Rewritable card printer for a gaming machine
A rewritable card printer useful as a gaming printer. The rewritable card printer includes a print module coupled to one or more separate card magazines, each having independent card drives. A printer controller controls the operation of the print module and the one or more card magazines. Either a card magazine or the print module may include a card-destroying device. The rewritable card printer may be instructed to identify a particular rewritable card during processing and destroy the identified card. The rewritable card printer may also determine that a card should be destroyed because the card is no longer usable. Once the card is destroyed, its remnants are deposited in a destroyed card repository or trash bin associated with a gaming machine.
1 . A rewritable card printer, comprising:
a card magazine coupled to a print module, the card magazine including a card-destroying device;
a printer controller electronically coupled to the print module and the card magazine, the printer controller comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions comprising:
receiving a card; and
destroying the card using the card-destroying device.
2 . The rewritable card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card-destroying device is a mechanical device and destroying the card further comprises cutting the card into a plurality of remnants.
3 . The rewritable card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card-destroying device is a thermal erase head, the card includes a rewritable thermal film, and destroying the card comprises heating the card to a temperature that destroys the rewritable thermal film.
4 . The rewritable card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card-destroying device is an electromagnetic erase head, the card includes a rewritable magnetic strip, and destroying the card comprises degaussing the magnetic strip.
5 . The rewritable card printer of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions further comprise:
reading card information from the card; and
determining that the card should be destroyed using the card information.
6 . The rewritable card printer of claim 5 , wherein the program instructions further comprise:
receiving a card identifier; and
determining that the card should be destroyed using the card information and the card identifier.
7 . The rewritable card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card-destroying device is a mechanical device and destroying the card further comprises deforming the card.
8 . A rewritable card printer, comprising:
a print module including a card-destroying device;
a printer controller electronically coupled to the print module, the printer controller comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions comprising:
receiving a card; and
destroying the card using the card-destroying device.
9 . The rewritable card printer of claim 8 , wherein the card-destroying device is a mechanical device and destroying the card further comprises cutting the card into a plurality of remnants.
10 . The rewritable card printer of claim 8 , wherein the card-destroying device is a thermal erase head, the card includes a rewritable thermal film, and destroying the card comprises heating the card to a temperature that destroys the rewritable thermal film.
11 . The rewritable card printer of claim 8 , wherein the program instructions further comprise:
reading card information from the card; and
determining that the card should be destroyed using the card information.
12 . The rewritable card printer of claim 11 , wherein the program instructions further comprise:
receiving a card identifier; and
determining that the card should be destroyed using the card information and the card identifier.
13 . The rewritable card printer of claim 8 , wherein the card-destroying device is a mechanical device and destroying the card further comprises deforming the card.
14 . A rewritable card printer, comprising:
card printing means including a card-destroying device;
card printer controller configured to:
receive a card; and
destroy the card using the card-destroying device.
15 . The rewritable card printer of claim 8 , wherein the card printer controller is further configured to:
read card information from the card; and
determine that the card should be destroyed using the card information.
16 . The rewritable card printer of claim 11 , wherein the card printer controller is further configured to:
receive a card identifier; and
determine that the card should be destroyed using the card information and the card identifier.