JP6395312B2 - Recording medium processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium processing apparatus having at least a function of feeding out a recording medium.

  The card processing apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1 below as an example of the recording medium processing apparatus is disposed in a table card processing machine installed on one side of a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine. The card processing apparatus has an apparatus body in which a card insertion slot for inserting or ejecting a card as an example of a recording medium is formed on the front surface. In the apparatus main body, there are formed a card conveyance path communicating with the rear side of the card insertion slot and a storage section for accumulating and storing a plurality of cards continuously on the rear side of the card conveyance path. The card processing device includes a storage member that can be moved back and forth with respect to the storage unit, a card processing unit that processes information of a card taken into the card processing position in the card transport path, and a card between the card processing position and the storage unit. And a conveyance body for conveying the sheets one by one.

Japanese Patent No. 4238208

  In the card processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when the card processing unit processes the information of the card at the card processing position, if the card at the card processing position and another card in the storage unit are close to each other, these Since the antenna patterns built in the card interfere with each other, the card processing unit cannot normally process the card information at the card processing position. Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem, in the card processing device described in Patent Document 1, when the card processing unit processes information on the card at the card processing position, the storage member advances into the storage unit, and the inside of the storage unit It is necessary to separate the card from the card at the card processing position. However, this processing increases the overall processing time in the card processing apparatus.

  The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a recording medium processing apparatus capable of shortening the processing time.

  The present invention provides an inlet / outlet through which a recording medium is taken in and out, a conveyance path extending from the inlet / outlet along a conveyance direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the recording medium, and conveying the recording medium along the conveyance direction, A storage chamber that is connected to the conveyance path from the side opposite to the entrance / exit side and extends in the thickness direction, and can store the recording medium in a stacked state, and the recording medium at a processing position in the conveyance path And a processing claw that can engage with the recording medium, and the feeding claw moves from the opposite side to the inlet / outlet side while being engaged with the recording medium. A feeding section that feeds the recording medium from the storage chamber to the entrance / exit side, and the feeding section transports the fed recording medium to the processing position for the information processing. of Characterized in that to stand in an inclined the another recording medium to the conveying direction by contacting the recording medium, a recording medium processing apparatus.

  Further, the present invention has a take-in claw that can be engaged with the recording medium, and the take-up claw moves from the entrance / exit side to the opposite side in a state of being engaged with the recording medium. Including a take-in portion for taking in the medium from the entrance / exit side to the storage chamber side, and when the taken-in recording medium is transported to the processing position for the information processing, the feeding portion is in a standby position, By contacting another recording medium in the storage chamber, the other recording medium is made to stand by in a state inclined with respect to the transport direction.

  Further, the present invention provides a lift that moves the recording medium in the storage chamber in the thickness direction by moving in the thickness direction, and an interlocking mechanism that links the movement of the lift with the movement of the take-in portion. The take-in part and the feeding part are connected with play so that they can move relative to each other, and when the feeding part is in the standby position, the feeding claw is stored in the storage chamber. The recording medium is made to stand by in contact with the recorded recording medium in an inclined state with respect to the transport direction, and the feeding claw is moved into the storage chamber by the movement of the capturing section for capturing the recording medium. When the take-in portion moves to the entrance / exit side in order to return the feed portion to the standby position after being arranged on the opposite side of the recording medium, the feed portion moves behind the take-in portion. Prior to Wherein as serial feeding pawl is not caught on the recording medium of the storage chamber lift, characterized in that moving the recording medium wherein the thickness direction.

  The present invention is also characterized in that the present invention is mounted on an inter-bed recording medium processing machine provided with a gaming machine.

  According to the present invention, in the recording medium processing apparatus, the conveyance path of the recording medium extends from the entrance / exit along the conveyance direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the recording medium, and the storage chamber for the recording medium is located at the entrance / exit with respect to the conveyance path. It is connected from the opposite side to the side and spreads in the thickness direction. The feeding unit moves the recording medium from the storage chamber to the entrance / exit side by moving the feeding pawl from the opposite side to the entrance / exit side in a state of being engaged with the recording medium. When the recording medium to be fed is at the processing position in the transport path, the processing unit performs information processing with the recording medium at the processing position.

  When the feeding unit transports the fed recording medium to the processing position for information processing, the feeding unit comes into contact with another recording medium in the storage chamber to stand by in a state where the other recording medium is inclined with respect to the transport direction. Let Accordingly, in the other recording medium waiting in the storage chamber, the end portion on the entrance / exit side close to the recording medium at the processing position is arranged away from the recording medium at the processing position in the thickness direction with a gap. Therefore, the processing unit can normally perform information processing with the recording medium at the processing position without being affected by the recording medium in the storage chamber. In this case, when the feeding unit transports the recording medium to the processing position, another recording medium in the storage chamber is made to stand by in a state inclined with respect to the transporting direction, and the gap for information processing is set. Secured in advance. Therefore, an independent process related to the gap for separating the other recording medium from the recording medium at the processing position can be omitted, and the processing time can be shortened.

Further, according to the present invention, the take-in portion takes the recording medium from the entrance / exit side to the storage chamber side by moving the take-up claw from the entrance / exit side to the opposite side while being engaged with the recording medium.
When the recording medium to be captured is transported to the processing position for information processing, the feeding unit is at the standby position, and the other recording medium is brought into contact with the recording direction by contacting the other recording medium in the storage chamber. Wait in a tilted state. As a result, in the other recording medium waiting in the storage chamber, the end on the entrance / exit side near the recording medium conveyed to the processing position is separated from the recording medium conveyed to the processing position in the thickness direction with a gap. Arranged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the recording medium conveyed to the processing position from coming into contact with the other recording medium, and the processing unit is not affected by the recording medium in the storage chamber, and is not affected by the recording medium at the processing position. Information processing can be performed normally. Further, in this case, before the recording medium is transported to the processing position, another recording medium in the storage chamber is already waiting in a state of being inclined with respect to the transport direction, so that the gap is set in advance. It is secured. Therefore, it is not necessary to newly perform an independent process related to the gap for separating the other recording medium from the recording medium at the processing position, so that the processing time can be shortened.

Further, according to the present invention, the movement of the lift that moves the recording medium in the storage chamber in the thickness direction is interlocked with the movement of the take-in part so that the take-in part and the feed-out part can move relative to each other. Connected with play. When the feeding portion is at the standby position, the feeding claw makes the recording medium stand by in a state inclined with respect to the transport direction by contacting the recording medium stored in the storage chamber.
After the feeding claw is arranged on the opposite side of the recording medium in the storage chamber by the movement of the taking-in portion for taking in the recording medium, the take-in portion moves to the entrance / exit side to return the feeding portion to the standby position. The lift moves the recording medium in the thickness direction before the feeding portion moves behind the insertion portion. Thereby, when a feeding part moves after that, it can prevent a feeding nail | claw from being caught by the recording medium in a storage chamber. Therefore, since the feeding portion can be smoothly returned to the standby position, the processing time can be further shortened.

