JP7479963B2 - Card Readers and Transaction Devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a card reader and transaction device that performs at least one of reproducing and recording information on a card inserted through a card insertion slot.

Card readers have devices such as a magnetic head that reproduce information from a card inserted through a card insertion slot, and are installed in various transaction devices such as ATMs and POS terminals. Transaction devices may also be equipped with a handheld code imaging unit that captures one-dimensional or two-dimensional codes (see Patent Document 1). In the transaction device described in Patent Document 1, the magnetic head reproduces information from an ID card held by an operator, and the code imaging unit captures an image of the barcode recorded on the ID card held by the operator.

JP 2016-126577 A

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of payments using two-dimensional codes in addition to payments using cards, such as payments based on two-dimensional codes displayed on smartphones at transaction devices such as cash registers. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, a handheld code imaging unit is sometimes provided in a transaction device having a card reader. However, when a handheld code imaging unit is used, the code imaging unit and the smartphone are each held in the hand, which is inconvenient. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a fixed code imaging unit in the transaction device, but since the transaction device needs to be provided with a display device in addition to a card reader, there is a problem in that there is no room for a fixed code imaging unit in the transaction device.

In view of the above problems, the objective of the present invention is to provide a card reader and transaction device that can be equipped with a fixed code imaging unit.

To solve the above problems, the card reader of the present invention is characterized by having a cover member with a card insertion slot, a device arranged inside the cover member that performs at least one of reproducing and recording information on a card inserted through the card insertion slot, and a fixed code imaging unit arranged below the card insertion slot on the cover member that images a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code.

In the present invention, taking advantage of the fact that there is ample space below the card insertion slot, the code imaging unit is fixed below the card insertion slot. Therefore, even if there is no ample space above or to the sides of the card insertion slot, a fixed code imaging unit can be provided. Furthermore, unlike handheld code imaging units, a fixed code imaging unit is easy to use, as it does not need to be held in the hand.

In the present invention, the code imaging unit may be fixed facing forward. In the present invention, the code imaging unit may be provided facing diagonally downward toward the front.

In the present invention, the cover member may include a flange portion and a protruding portion protruding forward from the flange portion, and the code imaging unit may be provided on the front surface of the protruding portion.

In the present invention, an embodiment may be adopted in which the cover member includes a flange portion and a protruding portion protruding forward from the flange portion, and the code imaging unit is provided below the protruding portion.

In the present invention, the card insertion slot may be open toward the front.

The card reader to which this invention is applied is used in a transaction device.

A transaction device according to another aspect of the present invention has a card reader equipped with a device for at least one of reproducing and recording information on a card inserted through a card insertion port, which is provided inside a cover member having the card insertion port, and an operation surface on the front side of which the card insertion port is exposed, and is characterized in that a fixed code imaging unit for imaging a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code is provided below the operation surface.

In the present invention, taking advantage of the fact that there is ample space below the card insertion slot, the code imaging unit is fixed below the card insertion slot. Therefore, even if there is no ample space above or to the sides of the card insertion slot, a fixed code imaging unit can be provided. Furthermore, unlike handheld code imaging units, a fixed code imaging unit is easy to use, as it does not need to be held in the hand.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device equipped with a card reader according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a card reader according to a first embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above and in front; FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of the card reader shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device equipped with a card reader according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a card reader according to a second embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above and in front. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device equipped with a card reader according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The card reader 1 and transaction device 100 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to below, the left-right direction will be indicated with Y, the front-rear direction with X, and the up-down direction with Z. The left side will be indicated with Y1, the right side with Y2, the rear side with X1, the front side with X2, the upper side with Z1, and the lower side with Z2.

[Embodiment 1]
(overall structure)
Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device 100 equipped with a card reader 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the card reader 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above and in front. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic cross section of the card reader 1 shown in Fig. 2. Note that the case 22 is omitted from Fig. 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transaction device 100 is a device such as an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) or a POS (Point Of Sale) terminal, and has a card reader 1, which will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and an operation surface 110 on which the card insertion slot 20 of the card reader 1 is exposed at the front. The operation surface 110 is provided with a display panel, etc.

The card reader 1 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is a device for at least one of reading data recorded on a card C and recording magnetic data on the card C while, for example, a user manually moves the card C. Specifically, the card reader 1 is a so-called dip-type card reader that reads and records magnetic data when the card C is inserted into the card reader 1 or when the card C is removed from the card reader 1, and is used by being mounted on a higher-level transaction device 100 such as an ATM or POS terminal. In such a card reader 1, the card C is inserted from the front toward the rear X1 and removed to the front X2.

The card reader 1 has a cover member 2 with a card insertion port 20, and a device 6 is provided inside the cover member 2 for at least one of reproducing and recording information from a card C inserted through the card insertion port 20. In this embodiment, the device 6 is a magnetic head for at least one of reproducing and recording magnetic information from the card C. The device 6 may also be an IC antenna for communicating with an IC mounted on the card C. The cover member 2 has a bezel 21 with the card insertion port 20 and a case 22 with the bezel 21 connected to its front end, and the bezel 21 covers the case 22 from the front X2.

