Patent Application
20240321064
The present disclosure relates to lottery ticket vending machines.
Lottery tickets such as instant lottery tickets may be printed on a long strip that may be rolled or fan-folded and provided as a pack of lottery tickets. Lottery tickets in such strips may be separated along perforations formed between adjacent tickets in the strips. Lottery tickets may vary in width and length. Lottery tickets may be sold from such packs using lottery ticket vending machines.
In various embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine including: a machine housing including an openable front door, the front door including a ticket collection receptacle, the ticket collection receptacle defining a ticket receiving slot; a ticket drawer column in the machine housing, the ticket drawer column including a plurality of ticket drawers, each of the ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of lottery tickets; a ticket burster in the machine housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to a plurality of different ticket receipt positions, each different ticket receipt position associated with and in alignment with a different one of the ticket drawers, the ticket burster movable to a ticket dispense position adjacent to the ticket collection receptacle and such that the ticket outlet of the ticket burster is aligned with the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle; a sensor connected to one of a wall of the ticket burster and a wall of the ticket collection receptacle; a target connected to the other of the wall of the ticket burster and the wall of the ticket collection receptacle; and a controller. The controller is configured to cause the ticket burster to move to the ticket dispense position based on a signal from the sensor when the sensor senses the target.
In various other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine including: a machine housing including an openable front door, the front door including a ticket collection receptacle, the ticket collection receptacle defining a ticket receiving slot; a plurality of ticket drawer columns in the machine housing, each ticket drawer column including a plurality of ticket drawers, each of the ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of lottery tickets; a plurality of ticket bursters in the machine housing, each ticket burster associated with a different one of the ticket drawer columns, each ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, each ticket burster movable to a separate ticket dispense position adjacent to the ticket collection receptacle and such that the ticket outlet of that ticket burster is aligned with the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle; a plurality of sensors, each sensor connected to a different one of the ticket bursters; a target connected to the ticket collection receptacle; and a controller. The controller is configured to cause each of the ticket bursters to move to the ticket dispense position for said ticket burster based on signals from the sensor connected to said ticket burster when said sensor senses the target.
In various other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine including: a machine housing including an openable front door, the front door including a ticket collection receptacle, the ticket collection receptacle defining a ticket receiving slot; a plurality of ticket drawer columns in the machine housing, each ticket drawer column including a plurality of ticket drawers, each of the ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of lottery tickets; a plurality of ticket bursters in the machine housing, each ticket burster associated with a different one of the ticket drawer columns, each ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, each ticket burster movable to a separate ticket dispense position adjacent to the ticket collection receptacle and such that the ticket outlet of that ticket burster is aligned with the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle; a plurality of targets, each target connected to a different one of the ticket bursters; a plurality of sensors connected to the ticket collection receptacle; and a controller. The controller is configured to, for each of the ticket bursters, to move the ticket burster to the ticket dispense position for said ticket burster based on signals from the sensor connected to the ticket collection receptacle and associated with said ticket burster when said sensor sense the target connected to said ticket burster.
Additional features are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.
In various embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine that is configured to repeatedly precisely align its ticket bursters with its ticket collection receptacle of its front door to ensure proper delivery of the lottery tickets from the ticket bursters to the ticket collection receptacle. In various embodiments, each of the tickets bursters includes a suitable sensor configured to sense a target on the ticket collection receptacle for facilitating precise positioning of that ticket burster relative to the ticket collection receptacle. In various other embodiments, each of the tickets bursters includes a suitable target and the ticket collection receptacle includes sensors for facilitating precise positioning of the ticket bursters relative to the ticket collection receptacle.
For a better understanding of the present disclosure, example instant lottery tickets are first generally described herein.
