Card transport and capture mechanism

Claim 2

A card transport and capture mechanism for use with a cabinet having an end wall with an opening therein to receive a card; comprising: a guide member moveably mounted in said cabinet and having a slot therein; drive means for moving said guide member to a first position in which said slot is misaligned with said opening to prevent the passage of a card therethrough, and to a second position in which said slot is aligned with said opening to permit the passage of a card therethrough; a card utilization means; feed means for feeding a card inserted in said opening through said slot in a first direction to said card utilization means and thereafter feeding said card in a reverse direction out of said opening when said guide member is in said second position; and a card collection means located inside said cabinet and adjacent to said drive means; said card utilization means being effective to produce a signal when a card fed thereto is to be captured to actuate said drive means to move said guide member to said first position, whereUpon a card being fed in said reverse direction towards said opening by said feed means is deflected from said opening by said guide member and enters said card collection means.

Claim 3

The mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which said guide member has a deflecting surface thereon which causes said card to be deflected upwardly when said guide member is in said first position, enabling the card to slide between said feed means and fall into said card collection means while under the influence of gravity.

Claim 4

The mechanism as claimed in claim 2 in which said feed means comprises: first and second feed means positioned in said cabinet downstream of said deflector member; said mechanism having a feed line passing through said opening and said slot when the associated guide member is in said second position; said first feed means being positioned to receive a card passing through said opening and said slot when the associated guide member is in said second position and to deflect said card away from said feed line while moving said card towards said second feed means; said second feed means being positioned downstream of said first feed means to deflect said card towards said feed line and to move said card into said card utilization means; said first and second feed means also being effective to move said card in a direction towards said guide member whereby said card is deflected away from said feed line by said guide member and when the card leaves said second feed means, the card will slip between said first feed means and will fall by gravity into said card collection means.

Claim 5

The mechanism as claimed in claim 3 in which said first and second feed means are positioned between said guide member and said card utilization means and sufficiently close to each other to enable a card to be retained by said first and second feed means should re-reading of a card be necessary.

Claim 6

The mechanism as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a light sensor means positioned between said opening and said guide member to produce a conditioning signal when a properly sized card is inserted in said opening for energizing said drive means to move said guide member into said second position to enable said card to be inserted through said slot to said feed means.

Claim 7

The mechanism as claimed in claim 5 further comprising a second light sensor means positioned between said second feed means and said card utilization means to produce a read signal when the leading edge of a card to be read passes thereby.

Claim 8

A card transport and capture mechanism comprising: a cabinet having an end wall with an opening therein to receive a card; a guide member rotatably mounted in said cabinet and having a slot therein; drive means for rotating said guide member between a first position in which said slot is misaligned with said opening to prevent the passage of a card therethrough, and a second position in which said slot is aligned with said opening to permit the passage of a card therethrough; first and second feed means positioned in said cabinet downstream of said guide member; said mechanism having a feed line passing through said opening and said slot when the associated guide member is in said second position; said first feed means being positioned to receive a card passing through said opening and said slot when the associated guide member is in said second position and to deflect said card away from said feed line while moving said card toward said second feed means; a card utilization means; and said second feed means being positioned downstream of said first feed means to deflect said card towards said feed line and to move said card into said card utilization means; card collection means located between said first and second feed means; said card utilization means providing a first signal, when an invalid card has been utilized, to actuate said drive means to rotate said guide member to said first position whiLe said first and second feed means move said card in a direction towards said guide member whereby said card is deflected away from said feed line by said guide member and when the card leaves said second feed means, the card will fall by gravity into said card collection means.

Claim 9

A card transport and capture mechanism comprising: a cabinet having an end wall with an opening therein to receive a card; a guide member rotatably mounted in said cabinet and having a slot therein; drive means for rotating said guide member between a first position in which said slot is misaligned with said opening to prevent the passage of a card therethrough, and a second position in which said slot is aligned with said opening to permit the passage of a card therethrough; first and second feed means positioned in said cabinet downstream of said guide member; said mechanism having a feed line passing through said opening and said slot when the associated guide member is in said second position; said first feed means being positioned to receive a card passing through said opening and said slot when the associated guide member is in said second position and to deflect said card away from said feed line while moving said card toward said second feed means; a card utilization means; and said second feed means being positioned downstream of said first feed means to deflect said card towards said feed line and to move said card into said card utilization means; card collection means located between said first and second feed means; said card utilization means providing a first signal, when an invalid card has been utilized, to actuate said drive means to rotate said guide member to said first position whiLe said first and second feed means move said card in a direction towards said guide member whereby said card is deflected away from said feed line by said guide member and when the card leaves said second feed means, the card will fall by gravity into said card collection means.

Claim 10

The mechanism as claimed in claim 7 in which said first feed means comprises first and second roller means placed on opposed sides of said feed line with the rotating axes thereof being parallel to each other but with the axis of one of said first and second roller means being located further downstream from said deflector member so as to deflect said card away from said feed line while moving said card towards said second feed roller means.

Claim 11

The mechanism as claimed in claim 8 in which said second feed roller means comprises first and second roller means placed on opposed sides of said feed line with the rotating axes thereof being parallel to each other but with the axis of one of said first and second roller means of the second feed roller means being located further downstream from said guide member so as to deflect said card towards said feed line while moving said card towards said utilization means.

Claim 12

The mechanism as claimed in claim 9 in which said guide member is pivotally mounted in said cabinet and has a deflecting surface thereon to deflect said card upwardly away from said feed line when said guide member is moved to said first position and said first and second feed means move said card in said direction towards said guide member, whereby said card freely passes between said first and second roller means of said first feed means to fall into said card collection means; said second roller means of said first feed means being located further downstream from said guide member than the associated first feed roller means.

Claim 13

A card transport mechanism comprising: a frame means having an end wall with an opening therein to receive a card; a deflector member rotatably mounted in said frame means and having a slot therein; drive means for rotating said deflector member between a first position in which said slot is misaligned with said opening to prevent the passage of a card therethrough, and a second position in which said slot is aligned with said opening to permit the passage of a card therethrough; first and second feed roller means positioned in said frame means downstream of said deflector member; said mechanism having a feed line passing through said opening and said slot when the associated deflector member is in said second position; said first feed roller means being positioned to receive a card passing through said opening and said slot when the associated deflector member is in said second position and to deflect said card away from said feed line while moving said card towards said second feed roller means; and said second roller means being positioned downstream of said first feed roller means to deflect said card towards said feed line and into a card utilization means.

Claim 14

A card transport mechanism comprising: a frame means having an end wall with an opening therein to receive a card; a deflector member rotatably mounted in said frame means and having a slot therein; drive means for rotating said deflector member between a first position in which said slot is misaligned with said opening to prevent the passage of a card therethrough, and a second position in which said slot is aligned with said opening to permit the passage of a card therethrough; first and second feed roller means positioned in said frame means downstream of said deflector member; said mechanism having a feed line passing through said opening and said slot when the associated deflector member is in said second position; said first feed roller means being positioned to receive a card passing through said opening and said slot when the associated deflector member is in said second position and to deflect said card away from said feed line while moving said card towards said second feed roller means; and said second roller means being positioned downstream of said first feed roller means to deflect said card towards said feed line and into a card utilization means.