Card Reading Device and Tabletop Game System

• US 20170162001A1
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Group Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Angel Playing Cards Co Ltd
• Inventors: Shigeta, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 9,959,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/06 Card games appurtenances
• 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: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A card reading device includes a card shoe part in which cards are housed, a card reading part that reads information on the cards drawn out, a control part that determines the outcome of a game based on the read information on the cards, and display parts that display the determined outcome of the game. In a tabletop game system, the information on the cards read by the card reading part and information on the game outcome determined by the control part are transmitted from the card reading device to a main computer apparatus via wireless communication. The card reading device includes a battery that supplies electric power to the control part, the display parts and a wireless output part. The card reading device, as such, is capable of facilitating moving the card reading device in a participatory tabletop game.

Claims

1. A tabletop game system comprising a card reading device and a wireless output part,

wherein the card reading device comprises

a card shoe part having a card container portion that contains a plurality of cards, a detachable cover disposed at the top of the card container portion, and an opening through which the cards can be taken out one by one from the card container portion,

a card reading part in which information on the cards, which is attached to the cards drawn out from the card container portion onto a game table, is read from each of the cards,

a control part that determines an outcome of a card game based on the information on the cards read in the card reading part,

a display part that outputs the game outcome determined by the control part, and

a battery that supplies electric power to the control part and the display part,

wherein the wireless output part has

a function of transmitting the information on the cards at least successively read in the card reading part or information on the game outcome determined by the control part, and

wherein the card reading device further comprises

a detection notification part that detects that the cover is opened and transmits a notification that the cover is opened to an external device via the wireless output part.

2. The tabletop game system according to claim 1, wherein the detection notification part further detects that an amount of charge in the battery becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value and transmits a notification that the amount of charge in the battery is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value to the external device via the wireless output part.

3. The tabletop game system according to claim 1, comprising an auxiliary battery that supplies electric power to the control part and the wireless output part when the battery is removed from the card reading device or when the amount of charge in the battery becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

4. The tabletop game system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the card reading devices and one main computer apparatus common among the plurality of card reading devices,

wherein the plurality of card reading devices each have IDs, different from one another, for identification of the corresponding card reading device, and

wherein the main computer apparatus comprises an identification section that identifies the IDs, different from one another, of the plurality of card reading devices.

5. The tabletop game system according to claim 1, wherein the card reading device further comprises a transmission setting section that determines transmission timing in the wireless communication part.

6. The tabletop game system according to claim 5, wherein the transmission setting section determines the transmission timing so that after the predetermined number of cards are read in the card reading part, the information on the cards, which is read from the cards, is transmitted.

7. The tabletop game system according to claim 5, wherein the transmission setting section determines the transmission timing with a predetermined program.

8. The tabletop game system according to claim 1, wherein the battery is attached to the cover.

9. The tabletop game system according to claim 3, wherein the card reading device further comprises a battery switching part that performs control so that the electric power of the control part is supplied from one or both of the battery and the auxiliary battery.

10. A tabletop game system comprising a plurality of cards, a card reading device, and a wireless output part, wherein the plurality of cards each have codes representing information on the cards attached thereto,

wherein the card reading device comprises

a card shoe part having a card container portion that contains the plurality of cards, a detachable cover disposed at the top of the card container portion, and an opening through which the cards can be taken out one by one from the card container portion,

a card reading part in which information on the cards, which is attached to the cards drawn out from the card container portion onto a game table, is read from each of the cards,

a control part that determines an outcome of a card game based on the information on the cards read in the card reading part,

a display part that outputs the game outcome determined by the control part, and

a battery that supplies electric power to the control part and the display part,

wherein the wireless output part has

a function of transmitting the information on the cards at least successively read in the card reading part or information on the game outcome determined by the control part, and

wherein the card reading device further comprises

a detection notification part that detects that the cover is opened and transmits a notification that the cover is opened to an external device via the wireless output part.

11. The tabletop game system according to claim 10, wherein the detection notification part further detects that an amount of charge in the battery becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value and transmits a notification that the amount of charge in the battery is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value to the external device via the wireless output part.

12. The tabletop game system according to claim 10, wherein the card reading device comprises an auxiliary battery that supplies electric power to the control part and the wireless communication part when the battery is removed from the card reading device or when the amount of charge in the battery becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

13. The tabletop game system according to claim 10, wherein the code representing the information on each of the cards is printed on two opposite sides of the card along a direction in which the card is drawn out.

14. The tabletop game system according to claim 10, comprising a plurality of the card reading devices and one main computer apparatus common among the plurality of card reading devices,

wherein the plurality of card reading devices each have IDs, different from one another, for identification of the corresponding card reading device, and

wherein the main computer apparatus includes an identification section that identifies the IDs, different from one another, of the plurality of card reading devices.

15. The tabletop game system according to claim 10, wherein the card reading device further comprises a transmission setting section that determines transmission timing in the wireless communication part.

16. The tabletop game system according to claim 15, wherein the transmission setting section determines the transmission timing so that after the predetermined number of cards are read in the card reading part, the information on the cards, which is read from the cards, is transmitted.

17. The tabletop game system according to claim 15, wherein the transmission setting section determines the transmission timing with a predetermined program.

18. The tabletop game system according to claim 10, wherein the battery is attached to the cover.

19. The tabletop game system according to claim 12, wherein the card reading device further comprises a battery switching part that performs control so that the electric power to the control part is supplied from one or both of the battery and the auxiliary battery.