Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into a second group of cards, wherein the second group of cards is randomly arranged or shuffled. The apparatus comprises a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack for moving cards one at a time into a selected one of the compartments, another card moving mechanism for moving cards from one of the compartments to a second card receiver and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanisms and the elevator. A count of cards within specified areas of the card handling system is maintained and card handling is halted and all cards counted by adding a count of all cards not within the specified areas to the total of cards counted within the specified areas.

Abstract: A system is provided within an electrophotographic imaging environment that removes or decomposes airborne hydrocarbons (as vapor and/or droplets), at least some of which are provided from evaporation or airborne dispersal of hydrocarbon carrier from electrophotographic toners or inks during and imaging process. The system has a catalyst that assists in the oxidation or decomposition of hydrocarbons and a (catalyst and vapor phase) heating and oxygen-providing components including a chemical oxygen-generator. The chemical reaction that occurs in the oxygen generation provides both a) immediate and significant amounts of heat that heats both the catalyst and the gas phase containing the hydrocarbon and the oxygen and b) oxygen to assist in the decomposition and/or oxidation of the hydrocarbon and other airborne materials.

Abstract: A method of playing a casino table version of cribbage using at least one deck of conventional playing cards, having at least one player making a wager and a dealer that deals the cards. The method includes having at least one player making a wager to receive a plurality of cards. Next, the cards are dealt to each player and the dealer is dealt a plurality of cards, wherein four random cards are dealt to create the dealer hand. The players discard either one or two cards depending on the method chosen. The dealer then exposes his cards and discards two cards. Next, the starter card is exposed. Finally, the players' cards are exposed and values of the hands are computed and compared to the dealer's hand. The method includes determining whether the players win or lose their wager.

Abstract: A system provides a shaped access path to a bag within a receptacle or can. The system comprises a funnel-providing system of a neck portion and a funnel portion. The funnel-providing portion comprises a flexible material that forms a leading edge of the funnel portion that curves back onto itself to form a funnel having a wide leading edge and a narrower base of the funnel portion. The narrower base of the funnel portion is connected to the neck portion. A gripping element extends over at least a length of the neck portion, the gripping portion capable of gripping an element (such as the end of a plastic bag) placed between the gripping element and the neck portion.

Abstract: A method of controlling the game of baccarat is disclosed, the method including the steps of providing a card delivery shoe equipped with a sensor capable of reading at least a rank of each card; at least one first processor capable of controlling operation of the card delivery shoe; and receiving signals from the sensor and programmed to display information related to the game of baccarat, visual result information for each round of play being displayed on the card delivery shoe or on a screen provided on a casino table.

Abstract: A printer system using inks, toners or developers with solvents therein is provided with a detector for volatile organic compounds assists in reducing potential accidents in the printer. The detector may be able to identify at least a threshold level of volatile organic in a gas phase in the printer, or may be able to identify various levels or a continuous metered level of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). An automatic warning, automatic signal, or even automatic cutoff function may be associated with the detector. The detector may be inside the printer or associated with a vent or generally positioned on or near the printer. One mode of detection operation described in detail is identification of changes in dielectric constant in a vapor phase or vapor stream that can be associated with changed levels of VOC in that phase or stream.

Abstract: An apparatus for assisting in the removal or waste or excess ink and a method for disposal of ink from electrophotographic printers comprises providing electrophotographic ink from a source, combining the ink with an absorbable material in a container to form a solid within the container, and closing the container so that the container with the solid inside may be disposed of without ink flowing from the container.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing transparencies reduces light scattering in a projection transparency formed with an electrostatically deposited color image. The method comprises: providing a transparent support substrate; forming an electrostatically deposited color developer image on the support substrate, the color developer image containing at least 25% by weight of organic liquid carrier, the color developer having dispersed particles comprising thermoplastic polymer therein, said dispersed particles having an effective Tg; and heating the color developer image on the support at a temperature and for a time that the thermoplastic polymer coalesces and at least some of the organic liquid carrier evaporates at a rate that free volume between the particles is reduced and light scattering is thereby reduced.

Abstract: A wagering game has a dealer compete against a player. The at least one player and the dealer receive a single card. The at least one player takes at least one mandatory hit card. If the at least one mandatory hit card has the specific relationship in rank to the single card, or if the at least one mandatory hit card allows the at least one player to continue the game, the player having the option of taking another hit card. When the player has elected to take no more hits or has taken a maximum number of hits, but has not taken a card that busts, the dealer taking at least one mandatory hit card the dealer taking hits until the dealer busts, until the dealer receives a predetermined maximum number of cards, or until the dealer has received a total number of cards that exceeds the total number of cards in all players' hands in the game.

Abstract: An apparatus for oxidizing volatile organic compounds from an electrographic printer may comprising a) a printer system that vents a gas stream containing volatile organic compounds to a first inlet; b) a first mast transfer element transmitting the gas stream to a catalytic treatment system, c) The catalytic treatment system comprising separate contact sections for an unsupported catalyst and a supported catalyst; a diverter system that can direct the gas stream along paths selected from the group consisting of to the unsupported catalyst only, to the supported catalyst only, first the unsupported catalyst and then the supported catalyst, and the supported catalyst and then the unsupported catalyst.

Abstract: The present invention relates to medical devices that are inserted or implanted into patients and that have antimicrobial coatings that release free radicals into the vicinity of the device. These devices may have coatings that alter their rate of flow release or elution release of an antibacterial agent from a coating on the device upon external stimulation. The coating should therefore be responsive to external control such as by heating, external RF stimulus, sonic control, visible or ultraviolet light exposure and the like. By having control of the release rate, and in some structures without invasion of the patient by mechanical means in addition to the device itself, the release rate can be in response to need at the implant site. The class of compounds to be released are free radical generating or initiating compounds, or compounds that release free radicals upon immersion or stimulation, the free radicals acting as the antimicrobial agent.

Abstract: A combination card game allows players to play 3 distinct games using one hand of cards. In a preferred embodiment, players place wagers on an Ante spot to play THREE CARD POKER®, a TRIPOLEY® spot to win odds, and a Best 2 Blackjack spot to play blackjack. A player can bet one, two or all three spots. Next, a three card hand is dealt to each player and to the dealer. If, after viewing his cards, a player has made the Ante wager, that player must make the Play wager or forfeit the Ante wager. A player who beats the dealer's three-card poker hand of Queen high is paid 1 to 1.

Abstract: A method of playing a poker-type wagering game is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) placing a mandatory Ante bet to participate in a poker-type card game against a dealer hand; b) placing a mandatory Super Bonus bet on the occurrence of one of a predetermined plurality of winning poker hands; c) a dealer dealing at least two hands of cards to the dealer position and a hand of cards to each player participating in the game; d) and when the dealer's first hand meets or exceeds a predetermined high ranking hand value, discarding the first hand and playing the second hand; e) each player placing an additional mandatory Bet after viewing at least the player's hand of cards to stay in the game; f) resolving each player hand against the dealer hand; g) paying the player on the Ante and Bet if the player's hand ranking exceeds that of the dealer; and h) paying the player on the Super Bonus bet if the player hand is one of a plurality of predetermined winning poker hands.

Abstract: In a vessel containing a filter bed and containing a mixed liquor containing suspended solids, a system disturbs/dislodges a sludge mat that settles on the filter bed. Thus, the system controls the sludge mat on the filter bed that otherwise may blind the filter bed and significantly reduce or stop process liquid flow into and through the filter bed. The system helps maintain effective vessel effluent flowrates with reduced requirements for filter bed backwashing or other filter bed maintenance. The system includes a sludge mat dislodging member that moves along the filter bed surface, preferably on but substantially not inside the filter bed, to disrupt/dislodge the sludge mat and/or prevent formation of the sludge mat. Preferably, the dislodging member is carried inside the vessel on a moving arm or arms that rotate in a plane parallel to the filter bed surface. The preferred sludge mat dislodging member(s) hang from the rotating arm(s) to slide along the top of the filter bed through the sludge mat.

Abstract: A printer cartridge for electrographic printing (dry or liquid) is provided with two chambers connected by a developer transportation system that traverses a development zone in a first direction. As the toner (developer) from a first of the two compartments is fed through the development zone, excess or unused toner is transported by the developer transportation system into a second of the two compartments. When the first compartment has exhausted its supply of toner, there will be sufficient toner captured in the second compartment to allow for printing capability to be maintained in the system, without any replenishment. The direction of flow of developer during printing is reversed from the second compartment to the first compartment, passing through the development zone.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating the scattering properties of a transparency image comprises projecting radiation through the transparency image to form a transmitted beam of radiation; splitting the transmitted beam of radiation into at least two distinct beams of radiation, a first distinct beam and a second distinct beam; measuring a first amount of energy in the first distinct beam that corresponds to non-scattered light; measuring a second amount of energy in the second distinct beam that corresponds to scattered light; and comparing the first amount of energy to the second amount of energy to determine the proportion of the transmitted beam of radiation that is not scattered.

Abstract: A poker-type card game comprises at least one player making at least one ante wager in the poker-type game at least against a dealer's hand. The player receives a first number of cards and the dealer receives a second number of cards that is at least one card more then the number of cards received by the player. A set of community cards is provided that are used by the dealer and the player. One of the dealer's cards is exposed to the table to provide an exposed dealer card. The dealer is compelled to discard the exposed dealer's card if the rank of the exposed dealer's card is within a first range of values and the dealer is compelled to discard an unexposed dealer's card if the exposed dealer's card is within a second range of values. After resolving the status of the dealer's hand, the player may be allowed to amend the initial one ante wager.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into a second group of cards, wherein the second group of cards is randomly arranged or shuffled. The apparatus comprises a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack for moving cards one at a time into a selected one of the compartments, another card moving mechanism for moving cards from one of the compartments to a second card receiver and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanisms and the elevator. A count of cards within specified areas of the card handling system is maintained and card handling is halted and all cards counted by adding a count of all cards not within the specified areas to the total of cards counted within the specified areas.

Abstract: A method and apparatus determines an identity of at least each card in a card hand at a casino table card game. The method is performed automatically by a computer-based system that reads the rank and suit of each card that leaves a dealing shoe and then uses a smart discard tray that reads the discards as they are taken from the table. It is optional and preferred to provide a signal to the computer of the presence of at least one card in the dealer's hand. Additional cards are dealt to hands. Exhausted hands are removed from the table and placed into a discard rack. Each card in each exhausted hand is read when placed in the discard rack to determine rank and suit of each placed card, and the computer reconciles cards placed in the discard rack with cards that left the dealing shoe.