Modular dealing shoe for casino table card games

• US 7,407,438 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2004
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Schubert, Oliver M., Grauzer, Atilla, Kelly, James V., Downs, Justin G. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US10/958,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20050062226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149.P, 273/149.R, 463/22
• US Class Current: 463/22
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

A playing card delivery shoe is used in the play of the casino table card game of blackjack is disclosed. The shoe may comprise a) an area for receiving a first set of playing cards useful in the play of the casino table card game of blackjack; b) first card mover that moves playing cards from the first set to a playing card staging area wherein at least one playing card is staged in an order by which playing cards are removed from the first set of and moved to the playing card staging area; c) second playing card mover that moves playing cards from the playing card staging area to a delivery area wherein playing cards removed from the staging area to the delivery shoe are moved in the same order by which playing cards were removed from the first set of playing cards and moved to the playing card staging area; and d) playing card reading sensors that read at least one playing card value of each playing card separately after each playing card has been removed from the area for receiving the first set of playing cards and before removal from the playing card delivery area. There is a communication link between the playing card reading sensors and a processor, and the processor analyzes said data and displays certain game-related data on a display device.

Claims

1. A method of providing cards to a dealer in the casino table card game of blackjack for manual delivery of the cards by a dealer from a card delivery device comprising:

placing a set of cards within a card infeed area of a card delivery device;

mechanically moving cards in the order in which cards are removed from the set of cards from the card infeed area, with cards being no more than partially overlapped between the card infeed area and the card delivery area, to a card delivery area of the card delivery device where at least some cards become stationary;

reading individual cards for at least value of card count after the cards are removed from the card infeed area and before the cards become stationary in the card delivery area;

wherein there is a communication link between card reading sensors in the card delivery device and a processor, which processor analyzes said data and automatically displays displayable information of card count based on the read card information of card count on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayable information comprises at least one of:

cut card presence, stop card delivery state, door open, misdeal, continue to deal, stop card delivery routine, hand outcome, player instructions, history of player hand results, game outcome, game rules, hand count advertising, player announcements, deck counts, running card count, true card count, ace card count and house advantage.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein visible information is displayed on the display screen to indicate specific activities required to be performed by the dealer.

4. A method of providing cards to a dealer in the casino table card game of blackjack for manual delivery of the cards by a dealer from a card delivery device comprising:

placing a set of cards within a card infeed area of a card delivery device;

mechanically moving cards in the order in which cards are removed from the set of cards from the card infeed area with cards being no more than partially overlapped between the card infeed area and the card delivery area, to a card delivery area of the card delivery device where at least some cards become stationary;

reading individual cards for at least value of count after the cards are removed from the card infeed area and before the individual cards become stationary in the card delivery area;

wherein there is a communication link between card reading sensors in the card delivery device and a processor, which processor analyzes said count data and automatically provides count information for display comprising at least one type of count information read from the individual cards.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one type of information read from individual cards comprises hand count total for at least a player'"'"'s hand.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one type of information read from individual cards comprises hand count total for at least a dealer'"'"'s hand, which displayed information occurs only after all player'"'"'s hands have been completed.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one type of information displayed comprises player'"'"'s cumulative point count during play of a round of blackjack.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one type of information displayed comprises at least one of card remaining in a shoe or cards remaining until a predetermined cut position is reached.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the display is on the card delivery device.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the display is on the card delivery device.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein displayed information may also comprise information relating to analyzed data comprising at least one type of information selected from the group consisting of cards remaining in the shoe, player'"'"'s cumulative point count, hitting instructions, electronic cut card being reached, state of the shoe, a record of the hand activity relating to analyzed data comprising at least one type of information selected from the group consisting of cards remaining in the shoe, player'"'"'s cumulative point count, hitting instructions, electronic cut card being reached, state of the shoe, and a record of the hand activity.