Abstract:
An improved ticket dispensing apparatus to efficiently and expeditiously control the separation and dispensing of tickets from a continuous strip of tickets. Once a ticket selection is made, a control circuit activates the dispensing mechanism for dispensing the selected number of tickets. The strip of tickets is drawn into engagement with a pair of drive rollers and forced into engagement with a downstream deflector plate. Once a measured and predetermined ticket length has been met, the direction of movement for the drive rollers is reversed and a unidirectional clutch engaged. The clutch rotates a deflector plate used to force the strip of tickets into engagement with a stationary cutting blade along a perforated line scored in the ticket strip so that the desired number of tickets are separated from the ticket strip.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a divisional application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/833,566, filed on Jul. 1, 2004, and which is incorporated fully herein by this reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to ticket dispensing machines generally. More particularly, the invention relates to a lottery ticket dispensing machine. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    As known, there are two basic types of lotteries that are most commonly played, these being instant win or scratch off lottery games and on-line games. The instant win type of games provide a scratch-off ticket that enables the player to scratch off a masked area overlying imaged and predetermined game data on the ticket to immediately reveal the game result and prize. On-line lotteries permit lottery players to select, or have selected for them, a series of numbers such that the ticket is a winner if all or certain number combinations match all or at least a predetermined number of the numbers or game indicia selected during the lottery drawing. 
         [0004]    The instant win lottery games remain popular, and have seen increased demand due to the number and variety of instant win lottery games now available for play. Instant win games have traditionally been dispensed by a sales clerk grasping a portion of a leading ticket extended from a manual ticket dispenser, pulling the desired number of tickets therefrom, and then bending and tearing the tickets to be purchased along a perforation line to separate the tickets from the remainder of the ticket book or pack. This can take a significant amount of time, especially over the course of a sales shift, and may also lead to errors in handling and charging for the tickets as well as being a distraction to the sales clerk&#39;s performance of their other duties at the retail establishment in which they are employed, which is typically a convenience type of store. In response to this need for a simpler and more efficient means for dispensing instant win tickets, the dispensing devices of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,669,071, 6,609,644, and 5,950,898, respectively, were developed. 
         [0005]    Although the dispensing devices of these patents represented a significant advance in the art, there remains a need for a simple ticket dispensing device offering increased manufacturing efficiencies and cost reductions, coupled with the ease of use and reliability of the aforementioned dispensing devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention satisfies the demands of lotteries and lottery retailers by providing an improved instant win lottery ticket dispensing apparatus having an integral mechanical clutch as part thereof. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of the invention a dispensing mechanism for dispensing at least one ticket from a continuous strip of perforated tickets, the strip of tickets having a series of spaced perforation lines parallel to one another for defining separate ones of the tickets, is disclosed. The dispensing mechanism includes a pair of spaced drive rollers used to selectively advance the strip of tickets along a path of travel through the ticket dispenser in a first direction as well as in a second reverse direction, a cutting blade positioned along the path of travel, a clutch assembly operably coupled to the drive rollers. The clutch assembly is inactive in the first direction and operable in the second direction. 
         [0007]    The dispensing mechanism has a planar deflector plate operably coupled to the clutch assembly and positioned with respect to the cutting blade. The deflector plate is movable from a first position in the first direction of ticket movement into a second position in the second direction of movement. As the strip of tickets is moved in the second direction by the drive rollers the clutch assembly moves the deflector plate from its first position into its second position such that the deflector plate bends the strip of tickets backwards along a perforated line therein toward the cutting blade for positioning that perforated line thereat. 
         [0008]    The dispensing mechanism has a drive motor coupled to a first one of the drive rollers for rotating the roller, and is used to control the movement of the strip of tickets in the first and the second directions. A control circuit is connected to the drive motor and is used to direct the operation of the drive motor. A sensor is positioned along the path of travel and is connected to the control circuit to indicate the position of the strip of tickets along the path of travel. 
         [0009]    The present invention also provides a method of separating at least one ticket from a continuous strip of perforated tickets. The method includes the steps of advancing the strip of tickets along the path of travel in the first direction, engaging a deflector plate with the strip of tickets so as to bend the strip back toward a cutting blade, reversing the direction of the strip of tickets along the path of travel into the second direction, engaging a clutch assembly coupled to the drive rollers once the tickets move in the second direction, the clutch assembly moving the deflector plate from a first position into a second position in order to bend the strip of tickets against the cutting blade and engaging the cutting blade with the tickets along one of the perforated lines so as to separate at least one ticket from the strip of tickets. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, the improved ticket dispensing mechanism of the present invention may be used to efficiently and expeditiously control the dispensing of tickets, and in particular instant win lottery game tickets. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    A ticket dispensing apparatus embodying the features of the present invention is depicted in the accompanying drawings which form a portion of this disclosure, wherein: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a top, perspective view of a ticket dispensing mechanism of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the ticket dispensing mechanism of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the ticket dispensing mechanism of  FIG. 2  with a support plate removed from view; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the ticket dispensing mechanism of  FIG. 3 , with a deflector plate moved into an open position; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a second side elevational view of the ticket dispensing mechanism of  FIG. 1  with a support plate removed from the view. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    Referring now in detail to the to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several views, a ticket dispensing mechanism  10  of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 . As will hereinafter be more fully described, the instant invention is operable for dispensing a continuous perforated sheet or strip of game or promotional tickets  16 , such as a predetermined number of instant win or scratch off lottery tickets, of known construction. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the ticket dispensing mechanism  10  includes a housing formed at least partially by pair of spaced and parallel support plates  12 . Each of the support plates  12  is formed to have at least one elongate flange  13  extended along two opposed side edges thereof for use in attaching the ticket dispensing mechanism, and in particular the housing thereof, to the frame of a ticket vending machine, for example, or as otherwise required or desired for mounting the dispensing mechanism for use. A planar feed guide  14  is provided which extends between and is affixed to the two support plates  12 , and which is spaced from and positioned to be approximately parallel to a lower, ticket-engaging surface  15  defining a small gap for guiding the insertion of the strip of tickets therebetween. 
         [0019]    The dispensing mechanism also includes a pair of spaced and parallel gear driven pinch rollers  18 ,  20  which extend between and are rotatably supported on the two spaced support plates. A drive motor  22 , which may comprise a stepper motor, a servo motor or other known types of drive motors capable of discrete movement, as desired, is positioned proximate one of the support plates  12  and is spaced from, and in this instance beneath, the feed guide  14 . Operation of the drive motor  22  is directed by a control circuit  23 , such as a computer driven printed circuit board or other known types of drive or control circuits in communication with suitable drive inputs, for example a computer or control processor. The drive motor  22  rotates a gear shaft  24  ( FIG. 1 ) which in turn engages a drive gear  26 . The drive gear meshes with a transitional driven gear  28 , which in turn drives a first pinch roller gear  18   c  affixed to an end of the first pinch roller  18  for rotation of a pinch roller shaft  18   a . The second pinch roller  20  is mounted on and extends between the support plates  12  proximate the first pinch roller  18 , and tangentially engages the exterior lengthwise surface of the first pinch roller  18  to be driven by, and in the opposite direction of, the first pinch roller. Although the pinch rollers  18 ,  20  are described as being cooperatively gear driven, it is anticipated that each pinch roller could be individually gear driven or shaft driven, as known and as desired. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , both the first pinch roller  18  and the second pinch roller  20  may be conventionally mounted between the support plates  12  in a number of known ways, one such way being by a pair of bearing blocks (not illustrated) manufactured of known materials, such as a ferrous material, a non-ferrous material, or an engineering plastic. In such a mounting arrangement, the bearing blocks will be sized and shaped to receive opposite ends of the shaft  18   a ,  20   a  of the respective first or second pinch roller  18 ,  20  in correspondingly sized and shaped circular openings. Referring to the figures, each bearing block associated with the pinch roller  20  may be fitted with a spring  21   a  disposed within corresponding openings  21   b  defined in the support plates  12  so that the shaft  20   a  of the second pinch roller  20  will rotate within the openings in each respective bearing block. A similar configuration may be had for the first pinch roller  18 , although not illustrated in the figures. The first and second pinch rollers  18 ,  20  also have a corresponding padded or cushioned surface  18   b ,  20   b  formed about the exterior periphery of the roller and extending in the lengthwise direction thereof for engagement with a similarly formed surface on the exterior of the first pinch roller  18  when the drive motor  22  is in operation. 
