US 7,036,732 B2 · Universal ticket transport

Abstract

A Universal Ticket Transport (UTT) 10, 150 may be configured to read from and write to many types of magnetically encoded tickets 20 currently used in fare collection systems. The UTT 10, 150 includes a mechanical insertion interface and automated movement along a transport path 18 for tickets 20 of varying thicknesses that are presented at a range of different angles 40, 42 into and exiting from the UTT 10, 150. The UTT 10, 150 includes a mechanical assembly 156, 158 which may be rotated, and the belts 22, 24, 152, 154 and rollers 30, 32, 34, 36 reconfigured, to accommodate tickets 20 having top-face or bottom face magnetic stripes. The belt subassemblies A, C and the magnetic head subassembly B are configurable across a width W of the UTT 10, 150 to process tickets 20 having magnetic stripes which are offset from a center line 86. The UTT 10, 150 includes a control processor 200 having analog to digital interfaces 216 and control logic 202, 204 for operating the transport mechanisms 212 locally and communicating data through a serial interface 220 to a host system 222.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A ticket reader/writer for processing a plurality of tickets in an automatic fare collection device, each of the plurality of tickets having at least one magnetic stripe located on at least one of a ticket top surface or a ticket bottom surface, the ticket reader/writer comprising:

an upper entrance roller and a lower entrance roller being adapted to accept a ticket of the plurality of tickets at a predetermined entry angle, the upper entrance roller and lower entrance roller positioned in one configuration selected from a plurality of configurations based on the predetermined entry angle;
an upper exit roller and a lower exit roller of a plurality of rollers, adapted to eject the ticket at a predetermined exit angle;
an upper belt stretched around the upper entrance roller and the upper exit roller;
and
a lower belt stretched around the lower entrance roller and the lower exit roller;
wherein the upper belt and the lower belt form a transport path therebetween for the ticket;
a drive mechanism for rotating at least one of the plurality of rollers in a forward direction to move the ticket through the transport path;
and
at least one magnetic head for reading from and writing to the ticket, at least one magnetic head positioned along a width of the ticket reader/writer corresponding to a placement of the at least one magnetic stripe of the ticket.

6 more elements

A method of processing a ticket in a read/write mechanism in an automatic fare collection device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one side plate in the read/write mechanism for supporting at least one belt assembly, the at least one belt assembly having a plurality of rollers in a plurality of holes of the at least one side plate, the plurality of rollers comprising an upper entry roller, an upper exit roller a lower entry roller, and a lower exit roller;
configuring the upper entry roller and lower entry roller to a selected configuration from a plurality of entry configurations, the selected configuration corresponding to a predefined ticket entry angle;
providing an upper belt stretched around the upper entry roller and the upper exit roller;
providing a lower belt stretched around the lower entry roller and the lower exit roller, wherein the upper belt and the lower belt provide a transport path therebetween for the ticket;
providing a magnetic head assembly comprising a first magnetic head adjacent to the transport path;
driving the upper belt and the lower belt in a first direction to carry the ticket over the first magnetic head to read from the ticket;
and
driving the upper belt and the lower belt in a reverse direction to back up the ticket over the first magnetic head;
driving the upper belt and the lower belt in the first direction to carry the ticket over the first magnetic head to write to the ticket;
and
the upper exit roller and the lower exit roller being adapted to eject the ticket from the automatic fare collection device between the upper exit roller and the lower exit roller at the desired exit angle.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Universal ticket transport

Life of this patent

Universal ticket transport

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16