Patent ID: 6016958
Filing Date: 2000-01-25
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
A unit for processing chip and/or magnetic stripe cards (K), comprisingat least one card storage magazine for storage of cards to be processed;at least one processing station for chips and/or magnetic stripes, to record data on a chip and/or the magnetic stripe on the cards from said at least one storage magazine, with accuracy of the data recorded there being verified and cards with incorrectly recorded data being rejected;at least one card body processing station to apply visible, unmodifiable data onto the card body; andan optical identification station with an evaluation unit to verify accuracy and/or quality of the data applied onto the card body, with cards containing incorrectly or defectively applied visible data being rejected as defective; whereinthe optical identification station includes a device for conveying and positioning the cards to be checked, with a substantially unobstructed inspection window onto the card, with the conveying and positioning device comprising:a mounting frame held in a housing, with an entry slot and an exit slot which is situated in alignment opposite to the entry slot;in the same direction as a card conveying direction, an entry centering device downstream of the entry slot and an exit centering device upstream of the exit slot, both of which serve to center cards on a card conveying plane (x,y), and where the unobstructed inspection window is installed between the entry centering device and the exist centering device;guide rollers for the cards disposed between the entry slot and the exit slot, running parallel to the card conveying direction, and arranged in a row side by side on pivoted bearings in the mounting frame, with the rotational axes for the guide rollers running substantially vertical to the card conveying plane (x,y); andopposite to and distanced from the guide rollers, a conveyor belt stretching approximately along the length of the row of guide rollers, which belt revolves between a motor-driven driving roller and another driving roller, the rotational axes of which run substantially vertical to the card conveying plane (x,y), so that for conveying and positioning, the cards (K) are held between the guide rollers and the conveyor belt by their two long edges and are maintained under a lateral pressure.