Dual card smart card reader

A smart card reader comprising:

• a portable housing including a viewing aperture;
• a virtual image display mounted in the portable housing and positioned to provide an image for viewing at the viewing aperture, the virtual image display including a data input terminal designed to receive image data thereon, the virtual image display further including a plurality of optical elements having a light inlet and a light outlet directed at an angle to the light inlet, with a reflecting surface optically positioned between the light inlet and the light outlet so as to direct light from the light inlet to the light outlet, the plurality of optical elements include at least one aspheric surface for aberration correction, the plurality of optical elements defining a light path from the light inlet to the light outlet with a total average optical length in a range of approximately 20 to 35 millimeters, and at least one diffractive optical element positioned in the light path so as to provide further aberration correction, and the plurality of optical elements being constructed to angularly magnify an image source at the light inlet of a first optical element by greater than ten;
• sensor structure mounted in the portable housing and constructed to have a first smart card having data stored thereon positioned adjacent thereto in data sensing juxtaposition, and a second smart card having access data stored thereon positioned adjacent thereto in data sensing juxtaposition, the sensor structure including an output terminal having sensed data thereon;
• and
• electronics mounted in the portable housing and connected to the output terminal of the sensor structure for receiving the sensed data and the sensed access data and further connected to the data input terminal of the virtual image display for supplying image data thereto.