Apparatus and method for data transfer between stand alone integrated circuit smart card terminal and remote computer of system operator

摘要

A hand held, unitary assembly, data collection device (10) for an off-line vending machine such as a parking meter (60), which is operable by smart integrated circuit chip cards. The vending machine (60) has a chip card reader, and which stores data as to the sale of goods/services from the machine. The device (10) has a first portion (12) which mechanically and electrically fits the vending machine reader; and a second portion (20) with an opening to receive a PCMCIA card (30). Data is retrieved and transferred to the PCMCIA card. The first and second portions (12,20) are rigidly joined to one another forming a unitary assembly, and the second portion (20) securely holds the PCMCIA card (30), and is also a handle for qripping the device (10).