Magnetically encoded token and handling apparatus

A token handling apparatus for use with a flat disc token having central aperture and a magnetically encodable peripheral track, the token handling apparatus comprising:

• a housing having a front portion and a rear portion;
• said housing having a token receiver therein, said receiver having a token receiving slot with support means for holding a token therein in an initial position;
• detector means on said housing for sensing the insertion of a token into the receiver;
• a magnetic read and write head adjacent said receiver;
• token holding and rotating means responsive to a token received signal from said detector means for rotating a token over said head to scan the peripheral track;
• said token holding and rotating means including a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said front portion and extending longitudinally from front to rear, the rear end of said shaft having a driven face plate thereon adjacent the initial position of a token in said receiver;
• said driven face plate being axially slidable on said drive shaft and being biased rearwardly thereon, the rear end of said drive shaft having a centering ball therein normally enclosed by the driven face plate;
• a sliding shaft axially slidably mounted in said housing coaxial with said drive shaft, and having a rotatable face plate thereon confronting said driven face plate to hold a token therebetween at the initial position;
• actuating means coupled to said sliding shaft for moving said rotatable face plate against said driven face plate with a token therebetween and retracting the driven face plate forwardly to seat the aperture of the token over said centering ball with the token in a scanning position over said head;
• and token ejecting means in said receiver, responsive to data on the peripheral track for ejecting a token from the receiver in one of two directions.