Abstract:
The ticket dispenser is configured for holding and dispensing a double roll of laterally paired tickets, i.e., a ticket roll having two laterally joined and identically numbered tickets for each sequentially numbered position along the roll. Such tickets are commonly used for raffles, door prizes, etc., where the participant keeps one ticket and the other identically numbered ticket is placed in a container for a random drawing. The ticket dispenser includes a splitter which automatically separates the two identically numbered and laterally joined tickets as they are dispensed from the device, and may include an edge for separating sequentially numbered tickets from one another as well. A friction adjustment is provided for the ticket roll to prevent accidental unwinding of the loose roll of tickets contained in the holder. A neck or shoulder strap, belt loop, etc. may be provided to support the device from the person.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to devices for dispensing rolled elongate materials, such as tape, tickets on rolls, etc. More specifically, the present invention is a ticket dispenser configured particularly for dispensing tickets from a double or paired ticket roll in which two identically numbered tickets are joined laterally to one another. The dispenser includes a splitter that automatically separates the laterally joined tickets from one another as the tickets are dispensed from the device.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Tickets are commonly provided on rolls and dispensed for lotteries, raffles, door prizes, etc., at various club and other events. Some means for correlating the ticket(s) held by the participant with the winning ticket(s) selected is necessary. This is conventionally accomplished by providing the tickets in laterally doubled rolls wherein the tickets are sequentially numbered along the length of the roll in order to differentiate one ticket from another, but two identically numbered tickets are joined laterally. The participant or recipient receives one of the tickets, with the other identically numbered ticket being placed in a container for a later random drawing.  
         [0005]     Such laterally joined, identically numbered tickets provide a sure means of matching the winning participant&#39;s ticket with the winning ticket drawn for the event. However, the dispensing of such tickets can be tedious, particularly where a large number of tickets are being dispensed. The person dispensing the tickets must not only separate the sequentially numbered tickets from one another longitudinally, but must also separate the identically numbered tickets laterally from one another. This can be a tedious and time consuming process for the person handling the task, particularly if there are a large number of participants and financial transactions involved in the purchase of the tickets by participants.  
         [0006]     Another problem that occurs in the handling of ticket rolls is the unwinding of the roll as it is being handled. This problem does not occur in the dispensing of such rolled materials as adhesive tapes and the like, as the adhesive holds the roll together. Thus, no need has arisen to control the unwinding of a spool or roll of such adhesively backed tape. This lack of control for an unwinding roll seems to have carried over into various dispensers for loosely rolled materials, such as ticket rolls, as well. Yet, a roll of loose tickets that have no adhesion to one another can be difficult to handle, even when secured within a dispensing device of some sort.  
         [0007]     Thus, a ticket dispenser solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The ticket dispenser is configured for holding and dispensing a double roll of tickets therefrom, i.e., a ticket roll having two laterally joined and identically numbered tickets at each sequential position along the roll. The device includes a ticket roll holder with a ticket-dispensing portion extending therefrom. The ticket roll holder has an adjustable friction control for preventing accidental unwinding of the ticket roll. The dispensing portion includes a ticket-splitting device, which automatically separates the two laterally joined and identically numbered tickets as they are dispensed from the device. The ticket splitter may include lateral adjustment in order to position the splitter exactly along the longitudinal perforations separating the laterallyjoined tickets. The dispensing end of the device may include an element for tearing off or separating sequentially numbered tickets from one another. The device also preferably includes a device for carrying or supporting the device, e.g., a neck or shoulder strap and/or a belt attachment loop.  
         [0009]     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a ticket dispenser according to the present invention, showing various features thereof.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a section view along lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  with the ticket splitter key shown exploded from the dispenser.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a section view along lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a section view along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a detailed perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the ticket-dispensing portion of a ticket dispenser according to the present invention, showing a cantilevered ticket-cutting blade or edge extending therefrom.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a section view along lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a detailed perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a ticket dispensing portion of a ticket dispenser according to the present invention, showing another alternative ticket separation edge or end.  
