JP5449430B2 - Magnetic card reader and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a magnetic card reader including a tamper switch and an electronic apparatus including the magnetic card reader.

  The magnetic card reader may be tampered with and the magnetic information read by the magnetic card reader may be illegally acquired. In order to prevent such an illegal act, a tamper switch may be provided in an electronic device provided with a magnetic card reader. The tamper switch is provided in a case that may be opened illegally, such as a case provided with a magnetic card reader, and the switch is activated when the case is opened. Then, the operation of the electronic device is disabled by the operation of the tamper switch, or the stored contents relating to the magnetic card processing are erased to prevent unauthorized use due to unauthorized modification.

JP 2005-56439 A

  However, even when performing regular repairs, the tamper switch may be activated by opening the case, and the electronic device may be disabled. For this reason, the electronic device provided with the tamper switch cannot open the case carelessly, and it sometimes takes time for normal repair.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a magnetic card reader and an electronic device that eliminate the difficulty of repairing by a tamper switch.

A magnetic card passage having a magnetic card passage through which the magnetic card is passed, and a magnetic card guide member provided with a magnetic head for reading magnetic information from the magnetic card passing through the magnetic card passage, and an encryption key used for transmitting the magnetic information are stored. And a frame member that is attached to the housing with the magnetic card guide member and the substrate housed inside, and that fixes the magnetic card guide member and the substrate to the housing. . In addition, the magnetic card reading device senses that the state of the frame member and the housing has changed, and the state of the frame member and the housing has changed from the sensing portion provided inside the frame member and the sensing portion. For example, a control unit that erases the stored contents of the volatile memory when receiving a signal that senses that the frame member has been removed from the housing, and the magnetic card guides the substrate inside the frame member. The frame member includes a side wall that surrounds the substrate and a side wall that is located outside the magnetic head .

  An electronic device includes a main body unit having an information processing function, a display unit for displaying image contents from the main body unit, and a magnetic head. The magnetic card reads magnetic information of the magnetic card with the magnetic head. A reading device. The electronic device is attached to the main body and includes a housing for housing the display unit and the magnetic card reader, and is provided inside the magnetic card reader, and senses that the magnetic card reader has been removed from the housing. And a confirmation unit for confirming that the magnetic card reader is legitimate by using a predetermined key.

  When the electronic device detects that the magnetic card reader has been removed from the housing by the sensing unit, the magnetic card reader uses the key as an invalid key in the confirmation means, and the main unit uses the key as the magnetic card. The reader is not certified as a legitimate one.

The perspective view which shows the whole structure of the electronic device provided with the magnetic card reader concerning embodiment. The perspective view which shows the electronic device of the state which open | released the display part. The disassembled perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the magnetic card reader. 1 is a partially broken perspective view showing a magnetic card reader according to an embodiment. The block diagram which shows the control part of a magnetic card reader.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an entire configuration of an electronic apparatus including a magnetic card reader according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the electronic apparatus with a display unit opened, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the magnetic card reader according to the embodiment in an exploded state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the components of the magnetic card reader according to the embodiment are assembled. These are block diagrams which show the control part of a magnetic card reader.

  FIG. 1 shows an electronic device 100 including a magnetic card reader 12. The electronic device 100 is a POS terminal used in a store, for example, and includes a main body unit 102, a display unit 104 attached to the main body unit 102, a magnetic card reading unit 106, and a printing unit 108 (see FIG. 2). ing.

  The main body 102 includes a main board (main control device) and a main board on which a storage unit is mounted and a power supply device, and has an information processing function. The display unit 104 includes a display screen 105 such as a liquid crystal display device and a transparent touch panel function provided on the display screen 105, and displays the image content from the main body unit 102. The display unit 104 is accommodated in the housing 110. The casing 110 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin, covers the entire display unit 104, and is rotatably attached to the main body unit 102 via a hinge unit.

  The magnetic card reading unit 106 is provided on the side of the display unit 104. The magnetic card reading unit 106 includes a magnetic card insertion slot 112 formed in the housing 110 and the magnetic card reading device 12. The magnetic card insertion slot 112 is a notch through which the magnetic card is passed, and the magnetic card reader 12 is attached in accordance with the position of the magnetic card insertion slot 112. The magnetic card reader 12 is attached inside the housing 110 together with the display unit 104. The printing unit 108 is provided on the upper surface of the main body unit 102 as shown in FIG. 2, and performs printing on printing paper in accordance with an instruction from the control device.

