US6533276B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gaming
Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC
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Filing: 2002-02-13
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Granted: 2003-03-18
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Expires: 2022-02-13
Abstract
Abstract A system automatically monitors playing and wagering of a card game played with a plurality of playing cards. A card imager automatically images a portion of each playing card, including at least a portion of an edge of the playing card. The card imager may also read an indicia carried by the playing card which indicates a rank and/or suit of the playing card. The system analyzes the edges of the playing cards for curvature, and examines relationships between the edges and ranks of playing cards to detect crimping and other forms of prohibited play.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard Soltys
- 👤 Richard Huizinga
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 06:33
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F17/00; G07F17/32; G07F17/3241; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/06; G06Q10/063; G06Q10/0639; G07F17/3202; G07F17/3216; G07F17/322; G07F17/3225; G07F17/3232; G07F17/3237; G07F17/3244; G07F17/3251; A; A63; A63F; A63F9/00; A63F9/24; A63F2009/2401; A63F2009/2411; A63F2009/2419; A63F2009/242; A63F3/00; A63F3/00003; A63F3/00157
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of monitoring a card game for cheating, comprising: for each of a number of playing cards having a face and a back, automatically examining a playing card for a bend; determining whether a direction of the bend is toward the face or the back of the playing card; and determining whether a correlation exists between a rank of the playing card and the determined direction of the bend.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of monitoring a card game for cheating, comprising: for each of a number of playing cards having a face and a back, automatically examining a playing card for a bend; determining whether a direction of the bend is toward the face or the back of the playing card; and determining whether a correlation exists between a rank of the playing card and the determined direction of the bend.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: producing an alert if a correlation exists between the rank of the playing card and the determined direction of the bend.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: producing an alert if a correlation exists between the rank of the playing card and the determined direction of the bend for a defined number of the playing cards.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein automatically examining a playing card for a bend includes imaging an edge of the playing card and measuring the bend in the image of the edge.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 automatically examining a playing card for a bend includes imaging an edge of the playing card and measuring a curvature of the edge in the image.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether a correlation exists between a rank of the playing card and the determined direction of the bend includes determining how many cards above a fixed rank have the same determined direction of the bend.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
55 words
A method of monitoring a card game for cheating, comprising: imaging a plurality of cards; processing the images of the cards to identify an edge of each of the plurality of playing cards; and comparing processed images to a reference set of edge data to identify a number of the playing cards that are bent.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
55 words
A method of monitoring a card game for cheating, comprising: imaging a plurality of cards; processing the images of the cards to identify an edge of each of the plurality of playing cards; and comparing processed images to a reference set of edge data to identify a number of the playing cards that are bent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 7 , further comprising: determining a direction of bend for each of the identified playing cards; comparing the determined direction of bend with a rank of the playing card; and determining the number of the identified playing cards having a rank in a first range that have the same direction of bend.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method of claim 7 , further comprising: determining a direction of bend for each of the identified playing cards; comparing the determined direction of bend with a rank of the playing card; determining the number of the identified playing cards having a rank in a first range that have the same direction of bend; and producing an indication of the crimping if the determined number exceeds a trigger amount.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 7 wherein determining a direction of bend for each of the identified playing cards includes determining if the playing card is concave with respect to a face of the playing card.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 7 wherein determining a direction of bend for each of the identified playing cards includes determining if the playing card is convex with respect to a face of the playing card.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
123 words
A method of monitoring a card game for tampering, comprising: for each of a plurality of playing cards having a face, a back and a peripheral edge, imaging at least a portion of the playing card including at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the playing card; for each of the plurality of playing cards, determining from a set of image data whether the imaged portion of the peripheral edge of the playing card is curved beyond a defined threshold; for each of the plurality of playing cards, identifying a relationship between the peripheral edge and a rank of the playing card; and for at least some of the plurality of playing cards, determining whether the identified relationships fit a pattern.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
123 words
A method of monitoring a card game for tampering, comprising: for each of a plurality of playing cards having a face, a back and a peripheral edge, imaging at least a portion of the playing card including at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the playing card; for each of the plurality of playing cards, determining from a set of image data whether the imaged portion of the peripheral edge of the playing card is curved beyond a defined threshold; for each of the plurality of playing cards, identifying a relationship between the peripheral edge and a rank of the playing card; and for at least some of the plurality of playing cards, determining whether the identified relationships fit a pattern.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 12 wherein determining from a set of image data whether the imaged portion of the peripheral edge of the playing card is curved beyond a defined threshold includes comparing image data to a reference set of edge data.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 12 wherein identifying a relationship between the peripheral edge and a rank of the playing card includes identifying a relationship between the presence and absence of curvature and the rank of the playing card.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 12 wherein identifying a relationship between the peripheral edge and a rank of the playing card includes identifying a relationship between a direction of curvature and the rank of the playing card.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 12 wherein determining whether the identified relationships fit a pattern includes determining how often a same one of the identified relationships occur for the plurality of playing cards.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-03-17 | 2006-09-16 | 2007-03-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-03-17 | 2010-09-16 | 2011-03-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-03-17 | 2014-09-16 | 2015-03-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |