JPH07182466A - Card handling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a card handling device which can easily and surely put the cards on a tray. CONSTITUTION:The front part of a tray 11 is kept open with the rear part kept closed respectively in a holding state of a card 10. Thus a user can surely put the inserted card 10 on the tray 11. Furthermore the front part of the tray 11 is closed by a clamper 17 when the tray 11 containing the card 10 is moved. Therefore the card 10 is moved together with the tray 11 with no shift occurring between them. Thus it is possible to prevent the slippage of the card 10 in its moving state even though the wear traces are caused to the card 10 owing to its use of 8 long period since the card 10 put on the tray 11 is carried by the closing action of the clamper 17.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card handling device provided in an automatic teller machine, an automatic teller machine or the like, and in particular, a card suitable for carrying a card for carrying a transaction on a tray. It relates to a handling device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application No. 60-7095 discloses a conventional card handling device for carrying cards to be traded on a tray.
There is a technology shown in No. 2. That is, in the conventional technique, a tray having a concave cross section is formed inside the card receiving slot, and when a user inserts the card into the card receiving slot,
The card is dropped into the tray by a specific means, and then the tray is moved to convey the card.

[0003]

By the way, the above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. That is, when the card is inserted by the user, the card is configured to be dropped into the tray. Therefore, if the card is inserted horizontally as it is, the card may be caught on the peripheral portion of the tray. I was inserting the card at an angle to the tray. However, if you insert the card in a tilted state, it is difficult to drop the inserted card accurately into the tray, and the card may be placed on the peripheral edge of the tray, so it is difficult to insert it easily and completely. There's a problem. In addition, if the card is used for a long period of time, the card will show wear marks, so when the card is placed on the tray, the card will slightly shift on the tray beyond the permissible range. There is also a problem that the read / write of is reduced. Further, as described above, since the tray has a concave cross-section, when the card inserted in the tray is collected inside the apparatus, it is necessary to lift the card from the tray and then collect the card in the collecting section. However, in the prior art, not only is there no disclosure of a structure for collecting the card, but there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated because a means for floating the card from the tray is required. .

In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to reliably and easily place a card on a tray, and to accurately read and write card data, and to ensure the reliability of read and write. Another object of the present invention is to provide a card handling device that can improve the property, and another object is to provide a card handling device that can collect a forgotten card with a simple configuration.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tray on which a card is placed and which can be moved at least between a card receiving side and a card data reading position, and a movement path of the tray. Magnetic heads for reading card data and front and rear clampers attached to the front and rear parts of the tray so that the front and rear parts of the tray can be opened and closed independently of each other. The opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the front clamper is opened by the front clamper when the tray moves to the card receiving port side, and the tray is provided on the side other than the card receiving port side. When you move to a position,
It is characterized in that the front portion of the tray is configured to be closed by a front clamper. Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, a tray on which a card is placed and which can be moved between the card receiving port side and a card collecting position which is located behind the card data reading position, and a movement path of the tray. Installed at the card data reading position in
And a magnetic head for reading card data, front and rear clampers attached to the front and rear of the tray so that the front and rear of the tray can be opened and closed, and an opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the front and rear clampers independently. And a recovery mechanism for collecting the card by dropping it from the tray at the card recovery position, and the opening / closing mechanism of the front clamper opens the front part of the tray by the front clamper when the tray moves to the card receiving port side. And when the tray moves to a position other than the card receiving side, the front part of the tray is closed by the front clamper, and the opening / closing mechanism of the rear clamper moves the rear part of the tray to the rear clamper when the tray moves to the card collecting position. It is characterized in that the rear part of the tray is closed by the rear clamper when the tray is opened by the above and when the tray is moved to the card receiving port side.

[0006]

In the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, in the standby state of the card, the front part of the tray is opened and
When the tray is closed and the user inserts a card, the front clamp places the card on the tray as the tray moves and ejects the card. Since the front clamper is configured to open the front portion of the tray, it is possible to reliably and easily place the card on the tray. In addition, even if the card has wear marks, slippage during the transportation of the card can be prevented regardless of the wear mark, so that the reliability of the read / write is surely improved.

In the second aspect of the present invention, when the card is collected, the rear clamper is opened by utilizing the collecting mechanism of the rear clamper, and when the tray is moved toward the card receiving port in that state, the stopper is used. Since the card is dropped and collected, the collecting mechanism can be easily configured, and the opening and closing mechanisms of the front and rear clampers are mechanically operated by simple parts without using an actuator or the like. In addition to the first invention described above, it is possible to precisely perform the card placing operation on the tray, the discharging operation to the card receiving opening, and the collecting operation, and compared with the one using an actuator. Not only can the operation reliability be improved, but the control operation can be omitted accordingly.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a card handling device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of essential parts showing an embodiment of a card handling device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an automatic cash machine to which the card handling device is applied. It is a block diagram showing a transaction device.
Before describing the card handling device of the embodiment, the automatic teller machine 1 to which the device is applied will be described with reference to FIG.
In the above, 2 is an operation display unit including an input keyboard for inputting a user's password, transaction amount, etc., and a display such as a CRT for displaying numerical values and operation guidance, and 3 is a card data for loading a card. A card handling device for reading 4 is a voucher issuing section for printing transaction details and balances and issuing vouchers, 5 is a banknote deposit / withdrawal section for withdrawing and inserting banknotes according to transaction details, and 6 is a control including a program in a memory 7. The section controls the operations of the above sections 2 to 5. Reference numeral 8 is a connection unit for connecting the automated teller machine 1 to a central system (not shown) online. When a user inserts a card into a card receiving slot (not shown) during a transaction, the card is carried inside by the card handling device 3, and the control unit 6 is operated based on the card data read inside the card.
By communicating with the central system, it is determined whether or not the transaction is possible, and the control unit 6 conducts the transaction or cancels the transaction according to the determination result. At that time, when the transaction is stopped or ended, the card handling device 3 carries out the card to the card receiving port according to a command from the control unit 6.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the card 10 handled by the card handling device 3 of the embodiment has a magnetic stripe 10a on one side of which card data is magnetically recorded. Thus, the card handling device 3 of the embodiment that handles the card 10 has a pair of rollers 12 and 1 for loading and unloading the card 10 inside the card receiving port 9.
3 is rotatably provided and has a tray 11 further inside the rollers 12 and 13. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the tray 11 has a flat plate shape so that the surface of the card 10 opposite to the magnetic stripe 10a can be placed, and the tray 11 is provided at the front and rear portions in the carrying direction. It has a front clamper 17 and a rear clamper 18, which will be described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, the tray 11 is attached to a belt 16 as a conveying means via a support 11a. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the belt 16 is wound around rollers 31 and 32 which are horizontally spaced apart from each other, and is composed of a timing belt or the like, and is wound between the rollers 31 and 32. The support 11a is attached to the upper side. When the roller 31 is rotationally driven by the first motor 15, the belt 16 moves in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 2B, so that the tray 11 causes the card receiving port 9, the card data reading position, and the card collecting position. Trying to move between. Further, the card handling device 3 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the magnetic head 2 is used to read and write card data at an intermediate position on the moving path of the tray 11.
It has 6,27. These magnetic heads 26, 27
Is provided on the upper surface of the head block 25 installed along the moving direction of the tray 11. The upper surface of the head block 25 is substantially flush with the tray 11, and the magnetic stripe 10a of the card 10 on the tray passes over the upper surface of the head block 25 when the tray 11 moves.