  Next, the magnetic card reader 12 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The magnetic card reader 12 includes a frame member 14, a magnetic card guide member 16, and a magnetic head substrate 18.

  The frame member 14 is made of metal and includes a bottom plate 22, a side wall 24, and a mounting column 26. The bottom plate 22 is rectangular and is formed in a shape substantially the same as the planar outer shape of the magnetic card guide member 16 and the magnetic head substrate 18. The side wall 24 is raised from the periphery of the bottom plate 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the side wall 24 includes a substrate side wall 19 that surrounds the magnetic head substrate 18, and a head side wall 21 that covers the outside of the magnetic head 44 mounted on the magnetic card guide member 16. Is formed.

  The mounting columns 26 are provided at the four corners of the bottom plate 22. An attachment piece 27 is formed on the attachment column 26 in a state of being bent at a substantially right angle from the attachment column 26. A screw hole 32 is formed in the attachment piece 27. The height width from the bottom plate 22 of the mounting column 26 to the mounting piece 27 is such that when the magnetic card reader 12 is fixed to the housing 110 with a screw 33 passed through the screw hole 32, a tamper switch 34 described later is used as a magnetic card guide member. The height is such that it is pressed by 16 to operate.

  The magnetic card guide member 16 includes a guide member main body 42, a magnetic head 44, and a battery mounting portion 46. The guide member main body 42 is made of resin and includes a magnetic card passage 40 in the center. The magnetic card path 40 is formed in a width that allows the magnetic card to pass through a gap formed substantially in parallel.

  A pair of magnetic heads 44 are attached to the guide member main body 42 so as to face each other with the magnetic card path 40 interposed therebetween. The magnetic head 44 may be a single unit. The battery attachment portion 46 is provided on the side of the magnetic head 44 and the battery 50 is attached. The battery 50 is a power source for storing and holding a RAM 56 described later.

  A controller 52 as shown in FIG. 5 is formed on the magnetic head substrate 18. The magnetic head substrate 18 is provided with a tamper conductive member 38 as a pressure-sensitive conductive member. The control unit 52 includes a CPU 54, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 55, a RAM (Randum Access Memory) 56, an interface 57 for connecting to the main CPU, and a head driver 58. A magnetic head 44 is connected to the head driver 58.

  The control unit 52 has an encryption function for encrypting magnetic information of the magnetic card read by the magnetic head 44. When the magnetic information is read from the magnetic card through the magnetic card passage 40 by the magnetic head 44, the controller 52 encrypts the read magnetic information and sends it to the main CPU of the main body 102 through the interface 57. Further, a confirmation unit for safely transmitting magnetic information is provided between the control unit 52 and the main CPU.

  The confirmation for transmission is performed before the control unit 52 sends the encrypted magnetic information to the main CPU. The RAM 56 stores an encryption key for the control unit 52 to confirm with the main CPU. First, the control unit 52 reads the encryption key from the RAM 56 and performs the confirmation using the read encryption key. When the confirmation is normally performed, the control unit 52 sends the encrypted magnetic information to the main CPU.

  The RAM 56 is a volatile memory that receives power supplied from the battery 50 and retains stored contents. Therefore, when the power supply from the battery 50 is cut off, the stored contents of the RAM 56 are all erased.

  The tamper conducting member 38 has a high electric resistance in a normal state and does not have conductivity. When the surface is pressed and deformed by a predetermined amount, the tamper conducting member 38 has a property that the electrical resistance is greatly reduced and the conductivity is exhibited. The tamper conducting member 38 is provided on the upper surface of the magnetic head substrate 18. The tamper conducting member 38 is connected to the CPU 54 by a signal line, and the CPU 54 always monitors the tamper conducting member 38 for conductivity. The tamper switch 34 is a sensing unit, and includes a tamper conducting member 38 and a tamper member 36 as a pressure sensitive member as shown in FIG.

  The tamper switch 34 will be described. The tamper switch 34 is formed by a tamper member 36 and the tamper conducting member 38 described above. The tamper member 36 is substantially cylindrical and is provided between the magnetic head substrate 18 and the guide member main body 42. The tamper member 36 is provided to face the tamper conducting member 38. When the magnetic card reader 12 is fixed to the housing 110 through the screw 33 through the screw 33, the tamper member 36 is pushed down by the guide member body 42 and the tamper conducting member 38. Press the surface a predetermined amount.

  In addition, the magnetic head substrate 18 is formed with an energization interruption circuit 60 having an energization interruption portion 62. The power supply of the battery 50 is always energized to the energization cutoff unit 62 and the tamper conducting member 38. When the tamper switch 34 is in the on state, the energization cutoff circuit 60 causes the RAM 56 to energize the power from the battery 50 by the energization cutoff unit 62. When the tamper conductive member 38 is separated from the tamper conductive member 38 and the tamper conductive member 38 is no longer conductive, the energization interrupting unit 62 interrupts the supply of power from the battery 50 to the RAM 56.

  Next, operations and effects of the electronic device 100 including the magnetic card reader 12 will be described. The magnetic card reader 12 houses the magnetic head substrate 18 and the magnetic card guide member 16 inside the frame member 14, and further attaches the tamper member 36 to the guide member main body 42 and attaches it to the housing 110. FIG. 4 shows a state in which each component is assembled inside the frame member 14.

  The magnetic card reader 12 is mounted from the back side of the housing 110 by passing a screw 33 through the screw hole 32 of the mounting column 26. The magnetic card path 40 provided in the guide member main body 42 coincides with the magnetic card insertion slot 112 formed in the housing 110.

  The tamper member 36 is pushed down by the guide member main body 42 and presses the surface of the tamper conducting member 38. As a result, the tamper conducting member 38 is conductive and the tamper switch 34 is activated. In such a state, the energization cutoff circuit 60 energizes the battery 56 from the battery 50. The RAM 56 stores an encryption key for confirming magnetic information transmission.

  The control unit 52 controls the magnetic card reader 12 as usual. When the magnetic card is inserted into the magnetic card insertion slot 112 and the magnetic head 44 reads the magnetic information, the magnetic information read from the magnetic card is encrypted, and the CPU 54 reads the encryption key from the RAM 56 and sends it to the main CPU. When the main CPU verifies the encryption key, a signal to that effect is returned to the magnetic card reader 12.

  When confirming the response signal sent from the main CPU, the CPU 54 encrypts the magnetic information read from the magnetic card to the main CPU. In this way, the CPU 54 performs card processing in the magnetic card reader 12.

  Then, it is assumed that the case 110 is opened by an unauthorized person. The magnetic card reader 12 is provided with a metal frame member 14 around it. A bottom plate 22 is provided on the bottom surface of the magnetic card reader 12, and a side wall 24 is provided on the side of the magnetic head substrate 18 and on the outside of the magnetic head 44, and the magnetic head substrate 18 and the magnetic head 44 are illegally connected from the outside. It is difficult to craft.

  Further, it is assumed that an unauthorized person removes the screw 33 of the mounting column 26 and removes the frame member 14 from the back side of the housing 110 for the purpose of working on the magnetic head substrate 18 and the magnetic head 44. When the frame member 14 is removed from the housing 110, the magnetic head substrate 18 is no longer pressed against the tamper member 36, and the tamper member 36 is no longer pressed against the surface of the tamper conducting member 38. When the pressing operation on the surface of the tamper conductive member 38 is eliminated, the electrical resistance of the tamper conductive member 38 is increased, and the conduction cutoff unit 62 recognizes that the tamper conductive member 38 is no longer conductive. .

  The energization cutoff unit 62 determines that the tamper switch 34 has been operated because the tamper conducting member 38 is no longer conducting, and stops the power supply from the battery 50 to the RAM 56. Since the RAM 56 stops the power supply for holding the memory, the stored contents held in the RAM 56 are erased.

  Then, for example, it is assumed that the magnetic head substrate 18 and the magnetic head 44 have been processed so as to sniff the magnetic information or illegally transmit the magnetic information, and the magnetic card reader 12 is returned to the original state. Even if the frame member 14 is attached to the housing 110 and the magnetic card reader 12 is attached to the state before the fraud, the stored contents including the encryption key erased in the RAM 56 are still lost.

