Patent Publication Number: US-6904843-B2

Title: Jam resistant printer bezel

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a jam resistant bezel from which paper slips such as tickets, vouchers, coupons and the like are dispensed from a vending machine or similar apparatus. The invention is particularly useful, e.g., in connection with printers for gaming and lottery terminals that provide racetrack tickets, lottery tickets, cashless betting slips and the like to consumers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     High speed printers, such as inkjet, thermal, dye sublimation and dot matrix printers are used to provide vouchers, coupons, tickets, receipts and the like (hereinafter generically referred to as “slips”) to consumers. Such slips are usually made of paper, onto which text and/or graphics are printed, but may alternatively be made of other materials such as cardstock, plastic (e.g., cellophane or Mylar), laminates, metal foil, etc., as long as the material can be fed through the printer transport mechanism. Typically, the slips are discharged to the consumer after printing via a bezel mounted in the front panel of a self-service terminal. Such terminals can be found, for example, in casinos (e.g., slot machines), retail establishments (e.g., lottery machines), transportation centers (e.g., train, bus and subway ticket machines), gasoline service stations (pump receipts), and the like. 
     One problem that sometimes arises when dispensing slips to consumers is that the bezel becomes blocked. This can occur either accidentally (e.g., by an impatient consumer placing a finger over the bezel output opening while waiting for the slip to be dispensed), or intentionally (e.g., by a person who becomes frustrated with the results of a wager). Once the bezel is blocked, the slip being discharged from the printer has no where to go, resulting in a jam in the printer transport mechanism. 
     It would be advantageous to provide a bezel design that is resistant to jams when the bezel output opening is blocked. Such a design should provide reliable operation and enable easy recovery of the slip once the blockage is removed. 
     The present invention provides bezel designs having the aforementioned and other advantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, an anti-jam bezel is provided for dispensing a flexible substrate. The bezel comprises a bezel body having an output slot. The output slot has a front portion for outputting the flexible substrate and a rear portion for receiving the flexible substrate from a transport. A guideway diverges away from the rear portion of the output slot toward the transport to provide a substrate receiving opening that can be wider than the front portion of the output slot. When in use, the bezel body is mounted adjacent the transport with a cavity between the transport and the guideway. The guideway, when mounted, is adapted to catch a leading edge of the substrate after the substrate exits the transport and guide the leading edge to the output slot. In the event the output slot is blocked, the guideway is adapted to guide at least a portion of the substrate into the cavity between the transport and the guideway, thereby preventing a jam. 
     In one illustrated embodiment, the guideway includes at least one projection extending from upper and lower edges of the rear portion of the output slot. More particularly, the guideway can include a series of upper fingers extending from an upper edge of the rear portion and a series of lower fingers extending from a lower edge of the rear portion. The upper and lower fingers are preferably designed to provide a V-shaped entrance to the guideway for catching the leading edge of the substrate. The cavity can be open in either a top section or a bottom section thereof to accommodate a loop in the substrate. Optionally, at least one drain hole can be provided within the cavity, e.g., in a bottom wall of the bezel body, to prevent liquid entering the output slot from entering said transport. 
     Depending on the specific implementation, the bezel body can be mounted on either the inside or outside of a terminal housing that contains the transport. Alternatively, the bezel body could be mounted on a door of a terminal that contains the transport. The flexible substrate could be, for example, one of a ticket, a receipt, a document, a check, a coupon or other suitable printed material. 
