JP2014180313A - Game medium lending machine and game medium counting unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game medium lending machine allowing a player to quickly count the number of game media with less effort even in the lending machine including guide means, such as a nozzle.SOLUTION: A token lending machine 1 includes: a token putout part 5 for putting out tokens; a guide part 11 for guiding the tokens put out from the token putout part 5 to a tray of a game machine; a reception part 12 that is disposed in an upper portion of the guide part 11, and receives the tokens to be counted; a counting part 13 that is disposed in a lower portion of the guide part 11, includes an introduction part 21 for introducing the tokens received by the reception part 12, and counts the number of tokens; and a passage 14 that is disposed so as to pass through a side of the guide part 11, and introduces the tokens to the introduction part 21 from the reception part 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a game medium lending machine and a game medium counting unit installed adjacent to a game machine.

  Conventionally, a plurality of pachislot gaming machines are arranged side by side as gaming machines using a gaming medium such as a medal in a game hall. At positions adjacent to each gaming machine, a medal lending machine for paying out medals to the player is installed. The medal lending machine can lend medals when a player inserts money into the money slot or inserts a member card into the card slot.

  As such a medal lending machine, recently, as described in Patent Document 1, a medal payout unit that pays out medals according to the number of payout medals requested by a player, and a payout from the medal payout unit There is a medal lending machine equipped with a nozzle through which medals pass. The nozzle is connected to the medal paying unit and guides the medal paid out from the medal paying unit to a tray of the gaming machine adjacent to the medal lending machine.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-210215

  However, the above-mentioned medal lending machine with a nozzle installed between the pachislot machines does not have a function of counting the number of medals held by the player. Therefore, when a player counts medals, he / she needs to insert medals into a medal counter installed at the end of a gaming island where a plurality of gaming machines are lined up. Difficult to do with little effort.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even in a lending machine having a guide means such as a nozzle, a game medium lending that allows a player to count game media quickly and with little effort The purpose is to provide a machine.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a game medium lending machine according to the present invention is a game medium lending machine installed adjacent to a game machine, and a game medium payout unit for paying out a game medium, and the game medium A guide unit that guides the game medium paid out from the payout unit to a tray of the gaming machine, a receiving unit that is disposed above the guide unit and that receives a game medium to be counted, and is disposed below the guide unit. And having an introduction part into which the game medium received by the receiving means is introduced, being arranged so as to pass through the side of the guide part, counting means for counting the game medium, and from the receiving means The introduction part is provided with a passage for guiding the game medium.

  In such a configuration, in a game medium lending machine including a guide unit that guides the game medium paid out from the game medium paying unit to the tray, the receiving means for receiving the game medium to be counted, and the game received by the receiving means Since the counting means for counting the medium is provided, the player simply puts the game medium to be counted stored in the tray of the gaming machine into the receiving means of the gaming medium lending machine adjacent to the gaming machine, The game media can be counted by the counting means. Thereby, it is possible to count game media quickly and with little effort.

  In addition, since the receiving means is arranged above the guide portion, the player can put the game medium into the receiving means without interfering with the guide portion when the game medium to be counted is inserted into the receiving means. It is. Further, the introduction part into which the game medium is introduced in the counting means is arranged below the guide part, and it is possible to pass the game medium from the receiving means to the introduction part through a passage adjacent to the side of the guide part. Therefore, the counting means can be installed at a position lower than the guide part. As a result, it is possible to install the counting means at a position retracted from the game medium payout portion, and the degree of freedom in installing the counting means is improved.

  It is preferable that the receiving means, the guide portion, the introduction portion, and the passage are arranged on a front surface of a main body casing of the game medium rental machine.

  According to such a configuration, the receiving means, the guide unit, the introduction unit, and the passage are arranged on the front surface of the main casing of the game medium lending machine. It is possible to evacuate forward. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a gaming medium lending machine having a configuration including the receiving means, the guide section, the counting means having the introduction section, and the passage without increasing the width of the gaming medium lending machine.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the receiving means, the guide portion, the counting means, and the passage are integrally attached to the body casing so as to be detachable.

  According to such a configuration, since the receiving means, the guide portion, the counting means and the passage are integrated and detachably attached to the main body casing, the receiving means, the guide portion, the counting means and the passage are provided. As a single unit, it can be easily attached to and detached from the main casing of the game medium lending machine. Thereby, it is possible to obtain a game medium lending machine including both the guide unit and the counting means easily and at low cost simply by mounting the above unit on the main casing of the existing game medium lending machine.

