Compact Card Issuing Device With Vertical Thermal Head

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional card-issuing devices with double-sided printing capabilities tend to increase in size in the front-rear direction when combining card-issuing, printing, and card rotating mechanisms, making them less suitable for compact installations like ATMs.

Innovation Solution

A card-issuing device configuration where the card stack unit, card flipping unit, and card reader unit are arranged in a specific order in the front-rear direction, allowing for double-sided printing without increasing the device's size, with the thermal head positioned between the supply and winding rolls, and separate card collection storages for efficient card handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a card-issuing device combines card-issuing, double-sided printing, and card rotating mechanisms, then double-sided printing function is achieved, but the device size increases in the front-rear direction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedouble-sided printing functionVSAvoiddevice size in front-rear direction

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent repositions the supply roll and winding roll from a front-rear arrangement to an upper-lower arrangement relative to the thermal head. Specifically, the supply roll is positioned above and in front of the thermal head, while the winding roll is positioned above and behind the thermal head, utilizing the vertical dimension to reduce the front-rear footprint of the printing unit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of arranging the supply roll in front of the thermal head and the winding roll behind it (conventional arrangement), the patent inverts this arrangement by positioning both rolls above the thermal head in the vertical direction, with the supply roll in front and the winding roll behind, effectively using vertical space to achieve compactness in the horizontal plane.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of operation

If card stack unit, thermal head, card flipping unit, and card reader unit are arranged in conventional order, then all components fit, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecard processing efficiencyVSAvoidcard processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The card flipping unit is positioned between the card stack unit and the thermal head, allowing the card to be flipped to the correct orientation before reaching the thermal head for printing. This preliminary action ensures that the card is always in the correct orientation for printing, eliminating the need for additional flipping operations after printing and reducing overall processing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If separate collection mechanisms are provided for different card collection storages, then card collection is comprehensive, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecard collection capabilityVSAvoidcollection mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The card flipping unit is designed to serve multiple functions: it not only flips cards for double-sided printing but also directs cards to different collection storages based on processing results. By integrating the card directing function into the existing card flipping mechanism, the patent eliminates the need for separate collection mechanisms, reducing device complexity while maintaining comprehensive card collection capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables double-sided printing while maintaining a compact front-rear size, simplifying card processing and reducing processing time, and allowing for efficient card collection and storage without the need for separate collection mechanisms.

Implementation Method 1

a thermal head configured to heat the ink ribbon to transfer ink from the ink ribbon onto the card to perform a printing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS11186096B2Card-issuing device

Publication Date: 2021.11.30 SANKYO SEIKI MFG CO LTD

AI summary

A card-issuing device may include a card stack unit, a card feeding mechanism. A card reader unit configured to perform at least one of reading of data recorded on a card and recording of data onto a card, a printing unit, and a card-flipping unit. The printing unit may include a supply roll, a winding roll, and a thermal head. The thermal head may be arranged between the supply roll and the winding roll in a front-rear direction of the card-issuing device, the supply roll and the winding roll may be arranged above the thermal head, and the card stack unit, the card-flipping unit, the thermal head, and the card reader unit may be arranged in that order in the front-rear direction.