JPH0614368B2 - Card reader with punch mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention is a card reader used for reading and writing information stored in magnetic cards used as coupons, gift certificates, cash vouchers and the like. Regarding
In particular, punch holes can be opened by the punch mechanism while transporting the magnetic card in the slit-shaped space,
The present invention relates to a card reader with a punch mechanism, in which a die for receiving a punch is integrated into a carrier base.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, a magnetic recording means is attached to a paper or plastic medium such as a credit card, a cash card, an identification card, etc., and various information is recorded on the magnetic recording means, and a certificate, a gift certificate, a cash voucher, etc. It is becoming more common for them to act on their behalf. A card reader must be used to read the information recorded in the magnetic recording means of the magnetic cards and to process and rewrite the read information. Further, in recent years, in order to issue public telephones and railway tickets, for example, magnetic cards called prepaid cards in which a fee is paid in advance and an amount commensurate with the fee has been written have been issued. With this magnetic card using the prepaid card method, the amount of money paid in advance is stored as magnetic information, and the amount of money used is subtracted each time the information is rewritten, and the magnetic card is used until the balance reaches zero. Is what you can do.

However, since the prepaid card may be illegally used by falsifying the magnetic information, a punch hole is opened in the magnetic card each time the card is used or when the available remaining amount is zero to prevent the illegal use. Therefore, it has been proposed to attach a punch mechanism to a card reader and open a punch hole at a predetermined position of a magnetic card.

In this conventional card reader with a punch mechanism, for example, No. 1982, No. 57970, No.
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 3, the C-shaped metal fitting is provided in the passage of the magnetic card, and the punch and the die are attached to the metal fitting. In this configuration, since the punch and the die are a unit, it is easy to position them, but the number of parts is large and the punch mechanism is bulky. Also, since the punch and die are provided separately,
It was necessary to form a fitting space in a part of the passage of the magnetic card.

Further, as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63385/1988, a main frame incorporating a coil is provided with a slit through which a magnetic card can pass by a card guide member having a fixed die, and a piercing pin is provided between the slits when the magnetic card passes. A configuration for opening a punch hole is also shown. However, in this configuration, a slit is formed in the mechanism assembled in a block shape, and a thin magnetic card must be inserted into this slit, which makes it difficult to move and insert the magnetic card.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

Thus, for a very thin prepaid card, a configuration has been proposed in which a narrow transfer space for moving the prepaid card is formed in the card reader.
Forming a dedicated space for mounting the above-mentioned C-shaped punch mechanism metal fittings in this narrow transfer space is unavoidable to increase the volume of the entire card reader. Also, when trying to thin the card reader, this punch mechanism causes a limit of height,
It was difficult to reduce the size.

[Means for solving problems]

In view of the above drawbacks, the present invention is a sliding base having a flat surface,
A pair of side guides that are erected parallel to the left and right sides of the surface of this sliding base and its length is almost the same as the width of the sliding base, and the lower surfaces of both ends are placed in contact with the side guides on both sides. The punch body with a flat bottom surface to be placed, a card drive mechanism consisting of a drive roller and a pressure contact roller that are pivotally supported so that the contact portion is almost at the same position as the upper surface of the slide base, and a slide It is composed of a magnetic read / write means provided on the base, and the rollers of the card drive mechanism sandwich the magnetic card from above and below to convey it on the sliding base to read the information on the magnetic card or write the information. It is possible to pass this magnetic card through the slit-shaped space formed between the upper surface of the sliding base and the lower surface of the punch body,
In a card reader with a punch mechanism that allows a punch body to open a punch hole at a predetermined location of a magnetic card when the magnetic card moves in a slit-shaped space, the punch body has a lower surface from the upper surface to a sliding base. Provide a punch that appears and emerges toward the magnetic card to open a punch hole,
The sliding base has a die hole in the center of which the punch is inserted, and a die embedded so that the surface height is the same as the upper surface height of the sliding base. The present invention provides a card reader with a punch mechanism.

