Automatic card shuffling and dealing device

• US 20060151946A1
• Filed: 01/09/2006
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cathay Plastic Factory Limited
• Original Assignee: Cathay Plastic Factory Limited
• Inventors: Ngai, Ping
• Application Number:
  US11/327,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20060151946A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

A card shuffling and dealing device has a housing which has a card exit at its front end and two feeder trays at its rear portion for holding respective stacks of cards. The feeder trays have card entrances facing generally in the same direction into the housing. A card shuffler in the housing adjacent the feeder trays includes at least one card sliding roller associated with each feeder tray for sliding cards held in the respective feeder tray through the corresponding card entrance into the housing. The rollers mix the cards from the feeder trays into the housing, thereby shuffling the cards. A card dealers also in the housing, presents the shuffled cards for dealing. A card holding space in the housing, between the card shuffler and the card dealer, receives and holds the shuffled cards from the card shuffler as a stack in the card dealer.

Claims

1. A card shuffling and dealing device comprising:

a housing having a front end and a rear portion;

a card exit at the front end;

at least two feeder trays at the rear portion for holding respective stacks of cards, the feeder trays having respective card entrances facing generally in the same direction into the housing;

a card shuffler located in the housing adjacent the feeder trays, comprising a driving device, gears driven by the driving device, and at least one card sliding roller associated with each feeder tray and driven by the gears for sliding cards held in the same feeder tray through the corresponding card entrance into the housing, the card sliding rollers mixing the cards of the stacks from the feeder trays fed into the housing, thereby providing shuffled cards;

a card dealer located in the housing for presenting the shuffled cards for dealing; and

a card holding space located in the housing between the card shuffler and the card dealer for receiving and holding the shuffled cards from the card shuffler as a stack in the card dealer.

2. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving device is electrically operated, and the shuffler includes an electrical switch electrically connected with the driving device for switching the driving device on and off.

3. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving device is electrically operated, and the housing includes a battery compartment for holding one or more battery cells for powering the driving device.

4. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving device comprises an electric motor.

5. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two feeder trays are located at upper and lower positions at the rear portion for holding respective stacks of cards for feeding into the housing at different levels.

6. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the lower feeder tray is positioned farther away from the card holding space than is the upper feeder tray.

7. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one card sliding roller associated with the lower feeder tray is driven at a higher speed than the card sliding roller associated with the upper feeder tray in order to slide the cards from the lower feeder tray relatively faster such that the cards from both feeder trays reach the card holding space at substantially the same time.

8. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lower feeder tray has first and second card sliding rollers associated therewith, with the first roller protruding slightly from below the lower feeder tray, like the card sliding roller associated with and protruding slightly from below the upper feeder tray, and the second roller is located within the housing nearer the card holding space and driven at the higher speed.

9. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the card dealer comprises first and second members which are pivotably inter-connected at bottom parts thereof and are inclined relative to each other to define the card holding space therebetween.

10. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first member is situated rearward, relatively closer to the card shuffler, and the second member is situated forwards relatively closer to the card exit, and the card dealer is pivotable between a card holding position with the card holding space facing the card shuffler for receiving cards therefrom and a card dealing position with the card holding space facing the card exit for card dealing.

11. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second members are individually hinged about a common axis for independent pivotal movement, about which axis the card dealer is pivotable between the card holding position and the card dealing position.

12. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first and second members are inclined relative to each other at an angle of substantially 90°

in the card holding position and are pivotable away from one another to subtend an angle therebetween greater than 90°

upon the card dealer pivoting towards the card dealing position and staying at the card dealing position.

13. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 12, including a spring resiliently biasing the card dealer rearwardly towards the card holding position and forwardly towards the card dealing position.

14. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the spring is connected to and acts upon the first member of the card dealer.

15. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second member includes a handle fixed thereto and accessible on one lateral side of the housing for pivoting the card dealer between the card holding position and the card dealing position.

16. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first member of the card dealer includes a card presser in the card holding space, the card presser being movable forwardly with the first member when the card dealer is in the card dealing position and urging cards in the card holding space towards the card exit to facilitate card dealing.

17. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the presser comprises at least two hinged parts pivotably connected, at first outer end of the hinged parts, with the first member of the card dealer, and, at a second outer end thereof, with the housing to form a foldable parallelogram structure, which is expandable into the card holding space, as the first member pivots forwardly, and which is collapsible as the first member pivots rearwardly.

18. The card shuffling and dealing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second members of the card dealer are both planar.