WO2011009970A1 - Electronic poker table - Google Patents

Abstract

This table comprises a central screen (2) controlled by a computer integrated in the table, and player positions with respective manual operation means that are connected to said computer and are used to interact with what is displayed on said panel regarding the game in progress. Known tables of this type also have, at each player position, an individual screen on which the player plays his game, concentrating on his own game without looking at his opponents to interpret comments, attitudes, etc., skills that could enable him to win the game without having a winning hand. This table does away with the individual screens, the whole game being played on the single central screen (2), which takes up most of the table surface (1), which is made up of said screen and a frame (3) surrounding the latter, enabling players to make use of the abovementioned skills.

Description

 DESCRIPTION

Electronic poker table.

 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

 The present invention refers, as its statement indicates, to an electronic poker table. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

 This table has been designed so that poker players can play it - without the need to have cards, chips and / or other loose objects that must be kept in mind, being the table of the type that includes a central screen where they show data of the corresponding game, and some game stations with respective means of manual operation that, connected to a computer integrated in the table and that controls the indicated screen, act on what is shown in it. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The known tables of this type have, in addition to the central screen, an individual screen in each game station mounted on a support where the corresponding means of manual operation are also found and through which the player makes his bets and plays that are transmitted to the central screen, although other movements of the game, such as the distribution of cards and the viewing by each player of which they have corresponded, are only shown on individual screens, whose supports are conveniently inclined so that each player does not see the letters of others, forcing them all to focus on these screens and develop "solo" your game.

 It is known, on the part of all poker players (especially in the Texas HoId 'em version), that this game is not based solely on the hand or play of each player but largely (almost the most important) in the "psychological" abilities to know how to observe and interpret attitudes, comments, expressions, etc. of the opponents and that can allow win the game without having a winning hand or play.

One of the important parts to suggest or influence the opponents is the game ^" with the chips when betting, which is to count the amount available and raise or lower the amount you intend to bet before placing it in the middle of the table and, thus, confirm the bet.

 The indicated individual screens have a tactile system that, to realize the bets, it is necessary to tap them with the yolk of a finger to raise or to lower the bet, with which it is evident that no player is able to observe what the others do and the indicated "psychological" abilities are almost completely annulled.

Therefore, as the game develops practically on the individual screens, it becomes almost individual as already indicated, being a great inconvenience that keeps the players away from the real poker in which all of them are arranged around the game table, concentrating on the center of it and on the Observing the opponents to fully enjoy the game experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

 The aforementioned drawback and / or problem, and others that may arise from it, are solved with the table object of the present invention, which dispenses with the individual screens and allows, when occupying the manually operated means much smaller space, the Central screen is bigger and closer to the players, being able to show more movements of the corresponding game than the central screens of the known tables.

 Because of this, this table comprises a frame of little width in all its layout that surrounds and encloses the central screen by its own frame and in which are directly mounted, at regular distances, the various sets of drive means manual that determine the gaming positions, whose frame presents at least its outer contour of polygonal, curved and / or mixed configuration according to the size of the table, number of players or other needs.

Logically, the outer contour of the central frame of the central screen will have the same configuration as the internal contour of said frame, which conforms with this screen the tabletop in which it covers most of it, is the only one included in the table and shows virtually all the development of the games, including the distribution under the cards between the players and the different dispositions of the same when acting on the means of manual operation.

 Thus, when the whole game is developed in the center of the table, each player can raise their cards up and up on the large and large screen in a virtual way so that they face him without being seen by others and, if not he is totally safe, cover them with one hand as one does in the game with real cards and re-arrange them face down.

 In this way, the present table allows, regardless of whether it is for 2, 4 or more players, to approximate them both to each other and to the only central screen where the whole game is developed in general and that of each player in particular, achieving precisely that all the . necessary and essential aspects for the correct development are present in the corresponding game, as the "psychological" abilities of each player with respect to others that allow him to win the hand or game.

 It has also been foreseen that in this table a single player can play, for which the computer that controls the only screen includes the corresponding program that allows it to act, through said screen, as a stand-alone player and "face" the indicated single player.

Advantageously, each set of manually operated means of the present table comprises at least one electronic counter device of numerical values and several buttons, which serve both to activate gameplay features such as confirming bets, viewing cards, etc., varying these functions depending on what is required by the legislation of each country where the table is installed.

 As for the counter device, it is of the type that effects the count of a number value and its increase or decrease manually selected by the player, and comprises a rotating drum, a counter viewer of the positioning by rotation of said drum and the speed angular thereof, an electronic plate transmitting data to the computer, and means of supporting the assembly on the tabletop.

 Said supporting means are constituted by an upper open box in which said drum protruding slightly from said box is longitudinally mounted, and by a support externally fixed thereto and to which the counter sight and the electronic board are fixed, communicating with each other. with the first one a toothed disk coupled to the shaft of the drum on the outside of the box.

 In this way, with the manual action on said drum making it rotate one way or another the player can, among other actions, quickly raise or lower the bets, corresponding the movement of the drum with a bar graph in the central screen that is at the view of all the participants of the game.

Due to the fact that during the development of a game the players usually take contained drinks in glasses or bottles that are deposited on the gaming table and whose content, in many cases, accidentally spills on the table, drain means are provided in the box in which the drum is mounted so that the liquid that can penetrate it does not damage the corresponding electronic device preventing proper operation.

 The table of the invention also has a single central foot of support on the ground with two parts, an upper floor smaller than that of the board and a lower floor smaller than the said upper part and topped bottom with a base, allowing the configuration of said foot the perfect and comfortable arrangement of the legs and feet of the players below the tabletop.

 As the table screen is normally rectangular, the board of which it forms a part will also be rectangular as well as the base of the foot, while the two parts of said foot will form rectangular parallelepipeds.

 To soften the possible accidental blows that may occur against the edges of the table, both the board and the two parts of the foot and the base have rounded edges.

These and other characteristics will be better understood from the detailed description that follows, which, in order to facilitate its understanding, is accompanied by a sheet of drawings in which a practical case of embodiment that is only mentioned is shown. title of non-limiting example of the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

 In the drawings:

 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the table of the invention,

 Figures 2a and 2b illustrate respective plan views of the same with different configurations of the board,

 figure 3 shows in perspective a part of the tabletop comprising an electronic counter device with said sectioned part, and figures 4 and 5 illustrate respective views of the table in front elevation and side elevation, respectively.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

 According to the drawings, the illustrated electronic poker table consists of a board (1) formed by a large and single central screen (2) and a rectangular frame (3) that surrounds and encloses said screen by its own frame (2). ') of the same, and of a central foot (4) of support of said board, finishing lower said foot with a base (5) of support on the ground.

In the board (1), the frame (3) may have a polygonal configuration, such as rectangular (figures 1 and 2a) and octagonal (left half of figure 2b), curve (not shown) or mixed (right half of the figure 2b), while the frame (2 ') of the screen (2) will have its outer contour with the configuration determined by the contour inside of said frame (3) (figures 2a and 2b), determining the different configurations not only for aesthetic values but rather for needs of the size of the table according to the number of players that it is desired to fit in it.

 In any case, the frame (3) comprises, at regular distances, sets (6) of manually operated means that determine the various play stations and which are connected to a central computer (not shown) integrated in the table, the which controls the screen (2) and shows in it the development of the game with the movements and bets of the players.

 Each set (6) comprises an electrical counter device of numerical values (7) and several

buttons (8), said device consisting of a rotating drum (9) on an axis (10) through which it is longitudinally mounted between two side walls of an upperly open box (11) from which said drum protrudes slightly and fixed to the frame (3) of the board (1) by means of a frame (H ').

 The shaft (10) is coupled, on the outside of the box (11), a toothed disk (12), which is through the recess (13 ') which forms an electronic counter sight (13) mounted, with a electronic plate (14), on a support (15) fixed to the box (11), which presents a lower means (16) of drainage towards a suitable collector (not illustrated).

The foot (4) has two parts of rectangular parallelepiped configuration, one upper (4a) on which supports the board (1) whose plant is larger than that of said part (4a), and a lower one (4b) whose plant is smaller than that of the part (4a) and, also, that the of the base (5), presenting all the components of the table rounded edges.

 The table illustrated also has in the lower contour of the part (4a) of the foot (4) boxes (17) to collect the change of money to be inserted in appropriate slots (not illustrated) of said table, depending on where the table will be set, the payment / collection methods may be different as with RDVI (kind of card with magnetic stripe activated by the central computer) and others.

 The invention, within its essentiality, can be implemented in other embodiments that differ only in detail from that indicated only by way of example and to which it will also achieve the protection that is sought. Thus, this electronic poker table can be manufactured in any shape and size, with the most suitable means and materials and with the most convenient accessories, the component elements being able to be substituted by other technically equivalent ones, since all this is included within the claims .

Claims

1.- Electronic poker table, which includes a central screen (2) controlled by a computer integrated into the table, as well as some gaming stations with respective manual operation means that, connected to said computer, allow acting on what it shows. virtually the indicated screen referring to the corresponding item, characterized in that it comprises a frame (3) of small width in its entire layout that surrounds and surrounds the central screen (2) by its frame (2') and in which are directly mounted, at regular distances, the various sets (6) of manual operation means that determine the gaming stations, whose frame (3) forms with the central screen (2) the board (1) of the table in which said The screen covers most of it, it is the only one included in the table and shows virtually the entire development of the games, including the face-down distribution of the cards among the players and the different arrangements of the cards when they act on the means of play. manual override. 2.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the outer contour of the frame (3) is of polygonal, curved and/or mixed configuration, while the outer contour of the frame (2') of the screen (2) is of the same configuration as the interior contour of the indicated frame (3). 3.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 1, characterized in that the computer that controls the screen (2) includes the corresponding program that allows it to act, through said screen, as an autonomous player. 4.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 1, characterized in that each set (6) of manual operation means comprises at least one electronic counting device for numerical values (7) and several buttons (8). 5.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 4, characterized in that the electronic counting device (7) comprises a rotating drum (9), a counter display (13) of the positioning by rotation of said drum and the angular velocity thereof. , an electronic board (14) transmitting data to the computer, and means of supporting the entire assembly on the board (1). 6.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 5, characterized in that the means of supporting the electronic counting device (7) are made up of a box (11) open at the top in which the drum (9) is longitudinally mounted, which protrudes slightly from said box, and by a support (15) fixed externally to it and to which the viewer is fixed. counter (13) and the electronic board (14). 1.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 6, characterized in that the drum (9) comprises a toothed disc (12) coupled to its axis. (10) on the outside of the box (11) and in communication with the counter display (13). 8.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 6, characterized in that the box (11) comprises drainage means (16) for liquids that may deposit therein. 9.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a single central foot (4) with two parts, an upper one (4a) with a lower plan than that of the board (1) and a lower one (4b) with a plan smaller than that of said upper part and finished off below with a base (5). 10.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 9, characterized in that the board (1) and the base (5) of the foot (4) are rectangular, and the two parts (4a, 4b) of said foot form two rectangular parallelepipeds. . 11.- Electronic poker table, according to claim 10, characterized in that the board (1), the two parts (4a, 4b) of the foot (4) and the base (5) thereof have rounded edges.