[Action]

In the present invention, the upper surface of the sliding base is finished flat, and the magnetic card is inserted through this upper surface. Then, a die is embedded in a part of the upper surface of the sliding base, and the punch is received by this die. Therefore, by simply assembling the punch mechanism so as to face the upper surface of the slide base, the slide base acts to receive the force applied to the die, and functions as both a magnetic card transport and a die receiver. it can. In addition, since the punch body is supported by the side guides standing upright on the left and right sides of the sliding base, and a thin slit-shaped passage is formed by the upper surface of the sliding base and the lower surface of the punch body, the magnetic card is When the upper surface is moved, the flat surface is guided as it is to the lower surface of the punch body.

〔Example〕

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example in which the card reader of the present invention is actually applied. In this example, a video game device which can be operated by a magnetic card without using coins is shown.

In this embodiment, the video game machine 1 is well known in the related art, a CRT display is fixed to the center of the upper surface thereof, and an operation for controlling a screen selection, a start, etc. on the upper surface of a side control box. A switch 2 is attached, and a control lever 3 for controlling a character on the screen is projected near the operation switch 2.

A card processing machine 4 is fixed to the side surface of the video game machine 1, and the card reader of this embodiment is housed in the card processing machine 4. A magnetic stripe is attached to a part of the magnetic card 5, and information such as the amount of money corresponding to the amount paid in advance is magnetically recorded on the magnetic stripe. By inserting this magnetic card 5 into the card processing machine 4, the information recorded in the magnetic card 5 is read, and the card processing machine 4 judges the permission of the game, the remaining number of times of use, etc., and the video game machine. 1 can be licensed.

It should be noted that although the video game machine 1 is described in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the vending machine, public telephone,
It goes without saying that the magnetic card 5 can also be used in a ticket issuing machine or the like.

Next, FIG. 2 and subsequent drawings show the main body of the card reader housed in the card processing machine 4, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a unit constituting the card reader, and FIG. 3 is a side view. Fig. 4, Fig. 4 is a front view, Fig. 5 is a plan view, Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the length direction, and Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view.

This card reader is roughly divided into a slender three-dimensional rail body 11, side plates 12 and 13 formed of sheet metal and the like fixed to the side surfaces of the rail body 11, and a rail body 11 respectively.
Front lid 14 which is covered and fixed from above the rail, and the rail body
The punch body 16 fixed at a slightly central portion of the rail 11, the rear lid body 15 which is covered and fixed from above the rail body 11, and the slit fixed on the front surface of the rail body 11 for inserting the magnetic card 5 are provided. It consists of a front panel 17.

This rail body 11 is formed by shaving a piece of metal,
Alternatively, it has a structure integrally formed by casting or the like, and a sliding base 21 having a flat shape is formed on most of its upper surface, and the sliding base 21 is parallel to the left and right sides. Thus, the pair of side surface guides 22, 23, 24, 25 are erected and fixed. The inner walls of the side guides 22 and 23 are parallel to each other, and the distance between them is set to be slightly wider than the width of the magnetic card 5. Similarly, the inner walls of the side guides 24, 25 are parallel to each other, and the distance between them is set to be slightly wider than the width of the magnetic card 5.

Further, between the side guides 22 and 24, a side guide 65 having a height lower than that of the side guides 22 and 24 is erected.
A side guide 66 having a lower height than the side guides 23 and 25 stands between the side walls 25 and 25. The inner walls of the side guides 65 and 66 are parallel to each other, and the distance between them is set to be slightly wider than the width of the magnetic card 5. This rail body 11 has its sliding base
A roller hole 26 that opens vertically is formed through the front (left side in FIG. 7) of the sliding base 21 so that it opens on the surface of 21, and on the rear side (right side in FIG. 7) of the sliding base 21. A roller hole 27 is vertically penetrated and opened, and a head hole 28 is vertically penetrated and opened at a side portion of the roller hole 27. Further, a die 29 for punching action is fixed at a position deviated to the side surface at the center of the sliding base 21.

Further, at the positions on the surface of the sliding base 21 which are deviated toward the side guides 22 and 24, the detection holes 30, 31, 32, and 33 opened and opened at intervals are vertically penetrated. It has been opened. The detection holes 30, 31, 32, and 33 are for passing light from the light emitting diodes, respectively.

Next, a roller hole 34 that is opened vertically is formed in substantially the center of the front lid body 14, and light receiving holes 35 and 36 are formed through the front and rear sides before and after approaching the side surface of the front lid body 14. This light receiving hole 3
Reference numerals 5 and 36 are for fixing the photodiode and receiving light.

Further, a roller hole 37 is also vertically penetrated and opened at substantially the center of the rear lid body 15, and a pressure contact hole 38 is penetrated and opened near the side surface of the roller hole 37. Further, light receiving holes 39, 40 are formed in the side surface of the rear lid 15 in the front-rear direction so as to be vertically opened, and photodiodes are exposed to the light receiving holes 39, 40 to detect light. Is. The punch body 16 is located between the front lid body 14 and the rear lid body 15, and is formed of one block.
It has a solenoid lever and the like inside and operates to reciprocate the punch with respect to the die 29, and the entire length thereof is substantially matched with the width of the rail body 11.

Axial holes 42 and 43 are opened through the front and rear sides of the side plate 12, respectively. Further, shaft holes 44 and 45 are opened in the front and rear intermediate portions of the side plate 13, and L-shaped fixing channels 46 are fixed to the lower front and rear of the side plate 13. A shaft 47 is rotatably bridged between the shaft holes 42 and 44, and an elongated shaft 48 is rotatably bridged between the shaft holes 43 and 45. Pulleys 49 and 50 are fixed to the ends of the shafts 47 and 48, and a belt 51 is wound between the pulleys 49 and 50. And shaft 47
A drive roller 52 is fixed in the middle of the drive roller 52, and the drive roller 52 is pivotally supported so that its lower surface projects from the opening of the roller hole 34 toward the sliding base 21.

A drive roller 53 is fixed to the center of the shaft 48, and the lower surface of the drive roller 53 is projected from the opening of the roller hole 37 toward the sliding base 21. At the same time, a pressing roller 54 formed of an elastic material such as rubber is loosely fitted on the shaft 48 and rotatably supported on the shaft 48. The pressing roller 54 slides from the opening of the pressure contact hole 38. It is projected toward the base 21.

Next, a nipping roller 55 is projected from the lower surface of the rail body 11 so as to face the roller hole 26.
Is elastically pushed upward by a spring (not shown), and the drive roller 52 and the nipping roller 55 are axially supported so that they are always in contact with each other at a constant pressure. Further, a nipping roller 56 is projected from the lower surface of the rail body 11 so as to face the roller hole 27, and the nipping roller 56 is biased upward by a spring (not shown) to drive the driving roller 53. The nip roller 56 is pivotally supported so that it is always in contact with a constant pressure. A magnetic card 57 projects from the lower surface of the rail body 11 in the head hole 28, and the magnetic card 57 is always in contact with the outer circumference of the pressing roller 54.

Further, a shaft hole 58 is opened in the center of the side plate 13, and a motor 59 fixed to the side plate 13 is located in the shaft hole 58 above the rail body 11, that is, above the front lid body 14. The output shaft of is projected. A pulley 60 is rotatably supported on the output shaft of the motor 59, and a pulley 61 having a large diameter is fixed to an end of the shaft 48 protruding outward of the side plate 13. A belt 62 is laid between and 61.

Next, FIG. 9 shows a combination of the rail body 11 and the punch body 16. The inner side walls of the side surface guides 22, 65, 24 are located at the same position, and their upper surfaces are lowered so that the side surface guide 65 has a step. The inner side walls of the side surface guides 23, 66, 25 are located on the same plane, and their upper surfaces are lowered so that the side surface guide 66 has a step. The punch body 16 has a rectangular outer shape, the width thereof is substantially the same as the length of the side guides 65 and 66, and the total length is approximately the distance from the outside of the side guide 65 to the outside of the side guide 66. The same, and the length direction of the punch body 16 is the rail body.
The two are combined by fitting them into the recesses of the side guides 65, 66 at right angles to the lengthwise direction of 11. At this time, the lower surfaces of both ends of the punch body 16 are supported by the side surface guides 65 and 66, and a vertically narrow space is formed between the upper surface of the rail body 11 and the lower surface of the punch body 16.

