GB2178328A - Crane-grab amusement device - Google Patents

Abstract

A crane-grab amusement device (10) of the bridge crane type comprises electronically controlled D.C. motors, such as drive motor (27) for winch (28) controlling grab (20). The motor (27) has a wind-on/wind-off drum (32) comprising plates (33) to respective ones of which are connected winch cables (30, 31) so as their connection points are angularly off-set from one another. Thus the electronic control of the rotation of the drive motor (27) controls the operation of the winch (28) and thus the opening and closing of the grab (20). One of the winch cables (47) is connected to cover (50) and to other grab-arms (57) via grab links (56) such that the grab-arms (57) are independently moveable. The grab (20) is intended to pick up prizes and/or gifts lying on the base (23) of the housing. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Crane-grab amusement device This invention concerns crane-grab amusement devices, most commonly found in amusement arcades and known as amusement with prizes devices.

Crane-grab amusement devices are normaliy of two main types, namely the jib crane type and the bridge crane type. It is the latter type i.e. the bridge crane type, with which this invention is concerned.

Bridge crane-grab amusement devices usually comprise a box-like housing, the upper and four side walls of which are made of sheet glass or clear plastics, in the interior of which above its base is the bridge crane comprising a gantry-like structure having at least two parallel beams or girders, each end of which is mounted on a small trestle-like structure having one or more wheels which travel on a respective track extending the length of the housing each track at a right angle to the girders. A trolley, mounting a winch having a grab for lifting a load, is mounted on a transverse track on each of the two girders so that said trolley can move to and fro along the girders. The combined movements of the gantry and the trolley enable the grab to be brought into any desired position in the housing.

On the base of the interior of the housing there is littered a number of gifts or prizes which the user of the device can attempt to win by first inserting a coin in the device's coin-feed mechanism and then manipulating a series of buttons to position the gantry, and subsequently the trolley, over the desired gift or prize whereupon the winch automatically operates to lower the grab in its open state, which grab when lowered to its full extent closes, possibly around the desired gift or prize, is raised again, is positioned over a chute to the user by movement of the gantry and then opens dropping any gift or prize it has grabbed down the chute to the user, whereupon it returns to its rest position available for the next user.

In hitherto known bridge crane-grab amusement devices the movement of the gantry and of the trolley is by means of relay or on/off switch control of the driving A.C. motors. The current for operation of the A.C. motors is supplied one or more cables from the mains and running through the housing.

Due to the limited on/off control of the motors the tracks on which the gantry and the trolley run have to be provided with limit switches so that supply current to the A.C. motors is cut-off when the limit switches are activated to stop the gantry and the trolley overrunning their respective tracks and damaging both the housing and the gantry and trolley. However, these limit switches have a tendency of breaking e.g. due to wear, after a short period of time. When this happens current supply to the drive motors of gantry and the trolley continues even the latter are at the end of their respective track so that eventually the motors burn out and have to be replaced.

It is an object of the present invention to provide such a bridge grab-crane amusement device as aforedescribed wherein there is greater control of the operation of the drive motors. Such an amusement device will hereinafter be referred to as being "of the type described".

With this object in view the present invention comprises a bridge crane-grab amusement device of the type described characterised in that associated with its gantry is an electronic control device which controls the supply of current to a drive motor or motors for the gantry and its associated trolley and the trolley's winch.

Preferably, said drive motor or motors are D.C.

motors.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the bridge crane-grab amusement device of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the crane-grab forming part of the device of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the crane-grab of Fig. 2.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1,the preferred crane-grab amusement device 10 comprises a box-like housing 11 having an upperface 12 and two sidewalls 13,14 made of, for example, clear plastics.

In the interior of the housing 11 is a bridge crane, denoted generally by the reference numeral 15, comprising a gantry-like structure having parallel beams or girders 16the ends of which are mounted on a small trestle-like structure 17 having one or more wheels (not shown) which travel on a respective track 18 extending the length of the housing 11 at a right angle to the girders 16.

A trolley 19, mounting a winch (28) Figs. 2 and 3 having a grab 20 for lifting a load (not shown) is mounted by wheels 21 on the girders 16 and is guided to and fro on the girders 16 by being connected to a track 22. The combined movements of the gantry and the trolley 19 enables the grab 20 to be brought into any desired position within the housing 11.

On base 23 of the interior of the housing 11 there is littered a number of gifts or prizes (not shown) which the user of the device 10 can attempt to win by first inserting a coin in the device's coin-feed mechanism 24 and then manipulating buttons 25 to position the gantry, and subsequently the trolley 19, over the desired gift or prize whereupon the winch automatically operates to lower the grab 20 in its open state, which grab 20 when lowered to its full extent closes, possibly around the desired gift or prize, is raised again, is positioned over a chute 26 to the user by movement of the gantry and then opens dropping any gift or prize it has grabbed down the chute to the user, whereupon it returns to its rest position available for the next user.

