Swivel mounted card handing device

• US 20090189346A1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Shuffle Master GMBH & Co KG (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Krenn, Peter, Grauzer, Attila, Blaha, Ernst
• Granted Patent: US 7,946,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/067 Tables or similar supporting structures
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

Playing card handling devices, such as shufflers, dealing shoes, discard racks and verification systems are rotatably secured to a gaming table to allow for functional and ergonomic adjustment of the card handling device, without removal from the gaming table. One end of the device, preferably a front end of the device from which playing cards may be removed has a structure that extends through an aperture in the gaming table. The device is movable within the aperture. Movement in the X-Y direction, angular movement and rotational movement, parallel to the movement of the plane of the surface of the gaming table is enabled. The movement of the device about the aperture preferably maintains the base of the device relatively parallel to the plane of the surface of the gaming table.

Claims

1. A playing card delivery device comprising:

a housing;

a support base, the support base supported by a gaming table surface;

an area within the housing that can store multiple playing cards;

an opening in the housing through which playing cards may be removed;

a structure extending below the support base, positionable in an aperture in a gaming table; and

the surface support base moveable on the gaming table surface, wherein movement is limited to an area defined by the gaming table aperture.

2. The device of claim 1, and further comprising a connector connecting the device to the gaming table.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the connector is attached to the card delivery device and comprises a plate that is attached to the device and movable in a plane parallel to the surface of the gaming table.

4. The device of claim 1, and further comprising a plate that is attached to the base, wherein the plate has a lower surface that rests on the gaming table surface.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the plate is circular and of a diameter large enough to cover the aperture regardless of the position of the device on the table, when the structure extending below the support base is positioned in the aperture.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the playing card delivery device is selected from the group consisting of a card shuffler, a card shoe and a discard rack.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the device is a shuffler and the shuffler has a playing card reader that sends signals indicative of at least rank of a playing card, the reader located within the structure extending below the support base.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the delivery device is a shoe and the shoe has a playing card reader that sends signals indicative of at least rank of a playing card, the reader located within the structure extending below the support base.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the playing card reader is fixed at an angle between about 89 and about 70 degrees with respect to the plane of the gaming table top surface.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the playing card reader rotates with the shuffler as the shuffler rotates over the top surface of the gaming table.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is movable in a straight line, in rotation, in an irregular pattern, in an arc and in a combination thereof.

12. A gaming table and playing card delivery system comprising:

a gaming table having a top play surface with an aperture extending therethrough;

a playing card delivery device having a playing card delivery shoe elevated with respect to a playing card reader located in the playing card delivery device; and

the playing card reader being insertable into the aperture wherein the device is mounted so that the playing card reader is located below the game table top play surface and the playing card delivery shoe is located above the top play surface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the playing card delivery device comprises a playing card shuffler, the playing card reader built into a front, playing card delivery end of the playing card delivery device, and the playing card delivery device is movable about the front end of the device while the playing card reader remains below the top play surface.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the playing card delivery device comprises a playing card delivery shoe, the playing card reader built into a front playing card delivery end of the playing card delivery device, and the playing card delivery device is movable about the front end of the device while the playing card reader remains below the top play surface.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the front end of the device is attached to a swivel plate and the swivel plate rotates in a plane parallel to the top play surface.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the playing card delivery shoe and the playing card reader define a removable module.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein movement of the playing card delivery device on a gaming table is limited by the geometry of the gaming table aperture and the geometry of a structure housing the playing card reader.

18. The system of claim 17, where the playing card delivery device is movable in a plane parallel to the gaming surface and in at least one of the following directions:

rotational, arc-shaped, straight line and an irregular path.

19. A modular card handling device, comprising:

a base,

a shoe that is fixedly mounted to the base; and

,

a card holding device, comprising a card infeed area and a card output area, wherein the shoe has a quick release locking mechanism that connects the shoe to the card output area of the card handling device.

20. The modular card handling device of claim 19, wherein the device is a card imaging system and further comprising a card shuffling mechanism.

21. The modular card shuffler of claim 20, wherein the card imaging system is affixed to the card output area, wherein the card output area is removable from the card shuffling mechanism.

22. The modular card shuffler of claim 21, wherein a processor board is mounted in the base and wherein the processor communicates with the card imaging system.

23. The modular card shuffler of claim 21, wherein the card output area is fixedly mounted to the base.

24. A card handling system, comprising:

an area for holding cards to be used in a card game;

a card input area; and

a card output area, the card output area capable of providing one card at a time for manual delivery to a card game, wherein the card output area has an opening for removal of cards that is offset from a center of the card output area.

25. The card handling system of claim 24, and further comprising a card imaging system, wherein the card output area has an upper plate, wherein the upper plate is larger on a first side than on a second side, wherein the card imaging system is positioned beneath the larger side.

26. The card handling system of claim 24, and further comprising a light source located beneath the larger side.

27. The card handling system of claim 24, wherein the card handling system is a shuffler.

28. The card handling system of claim 24, wherein the card handling system is a shoe.