US 8,944,904 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for card handling device calibration

AssigneeBally Gaming, Inc.

InventorsAttila Grauzer, James B. Stasson, Feraidoon Bourbour, Paul K. Scheper

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A device for automatically calibrating for card size and thickness during card handling is disclosed. The device includes a card receiving area, a card stacking area and a card moving system for moving cards from the card receiving area to the card stacking area. An elevator located in the card stacking area has a movable platform for moving a stack of cards. At least one sensor senses at least one of position of the platform, height of the platform, position of a card in the elevator, height of a card or cards in the elevator, pressure applied to a card in the elevator, presence of the platform at a predetermined height, presence of the platform at a predetermined position, presence of card(s) on the platform, and absence of card(s) on the platform. A method for calibrating a card handling device during shuffling is also disclosed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of operating a card handling device comprising an automatic card shuffler, the automatic card shuffler comprising a card receiving area, a card moving system, a card support surface supported by an elevator, and at least one card supporting element for suspending cards over the card support surface at an elevation in alignment with the at least one card supporting element, the method comprising:

transferring cards individually from the card receiving area to the card support surface;
sensing a number of cards transferred to the card support surface;
raising the elevator and the card support surface with the cards thereon to an elevation in alignment with the at least one card supporting element;
gripping one or more cards on the card support surface by applying a pressure on the one or more cards with the at least one card supporting element;
and
lowering the elevator and the card support surface to suspend the one or more cards with the at least one card supporting element at the elevation;
wherein a pressure on the one or more cards applied by the at least one card supporting element increases as a number of gripped cards increases.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/863,749Filed 16 Apr 2013 · continuation
Priority: 28 Sep 2001
Published: US 2013/0228972 A15 Sep 2013
Granted: 3 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

A63F 1/12
Card game appurtenances: card shufflers
A63F
Card, board, or roulette games

Family

Application09/967,502Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Sep 2001
Application10/128,532Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 23 Apr 2002
Application10/261,166Parent of this division · filed 27 Sep 2002
US 6,651,982 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 25 Nov 2003
US 6,651,981 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 25 Nov 2003
Application10/926,508Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 26 Aug 2004
US 7,036,818 B2Parent of this division · filed 2 May 2006
Application11/444,285Parent of this continuation · filed 30 May 2006
US 7,384,044 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 10 Jun 2008
Application13/275,194Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Oct 2011
US 8,038,521 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Oct 2011
US 2013/0228972 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Sep 2013
US 8,419,521 B2Parent of this continuation
Application11/444,285Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application10/926,508Parent of this division
Application10/261,166Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2003/0067112 A1Published application
US 2003/0073498 A1Published application
US 2003/0075865 A1Published application
US 2005/0023752 A1Published application
US 2006/0281534 A1Published application
US 2012/0091657 A1Published application
US 8,944,904 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.