Patent Publication Number: US-6702667-B2

Title: Apparatus for heating and/or cooling a beverage on a gaming apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a gaming apparatus, which could be either an individual gaming apparatus or a gaming system having a plurality of gaming apparatuses, wherein the gaming apparatuses are capable of warming or cooling a liquid beverage. 
     It is a customary practice in casinos or other facilities to provide hot or cold beverages to players who are using gaming apparatuses. In conventional gaming apparatuses, nothing is provided to keep the players&#39; beverages hot or cold. Therefore, the liquid in the beverages change temperatures. A hot beverage will cool down toward room temperature and a cold beverage will warm up toward room temperature. After a length of time, the beverage no longer has the taste appeal that a hot or cold beverage has. To make matters worse, most conventional beverage holders are made of metals that dissipate the heat or cold from the beverage very quickly, thus speeding up the process of warming cold drinks and cooling hot drinks. 
     Many establishments have attempted to resolve this problem by hiring additional employees to walk around the facility and replace the players&#39; beverages. Because many of the establishments provide free beverages to the players, replacing the beverages before they are finished creates a waste in both beverage supply costs and in labor costs. In most cases, the players are eager to replace their drink with a new one because the beverages are served cost free to the players. Additionally, there are some establishments that exist wherein the players or customers are required to pay for their beverages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a gaming apparatus that may comprise a housing and a display unit that is associated with the housing. The display unit is also capable of generating video images. The gaming apparatus also includes a value input device that is capable of allowing the player to deposit a medium of value, and a controller, wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the display unit and the value input device. The controller may have a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor. Additionally, the controller may be programmed to allow a person to make a wager and to cause a video image to be generated on the display unit after the value input device detects deposit of value by the person. 
     The video image may represent a casino game selected from the group of casino games consisting of video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno and video bingo, in which case the video image may comprise an image of at least five playing cards if the game comprises video poker. Likewise, the video image may comprise an image of a plurality of playing cards if the game comprises video blackjack. If the game selected by the player is video slots, the video image may comprise an image of a plurality of simulated slot machine reels. The video image may comprise an image of a plurality of keno numbers if the game comprises video keno, or the video image may comprise an image of a bingo grid if the game comprises video bingo. The controller may also be programmed to determine an outcome of the game represented by the video image and a value payout associated with the outcome of the game. 
     The gaming apparatus may also include a beverage temperature control system that may comprise a beverage support structure coupled to the housing, a beverage present detector, a beverage temperature monitor, and a beverage temperature altering mechanism that is operatively coupled to the beverage support structure. The temperature altering mechanism may include a thermoelectric device that has a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. 
     The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a gaming system in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of one of the gaming units shown schematically in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of a control panel for a gaming unit; 
     FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electronic components of the gaming unit of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates schematically an embodiment of a beverage heating and cooling system; 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a Peltier thermoelectric device; 
     FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a beverage heating and cooling system; 
     FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a main routine that may be performed during operation of one or more of the gaming units; 
     FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an alternative embodiment of a main routine that may be performed during operation of one or more of the gaming units; 
     FIG. 9 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video poker routine of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 10 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video blackjack routine of FIG. 12; 
     FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video poker routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units; 
     FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video blackjack routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units; 
     FIG. 13 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the slots routine of FIG. 15; 
     FIG. 14 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video keno routine of FIG. 16; 
     FIG. 15 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a slots routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units; 
     FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video keno routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units; 
     FIG. 17 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video bingo routine of FIG. 18; 
     FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video bingo routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units; and 
     FIG. 19 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a beverage heating and cooling device interconnected to a person seating device. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a gaming system  10  in accordance with the invention. It should be noted that the terms “gaming system” and “gaming apparatus” are intended to embrace lotteries. Likewise, when referring to “a casino game” or “game,” it is intended that these term also includes a lottery. Referring to FIG. 1, the gaming system  10  may include a first group or network  12  of gaming units  20  operatively coupled to a network computer  22  via a network data link or bus  24 . The gaming system  10  may include a second group or network  26  of gaming units  30  operatively coupled to a network computer  32  via a network data link or bus  34 . The first and second gaming networks  12 ,  26  may be operatively coupled to each other via a network  40 , which may comprise, for example, the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a local area network (LAN) via a first network link  42  and a second network link  44 . 
     The first network  12  of gaming units  20  may be provided in a first casino, and the second network  26  of gaming units  30  may be provided in a second casino located in a separate geographic location than the first casino. For example, the two casinos may be located in different areas of the same city, or they may be located in different states. It should also be noted that the gaming units  20  and  30  may also be provided in facilities not conventionally referred to as casinos, such as retail stores, bars, restaurants, terminals, etc. The network  40  may include a plurality of network computers or server computers (not shown), each of which may be operatively interconnected. Where the network  40  comprises the Internet, data communication may take place over the communication links  42 ,  44  via an Internet communication protocol. 
     The network computer  22  may be a server computer and may be used to accumulate and analyze data relating to the operation of the gaming units  20 . For example, the network computer  22  may continuously receive data from each of the gaming units  20  indicative of the dollar amount and number of wagers being made on each of the gaming units  20 , data indicative of how much each of the gaming units  20  is paying out in winnings, data regarding the identity and gaming habits of players playing each of the gaming units  20 , etc. The network computer  32  may be a server computer and may be used to perform the same or different functions in relation to the gaming units  30  as the network computer  22  described above. 
