports in remaining modules are processed. If the fault has been cleared at S8503 process is resumed at step S8505 and the routine ends at step S8506. Routine SF10 begins at step S8550. At step S8551 the shuttle motor 826A is deactivated to stop the movement of the shuttle base 823. At step S8552 a message is displayed on screen to inform the operator that a passport jam has occurred. At step S8553 the API identifier for the current passport is marked as a reject and the fault type and/or time is logged. Control then proceeds to step S8554 wherein operator intervention is required to open the guard and physically remove the passport from the machine to clear the jam. After the operator has physically removed the passport at step S8555 the operator is displayed a list of "live" OCR numbers upon the screen or touch screen. In this case "live" has the same meaning as described previously. At step S8555 the operator is required to select the OCR number corresponding to the passport they have just removed. Control then proceeds to step S8556 wherein a check is made to see whether the jam has been cleared. If the jam has not been cleared then steps S8554 and S8555 are repeated until the jam is cleared. If the jam is cleared then after step S8556 a status report is sent to the host server 910 at step S557 informing the server that processing of the current passport has been aborted. The control process then returns to the stacker start position at step S8558 and the process ends at step S8559.

Figure 8*l illustrates the steps involved in error routine SF11. The routine begins at step S8600 and proceeds to step S8601. At step S8601 a message is displayed on the screen informing the user that there is a "Shuttle malfunction" within the reject unit 820. At step S8602 the operator is required to perform a controlled stop of the reject unit 820 and to remove the passport. At step S8603 the operator is then further required to reset the reject unit 820. At step S8604 a check is made to see whether the shuttle mechanism of the reject unit 820 is operating correctly. If it is operating correctly then control proceeds to step S8607 and the stacker start position; if the control is not operating correctly then control proceeds to step S8605 wherein the operator is required to shut down the machine and call a qualified technician. The method then ends at step S8606. 11. Systems & Control

11.1 Control Overview

The organisation of the electronic hardware used to control the document processing machine 1 is illustrated schematically in Figure (ii). Each module within the machine 1 has an associated control board. Each control board is typically located under the base plate of each module, 200 to 800, and may incorporate one or more PIC® microcontrollers as supplied by Microchip Technology. Each control board is in communication with a machine-based server (MBS) 905. Typically, the MBS 905 comprises a standard personal computer (PC), for example a computer comprising a Pentium processor, memory, storage devices etc. Each control board may be connected to the MBS 905 using the universal serial bus (USB) protocol and interface 920. In alternative embodiments each control board may be connected to the MBS 905 using a different bus framework or a direct electrical connection. The MBS 905 may be located within the housing 100 of the machine 1 or may be located within the area surrounding the machine 1. The MBS 905 is in communication 915 with a host server (HS) 910. The HS 910 also typically comprises a PC. The MBS 905 may be communicatively connected to the HS in a number of ways, which may include, but are not limited to, a wide area network (WAN) connection, a local area network (LAN) connection or a direct connection. The connection may be wired or wireless and may use any protocol known in the art.

In use the MBS software 943 is responsible for overseeing the operation of the document processing machine 1. Application software operating upon the HS 910 is then responsible for more advanced processing and high-level co-ordination. The application software of the HS 910 is also responsible for communicating with database systems that store document data. As the software of the HS 910 is responsible for these advanced function the hardware specification of the HS 910 may exceed that of the MBS 905. An example of the connectivity of the document processing machine 1 is shown in more detail Figure 9A. In this example MBS 905 is located within the housing 100 of the machine 1. The MBS 905 is connected to a touch screen 925. In this example, the touch screen is also mounted within the housing 100 of the machine 1 , but in other embodiments the touch screen may be mounted outside the machine 1. The MBS 905 determines the output information displayed on the touch screen 925 and receives signals corresponding to any input selection made upon the screen. As stated previously, the MBS 905 is also connected to a number of control boards via a USB interface 920 and to the HS 910 via a second interface 915A. The cameras mounted within the machine 1 that are respectively used to capture the OCR printed and perforated passport number, the position of the passport in the printer module 400 and the OCR laminate number may be connected directly to the MBS 905 using a USB connection or may be connected to the control board of the module wherein the capture is made. In the present case, the HS 910 also has an additional set of connections

915B to one or more elements within the machine. These connections 915B bypass the MBS 905, allowing direct control of the one or more elements by the HS 910. One connection allows direct control of one or more RFID modules 935 mounted within the machine, for example RFID-Shuttle module 300 and/or QA module 700. Another connection allows direct control of the printing apparatus within printer module 400.

A schematic diagram of the machine architecture is shown in Figure 9B. The machine architecture 945 comprises: -

• A hardware layer 941 representing the hardware used in association with each module, for example, the OCR cameras, any of the transport motors or any of the position sensors.

