Apparatus and method for automatically shuffling cards

• US 4,969,648 A
• Filed: 10/13/1988
• Issued: 11/13/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peripheral Dynamics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Peripheral Dynamics, Inc.
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Daniel, Schisselbauer, John C., Hollinger, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRISON, JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US07/257,337
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149 R, 273/149 P, 273/138, 273/138 A, 273/148
• US Class Current: 273/149.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for detecting malfunctions in an automatic card shuffler device of the type which randomly extracts cards from two or more storage wells. Detection is accomplished by sensing the failure of a card to be extracted for a storage well and counting the number of successive failures from each storage well. When the number of successive extraction failures associated with any one storage well reaches a predetermined value, an alarm is activated.

Claims

1. A device for automatically shuffling playing cards comprising:

(a) a housing defining a plurality of storage wells and a reservoir, said storage wells and said reservoir adapted to hold playing cards;

(b) extraction means for extracting said cards from said storage wells one at a time, said extraction means having transport means for transporting said extracted cards to said reservoir;

(c) an electronic controller for generating signals to activate said extraction means, said electronic controller having means for varying said activation signals so as to randomly select the one of said storage wells on which said extraction means operates; and

(d) detector means for detecting the consistent failure of said extraction means to extract one of said cards from one of said storage wells when selected to do so by said electronic controller, said detector means having determining means for determining that the failure of one of said cards to be transported to said reservoir within a predetermined period of time after said electronic controller has generated on of said extraction signals has consistently occurred.

2. A device for automatically shuffling playing cards comprising:

(a) a housing defining a plurality of storage wells and a reservoir, said storage wells and said reservoir adapted to hold playing cards;

(b) extraction means for extracting said cards from said storage wells one at at time, said extraction means having transport means for transporting said extracted cards to said reservoir;

(c) an electronic controller for generating signals to activate said extraction means, said electronic controller having means for varying said activation signals to as to randomly select the one of said storage wells on which said extraction means operates; and

(d) detector means for detecting the consistent failure of said extraction means to extract one of said cards from one of said storage wells when selected to do so by said electronic controller, said detector means having determining means for determining that the failure of one of said cards to be transported to said reservoir within a predetermined period of time after said electronic controller has generated one of said extraction signals has occurred a predetermined number of times.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said detector means further comprises sensing means for sensing the transport of one of said cards by said transport means, said sensing means having means for generating a signal when said transport of one of said cards is sensed.

4. The device according to claim 3 wherein said detector means further comprises data storage means, said data storage means adapted to store data whose state is representative of whether said sensing means has sensed the transport of one of said cards.

5. The device according to claim 4 wherein said detector means further comprises sampling means for sampling said state of said data stored in said data storage means a predetermined period of time after said electronic controller generates said signal to activate said extraction means.

6. A device for automatically shuffling playing cards comprising:

(a) a housing defining a plurality of storage wells, said storage wells adapted to hold playing cards;

(b) extraction means for extracting said cards from said storage wells one at at time, said extracting means having transport means for transporting said cards extracted from said storage wells;

(c) an electronic controller for generating signals to activate said extraction means, said electronic controller having means for varying said activation signals so as to randomly select the one of said storage wells on which said extraction means operates; and

(d) detector means for detecting the consistent failure of said extraction means to extract a card from one of said storage wells when selected to do so by said electronic controller, said detector means having sensing means for sensing the transport of one of said cards by said transport means, said sensing means having means for generating a signal when said transport of one of said cards is sensed, said detector means having data storage means adapted to store whose state is representative of whether said sensing means has sensed the transport of one of said cards, said data storage means having a flip-flop circuit into which said extraction signal generated by said electronic controller and said signal generated by said sensing means are received, the state assumed by said flip-flop circuit being dependent on which of said signals it received last.

7. A device for automatically shuffling playing cards comprising:

(a) a housing defining a plurality of storage wells, said storage wells adapted to hold playing cards;

(b) extraction means for extracting said cards from said storage wells one at a time, said extraction means having transport means for transporting said cards extracted from said storage wells;

(c) an electronic controller for generating signals to activate said extraction means, said electronic controller having means for varying said activation signals so as to randomly select the one of said storage wells on which said extraction means operate; and

(d) detector means for detecting the consistent failure of said extraction means to extract a card from one of said storage wells when selected to do so by said electronic controller, said detector means having sensing means for sensing the transport of one of said cards by said transport means, said sensing means having means for generating a signal when said transport of one of said cards is sensed, said detector means having data storage means adapted to store data whose state is representative of whether said sensing means has sensed the transport of one of said cards, said detector means having sampling means for sampling said state of said data store in said data storage means a predetermined period of time after said electronic controller generates said signal to activate said extraction means, said sampling means having timer means, said timer means having means for generating a triggering signal a predetermined period of time after said electronic controller generates said signal to activate said extraction means.

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein said sampling means further comprises a gating circuit into which said triggering signal generated by said timer means and said state of said data sampled are received, said gating circuit having an output representative of said state of said data sampled when said triggering signal from said timer means is received.

9. A device for automatically shuffling playing cards comprising:

(a) a housing defining a plurality of storage wells, said storage wells adapted to hold playing cards;

(b) extraction means for extracting said cards from said storage wells one at at time, said extraction means having transport means for transporting said cards extracted from said storage wells;

(c) an electronic controller for generating signals to activate said extraction means, said electronic controller having means for varying said activation signals so as to randomly select the one of said storage wells on which said extraction means operates; and

(d) detector means for detecting the consistent failure of said extraction means to extract a card from one of said storage wells when selected to do so by said electronic controller, said detector means having sensing means for sensing the transport of one of said cards by transport means, said sensing means having means for generating a signal when said transport of one of said cards is sensed, said detector means having data storage means adapted to store data whose state is representative of whether said sensing means has sensed the transport of one of said cards, said detector means having sampling means for sampling said state of said data stored in said data storage means a predetermined period of time after said electronic controller generates said signal to activate said extraction means, said detector means having counter means for counting the number of times said state of said data sampled by said sampling means has been representative of said sensing means not having sensed the transport of one of said cards.

10. The device according to claim 9 wherein said counter means further comprises means for initializing said count when said count reaches a predetermined number.

11. The device according to claim 9 further comprising alarm means for generating an alarm when said count reaches a predetermined number.

12. The device according to claim 9 wherein said data storage means, said sampling means and said counter means comprise separate means for each of said storage wells, whereby a separate count is maintained in one of said counter means for each of said storage wells, said count for each storage well representing the number of times said sensing means did not sense the transport of one said cards a predetermined period of time after said electronic controller generated a signal for said extraction means to operate on the same said storage well.

13. A method for automatically shuffling playing cards comprising:

(a) storing a plurality of playing cards in a plurality of storage wells;

(b) randomly selecting one of said storage wells;

(c) applying an extraction mechanism to said storage well selected in step (b), said extraction mechanism capable of extracting one of said cards from said storage well when functioning properly;

(d) storing data in a data storage device, said data being representative of the selection of said storage well selected in step (b);

(e) operating a transport mechanism, said transport mechanism adapted to transport said card extracted in step (c);

(f) detecting whether said card is transported by said transport mechanism in step (e);

(g) replacing said data stored in said data storage device in step(d) with data representative of detection of said card when said transport of said card is detected in step (f);

(h) reading said data stored in said data storage device a predetermined period of time after selecting said storage well in step (b);

(i) counting the number of times said data read in step (h) was not representative of said detection of said card, maintaining a separate count for each of said storage wells; and

(j) alarming when the count obtained in step (i) exceeds a predetermined number.

14. An improved card shuffling device of the type having a plurality of storage wells, each of said storage wells adapted to hold a plurality of playing cards;

an extraction means for extracting said cards from said storage wells on a one-at-a-time basis, the one of said storage wells on which said extraction means operates being determined by a signal;

a random signal generator for generating said signal which determines the one of said storage wells on which said extraction means operates; and

transport means for transporting said cards extracted from said storage wells, wherein the improvement comprises;

(a) sensing means for sensing the transport of one of said cards, said sensing means having means for generating a signal when said transport is sensed;

(b) a bistable device capable of assuming either of two stable output states depending on the most recent input to said bistable device, said bistable device having means for receiving said randomly generated signal and said sensing signal as inputs, whereby said bistable device assumes a first output state when it receives said randomly generated signal and a second output state when it receives said sensing signal;

(c) reading means for reading the output state of said bistable device, said reading means having means for generating a signal representative of said output state read from said bistable device;

(d) counter means for counting the number of times said reading means generates a signal representative of having read said first output state, said counter means having means for generating a signal when said count reaches a predetermined number; and

(e) alarm means, said alarm means activated by said signal from said counter means.