JP2010166987A - Pachinko ball guide unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To swiftly attach/detach a guide unit for receiving a Pachinko ball dropping from a lower tray of a Pachinko game machine and leading the ball to an adjacent ball counting means, and to improve stability when attached. <P>SOLUTION: A first engagement means 20 is provided between a lower part of a ball tray 11 of the guide unit 10 and an elbowboard 3 of a Pachinko game machine island so that the guide unit 10 could be engaged by sliding it in a longitudinal direction of the elbowboard 3 and movement of the elbowboard 3 in a width direction could be restrained. A second engagement means 30 is provided between a lower channel end part 13 of a ball channel 12 provided with the guide unit 10 and the ball counting means 5 so that the lower channel end part 13 could be engaged by pushing it from up to down and movement of the lower channel end part 13 in a horizontal direction could be restrained, and also a lock 31 as a locking means when the second engagement means 30 is engaged is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a guide unit that receives a pachinko ball falling from a lower plate of the pachinko machine and guides the pachinko ball to a ball counting means provided in, for example, a ball lending machine adjacent to the pachinko machine.

  As a method of counting pachinko balls acquired by a player playing a game in a pachinko store, a method of counting pachinko balls in a ball counter installed on the island edge of Pachinko Island or in a store counter is widely known. ing. On the other hand, recently, as a part of services for players, gaming facilities that can perform counting while providing ball counting means for each pachinko machine have become widespread. Such a concept of counting each vehicle is quite old, and many proposals have been made for related technologies.

  For example, a pachinko ball counting device described in Patent Document 1 is provided by incorporating a ball counting sensor into a product corresponding to the guide unit of the present invention and called a counting device. The ball counting sensor is disposed in the downstream portion of the alignment rail formed in an inclined manner in the counting device, and the pachinko ball that has finished counting after flowing down the alignment rail is located next to the pachinko machine. It is discharged from the back of the ball lending machine through the counting ball discharge path provided in the machine and collected on Pachinko Island. This counting device is connected to the ball lending machine via a hinge at the downstream end, and when replacing the pachinko machine, the ball receiving tray side of the counting device is rotated forward so as not to obstruct the replacement work. It is configured.

  However, pachinko ball counting devices installed in close proximity to players are likely to be targeted for fraud. In particular, in the case of the counting device described above, a fraudulent act such as unjustly increasing the count value by making a ball counting sensor detect the ball counting sensor by entering a fraudulent tool such as a ball similar to a pachinko ball is compared. It is a structure that can be done easily. In addition, the mounting structure of the counting device such as a cantilever is easily broken or broken with a small force.

  As an example of the prior art in which the prevention of illegal acts as described above is one of the problems to be solved, there is a pedestal ball lending machine described in Patent Document 2. This ball lending machine houses a ball counter inside the ball lending machine, and a ball chute that guides the pachinko ball falling from the lower plate of the pachinko machine to the ball counter (the guide unit of the present invention) It is intended to prevent fraud by adopting a mounting structure that locks the door and locks it. In addition, a counterfeit tool use prevention claw is provided inside the ball counter to prevent the illegal tool that has been entered from being pulled out, and a device is added to make the illegal act more difficult.

  FIG. 7 is a front view showing an outline of a ball chute described in Patent Document 2. In this figure, a ball tray 51 of the ball chute 50 is placed directly under a lower plate 52 of the pachinko machine. Although not described in detail, as is apparent from the figure, a stepped protrusion 53 that protrudes downward from the bottom of the ball chute 50 is provided below the ball receiving tray 51. On the other hand, a base plate 55 made of sheet metal is fixed to the base plate 54 of Pachinko Island at a position facing the projection 53, and the projection 53 is inserted into the hole formed in the upper surface of the base 55 from above. The ball receiving tray 51 side is supported. On the other hand, at the downstream end 56 where the pachinko balls flow down, the downstream end 56 can be freely attached to and detached from the front surface of the ball counter 59 accommodated in the ball lending machine 58 by the rotation of the lock 57. The formed attachment / detachment mechanism 60 is provided, and by locking the lock 57, the mounting of the ball chute 50 is completed. An upper edge 61 is provided on the upper edge of the ball tray 51 to prevent the pachinko balls falling from the lower tray 52 from jumping out.

