Automated ticket/boarding pass printer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

0001The field of the present invention is automated ticket processing apparatus, and more particularly, apparatus for printing and/or validating tickets used by commercial airlines and the like.

0002Ticket processing mechanisms have been used in a variety of applications. Apparatus for applications such as gaming include ticket terminals for moving a ticket through various stages of issue processing. For example, the DM-4D Data Mark ticket issuing terminal, manufactured and sold by the assignee of this patent application, includes a ticket advancing mechanism having a pair of spaced-apart, parallel ticket rollers which move a ticket in a figure-eight for processing on both sides of the ticket. By processing is meant reading, writing or printing information on one or more faces of a ticket. The ticket advancing mechanism of another Data Mark terminal can be understood by reference to U.S. Patent No. 4,677,553, which is assigned to the assignee of the subject patent application and incorporated herein by reference. Another ticket advancing mechanism for moving a ticket through various stages of processing in a single circular ticket guide is taught in U.S. Patent No. 4,704,518, which is also assigned to the assignee of the subject patent application and incorporated herein by reference.

0003Other mechanisms for processing documents such as tickets are exemplified in apparatus which propel a ticket along an essentially linear pathway which is branched near its terminal to provide separate channels for issuing or impounding a ticket. Such branching is represented by U.S. Patent No. 4,164,649. Ticket issuing apparatus used for printing and/or validating commercial air carrier tickets and itinerary have been of this sort. In general, such ticket processing equipment requires the provision of a linear ticket path, branches in the path, and a sequence of reciprocating mechanisms distributed along the path to propel a ticket through the path and into any of its branches. It will be appreciated that such an architecture results in an elongated ticket processing apparatus which occupies an amount of space proportional to the length of the path. Further, the plethora of driving mechanisms requires a complex electro-mechanical control mechanization to orchestrate the operations of the driving mechanisms.

0004An effort to minimize ticket processing path length in a ticket processing terminal is represented by the DM-4 Data Mark terminal of the assignee. The DM-4 terminal is especially significant in that the figure-eight ticket pathway permits processing on both sides of a ticket in a relatively compact configuration. Another effort to minimize ticket processing path length in a ticket processing terminal is represented by U.S. Patent No, 4,704,518 assigned to the present assignee.

0005These ticket processing terminals are adequate for their respective purposes, but may not be optimal where it is required to write information to, read information from and print information to a ticket as part of a revalidation and/or ticket issuing process.

0006Commercial air carriers may also be expected to use coded ticket stock to prevent fabrication of counterfeit tickets. Each ticket will have a stock control number encoded thereon which a ticket processing apparatus will read and send to an airline computerized reservation system. This will require an additional ticket reading step and a lengthening of ticket processing time depending on the configuration of the ticket path. Minimum path length and rapid ticket throughput will thus become even more important.

0007Therefore, there is an evident need for a ticket issuing and validation apparatus with a configuration which minimizes the space required for movement of a ticket undergoing processing, yet which permits the apparatus to effectively read, write and print information on a ticket pursuant to a ticket validation and/or issuing process.

0008It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a compact, yet multifunctional, ticket issuing and validation apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

0009The invention is expressed in structural form as an apparatus for processing tickets. The apparatus includes a circular ticket guide, a drive mechanism for driving a ticket in the circular ticket guide in a forward or reverse direction, an arcuate ticket guide, an arcuate ticket guide drive mechanism for driving a ticket in the arcuate ticket guide, a ticket transfer guide extending between the circular and arcuate ticket guides for transferring a ticket between the circular and arcuate ticket guides, at least one ticket input guide extending to the circular ticket guide for inputting a ticket into the circular ticket guide from a ticket input area, a ticket output guide for outputting a ticket from the arcuate ticket guide to a ticket output area and ticket reading, writing and printing mechanisms.

0010This structure supports a method for printing, validating and issuing tickets which includes the steps of feeding and introducing a ticket into the circular ticket guide, driving the ticket around the circular ticket guide in a forward direction, writing information to and/or reading information from the ticket while the ticket is being driven in the forward direction in the circular ticket guide, driving the ticket in a reverse direction while diverting the ticket from the circular ticket guide at a selected diverting point in the circular ticket guide depending on whether a validation or ticket issuing process is being performed. If a revalidation process is being performed, the ticket is diverted to a ticket return area if the ticket does not need to be altered. If the ticket undergoing validation contains erroneous information or if a ticket is to be issued, the ticket is diverted from the circular ticket guide to the arcuate ticket guide where the ticket is printed and subsequently issued to a ticket output area.

