AU2012392707B2

AU2012392707B2 - Protector for card shooter, and table game system

Info

Publication number: AU2012392707B2
Application number: AU2012392707A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Yasushi Shigeta
Original assignee: Angel Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: Angel Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2012-10-18
Filing date: 2012-10-18
Publication date: 2017-05-11
Anticipated expiration: 2032-10-18
Also published as: AU2012265558B2; AU2012265558A1; HK1208839A1; CN103768787A; AU2012392707A1; CN104736209B; SG11201503049RA; SG2012093860A; CN104736209A; WO2014061066A1; CN103768787B

Abstract

A table game system (1) is configured from a card shooter (2), and a protector (3) for preventing an unauthorized activity from being performed to the card shooter (2). The card shooter (2) has a main unit (5) provided with a card housing unit (4) for housing cards, and a cover (6) which covers the card housing unit. In front of the main unit (5) is provided an inverted U-shaped aperture (8) for extracting cards (7) one by one from the card housing unit (4). The protector (3) is mounted so as to cover the front surface portion of the card shooter (2), and is configured so as to be removable with respect to the card shooter (2). As a result, the invention eliminates opening the cover with an illicit purpose and extracting a card or inserting a fake card, and also prevents unauthorized extraction of a card from the inverted U-shaped aperture of the front of the card shooter.

Description

1

Description

Title of Invention: Protector for Card Shooter and Table Game System

Technical Field [0001]

The present invention relates to a protector for a card shooter that includes a reverse U-shaped opening in a front portion thereof such that cards can be taken out one by one from a card housing unit, and in particular, to a protector for a card shooter that prevents any fraudulent act from being committed such as taking out cards from the card shooter for the purpose of cheating.

Background Art [0002]

In poker, baccarat, bridge, blackjack and other card games, a dealer sets one or more decks of playing cards in a card shooter, and deals cards to game players by shooting the cards one by one out of the card shooter.

[0003] A conventional card shooter as described above is disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature 1.

[0004]

Shuffled playing cards used in various card games such as poker, baccarat, bridge or blackjack ordinarily include 416 cards if eight decks of cards are used. The dealer sets such 416 playing cards in a card shooter at one time, and deals cards to game players by shooting the cards one by one out of the card shooter. The card shooter is left on the game table while not in use due to the absence of game players. Therefore, it may be possible to open the cover of the card shooter and remove cards or insert false cards in order to cheat. Another problem is that cards may be taken out fraudulently without relation to the games from a reverse U-shaped opening that is provided in a front portion of the card shooter.

Citation List Patent Literature [0005]

Patent Literature 1

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-236995

Summary of Invention 2

Technical Problem [0006]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to prevent the opening of the cover of a card shooter to remove cards or insert false cards for the purpose of cheating, as well as the fraudulent drawing out of cards from an reverse U-shaped opening that is provided in a front portion of the card shooter.

Solution to Problem [0007]

One aspect of the present invention is a protector for a card shooter, and a protector for a card shooter to prevent a fraudulent act from being committed with respect to the card shooter, the card shooter including: a main body that includes a card housing unit for housing a plurality of cards; a cover that can be placed on top of the card housing unit to cover the card housing unit; and a reverse U-shaped opening provided in a front portion of the main body that allows cards to be taken out one by one from the card housing unit, the protector being configured to be attachable to the card shooter so as to cover a front portion of the card shooter and be detachable therefrom, and the protector comprising: an upper guard for covering a front portion of the cover to prevent the removal of the cover from the card shooter; a central portion for covering the reverse U-shaped opening such that no card can be taken out from the card housing unit; an engaging unit that engages with a lower front portion of the main body of the card shooter; a lock member capable of taking two positions in the central portion, namely, a locked position where the lock member engages with an end portion of the reverse U-shaped opening, and an unlocked position where the lock member does not engage with that end portion; a lock for moving the lock member to the two positions; and a key corresponding to the lock, wherein it is impossible to remove the protector from the card shooter when the lock member is in the locked position, and it is possible to remove the protector from the card shooter when the lock member is in the unlocked position.

[0008]

Another aspect of the present invention is a table game system, a table game system comprising a card shooter and a protector to prevent a fraudulent act from being committed with respect to the card shooter, the card shooter comprising: a main body that includes a card housing unit for housing a plurality of cards; a cover that can be placed on top of the card housing unit to cover the card housing unit; and a reverse U-shaped opening provided in a front portion of the main body that allows cards to be taken out one by one from the card housing unit, the protector being configured to be attachable to the card shooter 3 so as to cover the front portion of the card shooter and be detachable therefrom, and the protector comprising: an upper guard for covering a front portion of the cover to prevent the removal of the cover from the card shooter; a central portion for covering the reverse U-shaped opening such that no card can be taken out from the card housing unit; an engaging unit that engages with a lower front portion of the main body of the card shooter; a lock member capable of taking two positions in the central portion, namely, a locked position where the lock member engages with an end portion of the reverse U-shaped opening, and an unlocked position where the lock member does not engage with that end portion; a lock for moving the lock member to the two positions; and a key corresponding to the lock, wherein it is impossible to remove the protector from the card shooter when the lock member is in the locked position, and it is possible to remove the protector from the card shooter when the lock member is in the unlocked position.

