Card reader

• US 20010019077A1
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Published: 09/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spyder Navigations LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Buschmann, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 6,959,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/439
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/08 Feeding or discharging cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0013 by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers connectors in general H01R13/00; connectors for SIM cards used in mobile phones or the like H04B1/3816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0034 the connector being capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality of cards in the same insertion slot
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0073 having multiple insertion slots, the respective slots suited for the same or different card form factors

Abstract

The invention relates to the design of card readers for cards equipped with memory. Such cards, and also the data stored in the memory of such cards, are generally utilized to produce and/or maintain operating states of technical devices. It is also known that the user personally can store data in certain areas of the memory. However, as the memory design and usage has been standardized for the most part and the memory capacity reserved for use by the user is relatively small, the memory capacity reserved for the user can only be increased by providing the device with additional cards equipped with memory. However, as all cards used in a device to supply the full functionality must operate together in a prescribed manner, it is the task of the invention to specify a card reader that organizes this operation. To accomplish this, it is specified that a monitoring device 17 or a closing device 24 is present that prevents the insertion of a second card 11.1 when there is a first card 11.2 inserted in the first slot 12.2, or that ensures, when there are two cards 11 in the slots 12, that the first card 11.2 is removed from its corresponding slot 12 before second card 11.1 is removed.

Claims

1. Card reader

with a first slot 12.2 containing an insertion aperture 11.1 for inserting a card 13.2 equipped with memory 14.2

characterized in that

there is a second slot 12.1 also containing an insertion aperture 11.1 for inserting another card 13.1 equipped with memory 14.1 and

a closing device 24 on the insertion device 11.1 of the second slot that prevents the insertion and removal of the second card 13.1 into and from the second slot 12.2 when the first slot 12.2 contains a card 13.2.

3. Card reader according to

claim 1

or

claim 2

characterized in that

the two slots 12.1, 12.2 are arranged one over the other, whereby the insertion apertures 11.1, 11.2 of the two slots 12.1, 12.2 point in the same direction.

4. Card reader according to one of claims 1 or 3

characterized in that

the closing device is a movable cover 24 equipped with a stop base 28 that exposes the insertion aperture 11.1 of the second slot 12.1 when in its first position and that blocks the insertion aperture 11.1 when in its second position, whereby the stop base 28 is seated against the card 13.2 located in the first slot 12.2 to prevent the cover 24 from moving when a card 12.2 has been inserted in the first slot 12.2.

5. Card reader according to one of claims 1, 3 or 4

characterized in that

there is an ejection device on the second slot 12.1 that ejects a card 13.1 inserted in the second slot 12.1 from the insertion aperture 11.1 when the closing device 24 allows access to the insertion device 11.1 on the second slot 12.1.

6. Card reader according to

claim 5

characterized in that

the ejection device is essentially formed by a mechanism that supplies the mechanical energy required to eject the card 13.1 inserted in the second slot 12.1 only after closing and/or opening the closing device 24.

7. Card reader according to

claim 6

characterized in that

the ejection device has a cradle 30 that moves in the direction of insertion and of ejection P2, P3 of the card 13.1 insertable in the second slot 12.1, a gear 34 located on a rotatable shaft 25 that can be slid in the direction of the shaft axis whose teeth 35 with even-numbered ordinal numbers (35.2, 35.4, 35.6, . . . ) are wider in the direction of the shaft axis than the teeth 35 with odd-numbered ordinal numbers (35.1, 35.3, 35.5, . . . ),

a cam 36 connected the cradle 30 whose front edge 37 makes physical contact with the teeth 35 with even-numbered ordinal numbers (35.2, 35.4, 35.6, . . . ) and whose longitudinal edge 38 always remains a shorter distance from the teeth 35 with odd-numbered ordinal numbers (35.1, 35.3, 35.5, . . . ),

a tongue 39 connected to the closing device 24 that can be moved not only in the direction of the shaft axis, but also in the direction of rotation of shaft 25 and that has a lug 40 on its free end to mesh in the space between an even and an odd-numbered tooth 35 (35.1, 35.2;

35.2, 35.3) of the gear 34,

two stationary ramps 41,42 located one behind the other in the direction of rotation of shaft 25 that are periodically in physical contact with the front surface of the teeth 35 with even-numbered ordinal numbers (35.2, 35.4, 35.6, . . . ) and that has a first energy storage device 33 connected to the cradle 30.

8. Card reader according to

claim 7

characterized in that

there is a second energy storage device 52 that is connected to the closing device 52 that, when the closing device 24 is open, contains stored energy.

9. Card reader according to

claim 8

characterized in that

there is a sliding tongue 48 connected to the cradle 30 that follows the movements of the cradle 30 and whose free end is formed as a movable hook 50 and

a pin 53 on the closing device 24 that, when the closing device 24 is open to insert a card 13.1 in the slot 12.1, is secured by the movable hook 50 to prevent the release of the energy stored in the second-energy storage device 52.

2. Card reader

with a first slot 12.2 containing an insertion aperture 11.2 for inserting a card 13.2 equipped with memory 14.2

characterized in that

there is a second slot 12.1 also containing an insertion aperture 11.1 for inserting another card 13.1 equipped with memory 14.1 and

a monitoring device 21,22 that prevents the logging on of a card 13.1 inserted in the second slot 12.1 when the first slot 12.2 already has a card 13.2 inserted in it that, when a card 13.1 has been inserted in the second slot 12.1, monitors its position in the second slot 12.1 and logs off the card 13.2 located in the first slot 12.2 when its position changes.