JP2005198883A - Ball tray of pinball machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball tray permitting achievement of stable flow of balls and control of ball pressure at the same time, permitting discharge of balls without hindering the flow of balls to a ball feeder, and preventing wrong operation. <P>SOLUTION: The ball tray is for aligning game balls reserved in a reserving guide tray 56 and making the aligned balls flow down to the ball feeder. The ball tray has a support surface supporting game balls consisting of a first inclined support face 56a, becoming lower toward downstream, on the downstream side and a second inclined support face 56b on the upstream side. The angle of inclination of the second inclined support face 56b is smaller than that of the first inclined support face 56a. A first ball discharging mechanism is mounted on the downstream side of the first inclined support face 56a, and a second ball discharging mechanism 70 is mounted on the downstream part of the second inclined support face 56b. An opening/closing valve member 73 is mounted in the second ball discharging mechanism in such a way that the valve member can be oscillated/displaced upward/downward, and an operation part 75u is mounted on the lower surface of the ball tray in such a way that the operation part can be oscillated/displaced to the left or right. When the operation part 75u is swung/operated, the opening/closing valve member 73 is swung downward to open a ball outlet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball tray of a ball game machine that has a storage guide tray that can store a large number of game balls and that aligns the game balls stored in the storage guide tray and flows down to a ball feeder.

  Pachinko machines are widely known as a representative example of a ball game machine equipped with the above-described ball tray. In the pachinko machine, a game ball launching device is attached to an intermediate region of the front frame located on the lower side of the game board, and a ball tray for supplying the game ball to the game ball launching device is provided in front of the game ball launching device. The ball tray is provided with a storage guide tray that can store a large number of game balls and projects forward. A ball feeding device provided on the back side of the ball tray allows the game balls stored in the storage guide tray to be 1 Each ball is sent out to the game ball launching device, hit by the hammer of the game ball launching device, and launched into the game board.

The storage guide tray is surrounded by a surrounding wall so that the player can throw in the game balls borrowed from the ball lending machine, and when the stored game balls decrease, the player can replenish them from the ball box, etc. It has a dish shape with an open top surface. The storage surface of the storage guide plate, that is, the support surface that supports the game ball, is used to feed the downstream ball so that the stored game ball can roll smoothly under its own weight and be guided by the surrounding wall and aligned in a row. The inclined posture is inclined downward toward the mechanism, and is a flat inclined support surface having a constant inclination angle (normally an inclination angle of about 3.5 to 4.5 degrees) from the upstream side to the downstream side (for example, Patent Document 1). See).
Japanese Patent No. 2551888 (3rd page, FIGS. 6 and 7)

  Note that pachinko machines currently used in games include pachinko machines with a single ball tray and pachinko machines with two upper and lower ball trays. In the case of the dish configuration, the upper ball tray in the upper stage is normally configured as a storage guide tray that has both the storage function of game balls and the flow-down guide function of flowing down in alignment with the ball feeder. In any of the above-described pachinko machines, for example, a ball removal mechanism for discharging the game balls stored in the storage guide tray at the end of the game is provided. The ball removal mechanism is provided at the end portion of the guide passage to discharge all the game balls stopped in the guide passage leading from the storage guide tray to the ball feeding device. The game ball is caused to flow down into the ball passage by opening and closing the part.

  However, in the conventional ball tray as described above, since the support surface of the storage guide tray is an inclined surface having a constant inclination angle, the downstream side depends on the set inclination angle and the number of game balls stored in the storage guide tray. The pressure acting on the game ball greatly changed, and as a result, there was a large difference in the flow-down state (ball flow) of the game ball.

  That is, when the inclination angle of the support surface is set to a small value, the pressure change of the downstream game ball due to the change in the number of game balls stored in the storage guide tray (hereinafter referred to as “storage balls”) decreases, but the storage guide tray The game ball placed on the board may not flow smoothly, or the rolling game ball may stop halfway with a slight resistance, and the player must push it down one by one. If it does not endure complexity. On the other hand, if the inclination angle of the support surface is set to be large, the game ball can flow down reliably even if there is some resistance, but the pressure change of the downstream game ball with the change in the number of stored balls increases. When the number of stored balls is large, the pressure acting on the downstream game ball becomes excessive, causing ball clogging at the bent part of the ball passage or increasing the load acting on the ball feeding device, resulting in malfunction There is a high risk that

  For this reason, the setting of the inclination angle of the storage guide tray is considered to be an extremely delicate design matter.Many engineers who have long experience in the material properties of the materials themselves, the surface properties after processing, the usage environment in amusement facilities, etc. There is a fact that it must be determined by repeating the experiment, and while maintaining a stable ball flow with a small number of stored balls, the pressure on the game ball on the downstream side is excessive when the number of stored balls increases There was a need for new design techniques that would not be possible.

  Further, since the ball removing mechanism conventionally provided in the ball tray is provided at the end portion of the guide passage for guiding the game ball stored in the storage guide tray to the ball feeding device, the ball discharge and ball removal are performed. For example, when a big hit occurs during a game and it is desired to remove the game ball from the ball tray, it is difficult to remove the ball while stably launching the game.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and includes stable ball flow in a state where the number of stored balls is small, and suppression of pressure on a downstream game ball in a state where the number of stored balls is increased. An object of the present invention is to provide a ball tray that can be removed without disturbing the flow of the ball to the ball feeding device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a storage guide tray that can store a large number of game balls and is arranged to project forward from the gaming machine, and the game balls stored in the storage guide tray are aligned. In a ball tray of a ball game machine that is caused to flow down to a ball feeder, a first inclined support surface on the downstream side in which the support surfaces of the game balls in the storage guide tray are lowered toward the downstream (for example, the flow guide portion in the embodiment) 56a) and a second inclined support surface on the upstream side (for example, the storage support surface of the sphere storage portion 56b in the embodiment), and the inclination angle of the second inclined support surface between these two inclined support surfaces Is formed smaller than the inclination angle of the first inclined support surface. Further, on the downstream side of the first inclined support surface, a valve member that forms a part of a passage wall that guides the game ball to the ball feeding device can be opened and closed to remove the game ball stored in the storage guide tray. A game ball that is provided on the upstream side of the storage guide plate by opening and closing a switching valve member that forms a part of the second inclined support surface at a downstream portion of the second inclined support surface while providing a single ball removal mechanism Is provided with a second ball removal mechanism. In this second ball removal mechanism, the on-off valve member is provided so as to be able to swing up and down with respect to the second inclined support surface, and an operating portion for swinging the on-off valve member (for example, the operation knob 75u in the embodiment). ) Is provided on the lower surface side of the bowl so as to be swingable to the left and right. By operating the operating portion to swing, the on-off valve member swings and displaces downward so that a part of the second inclined support surface is opened. The ball tray of the ball game machine is constructed.

