Playing card

Abstract

To provide a playing card in which printing on a card face cannot be seen through even if it is seen through an infrared camera.SOLUTION: In a playing card, a suit and a rank are printed on one surface of a card base sheet, a back pattern is printed on the back, a black layer or a middle layer having a color layer similar to a black color for preventing visible rays from passing easily are provided on the card base sheet, the suit and the rank are printed using ink not containing carbon so as to block transmission of visible rays from the back at the middle layer, and the suit and the rank printed using the ink not containing carbon transmits infrared rays so as to prevent the suit and the rank from being distinguished from the back in both of visible rays and infrared rays. A set or several sets of decks are composed of individual cards cut from a card base sheet with a cutting machine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to playing cards. [Background technology]

[0002] In various playing card games such as poker, baccarat, bridge, or blackjack, a dealer places one or more decks of playing cards in a card shooter or the like and then dispenses cards one by one to the players. To ensure the fairness of the game, the cards must be dealt randomly, so the game host must thoroughly shuffle the playing cards before placing them in the card shooter.

[0003] However, if the game host shuffles the cards before the game begins, it can take a long time, which hinders the efficient running of the game. Also, shuffling by the game host creates the risk of cheating, such as removing or replacing cards.

[0004] To solve this problem, International Publication No. 2009 / 069708 proposes shuffled playing cards in which a predetermined number of decks of playing cards are individually packaged in a shuffled state. The packaging of these shuffled playing cards is provided with a shuffled playing card ID as an ID code, which is used to access information in a database that can identify the shuffling machine or group of shuffling machines that shuffled the playing cards.

[0005] In the printing industry, in addition to the three primary colors, it is essential to use carbon black ink in the black areas to express a clearer, deeper black color. Naturally, in the case of playing cards, it is common knowledge that the black areas are usually printed with carbon black ink. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Carbon has the property of having a high infrared emissivity (absorption rate), so carbon black ink appears black when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0007] In recent years, electronic devices have become increasingly miniaturized and sophisticated, and even high-performance infrared cameras can be miniaturized by malicious cheaters, creating the risk that they could be brought into an amusement arcade without being noticed by outsiders.

[0008] When viewing a standard playing card through a high-performance infrared camera, the carbon black ink printed on the front side of the card can be seen through the back, meaning that the rank and suit of the front side can be determined from the back.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a playing card whose print on the front side is difficult to see through even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0010] A playing card according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: The suit and rank are printed on one side of the card base paper, and the reverse side has a pattern printed on the back. the card base paper has an infrared ray prevention layer containing carbon as an intermediate layer, said suit and rank are printed using carbon-free ink; The card base is cut into individual cards by a cutting machine, and each card is divided into a deck. Form a set or multiple sets.

[0011] According to this embodiment, the card base paper has an infrared-blocking layer containing carbon as an intermediate layer, so that infrared rays emitted from the printed portion on the front side of the card are absorbed by the intermediate layer and are less likely to transmit to the back side. Furthermore, because ink containing no carbon is used to print the suit and rank, the difference in intensity between the infrared rays emitted from the printed portion and the infrared rays emitted from the surrounding area is small. Even if some infrared rays emitted from the printed portion on the front side are not absorbed by the intermediate layer and transmit to the back side, it is extremely difficult to determine the suit and rank from the distribution of the small amount of transmitted infrared rays. Therefore, it is possible to provide playing cards in which the printing on the front side is less likely to be seen through, even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0012] In one aspect of the present invention, a playing card The back pattern on the back surface of the card base paper may be printed with ink containing carbon.

[0013] In this embodiment, because the back of the card is printed with ink containing carbon, the back of the card has an infrared distribution with the same pattern as the back of the card. Therefore, even if some infrared radiation emitted from the printed portion on the front side is not absorbed by the intermediate layer and passes through to the back side, the trace amount of infrared radiation that passes through is overlaid and buried in the infrared radiation distribution emitted from the back of the card, making it even more difficult to distinguish the printing on the front side, even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0014] A playing card according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: The suit and rank are printed on one side of the card base paper, and the reverse side has a pattern printed on the back. the card base paper has an infrared ray prevention layer containing carbon as an intermediate layer, The back pattern on the back of the card base paper is printed with ink containing carbon, One or more decks are made up of individual cards cut from the card base paper by a cutting machine.

[0015] According to this embodiment, the card base paper is provided with an infrared-blocking layer containing carbon as an intermediate layer, so that infrared rays emitted from the front side of the card are absorbed by the intermediate layer and do not easily pass through to the back side. Furthermore, because the back pattern of the card is printed with ink containing carbon, an infrared distribution pattern identical to the back pattern appears on the back side of the card. Therefore, even if some infrared rays emitted from the printed portion on the front side are not completely absorbed by the intermediate layer and pass through to the back side, the trace amount of infrared distribution that passes through is superimposed and buried by the infrared distribution emitted from the back pattern of the card, making it extremely difficult to determine the suit and rank from such an infrared distribution. Therefore, a playing card can be provided in which the printing on the front side is difficult to see through, even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0016] A playing card according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: The suit and rank are printed on one side of the card base paper, and the reverse side has a pattern printed on the back. said suit and rank are printed using carbon-free ink; The back pattern on the back of the card base paper is printed with ink containing carbon, One or more decks are made up of individual cards cut from the card base paper by a cutting machine.

[0017] According to this aspect, since ink that does not contain carbon is used to print the suit and rank, the difference between the intensity of infrared rays emitted from the printed portion and the intensity of infrared rays emitted from the surrounding area is small, and even if infrared rays are emitted from the printed portion on the front side and penetrate to the back side, the suit and rank can be determined from the distribution of the small amount of transmitted infrared rays. It is difficult to distinguish between the suit and rank. Furthermore, because the back of the card is printed with ink containing carbon, the back of the card has a clear infrared distribution with the same pattern as the back of the card. Therefore, even if infrared light emitted from the printed portion on the front side penetrates the back of the card, the trace amount of infrared light that penetrates is overlaid and buried by the infrared light distribution emitted from the back of the card, making it extremely difficult to distinguish between the suit and rank from such an infrared distribution. Therefore, it is possible to provide playing cards in which the printing on the front side is difficult to see through, even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0018] The shuffle playing cards according to one aspect of the present invention are: A predetermined set of playing cards having any of the above-described characteristics is shuffled by a shuffling machine to form a set of shuffled playing cards, and the set of shuffled playing cards is individually wrapped and sealed.

[0019] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide shuffled playing cards that do not require the game host to spend a long time shuffling before the game and that do not allow for fraudulent acts such as inserting, removing, or replacing cards.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, a shuffle playing card is performed. The individually wrapped and sealed shuffled playing cards may be assigned a different shuffled playing card ID as an ID code.

[0021] According to such an embodiment, for example, if the shuffled playing card ID is associated with information that can identify the shuffle machine or group of shuffle machines that shuffled the shuffled playing cards, and the shuffled playing card ID is assigned to the individually wrapped and sealed shuffled playing cards, if there is some kind of defect in the playing cards and the cause of the defect is thought to be the shuffle machine, the manufacturer can easily identify which shuffle machine or group of shuffle machines the defect occurred in and take immediate action.

[0022] In one aspect of the present invention, a playing card A sheet ID that is different for each card base paper or for each of a plurality of cards is printed on the card base paper, The sheet ID may be printed on the printing surface of the cards that make up the deck.

[0023] According to this embodiment, one or more decks of playing cards are made by cutting card base paper on which a different sheet ID is printed for each card base paper or for each of several cards, so that the distribution history of the playing cards can be traced back and checked on a database, including information on when the cards were printed and inspected. As a result, even if a malicious fraudster replaces the contents of a packaged shuffled playing card set with a set of cards whose order is known, by reading the sheet IDs from the cards inside and checking the history on a database, it is possible to confirm on a sheet-by-sheet basis whether the product is an authentic product that has been properly manufactured and distributed.

[0024] In one aspect of the present invention, a playing card A sheet ID that is different for each card base paper or for each of a plurality of cards is printed on the card base paper, The sheet ID may be printed on a card other than the cards that make up the deck.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present invention, a shuffle playing card is performed. A sheet ID that is different for each card base paper or for each of a plurality of cards is printed on the card base paper, The sheet ID is printed on the printing surface of the card that constitutes the deck set, A unique shuffled playing card ID is assigned as an ID code to each of the individually wrapped and sealed shuffled playing cards, The sheet IDs of the predetermined set of cards that make up the shuffled playing cards and the shuffled playing card IDs given to the shuffled playing cards may be associated with each other in a database.

[0026] A playing card according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: The suit and rank are printed on one side of the card base paper, and the reverse side has a pattern printed on the back. The card base paper is provided with an intermediate layer having a black layer or a layer of a color similar to black to make it difficult for visible light to pass through, and the suit and rank are printed using ink that does not contain carbon, The intermediate layer prevents the transmission of visible light from the back surface, and the suit and rank printed with ink that does not contain carbon transmit infrared light, making it difficult to distinguish the suit and rank from the back surface by both visible light and infrared light. A set or sets of decks are made up of individual cards cut from the card base paper by a cutting machine.

[0027] In one aspect of the present invention, a playing card The back pattern of the card base paper may be printed with ink containing carbon, so that the ink containing carbon in the back pattern prevents infrared rays from passing through the back surface.

[0028] In one aspect of the present invention, a playing card The intermediate layer may contain carbon and have a structure that prevents infrared rays from passing through.

[0029] The shuffle playing cards according to one aspect of the present invention are: A predetermined set of playing cards having any of the above-described characteristics is shuffled by a shuffling machine to form a set of shuffled playing cards, thereby forming the set of shuffled playing cards.

[0030] In one embodiment of the present invention, a shuffle playing card is performed. The shuffled playing cards may be individually assigned different shuffled playing card IDs as ID codes.

[0031] A table game system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A playing card with the suit and rank printed on one side, a gaming table for playing games using the playing cards; a card dealing device for drawing out the playing cards one by one from the gaming table, said playing cards having said suit and rank printed with carbonless ink and a code representing said suit and rank printed with invisible ink; The card distribution device has a function of reading the rank from the code printed in the invisible ink and determining and displaying the outcome of each game based on the rank information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a playing card according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section of the playing card shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3(a) is a diagram showing the front side of a card that constitutes a deck of playing cards according to one embodiment, and FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing the back side thereof. [Figure 4]FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing the front side of a card other than the cards that make up the deck of playing cards according to one embodiment, and FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing the back side thereof. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for producing playing cards according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a card base sheet used in a method for producing playing cards according to one embodiment, on which a sheet ID is printed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of card base paper used in a method for manufacturing playing cards according to an embodiment, on which a sheet ID is printed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing shuffled playing cards manufactured by a method for manufacturing playing cards according to one embodiment, before the lid of the package is sealed with a sticker. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows shuffled playing cards according to one embodiment, in which a shuffled playing card ID is given to a sticker that seals the lid of the package. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a database that stores shuffled playing card IDs and sheet IDs in association with each other. [Figure 11A] FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a cross section of a conventional playing card. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a cross section of a playing card in which an intermediate layer is added to a conventional playing card. [Figure 11C] FIG. 11C is a diagram showing a cross section of a playing card according to one embodiment. [Figure 11D] FIG. 11D is a diagram showing a cross section of a playing card according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, components having equivalent functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of the components having the same reference numerals will not be repeated.

[0034] A table game system according to one embodiment includes playing cards 2 (see FIG. 1) each having a suit 21a and a rank 21b printed on one side thereof, a gaming table for playing a game using the playing cards 2, and a card dealing device for drawing out the playing cards 2 one by one from the gaming table.

[0035] As will be described later, the suit 21a and rank 21b are printed with carbon-free ink on the playing card 2. In addition, a code representing the suit 21a and rank 21b is printed on the playing card 2 with invisible ink (for example, ultraviolet luminescent ink that glows when exposed to ultraviolet light or DNA-containing paint that emits light at a specific wavelength when exposed to light).

[0036] The card dealing device has the function of reading the rank from the code printed in invisible ink and determining and displaying the outcome of each game based on the rank information. For example, the card shooter device described in WO 2012 / 053179 or the card shooter device described in WO 2013 / 161284 can be used as such a card dealing device.

[0037] Next, the structure of a playing card 2 according to one embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a playing card 2 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the cross section of the playing card 2 shown in Fig. 1.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the playing card 2 of this embodiment has a suit 21a and a rank 21b printed on one side, a back pattern 29 printed on the back side, and an infrared-blocking layer 28 as an intermediate layer.

[0039] In this embodiment, the infrared-blocking layer 28 serving as an intermediate layer contains carbon. Carbon has the property of having a high infrared emissivity (absorption rate), so that infrared rays emitted from a printed portion on the front surface (for example, sheet ID31 described later) are absorbed by the infrared-blocking layer 28 serving as an intermediate layer, as shown in Fig. 2, and are less likely to transmit to the back side. In this specification, "visible light" refers to radiation that can enter the eye and cause a visual sensation, and "infrared" refers to radiation whose monochromatic light component has a wavelength longer than the wavelength of visible radiation (visible light) and shorter than approximately 1 nm, as defined in JIS Z8120:2001.

