Patent ID: 7401732

Claim:
An apparatus for recovering information from standardized personal identification credentials, said credentials include one of drivers' licenses, credit cards, personalized store cards, company cards, and standardized identification cards issued by federal, state and local government agencies, such apparatus being structurally designed with an angled top window, black internal walls, and an imaging component, which is set at a predetermined distance from the top window for the purpose of providing the ability to read encoded media while a slot in the front allows for swiping magnetic stripe media, whereas apparatus can be connected to a computer system as a separate unit or as part of an embedded system and serving as an input means to any software application that is capable of reading such information, and wherein the barcode reading is automatically triggered upon presentation of a standardized credential to apparatus top window, and whereas “credential present” detection mechanism is performed using a continuously emitted low-powered light beam, pointed upward towards the top window.