US Patent:
20110070943, Mar 24, 2011
Inventors:
Darrell Smith Ratliff - Castle Rock CO, US
International Classification:
A63F 9/24
Abstract:
A Gaming Chip/Poker Chip Tray with a laser-type distance measuring device, preferably in the visible range such as a laser diode (but not mandatory), that measures the quantity of gaming poker chips located in each tray. As the device reads the quantity of chips per tray, the information is relayed to a processor which can display the added quantity in real-time. A microprocessor can control the laser reading device, and display. The real-time quantity can be displayed visibly with a digital display device or through a wired or wireless CPU device located on or away from the table containing the Counting Device. This data can be sent individually or in any configuration of networked units and displayed in a multiple of methods such as through a computer data-base, networked custom encrypted software or basic visual display units. In “real-time” means during actual play as chips are placed within the tray or removed from the tray, the Counting Device immediately updates the total quantity located within the tray. The gaming tables using these Poker Chip Tray Counting Devices can be networked together or run separately and independent of each other. If they are networked or linked, a casino or other gaming establishment can know in real-time, how an individual table is doing in terms or winnings or losses, or a selection of tables or the entire network all instantly (based on speed of CPU, wireless-connection, software application or other data-transfer limitations) as play happens.
