Programming fixtures are provided that program devices, such as payment cards, with data, such as personal data, using light transmitters and receivers for powered cards, or using magnetic write heads for non-powered cards. A processor within the powered card computes a magnetic stripe message and associated longitudinal redundancy check (LRC) value based upon the personal data. The processor compares the LRC value against a list of LRC exceptions and changes the magnetic stripe message to change the LRC value based upon a positive comparison. A programming fixture may compute the magnetic stripe message and may change the magnetic stripe message before writing the magnetic stripe message to a static magnetic stripe upon a detection that the associated LRC value matches an LRC exception.

Information is written onto the surface of an object using both an optically identifiable pattern and subregions that exhibit differing magnetic properties. The optically identifiable pattern is printed onto a printed region on the surface of the object using a printing medium that contains magnetic particles. The printed region includes both a first subregion that exhibits a first prevailing magnetization direction and a second subregion that exhibits a second prevailing magnetization direction. The first magnetization direction differs from the second magnetization direction. The first and second magnetization directions are imparted to the first and second subregions by magnetic fields being applied to the magnetic particles. An edge between the first subregion and the second subregion does not coincide with any boundary of the optically identifiable pattern. The printed region contains both optically encoded information and magnetically encoded information. Additional information is decoded using both the optically and magnetically encoded information.

A magnetic information processing apparatus for registering transaction information on a line in a document and storing the location of the line in magnetic media attached to the document, includes a magnetic head, a document receptacle configured to receive the document on which the magnetic media storing the position where the immediately previous transaction information is registered is attached, and a processing unit. The processing unit is programmed to control the magnetic head to read information from a first position of the magnetic media, move to a second position of the magnetic media, and read additional information from the second position of the magnetic media, extract registration position information indicating the location of the most recent previous registration position from the result of reading of the first and second positions of the magnetic media by the magnetic head, and output the extracted registration position information.

The invention concerns a security element having a magnetic coding consisting of magnetic coding elements. At least one of the magnetic coding elements has a grid-shaped magnetic region which is formed by a plurality of mutually parallel grid strips made of magnetic material which respectively have a magnetic anisotropy. The grid strips lead, through their magnetic anisotropy, to the magnetization direction of the coding element being able to differ from the direction of the applied magnetic field. Since the resultant magnetic signals that the grid-shaped magnetic regions deliver cannot be simulated by conventional magnetic regions, said coding elements increase the anti-forgery security of the security element.

Maintenance requirements are reduced by using only a subset of the functions of a media processing device having plural function units for processing processed media. When a control unit of the media processing device receives a command from a host computer to disable a function of an inkjet printer unit disposed to a conveyance path for the processed media or to disable a function of a contact image sensor unit disposed to the conveyance path, a function-disabled mode is entered that disables the specified function. While in the function-disabled mode, detected operating errors related to the disabled function are not reported to the host computer.

An article of manufacture includes a substrate, a first patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a first region, and a second patterned layer deposited on the substrate in a second region. The first patterned layer encodes first information in first symbols that are detectable by an optical sensor. The second patterned layer encodes second information in second symbols that are detectable by a non-optical sensor. The second information is distinct from the first information and the second region at least partially overlaps the first region.