Card dealing and sorting apparatus and method

• US 5,121,921 A
• Filed: 09/23/1991
• Issued: 06/16/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert C. Geschwender, Willard Friedman
• Original Assignee: Robert C. Geschwender, Willard Friedman
• Inventors: Friedman, Willard, Geschwender, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US07/764,250
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149 P, 273/149 R
• US Class Current: 273/149.00P
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

A card dealing and sorting apparatus adapted for use with a conventional deck of cards. The apparatus includes a frame onto which is movably mounted a card holding device. The card holding device holds the deck of cards, the lowermost cards being removed by a card removing device. The removed card falls down an open well where it is directed into a desired card holding compartment by a series of gates which either intercept the falling card or allow it to pass by. The gate position information is encoded on a program strip which is read by a strip reading device, the information being translated to the gates for positioning of the same.

Claims

1. A card dealing and sorting apparatus comprising

a frame including a pair of sidewalls defining a substantially vertical open well,

a card holding device mounted on said frame;

card removal means operatively associated with said card holding device and mounted on said frame for removing one or more cards from said card holding device;

said open well being positioned for receiving a card from said card removal means whereby gravity can pull said cards down said well;

a plurality of gates adjacent said side wall of said open wells, each gate being movable between a card interception position within said well for directing a card into that gate, and a card bypass position removed from said well for free movement of a card past said gate, whereby said cards may be sorted as they fall down the well;

a plurality of card holding compartments whereby sorted cards may be held,

an information-bearing program strip,

means for reading said information from said strip,

means for actuating said gates for movement between said card interception and bypass positions in response to the information read from said strip, whereby movement of said gates may be controlled by input of said information on said strips.

2. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said frame further comprises a partial front plate extending between and connected to the upper portions of the front edges of said side plates.

3. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said card holding device comprises a rectangular box with an open top, a base comprising a pair of support plates extending inwardly and connected to the lower edges of the shorter sides of said box and aligned such that the longitudinal axis of each of said support plates is substantially parallel to the horizontal transverse axis of said rectangular box, and a removable weight whereby said weight can be placed on top of said deck of cards when held within said card holding device, thereby facilitating removal of said cards by said removal means.

4. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said card holding device is slidably mounted on top of said frame, whereby said card holding device may be slid in a plane extended across said frame.

5. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for removing one or more cards from said card holding device further comprises a plate mounted substantially parallel to said sliding plane of said card holding device and having a card engaging shoulder on said plate, whereby a card may be removed from said card holding device.

6. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 5 wherein said open well further comprises a substantially upright rear wall extending between and connected to said side plates of said frame and extending upwards from the bottom of said side plates to a point just beneath said slidably mounted card holding device.

7. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of gates further comprises a substantially rectangular plate, which is pivotally mounted such that the pivot axis of the gate is parallel to the longitudinal axis of said gate, adjacent the bottom of said gate, and extends between said side plates of said frame.

8. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 7 wherein said gates are pivotally mounted such that when in card bypass positions, the gates comprise a substantially vertical wall surface spaced apart from and substantially parallel with said rear wall of said open well.

9. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 8 wherein said gates are pivotally mounted such that when in a card intercept position, each of said gates extends between said rear wall of said open well and a chute leading to one of said card holding compartments, whereby said cards falling down said open well may be directed into the appropriate card holding compartment.

10. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said information-bearing program strip further comprises a strip of flexible material through which a plurality of holes have been formed.

11. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 10 wherein said means for reading said information from said strip further comprises a plurality of strip-reading members pivotally mounted on an axle and substantially parallel to each other and in space-apart relation for registration with respective holes in said strip.

12. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a strip guide mounted above said strip reading members, said strip guide comprising a pair of vertically spaced apart plates, closed on the longitudinal sides, and where said spacing between said plates is slightly greater than the thickness of said strip of flexible material, whereby said strip may be slid between said plates.

13. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 12 wherein each of said strip-reading members has a first and second end.

14. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 13 wherein said first ends further comprise a triangular-shaped tooth extending upwards.

15. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 14 wherein said strip guide further comprises a plurality of spaced apart holes extending through both of said rectangular plates, whereby said teeth on said strip-reading members may extend upwards therethrough.

16. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 15 wherein said card holding compartments further comprise generally L-shaped bent plates removably mounted on said side plates of said frame at positions such that the upper section of said L-shaped plate is below and in front of said gate so that upon movement of said gate to the card intercept position, said card may fall into said L-shaped plate and be held therein, said bent plates being removable from said card dealing and sorting apparatus with said sorted cards therein.

17. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 15 wherein said teeth fit into said holes in said strip of flexible material whereby when said strip is slid through said strip guide, each of said strip-reading members can either be in engaged position, wherein said tooth of said strip-reading member is extended through a corresponding hole in said strip, thereby pivoting said strip-reading member about said axle, or said strip-reading member may be in disengaged position, wherein said tooth of said strip-reading member cannot extend through said strip, as no hole is in correct placement to allow extensions therethrough, thereby resulting in said strip-reading member not pivoting about said axle.

18. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 17 wherein said second end of each of said strip-reading members is connected to said gates by a gate control member, whereby engagement of said strip-reading member results in involvement of the connected gate to the card intercept position, thereby allowing said cards to be directed to the desired card holding compartment.

19. The card dealing and sorting apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a strip advancing means operative to advance the information-bearing strip to the next position upon removal of a card from said deck, thereby allowing reading of the next line of gate control information.

20. A method for dealing and sorting a deck of cards comprising:

providing a frame, a card holding device movably mounted on said frame, removing means for cards, an open wall, a plurality of gates, a plurality of card holding compartments, and information-bearing program strip, means for reading said information bearing strip, and means for controlling said gates in accordance with said information on said strip,

placing a deck of cards in said card holding device,

sliding said information-bearing strip into said strip reading means,

starting with said card holding device towards one end of said frame,

sliding said card holding device toward said opposite end, then back, thereby releasing a card,

directing the released card into the well in response to movement of said card holding device in one direction, whereby said card falls down into the open well,

setting said gates in the appropriate card intercept or card bypass positions, as determined by the information on said strip as read by said strip reading means, and translated to said gates by said gate control means, thereby directing said card into the card holding compartment determined by said information on said strip, and repeating the above sequence until all cards in said deck are sorted.