Abstract:
A card shuffler is disclosed having a card output portion that is easily connectable to either a first output card receiver or a second output card receiver. The first output card receiver enables the dealer to remove cards one at a time from the shuffler. The second output card receiver enables the dealer to remove a group of cards at a time from the shuffler.

Description:
Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,460. This reissue application is a continuation reissue application of Reissue application Ser. No. 13/300,733, filed Nov. 21, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. RE44,616, issued Dec. 3, 2013, which is a continuation reissue of Reissue application Ser. No. 11/299,243, filed Dec. 9, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. RE42,944, issued Nov. 22, 2011, each of which is also a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,460, issued Dec. 9, 2003, to Blaha et al. 
    
    
     CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Austrian Application No. A 634/2000 filed Apr. 12, 2000. Applicants also claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 of PCT/AT01/00088 filed Mar. 26, 2001. The international application under PCT article 21(2) was not published in English. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a card shuffler. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An example of a shuffling device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,082. In this known shufflering shuffling apparatus the shuffling vessel is formed by a horizontally arranged drivable drum which is provided with radially extending shafts for receiving a card each. An input station for receiving a stack of discarded playing cards is provided through which the individual shafts of the drum are supplied. The storage container for the shuffled cards is supplied by the drum. Following the activation of a card ejector, the individual cards are pushed into the storage container at random. 
     A similar card shuffler has become known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,712 in which the drum is vertical. 
     A very high degree of shuffling is achieved with such card shufflers. The foreseeability of the card sequence in the shuffled card stack is virtually impossible for a third party even in the case of using electronic aids. 
     In these known solutions there are card storage means for retrieving the shuffled cards individually. This leads to the disadvantage, however, that such card shufflers can only be used for certain games, but not for such games where a removal in stacks of the shuffled cards is provided. 
     A card shuffling apparatus with an output apparatus for retrieving cards is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,085 A which by way of a respective activation can be supplied from the shuffling storage means not only with individual cards, but also with several cards, so that an entire stack of cards can be taken from the output apparatus. 
     From U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,122 A, a card shuffling apparatus is known which also conveys entire playing card stacks to an intended output apparatus. 
     The differentiation whether or not entire stacks of cards or merely individual cards are conveyed to the output apparatus is solved in the last two documents electronically. The output apparatuses per se remain the same and can thus not be adapted to the different card games. 
     It is the object of the present invention to avoid this disadvantage and to propose a card shuffler of the kind mentioned above which can be used for both types of games. 
     The proposed measures lead to a modular arrangement of the card shuffler, with an exchange of the card storage means for the shuffled cards being possible in a simple way. A card storage means for the individual retrieval of cards can be replaced for example very simply by one for the retrieval of cards in stacks and vice-versa. 
     Principally, the receiving means can be provided with any desired arrangement and can comprise groove- and spring-shaped shapings, for example with which the card storage means and the basic body mutually engage. The fixing can be provided by means of a fixable alignment pin for example. It is also possible, however, to provide connections by clips or snap-in connections such as spring-loaded balls or pins as receiving means for the card storage means which latch into respective latching recesses of the card storage means or the basic body of the shuffler. 
     In one embodiment, the content of each compartment of the shufflers storage means is securely pushed into a nip line between two rollers during the output which convey the same into the card storage means for the shuffled cards. 
     This also allows shuffling more than one card into a compartment of the shuffling storage means and thus keeping the card shuffler relatively small. This allows operating such a shuffler on a game table even when a larger number of card stacks, such as six or eight, are in the game and need to be managed. The nip rollers can either be provided with an elastically deformable coating or be pressed in a resilient way against one another which also allows an adjustment to the thickness of the content of the compartment to be ejected which can also hold several cards, e.g. a card stack with nine cards. 
     In one embodiment, the card shuffling storage means is a drum having radially arranged compartments. The cards are held in the individual compartments and cannot slip outwardly by centrifugal force and thus prevent any contact of the cards with a housing enclosing the drum. This leads to a very substantial protection of the cards. 
     Moreover, in the case of any required exchange of a drum, it is not necessary to remove the cards from the compartment of the same. Instead, the drum including the cards contained in the same can be exchanged. 
     In one embodiment, a card sensor is provided to detect the cards used in a game. It is not only possible to check their number, but also the card picture, as a result of which any changes to the cards can be recognized. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is now explained in closer detail by reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  schematically shows a card shuffler in accordance with the invention in which a cover has been removed; 
         FIG. 2  shows a top view of the input device; 
         FIG. 3  shows a detail of an output device; 
         FIG. 4  shows a card storage means for the one-by-one output of shuffled cards; 
         FIG. 4A  shows a top view of the card storage means according to  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIGS. 5 and 5A  show details of variants of the arrangement of compartments of the shuffling storage means; 
         FIG. 6  shows an axonometric representation of the shuffling storage means; 
         FIG. 7  shows a security container with a shuffling storage means;.  
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     On a base plate  1  (FIG. 1), a shuffling storage means  2 ′ is disposed on a console formed by two legs  9 , which shuffling storage means is formed by a rotatably held drum  2 . Said drum  2  is connected to two disks  3  via spacers  62  ( FIG. 6 ). The flanges  2 ″ of the drum  2  are provided with compartment-like slots  69  which are provided for receiving cards. 
     Said disks  3  are each provided with a circumferential toothing  70 . The shuffling storage means  2 ′ can be driven via a pinion  4  and a toothed pulley  5  which is rigidly connected to the same and are jointly held rotatably in plates  25 , and a toothed belt  6  via a second toothed pulley  7  and a motor  8 . This motor  8  is triggered via a randomizer and optionally also moves the shuffling storage means  2 ′ in mutually opposite directions, so that an oscillating movement of the shuffling storage means  2 ′ can occur. 
     A reservoir  10  for the for discarded cards  13  is provided which is part of an input apparatus. It comprises a wedge  11  which is rolled off by a roller  12  which is arranged rotatably within the same on an inclined floor of the reservoir  10  against two elastic rollers  14  ( FIG. 2 ). The two rollers  14  are rotatably held in the two plates  25  on a common shaft  28  and can be driven by way of two belt pulleys  26 , a toothed belt  29  as well as a belt pulley  27  via a motor  17  jointly with the rollers  15 . Two rollers  16  touch the two rollers  15  on the circumference, so that they can be co-rotated by surface friction. 
     A sensor  24  is provided as a line sensor for recognizing the card symbol of the respectively moved card  13 . 
     The pair of rollers  19  and the pair of rollers  18  which touch the same on the circumference and are each situated on shaft  30  can be driven in the same manner as described above by motor  23 . 
     The two levers  21  are used for the complete insertion of the respectively moved card into a compartment  69  of the shuffling storage means  2 ′ and are oscillatingly drivable by way of a rod  22  which is swivelably connected with the lever  21  by the axle  34  by way of an eccentric disk  23  disposed on the motor. 
     Two variants are provided for the card storage means  42 ,  42 ′ (FIG. 1, FIG. 4) for the shuffled cards  13 , which storage means can optionally be fastened to the base plate  1  and can easily be mutually exchanged. 
     A receiving means is provided which comprises two alignment pins  100  which are inserted in the base plate  1  and on which a card storage means  42 ,  42 ′ for shuffled cards can be inserted. The card storage means  42 ,  42 ′ is provided with respective bores  102  in its base. In order to fix the respective card storage means  42 ,  42 ′, a screw  101  is provided which engages in a threaded bore  103  of the card storage means  42 ,  42 ′. 
     A receiving means for the card storage means  42 ,  42 ′ can also use clip connectors to connect to the card storage means  42 ,  42 ′, or a recess can be formed in the base plate  1  into which the card storage means  42 ,  42 ′ can be inserted. 
     The output of cards  13  from the compartments  69  into a card storage means  42 ,  42 ′ is performed by means of two swivel arms  35  which are swivelably held in the two legs  9  and are oscillatingly drivable by way of levers  37  and by way of an eccentric disk  38  situated on a motor. Said two swivel arms  35  each carry at their upper ends an inwardly positioned rail  36  ( FIG. 3 ) which grasps the cards disposed in a compartment  69  and conveys them to a nip gap of two grip rollers  40 . Said grip rollers  40  are held in the plates  45  and are simultaneously drivable by a motor  41 . 
     The grip rollers  40  convey the respectively moved cards  13  either into the card storage means  42  for the shuffled cards as shown in  FIG. 1  for a stack-by-stack removal of the cards  13 , or into a card storage means  42 ′ for a one-by-one removal of shuffled cards. 
     A card storage means  42  is substantially formed by a U-shaped table  43  in which the cards  13  are deposited in a stack  44 . The cards can be removed upwardly by the croupier stack-by-stack if necessary. 
     The reservoir  42 ′ according to  FIGS. 4 and 4A  is provided for a one-by-one removal of cards  13 . The cards emerging from the nip gap of the grip rollers  40  enter the card storage means  42 ′ through a gap  50  which is limited by an oblique downwardly extending wall  49  and a spring-loaded shoe  47 . The cards  13 , which also include several of the same simultaneously, are pushed between the shoe  47  and the wall  49  or the cards already disposed in the card storage means  42 ′, with the shoe  47  being pushed back against the force of the spring  48 . The shoe  47  slides over an inclined plane of an L-shaped basic body  46 . A gap  73  remains between the lower edge of the wall  49  and the L-shaped basic body  46 , through which gap cards  13  can be retrieved one-by-one. 
     As is shown in  FIG. 4A , the inclined wall  49  is provided at its lower edge with a centrally arranged recess  72  which is open on its edge and facilitates the withdrawal of the individual cards. The card storage means  42 ′ is limited on the side by walls  50 . The shuffled cards can be retrieved by the croupier individually in that the respectively foremost of the playing cards  13  is grasped through recess  72  in the wall  49  and is pulled through the gap  73 . 
     As is shown in  FIGS. 5 and 5A , springs  51 ,  52  are arranged in the compartments  69  of the shuffling storage means  2 ′, which springs ensure the clamping of the card(s) inserted into the respective compartment  69 . 
     The spring  52  is provided with a bending  55  which covers the radially outer openings of the compartments  69  and prevents securely that cards are ejected outwardly by centrifugal force during the rotation of the shuffling storage means  2 ′. 
     The springs  51  according to  FIG. 5A  are arranged as curved or bent leaf springs and are inserted in a slot  53  of the one wall of the compartment  69  and press against the respectively opposite wall of compartment  69 . The card inserted into the respective compartment  69  is clamped between said spring  51  and the opposite wall of compartment  69  and held in this way in the respective compartment  69 . 
     The output of the cards of a compartment  69  is carried out in such a way that the card  13  or a stack of up to nine cards for example is ejected by force. This is carried out by means of the swivel arms  35  and rails  36 , as already explained above. The springs  51 ,  52  are deformed during the ejection of the card(s)  13 . 
     As is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , drum  2  rests with axle journals  57  in receiving means of legs  9  and can be removed or lifted from the same with ease. Since the compartments  69  are provided with springs  51 ,  52 , the cards  13  can remain in their compartments during the removal of drum  2 . 
     The drum  2  can be placed in a security container  63  ( FIG. 7 ) and can be transported in the same, with the container  63  being sealable with a lid  64 . For this purpose, flanges  65 ,  66  are fastened on container  63  and the lid  64 . This allows connecting the container  63  with the lid  64  in a manner so as to be secure against manipulations or to lock the same.