Blackjack scanner apparatus and method
US5669816A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 25, 1996 |
| Grant date | Sep 23, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 25, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63F2009/2425
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A module for announcing when a Dealer has blackjack without exposing the face of the Dealer's down-card. The module scans a character from the Dealer's face-down standard playing card, compares the result of the scan with a set of references, and identifies the down-card. The module also receives input from the Dealer as to the identity of the Dealer's up-card, and announces whether the Dealer has blackjack or the hand continues. The module is designed to be mounted to a blackjack table such that the surface of the module on which the standard playing card rests while being scanned is in the plane of the surface of the blackjack table, allowing the Dealer to slide the down-card across the table and onto the scanner without lifting, and potentially exposing, the card's face. The module also removes the noise generated by a casino's heat, dust, cigarette and cigar ashes, and lint from the felt of the blackjack table, during the scanning process. The module further optimizes the scan of the character on the standard playing card by controlling the light intensity emitted by the components of the module used to illuminate the character.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.