TERMINAL SYSTEM

Abstract

A terminal system comprises a device terminal (2) and an operator seat (3) which can be connected to the device terminal (2), wherein the device terminal (2) and the operator seat (3) have energy and/or signal coupling parts (5) and mechanical positioning coupling parts (6) which can be coupled to each other, wherein each of the energy and/or signal coupling parts and the positioning coupling parts (6) can be engaged with each other by pushing together the operator seat (3) and device terminal (2) parallel to the ground, wherein the positioning coupling parts (6) comprise vertical and horizontal positioning means for vertically and horizontally orienting the operator seat (3) with respect to the device terminal (2) by pushing together in the coupling direction, characterised in that the vertical positioning means (7) and the horizontal positioning means (8) are coupling pieces formed separately from each other, wherein the vertical positioning means (7) has a clearance in the horizontal direction transversely to the coupling and decoupling direction (24) and the horizontal positioning means (8) has a clearance (13) in the vertical direction, wherein the vertical positioning means (7) and/or the horizontal positioning means (8) each have at least two pairs of coupling pieces (9, 10) which can engage with each other, which are spaced from each other transversely with respect to a longitudinal centre plane through the operator seat (3) and/or through the device terminal (2), and wherein tensioning means (14) are provided for tensioning the operator seat (3) and device terminal (2) relative to each other, wherein said tensioning means (14) are associated with the positioning coupling parts (6).

Claims

1. A terminal system comprising a device terminal (2) as well as an operator's seat (3) which can be connected to the device terminal (2), wherein the device terminal (2) and the operator's seat (3) have electrical and/or signal coupling parts (5) and mechanical positioning coupling parts (6), which can be coupled, wherein the energy and/or signal coupling parts (5) and the positioning coupling parts (6) can be engaged with one another through pushing together the operator's seat (3) and device terminal (2) parallel to the ground, wherein the positioning coupling parts (6) have vertical and horizontal positioning aids (7; 8) in coupling direction for the vertical and horizontal alignment of the operator's seat (3) with the device terminal (2) when pushing together, characterized in that the vertical positioning aids (7) and the horizontal positioning aids (8) are separately designed coupling parts (9; 10), wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) have a clearance in horizontal direction diagonally to the coupling and uncoupling direction (24) and the horizontal positioning aids (8) have a clearance in vertical direction, wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) and/or the horizontal positioning aids (8) each comprise at least two pairs of mutually engageable coupling parts (9; 10), which are spaced from each other diagonal to a median longitudinal plane through the operator's seat (3) and/or through the device terminal (2), and wherein clamping devices (14) are intended for clamping the operator's seat (3) and device terminal (2) against each other, wherein said clamping devices (14) are assigned to the positioning coupling parts (6).

2. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein said clamping devices (14) have a vertical direction of action.

3. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein said clamping devices (14) are associated with the vertical positioning aids (7) and are intended for clamping the coupling parts (9) of the vertical positioning aids against each other.

4. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) have overlapping, horizontally aligned clamping surfaces (15) which can be clamped against each other.

5. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) and the horizontal positioning aids (8) are designed in such a way that the vertical positioning aids (7) are coupled at a different time than the horizontal positioning aids (8) and/or the vertical positioning aids (7) and the horizontal positioning aids (8) have differently sized overlaps in coupling direction (24), wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) are preferably coupled before the horizontal positioning aids (8).

6. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein the coupling parts (9) forming the vertical positioning aids (7) comprise at least one pair of overlapping coupling edges (9a, 9b), wherein said coupling edges (9a, 9b) comprise, in particular, a flat tongue-shaped coupling flange (25) with a horizontally inclined run-on slope (30) as well as a level coupling surface which can be pushed over the coupling flange (25).

7. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein the coupling parts (10) forming the horizontal positioning aids (8) comprise a coupling edge (10a) and a coupling recess (10b) receiving the coupling edge (10a), wherein said coupling edge (10a) is designed in particular as an upright stretching coupling pin and said coupling recess (10b) is designed in particular as a slot with an open front in coupling and uncoupling direction.

8. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein the connectable coupling parts (9; 10) are arranged in edge section areas of the connection sections (22, 23) of the operator's seat (3) and the device terminal (2).

9. The terminal system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) and the horizontal positioning aids (8) are arranged in a coupling area which is aligned to lay together.

10. A device terminal for a terminal system (1) designed according to claim 1, with at least one electrical and/or signal coupling part (5a) and at least one positioning coupling part (6a), wherein the at least one electrical and/or signal coupling part (5a) can be coupled with an electrical and/or a signal coupling part (5b) on the side of the operator's seat and said at least one positioning coupling part (6a) can be coupled with a positioning coupling part (6b) on the side of the operator's seat by pushing the device terminal (2) and operator's seat (3) together parallel to the ground, wherein the positioning coupling part (6a) has vertical and horizontal positioning aids (7,8) for the vertical and horizontal alignment of the device terminal (2) with the operator's seat (3), characterized in that the vertical positioning aids (7) and the horizontal positioning aids (8) are separately designed coupling parts (9;10), wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) have a clearance in horizontal direction diagonally to the coupling and uncoupling direction and the horizontal positioning aids (8) have a clearance in vertical direction, wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) and/or horizontal positioning aids (8) each comprise at least two pairs of mutually engageable coupling parts (9; 10), which are spaced from each other diagonal to a median longitudinal plane through the operator's seat (3) and/or through the device terminal (2) and wherein clamping devices (14) are intended for clamping the operator's seat (3) and device terminal (2) against each other, wherein said clamping devices (14) are assigned to the positioning coupling parts (6).

11. An operator'seats for a terminal system (1) designed according to claim 1, with at least one electrical and/or signal coupling part (5b) and at least one positioning coupling part (6b), wherein the at least one electrical and/or signal coupling part (5b) can be couple with a device-terminal-side electrical and/or signal coupling part (5a) and said at least one positioning coupling part (6b) can be coupled with a device-terminal-side positioning coupling part (6a) by pushing the operator's seat (3) together with the device terminal (2) parallel to the ground, wherein said at least one positioning coupling part (6b) has vertical and horizontal positioning aids (7,8) for the vertical and horizontal alignment of the operator's seat (3) with the device terminal (2), characterized in that the vertical positioning aids (7) and the horizontal positioning aids (8) are separately designed coupling parts (9,10), wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) have a clearance in horizontal direction diagonally to the coupling and uncoupling direction and the horizontal positioning aids (8) have a clearance in vertical direction, wherein the vertical positioning aids (7) and/or the horizontal positioning aids (8) each comprise at least two pairs of mutually engageable coupling parts (9; 10), which are spaced from each other diagonal to a median longitudinal plane through the operator's seat (3) and/or through the device terminal (2) and wherein clamping devices (14) are intended for clamping the operator's seat (3) and device terminal (2) against each other, wherein said clamping devices (14) are assigned to the positioning coupling parts (6).

Description

[0028] The invention will be further described in the following using a preferred embodiment and associated drawings. In the drawings:

[0029] FIG. 1: A perspective side view of a terminal system comprising a device terminal shown only in section and an operator's seat in the form of a chair, which can be connected thereto, whereby the device terminal and the operator's seat are shown in a mutually aligned but still separate position,

[0030] FIG. 2: A sectioned, enlarged view of the interface between operator's seat and device terminal in a connected, coupled position, with a clamping device in the form of a bolt is shown,

[0031] FIG. 3: A sectioned top view of the underside of the connection between operator's seat and device terminal, which shows the tongue-shaped coupling flap of the vertical positioning aids and the coupling edges on the operator's seat which have been pushed over it,

[0032] FIG. 4: A perspective, sectional view of the tongue-shaped coupling edges of the vertical positioning aids and the coupling pins of the horizontal positioning aids on the device terminal.

[0033] FIG. 5: A perspective view of the vertical positioning aids and the horizontal positioning aids on the device terminal from a different viewing angle as compared to FIG. 4, whereby the clamping devices are shown in the form of screw bolts for the vertical clamping of the tongue-shaped coupling flaps against the seat-side coupling edges which are not shown,

[0034] FIG. 6: A perspective view of the horizontal positioning aids in the form of vertical coupling pins and coupling recesses in the form of elongated holes open towards one side, whereby the horizontal positioning aids are being shown in the engaged position, viewed from the underside of the connection,

[0035] FIG. 7: A perspective view of the electrical and signal coupling parts in a position not yet engaged, and

[0036] FIG. 8: A schematic representation of the electrical and/or signal coupling parts and positioning coupling parts on the device terminal side in a viewing angle approximately parallel to the coupling and uncoupling direction.

[0037] As FIG. 1 shows, the terminal system 1 can comprise a device terminal 2, to which an operator's seat 3, for example in the form of a chair, can be detachably connected, so that the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2 form a unit.

[0038] Said operator's seat 3 can, in a generally common manner, have armrests in addition to a seat and a backrest, on which input devices 16 can be provided for inputting control signals for the device terminal 2, and display devices 17 for the displaying information which can be provided in the device terminal 2. Said input devices 16 can include the input buttons shown in FIG. 1, such as a game start button but also other input devices as mentioned at the outset. The display devices 17 can include lights, for instance in the form of LEDs, but also small display units, touch sensors, touch screens and the like.

[0039] The operator's seat 3 can feature a floor support body 18 which can, for example, be basically designed as a level floor plate, as shown in FIG. 1 In this case, special support means, such as rollers, skids or pressure distribution ledges can be provided at the underside of the floor support body 18. The chair can be mounted on said floor support body rigidly or also movably, for instance rotatable on an upright axis or tiltable on a horizontal axis.

[0040] Furthermore, said operator's seat can have various adjustment possibilities, which can also be actuated by control actuators powered by external energy such as electric motors. Such adjustment possibilities can for instance include the tilting of the backrest, height adjustment of the seat surface, inflation of the side walls of the backrest or the extension and retraction of lumbar supports.

[0041] The device terminal 2 can include an upright housing corpus 19, on the foot area of which a floor support body 20 can also be provided, whereby this floor support body 20 can feature a footboard protruding towards the operator's seat 3 or a footrest 21 designed in another way such as grating or a footrest with support bars.

[0042] Said device terminal 2 can be designed in particular as a game and/or entertainment or gambling machine, or in the form of another multimedia device and can for instance include one or several displays which are omitted in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. Moreover, further display and/or input devices, for example in the form of operating buttons, touch screens, money input and output devices, card readers or similar, can be provided on the housing body 19, wherein, for instance, and operating panel can be arranged under said displays so that an operator sitting in the operator's seat 3 can interact with the input and output devices on the device terminal side.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 1, the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2 are designed detachably connectable to a rigid unit or can be connected in a fixed manner. In this case, the front sides of the floor support bodies 18 and 20 of the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2 facing each other can form connection sections 22 and 23 which are adapted to one another and at least partially complementary. The connection section 22, which is formed by the front side of the floor plate of operator's seat 3, can in particular be connected with connection section 23, which is formed by the opposing front section of the foot rest 21, by pushing the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2 over each other or together.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 7, electrical and signal coupling parts 5 can be provided on said connection sections 22 and 23, which, in the coupled state, can transfer energy, for instance in the form of an electric current for actuating aforementioned chair adjustment actuators, and data or signals from device terminal 2 to the operator's seat 3 and/or vice versa, for instance to transfer the control commands from the operator's seat 3 to the device terminal 2 and, vice versa, display signals from the device terminal 2 to the operator's seat 3.