     A method is provided for preventing jams when dispensing a flexible substrate from an output slot. In accordance with the method, a bezel body having an output slot for dispensing the flexible substrate is provided. A leading edge of the substrate is caught in a guideway after the substrate exits a transport. The guideway extends from the bezel body toward the transport, and guides the leading edge of the substrate to the output slot. A space is provided between the guideway and the transport. At least a portion of the substrate is guided into the space in the event the output slot is blocked. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a further understanding of the present invention, reference will be made to the following detailed description of the invention which is to be read in association with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first example embodiment of the invention, in which an internal bezel is shown mounted to a printer; 
         FIG. 2  is a top, rear and right side perspective view of the bezel shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3   a  is a cross sectional view of the bezel and printer assembly of  FIG. 1  showing the dispensing of a substrate; 
         FIG. 3   b  is a cross sectional view of the bezel and printer assembly of  FIG. 1  showing a blocked output opening; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a second example embodiment of the invention, in which an external bezel can be mounted over a front panel to a printer via a mounting bracket; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the bezel of  FIG. 4  when mounted via the bracket to the printer, showing a blocked output opening; and 
         FIG. 6  is a top, rear and right side perspective view of the bezel shown in FIG.  4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the drawings, there is illustrated a printer, generally referenced  10  and bezels generally referenced  20  and  70 , which embody the teachings of the present invention. It is noted that the illustrated structures are only example embodiments that can incorporate the features of the present invention, and other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a printer generally designated  10  includes a tray  14  that holds a stack of paper or other substrate to be printed. An example of such a printer is the Series 800, Model 850 thermal printer manufactured by TransAct Technologies Incorporated of Ithaca, N.Y., U.S.A., the assignee of the present application. The printer  10  includes a paper transport mechanism and a print mechanism (not shown) for printing and dispensing flexible substrates such as vouchers, coupons, tickets, receipts and the like (“slips”) to consumers. One use of such printers is in gaming and lottery terminals to print and dispense slips such as paper tickets or vouchers having a cash value. 
     A terminal that includes such a printer will generally output the slip via a bezel. If the output slot of prior art style bezels is blocked, the printer transport will jam. In accordance with the present invention, new types of bezels are provided that are resistant to jams. One example of a jam resistant bezel in accordance with the invention is generally designated  20  in FIG.  1 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , bezel  20  comprises a bezel body that mounts directly to the front face  16  of printer  10  via rear flanges  38  and appropriate fasteners (e.g., bolts and nuts  30 ,  36 ). Pins  46  ( FIG. 2 ) mate with corresponding holes in the front face  16  of the printer to ensure that the bezel is properly located on the printer. Side walls  22  of the bezel body extend between the rear flanges  38  and a front flange  24 . A circuit board  32  is mounted under the side walls  22  via bolts  34 . The circuit board can, for example, control various lights on the display panel of the terminal. 
     Bezel  20  includes an output slot  26  having a front portion  28  for outputting a slip and a rear portion  29  ( FIG. 3   a ) for receiving the slip from a transport, such as the paper transport of printer  10 .  FIG. 1  shows roller  15 , which is part of the paper transport of printer  10 . Roller  15  is driven by a motor (not shown) via gear  17  to move the paper slip  12  through a print mechanism and out of the printer. As such paper transports are well known in the art, further details thereof are not shown the present drawings. 
     Bezel  20  has a guideway formed from ribs  40 , which are tapered on the bottom edges  41  thereof to diverge away from the rear portion  29  of the output slot. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1  to  3 , the bezel  20  also has a diverging bottom wall  43 , which together with the ribs  40  forms a generally V-shaped opening  45  for receiving a substrate (e.g., a slip) from a printer. Since the V-shaped opening  45  is widest where it is closest to the printer  10 , it will catch a leading edge  53  of the substrate  50 , as the substrate leaves the exit slot  76  of the printer transport in the direction indicated by arrow  52 . After catching the leading edge  53 , the V-shaped opening will guide the leading edge to the bezel output slot  26  for output from the front portion  28  thereof. 
     The bezel  20  is designed such that it has a cavity  55  situated between the paper transport (printer  10 ) and the rear portion  29  of the output slot  26 . In the event that the front portion  28  of the output slot  26  is blocked, e.g., by a person&#39;s finger as shown in  FIG. 3   b  when a substrate  50  is trying to exit from the bezel, the V-shaped opening will guide the blocked substrate  50  into the cavity  55  to prevent a paper jam from occurring in the paper transport. In particular, if the leading edge  53  of the substrate is blocked as it tries to exit from the bezel, the ribs  40  or the bottom wall  43  (depending on which way the substrate curls) will assist the substrate  50  in forming a loop  58 ,  54 ,  56  within the cavity. A director strip  44 , which may be triangular in shape, can also be provided to facilitate the looping of the substrate. In the event that the loop commences along the ribs  40  as shown in  FIG. 3   b , the slope of the director strip  44  closest to the printer will assist in the formation of the loop portion  56 . Conversely, if the loop commences along the bottom wall  43 , the slope of the director slip  44  closest to the output slot  26  will urge the substrate to loop toward the top of the cavity  55  in the direction of the printer. By providing space for the loop to form, the cavity allows the substrate to be entirely ejected from the transport without causing a jam in the printer. 
