JP2003346090A - Manually operated card reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To firmly lock a manually operated card reader in a small space without using electric power. <P>SOLUTION: The manually operated card reader 1 includes a frame 3 forming a card slot 2 and provided with a recess 4 shaped to recede in the direction of card insertion, for inserting and taking out a card; a card 5 is inserted from the recess 4 to a card stop position through the card slot 2 and then drawn out. The card reader has a shutter 6 for preventing insertion of foreign objects into the card reader 1 from the recess 4; a first lock means 7 provided at one end of the shutter 6 in such a manner as to be able to move toward and away from the one end; and a second lock means 8 provided at the other end of the shutter 6 in such a manner as to be able to move toward and away from the other end. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a magnetic card and an IC.
The present invention relates to a manual card reader that reads and writes information from and to a card such as a card. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shutter mechanism for a manual card reader.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In card readers, both manual and motor types, it is essential to take measures against insertion of foreign matters other than coins and paper cards, and to counteract fraud and mischief caused by wire.

[0003] The motor-type card reader has a full shutter provided at a card insertion slot, a drive source such as a solenoid for opening and closing the full shutter, and a pre-head for reading information of a card to be inserted before insertion. There is something. In this case, whether or not the card to be inserted is a regular card is determined by the pre-head, and only when the card is a regular card, the solenoid is operated to open the shutter. In other cases, since the entire shutter is closed, insertion of foreign matter can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 5, some manual card readers have a horizontal discharge hole 101 and a vertical discharge hole 102 for removing foreign matter such as coins 100 from the outside. In this case, when the manual card reader 103 is placed horizontally, the discharge hole 101 at the time of horizontal placement is provided. When the manual card reader 103 is placed vertically, the discharge hole 1 at the time of vertical placement is provided.
Foreign matter such as coin 100 is ejected from 02. In addition, some manual card readers include a shutter that rotates by a card insertion / extraction operation, and a solenoid plunger that can lock the shutter. In this case, when the card is not inserted, the shutter is closed and locked by the plunger, and when the card insertion is detected, the shutter is unlocked by the plunger. According to this, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being inserted by the shutter that is closed and locked.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned motor type card reader, the shutter mechanism has a solenoid, which takes up a large space and increases the cost. It is practically difficult to adopt in terms of size and cost.

In the manual card reader 103 having the above-described ejection holes 101 and 102, the inserted foreign matter is merely ejected by being dropped, so that, for example, a wire-like object is inserted through the card insertion slot. It is impossible to prevent internal misconduct.

Further, in the manual card reader having a shutter which can be locked by the plunger, the accuracy of the shutter lock is poor because the play between the solenoid body and the plunger tends to be large. In addition, since one solenoid has one lock location, if the cost is reduced, the lock location becomes one location and the lock strength is insufficient. On the other hand, to increase the lock location and increase the shutter lock strength, The cost will be very high. In addition, since power for driving the solenoid is required, power consumption of the entire apparatus increases.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a manual card reader having a shutter which can be locked sufficiently firmly without using power in a small space.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a frame for forming a card insertion slot is provided with a card insertion / removal recess having a shape inserted into a card insertion direction. In a manual card reader configured to insert a card from the recess through the card insertion slot to the card stop position and then pull out the card, a shutter for preventing insertion of foreign matter into the card reader from the recess and one end of the shutter A first lock means is provided so as to be able to contact and separate, and a second lock means is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the other end of the shutter.

Therefore, since the shutter is provided, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering from outside, and since the two locking means are provided, the locking force can be strengthened. Further, since the two lock means are formed at both ends of the shutter, the lock cannot be released unless a card-shaped one is used.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the manual card reader according to the first aspect, the first urging means urges the shutter in a direction in which the first locking means contacts the shutter and locks the shutter. A second urging means for urging in a direction in which the second urging means comes into contact with and locks the shutter, and the urging force of the first urging means is greater than the urging force of the second urging means. I try to be big.

Therefore, when the card is inserted between the two lock means, the card is pressed by the first urging means toward the second lock means. Thus, the card can always be brought closer to the reference surface with the second lock means side as the reference surface.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2.
In the described manual card reader, the manual card reader has a pre-head outside the shutter,
The first locking means is for unlocking the card after inserting it and before reaching the pre-head, and the second locking means is for unlocking the card immediately after reaching the shutter after passing the pre-head. Is to be.