  In addition, according to the present invention, in the inter-bed recording medium processing machine on which the recording medium processing apparatus is mounted, it is possible to shorten the processing time relating to processing of the recording medium.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external appearance of an inter-table recording medium processing machine and a gaming machine on which a recording medium processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the recording medium processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the recording medium processing apparatus with the internal structure exposed. FIG. 6A is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus when the recording medium feeding operation is performed. 6B is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 6B. FIG. 6D is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 6C. FIG. 7A is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus when performing the feeding operation. FIG. 7B is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7C is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 7B. FIG. 7D is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 7C. FIG. 8A is a plan view of an internal structure of a recording medium processing apparatus that performs a recording medium take-in operation. FIG. 8B is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 8A. FIG. 8C is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 8B. FIG. 8D is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 8C. FIG. 8E is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 8D. FIG. 9A is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the recording medium take-in operation. FIG. 9B is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9C is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 9B. FIG. 9D is a side view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 9C. FIG. 10A is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus according to the comparative example, and shows a state before the start of the feeding operation. FIG. 10B is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10C is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 10B. FIG. 10D is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 10C. FIG. 10E is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 10D. FIG. 10F is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 10E. FIG. 11A is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus according to the comparative example, and shows a state before the start of the capturing operation. FIG. 11B is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 11A. FIG. 11C is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 11B. FIG. 11D is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 11C. FIG. 11E is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 11D. FIG. 11F is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 11E. FIG. 11G is a plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus that performs the next operation of FIG. 11F.

  Hereinafter, a recording medium processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. The recording medium C handled by the recording medium processing apparatus 1 is, for example, an IC card issued to a player at a gaming facility such as a pachinko parlor. The recording medium C includes a storage unit M and an antenna A (see FIG. 2 described later). The storage unit M stores information such as an ID for identifying each recording medium C, a prepaid value balance, possession data, and storage data. The antenna A is provided over the entire outer periphery of the recording medium C. Information processing such as reading and updating information in the storage unit M is performed between the recording medium C and an external processing unit such as an IC reader via the antenna A. The types of the recording medium C include a member recording medium that is issued to a member player who has registered as a member of a gaming facility, and a general recording medium that is issued to a general player who does not have a member recording medium.

  Mochidama data means that some or all of the game media (pachinko balls here) acquired by the player on the game of the day is stored in the recording medium C as numerical data, rather than as actual, and owned This refers to numerical data. The ball data stored in the general recording medium is valid only on that day, and loses its effectiveness when the business of that day ends. On the other hand, the possession data stored in the member recording medium loses its effectiveness as possession data when the business on the day when the possession data is generated is lost, but is stored in the member recording medium as storage data. The Pachinko balls that are used as data for holding balls are called “mochitama”, and pachinko balls that are used for storing data are called “sold balls”.

Note that the possessed ball data and the stored ball data are not directly stored in the storage unit M of the recording medium C, but may be stored in another storage device such as a database in association with the ID of the recording medium C. In the following description, it is assumed that the recording medium C is a general recording medium.
In relation to the recording medium processing apparatus 1, the gaming facility includes a gaming machine 2 and an inter-unit recording medium processing machine 3 that is attached to the gaming machine 2 and processes the recording medium C. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external appearance of the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3 and the gaming machine 2 on which the recording medium processing apparatus 1 is mounted.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the gaming machine 2 is, for example, a pachinko machine. A payout mechanism 4 for paying out pachinko balls is provided inside the gaming machine 2. An upper plate 5 and a lower plate 6 for temporarily storing pachinko balls are provided on the front surface of the gaming machine 2. When the pachinko balls on the upper plate 5 are full, the pachinko balls on the upper plate 5 flow to the lower plate 6. For example, on the front surface of the upper plate 5, a lending button 7 for inputting a pachinko ball lending command to the paying mechanism 4 and a recording medium C return command to the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3 upon completion of the game. A return button 8 for inputting and a display unit 9 for displaying the prepaid value of the recording medium C are provided. The lending button 7 and the return button 8 are operated by the player.

  The inter-unit recording medium processing machine 3 has a vertically long box shape disposed along the left side surface of the gaming machine 2 on the left side of the gaming machine 2. Usually, since a plurality of gaming machines 2 are installed side by side, the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3 is often disposed between two adjacent gaming machines 2. The inter-unit recording medium processing machine 3 is a dedicated machine for the game machine 2 on the right side, and is connected to the game machine 2 so as to be communicable.

  On the front surface of the inter-unit recording medium processing machine 3, a bill insertion slot 11, a display unit 12 on which information mainly for players is displayed, an operation unit 13 operated by a player or the like, and a gaming machine 2 A payout nozzle 14 for supplying balls and storage balls to the upper plate 5 and an entrance / exit 15 through which the recording medium C is taken in and out are provided. The return button 8 described above may be provided on the front surface of the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3.

The part provided with the entrance / exit 15 in the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3 is the recording medium processing apparatus 1. The recording medium processing apparatus 1 is built in the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3 as indicated by a dotted line, and only the entrance / exit 15 is exposed from the front surface of the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3.
Hereinafter, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the left-right direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the vertical direction Z of the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3 in front view. The left-right direction X is composed of a left side X1 and a right side X2, and the front-rear direction Y is composed of a front side Y1 that is the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 and a rear side Y2 that is the back side of the paper surface of FIG. Z is constituted by an upper side Z1 and a lower side Z2.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the recording medium processing apparatus 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 has a box shape that is thin in the left-right direction X and elongated in the front-rear direction Y and the vertical direction Z. The recording medium processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is longer in the front-rear direction Y than in the up-down direction Z. The recording medium processing apparatus 1 includes a main body 20 that forms an outline thereof. An entrance 15 is formed on the front surface of the main body 20 in a vertically long state. In the main body 20, the entrance / exit 15 side is the front side Y1, and the side opposite to the entrance / exit 15 side is the rear side Y2. The thickness direction of the recording medium C that is taken in and out of the entrance / exit 15 is a left-right direction X orthogonal to the front-rear direction Y.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus 1. With reference to FIG. 3, a conveyance path 21 extending from the doorway 15 along the vertical direction Z and the front-rear direction Y to the rear side Y <b> 2 is formed in a substantially front half region in the main body 20. The conveyance path 21 is a strip-like space that has a vertically long cross section that allows only one recording medium C to pass therethrough like the entrance / exit 15 and that extends linearly to the approximate center of the main body 20 in the front-rear direction Y. The conveyance path 21 conveys a recording medium C that is thin in the left-right direction X and has a vertically long posture along the vertical direction Z along a conveyance direction called the front-rear direction Y. In the main body 20, a pair of plate-like guides 23 that are disposed to face each other in the left-right direction X are provided. The opposing surfaces of the pair of guides 23 are flat surfaces along the up-down direction Z and the front-rear direction Y, and the conveyance path 21 is defined by these facing surfaces.

  In the main body 20, two rollers 24 arranged side by side in the front-rear direction Y and two rollers 25 arranged to face each roller 24 one by one from the right side X 2 extend in the vertical direction Z. It arrange | positions in the state which can rotate around a rotating shaft (not shown). The outer peripheral surface on the right side X2 of each roller 24 and the outer peripheral surface on the left side X1 of each roller 25 are exposed in the conveyance path 21. A conveying belt 26 that is one endless belt is wound around the two rollers 24, and a conveying belt 27 that is one endless belt is wound around the two rollers 25.

  A part of the transport belt 26 is exposed in the transport path 21 in a state along the front-rear direction Y. A part of the transport belt 27 is also exposed in the transport path 21 along the front-rear direction Y. The recording medium C transported in the transport path 21 passes between the transport belt 26 and the transport belt 27 exposed in the transport path 21. A conveyance motor 28 is disposed on the left side X1 of the pair of guides 23 in the main body 20 with respect to the left side X1 guide 23A. The driving force generated by the conveyance motor 28 is transmitted to the roller 25. As a result, the conveyor belt 27 moves around.

  In the main body 20, a storage chamber 22 for the recording medium C is provided in a region on the rear side Y <b> 2 from the conveyance path 21. The storage chamber 22 is a space that is connected to the transport path 21 from the rear side Y2 and extends to the left side X1 in the left-right direction X. The storage chamber 22 can store a plurality of recording media C stacked in the left-right direction X. As will be described later, the storage chamber 22 not only stores the recording medium C along the front-rear direction Y in a stacked state (see FIG. 6B and the like), but also tilts with respect to the front-rear direction Y. The recording medium C can also be stored in a stacked state (see FIG. 6A and the like).

  A plate-like gate 29 that is flat in the vertical and horizontal directions and extends to the left side X1 is connected to the rear end portion of the left side X1 guide 23A. The gate 29 is located at the boundary between the transfer path 21 and the storage chamber 22, and closes the storage chamber 22 from the front side Y1. The boundary between the transport path 21 and the storage chamber 22 is a communication port 30 through which only one recording medium C can pass. The gate 29 partitions the communication port 30 with the guide 23B on the right side X2 of the pair of guides 23.

  The guide 23B on the right side X2 is longer in the front-rear direction Y than the guide 23A, and extends to the rear side Y2 from the communication port 30. On the left side surface of the guide 23B, the portion on the front side Y1 with respect to the communication port 30 is a facing surface that faces the guide 23A as described above. On the left side surface of the guide 23B, the portion on the rear side Y2 with respect to the communication port 30 is flat with respect to the front and rear direction Y and the flat surface 23C extending to the rear side Y2 along the front and rear direction Y in a state of being flush with the opposite surface. And an inclined surface 23D extending from the flat surface 23C to the rear side Y2 and the right side X2 so as to be inclined. The flat surface 23 </ b> C and the inclined surface 23 </ b> D are exposed from the right side X <b> 2 in the storage chamber 22, and the flat surface 23 </ b> C is positioned in a substantially front half region of the storage chamber 22. Located in the second half area.

  In the storage chamber 22, for example, a support plate 31 made of metal and having substantially the same shape as the recording medium C is disposed. The main body 20 has a plate-like closing portion 20A that closes the storage chamber 22 from the left side X1, and between the support plate 31 and the closing portion 20A, a biasing member 32 constituted by a spring or the like is arranged in the left-right direction X. It is arranged in a compressed state. The compressed biasing member 32 presses a portion of the support plate 31 that is biased toward the rear side Y2 toward the right side X2. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, in the state where no recording medium C exists in the storage chamber 22, the support plate 31 has a portion on the rear side Y2 along the inclined surface 23D of the guide 23B. Is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y so as to float from the flat surface 23C to the left side X1.

  In the main body 20, an IC reader 48 as a processing unit is provided at a position on the left side X1 of the left side X1 guide 23A and on the front side Y1 of the gate 29. The IC reader 48 is a component that performs the above-described information processing with the recording medium C, and a known one can be used as the IC reader 48. The IC reader 48 and the rear end of the transport path 21 are in the same position in the front-rear direction Y. The same position in the conveyance path 21 in the front-rear direction Y as the IC reader 48 is hereinafter referred to as a “processing position”. In the recording medium C in the processing position, at least a part of the recording medium C is at the same position in the front-rear direction Y as the IC reader 48 and faces the IC reader 48 with the guide 23A sandwiched in the left-right direction X.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus 1 extracted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the recording medium processing apparatus 1 with the internal structure exposed. In the following description, not only FIG. 3 but also FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are referred to as necessary.
A lift 33 is provided in the main body 20 at the same position as the inclined surface 23D of the guide 23B in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. 4, the lift 33 has a pair of upper and lower portions that can rotate integrally with the rotation shaft 34 around the rotation shaft 34 that extends in the vertical direction Z at the rear end of the main body 20. It is arm-shaped.

  A rear end portion of a slide lever 35 extending in the front-rear direction Y is connected to the rotation shaft 34. The slide lever 35 shown in FIG. 4 is in the home position along the front-rear direction Y. The slide lever 35 can rotate from the home position to the lower side Z2 with the rear end portion as the rotation center, but cannot rotate to the upper side Z1 from the home position. The slide lever 35 is always biased so as to return to the home position by a biasing member (not shown) such as a spring.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the normal lift 33 is at a retreat position that is retreated to the right side X <b> 2 from the inclined surface 23 </ b> D. A through hole 23E is formed at a position overlapping the lift 33 when viewed from the left-right direction X in the guide 23B. The lift 33 can move in the left-right direction X by rotating as described above, can move from the retracted position to the left side X1, and can advance into the storage chamber 22 through the through hole 23E. The position of the lift 33 in the left-right direction X when moving into the storage chamber 22 is the advanced position (not shown in FIG. 3). The lift 33 can return from the advanced position to the retracted position by moving to the right side X2. The configuration for moving the lift 33 will be described later.

  A shutter lever 36 is disposed on the right side X2 of the guide 23B in the area of the front side Y1 in the main body 20. The shutter lever 36 extends in the front-rear direction Y, and a detecting portion 37 that protrudes upward Z1 is integrally provided at the rear end portion thereof. The shutter lever 36 is swingable in the left-right direction X about a swing shaft 38 inserted in the middle in the front-rear direction Y and extending in the up-down direction Z.

  The shutter lever 36 shown in FIG. 3 is in an inclined position. The shutter lever 36 in the inclined position is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y so that the detection unit 37 is located on the left side X1 from the front end portion thereof. In the shutter lever 36 at the inclined position, only the detection unit 37 protrudes to the left side X1 from the guide 23B on the right side X2, and advances into the storage chamber 22 at the rear side Y2 of the communication port 30 described above. The shutter lever 36 can be swung from an inclined position to a horizontal position (not shown in FIG. 3) that is horizontal along the front-rear direction Y and does not protrude from the guide 23B to the left side X1. The shutter lever 36 is always urged by an urging member (not shown) such as a spring so as to be positioned at an inclined position.

