US5240140A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Card dispenser
Assignee: Fairform Manufacturing Co Ltd
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Filing: 1991-09-18
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Granted: 1993-08-31
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Expires: 2011-09-18
Abstract
Abstract A card dispenser (32) comprising a body (33) having a compartment (38) for accommodating a stack of cards (39) and at least one outlet (43) through which cards (39) accommodated in the compartment (38) can be dispensed, transporting mechanism (41) provided in the body (33) and arranged to transport a card (39) from the said stack so accommodated towards the said or one of the said at least one outlet (43), and a random device (47) arranged to cause the or some of the cards (39) to be dispensed one by one to a plurality of locations in a random manner.
Inventors
- 👤 Hing-Wah Huen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 09:37
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63F; A63F1/00; A63F1/06; A63F1/12; A63F9/00; A63F9/04; A63F9/0468
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
A card dispenser comprising a body having a compartment for accommodating a stack of cards and at least four outlets through which cards accommodated in the compartment can be dispensed, transporting means provided in the body and arranged to transport a card from the said stack so accommodated towards one of the said at least four outlets, and random means arranged to cause at least some of the cards to be dispensed one by one to a plurality of locations in a random manner, and to control said transporting means to transport a card from a said stack towards one of the outlets in a random manner.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
107 words
A card dispenser comprising a body having a compartment for accommodating a stack of cards and at least four outlets through which cards accommodated in the compartment can be dispensed, transporting means provided in the body and arranged to transport a card from the said stack so accommodated towards one of the said at least four outlets, and random means arranged to cause at least some of the cards to be dispensed one by one to a plurality of locations in a random manner, and to control said transporting means to transport a card from a said stack towards one of the outlets in a random manner.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pair of rollers pressing against each other, which rollers are provided within the body and behind at least one of the said at least four outlets and are operable to deliver through the corresponding outlet said card transported by said transporting means towards the said outlet.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least four outlets are provided around the compartment, thereby defining at least four corresponding locations around the body to which said cards are to be dispensed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said transporting means comprises a movable member which is arranged to engage by friction the uppermost or lowermost card of said stack and thereby to transport upon movement the said card.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein said transporting means further comprises a solenoid for moving the movable member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein said transporting means further comprises an electric motor for moving the movable member.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein said transport means is provided on one side of the compartment, and resilient means is provided on the opposite side of the compartment to urge said stack of cards placed in the compartment towards said transport means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising an electronic control circuitry to enable a user to control the random manner in which said cards are to be dispensed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 8, wherein the electronic control circuitry has a function to permit the number of said locations to be preset.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 8, wherein the electronic control circuitry has a function to permit the number of cards to be dispensed to each location to be preset.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
118 words
A card dispenser comprising a body having a compartment for accommodating a stack of cards and at least one outlet through which cards accommodated in the compartment can be dispensed, transporting means provided in the body and arranged to transport a card from the said stack so accommodated towards said at least one outlet, said transporting means comprising a movable member which is arranged to engage by friction the uppermost or lowermost card of said stack and thereby to transport upon movement the said card, and random means arranged to cause at least some of the cards to be dispensed one by one through the at least one outlet to a plurality of locations in a random manner.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
118 words
A card dispenser comprising a body having a compartment for accommodating a stack of cards and at least one outlet through which cards accommodated in the compartment can be dispensed, transporting means provided in the body and arranged to transport a card from the said stack so accommodated towards said at least one outlet, said transporting means comprising a movable member which is arranged to engage by friction the uppermost or lowermost card of said stack and thereby to transport upon movement the said card, and random means arranged to cause at least some of the cards to be dispensed one by one through the at least one outlet to a plurality of locations in a random manner.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 11, wherein said transporting means further comprises a solenoid for moving the movable member.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 11, wherein said transporting means further comprises an electric motor for moving the movable member.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
46 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transport means is provided on one side of the compartment, and resilient means is provided on the opposite side of the compartment to urge said stack of cards placed in the compartment towards said transport means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 11, further comprising an electronic control circuitry to enable a user to control the random manner in which said cards are to be dispensed.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
103 words
A card dispenser comprising a body having a compartment for accommodating a stack of cards and at least one outlet through which cards accommodated in the compartment can be dispensed to a plurality of predetermined locations around the body, transporting means provided in the body and arranged to transport a card from the said stack so accommodated towards said at least one outlet, and random means arranged to cause at least some of the cards to be dispensed one by one through the at least one outlet to the plurality of predetermined locations around the body in a random order of the locations.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
103 words
A card dispenser comprising a body having a compartment for accommodating a stack of cards and at least one outlet through which cards accommodated in the compartment can be dispensed to a plurality of predetermined locations around the body, transporting means provided in the body and arranged to transport a card from the said stack so accommodated towards said at least one outlet, and random means arranged to cause at least some of the cards to be dispensed one by one through the at least one outlet to the plurality of predetermined locations around the body in a random order of the locations.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 16, wherein the body has at least four outlets, and said random means is arranged to control said transporting means to transport a card from said stack towards one of the outlets in a random order.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
40 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 16, wherein said transporting means comprises a movable member which is arranged to engage by friction the uppermost or lowermost card of said stack and thereby to transport upon movement the said card.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
46 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 18, wherein said transport means is provided on one side of the compartment, and resilient means is provided on the opposite side of the compartment to urge said stack of cards placed in the compartment towards said transport means.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
31 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 16, further comprising an electronic control circuitry to enable a user to control the random manner in which said cards are to be dispensed.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
53 words
A card dispenser as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a pair of rollers pressing against each other, which rollers are provided within the body and behind the said at least one outlet and are operable to deliver through the corresponding outlet said card transported by said transporting means towards the said outlet.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-08-30 | 1997-03-01 | 1997-08-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-08-30 | 2001-03-01 | 2001-08-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-08-30 | 2005-03-01 | 2005-08-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |