Automatic card shuffler

• US 20090072477A1
• Filed: 09/13/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bingotimes Digital Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kuo-Lung Tseng
• Inventors: Tseng, Kuo-Lung
• Granted Patent: US 7,540,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

An automatic card shuffler includes two parallel stands, two conveying units respectively mounted in the stands for conveying playing cards out of the associating stands toward a space between the stands, two limiters respectively mounted in the stands for holding playing cards for delivery by the conveying units individually, a card carrier unit set between the stands and controllable to lift a holder plate for collecting playing cards delivered from the conveying units, a constraint mechanism set between the stands for holding playing cards on the holder plate in a stack, and a card dispensing mechanism disposed above the stands for pushing playing cards out of the holder plate of the card carrier unit toward the baffles of the limiters in the working spaces of the stands alternatively.

Claims

1. An automatic card shuffler comprising

two stands arranged in parallel, said stands each defining a working space;

two conveying units respectively mounted in said stands in a bottom side of the working space of the associating stand, said conveying units each comprising two conveying wheels and a motor controllable to rotate said conveying wheels for conveying playing cards out of the associating stands toward a space between said stands;

two limiters respectively mounted in said stands at an outer side opposite to each other, said limiters each comprising a lifting frame, an actuating bar, a motor for turning said actuating bar to lift said lifting frame, and two baffles bilaterally pivoted to said lifting frame and inserted into the working space of the associating stands for holding playing cards above the conveying wheels of the associating conveying unit, said baffles being biased for letting playing cards fall therefrom to the conveying wheels of the associating conveying unit when the associating lifting frame is lowered in the working space of the associating stand to a predetermined elevation; and

a card carrier unit set between said stands, said card carrier unit comprising a vertical sliding track, a vertical screw rod disposed in parallel to said vertical sliding track, a motor adapted to rotate said vertical screw rod, a slide coupled to said vertical screw rod and movable along said vertical sliding track upon rotation of the motor of said card carrier unit, and a holder plate affixed to the slide of said card carrier unit for collecting playing cards delivered from said conveying units.

2. The automatic card shuffler as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a card dispensing mechanism disposed above said stands, said card dispensing mechanism comprising a horizontal sliding track, a horizontal screw rod disposed in parallel to said horizontal screw rod, a reversible motor controllable to rotate said horizontal screw rod forwards and backwards, a slide coupled to said horizontal screw rod and movable along said horizontal sliding track upon rotation of the reversible motor of said card dispensing mechanism, and a push bar affixed to a bottom side of the slide of said card dispensing mechanism and adapted to push playing cards out of said holder plate of said card carrier unit into the working spaces of said stands alternatively.

3. The automatic card shuffler as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a constraint mechanism set between said stands, said constraint mechanism comprising a motor, a constraint arm coupled to the motor of said constraint mechanism and turnable by the motor of said constraint mechanism toward the holder plate of said card carrier unit to hold playing cards on said holder plate in a stack, said constraint arm having two arched constraint portions for holding playing cards on said holder plate in a stack.