Patent Application
20250118126
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, wherein the front door includes a ticket collection receptacle having a first ticket-receipt section defining a first ticket receiving slot, a second ticket-receipt section defining a second ticket receiving slot, and a third ticket-holding-and-access section defining a ticket retrieval slot, wherein the second ticket-receipt section and the third ticket-holding-and-access section include a plurality of walls formed from a sheet metal with a grain extending in an upright direction. The lottery ticket vending machine further includes 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; and 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 first ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle.
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 comprising a ticket collection receptacle including: a first rear wall, a second rear wall spaced-apart from the first rear wall, the first rear wall and the second rear wall defining a first ticket receiving slot, a bottom wall connected to and extending outwardly from the second rear wall, a first front wall connected to and extending outwardly and upwardly from the bottom wall, a first top wall spaced-apart from the first front wall, the first front wall and the first top wall defining a ticket retrieval slot, the second front wall extending downwardly, a second front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the first top wall, a second top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the second front wall, a third front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the second top wall, and a third top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the third front wall, the third top wall connected to and the first rear wall, and wherein the first rear wall is connected to extends downwardly from the third top wall. The lottery ticket vending machine also includes 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; and 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 first ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle.
In various other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine including a machine housing comprising an openable front door, wherein the front door includes a ticket collection receptacle having: a ticket-receipt section and a ticket-holding-and-access section that are formed by: a first rear wall, a second rear wall spaced-apart from the first rear wall, the first rear wall and the second rear wall defining a first ticket receiving slot, a bottom wall connected to and extending outwardly from the second rear wall, a first front wall connected to and extending outwardly and upwardly from the bottom wall, a first top wall spaced-apart from the first front wall, the first front wall and the first top wall defining a ticket retrieval slot, the second front wall extending downwardly, a second front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the first top wall, a second top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the second front wall, a third front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the second top wall, a third top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the third front wall, the third top wall connected to and the first rear wall, and wherein the first rear wall is connected to extends downwardly from the third top wall, and a downwardly extending angled ramp below the first ticket receiving slot, wherein the ramp is connected at a top portion and extends downwardly from an inner section of the second rear wall, wherein the ramp includes an upper section that is angled away from the second rear wall, and the ramp includes a lower section that is angled toward and extends toward the second rear wall. The lottery ticket vending machine further includes 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; and 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 first ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle.
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 ensure proper delivery and receipt of lottery tickets into a ticket collection receptacle and access to the ticket collection receptacle by purchasers. In various embodiments, the ticket collection receptacle is configured to receive and hold lottery tickets of different sizes and different shapes without damage to such tickets.
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 having 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 (such as from 2 to 4 inches) and a length that varies (such as 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 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 the lottery 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.
Lottery tickets of different sizes can be partially or fully straight, or for multiple different reasons, lottery tickets or parts thereof can be partially or fully curled, curved, or otherwise shaped at any one time. The lottery ticket vending machine including the ticket collection receptacle of the present disclosure is configured to receive lottery tickets of such different sizes and shapes without damage to such lottery ticket and particularly without damage to the SOC coatings of such lottery tickets.
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. The size of the ticket collection receptacle can vary based on the quantity of ticket draw columns.
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 respectively hold and support the respective ticket drawer columns 300a, 300b, and 300c. The ticket drawer columns can be supported in any suitable manners. 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 and from a printer 600 as further described herein. The ticket collection receptacle 250 is configured to receive and then hold each lottery ticket received from the respective movable ticket burster or the printer to enable the respective purchaser to retrieve the dispensed lottery ticket from the ticket collection receptacle 250. The ticket collection receptacle 250 is configured such that it can receive and hold differently sized, differently shaped, and differently curled lottery tickets without damage to such lottery tickets and specifically without damage to the SOC coatings of such lottery tickets.
In this illustrated example embodiment, the ticket collection receptacle 250 includes a first ticket-receipt section A, a second ticket-receipt section B, and a third ticket-holding-and-access section C as further described below. The first ticket-receipt section A is configured to receive instant lottery tickets from the bursters 300a, 300b, and 300c as best shown in
More specifically, as best shown in
In this example embodiment, at least certain of the walls of the ticket collection receptacle 250 are formed from sheet metal with the grain extending from top to bottom (instead of from side to side). This provides smoother surfaces for the tickets dispensed into the ticket collection receptacle 250 to engage and move inside of the ticket collection receptacle 250. These smooth surfaces prevent damage to the SOC's of the lottery tickets as such lottery tickets move into the ticket collection receptacle 250.
In this example embodiment, the second rear wall 254, the bottom wall 256, the first front wall 258, the second front wall 260, the first top wall 264, the second top wall 266, the third top wall 268, and the inner ramp 270 are formed from sheet metal with the grain of walls extending from top to bottom (instead of from side to side). In one example embodiment, the first rear wall 252, the third front wall 262, and the third top wall 268 are also formed from sheet metal with the grain of walls extending from top to bottom (instead of from side to side). In one example embodiment, the first side wall 274 and the second side wall 276 are also formed from sheet metal with the grain of walls extending from top to bottom (instead of from side to side).
In this illustrated example embodiment, as best seen in
In various embodiments, the walls of the ticket collection receptacle can be formed from multiple separate wall that are suitably attached.
In this illustrated example embodiment, the walls of the ticket collection receptacle 250 are formed at suitable angles to direct the lottery tickets dispensed into the ticket collection receptacle 250 to engage and move inside of the ticket collection receptacle 250. These angles are shown in
More specifically, as best shown in
The second rear wall 254 as best shown in
As best seen in
The second rear wall 254 also defines a horizontally extending second ticket receiving slot 284 of the ticket collection receptacle 250 that is best shown in
As best shown or indicated in
The inner ramp 270 as best shown in
In this illustrated example embodiment, the end of the lower section 273 is spaced from the second rear wall 254 as best shown in
The bottom wall 256 as best shown in
The first front wall 258 as best shown in
The first top wall 264 as best shown in
The second front wall 260 as best shown in
The second top wall 266 as best shown in
The third front wall 262 as best shown in
The third top wall 268 as best shown in
The first side wall 274 is connected to the first rear wall 252, the second rear wall 254, the bottom wall 256, the first front wall 258, the second front wall 260, the third front wall 262, the first top wall 264, the second top wall 266, and the third top wall 268. The side wall 274 partially defines the horizontally extending second ticket receiving slot 284. The side wall 274 also partially defines the ticket receiving slot 280. An additional inner wall (not labeled) also defines the ticket receiving slot 280 as best shown in
The second side wall 276 is connected to the second rear wall 254, the bottom wall 256, the first front wall 258, the second front wall 260, the third front wall 262 the first top wall 264, and the second top wall 266. The side wall 276 also partially defines the ticket retrieval slot 278.
In this illustrated example embodiment, the ticket burster 400a, 400b, and 400c are each configured to deliver the respective lottery tickets to the ticket collection receptacle 250 at a 30 degree angle or approximately a 30 degree angle. In various embodiments, this angle varies +/−10 degrees in accordance with the present disclosure. The leading edge of each such lottery ticket will travel across a small gap between such ticket burster and the ticket receiving slot 280 and then move through the ticket receiving slot 280 into the ticket collection receptacle 250.
As best shown in
As best shown in
As best shown in
Thus, the walls of the ticket collection receptacle 250 are configured to direct lottery tickets of different sizes and shapes into the ticket collection receptacle 250, and are configured to hold the received lottery tickets of different sizes and shapes therein while allowing other lottery tickets to enter the ticket collection receptacle 250.
In various other embodiments, the walls of the ticket collection receptacle 250 are formed from another suitable material such as but not limited to a plastic material.
It should be appreciated that in various embodiments, the walls of the ticket collection receptacle 250 are formed to provide static electricity dissipation (that can be created with the dispensing of paper based products such as lottery tickets.
Although not shown, the vending machine 100 can include one or a series of indicators such as lights and more specifically such as LED lights that indicate to the customer the status of the delivery of the lottery tickets to 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 250 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 defines a ticket inlet (not labeled) 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 (not labeled) 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 to the ticket outlet and through which the lottery ticket is moved through the ticket burster 400a.