  In this state, it is assumed that the electronic device 100 is normally activated and the electronic device 100 is used for work. The display unit 104 and the like operate normally, and can be performed without any problems other than magnetic card processing such as merchandise management, ordering, and slip processing. When the magnetic card is inserted into the magnetic card insertion slot 112 and card processing is to be performed, the CPU 54 operates as follows.

  The CPU 54 tries to read the encryption key for confirmation from the RAM 56 before encrypting the magnetic information read from the magnetic card and sending it to the main CPU. However, when the tamper switch 34 is activated, the RAM 56 is not held because the power for storing and holding is cut off, so that the contents of the encryption key are lost.

  Since the CPU 54 cannot read the encryption key from the RAM 56, it cannot send the encryption key to the main CPU, and the main CPU cannot confirm the magnetic card reader 12. As a result, the magnetic card reader 12 does not function as a magnetic head reader in the electronic device 100.

  As described above, once the frame member 14 is removed from the housing 110 and the magnetic card reader 12 is unassembled, the tamper switch 34 is activated and the magnetic card reader 12 does not function. Therefore, even if the magnetic card reader 12 is improperly crafted, the magnetic card reader 12 does not function, so that the magnetic card information is not stolen.

  On the other hand, the tamper switch 34 of the magnetic card reader 12 does not operate unless the frame member 14 is removed even if the housing 110 is opened to repair or check the display unit 104. Therefore, even when the display unit 104 is repaired or the like, there is no problem such as the magnetic card processing in the magnetic card reader 12 cannot be executed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the tamper switch 34 as a sensing unit is provided between the magnetic head substrate 18 and the magnetic card reader 12. However, if the frame member 14 can be sensed, the sensing unit can be replaced with other sensors. It may be provided at the location. Further, the sensing unit may be composed of not only the tamper conducting member 38 and the tamper member 36 as the tamper switch 34 but also other members. Further, the tamper process may be other processes than the deletion of the encryption key stored in the RAM 56.

  In addition, the magnetic card reader 12 is configured to insert the magnetic card vertically, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the magnetic card reader 12 may be set to insert the magnetic card from the side.

In addition, although some examples of the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These examples and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.
Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims at the beginning of the application of the present application will be added.
[1] A magnetic card guide member having a magnetic card path for passing a magnetic card, and provided with a magnetic head for reading magnetic information from the magnetic card passing through the magnetic card path in the magnetic card path;
A board mounted with a volatile memory for storing an encryption key used for transmitting the magnetic information, the magnetic card guide member and the board are housed in a housing, and the magnet is mounted on the housing. A frame member for fixing the card guide member and the substrate;
A sensing unit that is provided inside the frame member and senses that the state of the frame member and the housing has changed, and senses that the state of the frame member and the housing has changed by the sensing unit. A controller that erases the content stored in the volatile memory;
A magnetic card reader characterized by comprising:
[2] The sensing unit is provided between the pressure-sensitive conductive member provided on the substrate, the magnetic card guide member, and the substrate. When the magnetic card reader is attached to the casing, the magnetic unit The magnetic card reader according to [1], comprising a pressure-sensitive member that is pressed by a card guide member to change a conduction state of the pressure-sensitive conductive member.
[3] The magnetic card reader further includes a battery, and holds the stored contents of the volatile memory by the battery, while interrupting conduction from the battery to the volatile memory. The magnetic card reader according to [1] or [2], wherein the content stored in the memory is erased to disable transmission of the magnetic information.
[4] Inside the frame member, the substrate is placed and stored below the magnetic card guide member, and the frame member is positioned outside the side wall surrounding the substrate and the magnetic head. The magnetic card reader according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising a side wall.
[5] A main body having an information processing function;
A display unit provided in the main body unit for displaying image contents from the main body unit;
A magnetic card reader comprising a magnetic head, and reading magnetic information of the magnetic card with the magnetic head;
A housing that is attached to the main body and houses the display unit and the magnetic card reader;
A sensing unit that is provided inside the magnetic card reader and senses that the magnetic card reader has been removed from the housing;
The main body unit includes a confirmation unit that uses a predetermined key to confirm that the magnetic card reader is legitimate, and the magnetic card reader is removed from the housing. Is detected by the sensing unit, the magnetic card reading device sets the key as an invalid key in the confirmation means, and the main body unit does not recognize the magnetic card reading device as a proper one by the key. Features electronic equipment.
[6] The magnetic card reader further includes a volatile memory and a battery, stores the key in the volatile memory, and cuts off the energization from the battery to the volatile memory. Is erased from the volatile memory, and the key is used as an invalid key in the confirmation means.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Magnetic card reader, 14 ... Frame member, 16 ... Magnetic card guide member, 18 ... Magnetic head board | substrate, 22 ... Bottom plate, 24 ... Side wall, 26 ... Mounting pillar, 32 ... Screw hole, 33 ... Screw, 34 ... Tamper Switch, 36 ... Tamper member, 38 ... Tamper conducting member, 40 ... Magnetic card passage, 42 ... Guide member body, 44 ... Magnetic head, 46 ... Battery mounting part, 50 ... Battery, 52 ... Control part, 54 ... CPU, 55 ... ROM, 56 ... RAM, 57 ... interface, 58 ... head driver, 60 ... energization cutoff circuit, 62 ... energization cutoff unit, 100 ... electronic device, 102 ... main body unit, 104 ... display unit, 106 ... magnetic card reading unit , 108 ... printing section, 110 ... housing, 112 ... magnetic card insertion slot.