         [0021]    Looking to  FIG. 3 , a ticket input sensor  43  is illustrated, which sensor may be mounted in any number of ways to the housing, for example by being carried or supported on one of the support plates  12 . A burst and load sensor  44  is also provided, and is mounted on the housing in suitable fashion, proximate the second pinch roller  20 . The sensors  43  and  44  are each positioned along a ticket path of travel passing within and through the housing, and are operable for detecting a leading edge  16   a  ( FIG. 4 ) of the tickets  16 . The sensors  43 ,  44  thereby send a corresponding signal to a control circuit  23 , which in turn directs the drive motor  22  of the ticket dispensing mechanism  10  in either a forward or reverse direction. The control circuit  23  is in communication with and operably coupled to the drive motor  22  and the sensors  43 ,  44 , and is programmed with predetermined information regarding the size, shape and the number of tickets  16  to be dispensed, to include the leading edge to trailing edge ticket length between perforations of the respective tickets in the direction of the path of travel. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the ticket dispensing mechanism  10  also includes a cutting blade  36  mounted between the support plates  12  and adjacent the pinch rollers  18 ,  20 . A deflector plate  38  is pivotally carried on an intermediate gear shaft  40  that also extends between the support plates  12  such that the deflector plate  18  is positioned proximate the cutting blade  36 . An intermediate gear  42  is attached to one end of the intermediate gear shaft  40  and meshes with the first pinch roller gear  18   c . In addition, a deflector plate gear shaft  50  extends between the support plates  12  proximate the intermediate gear shaft  40 . The deflector plate gear shaft  50  is provided with a deflector plate gear  52  attached thereto, and the intermediate gear  42  meshes with the deflector plate gear  52  to provide the desired rotation of the deflector plate gear shaft  50 . 
         [0023]    The method by which the dispensing mechanism will dispense the tickets  16  is now described. Initially, the tickets  16  are fed into the dispensing mechanism from a storage bin (not illustrated) or other storage device, and travel along the path of travel through the ticket dispensing mechanism  10  for engagement with the pinch rollers  18 ,  20 . The drive motor  22  controls the rotation of the pinch rollers  18 ,  20  used to advance or drive the ticket strip through the dispensing mechanism  10  along the path of travel. The ticket input sensor  43  and burst and load sensor  44  are each positioned along the path of travel such that they monitor the position of the ticket strip, and in particular, the leading edge  16   a  thereof. 
         [0024]    The sensors  43 ,  44  are in electrical communication with the control circuit  23 , and provide feedback to the control circuit regarding the position of the ticket strip. Once the ticket strip is positioned between the two pinch rollers  18 ,  20 , the ticket strip is then advanced over the stationary cutting blade  36  following the contour of the deflector  38  and continues on past the apex edge of the cutting blade  36  until the strip of tickets  16  reaches a predetermined distance as determined by the control circuit  23  using the signals from the sensors  43 ,  44 . 
         [0025]    A unidirectional clutch  54  is connected to the end of the intermediate gear shaft  40 , with a deflector plate cam  56  operably coupled to the clutch  54 . Additionally, the deflector plate  38  is mechanically connected to the deflector plate cam  56  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The deflector plate cam  56  has a camming surface  58  defined thereon, which is illustrated as an aperture traversing the deflector plate cam  56 . A cam follower  60  is mounted to an end of the deflector plate gear shaft  50  ( FIG. 2 ), and traverses the aperture to contact the camming surface  58 . 
