Patent ID: 8342526

Claim:
A card shuffler comprising: (a) a base; (b) a deck-crib supported by said base and capable of containing a plurality of cards; (c) a dealing rack defining a plurality of single-card receptacles and located adjacent to and aligned with said deck-crib; (d) a card shield movable in a track located alongside said dealing rack, between a first position and a second position, said dealing rack including a latch operable selectively to engage said card shield and thereby to move said card shield along with said dealing rack between said first and second positions when said latch is engaged; (e) a card mover associated with the deck-crib and operable to move a single card from said deck-crib to a selected one of said plurality of single-card receptacles; (f) a motor associated with said base and arranged to move said dealing rack relative to said deck-crib; and (g) a controller arranged to: (i) randomly select an empty one of said plurality of single-card receptacles of said dealing rack; (ii) thereafter cause said motor to move said dealing rack to place said randomly selected empty one of said plurality of single-card receptacles into alignment with said card mover; (iii) thereafter cause said card mover to move a single card from said deck-crib into said randomly selected empty one of said plurality of single-card receptacles; and (iv) thereafter repeat steps (i), (ii), and (iii) until said deck-crib has been emptied of cards.