CARD-HANDLING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATION

• US 20170304712A1
• Filed: 07/10/2017
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Hessing, Lynn C., Mahoney, Daniel J., Blad, Steven J., Baker, Thompson A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,092,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00164 Casino tables
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2404 Keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2419 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/285 Photographs
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/58 Antifraud or preventing misuse
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Card-handling devices may include a randomizer configured to randomize ordering of playing cards in a set of playing cards. An output may be configured to present a group of cards at a time from the randomizer for removal from the card-handling device. An image capturer may be positioned and configured to capture image data of at least a portion of each playing card handled by the randomizer, the image data comprising at least a suit and a rank of each playing card. A nontransitory memory device may be operatively connected to the randomizer and to the image capturer, the nontransitory memory device configured to store at least the image data and group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output. A display may be operatively connected to the nontransitory memory, the display configured to display a history of the image data and group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output upon request.

Claims

1. A card-handling device, comprising:

a randomizer configured to randomize ordering of playing cards in a set of playing cards;

an output configured to present a group of cards at a time from the randomizer for removal from the card-handling device;

an image capturer positioned and configured to capture image data of at least a portion of each playing card handled by the randomizer, the image data comprising at least a suit and a rank of each playing card;

a nontransitory memory device operatively connected to the randomizer and to the image capturer, the nontransitory memory device configured to store at least the image data and group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output; and

a display operatively connected to the nontransitory memory, the display configured to display a history of the image data and group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output upon request.

2. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein the display is located on a lateral side of the card-handling device between the randomizer and the output.

3. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to display the history of the image data, group assignment data, and playing station assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output upon request.

4. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein the display comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a vacuum fluorescent display, a flat panel display, and a segmented light-emitting diode (LED) display.

5. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein the image capturer comprises at least one of a digital camera, a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a digital video camera, and an analog camera.

6. The card-handling device of claim 1, further comprising a processor programmed to transform the image data received from the image capturer into a bitmap, automatically determine rank and suit information from the bitmap, and store the rank and suit information in the nontransitory memory device.

7. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to display an error condition when the card-handling device experiences at least one of a malfunction of the card-handling device, a mis-randomization, a jam in the randomizer, a failure in the electronics, and an unexpected number of cards remaining in the randomizer.

8. The card-handling device of claim 1, further comprising a keypad operatively connected to the display, the keypad configured to receive user input to initiate at least the request to display the history of the image data and group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output on the display.

9. The card-handling device of claim 1, wherein the card-handling device is configured to selectively operate in a continuous mode in which cards received by the randomizer are randomized and output as sub-groups, such that one or more cards remain in the randomizer following output, or in a batch mode in which cards received by the randomizer are randomized and output as a set, such that the randomizer is free of cards following output.

10. The card-handling device of claim 9, wherein the card-handling device is configured to switch between the continuous mode and the batch mode in response to user input.

11. The card-handling device of claim 9, wherein the card-handling device is configured to receive a number of players participating in a game as a user input and to automatically output a corresponding number of cards or hands utilizing the output when the card-handling device is in the continuous mode.

12. A method of operating a card-handling device, comprising:

randomizing an order of a set of playing cards utilizing a randomizer;

capturing image data of at least a portion of each playing card randomized by the randomizer utilizing an image capturer, the image data comprising at least a suit and a rank of each playing card;

storing the image data in a nontransitory memory device operatively connected to the image capturer;

presenting a group of cards at a time from the card shuffler to an output for delivery from the card-handling device; and

storing group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output in the nontransitory memory device;

displaying a history of the image data and the group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output on a display operatively connected to the nontransitory memory device upon request.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying playing station assignment data for each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output on the display upon request.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying on the display comprises displaying on at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a vacuum fluorescent display, a flat panel display, and a segmented light-emitting diode (LED) display.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein capturing the image data utilizing the image capturer comprises capturing the image data with at least one of a digital camera, a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a digital video camera, and an analog camera.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising transforming the image data received from the image capturer into a bitmap utilizing a processor operatively connected to the image capturer and the nontransitory memory device, automatically determining rank and suit information from the bitmap, and storing the rank and suit information in the nontransitory memory device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying, with the display, an error condition when the card-handling device experiences at least one of a malfunction of the card-handling device, a mis-randomization, a jam in the randomizer, a failure in the electronics, and an unexpected number of cards remaining in the randomizer.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising using a keypad to receive user input to initiate at least the request to display the history of the image data and the group assignment data of each playing card in each group of cards presented for removal by the output on the display.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising selectively operating the card-handling device in a continuous mode in which cards received by the randomizer are randomized and output as sub-groups, such that one or more cards remain in the randomizer following output, or in a batch mode in which cards received by the randomizer are randomized and output as a set, such that the randomizer is free of cards following output.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, when the card-handling device is in the continuous mode, inputting by a user to the card-handling device a number of players participating in a game and automatically outputting a corresponding number of cards.