Method for administrating a package of shuffled playing cards

• US 10,553,078 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2014
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Group Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Angel Playing Cards Co Ltd
• Inventors: Shigeta, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US14/455,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/062 Boxes or cases for cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2419 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/58 Antifraud or preventing misuse
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• 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

Administrating a package of shuffled playing cards to prevent fraudulent card exchanges. The administrating system is configured to calculate places and a number of packages of shuffled playing cards at places of the backyard, the places of playing tables, places of carriers and the disposition place using information obtained by the loading step and unloading step and the administrating system calculates by every ID codes bases 1) places of packages registered by the registering step for registering to a data base of administrating system and a number of packages place by place from information obtained from the loading step and the unloading step. The administrating system is configured to recognize whether there is a lost package by comparing the information of all ID codes registered in registering steps with the ID codes at places of packages obtained at the calculating step from the loading step and the unloading step.

Claims

1. A system for administrating a plurality of packages of shuffled playing cards, that are shuffled in a random order, wherein the packages have respective unique ID codes, the system comprising:

a keeping box for containing one or more of the packages of shuffled playing cards; and

an administrating controller, wherein the administrating controller has a computer readable medium that stores a database that includes a listing of a plurality of ID codes;

wherein;

the keeping box has;

a first ID code reader by which, for any of the packages that are contained in the keeping box, the keeping box senses presence of the respective package by obtaining, via the first ID code reader, ID-code information regarding the respective ID code of the respective package; and

a communication interface;

repeatedly, at a predefined interval;

the keeping box is configured to transmit via the communication interface and to the administrating controller the ID-code information regarding the ID codes of all of the packages whose presence the keeping box presently senses; and

the administrating controller is configured to, for each of the ID-code information received from the keeping box, check the corresponding ID code against all of the ID codes of the database to determine whether the corresponding ID code matches any of the ID codes of the database and thereby identify if there is a mismatch between the packages currently stored in the keeping box and the packages that are supposed to have which had been contained in the keeping box; and

the system is configured to, responsive to the mismatch being determined to be present, one or both of (a) output an alarm indicating the mismatch and (b) trigger a lock.

2. The administrating system according to claim 1, wherein the administrating controller is configured to be programmed to judge at least one of the followings items:

whether any of the packages is not missing in the keeping box, and

whether any of the packages has not been registered in the database in the keeping box.

3. The administrating system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second ID code reader, which is communicably connected to the administrating controller, for obtaining the ID-code information on each of the ID codes of the packages when being carried inside a casino, wherein the administrating controller is configured to thereby judge whether each of the packages is delivered through a predetermined route in the casino.

4. The administrating system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second ID code reader, which is communicably connected to the administrating controller, for obtaining the ID-code information on each of the ID codes of the packages when being at a pit of a casino, wherein the administrating controller is configured to measure an unused time, which is a time period for the package of the shuffled playing cards being unused at the pit, and judge whether the unused time of each of the packages exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The administrating system according to claim 1, further comprising:

second ID code readers, which are communicably connected to the administrating controller, for obtaining the ID-code information on each of the ID codes of the packages when being at each of one or more pits of a casino, wherein the administrating controller is configured to judge whether each of the packages is carried to a destination via any of unexpected pits or not via expected pits.

6. The administrating system according to claim 1, further comprising:

second ID code readers, which are communicably connected to the administrating controller, for obtaining the ID-code information on each of the ID codes of the packages when being at each of one or more game tables of a casino, wherein the administrating controller is configured to;

judge whether each of the packages is carried to a destination via any of unexpected pits or not via expected pits;

update the database in terms of usage of the packages of the shuffled playing cards; and

judge whether any of the packages has been used at any of the game tables in the past.

7. The administrating system according to claim 1, wherein the administrating controller stores in the database the ID-code information linking with further information in regard to at least one of the following items:

(i) game table on which a respective one of the packages of shuffled playing cards is to be used;

(ii) dealer in charge of game table on which the respective one of the packages of shuffled playing cards is to be used;

(iii) expected ending time of use of the respective one of the packages of shuffled playing cards on a game table; and

(iv) information concerning a pit or a card room where the respective one of the package of shuffled playing cards is expected to be carried before the respective one of the packages is delivered to relevant game table.

8. The administrating system according to claim 1, wherein the first ID code reader is any one of a barcode reader, a two-dimensional code reader, a camera, and an RFID tag reader.

9. The administrating system according to claim 1, further comprising a container-ID code reader, which is communicably connected to the administrating controller, for obtaining carton-ID information on carton-ID code, wherein:

the packages contained in a container are carried into a backyard,

the container has the container-ID code which is unique to the container, and

the administrating controller registers the container-ID code linking with each of the ID codes of the packages, which are contained in the container, into the database based on the container-ID information obtained by the container-ID code reader.

10. The administrating system according to claim 1, wherein the ID-information is image data of the ID code.

11. The administrating system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lock for preventing removal of the packages from the keeping box.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information of the ID codes of the package is provided in both forms of RFID and bar-code.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the information of the ID codes of the package are obtained by the first code reader by reading both the RFID and the bar-code.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the information of the ID codes of the package are obtained by the first code reader by reading the RFID when the package is in the keeping box and reading the bar-code when the package is outside of the keeping box.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the administrating controller is configured to obtain, using a second code reader, the ID-code information of a package that is removed from the keeping box to be used at a game table.

16. A keeping box for containing playing cards shuffled and packed into packages having respective unique ID codes recorded in a database, the keeping box comprising:

an ID code reader, wherein, for any of the packages that are contained in the keeping box, the keeping box is configured to sense presence of the respective package by obtaining, via the ID code reader, ID-code information regarding the respective ID code of the respective package; and

a communication interface communicatively coupling the keeping box to an administrating controller, wherein;

the keeping box is configured to repeatedly, at a predefined interval, transmit, to the administrating controller and via the communication interface, the ID-code information regarding the ID codes of all of the packages whose presence the keeping box presently senses; and

the administrating controller to which the keeping box is communicatively coupled, is configured to;

respond to each receipt of ID-code information from the keeping box, check the corresponding ID code against all ID codes recorded in the database, and thereby determine whether there is a mismatch between the packages currently stored in the keeping box and the packages that are supposed to have been contained in the keeping box; and

responsive to the mismatch being determined, one or both of (a) trigger output of an alarm indicating the mismatch and (b) trigger a lock.

17. The keeping box according to claim 16, wherein the keeping box is a carrier to carry one or more of the packages.

18. The keeping box according to claim 16, wherein the ID code reader is one of a barcode reader, a two-dimensional code reader, a camera, and an RFID tag reader.

19. The keeping box according to claim 16, wherein the ID-information is image data of the ID code.

20. The keeping box according to claim 16, further comprising:

a lock for preventing removal of the packages from the keeping box.

21. A method for administrating a plurality of decks of playing cards shuffled in a random order and packed into a plurality of packages, wherein the packages have respective unique ID codes registered in a database and are stored in a keeping box at pits or playing tables in a casino, the method comprising steps of:

for any of the packages that contained in the keeping box, sensing presence of the respective package by obtaining ID-code information regarding the respective ID code of the respective package;

at a predetermined timing, repeatedly, for each of the packages sensed as currently being present based on the obtained ID-code information, checking the corresponding ID code against all of the ID codes of the database to determine whether the corresponding ID code matches any of the ID codes of the database and thereby identify if there is a mismatch between the packages currently stored in the keeping box and the packages that are supposed to have been contained in the keeping box; and

responsive to the mismatch being determined to be present, one or both of (a) outputting an alarm indicating the mismatch and (b) triggering a lock.

22. The administrating method according to claim 21, wherein each of the ID codes are obtained by any one of a barcode reader, a two-dimensional code reader, a camera, and an RFID tag reader.

23. The administrating method according to claim 21, wherein the ID-information is image data of the ID code.

24. A package of shuffled playing cards that are shuffled in a random order, wherein:

the package is configured to be kept in a keeping box of a system for administrating a plurality of packages, including the package, each of the plurality of packages, including the package, having a respective ID code unique to the respective package;

the keeping box is configured to contain one or more of the packages;

the system includes an administrating controller that has a computer readable medium that stores a database that includes a listing of a plurality of ID codes;

the keeping box has;

a first ID code reader by which, for any of the packages that are contained in the keeping box, the keeping box senses presence of the respective package by obtaining, via the first ID code reader, ID-code information regarding the respective ID code of the respective package; and

a communication interface;

repeatedly, at a predefined interval;

the keeping box is configured to transmit to the administrating controller the ID-code information regarding the ID codes of all of the packages whose presence the keeping box presently detects; and

the administrating controller is configured to, for each of the ID-code information received from the keeping box, check the corresponding ID code against all of the ID codes of the database to determine whether the corresponding ID code matches any of the ID codes of the database and thereby identify if there is a mismatch between the packages currently stored in the keeping box and the packages that are supposed to have been contained in the keeping box; and

the system is configured to, responsive to the mismatch being determined to be present, one or both of (a) output an alarm indicating the mismatch and (b) trigger a lock.

25. The package according to claim 24, wherein the administrating controller is programmed to judge at least one of the followings items:

whether any of the packages in the keeping box is missing, and

whether any of the packages in the keeping box has not been registered in the database.

26. The package according to claim 24, wherein the administrating controller stores the ID-code information linking with further information in regard to at least one of the following items into the database:

(i) game table on which the package of shuffled playing cards is to be used;

(ii) dealer in charge of game table on which the package of shuffled playing cards to be used;

(iii) expected ending time of use of the package of shuffled playing cards on a game table; and

(iv) information concerning a pit or a card room where the packages of shuffled playing cards are expected to be carried before the packages are delivered to relevant game table.

27. The package according to claim 24, wherein each of the ID codes is obtained by any one of a barcode reader, a two-dimensional code reader, a camera, and an RFID tag reader.

28. The package according to claim 24, wherein the information of the ID codes of the package is provided in both forms of RFID and bar-code.