JP2003340085A - Ball supply tray for game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball supply tray for game machines which can prevent the jamming of game balls while eliminating the jamming of game balls with no growing size of the machine. <P>SOLUTION: The ball supply tray 12 comprises a rectifying gutter 33 which is so formed as to be inclined from one to other way in the horizontal direction on the front side of the game machine so that game balls can be fed to a ball feed port on the downstream side and guides the game balls in alignment as arrayed straight to the downstream from the upstream side with a width equivalent to the diameter of almost one of the game ball and a storage part 35 so formed as to allow the storage of the game balls and a guide part 37 is provided on the downstream side of the storage part 35 and so formed as to guide the game balls to the rectifying gutter 33 with a guide wall 36 that is so formed being curved as to narrow the ball supply tray in depth. The guide part 37 is provided with a boundary wall 38 erected almost vertically from the rectifying gutter 33 and the guide part 37 is made higher than the rectifying gutter 33 while the height H of the boundary wall 38 increases gradually from the upstream to downstream side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball supply tray provided on the front surface of a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine for playing a game using a game ball and storing the game ball.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a pachinko gaming machine, which is one of the typical examples of gaming machines for playing games using gaming balls, the gaming balls are temporarily stored on the front side of the front frame that is assembled to the outer frame. An upper ball plate having a function of aligning and sending the game balls to a ball-striking launcher or the like is provided so as to be openable / closable and removable from the front frame. As a conventional upper bowl, for example, one having a structure described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-334137 is known. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the upper bowl described in the above publication.

As shown in FIG. 10, the conventional upper bowl plate 100 described above is used.
Is an opening and closing support plate 102 formed in the shape of a horizontal rectangle, which is openably and closably mounted on the front side of the front frame 101 of the gaming machine.
And, a ball supply tray 105 which has a storage portion 103 for game balls and a flow regulating trough 104 for game balls and which is formed in a required shape and is attached to the front side of the opening / closing support plate 102, the opening / closing support plate 102 and the ball supply tray 105.
Upper plate part that is assembled according to the front side of the and covers the outside
And an outer shell 108 including a side plate 107 and the like. A ball lending operation unit 109 is detachably attached to the upper plate portion 106 of the outer shell 108.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the conventional ball supply tray 105, the bottom surface of the storing portion 103 is from the ball payout port 110 to the ball feed port 111.
It is formed as a downward slope that can send the game ball toward. As shown in the figure, the storage portion 103 is provided with a guide wall 112 that is formed by erecting the front edge of the bottom surface to form a wall surface and is curved so that the width on the downstream side of the bottom surface is narrowed. In the ball supply plate 105, the game balls paid out from the ball payout outlet 110 to the storage unit 103 as a rental ball and a prize ball are (A) to (C) below.
It is stored and delivered as described below, and is aligned on the downstream side of the rectifying gutter 104.

(A) When the ball supply tray is viewed from the upper side as shown in FIG. 10, the game ball is in the horizontal front-rear direction of the gaming machine (in the direction of arrow P in the figure) on the upstream side of the straightening gutter 104 in the storage section 103. Are stored in multiple rows, and flow down to the downstream due to the slope of the bottom surface. (A) Since the guide wall is curved and the flow path is narrowed on the downstream side, the number of rows in which the game balls are lined up in the arrow P direction of the storage section 103 is small. (C) On the flow straightening gutter 104, while the game balls are aligned and flow down, the game balls guided by the guide wall 102 interrupt the row of the game balls on the flow straightening gutter 104 from the direction of the arrow P, They converge in a line and are sequentially delivered from the ball delivery port 111 at the downstream tip.

[0006]

By the way, in such a ball supply tray 105 of the conventional gaming machine, when a large amount of game balls are paid out from the payout part 110 to the storage part 103, or when a large amount is loaded by hand, etc. When the game ball is directly inserted into the storage portion 103, the game ball may flow down vigorously in the ball supply tray 105 and may bounce or flow irregularly, and the game balls may not be neatly aligned in the ball supply tray 105. . Then, the game ball is a ball supply plate 10
It becomes a dumpling in 5 and temporarily stops (this state is called a bridge.) Smooth delivery is hindered, or the game ball does not move completely in the ball supply tray 105 and the ball is clogged There was a problem such as.

Therefore, in order to eliminate the ball clogging,
It is conceivable that the ball pressure is formed such that the ball pressure becomes small when the game ball rapidly flows down the storage portion and cuts into the rectifying gutter side. To reduce the ball pressure of the game ball in the storage section,
It is considered effective to form the curve of the guide wall 112 in the ball supply tray 105 as gently as possible. Here, in order to form the curve of the guide wall as gently as possible, it is necessary to take a long length of the guide wall 112. However, if the guide wall becomes long, the sphere supply plate becomes large.
When the ball supply tray becomes large, the following problems occur.

[0008] In the upper ball plate 100, the outer shell 108 has a ball lending operation section including parts such as an operation / display section of a ball lending card.
109 may be installed. When the ball supply tray 105 becomes large, the installation area of the ball lending operation unit 109 must be necessarily reduced. In recent years, the ball lending operation unit 109 tends to increase the size of the display unit and the like to improve operability and visibility. From this point as well, it is not preferable to increase the size of the ball supply tray.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and prevents the ball clogging of the gaming balls in the ball supply tray of the gaming machine and prevents the balls from becoming large in size. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball supply dish capable of solving the above problems.

[0010]

According to the present invention, (1) a ball supply tray of a gaming machine for playing a game using a gaming ball, in which one of the left and right sides of the front side of the gaming machine is inclined to the other side, the downstream side A rectifying gutter for guiding the game ball formed linearly from the upstream side to the downstream side with a width of about one diameter of the game ball formed so that the game ball can be sent to the ball outlet. , A storage part formed so that the game balls can be stored, and a guide wall curved so that the depth of the ball supply tray is narrowed on the downstream side of the storage part is formed so that the game balls can be guided to the straightening gutter. And a guide wall provided with a guide wall, the guide wall is provided with a boundary wall that stands substantially vertically from the flow straightening gutter, and the guide part is formed to be higher than the flow straightening gutter. Is formed so that the height of is gradually increased from the upstream side to the downstream side. Characteristic game machine ball supply tray,
(2) The ball supply of the gaming machine according to (1) above, in which the start position of the boundary wall is provided upstream of the position where the depth of the ball supply plate is approximately two diameters of the game ball Plate, (3) the position where the depth of the ball supply plate is about two widths of the diameter of the game ball,
It is formed so that the depth of the ball supply plate is about one diameter of the game ball and the position where the height of the boundary wall is about half the diameter of the game ball. Above (1)
Alternatively, the ball supply tray of the gaming machine according to (2), (4) the guiding portion is provided with a guide surface for guiding the gaming ball to the downstream side by extending a part of the storage portion in the downstream direction, The ball supply tray of the gaming machine according to any one of (1) to (3) above, in which the rectifying gutter side edge of the guide surface is shared with the upper edge of the boundary wall, and (5) the flow of the game ball on the guide surface. The vertical cross-section in the direction orthogonal to the direction has an arcuate concave shape, the ball supply tray of the gaming machine described in (4) above, and (6) the concave ball escape portion is provided above the guide wall of the guide wall. The ball supply tray of the gaming machine according to (4) or (5), wherein the lower edge of the ball escape portion is shared with the upper edge of the guide surface, (7) the downstream end shape of the ball escape portion is The gist is the ball supply tray of the gaming machine according to the above (6), which is formed in a tapered shape whose tip is on the side in contact with the guide surface side.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a ball supply tray of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking a ball supply tray of a pachinko gaming machine as an example. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a pachinko gaming machine to which a ball supply tray is attached. In the following description, top, bottom, left, right, front (front), rear (back)
Is the top, bottom, left, right, front (front), rear of the pachinko gaming machine seen from the front side (front side shown in FIG. 1) unless otherwise specified.
(Back). In the pachinko gaming machine 1, a rectangular middle frame 3 is assembled on the front side of the opening of a vertical rectangular outer frame 2 so as to be openable / closable and removable by using a connecting support means and a locking means.

On the front side of the middle frame 3, as shown in FIG. 1, the front frame 5 which is a transparent protection window of the game board 4 and the game balls from the ball payout opening 9 are stored and aligned and sequentially sent out. The upper bowl plate 6 and the like are assembled in such a manner that they can be opened and closed in a side-opening manner by utilizing individual connecting and supporting means. Further, a lower ball plate 7, a game ball launching device 8 and the like are mounted and set on the lower part of the middle frame 3. Although not specifically shown, the pachinko game machine 1
On the back side of the middle frame 3, a mechanism set board including various ball paths and ball processing / dispensing parts and the like is set.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of the upper bowl.
(b) is an external perspective view showing the assembled state of (a). Figure 2 (a),
As shown in (b), the upper bowl plate 6 of the pachinko gaming machine of FIG.
A box-frame-shaped outer shell 11 that covers the outside, a ball supply tray 12 that is set inside the opening of the outer shell 11 for storing and straightening the game balls and sending them out, and the outer shell 11 and the ball supply tray 12 It is composed of an opening and closing support plate 13 for attaching to the front frame 5.
The upper bowl plate 6 is formed in a size that matches the width of the middle frame 3 in the left-right direction, and is assembled so as to be openable / closable and removable according to the lower surface area of the middle frame 3.

The outer shell 11 is a cover member formed of a synthetic resin in the shape of a box frame. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), a main body portion 14 that covers the front surface and the left and right side surfaces, and an upper plate portion 15 that covers the upper surface. And a bottom plate portion 16 that covers the bottom surface. The upper plate portion 15 is provided with a ball lending operation portion 17 as shown in FIG. 2 (b). In the ball lending operation unit 17, as shown in the same figure (a), a set plate 19 which is transparent is attached to a set opening 18 opened on the right side of the upper plate unit 15, and a display unit provided on the control board 20 and Switches are formed so that they can be seen through.

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the opening / closing support plate 13 has a front frame 5
The connecting means 2 is formed in a horizontal rectangular shape that matches the lower surface area of the, and can be attached to and detached from the middle frame 3 at the end.
1, the left and right ends and the lower end are positioned and set so as to be aligned with the insides of the edges formed on the left and right and the lower end edges of the outer shell 11. Further, the opening / closing support plate 13 is provided with a mounting boss for the ball supply tray, a reinforcing rib, etc., and is formed so as to secure the strength of the flattening support plate itself. Further, in the vicinity of the left end portion of the opening / closing support plate 13, a discharge gutter part 22 for connecting a prize ball or ball rental discharge port (not shown) and a storage part (described later) of the ball supply tray 12 is integrally formed. . In the vicinity of the right end, the ball feed port at the lower end of the straightening gutter 33 of the ball supply tray 12 is provided.
A ball outlet 23 communicating with (described later) is provided so that the game balls stored in the ball supply tray 12 can be delivered to the game ball launching device 8.

Next, the sphere supply tray of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is an external perspective view of the ball supply tray of FIG. 2 viewed from the opening / closing support plate side, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ball supply tray of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an opening / closing support of the ball supply tray of FIG. It is the end view seen from the board side. FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (d) show vertical cross sections of FIG. 5, (a) is a vertical cross section of AA line, (b) is a vertical cross section of BB line, (c) is a vertical cross section of CC line,
(d) is a vertical sectional view taken along the line DD.

The ball supply tray of the present invention is a ball supply tray of a gaming machine for playing a game using a game ball such as a pachinko gaming machine.
As shown in FIG. 3, the ball supply tray 12 is formed so as to incline from one side in the left-right direction on the front side of the game machine to the other and to send the game ball to the ball outlet 31 on the downstream side, the diameter of the game ball. Almost 1 of
A straightening gutter 33 for guiding the game balls linearly formed from the upstream side to the downstream side with a width of one piece, and a storage portion 35 formed so that the game balls can be stored. 3 and 4
As shown in FIG. 3, the storage portion 35 of the ball supply tray 12 is formed as a dish shape in which the upper surface is opened by the side wall 34 standing upright from the bottom surface 32 so that the game balls can be stored, and the downstream side of the storage portion 35 is the side wall 34. It is formed as a guide portion 37 which is formed so as to store the game balls by a guide wall 36 which is formed in a curved shape so that the depth of the sphere supply tray is narrowed and which can be guided to the rectifying gutter 33.

Note that the depth of the above-mentioned sphere supply plate is as shown in FIG.
It is the width of the plate portion of the ball supply plate in the front-rear direction of the gaming machine indicated by the arrow F, and is the total width of the flow straightening gutter 33 and the storage portion 35.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide portion 37 is provided with a guide surface 40 for guiding a game ball to the downstream side by extending a part of the storage portion in the downstream direction. The rectifying gutter side end edge 43 is formed so as to be shared with the upper edge of the boundary wall 38. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a concave ball escape portion 41 is provided above the guide surface 40 of the guide portion 37, and the ball escape portion 41 is provided.
The lower edge 42 of 41 is formed so as to be shared with the upper edge of the guide surface 40.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ball supply tray 12 includes an opening / closing support plate 1
The opening / closing support plate 13 is attached so as to be in contact with the front surface side of 3, and functions as a wall of the rectifying gutter 33 on the game machine main body side. Sphere feeding dish
12, the opening / closing support plate 13, the side wall 34 and the guide wall 36 surround the periphery of the storage portion 35 to form a storage space for the game balls.
The part of the surface of the opening / closing support plate 13 that contacts the ball supply tray 12 is formed flat, and the flow control gutter 33 is in close contact with the opening / closing support plate 13. Therefore, the game ball flows straight down the straightening gutter 33 smoothly toward the downstream side (rightward direction in FIG. 4) of the game ball.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide portion 37 of the ball supply tray 12 is provided with a boundary wall 38 which stands substantially vertically from the flow straightening gutter 33, so that the guide portion 37 is higher than the flow straightening gutter 33. Has been done. The boundary wall 38 is located at the boundary between the rectifying gutter 33 and the guiding portion 37. Further, the height H of the boundary wall 38 is formed so as to gradually increase from the upstream side to the downstream side of the sphere supply tray 12, and the height increases as it approaches the sphere outlet 31 on the downstream side. Become.

The rectifying gutter side end edge 43 of the guide surface 40 provided in the guide portion 37 is shared with the upper end edge of the boundary wall 38 and is formed as a convex edge on the opening / closing support plate 13 side. [Figure
3, see FIG. 6 (c)]. The angle of the edge of the straightening gutter side end edge 43 is less than 180 degrees, and is formed such that the angle on the downstream side is larger than the angle on the upstream side in the downward direction of the game ball. That is, FIG. 6 (d) has the most acute angle, and FIG. 6 (c), FIG. 6 (b), and FIG.
In order of (a), the angle of the edge of the rectifying gutter side edge 43 becomes an obtuse angle. When the upper end of the boundary wall 38 or the rectifying gutter side end edge 43 of the guide surface 40 is formed as such an edge, the alignment of the gaming balls Q in the rectifying gutter 33 is improved.

When the height H of the boundary wall 38 is gradually increased from the upstream side to the downstream side, the straightening gutter side edge 43 of the boundary wall 38 is smooth in the downward direction of the game ball as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the guide portion 37 is formed so that the inclination of the guide portion 37 in the downward direction of the game ball smoothly changes. Further, it is preferable that the inclination of the guide portion 37 is formed so as to have an upward slope with respect to the horizontal state when the ball supply tray 12 is attached to the gaming machine 1. The inclination of the guide ball 37 in the downward direction of the game ball may be formed at a constant angle in the entire area from the upstream side to the downstream side in the downward direction, but if the gradient changes smoothly, the inclination angle changes. May be. Since the rectifying gutter 33 is formed so as to have an inclination that is more downward than in the horizontal state, the game ball naturally flows down from the upstream side to the downstream side. The downward slope of the rectifying gutter 33 is formed as a slope having a constant angle from the upstream side to the downstream side, but the angle may change as long as the slope changes smoothly.

In the present invention, the preferred mode of the boundary wall 38 formed in the storage portion 35 is as follows. Assuming that the position where the guide portion 37 starts to rise with respect to the flow control gutter 33 in FIG. 3 is the starting position S of the boundary wall 38, as shown in FIG. 4, the depth W of the ball supply plate is approximately 2 times the diameter of the game ball Q. Position X that is the width of the minute
The boundary wall 38 on the upstream side of the sphere supply tray on the left side of the drawing.
It is preferable that the starting position S is provided.

When the starting position S of the boundary wall 38 is formed to be on the upstream side of the position X, although not shown in particular, the boundary wall is located at any position in the downward direction of the game balls of the ball supply tray 12.
38 may be formed so that the storage portion 35 is always positioned higher than the rectifying gutter 33.

In the boundary wall 38 in the guiding portion 37 shown in FIG. 5, the position where the height of the boundary wall 38 is almost half the diameter of the game ball Q is the position h. In this case,
It is preferable that the relationship between the depth W of the sphere supply dish and the height H of the boundary wall 38 is established. The position W where the depth W of the ball supply dish shown in FIG. 4 is about 2 of the diameter of the game ball Q, and the position Y where the depth W of the ball supply dish is about 1 of the diameter of the game ball Q. Between,
The height of the boundary wall is to be formed such that there is a position where the height is approximately half the diameter of the game ball. The depth W of the ball supply tray includes both the rectifying gutter 33 and the guiding portion 37.
In the sphere supply plate of the mode shown in FIG. 4, the depth W at the position where the height H of the boundary wall 38 is almost half the diameter of the game ball Q is about 1.5 times the diameter of the game ball Q. Is formed.

The guide surface 40 provided on the guide portion 37 is shown in FIG.
As shown in 6 (b), (c), and (d), it is preferable that the vertical cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the downflow direction of the game ball has an arcuate concave shape. The concave shape of the guide surface 40 may be substantially the same as the arc of curvature of the game ball, or may be formed in an arc larger than the curvature of the game ball.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the ball escape portion 41 provided in the guide portion 37 is arranged so that the lower edge of the ball escape portion 41 is shared with the upper edge of the guide surface 40. Has been formed. That is, the boundary 42 between the guide surface 40 and the ball escape portion 41 is formed in the shape of an edge with corners (see FIGS. 6 (b) and 6 (d)). Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 (b), 6 (c), and 6 (d), the ball escape portion 41 preferably has an arcuate recessed shape in the vertical cross-section in the direction orthogonal to the game ball downflow direction. This concave shape may be substantially the same as the arc of curvature of the game sphere, or may be an arc larger than the curvature of the game sphere. Further, the downstream end shape of the ball escape portion 41 is preferably formed in a tapered shape so that the tip T is converged on the side in contact with the guide surface 40 side as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. .

[0029]

The function of the sphere supply plate of the present invention will be described below.
In the storage section 35 and the straightening gutter 33 as shown in FIG. 3, the game balls are stored in a plurality of rows in the depth direction of the ball supply tray (direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 4), and the storage section 35 and the straightening gutter 33 are stored. It flows down from the upstream side to the downstream side due to the downward slope. In the guiding portion 37 provided on the downstream side of the storage portion 35, the guiding wall 36 is curved so that the depth of the sphere supply tray on the downstream side is narrowed. Therefore, the game ball that has flowed down to the guide section of the storage section 35 is
The flow path of the game ball is regulated. As the guide portion 37 flows down to the downstream side, the number of rows of game balls in the depth direction of the ball supply plate decreases, and finally converges into one row on the straightening gutter 33 and is sent to the ball outlet 31. .

That is, the game balls that flow down the ball supply plate include those that flow down the storage section 35 (including the guide section 37) and those that flow down the flow control trough 33. And the guiding part on the downstream side of the ball supply plate
As the game balls flowing down 37 are sequentially sent out, they are interrupted and sent out between the game balls flowing down the flow straightening gutter 33.

As shown in FIG. 6A, a boundary wall 38 and an opening / closing support plate 13 are located on both sides of the flow regulating gutter 33. The rectifying gutter 33 is located at a lower position than the guiding portion 37 by the boundary wall 38. Rectifying gutter 33
Is formed to have a width of approximately one game ball, so that the flow control gutter 33 is formed as a groove-shaped recess in which one game ball flows down using the boundary wall 38 and the opening / closing support plate 13 as side walls. In the part of the flow control gutter 33 having the boundary wall 38, the game ball flows straight down the groove-shaped recess toward the ball outlet 31. Therefore, even if a large amount of game balls flow down from the upstream side, the game balls on the straightening gutter 33 flow down in a straight line in a state of being fitted in the groove-shaped recess, so that the storage part 35 It flows down to the outlet 31 without being blown away in the direction of the guide wall 38.
In other words, it can be said that the alignment of the game balls on the ball supply plate is improved.

On the other hand, let's look at the game ball flowing down the guide portion 37. As shown in FIG. 5, the boundary wall 38 is formed so that the guide surface 40 of the guiding portion 37 is higher than the rectifying gutter 33. The height H of the boundary wall 38 is formed so as to gradually increase toward the downstream side of the sphere supply dish. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the inclination of the guide surface 40 of the guide portion 37 in the downward direction of the game ball is gentler than the inclination of the straightening gutter 33 in the downward direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the ball pressure of the game ball Q2 flowing down the guide surface 40 of the guide portion 37 is the game ball flowing down the rectifying gutter 33.
It becomes smaller than the ball pressure of Q1.

The game ball Q2 flowing down the guide portion 37 is guided to the downstream side by the guide surface 40, and the width of the bottom surface 32 on the downstream side is narrowed. Therefore, the flow down of the game ball Q on the straightening gutter 33 follows the flow adjusting gutter. The game balls Q1 arranged in a line in 33 are interrupted by their own weight and ball pressure [see FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 (a)-(c)].

Due to the presence of the guide surface 40, a large amount of game balls
Even when Q is flowing down vigorously, the game balls are securely held on the guide surface 40 whose vertical cross-sectional shape is formed into an arcuate concave shape, so that good alignment of the game balls can be maintained. it can. In other words, even when a large amount of game balls flow down vigorously, the game balls pass through the guide surface 40 formed as an arcuate recess and fall into the straightening trough 33 from somewhere on the guide surface. Since it is possible to interrupt the game ball Q of the rectifying gutter 33, it is possible to prevent the game ball Q from generating a bridge. The present invention can prevent the ball clogging of the game ball due to the bridge in the ball supply tray.

That is, if the ball pressure of the game ball can be reduced inside the ball supply dish, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of ball clogging or bridge due to the increase in ball pressure.

Here, when the game ball Q cuts from the guide surface 40 to the straightening gutter 33, the straightening gutter side end edge 43 of the guide surface 40 is shared with the upper edge of the boundary wall 38, and the end edge 43 serves as an edge. If formed, the alignment of the game balls is improved by the edge 43 when the game balls fall from the guide surface 40 to the straightening gutter 33.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 (a), a concave ball escape portion 41 is provided above the guide surface 40, and the lower edge 42 of the ball escape portion is the upper edge of the guide surface 40. Since it is shared with the guide ball 40 and the rectifying gutter 33
Can enter the ball escape portion 41 along the guide wall 36. When the game ball Q enters the ball escape portion 41, the flow path of the game ball changes. That is, the flow path of the game ball flowing down has a plurality of options. Further, if the ball escape portion 41 is formed in a concave shape, the ball pressure of the game ball is reduced as compared with the case where it is not concave. As a result, the ball pressure of the game ball in the guide portion 37 is dispersed, and the ball pressure applied to the game ball on the straightening gutter 33 can be further reduced. Further, the ball escape portion 41 is formed in a concave shape, which contributes to increase the holding capacity of the game ball in the ball supply tray.

When the game ball held on the guide surface 40 is interrupted between the game balls flowing down the straightening gutter 33, as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c), the game ball has entered the ball escape portion 41. A part of it tries to interrupt the guide surface 40 or the rectifying gutter 33 according to gravity.

On the other hand, among the game balls that have entered the ball escape portion 41 as shown in FIG. 8, the game balls that cannot be interrupted by the guide surface 40 or the straightening gutter 33 have the downstream end shape of the ball escape portion 41, Since the side in contact with the guide surface 40 is formed in a tapered shape with the tip T, the straightening gutter 33 is guided by the tapered shape.
Overlapping other game balls existing in, will be interrupted by its own weight and ball pressure.

The game ball that has proceeded to the guide portion 37 in this way is interrupted in stages by the game ball flowing down the flow straightening gutter 33, and the flow straightening gutter 33
Finally, the particles are delivered from the ball delivery port 31 in a state of being converged in a line.

The ball supply plate of the present invention is not limited to a pachinko game machine as long as it is used in a game machine that uses a game ball to play a game. For example, a game viewing window is provided in a front opening of a main body case that accommodates a variable display drum device for playing a variable display game, and a predetermined number of game balls are used as one unit to insert a desired unit to play a game. It can be used for a ball feeding tray of a gaming machine such as a slot machine. That is, on the front side of this kind of gaming machine, a ball supply tray for storing game balls is provided, and the game balls are sent from the ball supply tray to a take-in operation unit for taking in the required number of game balls for the game. Can be formed. Such a gaming machine is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-115597.

In a gaming machine such as a slot machine for playing a game using the above-mentioned gaming balls, as described in FIG. 1 and the like of the above publication, the size of the ball supply tray is relative to the lateral width of the gaming machine. It is formed quite small. The ball supply tray of the present invention can prevent ball clogging, and can reduce the size of the ball supply tray. Further, the ball escape portion can secure a capacity for storing game balls. Therefore, the ball supply tray can be suitably used for a game machine that requires miniaturization.

[0043]

As described above, the ball supply tray of the gaming machine of the present invention is formed such that the guide portion is provided with a boundary wall which stands upright almost vertically from the straightening gutter, and the guiding portion is higher than the straightening gutter. , By adopting a configuration in which the height of the boundary wall is gradually increased from the upstream side to the downstream side, when a large amount of game balls are paid out to the storage part, hand loading, etc. When a large amount of game balls are thrown directly into the storage part,
The game balls existing on the guide part side of the storage part are guided to the guide part side by the boundary wall, and it is possible to prevent the game ball of the storage part from heading to the straightening gutter all at once. As a result, the game balls do not jump out of the straightening trough and the balls are not clogged, and the game balls are aligned in the ball supply tray and are smoothly delivered from the ball delivery port.

In the case of the conventional ball supply tray having no boundary wall between the guide section and the flow control trough, the ball pressure of the game ball flowing down is applied in one direction from the higher inclination direction to the lower inclination direction. On the other hand, in the sphere supply tray of the present invention, since the boundary wall is formed at the boundary between the flow straightening gutter and the guiding portion, the inclination of the guiding portion becomes smaller than the tilting of the flow straightening trough, and the spherical pressure causes the boundary wall to fall. The game ball that is distributed to the rectifying gutter side and the guiding part side at the boundary and is sent to the guiding part side has an upward slope compared to the game ball flowing down the rectifying gutter side, so the game progressing toward the guiding part The ball pressure of the ball is reduced more surely than the ball pressure of the game ball flowing down on the rectifying gutter, and the interruption of the game ball from the guiding part to the rectifying gutter is smoothly performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the ball pressure can be reduced in the ball supply tray to prevent the ball clogging of the game balls, it is possible to eliminate the ball clogging without increasing the size of the ball supply tray. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of the ball supply tray as needed.

The ball supply plate of the present invention is assembled to the upper ball plate. As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the ball supply tray 12 and the ball lending operation part 17 are attached to the upper ball dish. If the sphere supply plate becomes large, the area for installing the ball lending operation portion of the outer shell will be pressed, and the operation portion of the outer shell must be made smaller. If the operation unit becomes smaller, it is necessary to make a design change such as making the ball lending button, the card return button, the card balance display unit, etc. smaller and devising their arrangement. As a result, there is a possibility that the operability of ball lending of the gaming machine and the visibility of the card balance display unit may be reduced. Therefore, if you try to make the ball supply plate smaller by making the length of the game balls of the ball supply plate as short as possible, the length for making the curve of the guide wall of the ball supply plate a gentle curve. It is not possible to sufficiently secure the curve, and the curve becomes a sharp curve, resulting in ball clogging. On the other hand, the present invention can reduce the size of the sphere supply tray, and therefore there is no such concern.

Further, the ball supply tray of the present invention can reduce the installation area for assembling the ball supply tray on the surface of the opening / closing support plate. Therefore, it becomes easy to add or install devices such as a speaker and a sensor to other parts except the required surface of the opening / closing support plate to which the ball supply tray is assembled, as required.

When the guide surface is provided on the guide wall of the guide section, the game balls are efficiently guided along the guide surface from the guide section to the boundary with the flow control trough, so that the ball pressure in the tilt direction of the flow control trough is dispersed. At the very least, it is possible to reduce the increase in ball pressure due to the flow of the game ball. In addition, since the guide surface can guide the game ball of the guide part to the boundary wall side, the guided game ball is loaded on the game ball on the straightening gutter and gradually cut into the game ball on the straightening gutter by its own weight and ball pressure. be able to. Therefore,
It is possible to reliably send the game ball to the ball delivery port while suppressing the ball clogging of the game ball.

When the vertical cross-sectional shape of the guide surface in the direction orthogonal to the downward direction of the game balls is formed in an arcuate concave shape, the guide performance of the guide surface can be further improved and the alignment can be improved. it can. That is, even when a large amount of game balls flow down the ball supply tray with force, the one row of game balls guided by the guide surface is stably held in the arcuate concave shape, It is possible to prevent the problem that the bridge occurs.

Further, when the ball escape portion is provided, the ball pressure to the game ball which cannot be guided by the guide surface can be dispersed, so that the whole ball pressure becomes small and the ball clogging such as the bridge is prevented. The prevention effect is improved. Since the ball escape portion is formed in a concave shape, the game ball can be stored in that portion, and the storage amount can be increased. Further, when the downstream end shape of the ball escape portion is formed in a tapered shape whose tip is on the side in contact with the guide surface, it is possible to further improve the efficiency of guiding the game balls from the ball escape portion to the guide surface.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a front view showing an example of a pachinko gaming machine to which a ball supply tray is attached.

FIG. 2 (a) is an exploded perspective view of the upper bowl, and FIG. 2 (b) is an external perspective view showing the assembled state of (a).

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the ball supply plate of the upper ball plate of FIG. 2 viewed from the opening / closing support plate side.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ball supply tray of FIG.

5 is an end view of the ball supply tray of FIG. 3 viewed from the opening / closing support plate side.

6 (a) to (d) show vertical cross sections of FIG. 5, (a) is a vertical cross section of AA line, (b) is a vertical cross section of BB line, (c) is a vertical cross section of CC line,
(d) is a vertical sectional view taken along the line DD.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the action of the ball supply tray.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the action of the ball supply tray.

9 is an explanatory view showing the action of the game ball in the BB line vertical cross section of the ball supply plate of FIG. 5, (a) the game ball is a ball escape portion,
The state existing on the guide surface and the straightening gutter, (b) shows the state where the game ball exists on the guide surface and the straightening trough, and (c) shows the state where the game ball exists on the straightening trough.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conventional ball supply tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 Ball supply tray 31 Ball outlet 32 Bottom 33 Straightening trough 34 Side wall 35 Reservoir 36 Guide wall 37 Guide 38 Boundary wall 40 Guide surface 41 Ball escape H Boundary wall height h Boundary wall height Position where the height is almost half of the diameter S Start position of the boundary wall Q Game ball X Position where the depth of the ball supply dish is about 1 diameter of the game ball Y The depth of the ball supply plate is almost the diameter of the game ball Position for 2 pieces Depth of W ball supply tray

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Nobuaki Mizugai             2-9-4 Kayabacho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo               Newgin Tokyo Building F-term (reference) 2C088 BA62 BA68 BC55

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A ball supply tray of a game machine for playing a game using a game ball, wherein the game ball can be fed to one of the left and right directions on the front side of the game machine and inclined to the other to a ball delivery port on the downstream side. A straightening gutter for guiding the game balls formed in a straight line from the upstream side to the downstream side with a width of about one of the diameter of the game ball, and the storage where the game ball can be stored And a guide part formed on the downstream side of the storage part so as to guide the game ball to the flow straightening trough by a guide wall curved so that the depth of the ball supply tray is narrowed. In the plate, a boundary wall is provided in the guide part so as to stand substantially vertically from the flow straightening gutter, the guide part is formed to be higher than the flow straightening gutter, and the height of the boundary wall extends from the upstream side to the downstream side. Ball supply tray of a gaming machine characterized in that it is formed so as to gradually increase in height 2. The depth of the ball supply plate is approximately the diameter of the game ball.
2. The ball supply tray for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a start position of the boundary wall is provided on the upstream side of a position having a width of two pieces. 3. The depth of the ball supply plate is approximately the diameter of the game ball.
Between the position where the width is two and the position where the depth of the ball supply plate is about one diameter of the game ball, the height of the boundary wall is about half the diameter of the game ball. 3. The ball supply tray for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball supply tray is formed so that the position exists. 4. The guide part is provided with a guide surface for extending a part of the storage part in the downstream direction to guide the game ball to the downstream side, and the rectifying gutter side end edge of the guide surface is a boundary wall. The ball supply plate of the gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is shared with the upper edge of the. 5. The ball supply tray for a gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein a vertical cross-sectional shape of the guide surface in a direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the game ball has an arcuate concave shape. 6. The game according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a concave ball escape portion is provided above the guide surface of the guide wall, and a lower edge of the ball escape portion is shared with an upper edge of the guide surface. Machine ball feeding tray. 7. The downstream end shape of the ball escape portion is formed in a tapered shape whose tip is on the side in contact with the guide surface side.
Ball supply plate of the gaming machine described in 6.