Abstract:
An IC card read/write apparatus of the present invention includes a frame having first and second parallel guides spaced apart from each other. The first and second guides define an extended and thinned card chamber for receiving an IC card, a card inlet connected at one end of the card chamber through which an IC card is inserted into the card chamber, and an end path or terminal portion provided at the opposite end of the card chamber and angled relative to the card chamber so that an insert end of the inserted IC card is forced in the path and then held in the end path or terminal portion.

Description:
[0001]    This is a divisional application of Ser. No. 09/366,195, filed Aug. 4, 1999. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an IC card read/write apparatus for an IC card equipped with an integrated circuit. In particular, the present invention relates to an IC card read/write apparatus for reading information from the integrated circuit of the IC card and writing information into the same.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    FIGS.  1  to  6  illustrate a conventional IC card read/write device. The read/write device generally indicated by reference numeral  1  includes a rectangular peripheral frame portion  3 . The frame portion  3  includes a pair of spaced apart top and bottom plates,  7  and  9 , which define a thinned card chamber  11  between them for receiving an IC card  13 . The peripheral frame portion  3  is formed in its forward wall  15  with a card inlet  17  which is connected with the card chamber  11  so that the IC card  13  can be inserted through the card inlet  17  into the card chamber  11  in a direction indicated at  19 .  
           [0004]    A slider  21 , which is supported by the top plate  7  to move back and forth in the direction  19 , is connected with a spring  23  mounted on the top plate  7  and thereby biased toward the card inlet  17 . Also, the slider  21  is formed at one end thereof away from the card inlet  17  with a portion  25  projected into the card chamber  11  so that, when a leading edge of the card  13  has reached the vicinity of a rearward end of the card chamber  11 , the leading edge makes an engagement with the projected portion  25 . Further, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and  6 , the slider  21  has a cutout  27 .  
           [0005]    The top plate  7  carries a holder  29  which supports electric cables  31  on its upper surface and electric contacts  33  on its lower surface, with each of the electric contacts  33  being connected with an associated cable  31 . The holder  29 , which is rotatably supported by a shaft  35  extending in a direction perpendicular to the insert direction  19 , has an actuator  37  projected in the cutout  27  of the slider  21 . The actuator  37  is formed at its edge facing the inlet  17  with a ramp  39  which extends upward toward the rearward end of the device  1  and opposes an edge  41  of the cutout  27  so that, when the slider  21  moves rearward by the engagement with the leading edge of the card  13 , the edge  41  would engage with the ramp  39  to rotate the actuator  37  and the holder  29  toward the bottom plate  9  as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.  
           [0006]    In addition, as best shown in FIG. 6, in the vicinity of the rearward end of the card chamber  11 , the top plate  7  is formed in its bottom surface with ramps  43  each protruded in the card chamber  11 . To cooperate with the ramps  43  to nip the leading end of the card  13  which has been inserted up to the rearward end of the chamber  11  and thereby hold the inserted card  13  in position, leaf springs  45  are provided under the card chamber  11  with their rearward ends positioned in the card chamber  11 .  
           [0007]    With the arrangement so constructed, as shown in FIG. 3, the card  13  is inserted through the card inlet  17  into the card chamber  11 . When the card  13  is inserted to a predetermined position, its leading edge comes into contact with the projected portion  25  of the slider  21 . From this state, the card  13  is further forced into the card chamber  11  against a resistance applied from the spring  23 , which moves the slider  21  toward the rearward end of the chamber  11 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, this causes the edge  41  of the cutout  27  to make a frictional contact with the ramp  39  to rotate the holder  29  toward the bottom plate  9  so that each of the electric contacts  33  makes an electric contact with an associated contact  47  provided in an upper surface of the card  13 .  
           [0008]    Finally, when the card  13  is inserted to its reading/writing position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, it is nipped at its leading end between the ramps  43  of the top plate  7  and the leaf springs  45 . This allows the card  13  to be retained in the card chamber  11  even after it is released from the insertion force. Also, the electric contacts  33  projected into the card chamber  11  make contact with associated contacts  47  of the card  13 . This allows the integrated circuit mounted in the card  13  to communicate through the cables  31  with a controller (not shown) for reading information from the card  13  and writing information into the card  13 .  
           [0009]    After the completion of the required communication, the card  13  is held at its forward end and then pulled from the card chamber  11 , causing the slider  21  to return to its original position under the force of the spring  23 . This also causes the actuator  37  to disengage from the edge  41  of the cutout  27  and then rotate the holder  29  upward, so that the electric contacts  33  move away from the contacts  47  of the card  13 .  
           [0010]    The conventional card read/write device  1 , however, has several drawbacks. For example, because the leaf springs  45  are typically made from a metal plate having a thickness of from 0.2 to 0.3 mm and also bent as shown in FIG. 5 at its intermediate portion, the position of the rearward end varies in the card chamber  11 , which in turn destabilizes the force for nipping and holding the card  13 .  
           [0011]    In addition, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7815 allows a dimensional error of 0.76±0.08 mm in the thickness of the IC card, which accelerates the instability of the inserted card  13  to result in an undesired translation of the card even from small vibrations. This may result in a communication error between the contacts of IC card  13  and the device  1 . Contrary to this, an excessive force applied from the leaf springs  45  may cause the card to be scratched and then damaged by the contact with the metal leaf springs  45 .  
           [0012]    Also, an insertion of foreign members such as a coin, rather than the regular IC card, will result in a malfunction of device.  
           [0013]    FIGS.  7  to  9  illustrate a protection cover generally indicated by reference numeral  51 , which is attached in front of the IC card read/write device  1  described above. The protection cover  51  includes a housing generally indicated by reference numeral  53 . The housing  53  has a card slot  55  through which the IC card  13  is inserted in the device  1 . When the IC card  13  is not inserted in the device, the slot  55  is covered at its outlet by a shutter  57  rotatably supported by shafts  59 .  
           [0014]    For the protection cover  51 , the card  13  is inserted in the slot  55  from its leading edge by the user of the card  13 . When the leading edge of the card  13  makes contact with the shutter  57 , the shutter  57  is forced to rotate about the shafts  59  away from an outlet of the slot  55 , which allows the card  13  to advance into the card chamber.  
           [0015]    The shutter  57 ; however, allows to inter into the device  1  foreign members that do not meet the ISO 7815, such as thinned telephone cards having a thickness of only 0.2 mm, other specialized small-sized cards, rods having a diameter smaller than the slot, and other small pieces. An insertion of such foreign members will damage the device  1  and, if retained therein, only in part, will prevent the regular card from being inserted or used.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0016]    Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an IC card read/write device capable of positively holding an inserted card in position.  
           [0017]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card read/write device capable of preventing the IC card from being damaged.  
           [0018]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card read/write device capable of removing irregular members such as a coin from a card chamber, which would otherwise result in a malfunction of the device.  
           [0019]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a protection cover, which allows only the normal IC card that meets the ISO 7815 to be inserted in an IC card read/write device.  
           [0020]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card read/write device capable of preventing the foreign members, rather than the normal IC card that meets the ISO 7815, from being inserted into the device.  
           [0021]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card read/write device capable of removing the foreign members inserted in the device.  
           [0022]    Therefore, an IC card read/write apparatus of the present invention includes a frame having first and second parallel guides spaced apart from each other. The first and second guides define an extended and thinned card chamber for receiving an IC card, a card inlet connected at one end of the card chamber through which an IC card is inserted into the card chamber, and an end path or terminal portion provided at the opposite end of the card chamber and angled relative to the card chamber so that an insert end of the inserted IC card is forced in the path and then held in the end path or terminal portion.  
           [0023]    In another aspect of the present invention, the end path or terminal portion is formed by a ramp extended from the opposite end of the first guide and projected toward the second guide and a recess extended from the opposite end of the second guide and recessed against the first guide.  
           [0024]    In another aspect of the present invention, the ramp is angled at about 30 to 45 degrees relative to the first guide.  
           [0025]    In another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes a plurality of the end paths or terminal portions.  
           [0026]    Also, an IC card read/write apparatus includes a frame having upper and lower parallel plates spaced apart from each other to define an extended and thinned card chamber for receiving an IC card. The lower plate has an opening so that a foreign member inserted into the card chamber will fall out of the card chamber through the opening.  
           [0027]    In another aspect of the present invention, an edge defining the opening is slanted downward.  
