The invention relates in general to a table arrangement and particularly to a foldable table arrangement. Even more particularly, the invention relates to table arrangement with a foldable table top.
It is well known that different tables or similar are frequently used as work surfaces or similar in many different environments, e.g. as a support for different objects and/or activities. It is also well known that various tables or similar have a foldable table top. Such tables are typically designed to occupy a negligible floor area when they are folded and unused, and to occupy a larger floor area when they are unfolded and used.
A foldable table that occupies a negligible floor area when it is unused is particularly advantageous in small spaces, e.g. in small compartments in vehicles, trains or aeroplanes and other means of conveyance, but also in small booths, cubicles and rooms or similar within various buildings or other stationary or partly stationary installations such as caravans and trailers or similar.
A foldable table that occupies a negligible floor area when it is unused is also advantageous in larger rooms or similar that need a flexible furnishing, e.g. in a room used both as a dining room requiring a number of tables and as a lecture room requiring a plurality of chairs but at the most one or a few tables. The refurnishing of such a room is facilitated by tables that are easy to fold and put away, as well as easy to bring out and unfold.
However, even if a foldable table occupies a negligible horizontal floor area in a folded position it may nevertheless occupy a considerable vertical wall area or similar vertical surface. This is typically the case if the table top of a floor-supported table is folded in a vertical position and then placed in front of a wall, or if the table top of a wall-supported table is folded towards the supporting wall. The folded table top will then cover a part of the wall surface or area, which implies that the use of this surface or area for hanging or otherwise arranging objects or functions that should be more or less continuously visible and/or accessible is considerably impaired. This is particularly disadvantageous if the folded table top covers a display unit or similar that is mounted on a vertical wall area or similar, or prevents a display unit or similar from being mounted on the vertical wall area, e.g. a wall mounted television apparatus or similar, since this excludes or at least reduces the possibility of observing the images displayed on the display unit.
Moreover, a vertically folded table top would typically not provide any surface for supporting a display unit (e.g. a television apparatus or a computer monitor or similar), a computer, a telephone and similar, even though modern environments frequently demand such functional units. If a functional unit cannot be supported by the table in its folded position or if the unit is covered by the folded table it will typically need a separate table or some other separate support. This is a clear disadvantage in small spaces as mentioned above. This is also a clear disadvantage in connection with larger rooms or similar, since a separate table will decrease the flexibility of the furnishing etc.
Consequently, there is a need for an improved table arrangement having a foldable or pivotable table top, which table arrangement occupies a negligible horizontal area or similar in it is folded position and a larger horizontal area or similar in it is unfolded position, and which:
The invention provides for a foldable table arrangement that can be used both as a display unit (e.g. a television apparatus or a computer monitor) and as a table.
This is accomplished by a foldable table arrangement comprising a foldable table top having a rear side and a substantially flat front side. The table top is supported by at least one base member and at least one foldable table top support member. The foldable table top support member is pivotally secured to the base member and the table top for pivoting the table top relative to the base member, so as to keep the front side of the table top continuously visible in at least one viewing direction during the pivotal movement. The front side of the pivotable table top is provided with at least one durable work surface, which work surface is provided with at least one durable and substantially transparent surface layer. There is at least one display unit visibly arranged behind said durable and substantially transparent surface layer for presenting moving images.
A foldable table arrangement according to the above is particularly advantageous in connection with touch screens arranged to provide functions that should be more or less continuously visible and accessible. Such touch screens can e.g. be used in connection with electronic gaming machines, wherein the invention can be advantageously used as an electronic gaming table for playing table games that are traditionally played in casinos.
It is therefore preferred that said durable and substantially transparent surface layer of the table arrangement is a part of a touch screen device that is arranged on or above said display unit to receive and detect touches from at least one user of the foldable table arrangement.
Similarly, it is therefore preferred that the base member is adapted to be supported by a floor. However, other embodiment may have a base member that is adapted to be supported by a wall or a backrest of a seat.
The touch screen device may be any suitable touch screen device with a durable and substantially transparent surface layer, preferably a capacitive sensing touch screen or a surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screen. Optical touch screens may also be preferred in some embodiments, e.g. a touch screen based on IR techniques, laser emitting devices and/or based on cameras in combination with image processing techniques etc. Resistive touch screens and force sensing touch screen based on strain gauges or similar may be alternatives, provided that they provide a durable and substantially transparent surface.
It is moreover preferred that a blocking device is arranged to fixate said pivoting table top in substantially any pivoting direction within a range from a substantially horizontal direction to a substantially vertical direction. This gives ergonomic advantages, e.g. enabling a user to lean his forearms on a substantially horizontal table top when touching the touch screen (e.g. typing on a keyboard function or playing games provided by a game function etc), while the direction of the table top can be adjusted between a substantially vertical direction (90°) and a substantially horizontal direction (0°) to achieve the best viewing position when watching movies or similar.
It is preferred that the touch screen device and the display unit are connected to a processing unit arranged to implement at least one of a keyboard function or a mouse function by means of said touch screen device and said display unit.
It is also preferred that the table arrangement is arranged as a electronic gaming table for playing table games, wherein the touch screen device and the display unit are connected to a processing unit arranged to implement a table game by means of said touch screen device and said display unit. The processing unit can be a computer provided with the appropriate software or any other suitable processing unit.
An embodiment of the table arrangement comprises a substantially transparent surface layer that is arranged so as to extend a distance in at least one horizontal direction when the table top is unfolded, which distance is long enough to receive at least two chairs facing the table top and being arranged side by side. This provides for a foldable table arrangement that enables a plurality of user to sit down and simultaneously use the table.
Another embodiment of the foldable table arrangement comprises a touch screen device that is arranged to detect and distinguish between several overlapping or simultaneous touches. This provides for a foldable table arrangement that enables a plurality of user to simultaneously use and touch the touch screen of the table.
The invention is moreover disclosing a seat provided with a foldable table arrangement, which i.a. articulates the advantages of having a combined display unit and a table in small spaces.
It is preferred that the table arrangement is arranged at the rear side of the backrest of said chair. However, this is not precluding other solutions for arranging the table arrangement onto a seat or similar seating device.
Further advantages of the present invention and embodiments thereof will appear from the following detailed description of the invention.
a is a perspective view of a foldable table arrangement T1 according to a floor-based embodiment of the present invention shown in an unfolded position;
b is a cross section of the table top A100 along the section line X-X in
a is a perspective side view of the floor based table arrangement T1 in
b is a perspective rear view of the floor based table arrangement T1 in
a is a schematic top view of a resistive touch screen;
b is a schematic cross section of the resistive touch screen in
a is a schematic top view of a capacitive sensing touch screen;
b is a schematic cross section of the capacitive touch screen in
a is a schematic top view of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screen;
b is a schematic cross section of the surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screen in
a along the section line C-C;
a is a schematic top view of an IR touch screen;
b is a schematic cross section of the IR touch screen in
a is a perspective rear view of a foldable table arrangement T2 according to a second wall-based or chair-based embodiment of the present invention shown in a partly unfolded position and without the base member B300;
b is a perspective front view of the foldable table arrangement T2 in
The
The Base Member
The base member A300 in
The particular base support A310 shown in
Said base support A310 is a substantially oval and flat plate that is adapted to be arranged on a floor in a substantially horizontal position. However, other embodiments of the base support A310 can assume other shapes, which shapes are likewise adapted to abut a floor or similar. The base support A310 may e.g. have a suitable circular or oval shape as well as a suitable polygonal shape. Moreover, the base support A310 at the lower end of the base member A300 must not consist of a plate. On the contrary, the base support A310 may e.g. consist of a plurality of legs or arms or similar that extend in a suitable direction, e.g. in a horizontal direction. The lower end of the base member A300 can e.g. be provided with one or several horizontal crossbars or similar that is provided with suitable feet or wheels. On the whole, the lower end of the base member A300 according to a first embodiment of the present invention may be provided with a vast variety of feet, wheels or similar. Such feet or wheels or similar may also be adjustable in height or otherwise adjustable so as to enable a more evenly distributed abutment of the foundation in question.
Moreover, as seen in
The particular base pillar A320 in
As best seen in
Moreover, as best seen in
The Table Top Support
As best seen in
The upper support end A210 of the foldable table top support A200 is pivotally secured to a second mounting bar A111 by means of a ball bearing joint or similar. Said second mounting bar A111 is in turn secured to a rectangular mounting frame A112, which in turn is secured to the rear side A110 of the table top A100, see
The lower support end A220 of the foldable table top support A200, as best shown in
In addition, the above described foldable table top support A200 is supplemented by two supplementary table top supports A230, A230′. The two supplementary table top supports A230, A230′ are arranged at different ends of the second long side A114 of the rectangular mounting frame A112. The above mentioned first horizontal mounting bar A321, which is secured to the base pillar A320 of the base member A300, is arranged to extend through the two supplementary supports A230, A230′. It is preferred that the supplementary table top supports A230, A230′ are implemented by means of ball bearings so as to form two pivoting joints with the first horizontal mounting bar A321 extending through the supports A230, A230′. The accordingly formed joints allow the table top A100 to pivot around a pivoting axis A3 relative to the base member A300, which pivoting axis A3 preferably extends substantially in parallel to the above mentioned first centre axis A1 (see
In general it is preferred that the supplementary table top supports A230, A230′ are secured to the table top A100 directly or indirectly (e.g. via a frame A112) in a position that becomes located on or below the first centre axis A1 of the table top A100 when the table top A100 is folded into a vertical position as shown in
Since the pivoting axis A3 is secured on or near the upper edge of the base pillar A320 it is possible to utilise the substantially vertical outside of the rectangular base pillar A320 as an end position or stop position, towards which the table top A100 pivotally folds into a substantially vertical position from its substantially horizontal resting position on the upper end of the base pillar A320. A folded vertical position is shown in
In general it is preferred that at least the first table top support A200 is provided with a blocking device (not shown) that keeps a folded table top A100 from unfolding unintentionally. The blocking device may e.g. be implemented by means of a pin or similar that is either manually or automatically engaged to stop any unintentional unfolding. The blocking device may alternatively or complementary be implemented by means of a damper, e.g. a hydraulic damper or similar, which slows down an unintentional as well as an intentional unfolding of the table top A100. In addition, it is particularly preferred that the blocking device is arranged so as to enable a fixation of the table top A100 in substantially any direction between a substantially horizontal direction (0°, c.f.
In embodiments comprising a single foldable table support A200 and/or a single supplementary table top support A230 or similar it is preferred that the support A200, A230 is secured to the table top A200 on or near the second centre axis A2 of the table top A100. In embodiments comprising a plurality of foldable table supports A200 and/or a plurality of supplementary table top supports A230, A230′ or similar it is preferred that the supports A200, A230, A230′ are secured to the table top A100 in a substantially symmetric fashion relative to the second centre axis A2 of the table top A100. The reason for this is that a substantially symmetrical arrangement increases the stability of the foldable table arrangement T1, especially when the table top A100 is folded in a vertical position as illustrated in
The Table Top
The substantially oval table top A100 in
With respect to the external shape of the table top A100 it can be seen in
The work surface of the table top A100 in
The Display Unit
The table top A100 in
The display unit A130 can e.g. be an ordinary television apparatus or a computer monitor or similar or even a video projector or a similar image projector. It is particularly preferred that the display unit A130 is a so-called flat screen, e.g. a plasma screen or a LCD screen or a similar thin screen that has a limited depth, e.g. a depth of preferably less that about 30 cm and more preferably less than about 15 cm and even more preferably less than about 7 cm and most preferably less than about 3 cm. The display unit A130 can be coupled to power supply by means of an ordinary power cable or by any other suitable means. Some embodiments of the table top A100 may even be provided with a battery or similar, which obviates the need for cables etc, which in turn can increase the mobility of the foldable table arrangement T1. The display unit A130 can moreover be coupled to a LAN or a WAN or similar data network by means of a wire or wireless connection or some other suitable connection. Besides the services provided locally by the LAN or WLAN in question the service may also be the more remote services, such as those provided by the Internet and/or or a Cable-TV net or similar.
The Table Top and the Display Unit
It should be clear from the above discussion that the foldable table arrangement T1 in
The Table Top, the Display Unit and a Touch Screen
The durable transparent surface layer A125 which is arranged in front of the display unit A130 is preferably utilized as a part of a touch screen A140, which provides a user with further advantages, as will be further explained below.
However, first we will discuss the general structure of a touch screen and then the specific structures of the most commonly used touch screens.
There are at least four well known and commonly used touch screen technologies that utilize this basic structure: resistive, capacitive, surface acoustic wave (SAW) and infrared (IR).
a is a schematic top view of a resistive touch screen 800.
a is a schematic top view of a capacitive sensing touch screen 900.
a is a schematic top view of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screen 1000.
a is a schematic top view of an optical touch screen implemented as an IR touch screen 1100.
The advantages of resistive touch screens include a high-touch resolution (you can use your finger or any stylus) and a resistance to dirt, dust, water and light. The disadvantages include a decreased clarity and that sharp objects can damage the resistive layers.
The advantages of capacitive touch screens include high clarity and high durability, good resistance to dirt, grease, moisture and light and a high touch resolution. However, a disadvantage is that a capacitive touch screen cannot easily be used with gloves or other electrically insulating items.
The advantages of SAW touch screens include high-touch resolution, high clarity and durability, good resistance to light with no drift operation thus negating the need for recalibration. On the other hand, one should preferably use a finger, a gloved hand, a soft tip stylus or similar energy absorbing item to touch the screen.
The advantage of IR touch screens include immunity to drift and high clarity and durability. Since the optical grid floats above the screen, a touch event can be registered before the user's fingers reach the screen. On the down side, it is susceptible to dust, needs special bezels for daylight use, and has parallax problems on curved screens.
We have now briefly discussed the pros and cons of resistive, capacitive, surface acoustic wave (SAW) and infrared (IR) touch screens. It can be concluded that the durable transparent surface layer A125 in front of the display unit A130 can be utilized as the substrate in a touch screen A140, especially if the surface layer A125 is made of a suitable glass or similar. The durable transparent surface layer A125 can e.g. be the substrate 810, 910, 1010, 1110 in a resistive, capacitive, SAW or IR touch screen respectively.
However, a resistive touch screen 800 is not particularly suitable, since the touch sensitive elements 820 arranged on top of the substrate 810 can be damaged by sharp objects or similar. As a contrast, the touch sensitive elements 920, 1020, 1120 of a capacitive touch screen, a SAW touch screen or an IR touch screen respectively can be arranged on the side of the exposed areas of the transparent surface layer A125 and the touch elements may also be covered in various ways, e.g. by means of a further durable and transparent sealing or layer or similar. It may be added that the above mentioned metal oxide layer 921 in a typical capacitive touch screen 900 is highly durable.
Hence, the touch screen A140 in the table top A100 of the foldable table arrangement T1 is preferably a capacitive, a SAW or an IR touch screen or similar, even though a resistive touch screen or similar may be an alternative if the resistive touch screen can be made durable enough. It should be added that several small touch screens can be arranged adjacent to each other so as to create a larger touch screen A140 that covers the whole surface of a large display unit A130.
The table arrangement T1 comprising a foldable table top A100 provided with a display unit A130 and a touch screen A140 can be equipped with or at least have access to a ordinary personal computer (PC) unit (not shown) or similar, e.g. arranged in the base pillar A320 of the table arrangement T1. The computer unit is connected to the display unit A130 and the touch screen A140 in a well known manner, and the monitor, the keyboard and the mouse functions of the computer unit are likewise implemented by means of the display unit A130 and the touch screen A140 in a well known manner. These functions can be supported by the table arrangement T1 in a folded position as well as in an unfolded position and there is consequently no need for a separate table or similar to support the monitor, keyboard and mouse. This is particularly advantageous in small spaces and in spaces that require a flexible furnishing. This is the same for other functions that can be implemented by means of the display unit A130 and the touch screen A140, e.g. a telephone and various control panels and similar.
The table arrangement T1 comprising a foldable table top A100 provided with a display unit A130 and a touch screen A140 having a durable surface can also be used as a table in its horizontal unfolded position and as a substitute for the traditional blackboard or whiteboard in its vertical folded position. Hence, a lecturer can write on the touch screen A140 with a finger or a stylus or similar. The external controller of the touch screen will then extract the coordinates of the finger or similar and the coordinates can then be converted by a computer unit to a resulting line or similar that is displayed on the underlying display unit A130 in a well known manner. This combined use is particularly advantageous in spaces that require a flexible furnishing. It is also advantageous since the resulting image on the display unit A130 can be easily stored for later use, e.g. for printing or replaying purposes. A further advantage is that the resulting image on the display unit A130 can be easily transmitted to other distributed display units, which e.g. can be a particular advantage in large rooms where the audience in the back of the room can be provided with one or several distributed display units.
The table arrangement T1 comprising a foldable table top A100 provided with a display unit A130 and a touch screen A140 having a durable surface can also be used simultaneously as a touch screen and as a table. It is then preferred that certain areas of the touch screen A140 can be inactivated if this is necessary or suitable. The inactivation can be of different kinds. The inactivation of an area of the touch screen A140 can e.g. result in a presentation of a certain color or pattern or similar on the corresponding area of the underlying display unit A130, so as to indicate the inactivated area of the touch screen. This facilitates the perception of the areas of the touch screen A140 that are still active. The inactivation of an area of the touch screen A140 may also result in a simple inactivation of the touch function, whereas the underlying display unit A130 continues to display certain images. The inactivation of the touch screen A140 can be accomplished by means of signal processing and/or by means of inactivating a certain touch screen in the case where several adjacent touch screens are used to cover the whole surface of a large display unit A130. It should be added that the touch screen A140 and the underlying display unit A130 can be dynamically partitioned so that each user of a plurality of users can have a separate area dedicated to himself. The partitioning of the touch screen A140 can be accomplished by means of signal processing and/or by dedicating a certain touch screen to a certain user in the case of several adjacent touch screens.
a-14 shows a foldable table arrangement T2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The table arrangement T2 comprises a table top B100, a foldable table top support B200 and a base member B300.
The Base Member
The base member B300 is preferably made of plastic, metal or similar, or a combination of such materials or categories of materials or similar. The base member B300 comprises a base support B310 that is adapted to abut a suitable foundation onto which the base member B300 can be placed, supported, attached, secured or otherwise arranged. The particular base support B310 shown in
The base support B310 in
As best seen in
The Table Top Support
The foldable table top support B200 is preferably embodied as an arm made of plastic or metal or a combination of such materials or categories of materials. It is preferred that the table top support B200 folds and unfolds in a pivotal manner or similar, though alternative embodiments of the foldable table top support B200 may comprise arms or similar that folds and unfolds by bending or telescoping or in some other suitable manner. Some embodiments of the present invention may even comprise a plurality of arms or similar that folds and unfolds in a pivotal and/or by bending or telescoping manner or similar.
The upper support end of the foldable table top support B200 is pivotally secured to the rear side B110 of the table top B100 by means of a hinge joint B210 or similar, see in particular
The lower support end of the foldable table top support B200 is preferably implemented as a mounting tube B230 that is pivotally secured outside the cylindrical horizontal mounting bar B321 of the base support A310, so as to allow the table top support B200 to pivot relative to the base support 310 around an axis B4 that extends substantially in parallel to the above mentioned pivoting axis B3. In addition it is preferred that the mounting tube B230 is pivotally secured outside the cylindrical mounting bar B321 so as to allow the table top support B200 to pivot around the axis B4 with a frictional resistance or similar, which enables the table support B200 to be tilted in substantially any position along its pivotal range, e.g. to be tilted at any angle within a tilting range of about 0-90°, i.e. tilted in any position or direction between a substantially horizontal position and a substantially vertical position.
In general it is preferred that the hinge joint B210 at the upper support end of the table top support B200 is provided with a blocking device (not shown) or similar that keeps the horizontally unfolded table top B100 in
The Table Top
The substantially rectangular table top B100 in
With respect to the external shape of the table top A100 it can be seen in
The work surface on the front side of the table top B100 is also provided with a durable and substantially rigid and transparent surface layer B125 in the same way as said work surface on the front side A120 of the table top A100 in the table arrangement T1. Hence, the durable transparent surface layer B125 is preferably made of plastic, glass or some other suitable transparent or at least substantially transparent material or combination of such materials, which is at least resistant to the wear and tear that is imposed on the upper surface of an ordinary dining-table, writing-table or conference table or similar. It is also particularly preferred that the transparent surface layer B125 constitutes the greater part of the substantially continuous work surface, i.e. preferably the greater part of the front side B120.
The Display Unit
The table top B100 in
The display unit B130 is preferably a flat computer monitor, but other display units are also conceivable, e.g. an ordinary television apparatus such as a so-called flat screen, e.g. a plasma screen or a LCD screen or a similar thin screen that has a limited depth, e.g. a depth of preferably less that about 30 cm and more preferably less than about 15 cm and even more preferably less than about 7 cm and most preferably less than about 3 cm. The display unit B130 can be provided with electric power and communication means and similar in the same way as previously described in connection with the display unit A130 of the table arrangement T1 so as to enable a connection to one or several of such resources as LAN, WLAN, Internet, Cable-TV etc.
The Table Top and the Display Unit
It should be clear from the above discussion that the foldable table arrangement T2 in
The foldable table arrangement T2 is particularly advantageous when it is arranged on the rear side of the backrest of a passenger seat in e.g. a bus, a train, a boat or an aeroplane or some other vehicle as illustrated in
The Table Top, the Display Unit and a Touch Screen
The durable transparent surface layer B125 arranged in front of the display unit A130 is preferably utilized as a part of a touch screen B140 in the same or similar way as the transparent surface layer A125 in the table top A100 of the above mentioned table arrangement T1.
The table arrangement T2 comprising a foldable table top B100 provided with a display unit B130 and a touch screen B140 can be equipped with a ordinary personal computer (PC) unit (not shown) or similar, e.g. arranged behind the display unit B130 in the table top B100, or arranged on the wall or in the seat or similar on which the table arrangement T2 is arranged. The computer unit is coupled to the display unit B130 and the touch screen B140 in a well known manner and the monitor, the keyboard and the mouse functions of the computer unit are likewise implemented by means of the display unit A130 and the touch screen A140 in a well known manner. These functions can be supported by the table arrangement T1 in a folded position as well as in an unfolded position and there is consequently no need for a separate table or similar to support the monitor, keyboard and mouse. Consequently, there is no need for a separate table or similar to support said monitor, keyboard and mouse, which is advantageous in small spaces and in spaces that require a flexible furnishing. This is the same for other functions that can be implemented by means of the display unit B130 and the touch screen B140, e.g. a telephone and various control panels and similar functions.
This is particularly advantageous in hotel rooms and in passenger compartments in public vehicles such as e.g. buses, boats or aeroplanes etc and other public spaces etc, since it enables a service provider to offer the customer different functions by configuring the computer and the accompanying display unit B130 and touch screen B140 in different ways. A hotel guest or passenger may for example require access to a computer and possibly the Internet, while another guest or passenger may only require access to Cable-TV or similar. In addition, various control panels for controlling the light and the air quality etc in a room or in the surroundings of a passenger seat may also be implemented by configuring the computer and the accompanying display unit B130 and touch screen B140. The configuration is preferably implemented by means of software that is loaded and executed on said computer in a well known manner. It should also be added that the table arrangement T2 is typically firmly fixated to a wall or the rear of a backrest of a seat or similar, which makes it very difficult to steal. This is not the case with an ordinary computer and its associated wire or wireless keyboard and/or mouse.
The present invention has now been described by means of two exemplary embodiments. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. On the contrary, the foldable table arrangements T1, T2 may for example have other shapes and sizes and they may also comprise further units and functions. Moreover, the table tops A100, B100 can also be partly foldable, e.g. so that only a half, a third or a quarter of the table top A100, B100 or some other fraction of the table top A100, B100 is foldable. Similarly, the touch screen is not limited to a resistive touch screen 800, a capacitive sensing touch screen 900, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screen 1000 or an IR touch screen 1100 as mentioned above. On the contrary, the touch screen may be any suitable touch screen, e.g. a force sensing touch screen based on strain gauges or similar, or an optical touch screen based on laser emitting devices and/or based on cameras in combination with image processing techniques etc.
In addition, it should be emphasised that a foldable table top A100, B100 provided with a touch screen device A140, B140, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 gives ergonomic advantages. A person that interacts with the touch screen of the table top is free to choose anything between a substantially vertical direction (90°) for the table top to a substantially horizontal direction (0°) for the table top. This enables the user to lean his forearms on a substantially horizontal table top when touching the touch screen (e.g. typing on a keyboard function or playing games provided by a game function etc), while the direction of the table top can be adjusted between a substantially vertical direction (90°) and a substantially horizontal direction (0°) to achieve the best viewing position when watching movies or similar.
A foldable table arrangement according to the above is particularly advantageous in connection with touch screens arranged to provide functions that should be more or less continuously visible and accessible. Such touch screens can e.g. be used in connection with electronic gaming machines, wherein the invention can be advantageously used as an electronic gaming table for playing table games that are traditionally played in casinos. The electronic gaming table may simulate a number of different casino games, e.g. including but not limited to blackjack, twenty-one, red dog, baccarat, craps and roulette etc.
Moreover, as described above a variety of well known touch sensing technologies are commonly applied in connection with touch screen systems, including acoustic, resistive, capacitive and infrared technologies. These technologies are traditionally implemented to detect a sequence of touches that occur one at the time. However, improvements have been made, which enable a detection and a distinguishing of several overlapping or simultaneous touches, e.g. by means of sampling techniques utilizing the fact that two touches are rarely occurring exactly simultaneously and/or the fact that two touches are usually made by different forces and/or occupies smaller or larger areas of the touch screen, see e.g. the U.S. Pat. No. 6,856,259 (Sharp). This is particularly advantageous when a plurality of users are simultaneously using the table according the present invention.