JP2000113123A - Ic card reader/writer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC card reader/writer capable of surely holding an inserted card at a prescribed place. SOLUTION: The IC card reader/writer has first and second guides 103 and 105 parallelly arranged at a prescribed interval. Between the first and second guides, a thin card chamber for housing an IC card 13, card inlet connected to one end of the card chamber and terminal passage connected to the other end of the card chamber and curved toward the card chamber are formed and the insertion terminal part of the inserted IC card is pushed into the terminal passage and held on the terminal passage.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for reading information from a card (IC card) having a built-in integrated circuit,
The present invention relates to an IC card reading and writing device for writing information on a C card.

[0002]

1 to 6 show a conventional IC card reader / writer. This read / write device is indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 and has a rectangular peripheral frame part 3.
And a pair of upper and lower plates 7 and 9 fixed in the peripheral frame portion 3 and facing each other at a predetermined interval, and the upper and lower plates 7 and 9 A thin card chamber 11 for accommodating a card 13 is formed. The peripheral frame portion 3 has a card entrance 17 formed in the front wall 15 thereof, and the card entrance 17 is connected to the card room 11, whereby the IC card 13 is moved into the card room 11 through the card entrance 17 in the direction of arrow 19. It can be inserted from.

The slider 21 is supported by the upper plate 7 so as to be able to move back and forth in the direction of arrow 19, is connected to a spring 23 provided on the upper plate 7, and is urged toward the card inlet 17. ing. Also,
The slider 21 has a protruding portion 25 protruding toward the card chamber 11 at one end opposite to the card entrance 17. When the leading end of the card 13 reaches near the rear end of the card chamber 11, The projection 25 is engaged with the projection 25. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, the slider 21 has a notch 27 formed therein.

The upper plate 7 holds a holder 29. This holder 29 holds the electric wire 31 on its upper surface,
In addition, a contact 33 is held on the lower surface, and the contact 33 is connected to the corresponding electric wire 31. The holder 29 is rotatably supported by a holder shaft 35 in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction 19, and includes an actuator 37 protruding from the notch 27 of the slider 21. The actuator 37 has an inclined portion 39 formed at an end on the entrance 17 side. The inclined portion 39 extends upward toward the rear end of the device 1 and faces the edge 41 of the notch 27. When the slide 21 moves rearward by engaging with the front end of the card 13, the inclined portion 39 is The rim 41 engages the inclined portion 39 to rotate the actuator 37 and the holder 29 toward the bottom plate 9 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

As shown in FIG. 6, near the rear end of the card chamber 11, a plurality of inclined portions 43 are formed on the bottom surface of the upper plate 7, and each inclined portion 43 projects into the card chamber 11. In cooperation with the inclined portion 43, a leaf spring 45 is provided below the card chamber 11 in order to hold the card 13 in a predetermined position across the leading end of the card 13 inserted to the rear end of the card chamber. The front end is provided in the card room 11.

In such a configuration, the card 13 is inserted into the card chamber 11 through the entrance 17 as shown in FIG. When the card 13 is inserted to a predetermined position, the tip of the card 13 contacts the protrusion 25 of the slider 21. In this state, when the card 13 is further pushed into the card chamber 11 against the resistance applied by the spring 23, the slider 21 moves toward the rear end of the card chamber 11. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the edge 41 of the notch 27 comes into frictional contact with the inclined portion 39, and the holder 29 rotates toward the lower plate 9. Then, the contact 33 comes into contact with the corresponding contact 47 provided on the upper surface of the card 13.

Finally, when the card 13 is inserted to its read / write position, as shown in FIGS.
The tip is sandwiched between the projecting portion 43 of the upper plate 7 and the leaf spring 45. Thus, the card 13 is held in the card chamber 11 even after the insertion force is released. Further, the contact 33 protruding into the card chamber 11 comes into contact with the corresponding contact 47 of the card 13, and the integrated circuit provided on the card 13
1 enables communication with a control unit (not shown) to read information from the card 13 and write information to the card 13.

When the necessary communication is completed, the card 13 is pulled out of the card chamber 11 with its rear end held.
Thus, the slider 21 returns to the original position by the spring 23. In addition, the engagement of the actuator 37 with the edge 41 of the notch 27 is released, and the holder 29 rotates upward. As a result, the contact 33 becomes the contact 4 of the card 13.
Move away from 7.

