Patent ID: 7815071

Claim:
A card dispensing apparatus comprising: a first card hopper configured to hold a first plurality of cards in a first vertical stack; at least a second card hopper configured to hold a second plurality of cards in a second vertical stack; a card outlet for dispensing acceptable cards; a card escrow bin for holding unacceptable cards; a card carriage selectively movable between a first position proximate to the first card hopper, a second position proximate to the second card hopper, a third position spaced apart from the first and second positions, and a fourth position spaced apart from the third position, wherein the card carriage is configured to receive at least a first card from the first vertical stack when the card carriage is in the first position, wherein the card carriage is configured to receive at least a second card from the second vertical stack when the card carriage is in the second position, and wherein the card carriage is further configured to optionally transfer at least one of the first and second cards to the card outlet when the card carriage is in the third position or to the card escrow bin when the card carriage is in the fourth position; a card outlet chute operably coupled to the card outlet; and a card escrow chute operably coupled to the card escrow bin, wherein the card carriage is configured to transfer at least one of the first and second cards to the card outlet chute when the at least one card is an acceptable card, and wherein the card carriage is further configured to transfer at least one of the first and second cards to the card escrow chute when the at least one card is an unacceptable card.