Automatic card shufflers and related methods of automatic jam recovery
AssigneeLNW Gaming, Inc.
InventorsJames Helgesen, James B. Stasson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Automatic card shufflers may include a card input mechanism for inputting cards into the card shuffler, a card storage device for receiving cards from the card input mechanism and temporarily storing cards within the card shuffler, and a card output mechanism for outputting cards from the card shuffler. The automatic card shufflers may randomly select an internal compartment to be an overflow compartment for inserting cards when a failure of insertion of a card to a selected primary card position occurs.
Claims20
A method of handling cards, the method comprising:
- randomly determining at least one compartment of a card shuffler to be an overflow compartment;
- randomly determining a primary card position for each card of a number of cards;
- and
- transferring a card of the number of cards into the overflow compartment responsive to failing to insert the card in its randomly defined primary card position.
A method of handling cards, the method comprising:
- randomly determining a primary card position in a rack for each card of a number of cards;
- moving a card of the number of cards to the primary card position in the rack associated with the card;
- attempting to insert the card in the primary card position in the rack;
- responsive to failing to insert the card in the primary card position the rack, incrementally moving the rack;
- after incrementally moving the rack, attempting to insert the card in the primary card position in the rack.
An automatic card shuffler, comprising:
- a card input mechanism for receiving a number of cards;
- a number of card storage compartments;
- and
- a control system configured to:
- randomly select a primary card position within the number of card storage compartments for a card of the number of cards;
- move the card of the number of cards to the primary card position;
- attempt to insert the card in the primary card position;
- responsive to failing to insert the card in the primary card position, incrementally moving the number of card storage compartments relative to the card;
- and
- after incrementally moving the number of card storage compartments, attempting to insert the card in the primary card position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.