Card shuffling apparatus with integral card delivery

• US 20030075865A1
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Swanson, Ronald R., Grauzer, Attila, Nelson, Troy D., Scheper, Paul K., Stasson, James B.
• Granted Patent: US 6,651,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

A card shuffling device includes a top surface, a card receiving area for receiving an initial set of playing cards, a randomizing system for randomizing the initial set of playing cards, a collection surface in a card collection area for receiving randomized playing cards, the collection surface receiving cards positioned so that all cards collected are below the top surface of the device, and an elevator for raising the collection surface so that at least some randomized cards are elevated above the top surface of the device. An automatic card shuffler includes a microprocessor with memory, an infeed compartment for receiving cards to be randomized, a card moving mechanism for moving cards individually from the infeed compartment into a card mixing compartment, a card mixing compartment comprising a plurality of substantially vertical supports, an opening for the passage of cards from the infeed compartment, a moveable lower support surface, at least one stationary gripping arm, a lower edge proximate the opening, the gripping arm capable of suspending cards above the opening, and an elevator for raising and lowering the moveable support surface. A position of the elevator is randomly selected and the support surface is moved to the selected position, and after the gripping arm grasps at least one side of the cards, the elevator lowers, creating a space beneath the gripping arm, wherein a card is moved from the infeed compartment into the space, thereby randomizing the cards. A method of randomizing a group of cards utilizing the apparatus is disclosed.

Claims

34. A device for forming a random set of playing cards comprising:

a top surface and a bottom surface of said device;

a receiving area for an initial set of playing cards;

a randomizing system the initial set of playing cards;

a collection surface in a card collection area for receiving randomized playing cards;

an elevator for raising the collection surface within the card collection area;

at least one card supporting element within the card collection area that will support a predetermined number of cards within the card collection area; and

an insertion point to the card collection area positioned below said predetermined number of cards.

35. The device of claim 34 wherein the at least one card supporting element comprises an element on at least one side of the card collection area that can move inwardly within the card collection area to contact and support the predetermined number of cards within the card collection area.

36. The device of claim 35 wherein the at least one card supporting element comprises at least two opposed card supporting elements that move inwardly within the card collection area to contact and support the predetermined number of cards within the card collection area.

37. The device of claim 34 wherein a microprocessor is communicatively connected to the device and the microprocessor is programmed to determine a distance that the card supporting surface must be vertically moved to position at least one specific card position other than the top card at a bottom edge of the at least one card supporting element when the card supporting element moves to contact cards within the card collection area.

38. The device of claim 35 wherein a microprocessor communicatively connected to the device is programmed to lower the card collection surface within the card collection area after the at least one card supporting element has contacted and supported cards within the card collection area, creating two segments of cards.

39. The device of claim 38 wherein a microprocessor communicatively connected to the device is programmed to lower the card collection surface within the card collection area after the at least one card supporting element has contacted and supported cards within the card collection area, creating two segments of cards.

40. The device of claim 39 wherein the microprocessor directs movement of an individual card into the card supporting area between the two segments of cards.

41. The device of claim 36 wherein a microprocessor is communicatively connected to the device and the microprocessor is programmed to determine a distance that the card supporting surface must be vertically moved to position at least one specific card position other than the top card at a bottom edge of the at least one card supporting element when the card supporting element moves to contact cards within the card collection area.

42. The device of claim 41 wherein a microprocessor communicatively connected to the device is programmed to lower the card collection surface within the card collection area after the at least one card supporting element has contacted and supported cards within the card collection area, creating two segments of cards.

43. The device of claim 42 wherein a microprocessor communicatively connected to the device is programmed to lower the card collection surface within the card collection area after the at least one card supporting element has contacted and supported cards within the card collection area, creating two segments of cards.

44. The device of claim 43 wherein the microprocessor directs movement of an individual card into the card supporting area between the two segments of cards.

45. An automatic card shuffling device comprising:

a microprocessor with memory for controlling the operation of the device;

an infeed compartment for receiving cards to be randomized;

a card moving mechanism for moving cards individually from the infeed compartment into a card mixing compartment;

a card mixing compartment comprising a plurality of substantially vertical supports, an opening for the passage of cards from the infeed compartment, a moveable lower support surface;

at least one stationary gripping arm, a lower edge proximate the opening, the gripping arm capable of suspending cards above the slot;

an elevator for raising and lowering the moveable support surface;

wherein a position of the elevator is randomly selected and the support surface is moved to the selected position, and after the gripping arm grasps at least one side of the cards, the elevator lowers, creating a space beneath the gripping arm, wherein a card is moved from the infeed compartment into the space, thereby randomizing the cards.

