System and method to handle playing cards, employing manual movable cover

Abstract

A card shoe handling device includes a cover that is manually movable from a closed position to an opened position and a switch operable to cause a delivery of at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system in response to a position of the cover. In the closed position the cover limits access to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling system and in the opened position the cover does not limit access to playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver from an exterior of the playing card handling system.

1 . A playing card handling system, comprising: 
 a playing card input receiver sized and positioned to receive a number of playing cards to be handled by the playing card handling system;    a playing card output receiver sized and positioned to receive a number of playing cards handled by the playing card handling system;    at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, along which at least some of the playing cards pass from the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver;    at least one intermediary playing card receiver positioned in the at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver;    a cover manually movable from a closed position to an opened position, where in the closed position the cover limits access from an exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver and in the opened position the cover does not limit access from the exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver; and    a switch operable to cause a delivery of at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system in response to a position of the cover.    
   
   
       2 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1  wherein the cover is mounted for sliding movement between the opened and the closed positions.  
   
   
       3 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1  wherein the cover is mounted for pivotal movement between the opened and the closed positions.  
   
   
       4 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1  wherein the cover is mounted to another portion of the playing card handling system for pivotal movement between the opened and the closed positions.  
   
   
       5 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 at least one spring physically coupled to bias the cover into the closed position.    
   
   
       6 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1  wherein the opened position the cover forms an acute angle with respect to a gravitational vector such that a gravitational force biases the cover into the closed position.  
   
   
       7 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1  wherein the cover in the opened position is not biased toward the closed position.  
   
   
       8 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1  wherein the playing card handling system is operable to provide playing cards to the playing card output receiver in an order different from an order of the playing cards in the playing card input receiver, wherein the order is at least one of a sorted order or a random order.  
   
   
       9 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 an elevator mechanism physically coupled to the playing card output receiver and operable to selectively move the playing card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised position, where in the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table, and wherein the switch is coupled to cause the elevator mechanism to raise the playing card output receiver to the raised position in response to the cover being in a position spaced between the opened position and the closed position.    
   
   
       10 . The playing card handling system of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 an elevator mechanism physically coupled to the playing card output receiver and operable to selectively move the playing card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised position, where in the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table, and wherein the switch is coupled to cause the elevator mechanism to raise the playing card output receiver to the raised position in response to the cover being in the opened position.    
   
   
       11 . A playing card handling system, comprising: 
 a playing card input receiver positioned to receive a number of playing cards to be ordered by the playing card handling system;    a playing card output receiver positioned to provide a number of playing cards ordered by the playing card handling system;    ordering means for providing the playing cards received in the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver in an order, wherein the order is at least one of a sorted order or a random order;    a cover manually movable from a closed position to an opened position, where in the closed position the cover substantially limits access from an exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver and in the opened position the cover does not substantially limit access from the exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver; and    means for causing a delivery of at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system in response to at least one of a movement or a position of the cover.    
   
   
       12 . The playing card handling system of  claim 11  wherein the means for causing a delivery of at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system in response to at least one of a movement or a position of the cover comprises a switch that is activated by the position of the cover.  
   
   
       13 . The playing card handling system of  claim 11  wherein the means for causing a delivery of at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system in response to at least one of a movement or a position of the cover comprises elevator means for selectively moving the playing card output receiver between a lowered position and a raised position, where in the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table.  
   
   
       14 . The playing card handling system of  claim 11  wherein the ordering means comprises at least one intermediary playing card receiver positioned in at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver.  
   
   
       15 . The playing card handling system of  claim 11 , further comprising: 
 cover biasing means for biasing the cover into the closed position.    
   
   
       16 . A method of operating a playing card handling system that comprises a playing card input receiver and a playing card output receiver, the method comprising: 
 receiving a number of playing cards to be handled by the playing card handling system at the playing card input receiver;    providing at least some of the playing cards received at the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver in an order different from an order of the playing cards in the playing card input receiver; and    delivering at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system in response to at least one of a position or a movement of a cover that is movable from a closed position to an opened position, where in the closed position the cover substantially limits access from an exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver and in the opened position the cover does not substantially limit access from the exterior of the playing card handling system to the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 determining whether the cover is in a position spaced from the closed position;    in response to determining that the cover is in a position spaced from the closed position, providing a raise signal to an elevator mechanism to cause the elevator mechanism to raise from a lowered position to a raised position to deliver at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system, where in the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 determining whether the cover is in an opened position, the opened position spaced from the closed position;    in response to determining that the cover is in the opened position, providing a raise signal to an elevator mechanism to cause the elevator mechanism to raise from a lowered position to a raised position to deliver at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system, where in the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 detecting a movement of the cover from the closed position toward the opened position;    in response to detecting the movement of the cover from the closed position toward the opened position, providing a raise signal to an elevator mechanism to cause the elevator mechanism to raise from a lowered position to a raised position to deliver at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system, where in the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein detecting a movement of the cover from the closed position toward the opened position comprises detecting a sliding of the cover from the closed position to the opened position.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19  wherein detecting a movement of the cover from the closed position toward the opened position comprises detecting a pivoting of the cover from the closed position to the opened position.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 16  wherein delivering at least some of the playing cards externally from the playing card handling system comprises moving the playing card output receiver from a lowered position to a raised position, where in the lowered position the playing card output receiver is positioned below a surface of a gaming table and in the raised position at least some of the playing cards carried by the playing card output receiver are positioned above the surface of the gaming table.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising: 
 moving the playing card output receiver from the raised position to the lowered position after at least some of the playing cards are removed from the playing card output receiver.    
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein moving the playing card output receiver from the raised position to the lowered position comprises producing a signal in response to activation of a switch that is accessible from an exterior of the playing card handling device.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 19  wherein moving the playing card output receiver from the raised position to the lowered position comprises producing a signal in response to detecting movement of the cover to the closed position from the open position after the elevator mechanism moves the playing card output receiver from the raised position to the lowered position.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 biasing the cover toward the closed position from the open position under at least one of a spring force or a gravitational force.    
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 16  wherein providing at least some of the playing cards received at the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver in an order different from an order of the playing cards in the playing card input receiver comprises providing at least some of the playing cards received at the playing card input receiver to the playing card output receiver in at least one of a sorted order or a random order