SHUFFLING MACHINE

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of card handling technology, and more particularly to a shuffling machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

With the improvement of living standards, people's daily lives have gradually become richer, and poker has emerged as one of people's favorite entertainment pastimes. However, after playing a round of card, players are typically required to sort, shuffle, and deal the cards themselves. To expedite this process and mitigate the risk of cheating, automatic card shuffling machines have been developed to deal cards.

Conventional shuffling machines generally includes two oppositely arranged card-receiving plates, each correspondingly provided with a shuffling wheel and a shuffling motor, thereby requiring at least two shuffling motors. Operating two independent shuffling motors, however, can lead to issues such as asynchronous operation and variable speeds, resulting in inconsistent shuffling and less than optimal outcomes. Furthermore, the high cost of the shuffling motors remains a significant concern.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The object of the present disclosure is to address the deficiencies and shortcomings of the current technology by providing a shuffling machine in which a first shuffling wheel and a second shuffling wheel are driven synchronously by a single drive member, thereby offering the advantage of more uniform shuffling.

To achieve the aforementioned objective, the technical solution adopted by the present disclosure is a shuffling machine, including: a housing having a card compartment for holding playing cards, wherein the card compartment is provided with a card retrieval opening; a first card-receiving plate disposed on the housing on one side of an upper end of the card compartment, and a first shuffling channel being arranged between the first card-receiving plate and the card compartment; a second card-receiving plate disposed on the housing at another side of the upper end of the card compartment, and a second shuffling channel being arranged between the second card-receiving plate and the card compartment; and a shuffling mechanism correspondingly disposed on the housing, the first card-receiving plate, and the second card-receiving plate, and configured to shuffle playing cards from the first card-receiving plate and the second card-receiving plate into the card compartment respectively through the first shuffling channel and the second shuffling channel. The shuffling mechanism includes: a first shuffling wheel disposed in the housing and partially exposed from the first card-receiving plate; a second shuffling wheel disposed in the housing and partially exposed from the second card-receiving plate; a drive member disposed in the housing; a first transmission assembly disposed in the housing and connected to an output end of the drive member, and wherein, when the first transmission assembly is driven by the drive member, the first transmission assembly drives the first shuffling wheel to move the playing cards on the first card-receiving plate towards the first shuffling channel; and a second transmission assembly disposed in the housing and driveably connected to the first transmission assembly, and wherein, when the second transmission assembly is driven by the first transmission assembly, the second transmission assembly drives the second shuffling wheel to move the playing cards on the second card-receiving plate towards the second shuffling channel.

The benefits of the above technical solution are as follows.

In the present disclosure, the first shuffling wheel disposed on the first card-receiving plate and the second shuffling wheel disposed on the second card-receiving plate are driven by the same drive member. This configuration ensures a simultaneous starting and stopping of the first shuffling wheel and the second shuffling wheel, preventing uneven shuffling that could occur if one side started before the other. Additionally, the use of a single drive member ensures that the first shuffling wheel and the second shuffling wheel rotate at the same speed, further enhancing the uniformity of the shuffle. Ultimately, employing just one drive member not only reduces costs but also effectively reduces the weight of the shuffling machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or in the prior art, the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or prior art are briefly introduced below. It is evident that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a shuffling machine;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the shuffling machine from another perspective;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the shuffling machine with a hidden card-receiving plate;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the shuffling machine with the hidden card-receiving plate from another perspective;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the shuffling mechanism installed on the main body;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a main body;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an upper half of the main body from another perspective;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the shuffling mechanism and a motor mounting frame; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the shuffling mechanism from another perspective.

Reference numeral: a, card compartment; b, card retrieval opening; c, first cavity; d, second cavity; e, third cavity; 100, main body; 110, extension part; 111, first channel; 112, second channel; 120, first mounting frame; 130, second mounting frame; 140, third mounting frame; 150, motor mounting frame; 200, upper baffle; 300, first card-receiving plate; 400, second card-receiving plate; 500, shuffling mechanism; 510, first shuffling wheel; 520, second shuffling wheel; 530, shuffling motor; 540, first transmission assembly; 541, first shuffling shaft; 542, gear head; 543, first gear; 544, first transmission shaft; 545, second gear; 546, third gear; 550, second transmission assembly; 551, second shuffling shaft; 552, fourth gear; 553, fifth gear; 554, belt; 600, shuffling sensor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The present specific embodiment is merely an explanation of the present disclosure and does not limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make non-inventive modifications to the present embodiment as needed after reading this specification, but as long as such modifications fall within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure, they are protected by patent law.

Embodiment 1: referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present embodiment pertains to a shuffling machine, which includes a housing, a first card-receiving plate 300, a second card-receiving plate 400, and a shuffling mechanism 500.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing has a card compartment a for holding playing cards, and the card compartment a is provided with a card retrieval opening b. The first card-receiving plate 300 is disposed on the housing and on one side of an upper end of the card compartment a, and a first shuffling channel (not shown) is arranged between the first card-receiving plate 300 and the card compartment a. The second card-receiving plate 400 is disposed on the housing and on the opposite side of the upper end of the card compartment a, and a second shuffling channel (not shown) is arranged between the second card-receiving plate 400 and the card compartment a. The shuffling mechanism 500 is correspondingly disposed on the housing, the first card-receiving plate 300, and the second card-receiving plate 400, and configured for interleaving the playing cards from the first card-receiving plate 300 and the second card-receiving plate 400 into the card compartment a respectively through the first shuffling channel and the second shuffling channel. The playing cards entering the card compartment a can be retrieved through the card retrieval opening b.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the card retrieval opening b is correspondingly arranged on a bottom side and a rear side of the card compartment. In other embodiments, the card retrieval opening b can also be arranged only on the bottom side or on the rear side of the card compartment a.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 8, and 9, the shuffling mechanism 500 includes a first shuffling wheel 510, a second shuffling wheel 520, a drive member, a first transmission assembly 540, and a second transmission assembly 550.

The first shuffling wheel 510 is disposed in the house and a part of the first shuffling wheel 510 is exposed from the first card-receiving plate 300. The second shuffling wheel 520 is disposed in the house and a part of the second shuffling wheel 520 is exposed from the second card-receiving plate 400. The drive member is disposed in the housing. The first transmission assembly 540 is disposed in the housing and connected to an output end of the drive member. When being driven by the drive member, the first transmission assembly 540 drives the first shuffling wheel 510 to rotate, thereby moving playing cards on the first card-receiving plate 300 toward the first shuffling channel. The second transmission assembly 550 is disposed in the housing and driveably connected to the first transmission assembly 540. When being driven by the driven member, the second transmission assembly 550 drives the second shuffling wheel 520 to rotate under the drive through power transmission from the first transmission assembly 540, thereby moving playing cards on the second card-receiving plate 400 toward the second shuffling channel.

The first shuffling wheel 510, located at the first card-receiving plate 300, and the second shuffling wheel 520, located at the second card-receiving plate 400, are both driven by the same drive member. This configuration ensures the simultaneous starting and stopping of the first shuffling wheel 510 and the second shuffling wheel 520, preventing uneven shuffling due to one side starting before the other. Additionally, having both wheels driven by the same drive member ensures that the first shuffling wheel 510 and the second shuffling wheel 520 rotate at the same speed, further enhancing the uniformity of the shuffle. Lastly, using a single drive member for shuffling not only reduces costs but also effectively reduces the weight of the shuffling machine.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing specifically includes a main body 100 and an upper baffle 200. The main body 100 has the card compartment a, and the main body 100 is provided with an extension part 110 extending upwards. The upper baffle 200 is connected to the extension part 110 and extends over an upper side of the card compartment a. The first card-receiving plate 300 and the second card-receiving plate 400 are correspondingly arranged at an upper end of the main body 100, and respectively on two sides of the extension part 110 that are adjacent to each other. The first shuffling channel is arranged between the first card-receiving plate 300 and the upper baffle 200. The second shuffling channel is arranged between the second card-receiving plate 400 and the upper baffle 200.

Referring to FIG. 2, the shuffling machine further includes a shuffling sensor 600 disposed on a lower surface of the upper baffle 200. The shuffling sensor 600 detects entering of the playing cards, i.e., the presence and number of the playing cards falling into the card compartment a, so as to monitor the shuffle of the shuffling machine or the number of cards shuffled. When the shuffling of the playing cards is complete or the playing cards are jammed on the card-receiving plate and cannot fall into the card compartment a, the shuffling sensor 600 detects the absence of the playing cards entering the card compartment a. This feature allows the shuffling machine to automatically stop the shuffling mechanism 500 without manual intervention, enhancing an intelligence of the machine's operation. This prevents the shuffling mechanism 500 from continuing to operate without the playing cards on the card-receiving plate or when cards are jammed, which would otherwise cause noise that affects the user experience and wear on both the shuffling machine and the playing cards, thereby affecting the lifespan of the machine. The shuffling sensor 600 also facilitates checking the number of playing cards entering the card compartment a, so that situations of missing or insufficient playing cards can be prevented and a good gaming experience can be ensured. Alternatively, the shuffling sensor 600 can be set to stop the operation of the shuffling mechanism 500 when a certain number of playing cards have entered the card compartment a, thus controlling the shuffling outcome to ensure that the number of playing cards in the card compartment a meets the user's gaming needs. Since the shuffling sensor 600 is disposed on the lower surface of the upper baffle 200, the shuffling sensor 600 can maximally avoids interference of an external environment on the shuffling sensor 600 can be maximally avoided, sensing accuracy of the shuffling sensor 600 can be improved, and effectively protects the shuffling sensor 600 can be effectively protected, thereby improving service of the shuffling sensor 600. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the shuffling sensor 600 is equidistant from the first card-receiving plate 300 and the second card-receiving plate 400. Certainly, in other embodiments, the shuffling sensor 600 can also be disposed on a side wall of the card compartment a.

The shuffling sensor 600 can be any one of an infrared sensor, a Hall sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a capacitive proximity sensor.

In some embodiments, two sets of shuffling sensors 600 are provided. One set is disposed on the lower surface of the upper baffle 200 and adjacent to the first card-receiving plate 300. Another set is disposed on the lower surface of the upper baffle 200 and adjacent to the second card-receiving plate 400. The two sets of shuffling sensors 600 respectively sense the falling of playing cards from the first card-receiving plate 300 and the second card-receiving plate 400, so as to ensure the sensing accuracy of the shuffling sensor 600. It can also prevent the situation where playing cards falling from only one card-receiving plate into the card compartment a cannot shuffle the order of the playing cards, affecting the shuffling effect. The shuffling sensor 600 can be configured to alert when it detects that the number of playing cards continuously falling from the same card-receiving plate into the card compartment a exceeds a predetermined number, thereby ensuring effective shuffling results.

In some embodiments, two sets of shuffling sensors 600 are provided. One set is disposed on the side wall of the card compartment a and adjacent to the first card-receiving plate 300. Another set is disposed on the side wall of the card compartment a and adjacent to the second card-receiving plate 400.

Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the main body 100 is arranged on one side of the card compartment a and a first cavity c is provided below the first card-receiving plate 300. The main body 100 is arranged on another side of the card compartment a and a second cavity d is provided below the second card-receiving plate 400. The extension part 110 has a third cavity e therein. The first cavity c, the third cavity e, and the second cavity d are sequentially and spatially communicated with each other. The first cavity c, the second cavity d, and the third cavity e are designed to accommodate the shuffling mechanism 500 and to utilize space more effectively.

Specifically, the first shuffling wheel 510 is disposed in the first cavity c, and is partially exposed from the first card-receiving plate 300. The second shuffling wheel 520 is disposed in the second cavity d, and is partially exposed from the second card-receiving plate 400. The first transmission assembly 540 is correspondingly disposed in the first cavity c and the third cavity e. The second transmission assembly 550 is correspondingly disposed in the second cavity d and the third cavity e. In other embodiments, the first transmission assembly 540 can only be disposed in the first cavity c, without extending into the third cavity e.

Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the drive member is a shuffling motor 530 disposed in the first cavity c. A first mounting frame 120 is disposed in the first cavity c, a second mounting frame 130 is disposed in the second cavity d, and a third mounting frame 140 is disposed in the third cavity e. The first mounting frame 120 divides the first cavity c into an upper side and a lower side, and similarly, the second mounting frame 130 divides the second cavity d into an upper side and a lower side. A motor mounting frame 150 is disposed in the first mounting frame 120, and the shuffling motor 530 is mounted on the motor mounting frame 150. After the shuffling motor 530 is mounted on the motor mounting frame 150, the shuffling motor 530 is arranged parallel to a horizontal plane, with an output shaft of the shuffling motor 530 facing the third cavity e.

