AU2023233184A1 - Shuffled playing cards and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides shuffle trump cards that do not require taking a long time for a game organizer to shuffle and has no room in which a dishonesty is involved. A shuffle machine shuffles trump cards (12) composing the predetermined number of decks to obtain a set of shuffle trump cards (1). Every set of the shuffle trump cards (1) is individually packed and is sealed by a seal (13) on which a barcode (13a) indicative of a shuffle trump cards ID is printed. The shuffle trump cards ID is associated with information possible to specify the shuffle machine involved in the shuffle of the trump cards and the associated trump cards ID is registered at a database.

Description

DESCRIPTION SHUFFLED PLAYING CARDS AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

Technical Field

[0001]

The present invention relates to playing cards used

for card games, and more particularly, to shuffled

playing cards packaged as an individual pack after being

shuffled in a sufficiently random manner and to a

manufacturing method thereof.

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 or the like and deals cards to

game players by shooting the cards one by one out of the

card shooter or the like. In so doing, to ensure

fairness of the games, the cards need to be dealt at

random. Therefore, a game host has to shuffle the

playing cards sufficiently randomly before the playing

cards are set in the card shooter.

[0003]

A conventional card shuffling apparatus used to

shuffle cards is disclosed, for example, in Patent

Document 1.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.

2005-198668

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004]

However, when the game host shuffles cards before a

game, the shuffling can sometimes take a lot of time,

hampering.efficient operation of the game. Also, when

the game host shuffles, there is a problem of possible

cheating such as insertion/removal or switching of cards.

[0005]

The present invention has been made in view of the

above problems and has an object to provide shuffled

playing cards and manufacturing method thereof which

eliminate the need for a game host to shuffle cards

before games by taking a lot of time as well as eliminate

the possibility of cheating.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the present invention

provides a manufacturing method of shuffled playing cards

characterized by comprising: a shuffling step of

shuffling a predetermined number of decks of playing

cards by a shuffling machine and thereby producing a set

of shuffled playing cards; a packaging step of individually packaging each shuffled playing cards subjected to the shuffling step; an ID generating step of creating a different shuffled card ID for each set of shuffled playing cards subjected to the shuffling step using an information processor; an ID affixing step of affixing the shuffled card ID as an ID code to a package of the shuffled playing cards; and an ID registration step of registering the shuffled card ID in a database by associating the shuffled card ID with information which allows identification of the shuffling machine or a shuffling machine group involved in the shuffling step of the shuffled playing cards affixed with the shuffled card

ID.

[0007]

The present invention provides shuffled playing

cards which are a predetermined number of decks of

playing cards shuffled and individually packaged,

characterized in that a shuffled card ID for use to

access information in a database is affixed as an ID code

to a package of the shuffled playing cards, where the

information allows identification of a shuffling machine

or a shuffling machine group used to shuffle the shuffled

playing cards.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008]

The present invention can provide shuffled playing

cards which eliminate the need for a game host to shuffle

cards before games by taking a lot of time as well as

eliminate the possibility of cheating. Also, since a

shuffled card ID associated with information which allows

identification of the shuffling machine or shuffling

machine group used to shuffle the shuffled playing cards

is affixed to the package, if there is any problem with

playing cards and it is believed that the cause of the

problem lies in a shuffling machine, the manufacturer can

easily identify which shuffling machine or shuffling

machine group has caused the problem and take quick

measures.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figures l(a) and l(b) are perspective views showing

appearance of a shuffled playing card set (packaged

individually) according to an embodiment of the present

invention;

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a schematic

configuration of a shuffling machine used to shuffle

playing cards in a manufacturing process of the shuffled

playing card set according to the embodiment of the

present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing part of a

manufacturing line for the shuffled playing card set

according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a diagram showing a variation of a

schematic configuration of the shuffling machine

according to the embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 5 is a diagram showing how an image used to.

check the number of playing cards is shot in the

manufacturing process of the shuffled playing card set

according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010}

An embodiment of shuffled playing cards and

manufacturing method thereof according to the present

invention will be described below with reference to the

drawings.

[0011]

Figures 1(a) and 1(b) are perspective views showing

appearance of a shuffled playing card set (packaged

individually) according to one embodiment of the present

invention. As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the

shuffled playing card set 1 according to the present

embodiment is sufficiently shuffled playing cards encased

in a paper box 11 whose lid is sealed with an adhesive

label 13. A predetermined number of decks (e.g., four

decks or eight decks) form a set according to the type of game or the like in which the playing cards 12 are used.

