Abstract: An anti-jam bezel is provided for dispensing a flexible substrate from an output slot. The output slot has a front portion for outputting the flexible substrate and a rear portion for receiving the flexible substrate from a transport. A guideway diverges away from the rear portion of the output slot toward the transport to provide a substrate receiving opening. When in use, the bezel body is mounted adjacent the transport with a cavity between the transport and the rear portion of the output slot. The guideway is adapted to catch a leading edge of the substrate exiting the transport, and guide the leading edge to the output slot. In the event the output slot is blocked, the guideway will guide at least a portion of the substrate into the cavity, thereby preventing a jam.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for determining print progress of a document being printed are provided. The print progress of a document is monitored during printing by monitoring means included in the printer. The percentage of the printing which has been completed is then computed in real time based on information received from the monitoring means. The computed percentage may be used to determine the print completion status of each print field of a document having a plurality of print fields. The computed percentage may be reported to a host device associated with the printer. The computed percentage may be stored in non-volatile memory of the printer and/or of the host device so that the computed percentage of completed printing is maintained during a power failure. The computed percentage of printing completed can be recovered from non-volatile memory upon power recovery.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for converting a full color image to a two-color image for printing at a two-color printer capable of printing black pixels and alternate color pixels. Black pixels and alternate color pixels of the full color image will be printed as corresponding black and alternate color pixels in the two-color image. Printing in pixel areas of the two-color image which correspond to white pixels of the full color image will be inhibited, such that the white pixels of the full color image appear as corresponding background colored pixel areas of the substrate in the two-color image. A dithering algorithm is used for converting other color pixels of the full color image into the two-color image by utilizing either a combination of corresponding background colored pixel areas of the substrate and printed alternate color pixels or a combination of corresponding printed black and alternate color pixels.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for configuring a printer template and a ticket printer having a configurable template. Template attributes are received at the printer and stored in printer memory. A processor at the printer creates a template from the template attributes. Print data is provided to the printer memory. The print data is merged into the template to create a composite image. The composite image can then be printed on a substrate. The substrate may comprise a receipt, a lottery ticket, a coupon, a bus ticket, an airplane ticket, a train ticket, a gaming voucher, a slot machine voucher, or the like.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for providing periodic status updates from a printer to a host system, and a printer capable of providing such status updates. A printer in accordance with the present invention includes means for generating printer status information and means for automatically sending the printer status information to the host system at periodic time intervals, without the need for a status request from the host system or a status change at the printer. The time interval and/or the status information may be configured via the host system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for sensing a paper low condition for fan-folded tickets in a ticket printer. An aperture is provided in a bottom portion of a paper tray which supports a stack of fan-folded tickets. The aperture may be positioned underneath an end of the ticket stack. A reflective sensor is positioned underneath the aperture. Light from the reflective sensor is reflected off a bottom ticket of the ticket stack and back to the sensor when the bottom ticket covers the aperture, indicating the presence of the tickets in the paper tray. A paper low condition may be sensed when enough tickets are printed such that the end of the ticket stack is lifted off the bottom portion of the paper tray and away from the aperture such that light is not reflected back to the sensor.

Abstract: A transaction-based printer has a sheet drive for forwarding a sheet through a printing station to a cutting station where the sheet is severed from a spool by a rotary cutter. A kicker element is mounted in the cutting station. Movement of the kicker element is coordinated through the cutter drive with that of the rotary cutter so that the severed sheet is kicked into a bin located in the top cover of the printer. The printer can be, for example, an ink-jet, dot matrix, dye sublimation or thermal printer used to print tickets, vouchers, coupons or the like.

Abstract: The present invention provides a USB peripheral device belonging to a model line of identical peripheral devices. The peripheral device includes a USB interface enabling connection of the peripheral device to a USB port of a host device. The peripheral device also includes a memory for storing a USB device identifier. The USB device identifier comprises a standard USB device identifier that is the same for all the peripheral devices of the model line. The standard USB device identifier identifies each peripheral device in the model line to the host device as identical devices, thereby preventing device driver reinstallation and communication port reassignment when swapping one peripheral device for another peripheral device from the same model line. This enables identical peripheral devices to be “hot-swappable” such that they can be interchanged on the host device, even when the host device is powered up and running. Corresponding methods are also provided.

Abstract: A 2-color ink jet point of sale (POS) printer includes a converter for converting full color printing commands into commands for printing in two colors, a primary color and an alternate color. A three color image is possible when using the background color of the paper as a color. The printer includes a print carriage which contains only two print cartridges. The printer determines a location of the print cartridge relative to a print location of the image to be printed, and when the print cartridges are both on one side of the print location, the print carriages traverses the paper in one direction, printing first with the primary color and then with the alternate color on the same pass. After the paper is advanced in the printer, the print carriage traverses the paper in the other direction, with the alternate color printing before the primary color.

Abstract: An anti-jam bezel is provided for dispensing a flexible substrate from an output slot. A guideway is provided for receiving the flexible substrate from a transport and guiding the flexible substrate into the output slot. The guideway may extend from the output slot to the transport to provide a substrate receiving opening. The bezel body is adapted for mounting with the substrate receiving opening adjacent the transport such that the guideway catches a leading edge of the substrate after the substrate exits the transport and guides the leading edge into the output slot. In the event the output slot is blocked, the guideway is adapted to guide at least a portion of the substrate into the substrate receiving opening so that at least the portion of the substrate loops into the substrate receiving opening, thereby preventing a jam.

Abstract: A transaction-based printer has a sheet drive for forwarding a sheet through a printing station to a cutting station where the sheet is severed from a spool by a rotary cutter. A kicker element is mounted in the cutting station. Movement of the kicker element is coordinated through the cutter drive with that of the rotary cutter so that the severed sheet is kicked into a bin located in the top cover of the printer. The printer can be, for example, an ink-jet, dot matrix, dye sublimation or thermal printer used to print tickets, vouchers, coupons or the like.

Abstract: A wireless transactional printer is provided. Data and control signals are communicated between the printer and a wireless adapter via a serial port. The serial port also provides power from the printer power supply to power the wireless adapter using a standard serial port connector. In order to provide the wireless communication, the wireless adapter can be provided with a radio module, such as a wireless PCMCIA transceiver. The radio module also receives power from the printer power supply via the serial port connector.

Abstract: An anti-jam bezel is provided for dispensing a flexible substrate from an output slot. The output slot has a front portion for outputting the flexible substrate and a rear portion for receiving the flexible substrate from a transport. A guideway diverges away from the rear portion of the output slot toward the transport to provide a substrate receiving opening. When in use, the bezel body is mounted adjacent the transport with a cavity between the transport and the rear portion of the output slot. The guideway is adapted to catch a leading edge of the substrate exiting the transport, and guide the leading edge to the output slot. In the event the output slot is blocked, the guideway will guide at least a portion of the substrate into the cavity, thereby preventing a jam.

Abstract: A transaction-based printer has a sheet drive for forwarding a sheet through a printing station to a cutting station where the sheet is severed from a spool by a rotary cutter. A kicker element is mounted in the cutting station. Movement of the kicker element is coordinated through the cutter drive with that of the rotary cutter so that the severed sheet is kicked into a bin located in the top cover of the printer. The printer can be, for example, an ink-jet, dot matrix, dye sublimation or thermal printer used to print tickets, vouchers, coupons or the like.

Abstract: An interface is disclosed for driving a printer to print highly secure vouchers and less secure coupons. The printer can reside, for example, in a wagering terminal (e.g., slot machine), ticket machine, point-of-sale terminal or the like. A first driver receives, e.g., from a local controller, data indicative of voucher information to be printed. A second driver receives, e.g., from a central system controller, data indicative of coupon information to be printed. A processor responsive to the first and second drivers generates printer commands in a standard printer format so that the same printer can be used to print vouchers and coupons. Coupons do not have to be processed by the secure (and usually proprietary) hardware and/or software provided by the terminal manufacturer for printing vouchers.

Abstract: A 2-color ink jet point of sale (POS) printer includes a converter for converting full color printing commands into a commands for printing in two colors, a primary color and an alternate color. A three color image is possible when using the background color of the paper as a color. The printer includes a print carriage which contains only two print cartridges. The printer determines a location of the print cartridge relative to a print location of the image to be printed, and when the print cartridges are both on one side of the print location, the print carriages traverses the paper in one direction, printing first with the primary color and then with the alternate color on the same pass. After the paper is advanced in the printer, the print carriage traverses the paper in the other direction, with the alternate color printing before the primary color.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for creating customized messages for printing on a transaction slip. A user interface is provided for creating a customized message for printing on the slip. At least one template for the message is provided. The template(s) corresponds to a layout of the transaction slip. A selection tool is enables the selection of a graphic from a menu of graphics files and inputting the graphic, if selected, into a graphic section of the at least one template. A header section of the at least one template is adapted to accept header text input for a message header. A text section of the at least one template is adapted to accept message text input for a message body. Each graphic file, header text and message text that has been input into respective sections of the at least one template are combined into a printable message.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for printing and validating a document, such as a ticket or voucher printed on a substrate such as paper. After the document is printed, at least a portion thereof is read to test a validity criteria. The document is dispensed to a recipient if the validity criteria is met. If the validity criteria is not met after the first read, the document can optionally be re-read. If the validity criteria is never met, the document is voided. The voided document can be held or dispensed to the recipient and a replacement document can be printed, read for validation purposes and dispensed. If the replacement document is not valid, it is voided. A voided replacement document can be either held or dispensed. Assistance from a machine attendant is required only in the event that a predetermined number of invalid print/read/validate cycles occur.