US 7,665,394 B2 · Ticket dispensing modules and method

Abstract

The dispenser dispenses tickets such as instant-winner lottery tickets from a strip in which the individual tickets are delineated by perforation lines. The dispenser includes a separator to tear the tickets apart before issuing them from the machine. The separator preferably is rotary and has a dull helical blade which rotates to contact the ticket strip adjacent a perforation line, and presses against the strip to tear the tickets apart along the perforation line at a point which progresses across the strip along the perforation line. Preferably, a bar code reader is provided for reading codes on tickets in the dispensing machine. The bar code reader is used in reading information from the tickets to initialize the dispenser control system and in accounting for the sale of tickets, and in the verification of winning tickets being sold. A game is provided in which the concept is that a jackpot is built up using the detection of each ticket sold. The mechanism is simplified by using a separator member and transport drive structures which span a plurality of different channels or bins of a multi-channel dispenser. This provides a very compact, simple, secure and low-cost mechanism which is used both in stand-alone ticket vending machines, and in counter-top attended dispensers.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A ticket dispensing device dispensing tickets from a plurality of elongated strips of tickets in which the tickets are delineated from one another by lines of weakness, comprising in combination:

a plurality of supply locations each configured to store a respective separate one of the elongated strips of tickets;
a plurality of ticket transport devices, each one of the of the ticket transport devices in communication with a corresponding one of the supply locations and configured to a) transport tickets from the one of said plurality of elongated strips of tickets stored in the corresponding supply location to a shared separator device, and b) operate independently of the other said transport devices so that only one type of ticket is transported to the ticket separator at a time;
the shared separator device adjacent said transport devices and configured to receive a strip of said tickets from each said ticket transport devices;
an elongated rotary separator member spanning the paths taken by each of said strips received by the shared separator device;
and
a drive device rotating said separator member to separate one ticket from another in at least one of said strips, after the strip is transported to the shared separator device.

3 more elements

An instant lottery ticket dispensing device dispensing tickets from a plurality of elongated strips of tickets in which the tickets are delineated from one another by lines of weakness, comprising in combination:

a plurality of strips of instant lottery tickets in which the tickets are delineated from one another by lines of weakness;
a plurality of storage areas each containing a respective separate one of the plurality of strips of instant lottery tickets;
a plurality of ticket transport devices, each in communication with a corresponding one of said storage areas and configured to a) transport the respective ticket strip from the corresponding storage area to a shared separator device, and b) operate independently of other said transport devices so that only one type of ticket is transported to the ticket separator at a time;
and
the shared separator device configured to receive a strip of said tickets from each of said transport devices and to separate individual tickets from the strip after the strip is received, the shared separator device including a single separator member spanning the paths taken by each of said strips received by said separator device.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ticket dispensing modules and method

Life of this patent

Ticket dispensing modules and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22