[0009]

However, the above-described IC card reader / writer 1 has several disadvantages. For example, the leaf spring 45 generally has a thickness of 0.2.
5 mm and bent at the middle as shown in FIG. 5, the position of the leading end is not constant in the card chamber 11, so that the card 13 is held between The power to do is not stable.

Further, according to the international standard ISO-7815, an error of 0.76 ± 0.08 mm is allowed in the thickness of the IC card, so that the inserted card 13 cannot be stably supported, and The vibration results in the card moving. As a result, a communication error may occur between the contact between the IC card 13 and the device 1. On the other hand, when an excessive force is applied from the leaf spring 45, the card is caught or damaged by the contact with the metal leaf spring 45.

[0011] In addition, there is a problem that if a foreign matter (for example, coins) other than a regular IC card is inserted, the device is broken down.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show the protective cover 51. FIG. The protective cover 51 is mounted on the front part of the above-described IC card reader / writer 1, and includes a housing indicated by reference numeral 53. The housing 53 has a card insertion slot 55 through which the IC card 13 is inserted into the device. When the IC card is not inserted into the device, the slot 55
It is covered with a shutter 57. Also, the shutter 57
It is rotatably supported by a shaft 59.

The card 13 is inserted into the slot 55 from the tip of the card 13 by the user. The leading end of the card 13 is
7, the shutter 57 is pushed and the shaft 59
, And retracts from the exit of the slot 55, so that the card 13 can proceed toward the card room.

However, the shutter 57 is provided with a foreign object which does not conform to the international standard ISO-7815 (for example, a thin telephone card having a thickness of 0.2 mm, other special small cards, a rod having a smaller diameter than the slot, Other small members) can be inserted. If such a foreign object is inserted, the device 1 is damaged, and if any of the foreign object remains, a regular card cannot be inserted or used.

An object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reader / writer which can securely hold an inserted card in a predetermined place.
It is to provide a writing device. It is another object of the present invention to provide an IC card reading / writing device which does not damage the IC card. It is another object of the present invention to provide an IC card reading / writing device capable of removing foreign matter such as coins from the card chamber which may cause a failure of the device. It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective cover that allows only a regular card conforming to the international standard ISO-7815 to be inserted into an IC card reader / writer. Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reading / writing device capable of preventing foreign substances other than a regular IC card conforming to the international standard ISO-7815 from being inserted. Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reading / writing device capable of removing inserted foreign matter.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, an IC card reader / writer according to the present invention has first and second guides arranged in parallel and at a predetermined interval. . An IC is provided between the first and second guides.
A thin card chamber for accommodating a card, a card entrance connected to one end of the card chamber, and an end passage connected to the other end of the card chamber and bent with respect to the card chamber, The inserted end of the inserted IC card is pushed into the end passage and held in the end passage.

In another aspect of the present invention, the end passage has an inclined portion extending from the other end of the first guide and projecting toward the second guide. The second guide is formed of a recess extending from the other end of the second guide and recessed with respect to the first guide.

In another aspect of the present invention, the inclined portion is inclined at about 30 to 45 degrees with respect to the first guide.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the inclined portion is formed of a rigid material.

In an IC card reader / writer according to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the end passages are provided.

Another IC card reader / writer according to the present invention has a frame, the frame having upper and lower plates arranged in parallel and at a predetermined interval,
A thin card chamber for accommodating an IC card is formed between the upper and lower plates, and an opening for dropping a foreign object inserted into the card chamber is formed in the lower plate. .

In another aspect of the present invention, the edge forming the opening is inclined downward.