[0045] Said electrical and signal coupling parts 5 can be designed as plug-in connections and aligned in such a way that the plug-in direction and thus the coupling and uncoupling direction 24 of aforementioned electrical and signal coupling parts 5 coincides with the direction of movement when pushing together operator's seat 3 and device terminal 2. In particular, the aforementioned coupling and uncoupling axis 24, see FIG. 1, can be aligned parallel to the floor or the floor support bodies or parallel to the undersides of said floor support bodies 18 and 20 and basically perpendicular to the front sides of the connection sections 22 and 23 or parallel to a fictive vertical longitudinal center plane through the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 7, a device-terminal-side electrical and signal coupling part 5a can be mounted rigidly, or possibly also flexibly using a spring or hydraulic damper, on the device terminal 2 and a complementary electrical and signal coupling part 5b can be mounted rigidly, or possibly also flexibly on the operator's seat 3, whereby the two electrical and signal coupling parts 5a and 5b are arranged in such a way that they are freely accessible at least from one front side of the connection sections 22 and 23, i.e. freely accessible in the direction of said coupling and uncoupling axis 24 and engage with each other when pushed together. Furthermore, conical plug pins (see FIG. 7) are intended on the device-terminal-side electrical and signal coupling part 5a, which can be plugged into complementary plug-in holes in the electrical and signal coupling part Sb on the operator's seat 3 to achieve a fine alignment of the electrical and signal coupling part in horizontal and vertical direction.

[0047] In order to align the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2 with each other when pushing together and/or to attach them to one another in the connected state and/or hold them together, mechanical positioning coupling parts 6 are furthermore provided on the connection sections 22 and 23 of the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2, which can be rigidly connected to said connection sections 22 and 23 or also integrally designed on them. Said positioning coupling parts 6 are designed in such a way that they can be positively engaged with one another when pushing together device terminal 2 and operator's seat 3 along the aforementioned coupling and uncoupling axis 24 and disconnected from each other again when the device terminal 2 and the operator's seat 3 are pulled apart. The aforementioned positioning coupling parts 6 can, in this case, be plugged into one another or pushed onto one another, whereby the respective plug-in axis lies parallel to the aforementioned coupling and uncoupling axis 24, in particular parallel to the underside of the floor support bodies 18 and 20 and parallel to the vertical longitudinal center plane through the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2.

[0048] Said positioning coupling parts 6 include, on the one hand, vertical positioning aids 7, which align operator's seat 3 and device terminal 2 with each other in vertical direction, i.e. which in particular align said connection section 22 and 23 exactly to one another in their height level, especially so that the electrical and signal coupling parts 5 are at the same level when pushing together.

[0049] On the other hand, the positioning coupling parts 6 comprise the horizontal positioning aids 8, which align the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2 in horizontal direction, particularly diagonally to aforementioned coupling and uncoupling axis 24, more specifically in such a way that the electrical and signal coupling parts 5 have no clearance errors to the left or right when pushing together and/or that the connection sections 22 and 23 have no axial misalignments vertical to aforementioned vertical longitudinal plane.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 8, said vertical positioning aids 7 can comprise coupling parts 9 which can each be designed as a coupling edge which protrudes in the direction of the coupling and uncoupling axis 24. In particular, said coupling parts 9 can, on the one hand, have coupling flanges 25 protruding against the coupling and uncoupling axis 24, which can be designed in the form of level coupling flanges. On the other hand, a coupling part 9b engaging therewith can be formed from the underside of the front-side protruding connection section 22 and the floor support body 18 of the operator's seat 3, which slides the underside onto the upper side of said coupling flap 25 when the operator's seat 3 and the device terminal 2 are pushed together. For this purpose, said coupling flap 25 and/or the front-side edge of the underside of the floor support body 18 of the operator's seat 3 can have a run-up slope 30 inclined to the horizontal.

[0051] In the illustrated design, said coupling flaps 25 are intended on the device-terminal-side connection section 23 and the coupling part 9b, which engages with it and is formed by the underside of the floor support body, on the connection part 22 of the operator's seat 3. In principle, however, an inverted arrangement may also be provided, namely the coupling flaps 25 being attached to the operator's seat 3.

