US20030085273A1 - Card issuing device and method - Google Patents
Card issuing device and method Download PDFInfo
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- US20030085273A1 US20030085273A1 US10/278,463 US27846302A US2003085273A1 US 20030085273 A1 US20030085273 A1 US 20030085273A1 US 27846302 A US27846302 A US 27846302A US 2003085273 A1 US2003085273 A1 US 2003085273A1
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- card
- extracting
- marking
- moving mechanism
- cards
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K17/00—Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a card issuing device and a method for issuing a card.
- a card issuing device having a plurality of card stackers for handling different types of cards.
- a mechanism for delivering cards to a card stacker stocked with many cards and a card is issued by delivering a card from the card stacker and carrying out a specified recording on the card in a card reader.
- a card issuing device provided with a plurality of card stackers, there is a mechanism that moves the plurality of card stackers sequentially on one roller mechanism which delivers the cards and moves the next card stacker onto the card delivery roller mechanism when all the cards in one card stacker have been delivered.
- Technology capable of handling the same type of cards in a large volume is known (Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Hei 3-294985).
- Prior card issuing devices are capable of extracting one card from a card stacker stocked with cards, and then issuing the card after it has been subjected to a specified processing.
- This process includes a marking process for marking characters (including codes, symbols and the like) by applying irregularities to the card, such as by engraving, embossing, etc., and a topper process for applying colors to the characters.
- concaving processes engraving
- convexing processes embssing
- a specified shape is executed on the card surface by applying pressure from the front or back of the card at specified positions using a known card marking device.
- the card is placed in a card holding member such as a carriage. Embossing or other processes are subsequently executed as shown in FIG. 33(A).
- Another type of conventional card issuing device has a plurality of card stackers for handling a plurality of cards, and is equipped with a card delivery mechanism for each card stacker.
- the plurality of card delivery mechanisms are not always used simultaneously and therefore constitute duplicate structures. This leads to complex structures, large device sizes, and increased manufacturing cost.
- the present invention is directed to a card issuing device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- a card issuing device comprises a card stacker part having a plurality of card stackers arranged in a row, each card stacker being stocked with a plurality of cards and having a card supply part at the bottom, a card extracting and moving mechanism movably provided for extracting cards from the card supply parts of the plurality of card stackers, a card reader for recording specified information on the card and issuing the card from a card issuing port.
- the card issuing device extracts one card with the card extracting and moving mechanism from the card stackers, and issues the card from the card issuing port after recording information on the card.
- a card can be extracted from any one of the plurality of card stackers. Consequently, the device can handle different types of cards, or a large quantity of the same type of cards. Since the plurality of card stackers share a common card extracting and moving mechanism, the structure is simplified and the size of the device is minimized.
- a method of correcting the effect of inclination of the card during the card marking process is provided.
- the degree of inclination or the slanting of the extracted card is determined by detecting the positions of a plurality of edge portions of the card with a sensor. Based on this inclination, the marking direction is corrected by correcting the position of the card during the marking process to offset the effect of the card inclination.
- the row of characters marked on the card can be made parallel to the edge of the card even if the card is slanted. This eliminates the need to provide a separate device for correcting the effect of card inclination.
- FIGS. 1 - 4 are schematic top, front, left side and right side views, respectively, of a card issuing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a front view of the card supply part formed on the card stacker in the card issuing device.
- FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional and front views, respectively, of the side wall arranged along the adjacent card stacker on the exterior of the side walls of a card stacker in the card issuing device.
- FIG. 8 is a top view showing the card receiver of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 9 shows the X-axis moving mechanism of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 10 is a front view showing the card extractor and the card holder of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 11 is a top view showing the cam groove formed on the carriage in the card holder.
- FIG. 12 is a side view showing the card holding member of the card holder.
- FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the bottom card holding block of the card holder.
- FIG. 14 is a front view showing the card extractor and the card holding member of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 15 is an enlarged front view showing the card extractor of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 16 is a side view showing the waste card receiver of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 17 is a front view showing the waste card receiver where the waste card box has been moved to the receiving position.
- FIGS. 18 and 19 are top and side views, respectively, of the selective driving means of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 20 illustrates the operation of the selective driving means.
- FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the card holder.
- FIG. 22 shows the relationship between each link and pin of the card holder in FIG. 21.
- FIG. 22( a ) is a top view of the card holding member coupled to the card extractor
- FIG. 22( b ) is a top view of the card holder coupled to the card receiving block.
- FIGS. 23 - 26 are perspective views of alternative embodiments of the card receiver.
- FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the card stacker.
- FIG. 28 is a view looking at the card receiver of the card stacker in FIG. 27 from the bottom side.
- FIG. 29 is an enlarged front view showing the card extractor used in the card stacker in FIG. 27.
- FIG. 30 shows an example of setting three points of virtual origins A, B, and C on the card in a card marking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 31 is a top view showing the card marker and an example when the card is put through a series of operations in a card marking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 32 is a figure showing the scheme of the card movement in the present invention.
- FIG. 32(A) illustrates a case when the card is not slanted with respect to the X direction
- FIG. 32(B) illustrates a case when the card is slanted by an angle ⁇ .
- FIG. 33 illustrates card marking methods.
- FIG. 33(A) shows marked characters when the card is marked normally;
- FIG. 33(B) shows marked characters when the card is marked in a slanted state; and
- FIG. 33(C) shows marked characters when the card is marked using a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- a card issuing device is shown in FIGS. 1 - 4 .
- a card issuing device is provided with a card stacker part 1 , a card extracting and moving mechanism 2 , a card reader 3 , a waste card receiver 4 , an engraving/embossing device 5 , a topper mechanism 6 , and a control part 7 .
- the card stacker part 1 has card stackers 9 each storing a plurality of cards.
- Each card stacker 9 has a card supply part 8 at the bottom end.
- four card stackers 9 are arranged in the longitudinal (X) direction, and the card stackers are arranged with the card supply parts 8 lined up on the same plane so that cards can be extracted in the same direction (e.g., the downward Y direction in FIG. 1).
- Different types of cards can be placed in the card stackers 9 , or the same type of cards can be placed in all card stackers.
- Each card stacker 9 is resupplied with cards from above. Referring to FIG.
- each card supply part 8 has a convex part 10 provided at the bottom end of a side wall 9 a in the interior side of the card stacker 9 (in FIG. 1, the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 side), and a convex part 11 of a card receiving block 13 .
- a gap smaller than the thickness of two cards and larger than the thickness of one card is formed between the convex parts 10 and 11 . Therefore, two or more cards in the card stacker 9 cannot pass through the card supply part 8 simultaneously, and the cards within each card stacker are extracted one at a time.
- top parts of side walls of each card stacker 9 expand into a funnel shape as shown in FIG. 2.
- the top part can simply be expanded into a funnel shape by bending it towards the outside. But it is necessary to prevent interference of the bent parts with side walls 9 d located between adjacent card stackers 9 .
- the top part of each side wall 9 d located between adjacent card stackers 9 is cut out.
- the cut out portions of two adjacent side walls 9 d are offset and the top part of adjacent side walls 9 d are bent to the corresponding cut out portion 15 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
- two adjacent side walls 9 d can be arranged closely while forming the funnel shapes, and a plurality of card stackers 9 can be arranged compactly.
- refilling cards in the card stackers can easily be done.
- a card receiver 16 is provided at the bottom of each card stacker 9 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 14.
- the card receiver 16 receives a card 14 from the bottom side at three locations along the card delivery direction (upward the direction in FIG. 8).
- the card receiver 16 has a card receiving block 13 having an interior convex part 11 positioned at the bottom end of side wall 9 a on the inside of the card stacker 9 , an exterior convex part 12 positioned at the bottom end of the side wall 9 b on the exterior of the card stacker 9 , and convex part 17 attached to the bottom end of side wall 9 b on the exterior.
- the card receiving block 13 is formed with the convex parts 11 and 12 by cutting the top face of, for example, an aluminum block.
- the interior convex part 11 reliably supports the inside edge of the card even if the card is curved, and can pass the card reliably through the gap of the card supply part 8 .
- Numeral 18 in FIG. 8 denotes a sensor which detects the IC contact point provided on the card, and detects whether or not the orientation of the card is appropriate by detecting the IC contact point provided on the front face of the card from the back face side of the card.
- numeral 19 denotes a sensor that detects the presence or absence of the card. The sensors 18 and 19 are attached to the bottom end of the side walls 9 a - 9 d of each card stacker 9 .
- the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 shown in FIG. 2 is movably provided between the card supply parts 8 of the card stackers 9 , and extracts cards from the card supply part 8 of any of the card stacker.
- the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 has a card extractor 21 for extracting one card from a card stacker 9 , a card holding mechanism 20 for holding the extracted card, and an X-axis moving mechanism 22 and a Y-axis moving mechanism 23 for moving the card holding mechanism 20 and the card extractor 21 in the X and Y directions.
- the X-axis moving mechanism 22 is for moving in the longitudinal direction when the card holding mechanism 20 and the card extractor 21 are at a position spaced apart in the Y direction from the card stackers 9 . As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the rotation of an X-axis drive motor 24 is transmitted to an X-axis drive belt 25 and moves a carriage 26 for supporting the card holding mechanism 20 along two X direction guide shafts 27 and 28 .
- the card holding mechanism 20 moves between the card stackers 9 .
- the card holding mechanism 20 includes the carriage 26 which moves along two X direction guide shafts 27 and 28 , and a card holder 29 .
- the card holder 29 is capable of moving between a temporary holding position P 1 for holding a card temporarily, and a strong pressure position P 2 that reliably holds the card with a pressure.
- the card holder 29 is set to the strong pressure position P 2 when being moved in the X direction by the X-axis moving mechanism 22 .
- the strong pressure position P 2 is a position at which the card holder 29 and the card extractor 21 are separated from the card stacker 9 .
- the card is transferred by operating the X-axis moving mechanism 22 .
- Two Y direction guide shafts 30 of the Y-axis moving mechanism 23 are attached to the carriage 26 as shown in FIG. 12.
- the card holder 29 moves from the temporary holding position P 1 to the strong pressure position P 2 as guided by two Y direction guide shafts 30 .
- the card holder 29 moves the card while in the strong pressure position P 2 .
- a cam groove 31 for changing the card holding state of the card holder 29 is formed on the top face of the carriage 26 as shown in FIG. 11. Namely, when the card holder 29 moves in the card extracting direction (to the left in FIG.
- an L-shaped lever 33 attached to a roller 32 which moves within the cam groove 31 rotates in the counterclockwise direction.
- the card pressure lever 35 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 12, and the extreme end thereof presses a middle lever 37 via a coil spring 36 , which in turn presses a card holding lever 38 .
- the L-shaped lever 33 rotates so that the extreme end is positioned approximately in a straight line in relation to the operating lever 34 so the operating lever pushes out the bottom end of the card pressure lever 35 .
- the extreme end of the card pressure lever 35 pushes down the middle lever 37 via the coil spring 36 , presses a top card holding block 39 attached to the extreme end of the card holding lever 38 to a bottom card holding block 40 , and the card is held in a strongly pressed state.
- the extreme end of the L-shaped lever 33 and the operating lever 34 are in a toggle clamp state due to being positioned approximately in a straight line.
- the gap between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 does not widen even if an external force is applied in the direction tending to separate the top and bottom card holding blocks 39 and 40 .
- the card can therefore be firmly held between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 .
- a rubber plate 42 for preventing sliding of the card and protecting the card is adhered on the surface of the card holding blocks 39 and 40 (only bottom card holding block 40 is shown in FIG. 13).
- the area at the two end surfaces of the card holding blocks 39 and 40 is expanded and structured to hold the card at two points.
- the card extractor 21 shown in FIG. 10 is a card delivery mechanism for extracting the card from the card supply part 8 formed on each card stacker 9 .
- the card extractor 21 has a movable body 44 which can be moved back and forth by a Y-axis drive motor 43 (FIG. 3), and a card engaging claw 45 which engages the rear face of the card.
- the movable body 44 is arranged on the card stacker 9 side of the card holder 29 and is moved in the Y direction the same way as the card holder 29 , i.e., by being guided by the two Y direction guide shafts 30 .
- the card holder 29 cannot pass below the card stacker 9 as shown in FIG. 14, but the movable body 44 can pass below the card stacker 9 in the Y direction and can move to the rear of the card stacker.
- the card engaging claw 45 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction with respect to the movable body 44 about a rotating shaft 45 b , and is activated by a spring 85 in the direction which engages the card, namely, in the direction where the extreme end rotates upwards as shown in FIG. 15. Therefore, the card engaging claw 45 is pressed to the bottom face of the card positioned at the bottom of the card stacker 9 , and a claw 45 a of the card engaging claw 45 is lowered when passing below the card stacker.
- the card engaging claw 45 is lifted and engages the claw 45 a with the rear edge of the card.
- the card is received by the convex part 12 positioned at the right side and the convex part 11 positioned at the left side of the card stacker 9 in FIG. 14.
- the card receiver 16 receives the card with two locations on the front and rear ends of the card, so even if the card is curved, the claw 45 a can still engage the rear edge of the card and the card can be delivered.
- the card engaging claw 45 is provided at two locations on the movable body 44 with a specified space in between as indicated by lines L 2 in FIG. 8. Two card engaging claws 45 are arranged in the longitudinal direction, i.e., parallel to the X direction guide shafts 27 and 28 .
- the movable body 44 has a card support 46 which contacts the bottom face of the card and which remains in the card stacker 9 as shown in the figure when extracting the card.
- the card support 46 prevents the second card from the bottom of the card stacker 9 from striking the card engaging claw 45 , which may cause the card engaging claw to be pushed down and result in defective delivery.
- By providing the card support 46 it is possible to prevent the claw 45 a from separating from the card that is being delivered.
- the Y-axis moving mechanism 23 shown in FIG. 10 is for moving the card extractor 21 to extract a card from the card supply part 8 .
- the two Y direction guide shafts 30 are attached to the carriage 26 , which can be moved in the X direction by the X-axis moving mechanism 22 .
- the force of the Y-axis drive motor 43 which drives the Y-axis moving mechanism 23 is transmitted to the pulley 78 attached to the end on the topper mechanism 6 side of the Y drive shaft 47 via the belt 77 as shown in FIG. 3.
- the rotation of the pulley 78 is transmitted to a Y drive shaft 47 with a D-shaped cross section to rotate in unison, and the rotation of the Y drive shaft is transmitted to a Y drive belt 50 hung between the Y drive timing pulley 48 and Y driving pulley 49 .
- the movable body 44 is coupled to the Y drive belt 50 by a coupling part 44 A. Therefore, when Y drive belt 50 rotates, the movable body 44 moves along the Y direction guide shaft 30 . At this time, the card holder 29 is pulled between the movable body 44 by a spring not shown in the figures. Consequently, when the movable body 44 moves towards the card stacker 9 from the position indicated in FIG.
- the card holder 29 moves in unison with the movable body 44 and moves towards the temporary holding position P 1 from the strong pressure position P 2 (although the card is not being held).
- the card holder 29 cannot pass through the card stacker 9 , so only the movable body 44 passes under the bottom of the card stacker.
- the card holder 29 is pressed to the side wall 9 a of the card stacker as shown in FIG. 14.
- the Y drive belt 50 rotates in the direction opposite the aforementioned case from the position shown in FIG. 14. Then the movable body 44 moves to the card holder 29 side while extracting a card from the position shown in FIG. 14.
- the extracted card enters between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 of the card holder 29 shown in FIG. 12, and moves by being held between them with a weak force from plate springs 41 at the top and bottom.
- the extracted card comes between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 and slides with respect to the plate springs 41 until the movable body 44 strikes the card holder 29 , and then they move in unison.
- the movable body strikes the card holder 29 by passing below the card stacker 9 , the movable body presses the card holder 29 and moves in unison with it. Then, the roller 32 at the temporary holding position P 1 moves along the cam groove 31 formed on the carriage 26 along with the movement of the card holder 29 . When the roller 32 moves to the strong pressure position P 2 , it holds the card firmly with the card holding blocks 39 and 40 .
- the amount of motion of the movable body 44 is determined by the rotation of the Y drive shaft 47 as shown in FIG. 4.
- the position of the movable body 44 with respect to the carriage 26 namely, the positions of the card holder 29 and the card extractor 21 and the return position of the card extractor, can be detected by transmitting the rotation of the Y drive shaft 47 to the pulley 75 via the pulley 74 and detecting the angle of rotation of the pulley 75 with a sensor 76 .
- the Y drive shaft 47 has a D-shaped cross section and transmits the rotating force by fitting into the D-shaped hole of Y drive timing pulley 48 . Consequently, the carriage 26 can transmit the rotating force while moving in the X direction.
- the same function can be performed by a spline shaft or a pin and groove double D cross-section shaft.
- the card reader 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 receives a card from the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 , and issues a card from the card issuing port 51 after specified information is recorded on the card.
- the card reader 3 is provided with a card transporter and a recording and reproducing part 52 A for carrying out data recording and reproduction to or from the card in a known fashion.
- the card transporter is formed in the same direction as the X-axis and transports the card on the movement line towards the X direction by the X-axis moving mechanism 22 .
- the card transporter has, for example, three pairs of rollers 52 .
- the recording and reproducing part 52 A carries out data recording or reproduction to or from the card, and may have a magnetic head for recording on a magnetic strip of the card, and/or an IC contact point block which records by contacting the IC contact point of the card.
- the card holder 29 has been moved to the strong pressure position P 2 and the card can be held firmly between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 .
- the card reader is connected to the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 at the position corresponding to the temporary holding position P 1 of the card holder 29 , so the card is temporarily lightly held by the plate springs 41 on both sides of the card holding blocks 39 and 40 .
- the card can be drawn into the card reader 3 .
- the waste card receiver 4 shown in FIG. 1 is able to move between a receiving position P 3 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 for receiving unwanted cards from the card reader 3 , and a withdrawal position P 4 (FIG. 16) where it is retreated from the moving locus of the carriage 26 , as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, so as not to interfere with the movement of the carriage 26 .
- the waste card receiver 4 is moved between the receiving position P 3 and the withdrawal position P 4 by a waste card receiver moving mechanism 53 .
- the waste card receiver 4 is provided with a bracket 55 fixed to a frame 54 of the card issuing device, an arm 57 rotatably supported on the bracket 55 via a support shaft 56 , and a waste card box 58 fixed to the extreme end of the arm 57 .
- the arm 57 is fixed to the support shaft 56 , and the waste card box 58 moves between the receiving position P 3 and the withdrawal position P 4 by the support shaft 56 and the arm 57 rotating via the bracket 55 .
- a rubber stopper 59 strikes the X direction guide shaft 27 and is suitably positioned.
- a rubber stopper 60 strikes a frame 54 of the card issuing device and is suitably positioned.
- the withdrawal position P 4 is arranged near a waste card extraction port 61 formed on the frame of the card issuing device. At the withdrawal position P 4 , it is possible to extract waste cards in the waste card box 58 by opening a cover 58 a while turning over the waste card box as shown in FIG. 16. Also, at the withdrawal position P 4 , the presence or absence of cards in the waste card box 58 can be detected by a sensor not shown in the figures. When the waste card box 58 is at the receiving position P 3 , a cover stopper 62 is positioned near the cover 58 a to prevent the cover from being accidentally opened.
- the waste card receiver moving mechanism 53 is driven by the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 and is provided with a pulley 63 attached to one end of the support shaft 56 , a wire pulley 64 attached to the bracket 55 , and a wire 66 for transmitting the drive force of the X-axis moving mechanism 22 to the pulley 63 when a selective driving means 65 (to be discussed later) is driven.
- the selective driving means 65 is, for example, a solenoid as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19.
- a trigger link 67 is pulled and rotates a pin lever 68 rotatably supported on the support shaft 54 A in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 19.
- the rotation stops at the position where an engaging groove part 68 A provided at the extreme end of the pin lever 68 enters into the moving locus of a pin 69 attached to the carriage 26 of the X-axis moving mechanism 22 (FIG. 19).
- the pin lever 68 rotates, but this rotation only deforms a spring 70 engaged between a pin 71 A provided on a wire lever 71 and an engaging part 68 B of the pin lever 68 , and does not move the waste card box 58 by moving the wire lever 71 .
- the suctioning operation of the solenoid 65 need only be so that the engaging groove part 68 A of the pin lever 68 is positioned at the moving locus of the pin 69 , so a very compact solenoid can be used.
- the waste card receiver moving mechanism 53 By moving the X-axis moving mechanism 22 in a specified direction along with driving the selective driving means (solenoid) 65 , it is possible for the waste card receiver moving mechanism 53 to move the waste card receiver 4 from the withdrawal position P 4 to the receiving position P 3 with the X-axis moving mechanism 22 .
- the waste card receiver 4 is thus driven by the X-axis drive motor 24 of the X-axis moving mechanism 22 , and a separate and dedicated motor is not necessary for driving the waste card receiver 4 .
- the spring 70 is provided between the wire lever 71 coupled with the wire 66 and the pin lever 68 which is moved by the pin 69 , so it is possible to prevent slacking of the wire by deformation of the spring 70 even if the wire is unintentionally pulled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wire 66 from slipping out from the wire pulley 64 .
- the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 and the topper mechanism 6 shown in FIG. 1 are provided at the opposite side of the X-axis moving mechanism 22 from the card stackers 9 .
- the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 is, for example, a known embossing device for marking specified characters (including codes and symbols, etc.) on the card.
- the topper mechanism 6 may be a known topper device for applying colors to the marked characters.
- the topper mechanism 6 is moveable towards and away from the X-axis moving mechanism 22 .
- the guide rails 72 which are orthogonal and in the same plane as the two X direction guide shafts 27 and 28 are attached to the frame 54 of the card issuing device, and the topper mechanism 6 is made movable along the guide rails 72 .
- a working space can be created if the topper mechanism is separated from the X-axis moving mechanism 22 during maintenance or when changing the topping wheel on the topper mechanism.
- Numeral 73 in FIG. 1 denotes a sensor for detecting the edge of a card, and is attached to the frame 54 of the card issuing device as shown in FIG. 3.
- the sensor 73 detects whether or not the card is held by the card holder 29 at an angle with respect to the X direction guide shafts 27 and 28 .
- the line L 1 in FIG. 2 indicates the movable range of the card.
- the X- and Y-axis drive motors 24 and 43 , the solenoid 65 of the waste card receiver 4 , the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 , and the topper mechanism 6 are controlled by the control part 7 .
- One card is extracted by the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 from one of the plurality of card stackers 9 , and the card is issued from the card issuing port 51 after specified recording is done by the card reader 3 .
- the waste card receiver 4 is moved to the receiving position P 3 from the withdrawal position P 4 by the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 .
- the card extractor is moved by operating the Y-axis moving mechanism after operating the X-axis moving mechanism, and the card holding mechanism and the card extractor are moved to a position opposite the card stacker.
- the extracted card reaches a position where it can be processed by the engraving/embossing mechanism and the topper mechanism.
- characters are formed at the specified positions of the card while the card is moved by the X-axis moving mechanism.
- the X- and Y-axis moving mechanisms are operated and the card is transported to the card reader.
- the X-axis moving mechanism moves the card holding mechanism and the card extractor to a position opposite the card stacker from which the next card is to be extracted, and the above operations are repeated.
- the control part 7 operates the X-axis drive motor 24 (FIG. 4) and moves the carriage 26 to the front of the specified card stacker 9 via the X-axis drive belt 25 .
- the card holding mechanism moves to the position of the selected card stacker.
- the card extractor is at a position opposite the card supply part, and the card extractor can extract a card from the card stacker.
- the Y-axis drive motor 43 shown in FIG. 3 is operated, the card holder 29 and the card extractor 21 are moved, and the bottom card stored in the selected card stacker 9 is extracted with the card engaging claw 45 of the card extractor 21 .
- the extracted card is held firmly by the card holder.
- the control part 7 moves the card by controlling the X- and Y-axis drive motors 24 and 43 , and the held position of the card is recognized by the sensor 73 having an optical sensor.
- the Y-direction displacement of the longitudinal edge position of the card at two positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction is detected. The detection is carried out by measuring the position where the edge of the card intercepts the sensor 73 by moving the card in the Y direction.
- the control part 7 moves the carriage 26 to the front of the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 by operating the X-axis drive motor 24 , and characters are marked at specified positions of the card by the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 .
- the card is moved in a stepwise manner in the X direction, the size of each step being equal to the spacing between adjacent characters to be marked on the card.
- the control part 7 operates the Y-axis drive motor 43 to move the card in the Y direction for each step of the X-movement. The size of the Y-movements are calculated from the measured slanting angle.
- control part 7 moves the carriage 26 to the front of the topper mechanism 6 by operating the X-axis drive motor 24 as needed to color the marked characters.
- the engraving/embossing mechanism and the topper mechanism are arranged on the opposite side of the card extracting and moving mechanism from the card stacker part, so the card extracted from the card stacker can be transported to the engraving/embossing mechanism and the topper mechanism by moving the X-axis moving mechanism and the Y-axis moving mechanism.
- the card supply parts of the card stacker are arranged in a line on the same plane, so the cards can be extracted from any card stacker by moving the card extracting and moving mechanism linearly.
- the card is moved with respect to the sensor 73 by the X and Y drive mechanisms 22 and 23 .
- the inclination of the card held in the card holder 29 is detected by detecting the positions of two points on a longitudinal edge of the card and one point on an edge orthogonal to the longitudinal edge.
- the marking position is corrected by the X and Y drive mechanisms 22 and 23 for each mark to be made by the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 , and the marking direction is corrected to a specified direction.
- the sensor 73 in this embodiment is provided to detect whether or not the card is slanted, but an optical sensor can be used to detect the presence or absence of a card. A detecting device other than an optical sensor can also be used.
- Points A, B, and C are set on the card as shown in FIG. 30. These points are provided virtually to the edge of the card. Points A and B are located at the front and rear portions on an edge along the longer dimension (e.g., bottom edge) of the card, and point C is located on an edge along the shorter dimension near point B. These virtual origins are set at the linear sections of the edges and not the round sections at the corners of the card. Precision in the inclination measurement can be improved by having A and B spaced apart from each other along a straight line.
- the card at an original position 14 - 1 is moved in the X direction while being held in the card holder 29 , and the movement in the X direction is temporarily stopped at a position 14 - 2 near the sensor 73 .
- the card is moved in the Y direction, and X and Y coordinates (Xa, Ya) are detected when the edge of the card transverses the sensor 73 near the origin A.
- the coordinates can be measured with a given point on the card as a reference, or they can be measured with the position 14 - 1 as the origin and the corner part of the carriage 26 as the reference, as illustrated.
- the card is moved to the negative Y direction and returned to a state in which the card and the sensor 73 are not superimposed.
- the card is moved again in the X direction and the movement is stopped at a position 14 - 3 at which point B reaches the vicinity of the sensor 73 . Then, the card is moved in the positive Y direction and coordinates (Xb, Yb) are detected when the card edge near point B traverses the sensor 73 . Then, instead of returning to the negative Y direction, the card is moved in the X direction while blocking the sensor 73 , and the coordinates (Xc, Yc) of a position 14 - 4 are detected where the edge near point C transverses the sensor 73 . The coordinates (Xc, Yc) are utilized for positioning the card in the X direction.
- the inclination of the card can be detected from the above coordinates. Namely, if the values of Ya and Yb are unequal, then the card is slanted. If the inclination angle with respect to the X direction is designated ⁇ (clockwise rotation being positive), the magnitude ⁇ is obtained from the ratio of (Ya-Yb) and (Xa-Xb).
- each character printed on the card is slanted by an angle as shown in FIG. 33(C), but the orientation of each character is the same and the characters are arranged in a row parallel to the bottom edge of the card.
- the above-described correction method can be carried out using a single sensor, simplifying the structure of the device. Furthermore, the correction process is simple as it involves only a few new movements of the card in the Y direction. Further, the method can be applied to form two or more rows of characters.
- the control part 7 moves the carriage 26 towards the card reader 3 by operating the X-axis drive motor 24 .
- the control part 7 then moves the card holder 29 to the temporary holding position P 1 by operating the Y-axis drive motor 43 , whereby the card enters a temporary holding state and is transferred to the card reader 3 .
- the card is issued from the card issuing port 51 after specified recording is done with the recording part 53 under the control of the control part 7 .
- the control part 7 moves the carriage 26 in the direction away from the card reader 3 by operating the X-axis drive motor 24 after operating the solenoid 65 of the waste card receiver 4 . Accordingly, the pin lever 68 and the pin 69 of the carriage 26 engage, the wire 66 is pulled, and the waste card box 58 moves to the receiving position P 3 . After the pin lever 68 and the pin 69 engage, the control part 7 cancels the operation of the solenoid 65 in order to conserve power.
- the control part 7 operates the card reader 3 and discharges the card in the card reader into the waste card box (FIG. 17).
- the card in the card reader 3 is directly discharged into the waste card box 58 and stacked within the waste card box in the same posture since the waste card box is positioned directly in front of the card reader 3 .
- the control part 7 moves the carriage 26 towards the card reader 3 by operating the X-axis drive motor 24 , causing the pin lever 68 and the pin 69 of the carriage 26 to disengage and the waste card box 58 to move to the withdrawal position P 4 . Therefore, the waste card box does not obstruct the movement of the carriage 26 thereafter, nor does the waste card box 58 move to the receiving position P 3 since the pin lever 68 withdraws from the moving locus of the pin 69 in this state. The above steps are repeated to process additional cards.
- card stackers 9 are provided and four types of cards can be handled by loading a different type of card in each card stacker. Alternatively, when the same type of cards are loaded in the card stackers, one type of card can be handled in a large volume.
- the card engaging claw 45 which extracts the cards one at a time from the card stacker 9 is movable between the card stackers 9 by the X-axis moving mechanism 22 , it is only necessary to provide one card engaging claw for a plurality of card stackers.
- the card holder 29 and the card extractor 21 are moved on the same axis using the Y direction guide shaft 30 , they can be moved together.
- the card engaging claw 45 can be driven in the X and Y directions using the same motors 24 and 45 .
- the waste card box 58 is moved using the same motor 24 .
- the card holding blocks 39 and 40 shown in FIG. 11 hold the card at a position that does not interfere with the movements of other parts during the engraving/embossing operation. All of the above design features contribute to making the device compact, simple and easy to manufacture.
- FIG. 11 The holding position of the card by the card holding blocks 39 and 40 is shown in FIG. 11.
- the blocks 39 and 40 hold the card at a position that does not interfere during engraving/embossing process, so the device is simplified.
- two card engaging claws 45 are provided to extract the card so the degree of parallelism of the card with respect to the X-axis during card extraction can be maintained. In addition, holding displacement of the card is prevented during the engraving/embossing process while moving the card in the X direction.
- the degree of parallelism of the card can be adjusted by adjusting the card engaging claws, and the card can be extracted in a parallel attitude. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the card becoming slanted with respect to the X direction, due to parts error, assembly error, etc. of the device.
- the moving locus L 2 of the two card engaging claws 45 are positioned on both sides of the card receiving block 13 , so it is possible to prevent the card from being displaced towards the rotating direction by an external force acting on the card.
- the card pressure lever 35 of the card holder 29 pushes down the middle lever 37 via the coil spring 36 , so the holding force of the card can be fixed even if there is variation in the thickness of the card. This ensures high quality card processing by preventing displacement of the card.
- the card extractor 21 is moved below the card stacker 9 .
- the card stacker part 1 is located on the opposite side of the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 from the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 and the topper mechanism 6 .
- the card reader 3 is arranged on the extension of the card moving locus L 1 (FIG. 2) by the X-axis moving mechanism 22 , so the card stacker part 1 , the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 , the topper mechanism 6 , the card reader 3 , and the card extracting and moving mechanism 2 can be arranged rationally. Consequently, even if a plurality of card stackers 9 are arranged, the device as a whole can be miniaturized by eliminating dead space. This also shortens the moving route of the card and reduces the processing time.
- the waste card-box 58 is movable between the withdrawal position P 4 and the receiving position P 3 , so it is possible to freely execute normal movements of the carriage 26 by removing the waste card box 58 from the moving locus L 1 of the card during normal card processing.
- the waste card box 58 is moved using the movement of the carriage 26 , so a dedicated motor is not necessary. It is only necessary to provide a small solenoid 65 for engaging the pin lever 68 and the carriage 26 .
- the card engaging claw 45 is activated by the spring 85 and is rotatable with respect to the movable body 44 as shown in FIG. 15, so the card engaging claw does not separate from the card even if the card warps or bends.
- a reactive force for pushing back the card engaging claw 45 is applied when the card extractor 21 is delivering the card.
- the reactive force is applied in the direction of further strengthening the engagement of the card and the card engaging claw 45 based on the relationship of the attachment point of the card engaging claw to the movable body 44 , the card hitching point of the card engaging claw, and the direction of the reactive force.
- a force acts in the direction in which the card engaging claw 45 bites into the card, so the card engaging claw and the card do not disengage.
- the card support 46 is provided to the movable body 44 as shown in FIG. 15, so it is possible to prevent the card engaging claw 45 from being pushed down by the second card from the bottom of a stacker and becoming separated from the bottommost card while extracting the bottommost card. Consequently, the cards can be extracted reliably.
- the card receiver is structured to support the bottommost card at three points, so the card can be extracted reliably from the card supply part 8 even if it is curved.
- the side walls 9 a - 9 d of the card stackers 9 are formed into a funnel shape, so refilling of cards becomes easy. Moreover, the side walls 9 d arranged along adjacent card stackers are bent into the cut-out parts 15 of the adjacent side walls 9 d .
- the stackers can be arranged with small spacing in between, and the device can be miniaturized.
- the card holder 29 and the card extractor 21 are moved in unison by pulling the card holder 29 towards the card extractor 21 with a spring.
- the card holder 29 and the card extractor 21 it is also possible for the card holder 29 and the card extractor 21 to be unified when the card extractor 21 approaches the card holder 29 by using two links 79 and 80 as shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22.
