Technical field: The present invention relates to a cassette for plastic cards or phone cards, surrounding such a card.

Background art : Nowadays a vast number of plastic cards exist for various purposes such as to be used as doorkeys, to allow access to various apparatus at offices and the like, passage of gates, etc. and for phone cards to pay for telephone calls, all with the object of avoiding handling money. Such cards are often easily damaged, both from the strength aspect and with regard to the information they contain.

Description of the invention: The present invention aims at a solution to these and other similar problems. With the device in accordance with the invention the card can be pressed out of the cassette against spring action far enough for the magnetic strip or magnetic chip to be exposed for use in an automatic machine, this being effected by pressure against a feeding member for the card after which, when the pressure is released, the card snaps back into the cassette, possibly after the release of a ratchet (6) (in the phone card alternative). The invention is characterized in that the card is partially enclosed in an inner cover which also acts as feeding member for activation of the magnetic strip or chip of the card.

This device enables practical and reliable storage of plastic cards or phone card without the risk of damage normally associated with the use of such cards.

Brief description of the drawings : The invention is exemplified in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a plastic card cassette, Figure 2 the inner cover and Figure 2A the cover seen in cross section. Figure 3 shows the outer case/cassette, Figure 3A the case in cross section and Figure 3B the case in longitudinal section.

Figure 4 shows a phone card cassette, Figure 5A a detail thereof, Figure 5B a cross section of its inner cover and Figure 5C a side view thereof.

Description of embodiment: _ Figure 1 shows a cassette with a plastic card (1) inserted. The card is surrounded partly by an inner cover (3) which, together with the card, is inserted in an outer case (5) or cassette. A double-sided spring (2) is attached to the case and acts against the lower edges (4) of the inner cover (3). See Figure 2A. The outer case (5) is shown in Figure 3, in cross section in Figure 3A and in longitudinal section in Figure 3B.

The inner cover (3) with the card (1) enclosed is inserted in the outer case, with the magnetic strip (7) protected. When the inner case (3) is pressed (arrow A), the magnetic strip slides forward through a lower opening in the case (5) and the card can be used. Upon release of the pressure the card snaps back into the case (5), and thus into its protected position, until it is to be used again.

Figure 4 illustrates the phone card alternative, the card being fed out through an opening in one of the short sides of the case (5). The inner cover functions in the same way as for the plastic card alternative.

Upon pressure the magnetic chip or strip (7) is exposed and can be locked in this position by means of a ratchet (6) during a telephone call.

(See also Figure 5A.) The inner cover for the card is shown in Figures 5B and 5C. (8) is a hole for application of a safety chain. When pressure is released and the ratchet (6) freed, the card will snap back into the outer case (5) under the influence of the spring (2).

The invention can be modified in many ways within the scope of the following claims.