JP2579323Y2 - Cleaning card - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning card for cleaning a thermal print head incorporated in a card processing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many prepaid cards issued at department stores and general retail stores are expensive, such as 10,000 yen and 20000 yen. In addition, since such a large prepaid card requires a large amount of money to be used, a product using the prepaid card is placed on one side of the prepaid card so that the user can immediately grasp the current card balance. Is purchased, the current card balance obtained by subtracting the current usage amount from the previous card balance is printed each time.

[0003] In this way, the user can always check the latest card balance, so that he can shop with confidence.

In such a prepaid card 1 on which the card balance can be printed, as shown in FIG. 9D, a part of one surface of a card body substrate 2 made of, for example, PET (polyethylene telephthalate) or the like is provided. Magnetic stripe 3
Is formed, and a protective layer 4 is formed on the entire surface of the card including the surface of the magnetic stripe 3. Further, a heat-sensitive layer 5 is laminated on the other surface of the card body substrate 2.

As shown in FIG. 9 (a), the name of a "shopping card" indicating a prepaid card and the name of a usable department store or shopping street are provided on the surface of the protective layer 4 which is the surface of the prepaid card 1. Is printed in advance. As shown in FIG. 9B, a character 6 including a transaction date and a card balance X1 at that time is thermally printed on the thermosensitive layer 5 on the back side of the prepaid card 1.

Further, a magnetic stripe 3 formed inside is
9C, areas 3a to 3d are formed, and a card issuing company code and a series of card numbers are written in the areas 3a and 3b in advance. In areas 3c and 3d, card balance X1 and initial amount X0
Has been written.

[0007] A card processing device is incorporated in a card transaction device that can handle the prepaid card 1 having such a configuration. Further, in the card processing apparatus, a magnetic head and a thermal print head are provided along a card transport path communicating with a card insertion slot. Therefore, the magnetic head and the thermal print head are mounted on opposite sides of the card transport path.

The card balance X1 stored in the magnetic stripe 3 of the prepaid card 1 inserted from the card insertion slot
Is read by the magnetic head, and the updated card balance X1 is written by the magnetic head. Further, the card balance X1 is thermally printed on the printing surface of the thermosensitive layer 5 of the prepaid card 1 by a thermal printing head.

[0009]

However, the following problems still exist in the card processing device for sequentially printing the card balance on the printing surface of the prepaid card 1 for each transaction as described above.

[0010] That is, since the customer and the cashier can directly grasp the prepaid card 1 with his / her hand, dirt and oil adhere to the outer surface of the card. Further, in addition to the naturally soiled material, mud, dust, and other foreign substances adhere to the front surface (protective layer 4) and the back surface (heat-sensitive layer 5) of the prepaid card 1 due to careless handling of the customer.

The prepaid card 1 thus contaminated
Is inserted into the card insertion slot, foreign substances adhering to the prepaid card 1 adhere to the magnetic head and the thermal print head. And after long-term operation, the magnetic head and thermal print head are contaminated,
There is a concern that reading and writing of card information cannot be performed correctly, and that print quality may be degraded.

The effect of polishing the surface of the magnetic head can be expected by forming the surface of the protective layer 4 to be somewhat rough. However, in the thermal print head, if the surface of the heat-sensitive layer 5 is formed to be rough, the print quality itself deteriorates, so that the print surface is precisely finished.

Therefore, in the conventional card processing apparatus, the cover is removed and the thermal print head is manually wiped with a cloth or the like every time a predetermined time such as one month or three months elapses. Oil, grit, dust
Foreign substances such as Ri had been removed.

However, in general, the card processing device is incorporated in the main body of the card transaction device, and only the card insertion slot is exposed to the outside. Therefore, the work of removing the cover and performing manual cleaning is very complicated for the administrator of the card processing apparatus.

[0015] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, the Rukoto to form a cleaning layer in place of the heat-sensitive layer, only performs the usual same card insertion operation and the card, automatically An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning card capable of cleaning a thermal print head and always maintaining the best print quality.

[0016]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning card for accessing magnetic recording information of a card inserted from a card insertion slot, and a thermal print head on a surface of the card. This is a cleaning card for cleaning a thermal print head in a card processing device for thermally printing various information.

Further, the cleaning card is laminated on a card body substrate, a cleaning layer adhered on at least one surface of the card body substrate, and a part of the other surface of the card body substrate, and is provided with at least a cleaning card. A magnetic stripe for recording identification information for identifying the existence and the number of times of use, a protective layer covering a part or the whole of the other surface of the card body substrate including the magnetic stripe, and a number of times of use CA stored in the magnetic stripe Specified number of uses C
And a punched hole indicating that the hole has been used when it exceeds Am. Another devise cleaning card includes a card body substrate, and the cleaning layer attached was on at least one side of the card body substrate is laminated on a portion of the other surface of the card body substrate, at least a cleaning card A magnetic stripe that records identification information and the number of times of use that specify that there is a protective layer that covers a part or the whole of the other surface of the card body substrate including the magnetic stripe,
Remaining usable number of times (CAm−) obtained by subtracting the number of uses CA stored in the magnetic stripe from the prescribed number of uses CAm
CA) are punched at respective positions corresponding to the respective numbers printed on the card surface to indicate the approximate remaining number of times of use.

[0018]

In the cleaning card constructed as described above, at least a cleaning layer is attached to the card body substrate instead of the heat-sensitive layer forming the printing surface of the card used in the card processing device. Further, in the magnetic stripe of the card, identification information for specifying that the card is a cleaning card and the number of times the cleaning card has been used are stored instead of, for example, an issuing company code, a card number, and a card balance.

When the cleaning card having such a configuration is inserted into the card insertion slot of the card processing device in the same manner as a normal card, the cleaning card is conveyed along the card conveyance path in the same manner as a normal card. In the process, the thermal print head is cleaned by the cleaning layer.

Further, by reading the identification information and the number of times of use of the magnetic stripe on the card processing device side and updating the number of times of use of the cleaning card, it is possible to prevent the cleaning layer from being repeatedly used until the cleaning layer is excessively contaminated. Can be prevented. In this case, the number of times of use CA is equal to the prescribed number of times CA
When the number reaches m, punch holes indicating that the holes have been used are drilled, or punch holes are sequentially drilled at the number positions of the remaining usable number (CAm-CA). Therefore, it is possible to grasp the current usage status of this cleaning card only by glance at this cleaning card.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a cleaning card according to the embodiment. The Cree two ring card 7 has a prepaid card 1 having the same shape as shown in FIG. And, in the click <br/> Li-learning card 7, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 1 (c), the sticking cleaning layer 9 made of nonwoven fabric on one surface (back surface) of the card body substrate 8 made of PET A magnetic stripe 10 is formed on a part of the other surface, and a protective layer 11 is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the card including the surface of the magnetic stripe 10. The surface of the protective layer 11 is intentionally roughened.

The magnetic stripe 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the card is embedded at the same position as the prepaid card 1 . The name of the “cleaning card” indicating that the card is a cleaning card is printed in advance on the protective layer 11 on the surface of the cleaning card 7.
In addition, nothing is printed on the back surface of the cleaning card 7 on which the cleaning layer 9 is formed, as shown in FIG.

The magnetic stripe 10 has the structure shown in FIG.
(D), the regions 10a, 10b are formed, the cleaning card code as identification information indicating that the area 10a is Cleaning card is recorded, in the area 10b, the cleaning card 7 number of uses C a is recorded. Therefore, when unused, the use count CA is 0.

The cleaning card 7 thus formed and the prepaid card 1 shown in FIG. 9 can be used in the card transaction device shown in FIG.

In the card transaction device 12 shown in FIG. 2, a keyboard 13 for the cashier to execute a sales registration operation is provided on the front of the housing, and a display for displaying the sales amount, the total amount, the card balance, and the like. 14, a customer display 15, a card insertion slot 16, a receipt issuing slot 17, and the like are provided, and a drawer 18 for storing cash and the like is incorporated in a lower portion.