Claims (5)

A magnetic card guide member having a magnetic card path for passing a magnetic card, and provided with a magnetic head for reading magnetic information from a magnetic card passing through the magnetic card path in the magnetic card path;
A board equipped with a volatile memory for storing an encryption key used for transmitting the magnetic information;
A frame member attached to a housing in a state in which the magnetic card guide member and the substrate are housed therein, and fixing the magnetic card guide member and the substrate to the housing;
A sensing unit provided inside the frame member for sensing that the state of the frame member and the housing has changed;
A control unit that erases the content stored in the volatile memory when the sensing unit senses that the state of the frame member and the housing has changed ,
Inside the frame member, the substrate is disposed below the magnetic card guide member and accommodated, and the frame member includes a side wall that surrounds the periphery of the substrate, and a side wall that is located outside the magnetic head. A magnetic card reader characterized by the above.   The sensing unit is provided between the pressure-sensitive conductive member provided on the substrate, the magnetic card guide member, and the substrate. When the magnetic card reader is attached to the housing, the magnetic card guide member is provided. The magnetic card reader according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure-sensitive member that is pressed by the pressure sensor to change a conduction state of the pressure-sensitive conductive member.   The magnetic card reader further includes a battery, and the storage content of the volatile memory is held by the battery, while the conduction from the battery to the volatile memory is interrupted to store in the volatile memory. The magnetic card reader according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contents are erased and the transmission of the magnetic information is disabled. A main body with an information processing function;
A display unit provided in the main body unit for displaying image contents from the main body unit;
A magnetic card guide member having a magnetic card path for passing a magnetic card, and provided with a magnetic head for reading magnetic information from the magnetic card passing through the magnetic card path, and an encryption used for transmitting the magnetic information A board mounted with a volatile memory for storing a key, the magnetic card guide member and the board are housed in a housing, and the magnetic card guide member and the board are fixed to the housing. A frame member that is provided inside the frame member and senses that the state of the frame member and the housing has changed, and the state of the frame member and the housing is detected by the sensing portion. A control unit for erasing the contents stored in the volatile memory when the change is detected, and the substrate is placed inside the frame member with the magnetic Is housed disposed below the over de guide member, said frame member includes a magnetic card reader having a side wall which is located outside of the side wall surrounding the periphery of said substrate and said magnetic head,
A housing that is attached to the main body and houses the display unit and the magnetic card reader;
A sensing unit that is provided inside the magnetic card reader and senses that the magnetic card reader has been removed from the housing;
The main body unit includes confirmation means for confirming that the magnetic card reader is authorized using a predetermined key,
When the sensing unit senses that the magnetic card reading device has been removed from the housing, the magnetic card reading device sets the key as an invalid key in the confirmation means, and the body unit uses the key. An electronic apparatus characterized in that the magnetic card reader is not certified as a regular one. The magnetic card reader further includes a volatile memory and a battery, stores the key in the volatile memory, and cuts off the energization from the battery to the volatile memory. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the electronic device is erased from a volatile memory, and the key is invalid in the confirmation unit.

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