Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6254096
-
Patent Number
6,254,096
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, April 15, 199826 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, July 3, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Mark A. Litman & Associates
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into a second group of cards, wherein the second group of cards is randomly arranged or shuffled. The apparatus comprises a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack for moving cards one at a time into a selected one of the compartments, another card moving mechanism for moving cards from one of the compartments to a second card receiver and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanisms and the elevator.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field
The present invention relates to devices for handling cards, including cards known as “playing cards.” In particular, it relates to an electromechanical machine for continuously shuffling playing cards, whereby a dealer has a substantially continuously readily available supply of shuffled cards for dealing.
2. Related Art
Wagering games based on the outcome of randomly generated or selected symbols are well known. Such games are widely played in gaming establishments and include card games wherein the symbols comprise familiar, common playing cards. Card games such as twenty-one or blackjack, poker and the like are excellent casino card games. Desirable attributes of casino card games are that they are exciting, that they can be learned and understood easily by players, and that they move or are played rapidly to their wager-resolving outcome.
From the perspective of players, the time the dealer must spend in shuffling diminishes the excitement of the game. From the perspective of casinos, shuffling time reduces the number of wagers placed and resolved in a given amount of time, thereby reducing revenue. Casinos would like to maximize the amount of revenue generated by a game without changing games, particularly a popular game, and without increasing the minimum size of wagers. One approach to maximizing revenue is speeding play. It is widely know that playing time is diminished by shuffling and dealing. This approach has lead to the development of electromechanical or mechanical card shuffling devices. Such devices increase the speed of shuffling and dealing, thereby increasing playing time, adding to the excitement of a game by reducing the time the dealer or house has to spend in preparing to play the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,367 (Howard) is an example of a batch-type shuffler. The Howard patent discloses a card mixer for randomly interleaving cards including a carriage supported ejector for ejecting a group of cards (approximately two playing decks in number) which may then be removed manually from the shuffler or dropped automatically into a chute for delivery to a typical dealing shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,411 (Breeding) discloses a machine for automatically shuffling a single deck of cards including a deck receiving zone, a carriage section for separating a deck into two deck portions, a sloped mechanism positioned between adjacent corners of the deck portions, and an apparatus for snapping the cards over the sloped mechanism to interleave the cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,954 (Erickson et al.) discloses the concept of delivering cards one at a time, into one of a number vertically stacked card shuffling compartments. The Erickson patent also discloses using a logic circuit to determine the sequence for determining the delivery location of a card, and that a card shuffler can be used to deal stacks of shuffled cards to a player. U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,140 (Huen) discloses a card dispenser which dispenses or deals cards in four discrete directions onto a playing surface, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 793,489 (Williams), 2,001,918 (Nevius), 2,043,343 (Warner) and 3,312,473 (Friedman et al.) disclose various card holders some of which include recesses (e.g., Friedman et al.) to facilitate removal of cards. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,950,005 (MacDonald) and 3,690,670 (Cassady et al.) disclose card sorting devices which require specially marked cards, clearly undesirable for gaming and casino play.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,584,483 and 5,676,372 (Sines et al.) describe batch type shufflers which include a holder for an unshuffled stack of cards, a container for receiving shuffled cards, a plurality of channels to guide the cards from the unshuffled stack into the container for receiving shuffled cards, and an ejector mounted adjacent to the unshuffled stack for reciprocating movement along the unshuffled stack. The position of the ejector is randomly selected. The ejector propels a plurality of cards simultaneously from a number of points along the unshuffled stack, through the channels, and into the container. A shuffled stack of cards is made available to the dealer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,189 (Breeding et al.) is directed to a shuffling machine for shuffling multiple decks of cards with three magazines wherein unshuffled are cut then shuffled.
Aside from increasing speed and playing time, some shuffler designs have provided added protection to casinos. For example, one of the Breeding (U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,411) shufflers is capable of verifying that the total number of cards in the deck has not changed. If the wrong number of cards are counted, the dealer can call a misdeal and return bets to players.
A number of shufflers have been developed which provide a continuous supply of shuffled cards to a player. This is in contrast to batch type shuffler designs of the type described above. The continuous shuffling feature not only speeds the game, but protects casinos against players who may achieve higher than normal winnings by counting cards. An example of a card game in which a card counter may significantly increase the odds of winning by card counting is Blackjack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,712 (Lorber et al.) discloses a continuous automatic shuffling apparatus designed to intermix multiple decks of cards under the programmed control of a computer. The Lorber et al. apparatus is a carousel-type shuffler having a container, a storage device for storing shuffled playing cards, a removing device and an inserting device for intermixing the playing cards in the container, a dealing shoe and supplying means for supplying the shuffled playing cards from the storage device to the dealing shoe. The Samsel, Jr. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,969) discloses a card shuffler having a housing with two wells for receiving stacks of cards. A first extractor selects, removes and intermixes the bottommost card from each stack and delivers the intermixed cards to a storage compartment. A second extractor sequentially removes the bottommost card from the storage compartment and delivers it to a typical shoe from which the dealer may take it for presentation to the players.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,024 (Blaha) discloses a continuous shuffler having a unshuffled card receiver, a shuffled card receiver adjacent to and mounted for relative motion with respect to the unshuffled card receiver. Cards are driven from the unshuffled card receiver and are driven into the shuffled card receiver forming a continuous supply of shuffled cards. However, the Blaha shuffler requires specially adapted cards, particularly, plastic cards, and many casinos have demonstrated a reluctance to use such cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,453 (Stevens et al.) discloses an apparatus for automatically and continuously shuffling cards. The Stevens et al. machine includes three contiguous magazines with an elevatable platform in the center magazine only. Unshuffled cards are placed in the center magazine and the spitting rollers at the top of the magazine spit the cards randomly to the left and right magazines in a simultaneous cutting and shuffling step. The cards are moved back into the center magazine by direct lateral movement of each shuffled stack, placing one stack on top of the other to stack all cards in a shuffled stack in the center magazine. The order of the cards in each stack does not change in moving from the right and left magazines into the center magazine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,421 (Hoffman) discloses a continuous card shuffling device including a card loading station with a conveyor belt. The belt moves the lowermost card in a stack onto a distribution elevator whereby a stack of cards is accumulated on the distribution elevator. Adjacent to the elevator is a vertical stack of mixing pockets. A microprocessor preprogrammed with a fixed number of distribution schedules is provided for distributing cards into a number of pockets. The microprocessor sends a sequence of signals to the elevator corresponding to heights called out in the schedule. Single cards are moved into the respective pocket at that height. The distribution schedule is either randomly selected or schedules are executed in sequence. When the cards have been through a single distribution cycle, the cards are removed a stack at a time and loaded into a second elevator. The second elevator delivers cards to an output reservoir. Thus, the Hoffman patent requires a two step shuffle, i.e., a program is required to select the order in which stacks are moved onto the second elevator. The Hoffman patent does not disclose randomly selecting a pocket for delivering each card. Nor does the patent disclose a single stage process which randomly arranges cards into a degree of randomness satisfactory to casinos and players. Although the Hoffman shuffler was commercialized, it never achieved a high degree of acceptance in the industry. Card counters could successfully count cards shuffled in the device, and it was determined that the shuffling of the cards was not sufficiently random.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,085 (Johnson) describes a continuous shuffler which includes a chamber for supporting a main stack of cards, a loading station for holding a secondary stack of cards, a stack gripping separating mechanism for separating or cutting cards in the main stack to create a space and a mechanism for moving cards from the secondary stack into the spaces created in the main stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,082 (Greenberg) discloses a carousel type card dispenser including a rotary carousel with a plurality of card compartments around its periphery. Cards are injected into the compartments from an input hopper and ejected from the carousel into an output hopper. The rotation of the carousel is produced by a stepper motor with each step being equivalent to a compartment. In use, the carousel is rotated past n slots before stopping at the slot from which a card is to be ejected. The number n is determined in a random or near random fashion by a logic circuit. There are 216 compartments to provide for four decks and eight empty compartments when all the cards are inserted into compartments. An arrangement of card edge grasping drive wheels are used to load and unload the compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,145 (Verschoor) discloses another card shuffler involving a carousel or “rotatable plateau.” The Verschoor shuffler has a feed compartment and two card shuffling compartments which each can be placed in first and second positions by virtue of a rotatable plateau on which the shuffling compartments are mounted. In use, once the two compartments are filled, a drive roller above one of the shuffling compartments is actuated to feed cards to the other compartment or to a discharge means. An algorithm determines which card is supplied to the other compartment and which is fed to the discharge. The shuffler is continuous in the sense that each time a card is fed to the discharge means, another card is moved from the feed compartment to one of the shuffling compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,648 (Hollinger et al.) discloses an automatic card shuffler of the type that randomly extracts cards from two or more storage wells. The shuffler relies on a system of solenoids, wheels and belts to move cards. Cards are selected from one of the two wells on a random basis so a deck of intermixed cards from the two wells is provided in a reservoir for the dealer. The patent is principally directed to a method and apparatus for detecting malfunctions in the shuffler, which at least tends to indicate that the Hollinger et al. shuffler may have some inherent deficiencies, such as “misalignments of extraction mechanisms.”
The size of the buffer supply of shuffled cards in the known continuous shufflers is large, i.e., 40 or more cards in the case of the Blaha shuffler.
Randomness is determined in part by the recurrance rate of a card previously played in the next consecutively dealt hand. The theoretical recurrance rate for known continuous shufflers is believed to be about zero percent. A completely random shuffle would yield a 13.5% recurrance rate using four decks of cards.
Although the devices disclosed in the preceding patents, particularly the Breeding machines, provide improvements in card shuffling devices, none describes a device and method for providing a continuous supply of shuffled cards with the degree of randomness and reliability required by casinos. A device and method which could continuously shuffle and deliver cards with an improved recurrance rate would improve the acceptance of card shufflers and facilitate the casino play of card games.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides an electromechanical card handling apparatus and method for continuously shuffling cards. The apparatus and, thus, the card handling method or process, is controlled by a programmable microprocessor and may be monitored by a plurality of sensors and limit switches.
While the card handling apparatus and method of the present invention is well suited for use in the gaming environment, particularly in casinos, the apparatus and method may find use in handling or sorting sheet material generally.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatus for moving playing cards from a first group of unshuffled cards into a shuffled group of cards. The apparatus comprises a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for raising and lowering the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack for moving cards, one at a time, from the card receiver to a selected compartment, and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanism and the elevator so that the cards are moved into a number of randomly selected compartments. Sensors monitor and trigger operation of the apparatus, including the microprocessor, card moving mechanisms, and the elevator. The controlling microprocessor, including software, selects or identifies where cards will go as to the selected slot or compartment before card handling operations begin. For example, a card designated as card 1 may be directed to slot 5, a card designated as card 2 may be directed to slot 7, a card designated as card 3 may be directed to slot 3, etc.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a programmable card handling machine with a display and appropriate inputs for controlling and adjusting the machine. Additionally, there may be an elevator speed adjustment and sensor to adjust and monitor the position of the elevator as cards wear or become bowed or warped. These features also provide for interchangeability of the apparatus, meaning the same apparatus can be used for many different games and in different locations thereby reducing the number of back up machines or units required at a casino. Since it is customary in the industry to provide free backup machines, a reduction in the number of backup machines needed presents a significant cost savings. The display may include a use rate and/or card count monitor and display for determining or monitoring the usage of the machine.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electromechanical playing card handling apparatus for automatically and randomly generating a continuous supply of shuffled playing cards for dealing. Other advantages are a reduction of dealer shuffling time, and a reduction or elimination of problems such as card counting, possible dealer manipulation and card tracking, thereby increasing the integrity of a game and enhancing casino security.
Yet another advantage of the card handling apparatus of the present invention is that it converts a single deck, multiple decks, any number of unshuffled cards or large or small groups of discarded or played cards into shuffled cards ready for use or reuse in playing a game. To accomplish this, the apparatus includes a number of stacked or vertically oriented card receiving compartments one above another into which cards are inserted, one at a time, so a random group of cards is formed in each compartment and until all the cards loaded into the apparatus are distributed to a compartment. Upon demand, either from the dealer or a card present sensor, or automatically, the apparatus delivers one or more groups of cards from the compartments into a dealing shoe for distribution to players by the dealer.
The present invention may include jammed card detection and recovery features, and may include recovery procedures operated and controlled by the microprocessor.
Another advantage is that the apparatus of the present invention provides for the initial top feeding or loading of an unshuffled or discarded group of cards thereby facilitating use by the dealer. The shuffled card receiving shoe portion is adapted to facilitate use by a dealer.
An additional advantage of the card handling apparatus of the present invention is that it facilitates and speeds the play of casino wagering games, particularly those games wherein multiple decks of cards are used and popular, rapidly played games (such as twenty-one or blackjack), making the games more exciting for players.
In use, the apparatus of the present invention is operated to process playing cards from an initial, unshuffled new or played group of cards into a group of shuffled or reshuffled cards available to a dealer for distribution to players. The first step of this process is the dealer placing an initial group of cards, comprising unshuffled or played cards, into the card receiver of the apparatus. The apparatus is started or starts automatically by sensing the presence of the cards and, under the control of the integral microprocessor, it transfers the initial group of cards, randomly, one at a time, into a plurality of compartments. Groups of cards in one or more compartments are delivered, upon the dealer's demand or automatically, by the apparatus from that compartment to a card receiving shoe for the dealer to distribute to a player.
According to the present invention, the operation of the apparatus is continuous. That is, once the apparatus is turned on, any group of cards loaded into the card receiver will be entirely processed into one or more groups of random cards in the compartments. The software assigns an identity to each card and then directs each identified card to a randomly selected compartment by operating the elevator motor to position that randomly selected compartment to receive the card. The cards are unloaded in groups from the compartments, a compartment at a time, as the need for cards is sensed by the apparatus. Thus, instead of stopping play to shuffle or reshuffle cards, a dealer always has shuffled cards available for distribution to players.
The apparatus of the present invention is compact, easy to set up and program and, once programmed, can be maintained effectively and efficiently by minimally trained personnel who cannot affect the randomness of the card delivery. This means that the machines are more reliable in the field. Service costs are reduced, as are assembly and set up costs.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent and understood with reference to the following specification and to the appended drawings and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a front perspective view depicting the apparatus of the present invention as it might be disposed ready for use in a casino on a gaming table.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view, partially broken away, depicting the rear of the apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 3
is a front perspective view of the card handling apparatus of the present invention with portions of the exterior shroud removed.
FIG. 4
is a side elevation view of the present invention with the shroud and other portions of the apparatus removed to show internal components.
FIG. 5
is a side elevation view, largely representational, of the transport mechanism and rack assembly of the apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 5
a
is a side elevation view, drawn from area
5
a
in
FIG. 5
, showing more detail of the rack assembly, particularly the shelves forming the top and bottom of the compartments of the rack assembly.
FIG. 6
is an exploded assembly view of the transport mechanism shown in FIG.
5
.
FIG. 7
is a top plan view, partially in section, of the transport mechanism.
FIG. 8
is a top plan view of one embodiment of the pusher assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 8
a
is a perspective view of another embodiment of the pusher assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 9
is a front elevation view of the rack and elevator assembly.
FIG. 10
is an exploded assembly view of one embodiment of a portion of the rack and elevator assembly.
FIG. 11
depicts an alternative embodiment of the shelves or partitions for forming the stack of compartments of the present invention.
FIG. 12
is a simplified side elevation view, largely representational, of the card handler of the present invention.
FIG. 13
is a perspective view of a portion of the card handling apparatus of the present invention, namely, the second card receiver at the front of the apparatus, with a cover portion of the shroud removed.
FIG. 14
is a schematic diagram of an electrical control system for one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15
is a schematic diagram of the electrical control system.
FIG. 16
is a schematic diagram of an electrical control system with an optically-isolated bus.
FIG. 17
is a detailed schematic diagram of a portion of FIG.
16
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This detailed description is intended to be read and understood in conjunction with appended Appendices A, B and C, which are incorporated herein by reference. Appendix A provides an identification key correlating the description and abbreviation of certain motors, switches and photoeyes or sensors with reference character identifications of the same components in the Figures, and gives the manufacturers, addresses and model designations of certain components (motors, limit switches and sensors). Appendix B outlines steps in a homing sequence, part of one embodiment of the sequence of operations.
With regard to means for fastening, mounting, attaching or connecting the components of the present invention to form the apparatus as a whole, unless specifically described as otherwise, such means are intended to encompass conventional fasteners such as machine screws, rivets, nuts and bolts, toggles, pins and the like. Other fastening or attachment means appropriate for connecting components include adhesives, welding and soldering, the latter particularly with regard to the electrical system of the apparatus.
All components of the electrical system and wiring harness of the present invention are conventional, commercially available components unless otherwise indicated, including electrical components and circuitry, wires, fuses, soldered connections, chips, boards and control system components.
Generally, unless specifically otherwise disclosed or taught, the materials for making the various components of the present invention are selected from appropriate materials such as metal, metallic alloys, ceramics, plastics, fiberglass and the like, and components and materials may be similar to or adapted from components and material used to make the card handling apparatus disclosed and described in copending application Ser. No. 08/621,530, entitled “Device and Method For Forming Hands of Randomly Arranged Cards”, filed on the same date as the present application and incorporated herein by reference.
In the following description, the Appendices and the claims, any references to the terms right and left, top and bottom, upper and lower and horizontal and vertical are to be read and understood with their conventional meanings and with reference to viewing the apparatus generally from the front as shown in FIG.
1
.
Referring then to the Figures, particularly
FIGS. 1
,
3
and
4
, the card handling apparatus
21
of the present invention includes a card receiver
26
for receiving a group of cards to be randomized or shuffled, a single stack of card-receiving compartments
28
(see
FIGS. 4 and 9
) generally adjacent to the card receiver
26
, a card moving or transporting mechanism
30
(see
FIGS. 3 and 4
) between and linking the card receiver
26
and the compartments
28
, and a processing unit, indicated generally at
54
in
FIG. 3
, that controls the apparatus
21
. The apparatus
21
includes a second card mover
34
(see
FIGS. 4
,
8
and
8
a
) for emptying the compartments
28
into a second card receiver
36
.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the card handling apparatus
21
includes a removable, substantially continuous exterior housing shroud
40
. The shroud
40
may be provided with appropriate vents
42
for cooling. The card receiver or initial loading region, indicated generally at
26
is at the top, rear of the apparatus
21
, and the second card receiver
36
is at the front of the apparatus
21
. Controls and/or display features
32
are generally at the rear or dealer-facing end of the machine
21
.
FIG. 2
provides a view of the rear of the apparatus
21
and more clearly shows the display and control inputs and outputs
32
, including power input and communicatin port
46
.
FIG. 3
depicts the apparatus
21
with the shroud
40
removed, as it might be for servicing or programming, whereby internal components may be visualized. The apparatus includes a generally horizontal frame floor
50
for mounting and supporting operational components. A control (input and display) module
56
is cantilevered at the rear of the apparatus
21
, and is operably connected to the operational portions of the apparatus
21
by suitable wiring or the like. The control module
56
may carry the microprocessor (not shown), or the microprocessor is preferably located on processing unit
54
on the frame
50
inside the shroud
40
. The inputs and display portion
44
of the module
56
are fitted to corresponding openings in the shroud
40
, with associated circuitry and programming inputs located securely with the shroud
40
when it is in place as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
.