[0040] In addition, the infrared-transmission preventing layer 28 is not limited to a form including a material that absorbs infrared rays, such as carbon, as long as it can prevent the transmission of infrared rays, and may also be a form including a material that reflects infrared rays, such as aluminum foil.

[0041] In the playing card 2 according to this embodiment, carbon-free ink is used in the printed portions of the suit 21a and rank 21b. While using carbon-free ink is contrary to common sense, since the rank, suit, and pattern of playing cards are not required to be jet black, there is no problem in using carbon-free ink. Because carbon-free ink is used in the printed portions of the suit 21a and rank 21b, the difference in intensity of infrared rays emitted from the printed portions 21a and 21b is small between the intensity of infrared rays emitted from the surrounding areas. Even if some infrared rays emitted from the front-side printed portions 21a and 21b are not absorbed by the intermediate layer 28 and penetrate to the backside, it is extremely difficult to distinguish the shape of the suit 21a and rank 21b from the distribution of the small amount of transmitted infrared rays.

[0042] Furthermore, in the playing card 2 according to this embodiment, the back design 29 of the card is printed with ink containing carbon (for example, carbon black ink). Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, an infrared distribution of the same pattern as the back design 29 appears on the back side of the card. Therefore, even if some infrared rays are emitted from the printed portion on the front side (for example, sheet ID 31) and are not completely absorbed by the intermediate layer 28 and penetrate to the back side, the trace amount of infrared distribution that has penetrated is superimposed and buried in the infrared distribution emitted from the back design 29 of the card, making it even more difficult to distinguish the print 31 on the front side even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0043] Fig. 3(a) is a diagram showing the front side of a card 21 constituting a deck of playing cards 2 according to one embodiment, and Fig. 3(b) is a diagram showing the back side thereof. Fig. 4(a) is a diagram showing the front side of a card 22 other than a card constituting a deck of playing cards 2 according to one embodiment, and Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing the back side thereof.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, a deck of playing cards 2 according to this embodiment has 4×13=52 cards, consisting of a combination of four suits 21a (i.e., spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts) and 13 ranks 21b (i.e., A (Ace), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J (Jack), Q (Queen), and K (King)) as cards 21 constituting the deck.

[0045] 4, a set of playing cards 2 according to this embodiment further includes a "joker" card 22 as a card other than the cards that make up the deck. The "joker" card 22 included in a set of playing cards 2 may be one or two. The "joker" card 22 is a card that is removed and discarded before the shuffling process when creating shuffled playing cards, which will be described later.

[0046] A set of playing cards 21, 22 according to this embodiment is formed by cutting individually from a single card base paper 20 (see FIG. 6) using a cutting machine.

[0047] 3 and 4, a common sheet ID 31, 32 is printed on the front side of each of a set of playing cards 21, 22, and a common back pattern 29 is printed on the back side. The sheet ID 31, 32 may be a character code consisting of a plurality of numbers, letters, and symbols, or may be a barcode or two-dimensional code in which the character code is encoded.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet ID 31 printed on the cards 21 constituting a deck set may be printed with ink that is invisible to the human eye (for example, transparent UV ink) or may be printed with ink that is visible to the human eye (for example, black ink). If the sheet ID 31 is printed with ink that is invisible to the human eye (for example, transparent UV ink), the card will look the same as a conventional card, and the user of the card will be able to use the card without feeling any discomfort. On the other hand, if the sheet ID 31 is printed with ink that is visible to the human eye (for example, black ink), although the user of the card may feel uncomfortable, the sheet ID 31 is simply an ID code, and therefore does not pose any particular problem in the game.

[0049] 4, the sheet ID 32 printed on the cards 22 other than the cards that make up the deck set may be printed with ink that is invisible to the human eye (for example, transparent UV ink) or may be printed with ink that is visible to the human eye (for example, black ink). If it is printed with ink that is visible to the human eye (for example, black ink), the manufacturer can easily check the sheet ID 32 when inspecting the quality of the printed card base paper in the manufacturing process described below.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 10, the sheet IDs 31, 32 printed on each playing card 21, 22 are stored in a database in association with either or both of a record of the printing date of the sheet ID on the original card base paper 20 and a record of the date of cutting into individual playing cards 21, 22.

[0051] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing shuffled playing cards 12 according to this embodiment, before the package 11 is sealed with a sticker 13. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing shuffled playing cards 12 according to this embodiment, in which a shuffled playing card ID 13a is attached to the sticker 13 that seals the package 11.

[0052] The shuffled playing cards 12 according to this embodiment are obtained by thoroughly shuffling a plurality of decks (for example, four or eight decks) of cards 21 constituting a deck of the above-mentioned playing cards 2 as one set using a shuffling machine. A different shuffled playing card ID 13a is assigned to each set as an ID code to the shuffled playing cards 12. In the illustrated example, the shuffled playing cards 12 are The shuffle playing card ID 13a is coded as a barcode and printed on the sticker 13 that seals the package 11.

[0053] 10, the sheet IDs 31 of the playing cards 21 constituting the shuffled playing cards 12 and the shuffled playing card ID 13a are stored in association with each other in a database. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the shuffled playing card ID 13a is stored in association with the shuffle machine ID that identifies the shuffle machine or group of shuffle machines that shuffled the shuffled playing cards 12 and the shuffle date in the database.

[0054] Next, a description will be given of a method for manufacturing the playing cards 2 and shuffled playing cards 12 according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the playing cards 2 and shuffled playing cards 12 according to this embodiment.

[0055] In the manufacturing process of the playing cards 2 and shuffled playing cards 12 according to this embodiment, it is preferable that a process control system be used to perform consistent process control from order receipt to shipment. In this embodiment, a manufacturing method using such a process control system will be described.

[0056] First, a card base paper 20 having an infrared transmission preventing layer 28 as an intermediate layer is prepared. Then, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, in the printing process, a printer prints the suit 21a and rank 21b on the front side of the card base paper 20, and prints the back pattern 29 on the back side (step S40). In this embodiment, ink that does not contain carbon is used to print the suit 21a and rank 21b. Ink that contains carbon is used to print the back pattern 29.

[0057] In the example shown in Figure 6, a total of 56 cards, consisting of 52 cards 21 consisting of a combination of 4 suits and 13 ranks, one "Joker" card 22, and three other cards 23, are printed in a matrix arrangement of 8 rows and 7 columns.

[0058] As a variant, as shown in Figure 7, two decks of 52 cards 21 each consisting of a combination of four suits and 13 ranks, plus one other card 23, for a total of 105 cards, may be printed in a matrix arrangement of 7 rows and 15 columns.

[0059] Next, in the sheet ID assignment process, the process control system assigns a different sheet ID to each or each of multiple sheets of card base paper, and a printer prints sheet IDs 31, 32 on the surface of card base paper 20 (step S41). The process control system also stores sheet IDs 31, 32 and the printing dates of sheet IDs 31, 32 on card base paper 20 in a database in association with each other (see FIG. 10). Although not shown, sheet IDs 31, 32 may be stored in the database in association with one or more of a factory name, a production line, and a customer name (casino name).

[0060] In this embodiment, the sheet ID 31 is printed on the cards 21 that make up the deck using ink that is invisible to the human eye (for example, transparent UV ink). This makes the cards 21 that make up the deck look similar to conventional cards, allowing the user to use the cards without feeling uncomfortable. The sheet ID 31 may be printed only on a specific card (for example, the Ace of Spades) among the cards 21 that make up the deck, or may be printed on all of the cards.

[0061] Meanwhile, the sheet ID 32 is printed in ink that is visible to the human eye (for example, black ink) on the cards 22, 23 other than the cards that make up the deck set. This allows the manufacturer to easily check the sheet ID when inspecting the quality of the printed card base paper.

[0062] In this embodiment, the sheet ID assignment process (step S41) is performed after the printing process (step S40), but this is not limited to this, and the printing process (step S40) may be performed after the sheet ID assignment process (step S41).

[0063] Next, the card base paper 20 that has been through the printing process (step S40) and the sheet ID assignment process (step S41) is cut by a cutting machine into individual cards 21, 22, 23 (step S42). By removing cards 22 and 23 other than those that make up the deck from the cut cards, one deck's worth of playing cards 21 (two decks' worth from the card base paper 20 shown in FIG. 7) is created.

[0064] Before or during shuffling by a shuffling machine (described later), the process control system reads sheet IDs 31 from the playing cards 21 that make up the deck, and stores them in a database in association with the shuffling machine (or group of shuffling machines) and the date and time of shuffling (see Figure 10).

[0065] Next, in the shuffling process, multiple decks (for example, four or eight decks) of playing cards 21 are shuffled by a shuffling machine to create a set of shuffled playing cards 12 (step S43). As the shuffling machine, for example, the shuffling machine described in International Publication No. 2009 / 069708 can be used.

[0066] Next, the set of shuffled playing cards 12 that has been shuffled (step S43) is packaged by a packaging machine (step S44). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the set of shuffled playing cards 12 is housed in a box-shaped package 11. The material of the package 11 is not particularly limited, and may be paper or a resin film. As shown in FIG. 7, the lid of the package 11 is sealed with a sticker 13.

[0067] Next, the process control system generates a different shuffled playing card ID for each set of shuffled playing cards, and assigns the shuffled playing card ID 13a as an ID code to each set of shuffled playing cards 12 (step S45). In the illustrated example, the shuffled playing card ID 13a is encoded as a barcode and printed by a printer on the sticker 13 that seals the lid of the package 11.

[0068] In the illustrated example, in addition to a shuffled playing card ID 13a, a specification sheet 13b is printed on the sticker 13. The specification sheet 13b may include any information such as the serial number, product number, product name, color, and manufacturing date of the shuffled playing card.

[0069] Furthermore, the process control system associates the sheet ID 31 read from the playing cards 21 constituting the set of decks before the shuffling process (step S43) with the shuffled playing card ID 13a of the set of shuffled playing cards 12 to which the deck belongs in the database and stores the associated ID in the database (see FIG. 10). In the illustrated example, one set of shuffled playing cards 12 is composed of four decks of playing cards 21, and four sheet IDs 31 are associated and stored for each shuffled playing card ID 13a in the database. Furthermore, the process control system associates the shuffled playing card ID 13a with the shuffle machine ID that identifies the shuffle machine or group of shuffle machines that shuffled the shuffled playing cards 12 and the shuffle date in the database. It is stored as:

[0070] According to the present embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the card base paper 20 is provided with an infrared-blocking layer 28 containing carbon as an intermediate layer, so that infrared rays emitted from the printed portion on the front side of the card are absorbed by the intermediate layer 28 and are less likely to transmit to the back side. Furthermore, because ink containing no carbon is used to print the suit 21a and rank 21b, the difference in intensity between the infrared rays emitted from the printed portion and the infrared rays emitted from the surrounding area is small. Even if some infrared rays emitted from the printed portion on the front side are not absorbed by the intermediate layer 28 and transmit to the back side, it is extremely difficult to distinguish the suit 21a and rank 21b from the distribution of the small amount of transmitted infrared rays. Therefore, a playing card 2 can be provided in which the printing on the front side is less likely to be seen through, even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0071] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the back pattern 29 on the back side of the card base paper 20 is printed with ink containing carbon, and therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, an infrared distribution of the same pattern as the back pattern 29 appears on the back side of the card. Therefore, even if some infrared rays are emitted from the printed portion on the front side and are not completely absorbed by the intermediate layer 28 and pass through to the back side, the trace amount of infrared distribution that has passed through is superimposed and buried in the infrared distribution emitted from the back pattern 29 of the card, making it even more difficult to distinguish the printing on the front side even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0072] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a predetermined set of the above-mentioned playing cards 2 is shuffled by a shuffling machine to form one set of shuffled playing cards 12, and each set of shuffled playing cards 12 is individually wrapped and sealed. This eliminates the need for the game host to spend a long time shuffling the cards prior to the game, and makes it possible to provide shuffled playing cards that do not allow for fraudulent acts such as inserting, removing, or replacing cards.

[0073] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, each individually wrapped and sealed shuffled playing card 12 is assigned a different shuffled playing card ID 13a as an ID code. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, if the shuffled playing card ID 13 is associated with information that can identify the shuffle machine or group of shuffle machines that shuffled the shuffled playing cards 12, then if there is some kind of problem with the playing cards and the cause of the problem is thought to be the shuffle machine, the manufacturer can easily identify which shuffle machine or group of shuffle machines the problem occurred in and can take immediate action.

[0074] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since one or more decks of playing cards 21 are made by cutting card base paper 20 on which a different sheet ID 31 is printed, the distribution history of the playing cards can be traced back and checked on a database, including information on when the cards were printed and inspected. As a result, even if a malicious fraudster replaces the contents of a packaged shuffled playing card set 12 with a set of cards whose order is known, by reading the sheet ID 31 from the cards inside and checking the history on a database, it is possible to confirm on a sheet-by-sheet basis whether the cards are genuine products that have been properly manufactured and distributed.

