The present invention relates generally to ticket dispensing mechanisms, and more particularly to a high speed ticket dispenser for use in arcade type games and the like.
Ticket dispensers are used in many fields including transportation, entertainment, sports, and particularly in the field of arcade games. Arcade games award players redemption tickets based on performance or luck in various games designed to distribute such tickets, which are then redeemed for prizes offered at the arcade.
In a typical redemption-type arcade game, a ticket dispenser is positioned at a front panel or in a game unit, where players have easy access to dispensed tickets. Generally, a supply such as a roll or fanfold of tickets is stored in a supply cache or compartment near the ticket dispenser within a game unit. The operator of the game can replace tickets when the supply is exhausted. The tickets are routed from the supply, through the ticket dispenser, and to a front opening or slot in the game unit through which the tickets are dispensed. The ticket dispenser may include one or more motor-driven rollers which can move the strip of tickets to and through the slot.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention
The ticket dispenser 10 of the present invention is generally shown in
The circuit board plate 30 mounts the circuit board 32 used to count the tickets T as they are dispensed by the machine. The circuit board 32 may be of the type manufactured by Xiamen Product Development Company Ltd. of Xiamen, China (PN0152487), and includes an optical sensor 40 positioned at the lower edge of the board to detect the tickets as they pass by the circuit board 32. The optical sensor is positioned just aft of the lead roller 34 between the lead roller 34 and a secondary roller 42 in the path of the ticket travel. As the ticket T passes by, the optical sensor 40 reads either a notch or a bar code imprinted on the outer edge of the ticket to maintain a count of the tickets being dispensed. The circuit board 32 is coupled by a first electrical cable 46 to the motor M for controlling the motor that drives the ticket dispenser and providing power to the Motor M. The motor can be a twelve volt, 120 rpm DC motor such as those offered by Jye Maw of Taiwan. A second electrical cable 48 connects the circuit board 32 to a main processor (not shown) in the arcade game which signals to the ticket dispenser 10 how many tickets to dispense to the player.
The motor support plate 28 includes an extension plate 52 extending vertically from an upper edge with a hole for receiving a threaded fastener that mounts a tertiary ticket roller 54. The tertiary ticket roller 54 is substantially vertically aligned with the secondary ticket roller 42, such that tickets travel substantially vertically upwards from the secondary ticket roller 42 to the tertiary ticket roller 54. As with the lead roller, the secondary roller and tertiary roller are replaceable with larger or smaller rollers to accommodate varying size tickets.
The motor support plate 28 further supports a cylindrical shaft 50 extending orthogonally approximately two inches, where the cylindrical shaft 50 is mounted about one and one half inches above the secondary roller 42. The cylindrical shaft is journalled on a cylindrical rod 60 that enables the shaft 50 to rotate freely about the rod 60. A stop at the end of the rod 60 maintains the cylindrical shaft 50 on the rod while allowing enough play to provide free rotation of the shaft about the rod. Mounted on the shaft 50 is an arm 62 that carries a pair of pinch rollers 64 at a distal end, where the pinch rollers 64 are horizontally aligned with the tertiary roller 54. The lower half 64b of the pinch roller 64 is mounted in a bracket extending horizontally from the arm 62, and is journalled within an annular collar 68 on a first side for receiving the axel 70 of the lower half 64b of the pinch roller 64, and a plate the receives the axel 70 on the other side. The axel 70 of the lower half 64b of the pinch roller 64 can include a circumferential recess 74 at an outer edge. Between the plate 28 and the lower half 64b of the pinch roller 64 is a toothed gear 76 for driving the pinch roller. The lower half of the pinch roller 64 may include a rubber band 78 to increase the friction of the rollers which resist slip as the tickets pass through. The upper half 64a of the pinch roller 64 is mounted to a carrier bracket 80 with a collar 82 on a first side for receiving the axel 84 of the upper half 64a of the pinch roller 64 and a plate 86 on the opposite side for receiving the axel 84, where the upper half 64a of the pinch roller 64 further carries a toothed gear 88 for engaging the complimentary toothed gear 76 on the lower half of the pinch roller 64 to drive both halves of the pinch rollers in opposite directions to move the tickets therebetween. The carrier bracket 80 is mounted on two vertical threaded fasteners 90 with a nut 92 at the top end. Between the carrier plate 80 and the nuts 92 are coil springs 94 that apply pressure on the upper half 64a of the pinch roller 64 so as to force the upper half against the lower half of the roller. By rotating the nuts 92 in either direction, more or less tension can be applied to the upper half 64a of the pinch roller to adjust the tension as needed to pull the tickets T through the dispenser.
Extending from the bottom of the motor support plate 28 is an anchor rod 96, which is connected at its distal end 98 to a tensioning spring 100. At the end of the tensioning spring 100 is a ring 102 that fits over the axel 70 of the lower half 64b of the pinch roller 64 and sits in the circumferential recess 74. With the tensioning spring 100 connecting the anchor rod 96 to the pinch roller 64, the pinch roller 64 is fixed in its position shown in
The motor M is mounted to the motor support plate 28 such that a drive shaft 104 passes through the support plate 28 and carries a toothed drive gear 106. The drive gear 106 is coupled to a smaller follower gear 108 mounted on a support shaft 110 passing through the motor support plate 28. As the motor M drives the drive shaft 104 and drive gear 106, the follower gear 108 and support shaft 110 are turned, which in turn drives a second drive gear 112 on the opposite side of the motor support plate 28. The second drive gear 112 turns the associated gear 76 on the lower half of the pinch rollers 64 positioned to be aligned with the tertiary ticket roller 54. The cooperating gear 88 on the upper half 64a of the pinch roller 64 turns with the lower half's gear so that both halves 64a,b of the pinch rollers 64 turn in opposite directions to “pull” the line of tickets T therebetween. The surface of the pinch rollers may be textured in addition to the frictional band 78 to increase the friction and prevent slippage of the tickets.
The foregoing description of the ticket dispenser is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, in that those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize and appreciate that alternative embodiments and substitutions are possible without deviating from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be limited in any manner by the foregoing, but rather the scope of the invention is intended to be measured by the appended claims in view of the description above.