Abstract:
Automated marking devices for self-administering hand markings and methods of use are provided. A device for self-administering hand markings includes a housing, a stamp driving assembly, a stamp assembly, and a planar surface for receiving a patron&#39;s hand. The stamp assembly is configured to substantially leave a full stamp impression on the patron&#39;s hand, regardless of varying topologies, sizes, and orientations of hands that are placed in the hand marking device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/222,624, filed on Jul. 2, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to systems and methods for placing an identifying mark on patrons of a venue to indicate that they are authorized entrants. More specifically, the system and method of the present invention are for marking patrons&#39; hands to indicate that they are authorized entrants. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In venues such as museums, nightclubs, and fairs, patrons must perform or satisfy certain requirements before being granted entrance, such as paying an entrance fee or verifying their age. If the patron performs the necessary tasks and satisfies these requirements, a venue employee will mark the patron&#39;s hand, typically with a pen, marker or stamp to indicate that the patron is an authorized entrant. 
         [0004]    Among other things, marking a patron&#39;s hand as described allows the patron to leave the venue and return by simply displaying the marking indicating that s/he is an authorized entrant instead of having to demonstrate that s/he has performed the entrance tasks or requirements. However, this marking technique has certain limitations. 
         [0005]    Using this conventional marking technique, a venue must employ someone to mark each patron&#39;s hand as s/he enters or exits the venue. Often, there is only one venue employee present to perform hand markings. Consequently, during peak business or visiting hours, large lines of patrons can form as they wait to have their hands marked. Further, if the venue employee responsible for marking patrons&#39; hands is stationed at the entrance of the venue, a large line of patrons could form outside and deter other possible patrons from visiting the venue. If the venue employee is stationed at the exit of the venue, a large line of patrons could form inside making it uncomfortable for everyone inside the venue. Furthermore, a patron may choose to leave the venue and not return in order to avoid the crowd of patrons waiting to have their hands marked. 
         [0006]    Thus, there is a need for a system and method that will allow a venue to quickly mark a patron&#39;s hand upon entering or exiting the venue so that large crowds can be effectively and efficiently processed without detrimentally affecting the visitor experience. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    A system and method for self-administering automated hand-markings is provided. The system of the present invention includes a pneumatic hand stamper that allows patrons to self-mark their hands in an efficient manner and without any assistance from venue employees. According to the system of the present invention, when a patron places his/her hand onto a hand stamper pressure plate, it will cause the pressure plate to activate a snap action switch, which in turn powers an air solenoid through a relay. The air solenoid prompts an air supply to rapidly fill a buffer tank, causing an air cylinder to drive a stamp assembly downward until the stamp comes into contact with the patron&#39;s hand. After the stamp contacts the hand under predetermined, controlled pressure for properly stamping the patron&#39;s hand, a pressure switch opens and unlatches the relay to stop the power being supplied to the air solenoid. The stamp assembly then moves away from the patron&#39;s hand and back to its starting position. Once the patron removes his or her hand from the pressure plate, the snap action switch closes the circuit and the relay is energized and latched for the next patron. 
         [0008]    Further, the system of the present invention includes a timer that overrides the pressure switch and unlatches the relay if the pressure switch does not open after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. 
         [0009]    Yet further, the system of the present invention includes a counter that monitors the usage of components in the hand marking device. 
         [0010]    The hand marking device of the present invention also may be configured to leave substantially a full stamp impression on a patron&#39;s hand regardless of the different topologies, sizes, and orientations of patrons&#39; hands that are placed into the hand stamper system for marking. 