           [0028]    Further, a protection mechanism for use with an IC card read/write apparatus includes a housing which defines a slot having an inlet and an outlet. Through the inlet and outlet an IC card is inserted into the IC card read/write apparatus. The protection mechanism also includes a first arm which moves between a first position in which the first arm is positioned in the slot and a second position in which the first arm is positioned away from the slot, wherein the first arm moves from the first position to the second position by the contact with the IC card inserted into the slot. Also included is a shutter which moves between a first position at which the shutter closes the outlet of the slot and a second position at which the shutter moves away from the outlet of the slot. Further included is a second arm, connected with the first arm so that, when the first arm moves from its first position to its second position, the second arm moves the shutter from its first position to its second position to open the outlet of the slot and, when the first arm moves from its second position to its first position, the second arm moves the shutter from its second position to its first position to close the outlet of the slot.  
           [0029]    In another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes a tongue bent or curved away from the outlet of the slot. The tongue is supported by the shutter so that, when the shutter moves to the first position, the tongues are positioned adjacent to the outlet of the slot. On the other hand, when the shutter moves to the second position, the tongues make frictional contact with one surface of the IC card to move away from the outlet. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0030]    [0030]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional IC card read/write device;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the conventional IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the conventional IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 4 is also a side elevational view, partially in section, of the conventional IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 5 is an enlarged cut-away side elevational view of the conventional IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 6 is an enlarged cut-away side elevational view of the conventional IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 7 is a front view of a conventional protection cover for use with the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 8 is a cut-away side elevational view of the conventional protection cover shown in FIG. 7;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 9 is also a cut-away side elevational view of the conventional protection cover shown in FIG. 7;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 10 is a plan view of an IC card read/write device according to the present invention;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 11 is a front view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 12 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 13 is also a side elevational view, partially in section, of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 14 is also a side elevational view, partially in section, of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 15 is an enlarged cut-away side elevational view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 16 is also an enlarged cut-away side elevational view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 17 is also an enlarged cut-away side elevational view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 18 is a partial plan view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 10;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 19 is a cut-away side elevational view of the IC card read/write device of another embodiment;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 20 is a cut-away side elevational view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 19;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 21 is a cut-away side elevational view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 19;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 22 is a bottom view of the IC card read/write device shown in FIG. 19;  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 23 is a bottom view of another IC card read/write device;  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 24 is a front view of a protection cover according to the present invention;  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 25 is a cut-away side elevational view of the protection cover shown in FIG. 24;  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 26 is another front view of the protection cover shown in FIG. 24;  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 27 is a cut-away side elevational view of the protection cover shown in FIG. 26;  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 28 is another front view of the protective cover shown in FIG. 24;  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 29 is a cut-away side elevational view of the protection cover shown in FIG. 28;  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 30 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the IC card read/write device to which the protection cover is assembled;  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 31 is a partial plan view of the IC card read/write device and the IC card;  
         [0061]    [0061]FIG. 32 is a front view of a protection cover of another embodiment;  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 33 is a cut-away side elevational view of the protection cover shown in FIG. 32;  
         [0063]    [0063]FIG. 34 is another cut-away side elevational view of the protection cover shown in FIG. 32;  
         [0064]    [0064]FIG. 35 is another cut-away side elevational view of the protection cover shown in FIG. 32;  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 36 is a front view of a protection cover of another embodiment;  
         [0066]    [0066]FIG. 37 is an enlarged plan view of an IC card;  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 38 is an enlarged partial cut-away view of the IC card shown in FIG. 37; and  
         [0068]    [0068]FIG. 39 is a cut-away side elevational view of the protection cover of another embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0069]    With reference to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown an IC card read/write device according to the present invention, generally indicated by reference numeral  101 .  
         [0070]    Basically, the read/write device  101  is similar to the conventional read/write device  1  described in connection with FIGS.  1  to  6 , and therefore, like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the drawings. Also, to clarify the description and to highlight the features of the present invention, only portions and parts different from those noted above will be described in detail below.  
         [0071]    Specifically, as best shown in FIG. 11, the top plate  7  is formed in its bottom surface with a pair of upper guide ribs  103  extending from the inlet  17  to the rearward end of the card chamber  11  on opposite sides, i.e., left and right sides, of the chamber  11 . The bottom plate  9  is formed in its upper surface with a pair of lower guide ribs  105  extending from the inlet  17  to be the rearward end of the card chamber  11  on opposite sides, i.e., left and right sides, of the chamber  11 . The upper and lower ribs,  103  and  105 , oppose each other to define a gap  107  therebetween which is slightly greater than the thickness of the regular IC card  13  to be inserted.  