0011It will be evident that the above-stated objectives are achieved, together with other attendant advantages, when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the below-described drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0012Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a ticket validation and issuing device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

0013Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the electronics control mechanism which controls operation of the ticket validation and issuing device shown in Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

0014Referring now to Fig. 1 for an understanding of the overall structure and major mechanisms in a ticket validation and issuing device constructed in accordance with the present invention, the device is intended for use in a ticket processing system into which it would be integrated with other functional components to perform general ticket processing transactions. For example, the device of the invention could operate at an airline ticket counter or at a remote location such as a travel agency. In both cases, the device would communicate with a central airline reservation data processing system for obtaining ticketing information. The device or apparatus for validating and issuing tickets includes a housing 10 defining or containing an endless cylindrical ticket guide 12. The ticket guide 12 is formed by the interior surface of a hollow cylinder in the housing 10. A ticket is advanced along a revolutionary path around the ticket guide 12 in a feeding direction, which in the preferred embodiment corresponds to the counter-clockwise direction in Fig. 1. The force for driving a ticket in the circular path of the ticket guide 12 is provided by a rotating drive cylinder 14. A drive cylinder 14 rotates on a conventional shaft to which it is detachably connected by a releasable, shaft-engaging mechanism of conventional design. The drive cylinder 14 is powered by a DC gear motor 15 which may be selectively operated in a forward or reverse direction, thereby providing the capability of rotating the cylinder 14 in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction with respect to the orientation of Fig. 1.

0015The housing 10 further includes a plurality of ticket sources. A first ticket magazine 20 supports a plurality of tickets stacked on edge and retained in a pack configuration by a biased ticket retainer 22. The tickets in the magazine 20 are fed into the ticket guide 12 through a feeding aperture 24 which extends tangentially to the circular ticket guide 12 from a knife 26 which is positioned to limit the number of tickets in the passage 24 to one ticket. Tickets from the magazine 20 are driven past the knife 26 into the passage 24 and into the circular ticket guide 12 by a feed roller 28 driven by a ticket feed motor 30 which is conventionally coupled to the feed roller 28 by a gear drive assembly. When the feed roller 28 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, a ticket is fed through the feeding aperture 24 into the circular ticket guide 12. As the ticket advances into the circular guide, its flexibility will cause it to assume a partially curved configuration conforming to the curvature of the ticket guide 12. As the ticket advances into the circular ticket guide 12 from the feeding aperture 24, the drive cylinder 14 is rotated in the counter clockwise direction to drive the ticket in the guide in the feeding direction. The first ticket magazine may be used to hold blank airline ticket forms.

0016A second ticket magazine 40 contains a plurality of tickets stacked on edge and retained in a pack configuration by a biased ticket retainer 42. The tickets in the magazine 40 are fed into the circular ticket guide 12 through a feeding aperture 44 which extends tangentially to the circular ticket guide 12 from a ticket knife 46 positioned so as to limit the number of tickets in the feeding aperture 44 to one ticket. The tickets in the magazine 40 are fed into the circular ticket guide 12 through the feeding aperture 44 by means of a feed roller 48 driven by the ticket feed motor 30 which is conventionally coupled to the feed roller 48 by a gear drive assembly. When the feed roller 48 is rotated in the clockwise direction, a ticket is fed through the feeding aperture 44 into the circular ticket guide 12. As the ticket advances into the circular guide, its flexibility will cause it to assume a partially curved configuration conforming to the curvature of the circular ticket guide 12. As the ticket advances into the circular ticket guide 12 through the feeding aperture 44, the drive cylinder 14 is rotated in the counter clockwise direction to drive the ticket in the guide in the feeding direction. The second ticket magazine 40 may be used to hold blank airline itinerary forms.

0017A third ticket source includes a ticket revalidation input 50 in communication with the circular ticket guide 12 through a ticket input guide 52 extending tangentially to the circular ticket guide 12 from the revalidation input 50. The revalidation input 50 is positioned such that a ticket may be inserted through the ticket guide 52 until it enters the circular ticket guide 12 and engages the drive cylinder 14. The drive cylinder 14, when rotating in the counter clockwise feeding direction, will feed the ticket from the ticket guide 52 into the circular ticket guide 12, whereupon the flexibility of the ticket will cause it to assume a partially curved configuration conforming to the curvature of the ticket guide 12.

