Abstract: A miniature low-profile shunt connector (10) for one or more than one pair of terminal posts (20) of a post array includes a housing member (12) having at least one shunt-receiving cavity (16), and at least one shunt member (14) formed of a continuous length of wire having spring characteristics. The formed wire shunt (14) has a central portion (36) consisting of a pair of leg sections (38) extending rearwardly from a large bight (40) at the front of the cavity (16), and end sections (46) extending forwardly from rear bights (44) joining them to respective leg sections (38). Free ends (48) of the end sections (46) are disposed behind stop surfaces (28) near the front of the cavity (16) to retain the formed wire shunt (14) therewithin.

Abstract: A miniature shunt connector has a shunt stamped with coplanar pairs of cantilever beams and inserted into a cavity of a low-profile housing which intersects a pair of post-receiving cavity portions. The adjacent inner shunt beams include downward projections which latch behind a latching aperture of the housing upon full shunt insertion, with the pairs of cantilever beams disposed along and on each side of centerlines of the post-receiving cavity portions and adapted to be deflected outwardly by respective terminal posts entering the shunt connector along the centerlines. The housings may be dimensioned and shaped for vertical and side-by-side stacking to shunt pairs of an array of terminal posts.

Abstract: An improved means for mounting a magnetic read head in a card reader is disclosed. The subject mounting means is simpler in construction and requires both fewer parts and smaller space in which to operate than previous mounting means. The subject mounting means allows the magnetic read head to move to conform to the plane of a magnetic stripe on a card as the card is passed beneath the read head.

Abstract: A low insertion force, handfed card reader is disclosed comprising a housing having a profiled passageway therein opening to a frontal side. The passageway is defined by a top wall having an array of contacts mounted therein, and a bottom wall slanted downwardly from a backward end of the passageway toward the frontal opening. A tray is provided within the passageway having a like-slanted bottom surface which is positioned against the bottom wall of the passageway. An encoded card can be freely inserted into the passageway a distance onto the tray, and as the tray is slid backward along the bottom wall, the encoded card is thereby moved upwardly against the contacts. A profiled retention spring system is further provided and pressures the encoded card against the top surface of the passageway to maintain the card reader in its read-mode until subsequently released by the user.