Abstract:
A credit card stacker holding up to a predetermined number of cards in a lower section. Cards are supplied by a separator mechanism from the upper section of the card stacker, as they are depleted from the lower section by the issuing mechanism. The separator mechanism supports one edge of a card in the upper section only while the other edge of the card is supported by a predetermined number of cards in the lower section. When the number of cards in the lower section drops below the predetermined number, the separator allows cards to drop to the lower section.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/855,909, filed May 15, 2001, entitled “Card Issuer, Card Processor and Card Stacker Method and Apparatus”, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a card issuer, more particularly to a card issuer which is capable of selecting and supplying magnetic cards (optionally having embosses or magnetic strips) one by one from a stack of a plurality of cards.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Apparatus for selecting and supplying one card from a large number of cards in a stack is known. For example, in the gazettes of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Sho 56-45196 and Hei 7-35210, a card issuer  100  shown in FIG. 8 is disclosed. The card issuer  100  is slidably equipped with a press plate  130  in a hopper  120  having a length L in width, which is slightly shorter than a length of a card  110 . At a card outlet  180  of the hopper  120 , a feeding roller  140  is disposed in a state where a part of the circumferential surface of the feeding roller  140  projects inside the hopper. A separator  150  is disposed in the hopper  120 , and this separator  150  is disposed in such a manner that a tip thereof is separated from an outer circumference of the feeding roller  140 , spaced with an interval equivalent to a thickness of one card. The card  110  is inserted in the hopper  120  to a wall  120   a  along a card feeding direction of the hopper  120  in an orientation where a tip thereof contacts the feeding roller  140 . The card  110  is always pressed toward the feeding roller  140  by a press plate  130 . A pressure imparted to the press plate  130  is obtained by disposing springs  160  between a wall portion of the hopper  120  and the press plate  130 .  
           [0004]    When the feeding roller  140  rotates, the card  110  at the uppermost portion is sent out by a frictional force of the feeding roller  140 . In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, as the card  110  is sent out, it begins to rotate with its contact point with the feeding roller  140  as a rotational center. Finally, the card  110  is discharged through a feeding path  170 .  
           [0005]    The above-described card issuer  100  adopts a system in which the card  110  at the uppermost portion is selected from a large number of the cards  110  stacked in a vertical direction. Further, there is known another card issuer in which a card at the lower most portion is selected one by one. In the card issuer of this system, a card located at the lowermost portion is made to contact a feeding roller (or a feeding belt) similar to that of the card issuer  100 . Thus, one card is selected by a frictional force or extruded by use of an extrusion member.  
           [0006]    Also in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-53068, a card issuer  200  shown in FIG. 10 is disclosed. In the card issuer  200 , a feeding roller  221  of a cassette  220  is rotated by a motor  222  in a direction where a card  210  is drawn to a floor surface  224  (arrow direction in the drawing). Then, among the stacked cards  210  pressed with a pressure P by a press member  225 , the forefront card  210  contacting the feeding roller  221  is extruded by the frictional force of the feeding roller  221  with an angle in a direction of a floor surface opposite from the press member  225 . The card  210  passes under the feeding roller  221  bending in J-character shape as shown in FIG. 11, advances forward along a floor surface  224  and is discharged from a feeding port  226 .  
           [0007]    Both of the above-described card issuers  100  and  200  feed cards by frictional forces of the feeding rollers ( 140  and  221 ). Besides these, a card issuer adopting a system called a suction system is put into practical use. This card issuer suctions a card at the uppermost portion of stacked cards to take out the card.  
           [0008]    There are a variety of cards handled by the card issuers. For example, there are a prepaid card, a cash card, a credit card and the like. The prepaid card does not have embosses on a surface thereof. Accordingly, the prepaid card can be easily separated and issued by the above-described conventional card issuers. However, in the case of the cash card and the credit card, each of which has embosses formed on a surface thereof, it is not easy to select one card from a plurality of stacked cards. Such embosses are typically made so as to mark a serial number of the card. Accordingly, in serial numbers of cards adjacent to each other in a stacked state, only the respective last numbers are different from each other, and the embosses forming the other characters overlap each other. For this reason, such overlapped embosses interlock and present resistance, and it is not easy to select one card from stacked embossed cards.  
