# US 10,311,266 B2 · Card reader

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- Number: US 10,311,266 B2
- Document ID: US10311266B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/797,590
- Filed: 2015-07-13
- Published: 2016-02-11
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2014-08-08
- Assignees: Denso Wave Incorporated
- Applicants: Denso Wave Incorporated
- Inventors: Yosuke Hiraiwa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10311266B2

## CPC

- G06K 7/10356: {using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas}
- G06K 7/10316: {using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers (antennas in general H01Q1/22)}
- G06K 7/10336: {the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil}
- G06K 19/0723: {the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs}
- G06K 19/07749: {the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card}
- G06K 19/07779: {the inductive antenna being a coil}
- H01Q 1/2216: {used in interrogator/reader equipment}
- H01Q 1/2225: {used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal}
- H01Q 7/00: Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
- H04B 5/24: Inductive coupling
- H04B 5/26: using coils
- H04B 5/77: for interrogation
- H04M 1/72412: using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
- H04M 2250/04: including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)

## Abstract

A card reader to read information in an integrated circuit (IC) card includes a housing, a first antenna, a control circuit, and a switch unit. The first antenna is disposed inside of the housing to communicate with the IC card. The control circuit communicates with the IC card within a communication range of the first antenna and performs at least a process that acquires data from a memory in the IC card. The switch unit includes a radio frequency (RF) tag having a second antenna and functions as a switch that performs a predetermined function by causing the RF tag to communicate with the control circuit via the second antenna and the first antenna when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The second antenna of the switch unit is in a side lobe of the first antenna.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A card reader to read information in an integrated circuit (IC) card, the card reader comprising:
a housing;
a first antenna disposed inside of the housing;
a control circuit communicating with the IC card via the first antenna, the control circuit performing at least a process that acquires data from a memory in the IC card; and
a switch including a radio frequency (RF) tag that includes a second antenna, the switch performing a predetermined function by causing the RF tag to communicate with the control circuit via the second antenna and the first antenna when a predetermined condition is satisfied, wherein:
the first antenna is a loop antenna in a shape of a loop, the loop antenna having a loop area inside of the loop, an outer periphery of the loop area being defined as an outer perimeter of the loop antenna;
the housing has outer faces including a front face that the loop area of the loop antenna faces;
the front face contains an antenna-projection area that is defined as a projection of the loop area of the first antenna in a direction orthogonal to the loop area;
the RF tag and the second antenna are contained internally in the switch; and
the switch is externally fixed to a position on a different area that is separated from the antenna-projection area of the front face, and offset at a position outside of the outer perimeter of the loop antenna.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The card reader according to claim 1, wherein:
the switch includes a manipulation portion configured to receive a press manipulation by a user, the predetermined condition being satisfied when the press manipulation is received via the manipulation portion; and
the switch is a button switch into which the manipulation portion, the RF tag, and the second antenna are integrated.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The card reader according to claim 1, wherein:
the front face of the housing contains: (i) the antenna-projection area, and (ii) the different area that is separate from the antenna-projection area; and
the switch is externally fixed to the position on the different area contained in the front face.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The card reader according to claim 1, wherein:
the outer faces of the housing include the front face and a different face that is different from the front face; and
the switch is externally fixed to the position on the different area contained in the different face of the housing.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The card reader according to claim 1, wherein:
the housing is installed to a wall; and
the switch including the second antenna is externally fixed to the position on the different area that is adjacent to the wall.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The card reader according to claim 1, wherein:
the second antenna is maintained in a dissonance state when the predetermined condition is not satisfied; and
the second antenna is moved to a resonance state when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The card reader according to claim 1, wherein:
the housing includes a cover; and
the switch is attached to the cover.