GB2251509A

GB2251509A - Ticket dispenser

Info

Publication number: GB2251509A
Application number: GB9200034A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Towns; Patrick Weir
Original assignee: LANCASHIRE LEISURE Ltd
Current assignee: LANCASHIRE LEISURE Ltd
Priority date: 1991-01-05
Filing date: 1992-01-03
Publication date: 1992-07-08
Also published as: GB9200034D0; GB9100215D0

Abstract

A motor of a ticket dispensing machine rotates a drive roller 24 through a gear train. A tension spring 30 urges drive roller 24 against a guide plate 14, the geometry being such that when the drive roller is not being driven any attempt to pull tickets from the dispenser increases the pressure onto the ticket strip by the drive roller. The motor may be a d.c. electric motor and may be dynamically braked to further prevent removal of any portion of the ticket strip other than that dispensed. <IMAGE>

Description

TICKET DISPENSER This invention relates to a ticket dispensing machine and more particularly a ticket dispensing machine with means for preventing unauthorised withdrawal of tickets.

A particular type of ticket machine issues tickets that are separable from a continuous strip by means of perforations or the like. When, for example, a coin is inserted in the ticket machine the strip is advanced to dispense the appropriate number of tickets, usually through a slot in the front of the machine.

The dispensed tickets are separated from the strip within the machine by the purchaser who pulls the dispensed ticket or tickets thereby severing them along the line of weakness adjacent the delivery slot. This kind of ticket dispensing machine suffers from the disadvantage that it is possible, in some circumstances, for tickets to be pulled out of the machine additional to those which have been dispensed.

In an attempt to deal with that problem it has been proposed to feed the tickets between the nip of a drive roller and an idler roller. The drive roller is mounted on a movable support which is urged towards the upstream side of the idler roller by a spring. When the drive roller is not being driven any attempt to pull unauthorised tickets out of the machine causes the drive roller to move towards the idler roller thereby jamming the ticket strip therebetween. While this arrangement works fairly well it could not be said to be totally reliable in all circumstances.

According to the invention there is provided a ticket dispensing machine comprising a ticket guide plate, a drive roller mounted on a support, and means for resiliently urging the drive roller and the guide plate together so that when the drive roller is not driven tickets are jammed between the drive roller and the guide plate.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the ticket guide plate is fixed, the drive roller support is movable and the drive roller is resiliently urged towards the guide plate.

In another embodiment of the invention, the ticket guide plate is movable, the drive roller support is fixed and the guide plate is resiliently urged towards the drive roller.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, both the ticket guide plate and the drive roller support are movable.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the drive roller is driven by a d.c. motor. Dynamic braking of the motor, that is by short circuiting the power input to the drive motor, can, therefore, be applied not only to prevent overtravel of the drive roller when the requisite number of tickets has been dispensed, but also to resist rotation of the drive roller when it is not being driven.

The drive roller is preferably driven by the motor through a gear train. Means are preferably provided uch that if the drive roller is rotated, as would happen if an attempt was made to pull tickets out of the machine, the gear train will jam.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig.l is a diagrammatic vertical section through a ticket dispensing machine (with parts omitted for clarity); Fig.2 is a transverse section through a part of the machine of Fig.l; and Fig.3 is a diagrammatic representation of the gear train between the motor and the drive roller.

Referring to the drawings the ticket dispenser comprises a housing consisting of two parallel spaced apart plates one of which, 10, can be seen in Fig.l.

A support platform 12 is provided for a continuous strip of tickets between the housing plates. In the illustrated embodiment the support platform is inclined downwardly in the direction of feed of the tickets, that is to say from right to left as viewed in Fig.l.

A fixed guide plate 14 is provided above the support platform 12 adjacent the lower end thereof. The space between the plate 14 and platform 12 is sufficient to permit a ticket to pass between them. One or more second guide plates 16 are optionally provided above the support platform to ensure that tickets are reliably fed through the device.

A pair of parallel drive support plates 18, 20 are pivotally mounted on the housing at the lower left hand side (as viewed in Fig.l) referenced 22. The plates 18, 20 rotatably support a ticket drive roller 24. In the embodiment illustrated the drive roller comprises two axially spaced-apart rollers 25 each provided with a circumferential tyre 26 of resilient material such as rubber. The drive roller 24 projects through an aperture 28 in the platform 12 and bears against the underside of the fixed guide plate 14. A tension spring 30 between the upper end of the support plates 18, 20 and the housing 10 urges the support plates 18, 20 anti-clockwise (as viewed in Fig.l) thereby urging the drive roller 24 against the guide plate 14.

