Systems, methods and articles to facilitate playing card games with multi-compartment playing card receivers

• US 20070060260A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Fleckenstein, Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,342,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/00 Card games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00; card games played on a gaming machine G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00164 Casino tables
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID

Abstract

An inventory sensor is positioned and configured to identify playing cards stored in compartments of one or more playing card receivers. The inventory sensor allows the identity of a playing card stored in the playing card receiving compartment to be checked or otherwise verified with respect to an identity of a playing card expected to be stored in the playing card receiving compartment. Anomalies may be identified and appropriate messages provides and/or actions taken, for example removing the anomalous playing card from use.

Claims

1. A method of operating a playing card handling device, the method comprising:

storing a value indicative of an expected identity of a playing card assigned to be stored in a respective one of a number of playing receiving compartments of a playing card receiver of the playing card handling device;

sensing an identity of a playing card at least partially received in at least one of the playing card receiving compartments of a playing card receiver;

determining whether the sensed identity of the playing card matches the expected identity of the playing card for the respective playing card receiving compartment; and

producing an anomaly signal if it is determined that the sensed identity does not match the expect identity of the playing card for the respective playing card receiving compartment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the sensed identity matches the expected identity, transporting the playing card from the respective playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the sensed identity does not match the expected identity, transporting the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments to a playing card removed from use receiver of the playing card handling device, the playing card removed from use receiver storing playing cards at least temporarily removed from use in forming sets of playing cards.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing an identity of a playing card at least partially received in at least one of the playing card receiving compartments of a playing card receiver includes receiving electromagnetic energy returned by the at least one playing card while the at least one playing card in at least partially received in the respective playing card receiving compartment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the sensed identity of the playing card matches the expected identity of the playing card for the respective playing card receiving compartment includes comparing the value indicative of the sensed identity to a stored value indicative of the expected identity for the respective playing card receiving compartment.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein producing an anomaly signal includes producing at least one human perceptible signal indicative of an anomaly.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein producing an anomaly signal includes producing an electrical signal that causes the playing card handling device to omit the playing card in the respective playing card receiving compartment from use in forming a set of playing cards at an output playing card receiver.

8. A processor-readable medium storing instructions that cause a processor to operate a playing card handling device by:

storing a value indicative of an expected identity of a playing card assigned to be stored in a respective one of a number of playing receiving compartments of a playing card receiver of the playing card handling device;

sensing an identity of a playing card at least partially received in at least one of the playing card receiving compartments of a playing card receiver;

determining whether the sensed identity of the playing card matches the expected identity of the playing card for the respective playing card receiving compartment; and

producing an anomaly signal if it is determined that the sensed identity does not match the expect identity of the playing card for the respective playing card receiving compartment.

9. The processor-readable medium of claim 8, storing instructions that cause a processor to operate the playing card handling device further by:

in response to determining that the sensed identity matches the expected identity, transporting the playing card from the respective playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device.

10. The processor-readable medium of claim 8, storing instructions that cause a processor to operate the playing card handling device further by:

in response to determining that the sensed identity does not match the expected identity, transporting the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments to a playing card removed from use receiver of the playing card handling device, the playing card removed from use receiver storing playing cards at least temporarily removed from use in forming sets of playing cards.

11. A method of operating a playing card handling device, the method comprising:

sensing an identity of a playing card that is at least partially received in at least one of a plurality of playing card receiving compartments of a playing card receiver of the playing card handling system;

determining whether the sensed identity of the playing card matches an expected identity for a playing card that is expected to be temporarily stored in the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments; and

in response to determining that the sensed identity matches the expected identity, transporting the playing card from the respective playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

producing an anomaly signal in response to determining that the sensed identity does not match the expect identity.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to determining that the sensed identity does not match the expected identity, transporting the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments to a playing card removed from use receiver of the playing card handling device, the playing card removed from use receiver storing playing cards at least temporarily removed from use in forming sets of playing cards.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein sensing an identity of a playing card in at least one playing card receiving compartment includes receiving electromagnetic energy returned by the at least one playing card in the at least one playing card receiving compartment.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving electromagnetic energy returned by the at least one playing card in the at least one playing card receiving compartment includes receiving electromagnetic energy returned by the at least one playing card in the at least one playing card receiving compartment, the electromagnetic energy having a wavelength in at least a portion of a light portion of an electromagnetic spectrum, the light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum extending between a near infrared portion and a near ultraviolet portion, inclusive.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving electromagnetic energy returned by the at least one playing card in the at least one playing card receiving compartment includes imaging at least a portion of the at least one playing card at least partially received in the at least one playing card receiving compartment.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein imaging at least a portion of the at least one playing card in the at least one playing card receiving compartment includes imaging at least one machine-readably symbol carried by the at least one playing card at least partially received in the at least one playing card receiving compartment.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein transporting the playing card from the respective playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device includes removing the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments of the playing card receiver.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein transporting the playing card from the respective playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device includes removing the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments of the playing card receiver and locating the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments on top of a stack of playing cards in the playing card output receiver.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein transporting the playing card from the respective playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device includes removing the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments of the playing card receiver, locating the playing card from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments on top of a stack of playing cards in the playing card output receiver, and moving the playing card output receiver such that the playing cards are accessible from an exterior thereof.

21. A playing card handling device, comprising:

a playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing receiving compartments, each sized to hold a respective playing card;

a memory configured to store a plurality of values, each of the values indicative of an expected identity of a playing card assigned to be stored in a respective one of the playing receiving compartments of a playing card receiver of the playing card handling device;

a sensor operable to sense an identity of a playing card at least partially received in at least one of the playing card receiving compartments of a playing card receiver; and

a processor configured to determine whether the sensed identity of the playing card matches the expected identity of the playing card for the respective playing card receiving compartment.

22. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the processor is further configured to produce an anomaly signal if the processor determines that the sensed identity does not match the expect identity of the playing card for the respective playing card receiving compartment.

23. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the playing card to be transported from the respective playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device in response to the processor determining that the sensed identity matches the expected identity.

24. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the playing card to be transported from the respective one of the playing card receiving compartments to a playing card removed from use receiver of the playing card handling device in response to the processor determining that the sensed identity does not match the expected identity, the playing card removed from use receiver storing playing cards at least temporarily removed from use in forming sets of playing cards.

25. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the sensor is responsive to electromagnetic radiation.

26. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the sensor is responsive to electromagnetic radiation in the light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

27. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the processor is further configured to select random ones of the playing card receiving compartments of the playing card receiver, and to cause the playing card to be transported from the respective selected playing card receiving compartment to a playing card output receiver of the playing card handling device if the processor determines that the sensed identity matches the expected identity.

28. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the processor is further configured to select random ones of the playing card receiving compartments of the playing card receiver, and to cause the playing card to be transported from the respective selected playing card receiving compartment to a playing card removed from use receiver of the playing card handling device if the processor determines that the sensed identity matches the expected identity.

29. The playing card handling device of claim 21 wherein the playing card receiver is a carousel positioned between a playing card input receiver and a playing card output receiver in at least one playing card transport path that extends between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver.