Mechanical shuffler

Abstract

A mechanical shuffling apparatus is disclosed having a mechanism for delivering a single card through a horizontally disposed slot such that mechanical damage to the card is minimized and adequate shuffling of a deck of cards is achieved. The horizontally disposed slot is sized to receive a single card and can be adjusted or calibrated by card manufacturer or type. Additionally, the mechanical shuffler has a weight to flatten cards disposed on a horizontal plane. By keeping cards flat and minimizing mechanical damage to the card the mechanical shuffler disclosed herein also avoids delays and damage caused by jamming.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A mechanical shuffler comprising:
 a first generally planar surface attached to a shuffler cover,   a second generally planar surface that is sized to receive at least one deck of unshuffled cards, wherein said second generally planar surface is movable in a direction of travel normal to the first generally planar surface,   a first electrically powered motor mechanically coupled to the second generally planar surface and configured to move the second generally planar surface in response to a first signal, and   a slot, wherein the slot is elongated along a plane that is parallel and selectively coplanar with said second generally planar surface and wherein said slot is sized to receive a single card from a deck of unshuffled cards, wherein the deck of unshuffled cards is brought into contact with the second generally planar surface via at least one guiding member, wherein said at least one guiding member at least partially aligns the deck of unshuffled cards into a stacked position and at least partially holds the cards in said stacked position, wherein said stacked position is in contact with the second generally planar surface.   
     
     
         2 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 1  further including means for adjusting the size of the slot in response to information about the thickness of a single playing card in the deck of unshuffled cards. 
     
     
         3 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 1  further comprising a third generally planar surface having a first edge wherein said first edge is configured to come into contact with a first edge of a single playing card wherein said single playing card is located in the deck of unshuffled cards, and wherein said third generally planar surface is further configured to move said single playing card in a direction of travel normal to the direction of travel of the second generally planar surface. 
     
     
         4 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 2  further comprising a computer wherein the computer includes a processor, a display, and a user interface. 
     
     
         5 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 2  wherein the size of the slot is automatically adjustable in response to information about the thickness of a single playing card. 
     
     
         6 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 1  wherein the size of the slot is approximately 0.018 inches. 
     
     
         7 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 1  wherein said at least one guiding member is located at least partially outside of the cover. 
     
     
         8 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 4  wherein the computer is configured to send said first signal to move said second generally planar surface in accordance with instructions to randomly position the second generally planar surface relative to the slot. 
     
     
         9 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 8  wherein the computer is configured to send a second signal to move the third generally planar surface after the second generally planar surface is randomly positioned. 
     
     
         10 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 9 , wherein a preselected number of cards are moved from the unshuffled stack of cards through the slot. 
     
     
         11 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 10 , wherein the preselected number of cards comprise a hand for a casino game. 
     
     
         12 . The mechanical shuffler of  claim 11  wherein the casino game comprises Pai Gow, Caribbean Stud, 3-card poker, 4-card poker, Let it Ride, Ultimate Texas Holdem, Crazy 4, Hi Card Flush, or Mississippi Stud.