         [0017]     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     The present invention comprises a ticket dispenser adapted particularly for the dispensing of double rolls of sequentially numbered tickets, with laterally joined tickets having identical numbers. Such tickets are nearly universally used in raffles, drawings, etc., and the dispenser greatly facilitates their issuance to participants. The dispenser includes a mechanism for automatically separating laterally joined tickets from one another as they are dispensed, as well as mechanisms for facilitating the separation of sequentially numbered tickets from one another as they are dispensed and for preventing excessive unrolling of the ticket roll contained in the device.  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  of the drawings provides a perspective view of a first embodiment of the ticket dispenser  10 , with  FIGS. 2 through 4  showing additional details of the first embodiment. The primary component of the device is an elongate ticket dispensing extension  12  through which an unbroken length of tickets T passes as they are unwound from a ticket roll R. The dispenser extension  12  includes an upper portion  14  and an opposite lower portion  16 , joined at their opposite first and second lateral edges  18  and  20 . A wide, thin ticket passage  22  extends between the upper and lower portions  14  and  16 , from the ticket entry end  24  to the opposite ticket-dispensing end  26  of the ticket dispensing extension  12 . The section view of  FIG. 3  clearly shows the ticket passage  22 . The ticket passage  22  is sufficiently wide to allow a length of laterally paired tickets T to pass therethrough.  
         [0020]     The dispenser  10  includes a splitter device  28  for splitting laterally paired tickets as they are dispensed from the device  10 . The splitter  28  is shown in detail in  FIG. 2  of the drawings, which also illustrates the installation of the device  28  in the ticket dispensing extension  12   12  of the dispenser  10 . The splitter  28  may comprise a cutting or splitting element that is immovably and permanently installed within the dispensing extension  12 . However, laterally joined, paired tickets are manufactured and printed using relatively inexpensive processes in order to keep their costs down. This results in relatively loose dimensional tolerances for such ticket rolls, with the longitudinal perforation line separating the laterallyjoined tickets on a roll often varying laterally by some small fraction of an inch. Accordingly, a fixed location or position for the ticket splitter may not be suitable under all circumstances.  
         [0021]     The splitter  28  provides a solution to the above-noted problem by providing lateral adjustment for the splitter  28 . The splitter  28  comprises a key or insert  30  having a distal end  32  with a laterally disposed ticket passage slot  34  formed therein, i.e., the slot  34  is disposed laterally relative to the dispenser extension  12  when the key  30  is installed therein. The slot  34  includes a ticket splitter element  36  (e.g., a thin wire, or blade, etc.), which extends across the span or height of the slot  34 . The splitter element  36  also extends across the thin vertical height of the ticket passage  22  when the splitter  28  is installed within the dispenser extension  12 .  
         [0022]     The ticket dispenser extension  12  includes a lateral ticket splitter key passage  38  near the dispensing end  26  thereof. The ticket splitter insert  30  provides a slight interference fit within the splitter passage  38 , with the two sides of the insert  30  to each side of the slot  34  compressing toward one another slightly as they are inserted into the splitter key passage  38  of the extension  12 . The resilience of the insert  30  against the opposite sides of the passage  38  provides a secure installation for the splitter key  30  therein, while still allowing the splitter device  28  to be easily installed within and removed from the splitter key passage  38  as desired.  
         [0023]     As the splitter key device  28  is installed laterally within the extension passage  38  with only the pressure of the two sides of the key insert  30  bearing against the opposite floor and ceiling of the passage  38 , the ticket splitter device  28  is easily adjusted within the passage  38  to position the ticket splitter element  36  precisely within the width of the ticket dispensing passage  22  of the extension  12 . A ticket splitter alignment port  40  is provided through the upper portion  14  of the dispenser extension  12  to allow the user of the ticket dispenser  10  to align the splitter element  36  precisely with the longitudinal perforation line conventionally provided between laterally adjacent tickets T of a double ticket roll R. Thus, as the tickets T are dispensed from the dispensing end  26  of the device  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , the tickets T are automatically separated laterally from one another as they pass the splitter element  36  of the splitter  28  and exit the dispensing end  26  of the dispenser extension  12  as two separate but laterally adjacent tickets T 1  and T 2 .  
         [0024]      FIGS. 1, 2 , and  4  illustrate the ticket holder for holding a ticket roll R with the ticket dispenser  10 . Opposed first and second ticket roll holder arms, respectively  42   a  and  42   b , extend from the opposite first and second lateral edges  18  and  20  of the ticket dispenser extension  12  adjacent the ticket entry or insertion end  24  thereof. Each arm  42   a  and  42   b  has a distal end, respectively  44   a  and  44   b , with a ticket roll axle passage, respectively  46   a  and  46   b , formed therethrough, as shown in  FIG. 4 . Alternatively, a slot  48  may be provided in each of the ticket roll arm distal ends  44   a ,  44   b , as shown in broken lines in  FIG. 1  for the first arm distal end  44   a.    
         [0025]     A ticket roll axle  50  extends across the distal ends  44   a  and  44   b  of the two arms  42   a  and  42   b  through the axle passages  46   a  and  46   b . The axle  50  has a fixed end  50   a  secured in one of the axle passages, e.g., the first passage  46   a , with an opposite adjustable end  50   b  disposed within the opposite passage, e.g., second passage  46   b . The fixed end  50   a  of the axle  50  includes means to prevent the axle from rotating within the passages  46   a  and  46   b , e.g., the axle may comprise a conventional carriage bolt or shoulder bolt with the shoulders of the fixed end  50   a  residing within a correspondingly shaped axle passage  46   a . The opposite adjustment end  50   b  of the axle  50  includes an adjustment clamp thereon, e.g., a wing nut  52  threaded onto the threaded adjustment end  50   b  of the axle  50 . The wing nut  52  may be selectively tightened to urge the distal ends  44   a ,  44   b  of the two ticket roll holder arms  42   a ,  42   b  toward one another, thereby causing the ends  44   a ,  44   b  to frictionally engage the ticket roll R and/or hub  54  installed within the ticket roll center on the axle  50  to act as a brake to prevent the undesired unwinding of the ticket roll R.  
         [0026]     The ticket-dispensing end  26  of the ticket dispenser extension  12  preferably provides for conveniently separating sequential tickets from one another.  FIG. 1  illustrates the ticket-dispensing end  26  having relatively abrupt or sharp edges  56  adjacent the end of the ticket passage  22 . While only the upper edge  56  is shown in  FIG. 1  due to the lower edge being obscured by the tickets T 1  and T 2  in that view,  FIG. 3  shows both the upper and lower tear-off edges  56 . The user of the ticket dispensing device  10  need only pull the tickets T 1  and T 2  outwardly from the dispensing end  26  of the extension  12  until their lateral separation line or perforations are closely aligned with the tear-off edges  56 , with the remaining tickets being held in position in the dispensing device  10  while the dispensed tickets T 1  and T 2  are torn along the edges  56 .  
         [0027]     A ticket retention passage  58  is provided through the upper portion  14  of the dispenser extension  12 , as shown in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The user need only apply thumb pressure through the retention passage  58  on the tickets T against the closed lower portion  16  of the extension  12  to hold the length of tickets in place as the dispensed tickets T 1  and T 2  are torn off. The dispenser  10  of  FIG. 1  also includes a lateral relief  60  formed in one side or edge of the dispenser extension  12  adjacent the dispensing end  26 . This allows the user to grip at least one side of the paired tickets being dispensed in order to advance the tickets T through the dispenser, even though the dispensed tickets may have been torn off flush with the dispensing end  26  of the dispenser extension  12  in a previous operation.  
         [0028]      FIGS. 5 through 7  illustrate additional embodiments of the ticket tear-off or separation means of the present ticket dispenser. In  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the ticket dispenser extension  12  has been modified from that shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , with the dispenser extension end  26   a  of the extension  12  of  FIGS. 5 and 6  having a straight edge or end extending completely across the width of the extension, without any provision for reliefs or insets therein. This is due to the alternative ticket separation mechanism provided in the embodiment of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , wherein a laterally disposed ticket tear-off bar  62  extends from the ticket dispensing end  26   a  of the dispenser extension  12  and is spaced therebeyond. The tear-off bar  62  may be in the general form of an L with one leg  62   a  in cantilevered attachment to one side  20  of the dispensing end  26   a  of the extension  12 , as shown in solid lines in  FIG. 5 , or may alternatively have a somewhat squared, generally U-shaped configuration, with a second leg  62   b  (shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) attached to the opposite side  18  of the dispensing end  26   a  of the extension  12 . The space between the tear-off bar  62  and the dispensing end  26   a  of the extension  12  provides a ticket manipulation gap, which allows the user to advance the ticket strip through the device, with this gap functioning in much the same manner as the relief  60  in the embodiment of FIGS. 1  and  2 .  
         [0029]     The ticket tear-off bar  62  includes a lateral ticket passage slot  64  formed therethrough, with a ticket tear-off blade  66  formed along at least one edge thereof (e.g., the lower edge, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). A laterally disposed ticket support  68  may be provided immediately adjacent the blade  66  and between the blade and dispensing end  26   a  of the extension  12  to prevent the unseparated tickets from falling behind the ticket passage slot  64  and out of alignment therewith. The ends of the unseparated tickets rest upon the support  68 , substantially in alignment with the slot  64  for ease of advancement of the unseparated tickets through the slot. The ticket support  68  may be formed in a number of ways, but forming the support as an integral part of the ticket tear-off bar  62  by bending the support  68  generally as shown in the sectional view of  FIG. 6  works well when the bar  62  is formed of sheet metal. Alternatively, the support may be formed as a separate component and attached to the bar adjacent the ticket separation blade cutting edge.  
         [0030]      FIG. 7  illustrates yet another embodiment of a ticket tear-off mechanism for the ticket dispenser. In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the ticket dispenser extension  12  has a stepped ticket tear-off end or edge formed of the relatively shorter upper portion dispensing end  26   b  and the relatively longer lower portion dispensing end  26   c . The upper edge of the longer portion  26   c  (i.e., the edge formed by the extension end and floor of the ticket passage  22 ) is used to tear off the tickets as they pass the end of the dispensing extension  12 , with the open area of the ticket passage  22  providing a ticket retaining area  58   a  serving the same purpose as the ticket retention passage  58  of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The user of the ticket dispenser of  FIG. 7  may prevent the ticket string from unwanted advancement by gripping the tickets against the ticket retaining area  58   a  and holding them in place during the tear-off operation.  
         [0031]     The ticket dispenser in its various embodiments is used essentially as described further above, with a roll of tickets R being installed between the two ticket holder arms  42   a  and  42   b , and the ticket roll axle  50  installed through the distal end passages  46   a ,  46   b  of the two arms and through the ticket roll hub  54 . The unbroken string of tickets T is then inserted into the ticket entry end  24  of the extension  12 , and passed through the ticket passage  22  to exit the opposite ticket-dispensing end  26  of the device. The wing nut  52  may then be tightened slightly to apply slight braking pressure to the two arm distal ends  44   a ,  44   b  against the ticket roll R and/or hub  54  to prevent the ticket roll R from unwinding while still allowing the ticket string T to be advanced by pulling on the dispensing end of the ticket string.  
         [0032]     Even greater convenience may be enjoyed by providing for supporting the ticket dispenser  10  upon the user&#39;s person. A support eye  70  or the like may be provided in the top of the device, with a swivel hook  72  or the like removably attached thereto. An elongate shoulder strap  74  (shown partially in  FIGS. 1 through 4 ) is attached to the swivel hook  72  to allow the device  10  to be suspended from about the neck or shoulders of the user in order to allow the user to have both hands free to operate the device or perform other duties as required. Alternatively, the device may be suspended from the belt of the user by means of a laterally disposed belt loop  76 , as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  4 . While the belt loop  76  is shown on the left side of the device for the convenience of a right-handed user, it will be understood that such a loop  76  could be installed upon either, or both, sides of the device.  
         [0033]     In conclusion, the ticket dispenser in its various embodiments greatly facilitates the dispensing of rolled tickets, particularly rolls of laterally joined doubled tickets as commonly provided at raffles and similar functions. The ticket splitter element, with its automated separation of the laterally joined tickets as they are dispensed from the device, eliminates one of the tedious tasks associated with the dispensing of such tickets. The ticket dispenser thus saves considerable time for the person dispensing tickets, particularly when a large number of tickets are being handled. This allows the person dispensing the tickets more time to handle other chores, such as financial transactions associated with the tickets, and generally streamlines the entire ticket dispensing operation. Accordingly, the ticket dispenser will be much appreciated by those involved in clubs, associations, and other organizations that have need to handle and dispense tickets for raffles, lotteries, door prizes, and similar activities.  
         [0034]     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.