Therefore, since the first locking means having a large return force is operated before the card passes through the pre-head, the magnetic stripe reading performance of the pre-head can be improved. Further, since the other second locking means is operated immediately before the card reaches the shutter, insertion of foreign matter and the like can be prevented as much as possible.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first invention.
In the manual card reader according to any one of the first to third aspects, either the first locking means or the second locking means is provided with a sensor for detecting the operation of the locking means. Therefore, the insertion of the card can be detected by the lock means provided with the sensor, so that the shutter lock and the detection of the card insertion can be used as both members. Therefore, the number of parts can be minimized.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the present invention will be described below in detail based on the best mode shown in the drawings. 1 to 4 show an example of an embodiment of a manual card reader 1 according to the present invention. In this manual card reader 1, a frame 3 forming a card insertion slot 2 is provided with a recess 4 for inserting and removing a card having a shape inserted into the card insertion direction. The card 5 is inserted to the position, and then the card 5 is pulled out. The manual card reader 1 includes a shutter 6 for preventing foreign matter from being inserted into the card reader 1 from the recess 4, a first locking means 7 provided at one end of the shutter 6 so as to be capable of coming and going, and a shutter 6. And a second lock means 8 provided at the other end of the device so as to be able to contact and separate therefrom. Therefore, since the shutter 6 is provided, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering from outside. Further, since the two locking means 7 and 8 are provided, the locking force can be strengthened. Further, since the two lock means 7 and 8 are formed at both ends of the shutter 6, the lock cannot be released unless a card-shaped one is used, and the security can be improved.

The manual card reader 1 has a first urging means 9 for urging the first locking means 7 in the direction of locking by contacting the shutter 6, and a second locking means 8
To urge the shutter in the direction of locking by contact with the shutter 6.
And the urging means 10 are provided. The urging force of the first urging means 9 is set to be larger than the urging force of the second urging means 10. For this reason, two locking means 7,
When the card 5 is inserted between the two, the card 5 is pressed by the first urging means 9 toward the second locking means 8.
By setting the second lock means 8 side to the reference surface 11 in this manner, the card 5 can be always brought closer to the reference surface 11.

Further, the manual type card reader 1 has a pre-head 12 comprising a magnetic head outside the shutter 6.
have. The first locking means 7 is for unlocking the card 5 after the card 5 is inserted and before the card 5 reaches the pre-head 12, and the second locking means 8 is for locking the card 5
Is unlocked immediately after reaching the shutter 6 after passing through the pre-head 12. For this reason, since the first locking means 7 having a large return force is operated before the card 5 passes through the pre-head 12, the pre-head 1
2 can improve the magnetic stripe reading performance.
Further, since the second lock means 8 is operated immediately before the card 5 reaches the shutter 6, the insertion of foreign matter and the like can be prevented as much as possible.

The shutter 6 is an overall shutter that completely blocks the card travel path. The shutter 6 is integrally formed with a rotation fulcrum shaft that engages with a bearing portion of the main body frame 3. Therefore, the number of components can be minimized. A shutter return spring 13 composed of a torsion coil spring is provided on the rotation fulcrum shaft. Each arm of the shutter return spring 13 is hooked on the shutter 6 and the main body frame 3. The shutter 6 is always biased to a closed state.

Here, the shutter 6 and the body frame 3
Is set slightly shorter than the length of the shutter return spring 13. For this reason, a biasing force is applied to the shutter 6 along the axial direction on the side opposite to the spring accommodating portion. Therefore, the shutter 6 is prevented from dropping from the main body frame 3. That is, the shutter return spring 13 also has a function of holding the position of the shutter 6.

The first lock means 7 comprises a lever rotatably supported by a support shaft 14 near the card insertion completion position. The first urging means 9 comprises a tension coil spring as shown in FIG.

The first lock means 7 is provided with a sensor 15 for detecting the operation of the first lock means 7. For this reason, the first locking means 7 provided with the sensor 15
Thus, the insertion of the card 5 can be detected, so that the first lock means 7 can serve both as a shutter lock member and a card insertion detection member. Therefore, the number of parts can be minimized, and when a card without a magnetic stripe is inserted, the pre-head 12
Thus, even when the insertion of the card 5 cannot be detected, the insertion of the card 5 can be detected. In the present embodiment, the sensor 15
Denotes a photo interrupter, and a first lock means 7 is provided with a shield 16 for turning on and off the sensor 15. Therefore, when the card 5 is inserted and the first lock means 7 rotates, the sensor 15 is switched on and off, and the inserted or uninserted state of the card 5 is detected.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second lock means 8 is rotatably supported with a central axis 17 at the front side of the shutter 6 in the card insertion direction. The second urging means 10 is composed of a torsion coil spring. The lock engagement portion 18 of the second lock means 8 to the shutter 6 is provided so as to be shifted from the card running surface in the card thickness direction. This can prevent the lock engagement portion 18 from hindering the travel of the card 5.

The operation of the above-mentioned manual card reader 1 will be described below.

When the card 5 is not inserted, the shutter 6 is in a closed state, and the lock means 7 and 8 are closed.
Is biased by the biasing means 9 and 10 so as to lock the shutter 6 in a closed state. In this state, the shutter 6 is not opened even if the shutter 6 is pushed by a foreign object such as a coin or a wire.

When the card 5 is inserted from the recess 4, the first locking means 7 is first pushed by the card 5 to rotate until the shutter 6 is unlocked. When the card 5 is further inserted, the second locking means 8
To rotate to a state where the shutter 6 is unlocked. At this time, since the lock of the shutter 6 is completely released, the shutter 6 can be opened. Therefore, when the card 5 reaches the shutter 6, the shutter 6 is pushed open by the card 5.

On the other hand, when the inserted card 5 is pulled out,
When the card 5 comes out of the shutter 6, the shutter 6 is closed by the shutter return spring 13. Plus Card 5
Is removed, the pressing of the second lock means 8 by the card 5 is stopped, and the second lock means 8 is urged by the second urging means 10 to lock the shutter 6. Also, card 5
Is further removed, the pressing of the first lock means 7 by the card 5 is stopped, and the first lock means 7 is urged by the first urging means 9 to lock the shutter 6.

The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the sensor 15 is provided in the first lock means 7, but is not limited to this, and may be provided in the second lock means 8. Further, in the present embodiment, the sensor 15 is a photo interrupter, but is not limited thereto, and may be a micro switch or the like.

In the present embodiment, the shutter 6 uses a full-surface shutter over the entire area of the card travel path. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a shutter that hides only a part of the card travel path may be used.

[0030]

As described above, according to the manual card reader according to the first aspect, since the shutter is provided, the invasion of foreign matter from the outside can be prevented, and two lock means are provided. Lock strength can be strengthened.

Further, since both the shutter and each locking means are operated by the pressing force from the card, a separate driving source is not required. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in cost and an increase in the size of the device, and there is no increase in power consumption.

Further, since the locking means is disposed at both ends of the shutter, the locking means does not operate even if a card having a shape other than a regular width card is inserted. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent foreign matter from being inserted, tampered with, and misbehaving with a simple configuration. If a foreign object having the same shape as a regular-width card is inserted, there is a possibility that the shutter is unlocked and the card reader can be inserted into the inside. However, even if such a foreign object is inserted, the card reader will not be damaged. In other words,
Insertion of a foreign substance having a shape that may damage the card reader can be reliably prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the card is inserted between the two locking means, the card is pressed by the first urging means toward the second locking means. You. Thus, the card can always be brought closer to the reference surface with the second lock means side as the reference surface. Therefore, the reliability of the reading performance of the magnetic stripe can be improved.

Further, according to the manual card reader of the third aspect, since the first locking means having a large return force is operated before the card passes the prehead, the magnetic stripe reading performance of the prehead can be improved. Reliability can be improved. In addition, since the other second locking means is operated immediately before the card reaches the shutter, security against foreign object insertion, mischief, and illegality can be improved.

According to the manual card reader of the fourth aspect, the insertion of the card can be detected by the lock means provided with the sensor, so that the shutter lock and the card insertion detection can share the same member. it can. Therefore, card insertion detection can be realized while minimizing the number of components.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a card is inserted into a manual card reader according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where a card is removed from a manual card reader.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a first lock unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a second lock unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a conventional manual card reader.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Manual card reader 2 Card slot 3 frames 4 recess 5 cards 6 Shutter 7 First locking means 8 Second locking means 9 First biasing means 10 Second biasing means 12 Prehead 15 Sensor

   ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    (72) Inventor Kazunori Takahashi             5329 Shimosuwa-cho, Suwa-gun, Nagano Pref.             Sankyo Seiki Works F term (reference) 5B058 CA05 CA31 KA12 KA24

Claims (4)

[Claims] A frame for forming a card insertion slot is provided with a card insertion / removal recess having a shape inserted into the card insertion direction, and a card is inserted from the recess to the card stop position from the card insertion slot. In a manual card reader configured to pull out a card, a shutter for preventing foreign matter from being inserted into the card reader from the recess, and first locking means provided at one end of the shutter so as to be capable of coming and going. A second lock means provided at the other end of the shutter so as to be able to contact and separate from the other end of the shutter. 2. A first urging means for urging in a direction in which the first locking means comes into contact with and locks the shutter, and
A second biasing means for biasing the shutter in a direction in which the second locking means comes into contact with the shutter and locks the shutter;
2. The manual card reader according to claim 1, wherein the urging force of said urging means is larger than the urging force of said second urging means. 3. The manual card reader has a pre-head outside the shutter, and the first lock unit unlocks the card after inserting the card and before reaching the pre-head. 3. The manual card reader according to claim 2, wherein said second lock means releases the lock immediately before the card reaches the shutter after passing through the pre-head. 4. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein one of said first locking means and said second locking means is provided with a sensor for detecting an operation of said locking means.
4. The manual card reader according to any one of items 1 to 3.