- concave parts 79 a and 80 a are formed at different positions of the two links 79 and 80 , and the links 79 and 80 are held parallel to the Y direction guide shaft 30 by a spring not shown in the figures.
- the card holder 29 separates from the card extractor 21 and only the card extractor moves below the card stacker 9 .
- the card holder 29 is coupled to the card receiving block 13 .
- the bottom side pin 82 strikes the slope face 80 b of the second link 80 , the second link rotates, and the top side pin 81 and the concave part 80 a disengage while the first link 79 is rotated by the top side pin 81 being returned by the spring, so the bottom side pin 82 engages with the concave part 79 a of the first link 79 as shown in FIG. 22( b ). Therefore, the card holder 29 is coupled to the card extractor 21 by separating from the card receiving block 13 , and moves towards the strong pressure position P 2 from the temporary holding position P 1 by being pressed to the card extractor 21 .
- the card holder 29 holds the card (extracted with a weak force) by the top and bottom plate springs 41 as shown in FIG. 12, it is possible to have a plate spring only on the top side or the bottom side and for the plate spring to pressure the card with the other side as a reference.
- the waste card box 58 is moved by coupling the pulley 63 and the wire lever 71 of the waste card receiver 4 with the wire 66 .
- the waste card box 58 having a cover 58 a is used, but a waste card box 58 having no cover can also be used. Furthermore, it is possible to let the received card slide and be placed into a separately provided receiving box instead of the waste card box 58 .
- the sensor that detects the presence or absence of cards in the waste card box 58 can be a photointerrupter or a microswitch. In the embodiment described above, the movement of the carriage 26 is transmitted selectively to the waste card box 58 by using the selective driving means 65 in the waste card receiver 4 .
- the card receiving block 13 is provided below each card stacker 9 and the card receiver 16 supports the card at three points, namely, the convex parts 11 and 12 at two locations of the card receiving block 13 and the convex part 17 attached to the side wall 9 b of the card stacker 9 .
- An alternative card receiver 16 may support the card at three point by attaching a card receiving body 83 having three convex parts 11 , 12 , and 17 to the bottom part of the card stacker 9 as shown in FIGS. 23 - 26 .
- the card stacks 9 are a type in which the cards are refilled from above and extracted from a card supply part provided below the side walls.
- An alternative type of card stackers may be used, in which the cards are refilled from below and extracted from a card supply part provided above the side walls.
- the card receiver has, for example, a convex part 11 formed on a plate 84 attached to the card receiving body 83 , and convex parts 12 and 17 formed on the card receiving body 83 and arranged facing down as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28.
- the card engaging claw 45 which grasps and extracts the card is attached to the movable body 44 and rotatable under its own weight as shown in FIG. 29.
- the card engaging claw 45 rotates under its own weight even if it does not have a spring 85 , so it can conform to the curvature of the card. In this case, the cards in the card stackers 9 are lifted by an elevator mechanism (not shown).
- the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 is provided for marking characters on the card.
- an engraving mechanism with a heated pen instead of an engraving/embossing mechanism can be used.
- the topper mechanism 6 can be omitted since the characters can be colored by the engraving mechanism.
Abstract
A card issuing device and method capable of handling a plurality of types of cards with a single card extracting and moving mechanism having two motors. The device has a plurality of card stackers each for storing a plurality of cards, and a card extracting and moving mechanism movably provided for extracting cards one at a time from any one of the card stackers. A card reader for recording or reading information on or from the card, an engraving/embossing device for marking characters on the card, and a topper mechanism for applying color to the marked characters are provided. A waste card receiver is also provided and is driven by the same motors that drive the card extracting and moving mechanisms. Correction of card inclination effect can be performed so that the marked characters for a row parallel to a desired edge of the card even when the card is held at an angle with respect to the moving direction during the marking process. The correction is carried out by measuring the degree of inclination of the card, and moving the card in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the marking before marking each subsequent character, the amount of the perpendicular movement being dependent on the measured degree of inclination of the card.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a card issuing device and a method for issuing a card. In particular, it relates to a card issuing device having a plurality of card stackers for handling different types of cards.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- In a conventional card issuing device, a mechanism is provided for delivering cards to a card stacker stocked with many cards and a card is issued by delivering a card from the card stacker and carrying out a specified recording on the card in a card reader. In a card issuing device provided with a plurality of card stackers, there is a mechanism that moves the plurality of card stackers sequentially on one roller mechanism which delivers the cards and moves the next card stacker onto the card delivery roller mechanism when all the cards in one card stacker have been delivered. Technology capable of handling the same type of cards in a large volume is known (Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Hei 3-294985).
- Prior card issuing devices are capable of extracting one card from a card stacker stocked with cards, and then issuing the card after it has been subjected to a specified processing. This process includes a marking process for marking characters (including codes, symbols and the like) by applying irregularities to the card, such as by engraving, embossing, etc., and a topper process for applying colors to the characters.
- In the marking process, concaving processes (engraving) or convexing processes (embossing) of a specified shape are executed on the card surface by applying pressure from the front or back of the card at specified positions using a known card marking device. To transport the card to the marking position of the marking device, the card is placed in a card holding member such as a carriage. Embossing or other processes are subsequently executed as shown in FIG. 33(A).
- Another type of conventional card issuing device has a plurality of card stackers for handling a plurality of cards, and is equipped with a card delivery mechanism for each card stacker. In such a device, the plurality of card delivery mechanisms are not always used simultaneously and therefore constitute duplicate structures. This leads to complex structures, large device sizes, and increased manufacturing cost.
- On the other hand, in a conventional card issuing device capable of handling a large volume of the same type of cards by moving a plurality of card stackers arranged in a series, a large dead space is created, increasing the size of the device. In addition, even though a plurality of card stackers are provided, the same type of cards are stocked in the plurality of card stackers, and the device cannot handle different types of cards.
- When marking surface irregularities of a specified shape on a card, marking is done while the card is inside a card holding member. This marking must to be done parallel to an edge of the card. However, when marking while moving the card, it is difficult to maintain a perfect degree of parallelism between the edge of the card and the moving direction. When marking is done while not maintaining a perfect degree of parallelism, slanted marking results as indicated in FIG. 33(B), and when the mark length is long or when making marks near an edge of the card, the slanting is clearly visible and results in a low-quality or defective product. Accurate correcting devices have been used to correct the inclination of the card, which makes the device complex, large and costly to produce.
- Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a card issuing device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- It is an object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a card issuing device that can handle a plurality of types of cards, especially such a device that is compact, simple and easy to manufacture.
- According to one aspect of the present invention, a card issuing device comprises a card stacker part having a plurality of card stackers arranged in a row, each card stacker being stocked with a plurality of cards and having a card supply part at the bottom, a card extracting and moving mechanism movably provided for extracting cards from the card supply parts of the plurality of card stackers, a card reader for recording specified information on the card and issuing the card from a card issuing port. The card issuing device extracts one card with the card extracting and moving mechanism from the card stackers, and issues the card from the card issuing port after recording information on the card. A card can be extracted from any one of the plurality of card stackers. Consequently, the device can handle different types of cards, or a large quantity of the same type of cards. Since the plurality of card stackers share a common card extracting and moving mechanism, the structure is simplified and the size of the device is minimized.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of correcting the effect of inclination of the card during the card marking process is provided. The degree of inclination or the slanting of the extracted card is determined by detecting the positions of a plurality of edge portions of the card with a sensor. Based on this inclination, the marking direction is corrected by correcting the position of the card during the marking process to offset the effect of the card inclination. As a result, the row of characters marked on the card can be made parallel to the edge of the card even if the card is slanted. This eliminates the need to provide a separate device for correcting the effect of card inclination.
- These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by studying the detailed description in conjunction with the drawings and the accompanying claims.
- FIGS.1-4 are schematic top, front, left side and right side views, respectively, of a card issuing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a front view of the card supply part formed on the card stacker in the card issuing device.
- FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional and front views, respectively, of the side wall arranged along the adjacent card stacker on the exterior of the side walls of a card stacker in the card issuing device.
- FIG. 8 is a top view showing the card receiver of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 9 shows the X-axis moving mechanism of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 10 is a front view showing the card extractor and the card holder of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 11 is a top view showing the cam groove formed on the carriage in the card holder.
- FIG. 12 is a side view showing the card holding member of the card holder.
- FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the bottom card holding block of the card holder.
- FIG. 14 is a front view showing the card extractor and the card holding member of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 15 is an enlarged front view showing the card extractor of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 16 is a side view showing the waste card receiver of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 17 is a front view showing the waste card receiver where the waste card box has been moved to the receiving position.
- FIGS. 18 and 19 are top and side views, respectively, of the selective driving means of the card issuing device.
- FIG. 20 illustrates the operation of the selective driving means.
- FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the card holder.
- FIG. 22 shows the relationship between each link and pin of the card holder in FIG. 21. FIG. 22(a) is a top view of the card holding member coupled to the card extractor, and FIG. 22(b) is a top view of the card holder coupled to the card receiving block.
- FIGS.23-26 are perspective views of alternative embodiments of the card receiver.
- FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the card stacker.
- FIG. 28 is a view looking at the card receiver of the card stacker in FIG. 27 from the bottom side.
- FIG. 29 is an enlarged front view showing the card extractor used in the card stacker in FIG. 27.
- FIG. 30 shows an example of setting three points of virtual origins A, B, and C on the card in a card marking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 31 is a top view showing the card marker and an example when the card is put through a series of operations in a card marking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 32 is a figure showing the scheme of the card movement in the present invention. FIG. 32(A) illustrates a case when the card is not slanted with respect to the X direction, and FIG. 32(B) illustrates a case when the card is slanted by an angle θ.
