Apparatus and method for a card dispensing system
First Claim
1. An automatic card shoe apparatus for generating an identity signal indicative of the identity of a playing card selected from a stack of playing cards, the apparatus comprising:
- a base;
a compartment coupled to the base for receiving the stack of playing cards;
an actuated mechanism coupled to the compartment for offsetting at least one of the playing cards from the stack of playing cards, the actuated mechanism configured for placing the offset card such that the offset card is retained in an offset stationary position with respect to the card stack;
a position sensor coupled to the actuated mechanism for sensing the presence of the offset stationary card; and
a reader for recording a machine readable indicia positioned on the offset portion of the offset card, the recorded machine readable indicia for use in generating the identity signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system automatically monitors playing of a game and gathers data in real time. An overhead imaging system automatically images the game table and provides an overhead view of the game table and/or the dealer'"'"'s chip tray. A lateral imaging system images the gaming area, especially the wagering regions, to provide a lateral view of the chips on the table. An automatic card shoe system dispenses cards and automatically images at least one card immediately prior to its withdrawal from the shoe. A positioning module processes images from the overhead imaging system to automatically track the position of gaming objects such as for example playing cards, chips, currency bills on the gaming table. An identity module processes images from the overhead imaging system to automatically track the identity of gaming objects on the gaming table. A chip identity module processes overhead images of the chip tray and lateral images of the gaming region to automatically determine, the identity and position of gaming chips. A card-shoe software associated with the automatic card shoe system processes signals from the automatic card shoe system to automatically identify the game related value of at least one card immediately prior to its withdrawal from the shoe by a dealer.
293 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An automatic card shoe apparatus for generating an identity signal indicative of the identity of a playing card selected from a stack of playing cards, the apparatus comprising:
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a base;
a compartment coupled to the base for receiving the stack of playing cards;
an actuated mechanism coupled to the compartment for offsetting at least one of the playing cards from the stack of playing cards, the actuated mechanism configured for placing the offset card such that the offset card is retained in an offset stationary position with respect to the card stack;
a position sensor coupled to the actuated mechanism for sensing the presence of the offset stationary card; and
a reader for recording a machine readable indicia positioned on the offset portion of the offset card, the recorded machine readable indicia for use in generating the identity signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for generating an identity signal indicative of the identity of a playing card selected from a stack of playing cards, the method comprising the steps of:
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offsetting at least one playing card from a stack of playing cards by an actuated mechanism such that the offset card is retained in an offset stationary position with respect to the card stack;
recording a machine readable indicia positioned on the offset portion of the offset card; and
generating the identity signal using the recorded machine readable indicia. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification