Smart discard rack for playing cards

• US 8,002,638 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2009
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kelly, James V., Stasson, James B., Grauzer, Attila, Scheper, Paul K., Schubert, Oliver M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US12/574,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20100022311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/11, 463/47, 273/148.R, 273/149.R
• US Class Current: 463/47
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers

Abstract

A discard rack moves and reads suit and rank of individual cards. The cards are provided to a card in-feed area and moved to a card collection area. Both suit and rank of each card is read in the card in-feed area or between the card in-feed area and the card collection area. The discard rack comprises a) a card in-feed area with card moving elements that move only a bottom card from a set of cards in the card in-feed area, b) a card collection area that receives cards from the card moving area in the same sense as cards are received in the card in-feed area, c) an image capture device that captures data from a card while the card is between the card in-feed area and the card collection area, d) preferably a communication port to send out captured data to a processor, and e) an elevator that lowers to maintain a level at which cards are received in the card collection area.

Claims

1. A method of reading playing cards during a casino card table game comprising:

a. providing a card reading device for reading individual hands of spent playing cards collected at a conclusion of a round of play of the casino table card game;

b. placing a set of playing spent cards comprising individual hands of playing cards, but less than a complete deck of playing cards into a card in-feed area of the card reading device and after a round of play for an individual hand of playing cards, reading only playing cards used in the round of play placed into the in-feed area,

c. moving the spent playing cards one at a time from a bottom of the set of spent playing cards in the in-feed area,

d. reading at least one of the suit and rank of a spent playing card placed into the in-feed area before the spent playing card is deposited into a playing card collection area of the playing card reading device, and

e. determining composition of hands played in the round of play of the casino table card game by sending a signal representing the at least one of rank and suit of each spent playing card in an order in which each spent playing card was placed in the playing card in-feed area,

wherein the signal is sent to a processor where the signal of information of at least one of the suit and rank of the individual playing cards is processed and the composition of each hand is determined.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein spent playing cards consist of a single hand of spent playing cards placed into the playing card in-feed area, and only the single hand of spent playing cards is read to determine the single spent hand playing card composition for an identified player position.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein spent playing cards consist of at least a single hand of spent playing cards placed as a group into the playing card in-feed area, but less than a complete deck of playing cards, and only the spent playing cards placed as a group are read to determine the composition of hands at the least one single hand of spent playing cards for an identified player position.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein damaged cards are identified by reading the cards.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein damaged cards are manually replaced.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein spent playing cards consist of multiple hands of spent playing cards placed into the playing card in-feed area, but less than a complete deck of playing cards, and read information is processed by a processor in the card reading device.

7. A method of reading cards during a casino card table game comprising:

a. providing a card reading device for reading spent cards collected at a conclusion of a round of play of the casino table card game;

b. placing a set of spent cards, but less than a complete 52 card deck of cards into a card in-feed area of the card reading device at the conclusion of a round of play of the casino table card game, and after a round of play reading only cards used in the round of play placed into the in-feed area,

c. moving the spent cards one at a time from a bottom of the set of spent cards in the in-feed area,

d. reading at least one of the suit and rank of a spent card placed into the in-feed area before the spent card is deposited into a card collection area of the card reading device,

e. determining composition of at least one hand played in the round of play of the casino table card game by sending a signal representing the at least one of rank and suit of each spent card in an order in which each spent card was placed in the card in-feed area, wherein the signal is sent to a processor where the signal of information of at least one of the suit and rank of the individual cards is processed and the cards in a hand are identified by the processor; and

f. displaying information relating to read card information and identified cards in a hand on a display.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the card collection area is an elevator with a support surface, and the support surface is lowered as more read cards are fed into the card collection area.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein spent cards consist of a single hand of spent cards placed into the card in-feed area.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein images of symbols representing suit and rank are taken discontinuously.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein snapshot images of symbols are triggered by cards being sensed by trigger sensors.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein spent cards consist of a single hand of spent cards placed into the card in-feed area, and only the single hand of spent cards is read to determine the single spent hand card composition.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein spent cards consist of at least a single hand of spent cards placed as a group into the card in-feed area, but less than a complete deck of cards, and only the spent cards placed as a group are read to determine the composition of hands at the least one single hand spent cards.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein spent cards consist of multiple hands of spent cards placed into the card in-feed area, but less than a complete deck of cards.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the image capture device operates discontinuously to read the at least one of suit and rank of spent cards.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein damaged cards are identified by reading the cards.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein damaged cards are manually replaced.