METHOD FOR SHUFFLING AND DEALING CARDS

• US 20200188767A1
• Filed: 02/24/2020
• Published: 06/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Sampson, David E., Forte, Steven L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,933,301 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 2009/2482 Electromotor

Abstract

A card shuffler that moves cards one at a time to randomly designated single-card receptacle in a receiving or dealing rack, and a method for shuffling and for dealing cards.

Claims

1. A method of dealing playing cards comprising:

placing playing cards into respective single-card receptacles in a dealing rack including a plurality of single-card receptacles located adjacent one another in a fixed array and arranged so that the playing cards in the single-card receptacles are parallel with each other;

recording in a memory portion of a controller an identity of each one of the playing cards and an associated identity of the respective one of the plurality of single-card receptacles into which each respective one of the plurality of playing cards is placed;

placing the dealing rack into a first position alongside a blocking wall adjacent a card removal side of the dealing rack;

responsive to a predetermined condition automatically moving one of the dealing rack and the blocking wall relative to the other through a distance determined by the controller to expose a first selected number of single-card receptacles beyond a margin of the blocking wall to create an open path along the margin of the blocking wall for removal of a number of the playing cards, equal to the first selected number of single-card receptacles, from the dealing rack;

repetitively, until a selected number of groups of the playing cards have been removed from the dealing rack;

removing the number of the playing cards from the exposed single-card receptacles as a group of the cards and retaining in the memory portion of the controller the identities of the ones of the number of the playing cards in the group of the cards;

sensing and automatically communicating electrically to the controller that it is appropriate to move the dealing rack to expose additional ones of the single-card receptacles beyond the margin of the blocking wall;

responsive to the communication, moving the one of the dealing rack and the blocking wall a further distance relative to the other to expose a selected number of additional ones of the plurality of single-card receptacles beyond the margin of the blocking wall; and

thereafter, upon demand, retrieving and providing from the memory portion of the controller information concerning the identity of each of the cards in a selected one of the groups of playing cards.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information concerning the identity of each of the cards in the selected one of the groups of the playing cards is sufficient to identify whether a group of the cards made available for removal from the dealing rack for a dealer'"'"'s hand amounts to a winning hand for the dealer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information concerning the identity of each of the cards in the selected one of the groups of the playing cards is sufficient to identify whether a group of the cards made available for removal from the dealing rack for a player'"'"'s hand amounts to a winning hand for the player.

4. The method of claim 1, used in playing blackjack, wherein each of the groups of the cards consists of two cards and wherein the information concerning the identity of each of the cards in a selected one of the groups of playing cards is sufficient to inform a dealer whether the dealer'"'"'s hand is a blackjack.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing includes sensing that at least one of the single-card receptacles exposed beyond the margin of the blocking wall has been emptied.

6. The method of claim 1, further including sensing that a predetermined time has passed since a group of cards has been removed, and in response to the sensed predetermined time causing the dealing rack to move farther to expose all remaining ones of the plurality of single-card receptacles beyond the margin of the blocking wall, and thereafter removing all remaining ones of the playing cards from the dealing rack.

7. The method of claim 1, further including determining that a predetermined number of cards have been removed and in response to the determination, moving the dealing rack a further distance relative to the blocking wall to expose all remaining ones of the plurality of single-card receptacles beyond the margin.

8. The method of claim 1, further including keeping the dealing rack in such a position alongside the blocking wall that the blocking wall retains the ones of the playing cards in the ones of the single-card receptacles not exposed beyond the margin of the blocking wall.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first selected number of single-card receptacles to be exposed is randomly selected by the controller.

10. The method of claim 1, further including moving the dealing rack in response to the controller through a distance relative to the blocking wall, in an opposite direction to the moving the dealing rack and exposing the selected number of single-card receptacles, after exposing the selected number of single-card receptacles and prior to removal of the selected number of cards therefrom, to reduce the number of the cards that can be removed from the dealing rack without further movement of the dealing rack relative to the blocking wall.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first selected number of single-card receptacles is randomly selected by the controller from a predetermined range of numbers, and wherein the selected number of additional ones of the single-card receptacles is equal to the arithmetical difference between the first selected number and a total number of cards for a player'"'"'s hand according to rules of a game for which the dealing is performed and wherein the first selected number of the cards determines a starting position for a deal in the game.

