Gambling machine

• US 8,070,602 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2006
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wessling, Herbert
• Original Assignee: Wessling, Herbert
• Inventors: Wessling, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/795,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20080300036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,143 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 21, 463/30, 463 36- 37, 463/42, 463/46, 273/85, 273/138, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/138.A, 273/139, 273/143.R, 273/148, 273/237, 273/269, 200/5.D, 200/5.E, 200/43.18, 200/50.36, 200295-296, 200/276.1, 200/314, 200/341, 200/345, 200/412, 200/417, 200/422, 200/510, 200/520, 200/530, 345/156, 345173-174, 345178-180, 73/11.9, 73/12.3, 73/15.6, 403/15, 404/64, 744/733, 744/83.PB
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gambling machine comprised of a display unit (1) to display a course of a game and to display game results, and comprised of an operating unit (3) to influence the course of a game, and comprised of an electronic control unit (2) connected to the display unit (1) and to the operating unit (3) to control the course of a game and to determine the game results. To provide such a gambling machine wherein the operating unit (3) is wear-free and vandalism-safe, the present invention proposes that the operating unit (3) be comprised of an operating panel (4) made of a dielectrical shockproof material, the front side of which forms the operating panel of the operating unit (3), with the operating panel (4) being comprised of an operating field (5) or being subdivided into several operating fields (5), and wherein a capacitive sensor element (8) arranged on the rear side of the operating panel (4) is allocated to each operating field (5).

Claims

1. A gambling machine comprising:

a display unit to display a course of a game and to display the results of a game;

an operating unit to influence the course of a game; and

an electronic control unit connected to said display unit and to said operating unit to control the course of a game and to determine the game results,

wherein said operating unit comprises a several millimeter thick operating panel made of a dielectric material a front side of said operating panel forming an operating surface of the operating unit,

wherein said operating panel is subdivided into a plurality of operating fields,

wherein a plurality of capacitive sensor elements is arranged on a rear side of said operating panel, wherein each capacitive sensor element of said plurality of capacitive sensor elements is allocated to a respective operating field of said plurality of operating fields,

wherein said operating panel is made of a hard and form-stable plastic material having dielectric properties and configured to provide substantially no movement of said operating panel during operation of the gambling machine, and

wherein a respective sensor surface of each of said plurality of capacitive sensor elements is coupled to said electronic control unit by a digital evaluation electronic interface, said digital evaluation electronic interface being configured to evaluate for each capacitive sensor element a velocity of variation in time of a capacitance recorded at said respective sensor surface, the capacitance determined by a network comprising a first capacitance between said respective sensor surface and a portion of an operator'"'"'s body, a second capacitance between said respective sensor surface and a remainder of the gambling machine and a third capacitance of the operator'"'"'s body, and said digital evaluation electronic interface being configured to generate a control signal depending on a result of the evaluation and to transmit the control signal to said electronic control unit when the velocity of variation in time of the capacitance exceeds a defined limit value on a condition that the velocity of variation in time of the capacitance does not again fall under the defined limit value during a defined time interval.

2. A gambling machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the operating panel is at least partly transparent, with a marking foil being arranged between the operating panel and the sensor surfaces of the sensor elements, said marking foil being imprinted in conformity with the subdivision of said operating panel into operating fields.

3. A gambling machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said digital evaluation electronic interface is arranged spatially away from said operating panel.

4. A gambling machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising a sound producing switching circuit allocated to said operating unit and configured for electronically generating operating sounds.