Multilayer gaming chip with a stripe pattern and management system identifying the chip based on infrared and visible light imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10977895-B2
Application number	US-201815939403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2018
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A management system includes a recording device recording an image of a gaming chip and an inspection device determining a type and authenticity of the gaming chip. The gaming chip has a multilayer structure in which both sides of a colored layer are sandwiched between light color layers, surface printing representing a type of the gaming chip is performed on outer sides of the light color layers, and an authenticity recognition mark is printed on the colored layer of an inside of the light color layers by an infrared absorbing material. A visible light camera photographs a visible light image of the surface printing, and an infrared light camera photographs an infrared image of the internal printing. The inspection device determines the type and authenticity of the gaming chip using the visible light image and the infrared image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A management system of a table game using a game table, the management system comprising:
a recording device; and
an inspection device;
wherein:
the inspection device is configured to use a visual spectrum image and an infrared image of the recording device to determine a type and authenticity of a gaming chip that:
(a) is represented in the images of the recording device; and
(b) has a multilayer structure of a plurality of laminated, thermocompression bonded plastic layers that:
(1) form a stripe pattern on an exterior side face of the gaming chip; and
(2) include an outer layer, which is a representation plastic layer that has:
 a representation of the type of the gaming chip printed on its outer side; and
 an infrared absorbing material, forming an authenticity recognition mark, printed on at least one inner surface selected from surfaces of the thermocompression bonded plastic layers, the at least one inner surface not being visible from outside of the gaming chip, such that the authenticity recognition mark is not exposed to outside of the gaming chip; and

the recording device includes:
a visible light spectrum camera that is configured to record and discriminate the representation of the type of the gaming chip printed on the outer side of the representation plastic layer, thereby producing the visual spectrum image; and
an infrared camera that is configured to record and discriminate the authenticity recognition mark formed by the printed infrared absorbing material by irradiating infrared rays from a side of the gaming chip on which the representation of the type of the gaming chip is printed, thereby producing the infrared image.

2. The management system of a table game according to claim 1 , wherein the authenticity recognition mark of the gaming chip is printed by a transparent or translucent infrared absorbing material.

3. The management system of a table game according to claim 1 , wherein:
the multilayer structure of the gaming chip includes a plurality of stripes that extend circumferentially on a circumferential exterior edge of the gaming chip and that are stacked on each other in a laminating direction from a bottom flat end face of the gaming chip to a top flat end face of the gaming chip, the stripes including:
(1) a colored layer of a first color provided in the middle of the gaming chip with respect to the laminating direction; and
(2) other layers that are each of a lighter or different color than the first color and that are laminated on both sides of the colored layer of the first color, which is provided in the middle of the gaming chip; and

the inspection device is configured to identify the type of the gaming chip based on the colored layer of the first color as imaged in the visual spectrum image.

4. The management system of a table game according to claim 3 , further comprising a database storing the authenticity recognition mark and the type of the gaming chip by associating the authenticity recognition mark and the type of the gaming chip with each other.

5. The management system of a table game according to claim 4 , wherein the inspection device is configured to inspect whether the authenticity recognition mark and the type of the gaming chip specified at least by the colored layer of the first color are associated with each other in the database.

6. The management system of a table game according to claim 1 , wherein the authenticity recognition mark of the gaming chip is a character or a pattern.

7. The management system of a table game according to claim 1 , wherein a radio frequency (RF) tag storing RF tag information is embedded in the gaming chip.

8. The management system of a table game according to claim 7 , further comprising: a database storing the authenticity recognition mark and the RF tag information by associating the authenticity recognition mark and the RF tag information with each other.

9. The management system of a table game according to claim 8 , wherein the inspection device is configured to inspect whether the authenticity recognition mark and the RF tag information are associated with each other in the database.

10. A gaming chip comprising:
a multilayer structure including a plurality of laminated, thermocompression bonded plastic layers that form a stripe pattern on an exterior side face of the gaming chip, wherein:
an outer layer of the plurality of plastic layers is a representation plastic layer on an outer side of which a representation of the type of the gaming chip is printed, with an infrared absorbing material that forms an authenticity recognition mark printed on at least one inner surface selected from surfaces of the thermocompression bonded plastic layers, the at least one inner surface not being visible from outside of the gaming chip, such that the authenticity recognition mark is not exposed to outside of the gaming chip; and
the authenticity recognition mark can be irradiated by an infrared camera with infrared rays from a side of the gaming chip on which the representation of the type of the gaming chip is printed to thereby produce an infrared image recording and discriminating the authenticity recognition mark.

11. The gaming chip according to claim 10 , wherein an association can be determined between the authenticity recognition mark of the gaming chip discriminated by irradiating the infrared rays and the printed representation of the type of the gaming chip as read by a visible light spectrum camera.

12. The gaming chip according to claim 10 , wherein the authenticity recognition mark of the gaming chip is printed by a transparent or translucent infrared absorbing material.

13. The gaming chip according to claim 12 , wherein the authenticity recognition mark is associated with the type of the gaming chip, which is specified at least by a colored layer of the multilayer structure, in a database.

14. The gaming chip according to claim 10 , wherein the multilayer structure of the gaming chip includes a plurality of stripes that extend circumferentially on a circumferential exterior edge of the gaming chip and that are stacked on each other in a laminating direction from a bottom flat end face of the gaming chip to a top flat end face of the gaming chip, the stripes including:
(1) a colored layer of a first color provided in the middle of the gaming chip with respect to the laminating direction; and
(2) other layers that are each of a lighter or different color than the first color and that are laminated on both sides of the colored layer of the first color, which is provided in the middle of the gaming chip.

15. The gaming chip according to claim 14 , wherein an ID mark is provided on an outer circumferential surface of one of the other layers in ultraviolet UV ink or carbon black ink.

16. The gaming chip according to claim 15 , wherein the authenticity recognition mark is associated with at least the ID mark in a database.

17. The gaming chip according to claim 10 , wherein the authenticity recognition mark of the gaming chip is a character or a pattern.

18. The gaming chip according to claim 10 , wherein a radio frequency (RF) tag storing RF tag information is embedded in the gaming chip.

19. The gaming chip according to claim 18 , wherein the authenticity recognition mark is associated in a database with at least the RF tag information.

20. A management system of a table game using a table game, the management system comprising:
a recording device; and
an inspection device;
wherein

Assignees

• Angel Playing Cards Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shigeta Yasushi

Classifications

• G06K19/07722

  the record carrier being multilayered, e.g. laminated sheets (flat articles in general, see B32B37/00) · CPC title

• G06K19/0723

  the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs · CPC title

• G06F16/901

  Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures (for retrieval from the web G06F16/951) · CPC title

• C09D11/101

  Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing · CPC title

• G07F17/3241 Primary

  Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance (computer security G06F21/00) · CPC title