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
In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted ...
are either encoded on a magnetic stripe or an internal
computer chip
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...
. The magnetic stripe on a card is typically read as the card is extracted. If the card is a
smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...
, then the data transfer typically takes place when the card is fully inserted. In this case, the card is held while
data transfer
Data transmission and data reception or, more broadly, data communication or digital communications is the transfer and reception of data in the form of a digital bitstream or a digitized analog signal transmitted over a point-to-point or ...
is taking place.
Smart cards
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