  A small shutter 39 is attached to the front end of the shutter lever 36. The left end surface 39A of the shutter 39 is an inclined surface that extends to the right side X2 toward the rear side Y2. The shutter 39 is movable in the left-right direction X with respect to the front end portion of the shutter lever 36 while being attached to the front end portion of the shutter lever 36. The position of the shutter 39 when moved to the leftmost X1 is called a closed position (not shown in FIG. 3), and the position of the shutter 39 when moved to the rightmost X2 as shown in FIG. 3 is called an open position. . The shutter 39 is located slightly on the rear side Y2 from the entrance 15 and is always urged toward the closed position of the left side X1 by an urging member 40 (see FIG. 5) such as a spring. As shown in FIG. 3, when the shutter lever 36 is in the inclined position, the shutter 39 is retracted from the transport path 21 to the right side X2.

  In the main body part 20, an intake part 41 and a feeding part 42 are provided. The intake portion 41 has an arm shape extending in the front-rear direction Y. In the region of the rear side Y2 of the left side surface of the take-in portion 41, there is provided a depression 43 that is recessed toward the right side X2 and is long in the front-rear direction Y. The rear end portion of the take-in portion 41 is bent to the left side X1 as the rear contact portion 41A, and closes the recess 43 from the rear side Y2. The intake part 41 also has a front contact part 41B that closes the recess 43 from the front side Y1.

  At the front end of the take-in portion 41, a take-up claw 44 that is pointed in a substantially triangular shape when viewed in the vertical direction Z is provided. The take-in claw 44 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3 is in a tilted position tilted along the take-in portion 41. The take-in claw 44 is connected to the front end portion of the take-in portion 41 via a rotation shaft 45 extending in the up-down direction Z, and rises as indicated by a broken line in FIG. Can move to a position. The take-up pawl 44 in the upright position stands on the left side X1 from the take-in portion 41 and extends in the left-right direction X, protrudes into the transport path 21 and divides the transport path 21 back and forth. For this reason, even if the recording medium C is inserted into the doorway 15, the recording medium C cannot be moved to the rear side Y <b> 2 with respect to the take-in claw 44 due to being obstructed by the take-in claw 44. On the other hand, the recording medium C located on the rear side Y <b> 2 with respect to the capture claw 44 cannot be moved to the front side Y <b> 1 with respect to the capture claw 44 by being obstructed by the capture claw 44. The take-in pawl 44 is always urged toward a standing position by an urging member (not shown) such as a spring, but is usually tilted by being pressed from the left side X1 to the guide 23B on the right side X2. In position.

  The feeding portion 42 has an arm shape extending in the front-rear direction Y, and its left side surface is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y so as to go to the left side X1 toward the rear side Y2. The rear end portion of the left side surface is a flat mounting surface 42A along the front-rear direction Y. The mounting surface 42A is substantially flush with the flat surface 23C of the guide 23B on the right side X2. A feeding claw 46 that protrudes to the left side X1 is integrally provided at the rear end of the mounting surface 42A (see also FIG. 5). The front end portion 42B of the feeding portion 42 is bent to the right side X2, and is fitted into the recess 43 of the take-in portion 41 from the left side X1. The front end portion 42 </ b> B can move in the front-rear direction Y within the recess 43. Therefore, within the range in which the front end portion 42 </ b> B can move in the front-rear direction Y within the recess 43, the take-in portion 41 and the feeding portion 42 are connected with play so that they can move relative to each other in the front-rear direction Y. In this structure, the taking-in claw 44 of the taking-in part 41 and the feeding claw 46 of the feeding-out part 42 are not integrated and are in a separated state.

  The take-in part 41 and the feeding part 42 are movable along the front-rear direction Y in the main body part 20. When the take-in portion 41 moves, the take-up claw 44 moves from the tilted position to the standing position at a predetermined timing. The right side X2 guide 23B is appropriately formed with a through hole (not shown) for allowing the take-in claw 44 to move from the tilted position to the standing position. When the feeding portion 42 moves, the feeding claw 46 always protrudes to the left side X1 from the guide 23B, and extends in the front-rear direction Y so as to cross the conveyance path 21 and the storage chamber 22 along the left side surface of the guide 23B. Moving. In the main body 20, a drive motor 51 that generates a driving force that moves the take-in portion 41 and the feeding portion 42 and also moves the lift 33 is provided on the right side X <b> 2 from the guide 23 </ b> B.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the output shaft 51A for outputting a driving force in the drive motor 51 extends to the rear side Y2. An output gear 52 composed of a spur gear is coaxially fixed to the output shaft 51A. The output gear 52 meshes with a relay gear 54 that is a spur gear attached coaxially to a support shaft 53 extending in the left-right direction X. A drive gear 56, which is a spur gear attached coaxially to the support shaft 55 extending in the left-right direction X, is disposed on the rear side Y <b> 2 of the relay gear 54 and meshes with the relay gear 54. The drive motor 51 can rotate forward and backward. When the drive motor 51 rotates forward, the drive gear 56 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the left side X1, and when the drive motor 51 rotates reversely, the drive gear 56 rotates clockwise when viewed from the left side X1.

  A cam portion 57 is integrally provided on the left end surface of the drive gear 56. The cam portion 57 is integrally formed with a disc portion 58 that is thin in the left-right direction X and coaxial with the support shaft 55, and a cam projection 59 that protrudes radially outward of the disc portion 58 from one place on the circumference of the disc portion 58. Including. As viewed from the left side X1, the cam protrusion 59 has a corner 59A that is pointed counterclockwise as it goes radially outward of the disk portion 58 at the end in the counterclockwise direction. As viewed from the left side X1, the cam protrusion 59 is formed with a curved surface 59B bulging in the clockwise direction at the end in the clockwise direction. The front end portion of the slide lever 35 described above enters the rear side Y2 in the middle of the rotation locus of the cam projection 59 when the drive gear 56 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a cylindrical shaft portion 60 that protrudes to the right side X <b> 2 is integrally provided at one place on the outer peripheral portion of the right end surface of the drive gear 56. In relation to the shaft portion 60, a slide member 61 is provided in the main body portion 20 on the right side X <b> 2 rather than the guide 23 </ b> B on the right side X <b> 2. The slide member 61 has a thin plate shape in the left-right direction X, and is supported by the main body 20 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction Y. A long hole 62 that penetrates the slide member 61 in the left-right direction X is formed at the rear end of the slide member 61. The long hole 62 is elongated in the up-down direction Z, and the width of the long hole 62 in the front-rear direction Y is slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 60. The shaft portion 60 is fitted into the elongated hole 62 from the left side X1. A pinion gear 64 is provided at the front end of the slide member 61 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 63 extending in the left-right direction X. In relation to the pinion gear 64, a rack gear 65 extending in the front-rear direction Y is integrally provided on the right side surface of the take-in portion 41. The pinion gear 64 is disposed on the lower side Z <b> 2 of the rack gear 65 and meshes with the rack gear 65.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 is provided with a plurality of sensors 67 configured by, for example, photo interrupters. In FIG. 3, the sensor 67 is schematically illustrated outside the main body 20, but actually, the sensor 67 is built in the main body 20. The plurality of sensors 67 includes an entry / exit detection sensor 67A, a processing position detection sensor 67B, a sampling position detection sensor 67C, a shutter sensor 67D, a storage detection sensor 67E, a standby position detection sensor 67F, and a feeding position detection sensor 67G. including.

  The entrance / exit detection sensor 67A detects the insertion / extraction of the recording medium C at the entrance / exit 15, that is, the insertion / extraction of the recording medium C. The processing position detection sensor 67B detects whether or not the recording medium C is at the processing position. The sampling position detection sensor 67C detects whether or not the recording medium C is at the sampling position. In the recording medium C at the extraction position, most of the portion protrudes from the entrance / exit 15 to the front side Y1, so that the player can pinch the recording medium C and extract it from the entrance / exit 15. The shutter sensor 67D detects whether the shutter 39 is in the open position or the closed position.

  The storage detection sensor 67E detects the presence or absence of the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22. In relation to the storage detection sensor 67E, as shown in FIG. 3, when the recording medium C does not exist in the storage chamber 22, the shutter lever 36 is in the inclined position, and the detection unit 37 advances into the storage chamber 22. doing. Therefore, the storage detection sensor 67E detects that the recording medium C does not exist in the storage chamber 22 by detecting that the shutter lever 36 is in the inclined position, and detects that the shutter lever 36 is in the horizontal position. Thus, the presence of the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 is detected. The standby position detection sensor 67F detects whether or not the feeding unit 42 is at a standby position (described later). The feeding position detection sensor 67G detects whether or not the feeding portion 42 is at a feeding position (described later).

  Next, each of the feeding operation and the taking-in operation of the recording medium C in the recording medium processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 9D. The feeding operation is an operation for feeding the recording medium C stored in the storage chamber 22 to the processing position. The taking-in operation is an operation of taking the recording medium C inserted into the entrance / exit 15 from the front side Y1 and in the processing position into the rear side Y2 and storing it in the storage chamber 22. Examples of the recording medium C stored in the storage chamber 22 by the taking-in operation include a general recording medium in which the ball data is lost. When the recording medium C is stored in the storage chamber 22 by the take-in operation, the recording medium C becomes a new general recording medium and is issued to the player by the subsequent feeding operation.

FIG. 6A shows the recording medium processing apparatus 1 in a standby state in which neither feeding operation nor taking-in operation is performed. In FIG. 6A, three recording media C are stored in the storage chamber 22 in a stacked state. At this time, the feeding portion 42 is in the standby position in the front-rear direction Y.
In the feeding portion 42 at the standby position, the feeding claw 46 is in contact with the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction Y of the rightmost X2 recording medium C stored in the storage chamber 22 from the right side X2. Thereby, the feeding portion 42 at the standby position makes all the recording media C in the storage chamber 22 stand by in a state inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y. In the recording medium C waiting in an inclined state, the substantially rear half is along the inclined surface 23D of the guide 23B, and the substantially front half is floating on the left side X1 from the flat surface 23C of the guide 23B. Therefore, a substantially triangular gap 66 is formed between the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 and the flat surface 23C so as to gradually expand toward the front side Y1 when viewed from the vertical direction Z. Further, in the storage chamber 22, the support plate 31 in a posture parallel to the recording medium C presses the recording medium C from the left side X1 by the urging force of the urging member 32, so that the recording medium C is inclined. Is stable.

  Moreover, in the paying-out portion 42 at the standby position, the front end portion 42B is located at the rear end of the recess 43 of the intake portion 41 and is in contact with the rear contact portion 41A of the intake portion 41 from the front side Y1. . At this time, the take-in part 41 is in the forward position in the front-rear direction Y, and the take-in claw 44 at the front end is in the tilted position slightly on the rear side Y2 of the entrance 15. At this time, the shutter lever 36 is in the inclined position, and the shutter 39 is in the open position. The lift 33 is in the retracted position.

Assuming that the rightmost X2 recording medium in the storage room 22 is the player's recording medium C and this player is playing with the gaming machine 2, the following will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 7D. The feeding operation will now be described.
When the player who has finished the game moves to another gaming machine 2 or wants to exchange a prize for the acquired pachinko ball, the return button 8 (see FIG. 1) described above is pressed. Then, in the recording medium processing apparatus 1 in the standby state, the feeding operation starts, the drive motor 51 rotates forward, and as shown in FIG. 7A, the drive gear 56 is indicated by a white arrow as viewed from the left side X1. Rotate counterclockwise. Then, the shaft part 60 of the drive gear 56 pushes the peripheral part of the long hole 62 to the rear side Y2 while moving to the upper side Z1 in the long hole 62 of the slide member 61. Thereby, the slide member 61 moves to the rear side Y2. Accordingly, since the pinion gear 64 provided on the slide member 61 rotates counterclockwise, the take-in portion 41 having the rack gear 65 that meshes with the pinion gear 64 moves from the forward movement position to the rear side Y2. However, when the take-in portion 41 starts to move, the front end portion 42B of the feeding portion 42 is in the middle of the recess 43 and is separated from both the rear side contact portion 41A and the front side contact portion 41B. The unit 42 is still in the standby position.

  And if the front side contact part 41B contacts the front end part 42B of the feeding part 42 from the front side Y1 by the movement to the rear side Y2 of the taking-in part 41, the play between the taking-in part 41 and the feeding part 42 occurs. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7B, the feeding portion 42 is moved by the take-in portion 41 to move integrally with the take-in portion 41 from the standby position to the rear side Y2. At this time, the corner 59A of the cam projection 59 of the drive gear 56 that continues to rotate counterclockwise contacts the slide lever 35 that has been in the home position from the upper side Z1. Thereby, the slide lever 35 rotates from the home position to the lower side Z2. In this case, since the rotation of the drive gear 56 is not transmitted to the rotation shaft 34, the rotation shaft 34 is in a stationary state, and the lift 33 remains in the retracted position.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, when the take-in portion 41 and the feeding portion 42 are moved together to the rear side Y2, the feeding portion 42 reaches the feeding position shown in FIG. 6B. In the feeding portion 42 at the feeding position, the feeding claw 46 is separated from the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 and is located on the rear side Y2 from the storage chamber 22. For this reason, the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 changes from the state inclined as described above (see FIG. 6A) to the state along the front-rear direction Y. At this time, the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 is supported from the right side X2 by the flat surface 23C of the guide 23B of the right side X2 and the mounting surface 42A of the rear end portion of the feeding part 42. Thus, the state in which the recording medium C is along the front-rear direction Y is maintained. The rightmost X2 recording medium C in the storage room 22 is a recording medium C for a player who has pressed the return button 8, and is located on the rightmost X2 in the storage room 22, as viewed from the front-rear direction Y. It overlaps with each of the entrance / exit 15, the communication port 30 and the conveyance path 21.

