Gaming and/or entertainment device

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a gaming and/or entertainment device having at least one screen which is adjustably arranged at a device panel. In this respect, the invention in particular relates to a multigame table having a plurality of player positions at which one respective screen is arranged at a table panel and/or desk panel. In accordance with the invention, the at least one screen is adjustable between a lowered position lowered into the device panel substantially without projecting over the device panel and an operating position protruding out of the device panel. The lowered position can in particular serve as an idle position in which the respective screen is so-to-say not in the way and a substantially planar device surface, in particular a table surface, can be provided. In the named lowered position, the screen can optionally be lowered beneath the device panel and the corresponding cut-out can be closed by a cover. Preferably, however, the screen in the named lowered position is lowered substantially flush with the panel surface.

Claims

1. An entertainment device comprising: a configurable playing table having a configurable number of player positions for which each player position has a screen adjustably supported at a table panel, wherein the configurable playing table has a modular construction comprising a playing field, table panels and table consoles, wherein a screen is integrated into each table panel and a control device is integrated into each table console, wherein the table panels are separate from the table consoles, wherein the table panels have a panel part at which a screen is movably supported, wherein the table panels have a flat table surface flush with a table surface of the playing field and with the flat table surface of an adjacent table panel, wherein the flat table surface of each table panel surrounds at least three sides of a screen, wherein the screens are adjustable between a lowered position lowered into the flat table surface of a table panel and an operating position protruding out of the flat table surface of the table panel, and wherein the table panels have lateral connectors for connecting the table panel to at least one of another table panel.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each screen is tiltable at least about a horizontal transverse axis.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the screens are tiltable multiaxially.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the screens can be moved in translation outwardly and inwardly substantially perpendicular to a device panel surface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one actuator unit comprising an electric motor is associated with the screens for the adjustment of the screens.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises an inputter configured to adjust a screen position, wherein the inputter comprising an operating button actuable by a device operator.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a presetting apparatus configured to automatically preset a screen to a predetermined screen position in dependence on a player respectively detected by an identification device.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the presetting apparatus comprises a position memory configured to store a respective individually set screen position as a predetermined screen position which is associated with a specific player or with a specific group of players.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the identification device comprises a chip card reading device.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the identification device has a biometric data reading device comprising at least one of a fingerprint reader and an iris reader.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the control devices are configured to automatically adjust a screen position in dependence on a game procedure.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the control devices comprise a winning displayer configured to at least one of adjust a screen position and automatically tilt the screen in a cyclical manner on the achieving of a game win.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one screen is made as a flat screen comprising a TFT monitor.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one player position is defined by a table panel and between two table consoles.

15. An entertainment device comprising: a configurable playing table having a configurable number of player positions for which each player position has a screen adjustably supported at a table panel, wherein the configurable playing table has a modular construction comprising a playing field, table panels and table connection pieces, wherein each table panel comprises an integrated screen and each table connection piece comprises a console having a control device configured to control movement of a screen of an adjacent table panel, wherein the table panels have lateral connectors for connecting to at least one of another table panel and a table connection piece, wherein the table connection pieces comprise a rectangular table connection piece or a triangular table connection piece such that the table panels are selectively connected to a rectangular table connection piece or a triangular table connection piece, wherein the table connection pieces do not include screens, wherein at least one player position is defined by a table panel and between two table consoles, wherein the table panels have a panel part at which a screen is movably supported, wherein the table panels have a flat table surface flush with a table surface of the playing field and with the flat table surface of an adjacent table panel, wherein the flat table surface of the table panels surrounds at least three sides of a screen, and wherein the screens are adjustable between a lowered position lowered into the flat table surface of a table panel and an operating position protruding out of the flat table surface of the table panel.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the screens are tiltable at least about a horizontal transverse axis.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the screens are tiltable multiaxially.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the screens can be moved in translation outwardly and inwardly substantially perpendicular to a device panel surface.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein at least one actuator unit comprising an electric motor is associated with the screens for the adjustment of the screens.

20. An entertainment device comprising: a configurable playing table having a configurable number of player positions for which each player position has a screen adjustably supported at a table panel, wherein the configurable playing table has a modular construction comprising a playing field, table panels and table connection pieces, wherein the table panels comprise integrated screens, wherein the table connection pieces comprise consoles having control devices configured to control movement of a screen of an adjacent table panel, wherein the table panels have lateral connectors for connecting the table panels to at least one of another table panel and to a table connection piece, wherein the table connection pieces comprise at least one rectangular table connection piece and one triangular table connection piece such that the table panels are selectively connected to a rectangular table connection piece or a triangular table connection piece, wherein the table connection pieces do not include screens, wherein the table panels are seated on the consoles, wherein the consoles form feet of the configurable playing table, wherein the table panels have a panel part at which a screen is movably supported, wherein the table panels have a flat table surface flush with a table surface of the playing field and with the flat table surface of an adjacent table panel, wherein the flat table surface of the table panels surrounds at least three sides of a screen, wherein the screens are adjustable between a lowered position lowered into the flat table surface of a table panel and an operating position protruding out of the flat table surface of the table panel, and wherein the table connection pieces have a flat table surface flush with a table surface of the playing field and with the flat table surface of an adjacent table panel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with respect to a preferred embodiment and to associated drawings. There are shown in the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1: a schematic, perspective total view of a gaming and/or entertainment device in the form of a multigame table having a plurality of player positions which each have a screen lowerable into a table panel;

(3) FIG. 2: a perspective view of an individual table panel component having a screen tilted out of the panel part;

(4) FIG. 3: a perspective total view of the multigame table of FIG. 1, with the screens being shown in their lowered positions lowered into the table panels; and

(5) FIG. 4: a perspective view of an individual table panel component similar to FIG. 2, with the screen being shown in its position lowered into the panel part.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The embodiment of a gaming and/or entertainment device 1 drawn in the Figures is made as a multigame table which has a playing table 2, with a plurality of player positions 18 being arranged in annular form around a central playing field 5. The table panel 3 surrounding the central playing field 5 in annular form has a screen 4 at each player position 18 which is adjustably supported at the respective panel part, as will still be explained. The table panel 3 is seated on playing table consoles 19 which are arranged in bar shape and into which a game control device 20 belonging to the respective player position 18 having corresponding control means and an output apparatus can be integrated. A respective money input and/or output device for the crediting of a player or a corresponding card reading device can be present at the playing table consoles 19, as is also known per se at such playing tables. The playing table consoles 19 so-to-say form the feet of the playing table 2.

(7) Each player position 18 in front of each screen 4 has an operating panel 21 which can be integrated into the table panel 3, cf. FIG. 1.

(8) The screens 4 are adjustably supported at the table panel 3. As a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 3 shows, the screens 4 can in particular be pivoted about a horizontal transverse axis so that the screens 4 can be tilted so-to-say toward the respective player sitting or standing at the playing table 2. While FIG. 1 shows the tilted-up position, the lowered idling position of the screens 4 is shown in FIG. 3. The screens 4 can in this respect in particular be brought into a lowered position lowered into the table panel 3, in which lowered position the screens 4 are lowered into the table panel 3 essentially flush with the surface thereof.

(9) In addition to the adjustability about the horizontal transverse axis 22, provision can optionally be made that the screens 4 can be tilted and/or pivoted about a horizontal longitudinal axis 23 and/or about a vertical axis 24. Alternatively or additionally, a movement of the screens 4 in translation along the vertical axis 24 can also be provided.

(10) To adjust the screens 4, corresponding actuator units are associated with them which are advantageously integrated horizontally into the table panel 3 beneath the screens 4. The named actuator units can advantageously be electric motors which can optionally effect the desired screen movements about the respective movement axes via suitable deflection means or transmission means.

(11) To actuate the actuator units, suitable input means 25, for example in the form of a hand button or of a hand lever 26 can be provided at the table panel 3 and/or at the respective screen 4 by whose actuation the respective actuator unit can be controlled.

(12) The actuator units for the screen adjustment are additionally connected to the previously named control device 20 which advantageously has a control apparatus for the automatic control of the screen adjustment in dependence on the game procedure and/or on game situations which occur. The named control apparatus can in this respect, for example, include winning control means which tilts the screen 4 of a respective game winner up and down to indicate this or which moves the screen upwardly to make an otherwise hidden sign Winner visible. The named control apparatus can furthermore include activation means and/or deactivation means which work in dependence on a game credit still available to the respective player position. The deactivation means can in particular automatically move the screens 4 into the lowered position shown in FIG. 3 when the game credit has been used at the respective player position.

(13) The control device 20 furthermore advantageously includes a presetting apparatus 12 which cooperates with an identification means 13 which in the embodiment shown includes a chip reading device 15 arranged at the playing table console 12, but can also, for example, include a fingerprint reading device arranged at the table panel 3. The named presetting device 12 in this respect sets a screen position predetermined for a respective player as soon as the identification device 13 has identified a player playing at the respective player position 18. This can, for example, take place in that the respective player inserts his player pass or his credit card into the chip card reading device 15. The named presetting apparatus 12 in this respect includes a position memory 14 in which the preferred screen position is stored for the respective player, and indeed together with an identification code which, on the input of this identification code, allows the associated screen position to be read out and moved to. In this respect, when a player removes his card from the chip card reading device 15 again and/or logs off from the device, the last set screen position is advantageously stored as a preferred screen position which is then automatically moved to the next time when the player again logs on at the table. In this respect, the screen position is advantageously stored centrally and/or stored by other control devices 20 in a recallable manner so that the screen of a different player position can also be set correspondingly when the player sits at the playing table 2 there the next time.

(14) As FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate, the playing table 2 has a modular structure and is composed from a plurality of panel components 6. Such a panel component 6 has, as FIG. 2 shows, a respective screen 4 which can be lowered into and moved out of the respective panel component 6 in the described manner. At the side, the panel component 6 has connectors 17 by means of which the different panel components 6 can be set next to one another or can be put together with connector pieces 27 together with which the player table 2 can be made as a whole.