System and method to handle playing cards, employing elevator mechanism

• US 20070241498A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,366,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/10 Card holders
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/16 Apparatus for indicating the dealer

Abstract

A card shoe handling device includes a playing card output receiver including a playing card support surface and a ceiling at least partially disposed relatively over the playing card support surface. The playing card output receiver is sized and positioned to receive a number of playing cards handled by the playing card handling system. The playing card handling system also includes an elevator mechanism operable to selectively move the playing card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised position, where in the lowered position the ceiling limits access from an exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the card support surface of the playing card output receiver and in the raised position the ceiling does not limit access from the exterior of the playing card handling system to at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver.

Claims

1. A playing card handling system, comprising:

a playing card input receiver sized and positioned to receive a number of playing cards to be handled by the playing card handling system;

a playing card output receiver sized and positioned to receive a number of playing cards handled by the playing card handling system, the playing card output receiver comprising a playing card support surface, a ceiling at least partially disposed relatively over the playing card support surface, and at least one member physically coupling the ceiling to the playing card support surface for movement therewith;

at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, along which at least some of the playing cards pass from the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver;

at least one intermediary playing card receiver positioned in the at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver; and

an elevator mechanism physically coupled to the playing card output receiver and operable to selectively move the playing card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised position, where in the lowered position the ceiling limits access from an exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the card support surface of the playing card output receiver and in the raised position the ceiling does not limit access from the exterior of the playing card handling system to at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver.

2. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein in the lowered position the playing card support surface is positioned below a surface of a gaming table.

3. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein in the raised position the playing card support surface is positioned such that at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card support surface of the playing card output receiver are above a surface of a gaming table.

4. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the playing card output receiver is mounted for sliding movement between the opened and the closed positions.

5. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the playing card handling system is operable to provide playing cards to the playing card output receiver in an order, wherein the order is at least one of a sorted order or a random order.

6. The playing card handling system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling system and operable to cause the elevator mechanism to raise the playing card output receiver to the raised position.

7. The playing card handling system of claim 6, further comprising:

a locking mechanism operable to selectively lock and unlock the playing card output receiver in the closed position in response to a state of the playing card handling system

8. The playing card handling system of claim 7 wherein the locking mechanism is operable to selectively lock and unlock the playing card receiver in the lowered position in response to a total number of playing cards on the playing card output receiver being at least equal to an output playing card threshold value.

9. The playing card handling system of claim 7 wherein the locking mechanism is operable to selectively lock and unlock the playing card receiver in the lowered position based at least in part on a comparison of a total number of playing cards in the intermediary playing card receiver to an intermediary playing card threshold value.

10. The playing card handling system of claim 7 wherein the locking mechanism is operable to selectively lock and unlock the playing card receiver in the lowered position based at least in part on a comparison of a total number of playing cards in the intermediary playing card receiver being less than an intermediary playing card threshold value.

11. The playing card handling system of claim 7, further comprising:

a switch accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling system and operable to cause the elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver to the lowered position.

12. The playing card handling system of claim 7 wherein the locking mechanism comprises a mechanical lockout mechanism.

13. The playing card handling system of claim 7 wherein the locking mechanism comprises a set of instructions stored on a memory device.

14. The playing card handling system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling system and operable to cause the elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver to the lowered position.

15. The playing card handling system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor positioned to sense a condition in the playing card handling device and coupled to cause the elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver to the raised position in response to the sensed condition.

16. The playing card handling system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor positioned to sense a number of playing cards on the playing card support surface of the playing card output receiver and coupled to cause the elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver to the raised position in response the sensed number of playing cards on the playing card support surface being at least equal to an output playing card threshold value.

17. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the playing card output receiver takes the form of a rectangular box open on one side.

18. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the at least one member of the playing card output receiver comprises three sidewalls, each of the sidewalls extending between the playing card support surface and the ceiling, a first and a second one of the sidewalls opposed to one another, and a third one of the sidewalls positioned between the first and the second one of the sidewalls.

19. A playing card handling system, comprising:

a playing card input receiver positioned to receive a number of playing cards to be ordered by the playing card handling system;

a playing card output receiver positioned to provide a number of playing cards ordered by the playing card handling system, the playing card output receiver comprising a playing card support surface, a ceiling at least partially disposed relatively over the playing card support surface, and at least one member physically coupling the ceiling to the playing card support surface for movement therewith; and

ordering means for providing the playing cards received in the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver in an order different from an order of the playing cards in the playing card input receiver.

