JPH05234239A - Card receiving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the card receiving device which can allow a user to recognize an erroneous insertion by constituting a card reader and a card reader/ writer for handling a rather thick card so that they do not receive a thin card. CONSTITUTION:When a rather thick card 2a abuts on the inclined face 7a of a protruding body 6, the protruding body 6 moves backward and the card 2a gets over and passes through the protruding body 6. In the case a thin card 2b is inserted, when the card 2b abuts on the inclined face 7a of the protruding body 6, it is deformed elastically and cannot get over the protruding body 6. The tip of the thin card 2b deformed elastically goes into a recessed part 9, and does not enter the back end side of a card insertion path 3. In such a state, a sensor 10 detects generation of a state that the card goes in, and an indicator 11 displays its fact to a user.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card insertion slot of a card reader / writer used in a vending machine or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vending machine, it is possible to use the vending machine with a card having a personal authentication function or a prepaid function for the purpose of speeding up the sale processing time by simplifying cash handling and fixing customers. Is becoming.

Cards can be roughly classified into a magnetic stripe card having a magnetic stripe to which data is written and an IC card having a semiconductor memory or the like embedded therein. The magnetic stripe card can be divided into a paper card, a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) card and a plastic card depending on the material. The thickness of the card is a paper card 0.3 mm, a PET card 0.23 to 0.26 mm, a plastic card 0.76 mm, and an IC card is 0.76 mm.

In addition, thin paper cards and PET cards are easily bent, while plastic cards and IC cards are hard to be bent, depending on the material and thickness thereof. A conventional card insertion port of a card reader or a card reader / writer that accepts a plastic card or an IC card is configured as shown in FIG.

A thick card [plastic card or IC card] 2a input from the insertion slot 1 is inserted into the card insertion path 3 at the rear end side 4 and, in the case of a plastic card, a magnetic stripe is formed by a magnetic head. When the content is read and the card data is updated, writing to the magnetic stripe is performed by the magnetic head and the card 2a is returned through the card insertion path 3 toward the insertion slot 1. I
In the case of a C card, the card insertion path 3 is inserted into the rear end side 4 and the contact electrode of the card 2a and the electrode of the card reader / card reader / writer come into contact with each other to read or write data and to insert the card insertion path. The card 2a is returned toward the insertion slot 1 of the card 3.

[0006]

In such a conventional structure, as shown in FIG. 7, a thin card [paper card or PET card] 2b is used as a card reader and a card reader / writer for handling a thick card 2a. If the person inputs the data through the insertion slot 1 without knowing it, normal reading may not be possible or the thin card 2b inserted may not be returned to the insertion slot 1.

The present invention provides a card receiving device which can prevent a thin card 2b from being accepted in a card reader and a card reader / writer which handle a thick card 2a and allow a user to recognize an erroneous insertion of the card. The purpose is to

[0008]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a card receiving device for closing a card insertion path by urging one of the facing surfaces forming the card insertion path toward the other surface. Is formed on the other surface side of the projecting body, and an inclined surface is formed on the projecting body that abuts against the inserted card and generates a component force in the direction of retracting against the bias. A recess is formed to accommodate the bent tip of the card in contact with the inclined surface, and a sensor for detecting that the card has entered the recess is provided, and operates according to the detection output of the sensor. A feature of the present invention is that a display device is provided for displaying an erroneous insertion of the card when the card has entered the recess.

[0009]

According to this structure, when the thick card inserted into the inclined surface of the projection comes into contact with the projection, the projection receives the component force from the card and resists the urging force to retreat, and the card moves to the projection. Overcome and pass. When a thin card is inserted, when the card comes into contact with the inclined surface of the protrusion, the card elastically deforms and no component force is generated to move the protrusion against the urging force. You cannot get over the protrusion.

The tip of the thin card which is elastically deformed by contacting the inclined surface of the protrusion enters a recess different from the back end side of the card insertion path and does not enter the back end side of the card insertion path.
Then, the sensor detects the occurrence of the state in which the card is inserted in the concave portion, and the display indicates to the user.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that components having the same functions as those in FIGS. 6 and 7 will be described with the same reference numerals.

The card insertion slot of the present invention is constructed as shown in FIGS. As shown in (a) of FIG. 1, a protrusion 6 urged by a compression spring 5 in the direction of being protruded is provided midway from the insertion port 1 to the rear end side 4 of the card insertion path 3. .. The shape of the tip of the projection 6 is a curved inclined surface 7
a and 7b. On the upper surface 8 of the card insertion path 3, a recess 9 having a width equal to or larger than the card width is formed. further,
A photo interrupter 10 is provided so as to receive and project light through the inside of the recess 9, and the detection light P is represented by a broken line in FIG. Reference numeral 11 is a lamp as a display that lights up when the detection light P in the photo interrupter 10 is blocked and cannot be received. Specifically, when it is turned on, the card on the customer side of the vending machine is wrong. Please check. ”This is used to display the comment text with transillumination.

