CN1221921C - Automatic card issuing device with indicating function - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic card dispensing device for displaying and dispensing cards, comprising a storage chamber for storing multiple cards; a clamping member in operation for vertically arranging the lower end multiple cards at the loading position for display ; A control device for receiving user input and distributing cards, which can activate the dispensing device to cause the gripping member to clamp the card surface during movement and release it from the clamping member along a predetermined movement track; one is installed on the movement track A blocking member for separating the card from the gripping member and enabling the card to be issued to the user.

Description

An automatic card issuing device with display function

Background of the invention

The present invention relates to an automatic card dispensing device, which has the functions of displaying cards to users and distributing cards according to user requirements, in particular, storing a stack of cards so that users can view them through a display window and being able to grab the cards by one side to take them out , without damaging the surface features of the card.

Related technical description

Due to rising labor costs, various dispensing devices are used to automatically dispense items to users. For example, after the user inserts coins, the dispensing machine can issue phone cards, subway tickets, bus tickets, prepaid credit cards, arcade game cards, novelty character cards, and the like. Typically, these cards are thin rectangular objects with symbols written and/or displayed on the face of the card. These cards can be made of various materials, such as resin material, paper or metal and other similar substances, as long as the made card can retain the mark, has a certain degree of flexibility and is suitable for hand holding. The term "card" is often used as a general descriptive term, and it can be argued that other dispensable objects may use this term as long as they have a value that users like: either because of the card itself, or because of the services that the card may provide.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-283525 is an example of a vending machine capable of dispensing currency notes.

US Patent 4,377,285 to Kadlic and US Patent 4,750,743 to Nicoletti disclose different types of memory delivery devices that can be used to deliver playing cards. US Patent 4654513 to Hennessy discloses a newspaper vending machine.

It can be understood that there is an urgent need for a vending machine for dispensing cards that can dispense different types of cards and that can provide different cards for dispensing. Typically such a device may display on its exterior a sample card or indicia representing the issued card. If the cards used and issued by the facility change, the sample card or indicia must be changed accordingly to match the characteristics of the cards currently being issued by the issuing facility. Therefore, it is desired to provide an economical and efficient automatic card issuing device, which can provide the information of the currently issued cards to the user, so that the user can conveniently purchase or select various cards.

Summary of the invention

The invention provides an automatic card issuing device for displaying and issuing cards, which is characterized in that it comprises: a storage room for storing multiple cards; One of the cards is positioned on a surface capable of displaying the card; a control device for receiving user input and dispensing the card; a dispensing device for receiving a signal from the control device to dispense the card, including a mobile A grasping member that clamps the surface of the card and releases it from the clamping member along a predetermined movement track; a stop member installed on the movement track is used to separate the card from the grasping member and enable the card to be issued to the user .

The control means can monitor the operation of the automatic card issuing means and can initiate subsequent actions if the initial action did not issue a card. The control device can further display an error signal if the card issuing device malfunctions. Finally, the gripping member can mechanically grab and release the card to ensure an economical design.

Brief description of the drawings

Referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the essence, purpose and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood. In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same parts throughout the views, wherein:

Fig. 1 is the right perspective view of the first preferred structure of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a left perspective view without a card;

Figure 3 is the right side view after grabbing;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the grabbing tray;

Fig. 5 is the block diagram of the control circuit of the first embodiment;

Fig. 6 is a flowchart explaining the work of the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory left side view of the first embodiment;

Fig. 8 is a right side perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

The following description is provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to establish what the inventors believe is the best mode for carrying out the invention. However, it is clear that various modifications still exist for those of ordinary skill in the art, because what is defined here are the general principles, provided in relation to an apparatus for dispensing and displaying items from stacked merchandise .

In the present invention the term "card" is used to describe a stacked array of goods dispensed by the present invention, therefore the term "card" is not limited to the preferred embodiment disclosed here, but is used as a convenient way to describe a series of items One of these items can be displayed and dispensed in sequence, such as from a vending machine in an economical manner.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a plurality of cards c are arranged in a card holder to be displayed to users, and then issued by a dispensing device d. As can be seen from the figure, the card holder h has a bottom plate 1b and two vertical side plates 1L and 1r, the bottom plate 1b is inclined at an angle relative to the horizontal plane, so as to facilitate vertically stacked cards to be listed under the action of gravity Swipe down. The card holder h is groove-shaped and has a first side panel 1L and a second side panel 1r extending vertically from the bottom plate 1b. The base frame 2 extends downwards towards a pair of side flanges which can be installed in a vending machine.

