Card Shuffler

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods are described for shuffling a deck, group, stack or pile of cards. The cards are placed into a shuffler. The shuffler may be accessed under a lid, or via a slot or tray. Buttons, switches, or a touch screen and the like serve as an interface to access and control the shuffler. Cards are introduced into a substantially vertical shuffling chute. Cards are counted or audited. Sensors provide information as to the location of the cards. Static barriers and agitators encourage cards to remain in proper orientation and location. An elevator lifts cards from the shuffling chute. Sweeper arms or other mechanism manipulates the cards and returns the cards to a substantially horizontal orientation and exit position. Manual override is possible when errors are detected. Rubber-coated commodity rollers mountable to cantilevered axles engage and launch cards into the air when shuffled in the shuffling chute. Cards settle back into the stack of cards under the influence of gravity. The shuffler is mounted inside a simple enclosure. Maintenance and interface features provide convenience when working with the shuffler. Authentication may be employed to correlate user or dealer with operation of the shuffler.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application is related to, and claims the benefit of, the earliest available effective filing date(s) from the following application(s) (the “Related Application(s)”) (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than provisional patent application(s), for any and all parent, grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Application(s)).[0002]For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 61 / 944,514, titled Automated Card Shuffler, and naming at least Tyler Kuhn as inventor, filed 25 Feb. 2014, which is currently co-pending, or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.[0003]The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to the effect that the USPTO's computer programs require that patent applicants reference both a serial number and ind...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a shuffling apparatus that is used in card games. The apparatus is enclosed in a secure cabinet with a lock bar mechanism that can be easily operated. The cabinet has cutouts for ventilation and a lining to reduce noise. The shuffler can be easily installed and removed, without the need for special tools or expertise. The technical effect of this patent is to provide a reliable and efficient means for shuffling cards in games.

Problems solved by technology

Manual shuffling of cards is time consuming and it is common to perform the process only 3-4 times. Card shuffling machines are available for performing the task of shuffling.

However, existing machines suffer from a variety of shortcomings including prohibitive initial expense, frequent breakdowns in the equipment and in the shuffling process, expense of maintenance, and impractical duration of time needed for shuffling.

The presence of a static attractive force can cause a card to be stuck in the shuffling machine such as long a portion of a wall of a shuffling chute.

A flipped card eventually exposes its value side improperly during game play.

The result of an excessively wide chute would be one or more cards inserted face up in the shuffled deck or group of shuffled cards.

Otherwise, card damage is possible in other processes of the shuffler device.

If the guides were of a fixed type, the input slot would be obstructed and the user could not insert the deck of cards.

Based on information gather from the sensors, errors in the shuffling process are detected.

The rubber of the roller is tacky enough to grab and propel a card into the air with very little contact with the card.

This component may be susceptible to wear as the rollers are repeatedly contacting cards during the shuffling process.

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