JP-A-7-185122 (FIGS. 1 and 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-249047

  To mount the ball chute described in Patent Document 2 on Pachinko Island, first loosely insert the ball catcher side of the ball chute between the lower plate of the pachinko machine and the pachinko plate, and lower it from above. An operation of fitting the protrusion of the ball chute bottom into the hole of the base fixed to the base plate is required. However, since the height of the border provided to prevent the pachinko balls from jumping out is set close to the bottom of the bottom plate of the pachinko machine, there is not enough room to move up and down, and the protrusions are engaged. There is a problem that the work is troublesome because the work is performed in a place where it is difficult to see the position of the partner hole. When there are a large number of eligible pachinko machines, the amount of accumulated time lost is not foolish. The present invention is intended to solve such problems, and it is excellent in workability and crime prevention by making the mounting state of the downstream end portion of the guide unit more stable and stronger than before. The purpose is to provide a guidance unit.

  The pachinko ball guide unit of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a ball tray that receives a pachinko ball falling from a lower plate of the pachinko machine, and a pachinko ball that is received by the ball tray in the pachinko machine. In a pachinko ball guide unit provided with a ball flow path that flows down to a ball counting means installed adjacent to each other, a lower part of the ball tray, and a pachinko island ridge formed by the pachinko machine and the ball counting means in parallel A first engagement formed between the plate and the plate by engaging the guide unit by sliding it in the longitudinal direction of the plate and restraining the movement of the guide unit in the width direction of the plate. Means for connecting the downstream end of the ball flow path with the ball counting means between the downstream end of the ball flow path and the ball counting means. water A second engagement means moving in the direction is formed to be constrained, and said second engagement means is provided with a locking means for locking when in the engaged state.

  As a work procedure when mounting the pachinko ball guide unit configured in this way, first, the guide unit ball receiving tray of the guide unit is moved in the first engaging means by sliding the guide unit in the longitudinal direction of the base plate of the pachinko island. Is determined. Next, the position of the entire guide unit is determined by engaging the downstream end of the ball channel and the ball counting means in the second engaging means, and the guide unit is stably and firmly fixed by locking the last. It will be. As a result, the guide unit cannot be removed without permission due to fraud or mischief. Therefore, for example, an illegal act on the ball counting means housed in the ball lending machine and protected by the housing is made difficult. Moreover, since the ball tray installed below the lower plate of the pachinko machine is an installation operation by sliding, it can work quickly even in a narrow space between the base plate.

  The first engaging means includes an adjustment bolt that is suspended from a lower part of the ball tray so as to be height-adjustable and has a hook on the grounding portion, and a hook of the adjustment bolt that is fixed to the hook plate on both sides. Two guide grooves arranged so as to be held from one side, and one of the guide grooves is provided on the back side of the plate along the longitudinal direction of the plate, and the other of the guide grooves Is characterized in that it is provided on the front side of the plate so that the distance from the guide groove provided on the back side of the plate gradually narrows in the sliding direction of the guide unit when engaged.

  With such a configuration, the guide unit can be installed horizontally by adjusting the height with the adjusting bolt even if there is a difference in the level of the step provided between the back side and the near side of the plate. In addition, when engaging the collar of the adjusting bolt with the two guide grooves, the gap between the two guide grooves is formed so as to be wide on the start side of the sliding operation of the collar of the adjusting bolt. It is possible to easily engage the flange of the adjustment bolt with the two guide grooves by simply sliding the adjustment bolt while contacting the flange of the adjustment bolt with the guide groove on the back side provided along the direction.

  Further, the flange of the adjustment bolt and the guide groove have a clearance that can move the downstream end of the ball passage up and down within a range in which the engagement operation in the second engagement means is possible. It is characterized by that. With such a configuration, the engagement work in the second engagement means can be performed without impairing the effective use of the narrow installation space on the ball receiving tray side.

  The two guide grooves are integrally formed with a single plate-like body, and the plate-like body is adhered to the plate with a double-sided adhesive sheet. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to perform an additional process such as making a hole in the base plate, and workability at the time of installing a pachinko machine or replacing a model can be improved. In addition, the plate can be used repeatedly in an intact state. In addition, it has confirmed with an actual machine that the sticking of the plate-shaped body by a double-sided adhesive sheet has no problem in strength.

