Patents Assigned to Smart Shoes, Inc.
  • Patent number: 6582301
    Abstract: A card dispensing shoe includes a scanner system that discerns the value and suit of each card dispensed, and includes a mechanical barrier to prevent dispensing a card contrary to card game rules. A CPU system within the show executes software pre-programmed with game rules, and controls the barrier to ensure against wrongful dispensing of a card. The card game can be video broadcast along with an image of each scanned card, and the resultant data broadcast over the internet to remotely located bettors who can place bets on the game in progress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Smart Shoes, Inc.
    Inventor: Otho Dale Hill
  • Publication number: 20020068635
    Abstract: A card dispensing shoe includes a scanner system that discerns the value and suit of each card dispensed, and includes a mechanical barrier to prevent dispensing a card contrary to card game rules. A CPU system within the show executes software pre-programmed with game rules, and controls the barrier to ensure against wrongful dispensing of a card. The card game can be video broadcast along with an image of each scanned card, and the resultant data broadcast over the internet to remotely located bettors who can place bets on the game in progress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Applicant: Smart Shoes, Inc.
    Inventor: Otho Dale Hill
  • Patent number: 6299536
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a playing card dispensing shoe apparatus, system and method wherein the shoe has a card scanner which scans the indicia on a playing card as the card moves along and out of a chute of the shoe by operation of the dealer. The scanner comprises an optical-sensor used in combination with a neural network which is trained using error back-propagation to recognize the card suits and card values of the playing cards as they are moved past the scanner. The scanning process in combination with a central processing unit (CPU) determines the progress of the play of the game and, by identifying card counting systems or basic playing strategies in use by the players of the game, provides means to limit or prevent casino losses and calculate the Theoretical Win of the casino, thus also providing an accurate quality method of the amount of comps to be given a particular player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Smart Shoes, Inc.
    Inventor: Otho D. Hill
  • Patent number: 6039650
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a playing card dispensing shoe apparatus, system and method wherein the shoe has a card scanner which scans the indicia on a playing card as the card moves along and out of a chute of the shoe by operation of the dealer. The scanner comprises an optical-sensor used in combination with a neural network which is trained using error back-propagation to recognize the card suits and card values of the playing cards as they are moved past the scanner. The scanning process in combination with a central processing unit (CPU) determines the progress of the play of the game and, by identifying card counting systems or basic playing strategies in use by the players of the game, provides means to limit or prevent casino losses and calculate the Theoretical Win of the casino, thus also providing an accurate quality method of the amount of comps to be given a particular player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Smart Shoes, Inc.
    Inventor: Otho Dale Hill
  • Patent number: 5722893
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a shoe of the type described wherein the shoe has a card scanner which scans indicia on a playing card as the card moves along and out of a chute by manual direction by the dealer in the normal fashion. The scanner can be one of several different types of devices which will sense each card as it is moved downwardly and out of the shoe. A feed forward neural-network which is trained using error back-propagation to recognize all possible card suits and card values sensed by the scanner. Such a neural-network becomes a part of a scanning system which provides a proper reading of the cards to determine the progress of the play of the game including how the game might suffer if the game players are allowed to count cards using a card count system and perform other acts which would limit the profit margin of the casino. The shoe of the present invention is also provided with additional devices which make it simple and easy to record data relevant to the play of the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Smart Shoes, Inc.
    Inventors: Otho D. Hill, Louis W. DesPrez
  • Patent number: D432589
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Smart Shoes, Inc.
    Inventor: Otho D. Hill