CARD HANDLING DEVICES AND RELATED ASSEMBLIES AND COMPONENTS

• US 20180243642A1
• Filed: 05/01/2018
• Published: 08/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shuffle Master GMBH & Co KG (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Shuffle Master GMBH & Co KG (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Krenn, Peter, Blaha, Ernst
• Granted Patent: US 10,632,363 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: G07F 11/045 for sheet shaped or pliable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/14 with means for raising the stack of articles to permit delivery of the topmost

Abstract

Card handling devices may include a card shuffling apparatus and a card output portion having a card buffer area positioned at an interface of the card shuffling apparatus and the card output portion. The card output portion may be configured to move relative to the card shuffling apparatus and alter the orientation of the card buffer area. Card handling devices having a substantially flat card output area may include an interface portion having an at least substantially flat draw surface. The substantially flat card output area may permit playing cards to be drawn from an outlet of the substantially flat card output area in a plurality of at least substantially horizontal directions. Methods of shuffling playing cards may include altering an orientation of a card buffer area and inserting cards into the card buffer area at both a top and a bottom of a group of cards within the card buffer area.

Claims

1. A card handling device having a substantially flat card output area, the card handling device comprising:

an interface portion having an at least substantially flat draw surface; and

a cover disposed over the interface portion, the interface portion and the cover defining an outlet between the interface portion and the cover, wherein the substantially flat card output area is configured to permit playing cards to be drawn from the outlet of the substantially flat card output area on the draw surface of the interface portion in a plurality of different directions substantially within a plane defined by the draw surface without first being drawn from the outlet in a direction parallel to a center longitudinal axis of the substantially flat card output area.

2. The card handling device of claim 1, wherein a first direction of the plurality of different directions is offset at least 60°

from a second direction of the plurality of different directions.

3. The card handling device of claim 1, wherein the draw surface of the interface portion of the substantially flat card output area is configured to be positioned at an angle less than 10°

relative to a table surface of a table on which the substantially flat card output area is positioned.

4. The card handling device of claim 1, wherein the interface portion of the substantially flat card output area further comprises a first end and a second opposite end, and wherein the cover of the substantially flat card output area further comprises:

a base portion oriented above the second end of the interface portion; and

two laterally spaced arm portions separated by a cutout and extending from the base portion toward the first end of the interface portion, wherein each of the two arm portions of the base portion is separated from the draw surface of the interface portion of the substantially flat card output area to form at least one opening.

5. The card handling device of claim 4, wherein each of the two laterally spaced arm portions is cantilevered over the draw surface of the interface portion of the substantially flat card output area by a portion of the at least one opening.

6. The card handling device of claim 1, wherein the substantially flat card output area is configured to permit playing cards to be drawn from the outlet of the of the substantially flat card output area on the draw surface of the interface portion in the plurality of different, at least substantially horizontal directions including directions that are perpendicular to each other.

7. The card handling device of claim 1, wherein the substantially flat card output area is configured to permit playing cards to be drawn from the outlet of the of the substantially flat card output area on the draw surface of the interface portion in the plurality of different directions including directions that are 135°

apart.

8. A card handling device having a card output area, the card handling device comprising:

an interface portion having a draw surface configured to supply playing cards to a user of the card handing device, the draw surface configured to be positioned at an angle between 0° and

10°

relative to a horizontally extending table surface of a table adjacent to which the card output area is positioned; and

a shuffling portion comprising at least one card randomization feature for randomizing the playing cards, a majority of the shuffling portion configured to be positioned vertically below the table surface of the table.

9. The card handling device of claim 8, further comprising a cover disposed over the interface portion, the interface portion and the cover defining an outlet between the interface portion and the cover.

10. The card handling device of claim 9, wherein the card output area is configured to permit the playing cards to be drawn from the outlet of the card output area over the draw surface of the interface portion in a plurality of different directions substantially within a plane defined by the draw surface without first being drawn from the outlet in a direction along a card path leading to the card output area.

11. The card handling device of claim 10, wherein the card output area is configured to permit playing cards to be drawn from the outlet of the of the card output area on the draw surface of the interface portion in the plurality of different directions including directions that are between 90°

and 180°

apart.

12. The card handling device of claim 9, wherein the cover comprises a cantilevered portion extending over the output of the card output area.

13. The card handling device of claim 12, wherein side openings defined by the cantilevered portion define additional card paths on lateral sides of the card output area through which the playing cards are configured to pass.

14. The card handling device of claim 13, wherein the cantilevered portion comprises a cutout configured to expose a portion of a face of the playing cards in the card output area.

15. The card handling device of claim 8, wherein the draw surface is configured to be positioned at an angle between 0°

and 5°

relative to the horizontally extending table surface of the table.

16. The card handling device of claim 8, wherein the card output area comprises at least one sensor, the at least one sensor configured to sense when a playing card is present in the card output area.

17. A card handling device comprising:

a card output area having a draw surface; and

a cover disposed over the draw surface, the draw surface and the cover defining an outlet between the draw surface and the cover, wherein the card output area is configured to permit playing cards to be drawn from the outlet of the output area over the draw surface in a plurality of different directions substantially within a plane defined by the draw surface without first being drawn from the outlet in a direction along a card path along which the playing cards travel to the card output area.

18. The card handling device of claim 17, wherein the draw surface is configured to be positioned at an angle between 3°

and 10°

relative to a horizontally extending table surface of a table adjacent to which the card output area is positioned.

19. The card handling device of claim 17, wherein the cover comprises a cantilevered portion extending over the output.

20. The card handling device of claim 19, wherein the cantilevered portion of the cover defines a front opening at a terminal end of the card path and two lateral side openings on opposing sides of the front opening and the card path.