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Card dispensing apparatuses and associated methods of operation

  • US 8,550,294 B2
  • Filed: 08/12/2010
  • Issued: 10/08/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2009
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A card dispensing apparatus comprising:

  • an array of card hoppers, wherein the array of card hoppers includes at least two vertical columns of card hoppers positioned side by side, wherein each vertical column includes two or more card hoppers, and wherein each of the individual card hoppers is configured to hold a plurality of horizontally oriented cards in a vertical stack;

    a plurality of card ejectors, wherein each of the card ejectors is fixedly associated with a corresponding one of the card hoppers; and

    a card carriage selectively movable between each of the card hoppers, wherein the card carriage is configured to respond to a card selection by moving into position proximate a corresponding one of the card hoppers, wherein the card ejector operably associated with the corresponding card hopper is configured to eject one of the cards from the corresponding card hopper in response to a signal associated with the card selection, wherein the card carriage is configured to receive the ejected card from the corresponding card hopper, and wherein the card carriage is further configured to transport the received card toward a card accept chute and dispense the card into the card accept chute for retrieval by a user.

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