JP2001145724A - Pan device for game medium in game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pane device for a game medium in a game machine capable of easily and quickly transferring the game medium in a pan to a storage box. SOLUTION: A pan 8 is journalled on the left/right both ends to be rotatably arranged, the pan 8 can be changed to a horizontally held steady position for receiving a delivered game medium and a discharge position for discharging the game medium in the pan by dead weight by rotating the front side downward, the game medium in the pan 8 is discharged from the front edge of the pan 8 by the dead weight by rotating the pan 8 to the discharge position from the steady position, and can be transferred to a storage box A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game medium tray device used in a game machine for playing a game via a game medium such as a coin or a pachinko ball.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A coin machine such as a throttle machine for playing a game using a coin as a game medium and a game machine such as a pachinko machine for playing a game using a pachinko ball as a game medium are provided with a tray at a lower front portion of the main body of the game machine. Is provided,
The game media paid out from the payout port can be received and stored.

In the case of a coin game machine, the tray is formed in a shallow-bottom rectangular shape, and the width including the ashtray arranged on the side is close to the width of the main body of the game machine. A saucer is horizontally arranged by integral molding or fixing to the lower part of the front of the gaming machine body. The receiving tray has a capacity that can store coins paid out by one or two "big hits". When the tray is full of coins or when you stop playing, remove the thin, hard-to-pick coin by scraping it along the inside of the front wall of the tray, and transfer it to a separately prepared storage box. We are changing.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional fixed tray, when coins in the tray are transferred to the storage box, the coin must be scraped out of the tray many times by hand. Therefore, it takes time and is very troublesome. In addition, "big hit" during game
Occurs continuously, the tray becomes full in a short time, and there is a trouble that the inefficient coin scraping operation by hand as described above must be frequently performed.

In order to make the coin scraping operation unnecessary, an opening provided in the bottom wall of the receiving tray is opened and closed by a movable bottom plate pivotally supporting the rear end, and the movable bottom plate is locked at the shielding position. The front side of the movable bottom plate is tilted downward by the unlocking operation of the locking member to form an opening between the front edge of the movable bottom plate and the lower edge of the peripheral wall of the receiving tray. Some have been devised to eject coins that slide down. However, this has a complicated structure and is costly.In addition, since the opening for discharging coins formed between the front edge of the movable bottom plate and the lower edge of the peripheral wall of the tray is not sufficient, friction resistance is large and fluidity is low. The coin is easily clogged in the opening and is difficult to discharge smoothly. Furthermore, the load of the coin in the tray is directly applied on the movable bottom plate,
At the moment when the locking member is unlocked, the load causes the movable bottom plate to rotate rapidly downward.To prevent this, the load must be supported by hand, and a large force is applied when the coin is full. There is a problem that it is necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a game medium tray device which can easily and quickly transfer game media such as coins or pachinko balls to a storage box without manually scraping the game media from the tray. Things.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a game is played through a game medium such as a coin or a pachinko ball, and a receiving tray for receiving the game medium paid out from a payout port is provided at a lower front portion of the main body of the game machine. In the gaming machine, the tray is pivotally supported at both left and right ends and is rotatably provided. The tray is rotated horizontally at a steady position for receiving the dispensed game medium and downward at the front side. A game medium tray device for a gaming machine, characterized in that the game medium can be converted to a discharge position for discharging the game medium in the tray by its own weight by moving.

In this configuration, by rotating the tray from the steady position to the discharging position, the game medium in the tray is discharged from the front edge of the tray by its own weight. Then, by accepting the discharged game media in the storage box, the game media in the tray can be easily transferred to the storage box. Here, since the upper portion of the receiving tray is open and there is no obstacle that obstructs discharge, the game medium can be smoothly discharged without being clogged. Further, since the tray is pivotally supported at both left and right ends and the load of the game medium in the tray is supported, the rotating operation can be easily performed with a small force necessary for rotating the tray.

In the tray apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, the tray is provided with a biasing means for biasing the tray toward the steady position, and the tray rotated to the discharge position is automatically returned to the steady position by the biasing means. A configuration can be proposed. With this configuration, it is not necessary to perform the operation of returning the tray rotated to the discharge position to the steady position each time, so that no effort is required, and the tray is always held in the steady position and is discharged from the payout port. Game media can be smoothly received.

Further, a configuration may be proposed in which the center of gravity in a state where the game medium is substantially fully received in the tray at the steady position is located rearward of the rotation center position of the tray. In this configuration, the tray does not needlessly rotate toward the discharge position due to the weight of the received game medium, and it is possible to prevent the game medium from being inadvertently discharged.

Further, a handle for rotating operation may be provided on the receiving tray. Thus, the operation of rotating the tray can be easily performed. Further, if the handle is arranged so as to fit within the lateral width of the game machine main body at the side position of the tray, there is no hindrance to the game, and there is no hindrance to the adjacent player. In addition, there is an advantage that the product can be easily settled at the time of transporting the product and does not become an obstacle.

Further, by providing a defining means for defining a range of rotation of the tray rotating between the steady position and the discharge position, the tray is reliably rotated at a predetermined angle, and is positioned horizontally in the steady position. On the other hand, in the discharge position, since the front side is positioned with the front side pivoted downward, the tray does not swing, whereby the game media can be transferred to the storage box without spilling.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which a game medium tray device in a gaming machine according to the present invention is applied to a coin gaming machine such as a throttle machine will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coin gaming machine is provided with a display window 2 at the center of the front of the gaming machine main body 1, and the display window 2 is provided.
Displays the symbols drawn on the outer peripheral surfaces of the three built-in reels. Below the display window 2, a coin slot 3, a start lever 4, and three stop buttons 5,
5 and 5 are provided, and a coin payout opening 6 is opened in the lower center of the gaming machine main body 1. A tray device 7 according to the present invention having a tray 8 for receiving coins to be paid out from the payout port 6 is provided at a lower front part of the gaming machine main body 1.

In such a coin gaming machine, a coin as a game medium is inserted from a coin insertion slot 3 and a start lever 4
Is pressed to rotate the three reels, the stop buttons 5, 5, and 5 are sequentially pressed to stop the rotation of each reel, so that the symbol of each reel displayed on the display window 2 becomes a predetermined combination. , A predetermined number of coins are paid out from the payout opening 6. In addition, when a combination of specific symbols is completed, a "big hit" is obtained, a predetermined symbol is continuously aligned, and a large amount of coins are paid out.

Next, the main part of the present invention will be described. The tray 8 constituting the tray device 7 has an inverted triangular shape in a side view (see FIG. 4), and is formed in a box shape having an upper part opened in a horizontally long rectangular shape. Here, the slope of the front wall 9a, which is inclined forward, is gentler than the slope of the rear wall 9b, and the central portion of the upper edge of the front wall 9a is slightly protruded forward to reduce the width, thereby discharging the coin. The section 10.

The tray 8 comprises a pair of support members 11a, 11a,
11b rotatably supports. That is, the support shafts 12, 12 projecting from the left and right side walls 9c, 9c of the receiving tray 8 are connected to the bearing holes 1 formed in the inner wall surfaces of the support members 11a, 11b.
The receiving tray 8 is rotatably supported at the left and right ends by being inserted into and supported by 3, 3. Also, spindle 1
The trays 2 and 12 are arranged at positions deviated forward from the center of gravity G (see FIG. 4) of the tray 8, whereby the tray 8
The center of gravity in a state where the game medium is almost fully received in the center of gravity G of the tray 8 and the tray 8 is located at a position rearward of a line connecting the support shafts 12, which is the center of rotation of the tray 8.

The support members 11a and 11b are fixed to the lower front wall 17 of the game machine main body 1 by a plurality of screws 14 inserted from the inside of the game machine main body 1. Of the support members 11a and 11b, one support member 11a is
A concave portion 15 having a predetermined depth is provided on the upper surface, so that it can be used as an ashtray. The other support member 11b is formed with an insertion hole 16 that communicates horizontally from the outer wall surface to the bearing hole 13 on the inner wall surface side.
An attachment portion 20b of the handle 20, which will be described later, is inserted.

A triangular regulating projection 18 is disposed at a substantially central position on the lower front wall surface 17 of the gaming machine main body 1 facing the rear wall 9b of the receiving tray 8, as shown in FIG. By contacting the rear wall 9b with the regulating projection 18, the tray 8 is positioned horizontally. This position is a normal position for receiving game media paid out from the payout port 6. Here, since the center of gravity G of the tray 8 is located at a position rearward from the rotation center position, a rotational moment force acting in the rearward direction acts on the tray 8 to cause the rear wall 9 to rotate.
b comes into contact with the regulating projection 18 so that the horizontal state of the tray 8 is maintained. In addition, the lower part of the tray 8 is provided with the regulating protrusion 18.
The stopper 19 is protrudingly provided so as to be able to come into contact with the tray 8, and as shown in FIG.
The stopper 19 comes into contact with the regulating protrusion 18 and the tray 8 is positioned in the forwardly inclined state. Then, the receiving pan 8
It is a discharge position for discharging the game media inside by its own weight. This constitutes a defining means for defining the range of rotation of the tray 8 that rotates between the steady position and the discharge position. The regulating projections 18 may be formed of a cushioning material such as synthetic rubber or elastic resin, or may be formed by disposing a cushioning material 18 ′ at a position where the rear wall 9 b of the tray 8 and the stopper 19 abut. As a result, the rear wall 9b and the stopper 19
The impact at the time of the collision is absorbed, and damage to each member such as the regulating protrusion 18, the rear wall 9b, and the stopper 19 can be prevented.

