EDITORIAL NOTE 2014101495 There are ten pages of description only CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT STATION FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to children's entertainment, in particular to an entertainment station especially suited to young children. BACKGROUND [0002] Many types of entertainment station are available for children and young adults to enjoy. Traditional ride-on mechanical games and devices are particularly popular in noisy busy environments such as shopping centres which offer a young child (typically aged 18 months to 5 years) a short exciting experience. Arcade games typically cater to older children or young adults and mostly involve exciting action-packed visual and sensory experience. Many parents, however, would prefer their young children to be offered more educational and more focusing, less noisy and more relaxing diversions than are currently available. Moreover, many environments where children are waiting with their parents and would benefit from entertainment are unsuitable for traditional arcade or ride-on games, such as airline, bus or other transport waiting lounges or hospitals or doctor's waiting rooms. [0003] There is therefore a need to provide an alternative entertainment station to satisfy such needs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] According to a first broad aspect of the invention there is provided an entertainment station suitable for entertaining a child in a public place or waiting room, comprising: a touchscreen display; an audio output device; access to story selection interface software adapted to allow selection through the touchscreen display of a story to be told to the child; access to a storytelling processor operatively associated with the story selection interface software, the touchscreen display and the audio output device, the storytelling processor having access to a memory containing a library comprising children's stories and being adapted to show images relating to the selected story on the touchscreen display or a second display and to play an associated audio signal corresponding to the images on the audio output device; and a station body housing the display or displays and also housing a child's seat integral with the station body disposed at a convenient viewing distance from the display. [0005] In one embodiment, the station further comprises an access grantor adapted to grant access to use of the station after provision of payment or other access criterion. [0006] In one embodiment, the station further comprises a network interface to download stories from a remote location. There may also be provided a story selection optimiser adapted to monitor stories or classes of stories most often selected and to vary future selection options or updating of the library through the network interface on the basis of the stories or classes of stories most often selected. [0007] In accordance with a second broad aspect of the invention there is provided an entertainment station suitable for entertaining a child in a public place or waiting room, comprising: a touchscreen display; an audio output device; access to media selection interface software adapted to allow selection through the touchscreen display of an audiovisual media item; access to a media playing processor operatively associated with the media selection interface software, the touchscreen display and the audio output device, the media playing processor having access to a memory containing a library comprising media items and being adapted to show images relating to the selected media item on the touchscreen display or a second display and to play an associated audio signal corresponding to the images on the audio output device; and a station body housing the display or displays and also housing a child's seat integral with the station body disposed at a convenient viewing distance from the display; wherein the station body is shaped to include walls on either side of the station body that extend above at least the feet of the child, defining together with the child's seat a cavity in front of the display providing an intimate sense of enclosure and protection. [0008] In some embodiments, the walls may extend above at least the lower legs of the child. [0009] Preferably, when adapted to hold one child the entertainment station is less than 100 cm in length, more preferably less than 95 cm and even more preferably less than 90 cm. When adapted to hold two children, the entertainment station typically has a larger screen and may be slightly longer-less than 120 cm in length, preferably less than 110 cm and even more preferably less than 100 cm. [0010] Preferably, particularly for an entertainment station adapted to hold one child, the entertainment station is less than 70 cm in width, more preferably less than 60 cm and even more preferably less than 55 cm. When adapted for two children, the entertainment station will be correspondingly wider, preferably less than 100cm in width, more preferably less than 90cm and even more preferably less than 85cm. [0011] Preferably, the entertainment station is less than 110 cm height, more preferably less than 100 cm and even more preferably less than 90 cm. [0012] In one embodiment, the entertainment station of the second aspect further comprises a media items selection optimiser adapted to monitor media items or classes of media items most often selected and to vary future selection options or updating of the library through the network interface on the basis of the media items or classes of media items most often selected. [0013] In embodiments, the audio output device comprises one or more speakers integral with the station body, and/or headphones. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front of an entertainment station in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. [0015] Figure 2 is a perspective view from behind of the entertainment station of Figure 1. [0016] Figure 3 is an exploded view of components of the entertainment station of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [0017] An embodiment of the current invention will now be described. [0018] Referring first to Figure 1, entertainment station 10 comprises a touchscreen display 20 mounted inside a frame 21, in turn mounted in a sculpted surround 22 evoking the shape of a storybook. Sculpted surround 22 is disposed within a station body about 88 cm in length, 53 cm in width and 88 cm in maximum height, and comprises rear face 31, side walls 32 and 33, front face 34 and seat 40 integral with the station body. Seat 40 is positioned at a height of about 30 cm above the floor and a convenient viewing distance of less than 50 cm and preferably about 25-40 cm, most preferably about 30 cm, for a small child sitting on the seat 40. Side walls 32 and 33 and seat 40 define a cavity 50 for the child's feet. The body with integral seat 40, aided by the side walls 32 and 33 extending above the child's lower legs and cavity 50 help to provide a sense of enveloping enclosure, protection and focus for the child. An access grantor to provide access on provision of an access criterion, in this case in the form of a coin slot 60, is