Patent Publication Number: US-11377292-B2

Title: Lottery ticket bin with pull-out drawer and folding cable configuration

Description:
PRIORITY 
     The present application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 62/733,876 filed Sep. 20, 2018. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Instant lottery tickets (e.g., “scratch-off” lottery tickets) are sold at many types of retail locations including, stores, such as grocery stores, general merchandise stores, and the like. Various configurations of lottery ticket dispensers have been proposed in the industry for this purpose, including electronic dispensers that automatically dispense a ticket from a bin or compartment upon receipt of an electronic command signal. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2017/0018148 describes a lottery ticket dispenser array that is configured in communication with a lottery ticket terminal and includes a plurality of separate dispensing bins having a different respective lottery ticket stored therein. For example, the dispenser array may include ten separate bins, with each bin containing a supply of different scratch-off lottery ticket games. Each lottery ticket contained in the bins includes a machine readable code printed thereon, such as a bar code, QR code, or the like. Each bin in the array includes an electronic drive mechanism that, when activated, dispenses one or more lottery tickets from the bin (depending on the number of tickets requested by the patron). Each bin also includes a scanner disposed to read the code on lottery tickets dispensed from the bin position. In operation of the system, the lottery ticket terminal transmits a purchase signal for dispensing a particular lottery ticket that is routed to the respective bin containing the lottery ticket, which activates the drive mechanism to dispense the requisite number of tickets. As the tickets are dispensed from the bin, the scanner may read the code printed on each ticket, which eventually results in a signal being routed to a central lottery server for each lottery ticket dispensed from the dispenser array. The code printed on each ticket contains identifying information unique to the ticket, and the signal transmitted to the central server enables actions relevant to the sale of the tickets, such as activating the ticket in the lottery provider&#39;s system, accounting for tickets sold at a particular retail establishment, reconciling tickets sold at a retail establishment with tickets delivered to the establishment, and for forth. 
     In the &#39;148 publication, the individual interconnected bins within the array are in direct communication with a central lottery server. The array includes a bottom row of bins with interconnected base structures, wherein each base structure include a male power plug and male data plug along one side, and a female power port and female data port along the opposite side. The plugs and ports of adjacent base structures interconnect to essentially define a data bus running the length of the base structures. An exposed power port and data port at one of the ends of the interconnected base structures is available for connection with a power cord and a data cord from the controller or lottery terminal. Each bin includes a male power/data connector on the top or bottom surface, and a corresponding female power/data connector on the opposite surface. With this configuration, a plurality of the bins can be vertically stacked and interconnected, wherein the bottommost bin in each stack is connected to or contains one of the base structures such that the bins in each stack are connected in series to the data bus and, thus, to the controller. 
     With the array according to the &#39;148 publication, the power/data connections are provided in the top and bottom panels of the individual bin housings at a relatively close distance to the front cover of the bin where the dispense mechanism, scanner and control board are located. Thus, it is a relatively easy task to connect/disconnect the power connections from the functional components of the bin when replacing the front covers or entire bins within the array. However, the array configuration is not well-suited for an “under-counter” environment wherein the array would be placed beneath a counter at the point of sale (POS) location. The array has a tall height profile due to the height of the individual bins and access into the bins to load the lottery tickets is only by opening the front cover of the bins, which would be extremely inconvenient for the lower bins if the array were placed on or close to the floor and under a counter. 
     A low profile “under counter” array could not use the individual bin and power/data connections like those of the &#39;148 publication. The present invention provides a solution to this issue. 
     SUMMARY 
     Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. 
     In accordance with aspects of the invention, a lottery ticket bin is provided for use in multi-bin dispenser array that is particularly suited as an “under-counter” array due to its low profile and ease of making the power/data connections within the bin. The bin includes a housing having an open top and an open-top drawer that is slidable into and out of the housing. The drawer includes at least one ticket compartment configured for receipt of a supply of interconnected lottery tickets, wherein the tickets can be loaded into the compartment through the open top of the drawer. A component section is within and adjacent a front of the drawer and is configured with control components that automatically dispense one or more of the lottery tickets through a dispense slot in the front of the drawer upon receipt of a dispense command. The component section may include, for example, a motorized drive mechanism, a scanner or other optical reader, a tear bar, a control board, and so forth. 
     The component section includes a first cable connection port, and a second cable connection port is disposed within and fixed to the housing adjacent the component section in a fully closed position of the drawer relative to the housing. The second cable connection is in communication with a circuit board fixed to an exterior of the housing. A power/data cable is connected between the first cable connection port and the second cable connection port and has a length so as to accommodate a fully open position of the drawer relative to the housing. A cable storage section is configured with the drawer at a location such that the cable folds into the cable storage section as the drawer is pushed back into the housing and is pulled from the storage section as the drawer is pulled out of the housing. 
