Ticket Magazine for Instant Ticket Dispensing Machine

Abstract

The present invention provides a ticket magazine that can be inserted into a drawer of a ticket dispensing machine. The magazine can be loaded with tickets externally from the machine, and provides an element or elements such as one or more bridging fingers and/or a dancer arm to enable the tickets to travel along a more advantageous ticket path with longer curl diameters. Because of the longer curl diameter, the pull force required to peel a ticket from the stack is reduced and remains substantially constant, thereby avoiding ticket jams, mis-cuts and other problems.

1 . A ticket magazine for a lottery ticket dispensing machine, comprising:
 a floor;   a lead wall and a pair of side walls extending upwardly from and substantially perpendicular to the floor, with each of the side walls including a respective top edge; and   an end wall support member having a lower portion and an upper portion, with the end wall support member extending from the top edge of each side wall at an angle extending from the lower portion thereof to the upper portion thereof in a direction away from the lead wall, with the end wall support member further including an end wall having an inner face with at least one bridge finger member secured thereto.   
     
     
         2 . The magazine of  claim 1  wherein the end wall support member includes a bottom edge and wherein the side walls each include a back edge, and further wherein the end wall support member bottom edge, the floor and the side wall back edges form an opening therebetween. 
     
     
         3 . The magazine of  claim 1  wherein the end wall support member includes a top edge, and wherein the at least one bridge finger includes a substantially linear back edge that lies substantially coplanar with the end wall support member top edge. 
     
     
         4 . The magazine of  claim 1  wherein the at least one bridge finger has a rounded tip section and an arcuate lead edge section that slopes downwardly from the tip section to substantially mate with the end wall inner face. 
     
     
         5 . The magazine of  claim 1  wherein the end wall has a width, and further wherein the at least one bridge finger comprises a plurality of bridge fingers substantially parallel to one another and disposed at substantially equal intervals substantially across the width of the end wall. 
     
     
         6 . The magazine of  claim 1  wherein the end wall has a width, and further wherein the at least one bridge finger comprises a roller member extending substantially across the width of the end wall. 
     
     
         7 . The magazine of  claim 1  wherein the lead wall includes a top edge, and further including a dancer arm extending from the lead wall top edge. 
     
     
         8 . The magazine of  claim 7  wherein the dancer arm includes an inner edge and a lip member extending downwardly from the inner edge and substantially parallel to the lead wall. 
     
     
         9 . The magazine of  claim 1  wherein the floor includes a tread liner element. 
     
     
         10 . A lottery ticket dispensing machine, comprising:
 a housing;   a drawer retained within the housing;   a burster element positioned within the housing and having an internal wall, and   a ticket magazine positionable within the drawer, with the ticket magazine having a floor, a lead wall and a pair of side walls extending upwardly from and substantially perpendicular to the floor, with the side walls each having a top edge, and wherein the ticket magazine further includes an end wall support member having a lower portion and an upper portion, with the end wall support member extending from the top edge of each side wall at an angle extending from the lower portion thereof to the upper portion thereof in a direction away from the lead wall, with the end wall support further including an end wall with an inner face having at least one bridge finger member secured thereto.   
     
     
         11 . The machine of  claim 10  wherein the burster element has an internal wall, and wherein the end wall has an external face adapted to mate in substantially flush relation with the burster element internal wall. 
     
     
         12 . The machine of  claim 10  wherein the end wall support member includes a top edge, and wherein the at least one bridge finger includes a substantially linear back edge that lies substantially coplanar with the end wall support member top edge. 
     
     
         13 . The machine of  claim 10  wherein the at least one bridge finger has a rounded tip section and an arcuate lead edge section that slopes downwardly from the tip section to substantially mate with the end wall inner face. 
     
     
         14 . The machine of  claim 10  wherein the end wall has a width, and further wherein the at least one bridge finger comprises a plurality of bridge fingers substantially parallel to one another and disposed at substantially equal intervals substantially across the width of the end wall. 
     
     
         15 . The machine of  claim 14  wherein the plurality of fingers are substantially parallel with a ticket dispensing path. 
     
     
         16 . The machine of  claim 10  wherein the end wall has a width, and further wherein the at least one bridge finger comprises a roller member extending substantially across the width of the end wall. 
     
     
         17 . The machine of  claim 10  wherein the lead wall includes a top edge, and further including a dancer arm extending from the lead wall top edge. 
     
     
         18 . The machine of  claim 17  wherein the dancer arm includes an inner edge and a lip member extending downwardly from the inner edge and substantially parallel to the lead wall. 
     
     
         19 . The machine of  claim 10  wherein the drawer further includes a ceiling secured thereto and maintained above the inner compartment, and wherein the ceiling includes a separator element secured thereto and extending into the inner compartment. 
     
     
         20 . A method for dispensing lottery tickets from a ticket dispensing machine having a housing, at least one drawer, and a burster element having an interior wall comprising the steps of:
 providing a ticket magazine with a floor, a lead wall and a pair of side walls extending upwardly from and substantially perpendicular to the floor, and an end wall support member integrally formed with the side walls and having an end wall with an inner and exterior face;   inserting a pack of lottery tickets into the ticket magazine so as to rest on the floor thereof, and   inserting the ticket magazine into the ticket dispensing machine, with the ticket magazine being positioned such that the interior wall of the burster element abuts, in substantially flush relation, the exterior face of the end wall.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the pack of lottery tickets includes a lead ticket, wherein the ticket magazine end wall inner face includes at least one bridge finger member secured thereto, and wherein the method includes the further step of feeding the lead ticket over the bridge finger and into the burster element of the ticket dispensing machine.