Incidentally, although a paper box is used for packaging

in this example, the type of packaging is not limited to

this. For example, a plastic box may be used

alternatively. Instead of a box, the playing cards may

be wrapped with a wrapper such as paper or plastic film

and sealed with an adhesive label. The point is that the

packaging can prevent the seal from being broken open

before a game with subsequent cheating such as arranging

cards in a different sequence, inserting or removing

cards, or marking cards in some way or other.

[0012]

A bar code 13a and specification table 13b are

printed on the adhesive label 13. As described in detail

later, the bar code 13a represents an ID (shuffled card

ID) which can uniquely identify the shuffled playing card

set 1. The specification table 13b, which is not

absolutely necessary, can contain any information about

the playing cards, such as a serial number, a product

number, a product name, a color, and a date of

manufacture.

[0013]

As can be seen from Figures 1(a) and 1(b), since the

shuffled playing card set 1 has a mouth of the lid of the

paper box 11 sealed with the adhesive label 13, in order

to use the shuffled playing card set 1, the adhesive

label 13 has to be removed or broken. To prevent cheating, preferably the adhesive label 13 is made of a material which, once peeled off, cannot be returned to its original attached state or is configured to be broken at least partially upon application of an external force tending to peel off the adhesive label 13.

[0014]

As described above, since the shuffled playing card

set I according to the present embodiment contains

shuffled playing cards 12 shuffled in a sufficiently

random manner and packaged individually in the paper box

11 sealed with the adhesive label 13, in order to use the

shuffled playing card set 1 in a game, it is only

necessary to open the paper box 11 and set the playing

cards 12 promptly in a shooter. This eliminates the need

for a game host to shuffle the playing cards. It also

eliminates the possibility of cheating such as

insertion/removal or switching of cards during shuffling.

[0015]

Next, the manufacturing method of the shuffled

playing card set 1 according to the present embodiment

will be described.

[0016)

Preferably, a manufacturing process of the shuffled

playing card set 1 according to the present embodiment is

placed under consistent process control from order

receipt to shipment by means of a process control system.

A manufacturing process which uses such a process control

system will be described in the present embodiment.

[0017]

First, when an order is received from a customer, a

manufacturer of the shuffled playing card set 1 assigns

and enters an order receipt number in the process control

system. The order receipt number may be assigned and

entered using any desired method, and may be assigned

automatically by the process control system.

[0018]

As in the case of conventional playing cards, the

shuffled playing card set 1 according to the present

embodiment is manufactured using playing cards created

through processes in which suit and rank are printed on

one side of card base paper, a design is printed on the

other side, and the printed card base paper is cut into

individual cards on a cutting machine. Then, a

predetermined number of decks of the playing cards are

grouped together according to the application of the

playing cards (depending on what game the playing cards

will be used in), shuffled sufficiently randomly,

packaged as an individual pack, and sealed to produce the

shuffled playing card set 1 described above.

[0019]

Before printing the card base paper, the

manufacturer of the shuffled playing card set 1 enters

base paper information (e.g., maker, product name, purchase date, paper lot number, and the like) in the process control system. In a printing process, the manufacturer of the shuffled playing card set 1 enters printing process information (printing machine number, printing date/time, lot number, and the like) in the process control system. Additionally, in a cutting process, the manufacturer of the shuffled playing card set 1 enters cutting process information (cutting machine number, cutting date/time, lot number, and the like) in the process control system. Consequently, predetermined information out of information entered in each process is associated with the shuffled card ID in a database of the process control system as described later.

[0020]

Next, a shuffling process according to one

embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0021]

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a schematic

configuration of a shuffling machine 100 used to shuffle

playing cards in the manufacturing process of the

shuffled playing card set 1 according to the present

embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the shuffling machine

100 includes a card stack holder 101, a card feeder 102,

a slide rail 103, feeder travel rollers 104, a card

delivery roller 105, a camera 106 (or a card sensor 109

described later), and an image processing unit 108.

[0022]

The card stack holder 101 has multiple pockets 101a

to 101g. Incidentally, although in the configuration

shown as an example in Figure 2, the card stack holder

101 has seven pockets, the card stack holder 101 may have

any number of pockets. Movable partition plates 102a to

107f are installed between the pockets. The card feeder

102 is designed such that when all the playing cards to

be shuffled are placed on the card feeder 102, the card

delivery roller 105 on the bottom rotates, sending out a

card c from the lowermost part of the card feeder 102

toward the card stack holder 101 through a card delivery

port provided in a lower flank of the card feeder 102.

Also, the card feeder 102 is configured to be slidable in

a vertical (up and down) direction along the slide rail

103 by means of the feeder travel rollers 104 driven by

drive means such as a motor (not shown).

[00231

With the configuration described above, the

shuffling machine 100 alternately slides the card feeder

102 to a position facing any of the pockets 101a to 101g

and sends out the card c from the card feeder 102 to the

pocket. Incidentally, the shuffling machine 100

determines the position to move the card feeder 102 to,

i.e., the position facing one of the pockets 101a to 101g,

at random using a random number generator program or the

like. Consequently, the cards loaded in the card feeder

102 is sent out one by one in a random order to the pockets 101a to 101g of the card stack holder 101. When all the cards loaded in the card feeder 102 are sent out to the card stack holder 101, the partition plates 107a to 107f recede from the inside of the card stack holder

101 and consequently cards sorted into the pockets 101a

to 101g of the card stack holder 101 are taken out of the

shuffling machine 100 as a single stack. However, the

receding of the pockets 101a to 101g is not absolutely

necessary, and any alternative means may be used. For

example, the cards may be taken out of the pockets 101a

to 101g using a robot arm or the like. The above is a

single shuffling process performed by the shuffling

machine -100. After going through the shuffling process,

a set of playing cards loaded in the card feeder 102 are

shuffled to some extent. If the card feeder 102 is

controlled so as to slide in a highly random manner, a

set of playing cards loaded in the card feeder 102 can be

shuffled sufficiently randomly after the shuffling

machine 100 performs the shuffling process only once.

However, as described later, if multiple shuffling

machines 100 performing such a shuffling process are used

to perform the shuffling process in sequence, the

shuffled playing cards can be ordered more randomly.

[00241

The playing cards are loaded in the card feeder 102

with the face (side on which suit and rank are printed)

down (to the side of the camera 106). Each time a card c is sent out from the card feeder 102 to the card stack holder 101, the camera 106 shoots an image of the card c.

The resulting image is sent to the image processing unit

108. Functions of the camera 106 and image processing

unit 108 vary among the shuffling machines 100 depending

on the position of the shuffling machines 100 on a

manufacturing line described below.

[0025]

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing part of a

manufacturing line for the shuffled playing card set 1

according to the present embodiment. The manufacturing

line includes multiple shuffling machines 100 configured

as described above and arranged in a sequence.

Incidentally, although a manufacturing line with two

shuffling machines 100 (shuffling machines 100a and 100b)

is shown as an example in Figure 3, the number of

shuffling machines 100 is not limited to this and may be

one, or more than two. The shuffling machine 100a is

configured as shown in Figure 2, but the shuffling

machine 100b is equipped with a card sensor 109 instead

of the camera 106. The card sensor 109 has the

capability to count the number of cards passing above the

sensor.

[0026]

As shown in Figure 3, first, a set of playing cards made

up of a predetermined number of decks is loaded into a first

card feeder 102a of the shuffling machine 100a. The set of playing cards subjected to the shuffling process by the shuffling machine 100a is loaded into a second card feeder 102b of the shuffling machine 100b. The sliding of the card feeders 102a and 102b on the shuffling machines 100a and 100b are controlled independently of each other. After being subjected to the shuffling process twice by the shuffling machines

100a and 100b, the playing cards are shuffled more

randomly.

[0027]

An image of a card surface shot by the camera 106 on

the shuffling machine 100a is subjected to an image

analysis process by the image processing unit 108 of the

process control system which manages the manufacturing

line including the shuffling machines 100a and 100b, and

consequently the suit and rank are detected on the card

sent out from the card feeder 102 to the card stack

holder 101. That is, on the shuffling machine 100a, each

time a card is sent out from the card feeder 102 to the

card stack holder 101, the rank and suit on the card are

detected, and when the entire set of cards loaded in the

card feeder 102 is sent out to the card stack holder 101,

it is checked whether or not there is any excess or

deficiency in the rank and suit combinations contained in

the set of cards. For example, a set of cards made up of

six decks should contain six each of identical cards in

terms of the rank and suit combination. If there is any

excess or deficiency in the rank and suit combinations, the set of cards is discarded as a defective item. In addition to the rank and suit checking, the image processing unit 108 inspects each card for any smudge and inspects a pattern of a back design and the like as well as inspects whether or not the cards have been cut properly and whether or not each card complies with predetermined standards. Any set of cards containing defects is discarded.

[0028)

Being installed on the shuffling machine 100b which

performs the shuffling process the second time, the card

sensor 109 counts the number of cards passing above the

card sensor 109. If three or more shuffling machines are

used, preferably the card sensor 109 is installed on the

third and subsequent shuffling machines. In this way,

the shuffling machine 100b checks the number of cards in

the set of cards to be shuffled and thereby inspects the

final product for excess or deficiency of cards. On the

shuffling machine 100a which performs the shuffling

process the first time, preferably both sides of the card

is inspected simultaneously by installing a mirror 110 as

shown in Figure 4 so that the back side (patterned side)

of the card will face the camera 106 or by installing

another camera (not shown) which will photograph the back

side of the card.

[0029)

When the shuffling machine 100b which performs the

final shuffling process finishes shuffling, the shuffling

machine 100b outputs a shuffle-complete signal. Upon

detection of the shuffle-complete signal, the process

control system generates a shuffled card ID to be

assigned to the set of shuffled playing cards completed

through the final shuffling process. The shuffled card

ID is generated as a unique ID for each shuffled playing

card set 1. The process control system associates the

generated shuffled card ID with predetermined information

out of production information stored in the database of

the process control system. Any desired type and volume

of such information may be used, but information which

identifies the manufacturing line or shuffling machines

involved in the shuffling process is particularly

important.

[0030]

Specifically, if there are multiple manufacturing

lines, the manufacturer of the shuffled playing card set

1 according to the present embodiment assigns a unique

manufacturing line ID to each manufacturing line in

advance. Then, upon generation of a shuffled card ID,

the process control system registers the generated

shuffled card ID in the database by associating the

shuffled card ID with the manufacturing line ID of the

manufacturing line involved in the manufacture of the

shuffled playing cards. However, IDs are not limited to such manufacturing line-related IDs. Alternatively, a shuffling machine ID may be assigned to each shuffling machine in advance and the shuffled card ID may be registered in the database by being associated with all the shuffling machine IDs involved in the shuffling process. Incidentally, the database may be provided either in or outside the process control system.

[0031]

The generated shuffled card ID is printed on the

adhesive label as a bar code by a printing machine. Then,

the adhesive label 13 on which the bar code of the

shuffled card ID is printed is used to seal the paper box

11 as shown in Figure 1(a).

[0032]

As a variation of the present embodiment, a process

for shooting an image of the playing cards 12 encased in

the paper box 11 may be added before the paper box 11 is

sealed with the adhesive label 13. According to the

variation, the set of playing cards 12 completed by going

through the final shuffling process is encased in the

paper box 11 with a side face up as shown in Figure 5.

Then, with the lid of the paper box 11 open, an image of

the playing cards 12 encased in the paper box 11 is shot

by a digital camera 111 as shown in Figure 5. During

shooting, preferably the bar code of the shuffled card ID

is shot together in the same image. For example, in

addition to the adhesive label 13 used to seal the paper box 11, one more adhesive label may be prepared, with the bar code of the same shuffled card ID printed thereon.

Then, the additional adhesive label can be pasted on an

inner side or the like of the lid of the paper box 11 and

shot together with the playing cards 12. Image data

resulting from the shooting is saved in a.storage device

112 at least temporarily and then registered in the

database by being associated with the shuffled card ID.

Immediately after shooting, the paper box 11 is sealed

with the adhesive label 13. Incidentally, although in

the example shown in Figure 5, an image is shot with the

lid of the paper box 11 open, the form of image shooting

for the purpose of checking the number of cards is not

limited to this. For example, slits or the like may be

formed in the lid of the paper box 11 so that the number

of cards can be checked even when the lid is closed, and

after the lid is closed and sealed, an image may be taken

through the slits to check the number of cards. The

slits may be sealed after the shooting, for example,

using a sealing label other than the adhesive label 13 or

using an outer lid.

[0033]

The image data is used to prove later that a

predetermined number of playing cards 12 (e.g., 416 cards

in the case of an 8-deck shuffled playing cards) were all

present when the paper box 11 was sealed. Otherwise, if

the playing cards 12 are found to be excessive or deficient when the cards are used, it is not clear whether someone with malicious intent cheated by removing/slipping in cards or there were manufacturing defects in the first place. By acquiring and saving image data of the playing cards 12 at the time of sealing as with the present variation, it is possible to prove that there was no manufacturing defect. To judge the number of playing cards from the image data, image processing is carried out. That is, in the case of playing cards used, for example, in casinos and the like, to prevent suit and rank from being seen through the back, each card generally has a multilayered structure with black paper and the like being used as an intermediate layer. Consequently, the total number of playing cards

12 can be checked by image processing which detects the

black paper or a white portion adjoining the black paper

using image data. In the case of cards which do not have

an intermediate layer or whose intermediate layer cannot

be seen from the side, the total number of playing cards

12 can be checked by performing image processing to

detect gaps between stacked playing cards using image

data. Therefore, according to the present variation,

preferably the image data acquired by shooting has a

resolution high enough to enable image processing such as

described above.

[0034]

As described above, by registering the shuffled card

ID of the shuffled playing card set 1 in the database by

associating the shuffled card ID with the IDs of the

manufacturing line or shuffling machine involved in the

manufacture of the shuffled playing card set 1 (and with

photographic image data such as described above, is

necessary), the present embodiment provides the following

advantages.

[0035]

For example, if a customer who has purchased a

shuffled playing card set 1 notices any defect in the

purchased cards, the customer informs the manufacturer of

the shuffled playing card set 1 about the shuffled card

ID. In so doing, the customer may send the adhesive

label 13 on which the bar code of the shuffled card ID is

printed to the manufacturer so that the manufacturer will

read the shuffled card ID using a barcode reader.

Alternatively, the customer may read the shuffled card ID

using a barcode reader or the like and send the obtained

data to the manufacturer via communications means such as

e-mail. Consequently, by searching the database using

the shuffled card ID, the manufacturer can identify a

manufacturing line or shuffling machine that may have a

problem. In such a case, the manufacturer can alert

customers about the shuffled playing card sets I

manufactured on the same manufacturing line or shuffling

machine in the same period and take measures, if necessary, such as requesting the customers to discard the product or recalling the product. Also, by inspecting the identified manufacturing line or shuffling machine, the manufacturer can prevent a recurrence of the defect.

[0036]

Also, the manufacturer may deliver the shuffled

playing card set 1 to the customer together with a

portable storage medium containing data (shuffled card ID

and related information) on the shuffled playing card set

1 to be delivered by downloading the data from the

database at the time of delivery. Any data structure

(format) may be used for the data downloaded from the

database to the storage medium as long as the data is

readable on the customer's computer. Then, if the

customer finds a defect such as a bent card, the customer

can read the shuffled card ID of the defective shuffled

playing card set 1 using a barcode reader or the like and

search data on the storage medium based on the shuffled

card ID thus acquired. Also, based on search results,

the customer can take measures such as discarding

shuffled playing card sets 1 related to the same

manufacturing line or shuffling machine. Besides, even

if fraudulent shuffled playing card sets 1 are mixed in

items delivered to the customer, the customer can check

the shuffled card IDs of the delivered items with the

shuffled card IDs stored in the storage medium. Then, any shuffled playing card set 1 whose shuffled card ID is not contained in the storage medium provided at the time of delivery can be determined to have been mixed for fraudulent purposes. This prevents mixing of fraudulent items by a third party.

[0037]

Although in the embodiment described above, the

manufacturing line ID or the shuffling machine ID of the

shuffling machine that performed the shuffling process is

stored in the database by being associated with the

shuffled card ID, information to be associated with the

shuffled card ID is not limited to this. For example, in

the above embodiment, the camera 106 is incorporated in

the shuffling machine 100 and the image analysis process

is performed by the image processing unit 108

simultaneously with shuffling to inspect whether or not

all the cards are present- However, as a variation,

inspection machines including the camera 106 and image

processing unit 108 may be installed downstream of each

shuffling process, so that the cards having completed

shuffling by the shuffling machines 100a and 100b can be

inputted in the inspection machines to inspect whether or

not all the cards are present. In that case, an

inspection machine ID may be assigned to each inspection

machine in advance and associated with the shuffled card

TD assigned to each shuffled playing card set 1.

[0038]

Besides, various information can be associated with

the shuffled card ID, including an ID of the printing

machine involved in the printing process, an ID of the

cutting machine involved in the cutting process, an ID of

the packaging machine involved in a packaging process-, a

lot number of the base paper, a manufacturing date, a

manufacturing date/time, a card type ID, and a customer

ID. In that case, the information can be registered in

the database by being associated with the shuffled card

ID containing the information.

[0039]

In the above embodiment, the paper box 11 is sealed

with the adhesive label 13 on which the shuffled card ID

is printed as a bar code. However, forms of the present

invention are not limited to this. The shuffled card ID

may be affixed to the package as a two-dimensional matrix

code such as a so-called QR code. Also, the shuffled

card ID may be recorded somewhere other than the sealing

label. That is, a method which records the shuffled card

ID directly on the package may also be adopted. For

example, the shuffled card ID can be affixed to the

package by laser irradiation or the like. It is also

preferable to attach the shuffled card ID to the package

as a PFID or RFID (so-called IC tag).

[0040]

Furthermore, although in the present embodiment, one

shuffled card ID is assigned to one shuffled card set 1, a unique ID may be assigned, for example, to each carton packed with multiple shuffled card sets 1. Alternatively, a unique ID may be assigned to each container used to transport multiple cartons. Even in these cases, if the

ID is registered in the database, when any defect is

found later, by searching the database based on the ID,

it is possible to trace manufacturing and distribution

history of the defective product.

[0041]

For example, in a cartoning process, a predetermined

number of shuffled card sets 1 (boxes) are packed in a

carton. In so doing, by reading the bar codes 13a of the

shuffled card sets 1 packed in the carton using a barcode

reader, the shuffled card IDs of the shuffled card sets 1

in the carton can be registered easily in the database of

the process control system. After the bar codes 13a are

read from all the shuffled card sets 1 in the carton, the

process control system may generate an ID (carton ID) for

use to identify the carton and print a bar code which

represents the carton ID on an adhesive label. The

adhesive label, when pasted to the carton, will enable

carton-based management. The generated carton ID is

registered in the database by being associated with the

shuffled card IDs of the shuffled card sets 1 packed in

the carton.

[0042]

Similarly, when a predetermined number of cartons

are loaded on a pallet and multiple pallets are put in a

container, the carton IDs may be read from all the

cartons loaded on one pallet using a barcode reader and

the acquired carton IDs may be registered in the database

of the process control system by being associated with an

ID (pallet ID) for use to identify the pallet. In that

case, after the bar codes are read from all the cartons

on one pallet, the process control system generates an ID

(pallet ID) for use to identify the pallet and prints the

bar code which represents the pallet ID on an adhesive

label. The adhesive label, when pasted to the pallet,

will enable pallet-based management. When the pallet is

loaded in the container, the use of the pallet's bar code

makes it possible to record which container the pallet is

loaded in.

[0043]

When the loading into the container is completed,

shipment information (customer name, shipment date,

destination, transport company, type of delivery service,

and the like) by the pallet or container is inputted in

the process control system.

[0044]

Thus, in addition to attaching the shuffled card ID

to packages, if a carton ID or pallet ID are attached to

cartons or pallets, the shuffled playing'cards can be

managed on a carton-by-carton basis or pallet-by-pallet basis. Specifically, for example, if any defect is found in a shuffled card set 1, the database can be searched for the IDs of the carton, pallet, and container in which the shuffled card set 1 was contained, based on the shuffled card ID of the shuffled card set 1. This also makes it possible to discard all the shuffled card sets 1 in the carton, pallet, or container in which the defective shuffled card set 1 was contained.

[ 0045]

The shuffling machine 100 illustrated in the above

embodiment is strictly exemplary, and concrete

configuration of the shuffling machine is not limited to

the above example. For example, in the above, although

the card feeder 102 is configured to move by sliding, the

card feeder 102 may be fixed, being configured such that

the card stack holder 101 will slide relative to the card

feeder 102. Also, the configuration for sending out the

card from the card feeder 102 is not limited to delivery

rollers such as described above, and a mechanism such as

a robot arm may be used to take out the card.

[0046]

Also, although in the above embodiment, the

shuffling machine 100b issues a shuffled card ID in

response to a shuffle-complete signal, the timing to

issue the shuffled card ID is not limited to this. For

example, the shuffled card ID may be issued at any time

such as at the end of an inspection process.

[0047)

An embodiment of the present invention has been

described above, and the scope of the present invention

also covers the following annexes.

[0048]

[Annex 13

A playing card manufacturing method comprising a

manufacturing process including:

a face printing step of printing rank and suit of

playing cards on one side of base paper;

a back side printing step of printing a back design

on another side of the base paper;

a step of cutting a card base paper printed in both

the face printing step and the back side printing step

into individual playing cards on a cutting machine;

a shuffling step of gathering the individual playing

cards cut in the cutting step into a predetermined number

of decks and shuffling the playing cards to produce a set

of shuffled playing cards; and

a packaging step of packaging the individual

shuffled playing cards produced in the shuffling step,

characterized in that a different shuffled card ID

is created for each of the individual shuffled playing

cards using an information processor in response to a

shuffle completion signal from a shuffling machine which

carries out the shuffling step, the playing card manufacturing method further comprises an ID affixing step of affixing the shuffled card ID as an ID code to a package of the individual shuffled playing cards, and

. the shuffled card ID represented by the ID code is

configured in a database by being associated with

information about the shuffling machine involved in the

shuffling step of the corresponding individual shuffled

playing cards or information about a production line

including the shuffling machine and involved in the

manufacturing process, and the database is configured so

as to allow identification of the shuffling machine or

the production line including the shuffling machine based

on the shuffled card ID, the shuffling machine having

been involved in the shuffling step in the manufacturing

process of the individual playing cards which make up the

individual shuffled playing cards.

[00493

[Annex 2]

A playing card manufacturing method comprising a

manufacturing process including:

a face printing step of printing rank and suit of

playing cards on one side of base paper;

a back side printing step of printing a back design

on another side of the base paper; a step of cutting a card base paper printed in both the face printing step and the back side printing step into individual playing cards on a cutting machine; a shuffling step of gathering the individual playing cards cut in the cutting step into a predetermined number of decks and shuffling the playing cards to produce a set of shuffled playing cards; and an inspection step of performing an inspection using an inspection machine during or after the shuffling step to ensure that the individual playing cards in the predetermined number of decks which make up the shuffled playing cards are all present; a packaging step of packaging the individual shuffled playing cards produced in the shuffling step, characterized in that a different shuffled card ID is created for each of the individual shuffled playing cards using an information processor in response to an acceptance signal given by the inspection machine in the inspection step, the playing card manufacturing method further comprises an ID affixing step of affixing the shuffled card ID as an ID code to a package of the individual shuffled playing cards, and the shuffled card ID is configured in a database by being associated with information about the inspection machine involved in the inspection step of the corresponding individual shuffled playing cards or information about a production line including the inspection machine and involved in the manufacturing process, and the database is configured so as to allow identification of the inspection machine or the production line including the inspection machine based on the shuffled card ID, the inspection machine having been involved in the inspection step in the manufacturing process of the individual playing cards which make up the individual shuffled playing cards.

[0050)

[Annex 3)

The playing card manufacturing method according to

annex 1 or 2, further comprising a step of inputting data

which identifies a printing machine used in at least one

of the face printing step and the back side printing step,

in the information processor, characterized in that

the information about the production line which

performs the manufacturing process for the individual

shuffled playing cards includes the data which identifies

the printing machine, and the database is configured so

as to allow identification of the printing machine used

in the production line for the individual playing cards

which make up the individual shuffled playing cards,

based on the shuffled card ID.

[0051]

[Annex 4]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

annex 1 or 2, characterized in that the information about

the production line which performs the manufacturing

process for the individual shuffled playing cards

includes a lot number of the base paper used in the face

printing step or the back side printing step, and the

database is configured so as to allow identification of

the lot number corresponding to the individual playing

cards which make up the individual shuffled playing cards,

based on the shuffled card ID which identifies the

individual shuffled playing cards.

[0052]

[Annex 5]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 1 to 4, characterized in that the

predetermined number of decks which make up the

individual shuffled playing cards is any of I to 10.

[0053]

[Annex 6]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 1 to 5, further comprising a step of

packing a plurality of the packaged individual shuffled

playing cards into a transport box, wherein different

transport box data is created for each of the transport

boxes; the playing card manufacturing method further

comprises a step of affixing the corresponding transport

box data as an ID code on a surface of the transport box; and the transport box data is included in the database by being associated with the shuffled card IDs which identify the shuffled playing cards in the transport box.

[0054]

[Annex 7]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 1 to 6, characterized in that the ID

code further contains any of manufacturing date,

manufacturing date/time, product type, and customer

information concerning the shuffled playing cards

identified by the shuffled card ID.

[00551

[Annex 8]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 1 to 7, wherein the ID code which

represents the shuffled card ID is attached in barcode

format to the corresponding package of the shuffled

playing cards.

[0056]

[Annex 9]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 1 to 7, wherein the ID code which

represents the shuffled card ID is attached in QR code

(two-dimensional matrix code) format to the corresponding

package of the shuffled playing cards.

[0057]

[Annex 10]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 1 to 7, wherein the ID code which

represents the shuffled card ID is attached in PFID

format to the corresponding package of the shuffled

playing cards.

[0058]

[Annex 11]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 1 to 7, wherein the ID code which

represents the shuffled card ID is attached in IC tag

format to the corresponding package of the shuffled

playing cards.

[0059)

[Annex 12]

Shuffled playing cards manufactured in a

manufacturing process which includes:

a face printing step of printing rank and suit of

playing cards on one side of base paper;

a back side. printing step of printing a back design

on another side of the base paper;

a step of cutting a card base paper printed in both

the face printing step and the back side printing step

into individual playing cards on a cutting machine;

a shuffling step of gathering the individual playing

cards cut in the cutting step into a predetermined number

of decks and shuffling the playing cards to produce a set

of shuffled playing cards; and a packaging step of packaging the individual shuffled playing cards produced in the shuffling step, characterized in that a shuffled card ID created for each individual shuffled playing cards in response to a shuffling step completion signal from the shuffling step is attached to the corresponding package of the individual shuffled playing cards, where the shuffled card ID differs among individual shuffled playing cards, the shuffled card ID is configured in a database by being associated with information about the shuffling machine involved in the shuffling step of the corresponding individual shuffled playing cards or information about a production line including the shuffling machine and involved in the manufacturing process, allowing identification of the shuffling machine or the production line including the shuffling machine, the shuffling machine having been involved in the shuffling step in the manufacturing process of the individual playing cards which make up the individual shuffled playing cards.

