US 4,788,419 AGranted

Ticket processing terminal with a single-cylinder ticket advancing mechanism

AssigneeInternational Totalizator Systems, Inc.

InventorsJames T. Walters, Paul M. Volpini, Edward A. Hoppe, Colin J. Gardyne

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Abstract

A ticket processing terminal includes a cylindrical ticket guide around which tickets are driven by a single drive cylinder which rotates in the ticket guide. An entry port, a feed port, and an exit port all connect to the ticket guide in a spaced relationship around the guide. Raed/write mechanism are placed adjacent the guide at a position which is passed by a ticket entering the guide through the entry or feed port and before the exit port is passed. Tickets are issued by the terminal by providing information to the write mechanism from an external source, feeding a ticket into the guide from either the feed port or the entry port, writing the information on the ticket, reading the printed information for validation, and then diverting the ticket to the exit port before completing a revolution. After being issued, a ticket bearing written information can be processed by the terminal for cancellation. When being cancelled, a ticket is fed into the ticket guide through the entry port, advanced past the read mechanism where the information on the ticket is read, advanced on a complete revolution of the ticket guide past the exit port, cancelled by the write mechanism, and then diverted from the ticket guide through the exit port before completing the second revolution of the ticket guide.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A ticket processing terminal, comprising:

a housing;
a substantially cylindrical ticket guide in said housing;
a single drive cylinder means conforming to and enclosed by said ticket guide for driving a ticket in said ticket guide in a revolutionary feeding direction in response to a drive signal;
a first, entry port in said ticket guide for inserting an information-bearing ticket into said ticket guide in said feeding direction;
a second, feed port in said ticket guide spaced from said entry port for feeding a ticket into said ticket guide in said feeding direction;
reading and writing means adjacent said ticket guide for selectively reading or writing information on a ticket being driven in said feed direction;
an exit port in said ticket guide for conducting a ticket from said ticket guide, said exit port displaced from said reading and writing means in said feeding direction;
positionable diverter means conditioned by a positioning signal for moving to a first position to divert a ticket from said ticket guide to said exit port or to a secnd position to guide a ticket in said ticket guide past said exit port in said feeding direction;
and
terminal control means connected to said drive cylinder means, said diverter means, and said reading and writing means for providing said drive and positioning signals, said terminal control means including drive control means to generate said drive signal, reading and writing control means for operating said reading and writing means to read or write information on a ticket in said ticket guide, and diverter control means responsive to said drive control means and to said reading and writing control means for conditioning said positioning signal in sychronism with the reading and writing of a ticket being driven in said ticket guide.

7 more elements

A ticket processing apparatus comprising:

a housing;
a substantially circular ticket guide in said housing;
a single drive cylinder means conforming to and enclosed by said ticket guide for driving a ticket in said guide in a feeding direction;
an entry port means for receiving an informationbearing ticket and for admitting a received ticket into said ticket guide in said feeding direction;
feed port means for feeding a ticket into said ticket guide in said feeding direction;
reading and writing means adjacent said ticket guide for reading information from a ticket received and admitted by said entry port means and for writing said information onto a ticket fed by said feed port means, said reading and writing means displaced from said feed port means in said feeding direction by a first arcuate distance;
exit port means for conducting a ticket from said ticket guide, said exit port means displaced from said feed port means in said feeding direction by a second arcuate distance greater than said first arcuate distance;
diverter means conditioned by a positioning signal for moving to a first position to divert a ticket from said ticket guide to said exit port means or to a second position to guide a ticket in said ticket guide past said exit port means in said feeding direction;
and
terminal control means connected to said entry port means, said drive cylinder means, said diverter means, and said reading and writing means for providing said drive and positioning signals, said terminal control means including:
drive cylinder control means responsive to said entry port means and said exit port means for providing said drive signal between the time a first ticket is received in said entry port means and the time a second ticket is conducted through said exit port means;
reading and writing control means for selectively operating said reading and writing means to read or write in response to the driving of tickets in said ticket guide;
feed port control means for selectively causing said feed port means to feed a ticket;
and
diverter control means responsive to said drive control means and to said reading and writing control means for conditioning said positioning signal in synchronism with the reading and writing of tickets being driven in said ticket guide.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.