Patent GB-1355181-A (GB)
Title: Forecasting apparatus
IPC: G07F17/42
Filed: 1970-05-30
Abstract: 1355181 Football coupon &c issuing machine T P G FOLEY 31 Aug 1971 [30 May 1970] 26191/70 Headings G4V and G4T Coin or token freed apparatus for marking and issuing football coupons, betting slips &c. comprises a magazine 35 for containing record cards, feed means for feeding record cards from the magazine to a punching station, selector means including a plurality of individually actuable elements, such as the buttons in rows 48, for effecting a forecast and for conditioning a plurality of punching elements 44 corresponding to the actuated selection elements, means operable to move said plurality of conditioned punching elements to effect a punching operation on the record cards and issue means for issuing a marked record card. The record card carries a detachable transparent film on one side thereof, this film is also punched and may be removed from the card and attached to a copy coupon to indicate the selections made. In the embodiment shown the user may make a forecast with respect to one of four events, as indicated by display panels 12-15, and on deposition of coinage in a slot 22 and depression of a selection button 12A-15A, motor 19 is energized to rotate drum 18 to display a card associated with the selected event, for example a football coupon, through a window 17. The inserted coins operate a micro-switch and are totalized by a stepping rotary switch (Fig. 8, not shown), the amount of the stake being indicated by lamps 45. The insertion of coinage also energizes an electric motor (28) (Fig. 4, not shown) to drive a platen 29 along racks 34 and deliver a record card from the magazine to a position beneath punches 44. The user selects those football matches shown on the coupon in window 17 that he considers will be draws by depression of push buttons in rows 48 and selects the required permutation with buttons 46, the depressed buttons are illuminated and condition respective punches 44 for operation. When the user is satisfied with his selection he depresses a "bet-confirmed" button 49 to energize respective solenoids to effect punching of the card. Alternatively he may depress a "bet-cancelled" button and make a further selection. After marking the card with the selected football matches and permutation and the total stake the card is fed to a further marking station 50 where the time and date is printed, and is then issued to the user. The user retains the transparent film as a copy and re-inserts the card through a slot 61 from which it is delivered to a storage box 63. In other embodiments (Figs. 9 and 10, not shown) details of the selected event are indicated on a display screen by means of a projector and film slide, and the selection buttons may be positioned on the screen to facilitate selection of the required matches. Credit-card operation.-The apparatus may be adapted to be freed by a credit-card, in which case push-buttons are provided for the user to enter the credit-card number which is compared for correspondence with the number read from the card. The user may then select his stake which is recorded with the credit-card number. Article delivery.-On return of the platen from the second marking station it rocks a lever 66 to rotate tined wheel 38 sufficiently to allow one record card 36 to drop on to the platen 29. When marking of the card at the further marking station is completed a driven roller (55) (Fig. 6, not shown) projects the card forwardly over the leading edge of the platen which is attached to the body of the platen by links 51a thus allowing it to become downwardly displaced at the second marking station.