JP3148719B2 - Crane-type goods acquisition play equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a game machine in which a player operates an article pulling means such as a crane with an operating means such as a button to pick up (pick up) an article located below the article pulling means and pick up the article. The present invention relates to an improvement in a crane-type article acquisition game device for acquiring an item, and more particularly, to an apparatus in which an article holding force of an article pulling means can be changed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a crane-type play apparatus which picks up and obtains an article of this kind, any of them has a combination of two shovels for grasping the article, or three claw-shaped play apparatuses. There is an object that grasps an article by combining the objects and then moves it to an article acquisition port to acquire the article. Also,
The article pulling means to be picked up is one using a permanent magnet, an iron piece is attached to the article, and some of them can lift the article by magnetic force by the former and acquire the article.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional type of amusement device, only the technique of the player is used.
It was decided whether or not they could grab the item. For this reason, it has been extremely difficult for a company that installs the amusement apparatus to make adjustments to make it easier or harder to pick up articles. In order to make this adjustment, it is necessary to prepare an article that is difficult to pick up in shape, or to change the structure of the article lifting means, change the strength of the spring, repeat trial and error as appropriate, There was no other way but to improve. Furthermore, it was impossible at all to make a basic plan for profitability, such as how much goods should be provided to the player based on the total income. This is because whether or not an item can be obtained is determined only by the skill of the player, and the number of items to be paid out is not determined at all. Thus, in this type of conventional game device,
A good player can get a lot of goods, and a poor player can't get the goods no matter how many times it is repeated. Depending on the situation, it was not thrilling that the goods could be taken or could not be taken or could not be taken.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a crane-type article-acquiring game apparatus that allows a good or unskilled person to enjoy the thrilling fun of the game as to whether or not an article can be taken. . In addition, for the installers of the amusement equipment, set the desired amount of goods to be paid out of the total income, secure a certain profit margin, and make a basic plan for profitability. Is also an object of the present invention.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention is that a device is started under the condition of insertion or insertion of money or a money substitute, and a player can use a button or the like. By moving the article pulling means such as a crane or an electromagnet to an appropriate position by the operating means, picking up a desired article located below the article pulling means, and moving the picked up article to the position of the article obtaining port. In a crane-type article acquisition game device in which a player can acquire the article by dropping the article, the article is held while the article lifting means picks up the article at least and then moves to the position of the article acquisition port. A crane type article acquisition game device characterized in that when the holding force fluctuates and the holding force decreases, the article falls and the article cannot be acquired. . As described above, since the article holding force of the article pulling means fluctuates, even after the article is picked up, the article may fall from the article pulling means. Therefore, the player picks up the article. Later, the user cannot take his eyes off until the article moves to the article acquisition opening, and can experience a nervous state whether or not the article can be acquired, resulting in a thrilling game device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a payout determining means for determining whether or not to pay out the article is added, and the payout determining means is provided based on the setting of a profit rate or a payout rate. Calculate the payable amount via calculation means,
Only when the price of the picked-up article is equal to or less than the payable amount, by issuing a command to permit the dispensing of the article, the picked-up article is held up to the position of the article acquisition port, and the player acquires the article. On the other hand, when the price of the picked-up article is larger than the payable amount, the payout determination means issues a payout non-permission command, so that the picked-up article reaches the article acquisition port. The holding power of the pulling means decreases,
A crane-type article acquisition game device characterized in that articles fall and cannot be acquired.

As described above, by setting the profit rate or the payout rate by the installer of the apparatus, it is possible to secure a certain amount of profit with respect to the total income based on the calculation and instruction of the article payout means. It is possible to make a profit plan for

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory diagram of one embodiment of a crane type article acquisition game device according to the present invention.
The entire device has a box-type shape, the upper half of which is covered by a transparent synthetic resin box 10 so that the inside can be seen through, and the bottom of the transparent part rotates slowly. A rotating table 12 is provided. Various articles are placed on the turntable 12 (not shown). When the apparatus is operated, the turntable 12 is rotated, and a number of articles placed thereon are slowly moved. It turns.

