Compact Smart Card Reader with Ejector

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.