The keyboard 13 has a numeric key 19 for inputting numerical data such as a sales amount of each sales product, and a division key for inputting a department code of each sales product. -20, a cash total key 21 used when paying the price in cash, a card total key 22 used when paying the price with the prepaid card 1, and the like are provided.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a blanking lock diagram showing a schematic configuration of a card transaction device 12. The card transaction device 12 is roughly divided into a main device 23 for executing the original sales registration business.
And a card processing device 24 for executing a predetermined card process on each of the cards 1 and 7 inserted into the card insertion slot 16.

In the main unit 23, a printer 25, which prints out various sales data on a receipt, is sent to a main controller 23a constituted by a microcomputer or the like, for example.
The display units 14 and 15, the keyboard 13, and a storage unit 26 for temporarily storing various variable data such as the total amount of money for one customer are connected.

The card processing device 24 is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. A card transport path 27 communicating with the card insertion slot 16 is provided, and three transport rollers 28a, 28b, 28c are arranged along the card transport path 27. The rollers 28a to 28c move the cards 1 and 7 in the forward direction indicated by the arrow F or in the reverse direction toward the card insertion slot 16 by the transport motor 28d. In the card transport path 27, five sensors 29a to 29e for detecting the leading or trailing position of each card 1.7 are provided.
B, C. D. E is provided at each position.

Further, the shutter 30, the punch hole puncher 31, the magnetic head 32, and the drive magnet 33a are pressed against the platen 33b on the card transport path 27 in order from the card insertion slot 16 side by the drive magnet 30a. A thermal print head 33 and the like are provided.

Each member constituting the card processing device 24 includes:
As shown in FIG. 3, it is controlled by a control unit 24a composed of, for example, a microcomputer. That is, the control unit 24a includes a magnetic head 32, a punch hole puncher 31, a thermal print head 33, a card transport mechanism 28 including transport rollers 28a to 28c and a transport motor 28d, sensors 29a to 29e, a shutter 30, Interface 3 for exchanging various data and commands with main unit 23
4 etc. are connected.

The control unit 2 of such a card processing device 24
4a is configured to carry out card processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

At S1, the sensor 29a at the position A (head) notifies that the cards 1 and 7 are inserted from the card insertion slot 16.
, The shutter 30 is opened and the card transport mechanism 2 is opened.
8 is activated in the forward direction, and cards 1 and 7 are
7 is conveyed in the direction of arrow F. During this transport process,
The card information stored in the magnetic stripes 3 and 10 is read by the magnetic head 32 (S2). Next, it is determined whether the inserted card is the normal prepaid card 1 or the cleaning card 7 based on the codes in the head areas 3a and 10a of the read card information. If ordinary prepaid card 1 (S3), issuer code read card number, card balance X1, transmits the card information consisting of early amount X0 to the main control unit 23 a of the apparatus body 23 (S4).

When the card balance X1 after the subtraction is input from the main control section 23a (S5), the card balance X1 is written into the area 3c of the magnetic stripe 3 of the inserted prepaid card 1 and the thermal print head 33 is used. Card balance X1 updated to the margin on the printing surface consisting of the heat-sensitive layer 5 on the back
Is thermally printed. Then, the card transport mechanism 28 is activated in the reverse direction, and the prepaid card 1 is ejected from the card insertion slot 16.

If it is determined in S7 that the cards 1 and 7 inserted into the card insertion slot 16 are the cleaning cards 7, first, a busy signal is sent to the main controller 23a of the main unit 23 (S8). , if not exceed the predetermined prescribed number CAm such usage count CA is for example 10 times the region 10b of the card information read from the magnetic stripe 10 of the cleaning card 7 (S 9), the cleaning process shown in FIG. 6 Execute (S10).

