Registers – Coded record sensors – Feed mechanisms
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-04
2004-11-30
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Feed mechanisms
C235S480000, C235S483000, C235S486000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06824062
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card transporting mechanism in a card reader. More particularly, the invention relates to a card transporting mechanism of the type in which a card is transported in a state that the card is firmly held with engaging/holding means.
The present invention relates to a drive-force transmission mechanism and a card transporting mechanism using the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a drive-force transmission mechanism for selectively transmitting a rotation of a motor to one of two drive systems, and a card transporting mechanism for a card reader, for example, which uses the drive-force transmission mechanism.
The present invention relates to a shutter opening/closing mechanism. More particularly, the invention relates to a shutter opening/closing mechanism adaptable for the opening and closing of a card entrance of a card reader (writer).
2. Related Art
A card transporting mechanism of the type in which the card is transported in a state that the card is firmly held on a card table (Examined Japanese Patent Publication Hei 5-84588) is known for a card transporting mechanism for transporting a card as an information recording medium. In this type of the card transporting mechanism, a card engaging/holding member is moved by the utilization of a moving operation of the card table, to thereby firmly hold the card on the card table. Specifically, a tapered surface is provided at a predetermined position on a moving path of the card table. The engaging/holding member is slid on the tapered surface to move in a direction perpendicular to the card-table moving direction, whereby the card is firmly put between the engaging/holding member and the card table.
The card transporting mechanism suffers from the following problems to the solved, however. In the transporting mechanism, the card table is moved and the engaging/holding member slides on the tapered surface. During the course of the sliding of the engaging/holding member, it gradually holds the card on the card table. Because of this structure, the card must be moved by use of a take-in roller or the like until the card is firmly held, so as not to shift a position of the card relative to the moving card table from its correct position. Actually, it is very difficult to make a moving speed of the card table to be equal exactly to a feeding speed of the roller. Where a difference between those speeds becomes large, the taken-in roller will be scraped or ground, and the card will come off.
In the card transporting mechanism, the card is held by the utilization of the tapered surface. In other words, it is impossible to release the card from being held at other positions than a position at which the tapered surface is provided, and the card is inevitably released at the position at which the tapered surface is provided. For this reason, during its use, it is impossible to change the card transporting path to another card transporting path in accordance with another card to be used. In other words, when the card is transported passing the card-transporting path, the card must be transported while the card is firmly held on the card table. When the current card transporting path is changed to another card transporting path, the card must be removed from the card table. However, in the conventional card transporting mechanism, it is impossible to hold the card or releasing the card from being held when the card is on the card transporting path.
There is known a card reader which comprises a first card drive system for transporting a card to and receiving it from an card entrance, a second card drive system for performing a read/write operation of data to and from the card received from the first card drive system while transporting the card (when the received is a magnetic card) or after the card is transported to a predetermined position (when the card is an IC card), a motor capable of transporting the card in a card take-in direction and a card discharging direction by switching the rotational direction between a forward direction and a reverse direction, and a clutch mechanism for selectively transmitting a rotational force of the motor to the first or second card drive system. In this type of the card reader, it is necessary to transmit the forward and reverse rotational forces of the motor to the first card drive system or the second card drive system. A general measure has been taken for satisfying this necessity is to switch the transmission path of the rotational force by the motor by use of an electromagnetic clutch.
However, the electromagnetic clutch is expensive, and the measure to switch the transmission path of the rotational force by the motor by use of an electromagnetic clutch needs increased cost to manufacture, and hence makes it difficult to reduce cost and weight. Additionally, where the electromagnetic clutch is used, power consumption is great.
In the card reader, a shutter opening/closing mechanism is provided at the card entrance (gate) for the purpose of preventing crimes and mischief. A conventional shutter opening/closing mechanism is arranged such that, as shown in
FIG. 34
, an card entrance
5101
is entirely closed with a shutter plate
5103
of which the center of rotation lies at one of the right and left sides of the shutter plate
5103
. Specifically, when a solenoid
5104
is operated, the shutter plate
5103
is turned about a support shaft (center of rotation) to close the card entrance
5101
. The shutter plate
5103
completely closes the card entrance
5101
in a manner that it is thrown down into a groove formed across the card transporting path. A closing state where the shutter plate
5103
is thrown into the groove is detected by a microswitch. When the card reader is in a stand-by state and the closing state cannot be detected, it is considered that a foreign matter is present between the card entrance
5103
and the groove. In this case, it is judged that a card trap member is applied thereto for the purpose of crimes, and the use of the card reader is prohibited.
In the shutter opening/closing mechanism, the card entrance
5101
is closed by turning the shutter plate
5103
about the support shaft
5102
. At a location apart from the support shaft
5102
, a depth of the groove into which the shutter plate
5103
is thrown may be selected to be L
2
. At a location near the support shaft
5102
, the groove depth is selected to be L
1
(<L
2
) at most. Therefore, when a card trap member is set at a location apart form the support shaft
5102
, it may be detected relatively easily by a microswitch
5105
. When it is set at a location near the support shaft
5102
, if it is soft, the shutter plate
5103
is turned to a position substantially the same as the closing position of the shutter plate
5103
. It is difficult to detect the card trap member by the microswitch
5105
. In this sense, its detecting performance is poor.
Since the shutter plate
5103
is turned about the support shaft
5102
, a necessary stroke quantity is secured at a location near the support shaft
5102
of the shutter plate
5103
, it is necessary to increase a stroke quantity at a location apart from the support shaft
5102
. Therefore, a large solenoid must be used for the solenoid
5104
. When a user quickly inserts a card into the card reader, the card sometimes hits the shutter plate
5103
. In order to reliably open the shutter plate
5103
when the card hits the shutter plate
5103
at a location apart from the support shaft
5102
, it is necessary to increase the output of the solenoid
5104
. This necessitates a large solenoid
5104
.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a card transporting mechanism which is capable of preventing the adverse effect by the difference between the moving speed of the card table and the transporting speed of the roller, and allowing the releasing of the card from being held at any position on the card transporting path.
The present invention has been made to sol
Kabushiki Kaisha Sankyo Seisakusho
Lee Michael G.
Lee Seung H
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