Card weight for gravity feed input for playing card shuffler

• US 8,353,513 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Swanson, Ronald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Alvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLLINS, DOLORES R
• Application Number:
  US11/444,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20070278739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,421 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 273/149.R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

A card-feeding device for feeding cards into a card-handling device is disclosed. Examples of card-handling devices include shufflers, card sorters, card delivery devices and card verification devices. The device includes a card infeed area that supports a stack of cards. The card infeed area has a card support surface. Included in the device is a card-removing system that removes cards individually from the bottom of the stack. A pivoting arm presses against a card at the top of the stack. At least one sensor is provided that detects at least one of a position of the arm and a presence of a card in the card infeed area. A method of shuffling cards is also disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing cards to be shuffled into a card infeed area as a stack with a top and bottom and removing cards one at a time from the bottom of the stack and moving the removed cards to a shuffling zone. Cards are then shuffled. The stack of cards is stabilized by a pivoting arm capable of pressing against the top of the stack in an engaged position. The pivot arm may be automatically rotated from a first card-engaging position to a second recessed position.

Claims

1. A card-feeding device for a card-handling device, comprising:

a card infeed area having a card support surface for supporting a single stack of cards;

a card-removing system for removing cards individually from the bottom of the stack;

a pivoting arm configured and positioned to press against an uppermost card in a stack of cards disposed in the card infeed area, the pivoting arm having a pivot point that is positioned vertically below an intended position of an uppermost card in a stack of cards disposed in the card infeed area; and

at least one sensor for detecting at least one of a position of the arm within the shuffling device and a presence of a card in the card infeed area.

2. The card-feeding device of claim 1, further comprising a motor operatively coupled to the pivoting arm for rotating the pivoting arm vertically with respect to the top of the single stack of cards.

3. The card-feeding device of claim 2, wherein rotation of the arm by the motor positions the pivoting arm to apply pressure against the card at the top of the stack.

4. The card-feeding device of claim 2, wherein at least one sensor is present in the device to indicate the position or degree of rotation of the pivoting arm.

5. The card-feeding device of claim 2, wherein a processor is in communication with the at least one sensor.

6. The card-feeding device of claim 2, wherein the motor is a stepper motor.

7. The card-feeding device of claim 6, wherein the motor is configured to rotate in only one direction.

8. The card-feeding device of claim 1, wherein the pivoting arm is positionable in a card engaged position and a retracted position.

9. The card-feeding device of claim 1, wherein a processor is in communication with the at least one sensor.

10. The card-feeding device of claim 9, wherein the processor is in communication with the at least one sensor, and wherein the processor is programmed to actuate the motor to alter the position of the pivoting arm.

11. The card-feeding device of claim 1, wherein the pivoting arm is configured to be positioned in a retracted position wherein the pivoting arm in removed from the card infeed area.

12. A card-feeding device comprising:

a card infeed area having a card support surface for supporting a stack of cards;

a card-removing system for removing cards from the bottom of the stack of cards;

a rotating pivoting arm configured to press against a card at the top of the stack at a first contact end, the pivoting arm having a pivot point that is positioned vertically below an intended position of an uppermost card in the stack of cards disposed in the card infeed area, the pivoting arm having a second rotating pivot end and a bridging length, the bridging length having a recess that is elevated above a line connecting a bottom of the first contact end and the pivot point on the second pivot end when the pivoting arm is in a card-engaging position.

13. The card-feeding device of claim 12, wherein the bottom of the first contact end comprises a roller.

14. A method of shuffling cards comprising:

providing cards to be shuffled into a single card infeed area as a stack with a top and bottom;

removing cards one at a time from the bottom of the stack and moving the removed cards to a shuffling zone;

shuffling the cards;

stabilizing the stack of cards with a motor rotating a portion of a pivoting arm into contact with a portion of the stack of cards, the pivoting arm having a pivot point that is positioned vertically below an uppermost card in the stack of cards disposed in the card infeed area, and subsequently removing the arm from the portion of the stack of cards with the motor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the command results from a sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor detects the presence or absence of playing cards in the card infeed area.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor detects at least one of a degree of rotation of the pivoting arm and pressure by the pivoting arm against playing cards in the infeed area.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the command comes from a user input.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the arm contacts the top of the stack with a wheel carried by the arm.

20. A card feed system, comprising:

a card infeed area with a card support surface;

a card removal system capable of removing cards individually from a bottom of a stack of cards; and

a rotating pivot arm configured, in a first engaged position, to apply a downward force to a stack of cards in the card infeed area and, in a second recessed position, to be removed from the card infeed area, the pivoting arm having a pivot point that is positioned vertically below an intended position of an uppermost card in a stack of cards disposed in the card infeed area.

21. The card feed system of claim 20, and further comprising a card-shuffling system.