Automatic poker shuffling machine

• US 20090283969A1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tzu-Hsiang Tseng
• Original Assignee: Tzu-Hsiang Tseng
• Inventors: Tseng, Tzu-Hsiang
• Application Number:
  US12/153,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20090283969A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

An automatic poker shuffling machine includes a frame having a first container, a second container and a card chamber between the first container and the second container, an elevating device has a table in the card chamber, a card cutting device for sending the cards on the table to the first and second containers alternately, and a card shuffling device having first and second turning wheels on the bottoms of the first and the second containers to stack the cards alternately on the table again. The present invention further includes a plurality of sensors to sense the cards and control the corresponding elements action, and a collecting box to receive the shuffled cards.

Claims

1. An automatic poker shuffling machine, comprising:

a frame having a first container, a second container and a card chamber between the first container and the second container, wherein the first container has a first bore at a bottom thereof communicated with the card chamber, and the second container has a second bore at a bottom thereof communicated with the card chamber;

an elevating device having a table, on which cards stack, received in the card chamber for vertical reciprocation;

a card cutting device, which is provided on a top of the frame, having a poking board for transverse reciprocation, a first sensor, and a second sensor, wherein the poking board is driven for transverse reciprocation to send the cards to the first container and the second container respectively when the first sensor senses the cards on the table, and the card cutting device is stopped when the second sensor senses no card on the table; and

a card shuffling device having at least a first turning wheel on the bottom of the first container and at least a second turning wheel on the bottom of the second container, wherein after the card cutting device is stopped, the first turning wheel and the second turning wheel start turning to send the cards in the first container and in the second container to the card chamber via the first bore and the second bore respectively, and stack the cards from the first container and from the second container alternately on the table;

wherein the frame is provided with two stop boards respectively disposed above the first container and the second container to be moved between a first position, in which the stop boards carry the cards from the cutting device thereon, and a second position, in which the cards on the stop boards drop to the first container and the second container, respectively;

wherein the frame further includes a first side wheel and a second side wheel on the stop board at a side adjacent to the card chamber, a third sensor on a bottom of the poking board to control rotation of the first side wheel and the second side wheel for sending a sensed card back to the card chamber when the third sensor senses cards thereunder not totally entering the stop boards above the first container and the second container.

3. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the poking board has completed the reciprocation once, the stop boards rapidly move to the second position from the first position, and return to the first position immediately.

4. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the stop boards are pivoted on the frame, each of which has a board face to carry the cards, an arched guiding block on an end, two pushing member on the frame out of the containers for vertical reciprocation, and two driving members moving the pushing members when the poking board of the card cutting device completes the reciprocation once and sends signals to the driving members, and further wherein when the pushing members are moved upwards and against the arched guiding blocks, the board faces of the stop boards are horizontal to carry the cards, and when the pushing members are moved downwards to turn the arched guiding blocks, the board faces of the stop boards are vertical to drop the cards thereon.

6. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame has a first separating board between the card chamber and the first container, wherein the first bore is formed between a bottom edge of the first separating board and the first turning wheel, a second board between the card chamber and the second container, wherein the second bore is formed between a bottom edge of the second separating board and the second turning wheel, and at least a stop plate, which is connected to one of the separating boards, to be adjusted for vertical movement to change sizes of the bores that the cards pass.

7. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stop plate has a first stop plate and a second stop plate, which the first stop plate is provided on the first separating board and above the first turning wheel, and the second stop plate is provided on the second separating board and above the second turning wheel.

9. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the card shuffling device further includes a fourth sensor on the frame to stop the table at a position under the first bore and the second bore when the card cutting device completes a cutting step and the table of the elevating device is moved downwards and sensed by the fourth sensor.

10. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 9, further comprising two fifth sensors on the bottoms of the first container and the second container, wherein the first turning wheel or the second turning wheel is stopped running when the fifth sensors sense no card in the first container or in the second container.

11. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a collecting box to collect the cards stacked on the table, wherein the collecting box is detachably mounted on the frame.

12. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 11, further comprising two sixth sensors on the frame to sense the card in the first bore and in the second bore, wherein the card shuffling device is stopped when the sixth sensors sense no card in the first bore and in the second bore.

13. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevating device has a cutting slot on the table to have the poking board moving in the cutting slot, whereby all cards on the table may be sent to the first container and the second container by the poking board.

17. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the card shuffling device includes a pressing board and a driving unit to move the pressing board between a down position, in which the pressing board is in the card chamber of the frame to guide the cards from the first bore and the second bore to the card chamber, and an up position.

2. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

14. An automatic poker shuffling machine, comprising:

a frame having a first container, a second container and a card chamber between the first container and the second container, wherein the first container has a first bore at a bottom thereof communicated with the card chamber, and the second container has a second bore at a bottom thereof communicated with the card chamber;

an elevating device having a table, on which cards stack, received in the card chamber for vertical reciprocation;

a card cutting device, which is provided on a top of the frame, having a poking board for transverse reciprocation, a first sensor, and a second sensor, wherein the poking board is driven for transverse reciprocation to send the cards to the first container and the second container respectively when the first sensor senses the cards on the table, and the card cutting device is stopped when the second sensor senses no card on the table; and

a card shuffling device having at least a first turning wheel on the bottom of the first container and at least a second turning wheel on the bottom of the second container, wherein after the card cutting device is stopped, the first turning wheel and the second turning wheel start turning to send the cards in the first container and in the second container to the card chamber via the first bore and the second bore respectively, and stack the cards from the first container and from the second container alternately on the table;

wherein the frame includes a first scrap container under the first container and near the first bore, a second scrap container under the second container and near the second bore, and at least a fan at a back of the frame to suck paper scraps in the frame to the first scrap container and the second scrap container via the first bore and the second bore.

15. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first scrap container and the second scrap container are detachably mounted on the frame respectively.

16. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first scrap container and the second scrap container are provided with a filter at backs thereof respectively to collect the paper scraps in the first scrap container and the second scrap container.

18. An automatic poker shuffling machine, comprising:

a frame having a first container, a second container and a card chamber between the first container and the second container, wherein the first container has a first bore at a bottom thereof communicated with the card chamber, and the second container has a second bore at a bottom thereof communicated with the card chamber;

an elevating device having a table, on which cards stack, received in the card chamber for vertical reciprocation;

a card cutting device, which is provided on a top of the frame, having a poking board for transverse reciprocation, a first sensor, and a second sensor, wherein the poking board is driven for transverse reciprocation to send the cards to the first container and the second container respectively when the first sensor senses the cards on the table, and the card cutting device is stopped when the second sensor senses no card on the table; and

a card shuffling device having at least a first turning wheel on the bottom of the first container and at least a second turning wheel on the bottom of the second container, wherein after the card cutting device is stopped, the first turning wheel and the second turning wheel start turning to send the cards in the first container and in the second container to the card chamber via the first bore and the second bore respectively, and stack the cards from the first container and from the second container alternately on the table, wherein the table is controlled to vibrate up and down slightly to order the cards at the same time.

19. The automatic poker shuffling machine as claimed in claim 18, wherein the card shuffling device includes a pressing board and a driving unit to move the pressing board between a down position, in which the pressing board is in the card chamber of the frame to guide the cards from the first bore and the second bore to the card chamber, and an up position.