Automatic Pai Gow table system

Details Automatic Pai Gow table system Automatic Pai Gow table system

2000-08-22

2003-09-30

O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)

Amusement devices: games

Games accessories

Game supporting tables or surfaces

C273S14400A, C273S14900R

Reexamination Certificate

active

06626435

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an automatic Pai Gow table system for use in playing a Pai Gow game with pieces.
BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY
“Pai Gow” games are one of traditional games with pieces created in China and called “piagoo” or “piagow” in the United States. Cards for use with the Pai Gow games are thinner and more slender than Mahjong tiles and are provided each with a mark, like spots of dice, on a one face thereof and with no mark on the other face thereof. In another words, each of the pieces comprises a marked face and plain face. The Pai Gow game is played in a manner that the dealer gives a plural number of pieces to the players and the winner is decided on the basis of a combination of the pieces.
Typically, the dealer manages all work for the Pai Gow games, including, for example, mixing the pieces, arranging the pieces into a set of the pieces, supplying the pieces to the players, and so on. This work is incorporated as a playing time so that one game may take a long time. There is the demand and desires to shorten the playing time and play more games in a predetermined time. Moreover, the players always have some anxiety about fairness involved in the game due to the exclusive management by the dealer alone so that it is greatly demanded and desired to develop a system that does not or little require manual work by the dealer and that can ensure fairness in playing games.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the disadvantages prevailing in the conventional Pai Gow games, the present invention has the object to provide an automatic Pai Gow table system that can automatically carry out all work involved in, for example, mixing pieces, arranging pieces into a set, supplying the set, and the like, without requiring any substantial manual work by the dealer.
Therefore, the present invention provides an automatic Pai Gow table system having a playing table section provided with a piece inlet port and a piece outlet port, a plurality of leg members supporting the playing table section, and a main apparatus body section disposed underneath the playing table section, said system being used for playing a game with pieces fed from said piece outlet port; wherein the main apparatus body section comprises:
a pieces-mixing and arranging means for mixing the pieces cast from the piece outlet port of the playing table section and transferring the pieces one to a predetermined location by one after mixing;
a face-determining means for determining a top face with a mark provided thereon or a back face with no mark provided thereon of each piece transferred from the pieces-mixing and arranging means;
a face-turning means for turning a face of the piece on the basis of a result of determination by the face-determining means by reversing the top face of the piece to the back face thereof when it is determined that the top face of the piece is directed upward and by allowing the piece to pass while staying the top face thereof directed downward without turning the face thereof when it is determined that the back face of the piece is directed upward;
a pieces-pushing and arranging means for pushing out the piece with the back face thereof directed upward and the top face thereof directed downward to a predetermined position and arranging the pieces therein for a set of the pieces having a predetermined number of pieces in a row and rows; and
a pieces-set pushing and transferring means for pushing out the set of the pieces arranged by the pieces-pushing and arranging means to a predetermined position and then transferring the set of the pieces to a piece inlet port on a surface of the playing table section.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3899178 (1975-08-01), Watanabe
patent: 4219200 (1980-08-01), Takahashi
patent: 4264074 (1981-04-01), Sobajima
patent: 5275411 (1994-01-01), Breeding
patent: 5695189 (1997-12-01), Breeding et al.
patent: 2247006 (1992-02-01), None
patent: 49-85283 (1974-07-01), None
patent: 50-25337 (1975-03-01), None
patent: 60-96281 (1985-05-01), None
patent: 60-114290 (1985-06-01), None
patent: 60-129988 (1985-08-01), None
patent: 62-33891 (1987-02-01), None
patent: 62-36789 (1987-03-01), None
patent: 62-114579 (1987-05-01), None
patent: 9-10431 (1997-01-01), None
USPTO Translation of 49-85283, 1972.*
USPTO Translation of 50-25337, 1975.*
USPTO Translation of 60-129988, 1985.*
USPTO Translation of 60-114290, 1985.*
USPTO Translation of 60-96281, 1985.*
USPTO Translation of 62-36789, 1987.*
USPTO Translation of 62-114579, 1987.*
USPTO Translation of 9-10431, 1997.

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