In the protection mechanism for an IC card read / write device according to the present invention, the protection mechanism has an entrance and an exit, a housing having a slot into which the IC card is inserted, and a first inside the slot. A first arm that moves between a position and a second position outside the slot, and contacts the IC card inserted into the slot to move from the first position to the second position; A first position to close the outlet of the slot and a second position to retreat from the outlet of the slot
And a shutter that moves between the first position and the second position. When the first arm moves from the first position to the second position, the shutter moves from the first position to the second position. Move the shutter to the first position from the second position to the first position when the first arm moves from the second position to the first position. And a second arm closing the outlet of the second arm.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protection mechanism having a tongue, wherein the tongue is supported by the shutter, and wherein the tongue is bent away from an outlet of the slot. When the shutter is in the first position, the tongue is set to the position of the slot, and when the shutter is in the second position, the tongue contacts the surface of the IC card and passes through the outlet. It is retracted to the shutter side.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 shows an IC card reading / writing device 101 according to the present invention. This IC
Since the card reading / writing device 101 is basically similar to the IC card reading / writing device 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, in order to simplify the description and clarify the features of the present invention, only portions different from the above-described portions will be described in detail, and descriptions of other portions will be omitted.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper plate 7 has a pair of upper guide ribs 103 on its lower surface.
Are formed. These ribs 103 are located at the entrance 17
From the card room 11 to the card room 11.
Are located on both sides (left and right). The lower plate 9 has a pair of lower guide ribs 105 formed on the upper surface thereof. These ribs 105 extend from the entrance 17 toward the card room 11 and are arranged on both sides (left side and right side) of the card room 11. The upper and lower ribs 103 and 105 are opposed to each other and form a gap 107 therebetween. The gap 107 is set slightly larger than the thickness of the regular IC card 13 to be inserted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the left and right ribs 1
The distance 109 of 03 (105) is the horizontal size (53.9) of a regular card defined by the international standard ISO.
2 to 54.03 mm) and about 50 mm. Also, opposing upper and lower ribs 103 and 10
5 is provided only on the left and right sides of the card room 11, but may be added at the center of the card room 11.

As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, in the vicinity of the protruding portion 25 of the slider 21, a protruding portion 111 is formed on each upper rib 103 so as to protrude downward.
Similarly, a recessed portion 113 that is recessed downward is formed in 5. Further, the projecting portion 111 and the concave portion 113 have their entrance side end portions inclined downward to form inclined portions 115 and 117.

The passage or gap 119 between the upper projecting portion 111 and the lower recessed portion 113 and the upper sloped portion 115 and the lower inclined portion 117 are formed by the card 13 of a regular size by the regular size card 13. The dimensions must be set so that they can be inserted between them, and when inserted, the friction between the card 13 and the contact portion with which the card 13 comes into contact is reliably held. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the length 121 of the card 13 held between the protrusion 11 and the recess 113
Preferably, is between about 2 mm and 4 mm and the deformation of the card caused by insertion is between about 0.3 mm and 1 mm. Also,
The angle 125 of the ramps 115 and 117 is preferably between about 30 degrees and 45 degrees.

In order to set the inclined portions and the gaps between them with high precision and to securely hold the card 13 at a desired place,
The upper and lower plates 7 and 9 are preferably formed of a material having high rigidity (for example, polybutylene terephthalate PBT containing glass fiber, liquid crystal polymer LCP containing glass, polyphenylene sulfide PPS).

In order to determine whether the card 13 has been inserted into a predetermined place and whether the contacts between the device 101 and the card 13 are in contact, a detector is provided near the rear end of the card chamber 11. Alternatively, a switch may be provided. A conventionally known optical device such as a photocoupler or a mechanical device can be used as the detector. For such purpose, the detector is connected via a suitable wire to a control device, not shown.

Further, a delay circuit is preferably provided in the control device so that a predetermined communication starts between the control device and the integrated circuit after a predetermined delay time has elapsed after the detection of the card 13 by the detector. preferable.

The operation of the apparatus 101 having the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the card 13 is inserted into the card room 11 through the card entrance 17 by the card holder. When the card 13 is inserted to a predetermined position, the leading end of the card contacts the protrusion 25 of the slider 21. From this state, the card 13 is further pushed toward the rear end of the card chamber 11 against the opposing force of the spring 23 to move the slider 21. As a result, the edge 41 of the notch 27 comes into frictional contact with the inclined portion 39 of the holder 29,
A contact 33 is provided on a top surface of the card 13 by a corresponding contact 47
Contact

Next, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the leading end of the card 13 is pushed between the opposed inclined portions 115 and 117 (about 2 to 4 mm). Thereby, the tip of the card 13 is deformed by about 0.3 to 1.0 mm. As a result, the deformed end of the card 13 and the projections 111 and 113
And the card 13 is firmly held in the insertion position.

When the card 13 comes into contact with the upper inclined portion 111, the user feels the contact between the card 13 and the inclined portion 111. Further, when the card 13 is further inserted from the contact position and reaches between the inclined portions, the user can use the card 13.
The click feeling caused by the bending of the front end portion is obtained.

When the insertion of the card is completed, the contacts 33 of the holder 29 come into contact with the corresponding contacts 47 of the card 13.
At the same time, the card detector detects that the card 13 has been inserted into the predetermined position, and this detector sends a signal to the control device via a corresponding wire. After a predetermined delay time, the control device starts communicating with the integrated circuit of the card 13.

