Card-handling devices

• US 9,561,426 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2016
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grauzer, Attila, Bourbour, Feraidoon, Nelson, Troy D., Rynda, Robert J., Scheper, Paul K., Stasson, James B., Swanson, Ronald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US15/050,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20160166919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149.R, 273/149.P, 463/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into plural hands of cards, wherein each of the hands contains a random arrangement of cards. The apparatus may comprise a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack, and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanism and the elevator so that an individual card is moved into an identified compartment. The number of compartments receiving cards and the number of cards moved to each compartment may be selected. Apparatuses for feeding cards may comprise a surface for supporting a stack of cards, a feed roller with a frictional outer surface, a drive mechanism for causing rotation of the feed roller, a pair of speed-up rollers to advance the cards out of the feed roller, and a clutch mechanism for disengaging the feed roller from the drive mechanism as the card comes into contact with the speed-up rollers.

Claims

1. A card-handling device, comprising:

a card-receiving area sized and shaped to support a group of playing cards therein;

card storage compartments, each of the card storage compartments sized and shaped to support a sub-group of playing cards therein, at least one of the card storage compartments comprising a beveled surface oriented to deflect cards toward an interior of the at least one of the card storage compartments;

an input, card-moving mechanism configured to sequentially move individual playing cards from the card-receiving area into at least some of the respective card storage compartments, the input, card-moving mechanism comprising;

a pick-off roller located and configured to rotate at a first speed and commence movement of a playing card from the card-receiving area toward the at least one of the card storage compartments;

at least one speed-up roller located and configured to rotate at a second, greater speed and drive the playing card responsive to the rotation of the at least one pick-off roller into the card storage compartment; and

a clutch configured to selectively interrupt active, driven rotation of at least one of the pick-off roller and the at least one speed-up roller;

a card output tray; and

an output, card-moving mechanism configured to transfer sub-groups of the playing cards from the at least some of the card storage compartments to the card output tray.

2. The card-handling device of claim 1, further comprising a control unit operatively connected to the input, card-moving mechanism and the output, card-moving mechanism, the control unit programmed to randomly assign each playing card handled by the input, card-moving mechanism to one of the card storage compartments and to then transfer the playing cards from the respective card storage compartments to the card output tray when the card-receiving area is free of cards.

3. The card-handling device of claim 1, further comprising a control unit operatively connected to the input, card-moving mechanism and the output, card-moving mechanism, the control unit programmed to randomly assign each playing card handled by the input, card-moving mechanism to one of the card storage compartments and to then transfer the playing cards from the respective card storage compartments to the card output tray when the card output tray is free of cards.

4. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein rotation of the at least one speed-up roller is driven continuously as the input, card-moving mechanism sequentially moves playing cards from the card-receiving area into the card storage compartments.

5. The card-handling device of claim 4, wherein rotation of the pick-off roller is driven intermittently by a driver and interrupted intermittently by the clutch as the input, card-moving mechanism sequentially moves playing cards from the card-receiving area into the card storage compartments.

6. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein the clutch causes the pick-off roller to rotate freely responsive to acceleration of a playing card contacting the pick-off roller caused by contact of the playing card with the at least one speed-up roller.

7. The card-handling device of claim 6, wherein the clutch comprises at least one of a dynamic clutch, a slip clutch, and release gearing configured to enable the pick-off roller to rotate freely.

8. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein a distance between a frontmost edge of the beveled surface and a frontmost edge of a shelf of the at least one of the card storage compartments is less than an average width of the playing cards of the group of playing cards.

9. The card-handling device of claim 8, wherein a maximum thickness of the shelf is about 3/32 inch.

10. The card-handling device of claim 8, wherein the beveled surface is oriented at an angle of between about 10°

and about 45°

with respect to the shelf.

11. The card-handling device of claim 10, wherein the beveled surface is oriented at an angle of between about 15°

and about 20°

with respect to the shelf.

12. The card-handling device of claim 8, wherein the beveled surface is oriented to deflect playing cards on top of underlying playing cards in the at least one of the card storage compartments.

13. A card-handling device, comprising:

a card-receiving area sized and shaped to support a group of playing cards thereon, the card-receiving area comprising a block configured to drive the group of playing cards toward a predetermined side of the card-receiving area;

card storage compartments, each of the card storage compartments sized and shaped to support a sub-group of playing cards therein, at least one of the card storage compartments comprising an angled surface on a side of the at least one of the card storage compartments facing the card-receiving area when the at least one of the card storage compartments is aligned with the card-receiving area;

an input, card-moving mechanism configured to sequentially move individual playing cards from the card-receiving area into at least some of the respective card storage compartments, the input, card-moving mechanism comprising;

a pick-off roller located and configured to rotate at a first speed and commence movement of a playing card from the card-receiving area toward the at least one of the card storage compartments;

at least one speed-up roller located and configured to rotate at a second, greater speed and drive the playing card responsive to the rotation of the at least one pick-off roller into the card storage compartment; and

a clutch configured to intermittently interrupt active, driven rotation of at least one of the pick-off roller and the at least one speed-up roller;

a card output tray; and

an output, card-moving mechanism configured to transfer sub-groups of the playing cards from the at least some of the card storage compartments to the card output tray.

14. The card-handling device of claim 13, further comprising a control unit operatively connected to the input, card-moving mechanism and the output, card-moving mechanism, the control unit programmed to randomly assign each playing card handled by the input, card-moving mechanism to one of the card storage compartments and to then transfer the playing cards from the respective card storage compartments to the card output tray when the card-receiving area is free of cards.

15. The card-handling device of claim 13, further comprising a control unit operatively connected to the input, card-moving mechanism and the output, card-moving mechanism, the control unit programmed to randomly assign each playing card handled by the input, card-moving mechanism to one of the card storage compartments and to then transfer the playing cards from the respective card storage compartments to the card output tray when the card output tray is free of cards.

16. The card-handling device of claim 13, wherein the clutch causes the pick-off roller to rotate freely responsive to acceleration of a playing card contacting the pick-off roller caused by contact of the playing card with the at least one speed-up roller.

17. The card-handling device of claim 16, wherein the clutch comprises at least one of a dynamic clutch, a slip clutch, and release gearing configured to enable the pick-off roller to rotate freely.

18. The card-handling device of claim 13, wherein a distance between a frontmost edge of the angled surface and a frontmost edge of a shelf of the at least one of the card storage compartments is less than an average width of the playing cards of the group of playing cards.

19. The card-handling device of claim 18, wherein the angled surface is oriented at an angle of between about 10°

and about 45°

with respect to the shelf.

20. The card-handling device of claim 18, wherein the angled surface is oriented to deflect playing cards on top of underlying playing cards in the at least one of the card storage compartments.