12. The method of claim 1, further including, while dealing a plurality of the groups of cards, providing signals to place the controller into a burn card mode and indicating a number of cards to be burned;

and wherein in response to the signals the controller causes the dealing rack to move a further distance relative to the blocking wall to expose a number of the plurality of single-card receptacles, equal to the number of cards to be burned, beyond the margin of the blocking wall, and retaining in the memory portion of the controller the identities of the cards.

13. A method of manipulating playing cards, comprising:

placing playing cards into respective, mutually parallel, single-card receptacles in a dealing rack;

recording in memory associated with a controller an identity of each playing card and an identity of an associated single-card receptacle receiving each playing card;

placing the dealing rack into a position alongside a blocking wall adjacent a card removal side of the dealing rack;

responsive to occurrence of a predetermined condition, the controller initiating movement of one of the dealing rack and the blocking wall relative to the other through a distance to expose a selected number of single-card receptacles beyond a margin of the blocking wall for removal of a group of the playing cards, equal in number to the selected number of single-card receptacles, from the dealing rack;

repetitively, until a selected number of groups of the playing cards have been removed from the dealing rack;

removing the number of the playing cards from the exposed single-card receptacles as a group of the cards and retaining in the memory the identities of the ones of the number of the playing cards in the group of the cards;

sensing and automatically communicating to the controller to initiate movement of the dealing rack to expose additional ones of the single-card receptacles;

responsive to the communication, the controller initiating movement of the one of the dealing rack and the blocking wall a further distance relative to the other to expose a selected number of additional ones of the single-card receptacles; and

thereafter, upon demand, retrieving and providing from the memory information identifying each of the cards in a selected one of the groups of playing cards.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the information identifying each of the cards in the selected one of the groups of the playing cards is sufficient to identify whether a group of the cards made available for removal from the dealing rack for a dealer'"'"'s hand amounts to a winning hand for the dealer.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the information identifying each of the cards in the selected one of the groups of the playing cards is sufficient to identify whether a group of the cards made available for removal from the dealing rack for a player'"'"'s hand amounts to a winning hand for the player.

16. The method of claim 13, used in playing blackjack, wherein each of the groups of the cards consists of two cards and wherein the information identifying each of the cards in a selected one of the groups of playing cards is sufficient to inform a dealer whether the dealer'"'"'s hand is a blackjack.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein sensing includes sensing that at least one of the exposed single-card receptacles has been emptied.

18. The method of claim 13, further including sensing that a predetermined time has passed since a group of cards has been removed, and in response to the sensed predetermined time, the controller causing the dealing rack to move farther to expose all remaining ones of the plurality of single-card receptacles, and thereafter removing all remaining ones of the playing cards from the dealing rack.

19. The method of claim 13, further including determining that a predetermined number of cards have been removed and in response to the determination, the controller initiating movement of the dealing rack a further distance relative to the blocking wall to expose all remaining ones of the plurality of single-card receptacles beyond the margin.

20. The method of claim 13, further including keeping the dealing rack in position so that the blocking wall retains the ones of the playing cards in the ones of the single-card receptacles not exposed beyond the margin of the blocking wall.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the controller randomly selects the selected number of single-card receptacles to be exposed.

22. The method of claim 13, further including the controller initiating movement of the dealing rack in an opposite direction to the moving the dealing rack and exposing the selected number of single-card receptacles, after exposing the selected number of single-card receptacles and prior to removal of the number of cards therefrom, to reduce the number of the cards that can be removed from the dealing rack without further movement of the dealing rack relative to the blocking wall.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the controller randomly selects the selected number of single-card receptacles from a predetermined range of numbers, and wherein the selected number of additional ones of the single-card receptacles is equal to the arithmetical difference between the selected number and a total number of cards for a player'"'"'s hand according to rules of a game for which the dealing is performed and wherein the selected number single-card receptacles determines a starting position for a deal in the game.

24. The method of claim 13, further including, while dealing a plurality of the groups of cards, providing signals to place the controller into a burn card mode and indicating a number of cards to be burned;

and wherein in response to the signals the controller causes the dealing rack to move a further distance relative to the blocking wall to expose a number of the single-card receptacles equal to the number of cards to be burned and retaining in the memory the identities of the cards to be burned.