Electrographicis a term used for punched-card and page-scanning technology that allowed cards or pages marked with apencilto be processed or converted intopunched cards.The primary developer of electrographic systems wasIBM,who usedmark senseas 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 bothoptical mark recognitionand electrographic technology.
The term "mark sense" is not generally used when referring to technology that distinguishes the shape of the mark; the general termoptical character recognitionis 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 onturnaround documentsand 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 theAutopoint 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 teacherReynold B. Johnsondeveloped an automatic test scoring machine. IBM bought Johnson's invention and hired him as an engineer - the machine was sold as theIBM 805 Test Scoring Machine.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 theEducational Testing Service.Johnson went on to develop a range of electrographic mark-sense machinery.
Various IBM equipment could be used with mark sense cards including theIBM 513andIBM 514Reproducing Punches, theIBM 557Alphabetic Interpreter, and theIBM 519Electric Document Originating Machine.
See also
editReferences
edit- IBM (October 1959).IBM Reference Manual: 513, 514 Reproducing Punches(PDF).A24-1002-2.
- IBM (1959).IBM Reference Manual: 519 Document-Originating Machine(PDF).A24-1017-0.
External links
edit
- Guide to Dur-O-Lite and Autopoint Mark Sense Pencils
- Douglas W. Jones'scollection of optical mark cards
 | Thisproductarticle is astub.You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |