JP5788752B2 - Magnetic card reader - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a magnetic card reader disposed outside a device such as a vending machine, and more particularly to a swipe magnetic card reader.

  In recent years, magnetic cards have been used as cards for realizing cashless, personal authentication and the like in financial institutions and vending machines. A magnetic card is a card in which a magnetic stripe is formed on the surface of a plastic substrate, and reading of information from the magnetic card is performed by a magnetic card reader equipped with a magnetic head.

  There are several types of card reading methods in magnetic card readers, one of which is used in ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) of banks, and is provided inside the device by drawing the magnetic card into the device. A method of reading information with a magnetic head is known. While this method has the advantage of automatically transporting the magnetic card using a motor, there is a risk that the magnetic card may be clogged inside the device or the magnetic card may be forgotten while the magnetic card is being transported. There are difficulties.

  Manual magnetic card reading methods that do not use a transport motor include a dip method in which information is read while the magnetic card is pushed halfway into the device, or a magnetic card that is slid into a slit provided in the device. There is a swipe method that performs the above. Among these, in particular, the swipe type magnetic card reader has no danger of clogging or forgetting to remove the card because the user does not always take his hand off the magnetic card when the information is read by the device. In addition, foreign matter that has entered due to mischief or mistakes can be removed from the slit portion.

  Here, all of these conventional magnetic card readers have been developed assuming indoor installation. Therefore, when the magnetic card reader is installed outdoors, a roof is provided above the card insertion slot on the housing side of the device in which the apparatus is installed, or a cover or a shutter is provided in front of the card insertion slot. In this way, weather resistance measures such as dust proofing and waterproofing are taken.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2009/276320

  By the way, when the magnetic card reader is attached to, for example, a front door outside the vending machine, the standard attachment position is about 85 cm in height due to design restrictions. Since this position is the height from the waist of the general adult to the thigh, it is difficult to operate, and even if the operation method is described in the apparatus, it is difficult to recognize it. In addition, when installed outdoors, the roof, cover and shutter may interfere with smooth operation.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a swipe-type magnetic card reader that solves the above-described problems and can be applied to a vending machine installed outdoors, and makes it easy for a user to read a magnetic card. The purpose is to do.

To solve the problems described above, a magnetic card reader of the present invention, a card difference write port provided on the front upper portion of the magnetic card reader, and downstream the upstream end communicates with said card difference plug mouth A slit-like card path formed linearly in a vertical direction so that the end reaches the lower surface of the main body of the magnetic card reader , and a shutter that covers the entire front surface of the card path so as to be openable and closable. The insertion port is provided in a recess formed in the front surface of the main body of the magnetic card reader, a guide surface is formed between the recess and the card path, and the shutter has a magnetic card when it is expanded. A rib for guiding is formed, and the shutter is urged so as to cover the card path in a standby state so that the end on the card insertion port side and the guide surface are in contact with each other; and car When the magnetic card is inserted into the insertion port while in contact with the one surface of the magnetic cards be provided so as to be widened in front of the magnetic card reader.

  As described above, in the magnetic card reader of the present invention, the shutter is widened only by inserting the magnetic card in the horizontal depth direction from the card insertion port provided in the front of the device, and the card insertion port. Since the card path communicating vertically downward is opened and the magnetic card is slid vertically downward, it prevents rainwater and dust from entering the device from above and from the front, and the magnetic card insertion position and Recognizing the sliding direction and reading the magnetic card can be facilitated, and erroneous operations such as inserting a magnetic card from the wrong position can be prevented.

1 is a front view of a magnetic card reader according to the present invention. The right view of the magnetic card reader which concerns on this invention. The top view of the magnetic card reader which concerns on this invention. The AA cut part end elevation in FIG. The BB cutting part end elevation in FIG. Partial enlarged view of FIG. 4A The elements on larger scale of FIG. 4B. The perspective view of the magnetic card reader which shows just before a magnetic card is inserted in a card slot. The perspective view of the magnetic card reader which shows the state by which the magnetic card was inserted in the card slot. The perspective view of the magnetic card reader which shows a mode that a magnetic card passes the inside of a card path. The perspective view of the magnetic card reader which shows the state after a magnetic card passes a card path. FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4A showing the magnetic card just before being inserted into the card slot. The elements on larger scale of Drawing 4A showing the state where the magnetic card was inserted in the card slot. The elements on larger scale of Drawing 4B showing signs that a magnetic card passes the inside of a card passage. FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4B showing a state after the magnetic card has passed through the card path.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a magnetic card reader according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  A magnetic card reader 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a main body 2 including a casing, a shutter 3 that covers the right side surface and the front right portion of the main body 2, and a magnetic card C (see FIG. 5A and the like; the same applies hereinafter). Is mainly composed of a card insertion slot 4 provided so as to be inserted in the horizontal depth direction from the front side of the magnetic card reader 1.

