Patents by Inventor Peter Krenn

Peter Krenn has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240108968
    Abstract: Card-handling devices may include a card-shuffling apparatus, a card output portion, and/or a card input portion. The card input portion may include a card rotation device. The card rotation device may be configured to receive and rotate cards about a minor axis of the cards. The card-handling device may include a card-shuffling apparatus including a carousel having at least one hundred compartments each configured to hold between one and ten cards and arranged radially about the carousel. The card-handling device may be positioned at a gaming structure with a playing surface. The card-handling device may include a card output portion for receiving shuffled cards from the card-shuffling apparatus. The card output portion may be configured to receive the cards where major faces of the playing cards are oriented in a plane substantially transverse to the playing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Paul K. Scheper, Ronald R. Swanson, James B. Stasson, James P. Helgesen, Haven A. Mercer, Troy D. Nelson, Jamal Hani Kotifani, Feraidoon Bourbour, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20240102794
    Abstract: Card-handling devices may include an input area sized and shaped to receive cards and an output area for outputting at least some of the cards. A defect detection system may be located along a card path downstream from the input area. The defect detection system may include an emitter positioned and oriented to direct radiation toward a major surface of a card as the card moves along the card path. A detector may be positioned and configured to detect the radiation emitted by the emitter and reflected from the major surface of the card as the card moves along the card path. A controller may be operatively connected to the detector and configured to correlate a signal from the detector with an identification of a degree to which the major surface of the card has deviated from a reference plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Inventor: Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 11896891
    Abstract: Card-handling devices may include a card-shuffling apparatus, a card output portion, and/or a card input portion. The card input portion may include a card rotation device. The card rotation device may be configured to receive and rotate cards about a minor axis of the cards. The card-handling device may include a card-shuffling apparatus including a carousel having at least one hundred compartments each configured to hold between one and ten cards and arranged radially about the carousel. The card-handling device may be positioned at a gaming structure with a playing surface. The card-handling device may include a card output portion for receiving shuffled cards from the card-shuffling apparatus. The card output portion may be configured to receive the cards where major faces of the playing cards are oriented in a plane substantially transverse to the playing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SG Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul K Scheper, Ronald R. Swanson, James B. Stasson, James P. Helgesen, Haven A. Mercer, Troy D. Nelson, Jamal Hani Kotifani, Feraidoon Bourbour, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 11898837
    Abstract: Card-handling devices may include an input area sized and shaped to receive cards and an output area for outputting at least some of the cards. A defect detection system may be located along a card path downstream from the input area. The defect detection system may be configured to scan at least one card to determine whether at least one characteristic of the at least one card has been modified beyond a predetermined limit or whether the at least one characteristic of the at least one card is within the predetermined limit. A diverter may be configured to divert the at least one card from the card path when the at least one characteristic of the at least one card has been modified beyond the predetermined limit and enable the at least one card to continue on the card path when the at least one characteristic of the at least one card is within the predetermined limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventor: Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 11577151
    Abstract: Card handling devices may include one or more features for detecting a deficiency relating to at least one card. Methods of operating a card handling device may include detecting a deficiency relating to at least one card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Colin A. Helsen, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20220314106
    Abstract: A card-handling device and related methods may include a card intake, a card rotation device, and a card output. The card rotation device may be configured to rotate at least one of the one or more playing cards about a minor axis of the one or more playing cards to randomly alter an orientation of lateral edges of the one or more playing cards. A card-handling device and related methods may be configured to recognize unreadable cards and move the unreadable cards to a designated position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Paul K. Scheper, Colin A. Helsen, Ronald R. Swanson, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 11376489
    Abstract: A card-handling device and related methods may include a card intake, a card rotation device, and a card output. The card rotation device may be configured to rotate at least one of the one or more playing cards about a minor axis of the one or more playing cards to randomly alter an orientation of lateral edges of the one or more playing cards. A card-handling device and related methods may be configured to recognize unreadable cards and move the unreadable cards to a designated position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: SG Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul K. Scheper, Colin A. Helsen, Ronald R. Swanson, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20210369889
    Abstract: A card cleaning apparatus comprises an input bin, an output bin, and a cleaning module disposed between the input and output bins. The input bin receives a stack of playing cards. The cleaning module includes a housing, a UV-C light source, and a card guide. The UV-C light source and the card guide are contained within the housing. A plurality of rollers transport individual cards from the stack along a card transport path. The card transport path extends from the input bin to the output bin via the card guide of the cleaning module. The UV-C light source emits UV-C light onto each card while it is in the card guide to clean the cards.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Georg FEKETE, Peter KRENN, David KRIENDLHOFER
  • Publication number: 20210354028
    Abstract: A card-handling device may include a card intake, a card output, a card imaging device positioned between the card intake and the card output. The card imaging device may be configured to identify a non-conforming card. The card-handling device may be configured to store the non-conforming card in a designated location and/or to reorient the non-conforming card with a card-flipping apparatus configured to reorient flipped cards identified as non-conforming cards.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Paul K. Scheper
  • Patent number: 11173383
    Abstract: A card-handling device may include a card intake, a card output, a card imaging device positioned between the card intake and the card output. The card imaging device may be configured to identify a non-conforming card. The card-handling device may be configured to store the non-conforming card in a designated location and/or to reorient the non-conforming card with a card-flipping apparatus configured to reorient flipped cards identified as non-conforming cards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: SG Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Paul K. Scheper
  • Publication number: 20210252375
    Abstract: Card handling devices may include one or more features for detecting a deficiency relating to at least one card. Methods of operating a card handling device may include detecting a deficiency relating to at least one card.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Inventors: Colin A. Helsen, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20210101071
    Abstract: A card-handling device may include a card intake, a card output, a card imaging device positioned between the card intake and the card output. The card imaging device may be configured to identify a non-conforming card. The card-handling device may be configured to store the non-conforming card in a designated location and/or to reorient the non-conforming card with a card-flipping apparatus configured to reorient flipped cards identified as non-conforming cards.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Paul K. Scheper
  • Publication number: 20210072018
    Abstract: Card-handling devices may include an input area sized and shaped to receive cards and an output area for outputting at least some of the cards. A defect detection system may be located along a card path downstream from the input area. The defect detection system may be configured to scan at least one card to determine whether at least one characteristic of the at least one card has been modified beyond a predetermined limit or whether the at least one characteristic of the at least one card is within the predetermined limit. A diverter may be configured to divert the at least one card from the card path when the at least one characteristic of the at least one card has been modified beyond the predetermined limit and enable the at least one card to continue on the card path when the at least one characteristic of the at least one card is within the predetermined limit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventor: Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 10933300
    Abstract: Card handling devices may include one or more features for detecting a deficiency relating to at least one card. Methods of operating a card handling device may include detecting a deficiency relating to at least one card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Colin A. Helsen, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 10814212
    Abstract: Card handling systems include shuffling devices, shoe devices, and a card transfer system for automatically transferring cards from the shuffling device into the shoe device. Shuffling devices may include a divider configured to contact at least one card positioned within a compartment of the shuffling device. Shoe devices may include a card loading system for loading cards into a card storage area through an opening in a base of the shoe device. Methods of providing cards during a casino table game play include identifying card information including a rank and a suit of each card in a shuffling device and a shoe device and transporting cards from the shuffling device to the shoe device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn, Todd M. Haushalter
  • Patent number: 10722779
    Abstract: Card handling systems include shuffling devices, shoe devices, and a card transfer system for automatically transferring cards from the shuffling device into the shoe device. Shuffling devices may include a divider configured to contact at least one card positioned within a compartment of the shuffling device. Shoe devices may include a card loading system for loading cards into a card storage area through an opening in a base of the shoe device. Methods of providing cards during a casino table game play include identifying card information including a rank and a suit of each card in a shuffling device and a shoe device and transporting cards from the shuffling device to the shoe device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn, Todd M. Haushalter
  • Patent number: 10668363
    Abstract: Card handling devices may include a card shuffling apparatus and a card output portion having a card buffer area positioned at an interface of the card shuffling apparatus and the card output portion. The card output portion may be configured to move relative to the card shuffling apparatus and alter the orientation of the card buffer area. Card handling devices having a substantially flat card output area may include an interface portion having an at least substantially flat draw surface. The substantially flat card output area may permit playing cards to be drawn from an outlet of the substantially flat card output area in a plurality of at least substantially horizontal directions. Methods of shuffling playing cards may include altering an orientation of a card buffer area and inserting cards into the card buffer area at both a top and a bottom of a group of cards within the card buffer area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Ernst Blaha
  • Patent number: 10639542
    Abstract: Playing-card-shuffling devices may include a card input, a card output, and a temporary card-storage area. The card input may be located on a same lateral side of the temporary card-storage area as a lateral side of the temporary card-storage area on which the card output is located. A processor may be in communication with a graphic display, with touch screen controls integrated in the graphic display. The graphic display may be configured to automatically display information from the shuffler. The touch screen controls may be configured to receive user-inputted data to send to the processor to affect at least one of performance, activity and mode of operation of the shuffler. The graphic display may be located on a lateral side of the temporary card-storage area opposite the lateral side of the temporary card-storage area on which the card input and the card output are located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: SG Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul K. Scheper, Attila Grauzer, James V. Kelly, James B. Stasson, Ronald R. Swanson, Feraidoon Bourbour, Troy D. Nelson, David B. Lopez, Mark L. Yoseloff, R. Brooke Dunn, Peter Krenn, Ernst Blaha
  • Patent number: 10632363
    Abstract: Card handling devices may include a card shuffling apparatus and a card output portion having a card buffer area positioned at an interface of the card shuffling apparatus and the card output portion. The card output portion may be configured to move relative to the card shuffling apparatus and alter the orientation of the card buffer area. Card handling devices having a substantially flat card output area may include an interface portion having an at least substantially flat draw surface. The substantially flat card output area may permit playing cards to be drawn from an outlet of the substantially flat card output area in a plurality of at least substantially horizontal directions. Methods of shuffling playing cards may include altering an orientation of a card buffer area and inserting cards into the card buffer area at both a top and a bottom of a group of cards within the card buffer area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Ernst Blaha
  • Publication number: 20200086203
    Abstract: Card-handling devices may include a card-shuffling apparatus, a card output portion, and/or a card input portion. The card input portion may include a card rotation device. The card rotation device may be configured to receive and rotate cards about a minor axis of the cards. The card-handling device may include a card-shuffling apparatus including a carousel having at least one-hundred compartments each configured to hold between one and ten cards and arranged radially about the carousel. The card-handling device may be positioned at a gaming structure with a playing surface. The card-handling device may include a card output portion for receiving shuffled cards from the card-shuffling apparatus. The card output portion may be configured to receive the cards where major faces of the playing cards are oriented in a plane substantially transverse to the playing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Paul K. Scheper, Ronald R. Swanson, James B. Stasson, James P. Helgesen, Haven A. Mercer, Troy D. Nelson, Jamal Hani Kotifani, Feraidoon Bourbour, Peter Krenn