U.S. patent application number 11/480275 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-15 for system and method to handle playing cards, employing manual movable cover.
This patent application is currently assigned to Bally Gaming, Inc.. Invention is credited to Allen Fleckenstein.
Application Number | 20070057454 11/480275 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37726786 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070057454 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fleckenstein; Allen |
March 15, 2007 |
System and method to handle playing cards, employing manual movable
cover
Abstract
A card shoe handling device includes a cover that is manually
movable from a closed position to an opened position, where in the
closed position the cover limits access to playing cards carried by
the playing card output receiver from an exterior of the playing
card handling system and in the opened position the cover does not
limit access to playing cards carried by the playing card output
receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling system.
Inventors: |
Fleckenstein; Allen;
(Bellevue, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SEED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW GROUP PLLC
701 FIFTH AVE
SUITE 5400
SEATTLE
WA
98104
US
|
Assignee: |
Bally Gaming, Inc.
Las Vegas
NV
|
Family ID: |
37726786 |
Appl. No.: |
11/480275 |
Filed: |
June 30, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60716538 |
Sep 12, 2005 |
|
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60791549 |
Apr 12, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
273/149R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 1/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/149.00R |
International
Class: |
A63F 1/12 20060101
A63F001/12 |
Claims
1. A playing card handling system, comprising: a playing card input
receiver sized and positioned to receive a number of playing cards
to be handled by the playing card handling system; a playing card
output receiver sized and positioned to receive a number of playing
cards handled by the playing card handling system; at least one
playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver
and the playing card output receiver, along which at least some of
the playing cards pass from the playing card input receiver to the
playing card output receiver; at least one intermediary playing
card receiver positioned in the at least one playing card transport
path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card
output receiver; an elevator mechanism physically coupled to the
playing card output receiver and operable to selectively move the
playing card output receiver between a lowered position and a
raised position, where in the lowered position the playing card
output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and
in the raised position at least some playing cards carried by the
playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of
the gaming table; and a cover manually movable from a closed
position to an opened position, where in the closed position the
cover limits access to playing cards carried by the playing card
output receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling
system and in the opened position the cover does not limit access
to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver from
an exterior of the playing card handling system.
2. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the cover is
mounted for sliding movement between the opened and the closed
positions.
3. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the cover is
mounted for pivotal movement between the opened and the closed
positions.
4. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the cover is
mounted to another portion of the playing card handling system for
pivotal movement between the opened and the closed positions.
5. The playing card handling system of claim 1, further comprising:
at least one spring physically coupled to bias the cover into the
closed position.
6. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein in the
opened position the cover forms an acute angle with respect to a
gravitational vector, such that a gravitational force biases the
cover into the closed position.
7. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the cover in
the opened position is not biased toward the closed position.
8. The playing card handling system of claim 1 wherein the playing
card handling system is operable to provide playing cards to the
playing card output receiver in an order, wherein the order is at
least one of a sorted order or a random order.
9. A playing card handling system, comprising: a playing card input
receiver positioned to receive a number of playing cards to be
ordered by the playing card handling system; a playing card output
receiver positioned to provide a number of playing cards ordered by
the playing card handling system; ordering means for providing the
playing cards received in the playing card input receiver to the
playing card output receiver in an order, wherein the order is at
least one of a sorted order or a random order; elevator means for
selectively moving the playing card output receiver between a
lowered position and a raised position, where in the lowered
position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a
surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some
playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are
positioned above the surface of the gaming table; and a cover
manually movable from a closed position to an opened position,
where in the closed position the cover substantially limits access
to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver from
an exterior of the playing card handling system and in the opened
position the cover does not substantially limit access to playing
cards carried by the playing card output receiver from an exterior
of the playing card handling system.
10. The playing card handling system of claim 9 wherein the
ordering means comprises at least one intermediary playing card
receiver positioned in a at least one playing card transport path
between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output
receiver.
11. The playing card handling system of claim 9, further
comprising: cover biasing means for biasing the cover into the
closed position.
12. A method of operating a playing card handling system that
comprises a playing card input receiver, a playing card output
receiver, at least one playing card transport path between the
playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver,
along which at least some of the playing cards pass from the
playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver,
and an elevator mechanism physically coupled to the playing card
output receiver and operable to selectively move the playing card
output receiver, the method comprising: placing a number of playing
cards to be handled by the playing card handling system in the
playing card input receiver; manually moving a cover from a closed
position to an opened position, where in the closed position the
cover limits access to playing cards carried by the playing card
output receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling
system and in the opened position the cover does not limit access
to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver from
an exterior of the playing card handling system; and removing at
least some of the playing cards from the playing card output
receiver after the elevator mechanism moves the playing card output
receiver from a lowered position to a raised position, where in the
lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned
below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at
least some playing cards carried by the playing card output
receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein comprises sliding the cover from
the closed to the opened position.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein comprises pivoting the cover
from the closed to the opened position.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: causing the
elevator mechanism to move the playing card output receiver from
the raised position to the lowered position after removing at least
some of the playing cards from the playing card output
receiver.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein causing the elevator mechanism
to lower the playing card output receiver from the raised position
to the lowered position comprises activating a switch that is
accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling
device.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: moving the cover to
the closed position from the open position after the elevator
mechanism moves the playing card output receiver from the raised
position to the lowered position.
18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: allowing the cover
to return to the closed position from the open position under a
biasing force after the elevator mechanism moves the playing card
output receiver from the raised position to the lowered
position.
19. The method of claim 15 wherein causing the elevator mechanism
to lower the playing card output receiver from the raised position
to the lowered position comprises moving the cover toward the
closed position from the opened position to activate a switch that
is communicatively coupled to the elevator mechanism.
20. The method of claim 15 wherein causing the elevator mechanism
to lower the playing card output receiver from the raised position
to the lowered position comprises moving the cover to engage a
switch that is communicatively coupled to at least partially
control the elevator mechanism.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/791,549
filed Apr. 12, 2006.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This description generally relates to the field of table
gaming, and more particularly to a playing card handling system to
sort and/or shuffle or otherwise handle playing cards.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] There are numerous games played with playing cards. For
example, blackjack, baccarat, various types of poker, LET IT
RIDE.RTM., and/or UNO.RTM., to name a few. Games may be played with
one or more standard decks of playing cards. A standard deck of
playing cards typically comprises fifty-two playing cards, each
playing card having a combination of a rank symbol and a suit
symbol, selected from thirteen rank symbols (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A) and four suit symbols (i.e., , ,
.diamond., and ). Some games may employ sets of playing cards
including a fewer or a greater number of playing cards than those
comprising a standard deck. Some games may include non-standard
playing cards, for example playing cards with symbols other than
the rank and suit symbols associated with a standard deck.
[0006] In some instances playing card games involve wagering, where
money and/or prizes may be won. In other instances playing card
games are played without wagering, for fun or recreation. In either
case, it is typically desirable to randomize the set of playing
cards before dealing the playing cards to the participants (e.g.,
players and/or dealer). Randomizing is typically referred to as
shuffling, which describes the act of riffling or interleaving the
corners of two stacks of playing cards by hand.
[0007] In other instances, it may be useful to arrange or otherwise
sort playing cards into a defined order. For example, it may be
desirable to form sorted packs or decks of playing cards after the
playing cards are collected from one or more gaming tables in a
casino. The packs or decks can then be checked for completeness,
and reused, or sold.
[0008] Numerous devices and systems have been developed for
automatically randomizing or sorting playing cards. One approach
attempts to mechanically replicate riffling or interleaving the
corners of two stacks of playing cards. Such an approach is shown,
for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,884; 5,261,667; 5,275,411; and
5,303,921. Another approach is to separate the playing cards into
two distinct stacks and randomly move playing cards from each stack
into a third stack. Such an approach is shown, for example, in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 5,695,189; 6,068,258; 6,139,014; 6,325,373; and
6,568,678. Yet another approach is to place playing cards into
random positions in a stack of playing cards carried by an
elevator. Such an approach typically involves a gripper mechanism
to support an upper portion of the stack, while the floor of the
elevator is dropped to create a space into which the playing card
is inserted. Such an approach is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,683,085; 5,944,310; 6,651,981; and 6,651,982. A further
approach is to insert playing cards into selected compartments,
either randomly or in a sorted order. Such an approach is shown,
for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,149,154; 6,254,096; 6,267,248;
6,588,750; 6,588,751; 6,655,684; 6,659,460; 6,676,127; and
6,889,979. Still a further approach is to withdraw or eject playing
cards in a random order from an array of playing card receptacles.
Such an approach is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,382,024; 5,584,483; 5,676,372; 6,019,368; 6,299,167; and
6,698,756.
[0009] Whether used for randomizing or sorting, card handling
devices must deliver the randomized or sorted playing cards to the
user (e.g., dealer). It will typically be desirable to present the
playing cards in a highly aligned stack, in a manner that the
playing cards are easily and quickly accessible by the user. This
may be particularly desirable where the playing cards are delivered
at a gaming table in a casino environment. Casinos highly value
speed, which maintains customer interest, and which allows the
maximum utilization of the casino facilities. Casinos also highly
value security. Thus, casinos employ elaborate mechanisms and
procedures to prevent players and/or casino personnel (e.g.,
dealers) from gaining a knowledge of a playing card value before
the playing card is dealt. Consequently, devices and methods that
facilitate the easy, quick and secure delivery of playing cards are
desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In one embodiment, a playing card handling system comprises:
a playing card input receiver sized and positioned to receive a
number of playing cards to be handled by the playing card handling
system; a playing card output receiver sized and positioned to
receive a number of playing cards handled by the playing card
handling system; at least one playing card transport path between
the playing card input receiver and the playing card output
receiver, along which at least some of the playing cards pass from
the playing card input receiver to the playing card output
receiver; at least one intermediary playing card receiver
positioned in the at least one playing card transport path between
the playing card input receiver and the playing card output
receiver; an elevator mechanism physically coupled to the playing
card output receiver and operable to selectively move the playing
card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised
position, where in the lowered position the playing card output
receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the
raised position at least some playing cards carried by the playing
card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming
table; and a cover manually movable from a closed position to an
opened position, where in the closed position the cover limits
access to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver
from an exterior of the playing card handling system and in the
opened position the cover does not limit access to playing cards
carried by the playing card output receiver from an exterior of the
playing card handling system.
[0011] In another embodiment, a playing card handling system
comprises: a playing card input receiver positioned to receive a
number of playing cards to be ordered by the playing card handling
system; a playing card output receiver positioned to provide a
number of playing cards ordered by the playing card handling
system; ordering means for providing the playing cards received in
the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver
in an order, wherein the order is at least one of a sorted order or
a random order; elevator means for selectively moving the playing
card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised
position, where in the lowered position the playing card output
receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the
raised position at least some playing cards carried by the playing
card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming
table; and a cover manually movable from a closed position to an
opened position, where in the closed position the cover
substantially limits access to playing cards carried by the playing
card output receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling
system and in the opened position the cover does not substantially
limit access to playing cards carried by the playing card output
receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling system.
[0012] In a further embodiment, a method of operating a playing
card handling system comprises: placing a number of playing cards
to be handled by the playing card handling system in the playing
card input receiver; manually moving a cover from a closed position
to an opened position, where in the closed position the cover
limits access to playing cards carried by the playing card output
receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling system and
in the opened position the cover does not limit access to playing
cards carried by the playing card output receiver from an exterior
of the playing card handling system; and removing at least some of
the playing cards from the playing card output receiver after the
elevator mechanism moves the playing card output receiver from a
lowered position to a raised position, where in the lowered
position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a
surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some
playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are
positioned above the surface of the gaming table.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify
similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of
elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For
example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to
scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and
positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular
shapes of the elements as drawn, are not intended to convey any
information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements,
and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the
drawings.
[0014] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a gaming environment
having a playing card handling system in operation with a gaming
table, according to one illustrated embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 1B is a flowchart showing various states of the playing
cards within the gaming environment of FIG. 1A.
[0016] FIG. 2A is a front, top, right side, isometric view of a
playing card handling system, according to one illustrated
embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 2B is a left, side, elevational view of the playing
card handling system of FIG. 2A.
[0018] FIG. 2C is a rear, top, right side, isometric view of the
playing card handling system of FIG. 2A having a playing card
output receiver in a lowered position.
[0019] FIG. 2D is a rear, top, right side, isometric view of the
playing card handling system of FIG. 2A having a slideably mounted
cover in an open position and a playing card output receiver in a
raised or card-delivery position.
[0020] FIG. 2E is a rear, top, right side, isometric view of the
playing card handling system of FIG. 2A having a pivotally mounted
cover in an open position and a playing card output receiver in a
raised or card-delivery position.
[0021] FIG. 3A is a rear, top, left side, isometric view of a
storage device in the form of a carousel, according to one
illustrated embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 3B is a top, plan view of the carousel of FIG. 3A.
[0023] FIG. 3C is a side, elevational view of the carousel of FIG.
3A.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a front, top, right side, isometric view of the
playing card handling system of FIG. 2A.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a side, elevational, schematic view of the playing
card handling system of FIG. 2A showing a card path having various
branches.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a side, elevational, schematic view of the playing
card handling system of FIG. 2A showing rollers for moving cards
through the card path of FIG. 5.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a side, elevational, schematic view of the playing
card handling system of FIG. 2A showing a number of card
sensors.
[0028] FIG. 8 is a side, elevational, schematic view of the playing
card handling system of FIG. 2A showing a number of controllable
motors.
[0029] FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an
embodiment of a card management processing system, which controls
various operating functions of the playing card handling system of
FIG. 1.
[0030] FIG. 10 is a simplified block diagram of the carousel
control interface system communicatively coupled to an exemplary
carousel.
[0031] FIG. 11 is a simplified block diagram of the card manager
interface system communicatively coupled to an exemplary card
management device and a card sensor interface system coupled to an
exemplary cards sensor.
[0032] FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram facilitating an explanation
of the generation of a virtual card sequence and the subsequent
construction of a corresponding group of deliverable cards.
[0033] FIG. 13 illustrates selected alternative embodiments of card
storage devices.
[0034] FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a process of the
generation of a group of deliverable cards.
[0035] FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a process of the
selection of the inventory cards of FIG. 1B from the card storage
devices of FIGS. 1-12.
[0036] FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a process of the
look-forward algorithm.
[0037] FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating a process of the
generation of a group of deliverable cards from the inventory cards
residing in the compartments of the card storage device or from the
transitional cards (if inventory cards are not available).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] In the following description, certain specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various
embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will
understand that the invention may be practiced without these
details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with
computers, computer networks, communications interfaces, sensors
and/or transducers, mechanical drive trains, and/or optical and/or
radio frequency (RF) readers may not be shown or described in
detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description.
[0039] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the
specification and claims which follow, the word "comprise" and
variations thereof, such as, "comprises" and "comprising" are to be
construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is as "including, but
not limited to."
[0040] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment"
or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the
phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places
throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to
the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,
structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable
manner in one or more embodiments.
[0041] The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do
not interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.
[0042] This description generally relates to a gaming environment
having a playing card handling system to arrange, sort, and/or
shuffle (e.g., randomize) or otherwise handle playing cards. Other
devices or systems associated with gaming, such as those used to
automate, enhance, monitor, and/or detect some aspect of a game
played at a gaming table, may interface or otherwise communicate
with the playing card handling system.
[0043] For purposes of clarity and brevity, the playing card
handling system described and illustrated herein may reference
certain card games such as blackjack, baccarat, various types of
poker, LET IT RIDE.RTM., and/or UNO.RTM.. However, it is understood
and appreciated that this description is generally applicable to a
variety of casino-type games and/or gaming tables, or may be
generally applicable to other recreational card games. The playing
card handling system described herein may be useful in wagering
type card games and non-wagering type card games.
[0044] In addition, it is understood that the playing card handling
system may be capable managing cards that do not necessarily
correspond to the standard playing cards, for example cards that
are larger or smaller, shaped differently, and/or made from
something other than traditional card stock material. Playing cards
may include one or more decks of standard playing cards, where each
standard deck includes fifty-two (52) playing cards. Standard
playing cards typically have uniform backs, and faces which each
bear a respective combination of a first primary symbol and a
second primary symbol. The first primary symbol may be selected
from a standard set of playing card rank symbols (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A) and the second primary symbol may
be selected from a standard set of playing card suit symbols (i.e.,
, , .diamond., and ). In some embodiments, the playing cards may
include playing cards other than those found in a complete standard
deck, or decks with a greater or less distribution of particular
playing cards, for example less face cards or more face cards. In
other embodiments, the playing cards may have non-standard symbols
(e.g., slot machine symbols such as bars, lemons, cherries),
graphics, backings, etc. As discussed below, the symbols may even
be modified to add, enhance, or alter the value or significance of
the playing card. In one embodiment, the playing cards are dual
sided playing cards as described in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 10/902,436, which published on Jun. 2, 2005.
Brief Overview of the Playing Card Handling System
[0045] FIG. 1A shows a gaming environment 100 including a gaming
table 102 having a surface 104. The surface 104 of the gaming table
102 typically bears a number of demarcations related to the game,
for example betting circles 106 (only one called out in Figure)
demarcating areas for placing wagers 108 (only one called out in
Figure) and player positions spatially associated with respective
ones of the betting circles 106.
[0046] The gaming environment 100 also includes a playing card
handling system 110. The playing card handling system 110 can be
coupled to, proximate to, or remotely located from the gaming table
102. For example, the playing card handling system 110 is coupled
to the gaming table 102, and may be installed within the gaming
table 102, and/or installed partially or fully underneath the
surface 104 of the gaming table 102. Also for example, the playing
card handling system 110 is installed remotely from the gaming
table 102, such as in a restricted area of a casino where decks of
playing cards are received, sorted, and repacked.
[0047] The playing card handling system 110 includes a playing card
input receiver 112, sized and positioned to receive collected cards
114 into the playing card handling system 110. The playing card
input receiver 112 may, for example, receive collected cards 114
externally from the playing card handling system 110.
[0048] The playing card handling system 110 also includes a playing
card output receiver 116 sized and positioned to deliver
deliverable cards 118 from the playing card handling system 110.
The playing card output receiver 116 may, for example, deliver the
deliverable cards 118 externally from the playing card handling
system 110.
[0049] Playing cards move between the playing card input receiver
112 and the playing card output receiver 116 along one or more
playing card transport paths, illustrated by arrows 120a, 120b. The
playing card handling system 110 typically also includes one or
more intermediary playing card receivers 122 in the playing card
transport path 120a, 120b between the playing card input receiver
112 and the playing card output receiver 116. The intermediary
playing card receivers 122 may, for example, take the form of
storage devices such as carousels, arrays, racks, trays, bins or
equivalent devices. The intermediary playing card receivers 122 may
temporarily hold inventory cards 124 to implement or facilitate the
arranging, ordering, sorting and/or shuffling of the playing cards
by the playing card handling system 110. A variety of intermediary
playing card receivers 122 are discussed in detail below.
[0050] While during a game, any given playing card may move from
the gaming table 102, completely through the playing card handling
system 110 and back onto the gaming table 102, in describing the
operation of the playing card handling system 110 it is convenient
to refer to playing cards based on the location of the playing
cards at a particular moment within the gaming environment 100.
Thus, for purposes of clarity, the playing cards may be referenced
herein based on their location within the gaming environment 100,
as described below with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0051] During a card game, at least some of the playing cards will
be in-play, where the in-play cards 126 are those currently in use
by a gaming participant (e.g., player and/or dealer) to form a hand
of playing cards according to a set of rules of the particular game
being played at the gaming table 102. For example, in blackjack the
in-play cards 126 prior to the first hit card being dealt include
the cards forming the initial hands (e.g., first two cards dealt to
each participant). During and after the card game, the in-play
cards 126 are discarded by, and/or collected from, the participants
and are referred to as collected cards 114. The collected cards 114
may be returned to the input playing card receiver 112 of the
playing card handling system 110, for example by the dealer.
[0052] The collected cards 114 are successively moved into the
playing card handling system 110 at which point they are referred
to as transitional cards 128. The transitional cards 128 are
directed along various playing card transport paths (e.g., 120a,
120b) and may be placed in one or more of the intermediary playing
card receivers 122, at which point the playing cards are referred
to as inventory cards 124. Additionally or alternatively, as
illustrated by the broken line arrows of FIG. 1B, the transitional
cards 128 may be moved directly to an arranged or ordered group
referred to herein as deliverable cards 118.
[0053] From time-to-time, the deliverable cards 118 are provided to
a location accessible by a participant at the gaming table, at
which point the playing cards are referred to herein as dealable
cards 130. For example, the playing cards 130 may be positioned at
least partially extending above the surface 104 of the gaming table
102. In some embodiments, the deliverable cards 118 are made
accessible only after a determined number of deliverable cards 118
have been grouped together. In some embodiments, the dealable cards
130 are placed in a card shoe 134 before being dealt to
participants. The deliverable cards 118, and hence the dealable
cards 130, are arranged in a different order or sequence than the
order or sequence of collected cards 114 received at the playing
card input receiver 112.
[0054] In some embodiments, the deliverable cards 118 are arranged
in an order that matches at least a portion of a virtual sequence
136. In one embodiment, the virtual sequence 136 comprises
electronic data providing an ordered sequence for the deliverable
cards 118. The electronic data may, for example, take the form of
an ordered list of identifiers, each identifier identifying a
respective playing card. For example, the electronic data may take
the form of an ordered list of playing card values that represent
the rank and/or suit of the playing cards. The playing card values
may, for example, take the form of the numbers 0-51, each
associated with a respective rank and suit combination.
Alternatively, playing card values may, for example, take the form
of two numbers, a first number representing a rank (e.g., 0-12) and
a second number representing a suit (e.g., 0-3). Alternatively,
playing card values may, for example, take the form of numbers that
are each uniquely associated with a playing card from a set of
playing cards greater than a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
Thus, there may be two or more playing cards of the same rank and
suit, each of which is identified by a unique identifier such as a
serial number. The virtual sequence 136 may comprise a fewer or
greater number of playing cards than the number of playing cards in
a standard, fifty-two (52) card deck.
[0055] In some embodiments, the virtual sequence 136 may be
computationally generated (e.g., via a random or pseudo random
number generator (RNG)) executed by a suitable controller.
Additionally or alternatively, the virtual sequence 136 may be
determined from predefined data such as one or more lookup tables.
For example, the virtual sequence 136 may comprise a sorted order,
such as the order of playing cards in a new deck, prior to
shuffling.
[0056] Once the virtual sequence 136 is at least partially
determined, the playing card handling system 110 arranges or builds
the deliverable cards 118 in an order according to at least a
portion of the virtual sequence 136. By way of example, the
deliverable cards 118 can be selected from the transitional cards
128 or may be come directly from the inventory cards 124. The
structural aspects, programmability, and controllability of the
playing card handling system 110 is described in more detail
below.
Structural Aspects of the Playing Card Handling System
[0057] FIGS. 2A-2D show a playing card handling system 200 for
handling playing cards according to one illustrated embodiment.
FIG. 2E shows an alternative embodiment of the playing card
handling system 200.
[0058] The playing card handling system 200 includes a structural
frame 202, a playing card input receiver 204, a playing card output
receiver 206, a card elevator mechanism 208, a first intermediary
playing card receiver 210, and an optional, second intermediary
playing card receiver 212. The playing card handling system 200 may
be partially or fully enclosed by a housing (not shown) and/or by
the gaming table 102 (FIG. 1A). The first and second intermediary
playing card receivers 210, 212 may take the form of carousels,
each pivotally mounted about respective vertical axes 211a, 211b
(FIG. 2B). The vertical axes 211a, 211b may advantageously be
coaxial, thereby minimizing the area or "footprint" of the playing
card handling system 200.
[0059] The playing card input receiver 204 is sized and positioned
to receive the collected cards 114 which are to be arranged,
sorted, shuffled (e.g., randomized) or otherwise handled. The
collected cards 114 may be collected from the gaming table 102
during play or after a card game or round has been played. The
playing card input receiver 204 may be carried or formed by a plate
216, which may be in turn be carried by, coupled to, or otherwise
connected to the gaming table 102. The playing card input receiver
204 may include a card input ramp 214 on to which the collected
cards 114 may be fed by a dealer or other person, as individual
cards or as a group of cards. In one embodiment, the card input
ramp 214 is coated with a low friction material, for example
TEFLON.RTM., to reduce friction between the ramp 214 and the
collected cards 114 that come into contact with the card input ramp
214. An input passage 217 extends through the plate 216 and the
table surface 104 to allow passage of the collected cards 114 from
the playing card input receiver 204 to the playing card transport
path 120a (FIG. 1A) of the playing card handling system 200.
[0060] The playing card output receiver 206 is sized to receive a
plurality of deliverable cards 118. As illustrated, the playing
card output receiver 206 may take the form of a cartridge or
rectangular box with a floor, and open, for example, on one or more
sides to allow placement and removal of the deliverable cards 118.
The playing card output receiver 206 may pass through an output
passage 219 that extends through the plate 216 and the table
surface 104 (FIG. 1A) of the gaming table 102, to allow the card
elevator mechanism 208 to deliver the deliverable cards 118 to the
gaming table 102 as dealable cards 130.
[0061] It is understood that the plate 216 can be molded as a
monolithic part or alternatively can be separate components that
are coupled to each other and/or to the structural frame 202 by
mechanical means. In one embodiment, the plate 216 seats against
and/or attaches to an underside of the gaming table 102. In one
embodiment, the playing card handling system 200 is located
completely below the playing surface 104 of the gaming table 102.
In another embodiment, a vertical sidewall 218 formed around the
playing card input receiver 204 and the output passage 219 has a
height "h." The height "h" corresponds to a thickness of the gaming
table top such that the top portions of the playing card input
receiver 204 and the output passage 219 may be flush with or extend
just a little bit above (e.g., low profile) the surface 104 of the
gaming table 102 (FIG. 1A). The surface 104 of the gaming table 102
typically comprises a felt cover on top of a foam pad, both of
which are positioned on top of a sheet of composite, wood, or other
type of material. One type of suitable surface 104 is described in
detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/981,132. Some
embodiments may omit the plate 216, and form the passages 217, 219
only through the surface 104 of the gaming table 102. Still other
embodiments may not locate the card handling system 110 under the
surface 104 of the playing table 102, thus such embodiments may
omit the passages 217, 219 through the table surface 104.
[0062] Depending upon the embodiments and/or the type of card game,
the deliverable cards 118 may be delivered individually or as a
group of cards. Embodiments of the playing card handling system 200
may be user configurable to provide deliverable and/or dealable
cards 118, 130 having any specified number of playing cards, and/or
any specified suit of cards, and/or any specified rank(s) of cards,
and/or other cards such as bonus cards or the like.
[0063] A cover 221 may be manually moved from a closed position 223
(FIGS. 2A-2C) to an opened position 225 (FIGS. 2D-2E), where in the
closed position 223 the cover 221 is disposed over the output
passage 219 so as to limit or preclude access or a view into the
output passage 219, and where in the opened position 225 the cover
221 is spaced from the output passage 219 so as to not limit nor
preclude access or a view into the output passage 219. As best
illustrated in FIG. 2D, the cover 221 may be slideably coupled to
the frame or other portion of the playing card handling system 200
for movement between the closed and the opened positions 223, 225,
respectively. As best illustrated in FIG. 2E, the cover 221 may be
pivotally coupled to the frame or other portion of the playing card
handling system 200 for movement between the closed and the opened
positions 223, 225, respectively. Alternatively, the cover 221 may
be slideably or pivotally coupled to the gaming table 102.
[0064] To conserve space, in one embodiment the playing card input
receiver 204 and the output passage 219 are positioned adjacent to
one another. Employing a cover 221 that can be opened manually may
advantageously provide a security benefit since the dealer is in
control of when, and if, the deliverable cards 118 are delivered to
the gaming table 102.
[0065] FIGS. 2C and 2D show that the playing card output receiver
206 is moveable between a raised position 220 and a lowered
position 222. In the raised position 220, at least a portion of the
playing card output receiver 206 is positioned to permit the
dealable cards 130 to be withdrawn from the playing card output
receiver 206 by a dealer or another person at the gaming table 102.
For example, the raised position 220 may, for example, be spaced
sufficiently above the plate 216 to expose all or some of the
playing cards above the surface 104 of the gaming table 102 (FIG.
1A). In the lowered position 222, the playing card output receiver
206 is positioned such that the playing cards cannot be withdrawn
from the playing card output receiver 206. For example, a top of
the playing card output receiver 206 may be spaced flush with, or
below the surface 104 of the gaming table 102 and/or below a top of
the plate 216.
[0066] The elevator mechanism 208 moves the playing card output
receiver 206 between the raised and the lowered positions 220, 222.
The elevator mechanism 208 may, for example, comprise a linkage 229
and an elevator motor 226 coupled to drive the linkage 229. Some of
the Figures employ a partially exploded view, showing the playing
card output receiver 206 spaced from linkage 229 of the card
elevator mechanism 208 to better illustrate the components. In use,
the playing card output receiver 206 will be physically connected
or coupled to the linkage 229. In one embodiment, the first motor
226 is a DC stepper motor. Alternatively, the elevator motor 226
may take the form of a servo-motor. The elevator mechanism 208 may
employ any suitable linkage, including but not limited to a belt,
sprocket chain, gear, scissors linkage or the like (not shown for
clarity). Activation of the elevator motor 226 moves the linkage
229 and the playing card output receiver 206 relative to the
structural frame 202.
[0067] After the playing card output receiver 206 delivers the
deliverable cards 118 to the gaming table 102, the card elevator
mechanism 208 returns the playing card output receiver 206 to the
lowered position 222. The lowered position 222 may be aligned with
an elevator branch 512 (FIG. 5).
[0068] In some embodiments, one or more external switches 231 are
positioned to be accessible from an exterior of the card handling
system 200. The external switches 231 may, for example, be carried
by the plate 216, the surface 104 of the gaming table 102, or a
housing (not shown) of the card handling system. The external
switches 231 may be selectively activated to cause the elevator
mechanism 208 to move the playing card output receptacle 206 to the
lowered position 222. Additionally, or alternatively, the external
switches 231 may be selectively activated to cause the elevator
mechanism 208 to move the playing card output receptacle 206 to the
raised position 220.
[0069] In some embodiments, a cover switch 233 is responsive to
movement and/or a position of the cover 221 to cause the card
elevator mechanism 208 to automatically move the playing card
output receiver 206 upward from the lowered position 222 to the
raised position 220. The cover switch 233 may be coupled to
activate the elevator motor 226 in response to movement of the
cover 221 from the closed position 223 toward the open position
225. Alternatively, the cover switch 233 may be coupled to activate
the elevator motor 226 in response to the cover 221 being in a
position other than the closed position 223, for example where the
cover 221 is in the opened position 225 or alternatively, a
position between the closed and the open positions 223, 225.
[0070] Additionally or alternatively, the cover switch 233 or a
similar cover switch is responsive to movement and/or a position of
the cover 221 to cause the card elevator mechanism 208 to
automatically move the playing card output receiver 206 downward
from the raised position 220 to the lowered position 222. The cover
switch 233 may be coupled to activate the elevator motor 226 in
response to movement of the cover 221 from the opened position 225
toward the closed position 223. Alternatively, the cover switch 233
may be coupled to activate the elevator motor 226 in response to
the cover 221 being in a position other than the opened position
225, for example where the cover 221 is in the closed position 223,
or alternatively, a position between the closed and the open
positions 223, 225.
[0071] The cover switch 233 may be employed in addition to, or in
place of, the external switches 231. The cover switch 233 may take
a variety of forms. For example, the cover switch 233 may be a
contact switch that is physically engaged by the cover 221 when the
cover 221 moves from the closed position 223 or when the cover 221
is in a defined position, for example the opened position 225. Also
for example, the cover switch 233 may take the form of a sensor
such as a proximity sensor, light sensor, infrared sensor, pressure
sensor, or magnetic sensor such as a Reed switch positioned to
detect a movement or a position of the cover 221. Consequently, the
cover switch 233 may advantageously reduce the number of manual
operations by the dealer or other card handling system user.
[0072] One or more lowered position sensors 235 (FIG. 2C) may
detect when the playing card output receiver 206 is at the lowered
position 222. The lowered position sensors 235 may be coupled to
the structural frame 202. The lowered position sensors 235 may take
a variety of forms including, but not limited to a proximity
sensor, optical eye type sensor, and/or positional or rotational
encoder. The lowered position sensors 235 may sense the position of
the playing card output receiver 206, or the linkage 229 or shaft
of elevator motor 226.
[0073] Some embodiments may employ an interlock or lockout feature.
The lockout feature prevents the elevator mechanism 208 from moving
the playing card output receptacle 206 to the raised position 220
until the playing card output receptacle 206 is loaded with a
sufficient number of deliverable cards 118. For example, the
lockout feature may keep the playing card output receptacle 206 in
the lowered position 222 until at least one hundred and twelve
cards (e.g., two standard decks) have been loaded in the playing
card output receptacle 206.
[0074] The lockout feature may be implemented in hardware,
controller executable instructions, or both. For example, the
lockout feature may employ a latch or other physical structure to
retain the playing card output receptacle 206 in the lowered
position 222 until a sufficient number of deliverable cards 118 are
loaded. Also for example, the lockout feature may employ software
or firmware instructions stored in a memory or hardwired (e.g.,
ASIC) to prevent the elevator motor 226 from moving the playing
card output receptacle 206 from the lowered position 222 until
sufficient number of deliverable cards 118 are loaded.
[0075] The lockout feature may determine the number of deliverable
cards 118 in the playing card output receptacle 206 in a variety of
ways. For example, a controller (discussed below) may track the
number of cards that have been directed to the playing card output
receptacle 206. Alternatively, a counter may track playing cards as
they pass to the playing card output receptacle 206. The counter
may, for example, take the form of a rotational encoder or the
like. Alternatively, a load sensor 227 (FIG. 2C) may be positioned
to determine an approximate level of the deliverable cards 118 as
they accumulate within the playing card output receptacle 206. For
example, a reflective or transmissive sensor, or even a pressure
transducer, is coupled to a portion of the playing card output
receptacle 206. After a predetermined number of deliverable cards
118 have accumulated within the playing card output receptacle 206,
the elevator motor 226 is activated to move the playing card output
receptacle 206 upward until the playing card output receptacle 206
is in the raised position 220. By way of example, if a transmissive
sensor is used, movement of the playing card output receptacle 206
upward re-establishes an uninterrupted path between the light
source and the light receiver of the transmissive sensor; whereas
this path will eventually be interrupted again as more deliverable
cards 118 are moved to the playing card output receptacle 206.
[0076] FIG. 3A is a rear, top, left side, isometric view of an
intermediary card receiver or storage device system 300 comprised
of the first carousel 210 and the second carousel 212, according to
one illustrated embodiment. The first carousel 210 may be
structurally identical or structurally distinct with respect to the
second carousel 212. In the illustrated embodiment, the first
carousel 210 is structurally identical to the second carousel 212.
It is understood, however, that although the carousels 210, 212 are
structurally identical, the carousels may have different purposes
and controlled differently from one another. Further, although
carousels 210, 212 are shown in the illustrated embodiment, it is
understood that the intermediary card receiver or storage device
system 300 may be comprised of other types, sizes, and/or shapes,
for example racks, trays, or arrays. The carousels 210, 212 may
advantageously employ rotational motion, in contrast to racks or
trays, which typically require translation. For purposes of
describing the general structural features of the carousels 210,
212, the structural features of the first carousel 210 will be
described in detail with the understanding that these same
structural features apply to the second carousel 212, unless
specified otherwise.
[0077] The first carousel 210 includes a plurality of card
receiving compartments 302. In the illustrated embodiment, the
first carousel 210 has twenty-six (26) card receiving compartments
302 and each receiving compartment 302 is capable of receiving at
least twelve (12) inventory cards 124, although other types of
cards may be received in the receiving compartments 302 as
described below. Thus, the combined capacity of the first carousel
210 and the second carousel 212 may hold up to twelve (12) standard
decks of inventory cards 124 (e.g., fifty-two (52) standard playing
cards per standard deck). The number of card receiving compartments
302, as well as the number of inventory cards 124 that can be
received in each card receiving compartment 302, can be greater or
lesser than the illustrated embodiment. In addition, the number of
storage devices (e.g., carousels) 210, 212 may be greater or lesser
than the two shown in the illustrated embodiment.
[0078] In one embodiment, the number of receiving compartments 302
per carousel 210, 212 is at least fifty-two (52) receiving
compartments 302. In another embodiment, there are fifty-three (53)
receiving compartments 302, where the 53.sup.rd receiving
compartment receives a specialty-type card 304, which is described
in more detail below.
[0079] Referring back to the illustrated embodiment, an alternative
thereof comprises first and second carousels 210, 212 each having
twenty-seven (27) card receiving compartments 302, wherein one of
the receiving compartments 302 is reserved for the specialty-type
card 304, such as a bonus card or the like, which is purposefully
stamped or marked, and/or an out-of-service card. An out-of service
card is a playing card that may be later placed into a trash
receiving compartment (e.g., the 27.sup.th or extra receiving
compartment) because the card was bent, marked, unreadable, put
in-play too many times, and/or otherwise damaged or worn. A bonus
card may be marked by the playing card handling system 110, 200 or
pre-marked. The marking may be a stamp that, in accordance with the
game or casino rules, allows the participant who receives the
marked card to obtain a voucher and/or coupon for dinner, a show,
hotel accommodations, or a variety of other discounted and/or free
products or services. A specialty-type card, on the other hand, can
be a wild card, which is usable by the participant to improve the
participant's card-hand for the current card game. The process of
how a specialty-type card can be integrated into the play of the
card game is described below. A card stamping device 514 (FIG. 5)
is positioned to stamp selected transitional cards 128 before they
enter the playing card output receiver 206.
[0080] In the one embodiment, each card receiving compartment 302
is associated with or assigned a value (e.g., rank and suit) that
corresponds to the type of cards used for game play. For example,
the first card receiving compartment 302 of the carousel 210 may be
assigned to receive and hold the ace of clubs (A), the second card
receiving compartment 302 may be assigned to receive and hold the
king of clubs (K), and so on, until all card values usable in the
card game have been uniquely assigned to a respective receiving
compartment 302. In some embodiments, other card types, such as,
but not limited to the specialty-type cards 304 described above,
may be uniquely assigned to the card receiving compartments
302.
[0081] By way of example and according to the above-described
embodiment wherein each card receiving compartment 302 can hold up
to twelve cards, twelve traditional card decks may be loaded into
to the carousels 210, 212. One card receiving compartment 302 of
the carousel 210, for example is assigned the ace of clubs (A), and
thus the one card receiving compartment 302 could receive and hold
up to twelve aces of clubs.
[0082] Furthermore, the card receiving compartments 302 may be
associated with other card characteristics (e.g., color, size,
shape, etc.). For example, bent and/or damaged cards may identified
and put into one of the card receiving compartments 302 that is
associated with such card characteristics. As another example, one
of the card receiving compartments 302 may be associated with
"imposter" cards, such as a card added to the card game, wherein
the added card did not originate from the dealable cards 130. Upon
detection, the imposter card can be placed into a reject card
receiving compartment 302 and removed from play.
[0083] Embodiments of the playing card handling system 110, 200 may
be configured to manage any type of card based upon a defined card
characteristic. For example, but not limited to, the well-known
game of UNO.RTM. employs a variety of cards using colors, text
and/or numerals to identify cards. The various values of the
UNO.RTM. brand cards can each be assigned and placed into unique
card receiving compartments 302.
[0084] Further, in FIG. 3A, each receiving compartment 302
comprises a card support wall 304 and a guide wall 306. The card
support wall 304 includes inner and outer portions according to the
illustrated embodiment, but the card support wall 304 may also be a
continuous wall. The guide wall 306 is spaced apart from the card
support wall 304, thus forming the card receiving compartment
302.
[0085] The guide wall 306 includes a lower portion 308 and an upper
portion 310. The lower portion 308 is substantially parallel to the
card support wall 304. The upper portion 310 may be bent and/or
tapered and may facilitate the insertion of the inventory cards 124
in the assigned receiving compartments 302, especially when a
number of inventory cards 124 are already present in one of the
receiving compartments 302. In addition, the upper portion 310 may
help to guide the inventory cards 124 into the receiving
compartment 302 while accounting for positional discrepancies of
the carousel 210. Positional discrepancies may be caused by the
control system, dimensional tolerances of the carousel and/or
carousel driving components, and/or other factors.
[0086] FIG. 3B shows the card support wall 304 and the guide wall
306 are positioned at a first angle 312 relative to a tangent line
314 taken along an outer perimeter 316 of the first carousel 210.
In addition, FIG. 3C shows that the card support wall 304 and the
guide wall 306 may be sloped, thus forming a second angle 318 with
a line 320 that is substantially parallel with a centerline or
rotational axis 322 of the first carousel 210. The first angle 312
and the second angle 318, as well as other structural aspects of
the card support wall 304 and the guide wall 306 are presented for
illustrative and exemplary purposes. It is understood that the any
of these aspects can be modified and/or adjusted and yet still fall
within the scope and spirit of the described embodiments.
[0087] Still referring to FIG. 3C, the first carousel 210 is
rotationally mounted on a shaft 324, which is coupled to a carousel
gear 326. The carousel gear 326 is rotationally coupled to a drive
gear, a toothed belt, and/or a sprocket (not shown). The rotational
position, speed, acceleration, and/or direction of the carousel 210
is achieved through the operation of a motor (not shown in Figure)
that is coupled to and thus determines the position of the carousel
gear 326 and hence, the carousel 210. It will be apparent to one of
skill in the art that there are a variety of ways to drive the
carousels 210, 212. Methods of controlling the rotational position,
speed, acceleration, and/or direction of the carousels 210, 212, as
well as other operational features, are either known in the art or
are described in more detail below.
[0088] Additionally or alternatively, the carousels 210, 212 may be
modular and/or may be removable and replaceable. A modular carousel
is one that can be of a different size, have a different
card-holding capacity, and/or be a different shape than the
carousels 210, 212 in the illustrated embodiment. Further, the
modular carousel can be removable and replaceable, for example to
quickly change carousels so that a different type of card game can
be played at the gaming table 102. In one embodiment, a plurality
of carousels are vertically spaced apart from one another and
generally aligned with one another along each carousel's respective
axis of rotation. Such an embodiment may advantageously allow the
playing card handling system 110, 200 to have a more compact
installation envelope or "foot print," which means that the playing
card handling system 110, 200 could fit under smaller gaming tables
102 and/or within compartments with space constraints.
[0089] FIG. 4 shows a first card selector 400 having a card
selector body 402 that is rotatable through an arc 404 to remove
inventory cards 124 from the first carousel 210. The card selector
body 402 is coupled to a lever arm 406, which allows the card
selector body 402 to be moved through the arc 404. The length of
the lever arm 406 determines the radius of the arc 404.
[0090] The card selector 400 further includes a shaft 408 having a
friction pad or roller 410. The shaft 408 extends from card
selector body 402 and is rotationally coupled thereto. The friction
roller 410 is rotationally fixed to a portion of the shaft 408,
wherein rotation of the shaft 408 causes the rotation of the
friction roller 410. As the card selector body 402 is moved into
position to select an inventory card 124, the shaft 408 and hence
the friction roller 410 rotate in a first direction 412. As the
friction roller 410 makes contact with the inventory card 124, the
inventory card 124 is urged into a designated card path of the
playing card handling system 200, in which the designated card
paths are described in more detail below. During operation of the
playing card handling system 110, 200 the first card selector 400
is controllable to be in contact with or spaced apart from the
inventory cards 124 in the receiving compartments 302 of carousel
210. It is understood and appreciated that another card selector,
similar in structural design and operation to the first card
selector 400, can be used to select inventory cards 124 from other
carousels, for example carousel 212. Further, more than one card
selector 400 can be used for a single carousel, for example two
card selectors 400 located on opposite sides of the carousel 210.
Multiple card selectors 400 can augment and hasten the card
selection process.
[0091] FIG. 5 generally shows a card path 500 having a number
branches 502-512. An input branch 502 receives the collected cards
114 from the playing card input receiver 204 (FIG. 2A). As
discussed above in relation to FIGS. 1A and 1B, once the collected
cards 114 enter the input branch 502, now referred to as
transitional cards 128. The input branch 502 directs the
transitional cards 128 to a first carousel branch 504 or an
intermediate branch 506. Transitional cards 128 directed to the
first carousel branch 504 are received in the first carousel 210,
whereas transitional cards 128 directed to the intermediate branch
506 may be further directed to a second carousel branch 508 or to
an optional exit branch 510. Transitional cards 128 directed to the
second carousel branch 508 are received in the second carousel 212,
whereas transitional cards 128 directed to the optional exit branch
510 may be received in the reject receiving compartment 511. As an
alternative to having the reject receiving compartment 511 and the
exit branch 510, damaged transitional cards 128 can be selectively
routed to other receiving compartments 302 in one of the respective
carousels 210, 212 as described above.
[0092] The card path 500 further includes an elevator branch 512
arranged to receive transitional cards 128 from either the first
carousel branch 504 or the second carousel branch 508. The
transitional cards 128 received by elevator branch 512 may have
originated from the collected cards 114 or the inventory cards 124.
In addition, transitional cards 128 directed along the elevator
branch 512 are eventually received in the playing card output
receiver 206. It is understood and appreciated that the arrangement
and/or interaction between the various branches of the card path
500 can be altered and/or re-configured to achieve a variety of
objectives.
[0093] FIG. 6 shows a number of roller pairs 600, a first diverter
602, and a second diverter 604 that direct and/or guide the
transitional cards 128 through the various branches 502-512 of the
card path 500. The roller pairs 600 are positioned at various
points or each respective branch 502-512. For each roller pair 600,
the individual rollers rotate in opposite directions and can be
bi-directional. The card manager interface system 910 (FIG. 9)
controls the rotational speed and/or direction of the roller pairs
600 as the transitional cards 128 are moved to, from, and along the
various branches 502-512 of the card path 500. In some instances,
the roller pairs 600 may include a common roller 606, which may
occur for example, when the roller pairs 600 are positioned
proximate to converging/diverging branches 502-512 of the card path
500.