The preferred crane-grab amusement device 10 of the present invention is inventively distinguished from known such devices primarily by the fact that it does not utilise A.C. drive motors for the operation of its various moving parts nor the limit switches normally associated with the use of A.C. drive motors.

The amusement device 10 of the present invention has a number of inventive features as will hereinafter be described.

Firstly, said amusement device 10 is provided with an electronic control device (not shown) which controls the supply of current to the drive motors of the device 10.

The electronic control device has connections to a drive motorforthe gantry, a drive motorforthe trolley 19 which moves transversely of the gantry and a drive motorforthe winch which is on the trolley 19 and which has the grab 20.

As a second inventive feature of the device 10 of the invention, all ofthese drive motors are D.C.

motors. The electronic control device controls the operation of these D.C. drive motors. If, for example, the gantry and/or the trolley 19 are left to run to the limit of their movements they will not burn out, due to overload, due to the fact that the electronic circuit senses that the D.C motors are in their overload mode and switches them off before they can burn out.

Yet a further inventive feature of the device 10 of the invention resides in the construction of the crane-grab itself, and this will now be explained in more detail with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

Drive motor 27, which of course may be a D.C.

motor, is connected via its gearbox 29 to the winche 28 and provides a wind-on/wind-off drum for the two cables 30, 31 of the winch 28, which cables 30, 31 are connected to the grab 20.

The wind-on/wind-off drum is generally indicated bythe reference numeral 32 and comprises three circular plates 33 connected by a nut 34 and a bolt 35, which bolt 35 is connected to drive shaft 36 of the motor 27. Between the plates 33 are spacers in the form of washers 37.

The respective ends 38,39 of the cables are connected to the plates 33 (one end between two adjacent plates 33) by two cotter pins 40 which are extendable through respective holes in the plates 33 and eyelets 41 on the ends 38,39 of the cables 30, 31. It will clearly be seen from Fig. 3 that the ends 38, 39 of the cables 30,31 are connected to the plates 33 such that they are angularly off-set from each other.

The other ends 42,43 of the cables 30,31 are connected to respective elongate hooks 45,46 (the connection being protected by respective neoprene sleeves 47.

The elongate hook 46 is connected by its other end 48 to the inside of grab cover 50 by means of screw 51 nut 52 and washer 53.

The elongate hook 45 is connected by its other end 49 to the grab 20 itself.

The end 49 connects three dog-leg shaped upper links 54. The other end of each upper link 54 hooks securely into a hole of a flat circular intermediate plate 55. Each said hole is angularly off-set from the other. Angularly off-set from the latter said holes are three further said holes. Into these further said holes hook respective dog-leg shaped lower links 56.

Thus, the upper links 54 and the lower links 56 are angularly off-set from one another in an alternating fashion.

The lower links 56 are each connected to a respective hook-like grab arm 57. In this respect there are two holes in each grab arm 57, the outer hole 58 being for connection of the lower link 56.

The grab-arms 57 are themselves connected to grab-boss 59. The upper end of each grab-arm 57 which has inner hole 60 can be received in a respective slot 61 (of which there are three) in the grab-boss 59 and held therein by respective pins 62 inserted through recess 63, siot 61, and hole 64, all in the grab-boss 59, and inner hole 60 in the grabarm 57.

The intermediate plate 55 and the grab-boss 59 are adjustably connected to each by bolt 65 and adjusting nuts 66 and 67.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the grab-arms 57 are independently movable. Thus they do not all grab around a prize exerting the same grabbing pressure as in hitherto known amusement devices.

The provision of the wind-on/wind-off drum 32 connected to the motor 27 means that the lowering of the grab 20 and the opening and closing of the grab-arms 57 thereof can be closely and carefully controlled by controlling, by means of the electronic device, the operation of the drive motor 27.

Thus it will also be readily appreciated from the foregoing that the crane-grab amusement device of the present invention is a considerable advance and improvement on hitherto known amusement devices.

Finally, as will be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, the winch 28 is provided with a pressure spring 68 which is secured on the outer casing 69 of the trolley 19 by a support ring 70 and a screw 71, washer 72, and nut 73.

Claims (6)

1. A bridge crane-grab amusement device of the type described characterised in that associated with its gantry is an electronic control device which controls the supply of current to a drive motor or motors for the gantry and its associated trolley and the trolley's winch.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive motor or motors are D.C. motors.

3. A device as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the drive motor serving the winch provides a wind-on/ wind-off drum for the winch's cables connecting the winch and the grab.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the winch cables are connected to the drum so as to be angularly off-set from each other.

5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein grab-arms of the grab are independently movable.

6. A bridge crane grab amusement device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.