Abstract: A reader for contactless data cards includes a printed circuit, contacts for establishing contact with a contact-type data card, and at least one drive coil for transmitting in contactless manner energy and data between the printed circuit and a data medium on the data card. The at least one drive coil forms a component of the printed circuit, and the printed circuit in turn includes a flexible portion which establishes an electrical connection to outside the reader for both the contacts and the drive coil, thereby reducing the height of the reader. A variety of carriage configurations may be provided to bring the drive coils and/of contacts into proximity with the card, or for bringing the card into proximity with the drive coils and/or contacts in order to avoid wear on the contacts and ensure a good electromagnetic coupling between the drive coils and the card when the card is of the contactless type.

Abstract: A reader for contactless data cards includes a printed circuit, contacts for establishing contact with a contact-type data card, and at least one drive coil for transmitting in contactless manner energy and data between the printed circuit and a data medium on the data card. The at least one drive coil forms a component of the printed circuit and the printed circuit in turn includes a flexible portion which establishes an electrical connection to outside the reader for both the contacts and the drive coil, thereby reducing the height of the reader. A variety of carriage configurations may be provided to bring the drive coils and/of contacts into proximity with the card, or for bringing the card into proximity with the drive coils and/or contacts in order to avoid wear on the contacts and ensure a good electromagnetic coupling between the drive coils and the card when the card is of the contactless type.