JP2007082948A - Pachinko ball guiding member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a Pachinko ball guiding member capable of easily changing the priority order of storage tanks for storing Pachinko balls. <P>SOLUTION: This Pachinko ball guiding member provided on a route for falling Pachinko balls overflown from an upper tank or Pachinko balls supplied from an adjoining game island to a lower storage tank, is rotationally provided, has a guide face making the fallen Pachinko balls abut thereon, and is so constituted as to fix the guide face in a first attitude where the guide face is downward inclined toward a first chute and a second attitude where it is downward inclined toward a second chute. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention is provided on a path where a pachinko ball overflowing from the upper tank or a pachinko ball supplied from an adjacent game island flows down to the lower storage tank in a gaming island in which a plurality of pachinko gaming machines are arranged. The present invention relates to a pachinko ball guiding member.

In a game island in which a plurality of (for example, about 15 to 20) pachinko machines are arranged in a line (lateral direction) on one or both sides in a straight line, for example, a lower storage tank that stores a large amount of pachinko balls in the game island A recovery lift that discharges pachinko balls in the lower storage tank, a recovery rod that recovers pachinko balls discharged from the lower storage tank by the circulation lift or pachinko balls discharged from each pachinko machine, and a recovery rod A ball lifting device that lifts the pachinko balls that have been polished upward, an upper tank that temporarily stores the pachinko balls that have been lifted at the top of the ball lifting device, and each pachinko machine from this upper tank And a replenishment bowl that replenishes pachinko balls to each game media lending machine, and the pachinko balls on the island circulate, which hinders business (supply troubles, etc.) So that there is no.

In such a game island, for example, the game island disclosed in Patent Document 1 has ball storage tanks provided on both sides of the pachinko ball lifting device in the lower area of the game island, and a prize counter is installed on one end of the island. The pachinko balls thrown into the prize counter are poured and stored in the ball storage tank on the side where the prize counter is installed, but the pachinko balls overflowing from the upper tank are given away by the priority branching section. The circulation lift is controlled so that it rolls preferentially to the storage tank on the opposite side of the counter, and when the pachinko ball is discharged from the storage tank, it is discharged preferentially from the storage tank on the prize counter side. Therefore, the storage tank on the side of the prize counter is in a state where a storage space is secured in many cases, and it is rare that the prize counter is canceled.
JP-A-9-173605

  However, in the case of amusement islands as described above, a large amount of pachinko balls may stay in the storage tank (opposite to the prize counter) that preferentially stores without being polished, If left as it is, there were problems such as rusting on the pachinko balls.

For this reason, it is necessary to drive the circulating lift installed in the storage tank on the opposite side of the prize counter from time to time, such as when closing a store, to discharge the accumulated pachinko balls and to polish them with a ball lifting device. Become. However, since the amount of balls that can be stored in the upper tank is much smaller than that of the storage tank, the upper tank overflows while the pachinko balls that have stayed in the storage tank are almost completely discharged. The branching part may be mixed with the pachinko balls that have been sent to the storage tank on the opposite side of the prize counter and stayed there, making it difficult to polish efficiently.

From the above, it has been required to switch the priority order of storage tanks that store pachinko balls.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a pachinko ball guiding member capable of easily switching the priority order of storage tanks that store pachinko balls.

According to claim 1 of the present invention, a plurality of pachinko gaming machines, a lower storage tank for storing pachinko balls, a ball feeding device for lifting pachinko balls, and the balls An upper tank for storing the pachinko balls lifted by the lifting device, the pachinko balls discharged from the lower storage tank are pumped into the upper tank by the ball lifting device, and the pachinko gaming machine from the upper tank Pachinko balls overflowing in the upper tank, or pachinko balls provided on the path for allowing the pachinko balls supplied from the adjacent game island to flow down to the lower storage tank. A ball guiding member, wherein the pachinko ball guiding member is rotatably provided and has a guiding surface that abuts the pachinko ball that has flowed down, and the guiding surface is inclined downward toward the first direction. A first posture is achieved by the first direction and to be fixable composed of a second posture in which is inclined downward toward the second direction opposite.