[0052] As FIG. 5 and also FIG. 4 clarify, the coupling flap 25 protrudes over the front side of the connection section 23 in the form of the ground support body 20. Advantageously, the connection section 23 can in this case comprise a receptacle open on the front side or an insertion recess 26 which extends over the coupling flap 25 into the depth of the connection section 23 and is limited by a ceiling on the top, so that the connection section 22 protruding on the front side can be pushed over the coupling flaps 25 into said pocket-shaped insertion compartment 26, see in comparison FIGS. 1 and 2 as well as FIG. 3.

[0053] As FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 show in particular, several, for instance two spaced-apart vertical positioning aids 7 can be provided in the form of said coupling flaps 25 and the complementary or mutually engaging coupling parts 9b, whereby at least two of said vertical positioning aids 7 can run symmetrically spaced from the vertical longitudinal plane, particularly in edge areas of the connection sections 22 and 23 of the operator's seat 3 and device terminal 2.

[0054] The horizontal positioning aids 8 which are separate and spaced from vertical positioning aids 7, as shown on FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, comprise engaging coupling parts 10, one of which can be designed as coupling edge and another as coupling recess. In particular, an upwardly extending coupling pin 27 can be provided, which can be inserted into an elongated hole 28 open on the front side which extends with its longitudinal axis parallel to the coupling and uncoupling axis 24. Said elongated hole 28 can, in this case, have an inlet bevel on the open mouth which centers the coupling pin with the longitudinal axis of the elongated hole 28 when inserting it.

[0055] Said coupling pins 27 can in this case form coupling part 10a of the device terminal 2 and be rigidly attached to its connection section 23, while the elongated hole 28 can form the coupling part 10b of the operator's seat 3 and can be located on its connection section 22. In general, however, a reverse arrangement would also be possible, i.e. the coupling pin 27 can also be provided on the operator's seat side, and the elongated hole 28 may be arranged on the device terminal side.

[0056] As shown on FIG. 6, it is also possible to provide several such coupling pins 27 and elongated holes 28 and thus several horizontal positioning aids 8, which can advantageously be arranged diagonally spaced symmetrical from a vertical longitudinal plane and particularly at the lateral edge sections of the connection sections 22 and 23.

[0057] According to the designs shown (see FIGS. 3 and 8), the coupling parts 9 are made in one piece, whereby two coupling flanges 25, which are symmetrically spaced from the electrical and signal coupling part 5a (cf. FIG. 8), protrude from a common base part 31. This can for example be designed as a simple sheet metal punching part.

[0058] As especially shown in FIG. 4, the coupling pin 27 is connected to the base part 31 in this example using a press fit on one end of the coupling pin 27. It may be mentioned that a different connection of the coupling pin 27 with the base part 31 is possible, for example by screwing, gluing, welding.

[0059] It should be noted that FIGS. 6 and 7 show a broken-away representation of the coupling, in particular the base part 31 is hidden so that the other components are more clearly visible.

[0060] To be able to lock and/or hold together operator's seat 3 with device terminal 2 in coupled position, clamping devices 14 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 3) have been advantageously provided, with which the device terminal 2 and the operator's seat 3 can be braced against each other. Said clamping devices 14 can in this case have an upright main axis and be connected with the aforementioned vertical positioning aids 7, particularly their coupling flaps 25. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the clamping devices 14 can include screw bolts 29 by means of which the connection section 22 of the operator's seat 3 can be screwed to the coupling flaps 25 (in end position). In this case a level top of the coupling flaps 25 is braced against the underside of the connection section 22 of the operator's seat 3. The clamping surfaces 15 which are drawn together in doing so, can in this case advantageously be designed flush.

[0061] FIGS. 4 and 5 show the vertical positioning aids 7 in a not yet fully engaged position, the screw bolt 29 is in this case only displayed for drawing technical reasons, i.e. while pushing operator's seat 3 and device terminal 2 together or pulling them apart, the screw bolt 29 is not present.