SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CARD SHOE SECURITY AT A TABLE GAME

• US 20110130185A1
• Filed: 04/09/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,408,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof

Abstract

Embodiments include electronic and mechanical improvements to a card shoe adapted to prevent a cheating player from gaining knowledge of the cards within the shoe. In some embodiments, a variety of electronic security solutions are contemplated. In one example, cards may be shuffled at a remote location where the sequence of the cards may be hashed or encrypted and deleted from an external electronic memory. These cards may be sealed with various physical and electronic seals, associated with the hashed value of the card sequence and are shipped to a casino table where they may be inserted into an intelligent card shoe.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A gaming table comprising:

a support structure;

a table top supported by the support structure, said table top configured such that each of a plurality of plays of a wagering game can be played on the table top;

a card dispensing device supported by the support structure;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the card dispensing device to;

(a) cause the card dispensing device to receive at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards, said randomly shuffled deck of playing cards associated with tamper evident data stored in association with at least one storage device,

(b) determine, based on the stored tamper evident data, if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is validated,

(c) if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be validated, enable the card dispensing device to dispense at least one of said playing cards for at least one of the plays of the wagering game, and

(d) if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be invalidated, provide an indication that said at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is invalid.

18. The gaming table of claim 17, wherein the stored tamper evident data includes data associated with an identified sequence of said playing cards in the at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards.

19. The gaming table of claim 18, wherein the determination of if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is validated includes comparing a determined sequence of a plurality of said playing cards of the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards to the identified sequence of said plurality of playing cards.

20. The gaming table of claim 18, wherein the identified sequence is encrypted.

21. The gaming table of claim 17, wherein the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is associated with a tamper evident seal configured to limit access to the at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards.

22. The gaming table of claim 21, wherein the card dispensing device is configured to open the tamper evident seal.

23. The gaming table of claim 17, wherein the gaming table includes at least one display device supported by the support structure.

24. The gaming table of claim 23, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be invalidated, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to display the indication of said invalidation.

25. The gaming table of claim 17, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be invalidated, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to thereafter prevent the card dispensing device from dispensing any of said playing cards for any of the plays of the wagering game.

26. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing a card dispensing device to receive at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards, said randomly shuffled deck of playing cards associated with tamper evident data;

(b) determining, based on the stored tamper evident data, if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is validated;

(c) if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be validated, enabling the card dispensing device to dispense at least one of said playing cards for at least one play of a wagering game; and

(d) if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be invalidated, providing an indication that said at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is invalid.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the stored tamper evident data includes data associated with an identified sequence of said playing cards in the at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the determination of if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is validated includes comparing a determined sequence of a plurality of said playing cards of the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards to the identified sequence of said plurality of playing cards.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the identified sequence is encrypted.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is associated with a tamper evident seal configured to limit access to the at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards.

31. The method of claim 26, which includes causing at least one display device to display the indication of said invalidation if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be invalidated.

32. The method of claim 26, which includes preventing the card dispensing device from dispensing any of said playing cards for any of the plays of the wagering game if the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards is determined to be invalidated.

33. A gaming system comprising:

a container configured to transport at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards, said at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards associated with data representing a predetermined identified sequence of playing cards;

a card dispensing device configured to receive the at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards from the container; and

at least one processor programmed to operate with the card dispensing device to determine if any of said playing cards to be dispensed from the received at least one randomly shuffled deck of playing cards violates the predetermined identified sequence of playing cards.

34. The gaming system of claim 33, which includes a tamper evident seal connected to the container and configured to limit access to the at least one randomly shuffled deck of cards within the container.

35. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein the tamper evident seal is configured to be opened by the card dispensing device.

36. The gaming system of claim 33, wherein the container is configured to enable the card dispensing device access to the at least one randomly shuffled deck of cards.

37. The gaming system of claim 33, wherein the identified sequences includes a coded sequence.

38. The gaming system of claim 37, wherein the coded sequence is encrypted.