Ticket Burster Magnetic Sensing for Accurate Lottery Ticket Separation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing lottery ticket vending machines struggle with miscuts and improper separation of lottery tickets due to misalignment, misregistration, and other mechanical issues, leading to invalid or unredeemable tickets.

Innovation Solution

Incorporation of magnetic material sensors in the ticket burster to detect magnetically sensible materials on the lottery tickets, allowing the controller to determine improper positioning and trigger corrective actions or alerts to ensure proper ticket separation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If magnetic material sensors are added to detect ticket positioning, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveticket separation accuracyVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces mechanical alignment and positioning systems with magnetic field-based detection. Magnetic material sensors detect the position of magnetically sensible materials embedded in tickets, eliminating the need for complex mechanical registration systems and visual alignment mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces magnetic material sensors as an intermediary detection mechanism between the ticket feeding system and the separation mechanism. These sensors create a magnetic field that interacts with magnetically sensible materials in tickets, providing precise positioning information without direct mechanical contact or complex optical systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If real-time positioning detection is implemented, then reliability is improved, but use of energy increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveticket validityVSAvoidsensor operation energy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The magnetic material sensors operate periodically by generating magnetic fields at intervals as tickets pass through the detection zone. This periodic operation reduces energy consumption compared to continuous field generation, while still providing real-time positioning information for each ticket.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses magnetic field patterns as a copy or representation of ticket position information. Instead of directly measuring physical dimensions or using complex imaging systems, the magnetic sensors create a simplified magnetic signature that accurately represents ticket positioning, reducing computational and energy requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Prevents miscuts and ensures accurate ticket separation, maintaining the integrity and redeemability of lottery tickets by addressing positioning issues in real-time.

Implementation Method 1

a magnetic material sensor supported by the ticket burster and configured to create signals based on a magnetically sensible material of a lottery ticket

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic field: Magnetic Field

Data Source

PatentEP4535317B1Lottery ticket vending machine
Publication Date: 2026.04.01 GTECH CORP
  • EP4535317B1 patent drawingFigure 1
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AI summary

A lottery ticket vending machine configured to determine if its ticket bursters are improperly separating the lottery tickets received from the ticket drawers of the ticket drawer columns, and to make one or more adjustments and/or alert an operator if its ticket bursters are improperly separating the lottery tickets. In various embodiments, each of the tickets bursters includes a suitable magnetic material sensor configured to sense at least one magnetically sensible material of each lottery ticket received in such ticket burster. In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes one or more controllers configured to receive signals from the magnetic material sensor and make such determinations regarding any adjustments and/or alerts, and to cause any such adjustments and/or alerts.