         [0072]    Preferably, as shown in FIG. 11, a distance  109  between the left and right ribs,  103  and  105 , is about 50 mm, which is smaller than the regular card size (i.e., 53.92 to 54.03 mm) in its transverse direction regulated in the ISO 7815. Although the opposing upper and lower ribs,  103  and  105  are provided only on left and right sides of the chamber  11 , they may be added at the center of the chamber  11 .  
         [0073]    In addition, as shown in FIGS.  15  to  17 , in the vicinity of the projection  25  of the slider  21 , each of the upper ribs  103  is formed with a portion  111  projected downward and each of the lower ribs  105  is formed with a portion  113  recessed downward. Also, the projected and recessed portions,  111  and  113 , are ramped downward at their inlet-side ends.  
         [0074]    The ramped ends of the projected and recessed portions,  111  and  113 , will be referred to as ramps,  115  and  117 , hereinafter, as necessary.  
         [0075]    An end path (terminal portion) or gap  119  between the upper projected portion  111  and the lower recessed portion  113  and further upper and lower ramps,  115  and  117 , should be dimensioned so that the regular-sized card  13  can be inserted between the projected and recessed portions,  111  and  113 , and, when inserted, positively retained by frictional forces generated between the card  13  and the corresponding contact portions. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 17, a length  121  of the portion of the card  13  to be held between the projected and recessed portions,  111  and  113 , is about 2 to 4 mm, and a deformation  123  of the card caused by the insertion is about 0.3 to 1.0 mm. Also, preferably, an angle  125  of the ramps  115  and  117  is about 30 to 45 degrees.  
         [0076]    Preferably, to provide both the ramps and the gap between them with a greater dimensional precision and thereby to hold the card  13  in a desired position, the top and bottom plates,  7  and  9 , are made of material having a greater rigidity, such as, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with glass fibers, liquid crystal polymer (LCP) with glass, and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).  
         [0077]    Also, to determine whether the card  13  is inserted in place and thereby electrical connections are made between the contacts of the device  101  and card  13 , a detector or switch maybe provided adjacent to the rearward end of the card chamber  11 . The detector may be any conventional optical or mechanical device such as a photocoupler. For this purpose, the detector is connected through suitable cables with a controller (not shown).  
         [0078]    Preferably, the controller includes a delay circuit so that, after a predetermined time delay from the detection of the card  13  by the detector, a required communication between the controller and the integrated circuit begins.  
         [0079]    In operation of the device  101  so constructed, as shown in FIGS.  12  to  14 , the card  13  is inserted by the card user through the card inlet  17  into the card chamber  11 . When the card  13  is inserted to the predetermined position, its leading edge comes into contact with the projected portion  25  of the slider  21 . From this position, the card  13  is further forced into the card member against the force of spring  23  to move the slider  21  toward the rearward end of the chamber  11 . This causes the edge  41  of the cutout to make frictional contact with ramp  39  of the holder  29  to bring the electric contacts  33  into contact with the associated contacts  47  in the upper surface of the card  13 .  
         [0080]    Then, as shown in FIGS.  15  to  17 , the leading edge of the card  13  is forced in between the opposing ramps  115  and  117 , preferably about 2 to 4 mm, so that it is deformed about 0.3 to 1.0 mm. This results in a frictional force between the deformed end of the card  13  and portions  111  and  113 , which retains the card  13  in the inserted position positively.  
         [0081]    Note that, when the card  13  makes contact with the upper ramps  111 , the user feels the contact between the card  13  and the ramps  111 . Also, when the card  13  is further inserted from this contact position to between the ramps, the user receives a click derived from the bending of the leading end of the card  13 .  
         [0082]    At the completion of the card insertion, each of the electric contacts  33  of the holder  29  makes contact with the associated contact  47  of the card  13 . At the same time, the card detector detects that the card  13  has been inserted to a predetermined position and then transmits a signal through the corresponding cables to the controller. The controller, after a short time delay, begins to communicate with the integrated circuit in the card  13 .  
