Card shuffler

• US 20030075866A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shuffle Master GMBH & Co KG (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Card-Casinos Austria R & D-Casinos Austria Forschungs-Und Entwicklungs GmbH
• Inventors: Krenn, Peter, Blaha, Ernst
• Granted Patent: US 6,889,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

A card shuffler with a drivable shuffling storage means (2′) which is provided with compartments (69) for receiving cards (13) and which is associated with an input apparatus for inserting cards into the compartments (69) one by one and an output storage means which is spaced from the same for the shuffled cards, with the drive of the shuffling storage means (2′), the input apparatus and the output storage means being controlled by an electronic control system. In order to provide a card shuffler of the kind mentioned above which is capable of continually displaying the number of playing cards situated in the card shuffler and thus of providing the operator with the opportunity to have at all times certainty about the complete number of playing cards it is provided that the input apparatus (106) is provided with a draw-in zone (105) whose height corresponds substantially to the thickness of a card (13) and a first detection means (24) and a second detection means is provided which detects the cards (13) inserted into and removed from the shuffling storage means.

Claims

1. A method for performing a continuous inventory of cards (13) in an electronically controlled card shuffler, with cards (13) of an unshuffled stack being conveyed in random sequence into the compartments (69) of a shuffling storage means (2′

) and from there to an output storage means, characterized in that it comprises the following steps;

assignment of numbers to the individual compartments (69) of the shuffling storage means;

assignment of a card value to each compartment (69), which card value corresponds to the number of cards per compartment (69);

recognizing the insertion of a card (13) into a compartment (69) of the shuffling storage means (2′

);

increase of said card value of said compartment (69) by the value 1;

addition of all card values of all compartments (69) of the shuffling storage means (2′

);

recognizing the removal of cards (13) of a compartment (69) to the output storage means (42, 42′

);

resetting of said card value of said compartment (69) to zero;

subtraction of said card value of said compartment (69) from the sum total of the card values of all compartments (69) of the shuffling storage means (2′

).

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the recognition of the insertion of a card (13) into a compartment (69) of the shuffling storage means (2′

) occurs by pulling the card past a sensor (24).

3. A method according to one of the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the recognition of the removal of cards (13) from a compartment (69) to the output storage means (42, 42′

) occurs by the passage of the cards past a sensor.

4. A method according to one of the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the recognition of the removal of cards (13) of a compartment (69) to the output storage means (42, 42′

) occurs by actuating a withdrawing apparatus (35, 37, 38).

5. A card shuffler with a drivable shuffling storage means (2′

) which is provided with compartments (69) for receiving cards (13) and which is associated with an input apparatus for inserting cards into the compartments (69) one by one and an output storage means for the shuffled cards which is spaced from the input apparatus with the drive of the shuffling storage means (2′

), the input apparatus and the output storage means being controlled by an electronic control system, characterized in that the input apparatus (106) is provided with a draw-in zone (105) whose height corresponds substantially to the thickness of a card (13) and a first detection means (24) is provided which after the passage of the draw-in zone by a card (13) increases the value of an electronic register of the electronic control system by one and a second detection means (35, 37, 38) are provided which after the removal of cards (13) from the respective compartments (69) of the shuffling storage means (2′

) reduces the value of the electronic register by the number of the removed cards.

7. A card shuffler according to one of the claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the second detection means is a second sensor, preferably an optical sensor.

8. A card shuffler according to one of the claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the second detection means is the withdrawing apparatus (35, 37, 38).

9. A card shuffler according to one of the claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the input apparatus comprises a storage container (10) for unshuffled cards (13) with side walls (108) and floor (107) and the draw-in zone (105) is formed by a bridge (104) projecting from the side walls (104) into the interior of the storage container (10).

10. A card shuffler according to one of the claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the distance of the bridge (104) from the floor (107) of the storage container (10) substantially corresponds to the thickness of the card (13).

11. A card shuffler according to one of the claims 9 and 10, characterized in that the first sensor (24) is disposed between the bridge (104) and the shuffling storage means (2′

).

6. A card shuffler according to claim 6, characterized in that the first detection means (24) is a first sensor, preferably an optical sensor.