The drive roller 25 is driven by a d.c. motor (not shown) through a gear train illustrated in Fig.2 which is mounted on the outer side of plate 10 of the housing. The motor output shaft 32 is coupled by gear 34 to a first intermediate gear 36 mounted on first intermediate gear shaft 38. The first intermediate gear shaft 38 is journalled on a plate 40 which plate is mounted on the motor output shaft 32. Gear 42 on the first intermediate gear shaft 38 engages a second intermediate gear 44 mounted on a second intermediate gear shaft 46 and gear 48 on the second intermediate gear shaft 46 is connected to gear 50 mounted on drive roller shaft 52.

To set up the ticket dispenser a strip of tickets is manually fed along the support plate and between the drive roller and guide plate 14. To create the necessary space to insert the ticket strip between the drive roller and guide plate 14 the support plates 18, 20 are moved clockwise about the pivot 22. When the ticket strip is in place the plates 18, 20 are released and the ticket strip is firmly held between the drive roller and the guide plate 14.

When a ticket is to be dispensed, the motor is energised and, through the gear train described with reference to Fig.2, the drive roller is rotated (anti-clockwise as viewed in Fig.l). Although the ticket strip is firmly held between the drive roller and the guide plate 14 the rotation of the drive roller readily forwards the ticket strip. It is believed that this arises because the rotation of the drive roller acts to urge the support plates clockwise (as viewed in Fig.1) which tends to reduce the pressure exerted on the ticket strip by the drive roller.

When the motor is not powered the nip between the drive roller and the guide plate is sufficient to prevent unauthorised removal of tickets. Any attempt to pull tickets through the nip has the effect of urging the support plates 18, 20 in the anti-clockwise direction thereby increasing the pressure onto the ticket strip applied by the drive roller.

To supplement the security provided by the drive roller and guide plate arrangement just describd two further features are provided. First the gear train as described with reference to Fig.2 will jam if it is rotated by being driven from gear 52 or would happen if an attempt were made to rotate the drive roller in order to release tickets from the dispenser. Jamming of the gear train arises because plate 40 is caused to move slightly clockwise (as viewed in Fig.2) on the shaft 32 thereby causing the intermediate gears to engage too deeply. When the gear train is driven from the motor there is sufficient anti-clockwise bias (as viewed in Fig.2) to prevent the gear train jamming.

The second additional security feature is the provision of dynamic braking of the d.c. motor which is applied at all times when the motor is not powered.

Thus even if the gear train does not immediately jam the dynamic braking applied to the motor makes it very difficult to rotate the drive roller and with it the gear train and motor in order to release a ticket.

The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiment and many variations and modifications can be made,

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A ticket dispensing machine comprising a ticket guide plate, a drive roller mounted on a support, and means for resiliently urging the drive roller and the guide plate together so that when the drive roller is not driven tickets are jammed between the drive roller and the guide plate.
2. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ticket guide plate is fixed, the drive roller support is movable and the drive roller is resiliently urged towards the guide plate.
3. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ticket guide plate is movable, the drive roller support is fixed and the guide plate is resiliently urged towards the drive roller.
4. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein both the ticket guide plate and the drive roller support are movable.
5. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the drive roller is driven by a direct current motor.
6. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim when dependent on claim 5 wherein means is provided for short circuiting the power input to the drive motor thereby achieving dynamic braking of the motor.
7. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the drive roller is driven by a motor through a gear train.
8. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim when dependent on claim 7 wherein means is provided such that if the drive roller is rotated when not driven, the gear train will jam.
9. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein more than one guide plate is provided to ensure that tickets are reliably fed through the machine.
10. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the drive roller comprises a plurality of rollers.
11. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein such roller is provided with a circumferential tyre.
12. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim when dependent on claim 11 wherein the tyre is formed of a resilient material.
13. A ticket dispensing machine as claimed in any preceding claim when dependent on claim 12 wherein the resilient material is rubber.
14. A ticket dispensing machine substantially as herein before described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.