Modular dealing shoe for casino table card games

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9452349-B2
Application number	US-201514730709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2015
Priority date	Jul 17, 2003
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A playing card delivery shoe used in the play of the casino table card game of blackjack. The shoe may include an area for receiving a first set of playing cards, a first card mover that moves playing cards from the first set of playing cards to a playing card staging area, a second playing card mover that moves playing cards from the playing card staging area to a delivery area, and playing card-reading sensors that read at least one playing card value of each playing card separately after each playing card has been removed from the area for receiving the first set of playing cards and before removal from the playing card delivery area. A processor analyzes the data and displays certain game-related data on a display device. Methods of providing cards to a dealer in a casino table card game of blackjack are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing cards to a dealer in a casino table card game of blackjack for manual delivery of the cards by the dealer from a card shoe, the method comprising:
supporting a set of cards within a card infeed area of a card shoe;
mechanically moving cards, with an automatic mechanical transporting system of the card shoe, one card at a time from the card infeed area, through a buffer area located within the card shoe, to a card delivery area of the card shoe where at least one of the cards becomes stationary, the buffer area being located between the card infeed area and the card delivery area;
reading individual cards with a card reading sensor located in the buffer area between the card infeed area and the card delivery area to obtain at least card value data;
analyzing the obtained at least card value data with a processor; and
displaying information related to the obtained at least card value data on a display screen.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising programming the processor to cause the display screen to display information directed to at least one of door open, stop card delivery routine, supervisor swipe, game rules, advertising, or player announcements.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying information on the display screen comprises displaying at least one of cut card presence, stop card delivery state, misdeal, continue to deal, deck verified, or deck counts responsive at least partially to input from a card presence sensor located proximate the card delivery area.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying information comprises displaying at least one of hand outcome, player instructions, history of player hand results, game outcome, hand count, running card count, true card count, ace card count, or house advantage responsive at least partially to input from the card reading sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying information on the display screen comprises indicating specific activities required to be performed by the dealer responsive to input from the card reading sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying information on the display screen comprises displaying at least one of information in view or out of view of players.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing the obtained at least card value data with expected card information to determine the set of cards remaining in the card infeed area and providing card count information on the display screen.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein supporting the set of cards within the card infeed area comprises providing the set of cards in a substantially vertical stack.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein mechanically moving the cards comprises moving the cards substantially horizontally from the card infeed area, through the buffer area, to the card delivery area of the card shoe.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein mechanically moving the cards comprises moving the cards one at a time in a same order that the cards are removed from the card infeed area of the card shoe.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising initiating an automated sequence of events to assist in jam recovery responsive to information determined by sensing a position of at least one jammed card.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein mechanically moving each card of the set of cards comprises at least one of the cards becoming stationary in the buffer area located between the card infeed area and the card delivery area of the card shoe.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein reading individual cards with the card reading sensor includes reading the at least card value data as each card enters the buffer area or when the cards are at least partially within the buffer area.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein reading individual cards with the at least one card reading sensor includes reading the at least card value data as each card leaves the buffer area.

15. A card delivery shoe for use in playing blackjack at a casino table, comprising:
a storage area;
a delivery area spaced from the storage area, the delivery area configured to allow manual removal of cards;
a buffer area located within the card delivery shoe between the storage area and the delivery area;
at least one motor configured to mechanically deliver at least one card from a first set of randomized cards in the storage area, through the buffer area, to the delivery area;
at least one card presence sensor proximate the delivery area configured to sense when a card is absent from the delivery area and to send a signal to the at least one motor that a card is to be delivered to the delivery area;
at least one card reading sensor located in the buffer area between the storage area and the delivery area and configured to read card data; and
a processor in communication with the at least one card reading sensor, wherein the processor is configured to analyze the card data and to transmit information related to analyzed card data to a display device.

16. The card delivery shoe of claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit information to a display device located remote from a gaming table associated with the card delivery shoe.

17. The card delivery shoe of claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit information to a display device located at a gaming table associated with the card delivery shoe.

18. The card delivery shoe of claim 15 , wherein the at least one card reading sensor is positioned to read card data of a card as the card moves through the buffer area.

19. The card delivery shoe of claim 15 , wherein the at least one card presence sensor is configured to trigger operation of the at least one card reading sensor, wherein the at least one card reading sensor is configured to intermittently activate to read cards in response to triggering from the at least one card presence sensor and deactivate when a trigger from the at least one card presence sensor is not received.

20. The card delivery shoe of claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit information to the display device comprising game-related information related to a composition of cards remaining in the card delivery shoe.

Assignees

• Bally Gaming Inc

Inventors

• Schubert Oliver M
• Grauzer Attila
• Downs Iii Justin G
• Kelly James V

Classifications

• A63F1/18

  Scoring or registering devices; Indicators (A63F1/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A63F2001/008

  adapted for being playable on a screen · CPC title

• A63F2001/003

  Blackjack; Twenty one · CPC title

• A63F1/14 Primary

  Card dealers · CPC title

• A63F1/12

  Card shufflers · CPC title