Payment Terminal Slot Bottom Parallel to Mounting Plane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current payment terminals with side-mounted magnetic card readers face difficulties in translational movement due to inclined surfaces, which makes card insertion cumbersome and often results in transaction failures or finger adjustments to avoid the code cache, leading to reduced success rates.
Innovation Solution
The payment terminal design features a magnetic card slot with a bottom plane parallel to the terminal's installation plane, eliminating the need for matching the card's angle of inclination, allowing for easier card movement and preserving the code cache's dimensions by ensuring fingers do not contact the code cover during insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the groove bottom is inclined to match the terminal's inclination angle, then the card can be properly positioned in the groove, but the translational movement becomes difficult and requires pressing against the inclined surface
Solution Approach 1:
The groove bottom is made parallel to the installation plane instead of being inclined, inverting the conventional design approach. This allows the card to move horizontally without pressing against an inclined surface, while the side wall of the groove provides the necessary positioning constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning function is shifted from the groove bottom (vertical dimension) to the groove side wall (horizontal dimension). This dimensional shift allows the bottom to be parallel to the installation plane while still maintaining proper card positioning through lateral constraints.
2Device complexity
If the groove is positioned close to the code cache, then the terminal structure is compact, but the finger contact with the code cache obstructs the translational movement
Solution Approach 1:
The groove bottom is made parallel to the installation plane instead of inclined, which changes the movement trajectory. This allows the card to be inserted horizontally without the finger needing to adjust its position to avoid the code cache, maintaining compact structure while ensuring smooth operation.
3Ease of operation
If the groove bottom is parallel to the installation plane, then the translational movement is facilitated and finger contact with code cache is avoided, but the card positioning stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning function is transferred from the groove bottom to the groove side wall. The side wall provides lateral constraints that ensure proper card positioning, while the parallel bottom surface facilitates smooth horizontal translational movement without compromising stability.
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
Facilitates smoother card insertion by eliminating the need to press against an inclined surface and prevents finger contact with the code cache, enhancing transaction success rates and user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
The magnetic tracks of the card (25) can then be read by a magnetic head (26)
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a payment terminal comprising a slot for inserting a magnetic memory card and whose general viewing plane, formed by a keypad and/or a terminal screen (PIT), forms a non-zero angle with a general mounting plane of said terminal. According to the invention, the plane of the bottom of the magnetic memory card slot is substantially parallel to the plane on which the terminal is mounted.