GB2183221A - Ticket magazine module - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable ticket magazine, for retaining a stack of tickets, and which may interact with a ticket feeding device and/or a stacking device comprises four walls 20,40,60,80 defining a passageway 12 for a stack of tickets. The passageway may include interior projections 16 for contacting and guiding a ticket. The bottom end includes a bevelled exit portion 62 at the bottom end of the exit wall, which terminates in an opening for exit of a ticket. The bottom end also includes ticket stack supports 92. The bottom opening provides access for a ticket feeding device. Various indexing means assure proper alignment with feeding and stacking device. Sensors allow detection of thickets at various locations within the magazine. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Ticket machine module BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates in general to a ticket magazine, and more particularly, to a rectangular tube magazine for retaining a stack of reusable tickets such as used in mass transit systems for the stacking, feeding, and transportation of the stacked tickets therein.

Background of the invention Reusable tickets are often used in modern mass transit systems. These reusable tickets are typically of standard credit card planar dimensions and include a magnetic strip for containing encoded information, such as ticket value or point of purchase. The tickets are quite expensive due to the fact of the inclusion of the magnetic strip plus the fact that the tickets are quite stiff and rugged so that they may be entirely handled by automated devices. Therefore, it is economically desirable to reuse such tickets as long as they are functional. Typically, the tickets are recovered from a user upon departure from a transit depot when the ticket value has been reduced to zero.

It is necessary for the used tickets to be stacked in proper orientation for re-dispensing.

Also, the recovered tickets must be transported to the ticket feeder or dispenser.

Therefore, it is desirable to have a ticket magazine capable of receiving and retaining tickets one at a time and forming a stack of tickets.

It is further desirable that such a magazine be suitable for transportation of the stacked tickets to a ticket dispensing device.

It is even further desirable that such a ticket magazine also serve as the magazine in the ticket feeding device.

It is also desirable that such a ticket magazine not easily damage during transportation, and also provide security for tickets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention a ticket magazine comprises a back wall, front wall, exit wall, and rear wall which define a passageway for a stack of tickets. The magazine is particularly designed for retaining a stack of tickets during transportation of the tickets, during feeding of the tickets one at a time from the magazine, and for being a stacking receptacle for tickets received one at a time.

The ticket magazine is particularly designed for use with reusable tickets such as those used in rapid transit systems. Such tickets are typically of credit card size and contain a magnetic strip upon which information is encoded.

The interior passageway includes an irregular ticket-guiding interior surface for contacting a ticket perimeter at a spaced plurality of points for guiding a ticket in the passageway.

The passageway exits the magazine in a top opening and a bottom opening. In the bottom opening, ticket retention tabs extend from the front and back walls for supporting the bottom ticket, and hence a stack of tickets in the passageway.

Various features of the magazine are designed to interact with a ticket stacking device for loading tickets into the magazine and a ticket feeding device for removing tickets from the magazine. The magazine contains indexing features to allow for alignment relative to stacking and feeding devices. Various sensor provision elements allow detection of tickets within the magazine.

Other features and many attendant advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description, together with the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Figure 1 is perspective view of the ticket magazine as viewed from the back wall, exit wall junction.

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the rear wall thereof.

Figure 3 is front view thereof.

Figure 4 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view thereof showing the projected shape of the bottom opening and magazine passageway.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 of Figure-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference now to the drawing, there is shown in Figure 1 a perspective view of the ticket magazine, shown generally as 10. As seen in perspective in Figure 1 and in cross section in Figure 6, magazine 10 generally comprises wall means including back wall 20, front wall 40, exit wall 60, and rear wall 50 which define a passageway 12 for a stack of tickets. Magazine 10 includes a top end, designated generally as 80, and a bottom end, designated generally as 10. The ticket magazine 10 of the present invention is particularly designed to serve as a magazine for retaining a stack of tickets and serving three functions. It is designed to be a transportation module in which tickets can be safely carried.

It is designed to be a feeder magazine from which a stack of tickets can be dispensed one at a time. Additionally, it is designed to be a stacking magazine which forms a stacking receptacle for tickets received one at a time.

The preferred embodiment of the ticket magazine 10, shown, is particularly designed to accommodate tickets in the form of a card such as are widely used and particularly used in mass transit systems. Commonly, such tickets are of standard credit card planar dimension of approximately 3.375 inches in length by 2.125 inched in width. Thickness is varied depending upon the ticket composition material with the objective being to obtain adequate stiffness for machine handling. Thicknesses of 0.009-0.015 inches are common with 0.011-0.012 inches being prevalent.

Such tickets include magnetic strips upon which information, such as the value of the ticket, is encoded.

Magazine 10 is fabricated from a highstrength material such as polycarbonate. This material is extremely strong so that magazine 10 can withstand falls and drops by operators and from machinery without significant damage to the magazine. Also such material may be transparent or translucent to provide visual inspection of magazine contents. The particular magazine shown is designed to withstand a drop of one meter without functional damage.

As best seen in Figure 6, the walls 20, 40, 50, and 60, defining interior passageway 12 include an irregular ticket-guiding interior surface, such as ribs 16, for contacting a ticket perimeter at a spaced plurality of points for guiding a ticket in the passageway. Among other functions, ribs 16 reduce friction between a ticket and the magazine so that a ticket will move smoothly through passageway 12 and not jam the passageway. Ribs 16 are tapered near top end 80 to provide for smooth entry of tickets for stacking.

Magazine 10 includes several alignment means for assuring proper placement in its interaction with feeding and stacking device.

The back most surface 26 of back wall 20 defines a plane for parallel alignment of the passageway 12 with a mating alignment surface on a feeder or stacker device. An indexing means, such as recessed shoulder 18 at the mating edge of rear wall 20 and exit wall 16 near bottom end 90, can be used to fit under a mating shoulder or pin on a feeding or stacking device to assure proper magazine orientation. The other shoulders 19 are higher than recessed shoulder 18 and would not fit under a mating indexing pin. The bottom termination of walls 20, 40, 50, and 60, define a plane perpendicular to the direction of passageway 12. This serves to align passageway 12 vertically. Retainer pin bore 44 accepts a retaining/alignment pin for positioning and holding magazine 10 in a desired position.

Passageway 12 terminates at the magazine top end in top opening 84 and at the bottom end in bottom opening 94. In bottom opening 94, ticket stack support means, such as ticket retentions tab 92, attached to back and front walls 20, 40 extend from the walls for supporting the bottom ticket, and hence a stack of tickets, in passageway 12.

In the stacker mode, bottom opening 94 provides for entry of a stacker platform. The open area in the middle of Figure 6 indicates the projected area of bottom opening 94. A stacker platform approximately conforming with this area would enter the bottom of the magazine to present a ticket receiving surface near top opening 84. As tickets are fed into top opening 84 to lie on the ticket receiving surface, each succeeding ticket becomes a new ticket receiving surface and the platform height is lowered periodically to retain this receiving surface within prescribed limits. In the preferred embodiment shown, top end 80 is configured to receive and stack tickets entering from over rear wall 50. The front edge of the incoming tickets should be substantially horizontal and the tickets are fed with a combination of gravity free-fall and forward momentum.Typically, the leading edge of an incoming ticket encounters either the inside of exit wall 60 or the receiving surface which acts to stop the forward momentum of the cards, and the card rotates to lie on the receiving surface. The reaction from momentum and rotation tends to lift the front edge of the card and can sometimes can cause the front edge to bounce over exit wall 60. Therefore, a retainer plate 82 partially encloses top opening 84 opposite the ticket entry side.

In the stacker mode, the irregular interior surface of passageway 12 serves several functions. If any surface contacts the stacker platform it can be ribs 16. This allows other areas to be free from frictional contact and the consequential scraping or clogging. The irregular surface, in contrast to a flat surface, prevents a ticket from sliding between the surface and a conforming platform.

A stack height sensor provision means, such as bore 86, provides a visual inspection point to determine when the stack height of contained tickets are near the top of the magazine. As best seen in the preferred embodiment in Figure 8, bore 86 extends through front wall 40 and back wall 20, to allow for an externally mounted photosensor receiver to detect when the stack height reaches this point for lowering the platform or for signalling an operator that the magazine is nearly full.

An access orifice 42 in front wall 40 allows access to the magazine interior and particularly allows for removal of any unwanted material which is under a stacking platform while the magazine is mounted on a stacking device.

When a stacking platform is removed from the magazine 10, retention tabs 92 hold the stack in the magazine.

The following describes ticket magazine features which allow bottom feeding of tickets from a stack of tickets retained in passage way 12.

