Card Viewing Device

Abstract

This invention is directed toward devices which all a person to view playing cards without having to actually pick up the cards themselves. There are two basic versions of the invention: a portable version which can be carried by the user, and an installed version which sits in a cavity cut out from a card playing table. Both versions have sides to prevent others from seeing the cards, a mirror to reflect the cards up onto the eyes of the user while the cards remain face down on the table, and a ramp, or means by which a user can pull cards from a table over the mirror. A number of accessory items can be added to the installed version, such as advertising gaskets between the rim of the device and the table, various LCD screens and control buttons displayed around the edges of the devices, and other such add-ons.

1 . A device for playing a game of cards: comprising a mirror, where the mirror has three or more sides and a reflective surface on at least one side, means to manually move one or more cards, where the one or more cards are in a face down position, over the mirror, such that a user of the invention can see a reflection of the one or more cards in the mirror, means to prevent others from viewing the reflection of the one or more cards in the mirror, and means to hold the mirror in a stationary position. 
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1 , where, the device is intended to be a movable device, and where the mirror, the means to manually move one or more cards, the means to prevent others from viewing the reflection of the one or more cards in the mirror, and the means to hold the mirror in a stationary position are all designed to be placed above the surface of a table. 
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 2 , where the means to manually move one or more cards is a ramp, where the ramp is manufactured from a clear substance such as glass or clear plastic, one or more connecting members, where the one or more connection members are connected to both the mirror and the ramp, and where the ramp has a lower edge over which a user can pull cards, where the cards are face down, and position the cards such that a refection of the cards can be seen in the mirror, such that a user of the invention can see his or her cards without picking them up. 
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 2 , where means to prevent others from viewing the reflection is where the one or more connecting members are opaque, such that other card players cannot see through the one or more connecting members. 
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 2 , where the means to hold the mirror in a stationary position is one or more connecting members, where the one or more connection members are connected to both the mirror and the ramp. 
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 2 , where, the means to manually move one or more cards is a ramp, where the ramp is manufactured from a clear substance such as glass or clear plastic, one or more connecting members, where the one or more connection members are connected to both the mirror and the ramp, and where the ramp has a lower edge over which a user can pull cards, where the cards are face down, and position the cards such that a refection of the cards can be seen in the mirror, such that a user of the invention can see his or her cards without picking them up, and, where means to prevent others from viewing the reflection is where the one or more connecting members are opaque, such that other card players cannot see through the one or more connecting members, and where the means to hold the mirror in a stationary position is one or more connecting members, where the one or more connection members are connected to both the mirror and the ramp. 
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 2 , where the device is designed to be portable, and where the ramp has two sides with four 90 degree angles at the corners of the two sides, and a dealer end, that which lies furthest away from the user of the invention, and a user end, that which lies closest to the user of the invention, and where the mirror has two sides with four 90 degree angles at the corners of the two sides and a dealer end, that which lies furthest away from the user of the invention, and a user end, that which lies closest to the user of the invention, and the connecting members are two triangularly shaped members, with two substantially longer sides and one substantially shorter side to which both the ramp and the mirror are attached, with two opposing sides of the ramp are attached to the connecting members and two opposing sides of the mirror are attached to the connecting members, where the dealer end of the mirror and the dealer end of the ramp are in substantially closer physical proximity to each other at the section of the connection members where the two substantially longer sides meet than at the section of the connection members where the substantially shorter side keeps the two substantially longer sides apart, thereby creating an incline, where, the user of the invention can pull cards up the incline on the ramp, and position the cards such that the reflection of the cards in the mirror is reflected into the eyes of the user, and where the connection members are opaque, and where the shield means is the opaque nature of the connection members, such that when a user of the invention pulls cards onto the ramp, the reflection of the cards cannot be seen by players sitting to the side of the user as the connection members block out any view of the cards. 
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 2 , where the connection members additionally comprise a laterally extending plate with one or more raised semi-circles of a diameter slightly larger than standard poker chips, such that a stack of poker chips can rest within the one or more raised semi-circles. 
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 1 , where the device is intended to be embedded into a card playing table, and where the means to manually move one or more cards is a flat, clear, piece of non-flexible material and the device additionally comprises one or more embeddable sides which are of a size, a shape, and a configuration to fit into a cavity, with one or more sides, which has been created in a table, and where the means to prevent others from viewing the reflection of the one or more cards in the mirror, is the one or more side of the cavity, which prevent the other players from seeing the reflection in the mirror, and means to hold the mirror in a stationary position is the one or more sides which are of a size, a shape, and a configuration to fit into a cavity. 
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 9 , where the one or more embeddable sides are in the shape of a circle, and the cavity is in the shape of a circle. 
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 9 , where the one or more embeddable sides are in the shape of a square, and the cavity is in the shape of a square. 
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 9 , where the one or more embeddable sides are in the shape of a rectangle, and the cavity is in the shape of a rectangle. 
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 9 , where the flat, clear, piece of non-flexible material additionally comprises a lip, which is an extension of the flat, clear, piece of non-flexible material which extends over the cavity, such that the device can rest of the lip. 
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 13 , where the lip additionally comprises one or more holes through which screws or other means of attachment can be placed to secure the device to the table. 
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 13 , where the device additionally comprises an advertising gasket, which is of a size and shape such that it fits under the lip and above the table, such that a user of the invention can view advertising material contained in the gasket. 
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 13 , where the device additionally comprises a viewable screen, such as an LCD screen, upon which advertising material can be viewed. 
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 13 , where the device additionally comprises one or more buttons located on the lip, where the one or more buttons are electronically connected to one or more services provided by the owner of the card tables, said one or more services comprising food and beverages where the user of the invention can order food and beverages, and reserve a table for future food and beverages by activating the one or more buttons. 
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 13 , where the device additionally comprises one or more buttons located on the lip, where the one or more buttons are electronically connected to one or more services provided by the owner of the card tables, said one or more services comprising entertainment, such as magic shows, rock concerts, singing performances, and shows, where the user of the invention can order food and beverages, and reserve a table for the entertainment by activating the one or more buttons. 
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 13 , where the lip additional comprises one or more raised semi-circles of a diameter slightly larger than standard poker chips, such that a stack of poker chips can rest within the one or more raised semi-circles. 
   
   
       20 . The device of  claim 1 , where the device additionally comprises an electronic port for charging a cell phone. 
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 1 , where the mirror is convex. 
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 1 , where the mirror is concave. 
   
   
       23 . The device of  claim 1 , where the mirror is shaped to an eyeglass prescription.