In the vicinity of the lower part of the ceiling of the transparent box 10,
A moving rail 15 is provided between the columns 11 in a diagonal direction, and the article pulling means is formed on the moving rail 15 so as to be able to reciprocate. In this embodiment, the article pulling means can reciprocate between the vicinity of the column 11 and the vicinity of the center portion C where the moving rail 15 intersects. The same article pulling means is provided between the support 11 and the center portion C. That is, four players can play at the same time with this one game apparatus.

The article lifting means includes a moving part 21 reciprocating on the moving rail 15, a wire 22 hanging downward from the moving part 21, an electromagnet 23 attached to a lower end of the wire 22, And a weight sensor 24 located at an intermediate portion. The moving unit 21 has two built-in electric motors, one of which is for moving the moving unit 21 on the moving rail 15, and the other of which is an electromagnet attached to the tip of the wire 22. 23 to reciprocate up and down.
An operation unit 30 is provided outside each side surface of the apparatus main body. An operation button X for moving the moving unit 21 and an operation for starting to move the electromagnet 23 downward are provided on the upper surface of the operation unit 30. Button Y is provided. Numeral 35 indicates a coin slot, numeral 37 indicates an article outlet for paying out the acquired articles, and numeral 36 indicates an article acquiring port connected to the article outlet.

Hereinafter, an outline of the movement of the game apparatus will be described. First, the player inserts coins into the insertion slot 35. By the insertion of coins, this game machine starts to operate,
The turntable 12 starts rotating at a constant slow speed. Although not shown, various articles placed on the turntable 12 start rotating at the same time. Further, at the time of starting the operation of the apparatus, the article pulling means is located at the initial position S near the column 11. By continuously pressing the operation button X, the moving unit 21 of the article pulling means starts moving on the moving rail 15 toward the center C. When the player releases his / her finger from the operation button X and stops pressing the button, the moving unit 21 stops.

Next, taking into account the time required for the electromagnet 23 of the article pulling means to descend and reach the article below, the article intended to be acquired is positioned at a position a predetermined distance before the position below the electromagnet 23. , The operation button Y is pressed to lower the electromagnet 23. At this time, the electromagnet 2
3 is energized. When the electromagnet 23 reaches the lower article, it is attracted to the iron piece attached to the article or the packaging of the article, and then the article is automatically picked up.
In this apparatus, it is set so that articles can be picked up in most cases. Electromagnet 23 is wire 2
2, the moving unit 21 automatically moves to the initial position S of the moving rail 15 and returns, and when the moving unit 21 reaches the initial position S, the electromagnet 23 is released and the article is removed. It is set to fall into the acquisition port 36. The article that has dropped into the article acquisition port 36 is
After being transported to the article outlet 37, the player can pick up the article.

The above is the outline of the operation of the apparatus. In the present invention, an article payout determining means which is a feature of the apparatus is added. The article payout determination means is provided by the electromagnet 23 when the installer of the apparatus sets the profit rate or the payout rate (the payout rate is obtained by subtracting the profit rate from 1) in advance. Only when the unit price of the adsorbed goods is smaller than the payable amount obtained by multiplying the total income amount by the payout rate, a command to permit the withdrawal is issued. On the other hand, when the unit price of the goods is larger than the payable amount, the payout is performed. It issues a non-permission order. When the payout determination means issues a payout permission instruction, the attraction force of the electromagnet 23 of the article pulling means is maintained as it is, the attracted article is transported to the safe article acquisition port 36, and the player The article can be acquired, and when the dispensing determination means has issued a dispensing non-permission command, the attraction force of the electromagnet 23 of the article pulling means is weakened, and the attracted article is positioned above the article acquisition port 36. It is set so that it falls on the turntable 12 before being transported.

A weight sensor 24 attached to the middle of the wire 22 of the article pulling means is provided so that the unit price of the article can be determined based on the weight of the article. Therefore, the payout determining means calculates the payable amount based on the information on the unit price of the article from the weight sensor 24, and determines whether or not to allow the payout of the article.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a main part of a control means for controlling an operation related to an article payout determining means added to the apparatus according to the present invention. In the present invention, the CPU 50 is provided with a payout determining means for determining whether or not to pay out the article. That is, when the coin 31 is inserted, the main switch 32 as an operation start means operates,
The operation of the device starts. The player operates the operation buttons X and Y to operate the article pulling means, picks up the article, and transports the article to the article acquisition opening.

Here, the payout determination means performs a calculation process via the calculation means based on the set profit rate, and determines whether or not the payout is permitted. On the basis of the instruction of permission or rejection of the payout by the payout determination means, a command is issued to maintain the magnetic force of the electromagnet 23 of the article pulling means as it is or to weaken the magnetic force. In other words, when the payout determining means issues a payout permit command, the magnetic force of the electromagnet 23 is maintained as it is, and the article is transported to the article acquisition port 36, while the payout determining means determines that the payout is not permitted. When the command is issued, the magnetic force of the electromagnet 23 is weakened, the article falls before reaching the article acquisition port 36, and the article is not acquired.

As described above, the characteristic part of the crane type article acquisition game device according to the present invention is that a profit rate or a payout rate is set, and the calculation means performs various calculations based on the profit rate or the like. The supply voltage to the electromagnet 23 can be changed on the basis of a command from the payment determination means. Here, the relationship between the profit rate and the payout rate is such that when one is determined, the other is also determined at the same time. For example, if the profit rate for determining the profit amount is set to 70%, the payout amount of the article is determined. The payout rate is a numerical value determined to be 30%. That is, in this amusement device, the player plays a game aiming at an article desired to be acquired, that is, operates the operation button so that the electromagnet descends to the target article, and is attached to the article or the article packaging. By attracting the electromagnet to the iron piece, the goods can be picked up,
Here, the payout determining means for determining whether or not to pay out the article sends a command, and only when the payout determining means has issued a payout permission command, the electromagnet 23
When the supply voltage to the electromagnet 2 is kept constant and the picked-up article is transported to the article acquisition port 36, while the payout determination means issues a payout permission command,
Thus, the supply voltage to 3 is reduced, and the picked-up article is dropped from the electromagnet while being conveyed to the article obtaining port, so that the article cannot be obtained.

Thus, by setting a certain profit rate or payout rate, it is possible to easily secure the certain profit amount. Further, in the present invention, in order to further enhance the interest, the profit rate or the payout rate is changed so that the acquisition rate of the article is not fixed, and when the predetermined number of uses or the use period elapses, the fixed rate becomes constant. It is also possible to set the profit rate or the payout rate to Also, in order to further enhance the interest of the game, it is also possible to continuously issue a command to permit the dispensing of goods so that the dispensing rate can be ignored and the goods can be continuously obtained. it can.

The payout determining means will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the payout determination means. The payout determination means determines whether or not to pay out the article, and sends a command to the electromagnet 23 as to whether or not the article can be paid out.

Referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the apparatus is started by inserting coins or the like, and the accumulated amount of coins inserted so far, that is, the total income D, is multiplied by a preset payout rate B. In addition, the payout amount E is calculated (procedure 1
00). The payout rate B is easily calculated from the profit rate set in advance by the installer of the apparatus. That is, the profit rate is 70%
Then, the payout rate is calculated as 30%. Next, the expected payout F is calculated by multiplying the payout E by the wave probability C (step 101). The wave probability C is set so that the payout rate B is appropriately changed in order not to standardize the winning probability, and becomes a constant payout rate B after a predetermined number of uses or a use period has elapsed. . This wave probability will be described later.

Next, the total payout amount J accumulated so far is subtracted from the planned payout amount F to calculate the payable amount P (step 102). In step 103, it is determined whether or not the payable amount P is equal to or greater than the purchase price (article unit price) of the article picked up by the player,
In the case of YES (Y), the process proceeds to the payout permission procedure 105 so that the electromagnet remains in the state of holding the article,
A command is sent as to whether to maintain the magnetic force as it is or to make it stronger (step 107). On the other hand, if the possible payout amount P is smaller than the unit price of the article, that is, if NO (N), the procedure shifts to the procedure 104 of the continuous payout means. If the continuous payout is YES by this means, the procedure shifts to the procedure 105. If the answer is NO, the process proceeds to the dispensing non-permission procedure 106, in which a command for weakening the magnetic force of the electromagnet is sent, and the article falls (step 10).
8).

The continuous payout means shown in the above-mentioned procedure 104 means that even if the payout determination means issues a payout non-permission command, the payout permission is continuously performed at a predetermined number of times at a fixed rate or randomly. Is issued. In other words, the continuous payout means issues a command to permit payout twice or three times in succession every 80th time, for example, when the number of times of use of the player is counted from the first operation of the apparatus. The time point of the continuous payout and the number of continuous payouts can be freely set. It is also up to the installer whether or not to incorporate the continuous payout means into the apparatus.

