JP2007319429A - Token dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a token dispenser allowing a player to collectively load tokens into an adjacent game machine by a simple structure and to play games without using hands as much as possible, and capable of reducing the shortage of tokens to be put out. <P>SOLUTION: The token dispenser has a lower storage part 60 capable of storing tokens loaded into a storage/loading opening 80 and a storage display part 26 capable of displaying the number of tokens loaded from the storage/loading opening 80. A predetermined number of tokens, with the number displayed in the storage display part 26 as the limit, can be loaded into a token slot 10 of the adjacent game machine 1 via a loading/transfer means 30 by the operation of a put-out switch 25. When a reduction detecting part 51 of an upper storage part 23A detects reduction of tokens, a token lifting mechanism 90 is operated to feed tokens from the lower storage part 60 to the upper storage part 23A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medal lending machine which is formed so as to be able to store game medals therein and which can supply game medals to adjacent gaming machines.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a medal lending machine installed adjacent to a gaming machine such as a slot machine, various ideas have been made to make it easy to insert a medal into the gaming machine. For example, in Patent Document 1, a guide nozzle that can insert a paid-out medal directly into a medal slot of a slot machine is provided, and a conveying device that conveys the medal paid out to a lower plate of the slot machine to the guide nozzle. A medal lending machine provided is disclosed. Further, as shown in Patent Document 2, there is also a medal lending machine provided with a batch insertion opening capable of batch insertion of medals on the front side of the main body and provided with a batch insertion mechanism capable of transferring medals to adjacent slot machines. It has been devised.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-190617 (FIG. 5) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-03068 (FIG. 2)

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the transport device is operated by a switch operation to simply lift the medal on the lower plate to the guide nozzle and insert it from the medal slot. It takes time and effort to discharge the medal earned by the player remaining inside. In addition, when the lower plate of the slot machine is full or when the game is finished, the medal stored in the lower plate must be transferred to the medal container. Moreover, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that the player has to lift medals from the lower plate of the slot machine to the batch insertion slot.
On the other hand, in the case of a medal lending machine having a medal storage unit inside, when the medal storage unit runs out of medals, the work of replenishing the hopper with the medals placed in the medal container places a burden on the clerk of the amusement store.

Therefore, based on the above-described conventional technique, the invention according to claim 1 is a medal lending machine capable of storing medals therein, and can insert medals into adjacent gaming machines at the same time, and the player uses as little as possible. The purpose is to reduce the number of payout medals out of medals.
Further, in addition to the object of the invention described in claim 1, the invention described in claim 2 aims at enabling a player to take out an acquired medal without using a hand as much as possible. An object of the present invention is to prevent errors from occurring frequently.

The invention described in the claims has been made to achieve each of the above-described objects, and features of each invention will be described below using embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, a code | symbol shows the code | symbol used in embodiment of this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.
(Claim 1)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by the following points.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is adjacent to a gaming machine (slot machine 1) having a medal slot (10) and a medal payout slot (17) provided below the medal slot (10). A medal lending machine (2) to be arranged, a payout device (upper hopper 23) for paying out medals lent to a player, and a payout device (23B) arranged below a medal discharge portion of the payout device The present invention relates to a medal lending machine provided with at least an input transfer means (injection nozzle 30, batch input device 3) for guiding medals to be paid out from the medal insertion port (10) of the gaming machine (1).

Here, the “gaming machine” is a gaming machine in which medals are thrown in as a game medium, and is installed in parallel in the game hall with the medal lending machine (2) in between. The medal insertion slot (10) is a portion for inserting a medal into the gaming machine, and includes a passage and a recess for guiding the medal to the opening in addition to an opening such as a slit for dropping the medal.
In the medal lending machine (2), a payout device (23) is built in a box-shaped outer box (20), and a medal is placed in an adjacent gaming machine (1) through the input and transfer means (30, 3). In addition to the above configuration, the medal lending machine (2) may be provided with a bill insertion slot (21) and a bill counter (22).

The “payout device” may be a rotating disk type medal feeding device, for example, and may be a hopper device including a storage unit capable of storing medals for the medal feeding device to send out.
In addition, the “injection transfer means” has an internal space in which medals can be temporarily stored, in addition to, for example, a tubular bowl-shaped “passage” itself capable of transferring medals. It also includes an “apparatus” that can be transferred to the medal slot (10) of the gaming machine using a mechanism such as a medal feeder (35). And this insertion transfer means (30, 3) is arrange | positioned below the medal discharge part of the payout apparatus (23). Therefore, it is possible to drop or flow down the medal paid out from the payout device (23) as it is and transfer it to the input transfer means (30, 3).

  The medal lending machine (2) includes an upper storage part (tank 23A) that is arranged above the payout device (23) and stores medals for paying out from the payout device (23), and the gaming machine ( It is possible to store the medals thrown into the storage opening (sand receiving port 80, lower plate opening 18) formed at a position lower than the medal payout opening (17) of 1) where the player can insert medals. A lower reservoir (lower hopper 60) disposed below the reservoir (23A), and a medal lifting mechanism (90) for transferring medals from the lower reservoir (60) to the upper reservoir (23A) have. In addition, the counting means for counting the detection signal of the medal detection unit (40) capable of detecting the medals inserted into the storage charging opening (80, 18) one by one, and the number based on the count value of the counting means The storage display section (26) to be displayed and the display of the storage display section (26) by the player's operation are subtracted and displayed, and the number of medals subtracted from the display are displayed from the payout device (23). A payout switch (25) for payout is provided.

Here, the “upper storage portion” may be provided separately from the dispensing device (23), or is integrally formed as a part of the dispensing device (23) like a hopper tank. May be. And since this upper storage part (23A) is arrange | positioned upwards rather than the payout apparatus (23), it is possible to drop or flow down an internal storage medal as it is, and to transfer to the payout apparatus (23). .
Further, the “storage input opening” is formed below the medal payout opening (17) of the gaming machine (1), and may be an opening where the player can arbitrarily insert medals. It is provided in (1), in the medal lending machine (2), or in a place other than the gaming machine (1) and the medal lending machine (2), for example, on the floor of a game hall. It may be.

The lower storage part (60) may be disposed above the storage input opening (80, 18) as long as it can store medals input to the storage input opening (80, 18). Preferably, the medal receiving port of the lower storage unit (60) is provided below the storage charging opening (80, 18). The lower reservoir (60) may be provided under the floor of the game hall.
The medal lifting mechanism (90) is a device capable of transferring a game medal upward, for example, a screw type lifting device using a spiral shaft, and a lift conveyor using a belt having a receiving portion for carrying the medal It can be.
The medal detection unit (40) can be a sensor that can detect, for example, medals provided below the storage opening (80, 18) one by one, and separates randomly inserted medals one by one Separation means may be provided. Further, the medal detection unit (40) is not necessarily an accessory device of the medal lending machine (2) as long as the detection signal is output to the counting means of the medal lending machine (2).

