Patent Publication Number: US-10765930-B2

Title: Trap door mechanism for card handling devices such as card shufflers

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/512,931 which was filed on May 31, 2017, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Playing cards are used in a wide variety of games. When playing cards are used to play games in a casual setting, such as in the home, the cards are generally processed manually. In other words, the cards may be shuffled by hand, dealt by hand and the like. 
     In many environments, hand processing of cards for game play is undesirable or has drawbacks. For example, in a casino environment is important to ensure that the cards are not tampered with (where that risk increases the more the cards are handled by hand), that the cards are well shuffled (thus ensuring a high degree of randomization), and that the card handling is expedited so that games can be played quickly. 
     Thus, to address these issues, several card-handling devices have been created. For example, to facilitate thorough and quick shuffling of cards, various mechanical or electro-mechanical card shuffling devices have been developed. In addition, other types of card handling, receiving, transporting and retaining devices have been developed. The industry continually seeks for improvements to such devices to further increase the speed of shuffling, the ease of use, and other aspects of the devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, an improved shuffling device and a trap door that may be used for a shuffling device are provided. The shuffling device according to the disclosed embodiments allows for a deck of cards to be placed face down in a receiving area of the shuffler, while automatically rotating the cards and dropping them into a vertical card shuffling compartment. In one embodiment, a card shuffler or other card handling apparatus defines a card receiving and/or dispensing area that accepts cards. The card shuffler also includes a shuffling compartment. A trap door is provided to transport the cards from the receiving and/or dispensing area to the shuffling compartment. 
     In another embodiment, a trap door is provided that is configured to provide access to a compartment. In one instance, the trap door is operably driven by an associated device to move in coordination with the associated device. The associated device may be a sweeper arm for a card shuffling device. 
     Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention over the prior art will become apparent from the detailed description of the drawings which follows, when considered with the attached figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an exemplary shuffling apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  shows a side view of the shuffling apparatus in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a top perspective view of a shuffling apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention in a first state to shuffle cards. 
         FIG. 4  shows a top perspective view of the shuffling apparatus of  FIG. 3  in a second state to dispense cards. 
         FIG. 5  shows a cross section of a card shuffler with an integrated trap door and sweeper arm, according to one exemplary embodiment. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  show a trap door according to an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. 
     The disclosed embodiments described herein provide improvements and modifications to a card shuffling apparatus or other card receiving, processing, dispensing or retaining devices. Various embodiments of a card shuffling apparatus to which the present invention is applicable are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,602,416 (“the &#39;416 patent”), the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. However, the present invention is, as indicated above, applicable to other configurations of card shuffling apparatus and various other card handling devices. 
     For example, as explained in more detail in the &#39;416 patent, an exemplary shuffling apparatus is shown in  FIG. 1 . Some specific details of the shuffling mechanism are not shown in  FIG. 1  but are more particularly described in the &#39;416 patent. For example, the particulars of a shuffler mechanism, a card counting device, and many of the associated belts, motors, sensors, and the like, that are associated with providing the motive force and control inputs needed for the functioning of the overall apparatus are omitted here for brevity. 
     In  FIG. 1 , a shuffling apparatus  100  comprises a top plate  102  which may serve to form an interface with the top of a gaming table (not shown) and another plate  104  may be affixed thereto to form a swinging or sliding door in the top plate  102 . The plate  104  covers an aperture  106  in the apparatus  100  that allows a deck of cards  15  (or more than one deck or partial decks; such decks might comprise standard 52 card decks having a back and a front, where the front or face displays card suit and rank information, such as card ranks of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, in each of the suits Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds; such a deck might include one or more Jokers, and other/might comprise other types of cards bearing other information) to be introduced into the apparatus  100 , or be removed from the apparatus  100 . In essence, the aperture  106  comprises an area  130 , such as a recessed area, which serves as a card receptacle, such as a card dispensing and/or receiving area  130 . 
     When the plate (lid)  104  is opened, a user may place a deck of cards  15  (in this configuration, in a horizontal position) into a receiving area  130  at the aperture  106 , such as so that they rest on a bottom or support plate  110  within the apparatus  100 . A horizontal card transport assembly  108  is provided for moving the deck of cards from the card receiving area  130  into the interior of the apparatus  100  to a shuffler mechanism. This horizontal card transport assembly  108  may comprise a series of rollers projecting through a support plate  110 . The rollers may be rotated in unison by a belt, which may be a toothed belt, or a smooth belt. Alternatively, the transport mechanism may be a continuous belt, may include pushers to move the deck of cards  15  along the support plate  110 , or the like. The horizontal card transport assembly  108  may be actuated to move a deck of cards  15  from a right-hand-end of the apparatus to a left-hand-end of the apparatus (relative to the configuration illustrated in  FIG. 2 ). In some designs, the belt may also be controllable to also translate in both directions to assist in positioning the cards for dispensing. Here, a shuffling compartment  128 , of which the card shuffling apparatus may form a bottom portion thereof, is positioned at the left-hand-end of the horizontal card transport assembly  108 . An elevator  112 , including horizontal support arms  114  and a lifting belt  116  engaging with drive sprockets  118  operates to lift a deck of cards into and out of the shuffling compartment  128  while the cards rest on distal ends  120  of the horizontal support arms  114 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a pair of vertical shafts  122  may be affixed to the elevator  112  so that they rise and fall with the motion of the elevator  112 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a lift gate  124 , such as in the form of a pair of spaced sweeper arms (shown in one embodiment in  FIG. 2  and in another embodiment or form in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ), is movable, such as by being rotatable about shaft  126  from a vertical position to a position about 180 degrees opposed thereto, depending on the state of the shuffling apparatus. 
     In the first state, a deck of cards is inserted through the top aperture  106  to be positioned in the card receiving area  130 . The lift gate  124  (which may also be referred to as a sweeper arm or arms) may be rotated so that it does not obstruct the top of shuffling compartment  128  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). Referring to  FIG. 2 , the elevator mechanism  112  may be operated along with the horizontal transport mechanism  108  to move the deck of cards  15  so that they fall into the shuffling compartment  128  or to otherwise move or transport the deck of cards  15  into the interior of the card shuffling device to a shuffler mechanism ( FIG. 2 ). 
       FIG. 2  shows a side view of the shuffling apparatus  100  in a second state to shuffle the deck of cards  15  (once they have been delivered to the shuffling compartment  128  as described above). In this second state, a card shuffling operation may be performed in any manner, as is disclosed in the &#39;416 patent. After completion of the card shuffling operation, the cards may be counted, providing a card counting device has been installed, for example, in the compartment  128  or aperture  106 . 
     In the third state, the elevator  112  is actuated to raise the deck of cards  15  to position them near the top of the shuffling compartment  128  and/or into the aperture  106 . The sweeper arm  124  may be utilized to move the deck of cards  15  from the elevator  112  to the horizontal transport mechanism  108  (such as by having the sweeper arms  124  rotate from a position under the aperture  106  in a clockwise direction in  FIG. 2  to push the deck of cards from left to right in that figure). In this configuration, the aperture  106  comprises or defines a card receptacle which includes or defines a card receiving/dispensing area  130 . However, in other embodiments, distinct areas might serve as separate locations to receive and dispense cards, or the areas might be completely separate (and not part of the same aperture/receptacle area). 
     The shuffled deck of cards  15  may then be removed for use. The process may be repeated wherein another new or previously used deck of cards may be introduced into the receiving area  130 . The removal of the cards from the area  130 , and the presence of cards at position  130  may be sensed and used to initiate another shuffling cycle. The top cover  104  may be closed during the cycle and after use. 
     Ancillary equipment such as a power supply, which may be batteries, an AC-DC converter (battery eliminator), an AC power supply, a controller, or the like, are not shown as they are well known to persons of ordinary skill in the art, as are the various types of motors, displays, solenoids, control interfaces and the like. 
     In the embodiment just described, cards are moved from the card receiving area  130  to the shuffling compartment  128  via one or more horizontal transport devices or by otherwise moving them generally horizontally. In other types of shuffling devices, cards may be moved from a card receiving area to a card shuffling area by one or more elevators or the like. These elevators, horizontal transport devices and the like have various drawbacks, such as increasing the cost and complexity of the machine and resulting in higher rates of failure and required repair. Accordingly, embodiments disclosed herein comprise a trap door mechanism for a card handling device, such as a card shuffler. Relative to the card shuffler described above, a trap door mechanism is provided, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The trap door mechanism is preferably used to move cards from the card receiving area  130  ( FIG. 1 ) to a shuffling compartment (such as the shuffling compartment  128  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), such as in replacement of one or more aspects of the horizontal transport mechanism. In other types of shufflers, the trap door mechanism may be used in replacement of the card elevator(s). In addition, the present invention has an advantage over such prior art card handling or transport mechanisms that cards to be shuffled are moved from a horizontal position to a vertical position (for shuffling) and then returned back to a horizontal position for retrieval from the shuffling apparatus  100 , without the need for any horizontal transport mechanism (which reduces the complexity and cost of such a card handling device or shuffler as compared to when horizontal card transport mechanisms are required). 
     For example, relative to the shuffler which is illustrated in  FIG. 3 , instead of using rollers or the like to move the cards, the support plate  110  may include a trap door  111  in the card receiving area  130 . The trap door  111  may be configured to move between at least a first card supporting position where the trap door  111  is fixed in a generally horizontal position (and thus essentially forms a portion of the bottom  110  of the aperture  106 ), and a second delivery position where the trap door  111  swings into a generally vertical position where the cards are no longer supported by the trap door and thus fall downwardly into a shuffling compartment (such as shuffling compartment  128  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). In this configuration, the deck of cards  15  is placed in the receiving area  130  on top of the trap door  111 . To begin shuffling the cards, the trap door  111  is opened to allow the cards to fall, or be transported by an elevator mechanism  112  (or other card guide or transport mechanism), into the compartment  128  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The trap door  111  may be controlled by a series of switches, motors, pulleys, and/or belts as is now known or later developed and may move in various manners (swing, rotate, slide, etc.). Other suitable mechanisms may also be used to transfer the cards from the receiving area  130  to the compartment  128 . 
     Additional details of an embodiment of a trap door mechanism for a card handling apparatus will now be described.  FIG. 5  shows a cross section of a card shuffler with an integrated trap door and sweeper arm, according to one exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, a shuffling apparatus includes the trap door  111  on which deck of cards  15  may rest (such as by being placed on a top surface of the trap door by a user of the shuffler). The trap door  111  is shown in the closed position and forms the card receiving area  130  for a deck of cards  15  that needs to be shuffled. 
     The trap door  111  allows the deck of cards  15  to be placed in the receiving area  130  face down (by supporting the cards on a top surface of the trap door), while still allowing the deck of cards  15  to be shuffled while oriented vertically in the shuffling compartment  128 . The trap door  111  opens to both turn the cards 90 degrees and lower the cards into the shuffling compartment  128 . In particular, the trap door  111  is preferably moveable between a first position in which it is oriented generally horizontally and is capable of supporting one or more cards over or above at least a space below the trap door, such as a portion of the card shuffling compartment  128 , and a second position in which it is oriented generally vertically, thus allowing the cards which were supported thereon to fall below the trap door, such as into the card shuffling compartment (such as via gravity). 
     In this embodiment, the control and movement of the trap door  111  is integrated or coordinated with the sweeper arm  124 . As explained above, the sweeper arm  124  is configured to help raise the deck of cards  15  out of the shuffling compartment  128  and move the deck of cards  15  to the dispensing area  132 . Various mechanisms may be used to move the sweeper arm  124 . For example, the sweeper arm  124  may be controlled via a worm gear drive. For example, the sweeper arm  124  may have an axle  502  that is attached to a gear  508 . A motor  504  may drive a worm gear  506  to rotate the sweeper arm  124 . 
     The sweeper arm  124  moves from a first position upright as shown in  FIG. 5  through a range of approximately 120 degrees from the first position (in one embodiment, the sweeper arm  124  moves from the generally vertical or 12 o&#39;clock position in  FIG. 5  counter-clockwise to about an 11 o&#39;clock position to sweep a deck of cards  15  to be shuffled into the shuffling compartment  128 , then rotates further counter-clockwise to about the 7 or 8 o&#39;clock position (e.g. approximately 120 degrees from the original vertical position) to a position in which the sweeper arm  124  does not impede shuffling of the cards or movement of the elevator  112 , and then rotates back clockwise to about the 9 o&#39;clock position to pick up the shuffled cards and then rotates back to the 12 o&#39;clock position to deposit the shuffled cards in the dispensing area  132 . This allows the sweeper arm  124  to be out of the shuffling compartment  128  during shuffling, and to lift the cards from the elevator  112  and push the cards over to the dispensing area  132  after shuffling by moving from the second position back to the first position. As described in more detail below, movement or actuation of the trap door  111  may be coordinated with a trap door latching system which, in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , includes a solenoid  510 , latching device  512  having a first end  516  and a second end  518 , and which is rotatably mounted, such as about a hinge  514 , 
     The movement of the sweeper arm  124  between the first and second positions also controls the trap door in this embodiment.  FIGS. 6A and 6B  show a trap door according to an exemplary embodiment. In  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the trap door  111  comprises a cam following surface  606  that is attached to an axle  604  of the trap door  111 . In this example, the cam followers  606  are disposed on either side of a platform portion  608  of the trap door  111 . 
     The cam followers  606  are configured to come into contact with the sweeper arm  124 . In this manner, when the sweeper arm  124  is in the first position (see  FIG. 5 ), the sweeper arm  124  engages the cam following surface  606  to hold the trap door  111  level such that it may receive the deck of cards  15  face down on the platform portion  608 . When the sweeper arm  124  moves to the second position, the trap door  111  can open to rotate the deck of cards  15  and drop them into the shuffling compartment  128 . Similarly, when the sweeper arm  124  returns from the second position to the first position (see  FIG. 5 ), the sweeper arm  124  engages the cam following surfaces  606  of the trap door  111  to close the trap door  111  (by rotating it clock-wise in the figures as illustrated, upwardly from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation). This allows for integrated control of the sweeper arm and trap door using a single motor and gear system. 
     Importantly, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the trap door  111  is rotated from its first to its second position, such as about one end of the door. This not only allows cards which are placed thereon to fall into the space below the trap door (the card shuffling compartment  128  in this case), but causes the cards to move from a horizontal orientation (while sitting on the trap door) to a vertical orientation (as they fall into the card shuffling compartment, thus allowing the cards to be shuffled by a shuffling mechanism in their vertical orientation with in the card shuffling compartment). 
     As indicated above, and as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , to stabilize the trap door  111  when closed, a latching system may be utilized. As indicated above, the latching system may comprise a solenoid  510  connected to a latching device  512 . The latching device may be installed on a hinge  514  such that the latching device  512  can rotate about the hinge  514 . The latching device may include a first end  516  that is connected to and driven by the solenoid  510 . A second end  518  opposite the first end engages the trap door  111  to maintain the trap door  111  in the closed position. 
     When a deck of cards  15  is to be shuffled, the solenoid  510  is actuated to move the latching device  512  such that the second end  518  disengages from the trap door  111 . The trap door  111  may then be controlled via the sweeper arm  124  as described above. When the trap door  111  is brought back to the closed position, the solenoid  510  is actuated such that the second end  518  of the latching device  512  reengages with the trap door, holding it closed. 
     Other modifications are also possible. For example, instead of the integrated trap door and sweeper arm, the trap door may be provided with a second motor and gear system. In some instances, by controlling the trap door independently, the solenoid and latch may be omitted. 
     It will be appreciated that trap door mechanism may be utilized independent of a sweeper arm in some embodiments. For example, in one variation of a card shuffling mechanism, cards may be placed on the trap door and allowed to drop into a card shuffling area or other area. In such a configuration, a card elevator or other mechanism (other than a card sweeper) might be used to move the cards back from the card shuffling area upwardly to a card dispensing area. 
     As noted above, other mechanism or means may be provided for selectively moving the trap door from its first, horizontal supporting position to its second, generally vertically extending position (at which time the cards are preferably allowed to fall, via gravity, into a space below the trap door). 
     In the embodiment illustrated, the trap door  111  has a first side and a second side and the trap door rotates, pivots or tilts about its second side. In another embodiment, the trap door  111  might be configured to pivot or rotate about an axis through the middle of the trap door. In some embodiments, the trap door might even be configured to slide, such as by being moved horizontally into a position in which the trap door no longer supports the cards and thus allows them to fall into the space below (such as the card shuffling compartment). 
     Operation or movement of the trap door mechanism may be controlled or triggered in various manners. For example, in one embodiment the card handling mechanism, such as the shuffler, may include a “start” or “shuffle” button or the like. When a user provides input to that button (such as by depressing or touching it), a signal might be sent directly to the trap door movement mechanism to cause it to move the trap door (such as by actuating the solenoid and swing arm motor). In other embodiments, such an input might be transmitted to a main device controller which, in turn, generates and sends out one or more control signals (such as to the trap door solenoid and sweeper arm motor). Of course, other control schemes may be used to selectively controlling the operation of the trap door mechanism (including the sweeper arm, if included). 
     It will be understood that the above described arrangements of apparatus and the method there from are merely illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention and many other embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.