  Such a ball tray is composed of a first inclined support surface on the downstream side and a second inclined support surface on the upstream side in which both the support surfaces of the game balls in the storage guide tray are lowered toward the downstream. The inclination angle of the second inclined support surface on the support surface is formed smaller than the inclination angle of the first inclined support surface. For this reason, in a state where the number of game balls stored in the storage guide tray is small, the stored balls are disposed on the first inclined support surface on the downstream side where the inclination angle is relatively steep. Rolling down reliably toward the downstream side (ball feeder side). On the other hand, when the number of game balls stored in the storage guide plate increases, the newly stored storage balls are stored on the second inclined support surface on the upstream side with a relatively gentle inclination angle, so that they act on the downstream game balls. The pressure to be suppressed is suppressed according to the decrease in the tilt angle. Therefore, according to the present configuration, a ball tray is provided that achieves both stable ball flow with a small number of stored balls and suppression of pressure on the downstream game ball with a large number of stored balls. be able to.

  Further, on the downstream side of the first inclined support surface, a first ball removing mechanism (that is, similar to the conventional one) that can be removed by opening and closing a valve member that forms a part of the passage wall that guides the game ball to the ball feeding device. A ball removal mechanism), and an open / close valve member that forms a part of the second inclined support surface is opened and closed at a downstream portion of the second inclined support surface, and the game stored on the upstream side of the storage guide plate A second ball removal mechanism that can remove the ball is also provided. For this reason, the ball of the game ball located on the upstream side can be removed using the second ball removal mechanism without interfering with the ball flow of the game ball flowing down from the first inclined support surface side to the ball feeder, The ball can be removed while stably launching the game ball. On the other hand, at the end of the game, by using both the first ball removal mechanism and the second ball removal mechanism to perform ball removal, the ball removal operation, which would have taken time for the first ball removal mechanism alone, is quickly completed. Can be made.

  In the second ball removal mechanism, an operation portion for performing the ball removal operation is provided on the lower surface side of the ball pan so as to be swingable and displaceable to the left and right, and the on-off valve member is moved downward by swinging the operation portion. A part of the second inclined supporting surface is opened by swinging displacement. For this reason, for example, even when a player stands up or sits down, even if the player touches the top surface of the ball tray or abuts against the front edge portion, there is a low risk of touching the operation portion on the bottom surface side. Even if it is pushed backward, the on-off valve member is not opened and the ball is not removed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a ball tray that can effectively prevent an erroneous operation not depending on the player's intention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As a representative example of a ball game machine equipped with a ball tray according to the present invention, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a front view and a rear view of a pachinko machine, and FIG. 3 is a plan view as viewed in the direction of arrows III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of FIG. 4 as viewed in the direction of arrows IV-IV in FIG. 1. First, an overall outline of the pachinko machine PM will be described with reference to these drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, in order to show the back and front of the entire upper ball tray, each figure is shown with the glass door and the upper ball tray on the front side of the machine body opened in a pseudo manner by 180 degrees.

  In the pachinko machine PM, the front frame 2 for opening and closing mounted on the front surface of the outer frame 1 that is configured to have a rectangular frame size and forms a vertically fixed holding frame is arranged on the front surface of the opening and closing mounted to each other. A hinge mechanism disposed on the upper left and lower sides of the front side is attached to the front so that it can be opened / closed and attached / detached, and is always in a closed state engaged and connected to the outer frame 1 using a locking device provided on the right side of the front. Retained.

  A glass door 3 is attached to the front side (front side) upper part of the front frame 2 so that it can be opened / closed / removed sideways and covers the front side of the front frame 2 using a locking device provided on the right side of the front. It is kept closed. An upper part of the front frame located behind the glass door 3 is provided with an accommodation frame for detachably accommodating the game board 10, and the game board 10 latched and held in an upright posture on the accommodation frame is provided with the glass door. 3 is visible. The game board 10 uses a decorative board 11 in which cells are attached to the surface of a laminated plywood having a predetermined thickness as a substrate, and is surrounded by a semicircular arc outer rail 12 and an inner rail 13, and is a substantially circular game area PA. Is formed. In the game area PA, there are a large number of game nails and windmills as well as various prize-winning devices 14, an image display device 15 for displaying symbols according to the game development status, and game components such as side lamps. A mouth 18 is provided and configured.

  An auxiliary mechanism portion called a game auxiliary board is provided in the front side intermediate portion of the front frame 2. The game auxiliary board 20 includes a launch rail 22 that guides the game ball hit by the hammer of the game ball launcher 21 and launches it toward the outer rail 12 of the game board, and an upper bowl tray outlet 55 described below. The upper outlet 25 formed in the shape of an inclined passage connecting the upper set-off passage 45 to the back set board, a speaker for generating sound effects according to the game development status, and a foul ball collection passage are formed. A speaker cover 31 and the like are provided.

  The upper ball tray 5 is attached to the front of the game assisting board 20 by the hinge mechanism 4 so as to be opened / closed and detachable sideways, and always covers the front of the game assisting board using the ball dish locking device provided on the right side of the front. It is kept closed. The upper ball tray 5 is provided with a storage guide tray 56 for storing a game ball on the front side so as to protrude forward, and the upper left side on the back side has an upper ball tray 5 in a closed state on the upper side of the game assisting board. A duct-shaped outlet 55 that communicates with the outlet 25 is formed so as to protrude rearward, so that game balls flowing from the upper outlet 25 flow down to the storage guide tray 56. Further, on the right side of the back of the upper ball tray 5, a ball feeder 59 is provided at a position aligned with the firing rail 22 in a state where the upper ball tray 5 is closed, and the game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 are 1 Each ball is configured to be sent to the firing rail 22.

  A lower ball tray 7 with an open top surface is attached to the front lower portion of the front frame 2 so as to protrude forward, and a box-shaped lower ball tray connecting bucket 37 having openings on the upper surface and the front surface is mounted on the lower side of the front frame 2. The lower ball tray 7 and the lower ball tray communication bucket 37 are connected to each other through a lower outlet 27 that penetrates the front frame 2 back and forth. On the right side of the front of the lower ball tray 7, a firing handle 8 for performing a game ball firing operation is attached.

  On the back side (rear side) of the front frame 2, a back set board 40 is attached to the rear side of the front frame 2 so as to be laterally openable and detachable. The back set board 40 has a ball storage tank 41 for storing game balls for payout, a tank rail 42 for aligning and flowing down the game balls stored in the ball storage tank 41, and game balls guided from the tank rail 42. A ball payout device 43 that pays out in accordance with the winning state, an upper payout passage 45 that is provided directly below the ball payout device 43 and guides the game balls paid out from the ball payout device 43 to the upper ball tray 5, and an upper payout passage 45, which is provided adjacent to the upper payout passage 47, which is formed adjacent to the upper payout passage 45 and leads to the lower ball tray 7, and above the partition wall 44 which partitions the upper payout passage 45 and the lower payout passage 47. An overflow ball passage 46 that communicates the passage, a safe ball that has fallen into the winning device 14 and led to the back side of the decorative plate 11 and an out ball that has been led to the back side of the decorative plate 11 through the out port 18 are gathered. Let's lead to the collection device on the amusement island It is provided such technique already ball discharge passage 48. Various circuit boards such as a power supply board, a main control board, and a payout control board are attached to the back of the back set board 40, and each electrical component is connected by a connector cable to constitute a pachinko machine PM.

  The pachinko machine PM is used in a game in which the upper ball tray 5 and the glass door 3 are closed and locked, and the game ball is stored in the upper ball tray 5 and the operation lever of the launch handle 8 is rotated. Is started. When the operation lever is turned, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 5 are sent one by one to the launch rail 22 by the ball feeding device 59, and are launched by the hammer of the game ball launching device 21 to play the game area PA. Led to.

  The game ball that has reached the game area PA rolls and falls in the game area PA while being played by a large number of game nails and windmills in the game area. It is guided without being dropped into the winning device 14 and falls through the out port 18 and is led to the back side of the decorative board 11, and both play through the game ball discharge passage 48 of the back set board 40. It is discharged to the island collection device. Each winning tool is provided with a winning ball detector for detecting a winning game ball, and the detection signal is output to the main control board. The main control board outputs a payout signal based on the winning detection signal to the payout control board. The ball payout device 43 pays out a predetermined number of game balls according to the payout signal.

  The game balls paid out from the ball payout device 43 are normally guided to the upper payout passage 45 by a partition wall 44 formed in the payout passage, and the upper outlet 25 and the upper ball tray 5 penetrating the front frame 2. Is guided to the storage guide tray 56 through the outlet 55 formed in Then, in the process of flowing down the storage guide tray 56, they are aligned and waited, and are sequentially sent out to the launch rail 22 by the ball feeding device 59 and launched into the game area PA. In addition, when the game balls are paid out in a state where the storage guide tray 56 is full and the upper payout passage 45 is filled up to the upper end of the partition wall 44, the paid-out game balls pass over the partition wall 44. It overflows to the payout passage 47 side or flows into the lower payout passage 47 via the overflow ball passage 46 and is guided from the lower payout passage 47 to the lower ball tray 7 through the lower ball tray connecting bucket 37 and the lower outlet 27. .

  On the other hand, behind the speaker cover 31 attached to the game assisting board 20, a foul ball collection port 32 is formed which is spaced apart from the firing rail 22 and the outer rail 12 and opens upward. A foul ball collection passage 33 is formed through which the foul ball dropped into the ball collection port 32 flows down. Further, a ball receiving port 35 is formed below the upper outlet 25 so that the cover portion extends forward and opens upward, and a spilled ball collection passage 36 that allows the spilled ball that has fallen into the ball receiving port 35 to flow downward. Is formed.

  The foul ball collecting passage 33 joins the spilling ball passage 36 at the substantially right and left central portions of the game assisting board, and is connected to the lower ball tray connecting bucket 37 through the collective collecting port 26 formed through the front frame 2 vertically. It is connected. As a result, the foul ball that has fallen into the foul ball collection port 32 without reaching the game area PA, and the spilled ball that has flowed into the ball receiving port 35 when the upper ball tray is opened, respectively, are the foul ball passage 33 and the spilled ball collection passage 36. Then, it flows down from the collection / recovery port 26 to the lower ball tray connecting bucket 37 and is guided to the lower ball tray 7 through the lower outlet 27. Further, a part of the speaker cover 31 is cut out immediately above the collective opening 26 to form a ball receiving port 38, and the game balls flowing into the ball receiving port 38 are connected to the collective collecting port 26 to the lower ball tray. It is guided to the lower ball tray 7 through the bucket 37 to the lower outlet 27.

  Now, in the pachinko machine PM schematically configured as described above, the ball tray configuration according to the present invention is applied to the upper ball tray 5, and hereinafter, the drawings of FIGS. However, the upper ball tray 5 will be described in detail. Here, FIGS. 5 to 11 will be outlined in advance. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the upper ball tray 5 mainly showing the first ball removing mechanism 60 with the ball feeding device 59 removed, and FIG. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the second ball removal mechanism 70 showing the upper ball tray 5 in an exploded state, and FIG. 8 mainly shows the second ball removal mechanism 70. FIG. 9 is a plan sectional view showing the ball passage in the vicinity of the second ball removal mechanism, FIG. 10 is a right sectional view showing the main part of the second ball removal mechanism 70, and FIG. 11 is formed in the storage guide tray 56. It is explanatory drawing (rear view) which shows the relationship between the level | step difference which followed and the inclination-angle of the support surface which pinches | interposes this level | step difference.

  The upper ball tray 5 includes a rectangular plate 51 that matches the width of the front frame 2, a bowl-shaped exterior body 52 that is attached to the front side of the plate 51 and protrudes forward, and a plate 51 The dish main body 53 sandwiched between the outer body 52 and the outer body 52 is configured as a main structure, and the second ball removal mechanism 70 is formed on the outer body 52 and the dish body 53 in which the first ball removal mechanism 60 is incorporated and screwed. Are assembled integrally by fitting the contact plate 51 from behind and fixing the contact plate 51 from the back side thereof.

  The tray body 53 is roughly composed of a storage guide tray 56 for storing game balls and a passage forming portion formed on the lower side of the storage guide tray 56, for example, using a resin material such as ABS resin. These are integrally formed by molding means such as injection molding. The storage guide tray 56 is a flat dish with an open top surface surrounded by a surrounding wall, and as shown in FIG. 3, a semicircular sphere storage section 56b is formed from the center in the plan view to the left upstream portion. A tapered flow-down guide portion 56a is formed in the downstream portion on the right side, and is connected to a launch ball alignment passage 57 for waiting the game balls in a single row alignment state.

  The storage guide tray 56 is formed in an inclined posture that inclines to the right as a whole, and the support surface (the upper surface of the tray) that supports the game ball faces the upstream ball storage section 56b and the downstream flow guide section 56a downstream. It consists of an inclined surface that becomes lower. Further, a step 56d is formed at the connecting portion between the inclined support surface of the sphere reservoir 56b and the inclined support surface of the flow guide 56a, and is configured to be lowered by one step from the sphere reservoir 56b toward the flow guide 56a. ing.

  Here, regarding the relationship of the inclination angle between the inclined support surface of the flow guide part 56a located on the downstream side and the inclined support surface of the ball storage part 56b located on the upstream side, both inclined supports sandwiching the step 56d in FIG. As shown schematically in the rear view, the angle relationship between the surfaces is represented by β <α, where α is the inclination angle of the inclined support surface of the flow guide portion 56a and β is the inclination angle of the inclined support surface of the ball storage portion 56b. In other words, in other words, the inclined support surface (hereinafter referred to as “storage support surface”) of the upstream sphere storage portion 56b is more than the inclined support surface (hereinafter referred to as “flow support surface”) of the downstream flow guide portion 56a. It is formed with a gentle slope.

  Specific values of the inclination angle α of the flow support surface and the inclination angle β of the storage support surface can be appropriately set depending on the type of resin material used for the dish body 53, the surface properties, etc. In the upper ball tray 5 illustrated in the present embodiment, the flow support surface is set as the inclination angle α of the flow support surface, which is the same as that of the conventional ball plate (α = about 3.5 to 4.5 degrees), and the storage support surface is set as the inclination angle β. Is set to an inclination angle (about β = 2 to 3 degrees) smaller than about 1.5 degrees.

  For this reason, in a state where the number of game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 is small, the stored balls are disposed in the flow guide portion 56a having a relatively steep inclination having the same inclination angle as the conventional one, so Rolling down toward the firing ball alignment passage 57. On the other hand, when the number of game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 increases, the newly stored game balls are stored in the ball storage section 56b having a relatively lower inclination angle than the conventional one, so that the downstream side When the weight of one game ball is W, the pressure P acting on the game ball becomes P = Wsinβ per one upper and lower row, and can be suppressed according to the decrease in the tilt angle. For example, if the inclination angle α = 4 degrees and β = 2 degrees described above, (Wsinα−Wsinβ) /Wsinα≈0.5 as compared with the conventional case where the constant inclination angle α = 4 degrees is set. The pressure can be reduced by about half.

  Further, a step 56d is provided at the connecting portion between the flow-down support surface and the storage support surface, and the upstream storage support surface has a height h higher than the downstream flow-down support surface before and after the step (front and rear in the upstream and downstream directions). It is formed to be higher. For this reason, in a state where the game balls are stored in both the ball storage portion 56b and the flow-down guide portion 56a that sandwich the step, the game balls stored on the side of the ball storage portion 56b are flowed down the guide portion 56a that is positioned obliquely downward due to the step. A spherical contact is made with the game ball on the side in an oblique vertical relationship (see FIG. 11). On the other hand, the pressure of the game ball stored in the ball storage section 56b (the vector P = Wsin β in the flow direction) acts in the direction along the storage support surface.

For this reason, the force F acting on the game ball on the flow down guide unit 56a side from the game ball on the ball storage unit 56b side connects the sphere centers with a vector P (P = Wsin β) in the flow direction along the storage support surface. The vector component P ₁ in the contact direction when decomposed into the vector component P ₁ in the contact direction and the vector component P ₂ in the upward direction orthogonal thereto is obtained (F = P ₁ ), and the step 56d is not provided. It can be made smaller than the case of direct contact (F = P = P ₁ + P ₂ ). For example, if the inclination angle of the storage support surface is β = 2 ° and the height h of the step 56d is h = 0.5D with respect to the diameter D of the game ball, the inclination angle of the contact direction connecting the spheres is about If the pressure F = P ₁ = Pcos (30−β) = 0.88P and h = 0.7D, the inclination angle of the contact direction connecting the spheres is about 45 °, and the pressure F = P ₁ = Pcos (45−β) = 0.73P, and the force acting on the game ball on the flow down guide portion 56a side from the game ball on the ball storage portion 56b side can be further reduced according to the height h of the step 56d. .

  Therefore, by forming the inclination angle of the storage support surface smaller than the inclination angle of the falling support surface as described above, a stable sphere flow with a small number of stored spheres and a state in which the number of stored spheres has increased. It is possible to achieve both suppression of the pressure on the game ball on the downstream side. For example, while securing a stable ball flow to the ball feeding device 59, a ball clogging or the like is prevented at the terminal deflection portion of the launch ball alignment passage 57 in front of it. A configuration that does not occur can be easily realized. Further, by providing a step 56d between the ball storage portion 56b and the downstream guide portion 56, the pressure acting on the downstream game ball is further suppressed, and both stable ball flow and pressure suppression on the game ball are achieved. Can be provided. In addition, although it is arbitrary about the inclination of each support surface in the front-back direction, it is also a preferable configuration form to set a slight inclination angle that inclines downward (toward the facing plate 51).

  And the 1st ball removal mechanism 60 is provided in the downstream of such an upper ball tray 5, and the 2nd ball removal mechanism 70 is provided in the upstream. The downstream side of the projecting ball alignment passage 57 connected to the flow guide part 56 a is folded back into a “<” shape at an alignment position facing the base end part of the launch rail 22 in the front-rear direction. A first ball extraction passage 67 that is inclined downward is continuously provided. At the downstream end portion of the first ball removal passage 67, a ball discharge port 68 penetrating the contact plate 51 in the front-rear direction is formed, and a ball removal port on the side of the game auxiliary board 20 that is aligned in the closed posture of the upper ball tray 5. 38. The firing ball alignment passage 57 and the first ball removal passage 67 are always partitioned by the valve member 63 of the first ball removal mechanism 60 provided in the turn-up portion, and the end plate of the firing ball alignment passage 57 is applied to the end plate. It is connected to a ball feeding device 59 through a ball feeding port 58 formed through 51.

  The first ball removal mechanism 60 is exposed on the upper surface of the upper ball tray 5 and can swing up and down as shown in the rear view of the periphery of the first ball removal mechanism 60 with the ball feeder 59 removed in FIG. And a valve member 63 having a shutter portion 63s that can be opened and closed between the firing ball alignment passage 57 and the first ball removal passage 67 and is slidably displaceable to the left and right. The ball release lever 61 and the valve member 63 are connected to each other so as to be swingable. The link arm 62 transmits the pressing force to the ball release lever 61 to the valve member 63, and the valve member 63 is always in the closing direction. The valve member 63 is always urged and arranged at the left end position by the spring force of the coil spring 64, and the shutter portion 63s is located between the firing ball alignment passage 57 and the first ball removal passage 67. It is made into the closed state which partitions off.

  For this reason, in a normal gaming state, the shutter portion 63s forms a part of the passage wall of the firing ball alignment passage 57, and the game balls that are waiting to be aligned in the firing ball alignment passage 57 are sent from the ball feeding port 58 to the ball feeding device. The ball is fed one by one to the firing rail 22 by the ball feeding cam 59c of the ball feeding device which is guided to 59 and controlled to swing in synchronization with the operation of the game ball launching device 21, and is sent to the game board by the game ball launching device 21. It is launched towards.

  When the ball release lever 61 is pressed, the link arm 62 is swung counterclockwise in FIG. 5, and the link pin at the lower end presses the valve member 63 to slide and displace the valve member 63 to the right. The shutter portion 63 s that partitions the alignment passage 57 and the first ball extraction passage 67 is retracted, and the shot ball alignment passage 57 and the first ball extraction passage 67 are changed to an open state. For this reason, the game balls that have been waiting to be aligned in the launch ball alignment passage 57 flow into the first ball discharge passage 67 and flow down through the ball discharge passage 68, pass through the ball discharge port 68, and the extraction ball receiving port on the game auxiliary board side. 38. And it is led to the lower ball tray 7 from the collective recovery port 26 through the lower ball tray communication bucket 37 to the lower outlet 27.

  On the other hand, a second ball removal mechanism 70 is provided on the upstream side of the upper ball tray 5. The second ball removal mechanism 70 has a ball discharge opening 71 formed in a horizontal rectangular shape in the downstream portion of the storage support surface, and forms a part of the storage support surface at the closed position and swings up and down to move the ball discharge opening 71. An opening / closing valve member 73 that can be opened and closed, an operation member 75 that is swingably provided at the lower part of the upper ball tray 5 and that oscillates and displaces the opening / closing valve member 73, and constantly biases the opening / closing valve member 73 in the closing direction And the operation knob 75u of the operation member provided on the lower surface side of the upper ball tray 5 in the front view. When the swinging operation is performed in the direction (counterclockwise), the valve plate portion 73b of the opening / closing valve member is swingingly displaced downward to open the ball outlet 71.

  The ball outlet 71 is formed on the rear end side of the dish body 53 adjacent to the step 56d, and the opening width in the front-rear direction is slightly larger than the diameter D of the game ball to about 1.1 to 1.5D. The opening length in the left-right direction is set to several times the ball diameter D (about 2 to 4D) so that a plurality of game balls can flow down simultaneously. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the opening width in the front-rear direction is set to about 1.2D and the opening length in the left-right direction is set to about 3D in consideration of the protrusion of the contact plate 51 located above the ball outlet 71 to the front. An example is shown.

  A front wall surface 72 that forms a passage wall in front of the first ball removal passage 67 and the second ball removal passage 77 is formed on the lower side of the ball discharge opening 71 so as to extend vertically and horizontally. Has been. The front wall surface 72 is formed in accordance with the passage widths of the first ball extraction passage 67 and the second ball extraction passage 77, and is smoothly connected to the opening front edge of the ball extraction port 71. On the front wall surface 72, a support boss 72a that is positioned immediately below the opening of the ball outlet 71 and that supports the open / close valve member 73 in a swingable manner is positioned below the storage support surface to lock the hook of the tension spring 76. The hook locking bosses 72d are formed to protrude rearward, and below the support bosses 72a, rod support portions 53t that rotatably support the rods 75t of the operation member 75 are formed to protrude forward.

  In addition, on the lower side of the storage guide tray 56, passage walls 77a and 77b projecting in a rib shape from the front wall surface 72 toward the rear (on the side of the facing plate 51) and extending toward the lower left and right centers are erected. A groove-like spherical passage opened rearward is formed by the wall surface 72 and the passage walls 77a, 77b, and a second spherical passage 77 surrounded by the wall surface is formed by screwing the contact plate 51 from the rear. It is like that. On the upstream side of the spherical passage 77, a passage wall 77a is bent upward to form a swing regulating wall 77s that restricts excessive swing of a drive transmission tool 75s described later.

  The second ball passage 77 is formed such that a passage wall 77a formed below the flow guide 56a extends to the left as viewed from the back with an inclined posture similar to that of the flow support surface, and is bent downward at a substantially central portion on the left and right. The second sphere extraction passage 77 and the first sphere extraction passage 67 are joined together to communicate with the sphere discharge port 68. In this way, the configuration in which the second ball extraction passage 77 is joined to the first ball extraction passage 67 and discharged from the common ball discharge port 68 can simplify the passage configuration on the upper ball tray side, and can also remove the ball reception port 38. For the subsequent flow path, the second ball removal mechanism can be constructed by using the existing flow passage as it is. For example, by replacing only the upper ball tray 5 with the existing model, the second ball removal mechanism can be constructed. It is also possible to change to a pachinko machine having 70.

  The on-off valve member 73 has a cylindrical portion having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the support boss 72a, and a strip extending smoothly in a tangential direction with the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 73a. A valve plate portion 73b, a driven tooth portion 73c formed in a gear shape on the lower outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 73a, and a spring arm portion 73d extending obliquely downward perpendicular to the axis from the bearing portion 73a. For example, glass fiber or carbon fiber It is formed by molding means such as injection molding using a resin material such as ABS resin, polyacetal resin (POM), or polyphenylene oxide (PPO) reinforced with the addition of.

  The valve plate portion 73b has a plate portion that is smoothly connected to the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 73a and extends in the tangential direction, and is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape that matches the opening surface area of the ball outlet port 71. When the step engaging portion corresponding to the shape on the lower surface side of the step 56d is bent, the bearing 73a is pivotally supported by the support boss 72a, and the on-off valve member 73 is swung counterclockwise in front view. Further, the step engaging portion at the tip is smoothly engaged with and supported by the lower surface of the step 56d, and the plate portion closes the ball outlet 71 and is positioned on the same plane as the surrounding storage support surface (integrally). To form a storage support surface).

  The driven tooth portion 73c has teeth extending in the front-rear direction on the lower surface side of the bearing portion 73a and is formed in a spur gear shape. The driven tooth portion 73c meshes with the drive tooth portion 75c of the operation member and can transmit a rotational driving force. Yes. The spring arm portion 73d is formed to extend obliquely downward perpendicular to the axis from the bearing portion 73a, and a hook locking portion for locking the hook of the tension spring 76 is formed at the distal end portion thereof.

  The operation member 75 has a rod fixing hole penetrating front and rear at a fan-shaped key position, a drive transmission tool 75s having a driving tooth portion 75c meshing with a driven tooth portion 73c of the on-off valve member on the outer peripheral surface, and a cylindrical portion. An operation knob 75u having a tongue-like finger hook on the front end side, an axial rod 75t connecting the drive transmission tool 75s and the operation knob 75u, and the like, for example, molded from a resin material such as ABS resin A rod 75t formed by applying flat knurling to both ends of a metal wire having a diameter of about 5 mm is press-fitted and fixed to the drive transmission tool 75s and the operation knob 75u. In the press-fitting and fixing to the drive transmission tool 75s, the rear end portion of the rod 75t is press-fitted and fixed to a position protruding through the rod fixing hole of the drive transmission tool to a predetermined dimension, and the operation knob 75u is press-fitted and fixed. Is performed in the process of assembling the second ball removal mechanism 70.

  On the other hand, a rear rod support portion 51t that receives the rear end portion of the rod 75t is formed on the front side of the counter plate 51 at an alignment position on the axis line in which the rod 75t is disposed in the assembled state of the upper ball tray 5. ing. The rear rod support portion 51t is formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the rod 75t, and is formed so as to be able to receive and support the rear end portion of the rod 75t. ing.

  The outer body 52 accommodates a front rod support portion 52t that supports the front end portion of the rod and an operation knob 75u at an alignment position on the axis where the rod 75t is disposed in the assembled state of the upper ball tray 5. A portion 52u is formed. The front rod support portion 52t protrudes rearward from the partition wall that partitions the inside and outside of the exterior body 52, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rod 75t. It is supported so that it can rotate around the axis of the rod. The knob housing portion 52u is slightly closer to the front side across the partition wall than the swing angle range of the operation knob 75u (more specifically, the angle range in which the on-off valve member 73 swings between the open position and the closed position). It is formed in an arch shape that has a wide angle range and opens downward, and the cylindrical portion of the operation knob 75u is accommodated well to prevent erroneous operation, and the operation knob 75u swings beyond a predetermined angle range. When operated, it has a function of restricting the swing by abutting against the finger-hooking portion of the operation knob 75u and protecting the respective portions of the second ball removing mechanism 70 from applying an excessive force.

  Then, the on-off valve member 73 and the operation member 75 configured as described above are assembled to the exterior body 52 and the plate body 53, which are screwed in advance, and the second ball is removed by fixing the screw 51 from the rear side. A mechanism 70 is formed.

  For the assembly, first, the bearing 73a of the opening / closing valve member is inserted into and supported by the support boss 72a on the front wall surface, the hook on one end side of the tension spring 76 is screwed to the hook locking boss 72d, and the other end of the tension spring 76 is secured. The hook on the side is hooked to the hook locking portion of the spring arm portion 73d. As a result, the valve plate portion 73b of the on-off valve member is supported so as to be able to swing up and down (swing in the clockwise direction and counterclockwise in the front view) and is always attached in the closing direction by the spring force of the tension spring 76. As a result, the step engagement portion of the on-off valve member 73 is engaged with the lower surface of the step 56d, and the valve plate portion 73b is disposed at a closed position where the bulb outlet 71 is closed.

  Next, the front end side of the rod 75t on which the drive transmission tool 75s is press-fitted and fixed to the rear end side is inserted and supported by the rod support portion 53t and the front rod support portion 52t, and the rod front end protruding to the knob housing portion 52u of the exterior body The operation knob 75u is press-fitted into the part and fixed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the drive transmission tool 75s is arranged such that the right end portion of the fan-shaped drive tooth portion 75c is engaged with the driven tooth portion 73c of the on-off valve member at an angular position close to the swing regulating wall 77s. The operation knob 75u is press-fitted and fixed at a substantially vertical angular position in which the left edge of the finger hook portion is close to the left side wall of the knob housing portion 52u.

  Accordingly, the operation member 75 is supported by the rod support portion 52t and the front rod support portion 53t, and the operation knob 75u is disposed so as to be able to swing left and right (clockwise and counterclockwise when viewed from the front). In addition, the on-off valve member 73 and the operating member 75 are gear-connected by the driven tooth portion 73c and the driving tooth portion 75c that mesh with each other, and the valve plate portion 73b is moved up and down by swinging the operation knob 75u left and right. It can be swung.

  Then, the exterior body 52 and the dish body 53 assembled with the respective members in this way are aligned with the front surface side of the cover plate 51, and the rear end portion of the rod 75t is received and supported by the rear rod support portion 51t. By screwing screws into the exterior body 52 and the respective parts of the dish main body 53 from the back side of 51, the upper ball dish 5 having the second ball removal mechanism 70 and the same mechanism is formed.

  When the second ball removal mechanism 70 is formed, the on-off valve member 73 swings up and down between a closed position where the valve plate portion 73b closes the ball removal port 71 and an open position where the ball removal port 71 is opened. The operation knob 75u is disposed in the knob housing portion 52u on the lower surface of the upper ball tray so as to be swingable and displaceable between the closed angle position and the open angle position corresponding to each position. And it is always urged | biased by the spring force of the tension | pulling spring 76 stretched between the hook latching boss | hub 72d and the spring arm part 73d in the closing direction, and the level | step-difference engaging part of the valve plate part front-end | tip is on the lower surface of level | step difference 56d. The operation knob 75u is held at a substantially vertical closing angle position in which the left edge of the finger hook portion is close to the left side wall of the knob housing portion 52u. The

  Further, when the operation knob 75u at the closed angle position is swung counterclockwise in the front view shown in FIG. 8 (clockwise in the rear view shown in FIG. 6) against the spring force of the tension spring 76, The drive transmission tool 75s connected by the rod 75t is rotated in the same direction, the on-off valve member 73 is rotated in the opposite direction via the driven tooth portion 73c engaged with the drive tooth portion 75c, and the valve plate portion 73b is moved downward. And the ball outlet 71 is opened. When the right edge of the finger hook portion of the operation knob 75u is swung to the open angle position close to the right wall of the knob housing portion 52u, the upper edge surface of the spring arm portion 73d comes into contact with the lower surface of the ball storage portion 56b. The valve plate portion 73b is supported and disposed at an open position that forms an inclined passage below the ball outlet 71.

  The swing angle range of the operation knob 75u is regulated by the left and right side wall surfaces of the knob housing portion 52, and is also opened by the swing regulating wall 77s close to the right end of the drive tooth portion 75c at the closed angle position. In the angular position, the angle is also restricted by the lower surface of the ball storage portion 56b that engages with the upper edge surface of the spring arm portion 73d, and excessive swinging of the operation member 75 is restricted to force excessive force on each part of the second ball removal mechanism 70. Does not work.

  Now, the assembled upper ball tray 5 is assembled to the front frame 2 through the hinge mechanism 4 so as to be opened and closed, and is used in the game in a closed state in which the front of the game auxiliary board 20 is closed. In performing the game, for example, an appropriate amount (for example, about 50 to 100 balls) of game balls borrowed from the ball lending machine by the player is put into the storage guide tray 56 of the upper ball tray 5, and the launch handle 8 is turned. It is started by moving operation.

  Here, as described above, the support surface of the storage guide tray 56 is directed so that the storage support surface of the ball storage portion 56b positioned on the upstream side and the flow support surface of the flow guide portion 56a positioned on the downstream side are directed downstream. The inclination angle of the storage support surface is smaller than the inclination angle of the falling support surface. Further, a step 56d is formed at the connection portion between the storage support surface and the flow down support surface, and is formed so as to be lowered by one step from the ball storage portion 56b toward the flow down guide portion 56a.

  For this reason, when a relatively small amount of game balls are thrown into the storage guide tray 56 as described above, the thrown game balls are mainly stored in the downstream flow guide portion 56a having a relatively steep inclination angle. Thus, it is guided by the steeply descending support surface and the tapered side wall, and reliably rolls down to the downstream launch ball alignment passage 57 under a stable sphere flow. The game balls transferred into the firing ball alignment passage 57 are guided to the ball feeding device 59 from the ball feeding port 58 by the valve member 63 of the first ball pulling mechanism 60 which is always in a closed state. The delivery is regulated by the ball feeding cam 59c, and is held on standby in a state of being aligned in one row in the firing ball alignment passage 57. When a launch operation is performed at the launch handle 8, the game balls that have been aligned and awaited by the ball feed cam 59 c of the ball feed device that is controlled to swing in synchronization with the operation of the game ball launch device 21 are launched one by one. The game ball launching device 21 is struck by a hammer and fired toward the game board 10.

  A game ball that is launched toward the game board 10 and reaches the game area PA rolls and falls in the game area PA while being hit by a game nail or a windmill in the game area, and falls into the winning device 14 in the fall process. Then, it is led to the back side of the decorative board 11 or falls without falling into the prize-winning tool 14 and is guided to the back side of the decorative board 11 through the out port 18, both of which have been played on the back set board 40. It is discharged through the discharge passage 48 to the amusement island collection device. The game balls dropped into the winning tool 14 are detected by a winning ball detector provided in each winning tool, and a number of game balls corresponding to the detection signal are paid out from the ball payout device 43.

  The game balls paid out from the ball payout device 43 are placed in the upper payout passage 45 in a state where there are few game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 (the game balls are not filled up to the upper portion of the upper payout passage 45). It is guided to the storage guide tray 56 through the upper outlet 25 penetrating the front frame 2 and the outlet bowl 55 formed in the upper ball tray 5. When the game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 increase with the progress of the game, the newly paid game balls are stored in the upstream ball storage unit 56b according to the increase. In addition, it is stored retroactively from the outlet basin 55 to the upper outlet 25 to the upper payout passage 45.

  Here, the inclination angle of the storage support surface is formed smaller than the inclination angle of the flow down support surface, and a step 56d is formed at the connecting portion between the storage support surface and the flow down support surface. For this reason, as described above, the pressure acting on the game balls on the downstream side as compared with the support surface formed flat with a fixed inclination angle, for example, the flow of the game balls aligned in the launch ball alignment passage 57 By suppressing the pressure acting in the direction and the pressure deflected in front of the ball feeding port 58 and acting on the ball feeding device 59, it is possible to realize a reliable ball feeding without causing a stable ball flow and a ball clogging. .

  In the state where the game balls are stored in the storage guide tray 56 in this way, the ball removal operation of the stored game balls is performed by operating one or both of the first ball removal mechanism 60 and the second ball removal mechanism 70. It can be carried out.

  For example, when the number of game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 is small, it is preferable to perform the ball removal work using only the first ball removal mechanism 60. The ball removal operation by the first ball removal mechanism 60 is performed by pressing the ball removal lever 61 downward against the spring force of the tension spring 64. When the ball release lever 61 is pressed, the link arm 62 is swung counterclockwise in the rear view, and the link pin at the lower end presses the valve member 63 to slide and displace the valve member 63 to the right. The shutter 63s that has partitioned between the alignment passage 57 and the first ball extraction passage 67 is retracted to the right in the rear view, and changes to an open state in which the firing ball alignment passage 57 and the first ball extraction passage 67 communicate with each other. (See FIG. 5).

  For this reason, the game balls that have been waiting to be aligned in the launch ball alignment passage 57 and the game balls that have been stored in the storage guide tray 56 flow into the first ball removal passage 67 from the launch ball alignment passage 57 and pass through this ball passage. It flows down and flows through the ball discharge port 68 to the ball receiving port 38 on the side of the game assisting board. Then, it flows down from the collective recovery port 26 to the lower ball tray communication bucket 37 and is guided to the lower ball tray 7 through the lower outlet 27. As a result, all the game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 can be made to flow down to the lower ball tray 7 to perform the ball removal operation.

  In addition, for example, a so-called big hit occurs in a gaming situation in which game balls are stored up to the upstream portion of the storage guide tray 56, and the game balls stored in the storage guide tray 56 are kept in the lower base plate while maintaining the launch state of the game balls. When it is desired to flow down to 7, it is preferable to perform the ball removing operation using only the second ball removing mechanism 70. The ball removing operation by the second ball removing mechanism 70 is performed by placing a finger on the operation knob 75u located on the lower surface side of the upper ball tray 5 and held at the closing angle position, and opening the angle against the spring force of the tension spring 76. This is performed by swinging in the position direction (counterclockwise in front view).

  When the operation knob 75u is swung in the above direction, the on-off valve member 73 is rotated via the driven tooth portion 73c meshing with the drive tooth portion 75c, and the valve plate portion 73b is swung downward to cause the ball outlet. 71 is opened. When the operation knob 75u is swung to the open angle position, the valve plate portion 73b is retracted below the ball outlet 71 to form an inclined passage that is inclined downward toward the second ball removal passage 77, thereby removing the ball. The game ball dropped into the mouth 71 is disposed at an open position for guiding the game ball downstream of the second ball removal passage 77.

  Therefore, the game balls stored in the upstream ball storage portion 56b of the storage guide tray 56 flow in while being guided from the ball outlet 71 in the downstream direction of the second ball outlet passage 77 and enter the second ball outlet passage. 77 rolls down and passes through the ball discharge port 68 at the lower end of the passage and flows into the ball receiving port 38 on the game auxiliary board side. Then, it flows down from the collection port 26 to the lower ball tray connecting bucket 37 and is guided to the lower ball tray 7 through the lower outlet 27.

  At this time, the game ball located in the flow-down guide portion 56a on the downstream side of the step 56d is not affected by the ball removal operation by the second ball removal mechanism 70. For this reason, even during ball removal by the second ball removal mechanism 70, the game balls stored in the flow guide 56 a are aligned with the launch ball alignment passage 57 and guided to the ball feeder 59 with a stable ball flow. The balls are fed one by one to the firing rail 22 by the ball feeding cam 59c, and a stable firing state can be maintained. As a result, the player can appropriately move the lower ball tray 7 to the lower ball tray 7 while observing the payout state of the winning ball due to the jackpot, the increase / decrease state of the stored ball in the storage guide tray 56, etc., while stably maintaining the game ball launch state. The ball removal operation can be easily performed.

  When the ball removal is finished, the holding force of the operation knob 75u held at the open angle position may be released. Then, the on / off valve member 73 is swung counterclockwise when viewed from the front by the spring force stored in the tension spring 76, and the valve plate portion 73b returns to the closed position where the ball outlet 71 is closed, and the driven tooth portion 73c and The operating member 75 is swung clockwise through the meshed drive teeth 75c, and the operating knob 75u returns to the closed angle position in a substantially vertical position, and is held in the corresponding position. The tension spring 76 is given an initial tension so as to maintain a constant tension force in the closed position, and is stopped at the upper part of the valve plate portion 73b when the storage guide tray 56 is filled with game balls. The opening / closing valve member 73 is prevented from swinging in the opening direction by the weight of the game ball.

  On the other hand, when the game is ended in a state where a large number of game balls are stored up to the upstream portion of the storage guide tray 56 in the same manner as described above, and when all the stored game balls are extracted, the first ball extraction described above is performed. It is preferable to perform the ball removing operation using both the mechanism 60 and the second ball removing mechanism 70. That is, when both the first ball removal mechanism 60 and the second ball removal mechanism 70 are in the open state, the game balls are placed in the lower ball dish from the downstream side of the storage guide tray 56 via the launch ball alignment passage 57 and the first ball removal passage 67. 7, and the game balls flow down to the lower ball tray 7 from the upstream side of the storage guide tray 56 through the second ball removal passage 77. As a result, the ball can be removed more quickly than using either the first or second ball removing mechanism, and the ball removing operation can be completed early.

  Therefore, according to the configuration as described above, a ball that achieves both a stable sphere flow in a state where the number of stored spheres is small and a suppression of pressure on the downstream game ball in a state where the number of stored spheres is increased. In addition to providing a dish, it is possible to provide a ball tray that can perform ball removal without hindering the flow of the ball to the ball feeding device and can also perform a quick ball removal operation. Further, since the operation knob 75u for performing the ball removing operation is provided so as to swing in the left-right direction on the lower surface side of the upper ball tray 5 protruding forward, the upper ball tray is placed when the player stands up and seats. Even if a hand is put on the upper surface side of 5 or abuts against the front edge of the ball tray, even if it abuts against the operation knob 75u and is pushed backward, the ball is accidentally removed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a ball tray that can effectively prevent erroneous operation.

  In addition, while forming the 2nd bulb | ball discharge port which penetrates the contact plate 51 back and forth in the middle of the 2nd ball | bowl extraction passage 77 (between the ball extraction port 71-the ball | bowl discharge port 68), the upper ball tray 5 In the closed position of the speaker cover 31, a second ball receiving port that communicates with the second ball discharge port is provided at the alignment position of the speaker cover 31, and the ball is removed by a ball removing operation using the second ball removing mechanism. The game ball that has flowed into the outlet 71 is allowed to flow from the second ball outlet to the spilled ball passage 36 through the second ball receiving port, and then flow down to the lower ball tray 7 through the spilled ball passage 36. Also good.

  In the embodiment described above, the on-off valve member 73 and the operation member 75 that are supported so as to be swingable are connected to each other by gears (the driven tooth portion 73c and the drive tooth portion 75c) that mesh with each other, and the operation knob. The mode of transmitting the swinging operation force with respect to 75u to the on-off valve member 73 via a gear to swing the on-off valve member is illustrated. However, the on-off valve member 73 and the operation member 75 are connected by a link member or a wire. The swinging operation force for the operation knob may be transmitted to the on / off valve member via a link member or the like to displace the on / off valve member, or the operation may be performed without using such a transmission mechanism. An opening / closing valve member may be coupled to the rear end of the member so as to directly swing and displace.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the case where the configuration of the ball tray according to the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine having two upper and lower ball trays (upper ball tray 5 and lower ball tray 7) is exemplified. A pachinko machine having a dish, an arcade game machine, a smart ball machine, and the like can be similarly applied to a ball game machine having a ball tray for storing game balls, and the same effect can be obtained.

It is a front view of the pachinko machine shown as an example of the game machine provided with the ball tray concerning the present invention. It is a rear view of the pachinko machine. It is the plane sectional view seen in the III-arrow direction in FIG. It is the sectional side view seen in the IV-IV arrow direction in FIG. It is a rear view of a ball pan mainly showing the 1st ball removal mechanism in the state where a ball feeder was removed. It is a rear view of the ball tray which mainly shows the 2nd ball removal mechanism. It is a disassembled perspective view of the 2nd ball removal mechanism shown in the state which decomposed | disassembled the ball tray. It is a front view which mainly shows a 2nd ball removal mechanism. It is a plane sectional view showing the ball passage near the 2nd ball removal mechanism. It is a right side sectional view showing the important section of the 2nd ball extraction mechanism. It is explanatory drawing (rear view) which shows the relationship between the level | step difference formed in the storage guide plate, and the inclination angle of the support surface which pinches | interposes a level | step difference.

Explanation of symbols

PM Pachinko machine PA Game area α Inclination angle of the support surface of the flow guide section β Inclination angle of the support surface of the ball storage section h Step size 1 Outer frame 2 Front frame 3 Glass door 4 Hinge mechanism 5 Upper ball dish 7 Lower ball Plate 8 Launch handle 10 Game board 11 Dressing plate 12 Outer rail 13 Inner rail 14 Prize-winning tool 15 Image display device 18 Out port 20 Game auxiliary board 21 Game ball launch device 22 Launch rail 25 Upper exit 26 Collecting recovery port 27 Lower exit 31 Speaker cover 32 Foul ball collection port 33 Foul ball collection passage 35 Ball reception port 36 Spilled ball collection passage 37 Lower ball tray connection bucket 38 Drain ball receiving port 40 Back set panel 41 Ball storage tank 42 Tank rail 43 Ball delivery device 44 Partition wall 45 Upper payout passage 46 Overflow ball passage 47 Lower payout passage 48 Played ball discharge passage 51 Counter plate (51t rear rod support portion)
52 exterior body (52t front rod support part, 52u knob housing part)
53 Plate body (53t rod support)
55 Outlet 56 Storage guide plate (56a Flow guide part, 56b Sphere storage part, 56d step)
57 Launch ball alignment passage 58 Ball feed port 59 Ball feed device (59c ball feed cam)
60 first ball removal mechanism 61 ball removal lever 62 link arm 63 valve member (63s shutter part)
64 Coil spring 67 First ball removal passage 68 Ball discharge port 70 Second ball removal mechanism 71 Ball removal port 72 Front wall surface (72a support boss, 72d hook locking boss)
73 On-off valve member (73a bearing part, 73b valve plate part, 73c driven tooth part, 73d spring arm part)
75 operation members (75c drive teeth, 75s drive transmission, 75t rod, 75u operation knob)
76 Tension spring 77 Second ball passage (77a passage wall, 77b passage wall, 77s swing regulation wall)

Claims (1)

A ball game machine that has a storage guide tray that can store a large number of game balls, is arranged to project forward of the game machine, aligns the game balls stored in the storage guide tray, and flows down to a ball feeder. In the ball dish
The support surface of the game ball in the storage guide plate is composed of a first inclined support surface on the downstream side and a second inclined support surface on the upstream side that both become lower toward the downstream, and the inclination angle of the second inclined support surface is While being formed smaller than the inclination angle of the first inclined support surface,
On the downstream side of the first inclined support surface, it is possible to remove the game balls stored in the storage guide plate by opening and closing a valve member that forms part of a passage wall that guides the game balls to the ball feeding device. A first ball removal mechanism is provided,
At the downstream portion of the second inclined support surface, the on-off valve member that forms a part of the second inclined support surface can be opened and closed so that the game balls stored on the upstream side of the storage guide plate can be removed. A second ball removal mechanism is provided,
In the second ball removal mechanism, the on-off valve member is provided so as to be able to swing up and down with respect to the second inclined support surface, and an operating portion for swinging the on-off valve member protrudes forward. It is provided on the lower surface side of the provided ball tray so as to be able to swing to the left and right, and by swinging and operating the operating portion, the on-off valve member swings and displaces downward, and part of the second inclined support surface A ball bowl for a ball game machine, characterized in that it is configured to be opened.

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