CARD-HANDLING DEVICES

摘要

Apparatuses and methods for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into plural hands of cards, wherein each of the hands contains a random arrangement of cards. The apparatus may comprise a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack, and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanism and the elevator so that an individual card is moved into an identified compartment. The number of compartments receiving cards and the number of cards moved to each compartment may be selected. Apparatuses for feeding cards may comprise a surface for supporting a stack of cards, a feed roller with a frictional outer surface, a drive mechanism for causing rotation of the feed roller, a pair of speed-up rollers to advance the cards out of the feed roller, and a clutch mechanism for disengaging the feed roller from the drive mechanism as the card comes into contact with the speed-up rollers.

主权项

1. A card-handling device, comprising:
a card-receiving area sized and shaped to support a group of playing cards therein; card storage compartments, each of the card storage compartments sized and shaped to support a sub-group of playing cards therein, at least one of the card storage compartments comprising a beveled surface oriented to deflect cards toward an interior of the at least one of the card storage compartments; an input, card-moving mechanism configured to sequentially move individual playing cards from the card-receiving area into at least some of the respective card storage compartments, the input card moving mechanism comprising:
a pick-off roller located and configured to rotate at a first speed and commence movement of a playing card from the card-receiving area toward one of the card storage compartments;at least one speed-up roller located and configured to rotate at a second, greater speed and drive the playing card responsive to the rotation of the at least one pick-off roller into the card storage compartment; anda clutch configured selectively interrupt active, driven rotation of at least one of the pick- off roller and the at least one speed-up roller; a card output tray; and an output, card-moving mechanism configured to transfer sub-groups of the playing cards from the at least some of the card storage compartments to the card output tray.