Both corners of the lower surface of the punch body 16 are chamfered obliquely to form chamfered portions 67 and 68. The chamfered portions 67 and 68 facilitate the introduction of the magnetic card 5 into the lower surface of the punch body 16. A punch hole 69 through which the punch appears and disappears is opened on the lower surface of the punch body 16. A die hole 70 into which a punch is inserted is opened at the center of the die 29 embedded in the rail body 11.

FIG. 10 shows a structure for fitting the above-mentioned die 29. A pedestal 80 having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the die 29 is formed by cutting in a position near the center of the sliding base 21 and biased to the side guide 65, and the pedestal 80 slides in the center of the pedestal 80. A discharge port 81, which penetrates the upper and lower sides of the base 21 and discharges punch scraps, is opened. The inner diameter of the discharge port 81 is formed larger than the inner diameter of the die hole 70. A cylindrical skirt portion 83 is connected to the lower surface of the sliding base 21 so as to surround the discharge port 81.

And FIG. 11 shows a cross section taken along the line XX in FIG. The punch body 16 is composed of a metal suction part 71 and a plastic punch cover 72.
72 is in contact with the suction unit 71 so as to cover the upper surface thereof. A coil 73 is wound around the center of the inside of the suction portion 71, and a punch hole 69 that penetrates vertically is opened on the left side in the drawing,
A step is formed inside the punch hole 69.

A coiled spring 74 is inserted into the punch hole 69, and a stepped punch body 75 is slidably inserted, and the tip of the punch body 75 is processed to have a small diameter. It is a punch 76, and this punch 76 can be projected and withdrawn below the punch hole 69. The punch cover 72 has a hollow shape with its inside cut away, and on the right side of the drawing, a fulcrum rod made of rubber or the like with a circular cross section is formed.
77 is held, and a cushion material 78 formed of rubber or the like is embedded on the left side in the figure.

An elongated cantilever 79 is located in the internal space between the suction portion 71 and the punch cover 72, and the right upper surface of the cantilever 79 is combined with the fulcrum rod 77 and slidably held. There is. Then, the upper end of the punch body 75 is in contact with the lower left side surface of the cantilever 79, and the cushion material 78 is in contact with the upper left side surface of the cantilever 79, and the cantilever 79 is always in contact with the cushion material 78 when not operating. Has been.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

Each member is assembled from the state shown in FIG. Before this assembly, the die 29 is fitted into the pedestal 80, and the die 29 is fixed to the sliding base 21 by caulking the surface of the sliding base 21 and the periphery of the pedestal 80. Sliding base 21 after caulking and fixing
The surface of the die and the surface of the die 29 are adjusted to the same level, and both surfaces are processed flat. Then, the front lid body 14 and the rear lid body 15 are brought into contact with each other from the upper surface direction of the rail body 11 so as to cover the front lid body 14, and the front lid body 14 is mounted so as to be held at the upper ends of the side guides 22 and 23 on both sides, and then screwed. Etc.

Further, the rear lid body 15 is fixed so as to be placed on the upper ends of the side surface guides 24 and 25, and is fixed with screws or the like. The punch body 16 is placed on the upper ends of the side guides 65 and 66, and a space is formed between the lower surface of the punch body 16 and the upper surface of the sliding base 21 to allow the magnetic card 5 to pass through on the lower surface. In the center of the upper surface of the rail body 11, the rail body 11 is bridged like a bridge to be placed and fixed.

Next, the left and right side plates 12 and 13 of the rail body 11 are brought into close contact with each other at right angles to the plane of the rail body 11, and they are fixed by screws or the like. This makes the rail body 1
1, the side plates 12 and 13 form a three-dimensional block. Then, insert the shafts 47 and 48 into the shaft holes 42 and 43, respectively, and insert the drive roller 52 into the shaft 47,
The shaft 47 is inserted up to the shaft holes 42 and 44. Then, it is fixed to the drive roller 47 by screwing or the like.

