Dispenser for cards and the like

• US 4,023,705 A
• Filed: 04/10/1975
• Issued: 05/17/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lawrence L. Reiner
• Original Assignee: Lawrence L. Reiner
• Inventors: McNett, John P., Reiner, Lawrence L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knowles, Allen N.
• Application Number:
  US05/566,808
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 221/256, 221/186, 221/232, 221/191, 221/193, 221/194, 221/266, 273/149 R
• US Class Current: 221/186
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

Card dispenser for participating games involving an element of chance sequentially dispenses a stack of random cards placed into the device. The dispenser includes a hopper having a dispensing opening and a track divided by uniformly spaced upwardly directed transverse ribs into a series of adjacent co-planar card receiving surfaces. Elongate guide members on the track and mating channels on downwardly depending skirts on the hopper permit the hopper to move relatively to and along the track to bring the dispensing opening into registry with successive ones of the card receiving surfaces, the hopper advancing the lower-most cards in the stack until deposited on a surface while the transverse ribs prevent movement of the deposited cards in the direction of hopper movement and therefore retain the cards in the deposited positions thereof.

Claims

1. Device for successively dispensing flat cards from one end of a stack of equally sized cards each having a predetermined thickness, comprising hopper means having a dispensing opening and internal dimensions to substantially correspond to the planar configuration of the cards and to permit the end cards of a stack disposed within said hopper means to successively pass therethrough with clearance;

an elongate card receiving track which includes a plurality of in-line adjacently disposed card-receiving means including wall portions substantially transverse to the in-line direction of said track and which define a depth equal to approximately said predetermined thickness and dimensioned to receive only a single card therein, whereby relative movement of said hopper means with respect to said track to positions to bring said dispensing opening into registry with one of said card-receiving means causes an end card of a stack to drop out of said opening and into a respective card-receiving means, and whereby movement of said hopper means over successive ones of a series of adjacent card-receiving means causes a corresponding number of end-cards of the stack to drop into the respective card-receiving means with which said opening is brought into registry, the cards received within said card-receiving means being inhibited from inadvertently leaving the same by the retaining action of said transverse wall portions, said track having an upper surface and said wall portions being spaced from each other along said upper surface to define a plurality of in-line co-planar surfaces, and further comprising a groove in each co-planar surface parallel to and adjacent to an associated wall portion, whereby said grooves do not permit accumulation to form at said wall portions which may effectively reduce the heights of said wall portions substantially below said predetermined thickness.

2. Device as defined in claim 1, wherein the cards are rectangular and wherein said hopper means comprises a rectangular housing having two pairs of opposing parallel walls and being open at opposite ends, one of said open ends forming said dispensing opening and other end forming an opening for filling or inserting the cards into said housing.

3. Device as defined in claim 2, wherein said track is horizontally disposed, and said two pairs of opposing parallel walls are vertically disposed, said filling and dispensing open ends being substantially vertically aligned during use of the device, whereby the cards can freely pass through said housing and said dispensing opening under their own weight due to gravity.

4. Device as defined in claim 3, further comprising weight means freely movable between said open ends and suitable for placing on a stack of cards within said housing, whereby advancement of the cards through said dispensing opening is assured when cards are dispensed from said housing by movement thereof relative to said track.

5. Device as defined in claim 1, whereby said track has an upper surface and whereby said wall portions project above the upper surface of said track a distance at least 50 percent of said predetermined thickness.

6. Device as defined in claim 1, wherein said track is straight and said wall portions comprise ribs uniformly spaced along said track and extending transversely to the direction of said track to define said plurality of co-planar surfaces, said ribs projecting upwardly therefrom to define with said co-planar surfaces said card-receiving means.

7. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein said housing is mounted on said track for reciprocal movement in a direction along the latter, said housing having one of said pair of opposing parallel walls substantially parallel to said directions, said one pair of walls each being provided with inwardly facing recesses suitable for gripping by a finger of the user while moving the same along said track.

8. Device as defined in claim 1, further comprising stop means at the ends of said track for preventing movement of said hopper means off said track during reciprocal movements thereon.