[0094] The roller pairs 600 are driven by a number of motors (refer
to FIG. 8 for the best view of the motors), which may take the form
of direct current (DC) stepper motors and/or servo-motors. In one
embodiment, the motors are coupled to at least one roller of the
roller pairs 600. The card manager interface system 910 (FIG. 9)
provides a signal, for example one DC pulse to the motor, which in
turn causes the roller pair 600 to rotate in a selected direction
by one step. In one embodiment, one step corresponds to
approximately 1.8.degree. of rotation of the at least one roller of
the roller pair 600. Thus, one-hundred steps or pulses cause at
least one roller to rotate a half of a turn (i.e., 180 degrees). In
the above-described embodiment, the motors can be operated at about
1,800 steps per second. One skilled in the art will appreciate and
understand that this rate can be adjusted to be faster or slower
than 1,800 steps per second depending on where the transitional
cards 128 are within the card path 500, depending on the complexity
and interaction of the branches 502-512, and/or depending on other
design or optimization factors. Accordingly, it is understood that
DC stepper motors can be operated at any step rate. Alternative
embodiments may employ other types of motors and/or motor control
systems to drive roller pairs 60.
[0095] Operating in conjunction with the roller pairs 600 is the
first diverter 602 and the second diverter 604. The first diverter
602 comprises a rotatable lever that is controllable to direct
transitional cards 128 to the first carousel branch 504 or to the
intermediate branch 506. The second diverter 604 comprises a
rotatable lever that is controllable to direct transitional cards
128 to the second carousel branch 508 or to the optional exit
branch 510. The diverters 602, 604 are controlled by the card
manager interface system 910 (FIG. 9). In one embodiment, the card
manager interface system 910 provides an electronic signal to
solenoids that are respectively coupled to the diverters 602, 604.
Each solenoid moves its respective diverter 602, 604 back and forth
between two possible positions of the diverter 602, 604. It is
understood, however, that one skilled in the art may opt to use
other actuation devices in lieu of the exemplary solenoids, and
that these other devices fall within the spirit and scope of the
embodiments described herein. Additional diverters may be included
for embodiment with more than two carousels 210, 212 and/or
additional card branches 502-512.
[0096] FIG. 7 shows a number of sensors operable to read a
characteristic associated with the card and/or cards that are
present in the playing card handling system 110. A first sensor 702
is an optical reader positioned to read, scan, and/or image either
a human-readable and/or a machine-readable symbol carried by the
transitional card 128. Playing cards having human-readable and/or
machine-readable symbols are described in detail in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/934,785. In another embodiment, the first
sensor 702 electro-magnetically communicates with the transitional
card 128 to determine a value (e.g., the rank and/or suit) of the
transitional card 128. For example, one type of playing card that
can be electro-magnetically read by the sensor 110 is described in
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/823,051.
[0097] The sensors 704 are positioned along the card path 500 (FIG.
5) and cooperate with one another to determine an expected length
and/or position of the transitional card 128 and/or to check
whether the transitional card 128 is present in a respective card
branch 502-512 (FIG. 5). In one embodiment, the sensors 704 are
reflective sensors that send and/or receive light reflected off the
transitional card 128 when the transitional card 128 is in a
certain position along the card path 500. In another embodiment,
the sensors 704 are transmissive sensors that send light across the
card path 500 and receive the light with a light receiver. When the
transitional card 128 moves in front of the receiver, the optical
signal is interrupted and the transmissive sensor can communicate
the presence of the transitional card 128. Additionally or
alternatively, the sensors 704 may be some combination of
reflective and transmissive sensors. It is understood and
appreciated that in alternative embodiments, other types of sensors
and/or mechanical systems, for example a touch sensitive device or
a lever actuated device, may be used to detect the presence or
absence of the transitional card 128.
[0098] At least some of the sensors 704 are spaced from an adjacent
sensor 704, located either upstream or downstream along the card
path 500 (FIG. 5). A distance that is approximately equal to a
length of one transitional card 128 separates the adjacent sensors
704. Thus, if standard playing cards are used, which have a length
of approximately 3.50 inches, it is understood that the adjacent
sensors 704 are operably positioned approximately 3.50 inches
apart.
[0099] One possible advantage of spacing the adjacent sensors 704
approximately one card length from each other is that the data from
the adjacent sensors 704, in cooperation with information from a
respective drive train, can be used to check the length of the
playing card 704. In one embodiment, the length of the transitional
card 128 (e.g., a standard playing card is 3.50 inches long) is
correlated to a number of steps and/or degrees of rotation of a
stepper motor and/or roller shaft. If, for example, the sensors 704
are transmissive sensors, then these transmissive sensors 704 will
generate either a card-present or a card-absent signal depending on
whether the transitional card 128 is or is not interrupting the
light beam between the light source and the light receiver of the
transmissive sensor 704.
[0100] Accordingly, the upstream sensor 704 will generate a
card-present signal as the leading edge of the transitional card
128 interrupts the light beam. At this time, the number of degrees
of rotation of the motor shaft and/or roller shaft can be tracked.
As the transitional card 128 progresses along the card path 500
(FIG. 5), the leading edge is detected by the downstream sensor
704, which generates yet another card-present signal.
Contemporaneously, the trailing edge of the transitional card 128
moves past the upstream sensor 704, causes the upstream sensor 704
to generate a card-absent signal. The time between the card-present
and the card-absent signals can be compared to the number of
degrees of rotation of the motor shaft and or roller shaft and the
rotational speed thereof to check the length of the transitional
card 128. Thus, if a situation occurs such as two transitional
cards 128 overlapping one another (e.g., stuck together), the
playing card handling system 110 is capable of detecting this
situation at various locations along the card path 500. Once such a
situation is detected, the upstream and downstream rollers can be
operated to separate the overlapping cards and possibly re-read one
or both cards. Alternatively, the overlapping cards can be directed
to the reject receiving compartment 511 depending on the
embodiment.
[0101] FIG. 8 shows a number of motors used to operate various
components within the playing card handling system 110, 200. As
discussed above, the motors may be stepper motors, which can be of
a variety of sizes, styles, and types, all of which are known in
the art. The various motors and their functions will be briefly
described herein.
[0102] A card ingress receptacle motor 802 operates at least one
belt positioned below the playing card input receiver 204 to move
the collected cards 114 into the card path 500 of the playing card
handling system 110, 200. An elevator input motor 806 operates a
number of rollers 600 to move transitional cards 128 from the card
path 500 to the playing card output receiver 206. A carousel feed
motor 806 operates a number of rollers 600 to move the transitional
cards 128 along the card path 500 and into the respective receiving
compartments 302 of the carousels 210, 212. Card removal motors 808
the card selector 400 and various components thereof to pick,
select, and/or remove inventory cards 124 from the receiving
compartments 302 of the carousels 210, 212. The card removal motors
808 may include both primary and secondary motors to control
various operations of the card selector 400. Carousel position
motors 810 operate to rotate and to stop the rotation of the
carousels 210, 212.
Operation of the Card Management Processing System
[0103] FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an
embodiment of a card management processing system 902 which
controls various operating functions of the playing card handling
system 110, 200. The card management processing system 902
comprises a processing system 904, a memory 906, a card sensor
interface system 908, a card manager interface system 910, a
carousel control interface system 912 and a user device interface
system 914.
[0104] For convenience, processing system 904, memory 906, card
sensor interface system 908, card manager interface system 910,
carousel control interface system 912 and user device interface
system 914 are illustrated as communicatively coupled to each other
via communication bus 916, via connections 918, thereby providing
connectivity between the above-described components. Alternatively,
the above-described components are convectively coupled in a
different manner than illustrated in FIG. 9. For example, one or
more of the above-described components may be directly coupled to
each other or may be coupled to each other via intermediary
components (not shown).
[0105] A plurality of logic and data modules, described in greater
detail hereinbelow, reside in memory 906. Such logic and data
modules are retrieved by processing system 904 as required during
the various operations.
[0106] The interface systems, described in greater detail
hereinbelow, communicate information to and from the processing
system 904 in a format suitable for the processing system 904, and
communicate information to and from various external devices, also
described in greater detail hereinbelow, in a format suitable for
such external devices.
[0107] For convenience, the interface systems described below are
illustrated by a single block. However, such interface systems may
be a plurality of individual interface devices, each interface
coupled to one or more related external devices. Furthermore, the
interface systems are illustrated as residing within the card
management processing system 902. The interface systems, or
individual interface devices associated with one of the described
interface systems, may reside external to the card management
processing system 902. For example, a sensor may be configured to
sense a characteristic of a card (e.g., standard or non-standard
rank and/or suit markings or other identifiers, whether optical,
electrical, magnetic or otherwise). Output of the sensor may be an
analog signal, such as a voltage or a current, that corresponds to
the detected card characteristic. A device coupled to the sensor
may convert the analog signal from the sensor into a signal that is
communicated directly to the card management processing system 902.
All such modifications and variations of sensors and/or card
management devices, and modifications and variations of interface
systems and/or devices, are intended to be included within the
scope of this disclosure and intended to be protected by the
accompanying claims.
[0108] The virtual card builder logic 920 residing in memory 906
determines a plurality of virtual cards (i.e., domain or set) that
are used to build a virtual sequence 136 (see also FIGS. 1A, 1B). A
random number generator (RNG) 921 or the like may define a
sequential order of virtual cards, wherein the virtual cards have
values and/or characteristics that correspond to the resulting
dealable cards 130 and inventory cards 124 that are used to play
the card game. As used herein and in the claims, the term random
number generator includes pseudo-random number generators and the
like, which are capable of generating a number sufficiently random
to meet an applicable criteria, for example criteria set by a
governmental or quasi-governmental gambling authority. As
previously discussed, playing cards can be assigned a value that is
indicative of the card rank and the card suit. In one embodiment, a
virtual selection pool 922 is generated with values that correspond
to a standard 52-card deck of playing cards. The virtual cards from
the virtual selection pool 922 are generated by the virtual card
builder logic 920 based upon the particulars of the algorithms used
by the random number generator 921 to generate the virtual sequence
136, which may be stored in memory 906.
[0109] A virtual sequence criteria 924 is used to define parameters
that the virtual card builder logic 920 uses to generate the
virtual sequence 136. An exemplary parameter may be a specified
number of standard 52-card decks that are to be used to construct
the virtual sequence 136. Individual, virtual cards are removed
from the virtual selection pool 922 and arranged according to a
sequence, computationally generated with a random number generator
921.
[0110] By way of example, the virtual sequence criteria 924 may
specify that eight (8) standard 52-card decks comprise the virtual
selection pool 922. Accordingly, the virtual card builder logic 920
uses the virtual selection pool 922 of four-hundred-sixteen virtual
cards (corresponding to 8 decks of 52 physical cards each), where
there are eight virtual cards of each particular value (e.g.,
rank/suit combination). Accordingly, in this example, there are
initially eight aces-of-spade values (A), eight kings-of-spade
values (K), eight queens-of-spade values (Q), and so on.
[0111] As the virtual sequence 136 is generated, the number of
available virtual cards in the virtual selection pool 922 is
accordingly reduced. In the example above, if the first virtual
card is the A, then the total population of available virtual cards
in the virtual selection pool 922 decreases from 416 to 415. The
next virtual card is then selected from the remaining 415 cards, of
which there are only seven A remaining (along with eight each of
the other values available in eight (8) standard 52-card decks). It
is appreciated that subsequent virtual card selections will be made
from only those virtual cards presently available in the virtual
selection pool 922. Consequently, the virtual sequence 136 is
generated and stored in memory 904. This virtual sequence 136 may
be viewed to correspond to a randomly shuffled, actual group of
playing cards. Returning to the above example, the virtual sequence
136 would correspond to eight standard 52-card decks that are
physically shuffled together.
[0112] In another embodiment, the size of the virtual selection
pool 922 is not reduced as virtual cards are selected during
generation of the virtual sequence 136. That is, for each selection
of a virtual card, the probability of a particular card value being
selected remains constant. For example, if a group of deliverable
cards 118 is to be constructed from a standard 52-card playing
deck, the probability of the first card having a value of the A is
1/52. When the second virtual card (and subsequent virtual cards)
is selected for the virtual sequence 136, the probability of the
second virtual card (and virtual subsequent cards) having a value
of the A remains at 1/52. That is, the selection of virtual cards
from the selection sequence or pool 132 is operating similar to the
manner in which an electronic slot machine is operating (wherein
the probability of a symbol occurrence on the payout line remains
constant as reel spins are simulated). In this situation, the
virtual selection pool 922 could be simplified to correspond to one
of each of the values of cards in the game. (For example, the
virtual selection pool for a standard 52-card playing deck would be
52 virtual cards, wherein each virtual card uniquely corresponds to
a unique rank and suit combination.)
[0113] The virtual sequence criteria 924 may also define other
parameters that the virtual card builder logic 920 uses to add,
delete, or modify the value of at least one of the virtual cards in
the virtual selection pool 922. For example, one of the parameters
may set a specified number of "wild" cards that are to be added
into the virtual selection pool 922. The "wild" cards could be the
two Joker cards that typically accompany the standard 52-card deck.
The wild cards may be used by the participants to augment or
enhance their hand of cards.
[0114] In the above example where the initial virtual selection
pool 922 of virtual cards is based upon eight card decks, the
sixteen Jokers (e.g., 2 Jokers per deck times 8 decks of cards)
could be added to the virtual selection pool 922 to increase the
total population of initially-available virtual cards to 432.
Alternatively, any desired number of Jokers, or other
specialty-type cards, could be added to the virtual selection pool
922 in accordance with the rules (parameters) of the particular
card game and/or casino rules. Specialty-type cards may be
redeemable for prizes or bonuses, and may or many not have the
identity of the prize displayed on the card. Such cards may also
include unique identifiers to assist in redemption.
[0115] Other types of parameters may be specified in the virtual
sequence criteria 924. For example, different types of card games
may be defined in the optional game type/rules table 926. For
example, rules for the card game UNO.RTM. may reside in the game
type/rules table 926. UNO.RTM. cards are defined by colors, text
and/or numerals and do not resemble the cards of a standard 52-card
deck. If the card management processing system 902 is instructed to
build a virtual sequence 136 for the card game of UNO.RTM.,
information defining the UNO.RTM. cards can be retrieved from the
optional game type/rules table 926. This information may then be
used to modify one or more of the parameters in the virtual
sequence criteria 924. For example, the characterization of a card
may be changed from rank and suit to the colors, text and/or
numerals of UNO.RTM. cards. Accordingly, the virtual selection pool
922 would be constructed from the specified number of UNO.RTM.
decks using UNO.RTM. virtual cards.
[0116] User device interface system 914 provides an interface means
to one or more external user devices 928 configured to receive
input or instructions from an individual such as a dealer, pit
boss, or other casino employee. Any suitable user device 928 may be
configured to communicate with the card management processing
system 902, via connection 930. Non-limiting examples of external
user devices 930 include key boards, memory media devices (such as
flash cards, floppy disks, compact disks (CDs), micro disks, or the
like), touch sensitive visual screens, or another processing
system. Furthermore, connection 930 is illustrated for convenience
as a hardwire connection to the user device interface system 914.
In other embodiments, connection 930 may be replaced with another
suitable media, such as, but not limited to, a radio frequency
media, an infrared media, or other wireless media. If another media
is employed by alternative embodiments, the user device interface
system 914 could be configured to receive information from the
external user device 928 via the other media. The user device
interface system 914 would then reconfigure the information to a
medium suitable for communication over communication bus 916.
Additionally, the user device interface system 914 may be
configured to receive information from a plurality of user devices
928 in other embodiments. In yet other embodiments, the playing
card handling system 110, 200 may output information of interest to
various external devices, via the user device interface system
914.
[0117] Card sensor interface system 908 is configured to receive
information from the various sensors of the playing card handling
system 110, 200. For convenience, card sensor interface system 908
is illustrated as being coupled to a plurality of card sensors 932,
via connections 934. The card sensor interface system 908 may be
configured to receive information from other types of sensors. Such
card sensors and other types of sensors are described in greater
detail above. Thus, the card sensor interface system 908 is
configured to receive information from card sensors 932, and then
reconfigure the received information into a medium suitable for
communication over the communication bus 916. Furthermore,
connections 934 are illustrated for convenience as a hardwire
connection to the card sensor interface system 908. In other
embodiments, one or more of the connections 934 may be replaced
with another suitable media, such as, but not limited to, a radio
frequency media, an infrared media, or other wireless media.
[0118] Card manager interface system 910 is configured to provide
control signals or information to various devices or subsystems of
the playing card handling system 110, 200. For example, the
elevator motor 226, described above, is operated to raises the
playing card output receiver 206 (FIGS. 2A-2E) such that the dealer
or a card player may access the dealable cards 130. The elevator
motor 226 then lowers the playing card output receiver 206 after
the dealable cards 130 are removed so that the card management
process may continue to build another group of deliverable cards
118. The card manager interface system 910 provides signals to the
elevator motor 226 to cause movement of the playing card output
receiver 206 relative to the structure 202.
[0119] For convenience, the card manager interface system 910 is
illustrated as being communicatively coupled to a plurality of card
management devices 936, via connections 938. The card management
devices 936 are generally electromechanical devices that are
actuatable by an electrical signal. The card manager interface
system 910 is configured to receive instructions for the card
management devices 936 from processing system 904, and is
configured to generate and communicate the electrical signal to a
card management device 936 using a suitable signal format. In some
situations, the electrical signal may directly control an
electromechanical devices, such as when a suitable operating
voltage and/or current is provided. In other situations, the
electrical signal may be a digital or analog control signal
communicated to another controller which actuates the
electromechanical device. Furthermore, connections 938 are
illustrated for convenience as a hardwire connection to the card
manager interface system 910. In other embodiments, one or more of
the connections 938 may be replaced with another suitable media,
such as, but not limited to, a radio frequency media, an infrared
media, or other wireless media.
[0120] Storage device control interface system 912 is configured to
receive information from the various storage device sensors 942 and
to provide electrical signals to the various controllers 944, via
connections 946, residing in the plurality of carousels 940. In one
embodiment, carousels 940 correspond to the two carousels 210, 212
(FIGS. 2A-D) or another suitable storage device. Sensors 942 and
controllers 944 are described in greater detail below (see, for
example, FIG. 12). Connections 946 are illustrated for convenience
as a hardwire connection to the card manager interface system 910.
In other embodiments, one or more of the connections 946 may be
replaced with another suitable media, such as, but not limited to,
a radio frequency media, an infrared media, or other wireless
media.
[0121] In accordance with the various embodiments described herein,
sensor devices are employed to determine the characteristics and/or
value of an individual card. For example, in the game that employs
a standard 52-card deck, each card is uniquely identifiable by a
unique value, its rank and suit symbols. Sensor means are employed
to detect information from each card that may be used to identify
the card. For example, one embodiment employs machine-readable
symbol reader systems such as a bar code reader system to read
machine-readable symbols such as bar code information printed on
each card (typically using a non-visible medium such as ultraviolet
sensitive ink or the like). Alternatively, or additionally,
machine-readable symbol reader systems may read standard markings
from the cards, such as rank symbols, suit symbols and/or pips. As
the card passes in proximity to the sensor configured to detect the
information on the card, the sensor communicates the information
corresponding to the detected bar code to the above-described card
sensor interface system 908. The card sensor interface system 908
then formats and communicates the information to processing system
904.
[0122] Processing system 904 retrieves and executes the card
characteristic determination logic 948 to analyze the detected
attributes and/or characteristics of the sensed card. Accordingly,
the physical card is uniquely identifiable. For example, if a bar
code reader system is employed to read barcode information on a
sensed card, the card characteristic determination logic 948 can
determine the unique character of the card. Thus, if a traditional
52-card deck is being used for a card game, the sensed physical
card can then be uniquely identified by its rank and suit symbols
(for example, the A card is uniquely identifiable by the letter "A"
and the symbol "" and have a machine-readable symbol residing
thereon indicating this value). Alternatively, each playing card
may carry an identifier that is unique over more than fifty-two
cards.
[0123] Other types of sensors may be used to sense attributes
and/or characteristics of a sensed physical card. For example, a
sensor sensitive to color may be used to determine the color of the
playing surface of the sensed cars, such as a color-coded UNO.RTM.
card. A character recognition sensor such as, but not limited to a
charge coupled device (CCD) array, may be used to sense information
corresponding to characters on the playing surface of the card. The
card characteristic determination logic 948 may then interpret the
sensed information using one or more character recognition
algorithms to determine a text and/or character attribute of the
sensed card. For example, if a traditional 52-card deck is being
used for a card game, the sensed text and/or character attribute of
the sensed card can then be uniquely identified by its rank and
suit symbols (for example, the A card is identifiable by the letter
"A" and the symbol ""). Or, if a color-coded UNO.RTM. card with
text is sensed, the UNO.RTM. card can be uniquely identified
through a combination of text recognition and color recognition
(for example, a yellow colored "Skip" card is identifiable by its
yellow color and the printed text "Skip").
[0124] As noted above, the dealer or other player returns collected
cards 114 (FIG. 1A) to the playing card handling system 110, 200.
As a collected card 114 passes in proximity to and is sensed by the
above-described sensors such that the card characteristic
determination logic 948 determines the unique identifier of the
sensed collected card 114, the identifying information for the
sensed collected card 114 is stored in the returned cards table
950. Accordingly, a log of the sequence of collected cards 114 is
generated and stored in the returned cards table 950. Such
information may be useful for security purposes, player tracking,
card usage data, etc.
[0125] For example, the identity and location of each card in the
deliverable cards 118 (FIG. 1B) are known. As in-play cards 126 are
placed in play, the processing system 904 (FIG. 9) may anticipate
which cards are expected to be in play at the gaming table 102.
Accordingly, the processing system 906 may execute logic to
anticipate what playing cards may be expected to be discarded
during the current card game. If a player mistakenly or
purposefully retains one of the in-play cards 126, the retained
card will not end up in the group of collected cards 114. The
processing system 906 may then recognize that one of the in-play
cards 126 was not returned, which may result in some form of
communication to the dealer or another authority. Similarly, an
imposter card inserted during or after the card game can also be
recognized by the processing system 904. The processing system 906
may then generate and communicate an appropriate signal to the
dealer or another authority indicating the presence of the imposter
card.
[0126] As noted herein, the plurality of card receiving
compartments 302 of the carousels 210, 212 (FIG. 2) are uniquely
associated with a card value. For example, one of the card
receiving compartments 302 may be uniquely associated with the A.
Such association may be formed during operation, either just prior
to, during, or shortly following placement of the particular card
into a particular receiving compartment 302. The advantageously
allows the placement of the card in the nearest empty compartment
increasing operational speed. Allowing bidirectional movement of
the carousels 210, 212 (e.g., rotation in clockwise and
counterclockwise direction), also increases operational speed. When
the A is returned to the playing card handling system 110, 200 as a
collected card 114, the processing system 904 executes the card
characteristic determination logic 948 to identify the collected
card 114. For example, if the A card is the collected card 114 and
is identified accordingly, the A card is returned to the
appropriately assigned card receiving compartment 302. After the A
card is returned to the appropriate card receiving compartment 302,
that A card is now referred to as an inventory A card 112. Thus,
the card receiving compartment attribute table 952 is a definable
table wherein card receiving compartments 302 (FIG. 3) are uniquely
assigned a particular card type or card value. It is appreciated
that any characteristic of a card may be used to associate a card
and its assigned card receiving compartment 302. Since the
information corresponding to the associated card characteristic and
the card receiving compartment 302 is stored in the card receiving
compartment attribute table 952, any card may be identified and
stored and/or retrieved from its assigned card receiving
compartment 302 by the various embodiments as described herein. If
not all card receiving compartments 302 are assigned in a game,
those card receiving compartments 302 may be later defined as
needed and/or not used during game play.
[0127] As noted above, embodiments of the playing card handling
system 110 perform various operations on the physical cards using a
variety of electro-mechanical devices. Also, various sensors
provide information to the card management processing system 902.
The various logical processes, comprising software and/or
executable code, are generally represented by the card management
logic 954. The card management logic 954 may be comprised of a
plurality of unique logic segments or programs, and/or may be
comprised of a multi-function, integrated logic segment or program,
as described herein.
[0128] When logic 908 is implemented as software and stored in
memory 906, one skilled in the art will appreciate that logic 920,
948, 954 and/or 956, or that the information of 922, 924, 926, 950
and or 952, can be stored on any computer-readable medium for use
by or in connection with any computer and/or processor related
system or method. In the context of this document, a memory 906 is
a computer-readable medium that is an electronic, magnetic,
optical, or other another physical device or means that contains or
stores a computer and/or processor program. Logic 920, 948, 954,
and/or 956, and/or the information of 922, 924, 926, 950 and or 952
can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in
connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or
device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing
system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the
instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the
instructions associated with logic 920, 948, 954, and/or 956,
and/or the information of 922, 924, 926, 950 and or 952. In the
context of this specification, a "computer-readable medium" can be
any means that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the
program associated with logic 920, 948, 954, and/or 956, and/or the
information of 922, 924, 926, 950 and or 952 for use by or in
connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, and/or
device. The computer-readable medium can be, for example, but not
limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,
infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or
propagation medium. More specific examples (a nonexhaustive list)
of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an
electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer
diskette (magnetic, compact flash card, secure digital, or the
like), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an
erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash
memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CDROM). Note that the computer-readable medium, could even
be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program
associated with logic 920, 948 and/or 954, and/or the information
of 922, 924, 926, 950 and or 952 is printed, as the program can be
electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the
paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise
processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in
memory 906.
[0129] The above-described card processing management system 902
may, in one embodiment, reside within the playing card handling
system 110, 200 as an internal, integrated component. In another
embodiment, the card processing management system 902 may be
external to the playing card handling system 110, 200 as a stand
alone device. Or, if external, the card processing management
system 902 may be part of another system having other
functionality. In such embodiments, the 934, 934, 938 and/or 946
could include suitable convenient plug-in connector devices to
facilitate coupling between the external card processing management
system 902 and the playing card handling system 110, 200.
[0130] Processing system 904 (FIG. 9) is illustrated for
convenience as residing in the various embodiments of the card
management processing system 902. It is understood that any
suitable processor system 904 may be employed. Processing system
904 may be a specially designed and/or fabricated processing
system, or a commercially available processor system. Non-limiting
examples of commercially available processor systems include, but
are not limited to, an 80.times.86 or Pentium series microprocessor
from Intel Corporation, U.S.A., a PowerPC microprocessor from IBM,
a Sparc microprocessor from Sun Microsystems, Inc., a PA-RISC
series microprocessor from Hewlett-Packard Company, or a 68xxx
series microprocessor from Motorola Corporation.
[0131] FIG. 10 is a simplified block diagram of the carousel
control interface system 912 communicatively coupled to an
exemplary carousel 940. Carousel 940 may correspond to the
above-described carousels 210, 212 (FIGS. 2A-2E). As noted herein,
inventory cards 124 (FIG. 1B) are drawn from the card receiving
compartments 302 (FIG. 3) by the card selector 400 (see also FIG.
4) to construct the deliverable cards 118. Similarly, collected
cards 114, which are then referred to as transitional cards 128 (as
they travel through the above described card paths) are inserted to
their associated card receiving compartment 302 (now referred to as
transitional inventory cards 128) such that the card receiving
compartments 302 are restocked.
[0132] To select inventory cards 124 from an appropriate card
receiving compartment 302, the carousel 940 is rotated into
alignment with the card selector 400. Carousel position sensor 1002
detects position of the carousel 940. In another embodiment, upon
initialization of the playing card handling system 102 or at
another suitable time, carousel position sensor 1002 detects at
least one fixed point on the carousel 940. As the carousel
subsequently rotates, the position of any card receiving
compartment 302 relative to the carousel position sensor 1002 is
computationally determinable (in accordance with code instructions
or logical instructions of the card management logic 954, FIG.
9).
[0133] To select any particular inventory card 124, that particular
inventory card 124 is determined based upon the current virtual
card of the virtual sequence 136 that is to be constructed. Once
identified, the inventory card 124 needs to be selected from its
corresponding card receiving compartment 302. The card management
logic 954, using information in the card receiving compartment
attribute table 952, determines the relative location of card
receiving compartment 302 associated with the desired inventory
card 124. Carousel position controller 1004 (which may correspond
to the above-described motor coupled to the carousel gear 326 in
one exemplary embodiment) is configured to rotate the carousel 940
such that the appropriate card receiving compartment 302 is moved
into alignment with the card selector 400. Then, card selector 400
may select the desired inventory card 124 from the card receiving
compartment 302. (One exemplary above-described embodiment employs
a friction roller 410, residing in the selector body 402 and which
is rotationally fixed to a portion of the shaft 408. Friction
roller 410 is rotated by the shaft 408, wherein the rotation of the
friction roller 410 selects the desired inventory card 124 from the
card receiving compartment 302. Other suitable card selecting
devices, system or means may be used by other embodiments.)
[0134] In some situations, a desired inventory card 124 may not
reside in the corresponding card receiving compartment 302. Card
sensor 1006 senses at least the presence or absence of an inventory
card 124 in its corresponding card receiving compartment 302.
Information corresponding to the presence or absence of the
inventory card 124 in its respective card receiving compartment 302
is communicated to the card management processing system 902, via
the carousel control interface system 912. As described in greater
detail hereinbelow, the playing card handling system 110, 200 must
then wait for the desired card to be returned into the system as a
collected card 114.
[0135] To deliver a transitional card 128 into the appropriate card
receiving compartment 302 the carousel 940 is rotated into
alignment with the carousel branch 1008 (which corresponds to the
above-described first and second carousel branches 504, 508). The
current transitional card 128 is identified based upon detected
characteristics of the transitional card 128. Once identified, the
transitional card 128 needs to be inserted into its corresponding
card receiving compartment 302. The card management logic 954,
using information in the card receiving compartment attribute table
952, determines the relative location of card receiving compartment
302 associated with the incoming transitional card 128. Carousel
position controller 10204 (which may correspond to the
above-described motor coupled to the carousel gear 326 in one
exemplary embodiment) is configured to rotate the carousel 940 such
that the appropriate card receiving compartment 302 is moved into
alignment with the carousel branch 1008 which will deliver the
transitional card 128 into the appropriate card receiving
compartment 302.
[0136] In one embodiment, the carousel position controller 1004 is
a motor or the like configured to rotate the carousel 940, where a
suitable electrical signal such as a voltage or a current is
received from the carousel control interface system 912. In another
embodiment, the carousel position controller 1004 is a motor and a
controller, where a suitable control signal is received from the
carousel control interface system 912. A gear, chain or belt system
may be used to couple the carousel position controller 1004 to the
carousel 940 in some embodiments. On other embodiments a shaft of a
motor of the carousel position controller 1004 is coupled to a
shaft of the carousel 940 (or may be the same shaft). Any suitable
coupling means, system or method may be used to couple the carousel
position controller 1004 with the carousel 940 to effect rotation
of the carousel 940.
[0137] It is appreciated that with embodiments having a plurality
of card carousels 940, each of the plurality of card carousels 940
are simultaneously and independently controllable by the
look-forward algorithm 956. For example, a "next" inventory card
124 to be retrieved from a first carousel may be retrieved by
adjusting the position of the carousel 940 such that the card
selector 400 is in proximity to the card receiving compartment 302
wherein the "next" inventory card 124 resides. Concurrently,
another carousel 940 may have the "next+1" inventory card 124 in
one of its card receiving compartments 302, wherein the "next+1"
inventory card 124 is to be selected after the above-described
"next" inventory card 124 is selected and transported to the group
of deliverable cards 118. While the position of the carousel having
the "next" inventory card 124 is adjusted, the playing card
handling system 902 may concurrently and/or independently cause the
position of the other carousel having the "next+1" inventory card
124 to be adjusted. Then, shortly after the "next" inventory card
124 is selected, the "next+1" inventory card 124 can be selected
since the other carousel 940 having that card is already in
position for selection of the "next+1" inventory card 124.
[0138] Alternatively, a collected card 114 (now a transitional card
128), that is being transported to its designated card receiving
compartment 302, has its value read by one of the card sensors 932.
Upon identification of the value, the position of the destination
carousel 940 may be adjusted so that its card receiving compartment
302 is in proper position so that the collected card 114 may be
deposited into its receiving compartment 302 (now referred to as an
inventory card 124). Concurrently, another carousel 940 may have
its position adjusted for operation on an inventory card 124 in one
of its receiving compartments 302, or may have its position
adjusted to receive another identified transitional card 128
(previously a collected card 114).
[0139] Summarizing, the look-forward algorithm 956 (FIG. 9) is
configured to monitor physical cards in the various stages of
transport over branches 502-515 (FIG. 5), and coordinate the
transport of physical cards with positioning of carousels and/or
with construction of the deliverable cards 118. That is, when a
transitional card 128 is available for redirecting to the playing
card output receiver 206 for inclusion as a member of the
deliverable cards 118, the transitional card 128 may be said to be
in a "window of opportunity" for diversion from its destination
carousel 940 (where it would otherwise be an inventory card 124) to
the playing card output receiver 206.
[0140] FIG. 11 is a simplified block diagram of the card manager
interface system 912 communicatively coupled to an exemplary card
management device 936 and a card sensor interface system 908
coupled to an exemplary cards sensor 932. As noted herein,
collected cards 114 (FIG. 1B) are received after they have been
played, and are transported (now referred to as transitional cards
128) along various carousel branches (see FIG. 5) to be inserted to
their associated card receiving compartment 302 (thereby referred
to as inventory cards 124) such that the card receiving
compartments 302 are restocked. (In some situations, the
transitional card 128 may be redirected directly to the group of
deliverable cards 118 if that value of that particular transitional
card 128 corresponds to the value of the next card to be added into
the group of deliverable cards 118.)
[0141] Card sensor 932 detects attributes and/or characteristics of
the sensed physical transitional card 128 as it moves along
intermediate branch 506 (or another branch). Information
corresponding to the detected attributes and/or characteristics is
communicated to the card management processing system 902, via the
card sensor interface system, such that the unique identity of the
current transitional card 128 is determined.
[0142] Card management device 936 is illustrated as a roller device
for convenience. Two rollers 1102 control movement of the
transitional card 128 along various carousel branches (see FIG. 5).
Movement of the rollers 1102 are controlled by motors 1104, by
electrical signals from the card management processing system 902,
via the card manager interface system 910. Thus, the transitional
card 128 may be moved along the card sensor 932 such that
information may be read from the transitional card 128. If the
information is not correctly read and/or interpreted, the card
management device 936 may draw back the transitional card 128
across the card sensor 932 for another sensing of the attributes
and/or characteristics of the transitional card 128.
[0143] In other embodiments, the card management device 936 may be
any suitable device, system or means that controls movement of a
transitional card 128 such that card sensor 932 sensed the
attributes and/or characteristics of the transitional card 128. For
example, a single roller 1102 and motor 1104 could be employed in
another embodiment. Another embodiment may use a conveyor system or
the like.
[0144] FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram facilitating an explanation
of the generation of a virtual sequence 136 and the subsequent
construction of a corresponding group of deliverable cards 118.
Processing system 904 (see also FIG. 9) retrieves and executes the
virtual card builder logic 920 to first generate or determine a
virtual selection pool 922 based upon parameters in the virtual
sequence build criteria 924.
[0145] Other parameters may be used to generate the virtual
selection pool 922. For example, the game rules table may specify
the type of card game that is to be played using the group of
deliverable cards 118. The selected game may influence the types
and/or number of virtual cards 1204 used in the virtual selection
pool 922.
[0146] Then, in one embodiment, processing system 904 uses a random
number generator 921 or the like to randomly select virtual cards
1204 in a serial fashion. These selected virtual cards 1204 are
serially organized into the virtual sequence 136.
[0147] In another embodiment, processing system uses a random
number generator 921 to sequentially order virtual cards 1204 by
generating a series of random numbers, the largest random number
corresponding to the number of virtual cards 1204 in the virtual
selection pool 922, each number corresponding to the value of a
virtual card. A data table or the like uniquely associating each
virtual card 1204 with one of the numbers enables the processing
system 904 to sequence the virtual cards 1204 into virtual sequence
136.
[0148] In yet another embodiment, virtual cards are selected from
an unmodified virtual selection pool 922 each time a virtual card
is selected. Similar to an electronic slot machine, the probability
of any particular value being selected for a virtual card remains
constant for each selection.
[0149] In some embodiments, a portion of the virtual sequence 136
(referred to as the virtual sequence portion 1202) may be selected
from the virtual sequence 136. The virtual sequence portion 1202 is
used to identify physical cards 1206 that will be selected from the
inventory cards 124 and/or the transitional cards 117 (FIG. 1B) as
the group of deliverable cards 118 are constructed.
[0150] For example, but not limited to, one of the parameters used
to generate the virtual selection pool 922 may specify that eight
(8) standard 52-card decks are to be used to create a virtual
selection pool 922, Accordingly, the generated virtual selection
pool 922 will initially comprises 416 virtual cards 1204.
[0151] Another parameter may, in this example, specify that the
deliverable cards 118 contain a total of 208 physical cards 1206
(corresponding to four standard 52-card decks). Thus, 208 virtual
cards 1204 from the virtual selection pool 922 will be used to
generate the virtual sequence portion 1202. The generated virtual
sequence portion 1202 will then be used to construct the group of
deliverable cards 118.
[0152] In some embodiments, the number of virtual cards 1204 of the
virtual sequence portion 1202 may be the same as the number of
virtual cards 1204 of the virtual sequence 136. This may occur if
the parameter defining the number of card decks used to construct
the virtual selection pool 922 is the same as the number of decks
specified for the virtual sequence portion 1202. Casino rules,
governmental regulatory rules and/or game rules may stipulate this
condition.
[0153] In yet other embodiments, the virtual selection pool 122 is
based upon virtual cards identified by value or another indicator.
As virtual cards 1204 are sequentially selected during generation
of the virtual sequence 136, the likelihood or probability of
selecting one of a particular virtual card from the virtual
selection pool remains constant. For example, if a group of
deliverable cards 118 is to be constructed from a standard 52-card
playing deck, the probability of the first card having a value of
the A is 1/52. When the second virtual card (and subsequent virtual
cards) is selected for the virtual sequence 136, the probability of
the second virtual card (and virtual subsequent cards) having a
value of the A remains at 1/52.
[0154] Alternatively, processing system 904 may generate the
virtual selection pool 922 using a first parameter (corresponding
to a first number of virtual cards 902) and then generate another
number of virtual cards 1204 (from the virtual cards 1204 of the
virtual selection pool 922) to construct the virtual sequence 136,
stopping the construction of the virtual sequence 136 when the
number of virtual cards 1204 specified for the group of deliverable
cards 118 equals the number of selected virtual cards 1204.
[0155] After generation of the virtual sequence portion 1202,
physical cards 1206 are retrieved from the inventory cards 124
residing in a carousel 940 and/or from an identified collected card
114 (FIG. 1B). Each of the sequentially retrieved physical cards
1206 correspond to a respective one of the virtual cards 1204 in
the virtual sequence portion 1202. The retrieved physical cards
1206 are transported (generally denoted by the line 1214) in serial
fashion to construct the group of deliverable cards 118.
[0156] For example, in FIG. 12 the first card of the virtual
sequence portion 1202 is illustrated as the Ace of Diamonds
(A.diamond.). The virtual A.diamond. card 1204 is used to define
the first physical card 1206 of the group of deliverable cards 118.
Accordingly, one of the available physical A.diamond. cards is
selected from the carousel receiving compartments 302 and placed in
a suitable receptacle, such as the playing card output receiver
206, as the first physical card 1206. The process of sequentially
retrieving physical cards 1206 based upon a specified virtual card
1204 of the virtual sequence portion 1202 continues until the group
of deliverable cards 118 has been constructed. Then, the group of
deliverable cards 118 are transported to a location where the
dealer or another participant or casino employee may access the
group of deliverable cards 118.
[0157] In some situations, after generation of the virtual sequence
portion 1202, the virtual cards 1204 may be additionally processed
again in accordance with another parameter. In one exemplary
embodiment, an optional card stamping device 1208 is configured to
intercept (generally denoted by the dashed-line 1212) a physical
card 1210 that is being transported to the group of deliverable
cards 118. Instructions for printing a message and/or symbol on the
intercepted physical card 1210 are communicated from the processing
system 904 (generally denoted by the dashed-line 1212) to the card
stamping device 1208. Then, after stamping or otherwise marking the
intercepted physical card 1210 with an ink or the like, the
intercepted card 1210 can be returned to the card path 1214 for
insertion into the group of deliverable cards 118 in its proper
sequenced location.
[0158] For example, one of the parameters of the virtual card
builder logic 920 or the virtual sequence build criteria 924 (or
another parameter residing elsewhere) may specify that one or more
of the physical cards are to be made a "bonus" card. The bonus card
may reward a player with a desirable gift or the like (e.g., a free
hotel room, a complimentary dinner, etc.) Accordingly, information
indicating to the player receiving the bonus card is stamped onto
the bonus card. The information may be in any suitable format,
including textual information and/or a special symbol. It is
appreciated that the number of, and types of, rewards gifted to a
player(s) receiving a bonus card are unlimited. All such variations
are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.
[0159] The physical cards 1206, that are to referred to as bonus
cards (and marked by the card stamping device 1208), may be
identified by specifying a virtual card 1204 in the generated
virtual sequence portion 1202 and/or the generated virtual
selection pool 922 based upon a specified criteria or based upon a
random criteria. Or, physical cards 1206 may be selected as they
are being transported to the group of deliverable cards 118 based
upon a specified criteria or based upon a random criteria. It is
appreciated the number of possible methods of identifying and
selecting a physical card 1206 for stamping is limitless. All such
variations are intended to be within the scope of this
disclosure.
[0160] Furthermore, selection of virtual cards 1204 and/or physical
cards 1206 may be comprised of one or more sub-portions of
generated virtual sequence portion 1202 and/or the group of
deliverable cards 118, respectively. For example, a last
sub-portion of the generated virtual sequence portion 1202 and/or
the group of deliverable cards 118 may have selected virtual cards
1204 or selected physical cards 1206, respectively, to entice a
player(s) to continue playing in hopes of receiving one of the
bonus cards.
[0161] In some embodiments, during generation of the virtual
sequence portion 1202 and/or the generated virtual selection pool
922, parameters which establish the selection criteria used by the
random number generator 921 (or the like) of the virtual card
builder logic 920 are changed during the generation process. That
is, parameters impacting the probability of card selection, and
thus affecting game odds, may be modified. For example, in a game
played by a plurality of players, one of the players may optionally
select to receive cards having a higher or lower odds of winning
than the odds for the other players. (Of course, payout would
likely be adjusted accordingly.) For example, Player A may wish to
play a hand and/or a game based upon a virtual selection pool 922
constructed under a criteria of eight (8) traditional 52-card
desks. Player B may wish to play a hand and/or a game based upon a
virtual selection pool 922 constructed under a criteria of one (1)
traditional 52-card desk. As another example, Player C may wish to
have the opportunity to have wild cards introduced into his hand.
Accordingly, various embodiments of the playing card handling
system 110 are configured to accommodate special parameters during
the above-described processes that result in a constructed group of
deliverable cards 118.
[0162] In some situations, the virtual sequence 136 may have a
limited number of a particular value of a virtual card. For
example, but not limited to, the virtual sequence 136 may be
limited to having only eight A card values, even if the virtual
selection pool 922 was based upon ten standard 52-card playing
decks. Or, the virtual sequence 136 may be limited to having only a
particular rank or suit. For example, but not limited to, the
virtual sequence 136 may be limited to having only eight A card
values (of the four suits). Or, virtual sequence 136 may be limited
to having at most one half of the virtual cards having the
suit.
[0163] In some of the above-described embodiments, the processing
system 904, may selectively modify selected ones of the
above-described parameters as a plurality of virtual card sequence
portions 1202 are generated. The plurality of virtual card sequence
portions 1202, one designated for each different player, may be
joined, thereby creating a sequence of virtual cards 1204 that is
used to construct a group of deliverable cards 118. The group of
deliverable cards 118 would then have a plurality of sub-groups
therein, each sub-group designated for a particular player based
upon the selected modified parameter. In some embodiments, a
divider card (such as, but not limited to, an unmarked and/or
colored card) may be selected from a card receiving compartment 302
and placed between successive sub-groupings of physical cards to
ensure that players receive hands based upon the selected modified
parameter.
[0164] The above-described process of building a group of
deliverable cards 118 (FIG. 1B) [which may be generally described
as generating a virtual sequence 136 from the virtual selection
pool 922, defining a virtual sequence portion 1202 from the virtual
sequence 136, and then retrieving inventory cards 124 and/or
transitional cards 128 to construct the deliverable cards 118], and
the above-described process of returning collected cards 114 to the
carousel receiving compartments 302 of the carousels 940 (FIGS. 9
and 12), were described as separate processes for convenience. In
most embodiments, the processes of building a group of deliverable
cards 118 and transporting collected cards 114 to the compartments
302 of the carousels 940 operate concurrently. That is, the card
management processing system 902 is configured to control flow of a
plurality of physical cards along the branches 502-515 (FIG. 5) in
an integrated manner. Thus, embodiments may be configured to
simultaneously build groups of deliverable cards 118, restock
carousels 940 with inventory cards 124, receive collected cards
114, sense and/or evaluate transitional cards 128, operate on
transitional cards 128, etc. Such operational flexibility is
enabled because the transport of physical cards over the various
branches 502-515, and/or card transport at individual points along
the branches 502-515, and/or control of the carousel(s) 940, are
independently controllable. Accordingly, processing system 904,
when executing the various logic 920, 948, 954, and/or 956, and/or
operating on the information of 922, 924, 926, 950 and or 952, may
concurrently perform a plurality of different operations.
[0165] For example, a collected card 114 may be input into the
input branch 506 (thereby becoming a transitional card 128).
Concurrently, a selected inventory card 124 (referred to now as a
transitional card 128) may be in transport along one of the
carousel branches 504 or 508 as it is being selected (removed from
its card receiving compartment 302) from the carousel 940 (FIG. 10)
by that receiving compartment's card selector 400. Thus, two
physical cards are being transported concurrently in this
simplified example. Various card sensors 932 (FIG. 9) communicate
information to the card management processing system 902 such that
the processing system 904 tracks location of the two physical cards
on a real-time (or near real-time) basis.
[0166] In other embodiments, a plurality of physical cards may be
concurrently tracked and/or transported along the various the
branches 502-515. For example, a third physical card may
concurrently be transported in the exit branch 510 for deposit into
a trash receiving compartment or the like. Or, another physical
card may concurrently be transported in the intermediate branch 506
having cards sensors 932 and card management devices 936 configured
to detect that two or more transitional cards 128 are in contact
with each other (i.e., stuck together) and need separation from
each other so that further processing of the transitional cards 128
may occur. Or, a transitional card 128 may be in proximity to one
of the above-described diverters 602, 604 (FIG. 6), wherein
actuation of a diverter 602, 604 may divert the transitional card
128 from going into is assigned card receiving compartment 302 such
that the transitional card is transported to, for example, the
group of deliverable cards 118. In various embodiments, these
above-described scenarios, and other card tracking and/or transport
scenarios, may all occur concurrently.
[0167] As another example of concurrently managing transportation
of physical cards over the various branches 502-515, a
"look-forward" algorithm 950 may be included in memory 906 (FIG.
9). Processing system 904 determines a "next" virtual card of the
virtual sequence portion 1202 (FIG. 12), which defines the "next"
physical card 1206 that is to be added to the group of deliverable
cards 118. As noted herein, the "next" physical card 1206 may be
retrieved from one of the card receiving compartments 302, or may
be a transitional card 128 that may be diverted. During transport
of a transitional card 128 to its assigned card receiving
compartment 302, when the transitional card is in proximity to one
of the above-described diverters 602, 604 (FIG. 6), the
transitional card 128 may be considered to be within a "window of
opportunity" such that the transitional card 128 may be
successfully diverted to the group of deliverable cards 118 being
constructed.
[0168] Diverting the transitional card 128 directly to the group of
deliverable cards 118 may be done more quickly than retrieving the
"next" physical card from one of the carousel receiving
compartments 302 because the diverted transitional card 128 is
readily available and may have a relatively short distance to
travel to playing card output receiver 206. In comparison, if an
inventory card 124 is retrieved from a card receiving compartment
302, it is likely that the position of the receiving compartment
must be changed to bring the card selector (FIGS. 4 and 10) into
position such that the inventory card 124 can be selected out of
the card receiving compartment 302. Then, the selected inventory
card 124 (now referred to as a transitional card 128) must be
transported all the way to the playing card output receiver 206
(FIGS. 2A-2E). Thus, the process of retrieving an inventory card
124 may take longer that diverting a suitable transitional card
128. By diverting the transitional card 128 to the playing card
output receiver 206 so that the transitional card 128 may be used
as the "next" card of the deliverable cards 118, the overall
process of managing cards by the playing card handling system 110,
200 may be quickened.
[0169] Additionally, virtual card operations may be concurrently
performed by various embodiments. For example, one or more virtual
selection pools 922 (FIG. 9) may be concurrently generated based
upon different parameters. Or, processing system 904 may be
operating in a parallel mode wherein one or more virtual sequences
132 are being constructed from one or more one or more virtual
selection pools 922. Processing system 904 may be generating a
plurality of virtual sequence portions 1202 from one or more
virtual sequences 132. Or, all of, or some of, the above-described
virtual card operations may be occurring concurrently.
[0170] It is appreciated that the various possibilities of
concurrently managing, tracking or transporting physical cards
through the playing card handling system 110, and/or concurrently
performing virtual card operations, are too numerous to describe in
detail herein. Such embodiments performing a plurality functions
are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure and be
protected by any accompanying claims.
[0171] As noted herein, carousels or storage devices having card
compartments may be interchangeable. Thus, the playing card
handling system 110, 200 may be adding physical cards to and/or
removing physical cards from some of the carousels or storage
devices, which other carousels or storage devices are being removed
and/or replaced with other carousels or storage devices.
[0172] The above-described "random number generator" which
constructs the virtual sequence 136 may be implemented by a variety
of algorithms. In one embodiment, the random number generator 921
(FIG. 9) may computationally generate virtual cards of the virtual
sequence 136 or the virtual sequence portion 1202 (FIG. 12). That
is, a number associated with a value of a physical card may be
directly generated in a random manner. In another embodiment, the
random number generator 921 may generate a random series of
numbers, wherein the range of numbers that may be generated may
correspond to the total number of virtual cards of the virtual
selection pool. Such virtual cards could be associated with the
generated numbers through the use of a look-up table or the like.
In another embodiment, a random number generator 921 could generate
values corresponding to characteristics which identify a physical
card. For example, in the case of a standard 52-card deck, a first
value corresponding to a card suit, and another value corresponding
to card rank could be separately generated, thereby defining a card
having a particular value. It is appreciated that other algorithms,
commonly referred herein as "random number generator" algorithms
for convenience, may be used to generate, process and/or define
virtual cards 1204 as described herein, and that such algorithms
are too numerous and/or too complex to describe in detail herein.
All such algorithms are intended to be included within the scope of
this disclosure and to be protected by any accompanying claims.
While referred to herein and in the claims as being a random number
or random number generator, such terms encompass numbers and
generators that are not truly random in the mathematical sense,
such as those often referred to as being pseudo-random.
[0173] Other embodiments of a playing card handling system 110 are
configured to operate on physical cards 1206 (FIG. 12) without the
use of the random number generator 921 (FIG. 9). For example, one
or more predefined virtual sequences 132 and/or virtual sequence
portions 1202 may be used to construct a group of deliverable cards
118. Thus, predefined virtual sequences 132 and/or virtual card
sequence portions 1202 can be specified so that a corresponding
group of deliverable cards 118 may be constructed at will. The
predefined sequence may be stored in a look-up table or the like.
Also, the group of deliverable cards 118 may be constructed
repetitively.
[0174] For example, in certain types of card tournaments, such as
in a duplicate bridge tournament, players at a gaming table 102
play predefined hands. As that game is completed, the players move
to the next gaming table 102 and each player plays the same
respective hand that was previously played at that gaming table
102. That is, all gaming tables 102 at the duplicate bridge
tournament have a unique set of hands (groups of cards) that all of
the tournament players and/or teams play. Accordingly, embodiments
of the playing card handling system 110 may repeatedly construct
and deliver the necessary hands which must be identical from game
to game. The definition of the hands (corresponding to four virtual
card sequence portions 1202) may be determined as virtual cards by
a remote device. The information determined by the remote device
would provided to one or more of the card management processing
systems 902, via the user device interface 912 (FIG. 9).
Alternatively, the hands may be defined and/or generated by the
management processing systems 902 such that the unique hands are
repetitively constructed for tournament play.
[0175] As another hypothetical example wherein a playing card
handling system 110, 200 may be configured to operate on physical
cards 1206 (FIG. 12) without the use of the random number generator
921 (FIG. 9), the playing card handling system 110 may be used to
create sorted groups of playing cards. That is, the physical cards
may be directly sorted in a predefined manner. For example, one or
more sorted standard 52-card decks may be created from a plurality
of collected cards 114. Consider a hypothetical scenario wherein
520 mixed playing cards are input to the playing card handling
system 110. Up to ten sorted groups of deliverable cards 118
corresponding to sorted standard 52-card decks could then be
created from the 520 mixed playing cards.
[0176] As another hypothetical example wherein a playing card
handling system 110, 200 may be configured to operate on physical
cards 1206 (FIG. 12) without the use of the random number generator
921 (FIG. 9), the playing card handling system 110, 200 may be used
to inspect groups of physical cards. For example, a standard
52-card deck could be provided to embodiments of the playing card
handling system 110, 200 such that various card sensors 400 (FIG.
4) sense physical characteristics of the cards. Non-limiting
examples of physical characteristics include, but are not limited
to, card appearance, card quality and/or card value. As physical
cards are individually inspected, the card may then be transported
directly to the playing card output receiver 206 (FIGS. 2A-D). If
the assembled and inspected group of deliverable cards 118 created
from the inspected cards is acceptable, the playing card output
receiver 206 could return the group of deliverable cards 118 to the
user. In other embodiments, problem cards could be identified
and/or removed, and if removed, replaced by an acceptable inventory
card 124. Reports providing information relating to the inspected
physical cards may be output to a user device 928 (FIG. 9) by some
embodiments. It is appreciated that such an inspection process may
be completed relatively quickly since in some embodiments the
carousels 940 or other card compartment structures may not be in
use.
[0177] It is appreciated that the various types of scenarios
wherein a playing card handling system 110, 200 is configured to
operate on physical cards 1206 (FIG. 12) without the use of the
random number generator 921 will be apparent in light of the
teachings herein. Any such scenarios, methods and or systems are
intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and to
be protected by any accompanying claims.
[0178] As noted herein, the term "carousel" as used herein is
intended to be a generic term for a structure that comprises an
endless plurality of physical playing card receptacles, referred to
as card receiving compartments for convenience, particularly suited
for rotational movement. FIG. 13 illustrates selected alternative
embodiments of card storage devices. Rack 1302 is a rectangular
structure having a plurality of card receiving compartments 302
disposed therein suitable for translation. Rack 1304 is a another
type of rectangular structure having a matrix of card receiving
compartments 302 disposed therein suitable for translation. Storage
device 1306 is an arc-like structure having a plurality of card
receiving compartments 302 disposed therein suitable for pivoting.
Rack 1308 is a conveyor type structure having a plurality of card
receiving compartments 302 disposed thereon suitable for
translation. Rack 1310 is a vertically-oriented rectangular
structure having a plurality of card receiving compartments 302
disposed therein. It is appreciated that the various types of
structures and/or orientations employing card receiving
compartments 302 are too numerous to describe in detail herein.
Furthermore, if such structures are moved to orient a selected card
receiving compartment 302 with a card selector 400 (FIG. 4), the
structure may be moved in any suitable direction, orientation
and/or manner. Any such structure and/or orientation comprising a
plurality of card receiving compartments 302 configured to be a
repository for inventory cards 124 are intended to be included
within the scope of this disclosure.
[0179] As noted herein, the bonus cards and/or specialty cards may
be defined and/or selected after generation of the virtual sequence
136. In alternative embodiments, bonus cards and/or specialty cards
may be defined concurrently with other parameters or criteria used
to build the virtual selection pool 122. Accordingly, such bonus
cards and/or specialty cards would be selected with the same
probability as any other virtual card in the virtual selection
pool. Furthermore, in other embodiments, additional bonus cards
and/or specialty cards could be later added after generation of the
virtual sequence 136 as described herein.
[0180] FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17 are flow charts 1400, 1500 1600, and
1700, respectively, illustrating possible operation of the logic
modules 920, 948 and/or 954 of FIG. 9 as related to the various
functions relating to card management. The flow charts 1400, 1500,
1600 and 1700 show the architecture, functionality, and operation
of a possible implementation of the software for implementing the
logic modules 920, 948, 954, and/or 956. In this regard, each block
may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which
comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the
specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some
alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may
occur out of the order noted in FIGS. 14-17 or may include
additional functions. For example, two blocks shown in succession
in FIGS. 16-17 may in fact be executed substantially concurrently,
the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, or some
of the blocks may not be executed in all instances, depending upon
the functionality involved, as will be further clarified
hereinbelow. Furthermore, some blocks of one of the flow charts
1400, 1500 1600, and 1700 may be interchanged with the blocks of
one of the other flow charts and/or may be added to one of the
other flow charts. All such modifications and variations are
intended to be included herein within the scope of this
disclosure.
[0181] Furthermore, it is appreciated that the simplified
illustrative flow charts 1400, 1500, 1600 and 1700 of FIGS. 14-17,
respectively, describe only selected ones of the many
above-described processes for card management. Because of the
numerous variations described herein, specific flow charts are not
provided for each of the various alternative embodiments and
methods described herein.
[0182] FIG. 14 is a flow chart 1400 illustrating a process of the
above-described generation of a group of deliverable cards 118. The
process starts at block 1402. At block 1404, the card management
logic 954 (FIG. 9) receives specifications corresponding to the
virtual sequence build criteria 924. Such criteria and/or
parameters are described hereinabove.
[0183] At block 1406 the random number generator 921 generates a
first virtual card of the virtual sequence 136 in accordance with
the virtual sequence build criteria. This first virtual card is
selected from one of the virtual cards available from the
above-described virtual selection pool 922. Any of the
above-described random number generator algorithms 921 may be used
by various embodiments. Alternatively, the virtual sequence may not
be random, but rather may be a sorted sequence, for example one
from a look-up table.
[0184] At block 1408 the random number generator 921 generates the
next virtual card of the virtual sequence 136 in accordance with
the virtual sequence build criteria 924. This next virtual card is
selected from one of the remaining virtual cards available from the
above-described virtual selection pool 922. Thus, the first virtual
card selected at block 1406 is not available for selection at block
1408.
[0185] At block 1410, a determination is made whether the generated
next virtual card is the last card of the virtual sequence 136. If
not (the NO condition), the process loops back and selects another
"next" card. This looping continues until the last card of the
virtual sequence 136 has been generated. As noted above, the last
virtual card may correspond to a selected size (total number of
virtual cards) of the virtual sequence 136. The size of the virtual
sequence may be equal to the total number of virtual cards
available form the virtual selection pool 922, or may be a lesser
number of virtual cards.
[0186] If, at block 1410, the last card of the virtual sequence 136
has been generated (the YES condition), the process continues to
block 1412. At block 1412 the virtual sequence portion 1202 (FIG.
12) is selected from the virtual sequence 136. As noted above, the
virtual sequence portion 1202 may correspond to all of the virtual
sequence 136, or a selected portion of the virtual sequence 136. If
a portion is selected, the portion may be drawn from anywhere in
the virtual sequence 136 at random or based upon some specified
parameter. Furthermore, a plurality of virtual sequence portions
1202 may be selected from the virtual sequence 136. In some
situations, the plurality of selected portions may overlap virtual
cards of the virtual sequence 136, or may be contiguous with
virtual cards of the virtual sequence 136, and/or may be separated
by unselected virtual cards of the virtual sequence 136. In some
embodiments, blocks 1410 and 1412 may be combined so that the
virtual sequence portion 1202 is directly selected from the virtual
selection pool 922.
[0187] After the virtual sequence portion(s) 1202 have been
determined, the process may end in some embodiments. In such
embodiments, the process proceeds to block 1418, described
below.
[0188] In other embodiments, it may be desirable to perform other
operations on the determined virtual sequence portion(s) 1202.
Thus, the process continues to block 1414 where a determination is
made whether one or more of the virtual cards of the virtual
sequence portion 1202 are to be modified (the YES condition).
[0189] For example, but not limited to, bonus cards may be selected
to be marked as described above. In some embodiments, such
operations may be performed at a virtual level. If a virtual card
of the virtual sequence pool is to be modified, the corresponding
physical card 1206 may be modified as the group of deliverable
cards are being constructed. Accordingly, the process continues to
block 1414.
[0190] At block 1414, a determination is made whether one or more
of the virtual cards of the virtual sequence portion 1202 are to be
modified in accordance with at least one criteria and/or parameter.
For convenience, the process then returns to block 1414 in the
event that additional modifications are desired.
[0191] The process continues to block 1418 when the determination
is made that one or more of the virtual cards of the virtual
sequence portion 1202 are not to be modified (the NO condition), or
if it is determined that no other modifications are to be
performed. Based upon the modified virtual sequence portion (or the
unmodified virtual sequence portion if no modifications are
performed), the playing card handling system 110, 200 constructs
the group of deliverable cards 118. The group of deliverable cards
118 is constructed by selecting physical inventory cards 124 and/or
transitional cards as described hereinabove. The process then ends
at block 1420.
[0192] It is appreciated that the logic of blocks 1414 and 1416 may
be performed separately as a separate process to modify physical
cards. For example, rather than selecting a virtual card for
modification at block 1416, a physical card may be modified at
block 1416 in accordance with blocks 1414 and 1416, or another
suitable logical process.
[0193] FIG. 15 is a flow chart 1500 illustrating a process of the
above-described selection of inventory cards 124 (FIG. 1B) from
carousels 940 (FIG. 9). The process starts at block 1502. At block
1504, the card management logic 954 (FIG. 9) specifies a "next"
card of the current virtual sequence portion 1202. At block 1508 a
determination is made whether the specified "next" card can be
selected from a card receiving compartment 302 of a carousel 940 as
described hereinabove (see also FIGS. 10 and 11). That is, can the
"next" card be an inventory card 124?
[0194] If not (the NO condition), the process continues to block
1508 wherein the "next" card is, at some point, selected from a
transitional card 128 as described hereinabove (see also FIGS. 10
and 11). If a transitional card 128 is selected, the process
proceeds back to block 1504 where the "next+1" card is
specified.
[0195] At block 1506, if a determination is made that the specified
"next" card may be selected from an inventory card 124 residing in
a card receiving compartment 302 of a carousel 940 (the YES
condition), the process proceeds to block 1510. At block 1510, the
card management processing system 902 determines the location of
the specified "next" card. If a plurality of carousels 940 are
employed, the carousel 940 having the card receiving compartment
302 assigned to the specified "next" card is identified. Also, the
location of the card receiving compartment 302 in the identified
carousel 904 is identified.
[0196] Then, at block 1512 the identified location of the card
receiving compartment 302 associated with the specified "next" card
is compared with the relative location of the card selector 400
(FIGS. 4 and 10) that will select the specified "next" card. At
block 1414 the shortest path for the card selector to access the
identified card receiving compartment 302 is determined.
[0197] At block 1516, in embodiments employing carousels 940, the
carousel 940 is rotated in a counter-clockwise (CCW) or a clockwise
(CW) direction such that the carousel 940 movement is minimized.
Accordingly, the selection of the shortest path results in the
fastest alignment of the card selector 400 and the card receiving
compartment having the inventory card 124 associated with the
specified "next" card. In other embodiments employing racks, the
rack may be translated in an appropriate direction (e.g., left,
right, up, down, or forward, back).
[0198] As discussed herein, a variety of other card storage devices
1302-1310 (FIG. 3), for example, may be used for retaining
inventory cards 124 in their specified card receiving compartments
302. In such embodiments, the above-described blocks 1510-1516
would be modified as necessary to accommodate the particular
structures of that embodiment. Furthermore, in some embodiments
wherein the carousel 940 (or card storage devices 1302-1310) remain
stationary and the card selector 400 moves to the identified card
receiving compartment 302 holding the identified inventory card
124, the above-described blocks 1510-1516 would be modified as
necessary.
[0199] Once the card selector 400 is in alignment with the
identified card receiving compartment 302 holding the identified
inventory card 124 (the "next" card), the inventory card 124 is
selected at block 1518 and is added (transported to) the group of
deliverable cards 118. The process then proceeds to block 1520
where a determination is made whether the selected "next" card is
the last card of the virtual sequence portion 1202. That is, the
selected "next" card is the last card to be added to the group of
deliverable cards 118. If so (the YES condition), the process
proceeds to block 1522 and ends. If another card is to be
identified and selected (the NO condition), the process returns to
block 1504 for the "next+1" card.
[0200] It is appreciated that the above-described process of
selecting an inventory card 124 from a receiving compartment in
accordance with the flow chart 1400 may be modified to be
applicable with the above described process of flow chart 1600
wherein the embodiment is using the look-forward algorithm 950 to
determine if the "next" card can more quickly be selected from a
transitional card 128.
[0201] FIG. 16 is a flow chart 1600 illustrating a process of the
above-described look-forward algorithm 950 (FIG. 9). The process
starts at block 1602. At block 1604, the card management logic 954
receives a specification for a "next" card of a deliverable card
sequence. The specification may be based on the corresponding
"next" card of the virtual sequence portion 1202 that is being used
as the basis for the construction of the group of deliverable cards
118. At block 1606 a determination is made whether the look-forward
algorithm 950 is enabled. If not (the NO condition), the process
proceeds to block 1608 where a determination is made whether the
"next" card is available from the card inventory 112 residing in
the carousel(s) 940.
[0202] If an inventory card 124 is available (the YES condition at
block 1608), the "next" physical card is retrieved at block 1610
from the card receiving compartment 302 having the requested
inventory card 124 (and is transported to and added to the group of
deliverable cards 118).
[0203] Then, the process proceeds to block 1612 where a
determination is made whether the retrieved "next" card is the last
card of the virtual build sequence. If so (the YES condition), the
process ends at block 1614 since the construction of the group of
deliverable cards 118 has been completed. However, if a block 1612
the retrieved "next" card is not the last card of the virtual build
sequence, the process returns to block 1604 wherein the "next+1"
card is specified.
[0204] Returning now to block 1608, if a determination is made that
the desired "next" card is not available as an inventory card 124,
the process proceeds to block 1616 to read a returning collected
card 114, which may now, alternatively, be referred to as a
transitional card 128. Then, at block 1618, the transitional card
128 is read (sensed by a sensor and the information is analyzed by
the card management processing system 902) to determine the value
of the sensed transitional card 128. At block 1618, a determination
is made whether the current transitional card 128 is the desired
"next" card. If not (the NO condition), the process continuously
loops back to block 1616 until a read transitional card 128
corresponds to the desired "next" card (the YES condition). Then,
at block 1620 the transitional card 128 corresponding to the
desired "next" card is transported to and added to the group of
deliverable cards 118. The process then proceeds to block 1612 and
continues as described above.
[0205] If at block 1606 the look-forward algorithm 950 is enabled
(the YES condition), the process proceeds to block 1622. At block
1622, the transitional card 128 is read (sensed by a card sensor
932 so that the information may be analyzed by the card management
processing system 902) to determine the value of the sensed
transitional card 128. At block 1624, a determination is made
whether the value of the current transitional card 128 corresponds
to the value of the desired "next" card. If not (the NO condition),
the process proceeds to block 1608 and continues as described
above.
[0206] If at block 1624 the value of the read transitional card 128
corresponds to the value of the desired "next" card (the YES
condition), the process proceeds to block 1626 where the
transitional card 128 corresponding to the desired "next" card is
transported to and added to the group of deliverable cards 118. The
process then proceeds to block 1612 and continues as described
above.
[0207] FIG. 17 is a flow chart 1700 illustrating a process of the
above-described generation of a group of deliverable cards 118
(FIG. 9) from the inventory cards 124 residing in carousels 940 or
from transitional cards 128 (if inventory cards 124 are not
available). This exemplary process is used by embodiments wherein
the above-described look-forward algorithm 950 is omitted.
[0208] The process starts at block 1702. At block 1704, the card
management logic 954 (FIG. 9) generates a virtual sequence portion
1202 under any of the above-described processes, parameters and/or
criteria. After the virtual sequence portion 132 has been defined,
at block 1706, the value of the first virtual card of the specified
virtual sequence is identified. For convenience, this first card is
referred to as a "next" card on Flow chart 1700. (As the process
loops back to block 1706, as described in greater detail below,
subsequently retrieved cards are then the "next" cards in the
virtual sequence portion 1202).
[0209] At block 1708, a determination is made whether the value of
the identified "next" card corresponds to the value of an inventory
card 124 that is available from a card receiving compartment 302.
If an inventory card 124 is available (the YES condition), the
process proceeds to block 1710, wherein the inventory card 124
(corresponding to the "next" card) is selected from its card
receiving compartment 302.
[0210] At block 1712, the selected inventory card 124 is added to
the group of deliverable cards 118 by transporting the selected
inventory card 124 to the playing card output receiver 206 where
the group of deliverable cards 118 is being constructed. (The
selected inventory card 124, after it has been selected from its
card receiving compartment 302, may be referred to as a
transitional card 128 since the selected inventory card 124 is now
being transported to the playing card output receiver 206.)
[0211] At block 1714, a determination is made whether construction
of the group of deliverable cards 118 has been completed. If so
(the YES condition), the process proceeds to block 1718 and ends.
If additional cards are to be added to the group of deliverable
cards 118 (the NO condition), the process returns to block 1706
wherein the "next" card is identified in accordance with the
virtual sequence portion 1202. Thus, as long as inventory cards 124
are available to construct the group of deliverable cards 118, the
above-described process loops through blocks 1706, 1708, 1710, 1712
and 1714 until the construction of the group of deliverable cards
118 has been completed.
[0212] However, if at block 1708, a determination is made that the
value of the identified "next" card does not correspond to the
value of an available inventory card 124 (the NO condition), the
process proceeds to block 1720. That is, a determination is made
that there is no inventory card 124 available. Accordingly, at
block 1720, characteristics of a transitional card 128 are
detected. At block 1722, based upon the detected characteristics,
the value of the transitional card 128 is determined. At block
1724, a determination is made whether the value of the transitional
card 128 corresponds to the value of the "next" card (as identified
in accordance with the virtual sequence portion 1202 at block
1706).
[0213] If the value of the transitional card 128 does not
correspond to the value of the "next" card (the NO condition), the
process proceeds to block 1726 wherein the transitional card 128 is
transported to the appropriate card receiving compartment 302. The
process loops through blocks 1720, 1722, 1724 and 1726 until the
value of the transitional card 128 corresponds to the value of the
"next" card (the YES condition).
[0214] Transitional cards 128 are evaluated until the value of the
transitional card 128 corresponds to the value of the "next" card
(the YES condition of block 1724). As noted above, these evaluated
transitional cards 128 correspond to an incoming stream of
collected cards 114. Then, the transitional card 128 is selected at
block 1728. The process then proceeds to block 1712. That is, when
a collected card 114 is finally collected from the gaming table 102
that matches the identified "next" card in accordance with the
virtual sequence portion 1202 at block 1706, that collected card
114 (now referred to as a transitional card 128) is selected for
transportation to the playing card output receiver 206 so that the
card can be added to the group of deliverable cards 118.
[0215] In some situations, such as at the end of a series of games
or if construction of the group of deliverable cards 118 has been
completed, collected cards 114 may be returned to the playing card
handling system 110 such that the collected cards 114 are
transported to their appropriate card receiving compartment 302,
thereby restocking the carousels 940 with inventory cards 124. That
is, the supply of available inventory cards 124 may be restocked
from collected cards 114 by independently looping through the steps
1720, 1722, 1724 and 1726.
[0216] As noted above, as long as inventory cards 124 are available
to construct the group of deliverable cards 118, the
above-described process loops through blocks 1706, 1708, 1710, 1712
and 1714 until the construction of the group of deliverable cards
118 has been completed. The process of the restocking the supply of
available inventory cords 112 from collected cards 114 (by looping
through the steps 1720, 1722, 1724 and 1726) may occur concurrently
with the process of selecting inventory cards 124 to construct the
group of deliverable cards 118. That is, the two above-described
processes may occur independently and/or concurrently (or serially,
depending upon the embodiment). Then, if an inventory card 124 is
not available when needed, the playing card handling system 110
evaluates collected cards 114 until the needed collected card 114
is identified.
Advantages of the Playing Card Handling System
[0217] It is appreciated that construction of the group of
deliverable cards 118, processing of virtual cards 1204 (of the
virtual selection pool 922, the virtual sequence 136, and/or the
virtual sequence portion 1202) concurrently with the transportation
of collected cards 114 to carousel receiving compartments 302
allows a series of card games to progress in an uninterrupted, or
nearly uninterrupted, manner. That is, when one or more game of
cards is completed such that the supply of in-play cards 126 are
exhausted, a group of deliverable cards 118 are readily available
so that game play may continue. Furthermore, various embodiments
may be configured to optimize or minimize the total number of
individual physical cards 1206 at a gaming table 102.
[0218] The playing card handling system 110, 200 may advantageously
permit a theoretical hold to be set for a gaming table 102. The
theoretical hold represents the advantage of the house (e.g.,
casino) for a particular game. The theoretical hold is typically
based on the combination of the card game rules, the casino rules,
if any, and assumes that the participants play with perfect
strategy. Because participants rarely play with perfect strategy,
hence the term "theoretical hold."
[0219] It is customary in most casinos to set a theoretical hold of
at least 0.5%, which may be referred to as a "positive hold" and
means that the house would earn 0.5% of every dollar wagered for
the particular game. For some games, like Let-It-Ride.RTM. for
example, the theoretical hold can be as high as 30%.
[0220] According to at least one embodiment described herein, the
playing card handling system 110, 200 can be used to advantageously
set or "dial-in" the theoretical hold at a particular gaming table
102. One way of dialing in the theoretical hold is to create the
virtual sequence 136 based on a large number of cards, for example
100,000 decks (i.e., 5,200,000 cards). This generated virtual
sequence 136 can be computationally evaluated to locate subsets
therein that have the requisite theoretical hold. The computational
evaluation would locate groupings of cards that had a plurality of
certain card values, like a larger number of twos and threes,
and/or that had a sequence that favored the house. Accordingly, the
casino could entice players to play at a table with a larger than
customary theoretical hold by providing large incentives for
participants that did well against the house on such a table.
[0221] By way of another non-limiting example, the casino could set
the theoretical hold to favor the participants, instead of the
house. This type of gaming table 102 would have a "negative
theoretical hold." One reason for having a negative theoretical
hold would be to attract beginner players that may not want to
wager a lot, but are also not willing to lose a lot either. Thus,
the gaming table 102 with the negative hold 102 would provide
beginning players a chance to play the game for awhile, learn the
game, and hopefully walk away feeling successful and possibly ready
to play at more challenging tables. Based on the foregoing, the
playing card handling system 110 could advantageously be used to
set the theoretical hold within a range of -10% to 40%, for
example. The negative percentages represent theoretical holds that
favor the participants, while the positive percentages represent
theoretical holds that favor the house. It is appreciated that
aforementioned theoretical hold range is not meant to limit the
scope of this application and it is understood that the value of
the theoretical hold for a particular gaming table 102 is solely
within the discretion of the house.
[0222] The various embodiments described above can be combined to
provide further embodiments. All of the above U.S. patents, patent
applications, provisional patent applications and publications
referred to in this specification, to include, but not limited to
commonly assigned U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/791,549 filed
Apr. 12, 2006; and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/902,436,
10/981,132, 10/934,785, 10/823,051; and 60/716,538 are incorporated
herein by reference in their entirety. Aspects of the invention can
be modified, if necessary, to employ various systems, devices and
concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to
provide yet further embodiments of the invention.
[0223] These and other changes can be made to the invention in
light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the
following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit
the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the
specification and the claims, but should be construed to include
all card manipulation devices and systems and the operational
aspects that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly,
the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its
scope is to be determined entirely by the following claims.
* * * * *