• An input / output (I/O) layer 942 representing the interface between the hardware and the MBS software. This is typically implemented using the control boards and the various control interfaces between the MBS 905 and said boards.

• An MBS software layer 943 representing the function software routines operating upon the processor of the MBS. The code for such routines is typically stored within storage devices forming part of the MBS 905 and is loaded into memory during run-time. This software layer receives inputs from the hardware via the I/O layer 942, performs a variety of processing on said input and returns any outputs of said processing to the I/O layer 942 in order to control the hardware making up the hardware layer 941. • A graphical user interface (GUI) layer 944 that allows certain information to be displayed to an operator. This layer 944 is typically implemented by additional software operating upon the MBS 905 which provides output to a display 925. If the display is a touch screen display 925 the GUI also allows an operator to input required information. If the display is not a touch screen display selections may be made within the GUI layer using standard human-machine interface apparatus connected to the MBS 905, for example a mouse, keyboard or stylus.

11.2 System Interface Overview

A system interface is defined to co-ordinate the processing activities of the MBS 905 and the HS 910. This interface specifies the manner in which the hardware and software of both the MBS 905 and the HS 910 interact. In the present example the software operating upon the MBS 905 operates the MBS 905 as a master device and the software operating upon the HS 910 operates the HS 910 as a slave device. This reverse design ensures that the process of managing data upon the HS 910 does not interfere with the operation of the document processing machine 1. The HS software implements the defined system interface and the MBS software utilises this interface to retrieve application data from the HS software, request data for RFID read and/or write operations, validate document position and OCR data and report processing status to the HS software.

In a preferred embodiment the HS software provides an application- programming interface (API) that is implemented as a multi-threading ¹C language windows dynamic link library (DLL). The DLL encompasses all the function calls necessary to retrieve data, request data validation, activate an integrated circuit device (ICD) or e-chip and verify its functional state, activate an ICD and transfer predetermined personalisation data to it, instigate printing and report the termination status of document processing. The API is device independent and provides a transparent interface to the HS software. The MBS software 943 initialises the DLL using a connect function. This function is called once during the start up sequence of the MBS software 943. The repeated, sequential use of function calls by the MBS software 943 allows the document processing machine 1 to manage the personalisation of passports and/or other documents through the machine. The HS software has direct control of any RF readers located within the document processing machine via connection 915B. The HS software also has direct control of the printing device located within the document processing machine 1. This abstract design allows the HS software to vary the personalisation process between different software applications running upon the HS 910 without the need to adjust the configuration of the document processing machine 1. Once the MBS software 943 has finished processing documents it calls a disconnect function to free any allocated resources.

11.2 Process Flow

Figure 9C shows a process flow diagram illustrating the processes involved in the personalisation of a single document. In the following description this document is taken to be a passport, however the processes are not limited to this particular document type. References to MBS 905 or the HS 910 refer to appropriate software and/or hardware adapted to perform the described processes. In operation, it is common for a number of documents to be processed concurrently, each document residing in a different section of the machine 1. If there are a number of documents present in the machine 1 , a number of process flows, as shown in Figure 9C, will be active at any one time. In such a case each process flow will be at a different stage of operation.

The process flow illustrated in Figure 9C is split into two: steps 951 represent processes performed by the MBS 905 and steps 952 represent steps performed by the HS. Between these two groupings interface channels 953 represent communication between the MBS 905 and the HS 910. This communication is typically made over connection 915, as shown in Figure (ii) or Figure 9A. Arrows to the right represent communication from the MBS 905 to the HS 910 and arrows to the left represent communication from the HS 910 to the MBS 905. Before the start of the process flow shown in Figure 9C, an initialisation step is performed. During this initialisation step the MBS 905 makes a request to connect to the HS 910. This in turn instructs the HS 910 to make any necessary connections to data sources, RFID readers and personalisation printers required for management of the HS application data. In the present example the HS 910 has direct access to the RFID readers via a USB connection and has direct access to the personalisation printer via a standard Windows printer driver. However, in other embodiments these direct access connections may be replaced by communication over a network or remote connection using common protocols, for example using a routing device connected to one or more of the RFID readers or the printing device.

Once connected, the MBS 905 makes a request C955 via the API for the next available application record identifier at step S954. The application record identifier is a unique identifier that is assigned to each passport before processing by the machine 1. Typically this assignment is performed by the HS 910, however, in certain embodiments the HS 910 may access pre-assigned data present in a remote or local database. If an application identifier is available at the HS 910, i.e. the required data for the passport has been pre-processed by the HS 910, then the passport is seen to be ready for personalisation and a response C956 is sent to the MBS 905 containing the assigned application identifier. The response C956 to the application identifier request C955 also comprises basic configuration information relating to the passport data. This may include any requirement for RF personalisation or validation, and specific OCR requirements such as perforated number or printed number checking. In certain embodiments the HS 910 may perform additional processing of the passport data at step S957. Such processing may be performed before or after sending the application identifier.

After the MBS 905 receives the application identifier and accompanying data it creates a temporary passport record for the received identifier and sends a command to the feed module 200 to commence passport book loading at step S958. Once the book has been loaded, OCR read of the book number and/or perforated number will take place. To do this the MBS 905 co-ordinates the camera system 315 and 317 above the RFID shuttle module 300. The camera 315 thus captures an image of the passport below. An example image of this kind is shown in Figure 9D. In the example image the perforated passport number 19 is located on the left hand side 10a of the passport and the printed passport number 18A is located on the right hand side of the passport 10b. The presence and/or orientation of each type of passport number will depend on the passport being used. The perforated number may be mirrored, i.e. may be a mirror image of the number, depending on which page of the book is being personalised. The image is captured after a passport has been fed into the RFID shuttle module 300 and the left end of the upper transport 340 is visible at the bottom of the image. On receipt of the image the MBS 905 is configured to process the image and extract both the perforated and printed passport numbers. Typically this extraction is performed using standard OCR routines that form part of the MBS software 943. The passport number is typically of the form:

RAANNNNNC wherein:

R is an optional character used to check whether the perforated number is mirrored; A is an alpha character;

N is a numeric character; and

C is an optional check digit that may be appended onto the perforated number.

Upon receipt of the captured image the vision software within the MBS 905 first analyses a region of interest (ROI) within the image. For example if the MBS 905 is setup to capture images such as that shown in Figure 9D then the ROI may be set as a rectangular area above the top rollers 340 for the perforated number and/or a rectangular area to the right of the top rollers 340 for the printed number. The ROI is set upon the HS 910 using test images. The ROI configuration information may then be sent to the MBS 905 during a configuration routine. To extract the perforated passport number the MBS software 905 may first analyse the R character within the appropriate ROI to determine whether the number is mirrored. The vision software will then extract the number data from the image of the perforated number. If the perforated number comprises a check digit character, symbol or number the corresponding check digit will be extracted based on the image data. The check digit may comprise a digit as described in International Patent Application Number

PCT/GB2007/002551. The printed number will also be extracted in a similar manner.

After the extraction of OCR number data, the MBS 905 sends C960 this data to the HS 910 for validation at step S959. Typically the OCR number data comprises the number data extracted for the perforated number and/or the printed number as well as the check digit data if a check digit is present. Depending on the bandwidth and/or storage limits of system the OCR image may additionally be sent to the HS

910 and stored in a recognised standard such as JPEG with the corresponding passport data record. This image may then be recalled during auditing or quality control. At step S962 the HS 910 verifies the numbers are of the correct format and are valid. The verification may involve calculating a check digit based on the data extracted from the image of the perforated number and then comparing this digit with the check digit sent with the validation data C960. Methods of calculating and comparing check digits can be found in International Patent Application Number PCT/GB2007/002551. After verifying the data, the HS 910 replies C961 to the validation request with data indicating whether the passport is to be rejected or allowed to continue. This pass or fail data is stored within the temporary passport record that was generated upon receipt of the current passport application identifier. At step S959 the MBS 905 decides whether to perform RFID chip processing.

The decision to perform RFID processing is dependant on the initialisation of the machine 1 and the configuration data received in response C956. If RFID processing is not applicable and/or required the process moves to step S967, wherein the passport is moved to the print module 400. If RFID processing is applicable and/or required, the passport is moved to one of the RF encoder positions within one of the RFID units 320. A request C964 is then sent to the HS 910 to perform the RFID processing. As the HS 910 has direct access to the RFID read/write apparatus it is able to perform any required RF processing at step S966. Typically, such processing involves one or more of verifying that the RFID chip is active and perform RFID chip personalisation by writing data to the chip. After performing the processing at step S966 the HS 910 sends a reply C965 back to the MBS 905 detailing whether the RF processing was completed successfully. Again, this pass or fail data is stored within the temporary record for the current passport. Upon receipt of the reply C965 the MBS 905 directs the passport to the print module 400 at step S967.