According to the configuration described above, the pachinko ball guiding member provided on the path for allowing the pachinko ball overflowing in the upper tank or the pachinko ball supplied from the adjacent game island to flow to the lower storage tank is rotatably provided. A first posture in which the pachinko ball that has flowed down is brought into contact with the guide surface, the guide surface being inclined downward toward the first direction, and a second direction opposite to the first direction. Therefore, the priority order of the storage tanks for storing the pachinko balls can be easily switched.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the game island 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a gaming island 1 has a plurality of pachinko gaming machines 2 and a gaming medium lending machine 2a arranged in a row, and a ball counter 1a is provided at the end of the island. In the center of the amusement island, a ball lifting device 6 (for example, a ball lifting device for polishing media using a cloth type) that lifts the pachinko balls rolling from the recovery basket 5 while polishing them is a decorative panel. Surrounded and provided. The pachinko balls polished and transported by the ball lifting device 6 are supplied from the upper tank 20 provided above the game island to each pachinko gaming machine 2 and each game medium lending machine 2a via the supply basket 7. The Further, the upper tank 20 includes a storage portion 20a capable of temporarily storing pachinko balls inside, and the pachinko balls overflowing from the storage portion 20a are provided at the lower part of the amusement island 1 via the downflow basins 46L and 46R. It is sent to the lower storage tank (first lower storage tank 10L, second lower storage tank 10R).
The lower storage tanks 10L, 10R are provided on the left and right sides of the game island lower part with the ball feeding device 6 interposed therebetween, and the first lower storage tank 10L is composed of a main storage tank 10LA and sub storage tanks 10LB, 10LC, The second lower storage tank 10R includes a main storage tank 10RA and a sub storage tank 10RB. Moreover, the floor surfaces of the lower storage tanks 10L and 10R are gently inclined downward toward the respective ball discharge portions 12L and 12R, and the pachinko balls in the lower storage tanks 10L and 10R follow the inclination, and the ball discharge portions 12L and 12R. It is comprised so that it may roll toward.
The pachinko balls discharged from the ball discharge portions 12L and 12R of the lower storage tanks 10L and 10R are taken in by the circulation lifts 4L and 4R, respectively, and delivered to the ball lifting device 6 through the recovery rods 5L and 5R. ing.
In addition, the pachinko balls thrown into the ball counting machine 1a are stored in the second lower storage tank 10R, and the pachinko balls (out balls) discharged from each pachinko gaming machine 2 are collected by the collection basket 5, and are transported. It is sent to the device 6.
The amusement island 1 is generally configured as described above, and pachinko balls circulate and recirculate in the island. The amount of ball storage in each amusement island 1 is not shown in an island management device (island controller or the like) or a hall counter. Monitored and controlled by a system management device (such as a personal computer).

Also, in the pachinko parlor, a plurality of gaming islands 1 as described above are arranged, and one or two balance baskets (not shown) are bridged between the upper tanks 20 of the gaming islands 1 arranged adjacent to each other. According to the amount of balls stored in each amusement island, the amount of balls stored in the adjacent amusement islands can be equalized by supplying and receiving them with a balance pad.

Next, the structure of the upper tank 20 provided in the upper part of the game island 1 is demonstrated. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the upper tank. As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the upper tank 20 has a storage unit 20 a for storing pachinko balls that have been transported by the ball transporting device 6, and supply and reception for supplying and receiving pachinko balls with adjacent game islands. It is provided with a portion 20b and is partitioned by a partition wall 22 provided over the top and bottom. In addition, a delivery port 24 opened in a rectangular shape for delivering the ball lifted by the ball lifting device 6 into the upper tank 20 on the storage unit 20a side is adjacent to the supply / reception unit 20b side. The supply port 34 for supplying the ball to the island and the receiving port 36 for receiving the supply of the ball from the adjacent game island are provided, and the adjacent island is connected via a balance rod (not shown) connected to the side surface of the upper tank 20. Supply and receipt of balls.

A first guide plate 26 is provided on the upper portion of the storage portion 20a of the upper tank 20 so as to be inclined slightly downward toward the tip, and the pachinko balls received from the delivery port 24 are moved on the first guide plate 26 at the tip. Roll towards The leading end of the first guide plate 26 is connected to the supply / reception unit 20b, and the supply / reception unit 20b is provided with a supply port 34 that is opened and closed by a shutter (not shown).

In addition, when the second guide plate 28 is provided so as to be inclined downward from the supply port 34 toward the storage portion 20a and it is not necessary to supply the pachinko ball to the adjacent game island, the supply port 34 is closed by a shutter. Therefore, the pachinko balls that have been rolled to the supply / reception unit 20 b by the first guide plate 26 are rolled to the storage unit 20 a by the second guide plate 28.
A vertical dropping member 30 made of, for example, an elastic rubber material or the like is provided at a position slightly spaced in the horizontal direction from the tip of the second guide plate 28 in the storage portion 20a with the upper portion fixed. Therefore, the pachinko balls that have rolled on the second guide plate 28 collide with the vertical drop member 30, and the impact at that time is absorbed and falls toward the bottom surface of the storage portion 20 a.
The bottom surface of the storage portion 20a is inclined downward from the bottom surface top portion 32 at a position directly below the vertical dropping member 30 to the left and right, and is connected to the left and right supply rods 7L and 7R, and rolls on the second guide plate 28. The pachinko balls that have collided with the vertical drop member 30 and are dropped are distributed almost evenly from the bottom top portion 32 of the storage portion 20a to the left and right replenishing rods 7L and 7R, and supplied to the pachinko gaming machine 2 and the game medium lending machine 2a. .

An upper lower limit switch S1 for detecting the lower limit of the pachinko ball storage amount at the lower position and an upper upper limit switch S2 for detecting the upper limit of the storage amount at the upper position are provided in the storage unit 20a.
Moreover, when the overflowing ball pipe Op is provided in the storage part 20a in the vertical direction so as to penetrate the bottom surface, and the pachinko ball is stored in the storage part 20a beyond the upper upper limit switch S2, the overflowing ball pipe Op Pachinko balls are sent to the branching section 40. Tc is an auxiliary mounting plate provided at the upper end of the overflow ball pipe Op. Further, a limit switch S3 is provided at a position further above the overflow ball pipe Op, and the limit switch S3 is exceeded by the occurrence of clogging in the overflow ball pipe Op, a branching section 40 described later, and flow-down rods 46L and 46R. When the pachinko balls are stored, the ball lifting device 6 is stopped so that the supply of the pachinko balls to the upper tank 20 is stopped.

In addition, a receiving ball inflow path 38 is provided below the receiving port 36 provided on the supply / receiving unit 20b side, and the pachinko balls supplied from the neighboring island by the balance rod are stored in the lower part via a branching unit 40 described later. Send to tank 10L, 10R.
Note that the outlet of the receiving ball inflow passage 38 and the lower end of the overflow ball pipe Op are arranged in the front-rear direction and face the upper portion of the branch portion 40.

Next, the branching unit 40 will be described. The branching portion 40 has a box shape and is attached to the lower end side of the upper tank 20. The lower end of the overflow ball pipe Op and the lower end of the receiving ball inflow passage 38 face the upper surface side of the branching portion 40, and the pachinko balls that have flowed down from the overflow ball pipe Op or the receiving ball inflow passage 38 are on the bottom surface side. A pachinko ball guiding member 42 that distributes to the left and right is provided. Further, the branching portion 40 is connected to the downfall (first downfall 46L, second downfall 46R) at both ends of the box shape.

The pachinko ball guide member 42 includes a guide surface 42a at the top, and a left priority posture in which the guide surface 42a as shown in FIG. The guide surface 42a is swingably provided in a right priority posture inclined downward toward the right, and the fixing hole 42c is screwed together with the screw holes 44a and 44b of the branch portion 40 in each posture. It can be fixed by this. That is, when the left priority position is set, the fixing hole 42c is screwed together with the screw hole 44b, and when the right priority position is set, the fixing hole 42c is fixed with the screw hole 44a.

For example, in the case of the left priority posture shown in FIG. 3A, most of the pachinko balls falling through the overflow ball pipe Op or the receiving ball inflow passage 38 hit the guide surface 42a, and the slope of the guide surface 42a. Along the left side of the figure, flows into the left first drop basin 46L as it is, and is sent from the first lower drop 46L to the first lower storage tank 10L on the left side of the game island. Then, when the first downstream rod 46L side is filled with pachinko balls, the pachinko balls that have fallen from the overflow ball pipe Op or the receiving ball inflow passage 38 roll in the right direction in the figure, and the second It flows into the downcomer 46R and is sent from the second downcomer 46R to the second lower storage tank 10R on the right side of the game island.

Thus, when the pachinko ball guiding member 42 is in the left priority posture, the pachinko ball that has flowed down from the overflow ball pipe Op or the receiving ball inflow path 38 is first preferentially conveyed to the first downstream rod 46L side, In FIG. 1, the first lower storage tank 10 </ b> L located on the left side of the ball lifting device 6 is stored. When the first lower storage tank 10L on the left side is full, it is stored in the second lower storage tank 10R located on the right side of the ball lifting device 6.

In the case of the right priority posture shown in FIG. 3 (b), the pachinko balls that have fallen through the overflow ball pipe Op or the receiving ball inflow passage 38 are moved in the right direction in the drawing along the slope of the guide surface 42a. And flows into the right second downhole 46R as it is, and is sent from the second downhole 46R to the second lower storage tank 10R on the right side of the game island. Then, when the second downhill 46R side is filled with pachinko balls, the pachinko balls that have fallen from the overflow ball pipe Op or the receiving ball inflow path 38 roll in the left direction of the figure, and the first downflow rods are left as they are. It flows into 46L.

In this way, when the pachinko ball guiding member 42 is in the right priority posture, the pachinko ball that has flowed down from the overflow ball pipe Op or the receiving ball inflow path 38 is first preferentially conveyed to the second downstream rod 46R side, It is stored from the second lower storage tank 10R located on the right side of the ball lifting device 6 in FIG. When the second lower storage tank 10R on the right side is full, it is stored in the first lower storage tank 10L located on the left side of the ball lifting device 6.

As described above, the pachinko ball guiding member 42 of the branching portion 40 is configured to be switchable between the left priority posture and the right priority posture, so that either the left or right lower storage tank can receive the overflow ball or the receiving ball from the adjacent game island. It can be easily switched whether to store.

Next, collection | recovery of the storage ball is demonstrated. In the lower storage tanks 10L and 10R, a plurality of switches (not shown) for detecting the amount of balls are arranged on the respective side walls, and the heights of the pachinko balls stored in the lower storage tanks 10L and 10R are detected. . As described above, the upper upper limit switch S2 and the upper lower limit switch S1 are provided in the storage portion 20a of the upper tank 20. When the upper lower limit switch S1 is turned off and a request for pachinko ball feeding to the upper tank 20 is output, first the recovery is performed from the second lower storage tank 10R installed on the right side of the amusement island (the ball counter 1a side). Therefore, the circulating lift 4R of the second lower storage tank 10R lifts the stored balls and collects them in the recovery basket 5R, and the balls are transferred to the upper tank 20 by the ball lifting device 6. Then, the circulation lift 4R continues to operate until the upper upper limit switch S2 in the storage unit 20a is turned on. However, if the ball amount switch of the second lower storage tank 10R detects the lower limit before the upper upper limit switch S2 of the upper tank 20 is turned on due to shortage of the storage balls of the second lower storage tank 10R, the second lower storage tank The circulation lift 4R of the tank 10R stops its operation.

After that, when the amount stored in the upper tank 20 decreases and the upper lower limit switch S1 is turned off and a pachinko ball feeding request is output, this time the left side of the game island 1 (the opposite side to the ball counter 1a) In order to collect the stored balls from the first lower storage tank 10a, the circulating lift 4L of the first lower storage tank 10L lifts the stored balls and collects them in the recovery tank 5L, and lifts them to the upper tank 20 by the ball lifting device 6. Is done.

As described above, when feeding from the lower storage tank 10 to the recovery basket 5, the storage balls in the second lower storage tank 10 </ b> R on the ball counter 1 a side are first discharged preferentially so as to be below the lower limit. The circulation lifts 4L and 4R are controlled.

Since the circulation lifts 4L and 4R are controlled in this way, if the pachinko ball guiding member 42 of the branching portion 40 described above is fixed in the left priority position, the first lower portion opposite to the ball counter 1a is fixed. Since it is stored in preference to the storage tank 10L, the second lower storage tank 10R on the side of the ball counter 1a is in a state of securing a storage space in many cases, and the ball counter 1a stops accepting. Therefore, it is possible to provide a ball counter that is easy to use and is convenient for the player.

Moreover, if the pachinko ball guiding member 42 is left in the left priority posture, a large amount of pachinko balls may stay in the second lower storage tank 10R for preferential storage without being polished for a long time. There is a risk that the pachinko balls will rust, so the pachinko ball guiding member 42 is set to the right priority posture when the store is closed, and the left circulation lift 4L is driven.
By doing so, the pachinko balls that have accumulated in the first lower storage tank 10L on the left side of the ball lifting device 6 are discharged, and the pachinko balls that have been polished by the ball lifting device 6 are pumped up and guided to the pachinko ball of the branch portion 40. Since it can be moved to the second lower storage tank 10R on the right side through the member 42, almost all of the pachinko balls retained in the first lower storage tank 10L on the left side of the ball lifting device 6 can be polished. .

In addition, for example, it is possible to easily switch the tank to be stored every other day, so that the pachinko balls do not stay in one place and the pachinko balls are rusted. Nothing will happen. It should be noted that the tank to be stored preferentially every other day in this way is a game island in which no ball counter is installed, that is, a game island that does not need to always secure a storage space for the lower storage tank on one side. It is preferable to carry out in

In the present embodiment, the left priority posture of the pachinko ball guiding member 42 indicates the first posture in the invention, and the right priority posture indicates the second posture in the invention.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an arm 42 d may be provided below the pachinko ball guiding member 42. By doing so, the arm can be gripped by hand and can be rotated, and the lower storage tank that stores the priority can be more easily switched.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a flat arm 42 d provided with a long hole 42 e is provided below the pachinko ball guiding member 42, and a screw member 52 that rotates forward and backward by driving the motor 50 is provided in the motor 50. A nut member 54 having a pin 54a may be screwed onto the member 52, and the pin 54a of the nut member 54 may be fitted into the elongated hole 42e of the arm 42d. Then, when the motor 50 is driven and the screw member 52 rotates, the nut member 54 moves in the direction of the rotation axis of the screw member, and the pachinko ball guiding member 42 rotates around the shaft 42b. That is, since the pachinko ball guiding member 42 is rotated by driving the motor 50, it is possible to switch the lower storage tank to be preferentially stored by an operation by a switch outside the game island or a remote operation by a remote controller.

As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the pachinko ball guiding member provided on the path for allowing the pachinko ball overflowing in the upper tank or the pachinko ball supplied from the adjacent game island to flow to the lower storage tank. However, the first posture in which the guide surface is provided so as to be pivotable and contacts the pachinko ball that has flowed down and is inclined downward toward the first direction is opposite to the first direction. Since it can fix with the 2nd attitude | position inclined down toward this 2nd direction, the priority of the storage tank which stores a pachinko ball can be switched easily.

It is a schematic side view which shows the structure of amusement island. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of an upper tank. It is a figure which shows the structure of a branch part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the branch part in other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the branch part in other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game island 1a Ball counter 2 Pachinko machine 2a Game media lending machine 4 Circulation lift 5 Recovery basket 6 Ball lifting device 7 Supply rod 10L First lower storage tank 10R Second lower storage tank 20 Upper tank 20a Storage section 20b Supply Receiving portion 22 Partition wall 24 Delivery port 26 First guide plate 28 Second guide plate 30 Vertical drop member 32 Bottom top 34 Supply port 36 Receiving port 38 Receiving ball inflow path 40 Branching portion 42 Pachinko ball guiding member 42a Guide surface 42b Shaft 42c Fixing hole 42d Arm 44a Screw hole 44b Screw hole 46L First down rod 46R Second down rod 50 Motor Op Overflow ball pipe

Claims (1)

A plurality of pachinko machines arranged in a row, a lower storage tank that stores pachinko balls, a ball lifting device that lifts pachinko balls, and an upper tank that stores pachinko balls lifted by the ball lifting device In the amusement island configured to lift pachinko balls discharged from the lower storage tank into the upper tank by the ball lifting device, and supply the pachinko gaming machine from the upper tank to circulate and recirculate, A pachinko ball guiding member provided on the pachinko ball overflowing in the upper tank, or a pachinko ball supplied from an adjacent amusement island to the lower storage tank,
The pachinko ball guiding member is rotatably provided,
It has a guide surface that makes the pachinko ball that has flowed down contact,
A first posture in which the guide surface is inclined downward toward the first direction;
A pachinko ball guiding member characterized in that it can be fixed in a second posture inclined downward in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

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