Patent ID: 8070594

Claim:
A machine comprising: a housing; a data card acceptor supported by the housing and configured to receive a plurality of data cards; a card management assembly supported by the housing and including: (a) at least one card processing assembly including a plurality of walls, (b) a card transporter configured to receive the data cards from the data card acceptor and to transport the received data cards; (c) a first card holder configured to store a first plurality of the data cards, the first plurality of the data cards having a used card condition, the first card holder being connectable to a first portion of the card management assembly, and (d) a second card holder configured to store a second plurality of the data cards, the second plurality of the data cards having a new card condition, the second card holder being connectable to a second portion of the card management assembly, at least one input device supported by the housing; at least one processor which is operatively coupled to the card management assembly; and at least one memory device operatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: (a) operate with the data card acceptor, the first card holder, and the card transporter to, after receiving one of the data cards having the used card condition through the data card acceptor: (i) control the movement of said received data card having the used card condition from the data card acceptor to the first card holder, (ii) store said received data card having the used card condition in the first card holder, and (iii) control the movement of said received data card having the used card condition from the first card holder back to the data card acceptor for distribution; and (b) operate with the data card acceptor, the second card holder, and the card transporter to, in response to a first card holder empty and cash out condition being satisfied, control the movement of one of the data cards having the new card condition stored in the second card holder from the second card holder to the data card acceptor for distribution, the first card holder empty and cash out condition being satisfied when: (i) a user cashes out of the machine, and (ii) none of the data cards having the used card condition are stored in the first card holder.