[0009]

With the present device, it is possible to prevent any fraudulent act from being committed for the purpose of cheating such as removing cards from a card shooter.

[0010]

As explained hereinafter, there are other aspects in the present invention. Accordingly, this disclosure of the invention is intended to provide some aspects of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention described and claimed herein.

Brief Description of Drawings [0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table game system of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a card shooter of the table game system.

[Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the card shooter of the table game system with a protector attached thereto.

[Figure 4] Figure 4 is a front view of the card shooter with the protector attached thereto, the protector being partially broken.

[Figure. 5] Figure 5 is a front view of the card shooter with the protector attached thereto, the protector being broken.

[Figure 6] Figure 6 is a side view of the card shooter with the protector attached thereto, the protector being partially broken.

[Figure 7] Figure 7 is a rear view showing a state in which the protector is attached to a rear portion of the card shooter. 4 [Figure 8] Figure 8 (a) is a rear view showing the card shooter of the table game system which is in the unlocked position. Figure 8 (b) is a rear view showing the card shooter of the table game system which is in the locked position.

[Figure 9] Figure 9 (a) is a rear view showing the card shooter in the unlocked position. Figure 9 (b) is a rear view showing the card shooter in the locked position.

[Figure. 10] Figure 10 is a side view showing a state in which the protector is attached to a rear portion of the card shooter.

Description of Embodiments [0012]

Detailed explanation of the present invention will be mentioned hereinafter. However, the following detailed explanation and accompanying drawings do not limit the invention.

[0013] A protector for a card shooter and a table game system using the same according to an embodiment of the present device will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table game system. A table game system 1 is configured by a card shooter 2 and a protector 3 to prevent any fraudulent act from being committed with respect to the card shooter 2. The card shooter 2 includes a main body 5 including a card housing unit 4 for housing a plurality of cards, and a cover 6 to be placed on top of the card housing unit 4 to cover the card housing unit 4. A reverse U-shaped opening 8 for taking out cards 7 (not shown in Figure 1) one by one from the card housing unit 4 is provided in a front portion of the main body 5. Ordinarily, six to eight decks of cards (416 cards in case of eight decks) are housed in the card shooter 2 (the arrow of the circled number 1 in Figure 1) after having been shuffled in advance. Then, a rear projection 9 of the cover 6 is inserted into a cover 10 placed in a rear portion of the main body 5 (the arrow of the circled number 2 in Figure 1), and the front portion of the cover 6 is put on the main body 5, thereby completing the attachment of the cover 6. Figure 2 shows a state in which the cover 6 is attached.

[0014]

The protector 3 is attached so as to cover the front portion of the card shooter 2 (the arrow of the circled number 4 in Figure 1) in order to prevent the opening of the cover 6 of the card shooter 2 and the fraudulent removal of any card 7 housed in the card housing unit 4, or the fraudulent removal of any card 7 via the opening 8. The protector 3 is attachable/detachable with respect to the card shooter 2. Figure 3 shows a state in which the protector 3 is attached to the card shooter 2. The protector 3 is basically configured by upper guards 11 for 5 covering a front portion of the cover 6 to prevent the removal of the cover 6 from the card shooter 2, a central portion 12 for covering the reverse U-shaped opening 8 such that the cards 7 cannot be taken out of the card housing unit 4 via the opening 8, and engaging units 14 that each engage with a lower front portion 13 of the main body 5 of the card shooter 2.

[0015]

The central portion of the protector 3 includes a lock member 16 that engages with an edge portion 15 of the reverse U-shaped opening 8 and thereby locks such that the protector 3 attached to the card shooter 2 cannot be removed therefrom. In Figs. 4 and 5, almost the whole or a portion of the protector 3 is broken, such that Figs. 4 and 5 each show a state in which the lock member 16 can take two positions, namely, a locked position (R) where a locked state is achieved, and an unlocked position (U) where a locked state is not achieved. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lock member 16 enters the rear side of the edge portion 15 of the reverse U-shaped opening 8 in a locked position (R), thereby achieving a locked stated (in Figure 5, the lock member 16 in a locked position (R), is indicated by the dashed line). The lock member 16 is supported by a lock 17 such that the lock member 16 can take the two positions, namely, a locked position (R), and an unlocked position (U) where a locked state is not achieved, and the lock 17 supports the lock member 16 enabling it to move to these two positions. The lock 17 has a key 18 corresponding thereto, and when the lock member 16 is in a locked position (R),, the key 18 can be removed from the lock 17. By inserting the key 18 into the lock 17 and turning the lock 17 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the lock member 16 in a locked state can be turned to an unlocked position (U). In an unlocked position (U), the lock member 16 is not engaged with the edge portion 15 of the reverse U-shaped opening 8 (as shown in Figure 6). In this state, the protector 3 can be detached from the card shooter 2.

[0016]

With respect to the relation between the lock 17 and the key 18, they are configured such that the key 18 can be removed from the lock 17 only when the lock member 16 is in a locked position (R), where it engages with the edge portion 15 of the reverse U-shaped opening 8, and the protector 3 is provided with an indicator 19 to indicate whether or not the lock member 16 is in a locked position (R). The indicator 19 displays the locking state (in a locked position (R)) of the lock member 16, and makes a red display such that the display can be confirmed by a monitor camera provided in the ceiling or the like of a casino during the use of the card shooter 2 in such casino. The red display is made by coloring a display piece 20 provided in the lock member 16 in red and making the red display piece 20 visible through a through hole provided in the protector 6 3.

[0017]

Furthermore, the protector 3 has a measure for preventing cheating to be committed by disassembling the card shooter 2. The protector 3 further includes, on its sides, side face covers 23 to prevent the removal of a front panel 21 of the card shooter 2, the front panel 21 forming the opening 8, from the main unit 5 (by removing screws 22 or the like). When the protector 3 is removed from the front portion of the card shooter 2, it is attached to a rear end portion of the card shooter 2 in a detachable manner (Figure 7 shows such a state).

[0018]

Although the suitable embodiment of the present invention that can be considered at present has been explained hereinbefore, it is to be understood that various modifications can be made to the embodiment, and it is intended that accompanying claims include such all the modifications within the true spirit and the scope of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability [0019]

Since a protector for a card shooter according to the present invention has an effect to be capable of preventing any fraudulent act from being committed such as taking out cards from the card shooter for the purpose of cheating etc., it is useful to be used as a table game system etc.

Reference Signs List [0020] 1 table game system 2 card shooter 3 protector 4 card housing unit 5 main body 6 cover 7 cards 8 reverse U-shaped opening 16 lock member 17 lock 18 key

Claims

Claims [Claim 1] A protector for a card shooter to prevent any fraudulent act to the card shooter by detachably covering a front portion of the card shooter, the card shooter having, a main body that includes a card housing unit for housing a plurality of cards, a shoe cover that is placed on top of the card housing unit to cover the card housing unit, and an opening unit, which is provided at the front portion of the main body, that allows the cards to be taken out one by one from the card housing unit, the protector comprising: a central portion for being placed over the opening unit such that no card can be taken out from the card housing unit; and a lock member, which is disposed at the central portion, for selectably being in a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein the protector is configured to be detachably attached to the cart shooter, wherein the protector is fixed to the card shooter when the lock member is in the locked position, and wherein the protector is released from the card shooter when the lock member is in the unlocked position. [Claim
2] The protector for the card shooter according to claim 1, further comprising: a lock for selectably moving the lock member one of the locked and unlocked positions; and a key being corresponding to the lock, wherein the lock allows the key is removed from the lock only when the lock member is in the locked position where the lock member engages with the edge of the opening unit. [Claim
3] The protector for the card shooter according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an indicator, which is disposed at the central portion, for displaying the locking state of the lock member. [Claim
4] The protector for the card shooter according to any one of claims 1 to 3 further comprising: on each side of the protector, a side face cover for preventing the removal of a front face panel of the card shooter, the front face panel forming the opening of the card shooter, from the main body. [Claim
5] The protector for the card shooter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the protector is capable of being attached/detached to/from a rear end portion of the card shooter after the protector is removed from the front portion of the card shooter. [Claim
6] The protector for the card shooter according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: an engaging unit that engages with a lower front portion of the main body of the card shooter. [Claim
7] A table game system to prevent any fraudulent act, the table game system comprising: a card shooter including, a main body that includes a card housing unit for housing a plurality of cards; a shoe cover that is placed on top of the card housing unit to cover the card housing unit, and an opening unit, which is provided at the front portion of the main body, that allows the cards to be taken out one by one from the card housing unit; and a protector including, a central portion for being placed over the opening unit such that no card can be taken out from the card housing unit, and a lock member, which is disposed at the central portion, for selectably being in a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein the protector is configured to be detachably attached to the cart shooter, wherein the protector is fixed to the card shooter when the lock member is in the locked position, and wherein the protector is released from the card shooter when the lock member is in the unlocked position. [Claim
8] The table game system according to claim 7, wherein the protector, further including: a lock for selectably moving the lock member one of the locked and unlocked positions; and a key being corresponding to the lock, wherein the lock allows the key is removed from the lock only when the lock member is in the locked position where the lock member engages with the edge of the opening unit. [Claim
9] The table game system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the protector further includes: an indicator, which is disposed at the central portion, for displaying the locking state of the lock member. [Claim
10] The table game system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the protector further includes: on each side of the protector, a side face cover for preventing the removal of a front face panel of the card shooter, the front face panel forming the opening of the card shooter, from the main body. [Claim
11] The table game system according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the protector is capable of being attached/detached to/from a rear end portion of the card shooter after the protector is removed from the front portion of the card shooter. [Claim
12] The table game system according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the protector further includes: an engaging unit that engages with a lower front portion of the main body of the card shooter.