Card Receiver
Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4
, the card receiver or loading region
26
includes a card receiving well
60
. The well
60
is defined by upright, generally parallel card guiding side walls
62
and a rear wall
64
. It includes a floor surface
66
pitched or angled downwardly toward the front of the apparatus
21
. Preferably, the floor surface is pitched from the horizontal at an angle ranging from approximately five to twenty degrees, with a pitch of seven degrees being preferred. A removable, generally rectangular weight or block
68
is freely and slidably received in the well
60
for free forward and rearward movement along the floor surface
66
. Under the influence of gravity, the block
68
will tend to move toward the forward end of the well
60
. The block
68
has an angled, card-contacting front face
70
for contacting the back (i.e., the bottom of the bottommost card) of a group of cards placed into the well, and urges cards (i.e., the top card of a group of cards) forward into contact with the card transporting mechanism
30
. The card-contacting face
70
of the block
68
is at an angle complimentary to the floor surface
66
of the well
60
, for example, an angle of between approximately 10 and 80 degrees, and preferably at an angle of 40 degrees. This angle and the weight of the block keep the cards urged forwardly against the transport mechanism
30
. The selected angle of the floor
66
and the weight of the block
68
allow for the free floating rearward movement of the cards and the block
68
to compensate for the rearward force and movement generated as the top or forwardmost card contacts the transport mechanism
30
and begins to move. The well
60
includes a card present sensor
74
to sense the presence or absence of cards in the well
60
. Preferably, the block
68
is mounted on a roller
69
for easing the movement of the block
68
, and/or the floor
66
and the bottom of the block may be formed of or coated with friction reducing material. As shown in
FIG. 6
, the block
68
may have a thumb or finger receiving notch
71
to facilitate moving it.
Card Receiving Compartments
The assembly or stack of card receiving compartments
28
is depicted in
FIGS. 4
,
9
and
10
, and may also be referred to as a rack assembly. Referring back to
FIG. 3
, the rack assembly
28
is housed in an elevator and rack assembly housing
78
generally adjacent to the well
60
, but horizontally spaced therefrom. An elevator motor
80
is provided to position the rack assembly
28
vertically under control of a microprocessor, in one embodiment, generally part of the processing unit
54
. The motor
80
is linked to the rack assembly
28
by a timing belt
82
. Referring to
FIG. 10
, which depicts a portion of the rack assembly
28
and how it may be assembled, the rack assembly
28
includes a bottom plate
92
, a left hand rack
94
carrying a plurality of half shelves
96
, a right hand rack
98
including a plurality of half shelves
100
and a top plate
102
. Together the right and left hand racks
94
,
98
and their respective half shelves
96
,
100
form the individual plate-like shelf pieces
104
for forming the top and bottom walls of the individual compartments
106
. The rack assembly
28
is operably mounted to the apparatus
21
by a left side rack plate
106
and a linear guide
108
. It is attached to the guide by a guide plate
110
. The belt
82
links the motor
80
to a pulley
112
for driving the rack assembly
28
up and down. A hall effect switch assembly
114
is provided to sense the bottom position of the rack assembly
28
.
FIG. 9
depicts a rack assembly
28
having
19
individual compartments
106
for receiving cards. Generally speaking, a larger number of individual compartments is preferred over fewer compartments, with 17 to 19 compartments being most preferred, but it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to a rack assembly of seventeen to nineteen compartments. Preferably, the compartments
106
are all substantially the same size, i.e., the shelves
104
are substantially equally vertically spaced from each other.
FIG. 7
shows, in part, a top plan view of one of the shelf members
104
and that each includes a pair of rear tabs
124
located at respective rear corners of the shelf member
104
. The tabs
124
are for card guiding, and help make sure cards are moved from the transporting mechanism
30
into the rack assembly
28
without jamming by permitting the leading edge of the card to be guided downwardly into the compartment
106
before the card is released from the card moving mechanism
30
. Generally, it is desirable to mount the shelves as close to the transporting mechanism
30
as possible.
FIG. 11
depicts an alternative embodiment of plate-like shelf members
104
comprising a single-piece plate member
104
′. An appropriate number of the single-piece plates, corresponding to the desired number of compartments
106
would be connected between the side walls of the rack assembly
28
. The plate
104
′ depicted in
FIG. 11
includes a curved or arcuate edge portion
126
on the rear edge
128
for removing cards or clearing jammed cards, and it includes the two bilateral tabs
124
, also a feature of the shelf members
104
of the rack assembly
28
depicted in FIG.
7
. The tabs
124
act as card guides and permit the plate-like shelf members
104
forming the compartments
106
to be positioned as closely as possible to the card transporting mechanism
30
to ensure that cards are delivered correctly into a compartment
106
even though they may be warped or bowed.
Referring back to
FIG. 5
, an advantage of the plates
104
(and/or the half plates
96
,
100
) forming the compartments
106
is depicted. As shown in more detail in
FIG. 5
a,
each plate
104
includes a beveled or angled underside rearmost surface
130
in the space between the shelves or plates
104
, i.e., in each compartment
106
. Referring to
FIG. 5
, the distance between the forward edge
134
of the plate
104
and the forward edge
132
of the bevel
130
is preferably less than the width of a typical card. The leading edge
136
of a card being driven into a compartment
106
hits the beveled surface
130
and falls down on the top of cards already in the compartment
106
so that it comes to rest properly in the compartment
106
or on the uppermost card of cards already delivered to the compartment. To facilitate a bevel
130
at a suitable angle
137
, a preferred thickness for the plate-like shelf members
104
is approximately {fraction (3/32)} of an inch, but this thickness and/or the bevel angle can be changed or varied to accommodate different sizes of cards, such as poker and bridge cards. Preferably, the bevel angle
137
is between approximately ten and 45 degrees, and more preferably is between approximately fifteen and twenty degrees. Whatever bevel angle and thickness is selected, it is preferred that cards should come to rest with their trailing edge at least even with and, preferably rearwardly of edge
132
of the plate-like shelf members
104
.
The front of the rack assembly
28
is closed by a removable cover
142
, which may be formed of opaque, transparent or semi-transparent material such as suitable metal or plastic.
Card Moving Mechanism
Referring to
FIGS. 4
,
5
and
6
, a preferred card transporting or moving mechanism
30
linking the card receiving well
60
and the compartments
106
of the rack assembly
28
includes a card pickup roller assembly
150
. The card pick-up roller assembly
150
is located generally at the forward portion of the well
60
. The pick-up roller assembly
150
includes friction rollers
151
A,
151
B supported by a bearing mounted axle
152
extending generally across the well
60
whereby the card contacting surface of the roller is in close proximity to the forward portion of the floor surface
66
. The roller assembly
150
is driven by a pick up motor
154
operably coupled to the axle
152
by a suitable continuous connector
156
such as a belt or chain. The card contacting surface of the roller may be generally smooth, it may be textured or it may include one or more finger or tab-like extensions, as long as card gripping and moving is not impaired.
With continued reference to
FIGS. 4
,
5
and
6
, the preferred card moving mechanism
30
includes a pinch roller card accelerator or speed-up system
160
located adjacent to the front of the well
60
generally between the well
60
and the rack assembly
28
forwardly of the pick-up roller assembly
150
. As shown in
FIG. 7
, it is the speed-up system
160
which nests close to the shelves
104
between the tabs
124
of the shelves. Referring back to
FIGS. 4
,
5
and
6
, the speed-up system
160
comprises a pair of axle supported, closely adjacent speed-up rollers, one above the other, including a lower roller
162
and an upper roller
164
. The upper roller
164
may be urged toward the lower roller
162
by a spring assembly
166
(
FIG. 4
) or the roller
162
and
164
may be fixed in slight contact or near to contact and formed of a generally firm yet resilient material which gives just enough to admit a card. Referring to
FIG. 4
, the lower roller
162
is a driven by a speed-up motor
166
operably linked to it by a suitable connector
168
such as a belt or a chain. The mounting for the speed-up rollers also supports a rearward card in sensor
172
and a forward card out sensor
176
.
FIG. 5
is a largely representational view depicting the relationship between the card receiving well
60
and the card transporting mechanism
30
, and also shows a card “C” being picked up by the pickup roller assembly
150
and being moved into the pinch roller system
160
for acceleration into a compartment
104
of the rack assembly
28
.
In one embodiment, the pick-up roller assembly
150
is not continuously driven, but rather indexes and includes a one-way clutch mechanism. After initially picking up a card and advancing it into the speed-up system
160
, the pick-up roller motor
154
stops when the leading edge of a card hits the card out sensor
176
, but the roller assembly
150
free-wheels as a card is accelerated from under it by the speed-up system
160
. The speed-up pinch system
160
is continuous in operation once a cycle starts. When the trailing edge of the card passes the card out sensor
176
, the rack assembly
28
moves the next designated compartment into place for receiving a card. The pick up motor
154
then reactuates.
Additional components and details of the transport mechanism
30
are depicted in
FIG. 6
, an exploded assembly view thereof. In
FIG. 6
the inclined floor surface
66
of the well
60
is visible, as are the axle mounted pickup and pinch roller assemblies
150
,
160
, respectively, and their relative positions.
Referring to
FIGS. 4 and 5
, the transport assembly
30
includes a pair of generally rigid stopping plates including an upper stop plate and a lower stop plate
180
,
182
, respectively. The plates
180
,
182
are fixedly positioned between the rack assembly
28
and the speed-up system
160
immediately forward of and above and below the pinch rollers
162
,
164
. The stop plates
180
,
182
stop the cards from rebounding or bouncing rearwardly, back toward the pinch rollers, after they are driven against and contact the cover at the front of the rack assembly
28
.
Processing/Control Unit
FIG. 14
is a block diagram depicting an electrical control system which may be used in one embodiment of the present invention. The control system includes a controller
360
, a bus
362
, and a motor controller
364
. Also represented in
FIG. 14
are inputs
366
, outputs
368
, and a motor system
370
. The controller
360
sends signals to both the motor controller
364
and the outputs
368
while monitoring the inputs
366
. The motor controller
364
interprets signals received over the bus
362
from the controller
360
. The motor system
370
is driven by the motor controller
364
in response to the commands from the controller
360
. The controller
360
controls the state of the outputs
368
by sending appropriate signals over the bus
362
.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the motor system
370
comprises motors that are used for operating components of the card handling apparatus
21
. Motors operate the pick-up roller, the pinch, speed-up rollers, the pusher and the elevator. The gate and stop may be operated by a motor, as well. In such an embodiment, the motor controller
364
would normally comprise one or two controllers and driver devices for each of the motor used. However, other configurations are possible.
The outputs
368
include, for example, alarm, start, and reset indicators and inputs and may also include signals that can be used to drive a display device (e.g., a LED display—not shown). Such a display device can be used to implement a timer, a card counter, or a cycle counter. Generally, an appropriate display device can be configured and used to display any information worthy of display.
The inputs
366
are information from the limit switches and sensors described above. The controller
360
receives the inputs
366
over the bus
362
.
Although the controller
360
can be any digital controller or microprocessor-based system, in a preferred embodiment, the controller
360
comprises a processing unit
380
and a peripheral device
382
as shown in FIG.
16
. The processing unit
380
in the preferred embodiment may be an 8-bit single-chip microcomputer such as an 80C52 manufactured by the Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. The peripheral device
382
may be a field programmable micro controller peripheral device that includes programmable logic devices, EPROMs, and input-output ports. As shown in
FIG. 15
, peripheral device
382
interfaces the processing unit
380
to the bus
362
.
The series of instructions stored in the controller
360
is shown in
FIGS. 15 and 16
as program logic
384
. In a preferred embodiment, the program logic
384
is RAM or ROM hardware in the peripheral device
382
. (Since the processing unit
380
may have some memory capacity, it is possible that some of the instructions are stored in the processing unit
380
.) As one skilled in the art will recognize, various implementations of the program logic
384
are possible. The program logic
384
could be either hardware, software, or a combination of both. Hardware implementations might involve hardwired code or instructions stored in a ROM or RAM device. Software implementations would involve instructions stored on a magnetic, optical, or other media that can be accessed by the processing unit
380
.
Under certain conditions, it is possible that a significant amount of electrostatic charge may build up in the card handler
21
. Significant electrostatic discharge could affect the operation of the handler
21
. It may, therefore, be helpful to isolate some of the circuitry of the control system from the rest of the machine. In one embodiment of the present invention, a number of optically-coupled isolators are used to act as a barrier to electrostatic discharge.
As shown in
FIG. 16
, a first group of circuitry
390
can be electrically isolated from a second group of circuitry
392
by using optically-coupled logic gates that have light-emitting diodes to optically (rather than electrically) transmit a digital signal, and photo detectors to receive the optically transmitted data. An illustration of electrical isolation through the use of optically-coupled logic gates is shown in
FIG. 17
, which shows a portion of
FIG. 16
in detail. Four Hewlett-Packard HCPL-2630 optocouplers (labeled
394
,
396
,
398
and
400
) are used to provide an 8-bit isolated data path to the output devices
368
. Each bit of data is represented by both an LED
402
and a photo detectors
404
. The LEDs emit light when forward biased, and the photo detectors detect the presence or absence of the light. Data is thus transmitted without an electrical connection.
Second Card Moving Mechanism
Referring to
FIGS. 4
,
8
and
8
a,
the apparatus
21
includes a second card moving mechanism
34
comprising a reciprocating card unloading pusher
190
. The pusher
190
includes a substantially flexible pusher arm
192
in the form of a rack having a plurality of linearly arranged apertures
194
along its length. The arm
192
is operably engaged with the teeth of a pinion gear
196
driven by an unloading motor
198
controlled by the microprocessor. At its leading or card contacting end, the pusher arm
192
includes a blunt, enlarged card-contacting head end portion
200
. The end portion
200
is greater in height than the spacing between the shelf members
104
forming the compartments
106
to make sure that all the cards contained in a compartment are contacted and pushed as it is operated, even bowed or warped cards, and includes a pair outstanding guide tabs
203
at each side of the head
200
for interacting with the second card receiver
36
for helping to insure that the cards are moved properly and without jamming from the compartments
106
to the second card receiver
36
. The second card moving mechanism
34
is operated periodically (upon demand) to empty stacks of cards from compartments, i.e., compartments which have received a complement of cards or a selectable minimum number of cards.
Second Card Receiver
When actuated, the second card moving mechanism
34
empties a compartment
106
by pushing cards therein into a second card receiver
36
, which may take the form of a shoe-like receiver, of the apparatus
21
. The second card receiver
36
is shown in
FIGS. 1
,
4
,
14
and
16
, among others.
Referring to
FIGS. 12 and 13
, the second card receiver
36
includes a shoe-like terminal end plate
204
and a card way, indicated generally at
206
, extending generally between the rack assembly
28
and the terminal end plate
204
. When a compartment
106
is aligned with the card way
206
, as shown in
FIG. 12
, the card way
206
may be thought of as continuous with the aligned compartment. Referring to
FIG. 4
, an optional cover operating motor
208
is positioned generally under the card way
206
for raising and lowering a powered cover
142
if such a cover is used.
Referring back to
FIGS. 4
,
12
and
13
, the card way
206
has a double curved, generally S-shaped surface and comprises a pair of parallel card guiding rails
210
,
212
, each having one end adjacent to the rack assembly
28
and a second end adjacent to the terminal end
204
. Each rail
210
,
212
has a card receiving groove
213
. A S-shaped card support
211
is positioned between the rails
210
,
212
for supporting the central portion of a card or group of cards as it moves down the card way
206
. A pair of card biasing springs
215
are provided adjacent to the rails
210
,
212
to urge the cards upwardly against the top of the grooves
213
to assist in keeping the all the cards in the group being moved into the second receiver
36
in contact with the pusher
190
. The curves of the card way
206
help to guide and position cards for delivery between cards already delivered and the card pushing block
214
, which is generally similar to the block
68
. The second curve portion
207
in particular helps position and align the cards for delivery between cards already delivered and the card pushing block
214
.
The second card receiver
36
is generally hollow, defining a cavity for receiving cards and for containing the mirror image rails
210
,
212
, the motor assembly
208
and a freely movable card pushing block
214
. Referring to
FIG. 12
, the block
214
has an angled, front card contacting face
216
, the angle of which is generally complementary to the angle of the terminal end plate
220
. The block
214
has a wheel or roller
218
for contacting the sloping or angled floor
220
of the second card receiver
36
whereby the block moves freely back and forth. The free movement helps absorb or accommodate the force generated by the dealer's hand as he deals, i.e., the block
214
is free to bounce rearwardly. A suitable bounce limit means (such as a stop
221
mounted on the floor
220
or a resilient member, not shown) may be coupled near the block
214
to limit its rearward travel. Referring to
FIG. 4
, a suitable receiver empty sensor
222
may be carried by the terminal plate
220
at a suitable location, and a card jammed sensor
224
may be provided along the card way
206
adjacent to the guide rails
210
,
212
. The receiver empty sensor
222
is for sensing the presence or absence of cards. The sensor
222
senses the location of block
214
indicating the number of cards in the buffer, and may be operably linked to the microprocessor or directly to the pusher motor
198
for triggering the microprocessor to actuate the pusher
190
of the second transport assembly
34
to unload one or more groups of cards from the compartments
106
.
As depicted in
FIG. 13
, the terminal plate
204
may include a sloped surface
204
′. The sloped surface
204
′ has a raised portion closest to the terminal plate
204
, and that portion fits generally under a notch
205
′ in the terminal plate
204
for receiving a dealer's finger to facilitate dealing and to help preserve the flatness of the cards. The shoe
204
′, the terminal plate
204
and a removable card way cover
209
may be formed as a unit, or as separatable individual pieces for facilitating access to the inside of the second receiver
36
.
FIG. 12
is a largely representational view depicting the apparatus
21
and the relationship of its components including the card receiver
26
for receiving a group of new or played cards for being shuffled for play, including the well
60
and block
68
, the rack assembly
28
and its single stack of card-receiving compartments
106
, the card moving or transporting mechanism
30
between and linking the card receiver
26
and the rack assembly
28
, the second card mover
190
for emptying the compartments
106
and the second receiver
36
for receiving randomized or shuffled cards.
Operation/Use
Appendix B outlines one embodiment of the operational steps or flow of the method and apparatus of the present invention. The start input is actuated and the apparatus
21
homes (see Appendix B). In use, played or new cards to be shuffled or reshuffled are loaded into the well
60
by moving the block
68
generally rearwardly or removing it. Cards are placed into the well
60
generally sideways, with the plane of the cards generally vertical, on one of the long side edges of the cards (see FIGS.
5
and
12
). The block
68
is released or replaced to urge the cards into an angular position generally corresponding to the angle of the angled card contacting face of the block, and into contact with the pick-up roller assembly
150
. As the cards are picked up, i.e., after the separation of a card from the remainder of the group of cards in the well
60
is started, a card is accelerated by the speed-up system
160
and spit or moved through a horizontal opening between the plates
180
,
182
and into a selected compartment
106
. Substantially simultaneously, movement of subsequent cards is underway, with the rack assembly
28
position relative to the cards being delivered by the transport mechanism
30
being selected and timed by the microprocessor whereby selected cards are delivered randomly to selected compartments until the cards in the well
60
are exhausted. In the unlikely event of a card jam during operation, for example, if one of the sensors is blocked or if the pusher hits or lodges against the rack assembly
28
, the apparatus
21
may flow automatically or upon demand to a recovery routine which might include reversal of one or more motors such as the pick-up or speed-up motors, and/or repositioning of the rack assembly
28
a small distance up or down.
Upon demand from the receiver sensor
223
, the microprocessor randomly selects the compartment
106
to be unloaded, and energizes the motor which causes the pusher
190
to unload the cards in one compartment
106
into the second card receiver
36
. The pusher is triggered by the sensor
223
associated with the second receiver
36
. It should be appreciated that each cycle or operational sequence of the machine
21
transfers all of the cards placed in the well
60
each time, even if there are still cards in some compartments
106
. In one embodiment, the apparatus
21
is programmed to substantially constantly maintain a “buffer” (see
FIG. 12
wherein the buffer is depicted at “B”) of a selected number of cards, for example 20 cards, in the second receiver. A buffer of more or less cards may be selected.
In operation, when sensor
74
detects cards present, the entire stack of unshuffled cards in the card receiver
26
is delivered one by one to the card receiving compartments
106
. A random number generator is utilized to select the compartment which will receive each individual card. The microprocessor is programmed to skip compartments that hold the minimum number of cards allowed by the program. At any time during the distribution sequence, the microprocessor can be instructed to activate the unloading sequence. All compartments
106
are randomly selected.
It is to be understood that because cards are being fed into and removed from the apparatus
21
on a fairly continuous basis, that the number of cards delivered into each compartment
106
will vary.
Preferably, the microprocessor is programmed to randomly select the compartment
106
to be unloaded when more cards are needed. Most preferably, the microprocessor is programmed to skip compartments
106
having seven or fewer cards to maintain reasonable shuffling speed.
It has been demonstrated that the apparatus of the present invention provides a recurrance rate of at least 4.3%, a significant improvement over known devices.
In one exemplary embodiment, the continuous card shuffling apparatus
21
of the present invention may have the following specifications or attributes which may be taken into account when creating an operational program.
Machine Parameters—4 Deck Model:
1. Number of compartments
106
: variable between 13-19;
2. Maximum number of cards/compartment: variable between 10-14;
3. Initial number of cards in second card receiver: 20-24;
4. Theoretical capacity of the compartments: 147-266 cards (derived from the number of compartments x the preferred maximum number of cards/compartment;
5. Number of cards in the second card receiver
36
to trigger unloading of a compartment: variable between 6-10;
6
. Delivery of cards from a compartment
106
is not tied to a predetermined number of cards in a compartment (e.g., a compartment does not have to contain 14 cards to be unloaded). The minimum number of cards to be unloaded may range from between 4 to 7 cards and it is preferred that no compartment
106
be completely full (i.e., unable to receive additional cards) at any time.
In use, it is preferred that the apparatus
21
incorporates features, likely associated with the microprocessor, for monitoring and recording the number of cards in each group of cards being moved into the second card receiver
36
, the number of groups of cards moved, and the total number of cards moved.
In one embodiment, taking into account the above set forth apparatus attributes, the apparatus
21
may follow the following sequence of operations:
Filling the machine with cards:
1. The dealer loads the well
60
with pre-shuffled cards;
2. Upon actuation, the apparatus
21
randomly loads the compartments
106
with cards from the well, one card at a time, picking cards from the top of the cards in the well;
3. When one of the compartments
106
receives a predetermined number of cards, unload that compartment
106
into the second card receiver
36
;
4. Continue with #2. No compartment loading during second receiver loading.;
5. When a second compartment
106
receives a predetermined number of cards, unload that compartment
106
into the second card receiver
36
, behind cards already delivered to the second receiver
36
;
6. The dealer continues to load cards in the well
60
which are randomly placed into the compartments
106
; and
7. Repeat this process until the initial number of cards in receiver
36
has been delivered.
Continuous operation
1. The dealer begins dealing;
2. When the number of cards in the second card receiver
36
goes down to a predetermined number sensed by sensor
223
, unload one group of cards from one of the compartments
106
(randomly selected);
3. As cards are collected from the table, the dealer loads cards into the receiver
60
. These cards are then randomly loaded into compartments
106
. In case a compartment has received the maximum number of cards allowed by the program, if selected to receive another card, the program will skip that compartment and randomly select another compartment; and
4. Repeat #2 and #3 as play continues. It is preferable that the ratio of cards out or in play to the total number of cards available should be low, for example approximately 24:208.
Although a description of preferred embodiments has been presented, various changes including those mentioned above could be made without deviating from the spirit of the present invention. It is desired, therefore, that reference be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.
|
Appendix A
|
Motors, Switches and Sensors
|
Item
Name
Description
|
|
1
ICPS
Input Card Present Sensor
|
2
RCPS
Rack Card Present Sensor
|
3
RHS
Rack Home Switch
|
4
RPS
Rack Position Sensor
|
5
UHS
Unloader Home Switch
|
6
DPS
Door Present Switch
|
7
RUTS
Rack Unload Trigger Sensor
|
8
CIS
Card In Sensor
|
9
COS
Card Out Sensor
|
10
GUS
Gate Up Switch
|
11
GDS
Gate Down Switch
|
12
SWRTS
Shoe Weight Release Trigger Sensor
|
13
SES
Shoe Empty Sensor
|
14
SJS
Show Jam Sensor
|
15
SS
Start Switch
|
|
Name
Description
|
|
POM
Pick-off Motor
|
SUM
Speed-up Motor
|
RM
Rack Motor
|
UM
Unloader Motor
|
SWM
Shoe Weight Motor
|
GM
Gate Motor
|
SSV
Scroll Switch-Vertical
|
SSH
Scroll Switch-Horizontal
|
AL
Alarm Light
|
|
Appendix B
|
Homing/Power-up
|
1.
Unloader Home
|
2.
Door Present
|
3.
Gate Closed
|
4.
Card Out Sensor (COS) Clear
|
5.
Rack Empty and Home
|
6.
Input Shoe Empty
|
7.
Shoe Empty
|
8.
Card in Sensor (CIS) Clear.
|
9.