     Another feature of the bezel  20  of  FIGS. 1-3  is that it includes openings  42  within the bottom wall  43 . These openings are provided for the drainage of liquid. In the event that a disgruntled customer pours coffee or another beverage, for example, into the output slot  26 , the openings will drain the liquid prior to reaching the printer. Thus, the printer will be protected from damage that could otherwise result if liquid were to enter the printer exit slot  76 . 
     The bezel body that forms the bezel  20  can be fabricated of any suitable material, such as plastic. The angle at which the guideway formed from ribs  40  and bottom wall  43  diverges from the rear portion  29  of output slot  26  is preferably in a range of about 45° to about 75°, although angles outside this range may also be appropriate. In the specific embodiment shown in the drawings, the angle between the bottom edges  41  and the bottom wall  43  is about 60°. 
       FIGS. 4-6  illustrate another embodiment, in which a bezel generally designated  70  is mounted external to the front panel  74  of a wagering terminal or the like. The bezel  70  includes an output slot  78  with a front opening  80  through which a slip is dispensed. An opening  82  is provided for mounting a lens that is backlit to illuminate a “retrieve ticket” indicia or the like. 
     The bezel  70  mounts to a mounting bracket generally designated  72  which, in turn, mounts to the front wall  16  of printer  10 . As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , the bezel can be mounted to the bracket  72  via bezel mounting wall  94  using any suitable fastener, such as a bolt  96 . Resilient clips  84  can also be provided on the bezel to hook over corresponding slots  85  in the bracket. The front of the bracket can include a portion  90  that provides a channel for accepting the top edge of a door  92  used to gain access to the inside of the terminal. The bracket dimensions provide a cavity  57  between the printer  10  and the bezel  70 . In the illustrated embodiment, the bezel is fabricated from plastic and the bracket is metal. It should be appreciated, however, that other satisfactory materials can be substituted. 
     The back of bezel  70  has top fingers  86  and bottom fingers  88  extending therefrom toward a transport included in printer  10 . The fingers form a V-shaped guideway  81  to catch the leading edge of a slip exiting the printer exit opening  76 . The guideway also serves to guide the slip into the rear portion  83  of the bezel output slot  78  for dispensing from the front portion  80  of the slot. 
     In the event the bezel output slot is blocked, for example by a customer&#39;s finger  60 , the cavity  57  provides a space for the slip to form into a loop  56 ,  54 ,  58 . The angled portions of fingers  86  and  88 , which extend behind the rear portion  83  of the bezel output slot and form the aforementioned V-shaped guideway, assist in the formation of the loop by urging the blocked slip in an upward or downward direction as the transport continues to push the slip in the direction of the output slot. By allowing the loop to form, the slip can exit the printer  10  via slot  76  without jamming in the printer transport. 
     As with the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , the angle formed between fingers  86  and  88  (which results in the V-shaped opening) can be on the order of about 45° to about 75°, although angles outside this range may also be appropriate. In the specific embodiment shown in the drawings, the angle between the sloped fingers is about 60°. 
     It should now be appreciated that the present invention provides bezel structures that enable a slip to exit a printer without jamming, even if the bezel output slot is blocked. 
     A guideway is provided at the back of the bezel for catching the leading edge of a slip to be dispensed, and guiding the slip to an output slot. The guideway is constructed such that it cooperates with a cavity between the output slot and the printer, to enable a slip to loop within the cavity upon blockage of the output slot. Since the cavity provides a place for the slip to go, the slip can exit the printer without jamming. 
     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to various preferred modes as illustrated in the drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in detail may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims.