Patent ID: 8540157

Claim:
A magnetic read head for reading a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card, comprising: a plurality of pins; circuitry for converting magnetic signals to electrical signals, where output of the circuitry is coupled to the plurality of pins; and a shield that encloses the circuitry, the shield having a front face through which magnetic signals pass to read the magnetic stripe, a base on a side of the shield opposite the front face, and one or more side surfaces between the base and the front face, and wherein the shield has a respective opening for each pin of the plurality of pins to provide a plurality of openings, wherein each respective opening in the shield extends through a side surface from the one or more side surfaces of the shield, wherein each pin passes from inside of the shield, through the respective opening in the side surface of the shield, and to outside of the shield, wherein each pin extends from the shield along an axis that is parallel to a plane defined by the base of the shield, where each pin is straight, and where a bottom surface of each pin is coplanar with a bottom surface of the base of the shield.