- FIG. 33 illustrates card marking methods. FIG. 33(A) shows marked characters when the card is marked normally; FIG. 33(B) shows marked characters when the card is marked in a slanted state; and FIG. 33(C) shows marked characters when the card is marked using a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
- A card issuing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS.1-4. A card issuing device is provided with a
card stacker part 1, a card extracting and movingmechanism 2, acard reader 3, awaste card receiver 4, an engraving/embossing device 5, atopper mechanism 6, and acontrol part 7. - The
card stacker part 1 hascard stackers 9 each storing a plurality of cards. Eachcard stacker 9 has acard supply part 8 at the bottom end. In this embodiment, fourcard stackers 9 are arranged in the longitudinal (X) direction, and the card stackers are arranged with thecard supply parts 8 lined up on the same plane so that cards can be extracted in the same direction (e.g., the downward Y direction in FIG. 1). Different types of cards can be placed in thecard stackers 9, or the same type of cards can be placed in all card stackers. Eachcard stacker 9 is resupplied with cards from above. Referring to FIG. 5, eachcard supply part 8 has aconvex part 10 provided at the bottom end of aside wall 9 a in the interior side of the card stacker 9 (in FIG. 1, the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 side), and aconvex part 11 of acard receiving block 13. A gap smaller than the thickness of two cards and larger than the thickness of one card is formed between theconvex parts card stacker 9 cannot pass through thecard supply part 8 simultaneously, and the cards within each card stacker are extracted one at a time. - The top parts of side walls of each
card stacker 9 expand into a funnel shape as shown in FIG. 2. With regard toside walls 9 c on the two ends in the longitudinal direction of the card issuing device andside wall 9 b facing the exterior of the card issuing device (i.e., opposite the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 in FIG. 1), the top part can simply be expanded into a funnel shape by bending it towards the outside. But it is necessary to prevent interference of the bent parts withside walls 9 d located betweenadjacent card stackers 9. For this purpose, the top part of eachside wall 9 d located betweenadjacent card stackers 9 is cut out. The cut out portions of twoadjacent side walls 9 d are offset and the top part ofadjacent side walls 9 d are bent to the corresponding cut outportion 15 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. By bending the top parts using the offset cut out portions, twoadjacent side walls 9 d can be arranged closely while forming the funnel shapes, and a plurality ofcard stackers 9 can be arranged compactly. By expanding the top parts ofside walls 9 a-9 d of thecard stackers 9, refilling cards in the card stackers can easily be done. - A
card receiver 16 is provided at the bottom of eachcard stacker 9 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 14. Thecard receiver 16 receives acard 14 from the bottom side at three locations along the card delivery direction (upward the direction in FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 8, thecard receiver 16 has acard receiving block 13 having an interiorconvex part 11 positioned at the bottom end ofside wall 9 a on the inside of thecard stacker 9, an exteriorconvex part 12 positioned at the bottom end of theside wall 9 b on the exterior of thecard stacker 9, andconvex part 17 attached to the bottom end ofside wall 9 b on the exterior. Thecard receiving block 13 is formed with theconvex parts convex parts 12 and 17) on the exterior side of eachcard stacker 9, namely, three locations spaced apart in the card delivery direction and two locations at the front and rear of the card, the interiorconvex part 11 reliably supports the inside edge of the card even if the card is curved, and can pass the card reliably through the gap of thecard supply part 8. -
Numeral 18 in FIG. 8 denotes a sensor which detects the IC contact point provided on the card, and detects whether or not the orientation of the card is appropriate by detecting the IC contact point provided on the front face of the card from the back face side of the card. Also, numeral 19 denotes a sensor that detects the presence or absence of the card. Thesensors side walls 9 a-9 d of eachcard stacker 9. - The card extracting and moving
mechanism 2 shown in FIG. 2 is movably provided between thecard supply parts 8 of thecard stackers 9, and extracts cards from thecard supply part 8 of any of the card stacker. As shown in FIG. 10, the card extracting and movingmechanism 2 has acard extractor 21 for extracting one card from acard stacker 9, acard holding mechanism 20 for holding the extracted card, and anX-axis moving mechanism 22 and a Y-axis moving mechanism 23 for moving thecard holding mechanism 20 and thecard extractor 21 in the X and Y directions. - The
X-axis moving mechanism 22 is for moving in the longitudinal direction when thecard holding mechanism 20 and thecard extractor 21 are at a position spaced apart in the Y direction from thecard stackers 9. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the rotation of anX-axis drive motor 24 is transmitted to anX-axis drive belt 25 and moves acarriage 26 for supporting thecard holding mechanism 20 along two X direction guideshafts - The
card holding mechanism 20 moves between thecard stackers 9. As shown in FIG. 10, thecard holding mechanism 20 includes thecarriage 26 which moves along two X direction guideshafts card holder 29. As shown in FIG. 11, thecard holder 29 is capable of moving between a temporary holding position P1 for holding a card temporarily, and a strong pressure position P2 that reliably holds the card with a pressure. Thecard holder 29 is set to the strong pressure position P2 when being moved in the X direction by theX-axis moving mechanism 22. Namely, the strong pressure position P2 is a position at which thecard holder 29 and thecard extractor 21 are separated from thecard stacker 9. When thecard holder 29 moves to this strong pressure position P2, the card is transferred by operating theX-axis moving mechanism 22. - Two Y direction guide
shafts 30 of the Y-axis moving mechanism 23 are attached to thecarriage 26 as shown in FIG. 12. When extracting a card from thecard stacker 9, thecard holder 29 moves from the temporary holding position P1 to the strong pressure position P2 as guided by two Y direction guideshafts 30. After extracting the card, thecard holder 29 moves the card while in the strong pressure position P2. Acam groove 31 for changing the card holding state of thecard holder 29 is formed on the top face of thecarriage 26 as shown in FIG. 11. Namely, when thecard holder 29 moves in the card extracting direction (to the left in FIG. 11) along the two Y direction guideshafts 30 from the temporary holding position P1 to the strong pressure position P2, an L-shapedlever 33 attached to aroller 32 which moves within thecam groove 31 rotates in the counterclockwise direction. This causes an operatinglever 34 to move in the clockwise direction to press the bottom end of acard pressure lever 35. Thecard pressure lever 35 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 12, and the extreme end thereof presses amiddle lever 37 via acoil spring 36, which in turn presses acard holding lever 38. Thus, when thecard holder 29 moves from the temporary holding position P1 to the strong pressure position P2, the L-shapedlever 33 rotates so that the extreme end is positioned approximately in a straight line in relation to the operatinglever 34 so the operating lever pushes out the bottom end of thecard pressure lever 35. In accordance with this, the extreme end of thecard pressure lever 35 pushes down themiddle lever 37 via thecoil spring 36, presses a topcard holding block 39 attached to the extreme end of thecard holding lever 38 to a bottomcard holding block 40, and the card is held in a strongly pressed state. In this state, the extreme end of the L-shapedlever 33 and the operatinglever 34 are in a toggle clamp state due to being positioned approximately in a straight line. The gap between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 does not widen even if an external force is applied in the direction tending to separate the top and bottom card holding blocks 39 and 40. The card can therefore be firmly held between the card holding blocks 39 and 40. - On the other hand, when the
card holder 29 returns from the strong pressure position P2 to the temporary holding position P1, the L-shapedlever 33 draws in the operatinglever 34, and the force with which the operatinglever 34 pushes out the bottom end of thecard pressure lever 35 is cancelled. Therefore, the force of pressuring the topcard holding block 39 to the bottomcard holding block 40 is cancelled. In this state, the card is not held firmly between the card holding blocks 39 and 40. Instead, the card is held with a relatively weak force from plate springs 41 provided on both sides of the card holding blocks 39 and 40. Namely, at the temporary holding position P1 prior to the moving of thecard holder 29 to the strong pressure position P2 by moving in the card extracting direction along theguide shaft 30, the card can be temporary held by the force of the plate springs 41. - As shown in FIG. 13, a
rubber plate 42 for preventing sliding of the card and protecting the card is adhered on the surface of the card holding blocks 39 and 40 (only bottomcard holding block 40 is shown in FIG. 13). In addition, the area at the two end surfaces of the card holding blocks 39 and 40 is expanded and structured to hold the card at two points. - The
card extractor 21 shown in FIG. 10 is a card delivery mechanism for extracting the card from thecard supply part 8 formed on eachcard stacker 9. The card delivery mechanism, along with thecard stacker part 1, form a card delivery device. - The
card extractor 21 has amovable body 44 which can be moved back and forth by a Y-axis drive motor 43 (FIG. 3), and acard engaging claw 45 which engages the rear face of the card. Themovable body 44 is arranged on thecard stacker 9 side of thecard holder 29 and is moved in the Y direction the same way as thecard holder 29, i.e., by being guided by the two Y direction guideshafts 30. Thecard holder 29 cannot pass below thecard stacker 9 as shown in FIG. 14, but themovable body 44 can pass below thecard stacker 9 in the Y direction and can move to the rear of the card stacker. Thecard engaging claw 45 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction with respect to themovable body 44 about arotating shaft 45 b, and is activated by aspring 85 in the direction which engages the card, namely, in the direction where the extreme end rotates upwards as shown in FIG. 15. Therefore, thecard engaging claw 45 is pressed to the bottom face of the card positioned at the bottom of thecard stacker 9, and aclaw 45 a of thecard engaging claw 45 is lowered when passing below the card stacker. When extracting a card from the position of themovable body 44 indicated in FIG. 14, thecard engaging claw 45 is lifted and engages theclaw 45 a with the rear edge of the card. At this time, the card is received by theconvex part 12 positioned at the right side and theconvex part 11 positioned at the left side of thecard stacker 9 in FIG. 14. Thecard receiver 16 receives the card with two locations on the front and rear ends of the card, so even if the card is curved, theclaw 45 a can still engage the rear edge of the card and the card can be delivered. - The
card engaging claw 45 is provided at two locations on themovable body 44 with a specified space in between as indicated by lines L2 in FIG. 8. Twocard engaging claws 45 are arranged in the longitudinal direction, i.e., parallel to the X direction guideshafts - The
movable body 44 has acard support 46 which contacts the bottom face of the card and which remains in thecard stacker 9 as shown in the figure when extracting the card. Thecard support 46 prevents the second card from the bottom of thecard stacker 9 from striking thecard engaging claw 45, which may cause the card engaging claw to be pushed down and result in defective delivery. By providing thecard support 46, it is possible to prevent theclaw 45 a from separating from the card that is being delivered. - The Y-
axis moving mechanism 23 shown in FIG. 10 is for moving thecard extractor 21 to extract a card from thecard supply part 8. The two Y direction guideshafts 30 are attached to thecarriage 26, which can be moved in the X direction by theX-axis moving mechanism 22. The force of the Y-axis drive motor 43 which drives the Y-axis moving mechanism 23 is transmitted to thepulley 78 attached to the end on thetopper mechanism 6 side of theY drive shaft 47 via thebelt 77 as shown in FIG. 3. The rotation of thepulley 78 is transmitted to aY drive shaft 47 with a D-shaped cross section to rotate in unison, and the rotation of the Y drive shaft is transmitted to aY drive belt 50 hung between the Ydrive timing pulley 48 andY driving pulley 49. Themovable body 44 is coupled to theY drive belt 50 by acoupling part 44A. Therefore, whenY drive belt 50 rotates, themovable body 44 moves along the Y direction guideshaft 30. At this time, thecard holder 29 is pulled between themovable body 44 by a spring not shown in the figures. Consequently, when themovable body 44 moves towards thecard stacker 9 from the position indicated in FIG. 10 by rotation of theY drive belt 50, thecard holder 29 moves in unison with themovable body 44 and moves towards the temporary holding position P1 from the strong pressure position P2 (although the card is not being held). However, thecard holder 29 cannot pass through thecard stacker 9, so only themovable body 44 passes under the bottom of the card stacker. When themovable body 44 is passing under the bottom of thecard stacker 9, thecard holder 29 is pressed to theside wall 9 a of the card stacker as shown in FIG. 14. - While extracting a card, the
Y drive belt 50 rotates in the direction opposite the aforementioned case from the position shown in FIG. 14. Then themovable body 44 moves to thecard holder 29 side while extracting a card from the position shown in FIG. 14. The extracted card enters between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 of thecard holder 29 shown in FIG. 12, and moves by being held between them with a weak force from plate springs 41 at the top and bottom. The extracted card comes between the card holding blocks 39 and 40 and slides with respect to the plate springs 41 until themovable body 44 strikes thecard holder 29, and then they move in unison. Then, when the movable body strikes thecard holder 29 by passing below thecard stacker 9, the movable body presses thecard holder 29 and moves in unison with it. Then, theroller 32 at the temporary holding position P1 moves along thecam groove 31 formed on thecarriage 26 along with the movement of thecard holder 29. When theroller 32 moves to the strong pressure position P2, it holds the card firmly with the card holding blocks 39 and 40. - The amount of motion of the
movable body 44 is determined by the rotation of theY drive shaft 47 as shown in FIG. 4. With regard to the rotating amount ofY drive shaft 47, the position of themovable body 44 with respect to thecarriage 26, namely, the positions of thecard holder 29 and thecard extractor 21 and the return position of the card extractor, can be detected by transmitting the rotation of theY drive shaft 47 to thepulley 75 via thepulley 74 and detecting the angle of rotation of thepulley 75 with asensor 76. - The
Y drive shaft 47 has a D-shaped cross section and transmits the rotating force by fitting into the D-shaped hole of Y drive timingpulley 48. Consequently, thecarriage 26 can transmit the rotating force while moving in the X direction. Alternatively, the same function can be performed by a spline shaft or a pin and groove double D cross-section shaft. - The
card reader 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 receives a card from the card extracting and movingmechanism 2, and issues a card from thecard issuing port 51 after specified information is recorded on the card. Thecard reader 3 is provided with a card transporter and a recording and reproducing part 52A for carrying out data recording and reproduction to or from the card in a known fashion. The card transporter is formed in the same direction as the X-axis and transports the card on the movement line towards the X direction by theX-axis moving mechanism 22. The card transporter has, for example, three pairs ofrollers 52. The recording and reproducing part 52A carries out data recording or reproduction to or from the card, and may have a magnetic head for recording on a magnetic strip of the card, and/or an IC contact point block which records by contacting the IC contact point of the card. - When moving the card delivered by the
card stacker 9 between thetopper mechanism 6 and the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 by theX-axis moving mechanism 22, thecard holder 29 has been moved to the strong pressure position P2 and the card can be held firmly between the card holding blocks 39 and 40. However, when delivering the card to the card reader, the card reader is connected to the card extracting and movingmechanism 2 at the position corresponding to the temporary holding position P1 of thecard holder 29, so the card is temporarily lightly held by the plate springs 41 on both sides of the card holding blocks 39 and 40. Thus when the leading edge of the card is inserted between therollers 52, the card can be drawn into thecard reader 3. - The
waste card receiver 4 shown in FIG. 1 is able to move between a receiving position P3 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 for receiving unwanted cards from thecard reader 3, and a withdrawal position P4 (FIG. 16) where it is retreated from the moving locus of thecarriage 26, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, so as not to interfere with the movement of thecarriage 26. Thewaste card receiver 4 is moved between the receiving position P3 and the withdrawal position P4 by a waste cardreceiver moving mechanism 53. - The
waste card receiver 4 is provided with abracket 55 fixed to aframe 54 of the card issuing device, anarm 57 rotatably supported on thebracket 55 via asupport shaft 56, and awaste card box 58 fixed to the extreme end of thearm 57. Thearm 57 is fixed to thesupport shaft 56, and thewaste card box 58 moves between the receiving position P3 and the withdrawal position P4 by thesupport shaft 56 and thearm 57 rotating via thebracket 55. At the receiving position P3, arubber stopper 59 strikes the X direction guideshaft 27 and is suitably positioned. At the withdrawal position P4, arubber stopper 60 strikes aframe 54 of the card issuing device and is suitably positioned. - The withdrawal position P4 is arranged near a waste
card extraction port 61 formed on the frame of the card issuing device. At the withdrawal position P4, it is possible to extract waste cards in thewaste card box 58 by opening acover 58 a while turning over the waste card box as shown in FIG. 16. Also, at the withdrawal position P4, the presence or absence of cards in thewaste card box 58 can be detected by a sensor not shown in the figures. When thewaste card box 58 is at the receiving position P3, acover stopper 62 is positioned near thecover 58 a to prevent the cover from being accidentally opened. - The waste card
receiver moving mechanism 53 is driven by the card extracting and movingmechanism 2 and is provided with apulley 63 attached to one end of thesupport shaft 56, awire pulley 64 attached to thebracket 55, and awire 66 for transmitting the drive force of theX-axis moving mechanism 22 to thepulley 63 when a selective driving means 65 (to be discussed later) is driven. - The selective driving means65 is, for example, a solenoid as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. When the
solenoid 65 is pulled, atrigger link 67 is pulled and rotates apin lever 68 rotatably supported on thesupport shaft 54A in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 19. The rotation stops at the position where an engaginggroove part 68A provided at the extreme end of thepin lever 68 enters into the moving locus of apin 69 attached to thecarriage 26 of the X-axis moving mechanism 22 (FIG. 19). In this state, thepin lever 68 rotates, but this rotation only deforms aspring 70 engaged between apin 71A provided on awire lever 71 and anengaging part 68B of thepin lever 68, and does not move thewaste card box 58 by moving thewire lever 71. Namely, the suctioning operation of thesolenoid 65 need only be so that the engaginggroove part 68A of thepin lever 68 is positioned at the moving locus of thepin 69, so a very compact solenoid can be used. - When the
carriage 26 is moved by theX-axis moving mechanism 22 by being driven with the extreme end of thepin lever 68 having entered into the moving locus of thepin 69, the pin engages with the extreme end of the pin lever as shown in FIG. 20 and the pin lever rotates about the pin along with the movement of thecarriage 26. Thewire lever 71 is rotated via thespring 70; therefore, thewire 66 is pulled, and, as shown in FIG. 16, thearm 57 is raised and moves thewaste card box 58 to the receiving position P3. By moving theX-axis moving mechanism 22 in a specified direction along with driving the selective driving means (solenoid) 65, it is possible for the waste cardreceiver moving mechanism 53 to move thewaste card receiver 4 from the withdrawal position P4 to the receiving position P3 with theX-axis moving mechanism 22. Thewaste card receiver 4 is thus driven by theX-axis drive motor 24 of theX-axis moving mechanism 22, and a separate and dedicated motor is not necessary for driving thewaste card receiver 4. - The
spring 70 is provided between thewire lever 71 coupled with thewire 66 and thepin lever 68 which is moved by thepin 69, so it is possible to prevent slacking of the wire by deformation of thespring 70 even if the wire is unintentionally pulled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent thewire 66 from slipping out from thewire pulley 64. - The engraving/
embossing mechanism 5 and thetopper mechanism 6 shown in FIG. 1 are provided at the opposite side of theX-axis moving mechanism 22 from thecard stackers 9. The engraving/embossing mechanism 5 is, for example, a known embossing device for marking specified characters (including codes and symbols, etc.) on the card. Thetopper mechanism 6 may be a known topper device for applying colors to the marked characters. Thetopper mechanism 6 is moveable towards and away from theX-axis moving mechanism 22. Namely, the guide rails 72 which are orthogonal and in the same plane as the two X direction guideshafts frame 54 of the card issuing device, and thetopper mechanism 6 is made movable along the guide rails 72. In accordance with this, a working space can be created if the topper mechanism is separated from theX-axis moving mechanism 22 during maintenance or when changing the topping wheel on the topper mechanism. -
Numeral 73 in FIG. 1 denotes a sensor for detecting the edge of a card, and is attached to theframe 54 of the card issuing device as shown in FIG. 3. Thesensor 73 detects whether or not the card is held by thecard holder 29 at an angle with respect to the X direction guideshafts carriage 26 in the X direction and the amount of motion of thecard holder 29 in the Y direction during the time period between the detection of two positions on an edge of the card, it is possible to detect whether or not the card is slanted and the amount of the slant. The line L1 in FIG. 2 indicates the movable range of the card. - In the card issuing device, the X- and Y-
axis drive motors solenoid 65 of thewaste card receiver 4, the engraving/embossing mechanism 5, and thetopper mechanism 6 are controlled by thecontrol part 7. One card is extracted by the card extracting and movingmechanism 2 from one of the plurality ofcard stackers 9, and the card is issued from thecard issuing port 51 after specified recording is done by thecard reader 3. When receiving an unwanted card from thecard reader 3, thewaste card receiver 4 is moved to the receiving position P3 from the withdrawal position P4 by the card extracting and movingmechanism 2. - In operation, to extract a card from the card supply part of a card stacker, the card extractor is moved by operating the Y-axis moving mechanism after operating the X-axis moving mechanism, and the card holding mechanism and the card extractor are moved to a position opposite the card stacker. When the operation of the Y-axis moving mechanism is continued, the extracted card reaches a position where it can be processed by the engraving/embossing mechanism and the topper mechanism. Here, characters are formed at the specified positions of the card while the card is moved by the X-axis moving mechanism. After forming the characters, the X- and Y-axis moving mechanisms are operated and the card is transported to the card reader. After completing the transport, the X-axis moving mechanism moves the card holding mechanism and the card extractor to a position opposite the card stacker from which the next card is to be extracted, and the above operations are repeated.
- More specifically, the
control part 7 operates the X-axis drive motor 24 (FIG. 4) and moves thecarriage 26 to the front of the specifiedcard stacker 9 via theX-axis drive belt 25. Namely, the card holding mechanism moves to the position of the selected card stacker. In this position, the card extractor is at a position opposite the card supply part, and the card extractor can extract a card from the card stacker. Thereafter, the Y-axis drive motor 43 shown in FIG. 3 is operated, thecard holder 29 and thecard extractor 21 are moved, and the bottom card stored in the selectedcard stacker 9 is extracted with thecard engaging claw 45 of thecard extractor 21. Thereafter, when thecard holder 29 is moved to the strong pressure position P2, the extracted card is held firmly by the card holder. - Next, the
control part 7 moves the card by controlling the X- and Y-axis drive motors sensor 73 having an optical sensor. In order to recognize the held position of the card with onesensor 73, the Y-direction displacement of the longitudinal edge position of the card at two positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction is detected. The detection is carried out by measuring the position where the edge of the card intercepts thesensor 73 by moving the card in the Y direction. - The card is moved in the Y direction from the original position set beforehand as shown in FIG. 1, and the position of the
longitudinal edge 14Y at a position along the edge near thecard reader 3 is measured and the value stored as α. Then, the card is returned temporarily to the position α, and moved toward thecard reader 3 by an amount β in the X direction. The card is moved in the Y direction again, and the position of thelongitudinal edge 14Y at a position far from thecard reader 3 is measured and the value stored as γ. If thelongitudinal edge 14Y of card is parallel to the X-axis, then α=γ. If it is slanted, then α≠γ. Thecontrol part 7 calculates the slanting of the card from this difference as well as the value of β. - Next, the
control part 7 moves thecarriage 26 to the front of the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 by operating theX-axis drive motor 24, and characters are marked at specified positions of the card by the engraving/embossing mechanism 5. When marking a plurality of characters, the card is moved in a stepwise manner in the X direction, the size of each step being equal to the spacing between adjacent characters to be marked on the card. In this case, when the held position of the card is detected as being slanted, thecontrol part 7 operates the Y-axis drive motor 43 to move the card in the Y direction for each step of the X-movement. The size of the Y-movements are calculated from the measured slanting angle. As a result, the effect of card slanting is corrected, so that the characters form a row parallel to the card edge. When the marking of characters is finished, thecontrol part 7 moves thecarriage 26 to the front of thetopper mechanism 6 by operating theX-axis drive motor 24 as needed to color the marked characters. - As described above, the engraving/embossing mechanism and the topper mechanism are arranged on the opposite side of the card extracting and moving mechanism from the card stacker part, so the card extracted from the card stacker can be transported to the engraving/embossing mechanism and the topper mechanism by moving the X-axis moving mechanism and the Y-axis moving mechanism. In addition, the card supply parts of the card stacker are arranged in a line on the same plane, so the cards can be extracted from any card stacker by moving the card extracting and moving mechanism linearly.
- A card marking method and a card issuing method according to embodiments of the present invention is now explained.
