Card feed mechanism for card handling device

• US 20110006480A1
• Filed: 04/27/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Swanson, Ronald R., Bourbour, Feraidoon, Grauzer, Attila, Nelson, Troy D., Rynda, Robert J., Scheper, Paul K., Stasson, James Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 8,191,894 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

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into plural hands of cards, wherein each of the hands contains a random arrangement of cards. The apparatus comprises a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack, and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanism and the elevator so that an individual card is moved into an identified compartment. The number of compartments receiving cards and the number of cards moved to each compartment may be selected. An apparatus for feeding cards, comprising a surface for supporting a stack of cards, a feed roller with a frictional outer surface, a drive mechanism for causing rotation of the feed roller, a pair of speed-up rollers to advance the cards out of the feed roller, and a clutch mechanism for disengaging the feed roller from the drive mechanism as the card comes into contact with the speed up rollers.

Claims

1-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A mechanism for feeding cards individually in a card handling apparatus, comprising:

a surface for supporting a stack of cards;

a feed roller with a frictional outer surface, mounted to a rotational shaft and positioned to feed cards individually from the stack into a pair of speed up rollers;

a drive mechanism that rotates the feed roller;

a clutch mounted to the shaft for disengaging the feed roller from the drive mechanism as an individual card contacts a pair of speed up rollers; and

a pair of speed up rollers for advancing cards individually, wherein the feed roller is disengageable from the drive mechanism.

37. The mechanism of claim 36, wherein the surface for supporting the stack of cards is a declining surface, and further comprising a slideable wedge member for sliding engagement with the declining surface and for retaining the stack against the feed roller.

38. The mechanism of claim 36, wherein the clutch is a dynamic clutch mechanism.

39. The mechanism of claim 36, wherein one of the speed-up rollers is driven by a drive mechanism.

40. The mechanism of claim 36, wherein one of the speed-up rollers is an idler roller.

41. The mechanism of claim 36, wherein at least one of the rollers mounted to a shaft is driven by a motor that can be disengaged from the roller by automatic operation of the mechanism.

42. A method of feeding cards in a card handling apparatus comprising:

providing a feed roller mounted for rotation about a shaft, a drive mechanism for rotating the shaft and clutch capable of disengaging the roller from the drive mechanism when a speed of the card accelerates and exceeds a speed of movement caused by the feed roller; and

a pair of speed-up rollers;

feeding a card from a stack with the feed roller until a leading edge of the card contacts the speed-up rollers; and

when the speed of the card accelerates and exceeds the speed at which the card is fed by the feed roller, the clutch disengages from the drive roller.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein after disengagement of the feed roller, the card initially remains in contact with the roller when a leading edge of the card comes into contact with the speed-up rollers.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the feed roller spins freely, after the card comes into contact with the speed-up rollers.