20. The playing card handling system of claim 19, further comprising:

delivery means for causing a delivery of at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system.

21. The playing card handling system of claim 20 wherein the delivery means for causing a delivery of at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system comprises means for selectively moving the playing card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised position, where in the lowered position the ceiling limits access to playing cards from an exterior of the playing card handling system carried by the card support surface of the playing card output receiver and in the raised position the ceiling does not limit from the exterior of the playing card handling system access to at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver.

22. The playing card handling system of claim 21 where in the lowered position the playing card support surface is positioned below a surface of a gaming table.

23. The playing card handling system of claim 21 where in the raised position the playing card support surface is positioned such that at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card support surface of the playing card output receiver are spaced relatively above a surface of a gaming table.

24. The playing card handling system of claim 21, further comprising:

a switch accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling system and operable to cause the elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver to the raised position.

25. The playing card handling system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for selectively locking and unlocking the playing card output receiver in the closed position in response to a state of the playing card handling system

26. The playing card handling system of claim 25 wherein the locking means is operable to selectively lock and unlock the playing card receiver in the lowered position in response to a total number of playing cards on the playing card output receiver being at least equal to an output playing card threshold value.

27. The playing card handling system of claim 25 wherein the locking means is operable to selectively lock and unlock the playing card receiver in the lowered position based at least in part on a comparison of a total number of playing cards in the intermediary playing card receiver to an intermediary playing card threshold value.

28. The playing card handling system of claim 19, further comprising:

a switch accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling system and operable to cause the elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver to the lowered position.

29. The playing card handling system of claim 24 wherein the locking means comprises a mechanical lockout mechanism.

30. The playing card handling system of claim 24 wherein the locking means comprises a set of instructions stored on a memory device.

31. The playing card handling system of claim 19 wherein the playing card output receiver takes the form of a rectangular box open on one side.

32. A method of operating a playing card handling system that comprises a playing card input receiver and a playing card output receiver having a playing card support surface and a ceiling disposed relatively above the playing card support surface, the method comprising:

receiving a number of playing cards to be handled by the playing card handling system at the playing card input receiver;

positioning the input playing card receiver in a lowered position, where in the lowered position the ceiling of the input playing card receiver limits access from an exterior of the playing card handling system to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver;

providing at least some of the playing cards received at the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver in an order when the playing card output receiver is in the lowered position different from an order of the playing cards in the playing card input receiver; and

positioning the playing card output receiver in a raised position, where in the raised position the ceiling of the playing card output receiver does not limit access from an exterior of the playing card handling system to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein positioning the playing card output receiver in a lowered position includes moving the playing card output receiver below a surface of a gaming table.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein positioning the playing card output receiver in a raised position includes moving the playing card output receiver such that at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein providing at least some of the playing cards received at the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver in an order when the playing card output receiver is in the lowered position comprises

providing the playing cards to the playing card output receiver in at least one of a sorted order or a random order.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

providing a signal to an elevator mechanism to cause the elevator mechanism to position the playing card output receiver in the raised position in response to an activation of a switch accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling system.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

selectively locking the playing card output receiver in the lowered position in response to a state of the playing card handling system.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein selectively locking the playing card output receiver in the lowered position in response to a state of the playing card handling system comprises selectively locking the playing card output receiver in the lowered position in response to a total number of playing cards on the playing card output receiver being at least equal to an output playing card threshold value.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein selectively locking the playing card output receiver in the lowered position in response to a state of the playing card handling system comprises selectively locking the playing card output receiver in the lowered position based at least in part on a comparison of a total number of playing cards in the intermediary playing card receiver to an intermediary playing card threshold value.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein selectively locking the playing card output receiver in the lowered position in response to a state of the playing card handling system comprises selectively locking the playing card output receiver in the lowered position based at least in part on a comparison of a total number of playing cards in the intermediary playing card receiver being less than an intermediary playing card threshold value.

41. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

providing a signal to an elevator mechanism to cause the elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver to the lowered position in response to an activation of a switch accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling system.