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  Ballot marking system and apparatus utilizing multiple key switch voter interfaceUSPTO Application #: 20080093449Title: Ballot marking system and apparatus utilizing multiple key switch voter interface Abstract: A ballot marking system and apparatus for marking a paper ballot listing a plurality of candidates which includes a marking space for each candidate which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked by the marking apparatus. The voting station includes a multiple key-switch navigation sub-panel by which the voter enters his or her selections in response to audio prompts. If a ballot is to be machine marked, the ballot is inserted into the marking device and candidate selections are presented to the voter through an audio voting sequence and/or on the touchscreen. Candidate selections entered on the sub-panel or touchscreen are marked on the ballot by a print mechanism which marks spaces corresponding to the selected candidates, and the ballot is returned to the voter in a form which enables the voter to visually confirm that his selections have been marked. The ballot, whether hand-marked or machine-marked, is inserted in a ballot scanning device, wherein it is tallied and deposited in a ballot box. (end of abstract) Agent: Eugene M. Cummings, P.C. - Chicago, IL, US Inventor: Eugene M. Cummings USPTO Applicaton #: 20080093449 - Class: 235386000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Registers, Systems Controlled By Data Bearing Records, Voting Machine The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080093449. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims benefit as a Continuation of application Ser. No. 10/454,345 filed Jun. 4, 2003, which claims benefit as a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 10/347,528 filed Jan. 17, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,828, which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application, No. 60/398,919 filed Jul. 26, 2002, the complete disclosure thereof being incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to systems, methods and apparatus for conducting elections, and particularly, to a system, method and apparatus which utilizes a physical ballot, formed of a markable material, such as paper, cardboard, or a thin plastic sheet, or the like, which can be either manually marked by a voter, or electronically marked by an electronic voting station, and then visually or otherwise verified by the voter, electronically scanned and tallied, and preserved in a ballot box for recount purposes. [0003] Traditionally, elections for public office in the United States have been conducted with voting systems utilizing hand-marked paper ballots. Typically, in such systems a paper ballot is issued to a verified voter by an election judge. The voter takes the ballot to a voting booth, where he manually marks his selections by placing marks or punch holes in marking spaces associated with the candidates he or she selects. The marked ballot is then taken by the voter to a ballot box where it is inserted and stored for subsequent hand or machine counting. [0004] In recent years, the traditional system has been improved with the use of a ballot scanner to tally the hand-marked ballots as they are inserted into the ballot box. This has the advantage of making vote tallies immediately available at the close of polling, and, with scanners so-equipped, of preventing unintentional under-votes and over-votes. However, one drawback of the traditional system remains in that there is no provision for assisting voters who have a physical impairment, which would interfere with the manual marking of a ballot. Previous attempts at assisting such impaired voters have utilized electronic voting terminals wherein, instead of presenting candidate choices on a paper ballot, candidate choices are serially presented to the voter on large, easily viewable touch-screen displays. When the voter has made his selections, the results are tallied within the voting terminal, the total votes for each candidate being read from the terminal electronically or by means of a paper tape at the close of the polling place. [0005] One drawback of electronic voting terminals is that there is no satisfactory means for auditing the voting process, i.e. confirming that each vote is tallied as voted, and that no votes are tallied which were not voted. Furthermore, there is no means for an individual voter to confirm for his or herself that his or her vote has actually been counted. Attempts at addressing these deficiencies have centered on the use of a paper tape or slip printed concurrently with each voter's voting. Such tapes and slips, which bear little or no resemblance to a ballot, have proven difficult to interpret by the voter and do not confirm that the vote has been actually tallied. [0006] Another drawback of the use of the electronic voting terminals is that they are inherently less efficient since voters require more time to electronically vote their ballot than is required to mark or punch a paper ballot providing the same candidate choices. Consequently, to avoid long lines at a polling place, a large number of electronic voting stations must be provided, if such stations are utilized as the sole means of voting. This imposes an undesirable cost and space burden on voting jurisdictions, since the electronic voting stations are expensive to own and maintain and require additional space in use and in storage. [0007] Accordingly, it is the general object of the invention to provide a new and improved voting system, method and apparatus. [0008] It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an improved voting system which utilizes a voter-readable and machine-readable physical ballot which can be either hand-marked in a voting booth, or electronically marked at an electronic voting station by means of a touch screen voting terminal and associated marking device. [0009] It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide a ballot marking system and apparatus which provides an improved voter interface utilizing multiple key switches. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The invention is generally directed to a ballot marking apparatus adapted to mark a user-readable ballot containing a plurality of races in accordance with the selections made by a voter, each of the races having a plurality of candidates, the apparatus comprising: a display screen viewable by the voter; an election being presented to the voter one race at a time in a series of screens on the display; a central push-button switch for making a selection; a first pair of push-button switches generally disposed above and below the central push-button for scrolling a cursor up and down in the display to select one of the plurality of candidates; a second pair of push-button switches generally disposed horizontally on either side of the central push-button switch for scrolling between races in the election; and the central selection switch when activated signaling selection of a particular candidate by the voter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011] The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which: [0012] FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of a voting system utilizing hand-marked and machine-marked paper ballots, a ballot issuing station, a ballot marking station comprising a ballot marking device and an electronic voting terminal, a ballot scanner device and a ballot box. [0013] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram showing an alternative ballot issuing station for use in the voting system of FIG. 1. [0014] FIGS. 3A and 3B provide a simplified perspective view of a ballot handling, sensing and marking apparatus, and the principal electronic circuits and components utilized therein, for use in the voting system of FIG. 1. [0015] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the apparatus depicted in FIG. 3 taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 7 showing the apparatus operating as a ballot scanning device. [0016] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 7 showing a locking arrangement for preventing unauthorized removal of the scanning device from a ballot box. [0017] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a voter- and machine-markable, voter- and machine-readable paper ballot adapted for use in the voting system of FIG. 1. [0018] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ballot scanning device utilized in the voting system of FIG. 1 showing the scanning device installed on a ballot box. [0019] FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 showing the receptacle provided in the housing of the ballot scanning device of FIG. 7 for receiving a ballot data module. [0020] FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the voting terminal utilized in the voting system of FIG. 1 showing the touch-screen display and other major components utilized therein. Continue reading... Full patent description for Ballot marking system and apparatus utilizing multiple key switch voter interface Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Ballot marking system and apparatus utilizing multiple key switch voter interface patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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