Lottery ticket vending machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025046158-A1
Application number	US-202318364553-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 3, 2023
Priority date	Aug 3, 2023
Publication date	Feb 6, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A lottery ticket vending machine configured to determine, for each of a plurality of ticket drawers, if lottery tickets are in the ticket drawer, and to take one or more actions based on such determinations.

First claim

The claims are as follows:

1 . A lottery ticket vending machine comprising:
a housing; a ticket drawer in the housing, the ticket drawer configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket indicator assembly comprising a ticket engaging roller in the ticket drawer and a movable gauge connected to the ticket drawer; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to a position associated with and the ticket drawer; a sensor supported by the ticket burster, configured to sense a position of the gauge to obtain data based on a quantity of lottery tickets in the ticket drawer, and configured to transmit the data; and a controller configured to receive the data from the sensor, and determine the quantity of lottery tickets in the ticket drawer.

2 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the quantity is an approximate quantity.

3 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the ticket engaging roller is movable toward and away from a bottom wall of the ticket drawer.

4 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the ticket engaging roller includes a cylindrical central ticket engager, a first pin connected to and extending from a first end of the central ticket engager, and a second pin connected to and extending from an opposite second end of the central ticket engager.

5 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 4 , wherein the ticket drawer comprises a first side wall and a second side wall, wherein the first side wall comprises a first inner edge that defines an elongated first slot, wherein the second side wall comprises an elongated second slot, wherein the first pin extends through the first slot and the second pin extends through the second slot.

6 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 5 , wherein the central ticket engager is configured to move downwardly as lottery tickets are dispensed from the ticket drawer.

7 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 5 , wherein the gauge comprises a top wall that defines a pin receipt area.

8 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the ticket indicator assembly comprises a gauge supporter configured to movably support the gauge.

9 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 8 , wherein the gauge supporter is connected to the ticket drawer.

10 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 8 , wherein the gauge supporter supports a spring configured to bias the gauge upwardly.

11 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the gauge comprises an indicator configured to be sensed by the sensor.

12 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the sensor extends outwardly from a housing of the ticket burster.

13 . A lottery ticket vending machine comprising:
a housing; a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, each ticket drawer configured to hold lottery tickets; a plurality of ticket indicator assemblies in the housing, each ticket indicator assembly associated with a different one of the drawers; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to different positions respectively associated with the ticket drawers; and a sensor supported by the ticket burster, the sensor configured to, for each of the ticket drawers, sense a position of part of the ticket indicator assembly associated with that ticket drawer to obtain data based on a quantity of lottery tickets in the ticket drawer, and configured to transmit the data to a controller to determine a quantity of lottery tickets in the ticket drawer.

14 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 13 , wherein each of the quantities is an approximate quantity.

15 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 13 , wherein each ticket indicator assembly comprises a gauge supporter configured to movably support a gauge.

16 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 15 , wherein for each ticket indicator assembly, the gauge supporter supports a spring configured to bias the gauge upwardly.

17 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 15 , wherein for each ticket indicator assembly, the gauge comprises an indicator configured to be sensed by the sensor.

18 . A lottery ticket vending machine comprising:
a housing; a ticket drawer in the housing configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket indicator assembly connected to the ticket drawer; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to a position associated with and the ticket drawer; a sensor supported by the ticket burster, configured to sense a position of part of the ticket indicator assembly, and configured to transmit data based on the position of the part of the ticket indicator assembly; and a controller configured to receive the data from the sensor, and determine a quantity of lottery tickets that are in the ticket drawer.

19 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 18 , wherein the quantity is an approximate quantity.

20 . The lottery ticket vending machine of claim 18 , wherein the ticket indicator assembly comprises a gauge comprising an indicator configured to be sensed by the sensor.

Assignees

• Igt Global Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Bucci Paul A
• Thoeni Stewart

Classifications

• B65H2511/15

  Height, e.g. of stack · CPC title

• B65H26/06

  responsive to predetermined lengths of webs · CPC title

• B65H2301/11

  of web or zig-zag web · CPC title

• B65H2701/1936

  Tickets or coupons · CPC title

• B65H35/08

  from or with revolving, e.g. cylinder, cutters or perforators · CPC title