Abstract
A shuffling machine having an auxiliary card press structure is disclosed. The shuffling machine includes at least one card delivering roller assembly. An outer side of the card delivering roller assembly is pivotally connected with a press arm having a return spring. Another end of the press arm is provided with a card press roller assembly. The card press roller assembly includes at least one magnetic roller. The card delivering roller assembly is provided with at least one magnetic member corresponding to the magnetic roller. When a left accommodating compartment or a right accommodating compartment of the shuffling machine has few playing cards, the magnetic member can attract the magnetic roller to increase the force of the card press roller assembly against the playing cards to increase friction to ensure smooth delivery without idling.
Claims
1. A shuffling machine, comprising: a central accommodating compartment; a left accommodating compartment; a right accommodating compartment; two card delivering roller assemblies which are respectively provided in said left accommodating compartment and said right accommodating compartment and rotated toward a center of the shuffling machine, wherein each of said card delivering roller assemblies comprises a lifting platform, a press arm and a magnetic member on said lifting platform, wherein a magnetic force of said magnetic member is provided to said press arm, wherein said two lifting platforms are respectively disposed in said left accommodating compartment and said right accommodating compartment, wherein said press arm further comprises a return spring which is provided on one end of said press arm and pivotally connected with each of said left accommodating compartment and said right accommodating compartment; and a card press roller assembly, provided on another end of said press arm, comprising at least one magnetic roller corresponding to said magnetic member for delivering play cards pressed on said two lifting platforms by said press arm to said central accommodating compartment.
2. The shuffling machine, as recited in claim 1, wherein said magnetic roller of said card press roller assembly is made of a magnetic material selected from a group consisting of iron, nickel and cobalt.
3. The shuffling machine, as recited in claim 1, wherein said magnetic member is a magnet configured to attract said magnetic roller of said card press roller assembly of said press arm.
4. The shuffling machine, as recited in claim 1, wherein said central lifting platform comprises a central accommodating compartment configured in such a manner that bottommost playing cards on said two lifting platforms of said left accommodating compartment and said right accommodating compartment are respectively delivered to said central accommodating compartment of said central lifting platform by said two card delivering roller assemblies.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a conventional shuffling machine, showing that a press arm loses its elastic force and fails to press against playing cards;
(2) FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the present invention; and
(3) FIG. 3 is a top sectional view of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(4) Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(5) Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the present invention discloses a shuffling machine 30 having an auxiliary card press structure. The shuffling machine 30 has a central accommodating compartment 31, a left accommodating compartment 32, and a right accommodating compartment 33. Each of the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33 is provided with a card delivering roller assembly 36. The central accommodating compartment 31 is provided with a central lifting platform 37. A lifting platform 38 is disposed in each of the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33. The outer side of each of the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33 is pivotally connected with a press arm 60 having a return spring 61. Another end of the press arm 60 is provided with a card press roller assembly 62. The card press roller assembly 62 includes at least one magnetic roller 63. The card delivering roller assembly 36 is provided with at least one magnetic member 64 corresponding to the magnetic roller 63. When the left accommodating compartment 32 or the right accommodating compartment 33 has few playing cards 1, the magnetic member 64 can attract the magnetic roller 63 to increase the force of the card press roller assembly 62 against the playing cards 1 to increase friction to ensure smooth delivery without idling.
(6) The assembly, function and details of the present invention are described below. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the magnetic roller 63 of the card press roller assembly 62 is made of a magnetic material, such as iron, nickel, cobalt or the like. The magnetic member 64 of the card delivering roller assembly 36 may be a magnet configured to attract the magnetic roller 63 within the magnetic field of the magnetic member 64. The magnetic member 64 of the card delivering roller assembly 36 is disposed lower than the top edge of the card delivering roller assembly 36. When the number of the playing cards 1 is small, the magnetic member 64 can magnetically interact with the magnetic roller 63. At this time, the return spring 61 is in a state in which the elastic force is weak or even inelastic, and the magnetic force of the magnetic member 64 is supplied to the press arm 60 to assist in pressing the playing cards 1, thereby solving the problem that the return spring 61 cannot reliably press the playing cards 1 when the number of the playing cards 1 is small. When the playing cards 1 has been dispensed to the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33 for shuffling, each of the lifting platforms 38 is lowered, such that the bottom of the playing cards 1 respectively located in the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33 is in contact with the card delivering roller assembly 36. Next, each press arm 60 can be pivoted in an outside-in manner by the lowering of the lifting platform 38, and the card press roller assembly 62 press against the playing cards 1, so that the playing cards 1 have appropriate pressure to press against the card delivering roller assembly 36, i.e., to generate appropriate friction between the playing cards 1 and the card delivering roller assembly 36. In this way, each card delivering roller assembly 36 is rotated toward the center of the shuffling machine 30, and the bottommost playing cards 1 of the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33 are respectively delivered to the central lifting platform 37 of the central accommodating compartment 31 by the frictional force for shuffling. When the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33 have few playing cards 1, the press force of the press arm 60 biased by the return spring 61 is less than the press force when there are many playing cards 1. Sometimes, after the shuffling machine 30 is used for a long time, the return spring 61 may be elastically fatigued, that is, although the left accommodating compartment 32 and the right accommodating compartment 33 have the playing cards 1, the return spring 61 has lost the elastic force to press against the playing cards 1. Since the card press roller assembly 62 of the press arm 60 gradually approaches the magnetic member 64 as the number of the playing cards 1 decreases, the magnetic force of the magnetic member 64 differently generates different ranges of magnetic fields, so the magnetic member 64 with a suitable magnetic force can be selected for application. When the card press roller assembly 62 enters the magnetic field of the magnetic member 64 as the number of the playing cards 1 decreases, the magnetic member 64 attracts the magnetic roller 63 to increase the force of the card press roller assembly 62 against the playing cards 1. The less the number of playing cards 1 is, the weaker the elastic force of the return spring 61 is. On the contrary, the stronger magnetic force of the magnetic member 64 on the magnetic roller 63 can assist the press arm 60 in maintaining a proper press force against few playing cards 1, so that the playing cards 1 can be reliably delivered to the central lifting platform 37 of the central accommodating compartment 31 by the card delivering roller assembly 36, thereby increasing friction to ensure smooth delivery without idling.
(7) Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