[0075] Furthermore, by printing a different sheet ID 31 on each or multiple sheets of card base paper 20, it becomes possible to manage the IDs of the card base paper 20 within the factory, and even if the card base paper 20 is discarded midway, it is possible to manage in a database at what stage it was discarded. This makes it possible to grasp the yield at each process in the manufacturing stage. In addition, it becomes possible to determine whether or not cards made from card base paper that are judged to be defective and discarded at each process have been mistakenly mixed into products (i.e., it becomes possible to determine whether or not only cards made from good card base paper are used in products). Furthermore, even if a malicious cheater illegally obtains discarded card base paper 20 and cuts it himself to create a counterfeit card, and then brings the counterfeit card into a game and uses it, it is possible to easily detect that the card is a counterfeit by reading sheet ID 31 from the card and checking the history in the database, thereby increasing the security of the game.

[0076] 6 and 7, in the sheet ID assignment step, the sheet IDs 31 and 32 are printed on the portions of the card base paper 20 on which the cards 21 to 23 are printed, but this is not limiting, and the sheet IDs may be printed on portions of the card base paper 20 on which no cards are printed. In this case, the sheet ID can be obtained from the remaining portion (so-called removal waste) after the cards 21 to 23 are removed from the card base paper 20.

[0077] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, (1) the card base paper 20 has an infrared-blocking layer 28 as an intermediate layer, and (2) ink that does not contain carbon is used to print the suit 21a and rank 21b, and (3) furthermore, the back pattern 29 on the back surface of the card base paper 20 is printed with ink that contains carbon. However, if (1) the card base paper 20 has an infrared-blocking layer 28 as an intermediate layer, and (2) ink that does not contain carbon is used to print the suit 21a and rank 21b, then (3) it is not necessarily required that the back pattern 29 on the back surface of the card base paper 20 be printed with ink that contains carbon, and the back pattern 29 may be printed with ink that does not contain carbon.

[0078] Furthermore, if (1) the card base paper 20 has the infrared-transmission preventing layer 28 as an intermediate layer, and (3) the back pattern 29 on the back side of the card base paper 20 is printed with ink containing carbon, (2) it is not necessarily required that ink containing no carbon is used to print the suit 21a and the rank 21b, and ink containing carbon may be used to print the suit 21a and the rank 21b. Even in this embodiment, (1) because the card base paper 20 has the infrared-transmission preventing layer 28 containing carbon as an intermediate layer, infrared rays emitted from the front side of the card are absorbed by the intermediate layer 28 and are less likely to pass through to the back side, and further, (3) because the back pattern 29 of the card is printed with ink containing carbon, an infrared distribution having the same pattern as the back pattern 29 appears on the back side of the card. Therefore, even if some of the infrared rays emitted from the printed portions 21a, 21b on the front side are not absorbed by the intermediate layer 28 and pass through to the back side, the trace amount of infrared rays that passes through will be overlaid and buried in the infrared rays emitted from the back pattern 29 of the card, making it extremely difficult to determine the suit 21a and rank 21b from such an infrared distribution. Therefore, this embodiment also makes it possible to provide a playing card in which the printing on the front side is difficult to see through, even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0079] Furthermore, if (2) ink that does not contain carbon is used to print the suit 21a and rank 21b, and (3) furthermore, the back pattern 29 on the back side of the card base paper 20 is printed with ink that contains carbon, then (1) it is not necessarily essential that the card base paper 20 has the infrared-transmission preventing layer 28 as an intermediate layer, and the card base paper 20 does not necessarily have to have the infrared-transmission preventing layer 28 as an intermediate layer. Even in such an embodiment, (2) because ink that does not contain carbon is used to print the suit 21a and rank 21b, the difference between the intensity of infrared rays emitted from the printed area and the intensity of infrared rays emitted from the surrounding area is small, and even if infrared rays are emitted from the printed area on the front side and penetrate to the back side, it is difficult to distinguish the suit 21a and rank 21b from the distribution of the small amount of transmitted infrared rays. Furthermore, because the back pattern 29 of the card is printed with ink that contains carbon, On the back of the card, an infrared distribution with the same pattern as the back pattern 29 appears. Therefore, even if some infrared rays emitted from the printed portion on the front side penetrate to the back side, the trace amount of infrared distribution that penetrates is superimposed on and buried in the infrared distribution emitted from the back pattern 29 of the card, making it extremely difficult to distinguish the suit 21a and rank 21b from such infrared distribution. Therefore, this embodiment also makes it possible to provide a playing card in which the printing on the front side is difficult to see through even when viewed through an infrared camera.