On the other hand, the front clamper 17 and the rear clamper 18 are attached to the tray 11 so as to be openable and closable.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2B, the lower clamper 17 has its lower portion 17a pivotally supported by a pin 33 on a support portion (not shown) integrally formed with the tray 11, and the pin 33 is supported.
When pivoted about, the front end of the tray 11 can close the front part of the tray 11 as shown in the drawing or open the front part of the tray 11 as shown in FIG. 1 (e). The rear clamper 18 has a lower portion 18a at the front clamper 1
Similarly to the tray 7, a support portion integrally formed with the tray 11 is pivotally supported by a pin 34, and when the pin 34 is rotated about the pin 34, the tip portion of the tray 1 as shown in FIG.
1 or the tray 11 as shown in FIG.
The rear part can be opened. Further, each of the front clamper 17 and the rear clamper 18 is configured to open and close according to the position of the tray 11 on the movement path. That is, as shown in FIG. 2B, one end of the opening / closing mechanism of the front clamper 17 is locked to the lower portion 17a of the front clamper 17, and the other end is connected to the tray 11.
A tension spring 19 locked to a spring support portion (not shown) formed integrally with the fixing portion fixed to a position close to the roller 13 and facing the lower portion 17a of the front clamper 17 ( Base) 20 and the fixed portion 20
On the other hand, when the lower part 17a of the front clamper 17 is separated, the front clamper 17 closes the front part of the tray 11 by the spring force of the tension spring 19. When the tray 11 is located on the card receiving slot 9 side, the front clamper 1
When the lower part 17a of 7 abuts against the fixed part 20 and the fixed part 20 rotates the lower part 17a against the spring force of the tension spring 19, the front clamper 17 is attached to the tray 11 as shown in FIG. 1 (e). Open the front, and again tray 1
When 1 moves inward from the card receiving port 9 side, the lower portion 17a of the front clamper 17 separates from the fixed portion 20 and the spring force of the tension spring 19 acts, so that the front clamper 17 moves toward the tray 11. I try to close the front part.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the rear clamper 18 has a rotation guide 21 pivotally supported at a position below the rear clamper 18 on the tray 11, and one end of which is locked by the rotation guide 21. The other end is fixed to a tension spring 22 locked to a spring support part (not shown) of the rear clamper 18a, a fixed part 23 fixed to a position near the fixed part 20, and further to an inner rear part of the movement path. With the fixed portion 24, when the rotation guide 21 is not in contact with both the fixed portions 23 and 24, the rotation guide 21 is erected by the spring force of the tension spring 22 as shown in FIG. 2B. When the upper end of the rotation guide 21 pushes up the rear clamper 18, the rear clamper 18 closes the rear portion of the tray 11. And card 1
At the time of collecting 0, when the tray 11 is moved to the card collecting position which is the deepest part on the moving path, the lower part of the rotation guide 21 hits the fixed part 24 as shown in FIG. By rotating the rotation guide 24 clockwise to release the push-up of the rotation guide 24 against the rear clamper 18, the rear clamper 18 opens the rear portion of the tray 11, and when the tray 11 moves to the card receiving port 9 side, The lower part of the rotation guide 21 hits the fixed part 23,
Further, the fixed portion 23 presses the rotation guide 21 in the counterclockwise direction, and the rotation guide 21 is in the upright shape, so that the rear clamper 18 closes the rear portion of the tray 11. Therefore, the opening / closing mechanism is configured to open / close the front clamper 17 and the rear clamper 18 according to the position of the tray 11 on the moving path.