Various known instant lottery tickets are single game instant lottery tickets. An example single game instant lottery ticket can include: (1) a ticket substrate have a front surface and a back surface; (2) a predefined scratch-off area on the front surface; (3) variable lottery game indicia printed on the predefined scratch-off area; (4) a scratch-off coating (“SOC”) covering the variable lottery game indicia and the predefined scratch-off area; and (5) variable instant lottery ticket information indicia printed on the back surface. The instant lottery ticket information indicia can include text, one or more ticket numbers, one or more ticket codes (such as barcodes), and other instant lottery ticket information that is in human readable and machine readable forms. Certain of this instant lottery ticket information: (a) identifies the instant lottery ticket; (b) the set, run, and/or pack of instant lottery tickets that the instant lottery ticket is part of; and (c) other inventory control information. Various known single game instant lottery tickets include multiple predefined scratch-off areas, multiple sets of variable lottery game indicia printed on the predefined scratch-off areas, and multiple SOCs covering the variable lottery game indicia sets. Various known instant lottery tickets are multi-game instant lottery tickets and can be larger than single game tickets. Instant lottery tickets can also be of the known pull tab type. Instant lottery tickets can have a width that varies from 2 to 4 inches and a length that varies from 2 to 12 inches. The term lottery ticket as used herein is intended to cover these various different types of instant lottery tickets and other types of lottery tickets that can be dispensed in a same or similar manner as these types of instant lottery tickets.
Various instant lottery tickets are often arranged after manufacture (which includes after complete printing) in instant lottery ticket packs for storage, organization, sorting, picking, shipping to instant lottery ticket distributors or ticket retailers, and validation. Instant lottery ticket packs can include a plurality of instant lottery tickets (that are all of the same type, same size, and for the same game(s)), and can be protected for storage and shipping by a transparent pack wrapping, such as transparent plastic wrapping, securely wrapped around the plurality of instant lottery tickets. A pack of instant lottery tickets can include all of the instant lottery tickets attached to each other but joined by perforations. Such instant lottery tickets of a pack can be detached from each other along such perforations. While tickets of each pack are often manufactured in a continuous strip that is fan-folded for convenient supply, the packs can be in other forms such as in a roll form. These packs in the fan-folded form or in the roll form are configured to be dispensed via an instant lottery ticket vending machine.
Turning now to
The illustrated example lottery ticket vending machine 100 generally includes: (a) a machine housing 110 including a front door 200; (b) three ticket drawer columns 300a, 300b, and 300c positioned in and supported by the machine housing 110; and (c) three separate and independently movable ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400c positioned in the machine housing 110 and supported by burster supports (not labeled) positioned in and supported by the machine housing 110. The front door 200 of the lottery ticket vending machine 100 includes a ticket collection receptacle 250 as further described herein. The quantity of ticket drawer columns and associated movable ticket bursters can vary in accordance with the present disclosure.
It should be appreciated that the ticket vending machine 100 includes various other components that are conventional in the industry and/or that would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the ticket vending machine 100 can include: (1) various electronic components (not shown) some of which can be contained in an electronic component holder (not shown) positioned in and supported by the machine housing 110; and (2) various purchaser interface components (not labeled) that are part of the front door 200. These components are only briefly described herein for brevity. Such electronic components can be arranged in any suitable manner. The electronic component holder can be in the form or a slide-out drawer to facilitate access to the various electronic components contained therein. The electronic components can form part of the control system for the ticket vending machine 100. Various electronic components can also be positioned in the machine housing 110 outside of the electrical component holder. The electronic components can include one or more controllers that control(s) the operation of the ticket vending machine 100 including the movable ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400c as further discussed herein to facilitate the dispensing of each requested instant lottery ticket. The controller(s) can be any suitable type of controller (such as a programmable logic controller) that includes any suitable processing device(s) (such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, or an application-specific integrated circuit) and any suitable memory device(s) (such as random access memory, read-only memory, or flash memory). The memory device(s) stores instructions executable by the processing device(s) to control operation of the ticket vending machine 100. The purchaser interface components include one or more display devices, one or more input devices, and one or more payment acceptors. The purchaser interface components enable purchasers to use such components to determine the instant lottery tickets available from the ticket vending machine 100, and to select and pay for any of those instant lottery tickets held by the ticket vending machine 100 that the purchaser desires to obtain. The purchaser interface components can display images and information to inform purchasers of the different instant lottery tickets available from the ticket vending machine 100 and to assist in completing the selection and purchase of such instant lottery tickets. These purchaser interface components can take various different forms as well known in the industry, and are thus not described in detail herein for brevity.