1. A device for forming a random set of playing cards comprising:

a top surface and a bottom surface of said device;

a card receiving area for receiving an initial set of playing cards;

a randomizing system for randomizing the initial set of playing cards;

a collection surface in a card collection area for receiving randomized playing cards, the collection surface receiving cards so that all cards are received below the top surface of the device; and

an elevator for raising the collection surface so that at least some randomized cards are elevated at least to the top surface of the device.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the elevator raises all randomized cards above the top surface of the device.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein a confining set of walls confines all randomized cards along all edges of the playing cards after the randomized cards are elevated.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the card receiving area is sloped to assist movement of playing cards towards the randomizing system.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein at least one pick-off roller removes cards one at a time from the card receiving area and moves cards one at a time towards the randomizing system.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein at least one pair of rollers receives cards from the at least one pick-off roller.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein a microprocessor controls movement of the pick-off roller and the at least one pair of rollers.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein when a first card being moved by the pick-off roller is being moved by the at least one pair of rollers, movement of the pick-off roller is altered so that no card other than the first card is moved by either the pick-off roller or the at least one pair of rollers.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein tension on the first card effected by the at least one pair of rollers causes the pick-off roller to freely rotate and to not propel the first card.

10. The device of claim 7 wherein the microprocessor is programmed to direct the pick-off roller to cease propelling a first card being moved by the pick-off roller when it is sensed that the first card is being moved by the at least one pair of rollers.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the randomization system moves one card at a time into an area overlying the collection surface.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein one card at a time is positioned into a randomized set of playing cards over the randomization surface.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the playing surface is bordered on two opposed sides by two movable card gripping elements.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein an insertion point to the card collection area is located below a bottom edge of the two movable card gripping elements.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the card supporting surface is vertically positionable within the card collection area.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the card supporting surface is moved by a motivator that is able to move incremental vertical distances that are no greater than the thickness of a playing card.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein the card supporting surface is moved by a motivator that is able to move incremental vertical distances that are no greater than one-half the thickness of a playing card.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the motor is a step motor.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the motor is an analog motor.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein a sensor is present within the collection area, below the top surface of the device, the sensor detecting a position of a top card.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein a microprocessor is present in the device and the microprocessor controls vertical movement of the card supporting surface.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the sensor identifies the position of the collection plate to place the top card at a position level with the bottom of at least one card gripping element that is movable from at least one side of the collection area towards playing cards within the card collection area.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine a distance that the card supporting surface must be vertically moved to position at least one specific card other than the top card at a bottom edge of the at least one card gripping element when the card gripping element moves to contact cards within the card collection area.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the at least one card gripping element comprises at least two gripping elements that move from opposed sides of the collection area towards playing cards within the card collection area.

25. The device of claim 23 wherein the microprocessor is programmed to lower the card collection surface within the card collection area after the at least one card gripping element has contacted and supported cards within the card collection area, creating two segments of cards.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the microprocessor directs movement of an individual card into the card supporting area between the two segments of cards.

27. The device of claim 24 wherein the microprocessor is programmed to lower the card collection surface within the card collection area after the two elements have contacted and supported cards within the card collection area, creating two segments of cards.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the microprocessor directs movement of an individual card into the card supporting area between the two segments of cards.

29. The device of claim 1 wherein a microprocessor is controllably connected to the device, the microprocessor directing movement of playing card moving elements within the device, the microprocessor randomly assigning potential positions for each card within the initial set of playing cards, and then directing the device to arrange the initial set of playing cards into those randomly assigned potential positions to form a randomized final set of playing cards.

30. The device of claim 8 wherein a microprocessor is controllably connected to the device, the microprocessor directing movement of playing card moving elements within the device, the microprocessor randomly assigning potential positions for each card within the initial set of playing cards, and then directing the device to arrange the initial set of playing cards into those randomly assigned potential positions to form a randomized final set of playing cards.

31. The device of claim 14 wherein a microprocessor is controllably connected to the device, the microprocessor directing movement of playing card moving elements within the device, the microprocessor randomly assigning potential positions for each card within the initial set of playing cards, and then directing the device to arrange the initial set of playing cards into those randomly assigned potential positions to form a randomized final set of playing cards.

32. The device of claim 22 wherein a microprocessor is controllably connected to the device, the microprocessor directing movement of playing card moving elements within the device, the microprocessor randomly assigning potential positions for each card within the initial set of playing cards, and then directing the device to arrange the initial set of playing cards into those randomly assigned potential positions to form a randomized final set of playing cards.

33. The device of claim 27 wherein a microprocessor is controllably connected to the device, the microprocessor directing movement of playing card moving elements within the device, the microprocessor randomly assigning potential positions for each card within the initial set of playing cards, and then directing the device to arrange the initial set of playing cards into those randomly assigned potential positions to form a randomized final set of playing cards.

46. The automatic card shuffling device of claim 45, wherein when each card in the infeed compartment has been fed into a space created by the gripping arm and random positioning of the lower support surface, the stack of cards in the card mixing area is randomized.

47. The device of claim 45, wherein the elevator is moveable to raise the stack of shuffled cards after all cards in the infeed compartment are fed.

48. The device of claim 45, and further comprising a card delivery tray located above the moveable lower support.

49. The device of claim 48, wherein the moveable lower support defines a lower support surface of the card delivery tray.

50. The device of claim 45, wherein the opening in the card mixing compartment is a horizontal slot, and wherein the infeed compartment comprises a lower surface, wherein the card moving mechanism comprises a pick off roller for moving a lowermost card in the infeed compartment toward the slot in the card mixing compartment.

51. The device of claim 48, wherein the card delivery tray is positioned on an upper surface of the device.

52. The device of claim 48, wherein a lower surface of the infeed tray and lower surface of the card deliver tray are positioned at an elevation proximate an elevation of a gaming table surface.

49-1. The device of claim 45, wherein two stationary gripping arms are provided to grip opposite sides of a stack of cards.

53. A method of randomizing a group of cards, comprising the steps of:

placing a group of cards to be randomized into a card infeed tray;

removing cards individually from the card infeed tray and delivering the cards into a card collection area, the card collection area having a moveable lower surface, and a stationary opening for receiving cards from the infeed tray;

elevating the moveable lower surface to a randomly determined height;

grasping at least one edge of a group of cards in the card collection area at a point just above the stationary opening;

lowering the moveable lower surface to create an opening in a stack of cards formed on the lower surface, the opening located just beneath a lowermost point where the cards are grasped; and

inserting a card removed from the infeed tray into the opening.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein after a card has been inserted, and when a presence of additional cards in the card infeed tray is sensed, the elevator moves to another randomly determined height, creating another opening.

55. An automatic card shuffler, having an upper surface and a lower surface, comprising;

a card infeed tray mounted to the upper surface of the card shuffler;

a shuffled card delivery tray mounted to the upper surface of the card shuffler;

wherein the card infeed tray and shuffled card delivery trays are located proximate an elevation of a gaming table surface.

56. The device of claim 55, wherein the shuffler is concealed beneath the gaming table surface.

57. The device of claim 55, wherein the shuffler is mounted to a support bracket.

58. The device of claim 55, wherein the card shuffler is built into a gaming table, and is at least partially surrounded by gaming table surface.

59. A method of arranging a group of cards into a desired order in a computer controlled automatic card shuffler, the card shuffler comprising an infeed tray, a feed mechanism, a card arranging area, a retaining device for suspending cards in the card shuffling area, a lower support surface in the card arranging area and an elevator for raising and lowering the lower support surface, the method comprising:

assigning each card in the infeed tray a final order;

feeding each card individually into the card arranging area, wherein the lower support surface is lowered beneath an elevation of the card feed mechanism when the computer instructs that the card being fed is to be placed on top of the stack, suspending all cards in the card shuffling area by means of the retaining device when the computer instructs that the card being fed is to be placed on the bottom of the stack, and instructing the elevator to move, causing the lower surface to adjust to a preselected elevation, retaining a subgroup of cards above a feed elevation and lowering the lower surface, creating an opening, and placing a card between the subgroup of suspended cards and the remaining cards supported by the lower support surface.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the final order is random.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein the final order is predetermined.

62. The method of claim 59 and further comprising the step of reading a suit and rank of each card prior to feeding the cards into the card arranging area.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the final order is an original playing card pack order.