A system for creating sets of cards

Abstract

A system for creating sets of cards is provided, and includes: a card supply means; a card moving system; a card collecting means to collect a set of cards, each card collecting means of the plurality of card collecting means being provided under the conveyor belt at different positions along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt; a card identifying means to identify the cards carried by the card moving system; and a controlling means to assign each of the identified cards carried by the card moving system to a card collecting means. For each card collecting means, a releasing means is positioned at the same position along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt, the controlling means being adapted to activate the releasing means positioned at the card collecting means when a card passes the card collecting means it is assigned to.

1 .- 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A system for creating sets of cards, the system comprising:
 a card supply means providing a plurality of cards;   a card moving system, comprising a card-carrying means and at least one releasing means being an activatable releasing means to disconnect the card from the card carrying means;   a plurality of card collecting means to collect a set of cards, each card collecting means of the plurality of card collecting means being provided under said conveyor belt at different positions along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt;   a card identifying means to identify the cards carried by the card moving system;   a controlling means to assign each of the identified cards carried by the card moving system to a card collecting means;   wherein for each card collecting means, a releasing means is positioned at the same position along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt, the controlling means being adapted to activate the releasing means positioned at the card collecting means when a card passes the card collecting means it is assigned to.   
     
     
         19 . The system for creating sets of cards according to  claim 18 , wherein said system comprises a defect detection unit to detect defective cards. 
     
     
         20 . The system for creating sets of cards according to  claim 19 , wherein said system further comprises a card extraction bin being provided under said conveyor belt at a given positions along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt, a releasing means is positioned at the same given position along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt, the controlling means being adapted to activate the releasing means at the position along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt when the defective card passes the card extraction bin. 
     
     
         21 . The system for creating sets of cards according to  claim 18 , wherein for each releasing means, a first card detecting means is provided before the releasing means, a second card detecting means being provided after the releasing means in the direction of movement of the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         22 . The system for creating sets of cards according to  claim 18 , wherein the card moving system comprising:
 a conveyor belt adapted to carry one or more cards individually connected the lower side of the conveyor belt;   at least one releasing means for releasing the card from the conveyor belt being an interruption means to interrupt the connection of the card to the lower side of the conveyor belt and/or   a gas blowing means to blow the connected card from the conveyor belt.   
     
     
         23 . A card moving system according to  claim 22 , wherein the releasing means is an activatable releasing means. 
     
     
         24 . The card moving system according to  claim 22 , wherein the width of the conveyor belt is less than the length of the carried cards. 
     
     
         25 . The card moving system according to  claim 24 , wherein the card moving system comprises a card providing means, providing the cards to be displaced with the length of the card perpendicular to the direction of movement of the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         26 . The card moving system according to  claim 25 , wherein the releasing means is a gas blowing means. 
     
     
         27 . The card moving system according to  claim 26 , wherein the gas blowing means is an air blowing means comprising a first air knife. 
     
     
         28 . The card moving system according to  claim 26 , wherein the gas blowing means is an air blowing means comprising a first pair of air knifes, the first and second air knife of this pair of air knifes being positioned at opposite sides of the conveyor belt and at the same position along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         29 . The card moving system according to  claim 28 , wherein the gas blowing means is an air blowing means comprising a plurality of pairs of air knifes, the first and second air knife of each pair of air knifes being positioned at opposite sides of the conveyor belt and at the same position along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         30 . A method to provide a set of randomly shuffled cards, the method comprises the steps of:
 providing a system for creating sets of cards according to  claim 18 ;   providing a series of randomly ordered cards to said system for creating sets of cards;   identifying each of the cards sucked by the conveyor belt and assigning a card collecting means to each of the identified cards;   displacing said identified cards along the conveyor belt to the plurality of card collecting means;   for each identified card, activate the releasing means at the same position along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt when a card passes the card collecting means it is assigned to;   wherein the controlling means assigns a card collecting means to each card such that in each card collecting means, a set of one or more decks of cards is created.   
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the card supply system provides cards with the face side of the cards facing away from the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein at least part of the cards provided to the system for creating sets of cards are reclaimed cards. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the cards provided to the system for creating sets of cards are randomly ordered. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the controlling means creates a sequence of the identities of the cards for each set of cards created in each card collecting means.