           [0009]    In the card issuer  100  shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, which is disclosed in the gazettes of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Sho 56-45196 and Hei 7-35210, it is assumed that a plurality of the cards  110  rotate keeping an overlapped state with a contact point thereof with the feeding roller  140  as a center. In this case, it is necessary to apply a considerable feeding force at the feeding roller  140  in order to release an overlap of the plurality of cards  110 . However, this force also increases card to card friction due to the overlap of the embosses. Moreover, even if the overlap can be released, since the cards  110  are rubbed with each other by a strong frictional force, the surfaces of the cards  110  may be scratched. Furthermore, in the case where the overlap cannot be released, a plurality of overlapped cards  110  cannot pass through the narrow card outlet  180 , leading to a malfunction of the card issuer  100 .  
           [0010]    In the above described system in which a card at the lowermost portion among stacked cards is selected by a feeding roller and the like, there exists a problem similar to the above. A card weight is one of the factors causing card to card friction due to the overlap of the card embosses. Since a load applied to the cards in the lower layer becomes larger when the number of the stacked cards is increased, the overlap friction becomes significant due to the increased load. When the number of the stacked cards is reduced, the overlap friction of the embosses becomes light, thus the problem that the card issue is disabled due to the overlap of the embosses is avoided. However, in this case, there occurs another problem, that is, troublesome maintenance that the frequency of replacing cards for the card issuer must be increased.  
           [0011]    Moreover, in the card issuer  200  shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, which is disclosed in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-53068, it is a precondition that the card  210  is bent in a J-character shape. Accordingly, the card issuer  200  is not suitable as a card issuer for cards having high rigidity, such as a cash card and a credit card. Even if the card issuer  200  is applied to the cash card or the credit card, a feeding force of the feeding roller  221  must be considerably increased. This added force also functions to increase the overlap friction of the embosses similarly to the previous example. Even if the overlap can be released, since the cards  210  are rubbed with each other by a strong frictional force, the surfaces of the cards  210  can be scratched.  
           [0012]    The card issuer of the suction system has a basic problem that a suction system thereof is large. The overlap friction of the card embosses may be caused by the card weight as described above. Specifically, since the load applied to the cards in the lower layer becomes large when the number of the stacked cards is increased, the overlap friction becomes significant due to the increased load. Since the card issuer of the suction system suctions the card at the uppermost portion of the stacked cards, an overlap of a card at the upper layer in a state of just being stacked is light. Since the card issuer of the suction system makes a suction force function to the card at the uppermost portion, there is no problem due to the overlap of the embosses where the card located in the upper layer is suctioned. However, since the overlap friction of the embosses is significant in the cards located in the lower layer, there is a possibility to suction a plurality of cards as the selecting of the cards proceeds. Moreover, the cards may be attached to each other by static electricity in some cases. In order to prevent the overlap of the plurality of the cards, a method can be conceived in which cards to be suctioned are vibrated to release an overlap thereof However, since vibrating means must be provided to execute this method, such an apparatus becomes expensive.  
           [0013]    As described above, the conventional, inexpensive card issuer cannot consistently select one card from a stack having a large number of the cards having embosses.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    With the foregoing problems in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a card issuer, which is capable of accurately selecting one card from a holder where a plurality of cards having optional embosses formed thereon are stacked.  
           [0015]    It is another object of the present invention to provide such a card issuer at a low cost.  
           [0016]    In order to solve the foregoing problems, the present inventors experimented in selecting cards by varying the number of stacked cards having embosses. The card issuer used in the experiment adopted a system in which the card at the lowermost portion is selected from a plurality of cards stacked in a vertical direction.  
           [0017]    As a result of the experiment, in the case of the current cash card or credit card, it was found that if the number of the stacked cards is less than about 20 to 30, it was possible to constantly select the card at the lowermost portion among the cards stacked in a vertical direction irrespective of the form of the embosses. In the case of the card issuer adopting the system in which the card at the lowermost portion among the cards stacked in a vertical direction is selected, the concerned card is selected by a frictional force between the card and a belt (or roller) generated by driving the belt made to contact the card to be selected. In this case, it is necessary to press the card to the belt by a predetermined pressure. When the cards are stacked, a load corresponding to the number of the stacked cards is applied to the card at the lowermost portion, which is to be selected. However, in the case of the card having embosses formed thereon, when this load is excessive, an overlap of the embosses becomes significant, resulting in difficulty of selecting a single card. The above-described number of 20 to 30 is the number in which the frictional force required for selecting the card is obtained and a condition where the card cannot be selected due to the overlap of the embosses does not occur.  
           [0018]    According to the above-described result, when the number of the cards stacked in the card issuer is set to 20 to 30, a condition where the card cannot be selected due to the overlap of the embosses does not occur. However, when the number of the stacked cards is set to about 20 to 30, it is necessary to frequently replace cards for the card issuer. In other words, when the number of the cards stacked in the card issuer is about 20 to 30, it hinders an efficiency of a maintenance operation.  
           [0019]    With the foregoing problems in mind, the present inventors studied means for preventing the state where the card cannot be selected due to the overlap of the embosses and for securing the efficiency of the maintenance operation. As a result, the present inventors found that it is effective to constantly limit a load applied to the card to be selected by stacking the cards. For example, in the case where the number of the entire stacked cards is set to a hundred, a load applied to the card at the lowermost portion is limited to the equivalent to that of the twenty five cards, and the load of the residual seventy five cards is not translated to the entire surface of cards at the lowermost portion, especially to the area thereof where the embosses are formed. In the case where the card at the lowermost portion is selected, the card is replaced with one from the residual seventy five cards.  
           [0020]    According to the present invention, a card issuer, which sequentially issues stacked cards, comprises: a first stack portion in which the number of stacked cards to be issued is regulated at a predetermined value or less; a second stack portion, which stacks cards for replacing selected cards therewith to the first stack portion in the case where the card stacked in the first stack portion is selected; and selection means for selecting a card stacked in the first stack portion.  
           [0021]    According to the card issuer of the present invention described above, the number of the cards stacked in the first stack portion is regulated at a predetermined value or less. Accordingly, a load applied to the card located at the lowermost portion by the other stacked cards can be controlled. In the case of the stacked cards having embosses formed thereon, the number of the cards stacked in the first stack portion may be set in order that a resistance due to the overlap of the embosses is not likely to prevent selection of the cards.  
           [0022]    In consideration of the overlap of the embosses, it is difficult to stack a large number of cards only in the first stack portion. In the card issuer of the present invention, a second stack portion is provided. A desired number of the cards are stacked not only in the first portion, but in the second stack portion. Since the cards are sequentially selected and issued from the first stack portion, the cards are replaced from the second stack portion to the first stack portion.  
           [0023]    When the selecting of the cards is repeated and the number of the cards stacked in the first stack portion falls below the predetermined value or less, the frictional force for selecting the card may not be provided only by the weight of the stacked cards in some cases. In such a case, a separate weight can be applied, capable of applying a predetermined load. The predetermined load is set (in combination with the weight of a maximum number of cards) to a range where the overlap friction of the embosses does not become excessive.  
           [0024]    In the present invention, the card issuer can take a form in which the cards are stacked in a vertical direction (one above another), and the second stack portion is disposed above the first stack portion. Moreover, the card issuer for issuing the cards having the embosses formed thereon can be constructed in such a manner that a weight of cards stacked in the second stack portion is applied to an area of the cards in the first stack portion, away from the sensitive area of the card (where the embosses are formed). The reason for allowing this arrangement is as follows. Even if the load by the cards stacked in the second stack portion is applied to the cards stacked in the first stack portion, if the load is applied to the area where the embosses are not formed, the overlap friction of the embosses is not promoted. Furthermore, in the card issuer of the present invention, replacement of the cards from the second stack portion to the first stack portion may be performed by gravity.  
           [0025]    According to the present invention, there is provided a card processor, which comprises: a card stacker for stacking cards in a vertical direction where the cards optionally have embossed areas; control means for controlling within a predetermined range, a load applied to the embossed area of the card located at the lowermost portion; and selection means for issuing the card located at the lowermost portion among the cards stacked in the card stacker.  
           [0026]    According to the above-described card processor, the load applied to the embossed area of the card located at the lowermost portion can be controlled within a predetermined range. If the controlled load range is set within a range where the overlap of the embosses does not hinder the selecting of the card, the card can be selected smoothly. In the card processor of the present invention, the applied load can be controlled within a predetermined range even after the card located at the lowermost portion is selected by the issuing means.  
           [0027]    The present invention provides a card stacker, which is effective for use of the above described card issuer and card processor of the present invention. Specifically, the card stacker of the present invention is a card stacker for stacking a plurality of cards stacked in a vertical direction, which comprises: a holding floor for holding the cards in a vertical direction; side walls for regulating a horizontal position of the cards, the side walls being erected from the holding floor; a card stack area for stacking the cards, the card stack area being formed by the holding floor and the side walls; and a projection, projecting into the card stack area, the projection being disposed at a position of a predetermined height of the side wall in the card stack direction.  
           [0028]    In the card stacker of the present invention, the projection has a function for engaging one edge of the card. And, in the case where the card stacker is a card stacker for stacking cards having embosses formed thereon, it is desirable that the projection is formed on the side wall, which is close to the area where the embosses of the stacked cards are formed, on the side wall adjacent to the long side of the cards. With such a construction, weight of the card engaged on the projection and the cards stacked above the engaged card are prevented from being applied to the area of the embosses of the cards stacked below the projection.  
           [0029]    Moreover, in the card stacker of the present invention, it is desirable that a portion of the projection, which engages the card, constitutes a slant surface.  
           [0030]    These and other objects will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following drawings and detailed description of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0031]    The subject matter which is regarded as constituting the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 1 is a conceptual view schematically showing a card issuer  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the first card stacker  4  according to the embodiment;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing an example where a predetermined number of the cards  10  are stacked in the first card stacker  4 ;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 4 is a view showing an example where the residual number of the cards  10  becomes one;  
         [0036]    FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ) are explanatory views showing a process for automatically replacing the fed cards  10 L with the cards  10 H after the cards  10 L are selected and fed: FIG. 5( a ) shows a condition before the card  10 L is selected and fed; and FIG. 5( b ) a condition after the card  10 L is selected and fed;  
         [0037]    FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ) are explanatory views for explaining a difference of the heights of the stacked cards depending on the forming positions of the embosses  13  wherein, FIG. 6( a ) shows a condition where the embosses  13  are formed on the centers of the cards  10  in the width direction, and FIG. 6( b ) a condition where the embosses  13  are formed on the edge portions of the cards  10  in the width direction;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 7 is a view showing the card  10  processed by the card issuer  1  according to the embodiment;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 8 is a view showing the card issuer  100  disclosed in the gazettes of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Sho 56-45196 and Hei 7-35210;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 9 is a view showing the card issuer  100  disclosed in the gazettes of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Sho 56-45196 and Hei 7-35210;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 10 is a view showing the card issuer  200  disclosed in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-53068; and  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 11 is a view showing the card issuer  200  disclosed in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-53068. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0043]    Description will be made for an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings below.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 1 is a conceptual view schematically showing a card issuer  1  according to this embodiment.  
         [0045]    The card issuer  1  is designed for issuing a card  10  optionally provided with a magnetic recording area  11  shown in FIG. 7 such as a cash card or a credit card.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIG. 7, the card  10  has a card serial number  12  marked thereon. In the example of FIG. 7, “123456780000001” is the serial number  12 . This marking constitutes embosses  13 . FIG. 7 also shows a cross sectional view of the card  10  along with A-A. This cross sectional view along A-A shows an example wherein two cards  10  are stacked with each other. With reference to the cross sectional view along A-A, it can be seen that the embosses  13  of the two cards are overlapped with each other. Note that in this embodiment, description will be made for the card  10  provided with the magnetic recording area  11 , which is taken as an example. However in this embodiment, the magnetic recording area  11  is not essential. In other words, although it is a precondition that description will be made for the card  10  having the embosses  13 , constitutions thereof other than the above are optional.  
         [0047]    As shown in FIG. 1, the card issuer  1  comprises a card supplier  2  and a card reader  3 .  
         [0048]    The card supplier  2  functions to select one card from a group of cards  10  stacked in a large number and to supply the card to the card reader  3  when the card  10  is issued. The card supplier  2  comprises two card stackers, that is, a first card stacker  4  and a second card stacker  5 . The first and second card stackers  4  and  5  are constructed in box-shaped structures having openings on the tops, and can respectively stock a hundred stacked cards  10  in a vertical direction. A first weight  41  is provided on the first card stacker  4 , and a second weight  51  is provided on the second card stacker  5 . A sphere  41   b  rotatably supported is provided under the first weight  41 , and a sphere  51   b  rotatably supported is provided under the second weight  51 . Moreover, a first feeding belt  42  is provided under the first card stacker  4 , and a second feeding belt  52  is provided under the second card stacker  5 . The first and second feeding belts  42  and  52  are respectively rotated counterclockwise by pulleys P, which are driven to rotate by driving sources (not shown). Furthermore, the first and second feeding belts  42  and  52  can be respectively set close to and far from the first and second card stackers  4  and  5 . In the case of selecting and feeding the card  10  from the second card stacker  5 , the first feeding belt  42  falls down. In this embodiment, as means for selecting and feeding the card  10  from the first and second card stackers  4  and  5  one by one, the first and second feeding belts  42  and  52  are used. However, instead of these feeding belts, rollers can be used. Moreover, a mechanism used in this embodiment is not limited to the one in which the card  10  is selected by a frictional force of the belt or the roller, but a mechanism in which the card  10  is extruded by use of an extrusion member can also be adopted.  
         [0049]    The card reader  3  comprises magnetic means for writing in and reading out necessary data for the optional magnetic recording area  11  of the card  10  selected and fed from the first card stacker  4  or the second card stacker  5 . For the magnetic means, the conventionally known magnetic head may satisfactorily be used. Carrier rollers R for carrying the card  10  are provided in the card reader  3 . The carrier rollers R are rotatably driven by driving sources (not shown). The card  10  fed from the first card stacker  4  or the second card stacker  5  stops once by a stop of the carrier rollers R at a predetermined position, where the data is written in or read out. After the data is written in or read out, the card  10  is carried toward a card issue port E by the carrier rollers R.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a construction of the first card stacker  4 . Note that description for the second card stacker  5  is omitted since it has the same construction as the first card stacker  4 .  
         [0051]    As shown in FIG. 2, the first card stacker  4  is basically constituted of a pair of holding floors  4   c   1  and  4   c   2  disposed so as to be spaced by a predetermined interval with each other and U-character shaped side walls  4   a  and  4   b  erected vertically from the holding floors  4   c   1  and  4   c   2 . A feeding port  44  for feeding the card  10  is formed at a lower edge of the side wall  4   b . The first card stacker  4  stacks and holds the cards  10  having the optional embosses  13  formed thereon in a card stack area C formed by the holding floors  4   c   1  and  4   c   2  and the side walls  4   a  and  4   b . When the first feeding belt  42  is driven while making the first feeding belt  42  contact the lower surface of the card  10  located at the lowermost portion among the cards  10  stacked in the first card stacker  4 , the card  10  is fed through the feeding port  44  to the card reader  3 . As apparent from the foregoing, a predetermined space between the holding floors  4   c   1  and  4   c   2  is provided such that the first feeding belt  42  can contact the card  10 . Separating means are provided on the side wall  4   a , by a triangular projection  43   a  projecting toward the card stack area C. The function of the separating means  43  will be described later in detail.  
         [0052]    The first weight  41  has an outside dimension slightly smaller than that of the card stack area C of the first card stacker  4 . The first weight  41  is mounted over the card  10  at the uppermost position of the stacker  4 , after a predetermined number of the cards  10  (100 cards in this embodiment) is stacked in the card stack area C of the first card stacker  4 . Accordingly, every time a card  10  is selected and fed, the first weight  41  falls down in the card stack area C of the first card stacker  4 . In the first weight  41 , a notch  45  is preferably formed for avoiding interference between the first weight  41  with the projection  43   a  of the separating means  43 . Moreover, in the first weight  41 , a handle  46  is preferably formed, and the first weight  41  is manipulated with this handle  46 . Furthermore, although it is not shown in FIG. 2, a sphere  41   b  is preferably disposed under the first weight  41 . The sphere  41   b  is rotatably fitted to the first weight  41 .  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing a condition wherein a predetermined number of the cards  10  are stacked in the first card stacker  4 . Although the optional magnetic recording area  11  and the optional embosses  13  of the card  10  are omitted in the drawing, the magnetic recording area  11  are positioned on the right portion of the card  10  and the embosses  13  of the card  10  are positioned on the left portion of the card  10  in the drawing.  
         [0054]    In FIG. 3, the cards  10  are classified and stacked in a first stack section  20  and a second stack section  21  in the first card stacker  4 . Herein, the cards  10  stacked in the first stack section  20  are referred to as cards  10 L, and the cards  10  stacked in the second stack section  21  are referred to as cards  10 H. The number of the cards  10 L stacked in the first stack section  20  is set to about 20 to 30. This numerical value of 20 to 30 is the number enabling the card  10  to be constantly selected from the stacked cards as described above. This number is experimentally derived and would be different for a different card technology. Moreover, the number of the cards stacked in the second stack portion  21  is 70 to 80 since the number of the cards is obtained by subtracting the number of the cards  10 L from a hundred, which is a number of cards stacked as a whole. Note that the number of the cards  10  shown in FIG. 3 does not depict the actual number of the cards  10 H and  10 L because of limitations from making the drawing.  
         [0055]    The first and second stack sections  20  and  21  are separated from each other by the separating means  43 . In other words, all the cards  10 L stacked in the first stack section  20  exist below the separating means  43 , and left edges of all the cards  10 H stacked in the second stack section  21  exist above the projection  43   a  of the separating means  43 .  
         [0056]    As shown in FIG. 3, one edge of the card  10 H in a width direction thereof, the card  10 H being located at the lowermost portion of the cards  10 H stacked in the second stack portion  21 , is engaged with the triangular projection  43   a  of the separating means  43 . And the other edge of the card  10 H is positioned on the card  10 L located on the uppermost portion among the cards  10 L. Accordingly, on the right edge portions of the cards  10 L, that is, on an area where the embosses  13  are not formed, the weight of the cards  10 H is applied. However, the weight of the cards  10 H is not applied on the left edge portions of the cards  10 L. As described above, since the embosses  13  exist on the left portion of the card  10 , the load of the cards  10 H is not applied on an area where the embosses  13  of the cards  10 L exist.  
         [0057]    A degree of the overlap of the embosses  13  is affected by the number of the stacked cards  10 L, that is, the weight of the cards  10 L. If the number of the stacked cards is small, the overlap of the embosses  13  is light. Accordingly, the card  10 L at the lowermost portion can be easily selected by the first feeding belt  42 . According to the study of the present inventors, if the number of the stacked cards is less than about 20 to 30, the overlap of the embosses  13  of the cards  10  does not occur, or even if it occurs, the overlap is light. This number of 20 to 30 is a value confirmed experimentally by use of magnetic cards such as currently used cash cards or credit cards, which are regulated in JIS. Accordingly, it is needless to say that this number may vary depending on a dimension of handled cards  10  or a state of embosses  13  thereof The present invention is not limited to the above number 20 to 30.  
         [0058]    As described above, the load of the cards  10 H is not applied to the area where the embosses  13  of the cards  10 L exist. Accordingly, although a hundred cards  10  are stacked in the first card stacker  4 , the card  10 L located at the lowermost portion of the first stack portion  20  can be easily selected. Moreover, the number of the cards  10 H stacked in the second stack portion  21  is smaller compared with the number of the entire stacked cards. Accordingly, the overlap of the embosses  13  of the cards  10 H stacked in the second stack portion  21  is reduced.  
         [0059]    Herein, when the number of the entire stacked cards is defined as M (100) and the number of the cards  10 L stacked in the first stack section  20  is defined as m, the number of the cards  10 H stacked in the second stack section  21  is represented as (M−m).  
         [0060]    The card  10 L located at the lowermost portion of the cards  10 L is selected one by one at each time when a card  10  is requested to be issued. After the above operation is performed once, the number of the cards  10 L is to be changed into (m−1). However, the selected cards  10 L are replaced with the cards  10 H which are stacked in the second stack section  21 . Accordingly, as long as the cards  10 H exist in the second stack section  21 , the number of the cards  10 L in the first stack section  20  is the predetermined m (constant). This indicates that in the case where the residual number of the cards exceeds a predetermined value (m), the load applied to the area in which the embosses  13  of the card  10 L located at the lowermost portion of the first stack section  20 , is controlled within a predetermined range. This control is performed by the separating means  43 . When the selecting of the cards  10 L is repeated, the cards  10 H in the second stack portion  21  are eventually used up. Then, the number of the cards  10 L in the first stack portion  20  is sequentially reduced such as: (m−1), (m−2), (m−3).  
         [0061]    [0061]FIG. 4 shows a state where the residual number of the cards  10  is one after the cards  10  are sequentially selected. When the feeding belt  42  is driven in this state, the card  10  is selected to the front of the drawing. In this case, since the sphere  41   b  of the first weight  41  contacts the card  10  by a point there between, the sphere  41   b  and the card  10  are easily slidable to each other. This results in suppressing a frictional force between the card  10  and the sphere  41   b . The frictional force between the card  10  and the sphere  41   b  can be further reduced by supporting this sphere  41   b  rotatably.  
         [0062]    The first weight  41  imparts a predetermined frictional force between the card  10  to be selected and the feeding belt  42  when the residual number of the cards  10  becomes smaller as described above. However, if the first weight  41  is too heavy, the overlap of the embosses  13  of the cards  10  become significant. Accordingly, it is necessary to determine the weight of the first weight  41  also in consideration of the above-described overlap.  
         [0063]    The separating means  43  of the first card stacker  4  according to this embodiment has also a function to automatically replace the selected cards  10 L with the cards  10 H of the equivalent number to the cards  10 L. This function will be described with reference to FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ).  
         [0064]    FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ) are explanatory views showing a process for automatically replacing the fed cards  10 L with the cards  10 H after the cards  10 L are selected and fed. FIG. 5( a ) schematically shows a state before the card  10 L is selected and fed, and FIG. 5( b ) a state after the card  10 L is selected and fed. The cards  10 L are actually stacked slanting by an affect of the embosses  13  as shown in FIG. 3. However, the slant is not shown herein.  
         [0065]    In FIG. 5( a ), a distance between a tip P of the projection  43   a  of the separating means  43  and a right edge Q of the card  10 L located at the uppermost portion is defined as d1. This d1 is set so as to have a value slightly smaller than a width w of the card  10 L (card  10 H). Specifically, a relation of d1&lt;w is established. Accordingly, the left edge of the card  10 H at the lowermost portion is engaged with the projection  43   a.    
         [0066]    When the card  10 L at the lowermost portion among the cards  10 L is fed, the uppermost position of the cards  10 L falls down by a thickness of the card  10 L. FIG. 5( b ) shows this state. When a distance between the right edge q of the card  10 L at the uppermost portion and a tip P of the projection  43   a  of the separating means  43  in the above-described fallen state is defined as d2, a relation of d1&lt;d2 is established. Moreover, this d2 is set so as to have a value slightly larger than the width w of the card  10 L (card  10 H). Specifically, a relation of w&lt;d2 is established. Accordingly, the engagement of the left edge of the card  10 H at the lowermost portion with the projection  43   a  of the separating means  43  is released. For this reason, the concerned card  10 H rotates with the point q as a center and drops by the gravity.  
         [0067]    As described above, according to this embodiment, the fed cards  10 L can be automatically replaced with the cards  10 H by employing an extremely simple construction, that is, providing the separating means  43 .  
