WO2000016867A1

WO2000016867A1 - Gaming chip handling device

Info

Publication number: WO2000016867A1
Application number: PCT/AU1999/000810
Authority: WO
Inventors: William Westmore Purton; John Maxwell Day
Original assignee: Dolphin Advanced Technologies Pty Limited
Priority date: 1998-09-22
Filing date: 1999-09-22
Publication date: 2000-03-30
Also published as: AUPP608098A0

Abstract

A gaming chip handling device includes a plurality of troughs (11) which are interconnected to form a continuous conveyor (10). The conveyor (10) is internally supported at each end and driven intermittently. The troughs (11) are positioned above an ejector plate (21) with the gap between the trough (11) and the ejector plate (21) greater than a thickness of a chip and less than twice this thickness. A reciprocating ejector (18) enters the gap and pushes a single chip (19) past a terminal edge (23) of the ejector plate (21) prior to its withdrawal from the gap. An ejector chute (22) positioned below the ejector plate (21) receives a succession of individual chips.

Description

GAMING CHIP HANDLING DEVICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to gaming chip handling machines and more particularly to a device for reliably and rapidly separating individual chips from stacks of chips. The device can be used to load individual chips into to a chip sanitising machine or into any number of chip scanning accessory devices. BACKGROUND ART

Casinos and other institutions which handle large quantities of gaming chips require mechanised solutions to the problem of chip handling. Chips must be handled individually in a number of circumstances. For example, chips are handled individually when being counted, being sorted, being authenticated and being washed. When the number of chips being handled is large enough, manual handling becomes uneconomical. Means are therefore required for mechanically reducing a stack of chips to individual chips. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide devices for reducing a stack of gaming chips to individual chips.

Accordingly, there is provided a gaming chip handling device comprising a plurality of troughs where the troughs are interconnected to form a continuous conveyor. The conveyor is internally supported at each end and driven intermittently. A trough is positionable above an ejector plate, a space between said trough and the ejector plate defining a gap. The gap is greater than a thickness of a chip and less than twice this thickness. A reciprocating ejector is adapted to enter the gap and push a single chip past a terminal edge of the ejector plate prior to its withdrawal from the gap. An ejector chute is positioned below the ejector plate for receiving a succession of individual chips. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a conveyor for stacks of gaming chips, Figure 2 is a schematic elevation of the conveyor shown in Figure 1 and a chip ejector,

Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of a chip ejector and rebound plate, Figure 4 is a perspective view of a drive mechanism for the ejector, Figures 5 and 6 are perspective and side views of another drive mechanism for the ejector, and

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of an ejector chute. MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Throughout this specification, the word "comprise" and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated term or integer or group of terms or integers but not the exclusion of any other term or integer or group of integers or terms.

As shown in Figure 1 , a chip handling device in the form of a chip loader comprises a conveyor 10. The conveyor includes various V-shaped troughs 11 for holding stacks of chips 16. The V shape allows stacks of different diameters to be handled. Semi-circular and other shaped troughs may also be used. The troughs are connected by pivoting links 12 forming a continuous loop or belt of troughs. The conveyor is driven internally by a sprocketed drive wheel 13 at one end and runs over a supporting, sprocketed idler wheel 14 at the other end. The drive wheel 13 may be driven by an indexing motor 15 or by other means which may be synchronised with whatever device the chips are being fed into. As shown in Figure 2, chip receiving troughs of the conveyor 10 are preferably inclined so that gravity keeps the chips in place and acts to urge the chip stack 16 toward the bottom or lowest point of the trough 11. The troughs are preferably inclined by an angle 29 of about 40 degrees from the horizontal. The troughs are adapted to hold stacks of about 120 chips.

The bottom of the troughs 11 forms a slot 17. A stack 16 is reduced by the action of a reciprocating ejector 18 which enters the slot 17 and pushes the lowest chip 19 in the stack out of the stack 16. A chip guide 20 is positioned above the slot 17 to allow only a single chip 19 to be ejected from the stack 16 and dimensioned to prevent more than one chip from being ejected. Thus, the slot is thicker than one chip but not as thick as two chips. The ejector 18 pushes the ejected chip 19 past an ejector plate 21. The ejector plate 21 prevents chips in the stack 16 from entering the ejector chute 22, except when a chip is pushed past the terminal edge 23 of the ejector plate 21. The terminal edge 23 of the ejector plate 21 may be bevelled to prevent jamming and to encourage the ejected chips into the chute 22. A chip 116 which is pushed past the terminal edge 23 of the ejector plate 21 may fall into the ejector chute 22. The ejector chute forms a guide which is dimensioned in its width and height to allow chips to pass through it only in single file. In this way, the procession of chips in the ejector chute may be fed into another device which requires the input of individual chips. A rebound plate 24 forms a limit stop to the movement of chips away from the stack 16 and defines or is co- terminal with one end of the ejector chute. Any chips which hit the rebound plate 24 fall into the chute 22. The conveyor 10 is driven intermittently so that a stack 16 is brought into position above the chute, and reduced to individual chips before the next stack is brought into position for reduction. As shown in Figure 3, the ejector blade 18 is preferably formed in the approximate shape of a fan or sector of a circle. The centre point of the circle 30 forms the axis about which the blade reciprocates. The blade-like ejector 18 in this example reciprocates through about 50 degrees of rotation 31. The blade begins in the initial position shown in Figure 3, that is, not in contact with the bottom chip 32. As it moves through its arc of rotation, the blade 18 pushes the chip past the ejector plate terminal edge 23, then returns to its initial position. Once past the terminal edge 23, the chip 116 may fall into the chute 22 under the influence of gravity. The shape of the blade insures that the stack does not descend until the blade is withdrawn or returned to its initial position.

