Lottery Ticket Bin Angled Ramp Guide
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lottery ticket dispensers face challenges in maintaining proper alignment and reducing jamming issues, especially in under-counter applications, due to the tall height profile and varying ticket lengths, which complicates loading and dispensing processes.
Innovation Solution
A low-profile lottery ticket bin with a slidable drawer and an angled ramp featuring transverse ridges and a concave curved profile to guide and dispense tickets of varying lengths in a laid-down orientation, minimizing jamming and facilitating easy loading and dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the bins are configured with a shortened height profile for under-counter applications, then the overall height of the array is significantly reduced, but ticket alignment is compromised and folding issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a curved ramp surface within the bin that guides tickets from the flat stacked position to the dispensed position. This curvature allows tickets to transition smoothly without sharp folds, maintaining alignment even in the shortened bin height configuration. The curved path ensures tickets are properly oriented as they exit the bin.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a ramp dimension that creates an inclined plane within the bin, transforming the ticket dispensing path from a simple horizontal or vertical movement to a three-dimensional curved trajectory. This additional dimensional element allows tickets to be properly aligned and guided through the constrained space of the shortened bin.
2Length of stationary object
If tickets are dispensed in a laid-down flat orientation to reduce bin height, then the bin height is reduced, but ticket jams increase due to uncontrolled folding
Solution Approach 1:
The curved ramp surface guides tickets through a controlled arc-shaped path, preventing uncontrolled folding and jamming. The curvature ensures tickets bend in a predictable manner rather than creasing sharply, which eliminates the harmful folding effect that causes jams in flat-oriented dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The ramp acts as an intermediary element between the stacked tickets and the dispensed tickets. This intermediate curved surface mediates the transition, controlling the folding behavior and preventing direct contact between tickets that would cause jamming in the constrained space.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the bin accommodates tickets of varying lengths in laid-down orientation, then versatility is increased, but dispensing control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp creates a three-dimensional dispensing path that naturally accommodates tickets of different lengths. By utilizing the inclined plane and curved trajectory, the system can handle varying ticket lengths without compromising control, as the ramp geometry guides all tickets through the same controlled path regardless of their specific length.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5a~5c
AI summary
A lottery ticket dispenser array includes a plurality of interconnected bins, wherein the bins include a housing having a bottom and an open top. A drawer is slidable into and out of the housing and includes an open top and a ticket compartment configured for receipt of a stack of the interconnected lottery tickets in a laid-down orientation. A component section adjacent in the drawer is configured to automatically dispense the lottery tickets through a dispense slot upon receipt of a dispense command. A ramp is disposed within the ticket compartment and is angled upwards from a floor of the ticket compartment towards the component section. The ramp includes a plurality of raised ridges extending across the ramp and spaced longitudinally apart along the ramp, wherein each ridge defines a retaining edge for progressively longer stacks of interconnected lottery tickets placed within the ticket compartment in the laid-down orientation.