         [0083]    After the completion of the required communication, the card  13  is held by the user at is forward end and then pulled from the card chamber  11 . This causes the slider  21  to return to is original position by the spring  23 . This also causes the holder  29  to disengage from the edge  41  of the cutout  27  and then rotate upward from the card member.  
         [0084]    As can be seen from the above description, the card  13  inserted in the card chamber  11  can positively be held without any translation, regardless of possible vibrations generated in and transmitted from other neighboring devices. In particular, the projected and recessed portions,  111  and  113 , made of rigid material holds the card  13  in the predetermined position with great precision, regardless of the spring force biasing the card toward the inlet from the ramps  115  and  117 . This ensures a good communication between the integrated circuit and the controller.  
         [0085]    Although the projected and recessed portions are formed in the top and bottom plates,  7  and  9 , respectively, they may be formed in opposite plates.  
         [0086]    Also, although the forward end of the recessed portion is also ramped similar to the opposing ramp of the projected portion, it may be stepped downward to define a space into which the leading end of the card can move.  
         [0087]    Further, although the ramp  115  of the projected portion  111  extends linearly, it may be curved instead.  
         [0088]    FIGS.  19  to  22  illustrate another embodiment of the device, in which the bottom plate  9  is formed with an opening  131  between the left and right ribs  105 . The opening  131  is sized so that it has a dimension of about 45 mm in the transverse direction and about  22  mm in the insert direction. Preferably, a peripheral edge  133  of the opening  131  is ramped downward so that, when a foreign member such as coin is inserted in the card chamber  11 , it would be guided into the opening  131  and then removed out of the chamber  11 . Advantageously, the opening  131  is provided on the forwarded side of the contacts  33  to prevent the contacts  33  from begin damaged by the contact with the foreign member and to allow the foreign member to drop through the opening  131  by its weight.  
         [0089]    With this arrangement, the foreign member will be removed from the chamber  11  and the contacts  33  can be protected from such a member.  
         [0090]    The size of the opening  131  described above is not restrictive to the present invention and may be enlarged as much as possible provided that it does not result in a decrease of structural strength of the device bottom plate  9 . For example, as shown in FIG. 23, the opening  131  may be sized so that it is greater than the regular card size (i.e., 53.92 to 54.03 mm) in its transverse direction regulated in the ISO 7815 and smaller in the insert direction (e.g., 54.5 mm in the transverse direction and 40 mm in the insert direction.) In this instance, an irregular card having the regular transverse dimension but smaller in the longitudinal dimension can be removed out of the opening  131 . The regular card, on the other hand, can be moved over the opening  131  to the predetermined read/write position without falling into the opening.  
         [0091]    FIGS.  24  to  32  illustrate a protection cover generally indicated by reference numeral  141 . The protection cover  141 , which is mounted in front of the IC card read/write device  101  described above, has a front housing generally indicated by reference numeral  143 . The front housing  143  is formed with a slot  145  extending between its front and rear surfaces, through which the IC card  13  is inserted into the card chamber  11 . The slot  145  should be designed so that a distance between upper and bottom surfaces of the slot  145  is slightly greater than the thickness of the regular sized IC card.  
         [0092]    Also, the housing  143  has recesses  147  at its left and right sides of the slot  145 , in each of which a card guide  149  is positioned. The card guide  149 , which is supported by a shaft  151  running perpendicular to the card insert-direction, has a first arm  153  extending toward an inlet of the slot  145  and a second arm  155  extending toward an outlet of the slot  145 . The first arm  153 , which is located in left and right sides of region  157  in which the regular size card  13  is inserted (see FIG. 24), is bent upward at its mid-portion so that the leading edge of the regular size card  13  being inserted in the region  157  would make contact with an upper surface portion of the first arm  153  to rotate it downward. The second arm  155 , on the other hand, is located outside the region  157  so that it would not make any engagement with the inserting card  13 .  
         [0093]    Provided on a wall  159  of the housing  143 , adjacent to the outlet of the slot  145 , is a shutter  161  made from a rectangular plate with its upper and lower ends  163  and  165  extended toward the card chamber  11 . The shutter  161  is supported by the combination of vertical slots  163  formed in the shutter  161  and guide bosses (not shown) formed in the wall  159 , each positioned in the corresponding vertical slots  163 , so that the shutter  161  can move between lowered and lifted positions shown in FIGS. 25 and 27, respectively. Also, the shutter  161  is fixed by bolts  167  each inserted through the slots  163  so that the shutter  161  can slide up and down.  
