US2790641A - Card shuffling device - Google Patents

Description

April 30, 1957 J. w. ADAMS 2,790,641

CARD SHUFFLING DEVICE Filed Nov. 16/ 1953 5 She ets-Sheet 1 April 30, 1957 Filed Nov. 16. 1953 J. w. ADAMS 2,790,641

CARD SHUFFLING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i I l April 30, 1957 J. w. ADAMS 2,790,641

CARD SHUFFLING DEVICE Filed Nov. 16, 1953 4 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E INVENTOR.

This invention relates to card shuflling devices, and particularly to a device which fans the edges of a plurality of cards across a fanning bar located centrally of the device.

While it is old in the art to provide devices for shuffling cards, both by the rotating roller method and by the fanning method, diificulty has always been experienced in the latter because of the engagement of the ends of the cards with each other, thereby interrupting the fanning operation. Different types of shuflling devices of the fanning type were sold in the trade but all of these proved unsatisfactory because the card edges moved into locking engagement with each other.

The present card shuffling device has overcome this difficulty by shaping the farming bar in a desired manner relative to a support for the cards which tilts the cards relative thereto and which prevents edge engagement. The device embodies a base portion, preferably having spaced legs on the bottom side and having a fanning bar on the upper side. The fanning bar has two portions which align the two groups of cards in holders mounted on plates which are pivoted to the base member and extend beneath projecting flanges on the fanning bar. As the plates are turned, the edges of the cards pass across another area of the fanning bar which is closer to the pivot than the first area, tothereby cause the cards to bend. The cards are slightly tilted since they rest upon the flange along the bottom edge of the fanning bar and the fanning bar is tapered from a thicker base to a thinner top to cause the bottom corners of the cards to be further bent so that they will move from the end of the fanning bar with a snap action. This will prevent the card from engaging an opposite card coming ofl? at the same time because of the snap action of both corners since only a point engagement could occur between the adjacent tilted edges. As a result, no particular care need be taken as to the manner of loading the cards into the card receiving receptacles or in operating the plates supporting the receptacles for moving the cards across the surfaces of the tanning bar. The receptacles are preferably of a width so that each may receive one and a half decks of cards when a three-deck pack is to be shuflled, and means are provided whereby two packs or a single pack may also be shuflied in the device.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: to provide a card shuifiing device with card receiving receptacles which are pivoted to carry cards past a fanning bar to fan the corners of the cards thereacross; to provide receptacles for the cards which support the cards at an angle to the vertical and to the face of the fanning bar so that the major bend in the card occurs at the bottom forward corner thereof; to provide a snap action to the bottom corner edges of the cards as they are fanned from the fanning bar to cause them to overlap with each other rather than to move into and remain in edge-to-edge relationship with each other, and, in general, to provide a card shuffling device which is simple in construction, positive in operation, and economical of manufacture.

t :1v States Paten Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the inven= tion, to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a card shufliing device shown in loading position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on theline 22 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, shown in card shuflling position; I

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 4-4 thereof;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 5-5 thereof;

Fig. 6 is a reduced plan view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 77 thereof;

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of the parts employed in the structure illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a broken view of structure, similar to that illustrated in Fig. 6, showing another form thereof;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4, taken on the line 1010 thereof;

Fig. 11 is a bottom view of structure similar to that illustrated in Fig. 6, showing extended supporting means therefor;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged, broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 11, taken on the line 12-12 thereof;

Fig. 13 is a view in elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 11, as viewed fromarrow 13;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the card shuffling device, similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, showing another form thereof;

Fig. 15 is an enlarged broken view of structure, similar to that illustrated in Fig. 14, showing a further form of the invention;

Fig. 16 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 15, taken on the line 16-16 thereof; and

Fig. 17 is an enlarged, broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 15, taken on the line 17-17 F thereof.

The card shuffling device of the present invention comprises abase member 20, havingfiat side areas 21 and 22 upon which thequadrants 23 and 24 are secured for arcuate movement onpivots 25. At the forward edge of thebase member 20, a raisedportion 26 is provided, while a similar raisedportion 27 is located adjacent to thepivots 25 to reduce the area of engagement between the bottom of thequadrants 23 and 24 and surface of theflat portions 21 and 22. A further raisedportion 28 is located at the forward edge of thebase member 20 which is aligned with thequadrants 23 and 24 and which supports astop block 29. The stop block limits the degree of movement of the cards as the quadrants are moved forwardly.

At the rear end of theplate 20, afanning bar 31 is provided havingfaces 32 which are disposed parallel to the rear wall of thecard receptacles 33 which are supported by thequadrants 23 and 24. Thefaces 32 accurately align the cards in the receptacles when they are being loaded therein. A second pair offaces 34 is located at the sides of the fanning bar which is closer to thepivots 25 than thefaces 32 so that the cards will be bent as they are advanced by the rotation of the receptacles about the pivots. The sides of the fanning bar at the end thereof have a pair offaces 35 which slope toward each other from the bottom to the top thereof, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. At the base of the fanning bar,

ledges 36 extend outwardly for receiving the end of the card which, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4, tilts the forward edges of the cards to have them disposed at an angle to the vertical. As will be noted in Pig, 4-, thecorner portions 37 are bent a substantial amount to produce a snap action to the corners as the cards are moved from the end of the fanning bar, to thereby have the cards overlap each other.

Thesectors 23 and 24 have arcuate corrugatedmated edges 38 which act as teeth to retain the two sectors accurately positioned relative to each other. Aknob 39 is secured to the forward end of each sector by which the sectors are pulled forwardly to rotate thereceptacles 33 about thepivots 25 and thereby simultaneously fan the two half decks from the end of thefanning bar 31 into shufiled relation with each other. The cards are prevented from moving from overlapped position by thestop block 29 against which the foremost card engages as the tanning operation proceeds. This relationship of the cards to the block is clearly shown in Fig. 3 which illustrates the advanced position of the sectors after the fanning operation. It will be noted that the twoterminal ends 41 of the sectors abut each other and therefore form a stop to limit further forward movement. In the same manner thearcuate portions 42 at the forward end of the sectors abut each other and limit the return movement of the sectors. Theends 41 remaining under theledges 36 maintain thepivots 25 within theapeitures in thebase 20, and through the deflection of the material of the sectors, thepivots 25 are assembled within the apertures 43 after theends 41 have been inserted beneath theledges 36. No means are required, therefore, to maintain thepivots 25 within the apertures.

Thereceptacles 33 are of a width to permit one and a half decks of cards to be placed therein when three decks are employed, as in a Canasta game. Afiller block 44 is provided for reducing the width of the receptacles so that each receptacle will support a single deck of cards employed when two decks are used in a game. The filler block as herein illustrated has a tongue -15 in thewall 46 thereof and the receptacle has aslot 47 and a pivot 43 molded therein so that thetongue 45 may be heated and bent around thepivot 48, as illustrated more specifically in Fig. 5. In this manner, theblock 44 may be either swung outwardly so that the full width of the receptacle is available for a deck and a half of cards, or swung inwardly when a single deck of cards is to be supported therein.

As will be noted in Figs. 4 and 10, a spring 4-9 has oneend 51 secured to one of thepivots 25. the opposite end abutting an extending wall portion 52, the spring being so disposed with relation to the pivot that when thequadrants 23 and 24 are pulled forwardly, the spring is further teusioned so that when theknobs 39 are released, the sectors will be returned to their initial position by the action of the spring. Thus, the entire shuttling device is composed of three members, as illustrated in the exploded view of Fig. 8. the base member and the twosectors 23 and 24. As pointed out above, the two sectors are assembled on the base by first inserting theends 41 beneath theledges 36, after which the opposite ends of the rcceptacles are raised sutiiciently to slide the pivots across the corners of the base member until they snap into the apertures 43 where they will be retained in assembled position.

In Fig. 9, a slotted block 53 is illustrated which may be employed in place of the ller block id which eliminates the necessity of providing theslot 47 and pivot 43 in the receptacles and the heating and bending of thetongues 45 about the pivots. The block slides along thewall 46 beneath the top roiled edge 54, the block having a slot 55 which receives the wall. it will be noted that one side 56 or" the block is of a thickness to leave a place within the receptacle for a full deck of cards, while the opposite side 57 leaves a space within the receptacle for a half deck of cards. When a deck and a half of cards are to be used in the receptacle, the two blocks 53 may be slipped upon the end of the fanningbar 31 in a recess 58 provided therein, the blocks being illustrated in broken lines.

The bottom side of thebase 20, as illustrated in Fig. 11, is provided with supportinglegs 61 at the four corners and with further supportinglegs 62 and 63 centrally thereof. Preferably the supporting legs are so disposed as to providespaces 64 and 65 for receiving portions of a deck of cards as play proceeds. Thewidth 66 between thecorner legs 61 is such as to receive a card when placed on the pack, with the length of the card extending to the left or right, as viewed in the figure. It will be further noted in the figure that thepivot 25 having thespring 49 thereabout may be enclosed in anapertured housing 67 molded in the base 20 to hide the spring from view. It will also be noted that the tops of theknobs 39, thereceptacles 33 and the fanningbar 31 are all disposed in the same plane which, when inverted, sup ports the device, with thelegs 61, 62 and 63 extending upwardly, as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 13.

In Fig. 14, a further form of invention is illustrated, that wherein a cover 68 is secured byhinges 69 to thebase 29, the hinges being similar to the hinges formed by thetongues 45 hereinabove described. An extension '71 is located at the front end of thebase portion 20 so as to provide anarea 72 in which the cards may be stored, as illustrated in broken line in Fig. 15. An upstanding wall 73 is provided on the extending portion 71, having acentral finger 74 andprojections 75 and shoulders '76 on each side thereof. When three decks of cards are employed, their edges will span the distance between theshoulders 76 and the central finger '74 will divide the three decks into two halves. When two decks are employed, the thickness will span the distance between theprojections 75 so that thefinger 74 can divide the two decks into two equal parts. In this manner, the cards may be divided into two equal packs, one for each receptacle. The top of the cover 68 is provided withsimilar corner legs 61 and central dividing partitions 77 to provide the twoareas 64 and 65 of a size to receive the cards. Thequadrants 23 and 24 have projectingdowels 78 rigidly secured thereto for limiting the movement of the cards after they are fanned from the end of the fanningbar 31, to thereby retain them in overlapped position. The dowels function in the same manner as the fixedblock 29 illustrated and described hereinabove with regard to the structure illustrated in Fig. 1. If the block 2) were located in the same position as illustrated in Fig. 1, it would be within thearea 72 and would prevent the cards from being stored therewithin.

