Abstract:
A device ( 30 ) for strengthening a card reader ( 10 ) including a slot ( 12 ) at least partly delimited by a base ( 34 ) and two lateral walls ( 17 ) and extending along a longitudinal direction, the slot being intended to receive a card moving along the longitudinal direction while bearing on the base, the device including a wire ( 30 ) of substantially circular cross-section arranged at the level of the base and on which the card is intended to slide.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a device for strengthening a swipe reader. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for strengthening a swipe reader, of magnetic or optical reader type, in which the swiping of a card in the reader slot is performed manually or in motorized fashion. 
       DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0002]      FIG. 1  schematically shows a conventional example of a magnetic or optical card reader  10 . Reader  10  comprises a lateral slot  12  in which a user can swipe a card (not shown). Slot  12  is delimited by a lateral edge  14  of reader  10  and by the body of reader  16 . Reader  10  comprises a read head (not shown) capable of reading data stored on the card. It may be a magnetic read head capable of reading data stored in the form of a magnetic strip arranged on the card. It may also be an optical read head capable of reading data stored in the form of a bar code formed on the card. 
         [0003]      FIG. 2  schematically shows lateral edge  14  of reader  10  of  FIG. 1  which is formed of a lateral flange  17 , which delimits a side of slot  12 , and of a base  18  which delimits the bottom of slot  12 . The side of slot  12  opposite to flange  17  is delimited by a part or several parts of reader  10 ; not shown. Edge  14  is generally formed of a plastic material enabling manufacturing of edge  14  at low cost. 
         [0004]    To improve the sliding of cards in slot  12  and avoid a fast wearing of base  18  on successive swipings of cards in slot  12 , base  18  is covered with a strengthening strip  20  on which cards are swiped. Strengthening strip  20  is generally formed of a wear-resisting low friction coefficient material, for example, steel. Such a strengthening strip  20  is generally formed by an overmolding operation performed on base  18 . Such a method is however relatively complex and of non-negligible cost. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,001, ceased to Welch Allyn Company, describes a swipe reader in which the strengthening strip is formed of a planar strip cut and maintained in grooves provided at the slot level. The position of the strengthening strip in the slot may be adjusted by providing several parallel grooves, which enables using the reader for cards of different dimensions. 
         [0006]    To surely guide the displacement of a card in the slot, it may be desirable to provide a slot  12  having a non perfectly planar median surface but exhibiting a slight curvature along the longitudinal slot direction. The card then temporarily is slightly deformed on swiping thereof in the slot, which ensures a correct alignment of the card with respect to the read head. 
         [0007]    In this case, the use of a joined strengthening strip is difficult. Indeed, it is then necessary to provide specific cutting operations to obtain a strengthening strip having its longitudinal sides following the slot curvature. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention aims at providing a device for strengthening the bottom of a swipe reader slot that can indifferently adapt to card readers comprising a rectilinear or slightly curved slot. 
         [0009]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a swipe reader strengthening device of simple assembly. 
         [0010]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a swipe reader strengthening device of simple design. 
         [0011]    To achieve these objects, the present invention provides a device for strengthening a card reader comprising a slot at least partly delimited by a base and two lateral walls and extending along a longitudinal direction, said slot being intended to receive a card moving along said longitudinal direction while bearing on the base. The device comprises a wire of substantially circular cross-section arranged at the level of the base and on which the card is intended to slide. 
         [0012]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lateral walls of the slot exhibit a curvature with respect to an axis perpendicular to said base. 
         [0013]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the wire is substantially equal to the width of the slot. 
         [0014]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, before being arranged, the wire exhibits a curvature with respect to an axis transverse to the slot. 
         [0015]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, the wire comprises two inclined ends and the base comprises two notches receiving said inclined ends. 
         [0016]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, each notch comprises at least one tapered surface to ease the introduction and/or the maintaining in said notch of the associated inclined end. 
         [0017]    The present invention aims at a card reader comprising a slot at least partly delimited by a base and two lateral walls and extending along a longitudinal direction, said slot being intended to receive a card moving along said longitudinal direction while bearing on the base, the reader comprising a strengthening device such as previously described. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The foregoing object, features, and advantages of the present invention, as well as others, will be discussed in detail in the following non-limiting description of specific embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1 , previously described, schematically shows a conventional swipe reader; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2 , previously described, schematically shows an example of embodiment of a device for strengthening the reader of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  shows an example of embodiment of a device according to the present invention for strengthening a swipe reader, the strengthening device being shown outside of the slot; 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  shows the strengthening device of  FIG. 3  assembled in the reader; 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of the strengthening device according to the present invention; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  shows a detail of the reader forming at the level of an end of the strengthening device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    For clarity, same elements have been designated with same reference numerals in the different drawings. 
         [0026]    The present invention consists of a device for strengthening the bottom of a swipe reader slot, which is formed of a wire of substantially circular cross-section made of a low-friction coefficient wear-resisting material, for example, steel. On arranging the wire at the reader slot bottom level, the wire can then easily be deformed to adapt to the slot curvature. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  shows an example of embodiment of strengthening device  30  according to the present invention and of elements of a swipe reader intended to receive such a device. 
         [0028]    Similarly to  FIG. 2 , slot  12  is, on one side, delimited by a lateral flange  32  and, on the other side, by parts, not shown, of the card reader. The bottom of slot  12  is delimited by a base  34 , which in the shown example is solid with lateral flange  32 . However, base  34  may correspond to a part distinct from flange  32 . Two notches  36 ,  38  separate base  34  into a central portion  40  and two end portions  42 ,  44 . 
         [0029]    Strengthening device  30  is formed of a rectilinear wire of circular cross-section having inclined ends  46 ,  48 . As an example, for a portable card reader, wire  30  may have a diameter on the order of one millimeter. The diameter of the strengthening wire substantially corresponds to the width of slot  12 . Thus, when wire  30  is arranged in slot  12 , it adapts to the shape of slot  12  under the action of the lateral walls delimiting slot  12 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  shows strengthening device  30  according to the present example of embodiment assembled at the level of base  34  of slot  12 . Inclined ends  46 ,  48  of wire  30  penetrate into notches  36 ,  38  of base  34 . The assembly of wire  30  at the level of base  34  is performed by temporarily deforming wire  30  to have inclined ends  46 ,  48  penetrate into notches  36 ,  38 . Wire  30  is then released. End portions  42 ,  44  then maintain ends  46 ,  48  in notches  36 ,  38  so that, once assembled, wire  30  cannot be removed without exerting a sufficient traction force thereon. On swiping of a card in slot  12 , the card edge slides on wire  30 , avoiding fast wearing of base  34 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of strengthening device  30 . According to the present variation, the wire is, in the absence of any outer constraint, slightly curved between inclined ends  46 ,  48 . The introduction of ends  46 ,  48  of wire  30  in notches  36 ,  38  then results in a deformation of the central portion of wire  30  so that, once assembled, all of wire  30  is pressed against base  34 . Any play is thus eliminated between wire  30  and base  34 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 6  shows in more detailed fashion an alternative embodiment of notches  36 ,  38 , only notch  36  being shown. Central portion  40  of base  34  comprises, at the level of notch  36 , a tapered surface  50 , oriented towards slot  12 . End portion  42  of base  34  comprises, at the level of notch  36 , a tapered surface  52  oriented towards the side opposite to slot  12 . Tapered surface  50  guides inclined end  46  of wire  30  towards notch  36  on assembly of wire  30  on base  34 . Further, when wire  30  is assembled, tapered surface  50  enables taking into account possible variations of the curvature of the rounded portion connecting inclined end  46  and central portion  40  of wire  30 . Tapered surface  52  eases the maintaining of inclined end  46  in notch  36 . Tapered surface  46  may further comprise a groove having a shape complementary to the shape of inclined end  46  of wire  30  to improve the maintaining in position of wire  30  once assembled on base  34 . 
         [0033]    The use of a strengthening device in the form of a cylindrical wire advantageously enables using the same strengthening device for different slot shapes, and in particular, for a slot which is not perfectly rectilinear but which has a slight curvature along the longitudinal slot direction. 
         [0034]    Further, according to the previously-described example of embodiment, the inclined ends of the strengthening device form surfaces of “soft” triggering on swiping of a card in the slot. This advantageously enables limiting any card deterioration. 
         [0035]    Moreover, according to the previously-described example of embodiment, the assembly of the strengthening device according to the present invention in a reader is particularly simple, since it is obtained by a slight temporary deformation of the wire to introduce the inclined wire ends in the corresponding notches provided at the base level. 
         [0036]    Of course, the present invention is likely to have various alterations, modifications, and improvements which will readily occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, the attachment of the strengthening device to the base may be performed by other means, for example, by gluing.