Card insertion mechanism

Abstract

To easily perform, by one hand, insertion of a card into a card reader whose card insertion port for outdoor installation or the like is covered with a flap.SOLUTION: A card reader includes: a card insertion port 2 provided in a recessed portion 1 on the front surface of the card reader; a flap F freely openably and closably engaged with an upper end edge of the recessed portion 1 as a shaft; and an inclined guide 3 obliquely extended from the card insertion port 2 toward the lower front side, where the flap F is provided with a notch portion FD for card insertion at the lower end, and the upper end is pivotally supported 5 at the upper end of the recessed portion 1 to open and close the recessed portion 1. An overhang portion FF may be provided in the notch portion FD.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a card insertion mechanism for a card reader used in prepaid card payments, credit card payments, etc. In particular, the present invention relates to a card insertion mechanism that enables one-handed card insertion into a flap-equipped card reader installed outdoors. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, cashless payments have become increasingly popular. In these payment methods, consumers generally make payments by inserting a prepaid card, credit card, or other such card into a card reader and having it read. Card readers are precision machines, and as a payment method, they require a high degree of safety and reliability in their operation. Therefore, when installed outdoors, the card insertion slot of a card reader is generally covered with a flap (a cover that can be opened and closed) to protect it from wind, rain, and dust.

[0003] When inserting a card into a card reader covered by such a flap, it is necessary to lift the flap with one hand while holding the card with the other hand and inserting the card. However, for example, when inserting a card taken out of a wallet, one hand is still holding the wallet, and in cases such as when a driver of a car reaches one hand through an open driver's seat window to insert a card into the card slot of the card reader, it is often time-consuming and difficult to keep the flap lifted with one hand.

[0004] To address this issue, the cover that protects the card insertion slot from water damage in Patent Document 1 does not eliminate the need to lift the cover (flap) as described above, and the cover protrudes significantly from the main body, leaving room for improvement from the perspective of space saving and manufacturing cost reduction. Furthermore, while the target is the insertion of banknotes, the cover in Patent Document 2, which also serves as a receiving plate, may lead to the convenience of one-handed operation, but it is necessary for the cover to protrude significantly vertically by approximately 90 degrees from the main body, making it unsuitable for use in windy and rainy weather, and leaving room for improvement from the perspective of space saving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-44395 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-40444 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a card insertion mechanism that allows a card to be easily inserted with one hand into a card reader that is installed outdoors or the like and whose card insertion port is covered with a flap, a problem that was not solved by the prior art as described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the card insertion mechanism of the present invention comprises a card insertion port provided in a recess on the front of the card reader, a flap that engages with the recess so as to be able to open and close freely, and an inclined guide that extends diagonally from the card insertion port downward toward the front, the flap having a notch at its lower end for inserting a card and an upper end that is pivotally supported on the upper end of the recess to open and close the recess.

[0008] The card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention may be provided with a canopy portion at the notch.

[0009] In the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention, the flap may be biased in a closing direction.

[0010] In the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention, the width of the notch may correspond to the width of the card in the short direction.

[0011] In the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention, the flap may be a transparent member.

[0012] In the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention, the inclined guide may be formed in the shape of one or more ribs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention allows a card to be easily inserted into the card reader covered by a flap with one hand.

[0014] In addition, the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention has a canopy portion provided in the cutout portion, which makes it less likely that the fingertips holding the card will get in the way of the flap during the card insertion operation, allowing the card to be inserted smoothly with one hand.

[0015] Furthermore, the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention can better prevent the influence of wind and the intrusion of rainwater and dust by biasing the flap in the closing direction.

[0016] Furthermore, in the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention, the width of the notch corresponds to the width of the card in the short direction, so that the card insertion operation can be performed more smoothly.

[0017] In addition, because the flap of the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention is made of a transparent material, the position of the card insertion slot, the presence of the inclined guide, and the ON / OFF and flashing status of the LED light can be recognized even when the flap is closed.

[0018] Furthermore, the card insertion mechanism of the card reader of the present invention has an inclined guide that consists of one or more rib shapes extending from the bottom end of the recess to the bottom end of the card insertion port, thereby minimizing wear and dirt on the card caused by the card coming into contact with the inclined guide.

[0019] The unique advantageous effects of the present invention will be described in detail in the "Mode for Carrying Out the Invention" section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] Front view of card reader (example) [Figure 2A] 1 is a front view of the card insertion mechanism of the present invention (Embodiment 1), (1) when the flap is closed, and (2) when the flap is open. [Figure 2B] 1 is a perspective view of a card insertion mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing (1) a state in which the flap is closed and (2) a state in which the flap is open. [Figure 3] Another form of inclined guide [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA illustrating card insertion using the card insertion mechanism of the present invention; (1) Overview; (2) Flow of card insertion operation. [Figure 5A] 1 is a front view of a card insertion mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing (1) a state in which the flap is closed and (2) a state in which the flap is open. [Figure 5B] 1 is a perspective view of a card insertion mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing (1) a state in which the flap is closed, (2) a state in which the flap is open, and (3) a state in which the flap is removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] [Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 shows an example of a card reader. In this specification, the term "card reader" does not refer exclusively to the card reader portion that directly reads card information using electromagnetism or the like, but refers to a device 90 including a card reader portion as shown in the figure. Device 90 is covered by a flap and has a card information reading portion 91 that reads card information by inserting a card, and a card information reading portion 92 that reads card information by touching or bringing the card close to it; this is referred to as a "card reader." Also shown in the figure are a screen portion 93 that displays necessary information depending on the application, and a receipt outlet 94. The portion related to the present invention is 91, and the technical features of this portion will be described in detail below. The "front surface of the card reader" referred to in this specification refers to a flat surface 95.

[0023] 2A and 2B are a front view and a perspective view, respectively, of one embodiment of the card insertion mechanism of the present invention. A flap F is configured to cover a recess 1 provided on the front surface 95 of the card reader. Specifically, the upper end of the flap F is pivotally supported by a horizontal shaft 5 at the upper end of the recess 1, and the flap F engages with the recess 1 in an openable and closable manner. Furthermore, the flap F has a notch FD and a hood FF. When the flap F is closed, the flap F, excluding the hood FF, is flush with the front surface 95 of the card reader. This minimizes the effects of wind, rainwater adhesion, and dust accumulation. At the same time, it also creates a slim and aesthetically pleasing appearance. By adjusting the width of the notch FD to match the width of the card, the card can be smoothly guided into the card insertion slot 2 without shifting left or right. The canopy portion FF is provided in correspondence with the notch FD of the flap F, and in addition to reducing the intrusion of rainwater, as will be described later, it also has the effect of linking with the fingertips 6 that grip the card and improving the smoothness of card insertion. The pivot support portion 5 is well known technology and will not be described here, but its configuration can be understood by referring to Figure 4. In addition, by providing a spring mechanism in the pivot support portion 5 and biasing the flap F in the closing direction, it is possible to further reduce the effects of wind and the risk of rainwater and dust entering the recess 1.

[0024] Within the recess 1, there is provided a card insertion slot 2 and an inclined guide 3 that extends from the bottom end of the recess 1 to the bottom end of the card insertion slot 2. The card insertion slot 2 is an entrance for pulling a card into the card reader, and is a well-known structure, along with the card reader. The width and height of the card insertion slot 2 are dimensions based on standards for prepaid cards, credit cards, etc.

[0025] 2A and 2B, as a preferred example, the inclined guide 3 is made up of two triangular members with rib shapes supporting the card at two locations in the width direction so that the card can be smoothly guided into the card insertion slot 2 without tilting at an angle, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, two rib shapes may be provided on the slope of a single lying triangular prism member. Furthermore, the inclination angle of the triangle hypotenuse (slope) does not need to be constant. In addition to the above, a rib shape is preferred for the inclined guide 3 because it reduces the area of ​​contact with the inclined guide 3 when guiding the card, minimizing wear and dirt on the card.

[0026] FIG. 4, based on the cross-sectional view of cross section AA shown in FIG. 2A(2), shows how card C is inserted into card insertion slot 2 in the above-described embodiment of the card insertion mechanism of the present invention. The key point is that as card C, held by fingertips 6 of one hand, moves along inclined guide 3 toward card insertion slot 2, card C itself comes into contact with flap F, pushing up flap F, and as card C approaches card insertion slot 2, fingertips 6 of the hand holding card C also continue to push up flap F (see FIG. 4(2)). Furthermore, by providing flap F with a visor portion FF, the fingertips 6 are able to lift up visor portion FF during the card insertion process, making it clear from the drawing that this series of card insertion actions becomes smoother. Furthermore, by adopting a configuration in which card insertion is performed by pushing up flap F, which is biased in the closing direction, the exposure of recess 1, and particularly card insertion slot 2, is kept to a minimum, thereby further preventing the effects of wind and the intrusion of rainwater and dust.

[0027] 4(2) is merely an example, and the position where the card C contacts the flap F, the timing of pushing it up, and then the position where the fingertip 6 of one hand contacts the flap F and the timing of continuing to push it up depend on the depth of the recess 1, the length of the flap F, the angle and shape of the inclination of the inclined guide 3, the angle between the flap F and the overhanging portion FF, the length of the overhanging portion FF, or the presence or absence of the overhanging portion FF, and therefore may not necessarily strictly match the figure, but this does not mean that the technical idea of ​​the present invention is different. Also, for the sake of convenience in explaining the invention, the scale of Figure 4 does not necessarily match that of Figures 2A and 2B.

[0028] By making the flap F a transparent material, the user can see the position of the card insertion slot 2 in the recess 1 and the presence of the inclined guide 3 even when the flap F is closed, allowing for smoother card insertion. Furthermore, the on / off and flashing status of the LED light (described below) can be seen from the outside, enhancing user convenience. Examples of materials for the flap F include, but are not limited to, polycarbonate (PC), acrylic (PMMA), and acrylonitrile-styrene (AS) resin.

[0029] 2A and 2B show an LED light unit 4. For example, the LED light can be turned on when the card reader is active, or can be flashed while the card reader is reading card information, or can be flashed to warn the user that the card has been left behind. This is well-known technology and does not require further explanation.

[0030] [Embodiment 2] 5A and 5B illustrate another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the card insertion mechanism of the present invention. A first feature of this embodiment is that the recess 1 is deeper. Therefore, a recess 7 is provided to prevent the fingertip 6' (see FIG. 4) of one hand holding the card C from hitting a component in the recess 1 and interfering with the card insertion operation. Therefore, the inclined guides 3 are provided separately on the left and right to avoid the recess 7. Note that in Embodiment 2, because the recess 1 is deeper, even in the perspective view with the flap F open (FIG. 5B(2)), the features of this embodiment are obscured by the flap F and cannot be fully illustrated. Therefore, the perspective view with the flap F removed is also shown (FIG. 5B(3)). [Industrial Applicability]

[0031] This is useful in fields where payment and management operations are required, where the consumer must manually insert a card into a card reader. It is particularly suitable for outdoor installations such as gas pumps at gas stations, charging stations, parking gates and parking fee payment machines, and even card keys for human entry into buildings, as well as other outdoor processing devices with a card reader equipped with a flap. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 recess 2 Card slot 3 Inclined guide 4 LED light section 5 Pivot support, shaft support part 6, 6' Fingertips of one hand 7. Depression 90 Device, card reader 91 Card information reading part (present invention) 92 Card information reading section 93 Screen section 94 Receipt outlet 95 Flat, in front of card reader C Card F flap FD notch FF Shelter

Claims

1. A card insertion mechanism of a card reader, a card insertion slot provided in a recess on the front surface of the card reader, a flap that can be freely opened and closed in the recess, and an inclined guide that extends obliquely downward from the card insertion slot toward the front side, The flap has a notch at its lower end for inserting a card, and its upper end is pivotally supported on the upper end of the recess to open and close the recess, a card insertion mechanism.

2. The card insertion mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the notch is provided with a visor.

3. 2. The card insertion mechanism of claim 1, wherein the flap is biased in a closing direction.

4. 2. The card insertion mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the width of said notch corresponds to the width of the card in the lateral direction.

5. 2. The card insertion mechanism of claim 1, wherein the flap is a transparent member.

6. The card insertion mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the angled guide comprises one or more rib shapes.

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