Card snuffler with gravity feed system for playing cards

• US 8,210,536 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated), Shuffle Master GMBH & Co KG (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Shuffle Master GMBH & Co KG (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Blaha, Ernst, Krenn, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US13/171,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20110254222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149.R, 273/149.P
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/10 Card holders
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 11/0002 Dispensing or collecting devices for tokens or chips dispensers for game pieces in chain reaction games A63F9/28; coin freed apparatus for games G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A card feed system for feeding cards into a card handling system. The card feed system includes a card input compartment with a playing card support surface, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls. The playing card support surface slopes toward the front wall at an angle between 12 degrees and 22 degrees. A slot is provided in the front wall to allow single cards to pass into the card handling system. The card feed system also includes a card moving system to advance cards through the slot.

Claims

1. A feed system for feeding playing cards into a card handling system, the feed system comprising:

a support frame;

a playing card input compartment having a playing card support surface, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls;

the playing card support surface having a slope toward the front wall of between 12 and 22 degrees with respect to the horizontal;

the front wall having a slot to allow single playing cards to pass from the playing card support surface through the slot into the card handling system;

a playing card moving system associated with the playing card input compartment to advance single playing cards through the slot;

wherein playing cards in the playing card input compartment are pressed against the playing card moving system by gravity and without other mechanical pressure; and

wherein a blocking element is mounted for pivotal rotation with respect to the support frame, wherein in a first position the blocking element prevent a card from passing through the slot and in a second position the blocking element allows a card to pass through the slot.

2. The feed system of claim 1, wherein the blocking element comprises at least one blocking lever.

3. The feed system of claim 2, wherein the at least one blocking lever has an elongated body, and further comprising a pivot pin, wherein one end of the elongated body is mounted for rotation about the pivot pin.

4. The feed system of claim 3, wherein an axis of rotation of the pivot pin is spaced apart from the slot.

5. The feed system of claim 1, wherein the blocking element comprises at least two blocking levers.

6. The feed system of claim 1, wherein the playing card moving system comprises at least one feed roller that extends through the playing card support surface to contact a lowermost card in the playing card input compartment.

7. The feed system of claim 1, further comprising a guide fixedly mounted to the rear wall.

8. A method of transporting cards, comprising:

supporting cards in a playing card input compartment with a declining support surface at an angle between 12 and 22 degrees with respect to the horizontal;

providing a card slot in a front wall of the playing card input compartment of a size sufficient to allow a single card to pass;

providing a card mover comprising at least one card roller that extends through the declining support surface for contacting a lowermost card on the declining support surface; and

controlling movement of cards out of the playing card input compartment by blocking and unblocking the card slot.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the card mover comprises a pair of spaced apart rollers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the rollers are positioned to move a lowermost card when the card slot is unblocked.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising blocking and unblocking the card slot with at least one blocking lever.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising rotating the at least one blocking lever about a pivotal axis to block and unblock the card slot.