Further, the receiving tray 8 is provided with a handle 20 for rotating operation. The handle 20 comprises a lever rod having an operation part 20a raised upward and a mounting part 20b formed by bending the lower part of the operation part 20a in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 11b insertion hole 1
In a state where the mounting portion 20b is inserted into the mounting portion 6, the mounting portion 20b is fixed to the receiving tray 8 by a screw 21 which is screwed into the end of the mounting portion 20b from the inside of the receiving tray 8. By rotating the operation portion 20a of the handle 20 in the front-rear direction, the tray 8 can be rotated in the up-down direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 20 is disposed so as to fit within the width of the game machine main body 1 at the side of the tray 8. As a result, the handle 20 does not hinder the game and does not interfere with the next player. Furthermore, the product is settled well during product transportation so as not to be in the way.

A coil spring 22 is stretched between the operating portion 20a of the handle 20 and the lower front wall 17 of the gaming machine main body 1 in a tension state. And this coil spring 2
Numeral 2 is urging means for urging the tray 8 toward the steady position, and the tray 8 rotated to the discharge position by the urging means can be automatically returned to the steady position. Further, the tray 8 is held at the steady position by the urging means.

In such a configuration, in order to transfer the game media stored in the tray 8 to the storage box, it is necessary to operate the handle 20 with the storage box addressed to the lower front edge of the tray 8 at the steady position. By pulling the portion 20a forward and rotating the front side of the tray 8 downward against the urging force of the coil spring 22, the stopper 19 is moved downward as shown in FIG.
, The tray 8 is positioned at the discharge position, and the game medium C slides down on the front wall 9a of the tray 8 inclined obliquely downward due to its own weight and is discharged from the discharge unit 10, and the game in the tray 8 The medium C can be easily and quickly transferred to the storage box A.

At the time of this discharge, the operation portion 20a of the handle 20 is slowly pulled toward the user, and the front side of the receiving tray 8 is slowly rotated downward, so that the game medium C
Can be freely adjusted without being discharged all at once.
, And the tray 8 is positioned at the discharge position, so that the tray 8 does not swing and the game medium C can be transferred to the storage box A without spilling. Further, since the upper portion of the tray 8 is open and there is no obstacle that hinders discharge, the game medium C can be smoothly discharged without being clogged. Further, since the tray 8 is pivotally supported at both left and right ends and the load of the game medium C in the tray 8 is supported, the rotating operation can be easily performed with a small force necessary for rotating the tray 8. Can be. The operation of rotating the receiving tray 8 is performed by the operation unit 20 of the handle 20 as described above.
a, the finger of the hand holding the storage box A is hung on the front edge of the tray 8 and the tray 8 is rotated while the storage box A is addressed to the lower part of the front edge of the tray 8. It can also be performed by causing In this case, storage box A
When a large amount of game media C is stored, the tray 8 can be rotated while the weight is securely supported by both hands, and the transfer of new game media C can be performed stably. it can.

As described above, after discharging the game medium,
When the hand is released from the operating portion 20a of the handle 20 or the force is loosened, the front side of the tray 8 is rotated upward by the urging force of the coil spring 22, and the tray 8 automatically returns to the steady position from the discharge position. I do. This eliminates the need to perform the operation of returning the tray 8 rotated to the discharge position to the steady position each time.
It does not take time and effort.

In this manner, the tray 8 automatically returned to the normal position is positioned horizontally with the rear wall 9b abutting on the regulating projection 18, and receives the game medium newly paid out from the payout port 6. Becomes In this steady position, the tray 8 is placed in a state in which the center of gravity of the tray 8 that has received the game medium substantially full is located at a position rearward of the rotation center position of the tray 8. Does not rotate unnecessarily to the front side, and the game medium is not inadvertently discharged.

In the above embodiment, the operating portion 20a of the handle 20 is used as an urging means for urging the tray 8 toward the steady position.
And a coil spring 22 between the lower front wall 17 of the gaming machine body 1
However, instead of such a visible position, the coil spring 22 may be provided in the support member 11b. Further, the handle 20 is held in the support member 11b.
A helical spring may be wound around the mounting portion 20b, and one end thereof may be engaged with the supporting member 11b to generate an urging force. Further, in the embodiment, the operation of holding the tray 8 in the steady position by the urging means is obtained. However, the holding of the tray 8 in the steady position is performed by the rear wall 9b of the tray 8.
Alternatively, a magnet may be provided on the lower front wall surface 17 of the gaming machine main body 1 so as to perform the suction operation.

