JP3304328B2 - External card reader device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an external card reader, and more particularly, to reading an information from a recording unit when a card having various information recorded thereon is set in an external device. The present invention relates to an external card reader device in which an information reading circuit board portion to be output is provided in a device housing, and the circuit board portion is detachably fixed to the device housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cards that read information recorded on a credit card to pay various charges and perform various related procedures are widely used. The information can be read by an external card reader device installed in the vicinity of the transaction counter, and various transaction processes can be performed efficiently. This card is
It is composed of a magnetic card in which various information is magnetically recorded in the recording unit, or an I / O in which various information is electrically recorded in the recording unit
It is composed of a C card. In such an external card reader device, the card reader device is connected as a terminal device to a host device such as a POS system via a cable. This external type card reader device has a POS
It is often installed in a place away from the main body of the device.

An example of this will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
The card reader device 1 fixed to a member to be mounted located near a wall surface or on a desk is divided into two parts by a long cover 2 and a cover 3 to protect the internal components, and the whole is held. At the same time, a mounting bracket 6 formed in a narrow band shape is provided for fixing the mounting member to the member to be mounted, and a mounting hole is formed in an upper portion thereof. A narrow card guide portion 4 for moving the card is formed at a connecting portion between the cover 2 and the cover 3, and a card guide portion 4 which is inclined wider toward the outside is formed at an entrance thereof. I have.

An information reading section 5 for reading information recorded in a recording section of the card is located at a substantially central portion near the front of the card guide section 4. A circuit for executing the function of the information reading unit 5 is formed on a circuit board 7 as shown in FIG. It is fixed to the mounting bracket 6 by the mounting screw 8 and the substrate mounting screw 9.

[0005] Such an external card reader device has a problem that when information is magnetically recorded on a card,
Since a foreign substance such as minute dust adheres to the magnetic head for reading information with long-term operation, regular reading cannot be performed. Therefore, it is necessary to perform regular maintenance every predetermined number of days. For this reason, ease of maintenance is considered more important than durability and the like, and a simple mounting means that pursues convenience when removing the external card reader device from the mounted member is employed.

[0006]

A conventional external card reader device has a structure that seeks ease of maintenance and convenience in removing the external card reader device from a member to be mounted. Therefore, the external card reader device can be easily removed from the attached member.

[0007] Therefore, the external card reader device can be detached from the attached member, and the circuit board stored therein can be easily taken out, so that illegal acts can be easily performed. For example, a part of the circuit board may be modified so that the system malfunctions, or a circuit for storing data read by the external card reader may be added, and the data may be retrieved later. hand,
Since it is easy to create a forged card and perform a criminal act such as fraud by impersonating the card user, the user is completely vulnerable to card crime.

It is sufficient to take measures to prevent the circuit board from being easily taken out by firmly fixing the external card reader itself using a complicated mechanism or providing a locking mechanism. At present, however, such measures are not a viable solution due to costly problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to detect that an external card reader device has been removed from a member to be attached, thereby reliably recognizing that an illegal act has been performed, and preventing the occurrence of a card crime. It is an object of the present invention to provide an external card reader device that can be prevented with a simple configuration without using a complicated and expensive structure.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an external card reader according to the present invention employs the following characteristic configuration.

(1) When a card on which various information is recorded in a recording section is set, an information reading circuit board section for reading the information in the recording section and outputting the information to an external device is provided in the apparatus housing. And an external card reader device in which the circuit board portion is detachably fixed to the device housing, wherein it is detected that the fixing between the device housing and the circuit board portion has been removed. An external card reader device, comprising: a detachment detection unit that outputs a detachment signal by a switch; and a counting unit that counts the number of times the detachment signal is output by the detachment detection unit.

(2) The detachment detection section of (1) sends a first signal when the circuit board section is fixed to the apparatus housing, and outputs a second signal when the circuit board section is detached. An external card reader device which includes a switch member which is sent out and is disposed opposite to a wall surface of the device housing and fixed to the circuit board portion.

(3) An external card reader device wherein the switch member of (2) is a micro switch.

(4) The detachment detection section of (1) transmits a first signal when the circuit board section is fixed to the apparatus housing, and outputs a second signal when the circuit board section is detached. Sending out, a magnet provided in the device housing,
An external card reader device comprising: a magnetic sensing switch disposed opposite to the magnet and fixed to the circuit board.

(5) The magnetic sensing switch of (3) is
An external card reader device composed of a reed switch.

(6) The magnetic sensing switch of (3) is
An external card reader device composed of a semiconductor switch.

(7) An external card reader device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the card is a magnetic card in which various information is magnetically recorded in a recording unit.

(8) An external card reader device, wherein the card according to any one of (1) to (6) is an IC card in which various information is electrically recorded in a recording unit.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. First, an electric circuit of an external card reader according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The block circuit shown in FIG. 1 schematically shows a POS system using an external card reader device according to the present invention.
2, a counting unit 13 and a removal detecting unit 14.

The reading section 12 is composed of a magnetic reproducing head for reading information magnetically recorded on the recording section of the card, a circuit for amplifying the output, and the like.
The detachment detecting unit 14 detects that the fixing of the device housing and the circuit board unit has been removed, and outputs a detachment signal b to the signal receiving unit 15 provided in the main device 16. To be sent.

The number n of the card readers 11 is the same as that of the card readers 17-1, 17-2, 17-3,.
Connected to the POS main unit 16 as 17-n. All of these card readers 11 and the like have PO cables with connection cables for transmitting the read signal a and the release signal b.
It is connected to the S main device 16.

Next, the structure of the external card reader will be described with reference to FIG. The cover 2 is fixed to the card reader device 18 which is fixed to a member to be mounted located near a wall surface or on a desk via a mounting bracket 6, and the mounting bracket 6 includes a board mounting screw 8 and a board mounting screw 9.
The circuit board 7 is fixed by using
0 is mounted.

A microswitch 19 is fixed as a part of the mounted electronic component 10, and its position is set so that its actuator 20 is pushed by the wall surface 2a of the cover 2.

Therefore, the fact that the fixing between the device housing (cover 2) and the circuit board 7 has been removed is confirmed by the microswitch 19.
An external card reader device is provided which includes a detachment detection unit 14 that detects the output signal and outputs a detachment signal b, and a counting unit 13 that counts the number of times the detachment signal b is output by the detachment detection unit 14. The detachment detection unit 14 sends a first signal (a signal generated when the actuator 20 is pressed) when the circuit board 7 is fixed to the cover 2 and a second signal when the circuit board 7 is detached. (A signal generated when the pressing operation of the actuator 20 is released) and an external type including a switch member (micro switch 19) fixed to the circuit board 7 so as to be opposed to the wall surface of the cover 2. Is configured.

Therefore, for periodic maintenance, the mounting bracket 6 of the card reader device 18 is removed from the member to be mounted, and the circuit board 7 fixed to the mounting bracket 6 and the cover 2 are disengaged from each other, thereby mounting the electronic component. The part 10 is exposed. In this state, since the pressing of the actuator 20 of the microswitch 19 by the wall surface 2a is released, the release signal b by the microswitch 19 is changed, and the release signal b is transmitted to the POS main device 16.
At the same time, the counting unit 13 is activated by the signal of the detachment detecting unit 14 and is incremented by one count.

For this reason, the number of times of removal is stored in the counting unit 13 and is linked with the card reader device 18, so that if the number of times of removal is different from the previous day, the card reader device 18 is notified of that fact. Call attention by doing.

The notice information is stored in the POS main unit 1.
6 so that a system for immediately contacting a maintenance person can be established.
Since it is confirmed that the card reader 11 has been removed during the non-operation time of the place where the device 8 is installed (midnight hours), it is detected that the intruder has committed illegal activities.

As a matter of course, the counting unit 13 also advances when the regular maintenance person removes the card reader 11 for maintenance. By inputting a preset password immediately after the maintenance work is completed, the above-mentioned warning message can be canceled.

Therefore, even if the card reader 11 is removed in the middle of the night or the like and an illegal circuit is mounted on the circuit board 7 to attempt data theft, a warning is issued at the time of removal of the device, so that it is more complicated. Data theft can be prevented without using a configuration.

The specific configuration of the detachment detection unit is not limited to the case of the microswitch 19, but may be a reed switch or a semiconductor switch configured as a magnetic sensing switch.

The card used in the present invention is not only a magnetic card in which various information is magnetically recorded in a recording unit, but also an IC in which various information is electrically recorded in a recording unit.
It may be constituted by a card, the format of information recording is completely arbitrary, and the place where the external card reader device is installed is completely arbitrary.

[0032]

As is apparent from the above description, the external card reader device according to the present invention detects that the fixing of the device housing constituted by the cover and the like to the circuit board has been removed. And a counting unit for counting the number of times the detachment signal is output by the detachment detection unit, so that the external card reader device itself has a complicated mechanism. However, it does not adopt the fact that the cost of making it impossible to easily take out the circuit board is increased by firmly fixing or using a locking mechanism by using the above.

Therefore, according to the external card reader device of the present invention, it is ensured that an illegal act has been performed by detecting that the external card reader device has been removed from the attached member. An external card reader device that can recognize and prevent occurrence of card crimes can be provided with a simple configuration without using a complicated and expensive structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing an example of a POS system using an external card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing a schematic mechanism of the card reader shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a schematic mechanism of an example of a conventional external card reader device.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the external card reader shown in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Cover 2a Wall surface 6 Mounting bracket 7 Circuit board 8 Board mounting screw 9 Board mounting screw 10 Mounting electronic component 11 Card reader 12 Reading unit 13 Counting unit 14 Removal detecting unit 15 Signal receiving unit 16 POS main unit 17-1, 17-2 , 17-3 ... 17-n Card reader 18 Card reader device 19 Micro switch 20 Actuator

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] An information reading circuit board for reading information from the recording unit and outputting the information to an external device when a card having various information recorded on the recording unit is set; And in an external card reader device in which the circuit board portion is detachably fixed to the device housing, detecting that the fixing between the device housing and the circuit board portion has been removed. An external card reader device comprising: a detachment detection unit that outputs a detachment signal; and a counting unit that counts the number of times that the detachment signal is output by the detachment detection unit. 2. The detachment detection section sends a first signal when the circuit board section is fixed to the apparatus housing, and sends a second signal when the circuit board section is detached, and 2. The external card reader device according to claim 1, further comprising: a switch member disposed opposite to a wall surface of the device housing and fixed to the circuit board. 3. The external card reader device according to claim 2, wherein said switch member comprises a micro switch. 4. The detachment detection section sends a first signal when the circuit board section is fixed to the apparatus housing, and sends a second signal when the circuit board section is detached. 2. The external card according to claim 1, further comprising a magnet provided in the device housing, and a magnetic sensing switch disposed opposite to the magnet and fixed to the circuit board. Reader device. 5. The external card reader device according to claim 3, wherein said magnetic sensing switch comprises a reed switch. 6. The external card reader device according to claim 3, wherein said magnetic sensing switch comprises a semiconductor switch. 7. The external card according to claim 1, wherein said card comprises a magnetic card in which various information is magnetically recorded in a recording section. Reader device. 8. The external card according to claim 1, wherein said card comprises an IC card in which various information is electrically recorded in a recording section. Reader device.