Compact Smart Card Reader with Ejector
Source Micropatent via NewsEdge Corporation
Patent Number 6802448
Issue Date 2004 10 12
Assignee ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
Inventor(s) Bricaud, Herve Guy
Pizard, Yves
State/Country FRX
Title Compact smart card reader with ejector
Abstract A smart card reader includes a frame (102), a carriage (108) that can slide forwardly when pushed forwardly by the front end of an inserted smart card, and a double click mechanism (193) that latches the carriage in a forward position when pushed there by a card, until the card is pushed forward a second time, a spring then pushing the carriage rearwardly to partially reject the card. A cam follower (112) of the double click mechanism has a pivoted mount end (214) that is held with friction against free pivoting by the spring. The frame includes a rear body (104) with a pair of legs (118, 119) projecting forwardly from opposite sides and straddling the carriage and forming fixed stops (191, 193) on opposite sides of the carriage. The frame also includes a front body (106) attached to front ends of the legs and forming a middle cavity region that receives the carriage, spring, and cam follower. Exmp. Claim 1 Ex Claim text A smart card reader for receiving a smart card that has a vertical thickness and horizontally extending width and length said card having opposite faces and contact pads on an active one of said card faces, wherein the reader includes a frame device having a card-adjacent surface lying in a horizontal plane, and a plurality of contacts mounted on said frame device for engaging said contact pads when said card active face lies in a horizontal plane, a carriage device that is slideable in forward and rearward horizontal longitudinal directions on the frame device and that has a card pushing surface for partially ejecting a card, and a spring that urges the carriage device rearward, comprising: a double click device that includes a largely planar cam-forming wall that has a recess forming a cam part, said double click device having a cam follower part engaged with the cam part, with one of said parts mounted on said frame device and the other mounted on said carriage device; said largely planar cam-forming wall lies in a substantially vertical plane that is substantially normal to a lateral direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to said longitudinal directions, to thereby minimize the lateral width of the double click device.