When the necessary communication is completed, the card 13 is pulled out of the card room 11 with its rear end held by the user. As a result, the slider 21
To return to the original position. The holder 29 is separated from the edge 41 of the notch 27 and rotates upward from the card chamber.

As apparent from the above description, the card 13 inserted into the card chamber 11 is securely held without moving irrespective of the vibration generated in the adjacent device and transmitted from the device. In particular, the protruding portion 111 and the recessed portion 113 made of a rigid material hold the card 13 accurately at a predetermined place without losing the spring urging force for urging the card toward the inclined portions 115 and 117. Therefore, a good communication state can be obtained between the integrated circuit and the control device.

The protruding portion and the recessed portion are respectively provided on the upper plate 7
And the lower plate 9 respectively, but may be formed on the opposite plate.

Although the rear end of the recess is inclined in the same manner as the inclined portion of the opposite protruding portion, a space into which the front end of the card can enter may be formed by stepping downward to be recessed. .

Further, although the inclined portion 115 of the projecting portion 111 extends linearly, it may be curved.

FIGS. 19 to 22 show another embodiment of the device, in which an opening 131 is formed in the lower plate 9 between the left and right ribs 105. Opening 131
Has a size of about 45 mm in the lateral direction and about 22 mm in the insertion direction. The edge 133 around the opening 131 is inclined downward so that when a foreign substance such as a coin is inserted into the card chamber 11, the foreign substance is guided by the opening 131 and is discharged from the card chamber 11. It is. Opening 13
1 is preferably provided in front of the contact 33 (on the entrance side), so that the contact 33 is not damaged by contact with the inserted foreign matter, and falls from the opening by its own weight.

According to such a configuration, the foreign matter is removed from the card chamber 11, and the contact point 33 is protected from such foreign matter.

The size of the opening 131 is not limited to the present invention, and may be as large as possible as long as the structural strength of the bottom plate 9 is not reduced. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, the opening 131 is larger than a regular card horizontal size (width direction 53.92 to 54.03 mm) defined in the international standard ISO-7815, and smaller in the insertion direction. Size (for example, if the width direction is 5
(4.5 mm, insertion direction 40 mm). In this case, the non-specified card having the specified width size but smaller in the longitudinal size is removed through the opening 131.
On the other hand, a legitimate card can pass through the opening 131 to a predetermined read / write position without falling into the opening.

FIGS. 24 to 32 show the protective cover 141. FIG. The protective cover 141 is mounted on the front part of the above-described read / write device 101, and has a housing indicated by reference numeral 143. In the front housing 143,
A slot 145 is formed to connect the front surface and the back surface, and the IC card 13 is inserted into the card chamber 1 through this slot.
1 can be inserted. Slot 145 allows the distance between the top and bottom surfaces to be slightly greater than the thickness of a regular size IC card.

The housing 143 is
5 have recesses 147 on the left and right sides, and a card guide 149 is arranged in each recess 147. Card guide 149
Is supported by a shaft 151 in a direction perpendicular to the card insertion direction, and has a first arm 153 extending toward the entrance of the slot 145 and a second arm 155 extending toward the exit of the slot 145. First arm 15
3 is an area 157 into which the regular size card 13 is inserted.
24 (see FIG. 24), the middle portion thereof is bent upward, and when the regular size card 13 is inserted into the area 157, the front end of the card 13 The upper arm 153 contacts the upper surface of the arm 153 and rotates the arm 153 downward. On the other hand, the second arm 1
55 is arranged outside the area 157 so as not to engage with the inserted card 13.

On the wall 159 of the housing 143, a shutter 161 is arranged near the exit of the slot 145. The shutter 161 is formed of a rectangular plate, and its upper end 163 and lower end 165 extend toward the card chamber 11. The shutter 161 is supported by a combination of a vertical slot 163 formed in the shutter 161 and a guide boss (not shown) formed in the wall 159 and located in the corresponding vertical slot 163.
The shutter 161 shown in FIG. 25 can be moved between the lowered position and the raised position shown in FIG. 27. The shutter 161 is provided with the bolt 1 inserted in the slot 163.
It is slidably fixed up and down by 67.