  In addition, the second engagement means includes an engagement shaft horizontally installed at two upper and lower positions on a surface intersecting with the flow-down direction of the pachinko balls at the downstream end of the ball flow path or on the front surface of the ball counting means, The engaging recess is disposed opposite to the engaging shaft and is formed so that the engaging shaft is fitted when the downstream end of the ball passage is pushed down from above. And a fitting member that restricts the movement of the downstream end of the ball passage in the longitudinal direction of the gutter plate is formed between the downstream end of the ball passage and the ball counting means. It is characterized by.

  Among such configurations, for the engagement between the engagement shaft and the engagement recess, the downstream end of the ball channel is restrained from moving in the width direction of the flange plate, and the engagement portion is positioned at the upper and lower positions. By providing two locations, a strong and stable engagement state is created. Further, with respect to the fitting by the fitting member, since the movement of the longitudinal plate in the longitudinal direction is restricted, all of the guide unit in the horizontal direction is coupled with the engagement relationship between the engagement shaft and the engagement recess. Movement will be restrained. Furthermore, since the upward movement of the guide unit is restricted by the addition of locking, the guide unit is completely fixed.

  The pachinko ball guide unit according to the present invention is easy to attach and detach in the first engagement means, high and stable in a mounted state after being engaged by the first engagement means and the second engagement means, And it has excellent anti-fraud effects after the last lock and installation. Further, since no additional plate is added, it can be used repeatedly in an intact state. Since the adjustment bolt can cope with the difference in the level difference of the plate, it can be handled with a small number of parts, and the cost can be reduced accordingly. It is also possible to remove the guide unit and transfer the pachinko balls from the lower plate to the dollar box instead. In the event of a failure of the ball counting means, the pachinko machine will continue to be used without the ball counting function. It is possible to do so, and the operating rate of the store is not lowered.

It is a perspective view which shows a part of pachinko island with which the guide unit of this invention was mounted | worn. (A) of the guide unit of this invention is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is sectional drawing along the AA of (b). It is a perspective view explaining the state before and behind engagement in the 1st engagement means. It is a right view which shows the engagement state of a 1st engagement means. It is a top view which shows the relationship between the guide unit of this invention, and a ball counting means. It is a perspective view which shows a 2nd engagement means, Comprising: (a) shows a part of ball | bowl counting means, (b) shows a part of guide unit. It is a front view which shows a prior art example.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pachinko island formed by arranging a pachinko machine 1 and a ball lending machine 2 provided adjacent to the left side of the front in pairs in a horizontal row, and further, a paddle board 3 of the pachinko island The upper part is shown. As shown in the figure, the slat plate 3 is generally formed with a step which is high on the back side where the pachinko machine or ball lending machine is placed and has a low level on the near side. One of the reasons for lowering the front side is to secure a space for the dollar box, but the size of the step is not standardized by Pachinko Island manufacturers.

  A lower plate 4 is provided in the lower part of the front surface of the pachinko machine 1, and a pachinko ball guide unit 10 of the present invention is mounted in a space between the lower plate 4 and the bottom plate 3 below. The guide unit 10 is arranged directly below the lower plate 4 and receives a pachinko ball that falls from the lower plate 4. The ball counter 11 receives the pachinko balls received by the ball tray 11 and counts the balls stored in the ball lending machine 2. A ball passage 12 (see FIG. 2) is provided to flow down to the means 5 (see FIG. 5) using a downward slope. This guide unit 10 is connected to the ball counting means 5 at the downstream end 13 where the pachinko balls flow down. The pachinko balls stored in the lower plate 4 as a result of the game being played by the player slide the discharge lever 6 provided on the lower plate 4 to open the shutter 7 provided on the bottom surface of the lower plate 4 and through the opening that appears. It falls on the ball tray 11. The pachinko balls that have fallen on the ball receiving tray 11 flow down while aligning the ball passages 12 in two rows, and are sent out toward the ball counting means 5 from the downstream end portion 13.

  Although the internal structure of the ball counting means 5 is not particularly illustrated, a counting sensor that detects and counts pachinko balls that pass in two rows is disposed at one end of the ball passage. As the counting sensor, in addition to a light-shielding type or a reflection type photosensor, a proximity sensor that electrically detects and counts a change in inductance generated in the coil when the pachinko ball passes is used. Then, the pachinko balls that have been counted by the counting sensor are discharged from the discharge port 8 on the rear surface of the ball counting means 5 into the interior of the pachinko island and collected. An anti-counterfeit claw is installed upstream of the ball path that prevents the counterfeit tool from being pulled out even if it attempts to pull out the counterfeit tool after intruding the counterfeit tool with the ball connected to the counting sensor and counting the counter. Has been. This fraud prevention claw is a pendulum type, and it swings in the flow direction of the pachinko ball and allows the pachinko ball to pass through, but prevents it from swinging in the opposite direction to prevent the pachinko ball from going backwards. It is.

  The ball counting means 5 is provided with a shutter device (not shown) that closes the ball passage and prevents the pachinko balls from passing through the ball passage in the vicinity of the entrance of the ball passage. This shutter device is operated by a solenoid, and in normal times, the solenoid lifts the shutter to open the ball passage. When an abnormality such as a power failure occurs, the solenoid is not activated and the shutter is lowered to block the ball passage. Since the flow of the pachinko balls into the ball counting means 5 is prevented, it is not necessary to perform counting that would damage the player.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ball channel 12 of the guide unit 10 is provided to extend in the longitudinal direction of the guide unit 5 from one side of the bottom of the ball tray 11. The ball passage 12 has a vertical plate 12a that serves as a guide rail through which the pachinko ball P flows down by forming the upper edge of the upright plate-like body downwardly inclined, and a horizontal plate that supports the vertical plate 12a. The plate 12b is formed in a lattice shape in plan view. And the dust adhering to the pachinko ball P or mixed in the flow is screened out from the slit-shaped gap that appears between the vertical plate 12a and the horizontal plate 12b. Two such guide rails are set to increase the counting efficiency, and the pachinko balls P flow down while being aligned in two rows by the ball separating plate 14 erected on the downstream side. In addition, at the downstream end 13 of the guide unit 10, the height regulation pin 15 is bridged above the ball channel 12 in a direction orthogonal to the flow-down direction, so that the pachinko balls P overlap in two upper and lower stages. Blocking.

  An edge 16 is provided on the upper edge of the ball tray 11 so as to surround the upper side of the ball tray 11. The edging 16 is provided so that pachinko balls falling from the lower plate 4 of the pachinko machine 1 do not jump out. For example, a rubber sheet is used. This rubber sheet may be laid as a cushioning material on the bottom surface of the ball tray 11 that directly receives the fall of the pachinko balls. Note that the bottom surface of the ball receiving tray 11 is a slight downward slope toward the ball channel 12.

  Below the ball tray 11, an adjustment bolt 21 that constitutes one side of the first engagement means 20 is provided. The adjustment bolt 21 is screwed vertically into a recess 17 provided at the bottom of the guide unit 10 with a flange 22 serving as a grounding portion facing down. By rotating the adjustment bolt 21, the mounting height of the guide unit 10 with respect to the flange plate 3 can be adjusted according to the level difference of the flange plate 3. By tightening the nut 23 after height adjustment, the protruding amount of the adjusting bolt 21 is fixed. The height of the guide unit 10 is adjusted before the first engagement means 20 performs the engagement operation. In the engaged state, the nut 23 sinks and hides in the recess 17 (see FIG. 2 (b) and FIG. 4), so that an unnecessary operation from the outside cannot be performed.

