Electronic game and/or entertainment device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9728030-B2
Application number	US-201214234092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2012
Priority date	Jul 22, 2011
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A game and/or entertainment device, more particularly in the form of a coin operable or token operable gaming machine and/or gambling device with multiple separate display units for presenting information, more particularly game contents and/or game information, wherein at least one of the display units is furnished with a touch panel for inputting control commands by touching. The touch panel is formed continuously over at least one part of each of at least two different display units. By extending the touch panel across the boundary region or intermediate space between two display units, it is possible to achieve a continuously closed off front of the device, despite the use of multiple display units, whereby the structure of the corresponding device wall is simplified and the security against intrusion into the housing at gaps is increased.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gaming and/or entertainment device comprising:
a plurality of separate display units for displaying information, wherein the display units are separately mountable components and
at least one of the display units is provided with a touch panel for inputting control instructions by touch, wherein the touch panel is of continuous design extending over at least part of each of at least two different video display units and extending over the boundary region or the intermediate space between the at least two different video display units;
wherein the touch panel forms a transparent viewing panel which is mounted in front of the at least two different display units and which is fitted into a device housing and forms the machine operating position facing the front region of the device housing.

2. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the touch panel extends continuously over three display units preferably arranged one on top of the other and/or essentially over the entire game display region of the gaming and/or entertainment device.

3. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the touch panel extends over at least two display units which are of different designs in relation to one another and/or which are arranged at different angles of inclination.

4. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the display units covered by the touch panel has a display surface which has different contours from the touch panel lying above it.

5. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the touch panel is of transparent design, and the display units have display screen surfaces, which are embodied separately from the touch panel and over which the touch panel, which is of transparent design, extends, wherein the touch panel is preferably spaced apart at least in certain sections from the display screen surface located below it.

6. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a display unit with a display surface which is shaped in a convex fashion is arranged under a planar or concavely curved touch panel section.

7. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the touch panel extends continuously over two screens, one screen of which is arranged concealed partially behind another screen considered from the device operator control station.

8. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the touch panel extends over at least 30% of the surface of a housing front of the gaming and/or entertainment device facing a device operator control console.

9. The gaming and/or entertainment device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the touch panel is assigned a parallax-compensating device which comprises sensing means for sensing the head position and/or eye position of a device operator and moves a respectively sensed contact point position on the touch panel as a function of the sensed head position and/or assigns it to a display element, offset with respect to the sensed contact point position, of the display unit.

10. A gaming and/or entertainment device comprising:
a plurality of separate display units for displaying information, wherein the display units are separately mountable components and
at least one of the display units is provided with a touch panel for inputting control instructions by touch, wherein the touch panel is of continuous design extending over, at least part of at least two different display units and extending over the boundary region or the intermediate space between the at least two different display units;
wherein the touch panel forms a transparent viewing panel which is mounted in front of the at least two different display units and which is fitted into a device housing and forms the machine operating position facing the front region of the device housing;
wherein the touch panel has at least one section which has contouring which is curved at least on one axis, wherein curvature about one or more curvature axes is provided parallel to an upright longitudinal axis of the device housing body, and/or curvature about one or more curvature axes is provided parallel to a horizontal transverse axis of the device housing body.

11. A gaming and/or entertainment device comprising:
a plurality of separate display units for displaying information, wherein the display units are separately mountable components and
at least one of the display units is provided with a touch panel for inputting control instructions by touch, wherein the touch panel is of continuous design extending over, at least part of at least two different display units and extending over the boundary region or the intermediate space between the at least two different display units;
wherein the touch panel forms a transparent viewing panel which is mounted in front of the at least two different display units and which is fitted into a device housing and forms the machine operating position facing the front region of the device housing;
wherein the touch panel is of continuous design over at least two screens which are inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to one another, wherein the touch panel is embodied free of bends and/or has a profile which is curved in an arcuate shape and which fits against the surfaces of the screens which are inclined at an obtuse angle.

12. A gaming and/or entertainment device comprising:
a plurality of separate display units for displaying information, wherein the display units are separately mountable components and
at least one of the display units is provided with a touch panel for inputting control instructions by touch, wherein the touch panel is of continuous design extending over at least part of at least two different display units and extending over the boundary region or the intermediate space between the at least two different display units;
wherein the touch panel forms a transparent viewing panel which is mounted in front of the at least two different display units and which is fitted into a device housing and forms the machine operating position facing the front region of the device housing;
wherein the touch panel is of flexible design such that the touch panel can be placed in various states of curvature.

13. A gaming and/or entertainment device comprising:
a plurality of separate display units for displaying information, wherein the display units are separately mountable components and
at least one of the display units is provided with a touch panel for inputting control instructions by touch, wherein the touch panel is of continuous design extending over, at least part of at least two different display units and extending over the boundary region or the intermediate space between the at least two different display units;
wherein the touch panel forms a transparent viewing panel which is mounted in front of the at least two different display units and which is fitted into a device housing and forms the machine operating position facing the front region of the device housing;
wherein the touch panel is assigned control means for controlling the position of display elements on at least two different display units, wherein the specified control means have movement means for moving a display element from one display unit to another display unit over the boundaries of the display units lying between them; and
wherein the movement means has blanking control means for blanking out various sections of the display element in accordance with a gap dimension between the display units when the display element is moved over t

Assignees

• Woels Martin
• Gawel Marek
• Novomatic Ag

Inventors

• Woels Martin
• Gawel Marek

Classifications

• G07F17/3209

  Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen · CPC title

• G07F17/3216

  Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects · CPC title

• G07F17/3211 Primary

  Display means · CPC title

• G07F17/34

  depending on the stopping of moving members {in a mechanical slot machine}, e.g. "fruit" machines · CPC title