A DIP reader (Document Insertion Processor) is an electronic device for reading an electronically encoded card that is inserted and then removed from the device. A typical dip reader is used for reading credit cards where the

data Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted for ...

are either encoded on a magnetic stripe or an internal

computer chip An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...

. The magnetic stripe on a card is typically read as the card is extracted. If the card is a

smart card A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an Embedded system, embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart ...

, then the data transfer typically takes place when the card is fully inserted. In this case, the card is held while

data transfer Data communication, including data transmission and data reception, is the transfer of data, transmitted and received over a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication channel. Examples of such channels are copper wires, optical ...

is taking place.

References

Smart cards {{Tech-stub