US5160076A — Ticket dispensing device and method

Claim 1

Independent Claim 127 words

A ticket dispenser for dispensing relatively stiff tickets from a panel in which said tickets are delineated from one another by lines of weakness, said dispensing means comprising, in combination, a housing for storing said tickets before dispensing them, said housing having an outlet opening, a tearing barrier in said housing adjacent said opening, dispensing means including drive means for frictionally driving said panel and forming a bend by bending said ticket panel along one line of weakness around said tearing barrier and pushing a ticket ahead of said line out through said opening to a position where it can be grasped and pulled to pull said strip against said tearing barrier while said bend is maintained and said tearing barrier is aligned with said one line.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 127 words

A ticket dispenser for dispensing relatively stiff tickets from a panel in which said tickets are delineated from one another by lines of weakness, said dispensing means comprising, in combination, a housing for storing said tickets before dispensing them, said housing having an outlet opening, a tearing barrier in said housing adjacent said opening, dispensing means including drive means for frictionally driving said panel and forming a bend by bending said ticket panel along one line of weakness around said tearing barrier and pushing a ticket ahead of said line out through said opening to a position where it can be grasped and pulled to pull said strip against said tearing barrier while said bend is maintained and said tearing barrier is aligned with said one line.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 78 words

A device as in claim 1, in which said panel is thrust in a first direction, guide means in said housing extending in said one direction to a position near said opening to guide tickets bearing against it through said opening, said drive means being adapted for moving said panel towards and against said guide means in a second direction transverse to said first direction to form said bend, and for pushing said first ticket through said opening.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 31 words

A device as in claim 2, said drive means including pushing means and a pusher member, said pushing means being drivably coupled to said pusher member to push said lead ticket.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 21 words

A device as in claim 3, in which said pushing means comprises a spring urging said pusher member towards said opening.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 31 words

A device as in claim 1, including means responsive to payment received for causing said dispensing means to dispense a predetermined number of tickets corresponding to the amount of said payment.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 58 words

A device as in claim 1, including gate means for selectively opening and closing said outlet opening, said tearing barrier having a tearing edge, said gate means being adapted to hold said panel against said barrier with one of said lines of weakness adjacent said tearing edge when said gate means is in position to close said opening.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 49 words

A device as in claim 6, in which said gate means is mounted to be pivoted through a variable angle to a second position away from said opening in which it contacts said panel at said bend and deflects said lead ticket ahead of said bend towards said opening.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 39 words

A device as in claim 1, in which said housing has a transparent window, and feed means for feeding said panels past said window towards said dispensing means so as to make the tickets visible from outside said housing.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 39 words

A device as in claim 8, in which said housing has a plurality of said windows and one of said outlet openings adjacent each window, and one of said feed means and dispensing means for each of said windows.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 56 words

A device as in claim 9, including an acceptor for a medium of payment, and means for selecting a window from which tickets are to be dispensed, and means controlled by said acceptor to cause the dispensing means associated with a selected window to issue the number of tickets corresponding to the amount of payment made.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 38 words

A device as in claim 1 in which said tearing barrier has a concave tearing edge, whereby pulling said first ticket against said barrier edge helps ensure that tearing of said first ticket starts adjacent one edge thereof.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 132 words

A ticket dispensing device for dispensing tickets from panels of tickets separable from one another along lines of weakness, said device comprising, in combination, a housing, means for holding a supply of said panels in said housing, bending means in said housing for bending said ticket panel along one of said lines of weakness, said housing having an outlet opening, a tearing barrier in said housing, drive means for frictionally driving said panel and issuing at least one ticket through said outlet opening with said panel bent along said line of weakness and said line of weakness adjacent said barrier, said one ticket extending through said opening at an angle to said panel and in a position to be grasped and pulled against said barrier to tear it loose from said panel.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 132 words

A ticket dispensing device for dispensing tickets from panels of tickets separable from one another along lines of weakness, said device comprising, in combination, a housing, means for holding a supply of said panels in said housing, bending means in said housing for bending said ticket panel along one of said lines of weakness, said housing having an outlet opening, a tearing barrier in said housing, drive means for frictionally driving said panel and issuing at least one ticket through said outlet opening with said panel bent along said line of weakness and said line of weakness adjacent said barrier, said one ticket extending through said opening at an angle to said panel and in a position to be grasped and pulled against said barrier to tear it loose from said panel.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 54 words

A device as in claim 12, in which said issuing means is adapted to issue a plurality of said tickets, still fastened together in a group, and to bring the line of weakness at the trailing end of said group to said barrier to facilitate tearing said group of tickets free from said panel.

Claim 16

Independent Claim 139 words

A method of dispensing tickets from a group of relatively stiff tickets fastened together along lines of weakness, said method comprising the steps of storing said tickets in a housing, frictionally driving said tickets towards an outlet opening in said housing, and bending said group of tickets along one of said lines of weakness, issuing at least one ticket from said group through said outlet opening to a position in which it can be grasped by a person outside said housing, with said one ticket bent at a substantial angle so as to encompass a barrier member extending along said one line of weakness, thus presenting said ticket in a position to be pulled, while maintaining the bend at said one line, to facilitate tearing of said one ticket loose from the rest of the tickets in said group.