10060]

[Annex 13]

Shuffled playing cards manufactured in a

manufacturing process which includes:

a face printing step of printing rank and suit of

playing cards on one side of base paper; a back side printing step of printing a back design on another side of the base paper; a step of cutting the card base paper printed in both the face printing step and the back side printing step into individual playing cards on a cutting machine; a shuffling step of gathering the individual playing cards cut in the cutting step into a predetermined number of decks and shuffling the playing cards to produce a set of shuffled playing cards; and an inspection step of performing an inspection using an inspection machine during or after the shuffling step to ensure that the individual playing cards in the predetermined number of decks which make up the shuffled playing cards are all present; and a packaging step of packaging the individual shuffled playing cards produced in the shuffling step, characterized in that a shuffled card ID created for each individual shuffled playing cards in response to an acceptance signal given by the inspection machine in the inspection step is attached to the corresponding package of the individual shuffled playing cards, where the shuffled card ID differs among individual shuffled playing cards, the shuffled card ID is configured in a database by being associated with information about the inspection machine involved in the inspection step of the corresponding individual shuffled playing cards or information about a production line including the inspection machine and involved in the manufacturing process, allowing identification of the inspection machine or the production line including the inspection machine, the inspection machine having been involved in the inspection step in the manufacturing process of the individual playing cards which make up the individual shuffled playing cards

[0061]

[Annex 14]

The shuffled playing cards according to annex 12 or

13, characterized in that the ID code further contains

any of manufacturing date, manufacturing date/time,

product type, and customer information concerning the

shuffled playing cards identified by the shuffled card ID.

{0062]

[Annex 15]

The shuffled playing cards according to according to

any one of annexes 12 to 14, characterized in that the

predetermined number of decks is any of 1 to 10.

[0063]

[Annex 16]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 12 to 15, characterized in that the ID

code which represents the shuffled card ID is attached in

barcode format or two-dimensional matrix code format

(such as QR code format) to the corresponding package of

the shuffled playing cards.

[0064]

[Annex 17]

The shuffled playing cards according to annex 16,

characterized in that the ID code is printed on a label,

which is attached to the package of the shuffled playing

cards.

[0065]

[Annex 18]

The shuffled playing cards according to annex 16,

characterized in that the ID code is attached to the

package of the individual shuffled playing cards using a

laser beam.

[0066]

[Annex 19)

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 12 to 15, wherein the ID code which

represents the shuffled card ID is attached in PFID

format to the corresponding package of the shuffled

playing cards.

[0067]

[Annex 20]

The playing card manufacturing method according to

any one of annexes 12 to 15, wherein the ID code which

represents the shuffled card ID is attached in IC tag format to the corresponding package of the shuffled playing cards.

[0068)

[Annex 21]

The shuffled playing cards according to any one of

annexes 12 to 20, wherein a tamper-evident adhesive label

is attached to the package of the individual shuffled

playing cards.

Industrial Applicability

[0069]

The present invention has industrial applicability

in the field of shuffled playing cards and a

manufacturing method thereof.

Claims (11)

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. Amethod ofmanufacturing shuffled playing cards by operating

a playing card shuffling machine, the method having the steps

of:

manufacturing individual playing cards;

delivering the individual playing cards to a shuffling

machine, the shuffling machine having a card feeder and

a card stack holder having multiple pockets separated by

partition plates;

placing the individual playing cards in the card feeder of

the shuffling machine;

for each one of the individual playing cards to be shuffled:

determiningrandomly, by the shufflingmachine, a selected

one of the multiple pockets to which to deliver the one

of the individual playing cards;

feeding, by the card feeder, the one of the individual

playing cards into the selected one of the multiple

pockets,

removing all of the individual playing cards from each of

the multiple pockets to form a single stack of shuffled

cards.

2. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein feeding each

of the individual playing cards is performed independently of

removing the individual playing cards.

3. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein feeding each

of the individual playing cards is performed simultaneously to

removing the playing cards.

4. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, further comprising

inspecting one or more of the individual playing cards to

determine whether or not one or more of the cards has been cut

or printed properly.

5. The method of manufacturing of claim 4, further comprising

rejecting an individual playing card determined to be not

properly cut or not properly printed.

6. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, further comprising

packaging the single stack of shuffled playing cards into one

package.

7. The method of manufacturing of claim 6, further comprising

attaching a shuffled card ID to the package.

8. The method ofmanufacturing of claim 1, wherein the randomly

selected pocket is selected by using a random generator.

9. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, further comprising

inspecting a back design of one or more of the individual playing

cards.

10. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, further comprising

checking whether there is any excess or deficiency in the single

stack of shuffled individual playing cards.

11. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, further comprising

discarding a defective one of the individual playing cards.

102a 102b