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 pack. 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.
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 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 comprising: a first ticket-receipt section defining a first ticket receiving slot, a second ticket-receipt section defining a second ticket receiving slot, and a third ticket-holding-and-access section defining a ticket retrieval slot, wherein the second ticket-receipt section and the third ticket-holding-and-access section comprise a plurality of walls formed from a sheet metal with a grain extending in an upright direction; (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; and (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 first ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the first ticket-receipt section comprises a downwardly extending angled ramp below the first ticket receiving slot. In various such embodiments, the first ticket-receipt section comprises a downwardly angled wall spaced-apart from the ramp. In various such embodiments, the first ticket-receipt section comprises a first rear wall and a second rear wall that partially define the first ticket receiving slot. In various such embodiments, the second rear wall is directedly connected to the ramp. In various such embodiments, the ramp is connected to a top portion and extends downwardly from an inner section of the second rear wall. In various such embodiments, the ramp comprises an upper section that is angled away from the second rear wall. In various such embodiments, the ramp comprises a lower section that is angled toward and extends toward the second rear wall. In various such embodiments, the lower section of the ramp is spaced-apart from the second rear wall. In various such embodiments, the upper section of the ramp and the lower section of the ramp are connected by a curved smooth intermediate section.
It should be appreciated from the above that 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 comprising: a first rear wall, a second rear wall spaced-apart from the first rear wall, the first rear wall and the second rear wall defining a first ticket receiving slot, a bottom wall connected to and extending outwardly from the second rear wall, a first front wall connected to and extending outwardly and upwardly from the bottom wall, a first top wall spaced-apart from the first front wall, the first front wall and the first top wall defining a ticket retrieval slot, the second front wall extending downwardly, a second front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the first top wall, a second top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the second front wall, a third front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the second top wall, and a third top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the third front wall, the third top wall connected to and the first rear wall, and wherein the first rear wall is connected to extends downwardly from the third top wall; (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; and (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 first ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the second rear wall, the bottom wall, the first front wall, the first top wall, the second front wall, and the second top wall are formed from a sheet metal with a grain extending in an upright direction. In various such embodiments, the first rear wall, the third top wall, and the third front wall are formed from a separate piece of sheet metal and attached to the second top wall. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a downwardly extending angled ramp below the first ticket receiving slot. In various such embodiments, the ramp is connected at a top portion and extends downwardly from an inner section of the second rear wall. In various such embodiments, the ramp comprises an upper section that is angled away from the second rear wall. In various such embodiments, the ramp comprises a lower section that is angled toward and extends toward the second rear wall. In various such embodiments, the lower section of the ramp is spaced-apart from the second rear wall.
It should be appreciated from the above that 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 comprising: a ticket-receipt section and a ticket-holding-and-access section that are formed by: a first rear wall, a second rear wall spaced-apart from the first rear wall, the first rear wall and the second rear wall defining a first ticket receiving slot, a bottom wall connected to and extending outwardly from the second rear wall, a first front wall connected to and extending outwardly and upwardly from the bottom wall, a first top wall spaced-apart from the first front wall, the first front wall and the first top wall defining a ticket retrieval slot, the second front wall extending downwardly, a second front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the first top wall, a second top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the second front wall, a third front wall connected to and extending inwardly and upwardly from the second top wall, a third top wall connected to and extending inwardly from the third front wall, the third top wall connected to and the first rear wall, and wherein the first rear wall is connected to extends downwardly from the third top wall, and a downwardly extending angled ramp below the first ticket receiving slot, wherein the ramp is connected at a top portion and extends downwardly from an inner section of the second rear wall, the ramp comprises an upper section that is angled away from the second rear wall, and the ramp comprises a lower section that is angled toward and extends toward the second rear wall; (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; and (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 first ticket receiving slot of the ticket collection receptacle. In various such embodiments, the first rear wall, the third top wall, and the third front wall are formed separately from and attached to the second top wall.
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.
This application is related to the following commonly owned co-pending patent application: U.S. application Ser. No. 18/188,901, entitled “LOTTERY TICKET VENDING MACHINE,” Attorney Docket No. 025094-9458/P002681-001.
