Abstract:
A card-shuffling device reads a suit and value of individual cards that are moved through a card shuffler. Reading of the cards is effected after the cards have been received into a card holding area and before the cards have been delivered into a card collection area from which cards are removed from the card-shuffling device for use. The read suit and rank are then sent to a processor, wherein the processor identifies whether any playing card is a playing card that should be rejected from the card shuffler and the card shuffler then rejecting that playing card from the playing card shuffler.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/663,436, filed Sep. 15, 2003, titled SHUFFLING APPARATUS AND METHOD, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,657, issued Jun. 15, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/919,596, filed Jul. 31, 2001, titled COLLATING AND SORTING APPARATUS, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,127, issued Jan. 13, 2004, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/380,943, filed Sep. 13, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,248, issued Jul. 31, 2001, titled COLLATING AND SORTING APPARATUS, which, in turn, is based on PCT Application Serial No. PCT/AU98/00157, filed Mar. 13, 1998 in Australia, which claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. PO 5640, filed Mar. 13, 1997. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to collation and/or sorting of groups of articles. In particular, this invention relates to shuffling and sorting apparatus for providing randomly collated groups of articles and/or collated groups of articles according to a predetermined order. 
     The invention can be utilized to collate and sort groups of articles having distinguishing characteristics, which can be machine identified. However, it has particular relevance to shuffling and sorting playing cards and reference will be made hereinafter to such application by way of illustration of the invention. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the gaming industry, many packs of cards are utilized and it is necessary to shuffle one or more decks of cards for game use and/or after each game to sort the cards into one or more packs for re-use either in a specific order or at least into a pack of cards, which is complete. At present, this is achieved manually. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention aims to provide a collation and/or sorting apparatus, which will operate efficiently and accurately. 
     With the foregoing in view, the invention in one aspect resides broadly in collation and/or sorting apparatus including sensor means to identify articles for collation and/or sorting; feed means for feeding the articles sequentially past the sensor means; storing means in which articles may be collated in groups in a desired order; selectively programmable computer means coupled to the sensor means and to the storing means to assemble in said storing means groups of articles in a desired order; delivery means for selectively delivering the individual articles into the storing means, and collector means for collecting collated groups of articles. The sensor means may include means to identify the presence of an article. Suitably, the sensor means includes means to identify one or more physical attributes of an article. Preferably, the sensor means includes means to identify indicia on a surface of an article. 
     The desired order may be a specific order of a set of articles, such as a deck of cards to be sorted into its original pack order, or it may be a random order into which a complete set of articles is delivered from a plurality of sets of randomly arranged articles. For example, the desired order may be a complete pack of playing cards sorted from holding means, which holds a plurality of randomly oriented cards forming a plurality of packs of cards. This may be achieved by identifying the individual cards by optical readers, scanners or any other means and then under control of a computer means such as a microprocessor, or placing an identified card into a specific collector means to ensure delivery of complete decks of cards in the desired order. A random number generator is used to place individual cards into random positions to ensure random delivery of one to eight or more decks of cards. In one aspect, the apparatus is adapted to provide one or more shuffled packs of cards, such as eight packs for the game of baccarat. 
     The storing means may have individual storing spaces for each respective article to be provided as the collated and/or sorted stack of articles. In such an arrangement, the delivery means delivers identified articles to the respective storing spaces. This may be achieved by arranging the delivery means with travel means movable along a plurality of axes, such as laterally to a column of individual storing spaces and vertically along the column of individual storing spaces. 
     Preferably, however, the storing means is arranged as one or more rotatable storage magazines, and the delivery means includes a delivery carriage movable to a respective magazine, and drive means for rotating each magazine to operatively align a respective storing space with the delivery carriage. 
     The collector means may be arranged to receive articles from the storing means as a collated group of articles. For example, the storing means may simultaneously release all the articles therein into the collector means, which may be a confining chute in which the articles settle as a group. Preferably, however, the collector means operates after a complete set of articles has been collated in the storing means and then sequentially feeds the sorted articles into one or more discrete groups. 
     The sensor means may be any suitable means for identifying a physical characteristic of the articles to be sorted or it may comprise sensor means for detecting and/or interpreting electromagnetic signals reflected and/or transmitted by an article. 
     One form of the invention is provided as a sorting apparatus for providing a pack of playing cards arranged in original deck order and includes sensor means able to identify the suit and value of individual cards; feed means for feeding the cards sequentially past the sensor means; storing means having individual storing spaces for each respective card of a deck of cards; selectively programmable computer means coupled to the sensor means and the storing means to assemble in the storing means individual cards comprising a complete deck or respective decks of cards; delivery means for delivering the identified cards, or collated decks thereof, to preselected individual storing spaces; and collector means for collecting one or more decks of cards. Another form of the invention comprises a card-shuffling device to randomly shuffle one or more decks of cards. 
     Preferably, the storing means is arranged as one or more rotatable magazines and the delivery means includes a delivery carriage which receives identified cards from the feed means and is movable along a horizontal drive path in front of a plurality of magazines arranged co-axially and with a common axis parallel to the horizontal drive path and which are rotatable together or independently by the computer means to operatively align a respective storing space with the delivery carriage. 
     The respective storing spaces may include retention means adapted to captively hold a delivered card therein. 
     The retention means may comprise a vacuum clamping means, but preferably, the magazine is formed as a quadrant having a lower shroud, which prevents dislodgement of the cards from the storing spaces when in an inverted position. 
     After collation of one or more decks, the magazine or each magazine may be rotated to sequentially engage retained cards with conveying means which conveys collated decks of cards, which sequentially come into engagement therewith into a collector means. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will be made to accompanying drawings which illustrate schematically one embodiment of a playing card sorting and/or shuffling apparatus, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a shuffling apparatus; and 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional side view of the shuffling apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  depict a collating apparatus  10  for providing sorted and/or shuffled decks of playing cards from a stack of cards  11 , which includes holding means  12  for holding the cards in a vertical column  13  above a card feeding means  14 , which feeds the lowermost card of the stack past the sensor  15 , which is coupled to a microprocessor  16  to record either the presence of a card and/or the identity of a card by its suit and value. Microprocessor  16  is also coupled to drive motors  35 ,  36  of feeding means  14 , respective drive means (not shown) for transverse movement of each delivery carriage  18 , card transport drive motor  37  associated with delivery carriages  18 , magazine drive motor  22  and drive motor  33  associated with unloading conveyors  31  for selective coordinated operation to collate packs of shuffled or sorted cards. 
     The feeding means  14  delivers each card past the sensor  15  to a selected one of a pair of delivery carriages  18 . Each delivery carriage  18  is movable along a common horizontal track  19 , transverse to the direction of movement of the cards from the feeding means  14 , and disposed in front of a plurality of card magazines  20  arranged co-axially and with a common axis  21  parallel to the common horizontal track  19 . In this embodiment, there are two banks of four magazines  20  arranged in side-by-side relationship at opposite sides of the feeding means  14 . 
     Each bank of magazines  20  is driven by motor  22 , which is suitably a reversible stepper motor, or by a motor drive and brake system to achieve selective incremental rotation of magazines  20  to align openings  23  of card storing spaces  24  with delivery carriages  18  to permit a card to be inserted into a respective storing space  24 . 
     A lower shroud  25  extends beneath the respective banks of magazines  20  to maintain the cards in their respective individual storing spaces  24  and an upper shroud  25   a  terminating in outlet port  27  prevents interference with what otherwise would be exposed storing spaces  24  in the upper part of magazine  20 . Shroud  25  extends from the delivery carriages  18  to an associated collecting tray  26  adapted to hold respective card packs. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , there are fifty-six individual storing spaces  24  arranged in an upper sector of the magazine  20  and these radiate outwardly from the axis  21  and fill the space between the outlet port  27 , adjacent an unloading conveyor  31 , and the output of the delivery carriages  18 . 
     Thus, the drive motor  22  may be actuated to position any one of the fifty-six individual storing spaces  24  in operative alignment with the output of delivery carriages  18 , while maintaining the rearmost storing space  24  clear of the unloading conveyor  31 . 
     Individual motors  35  and  36  control the feeding of the cards from the column  13  and from the field of sensor  15  and, further, motors  37  on respective delivery carriages  18  control movement of the cards thereon into the storing spaces  24 . A further motor, not illustrated, controls the movement of each delivery carriage  18  and may be a motor driving a transverse screw shaft coupled to the delivery carriages  18  or a belt drive or other means of driving to control transverse travel of each delivery carriage  18 . 
     In a sorting mode, microprocessor  16 , or like programmable control means  16 , operates to feed cards from the column  13  sequentially past the sensor  15  which identifies each individual card and commits it to memory with an identification, such as a number, which corresponds to the sequentially identified storing spaces  24  of a particular magazine  20 . More than one deck of cards can be identified and the program will select between these when sorting. Thus, when the cards are next fed from the column  13  they will be recognized and fed to a corresponding storing space  24  in a respective magazine  20 . 