Specifically, the “counting means” is a control unit (control board) provided inside the medal lending machine (2). The storage display section (26) is a display section for displaying the count value of the counting means as the number of medals, and the number of medals related to the number displayed here is stored in the medal lending machine (2). It will be treated as being. The payout switch (25) is an operation means such as a button switch provided in front of the outer box (20) of the medal lending machine (2), and can be arbitrarily operated by the player.
Furthermore, in the medal lending machine (2) of the present invention, the upper storage part (23A) includes a decrease detection unit (empty sensor 51) for detecting that the internal medal has decreased below a predetermined amount, and the payout By operating the switch (25), a predetermined number of medals up to the number displayed on the storage display section (26) are connected to the adjacent gaming machine via the input transfer means (30, 3). And when the decrease detection unit (51) detects a decrease in medals, the medal lifting mechanism (90) is operated to move the lower storage unit (60). ) Can supply medals to the upper storage part (23A).

In the present invention, the medal replenishment from the lower storage device (60) to the upper storage unit (23A) is automatically performed based on the detection of the decrease detection unit (51) provided in the upper storage unit (23A). It has become.
(Function)
The medal lending machine (2) according to the present invention pays out a predetermined number of medals from the payout device (23), for example, by inserting a bill. The paid-out medals are sent to the medal slot (10) of the adjacent gaming machine (1) through the slot transfer means (30, 3). Therefore, it is not necessary for the player to insert a medal into the medal slot (10) by hand.
When a medal is paid out from the medal payout opening (17) of the gaming machine (1) after the game is started, the medal can be inserted into the storage opening (80, 18). Since the storage input opening (80, 18) is provided below the medal payout opening (17), even if the player does not lift the medal by hand, the medal paid out from the medal payout opening (17) is dropped as it is. You can also The medals inserted into the storage opening (80, 18) are detected by the medal detection unit (40) and displayed as the number of stored medals on the storage display unit (26) based on the count of the counting means. That is, each time the medal detection unit (40) detects a medal, the display of the storage display unit (26) is incremented.

When the player operates the payout switch (25), a predetermined number of medals are paid out from the payout device (23), and the number corresponding to the payout number is subtracted from the storage display section (26). In this case, for example, when 50 medals are paid out at a time by operating the payout switch (25), if the display of the storage display section (26) is less than "50", the storage display section (26) is displayed. Only the displayed medals are paid out.
The medals paid out from the payout device (23) are inserted into the medal insertion slot (10) of the adjacent gaming machine (1) through the insertion transfer means (30, 3). In addition, when a device capable of temporarily storing medals (collective loading device 3) is provided as an “injection transfer means”, if a switch for operating this device is not operated, the payout device (23) The medals paid out and temporarily stored in the “insertion transfer means” may not be inserted into the medal insertion slot (10).

Thus, according to the present invention, instead of storing medals paid out from the gaming machine (1), for example, in the lower plate (15) of the gaming machine (1), the storing input opening (80, 18). If it is thrown in or discarded, it is automatically treated as being stored in the medal lending machine (2). The stored medal can be arbitrarily taken out by operating the payout switch (25), and this medal is also inserted into the gaming machine (1) through the insertion transfer means (30, 3). Therefore, it is possible to save the trouble of grabbing and inserting the medal in the lower plate (15) with the hand or transferring it to the medal container, and the player does not have to worry about dirt on the hand due to contact with the medal.
Further, in the present invention, when the upper storage part (23A) of the medal lending machine (2) is emptied, the medal lifting mechanism (90) operates to automatically start from the lower storage part (60). The medal is replenished.

Here, in the present invention, medals that are paid out from the gaming machine (1) and should be stored in the lower plate (15) of the gaming machine (1) are stored in the medal lending machine (2). Since it is handled, the player should take out the medal (acquired medal) from the upper storage part (23A) and put it into the gaming machine (1). Medals will also be paid out. On the other hand, in the lower storage part (60), the acquired medals that should have been stored in the lower plate (15) or medal container of the gaming machine (1) are stored. Therefore, medals in the payout storage unit (23A) are likely to decrease, and medals in the medal storage device (60) are likely to increase.
Therefore, if formed as in the present invention, the medal automatically circulates from the lower storage portion (60) where the medal amount is likely to increase to the upper storage portion (23A) where the medal amount is likely to be reduced. Can maintain the balance of the amount of medals.

(Claim 2)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 2 is characterized by the following points in addition to the features of the invention described in claim 1 described above.
That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the display of the storage display unit (26) is reset to zero by the player's operation, and all the medals related to the display are paid out from the payout device (23). A cancel switch (27) is provided, and when the cancel switch (27) is operated, the medal paid out from the payout device (23) is a place other than the medal slot (10) of the adjacent gaming machine (1). It is formed so that it can be transported.

By operating the cancel switch (27), the present invention can cancel all medals stored in the medal lending machine (2), and without inserting the cancel medal into the gaming machine (1). It can be taken out directly from the lending machine (2).
Here, as a specific means of `` transfer to a place other than the medal slot (10) '', the slot transport means (30, 3) is formed so as to be retractable from the medal slot (10) of the gaming machine (1). The medal discharged from the insertion transfer means (30, 3) is not transferred to the medal insertion opening (10), or in the transfer route to the medal insertion opening (10) of the insertion transfer means (30, 3). The medals can be formed to be discharged to the outside. Alternatively, the payout device (23) is canceled by the operation of the cancel switch (27) with the input transfer means (30, 3) as it is, and the token lending machine (2) is formed. The medals may be paid out to a passage or a discharge port (refund port 29) other than the input transfer means (30, 3).

According to the present invention, if a medal transferred or paid out to a place other than the medal slot (10) is directly received by the medal container, the medal inserted into the medal slot (10) is canceled from the gaming machine (1). This eliminates the trouble of taking out and eliminates the need to transfer the medals from the lower plate (15) of the gaming machine (1) to the medal container, so that the medals can be exchanged without touching the medals even after the game is over.
(Claim 3)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 3 is characterized by the following points in addition to the characteristics of the invention described in claim 1 or 2.

That is, in the invention according to claim 3, the lower storage part (60) includes a decrease detection part (52) for detecting that the internal medal has decreased below a predetermined amount, and the upper storage part (23A) When the decrease detection unit 51 detects a decrease in medals and the decrease detection unit (52) of the lower storage unit (60) detects a decrease in medals, a medal-free notification is performed.
Here, the “medal absence notification” means, for example, that a predetermined medal absence notification lamp provided on the front of the outer box (20) is turned on, or a predetermined notification is made to the hall computer of the game hall. .
The present invention is effective when the gaming machine (1) pays out a large number of medals by a bonus winning or the like.

(Claim 4)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 4 is characterized by the following points in addition to the features of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3.
That is, in the invention according to claim 4, the upper storage part (23A) and the lower storage part (60) are provided with a full detection part (overflow sensors 53, 54) that detects that the number of medals in the interior has increased beyond a specified amount. ), And when the full detector (53) of the upper reservoir (23A) detects fullness and the full detector (54) of the lower reservoir (60) detects full, Notification is performed.

Here, the “full notification” means that a predetermined full notification lamp is turned on or a predetermined notification is made to the hall computer in the game hall.
In the present invention, when so-called table movement in which a player walks across a plurality of gaming machines (1) to play a game is not prohibited, medals are brought from other gaming machines (1) or medal lending machines (2). It is effective when

The present invention has the following effects.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, medals can be thrown into adjacent gaming machines at the same time, allowing a player to play a game without using hands as much as possible, and medals renting out medals with few payout medals. Machine can be provided. According to the invention described in claim 2, the player can take out the acquired medal without using the hand as much as possible. Further, according to the invention described in claim 3 or 4, the error does not occur frequently. Can be.

A preferred embodiment representing the present invention will be described based on the drawings, with a slot machine as an example of a gaming machine, divided into a first embodiment and a second embodiment.
(First embodiment)
(Explanation of drawings)
1 to 9 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
1 is a perspective view of the slot machine 1 and the medal lending machine 2, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the medal slot 10, FIG. 3 is a front view of the upper hopper 23 and the throwing nozzle 30, and FIGS. It is a flow which shows the outline of 2 operation | movement. 7 to 9 are diagrams showing modifications of the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 1 is installed adjacent to the medal lending machine 2, and the medal lending machine 2 is provided so as to correspond to one slot machine one by one. Yes.
(Slot machine 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 1 has a front door 13 attached to the front side of the housing, and a symbol of a rotating reel (not shown) is visible on the front side of the front door 13. A display window 14 is formed. Further, below the symbol display window 14 and in the approximate center of the slot machine 1 is an operation unit 16 provided with operation means such as a start switch and a stop switch. A medal slot 10 for inserting medals is provided at the front right end of the operation unit 16.

Although not particularly illustrated, a medal selector for determining the authenticity of the medal and counting the inserted medals is provided below the medal insertion slot 10. The slot machine 1 can start a game by inserting up to three medals, but can store a predetermined number (50) of medals as credits. The number of credits is displayed on a predetermined credit display unit (not shown), and by operating the bet switch, the display on the credit display unit is subtracted and the corresponding number of medals are inserted.
In addition, a medal payout port 17 for paying out medals and a lower plate 15 capable of storing the payout medals are provided at the lower part of the front door 13. Then, a medal is inserted from the medal insertion slot 10, the rotating reel is rotated by operating the start switch, and the rotating reel is stopped by operating the stop switch. At this time, the symbols displayed on the plurality of rotating reels are at predetermined positions. When the mode is stopped, a prize is awarded, and a predetermined number of medals are paid out from the medal payout port 17.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the medal insertion port 10 includes an upper insertion opening 11 through which medals can be inserted one by one from above, and a side transfer passage 12 communicating with the side of the upper insertion opening 11. Have. This side transfer passage 12 is a bowl-shaped passage extending from the upper insertion opening 11 to the front right side (medal lending machine 2 side), and a medal sent from a nozzle 30 of the medal lending machine 2 described later. Is to be transferred to the upper input opening 11.
Further, a notch 15a is provided in the right side wall of the front surface of the lower plate 15, and the notch 15a communicates with an opening of a sand receiving port 80 provided in the medal lending machine 2. The medals stored in the lower plate 15 can be dropped from the notch 15a to the sand receiving port 80.

In the slot machine 1, when the amount of medals to be paid out is small, medals paid out from the medal payout slot are stored in the lower plate 15, but the lower plate 15 is filled with the paid out medals at the time of bonus winning etc. In this case, the medal naturally moves from the notch 15a toward the sand receiving port 80 and falls. Alternatively, the player can intentionally move the medal toward the notch 15a and discard the medal in the lower plate 15 from the notch 15a to the sand receiving port 80.
The medals falling from the sand receiving port 80 are stored in the lower hopper 60 provided below the medal lending machine 2 via the medal detection unit 40, which will be described later.

(Medal lending machine 2)
The medal lending machine 2 is a box-type device that is installed adjacent to the side of the slot machine 1 and lends medals in exchange for money, and rents medals and medals acquired by the player. This is for insertion into the medal slot 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the medal lending machine 2 has a bill counter 22 in the outer box 20, an upper hopper 23 for paying out medals, and a lower hopper 60 for storing medals. Has a built-in control unit for controlling the operation of the medal lending machine 2 and, on the front side, a charging nozzle as a charging transfer means capable of transferring a medal paid out by the upper hopper 23 to the adjacent slot machine 1. 30 is attached.

(Outer box 20)
The outer box 20 is an exterior of the medal lending machine 2, and is provided with an insertion nozzle 30 in the center of the front. Above the insertion nozzle 30, two operation buttons, a payout switch 25 and a cancel switch 27, and a predetermined number of buttons are provided. A storage display unit 26 capable of digitally displaying these numerical values is provided. In addition, a notification lamp 100 is provided on the upper side of the storage display unit 26 for notification of the amount of internal medals. Above the notification lamp 100, a bill insertion slot 21 for inserting bills is formed. Has been.
Further, the lower front side of the outer box 20 is extended to the front side, and a sand receiving port 80 is formed at the front end thereof so as to be aligned with the lower plate 15 of the slot machine 1. A medal detection unit 40 for detecting a medal inserted into the sand receiving port 80 is provided below the sand receiving port 80.

  Here, the storage display unit 26 displays a count value based on the detection signal of the medal detection unit 40, and the same number of medals as the medal inserted into the sand receiving port 80 are displayed inside the medal lending machine 2. It is for handling as what was stored. In addition, the payout switch 25 is operated by operating the medal from the upper hopper 23 by a certain number (for example, 50, which is the maximum possible credit number of the slot machine 1) within the range of the numerical value displayed on the storage display unit 26. To pay out. The cancel switch 27 is for clearing the display of the storage display unit 26 to pay back the number of medals according to the numerical value from the upper hopper 23.

The notification lamp 100 lights up and flashes when the amount of medals in the upper hopper 23 or the lower hopper 60 is equal to or greater than the specified amount, and when the amount is less than the specified amount, and a full error or empty error is notified. It is for doing. In the illustrated example, one notification lamp 100 is provided, but two lamps for full error and empty error may be provided. Further, in addition to the notification lamp 100, an error occurrence may be notified by voice.
(Bill counter 22)
The bill counter 22 reads bills inserted from the bill insertion slot 21 and causes the upper hopper 23 to pay out a predetermined number of medals. The medal lending machine 2 may have a coin insertion slot, a coin counter, a change dispensing slot, and the like in addition to the banknote insertion slot 21 and the banknote counter 22. Moreover, you may have a prepaid card slot and a card reader. Further, the bill insertion slot 21 may be located below the insertion nozzle 30, and the bill counter 22 may be provided outside the medal lending machine 2 (for example, an island facility).

(Upper hopper 23)
The upper hopper 23 is a payout device for paying out medals disposed at the upper part of the outer box 20, and as shown in FIG. 1, a tank 23A for storing medals and a storage in the tank 23A. It has a delivery disk 23B that can eject the medals one by one. On the back side of the tank 23A, although not particularly shown, a receiving port for receiving a medal supplied from a spiral lifting device 93 of the medal lifting mechanism 90 described later is provided, and a medal is appropriately inserted from this receiving port. It has become acceptable. The delivery disk 23B is rotatably supported by the drive motor 23C, and has a hole into which a medal can be inserted. The medals that have entered the hole are discharged one by one to the outside of the device as the disc rotates.

The upper hopper 23 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for counting the number of discharged medals. The drive motor 23C is stopped when a predetermined number of medals are paid out. As shown, a medal amount detection unit 50 for detecting the medal amount inside the tank 23A is provided. Details of the medal amount detection unit 50 will be described later.
In addition, by providing the upper hopper 23 above the charging nozzle 30, the rental medal can flow directly to the charging nozzle 30. For this reason, it is possible to insert a medal quickly after inserting a bill or after operating the payout switch 25.

(Input nozzle 30)
The insertion nozzle 30 is an input and transfer means for transferring medals paid out from the upper hopper 23 directly to the medal insertion port 10 of the slot machine 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion nozzle 30 is an arm-shaped transfer pipe projecting from the front side of the outer box 20, and the medal discharged from the medal discharge portion of the feeding disk 23 </ b> B of the upper hopper 23 is one side. Is received from one end opening 301 (see FIG. 3), transferred one by one through a tube having a rectangular cross section, and a medal discharged from the other end opening 302 (see FIG. 2) is inserted into the slot machine 1 It is transferred to the side transfer passage 12 of the mouth 10.

Further, the injection nozzle 30 is formed so as to be rotatable integrally with the delivery disk 23B of the upper hopper 23 and the drive motor 23C. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical movable portion 23D is rotatably attached to a lower portion of a tank 23A of the upper hopper 23, and a feed disk 23B and a drive motor 23C are attached to the movable portion 23D. It is fixed. Further, the insertion nozzle 30 is fixed to the delivery disk 23B so that one end opening 301 communicates with the medal discharge part of the delivery disk 23B. Then, when the injection nozzle 30 is pushed in the horizontal direction, the movable portion 23D rotates, and the injection nozzle 30 can be rotated in the horizontal direction.
When it is desired to directly insert medals from the medal lending machine 2 into the slot machine 1, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the end 30A of the insertion nozzle 30 and the side transfer passage 12 are shown. If the side end portion is in contact, the medal discharged from the end opening 301 is transferred to the slit of the side transfer passage 12.

On the other hand, when the front door 13 of the slot machine 1 is opened, when medals paid out from the upper hopper 23 are not inserted into the slot machine 1, or when medals stored in the medal lending machine 2 are paid out. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and the solid line in FIG. 2, the insertion nozzle 30 is rotated in the direction (the medal lending machine 2 side) in which the end portion 30A is separated from the side transfer passage 12, thereby Retreat from the inlet 10.
When canceling the stored medals, the cancel nozzle 27 is operated after turning the insertion nozzle 30 to the retracted position, and the medals discharged from the end 30A of the insertion nozzle 30 can be removed with a palm or a medal container. Just take it. Since the insertion nozzle 30 rotates integrally with the delivery disk 23B, the medal discharged from the delivery disk 23B by driving the drive motor 23C can be received from the end opening 301 even when moved to the retracted position. There is no misalignment between the discharge portion of the delivery disk 23B and the end opening 301.

(Sand receiving port 80)
The sand receiving port 80 is an opening provided at the tip of a projecting portion extending from the lower front side of the outer box 20 to the front side. The medal can be inserted from the opening that opens upward, and the medal stored in the lower plate 15 is moved from the side opening communicating with the notch 15a of the lower plate 15 of the adjacent slot machine 1. Can be dropped.
Also, below the sand receiving port 80, a medal detection unit 40 is provided that can separate and detect medals received by the sand receiving port 80 one by one.
Here, the medal detection unit 40 includes a separation unit that separates the medals that are randomly inserted one by one, and a sensor that detects the medals separated by the separation unit, although not particularly illustrated. Yes. The separation means may rotate a rotating disk having medal holes by a motor and discharge the medals inserted into the medal holes one by one. This separating means is preferably formed so as to continue to operate while a medal is present inside the medal detection unit 40. The sensor may be an optical sensor or a magnetic sensor that senses a medal sent from the separating unit. And the detection signal of a sensor is transmitted to the control part of medal lending machine 2, and is counted in this control part.

The medals thrown into or discarded from the sand receiving port 80 are transferred to a lower hopper 60 formed at the bottom of the medal lending machine 2. In this case, since the lower hopper 60 is installed under the floor, the passage from the medal discharge port of the medal detection unit 40 to the medal receiving port of the lower hopper 60 is inclined downward without using a medal transport device such as a belt conveyor. If formed, the medal can flow down to the lower hopper 60 naturally.
(Lower hopper 60)
As shown in FIG. 1, the lower hopper 60 is a medal storage part for storing medals inserted from the sand receiving port 80, and is embedded so as to be below the floor surface when the outer box 20 is installed. It is provided in the part 20A. Further, on the back side of the lower hopper 60, a medal lifting mechanism 90 for transferring medals stored in the tank to the upper hopper 23 located above is provided. Then, the medal that has passed through the medal detection unit 40 is received and stored from the receiving port provided on the upper side of the tank portion, and the medal stored by the operation of the medal lifting mechanism 90 is transferred to the upper hopper 23. It is like that.

Further, the upper hopper 23 is provided with a medal amount detection unit 50 for detecting the medal amount in the tank.
(Medal amount detection unit 50)
The medal detection unit 50 is a sensor for detecting the medal amount provided in the upper hopper 23 and the lower hopper 60. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in the upper hopper 23, an empty sensor 51 for detecting that the medal stored in the tank 23A has become equal to or less than a specified amount, and a medal stored in the tank 23A. Is provided with an overflow sensor 53 for detecting that the amount exceeds the specified amount. Similarly, the lower hopper 60 is provided with an empty sensor 52 and an overflow sensor 54.

The empty sensors 51 and 52 are energization sensors that are energized in contact with, for example, a medal. When the medal falls below a specified amount, the contact with the medal is lost and the power is cut off. is there. The overflow sensors 53 and 54 can be energized sensors that detect the fullness of the lower hopper 60 by contacting the medal and energizing when the medal exceeds a specified amount. The detection signals of the empty sensors 51 and 52 and the overflow sensors 53 and 54 are transmitted to the control unit of the medal lending machine 2.
(Medal lifting mechanism 90)
The medal lifting mechanism 70 is a mechanism for lifting medals stored in the lower hopper 60 to the upper hopper 23. As shown in FIG. 1, a feeding disk 91 provided at the bottom of the lower hopper 60 is used. And a standing device 92 for raising a game medal sent out from the feeding disc 91, and a game medal that has been raised by the standing device 92 (a state where the circumferential portion of the medal is in the vertical direction) upward And a lifting device 93 for transferring.

The delivery disk 91 is a plate-like member that has a plurality of medal insertion holes and is rotated by a drive motor (not shown), like the delivery disk 23B provided in the upper hopper 23. The medals inserted into the medal insertion holes are sent one by one to the standing device 92 in a horizontal state (a state where the front and back surfaces of the medals are in the vertical direction).
The erecting device 92 is for raising the medal sent out in a horizontal state from the sending-out disc 91 in the vertical direction and transferring it to the raising device 93. Specifically, although not particularly illustrated, the game medal sent out from the sending-out disk 71 is pushed up at the tip of the rotary arm along the inclined surface that continuously increases from the flat surface and gradually increases in height. It is possible to use a deforming cam that stands up or uses a deformed cam in which a cylinder is notched in a spiral shape and a medal placed in a horizontal state on the notch gradually rises as the cylinder rotates. The standing device 92 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and any device may be used as long as the horizontal medal can be raised.

The ascent device 93 is for transferring the medals erected by the erecting device 92 upward while standing. Specifically, it is a screw type lifting machine in which a spiral shaft having a spiral projecting portion is housed in a rectangular tube-shaped support frame, and the spiral shaft rotates around the shaft, thereby causing the projecting portion to The supported medal is configured to move upward in the support frame.
Then, the medal lifting mechanism 90 starts to operate based on the detection signal of the medal amount detection unit 50. That is, when the empty sensor 52 of the lower hopper 60 does not detect the empty state, the empty sensor 51 of the upper hopper 23 detects the empty state, and the overflow sensor 53 of the upper hopper 23 does not detect the full state. Sometimes, when the overflow sensor 54 of the lower hopper 60 detects a full state, the drive motors that operate the delivery disk 71, the standing device 72, and the lifting device 73 are driven. Each drive motor is set to be driven in synchronism so that medals can be sequentially transferred. The medal lifting mechanism 90 is configured to stop operating when the overflow sensor 53 of the upper hopper 23 detects fullness during operation.

The medal lifting mechanism 90 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be any configuration as long as the medal inside the lower hopper 60 can be transferred to the upper hopper 23. For example, it may be a lift conveyor that transfers a medal by rotating a belt having a recess or a protrusion for receiving the medal. However, with the medal lifting mechanism 90 that can separate and lift medals one by one as described above, it is possible to detect and measure the number of medals lifted, for example, from the lower hopper 60 to the upper hopper 23. There is an advantage that it is also possible to perform control to lift a predetermined number of medals.
(Operation of medal lending machine 2)
Next, of the operations of the medal lending machine 2 having the above configuration, an outline of payout control based on the medal count will be described based on the flow of FIG.

First, in step 100 of FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not there is medal detection, that is, whether or not the medal detection signal of the medal detection unit 40 has been received. If there is no medal detection, the process returns to step 100. If there is medal detection, the process proceeds to the next step 101.
In step 101, the medal detection signal is counted and the display of the storage display unit 26 is added. The detection signal is counted by counting means provided in the control unit of the medal lending machine 2. Then, the process proceeds to the next step 102.
In step 102, it is determined whether or not the payout switch 25 is turned on. If the payout switch 25 is turned on, the process proceeds to the next step 103.

In step 103, a predetermined number, for example, 50 medals are paid out from the upper hopper 23, and the number displayed on the storage display unit 26 is subtracted by the number of medals. Then, the process proceeds to next Step 104.
In step 104, it is determined whether or not the display of the storage display unit 26 has become “0”. When the storage display is “0”, the payout control based on the count of the medal detection unit 40 is terminated. On the other hand, when the storage display is not “0”, that is, when it is “1” or more, the process proceeds to the next step 105.
If the payout switch 25 is not turned on in step 102, the process skips steps 103 and 104 and proceeds to step 105.

In step 105, it is determined whether or not the cancel switch 27 is turned on. If the cancel switch 27 is not turned ON, the process proceeds to the next step 106.
In step 106, it is determined whether or not there is medal detection. If there is no medal detection, the process returns to step 102. On the other hand, if there is medal detection, the process proceeds to the next step 107.
In step 107, the medal detection signal is counted and the display of the storage display unit 26 is added. Then, the process returns to step 102.
If the cancel switch 27 is turned on in step 105, the process proceeds to step 108.

In step 108, the number of medals displayed on the storage display unit 26 are paid back from the upper hopper 23, and the display on the storage display unit 26 is set to “0”. Then, the payout control based on the medal count is finished.
Next, of the operations of the medal lending machine 2, the outline of the medal replenishment control from the lower hopper 60 to the upper hopper 23 based on the detection of the medal amount detection unit 50 will be described based on the flow of FIG. 5 and FIG.
FIG. 5 shows the flow of control when the upper hopper 23 is empty.
First, in step 200 of FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not the upper hopper 23 is in an empty state, that is, whether or not the empty sensor 51 of the upper hopper 23 has detected an empty state. If the upper hopper 23 is not empty, the process returns to step 200. On the other hand, if the upper hopper 23 is empty, the process proceeds to the next step 201.

In step 201, it is determined whether or not the lower hopper 60 is in an empty state, that is, whether or not the empty sensor 52 of the lower hopper 60 is detecting an empty state. If the lower hopper 60 is not empty, the process proceeds to the next step 202.
In step 202, the medal lifting mechanism 90 is operated. Specifically, a drive signal is output to the drive motors of the delivery disk 91, the standing device 92, and the lifting device 93. Thereby, the medal in the lower hopper 60 is transferred to the upper hopper 23. Then, the process proceeds to the next step 203.
In step 203, it is determined whether the lower hopper 60 is empty. If the lower hopper 60 is not empty, the process proceeds to the next step 204.

In step 204, it is determined whether or not the upper hopper 23 is full, that is, whether or not the overflow sensor 53 of the upper hopper 23 has detected fullness. If the upper hopper 23 is not full, the process returns to step 202. On the other hand, if the upper hopper 23 is full, the process proceeds to the next step 205.
If the lower hopper 60 is empty in step 203, the process skips step 204 and proceeds to step 205.
In step 205, the operation of the medal lifting mechanism 90 is stopped, and the medal lifting is stopped. And medal supply control is complete | finished.

In step 201, if the lower hopper 60 is empty, that is, if both the upper hopper 23 and the lower hopper 60 are empty, the process proceeds to step 206.
In step 206, an empty error is displayed. For example, the notification lamp 100 is blinked. At this time, a notification such as “please replenish medals” may be given by voice output, or a notification may be sent to the hall computer. And control is complete | finished. The error state is canceled by operating a predetermined reset switch after the store clerk replenishes medals to cancel the empty state.
As described above, when the number of stored medals in the upper hopper 23 is reduced, medals are automatically supplied from the lower hopper 60, and when the upper hopper 23 is full, the supply of medals automatically stops. On the other hand, an error is issued only when the upper hopper 23 is empty and the lower hopper 60 is empty.

  Here, when replenishing medals from the outside to the upper hopper 23, the lid provided on the front side of the outer box 20 (not shown) may be opened, and the medals placed in the medal container may be poured into the tank 23A. In this way, the heavy medal container must be lifted upward. Therefore, as an operation state of the medal lending machine 2, a normal mode and a medal replenishment mode are provided, and a mode change switch for switching between the two modes is provided, and the detection of the medal detection unit 40 is invalidated in the medal replenishment mode. The medal can be replenished from the sand receiving port 80 to the lower hopper 60 in such a manner that the display of the storage display unit 60 is not added. In this case, if the medal lifting mechanism 90 is activated at the same time, the upper hopper 23 can be replenished while the lower hopper 60 is replenished with medals. If formed in this way, it is possible to reduce the labor of a store clerk who performs medal supply work.

Next, the control flow when the lower hopper 60 is full will be described based on the flow of FIG.
In step 300 of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the lower hopper 60 is full, that is, whether or not the overflow sensor 54 of the lower hopper 60 has detected fullness. If the lower hopper 60 is not full, the process returns to step 300. On the other hand, if the lower hopper 60 is full, the process proceeds to the next step 301.
In step 301, it is determined whether the upper hopper 23 is full. If the upper hopper 23 is not full, the process proceeds to the next step 302.

In step 302, the medal lifting mechanism 90 is operated. Then, the process proceeds to the next step 304.
In step 304, a determination is made whether the upper hopper 23 is full. If the upper hopper 23 is not full, the process returns to step 302. On the other hand, if the upper hopper 23 is full, the process proceeds to the next step 304.
In step 304, the operation of the medal lifting mechanism 90 is stopped, and the medal lifting is stopped. And medal supply control is complete | finished.
In step 301, if the upper hopper 23 is full, the process proceeds to step 305.

In step 305, a full error indication is displayed. For example, the notification lamp 100 is continuously displayed. At this time, an alarm by voice output or a report to the hall computer may be made. And control is complete | finished.
As described above, when the lower hopper 60 is full, medals are automatically supplied from the lower hopper 60 to the upper hopper 23, and when the upper hopper 23 is full, the medal supply is automatically stopped. On the other hand, an error is issued only when the lower hopper 60 is full and the upper hopper 23 is full.
Here, while the lower hopper 60 sequentially accepts medals from the sand receiving port 80, the upper hopper 23 must also pay out medals counted in the storage display unit 26 in addition to paying out by inserting bills. The upper hopper 23 tends to empty quickly due to overloading, and the lower hopper 60 tends to fill quickly due to overreception. However, in the present embodiment, since medals are automatically transferred from the lower hopper 60 to the upper hopper 23, it can be said that it is rare that both stored medals become full. However, when a medal is brought in from another slot machine 1 or medal lending machine 2 in a game hall where so-called table movement is not prohibited, the above-described control is effective.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a bill is inserted into the medal lending machine 2 at the start of the game, the medal is directly inserted into the slot machine 1, so that the player does not have to manually insert the medal. Even if the medal stored in the lower plate 15 is not transferred to the medal container, it can be stored in the medal lending machine 2 simply by dropping into the sand receiving port 80 from the notch 15A or simply discarding it in the sand receiving port 80. Treated as a thing. In addition, when the paid-out medals are re-inserted into the slot machine 1, the automatic operation can be performed by simply pressing the pay-out switch 25 of the medal lending machine 2 without using the hand from the lower plate 15 to insert it into the medal slot 10. Accordingly, the medal is transferred to the medal insertion slot 10. Furthermore, even after the game is over, it is not necessary to transfer the medals stored in the lower plate 15 to the medal container. Therefore, the player can play the game almost without touching the medals, and the burden on the player can be reduced.

Further, by letting all the medals on the lower plate 15 flow down to the sand receiving port 80, the number of medals acquired by the player can be accurately known by looking at the numerical value displayed on the storage display unit 26. In this way, after the medal is returned by the cancel switch 27, when the medal is measured with the jet counter or the like of the store, it is possible to see the consistency with the numerical value related to the display. In this case, if the player desires, a numerical value related to the display of the storage display unit 26 may be printed out by operating a predetermined switch, for example.
In addition, since the medal amount detection unit 50 provided in the upper hopper 23 and the lower hopper 60 automatically supplies the medal to the upper hopper 23, the upper hopper 23 is not easily emptied and the lower hopper 60 is full. The occurrence frequency of errors can be reduced.

The insertion nozzle 30 is not limited to the above-described tubular passage that is rotatable to the left and right. Any insertion nozzle 30 can be used as long as it can guide medals paid out from the medal lending machine 2 to the medal insertion slot 10 of the slot machine 1. You may have a structure. For example, it may be formed so that the tip of the nozzle is separated from the medal slot 10 by turning up and down, or it can be folded or deformed flexibly. Alternatively, a direction changing device for changing the direction of the medal may be provided in the middle of the medal transfer path of the insertion nozzle 30.
Further, the shape of the medal insertion slot 10 of the slot machine 1 is not limited to that shown in the figure, and any configuration can be used as long as the medal discharged from the tip of the insertion nozzle 30 can be received. Good.

(Another example of the storage opening and medal detection unit 40)
By the way, the storage input opening is not necessarily provided in the medal lending machine 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, a step portion 15a formed at a position higher than the bottom surface is provided at the right end of the lower plate 15 of the slot machine 1, and the lower plate serving as a storage input opening vertically penetrating the step portion 15a. An opening 18 is provided. In addition, a medal payout port 17 is provided at the position of the step portion 15a, and a shutter 150 capable of opening and closing the lower plate opening 18 is provided. Furthermore, the shutter 150 is formed to be slidable left and right by a knob 151 provided on the front side of the lower plate 15. Further, the medal detection unit 40 is provided on the front side of the medal lending machine 2, and the lower plate opening 18 and the medal detection unit 40 are connected by a movable passage 70 that is rotatable in the horizontal direction.

In such a case, when it is desired to store medals in the lower plate 15, if the lower plate opening 18 is closed by the shutter 150, the medals paid out from the medal payout port 17 are inclined downward from the step portion 15a. Move to the left side of the lower plate 15 and when the lower plate 15 is full, the shutter 150 is opened and the medals paid out from the medal payout port 17 flow down to the medal detection unit 40 through the lower plate opening 18 and the movable passage 70. Can be made. When the front door 13 of the slot machine 1 is opened, the movable passage 70 may be retracted as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
Further, although not particularly shown, a storage opening may be provided on the lower floor surface of the notch 15a of the lower plate 15 so that medals can be transferred from here to the lower hopper 60 of the medal lending machine 2. Good.

(Another example of medal lending machine 2)
As shown in FIG. 8, the medal lending machine 2 is provided with a payout port 29 for a stored medal that is canceled based on the operation of the cancel switch 27 in the lower front portion of the outer box 20, and the medal paid out from the upper hopper 23 is refunded. A discharge passage 28 for transfer to the mouth 29 may be provided. In this case, by operating the cancel switch 27, the feeding disk 23B is formed so as to rotate reversely, and the medal discharging portion when the rotating reversely rotates and the discharging passage 28 are connected. When formed in this way, it is not necessary to move the insertion nozzle 30 at the time of cancellation, and if the medal container D is installed below the refund port 29, there is no problem even if a large number of medals are canceled at once.

Alternatively, when the cancel switch 27 is operated, a medal is not paid out from the upper hopper 23, and a receipt displaying a numerical value or a barcode displayed on the storage display unit 26 is issued from a predetermined receipt issuing port. You may make it do. And you may enable it to exchange prizes with this receipt.
In addition, for example, when there is not enough space to install the lower hopper 60 under the floor, the lower hopper 60 is arranged at the bottom of the outer box 20 installed on the floor as shown in FIG. You may do it. In this case, since the medal receiving port of the lower hopper 60 is higher than the medal discharging port of the medal detecting unit 40, a transfer device 45 for lifting the medal to the lower hopper 60 may be provided. The transfer device 45 can be, for example, a belt conveyor having a convex portion on which a medal is caught.

(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the medal lending machine 2 is provided with a batch loading device 3 as a loading transfer means. That is, in the second embodiment, medals that are paid out to the batch insertion device 3 are not inserted into the slot machine 1 from the upper hopper 23 via the insertion nozzle 30 directly, but operated by the player. Is transferred to the slot machine 1. Since the basic configuration of the slot machine 1 and the medal lending machine 2 in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description of the overlapping parts is omitted, and the features of the present embodiment Only explained.

(Explanation of drawings)
10 to 12 are views showing a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a perspective view of the slot machine 1 and the medal lending machine 2 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the batch loading device 3, and FIG.
(Medal lending machine 2)
As in the first embodiment, the medal lending machine 2 according to the present embodiment has a bill counter 22, an upper hopper 23 for paying out medals, and a medal lending machine 2 (not shown). The control part for controlling the operation | movement of is built. As shown in FIG. 10, a batch loading device 3 is attached to the front side of the outer box 20 so that medals inserted by the player or medals paid out by the upper hopper 23 can be transferred to the adjacent slot machine 1. It is what.

The upper hopper 23 has a tank for storing medals, and a delivery disk capable of discharging medals stored in the tank one by one, although not shown in particular. A replenishment receiving port 24 for receiving medals supplied from the supply conveyance path 52 of the medal circulation path 50 is provided. Then, medals are paid out to the inside of the batch insertion device 3 from a medal discharge section provided below.
(Batch input device 3)
The batch insertion device 3 is a device that has a batch insertion opening 31 and a built-in medal feeder 35 and that can insert medals from the medal feeder 35 into the medal slot 10 of the slot machine 1 through the nozzle portion 39. In this manner, the medal to be paid out from the upper hopper 23 and the medal to be inserted by the player from the batch insertion opening 31 are inserted and transferred to the medal slot 10 of the slot machine 1.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the batch loading device 3 is a box-shaped device that projects from the front of the outer box 20 of the medal lending machine 2, and is a batch loading that opens upward. An opening 31, a medal feeding device 35 built under the batch insertion port 31, and a nozzle portion 39 for transferring medals sent from the medal feeding device 35 to the medal insertion port 10 of the slot machine 1 are provided. .
The collective throwing opening 31 is an opening through which medals can be thrown in a lump, and a partition bar is provided near the center of the opening so that the randomly placed medals are aligned in one direction. ing. A space in which medals can be temporarily stored is formed below the batch insertion opening 31 as shown in FIG. 12, and the medals stored in this storage space are placed in the nozzle portion 39 by the medal feeding device 35. It is sent out one by one. The storage space has a volume capable of storing at least a fixed number (50) of medals paid out by the upper hopper 23.

  The medal feeding device 35 includes a pair of rollers 35A and 35A, a conveyor belt 35B stretched over the rollers 35A and 35A, and two medals larger than the thickness of one medal above the front side of the conveyor belt 35B. The reverse rotation roller 35C installed with a gap smaller than the thickness, the drive motor 35D for rotating the rollers 35A and 35A, and the rotation of the motor shaft of the drive motor 35D are transmitted to the rollers 35A and 35A. It has a transmission means (not shown, for example, a gear or a belt). Then, medals on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 35B are sent one by one to the front (left side in FIG. 12), and medals located above the conveyor belt 35B and behind the reverse rotation roller 35C are moved backward (FIG. 12). To the right). The front side of the conveyor belt 35B is close to a medal receiving port of a medal passage 39B of the nozzle unit 39, which will be described later, and a medal on the upper surface of the belt is carried to the nozzle unit 39 through a gap with the reverse rotation roller 35C. It is.

Here, the medal feeding device 35 operates based on operations of a drive switch 32 and a cancel switch 33 (see FIG. 10) provided on the front side of the batch insertion device 3. That is, when the drive switch 32 is pressed, the drive motor 35D is driven in a direction in which the upper surface of the conveyor belt 35B moves forward, and when the drive switch 32 is stopped being pressed, the drive of the drive motor 35D is stopped. Further, when the cancel switch 33 is pressed, the drive motor 35D is reversely driven for a certain time, so that the upper surface of the transport belt 35B moves in the back direction.
A payout passage 34 that can receive medals paid out from the upper hopper 23 is formed in the inner side of the batch input opening 31, and a discharge device 37 is provided below the payout passage 34. Here, the payout passage 34 is a passage communicating with the medal discharge portion of the upper hopper 23, and is for guiding the payout medal to the storage space. The discharging device 37 is for moving the opening / closing plate 37B in the vertical direction by the solenoid 37A and discharging the medal in the storage space downward. Further, a cancel opening 36 for dropping foreign matter discharged from the medal feeder 40 or the cancel medal is formed below the discharge device 37, and the cancel medal and other fallen objects are formed below the cancel opening 36. A saucer 38 is provided to receive the catch.

  The bottom surface of the payout passage 34 is inclined downward from the rear side toward the front side, and the front end portion of the inclination is formed to be opened and closed by an opening / closing plate 37B of the discharge device 37. When the opening / closing plate 37B is closed, the cancel opening 36 is closed, and medals are stored below the batch insertion opening 31. The opening / closing plate 37B is rotated downward when the cancel switch 33 is operated. When the opening / closing plate 37B is opened, the cancellation opening 36 is opened, and the internal space or the medal feeding is performed. Foreign matter such as dust and medals on the conveyor belt 35B of the apparatus 35 fall from the cancel opening 36. At this time, the transport belt 35B moves in the direction opposite to the medal transfer direction, so that medals and the like can be discharged efficiently.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the nozzle portion 39 is a medal transfer passage having a reverse L-shape when viewed from the front, and has a medal passage 39 </ b> B (see FIG. 12) formed therein. To be transferred to. The position of the end portion 39A of the nozzle portion 39 and the position of the side end face of the side transfer passage 12 of the medal insertion port 10 of the slot machine 1 are matched so that the medal is inserted into the upper insertion opening 11. This is the same as the embodiment. In the present embodiment, the side end portion of the side transfer passage 12 extends to the side surface of the front door 13, and between the end portion 39A and the side end surface of the side transfer passage 12, There is enough space for medals to jump over. For this reason, there is no problem in opening and closing the front door 13 of the slot machine 1 without moving the nozzle portion 39.

As shown in FIG. 11, a payout switch 25 is provided above the batch loading device 3, and a storage display section 26 is provided above the batch loading opening 31. In the present embodiment, the cancel switch 27 is not provided in the medal lending machine 2. When canceling medals stored in the medal lending machine 2, the payout switch 25 is operated, and then the cancel switch 33 of the batch insertion mechanism 3 is operated.
(Operation of medal lending machine 2)
Next, in the medal lending machine 2 having the above configuration, a medal transfer process by the batch insertion device 3 will be described.

In the initial state, as shown in FIG. 12, the batch loading device 3 has the opening / closing plate 37 </ b> B closing the cancel opening 36. Then, when a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 21 of the medal lending machine 2, the upper hopper 23 starts operating, and pays out the number of medals corresponding to the inserted amount. The payout medal is dropped and stored so as to be stacked on the upper surface of the opening / closing plate 37B via the payout passage 34. Further, when medals are inserted from the collective insertion opening 31, the medals are dropped and stored so as to be stacked on the upper surface of the rear portion of the transport belt 35B and the upper surface of the opening / closing plate 37B.
When the medal discarded from the lower plate opening 18 of the slot machine 1 is stored in the medal lending machine 2, that is, when a numerical value of “1” or more is displayed on the storage display unit 26, When the payout switch 25 is operated, the upper hopper 23 is actuated to pay out a predetermined number of medals, and these medals are similarly stored in the batch insertion device 3.

  Next, when the drive switch 32 is operated, the medal feeder 35 starts operating. That is, the drive motor 35D is driven to rotate forward, the roller 35A rotates, and the transport belt 35B starts moving forward. Of the medals transferred forward by the conveyor belt 35B, the medals on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 35B pass through the gap between the conveyor belt 35B and the lower surface of the reverse rotation roller 35C, one by one, and the injection nozzle It is transferred to 30 medal passages 30B. On the other hand, the medals overlapping above the conveyor belt 35B are kicked back to the upper rear by contacting the reverse rotation roller 35C. The medals sent out from the medal feeder 35 are discharged from the opening of the end portion 30A through the medal passage 30B, and inserted into the upper insertion opening 11 through the side transfer passage 12.

  By the way, when the operation of the medal feeding device 35 is stopped (when the hand is released from the drive switch 32) before the transfer of all medals inserted from the batch insertion opening 31 or the payout passage 34 is completed, the conveyor belt 35B The medal remains on the top surface of the. In this case, if the remaining medals are not to be inserted into the slot machine 1 due to the end of the game or the like, the cancel switch 33 is operated. Then, the solenoid 37A of the discharge device 37 is activated to open the opening / closing plate 37B, and the drive motor 35D of the medal feeder 35 is driven in reverse. As a result, the medal on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 35B moves rearward and drops downward from the cancel opening 36 by opening the opening / closing plate 37B. Similarly, medals stored inside fall from the cancel opening 36 in the same manner.

When canceling the stored medals of the medal lending machine 2 (medals related to the display of the storage display unit 26), the payout switch 25 is operated to pay out 50 medals, and then the cancel switch 33 is operated. Thus, the medals inside the batch loading device 3 are discharged.
Note that when the occurrence of a clogged medal is detected while the medal feeding device 35 is in operation (during insertion of a medal into the slot machine 1), a predetermined alarm is issued and the drive of the drive motor 35D is stopped. At the same time, the discharge device 37 is operated and the drive motor 35D is driven in the reverse direction so that the medal sandwiched between the transport belt 35B and the reverse rotation roller 35C is returned to the direction opposite to the medal transfer direction and discharged from the cancel opening 36. Good. A clogged medal can be recognized by a rotation detection sensor provided on the drive motor 35D and the roller 35A.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the player can insert medals into the collective insertion opening 31, it is possible to insert the medals into the slot machine 1 in an amount desired by the player. In addition, the medals paid out from the medal lending machine 2 are once held in the batch insertion device 3 and then inserted into the slot machine 1 by operating the drive switch 32. Even in this case, the number of medals inserted into the slot machine 1 can be adjusted by the player.

It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of a slot machine and a medal lending machine. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is an expansion perspective view of a medal insertion slot and an insertion nozzle. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a front view of a sand hopper and a charging nozzle. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a flowchart which shows the payout control based on a medal count among the outline | summarys of the action | operation of a medal lending machine. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a flowchart which shows the medal supply control to the upper hopper based on the detection of an empty state among the outline | summarys of an action | operation of a medal lending machine. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a flowchart which shows the medal supply control to the upper hopper based on the detection of a full state among the outline | summarys of the action | operation of a medal lending machine. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the other example of a storage insertion opening and a medal | token detection part. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the other example of a medal lending machine. It is 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the other example of a medal lending machine. It is 2nd embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of a slot machine and a medal lending machine. It is 2nd embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is an expansion perspective view of a batch insertion apparatus and a medal insertion slot. It is 2nd embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is sectional drawing of a batch loading apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 slot machine (game machine)
10 Medal slot 11 Upper slot
12 Side transfer passage 13 Front door
14 Symbol display window 15 Lower plate
16 Operation section 17 Medals outlet
18 Lower plate opening (storage opening)
2 medal lending machine
20 Outer box 21 Bill slot
22 Bill counter 23 Upper hopper (dispensing device)
23A tank (upper reservoir)
24 Supply inlet 25 Discharge switch
26 Storage indicator 27 Cancel switch
28 Discharge passage 29 Refund port
30 Input nozzle (input transfer means)
3 Batch input device (input transfer means)
31 Collective opening 32 Drive switch
33 Cancel switch 35 Medal feeder
36 Cancel opening 37 Ejector
38 Pan 39 Nozzle
40 Medal detector 45 Transfer device
50 Medal amount detection unit 51 Empty sensor
52 Empty sensor 53 Overflow sensor
54 Overflow sensor
60 Lower hopper (lower storage part) 70 Movable passage
80 Sand receiving port (storage input opening)
90 Medal lifting mechanism 91 Feeding disc
92 Standing device 93 Lifting device
100 Notification lamp

Claims (4)

A medal lending machine arranged adjacent to a gaming machine having a medal slot and a medal payout slot provided below the medal slot,
At least a payout device for paying out medals to be rented to a player, and an insertion transfer means arranged below the medal discharge portion of the payout device and guiding medals paid out from the payout device to the medal slot of the gaming machine In the medal lending machine
An upper storage part that is arranged above the payout device and stores medals for paying out from the payout device;
A lower storage portion that is formed at a position lower than the medal payout opening of the gaming machine and that can store medals inserted into a storage input opening through which a player can insert medals, and is disposed below the upper storage portion. When,
A medal lifting mechanism for transferring medals from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir;
A counting means for counting detection signals of a medal detection unit capable of detecting medals inserted into the storage charging opening one by one;
A storage display unit for displaying numbers based on the count value of the counting means;
Provided with a payout switch for paying out the number of medals subtracted from the display from the payout device, while causing the display of the storage display unit to be subtracted and displayed by the player's operation,
The upper storage unit includes a decrease detection unit that detects that an internal medal has decreased below a predetermined amount,
By operating the payout switch, it is possible to insert a predetermined number of medals into the medal slot of an adjacent gaming machine through the loading and transferring means, up to the number displayed on the storage display unit. With
The medal lending machine characterized in that, when the decrease detection unit detects a decrease in medals, the medal lifting mechanism is operated so that medals can be supplied from the lower storage unit to the upper storage unit. A player operates to return the display of the storage display unit to zero, and provides a cancel switch for paying out all medals related to display from the payout device,
2. The medal lending machine according to claim 1, wherein when the cancel switch is operated, medals paid out from the payout device can be transferred to a place other than a medal slot of an adjacent gaming machine. The lower storage unit includes a decrease detection unit that detects that an internal medal has decreased below a predetermined amount,
The medal absence notification is performed when the decrease detection unit of the upper storage unit detects a decrease in medals and the decrease detection unit of the lower storage unit detects a decrease in medals. Or the medal lending machine described in 2. The upper storage unit and the lower storage unit each include a full detection unit that detects that an internal medal has increased beyond a specified amount,
The full notification is performed when the full detection part of the upper storage part detects fullness and the full detection part of the lower storage part detects fullness. The medal lending machine according to item 1.

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