The outlet end of the cardholder or storage compartment has a base plate that slopes slightly upward at 1bt to facilitate support of the bottommost card in a vertically aligned array of cards.

The lower ends of the side panels 1L and 1r may have engaging or gripping members or features 2L and 2r which project inwardly into the storage slots to facilitate holding vertically stacked columns of particular cards c. The first or top card is held or held by engagement with parts 2L and 2r while keeping the other cards aligned behind the top card in the card storage area 3, perpendicular to the horizontal. The placement of the lower support surface 1bt and the side engaging members 2L and 2r defines the snapping or clamping position f. These characteristics determine that the clamping member e may comprise an alignment device 4 consisting of a rod 6 and a central roller 7 .

The rod 6 may have a tapered or smaller end that can be inserted into the vertical elongated holes 5L and 5r. The roller 7 is fixed on the middle part of the bar 6 and can be made of rubber. The roller 7 is located above the starting top card c at the gripping position f. The surface of the roller 7 may be in contact with the upper edge of the card c, aligning the card c in the loading position.

Since the cards are stored vertically and their weight is borne by the bottom plate 1b, the cumulative weight or pressure of the cards arranged behind the top card is relatively small, thereby preventing damage to the cards.

Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown a schematic diagram of the base of a vending machine v having one window u. The window u enables the user to see a card c placed vertically, so that the design and content of the card c can be seen from the outside of the vending machine. On the overhanging flanges of the side panels 1L and 1r is a blocking member 19, having a bar and bar shape, positioned in front of the end 1bt of the bottom plate 1b. The distance between the blocking member 19 and the end portion 1bt is smaller than the height of the card c. As can be seen, the blocking member 19 traverses the entire visual space in a vertical plane that has a deviation from the vertical plane where the vertical card array c is located. Therefore, it is desirable that the blocking member 19 is made of a transparent material so that it does not block the view of the user. In order to further facilitate the gravity transport of the cards c, a weight member 12 is placed on the bottom plate 1b of the card storage area 3 to provide a thrust to push the card array down to the card loading position. Therefore, the weight 12 will slide down along the bottom plate 1b under the action of gravity, and the inclination angle of the bottom plate 1b should allow the weight 12 to move.

The dispensing device or device d comprises a pair of L-shaped arms 12L and 12r fixed in such a way as to allow rotation about an axis of rotation 11f. The support rods 13 are fixed to the ends of the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r, respectively. Mounted on the support rod 13 is a gripping member or disc 14 which is fixed in the middle of the support rod 13 . A cross-sectional view of the disc 14 can be seen from FIG. 4 . The catch disc 14 has a cylindrical body 14b with a conical end 14t supporting an annular expansion disc 14s. Disc 14s and end 14t combine to define a spatial region 14c. The disc 14s may be made of a material that is smooth and flexible and can withstand repeated contact with the card member. Such a material may be flexible polyurethane. The support rod passes through a mounting hole or bore 14h in a cylinder 14b. Bolts 14n are used to fix the cylindrical body 14b to the support rod 13 .

As shown, for example, in FIG. 3, the catch member 14 may rotate on a predetermined path between a catch position f that allows the catch disc 14 to stick the card c, and a position w to be dispensed. The position w to be released is on the horizontal plane in front of the sheet c. This standby position w can be reached by turning the shaft 11f clockwise. In this position, the gripping member 14 is located below the end 1bt and is removed from the card c in the loading or gripping position f. When the gripping member 14 is moved between the cocking position w and the gripping position f, the gripping member will be located between the end 1 bt and the blocking lever 19 .

Referring to FIG. 3, the driving device 21 may be an electric motor for rotating the shaft 11f through a gear transmission mechanism. The gear drive mechanism comprises a pinion 23 mounted on the connecting motor shaft 22 which inscribes a gear 25 which in turn turns a pinion 26 which meshes with a gear 27 mounted on the shaft 11f. The pinion 23 is fixed on the output shaft 22 of the motor with a speed reducer in between, mounted on the inside of the base 2 . Gears 25 and 26 are fixed on the shaft 24 and can rotate. A shaft 24 is also mounted on the base 2 so as to be rotatable.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5 , the position monitoring device 30 for monitoring the gripping member 14 includes a mounting bracket 31 fixed on the base plate 2 with an L-shape. The waiting position monitoring sensor 32 and the gripping position monitoring sensor 33 are also fixed on the base plate 2 . These sensors may be, for example, proximity sensors, photoelectric sensors or other conventional sensors for monitoring the position of the shaft 11f. In the preferred configuration shown in FIG. 1 , the extension member 34 is fixed at the end of the second lever 12r and is movable within a channel between the sensor locations 32 and 33 . As shown in FIG. 1 , if the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r are moved counterclockwise, the ready-to-discharge sensor 32 turns to the ready-to-discharge position w. When the two levers move clockwise to the grabbing position, the sensor 33 switches to the grabbing position f, so that the grabbing member 14 can come into grabbing contact with the card c.

Installed under the end plate 1bt is a card guide member 40 which can form a rectangular shape and which can be fixed on the base plate 2 . A card guide 40 is located below the blocking member 19 and is capable of receiving a card c released from the gripping member 14 so that the card is slid towards the opening of the vending machine under the force of gravity. The card sensor 41 shown in FIG. 1 may be fixed on the base of the card guide 40 for measuring the card c conveyed through the card guide 40 . This sensor 41 may be a photoelectric sensor.

Referring to the schematic circuit diagram in FIG. 5 , the control device 50 may include a microprocessor device including a microprocessor 51 , a random access memory 52 and a read-only memory 53 . This control device can receive the signals transmitted from the position sensor 32 to be issued, the grasping position sensor 33 and the card sensor 41, and can also accept the issuing signal pg input by the user through the entrance. The motor 21 and the visual display 54 , for example an external display in a vending machine, can be controlled by the control device 50 . The visual display 54 can provide machine status, occasional error signals and further operational information to the user.

Referring to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the working process of the first embodiment can be explained. In the situation of being issued, the card c is located in the card loading position on the bottom plate 1bt of the storage area 3 . In this position, a plurality of cards at the lower end are vertically arranged at the catch position f, contacting the catch members respectively formed by the left and right contact members. Roller 7 is in contact with the upper edge of the card. As can be seen from Figure 3, the user can view the face of the card through an appropriate display window on the vending machine. A user who wants to get a card can activate the vending machine, and the device will then generate a dispensing signal pg, which is transmitted to the microprocessor 51 . For example, a user may purchase a phone card by placing coins in a vending machine, which then generates the dispensing signal pg. The microprocessor 51 then initiates the control program in response to the firing signal, as shown in FIG. 6 .

Judgment step s1 indicates whether the dispensing signal to eject a card has been received. If so, step 2 begins by activating the motor 21 so that the primary arm 12L and the secondary arm 12r will rotate counterclockwise at a suitably reduced speed, as shown in the arcuate trajectory shown in FIG. 7 . The gripping member 14 will move upwards to contact the surface of the card c in the gripping position. The gripping position sensor 33 detects the entry of the work piece 34 and provides a signal indicating the working position of the gripping disc in step s3. The control signal in step s4 indicates that the motor 21 has stalled. The center of the surface of the card c is attached to it by the vacuum compression of the space 14c, which ensures that it can move safely with the gripping member 14. The control program keeps the motor 21 at the stop position for a predetermined time, as shown in step s5 in Figure 5, and then in step s6, the motor is reversed, so that the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r in the dispensing device are respectively pressed Turn it counterclockwise, as shown in Figure 7. After the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r are moved to the horizontal position, the release position sensor 32 detects the work piece 34 and outputs an appropriate signal, as shown in step s7. The motor is then stopped in step s8. During this movement, the center of the card c curves or arcs to allow the left and right ends of the card c to be released from the holding members 2r and 2L. Due to the bending, the width of the card becomes smaller, and the card c can pass through the first stopper 2L and the second stopper 2r and be released. Then the card c in the card array will slide down under the gravity of the weight 12, and contact the first stopper 2L and the second stopper 2r again at the card loading position.

