Abstract:
A card dealing machine with an oscillating arm that includes a receiver or shoe that has four slots therein. The arm&#39;s oscillating motion is stopped once per rotation to align the appropriate slot with an exit slit where a card comes out. The location that the arm is stopped depends on a value read by an optical card reader, where the card value is associated with a pre-determined hand that corresponds to the appropriate slot. The oscillating motion is repeated until all 52 cards in the deck are dealt. Errors or warnings are issued if more or less than 52 cards are read or if duplicate cards are read.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a device and method for automatically dealing playing cards. More particularly, the invention relates to dealing cards in pre-determined combinations. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Card games involve a combination of luck and skill. The luck is largely dependent on what cards are dealt in each hand and the player&#39;s skill often determines the outcome based on how the hand is played. In tournament play, there are typically multiple tables initially where the winner or top placers among the table move on to further rounds as the tables consolidate. 
         [0003]    Duplicate bridge is a widely used variation of contract bridge in club and tournament play. Duplicate bridge uses identical combinations of cards among the different tables in order to remove the element of luck in random dealing from a shuffled deck. 
         [0004]    Outside tournament play, it may be desirable to play hands that masters or professionals were dealt in famous tournaments in order to allow the players to test their skill against these masters. 
         [0005]    Some solutions have been developed to deal cards in four pre-determined hands. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,334 uses a combination of perforations on cards and pins, but since the pins are visible to all players, it may be possible for one player to determine which cards other players have, which provides an unfair advantage. 
         [0006]    As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,562 uses binary code marked cards which are read by a reader and directed to different slots based on the card that was read, but the mechanisms used result in a rather large, cumbersome and expensive machine. 
         [0007]    Other card machines have been developed to randomly shuffle one or more decks of playing cards. For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,154 discloses a card shuffling machine. These machines provide random card arrangements, typically in casinos. This can make it more difficult for players to use card counting or other techniques in games such as black jack to gain an advantage on over the “house”. The goal of these types of machines is to provide random dealing whereas the present device is directed towards dealing pre-determined hands. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a simple, compact and inexpensive card dealing machine that is suitable for both tournament, club and home bridge play. 
         [0009]    A further object of the invention is to provide a machine that enables dealing of pre-determined hands either selected via an interface on the machine or via a network or a wireless connection. 
         [0010]    These and other objects are achieved by providing a card dealing machine with an oscillating arm that includes a receiver or shoe that has four slots therein. The arm&#39;s oscillating motion is stopped once per rotation to align the appropriate slot with an exit slit where a card comes out. The location that the arm is stopped depends on a value read by an optical card reader, where the card value is associated with a pre-determined hand that corresponds to the appropriate slot. The oscillating motion is repeated until all 52 cards in the deck are dealt. Errors or warnings are issued if more or less than 52 cards are read or if duplicate cards are read. 
         [0011]    The terms “coupled”, “coupled to”, “coupled with”, “connected”, “connected to”, and “connected with” as used herein each mean a relationship between or among two or more devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, and/or means, constituting any one or more of (a) a connection, whether direct or through one or more other devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means, (b) a communications relationship, whether direct or through one or more other devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means, and/or (c) a functional relationship in which the operation of any one or more devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means depends, in whole or in part, on the operation of any one or more others thereof. 
         [0012]    The terms “first”, “second” etc. are used to distinguish one element, set, data, object or thing from another, and are not used to designate relative position or arrangement in time. 
         [0013]    In one aspect, a card dealing machine for dealing a pre-determined game hand includes a reader configured to read a deck of cards to determine a value of each card. The machine has an arm and a drive moving the arm in an oscillating motion. A receiver is positioned on the arm and includes at least a first destination. A mover is configured to move a first one of the plurality of cards to the receiver. A stop mechanism is in communication with the reader such that when the first one of the plurality of cards is associated with the pre-determined game hand corresponding to the first destination, the stop mechanism stops movement of the arm during the oscillating motion to align the first destination to receive the first one of the plurality of cards from the mover. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, the receiver includes a second, third and fourth destination and the stop mechanism includes a plurality of stops comprising a first, second, third and fourth stop respectively corresponding to the first, second, third and fourth destinations. One of the plurality of stops is selectively engaged for each oscillation of the oscillating motion based on a value read by the reader corresponding to a next one of the plurality of cards. 
         [0015]    In one embodiment a processor is in communication with the reader and the stop mechanism, the processor transmits a signal to the stop mechanism to engage one of the stops that is associated with the first destination. In one embodiment, the stop mechanism includes at least one stop activated by a solenoid. 
         [0016]    In one embodiment a processor is in communication with the reader and the stop mechanism. A fixed stop is configured as one of the stops of the stop mechanism and the first destination is associated with the fixed stop. The processor selects the fixed stop based on the value of the first one of the plurality of cards being associated with the first destination. 
         [0017]    In one embodiment a computer is in communication with a storage and the processor, and the storage has data indicative of the pre-determined game hand stored thereon. The processor receives the data such that the card dealing machine is programmed to deal the pre-determined game hand associated with the data. The storage may include data indicative of a plurality of pre-determined game hands and the computer allows a user to select the pre-determined game hand from one of the plurality of pre-determined game hands. 
         [0018]    In one embodiment the drive has a cam coupled thereto, so that the drive rotates the cam. A follower is connected to the arm, the follower contacts the cam such that rotation of the cam causes the oscillating motion. The stop may cause the follower and the cam to lose contact during part of one rotation of the cam. 
         [0019]    In other aspects, a method of dealing a pre-determined set of four game hands is provided and includes one or more of the steps of (a) providing a deck of cards having a plurality of cards; (b) inserting the deck of cards into a holder of a card dealing machine; (c) activating the card dealing machine to successively read a value of the plurality cards using an optical reader; (d) stopping an oscillating arm of the card dealing machine at one of four locations based on the value read; (e) moving each of the plurality of cards with an oscillating mover into a receiver having four destinations such that a selected one of the four destinations corresponds to the one of four locations; and (f) repeating steps (d) and (e) for each successively read one of the plurality of cards to place at least one of the plurality of cards in each of the four destinations. 
         [0020]    The method may include repeating of step (f) until each one of the plurality of cards is placed at one of the four destinations such that each destination contains an equal number of cards. The four destinations may each be separate slots on the receiver. The receiver may be removable from the oscillating arm. In some embodiments, the method includes stopping the repeating step if a value read is the same value as a previously read value and generating an alert indicative of a duplicate card having been read. The method may also include generating an alert if the plurality of cards total more or fewer than 52, or if the sum total of values (from 1 through 52) read differs from the sum of the integers 1-52, which can be calculated as (N(N+1))/2 or in the case of 52 cards, 1378. The card dealing machine may receive data indicative of the pre-determined set of four game hands; and the method may include programming a processor of the card dealing machine with the data such that the four game hands are respectively dealt in to the four destinations of the receiver. 
         [0021]    In other aspects, a card dealing machine is provided for dealing a set of four pre-determined game hands. The card dealing machine includes a holder configured to receive a deck of cards including a plurality of cards. A receiver includes four destinations each one of the four destinations is associated with one of the four pre-determined game hands. A mover is configured to successively move one of the plurality of cards from the holder and into the receiver. A reader is positioned to successively read the plurality of cards to determine a value thereof. An arm has the receiver positioned thereon. A drive has a rotating component, the drive moves the arm in an oscillating motion. A processor is in communication with the reader and a stop mechanism, the processor is programmed to select one of four stops of the stop mechanism based on the value of each successively read one of the plurality of cards with each rotation of the rotating component. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments, for each rotation of the rotating component, the selected one of the four stops halts movement of the arm to receive one of the plurality of cards in one of the four destinations based on which one of the four pre-determined game hands the one of the plurality of cards is associated with. At least one of the four stops may be activated by a solenoid. One of the four stops may be a fixed stop and three of the four stops are activated by solenoids such that when the fixed stop is selected, the solenoids are inactive. A slit may be located in the holder and is configured to receive one of the plurality of cards there through when moved by the mover to allow the one of the plurality of cards to exit the holder and be received by the receiver. 
         [0023]    In some embodiments a port on the card dealing machine is configured to receive a memory device having data indicative of one or more of the pre-determined hands stored thereon such that upon connection of the memory device to the port, the processor is programmed to deal at least one of the one or more of the pre-determined hands. In one aspect, the interface of the card dealing machine allows for selection of sets of pre-determined game hands from the data stored on the memory device. 
         [0024]    Other objects of the invention and its particular features and advantages will become more apparent from consideration of the following drawings and accompanying detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is front cross section view along section line  1 - 1  of a card dealing machine 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the card dealing machine of  FIG. 1   
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the card dealing machine of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the card dealing machine of FIG. 1   
           [0029]      FIG. 5  is an example card used in the card dealing machine of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is a detail section view of the card dealing machine of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the receiver of the card dealing machine of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0032]      FIGS. 8-10  are side views showing movement of elements of the card dealing machine of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram of the card dealing machine of  FIG. 1   
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0034]    Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views. The following examples are presented to further illustrate and explain the present invention and should not be taken as limiting in any regard. 
         [0035]    The card holder  1  holds at least one deck of cards  2  oriented face down on a reader  4 . The deck of cards  2  is weighted by a weight  3  which pushes the cards close to the reader  4 . The bottom of the card holder may be a glass or other transparent material to enable the reader  4  to optically read the value of each card. In other embodiments, the bottom of the card holder  1  may include holes positioned where card values can be read. The cards may include bar codes thereon that identify the card values. Alternately, ocular recognition software executing on the processor  110  of the card dealing machine ( FIG. 11 ) can be used to determine what the value is for the bottom most card. The card “value” as referred to herein may include the type and suit of card, assuming the a standard deck of cards is used. For example, Ace (type) of hearts (suit) may be assigned a numerical value between 1 and 52 and the barcode on the Ace of hearts would allow the processor to determine the corresponding numerical value. In one example, values are assigned starting with the two (2) of clubs (value  1 ), two (2) of diamonds (value  2 ) etc. In this case all two (2) numbered cards would be within values  1 - 4 , three (3) numbered cards would be within values 5-8, and so on through the deck. It is understood that this numbering system is purely exemplary and that any numbering system can be assigned that enables correlation of a numerical value with a card type (number, or jack-ace) and suit (clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds). It is also understood that the value can refer to the type and suit as read by the reader and recognized by software that can distinguish the number/jack-ace and suit via character or image recognition. 
         [0036]    The processor of the card dealing machine is programmed with pre-determined hands for the game to be played. In a game of bridge, four hands are dealt with thirteen cards each. As each card is read, the processor determines which of the stops  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19  of the stop mechanism  114  are to be selected. In the example above where each card is assigned a numerical value  1 - 52 , each pre-determined hand could include a listing of 13 numerical values, with each numerical value corresponding to a particular card type and suit. As each barcode is read, the numerical value is determined and the appropriate destination is selected as further described herein. 
         [0037]    The receiver  6  is positioned on an arm  14  which includes a follower  13  mounted thereon. As shown, the follower  13  is configured as a wheel rotating on a shaft, with the shaft mounted to the arm  14 . Wheel  9  is driven by motor  8 . This wheel  9  includes a cam  12  thereon and this cam  12  and the follower  13  are in contact such that the arm  14  follows an oscillating motion. 
         [0038]    On one end of the arm is pivot  15  which the arm rotates around. On the end opposite of the pivot  15  is the holder  7  which holds the receiver  6  such that the receiver  6  can be removed. The arm includes a protrusion  30  that extends below the holder  7 . The holder  7  may include a spring, clip or other securing device that holds the receiver  6  in place. The pivot  15  may include a spring that pushes the arm clockwise to ensure that proper alignment and contact with the follower  13  or the selected stop  16 - 19  is maintained. The spring is strong enough to hold the arm down but weak enough to allow the motor to move the arm  14  in the oscillating motion. 
         [0039]    Rod  10  is connected to the wheel  9  at one end and cross bar  20  at the other end. A card mover (e.g. an edge pusher)  20 A is mounted onto the middle of the cross bar, and a reader  4  is mounted onto the distal end of the cross bar and aligned to read the code of the bottom car through elongated opening  21 . As the wheel rotates, the cross bar moves back and forth to move the bottom card from the card holder  1  and out exit slit  5 . As the card moves out of the exit slit, it falls into one of the slots  61 - 64  in the receiver. The mover may use an edge pusher, friction pad or other type of paper/card movement techniques and mechanisms to move the cards successively out of the card holder. At either end of travel of the mover, the mover engages or dis-engages with the card, for example, at the right side, of the motion as shown in  FIG. 1 , the mover moves up and into contact with the card. At the other end (left when referring to  FIG. 1 ), the mover moves down to move away from the remaining cards. Therefore, during approximately  180  degrees of rotation of the wheel  9 , the mover pushes the card into the receiver  6  and in the other half of the rotation of the wheel  9 , the mover is returning back to the starting position while reader  4  is reading the value of the next card. 
         [0040]    As the wheel rotates from the position shown in  FIG. 1 , the mover returns back to the starting position on the right side. During this motion, the cam  12  causes follower  13  to move upwards, and also causes the arm  14  to rotate counter clockwise. During the approximately  180  degrees of counter clockwise rotation from the position shown in  FIG. 1 , the value of the card is read by reader  4  and the appropriate stop  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19  is selected. The reader may be an electronic camera, bar-code reader or other scanning device/optical sensor. As one example,  FIG. 5  shows a three of clubs having bar-codes  50  thereon that are unique to this card. In this embodiment, a bar-code reader would be used to scan the bar code and then the processor would determine the appropriate stop based on the destination for the pre-determined hand. 
         [0041]    Stop  16  is shown as a fixed pin and stops  17 - 19  are activated by solenoids  160 ,  170 ,  180 ,  190 . As wheel  9  rotates from the top position ( FIG. 9 ) and towards the bottom position (shown in  FIG. 1 ), the arm rotates clockwise around pivot  15 , and depending on which stop is engaged, the arm stops and contact between follower  13  and cam  12  is lost. When the arm  12  stops in the selected position associated with the appropriate stop  16 - 19 , the wheel  9  continues to rotate and thereby engage the mover  20 A which moves the bottom card from the card holder  1  and into the appropriate slot  61 - 64  of the receiver  6 . For example, see  FIG. 10  where stop  190  is engaged and the card  51  moves into slot  64 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , slot  61  aligns with the exit slit  5  when stop  16  is engaged. Stop  17  corresponds to slot  62 , likewise  18  corresponds to  63  and  19  corresponds to  64 . The slots  61 - 64  may be considered destinations of the card. 
         [0042]    These slots or destinations are determined based on the pre-determined game hand(s) programmed in the processor. Typically, four pre-determined game hands will be selected for a game of bridge and as a deck is successively fed through the machine, the appropriate stop is engaged to arrest the fall of the arm  14  and the receiver  6 . 
         [0043]    The wheel  9  generally rotates at a constant angular velocity, and if not for the stops, the arm would move through a pattern generally in the shape of a sine wave (time on the x axis, angle on the y axis). When the stops are engaged, the bottoms of the sine wave would become flat for a period of time that depends on which stop is engaged. For example if stop  19  is selected, the flat portion of the sine wave would be relatively long when compared to that of stop  17 , because stop  19  would cause more restriction on the downward movement of arm  14 . Therefore, “oscillating” as used herein does not require that each revolution of the wheel results in identical movement of the arm, rather “oscillating” includes some variances in the arm movement as determined by the stops engaged and the card value read. 
         [0044]    As each successive card is read and placed into the appropriate slot, the processor logs which cards were read in a memory. If a duplicate card is read, the machine signals this error, for example via a flashing light, a sound or a notification transmitted to an external device. In addition, the expected number of cards to be dealt would be the  52  cards in a standard deck. Once the card holder is empty and there is no bar code to read, a similar signal can be generated if the number of cards was different than  52 . 
         [0045]    The card dealing machine  100  includes a processor that communicates with the reader  4  and stops  16 - 19 . This processor also communicates with an interface. For example, interface  112  could be found on the card dealing machine  100  and include a display and buttons or a touch-sensitive display to allow for user selection of various pre-determined hands. In addition, an interface  122  may be accessible via a mobile device or via an internet connected computer where the mobile device/computer communicates with the card dealing machine over a network, wireless or wired connection. In this case, the card dealing machine  100  may be connected to a computer  120 , for example via USB (without using network  111 ). The computer  120  could also be a computer server that allows for web access to the interface  122  via network  111 . The card dealing machine  100  may be capable of connecting to the internet or via Bluetooth or other wireless communication. It is also contemplated that the card dealing machine may include a port  115  to receive a data cable such as a LAN/Ethernet cable, coaxial, USB or other that allows the card dealing machine to connect to computers, mobile devices, or routers/modems. The interface  112  may also include software that executes on the processor  110 . 
         [0046]    The port  115  on the card dealing machine may also be configured to receive a memory device such as a USB stick having data indicative of one or more of the pre-determined hands stored thereon such that upon connection of the memory device to the port, the processor is programmed to deal at least one of the one or more of the pre-determined hands. The memory device may be contained in computer  120 , or may be substituted for computer  120  in  FIG. 11  (such as a simple USB stick or other memory that connects to the port  115 . In one aspect, the interface  112  of the card dealing machine allows for selection of sets of pre-determined game hands which are selected from the data stored on the memory device (or the computer). 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIGS. 8-10 , one series of movements of the wheel  9  and arm  14  are shown. In  FIG. 8 , the wheel  9  rotates counter clockwise  80 , which causes the arm  14  to rotate counter clockwise  140  and mover  20 A to move right  44  towards the position shown in  FIG. 9 . It is understood that the wheel could move clockwise and still impart similar movement of the arm  14  and mover  20 A. During the left to right movement of the mover  20 A, reader  10  identifies the bar code  50  and determines which stop  16 - 19  is to be engaged, typically by the time the position shown in  FIG. 9  is reached. From the position in  FIG. 9 , the wheel continues to rotate and the arm  14  is arrested in its clockwise falling motion based on which stop was selected for the bar code  50  that was read by the reader  10 . Therefore, the arm  14  oscillates between the position in  FIG. 9  and any one of the positions associated with stops  16 - 19 , depending on which card is at the bottom. As can be seen in  FIG. 10 , the card  51  is moved into slot  64 . The follower  13  in  FIG. 10  has lost contact with the cam  12 . As the wheel  9  continues to rotate, the cam  12  will ultimately contact the follower  13  and move the arm  14  counter clockwise as the machine moves back towards the position shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0048]    The card dealing machine may also be mounted in a tilted position with the card holder  1  above pivot  15 , i.e. rotating the card dealing machine  100  counter clockwise from the view shown in  FIG. 1 . This may help the cards fall into the appropriate slot with additional aid from gravity. 
         [0049]    Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.