Automatic shuffling and dealing machine

• US 7,500,672 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Fulgent Enterprise Co Limited (Taiwan Fulgent Enterprise)
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Fulgent Enterprise Co Limited (Taiwan Fulgent Enterprise)
• Inventors: Ho, Cai-Shiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierce; William M
• Application Number:
  US11/706,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20080197565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 754 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

An automatic shuffling and dealing machine has a shuffling wheel and a card-input device mounted adjacent to the shuffling wheel. The card-input device is provided for putting a stack of playing card and inserting cards into slots formed around the shuffling wheel. The shuffling wheel can be controlled by a controller to rotate randomly, and has a discharging rod to discharge at least one card in the slots of the shuffling wheel as the shuffling wheel temporarily stop in undetermined angles, such that the card arrangement may be randomized. Besides, the automatic shuffling and dealing machine further has a card-output device or card-output apparatus to deal the discharged cards one by one. With such an arrangement, the automatic shuffling and dealing machine may provide convenience for card games.

Claims

1. An automatic shuffling and dealing machine comprising

a card-input device having

a first motor;

a first gear assembly comprising multiple gears engaged to each other, and one of the gears being connected with and driven by the first motor;

a first swiveling board being pivotally mounted slantwise in the card-input device and having

a bottom edge;

two sides;

a back surface;

a front surface being attached with a static electricity mitigating sheet; and

a notch being formed through the surface in one of the sides of the first swiveling board;

a guiding board being horizontally mounted securely in the card-input device adjacent the first swiveling board to form an inlet passage and having

a surface; and

a semicircular-cross-sectional groove formed on the surface corresponding to the bottom edge of the first swiveling board;

a first roller assembly having

at least two roller couples being mounted in the card-input device adjacent to each other along the guiding board, and each roller couple comprising two rollers separately mounted rotatably in the card-input device opposite to each other and having a slight gap formed between each other and at the same level with the surface of the guiding board, and each roller couple having at least one roller connected to one gear of the first gear assembly; and

an attracting roller being mounted rotatably in the card-input device aligning to the front surface of the first swiveling board and having at least one end connected to one of the gears of the first gear assembly;

a lever being mounted in the card-input device and being connected to and is rotated by a control motor; and

a shuffling device having

a stage having

an activating gear being mounted rotatably on the stage;

a primary power assembly having a driving gear engaging with the activating gear; and

a controller being mounted securely on the stage, controlling the primary power assembly;

a shuffling wheel being mounted rotatably on the stage, driven by the primary power assembly and having

multiple teeth being formed around the shuffling wheel and being engaged with the activating gear of the stage; and

multiple card slots being formed diametrically around the shuffling wheel and selectively corresponding to the inlet passage and;

a discharging rod being mounted pivotally on the stage and mounted oppositely adjacent to the shuffling wheel and having

an elongate slot being formed longitudinally through the discharging rod; and

an arm protruding transversely from the discharging rod and selectively aligning with one of the card slots;

a driving motor having

a rotating disk; and

a pin eccentrically mounted securely on the rotating disk and mounted slidably in the elongate slot of a corresponding discharging rod.

2. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprises a card-output device having

a second motor;

a second gear assembly comprising multiple gears engaged to each other, one of the gears being connected with and driven by the second motor;

a second swiveling board being pivotally mounted slantwise in the card-output device adjacent to the shuffling wheel and having

a bottom edge;

a front surface; and

a back surface;

a dealing board being horizontally mounted securely in the card-output device adjacent the second swiveling board to form an outlet passage and having

a surface; and

a semicircular-cross-sectional groove formed on the surface corresponding to the bottom edge of the second swiveling board;

a second roller assembly having

at least two roller couples being mounted in the card-output device adjacent to each other along the dealing board, and each roller couple comprising two rollers separately mounted rotatably in the card-output device opposite to each other and having a slight gap formed between each other and at the same level with the surface of the dealing board, and each roller couple having at least one roller connected to one of the gears of the second gear assembly; and

a drawing rollers being mounted rotatably in the card-output device aligning to the front surface of the second swiveling board and having at least one end connected to one of the gears of the first gear assembly.

3. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the card-input device further has a first swiveling assembly having

a pintle being mounted rotatably in the card-input device and having an end attached to one of the gears of the first gear assembly;

and

multiple pushing elements being elastic, being mounted transversely on the pintle and corresponding to the back surface of the first swiveling board.

4. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the card-output device further has a second swiveling assembly having

a pintle being mounted rotatably in the card-output device and having an end attached to one of the gears of the second gear assembly;

and

multiple pushing elements being elastic, being mounted transversely on the pintle and corresponding to the back surface of the second swiveling board.

5. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 2, further comprises a card-output apparatus having

a receiving slot being formed inclinedly in the card-output apparatus and having

a proximal end being adjacent to the shuffling wheel;

a distal end having a draw-in gap formed through the distal end; and

a sloping surface; and

a wedge being movably arranged on the sloping surface.

6. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein card-input device further has a first sensor being mounted securely on the back surface of the first swiveling board aligning to the notch.

7. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein card-output device further has a second sensor being mounted securely in the card-output device aligning to the front surface of the second swiveling board.

8. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein

each card slot having an inner surface;

and

the shuffling wheel further has

multiple resilient elements being mounted respectively in the card slots; and

multiple retainers mounted being mounted respectively in the card slots and being pushed respectively by the resilient elements to abut the inner surfaces of the card slots.

9. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the guiding board further has multiple apertures formed through the guiding board;

and

one of the rollers of each roller couple of the first roller assembly is passing through at least one corresponding aperture of the guiding board.

10. The automatic shuffling and dealing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the dealing board further has multiple apertures formed through the dealing board;

and

one of the rollers of each roller couple of the second roller assembly is passing through at least one corresponding aperture of the dealing board.