Card Shuffler

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods are described for shuffling a deck, group, stack or pile of cards. The cards are placed into a shuffler. The shuffler may be accessed under a lid, or via a slot or tray. Buttons, switches, or a touch screen and the like serve as an interface to access and control the shuffler. Cards are introduced into a substantially vertical shuffling chute. Cards are counted or audited. Sensors provide information as to the location of the cards. Static barriers and agitators encourage cards to remain in proper orientation and location. An elevator lifts cards from the shuffling chute. Sweeper arms or other mechanism manipulates the cards and returns the cards to a substantially horizontal orientation and exit position. Manual override is possible when errors are detected. Rubber-coated commodity rollers mountable to cantilevered axles engage and launch cards into the air when shuffled in the shuffling chute. Cards settle back into the stack of cards under the influence of gravity. The shuffler is mounted inside a simple enclosure. Maintenance and interface features provide convenience when working with the shuffler. Authentication may be employed to correlate user or dealer with operation of the shuffler.

1 . A device for shuffling cards, the device comprising:
 a compartment having at least four sides and a compartment height, and wherein the compartment is sized to receive a plurality of cards at a receiving place at a first end of the compartment, and wherein each card of the plurality of cards has a first edge that includes a width dimension parallel to a face thereof, and wherein each card of the plurality of cards has a second edge that includes a length dimension parallel to the face thereof, and wherein each card includes a thickness dimension orthogonal to the face thereof, and wherein the compartment height is at least two times the dimension of the card parallel to a gravity vector;   a transport mechanism adapted to transport the plurality of cards substantially vertically during at least a portion of their travel within the compartment;   a forcer positioned so as to apply a force to a face of the cards within the shuffling region located within the compartment so as to shuffle the cards substantially vertically in an upward direction substantially parallel to a direction of the gravity vector; and   a contact reducer present on each of two opposing sides of the compartment, and wherein the two opposing sides are parallel to the face of the cards, and wherein the contact reducer is present to reduce contact between surface area of a card and surfaces in the compartment.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , and wherein the device further comprises:
 another transport mechanism that is configured to transfer the plurality of cards to a delivery place within the device;   a tilting element configured to operate in coordination with a motion of the transport mechanism, and wherein the tilting element is configured to tilt the plurality of cards prior to the cards being changed from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation by the another transport mechanism.   
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , and wherein the device further comprises:
 a sensor mounted adjacent to and exposed to the compartment and mounted at least two times a card width dimension substantially parallel to the gravity vector above the forcer, and wherein the sensor is configured to detect a presence of cards forced by the forcer;   a processor in electronic communication with the device; and   a memory in electronic communication with the device, and wherein the memory is configured with instructions to:
 obtain information from the sensor about the detected forced cards; 
 determine whether a sufficient amount of shuffling occurred based on the obtained information; and 
 make available in the memory an outcome of the said determining whether a sufficient amount of shuffling occurred. 
   
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , and wherein the compartment includes a first dimension greater than a length dimension of a card, a second dimension greater than a thickness dimension of the plurality of cards, and a third dimension greater than twice a width dimension of a card; and wherein the device further comprises:
 a series of sensors mounted adjacent to and along a dimension of the compartment, wherein the distance between the sensors is less than the card dimension which is substantially parallel to the gravity vector,   a processor in electronic communication with the device; and   a memory in electronic communication with the device, and wherein the memory is configured with instructions to:   detect a presence of a card statically located adjacent to at least one sensor of the series of sensors during a portion of time that the plurality of cards is in the device.   
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , and wherein the device further comprises:
 a user interface element in electronic communication with the device;   a processor in electronic communication with the device; and   a memory in electronic communication with the device and the user interface element, and wherein the memory is configured with instructions to:
 upon detecting an error state, enable a manual override for the transport mechanism; and 
 operate the transport mechanism within the compartment based on a signal detectable from the user interface element. 
   
     
     
         6 . A card shuffler for shuffling a stack of cards, the card shuffler comprising:
 a first pair of opposing walls that form a pair of opposing sides of a shuffling chute, the pair of opposing sides forming a first side and a second side of the shuffling chute, and wherein the cards when positioned in the shuffling chute are positioned in an orientation such that card edges are adjacent to the first pair of opposing walls;   a third wall and a fourth wall that opposes the third wall, and wherein the third wall and the fourth wall form a third side and a fourth side of the shuffling chute, respectively, and wherein each of the third wall and the fourth wall includes at least one mechanical formation to reduce an amount of surface area contactable by an adjacent card when the card is within the shuffling chute; and   a card kicker configured to provide a lifting force to a card proximal to a first side of the stack of cards as the cards are vertically located in the card shuffler, and wherein the lifting force is applied to the cards over a period of time, and wherein the lifting force is sufficient to lift the proximal card at least above the stack of cards in a substantially vertical direction.   
     
     
         7 . The card shuffler of  claim 6 , and wherein a mechanical formation is a rail that forms a raised portion along at least a portion of the third wall and the fourth wall, respectively, and wherein at least a portion of each rail rises at least 0.005 inches from the respective wall. 
     
     
         8 . The card shuffler of  claim 6 , and wherein the mechanical formations are rounded mounds that are formed in the third wall and the fourth wall, and wherein the rounded mounds are raised above a plane defined by the respective third wall and fourth wall, and wherein a contactable surface area available to an adjacent card is less than approximately fifty percent of the surface area of the adjacent card. 
     
     
         9 . The card shuffler of  claim 6 , and wherein the card shuffler further comprises:
 a sensor mounted adjacent to and exposed to the compartment along either the third wall or fourth wall, and wherein the sensor is above the card kicker;   a processor in electronic communication with the card shuffler; and   a memory in electronic communication with the card shuffler, and wherein the memory is configured with instructions to:
 detect over time a signal from the sensor as the card kicker operates, and wherein the signal indicates the presence of a card proximate to the sensor; 
 determine whether a sufficient amount of shuffling has occurred based on the detected signal from the sensor and based on a threshold value; and 
 provide a signal to the card shuffler based on the determination of the sufficient amount of shuffling. 
   
     
     
         10 . The card shuffler of  claim 6 , and wherein the card shuffler further comprises:
 a series of sensors mounted adjacent to and along the shuffling chute along a path traveled by kicked cards in the shuffling chute; and   a memory in electronic communication with the card shuffler, and wherein the memory is configured with instructions to:
 detect a presence of a card statically located adjacent to at least one sensor of the series of sensors during at least a portion of time that the stack of cards are in the card shuffler. 
   
     
     
         11 . The card shuffler of  claim 6 , and wherein the first side and the second side of the shuffling chute include a material applied thereto to reduce one or more of the list consisting of: sound as cards impact surfaces in the card shuffler, damage to a card from impact with surfaces in the card shuffler, and abrasion to a card. 
     
     
         12 . A card shuffler for shuffling a plurality of cards placed at a shuffling location such that the card faces are substantially parallel to a gravity vector, the card shuffler comprising:
 a card kicker configured to provide a lifting force to a one or more proximal cards, and wherein the cards are oriented substantially vertically, and wherein the lifting force is applied to the cards over a period of time, and wherein the lifting force is sufficient to lift one or more of the proximal cards at least above the remaining cards;   a shuffling chute that includes the shuffling location at which to shuffle the cards;   a sensor mounted above the shuffling location, and wherein the sensor is mounted proximate to the shuffling chute and configured to detect a presence of kicked cards within the chute;   a processor in electronic communication with the card shuffler; and   a memory in electronic communication with the card shuffler, and wherein the memory is configured with instructions to:
 process information from the sensor about the sensed kicked cards; and 
 determine whether a sufficient amount of shuffling occurred based on the processed information. 
   
