JP2007310787A - Banknote recovery device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a banknote recovery device capable of minimizing the height of an island, by arranging a token replenishing device conventionally arranged in an upper part in a lower part. <P>SOLUTION: A space is secured in the lower part of the banknote recovery device 3, by narrowly constituting an interval between an upper carrying passage 32 and a lower carrying passage 31, by narrowing a vertical width of the lower carrying passage 31 from a paper storage 12a to a half or less among a circulating carrying passage 30 in the banknote recovery device 3, by comparing with the upper carrying passage 32 for carrying a banknote 15 to the banknote storage 12a. The height of the island 10 can be lowered, by arranging the token replenishing device 14 in the lower space of the banknote recovery device 3 for replenishing a token to slot machines 10a, 10b and 10c and token dispensers 11a, 11b and 11c. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a banknote collection device that transports banknotes that have been thrown into a game medium lending machine and collects them in a common storage, and in particular, banknotes that have been thrown into a game medium lending machine attached to an island of the game apparatus are jammed. The present invention relates to a banknote recovery apparatus that can recover without any problems.

  Generally, a gaming machine such as a slot machine or a pachinko ball gaming machine is provided with a banknote processing device for identifying the type and authenticity of a banknote inserted by a player when renting a gaming medium such as a medal on the customer service surface. Yes. This banknote handling apparatus is linked with a medal lending machine installed between adjacent slot machines in an island arranged with a plurality of slot machines arranged in parallel, for example, and when a banknote is inserted from an insertion slot by a player The authenticity of the banknote is identified based on a predetermined criterion. What is determined to be a genuine note at this time is accommodated in a storage provided in the end region of the island by a bill collection device installed on the back side of the bill processing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of the internal configuration of a conventional island as viewed from the customer service side. On the customer service surface of the island 10, a plurality of slot machines 10a, 10b, and 10c are arranged, and medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c are provided adjacent to each right side. At one end of the island 10, a money changer 12 equipped with a bill storage 12a is installed. Inside the island 10, a bill collection device 13 and a medal replenishment device 14 are arranged. In the banknote collection device 13, banknotes 15 from the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c are conveyed to the banknote storage 12a. The medal replenishing device 14 disposed at the top of the banknote collecting device 13 is configured to replenish medals appropriately to the slot machines 10a, 10b, 10c and the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, 11c.

  A player in each slot machine 10a, 10b, 10c inserts a bill 15 into the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, 11c and borrows medals. Here, when it is determined that the bill 15 is a genuine note by the bill processing device BV, a predetermined number of medals are lent out from the medal replenishment device 14 through the bellows-type replenishment paths 16a, 16b and 16c. . The inserted banknote 15 is gripped by a predetermined pick device of the banknote collection apparatus 13, transported to the end of the island 10 through the upper transport path 13a, released there, and stored in the banknote storage 12a. The picking device that has released the bill 15 returns to the upper transport path 13a through the lower transport path 13b. Each slot machine 10a, 10b, 10c is replenished with a required number of medals from the medal replenishing device 14 through the bellows-type replenishment paths 17a, 17b, 17c. Note that the players of the slot machines 10a, 10b, and 10c put the acquired medals in the medal case 18 during the game and store them on the floor of the feet.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional banknote collection device.
The drive chain unit 21 includes an annular drive chain 22 and a plurality of pick devices 23, and is inserted into the medal lending machines 11 a, 11 b, and 11 c, and holds the bills 15 temporarily held by the holding portions or the like by the pick device 23. In this state, it is conveyed in the left direction in the figure. In this drive chain unit 21, pick devices 23 configured to hold a short side of a bill conveyed as a bill clamper are arranged on the annular drive chain 22 at a predetermined interval, and from each holding unit to a bill storage box. The banknote conveyance to 12a is performed continuously. The pick device 23 has a structure in which the banknote 15 is held between a base member 23a attached to the drive chain 22 and a claw portion 23b facing a plurality of protrusions (not shown) provided there. The banknote 15 in an upright state can be conveyed while being stably held by the reaction force of the protrusion and the urging force from the claw portion 23b when the protrusion is elastically deformed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In the picking device 23, when it passes through the holding units of the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c, the banknote 15 held in the holding unit is gripped and extracted, and then the banknote is passed through the money changer. 15 is released and stored in the banknote storage 12a. The banknote 15 collected in the banknote storage 12a is reused as a banknote for exchange in a currency exchange machine.

In the main unit 24, two guide rails 24a and 24b are arranged in parallel to each other on the upper transport path 13a and the lower transport path 13b, respectively. The drive chain 22 is guided by these guide rails 24a and 24b of the main body unit 24, and conveys the banknote 15 in the left direction. A front unit 26 is arranged on the downstream side of the main unit 24 via a connecting unit 25, and a rear unit 27 is arranged on the upstream side of the main unit 24. The front unit 26 is provided with a sprocket 26a as a drive part of the drive chain 22, and the rear unit 27 is provided with sprockets 27a and 27b, and the drive chain 22 is stretched over the sprockets 26a, 27a and 27b. ing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-62054 (FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-8322 (FIG. 1)

  As described above, in the island 10 of the conventional slot machines 10a, 10b, and 10c, the upper conveyance path 13a of the banknote collecting apparatus 13 is disposed behind the banknote processing apparatus BV, and the medal replenishing apparatus 14 is disposed on the upper part thereof. It is configured. The medal replenishing device 14 is stacked on the top of the banknote collection device 13 and the height of the island 10 is increased. From the viewpoint of crime prevention, the height of the island 10 is reduced and the view inside the game hall is viewed. There is a demand to improve.

  In order to reduce the height of the island 10, the medal replenishing device 14 needs to be disposed below the banknote collecting device 13. However, since the banknote insertion position of the banknote handling apparatus BV must be arranged at a practical height, the banknote collection apparatus 13 that operates in conjunction with this position is also determined in the height direction. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to arrange the medal replenishing device 14 below the banknote collecting device 13 in terms of space.

  This invention is made in view of such a point, and provides the banknote collection | recovery apparatus which can arrange | position the medal replenishment apparatus in the lower part, without interfering with a banknote collection | recovery apparatus, and can suppress the height of an island low. For the purpose.

  In the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, a plurality of gaming machines and gaming medium lending machines that are arranged in parallel to form an island are installed behind the gaming medium lending machine for receiving banknotes held in the gaming medium lending machine. In the banknote collection device that conveys to a warehouse, a drive chain that circulates in a circulation conveyance path disposed between one end of the island where the storage is installed and the other end of the island; The banknotes installed at intervals are received one by one with their long sides directed horizontally in the gaming medium lending machine, and conveyed while gripping the short side of the leading edge of the banknotes in the conveying direction. A banknote clamper, and a banknote guide disposed in the upper transport path of the circulation transport path and holding the banknote gripped by the banknote clamper in an upright state during transport, wherein the height of the banknote clamper is Bill collecting apparatus characterized by being formed on less than half of the short side length of the bill are provided.

  According to such a bill collection device, the height of the bill clamper is formed to be half or less of the short side length of the bill, so that the upper and lower widths of the lower conveyance path as well as the upper conveyance path of the circulation conveyance path are narrowed. be able to. Since the position where the upper conveyance path is installed is set to a position where banknotes are delivered from the game medium lending machine in the same manner as the conventional banknote collection device, the lower end of the lower conveyance path is inevitably lower than the conventional banknote collection device It becomes high, and the space which arrange | positions a medal replenishment apparatus at the lower part of a banknote collection | recovery apparatus can be ensured.

  According to the present invention, by forming the height of the bill clamper to be half or less of the short side length of the bill, the vertical width of the lower conveyance path from the storage of the circulation conveyance path can be narrowed. As a result, the medal replenishing device can be arranged at the lower part of the bill collecting device, so that the height of the island can be reduced. By reducing the height of the island, it will be possible to look around the amusement hall, improve security, and place the game media acquired by customers on the island where it is easy to check out the game. Is also possible.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Drawing 1 is a front view showing an example which looked at an internal configuration of an island in which a bill recovery device concerning an embodiment was installed from the customer service side.

  In FIG. 1, a plurality of slot machines 10a, 10b, and 10c are arranged on the customer service surface of an island 10, and medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c are provided adjacent to each right side. At one end of the island 10, a money changer 12 equipped with a banknote storage 12a is installed as in the conventional island of FIG. 3, and the banknote collection device 3 is arranged inside the island 10 and a medal The banknotes thrown into the lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c are conveyed to the banknote storage 12a.

  The island 10 is different from the conventional one of FIG. 3 in that the medal replenishing device 14 for replenishing medals to the slot machines 10a, 10b, 10c and the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, 11c It is the point which is arranged in the lower part. This is because a space for installing the medal replenishing device 14 can be formed at a position where the bill collecting device 3 does not interfere by lowering the height of the bill collecting device 3. That is, the width of the lower conveyance path 31 from the banknote storage 12a in the circulation conveyance path 30 in the banknote collection device 3 is less than half the width of the upper conveyance path 32 that conveys the banknote 15 to the banknote storage 12a. The overall height of the banknote collection device 3 is reduced by configuring the space between the upper transport path 32 and the lower transport path 31 to be narrow. In addition, the detailed structure of the banknote collection | recovery apparatus 3 is demonstrated in FIG. 2 mentioned later.

