GB2247968A - Dispensing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for dispensing awards or prizes has a delivery mechanism (8) which controls the dispensing of a prize from a supply of award tokens (9). A person achieving a win on a fruit machine or similar is awarded a win ticket (11) which has coded information thereon indicating the level of the prize. The ticket (11) is inserted into the machine and is received by a receiving mechanism (5). The coded information on the ticket (11) is scanned by a scanner (6), for example an optical scanner, and the output of this is interpreted by a control mechanism (7) to determine the award of tokens to be made. The control mechanism (7) causes the delivery mechanism (8) to deliver the appropriate value of tokens to the person. The machine also checks the authenticity of each win ticket (11) inserted and these tickets are overpunched to prevent re-use. <IMAGE>

Description

DISPENSING MACHINE This invention relates to a machine for dispensing awards or prizes.

In certain cases it is the practice to arrange for coin-operated entertainment machines to dispense tickets in the event that a win is attained by a player, the intention being to avoid dispense of coins or other awards or prizes directly from the machine. The ticket can then be exchanged for an award or prize on presentation by the player to an authorised person.

This arrangement is inconvenient in that it requires the presence of the authorised person in the vicinty of the entertainment machine or at a specially designated ticket-exchange location.

An object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement which avoids the necessity of using such authorised persons.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a machine for dispensing awards or prizes, said machine comprising a delivery device for delivering a dispensed award or prize at a delivery location, a ticket-receiving device for receiving a ticket presented to the machine, a ticket evaluating device operable to evaluate coded information carried by the ticket, and a control device operable to control said delivery device in correspondence with operation of said evaluation device.

With this arrangement it is possible to arrange for the automatic dispense of prizes or awards without requiring the direct involvement of an authorised person.

The machine may comprise a housing having a ticket-receiving slot in an outer wall thereof, and also having an outlet aperture forming said delivery location. The machine may be adapted to dispense an award in the form of one or more coins or tokens or currency notes. Alternatively or additionally the machine may be adapted to dispense a prize in the form of a packaged gift or of any other suitable form.

With regard to the ticket evaluation device this is preferably arranged to evalute tickets for authentication purposes. If desired also the device may be operable to evaluate tickets in the sense of valuing the award or prize to be dispensed in exchange for the ticket (e.g. the monetary value of coins, or the number of prizes etc.).

Any suitable manner of evaluation may be used. Thus, the ticket may be optically scanned, or electrically or magnetically scanned, or evaluated in any other way. In a particularly preferred embodiment the ticket is optically scanned and in this case the ticket may be printed with an optical bar code. In order to ensure reliable authentication the ticket may be scanned optically to ensure that it has predetermined spectral characteristics (e.g. to ensure that it is printed with the correct ink).

Evaluated tickets may be retained securely within the machine and/or may be cancelled (e.g. by overprinting or by punching etc.) so that they cannot be reused.

The machine may be used with any suitable kind of ticket from any suitable source, and the term ticket is to be construed in the broadest sense as an information-bearing article which can be readily transferred by hand. It is visualised that the ticket will most preferably be in the form of a printed paper strip, but other kinds of tickets may also be utiliseable.

Most preferably the ticket will be derived from a coin (or token) operated entertainment machine particularly such as a fruit machine, or a lottery machine or the like The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a diagram of one form of a machine according to the invention.

The machine has a housing 1 with a front wall 2 which contains an upper slot 3 and also a lower dispense outlet.

Within the housing 1 there is a receiving mechanism 5 behind the slot 3 incorporating an optical scanning device 6.

The receiving mechanism 5 and scanning device 6 are connected to an electronic control circuit 7.

There is also a delivery mechanism 8 disposed between a supply 9 of award tokens and a chute 10 leading to the dispense outlet 4. The delivery mechanism 8 is connected to the control circuit 7.

The dispensing machine is located in the vicinity of coin-operated lottery machines. In the event that a player attains a win on one of the lottery machines he is supplied automatically with a ticket 11 from an outlet slot in the lottery machine. The ticket is in the form of a paper strip printed with a bar code.

The player can then exchange the ticket for an award using the dispensing machine.

To do this the player inserts the ticket 11 through the slot 3 in the front wall 2 of the machine.

The ticket 11 is drawn into the machine by rollers 12 of the receiving mechanism 5 and the printed bar code is optically scanned. The output of the optical scanner 6 is interpreted by the control mechanism 7. The bar code is read to determine the authenticity of the ticket and to determine the value of the award to be dispensed. At the same time the optical scanner 6 monitors the spectral distribution of the ink with which the bar code is printed and this is also checked for authenticity.

If authentic, the control mechanism 7 then causes the delivery mechanism 8 to deliver an appropriate value of tokens to the dispense outlet.

The ticket 11 is then cancelled by overprinting or punching and is delivered to a storage container 13 within the housing.

With this arrangement, an award or prize can be dispensed automatically in a particularly convenient and reliable manner. The use of a printed paper ticket which is spectrally scanned to ensure authenticity is especially reliable and convenient.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.

Claims (17)

1. A machine for dispensing awards or prizes, said machine comprising a delivery device for delivering a dispensed award or prize at a delivery location, a ticket-receiving device for receiving a ticket presented to the machine, a ticket evaluating device operable to evaluate coded information carried by the ticket, and a control device operable to control said delivery device in correspondence with operation of said evaluation device.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said machine comprises a housing having a ticket receiving slot in an outer wall thereof.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said machine comprises an outlet aperture forming said delivery location.

4. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the machine is adapted to dispense an award in the form of one or more coins or tokens or currency notes.

5. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the machine is adapted to dispense a prize in the form of a packaged gift.

6. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said ticket evaluation device is arranged to evaluate tickets for authentication purposes.

7. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, -wherein said ticket evaluation device is operable to evaluate tickets in the sense of valuing the award or prize to be dispensed in exchange for the ticket.

8. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said ticket is evaluated by said ticket evaluation device by optical scanning.

9. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said ticket is evaluated by said ticket evaluation device by electrical scanning.

10. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to wherein said ticket is evaluated by said ticket evaluation device by magnetic scanning.

11. A machine according to claim 8, wherein said ticket is printed with an optical bar code.

12. A machine according to claim 8, wherein said ticket is evaluated by optical scanning to ensure that it has predetermined spectral characteristics.

13. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein evaluated tickets are retained securely within the machine.

14. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein said evaluated tickets are cancelled so that they cannot be re-used.

15. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the ticket is derived from a coin (or token) operated entertainment machine particularly such as a fruit machine, or a lottery machine or the like.

16. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein said ticket is in the form of a printed paper strip.

17. A machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.