     Once a storing space  24  is filled the next card so identified will be fed to an allocated storing space  24  in the same magazine  20  unless a card of identical suit and value previously has been identified, in which case, that card is allocated to a respective storing space  24  in one of the other magazines  20 . This process is repeated until all cards have been sorted and stored. 
     Thereafter, the magazines  20  are rotated counter-clockwise as shown toward the unloading conveyors  31  driven in unison by motor  33  until respective conveyors  31  are contacted by the first card in each magazine  20  which card thus will be discharged to the collector tray  26 . Unloading conveyors  31  are narrow belts aligned with slotted apertures  32  extending radially of the respective radial walls forming storing spaces  24 . The further cards in each magazine will then be sequentially discharged to the collector tray  26  to form packs of sorted cards. 
     At the end of sorting, if any deck of cards is incomplete or over-supplied, a warning signal will be actuated in association with that deck to indicate the incomplete or oversupplied stack of cards. By actuating a liquid crystal display (LCD) or light-emitting diode (LED) display  28 , this will indicate which card is missing or over-supplied and will also then indicate any other deck which is incomplete or over-supplied. The LCD or LED display  28  may, if required, indicate the magazine location in which a card is undersupplied or oversupplied to form a complete deck. 
     It will be seen that the illustrated collating apparatus  10  may have eight, or more, or less magazines arranged in groups of four, or more, or less with common actuation of the unloading conveyor and separate operation of the motors, which control their pivotal positions. 
     In a shuffling mode for a single pack of cards, sensor  15  may, or may not, be actuated to detect the suit and value of each card. If it is not required to determine the integrity of a pack of cards other than completeness by counting the number of cards, sensor  15  may be actuable to detect only the presence of a card as it passes from feeding means  14  to delivery carriage  18 . 
     As each card is passed beneath sensor  15 , its presence is detected and microprocessor  16 , using a random number generator, randomly allocates that card to a predetermined one of the fifty-six storing spaces  24  of magazine  20 . Microprocessor  16  then controls drive motors  36 ,  37  and  22  to effect delivery of the card into the randomly predetermined storing space  24 . 
     When the magazine  20  is full and up to fifty-six cards have been accounted for, magazine  20  is rotated counterclockwise to permit unloading conveyor  31  to discharge a pack of randomly ordered or “shuffled” cards into collector tray  26 . 
     On the other hand, if a multiplicity of decks is to be shuffled for reuse in a game such as baccarat employing like decks of shuffled cards, it may be important to produce eight individually shuffled decks and/or to determine whether cards have been removed or added to the eight-deck stack of cards retrieved from the playing table. 
     In this case, sensor  15  would be operated to determine not only the presence of a card on the feeding means  14 , but also the suit and value of each card to enable loading of the eight magazines  20 , each with a randomly ordered or shuffled deck of cards which is otherwise complete. 
     It will, of course, be realized that while the above has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such other modifications and variations hereto as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth. 
     For example, a reject mechanism  8  may be associated with the sensor  15  to cause duplicate or oversupplied cards to be rejected before delivery by delivery carriages  18  to the magazine  20 . The reject mechanism  8  may comprise an electromechanical device or air blast means coupled to the microprocessor  16 . 
     The rotatable magazine  20  may be substituted by a vertically displaceable magazine or any other storage device having a plurality of storage spaces to receive individual cards. Similarly for other applications, the holding means  12  and feeding means  14  may be replaced by a rotary turntable having a selectively actuable finger guide to remove articles from the turntable. 
     It will be readily apparent to a skilled addressee that the apparatus according to the invention will have an application in the collation and packaging of cards during their manufacture to ensure the integrity of each set of cards produced. 
     Equally, it will be readily apparent to a skilled addressee that the invention, with suitable modifications, will have wide application in fields where sets of articles are to be collated and bundled in a predetermined order, or in a random order, or otherwise where the grouping or collation of articles by number and/or order is essential. 
     Such applications may include collation of book pages in the correct order with a mixture of black and white and colored pages from different printing presses; packaging of mixed sets of food items, i.e., breakfast cereal; dispensing and packaging of mixtures of pills for patients on a daily or weekly basis; sorting and packaging of eggs or fruit by size and/or color; sorting and collation of mail by zip code; sorting and collation of bank checks by payee, payer or bank; collation and sorting of bank notes by denomination, condition or integrity, or even sorting and collation of doctors&#39; prescription forms to monitor information on patients, drug prescribed, pharmacy or prescribing doctor. 
     The present invention is able to collate and/or sort articles by physical attributes such as size, color, shape, mass (e.g., by load cell or the like) or surface indicia or any combination thereof.