JP2004534573A5 - - Google Patents

Description

Playing card supply method and apparatus

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing playing cards, game cards, or game pieces used, for example, but not limited to playing cards or other games at gambling establishments. The invention further relates to playing cards, game cards, or game pieces for playing playing cards or other games.

  Casinos and other gambling establishments use ordinary playing cards to play many card games, such as blackjack and poker. Typically, multiple decks of playing cards are on each game console, and the cards are shuffled by hand or machine before being dealt to the player. One problem that arises in this normal fashion is that the effectiveness of shuffling to ensure that the cards dealt are randomly arranged depends on the skills of the dealer or the efficiency of the card shuffling machine. Is often impossible or very difficult to achieve. Furthermore, since a finite number of cards are used in a shuffled deck, this can cause card counting problems, and the skilled person counts the cards dealt and determines the next one to be dealt. Cards can be predicted relatively accurately. Further, certain cards are likely to be marked to allow for cheating. A further disadvantage of the conventional approach is that multiple card decks are used and the card decks need to be replaced periodically. This incurs significant costs for gambling facilities.

  Game cards containing pre-printed material, such as bingo cards, are also used to play gambling games at gambling facilities or other facilities. Such cards are typically used only once and therefore need to be discarded after being used. Other games use game pieces or other tokens that carry an identification mark, the game pieces or tokens are dealt to the player, and the player is expected to receive the game piece or token and / or be received. Gambling according to game pieces or tokens. Such games encounter the same disadvantages as described in connection with the card game.

  In one aspect, an object of the present invention is a method and apparatus for providing playing cards, game cards, or game pieces for playing cards or other games, wherein each provided card or game piece comprises: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for retaining randomly drawn or selected indicia. In a further aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for supplying playing cards, game cards, or game pieces that have removable indicia. In a further aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for supplying and reusing playing cards, game cards, or game pieces. In a further aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a playing card, game card, or game piece for playing cards or other games. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

  The present invention thus provides a method for providing a playing card or game card or game piece for playing cards or other games in the first aspect, the method comprising providing a plurality of holding members, Affixing the indicia to each said holding member such that each holding member determines the identity of the playing card, game card, or game piece by the indicia and defines the playing card, game card, or game piece; Selecting or randomly selecting each indicia to be applied to the holding member, supplying the holding member for use as a playing card, a game card, or a game piece in a game; Can be reused Removing the indicia from the holding member.

The playing card, game card, or game piece characterized by the holding member is a physical playing card, game card, or game piece, or a playing card, for example, displayed on a monitor or other display device. A visual representation of a card, game card, or game piece. As used herein, the term "indicia" refers to, in the case of playing cards, conventional indicia as used on a playing card, game card, or game piece, including the playing card mark of the card, and It includes picture card information and numerical information including their electronic representation. Thus, the card indicia ranges, for example, from the ace of a club to the king of spades, and includes all the playing cards and all the values of a regular playing card. In the case of a game card, the indicia is a number or other mark, symbol or letter, and their electronic representation, and similarly for a game piece.

In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to an apparatus for supplying playing cards, game cards, or game pieces for playing cards or other games, comprising: storage means for storing a plurality of holding members; Means for randomly generating or selecting indicia for sticking to the member, and by sticking the indicia to each of the holding members, each holding member defines a playing card, a game card, or a game piece, Means for the affixed indicia to define the identity of a playing card, game card, or game piece; means for supplying the holding member holding the indicia for playing cards or other games; In order to enable reuse of the member, Providing an apparatus comprising a means for removing the indicia was.

In a further aspect, the present invention is a method of providing playing cards, game cards, or game pieces for playing cards or other games, comprising providing a plurality of holding members, each having an indicia to the holding members. By pasting, each holding member defines a playing card, a game card, or a game piece indicia, the indicia is temporarily displayed by the holding member, and each is attached to the holding member. Each such indicia is randomly drawn or selected to define the identity of a playing card, game card, or game piece, and used as a playing card, game card, or game piece in a playing card or other game Supply the holding members so that To provide a method.

In a further aspect, the present invention is an apparatus for supplying playing cards, game cards, or game pieces for playing playing cards or other games, wherein the means for storing a plurality of holding members, the playing cards, the game cards, Or means for randomly generating or extracting indicia that define the identity of the game piece, and by pasting the indicia to each of the holding members, each of the holding members can play a playing card, a game card, or a game piece. An apparatus is provided that includes means for defining and causing said indicia to be temporarily displayed by said holding member, and means for providing said holding member for use in playing cards or other games.

In a further aspect, the present invention is a method of reusing a playing card, game card, or game piece, wherein the method is configured to carry an indicia defining the identity of the playing card, game card, or game piece. Providing a supply source of the plurality of holding members, and randomly extracting or selecting the indicia to be held by each of the holding members, and selecting the randomly drawn or selected indicia to each holding member. Displaying each of the holding members defining a playing card, game card, or game piece, removing the displayed indicia from the holding members so that the holding members can be reused. A method comprising:

In a further aspect, the present invention is an apparatus for supplying and reusing a playing card, game card, or game piece, such that the playing card, game card, or indicia defining the identity of the game piece is possessed. Means for storing a plurality of holding members configured, and applying the indicia randomly drawn or selected to the holding members so that each holding member is the playing card, game card, or game piece. And means for removing the applied indicia from the holding member.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a holding member as a playing card, game card, or game piece for playing cards or other games, wherein the holding member is adapted to affix indicia, and each of the holding members The holding member defines a playing card, a game card, or a game piece, and the indicia affixed to each of the holding members defines an identity of the playing card, the game card, or the game piece, and each holding member has a different identity. The indicia can be temporarily displayed by the holding member to define different playing cards, game cards, or game pieces by being able to attach the indicia.

The holding members can themselves be playing cards, game cards, or game pieces that hold the indicia for physically playing the game. Alternatively, the indicia held by each holding member is used to identify a respective playing card, game card, or game piece corresponding to the indicia held by the holding member.

Thus, in one aspect, the holding member can be a blank card made of cardboard, plastic, or other material having the size and configuration of a regular playing card or game card. Alternatively, the holding member can be a game piece having an area or region that can hold the identification indicia. If the holding members are of this type, the means of applying the indicia to each holding member, or treating the holding members to hold the indicia, may be accomplished using inks, dyes, or other marking media. Means may be included for printing or applying the indicia to the holding member and creating an image of the indicia that can be removed from the holding member so that the holding member can be reused. In the above arrangement, the card indicia can be removed by means of cleaning or wiping ink, dye, or other mark media from the holding member to allow for reuse of the holding member. Alternatively, the image can be removed by chemical means, light, or other physical means.

In an alternative procedure, the indicia is provided on a sticker or other removable member, and the means for applying the indicia to the respective holding member comprises applying the removable sticker or member holding the indicia to the holding member. Including means for physically attaching. In this aspect, the means for removing the indicia includes a means for physically removing the sticker or other member carrying the indicia.

Further, in an alternative procedure, the holding member is treated with a photosensitive material, which is applied, for example, as a coating on the holding member, and the indicia causes a specific pattern of light or indicia to be displayed on the photosensitive material. It is indicated by exposing the photosensitive material to light having certain characteristics. Thus, the photosensitive material comprises a photochromic ink or coating and can display the indicia when exposed to a light pattern corresponding to the indicia. Alternatively, the photosensitive material displays a particular card indicia in response to a particular polarization. In a further alternative procedure, the photosensitive material is sensitive to light of a particular frequency.

The image formed by exposing the photosensitive material to light appears for a period of time only, and when re-exposed to a different light pattern, a new image showing new indicia appears on the holding member. Alternatively, the image can be removed by exposing the photosensitive material to alternative frequencies of light, polarization, and the like.

In a further form, the photosensitive material is replaced with a material that is sensitive to magnetism. Materials that are sensitive to magnetism, when exposed to a particular pattern of magnetic field, display indicia corresponding to that pattern.
Re-exposure of a magnetically sensitive material to a different pattern of magnetic fields corresponding to different indicia effectively "removs" the initial card indicia and displays a different card indicia. Retaining members that carry magnetically sensitive materials can thus be reused.

In another form, the material applied to the holding member is a thermoluminescent material, and the particular indicia or image to be held by the holding member is displayed when the material is exposed to heat from the heat application means. You. The heat application means applies a pattern of heat corresponding to the particular indicia or image to be displayed. The indicia or image may disappear after a period of time, or alternatively, may be effectively removed when exposed to a different pattern of heat.

In another form, the holding member holds an optically responsive engravable material, and the apparatus includes means for applying an engraving signal to the holding member to indicate the indicia to be held by the holding member.

In a further form, the holding member is configured to hold another physically stuck image representing the indicia of the playing card. Such an image is applied by chemical means or a light source and removed by a reverse process to provide a reusable member.

A further type of holding member includes or incorporates an electronic circuit, which includes a reprogrammable memory and a display device, such as a liquid crystal display or an LED display. The indicia displayed by the holding members is programmed into the memory of each holding member by external programming means, and the holding members are displayed and used as playing cards or game cards or as game pieces in other games. You. The displayed indicia is appropriately and randomly drawn as described above. Thus, this type of holding member can be reused thereafter simply by reprogramming the memory with randomly drawn card indicia.

In a further form, the indicia held by the holding member is read from a reader and displayed on a monitor or other display means as a playing card, game card, or other game piece. In this configuration, the holding member is in the form of an electronic chip, card, or other member, which holds electronic or magnetic storage means, which electronic or magnetic storage means is an indicia, or a representation of the indicia. Is stored. The indicia, or electronic representation of the indicia, is stored or programmed in the storage means of the holding member by any suitable external application means, including electronic or magnetic transducers. The indicia or representation of the indicia stored in the storage means is appropriately retrieved or selected at random. The indicia, or representation of the indicia, stored on the holding member is determined to be read by any suitable reading means. The reading means can read the indicia and display the indicia on a suitable display means, for example, a monitor or other visible display unit. To be reused, the storage means of the holding member may be freed of the stored indicia in a separate device or, alternatively, simply reprogrammed to store the new indicia information Replaces the indicia information stored in

Indicia are randomly derived from any number of previously stored indicia. In the case of playing cards, the card indicia is randomly drawn or selected from one or more card decks. The method and apparatus permit the use of holding members or playing cards for any card game using any number of card decks. An arbitrary number of card decks are selected, from which card indicia are randomly selected. The selection of the number of card decks is performed by the electronic controller of the device, and the device is programmed or switchable to select the number of decks to be used.

Indicia randomly drawn or selected and applied to or applicable to each card or game piece, if desired, make sure that the cards or game pieces being dealt with by others Is recorded and displayed on a display device on the device, or on another display format, such as a video wall. Thus, for example, a dealer's card can be monitored. In addition, this information can be electronically transmitted and interfaced to other computers or storage devices for future reference, for example, to a particular card or game piece distributed over a period of time. The value or indicia can be checked by the player or game authority. Further, randomly drawn or selected indicia can be transmitted from the selected location to a remote location, and the player can play the game from anywhere in the world.

In addition, a system can be set up that allows one to bet on the dealt hand of another. Of course, this can be applied to any number of individuals, who can see the hand being dealt remotely and bet independently of the individual's actions at the local site where the card or holdings are being dealt. Can be. Thus, a particular player, for example, a blackjack game player, may decide not to bet on the third card after being dealt the first two cards seen by others at the remote site. However, the player at the remote location also decides not to bet on the third card, or, alternatively, the third card, and possibly, depending on whether the card at the local site is dealt to another player The gender may decide to bet on the fourth and fifth cards. Thus, any number of players can participate in one game. The system can, of course, be applied to playing cards, game cards, or other forms of game pieces.

  To further facilitate understanding and implementation of the present invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. Although the embodiments will be described with particular reference to playing cards, it will be appreciated that the same principles can be applied in other games, for example, gambling games using cards or other game pieces.

  Referring first to FIG. 1, there is schematically illustrated a first type of a playing card supply and reuse apparatus 10 according to the present invention. Apparatus 10 includes card storage means 11 arranged to store a plurality of cards 12 in a stack 13. The stack 13 of cards 12 may be arranged vertically or horizontally as illustrated, or in any other orientation. The card 12 in this embodiment is configured to hold a normal playing card indicia 14, as shown in FIG. 2, an ace of diamonds in the example shown. The card 12 may be printed or marked such that the indicia 14 of the playing card can be removably printed on a simple blank card formed of plastic, paper or cardboard having the size and configuration of a normal playing card, or A "card" that is formed from or holds another material that holds the indicia of the card. For example, when exposed to light or heat, the card 12 is infused with a chemical that indicates the playing card indicia or other indicia corresponding to the light or heat pattern applied to the card 12.

  In another form, as shown in FIG. 3, the card 12 is a thin member 15. The member 15 again has the same size and configuration as a normal playing card and encapsulates a data storage means and a display 17 in the form of a programmable memory 16. The display device 17 can include a liquid crystal display means, an LED display means, or any other electric or electronic display means. Programmable memory 16 is programmed by appropriate external electronic means, such as a transducer, and stores the indicia information to cause display 17 to display a card indicia, in this case a two card value of spade. Alternatively, the display device 16 displays a particular card indicia in response to light or light waves at a certain frequency.

  The device 10 further includes a card indicia sticking device 18 for sticking card indicia to the individual cards 12 supplied from the stack 13. The individual cards 12 are singulated from the lower end of the stack 13 by, for example, an extruder which extrudes into a suitable individual card transfer device, for example a drive roller 19 or a transport means 20 for transport to a card indicia application device 18. May be delivered one by one. In a simple form, the transport means 20 is a chute which guides the card under the influence of gravity to the indicia applicator 18 or, in an alternative arrangement, the transport means 20 comprises a roller comprising cooperating rollers on opposite sides And / or transport belts.

  The card indicia sticking device 18 in one embodiment is a printing device having a print head 21 for printing card indicia on each card 12. However, as described above, the card indicia sticking device 18 can stick the sticker holding the card indicia to the holding member 12. Or, alternatively, the device is an electrical or electronic programming means for programming the card indicia to a particular card 12, or a light or magnetic field applying means for displaying the indicia or image of the card on the card 12. It is.

  The indicia pasting device 18 is associated with a control unit 22 that controls the operation of the indicia pasting device 18. Associated with the control unit 22 is a random card indicia generator or selector 23 that determines the card indicia to be applied to each card 12 by the application device 18. The random card indicia generator or selector 23 can randomly select or generate a signal representing a particular card indicia. The particular card indicia is selected, for example, from a card deck consisting of an infinite number of cards, ensuring complete randomness of the selected card indicia. Alternatively, the random card indicia generator or selector 23 randomly selects a card indicia from one or more standard card decks, depending on the requirements of the game or the facility where the game is run. Is set to When the random indicia generator or selector 23 randomly selects an indicia to be pasted on a specific card, the control unit 22 sends the randomly selected indicia to the indicia pasting device 18. Affix to the card 12 sent to the device 18. The cards 12 bearing the pasted indicia are then individually fed from the indicia pasting device 18 for playing the game by suitable delivery means 24, for example, chutes, feed rollers and / or feed belts. . If desired, the device 10 is incorporated into a gaming table and the cards 12 are delivered directly to play the game on the table. For example, a card is handed over to play a blackjack game.

  The device 10 further includes a card indicia removing device 25 for removing indicia stuck to the card 12. Card delivery means 26 in the form of a chute (and / or roller or belt) is provided for delivering the card 12 to the device 25. Card indicia removal device 25 includes a device for cleaning, wiping, or removing card indicia by physical means, for which purpose a wiping head 27 driven by a motor to wipe the indicia from card 12 is provided. including. The wiping head 27 includes, for example, a rotatable brush. Alternatively, card indicia removal device 25 includes chemical cleaning means or light, heat, or magnetic field applying means. Alternatively, device 25 includes a device for reprogramming card 12, where card 12 is an electronic device of the type described with reference to FIG. In some cases, it is not necessary to use a separate card indicia removal device 25. This is because the display of a different card indicia occurs in the card indicia application device 18, such as, for example, when reprogramming a card 12 of the type of FIG.

  If the card indicia removal device 25 is used, the card 12 after the removal of the indicia is returned to the card storage means 11 by, for example, a roller 28 and / or a chute and / or a conveyor belt, and another card is removed. It is placed in a stack 13 with 12. Next, the card 12 with the indicia removed and stored in the storage means 11 is reprinted or reprogrammed and reused as described above.

  FIG. 4 shows the layout of a practical embodiment of the device 10. In this layout, components similar to those of FIG. 1 are numbered similarly. All components of the device 10 are provided in a common housing 29. Housing 29 includes a card stacking chute 26 at its upper end, which receives card 12 and guides the card through card indicia removal device 25. After passing through the device 25, the indicia-removed cards 12 are deposited in the card storage means 11 to form a stack 13 ready for reprogramming or reprinting. The individual cards 12 from the lower end of the stack 13 are successively transposed to the chute 20 by transposition rollers 19, pass through a card programmer or imager 18 and selected by a random indicia generator or selector 23. Are placed on the card 12 under the control of the control unit 22 by a card programmer or imager 18. As described above, the card 12 is a game card, game chip, or other writable medium that is compatible with the programming or imaging device 18 and the indicia removal device 25. Next, the programmed or printed card 12 is sent out through the chute 24 and used for the game. Typically, the control unit 22 comprises a programmable microprocessor, which also incorporates a random indicia generator or selector 23. Housing 29 further houses a power supply 30 for the electrical components of device 10. Cards 12 holding randomly generated or selected indicia are passed to a billbox and dealt by the dealer during the game. Alternatively, the dealer hands over the cards 12 in the stack 13 to the programming or imaging device 18 by pressing a switch and provides them to the player during the game on demand.

  Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment incorporates the principles of the invention described with reference to the embodiment of FIG. 1, but displays a playing card carrying a particular card indicia via a monitor or other display device 31. It is configured to It will be appreciated that this information is sent to a remote site and can be viewed remotely, for example on monitor 32, or used to play games remotely. In this embodiment, the playing card transfer apparatus 10 is arranged to supply a card, electronic chip, or other readable device 33 that holds a randomly generated card indicia. The card, chip, or other readable device 33 includes magnetic or electronic storage means, in which the card indicia is stored magnetically or electronically. The card indicia is randomly withdrawn in the same manner as described above and affixed to the device 33 by appropriate magnetic or electronic programming means that stores the random card indicia in the respective device 33. An image or signal detection pad 34 on which the readable device 33 is placed is provided to display the playing card represented or carried by the device 33 or the indicia of the playing card. The card indicia held by device 33 is then detected and read via monitor or other display 31 and displayed at 35 and / or displayed on remote monitor 32.

  During the stoppage of the game, the readable device 33 is returned to the device 10 and the indicia held by the device 33 is removed by a separate electronic or magnetic removal means or reprogramming a new card indicia Removed by

  The playing cards or game pieces, or the images of indicia carried by them, may be used to play any card game. However, the playing cards may be in the form of other game cards, for example, bingo cards. In that case, the retained numbers are randomly generated, applied and removed as described above. Further, playing cards may be game pieces for playing other types of games where random selection is required. Such game pieces may carry or carry indicia or other information identifying the game piece.

  While the foregoing description has been described using exemplary embodiments of the present invention, all modifications and variations to the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the following claims, which are limited by the appended claims. It is believed to fall within the broad scope and scope of the invention.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a first type of playing card supply and reuse device according to an embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure which shows the 1st format of the holding member holding a card indicia. It is a figure which shows the 2nd format of the holding member holding a card indicia. FIG. 2 schematically shows a further type of cross section of the device of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a second type of playing card supply and reuse device according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

Claims (38)

  A method of providing a playing card or a playing card, a game card, or a game piece for playing another game, the method comprising: providing a plurality of holding members, wherein each holding member is a playing card, a game card, or Determining the identity of the game piece and pasting indicia to each of the holding members so as to define a playing card, a game card, or a game piece, wherein each indicia for pasting to the holding member is randomly Withdrawing or selecting; providing the holding member for use as a playing card, game card, or game piece in a game; removing the indicia from the holding member so that the holding member can be reused. Step Playing card comprising a method of providing a game card or game piece.   An apparatus for supplying a playing card, a playing card, a game card, or a game piece for playing a playing card or another game, comprising: storage means for storing a plurality of holding members; and indicia for attaching to each of the holding members. Means for randomly generating or selecting, and sticking the indicia to each of the holding members, each holding member defines a playing card, game card, or game piece, and the attached indicia is a playing card Means for defining the identity of a card, game card, or game piece; means for supplying the holding member holding the indicia for playing cards or other games; and for enabling reuse of the holding member. Means for removing the pasted indicia from the holding member Device comprising a.   A method of supplying playing cards or playing cards, game cards, or game pieces for playing other games, wherein a plurality of holding members are provided, and each of the holding members is pasted with an indicia to the holding members. The member defines a playing card, a game card, or a game piece indicia, the indicia is temporarily displayed by the holding member, and each of the indicia attached to the holding member is randomly determined. To be drawn or selected to define the identity of a playing card, game card, or game piece, and to supply the holding member for use as a playing card, game card, or game piece in playing cards or other games how to.   An apparatus for supplying playing cards, game cards, or game pieces for playing playing cards or other games, comprising means for storing a plurality of holding members, and an indica to define the identity of the playing cards, game cards, or game pieces. Means for randomly generating or extracting shears and sticking the indicia to each of the holding members, whereby each of the holding members defines a playing card, a game card, or a game piece, and the indicia holds the holding; An apparatus comprising: means for being temporarily displayed by a member; and means for providing said holding member for use in playing cards or other games.   A method of reusing a playing card, game card, or game piece, comprising: providing a source of a plurality of holding members configured to hold an indicia defining the identity of the playing card, game card, or game piece. Providing, selecting or selecting randomly the indicia to be held by each of the holding members, and displaying the randomly drawn or selected indicia on each holding member, thereby each of the holding members Defining a playing card, game card, or game piece, and removing the displayed indicia from the holding member so that the holding member can be reused.   A device for supplying and reusing a playing card, game card, or game piece, storing a plurality of holding members configured to hold an indicia defining the identity of the playing card, game card, or game piece. Means for attaching the indicia randomly drawn or selected to the holding member so that each of the holding members forms the playing card, game card, or game piece and the affixed means. Means for removing indicia from said holding member.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 2, 4, or 6, wherein the playing card, game card, or game piece is a physical playing card, game card, or game piece.   7. The playing card, game card, or game piece is a visual representation of the playing card, game card, or game piece, as displayed on a monitor or other display device. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims.   