  In addition, an opening is formed in a part of the front surface of the main body casing, and the receiving means, the guide portion, the introduction portion, and the passage are integrated into the main body casing so as to close the opening. It is preferably attached.

  According to such a configuration, the receiving means, the guide portion, the introducing portion, and the passage are integrated and attached to the opening formed in the front surface of the main body casing. It can be easily installed on the front side of the casing.

  Moreover, it is preferable to further comprise a determination means for determining whether or not the game medium received by the receiving means is authentic.

  According to such a configuration, the determination unit determines whether or not the game medium received by the reception unit is authentic, so that the genuine game medium can be selected and collected.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to further include a defective game medium discharge unit that discharges the game medium determined to be not authentic by the determination means to the front side of the game medium lending machine.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to discharge the game medium determined to be not authentic by the determination means to the front side of the game medium lending machine through the defective game medium discharge unit. As a result, it is possible to sequentially return game media that are not authentic to the player. As a result, it becomes possible for a player, a game hall employee, and the like to easily know the determination result of the game medium, and to prevent unauthorized use of the game medium.

  The game medium counting unit of the present invention is a game medium counting unit attached to a main casing of a game medium lending machine installed adjacent to a gaming machine, and can be connected to a game medium payout unit housed in the main casing. A guide section for guiding the game medium paid out from the game medium payout section to the tray of the gaming machine, a receiving means for receiving the game medium to be counted, and a count for counting the game media A counting means having an introduction part arranged below the guide part and into which the game medium received by the receiving means is introduced, and guiding the game medium from the receiving means to the introduction part And a passage.

  According to such a configuration, since one game medium counting unit including a receiving means, a guide unit, a counting means and a passage is configured, only by mounting the above unit on the main body casing of the game medium lending machine, These receiving means, guide section, counting means and passage can be easily attached to the main casing. Therefore, it is possible to easily and inexpensively obtain a game medium lending machine including both the guide unit and the counting means by mounting the above game medium counting unit on the existing main body casing.

  In the above game medium lending machine and game medium counting unit, the receiving means is opened upward in the opening with respect to the receiving means main body having an opening opened upward and forward, and the receiving means main body. A lid portion that is swingably mounted in the vertical direction so that the portion can be opened and closed, and a swingable portion that is swingable in the front-rear direction so as to be able to open and close the portion of the opening that is opened forward with respect to the receiving means body. It is preferable to have a receiving part.

  According to this configuration, when the game medium to be counted is put into the receiving means, the lid is opened above the receiving means main body and the receiving part is opened to the front of the receiving means main body, whereby the receiving means main body is opened. It is possible to open the opening of both the upper part and the front part, and the lid part and the receiving part in the opened state respectively guide the game medium to the opening part of the receiving means main body. It can be easily put into the main body. On the other hand, by closing the lid portion and the receiving portion, foreign matter can be prevented from being mixed into the opening.

  As described above, according to the game medium lending machine of the present invention, even in a lending machine having a guide means such as a nozzle for guiding the game medium, the player can count the game medium quickly and with little effort. .

  Further, according to the game medium counting unit of the present invention, it is possible to easily attach the receiving means, the guide section, the counting means, and the passage to the main body casing of the game medium lending machine.

It is a perspective view of the game media rental machine concerning the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the game medium lending machine of FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked at the inside of the main body casing of the game medium rental machine of FIG. 1 from the right side surface. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the medal counting unit and its peripheral part in the game medium lending machine of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the cover and receiving part of the receiving part of FIG. 1 opened. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the cover and receiving part of the receiving part of FIG. 1 are closed. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cover and a receiving part of the receiving part in FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which the cover and receiving part of the receiving part of FIG. 1 opened. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the medal counting part and defective medal discharge part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the planar arrangement | positioning of the principal part of the medal counting part and defective medal discharge part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the path | route of the medal in the medal counting part of FIG. 9, and a defective medal discharge part. It is a top view which shows the path | route of the medal in the medal counting part and defective medal discharge part of FIG. It is a perspective view of the medal counting unit of FIG. It is a perspective view of the conventional game media rental machine with a nozzle provided with the existing main body casing which can mount the game media counting unit of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the mounting | wearing method of mounting | wearing a main body casing with the game media counting unit of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the nozzle and panel of FIG.

A gaming medium lending machine 1 (hereinafter referred to as a lending machine 1) shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a machine that lends a medal M used as a gaming medium to a player in a spinning-type gaming machine P such as a pachislot. The lending machine 1 is installed adjacent to the right side of each of the plurality of gaming machines P arranged side by side in the game hall, for example, installed at a position sandwiched between two gaming machines P. Hereinafter, in this embodiment,
With reference to the lending machine 1 shown in FIG. 2, the right side and the left side of the lending machine 1 are defined as “right side” and “left side” in the present embodiment, respectively.

  The lending machine 1 is roughly provided with a main body 2 and a medal counting unit 3. The medal counting unit 3 is detachably attached to the main body casing 4 while being inserted from the front into an opening 4b of the main body casing 4 of the main body portion 2 described later.

  The main body portion 2 includes a main body casing 4, a medal payout portion 5, a money insertion portion 6, a card insertion portion 7, and a control box 30.

  The main casing 4 is a hollow casing having a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape. An opening 4 b that opens forward is formed in the lower portion of the front surface 4 a of the main casing 4.

  The money insertion part 6 and the card insertion part 7 are installed in the upper part of the front surface 4 a of the main body casing 4.

  The money insertion unit 6 has a configuration in which banknotes are inserted, and includes a bill insertion port 6 a that opens to the front surface 4 a of the main body casing 4, and a banknote identification unit 6 b that is housed inside the main body casing 4. In addition, the structure into which a coin insertion part 6 can insert a coin may be sufficient.

  The card insertion unit 7 has a configuration in which a membership card dedicated to a member of the amusement hall is inserted, and a card insertion slot 7 a opened on the front surface 4 a of the main casing 4 and a card stored in the main casing 4. A reader / writer 7b. The card reader / writer 7b reads information (member number, medal acquisition number information, etc.) stored in the member card, and rewrites it into new acquisition number information including the newly acquired medal acquisition number. Remember. In addition, the card insertion unit 7 has a function of inputting and ejecting acquired number information to a visitor blank card when the player does not have a membership card.

  Further, a display panel 9, a key input unit 10, and a status display lamp 31 are installed on the upper portion of the front surface 4 a of the main body casing 4. The display panel 9 includes a display unit 9a for displaying information such as the remaining amount, a lending button 9b for a medal lending operation, and a return button 9c for a member card returning operation. The key input unit 10 includes a plurality of keys arranged for performing various operations such as inputting a password for a membership card. The status display lamp 31 is a lamp that is lit or blinked to notify the employee when an abnormality such as a medal breakage or banknote jam occurs in the lending machine 1.

  Further, a medal replenishment port 32 is formed at a position between the key input portion 10 and the lower opening 4 b on the front surface 4 a of the main casing 4. The medal supply port 32 is an opening through which an employee replenishes the medal M to the medal payout portion 5 from the front of the main body casing 4. The medal replenishment port 32 is normally closed by a cover 32a with a lock, and in this state, the medal M is placed outside the main body casing 4 via the medal supply pipe 33 installed on the rear side of the main body casing 4. Automatically supplied from the medal supply device. When the medal M stored in the medal payout unit 5 is insufficient, the employee opens the cover 32 a and supplies the medal M from the medal supply port 32 to the medal payout unit 5.

  Further, a control box 30 for controlling the lending machine 1 is installed near the upper end inside the main casing 4.

  The medal payout unit 5 is a mechanism that pays out the number of medals M according to the request when the player requests to pay out medals by operating the lending button 9b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the medal payout unit 5 stores a medal M in a tank 5a, a medal M payout hopper 5b from the tank 5a, and a medal paid out from the payout hopper 5b. A payout guide 5c for paying M toward the guide unit 11 and a motor 5d for driving the payout hopper 5b are provided. The payout hopper 5b has the same structure as an introduction hopper 21 (see FIGS. 9 to 10) of the medal counting unit 13 described later, and pays out medals M one by one to the payout guide 5c.

  The medal counting unit 3 is a unit that is detachably attached to the main casing 4 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 and FIG. 13, and the medal paid out from the medal payout unit 5 as a main configuration. Guide section 11 for guiding M, medal receiving section 12 for receiving medal M to be counted, medal counting section 13 for counting medal M received by medal receiving section 12, and medal counting section 13 from medal receiving section 12 A passage section 14 for guiding the medal M, a medal identifying section 19 (see FIG. 9) for determining whether or not the medal M is authentic, and a defective medal discharging section 15 for discharging the unauthentic medal M. Yes.