When the cleaning process shown in FIG. 6 is started,
The card transport mechanism 28 is reversed, and the rear end of the cleaning card 7 is once returned to the position of the sensor A (S11). Then, the number of reciprocations CB is set to an initial value of 1 (CB =
1). Next, the card transport mechanism 28 is rotated forward to move the tip of the cleaning card 7 to the position of the sensor E. Here, the drive magnet 33a is energized, and the thermal print head 33
In the direction of the platen 33b. That is, the thermal print head 33 is pressed against the cleaning layer 9 of the cleaning card 7.

In this state, the card transport mechanism 28 is rotated backward, and the rear end of the cleaning card 7 is fed back to the position of the sensor B (S12). Then, 1 is added to the number of reciprocations CB. When it is confirmed that the number of reciprocations CB after the addition does not exceed a specified number of times CBm, for example, five (S13), the card transport mechanism 28 is rotated forward and the cleaning card 7 is rotated.
Is transported to the position of the sensor E (S14). Then, the process returns to S12, and the rear end of the cleaning card 7 is returned to the sensor B position again.

In S13, when the number of reciprocations CB after the addition exceeds the specified number of times CBm, the thermal print head 33 is raised (S15), the cleaning process is terminated, and the process returns to S16 of the main routine of FIG.

During the cleaning process, the thermal print head 33 is not energized.

In FIG. 5, when a series of cleaning processes in S10 is completed, 1 is added to the number of uses CA in S16, and the number of uses CA after the addition is written into the area 10b of the magnetic stripe 10 by the magnetic head 32. . If the number of uses CA after the addition exceeds the prescribed number of times CAm (S17), a punch hole indicating that the cleaning card 7 has been used is punched in the cleaning card 7 by the punch hole puncher 31 (S17).
18) Insert the cleaning card 7 into the card slot 16
(S19).

If the number of times of use CA does not exceed the specified number of times CAm, the card is ejected without punching holes. Finally, the busy signal sent to the main control unit 23a is released.

According to the cleaning card 7 configured as described above, when the administrator of the card transaction device 12 inserts the cleaning card 7 into the card insertion slot 16, the card processing device 24 inserts the inserted card into the cleaning card 7. 7 and the cleaning process is automatically executed. That is, in the process of reciprocating the cleaning card 7 along the card transport path 27 in a state where the thermal print head 33 is pressed against the cleaning layer 9 in a state where power is not supplied, foreign matters adhering to the thermal print head 33 are cleaned. It is wiped off by the cleaning layer 9 of the card 7.

Therefore, it is not necessary to open the cover and manually clean the thermal print head 33 as in the conventional method without using the cleaning card 7, so that the efficiency of the cleaning operation can be greatly improved.

In addition to the identification code, the number of uses CA is also recorded on the magnetic stripe 10 of the cleaning card 7, and when the number of uses CA exceeds a specified number of times CAm, for example, ten times.
By forming punch holes, the cleaning layer 9 of the cleaning card 7 is prevented from being used in an excessively dirty state. Therefore, the print quality of the thermal print head 33 can always be maintained at the best.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are views showing a cleaning card 35 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
The same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those of the cleaning card 7 of the embodiment. Therefore, the detailed description of the overlapping part is omitted.

In the cleaning card 35 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7C, a cleaning layer 9 made of a non-woven fabric is attached so as to cover one entire surface (back surface) of the card body substrate 8 made of PET. I have. Further, a cleaning layer 9a made of the same nonwoven fabric is attached so as to cover a part of the other surface (front surface) of the card body substrate 8. On the surface of the surface where the cleaning layer 9a is not attached, the above-described protective layer 11a is formed.

The magnetic stripe 10 has the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10b are formed. Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, each region 10a. 10b is not covered with the cleaning layer 9a.

According to the cleaning card 35 configured as described above, the thermal print head 33 can be cleaned by the cleaning layer 9 on the back surface of the cleaning card 35, and the magnetic head 32 can be cleaned by the cleaning layer 9a attached to a part of the front surface. Can be cleaned. In addition,
Since the magnetic head 32 can accurately read the identification code and the number of times CA used by the head portion of the magnetic stripe 10, the cleaning card 35 can be distinguished from the general prepaid card 1 and the number of times CA can be used.
Can also be managed correctly.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a cleaning card 36 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those of the embodiment cleaning card 7 shown in FIG. Therefore, the detailed description of the overlapping part is omitted.

In the cleaning card 36 of this embodiment, in addition to the name indicating that the card is a cleaning card, a plurality of numerals 37 indicating the remaining usable number are printed on the surface of the protective layer 11. A plurality of punch hole regions 38 are provided adjacent to the numerals 37.

The cleaning card thus configured
In the card processing device 24 to which the punching device 36 is applied, the card transport mechanism 28
Thus, the moving position of the cleaning card 36 is controlled, and the punch hole punching position on the cleaning card 36 is controlled. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the remaining usable number (CAm-CA) obtained by subtracting the current use number CA from the prescribed use number CAm becomes a value corresponding to each numeral 37 printed on the cleaning card 36 . At that point,
A punch hole is formed in the punch hole area 38 of the corresponding numeral 37.

Therefore, the administrator of the card processing device 24 determines that the remaining usable number of the cleaning card 36 (CAm
-CA) can be visually grasped.

[0054]

As described above, according to the cleaning card of the present invention, a cleaning layer is formed instead of a heat-sensitive layer on which various types of information are thermally printed by a thermal print head of a general card, and a magnetic stripe is formed. The card identification information and the number of times of use are recorded. Therefore, just by performing the same card insertion operation as a normal card, the thermal print head can be automatically cleaned,
The best printing quality can always be maintained in the card processing device. Further, by checking the punch holes formed in the card, it is possible to grasp the current usage state of the cleaning card.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cleaning card according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an external view of a card transaction device to which the embodiment card is applied;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the card transaction device;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a card processing device incorporated in the device.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the card processing apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a cleaning operation in the card processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a cleaning card according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a view showing a cleaning card according to still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a general prepaid card.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Prepaid card, 2.8 Card board, 3,
10 ... magnetic stripe, 5 ... thermal layer, 7,35,36 ...
Cleaning card, 9, 9a ... cleaning layer, 1
1, 11a: Protective layer, 12: Card transaction device, 16: Card slot, 23: Main device, 24: Card processing device,
27: Card transport path, 28: Card transport mechanism, 29a-
29e: Sensor, 31: Punch perforator, 32: Magnetic head, 33: Thermal print head, 37: Character, 38 ...
Punch hole area.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 29/17 B42D 15/10 551 G11B 23/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A card inserted from a card insertion slot (16)
The magnetic recording information (3) of (1) is accessed, and the thermal print head is cleaned in a card processing device (24) for thermally printing various information on the surface of the card with a thermal print head (33). A cleaning card (7), comprising: a card body substrate (8); a cleaning layer (9, 9a) attached to at least one surface of the card body substrate; and a part of the other surface of the card body substrate. A magnetic stripe (10) that records at least identification information specifying the cleaning card and the number of times of use, and a protective layer that covers a part or the whole of the other surface of the card body substrate including the magnetic stripe (11,11a) and the magnetic stripe
The stored usage count (CA) exceeds the specified usage count (CAm)
A cleaning card provided with a used punch hole that is formed when it is removed . 2. Card inserted from card insertion slot (16)
The magnetic recording information (3) of (1) is accessed, and the thermal print head is cleaned in a card processing device (24) for thermally printing various information on the surface of the card with a thermal print head (33). A cleaning card (36), comprising a card body substrate (8), a cleaning layer (9) adhered to at least one surface of the card body substrate, and a part of the other surface of the card body substrate. A magnetic stripe (10) for recording at least identification information for specifying that the card is a cleaning card and the number of times of use, and a protective layer (11) covering a part or the whole of the other surface of the card body substrate including the magnetic stripe. ) And the specified number of uses (CAm)
Subtract the number of uses (CA) stored in the magnetic stripe
The remaining number of usable times is printed on each number printed on the card surface.
Approximate number of remaining uses that are sequentially drilled at each corresponding position
Cleaning card provided with a punch hole (38) indicating the following .