  The ball passage 12 changes its direction to the right in the flow direction 90 degrees at the downstream end 13 of the guide unit 10 and communicates with the ball passage of the ball counting means 5 by engagement by the second engagement means 30 described later. The downstream end 13 includes a lock 31. The locking means inserts a key into the lock 31 and turns it counterclockwise so that the locking piece 32 stored in the downstream end 13 protrudes to the side of the ball counting means 5 to be engaged. It is composed of.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining a mechanism of engagement in the first engagement means 20 provided in the lower part of the guide unit 10. In this figure, the right hand side of the roof plate 3 is the front of the pachinko island. Become. Then, two guide grooves 24 a and 24 b formed so as to hold the flange 22 of the adjustment bolt 21 from both sides as an engagement partner of the adjustment bolt 21 constituting one side of the first engagement means 20 are fixed to the flange plate 3. Has been. Among these, the guide groove 24 a is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the plate 3 on the back side when viewed from the front of the plate 3. Further, the guide groove 24 b is disposed on the front side of the plate 3. Further, in the present embodiment, the guide groove 24b is such that the distance between the guide groove 24a and the guide groove 24b is wider than the diameter of the flange 22 of the adjusting bolt 21 on the left side of the figure and narrower than the diameter of the flange 22 on the right side of the figure. As shown in FIG.

  These guide grooves 24a and 24b are formed by bending both side portions of a sheet metal guide plate 24 into a generally U-shaped cross section as an example of a plate-like body, but can also be formed of a resin material or the like. . The guide plate 24 is adhered to the gutter plate 3 with a double-sided adhesive sheet. Then, the engagement by the first engagement means 20 is performed by sliding the adjustment bolt 21 from the state shown in FIG. 3A to the state shown in FIG. At this time, since the gap between the guide groove 24a and the guide groove 24b is formed so as to gradually narrow from the wide opening, the flange 22 of the adjustment bolt 21 can be easily entered at the start of sliding, and can be slid. At the tip, the flange 22 of the adjusting bolt 21 is prevented from going too far and coming off between the guide groove 24a and the guide groove 24b.

  FIG. 4 is a right side view of the guide unit 10 for explaining the engaged state in the first engaging means 20. As shown in this figure, between the thickness h of the flange 22 of the adjusting bolt 21 and the groove height H of the guide grooves 24a, 24b, the guide unit 10 is within a range in which the second engaging means 30 can engage. The downstream end 13 is formed with a clearance sufficient to lift the downstream end 13. That is, the groove height H is slightly larger than the thickness h.

  In order to perform the engagement work with the first engagement means 20 skillfully, as shown in FIG. 5, guides are made so that the engagement partners in the second engagement means 30 do not collide and damage each other. With the downstream end 13 side of the unit 10 slightly pulled downward in FIG. 5, the flange 22 of the adjustment bolt 21 is brought into contact with the guide groove 24a. And the engagement operation | work in the 1st engagement means 20 is complete | finished only by sliding the collar 22 of the adjustment bolt 21 in the right hand direction of a figure with the state contact | abutted.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the second engagement means 30, and the ball counting means 5 and the guide unit 10 are viewed from different directions. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), a front side of the ball counting means 5 housed in the ball lending machine 2 is provided with a rectangular opening 33, and a ball separating plate 34 erected in the center of the inside is provided with a depth. Stretched in the direction. The ball separating plate 34 is provided continuously with the ball separating plate 14 (see FIG. 2) formed in the guide unit 10, and forms two rows of ball passages inside the ball counting means 5. This ball passage is also inclined downward toward the back.

  In FIG. 6 (b), on one side surface of the downstream end portion 13 of the guide unit 10, a rectangular opening 35 is provided so as to face the opening 33 of the ball counting means 5, which is not shown in the figure. The ball channel 12 whose direction of flow is changed by 90 degrees at the downstream end 13 faces the mouth. On both sides of the opening 35, plate-like fitting pieces 36 are projected toward the front of the opening 35. By inserting the fitting pieces 36 into the openings 33 of the ball counting means 5, the guide unit is provided. The fitting part which restrains the movement of 10 longitudinal directions is formed.

  An engagement shaft 37 a formed of a round shaft is horizontally extended on the upper portion of the fitting piece 36. Further, an engagement recess 38 a that is notched upward is disposed on the lower edge of the fitting piece 36. On the other hand, an engagement shaft 37b made of a round shaft is horizontally stretched around the lower portion of the opening 33 of the ball counting means 5. Further, an engaging recess 38 b formed by bending the tip of the metal plate upward is provided at the upper part of the opening 33 so as to face the mouth of the opening 33.