Furthermore, in the card handling device 3, when the user forgets to remove the card 10, the card 10 is collected by the collecting mechanism. As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the recovery mechanism includes a stopper 28 in which a lower portion 28a is axially supported on a side portion of the head block 25.
And a tension spring 29 having one end locked to the stopper 28 and the other end locked to the head block 25 or a fixed part (not shown), and a recovery box 30 provided at the end position of the movement path. ing. Then, normally, due to the spring force of the tension spring 29, as shown in FIGS.
As shown in (b), the tip 28 b of the tray 11 projects upward from the upper surface of the tray 11 and the card 11 is placed on the tray 11.
When the card 10 is moved, it is rotated clockwise and pushed down by the card 10 as shown in FIG. 1B, and when the card 10 is collected, the tray 11 is moved from the stopper 28 position as shown in FIGS. When the stopper 28 is released from being pushed down by the card 10 when moved to the back position, the spring force of the tension spring 29 restores the original position. When the user forgets to remove the card 10 and the control unit 6 determines that the card 10 has been removed, the tray 11 moves to the innermost position and the rear clamper 18 is fixed by the fixing unit 24.
When the rear part of the tray 11 is opened and the tray 11 moves from the innermost part to the card receiving slot 9 side, the card 1 on the tray 11
The tip of 0 hits the tip of the stopper 28, and the stopper 28 shifts and drops the card 10 from the tray 11 as the tray 11 moves further in the carry-out direction, and drops it into the collection box 30.

Of the pair of rollers 12 and 13, the roller 12 is rotatably installed, the roller 13 is connected to the second motor 14, and the card 10 is inserted into the card receiving slot 9 (or When the sensor (not shown) detects the card 10 when the card 10 is conveyed from the inner part to the position near the card receiving port 9), the second motor 14 causes the roller 13 to carry the card 10 in the carrying-in direction (or the carrying-out direction).
Drive to rotate. Also, the first motor 15 and the second motor 1
The driving and stopping of 4 are controlled by the control unit 6.

Since the card handling device 3 of the embodiment has the above-mentioned construction, its operation will be described below. First, the tray 11 in the card handling device 3 is the card 1
When it is in the standby state of 0, it is located on the card receiving slot 9 side,
As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the lower part 17 a of the front clamper 17 hits the fixed part 20 of the opening / closing mechanism so that the front clamper 17 opens the front part of the tray 11, and
When the lower part of the rear clamper 18 abuts on the fixed portion 23 of the rotating mechanism, the rear clamper 18 has a form in which the rear portion of the tray 11 is closed. At that time, in order for the user to make a transaction, when the card 10 is inserted into the card receiving port of the card handling device and positioned between the pair of rollers 12 and 13, a sensor (not shown) installed in the vicinity of the roller exists. By detecting the, the second motor 14 rotates the roller 13 in the carrying-in direction, so that the card 10 is taken into the inside,
And it is placed on the tray 11. In this case, since the rear clamper 18 closes the rear portion of the tray, the card 10 does not pass over the tray 11 and is reliably placed on the tray. Next, the belt 16 is driven in the carry-in direction by the first motor 15, and the tray 11 on which the card 10 is placed moves to the positions of the magnetic heads 26 and 27, whereby the card data is read. At the start of this movement, when the tray 11 on which the card 10 is placed moves, the lower portion of the front clamper 17 separates from the fixed portion 20 of the opening / closing mechanism, and the spring force of the tension spring 19 causes the front clamper 1 to move.
Since the front portion of the tray 11 is closed by rotating 7 in the clockwise direction, the card 10 moves together with the tray 11. Further, as the movement of the tray 11 proceeds, the card 10 hits the stopper 28 of the recovery mechanism and pushes the stopper 28 against the spring force of the tension spring 29, so that the movement of the card 28 is not hindered. After the card 10 is conveyed in this way and the transaction is performed by reading the card data, when the transaction is completed, the first motor 15 drives the belt 16 in the carry-out direction, and the tray 11 causes the magnetic head 26, It moves from the position on the 27 side toward the card receiving port 9 side. And the tray 11 is the card receiving slot 9
When approaching the side, the lower portion 17a of the front clamper 17 hits the fixed portion 20 of the opening / closing mechanism and pivots counterclockwise to open the front portion of the tray 11, and the tray 11 is further opened in the opened state. The pair of rollers 12 and 1 is reached by the second motor 14 while reaching the card receiving slot 9.
The card 10 on the tray 11 is discharged to the outside of the card receiving port 9 by the reverse rotation of 3 in the carry-out direction. As a result, the user can receive the card 10.

On the other hand, when the user forgets to remove the ejected card 10, the following operation is performed based on the command from the control unit 6. That is, when the card 10 is taken in by the pair of rollers 12 and 13 and placed on the tray 11, the tray 11 passes through the magnetic heads 26 and 27 side and the stopper 28 of the recovery mechanism by the belt 16 and further on the inner side. Move to the collection position. At this time, the tray 11 stops the stopper 28.
When the position 28 is passed, the stopper 28 rotates counterclockwise by the spring force of the tension spring 29 and returns to the original position as shown in FIG. After that, when the tray 11 reaches the recovery position, the rotation guide 21 of the opening / closing mechanism hits the fixed portion 24 and turns clockwise as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the tray 11 is rotated clockwise by its own weight to open the rear portion of the tray 11. Then, when the tray 11 moves toward the card receiving port 9 side, the tip 28b of the stopper 28 hits the card 10 at the position of the stopper 28 of the recovery mechanism, and as the tray 11 moves further, as shown in FIG. As shown in d), the card 28 is detached from the tray 11 by the stopper 28, and the card 10 falls and the collection box 3
It will be recovered to 0. As a result, the card 10 that has been forgotten to be removed can be reliably collected. On the other hand, when the tray 11 with the rear part left open reaches the card receiving port 9 side, the rotation guide 21 of the opening / closing mechanism abuts on the fixed part 23 and rotates counterclockwise to be in a vertical state, so that the rear clamper 18 is provided. Since it pushes up, the rear clamper 18
Closes the rear portion of the tray 11 again, and the card is in a standby state.

Thus, in the standby state of the card 10,
Since the front portion of the tray 11 is opened and the rear portion is closed, even if the user inserts the card 10, the card can be reliably placed on the tray 11. Moreover, since the front clamper 17 closes the front part of the tray 11 when the tray 11 on which the card 10 is placed is moved, the card 10 can be moved together with the tray 11 without being displaced. Therefore, since the end of the card 10 placed on the tray 11 is conveyed by using the closing operation of the front clamper 17, even if the card 10 is worn for a long period of time, it may be worn. It is possible to prevent slippage during transportation of the card 10 without concern. Therefore, card 1
If slippage during the transport of 0 can be prevented, the magnetic heads 26 and 27 can be accurately read from and written to the magnetic stripe 10a of the card, and the reliability of the read / write will be improved. Also, when the card 10 is ejected, the front clamper 17 is opened, and the opening / closing operation of the front clamper 17 can be mechanically performed by moving the tray 11 to the card receiving port 9 or separating from it. Clamper-related maintenance is facilitated, and even if a failure occurs, the failure location can be easily confirmed and prompt action can be taken. Further, when the card 10 is collected, the rear clamper 18 is opened by utilizing the collecting mechanism of the rear clamper, and when the tray 11 is moved toward the card receiving port 9 in that state, the card 28 is dropped by the stopper 28. Therefore, the recovery mechanism can be easily configured. That is, the recovery mechanism of the rear clamper is composed of the stopper 28, the tension spring 29, and the recovery box 30, and the card 10 is recovered by using the rear clamper 18 opened by the opening / closing mechanism, which simplifies the configuration. Can be planned. In addition to this, the tray 1
1 can be performed by moving the card data reading position to a position slightly rearward with respect to the card data reading position, so that the depth direction of the card handling device 3 does not increase significantly. Further, front and rear clampers 17, 18
Since each of the opening and closing mechanisms is configured to mechanically operate by simple parts without using an actuator or the like, the placing operation of the card 10 on the tray 11 and the discharging operation to the card receiving port 9 and the recovery operation are performed. Not only can the operation be performed accurately, the reliability of the operation can be improved as compared with that using an actuator, but the control operation can be omitted accordingly. In the illustrated embodiment, the inserted card 10 is surely placed on the tray 11, and the front clamper 17 has an opening / closing structure in order to surely eject the card 10 to the card receiving port 9.
Although an example in which the rear clamper 18 has an opening / closing structure and a recovery mechanism is shown, if only the inserted card 10 is reliably transported and discharged, only the front clamper 17 has an opening / closing structure. It can be carried out.

[0017]

As described above, according to claim 1 of the present invention, when the card is in the standby state, the front portion of the tray is opened, and when the user inserts the card, the tray is moved. Since the front clamp places the card on the tray and ejects the card, the front clamper opens the front of the tray when the tray moves to the card ejection side. The card can be placed securely and easily, and even if the card has wear marks, it can prevent slips when the card is transported regardless of it, so the reliability of the read / write can be improved. There is an effect to say. According to claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, when the card is collected, the rear clamper is opened by using the collecting mechanism of the rear clamper, and the tray is moved toward the card receiving port in that state. Since the card is dropped by the stopper and the card is collected, the collecting mechanism can be easily configured. Moreover, the opening and closing mechanisms of the front and rear clampers do not use actuators or the like, but mechanical parts are simply mechanical parts. Since it is configured to operate in the same manner, it is possible to accurately perform the loading operation of the card on the tray, the discharging operation to the card receiving slot and the collecting operation, and the reliability of the operation as compared with the one using the actuator. Not only can the control operation be increased, but the control operation can be omitted accordingly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a card handling device according to the present invention, and is a relationship explanatory diagram showing movement of a tray when a card is inserted and open / closed states of a front clamper and a rear clamper at the movement position.

2A and 2B are an explanatory plan view and an explanatory front view of a main part showing an embodiment of a card handling device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an automated teller machine to which a card handling device is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 ... Card handling device, 9 ... Card receiving port, 10 ... Card, 11 ... Tray, 16 ... Belt, 17 ... Front clamper,
18 ... Rear clamper, 19, 20 ... Front clamper opening / closing mechanism, 21-24 ... Rear clamper opening / closing mechanism, 26, 27 ...
Magnetic head, 28-30 ... Card recovery mechanism.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A card handling device for carrying in a card inserted in a card receiving port to read card data of the card, and for carrying out an internal card to the card receiving port. , A tray that can move at least between the card receiving port side and the card data reading position, a magnetic head that is installed at the card data reading position in the moving path of the tray and that reads the card data, and a magnetic head at the front and rear of the tray. The tray has front and rear clampers attached to the front and rear portions of the tray so as to be openable and closable, and an opening and closing mechanism for independently opening and closing the front and rear clampers, respectively. When moved to the mouth side, open the front part of the tray with the front clamper,
Also, when the tray moves to a position other than the card receiving port side, the front part of the tray is configured to be closed by the front clamper. 2. A card handling device that carries in a card inserted into a card receiving slot, reads card data of the card, and carries out the internal card to the card receiving slot. A tray that can be moved between the card receiving side and a card collection position that is located behind the card data reading position; and a magnetic head that is installed at the card data reading position in the moving path of the tray and that reads the card data. , The front of the tray is attached to the front and rear of the tray so as to be openable and closable,
It has a rear clamper, an opening / closing mechanism for independently opening / closing each of the front and rear clampers, and a collecting mechanism for dropping and collecting the card from the tray at the card collecting position, and the opening / closing mechanism of the front clamper is When the tray moves to the card receiving side, the front part of the tray is opened by the front clamper, and when the tray moves to a position other than the card receiving side,
The front part of the tray is closed by the front clamper, and the opening and closing mechanism of the rear clamper is such that when the tray is moved to the card collecting position, the rear part of the tray is opened by the rear clamper and the tray is moved to the card receiving port side. A card handling device characterized in that the rear part of the tray is configured to be closed by a rear clamper.