  As described above, the guide unit 11, the medal receiving unit 12, the medal counting unit 13, the passage unit 14, the defective medal discharging unit 15, and the medal identifying unit 19 are integrated into one medal counting unit 3 (FIG. 13). Reference) is configured. The medal counting unit 3 is detachably attached to the main body casing 4 so as to close the opening 4 b of the main body casing 4. In a state where the medal counting unit 3 is attached to the main casing 4, the guide portion 11, the medal receiving portion 12, the introduction hopper 21 of the medal counting portion 13, and the passage portion 14 are integrated while closing the opening 4 b. It is attached to the opening 4b. In this state, the guide part 11, the medal receiving part 12, the introduction hopper 21 and the passage part 14 are arranged on the front surface 4 a of the main body casing 4 of the lending machine 1.

  The guide unit 11 guides the medal M paid out from the medal paying unit 5 to the tray S of the adjacent gaming machine P. The guide unit 11 includes a nozzle 16, a nozzle support unit 17, and a connection unit 18.

  The nozzle 16 is a long guide member that guides the medal M. Specifically, the nozzle 16 is a cylindrical member having a shape that allows the medal M to pass therethrough. As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 16 has a shape curved to the left in FIG. 2 so that the medal M can be sent out to the tray S of the game machine P on the left side of the lending machine 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inlet side end 16 a of the nozzle 16 is arranged to be higher than the outlet side end 16 b so that the medal M can roll inside the nozzle 16. . Further, a rib 16c for supporting the medal M in the standing state is formed inside the nozzle 16 so as to roll in the state where the medal M is standing.

  The nozzle support portion 17 is connected to the inlet side end portion 16a of the nozzle 16 and supports the nozzle 16 at an angle such that the inlet side end portion 16a of the nozzle 16 is higher than the outlet side end portion 16b. Moreover, the nozzle support part 17 has the structure which supports the said nozzle 16 so that rocking is possible so that a slight angle adjustment can be carried out to the up-down direction and a horizontal direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle support portion 17 is attached to a position slightly deviated to the left side on the front surface 4 a of the main body casing 4. Thereby, even if the front panel of the gaming machine P located on the right side of the lending machine 1 is opened leftward, it is possible to prevent the front panel from interfering with the nozzle 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 15, the connecting portion 18 has a configuration that can be connected to the payout guide 5 c of the medal payout portion 5 housed in the main body casing 4. Become. It is possible to guide the medal M from the payout guide 5 c to the nozzle 16 via the connecting portion 18.

  The medal receiving unit 12 receives the medal M to be counted, and the medal receiving unit 12 is disposed above the inlet side end portion 16 a of the nozzle 16 in the guide unit 11. The medal receiving portion 12 has a size extending over the entire width of the main body casing 4.

  The medal receiving portion 12 includes a receiving portion main body 12a, a lid portion 12b, and a receiving portion 12c.

  The receiving part main body 12a has a shape having an opening part 12d opened upward and forward. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the receiving portion main body 12 a includes a pair of side walls 12 e that are spaced apart from each other in the width direction X (see FIG. 5) of the main body casing 4 so as to be separated from each other. The rear walls 12g connecting the rear ends (the rear ends in the front-rear direction Y (see FIG. 5)) of the pair of side walls 12e and the bottom walls 12f disposed at the lower ends of the pair of side walls 12e. .

  The lid portion 12b is attached to the receiving portion main body 12a so as to be swingable in the vertical direction so as to open and close a portion opened upward in the opening portion 12d.

  The receiving portion 12c is attached to the receiving portion main body 12a so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction Y so as to be able to open and close a portion of the opening 12d opened forward.

  The bottom wall 12f closes a part between the pair of side walls 12e, and an opening 12h is opened at a position adjacent to the bottom wall 12f. The bottom wall 12f is inclined toward the opening 12h so that the medal M slides toward the opening 12h. Further, a rib is formed on the upper surface of the bottom wall 12f so that the medal M can easily slide toward the opening 12h. The opening 12h is set to a size that allows the medal M to pass in an upright state.

  1-3, the channel | path part 14 is a cylindrical part extended in the up-down direction arrange | positioned adjacent to the right side of the inlet side edge part 16a of the nozzle 16 in the guide part 11. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the passage portion 14 has a pair of side walls, a front wall, and a rear wall that extend downward from the edge of the opening 12 h of the nozzle receiving portion 12. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to 7, an internal space 14 a through which the medal M passes is formed inside the passage portion 14. The medal M received by the medal receiving unit 12 can be sent to the introduction hopper 21 of the medal counting unit 13 through the internal space 14 a of the passage unit 14.

  The medal counting unit 13 counts the medal M to be counted received by the medal receiving unit 12, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 to 12, the introduction hopper 21, the medal transport unit 22, A medal discharge unit 23 and a counting sensor 24 are provided. The introduction hopper 21, the medal transport unit 22, and the medal discharge unit 23 are arranged side by side along the traveling direction A (see FIGS. 11 to 12) of the medal M. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 12, the counting sensor 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the downstream end in the traveling direction A in the medal transport unit 22. The traveling direction A of the medal M is set to be parallel to the front-rear direction Y (see FIG. 5) of the main body casing 4. That is, the medal M advances from the front side to the rear side of the main casing 4 by moving in the traveling direction A.

  The introduction hopper 21 is an introduction part into which the medal M is introduced from the medal receiving part 12 through the passage part 14. The introduction hopper 21 is disposed below the inlet side end portion 16 a of the nozzle 16 in the guide portion 11. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 10, the introduction hopper 21 includes a rotating disk 21a, a motor 21b that rotationally drives the rotating disk 21a, and a guide member 21d. The rotating disk 21a has a plurality of circular openings 21c that are slightly larger than the medals M into which the medals M can enter one by one. The rotating disk 21a is disposed at a position spaced upward from the horizontal plate portion 21h of the introduction hopper 21 by the thickness of the medal M. A protrusion 21f protruding downward is provided at the edge of the circular opening 21c on the lower surface of the rotating disk 21a.

  The guide member 21d is a cylindrical member having an opening 21e that opens to the side, and is disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the rotating disk 21a. The opening 21 e is disposed toward the upstream end of the conveyance path 22 a of the medal conveyance unit 22. A plurality of projections 21g are provided on the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 21h in the vicinity of the opening 21e of the guide member 21d.

  In the introduction hopper 21 configured as described above, the medals M introduced into the introduction hopper 21 are inserted one by one into the circular opening 21c of the rotation disc 21a while the rotation disc 21a is rotated by the motor 21b. Then, the medal M inserted into the circular opening 21c rotates in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) shown in FIG. 10 together with the rotating disk 21a while being pushed by the protrusion 21f provided on the rotating disk 21a. When the medal M comes near the opening 21e of the guide member 21d, the medal M comes into contact with the plurality of projections 21g fixed to the horizontal plate portion 21h of the introduction hopper 21, thereby opening the guide member 21d. 21e is discharged to the conveyance path 22a of the medal conveyance unit 22.

  The medal transport unit 22 includes a transport path 22a, a drive pulley 22b, a driven pulley 22c, an endless belt 22d, and a motor 22e.

  The conveyance path 22a is a groove-like portion that extends in the horizontal direction and through which the medal M passes, and an opening 25 that opens downward is formed on the bottom surface in the vicinity of the downstream end in the traveling direction A.

  The drive pulley 22b and the driven pulley 22c are disposed along the direction in which the transport path 22a extends. The endless belt 22d is wound around the drive pulley 22b and the driven pulley 22c. A portion of the endless belt 22d facing the conveyance path 22a extends in parallel with the conveyance path 22a. The drive pulley 22b is rotationally driven by a motor 22e via an endless belt or the like, and can thereby rotate the endless belt 22d. The medal M in the transport path 22a can travel in the traveling direction A by contacting the endless belt 22d.

  The medal discharge unit 23 is continuously installed at the downstream end in the traveling direction A in the transport path 22 a of the medal transport unit 22. The medal discharge unit 23 discharges the medal M sent from the medal transport unit 22 to the rear side of the lending machine 1. The medals M discharged to the rear side of the lending machine 1 are conveyed to a predetermined place by a belt conveyor or the like outside the lending machine 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 12, the counting sensor 24 is disposed at a position downstream of the opening 25 in the transport path 22a, for example, near the downstream end in the traveling direction A in the transport path 22a. The counting sensor 24 includes a magnetic sensor or a photo sensor, and can detect the medal M passing through the transport path 22a and measure the number of medals M.

  In addition to the counting sensor 24, the medal counting unit 13 serves as a variety of sensors, such as a count lever sensor 36 that detects the rotational state of the rotating disk 21a, and a medal M at a position immediately before the opening 25 in the transport path 22a. And a passage sensor 37 for detecting the passage of.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the medal identifying unit 19 is a determination unit that determines whether or not the medal M received by the medal receiving unit 12 is authentic. For example, the medal identifying unit 19 identifies the metal medal M. It consists of possible magnetic sensors. In other words, the magnetic sensor detects the amount of change in the output signal that changes as the metal medal M approaches, and detects whether the amount of change is a predetermined amount of change, so that the medal M is authentic. It is possible to determine whether or not there is.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 to 12, the defective medal discharge unit 15 discharges the medal M to the front side of the lending machine 1 when the medal identification unit 19 determines that the medal M is not authentic. Specifically, the defective medal discharge unit 15 includes a path switching mechanism 26, a defective medal transport unit 27, a discharge port portion 28, and a tray 29.

  The course switching mechanism 26 includes a shutter 26a, a solenoid actuator 26b, and a link mechanism 26c. The shutter 26a is provided to be able to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction A of the medal M in the transport path 22a at a position where the opening 25 of the transport path 22a can be opened and closed. Opening and closing of the shutter 26a is detected by a shutter sensor 38 (see FIGS. 11 to 12). The shutter 26a can be opened and closed by receiving the linear driving force of the solenoid actuator 26b via the link mechanism 26c. The shutter 26a opens the opening 25 when the medal identification unit 19 determines that the medal M is not authentic, thereby allowing a defective medal M (hereinafter referred to as a defective medal M) to be dropped from the opening 25. become. On the other hand, when the medal identification unit 19 determines that the medal M is authentic, the opening 25 is closed, thereby allowing the genuine medal M to pass through the shutter 26a and from the medal discharge unit 23 on the downstream side of the transport path 22a. The medal M can be discharged.

  The defective medal transport unit 27 is installed below the transport path 22a. The defective medal transport unit 27 includes a drive pulley 27a, a driven pulley 27b, and an endless belt 27c. The driving pulley 27a and the driven pulley 27b are disposed below the conveyance path 22a and separated in the extending direction of the conveyance path 22a. The endless belt 27c is wound around the drive pulley 27a and the driven pulley 27b. The endless belt 27c extends in parallel with the transport path 22a. The drive pulley 27a is rotationally driven by the motor 27e of the medal transport unit 22 through an endless belt or the like, thereby rotating the endless belt 27c. The defective medal M dropped from the transport path 22a through the opening 25 is placed on the endless belt 27c and travels in a direction opposite to the traveling direction A of the medal M in the transport path 22a (that is, the direction toward the front side of the main casing 4). Is possible.

  The discharge port portion 28 opens to the front side of the medal counting unit 3. The discharge port portion 28 has a size that allows the medal M to pass through, and can discharge the defective medal M conveyed by the defective medal conveying portion 27 to the front of the main body casing 4.

  The tray 29 is provided on the front side of the medal counting unit 3 so as to protrude below the discharge port portion 28. The tray 29 has a dish shape having a shallow concave portion on the upper surface side, and can receive the defective medal M discharged from the discharge port portion 28.

  In the lending machine 1 configured as described above, for example, the medal counting unit 3 is mounted on the main casing 4 as follows. Here, as an example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the medal counting unit 3 is mounted on the existing medal lending machine 101, that is, in the configuration in which the existing medal lending machine 101 includes the main body 2. A method of mounting the main body casing 2 on the main body casing 4 will be described.

  First, the panel 102 which is a closing member for closing the opening 4b formed in a part of the front surface 4a of the main body casing 4 is removed from the main body casing 4 (panel removal step). That is, the panel 102 that closes the opening 4 b of the main body casing 4 in the existing medal lending machine 101 is removed together with the medal guide portion 103. Similar to the guide unit 11 described above, the medal guide unit 103 includes a nozzle 104 that guides the medal M to a tray of the gaming machine and a nozzle support unit 105 that supports the nozzle 104.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the medal counting unit 3 is connected to the front surface 4 a of the main body casing 4 while connecting the connection portion 18 (see FIG. 4) of the guide portion 11 to the payout guide 5 c of the medal payout portion 5. The medal counting unit 3 is attached to the main casing 4 by being inserted into the opening 4b (unit attaching step). Accordingly, it is possible to obtain the lending machine 1 including the main body 2 and the medal counting unit 3 according to the above-described embodiment using the main body 2 of the existing medal lending machine 101.

(Feature)
(1)
In the lending machine 1 of the present embodiment, the lending machine 1 including the guide unit 11 that guides the medal M paid out from the medal paying unit 5 to the receiving tray S includes a medal receiving unit 12 that receives the medal M to be counted, And the medal counting unit 13 that counts the medals M received by the medal receiving unit 12, the player can place the medal M to be counted stored in the tray S of the gaming machine P in the gaming machine P. The medal M can be counted by the medal counting unit 13 simply by inserting it into the medal receiving unit 12 of the adjacent lending machine 1. Thereby, it is possible to count the medals M quickly and with little effort.

(2)
Further, in the lending machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the medal receiving unit 12 is disposed above the guide unit 11, specifically, above the inlet end 16 a of the nozzle 16, so that the player can count medals When inserting M into the medal receiving unit 12, the medal M can be inserted into the medal receiving unit 12 without interfering with the guide unit 11. Moreover, the introduction hopper 21 into which medals are introduced in the medal counting unit 13 is disposed below the guide unit 11, specifically, below the inlet side end 16 a of the nozzle 16, and on the side of the guide unit 11, specifically Specifically, the medal M can be passed from the medal receiving portion 12 to the introduction hopper 21 through the passage portion 14 adjacent to the side of the inlet side end portion 16 a of the nozzle 16 in the guide portion 11. Can be installed at a position lower than the inlet side end portion 16a of the nozzle 16 in the guide portion 11. As a result, the medal counting unit 13 can be installed at a position retracted from the medal paying unit 5, and the degree of freedom of installation of the medal counting unit 13 is improved.

(3)
In the lending machine 1 of the present embodiment, the medal receiving part 12, the guide part 11, the introduction hopper 21 and the passage part 14 are arranged on the front surface 4a of the main body casing 4 of the lending machine 1, so that the space between the gaming machines P is narrow. It is possible to retract from the gap to the front of the main casing 4 of the lending machine 1. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain the lending machine 1 having a configuration including the medal receiving unit 12, the guide unit 11, the medal counting unit 13 having the introduction hopper 21, and the passage unit 14 without increasing the width of the lending machine 1. It is.

(4)
In the lending machine 1 of the present embodiment, the medal receiving unit 12, the guide unit 11, the medal counting unit 13, and the passage unit 14 are integrally attached to the main body casing 4 so as to be detachable. The unit 12, the guide unit 11, the medal counting unit 13, and the passage unit 14 can be easily attached to and detached from the main casing 4 of the lending machine 1. Thereby, it is possible to obtain the lending machine 1 including both the guide unit 11 and the medal counting unit 13 easily and at low cost simply by mounting the above unit on the main body casing 4 of the existing lending machine 1. is there.

(5)
In the lending machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the medal receiving portion 12, the guide portion 11, the introduction hopper 21, and the passage portion 14 are integrated while closing the opening 4b formed in the front surface 4a of the main body casing 4. Since it is attached to 4b, these medal receiving part 12, the guide part 11, the introduction hopper 21, and the channel | path part 14 can be easily installed in the front surface 4a side of the main body casing 4. FIG.

(6)
In the lending machine 1 of the present embodiment, the medal identification unit 19 determines whether or not the medal M counted by the medal counting unit 13 is authentic. Therefore, the genuine medal M can be selected and collected. It becomes possible.

(7)
In the lending machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the medal M determined as not authentic by the medal identifying unit 19 can be discharged to the front side of the lending machine 1 through the defective medal discharging unit 15. Thereby, it is possible to sequentially return the medals M that are not authentic to the player. As a result, it becomes possible for a player, an employee of the game hall, and the like to easily know the determination result of the medal M, and to prevent unauthorized use of the medal M.

(8)
In the medal counting unit 3 of the present embodiment, a single medal counting unit 3 including the medal receiving unit 12, the guide unit 11, the medal counting unit 13, and the passage unit 14 is configured. The medal receiving portion 12, the guide portion 11, the medal counting portion 13, and the passage portion 14 can be easily attached to the main body casing 4 simply by mounting the above unit on the casing 4. Therefore, by attaching the medal counting unit 3 to the existing main body casing 4, the lending machine 1 including both the guide unit 11 and the medal counting unit 13 can be obtained easily and at low cost.

(9)
In the lending machine 1 and the medal counting unit 3 of the present embodiment, when the medal M to be counted is inserted into the medal receiving unit 12, the lid 12b is opened above the receiving unit main body 12a and the receiving unit 12c is received. By opening the front part body 12a forward, it becomes possible to open the opening part 12d of the receiving part main body 12a both upward and forward, and the lid part 12b and the receiving part 12c in the opened state are each a medal. Since M is guided to the opening 12d of the receiving unit main body 12a, the medal M can be easily inserted into the receiving unit main body 12a. On the other hand, by closing the lid portion 12b and the receiving portion 12c, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the opening portion 12d.

