Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-03
2001-01-09
O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S042000, C463S047000, C273S14800B, C273S14800B, C273S431000, C434S323000, C434S324000, C434S350000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171188
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a play equipment for staging an entertainment show, in particular inside a television studio.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Entertainment shows in the form of guessing games for players (candidates) are generally organized such that the candidates are asked questions and winning points are awarded to the candidate who first comes up with the correct answer. In order to determine which candidate is the first one to react to a question, the candidates must push a mechanically operated switch, a so-called buzzer, if they want to react to a question. These buzzers are connected to an optical signal that lights up when the buzzer is pushed. The winning points, collected by each candidate during the course of the show, are indicated on a display unit as momentary count of a counter.
It is known that in order to subject the sequence of questions to a principle of random occurrence, individual subject areas for questioning, e.g. sports, literature, history, film, theater, etc., are displayed in a horizontal row on a monitor wall, consisting of individual monitors, and graduated winning point numbers (e.g. 100, 80, 60, 40) are provided underneath the individual subject areas. One of the candidates selects a topic with a winning point number (for example, the first candidate to provide a correct answer to the last question asked), whereupon the moderator reads a question pertaining to the indicated topic, with a degree of difficulty that corresponds to the selected number of winning points. The question is superimposed on the television image for the viewers. The winning points number, selected for the indicated topic, disappears from the monitor wall after the question has been posed, so that during the continued course of the game, the candidate will have fewer and fewer options for selection on the monitor wall.
The image design and dramatic outlay of known types of entertainment shows meanwhile suffer in that only an insignificant movement or change in the scene takes place. Furthermore, the monitor wall as a stage element is of little use for the image design since the displays on the monitor wall change only slightly from question to question. In addition, the places for the candidates with the buzzers are arranged separate from the wall of monitors, so that the studio cameras must swivel back and forth between candidates and monitor wall, which breaks up the cohesiveness of the scene for the entertainment show.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to improve a play equipment of the aforementioned type in such a way that it is possible to design the entertainment show more dynamically with respect to the dramatic image layout.
This object is solved according to the invention with a play equipment for staging an entertainment show, in particular inside a television studio, comprising: a monitor wall, composed of several monitors; signal sources for graphics signals and text signals a control device for controlling at least one of the graphics and text reproduction on the monitors of the monitor wall; mechanically operated switches for a plurality of players; and a display for actual account readout of points collected by each player; wherein specified areas of the monitor wall are assigned to each one of the plurality of players; the mechanically operated switches are electrically connected to the control device; and the control device is designed such that when a mechanically operated switch is activated by a player reacting first, an optical signal is displayed on the area of the monitor wall that is associated with that player.
The invention is based on the novel and surprising idea of using the monitor wall as play equipment and to place the candidates and the monitor wall in a clear spatial relationship to the scene. By doing so, the candidates are located, for example behind the monitor wall on a supporting structure, e.g. a platform, so that at least their heads, but preferably also their upper bodies, project over the top edge of the monitor wall. Optically, each candidate can therefore definitely be assigned a specific area of the monitor wall. If a candidate pushes his/her buzzer (which does not need to be visible to the viewers), an optical signal, e.g. the signaling color red, is displayed on a monitor wall area below the respective candidate, preferably as a vertical stripe extending over the complete height of the monitor wall. The image production thus has a plurality of options for reinforcing the pushing of the buzzer with the aid of dramatic images. As a further special feature, the monitor wall is used for displaying still images or moving image sequences, relating to the individual questions. The course of the entertainment show consequently is loosened up with respect to the scenes and becomes more effective dramatically, as well as more dynamic. It is no longer necessary to use almost the complete area of the monitor wall for displaying the winning points, since the candidates in any case no longer look at the monitor wall. Either all winning points are displayed on a relatively small, vertical stripe on the monitor wall for the studio and television public, or only the winning points number for the momentary play is displayed on one field of the monitor wall. It is critical that monitor wall and candidates are optically inseparably connected, so that during the reproduction of images, graphics, text and numbers on the monitor wall, all candidates are simultaneously “in the picture.” Thus, the studio cameras no longer have to swivel back and forth between monitor wall and candidates.
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patent: 5984311 (1999-11-01), Stefanik et al.
patent: 6019371 (2000-02-01), Mantis
Frank Elsner Produktion S.A.
Kinberg Robert
Nguyen Binh-An
O'Neill Michael
Spencer George H.
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