JCM American Files Complaint Against MEI

LAS VEGAS – (PRESS RELEASE)-- JCM American Corp. announced today it has filed a complaint for patent infringement in U.S. District Court against Mars Electronics International (MEI).

The complaint alleges patent infringement on two JCM patents: U.S. Patent 5,420,406 and U.S. Patent 5,372,361, by one or more of MEI's products, including the MEI Cash Flow(TM) SC Series products.

Patent '406, issued in May 1995, is directed to a bill validator with an integrated bar code detector. This bill validator with bar code detector patent is relevant to gaming devices, which include the ability to accept a bar coded ticket used in "ticket-in/ticket-out" gaming machines. Patent '361 was issued in December 1994 and is directed to a bill handling apparatus for a gaming machine having a bill stacker with a removable pusher.

JCM has never licensed or authorized MEI to make, use, sell, offer for sale, import or export any of the inventions embodied in either patent.

JCM Vice President of Gaming Solutions Tom Nieman said, "The gaming industry has extended its vote of confidence in JCM by making it the preferred bill validator company for the past 12 years. We have an obligation to our stakeholders to defend our technology and assert these patents if we desire to maintain that vote of confidence."