         [0068]    In the embodiment described above, the projection  43   a  of the separating means  43  is formed by a triangular shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this triangular-shaped projection  43   a . As long as the projection  43   a  can function as described in this embodiment sufficiently, the projection  43   a  can take any shape known in the art. Although the projection  43   a  can take various shapes, if the projection  43   a  is formed in a triangular shape as in this embodiment, the left edge of the card  10 H can smoothly fall down along a slant surface of the triangle. Such smooth falling can be achieved if the surface contacting the left edge of the card  10 H is provided by a smooth slant surface, which is not limited to the triangular shape of the projection  43   a.    
         [0069]    In this embodiment, the cards  10  are stacked in the first card stacker  4  in such a manner that the portions of the cards  10  which have the embosses  13  formed thereon are disposed close to the separating means  43 . This stacking of the cards  10  with such disposal is provided to avoid load application to the embosses  13  of the cards  10 L stacked in the first stack portion  20  as described above. In the present invention, it is most desirable that the cards  10  are stacked in such a manner. However, the cards  10  may also be stacked in such a manner that the portions of the cards  10  which have the magnetic recording area  11  are disposed close to the separating means  43  according to the form of the embosses.  
         [0070]    In this embodiment, the separating means  43  are preferably provided on a surface of the side wall  4   a  which corresponds to a width direction of the cards  10 . However, the separating means  43  may also be provided in other ways including: on the surface of the side wall  4   a  which corresponds to a longitudinal direction (feeding direction) of the cards  10 .  
         [0071]    The first card stacker  4  can flexibly deal with various types of cards  10  by optimizing a disposal position of the separating means  43  in a vertical direction. In this embodiment, formation of the embosses  13  of the cards  10  on edge portions thereof in the width direction is exemplified. However, there are other types of cards  10  having embosses  13  formed around centers thereof in the width direction. When such cards  10  are stacked, even if the cards  10  having the similar number to that of the cards  10  having the embosses  13  formed on edge portions thereof in the width direction, a height of the stacked cards  10  having embosses  13  formed around the centers in the width direction gets higher. FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ) show comparison of the heights. In other words, FIG. 6( a ) shows a state where the cards  10  having the embosses  13  formed around the centers thereof in the width direction is stacked in the first card stacker  4 , and FIG. 6( b ) shows a state where the cards  10  having the embosses  13  formed on the edge portion thereof in the width direction (left side in the drawing) are stacked in the first card stacker  4 . Note that the depiction of the embosses  13  is omitted in FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ). In the case of the cards  10  having the embosses  13  around the centers thereof in the width direction, a slant angle of the cards  10  stacked on the cards  10  becomes larger. Therefore, even if the number of the stacked cards  10  is the same as that of the cards  10  having the embosses  13  formed on the edge portion thereof in the width direction, the height of the stacked cards  10  gets higher as shown in FIG. 6. The slant angle of the cards  10  becomes largest in the case where the embosses  13  are formed on the center portions of the cards  10  in the width direction. At the same time, the height of the stacked cards  10  becomes highest. Accordingly, if a disposal height of the separating means  43  is set assuming the case where the embosses  13  are formed on the center portions of the cards  10  in the width direction, the separating means  43  can cope with the case where the cards  10  having the embosses  13  formed on other positions than the center portions (i.e. Optimized for all embossing positions).  
         [0072]    Moreover, the case, where the number of the separating means  43  provided is one, is exemplified in this embodiment, but a plurality of the separating means  43  may be provided. If the number of the entire stacked cards  10  is increased, the number of the cards  10 H stacked in the second stack portion  21  is increased, thus causing the problem of the overlap of the embosses  13 . Accordingly, it is advantageous that the entire stacked cards  10  are classified into two or more groups by providing another separating means  43  in the second stack section  21 .  
         [0073]    As described above, according to the present invention, the card issuer, which is capable of accurately selecting one card from a state where the plurality of cards having the embosses formed thereon are stacked, can be provided. Particularly, the card stacker of the present invention is desirable also with regard to a cost, since one card can be selected from the state where the plurality of cards having the embosses formed thereon are stacked only by adding an extremely simple construction, that is, providing the projection.  
         [0074]    While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction herein disclosed, and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.