Shoe Jam Sensor Clear
|
|
Display Noritake * CU20025ECPB-UIJ
|
Power SupplyShindengen * ZB241R8
|
Linear GuideTHK * RSR12ZMUU + 145 M
|
Comm. PortDigi * HR021-ND
|
Power SwitchDigi * SW 323-ND
|
Power EntryBergquist * LT-101-3P
|
APPENDIX B
|
|
Homing/Power-up
|
|
|
1.
Unloader Home
|
3.
Gate Closed
|
2.
Door Present
|
4.
Card Out Sensor (COS) Clear
|
5.
Rack Empty and Home
|
6.
Input Shoe Empty
|
7.
Shoe Empty
|
8.
Card in Sensor (CIS) Clear.
|
9.
Shoe Jam Sensor Clear
|
|
Claims
- 1. An apparatus for continuously shuffling playing cards, said apparatus comprising:a card receiver for receiving a first group of cards; a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, said stack generally vertically movable, wherein the compartments translate substantially vertically, and means for moving the stack; a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack; a processing unit that controls the card-moving mechanism and the means for moving the stack so that cards placed in the card receiver are moved into selected compartments; a second card receiver for receiving cards from the compartments; and a second card-moving mechanism between the compartments and the second card receiver for moving cards from the compartments to the second card receiver.
- 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second card moving means for emptying the compartments into the second card receiver.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a card present sensor operably coupled to the second card receiver.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein cards are moved from the compartments into the second card receiver in response to a reading from the card present sensor.
- 5. A card handler comprising:a card staging area for receiving cards to be handled; a plurality of card-receiving compartments, said compartments generally vertically stacked, and the card staging area and the compartments are relatively movable, wherein the compartments translate substantially vertically; a card mover generally between the staging area and the compartments for moving a card from the staging area into one of the compartments; a microprocessor programmed to identify each card in the staging area and to actuate the card mover to move an identified card to a randomly selected compartment, wherein the microprocessor is programmable to deliver a selected number of cards to a compartment; and means responsive to the microprocessor for moving the compartments.
- 6. The card handler according to claim 5, further comprising inputs operably coupled to the microprocessor for inputting information into the microprocessor.
- 7. A playing card handler comprising:a generally vertically oriented stack of compartments for accumulating cards in at least one compartment, wherein the compartments translate substantially vertically; a microprocessor programmed to randomly select the compartment which receives each card in a manner sufficient to accomplish randomly arranging the cards in each compartment, wherein the microprocessor is programmable to deliver a selected number of cards to a selected number of compartments; a card staging area for receiving a stack of cards to be handled, wherein the stack of compartments is movable with respect to the card staging area; a first card mover responsive to output signals from the microprocessor for moving cards between the staging area and the stack of mixing compartments; and a second card mover for moving cards from the compartments to a second card receiver.
- 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a data storage medium accessible by the processing unit, wherein the data storage medium has a program stored on it, and wherein the program is configured to cause the processing unit to cause the card moving means to move cards from the staging area to random compartments.
- 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second card receiver includes a curved card way.
- 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second card receiver includes a card guide means adjacent to the card way.
- 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the guide means comprises biasing means for urging cards into contact with the card way as the cards are moved from a compartment to the second card receiver.
- 12. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for monitoring, recording and displaying the use of the apparatus.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising at least one sensor for monitoring the movement of cards.
- 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data storage medium is further configured to cause the processing unit to detect a card jam.
- 15. A method of substantially continuously replenishing a group of processed cards, said method comprising:providing a card receiver for receiving cards to be processed; providing a single stack of card receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, said stack generally vertically movable, and means for moving the stack; providing a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack and moving cards from the card receiver to the compartments; providing a second card receiver for receiving processed cards; and providing a second card moving mechanism for moving cards from the compartments to the second card receiver.
- 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising provided a processing unit for controlling the card-moving mechanism and the means for moving the stack so that cards in the card receiver are moved into random compartments.
- 17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising using the microprocessor to designate each card and select a compartment for receiving each designated card.
- 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the designation and selection is performed before card moving operations begin.
- 19. A device for delivering shuffled cards comprising:a card receiver for receiving at least one stack of unshuffled cards; a plurality of individual compartments, wherein the compartments move in translation; a first card mover for moving each card in the stack individually from the card receiver to a compartment; a second card mover for moving cards from a compartment to a second card receiver upon demand; and a processing unit programmed to control the first card mover and the movement of the compartments, wherein the processing unit randomly assigns each card in the stack to a compartment, and controls the second card mover.
- 20. A method of forming randomized cards comprising:providing a group of unshuffled cards; providing a plurality of mixing compartments, wherein the compartments move in translation; randomly assigning each card in the group to a compartment, wherein each compartment receives a predetermined number of cards; delivering each card in the group to its assigned compartment; and delivering cards in a compartment to a dealer upon demand.
- 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein between seventeen and nineteen compartments are provided.
- 22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the group of cards is a deck of cards selected from the group consisting of a standard 52 card deck, a standard deck with one or more wild cards, a standard deck with one or more jokers, a special deck and a partial deck.
- 23. The method according to claim 20, wherein every card in the group is assigned to a compartment before the first card is delivered.
- 24. The method according to claim 20, wherein nineteen compartments are provided.
- 25. A card shuffling apparatus comprising:(a) at least two card-receiving compartments, wherein each card-receiving compartment can receive more than one card; and (b) a microprocessor programmed to randomly select the compartment which receives each card, wherein the processor controls delivery of a selected number of cards to a selected number of compartments; (c) a card receiver for receiving a group of cards; (d) a first card moving mechanism, operably connected to the microprocessor, for moving a card from the card receiver to a selected compartment; and a compartment moving mechanism, operably connected to the microprocessor, for translating the compartments.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a second card receiver for receiving cards from the compartments.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a second card moving mechanism, operably connected to the microprocessor, for moving cards from a selected compartment to the second card receiver.
- 28. A method for continuously shuffling cards with a card shuffling apparatus having a first card receiver, a plurality of card receiving compartments that translate, and a second card receiver, the method comprising:(a) placing cards in the first card receiver; (b) selecting a card receiving compartment to receive a card; (c) moving at least one card in the first card receiver to the selected compartment; and (d) unloading a compartment to the second card receiver when the compartment has received a predetermined number of cards.
- 29. A rack assembly for use in an automatic card shuffler, the rack assembly comprising:(a) at least two card receiving compartments, wherein each compartment has a top surface and a card supporting surface and can receive more than one card; (b) wherein each card compartment comprises a plate member that includes a beveled surface.
US Referenced Citations (42)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
9840136 |
Sep 1998 |
WO |