JP2003190380A - Medal supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medal supplying device which can be readily switched between right and left bucket housing portions. <P>SOLUTION: The medal supplying device comprises a storage means 31 for collected medals, a conveyer means 36 for conveying the stored medals upward, a feeding means 39 for feeding the medals to a game machine, housing portions 49 for a bucket 48 provided on both sides of the device body, a distribution means 33 which has first and second discharge ports 144 and 145, selectively conveys the medals in the storage means to the first or second discharge port to pay out the medals, and one discharge port of which connects with the conveyer means and the other discharge port of which connects with one bucket housing portion, a bucket chute 34, the position of which can be switched between a setting position at which the first discharge port connects with one bucket housing portion and a setting position at which the second discharge port connects with the other bucket housing portion, and a control means for switching the feeding direction according to the bucket chute setting positions by driving the distribution means to pay out the medals to the discharge ports corresponding to payout request. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a medal replenishing device for automatically replenishing each game machine with medals, which are game media, in a game arcade where a plurality of game machines are installed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 shows a main part of a conventional medal supply device 171. Explaining this outline, the medals stored in the storage means 172 are distributed in two directions, left and right in the figure, by a distribution means 173 composed of a belt conveyor which is horizontally arranged below the storage means 172 and which can be rotated normally and reversely. Distributed and discharged. The medals distributed and discharged to the left in the figure are guided by the guiding means (conveyor-containing chute) 174 to the lifting means 175 consisting of a belt conveyor with blades, where they are scooped up and automatically supplied to each gaming machine. To be done.

On the right side surface of the medal supply device 171, there is formed a bucket accommodating portion 177 for accommodating and carrying a portable bucket 176. The medals distributed and discharged in the right direction in the drawing are guided to the bucket housing portion 177 by the guiding means (bucket payout opening) 178, and the buckets 176 housed in the bucket housing portion 177.
Be thrown into.

[0004]

In a game shop, usually, a plurality of game machine islands having a plurality of game machines are installed in a row, and a medal supply device 171 is installed at the end of each game machine island. The installation location of the medal supply device 171 varies depending on the shape of the floor, the shape of the gaming machine island, the installation form of the gaming machine island, and the like. For example, there is a case where the right side surface of the medal supply device 171 needs to be installed on the wall side such that it contacts the wall surface of the game shop. In this case, the bucket housing portion 177 is in contact with the wall surface and cannot be opened. Cannot be used. Therefore, the medal supply device 171
It is necessary to be able to supply the medals to the bucket 176 from the left side surface as well. For that purpose, the lifting means 175
Has to be moved to the right side, a bucket housing portion 177 is newly formed on the left side surface, and the conveyor entry chute 174 and the bucket payout outlet 178 must be reattached, which requires a great number of man-hours. In particular, the movement of the lifting means 175 requires a great amount of labor and time because it requires the movement of the drive motor and the like together with the belt conveyor having a length of 1 m or more installed above the medal supply device 171. .
The present invention can be carried out without moving the pumping means (175) and the like.
An object of the present invention is to realize left / right switching of the bucket housing portion (177) by simply changing a small number of parts.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A medal supply device according to a first invention is a storage means for storing medals collected from a gaming machine, a pumping means for conveying the stored medals upward, and an upper portion. The replenishing means for replenishing the medals conveyed to the game machine and the portable bucket for accommodating the medals are accommodated so that they can be taken in and out, and provided at two locations so as to face the openings formed on both side surfaces of the main body of the device. Which has the above-mentioned bucket storage portion and the first and second discharge ports, the medals of the storage means are distributed and transferred to the first and second discharge ports, and one of the discharge ports serves as the lifting means. Distributing means that communicates with each other and the other discharge port communicates with one of the bucket storage parts, an installation position that communicates the first discharge port with one bucket storage part, and the second discharge port with the other. Bucket A bucket chute that can be changed to an installation position that communicates with the container, and a control unit that drives the distribution unit so as to pay out medals to a corresponding discharge port based on a lift request or a bucket payout request. (Claim 1).

With this means, it is possible to freely select and use one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right by simply changing the mechanism of replacing the bucket chute.

[0007] It is preferable to provide a pumping means-introducing chute for communicating the discharge port, which is not communicated with the bucket chute, with the medal capturing port of the pumping device (claim 2). With this configuration, one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right can be freely selected and used by a simple mechanism change such as replacement of the bucket chute and the conveyor exit chute.

The medal supply device of the second invention is a storage means for storing the medals collected from the gaming machine, a lifting means for conveying the stored medals upward, and a game for the medals conveyed upward. A replenishing means for replenishing the machine, a removably accommodating portable bucket for accommodating the medal, and a bucket accommodating portion provided at two locations so as to face openings formed on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body. Distributing means for distributing and paying out the medals of the storing means to the first discharging port for supplying to the lifting means and the second discharging port for supplying to the bucket of the bucket accommodating section, and a lifting request. Or a control means for driving the distributing means so as to pay out the medals to the corresponding discharge port based on the bucket payout request, and for communicating the second discharge port with one of the bucket accommodating portions. Bucket chute and the second
A second bucket chute that communicates the discharge port of No. 2 with the other bucket storage portion is prepared, and the first and second bucket chutes can be used interchangeably (claim 3).