The payout amount of the articles paid out by the continuous payout means can be set so as to be included in the profit rate, can be set outside the profit rate, and can be completely set up by the installer. It is. In the case of setting so as to be included in the profit margin, the payout amount of articles paid out by the continuous payout means is taken into the internal calculation, so after this means is operated, it is difficult to issue a payout permission command for a while It will be. This may lead to a continuous acquisition of articles, which is a great incentive for players to use this device.

Next, a specific example of the payout determining means will be described using specific numerical values based on Table 1 below.

[0025]

[Table 1]

First, A indicates a profit rate, which is set in advance by the installer of the game apparatus. In this example, it is set to 70%. This numerical value can be set freely.
With this profit rate A, the payout rate B becomes 30%. These numerical values are constant during a predetermined period from the first cycle to the fifth cycle. C indicates a wave probability, and a certain number of times (for example, 2
It is set so as to be automatically and randomly fluctuated according to the elapse of a predetermined time (for example, every day) or a predetermined time (for example, every day). In the example of Table 1, the first cycle is 100%, the second cycle is 80%, the third cycle is 90%,
, Etc., and are set so that the average becomes 100% in a fixed period of five periods.

D indicates the total income, which is obtained by multiplying the number of uses of the player by the usage fee. In this example, 100 yen per use is calculated as 200 uses. This one-time usage fee can also be set as appropriate. E indicates the amount paid out,
This is the amount obtained by multiplying the total income D by the payout rate B. F indicates the expected payout amount, and is an amount obtained by multiplying the payout amount E by the wave probability C. As a result, the payout rate is not constant. For example, in the first cycle, the total number of articles that can be paid out is 6000.
Yen x 1 = 6000 yen, and in the second cycle, 6
8,000 yen x 0.8 is 4800 yen. G, H, I
Indicates the number of articles to be paid out with unit prices of 200 yen, 400 yen, and 500 yen, respectively. That is, in the example shown in this table, the apparatus is capable of paying out three types of articles having different unit prices. Although there are three unit prices, there are various types of articles in this apparatus.

J is the total payout amount of the total amount of the paid out goods. In the first cycle, (200 yen × 6 pieces) + (4
00 yen x 3 pieces) + (500 yen x 5 pieces) = 4900 yen. K indicates direct expenses such as electricity bills in the first cycle, and L
Is the cost of the package of the goods, and in this example, 50 yen per piece. M indicates the planned profit, which is obtained by subtracting the planned payout F from the total income D. N indicates the amount of fixed profit, the total amount of payment J is subtracted from the total amount of income D, and the costs K and
L is the amount of money subtracted.

As can be understood from Table 1, by setting the profit rate in advance, the installer of the game apparatus can reduce the profit obtained from the apparatus by the payout determination means to the profit rate or less. There is nothing. Note that the wave probability C
Can be changed in a cycle such as 100 times, 200 times, 300 times, or a cycle every day. At the time of this change, that is, in each of these cycles, the total income D, the total The payout amount J, the planned profit amount M, the fixed profit amount N, and the like need to be stored and then cleared once (set to zero). These stored amounts are sequentially cumulatively added for each cycle. You just have to keep it. This wave probability C
Table 1 shows an example in which Table 1 shows a case in which the payout rate is changed every 200 cycles, and the payout rate is set after 5 cycles. Therefore, this table shows a case where a fixed payout rate (profit rate) is set when the total income D reaches 100,000 yen.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention can be modified as follows. The shape, size, design and the like of the apparatus main body can be freely designed. The layout of the moving rail 15 can also be freely adjusted as appropriate. In the above embodiment,
While each player can play up to four players at the same time on each side of the apparatus, the moving rails can also be laid out so that only one player can play. The rotation table provided on the bottom surface of the box body can also be implemented without providing the same, and articles may be randomly stacked on the bottom surface. In this case, the layout of the moving rail 15 may be changed as appropriate so that the article pulling means can move to any position on the bottom surface.

