Apparatus and method for dispensing tickets

A ticket machine for dispensing tickets from a strip of tickets having perforated lines of weakness between adjacent tickets, the ticket machine comprising:

• a roller assembly adapted to drive a portion of the strip of tickets along a ticket path;
• a detection mechanism disposed adjacent the ticket path and adapted to determine a position of the strip of tickets along the ticket path;
• the roller assembly being arranged to be driven in response to the detection mechanism to locate a line of weakness substantially at a bursting position;
• a bursting blade having a bursting edge located at the bursting position adjacent the ticket path with the bursting edge extending across the path of the tickets;
• the bursting blade being mounted on a mounting guide assembly for movement of the edge toward the tickets in a bursting action through the line of weakness to separate a ticket on one side of the line of weakness from a ticket on the other side of the line of weakness;
• the mounting guide assembly defining a space relative to the blade such that the bursting blade is mounted thereon for limited floating movement of the edge in a direction forwardly and rearwardly along the path of the tickets so as to allow movement of the edge to the line of weakness when misaligned with the bursting position.

A ticket machine for dispensing tickets from a strip of tickets having perforated lines of weakness between adjacent tickets, the ticket machine comprising;

• a roller assembly adapted to drive a portion of the strip of tickets along a ticket path;
• a detection mechanism disposed adjacent the ticket path and adapted to determine a position of the strip of tickets along the ticket path;
• wherein the roller assembly includes a first set of pinch rollers upstream of the bursting position and a second set of pinch rollers downstream of the bursting position arranged to hold the tickets tensioned across the bursting position;
• a common motor and a connection from the common motor to the first and second set of pinch rollers arranged to drive the first and second set of pinch rollers at common speed;
• the operation of the common motor being controlled in response to the rotation of the first set of pinch rollers and in response to the detection mechanism to drive the first set of pinch rollers so as to move the strip of tickets to locate a line of weakness of the strip of tickets substantially at a bursting position;
• a bursting blade having a bursting edge located at the bursting position adjacent the ticket path and arranged for operation in a bursting action;
• wherein the second set of pinch rollers is provided with one-way bearings operable to inhibit a ticket pinched therein from a reverse travel direction along the ticket path while allowing the ticket pinched therein to travel forwardly along the ticket path.