Magnetic Card Reader

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9165168-B2
Application number	US-201314385553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2013
Priority date	Mar 29, 2012
Publication date	Oct 20, 2015
Grant date	Oct 20, 2015

Abstract

In order to perform processing of analyzing card data in an appropriate amount of time depending on the number of tracks actually present on a magnetic stripe with use of a single demodulation circuit, the single demodulation circuit produces, based on magnetic data read by a magnetic head, a single common card running signal obtained by ORing card running signals of tracks present on the magnetic stripe of the magnetic card, a clock signal of each track present on the magnetic stripe, and a data signal of each track present on the magnetic stripe. A card running signal generation circuit generates, based on the common card running signal and the clock signal of each track, an individual card running signal of each track present on the magnetic stripe. A data analysis processing unit determines, based on presence or absence of the individual card running signal, presence or absence of a track on the magnetic stripe to perform processing of analyzing the data signal only for the track determined to be present on the magnetic stripe.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A magnetic card reader, which is configured to support reading of magnetic data from a magnetic card having one to N tracks on a magnetic stripe, where N is an integer of 2 or more, the magnetic card reader comprising:
a magnetic head configured to read, from the magnetic card, the magnetic data of each of tracks present on the magnetic stripe;
a single demodulation circuit configured to produce, based on the magnetic data, a single common card running signal obtained by ORing card running signals of the tracks present on the magnetic stripe, a clock signal of the each of the tracks present on the magnetic stripe, and a data signal of the each of the tracks present on the magnetic stripe;
a card running signal generation circuit configured to generate, based on the single common card running signal and the clock signal of the each of the tracks, an individual card running signal of the each of the tracks present on the magnetic stripe; and
a data analysis processing unit configured to determine presence or absence of a track on the magnetic stripe based on presence or absence of the individual card running signal and to perform processing of analyzing the data signal only for the track determined to be present on the magnetic stripe.

2. A magnetic card reader according to claim 1 , further comprising a magnetic card data extraction circuit comprising, for the each of the tracks, a data register configured to hold the data signal of the each of the tracks in synchronization with the clock signal of the each of the tracks based on the individual card running signal of the each of the tracks,
wherein the data analysis processing unit is configured to transmit a read clock to the data register of the magnetic card data extraction circuit for the track determined to be present, read the data signal held in the data register, and perform the processing of analyzing the read data signal.

3. A magnetic card reader according to claim 1 , wherein the N is 2 or 3.

4. A magnetic card reader according to claim 3 ,
wherein the N is 3, and the single demodulation circuit produces first to third clock signals as the clock signal of the each of the tracks, and
wherein the card running signal generation circuit comprises:
a NOT circuit configured to invert the single common card running signal and the first to third clock signals to produce an inverted common card running signal, a first inverted clock signal, a second inverted clock signal, and a third inverted clock signal;
a first D-type flip-flop configured to hold the inverted common card running signal in response to the first inverted clock signal to produce a first individual card running signal from an inverting output terminal of the first D-type flip-flop;
a second D-type flip-flop configured to hold the inverted common card running signal in response to the second inverted clock signal to produce a second individual card running signal from an inverting output terminal of the second D-type flip-flop; and
a third D-type flip-flop configured to hold the inverted common card running signal in response to the third inverted clock signal to output a third individual card running signal from an inverting output terminal of the third D-type flip-flop.

5. A magnetic card reader, which is configured to support reading of magnetic data from a magnetic card having one to three tracks on a magnetic stripe, the magnetic card reader comprising:
a magnetic head configured to read, from the magnetic card, the magnetic data of each of tracks present on the magnetic stripe;
a single demodulation circuit configured to produce, based on the magnetic data, a single common card running signal obtained by ORing card running signals of the tracks present on the magnetic stripe, first to third clock signals of the three tracks present on the magnetic stripe, and first to third data signals of the three tracks present on the magnetic stripe;
a card running signal generation circuit configured to generate, by using the single common card running signal and one of the first to third clock signals of a specific track, an individual card running signal of the specific track present on the magnetic stripe, and generate, by using the single common card running signal and two of the first to third clock signals of remaining two tracks, a combined card running signal which is common to card running signals of the remaining two tracks present on the magnetic stripe; and
a data analysis processing unit configured to determine presence or absence of a track on the magnetic stripe based on presence or absence of the individual card running signal and the combined card running signal and to perform processing of analyzing the data signal only for the track determined to be present on the magnetic stripe.

6. A magnetic card reader according to claim 5 , further comprising a magnetic card data extraction circuit comprising, for the respective tracks, first to third data registers configured to hold the first to third data signals in synchronization with the first to third clock signals, respectively, based on the individual card running signal and the combined card running signal,
wherein the data analysis processing unit is configured to transmit a read clock to any one of the first to third data registers of the magnetic card data extraction circuit for the track determined to be present, read the data signal held in the any one of the first to third data registers, and perform the processing of analyzing the read data signal.

7. A magnetic card reader according to claim 5 , wherein the card loading signal generation circuit comprises:
a NOT circuit configured to invert the single common card running signal and the first to third clock signals to produce an inverted common card running signal, a first inverted clock signal, a second inverted clock signal, and a third inverted clock signal;
an OR gate configured to OR the first inverted clock signal and the second inverted clock signal to produce an ORed inverted clock signal;
a first D-type flip-flop configured to hold the inverted common card running signal in response to the third inverted clock signal to produce the individual card running signal from an inverting output terminal of the first D-type flip-flop; and
a second D-type flip-flop configured to hold the inverted common card running signal in response to the ORed inverted clock signal to produce the combined card running signal from an inverting output terminal of the second D-type flip-flop.

Assignees

• Suzuki Takanori
• Yamada Yuichiro
• Nakai Kenta
• Nec Platforms Ltd

Inventors

• Suzuki Takanori
• Yamada Yuichiro
• Nakai Kenta

Classifications

• G11B20/10

  Digital recording or reproducing · CPC title

• G11B5/00808

  magnetic cards · CPC title

• G06K7/084 Primary

  sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state · CPC title

• G11B5/09

  Digital recording · CPC title

• G11B2220/17

  Card-like record carriers · CPC title