Patent ID: 7556195

Claim:
A card reader and writer comprising: card holding means for holding an inserted card; and head moving means for moving an information read/write head in a direction perpendicular to a card insertion/ejection direction; said card holding means comprising: insertion/ejection direction abutment means against which a front end of the card in a card insertion direction comes into abutment and which is disposed so as to be movable in the card insertion/ejection direction; insertion/ejection direction position fixing means for fixing said insertion/ejection direction abutment means at a predetermined position in the insertion/ejection direction; and card gripping means for gripping the card from both ends of the card in the head moving direction in interlock with movement of said insertion/ejection abutment means in the card insertion direction; and wherein said insertion/ejection direction position fixing means comprises: ejection direction urging force generating means for generating an urging force in the card ejection direction; a fixed shaft not interlocked with the movement of said insertion/ejection direction abutment means; a pivotal engaging member installed pivotally relative to said fixed shaft and adapted to pivot in contact with said insertion/ejection direction abutment means upon insertion of the card; and pivotal urging force generating means for generating a pivotal urging force acting in a direction opposite to the pivoting direction of said pivotal engaging member; wherein said pivotal engaging member has an engaging portion which comes into engagement with said insertion/ejection direction abutment means upon receipt of the urging force in the card ejection direction and said pivotal urging force.