Abstract: A lever arm (14) carrying a set of contacts (16) is pivoted towards the operating position of a chip card by a slide (18) which is slidably guided parallel to the direction of insertion of a chip card into the scanning device. It is in turn displaceable by an individual operating member (17) to be operated by hand.

Abstract: Device for reading/writing IC card as external memory, the device being electrically coupled with a data processing apparatus, and has a slit provided at one end of the device casing through which the IC card is loaded and unloaded in a horizontal direction. The device has a carriage member which operates upon angularly movable conductive terminals provided in the casing when pushed forward by the inserted card so as to cause angular movement of the conductive terminals and frictional contact of terminals of the card with the first terminals and holds the inserted card in a reading/writing position during a reading/writing operation of the data processing apparatus.

Abstract: A device having a motor and rollers for conveying a card inserted in the slot forward so as to read a magnetic stripe of the card. A system is used for feeding a carriage between the waiting position and the reading/writing position. The carriage embraces a contact pin head, which is longitudinally movable together with the carriage and vertically movable relative thereto, so that when the card is conveyed to reach the carriage in the waiting position the feeding system is automatically driven to feed the carriage and the contact pin head to the reading/writing position where the card is brought by the conveying motor components with holding engagement with the carriage to be electrically contacted at the contact points thereof with the contact pins of the head vertically moved up. Reliable reading/writing of the magnetic card as well as the IC card can be assured.

Abstract: A portable card writer for a card with a magnetic stripe provided thereon comprises a chassis, a drive mounted on the chassis for moving the card to and fro, guided along the chassis, a magnetic writing head mounted on the chassis, a magnetic reading head mounted on the chassis, and a printer for writing data in the card at a portion other than the magnetic stripe.

Abstract: A read/write apparatus for information memory card which is improved in durability of the card and the apparatus itself, and in reliability of information processing.When a card is completely inserted, a connector is swung toward the card until contactors of the connector are pressed on terminals of a memory built in the card, so that the memory and an information processing unit are connected via the connector to facilitate flawless information exchange therebetween, whereby data processing is ensured.Upon completion of information processing, the connector is detached from the card so that the movement of the card causes no wear or damage on the contactors nor the card itself.

Abstract: A card reader contains an admission chamber, a fixed guide path, including card feeding rollers, and a read station for a magnetic track of a data bearing identification card. The read station and idler wheel are on opposite sides of a card guide path. The read station comprises first and second heads, respectively mounted to turn about first and second parallel axes that extend in the same direction as the guide path. Shafts defining the first and second axes are mounted at the extremities of first and second swing arms positioned on opposite sides of the heads. The swing arms are mounted to turn about a third axis that extends toward the guide path. A shaft defining the third axis is carried on a bifurcated bracket, mounted to rotate about a fourth axis that also extends in the guide path direction. A tension spring exerts a force on the bifurcated bracket to hold the heads constantly against a face of the car as it travels through a nip formed between the heads and a drive roller.

Abstract: There is disclosed an optical information record/regenerating apparatus, provided with an optical system for forming a light spot on an optical information recording medium having plural tracks and a track jump area in the tracks, and an optical head movably supporting the optical system so as that the light spot can be moved at least to an adjacent track in the track jump area. Information recording and/or regeneration is achieved by moving both the optical head relative to the recording medium, and by moving the optical system within the optical head. However, the movement of the optical head is prohibited in the track jump area to stabilize the track control operation.

Abstract: An information recording-reproducing apparatus, in which an information recording medium is held on a supporting table and the supporting table is reciprocally moved relative to a recording and/or reproducing head thereby to accomplish recording and/or reproduction of information, has means for feeding the information recording medium onto the supporting table and/or means for taking out the information recording medium from the supporting table.