In Figs. 15 and 16 -amovable stop block 79 is illustrated as being employed in place of the twodowels 78. Theblock 79 is mounted within a slot 81 of thebase member 20 and is provided with an extendingportion 32 containing a slot 83 in each side which receives thewebs 84 each side of the slot 81. Anaperture 35 is provided at one end of the slot 81 of a size to receive theportion 82 which has the slots thereof shifted over thewebs 84. When the cards are being shufiied, the block is moved downwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 15, and when thearea 72 has the cards stored therein, theblock 79 is moved upwardly, as shown in broken lines in the figure. In any of the forms of the device herein illustrated, the fanning of the cards occurs in a positive manner due to the tilted position of the cards when rested on theledges 36 and the shape of the side surfaces 32, 34 and 35 of the fanning bar. Thesurface 32 aligns the cards squarely in the receptacles, as illustrated in Fig. and thesurfaces 34 cause the entire pack to be bent in an opposite direction from the advancing movement of the sectors when thehandles 39 are pulled toward the operator. The end surfaces 35 bend the ends of the cards a substantial amount to cause a snap action of the ends as the cards leave the fanning bar. This causes the cards to move into overlapped relation rather than into end-to-end abutting relation, as has occurred heretofore. The two parts of the deck are fanned simultaneously due to the interrelation of the corrugated ortoothed edges 38, the amount of movement being limited by thestop portions 41 and 42 at opposite ends of the mated portions. Filler blocks may be employed for changing the internal width of the card receiving receptacles to conform to the number of decks to be shuttled, the one of Fig. being pivoted at the top, the one illustrated in Fig. 9 being slipped upon the side Wall from the end thereof, while the one illustrated in Fig. 14 utilizes avertical pivot 86 which permits the block to swing in extension of thewall 46 or to swing within the area of the receptacle for reducing the Width thereof. Feet are provided on the bottom of the device which produce a rigid support for the device when the cards are being shutfied, permitting thepivots 25 to extend downwardly a substantial distance from the under side of thebase portion 20. By providing such a length to the pivots, the sectors :are maintained assembled on the base plate after the pivots drop within the apertures 43 thereof. The legs also function as card receiving areas when the device is supported on the tops of the knobs, receptacles and the fanning bar in inverted position from the position in which the cards are shuffled. Thus, a very simple card shufiling device is provided made from a minimum number of castings, three in number in the device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 13 inclusive, four parts being employed when the cover 68 is utilized, as illustrated in Fig. 14. Not only is a simply constructed device provided, but the device has a positive action so that rarely are the cards blocked by moving into endto-end relationship. While corrugated types of teeth are shown on the two sectors, it is to be understood that such teeth may be of any form which retains the two sectors in predetermined relation to each other and to the tanning bar. In Fig. 14 it will be noted that the length of the 'face 35 on the right-hand side of the fanningbar 31 is shorter than theface 35 on the left-hand side thereof, as viewed in the figure. This offsets theedge 88 rearwardly from the comparable edge on the left-hand side a fraction of the thickness of a card to avoid having a card from each receptacle leave the end of the fanning bar simultaneously. The same effect is obtained in the structure of Fig. 1

by having thereceptacles 33 so interlocked relating to each other that a card from one receptacle passes from the end of the fanning bar a fraction of a thickness of a card ahead of a card from the other receptacle. In either of the arrangements, the cards are further prevented from moving into interlocked relation with each other which would interrupt the shuffling operation.

What is claimed is:

1. A card shufiling device comprising a substantially flat base member, an upstanding fanning bar on a central portion of said base and having side faces, a pair of sectors pivoted to said base on opposite sides of said fanning bar and having card receptacles thereon, and means interconnecting said sectors for enforcing simultaneous pivotal movement thereof, each of said side faces having a flange substantially parallel to but spaced from said base member, each of said sectors being substantially flat and each having an arcuate edge portion adjacent said fanning bar and underlying its corresponding flange, each sector having a pintle thereon outwardly of said flange, and openings in said base member, said pintles projecting downwardly into said openings to pivot said sectors to said base member. 7

2. A card shuffling device as defined in claim 1, Wherein said fanning bar has an upper surface generally parallel to the upper face of said base, the other face of said base having spaced support members extending downwardly therefrom, the said upper surface of said fanning bar and the upper edges of said receptacle-s lying in a single plane whereby said device may be selectively inverted and stably supported by said fanning bar and receptacles, on a supporting surface, with said spaced members uppermost.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 205,030 Ash June 18, 1878 1,885,276 McKay Nov. 1, 1932 1,955,926 Matthaey Apr. 24, 1934 2,649,305 S'choultz Aug. 18, 1953 2,711,319 Morgan et al. June 21, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,016 Great Britain Feb. 11, 1893 27,568 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1910

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