Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gaming

• US 6,595,857 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2002
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: MindPlay LLC (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard, Huizinga, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US10/075,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20020072406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 273/292, 273/303, 273/304, 273/305, 273/306, 273/307, 273/309, 273/148.R, 273/149.R, 273/149.P
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens

Abstract

A system automatically monitors playing and wagering of a card game played with playing cards. Each of the playing cards carry at least one machine-readable symbol, in addition to human-readable indicia of rank and suit. The symbol is position on or along a long and/or a short edge of playing card, to allow reading while the playing cards are stacked.

Claims

1. A playing card set, comprising:

plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards having a face and a back;

at least one human-readable marking on the face of each of the playing cards, the human-readable markings identifying at least one of a rank and a suit of a respective playing card; and

at least one machine-readable marking extending along an edge of each of the playing cards encoding identifying information for the respective playing card, wherein a portion of each of the machine-readable markings encode error correction information for the identifying information of a respective one of the playing cards.

2. The playing card set of claim 1 wherein the machine-readable markings are each a respective bar code symbol.

3. The playing card set of claim 1 wherein the machine-readable markings extend along a short edge of the playing cards.

4. The playing card set of claim 1 wherein the machine-readable markings extend along a short edge of the face of the playing cards.

5. The playing card set of claim 1 wherein the machine-readable markings extend along a long edge of the playing cards.

6. The playing card set of claim 1 wherein the machine-readable markings extend along a long edge of the face of the playing cards.

7. The playing card set of claim 1 wherein each of the machine-readable markings encode a serial number for a respective one of the playing cards.

8. A playing card set, comprising:

a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards having a face and a back;

at least one human-readable marking on the face of each of the playing cards, the human-readable markings identifying at least one of a rank and a suit of a respective playing card; and

at least one machine-readable marking extending along an edge of each of the playing cards encoding identifying information for the respective playing card, wherein the identifying information is encrypted.

9. A playing card set, comprising:

a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards having a face and a back;

each of the playing cards having a respective set of rank and suit markings on the face of the playing card; and

each of the playing cards having at least one machine-readable symbol touching an edge of the playing card, the machine-readable symbol encoding unique identifying information for the respective playing card wherein the plurality of playing cards includes at least fifty-three playing cards.

10. The playing card set of claim 9 wherein the machine-readable markings are each a respective bar code symbol.

11. The playing card set of claim 9 wherein the machine-readable markings extend along a short edge of the playing cards.

12. The playing card set of claim 9 wherein the machine-readable markings extend along a short edge of the face of the playing cards.

13. The playing card set of claim 9 wherein the machine-readable markings extend along a long edge of the playing cards.

14. A playing card set, comprising:

a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards having a face and a back;

each of the playing cards having a respective set of rank and suit markings on the face of the playing card; and

each of the playing cards having at least one machine-readable symbol touching an edge of the playing card, the machine-readable symbol encoding identifying information for the respective playing card, wherein a portion of each of the machine-readable symbol encodes error correction information for other information stored in the respective machine-readable symbol.

15. A playing card set, comprising:

a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards having a face and a back;

each of the playing cards having a respective set of rank and suit markings on the face of the playing card; and

each of the playing cards having at least one machine-readable symbol touching an edge of the playing card, the machine-readable symbol encoding identifying information for the respective playing card, wherein the machine-readable symbols encode encrypted information.

16. The playing card set of claim 15 wherein the machine-readable symbol extends along a short edge of the playing card.

17. The playing card set of claim 15 wherein the machine-readable symbol extends along a long edge of the playing card.

18. The playing card set of claim 15 wherein each of the machine-readable symbols encode a serial number for a respective one of the playing cards.