Compact Ticket Dispenser Using Mobile Robot and Coupled Cassettes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ticket dispensing devices for games of chance are too large and bulky, making them difficult to place in limited spaces such as bars, restaurants, and kiosks, while also failing to offer a wide selection of games due to space constraints.
Innovation Solution
A compact ticket dispensing device utilizing a mobile robot and coupled cassette system that separates tickets along pre-cut lines, allowing for the dispensing of tickets of varying sizes and incorporating a reader for traceability, which reduces bulkiness and enables a wider selection of games in limited spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional ticket dispensing devices are used to offer a selection of games, then the number of games offered increases, but the device size and space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing multiple cassettes containing ticket books inside a single dispensing device. Each cassette can hold multiple books, and the device can accommodate multiple cassettes, creating a nested structure that maximizes game selection within limited space. This allows the device to offer a wide variety of games without requiring proportionally larger physical space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a mobile robot that can dynamically move between different cassettes and retrieve tickets as needed. This dynamic capability allows the device to offer multiple games from a compact structure by on-demand retrieval rather than requiring all games to be simultaneously accessible in fixed positions.
2Area of stationary object
If the device is made more compact to fit limited spaces, then the space requirements decrease, but the ability to offer a wide selection of games is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the ticket storage system into multiple independent cassettes, each containing one or more books of tickets for different games. This segmentation allows the compact device to offer a wide selection of games by organizing them in modular units that can be efficiently stored and accessed within limited space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical stacking of multiple cassettes and multiple books within each cassette, transitioning from horizontal to vertical space utilization. This dimensional change allows the device to accommodate numerous game selections in a compact footprint by stacking components vertically rather than spreading them out horizontally.
3Volume of moving object
If tickets are separated along pre-cut lines using a mobile robot and receiving device, then the radial bulk of the device is reduced, but the complexity of the separation mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a receiving device as an intermediary component that works in conjunction with the mobile robot to separate tickets along pre-cut lines. This intermediary mechanism facilitates compact ticket separation by providing a dedicated interface between the robot and the ticket book, enabling space-efficient design while managing the complexity of the separation process.
4Reliability
If a reader is added to identify and trace tickets, then security and traceability are enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by equipping the mobile robot with a reader that automatically identifies and traces tickets as they are separated and dispensed. This self-identifying capability enhances security and traceability without requiring additional manual intervention or complex external monitoring systems, as the system performs its own verification.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a module (100) for dispensing tickets, comprising: a chassis (1) holding a plurality of cassettes (3) each comprising a housing for housing a book of tickets and a dispensing mechanism, and a movable robot (2) configured to be selectively coupled with one of the cassettes (3).The robot comprises: an actuator (21) for extracting a terminal portion of the book by actuating the dispensing mechanism of the cassette, and a reception device receiving this terminal portion.The reception device and the dispensing mechanism are jointly configured to align a separation line of the terminal portion of the book with a separating device, and/or to tension said terminal portion in order to allow the ticket to be separated by the separating device.