     The relative locations of the first and second cable connection ports provides relatively easy access for a clerk or other personnel to connect/disconnect the cable from the housing in order to replace or service one of the drawers. 
     In a particular embodiment, the circuit board is fixed to an exterior back side of the housing and a connector extends between the circuit board and the second cable connection port, which may be disposed on a floor of the housing. The connector may run along the floor of the housing between the circuit board and the second cable connection. The cable storage section may be located above the floor of the housing over the connector such that the cable folds into the cable storage section above the connector. 
     The cable storage section may be a chamber disposed longitudinally within the drawer between the component section and a back wall of the drawer. The chamber may be defined in a side wall of the drawer. In a particular embodiment, the drawer is configured to store and dispense at least two separate supplies of lottery tickets and comprises adjacent component sections and adjacent ticket compartments, wherein the chamber is defined in a wall in the drawer that separates the ticket compartments. In this embodiment, the circuit board may be fixed to an exterior back side of the housing and connected to the second cable connection port via a connector disposed in the middle and on a floor of the housing, wherein the connector is located within the chamber in the fully closed position of the drawer. Preferably, the chamber has a height such that the cable folds into the chamber above the connector. 
     The cable may be attached to a wall of the chamber, such as the upper wall of the chamber, wherein an unattached length of the cable is the portion that folds into the chamber and provides the length necessary to slide the drawer out of the housing to the fully open position. 
     The present invention also encompasses a lottery ticket dispenser array that includes a plurality of the bins described above in an interconnected configuration. 
     Aspects of the lottery ticket bin and dispenser array will be described in greater detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A full and enabling disclosure including the best mode of practicing the appended claims and directed to one of ordinary skill in the art is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification. The specification makes reference to the appended figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a lottery ticket dispenser array within a cabinet in accordance with aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the lottery ticket dispenser array removed from the cabinet; 
         FIG. 3  is a back perspective view of an embodiment of a lottery ticket dispenser array; 
         FIG. 4 a    is a back perspective view of an individual ticket bin from the lottery ticket dispenser array of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4 b    is a back perspective view of the bin of  FIG. 4 a    with the drawer in an open position; 
         FIG. 5 a    is a front perspective view of an individual ticket bin from the lottery ticket dispenser array of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5 b    is a front perspective view of the bin of  FIG. 5 a    with the drawer in an open position; 
         FIG. 6 a    is a side cut-away view of a bin with the drawer in a fully closed position; and 
         FIG. 6 b    is a side cut-away view of the bin of  FIG. 6 a    with the drawer in an open position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various and alternative exemplary embodiments and to the accompanying drawings, with like numerals representing substantially identical structural elements. Each example is provided by way of explanation, and not as a limitation. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure and claims. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure includes modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 
       FIG. 1  depicts an embodiment of a dispenser array  10  for dispensing lottery tickets (not shown) at a retail establishment, such as a convenience store, retail store, pub, restaurant, or the like, that is generally authorized by a lottery jurisdiction to carry out lottery activities, such as the sale of instant scratch-off tickets or terminal printed draw tickets for games such as Powerball™. The lottery jurisdiction may be a state lottery authority, such as the Pennsylvania Lottery, or any other governmental jurisdictional authority. A separate game provider may be partnered with the lottery jurisdiction to provide certain control, implementation, and logistical functions of the game. It should be appreciated that the type of retail establishment or lottery jurisdiction entities are not limiting factors of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3  in general, the array  10  includes a plurality of separate ticket bins  22  (described in greater detail below) that, collectively, define a top  12 , sides  14 , back  16 , and front  18  of the array  10 . The bins  22  may be physically interconnected within the array by any manner of suitable structure provided on the sides, top, or bottom of the bins  22 . Each bin  22  has a front face  24  with a dispensing slot  26  through which lottery tickets contained in the bin  22  are dispensed. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the bins  22  (and hence the array  10 ) have a relatively low height profile and are designed to contain a stack of fan-folded lottery tickets laid flat in the respective bins  22 . This configuration is particularly well-suited for an “under-counter” system wherein the array  10  is operationally located within a cabinet  20  ( FIG. 1 ) that is sized to fit under a retail counter. This arrangement removes the array from on or above the retail counter and frees up valuable space at the point of sale (POS) counter at the retail establishment, which is highly desirable to retailers. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 a  through 5 b   , each bin  22  defines at least one internal ticket compartment  40  for receipt of a supply of lottery tickets, for example in the form of a fan-folded stack of interconnected tickets or a roll of interconnected tickets. In the depicted embodiment, each bin  22  is configured to house and dispense two separate supplies of lottery tickets and includes side-by-side ticket compartments  40  separated by an internal wall  50 . Each ticket compartment  40  includes an operational component section  38  at the front thereof that may include a drive mechanism, scanner or other type of reader, cutting bar or mechanism, control circuitry, and so forth. It should be appreciated that each bin  22  may include any number of ticket compartments  40  and associated component sections  38 . 
     Each bin  22  has an open-top housing structure  28  that includes sides  32  and a back side  30 . The back sides  30  collectively define the back  16  of the dispenser array  10 . A circuit board  62  is fixed to an exterior of the back side  30  of each bin housing  28  and is configured to supply power and control functions to the bin, in particular to the component section  38 . For example, as mentioned, each bin  22  (or component section  38  within the bin  22 ) may include a drive mechanism that dispenses an individual lottery ticket from the bin  22  through the dispense slot  26  upon receipt of a dispense signal via the circuit board  62 , wherein power to the drive mechanism is also provided via the circuit board  62 . Each bin  22  (or component section  38 ) may also include a scanner that reads a code on the lottery ticket as the ticket is dispensed, wherein power to the scanner is provided via the circuit board  62  and the scanned code is transmitted from the scanner via the circuit board  62  to a downstream controller or central lottery server/computer that is in communication with the dispenser array  10 . It should be appreciated that the array  10  is not limited by the power or control functions that are provided by the circuit boards  62  or performed by the operational components within the component section  38 . 
     Each bin  22  includes an open-top drawer  36  that is slidable into and out of the housing  28 . The drawer includes sides  42 , front wall  44 , floor  48 , and a back wall  46 . In the illustrated embodiment, the drawer  36  includes the one or more ticket compartments  40 , wherein the tickets can be loaded into the compartment through the open top of the drawer. Also the component sections  38  are configured within and adjacent a front wall  44  of the drawer  36 , and the dispense slot  26  is defined in the front wall  44  of the drawer  36 . 
     Referring in general to  FIGS. 6 a  and 6 b   , the component section  38  includes a first cable connection port  56  having any suitable connector structure. A second cable connection port  58  is disposed within and fixed to the housing  28  adjacent the component section  38  in a fully closed position of the drawer  36  relative to the housing  28 . The second cable connection  58  is in communication with the circuit board  62  fixed to the bin housing  28 . A power/data cable  60  is connected between the first cable connection port  56  and the second cable connection port  58  and has a length so as to accommodate a fully open position of the drawer  36  relative to the housing  28 , as depicted in  FIG. 6 b   . A cable storage section  54  is configured with the drawer  36  at a location such that the cable  60  folds into the cable storage section  54  as the drawer  36  is pushed back into the housing  28  ( FIG. 6 a   ) and is pulled from the storage section  54  as the drawer  36  is pulled out of the housing  28  ( FIG. 6 b   ). 
     The relative locations of the first  56  and second  58  cable connection ports provides relatively easy access for a clerk or other personnel to connect/disconnect the cable  60  from the housing  28  with the drawer  36  in an open position in order to replace or service one of the drawers  36 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, wherein the circuit board  62  is fixed to an exterior of the back side  30  of the housing  28 , a connector  64  extends between the circuit board  62  and the second cable connection port  58 , which may be disposed on the floor  34  of the housing  28 . The connector  64  may be hard-wired between the circuit board  64  and the second cable connection port  58 . In a particular embodiment, the cable storage section  54  may be located above the floor  34  of the housing  28  over the connector  64  such that the cable  60  folds into the cable storage section  54  above the connector  64 . 
     The cable storage section  54  may be variously configured. In the illustrated embodiment, a chamber  52  is disposed longitudinally within the drawer  36  between the component section  38  and back wall  46  of the drawer  36 . For example, the chamber  52  may be defined in a side wall  42  of the drawer  36 . In the illustrated embodiment wherein the drawer  36  is configured to store and dispense at least two separate supplies of lottery tickets and includes adjacent ticket compartments  40  separated by an internal wall  50 , the chamber  52  may have an open bottom and be defined in the intermediate wall  50 , as seen in  FIGS. 4 b  and 6 a -6 b   . In this embodiment, the connector  64  may be disposed in the middle and on the floor  34  of the housing  28  and is located within the chamber  52  in the fully closed position of the drawer  36 , as depicted in  FIG. 6 a   . The chamber  52  has a height such that the cable folds into the chamber above the connector  64 . 
     As seen in  FIGS. 6 a -6 b   , the cable  60  may be attached to a wall of the chamber  52 , such as the upper or top wall of the chamber  52 , wherein an unattached length of the cable  60  is the portion that folds into the chamber  52  and provides the length necessary to slide the drawer  36  out of the housing to the fully open position ( FIG. 6 b   ). 
     As discussed, the present invention also encompasses a lottery ticket dispenser array  10  that includes a plurality of the bins  22  described above in an interconnected configuration. 
     The material particularly shown and described above is not meant to be limiting, but instead serves to show and teach various exemplary implementations of the present subject matter. As set forth in the attached claims, the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and sub-combinations of various features discussed herein, along with such variations and modifications as would occur to a person of skill in the art.