     
     
         13 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the memory is further configured with instructions to:
 make available in the memory an outcome of the said determining whether a sufficient amount of shuffling occurred.   
     
     
         14 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the memory is further configured with instructions to:
 provide a signal based on the said determining whether a sufficient amount of shuffling occurred.   
     
     
         15 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the instructions to process information about the sensed kicked cards includes instructions to determine a cumulative number of samples associated with the detection of kicked cards, and wherein the said sufficient amount of shuffling is based on the determined cumulative number of samples. 
     
     
         16 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the instructions to accumulate information about the sensed kicked cards includes instructions to determine a cumulative number of impacts of kicked cards with a surface near the sensor mounted above the shuffling location, and wherein the said sufficient amount of shuffling is based on the determined cumulative number of impacts. 
     
     
         17 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the card shuffler further comprises:
 a settler that is configured to provide a settling motion to the plurality of cards, and wherein the settling motion facilitates settling of the playing cards into the stack of cards under the influence of gravity.   
     
     
         18 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the cards are placed in a substantially vertical orientation at the shuffling location, and wherein the card shuffler further comprises:
 a transferring component configured to transfer the cards, after being shuffled, to a retrieval location associated with the card shuffler.   
     
     
         19 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the card kicker includes a rotatable component, and wherein the card kicker is configured to contact the proximal card with an outer surface of the rotatable component. 
     
     
         20 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the card kicker includes a mechanical element configured to provide an oscillatory motion to the card kicker relative to a surface of the proximal card to facilitate contact between the card kicker and card. 
     
     
         21 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the instructions to accumulate information about the detected kicked cards includes instructions to:
 persist a value based on information from the sensor.   
     
     
         22 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the instructions to accumulate information about the sensed kicked cards includes instructions to:
 persist a cumulative value associated with interruption of the sensor by kicked cards, and wherein a sufficient amount of shuffling is based on comparing the cumulative value against a pre-defined threshold value.   
     
     
         23 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the sensor includes a light-based sensor, and wherein the detecting of the presence of kicked cards includes detecting interference of light by the presence of one or more cards. 
     
     
         24 . The card shuffler of  claim 12 , and wherein the instructions further cause the card shuffler to:
 determine a start for providing the lifting force;   persist a cumulative value based on the detected presence of kicked cards thrown within a detection range of the sensor since the determined start for providing the lifting force; and   based on the persisted cumulative value exceeding a pre-determined threshold value, adjust the pre-determined time for providing the lifting force to kick cards, or cease shuffling by the card shuffler, or continue to provide the lifting force until the cumulative value meets the pre-determined threshold value.   
     
     
         25 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A card shuffling device comprising:
 a housing placed into an aperture of and below a top surface of a gaming table; a top surface mounted to the housing, and wherein the top surface forms a lip that protrudes outside a profile of the housing, and wherein the lip includes a bottom surface from which the card shuffling device is suspended from the table by the lip such that the bottom surface of the lip contacts a surface of the gaming table;   walls forming a shuffling compartment inside the housing, and wherein the shuffling compartment is sized to receive a plurality of cards at a receiving portion of the shuffling compartment, and wherein each card has a first edge that includes a width, and wherein each card has a second edge that includes a length that is substantially perpendicular to the width thereof, and wherein each card includes a thickness that is orthogonal to a face thereof;   a shuffling forcer configured to apply a force to the cards so as to shuffle the cards in the device at a shuffling location in the compartment while the cards rest in a substantially vertical orientation, the cards being shuffled in an upward direction that is substantially parallel to a direction of a gravity vector;   
       a card tray located inside the card shuffling device and proximate to the receiving portion of the compartment, and wherein the card tray is shaped to accommodate the plurality of cards; and
 a movable lid mounted to the device and forming part of the top surface, and wherein the movable lid, when opened, provides access to the interior of the card shuffling device and the card tray.