A card attached to the catch member 14 will be in contact with the end portion 1bt and with the blocking member 19 . The gripping member 14 will release, with the result that the card c is released and bounced up under the counter force, and at the same time will be released from the end 1bt, so that it will fall into the card guide 40 and be directed towards the exit location, issued to the user. If in some cases the lower end of the card being taken is released from the end 1bt and contacts the upper end of the card guide 40, the card c will be stopped by the upper end of the card guide 40 and the stopper 19, and the disc 14 will be grabbed will be easily removed from the card so that the card can be released and directed towards the item exit.

When the card c falls into the card guide 40, the card sensor 41 can detect the passage of the card c, and can output a detection signal pf. Referring again to FIG. 6, if the issuing of the card is detected in step s9, the issuing process is terminated. However, if the signal pf is not confirmed in step s9, the control routine goes to step s10 to determine whether the output signal pf appears twice. If the output signal pf occurs only once, the control program will return to step s2 and start the process of trying to move the card c again. When the signal pf is received twice, as shown in step s11, an output signal will be provided to output an abnormal signal, and the system stops running at this time. The abnormal signal may be displayed, for example, on a visual display 54 such as a liquid crystal display.

The invention can be modified with some modifications within the spirit and scope of this patent disclosure. For example, the bottom plate 1b of the card holder h could be in a horizontal position rather than tilted at an angle, so that the weight 12 would be replaced by a spring biased plate to hold down the card array in the vertical loading position. As an additional modification, the gripping member 14 may include an auxiliary suction cup to help grip the surface of the card c.

It is also possible to include a first guide gL in the area between the first side panel 1L and the card guide 40; and a second guide gr in the area between the second side panel 1r to provide the card guide, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 1. So, if the card c happens to bounce back and slide out, the card c will be guided into the card guide 40 by the first guide plate gL and the second guide plate gr.

Referring to Fig. 8, another preferred structure of the present invention is shown. Basically, the configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and only components different from those of the first embodiment will be described here.

The stopper 19 may be covered by the pipe 100 to provide a more frictional component. The tube 100 can be made of eg silicone material which is highly transparent so that the buyer or user can still see the card c through the display window of the vending machine. Another way is that the pipe 100 can be made of polyurethane or MBR, the transparency of these materials is not very high.

Part of the pipeline with greater friction can be achieved by adding resin powder directly on the surface of the blocking member 19, and further, the blocking member 19 can press a predetermined uneven structure or friction surface on its surface.

In working on the second embodiment, when the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r are rotated counterclockwise to the horizontal position, it performs the same function as in step 7 of the first preferred structure. When the grabbing member 14 is in contact with the card at the card loading position, the motor 21 rotates in reverse, and the lower edge of the card c extracted from the card array is blocked by the end 1bt, and its upper edge is blocked by the stopper 19. In this case, the card c is held by the end portion 1bt and comes into contact with the friction surface of the pipe 100 on the stopper 19 . When the grasping member 14 is further retracted, the upper end portion of the card c has been in contact with the high friction portion, and thus will stop sliding relative to the pipe 100 . Besides, the card c cannot be bent, so that the gripping member 14 will disengage from the card c since the gripping force at the end 1bt and at the stopper 19 will be greater than the gripping force exerted by the gripping member 14 . Therefore, the card c will fall into the card guide 40 to be guided to the article outlet.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the just described preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as described herein.

Claims (3)

1. an automatic card issuing device that is used for showing and providing card is characterized in that, comprising:

The locker room of many cards of a storage;

A clamping components that links to each other with the locker room at work is used on one in many cards position that places a surface that can show card;

A control device that is used to receive user's input and provides card;

One is used for from the control device acknowledge(ment) signal to provide the dispensing apparatus of card, comprise one can be in moving clamping card face and with the capture member of its predetermined tracks release from the clamping components upper edge;

A prevention member that is installed on the tracks is used for separating card from capture member, and card can be provided to the user.

2. the automatic card issuing device described in the claim 1 is characterized in that, it is transparent stoping member.

3. the automatic card issuing device described in the claim 1 is characterized in that, stops member to comprise the friction member that contacts with card.

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