Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention pertains to an appAratus
for recording identiEying ~ata concerning the user of a
credit card, cheque or like document whenever some
identification of the user of such credit card, cheque
or like document is needed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various different types of recording machines
are known in the prior art. However, most of these
machines are concerned with bank depository mechanisms
at unmanned stations which identify visually the
depositor and which deliver a receipt to the depositor.
Such mechanisms can be found described in the U.S.
Patent no. 3,836,980 issued September 17, 1974 to
Grosswiller et al and U S Patent no 4,245,902 issued
January 20, 1981 to Cataldo et al. Other depository
constructions for receiving deposits at unattended
banking stations where a customer identifying card
is inserted to initiate a deposit procedure are also
known and may be found described in U.S. patent
no. 4,085,687 issued April 25, 1978 to Beck et al.
On the other hand, there is often need at
- banks, when cash is to be remitted on a request
supported by a credit card, cheque or other document,
to have some record of the customer using such credit
-25 card, cheque or like document. This is not only
required in banks but also in other establishments,
such as hotels, where the use of credit cards or
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cheques serve to se-ttle bills or accounts. 5
OBJECTS AND ST~TEMENT OF T~IE INVhlNTION
It is an objec-t oE the present invention to
provide an apparatus which will record identifying data
relative to the user of a credit card, cheque or similar
5 document. This is achieved by providing, in the appara- ;
tus, means which will record a photographic image of the
user, his height and weight.
The apparatus of the present invention therefore
comprises a weight scale, a height scale and a camera
10 for taking a picture of the user. The apparatus is also
equipped with means to provide a receipt to the user,
which receipt will show his weight, the date on which
the apparatus is used, the registration number of the
apparatus and a personal reference number. A copy of this
15 receipt is retained inside the apparatus.
One feature of the present invention is that
the copy that is retained inside the apparatus passes
in the photographic view of the camera so that, as the
user is photographed, the information shown on the
20 receipt is also photographed and will also appear on
the photograph taken.
The present invention therefore relates to
an apparatus for recording identifying data concerning
the user of a credit card, a cheque or the li~e
25 document which comprises in its broadest aspect: a
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housing; scale means outside the housing for
weighing the user; means in the housing for
recording the weight of the user; camera means
in said housing for photographing at least a
facial portion of the user; a height scale in
photographic view of the camera means to
provide information relative to the height of
the user whereby said height indication may be
photographed; and means in the housing for
dispensing outside the housing a receipt giving
information relative to the use of the appa-
ratus.
Other objects, purposes and characteristic
feature of the present invention will ~e, in part,
obvious from the accompanying drawings and, in part,
pointed out as the description oE the invention pro-
gresses. In describing the invention ln detail, refer-
ence will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which
like reference characters designate corresponding parts
; 20 throughout the several views. It should be understood,
however, that this detailed description, while indi-
cating preferred em~odiments of the invention, is given
by way of illustration only since various changes and
modifications withln the spirit and scope of the in-
vention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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IN THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the
apparatus made in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the
apparatus showing the receipt dispensing means;
Fig. 3 is a side elevation cross-sectional view
showing the camera; and ~'
Fig. 4 is a side elevation cross-sectional view
showing the coin collecting mechanism.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus
comprises a housing 10 formed of a front wall 12, two
opposite side walls 14 and 16 and a rear wall 18.
The front wall 12 includes, in its upper part,
a one-way mirror 20 with a reflective outer face 22 and
a transparent inner face 24 (see fig. 3). Preferably
on the transparent inner face of the mirror, a height
scale 26 is provided vertically the entire height of
the mirror.
The base of the apparatus includes a weighing
area 28 with a weighing scale 30 (see fig. 4).
Referring to Fig. 2, the housing has an upper
internal chamber 32 in which is lodged a receipt
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register, generallv denoted 34, which is mounted near
the sidewall 16 of the apparatus. This register dis-
penses duplicate copies 36 and 38 of a receipt on
which the following information is provided: the
weight of the user, the date of use of the apparatus,
the registration number of trhe apparatus and a refe-
rence number pertaining to the actual use of the
apparatus~ One copy 32 of the receipt is issued to an
exit slot 40 provided on the front wall 12 of the
apparatus. A second copy 38 of the receipt is retained
inside cham~er 32 and passes over rollers 42 and 4~ so
as to be in the rear of the mirror. The receipt 38
then is retained on a bobbin 46.
- Referring to Fig. 3, a camera 50 is mounted
inside the internal chamber 32 and, through a mirror
52 inclined at 45, is capable of ta~ing a picture of
- an area corresponding to that of mirror 20.
The front wall 12 also displays a slot 5~ in
which may be inserted a credit card/ a che~ue or any
similar document. ReEerring to fig. 2, an optical
detecting device 56 is provided to recognize the
insertion of such document. Dotted lines 5~ indicate
that this optical detecting device 56 is electrically
connected to a control circuit 60 disposed at the
bottom of the housing. In Fig. 3, dotted lines 51
indicate that the camera is electrically connected to
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the control circuit 60.
Referring to Fig. 4, -the Eront wall 12 o~ the
housing further displays a coin receiving slot 62 which
is electrically connected to the control circuit 60 as
illustrated by dotted lines 64. A coin 65 is received
in the coin collecting device 66 which may dispense
it to a return shoot 68 or to a coin collecting box 70.
A return button 72 is shown on the front panel 12 and
is associated with the coin collecting mechanism des-
cribed.
Referring to Fig. 4, the scale 28 is electrical-
ly connected to the control unit 60 as illustrated by
dotted lines 80. A mechanism 82 serves for detecting
any defects in the operation of the apparatus, in
which case a lamp 84, located in the upper part of the
front walls will be lit to indicate that the apparatus
is operatively defective.
The operation of the apparatus will now be dis-
cribed. A customer who wishes to pay a bill or account
by means of a credit card, cheque or other document, is
first asked to mount on the scale 28 of the apparatus.
He then inserts his credit card, cheque or document in
slot 54 and, if required, deposits in slot 62 the
required amount. The contxol unit 60 will set regis-ter
34 into operation only if lines 58 and 64 are energized,
in which case, the weight of the user is transmitted to
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and recorded in register 34. The latter will print on
hoth copies 36 and 38 of -the slip the weight of the
user, the date of use of the apparatus, a reference
number concerning the actual use of the apparatus and
the registration number of the apparatus. The issued
copy 38 of the register slip passes in the photographic
viewing area of the camera. The control unit 60 sets
the camera 50 in operation whereby a picture of the
upper body portion of the user is taken together with
the slip portion 38. Hence, the photograph will also
include the above identified information carried on the
slip. The other copy 36 of the register slip exits at
40 for the customerls use for attaching with a cheque
or other document. This copy, of course, does not
include a photograph of the customer nor identification
- as to his height.
If the customer removes the credit card or cheque
prior to termination of the operation of the apparatus,
the latter will stop; it will also stop if the customer
comes off the scale since its operations are controlled -
by unit 60.
Although the invention has been described with
respect to one form, it will be obvious to the man
skilled in the art that it may be refined and modified
in various waysù For exemple, the control circuit may
be arranged so that it is not necessary to deposit a
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coin to set the apparatus in opera-tion in cases where
this service would be free to the cus-tomer. Also, the
control unit could have means to identify which part
of the apparatus is defective. It i5 therefore wished
to have it understood that the present invention is
not limited in interpretation except by the terms of
the following claims ~,
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SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
In another embodiment of the present in-
vention, -the inner side of the mirror includesadditional
data such as
- a number representative of the apparatus;
- a number representative of a film in the
camera;
- a number representative of the user;
- a number representative of the weight of the
user.
All this information is photographed by the camera.
Furthermore, the receipt which is aispensed
displays information such as that relative to
- an establishment where the apparatus is
used;
- the time of use of the credit card or like
document;
- a photograph on the film
- the apparatus itself~
IN THE DR~INGS~
: Figure 5 is a perspective view of another
~: embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a side elevation thereof; and
Figure 7 i.s a view of the inner side of the
mirror as seen from line 7~7 of Figure 6.
Referring to Figs, 5 7, a second embodiment
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of the present invention is illustrated and comprises a
housing 110 displayiny an inclined front wall having an
upper portion 112 and a lower portion llA. The housing
is supported on a pair of legs 115, 116 the lower ends
of which are mounted to a base frame 118. The upper
front wall portion 112 includes a one-way mirror 120
with a reflective outer face 122 and a transparent inner
face 124. On the transparent inner face of the mirror,
a height scale 126 is displayed along one side thereof.
Adjacent to the base 118, a weighing device
128 is provided and a connecting cable 130 transmits
data pertaining to the weight of the user inside the
housing 110 as further described below.
In Fig. 6, the housing is shown as including
an inner chamber 132 which lodges a receipt register,
generally denoted 134. This register dispenses a
receipt at an outlet 136 on front wall portion 114. The
- receipt may include the following information in reada-
ble characters and/or coded form: the name of the owner
of the establishment where the anti-fraud apparatus is
located; the time-and date of use of the apparatus; a
number which corresponds to the location of a photograph
on a camera film; and the apparatus number.
Contrary to the e~bodiment illustrated in
Figs. 1-4, a duplicate copy of the receipt is not dis-
pensed by register 134.
In Fig. 6, a camera is sche~atically repre-
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sented at 138. Block 140 represents an enclosure where
the film may be kept until it i5 necessary to develop
the film in order to retrieve information relating to a
particular use of the machine.
Block 142 represents schematically the elec-
tronic circuitry which is required to display on the
inner side of the one-way mirror at 144, 146, 148, 150
information pertaining to the use and user of the
machine, which information is photographed with the
user's upper body. This electronic circuitry displays
the information in the form of digits. For example,
digits 144 may represent a number associated with the
particular machine while digits 146 may give the weight
of the user. Digits 148 may represent the location of
the photograph taken on the camera film while digits 150
may be a number representative of the user of the
machine. Hence, when a photograph is taken of the user,
all the digitized information appearing on the window
frame, including the height scale 126, is recorded.
Such electronic circuitry is relatively simple to devise
and a detailed description thereof is not deemed neces-
sary. Referring to Fig. 5, the front wall of housing
110 includes an appropriate slot 152 (similar to that of
54 in the Fig. 1) in which the user must insert his
cheque, credit card or like document to set the machine
in operation, in a manner similar to that described in
connection with Fig. 1, wherein an optical detecting
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device initiates activation of the various operation of
the machine. rrhe front wall of the housing also in-
cludes a coin deposit slot 154 and a coin return slot
156 similar to that shown in E'ig. 1.
Al-though the invention has been described with
respect to two forms, it will be obvious to the man
skilled in the art that it may be refined and modified
in various ways. For example, a control circuit may be
arran~ed so that it is not necessary to deposit a coin
to set the apparatus in operation in cases where this
service is free to the customer. Furthermore, a light
160 may be disposed in chamber 132 to illuminate the
subject through a transparent glass 162. Also, a con-
trolling circuit may be included to readily identify
which part of ~he apparatus is defective. It is there-
fore wished to have it understood that the present in-
vention is not limited in interpretation except by the
terms of the following claims.
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