Management system and management method for packages of shuffled playing cards

• US 10,220,300 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Group Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Angel Playing Cards Co Ltd
• Inventors: Shigeta, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US15/556,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20180050262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 273309, 273148 R, 273149 R, 273149 P
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/06 Card games appurtenances
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/062 Boxes or cases for cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 11/00 Game accessories of general use , e.g. score counters, boxes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00164 Casino tables
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2425 Scanners, e.g. for scanning regular characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2439 the input being a code, e.g. ID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/24 with a lock, e.g. for a puzzle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/58 Antifraud or preventing misuse
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

To prevent a loss or replacement of card packages while operating casinos using packages of multiple cards in the casinos or other card game facilities using card game tables, a management system for managing packages of shuffled playing cards is provided. The management system including a management control device (7) stores ID codes (4) attached to a plurality of packages (2) brought into a management/storage box (10), constructs a database, reads the ID codes (4) of the plurality of packages (2) brought into the management/storage box (10) at predetermined time intervals, confirms existence of each ID code (4) registered in the database in the management/storage box (10), and manages the ID codes (4) of the packages (2) before use and the ID codes (4) of the drawn packages (2).

Claims

1. A management system for managing a plurality of packages of shuffled playing cards, the management system comprising:

packages of shuffled playing cards in which playing cards configuring a predetermined number of decks are shuffled in random order and are packed individually as one package and to which unique ID codes are attached;

a game table on which a game is played using the shuffled playing cards;

a card shooter device which is arranged on the game table, receives the shuffled playing cards in the packages, enables the shuffled playing cards to be manually fed one by one at the game table, and reads at least ranks of the playing cards;

a storage box which is installed on the game table, stores the plurality of packages, and includes an opening/closing cover which allows the packages to be taken out one by one;

one or more ID code readers which read ID codes of all of the packages stored in the storage box as ID codes of packages before use;

a registration device of an ID code which registers ID codes of the packages being taken out or having been taken out from the storage box, as taken out packages; and

a management control device which includes a memory storing ID codes of the plurality of packages brought into the storage box and constructing a database and reads the ID codes of the plurality of packages brought into the storage box at predetermined time intervals, confirms existence of each ID code registered in the database in the storage box, and manages the ID codes of the packages before the use and ID codes of the taken out packages.

2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein:

the management control device further has a time stamping device which stores confirmation time of the existence of each ID code in the storage box, and

the management control device is configured to be programmed to examine the packages with respect to at least one of the following items of

     1) to

     4);

1) the time stamping device further stores time when the ID codes are registered as the ID codes of the taken out packages in the registration device and whether or not the time from when the package does not exist in the storage box to when the ID codes are registered as the ID codes of the taken out packages in the registration device exceeds a predetermined time;

2) whether or not the ID codes registered as the ID codes of the taken out packages in the registration device exist in the database of the ID codes brought into the storage box;

3) whether or not the packages exist in the storage box during a predetermined period or more; and

4) whether or not the ID codes has been registered as the ID codes of the taken out packages in the past.

3. The management system according to claim 1, wherein

the management system includes at least one of:

1) a device reading the ID codes of the packages of the shuffled playing cards scheduled to be set in the card shooter device or being set in the card shooter device arranged on the game table and

2) a device connected to a card discard device receiving the shuffled playing cards used for a game and acquiring ID codes of used packages to be discarded as the registration device of the ID codes of the taken out packages.

4. The management system according to claim 3, wherein:

the management control device has a database in which ID codes of contained packages can be searched from a container ID, a pallet ID, or a carton ID holding the packages, and

the ID codes of the taken out packages can be acquired from the container ID, the pallet ID, or the carton ID.

5. The management system according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the following items of (1) to (4) is recorded and managed in the database in association with the ID codes of the packages of the shuffled playing cards:

(1) a game table to be used;

(2) a dealer (a person who draws a card) who is in charge of the game table to be used;

(3) expected time of each package of the shuffled playing cards to be used on the game table; and

(4) information on the storage box to which each package of the shuffled playing cards is delivered.

6. The management system according to claim 1, wherein

the management control device is included in a game table management device arranged on the game table and the game table management device is connected directly or indirectly to the card shooter device on the game table.

7. The management system according to claim 1, wherein

the card shooter device can read at least the ranks of the shuffled playing cards manually fed one by one on the game table.

8. The management system according to claim 1, wherein

the card shooter device can count a sheet number of the shuffled playing cards manually fed one by one on the game table.

9. The management system according to claim 1, wherein

the card discard device receiving the shuffled playing cards used for the game can read at least the ranks of the shuffled playing cards used for the game, receive information from the card shooter device, and determine whether or not information of the shuffled playing cards manually fed one by one on the game table and information read by the card discard device are matched.

10. The management system according to claim 1, wherein

the ID codes of the packages are given to the packages by an RFID.

11. A management method for managing a plurality of packages of shuffled playing cards, in which playing cards configuring a predetermined number of decks are shuffled in random order and are packed individually as a set of shuffled playing cards and ID codes are attached to packages of the set, the management method comprising:

a step of storing the packages in a storage box which is installed at a game table, stores the plurality of packages, and includes an opening/closing cover which allows the packages to be taken out one by one;

a step of reading ID codes of the plurality of packages brought into the storage box by an ID code reader and constructing a database;

a registration step of registering ID codes of the packages of the playing cards used for a game on the game table as taken out packages; and

a step of reading the ID codes of the plurality of packages brought into the storage box at predetermined time intervals, confirming existence of each ID code registered in the database in the storage box, and comparing and managing the ID codes of the taken out packages registered by the registration step and the ID codes registered in the database.

12. The management method according to claim 11, wherein

the ID codes of the packages are given to the packages by an RFID.

13. The management method according to claim 11, wherein the comparing and managing specifies ID codes of packages of which existence is not confirmed in the storage box, stores time when the existence is not confirmed in the storage box, together with the ID codes of the packages of which the existence is not confirmed, and manages whether or not the time from when the existence is not confirmed to when the ID codes are registered as the ID codes of the taken out packages by a registration device exceeds a predetermined time.

14. The management method according to claim 11, wherein

the registration step is a step of using a database in which ID codes of all packages contained in a carton containing the packages can be searched from a carton ID attached to the carton, reading the carton ID of the carton to specify the ID codes of the packages contained in the carton, and registering the ID codes of all of the packages contained in the carton as the ID codes of the taken out packages.

15. The management method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a feeding card reading step of reading at least ranks of the shuffled playing cards when the shuffled playing cards are manually fed one by one on the game table by a card shooter device;

a discard card reading step of reading at least the ranks of the shuffled playing cards used for a game by a card discard device; and

a determination step of determining whether or not information of the shuffled playing cards obtained by the feeding card reading step and information of the shuffled playing cards obtained by the discard card reading step are matched.