Card holder for a credential production device

1. An identification card manufacturing device comprising:

a card holder comprising a housing including a base;

a stack of cards supported above the base including a top card that is displaced a greater distance from the base than a bottom card of the stack of cards;

a card press configured to apply a load to the top card, the load including a perpendicular load component oriented perpendicularly to the base and having a magnitude that increases as a thickness of the stack of card decreases;

a card transport configured to feed the bottom card from the stack of cards along a card feed path; and

a card processing device in line with the card processing path and configured to perform a process on the card.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the card press includes an arm having first and second ends, wherein the first end is configured to pivot about an axis and the load is applied to the top card through the second end of the arm.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the card press includes a spring member coupled to the arm.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the second end of the arm applies the perpendicular load components substantially uniformly across a width of the top card.

5. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a rotational mechanism including gearing and a viscous damper coupled to the first end of the arm and produces frictional resistance to movement of the first end about the axis.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the card press includes first and second arms each having a first end configured to pivot about an axis and a second end through which the load is applied to the top card.

7. The device of claim 6 including a bar member extending between the second ends of the first and second arms and across a width of the top card, wherein the load is applied to the top card through the bar member.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a cover configured to pivot between opened and closed positions.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the load is removed from the top card when the cover is moved to the opened position and the load is applied to the top card when the cover is in the closed position.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the direction of the load moves perpendicularly towards the base as the thickness of the stack of cards decreases.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the card processing device is selected from the group consisting of a printing device, a laminating device an encoding device and a card flipping device.

12. A card holder for use with an identification card manufacturing device comprising:

a housing including a base; and

a card press configured to apply a load to a top card of a stack of cards supported above the base, the load including a perpendicular load component oriented perpendicularly to the base and having a magnitude that increases as a thickness of the stack of cards decreases.

13. The card holder of claim 12 , wherein the card press includes an arm having a first end pivotally connected to the housing and a second end through which the load is applied to the top card.

14. The card holder of claim 13 , wherein the card press includes a spring member having a first end coupled to the arm and a second end coupled to the housing.

15. The card holder of claim 13 , wherein the second end of the arm applies the perpendicular load component substantially uniformly across a width of the top card.

16. The card holder of claim 13 , further comprising a rotational mechanism including gearing and a viscous damper coupled to the first end of the arm and produces frictional resistance to movement of the first end about the axis.

17. The card holder of claim 12 , wherein the card press includes first and second arms each having a first end pivotally connected to the housing and a second end through which the load is applied to the top card.

18. The card holder of claim 17 including a bar member extending between the second ends of the first and second arms and across a width of the top card, wherein the load is applied to the top card through the bar member.

19. The card holder of claim 12 , wherein:

the housing includes a cover configured to pivot between opened and closed positions; and

the load is removed from the top card when the cover is moved to the opened position and the load is applied to the top card when the cover is in the closed position.

20. The card holder of claim 12 , wherein a direction of the load moves more perpendicularly towards the base as the thickness of the stack of cards decreases.