Patent ID: 7175083

Claim:
A card processing apparatus, comprising: a body proper having a card inlet, from which a card-shaped storage medium is inserted, a card feeding path communicating to the card inlet, a card accommodating section communicating to the card feeding path and accommodating card-shaped storage media, and a card outlet communicating to the card feeding path; means for feeding the card-shaped storage medium, which has been inserted from the card inlet, to the card accommodating section, outside of the card inlet or outside of the card outlet via the card feeding path; means for processing the card-shaped storage medium, said processing means being located at a read-write position on the card feeding path, said processing means reading data from and writing data in the card-shaped storage medium; means for transferring the card-shaped storage medium, which has been accommodated in the card accommodating section, to the read-write position one by one; a movable guide section distributing the card-shaped storage medium to the card accommodating section or the card outlet according to a position thereof; means for changing the position of said movable guide section; and a control section controlling said changing means and said feeding means on the basis of data, which have been read from or written in the card-shaped storage medium located at the read-write position, so as to selectively feed the card-shaped storage medium to the card accommodating section, outside of the card inlet or outside of the card outlet, wherein said card outlet is formed between a wall of the feeding path and the movable guide section, said card accommodating section is formed between the movable guide section and a wall of the feeding path on the opposite side of the card outlet with respect to the movable guide section, and said movable guide section acts as a partition separating the card accommodating section and the card outlet.