In a method and apparatus of identifying a document with the aid of at least two different types of optically readable markings disposed on the document, and of at least two light sensors, each individual marking modifying light impinging thereon in a characteristic manner, and wherein each light sensor is associated with a respective marking, and senses the light modified by the associated marking, the steps include placing the markings in a predetermined cyclical sequence on at least one track...

Method and apparatus for separating bundles of envelopes containing information-bearing documents according to preselected sorting scheme. Documents are marked with iron particle deposits, in coded format, prior to being placed in the envelopes. The locations of the deposits correspond to the information of interest. After the marked documents are sealed in envelopes the locations of the iron particle deposits are sensed to control sorting apparatus for separating the documents according to the ...

A system of pre-collation copying a set of duplex document sheets by inhibiting the operation of a document inverting path during successions of contiguous plural document copying circulations to copy only one side of the documents during each succession, and actuating the document inverter path only during single document circulations at the end of a succession, after the document set has been circulated a number of times in that succession equal to the quotient of a constant number divided by ...

Alignment mechanism for processing documents having a plurality of rotating rollers extending upward from the floor of a horizontal tray which is provided with a longitudinal edge. The axes of the rollers are positioned at approximately 75.degree. angle with respect to the longitudinal edge. A plurality of balls are located above the rollers with one or more balls associated with each roller. The documents pass between the rollers and the balls for moving the documents toward the longitudinal ed...

An apparatus for reading magnetic documents, comprising an inductively wound gapped core forming part of a tuned circuit which is driven at its resonant frequency, and a means for producing an output signal indicative of the quality factor of the tuned circuit.

A hopper for receiving documents and stacking documents flat wherein the documents are fed on edge along a document feeding track which terminates tangentially to a vertical back plate of the hopper includes a first guide means which moves the upper edge of a document, which enters the hopper parallel to the plate, away from the plate, and a second guide means for guiding the lower edge of the document while holding it on the same course until the document reaches a position where it drops into ...

An automatic pre-collation duplex copier in which original documents having either an odd or even number of pages may be recirculatively copied in reverse serial order yet provide properly collated output duplex copy sets. A simplex/duplex copying system is disclosed in which, when an odd number of document sheets are detected in a first, non-copying, circulation of the document sheets, the copying of the last and subsequent alternate document sheets is inhibited during the first copying circula...

Documents are stacked on edge on a bed assembly having a backplate assembly near one end and a slidable backstop assembly aranged to be incremented away from the backplate assembly as the documents fill the stacking space therebetween. The backstop assembly is fixed to and alternately freed from the bed assembly by an escapement assembly coupled therebetween and actuated electrically. Preferably the escapement assembly comprises a pawl and ratchet together with cogged or spurred belts guiding th...

A document handling apparatus permitting simultaneous use by two operators comprises first and second stations located at opposite ends of a common document reader. Documents are supplied to the reader via a conveyor belt from either station, but reading of the document is effected only as the documents move from the first station to the second. When a document to be read is applied to the apparatus at the first station, the document is moved, via the conveyor belt, to the reader and then return...

Marking apparatus is provided having a reciprocable carrier assembly composed of two parts. One part comprises a motor driven reciprocable carrier, while the other part comprises a movable carrier member which is pivotally supported at one end of the reciprocable carrier. The movable carrier member supports an inking roller and a printing roller and is mechanically coupled to the motor so as to cause the movable carrier member to be positioned, in the course of a first cycle of reciprocation by ...