After the passport has been moved to the print module 400 at step S967, reposition checks are made to ensure the book is correctly aligned for printing. These reposition or "repos" checks are described in section 4 and involve capturing an image of the edge of the passport using a camera mounted above the print module 400. The MBS 905 then performs a number of image processing routines to extract data that may include at least one of: passport and/or page position in relation to the printer module reference block, and passport and/or page skew in relation to the reference block. At step S968 the extracted (re)position data is sent to the HS 910 in the form of a reposition data validation request C969. The HS 910 validates the reposition data against acceptable tolerance values and informs the MBS 905 whether to proceed or not at step C970. Typically, the HS 910 checks to see whether the skew and/or position values fall within pre-determined boundaries. The reposition data may also be stored at the HS 910 in the current passport record for later use as an adjustment factor, for example to ensure that the print and QA images are aligned. If the reposition data is not within tolerance, the MBS 905 may adjust the book position and repeat the validation call. Following successful repositioning, the MBS 905 positions the book ready for printing.

At step S972 the MBS 905 makes a request C973 to print personalisation data onto a page of the passport. The HS 910 formats the data to be printed onto the passport page and commences printing over connection 915B. Typically, the HS 910 formats the data to produce a "data page", which is then sent to the print driver to commence the print. The data page comprises print data of a suitable size and orientation to facilitate a successful print. Once the HS 910 has submitted the printing information to the printer driver and received confirmation that the printing process was either successful or unsuccessful, the HS 910 returns a success or error status to the MBS 905 in the form of reply C974. The MBS 905 then waits for the physical printing process to complete, typically by waiting for a set time to elapse. Following printing the MBS 905 moves the passport across the auxiliary module 500 to the laminator module 600. Before lamination the MBS 905 captures an image of the OCR number on the laminator roll and extracts the relevant number data from the image of the reel. An example image featuring the OCR number is shown in Figure 9G. The OCR number is extracted in a similar manner to the printed and perforated passport numbers; the main difference being that the reel number is typically preceded by a date in (YY)YYMMDD format. The extracted number will be the multi-layer infilling system (MLIS) number assigned to the active passport. Such a number may be used for future auditing or security purposes. At step S977 the MLIS number is submitted to the HS 910 for validation in the form of validation request C978. In certain configurations the validation request C978 may also comprise a copy of the image. The HS 910 then validates the extracted number at step S980 and provides a reply C979 indicating whether the validation process was successful. Upon receipt of the reply the MBS 905 saves the pass or fail status in the current passport record. If pass validation data indicates successful processing then the MBS 905 commences routines to laminate the passport at step S981. Following lamination the book will move to the QA module 700 where the MBS 905 will perform QA read functions. This may be moving the passport through a swipe reader or performing a full page scan of the book and extracting OCR data. At step S982 the QA data C983 will be sent to the HS 910 for verification and approval. If an MRZ reader 720 is installed in the QA module 700 then the QA data C983 may comprise the data extracted from the MRZ of the passport by the reader and its associated electronics. If a full page scanner is installed then the QA data C983 may alternatively comprise extracted data and/or a full page image, possibly in JPEG format to reduce bandwidth and storage demands. At step S985 the HS 910 checks the received QA data against the information stored within the data record for the current passport. This check may involve visual confirmation of the full page image by an operator. The result of the validation is then sent back to the MBS 905 in reply C984, wherein the MBS passport record is updated using said result.

Following the QA check the passport is moved to be positioned over the final RFID module at step S986. If applicable, a request C988 is made to either verify the chip is active or to perform RFID chip personalisation. This request is similar to request C964 and at step S990 the HS 910 performs similar processing to step S962, with the addition of a possible step to verify any data written to the chip in step S962. After the HS 910 has finished the RFID processing it again sends a pass or fail reply C989 back to the MBS 905, which will store the reply data as before.

On completion of the QA and RFID processing, the passport is moved to either the Accept hopper, i.e. the stacking cassette 810 or one of the Reject hoppers, 825A or 825B, at step S991. As discussed in section 8 the destination of the passport depends on the processing data relating to the current passport that is stored within the temporary record of the MBS.

At step S992 a status report C993 is sent to the HS 910 indicating the final status of the passport. The HS 910 then manages any internal records as appropriate based on this information at step S995. The HS 910 may optionally acknowledge receipt of the final status data in the form of reply C994.

In the event of an error, the MBS 905 will, in the first instance, manage the process of rejecting or recycling passports as necessary. In the event the MBS 905 cannot resume operation on a specific passport a status report will be sent to the HS 910 indicating the passport was not processed. This passport may then be restored to a state ready for future selection for personalisation. In a preferred embodiment the MBS 905 provides the operator with functionality enabling the operator to manual reject or reload books after a jam in the machine, as is discussed in the sections related to module control throughout the description. This functionality additionally may inform the HS 910 of any status change via the completion reporting function (C993) provided.

Claims

CLAIM

1. A document processing apparatus as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.