Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-11
2004-12-14
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
active
06830182
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a magnetic head used in a magnetic reader.
A magnetic head of a magnetic reader adapted to read out data stored on a magnetic storage medium is well known. An example of a conventional magnetic head as is used for a magnetic card reader
70
will be described hereunder in reference to FIG.
7
. The magnetic card reader
70
reads data from a magnetic stripe of the magnetic card
71
through a magnetic head
72
coming in contact with a surface of the magnetic card
71
passing through a guide groove (not shown) of the magnetic card reader
70
. The magnetic card reader
70
comprises the magnetic head
72
, an A/D converter
74
connected to the magnetic head
72
via an interface cable
73
and a control unit
76
connected to the A/D converter
74
via an interface cable
75
.
The magnetic head
72
has a core and a coil wound around the core. The control unit
76
is a computer having a CPU, a memory, a hard disc, a CD-ROM drive and a floppy disc drive. Though not shown, a display (display device), a keyboard (input device) and a printer (output device) are connected to the control unit
76
via interface cables.
As the magnetic card
71
with the magnetic stripe passes through the guide groove of the magnetic card reader
70
by the distal end (core gap) of the magnetic head
72
, a magnetic flux changes around the core and thereby an induced electromotive force is generated so that an electric current flows in the coil to cancel a variation of the magnetic flux. The current flows from the coil to the A/D converter
74
via the interface cable
73
and is detected by the A/D converter as analog signals. The A/D converter
74
converts the analog signals input from the magnetic head
72
to corresponding digital signals. The digital signals are output from the A/D converter
74
to the control unit
76
via the interface cable
75
. The control unit
76
amplifies the digital signals and outputs the digital signals via the display and/or the printer in the form of character data and/or print data, respectively. Furthermore, the control unit
76
stores the data in the form of digital signals in its memory.
The magnetic card reader is generally classified into the reader of manual slide type in which the magnetic card is manually moved along a guide groove and the reader of electric motor-driven insertion type in which the magnetic card inserted into a card inlet is moved by a driving belt or a driving roller.
With the magnetic card reader
70
shown in
FIG. 7
, if any devices are connected to the interface cables
73
,
75
, it is possible that the analog signals through the magnetic head
72
might be illegally read out via the cable
73
or the digital signals converted by the A/D converter
74
might be read out via the cable
75
. It is also possible that the data stored in the memory might be illegally read out via the cables
73
,
75
. Both writing and reading data in and from the magnetic card are relatively easy in view of the method of recording on the magnetic card. Accordingly, the magnetic card would be easily duplicated using the data in the form of analog or digital signals which is illegally read out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a magnetic head for a magnetic reader improved so as to make it difficult for others to read out data illegally in the process of reading data from a magnetic storage medium and so as to encrypt the data in order to make the data unavailable to others even if the data is illegally read out.
According to this invention, there is provided a magnetic head of a magnetic reader adapted to read data from a magnetic storage medium.
The magnetic head comprises a core with a coil adapted to sense the data stored on the storage medium in the form of analog signals, an A/D converter chip electrically connected to the coil and adapted to convert the analog signals to corresponding digital signals and an IC electrically connected to the A/D converter chip and adapted to encrypt the digital signals.
This invention includes the following embodiments. The magnetic head further comprises a housing defining an outer peripheral surface of the magnetic head and containing therein the core, the A/D converter chip and the IC.
The A/D converter chip and the IC are fixed within the housing by means of a synthetic resin.
The magnetic reader includes a node terminal adapted to decrypt the digital signals having been encrypted by the IC and electrically connected to the IC of the magnetic head.
The IC is selected from a group including a microprocessor, a gate array, a field programmable gate array and a dedicated hard ware.
The magnetic storage medium is a magnetic card and the magnetic reader is a magnetic card reader.
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patent: 4879607 (1989-11-01), Redemacher
patent: 4883949 (1989-11-01), Kokubo et al.
patent: 5801856 (1998-09-01), Moghadam et al.
patent: 5917910 (1999-06-01), Ishiguro et al.
patent: 6129277 (2000-10-01), Grant et al.
patent: 6400824 (2002-06-01), Mansoorian et al.
patent: 6434699 (2002-08-01), Jones et al.
patent: 6574058 (2003-06-01), Aruga et al.
patent: 6579728 (2003-06-01), Grant et al.
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patent: 2002/0134837 (2002-09-01), Kishon
CIS Eletronica Industria e Comercio Ltda.
Clark & Brody
Labaze Edwyn
Le Thien M.
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