Abstract:
An improved arrangement for a lottery ticket or other article dispenser system includes a direct drive coupled to a drive mechanism such as a motor and feed and discharge rollers. The feed and discharge rollers transport a stream of articles such as lottery tickets which are serially joined together along lines of weakness such as perforations or the like. Coupling the feed and discharge rollers to the common drive mechanism reduces and minimizes the need for calibration and setup for the operation of the dispenser system. Additional features of the invention include a rack and spur gear arrangement for movement of the burster wheel across the path of the tickets and platens arranged and configured in the burster system to improve the bursting quality and operation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to article dispensing systems and more particularly to an improved system and method for dispensing lottery tickets.  
           [0002]    State sponsored lotteries are now a popular and accepted method of generating revenue and providing entertainment. One popular form of lottery uses an instant lottery ticket on which winning or non-winning combinations are pre-printed before distribution and the player knows immediately after purchasing the ticket whether or not it is a winning ticket. A common system for distributing instant lottery tickets includes a large number of ticket dispensing machines located at drug stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and the like. Common concerns associated with such lottery ticket dispensing machines are the speed with which they dispense the tickets, the security or anti-theft characteristics of the dispenser and the ability to accurately provide an accounting for the tickets sold from each machine.  
           [0003]    Due to the popularity of the instant lottery ticket games and the advantage of minimizing clerical involvement with the purchasing and dispensing of instant lottery tickets, it is common for a large number of tickets to be stored within the dispensing machine. Presently, tickets are commonly stored in a fanfold form so that they may be rapidly fed out from a storage compartment without the risk of unintentionally dispensing too many tickets as is common when individual tickets are stored and dispensed from the machine. However, the fanfold tickets must be separated by the machine prior to being dispensed. The mechanism to separate the fanfold tickets from one another should ensure that the separation of the tickets occurs only at the joinder line between the tickets despite whatever variations in the size of tickets and slippage or inaccuracy in the dispensing mechanism may be present.  
           [0004]    A problem associated with the dispensing of lottery tickets stored in a fanfold stream is how to ensure that each ticket as it becomes the leading ticket will be separated from the next following ticket precisely along the joinder line between the tickets. In such a fanfold stream, a line of weakness such as a perforation line is provided to define each ticket and to permit fanfolding of the stream of connected tickets. Commonly, each fold contains a single ticket but in alternative embodiments, a number of tickets for example five or more may be provided within each fold. Lottery tickets conventionally are constructed from laminated layers of paper or cardboard and as such are relatively stiff and inflexible.  
           [0005]    Prior art solutions to these problems include using a knife edge or cutting blade to slice through the stream of tickets. This is not desirable because the knife edge may cut through the tickets at any point such as in the middle of the ticket. Therefore, a highly precise alignment device usually must be provided with a knife edge to bring it into precise alignment with the joinder line between the tickets.  
           [0006]    Successful prior art solutions to these problems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,982,337 (“the &#39;337 patent”) and 5,836,498 (“the &#39;498 patent”), each of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference. According to the &#39;337 and &#39;498 patents, the tickets are stored in a fanfold form and the individual tickets are burst, rather than cut, apart prior to dispensing. The separation mechanism of the &#39;337 and &#39;498 patents comprises a bursting wheel which separates the leading ticket from the next following ticket along the line of weakness therebetween instead of cutting the two tickets apart. The burster wheel inherently reduces the risk of producing only half a ticket. The burster wheel of the &#39;337 patent is in the form of a circular burster blade which has a dull rounded edge that does not cut the stream of tickets but rather exerts pressure against the top of the stream of tickets to deflect the tickets and separate them along the line of weakness separating the tickets. The burster wheel in the &#39;498 has a flattened peripheral surface to increase the effective range of the burster wheel. The burster wheel in each patent is moved back and forth across the connected tickets.  
           [0007]    For the burster wheel to effectively burst the leading ticket from the stream of tickets along the line of weakness, it must be sufficiently aligned with the lines of weakness and in close proximity thereto. However, many factors detrimentally impact the ability to consistently align the path of the burster wheel with the lines of weakness or perforations. For example, the manufacturing tolerances of the tickets vary greatly. The length of individual tickets with respect to other tickets in the same fanfold stream varies a relatively large amount and may be on the order of {fraction (1/16)} inch or so. As a result, even though the burster wheel may be aligned with the majority of the lines of weakness in a given fanfold stream, due to the variations in the lengths of the tickets, it is commonly misaligned with other lines of weakness and thereby may provide an ineffective separation or fail to separate the tickets at all.  
           [0008]    Similarly, the perforations or lines of weakness between the individual tickets are not uniformly formed such that a greater force may be required from the bursting wheel to separate one line of weakness than another line of weakness in the same fanfold stream. Tickets are manufactured with varying degrees of perforation quality. Some have tough perforations while some perforations are easily separated. It is widely recognized that perforation quality varies greatly due to a number of variables including, the ticket printing company, ticket stock, ticket coatings and the like. Aside from these variables, perforation quality can still vary within the same game with the same ticket press run. The consistency of ticket perforations vary not only from company to company but also from game to game provided by the same manufacturer.  
           [0009]    Moreover, the added force required to burst a poorly formed line of weakness requires more precise alignment between the burster wheel and the line of weakness to effectuate a separation. Therefore, misalignment between the line of weakness and the path of the burster wheel is even more critical when the perforation is poorly formed.  
           [0010]    With the systems disclosed in the &#39;337 and &#39;498 patents, the tickets are transported through the burster portion of the lottery ticket dispenser by feed rollers upstream from the burster and exit or discharge rollers downstream from the burster. The feed rollers are rotationally driven by a first motor and the exit rollers are rotationally driven by a second, different motor. As a result of this arrangement, a significant amount of labor and time is required to calibrate and synchronize the roller motors and the precise position of the rollers in the dispenser to consistently and reliably position the line of weakness between adjacent tickets in the path of the burster wheel. Additionally, the vagaries and differences between individual motors, even those of the same model and manufacturer, often require specific adjustments for proper dispenser operation. Moreover, with hundreds or thousands of individual lottery ticket vending machines in each state or lottery region, the labor requirements for the proper setup of the machines is highly demanding and burdensome. It is important to have a reliable separation mechanism for each individual dispensing unit which is not compromised by these variables.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    These and other shortcomings of prior lottery ticket dispensers have been overcome by this invention. In one embodiment, a lottery ticket dispenser according to this invention includes a transport mechanism for feeding the lottery tickets along a dispensing path. Each of the lottery tickets is joined to an adjacent lottery ticket by a line of weakness such as perforations or the like. The dispenser includes a burster wheel that translates across the dispensing path near the line of weakness to separate the adjacent lottery tickets from one another. A pair of feed rollers, at least one of which is rotationally driven contact the lottery ticket at a location along the dispensing path upstream of the burster wheel to advance and feed the lottery tickets towards the burster wheel. Additionally, a pair of discharge rollers, at least one of which is rotationally driven, are located along the dispensing path downstream of the burster wheel to discharge the lottery tickets which have been separated by the bursting wheel. Importantly, the rotationally driven feed and discharge rollers are both operatively coupled to a drive mechanism such as a motor or the like to cooperate in positioning and holding the lottery tickets while the burster wheel separates them.  
           [0012]    In one embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a motor with a drive shaft having a drive gear mounted thereon. The drive gear meshes with a feed gear coupled to the feed roller and a discharge gear coupled to the discharge roller. Since both the discharge and feed rollers are rotationally driven by the same motor, the synchronization and calibration steps required by previous lottery ticket dispensers are advantageously avoided. Further, in one embodiment the discharge gear is smaller than the feed gear which produces a higher rotational velocity to the discharge roller than the feed roller so that the tickets after separation are discharged quickly and efficiently.  
           [0013]    This invention may also include first and second platens along the dispensing path which are located upstream and downstream, respectively, from the feed roller. The platens are configured and positioned to guide and support the tickets along the dispensing path and for separation by the burster wheel.  
           [0014]    Another feature of this invention in one embodiment is the mechanism by which the burster wheel translates across the dispensing path to separate the tickets. The motorized cable and pulley system of prior lottery ticket dispensing systems for translating the burster wheel back and forth across the tickets is in one embodiment replaced with a toothed rack and gear drive mechanism. This mechanism is less susceptible to breakage and provides a more efficient transmission of power to translate the burster wheel across the path of tickets.  
           [0015]    As a result of the various features of the invention, an improved lottery ticket dispenser provides a more reliable and consistent separation of lottery tickets while requiring fewer repairs and less time and labor for calibration and setup of the individual units 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    The objective and features of the invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the transport mechanism and burster assembly for feeding a stream of tickets and separating the adjacent tickets along a line of weakness within a dispensing unit according to this invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a side view partially broken away showing the transport mechanism according to one embodiment of this invention; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a dispensing path for the lottery tickets showing the feed and discharge rollers relative to the burster wheel.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    A transport mechanism and burster assembly  10  is shown in FIG. 1 for a lottery ticket dispenser (not shown). A typical lottery ticket dispenser is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,982,337 and 5,836,498, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. A plurality of individual tickets  12  are connected in a fanfold strip or stream  14 . Individual tickets  12  are joined to an adjacent ticket by a line of weakness  16  which typically comprises perforations. The tickets  12  are provided typically by the state authority in a fanfold stack which is compact and easily transportable and typically include as many as 1,500 tickets in each stack. A stack of fanfold tickets  12  are contained in a storage compartment (not shown) in the lottery ticket dispenser. Each ticket  12  is connected to an adjacent ticket  12  along the line of weakness  16  and it will be understood that each successive following ticket  12  is joined to an adjacent ticket by a similar line of weakness  16 .  
         [0021]    The fanfold stream  14  of tickets  12  is fed along a dispensing path from the storage compartment toward an outlet (not shown). The stream  14  is transported along the dispensing path by the transport mechanism  10  including opposed upper feed rollers  18 , three of which are shown in FIG. 1, and lower feed rollers  20  and opposed upper discharge rollers  22  and lower discharge rollers  24 .  
         [0022]    A generally circular burster wheel  26  is mounted for rotation between spaced, downwardly extending flanges  28  of a burster block  30 . The burster wheel  26  is mounted for rotation on the burster block  30  on an axle (not shown) extending between the spaced flanges  28 . The burster block  30  includes a bore hole  36  through which extends a burster bar  38 . The burster block  30  is mounted for a translation along the burster bar  38  between opposed side brackets  44  of the transport mechanism  10 .  
         [0023]    A rack  32  having a plurality of upwardly directed teeth  34  on an upper surface thereof is fixedly mounted between the side brackets  44 . A motor  46  is mounted on a plate  48  coupled to the burster block  30  and a rotationally driven shaft (not shown) projects from the motor  46 . A spur gear  50  or the like is mounted on the shaft and engages the teeth  34  on the rack  32 . As the motor rotates the shaft and gear  50  in a first direction, the gear engages the teeth  34  to move the motor,  46  and burster block  30  in a first direction so the burster wheel  26  intersects the fanfold stream  14  of tickets  12 . Similarly, reverse rotation of the shaft and gear  50  moves the burster block  30  and wheel  26  in a second direction opposite the first direction to there again intersect the fanfold stream  14 .  
         [0024]    When the burster block  30  and burster wheel  26  are moved from the rest position illustrated in FIG. 1 toward interception with the dispensing path of the stream  14  of tickets  12  through the action of the motor  46 , the burster wheel  26  will come into contact with the stream  14  of tickets  12  at the side thereof initially then across the stream  14  of tickets  12  to burst the adjacent tickets  12  apart along the line of weakness  16 . The burster block  30  is moved from right to left as shown in FIG. 1 to burst the leading ticket  12 , then left to right to burst the next leading ticket  12 , and so on.  
         [0025]    The burster block  30  and wheel  26  translate along the bar  38  to intersect the dispensing path of the stream  14  of tickets  12  perpendicularly. As a result, the path of the burster wheel  26  on the tickets  12  is generally parallel to the line of weakness  16  separating the adjacent tickets  12 .  
         [0026]    The upper discharge rollers  22  are journaled on a common upper discharge shaft  52  and the lower discharge rollers  24  are journaled similarly on a lower exit shaft  54 . Likewise, the upper feed rollers  18  are journaled on a common upper feed shaft  56  and the lower feed rollers  20  are journaled on a common lower feed shaft  58  (FIGS. 2 and 3). The shafts  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  extend between side mounting plates  60 ,  62  of the transport mechanism and burster assembly  10 . Preferably the rollers  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24  are rubber or another polymeric material for high friction gripping and contact. The rollers  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24  may be integrally formed with the shafts  52 ,  54 ,  56  and  58  or simply mounted thereon for rotation with the respective shaft.  
         [0027]    In one embodiment, the upper feed rollers  18  and upper discharge rollers  22  are rotationally driven by common drive mechanism or motor  64  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The motor  64  is mounted to a downwardly extending drive plate portion  66  of the plate  60 . A rotationally driven drive shaft  68  extends from the motor  64  through the drive plate  66  and is coupled to a drive gear  70 . Drive gear has teeth  72  which mesh with the teeth  74 ,  76  on both a feed gear  78  and a discharge gear  80  as shown in FIG. 2. The feed gear  78  is mounted on the upper feed shaft  56  and the discharge gear  80  is mounted on the upper discharge shaft  52 . The position of the shafts  56 ,  52  is fixed relative to one another within the dispenser by the side mounting plates  60 . Similarly, the rotational velocity of the discharge and feed rollers  18 ,  22  is synchronized and calibrated with respect to each other because they are each rotationally driven by the same drive mechanism or motor  64  through the gear arrangement as previously described. As such, the calibration and synchronization of the discharge and feed rollers  18 ,  22  which previously were separately driven by individual motors or the like is not necessary with this system.  
         [0028]    In one embodiment of this invention, the discharge gear  80  is smaller than the feed gear  78  each of which mesh with the drive gear  70 . As a result, the rotational velocity of the discharge gear  80  and upper discharge shaft  52  and discharge rollers  22  is greater than the rotational velocity of the feed gear  78 , feed shaft  56  and feed rollers  18 . As such, after the tickets  12  are separated by the burster wheel  26  they are quickly and efficiently discharged from the system  10  by the discharge rollers  22  so that subsequent tickets  12  may be fed by the feed rollers  18  along the dispensing path toward the discharge rollers  22  for perforation separation as required. The gears  70 ,  74 ,  80  are protected by a cover plate  82  as shown in FIG. 1 and partially broken away in FIG. 2.  
         [0029]    In operation, the user/operator would input to a controller  84  the length of the specific tickets  12  which have been loaded into the dispenser system  10 . Typically, the lottery tickets  12  or the like are manufactured in  2  inch,  3  inch or  4  inch lengths. With this information, the controller  84  then regulates the operation of the motor  64  and to likewise the rotationally driven feed and discharge rollers  18 ,  22  to advance the tickets  12  the appropriate distance depending upon the number of tickets  12  to be dispensed to locate the line of weakness  16  between the adjacent tickets  12  in line with the path of the burster wheel  26  for separation. The direct drive of the feed and discharge rollers  18 ,  22  from a single drive mechanism  64  significantly increases the reliability and operational performance of the dispenser system  10  while reducing and minimizing the required calibration, setup and adjustment of the system  10  for individual ticket parameters and similar characteristics.  
         [0030]    A sensor  86  is preferably located immediately upstream from the feed rollers  18  to detect the leading edge of the leading ticket  12  of a stream of tickets being input into the system  10 . In one embodiment, the sensor  86  may simply be a mechanical gate or toggle which deflects downwardly upon pressure from the ticket  12 . Alternatively, the sensor  84  may be optical or another such device known to those skilled in the art. The sensor  86  as shown in FIG. 1 is mounted in an access opening  88  in a platen  90  located immediately upstream from the feed rollers  18  as shown in FIG. 3. The first platen  90  has an upper surface upon which the tickets are supported prior to entering the feed rollers  18 . Preferably, the upper surface of the platen  90  is positioned below, on the order of {fraction (1/16)}th of an inch or less, a reference line L 1  which is tangential to both the feed roller  18  and idler feed roller  20  and perpendicular to a line L 2  passing through the axes of rotations of the feed and idler feed rollers  18 ,  20  as shown in FIG. 3. Positioning the platen  90  and thereby the incoming tickets  12  in such a manner helps prevent ticket jams and malfunctions in the ticket feeding process and likewise improves the burster wheel  26  reliability for separating the adjacent tickets  12 . In one embodiment, the reference line L 1  is also a common tangent line between the discharge rollers  22 ,  24  and shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0031]    A second platen  92  located downstream from the feed roller  18  and upstream from the path of the burster wheel  26  is also included in one embodiment of this invention as shown in FIG. 3. This platen  92  preferably slopes downwardly at an angle A of approximately 20°-45°. The platen  92  supports the tickets being held between the feed rollers  18 ,  20  and the discharge rollers  22 ,  24  as the burster wheel  26  transverses across the dispensing path to separate the line of weakness  16  between the adjacent tickets  12 . The platen  92  also provides a better bursting reliability and quality for the system  10  particularly for tickets  12  with imperfectly formed perforations or lines of weakness  16  or the like. It will be appreciated that as the burster wheel  26  contacts the tickets  12  between the feed and discharge rollers  18 ,  22 , the tickets  12  will deflect downwardly during the bursting process and are thereby supported by the downwardly sloped platen  92 .  
         [0032]    Additionally, a guide  94  as shown in FIG. 3 is positioned to immediately upstream from the discharge rollers  22  to direct the leading edge of the ticket  12  which has been separated from the adjacent ticket  12  by the burster wheel  26  into the discharge rollers  22 ,  24 . Once again, the guide  94  preferably has a sloped surface  96  to accept and direct the tickets  12  into and in between the discharge rollers  22 ,  24 .  
         [0033]    From the above disclosure of the general principles of the present invention and the preceding detailed description of a preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, I desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.