Systems, methods and articles to facilitate delivery of playing cards

• US 20070273094A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fleckenstein, Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,510,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149.P
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/16 Apparatus for indicating the dealer
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A playing card output receiver that is mounted for movement includes a floor that slopes downward toward a back wall, which may, for example, assist in retaining playing cards in the playing card output receiver during movement of 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 collected playing cards;

a playing card output receiver comprising a rear wall, a pair of opposed side walls and a floor forming an enclosure, the enclosure open at a front thereof, the enclosure sized and dimensioned to receiver a plurality of playing cards at least partially therein, the floor upwardly sloped from at least proximate the rear wall toward at least proximate the front of the playing card output receiver;

at least one playing card transport path extending between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver; and

at least one intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments, the intermediary playing card receiver interposed between in the at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver.

2. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the playing card output receiver further comprises a ceiling disposed above the floor.

3. The playing card handling system of claim 2 wherein the ceiling is flush with an access opening to limit access to the playing card in the playing card output receiver when the playing card output receiver is in lowered position.

4. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein each of the playing card receiving compartments is sized and dimensions to receive a single playing card at a time.

5. The playing card handling system of claim 6 wherein the at least one intermediary playing card receiver is moveable with respect to the at least one playing card transport path.

6. The playing card handling system of claim 7 wherein the playing card output receiver is translatable along a vertical axis.

7. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the playing card output receiver takes the form of a rectangular cartridge.

8. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the playing card output receiver is moveable between a lowered position and a raised position, wherein the raised position at least a portion of the playing card output receiver is positioned to permit a plurality of playing cards to be withdrawn from the playing card output receiver, and wherein the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned such that the plurality of playing cards cannot be withdrawn from the playing card output receiver.

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

an elevator motor; and

a linkage movingly coupling the motor to the playing card output receiver.

10. The playing card handling system of claim 9 wherein the elevator motor takes the form of a direct current stepper motor.

14. The playing card output receiver of claim 11 wherein the playing card output receiver is mounted for translational movement.

11. A movable playing card output receiver, comprising:

a rear wall;

a first side wall;

a second side wall opposed to the first side wall; and

a floor coupled to the rear wall, the first and the second side walls to form an enclosure sized and dimensioned to receive a plurality of playing cards at least partially therein and supported by the floor, the enclosure open at a front thereof, wherein the floor is slopes downwardly from the front toward the rear wall, wherein the playing card output receiver is mounted for movement.

12. The playing card output receiver of claim 11, further comprising:

a ceiling spaced above the floor, the ceiling further forming the enclosure with the rear wall, the first and the second side walls and the floor of the playing card output receiver.

13. The playing card output receiver of claim 11 wherein the playing card output receiver takes the form of rectangular box that is open at least at the front.

15. The playing card output receiver of claim 11 wherein the playing card output receiver is mounted for vertical translational movement.