Swivel mounted card handling device

• US 7,946,586 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Shuffle Master GMBH & Co KG (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Krenn, Peter, Grauzer, Attila, Blaha, Ernst
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Benjamin H
• Application Number:
  US12/290,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20090189346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149.R, 273/149.P, 273/309, 273/274, 463/22, 463/12, 463/13, 463/46
• US Class Current: 273/149.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/067 Tables or similar supporting structures
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

Playing card handling devices, such as shufflers, dealing shoes, discard racks and verification systems are rotatably secured to a gaming table to allow for functional and ergonomic adjustment of the card handling device, without removal from the gaming table. One end of the device, preferably a front end of the device from which playing cards may be removed has a structure that extends through an aperture in the gaming table. The device is movable within the aperture. Movement in the X-Y direction, angular movement and rotational movement, parallel to the movement of the plane of the surface of the gaming table is enabled. The movement of the device about the aperture preferably maintains the base of the device relatively parallel to the plane of the surface of the gaming table.

Claims

1. A playing card delivery device comprising:

a housing;

a surface support base rotationally moveable with respect to the playing card delivery device, the surface support base supported by a gaming table surface;

an area within the housing that can store multiple playing cards;

an opening in the housing through which playing cards may be removed;

a structure integral with the playing card delivery device extending below the surface support base, and the structure and surface support base are positionable in an aperture in a gaming table; and

the surface support base is moveable on the gaming table surface, wherein movement of the surface support base is limited to an area defined by the gaming table aperture.

2. The device of claim 1, and further comprising a connector connecting the device to the moveable surface plate on the gaming table.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the connector is attached to the card delivery device and comprises a plate that is attached to the device and movable in a plane parallel to the surface of the gaming table.

4. The device of claim 1, and further comprising a plate that is attached to the base, wherein the plate has a lower surface that rests on the gaming table surface.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the plate is circular and of a diameter large enough to cover the aperture regardless of the position of the device on the table, when the structure extending below the support base is positioned in the aperture.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the playing card delivery device is selected from the group consisting of a card shuffler, a card shoe and a discard rack.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the device is a shuffler and the shuffler has a playing card reader that sends signals indicative of at least rank of a playing card, the reader located within the structure extending below the support base.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the playing card reader is fixed at an angle between about 89 and about 70 degrees with respect to the plane of the gaming table top surface.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the playing card reader rotates with the shuffler as the shuffler rotates over the top surface of the gaming table.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the delivery device is a shoe and the shoe has a playing card reader that sends signals indicative of at least rank of a playing card, the reader located within the structure extending below the support base.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is movable in a straight line, in rotation, in an irregular pattern, in an arc and in a combination thereof.

12. A gaming table and playing card delivery system comprising:

a gaming table having a top play surface with an aperture extending therethrough;

a playing card delivery device having a playing card delivery shoe elevated with respect to a playing card reader located in the playing card delivery device; and

the playing card reader being insertable into the aperture wherein the device is mounted so that the playing card reader is located below the gaming table top play surface and the playing card delivery shoe is located above the top play surface, and the playing card delivery device and the playing card reader both rotate in communication with each other.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the playing card delivery device comprises a playing card shuffler, the playing card reader built into a front, playing card delivery end of the playing card delivery device, and the playing card delivery device is movable about the front end of the device while the playing card reader remains below the top play surface and moves with the playing card delivery device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the front end of the device is attached to a swivel plate and the swivel plate rotates in a plane parallel to the top play surface and the playing card reader is fixed at an angle between about 70 and about 89 degrees with respect to the plane of the gaming table top surface.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the playing card delivery shoe and the playing card reader define a removable module.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein movement of the playing card delivery device on a gaming table is limited by the geometry of the gaming table aperture and the geometry of a structure housing the playing card reader.

17. The system of claim 16, where the playing card delivery device is movable in a plane parallel to the gaming surface and in at least one of the following directions:

rotational, arc-shaped, straight line and an irregular path.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the playing card delivery device comprises a playing card delivery shoe, the playing card reader built into a front playing card delivery end of the playing card delivery device, and the playing card delivery device is movable about the front end of the device while the playing card reader remains below the top play surface and moves with the playing card delivery device.