Method And Laminated Member For Measuring Gap Dimension

Patent Publication Number: US 6336275 B1

Title: Method and laminated member for measuring gap dimension

Filing Date: May 12, 2000

Priority Date: June 11, 1998

Inventor(s): Masao Shigyo

Original Assignee / Applicant(s): Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.

Link to Patent: US6336275B1

Summary:

This invention provides a method for measuring the dimension of a gap for passing a card therethrough. This invention can be used to measure the dimensions of a slot clearance into which credit cards, prepaid cards or any other magnetically readable cards are inserted. Such a measurement is necessary to ensure accurate reading (or writing) of the card by the magnetic head present in the vending machine. In this method, a pressure measuring film, Fujifilm Prescale® is superposed on an elastic mat that gradually becomes thinner in the card-inserting direction, and passed through the gap so as to determine the dimension of the gap from the position where the pressure measuring film has started to develop a color. As the elastic mat, one that has a thickness changing in steps is used. The pressure measuring film is adapted to develop a color only at a portion to which pressure has been applied. After inserting elastic mat set-up into the gap, the set-up is withdrawn and observed for color development on the Fujifilm Prescale®. Two lines that are parallel to each other are drawn, one from the bottom of the set-up and the other from the farthest point on the set-up where color development is observed on the Fujifilm Prescale®. The distance between the two lines is the dimension of the gap clearance.