Abstract:
The device for conveying a card used for a card reader of this invention includes a part for inserting the card into the reader, a path for guiding the inserted card in a predetermined direction, means for transferring the card along with the guiding path, the transferring means being provided on the guiding path, means for driving the transferring means and means for cleaning the card, the cleaning means being provided between said inserting part and the card transfer means near to the inserting part.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a device for conveying a card used for a card reader. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Recently, magnetic cards have been often used for inputs of various electronic equipment such as table type computors, cash dispensers, etc. 
     Since magnetic card systems can minimize the width of the recording tracks and the intervals of data pitches as compared to the optical systems of punched or marked cards, it is possible to increase the recording density, which results in the increase of the information and the compactness in the amount of an card. Therefore, magnetic cards have been widely used. However, the fact must be considered that the surface of the cards are soiled with moisture, such as sweat from the hands, dust and oils, and thus foreign matter attaches to the surface of the rollers used for feeding the cards to the reader, which causes failure due to slippage and so on. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device, for conveying a card used for a card reader, capable of removing moisture, dust, and oils around the magnetic card inserting part. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a device, for conveying a card used for a card reader, which always keeps the inserted card clean. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a device, for conveying a card used for a card reader, which can readily mount a card cleaning means. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is a sectional side view of a card reader provided with the device for conveying a card embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is a top plan view of said card reader embodying the present invention in which the upper case of the card reader is partially cut away; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing how to mount the device for conveying a card according to the invention into the card reader; 
     FIG 3A is a fragmentary sectional side view of the device for conveying a card according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3B is a fragmentary sectional front view of the device for conveying a card according to the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the attached drawings, FIG. 1A is a sectional side view of a card reader incorporating a device for conveying a card according to the present invention. In the card reader a base is secured with screws, etc. to the bottom part of said card reader. On said base are arranged a micromotor 17, a roller, etc., as hereinafter described, and a path is formed for guiding a card, as shown by a dotted line C in the same figure. When the sheet type magnetic card 11, as shown in FIG. 1A, is inserted from a path for an inserting port 30, it passes through a hereinafter described card cleaning means, according to this invention, sitting near said inserting port, to hit a microswitch (not shown). 
     The output of said microswitch drives said micromotor 17 mounted near the center of said card reader. When a capstan roller 16, arranged adjacent to said card cleaning means, is rotated by the rotating power of the shaft of said micromotor through a belt 13, and when said card is further inserted to the position of said roller 16, said card 11 is advanced by said roller 16 to a place where the magnetic record information on the card is read or some new information is magnetically recorded on it, by a magnetic head installed nearly under the capstan roller 16 and beneath the path for guiding the card. It is to be noted that the card reader employed in the present invention functions both for recording and reading. 
     After the recording or reading of the card, the card is further advanced until the leading edge of the card hits a microswitch 15 arranged at the end of the card reader, and when said micromotor 17 begins to rotate reversely by the output of said microswitch 15, the card is conveyed to and out through said inserting port 30. 
     Referring to the perspective view of FIG. 2 and the side view and front view of FIGS. 3A and 3B, respectively, the card cleaning means according to the present invention will be explained in detail. A cleaner roller 32 comprises a cleaning member composed of both hygroscopic sponge, fastened round the shaft 18, and hygroscopic fiber, wound around said hygroscopic sponge. On the side of this cleaner roller is secured a ratchet 21 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. A U type holding member 22 for securing the shaft 18 of this cleaner roller, is attached to the case, which is made by molding, etc., through a spring mounted on a cylindrical column member with a staged screw 26, which secures the holding member by a screw portion thereof, and which is inserted in an aperture 35 through the upper part of said case. Because this holding member is held in said case with the aid of a mechanism not shown to permit vertical movement and not to permit rotational movement thereof, said holding member can be moved vertically relative to the case by the turning of said screw member. Because a ratchet detent 23 is secured on the inside of said holding member 22, which is adjacent to the ratchet 21, when the magnetic card is advanced into the card reader in the direction of black arrow E as shown in FIG. 3A, said cleaner roller 32 is pressed down, by the proper pressure of the spring 24, to said magnetic card, and the cleaner roller 32 can not be rotated because of the engagement of the ratchet detent 23 with the ratchet 21, thereby cleaning away the moisture, dust and oil on the card with the portion thereof contacting said card. Accordingly, as the card is fed to the capstan roller 16 after the surface of the card is cleaned, normal running is expected with little chance of slipping. On the contrary when the card is sent back in the direction of the white arrow F, said ratchet detent allows the ratchet, and therefore the roller 32, to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed, so that the next card is nearly always cleaned with a different portion of the roller 32. The card cleaning means above described is removably mounted in a groove 34, provided near the card inserting port 30 of the front portion of the card reader 29. The location of the groove 34 should be adjacent to the capstan roller 16 so that the surface of the card, which is cleaned by the cleaning roller 32, will contact the capstan roller 16, when said card cleaning means is mounted in the groove. For permitting free loading and unloading of the card cleaning means, the case 25 has concave parts 27 on both sides thereof i.e. on opposite sides, (only one side being shown in FIG. 2). On the other hand the groove is provided with pressing parts on both sides thereof, which include a ball etc., respectively, and which is biased toward the engaging plane D of the groove 34 by resilient means such as a spring acting from inside of the engaging plane D of the groove 34 toward the case 25. The pressing parts are so arranged as to engage the concave part 27 on the case 25, respectively, when the card cleaning means is properly set in said groove. There are further provided, projected plates G projecting toward each other from the engaging planes D of the groove 34 to limit the movement of the bottom part of the case 25. Therefore, the device for conveying a card, according to the present invention, can clean off the soil on the card surface which otherwise would contact the capstan roller. Because the cleaning roller is designed so as not to rotate during the card feeding time and is permitted to rotate freely when the card is returned to be discharged, the card is efficiently cleaned and the next card fed is cleaned with a different part of the cleaning roller. Consequently every part of the cleaning roller can be used equally. This cleaning means is very useful and, as shown in FIG. 2, is readily mounted on the card reader.