Claim 17

Independent Claim 139 words

A method of dispensing tickets from a group of relatively stiff tickets fastened together along lines of weakness, said method comprising the steps of storing said tickets in a housing, frictionally driving said tickets towards an outlet opening in said housing, and bending said group of tickets along one of said lines of weakness, issuing at least one ticket from said group through said outlet opening to a position in which it can be grasped by a person outside said housing, with said one ticket bent at a substantial angle so as to encompass a barrier member extending along said one line of weakness, thus presenting said ticket in a position to be pulled, while maintaining the bend at said one line, to facilitate tearing of said one ticket loose from the rest of the tickets in said group.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 63 words

A method as in claim 14, including the step of bending said group along said one line of weakness prior to issuing said one ticket, said bending step comprising thrusting said group towards a barrier, causing said group to buckle and bend along said one line, and continuing to thrust said group towards said barrier while guiding said one ticket towards said outlet.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 47 words

A method as in claim 15, including closing said outlet opening with gate means, opening said gate means to issue a ticket through said outlet opening, and closing said gate means to hold said group of tickets to prevent more than said one ticket from being withdrawn.

Claim 20

Independent Claim 162 words

A method of dispensing tickets from a panel in which said tickets are delineated from one another by lines of weakness, said method comprising the steps of storing said tickets in a housing, issuing at least one ticket from said group through an outlet opening in said housing, with said one ticket bent at a substantial angle around a tearing barrier along one line of weakness, and holding the remaining tickets of said group in said housing, while maintaining the bend at said one line, to facilitate tearing of said one ticket loose from the rest of the tickets in said group, thrusting said group in a first direction towards a bending barrier to cause said panel to bend along one line of weakness, guiding the lead ticket ahead of said one line in a second direction at an angle to said first direction said second direction extending through said opening, said thrusting causing said lead ticket to issue from said machine.

Claim 21

Independent Claim 162 words

A method of dispensing tickets from a panel in which said tickets are delineated from one another by lines of weakness, said method comprising the steps of storing said tickets in a housing, issuing at least one ticket from said group through an outlet opening in said housing, with said one ticket bent at a substantial angle around a tearing barrier along one line of weakness, and holding the remaining tickets of said group in said housing, while maintaining the bend at said one line, to facilitate tearing of said one ticket loose from the rest of the tickets in said group, thrusting said group in a first direction towards a bending barrier to cause said panel to bend along one line of weakness, guiding the lead ticket ahead of said one line in a second direction at an angle to said first direction said second direction extending through said opening, said thrusting causing said lead ticket to issue from said machine.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 34 words

A method as in claim 17, including thrusting and holding the remainder of said panel against said tearing barrier to hold said panel and facilitate tearing of said lead ticket free from said panel.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 159 words

A ticket dispensing device, said device comprising, in combination, a housing, an outlet opening in said housing, frictional drive means for moving in a first direction a strip of tickets delineated by lines of perforations, a tearing barrier in said housing adjacent said opening, means for forming a bend by bending said panel along one of said lines of perforations to direct a first one of said tickets in a second direction forming a substantial angle with said first direction, and moving said first ticket out of said machine through said opening with said tearing barrier fitted into said bend and aligned with said one line of perforations and said first ticket extending into a position in which it can be grasped and pulled in said second direction to pull the next ticket against said tearing barrier while maintaining said bend and facilitating the tearing of said one ticket free from said strip along said one line of perforations.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 159 words

A ticket dispensing device, said device comprising, in combination, a housing, an outlet opening in said housing, frictional drive means for moving in a first direction a strip of tickets delineated by lines of perforations, a tearing barrier in said housing adjacent said opening, means for forming a bend by bending said panel along one of said lines of perforations to direct a first one of said tickets in a second direction forming a substantial angle with said first direction, and moving said first ticket out of said machine through said opening with said tearing barrier fitted into said bend and aligned with said one line of perforations and said first ticket extending into a position in which it can be grasped and pulled in said second direction to pull the next ticket against said tearing barrier while maintaining said bend and facilitating the tearing of said one ticket free from said strip along said one line of perforations.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 25 words

A device as in claim 19, in which said curved guide comprises a plurality of curved members fastened together in spaced-apart relationship to one another.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 34 words

A device as in claim 19, including gate means mounted for moving towards and away from said opening, and means for pushing said gate means and thereby pushing said first ticket towards said opening.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 24 words

A device as in claim 21, in which said gate means holds said strip with said first line of perforations adjacent said barrier edge.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1995-11-03	1996-05-04	1996-11-03	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1999-11-03	2000-05-04	2000-11-03	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2003-11-03	2004-05-04	2004-11-03	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Ticket dispensing device and method

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