The shaft 48 has a driving roller 53 and a pressing roller 54.
Are inserted, and when the tip of the shaft 48 reaches the shaft hole 45, the drive roller 53 is fixed to the shaft 48 with a screw or the like. At this time, the pressing roller 54 is not screwed or the like, but is held by allowing it to freely rotate with respect to the shaft 48. Then, set the motor 59 to the side plate 13
The belt 62 is stretched between the pulleys 60 and 61, and the belt 51 is stretched between the pulleys 49 and 50 on the side surfaces of the shafts 47 and 48. Finally rail body 11, side plate 13
A front panel 17 made of plastic is fitted from the front of the front panel, and the front panel 17 is fixed to the rail body 11. Further, the nipping rollers 55 and 56 are elastically held from below the rail body 11 and are axially supported so as to protrude from the roller holes 26 and 27 and come into contact with the drive rollers 52 and 53, respectively. Further, the magnetic head 57 is projected from the head hole 28,
The pressing roller 54 is kept in contact with this. By these steps, a set of card readers that become a unit will be assembled.

Then, in this assembled state, the rail body 11
Since the flat front lid 14 and the rear lid 15 are fixed above the slightly U-shaped cross section, the upper surface of the sliding base 21 and the front lid 14, the rear lid 15, and the punch body are fixed. A thin slit-like space is formed between the lower surface of 16 and the lower surface. The upper and lower thicknesses of this slit-shaped space are set to be two to three times as thick as the magnetic card 5. For this reason, a groove having the shape of the width of the extremely thin magnetic card 5 is formed, and the magnetic card 5 has side guides 22, 23, 24, 2 on both side surfaces thereof.
Since it slides while contacting 5, 65, 66, the flatness can be maintained and it can move.

When the magnetic card 5 is moved, if the magnetic card 5 is inserted through the slit A opened on the front surface of the front panel 17, the insertion is detected, the motor 59 is driven, and the pulley 60, the belt 62, and the pulley 61 are passed. Rotating shaft 48
The rotation of the shaft 48 is transmitted to the pulley 50 and the belt 5
1, transmitted to the shaft 47 via the pulley 49. Therefore, the drive rollers 52 and 53 rotate in the same direction,
The inserted magnetic card 5 is held between the driving roller 52 and the holding roller 55 and pulled inward in the card reader. Then, the magnetic card 5 sent inside is further sandwiched by the driving roller 53 and the sandwiching roller 56, and can be further transported inward of the card reader. In this case, the magnetic card 5 is pressed by the driving rollers 52, 53 and the nipping rollers 55, 56 from the top and bottom, respectively, in only one place near the center of the magnetic card 5, so that the magnetic card 5 can be smoothly conveyed without being forced. Is something that can be done.

FIG. 8 schematically shows the structure when the magnetic card 5 is conveyed. The drive roller 52 and the nipping roller 55 described above are in contact with each other at their outer circumferences, and at the same time, the drive roller 53
And the nipping roller 56 are also elastically in contact with each other, and the sliding base 21, the side guide 22, with the driving roller 52, the nipping roller 55 and the driving roller 53, and the nipping roller 56 in contact with each other as a substantially central position. The conveyance path B formed by 23, 24, 25 and the front lid body 14 and the rear lid body 15 is extremely thin in the vertical height and has a space shape whose width is almost the same as the width of the magnetic card 5.
Is formed, and the magnetic card 5 slides on the transport path B. In this sliding operation, the magnetic card 5 is transported back and forth due to the rolling force of the drive roller 52 and the sandwiching roller 55 and the rolling force of the drive roller 53 and the sandwiching roller 56.

During this transportation, a magnetic stripe is attached to the back surface of the magnetic card 5, and the magnetic head is attached to this magnetic stripe.
When the magnetic head 57 and the magnetic card 5 come into contact with each other, the pressing roller 54 comes into contact with the surface of the magnetic card 5, and the pressing roller 54 rotates according to the transfer of the magnetic card 5. The magnetic card 5 is pressed against the magnetic head 57 with an appropriate pressure to urge the information to be accurately read and written.

When the magnetic head 5 passes through the transport path B and approaches the punch body 16, the magnetic card 5 is guided by the chamfered portion 67 and is introduced to the lower surface of the punch body 16 to move. When the magnetic card 5 is located on the lower surface of the punch body 16, a predetermined amount of movement is set and the coil 73 is simultaneously pressed.
Punching operation is performed by applying a starting current to the. Therefore, electromagnetic force is generated in the suction portion 71, and the cantilever 79 swings around the fulcrum rod 77 in the 73 direction. When the cantilever 79 swings, the punch body 75 is pushed into the punch hole 69 and the spring 74
It moves downward in FIG. 10 against. And punch body
When 75 slides in the punch hole 69, the punch 76 projects downward from the punch hole 69 and enters the die hole 70.

As a result, the punch 76 penetrates the magnetic card 5 inserted between the upper surface of the sliding base 21 and the lower surface of the punch body 16,
A hole having the inner diameter of the punch 76 is opened in the magnetic card 5,
It indicates that the magnetic card 5 has been used,
Depending on the position, the remaining capacity will be indicated. The punch scraps of the magnetic card 5 which have been penetrated by the punch 76 pass through the discharge port 81 and are discharged downward.

〔The invention's effect〕

Since the present invention is configured as described above, since the die is embedded and fixed on the surface of the sliding base for transferring the magnetic card, the punching function can be achieved only by facing the punching mechanism to the sliding base. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced. Also, to fix the die on the sliding base,
Even when a punch hole is opened in a thin prepaid card, the opening operation can be reliably performed without deforming the magnetic card. Since a thin slit-shaped opening is formed by the sliding base for moving the magnetic card and the punch, the magnetic card is guided from the sliding base to the lower surface of the punch as it is, and the thin magnetic card is reliably slit. Can be inserted into the opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a game machine in which a card reader is housed and a game can be licensed by a magnetic card.
2 is a perspective view showing a unit of a card reader which is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a side view of the same as above, FIG. 4 is a front view of the same as above, FIG. The figure is a side sectional view showing a structure cut in the same length direction as the above, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of each part, FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the form of the transport path and the positional relationship of the rollers, and FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing a combination of a rail body and a punch body, FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of a die of a sliding base, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 11 …… Rail body, 21 …… Sliding base, 22, 23, 24, 25 …… Side guide, 14 …… Front lid body, 15 …… Rear lid body, 16 …… Punch body, 12, 13 …… Side plate, 69 ... Punch hole, 76 ... Punch, 2
9 …… die, 70 …… die hole, 80 …… pedestal, 81 …… outlet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sliding base having a flat surface, a pair of side guides standing parallel to each other on the right and left sides of the surface of the sliding base, and the length thereof is substantially the same as the width of the sliding base, A punch body with a flat bottom surface that is placed by contacting the bottom surfaces of both ends with the side guides on both sides, and a drive that is pivotally supported so that the contact part is almost at the same position as the top surface of the sliding base. It consists of a card drive mechanism consisting of a roller and a pressure contact roller, and magnetic read / write means provided on the sliding base. Both rollers of the card drive mechanism sandwich the magnetic card from above and below to convey it on the sliding base. Information can be read or written on the magnetic card by passing it through a slit-shaped space formed between the upper surface of the sliding base and the lower surface of the punch body. The space of In a card reader with a punch mechanism that allows a punch to open a punch hole at a predetermined location on the magnetic card when moving, the punch body appears on the magnetic card by protruding from the bottom surface of the punch body toward the top surface of the sliding base. A punch for opening a punch hole is provided, a die hole into which the punch is inserted is opened in the center of the sliding base, and the height of the surface is embedded so as to be the same as the upper surface of the sliding base. A card reader with a punch mechanism that features a built-in die.