Abstract:
In a card processing apparatus a card tray and, a card-transporting device are provided. A device for sensing the position or detention of a card in the card tray and a holding device for a card that has stopped in an irregular manner in the card tray due to manipulation of the card-processing apparatus, are also included. The holding device is activated if a change in the position of the card is not detected even though a conveying signal has been issued to the card-conveying device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation application and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/533,633 filed on May 2, 2005, which is entitled to the benefit of International Application No. PCT/DE2003/003642 filed Nov. 3, 2003, and German Patent Application No. 10255257.6 filed Nov. 27, 2002, and German Patent Application No. 10302406.9 filed Jan. 21, 2003, the contents of all of the foregoing applications being incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a card-holding device in a card-processing apparatus. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   There have come to light attempts to manipulate card-processing apparatuses of automated teller machines in which a credit card is caught by means of a catching device placed in front of the card slot of the card-processing apparatus, so that it can neither be drawn in nor conveyed back to the card slot by the conveying device of the card-processing apparatus. At a later point in time, the catching device together with the caught credit card is removed from the card-processing apparatus, whereby the credit card gets into the hands of unauthorized individuals. 
   Methods and devices have been proposed which comprise a technique for destroying stored information if a card is deliberately pulled out of a magnetic card reader. In the case of the proposed method, unusual stopping of a magnetic card and movement of the card after stopping are sensed and a magnetic information-destroying device is activated in dependence on the movement. 
   Such a method is suitable only for magnetic cards; this method cannot be used at least for erasing chip cards with contacts, since their contacts cannot come into connection with those of the card-processing apparatus if the chip card is stopped prematurely. Furthermore, after erasure, the rightful owner of the card must be issued with a new card, which leads to time delays and additional costs. 
   The object of the invention is therefore to propose a card-processing apparatus with a device for protecting credit cards from misuse which is suitable for all types of card. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention resides in one aspect in a card processing apparatus that includes a card tray and a card transporting device for sensing the position or detention of a card in the card tray. A holding device is provided for a card. The card holding device is activated if a change in the position of the card is not detected even though a conveying signal has been issued to the card-conveying device. 
   The invention is based on the idea that a credit card which can be caught by means of a catching device unlawfully attached to the card-processing apparatus cannot be pulled out of the card tray if a pull-out preventer is provided. According to the invention, this is realized by a holding device which immovably secures the card even if it is attempted with great force to pull the catching device together with the card out of the card tray. However, the ability of the card to move during regular operation of the card-processing apparatus must not be hindered. A card that has stopped in an irregular manner in the card tray due to manipulation of the card-processing apparatus is detected by a change in the position of the card not being detected even though a conveying signal has been issued to the card-conveying device. In this case, the holding device is activated. 
   In an embodiment of the invention, the holding device has at least one gripper, which is brought into contact with one of the sides of the card when the holding device is activated. The gripper presses the card against a counter-bearing and is provided with a great holding force with respect to the card in relation to a pulling-out force. The counter-bearing may comprise a delimiting surface of the card tray or some other fixed surface located in the latter. An advantage of this embodiment is that a simple drive for the gripper can be employed. 
   In another embodiment of the invention, the counter-bearing is a counter-gripper located opposite the gripper and acting on a second side of the card. This embodiment has the advantage that the card is held in the middle of the card tray and is consequently not subjected to any bending forces. 
   The gripper and/or the counter-gripper has in the region that comes into contact with the surface of the card a high friction coefficient with respect to the card. 
   According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gripper and/or the counter-gripper is provided in the region that comes into contact with the surface of the card with at least one tooth-like point, which is able to dig into the surface of the card. This leads to particularly reliable retention of the card, without however destroying it or making it unusable. 
   The gripper and/or the counter-gripper may be formed as an eccentric which is attached in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft, which can be rotated about its axis by an electromechanical drive, and is adjustable by said shaft between a position releasing the card tray and a holding position, the shaft lying ahead of the region where the eccentric is in contact with the card. 
   The gripper and/or the counter-gripper is preferably formed as an arcuate arm, one end of which is attached in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft which can be made to rotate about its axis by an electrical drive and the other, free end of which is provided with the region having the high friction coefficient or with the at least one tooth-like point, the shaft lying ahead of the contact region of the gripper and/or the counter-gripper, as seen in the drawing-in direction of the card-processing apparatus. 
   In another embodiment, the gripper and/or the counter-gripper is formed in the manner of a lever, and can be placed at such an angle against the surface(s) of the card that the holding force exerted on the card increases as the expended pulling-out force increases. 
   In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality of grippers and/or counter-grippers are distributed over the width of the card tray. In this case, all the grippers and/or counter-grippers can be brought jointly into the card tray, but the depth of penetration of the individual grippers and/or counter-grippers into the card tray is independent of the other grippers and/or counter-grippers. 
   In still another embodiment of the present invention, the card may be secured in the card-processing apparatus by means of a bolt which penetrates the card if manipulation is attempted. The bolt is preferably fastened to a lever which is mounted transverse to the card-conveying direction and is adjustable, for example, by means of an eccentric under the power of a motor, between a first position, in which the bolt clears the card-conveying path, and a second position, in which the bolt penetrates the card and prevents conveyance of the card. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained below on the basis of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  shows a sectioned side view of the drawing-in region of a card-processing apparatus, 
       FIG. 2  shows the drawing-in region of the card-processing apparatus from  FIG. 1  in a plan view, 
       FIG. 3  shows the drawing-in region of the card-processing apparatus from  FIG. 1  with a credit card secured in it. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the drawing-in region of a card-processing apparatus  10  is represented in a sectioned side view and in plan view. Only a flared card-insertion opening  12  and a first pair of conveying rollers  13 , the upper and lower rollers of which can be made to rotate with the aid of their conveying shafts  14 , are represented. The conveying shafts  14  and all the further card-conveying means (not represented) of the card-processing apparatus  10  are drive-connected to a card-conveying motor  15 . The conveying shafts  14  lie perpendicular to the drawing-in direction E of the card-processing apparatus  10  and parallel to a card tray  16 , which in  FIG. 1  is indicated merely by its center line. A credit card  18  has been partially inserted into the card tray  16 . 
   The flared card-insertion opening  12  comprises an upper delimiting part  20  and a lower delimiting part  22 . A series of clearances  24  have been made in the upper delimiting part  20  and a series of clearances  26  have been made in the lower delimiting part  22 . The clearances  24 ,  26  are opposite one another. The free end  28  of an arcuate gripper  30 ,  32  protrudes into each of the clearances  24 ,  26  to the extent that the card tray  16  still remains free. The arms  30 ,  32  consist of an elastic material, for example spring steel, with a progressive elasticity curve. The upper arms  30  are connected to an upper shaft  34  and the lower arms  32  are connected to a lower shaft  36 . The free end  28  of each arm  30 ,  32  is provided with a number of tooth-like points  38 . Instead of or in addition to being provided with the points, the free end  28  of the arms  30 ,  32  may be provided with a material which has a high friction coefficient with respect to the material of the credit card  18 . 
   The upper shaft  34  is rotationally connected to an upper gear wheel  40 , which lies outside the card tray  16  and meshes with a lower gear wheel  42  mounted in a rotationally fixed manner on the lower shaft  36 . Engaging in this lower gear wheel is a pinion  44 , which can be driven by a servo-motor  46 . Instead of the gear-wheel servo-drive  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 , a lever servo-drive which can be actuated by an electromagnet may also be used. 
   In the region between the clearances  24  and  26 , respectively, and the pair of drive rollers  13 , an upper bore  48  has been made in the upper delimiting part  20  and a lower bore  50  has been made in the lower delimiting part  22 . The bores  48 ,  50  are opposite one another and are passed through by the beam of a device for detecting the position of the credit card  52 . 
     FIG. 3  shows the drawing-in region of the card-processing apparatus  10  with a credit card  18   a  improperly secured in the card-processing apparatus  10  by a catching device (not represented). It can be seen that the arms  30 ,  32  have been adjusted into their holding position and the tooth-like points  38  are acting on the credit card  18   a.    
   There now follows a description of the operating principle of the card-processing apparatus  10  and the card-holding device arranged in it. In the readiness position of the card-processing apparatus  10 , the arms  30 ,  32  are in their position releasing the card tray  16 , as is represented in  FIG. 1 . The beam of the light barrier  52  can pass through the two bores  48 ,  50  unhindered. If a credit card  18  is then pushed into the card tray  16  in the pushing-in direction E, the beam of the light barrier  52  is interrupted and its signal is transmitted to a control device  54 . This then switches on the card-conveying motor  15 , and a little later the credit card  18  is taken up by the conveying rollers  13 . The interruption of the beam of the light barrier  52  starts in the control device  54  a monitoring time within which the light barrier  52  must be cleared. This is the case if the card is conveyed properly. If, however, the credit card  18  is secured in the card tray  16 , the monitoring time expires without the light barrier  52  being cleared. The control device  54  then supplies current to the servo-motor  46 , whereupon the arms  30 ,  32  are adjusted into their holding position, represented in  FIG. 3 . 
   On account of the progressive modulus of elasticity of the arms  30 ,  32 , they are capable of adapting themselves thereby on a first part of their adjusting path to different card thicknesses and also to a catching device additionally introduced into the card tray  16 . On the second part of the adjusting path, the elasticity of the arms  30 ,  32  decreases to the extent that they become virtually rigid in relation to a possible pulling-out force. If it is then attempted to pull the credit card  18   a  out of the card-processing apparatus  10  by force, the points  38  dig into the respective surface of the card and the arms  30 ,  32  are pivoted further toward each other. As a result, the distance between the free ends  28  of the upper and lower arms  30 ,  32  becomes even smaller and the retaining force of the holding device becomes even greater, so that it becomes virtually impossible to pull the credit card  18   a  out of the card-processing apparatus  10 . The credit card  18   a  thereby remains undamaged, apart from the impressions of the points  38 , which do not impair the function of the card. The return of the arms  30 ,  32  into their release position can only be performed by authorized personnel.