Card C is, for example, a rectangular vinyl chloride card with a thickness of about 0.7 to 0.8 mm, and a magnetic stripe on which magnetic data is recorded is formed on the bottom surface C1 of card C. An IC chip is also fixed to the top surface C2 of card C. In other words, card C in this embodiment is a contact IC card with a magnetic stripe. Note that a communications antenna may also be built into card C. In other words, card C may be a non-contact IC card with a magnetic stripe. In this case, a magnetic head and an IC antenna are provided as device 6.

The front end of the cover member 2 is substantially U-shaped when viewed from the top and bottom so that the user can hold the card C even when inserted into the card reader 1. More specifically, the bezel 21 has a flange 25 for fixing the card reader 1 to the transaction device 100 and two protrusions 23 and 24 protruding from the flange 25 toward the front X2, and the protrusions 23 and 24 are spaced apart in the left-right direction Y. Each of the two protrusions 23 and 24 forms a part of the card insertion port 20 and a part of the card passage 8. When the card reader 1 is fixed to the transaction device 100, the protrusions 23 and 24 protrude forward from the operation surface 110, and the card insertion port 20 is exposed in front of the operation surface 110. In this embodiment, the card insertion port 20 opens toward the front X2.

The device 6 is positioned inside the protruding portion 24 of the bezel 21 so as to face the card passage 8 from below, and can contact the magnetic stripe formed on the lower surface C1 of the card C.

Inside the cover member 2, a card passage 8 extends rearward X1 from the card insertion slot 20, and inside the cover member 2, there are provided an IC contact 4 that contacts an IC chip fixed to the card C to exchange data, and a removal prevention lever 5 that prevents the inserted card C from being removed. Inside the cover member 2, there are provided an optical sensor 10 for detecting the insertion of the card C, and an optical sensor 11 for detecting that the rear end of the card C has reached the rear end side of the card reader 1. In addition, an infrared sensor 12 for detecting human movement is provided on the front portion of the cover member 2.

The IC contacts 4 are fixed to the IC contact block 40, and the lower end of a lever member 44 is rotatably attached to each of the front and rear ends of the IC contact block 40. The upper end of the lever member 44 is rotatably supported. In addition, the rear end of a tension coil spring 45 is attached to the front end of the IC contact block 40. The front end of the tension coil spring 45 is fixed, and the IC contact block 40 is biased forward in the direction X2 by the tension coil spring 45.

In this embodiment, when the rear end of the card C abuts against the card abutment portion 41 formed at the rear end of the IC contact block 40, the lever member 44 rotates with its upper end as a fulcrum, and the IC contact block 40 moves downward Z2 while moving backward X1. As a result, the IC contact 4 comes into contact with the IC chip fixed to the upper surface C2 of the card C. When the card C is pulled out in this state, the biasing force of the tension coil spring 45 causes the IC contact block 40 to move upward Z1 while moving forward X2, and the IC contact 4 retracts from the card passage 8.

The removal prevention lever 5 is connected to a solenoid (not shown). The removal prevention lever 5 can rotate around a fixed shaft 50. A closing portion 51 that closes the card passage 8 is formed at the front end of the removal prevention lever 5. The removal prevention lever 5 rotates around the fixed shaft 50 to close the front end side of the card passage 8 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and also to open the card passage 8 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2.

In this embodiment, during standby when the infrared sensor 12 does not detect human movement, the closing portion 51 of the removal prevention lever 5 closes the card passage 8, and the card C cannot be inserted into the card reader 1. In this state, when the infrared sensor 12 detects human movement, the removal prevention lever 5 opens the card passage 8, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2, to allow the insertion of the card C. Furthermore, when the card C is inserted and the rear end of the card C reaches the rear end side of the card reader 1, the closing portion 51 closes the card passage 8. Closing the card passage 8 by the closing portion 51 prevents the card C from being removed when data is being read or recorded between the IC contact 4 and the IC chip.

(Configuration of the code imaging unit 76)
In the card reader 1 and transaction device 100 of this embodiment, the cover member 2 is provided with a fixed code imaging unit 7 below the card insertion slot 20, and the code imaging unit 7 images a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code displayed on a smartphone D or the like. Therefore, transactions such as settlement and fund transfer can be performed based on the one-dimensional code or the two-dimensional code displayed on the smartphone D or the like. In this embodiment, the code imaging unit 7 is fixed facing forward. More specifically, the code imaging unit 7 is provided on the front surface of the protruding portion 24 of the cover member 2 facing forward in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the card reader 1 can output information reproduced from the card C and code information displayed on the smartphone D or the like to the control unit of the transaction device 100 via the interface.

(Main effects of this embodiment)
As described above, in the card reader 1 and transaction device 100 of this embodiment, focusing on the fact that there is a space below the card insertion slot 20, the code imaging unit 7 is fixed below the card insertion slot 20. Therefore, even if there is no space above or to the sides of the card insertion slot 20, a fixed code imaging unit 7 can be provided. Furthermore, unlike a handheld code imaging unit, the fixed code imaging unit 7 is easy to use, for example, because it is not necessary to hold the code imaging unit 7 in one's hand.

[Embodiment 2]
Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device 100 equipped with a card reader 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the card reader 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from diagonally above the front. Note that since the basic configuration of this embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts and their description will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, the protrusions 23 and 24 of the cover member 2 protruded forward from the flange portion 25. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the protrusions 23 and 24 provided on the card insertion slot 20 are provided rearward of the flange portion 25, and a protrusion 26 that protrudes forward X2 is provided on the front surface of the protrusion 24 at a position below the card insertion slot 20. Therefore, the protrusion 26 protrudes forward X2 from the flange portion 25. Therefore, when the card reader 1 is installed on the transaction device 100 via the flange portion 25, the protrusion 26 protrudes forward from the operation surface 110.

Here, the protrusion 26 is provided with a fixed code imaging unit 7 facing diagonally downward toward the front. More specifically, the protrusion 26 has a slope 261 facing diagonally upward toward the front and a slope 262 facing diagonally downward toward the front, and the code imaging unit 7 is provided on the slope 262 facing diagonally downward toward the front.

This configuration provides the same effect as in embodiment 1, such as being able to provide a fixed code imaging unit 7 even when there is no space above or to the sides of the card insertion slot 20. In addition, the protrusion 26 that protrudes forward from the operation surface 110 is smaller than the protrusion in embodiment 1, and the code imaging unit 7 is provided on the forward, downwardly slanted surface 262 of the protrusion 26. This has the advantage that it is difficult to attach a skimming device that illegally accesses the card C to the front of the operation surface 110.

[Embodiment 3]
6 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device 100 equipped with a card reader 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts and their description will be omitted.

The card reader 1 shown in FIG. 6 is similar to that of the first embodiment, except for the location of the code imaging unit 7. Specifically, in this embodiment, the code imaging unit 7 is fixed diagonally downward and forward to a corner portion 250 formed by the flange portion 25 and the underside of the protruding portion 24 that protrudes forward from the flange portion 25.

This configuration provides the same effect as in embodiment 1, such as being able to provide a fixed code imaging unit 7 even when there is no space above or to the sides of the card insertion slot 20. In addition, because the code imaging unit 7 is provided below the protruding portion 26 that protrudes forward from the operation surface 110, there is an advantage that a skimming device that illegally accesses the card C is difficult to attach in front of the operation surface 110.

[Embodiment 4]
7 is an explanatory diagram of a transaction device 100 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts and the description thereof will be omitted.

The transaction device 100 shown in FIG. 7 does not include a code imaging unit 7 in the card reader 1.
This embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that the code imaging unit 7 is provided on the operation surface 110 of the transaction device 100. Specifically, in this embodiment, the code imaging unit 7 is fixed to a portion of the operation surface 110 that is located below the card reader 1 with the forward direction X2 facing the operation surface 110.

This configuration provides the same advantages as in embodiment 1, such as being able to provide a fixed code imaging unit 7 even when there is not enough space above or to the sides of the card insertion slot 20.

[Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, a dip-type card reader 1 in which magnetic data is recorded when the card C is manually moved is exemplified, but the present invention may be applied to a card reader 1 or a transaction device 100 in which the card C inserted into the card insertion slot 20 is transported to the back by a roller transport mechanism or the like. Also, in the above embodiment, the card insertion slot 20 opens toward the front X2, but the present invention may be applied to a card reader 1 or a transaction device 100 in which the card insertion slot 20 opens toward the upper side.

1...card reader, 2...cover member, 4...IC contact, 6...device, 7...code imaging section, 8...card passage, 12...infrared sensor, 20...card insertion port, 21...bezel, 22...case, 23, 24, 26...protrusion, 25...flange, 100...transaction device, 110...operation surface, 250...corner, 261, 262...slope, C...card, D...smartphone

Claims (8)

A cover member having a card insertion port;
a device disposed inside the cover member, the device performing at least one of reproducing and recording information on the card inserted through the card insertion port;
a fixed code imaging unit provided in the cover member below the card insertion slot and configured to image a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code;
A card reader comprising: 2. The card reader according to claim 1,
The card reader is characterized in that the code imaging unit is fixed facing forward. 3. The card reader according to claim 2,
The card reader is characterized in that the code imaging unit is provided facing diagonally downward toward the front. The card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The cover member includes a flange portion and a protruding portion protruding forward from the flange portion,
The card reader is characterized in that the code imaging portion is provided on a front surface of the protruding portion. The card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The cover member includes a flange portion and a protruding portion protruding forward from the flange portion,
The card reader is characterized in that the code imaging portion is provided below the protrusion. The card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The card reader is characterized in that the card insertion slot opens forward. A transaction device comprising a card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A transaction device having a card reader provided with a device for at least one of reproducing and recording information on a card inserted through a card insertion port inside a cover member having the card insertion port, and an operation surface having the card insertion port exposed on the front side,
A transaction device characterized in that a fixed code imaging unit that images a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code is provided below the operation surface.

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