Partition wall element and partition wall

Abstract

A partition wall element having a plate-shaped stand base and a wall element extending at a right angle thereto. The wall element can be fastened non-positively and/or positively to the stand base so that the wall element stands with its end side on the stand base. Linear electric conductors for at least one electric circuit and/or data lines of a data bus extend over the length of the stand base, wherein the at least one electric circuit and the at least one data bus or the at least one data connection can be connected to at least one electric circuit and at least one data bus or a data connection of the wall element. A partition wall can be built up from such a partition wall element in a simple and flexible manner, on which partition wall electrical and/or data connections can be made available without interfering cables.

Claims

1. A partition wall element comprising; a plate-shaped stand base; and a wall element extending at right angles to the stand base; wherein the wall element is fixable to the stand base in a force-locking and/or positively locking manner in such a way that the wall element stands with its end side on the stand base, wherein linear power conductors for at least one electrical circuit and/or data lines of a data bus extend as exposed contact tracks or individual electrical conductors/cores of a cable over the length of the stand base; wherein the at least one electrical circuit and/or the at least one data bus are connectable via a contact or piercing contact at an arbitrary location to at least one electrical circuit and/or to at least one data bus of the wall element, wherein the wall element has a groove which is assigned to the stand base and in which is arranged at least one electrical contact element which connects the electrical circuit and/or the data bus of the stand base to the electrical circuit and/or the data bus of the wall element, and wherein the wall element with assigned plug elements or screw elements is assembled in a predetermined position on the respectively assigned stand base, and wherein the groove of the wall element extends across a web of the stand base.

2. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the connection of the power conductors of the electrical circuit and/or of the data lines of the data bus of a stand base to the adjacent stand base there are arranged sockets, on the one hand, and jacks, on the other hand, for forming plug contacts and/or contact prongs, on the one hand, and contact springs, on the other hand, which are operatively connected upon the coupling of two adjacent stand bases.

3. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stand base is assigned an interface for feeding in electrical energy and/or data, said interface being connected to the linear power conductors and/or the data lines.

4. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 3, wherein the interface of the partition wall element communicates with an interface of a gaming machine comprising a game sequence controller.

5. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall element is equipped with a display device and/or a lighting device, wherein the display device and/or the lighting device are/is connected to a voltage supply device and/or a data device either directly or via the stand base.

6. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 3, wherein a gaming machine, by means of its game sequence controller, may communicate with a display device and/or the lighting device via the interface in order to change contents and/or representations.

7. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 3, wherein the data processing device installed on the stand base evaluates data from a gaming machine coupled to the interface of the partition wall element and communicates with a display device and/or the lighting device.

8. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 3, wherein a display device and/or the lighting device is drivable depending on a game event.

9. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall element has a switching element which is coupled to an alarm device.

10. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stand base has a tongue on one end side and a groove complementary to the tongue on the other end side.

11. The partition wall element as claimed in claim 10, wherein the groove and respectively the tongue are embodied in a dovetail-shaped or T-shaped fashion.

12. The partition wall comprising a plurality of partition wall elements as claimed in claim 1 which are connected to one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in greater detail below on the basis of a plurality of exemplary embodiments with reference to the associated drawing.

(2) In the figures:

(3) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a partition wall assembled from a plurality of partition wall elements in a first embodiment,

(4) FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the partition wall according to FIG. 1 in a second embodiment,

(5) FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of the partition wall according to FIG. 1 in a third embodiment,

(6) FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of the partition wall according to FIG. 1 in a fourth embodiment,

(7) FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of the partition wall according to FIG. 1 in a fifth embodiment,

(8) FIG. 6 shows a schematic illustration of the partition wall according to FIG. 1 in a sixth embodiment,

(9) FIG. 7 shows a schematic plan view of the partition wall according to FIG. 1 in a seventh embodiment,

(10) FIG. 8 shows a front view of the partition wall according to FIG. 7,

(11) FIG. 9 shows a schematic exploded illustration of the partition wall according to FIG. 1 in an eighth embodiment,

(12) FIG. 10 shows an illustration of a plurality of stand bases of the partition wall according to FIG. 1,

(13) FIG. 11 shows an enlarged sectional illustration of two stand bases according to FIG. 10,

(14) FIG. 12 shows an enlarged sectional illustration of the two interconnected stand bases according to FIG. 11,

(15) FIG. 13 shows a schematic exploded illustration of a partition wall element of the partition wall according to FIG. 9, and

(16) FIG. 14 shows a schematic illustration of a gaming machine with two assigned partition walls.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(17) The partition wall 1 comprises a plurality of partition wall elements 2 arranged alongside one another, each of which substantially comprises a plate-shaped stand base 3 and a wall element 4 fixed thereon, wherein stand bases 3 arranged alongside one another mutually touch one another at the end sides and adjacent wall elements 4 are spaced apart from one another. A sheet 5, for example a tinted or frosted glass sheet, is in each case arranged between two adjacent wall elements 4, which are dimensioned with different heights according to the exemplary embodiments, said sheet being held in central insert grooves 6 in the longitudinal outer walls 7 of the wall elements 4 and having a height corresponding to the height of the lower one of the adjacent wall elements 4. In order likewise to arrange a sheet 5 on the lower one of the adjacent wall elements 4, the upper end side 8 of the wall element 4 is also provided with a central insert groove 6, wherein the insert grooves 6 extend over the entire width and/or height of the wall element 4. A mount 9, for example in the form of a clamping element, is provided for fixing the sheet 5 arranged at the end side. In order to provide a repository possibility for objects, a table top 10 is fixed on one of the wall elements 4, said table top having on the underside a web engaging into the insert groove 6 on the end side, in order that the table top is aligned relative to the wall element 4. The fixing of the table top 10 on the end side 8 of the wall element 4 may be effected by adhesive bonding or screwing, for example.

(18) The wall elements 4 in accordance with FIGS. 1 to 4 may be embodied for example as parallelepipedal hollow bodies with different heights and the same width. The heights of the wall elements 4 are dimensioned such that a privacy shield is provided by the partition wall 1, in order to delimit regions on the known side and on the far side of the partition wall 4 from one another.

(19) In order to provide an angular partition wall 1, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, either adjacent stand bases 3 and the wall elements 4 connected thereto may simply be assembled at the desired angle with respect to one another or the stand bases 3 are mitered at their corresponding end sides or embodied such that they are beveled at least on one end side.

(20) In order to draw the attention of service personnel or the like or to trigger an alarm, a switching element 11 in the form of a bell button is installed in a wall element 4, said switching element being connected to a control center. The connection may be effected by a direct connection or via a coupling via the stand base 3, which coupling will be described below.

(21) The wall element 4 may also be produced as a body 12 having longitudinal and end-side elements 13, wherein the body 12 may be subdivided into compartments by shelf bases 14. By way of example, a display device 15 in the form of a screen 16 or a light strip 17 may be integrated into the body 12. It goes without saying that a sheet 5 is also insertable into the body 12. The display device 15 and/or the light strip 17 may be connected to an electricity network and a data network, for example, via separate connections or via the coupling via the stand base 3, which coupling will be explained below. A plug connection 18 may also be fitted in or on the wall element, said plug connection serving for connecting further electrical and/or data-technological devices such as illuminants, additional screens and the like.

(22) In order to provide power and data at the partition wall 1 without disturbing lines or cables, a stand base 3 preferably arranged at one end of the partition wall 1 is provided with an interface 19 for feeding in electrical energy and/or data. If appropriate, a power supply unit, a W-LAN or Bluetooth or USB interface may be arranged in the stand base. The interface 19 is connected firstly to a building-side electricity and/or data network, for example via cable connections 20, and secondly to linear power conductors 21 for at least one electrical circuit and data lines 22 of a data bus and/or a data connection, wherein the power conductors 21 and the data lines 22 extend over the entire length of the stand base 3. In this case, the power conductors 21 form the power supply for at least one electrical circuit in a wall element 4, such as e.g. the individual conductors or cores of a cable (e.g. phase conductors, neutral conductors, etc.). The data lines 22 as data bus or data connection provide for a link of the respective wall element 4 to a data network. The power conductors 21 and the data lines 22 are accommodated in a web 23, for example, which engages into an end-side groove 24 of the wall element 4. In this case, contact elements are accommodated in the groove 24, said contact elements ensuring a current conduction and/or a data connection from the stand base 3 into the assigned wall element 4 and the display device 15 and/or the light strip 17 installed there.

(23) Alternatively, by way of example, the wall element 4 may have a web which may be introduced into an associated groove in the stand base 3. In this case, the power conductors 21 and the data lines 22 may be configured for example as exposed contact tracks fitted in the groove of the stand base 3 or as cables accommodated in a further groove provided specifically for the cable guidance. Corresponding contact elements may then be provided on the end-side web of the wall element 4, said contact elements ensuring current conduction and/or a data connection from the stand base 3 into the assigned wall element 4 and the display device 15 and/or the light strip 17 installed there.

(24) For conductively connecting a stand base 3 to the adjacent stand base 3, at the end side plug contacts 25 are provided or the power conductors 21 and the data lines 22 are laid in the form of a ribbon cable that is inserted into the webs 23 of the stand bases 3. It is also possible to arrange at the end side contact springs and contact tongues which establish an electrically conductive contact upon a mechanical connection of two adjacent stand bases 3.

(25) In order to connect the stand bases 3 to one another, a dovetail-shaped tongue 25 is provided on one end side and a dovetail-shaped groove 26 complementary to the tongue 25 is provided on the other end side.

(26) For assembling the partition wall 1, firstly a first stand base 3 may be fixed on a support and further stand bases 3 are coupled in accordance with the required length of the partition wall 1 by means of the tongue-and-groove joints, wherein the mechanical connection is also accompanied by the electrical contacting or a corresponding cable is subsequently laid. Since the stand bases 3 are connected to one another, it is not necessary to anchor each stand base 3 in the support. Once the stand bases 3 have been assembled in conformity with the rules, the wall elements 4 with assigned plug elements or screw elements 27 are assembled in a predetermined position on the respectively assigned stand base 3, wherein the end-side groove 24 of the wall element 4 extends across the web 23 of the stand base 3. An electrical contacting may be effected in this case. Afterward, sheets 5 may be inserted into the longitudinal insert grooves 6 of the wall elements 4. If desired or necessary, an upper-side sheet 5 may also be assembled by means of mounts 9.

(27) It is thus evident that changes and/or adaptations may be implemented relatively simply on account of the modular design of the partition wall 1. By way of example, wall elements 4 may be exchanged in order to arrange alongside one another wall elements 4 that are lower and/or higher to some extent, added in order to lengthen the partition wall 1, or removed in order to shorten the partition wall 1. In order that the partition wall 1 is immovable, the stand bases 3 are screwed to the support and the wall elements 4 are releasably connected to the stand bases 3 in a force-locking and/or positively locking manner, for example by means of plug and/or screw connections.

(28) In accordance with the arrangement according to FIG. 14, a gaming machine 28 having a vertical housing 31 and two screens 32 accommodated therein is provided between two partition walls 1, wherein the free upper edges of the partition wall elements 2 which are directly adjacent to the gaming machine 28 have approximately the same height as the gaming machine 28. Via an interface 29 (not illustrated in more specific detail) the gaming machine 28 is coupled to the display device 15, which is embodied as a screen 16, either directly or via the interface 19 assigned to the partition wall 1, in order to drive the screen 16 by means of its game sequence controller or a further data processing device for the representation of images or to cause the corresponding image data to be displayed. The data-technological coupling of the gaming machine 28 to the display device 15 is effected by means of a data cable 30 that connects the interfaces 19, 29 on both sides to one another.

(29) Furthermore, the gaming machine 28 may be provided with a wireless interface 33 for communication with a corresponding wireless interface 34 of the partition wall 1, which comprises a data processing device 35 that is coupled to the display devices 15 and/or to lighting devices 36 for example via the data lines 22 that are accommodated in the juxtaposed stand bases 3.

(30) The display devices 15 and the lighting devices 36 of the partition walls 1 may be driven under game sequence control, in order in particular to display different contents, to generate different light colors or light sequencessuch as e.g. flashing and/or moving light. If e.g. a prize is won on the gaming machine 28, animations may proceed on the display devices 15 and lighting devices 26, which animations are adjustable, preferably in a user- or environment-specific manner, if appropriate also on the gaming machine 28 or the data processing device 35 assigned to the partition wall 1. Programs having information regarding the individual animations may be stored in memory devices (not illustrated) assigned to the game sequence controller of the gaming machine 28 and/or the data processing device of the partition wall 1. The energy supply of the display devices 15 and lighting devices 36 accommodated in the partition walls 1 is effected via separate cable connections 20.

(31) TABLE-US-00001 REFERENCE SIGNS 1. Partition wall 2. Partition wall elements 3. Stand base 4. Wall element 5. Sheet 6. Insert groove 7. Outer wall 8. End side 9. Mount 10. Table top 11. Switching element 12. Body 13. Element 14. Shelf base 15. Display device 16. Screen 17. Light strip 18. Plug connection 19. Interface 20. Cable connection 21. Power conductor 22. Data line 23. Web 24. Groove 25. Tongue 26. Groove 27. Screw element 28. Gaming machine 29. Interface of 28 30. Data cable 31. Vertical housing 32. Screen 33. Wireless interface of 28 34. Wireless interface of 1 35. Data processing device of 1 36. Lighting device