Automated Card Sorting and Recovery System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The gaming industry faces inefficiencies and significant costs in sorting and recovering unused playing cards, as existing systems are cumbersome, labor-intensive, and fail to accurately identify and separate cards by type, leading to unnecessary destruction of usable cards and potential fraud risks.
Innovation Solution
An automated card sorting and recovery system that includes a card input device, sensing device for data collection, sorting device, and controller to identify and distribute cards into complete sets or holding devices, with features for authentication, flaw detection, and separate handling of different card types, utilizing a transport mechanism and banding device to manage cards efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cards are collected and marked as used or destroyed at the end of each day, then fraud risk is reduced and card integrity is maintained, but unused cards represent a substantial loss and marking costs are significant
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments cards into different categories (used vs. unused, different game types) through automated identification and sorting. Cards are divided into groups based on their status and type, allowing unused cards to be separated from used cards for recovery and reuse, thereby reducing waste while maintaining integrity controls on actually used cards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements card recovery by identifying and separating unused cards from used cards at the end of each day. Unused cards are recovered and made available for redistribution or reuse in future games, while only genuinely used cards are marked or destroyed. This recovers substantial value that would otherwise be lost.
2Manufacturing precision
If fifty-two trays are used to sort cards into decks, then complete sets can be organized, but the apparatus size and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a small number of pockets (e.g., four pockets) that can be dynamically assigned to different card types through software control. The same physical pockets serve multiple functions by changing their assigned card type categories, eliminating the need for fifty-two dedicated trays while still achieving complete set organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically reconfigures pocket assignments based on the card types being sorted. Rather than having fixed static trays for each card position, the pockets can be reassigned to different card types (e.g., blackjack cards, baccarat cards) depending on the sorting task, making the system adaptable and reducing physical complexity.
3Reliability
If cards are sorted manually by type, then different game decks can be separated, but the effort and expense of tracking cards of each type is significant
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical sorting with automated optical sensing and computer control. Sensors automatically identify card types, game designs, and individual card identities, then the controller directs sorting to appropriate pockets. This eliminates manual tracking effort and significantly reduces sorting time while maintaining accurate separation of different card types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-identification of card types through embedded sensors and imaging systems. Each card's type, design, and status are automatically detected without human intervention, and the sorting process is autonomously controlled by the system's controller, eliminating the need for manual tracking and classification effort.
4Loss of information
If header cards with barcodes are used to separate decks, then decks can be identified by origin, but locating dissimilar cards in a stack is costly and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual inspection of header cards with automated optical sensors that read barcodes and identify card types. The sensing device automatically detects dissimilar cards within stacks by scanning their visual characteristics and barcode information, eliminating the need for manual searching and significantly reducing the difficulty of detecting and measuring card discrepancies.
5Reliability
If a large number of decks are assigned to each gaming table, then card quality and integrity are maintained, but the cost of marking and destroying all cards at end of day is significant
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers unused cards from the large number of decks assigned to gaming tables by automatically identifying which cards were actually used versus which remain unused. Unused cards are separated and recovered for redistribution or reuse, while only the relatively small number of actually used cards are marked or destroyed. This recovers substantial value from the multiple decks while maintaining quality standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the large volume of cards from multiple decks into used and unused categories through automated identification. This segmentation allows the casino to maintain the high number of decks needed for quality and integrity at each table, while simultaneously recovering unused cards to reduce waste and costs.
Data Source
AI summary
An unused card sorting and recovering apparatus includes a card input device, a card sensing device, a card sorting device, and a card disposing device. The apparatus further includes a plurality of pockets, each of the plurality of pockets configured to hold one or more cards. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to, for each of a plurality of cards, determine an identity of the card, determine whether at least one pocket of the plurality of pockets is missing the card from a complete deck based on the identity of the card, instruct the card sorting device to distribute the card to a pocket of the at least one pocket of the plurality of pockets that is missing the card, or instruct the card sorting device to distribute the card to a holding device. The apparatus further comprises a resetting device configured to reset specific pockets.