Card weight for gravity feed input for playing card shuffler

• US 20070278739A1
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Swanson, Ronald R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,353,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

A card feeding device for feeding cards into a card handling device is disclosed. Examples of card handling devices include shufflers, card sorters, card delivery devices and card verification devices. The device includes a card infeed area that supports a stack of cards. The card infeed area has a card support surface. Included in the device is a card removing system that removes cards individually from the bottom of the stack. A pivoting arm presses against a card at the top of the stack. At least one sensor is provided that detects at least one of a position of the arm and a presence of a card in the card infeed area. A method of shuffling cards is also disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing cards to be shuffled into a card infeed area as a stack with a top and bottom and removing cards one-at-a-time from the bottom of the stack and moving the removed cards to a shuffling zone. Cards are then shuffled. The stack of cards is stabilized by a pivoting arm capable of pressing against the top of the stack in an engaged position. The pivot arm may be automatically rotated from a first card engaging position to a second recessed position.

Claims

1. A card feeding device for a card handling device, comprising:

a card infeed area that supports a stack of cards that has a card support surface;

a card removing system that removes cards individually from the bottom of the stack;

a pivoting arm that presses against a card at the top of the stack; and

at least one sensor that detects at least one of a position of the arm within the shuffling device and a presence of a card in the card infeed area.

2. The card feeding device of claim 1 further comprising a motor that rotates the pivoting arm.

3. The card feeding device of claim 2 wherein the rotation of the arm by the motor positions the pivoting arm to apply pressure against the card at the top of the stack.

4. The card feeding device of claim 1 wherein the pivoting arm is positionable in a card engaged position and a retracted position.

5. The card feeding device of claim 2 wherein at least one sensor is present in the device to indicate the position or degree of rotation of the pivoting arm.

6. The card feeding device of claim 1 wherein a processor is in communication with the at least one sensor.

7. The card feeding device of claim 2 wherein a processor is in communication with the at least one sensor.

8. The card feeding device of claim 6 wherein the processor is in communication with the at least one sensor and the processor signals the motor to alter the position of the pivoting arm.

9. The card feeding device of claim 2 wherein the motor is a stepper motor.

10. The card feeding device of claim 9 wherein the motor rotates in only one direction.

11. The card feeding device of claim 1 wherein the pivoting arm rotates into a retracted position and is free of the card infeed area.

15. The method of claim 4 wherein the command results from a sensor.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the sensor detects the presence or absence of playing cards in the card infeed area.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the sensor detects at least one of a degree of rotation of the pivoting arm and pressure by the pivoting arm against playing cards in the infeed area.

12. A card feeding device comprising:

a card infeed area that supports a stack of cards, the card infeed area having a card support surface;

a card removing system that removes cards from the bottom of the stack of cards;

a rotating pivoting arm that presses against a card at the top of the stack at a first contact end, the arm having a second rotating pivot end and a bridging length, the bridging length having a recess that is elevated above a line connecting a bottom of the first contact end and a pivot point on the second pivot end when the pivot arm is in a card engaging position.

13. The card shuffling device of claim 12 wherein the bottom of the first contact end comprises a roller.

14. A method of shuffling cards comprising:

providing cards to be shuffled into a single card infeed area as a stack with a top and bottom;

removing cards one-at-a-time from the bottom of the stack and moving the removed cards to a shuffling zone;

shuffling the cards;

wherein the stack of cards is stabilized by a pivoting arm pressing against the top of the stack, and automatically removing the arm from the top of the stack on command.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the command comes from a user input.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the arm has a wheel thereon that contacts the top of the stack.

20. A card feed system, comprising:

a card infeed area with a card support surface;

a card removal system capable of removing cards individually from a bottom of a stack of cards; and

a rotating pivot arm that in a first engaged position applies a downward force to a stack of cards and in a second recessed position is free of the card infeed area.

21. The card feed system of claim 20, and further comprising a card shuffling system.