(10)
In the mounting method of the medal counting unit 3 of the present embodiment, after removing a closing member such as the panel 102 for closing the opening 4b formed in a part of the front surface 4a of the main body casing 4 of the lending machine 1 from the main body casing 4, The medal counting unit 3 is attached to the opening 4b. Specifically, the medal counting unit 3 is attached to the opening 4 b of the front surface 4 a of the main body casing 4 while the guide portion 11 is connected to the medal payout portion 5. As a result, the medal receiving unit 12, the guide unit 11, the medal counting unit 13, and the passage unit 14 constituting the medal counting unit 3 can be easily attached to the main body casing 4. Therefore, by attaching the medal counting unit 3 to the existing main body casing 4, the lending machine 1 including both the guide unit 11 and the medal counting unit 13 can be obtained easily and at low cost.

(Modification)
(A)
In the above embodiment, the medal M is described as an example of the game medium lent out by the lending machine 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various forms of game media can be rented out of the game medium of the present invention. It is possible to lend by machine. For example, a pachinko ball or the like may be used as a game medium.

(B)
In the embodiment described above, the medal identification unit 19 including a magnetic sensor has been described as an example of the determination unit that determines whether or not the medal M that is a game medium is authentic. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, various forms of determination means can be employed. For example, when a medal having a barcode is used as the game medium, a barcode reader that optically reads the barcode may be used as the determination means. Furthermore, when a medal having an RFID is used as a game medium, a wireless reader that reads identification information stored in the RFID may be used as the determination means.

(C)
In the above embodiment, the configuration of the game medium lending machine including the determination unit (medal identification unit 19) for determining whether or not the medal M is authentic is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the determination means may be omitted.

(D)
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the channel | path part 14 is arrange | positioned adjacent to the right side of the guide part 11, you may arrange | position the channel | path part 14 adjacent to the left side of the guide part 11. FIG.

1 Game media lending machine (lending machine)
2 Main body part 3 Medal counting unit 4 Main body casing 4a Front face 4b Opening 5 Medal paying part 11 Guide part 12 Medal receiving part 12
12a receiving part main body 12b cover part 12c receiving part 12d opening part 13 medal counting part 14 passage part 15 defective medal discharging part 19 medal identification part (determination means)
16 Nozzle 16a Upstream end 18 Connection portion 21 Introduction hopper (introduction portion)
24 counting sensor P gaming machine S saucer

Claims (9)

A game media lending machine installed adjacent to a gaming machine,
A game media payout unit for paying out game media;
A guide unit for guiding the game media paid out from the game media payout unit to a tray of the gaming machine;
A receiving means that is disposed above the guide portion and receives a game medium to be counted;
Counting means for counting the game media, the counting means having an introduction portion that is arranged below the guide portion and into which the game media received by the receiving means is introduced;
A game medium lending machine that is disposed so as to pass through a side of the guide unit and includes a passage that guides the game medium from the receiving means to the introduction unit. The receiving means, the guide portion, the introduction portion, and the passage are disposed on a front surface of a main body casing of the game medium rental machine,
The game medium lending machine according to claim 1. The receiving means, the guide portion, the counting means, and the passage are integrated and detachably attached to the main casing.
The game medium lending machine according to claim 2. An opening is formed in a part of the front surface of the main body casing,
The receiving means, the guide portion, the introduction portion, and the passage are integrally attached to the main body casing so as to close the opening.
The game medium lending machine according to claim 3. A determination unit for determining whether or not the game medium received by the receiving unit is authentic;
The game medium rental machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A defective game medium discharge unit that discharges the game medium determined to be unauthenticated by the determination means to the front side of the game medium lending machine;
The game medium lending machine according to claim 5. The receiving means is
A receiving means body having openings opened upward and forward;
A lid attached to the receiving means main body so as to be swingable in the vertical direction so as to be able to open and close a portion opened upward in the opening;
A receiving portion attached to the receiving means main body so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction so as to be able to open and close a portion opened forward in the opening.
The game medium lending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A game media counting unit attached to a main casing of a game media rental machine installed adjacent to a game machine,
A guide part that has a connection part connectable to the game medium payout part stored in the main body casing, and guides the game medium paid out from the game medium payout part to the tray of the gaming machine;
A receiving means for receiving the game media to be counted;
Counting means for counting the game media, the counting means having an introduction portion that is arranged below the guide portion and into which the game media received by the receiving means is introduced;
A path for guiding the game medium from the receiving means to the introduction portion,
Game media counting unit. The receiving means is
A receiving means body having openings opened upward and forward;
A lid attached to the receiving means main body so as to be swingable in the vertical direction so as to be able to open and close a portion opened upward in the opening;
A receiving portion attached to the receiving means main body so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction so as to be able to open and close a portion opened forward in the opening.
The game medium counting unit according to claim 8.