Some embodiments include a smart card reader system that includes a card reader cavity that is impervious to liquid. The card reader cavity includes a secure card reader (SCR) holder bonded to a printed circuit board (PCB), to provide a liquid barrier between the SCR holder and the PCB. The PCB includes an SCR spring contact connector. The card reader cavity can receive a smart card including an integrated circuit (IC), where the IC is coupled to the SCR spring contact connector. A processor coupled to the SCR spring contact connector, can receive an input regarding a transaction using data of the smart card, and execute the transaction. In some embodiments a roller system seals the card reader cavity when the smart card reader system is not in use.

A connector includes a casing and a contact pin. The casing includes a storage portion. A connection body is mounted in the storage portion by being relatively displaced in a first direction. The contact pin is held by the casing. The contact pin includes an elastic contact part. The elastic contact part includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The first protrusion protrudes toward the storage portion. The second protrusion is separated from the first protrusion. The second protrusion faces a direction crossing the storage portion. The second protrusion protrudes in a direction crossing the first direction.

A cleaning device for cleaning a media transport device includes a core layer, a cleaning surface, and an embossment having at least one surface slit across an extended surface of the embossment. The cleaning device may be manufactured by contacting laminating a cleaning surface to at least one side of a core layer and applying heat and/or pressure to form one or more compressible and resilient embossments. The cleaning device may be used to clean a media transport device by inserting a cleaning tool having a core layer, cleaning surface, and an embossment into a media transport device such that an electrical contact comes in contact with the embossment.

A cleaning card for cleaning a media transport device includes a substantially planar surface. At least one of the raised surface elements includes at least one scraping element. Optionally, at least one of the raised surface elements also include surface slits that cause asymmetrical deformation of the raised surface.

A card reader may be structured to perform at least one of reading of magnetic data recorded in a card and writing of magnetic data to the card. The card reader may include a metal detection sensor structured to detect a foreign matter including metal, a judgment part configured to compare an output of the metal detection sensor with a predetermined threshold value to determine whether abnormality has occurred or not, and an abnormality determination part configured to obtain a difference between a reference value and an output of the metal detection sensor in a case that the judgment part determines that the abnormality has occurred to determine as the foreign matter in a state that the difference is within a stable determination width.

A shimmer detection apparatus for detecting a shimmer within a chip card reader is provided. The shimmer detection apparatus comprises processing circuitry, memory, and a first sensor in electronic communication with the processing circuitry. The first sensor comprises at least one sensor coil. The at least one sensor coil of the first sensor is disposed proximate to contacts of the chip card reader and is operative to generate a first magnetic field when electrical current flows through the at least one sensor coil. The first sensor is operative to measure at least one electrical value from the first magnetic field. The processing circuitry is operative to receive information representative of at least one electrical value of said first sensor. The memory comprises stored therein information representative of at least one predetermined electrical value. A multiplexer and hand-detection functionality is provided. Tampering-detection methods are also provided.

In a card reader (1), if a shutter member (10), being located at a block position for blocking a card transfer path (3), rotates toward a deep side of the card reader, the shutter member moves to an open position. In a part within a surface of a side of the card transfer path in a thickness direction of the card (2), at a side deeper than the shutter member, there are formed only an open part (31) and an open part (32); the open part being for preventing an interference of the shutter member, rotating toward the open position, with the main body frame (4), as well as ejecting a foreign object out of the card transfer path; the open part being for preventing an interference of a movable component (21), placed so as to face the card transfer path, with the main body frame.

A card managing device for a gaming machine includes a housing unit having front and rear housings. The front housing includes a surface having first and second hollow portions and a card slot. The front housing further includes a card passage defined between upper and lower stop plates extending rearwards from upper and lower sides of the card slot, respectively. A control device is mounted in the housing unit and includes a controller, a reader/writer, a sensor, a display, and an inputting device. The reader/writer includes a read/write circuit board disposed on the upper stop plate and a read/write head mounted to the read/write circuit board and aligned with the card passage. The sensor is located on an upper side of the upper stop plate distant from the lower stop plate. The display and the inputting device are exposed via the first and second hollow portions, respectively.

A system and method for cleaning a media transport device includes a cleaning card having a first end portion and a second end portion. The system may also include a handled cleaning card holder. The handled cleaning card holder is configured to secure the cleaning card at a first end portion and allow access to the second end portion of the cleaning card for use in cleaning. The cleaning card may configured to be rotatable at least 180° within or upon the handled cleaning card holder, or it may be rotated by hand to be used in at least two directions.

A card reader is provided which is capable of detecting a skimming magnetic head attached to a front side of a card insertion member formed with a card insertion port and a skimming magnetic head attached to an inclined face of the card insertion port with a simple structure. The card reader includes a card insertion member 8 formed with a card insertion port 3 and a light emitting element 9 and a light receiving element for detecting that a foreign matter has been attached to the card insertion member 8. A lower face of the card insertion port 3 is formed to be an inclined face 3a which is inclined toward a lower side as going to the front side.