Patent ID: 7900923
Filing Date: 2011-03-08
Classification: A63F

Abstract:
1. A device for shuffling a deck of cards, comprising: a first compartment having a planar dimension sized to accommodate a card of the deck of cards in a horizontal orientation, the first compartment having a plurality of vertical side walls fixedly attached to a substantially horizontal bottom surface, and a slot formed at the bottom of a pair of opposing pair of the plurality of side walls; the first compartment further having a top aperture through which the cards are introduced; the slot in the side walls being dimensioned such that cards of the deck of cards are capable of being propelled through the slot substantially at one time; a second compartment and a third compartment, each of the second and the third compartment having a planar dimension sized to accommodate the card of the deck of cards in a horizontal orientation, the second and third compartments having a plurality of vertical side walls attached to a substantially horizontal bottom surface, a slot formed at the bottom of the one of the plurality of the side walls, and an top aperture, the top aperture having horizontal dimensions sized to accommodate a face of the card and disposed so as to oppose the bottom surface; the slot being dimensioned such that a cards of the deck of cards are capable of being propelled through the slot substantially at one time; a first transport mechanism mounted underneath and attached to the bottom surface of the first compartment and having a portion projecting into the first compartment, operative to move a card from a bottom of cards of the deck of cards, when such cards are present in the first compartment, to at least one of the second compartment or the third compartment, the cards being held against the projecting portion of the first transport mechanism by a force of gravity; a second transport mechanism and a third transport mechanism mounted underneath the bottom surface of the second compartment and the third compartment, respectively, and having a portion projecting into the respective second compartment and the third compartment, operative to move a card from a bottom of the cards of the deck of cards present in the respective second compartment and third compartment to the first compartment, the cards being held against the projecting portion of the second transport mechanism and third transport mechanism by the force of gravity; wherein the first the second and the third compartments are disposed such that the slots of the second and the third compartment are capable of dispensing cards of the deck of cards present in each compartment to the first compartment through the respective slots in the second and third compartment facing the first compartment into which the cards are dispensed, the slots in the second and third compartments are such that the cards enter the first compartment through the top aperture thereof; and, when the first compartment is operative to dispense cards into either of the second compartment or the third compartment, the slot in the first compartment facing the second compartment or the third compartment higher than the top aperture of the second or third compartment, such that the cards enter the either second or the third compartment through the top aperture thereof.