Patent ID: 7036732

Claim:
A ticket reader/writer for processing a plurality of tickets in an automatic fare collection device, each of the plurality of tickets having at least one magnetic stripe located on at least one of a ticket top surface or a ticket bottom surface, the ticket reader/writer comprising: an upper entrance roller and a lower entrance roller being adapted to accept a ticket of the plurality of tickets at a predetermined entry angle, the upper entrance roller and lower entrance roller positioned in one configuration selected from a plurality of configurations based on the predetermined entry angle; an upper exit roller and a lower exit roller of a plurality of rollers, adapted to eject the ticket at a predetermined exit angle; an upper belt stretched around the upper entrance roller and the upper exit roller; and a lower belt stretched around the lower entrance roller and the lower exit roller; wherein the upper belt and the lower belt form a transport path therebetween for the ticket; a drive mechanism for rotating at least one of the plurality of rollers in a forward direction to move the ticket through the transport path; and at least one magnetic head for reading from and writing to the ticket, at least one magnetic head positioned along a width of the ticket reader/writer corresponding to a placement of the at least one magnetic stripe of the ticket.