Apparatus for reading a magnetic stripe on a boarding pass regardless of the orientation of the boarding pass

A reading device for reading an information signal recorded on a card regardless of the orientation of the card relative to the reading device, the reading device comprising:

• feeding path means for receiving a card to be inserted in one of various orientations;
• means for advancing the card along the feeding path means;
• a plurality of sensor unit means for sensing a signal recorded on said card, said plurality of sensor unit means being arranged on said feeding path means, such that each of said sensor unit means will sense said signal recorded on the card when said card is inserted in a particular respective orientation;
• monitoring means for monitoring all of said sensor unit means to determine which one of said sensor unit means has sensed the signal;
• a single demodulating means for demodulating the signal sensed by said sensor unit means;
• connecting means for electrically connecting said single demodulating means to the one sensor unit means which said monitoring means determines has sensed the signal, to demodulate the signal sensed by said one sensor unit means;
• and
• reading means for reading information of interest by extracting a series of digital data from the signal output by said demodulating means and for converting the series of digital data into parallel form in accordance with the particular orientation of the card assigned to the one sensor unit means which said monitoring means determines has sensed the recorded signal.