With this construction, the tip of the thick card 2a inserted from the insertion port 1 abuts on the inclined surface 7a of the projection 6, and when the card 2a is further pushed in this state, the inclined surface 7a A component force in the direction of pushing down the protrusion 6 against the urging force of the compression spring 5 causes the protrusion 6 to retreat as shown in FIG.
Go over the road and enter the far end side 4. In this state, the photo interrupter 10 can detect the detection light P via the recess 9.

When the thin card 2b is inserted from the insertion slot 1, the tip of the card 2b abuts the inclined surface 7a of the projection 6, and when the card 2b is further pushed in this state, the card 2b itself. Is elastically deformed as shown in FIG. 1 (c) to enter the concave portion 9 and contact the end of the concave portion 9 so that the card 2b cannot be inserted any further, and the thin card 2b is inserted into the card insertion path. It is possible to reliably prevent a situation where the back end side 4 of the inner part 3 enters. Then, in the state where the tip of the thin card 2b has entered the recess 9 in this manner,
The photo interrupter 10 cannot detect because the detection light P is blocked by the card 2b, the lamp 11 lights up, and the comment sentence "The card is incorrect. Please check." Is displayed on the customer service side of the vending machine. Be done. Therefore, the user can recognize that the card cannot be inserted because the card is wrong and not because the card reader is defective.

Although the sensor of the above embodiment is the transmissive photo interrupter 10 in which the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are arranged facing each other, the reflection type photo interrupter in which the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are arranged on the same side is used. It can also be an interrupter.

In the above embodiment, the projection 6 is provided over substantially the entire width of the insertion port 1 as shown in FIG. 2, but it may be provided only in the center of the insertion port 1 as shown in FIG. This is also the same as when the protrusions 6a and 6b having short widths are provided at intervals as shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the tip shape of the projection 6 is formed on the curved inclined surfaces 7a and 7b, but the same applies to the inclined surface formed by the non-curved plane.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which a recess 12 for accommodating the tip of the projection 9 is formed on the upper surface 8 of the card insertion path 3, and a recess 9 is formed at the deep end of the recess 12.

With this structure, the thin card 2b can be guided to the recess 9 more reliably. Although the sensor is the photo interrupter 10 in each of the above-described embodiments, a leaf switch in which the contact state is switched by contact with the card 2b or a pressure-sensitive element in which the contact state is changed by contact with the card 2b or the magnetic field of the card 2b is changed. The same effect can be expected even if a magnetic sensor or the like that senses the recording surface is provided in the vicinity of the recess 9 as the sensor.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, one of the facing surfaces forming the card insertion path is biased toward the other surface to close the card insertion path. Is provided with an inclined surface that abuts the inserted card and generates a component force in the direction of retracting against the bias, and the other surface side has the inclined surface of the protruding body. A concave portion for accommodating the front end of the bent card is formed, and a sensor for detecting that the card has entered the concave portion is provided.The sensor operates according to the detection output of the sensor, and the card is concave. When a thick card is inserted, if the inserted card comes into contact with the slanted surface of the protrusion, the protrusion is separated from the card when the card is inserted. Receiving force and against the bias Over de can accept passes over the protrusion. When a thin card is inserted, the tip of the card is inserted into a recess different from the back end side of the card insertion path, and is securely blocked so that it does not enter the back end side of the card insertion path. Since the sensor detects the card and the display informs the user of the card erroneous insertion, the user can be surely recognized that the card is erroneously inserted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a card insertion slot of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a card insertion slot of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a thick card is inserted into a conventional card insertion slot.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing a state where a thin card is inserted into a conventional card insertion slot.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Slot 2a Thick card 2b Thin card 3 Card insertion path 4 Back end side 5 Compression spring 6 Protrusions 7a, 7b Inclined surface 9 Recess 10 Photo interrupter [sensor] 11 Lamp [display]

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A projection body, which is urged in a direction approaching the other surface to close the card insertion path, is provided on one surface side of the facing surfaces forming the card insertion path, and the projection body is inserted into the projection body. An inclined surface that generates a component force in the direction of retracting against the biased card against the biased card, and the curved surface of the card that is in contact with the inclined surface of the protrusion on the other surface side. A recess for accommodating the tip portion is formed, a sensor is provided inside the recess to detect that the card has entered, and it operates according to the detection output of the sensor. A card receiving device with a display for displaying.