         [0026]    In operation, the unidirectional clutch  54  is affixed on the intermediate gear shaft  40  such that movement of the intermediate gear shaft  40  in a first direction will not influence movement of the clutch  54 , i.e., the clutch  54  is not operated. However, movement of the intermediate gear shaft  40  in a second reverse direction will cause the clutch to rotate in that second direction as well. When the clutch  54  is free to move, the deflector plate cam  56  is also free to move. As the deflector plate gear shaft  50  continues its rotation, the attached cam follower  60  ( FIG. 4 ) will move about the camming surface  58  of the deflector plate cam  56 . This movement of the cam follower  60 , in conjunction with the freedom of movement of the deflector plate cam  56 , will cause the deflector plate cam  56  to pivot, carrying the cam follower with it, such that the deflector plate  38  will concomitantly pivot toward the cutting blade  36  to engage the strip of tickets  16  and bend the ticket strip, preferably along one of the spaced perforated lines of ticket separation, back toward and ultimately into engagement with the cutting blade  36 . 
         [0027]    The drive motor  22  is driven in an open loop mode to control movement of the first and second pinch rollers  18 ,  20 . When the ticket input sensor  43  detects the presence of a ticket  16 , the drive motor  18  is energized to thereby drive the pinch rollers  18 ,  20  and pull the leading edge  16   a  of the ticket or tickets  16  between the feed guide  14  and the pinch rollers  18 ,  20  into the ticket dispensing mechanism to a “load position.” The load position is predetermined according to the length of each ticket  16 , measured between the leading ticket edge perforation and the trailing ticket edge perforation, and is monitored by the ticket input sensor  43  and the burst and load sensor  44 , this signaled information being stored within the control circuit  23 . 
         [0028]    Upon instruction by the control circuit  23 , the strip of tickets  16  is then moved, using an open loop control mode, to the predetermined cut position as directed by the control circuit  23 . In one embodiment, the perforation between the tickets  16  will be approximately 0.25 inches past the stationary blade  36 . At this point, the deflector plate  38  is in the open position shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0029]    Upon receiving the appropriate instructions from the control circuit  23 , the drive motor  22  is then energized to operate in the reverse direction, which thus causes the intermediate gear shaft  40  to rotate in the reverse direction. As the clutch  54  is connected to the intermediate gear shaft  40 , the clutch  54  will rotate as the intermediate gear shaft rotates in the reverse direction. This results in the cam follower  60  riding along the camming surface  58  of the deflector plate cam  56 , which in turn causes the deflector plate  38  to pivot to a “closed position.” When the deflector plate  38  is in its closed position, it will force the ticket  16  to bend along a perforation line (not illustrated) scored in the ticket strip at an acute angle θ with respect to the stationary blade  36  ( FIG. 5 ), such that the perforation of the ticket  16  will be engaged with the stationary blade  36 . As the drive motor  22  continues its reverse movement, the adjoining tickets  16  will be separated at the line of weakness, i.e., the perforation lines, through its forced contact with the stationary cutting blade  36 . Therefore, by pivoting the deflector plate  38  to engage the tickets  16 , the ticket dispensing mechanism  10  is able to obtain a clean and efficient separation of the ticket  16  along the perforation line, which thus allows the now separated ticket  16  to be passed from the ticket dispensing mechanism  10  as desired. 
         [0030]    The burst and load sensor  44  monitors the reverse movement of the ticket strip  16  to determine when the desired ticket has been separated from the remaining ticket stock. The burst and load sensor  44  will send a corresponding signal to the control circuit  23 , and the control circuit  23  will in turn direct the drive motor  22  to reposition the new leading edge  16   a  of the remaining ticket stock  16  to the “load position.” The control circuit  23  will then await instructions from the dispensing mechanism operator to separate and dispense the next ticket  16  from the ticket dispensing mechanism  10 . Upon receipt of the user&#39;s instructions, the control circuit  23  will once again activate the drive motor  22  to distribute the desired ticket or tickets  16  following the method described above. 
         [0031]    Although several embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in the foregoing specification, it is understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to which the invention pertains, having the benefit of the teaching presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings.