Apparatus and method for dispensing tickets

• US 6,712,253 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2001
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pollard Banknote Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: American Games, Inc.
• Inventors: Poffenbarger, Terry L., Templeman, Michael T., Johnson, Marty E., Childers, Benny D., Hargrave, Jack F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHONG H
• Application Number:
  US09/873,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20020179668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 225/11, 225/12, 225/21, 225/22, 225/37, 225/60, 225/63, 225/67, 225/75, 225/79, 225/82, 225/85, 225/9, 225/23, 225/28, 225/71, 225/100, 225/4, 83/74, 833/64, 833/69
• US Class Current: 225/100
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1936 Tickets or coupons
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 35/10 from or with devices for breaking partially-cut or perforated webs, e.g. bursters
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 3/02 from stock in wound strip form
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 5/02 for cutting-off or separating tickets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/16 Transversely of continuously fed work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/203 Including means to effect bias cut
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/225 With means to separate severed end of stub from supply package
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/275 Blade slidably guided
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/35 Work-parting pullers [bursters]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/531 With plural work-sensing means

Abstract

A ticket machine for dispensing tickets from a strip of tickets having perforated joints is provided. The ticket machine includes a roller assembly, a detection mechanism and a bursting blade. The roller assembly adapted to communicate a portion of the strip of tickets along a ticket path. The detection mechanism is disposed adjacent the ticket path and adapted to determine the position of at least a leading ticket of the strip of tickets along the ticket path. The bursting blade is adjacent the ticket path and adapted to floatably strike the strip of tickets adjacent the perforated joints to separate at least the leading ticket from the strip of tickets. A method for separating tickets from a strip of tickets connected along perforated joints is also provided.

Claims

1. 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 and arranged for operation in a bursting action;

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;

wherein the first and second set of pinch rollers are driven by a common motor at common speed;

wherein the roller assembly includes a third discharge set of pinch rollers along the ticket path downstream from the second pinch rollers and arranged to receive tickets directly from the second set of pinch rollers, the third discharge set of pinch rollers being driven by a motor separately from the first and second set of pinch rollers;

and wherein the detection mechanism is positioned along the ticket path upstream of the third discharge set of pinch rollers.

2. The ticket machine of claim 1 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.

3. The ticket dispenser of claim 1 wherein the first set of pinch rollers include a rotatable drive shaft driven by a motor and wherein there is provided an encoder adapted to sense the rotation of the drive shaft.

4. The ticket dispenser of claim 1 wherein the detection mechanism is adapted to sense a leading edge of the leading ticket of the strip of tickets and is positioned along the ticket path downstream of the second set of pinch rollers.

5. The ticket machine of claim 1 wherein the bursting blade has a flat surface on the upstream side and a beveled bursting edge on the downstream side.

6. The ticket machine of claim 1 wherein there is provided a gauge bar on a side of the tickets opposite to the bursting blade edge, the gauge bar being located upstream of the bursting blade edge.

7. The ticket machine of claim 1 wherein there is defined a stop position at or adjacent the detection mechanism and wherein the distance from the stop position to the third discharge set of pinch rollers is no greater than the distance from the bursting blade to the stop position.

8. The ticket machine of claim 1 wherein the bursting blade has an edge defining a central apex midway across the line of weakness and is declined from the central apex outwardly and away from ticket so as to strike the line of weakness initially at the center.

9. The ticket dispenser of claim 1 wherein the third discharge set of pinch rollers is arranged to discharge a separated ticket directly into a receptacle for supply to a user.

10. 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.

11. The ticket machine of claim 10 wherein the bursting blade has an edge defining a central apex midway across the line of weakness and is declined from the central apex outwardly and away from the line of weakness so as to strike the line of weakness initially at the center.

12. The ticket machine of claim 10 wherein there is provided a gauge bar on a side of the tickets opposite to the bursting blade edge, the gauge bar being located upstream of the bursting blade edge.

13. The ticket machine of claim 10 wherein the bursting blade has a flat surface on the upstream side and a beveled bursting edge on the downstream side.

14. The ticket machine of claim 10 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.

15. The ticket machine of claim 14 wherein the first and second set of pinch rollers are driven by a common motor at common speed.

16. The ticket machine of claim 14 wherein the second set of pinch rollers are 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.

17. The ticket dispenser of claim 14 wherein the first set of pinch rollers include a rotatable drive shaft driven by a motor and wherein there is provided an encoder adapted to sense the rotation of the drive shaft.

18. The ticket dispenser of claim 14 further provided with a third discharge set of pinch rollers along the ticket path downstream from the second pinch rollers for discharging a separated ticket into a receptacle for supply to a user.

19. The ticket machine of claim 18 wherein the detection mechanism is adapted to sense a leading edge of the leading ticket of the strip of tickets and is positioned along the ticket path downstream of the second set of pinch rollers and upstream of the third set of pinch rollers.

20. The ticket dispenser of claim 18 wherein the third discharge set of pinch rollers is driven by a motor separately from the first and second sets of pinch rollers and includes one way bearings arranged to allow forward rotation of the third discharge set of pinch rollers.

21. 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.

22. The ticket machine of claim 21 wherein the bursting blade has an edge defining a central apex midway across the line of weakness and is declined from the central apex outwardly and away from the line of weakness so as to strike the line of weakness initially at the center.

23. The ticket machine of claim 21 wherein there is provided a gauge bar on a side of the tickets opposite to the bursting blade edge, the gauge bar being located upstream of the bursting blade edge.

24. The ticket machine of claim 21 wherein the bursting blade has a flat surface on the upstream side and a beveled bursting edge on the downstream side.

25. The ticket dispenser of claim 21 wherein the first set of pinch rollers include a rotatable drive shaft driven by a motor and wherein the rotation of the first set of pinch rollers is detected by an encoder adapted to sense the rotation of the drive shaft.

26. The ticket dispenser of claim 21 further provided with a third discharge set of pinch rollers along the ticket path downstream from the second pinch rollers for discharging a separated ticket into a receptacle for supply to a user.

27. The ticket machine of claim 26 wherein the detection mechanism is adapted to sense a leading edge of the leading ticket of the strip of tickets and is positioned along the ticket path downstream of the second set of pinch rollers and upstream of the third discharge set of pinch rollers.

28. The ticket dispenser of claim 26 wherein the third discharge set of pinch rollers are driven by a motor separately from the first and second sets of pinch rollers and include one way bearings arranged to allow forward rotation of the third set of pinch rollers.