In this illustrated example embodiment, the machine housing 110 includes a top wall 120, spaced-apart left and right side walls 130 and 140, a rear wall 150, a base 160, and the openable front door 200 pivotally connected to the right side wall 140. The base 160 is configured to rest on a floor or other suitable support. The machine housing 110 includes suitable vertically extending supports (not labeled) configured to hold and support the respective ticket drawer columns 300a, 300b, and 300c. The front door 200 is moveable from a closed and locked position covering the open front face of the machine housing 110 (as shown in
The ticket collection receptacle 250 of the front door 200 is configured to receive lottery tickets from each of the movable ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400c as further described herein. The ticket collection receptacle 250 is configured to hold each lottery ticket received from the respective movable ticket burster to enable the respective purchaser to retrieve the dispensed lottery ticket from the ticket collection receptacle 250. In this illustrated example embodiment, the ticket collection receptacle 250 includes a rear wall 252, a left side wall 260, a right side wall 264, a bottom wall 268, a top wall 272, and a front wall 276. The front wall 276 and the front door 250 define an elongated horizontally extending purchase ticket retrieval slot 278 (best shown in
As shown in
In this example embodiment, the ticket collection receptacle 250 includes a horizontally extending target 252a attached to the rear wall 252 and extending adjacent to and below the entire length or substantially the entire length of the ticket receiving slot 254. The target 252a faces the interior of the housing 110 and specifically faces the ticket bursters 400a, 440b, and 400c. In other embodiments, the target 252a can be otherwise suitably sized, positioned, and otherwise configured. For example, the target 252a can extend adjacent to and above the entire length or substantially the entire length of the ticket receiving slot 254. As further described below, the target 252a is configured to be sensed by sensors of the ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400b (such as sensor 430a of ticket burster 400a) to ensure that the ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400b are properly aligned with the ticket collection receptacle 250 before the ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400b attempt to move tickets into the ticket collection receptacle 250. This ensures that the ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400b will precisely deliver the tickets into the ticket collection receptacle 250.
Each of the ticket drawer columns 300a, 300b, and 300c are identical in this example embodiment. For brevity, only ticket drawer column 300a is described herein. Likewise, the three movable ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400c are identical in this example embodiment. For brevity, only ticket burster 400a associated with the ticket drawer column 300a is described herein.
Ticket drawer column 300a includes a series of aligned ticket drawers (not individually labeled) that are vertically stacked in the column. Each of the ticket drawers is configured to hold one or more packs of lottery tickets such as instant lottery tickets for dispensing by the ticket vending machine 100. The ticket drawers can vary in quantity, size, and shape depending upon the particular size of the ticket vending machine 100 and the quantity, size, and shapes of the lottery tickets that the ticket vending machine 100 can or will dispense. Each ticket drawer is configured to hold lottery tickets such as instant lottery tickets for selection by the purchasers. In various embodiments, the different ticket drawers can hold different lottery ticket packs for different lottery games, but it should be appreciated that two or more ticket drawers can hold the same type of lottery tickets. In various embodiments, each of the ticket drawers is configured to feed each instant lottery ticket held by that ticket drawer into the associated ticket burster 400a when the ticket burster 400a is moved into alignment with such ticket drawer for receipt, bursting, and dispensing of that lottery ticket. Bursting of the lottery ticket is the industry term for separating a lottery ticket from a pack of lottery tickets held in a ticket drawer. In this illustrated embodiment, the ticket drawers do not burst the lottery tickets and do not include any mechanisms for busting the lottery tickets. Rather, in this illustrated embodiment, the moveable ticket burster 400a is configured to receive and burst the lottery tickets fed by the lottery ticket drawers of the ticket drawer column 300a into the ticket burster 400a.
The movable ticket burster 400a is supported by one or more burster supporters (such as burster supporter 480a). The burster supporter(s) can be any suitable structure(s) that supports the ticket burster 400a in a manner that enables the ticket burster 400a to vertically move to any of a plurality of different ticket receipt positions that are associated with and in alignment with the respective ticket drawers of the ticket drawer column 300a. The burster supporter(s) also support the ticket burster 400a in a manner that enables the ticket burster 400a to vertically move to into alignment with the ticket collection receptacle 250 as further discussed herein.