0018Advancing arcuately in the forward direction from the ticket input guide 52, the feeding aperture 44 and the feeding aperture 24, there is provided a magnetic ticket writing mechanism 60 and a magnetic ticket reading mechanism 70 displaced arcuately beyond said ticket writing mechanism in the ticket feeding direction. The ticket writing and ticket reading mechanisms are of conventional construction and are electrically connected to an information processing apparatus, described hereinafter. The ticket writing and reading mechanisms are positioned adjacent to the circular ticket guide so as to respectively write and read magnetic information on a magnetic strip disposed on a ticket.

0019Arcuately disposed between the feeding aperture 24 and the reading mechanism 60 is a ticket transfer guide 80 which extends tangentially between the circular ticket guide 12 and an arcuate ticket guide, to be described hereinafter.

0020Positioned adjacent the circular ticket guide 12 at the respective interfaces between the circular ticket guide 12 and the ticket input guide 52 and between the circular ticket guide 12 and the ticket transfer guide 80, are a ramped ticket return aperture 90 and a ramped ticket transfer aperture 100. The ramped apertures 90 and 100 are configured to divert a ticket from the circular ticket guide 12 when the ticket is driven in a reverse or clockwise direction, into the respective ticket guides 52 and 80. The ramped ticket return aperture 90 is formed from a ramped stationary edge 92 and a surface 94 which is tangential to the surface of the ticket guide 12. The ramped stationary edge 92 transitions to an arcuate surface 96 which forms a portion of the circular ticket guide 12. A rear surface 98, tangential to the ticket guide, and the arcuate surface 96 meet as an apex to form the ramped edge 92.

0021Similarly, the ramped ticket transfer aperture is formed between a ramped stationary edge 102 and a surface 104 which is tangential to the circular ticket guide 12. The ramped stationary edge 102 transitions to an arcuate surface 106 which forms a portion of the circular ticket guide 12. A rear surface 108, tangential to the circular ticket guide 12, and the arcuate surface 106 meet as an apex to form the ramped edge 102.

0022The ticket transfer guide 80 extends tangentially to an arcuate ticket guide 200 formed in the housing 10. The ticket guide 200 shown in Fig. 1 is formed by the interior surface of a generally semi-circular aperture in the housing 10 and extends from the ticket transfer guide 80 to a ticket output area. Disposed adjacent the arcuate ticket guide 200 at the beginning and end thereof is a drive roller and print platen 202 and 204, respectively. The drive roller and print platen are driven by a stepper motor 206 through a belt 208. The drive roller and print platen 202 and 204 are driven in the same forward direction as the drive cylinder 14 which in Fig. 1 is the counterclockwise direction.

0023Disposed adjacent the arcuate ticket guide 200 and opposite the print platen 204 is a pivotally mounted ticket print head mechanism ("printer") 210. The ticket printer 210 is brought into printing engagement with a ticket by a solenoid 212, which thrusts the printer 210 toward a ticket in the arcuate ticket guide 200. The printer 210 is pivoted at 214 so that the printing head and an associated platen are brought into contact with a ticket. The printer 210 is part of a conventional thermal transfer ribbon printing apparatus. A ribbon 216 is positioned between the printer 210 and a ticket to be printed. The ribbon 216 extends from a ribbon cartridge 218 which includes a take up spool 220 and a supply spool 222. The ribbon take up spool 220 is driven by a ribbon take up motor which takes up any ribbon slack between the printer 210 and the take up spool 220. The ribbon supply spool 222 is controlled by a ribbon brake which maintains ribbon tension between the ribbon supply spool 220 and the printer 210.

0024Thus, the print platen 204 drives a ticket in the arcuate ticket guide 200, and also drives the ribbon 216 during ticket printing. The printer solenoid 212 assists by biasing the printer 210 against the ribbon and ticket toward the drive roller 204. As the ticket is driven past the print platen 204 it is ejected into a ticket output bin 230.