  The engagement operation performed by the second engagement means 30 after the engagement operation performed by the first engagement means 20 is performed according to the following procedure. First, the fitting piece 36 is inserted into the opening 33 of the ball counting means 5 as far as the downstream end 13 of the guide unit 10 is lifted. After that, the downstream end 13 is pushed down. As a result, the engagement recess 38a engages with the engagement shaft 37b from above, and at the same time, the engagement recess 38b supports the engagement shaft 37a as if it is drawn from below.

  A long hole 39 is opened horizontally above the opening 35 of the guide unit 10. During the locking operation by turning the key inserted into the lock 31, the locking piece 32 stored in the downstream end portion 13 rotates and protrudes from the long hole 39. The protruding locking piece 32 is formed so as to remain immediately below the upper edge of the opening 33 of the ball counting means 5, and the upward movement of the downstream end portion 13 is restricted by the locking piece 32.

  This completes the installation of the guide unit 10. The guide unit 10 may be detached by a procedure reverse to the mounting. In the above embodiment, the ball counting means stored in the ball lending machine has been described. However, the counting means is stored in a box having no ball lending function, and the guide unit of the present invention is connected to the ball counting means. And may function as part of a pachinko ball circulation device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko machine 2 Ball lending machine 3 Claw plate 4 Lower plate 5 Ball counting means 10 Guide unit 11 Ball receiving tray 12 Ball passage 13 Downstream end 20 First engagement means 21 Adjustment bolt 22 ２４ 24 Guide plate 24a, 24b Guide groove 30 Second engaging means 31 Lock (Locking means)
33 Opening (fitting part)
36 Fitting piece (fitting part)
37a, 37b engaging shaft 38a, 38b engaging recess P pachinko ball

Claims (5)

A pachinko ball comprising a ball tray for receiving a pachinko ball falling from a lower plate of the pachinko machine, and a ball passage for allowing the pachinko ball received by the ball tray to flow down to a ball counting means installed adjacent to the pachinko machine. In the guide unit of
The guide unit is engaged by sliding in the longitudinal direction of the saddle plate between the lower part of the ball receiving tray and the saddle plate of the pachinko island formed by the parallel arrangement of the pachinko machine and the ball counting means. First engaging means formed so that movement of the guide unit in the width direction of the saddle plate is restrained;
By connecting the downstream end of the ball flow path to the ball counting means between the downstream end of the ball flow path and the ball counting means, the downstream end from the ball counting means in the horizontal direction. Second engagement means formed to restrain movement of
Locking means for locking when the second engaging means is in an engaged state;
A pachinko ball guide unit characterized by comprising
The first engagement means is suspended from the lower part of the ball tray so that the height can be adjusted, and an adjustment bolt provided with a hook on the grounding portion, and is fixed to the hook plate and holds the hook of the adjustment bolt from both sides. And two guide grooves arranged in such a manner that
One of the guide grooves is provided on the back side of the cover plate along the longitudinal direction of the cover plate, and the other of the guide grooves is spaced from the guide groove provided on the back side of the cover plate. The pachinko ball guiding unit according to claim 1, wherein the pachinko ball guiding unit is provided on the front side of the saddle plate so as to gradually narrow in the sliding direction of the guiding unit at the time.
The collar of the adjustment bolt and the guide groove have a clearance that allows the downstream end of the ball passage to move up and down within a range in which the engagement operation of the second engagement means is possible. The pachinko ball guiding unit according to claim 2, wherein the pachinko ball guiding unit is characterized in that
4. The two guide grooves according to claim 2, wherein the two guide grooves are formed integrally with a single plate-like body, and the plate-like body is adhered to the plate with a double-sided adhesive sheet. Pachinko ball guide unit.
The second engagement means includes an engagement shaft that is horizontally installed at a surface intersecting with the flow-down direction of the pachinko balls at the downstream end of the ball flow path or two upper and lower positions on the front surface of the ball counting means, and the engagement And an engaging recess formed opposite to the shaft and formed so that the engaging shaft is fitted when the downstream end of the ball channel is pushed down from above. ,
A fitting member that restrains the movement of the downstream end of the ball passage in the longitudinal direction of the saddle plate is formed between the downstream end of the ball passage and the ball counting means. The pachinko ball guide unit according to claim 1.