JP2939700B

A magnetic card reader apparatus includes a convey unit, a sensor, a buffer, a reading unit, a detection unit, and a calculation unit. The convey unit conveys an inserted prepaid card at a predetermined speed, and the prepaid card has a punch hole formed at a position corresponding to balance information. The sensor samples the punch hole of the prepaid card during conveying of the prepaid card at a predetermined time interval from a leading end side of the prepaid card. The buffer stores sampling data output from the sensor. The reading unit sequentially reads out the sampling data stored in the buffer from sampling data corresponding to a trailing end portion of the prepaid card. The detection unit detects data first representing a punch hole from the sampling data read out from the buffer. The calculation unit calculates a position of the punch hole on the basis of a detection output from the detection unit to detect the balance information of the prepaid card.