  At this time, the take-in portion 41 is at the most backward position of the rear side Y2 in the front-rear direction Y. In the take-in portion 41 in the retracted position, the take-in claw 44 at the front end portion is in the standing position and is adjacent to the rightmost X2 recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 from the front side Y1. The shutter lever 36 swings from the tilted position so far and is in the horizontal position when the detection portion 37 at the rear end thereof is pressed from the left side X1 by the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22. The shutter 39 is in the closed position and protrudes into the conveyance path 21. The lift 33 remains in the retracted position.

  Referring to FIG. 7C, drive motor 51 continues to rotate forward, and drive gear 56 continues to rotate counterclockwise. Then, the shaft part 60 of the drive gear 56 pushes the peripheral edge part of the long hole 62 to the front side Y1 while moving to the lower side Z2 in the long hole 62 of the slide member 61. Thereby, the slide member 61 moves to the front side Y1. As a result, the pinion gear 64 provided on the slide member 61 rotates clockwise, so that the take-in portion 41 having the rack gear 65 that meshes with the pinion gear 64 moves from the retracted position to the front side Y1. However, at the stage where the take-in portion 41 starts to move, the front end portion 42B of the feeding portion 42 is in the middle of the recess 43 and is away from both the rear contact portion 41A and the front contact portion 41B. The feeding portion 42 is still in the feeding position.

  Then, when the rear contact portion 41A comes into contact with the front end portion 42B of the feeding portion 42 from the rear side Y2 due to the movement of the fetching portion 41 to the front side Y1, play between the fetching portion 41 and the feeding portion 42 is performed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7D, the feeding portion 42 is moved along with the taking-in portion 41 from the feeding position to the front side Y1 by following the taking-in portion 41. The moving speed of the feeding unit 42 at this time is, for example, 250 mm / second on average. Further, since the cam protrusion 59 of the drive gear 56 that continues to rotate counterclockwise is released from the slide lever 35, the slide lever 35 returns to the home position. The lift 33 remains in the retracted position.

  When the take-in portion 41 and the feeding portion 42 are moved together to the front side Y1, the feeding portion 42 has a feeding claw 46 at the rear end thereof from the rear side Y2 to the rightmost X2 recording medium C. In the engaged state, the recording medium C is moved to the front side Y1. Accordingly, the recording medium C is fed out from the storage chamber 22 to the front side Y1. When the feeding section 42 returns to the standby position shown in FIG. 6C, the drive of the drive motor 51 is stopped. Thereby, the feeding operation is completed. Since the drive motor 51 was always positively rotated until the drive was stopped, it can be seen that all the operations of the components for the feeding operation were realized only by the positive rotation of the drive motor 51.

  When the driving of the drive motor 51 is stopped, the feeding claw 46 contacts the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction Y of the rightmost X2 recording medium C remaining in the storage chamber 22 from the right side X2 in the feeding unit 42 at the standby position. doing. Thereby, the feeding portion 42 at the standby position makes all the recording media C in the storage chamber 22 stand by in a state inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y. The take-in portion 41 is in the forward movement position, and the take-in claw 44 is in the tilted position slightly on the rear side Y2 of the entrance / exit 15. At this time, the shutter lever 36 is still in the horizontal position, and the shutter 39 is in the closed position and protrudes into the transport path 21. The lift 33 is in the retracted position.

When the feeding unit 42 is in the standby position, the recording medium C that has been fed from the storage chamber 22 to the front side Y1 along with the feeding unit 42 is stationary at the processing position in the transport path 21. The IC reader 48 performs information processing with the recording medium C at the processing position.
As described above, when the feeding unit 42 transports the fed recording medium C to the processing position for information processing, the feeding unit 42 comes into contact with the other recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 to contact the other recording medium C. In a state inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y.

  The rear end portion (strictly speaking, substantially the rear half portion) of the recording medium C at the processing position enters the storage chamber 22. However, in the other recording medium C that stands by in the state of being inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y in the storage chamber 22, the front end portion (strictly speaking, approximately the front half portion) near the recording medium C at the processing position is processed. The recording medium C at the position is arranged away from the rear end portion in the left-right direction X with a gap 66 therebetween. Since the pattern of the antenna A of the recording medium C at the processing position and the other recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 does not interfere with each other due to the gap 66, the IC reader 48 is connected to the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22. Information processing can be normally performed with the recording medium C at the processing position without being affected.

  The front end of the recording medium C at the processing position is sandwiched between the conveyor belt 26 and the conveyor belt 27. When the information processing is completed, the transport motor 28 is driven, and the transport belt 26 and the transport belt 27 move around so that their opposing portions move to the front side Y1. Thereby, the recording medium C in the processing position moves to the front side Y1. At this time, since the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 continues to stand by in a state inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y, the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 is not placed on the moving recording medium C. Therefore, even if the gripping force between the conveying belts 26 and 27 moving around and the recording medium C is small, the recording medium C can be moved to the front side Y1. The conveyance speed of the recording medium C by the conveyance belts 26 and 27 is, for example, 300 mm / second.

  The shutter 39 in the closed position is present at the tip of the moving recording medium C. The recording medium C contacts the left end surface 39A of the shutter 39 and presses the left end surface 39A from the rear side Y2. Since the left end surface 39A is an inclined surface extending toward the right side X2 toward the rear side Y2, the shutter 39 moves to the open position of the right side X2 by the pressing force of the recording medium C against the left end surface 39A acting on the right side X2. To do. Thereby, since the shutter 39 does not exist at the tip of the recording medium C, the recording medium C further advances to the front side Y1, and reaches the above-described extraction position as shown in FIG. 6D. Thereby, the drive of the conveyance motor 28 is stopped.

In a state where the driving of the transport motor 28 is stopped, the rear end portion of the recording medium C is sandwiched between the transport belt 26 and the transport belt 27. The player can receive the recording medium C drawn out from the storage chamber 22 by extracting the recording medium C at the extraction position to the front side Y1.
Next, the capturing operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 9D. The player adds a prepaid value to his / her own recording medium C, or withdraws the prepaid value or possession data for gaming and replaces it with a pachinko ball, or browses information stored in the storage unit M of the recording medium C If it is desired to do so, the recording medium C is inserted from the front side Y1 into the entrance / exit 15 of the recording medium processing apparatus 1 in the standby state shown in FIG. 8A. Then, the rear end portion of the recording medium C is sandwiched between the conveyor belt 26 and the conveyor belt 27. Thereafter, the transport motor 28 is driven. Then, the conveyor belt 26 and the conveyor belt 27 move around so that the opposing portions move to the rear side Y2. Thereby, the recording medium C is taken into the rear side Y2.

  When the recording medium C taken into the rear side Y2 reaches the processing position as shown in FIG. 8B, the driving of the carry motor 28 is stopped. In response to this, the IC reader 48 performs information processing with the recording medium C at the processing position. When the recording medium C to be taken is transported to the processing position for information processing, the feeding unit 42 is always in the standby position, and comes into contact with another recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 so that the other recording medium C stands by in a state inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y.

  The rear end portion of the recording medium C at the processing position enters the storage chamber 22 as described above. However, in the other recording medium C waiting in the storage chamber 22 while being inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y, the front end portion close to the recording medium C transported to the processing position is behind the recording medium C at the processing position. It is spaced apart from the end portion on the left side X1 with a gap 66 therebetween. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the front end (rear end) of the recording medium C at the processing position from coming into contact with the other recording medium C. This can prevent the recording medium C from being damaged during capture. In addition, the gap 66 prevents the pattern of the antenna A of the recording medium C at the processing position and the other recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 from interfering with each other, so that the IC reader 48 can record the recording medium in the storage chamber 22. Without being affected by C, information processing can be normally performed with the recording medium C at the processing position. When the IC reader 48 completes identification of the recording medium C by authenticating the ID of the recording medium C as part of the information processing, information related to the recording medium C is displayed on the display unit 12 in the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3. Or a pachinko ball can be rented to a player within a range of prepaid value and possession data corresponding to the recording medium C.

  When the information processing is completed, the take-in operation starts and the drive motor 51 rotates in the reverse direction. As shown in FIG. 9A, the drive gear 56 rotates clockwise as indicated by the white arrow as viewed from the left side X1. Rotate. Then, the shaft part 60 of the drive gear 56 pushes the peripheral part of the long hole 62 to the rear side Y2 while moving to the lower side Z2 in the long hole 62 of the slide member 61. Thereby, the slide member 61 moves to the rear side Y2. Accordingly, since the pinion gear 64 provided on the slide member 61 rotates counterclockwise, the take-in portion 41 having the rack gear 65 that meshes with the pinion gear 64 moves from the forward movement position to the rear side Y2. However, when the take-in portion 41 starts to move, the front end portion 42B of the feeding portion 42 is in the middle of the recess 43 and is separated from both the rear side contact portion 41A and the front side contact portion 41B. The unit 42 is still in the standby position.

  And if the front side contact part 41B contacts the front end part 42B of the feeding part 42 from the front side Y1 by the movement to the rear side Y2 of the taking-in part 41, the play between the taking-in part 41 and the feeding part 42 occurs. Disappear. At this time, the take-in claw 44 of the take-in portion 41 is in the standing position, and engages the recording medium C after information processing from the front side Y1. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8C, the feeding portion 42 moves from the standby position to the feeding position on the rear side Y2 together with the taking portion 41 by following the take-in portion 41. As a result, the recording medium C engaged with the take-in claw 44 moves in the transport path 21 to the rear side Y2, and is taken into the storage chamber 22 from the front side Y1 through the communication port 30.

  Further, as the feeding portion 42 moves to the feeding position, the recording medium C that has been in the storage chamber 22 until now is shifted to the left side X1 by the recording medium C to be taken in, and the flat surface of the guide 23B on the right side X2. It will be in the state along the front-back direction Y so that it may become parallel to 23C. The recording medium C taken into the storage chamber 22 is supported along the front-rear direction Y by being supported from the right side X2 by the flat surface 23C of the guide 23B of the right side X2 and the mounting surface 42A of the rear end portion of the feeding unit 42. In this state, the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 is stacked from the right side X2. At this time, the feeding claw 46 of the feeding portion 42 in the feeding position is disposed on the rear side Y2 from the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22. Moreover, the taking-in part 41 at this time exists in a retreat position.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the drive gear 56 continues to rotate clockwise, the shaft portion 60 of the drive gear 56 that has been moved to the lower side Z2 is now moved into the slot 62 of the slide member 61. Then, while moving to the upper side Z1, the peripheral edge of the elongated hole 62 is pushed to the front side Y1. As a result, the pinion gear 64 provided on the slide member 61 rotates clockwise, so that the take-in portion 41 having the rack gear 65 meshing with the pinion gear 64 moves from the retracted position to return the feeding portion 42 to the standby position. Move to front Y1. However, when the take-in portion 41 starts to move, the front end portion 42B of the feeding portion 42 is in the middle of the recess 43 and is separated from both the rear side contact portion 41A and the front side contact portion 41B. Part 42 is still in the extended position.

  Further, at the same time when the take-in portion 41 starts moving to the front side Y1, the curved surface 59B of the cam protrusion 59 of the drive gear 56 that rotates clockwise contacts the slide lever 35 at the home position from the lower side Z2. . As described above, since the slide lever 35 cannot rotate from the home position to the upper side Z1, instead of rotating, the slide lever 35 tries to ride on the cam protrusion 59 along the curved surface 59B. In this case, as shown in FIG. Move to side Y2. Then, the rotating shaft 34 to which the slide lever 35 is connected rotates with the lift 33, and the lift 33 moves to the left side X1 from the current retracted position to the advanced position, as shown in FIG. 8D. At this time, the slide lever 35, the drive gear 56, the slide member 61, the pinion gear 64, and the rack gear 65 function as an interlocking mechanism 68 that interlocks the movement of the lift 33 with the movement of the take-in portion 41 (see FIG. 9C). .

  The lift 33 moves to the left X1 advance position, thereby pushing the rear end of the recording medium C (see FIG. 8C) that has been stacked in the storage chamber 22 along the front-rear direction Y until the left side X1. Move to. As a result, the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y so that the rear end portion is shifted to the left side X1 from the front end portion. In the rightmost X2 recording medium C in the storage chamber 22, the portion of the rear side Y2 from the front end floats from the flat surface 23C of the right side X2 guide 23B to the left side X1, and the rear end of the recording medium C is Further, it is located on the left side X1 from the feeding claw 46 of the feeding portion 42 at the feeding position.

  Thereafter, when the rear abutting portion 41A comes into contact with the front end portion 42B of the feeding portion 42 from the rear side Y2 due to the movement of the fetching portion 41 to the front side Y1, play between the taking portion 41 and the feeding portion 42 is performed. Disappears. At this time, the shaft portion 60 of the drive gear 56 that has been moved to the upper side Z1 is now moved to the lower side Z2 within the long hole 62 of the slide member 61 as shown in FIG. The peripheral edge of 62 is pushed to the front side Y1. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8E, the feeding part 42 is moved to the standby position on the front side Y1 from the feeding position together with the taking-in part 41 by being driven by the taking-in part 41.

  Thus, prior to the feeding portion 42 moving behind the take-in portion 41, the lift 33 at the advanced position moves the recording medium C left and right so that the feeding pawl 46 does not catch on the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22. It is moved in the direction X (see FIG. 8D). Thereby, when the feeding part 42 moves after the lift 33 moves the recording medium C, the feeding claw 46 can be prevented from being caught by the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22. Therefore, since the feeding part 42 can be smoothly returned to the standby position, the processing time can be further shortened.

