JP5279593B2 - Lifting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lifting device preventing Pachinko game balls from clogging a part at which a game mediums are transferred from a storage tank to a device body. <P>SOLUTION: The bottom of the storage tank 30 is provided with a decompression mechanism 40 for supplying stored Pachinko game balls into the device body 101 of the lifting device 100. The Pachinko game balls in the storage tank 30 flow into the device body 101 where loads on the Pachinko game balls are diminished in the process in which the Pachinko game balls pass through one or the other of openings 43 and 46 in the decompression mechanism 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lifting device that is additionally provided in a storage tank that temporarily stores game media collected from a gaming machine and that transports the game media flowing in from the storage tank so as to be supplied to the gaming machine again. Here, the gaming machine is similar to a general pachinko machine, and the gaming medium is mainly a pachinko ball.

  Conventionally, in pachinko halls, instead of gaming machine islands consisting of a large number of pachinko machines, the pachinko balls used for each pachinko machine are collected and transported to be supplied to the pachinko machines again. Various types of devices have been proposed as small-sized lifting devices. Many such lifting devices have not only the function of lifting game balls in units of one or several gaming machines but also the function of polishing game balls.

  For example, the present inventor has already proposed a feeding device in which a pachinko ball is polished by a polishing member disposed along the outer periphery of a driving gear (see Patent Document 1). This is because the pachinko ball that has entered one end side in the tooth width direction of the guide tooth of the driving gear is moved to the other end side in the tooth width direction, and the pachinko ball that has entered the tooth gap of the guide tooth is moved a plurality of times with an abrasive member. Since it was made to be able to be polished, it was possible to exhibit sufficient polishing ability as compared with the size of the polishing member and the driving gear.

JP 2004-81634 A

  However, in the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, when the pachinko ball once stored in the storage tank is delivered to the lifting device, the pachinko ball in the storage tank passes through the discharge port as it is, and the apparatus main body. It has a structure that flows into a narrow receiving port on the upper side. Therefore, there is a problem to be improved that the total weight of the pachinko balls in the storage tank tends to concentrate on the discharge port or the receiving port, and the pachinko balls are easily clogged.

  Also, since it is necessary to take out the main body of the device during maintenance inspection and replacement work of the lifting device, the pachinko balls must be extracted from the storage tank and the conveyance path in advance, and there is room for improvement in terms of workability. was there. Furthermore, if all the storage tanks corresponding to each pachinko machine are filled with pachinko balls, the weight on the gaming machine island deviates from the expected range of the original frame structure, and the gaming machine island tilts or deforms. There is also a risk of affecting the rolling of pachinko balls in gaming machines.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the problems of the conventional techniques as described above, and can smoothly receive the game medium from the storage tank, and there is no possibility of the game medium being clogged in the process. It is possible to improve the workability by eliminating the processing of game media during maintenance inspection and replacement work, and further, it can be used as part of the frame structure that supports the gaming machine to increase the support strength The purpose is to provide.

The gist of the present invention for achieving the object described above resides in the inventions of the following items.
[1] The game medium collected from the game machine (10) is provided in the storage tank (30) for temporarily storing the game medium, and the game medium flowing in from the storage tank (30) is lifted to be supplied to the game machine (10) again. In the lifting device (100) for sending,
A device main body (101) disposed immediately below the storage tank (30), and a transfer path (170) for guiding game media delivered from the device main body (101) upward in an aligned state. ,
Provided at the bottom of the storage tank (30) is a decompression mechanism (40) for supplying the stored game media to the apparatus body (101),
The decompression mechanism (40) overlaps an upper lid body (41) provided with one opening (43) on one end side, which is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the storage tank (30), below the upper lid body (41), Combining with the lower lid (44) provided on the other end with another opening (46) that does not overlap the one opening (43) in the vertical direction,
The upper surface of the upper lid (41) is inclined toward the one opening (43), and the upper surface of the lower lid (44) is inclined toward the other opening (46), game medium storage tank (30) flows the the apparatus main body (101) in a state wherein the load applied to one or other openings (43, 46) each game medium in the process of passing through the is attenuated ,
An opening / closing mechanism for stopping the supply of game media from the storage tank (30) is provided between the apparatus main body (101) and the storage tank (30).
The opening / closing mechanism includes a shutter member (50) that can be inserted into a gap (26a) provided between the apparatus main body (101) and the storage tank (30).
On the side of the gap (26a), the transfer path (170) is also formed with a narrow groove (176) into which the shutter member (50) can be inserted so as to be partitioned in the middle.
When the shutter member (50) is inserted into the gap (26a) and the narrow groove (176), an opening above the discharge port of the storage tank (30) and the narrow groove (176) of the transfer path (170) To prevent the fall of gaming media,
In the shutter member (50), a small hole (52) into which a part of the game medium falling from the opening does not pass through a portion of the shutter member (50) that blocks the opening above the narrow groove (176) of the transfer path (170). The shutter member (50) is held in the state of being inserted into the gap (26a) and the narrow groove (176) by the load of the game medium fitted in the small hole (52) and the game medium connected thereabove. A lifting device (100), characterized in that it is a locking means .

[ 2 ] The opening (46) of the lower lid (44) in the decompression mechanism (40) is disposed above the entrance side of the gap (26a) into which the shutter member (50) is inserted, while the upper lid The lifting device (100) according to [ 1 ], wherein the opening (43) of the body (41) is disposed above the back side of the gap (26a) into which the shutter member (50) is inserted.

[ 3 ] The transfer path (170) is separated vertically from the narrow groove (176),
A portion (175) below the narrow groove (176) of the transfer path (170) is integrally attached to the apparatus main body (101),
The lift according to [1] or [2] , wherein the device main body (101) and the lower portion (175) of the transfer path (170) are slidably installed from the installation location. Feeder (100).

[ 4 ] The transfer path (170) is connected to the upper path (171) arranged in advance on the gaming machine (10) side and the lower end of the upper path (171) and communicates with the apparatus main body (101). And the lower route (172)
An upper end portion (172a) of the lower path (172) is configured to be extendable in the axial direction, and can be adjusted to a position where the lower path of the upper path (171) is connected to the lower path (171) later. 1], [2] or [3] .

[ 5 ] The storage tank (30) is integrally provided on a housing (25) for housing the apparatus main body (101),
The housing (25) or the storage tank (30) is configured as a pedestal continuous in the vertical direction,
[1], [2], [3] or [4 ] characterized in that the lower end portion of the housing (25) is configured to be vertically extendable and adjustable to a position where it contacts the installation surface. ] The lifting apparatus (100).

[ 6 ] The front side of each of the housing (25) to the storage tank (30) is formed in at least an arc-shaped cross section, and the outer periphery thereof is set to a size that does not interfere with the player's knee. [ 5 ] The lifting device (100) according to [ 5 ].

The present invention operates as follows.
According to the lifting apparatus (100) described in [1], the game medium collected from the gaming machine (10) is temporarily stored in the storage tank (30), and the game medium in the storage tank (30) is Then, it flows into the apparatus main body (101) disposed immediately below. The game media sent out by the apparatus main body (101) are guided upward through the transfer path (170). The game medium thus lifted is supplied again to the gaming machine (10).

  Here, at the bottom of the storage tank (30), there is a decompression mechanism (40) for supplying the stored game media to the apparatus main body (101), and the game media in the storage tank (30) is a decompression mechanism. (40) to the apparatus main body (101). The decompression mechanism (40) includes an upper lid (41) having one opening (43) smaller than the cross-sectional area of the storage tank (30) on one end side, and overlaps below the upper lid (41). The lower lid (44) provided with the other opening (46) on the other end side that does not overlap the opening (43) in the vertical direction.

  At the bottom of the storage tank (30), the game medium that has reached the upper surface of the upper lid (41) flows down toward one opening (43) due to the inclination of the upper surface toward one end, and the one opening as it is. Drops from (43) and reaches the lower lid (44). The game medium that has reached the upper surface of the lower lid (44) flows down toward the other opening (46) due to the inclination to the other end of the upper surface, and falls as it is from the other opening (46) to be a device. It flows into the main body (101).

  In this way, the game medium in the storage tank (30) passes through one or other openings (43, 46) of the decompression mechanism (40), and all the games that are no longer in the storage tank (30). The total weight of the medium is not received, and it smoothly flows into the apparatus main body (101) in a state where the load applied to each game medium is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the game medium from being clogged at the place where the game medium is transferred from the storage tank (30) to the apparatus main body (101).

Further, between the device the storage tank and the body (101) (30), is provided with opening and closing mechanism for stopping the supply of the game medium from the storage tank (30), the opening and closing mechanism, the device body A shutter member (50) that can be inserted into a gap (26a) between (101) and the storage tank (30) is provided. Further, on the side of the gap (26a), a narrow groove (176) into which the shutter member (50) can be inserted at the same time is formed in the transfer path (170) so as to be divided along the way.

  When the normal lifting device (100) is in operation, the shutter member (50) is placed in the gap (26a) between the device main body (101) and the storage tank (30) or in the narrow groove (176) in the middle of the transfer path (170). Since it is not inserted, the middle of the apparatus main body (101), the storage tank (30), and the transfer path (170) are in communication with each other so that game media can pass therethrough. Therefore, the game medium is supplied from the storage tank (30) to the apparatus main body (101), and the game medium is lifted through the transfer path (170).

On the other hand, the shutter member (50) is inserted into the gap (26a) and the narrow groove (176) during maintenance inspection and replacement work of the lifting device (100). Thereby, the opening above the discharge port of the storage tank (30) and the narrow groove (176) of the transfer path (170) is blocked, and the fall of the game medium can be prevented. That is, the troublesome work of extracting the game medium from the storage tank (30) or the transfer path (170) in advance is not required during the work of taking out the apparatus main body (101) to the outside.
Further, in the shutter member (50), a small hole (52) in which a part of the game medium falling from the opening does not pass through a portion of the shutter member (50) that blocks the opening above the narrow groove (176) of the transfer path (170). ). A lock for holding the shutter member (50) in a state of being inserted into the gap (26a) and the narrow groove (176) by the load of the game medium fitted in the small hole (52) and the game medium continuous thereabove. Means. Thereby, when inserting the shutter member (50), it is possible to prevent the shutter member (50) from easily coming out of the gap (26a).

In addition, as described in [ 2 ] above, the opening (46) in the lower lid (44) of the decompression mechanism (40) is inserted into the opening side of the gap (26a) into which the shutter member (50) is inserted. On the other hand, the opening (43) in the upper lid (41) is arranged above the back side of the gap (26a) into which the shutter member (50) is inserted.

  As a result, the game medium in the vicinity of the gap (26a) between the apparatus main body (101) and the storage tank (30) is affected by the drop from the opening (46) of the lower lid body (44) just above the gap (26a). ) Is distributed on the entrance side of the), and when the shutter member (50) is inserted, the game medium can move from the entrance side to the back side of the gap (26a). It becomes easy to insert the member (50).

In addition, as described in [ 3 ] above, the transfer path (170) is vertically separated with the narrow groove (176) as a boundary, and the apparatus main body (101) has a narrow path of the transfer path (170). A portion (175) below the groove (176) is integrally attached, and the device main body (101) and the portion (175) below the transfer path (170) are slidably installed from the installation location to the outside. . Thereby, at the time of maintenance inspection and replacement work of the lifting apparatus (100), the apparatus main body (101) or the like that becomes the center of the inspection can be easily taken out, and workability is improved.

According to the lifting apparatus (100) described in [ 4 ], the transfer path (170) includes an upper path (171) disposed in advance on the gaming machine (10) side, and the upper path (171). The lower path (172) is connected to the lower end of the apparatus and communicates with the apparatus main body (101). The upper path (172a) of the lower path (172) is configured to be extendable in the axial direction, and the upper path The lower end of (171) can be adjusted to a position where it can be connected in communication later. As a result, when the lifting device (100) is installed, the mounting position between the upper path (171) and the lower path (172) of the transfer path (170) may be changed depending on the specific structure of the installation location. Even if an error occurs in the dimensions, it can be easily adjusted and dealt with.

According to the lifting device (100) described in [ 5 ], the storage tank (30) is integrally provided on the housing (25) that stores the device main body (101), and the housing (25) or the storage tank (30 ) As a pedestal that is continuous in the vertical direction, and the lower end of the housing (25) is configured to be extendable in the vertical direction so that it can be adjusted to a position where it contacts the installation surface. As a result, the housing (25) or the storage tank (30) itself can be used as a part of the frame structure that supports the gaming machine (10), and it is possible to absorb dimensions and attachment errors with respect to the installation surface. , Support strength can be increased.

Further, as described in the above [ 6 ], the front side of each of the housing (25) or the storage tank (30) is formed in at least an arc-shaped cross section, and the outer periphery thereof is sized so as not to interfere with the player's knee. Set. As a result, when the housing (25) or the storage tank (30) is utilized as a part of the frame structure as described above, even if these structures protrude slightly toward the front side of the gaming machine island (1), The possibility of hitting the knee of the player seated inside can be reduced.

  According to the lifting device according to the present invention, the decompression mechanism for supplying the stored game medium to the apparatus main body is provided at the bottom of the storage tank, and the game medium in the storage tank is located in one or the other of the decompression mechanism. Since the load applied to each game medium in the process of passing through the opening flows into the apparatus main body in a reduced state, the game medium is prevented from being clogged at the place where the game medium is transferred from the storage tank to the apparatus main body. be able to.

  In addition, an opening / closing mechanism for stopping the supply of game media from the storage tank is provided between the apparatus main body and the storage tank, and a shutter member of the opening / closing mechanism is provided between the apparatus main body and the storage tank or in the middle of the transfer path. When inserted into the narrow groove, the opening above the narrow groove in the storage tank and the transfer path can be blocked to prevent the game medium from falling. In addition, the troublesome work of previously extracting the game medium from the transfer route is not necessary.

Furthermore, a small hole into which a part of the game medium falling from the opening does not penetrate is formed in a portion of the shutter member that closes the opening above the narrow groove of the transfer path, and the game medium that fits into the small hole and The locking means for holding the shutter member in the inserted state due to the load of the game media connected above it, so that the shutter member can easily come out of the gap when the shutter member is inserted. The situation can be prevented.

It is a front view showing roughly a gaming machine island according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view schematically showing a gaming machine island according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the raising apparatus and storage tank which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the pressure reduction mechanism with which the storage tank which concerns on embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a top view which shows the upper cover body of the pressure reduction mechanism which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the upper cover body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the lower cover body of the pressure reduction mechanism which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the lower cover body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the housing which accommodates the lifting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the housing which accommodates the lifting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows roughly the internal structure of the lifting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which partially fractures and shows the internal structure of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows roughly the internal structure of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows roughly the internal structure of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the driving gear of the lifting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the drive gear of the lifting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows roughly the downward inside of the lower cylinder of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which fractures | ruptures and shows the lower cylinder which concerns on embodiment of this invention along the cylinder axis. It is a front view which shows the downward path | route of the conveyance path | route of the lifting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the downward path | route which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the cross-sectional view of the housing which looked at the state which inserted the shutter member in the clearance gap between the housings concerning embodiment of this invention from the downward direction. It is the cross-sectional view of the storage tank which looked at the decompression mechanism in the bottom part of the storage tank which concerns on embodiment of this invention from upper direction. It is a top view which shows the shutter member which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its guide rail. It is a front view which shows the shutter member which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its guide rail. It is a top view which shows the shutter member which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the shutter member which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment that represents the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
The lifting device 100 according to the present embodiment is additionally provided in a storage tank 30 that temporarily stores pachinko balls that are game media collected from the gaming machine 10, and the pachinko balls that flow in from the storage tank 30 are again stored in the gaming machine 10. It is a device for transporting to be supplied. Hereinafter, a case where two gaming machines 10 are installed on a small gaming machine island 1 formed side by side will be described as an example.

  First, the outline of the gaming machine island 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the gaming machine island 1, and FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the gaming machine island 1. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the storage tank 30 and the lifting device 100 installed in the lower part of the gaming machine island 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the gaming machine island 1 includes a base stand 2 placed on a floor (installation surface), a support column 3 standing at the center of the base stand 2, and left and right sides of the support column 3. It is comprised by the flame | frame part 4 which assembles a pair of game machines 10 and 10, respectively.

  The gaming machine 10 enjoys various winnings by launching pachinko balls on the gaming board by rotating the handle 11. Specifically, for example, when a winning is made at a starting port on the gaming board, a variable display game is executed. (For example, scrolling display of identification information) When the display result is fixed in a predetermined jackpot mode, a special prize state is formed in which the big prize opening is repeatedly opened and closed a predetermined number of times.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a ball lending machine 20 for lending a pachinko ball by inserting a card is provided in parallel on one side of the gaming machine 10. Further, on the lower front portion of the gaming machine 10, a handle 11 for a player to launch a pachinko ball, a pachinko ball lent out from the ball lending machine 20, and a pachinko ball awarded from the gaming machine 10 ( There are provided an upper tray 12 for storing a prize ball and a lower tray 13 for storing a ball overflowing from the upper tray 12.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in addition to two gaming machines 10, a collection mechanism for collecting pachinko balls from each gaming machine 10 and the collected pachinko balls are transported to the gaming machine island 1. A lifting device 100, a distribution mechanism for distributing the transferred pachinko balls to each gaming machine 10 again, and an information display device 70 for displaying various information related to the gaming machine 10 are provided. Hereinafter, each mechanism and the like will be sequentially described focusing on the lifting device 100 that forms the basis of the present invention.

  The collection mechanism is provided corresponding to each gaming machine 10, opens at a position facing the lower side of the lower tray 13 of the gaming machine 10, and is disposed so as to extend to the lower side of the gaming machine 10. And the downstream end of the prize collection unit 21 and the downstream end of the entry collection unit 22 are connected in communication with each other. And a ball counter 23 for counting pachinko balls. In addition, a storage tank 30 for temporarily storing pachinko balls discharged from the ball counter 23 and a lifting device 100 for lifting pachinko balls flowing in from the storage tank 30 are provided below the support column 3. It is arranged.

  The prize sphere collection unit 21 receives a prize sphere (pachinko sphere) overflowing from the lower tray 13 and, as shown in FIG. 2, an opening 21a that opens at a position facing the lower side of the lower tray 13; A prize ball passage 21b extending to the lower side of the gaming machine 10 in a state of being connected to the bottom of the receiving port 21a. Here, the premium ball means a pachinko ball acquired by the player through the game machine 10. The pachinko balls stored in the lower tray 13 can be forcibly discharged to the prize ball collection unit 21 by operating a ball release lever provided in the lower tray 13.

  The incoming ball collecting unit 22 receives incoming balls (pachinko balls) collected in the gaming machine 10 in a concentrated manner, and as shown in FIG. 2, the receiving opening opened upward in the gaming machine 10. 22a and a ball passage 22b extending downward from the rear of the gaming machine 10 in a state of being connected to the bottom of the receiving port 22a. Here, the term “entering ball” means a pachinko ball used by a player for a game on the gaming machine 10. It should be noted that the safe balls that have been launched into the game board and entered into various winning holes, and the out balls that have not entered into any of the winning holes are collected together by the incoming ball collecting unit 22 as incoming balls. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ball counter 23 is arranged at a position where the downstream end of the prize ball passage 21b of the prize ball collection unit 21 and the downstream end of the entry passage 22b of the ball collection unit 22 communicate with each other. It is possible to count both prize balls and incoming balls. The ball counter 23 includes a plurality of guide paths for guiding pachinko balls, a counting sensor for counting pachinko balls passing through the respective guide paths, and the like. The ball counter 23 is configured to be able to count separately by guiding the prize ball and the incoming ball to different guide paths.

  A storage tank 30 for receiving pachinko balls counted by the respective ball counters 23 via the guide rods 24 is disposed inside the column part 3 positioned below the left and right ball counters 23. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage tank 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape by, for example, synthetic resin, and the guide rod 24 is introduced into the upper end opening of the storage tank 30, and the lower end opening of the storage tank 30 is It becomes the discharge port 31 as it is.

  A pressure reducing mechanism 40 for supplying the stored pachinko balls to the apparatus main body 101 of the lifting apparatus 100 is provided at the bottom of the storage tank 30. The decompression mechanism 40 includes an upper lid body 41 having an upper opening (one opening) 43 smaller than the cross-sectional area of the storage tank 30 on the front end (one end) side, and overlaps below the upper lid body 41 so that the upper opening 43, a lower opening (other opening) 46 that does not overlap in the vertical direction with respect to 43 is combined with a lower lid body 44 provided on the rear end (other end) side.

  4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the entire decompression mechanism 40, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the upper lid body 41, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the upper lid body 41. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the lower lid body 44, and FIG. 8 is a front view of the lower lid body 44. The upper lid body 41 is formed in an annular shape along the inner periphery of the storage tank 30 and includes an upper surface portion 42 that partitions the inside thereof. An upper opening 43 is opened on the rear end side of the upper surface portion 42. The upper opening 43 is formed in a horizontally long shape extending in the left-right direction on the rear end side of the upper surface portion 42. If the front-rear width is set to be larger than twice the diameter of the pachinko ball, for example, the flowability of the pachinko ball is good.

  The lower lid body 44 is also formed in an annular shape along the inner periphery of the storage tank 30 and includes an upper surface portion 45 that partitions the inside thereof. A lower opening 46 is opened on the front end side of the upper surface portion 45. The lower opening 46 is set to have a slightly smaller area than the upper opening 43. Further, a portion 45a where the arc-shaped rear end edge of the upper surface portion 45 is joined to the inner periphery of the storage tank 30 is formed in a rounded cross section that is curved so as to form a curved surface instead of a normal right-angle cross section.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface portion 42 of the upper lid body 41 is inclined toward the upper opening portion 43, and the upper surface portion 45 of the lower lid body 44 is inclined toward the lower opening portion 46. The pachinko balls in the storage tank 30 flow into the lifting device 100 described later in a state in which the load applied to each pachinko ball is reduced in the process of passing through the upper opening 43 or the lower opening 46.

  The upper lid body 41 and the lower lid body 44 are screwed together in a state where they are stacked one above the other, and at the bottom of the storage tank 30, the upper opening 43 of the upper lid 41 and the lower opening 46 of the lower lid 44 are mutually connected. It is arranged so that it is displaced forward and backward and does not overlap in the vertical direction. Here, the lower opening 46 of the lower lid 44 is disposed above the entrance side of a gap 26 a into which a shutter member 50 described later is inserted, and the upper opening 43 of the upper lid 41 is formed with respect to the gap 26 a into which the shutter member 50 is inserted. It is arranged above the back side.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the storage tank 30 including the pressure reducing mechanism 40 is provided integrally with the housing 25 that houses the lifting device 100. The housing 25 has an inner space in which the bottom surface side of the storage tank 30 is integrally fixed to an upper end portion thereof, and the apparatus main body 101 of the lifting apparatus 100 is stored below the housing 25. Here, the internal space of the housing 25 is an installation location of the apparatus main body 101 and the like in the gaming machine island 1.

  The housing 25 or the storage tank 30 is configured as a pedestal that is continuous in the vertical direction. Here, the total height of the housing 25 and the storage tank 30 may be set so as to match the lower end position of the frame portion 4 extending from the floor surface into the column portion 3, for example. In short, the pedestal composed of the housing 25 and the storage tank 30 is configured to directly support heavy objects in the gaming machine island 1 on the floor.

  FIG. 9 is a front view of the housing 25, and FIG. 10 is a side view of the housing 25. The housing 25 is formed in a box shape whose front side is open, and an intake port 26 that opens to the discharge port 31 at the lower end of the storage tank 30 is opened on the upper surface thereof. On the inner walls of both side surfaces of the housing 25, rail sections 27 having a concave cross section for slidably holding the apparatus main body 101 and the like of the lifting apparatus 100 are provided.

  The lower end portion 29 of the housing 25 is configured to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction, and forms an adjuster mechanism that can be adjusted to a position where it contacts the floor. More specifically, a pair of front and back clamping plates 28a and 28b are disposed on the lower end side of the inner wall of both side surface portions of the housing 25, and a side surface extending upward on both sides of the lower end portion 29 between the clamping plates 28a and 28b. Fastened with a single screw with the part sandwiched. Guide holes 29a through which screws are relatively movably moved back and forth are formed in both side surfaces of the lower end 29.

  On the front side of the housing 25, although not shown, a door formed in an arc-shaped cross section having the same diameter as the outer periphery of the upper storage tank 30 is attached so as to be openable and closable. That is, the front side of each of the housing 25 and the storage tank 30 is formed in an arc-shaped cross section, and the outer periphery thereof is set to a size that does not interfere with the player's knee.

  The lifting device 100 that forms the basis of the present invention includes a device main body 101 disposed immediately below the storage tank 30 and a transfer path 170 that guides the pachinko balls sent out from the device main body 101 upward in an aligned state. And comprising. One lifting device 100 according to the present embodiment is provided for two gaming machines 10.

  FIG. 11 is a front view schematically showing the internal configuration of the lifting apparatus 100, and FIG. 12 is a side view showing the internal configuration of the lifting apparatus 100 with a part thereof broken. FIG. 13 is a plan view schematically showing the internal configuration of the lifting apparatus 100, and FIG. 14 is a bottom view schematically showing the internal configuration of the lifting apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the apparatus main body 101 is supported by a base frame 102, and an electric motor 130 as a drive source is also attached to the base frame 102. The apparatus main body 101 includes a driving gear 110 capable of holding a pachinko ball in a tooth gap and transporting it in the rotation direction, and a cylindrical casing 120 that houses the driving gear 110.

  As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the driving gear 110 is made of resin and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a space therein. A cylindrical fitting portion 111 that extends in the axial direction is provided in the internal space of the driving gear 110, and a plurality of ribs 112 extend radially from the fitting portion 111 toward the inner peripheral wall. The fitting portion 111 is integrally fixed to the rotating shaft 134. The driving gear 110 is arranged so that the axial direction of the rotating shaft 134 extends substantially in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a cap 113 is fixed to the upper opening of the internal space of the driving gear 110. The cap 113 constitutes the upper surface portion of the driving gear 110 and is formed in a substantially conical shape so that the pachinko sphere flows down from the top portion 113a toward the outer peripheral edge 113b. As shown in FIG. 15, guide teeth 114 of the driving gear 110 are formed along the outer peripheral edge 113 b of the cap 113.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the upper portion of the substantially cylindrical driving gear 110 is a large-diameter portion 110 a, and the guide teeth 114 extend along the generatrix of the column surface on the outer periphery of the large-diameter portion 110 a. It is formed to extend. The tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 is formed in an arcuate cross-sectional shape so as to embrace more than half of the pachinko ball, and the groove opening of the tooth groove 114a prevents the pachinko ball from being detached from the tooth groove 114a to the outside. The width is set narrower than the maximum diameter of the pachinko sphere. The tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 can guide a pachinko ball that has entered from the upper end side of the tooth groove 114a to the lower end side, and a plurality of pachinko balls are sequentially stacked in the groove of the tooth groove 114a. Be contained.

  The lower side of the large-diameter portion 110a of the driving gear 110 is a reduced-diameter portion 110b whose outer diameter gradually decreases. Locking teeth 115 are formed on the outer periphery of the reduced diameter portion 110b so as to extend along the generatrix of the column surface continuously to the guide teeth 114. The pitch of each locking tooth 115 is gradually narrower than the wider pitch of each guide tooth 114, and pachinko balls received from the tooth groove 114 a of the guiding tooth 114 between the tooth grooves 115 a of the locking tooth 115. It is set so that they come close to each other and come into contact with each other.

  The lower side of the reduced diameter portion 110b is a small diameter portion 110c extending to the same outer diameter as the minimum outer diameter of the lower end of the reduced diameter portion 110b, and the guide teeth are also provided on the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 110c. Locking teeth 116 extending along the generatrix of the column surface are formed continuously to 114. Between the tooth spaces 116 a of the locking teeth 116, the pachinko balls guided from the tooth spaces 114 a of the guide teeth 114 are set to be kept in contact with each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the casing 120 is formed by integrally combining an upper upper cylinder 121 and a lower lower cylinder 122. The upper cylinder 121 receives a pachinko ball in an unaligned state flowing from the storage tank 30 and guides it to the tooth groove 114 a of the guide tooth 114. The lower cylindrical body 122 is formed so as to receive pachinko balls from the upper cylindrical body 121 so that the alignment state of the pachinko balls when received is optimal and to be sent to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the diameter of the upper cylinder 121 is adjusted to the outer diameter of the large-diameter receiving port 121 a connected to the discharge port 31 side of the storage tank 30 and the guide teeth 114 of the driving gear 110. And a small-diameter outlet 121b. An opening 123 is opened across the cylinder wall of the upper cylinder 121 and the cylinder wall of the lower cylinder 122. The lower end side of the lower cylindrical body 122 is a tapered small diameter portion 122a in accordance with the small diameter portion 110c (see FIG. 16) of the driving gear 110, and the inner peripheral wall of the small diameter portion 122a is the same as the small diameter portion 110c. It is set along the outer periphery of the locking tooth 116. At the center of the bottom of the small diameter portion 122a, there is a bearing portion 122b for the rotating shaft 134.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, a spiral projection 124 protruding toward the locking tooth 116 is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the lower cylindrical body 122. The spiral convex portion 124 abuts the pachinko ball received in the tooth groove 116 a of the locking tooth 116 from below, and is formed so that the pachinko ball can be gradually guided to the bottom of the lower cylindrical body 122. The spiral convex portion 124 is formed corresponding to the locus drawn by the pachinko sphere when the pachinko sphere rotates spirally about ¼ along the inner peripheral wall of the lower cylindrical body 122.

  In the cylindrical wall of the lower cylindrical body 122, a communication passage 125 is provided for guiding a pachinko ball guided to the bottom of the small diameter portion 122a to the transfer path 170. The communication passage 125 is established on a tangential direction line drawn with respect to the circular locus of the pachinko sphere moving along the cylindrical wall of the lower cylindrical body 122. Note that the starting end of the spiral convex portion 124 is formed at a position facing the entrance of the communication passage 125 from above.

  As shown in FIG. 12, an electric motor 130 is attached to the lower side of the base frame 102. A gear head 131 and a drive shaft 131a are integrally assembled with the electric motor 130. A spur gear 132 is fixed to the drive shaft 131a. Further, a bearing 133 is disposed on the base frame 102, and the rotating shaft 134 is rotatably supported by the bearing 133. A spur gear 135 is fixed to the rotating shaft 134. A timing belt 136 is wound around the spur gear 135 on the rotating shaft 134 side and the spur gear 132 on the drive shaft 131a side.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the transfer path 170 connected to the apparatus main body 101 guides the pachinko balls sent out from the apparatus main body 101 in an aligned state, and gently curves from the lower cylindrical body 122. And rises upward. The transfer path 170 has an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the pachinko sphere, and is mainly composed of a pipe member that transfers the pachinko sphere in an aligned state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the transfer path 170 extends straight upward from the middle of the transfer path 170, and the upper end side thereof is an upper tank 60 disposed in the upper part of the column part 3 of the gaming machine island 1. Communicating with The transfer path 170 includes an upper path 171 disposed in advance on the gaming machine island 1 on the gaming machine 10 side, and a lower path 172 connected to the lower end 171a of the upper path 171 and communicating with the apparatus main body 101 side. I know.

  FIG. 19 is a front view showing the lower path 172, and FIG. 20 is a side view showing the lower path 172. An upper end portion 172a of the lower path 172 is configured to be expandable and contractable in the axial direction, and can be adjusted to a position to be connected to the lower end 171a of the upper path 171 later. More specifically, the upper end portion 172a is formed to have a slightly larger inner diameter than a portion continuous below, and is externally fitted to the portion continuous below to be slidable in the axial direction. The upper end 172a is configured to be urged upward by a coil spring 173 and to be fixed at an arbitrary position with respect to a portion continuous downward by a screw in the fastening portion 174.

  The lower path 172 of the transfer path 170 further includes a housing fixing portion that is integrally attached to the housing 25 including the upper end portion 172a, and an apparatus main body fixing portion 175 that is integrally attached to the apparatus main body 101 as a lower portion communicating with the lower portion. It is divided into and. When the apparatus main body 101 is housed in the housing 25, the upper end 175 a of the apparatus main body fixing portion 175 comes into contact with the rear wall at the lower end opening 172 b of the housing fixing portion, and a gap forming a narrow groove 176 is generated. (See FIG. 12).

  That is, in the transfer path 170, the upper path 171 and the lower path 172 are divided, and further, the middle of the lower path 172 is bordered by the narrow groove 176, and the upper housing fixing part and the lower apparatus main body fixing part 175. It is divided into and. Here, the narrow groove 176 becomes a part for inserting a shutter member 50 described below. The apparatus main body 101 and the apparatus main body fixing portion 175 are housed in the internal space of the housing 25 as described above, and are slidably installed to the outside due to the fitting relationship with the rail portion 27.

  An opening / closing mechanism for stopping the supply of pachinko balls from the storage tank 30 is provided between the apparatus main body 101 and the storage tank 30. The opening / closing mechanism includes a shutter member 50 that can be inserted into the gap 26a. Here, the gap 26 a is formed along the lower surface of the upper end portion of the housing 25, and more specifically, the intake port 26 through which the discharge port 31 of the storage tank 30 communicates, and the upper cylinder of the apparatus main body 101 installed in the housing 25. It is formed between a large-diameter receiving port 121a in the body 121.

  The narrow groove 176 is disposed laterally at the same height as the gap 26a, and the gap 26a and the narrow groove 176 are simultaneously opened and closed by the shutter member 50, respectively. When the shutter member 50 is inserted into the gap 26 a and the narrow groove 176, the shutter member 50 blocks the opening above the discharge port 31 of the storage tank 30 and the narrow groove 176 of the transfer path 170 to prevent the pachinko ball from falling.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the housing 25 when the state in which the shutter member 50 is inserted into the gap 26a is viewed from below, and FIG. 22 is a storage tank when the decompression mechanism 40 at the bottom of the storage tank 30 is viewed from above. FIG. FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the shutter member 50 and its guide rail 55, and FIG. 24 is a front view thereof. FIG. 25 is a plan view showing the shutter member 50, and FIG. 26 is a front view showing the shutter member 50.

As shown in FIGS. 21, 23, and 24, a pair of guide rails 55, 55 for slidably guiding the shutter member 50 are provided on the inner walls of both side portions of the housing 25. Each guide rail 55 protrudes from the inner wall of the side surface with a predetermined width, and can be slid back and forth with both side edges of the shutter member 50 placed thereon.

As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the shutter member 50 is basically formed of a rectangular plate material, and an upward flange 51 is formed on the front edge of the shutter member 50 so as to be easily gripped. Further, in the shutter member 50 , a small hole 52 into which a pachinko ball falling from the lower end 172b does not pass through a part of the portion closing the lower end 172b that is an opening above the narrow groove 176 of the transfer path 170. Is drilled. It becomes a locking means for holding the shutter member 50 in the state of being inserted into the gap 26a and the narrow groove 176 by the load of the pachinko sphere fitted in the small hole 52 and the pachinko sphere continuous thereabove .

  Next, a distribution mechanism for distributing the pachinko balls lifted by the lifting device 100 to the gaming machines 10 again will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the distribution mechanism includes the upper tank 60, a pair of supply rods 61, 61 extending diagonally downward from the both sides of the bottom of the upper tank 60 toward the left and right, and each supply rod 61. Alignment rods 62 that fall in the state where pachinko balls flowing down the supply rods 61 are aligned are provided corresponding to the gaming machines 10 that are disposed in the middle.

  The alignment basket 62 and the gaming machine 10 communicate with each other by a bellows 63 that guides a falling game ball. In addition, a replenishment ball counter 64 for counting the pachinko balls replenished via the bellows 63 is provided on the upper rear side of the gaming machine 10. After being counted, the game machine 10 is set to be refilled again.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information display device 70 is integrally provided on the front side of the support column 3 of the gaming machine island 1, and includes a display unit 71 for displaying various information, a membership card (and a non-member visitor). A card insertion / extraction port 72 for inserting a card), an operation unit 73 for performing various operations such as a player inputting a password, and a receipt ticketing port 74 for paying out a receipt printed with various information. .

The operation of the above-described embodiment will be described below.
First, an outline of the flow of pachinko balls in the gaming machine island 1 will be described. In FIG. 1, when starting a game, a player receives a predetermined number of pachinko balls as lending balls from the ball lending machine 20 via a card. In the gaming machine 10, a pachinko ball is launched one by one on the game board by a rotation operation of the handle 11 by the player, and when a winning is made in various winning holes, a predetermined number of pachinko balls are used as the prize balls 12 or It is paid out to the lower tray 13.

  The prize sphere received by the prize sphere collection unit 21 through the lower tray 13 is counted by the sphere counter 23 and then collected in the storage tank 30 via the guide rod 24. In addition, the thrown ball in the game is sent to the ball counter 23 through the ball collecting unit 22 and counted by the ball counter 23 in the same manner as the prize ball, and then stored in the storage tank through the guide rod 24. 30 is collected. Here, the counting results of the premium ball and the incoming ball can be output separately.

  Thus, the pachinko balls collected from the gaming machine 10 are temporarily stored in the storage tank 30, and the pachinko balls in the storage tank 30 are arranged immediately below the storage tank 30 as the lifting device 100 is driven. Into the apparatus main body 101. Here, a decompression mechanism 40 is provided at the bottom of the storage tank 30 as shown in FIG. 3, and pachinko balls in the storage tank 30 are delivered to the apparatus main body 101 via the decompression mechanism 40.

  That is, the pachinko ball that has reached the upper surface portion 42 of the upper lid 41 of the decompression mechanism 40 at the bottom of the storage tank 30 flows down toward the upper opening 43 due to the inclination toward the rear end side of the upper surface portion 42. It falls from the upper opening 43 and reaches the lower lid 44. The pachinko sphere that has reached the upper surface 45 of the lower lid 44 flows down toward the lower opening 46 due to the inclination of the upper surface 45 toward the front end, falls as it is from the lower opening 46 and flows into the apparatus main body 101. .

  As described above, the pachinko balls in the storage tank 30 receive the total weight of all the pachinko balls in the storage tank 30 in the process of sequentially passing through the upper opening 43 or the lower opening 46 of the decompression mechanism 40. It disappears and flows smoothly into the apparatus main body 101 in a state where the load applied to each pachinko ball is reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the pachinko ball from being clogged at the place where the pachinko ball is transferred from the storage tank 30 to the apparatus main body 101. In particular, a portion 45a where the rear end edge of the upper surface portion 45 is joined to the inner periphery of the storage tank 30 is formed in a curved round cross section, which makes it easier to roll the game ball.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the storage tank 30 is integrally fixed on a housing 25 that houses the apparatus main body 101, and the housing 25 or the storage tank 30 is configured as a pedestal that is continuous in the vertical direction. ing. Thereby, the housing 25 or the storage tank 30 itself can be utilized as a part of the frame structure that supports the gaming machine 10.

  In particular, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lower end portion 29 of the housing 25 can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction, so that it is possible to absorb dimensions and attachment errors with respect to the floor surface, thereby increasing the support strength. it can. In addition, since the side part of the lower end part 29 will be in the state inserted | pinched between a pair of clamping plates 28a and 28b, a strong frictional force can be ensured and it can fasten only with one screw. .

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 22, the front side of each of the housing 25 and the storage tank 30 is formed in an arc-shaped cross section, and the outer periphery thereof is set to a size that does not interfere with the player's knee. As a result, when the housing 25 or the storage tank 30 is used as a part of the frame structure as described above, even if these structures slightly protrude to the front side of the gaming machine island 1, they are seated during the game. The possibility of hitting the player's knee can be reduced.

  Next, details of the operation in the lifting apparatus 100 will also be described. In FIG. 12, the pachinko balls that flow from the storage tank 30 described above flow into the receiving port 121 a of the upper cylinder 121 of the apparatus main body 101 and further flow down toward the outlet 121 b of the upper cylinder 121. Then, the pachinko ball flows into the cap 113 of the driving gear 110 located at the center of the outflow port 121b. Since the cap 113 is formed in a substantially conical shape, the pachinko balls flow down from the top 113a of the cap 113 to the outer peripheral edge 113b.

  As shown in FIG. 15, since the guide teeth 114 of the driving gear 110 are arranged along the outer periphery of the cap 113, the pachinko balls flow down toward the upper end side of the tooth groove 114 a of the guide teeth 114. If the upper end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 is in a concave state where no pachinko ball is inserted, the pachinko ball can enter the upper end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 in the concave state.

  The pachinko ball that has entered the upper end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 moves to the lower end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 by its own weight. When the pachinko ball moves to the lower end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114, the upper end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 becomes concave. A new pachinko ball can enter the upper end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 in the concave state.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of pachinko balls are present in the tooth groove 114 a of the guide tooth 114 in a state of being aligned in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 16, since the groove opening of the tooth groove 114 a of the guide tooth 114 is narrower than the maximum diameter of the pachinko ball, the pachinko ball moving along the tooth groove 114 a of the guide tooth 114 is the guide tooth 114. The tooth gap 114a is not detached outward. This prevents the pachinko balls in the tooth gap 114a of the guide teeth 114 from spilling outside during maintenance inspection and replacement work of the lifting device 100, and prevents the pachinko balls from spilling during maintenance inspection and the like. Processing such as keeping is unnecessary.

  The pachinko balls in the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 are sequentially guided to the lower end side of the tooth groove 114a. As long as the pachinko balls are sufficiently supplied to the receiving port 121a shown in FIG. 12, the pachinko balls are received without interruption from the lower end side of the tooth groove 114a of the guide tooth 114 shown in FIG. 16 into the tooth groove 116a of the locking tooth 116. . In this state, the pachinko balls can be pushed up to the transfer path 170 through the communication passage 125 without skipping the locking teeth 116.

  More specifically, in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the pachinko ball received in the tooth space 116a of the locking tooth 116 is lowered from the bottom side of the lower cylindrical body 122 to a position higher by one by the pachinko ball, and the communication passageway. When rotating upward of the entrance of 125, while abutting the starting end of the spiral convex portion 124 and being supported from below by the spiral convex portion 124, gradually draw a spiral along the spiral convex portion 124. The lower cylindrical body 122 moves toward the bottom side.

  As a result, the pachinko sphere smoothly moves to the bottom side of the lower cylindrical body 122, and is rotated about ¼ along the inner peripheral wall of the lower cylindrical body 122 by the guide of the spiral convex portion 124. Move down one piece. The pachinko ball guided to the bottom side rotates about 3/4 along the inner peripheral wall of the lower cylinder 122 on the bottom side of the lower cylinder 122 and then enters the entrance of the communication path 125 to enter the communication path 125. Enters the lower end 171 of the transfer path 170 from the outlet of the transfer path 170 and is transported through the transfer path 170.

  Thus, the pachinko balls sent out by the apparatus main body 101 are guided upward through the transfer path 170 in an aligned state. 1, the lifted pachinko balls are temporarily stored in the upper tank 60, and then flowed down the pair of supply baskets 61, 61 and appropriately supplied from the supply basket 61 to each gaming machine 10. Will be.

  By the way, since the shutter member 50 is not inserted into the gap 26a between the apparatus main body 101 and the storage tank 30 or the narrow groove 176 in the middle of the transfer path 170 when the normal lifting apparatus 100 is operated as shown in FIG. In the middle of the apparatus main body 101, the storage tank 30, and the transfer path 170, the pachinko balls are in communication with each other. Accordingly, the pachinko balls are supplied from the storage tank 30 to the apparatus main body 101, and the pachinko balls are lifted through the transfer path 170.

  On the other hand, at the time of maintenance inspection or replacement work of the lifting device 100, the shutter member 50 is inserted into the gap 26a and the narrow groove 176 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the lower end 172b which is an opening above the discharge port 31 of the storage tank 30 and the narrow groove 176 of the transfer path 170 is blocked, and the fall of the pachinko ball can be prevented. That is, the troublesome work of extracting the pachinko balls from the storage tank 30 and the transfer path 170 in advance is not required during the work of taking out the apparatus main body 101 to the outside.

  Here, the lower opening 46 of the lower lid 44 in the pressure reducing mechanism 40 is disposed above the entrance side of the gap 26 a into which the shutter member 50 is inserted, and the upper opening 43 of the upper lid 41 inserts the shutter member 50. It is arranged above the back side of the gap 26a. As a result, pachinko balls staying in the vicinity of the gap 26a are distributed more on the inlet side of the gap 26a due to the influence of the drop from the lower opening 46 of the lower lid body 44 just above the shutter member 50. At the time of insertion, the pachinko ball can move from the entrance side to the back side of the gap 26a, so that the resistance is reduced and the shutter member 50 can be easily inserted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, in the shutter member 50, the pachinko ball falling from the lower end port 172b does not penetrate through a portion of the shutter member 50 that blocks the lower end port 172b above the narrow groove 176 of the transfer path 170. Locking means for forming a hole 52 and holding the shutter member 50 in a state of being inserted into the gap 26a and the narrow groove 176 by the load of the pachinko sphere fitted into the small hole 52 and the pachinko sphere continuous thereabove. And Thereby, when the shutter member 50 is inserted, it is possible to prevent the shutter member 50 from easily coming out of the gap 26a.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the transfer path 170 is vertically separated with the narrow groove 176 as a boundary, and the apparatus main body 101 has a device main body fixing portion 175 below the narrow groove 176 of the transfer path 170. Are integrally attached, and the apparatus main body 101 and the apparatus main body fixing portion 175 are slidably installed to the outside from the installation location. Thereby, at the time of maintenance inspection and replacement work of the lifting apparatus 100, the apparatus main body 101 or the like which is the center of inspection can be easily taken out to improve the workability. The apparatus main body 101 and the like can be easily slid by the rail portions 27 on the inner walls of both side surfaces of the housing 25.

  Further, the transfer path 170 is divided into an upper path 171 disposed in advance on the gaming machine 10 side and a lower path 172 connected to the lower end of the upper path 171 and communicating with the apparatus main body 101. The upper end portion 172a of the 172 is configured to be extendable and contractible in the axial direction, and can be adjusted to a position to be connected to the lower end of the upper path 171 from the rear. Thus, when the lifting device 100 is installed, even if an error occurs in the mounting position or size of the upper path 171 and the lower path 172 of the transfer path 170 due to a difference in the specific structure of the installation location, etc. It can be easily adjusted.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention can be modified or added without departing from the scope of the present invention. Included in the invention. For example, the small gaming machine island 1 in which two gaming machines 10 are arranged side by side has been described. However, the configuration of the gaming machine island is not limited to this, and the gaming machine island is configured by one gaming machine. It can be applied to a single island, or can be applied to a gaming machine island in which three or more gaming machines are arranged in a row.

  In the above embodiment, the lifting device 100 does not include a pachinko ball polishing function. However, the lifting device 100 is provided with an abrasive cloth facing the opening 123 of the device body 101. A polishing function can be easily added. Alternatively, a polishing device that polishes the pachinko balls in the circulation process at an appropriate place on the gaming machine island 1 may be provided separately from the lifting device 100.

  This is particularly applicable to the case where a lifting device is provided for each gaming machine in a gaming machine island having one gaming machine or a plurality of gaming machines.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Game machine island 2 ... Base stand 3 ... Support | pillar part 4 ... Frame part 10 ... Game machine 12 ... Upper tray 13 ... Bottom tray 20 ... Ball lending machine 21 ... Premium ball collection part 22 ... Entrance collection part 23 ... Ball count Container 24 ... Guide 25 ... Housing 26 ... Intake 27 ... Rail part 28a, 28b ... Holding plate 29 ... Lower end 30 ... Storage tank 31 ... Discharge port 40 ... Pressure reducing mechanism 41 ... Upper cover 42 ... Upper part 43 ... Upper Opening 44 ... Lower lid 45 ... Upper surface 46 ... Lower opening 50 ... Shutter member 51 ... Flange 55 ... Guide rail 60 ... Upper tank 70 ... Information display device 100 ... Lifting device 101 ... Device body 102 ... Base frame 110 ... drive gear 112 ... rib 113 ... cap 120 ... casing 130 ... electric motor 170 ... transfer path 171 ... upper path 172 ... lower path 172a The upper end portion 172 b ... lower end opening 173 ... spring 174 ... fastening section 175 ... apparatus body fixing portion 176 ... narrow groove

Claims (6)

In a lifting device that is provided in a storage tank that temporarily stores gaming media collected from a gaming machine, and that transports the gaming media flowing in from the storage tank to be supplied to the gaming machine again.
An apparatus main body disposed immediately below the storage tank; and a transfer path for guiding game media sent out from the apparatus main body in an aligned state,
Provided at the bottom of the storage tank is a decompression mechanism that supplies the stored game media to the apparatus body,
The decompression mechanism includes an upper lid body having one opening smaller than a cross-sectional area of the storage tank on one end side, and an upper lid body that overlaps below the upper lid body and does not overlap the one opening portion in a vertical direction. Combining a lower lid with an opening on the other end side,
The upper surface of the upper lid is inclined toward the one opening, the upper surface of the lower lid is inclined toward the other opening, and the game medium in the storage tank is the one or other In the process of passing through the opening of the flow into the lifting device in a state where the load applied to each game medium is reduced ,
An opening / closing mechanism for stopping the supply of game media from the storage tank is provided between the apparatus main body and the storage tank,
The opening / closing mechanism comprises a shutter member that can be inserted into a gap provided between the apparatus main body and the storage tank,
On the side of the gap, the transfer path is also formed with a narrow groove into which the shutter member can be inserted so that the middle is partitioned,
When the shutter member is inserted into the gap and the narrow groove, the discharge port of the storage tank and the opening above the narrow groove of the transfer path are blocked to prevent the game medium from dropping,
In the shutter member, a small hole into which a part of the game medium falling from the opening does not penetrate is formed in a portion that closes the opening above the narrow groove of the transfer path, and the game medium fits in the small hole; A lifting device characterized in that it is a lock means for holding the shutter member in a state of being inserted into the gap and the narrow groove by a load of a game medium continuous thereabove. The opening of the lower lid in the pressure reducing mechanism is arranged above the entrance side of the gap for inserting the shutter member, while the opening of the upper lid is located above the back side of the gap for inserting the shutter member. The lifting device according to claim 1 , which is arranged. The transfer path is separated up and down with the narrow groove as a boundary,
A unit below the narrow groove of the transfer path is integrally attached to the apparatus main body,
The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein a part below the apparatus main body and the transfer path is installed so as to be slidable from the installation location to the outside. The transfer path is divided into an upper path preliminarily arranged on the gaming machine side and a lower path connected to the lower end of the upper path and communicating with the apparatus main body,
The upper end of the lower path and telescopically configured in the axial direction, according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the adjustable position for communicatively connected later with respect to the lower end of the upper path Lifting device. The storage tank is integrally provided on a housing that houses the apparatus main body,
The housing or the storage tank is configured as a pedestal continuous in the vertical direction,
The lifting device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4 , wherein a lower end portion of the housing is configured to be vertically extendable and adjustable to a position where it is grounded with respect to an installation surface. 6. The lifting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the front side of each of the housing or the storage tank is formed in at least an arc-shaped cross section, and the outer periphery thereof is set to a size that does not interfere with a player's knee. .

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