         [0011]    The present invention will be described in greater detail in the remainder of the specification and claims, referring to the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an illustrative hand stamper according to the present invention with the front panel of the upper section open. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of an illustrative hand stamper plate in the middle section of the hand stamper shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of an illustrative upper section of the hand stamper shown in  FIG. 1  with the front panel of the upper section open, exposing a front view of the central partition. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of an illustrative upper section of the hand stamper shown in  FIG. 1  with the front panel of the upper section open, exposing a back view of the central partition. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of an illustrative lower section of the hand stamper shown in  FIG. 1  with the front panel of the lower section removed. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of an illustrative hand stamper assembly in the upper section of the hand stamper shown in  FIG. 1  in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    The present invention is a system and method for self-administering automated hand-markings at a venue to efficiently process both large and small groups of patrons into and out of the venue. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the hand marking device includes a pneumatic hand stamper that is configured to provide flexibility in its ability to properly stamp various sizes, topologies, and orientations of patrons&#39; hands. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , generally at  100 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown.  FIG. 1  shows front panel  108  of upper section  102  open, exposing the upper section  102  of housing  101  and the interior portions housed within. As shown, housing  101  includes upper section  102 , middle section  104 , lower section  106 , and movable front panel  108 . Besides front panel  108 , other panels associated with housing  101  may be movable or removable to allow access to housing  101  for purposes such as performing maintenance and service. 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , generally at  200 , a detailed view of middle section  104  of housing  101  is shown. As shown in  FIG. 2 , middle section  104  includes pressure plate  202  and concentric markings  204 ,  206 . Concentric markings  204 ,  206  identify where the patron should place his/her hand and indicate proper placement for hands of varying sizes, for example, adult hands according to  204  and children&#39;s hands according to  206 . Concentric markings  204 ,  206  on pressure plate  202  are preferably coated with antimicrobial coating (not shown) to inhibit bacterial growth. Pressure plate  202  is preferably magnetic so that it can be easily removed and replaced with a magnet. 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , generally at  300 , and  FIG. 4 , generally at  400 , detailed views of upper section  102  of housing  101  with front panel  108  open are shown. More specifically,  FIG. 3  shows a front view of central assembly  301  and  FIG. 4  shows a back view of central assembly  301 . 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIGS. 3-4 , upper section  102  includes central assembly  301 , platform  302 , and hand stamper assembly  303 . In the preferred embodiment, central assembly  301  includes air cylinder  306 , air solenoid  308 , counter  316 , buffer tank  402 , pressure switch  404 , and relay  406 , all of which are attached to partition  304 . 
         [0023]    Air cylinder  306  is preferably a double acting cylinder with appropriate stroke length to push stamp assembly  303  down to pressure plate  202  ( FIG. 2 ), and pull stamp assembly  303  back up into upper section  102  of housing  101 . Air cylinder  306  also preferably is non-rotating in order to properly orient hand stamper assembly  303  with the patron&#39;s hand. 
         [0024]    Air solenoid  308  is preferably a 12 volt solenoid that includes both a manual test button to test air cylinder  206  and a four-way ported valve with speed control to control the speed of air cylinder  206 . 
         [0025]    Counter  316  preferably includes a numerical display that increases one digit for every 12 volt signal it receives. Counter  316  also preferably can be reset after a particular event, such as the replacement of a component. 
         [0026]    Buffer tank  402  is preferably a commercially available Bimba model pvc storage tank that prevents pressure switch  404  from being falsely triggered when air is ported into buffer tank  402 . 
         [0027]    Pressure switch  404  is preferably adjustable between a wide range of pressure values so that the pressure with which stamp  612  ( FIG. 6 ) contacts the patron&#39;s hand can be changed. In the preferred embodiment, pressure switch  404  is adjustable between 8-10 psi. 
         [0028]    Relay  406  is preferably a 12 volt double pole double throw relay that is configured to facilitate troubleshooting by using indicators showing mechanical and electrical functions. 
         [0029]    In the preferred embodiment, central assembly  301  is slidably mounted onto the side walls of upper section  102 . Specifically, tracks  311 ,  312 ,  313 , and  314  are mounted onto the side walls of upper section  102 , and partition  304  is slidably coupled to tracks  311 ,  312 ,  313 , and  314 . This configuration allows partition  304 , and in turn central assembly  301 , to move back and forth along tracks  311 ,  312 ,  313 , and  314 . 
         [0030]    Platform  302  is mounted below central assembly  301  onto supports  309 ,  310 , and preferably spans the width and depth of upper section  102  to prevent patrons from reaching into housing  101  and accessing central assembly  301 . 
         [0031]    Hand stamper assembly  303  is coupled to the bottom of air cylinder  306  by threaded rod  408 , which can accept a variety of stamp assemblies, and is secured to threaded rod  408  with locking nut  410 . The position of hand stamper assembly  303  can be adjusted by sliding central assembly  301  along tracks  311 ,  312 ,  313 , and  314  as described above. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , generally at  500 , a detailed view of lower section  106  of housing  101  is shown. As shown in  FIG. 5 , front panel  504  of lower section  106  has been removed, exposing lower section  106  of housing  101  and the interior portions housed within. Lower section  106  includes snap action switch  502 , timer  506 , and an air supply (not shown). 
         [0033]    Pressure plate  202  ( FIG. 2 ) is supported by the upper surface of lower section  106  and snap action switch  502  is adjustably coupled to the underside of the upper surface of lower section  106 . The distance between snap action switch  502  and pressure plate  202  is adjustable to vary the amount of pressure required to activate snap action switch  502 . Snap action switch  502  is preferably a roller switch that can be easily adjusted to minimize lifting of pressure plate  202 . In the preferred embodiment, the force needed to actuate snap action switch  502  is minimal, but is slightly greater than the weight of pressure plate  202  to prevent false triggering of snap action switch  502 . 
         [0034]    Timer circuit  506  is preferably a 12 volt timer that provides an output through a double pole single throw relay and is configured to start timing after a momentary input. Timer  506  is also preferably adjustable to vary the amount of time that hand stamper assembly  303  remains in contact with the patron&#39;s hand before timer  506  overrides pressure switch  404 . 
         [0035]    The air supply preferably provides air at a pressure of at least 30 psi through a hose with at least a ¼ inch diameter. It is understood that the air supply may be from an external source or an air cylinder container within the hand stamper device. In some embodiments where hoses have diameters smaller than ¼ inch, the air supply preferably provides air at a pressure greater than 30 psi. In the preferred embodiment, hand stamper  100  includes a regulator (not shown) that can be controlled to lower the pressure of air coming from the air supply to a pressure that can be used by hand stamper  100 . In one example, the regulator lowers the air pressure to 12-13 psi. 
         [0036]    When the hand stamper apparatus is in use, it is in communication with a continuously powered air supply (not shown) and power supply (not shown). In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a patron engages the hand stamper by placing his/her hand onto one of at least two concentric markings  204 ,  206  on the surface of pressure plate  202 . This causes pressure plate  202  to activate snap action switch  502 , which delivers power to air solenoid  308  through relay  406 . When air solenoid  308  is powered, the air supply (not shown) ports air into buffer tank  402  and air cylinder  306 . As the air pressure increases, air cylinder  306  causes a piston to drive stamp assembly  303  downward until stamp  612  makes contact with the patron&#39;s hand. Stamp  612  remains in contact with the patron&#39;s hand until the air pressure in buffer tank  402  reaches a specific level. Once that level is reached, pressure switch  404  opens and unlatches relay  406 , stopping power being supplied to air solenoid  308 . If pressure switch  404  does not open within a predetermined time period, timer  506  overrides pressure switch  404  and unlatches relay  406  to prevent stamp assembly  303  from freezing in the down position on the patron&#39;s hand. Once relay  406  is unlatched, the air in buffer tank  402  is ported into air cylinder  306 , driving stamp assembly  303  away from the patron&#39;s hand and back to its starting position. After the patron has removed his/her hand from pressure plate  202 , snap action switch  502  closes the circuit and relay  406  is energized and latched for the next patron. While the hand stamper apparatus is in use, counter  316  monitors the wear and tear of various components in order to conduct preventative maintenance. In one example, counter  316  monitors the usage of stamp  612  in hand stamper assembly  303 . 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , generally at  600 , the preferred embodiment of hand stamper assembly  303  is shown. In  FIG. 6 , hand stamper assembly  303  includes base plate  602 , stamp holder plate  610 , and stamp  612 . The top side of base plate  602  is coupled to air cylinder  306  via threaded rod  408  ( FIG. 4 ). The bottom side of base plate  602  is coupled to stamp holder plate  610  via shoulder bolts  603 ,  604  and delrin spheres  607 ,  608 . Shoulder bolts  603 ,  604  are used to control torquing of stamp assembly  303  when it comes into contact with a patron&#39;s hand. Shoulder bolts  603 ,  604  also serve as center shafts for conical compression springs  605 ,  606 , which maintain pressure between base plate  602  and stamp holder plate  610 . Delrin spheres  607 ,  608  allow stamp holder plate  610  to pivot and adjust through different angles in order to stamp different topologies, sizes, and orientations of patrons&#39; hands. Stamp holder plate  610  is preferably machined to limit the depth to which stamp  612  can be inserted. This allows a technician to remove inking tray  614  from the bottom of stamp  612  without having to disassemble stamp assembly  303 . 
         [0038]    The embodiments of the hand marking device disclosed herein are not limited to marking hands and can be used to mark other objects of various sizes, shapes, topologies, orientations, and materials. 
         [0039]    The device disclosed herein is not limited to using a pneumatic assembly and can use alternative systems, such as a hydraulic assembly, for driving the hand stamping assembly. 
         [0040]    It will be understood that the foregoing is only illustrative of the principles of the invention, and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.