Shuffler with adjustable gates having offset playing card hold down means

Claim 1

IN A CARD SHUFFLER: (A) A CARD RECEIVING COMPARTMENT INCLUDING A BASE AND SIDE WALLS, THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS BEING SPACED ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID BASE TO PERMIT THE LATERAL PASSAGE OF CARDS FROM SAID COMPARTMENT; (B) CARD SHUFFLING MEANS INCLUDING ROTATABLE CAMS FOR ALTERNATELY ENGAGING WITH THE LOWERMOST CARD IN THE STACK OF CARDS IN SAID COMPARTMENT FOR REMOVING THE CARD LATERALLY FROM THE STACK AND MOVING THE CARD THROUGH THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LOWER EDGE OF ONE COMPARTMENT SIDE WALL AND THE TOP OF SAID BASE AND THEN FOR MOVING THE NEXT LOWERMOST CARD LATERALLY AND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FOR EJECTING THE CARD THROUGH THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LOWER EDGE OF THE OTHER COMPARTMENT SIDE WALL AND THE TOP OF SAID BASE; AND (C) A PLURALITY OF ADJUSTABLE GATES CARRIED BY EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND PROJECTING BELOW THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS FOR ALTERING THE EXTENT OF THE UNOBSTRUCTED OPENING BETWEEN THE TOP OF SAID BASE AND THE LOWEST PORTIONS OF SAID GATES FOR PERMITTING ONLY ONE CARD AT A TIME TO BE REMOVED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CARD STACK IN SAID COMPARTMENT; (D) SAID GATES HAVING OFFSET MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE EDGE OF THE NEXT TO THE LOWEST CARD IN THE STACK FOR PREVENTING THIS CARD EDGE FROM BEING MOVED UPWARDLY WHEN THE LOWERMOST CARD IS ENGAGED BY THE CAMS FOR REMOVING IT FROM THE CARD STACK; (E) THE OFFSET MEANS OF SAID GATES HAVING SHOULDERS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH ACTING AS STOPS TO THE ADJACENT EDGE OF THE NEXT TO THE BOTTOM CARD FOR PREVENTING THIS CARD FROM BEING EJECTED LATERALLY FROM THE CARD STACK WITH THE LOWERMOST CARD THAT IS BEING EJECTED.