An electrical connector for an IC card is incorporated in an IC card reader for reading and writing data from and onto the IC card. A fixed contact piece has a main body extending through both ends of a mounting portion of the connector so as to be fixed to the mounting portion, and both ends as circuit connection terminals. The fixed contact piece further has an L-shaped projection piece having a sufficient elasticity. The contact portion of the L-shaped projection piece and the contact portion of a movable contact piece intersect substantially in a "cross-shaped" figure and contact each other in point contact. With this construction, a complete electrical connection between contact pieces is achieved and the freedom in layout of printed wiring on a base plate is increased.

An electrical card connector includes a rectangular dielectric housing having a front side from which a card is horizontally inserted into the connector, a rear side opposite the front side, a lower wall interferentially engaging with a number of contacts and defining a card receiving space above the contact passageways and an upper wall opposite the lower wall. A spring lever is integrally formed with the housing, having a free end located about the rear side of the housing, a root connecting with the housing, and a ramp extending upwardly and rearwardly from the root through the card receiving space to the free end. When the card is inserted into the connector, a leading edge of the card runs through the ramp of the spring lever to depress vertically the free end thereof. The free end in turn depresses vertically a movable part of a switch device in the housing to cause the switch to shift from a state to a different state. Thus, a condition that the inserted card reaches a position to electrically engage with the connector is determined.

According to the present invention, a card connector device includes: a slide member for engaging with a card attached to and detached from a housing slidable in a direction of inserting and discharging the card; a return spring for biasing the slide member in the direction of discharging the card; a lock for holding the slide member against the biasing force of the return spring at a position where the card is fitted; and a push rod arranged to be able to shift between a standby position and a pushed position for unlocking the lock by pressing manipulation to shift the slide member to a discharge position of the card, wherein a switch is provided in the housing, the switch operating in accordance with engagement/disengagement of the slide member and the lock and detecting that the card is held at the fit position by engaging with the lock.

A memory card socket structure includes an arm rotatably moved by an insertion and an extraction of a memory card into and from a card compartment and a memory card detecting function for detecting whether the memory card is inserted into the card compartment. The arm includes a main portion to be in contact with the memory card and a sub portion disposed opposite to the main portion with respect to a rotation shaft thereof, and is located at a rear side of the card compartment. The arm is engaged with a torsion spring whose first end portion is engaged with a first stationary contact but whose second end portion is engaged with the sub portion, whereby the main portion is biased by the spring toward an entrance of the card compartment.

A reading frame for an apparatus for reading smart cards, comprising a body supporting brush contact elements for electrically contacting the conductive pads of a chip on a card inserted in the frame. The frame comprises an electric circuit connected to at least some of the brush contact elements and connectable to the electronic circuit of the card reader. The electronic circuit on the connector comprises an arrangement for controlling the insertion of the card in the card reader and its withdrawal therefrom, and the reading frame comprises an additional brush contact or cut-off sensing which is offset in relation to the primary brush contacts in the direction in which the card is inserted, and electrically contacts one of the conductive pads of the smart card whether or not the card has a primary contact.