In bottom end 90, the interior surface of exit wall 60 terminates in a beveled exit portion 62. Beveled exit portion 62 terminates at an exit end 63. preferably, exit end 63 is above the plane defined by the lower surface of the walls to create a recessed exit throat 64. Ticket retention tabs 92 support the bottom of a ticket stack at a position substantially horizontal to beveled portion 62. This allows a ticket feeding device to contact a bottom ticket in a stack to propel the bottom ticket against the beveled exit portion 62 of exit wall 60 such that the front edge of the ticket is forced downward to exit the magazine 10 under exit end 63. Recessed exit throat 64 helps prevent damage to the ticket contacting surface; beveled exit portion 62 and exit end 63 should the magazine be dropped or be placed on a damaging surface.

Low card height sensor provision means, such as bore 98, allows detection of cards near the bottom of a stack. As shown in the preferred embodiment of Figure 8, bore 98 extends through front and back walls 40, 20, so that an externally mounted photosensor pair can detect the presence or absence of cards adjacent the bore 98 to inform an operator that the magazine is out of cards, or nearly out of cards.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that the present invention provides a novel and reliable manner of providing a magazine for retention of tickets during stacking, transporting, and feeding.

The ticket magazine 10 of the preferred embodiment shown provides many desirable features for recirculating ticket systems, such as a 1500 ticket capacity and positive indexing system, for location and alignment. It requires no adjustments and is easily cleared of jams.

Tickets cannot be added or removed from an installed magazine without causing mutilation of the ticket and revisions are made for monitoring ticket supply. No functional impairment of the magazine results when dropped to a concrete floor from a height of one meter.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims such modifications and changes as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

1. A magazine for containing a generally vertical stack of horizontal-lying tickets comprising: wall means including back wall, front wall, rear wall, and exit wall, for defining a passageway for a stack of tickets including: irregular ticket-guiding interior surface means for contacting a ticket perimeter at a spaced plurality of points for guiding ticket in said passageway; a top end; and a bottom end including: a beveled exit portion on said exit wall at said bottom end, terminating in an exit opening means for allowing a ticket to exit from said magazine; ticket stack support means attached to said wall means for extending under and for supporting the bottom ticket of a stack of tickets in said passageway at a position substantially horizontal to said beveled exit portion; and bottom opening means for providing access for a ticket feeding device for contacting the bottom ticket in the stack and for propelling the bottom ticket against said beveled exit portion of said exit wall and out said exit opening.

2. A magazine according to Claim 1 wherein said wall means includes indexing means for assuring proper indexing of said magazine in a magazine support structure.

3. A magazine according to Claim 1 wherein the bottom termination of said wall means defines a plane and said beveled exit portion terminates above said plane.

4. The magazine according to Claim 1 including: low-ticket sensor provision means passing through said wall means near said bottom opening for allowing for photosensor detection of tickets adjacent said bore means in said magazine.

5. A magazine for containing a generally vertical stack of horizontal-lying tickets comprising: wall means including back wall, front wall, rear wall, and exit wall, for defining a passageway for a stack of tickets including: irregular ticket-guiding interior surface means for contacting a surface perimeter at a spaced plurality of points for guiding a ticket in said passageway; a top end including: top opening means of said passageway for receiving a ticket being fed into said top openings; and a bottom end including: bottom opening means for passage of a stacker platform for providing a receiving surface near said top opening for tickets entering said top opening means.

6. A magazine according to Claim 5 wherein said bottom end includes: ticket stack support means connected to said wall means for extending under and supporting the bottom ticket of a stack of tickets in said passageway when no stack platform is within said passageway.

7. The magazine according to Claim 5 wherein said top end includes: retainer plate means for partially covering said top opening for retaining incoming tickets.

8. The magazine according to Claim 5 wherein said wall means includes: stack-height sensor provision means for allowing a photosensor to detect when a ticket stack reaches a predetermined height within said magazine.

9. A magazine for containing a stack of tickets comprising: wall means for defining a passageway for a stack of tickets, a bevelled wall portion at an exit from the passageway for allowing a ticket to exit from the magazine; ticket stack support means for supporting the bottom ticket of a stack of tickets in said passageway at an inclined position relative to the bevelled wall portion such that the tickets are held substantially horizontal; and bottom opening means for providing access for a ticket feeding device for contacting the bottom ticket in the stack and for propelling the bottom ticket against said bevelled wall portion and out of the magazine.

10. A magazine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.