The ticket vending machine 100 includes one or more actuators (not shown) that control movement of the ticket burster 400a under control of the controller of the ticket vending machine 100 and/or the controller (described below) of the ticket burster 400a. In this example, an actuator (not labeled) is mounted at the bottom of the ticket drawer column 300a and coupled to the ticket burster 400a by suitable linkages (such as but not limited to pulleys and a drive belt (not labeled)). The actuator is configured to move the ticket burster 400a under the control of the controller(s) in the vertical (e.g., up and down) directions. The movable ticket burster 400a is thus moveable, via this actuator and linkages on the ticket burster supporter 480a to different vertical locations including a plurality of the locations respectively associated and aligned with each of the ticket drawers of the ticket drawer column 300a such that the ticket burster 400a is positioned to receive one or more of the instant lottery tickets stored in each respective ticket drawers for obtaining and dispensing that instant lottery ticket into the ticket receptacle 400 for the purchaser as requested by the purchaser.
As best shown in
The burster controller (not shown) can be any suitable type of controller (such as a programmable logic controller) that includes any suitable processing device(s) (such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, or an application-specific integrated circuit) and any suitable memory device(s) (such as random access memory, read-only memory, or flash memory). The memory device(s) stores instructions executable by the processing device(s) to control operation of the ticket burster. The burster controller can be hard wired or wirelessly connected to and in communication with the cutter, the actuators for the driven rollers, and any actuators on or associated with the ticket burster that cause the movement of the ticket burster. In such embodiments, the burster controller can be wirelessly connected to and in communication with the controller of the ticket vending machine 100. In other embodiments, the ticket burster does not include a controller and is completely controlled by the controller of the ticket vending machine 100. In such embodiments, the controller of the ticket vending machine 100 can be wirelessly connected to and in communication with the cutter, the actuators for the driven rollers, and any actuators on the ticket burster or the burster supporter that cause the movement of the ticket burster. In various embodiments, the burster controller is not supported by the burster housing 402a and is thus separate from the burster housing.
The burster housing 402a generally includes a top member 404a, spaced-apart side members 406a and 408a, a front member 410a, a rear member 412a, and a bottom member 414a. The burster housing 402a also includes a plurality of internal members (not individually labeled) that define a ticket inlet 422a through which the ticket burster 400a is configured to receive a lottery ticket (such as lottery ticket T) from a ticket drawer of the ticket drawer column 300a, a ticket outlet 424a through which the ticket burster 400a is configured to move the received instant lottery ticket into the ticket collection receptacle 250, and a ticket movement path (not labeled) extending from the ticket inlet 422a to the ticket outlet 424a and through which the lottery ticket is moved through the ticket burster 400a. The ticket outlet 424a defined by the burster housing 402a is thus a relatively narrow ticket outlet.
In this illustrated example embodiment, the sensor 430a of the ticket burster 400a is on the front member 410a of the housing 402a of the ticket burster 400a and is configured to detect the target 252a on the ticket collection receptacle 250 as further described herein. The sensor 430a is in a position facing the front door 200 and the ticket collection receptacle 250 thereof. The sensor 430a is adjacent to and below the ticket outlet 424a of the ticket burster 400a. The sensor 430a can be alternatively positioned on the ticket burster housing 402a in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, the sensor 430a can be attached to either of the side members 406a and 408a of the housing 402a (in a position facing the front door 200 and the ticket collection receptacle 250 thereof). In another example, the sensor 430a can be positioned adjacent to and above the ticket outlet 424a of the ticket burster 400a. In various embodiments, the sensor 430a is communicatively connected (via hardwire or wirelessly) to the ticket burster controller and/or the controller of the vending machine 100. In one example embodiment, the sensor 430a is configured to communicate with the burster controller to provide sensed data to the burster controller, and the burster controller is configured to communicate that data to the controller of the ticket vending machine 100. In this example embodiment, the sensor 430a is configured to send suitable signals to such controller(s) when the sensor senses the target 252a on the back of the ticket collection receptacle 250. In other example embodiments, the sensor 430a is configured to directly communicate with the controller of the ticket vending machine 100. In this example embodiment, the sensor 430a is configured to send suitable signals to such controller when the sensor senses the target 252a on the back of the ticket collection receptacle 250.
As mentioned above, the ticket burster 400a must be repeated precisely aligned with the ticket collection receptacle 250 such that the ticket outlet 424a of the ticket burster 400a is aligned with the ticket receiving slot 254 of the ticket collection receptacle 250 for the transfer of the lottery ticket from the ticket burster 400a to the ticket collection receptacle 250 (as best shown in
In alternative embodiments, one or more of the ticket bursters can be configured such that the burster housing is rotatable about a horizontal axis to separate (via a tearing and/or twisting motion) each instant lottery ticket along the perforations connecting that instant lottery ticket to the next instant lottery ticket in the strip. In such embodiments, the positions of the ticket bursters may additionally vary and make the repeated precise alignment with the ticket collection receptacle 250 more difficult to consistently achieve.
The sensors, the target, and the controller(s) described herein better enable the ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400c to repeated and consistently be precisely aligned with the ticket collection receptacle 250 such that the ticket outlet 424a of the ticket burster 400a is aligned with the ticket receiving slot 254 of the ticket collection receptacle 250 for the transfer of the lottery tickets to the ticket collection receptacle 250 over the extended life of the lottery ticket vending machine 100.
One example method of operation of the ticket vending machine 100 is now described. It should be appreciated that the following example is not meant to limit of the scope of the present disclosure. It should also be appreciated that the operations are controlled by the controller of the ticket vending machine and/or the controller of the ticket bursters, and that the descriptions provided below of the steps are controlled by such controllers.
This example is when a purchaser desires to purchase a single instant lottery ticket from the ticket vending machine 100. Responsive to and after the purchaser selects the instant lottery ticket (from the plurality of different instant lottery tickets available from the ticket vending machine 100) using one or more of the purchaser interface components and specifically using one or more of the input devices and one or more of the payment acceptors to select and pay for the instant lottery ticket, the ticket vending machine 100 causes the ticket burster 400a to obtain and dispense that instant lottery ticket into the ticket collection receptacle 250.
This includes: (1) moving the ticket burster 400a into a ticket receipt position associated with and in alignment with the respective ticket drawer of the ticker drawer column 300a that holds the instant lottery ticket pack of the selected type of instant lottery ticket requested by the purchaser; (2) causing the ticket drawer to feed a leading edge of the top or front most instant lottery ticket of that pack in that ticket drawer into the ticket inlet 422a of the ticket burster 400a; (3) causing the ticket engagers of the ticket burster 400a to engage and cause that instant lottery ticket to move along the ticket movement path; (4) at the appropriate time when the perforations connecting that instant lottery ticket to the next instant lottery ticket of that strip are aligned with the ticket cutter of the ticket burster 400a, causing ticket cutter to cut the perforations and thus separate that instant lottery ticket from the next instant lottery ticket in the strip; (5) after the separation, causing (such as by permitting or allowing) the ticket drawer to retract any portion of that next instant lottery ticket of the strip from the ticket burster 400a; (6) moving the ticket burster 400a to a ticket dispense position adjacent to the ticket collection receptacle 250 and stopping the ticket burster 400a in a position when the sensor 430a of the ticket burster 400a senses the target 252a of the ticket collection receptacle 250 such that the ticket outlet 424a of the ticket burster 400a is precisely aligned with the ticket receiving slot 254 of the ticket collection receptacle 250; and (7) causing the ticket engagers to move the instant lottery ticket along the ticket movement path of the ticket burster 400a toward the ticket outlet 424a of the ticket burster 400a, out of the ticket outlet 424a, through the ticket receiving slot 254, and into the ticket collection receptacle 250. At this point, the purchaser can obtain the instant lottery ticket from the ticket collection receptacle 250.
In various example embodiments, the controller(s) is/are configured to cause the sensor 430a to search for the target 252a until the sensor 430a fines the target 252a.
In various example embodiments, the sensor 430a and the target 252a provide positional feedback to the controller(s).
In various example embodiments, the sensor 430a is configured to emit light waves (such as beam) to read the target 252a on the rear side of the ticket collection receptacle 250. In various such embodiments, the target 252a includes a reflective material.
In various example embodiments, the target 252a is configured to emit light waves and the sensor 430a is configured to detect such light waves. In various such embodiments, the target 252a includes a light source such as an LED.
In various example embodiments, the sensor 430a is configured to emit light waves (such as beam) to sense the void or opening in the rear side of the ticket collection receptacle 250. In this embodiments, the void or opening functions as the target.
In various example embodiments, the target 252a is magnetic and the sensor 430a is configured to detect the magnetic field. In various such embodiments, the target 252a includes a powered magnet (i.e., an electro-magnet) or a non-powered magnet.
In various example embodiments, the sensor 430a includes a camera configured to search for the target that is in the form of an image.
In various example embodiments, the sensor 430a includes a mechanical switch configured to be activated by an activator target 252a. In one embodiment, the activator target 252a extends from the ticket collection receptacle 250.
The present disclosure contemplates the use of multiple targets on the ticket collection bucket.
The present disclosure contemplates the use of multiple sensors on one or more of the ticket bursters.
As mentioned above, in alternative example embodiments, one or more sensors are located on the ticket collection receptacle 250 and separate targets are located on the ticket bursters 400a, 400b, and 400c.
As explained above, in the above described illustrated example embodiment, the front wall of the ticket burster defines the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the sensor is connected to the front wall of the ticket burster adjacent to and below the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the rear wall of the ticket collection receptacle defines the ticket receiving slot, and the target is connected to the rear wall of the ticket collection receptacle adjacent to and below the ticket receiving slot. In other example embodiments, the front wall of the ticket burster defines the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the sensor is connected to the front wall of the ticket burster adjacent to and above the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the rear wall of the ticket collection receptacle defines the ticket receiving slot, and the target is connected to the rear wall of the ticket collection receptacle adjacent to and above the ticket receiving slot. Thus, in certain embodiments, the sensors and target are respectively adjacent to and below the ticket outlet and the ticket receiving slot, and in other embodiments, the sensors and target are respectively adjacent to and above the ticket outlet and the ticket receiving slot.
In various alternative embodiments, the ticket vending machine can include sensors above and below the ticket outlet of the ticket burster and targets above and below the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle.
In various alternative embodiments, the ticket vending machine can include sensors above and below the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle and targets above and below the ticket outlet of the ticket burster.
In various embodiments, after the front door is closed, the controller can move one or more of the ticket bursters to determine the location of the ticket collection receptacle 250 and the ticket receiving slot 254 for calibration purposes. In certain such embodiments, the controller thus stores data regarding the determined locations and later uses such data to position the ticket bursters relative to the ticket collection receptacle.
In various alternative embodiments, the vending machine includes multiple ticket collection receptacles and associated ticket receiving slots, and thus multiple targets or sensors on such ticket collection receptacles.
In various alternative embodiments, the ticket vending machine of the present disclosure can have more than one ticket burster for one or more of the ticket drawer columns such that they can operate at the same time, or such that one or more ticket bursters are back-ups in case there is an issue with one of the other ticket bursters.
It should be appreciated from the above that various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lottery ticket vending machine comprising: (1) a machine housing comprising an openable front door, the front door comprising a ticket collection receptacle, the ticket collection receptacle defining a ticket receiving slot; (2) a ticket drawer column in the machine housing, the ticket drawer column comprising a plurality of ticket drawers, each of the ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of lottery tickets; (3) a ticket burster in the machine housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to a plurality of different ticket receipt positions, each different ticket receipt position associated with and in alignment with a different one of the ticket drawers, the ticket burster movable to a ticket dispense position adjacent to the ticket collection receptacle and such that the ticket outlet of the ticket burster is aligned with the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle; (4) a sensor connected to one of a wall of the ticket burster and a wall of the ticket collection receptacle; (5) a target connected to the other of the wall of the ticket burster and the wall of the ticket collection receptacle; and (6) a controller configured to cause the ticket burster to move to the ticket dispense position based on a signal from the sensor when the sensor senses the target. In various such embodiments, the sensor is connected to the wall of the ticket burster and the target is connected to the wall of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the sensor is connected to the wall of the ticket burster, the wall of the ticket collection receptacle defines the ticket receiving slot, and the target is connected to the wall of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the wall of the ticket burster defines the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the sensor is connected to the wall of the ticket burster, and the target is connected to the wall of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the wall of the ticket burster defines the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the sensor is connected to the wall of the ticket burster, the wall of the ticket collection receptacle defines the ticket receiving slot, and the target is connected to the wall of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the wall of the ticket burster defines the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the sensor is connected to the wall of the ticket burster below the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the wall of the ticket collection receptacle defines the ticket receiving slot, and the target is connected to the wall of the ticket collection receptacle below the ticket receiving slot. In various such embodiments, the wall of the ticket burster defines the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the sensor is connected to the wall of the ticket burster above the ticket outlet of the ticket burster, the wall of the ticket collection receptacle defines the ticket receiving slot, and the target is connected to the wall of the ticket collection receptacle above the ticket receiving slot. In various such embodiments, the sensor is below the ticket outlet of the ticket burster and the target is below the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the sensor is below the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle and the target is below the ticket outlet of the ticket burster. In various such embodiments, the sensor is above the ticket outlet of the ticket burster and the target is above the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the sensor is above the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle and the target is above the ticket outlet of the ticket burster. In various such embodiments, the sensor is connected to the wall of the ticket collection receptacle and the target is connected to the wall of the ticket burster. In various such embodiments, the sensor is one of an optical sensor, a camera, a magnetic field sensor, and a mechanical switch. In various such embodiments, the target is one of a reflective target, an image target, a magnetic target, and activator target.
It should be further appreciated from the above that various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lottery ticket vending machine comprising: (1) a machine housing comprising an openable front door, the front door comprising a ticket collection receptacle, the ticket collection receptacle defining a ticket receiving slot; (2) a plurality of ticket drawer columns in the machine housing, each ticket drawer column comprising a plurality of ticket drawers, each of the ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of lottery tickets; (3) a plurality of ticket bursters in the machine housing, each ticket burster associated with a different one of the ticket drawer columns, each ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, each ticket burster movable to a separate ticket dispense position adjacent to the ticket collection receptacle and such that the ticket outlet of that ticket burster is aligned with the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle; (4) a plurality of sensors, each sensor connected to a different one of the ticket bursters; (5) a target connected to the ticket collection receptacle; and (6) a controller configured to cause each of the ticket bursters to move to the ticket dispense position for said ticket burster based on signals from the sensor connected to said ticket burster when said sensor senses the target. In various such embodiments, the sensors are below the ticket outlets of the ticket bursters and the target is below the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the sensors are above the ticket outlets of the ticket bursters and the target is above the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle.
It should be further appreciated from the above that various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lottery ticket vending machine comprising: (1) a machine housing comprising an openable front door, the front door comprising a ticket collection receptacle, the ticket collection receptacle defining a ticket receiving slot; (2) a plurality of ticket drawer columns in the machine housing, each ticket drawer column comprising a plurality of ticket drawers, each of the ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of lottery tickets; (3) a plurality of ticket bursters in the machine housing, each ticket burster associated with a different one of the ticket drawer columns, each ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, each ticket burster movable to a separate ticket dispense position adjacent to the ticket collection receptacle and such that the ticket outlet of that ticket burster is aligned with the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle; (4) a plurality of targets, each target connected to a different one of the ticket bursters; (5) a plurality of sensors connected to the ticket collection receptacle; and (6) a controller configured to, for each of the ticket bursters, to move the ticket burster to the ticket dispense position for said ticket burster based on signals from the sensor connected to the ticket collection receptacle and associated with said ticket burster when said sensor sense the target connected to said ticket burster. In various such embodiments, the sensors are below the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle and the targets are below the ticket outlets of the ticket bursters. In various such embodiments, the sensors are above the ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle and the targets are above the ticket outlets of the ticket bursters.
It should further be appreciated that the movable ticket burster of the present disclosure can replace the multiple stationary dispensing devices that are respectively mounted in front of each of the respective ticket drawers in various known instant lottery ticket vending machines. It should also be appreciated that by eliminating the multiple stationary dispensing devices, a greater quantity of ticket drawers can be employed than in various known instant lottery ticket vending machines.
Various changes and modifications to the present embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended technical scope. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