According to this means, one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right can be freely changed by changing the bucket chute and changing the bucket accommodating portion of the replenishment destination without changing the settings of the supply lift chute and the control unit. Can be selected for use.

The medal supply device of the third invention is a storage means for storing the medals collected from the gaming machine, a lifting means for conveying the stored medals upward, and a game for the medals conveyed upward. A replenishing means for replenishing the machine, a removably accommodating portable bucket for accommodating the medal, and a bucket accommodating portion provided at two locations so as to face openings formed on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body. Distribution means for distributing and paying out the medals of the storage means to the first discharge port for supplying to the lifting means and the second discharge port for supplying to the bucket of the bucket accommodating unit, and a lifting request or Control means for driving the distribution means so as to pay out the medals to the corresponding ejection openings based on the bucket payout request, and the second ejection opening or the two bucket storage parts. Characterized by comprising a bucket chute is possible to change the way the installation position communicating (claim 4).

With this means, it is possible to freely select and use one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right by changing the installation position of the bucket chute, and to set the supply lift entry chute and the control unit. No need to change.

A medal supply device of the fourth invention is a storage means for storing medals collected from a gaming machine, a pumping means for conveying the stored medals upward, and a game for the medals conveyed upward. A replenishing means for replenishing the machine, a distributing means for distributing the medals of the storing means to a pair of discharge ports provided on the inner side surfaces of the apparatus main body, and a carrying bucket for accommodating the medals. It is housed so that it can be taken in and out, and it is provided at two places so as to face the openings formed on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body and below each of the pair of discharge ports. A pair of bucket accommodating portions that supply the medals paid out from the outlet to the bucket and pass the medals paid out from the discharge port when the bucket is not housed, The present invention is provided with a pumping means-entry chute for receiving the medals that have passed through the racket receiving portion and guiding the medals to the pumping means, and a control means for driving the distributing means so as to pay out the medals to a corresponding discharge port based on a bucket payout request. It is characterized in that (claim 5).

According to this means, one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right can be freely selected only by changing the setting of the control unit so as to switch the dispensing of the distributing means from one outlet to the other outlet. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the bucket chute and the refueling lift entry chute.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, the structure of a gaming machine island will be described with reference to FIG. In the pachinko parlor, a gaming machine island 3 (hereinafter also simply referred to as “island”) in which a plurality of gaming machines 1 are arranged in the lateral direction is installed. The gaming machine 1 is a slot machine that is played using coin-shaped gaming media (hereinafter, also referred to as "medals"). The medal lending machine 2 that lends medals,
It is provided so as to be sandwiched between the gaming machines 1. Medal lending machine 2
Is provided at a ratio of 1 to 1 gaming machine or 1 to 2 gaming machines. Hereinafter, the gaming machine 1 and the medal lending machine 2 are collectively referred to as
Also called a medal machine. The gaming machine island 3 is selected according to need from a configuration called a single island in which the gaming machines 1 are arranged only on one side and a configuration called a double island in which the gaming machines 1 are arranged on both sides. In many cases, a plurality of rows of gaming machine islands 3 are provided in a pachinko parlor, and each gaming machine island 3 has 10 to 20 on one side.
In many cases, about one gaming machine 1 and about 5 to 20 medal lending machines 2 are arranged.

At the end of each gaming machine island 3, a medal supply device 4 according to the present invention is provided. In the medal supply device 4,
There are a mounting table-equipped medal supply device 4a provided with a mounting table 6 for mounting the medal counter 5 on the front thereof, and a mounting table-less medal supply device 4b having no mounting table 6. In the example of FIG. 1, ten gaming machines l and five medal lending machines 2 are provided on one side.
The gaming machine islands 3 on both islands are arranged side by side, and the gaming machine islands 3 on both sides are provided with a mounting table-equipped medal supply device 4a. Is provided with a mounting table-less medal supply device 4b. Each medal supply device 4 is provided with a double-open lower door 7 at the lower front, a single-open upper door 8 is provided at the upper front, and horizontal doors 9 are provided near the intermediate height on both sides.

On the upper part of the upper door 8, there is provided a display lamp 10 for displaying the operating status of the medal supply device 4.
The indicator lamp is an indicator lamp 10 using a green LED.
a, a display lamp 10b using a red LED, and a display lamp 10c using a yellow LED. The center medal replenishing device 4 and the medal replenishing devices 4 on both sides are connected by an island transfer conveyor 11 that conveys medals between the medal replenishing devices 4 in order to equalize the amount of medals held by each gaming machine island 3. . Number of medal machines, number of game machine islands 3, selection of Katashima and both islands,
The selection of the medal supply device 4a with a mounting table and the medal supply device 4b without a mounting table is freely selected according to the form of the pachinko parlor. When the medal lending machine 2 is separately provided in a pachinko parlor away from the gaming machine island 3, the medal lending machine 2 does not have to be installed on the island.

Medal supply device 4 with and without mounting table
The internal mechanisms of a and 4b are almost the same, and the ones with a mounting table differ only in that the medals counted by the medal counter 5 are sent to the lower tank 25 described later. Therefore, the internal mechanism of one medal supply device 4a will be described and the other will be omitted. The internal mechanism of the medal replenishing device 4a is roughly composed of the end part of the medal collecting means, the medal cleaning means, the cleaning medal storing means, the payout means to the bucket, the replenishing means, etc. 1 to 5 will be described.

Collecting means for medals At the lower position of the gaming machine 1 which is juxtaposed with the gaming machine island 3, a collecting conveyor 21 is horizontally arranged along the parallel direction of the gaming machines 1. The medals that have overflowed the internal hopper (not shown) of the gaming machine 1 are collected through the discharge port 22 and the collecting conveyor 2
It is discharged to the top and is transported to the island end where the medal supply device 4 is provided. As the recovery conveyor 21, various types of conveyors capable of carrying medals such as a belt conveyor, a screw conveyor, a chain conveyor, etc. can be adopted.

The medals conveyed to the end of the collecting conveyor 21 pass through a collecting lift entrance chute 23, and a collecting lift 24 erected at the rear of the medal supplying device 4 positions the upper surface of the mounting table 6 of the medal supplying device 4. It is pumped to a certain height. The recovery lift 24 of the present embodiment has a large number of synthetic resin blades for scooping the medals in the recovery lift entrance chute 23 welded to its belt surface. Although it is to be released at the position where the apex has passed, as another form of recovery lift, one that clamps and pumps medals by a pair of belt conveyors that are arranged vertically close to each other, or attach a bucket to the vertical conveyor, Various types of lifts may be adopted, such as a bucket for storing medals for lifting. The medals thus pumped are loaded into a lower tank 25 provided below the medal supply device 4.

Further, the medals as prizes to be paid out from the gaming machine 1 as a result of the game played by the player, the medal counting machine 5 placed on the mounting table 6 of the medal supply device 4.
Are charged into the lower tank 25 through a chute which penetrates the upper surface of the mounting table 6 from the medal counter 5 and communicates with the lower tank 25. The upper surface of the lower tank 25 is open, an outlet 26 is formed at the bottom of the lower tank 25, and the side surface of the lower tank 25 is for ejecting the stored medals.
It is an inclined surface to guide to. Below the lower tank 25, a lower tank conveyor 27 is arranged at a slight distance from the discharge port 26. When the lower tank conveyor 27 is not in operation, the medals guided to the discharge port 26 of the lower tank 25 are stable in a piled state on the lower tank conveyor 27 and spill out from the discharge port 26. There is no. By operating the lower tank conveyor 27, the medals piled up on the conveyor are sequentially conveyed and discharged. At this time, the ejection amount of medals can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the ejection port 26 and the lower tank conveyor 27 or the driving speed of the conveyor.

Medal cleaning means The medals discharged and conveyed from the lower tank 25 by the lower tank conveyor 27 are guided to the cleaning unit 28. The cleaning unit 28 uses the tilted conveyor 28 to transfer the inserted medals.
The coin is conveyed obliquely upward by a, and the medal being conveyed is sprayed with a cleaning liquid to be washed, and the medal is pressed by a pair of water absorbing rollers 28b at the exit of the inclined conveyor 28a, dehydrated, dried and discharged. As the cleaning unit 28 of the present embodiment, a method of spraying the cleaning liquid on the conveyed medal is illustrated, but other methods include a method of immersing the medal in the cleaning liquid, a polishing method with a cloth or a brush, and a granular material. Various known cleaning / polishing methods such as a polishing method by mixed friction with can be adopted.

The medals ejected from the cleaning means storing unit 28 for the cleaned medals are passed through the main lift entrance chute 29, and vertically erected on the right rear side of the medal replenishing device 4 (see FIG. 3). Thus, the medal supply device 4 is lifted to the upper part.
The main lift 30 of the present embodiment employs the same configuration as the recovery lift 24, but various types of lifts can be adopted as with the recovery lift 24. The medals scooped up by the main lift 30 are lifted to the upper position of the medal supply device 4, discharged on the upper tank 31, and put into the tank.

Similar to the lower tank 25, the upper tank 31 has an upper surface opened and a bottom surface provided with a discharge port 32. Below the upper tank 31, an upper tank conveyor 33 as a means for distributing medals in the tank is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction with a slight distance from the discharge port 32. When the upper tank conveyor 33 is not operating, the upper tank 3
The medal near the discharge bin 32 of 1 is the upper tank conveyor 23.
It is stable when piled up and does not spill from the outlet 32. By operating the upper tank conveyor 33, the medals piled up on the conveyor are sequentially distributed and discharged. At this time, the outlet 32
The distribution amount of medals can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the upper tank conveyor 33 and the upper tank conveyor 33 or by adjusting the driving speed of the conveyor. The upper tank conveyor 33 is driven by a motor capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions, and the medals can be selectively paid out to two locations of the bucket chute 34 and the replenishment lift entry chute 35 depending on the driving direction of the conveyor. In addition, the upper tank conveyor 33 for paying out the medals to the two places,
It is also possible to provide the tokens in two, one for the bucket chute 34 and the other for the supply lift inlet chute 35. In the case of this configuration, both upper tank conveyors may operate simultaneously to pay out medals.

A means for paying out to the bucket Inside the lateral doors 9 formed on both side surfaces of the medal supply device 4, there is provided a bucket accommodating portion 49 for accommodating the bucket 48 in and out. The bucket 48 is a container with a handle that can store medals, and is used when it is necessary to manually supply medals to the gaming machine 1 or the medal lending machine 2, and is generally called a jug. . By moving the upper tank conveyer 33 to the right in FIG. 2, the medals stored in the upper tank 31 are guided to the bucket chute 34. Bucket chute 34
Is a cylindrical body whose upper and lower sides are open, and the starting end portion of which is a case 33a for holding the upper tank conveyor 33 (see FIG. 4).
It is attached to the bottom of the right end (see (b)) with a screw, and the end portion faces the bucket housing portion 49, and the guided medal is inserted into the bucket 48.

The clerk opens the side door 9 and opens the bucket storage unit 4
The bucket 48 is installed at a predetermined position within the container 9, and the bucket payout switch provided near the bucket chute 34 is pressed to eject the medal from the bucket chute 34 and accept the medal into the bucket. In the example of FIG. 2, the bucket storage portion 49 on the right side is used, and the bucket storage portion 49 on the left side is not used.

By moving the replenishing means upper tank conveyer 33 to the left in FIG. 2, the medals stored in the upper tank 31 are guided to the replenishment lift entry chute 35. At the center of the rear surface of the upper door 8 of the medal supply device 4, a lower tank 25 is provided.
A replenishment lift 36 is provided upright from the height of the upper surface of the medal replenishing device 4 to near the ceiling of the medal replenishing device 4, and the medals in the replenishment lift entrance chute 35 are picked up and lifted.
The supply lift 36 of the present embodiment has the same form as the recovery lift 24 and the main lift 30, but various types of lifts can be adopted like the recovery lift 24 and the main lift 30. In the example shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the bucket accommodating portion 49 facing the side door on the right side of the device is used, and when the staff member wants to insert medals into the bucket, Open the side door 9 on the right side to receive medals.

In the case where the gaming machine islands 3 are both islands in which the medal use machines are arranged in parallel on both sides of the islands, there is often no problem even if the bucket accommodating portion 49 is on either side of the medal supply device 4. However, for example, in the case where the gaming machine island 3 is a one-sided island in which medal-using machines are arranged in parallel on only one side of the island, and one side surface of the medal supply device 4 is installed near the wall so as to contact the wall surface of the amusement store, the contact with the wall surface Since the side door 9 on the closed side cannot be opened, the bucket housing portion 49 may be provided only on the right side or the left side. Therefore, in the medal replenishing device 4 of the present invention, by simply changing the bucket chute 34 or the replenishment lift entry chute 35, the more convenient bucket accommodating part 49 among the bucket accommodating parts 49 provided on the left and right side surfaces is used. It is designed so that it is possible.

FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view of the vicinity of the replenishment lift entrance chute 35 when the right side bucket accommodating portion 49 is configured to be usable, and FIG. 4 (b) is a front view thereof.
(C) is a right side view of the same. The bucket and the bucket housing are shown in phantom lines only in the front view, and the upper tank conveyor is shown in phantom lines in the front view and right side view. The upper tank conveyor (distributor) 33 is a conveyor that is driven forward and backward in the left-right direction, and is horizontally arranged below the upper tank (storage means) 31. The case 33a is the upper tank conveyor 33.
The first and second discharge ports 144, 145 for paying out medals are formed at the left and right end portions of the bottom surface of the case for holding.

Bucket accommodating portions 49 are provided at two locations so as to face the side doors (openings) 9 formed on both sides of the medal supply device 4. The bucket chute 34 is attached to the first discharge port 144 at the right end portion of the bottom surface of the case 33a,
It is installed at a position where the discharge port communicates with the right side bucket accommodating portion 49. When the clerk wants to receive a medal in the bucket 48, the right side door 9 is opened, the bucket 48 is set, and a bucket payout switch (not shown) is pressed to transmit a bucket payout request to the control unit. in this case,
Since the bucket chute 34 is installed on the right side and the bucket storage part 49 on the right side can be used, the control part
In order to pay out the medals to the bucket, the upper tank conveyor 33 is controlled so as to be moved rightward.

The replenishment lift 36 (lifting means) is located in front of the upper tank conveyer 33 in the center in the left-right direction, that is,
The medal supply device 4 is erected at almost the center. The replenishment lift entrance lochute (lifting means entrance rochute) 35 is composed of a chute body 141, an auxiliary chute 142, and a conveyor exit rochute 143. The chute body 141 is
An entrance 36a which is attached to the lower end of the right side surface of the supply lift 36 and serves as a medal intake port of the supply lift 36.
Of the auxiliary chute 142 whose upper surface is an auxiliary chute 142
It is an opening that communicates with the side surface of the supply lift inlet 36a.
The bottom of the refueling lift inlet 36a
It is an inclined surface toward.

The auxiliary chute 142 is attached to the back surface of the supply lift 36, receives the medals from the conveyor discharge chute 143, and guides them to the chute body 141. The auxiliary chute 142 is wider at the left end of the upper opening than the supply lift 36. An opening that communicates with the conveyor exit rochute 143 and has a right end portion of the bottom surface that communicates with the chute body 141, and another bottom surface is an inclination that guides the medal to the bottom opening from the conveyor exit rochute 143 communication portion to the opening. To be a face.

The conveyer exit chute 143 is a cylindrical body having openings at the top and bottom, and the starting end portion is the upper tank conveyer 3
The case 33a of No. 3 is connected and fixed to the second discharge port 145 at the left end of the bottom surface of the case 33a, and the end portion of the case 33a is shaped to face the upper opening of the auxiliary chute 142. In the case of this configuration, in order to supply medals to the supply lift 36, the control unit is set to transfer the upper tank conveyor 33 to the left. When a hoisting request is transmitted to the control unit due to lack of medals in the replenishment tank 39, the control unit controls the upper tank conveyor 33 to move to the left, and replenishes via the replenishment lift entry chute 35. Medals are inserted into the lift 36.

Then, the bucket storage section 49 on the left side of the apparatus
When it is desired to use, the configuration is changed to that shown in FIG. FIG. 5A shows a replenishment lift entry chute 3 when the left side bucket accommodating portion 49 is configured to be usable.
5 is a plan view of the periphery of FIG. 5, FIG. 5 (b) is a front view of the same, and FIG. 5 (c) is a right side view of the same. The bucket and the bucket housing are shown in phantom diagram only in the front view, and the upper tank conveyor is shown in phantom diagram in the front view and right side view. Bucket chute 34
Is replaced with the second discharge port 145 at the left end of the bottom surface of the case 33a of the upper tank conveyor 33, and the installation position is changed so that the discharge port communicates with the left side bucket accommodating section 49. Among the components forming the replenishment lift entrance rochute 35, the conveyor exit rochute 143 is replaced so as to connect the first discharge port 144 at the bottom right end of the case 33a and the right end of the top opening of the auxiliary chute 142. Chute body 14
1 and the auxiliary chute 142, the supply lift entrance chute 35 remains fixed.

The replenishment lift 36 includes the upper tank conveyor 33.
Of the auxiliary tank chute 14, the auxiliary chute 142 is set substantially equidistant from the left and right ends of the upper tank conveyor 33.
3 can guide the medal to the auxiliary chute 142 by reversing the same parts left and right. In this case, since the bucket chute 34 is installed on the left side and the bucket storage unit 49 on the left side can be used, the control unit receives the bucket payout request and pays out the medals to the bucket. Is moved in the opposite direction (to the left) from the above-mentioned configuration, the lift request is received, and the lift 3
When paying out medals to 6, the upper tank conveyor 33 is switched and set so as to perform a transfer operation to the right. The switching of the control unit may be reset by a staff operation process described later, or the connection of the control terminal of the motor for driving the upper tank conveyor 33 may be switched.

When the clerk wants to receive a medal in the bucket 48, the left side door 9 is opened, the bucket 48 is set, and a bucket payout switch (not shown) is pressed to send a bucket payout request to the control unit. . The control unit uses the upper tank conveyor 3 in order to pay out medals to the bucket.
3 is controlled so as to transfer to the left, and medals are thrown into the bucket 48 via the bucket chute 34. As described above, it is possible to freely select and use one of the bucket storage units provided on the left and right by simply changing the mechanism of changing the bucket chute 34 and the conveyor discharge chute 143.

The medals sent by the replenishment lift 36, as shown in FIGS.
It is discharged onto the island transfer conveyor 11 via 7. The island transfer conveyor 11 starts from the upper right end of the medal supply device 4 and horizontally extends between the adjacent medal supply devices 4. An island transfer branch unit 38 is provided above the island transfer conveyor 11 in the medal supply device 4. The medals discharged onto the island transfer conveyor 11 are always conveyed as they are to the adjacent medal supply device 4, are branched from the island transfer conveyor 11 by closing the gate, and are inserted into the supply tank 39 of the own island.

Further, the replenishment tank 39 has a chute 39a.
And a tank body 39b, and the chute 39a stores the medals branched from the island transfer conveyor 11 in the tank body 39b.
The tank main body 39b stores the medals inserted from the chute 39a, and also pays out a fixed amount of medals to the replenishment conveyor 42 during replenishment. At the upper position of the medal using machine, a replenishing conveyor 42 is provided which is horizontally arranged along the parallel direction of the medal using machine with the opposite end of the gaming machine island 3 as the end.
The medals conveyed by the replenishment tank conveyor 41 are discharged onto the replenishment conveyor 42 and conveyed to the island edge. A branching unit 43 is arranged on the supply conveyor 42,
The medals transported on the supply conveyor 42 are selectively branched and discharged to the right side or the left side of the supply conveyor 42. A supply port 44 for receiving the branched and ejected medals is provided, and a guide tube 45 for guiding to the hopper of the medal using machine is connected. Further, on the supply conveyor 42, the branch unit 43
A relay control box 46 having a built-in relay control unit for managing and controlling is arranged.

Left and right bucket accommodating portions 4 of the present invention
The main parts of several other embodiments in which one of the nine can be freely selected and used will be described below. The configuration other than the main part described is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus the description is omitted.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The left and right first and second outlets 14 on the bottom surface of the case 33a
4 or 145, the bucket chute 34
Is attached. When it is desired to use the bucket storage portion 49 on the right side of the apparatus, the bucket chute 34 is attached to the first discharge port 144 on the right side of the bottom surface of the case 33a, and when there is a bucket payout request, the upper tank conveyor 33
The controller is set so as to drive rightward.

The auxiliary chute 142 constituting the supply lift entry chute 35 is formed wider than the lateral width of the upper tank conveyor 33 so as to accept the medals discharged from the discharge ports 144, 145 at both ends of the bottom of the case 33a as they are. ing. Of the left and right discharge ports 144, 145 on the bottom surface of the case 33a, the medals discharged from the discharge port (the discharge port on the left side in FIG. 6) 145 on the side where the bucket chute 34 is not attached are the auxiliary chute 14
2 into the refueling lift 3 via the chute body 141.
6, the control unit is set so as to drive the upper tank conveyor 33 to the left when a pumping request is made.

When it is desired to use the bucket accommodating portion 49 on the left side of the apparatus, the bucket chute 34 is attached to the case 3
It is attached to the first discharge port 145 on the left side of the bottom surface of 3a, and the installation position is changed so that the discharge port communicates with the left side bucket accommodating section 49, and when a bucket payout request is made, the upper tank conveyor 33 is moved to the left side. The control unit is switched to drive in the direction.

According to the above structure, the bucket chute 3
4, the installation position is changed, and the upper tank conveyor 33 of the control unit is changed.
Only by changing the transfer direction of the (distributor), one of the left and right bucket storage portions can be freely selected and used, and there is no need to change the configuration of the replenishment lift entry chute 35. .

The third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the upper tank conveyor 33, the case 33a,
The configurations of the replenishment lift 36, the replenishment lift-in chute 35, and the bucket accommodating portion 49 are substantially the same as those in the embodiment of FIG.
The bucket chute 34 is attached to the first discharge port 144 on the right side of the bottom surface of the case 33a. In the present embodiment, the left side bucket accommodating portion 49 is configured to be used, the bucket chute 34 is configured as a portable bellows tube, and the first discharge port 14 on the right side of the bottom surface of the case 33a is configured.
It is provided so that the medal distributed from the upper tank conveyor 33 is guided to the left bucket accommodating section 49 by wrapping around behind the supply lift entry chute 35, communicating with the left bucket accommodating section 49, starting from 4. There is.

The second outlet 1 on the left side of the bottom surface of the case 33a
A conveyer exit chute 143 forming the supply lift inlet chute 35 is attached to 45, and guides the medals discharged from the second discharge port 145 on the left side to the supply lift 36. When the control unit receives the bucket payout request,
When the upper tank conveyer 33 is moved to the right and the supply request is received, the upper tank conveyer 33 is set to move to the left. When it is desired to use the right side bucket accommodating portion 49 of the apparatus, the bucket chute 34 is replaced with a short one 34 'so that the right side first outlet 144 on the bottom surface of the case 33a and the right side bucket accommodating portion 49 are communicated with each other. Constitute.

According to this structure, the bucket chute provided on the left and right can be more simply and simply replaced by changing the bucket chute and changing the bucket receiving section without changing the settings of the supply lift chute and the control section. One of the storage parts 49 can be freely selected and made usable. As the bucket chute 34, a portable bellows tube is used so that it can be conveniently arranged across the inside of a device in which a supply lift, a supply lift entrance chute, etc. are installed. A chute made of steel may be used, and a linear chute may also be used by appropriately changing the arrangement of the supply lift or the like.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
This figure is a plan view of the area around the supply lift entrance chute 35. The solid line indicates the bucket chute when the right side bucket accommodating section 49 is usable, and the dashed line indicates the bucket chute when the left side bucket accommodating section 49 is usable. In this embodiment, the upper tank conveyor 33
Are arranged below the upper tank so that they can be transferred in the front-back direction. This is the case 33a of the upper tank conveyor 33.
This is for equalizing the distance from the discharge port 145 to the two bucket storage portions 49 facing the lateral doors 9 (openings) on the left and right side surfaces. The first discharge port 14 on the front side of the upper tank conveyor 33
The medals discharged from No. 4 are used for the supply lift
It is supplied to the replenishment lift 36 via 5 and is pumped.

The medals discharged from the second discharging roller 145 on the rear side of the upper tank conveyor 33 are transferred to the bucket chute 34.
Is guided to the bucket accommodating section 49 via the
8 are supplied. The bucket chute 34 is a cylindrical chute having openings at both ends, the start end side is rotatably attached to the second discharge port 145, and the installation end position is changed so as to communicate with either of the left and right bucket accommodating portions 49. Provided as possible.

According to this structure, the bucket chute 34
It is possible to freely select and use one of the left and right bucket storage units by only changing the installation position, and there is no need to change the setting of the supply lift entrance chute or the control unit.

FIG. 9 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the upper tank conveyor 33, the case 33a,
The structure of the supply lift 36 is the same as that of the first embodiment.
The left and right first and second outlets 14 on the bottom surface of the case 33a
A bucket chute 34 is attached to each of the Nos. 4, 145. It is also the same that the bucket housing portions 49 are provided at two locations so as to face the side doors (openings) 9 formed on both side surfaces, but they fall from the upper bucket chute 34 on the bottom surface of each bucket housing portion 49. A plurality of openings 146 are formed to allow the medals to pass. The refill lift-on chute 35 includes a chute body 141 and an auxiliary chute 14.
It is composed of two. The structure of the chute body 141 is shown in FIG.
However, the auxiliary chute 142 is configured to be wider than the lateral width of the upper tank conveyor 33 so as to receive the medals discharged from the discharge ports 144 and 145 at both ends of the upper tank conveyor 33. This allows
Any of the medals discharged from the upper tank conveyor 33, which have dropped from either of the discharge ports 144 and 145, is thrown into the auxiliary chute 142, and is thrown into the supply lift 36 via the chute body 141.

When it is desired to use the bucket storage unit 49 on the right side of the apparatus, the control unit is set to drive the upper tank conveyor 33 to the right when the bucket dispensing switch is pressed and a bucket dispensing request is generated. Keep it.
When the clerk wants to receive a medal in the bucket, he / she opens the lateral door 9 on the right side, sets the bucket 48, and presses the bucket payout switch (not shown). Then,
The control unit determines that a bucket payout request has been generated, drives the upper tank conveyor 33 to the right to distribute and eject medals, and inserts the medals into the bucket 48 via the bucket chute 34.

When the control unit determines that the medal should be lifted, the upper tank conveyor 33 is driven leftward to distribute and eject the medal, and the medal is passed through the opening 144 of the bucket accommodating section 49 on the left side. It is dropped to the auxiliary chute 142, and passes through the chute body 141 and the replenishment lift 36.
It is supposed to be thrown into. When it is desired to use the bucket storage unit 49 on the left side of the apparatus, the setting of the control unit is changed so as to drive the upper tank conveyor 33 to the left when a bucket payout request is generated.

According to this structure, the upper tank conveyor 33
By simply changing the setting of the control unit so as to switch the transfer direction of the (distributor), one of the bucket storage units provided on the left and right can be freely selected and used, and the bucket chute and replenishment can be performed. No need to change the lift chute. In addition, when the bucket accommodating section 49 is used by removing the bottom surface of each bucket accommodating section 49 having the plurality of openings 146 and allowing the medal to pass through, a mounting table for mounting the bucket 48 is separately provided. You may do it.

[0053]

According to the present invention, it is possible to switch the bucket accommodating portion left and right without moving heavy components such as the lifting means and the distributing means. Can flexibly respond to changes.
According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to freely select and use one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right by a simple mechanism change such as replacement of only the bucket chute. The workability is improved. According to the invention of claim 2, one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right can be freely selected and used by a simple mechanism change such as replacement of only the bucket chute and the conveyor exit chute. There is an effect that workability is improved at the time of replacement. The invention according to claim 3 is
It is possible to freely select and use one of the bucket storage units on the left and right by simply changing the bucket chute and changing the bucket storage unit of the supply destination without changing the settings of the supply lift chute and the control unit. Because you can
There is an effect that workability is improved when the game machine island is rearranged. According to the invention described in claim 4, it is possible to freely select and use one of the bucket accommodating portions provided on the left and right by changing the installation position of the bucket chute. Since it is not necessary to change the setting, the workability is improved when the game machine island is rearranged. In the invention according to claim 5, the setting of the control unit is changed so that the dispensing of the dispensing means is switched from one discharge port to the other discharge port, and one of the bucket accommodating units provided on the left and right can be freely set. Since it is possible to select and use the bucket chute and the supply lift entry chute, there is no need to change the bucket chute and the refueling lift chute, so that workability is improved when the game machine island is rearranged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of an example of a game machine island arrangement.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the internal mechanism of the medal supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic side view showing a main internal mechanism of the medal supply device and the gaming machine row of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a main part of the same embodiment, wherein (a) is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of a refueling lift entrance chute when the right bucket storage part is configured to be usable, and (b) is the same front view. FIG. 3C is a schematic right side view of the same.