  Here, the banknote processing apparatus BV for discriminating the banknotes 15 inserted into the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c is installed at the same height as in the case of FIG. The banknote handling apparatus BV is provided with a banknote insertion slot (not shown) for inserting banknotes, and when the players of the slot machines 10a, 10b, 10c borrow medals from the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, 11c. This is because the position is preferably not too high.

  The medal replenishing device 14 is installed above the medal replenishing ports 14a, 14b, 14c to the slot machines 10a, 10b, 10c. Thereby, each slot machine 10a, 10b, 10c can be replenished with medals by its own weight. For the same reason, the medal replenishment from the medal replenishing device 14 to the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c is easily performed.

  Thus, since the height can be restrained in the island 10 on which the banknote collection device 3 is installed, it is possible to maintain a good view of the game hall. Further, the player of each slot machine 10a, 10b, 10c can place the medal case 18 on top of the island 10 if the vertical direction of the island 10 is low, and security may be hindered by the medal case 18. Nor.

Next, the structure of the banknote collection apparatus 3 installed behind the above-described island 10 will be further described.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the banknote collection apparatus of the present invention. Here, the parts corresponding to those of the conventional apparatus of FIG.

  Although this banknote collection | recovery apparatus 3 is an island in which multiple slot machines mentioned above are arranged, it explains as what collects banknote 15 thrown into medal lending machine 11a, 11b, and 11c, and stores it in a common change machine. In general, it can also be applied to banknote collection on an island constituted by a pachinko machine.

  The drive chain unit 21 includes an annular drive chain 22 and a pick device 23. The bills 15 inserted in the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c in the longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. It is temporarily held in an upright state, and is conveyed in the left direction of the drawing while being received and held by the pick device 23. The picking device 23 is located behind the base member 23a for gripping the short side of the bill 15 to be transported, for example, four bill clampers 231 to 234 including the claw portion 23b, and the bill clampers 231 to 234 of the drive chain 22. Each of the tag receiving units 28 is provided. The banknote clampers 231 to 234 are different from the conventional banknote clamper shown in FIG. 4 in that the height (L) of the base member 23a is formed to be half or less of the short side length (L1) of the banknote 15. is there. As a result, the vertical width of the lower conveyance path 31 of the circulation conveyance path 30 can be narrowed as will be described later.

  In the drive chain unit 21, a bill receiver 28 is disposed on the annular drive chain 22 together with the bill clampers 231 to 234. Accordingly, the banknote 15 is not only partially held at the front edge portion between the base member 23a and the claw portion 23b facing a plurality of protrusions (not shown) provided therein, The back lower end surface of 15 is supported by the bill receiving portion 28, so that the banknote 15 can be stably held even if the height of the base member 23a is low.

  The pick device 23 grips and removes the banknote 15 held in the holding section when passing through the holding sections of the medal lending machines 11a, 11b, and 11c, and then picks up the banknote 15 when passing through the money changer. It is released and stored in the banknote storage 12a of the front unit 26 corresponding to the money changer 12 of FIG. The banknote 15 collected in the banknote storage 12a is reused as a banknote for exchange in the money changer 12.

  In the main unit 24, the drive chain 22 is guided by two guide rails 24a and 24b arranged in parallel. And from the main body unit 24 to the connection unit 25, it is a position corresponding to the upper end part of the banknote 15 hold | gripped by the banknote clampers 231-234, Comprising: The banknote guide 29 is parallel to the upper conveyance path 32 of the circulation conveyance path 30. Has been placed. Therefore, even if a creased bill is inserted into the banknote 15, it is difficult for a paper jam to occur in the middle of transporting it to the downstream side of the main unit 24.

  A front unit 26 is disposed on the downstream side of the main unit 24 via a connecting unit 25, and a sprocket 26 a is provided as a drive unit of the drive chain 22 in the front unit 26. Further, the rear unit 27 disposed on the upstream side of the main unit 24 is provided with only one sprocket 27c having a diameter smaller than that of the sprocket 26a, and the drive chain 22 is stretched over the sprocket 27a. In the connecting unit 25, a linear connecting rail 25a that connects the sprocket 26a and one guide rail 24a of the main unit 24, and an inclined connecting rail 25b that connects the sprocket 26a and the other guide rail 24b of the main unit 24. Thus, the drive chains 22 are guided respectively.

  Accordingly, the distance (W1) between the two guide rails 24a and 24b in the main body unit 24 does not need to be the same width as the diameter of the sprocket 26a as in the conventional device. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The device 14 can be arranged at the lower part of the banknote collection device 3. Further, the vertical width (W0) of the upper conveyance path 32 that requires at least about the short side length of the banknote 15 with respect to the vertical width (W2) of the lower conveyance path 31 configured by the guide rail 24b. Compared to the above, the base member 23a of the pick device 23 can be narrowed to the height (L). In addition, the banknote 15 held by the banknote clampers 231 to 234 is prevented from being tilted by the banknote guide 29 and can be smoothly transported so as not to jam the banknote 15 transported in cooperation with the bill receiver 28.

  Since the banknote collection device 3 configured in this manner is configured to have a low overall height (W0 + W1 + W2), the height of the island 10 can be reduced and the view in the game arcade can be kept good. It is also effective for ensuring security in the workplace. Moreover, since the drive chain 22 of the banknote collection | recovery apparatus 3 travels linearly on the guide rail 24a arrange | positioned along the upper conveyance path 32 of the circulation conveyance path 30, and the connection rail 25a, the banknote 15 conveyed Is difficult to drop off during transportation.

  In the above embodiment, in order to absorb the difference in diameter between the sprocket 26a of the front unit 26 and the sprocket 27c of the rear unit 27 in the connection rails 25a and 25b provided in the connection unit 25, the guide rail The connecting rail 25a connected to the guide rail 24a is arranged on an extension line of the guide rail 24a, and the connecting rail 25b connected to the guide rail 24b is arranged obliquely, but the height direction of the sprocket 26a of the front unit 26 The connecting rail 25a may be arranged obliquely, and the connecting rail 25b may be arranged on an extension line of the guide rail 24b. Or you may arrange | position the connection rails 25a and 25b diagonally.

It is a front view which shows an example which looked at the internal structure of the island in which the banknote collection | recovery apparatus which concerns on embodiment was installed from the customer-facing surface side. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the banknote collection | recovery apparatus of this invention. It is a front view which shows an example which looked at the internal structure of the conventional island from the customer service surface side. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the conventional banknote collection | recovery apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Banknote collection | recovery apparatus 10 Island 10a, 10b, 10c Slot machine 11a, 11b, 11c Medal lending machine 12 Currency exchange machine 12a Banknote storage 13 Banknote collection | recovery apparatus 13a Upper conveyance path 13b Lower conveyance path 14 Medal replenishment apparatus 14a, 14b, 14c Medal Supply slot 15 Banknotes 16a, 16b, 16c, 17a, 17b, 17c Supply path 18 Medal case 21 Drive chain unit 22 Drive chain 23 Pick device 23a Base member 23b Claw part 24 Body unit 24a, 24b Guide rail 25 Connecting unit 25a, 25b Connecting rail 26 Front unit 26a, 27a, 27b, 27c Sprocket 27 Rear unit 28 Bill receiving unit 29 Bill guide 30 Circulation conveyance path 31 Lower conveyance path 32 Upper conveyance path 231 to 234 Bill clamper BV Equipment

Claims (5)

In the banknote collection apparatus that is installed behind a plurality of gaming machines and gaming medium lending machines that are arranged side by side and that receives banknotes held in the gaming medium lending machine and transports them to a common storage,
A drive chain that circulates through a circulation conveyance path disposed between one end of the island where the storage is installed and the other end of the island;
The banknotes, which are installed on the drive chain at a predetermined interval and are held in an upright state with their long sides directed horizontally in the game medium lending machine, are received one by one, and a short edge at the leading edge in the conveyance direction of the banknotes. A bill clamper that conveys while gripping the sides,
A banknote guide disposed in the upper transport path of the circulation transport path and holding the banknote held by the banknote clamper in an upright state during transport;
The banknote collection device is characterized in that the height of the banknote clamper is less than half the short side length of the banknote.   The banknote collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive chain includes a bill receiving portion for supporting a lower end surface of the banknote behind the banknote clamper.   The banknote collection device according to claim 1, wherein the banknote guide is disposed in a position parallel to the upper conveyance path and corresponding to the vicinity of the upper end of the banknote held by the banknote clamper. A main body unit having two guide rails arranged in parallel to each other on the upper conveyance path and the lower conveyance path of the circulation conveyance path to guide the drive chain;
A front unit having a first sprocket disposed on the downstream side of the upper conveyance path of the main body unit and over which the storage and the drive chain are spanned;
A rear unit having a second sprocket disposed on the upstream side of the upper conveying path of the main body unit and having a smaller diameter than the first sprocket and over which the drive chain is stretched;
A first connection rail that connects one of the guide rails and the first sprocket; and a second connection rail that connects the other of the guide rails and the first sprocket. A connecting unit arranged so that at least one of the connecting rail and the second connecting rail is connected obliquely;
The banknote collection device according to claim 1, further comprising: The banknote collection device according to claim 4, wherein one of the first connection rail and the second connection rail is disposed on one extension line of the guide rail.

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