         [0094]    Left and right ends  162  of the shutter  161  are extended out beyond the region  157  over the second arms  155  of the card guide  149  so that the extended left and right ends are supported on the left and right second arms  155 , which ensures that, according to the rotation of the card guide  149 , the shutter  161  moves up and down between its lifted and lowered positions.  
         [0095]    The card guide  149  and shutter  161  are so dimensioned that, in the lifted position, a lower position of the shutter  161  opens the outlet of the slot  145  and, in the lowered position, the lower portion of the shutter  161  closes the outlet of the slot  145 .  
         [0096]    It should be noted that the card guide  149  is designed so that, only when the mid-portion of the first arm is completely moved away from the slot  145 , the shutter  161  can filly be removed from the outlet of the slot  145 . This ensures that only when the regular IC card is inserted into the slot  145 , the shutter  161  is completely removed from of the outlet of the slot  145 , and when an irregular card such as thinned telephone card is inserted into the slot  145 , a major part of the outlet is still closed by the shutter  161 , whereby the irregular card is prevented from moving into the card chamber  11 .  
         [0097]    Preferably, to allow the shutter  161  to return from the lifted position to the lowered position, the shutter  161  is biased downward by a leaf spring  169  mounted on the shutter  161 .  
         [0098]    Also preferably, to cause the shutter  161  to move smoothly and vertically between the lifted and lowered positions and to limit its lifted position, the wall  159  of the housing  143  is formed with vertical and horizontal steps  171 , and  173 , adjacent to corresponding vertical and horizontal edges of the shutter  161 .  
         [0099]    In operation, the card  13  inserted into the slot  145  by the user makes contacts at its leading edge with the upper bent surfaces of the left and right first arms  153 . Then, further insertion of the card  13  moves the first arms  153  downward. This in turn moves the second arms  155  upward, causing the shutter  161  to move away from the outlet of the slot  145  into the lifted position, which opens the outlet of the slot  145  and thereby allows the card  13  to move into the card chamber  11 .  
         [0100]    During pulling of the card  13  from the card chamber  11  and then the slot  145 , when the leading edge of the card  13  is passed over the first arms  153 , the card guides  149  are forced down the lowered position by the shutter  161  and the leaf spring  169 .  
         [0101]    Although, the first and second arms  153  and  155 , are provided only on the left and right sides of the slot  145 , they may also be provided at its center.  
         [0102]    Also, although the shutter  161  is provided on the upper portion of the wall  159 , it may be arranged on the lower portion of the wall  159  so that it moves up and down to close and open the outlet of the slot  145 .  
         [0103]    Further, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 36, tongues  181  each curved toward the card chamber are provided on the left and right bottom portions of the lower end  165  of the shutter  162 . In this instance, after the shutter  161  is lifted away from the outlet of the slot  145 , the leading edge of the card  13  makes frictional contact with the tongues  181 , which further forces the shutter  161  upward. This modification is effective for an IC card whose thickness varies depending upon positions due to the existence of embossed letters and/or numbers  183  as shown in FIGS. 37 and 38. Note that the tongues  181  should be arranged so that each of them makes contact with limited upper surface portions of the IC card in which the embossing can be applied (i.e., regions within 3 mm from the longitudinal edges and the mid-portion between them.)  
         [0104]    Although, the tongues are curved in the previous embodiment, they may be bent at about 30 to 60 degrees as shown in FIG. 39.  
         [0105]    Accordingly, with the protection cover described above, when an irregular card such as thinned telephone card is inserted into the slot  145 , it is restricted by the shutter that is still closing the major part, in particular the upper portion, of the outlet of the slot  145 .  
         [0106]    Also, a card smaller than the regular card fails to make contact with the first arms  153 , so that is limited by the shutter from moving into the card chamber  11 .  
         [0107]    Even the regular card cannot be inserted in a skewed position.  
         [0108]    Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the IC card read/write device in which the integrated circuit in the card is communicated through physical contact between the contacts of the IC card and the device, it may equally be applied to a non-contact type of IC card read/write device in which the integrated circuit is communicated with the controller through another communication technique using a radio signal and light.