Abstract: Card readers with adaptive magnetic head assemblies are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a card reader may include chassis comprising a card slot that receives a portion of a magnetic stripe card; a card guiding element positioned in a card path defined by the card slot and that interacts with a datum edge of the magnetic stripe card, at least a portion of the card guiding element being rotatable relative to the card path; and a magnetic reading head provided on the card guiding element that reads a magnetic stripe on the magnetic stripe card. The card guiding element and the magnetic reading head rotate relative to the card path in response to the datum edge of the magnetic stripe card applying a force to the card guiding element, thereby substantially maintaining an alignment between the magnetic stripe and the magnetic reading head.

Abstract: Card readers with adaptive magnetic head assemblies are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a card reader may include chassis comprising a card slot that receives a portion of a magnetic stripe card; a card guiding element positioned in a card path defined by the card slot and that interacts with a datum edge of the magnetic stripe card, at least a portion of the card guiding element being rotatable relative to the card path; and a magnetic reading head provided on the card guiding element that reads a magnetic stripe on the magnetic stripe card. The card guiding element and the magnetic reading head rotate relative to the card path in response to the datum edge of the magnetic stripe card applying a force to the card guiding element, thereby substantially maintaining an alignment between the magnetic stripe and the magnetic reading head.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for foreign object detection are disclosed. In one embodiment, a device for detecting the presence of a foreign object in an area being monitored may include an antenna including a receive path configured to detect a sample RF signal; a RF transceiver coupled to the antenna that generates and monitors modulation and demodulation of a RF field; a memory for storing a RF reference signal; and at least one computer processor configured to receive the sample RF signal from the RF transceiver and to determine a correlation between the sample RF signal and the RF reference signal, and to determine whether the correlation is indicative of a perturbation in the RF field.

Abstract: A smart card reader including a smart card reading assembly including a plurality of smart card chip communication contacts and a static electricity discharge element assembled with the smart card reading assembly, the static electricity discharge element including a plurality of static electricity discharge contacts contacting multiple diverse surfaces of a smart card for discharge of static electricity thereon.

Abstract: A smart card reader including a smart card reading assembly including a plurality of smart card chip communication contacts and a static electricity discharge element assembled with the smart card reading assembly, the static electricity discharge element including a plurality of static electricity discharge contacts contacting multiple diverse surfaces of a smart card for discharge of static electricity thereon.