- As described above, the card is moved with respect to the
sensor 73 by the X and Y drivemechanisms card holder 29 is detected by detecting the positions of two points on a longitudinal edge of the card and one point on an edge orthogonal to the longitudinal edge. The marking position is corrected by the X and Y drivemechanisms embossing mechanism 5, and the marking direction is corrected to a specified direction. Thesensor 73 in this embodiment is provided to detect whether or not the card is slanted, but an optical sensor can be used to detect the presence or absence of a card. A detecting device other than an optical sensor can also be used. - In order to measure the inclination of the card, three points of virtual origins A, B, and C are set on the card as shown in FIG. 30. These points are provided virtually to the edge of the card. Points A and B are located at the front and rear portions on an edge along the longer dimension (e.g., bottom edge) of the card, and point C is located on an edge along the shorter dimension near point B. These virtual origins are set at the linear sections of the edges and not the round sections at the corners of the card. Precision in the inclination measurement can be improved by having A and B spaced apart from each other along a straight line.
- As shown in FIG. 31, the card at an original position14-1 is moved in the X direction while being held in the
card holder 29, and the movement in the X direction is temporarily stopped at a position 14-2 near thesensor 73. Here, the card is moved in the Y direction, and X and Y coordinates (Xa, Ya) are detected when the edge of the card transverses thesensor 73 near the origin A. The coordinates can be measured with a given point on the card as a reference, or they can be measured with the position 14-1 as the origin and the corner part of thecarriage 26 as the reference, as illustrated. After the initial coordinate is obtained and stored in thecontrol part 7, the card is moved to the negative Y direction and returned to a state in which the card and thesensor 73 are not superimposed. - Next, the card is moved again in the X direction and the movement is stopped at a position14-3 at which point B reaches the vicinity of the
sensor 73. Then, the card is moved in the positive Y direction and coordinates (Xb, Yb) are detected when the card edge near point B traverses thesensor 73. Then, instead of returning to the negative Y direction, the card is moved in the X direction while blocking thesensor 73, and the coordinates (Xc, Yc) of a position 14-4 are detected where the edge near point C transverses thesensor 73. The coordinates (Xc, Yc) are utilized for positioning the card in the X direction. - The inclination of the card can be detected from the above coordinates. Namely, if the values of Ya and Yb are unequal, then the card is slanted. If the inclination angle with respect to the X direction is designated θ (clockwise rotation being positive), the magnitude θ is obtained from the ratio of (Ya-Yb) and (Xa-Xb).
- After the inclination angle θ is obtained, characters are marked continuously on the card in a specified direction by the engraving/
embossing mechanism 5 while the effect of the inclination is corrected. For example, if a plurality of characters are marked continuously at equal intervals, the corresponding relationship of how much the card is stroked in the Y direction for each step it is stroked in the X direction can be calculated using inclination angle θ. The X-axis and Y-axis moving mechanisms printing part 87 side of the engraving/embossing mechanism 5, the locus of the card runs diagonally in a stepwise manner as shown in the figure. The end points of each step-wise movement form a straight line that is inclined by an angle θ from the X direction. - By performing the correction as described above, each character printed on the card is slanted by an angle as shown in FIG. 33(C), but the orientation of each character is the same and the characters are arranged in a row parallel to the bottom edge of the card.
- The above-described correction method can be carried out using a single sensor, simplifying the structure of the device. Furthermore, the correction process is simple as it involves only a few new movements of the card in the Y direction. Further, the method can be applied to form two or more rows of characters.
- When the marking of characters is finished, the
control part 7 moves thecarriage 26 towards thecard reader 3 by operating theX-axis drive motor 24. Thecontrol part 7 then moves thecard holder 29 to the temporary holding position P1 by operating the Y-axis drive motor 43, whereby the card enters a temporary holding state and is transferred to thecard reader 3. At thecard reader 3, the card is issued from thecard issuing port 51 after specified recording is done with therecording part 53 under the control of thecontrol part 7. - If the card is defective, the
control part 7 moves thecarriage 26 in the direction away from thecard reader 3 by operating theX-axis drive motor 24 after operating thesolenoid 65 of thewaste card receiver 4. Accordingly, thepin lever 68 and thepin 69 of thecarriage 26 engage, thewire 66 is pulled, and thewaste card box 58 moves to the receiving position P3. After thepin lever 68 and thepin 69 engage, thecontrol part 7 cancels the operation of thesolenoid 65 in order to conserve power. - When the
waste card box 58 moves to the receiving position P3, thecontrol part 7 operates thecard reader 3 and discharges the card in the card reader into the waste card box (FIG. 17). At the receiving position P3, the card in thecard reader 3 is directly discharged into thewaste card box 58 and stacked within the waste card box in the same posture since the waste card box is positioned directly in front of thecard reader 3. - Next, the
control part 7 moves thecarriage 26 towards thecard reader 3 by operating theX-axis drive motor 24, causing thepin lever 68 and thepin 69 of thecarriage 26 to disengage and thewaste card box 58 to move to the withdrawal position P4. Therefore, the waste card box does not obstruct the movement of thecarriage 26 thereafter, nor does thewaste card box 58 move to the receiving position P3 since thepin lever 68 withdraws from the moving locus of thepin 69 in this state. The above steps are repeated to process additional cards. - In the card issuing device described above, four
card stackers 9 are provided and four types of cards can be handled by loading a different type of card in each card stacker. Alternatively, when the same type of cards are loaded in the card stackers, one type of card can be handled in a large volume. - Since the
card engaging claw 45 which extracts the cards one at a time from thecard stacker 9 is movable between thecard stackers 9 by theX-axis moving mechanism 22, it is only necessary to provide one card engaging claw for a plurality of card stackers. - Since the
card holder 29 and thecard extractor 21 are moved on the same axis using the Y direction guideshaft 30, they can be moved together. Thecard engaging claw 45 can be driven in the X and Y directions using thesame motors waste card box 58 is moved using thesame motor 24. The card holding blocks 39 and 40 shown in FIG. 11 hold the card at a position that does not interfere with the movements of other parts during the engraving/embossing operation. All of the above design features contribute to making the device compact, simple and easy to manufacture. - The holding position of the card by the card holding blocks39 and 40 is shown in FIG. 11. The
blocks - Along with making the holding force of the card into two stages, strong and weak, and providing the temporary holding position P1 and the strong pressure position P2, two
card engaging claws 45 are provided to extract the card so the degree of parallelism of the card with respect to the X-axis during card extraction can be maintained. In addition, holding displacement of the card is prevented during the engraving/embossing process while moving the card in the X direction. - Since the card is extracted by two
card engaging claws 45, the degree of parallelism of the card can be adjusted by adjusting the card engaging claws, and the card can be extracted in a parallel attitude. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the card becoming slanted with respect to the X direction, due to parts error, assembly error, etc. of the device. As shown in FIG. 8, the moving locus L2 of the twocard engaging claws 45 are positioned on both sides of thecard receiving block 13, so it is possible to prevent the card from being displaced towards the rotating direction by an external force acting on the card. - The extreme end of the L-shaped
lever 33 and the operatinglever 34 are positioned approximately on the same straight line at the strong pressure position P2 as shown in FIG. 11, so a toggle clamp can be used. Consequently, in addition to being able to hold the card firmly without applying a great force, a heavy load on the movement of thecard holder 29 can be prevented and the Y-axis drive motor 43 can be reliably operated without using a large device. - The
card pressure lever 35 of thecard holder 29 pushes down themiddle lever 37 via thecoil spring 36, so the holding force of the card can be fixed even if there is variation in the thickness of the card. This ensures high quality card processing by preventing displacement of the card. - As is apparent from FIG. 14, the
card extractor 21 is moved below thecard stacker 9. Thecard stacker part 1 is located on the opposite side of the card extracting and movingmechanism 2 from the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 and thetopper mechanism 6. Thecard reader 3 is arranged on the extension of the card moving locus L1 (FIG. 2) by theX-axis moving mechanism 22, so thecard stacker part 1, the engraving/embossing mechanism 5, thetopper mechanism 6, thecard reader 3, and the card extracting and movingmechanism 2 can be arranged rationally. Consequently, even if a plurality ofcard stackers 9 are arranged, the device as a whole can be miniaturized by eliminating dead space. This also shortens the moving route of the card and reduces the processing time. - As shown in FIG. 16, the waste card-
box 58 is movable between the withdrawal position P4 and the receiving position P3, so it is possible to freely execute normal movements of thecarriage 26 by removing thewaste card box 58 from the moving locus L1 of the card during normal card processing. Thewaste card box 58 is moved using the movement of thecarriage 26, so a dedicated motor is not necessary. It is only necessary to provide asmall solenoid 65 for engaging thepin lever 68 and thecarriage 26. - The
card engaging claw 45 is activated by thespring 85 and is rotatable with respect to themovable body 44 as shown in FIG. 15, so the card engaging claw does not separate from the card even if the card warps or bends. - A reactive force for pushing back the
card engaging claw 45 is applied when thecard extractor 21 is delivering the card. As shown in FIG. 15, the reactive force is applied in the direction of further strengthening the engagement of the card and thecard engaging claw 45 based on the relationship of the attachment point of the card engaging claw to themovable body 44, the card hitching point of the card engaging claw, and the direction of the reactive force. Thus, even if the movement of the card is unusually heavy and a strong force is necessary for extraction, a force acts in the direction in which thecard engaging claw 45 bites into the card, so the card engaging claw and the card do not disengage. - The
card support 46 is provided to themovable body 44 as shown in FIG. 15, so it is possible to prevent thecard engaging claw 45 from being pushed down by the second card from the bottom of a stacker and becoming separated from the bottommost card while extracting the bottommost card. Consequently, the cards can be extracted reliably. - As shown in FIG. 8, the card receiver is structured to support the bottommost card at three points, so the card can be extracted reliably from the
card supply part 8 even if it is curved. - As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the
side walls 9 a-9 d of thecard stackers 9 are formed into a funnel shape, so refilling of cards becomes easy. Moreover, theside walls 9 d arranged along adjacent card stackers are bent into the cut-outparts 15 of theadjacent side walls 9 d. The stackers can be arranged with small spacing in between, and the device can be miniaturized. - Further, four
card stackers 9 are described in the above embodiment, but it is possible to provide two, three, five or more card stackers. - Moreover, the
card holder 29 and thecard extractor 21 are moved in unison by pulling thecard holder 29 towards thecard extractor 21 with a spring. However, for example, it is also possible for thecard holder 29 and thecard extractor 21 to be unified when thecard extractor 21 approaches thecard holder 29 by using twolinks - Thus, in addition to providing the
top side pin 81 to the bottom face of thecard receiving block 13 and thebottom side pin 82 to the top face of thecard extractor 21,concave parts links links shaft 30 by a spring not shown in the figures. When moving thecard extractor 21 towards thecard stacker 9 from the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 side in order to extract a card, thebottom side pin 82 and theconcave part 79 a of thefirst link 79 are engaged, thecard extractor 21 and the card holder are coupled, thecard extractor 21 is pulled, and the-card holder 29 moves in unison with the card extractor as shown in FIG. 22(a). Then, when it moves below thecard stacker 9, thetop side pin 81 strikes theslant face 79 b, thefirst link 79 rotates, and thebottom side pin 82 and theconcave part 79 a disengage while thetop side pin 81 engages with theconcave part 80 a of thesecond link 80. Therefore, thecard holder 29 separates from thecard extractor 21 and only the card extractor moves below thecard stacker 9. On the other hand, thecard holder 29 is coupled to thecard receiving block 13. Then, when thecard extractor 21 moves towards the engraving/embossing mechanism 5 side while extracting the next card, thebottom side pin 82 strikes theslope face 80 b of thesecond link 80, the second link rotates, and thetop side pin 81 and theconcave part 80 a disengage while thefirst link 79 is rotated by thetop side pin 81 being returned by the spring, so thebottom side pin 82 engages with theconcave part 79 a of thefirst link 79 as shown in FIG. 22(b). Therefore, thecard holder 29 is coupled to thecard extractor 21 by separating from thecard receiving block 13, and moves towards the strong pressure position P2 from the temporary holding position P1 by being pressed to thecard extractor 21. - Although the
card holder 29 holds the card (extracted with a weak force) by the top and bottom plate springs 41 as shown in FIG. 12, it is possible to have a plate spring only on the top side or the bottom side and for the plate spring to pressure the card with the other side as a reference. - In the embodiment described above, the
waste card box 58 is moved by coupling thepulley 63 and thewire lever 71 of thewaste card receiver 4 with thewire 66. Alternatively, it is possible to move thewaste card box 58 by coupling it with a link or the like instead of thewire 66. - In the embodiment described above, the
waste card box 58 having acover 58 a is used, but awaste card box 58 having no cover can also be used. Furthermore, it is possible to let the received card slide and be placed into a separately provided receiving box instead of thewaste card box 58. In addition, the sensor that detects the presence or absence of cards in thewaste card box 58 can be a photointerrupter or a microswitch. In the embodiment described above, the movement of thecarriage 26 is transmitted selectively to thewaste card box 58 by using the selective driving means 65 in thewaste card receiver 4. Alternatively, it is possible to omit the selective driving means and transmit the movement of thecarriage 26 to thewaste card box 58 when the carriage is moved to a position to which it is not moved in a normal card processing operation. By moving thecarriage 26 to such a position, it is necessary to extend the moving locus ofcarriage 26, but the number of actuators can be reduced since the selective driving means 65 can be omitted. - In the embodiment described above, the
card receiving block 13 is provided below eachcard stacker 9 and thecard receiver 16 supports the card at three points, namely, theconvex parts card receiving block 13 and theconvex part 17 attached to theside wall 9 b of thecard stacker 9. Analternative card receiver 16 may support the card at three point by attaching acard receiving body 83 having threeconvex parts card stacker 9 as shown in FIGS. 23-26. - In the embodiment described above, the card stacks9 are a type in which the cards are refilled from above and extracted from a card supply part provided below the side walls. An alternative type of card stackers may be used, in which the cards are refilled from below and extracted from a card supply part provided above the side walls. In this case, the card receiver has, for example, a
convex part 11 formed on aplate 84 attached to thecard receiving body 83, andconvex parts card receiving body 83 and arranged facing down as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28. Thecard engaging claw 45 which grasps and extracts the card is attached to themovable body 44 and rotatable under its own weight as shown in FIG. 29. Namely, it does not have aspring 85 as is shown in FIG. 15. Thecard engaging claw 45 rotates under its own weight even if it does not have aspring 85, so it can conform to the curvature of the card. In this case, the cards in thecard stackers 9 are lifted by an elevator mechanism (not shown). - In the embodiment described above, the engraving/
embossing mechanism 5 is provided for marking characters on the card. Alternatively, an engraving mechanism with a heated pen instead of an engraving/embossing mechanism can be used. In this case, thetopper mechanism 6. can be omitted since the characters can be colored by the engraving mechanism. - The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such and other modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
Claims (21)
1. A card issuing device comprising:
a plurality of card stackers for storing cards, each card stacker having a card supplying part for supplying the stored cards one at a time;
a card reader having a recording part for recording information on the card, and a card issuing port for issuing the card;
a card extracting and moving mechanism movably provided for extracting one card at a time from any one of the card stackers and for transporting the extracted card to the card reader; and
a control part for controlling the card extracting and moving mechanism and the card reader.
2. The card issuing device of claim 1 , wherein the card supplying parts of the plurality of card stackers are arranged in the same plane and supply the cards in the same direction.
3. The card issuing device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of card stackers are arranged in a row in a first direction, and the card supplying parts supply the cards in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
4. The card issuing device of claim 1 , wherein the card extracting and moving mechanism comprises:
a card extractor for extracting the cards from the card stackers;
a card holder for holding the extracted card;
a first moving mechanism for moving the card extractor and the card holder in a first direction; and
a second moving mechanism for moving the card extractor in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction to extract the cards from the card supplying parts.
5. The card issuing device of claim 4 , wherein the card reader includes a card transporter for transporting the card in the first direction into the card reader.
6. The card issuing device of claim 4 , further comprising an engraving/embossing mechanism for marking characters on the card.
7. The card issuing device of claim 6 , wherein the first moving mechanism is located between the card stackers and the engraving/embossing mechanism.
8. The card issuing device of claim 6 , further comprising a topper mechanism, the topper mechanism being moveable towards and away from the first moving mechanism.
9. The card issuing device of claim 7 , wherein the engraving/embossing mechanism comprises:
a movable member having a plurality of opposing pressing members provided thereon; and
a press driving mechanism which drives the pressing members located at a specified position to mark the card.
10. The card issuing device of claim 1 ,
wherein the card extracting and moving mechanism includes a first moving mechanism for moving the card in a first direction and a second moving mechanism for moving the card in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction;
wherein the card issuing device further comprises a detector for detecting an edge of the card held by the card extracting and moving mechanism, and a marker for marking characters on the card; and
wherein the control part controls the card extracting and moving mechanism to move the card to the marker, controls the detector to detect the inclination of the card held by the card extracting and moving mechanism with respect to the first direction, and controls the first and second moving mechanisms to move the card during a marking process based on the detected inclination of the card.
11. The card issuing device of claim 10 , wherein the inclination of the card is detected by detecting at least two edge positions along an edge of the card.
12. The card issuing device of claim 11 , wherein the detector includes a photosensor.
13. A card issuing method comprising:
storing a plurality of cards in each of a plurality of card stackers;
extracting a card from any selected one of the plurality of card stackers using a card extracting and moving mechanism;
transporting the extracted card to a card reading device using the card extracting and moving mechanism;
recording information on the extracted card using the card reading device; and
issuing the card.
14. The card issuing method of claim 13 , wherein the cards stored in each card stacker are of the same type and at least two types of card are stored in the plurality of card stackers.
15. The card issuing method of claim 13 , wherein the cards stored in all card stackers are the same type of cards.
16. The card issuing method of claim 13 , further comprising a step of marking a plurality of characters on the extracted card.
17. The card issuing method of claim 16 , further comprising:
holding the card so that a predefined edge of the card is approximately parallel to a first direction of movement;
detecting an angle between the predefined edge and the first direction; and
before marking each subsequent character, moving the card in the first direction and a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction based on the detected angle so that the plurality of marked characters form a row parallel to the predefined edge.
18. A card marking method for marking a plurality of characters on a card, comprising:
holding the card so that a predefined edge of the card is approximately parallel to a first direction of movement;
detecting an angle between the predefined edge and the first direction;
marking the plurality of characters on the card; and
before marking each subsequent character, moving the card in the first direction and a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction based on the detected angle so that the plurality of marked characters form a row parallel to the predefined edge.
19. The card marking method of claim 18 , wherein the marking step comprises engraving and/or embossing the characters on the card.
20. The card marking method of claim 19 , wherein the step of detecting comprises detecting the edge positions at two locations along the predefined edge.
21. The card marking method of claim 20 , wherein the step of detecting the edge positions comprises moving the card in the second direction with respect to a photosensor,so that the card intercepts the photosensor.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/278,463 US20030085273A1 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 2002-10-22 | Card issuing device and method |
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP10-234744 | 1998-08-20 | ||
JP23474498A JP3696409B2 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 1998-08-20 | Card issuing device |
JP10-270140 | 1998-09-24 | ||
JP27014098A JP3426982B2 (en) | 1998-09-24 | 1998-09-24 | Card engraving method and issuing method |
US09/377,450 US6494365B1 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 1999-08-19 | Card issuing device and method |
US10/278,463 US20030085273A1 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 2002-10-22 | Card issuing device and method |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/377,450 Continuation US6494365B1 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 1999-08-19 | Card issuing device and method |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20030085273A1 true US20030085273A1 (en) | 2003-05-08 |
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Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US09/377,450 Expired - Fee Related US6494365B1 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 1999-08-19 | Card issuing device and method |
US10/278,463 Abandoned US20030085273A1 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 2002-10-22 | Card issuing device and method |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/377,450 Expired - Fee Related US6494365B1 (en) | 1998-08-20 | 1999-08-19 | Card issuing device and method |
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US (2) | US6494365B1 (en) |
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US7384003B1 (en) | 2004-06-21 | 2008-06-10 | MCD, Inc. | Apparatus and methods for preventing engagement of stacked embossed cards |
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US6877656B1 (en) * | 2000-10-24 | 2005-04-12 | Capital One Financial Corporation | Systems, methods, and apparatus for instant issuance of a credit card |
DK1430448T3 (en) * | 2001-08-24 | 2007-04-23 | Cubic Corp | Universal ticket transport unit |
AU2003211087B2 (en) * | 2002-02-15 | 2007-09-13 | Coinstar, Llc | Methods and systems for exchanging and/or transferring various forms of value |
US8033375B2 (en) * | 2002-02-15 | 2011-10-11 | Coinstar, Inc. | Methods and systems for exchanging and/or transferring various forms of value |
US7865432B2 (en) | 2002-02-15 | 2011-01-04 | Coinstar, Inc. | Methods and systems for exchanging and/or transferring various forms of value |
WO2003071472A1 (en) * | 2002-02-15 | 2003-08-28 | Coinstar, Inc. | Apparatuses and methods for dispensing cards |
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US7606632B2 (en) * | 2004-06-16 | 2009-10-20 | Cryovac, Inc. | Apparatus for dispensing activated monitoring devices |
US7689507B2 (en) * | 2004-06-29 | 2010-03-30 | Citicorp Credit Services, Inc. | Methods and systems for managing consumer transactional accounts |
US7748619B2 (en) * | 2005-12-05 | 2010-07-06 | Coinstar, Inc. | Card dispensing apparatuses and associated methods of operation |
US9233812B2 (en) * | 2005-12-05 | 2016-01-12 | Outerwall Inc. | Card dispensing apparatuses and associated methods of operation |
US20080203157A1 (en) * | 2006-09-07 | 2008-08-28 | Datacard Corporation | Storage and transport mechanism for a self-service card kiosk with return and reissue capability |
PT2465028E (en) | 2009-08-12 | 2016-03-31 | Outerwall Inc | Card dispensing apparatuses and associated methods of operation |
US8874467B2 (en) | 2011-11-23 | 2014-10-28 | Outerwall Inc | Mobile commerce platforms and associated systems and methods for converting consumer coins, cash, and/or other forms of value for use with same |
US9129294B2 (en) | 2012-02-06 | 2015-09-08 | Outerwall Inc. | Coin counting machines having coupon capabilities, loyalty program capabilities, advertising capabilities, and the like |
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CN109272063B (en) * | 2018-11-01 | 2023-10-13 | 长城信息股份有限公司 | Bucket-type special-shaped card issuing device and special-shaped card issuing and recycling equipment using same |
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US6129275A (en) * | 1995-12-20 | 2000-10-10 | The Eastern Company | Smart card transaction system and encoder-dispenser |
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US6494365B1 (en) | 2002-12-17 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO PAY ISSUE FEE |