electrographic
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Electrographic is a term used for punched-card and page-scanning technology that allowed cards or pages marked with a
pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail ...
to be processed or converted into
punched cards A punched card (also punch card or punched-card) is a piece of stiff paper that holds digital data represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Punched cards were once common in data processing applications or to di ...
. The primary developer of electrographic systems was IBM, who used mark sense as a trade name for both the forms and processing system. The term has since come to be used generically for any technology allowing marks made using ordinary writing implements to be processed, encompassing both
optical mark recognition Optical mark recognition (also called optical mark reading and OMR) is the process of reading information that people mark on surveys, tests and other paper documents. OMR is used to read questionnaires, multiple choice examination papers in the ...
and electrographic technology. The term "mark sense" is not generally used when referring to technology that distinguishes the shape of the mark; the general term
optical character recognition Optical character recognition or optical character reader (OCR) is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text, whether from a scanned document, a photo of a document, a sc ...
is generally used when mark shapes are distinguished. Because the term mark-sense was originally a trade name, the Federal Government generally used the term electrographic. In the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, mark sense technology was widely used for applications like processing meter readings recordings on turnaround documents and recording long distance telephone calls. Many thousands of pencils were made expressly for mark sense applications by the Dur-O-Lite Pencil Company and by the Autopoint Company. Many of the pencils made for the " Bell System" were stamped "MARK SENSE LEAD" and for the Federal Government, "US Government Electrographic." In the early 1930s, science teacher Reynold B. Johnson developed an automatic test scoring machine. IBM bought Johnson's invention and hired him as an engineer - the machine was sold as the
IBM 805 Test Scoring Machine The IBM 805 Test Scoring Machine was a educational machine sold by IBM beginning in 1937. The device scored answer sheets marked with special "mark sense" pencils. The machine was developed from a prototype developed by Reynold Johnson, a school ...
. The first large-scale use of the IBM 805 was by the American Council on Education's Cooperative Test Service in 1936; in 1947, the Cooperative Test Service became part of the
Educational Testing Service Educational Testing Service (ETS), founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization. It is headquartered in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, Lawrence Township, New Jersey, b ...
. Johnson went on to develop a range of electrographic mark-sense machinery. Various IBM equipment could be used with mark sense cards including the IBM 513 and
IBM 514 The IBM 519 Document-Originating Machine, introduced in 1946, was the last in a series of unit record machines designed for automated preparation of punched cards. Others in the series included the IBM 513 & IBM 514 Reproducing Punch. The 519, wh ...
Reproducing Punches, the
IBM 557 The IBM 557 Alphabetic Interpreter allowed holes in punched cards to be interpreted and the punched card characters printed on any row or column, selected by a control panel. Introduced in 1954, the machine was a synchronous system where brushes ...
Alphabetic Interpreter, and the
IBM 519 The IBM 519 Document-Originating Machine, introduced in 1946, was the last in a series of unit record machines designed for automated preparation of punched cards. Others in the series included the IBM 513 & IBM 514 Reproducing Punch. The 519, wh ...
Electric Document Originating Machine.


See also

* Turnaround document


References

* *


External links


Guide to Dur-O-Lite and Autopoint Mark Sense Pencils
* Douglas W. Jones'
collection of optical mark cards
Punched card {{product-stub ja:マークシート