Method, apparatus and article for verifying card games, such as blackjack

• US 6,652,379 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2001
• 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 (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard, Huizinga, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B.
• Application Number:
  US09/849,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20020086727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 463/22, 463/29, 463/12, 235/462.01, 235/462.32, 235/462.35, 235/475, 235/483
• US Class Current: 463/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10782 Slot readers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A system reads an identifier from a hand of cards to identify the cards. For example, the system can read an identifier from a pair of cards forming the initial hand in blackjack, where the one card is face up and the other card is face down. The system determines the value of a hand of cards form the read identifiers. For example, the system can determine a value of an initial hand of two cards in blackjack, while only one card is face up. The system can inform a dealer of the value, or status based on value, of the hand. The system can determine whether cards forming a hand of cards are authenticate by validating the cards based on the read identifier. The system can determine if the cards forming the hand of cards are in an expected sequence based on a knowledge of the initial sequence of cards in a deck.

Claims

1. A system to read card hands, comprising:

a card guide forming a card slot sized and dimensioned to receive an initial hand of playing cards including at least two playing cards;

a reader positioned with respect to the card slot to simultaneously acquire a respective optically encoded identifier from each of at least two playing cards in the initial hand; and

a decoder coupled to receive and decode signals from the reader corresponding to the acquired identifiers, wherein the reader comprises;

a prism assembly including a first prism portion and a second prism portion, the second prism portion having a side parallel to a side of the first prism portion and spaced therefrom by a distance sufficient to receive the initial hand of playing cards therebetween; and

an imager disposed along an optical path from the first and the second prism portions.

2. A method of reading an initial hand of at least two playing cards, comprising:

illuminating the initial hand of at least two playing cards;

directing an image of an optically encoded identification bearing portion of a first one of the playing cards along an optical path to an imager;

simultaneously directing an image of an optically encoded identification bearing portion of a second one of the playing cards along an optical path to the imager; and

electronically capturing the image of the identification bearing portions of the first and the second ones of the playing cards.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

resolving the captured image into machine-readable symbols for each of the first and the second ones of the playing cards; and

converting the machine readable symbols into serial numbers corresponding to each of the first and the second ones of the playing cards.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

resolving the captured image into machine-readable symbols for each of the first and the second ones of the playing cards; and

converting the machine readable symbols into ranks corresponding to a rank of each of the first and the second ones of the playing cards.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

resolving the captured image into machine-readable symbols for each of the first and the second ones of the playing cards; and

converting the machine readable symbols into ranks and suits corresponding to a rank and a suit of each of the first and the second ones of the playing cards.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

producing a notification of a value of the playing cards.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

verifying that the identifiers from the playing cards in the initial hand match identifiers of playing cards in a playing card deck from which a playing card game is being dealt.

8. A method of identifying playing cards, comprising:

simultaneously electronically capturing an optical image of an optically encoded identifier bearing portion of each of at least two playing cards;

resolving the captured image of at least a portion of each of the at least two playing cards into respective machine-readable symbols;

decoding the respective machine-readable symbols into respective serial numbers for each of the at least two playing cards; and

determining a respective card rank corresponding to each of the serial numbers.

9. A computer-readable media carrying instructions for causing an imager to read an initial hand of playing cards, by:

causing the imager to simultaneously electronically capture in a single image an optically encoded identifier portion of at least a first and second card in the initial hand of playing cards;

resolving said single image into respective machine-readable symbols for each of the first and the second playing cards;

converting the machine readable symbols into respective serial numbers corresponding to each of the first and the second playing cards; and

converting the serial numbers into respective ranks corresponding to each of the first and the second playing cards.