Apparatus according to any one of claims 2, 4 or 6, wherein said means for applying the indicia to each holding member comprises means for printing the indicia to create an image of the indicia.   The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for removing the indicia comprises means for cleaning or wiping the image from the holding member.   The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for removing the indicia comprises a chemical means or a light source.   The indicia is provided on a sticker or other removable member, and the means for applying the indicia to the respective holding member physically transfers the removable sticker or member holding the indicia to the holding member. Apparatus according to claim 9, comprising means for applying to a device.   13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for removing the indicia comprises means for physically removing a sticker or other member bearing the indicia.   The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the holding member holds photosensitive material and the indicia is indicated by exposing the photosensitive material to a light source.   15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the photosensitive material is a light modulating coating and the indicia is indicated when exposed to a light pattern corresponding to the indicia.   15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the photosensitive material is responsive to a particular polarization to display a particular card indicia.   15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the photosensitive material is sensitive to a specific frequency of light.   15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein when the image appears for a period of time and is re-exposed to a different light pattern, a new image indicating a new indicia is displayed on the holding member.   The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the image is removed by exposing the photosensitive material to light.   The holding member carries a magnetically susceptible material, and the magnetically susceptible material, when exposed to a magnetic field of a particular pattern, displays an indicia corresponding to that pattern. Equipment.   12. The method of claim 10, wherein re-exposing the magnetically sensitive material to a different pattern of magnetic fields corresponding to different indicia causes the display of the different indicia on the holding member. Equipment.   10. The device of claim 9, wherein the holding member holds a thermoluminescent material and the device comprises means for exposing the holding member to heat in a pattern corresponding to the indicia to be displayed.   23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the indicia disappears after a period of time or is removed by exposing the material to a different pattern of heat.   10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the holding member holds an optically responsive engravable material, and wherein the device includes means for applying an engraving signal to the holding member to indicate the indicia.   10. The device of claim 9, wherein the holding member includes an electronic circuit including a reprogrammable memory and a display for displaying the indicia.   26. The device of claim 25, including means for externally programming said member to display indicia on said display device.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 2, 4, or 6, further comprising means for reading the indicia held by the holding member and displaying the indicia on a display means.   The holding member holds the indicia, or electronic or magnetic storage means for storing the expression of the indicia, and the device stores the indicia or the storage for storing the expression of the indicia. 28. The apparatus of claim 27, including means for externally programming the means.   29. The apparatus according to claim 28, comprising means for removing said stored indicia or its expression or reprogramming said storage means with a new indicia or its expression.   The indicia affixed to the holding member includes a card indicia so that the holding member defines a playing card; and the apparatus includes means for selecting a number of card decks, and 7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2, 4, or 6, wherein indicia is randomly drawn or selected from the card deck.   7. Apparatus according to any of claims 2, 4, or 6, including means for transmitting and displaying the randomly drawn or selected indicia to a remote location.   A holding member for use as a playing card, game card, or game piece, wherein the holding member is adapted to affix an indicia, each of the holding members defining a playing card, game card, or game piece. The indicia affixed to each of the holding members defines the identity of a playing card, game card, or game piece, and allows different indicia to be stuck to the holding members, thereby providing different indicia. A holding member for use as a playing card, game card, or game piece, wherein the indicia can be temporarily displayed by the holding member to define a playing card, game card, or game piece.   33. The holding member of claim 32, defining a physical playing card, game card, or game piece.   33. The holding member of claim 32, wherein the indicia held by each holding member identifies a respective playing card, game card, or game piece corresponding to the indicia held by the holding member.   The holding member according to claim 33, wherein the holding member is a blank card having a size and configuration of a normal playing card or game card.   The holding member according to claim 33, wherein the holding member is in the form of a game piece having an area or region capable of holding an identification indicia.   37. The holding member according to claim 36, further comprising display means for displaying the indicia.   38. The holding member of claim 37, comprising reprogrammable memory means for storing the indicia information displayed by said display means.