The left and right ends of the shutter 161 extend beyond the area 157 onto the second arm 155 of the card guide 149, and the extended left and right ends 162 are supported by the left and right second arms 155. . Thus, the rotation of the card guide 149 causes the shutter 161 to move between the raised position and the lowered position.

The card guide 149 and the shutter 161
In the raised position, the lower part of the shutter 161 is the slot 1
45 is opened, and in the lowered position, the shutter 16
The lower portion of one is sized to close the outlet of slot 145.

The card guide 149 is provided only when the intermediate portion of the first arm is completely retracted from the slot 145.
The shutter 161 must be designed to be removed from the exit of the slot 145. With such a configuration, the shutter 161 is completely removed from the exit of the slot 145 only when a regular IC card is inserted into the slot 145, and an irregular card (for example, a thin telephone card) is inserted into the slot 145. , Most of the outlets are still closed by the shutter 161, so that an irregular card can be prevented from being inserted into the card chamber 11.

To return the shutter 161 from the raised position to the lowered position, the shutter 161 is
It is preferable to urge downward with a leaf spring 169 provided above.

The vertical and horizontal ends of the shutter 161 are provided on the wall 159 of the housing 143 to smoothly move the shutter 161 vertically between the raised position and the lowered position, and to limit the raised position. It is preferable to form a vertical step portion 171 and a horizontal step portion 173 near the portion.

The operation will be described. When the card 13 is inserted into the slot 145 by the user, the leading ends thereof contact the upper curved surfaces of the left and right first arms 153. When the card 13 is further inserted, the first arm 153 moves downward. As a result, the second arm 155 is raised, the shutter 161 is retracted from the outlet of the slot 145, moves to the raised position, and opens the outlet of the slot 145. Thereby, the card 13 can enter the card room 11.

When the card 13 is pulled out from the card chamber 11, when the leading end of the card 13 passes over the first arm 153, the card guide 149 is urged downward by the shutter 161 and the leaf spring 169 to move to the lowered position. I do.

Although the first and second arms 153 and 155 are provided only on both sides of the slot 145, they may be provided at the center of the slot.

Although the shutter 161 is provided at the upper part of the wall 159, it may be provided at the lower part of the wall 159 so as to move up / down to close / open the slot 145.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 32 to 36,
On the left and right bottoms of the lower end 165 of the shutter 161, there are provided lower tongues 181 curved in a curve toward the card chamber. In this case, after the shutter 161 retracts upward from the exit of the slot 145, the leading end of the card 13 is
81, and urges the shutter 161 further upward. This variant is shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, where the embossed alphabet and / or
3 is effective for IC cards having partially different thicknesses. It should be noted that the tongues 181 must be arranged so as to be in contact with each other at a limited surface portion where embossing can be applied to the IC card (that is, a region 3 mm from the longitudinal edge and the middle thereof).

In the above embodiment, the tongue is bent in a curved shape, but may be bent at an angle of about 30 to 60 degrees as shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the above-described protective cover, when a card such as a thin telephone card is inserted into the slot 145, it closes most of the outlet (especially the upper part) of the slot 145. Is regulated by the shutter.

Further, a card smaller than the prescribed card does not come into contact with the first arm 153, and as a result, the shutter is prevented from entering the card chamber 11.

Further, naturally, a prescribed card twisted obliquely with respect to the insertion direction is also restricted from being inserted.

In the above description, the integrated circuit and the read / write device built in the IC card perform communication by physically contacting the contacts provided on both of them. The communication between the integrated circuit and the read / write device is wirelessly and non-contactly performed using light.

[0063]

As is apparent from the above description, the IC card inserted into the card chamber is securely held without moving irrespective of the vibration generated in the adjacent device and transmitted from the device. . In particular, the protrusions and depressions made of a rigid material hold the card in place at a high accuracy. Therefore, a good communication state can be obtained between the integrated circuit and the control device.

Further, according to the protective cover of the present invention, when a card other than a thin telephone card is inserted into the slot, the card is regulated by the shutter closing the exit of the slot. Then, a card smaller than the prescribed card does not contact the first arm, and the shutter prevents the card from entering the card chamber.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional IC card reading / writing device.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 1 is cut away.

FIG. 4 is a side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 1 is cut away.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 1 is cut away;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 1 is cut away;

7 is a front view of a conventional protective cover used with the IC card reader / writer shown in FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view of the protection cover shown in FIG.

9 is a cross-sectional view of the protection cover shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an IC card reading / writing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 10 is cut away.

