Method, apparatus and article for random sequence generation and playing card distribution

• US 20040259618A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The United States Playing Card Company (Cartamundi NV)
• Original Assignee: ARL, Inc.
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard, Huizinga, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,262,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/11
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/02 Cards; Special shapes of cards card-printing methods B41K, B41M
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/022 Manufacturing of cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/42 with a light-sensitive substance, e.g. photoluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0685 having a message becoming legible after a chemical reaction or physical action has taken place, e.g. applying pressure, heat treatment, spraying with a substance, breaking microcapsules use of microcapsules for duplicating paper B41M5/165
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/102499 Blood gas standard or control

Abstract

A method, apparatus and article generates a pseudo-random playing card sequence and distributes playing cards according the pseudo-random playing card sequence. For example, the method, apparatus and article generates a pseudo-random playing card sequence and prints playing cards in order of the pseudo-random playing card sequence. Further, the method, apparatus and article generates a pseudo-random playing card sequence based on a house advantage. Yet further, the method, apparatus and article can generate a promotional message on one or more playing cards.

Claims

1. A playing card for playing a card game, the card comprising:

a substrate comprising a face surface and a back surface opposed from the face surface; and

a selectively actuatable ink applied to at least a portion of the face surface to form at least one identifying indicia, the selectively actuatable ink is visible when in a first state and invisible when in a second state.

2. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the selectively actuatable ink is a photochromatic ink responsive to light.

3. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the selectively actuatable ink is responsive to a specific frequency range of light.

4. The playing card according to claim 3 wherein the specific frequency range of light is an ultraviolet frequency range of light.

5. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the selectively actuatable ink changes from the first state to the second state when exposed to an elevated amount of a specific frequency range of light which is greater than the amount of the specific frequency range of light present in an ambient environment where the card game is played.

6. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the selectively actuatable ink is a thermochromic ink.

7. The playing card according to claim 6 wherein the thermochromic ink includes leucodyes.

8. The playing card according to claim 6 wherein the thermochromic ink is responsive to a heat source.

9. The playing card according to claim 6 wherein the thermochromic ink changes from the first state to the second state when exposed to an elevated heat source which is greater than the amount of heat present in an ambient environment where the card game is played.

10. The playing card according to claim 6 wherein the thermochromic ink includes liquid crystals.

11. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the card includes a flexible polymer containing a plurality of rotatable elements and electronic circuitry that is selectatively actuatable to manipulate the rotatable elements.

12. The playing card according to claim 11 wherein the rotatable elements are manipulated by selectively applying a charge across the rotatable elements to form a desired marking on the playing card.

13. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the selectively actuatable ink changes from the first state to the second state when subjected to an electric charge.

14. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the selectively actuatable ink changes from the first state to the second state when subjected to a voltage applied at least across a portion of the ink.

15. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the at least one identifying indicia on the face surface includes a rank marking, the rank marking representing at least one symbol that is used to identify a value of the playing card.

16. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the at least one identifying indicia on the face surface includes a suit marking, the suit marking representing at least one symbol that is used to identify a value of the playing card.

17. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the at least one identifying indicia on the face surface includes both a rank marking and a suit marking, the rank marking and the suit marking, when referred to in combination, representing a value of the playing card.

18. The playing card according to claim 1 wherein the at least one identifying indicia on the face surface is a machine-readable symbol for encoding information.

19. The playing card according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second identifying indicia applied to the playing card, the second identifying indicia being a machine-readable symbol for encoding information to at least identify the playing card.

20. The playing card according to claim 19 wherein the second identifying indicia is applied to the back surface of the playing card.

21. A method for utilizing a playing card, the method comprising:

applying a selectively actuatable ink to at least a portion of the playing card;

distributing the playing cards in a card game;

collecting the playing cards; and

erasing the selectively actuatable ink.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

actuating at least a portion of the applied ink to form respective markings the playing card before distributing the playing card in a card game.

23. The method according to claim 21 wherein applying the selectively actuatable ink to at least the portion of the playing card includes applying the ink to form a machine-readable indicia.

24. The method according to claim 21 wherein applying the selectively actuatable ink to at least the portion of the playing card includes applying the ink to form a human-readable indicia.

25. The method according to claim 24 wherein the human-readable indicia comprises a rank marking and a suit marking.

26. The method according to claim 21 wherein erasing the selectively actuatable ink includes subjecting the ink to a specific frequency range of light which exceeds an amount of the specific frequency range of light present in an ambient environment where the erasing occurs.

27. A method for erasing a feature on a playing card, the feature having been printed with a selectively actuatable ink, the method comprising:

exposing at least the feature printed with the selectively actuatable ink to a concentrated amount of light, the light being in a specific frequency range that is outside of a visible spectrum of light, the concentrated amount exceeding an amount of light in the same frequency range that is regularly present in an ambient environment; and

ending the exposure of the playing card to the concentrated amount light once the feature has become invisible.

28. The method according to claim 27 wherein exposing at least the feature printed with the selectively actuatable ink to a concentrated amount of light includes exposing at least the feature to an ultraviolet range of light.

29. The method according to claim 27 wherein ending the exposure of the playing card to the concentrated amount of light includes removing the playing card from an area where the concentrated amount of light is emitted.

30. The method according to claim 27 wherein ending the exposure of the playing card to the concentrated amount of light includes stopping the emission of the concentrated amount of light.