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A method is provided for receiving a data stream of an airline
ticketing reservations computer, striping-away data bits included
for the ordering and identifying and reading and writing of the
data stream on magnetic media and selecting and converting the remaining
data into multi-dimensional symbology or bar code for printing onto
airline ticket and/or boarding documents.
The present invention is a holder for retaining documents which
are necessary to board a means of public transportation, and which
holder enables the documents to be retained in a manner wherein
the documents can be easily verified by an examining agent and removed
from the holder by the examining agent, while at the same time enabling
the holder to be worn around a user's neck so that the user's hands
are free to carry objects. The holder consists of a retaining body
having a closed bottom and closed sidewalls and an open top so that
an airline ticket can be retained in the open top so that it is
readily accessible to be removed by the ticket agent at the time
the passenger boards the airplane. The holder also has at least
one plastic retaining means on one side so that the plastic retaining
means is sealed against the holder on all of its edges except for
one edge such as the top which is open so that a photo identification
means such as a driver's license can be retained in the clear plastic
sleeve so that the airline ticket agent can see the photo identification
means to verify the passenger's identity before permitting the passenger
to board the airplane. The holder also retains a strap so that the
holder can be worn around the user's neck so that the user's hands
are free to carry luggage or hold a child's hand or carry a baby.
An airline ticket issuing apparatus connected via a communications
line to a seat reservation system is installed in a travel agency
and so on. This airline ticket issuing apparatus records, on an
airline ticket, boarding information and entry card information
that are inputted by a person in charge. The airline ticket is divided
into a coupon to be collected by the person in charge of an airline
at a boarding gate in an airport, and a passenger ticket to be returned
to a passenger thereat. A magnetic stripe is formed extending over
the coupon and the passenger ticket orthogonally to a perforated
line on the underside of the air ticket. The airline ticket issuing
apparatus records dummy data on an area, peripheral to the perforated
line, of the magnetic stripe, records the boarding information on
an area, on the side of the coupon, of the magnetic stripe, and
records entry card information on an area, on the side of the passenger
ticket, of the magnetic stripe. An automatic entry card creating
apparatus is installed in an airplane. The automatic entry card
creating apparatus reads the entry card information from the passenger
ticket brought into the airplane by a passenger, and prints necessary
items of information on the entry card based on the entry card information.
An airline ticket printer includes a magnetic reading and writing
station that has a read/write head for recording information on,
or reproducing information from, a magnetic stripe carried on the
ticket. The ticket is driven past the read/write head by a drive
mechanism that contacts the ticket at a substantial distance from
the read/write head so that the magnetic stripe is free to flex
independently of the portion of the ticket that is in contact with
the drive mechanism. More satisfactory contact between the read/write
head and the magnetic stripe is thereby achieved. The ticket printer
also has a second reading/writing station in series with the first
station along a ticket feed path, so that errors in reading or writing
by the first station may be detected and/or corrected at the second
station. A ticket feed path is constructed using feed modules that
are mounted on pins extending from a vertical mounting plate. Tickets
are pre-staged from a ticket storage bin to a staging point to reduce
print-cycle time. The storage bin is a cassette that can be removed
from the printer. New tickets are printed using information that
had been magnetically recorded on old tickets that are inserted
in the printer. |