JP2007000212A - Ball tank of game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent jamming with balls at a guide outlet portion by reducing the pressure of game balls. <P>SOLUTION: The ball tank 8 is formed in a bottomed box frame with its open top and a guide outlet 15 for discharging the game balls stored is bored in the bottom wall. A ball receiving member 22 covering the whole of the guide outlet 15 while having its top surface declined toward the outer periphery where the game balls drop is disposed at a prescribed height position above the guide outlet 15 and is made to partially receive the game balls stored in the ball tank 8 and flowing into the guide outlet 15 to share the load working on the game balls at the portion of the guide outlet 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball tank of a gaming machine for storing a game ball replenished from a game ball replenishment route arranged above a pachinko gaming machine and guiding it to a ball payout device.

Conventionally, in a pachinko gaming machine which is a kind of gaming machine, a ball tank for storing a game ball replenished from a game ball replenishment route at the upper part on the back side and supplying it to a ball dispensing device located downstream is provided. is set up. The ball tank is formed into a bottomed box frame shape having an open top surface, and a bottom surface is inclined downward toward one side, and an outlet for discharging game balls stored at the downstream end to the tank rail is opened. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-266727 (page 4, paragraph 0024, FIG. 2)

  However, in the ball tank of Patent Document 1, since the bottom surface is inclined downward toward the outlet, the game balls supplied to the ball tank flow downstream from the bottom to the outlet at a time. concentrate. For this reason, when the ball payout device is stopped and the game ball is not paid out, the game ball in the tank rail stops without flowing down, and in the ball tank, the game ball reaches the outlet. Therefore, there is a problem that so-called ball clogging occurs at the narrowed outlet portion. This is considered to be one of the causes of the ball load in the vertical direction because game balls are concentrated at the outlet and are stacked in multiple stages.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a ball receiving member that covers the entire outlet port is disposed at a predetermined height position above the outlet port, and a part of the game ball that flows into the outlet port It is intended to provide a ball tank for a gaming machine in which the ball receiving member is received to share the ball load, thereby reducing the ball pressure of the game ball and preventing the ball from clogging at the outlet port portion. It is what.

  In order to achieve this object, the ball tank of the gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention is formed into a bottomed box frame shape whose upper surface is open, and a discharge port for discharging stored game balls is provided on the bottom wall. A ball tank that is an established ball tank, and is provided at a predetermined height position above the outlet port, with a ball receiving member that covers the entire outlet port and whose upper surface is inclined downward toward the outer peripheral edge where the game ball falls. It consists of a set up structure.

  At this time, as in the invention described in claim 2, it is preferable that the ball receiving member is provided with a tapered portion whose thickness gradually decreases toward the tip at the outer peripheral edge where the game ball falls.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 3, it is preferable that the ball receiving member is disposed at a height that allows a single stage of the game ball to pass therethrough.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 4, it is preferable that the ball receiving member has substantially the same width dimension as the width dimension in the front-rear direction in the installed ball tank.

  Furthermore, as in the invention according to claim 5, the outlet is opened on the bottom wall of the rear corner, on the side close to the ball dispensing device, with the ball tank disposed on the back surface of the gaming machine. It is preferable.

  The ball tank of the gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention is a sphere in which the entire outlet port is covered at a predetermined height position above the outlet port and the upper surface is inclined downward toward the outer peripheral edge where the game ball falls. Since the receiving member is provided, a part of the game ball flowing into the outlet port is received by the ball receiving member and the ball load is shared, and the ball pressure of the game ball flowing into the outlet port can be reduced. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent clogging of the ball at the outlet port portion.

  Since the ball tank of the gaming machine according to the invention of claim 2 is provided with a tapered portion which is a ball receiving member and gradually decreases in thickness as it advances toward the tip, the gaming ball is a ball receiving member. It is easy to be beaten, and the game ball is easily placed on the upper surface of the ball receiving member.

  In the ball tank of the gaming machine according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the ball receiving member is disposed at a height that allows a single stage of the game ball to pass therethrough, a game is provided below the ball receiving member. Since the balls are neatly arranged and do not become a dango shape, not only the effect of preventing the ball clogging is improved, but also the game ball discharge speed is increased, and it is possible to sufficiently cope with high-speed payout.

  In the ball tank of the gaming machine according to the invention of claim 4, since the ball receiving member has a width dimension substantially the same as the width dimension in the front-rear direction in the installed ball tank, the game ball is widely received and guided. The ball pressure of the game ball flowing into the outlet can be further reduced, and the effect of preventing the ball clogging at the outlet port portion can be improved.

  The ball tank of the gaming machine according to the invention of claim 5 is such that the outlet is on the bottom wall of the rear corner, on the side close to the ball payout device, with the ball tank disposed on the back surface of the gaming machine. Since it is established, the tank rail mounting position can be made higher than before. As a result, the space space below can be widened, and for example, it is easy to cope with an increase in the size of a display device arranged at the center of the game board and displaying the symbols variably, or a board box arranged on the back side of the game board to control the game. . In addition, the length of the tank rail is shortened, so that the assembly is facilitated, the die cost is reduced, and the production cost can be reduced.

  Embodiments of a ball tank of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Of the gaming machines such as a pachinko gaming machine, an arrangement ball machine, or a sparrow ball gaming machine, in the present invention, a pachinko gaming machine will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a back view of a pachinko gaming machine to which the present invention is applied.

  The pachinko gaming machine P has an outer frame 1 having a vertical rectangular shape, and an inner frame 2 is attached to the front surface of the outer frame 1 so as to be openable and closable, and a game board 3 is disposed on the inner frame 2. Although not shown, a front plate on which a transparent plate holding frame that covers the front surface of the game board 3 and an upper ball tray for storing game balls supplied to the hitting ball launching unit are mounted on the front surface of the inner frame 2. The lower ball tray and the operation handle for storing game balls overflowing from the upper ball tray are mounted.

  On the other hand, a winning ball collecting cover 4 made of synthetic resin is mounted on the back surface of the game board 3 so as to cover the back surface. At the center, a cover member 5 is attached that covers a protrusion at the rear of a display device (not shown) mounted on the surface of the game board 3. A ball gathering basket 6 is provided below the winning ball collecting cover 4 so that the winning balls gathered by the winning ball collecting cover 4 are discharged from below to the outside.

  A mechanism plate 7 is mounted on the back side of the inner frame 2 so as to cover the upper part and one side part thereof. The mechanism plate 7 is made of synthetic resin and is formed in an inverted L shape by a horizontal plate portion 7a and a vertical plate portion 7b as shown in FIG. 2, and one side of the vertical plate portion 7b is opened and closed to the inner frame 2. Axis is freely attached. On one side of the back surface of the horizontal plate portion 7a, a ball tank 8 for storing game balls replenished from a game ball replenishment route (not shown) disposed above the pachinko gaming machine P is disposed. In addition, a tank rail 9 having two sphere passages is mounted on the other side of the horizontal plate portion 7 a so as to partially overlap the lower portion of the sphere tank 8.

  The lower end of the tank rail 9 is bent downward, and the supply passage 11 is attached along the vertical plate portion 7b below the tank rail 9. At the lower end of the supply passage 11, for example, a ball payout device 12 for paying out a predetermined number of prize balls when a winning ball is generated is mounted. Below the ball payout device 12, a ball discharge passage 13 for discharging a prize ball discharged from the ball payout device 12 to the upper ball tray is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ball tank 8 is made of a synthetic resin and formed into a bottomed box frame shape having an open top surface. Specifically, it consists of a front side wall 14a, a rear side wall 14b, a right side wall 14c, a left side wall 14d, and a bottom wall 14e, and is formed in a substantially horizontally long rectangular shape. In order to discharge the stored game balls to one side of the bottom wall 14e, that is, the side close to the ball dispensing device 12 and formed at the rear corner formed by the rear side wall 14b and the right side wall 14c as viewed from the rear. The outlet 15 is opened. The outlet 15 has a flat rectangular shape that is long to the left and right, like the flat rectangular shape of the ball tank 8. In addition, mounting pieces 16 for mounting the ball tank 8 to the mounting portion 10 of the mechanism plate 7 are integrally provided outside the left and right side walls 14c and 14d, and screw insertions for screwing screws 17 to the mounting pieces 16 are provided. A hole 18 is provided therethrough.

  The upper surface of the bottom wall 14e of the sphere tank 8 is divided into three inclined areas, each having a different downward inclination direction. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the upper surface of the bottom wall 14e is divided forward and backward by a horizontal folding line 19 which is parallel to the front side wall 14a and reaches the front side edge 15a of the outlet 15. And the front side inclined surface 20a is shape | molded between the front side wall 14a and the horizontal folding line 19, and the rear side inclined surface 20b is shape | molded between the horizontal folding line 19 and the rear side wall 14b. Further, an obliquely inclined surface is formed on the outer side of the oblique folding line 21 reaching the downstream end O1 of the lateral folding line 19 from the front corner O2 on the side close to the ball paying device 12, that is, the corner formed by the front side wall 14a and the right side wall 14c. 20c is molded.

  The front inclined surface 20a is inclined downward toward the oblique folding line 21 along the front side wall 14a, and the rear inclined surface 20b is inclined downward toward the lateral folding line 19 side. Further, the obliquely inclined surface 20c is inclined downward toward the oblique broken line 21 side. These front side, rear side, and obliquely inclined surfaces 20a, 20b, and 20c are all inclined downward by about 5 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. Therefore, the downstream end portion O1 of the horizontal folding line 19 substantially coincides with the corner portion located diagonally with respect to the corner portion formed by the rear side wall 14b and the right side wall 14c among the four corner portions of the outlet 15.

  A ball receiving member 22 is disposed at a predetermined height above the outlet 15 in the ball tank 8 so that the entire outlet 15 is covered and the upper surface is inclined downward toward the outer peripheral edge where the game ball falls. The

  The ball receiving member 22 is made of synthetic resin and has a width dimension substantially the same as the width dimension in the front-rear direction in the ball tank 8 installed as shown in FIG. The front plate portion 24a, the right plate portion 24b, and the rear plate portion 24c that are substantially in contact with the inner surfaces of the front side wall 14a, the right side wall 14c, and the rear side wall 14b are erected continuously. Further, horizontal rib pieces 25 are provided at the upper end edges of the front plate portion 24a, the right plate portion 24b, and the rear plate portion 24c. Among these, the rib piece 25 corresponding to the rear plate portion 24 c is provided with a screw insertion hole 27 for inserting the screw 26 to fix the ball receiving member 22.

  The front plate portion 24a and the rear plate portion 24c are open between the front end and the rear plate portion 24c, and the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 23 is inclined downward toward the opening 28 (in this case, it is also inclined approximately 5 degrees below the horizontal plane). The game ball placed on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 23 is discharged from the opening 28. In addition, the outer peripheral edge of the open port 28 is bent in a plane-shaped shape, and a tapered portion 29 is provided on the outer peripheral edge so that the thickness gradually decreases as the tip is advanced.

  Therefore, the ball receiving member 22 is positioned above the outlet 15 and the rib piece 25 is brought into contact with the upper end edges of the front side wall 14a, the rear side wall 14b, and the right side wall 14c so that the ball receiving member 22 is moved to the ball tank 8. Fit into. Then, screws 26 and 26 are screwed into screw holes 30 and 30 provided on the rear surface side of the rear side wall 14b and communicating with the screw insertion holes 27 and 27, respectively, and the ball receiving member 22 is attached to the ball tank 8. Is done. Further, by removing the screws 26, 26, the ball receiving member 22 can be easily removed, and the ball receiving member 22 is detachably attached.

  The ball receiving member 22 may be disposed at a predetermined height position so that one or two stages of game balls can pass through the lower side, but preferably at a height position where one stage of game balls can pass. It is good to arrange. Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the distance between the outer edge of the opening 28 of the ball receiving member 22 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 14e of the ball tank 8 is set to a dimension that allows one stage of the game ball to pass. ing.

  The ball tank according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and the game balls replenished into the ball tank 8 from a game ball replenishment path (not shown) arranged at the upper back side of the pachinko gaming machine P are shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the bottom wall 14e is stacked in multiple stages, and a part thereof is also placed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 23 of the ball receiving member 22. Then, for example, every time a winning ball is generated and a ball dispensing device 12 is operated and a predetermined number of gaming balls are dispensed therefrom, the gaming ball in the ball tank 8 is discharged to the tank rail 9 through the outlet 15. The The game ball paid out from the ball payout device 12 is paid out to the upper ball tray in front of the pachinko gaming machine P through the ball discharge passage 13.

  As described above, in the present invention, the ball receiving member 22 is disposed at a predetermined height above the outlet 15 so that the entire outlet 15 is covered and the upper surface is inclined downward toward the outer peripheral edge where the game ball falls. Since it is provided, a part of the game ball flowing into the outlet 15 is received by the ball receiving member 22, and the ball pressure in the vertical direction of the game ball flowing into the outlet 15 is reduced. Thereby, the clogging of the ball | bowl in the outlet 15 site | part can be prevented.

  At this time, since the taper portion 29 that gradually decreases in thickness as it goes to the front end is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the opening 28 where the game ball in the ball receiving member 22 falls, A game ball is easily placed on the upper surface of the receiving member 22. Further, since the ball receiving member 22 has substantially the same width dimension as the width dimension in the front-rear direction in the installed ball tank 8, the game ball can be widely received and the ball pressure of the game ball at the outlet 15 is further reduced. This can increase the effect of preventing clogging of the balls at the outlet 15 site.

  In this way, the game balls in the ball tank 8 are sequentially discharged from the outlet 15. Further, the game balls placed on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 23 of the ball receiving member 22 fall from the opening 28 onto the upper surface of the bottom wall 14e of the ball tank 8 as the number of game balls in the ball tank 8 decreases.

  The upper surface of the bottom wall 14e is divided into three areas by a front inclined surface 20a, a rear inclined surface 20b, and an inclined inclined surface 20c, which are different in the direction inclined downward from the direction toward the outlet port 15, respectively. Therefore, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4, the game balls placed on the front inclined surface 20a flow down along the front side wall 14a and toward the oblique fold line 21 as shown by arrows a. In addition, the game ball placed on the rear inclined surface 20 b flows down toward the horizontal folding line 19 as indicated by an arrow B. Furthermore, the game ball placed on the obliquely inclined surface 20 c flows down toward the oblique broken line 21 as indicated by an arrow c. Therefore, the game balls on the upper surface of the rear inclined surface 20b are merged with the game balls on the upper surface of the front inclined surface 20a as a whole, and the game balls on the upper surface of the oblique inclined surface 20c are merged near the outlet port 15 as indicated by arrows D and E. The main flow is led from the corner of the outlet 15 to the outlet 15.

  In this way, the mainstream of the game ball is led to the outlet 15 from one corner of the outlet 15, that is, one point of the downstream end O1 of the horizontal folding line 19, and all the game balls are fed to the outlet 15. Since it does not flow down at once, the ball load of the game ball is distributed. Therefore, the ball pressure of the game ball located at the outlet 15 site is reduced, and this also has the effect of preventing the ball clogging at the outlet 15 site.

  In addition, since the ball receiving member 22 is disposed at a height that allows a single stage of the game ball to pass therethrough, the game balls are not neatly arranged in a dango shape below the ball receiving member 22. Therefore, not only the effect of preventing the ball clogging is improved, but also the discharge speed of the game ball is increased, and it is possible to sufficiently cope with the high-speed payout.

  Further, in the present invention, since the outlet 15 is provided at the rear corner of the ball tank 8 that is close to the ball dispensing device 12, the mounting position of the tank rail 9 is more improved than in the prior art. It can be made high, so that the space space below it can be widened. Therefore, for example, it is easy to cope with an increase in the size of a display device that is arranged at the center of the game board and displays the symbols in a variable manner, and a board box that is arranged behind the game board and controls the game. In addition, the length of the tank rail 9 is shortened, so that not only the assembly is facilitated, but also the die cost is reduced and the production cost can be reduced.

The back view of the pachinko gaming machine concerning the present invention. The perspective view of a mechanism board. The exploded perspective view of a ball tank. The top view of the ball tank which removed the ball receiving member. AA line sectional view of Drawing 4. BB sectional drawing of FIG. The top view of the ball tank which shows an effect | action. CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

8 Ball tank 14e Bottom wall 15 Outlet 22 Ball receiving member 29 Tapered part P Game machine (Pachinko game machine)

Claims (5)

A ball tank formed in the shape of a bottomed box frame with an open top surface and having an outlet port for discharging stored game balls on the bottom wall,
A gaming machine characterized in that a ball receiving member is provided at a predetermined height position above the outlet, the whole of the outlet being covered and having an upper surface inclined downward toward an outer peripheral edge where the game ball falls. Sphere tank.   2. The ball tank of the gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball receiving member is provided with a tapered portion that gradually decreases in thickness as it advances toward the tip, on an outer peripheral edge where the game ball falls.   The ball tank of the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball receiving member is disposed at a height position such that a single stage of the game ball can pass therethrough.   4. The ball tank of the gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball receiving member has a width dimension substantially the same as a width dimension in the front-rear direction in the installed ball tank. 5.   5. The outlet according to claim 1, wherein the outlet is provided on the bottom wall at a rear corner at a side close to a ball dispensing device in a state where the ball tank is disposed on the back surface of the gaming machine. A ball tank of the gaming machine according to any one of the above.

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