14 is a side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 10 is cut away.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 10 is cut away;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 10 is cut away;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 10 is cut away;

FIG. 18 is a partial plan view of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 19 is a side view in which a part of another embodiment of the IC card reader / writer is cut away.

20 is a side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 19 is cut away.

21 is a side view in which a part of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 19 is cut away.

FIG. 22 is a bottom view of the IC card reading / writing device shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 23 is a bottom view of another IC card reading / writing device.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a protective cover according to the present invention.

25 is a side view in which a part of the protective cover shown in FIG. 24 is cut away.

26 is a front view of the protective cover shown in FIG.

FIG. 27 is a side view in which a part of the protective cover shown in FIG. 26 is cut away.

FIG. 28 is a front view of the protective cover shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 29 is a side view in which a part of the protective cover shown in FIG. 28 is cut away.

FIG. 30 is a side view in which a part of an IC card reader / writer combined with a protective cover is cut away.

FIG. 31 is a partial plan view of the IC card reading / writing device.

FIG. 32 is a front view of another form of the protective cover.

FIG. 33 is a side view in which a part of another mode of the protective cover is cut away.

FIG. 34 is a side view in which a part of the protective cover of FIG. 33 is cut away.

FIG. 35 is a side view in which a part of the protective cover of FIG. 33 is cut away;

FIG. 36 is a front view of another form of the protective cover.

FIG. 37 is an enlarged plan view of an IC card.

FIG. 38 is an enlarged plan view in which a part of the IC card shown in FIG. 37 is cut away;

FIG. 39 is a side view in which a part of a protective cover according to another embodiment is cut away.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 101: IC card read / write device, 5: upper and lower frame, 7: upper plate, 13: IC card, 103: upper guide rib, 105: lower guide rib, 107: gap between upper and lower guide ribs,
111: Projecting portion, 113: Depressed portion, 115, 117: Inclined portion, 119: Gap, 141: Protective cover, 143: Housing, 145: Slot, 149: Card guide,
153: first arm, 155: second arm, 161
…Shutter.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An IC card reading / writing device, said device comprising first and second guides arranged in parallel and at a predetermined interval, wherein said first and second guides are A thin card compartment for accommodating an IC card, a card entrance connected to one end of the card compartment, and an end connected to the other end of the card compartment and bent with respect to the card compartment. An IC card reader / writer, wherein a passage is formed, and an inserted end of the inserted IC card is pushed into the end passage and held in the end passage. 2. The end portion passage extends from the other end of the first guide and projects toward the second guide, and an inclined portion that extends from the other end of the second guide and the first passage. 2. The IC card reading / writing device according to claim 1, wherein said IC card reading / writing device is formed by a concave portion recessed with respect to said guide. 3. The IC card reading / writing device according to claim 2, wherein the inclined portion is inclined at about 30 to 45 degrees with respect to the first guide. 4. The IC card reading / writing device according to claim 2, wherein the inclined portion is formed of a rigid material. 5. The IC card reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said end passages are provided. 6. An IC card reading / writing device, wherein said device has a frame, and said frame has upper and lower plates arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other. A thin card chamber for accommodating an IC card is formed between the lower plates, and an opening for dropping a foreign object inserted into the card chamber is formed in the lower plate. IC card reading / writing device. 7. The IC card reading / writing device according to claim 6, wherein an edge forming the opening is inclined downward. 8. A protection mechanism used with an IC card reading / writing device, wherein the protection mechanism has an entrance and an exit, and has a housing formed with a slot into which an IC card is inserted, 1 and the second outside the slot
And the IC inserted in the above slot
A first arm that contacts the card and moves from a first position to a second position, between a first position that closes the slot outlet and a second position that retracts from the slot outlet; A moving shutter connected to the first arm, wherein the first arm is connected to the first arm;
When the shutter moves from the second position to the second position, the shutter is moved from the first position to the second position to open the outlet of the slot, and the first arm is moved from the second position to the first position. Moving the shutter from the second position to the first position to close the exit of the slot.
And a protection mechanism for an IC card reader / writer. 9. The protection mechanism has a tongue, the tongue is supported by the shutter, and the tongue is bent away from an outlet of the slot. When the shutter is at the second position, the tongue contacts the surface of the IC card and retracts from the outlet toward the shutter when the shutter is at the second position. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein
3. A protection mechanism for an IC card reading / writing device according to claim 1.