     Although each network  12 ,  26  is shown to include one network computer  22 ,  32  and four gaming units  20 ,  30 , it should be understood that different numbers of computers and gaming units may be utilized. For example, the network  12  may include a plurality of network computers  22  and tens or hundreds of gaming units  20 , all of which may be interconnected via the data link  24 . The data link  24  may provided as a dedicated hardwired link or a wireless link. Although the data link  24  is shown as a single data link  24 , the data link  24  may comprise multiple data links. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one possible embodiment of one or more of the gaming units  20 . Although the following description addresses the design of the gaming units  20 , it should be understood that the gaming units  30  may have the same design as the gaming units  20  described below. It should be understood that the design of one or more of the gaming units  20  may be different than the design of other gaming units  20 , and that the design of one or more of the gaming units  30  may be different than the design of other gaming units  30 . Each gaming unit  20  may be any type of gaming unit and may have various different structures and methods of operation. For exemplary purposes, various designs of the gaming units  20  are described below, but it should be understood that numerous other designs may be utilized. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the gaming unit  20  may include a housing or cabinet  50  and one or more input devices, which may include a coin slot or acceptor  52 , a paper currency acceptor  54 , a ticket reader/printer  56  and a card reader  58 , which may be used to input value to the gaming unit  20 . A value input device may include any device that can accept value from a customer. As used herein, the term “value” may encompass gaming tokens, coins, paper currency, ticket vouchers, credit or debit cards, and any other object representative of value. 
     If provided on the gaming unit  20 , the ticket reader/printer  56  may be used to read and/or print or otherwise encode ticket vouchers  60 . The ticket vouchers  60  may be composed of paper or another printable or encodable material and may have one or more of the following informational items printed or encoded thereon: the casino name, the type of ticket voucher, a validation number, a bar code with control and/or security data, the date and time of issuance of the ticket voucher, redemption instructions and restrictions, a description of an award, and any other information that may be necessary or desirable. Different types of ticket vouchers  60  could be used, such as bonus ticket vouchers, cash-redemption ticket vouchers, casino chip ticket vouchers, extra game play ticket vouchers, merchandise ticket vouchers, restaurant ticket vouchers, show ticket vouchers, etc. The ticket vouchers  60  could be printed with an optically readable material such as ink, or data on the ticket vouchers  60  could be magnetically encoded. The ticket reader/printer  56  may be provided with the ability to both read and print ticket vouchers  60 , or it may be provided with the ability to only read or only print or encode ticket vouchers  60 . In the latter case, for example, some of the gaming units  20  may have ticket printers  56  that may be used to print ticket vouchers  60 , which could then be used by a player in other gaming units  20  that have ticket readers  56 . 
     If provided, the card reader  58  may include any type of card reading device, such as a magnetic card reader or an optical card reader, and may be used to read data from a card offered by a player, such as a credit card or a player tracking card. If provided for player tracking purposes, the card reader  58  may be used to read data from, and/or write data to, player tracking cards that are capable of storing data representing the identity of a player, the identity of a casino, the player&#39;s gaming habits, etc. 
     The gaming unit  20  may include one or more audio speakers  62 , a coin payout tray  64 , an input control panel  66 , a beverage temperature control system  68 , and a color video display unit  70  for displaying images relating to the game or games provided by the gaming unit  20 . The audio speakers  62  may generate audio representing sounds such as the noise of spinning slot machine reels, a dealer&#39;s voice, music, announcements or any other audio related to a casino game. The beverage support structure  68  may be located anywhere on the housing  50 . For example, the beverage support structure  68  may be located on the front of the gaming apparatus  20  as shown in FIG. 2, or it may be mounted on a side of the housing  50 . The beverage support structure  68  may also be located on the top of the gaming apparatus  20  if the gaming apparatus  20  is designed to fit into a bar top or table top. The beverage support structure&#39;s actual location on the gaming apparatus  20  is not important, as its main purpose is to hold beverages upright so that the liquid disposed within the beverage container does not spill out. The input control panel  66  may be provided with a plurality of pushbuttons or touch-sensitive areas that may be pressed by a player to select games, make wagers, make gaming decisions, etc. 
     FIG. 2A illustrates one possible embodiment of the control panel  66 , which may be used where the gaming unit  20  is a slot machine having a plurality of mechanical or “virtual” reels. Referring to FIG. 2A, the control panel  66  may include a “See Pays” button  72  that, when activated, causes the display unit  70  to generate one or more display screens showing the odds or payout information for the game or games provided by the gaming unit  20 . As used herein, the term “button” is intended to encompass any device that allows a player to make an input, such as an input device that must be depressed to make an input selection or a display area that a player may simply touch. The control panel  66  may include a “Cash Out” button  74  that may be activated when a player decides to-terminate play on the gaming unit  20 , in which case the gaming unit  20  may return value to the player, such as: by returning a number of coins to the player via the payout tray  64 , printing a ticket  60 , or writing information to a card  58 . 
     If the gaming unit  20  provides a slots game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines which define winning combinations of reel symbols, the control panel  66  may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons  76 , each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to spinning the reels. For example, five buttons  76  may be provided, each of which may allow a player to select one, three, five, seven or nine paylines. 