Referring to FIG. 4 to FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the first transmission assembly 540 includes a first shuffling shaft 541 and a gear assembly. The first shuffling shaft 514 is disposed in the first cavity c, and configured for the first shuffling wheel 510 to sleeve on and driving the first shuffling wheel 510 to rotate. The gear assembly is correspondingly disposed in the first cavity c and the third cavity e, an input end of the gear assembly is connected to the output shaft of the shuffling motor 530, and an output end of output shaft of the shuffling motor 530 is connected to the first shuffling shaft 541.

More specifically, the gear assembly includes: a gear head 542 arranged in the third cavity e and fixedly sleeved on the output shaft of the shuffling motor 530; a first gear 543 engaged to the gear head 542; a first transmission shaft 544 correspondingly arranged in the first cavity c and the third cavity e, and fixedly connected to a center of the first gear 543; a second gear 545 arranged in the first cavity c and fixedly sleeved on another end of the first transmission shaft 544; and a third gear 546 arranged in the first cavity c and engaged to the second gear 545. The third gear 546 is fixedly sleeved on one end of the first shuffling shaft 541. The first shuffling wheel 510, the first shuffling shaft 541, one part of the first transmission shaft 544, the second gear 545, and the third gear 546 are all mounted on the first mounting frame 120. The gear head 542, the first gear 543, and another part of the first transmission shaft 544 are all mounted on the third mounting frame 140.

During operation, the shuffling motor 530 is activated, and the output shaft of the shuffling motor 530 drives the gear head 542 to rotate. The gear head 542, through engagement, drives the first gear 543 to rotate. The first gear 543 drives the second gear 545 to rotate through the first transmission shaft 544. The second gear 545, through engagement, drives the third gear 546 to rotate. The third gear 546 drives the first shuffling shaft 541 to rotate, and then the first shuffling shaft 541 drives the first shuffling wheel 510 that is fixedly sleeved on the first shuffling shaft 541 to rotate.

Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the second transmission assembly 550 includes a second shuffling shaft 551 and a pulley assembly. The second shuffling shaft 551 is correspondingly disposed in the third cavity e and the second cavity d, and configured for the second shuffling wheel 520 to sleeve on and driving the second shuffling wheel 520 to rotate. The pulley assembly is correspondingly disposed in the third cavity e and the second cavity d, an input end of the pulley assembly is engaged to the gear assembly, and an output end of the pulley assembly is connected to the second shuffling shaft 551.

More specifically, the pulley assembly includes: a fourth gear 552 arranged in the third cavity e, fixedly attached to the first gear 543 and rotating in sync with the first gear 543; a fifth gear 553 arranged in the third cavity e and on another end of an inside of the third cavity e; and a belt 554 arranged in the third cavity e, and correspondingly sleeved on the fourth gear 552 and the fifth gear 553. The second shuffling shaft 551 is fixedly connected to a center of the fifth gear 553. The second shuffling wheel 520 and a most part of the second shuffling shaft 551 are mounted on the second mounting frame 130. The gear head 542, the first gear 543, the another part of the first transmission shaft 544, the fourth gear 552, and the fifth gear 553 are mounted on the third mounting frame 140.

During operation, the shuffling motor 530 is activated, and the output shaft of the shuffling motor 530 drives the gear head 542 to rotate. The gear head 542, through engagement, drives the first gear 543 to rotate. The first gear 543 synchronously drives the fourth gear 552 to rotate. The fourth gear 552 drives the fifth gear 553 to rotate through the belt 554. The fifth gear 553 drives the second shuffling shaft 551 to rotate, and then the second shuffling shaft 551 drives the second shuffling wheel 520 that is fixedly sleeved on the second shuffling shaft 551 to rotate.

Referring to FIG. 6, the extension part 110 has a first channel 111 that is spatially communicated with the first cavity c and the third cavity e, and the first channel 111 is configured for the first transmission shaft 544 to pass through. The extension part 110 further has a second channel 112 that is spatially communicated with the second cavity d and the third cavity e, and the second channel 112 is configured for the second shuffling shaft 551 to pass through.

The descriptions provided are specific to one implementation of the first transmission assembly 540 and the second transmission assembly 550. Alternative specific transmission structures can also be employed to drive the shuffling wheels on both sides using a single drive member.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the technical solutions of the present disclosure and is not intended to be limiting. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions made by those skilled in the art to the disclosed technical solutions, as long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure, should be considered to be encompassed within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.