provided below touchscreen display 20. [0019] Now referring to Figure 2, a view of the entertainment station is seen from behind, showing service panel 35 with lock 36 disposed in the rear face 31. Sculpted surround 22 extends over and joins the rear face 31 at 23 and lower air flow vent 24 and upper air flow vent 25 provides ventilation for the electronic equipment. [0020] Referring now to Figure 3, sculpted surround 22 houses electronics 23 including a media playing processor in the form of a storytelling processor disposed in a cavity behind touchscreen 20 and frame 21. Coin receptacle 37 extends from an inside face of service panel 35 and when assembled sits below coin acceptor 60 to catch inserted coins. [0021] In use, the child sits on seat 40 and the child or parent places a coin in coin acceptor slot 60. Media item selection interface software in the form of story selection interface software running in processor hardware 23 presents on the touchscreen display 20 a selection of story titles or descriptions, and the child or parent selects one by touching on the screen area representing or describing the desired story. The selected story is then retrieved from the library residing in memory within the electronics 23, and control passes to the storytelling processor programmed to interactively tell the story to the child by displaying pages or images of the story on the touchscreen at the same time as an audio signal containing music and/or recitation of the story is played on an audio output device in the form of two speakers, (not shown), one disposed beneath coin slot 60 and another disposed beneath seat 40, both speakers of the opposing sides of and facing into cavity 50. In the case of a story containing still images of pages, the storytelling processor may be designed so that the child can turn the pages manually using the touchscreen 20. [0022] The story telling may take the form of a straightforward video storybook reading, an animated story with moving images, a musical story or a read-a-long story. [0023] Ideally to minimise response time the library of stories available to be selected at any one time is stored locally in memory inside the electronics, in which case updating of the library is advantageously performed if the electronics includes a network interface to load new stories down over a remote network such as the Internet. The network interface could for example be a Wi-Fi link to a nearby router, or a SIM card connected to a mobile data network. The storytelling processor may contain a usage log storing information on how often each story in the current library has been played. This could be used by a story selection optimiser in the form of software located preferably on a remote server that allocates updates to the library using the usage log information. One way in which this may operate is to classify each story as belonging to a particular category based on the story content, author or other story attribute, and to preferentially allocate stories from the most popular categories played on the machine when providing library updates, or to preferentially place stories from the most popular categories prominently in the selection options. [0024] In addition to downloading and managing stories and other media items, the network interface may also be used to monitor the machine remotely, track application user behaviour and usage, to apply software updates and to provide GPS, GSM, GPRS or other asset location and/or to process or track electronic payments for operation of the access grantor in the case that payment modalities other than coin are accepted. [0025] In other embodiments, the library may be located wholly remotely, in which case the story selection interface software may preferentially offer stories for selection which come from the most popular categories. [0026] The invention provides a previously unmet need particularly for public spaces such as waiting rooms where noisy or bulky games machines are inappropriate. The entertainment station can have a small footprint and can be conveniently located in places where parents wait with children, from hospitals, airports, resorts and shopping precincts to family restaurants and cafes. The invention can provide an attractive station with an integral seat sized appropriately for a small child at the same time as providing entertainment content which is both educational for the child, traditional in nature and not excessively noisy for other occupants of the public space. The body and integral seat helps to deliver an intimate, engaging and unique entertainment service. [0027] Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that many other variations may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. [0028] For example, while the example given involves access to be granted after payment by coin, other access modalities are within the scope of the invention such as touch and go credit card, debit card, voucher, activation code, membership number or even in the broadest aspects of the invention no requirement for payment or other access criterion at all, for example when the station is leased to an operator. Also, while the example given utilises a single display for media item selection and viewing, embodiments which utilise a second display for viewing are within the broadest scopes of the invention. [0029] Further, entertainment stations are within the scope of the invention which are also programmed and adapted to play movies, television shows or even games in addition to the educational stories primarily envisaged. In the second broad aspect of the invention, any media item is envisaged which may or may not include stories. [0030] Further still, while the example described envisages a story telling or more generally a media playing processor primarily housed locally, distributed architectures whereby some or most of the processing is performed remotely on a server are within the scope of the invention, and the particular architecture employed will depend on factors such as unit cost, data transfer charges and network bandwidth. As described in the accompanying claims, it is only required that the station has access to the story selection interface software and the story telling processor, not necessarily to contain the software and processor, which can individually be located anywhere or in multiple locations. [0031] Further again, entertainment stations are within the broadest scope to the invention that include a footprint large enough to accommodate two children. [0032] Further also, the term "vary future selection options" above and in the claims is intended to encompass modification of either options available for selection, or variation of the prominence or mode of presentation of particular selection options, to encourage selection of stories for media items most likely to be enjoyed. [0033] In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. Further, any method steps recited in the claims are not necessarily intended to be performed temporally in the sequence written, or to be performed without pause once started, unless the context requires it. [0034] It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.