  The main body 2 has a straight line in the vertical direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1; the same applies hereinafter) so that the front end is open to the front, the upstream end communicates with the card insertion slot 4 and the downstream end reaches the lower surface of the main body 2 A slit-shaped card passage 21 is provided, and the entire front surface of the card passage 21 is covered with a front end 31 of the shutter 3 so as to be freely opened and closed. In the main body 2, the magnetic head 22 is disposed along the card path 21, and when the magnetic card C inserted into the card insertion slot 4 slides downward along the card path 21, the magnetic properties of the magnetic card C are increased. The data stored in the magnetic stripe is read while the stripe portion is in sliding contact with the magnetic head 22.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the shutter 3 is provided in a substantially L-shaped cross section so as to cover the right side surface and the front right portion of the main body 2, and via a shaft 32 provided in the main body 2. And is rotatably supported. An urging force acts in the X direction in the figure by a spring (not shown) around the shaft 32, and the end portion 31 on the front side of the shutter 3 protrudes forward of the card path 21 during standby. The front surface of the passage 21 is covered.

Further, a concave portion 23 whose vertical length is equal to the longitudinal length of the magnetic card C is formed on the front upper portion of the main body 2 and on the left side of the card passage 21 in the figure. A gently curved guide surface 24 is formed between them. In the standby state, that is, in a state where the shutter 3 is closed, the guide surface 24 and the front end 31 of the shutter 3 are in contact with each other.
In this case, the illustrated lateral distance W from the center of the card passage 21 to the contact position of the front end 31 of the shutter 3 and the guide surface 24 is preferably 1.5 to 2.5 mm (FIG. 5A). When the distance W is less than 1.5 mm, the contact portion between the guide surface 24 and the front end 31 of the shutter 3 is substantially in the same position as the card passage 21, and rainwater or dust is directly inside the apparatus. On the other hand, if the distance W is greater than 2.5 mm, the shutter 3 cannot be expanded against the urging force just by inserting the magnetic card C. This is because an operation for expanding the shutter 3 with one hand is required.

Here, a plurality of guide ribs 33 are provided above the front end 31 of the shutter 3 so as to guide the magnetic card C to the guide surface 23 and the contact portion of the shutter 3 (FIG. 1 and the like). reference).
As shown in FIG. 1, a light emitting portion 25 for guiding the insertion position of the magnetic card C is provided in the concave portion 21 of the main body 2 so as to prompt the user to insert the magnetic card by light emission or blinking. May be.

  The card insertion port 4 is formed by the guide surface 24 of the main body and the front side end 31 of the shutter 3, and the magnetic card C pressed against the guide surface 24 or the front side end 31 of the shutter 3. Is guided to the card insertion slot 4 by the curved surface of the guide surface 24 or the guide rib 33 (FIG. 5A). When the magnetic card C is pushed further back, the shutter 3 is expanded against the urging force in the X direction shown in the figure, so that the magnetic card C can be inserted into the card path 21.

  In the lower part of the magnetic card reader 1, the front surface of the main body 2 and the front surface of the front end portion 31 of the shutter 3 are formed so as to be substantially in the same plane. This prevents the shutter 3 from being opened even if the magnetic card C is directly inserted on the downstream side of the card passage 21. Further, even when the magnetic card is inserted upward at the downstream end of the card passage 21, the shutter 3 is similarly prevented from opening (see FIG. 5B).

  And such a magnetic card reader 1 is attached to apparatuses, such as a vending machine which is not shown in figure, with the fixture 5 (refer FIG.2 and FIG.3) provided in the back surface of the main body 2. FIG.

  Next, the magnetic card reading operation in the magnetic card reader 1 of the present invention will be described, and the function of the shutter 3 will be described in more detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, in the magnetic card reader 1 in the standby state, the shutter 3 is in a state where the front surface of the card passage 21 is closed by the urging force in the X direction around the shaft 32 (see FIG. 4A and the like). It is. The user is guided by the concave portion 23, the guide surface 24, the light emitting portion 25, the guide rib 33, and the like, and presses the magnetic card C against the card insertion slot 4.

  As shown in FIG. 6B and FIG. 7B, when the magnetic card C guided to the contact portion between the guide surface 24 and the front end 31 of the shutter 3 is pushed further in the horizontal depth direction, the magnetic card C is It is guided by the guide surface 24 and the guide rib 33, inserted into the card insertion slot 4, and inserted into the card passage 21. At this time, since the front end 31 of the shutter 3 is in contact with one side of the magnetic card C and expands in the Y rotation direction, the card passage 21 communicating downward from the card insertion slot 4 is opened, The user is made to recognize the magnetic card C to slide vertically downward.

  As shown in FIG. 6C and FIG. 7C, while the magnetic card C is guided to the opened card passage 21 and is slid vertically downward, one side of the magnetic card C contacts the front end 31 of the shutter 3. The card path 21 is kept open against the urging force in the X direction in which the shutter 3 is closed. At this time, the magnetic stripe portion of the magnetic card C is brought into sliding contact with the magnetic head 22 provided in the card passage 21, and the data stored in the magnetic stripe is read.

  As shown in FIGS. 6D and 7D, when the magnetic card C is removed from the downstream end of the card path 21 at the lower part of the magnetic card reader 1, the shutter 3 is in the X direction centered on the shaft 32 (see FIG. 4A and the like). The card path 21 is closed so as to cover the front surface by the biasing force.

  As described above, in the magnetic card reader of the present invention, the shutter is widened only by inserting the magnetic card in the horizontal depth direction from the card insertion port provided in the front of the device, and the card insertion port. The card path communicating vertically downward is opened, and the magnetic card is slid vertically downward.

  This is a case where the magnetic card reader is installed in a vending machine or the like by a method of reading magnetic information while inserting the magnetic card horizontally from the front to the magnetic card reader and then sliding it vertically downward. However, the magnetic card passage can be protected from rain water that has flown from the front door of the vending machine.

  During standby, the shutter closes the front face of the card passage, so that rainwater and dust sprayed from the front face can be prevented from entering the apparatus. When the shutter is expanded, the shutter opens to the front while touching one side of the magnetic card, so that the rainwater adhering to the side surface of the card is scraped off to further prevent the rainwater from entering the inside of the device. it can.

  In addition, since the shutter is provided on the magnetic card reader side and the shutter is expanded by inserting the magnetic card, it is necessary to provide a roof and a cover on the housing side of the device in which the magnetic card reader is provided. There is no need to look under the roof or open the cover before inserting the magnetic card to check the insertion position when inserting the magnetic card.

  Furthermore, since the concave portion and the guide surface are formed on the left side of the card insertion slot and the guide rib is provided at the end portion on the front side of the shutter, it is easy to recognize the insertion position of the magnetic card. Since the card passage is opened by expanding the shutter, it is easy to recognize that the magnetic card is slid vertically downward.

  Therefore, when the magnetic card reader is installed in a vending machine or the like, a smooth operation of reading the magnetic card can be realized even if the mounting position is below. In addition, since the shutter does not expand even if a magnetic card is inserted from a place other than the card insertion slot, an erroneous operation can be prevented.

  As described above, the present invention can provide a swipe-type magnetic card reader that can be applied to a vending machine installed outdoors and that allows a user to easily read a magnetic card.

  The present invention can be used for a magnetic card reader having a magnetic stripe, for example, a magnetic card reader such as a credit card, a cash card, and a point card, and can be attached to an unattended device installed outdoors.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magnetic card reader 2 Main body 21 Card path 22 Magnetic head 23 Recessed part 24 Guide 25 Light emission part 3 Shutter 31 Front side edge part 32 Shaft 33 Guide rib 4 Card insertion slot 5 Stopper C Magnetic card

Claims (2)

A swipe magnetic card reader,
A card difference write port provided on the front upper portion of the magnetic card reader,
A slit-like card passage formed in a straight line in a vertical direction so that an upstream end communicates with the card insertion slot and a downstream end reaches the lower surface of the main body of the magnetic card reader ;
A shutter that covers the entire length of the front face of the card passage so as to be freely opened and closed;
The card insertion slot is provided in a recess formed on the front surface of the main body of the magnetic card reader, and a guide surface is formed between the recess and the card path,
The shutter is formed with guide ribs for guiding the magnetic card during expansion,
Further, the shutter is biased so as to cover the card path in a standby state, the end on the card insertion port side and the guide surface abut, and the magnetic card is inserted into the card insertion port. It is the magnetic card reader, characterized in that is provided so as to be widened in front of the contact with the magnetic card reader on one side of the magnetic card.   2. The horizontal distance between the end of the shutter on the card insertion slot side and the abutting portion of the guide surface and the center of the card path is 1.5 to 2.5 mm. The magnetic card reader described in 1.

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