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US 10,765,930 B2Granted
Trap door mechanism for card handling devices such as card shufflers
AssigneeAgs LLC
InventorBjorn Gunderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A card shuffler or other card handling apparatus defines a card receiving and/or dispensing area that accepts cards. The card shuffler also includes a shuffling compartment. A trap door is provided to transport the cards from the receiving and/or dispensing area to the shuffling compartment.
Claims14
A trap door system for a card shuffling apparatus, the trap door system comprising:
- a trap door comprising a card platform, an axle disposed at a proximal end of the trap door, and a cam follower surface disposed on the axle;
- and
- a latching device configured to interact with a distal end of the trap door to hold and lock the trapdoor in a position where the card platform is substantially horizontal, the latching device comprising a first end attached to an actuator, a hinge about which the latching device rotates, and
- a second end that interfaces with the distal end of the trap door,
- wherein when the actuator rotates the latching device so that the second end is moved away from the distal end of the trap door, the trap door rotates about the axle so that the platform is substantially vertical, and
- wherein the cam follower surface is configured to interface with a sweeper arm to rotate the trap door about the axle from where the platform is substantially vertical to where the platform is substantially horizontal.
3 more elements
A shuffling apparatus comprising:
- a card receptacle having one or more sidewalls and at least one end-wall that define a card receiving/dispensing area for receiving/dispensing cards;
- a shuffling compartment;
- a trap door configured to transport cards from the card receiving/dispensing area to the shuffling compartment, wherein the trap door comprises a cam follower surface;
- and
- a sweeper arm configured to raise the cards from the shuffling compartment and to control rotation of the trap door by interacting with the cam follower surface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.