Patent · US Expired

Card shuffler having a random ejector

US4515367A · kind A · utility

261Cited by
2References
31Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 14, 1983
Grant dateMay 7, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 14, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA63F1/12
  • WIPO fieldFurniture, games
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

In an automatic card shuffler, cards already played are placed in first and second trays. Sensors arranged in the trays detect the presence of cards to automatically initiate a shuffling operation. The cards in the trays pass through the card mixer, where they are interweaved in a random fashion and deposited in a compartment arranged beneath the mixer. A carriage carrying a card ejector is reciprocated up and down by a reversible linear drive, activated when the shuffling operation begins and terminated substantially upon termination of the shuffling operation to locate the card ejector at a randomly determined position along the card receiving stack. If the stack of cards in said compartment reaches at least a minimum predetermined height, detected by a sensor arranged within the compartment, the card ejector is moved into the compartment to eject a group of cards, preferably of the order of two decks. The aforesaid ejected group of cards may then be placed in a dealing shoe. The random selection of a group of cards within the card compartment may be controlled by a solid state electronic random generator comprised of either discrete solid state components or a microprocessor. In…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.