Method for administering a package of shuffled playing cards

• US 10,607,452 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2018
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Group Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Angel Playing Cards Co Ltd (Angel Group Company Limited)
• Inventors: Shigeta, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US15/986,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 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 valuable items, the system comprising:

a storage configured to store the plurality of valuable items, wherein at least one valuable item of the plurality of valuable items is provided with an ID code;

an administrating controller comprising a computer readable medium configured to store a database including data indicating ID codes of the plurality of valuable items; and

a ID code reader configured to repeatedly obtain ID-code information on a particular ID code of the ID codes of the plurality of valuable items in the storage, and

wherein the administrating controller is configured to receive the repeatedly obtained ID-code information from the ID code reader and monitor the at least one valuable item of the plurality of valuable items.

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

whether any valuable item of the plurality of valuable items registered in the database are missing from the storage, or

whether any valuable item of the plurality of valuable items detected in the storage have not been registered in the database.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ID code reader is any one of a barcode reader, a 2-dimensional code reader, a camera, or an RFID tag reader.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ID-code information comprises image data of the ID code.

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

lock means for preventing removal of the plurality of valuable items out from the storage; and

communication means for sending the ID-code information obtained by the ID code reader to the administrating controller.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ID-code information is image data of the ID code, and wherein the ID-code information further include time information indicating a time the ID code was read and location information indicating a location where the ID code was read.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the storage includes a lock by which removal of the plurality of valuable items out from the storage is preventable.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ID code reader comprises a camera that is part of a camera system, the camera system further including a second camera, wherein the camera is associated with a first portion of the storage and the second camera is associated with a second portion of the storage.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the ID code reader comprises a camera configured to capture images of the ID code;

the ID-code information comprises image data of the ID code;

the administrating controller is configured to receive the images and determine a mismatch based on the image data; and

a determination of the mismatch is based on a valuable item that is registered in the database and is not detected in the storage or based on a valuable item detected in the storage that is not registered in the database.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ID code reader comprises an RFID reader, and further comprising a camera positioned proximate to the storage and configured to capture images of the storage to generate image data, wherein the communication device is configured to send the image data to the administrating controller, wherein the administrating controller is configured to receive the images and determine a mismatch based on the image data and the ID-code information, and wherein a determination of the mismatch is based on a valuable item that is registered in the database and is not detected in the storage or based on a valuable item detected in the storage that is not registered in the database.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ID code reader configured to repeatedly obtain the ID-code information periodically or at regular intervals.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the particular ID code corresponds to an ID code associated with a pallet or a carton comprising multiple valuable items; and

the administrating controller creates a database entry in the database for each valuable item of the multiple valuable items associated with the pallet or the carton based on the ID-code information obtained from the particular ID code associated with the pallet or the carton.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the administrating controller is further configured to:

obtain the ID-code information associated with the particular ID code of the valuable item repeatedly read by the ID code reader;

determine whether the obtained ID-code information matches ID-code information of the plurality of valuable items previously stored in the database; and

monitor a particular valuable of the plurality of valuable items based on the obtained ID-code information associated with repeatedly reading the particular ID code.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the administrating controller is further configured to update the database by generating a new entry or updating an existing entry in the database responsive to obtaining the ID-code information at a first time.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the administrating controller is configured to monitor the ID code of the particular valuable item by comparing a previous entry of the database for a particular valuable item to received ID-code information for the particular valuable item.