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: 20120175841
    Abstract: Methods of delivering groups of cards to a card game and, upon the occurrence of an event, dispensing a bonus card comprise feeding playing cards individually from an infeed area of a card handling device into an intermediate storage compartment designated for receiving playing cards. At least one bonus card may be fed from an infeed area of a card handling device into an intermediate storage compartment designated for receiving bonus cards. Groups of playing cards are selectively delivered. At least one bonus card may be selectively delivered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: Shuffle Master, Inc.
    Inventors: Attila Grauzer, Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn, Paul K. Scheper
  • Patent number: 8210536
    Abstract: A card feed system for feeding cards into a card handling system. The card feed system includes a card input compartment with a playing card support surface, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls. The playing card support surface slopes toward the front wall at an angle between 12 degrees and 22 degrees. A slot is provided in the front wall to allow single cards to pass into the card handling system. The card feed system also includes a card moving system to advance cards through the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG.
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20120161393
    Abstract: A shuffling device for playing cards and method of shuffling cards is provided where a first group of cards is moved within the device to form a randomized second group of cards. The device comprises moving parts that assist in the movement of cards within the shuffling device; a processor in informational connection with the shuffling device; a sensor that detects at least one of speed, distance and force of at least one moving part and provides a signal to the processor regarding detection of at least one of speed, distance and force; and the processor containing a program that interprets the signal to detect significant variations in at least one of speed, distance and force of the moving part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: SHUFFLE MASTER, INC.
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Ernst Blaha
  • Publication number: 20120091656
    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: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG.
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn, Attila Grauzer, Todd M. Haushalter
  • Patent number: 8141875
    Abstract: Devices for handling playing cards comprise a card infeed tray, a card output tray, and a movable card storage device with multiple compartments. At least one compartment of the multiple compartments comprises a preselected and designated bonus card compartment configured for storing bonus cards. A card sensing system is configured to detect a presence of bonus cards to be transferred into the movable card storage device. A control system is programmed to selectively transfer only bonus cards into the at least one designated compartment in response to detection of bonus card presence by the card sensing system and to selectively transfer playing cards into compartments of the multiple compartments separate from the at least one designated compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Shuffle Master, Inc.
    Inventors: Attila Grauzer, Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn, Paul K. Scheper
  • Publication number: 20110306284
    Abstract: A casino chip-sorting device may comprise a transport disc, a drive, an ejector, a cam, and a blade. The drive may be operably coupled to the transport disc, for rotating the transport disc, and the transport disc may have multiple recesses for collecting individual chips. The ejector may be extendable into a recess from beneath the transport disc to move a disc that is in the recess and the cam may be selectively rotatable by the drive to push the ejector into the recess. The blade may have an upper surface positioned to receive a casino chip moved by the ejector. Additionally, a processor associated with the casino chip-sorting device may be programmed to recognize a jam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: SHUFFLE MASTER GMBH & CO KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20110285082
    Abstract: Playing card handling devices, such as shufflers, dealing shoes, discard racks and verification systems are rotatably secured to a gaming table to allow for functional and ergonomic adjustment of the card handling device, without removal from the gaming table. One end of the device, preferably a front end of the device from which playing cards may be removed has a structure that extends through an aperture in the gaming table. The device is movable within the aperture. Movement in the X-Y direction, angular movement and rotational movement, parallel to the movement of the plane of the surface of the gaming table is enabled. The movement of the device about the aperture preferably maintains the base of the device relatively parallel to the plane of the surface of the gaming table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Ernst Blaha, Attila Grauzer
  • Publication number: 20110254222
    Abstract: A card feed system for feeding cards into a card handling system is disclosed. The system includes a card input department with a playing card support surface, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls. The playing card support surface slopes towards the front wall at an angle between 12 and 22 degrees. A slot is provided in the front wall to allow single cards to pass into the card handling system. The card feed system also includes a card moving system to advance cards through the slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst BLAHA, Peter KRENN
  • Patent number: 8006847
    Abstract: A casino chip sorting device may comprise a transport disc, a drive, an ejector, a cam, and a blade. The drive may be operably coupled to the transport disc, for rotating the transport disc, and the transport disc may have multiple recesses for collecting individual chips. The ejector may be extendable into a recess from beneath the transport disc to move a disc that is in the recess and the cam may be selectively rotatable by the drive to push the ejector into the recess. The blade may have an upper surface positioned to receive a casino chip moved by the ejector. Additionally, a processor associated with the casino chip sorting device may be programmed to recognize a jam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20110207390
    Abstract: Apparatuses for stacking chips include a container for receiving unstacked chips, a carrier comprising a channel for carrying a chip stack, a transport system for transporting chips from the container towards the carrier, and at least one ejector system for ejecting or moving chips from the transport system into the channel of the carrier. Chip stack cutter devices may include an elongated displacement member, which may extend from an actuating lever member movably coupled to a base member configured to slide along a channel of a chip stack carrier. In additional embodiments, the cutter device may include an energy-responsive device configured to selectively move an elongated displacement member for displacing a number of chips in a chip stack carried in a channel of a chip stack carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 7992720
    Abstract: A sorting device for the sorting of gaming chips comprises a base frame, a collection container, an oblique transport disc adjoining the collection container, the oblique transport disc separating and receiving gaming chips, a gaming chip characteristic identification system positioned adjacent the transport disc, a transfer device distributing the gaming chips in removal units according to characteristics identified in the gaming chip characteristic identification system. The sorting device has a transport for transferring the gaming chips directly from the transport disc to the removal units, and a radially external region of the transport disc contains recesses into which the gaming chips are separated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 7967294
    Abstract: A card feed system for feeding cards into a card handling system is disclosed. The system includes a card input department with a playing card support surface, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls. The playing card support surface slopes towards the front wall at an angle between 12 and 22 degrees. A slot is provided in the front wall to allow single cards to pass into the card handling system. The card feed system also includes a card moving system to advance cards through the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 7946586
    Abstract: Playing card handling devices, such as shufflers, dealing shoes, discard racks and verification systems are rotatably secured to a gaming table to allow for functional and ergonomic adjustment of the card handling device, without removal from the gaming table. One end of the device, preferably a front end of the device from which playing cards may be removed has a structure that extends through an aperture in the gaming table. The device is movable within the aperture. Movement in the X-Y direction, angular movement and rotational movement, parallel to the movement of the plane of the surface of the gaming table is enabled. The movement of the device about the aperture preferably maintains the base of the device relatively parallel to the plane of the surface of the gaming table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Peter Krenn, Ernst Blaha, Attila Grauzer
  • Publication number: 20110105002
    Abstract: Chip sorting devices and methods of ejecting chips from chip wells are disclosed. In some embodiments, chip sorting devices may include at least one chip ejection unit including at least one finger member selectively movable between a first position outside of at least one channel of a chip conveying unit and a second position within the at least one channel. In additional embodiments, a chip sorting device may include a separating wheel comprising a plurality of chip wells, each chip well configured to hold a plurality of chips. In yet additional embodiments, methods of ejecting a chip from a chip well may include urging a selected chip out of the chip well with the at least one finger member and at least one wall segment of a trailing segmented wall of the chip well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 7934980
    Abstract: Apparatuses for stacking chips include a container for receiving unstacked chips, a carrier comprising a channel for carrying a chip stack, a transport system for transporting chips from the container towards the carrier, and at least one ejector system for ejecting or moving chips from the transport system into the channel of the carrier. Chip stack cutter devices may include an elongated displacement member, which may extend from an actuating lever member movably coupled to a base member configured to slide along a channel of a chip stack carrier. In additional embodiments, the cutter device may include an energy-responsive device configured to selectively move an elongated displacement member for displacing a number of chips in a chip stack carried in a channel of a chip stack carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20110005983
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sorting device for sorting gaming chips and counters. Said device comprises a collection container (1) located on a base frame (36), an adjoining oblique transport disc (3) for receiving and separating the gaming chips and counters (27), a characteristic identification system positioned in the vicinity of the transport disc (3), in addition to a transfer device (11), which distributes the gaming chips and counters (27) that are sorted according to characteristics in removal units (12) with a preferably U-shaped cross-section. The invention is characterised in that the gaming chips and counters (27) are transferred directly from the transport disc (3) to the removal units (12), the radially external region of said transport disc (3) having recesses (8), into which the gaming chips and counters (27) are separated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20110001290
    Abstract: A sorting device for the sorting of gaming chips comprises a base frame (36), a collection container (1), an oblique transport disc (3) adjoining the collection container (1), the oblique transport disk (3) separating and receiving gaming chips (27), a gaming chip characteristic identification system positioned adjacent the transport disc (3), a transfer device (11) distributing the gaming chips (27) in removal units (12) according to characteristics identified in the gaming chip characteristic identification system. The sorting device has a transport for transferring the gaming chips directly from the transport disc (3) to the removal units (12), and a radially external region of the transport disc (3) contains recesses (8) into which the gaming chips are separated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Patent number: 7861868
    Abstract: Chip sorting devices include a rotatable disc having a plurality of wells for receiving chips therein, a plurality of channels for holding stacks of chips, at least one ejector for ejecting chips from the wells of the disc into the channels, and at least one removal lever associated with at least one of the channels. The removal lever has an arm configured to extend adjacent at least a portion of a stack of chips when the stack of chips is in a channel. Other chip sorting devices include a plurality of wells for receiving chips therein, a plurality of channels for holding stacks of chips, at least one ejector for ejecting chips from the wells of the disc into the channels, and at least one spring member configured to bias the ejector to a position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn
  • Publication number: 20100314830
    Abstract: A card handling device includes a sensing system for identifying cards handled thereby. A control system may be configured to selectively control an infeed system, a storage system, and/or an output system of the device in response to a signal received from the sensing system, and to enable a user to selectively perform one or more of a shuffling operation, a sorting operation, and a dealing operation using the device. A card handling device may be configured to dispense randomly arranged hands, prearranged hands, randomly arranged decks, or prearranged decks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Inventors: Attila Grauzer, Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn, Paul K. Scheper
  • Patent number: RE42944
    Abstract: A card shuffler is disclosed having a card output portion that is easily connectable to either a first output card receiver or a second output card receiver. The first output card receiver enables the dealer to remove cards one at a time from the shuffler. The second output card receiver enables the dealer to remove a group of cards at a time from the shuffler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Shuffle Master GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst Blaha, Peter Krenn