Card deck shuffler

• US 5,096,197 A
• Filed: 05/22/1991
• Issued: 03/17/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lloyd Embury
• Original Assignee: Lloyd Embury
• Inventors: Embury, Lloyd
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US07/704,583
• Time in Patent Office: 300 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149 R, 273/149 P
• US Class Current: 273/149.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

A card deck shuffling device has a chute for receiving and guiding a deck of cards. The chute has an upper chamber and a lower chamber divided by a gate mechanism. The gate mechanism is moveable between closed, partially open and completely open positions. In the closed position the gate supports all of the cards in the upper chamber and blocks their passage into the lower chamber. In the partially opened position the gate blocks passage of a first portion of the cards while permitting the remainder of the cards to pass into the lower chamber. In the fully opened position the gate allows the first portion of the deck of cards to fall onto the cards in the lower chamber to intermingle with those cards to form a rearranged deck. The lower chamber can contain an agitator for agitating the cards to promote intermingling. The card deck shuffling device has a return mechanism for returning the rearranged deck back to the upper chamber.

Claims

1. A card deck shuffling device comprising:

a chute dimensioned to guide a deck of cards and having an upper chamber with an opening for receiving a deck of cards and a lower chamber below said upper chamber and communicating with said upper chamber through a movable gate;

a gate actuator for moving said gate from a closed position through a partially open position to a completely open position,

in said closed position said gate blocking passage of said deck of cards from said upper chamber to said lower chamber to hold said deck in a starting position;

in said partially open position said gate blocking passage of a first part of said deck from said upper chamber into said lower chamber while allowing passage of a second part of said deck into said lower chamber,

in said fully open position said gate allowing passage of said first part of said deck into said lower chamber;

guide means for guiding said second part of said deck beneath said first part of said deck upon passage of said second part into said lower chamber to permit corresponding edges of said first and second parts of said deck to be presented to each other to allow intermingling of said first and second parts to form a rearranged deck; and

,

return means for returning said rearranged deck back to said upper chamber.

2. A card deck shuffling device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said chute includes a first side wall and said gate includes:

a disc member adjacent said first side wall of said chute and mounted for rotation in the plane of said first side wall about an axis generally perpendicular to said first side wall;

a cam member extending laterally from and generally circumferentially along an outer edge of said disc member toward the interior of said chute;

said cam member having a first part capable of spanning said chute from said disc member to a second side wall of said chute opposite said first side wall;

said cam member further having a second part adjacent said first part and capable of extending part way across said lower chamber to define a gap between an outer edge of said second part and said second, side wall, the width of said gap corresponding to the thickness of said second part of said deck of cards;

said cam member still further having first and second outer free ends corresponding respectively to said first and second parts, said outer free ends being spaced circumferentially apart to enable a deck of cards to pass therebetween; and

wherein,

said closed position corresponds to said gate being oriented with said first part of said cam beneath said deck of cards to support said deck of cards;

said partially open position corresponds to said gate being oriented with said first part of said cam remote from said deck and with second part of said cam beneath said first part of said deck to support said first part of said deck; and

said fully open position corresponds to said gate being oriented with said cam being clear of said deck.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

said chute includes opposite end walls extending between said first and second side walls and a bottom wall defining the bottom of said lower chamber;

said bottom wall and one of said opposite end walls each has an aperture to permit passage of said cam into and out of said chute;

said second side wall has a groove extending into it for receiving an outer edge of said first part of said cam as said first part of said cam is passed through said chute; and

said first side wall has an opening connecting said apertures in said end and bottom walls to permit passage of said cam between said apertures.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said free end of said first part of said cam engages a lower edge of said rearranged deck as said gate is moved from said open position to said closed position to act as said return means and lift said rearranged deck back to said starting position.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 further including an agitator in said lower chamber for engaging a lower edge of said second part of said deck and for imparting a reciprocating motion to said second part of said deck to agitate said deck and facilitate intermingling of said first and second parts of said deck.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein:

said chute is inclined from the vertical for said first side wall to act as said guide means;

said lower chamber has a tab projecting into it from said first side wall to guide the top of said second part of said deck outwardly from said wall as said second part of said deck is being agitated; and

said upper chamber of said chute meets said lower chamber of said chute at an angle to present said first and second parts of said deck at an angle to each other when said gate is moved to said fully open position.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said agitator further comprises at least one cam lobe protruding radially from a camshaft extending across the bottom of said lower chamber.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said gate is rotated by an electric motor through a transmission means connecting said gate to said motor.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said transmission means includes:

a driving pulley connected to said motor;

a driven pulley connected to said gate; and

, at least one endless belt linking said driving and driven pulleys.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9 further including a pair of intermediate pulleys mounted on a shaft and connected to said driving and driven pulleys to provide a speed reduction between said driving pulley and said driven pulley.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said driving pulley is mounted on a driving shaft and said driving shaft is coupled to said motor by a gear on said driving shaft which meshes with a relatively smaller diameter gear on the output shaft of said motor to provide further speed reduction between said motor and said gate.

12. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said driving shaft also acts as said camshaft of said agitator means.

13. A device as claimed in claim 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 further including position sensitive switch means for stopping said motor when said gate is in said closed position after a predetermined number of complete revolutions of said gate.

14. A device as claimed in claim 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 further having position sensitive switch means for stopping said motor when said gate is in said closed position after a pre-determined number of complete revolutions of said gate, said position sensitive switch means comprising:

a normally closed switch connected in series between said motor and a power supply to said motor;

a switch opening cam coupled to said gate by cam drive means to move with said gate, said cam being positioned to act against said normally closed switch to open said switch and interrupt power flow to said motor when said gate is in a closed position; and

,

a normally open switch connected across said normally closed switch, said normally open switch being closable to provide power to said motor until said switch opening cam moves to a position allowing said normally open switch to close.

15. A device as claimed in claim 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 further having position sensitive switch means for stopping said motor when said gate is in said closed position after a pre-determined number of complete revolutions of said gate, said position sensitive switch means comprising:

a normally closed switch connected in series between said motor and a power supply to said motor;

a switch opening cam coupled to said gate by cam drive means to move with said gate, said cam acting against said normally closed switch to open said switch and interrupt power flow to said motor when said gate is in a closed position;

a normally open switch connected across said normally closed switch, said normally open switch being closable to provide power to said motor until said switch opening cam moves to a position allowing said normally closed switch to close;

and wherein said switch opening cam drive means includes a first timing gear connected to and rotatable with said gate and meshing with a second timing gear on which said cam is mounted, the number of teeth on said second timing gear being an integer multiple of the number of teeth on said first timing gear.

16. A device as claimed in claim 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 further including:

position sensitive switch means for stopping said motor when said gate is in said closed position after a predetermined number of revolutions of said gate; and

wherein said outer free end of said second part of said cam is inclined toward said outer edge of said first part of said cam to promote repeated movement of the cards of said first part of said deck as said gate moves toward said partially open position.