In the embodiment, the operation unit 20 of the handle 20 is used.
a is disposed outside the support member 11b, but instead of this, the base of the operation unit 20a is
The operation unit 20a may be attached to the side wall 9c, and the operation unit 20a may be erected on the tray 8. Further, the handle 20 is a disk having a pivot shaft at the center instead of the lever rod shown in the embodiment,
The rotation shaft may be inserted from the outside of the support member 11b into the insertion hole 16 and fixed to the tray 8.

In the embodiment, the regulating projection 18 is provided at a substantially central position of the lower front wall 17 of the gaming machine main body 1. The regulating projection 18 faces the rear wall 9b of the tray 8. The stopper 19 may be provided over the entire width of the tray 8 corresponding to the lower front wall 17.

Further, in the embodiment, the support members 11a, 1
1b is fixed to the lower front wall 17 of the gaming machine main body 1 by a plurality of screws 14.
The a and 11b may be formed integrally with the lower front wall of the gaming machine body 1.

In the embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a coin game machine has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a game machine such as a pachinko machine which plays a game using a pachinko ball as a game medium. It is.

[0032]

According to the present invention, as described above, the saucer is
The tray is pivotally supported at both left and right ends, and the tray is held horizontally in a steady position for receiving the dispensed game medium, and the front side pivots downward to reduce the weight of the game medium in the tray by its own weight. By rotating the tray from the steady position to the discharge position,
The game media in the tray is discharged from the front edge of the tray by its own weight, and can be easily and quickly transferred to the storage box. Further, since the upper portion of the receiving tray is open and there is no obstacle that hinders the discharge, the game medium can be smoothly discharged without being clogged. Further, since the tray is pivotally supported at both left and right ends and the load of the game medium in the tray is supported, the rotating operation can be easily performed with a small force necessary for rotating the tray.

In addition, an urging means for urging the tray toward the normal position is provided, and the pan rotated to the discharge position is automatically returned to the normal position by the urging means. There is no need to perform the operation of returning the set tray to the normal position each time, and it is not necessary to perform the operation. In addition, since the receiving tray is always held at the steady position by the urging means, the game medium paid out from the payout port can be smoothly received.

Further, the center of gravity of the tray in a state where the tray is almost fully filled with the game medium is located at a position rearward of the center position of rotation of the tray, so that the tray is discharged by the weight of the received game medium. It is possible to prevent the game medium from being inadvertently discharged without unnecessary rotation to the side.

Further, since the handle for pivoting operation is provided on the tray, the pivoting operation of the tray can be easily performed, and the handle is set so as to fit within the lateral width of the main body of the gaming machine at the side position of the tray. The arrangement does not hinder the game and does not disturb the adjacent player. In addition, there is an advantage that the product can be easily settled at the time of transporting the product and does not become an obstacle.

Further, the provision of the means for defining the range of rotation of the pan which rotates between the steady position and the discharge position ensures that the pan is rotated at a predetermined angle, and that the pan is horizontal in the steady position. On the other hand, in the discharge position, the front side is positioned with the front side turned downward, so that the tray does not swing, and it is possible to transfer the game medium to the storage box without spilling the game medium. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a coin gaming machine provided with a saucer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tray device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view in which a rear portion of the coin gaming machine is omitted.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a pan device portion.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing a structure for attaching a handle.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a pan device portion showing an operation state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gaming machine main body 6 Payout port 7 Receiving device 8 Receiving tray 11a, 11b Support member 12 Support shaft 13 Bearing hole 18 Restriction projection (defining means) 19 Stopper (defining means) 20 Handle 22 Coil spring (biasing means) A Storage box C Medium

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A gaming machine in which a game is played via a gaming medium such as a coin or a pachinko ball, and a receiving tray for receiving the gaming medium paid out from a payout port is provided at a lower front portion of the gaming machine main body. Are rotatably provided at the right and left ends, and the tray is horizontally held in a state where the paid-out game medium is received, and the game medium in the tray is rotated downward at the front side. Characterized in that it can be converted to a discharge position for discharging the game media by its own weight. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: urging means for urging the tray toward the steady position, wherein the tray rotated to the discharge position is automatically returned to the steady position by the urging means. A receiving device for a game medium in the gaming machine according to claim 1. 3. A center of gravity in a state where a game medium is substantially fully received in a tray at a steady position is located at a position rearward of a rotation center position of the tray. Receiving device for game media in a gaming machine. 4. A tray device for game media in a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a handle for rotating operation is provided on the tray. 5. The game medium tray device according to claim 4, wherein the handle is disposed so as to fit within a lateral width of the game machine body at a side position of the tray. 6. A game according to claim 1, further comprising a regulating means for defining a range of rotation of the tray that rotates between the normal position and the discharge position. A receiving device for game media in machines.