System and method for variable perforation profiles in a stack of lottery tickets based on fold pattern

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10343236-B2
Application number	US-201615188421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2016
Priority date	Jun 21, 2016
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A method and associated system are provided for producing a perforation line between adjacent lottery tickets in an automated production line wherein a substrate having lottery tickets printed thereon is conveyed through a perforation station in the production line prior to being folded into a Z-fold pattern for subsequent packaging. A perforation machine in the line is controlled by a controller for defining the perforation lines, wherein the control process includes determining the perforation lines that correspond to fold lines in the Z-fold pattern and, for these perforation lines, programming the perforation machine to generate a second perforation profile that is different from a first perforation profile of non-fold perforation lines that lie between the fold lines in the Z-fold pattern. The second perforation profile is specifically tailored to produce a stronger perforation line to compensate for weakness induced in the perforation line from being folded.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing perforation lines between adjacent lottery tickets in an automated production line, wherein the lottery tickets are intended for folding at fold lines into a Z-fold pattern prior to packaging, the method comprising:
conveying a substrate through a perforation station in the automated production line, the substrate having individual lottery ticket indicia printed thereon such that a continuous stream of adjacent lottery tickets oriented end-to-end are conveyed through the perforation station;
controlling a perforation machine at the perforation station with a controller to define perforation lines between the adjacent lottery tickets, wherein the controlling process further comprises:
determining fold perforation lines that correspond to the fold lines in the Z-fold pattern;
for the fold perforation lines, the controller programming the perforation machine to produce a second perforation profile that is structurally different from a first perforation profile produced for non-fold perforation lines that lie between the fold lines in the Z-fold pattern;
wherein the second perforation profile provides a stronger perforation line as compared to the first perforation profile to compensate for weakness induced in the fold perforation lines from being folded; and
wherein the first and second perforation profiles are produced in a pattern on the substrate conveyed through the perforation station such that the second perforation profile is produced in the fold perforation lines.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second perforation profile is produced such that, after the fold perforation lines are weakened by being folded, a relatively same tear force is needed to separate the lottery tickets at the fold perforation lines as compared to non-fold perforation lines.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein there is at least one of the non-fold perforation lines between the fold lines in the Z-fold pattern.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein there are at least two of the non-fold perforation lines between the fold lines in the Z-fold pattern.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein different second perforation profiles are pre-generated and stored in an electronic library accessible by the controller, the different second perforation profiles corresponding to different types of substrate characteristics.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the perforation machine is a laser perforation machine having one or more laser perforation heads that are controlled by the controller for producing the different perforation profiles in the substrate conveyed through the perforation station.

7. A system for producing a perforation line between adjacent lottery tickets in an automated production line wherein a substrate is conveyed through a perforation station in the automated production line, the substrate having individual lottery ticket indicia printed thereon such that a continuous stream of adjacent lottery tickets oriented end-to-end are conveyed through the perforation station prior to being folded into a Z-fold pattern for subsequent packaging, the system comprising:
a perforation machine at the perforation station to produce perforation lines between the adjacent lottery tickets;
a controller in communication with the perforation machine, wherein the controller is configured to:
receive an input determining fold perforation lines that correspond to fold lines in the Z-fold pattern;
for the fold perforation lines, the controller programming the perforation machine to produce a second perforation profile that is structurally different from a first perforation profile produced for non-fold perforation lines that lie between the fold lines in the Z-fold pattern; and
wherein the second perforation profile is a stronger perforation line as compared to the first perforation profile to compensate for weakness induced in the fold perforation lines from being folded.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the second perforation profile is produced such that, after the fold perforation lines are weakened by being folded, a relatively same tear force is needed to separate the lottery tickets at the fold perforation lines as compared to non-fold perforation lines.

9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein different second perforation profiles are pre-generated and stored in an electronic library accessible by the controller, the different second perforation profiles corresponding to different types of substrate characteristics.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the perforation machine is a laser perforation machine having one or more laser perforation heads that are controlled by the controller for producing the different perforation profiles in the substrate conveyed through the perforation station.

Assignees

• Scient Games Int Inc

Inventors

• Ghia Ajay J

Classifications

• B23K26/0846

  for moving elongated workpieces longitudinally, e.g. wire or strip material · CPC title

• B23K26/0821

  using multifaceted mirrors, e.g. polygonal mirror · CPC title

• G05B17/02

  electric · CPC title

• B23K2103/40

  Paper · CPC title

• B23K2101/16

  Bands or sheets of indefinite length · CPC title