Abstract: A grabber mechanism for use in a badge rader having a pivoted lever bar with a solenoid attached to one end and a grabber foot assembly attached to the other. When the solenoid is energized, the lever bar is pivoted such that the grabber foot assembly is moved away from a fixed partition which defines a throat in the badge reader, allowing a card to be inserted into the throat. When the solenoid is de-energized, the grabber foot assembly is urged by a spring into contact with the card, trapping the card between a rubber foot of the grabber assembly and the fixed partition sot that the card may be read by the badge reader.

Abstract: An X-ray film cassette has on its top a triangular bar code field readable by a bar code reader of an automatic film sheet charging and discharging apparatus. The bar code field is in the form of an isosceles right triangle whose hypothenuse faces a reference corner and whose legs extend parallel to edges of the cassettes. The bars of the code extend parallel to the hypothenuse. An optical axis of the bar code reader, when the cassette is in its end position in the apparatus, intersects a vertex area formed by the legs of the triangle. This arrangement guarantees that its bar codes on cassettes of small format, even if misaligned in the feeding direction, are reliably read by the reader.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatic charging and discharging an X-ray film sheet into a cassette includes a bar code reader having an illumination device and a rotary scanning mirror. The cassette is provided on its top with a bar code label which irrespective of the format of the cassette is always located at a fixed distance from a leading edge and from a lateral guiding edge of the cassette. The cassette is insertable into an intake compartment and only after the cassette reaches an end position in the compartment a limit switch activates the scanning mirror and the illumination device of the reader, thus eliminating reading errors when reading bar codes on cassettes of different formats.

Abstract: A passbook printer uses a conveyor belt (16) to urge a passbook (86) towards a raised barrier (40) for the passbook (86) to strike the barrier (40) and then have one edge thereof aligned with the barrier (40) by sliding engagement with the conveyor belt (16). After alignment, the barrier (40) is lowered and the passbook (86) is advanced beneath a printhead and sensor assembly (38) which senses the orientation of the passbook (86) and prints thereon in a correct and upright manner regardless of the orientation of the passbook (86).

Abstract: Apparatus for recording and reproducing audio signals on flat rectangular recording media comprising a magnetic coating or the like on at least one side. A magnetic head on a swing arm moves across the magnetic media in mutually parallel lines guided by a heart-shaped cam, the recording medium being stationary during recording and reproducing so its visible surface can be examined without difficulty. The heart-shaped cam is of asymmetric configuration, and the magnetic head is pivotably mounted on one end of the swing arm which carries between its ends a cam follower peg which continually engages the heart-shaped cam while under spring loading. The other end of said swing arm is pivotably mounted on a sliding carriage plate which is moved stepwise perpendicularly to the chord of the curved path of movement of the magnetic head for each line. The stepwise perpendicular movement of the sliding carriage plate is produced by a mechanism which is controlled by the reversal of direction of the magnetic head.

Abstract: A secured point-of-sale mechanism is disclosed in which there is a closable two compartment housing having an unsecured door portion covering a monetary negotiable instrument section disposed within a secured portion for which a transaction price index is set to the correct sales amount purchased by a customer, wherein a plurality of switching mechanisms are actuated by the negotiable instruments in the negotiable instruments section for which a locking mechanism connected to said plurality of switching mechanisms and disposed between the secured and unsecured portions of the housing is actuated against invasion as long as the plurality of switching mechanisms are actuated.

Abstract: An apparatus for sensing a magnetic stripe disposed on a card which is inserted in the apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the stripe includes a magnetic head, a head supporting member for supporting the head for movement having a component in parallel with the stripe, and a mechanism for driving the head supporting member in response to the insertion of the card so as to move the head along the stripe of the moving card, whereby the stripe of the card which is inserted into the apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the stripe is sensed by the head.