9. Device for successively dispensing rectangular flat cards from one end of a stack of equally sized cards each having a predetermined thickness, comprising hopper means having a dispensing opening and internal dimensions to substantially correspond to the planar configuration of the cards and to permit the end cards of a stack disposed within said hopper means to successively pass therethrough with clearance, said hopper means comprising a rectangular housing having two pairs of opposing parallel walls and being open at opposite ends, one of said open ends forming said dispensing opening and the other end forming an opening for filling or inserting the cards into said housing;

an elongate card-receiving track which includes a plurality of in-line adjacently disposed card-receiving means including wall portions substantially transverse to the in-line direction of said track and which define a depth equal to approximately said predetermined thickness and dimensioned to receive only a single card therein, said track being horizontally disposed, and said two pairs of opposing parallel walls being vertically disposed, said filling and dispensing open ends being substantially vertically aligned during use of the device, whereby the cards can freely pass through said housing and said dispensing opening under their own weight due to gravity and said two pairs of opposing parallel walls being respectively spaced from each other distances greater that the corresponding dimensions of the cards, and tapered vertical guides on said parallel walls increasing in dimensions from said filling towards said dispensing openings, whereby the effective opening at said filling end is larger than the size of the cards to facilitate insertion of the cards into said housing, and the effective opening at said dispensing end is substantially equal to that of the cards to permit passage of the cards therethrough with clearances, whereby said guides advance the cards through and align the same at said dispensing opening to assure accurate placement of the cards within said card-receiving means.

10. A device as defined in claim 9, wherein said housing is reciprocally movable along said track along a direction normal to one pair of said opposing parallel walls, said one pair of opposing walls being provided at the lower ends thereof with inwardly directed lips spaced from each other to substantially correspond to one dimension of the cards, whereby movement of said housing along said direction causes said lips to engage the lowermost cards in the stack until the same are deposited within a card-receiving means.

11. Device for successively dispensing rectangular flat cards from one end of a stack of equally sized cards each having a predetermined thickness, comprising hopper means having a dispensing opening and internal dimensions to substantially correspond to the planar configuration of the cards and to permit the end cards of a stack disposed within said hopper means to successively pass therethrough with clearance, said hopper means comprising a rectangular housing having two pairs of opposing parallel walls and being open at opposite ends, one of said open ends forming said dispensing opening and the other end forming an opening for filling or inserting the cards into said housing;

an elongate card-receiving track which includes a plurality of in-line adjacently disposed card-receiving means including wall portions substantially transverse to the in-line direction of said track and which define a depth equal to approximately said predetermined thickness and dimensioned to receive only a single card therein, whereby relative movement of said hopper means with respect to said track to positions to bring said dispensing opening into registry with one of said card-receiving means causes an end card of a stack to drop out of said opening and into a respective card-receiving means, and whereby movement of said hopper means over successive ones of a series of adjacent card-receiving means causes a corresponding number of end cards of the stack to drop into the respective card-receiving means with which said opening is brought into registry, the cards received within said card-receiving means being inhibited from inadvertently leaving the same by the retaining action of said transverse wall portions, said housing being mounted for reciprocal movement in a direction along the latter, said housing having one of said pair of opposing parallel walls substantially parallel to said direction, said one pair of walls being provided with an elongate cutout opening at an end of said housing remote from said dispensing opening, whereby said cutout is suitable for maintaining a grip of a stack of cards during insertion of the same into said housing when the stack is partially inserted therein to assure proper alignment of the cards for subsequent dispensing.

12. Device for dispensing equally sized planar cards having a predetermined thickness comprising hopper means having an open card-dispensing end, the internal dimensions of said hopper means substantially corresponding to the planar dimensions of the cards to permit a stack of cards to pass through said hopper means with clearance;

an elongate track having a plurality of co-planar surfaces arranged in series along the length of said track and each of which has dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of said dispensing end;

guide means for guiding said hopper means for relative movement along said track to cause said dispensing end to register with successive ones of said surfaces, said guide means further maintaining said dispensing end spaced from said surfaces a distance approximately equal to said predetermined thickness and protuberance means between adjacent track surfaces and projecting beyond said surfaces a distance approximately equal to said predetermined thickness to define movement limiting means and, with associated surfaces, card-receiving means, whereby only the end card of a stack at said dispensing end can be received;

each card-receiving means on said track when said housing is in opposition or in registry with the respective card-receiving means and the next successive card in the stack is thereby maintained at said dispensing end until said housing is brought into registry with the next successive card-receiving means, said track having a pair of spaced downwardly depending walls extending along the length thereof, and said guide means comprising an elongate outwardly projecting guide member as each of said spaced walls, and said hopper means including two spaced walls each provided at the lower ends thereof with elongate inwardly facing guide channels matingly receiving an associated guide member, whereby said hopper means can be slidably moved relative to said track by slidably moving said guide members through said channels.

13. Device as defined in claim 12, wherein said spaced walls of said track extend below the ends of said spaced walls of said hopper means, whereby the device may be rested on a surface on said track spaced walls and said hopper means can be moved relative to said stationary track.

14. Device as defined in claim 12, wherein said spaced walls of said hopper means extend below the ends of said spaced walls of said track, whereby the device may be rested on a surface on said hopper means spaced walls and said track can be moved relative to said stationary hopper means.

15. Device for dispensing equally sized planar cards having a predetermined thickness comprising hopper means having an open card-dispensing end, the internal dimensions of said hopper means substantially corresponding to the planar dimensions of the cards to permit a stack of cards to pass through said hopper means with clearance;

an elongate track having a plurality of co-planar surfaces arranged in series along the length of said track and each of which has dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of said dispensing end;

guide means for guiding said hopper means for relative movement along said track to cause said dispensing end to register with successive ones of said surfaces, said guide means further maintaining said dispensing end spaced from said surfaces a distance approximately equal to said predetermined thickness and protuberance means between adjacent track surfaces and projecting beyond said surfaces a distance approximately equal to said predetermined thickness to define movement limiting means and, with associated surfaces, card-receiving means, whereby only the end card of a stack at said dispensing end can be received;

each card-receiving means on said track when said housing is in opposition or in registry with the respective card-receiving means and the next successive card in the stack is thereby maintained at said dispensing end until said housing is brought into registry with the next successive card-receiving means; and

further comprising stop means at the ends of said track for preventing movement of said hopper means off said track during reciprocal movements thereon, said track having an end planar surface at each end thereof proximate another one of said stop means, said stop means being arranged to stop said hopper means at each end of said track with said dispensing end substantially in alignment with a corresponding end planar surface.

16. Device for dispensing equally sized planar cards having a predetermined thickness comprising hopper means having an open card-dispensing end, the internal dimensions of said hopper means substantially corresponding to the planar dimensions of the cards to permit a stack of cards to pass to pass through said hopper means with clearance;

an elongate track having a plurality of co-planar surfaces arranged in series along the length of said track and each of which has dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of said dispensing end;

guide means for guiding said hopper means for relative movement along said track to cause said dispensing end to register with successive ones of said surfaces, said guide means further maintaining said dispensing end spaced from said surface a distance approximately equal to said predetermined thickness and protuberance means between adjacent track surfaces and projecting beyond said surfaces a distance approximately equal to said predetermined thickness to define movement limiting means and, with associated surfaces, card-receiving means, whereby only the end card of a stack at said dispensing end can be received;

each card-receiving means on said track when said housing is in opposition or in registry with the respective card-receiving means and the next successive card in the stack is thereby maintained at said dispensing end until said housing is brought into registry with the next successive card-receiving means, said track having first guide means extending along the length thereof, and said hopper means comprising skirt means disposed proximate to said track and provided with second guide means for matingly engaging said first guide means, said first and second guide means being maintained in engaged condition during relative movements of said track and said hopper means to thereby maintain the relative positions and orientations of said hopper means with respect to said track in all positions of the former on the latter.