APPARATUS FOR SHUFFLING CARDS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clarke Ash, of 315, Oxford Street, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "APPARATUS FOR SHUFFLING CARDS."
Sealed the 24th April 1878, and dated the 27th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clarke Ash at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th December 1877.
HENRY CLARKE ASH, of 315, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex.
PARATUS FOR SHUFFLING CARDS."
"AP-
This Invention has for its object to construct apparatus for shuffling cards. For
this purpose I employ a box or case with an open top, through which a pack of
cards can be introduced end wise.
Projecting inwards from about the centre of one of the ends of the case is a comb
or grating of pins.
In the two opposite sides of the case are slots rising upwards from the bottom to
just above the level of the comb or grating. These slots receive the ends of a slide,
which passes across the interior of the case.
To shuffle a pack of cards by means of the above apparatus, the slide is raised to
its highest position just above the level of the comb or grating, and the pack of
cards is introduced endwise into the open top of the case, so that they rest on the
slide.
The slide is then lowered, leaving the cards resting on the grating and one
or two light shakes are given to the case; one half or thereabouts of the cards drop
down through the openings between the pins of the grating whilst the other half of
the cards will remain resting on them, and with their upper ends projecting above
the top of the case. These cards are now taken hold of altogether and removed
from the case and set down; the slide is then raised to lift the remaining cards, and
these are likewise taken altogether and placed on the top of the other cards.

page_text: The lower portion of the box or case is made open at the ends, so that the cards
which drop through the grating may be held in one hand, whilst the cards which
remain above the grating are taken hold of and removed by the other hand.
In place of separating one half of the cards from the others by passing them
through openings in a comb or grating, the cards may be caused to pass in succession
through slits or openings on two opposite sides of a box or case. To effect this I
form a box or case with an open top, and of a form suitable to receive a pack of
cards placed flatwise; at two opposite sides of the box are slits or openings just
above the bottom; across the bottom is a slot, and below this a tubular case con-
taining a small weight, a projection from the weight rises up through the slot, and
projects slightly above the bottom.
If a pack of cards is placed into the box and shaken to and fro, the weight moves
to and fro from one end to the other, and at each movement the projection on the
weight comes against the edge of the lowest card or cards, and forces this card or
cards through one or other of the slits. Or in place of this arrangement, a box or
case may be used, having at the bottom a number of parallel ridges, which rise
upwards from the bottom.
The sides of the ridges are inclined, so that if a pack of cards be dropped endwise
into the case, some of the cards may pass down between the ridges, and become
wedged and held by them whilst others will not be able to descend sufficiently to
become wedged, and can readily removed altogether. The others which were
held between the ridges can then also be then similarly taken from the box, and
placed above those which were first taken away.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Clarke Ash in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th June
1878.
HENRY CLARKE ASH, of 315, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex.
PARATUS FOR SHUFFLING CARDS."
"AP-
This Invention has for its object to construct apparatus for shuffling cards. For
this purpose I employ a box or case with an open top through which a pack of
cards can be introduced endwise.
Projecting inwards from about the centre of one of the ends of the case is a comb
or grating of pins.
To shuffle a pack of cards by means of the above apparatus, the pack of cards is
introduced end wise into the open top of the case, so that they rest on the grating,
and one or two light shakes are given to the case, one half or thereabouts of the
cards drop down through the openings between the pins of the grating, whilst the
other half of the cards will remain resting on them, and with their upper ends pro-
jecting above the top of the case. These cards are now taken hold of all together
and removed from the case and set down, the remaining cards are then likewise
lifted altogether out of the case, and placed on the top of the other cards.
The lower portion of the box or case is made open at the ends, so that the
cards which drop through the grating may be held in one hand, whilst the
cards which remain above the grating are taken hold of and removed by the other
hand.
The Drawings hereunto annexed shew an apparatus constructed as above
described.
Figure 1 is a side view; Figure 2, a vertical section; and Figure 3, a plan view
of the apparatus.
Figure 4 is an end view showing the manner in which one half of the cards or
thereabouts are partly withdrawn from amongst the other cards by means of the
grating.
A is the box or case open at the top; B is the comb or grating of pins carried by
a metal plate which is secured to one end of the box as shown. If desired, a similar
grating might be carried by the opposite end of the box; I, however, prefer to employ
a single grating, as shown in the Drawings. C, C, are the openings at the lower
part of the ends of the box, to allow of those cards which have dropped down
through the openings in the grating being taken hold of and retained, whilst the
other cards which remain above the grating are removed from the box or case.
When the cards which are above the grating have been removed and laid down,
the other cards can be taken hold of at their upper ends, and all removed together
and laid down upon the upper cards, and the shuffling of the pack of cards be thereby
completed.
The upper parts of the two sides of the box or case are hollowed downwards, as
shown at D, D, to allow of the cards which have dropped down through the grating
being thus taken hold of to remove them.
By using apparatus such as above described for shuffling packs of cards, the
shuffling of the cards can be effected far more perfectly and in less time than when
the cards are shuffled by hand in the ordinary manner.
If desired, provision may be made for decreasing the width of the interior of the
box or case whenever the apparatus is to be used for shuffling thin cards; this
may be effected by a moveable slide or by clip pieces to clip on to the sides of the
box or otherwise.
The grating or gratings may also be removeable, and be capable of being slid into
or out of their place, in order that gratings of different gauges may be used with
the same box or case, and so the apparatus may be better adapted for shuffling
cards of different thicknesses; two gratings of different gauge might also be con-

page_text: nected together at right angles to one another, so that when one of them was slid
into position to project into the interior of the box or case, the other might lie
against the exterior of the end of the box or case, and be out of use.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would state that the form of the box or case may be considerably
varied, and that other ways of carrying the grating in the interior of the case
may be adopted, as also that the number and size of the pins forming the
grating may be varied. What I claim is,-
First. Constructing apparatus for shuffling packs of cards with a grating or
gratings, by means of which one half of the cards or thereabouts can be separated
from amongst the others in the manner described.
Second. The construction of apparatus for shuffling cards, substantially as herein-
before described, and shown in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Clarke Ash, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord Oue thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
HENRY CLARKE ASH. (LS.)