Abstract: In a data processing apparatus, a device for reading data stored in a card is provided with a housing having a slit through which the card can be manually inserted and engaged by guides within the housing for movement in a predetermined path to an operative position, a slider member movable within the housing and having a portion interposed in the path of the card so as to be engaged by the latter and moved thereby, against the force of at least one spring, from an initial position to a displaced position upon insertion of the card through the housing slit to its operative position, a lock assembly engageable when the card is inserted to its operative position for holding the slider member in its displaced position against the force of the spring, and a lock release for disengaging the lock assembly and thereby permitting the spring to return the slider member to its initial position during which the card is propelled outwardly through the housing slit.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically selecting a semiconductor wafer out of a wafer cassette, and identifying the selected wafer. The apparatus (10) comprises means for accessing a selected individual semiconductor wafer (11) out of a plurality of wafers within a cassette (12), an arm (27) coupled to the accessing means for lifting the selected wafer partially out of the cassette, and a driving member (33) contacting the edge of the selected wafer and rotating the wafer to expose a predetermined portion thereof. An optical reader (37) is positioned proximate to the driving member for identifying information stored in the predetermined portion of the wafer (FIG. 1).

Abstract: A module for applying a magnetic stripe character to a plastic card. A tiltable carriage moves the card along a transfer path past magnetic code applying apparatus when tilted in a first position. When the carriage is tilted into a second position, it returns along the transfer path to engage a further card while the first card is removed from the card transfer path by pinch rollers driven by a unidirectional clutch. Defective cards are removed from the card transfer path by a tiltable plate which opens a slot in the card transfer path to allow them to fall through the base plate.

Abstract: An optical punched badge reader is provided for slidably receiving a data badge, and reading data holes punched therein. The badge reader includes a row of pairs of registered data sensing apertures arranged perpendicular to the axis along which the data badge is received. The slidable movement of the badge into the badge reader actuates the slidable movement of an electro-optical strobe pair along a stationary strobe strip. In operation, the row of data sensing apertures reads the row component of each punched hole on the data badge while the electro-optical strobe pair and the stationary strobe strip read the column component.

Abstract: A reader for punched hole cards having a movable housing member containing a coil spring is disclosed, the housing member is actuated by a card inserted in the reader and moved to an activated position against the action of the spring. Secured to the housing member is an air vane governor rotated upon movement of the housing member to an inserted position. Upon release of the card, the card is driven past sensing members by the spring at a constant speed controlled by the rotating air vane governor. Timing means associated with the punched hole configuration of the card being read is provided.

Abstract: An enablement system for vending machines and the like generates an enablement signal, which can be applied to such vending machine, upon reading of a credit card provided with only a single magnetic data track, and the enablement system has merely a one-track capability. The card's track contains, in sequence, a series of warm-up "1" bits, followed by a series of "0" and "1" bits together identifying the card as a valid card, followed by a series of "1" bits each of which signifies one permitted use of the card, followed by a final "0" bit. Each time the card is used, when the final "0" bit reaches the system's reading head, the immediately preceding "1" bit is converted to a "0" bit, this causing the number of such "1" bits to progressively decrease.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus may automatically cook according to a cooking program fed from a recording card. The apparatus includes a cooking program feeding mechanism detachably holding the recording card and reading a cooking program from the recording and by moving a detection bar with microswitches along the recording card.

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.

Abstract: A card reader includes a housing enclosing the operating components thereof which is provided with a card insertion slot. A baffle is movable between blocking and unblocking positions to block and unblock the card insertion slot, as desired. Located interiorly of the housing is a card carriage which reciprocates between a first limit position proximate the card insertion slot and a second limit position remote therefrom for transporting an inserted card along a path past a transducer located inside the housing proximate the second limit of travel for reading information from the card. A cam is provided on the carriage which cooperates with a cam follower associated with the baffle for camming the baffle from its card insertion slot blocking position to its card insertion slot unblocking position and vice versa, as the carriage moves toward and away from, respectively, its first limit position proximate the card insertion slot.

Abstract: A reader for badges having rows of data representative holes therethrough, the reader including a row of data reading photo-sensitive devices or the like for sensing light passing through a row of the badge holes, a stationary encoder bar having two rows of holes therethrough and a carriage movable with the badge as it is moved across the row of data reading devices for reading the holes in the badge and carrying a pair of control photo-sensitive devices for sensing light passing through the holes of the encoder bar.