Card dispensing apparatuses and associated methods of operation
US8550294B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 12, 2010 |
| Grant date | Oct 8, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 18, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65H2701/1914
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Apparatuses, systems, and methods for dispensing credit cards, phone cards, in-store gift cards, and the like from customer-operated kiosks and other machines. In one embodiment, a card dispensing apparatus can include a plurality of card hopper assemblies arranged in an array of two or more vertical columns, each column including two or more card hopper assemblies. Each card hopper assembly can include a card hopper configured to hold a vertical stack of horizontally oriented cards. Each card hopper assembly can further include a card ejector assembly configured to eject the bottom-most card from each card stack. The card dispenser can further include a movable card carriage that can be selectively positioned to receive a card from any of the card hoppers and read information from the card before dispensing the card to a customer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.