[0080] 11A is a diagram showing a cross section of a conventional playing card 111. Conventional playing cards 111 have a problem in that visible light 103 and infrared light 104 are transmitted through them, making it possible to discern the print 131 indicating the rank and suit from the back side.

[0081] 11B is a diagram showing a cross section of playing card 112, which is a conventional playing card 111 to which intermediate layer 128 has been added. Playing card 112 has intermediate layer 128, which has a black layer or a color layer similar to black, to prevent visible light 103 from passing through, making it difficult to distinguish printing 131 indicating rank and suit from the back side using visible light 103. However, infrared light 104 has a strong penetrating power and passes through intermediate layer 128, so there is still the problem that infrared light 104 can be used to distinguish printing 131 indicating rank and suit from the back side.

[0082] FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view of a playing card 113 according to one embodiment. The playing card 113 of this embodiment includes an intermediate layer 128 having a black or black-like color layer. Furthermore, the printing 132 indicating the rank and suit is printed using ink that does not contain carbon. The black or black-like color layer of the intermediate layer 128 prevents visible light 103 from passing through, making it difficult to distinguish the printing 132 indicating the rank and suit from the back side using visible light 103. While infrared light 104 passes through the intermediate layer 128, the printing 132 indicating the rank and suit is printed using ink that does not contain carbon. Therefore, the printing 132 indicating the rank and suit is difficult to distinguish from the back side using infrared light 104. As described above, the playing card 113 of this embodiment makes it difficult to distinguish the printing 132 indicating the rank and suit from the back side using both visible light 103 and infrared light 104.

[0083] 11D is a cross-sectional view of a playing card 114 according to another embodiment. The playing card 114 of this embodiment includes an intermediate layer 129 having a black or black-like color layer. Furthermore, the printing 132 representing the rank and suit is printed using ink that does not contain carbon, and the intermediate layer 129 contains carbon. The black or black-like color layer 129 prevents the transmission of visible light 103, and the carbon content of the intermediate layer 128 reduces the amount of infrared light 104 that passes through. While infrared light 104 does not completely reach the intermediate layer 129, some of it passes through the intermediate layer 129. Furthermore, since the printing 132 representing the rank and suit is printed using ink that does not contain carbon, the infrared light 104 passes through the printing 132 representing the rank and suit, making it difficult to distinguish the printing 132 representing the rank and suit from the back side even with infrared light 104. As described above, in the playing card 114 of another embodiment of this invention, the amount of infrared light 104 that passes through the intermediate layer 129 is reduced compared to the playing card 113, making it even more difficult to distinguish the print 132 indicating the rank and suit from the back side using both visible light 103 and infrared light 104.

[0084] The above-described embodiment has been described for the purpose of enabling a person having ordinary skill in the art to carry out the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiment are naturally possible for a person skilled in the art, and the technical concept of the present invention is applicable to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but should be accorded the widest scope in accordance with the technical ideas defined by the claims. The components of the above-described embodiments and individual modifications can be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. The suit and rank are printed on one side of the card base paper, and the reverse side has a pattern printed on the back. The card base paper is provided with an intermediate layer having a black layer or a layer of a color similar to black to make it difficult for visible light to pass through, and the suit and rank are printed using ink that does not contain carbon, The intermediate layer prevents the transmission of visible light from the back surface, and the suit and rank printed with ink that does not contain carbon transmit infrared light, making it difficult to distinguish the suit and rank from the back surface by both visible light and infrared light. A deck or sets of playing cards are made up of individual cards cut from the card base paper by a cutting machine.

2. 2. The playing card according to claim 1, wherein the back pattern of said card base paper is printed with ink containing carbon, so that the transmission of infrared rays from the back surface is prevented by the ink containing carbon of said back pattern.

3. 3. The playing card according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate layer contains carbon and is configured to prevent infrared light from passing through.

4. 4. A shuffled playing card set comprising a predetermined set of the playing cards according to claim 1, which is assembled by shuffling the playing cards with a shuffling machine.

5. 5. The shuffled playing cards according to claim 4, wherein each of the shuffled playing cards is assigned a different shuffled playing card ID as an ID code.

6. A playing card with the suit and rank printed on one side, a gaming table for playing games using the playing cards; a card dealing device for drawing out the playing cards one by one from the gaming table, said playing cards having said suit and rank printed with carbonless ink and a code representing said suit and rank printed with invisible ink; The card distribution device is a table game system having a function of reading the rank from the code printed with the invisible ink and determining and displaying the results of each game based on the rank information.

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