As shown in Figure 4, the ejector blade 18 may be mounted on a hub 40. The hub may be driven through its reciprocating motion in any one of a number of ways. In this example, the hub is driven, ultimately, by the main driving or indexing shaft of a chip washing machine, as depicted in the

Applicant's Australian Provisional Applications, Nos. PO 9350/97 and PP 0327/97.

Between the main indexing shaft of the washing or other machine and the hub 40 there extends a transmission 41. In this example, the transmission 41 comprises an eccentric crank 42 driven by the main indexing shaft which transmits a linear reciprocating motion to a slider 43 mounted on a cable 44. The slider 43 attaches to the cable 44 and is restrained in its motion by a guide sleeve 46. The cable 44 passes over pulleys 45 and drives the hub 40 and therefore the blade 18 through its reciprocating arc of rotation motion. In another embodiment, the hub and blade may be driven directly by a dedicated synchronised motor or other means. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the ejector blade 50 may be driven through a linkage 52 which is self driven by a motorised source such as an indexing motor. As shown in those Figures, the ejector blade 50 is held by a hub 51 which pivots around a shaft 53. The hub 51 is rotated by a first lever 54. The first lever 54 is reciprocated by a crank 55. The crank has ball joints 56 at each end and connects the first lever 54 to the second lever 57. The second lever 57 pivots about a fulcrum or shaft 58 and may be provided in two parts 59, 60, each joined rigidly to the fulcrum 58. In this way when the driving crank 61 reciprocates, it causes the blade 50 to eject chips. As shown in Figure 7, the ejector chute 22 may form a transport, in which chips may be detected, read or verified by one or more sensing instruments. Chips with unique UV, optical, radio frequency (RFID), magnetic or other signatures are already known. The chute 22 provides mounting surfaces 71, 72 above and below the individual chips in the control passage of the chute. Optional openings 73 may be provided in either the upper or lower surfaces 71 , 72 to allow sensing devices 100 to be permanently or temporarily retained and brought into proximity with the chips. Certain sensing instruments such as radio frequency antennae need not be provided with opening 73 but require the stable surface provided by the upper or lower surfaces 71 , 72. The sensing device may be synchronised with the action of the ejector blade so that when no sensing or detection occurs, but a sensing or detection is anticipated, a flag or alarm is raised to indicate that a counterfeit chip has been noted.

Claims

1. A gaming chip handling device comprising :- a plurality of troughs; the troughs interconnected to form a continuous conveyor; the conveyor internally supported at each end and driven intermittently; a trough being positionable above an ejector plate, a space between said trough and the ejector plate defining a gap, the gap being greater than a thickness of a chip and less than twice this thickness; a reciprocating ejector adapted to enter the gap and push a single chip past a terminal edge of the ejector plate prior to its withdrawal from the gap; an ejector chute positioned below the ejector plate for receiving a succession of individual chips.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:- the troughs are interconnected by pivoting links.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein:- the conveyor is internally driven by a sprocketed drive wheel at one end and supported by a sprocketed idler wheel at the other end.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein:- the terminal edge of the ejector plate is bevelled.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein:- the ejector is fan shaped.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising: a rebound plate, the rebound plate is co-terminal with one end of the ejector chute.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:- a chip guide positioned to prevent more than one chip at a time from being ejected from the stack.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein:- the ejector chute is dimensioned in width and height to allow only a single file of chips to pass through it.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein:- the ejector chute comprises at least one mounting surface, above or below a central passage of the chute, the mounting surface adapted to retain one or more sensing devices.

10. The device of any one of claim 1 to 9 wherein:- the reciprocating ejector is driven by a transmission which connects and synchronizes the ejector to a driving or indexing shaft of another device.