     If the gaming unit  20  provides a slots game having a plurality of reels, the control panel  66  may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons  78  each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected. For example, if the smallest wager accepted by the gaming unit  20  is a quarter ($0.25), the gaming unit  20  may be provided with five selection buttons  78 , each of which may allow a player to select one, two, three, four or five quarters to wager for each payline selected. In that case, if a player were to activate the “5” button  76  (meaning that five paylines were to be played on the next spin of the reels) and then activate the “3” button  78  (meaning that three coins per payline were to be wagered), the total wager would be $3.75 (assuming the minimum bet was $0.25). 
     The control panel  66  may include a “Max Bet” button  80  to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable for a game. In the above example, where up to nine paylines were provided and up to five quarters could be wagered for each payline selected, the maximum wager would be 45 quarters, or $11.25. The control panel  66  may include a spin button  82  to allow the player to initiate spinning of the reels of a slots game after a wager has been made. 
     In FIG. 2A, a rectangle is shown around the buttons  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 . It should be understood that the rectangle simply designates, for ease of reference, an area in which the buttons  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82  may be located. Consequently, the term “control panel” should not be construed to imply that a panel or plate separate from the housing  50  of the gaming unit  20  is required, and the term “control panel” may encompass a plurality or grouping of player activatable buttons. 
     Although one possible control panel  66  is described above, it should be understood that different buttons could be utilized in the control panel  66 , and that the particular buttons used may depend on the game or games that could be played on the gaming unit  20 . Although the control panel  66  is shown to be separate from the display unit  70 , it should be understood that the control panel  66  could be generated by the display unit  70 . In that case, each of the buttons of the control panel  66  could be a colored area generated by the display unit  70 , and some type of mechanism may be associated with the display unit  70  to detect when each of the buttons was touched, such as a touch-sensitive screen. 
     The temperature control system  68  may include a beverage present detector  90 , a beverage temperature monitor  92 , and a beverage temperature altering mechanism  94  (see FIG.  3 ). 
     Gaming Unit Electronics 
     FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a number of components that may be incorporated in the gaming unit  20 . Referring to FIG. 3, the gaming unit  20  may include a controller  100  that may comprise a program memory  102 , a microcontroller or microprocessor (MP)  104 , a random-access memory (RAM)  106  and an input/output (I/O) circuit  108 , all of which may be interconnected via an address/data bus  110 . It should be appreciated that although only one microprocessor  104  is shown, the controller  100  may include multiple microprocessors  104 . Similarly, the memory of the controller  100  may include multiple RAMs  106  and multiple program memories  102 . Although the I/O circuit  108  is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuit  108  may include a number of different types of I/O circuits. The RAM(s)  106  and program memories  102  may be implemented as semiconductor memories, magnetically readable memories, and/or optically readable memories, for example. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates that the control panel  66 , the coin acceptor  52 , the bill acceptor  54 , the ticket reader/printer  56 , the card reader  58 , a beverage present detector  90 , a beverage temperature monitor  92 , and a beverage temperature altering mechanism  94 , may be operatively coupled to the I/O circuit  108 , each of those components being so coupled by either a unidirectional or bidirectional, single-line or multiple-line data link, which may depend on the design of the component that is used. The speaker(s)  62  may be operatively coupled to a sound circuit  112 , that may comprise a voice- and sound-synthesis circuit or that may comprise a driver circuit. The sound-generating circuit  112  may be coupled to the I/O circuit  108 . A power source  96  may be utilized to provide electrical power for the controller  100  and the interconnected components  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  66 ,  90 ,  92 ,  94 , and  112 . 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the components  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  66 ,  90 ,  92 ,  94 , and  112  may be connected to the I/O circuit  108  via a respective direct line or conductor. Different connection schemes could be used. For example, one or more of the components shown in FIG. 3 may be connected to the I/O circuit  108  via a common bus or other data link that is shared by a number of components. Furthermore, some of the components may be directly connected to the microprocessor  104  without passing through the I/O circuit  108 . 
     FIG. 4 illustrates schematically an embodiment of a beverage temperature control system  68 . The temperature control system  68  may include an aluminum beverage support structure  116 , a beverage temperature altering mechanism  94 , and an assembly of electronic components that are combined to create a beverage present detector  90  and a beverage temperature monitor  92 . 
     The beverage present detector  90  of FIG. 4 may include a beverage present switch  120  that is located on the side of the beverage support structure  116 . When a beverage container is placed in the beverage support structure  116 , the beverage container may displace the beverage present switch  120  indicating to the electronic circuitry that a beverage container is inside the beverage support structure  116 . Displacing the beverage present switch  120  may cause the switch  120  to close, which energizes the beverage present relay  122 . Energizing the beverage present relay  122  may cause a first contact  124  and a second contact  126  to close. Thus, the presence of a beverage is detected and the beverage temperature monitor  92  and beverage temperature altering mechanism  94  may be activated. 
     The beverage temperature monitor  92  of FIG. 4 may include a temperature sensitive resistor  130  that contacts a side of the beverage container when it is placed within or on the beverage support structure  116 . The temperature sensitive resistor  130  may have a positive temperature coefficient. In other words, its resistance may increase with an increase of temperature. One possible temperature sensitive resistor may have 100 ohms of resistance at 25 degrees Celsius. The beverage temperature monitor may also include a second resistor  132  and a third resistor  134 . The resistors  132  and  134  may be 10,000 ohm resistors, for example. The resistors  130 - 134  are electrically interconnected as shown in FIG. 4 to form a voltage divider to provide an output voltage on a line  136  that corresponds to the beverage container temperature. The output line  136  of the voltage divider may be connected to a negative input  140  of a voltage comparator  142 . 
     A fourth resistor  144 , a fifth resistor  146 , and a sixth resistor  150  may be interconnected to form a second voltage divider, wherein the voltage on an output line  152  of the second voltage divider may not change as a function of temperature. In other words, the resistors may be selected to produce an output voltage representative of a predetermined room temperature. The resistors  144 - 150  may be 10,000 ohm resistors. While the voltage on the output line  152  of the second voltage divider illustrated in this embodiment may not change as a function of temperature, it could easily be modified to operate similar to the first voltage divider so that its output voltage is dependent on the ambient temperature of the facility. 
     The voltage on the output line  152  of the second voltage divider may be connected to the positive input  154  of the voltage comparator  142 . The voltage comparator  142  may operate to compare the negative input  140  to the positive input  154 . If the voltage from the temperature sensitive resistor  130  is more positive (i.e. hotter) than the voltage on the second voltage divider output line  152  (room temperature reference voltage), then the voltage on an output line  156  of the voltage comparator  142  may be negative or at ground. When the voltage on the output line  156  of the voltage comparator  142  is at ground, and the switch  126  is closed, a heat/cool relay  160  may be energized. Energizing the heat/cool relay  160  may cause the current to flow in the heat/cool circuit  162  in a clockwise direction (from a point  164  to a point  166 ). 
     It should be noted that alternative embodiments may be easily created by completely eliminating the beverage present detector  90  or the beverage temperature monitor  92 , or both. If for example, both elements  90  and  92  are eliminated, then a cheap, simple system would result wherein the beverage temperature altering mechanism  94  would be continuously powered and operating at a fixed temperature to constantly cool (or heat) the beverage. Additionally, the functions performed by the electronic components comprising the beverage present detector  90  and the beverage temperature monitor  92  may also be performed by use of a controller, such as the controller  100  from FIG.  3 . 
     The beverage temperature altering mechanism  94  utilized in this embodiment is a thermoelectric device. If utilized only for cooling, it may be also referred to as an electrically powered cooling mechanism or an electrically actuable beverage cooling mechanism. 
     A basic illustration of a thermoelectric device is illustrated in FIG. 5. A thermoelectric device is essentially a solid state heat pump that operates on the Peltier effect, which is the theory that there is a heating or cooling effect when electric current passes through two conductors. A voltage applied to the free ends of two dissimilar materials creates a temperature difference. With Peltier cooling for example, this temperature difference, will cause heat to move from one end to the other. The devices operate on direct current, thus the same thermoelectric device may be used for heating by reversing the direction of current flow in the circuit. Thermoelectric devices are solid state and have no moving parts. Thermoelectric heating and cooling may be used in various applications where space limitations and reliability are important and CFCs are not desired. 
     The thermoelectric device illustrated in FIG. 5 may be a single stage device and may include a first ceramic plate  176  and a second ceramic plate  178 . The ceramic plates  176  and  178  may be separated by a first semiconductor material  180  and a second semiconductor material  182 . The first semiconductor material  180  may primarily comprise a p type semiconductor and the second semiconductor material  182  may primarily comprise an n type semiconductor. The thermoelectric device may also include a first conductor  184 , a second conductor  186 , and a third conductor  188  formed between the ceramic plates  176  and  178  and the semiconductor materials  180  and  182  to transfer electrical energy. 
     The elements of the semiconductor material  180  and  182  may be connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. When a positive DC voltage is applied to the n type thermoelement  182 , electrons may pass from the p type thermoelement  180  to the n type thermoelement  182 . Thus, there may be a decrease in temperature at the junction (“cold side”) resulting in absorption of heat from the environment. The heat may be carried through the thermoelectric device by electron transport and released on the opposite (“hot”) side as the electrons move from a high to low energy state. The heat may then dissipate into a heat sink and its surrounding environment. The heat pumping capacity of a thermoelectric device may be proportional to the current and the number of pairs of n type and p type elements. 
     Referring back to FIG. 4, the beverage temperature altering mechanism  94  may include a thermoelectric device similar to that shown in FIG.  5 . This thermoelectric device may further include a contact plate  168  and a heat sink  170 . While not shown, an electric fan may be affixed to or mounted near the heat sink  170  to further dissipate the heat (or cold). Thermal insulating material may also be added to the contact plate  168  to assist in preventing or minimizing cold or heat from escaping when the device is cooling or heating a beverage. When the current flows in the heat/cool circuit  162  in a clockwise direction (from the point  164  to the point  166 ), the contact plate  168  may increase in temperature. Thus, beverages placed in the beverage support structure  116  may either remain hot or become warmer. 
     If the voltage on the output line  136  from the first voltage divider is more negative (i.e. colder) than the output voltage on the line  152  at the second voltage divider (room temperature reference voltage) and the switch  126  is closed, then the heat/cool relay  160  may not be energized. This may cause the current to flow through the heat/cool circuit  162  in a counterclockwise direction (from the point  166  to the point  164 ). This may cause the contact plate  168  to become cool. Thus, a beverage placed in the beverage support structure  116  may remain cold or become cooler. 
     The beverage temperature control system  68  may also include an interconnected timer to compensate for the removal of a beverage from the beverage support structure  116  for a short predetermined amount of time. The addition of a timer would allow the heat/cool circuit  162  to remain energized for the average time it takes a user to take a drink of the beverage. This would lead to an increase in efficiency and performance. 
     As mentioned above, many of the functions performed by the electronic components illustrated in FIG. 4 may be similarly performed by replacement with a controller, such as controller  100 . It should also be noted that the beverage temperature altering mechanism illustrated in FIG. 4 as an electrically powered thermoelectric device could be replaced with a simple refrigeration system which would include a compressor and piping for a refrigerant such as Freon, as a few basic components. 
     Overall Operation of Gaming Unit 
     One manner in which one or more of the gaming units  20  (and one or more of the gaming units  30 ) may operate is described below in connection with a number of flowcharts which represent a number of portions or routines of one or more computer programs, which may be stored in one or more of the memories of the controller  100 . The computer program(s) or portions thereof may be stored remotely, outside of the gaming unit  20 , and may control the operation of the gaming unit  20  from a remote location. Such remote control may be facilitated with the use of a wireless connection, or by an Internet interface that connects the gaming unit  20  with a remote computer (such as one of the network computers  22 ,  32 ) having a memory in which the computer program portions are stored. The computer program portions may be written in any high level language such as C, C+, C++ or the like or any low-level, assembly or machine language. By storing the computer program portions therein, various portions of the memories  102 ,  106  are physically and/or structurally configured in accordance with computer program instructions. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a logic flow diagram of an exemplary beverage heating and cooling system. The system includes a first block  190  wherein the system is provided electrical power from a power source. The system then remains in an idle state  192  until a block  194  is reached where a beverage is placed in the beverage support structure  116  (i.e. beverage holder). If the system detects that a beverage is not in the beverage holder, a block  196  is reached which includes turning off the thermoelectric Peltier device and shutting off the fan motor that is attached to the heat sink. 
     If at the block  194 , the system detects the presence of a beverage in the beverage holder  116 , then the system may detect if the beverage is hot or cold at block  198 . If the beverage temperature monitor  92  senses that the beverage temperature is hot, then an appropriate voltage is applied to the thermoelectric device  94  to heat up the beverage and the fan is turned on at a block  200 . The system then continues to apply a voltage to the thermoelectric device to heat the beverage until the beverage present detector detects that the beverage has been removed from the beverage support structure. At this point, a block  202  is reached wherein a beverage gone timer is activated. 
     A next block  204  increments the beverage gone timer by one increment. At a next block  206 , the system checks the beverage gone timer to determine if the beverage gone timer has timed out. If the beverage gone timer has timed out, then a next block  208  turns off the thermoelectric device, shuts down the fan, and returns to the idle state  192 . 
     If the beverage gone timer has not timed out, the system again may check if the beverage is in the holder at a block  210 . If the beverage has not been returned to the beverage holder, then the system returns to block  204  where the beverage gone timer is incremented again. If at the block  210 , the system determines that the beverage has been returned to the beverage holder, then system resets the beverage gone timer at a block  212  and returns to the block  200  where it continues to apply voltage to the thermoelectric device. As seen from FIG. 6, the system performs the same steps if a cold beverage is detected at the block  198 . It should also be noted that the operations performed in relation to FIG. 6 may be performed at the same time as the other operations that are described below (FIG.  7 ). 
     FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a main operating routine  230  that may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . Referring to FIG. 7, the main routine  230  may begin operation at block  232  during which an attraction sequence may be performed in an attempt to induce a potential player in a casino to play the gaming unit  20 . The attraction sequence may be performed by displaying one or more video images on the display unit  70  and/or causing one or more sound segments, such as voice or music, to be generated via the speakers  62 . The attraction sequence may include a scrolling list of games that may be played on the gaming unit  20  and/or video images of various games being played, such as video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno, video bingo, etc. 
     During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to the gaming unit  20  as determined at block  234 , the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game-selection display may be generated on the display unit  70  at block  236  to allow the player to select a game available on the gaming unit  20 . The gaming unit  20  may detect an input at block  234  in various ways. For example, the gaming unit  20  could detect if the player presses any button on the gaming unit  20 ; the gaming unit  20  could determine if the player deposited one or more coins into the gaming unit  20 ; the gaming unit  20  could determine if player deposited paper currency into the gaming unit; etc. 
     The game-selection display generated at block  236  may include, for example, a list of video games that may be played on the gaming unit  20  and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into the gaming unit  20 . While the game-selection display is generated, the gaming unit  20  may wait for the player to make a game selection. Upon selection of one of the games by the player as determined at block  238 , the controller  100  may cause one of a number of game routines to be performed to allow the selected game to be played. For example, the game routines could include a video poker routine  240 , a video blackjack routine  242 , a slots routine  244 , a video keno routine  246 , and a video bingo routine  250 . At block  238 , if no game selection is made within a given period of time, the operation may branch back to block  232 . 
