JPH01263971A - Magnetic card reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the depth of the title reader so as to make the external shape compacter by providing a curved section at part of a card passage whose front end forms an inserting port and at which feed rollers are provided at appropriate intervals. CONSTITUTION:A 1st curved section 5a which is curved at about 90 deg. immediately behind feed rollers 6a and 6b and a 2nd curved section 5b which is curved semicircularly immediately behind a magnetic head 11 are provided along a card passage 5. Therefore, a magnetic card inserted into an inserting port 4 and pulled into the main body of this card reader by the feed rollers 6a and 6b is sent to another feed rollers 7a and 7b along the curved section 5a and then to the curved section 5b by the feed rollers 7a and 7b after the card 1 is subjected to the reading or recording by means of the magnetic head 11. Therefore, the depth of this magnetic card reader can be reduced and the external shape of this reader can be made compacter.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] This invention reads a magnetic card inserted into an insertion slot and sends it to a reading position where a magnetic head faces, and reads or records the stored contents on the magnetic card. Regarding magnetic card readers.

[Conventional technology]

This type of magnetic card reader is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 51-92
In FIG. 0, 1 is a magnetic card, and 2 is a magnetic card reader. This magnetic card reader 2 has a card passage 5 formed in the league main body 3, the front end of which serves as an insertion slot 4 for the magnetic card L, and which extends straight rearward. In this case, two sets of 6b, 7a, and 7b are provided at appropriate intervals. Reference numeral 8 denotes a drive motor that rotates the main drive side feed rollers 6a, 7a via a belt 9. Furthermore, facing the card passage 5, the feed roller 7
A magnetic head 11 is disposed in the depths of a and 7b, and a presser roller 12 is disposed opposite to this magnetic head 11.

When the magnetic card 1 is inserted into the insertion slot 4, the magnetic card reader 2 detects this and rotates the drive motor 8 to rotate the feed rollers 6a and 7a, so that the magnetic card 1 is first inserted into the feed roller 6a. , 6b and drawn into the reader body 3, and then sent to a reading position facing the magnetic head 11 by feed rollers 7a and 7b. Therefore, the magnetic card 1 is pressed by the pressing roller 12 and the magnetic head 11
While the magnetic head 11 travels while contacting the magnetic card 1, the magnetic head 11 reads the stored contents of the magnetic card 1 or stores new recorded items in the magnetic card 1.

When the reading or recording is completed, the drive motor 8 rotates in reverse to feed the magnetic card 1 to the roller 7a.

7b, 6a, and 6b, the magnetic card 1 is returned to the insertion slot 4 and returned to the customer's hand.

Further, in a magnetic card reader installed in a beverage vending machine, for example, the rear end of the card passage 5 forms an ejection port 21, as shown in the magnetic card reader 20 shown in FIG. 7, and the magnetic head 1
1 further includes a pair of feed rollers 22a on the discharge port 21 side,
22b. The feed roller 22a serves as the main drive side and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown). In this magnetic card reader 20, the magnetic head 11 performs reading and recording processing on the magnetic card 1 sent therein, and also distinguishes between the magnetic cards 1 to be used continuously and those that have been used. Based on the above-mentioned identification, the magnetic card 1 to be used subsequently is returned to the insertion slot 4, and the used magnetic card 1 is sent out from the ejection port 21 by feed rollers 22a and 22b. and stored in a card box installed inside the beverage vending machine.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, the conventional magnetic card readers 2 and 20 have a drawback that the depth dimension is large and the external size of the equipment equipped with the magnetic card reader becomes large. This requires complicated work to install the card box inside the machine, and this has the disadvantage of greatly increasing the manufacturing cost of the beverage vending machine.

This invention has a small depth dimension (as well as a compact external shape), and in the case of a magnetic card reader that takes in used magnetic cards into the machine, a magnetic card reader that can eliminate the need for a separate card box and the increase in manufacturing costs. The purpose is to provide a reader.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a flexible magnetic card is provided with a card passage having no insertion slot at the front end and feeding rollers arranged at appropriate intervals, and a flexible magnetic card is readable in the card passage. In a magnetic card reader that reads from or records on a magnetic card using a magnetic head, a curved portion is provided in a part of the card path, and a first feed roller and a second feed roller are provided with a curved portion. The distance between the magnetic card and the magnetic card is made smaller than the length of the magnetic card in the feeding direction, and a magnetic head is disposed between the two, and a storage part is provided to removably accommodate the magnetic card that has been read or recorded. shall be taken as a thing.

[Effect]

By curving the card path by, for example, 90'', a card path of the same length can be formed in the reader body with a reduced depth dimension, and the distance of the card path between the first and second feed rollers can be reduced. By making the length of the reader shorter than the length of the magnetic card and arranging the magnetic head between them, the number of feed rollers can be minimized and the length of the card path can be shortened to make the reader body more compact. By storing used cards in the magnetic card reader, there is no need to install the card box or card chute inside the device equipped with the magnetic card reader.

〔Example〕

1 to 4 show embodiments of this invention,
Components common or identical to those in FIGS. 6 and 7 are designated by the same reference numerals.

First, FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which a curved portion is provided in the card path. In FIG. A curved portion 5a is formed, and a second curved portion 5b curved into a semicircle is provided immediately behind the magnetic helad 11. The passage width of the curved portions 5a and 5b can be increased as necessary so that the magnetic card 1 can easily run.

In the above-mentioned configuration, the magnetic card 1 inserted into the insertion slot 4 and drawn into the league body 3 by the feed rollers 6a, 6b is sent to the feed rollers 7a, 7b along the curved portion 5a; The magnetic head 11 is fed into the curved portion 5b, and reading or recording is performed by the magnetic head 11 as in the conventional case. However, since the card passage 5 is curved by approximately 90 degrees at the curved portion 5a, the league body 3 has a much smaller depth than the conventional one, and furthermore, by having the curved portion 5b, the vertical length is shortened and compactly formed. be done.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of a magnetic card reader in which a curved part is provided in the card passage, and the difference from the previous embodiment is that only a semicircular curved part 5b is provided in the card passage 5. In this embodiment, the depth dimension is slightly larger than the previous embodiment, but the vertical length can be significantly reduced.

Next, a description will be given of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in which the magnetic card reader is further miniaturized. In FIG. 3, the distance between the first feed rollers 6a, 6b and the second feed rollers 7a, 7b is the length in the feeding direction of the magnetic card 1, and is set shorter. The same applies to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.) Furthermore, the magnetic head 11 is the feed roller 6a.

Between 6b and 7a, 7b, the roller 7a to be sent in this case,
7b, and feed rollers 7a and 7b.
The length l: of the card passage 5 at the rear is approximately the same as the length of the magnetic card 5.

In this configuration, the two sets of feed rollers are sufficient, and even when using a magnetic card 1 that is long in the feeding direction and has magnetic tracks along its entire length, the length L2 is approximately long. Often, the league body 3 is downsized.

In yet another embodiment, the magnetic helad 11 is conveyed to the feed roller 5a as shown in FIG.

By installing it closer to the 6b side, it becomes possible to further shorten the length Lx, and further downsizing of the league main body 3 is facilitated.

4 and 5 show an embodiment of a magnetic card reader 20 equipped with a storage section for the magnetic card 1. In FIG. 4, 30 is a card box installed facing the outlet 21 of the card passage 5. , has an intake port 31 in a part of the upper plate,
In addition, the bottom plate 32 is removably attached. 33 is spring 34
The receiving plate 35 is pushed upward by a feed roller.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, a used or defective magnetic card l is identified by an identification signal from the magnetic head 11 that has read or recorded data on the magnetic card 1.
a, 7b towards the discharge port 21,
1 and sent into the card box 30 from the intake port 31 by the feed roller 35, and are sequentially stacked and stored on the receiving plate 33. The magnetic card 1 that has accumulated in an appropriate amount is removed by removing the bottom plate 32. However, in a device equipped with the magnetic card reader 20, such as a beverage vending machine, there is no need to separately provide a card box or a card chute, and the internal structure of the machine is simplified, and the installation work of the magnetic card reader 20 is easily performed. This also reduces the manufacturing cost of the beverage vending machine.

FIG. 5 shows a different embodiment of the magnetic card reader equipped with the storage section. The difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. The same effect as the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 can be obtained in that the card box 30 is provided in the embodiment shown in FIG.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to this invention, a curved portion is provided in a part of the card passage,
In addition, the distance between the first feed roller and the second feed roller is made shorter than the length of the magnetic card in the feeding direction, and a magnetic head is disposed between them. Since the magnetic card reader is provided with a storage section that removably stores the magnetic card, the depth dimension of the magnetic card reader can be made much smaller than before, and the external size can be made smaller. In a device to which a magnetic card reader is installed, the internal configuration and the installation work of the magnetic card reader are facilitated, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a magnetic card reader having a curved portion in the card path, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a magnetic card reader equipped with a magnetic card storage section according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. 6 is a sectional view of a conventional magnetic card reader, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another conventional example. 1...Magnetic card, 2...Magnetic card reader, 4.
...Insertion slot, 5...Card passage, 5a, 5b...Curved portion, 6a, 6b...First feed roller, 7a, 7b
...Second feed roller, 11...Magnetic head, 2
0...Magnetic card reader, 30...Card box, Figure 1, Figure 2, L Moriki card reader. Figure 5 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) The front end has a card passage without an insertion slot and feeding rollers are arranged at appropriate intervals, and a flexible magnetic card is sent to a reading position in the card passage by a magnetic head. 1. A magnetic card reader for reading from or recording on a magnetic card, characterized in that a curved portion is provided in a part of the card path. 2) In the magnetic card reader according to claim 1, the distance of the card path between the first feeding roller and the second feeding roller is made shorter than the length of the magnetic card in the feeding direction, and A magnetic card reader in which a magnetic head is disposed between a first feed roller and a second feed roller. 3) The front end has a card passage having no insertion slot and feeding rollers arranged at appropriate intervals, and the magnetic card inserted into the insertion slot is sent to a reading position in the card passage and read from the magnetic card by a magnetic head. Alternatively, a magnetic card reader that records on a magnetic card is provided with a storage section that removably accommodates the magnetic card that has been read or recorded.