0025The housing 10 further includes a plurality of ticket position sensors which provide ticket position information to the information processing apparatus, described hereinafter. A reflective-transmissive revalidation input sensor 300 is provided adjacent the ticket input guide 52 proximate to the revalidation input 50. The sensor includes a conventional light emitting diode and an opposing light sensitive detector. A reflective ticket-under-magnetic-head (TUM) sensor 310 is positioned adjacent the circular ticket guide 12, arcuately aligned with the ticket writing mechanism 60 in order to sense the condition of a ticket under the writing mechanism 60. The TUM sensor 310 is a reflective sensor having a conventional light emitting diode and a light sensitive detector aligned to receive light reflected by a ticket. A transition sensor 320 is provided adjacent the ticket transfer guide 80 proximate to the arcuate ticket guide 200 to sense the condition of a ticket entering the arcuate ticket guide 200 from the ticket transfer guide 80. The transition sensor 320 is a transmissive sensor which includes a conventional light emitting diode positioned on one side of the ticket transfer guide 80 from a conventional light sensitive detector which is positioned to receive light emitted from the light emitting diode. A ticket under print head (TUP) sensor 330 is provided adjacent the arcuate ticket guide 200 proximate to the print head 210 to sense the condition of a ticket approaching the print head. The TUP sensor 330 is an electro-mechanical sensor having a conventional light emitting diode and a light sensitive detector positioned such that a pivoting bracket, rotated by the ticket, moves a light blocking device in and out of the transmissive sensor.

0026Turning now to Fig. 2, a block diagram of the information processing and control apparatus 400 and its associated inputs and outputs are shown. Preferably, the apparatus 400 is mounted, using known means in the enclosure 10 and is connected conventionally to the sensor's, read heads, write heads, and motors illustrated in Figure 1 and described above. The apparatus 400 is conventional and includes a programmable processor assembly 410 which conventionally includes a microprogrammable microprocessor, associated memory and an input-output data bus (I/O BUS). The processor 410 is connected through its I/O bus to a magnetic controller 420 and a print controller 430, and may also optionally be connected through the I/O bus to a serial communication port 440 and additional memory 450.

0027The magnetic controller 420 is in electrical communication with the writing and reading mechanisms 60 and 70, and with the DC gear motor 15 which drives the drive cylinder 14. The print controller 430 is in electrical communication with a video display 432 of conventional design and with the stepper motor 206. Both the magnetic controller 420 and the print controller 430 are connected via the I/O bus to a power board 440 which powers the ticket position sensors 300, 310, 320 and 330, the ticket feed motor 30, the ribbon take up motor, the stepper motor 206, the solenoids 212 and the printer 210. The power board 440 also provides data input and output between the sensors 300, 310, 320 and 330, and the print head 210. A power supply 450, electrically powered from a conventional AC power source 460, provides a +24 volt potential to the power board 440 and +5v and +12v sources to the processor 410. The power supply 450 also powers cooling fans 470 and 480.

0028In the preferred embodiment, operations of the information processing apparatus 400 are controlled by a program conventionally entered in the processor assembly 410. The primary feature and functions of the program are set forth in the following pseudo code listing:<img file="EP0451933A2_D0001.tif" /><img file="EP0451933A2_D0002.tif" /><img file="EP0451933A2_D0003.tif" /><img file="EP0451933A2_D0004.tif" />

0029From the above coding it will be appreciated that several ticketing and validation functions may be conveniently performed by the invention. The following examples illustrate such operations:

EXAMPLE 1 - TICKET REVALIDATION

0030Following conventional power up and system testing, the information processing apparatus 400 continuously samples a user command interface such as a keyboard, for a ticket feed request. If the operator requests ticket revalidation, the processor waits for an input signal from the revalidation input sensor 300. When a signal from the revalidation input sensor is received, indicating that a ticket has been inserted in the revalidation input 50 into the ticket input guide 52, the processor activates the magnetic motor 15 to rotate the drive cylinder 14 in a counter-clockwise feeding direction. The processor then waits for a signal from the TUM sensor 310. When the processor receives a signal from the TUM sensor 310, indicating that the ticket is under the writing mechanism 60, the processor, having been selected to read magnetic data from the ticket, activates the reading mechanism 70 to read magnetic data from the ticket. When the TUM sensor 310 signals that the ticket is no longer under the writing mechanism 60, the processor waits sufficient time for drive cylinder 14 to advance the ticket until it is no longer under the reading mechanism 70. At that time, the processor signals the magnetic motor 15 to stop.

0031The information received from the reading mechanism 70 is processed, for example, by an airline reservation system computer. If the information on the ticket is correct and does not require updating, the processor enters an "Eject Ticket" mode. In this mode the processor tests to see whether an "Eject to Printer" or an "Eject to Input Slot" operation has been requested. In the revalidation mode, the processor is instructed to eject to the revalidation input slot 50. The processor signals the magnetic motor 15 to rotate in the counter-clockwise feeding direction 1/4 revolution so as to drive the trailing edge of the ticket beyond the ramped return aperture 90. The processor then signals the magnetic motor 15 to stop and to begin rotating in the clockwise reverse direction. The magnetic motor 15 rotates in the clockwise reverse direction for one revolution, which is sufficient to drive the ticket through the ticket input guide 52 to the revalidation input 50, where it may be retrieved by the operator. The processor then turns off the magnetic motor 15.

0032If the ticket information read by the ticket reading mechanism 70 is incorrect and needs to be changed, the processor performs an "Eject to Printer" operation. The processor activates the magnetic motor 15 to turn in the clockwise reverse direction and waits for a transition signal from the transition sensor 320, indicating that the ticket has entered the ticket transfer guide 80 through the ramped ticket transfer aperture 100 and is approaching the arcuate ticket guide 200. When a signal from the transition sensor 320 is received by the processor, the processor tests the TUP sensor 330 to determine whether a previous ticket is still under the printer 210. If so, the magnetic motor 15 is deactivated. When no previous ticket is under the printer 210, the processor again activates the magnetic motor 15 to turn in the clockwise reverse direction. The processor also tests the TUM sensor 310 to see when the ticket is no longer under the writing mechanism 60. When the processor receives that signal from the sensor 310, the processor activates the printer motor 206 to turn the drive roller and print platen 202 and 204 in the counterclockwise feeding direction. The processor also activates the thermal transfer ribbon take up motor 220. The processor then tests the TUP sensor 330 to verify that the ticket has entered the printing area. If it has, the processor deactivates the magnetic motor 15, activates the printer pressure solenoid 212, releases the thermal transfer ribbon brake 222, formats the print data and transfers the data to the print head 210, where it is transferred to the ticket. The processor then tests the TUP sensor 330 to determine when the ticket has passed beyond the sensor. If it has, the processor starts a ticket eject timer and waits for expiration of the timer. Thereafter, the processor activates the thermal transfer ribbon brake, deactivates the printer pressure solenoid and turns off the printer motor.

EXAMPLE 2 - TICKET ISSUING

0033When the operator initiates a ticket issuing request, the processor activates the magnetic motor 15 to turn the drive cylinder 14 in the counter-clockwise feeding direction. The processor also activates the ticket feed motor 30 and causes it to drive the ticket feed roller 28 in a counter-clockwise feeding direction to drive a blank ticket past the knife 26, through the ticket input aperture 24 and into the circular ticket guide 12 where the magnetic motor 15 has been activated to drive the ticket in the counterclockwise feed direction. The processor tests the TUM sensor 310 to determine when the ticket has passed under the writing mechanism 60. When the TUM sensor 310 indicates that the ticket has reached the writing mechanism 60, the processor deactivates the ticket feed motor 30. The processor, which has been instructed to write magnetic data, activates the writing mechanism 60 to write magnetic data until the processor receives a signal from the TUM sensor 310 indicating that the trailing edge of the ticket has passed the writing mechanism 60. The processor then activates the ticket reading mechanism 70 to commence reading magnetic data from the ticket which by that time has been driven one revolution after the magnetic write step. If the information read from a ticket coincides with the information written to the ticket, the processor deactivates the magnetic motor 15 and reverses its direction to a clockwise reverse direction, whereby the ticket is driven into the ramped ticket transfer aperture 100. The processor then performs the "Eject to Printer" routine, discussed above.

EXAMPLE 3 - PRINTING AN ITINERARY

0034When the processor is selected to print an itinerary it activates the magnetic motor 15, as described in Example 2 above, and activates the ticket feed motor 30 so as to drive the drive roller 48 in a clockwise feeding direction. The drive roller 48 drives an itinerary ticket past the knife 46, through the ticket input aperture 44, to the circular ticket guide 12 where the magnetic motor 15 has been activated to drive the ticket in the counter-clockwise feed direction. The ticket is driven in the feed direction until its trailing edge passes the TUM sensor 310. The processor then deactivates the magnetic motor 15 and causes it to turn in the clockwise reverse direction so as to drive the ticket into the ramped ticket transfer aperture 100. The ticket then proceeds into the arcuate ticket guide 200 and through the printer 210 as described above, and is printed with information received from the processor.

0035Thus, a ticket printing and revalidation apparatus has been described. While various embodiments have been disclosed, it should be apparent that many modifications and variations of the above-described invention are possible in light of these teachings. For example, it may be possible to modify the ticket revalidation and ticket issuing procedures to include an initial ticket reading step when a ticket first passes the reading mechanism 70 wherein a security stock code number is read from a ticket and transferred to an airline central reservation information processing system. Therefore, it is to be understood that within the scope of this disclosed invention, it may be practiced other than as specifically described.