Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-01
2004-08-24
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S441000, C235S475000, C235S492000, C235S482000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06779723
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from Japanese patent application number 305971/2000, filed Oct. 5, 2000, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC contact unit including a movable support provided with an IC contact point capable of coming in contact with a terminal of a magnetic IC card.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an automatic transaction apparatus such as an automatic teller machine has a built-in IC card reader, and is structured such that customer data (fixed data) of an IC card is read by a magnetic head, and variable data such as transaction data is subjected to read/write processing by an IC contact unit.
Conventionally, in order to process the card data by bringing an IC contact point into contact with a terminal of the IC card, an IC contact unit has been used in which the IC card is transferred along a card transfer surface, the IC card is positioned and stopped at a predetermined position, a movable support provided with an IC contact point is moved by an actuator such as a solenoid, and the terminal at the side of the IC card and the IC contact point at the side of the movable support are brought into contact with each other.
However, the foregoing IC card has a warp and a distortion, and in order to obtain excellent contact between the terminal and the contact point even if the IC card has the warp and distortion, a large solenoid is used in the conventional IC contact unit, and accordingly, there have been problems, namely that realization of miniaturization and compactness of an apparatus is difficult and consumed electric power required for driving the large solenoid becomes high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an IC contact unit by which an actuator such as a solenoid is miniaturized by using transfer force of an IC card, and the whole apparatus can be made compact and consumed electric power can be reduced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reader including an IC contact unit in which a movable support can be driven by a small actuator.
An IC contact unit of the present invention is an IC contact unit including a movable support provided with an IC contact point capable of coming in contact with a terminal of an IC card and is constructed such that a guide portion for guiding the movable support is provided in a unit main body, a guide member to be inserted in the guide portion is provided at the movable support, a pawl member to be engaged with an end portion of the IC card is formed at the movable support, the pawl member is projected to a card transfer surface by an actuator, and the movable support is moved by transfer force of the IC card.
The guide portion provided in the unit main body of the above structure can be formed by a guide groove or a guide hole.
The guide member at the side of the movable support of the above structure can be formed by a guide shaft or at guide pin.
The actuator of the above structure can be constructed by a solenoid or other actuators.
According to the above structure, the pawl member is projected to the card transfer surface through the movable support by the actuator, and when the end portion of the IC card comes in contact with the pawl member, the movable support is moved by the card transfer force.
In this way, since the movable support is moved by effectively using the transfer force of the IC card, the actuator may be small having a driving force of such a degree that the pawl member is projected to the card transfer surface, so that this actuator can be made small, and compactness of the whole apparatus and reduction of consumed electric power can be achieved.
According to an aspect of the present invention, urging means for retreating the pawl member from the card transfer surface at an ordinary time (a non-activated or rest state) is provided, and the pawl member is projected to the card transfer surface through the movable support at a driving time of the actuator.
The urging means of the above structure can be formed of a mechanical urging member such as a coil spring.
According to the above structure, at the ordinary time (normal time), since the pawl member retreats from the card transfer surface, a projection timing of the pawl member by the actuator can be freely and arbitrarily set.
Since an IC card reader of the present invention includes the IC contact unit of the above structure, the movable support can be driven by a small actuator, and the degree of freedom in arrangement layout of the IC contact unit in the IC card reader is improved.
These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the invention that is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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European Search Report.
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
Omron Corporation
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