Device and Method for Resolving Flipped Cards
OwnerCharles M. Curleyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A compact card handling device for use in casinos possesses a card intake portal and two playing card discharge portals which are all accessible by a device operator. An optical recognition sensor cooperates with a microcontroller to interrogate the integrity of each card during an ongoing shuffling operation to discover unexpected cards, including unrecognized cards and flipped cards. Unexpected cards are immediately discharged to a dedicated portal for operator review. In the commonly encountered case of flipped cards, the operator may correct the orientation and re-insert a mis-oriented card into the device without interrupting the ongoing shuffling operation.
Claims16
A card handling device for randomizing and/or verifying integrity of a group of cards, the card handling device comprising:
- a housing;
- a card intake portal accessible by a device operator for receiving cards to be randomized;
- a first discharge portal accessible by a device operator for receiving randomized and properly verified card stacks from within the card handling device;
- a second discharge portal visibly and physically accessible by a device operator for receiving flipped cards or other faulty cards one at a time from within the card handling device;
- a control panel for indicating a status of a stack of cards;
- a randomizing chamber for randomizing the order of a group of cards;
- an optical recognition sensor configured to interrogate an identity of each card from within the plurality of cards of the card intake portal;
- at least one microcontroller for directing the transport of the cards, deciding upon the destination of each interrogated card, and providing status to a device operator;
- whereupon the microcontroller is configured to direct each interrogated card to either the first discharge portal or the second discharge portal.
A method of utilizing a card handling device for separating individual cards from a group of cards during an ongoing randomizing operation, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) interrogating each card for a mark or indicia utilizing an optical recognition sensor during an ongoing randomizing operation,
- b) deciding if each card is recognizable as an expected component of a set,
- c) accumulating expected cards into a stack to be delivered to a first discharge portal, and
- d) immediately discharging individual flipped cards or other unexpected cards to a second discharge portal which is visibly and physically accessible to an operator while the randomizing operation is ongoing.
A method of utilizing a card handling device for separating individual cards from a group of cards during an ongoing verification operation, the method comprising the steps of;
- a) interrogating each card for a mark or indicia utilizing an optical recognition sensor during an ongoing verification operation,
- b) deciding if each card is recognizable as an expected component of a set,
- c) accumulating expected cards into a stack to be delivered to a first discharge portal, and
- d) immediately discharging individual flipped cards or other unexpected cards to a second discharge portal which is visibly and physically accessible to an operator while the verification operation is ongoing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.