     After one of the routines  240 ,  242 ,  244 ,  246 ,  250  has been performed to allow the player to play one of the games, block  260  may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on the gaming unit  20  or to select another game. If the player wishes to stop playing the gaming unit  20 , which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, the controller  100  may dispense value to the player at block  262  based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block  232 . If the player did not wish to quit as determined at block  260 , the routine may return to block  238  where the game-selection display may again be generated to allow the player to select another game. 
     It should be noted that although five gaming routines are shown in FIG. 7, a different number of routines could be included to allow play of a different number of games. The gaming unit  20  may also be programmed to allow play of different games. 
     FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an alternative main operating routine  300  that may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . The main routine  300  may be utilized for gaming units  20  that are designed to allow play of only a single game or single type of game. Referring to FIG. 8, the main routine  300  may begin operation at block  302  during which an attraction sequence may be performed in an attempt to induce a potential player in a casino to play the gaming unit  20 . The attraction sequence may be performed by displaying one or more video images on the display unit  70  and/or causing one or more sound segments, such as voice or music, to be generated via the speakers  62 . 
     During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to the gaming unit  20  as determined at block  304 , the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game display may be generated on the display unit  70  at block  306 . The game display generated at block  306  may include, for example, an image of the game that may be played on the gaming unit  20  and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into the gaming unit  20 . At block  308 , the gaming unit  20  may determine if the player requested information concerning the game, in which case the requested information may be displayed at block  310 . Block  312  may be used to determine if the player requested initiation of a game, in which case a game routine  320  may be performed. The game routine  320  could be any one of the game routines disclosed herein, such as one of the five game routines  240 ,  242 ,  244 ,  246 ,  250 , or another game routine. 
     After the routine  320  has been performed to allow the player to play the game, block  322  may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on the gaming unit  20 . If the player wishes to stop playing the gaming unit  20 , which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, the controller  100  may dispense value to the player at block  324  based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block  302 . If the player did not wish to quit as determined at block  322 , the program may branch back to block  308 . 
     Video Poker 
     FIG. 9 is an exemplary display  350  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video poker routine  240  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . Referring to FIG. 9, the display  350  may include video images  352  of a plurality of playing cards representing the player&#39;s hand, such as five cards. To allow the player to control the play of the video poker game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Hold” button  354  disposed directly below each of the playing card images  352 , a “Cash Out” button  356 , a “See Pays” button  358 , a “Bet One Credit” button  360 , a “Bet Max Credits” button  362 , and a “Deal/Draw” button  364 . The display  350  may also include an area  366  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons  354 ,  356 ,  358 ,  360 ,  362 ,  364  may form part of the video display  350 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 . 
     FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the video poker routine  240  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . Referring to FIG. 11, at block  370 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  358 , in which case at block  372  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  374 , the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by pressing the “Bet One Credit” button  360 , in which case at block  376  bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  378 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the “Bet Max Credits” button  362 , in which case at block  380  bet data corresponding to the maximum allowable bet may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . 
     At block  382 , the routine may determine if the player desires a new hand to be dealt, which may be determined by detecting if the “Deal/Draw” button  364  was activated after a wager was made. In that case, at block  384  a video poker hand may be “dealt” by causing the display unit  70  to generate the playing card images  352 . After the hand is dealt, at block  386  the routine may determine if any of the “Hold” buttons  354  have been activated by the player, in which case data regarding which of the playing card images  352  are to be “held” may be stored in the controller  100  at block  388 . If the “Deal/Draw” button  364  is activated again as determined at block  390 , each of the playing card images  352  that was not “held” may be caused to disappear from the video display  350  and to be replaced by a new, randomly selected, playing card image  352  at block  392 . 
     At block  394 , the routine may determine whether the poker hand represented by the playing card images  352  currently displayed is a winner. That determination may be made by comparing data representing the currently displayed poker hand with data representing all possible winning hands, which may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . If there is a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined at block  396 . At block  398 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the hand was a winner, the payout value determined at block  396 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  366  (FIG.  9 ). 
     Although the video poker routine  240  is described above in connection with a single poker hand of five cards, the routine  240  may be modified to allow other versions of poker to be played. For example, seven card poker may be played, or stud poker may be played. Alternatively, multiple poker hands may be simultaneously played. In that case, the game may begin by dealing a single poker hand, and the player may be allowed to hold certain cards. After deciding which cards to hold, the held cards may be duplicated in a plurality of different poker hands, with the remaining cards for each of those poker hands being randomly determined. 
     Video Blackjack 
     FIG. 10 is an exemplary display  400  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video blackjack routine  242  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . Referring to FIG. 10, the display  400  may include video images  402  of a pair of playing cards representing a dealer&#39;s hand, with one of the cards shown face up and the other card being shown face down, and video images  404  of a pair of playing cards representing a player&#39;s hand, with both the cards shown face up. The “dealer” may be the gaming unit  20 . 
     To allow the player to control the play of the video blackjack game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  406 , a “See Pays” button  408 , a “Stay” button  410 , a “Hit” button  412 , a “Bet One Credit” button  414 , and a “Bet Max Credits” button  416 . The display  400  may also include an area  418  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons  406 ,  408 ,  410 ,  412 ,  414 ,  416  may form part of the video display  400 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 . 
     FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the video blackjack routine  242  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . Referring to FIG. 12, the video blackjack routine  242  may begin at block  420  where it may determine whether a bet has been made by the player. That may be determined, for example, by detecting the activation of either the “Bet One Credit” button  414  or the “Bet Max Credits” button  416 . At block  422 , bet data corresponding to the bet made at block  420  may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  424 , a dealer&#39;s hand and a player&#39;s hand may be “dealt” by making the playing card images  402 ,  404  appear on the display unit  70 . 
     At block  426 , the player may be allowed to be “hit,” in which case at block  428  another card will be dealt to the player&#39;s hand by making another playing card image  404  appear in the display  400 . If the player is hit, block  430  may determine if the player has “bust,” or exceeded 21. If the player has not bust, blocks  426  and  428  may be performed again to allow the player to be hit again. 
     If the player decides not to hit, at block  432  the routine may determine whether the dealer should be hit. Whether the dealer hits may be determined in accordance with predetermined rules, such as the dealer always hit if the dealer&#39;s hand totals 15 or less. If the dealer hits, at block  434  the dealer&#39;s hand may be dealt another card by making another playing card image  402  appear in the display  400 . At block  436  the routine may determine whether the dealer has bust. If the dealer has not bust, blocks  432 ,  434  may be performed again to allow the dealer to be hit again. 
     If the dealer does not hit, at block  436  the outcome of the blackjack game and a corresponding payout may be determined based on, for example, whether the player or the dealer has the higher hand that does not exceed 21. If the player has a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined at block  440 . At block  442 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the player won, the payout value determined at block  396 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  418  (FIG.  10 ). 
     Slots 
     FIG. 13 is an exemplary display  450  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the slots routine  244  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . Referring to FIG. 13, the display  450  may include video images  452  of a plurality of slot machine reels, each of the reels having a plurality of reel symbols  454  associated therewith. Although the display  450  shows five reel images  452 , each of which may have three reel symbols  454  that are visible at a time, other reel configurations could be utilized. 
     To allow the player to control the play of the slots game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  456 , a “See Pays” button  458 , a plurality of payline-selection buttons  460  each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to “spinning” the reels, a plurality of bet-selection buttons  462  each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected, a “Spin” button  464 , and a “Max Bet” button  466  to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable. 
     FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the slots routine  244  shown schematically in FIG.  13 . Referring to FIG. 15, at block  470 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  458 , in which case at block  472  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  474 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the payline-selection buttons  460 , in which case at block  476  data corresponding to the number of paylines selected by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  478 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the bet-selection buttons  462 , in which case at block  480  data corresponding to the amount bet per payline may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  482 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the “Max Bet” button  466 , in which case at block  484  bet data (which may include both payline data and bet-per-payline data) corresponding to the maximum allowable bet may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . 
     If the “Spin” button  464  has been activated by the player as determined at block  486 , at block  488  the routine may cause the slot machine reel images  452  to begin “spining” so as to simulate the appearance of a plurality of spinning mechanical slot machine reels. At block  490 , the routine may determine the positions at which the slot machine reel images will stop, or the particular symbol images  454  that will be displayed when the reel images  452  stop spinning. At block  492 , the routine may stop the reel images  452  from spinning by displaying stationary reel images  452  and images of three symbols  454  for each stopped reel image  452 . The virtual reels may be stopped from left to right, from the perspective of the player, or in any other manner or sequence. 
     The routine may provide for the possibility of a bonus game or round if certain conditions are met, such as the display in the stopped reel images  452  of a particular symbol  454 . If there is such a bonus condition as determined at block  494 , the routine may proceed to block  496  where a bonus round may be played. The bonus round may be a different game than slots, and many other types of bonus games could be provided. If the player wins the bonus round, or receives additional credits or points in the bonus round, a bonus value may be determined at block  498 . A payout value corresponding to outcome of the slots game and/or the bonus round may be determined at block  500 . At block  502 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the slot game and/or bonus round was a winner, the payout value determined at block  500 . 
     Although the above routine has been described as a virtual slot machine routine in which slot machine reels are represented as images on the display unit  70 , actual slot machine reels that are capable of being spun may be utilized instead. 
     Video Keno 
     FIG. 14 is an exemplary display  520  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video keno routine  246  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . Referring to FIG. 14, the display  520  may include a video image  522  of a plurality of numbers that were selected by the player prior to the start of a keno game and a video image  524  of a plurality of numbers randomly selected during the keno game. The randomly selected numbers may be displayed in a grid pattern. 
     To allow the player to control the play of the keno game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  526 , a “See Pays” button  528 , a “Bet One Credit” button  530 , a “Bet Max Credits” button  532 , a “Select Ticket” button  534 , a “Select Number” button  536 , and a “Play” button  538 . The display  520  may also include an area  540  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of the video display  520 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 . 
     FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the video keno routine  246  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . The keno routine  246  may be utilized in connection with a single gaming unit  20  where a single player is playing a keno game, or the keno routine  340  may be utilized in connection with multiple gaming units  20  where multiple players are playing a single keno game. In the latter case, one or more of the acts described below may be performed either by the controller  100  in each gaming unit or by one of the network computer  22 ,  32  to which multiple gaming units  20  are operatively connected. 
     Referring to FIG. 16, at block  550 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  528 , in which case at block  552  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  554 , the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the “Bet One Credit” button  530  or the “Bet Max Credits” button  532 , in which case at block  556  bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . After the player has made a wager, at block  558  the player may select a keno ticket, and at block  560  the ticket may be displayed on the display  520 . At block  562 , the player may select one or more game numbers, which may be within a range set by the casino. After being selected, the player&#39;s game numbers may be stored in the memory of the controller  100  at block  564  and may be included in the image  522  on the display  520  at block  566 . After a certain amount of time, the keno game may be closed to additional players (where a number of players are playing a single keno game using multiple gambling units  20 ). 
     If play of the keno game is to begin as determined at block  568 , at block  570  a game number within a range set by the casino may be randomly selected either by the controller  100  or a central computer operatively connected to the controller, such as one of the network computers  22 ,  32 . At block  572 , the randomly selected game number may be displayed on the display unit  70  and the display units  70  of other gaming units  20  (if any) which are involved in the same keno game. At block  574 , the controller  100  (or the central computer noted above) may increment a count which keeps track of how many game numbers have been selected at block  570 . 
     At block  576 , the controller  100  (or one of the network computers  22 ,  32 ) may determine whether a maximum number of game numbers within the range have been randomly selected. If not, another game number may be randomly selected at block  570 . If the maximum number of game numbers has been selected, at block  578  the controller  100  (or a central computer) may determine whether there are a sufficient number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers selected at block  570  to cause the player to win. The number of matches may depend on how many numbers the player selected and the particular keno rules being used. 
     If there are a sufficient number of matches, a payout may be determined at block  580  to compensate the player for winning the game. The payout may depend on the number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers randomly selected at block  570 . At block  582 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the keno game was won, the payout value determined at block  580 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  540  (FIG.  14 ). 
     Video Bingo 
     FIG. 17 is an exemplary display  600  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video bingo routine  250  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . Referring to FIG. 17, the display  600  may include one or more video images  602  of a bingo card and images of the bingo numbers selected during the game. The bingo card images  602  may have a grid pattern. 
     To allow the player to control the play of the bingo game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  604 , a “See Pays” button  606 , a “Bet One Credit” button  608 , a “Bet Max Credits” button  610 , a “Select Card” button  612 , and a “Play” button  614 . The display  600  may also include an area  616  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of the video display  600 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 . 
     FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the video bingo routine  250  shown schematically in FIG.  7 . The bingo routine  250  may be utilized in connection with a single gaming unit  20  where a single player is playing a bingo game, or the bingo routine  250  may be utilized in connection with multiple gaming units  20  where multiple players are playing a single bingo game. In the latter case, one or more of the acts described below may be performed either by the controller  100  in each gaming unit  20  or by one of the network computers  22 ,  32  to which multiple gaming units  20  are operatively connected. 
     Referring to FIG. 18, at block  620 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  606 , in which case at block  622  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  624 , the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the “Bet One Credit” button  608  or the “Bet Max Credits” button  610 , in which case at block  626  bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . 
     After the player has made a wager, at block  628  the player may select a bingo card, which may be generated randomly. The player may select more than one bingo card, and there may be a maximum number of bingo cards that a player may select. After play is to commence as determined at block  632 , at block  634  a bingo number may be randomly generated by the controller  100  or a central computer such as one of the network computers  22 ,  32 . At block  636 , the bingo number may be displayed on the display unit  70  and the display units  70  of any other gaming units  20  involved in the bingo game. 
     At block  638 , the controller  100  (or a central computer) may determine whether any player has won the bingo game. If no player has won, another bingo number may be randomly selected at block  634 . If any player has bingo as determined at block  638 , the routine may determine at block  640  whether the player playing that gaming unit  20  was the winner. If so, at block  642  a payout for the player may be determined. The payout may depend on the number of random numbers that were drawn before there was a winner, the total number of winners (if there was more than one player), and the amount of money that was wagered on the game. At block  644 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the bingo game was won, the payout value determined at block  642 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  616  (FIG.  17 ). 
     FIG. 19 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a gaming unit  700  that may include a beverage temperature control system  701  interconnected to a person seating device  702 . The person seating device  702  of FIG. 19 is a chair having a plurality of legs  704 , a back support  706 , and an attached table  710 . In this embodiment, the beverage support structure is mounted under the table  710  so that the top of the beverage support structure is in substantially the same plane as a top surface  712  of the table  710 . The table  710  also includes a first input/output device  714  and a second input/output device  716 . In this embodiment, a display panel  720  and a control panel  722  are also located on the table  710 . 
     As described with reference to FIG. 1, the gaming unit  700  of FIG. 19 may be connected to a larger gaming system. The description of the gaming system  10  of FIG. 1 is hereby incorporated in conjunction with the gaming unit  700  of FIG.  19 . Additionally, the gaming unit  700  may also include the components and functions described above in reference to FIGS. 2-3. The description of those components is hereby incorporated in conjunction with the gaming unit  700 . Also, the beverage temperature control system  701  may include the components illustrated and described with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. These components are also incorporated in conjunction with the beverage temperature control system  701 . The illustrations and descriptions of the operations of the gaming unit  10  from FIGS. 6-18 are also incorporated in conjunction with the gaming unit  700  from FIG.  19 . 
     Numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. This description is to be construed as illustrative only, and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and method may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims is reserved.