Table game system

• US 9,802,112 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Group Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Angel Playing Cards Co Ltd
• Inventors: Shigeta, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Berdichevsky, Aarti B
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLLINS, DOLORES R
• Application Number:
  US14/441,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20150290527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 273149 R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/02 Cards; Special shapes of cards card-printing methods B41K, B41M
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/10 Card holders
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/001 Bridge or baccarat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2439 the input being a code, e.g. ID
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• 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 table game system is provided that includes a plurality of association tables, each of which makes it possible to obtain the correlation between codes attached to shuffled playing cards and the ranks thereof, and prevents the correlation between the codes of the shuffled playing cards and the ranks thereof from being known by a person who intends to commit cheating by changing the association table used as appropriate.

A card shoe apparatus 2 of the table game system of the present invention includes a barcode reader 100 that reads a barcode 3 attached to a shuffled playing card set 1s, and thereby reads a shuffled card ID that can uniquely identify the shuffled playing card set 1s. The shuffled card ID of the shuffled playing cards to be used is subjected to a process of association to identify one of association table numbers (T1 to T10) or database numbers, and the rank and the suit of a card 1 that are attached to the card 1 are identified based on a code C with an association table (T3). If the code C does not match a code defined in the association table (T3), an error occurs and it is determined that cheating may be committed.

Claims

1. A table game system comprising:

a shuffled playing card set composed of playing cards from a plurality of decks shuffled to have a unique arrangement order, a uniquely identifiable shuffled card ID being attached to the shuffled playing card set; and

a card shoe apparatus that includes a barcode reader capable of identifying the shuffled card ID, the card shoe apparatus being configured to house the shuffled playing card set such that the playing cards can be dealt one by one onto a game table, wherein each one of the playing cards includes a code that identifies a rank of the card, wherein the card shoe apparatus comprises;

a card housing unit for housing the shuffled playing card set;

an opening for drawing the playing cards from the card housing unit one by one;

a code reading unit that reads the code attached to each drawn playing card identifying the rank of the drawn playing card; and

a control unit that stores rules of a card game and includes a winner/loser determination unit that determines the winner/loser of the card game based on the code identifying the ranks of the drawn playing cards read by the code reading unit, wherein the control unit includes a memory for storing a plurality of association tables, each of the plurality of association tables associating the code included on each playing card with the rank of the playing card;

wherein the code included on each playing card in the shuffled card set is attached using a specific association table selected from the plurality of association tables stored in memory,

wherein the shuffled card ID attached to the shuffled card set contains information for identifying the specific association table; and

wherein the code reading unit is configured to determine whether the code on each of the drawn playing cards in the shuffled card set matches a rank for each drawn playing card defined in the specific association table.

2. The table game system according to claim 1, wherein a group code is included on each card of the shuffled playing card set, the shuffled card ID is associated with the group code, the code reading unit is configured to read the group code included on the card, and the control unit is configured to determine whether the read group code matches a group code associated with the shuffled card ID.

3. The table game system according to claim 1, further comprising an input means for information that identifies the shuffled card ID, wherein the shuffled card ID is obtained by a communication means via the input means.

4. A table game system comprising:

a shuffled playing card set composed of playing cards from a plurality of decks shuffled to have a unique arrangement order, a uniquely identifiable shuffled card ID being attached to the shuffled playing card set; and

a card shoe apparatus that includes a reader capable of identifying the shuffled card ID, the card shoe apparatus being configured to house the shuffled playing card set such that the playing cards can be dealt one by one onto a game table, wherein a group code is printed on each of the playing cards, and the shuffled card ID is associated with the group code,

wherein the card shoe apparatus comprises;

a card housing unit for housing the shuffled playing card set;

an opening for drawing playing cards from the card housing unit one by one;

a code reading unit that reads from each drawn playing card information attached to the playing card concerning the rank thereof; and

a control unit that stores rules of a card game and includes a winner/loser determination unit that determines the winner/loser of the card game based on the information concerning the ranks of the cards read by the code reading unit, and

wherein the code reading unit is configured to read the group code attached to each playing card, and wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether the read group code matches a group code identified based on the shuffled card ID.

5. The table game system according to claim 4,

wherein each playing card of the shuffled playing card set includes a code identifying the rank of the card,

wherein the control unit includes a memory configured to store a plurality of association tables or a plurality of databases, each of which associates the rank of each card in the shuffled playing card set with the code included on the playing card;

and

wherein the shuffled card ID is associated with a specific association table or database selected from the plurality of association tables or databases;

wherein the card shoe apparatus further comprises a reader configured to identify the shuffled card ID, and based on the association table or database identified, the code reading unit is configured to read the code when each playing card is drawn from the card housing unit and the control unit is configured to identify the rank of the card based on the code and to determine whether the code on each of the playing cards in the shuffled card set matches a rank for each playing card defined in the specific association table.

6. The table game system according to claim 5 further comprising a transmission apparatus configured to externally transmit a mismatch along with the shuffled card ID if the group code read by the code reading unit or the code identifying the rank does not match the group code identified based on the shuffled card ID read by the reader or a code that is defined in the specific association table and that represents a rank.