FIG. 5 shows the same main part as FIG. 4 of the same embodiment, and (a) is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of a replenishment lift-in chute when the left side bucket accommodating part is configured to be usable,
(B) is the same schematic front view, (c) is the same schematic right side view.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of a main part of a partial cross section of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a main part of a partial cross section of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of a main part of a partial cross section around a supply lift entrance chute according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of a main part of a partial cross section of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of a main part of a partial cross section of a conventional medal supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 game machine 2 medal rental machine 3 game machine island 4 medal supply device 4a Medal supply device with mounting table 4b Medal supply device without mounting table 5 medal counting machine 6 Mounting table 7 Lower door 8 upper door 9 side door 10 Indicator lamp 11 Island transfer conveyor 21 Recovery conveyor 22 Outlet 23 Recovery lift entrance chute 24 Recovery lift 25 Lower tank 26 outlet 27 Lower tank conveyor 28 Washing unit 28a inclined conveyor 28b Water absorption roller 29 Main lift entrance chute 30 main lift 31 Upper tank 32 outlet 33 Upper tank conveyor 33a case 34 bucket shoot 35 Supply Lift Entrance Chute 36 Supply Lift 37 Supply Lift Exit Shoot 38 Island transfer unit 39 Supply tank 39a shoot 39b Tank body 41 Supply tank conveyor 42 Supply Conveyor 43 branch unit 44 Supply port 45 induction tube 46 Relay control box 47 Return tube 48 buckets 49 bucket storage

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takeshi Nakamura             67 Gross, Kokubunji, Gokokuno Town, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture             Lee Equipment Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing medals collected from a gaming machine, a lifting means for transporting the stored medals upward, a replenishing means for replenishing the medals transported upward to the gaming machine, In addition to accommodating a portable bucket for accommodating the medal so that it can be taken in and out, a bucket accommodating portion provided at two positions so as to face openings formed on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body, and a first and a second ejecting portion. The bucket accommodating portion having an outlet and distributing the medals of the storing means to the first and second discharge ports and discharging the medals and having one discharge port communicating with the lifting means and the other discharge port being either one. A bucket that can be changed to a distribution unit that communicates with the first discharge port, an installation position that communicates the first discharge port with one bucket storage part, and a installation position that communicates the second discharge port with the other bucket storage part. Shu A medal replenishing device, comprising: a card; and a control unit that drives the distribution unit so as to pay out medals to a corresponding discharge port based on a pumping request or a bucket payout request. 2. A discharge port not communicating with the bucket chute, and a medal intake port of the lifting means,
2. The medal replenishing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a shooting chute containing a pumping means for communicating with each other. 3. Storage means for storing medals collected from the gaming machine, lifting means for transporting the stored medals upward, and replenishing means for replenishing the medals transported upward to the gaming machine. In addition to accommodating a portable bucket for accommodating the medal so that it can be taken in and out, a bucket accommodating portion provided at two positions so as to face openings formed on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body, and a medal of the accumulating means, Distributing means for distributing and paying out to the first discharge port to be supplied to the lifting means and the second discharge port to be supplied to the bucket of the bucket accommodating unit, and responding based on the lifting request or the bucket discharging request A first bucket chute that communicates the second discharge port with one of the bucket accommodating parts, and a control unit that drives the distribution unit so as to pay out medals to the discharge port. A medal replenishing device, characterized in that a second bucket chute that connects the second discharge port and the other bucket accommodating portion is prepared, and the first and second bucket chutes can be used interchangeably. 4. Storage means for storing medals collected from the gaming machine, lifting means for transporting the stored medals upward, replenishing means for replenishing the medals transported upward to the gaming machine, In addition to accommodating a portable bucket for accommodating the medal so that it can be taken in and out, a bucket accommodating portion provided at two positions so as to face openings formed on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body, and a medal of the accumulating means, Distributing means that distributes and pays out to the first discharge port that supplies to the lifting means and the second discharge port that supplies to the bucket of the bucket accommodating unit, and discharge corresponding to the lifting request or the bucket discharging request. A control means for driving the distribution means so as to pay out medals to the outlet, and the installation position is changed so that the second outlet and either one of the two bucket accommodating portions communicate with each other. A medal supply device characterized by having a possible bucket chute. 5. Storage means for storing medals collected from the gaming machine, lifting means for transporting the stored medals upward, replenishing means for replenishing the medals transported upward to the gaming machine, Distributing means for distributing the medals of the storing means to a pair of discharge ports provided on the inner side surfaces of the main body of the apparatus and paying them out, and a portable bucket for accommodating the medals so that the medals can be taken out and put in the apparatus. It is provided at two places so as to face the openings formed on both side surfaces of the main body and to be located below each of the pair of discharge ports,
A pair of bucket accommodating portions that supply medals paid out from the discharge port to the bucket when the bucket is accommodated, and pass a medal paid out from the discharge port when the bucket is not accommodated, Of the pumping means, which receives the medals that have passed through the bucket storage part and guides the medals to the lifting means, and a control means which drives the distributing means so as to pay out the medals to the corresponding discharge port based on the bucket payout request. A medal supply device characterized in that