CARD HANDLING DEVICES AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME

• US 20100314830A1
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Krenn, Peter, Grauzer, Attila, Scheper, Paul K., Blaha, Ernst
• Granted Patent: US 8,141,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/149R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

A card handling device includes a sensing system for identifying cards handled thereby. A control system may be configured to selectively control an infeed system, a storage system, and/or an output system of the device in response to a signal received from the sensing system, and to enable a user to selectively perform one or more of a shuffling operation, a sorting operation, and a dealing operation using the device. A card handling device may be configured to dispense randomly arranged hands, prearranged hands, randomly arranged decks, or prearranged decks.

Claims

1. A device for handling playing cards, comprising:

a card infeed tray;

a card output tray;

a moveable card storage device with multiple compartments, with at least one compartment configured for storing bonus cards; and

a control system, the control system programmed to selectively dispense playing cards and at least one special card.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the moveable card storage device comprises a rotatable carousel, wherein the carousel comprises multiple compartments.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein each compartment is configured to receive multiple cards.

4. The device of claim 1, and further comprising a first card mover for moving cards individually from the card infeed tray to the moveable card storage device.

5. The device of claim 2, and further comprising a motor for rotating the carousel.

6. The device of claim 1, and further comprising a second card mover for moving cards from the movable card storage device to the output tray.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein therein the card infeed tray and card output tray are adjacent.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the card infeed tray and output trays are both accessible from the same plane.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the shuffler is mounted in a gaming table such that a gaming table surface is in the same plane as an upper edge of the card infeed and output trays.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the special card is selected from the group consisting of a bonus card and a promotional card.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein the first card mover is usable to move special cards into the card handling system.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the control system is programmed to dispense special cards in response to at least one of:

a) a jackpot reaching a predetermined amount,

b) according to a preselected date and time,

c) randomly,

d) in response to a game event such as receiving a royal flush in a poker game,

e) when a player loyalty account reaches a certain balance,

f) in response to a signal to the control system by a remote computer system to dispense a card, or by any other means.

13. A bonusing network, comprising:

a) multiple card handling devices of claim 1, wherein each card handling device has a network communication link;

b) a server or computer in communication with each card handling device via the network communication link;

wherein the server or computer is configured to send a signal to one networked card handling device to dispense a bonus card.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein a bonus prize is awarded in response to the dispensed bonus card to a player who received said bonus card.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the bonus card is selected for dispensing randomly.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the bonus card is selected for dispensing according to a schedule.

17. A method of delivering groups of cards to a card game and upon the occurrence of an event, dispensing a special card, comprising:

feeding playing cards individually from an infeed area of a card handling device into an intermediate storage compartment designated for receiving playing cards;

feeding at least one bonus card from an infeed area of a card handling device into intermediate storage compartment designated for receiving bonus cards;

selectively delivering groups of playing cards; and

selectively delivering at least one bonus card.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the event is a random event.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the event is a scheduled event.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the card handling device is a shuffler, and the shuffler comprises a carousel with a plurality of card-receiving compartments, at least one compartment designated as a bonus card compartment.