System, chip tray, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11915550-B2
Application number	US-202217884811-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2022
Priority date	Oct 9, 2018
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A chip tray system can include multiple chip tube components. A first chip tube component in the chip tray can include one or more gaming chip storage rows corresponding to a first size of gaming chip. A second chip tube component in the chip tray can include one or more gaming chip storage rows corresponding to a second size of gaming chip. An edge of the first chip tube component can be coupled to an edge of the second chip tube component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A double-decker chip tray comprising:
at least one RFID tag antenna configured to read gaming chips, the gaming chips including two types of gaming chips that incorporate an RFID tag and that have different shapes and sizes;
an upper chip tray configured to accommodate the gaming chips; and
a lower chip tray configured to accommodate the gaming chips,
wherein:
the two types of gaming chips include a circular gaming chip and a rectangular plaque,
each gaming chip of the gaming chips incorporates the RFID tag that stores a denomination of the gaming chip,
the upper chip tray has at least one first gaming chip storage row corresponding to the circular gaming chip for accommodating the circular gaming chip,
the lower chip tray has at least one second gaming chip storage row corresponding to the rectangular plaque for accommodating the rectangular plaque, and
the at least one RFID antenna is configured to read each of the RFID tags of the circular gaming chips and the rectangular plaques, which are the two types of gaming chips accommodated in the double-decker chip tray.

2. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one RFID antenna comprises a first RFID antenna configured to read the RFID tags of the gaming chips housed in the upper chip tray and a second RFID antenna configured to read the RFID tags of the gaming chips housed in the lower chip tray.

3. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one RFID antenna comprises one RFID antenna configured to read both of the RFID tags of the gaming chips housed in the upper chip tray and the RFID tags of the gaming chips housed in the lower chip tray.

4. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one RFID antenna is configured to determine denominations of the two types of gaming chips by reading the RFID tags.

5. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , wherein the double-decker chip tray has a portion where the first gaming chip storage row and the second gaming chip storage row are adjacent to each other.

6. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , wherein the second gaming chip storage row corresponding to the rectangular plaque is configured to support a flat surface of the rectangular plaque.

7. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , further comprising a collection chip tray configured to temporarily store gaming chips collected from players who have lost a game.

8. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera configured to generate an image of sides of the gaming chips stored in the double-decker chip tray; and
a processor configured to identify the denomination of the gaming chips by analyzing the image generated by the camera.

9. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 8 , wherein, to inspect the gaming chip, the processor is further configured to compare the denomination obtained from the image generated by the camera with the denomination obtained from the RFID tag.

10. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 9 , wherein the camera is configured to capture the sides of some of the gaming chips housed in the double-decker chip tray.

11. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first gaming chip storage row is configured to vertically support the circular gaming chip,
the second gaming chip storage row is configured to support the rectangular plaque vertically or horizontally, and
the at least one RFID antenna is configured to read the circular gaming chip in a vertical position and the rectangular plaque in a vertical position or a flat position.

12. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one RFID antenna is configured to read the RFID tag incorporated in any of the circular gaming chip or the rectangular plaque in the double-decker chip tray, whether when the circular gaming chip or the rectangular plaque is vertically supported or horizontally supported.

13. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 12 , wherein:
the upper chip tray is configured to accommodate the circular gaming chip or the rectangular plaque in a vertically supported manner, and
the at least one RFID antenna is configured to read the RFID tag incorporated in the circular gaming chip or the rectangular plaque supported vertically in the upper chip tray.

14. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 12 , wherein:
the lower chip tray is configured to accommodate the circular gaming chip or the rectangular plaque in a vertically or horizontally manner, and
the at least one RFID antenna is configured to read the RFID tag incorporated in the circular gaming chip or the rectangular plaque supported vertically or horizontally in the lower chip tray.

15. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one RFID antenna is configured to read the RFID tag of the circular gaming chip or the rectangular plaque supported horizontally in the upper chip tray.

16. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , wherein, based on reading of the RFID tag, a total amount of each of the circular gaming chip and the rectangular plaque accommodated in the double-decker chip tray is determined.

17. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , further comprising a link mechanism configured to connect the upper chip tray to the lower chip tray and move the upper chip tray between a position where the upper chip tray covers the lower chip tray from above and a position where the upper chip tray is displaced from the lower chip tray to open a top surface of the lower chip tray.

18. The double-decker chip tray according to claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to show a number and an amount of gaming chips read by the at least one RFID antenna.

Assignees

• Angel Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Emeric Jason
• Reed Jeffrey
• Gronau Gregory
• Shigeta Yasushi
• Gelinotte Emmanuel Sylvain
• Souillot Jonathan
• Molina Bernard

Classifications

• G07F17/3248

  involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value · CPC title

• G07D9/02

  Change trays · CPC title

• G07D9/002

  Coin holding devices · CPC title

• G07F17/3225 Primary

  Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users · CPC title

• A63F2011/0006

  adapted for chips · CPC title