Unique sensing system and apparatus for reading playing cards

• US 8,150,158 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Downs, Justin G. III
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, SHEELA C
• Application Number:
  US12/848,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20110042898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 382/181, 382/100, 463 11- 42, 209/587, 209/547, 209/939, 273/148.A, 273/149.R
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2425 Scanners, e.g. for scanning regular characters

Abstract

A sensing apparatus is provided for the determination of at least one of rank or suit of a playing card. The sensing apparatus includes an imaging array capable of sensing at least an area of a playing card that represents rank and or suit. A position sensor is provided for determining card position. A hardware component receives signals from the imaging array and the card position sensor. The hardware component forms a vector set from the output from the imaging array and card position sensor, and compares the vector set to known reference vector sets to determine rank and suit of a card.

Claims

1. A sensing apparatus for the determination of at least one of rank or suit of a playing card, comprising:

a card-imaging array capable of sensing at least an area of a card representing rank and/or suit;

a card position sensor; and

a hardware component capable of receiving signals from the card-imaging array and the card position sensor, wherein the hardware component forms a vector set from an output from the card-imaging array and the card position sensor, and compares the vector set to known reference vector sets to determine rank and suit of a card.

2. The sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein vector information is binary information.

3. The sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hardware component is a FPGA.

4. The sensing of apparatus claim 1, wherein the hardware component is an ASIC.

5. A card-dealing shoe, comprising the sensing apparatus of claim 1.

6. The card-dealing shoe of claim 5, wherein the card-dealing shoe comprises mechanical card-moving elements.

7. The sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the card-imaging array comprises a camera.

8. The sensing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a light source to enhance the camera signal.

9. The sensing apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a card infeed area for supporting a relatively vertical stack of cards.

10. The sensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the camera is analog.

11. The sensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the camera is digital.

12. The sensing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the camera is black and white.

13. A casino table game monitoring system, comprising;

a gaming table with a gaming surface;

a card-reading shoe with the card-sensing system of claim 1, wherein the card-reading shoe has an input/output (I/O) data port; and

a game controller, wherein the shoe is in communication with the game controller via the I/O data port.

14. A card-handling device comprising the sensing apparatus of claim 1.

15. The card-handling device of claim 14, wherein the card-handling device comprises a simple shoe.