As the article lifting means, various conventional ones can be used. In addition to the electromagnet, a combination of two shovels or a combination of three claws may be used. In this case as well, the force for grasping the article is changed, and when the article dispensing decision means is not permitted to pay, the force is set to be weak, and the article drops before reaching the article acquisition port. That is, it can be configured so that In the above embodiment, the unit price of the article to be picked up is identified by the weight sensor.
A sensor other than the weight sensor can be used as the sensor for identifying the unit price. Needless to say, for example, a sensor capable of identifying the color or shape may be used. Alternatively, if various articles provided in the apparatus have the same unit price, it is not necessary to provide a sensor.

If it is set so that the dispensing of articles other than the registered articles is prohibited, two articles that are likely to be attracted to the article pulling means using an electromagnet are simultaneously attracted and both articles are attracted. It is also possible to prevent that an item can be obtained. As described above, in the invention of the present application, in the crane-type article acquisition game apparatus, the profit rate or the payout rate is set in advance by the installer of the apparatus, the payout determination means determines whether or not the article can be paid out, and when the payout is permitted, The article holding force of the article pulling means is maintained as it is, and the article can be obtained. On the other hand, when dispensing is not permitted, the article holding force of the article pulling means is weakened, and the picked-up article can be obtained. The feature is that it is set so that it falls before it reaches. Further, in the present invention, the article holding force of the article pulling means may be simply or randomly varied without providing the payout determining means, but in this case, the fixed profit margin Cannot be secured.

As the article pulling means, various means can be adopted. In the case of using the electromagnet employed in the above embodiment, the magnetic force can be easily changed only by changing the voltage. Therefore, in the present invention, it is extremely convenient. In the present invention, it is desirable that the magnetic force of the electromagnet is set to be slightly higher so that anyone can easily suck the article when the article pulling means picks up the article. As a result, there is no difference in the skill of the player when picking up the goods, and it becomes possible for anyone to easily pick up the goods. This is because the operation of the article pulling means can be noticed. Also, the attracting portion such as an iron piece attached to the article or the packaging of the article may be other than the iron piece as long as it can attract the magnet.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, after a player picks up an article, he or she pays attention to whether or not the picked-up article can be safely transported to an article-acquisition opening with thrill, It is possible to enjoy a different interest from the one in which whether or not an article is obtained is determined only by a pickup technique such as a conventional game machine of this type. In the second aspect of the present invention, the payable amount is calculated by simply setting a predetermined profit rate or the like in advance by the installer of the amusement device, in addition to the above effects,
A command for dispensing permission is issued only to articles with a unit price equal to or less than the dispensable amount, and the article can be acquired. On the other hand, when the unit price of the article is larger than the dispensable amount, the picked-up article is sent to the article acquiring port. Since the device is dropped from the article pulling means before reaching, the installer of the device can easily secure a profit amount based on a predetermined profit ratio or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram relating to control means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of a payout determination unit of the game device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: transparent box, 11: support, 12: rotary table,
15: moving rail, 21: moving part, 22: wire,
23 ... electromagnet, 35 ... input port, 36 ... article acquisition port, 37
… Article outlet, X, Y… Operation buttons, 50… CPU

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63F 9/30 A63F 9/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] The apparatus is started under the condition of insertion or insertion of money or money substitutes as one condition, and a player moves an article pulling means such as a crane or an electromagnet to an appropriate position by operating means such as buttons. A desired article located below the article pulling means is picked up, the picked-up article is moved to the position of the article acquisition port, and the article falls, so that the player can acquire the article by a crane type article acquisition game. In the apparatus, the holding force for holding the article fluctuates while moving to the position of the article acquisition port after the article lifting means picks up at least the article, and when the holding force decreases, the article falls, A crane-type article acquisition game device characterized in that articles cannot be acquired. 2. A payout determining means for determining whether or not to pay out articles is added. The payout determining means calculates a payable amount via a calculating means based on the setting of a profit rate or a payout rate, and is picked up. Only when the price of the picked-up article is equal to or less than the amount that can be paid out, by issuing a command to permit the picking-up of the article, the picked-up article is held up to the position of the article obtaining opening, and the player can obtain the article. On the other hand, when the price of the picked-up article is larger than the payable amount, the payout determining means issues a payout non-permission command. 2. The crane type article acquisition game device according to claim 1, wherein the holding force of the article is reduced, and the article falls, and the article cannot be acquired.