Electronic game and / or entertainment device

Abstract

The present invention relates to 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. According to the invention, 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.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming and / or entertainment device, in particular in the form of a coin-operated and / or money-value-operated gambling machine and / or betting device, with several separate display units for displaying information, in particular game content and / or game information, wherein at least one of the display units is provided with a touch panel for inputting control commands by touch.

[0002] Such gaming devices can, for example, take the form of electronically designed reel slot machines, where several rotating reels with various game symbols are displayed on a screen. A win is awarded when the reels land on a payline with matching game symbols. In addition to the screen that displays the actual game, for example, in the form of the aforementioned reels, there is often at least one further screen that shows additional game information such as winnings, stakes, and the like. These screens can be in the form of screens to electronically display the game content and information, and several screens can be stacked on top of each other in a tower-like housing. Below the screens, or...Screens can be positioned at approximately waist height for the player standing in front of the gaming machine. These screens may include a control panel with elements such as a coin slot, a receipt printer, and control buttons like bet buttons or a start / stop button. These elements can be mechanically or sensor-activated and, among other things, can be used to start or stop rotating reels. Additional screens are integrated into such gaming machines not only to display supplementary game information, such as other game options or the status of other bets, but also to allow different games to run simultaneously. This way, the player can enjoy additional entertainment from the other screen during less engaging game segments.

[0003] More recently, it has been proposed to equip the screens or display units with touch panels to control the device by touching the display or individual display elements. This would allow users to, for example, activate or move display elements on one of the screens, such as setting a roulette wheel in motion or stopping the display of a rotating reel. Patent US 7,479,065 B1 discloses a slot machine in which a touch panel is placed over the display unit for showing the reels, which can be a screen or an actual mechanical reel assembly. This touch panel allows the user to control the reel rotation by touching the panel. The control associated with the touch panel is designed such that a user can set the reels in motion by swiping their finger along the touch panel.A sensor system associated with the touch panel detects the aforementioned swiping motion, which is then translated by the control system into a corresponding control of the roller drives or a corresponding control of the screen display.

[0004] Further examples of gaming devices with touch-screen operation are known from documents AT 006 316 U1, EP 1 953 632 A2, US 2004 / 229693 A1 or US 2009 / 069070 A1.

[0005] If such gaming or entertainment devices have multiple touchscreens, each allowing for input of control commands via touch, the design of the housing or the encapsulation of the internal components of the machine becomes complex. Since the touch panel surface must be exposed to allow for touch input, the touch-sensitive display units cannot be enclosed behind a transparent housing panel, such as a large glass plate, as this would prevent touching the touchscreens. Therefore, separate viewing windows are typically incorporated into the housing for each of the multiple, separate display units. However, this complicates the housing design, as various gaps between the individual display units must be taken into account.Furthermore, the security problem is exacerbated because the increased number of gaps and edge areas creates a greater vulnerability to mechanical manipulation, for example by attempting to penetrate the joints between individual display units with a mechanical object such as a screwdriver.

[0006] The present invention is based on the objective of creating an improved gaming or entertainment device of the type mentioned above, which avoids disadvantages of the prior art and advantageously develops the latter further. In particular, in a gaming or entertainment device that has several separate display units with touchscreen operation, the device housing design should be simplified and the security against mechanical manipulation increased.

[0007] According to the invention, the aforementioned problem is solved by a gaming and / or entertainment device according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0008] To solve the aforementioned problem, it is proposed that instead of assigning a separate touch panel to each display unit, a common touch panel should be provided for at least two separately arranged and designed display units. According to the invention, the touch panel extends continuously over at least a portion of at least two different display units. By extending the touch panel across the boundary area or the gap between two display units, a completely enclosed device front can be achieved despite the use of multiple display units. This simplifies the construction of the corresponding device wall and increases security against intrusion into the housing at gaps.

[0009] The touch panel can be designed and arranged in such a way that information from different display units is visible on the same touch panel, or that multiple display units can be controlled by touch from the same touch panel. Advantageously, the touch panel thus forms not just a cover extending over several display units, but a functional unit interacting with several separate display units, enabling the interactive processing of information displayed on different units. Different parts or sections of the touch panel are positioned over different display units.While a first section of the touch panel is exclusively assigned to a first display unit and / or extends exclusively above said first display unit, a second section of the touch panel is exclusively assigned to a second display unit and / or extends exclusively above this second display unit. The different display units are located under different sections of the same touch panel.

[0010] The display units themselves can each form independent assemblies, which, apart from the common touch panel, can be independently functional. The display units are independently mountable or interchangeable display assemblies and can have independently designed power supply components and / or independently designed control modules that control the display elements generated on the respective display unit. In the context of the present application, a display unit can, in particular, be a screen or a mechanical roller assembly with preferably two, three, four, or more rotatable rollers, wherein a screen forming a display unit can be flat, like a conventional flat screen, or curved, like an electronic roller display screen.In the context of the present invention, separate display units are therefore, in particular, independently functioning display assemblies that have independently visible or perceptible display areas and each enable a self-contained, complete game display. The display fields of the separate display units are thus not arranged one behind the other or one above the other in the direction of view, but are arranged next to each other and, if necessary, spaced apart from each other, offset perpendicular to the direction of view. The display fields or display field or image sections of the separate display units visible from the device operator's position are preferably located outside of each other, in particular such that a display field or image section of one display unit visible from the device operator's position lies outside the display field or image section of the other display unit.Accordingly, the sections of the touch panel assigned to the separate display units are arranged separately from each other when viewed from the operator's position. However, the display units are integrated by the shared touch panel in terms of their arrangement and function, insofar as the visible display areas of the display units are at least partially located beneath the shared touch panel and / or the display of the multiple display units can be modified or control commands regarding display elements on different display units can be influenced via the shared touch panel.

[0011] The touch panel does not necessarily have to extend over the entire visible display area of ​​its associated display units, especially if only a portion of the information provided on a display unit is intended for interactive processing. Advantageously, however, the touch panel extends over a large area covering the entire display surface of all separate display units associated with it. Ideally, the touch panel can extend over the entire display area of ​​the device, which is comprised of the display areas of the various separate display units. If the display units of the gaming or entertainment device are located on the front of the housing in its upper area, as is the case, for example, with a so-called...In the case of a stand-alone device, the touch panel advantageously extends substantially over the entire upper front of the device housing, with a housing surround optionally provided at the edges, as is the case, for example, with a door or window frame.

[0012] In an advantageous further development of the invention, the gaming or entertainment device can comprise three preferably superimposed separate display units, wherein the said touch panel extends continuously and integrally in one piece over the visible display areas of the three separate display units.

[0013] Advantageously, the use of a continuous touch panel allows for the variable installation of display units of different sizes, formats, and / or surface contours without requiring special modifications to the device housing. According to the invention, the touch panel extends across several differently shaped and / or differently inclined display units. This results in a uniformly or continuously contoured device surface in the area of ​​the display units, even when display units with different curvatures, offset arrangements, or formats are used. For example, flat and curved screens can be installed together as display units, over which a uniformly contoured touch panel extends, thus eliminating the need for an irregularly structured device housing wall.

[0014] According to the invention, the touch panel has at least one section with a contour that is curved in at least one axis, and hybrid forms thereof are also possible, for example, such that an arcuately curved panel section adjoins a flat panel section. The use of a touch panel with at least one curved panel section offers particular advantages, independent of the features described above, even for devices with only one screen, and in particular allows for organic housing shapes that can be designed harmoniously with smooth, especially curved, outer or visible surfaces, regardless of a specific screen contour. According to one aspect of the invention, a touch panel with at least one section having at least a one-axis curvature can extend, in particular, over a flat display surface of a display unit of the interactive terminal.The interactive terminal can be, in particular, a gaming and / or entertainment machine or weather terminal, but also a money exchange and / or dispensing machine or a token machine, or another interactive terminal, especially of the stand-alone type.

[0015] The curvature of the touch panel can be configured in various ways, for example, as a uniaxial curvature around a vertical axis of curvature essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device, or as a uniaxial curvature around a horizontal axis of curvature approximately parallel to the transverse axis of the device housing. Alternatively, the touch panel can also have multiaxially curved surface contours, such as a cushion-shaped contour or a bowl- or trough-shaped contour. For example, corner areas of the touch panel can be curved towards the user interface, while advantageously a central area of ​​the touch panel can be flat or uniaxially curved.

[0016] In particular, a curved touch panel can be installed across display units whose display surfaces are not in a common plane, in order to create a uniform front area of ​​the device housing facing the operator station even with such an arrangement of display units, while simultaneously adapting the touch panel to the display units.

[0017] For example, in a slot machine, a convexly contoured, particularly barrel-shaped, display unit, which enables a realistic representation of the rotating reels, can be combined with an approximately flat display unit positioned above or below it, and covered by a continuous, for example, flat or uniformly curved touch panel. The aforementioned barrel-shaped display unit can be, for example, a mechanical, driven reel assembly or a curved screen that displays the rotating reels, while the flat display can be used to show additional information or another game.

[0018] According to the invention, at least one of the display units covered by the touch panel has a display surface contour that differs from that of the touch panel above it. The touch panel does not need to follow the contour of the display surface of the underlying display unit identically, but can be contoured independently and be spaced more or less far from the display surface of the underlying display device. This means that a uniform gap between the display surface of the respective display unit and the touch panel above it is not required, although this can be the case. The touch panel can rest directly on the display surface of the underlying display device and make point, line, or area contact with it. However, the touch panel can also be arranged completely without contact with the display device.

[0019] In a further development of the invention, different distances can be provided between different display units on the one hand and the touch panel on the other, i.e. the display units can be installed at different distances from the touch panel, so that a higher degree of freedom in the positioning of the display units is achieved without sacrificing a uniform housing front.

[0020] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the touch panel is transparent, and the display units can have separate display surfaces, in particular screen surfaces, but also mechanical display surfaces, in front of which the transparent touch panel extends. The touch panel therefore does not have to form the display surface of the respective display device. Rather, the touch panel is advantageously a separate assembly, with each display unit having its own display surface for displaying the respective information or display elements, for example in the form of a screen surface.

[0021] To achieve favorable viewing conditions with minimal glare from the operator's position on the display units, the invention arranges the multiple display units at obtuse angles to one another. In particular, two or three screens, each obtusely angled to one another, can be arranged one above the other, so that the operator's line of sight falls approximately perpendicularly onto each respective display unit. With such an obtuse-angled arrangement of the display units, the touch panel, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, is nevertheless designed without kinks to achieve a uniform device front and to avoid housing sections that are difficult to form.In a particularly advantageous further development of the invention, the touch panel can have a concave curved contour that conforms to or approximates the obtusely angled, polygon-like course of the display surfaces of the several separate display units, for example similar to an inner circumcircle that conforms to a polygon.

[0022] In particular, the contouring of the touch panel can be such that the distance between the back of the touch panel and the surface of the display units is smallest in the area of ​​the central sections of two adjacent display units, while the distance to the surfaces of the display units increases towards the transition area of ​​the display units and / or also towards the edges of the adjacent display units facing away from each other. The touch panel thus conforms most closely to the central areas of the display units, which are inclined at an obtuse angle to each other.

[0023] If at least one of the display units has a convex contour, in a further development of the invention the touch panel located above it can have a flat or concave contour.

[0024] In a further development of the invention, the touch panel can also extend continuously across two display units, particularly in the form of flat screens, one of which, viewed from the operating station, is partially concealed behind another display unit. Such a staggered arrangement of the display units with the display surfaces offset into the depth of the device can be particularly advantageous when different viewing windows in various formats are to be generated on the device using standard-format screens, for example, one of the display units is intended to generate only a display area in the form of a narrow strip or an L-shaped display area, even though the display device itself has a display area in a standard format.

[0025] To enable the use of one and the same touch panel for different arrangements of display units and to adapt its contour accordingly, an advantageous embodiment of the invention utilizes a flexible touch panel that is deformable in such a way that it can assume various curvature profiles. Regardless of whether the touch panel is to have a flat contour, a uniaxially curved contour, or a multiaxially curved contour in its installed state, the same touch panel or the same type of touch panel can be used, which is deformed into the desired curvature during installation, for example, by mounting the touch panel onto a correspondingly curved frame or support.Such deformable, preferably elastically flexible touch panels can be formed, for example, by touch-sensitive films applied to flexible substrates such as transparent polycarbonate sheets, for example, by means of double-sided adhesive tape. Such pressure-sensitive flexible films can be, for example, PET films, wherein an electrically conductive polymer layer can be applied to or incorporated between the pressure-sensitive film and / or between the film and the substrate, by means of which a finger touch of the touch panel can be detected.

[0026] Advantageously, the touch panel's flexibility is designed such that, while it can be brought into the desired curvature through assembly steps, it is not subsequently deformed further by normal finger pressure, at least not permanently. Thus, under normal use, the touch panel retains its curvature once established during assembly. In particular, the touch panel can possess a certain degree of tension and flexibility that holds it in the desired surface shape.

[0027] Notwithstanding the possible staggered arrangement of the display units in the depth of the device or a different surface contouring of the display units, in an advantageous further development of the invention the touch panel forms a uniformly contoured, continuous and large-area, transparent front panel which is superimposed on the display units and is fitted into the device housing and / or whose front area forms, in particular above a control section of the device housing.

[0028] Regardless of the specific design of the multiple separate display units, it is advantageous if the touch panel is large and covers at least more than 30% of the device's front surface facing the operator. This allows a standardized device housing to be used for various gaming machine models, whose internal components can be configured variably, for example, by installing display units with different contours and / or formats. Due to the large surface area of ​​the touch panel, which in an advantageous embodiment of the invention can also cover more than 50% of the housing's front surface facing the operator, two, three, four, or even more screens can be installed in the device housing, depending on the model, without being restricted by overly restrictive limitations regarding the arrangement of the display units.

[0029] To enable easy targeting of the desired touch point even with potentially significant offsets or deviations between the surface of the touch panel and the display surface of the underlying display units, without making the assignment of the actually touched area of ​​the touch panel to a corresponding display field too error-prone, a parallax compensation device can be provided in a further development of the invention. This device corrects the visual error caused by the aforementioned offset or differing curvature. The parallax compensation device provided for this purpose can, for example, include detection means for recording the head position of a device operator and adjust the detected touch point position—where, for example, a finger touches the touch panel—depending on the detected head position.The display area is offset from the touch point on the touch panel and assigned to the underlying display unit. Parallax describes the physical or optical effect that occurs when the viewing axis is not exactly perpendicular to the surface of a transparent medium, an object seen in or behind the medium is not actually located exactly where it is perceived. The parallax correction device takes this phenomenon into account and corrects the visual error depending on the detected head or eye position of the device operator and certain geometric installation parameters, which may be stored in memory.

[0030] To enable the continuous touch panel to be used as intended across the boundaries of the display units, despite the separate design of the display devices, a further development of the invention assigns control means to the touch panel that allow display elements to be dragged from one display unit to another across intervening boundaries or gaps between the display units. The continuous touch panel and the control device assigned to the touch panel and the display units are designed such that display content, for example in the form of information windows, can be dragged from one display unit to another by touching the touch panel.The control means associated with the touch panel and the display units can include movement means that allow a display element to be continuously moved across the display boundary to another display element by moving a finger or hand on the touch panel. Such a continuous movement process allows for particularly intuitive operation of the device. Alternatively or additionally, it would also be possible to move display content from one display unit to another not by moving a finger on the touch panel, but simply by tapping the touch panel accordingly, for example, first in the area of ​​one display unit and then in the area of ​​the other.The display of the shifting process on the display units can be controlled in various ways, for example, digitally switching so that the display ends on one unit and begins seamlessly or with a time delay on the other. Advantageously, however, the shifting process can be displayed continuously along a corresponding path, allowing the user to visually follow the shift.

[0031] If the shifting process is displayed continuously, a further development of the invention allows the display of the element being shifted to be partially hidden in the area of ​​the transition between the two display units. Corresponding hiding means for hiding different sections of the display element can take into account the gap between the display units and hide a correspondingly wide strip of the display element, with a different section being hidden continuously to make the transition of the display element's representation from one display unit to the other appear seamless, in particular such that an increasingly larger area of ​​the display element is hidden on the display unit to which the display element is shifted, while an increasingly smaller portion of the display element is hidden on the display unit to which the display element is shifted.

[0032] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1: A schematic, perspective partial view of a gaming device according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, comprising three separate, superimposed display units in the form of screens, arranged below or behind a common touch panel. Fig. 2: A vertical section through the gaming device. Fig. 1 , which shows the arrangement of the several display units and the touch panel associated with them, wherein, in contrast to the invention, a flat touch panel is provided which is arranged directly in front of the display units, Fig. 3: a vertical section through a gaming device similar to Fig. 2 , in which two screens arranged one above the other are positioned at an obtuse angle to each other and a third, barrel-shaped screen arranged below is projecting beyond the plane of the middle screen and a concavely curved touch panel is provided which conforms to the obtuse-angled arrangement of the display units, Fig. 4: a longitudinal section through a gaming device not according to the invention similar Fig. 2 , in comparison to Fig. 2 The lower display unit for showing rotating reels is not formed by a barrel-shaped curved screen, but by a mechanical reel arrangement, Fig. 5: a longitudinal section through a gaming device similar to Fig. 3 , in comparison to the execution of the Fig. 3 The lower display unit for showing rotating reels is not formed by a barrel-shaped curved screen, but by a mechanical reel arrangement, Fig. 6: a longitudinal section through a gaming device not according to the invention similar to Fig. 2 , wherein two screens arranged one above the other are offset from each other when viewed from a device operator station, so that one screen partially obscures the other screen, wherein a flat touch panel is placed over the two screens arranged one behind the other, Fig. 7: a longitudinal section through a gaming device similar to Fig. 2 , wherein three screens are arranged one above the other, the lower two of which are arranged offset one behind the other when viewed from a device operator station, and a third, upper screen is arranged at an obtuse angle to the middle screen, and the touch panel comprises a flat section and a continuously adjoining concave section that hugs the tilted upper screen, Fig. 8: a longitudinal section through a gaming device not according to the invention similar to Fig. 2 , wherein four screens are arranged one above the other, the upper three screens being arranged offset from one another and tilted relative to each other when viewed from a device operator station, and a lower fourth screen being provided with a convex display surface, wherein a flat touch panel is formed continuously over all four screens, Fig. 9: a schematic, partial sectional view of the transition area of ​​two separate screens, across the boundaries of which a display element can be moved from one screen to the other by dragging a finger on the touch panel across the boundary section, and Fig. 10: a schematic representation of a flexible touch panel in side and top views, each showing different curvature states of the flexible touch panel.

[0033] A in Figur 1 The illustrated gaming device 1 is a stand-alone unit comprising an approximately man-high, roughly box-shaped housing 11, the upper half of which serves to hold a display device comprising several separate, independently functioning display units and, in the illustrated embodiment, consisting of three screens arranged one above the other, wherein a first screen 12 is designed as a curved LCD-TFT screen and a second screen 13 and a third screen 14 are each designed as flat LCD-TFT displays. Figur 1 As shown, the gaming device housing 11 has only a single window-like cutout 15 in its front for all of the aforementioned screens. This cutout 18 in the device housing 11 defines the game display area 16, in which the game content, game information, and any additional information are displayed by the multiple display units 12, 13, and 14. The gaming device can serve, in particular, as an entertainment or gambling machine, but can also be used as a weather terminal, or alternatively or additionally as a money exchange and / or dispensing machine, a token machine, or as another type of interactive terminal, especially a stand-alone type.

[0034] Below the screens 12, 13 and 14 or the cutout 15, the gaming device housing 11 has a control panel section 17 projecting towards the player, which extends over the entire width of the device housing 11 and is essentially box-shaped, cf. Fig. 2 The upper surface of the control panel section of the device housing 1 is approximately flat and contains the control panel, which may include several manually operated buttons in the form of pushbuttons. In the illustrated embodiment, the buttons are mechanical switches; however, it is understood that the buttons can also be operated according to other principles, in particular, they can be part of a touchscreen. In a manner known per se, the control panel section may further include a money input and / or output unit, which, of course, may be configured in various ways per se and may, for example, include a coin and banknote module, a token and / or ticket module, a receipt printer, or an electronic card reader and writer.

[0035] Furthermore, the control panel on the front of the control panel section may have a handle, a start button, and several control buttons on the flat top surface, for example to increase the stake, to retrieve game information, or to control other game functions.

[0036] The games displayed on screens 12, 13, and 14 are controlled by an electronic control unit, preferably in the form of a computer, which is housed inside the lower half of the device casing 11. The control unit controls the display device and communicates with the control panel buttons. It is understood that the payout mechanism is also controlled by the control unit.

[0037] From the operator's position, a single, continuous touch panel 25 is positioned in front of the aforementioned screens, extending across and covering the separate screens or display units 12, 13, and 14. A particular advantage of this design is that the construction of the device housing does not require special attention to various gaps between the individual display units; in particular, various intermediate supports can be omitted, thereby increasing security against mechanical tampering.

[0038] In Fig. 3 A gaming device 1 according to a further embodiment is shown. In the present case, a touch panel 25 similar to the one in the Fig. 2 as shown, however, the touch panel 25 is curved, in particular the touch panel 25 has a concave curvature.

[0039] According to a further embodiment, a mechanical roller arrangement 42 can be provided as a display unit instead of a screen 12, for example comprising three or five rollers rotatably mounted side by side about a common axis, as is the case with the Figuren 4 and 5 show. Otherwise, these statements correspond to those of the Figuren 2 or 3.

[0040] According to a non-inventive example, which Figur 6 As shown, the second screen 13 and a third screen 14 are arranged offset and staggered one behind the other, so that screen 14 extends partially behind screen 13 and is partially obscured by it. Roughly speaking, the second screen 13 is located in a front screen plane essentially directly below or on the front of the device, while the obscured screen 14 is positioned deeper into the device body in the direction of the viewing axis, so that part of its screen surface is hidden behind screen 13 in the direction of the viewing axis. This obscured screen arrangement allows the use of a standard-format screen despite the unusually narrow (vertically) but wide viewing window or cutout. Advantageously, all two offset and obscuring screens 13 and 14 have the same aspect ratio.In particular, they can be designed as flat screens, for example in the form of TFT monitors.

[0041] According to another embodiment, which Fig. 7 As shown, two screens 12 and 13 arranged one behind the other in the depth direction of the housing can also be combined with a third screen 14 arranged at an angle to them. How Fig. 7 As shown, the first screen 12 and the second screen 13 are arranged offset or staggered one behind the other, so that the second screen 13 is partially obscured behind the first screen 13. The second screen 13 is positioned deeper into the device housing in the direction of the viewing axis, so that a lower section of its screen surface is obscured behind the first screen 12. The upper third screen 14, however, adjoins the second screen 13 without obstruction, with its lower longitudinal edge extending approximately parallel to the upper longitudinal edge of the middle screen 13. The upper third screen 14 is tilted forward at an obtuse angle out of the plane of the second screen 13 (see figure). Fig. 7 , similar to the execution according to Fig. 3 that is the case.

[0042] How Fig. 7 As shown, the continuous touch panel 25, which extends across all screens 12, 13 and 14, can also include differently curved sections, for example as in Fig. 7 shown a flat lower section and a continuously adjoining concavely curved upper section, which changes shape during execution according to Fig. 7 nestles against the forward-tilted upper screen 14. Regardless of the tilt of the screens and / or their depth offset, the touch panel 25 can have such or another arrangement of differently curved or flat sections, wherein the touch panel 25 is preferably continuously contoured without creases.

[0043] How Fig. 8 As shown, the touch panel 25 can also extend across four screens 12, 13, 14, and 15. Screens with different surface contours can be used, as illustrated by the first screen 12 and the screen 13 positioned above it. These differently contoured screens 12 and 13 can be arranged in the same plane or offset from each other. Furthermore, at least one screen can be recessed into the depth of the device housing, as shown by the third screen 14. Fig. 8 This illustrates that, in the direction of view of the screen, it has a partially obscured screen section that extends behind the second screen 13. Furthermore, at least one screen can be provided that is arranged at an obtuse angle to the other screens, as is the case with the fourth screen 15 according to Fig. 8 This illustrates that this tilted screen 15 can be connected to an adjacent screen with one edge essentially flush or without offset, as explained above. Fig. 7 as shown. Alternatively, the tilted screen 15 can also be positioned offset from the adjacent screen, as shown. Fig. 8 The fourth screen 15 is not only tilted at an obtuse angle, but is also partially concealed, since the lower section of the fourth screen 15 is recessed into the depth of the device housing and extends a short distance behind the third screen 14, cf. Fig. 8 The tilted arrangement of the screens advantageously provides an improved or ergonomic design of the gaming device for the user, while otherwise offering maximum flexibility regarding the provision of display areas for information for interaction with the user, especially in view of the otherwise limited size of the gaming device.

[0044] According to Fig. 8 The touch panel 25 can have a substantially flat profile. According to another aspect of the invention, a curved profile of the touch panel 25 is provided, for example as in the Fig. 8 shown arrangement of screens or any other arrangement of several, for example three (see Fig. 3 ) or four screens, in which case the curvature is formed around a transverse axis of the gaming device. The curvature can be at least partially circular arc-shaped or oval-shaped.

[0045] According to a further aspect of the invention, a curved profile of the touch panel 25 around a longitudinal axis of the gaming device is advantageously provided. Alternatively, a curvature of the touch panel 25 around both the transverse and the longitudinal axis is possible, whereby, for example, a cushion-shaped design of the touch panel 25 can be achieved, in which, for example, the corner areas of the touch panel 25 are curved towards the operating position.

[0046] The touch panel control system can include a parallax compensation device to correct for positional inaccuracies, thus enabling parallax correction for touch panel users with different screen configurations, particularly with a screen positioned at a distance. The parallax compensation device can include sensing elements, which may be located, for example, on the device housing, especially its front panel, and which detect the head and / or eye position of an operator standing in front of the device in order to perform parallax correction based on the detected eye or head position. In addition to the detected head or eye position, the parallax compensation device also uses other means.eye position is based on stored geometry parameters that characterize the position of the screens relative to each other and relative to the touch panel 25 and / or the contouring of the touch panel 25 and / or the contouring of the display surfaces of the display units 12, 13, 14 and 15.

[0047] The touch panel control is further adapted to allow, for example, the continuous movement of a graphic element from the first screen 12 to the second screen 13 or third screen 14 or further screen 15, as shown. Fig. 9 As illustrated, the touch panel 25 can be assigned control means for position control of display elements on at least two different display units 13 and 14, wherein the said control means advantageously comprise displacement means for moving a display element 28 from one display unit to another across the intermediate boundaries. Advantageously, the said displacement means can include hide control means for hiding different sections of the display element, wherein the hide control means advantageously take into account a gap dimension between the display units 13 and 14 when determining the hidden section. In particular, an approximately strip-shaped area can be hidden from the display element to be moved, the height of which corresponds approximately to the gap dimension between the display units, cf. Fig. 9 .

[0048] The electronic device can be configured using any suitable hardware and / or software. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may comprise: the aforementioned touch panel 25, a touch controller coupled to the touch panel 25, and system control logic coupled to: the touch controller, at least one processor, system memory, non-volatile memory and / or storage device, and one or more communication interfaces. A communication interface is configured as a video interface to the respective screens on which graphical elements can be displayed.

[0049] The Touch Panel 25 with the Touch Controller is specifically designed and intended for providing detected position information.

[0050] The Touch-Panel 25 can be formed using a suitable touch-sensitive technology such as, without limitation, capacitive, resistive, acoustic surface waves (SAW), infrared and optical imaging.

[0051] Physical contact with the touch panel 25 is not absolutely necessary; the presence of an object near the surface can also be detected.

[0052] Moving a displayed element 28 from one screen 13 to an adjacent screen 14 can involve a coordinate calculation performed at continuous intervals, taking into account the current position information of the detected touch on the touch panel. The calculations can be performed in pixel units. If, during the moving process, the graphic element begins to move beyond the edge of the screen, the portion of the graphic element that extends beyond one screen edge can be hidden by the distance to the adjacent screen edge.

[0053] How Fig. 10 As shown, in an advantageous further development of the invention, the touch panel 25 can be designed to be flexible, so that the touch panel 25 can assume different curvature profiles and can be installed in the device housing in different curvature profiles, wherein the touch panel 25 extends continuously over and covers the separate screens or display units. Fig. 10 (a) This shows a side view with an essentially horizontal viewing axis to the touch panel, while Fig. 10 (b) A top view or a side view from above with a substantially vertical viewing axis is shown. The different bending states are shown according to the... Figuren 10 (a) und 10 (b) As shown, the touch panel 25 can be curved in one or more directions, depending on the desired shape of the front surface of the device housing formed by the touch panel.

Claims

1. Gaming and / or entertainment device, comprising several separate display units (12, 13, 14, 15), in particular monitors, for presenting information, the display units (12, 13, 14, 15) forming assemblies that can be installed independently, and at least one of the display units (12, 13, 14, 15) being provided with a touch panel (25) for entering control commands by touch, characterised in that the touch panel (25) extends continuously across at least a part of at least two different display units (12, 13, 14, 15) and across the border area or the gap between the at least two different display units; and in that the touch panel (25) forms a transparent visual front trim superimposed on the display units (12, 13, 14, 15), which is inserted into a device housing (11) and forms a front area of the device housing facing the device operating position, the touch panel (25) extending across several display units (12, 13, 14, 15) which are differently designed and / or inclined relative to one another, at least one of the display units (12) covered by the touch panel (25) having a contoured display surface differing from the overlying touch panel (25), the touch panel (25) comprising at least one section having a contour curved about at least one axis, the touch panel (25) extending continuously across at least two monitors (13, 14; 14, 15) inclined towards each other at an obtuse angle, the touch panel (25) preferably being designed without kinks and / or being arc-shaped to lie against the obtusely inclined surfaces of the monitors (13, 14; 14, 15).

2. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to the preceding claim, wherein the touch panel (25) extends continuously across three display units (12, 13, 14, 15), preferably arranged one above the other, and / or substantially across the entire game display area (16) of the gaming and / or entertainment device.

3. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch panel (25) is transparent and the display units have display surfaces (12a, 13a, 14a, 15a), in particular monitor surfaces, formed separately from the touch panel (25), across which the transparent touch panel (25) extends, the touch panel (25) preferably being at least partially spaced from the display surface (12a, 13a, 14a) of an underlying display unit (12, 13, 14).

4. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch panel (25) is curved about one or more axes of curvature parallel to an upright longitudinal axis of the device housing body and / or curved about one or more axes parallel to a horizontal axis of the device housing body.

5. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a display unit (12) with a spherically shaped display surface is arranged under a flat or concavely curved touch panel section.

6. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch panel (25) is bendable so that the touch panel (25) can be brought into different states of curvature.

7. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch panel (25) extends continuously across two monitors (13, 14), of which one monitor (14) is arranged partly hidden behind another monitor (13), when seen from the device operating position.

8. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch panel (25) covers at least 30% of the area of a housing front facing a device operating position of the gaming and / or entertainment device.

9. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch panel (25) is allocated a parallax compensation device that comprises detection means for detecting the head and / or eye position of a device user, and displaces a respective detected contact point position on the touch panel depending on the detected head position and / or allocates a display element of the display unit offset from the detected contact point position.

10. Gaming and / or entertainment device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch panel (25) is allocated control means for controlling the positioning of display elements on at least two different display units (13, 14), said control means comprising displacement means for displacing a display element (28) from one display unit (13) to another display unit (14) beyond the delimitations between the display units (13, 14), the displacement means comprising blanking control means for blanking out different sections of the display element in line with the spacing between the display units (13, 14) when the display element (28) is displaced beyond the delimitations of the display units (13, 14).

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