Patent ID: 6527187
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
A card reader adapted to provide protection from insertion of foreign matter such as coins comprising:a frame having a front surface and a base surface, a card passageway having a card inlet at said front surface of said frame, said base surface being below said card inlet when the card reader is oriented to accept cards that are vertically inserted, a contacts carriage near a rear portion of said card passageway for contacting a card when said card is fully inserted, an opening in the base of said frame, said base opening being in communication with said card passageway at a location between said card inlet and said contacts carriage, insertion of foreign matter into said card inlet resulting in the foreign matter falling through said base opening without contacting said contacts; wherein said card inlet has a first portion having a thickness corresponding to a thickness of the IC card and a second wider portion with a thickness sufficiently larger to permit insertion of a warped card, a width dimension of said foreign matter discharge opening in the base of said frame being at least as large as the width of said second wider portion of said card inlet; wherein said contacts carriage is arranged to be shifted upwardly from a vertical center of said card passageway when an appropriate card is fully inserted in said reader.