  Further, when the feeding claw 46 moves to the front side Y1 with respect to the rear end portion of the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 by the movement of the feeding portion 42, the slide lever 35 is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 9D. With the rotation, the cam projection 59 of the drive gear 56 is passed to return to the original position of the front side Y1. As a result, the rotation shaft 34 to which the slide lever 35 is connected rotates with the lift 33 in the opposite direction, and the lift 33 returns to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 8E.

Then, when the feeding portion 42 reaches the standby position, the drive of the drive motor 51 is stopped. When the drive of the drive motor 51 is stopped, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 enters a standby state, and the take-in operation is completed. Since the drive motor 51 was always reversely rotated until the drive was stopped, it can be seen that all the operations of each component for the taking-in operation were realized only by the reverse rotation of the drive motor 51.
In the recording medium processing apparatus 1 in the standby state, the feeding claw 46 of the feeding portion 42 at the standby position comes into contact with the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction Y of the rightmost X2 recording medium C remaining in the storage chamber 22 from the right X2. Yes. Thereby, the feeding portion 42 at the standby position makes all the recording media C in the storage chamber 22 stand by in a state inclined with respect to the front-rear direction Y.

10A to 10F are plan views of the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus 70 according to the comparative example, and show a state in which the recording medium is being fed out. The recording medium processing apparatus 70 of the comparative example will be briefly described using the left-right direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the up-down direction Z described above.
As shown in FIG. 10A, the recording medium processing apparatus 70 includes an entrance / exit 71 of the recording medium C located at the front end thereof, a transport path 72 extending along the front-rear direction Y from the entrance / exit 71 to the rear side Y2, and a transport path 72. And a storage chamber 73 connected from the rear side Y2.

Two pairs of left and right transport rollers 74 that are rotationally driven are provided in the vicinity of the entrance / exit 71 in the transport path 72. An IC reader 75 having the same function as the IC reader 48 (see FIG. 3) is disposed in the vicinity of the storage chamber 73 on the left side X1 of the transport path 72.
The storage chamber 73 is a space that extends to the left side X1, and can store the recording medium C stacked in a state along the front-rear direction Y. In the storage chamber 73, a support plate 76 disposed on the left side X1 of the recording medium C in a state parallel to the recording medium C, and a biasing member 77 that presses the support plate 76 against the recording medium C from the left side X1. Is provided.

On the right side X <b> 2 of the storage chamber 73, a longitudinal block-shaped lift 78 is disposed in the front-rear direction. The left side surface of the lift 78 is flat along the front and rear and the top and bottom. The lift 78 can move into the storage chamber 73 from the right side X2 or retreat from the storage chamber 73 to the right side X2 by moving in the left-right direction X.
In the recording medium processing apparatus 70, a transport body 79 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction Y. The moving speed of the carrier 79 is, for example, 70 mm / second on average. The conveyance body 79 has an arm shape that is long in the front-rear direction Y. A take-up claw 80 is provided at the front end, and a feed claw 81 is provided at the rear end. Therefore, in the conveyance body 79, the take-in claw 80 and the feeding claw 81 are directly connected. The take-in claw 80 stands up to the left side X1 as shown in FIG. 10A and protrudes into the conveyance path 72, and tilts along the front-rear direction Y as shown in FIG. It can be rotated between the tilted positions and is always biased toward the standing position. The feeding claw 81 is a protrusion protruding to the left side X1.

  The recording medium processing device 70 in FIG. 10A is in a standby state. At this time, the conveyance body 79 is in the standby position, and the recording medium C in the storage chamber 73 is located between the take-in claw 80 and the feeding claw 81 in the standing position. When the feeding operation is started, the conveyance body 79 moves to the front side Y1. Accordingly, the feeding claw 81 engages with the rightmost X2 recording medium C in the storage chamber 73 from the rear side Y2, and the conveyance body 79 feeds the recording medium C to the processing position shown in FIG. 10B.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10C, the lift 78 enters the storage chamber 73 from the right side X2, and moves the recording medium C in the storage chamber 73 to the left side X1. Thereby, a gap 82 in the left-right direction X is formed between the rear end portion remaining in the storage chamber 73 in the recording medium C at the processing position and another recording medium C in the storage chamber 73.
When the gap 82 is formed, the IC reader 75 performs information processing with the recording medium C at the processing position. At this time, since the recording medium C at the processing position is separated from another recording medium C in the storage chamber 73 by the gap 82, the IC reader 75 can process without being affected by the other recording medium C. Information processing can be normally performed on the recording medium C at the position.

  The front end of the recording medium C at the processing position is sandwiched between the left and right transport rollers 74 on the rear side Y2. When the information processing is completed, these transport rollers 74 are rotated, and the recording medium C at the processing position is transported to the entrance / exit 71 on the front side Y1, as shown in FIG. 10D. The conveyance speed of the recording medium C by the conveyance roller 74 is, for example, 113 mm / second. During the rotation of the transport roller 74, the lift 78 continues to enter the storage chamber 73.

When the recording medium C at the entrance / exit 71 is pulled out by the player, the transport body 79 moves to the rear side Y2 and returns to the standby position as shown in FIG. 10E. At that time, the lift 78 continues to enter the storage chamber 73 so that the recording medium C in the storage chamber 73 does not hit the feeding claw 81 of the transport body 79, and the recording medium C in the storage chamber 73 moves to the left side X1. It is shifted.
When the transport body 79 reaches the standby position, the lift 78 retreats from the storage chamber 73 to the right side X2 as shown in FIG. 10F. Thereby, the feeding operation is completed.

  In the recording medium processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the feeding unit 42 inclines the recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 with respect to the front-rear direction Y while transporting the recording medium C to the processing position during the feeding operation. In this state, a gap 66 for information processing is secured in advance (see FIG. 6C). Therefore, in the recording medium processing apparatus 70 according to the comparative example, an independent process (see FIGS. 10C and 10F) of moving the lift 78 in relation to the gap 82 necessary for information processing in the feeding operation can be omitted. The processing time can be shortened.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the player inserts the recording medium C from the front side Y1 into the entrance / exit 71 while the recording medium processing apparatus 70 is in the standby state, the rear end of the recording medium C is conveyed left and right on the front side Y1. It is sandwiched between the rollers 74. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the recording medium C is conveyed toward the processing position of the rear side Y2 by the rotation of the conveyance roller 74, and at the same time, the lift 78 enters the storage chamber 73 from the right side X2, Since the recording medium C in the storage chamber 73 is moved to the left side X1, the above-described gap 82 is formed. The front end of the recording medium C that has reached the processing position is sandwiched between the left and right transport rollers 74 on the rear side Y2.

When the gap 82 is formed, the IC reader 75 performs information processing with the recording medium C at the processing position. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11C, the conveyance body 79 that has been in the standby position until now moves to the front side Y1. In the transporting body 79 after movement, the take-in claw 80 is in the tilted position and is located slightly on the front side Y1 with respect to the front end portion of the recording medium C at the processing position.
Next, as shown in FIG. 11D, the conveyance body 79 moves to the rear side Y2 by several millimeters (for example, 10 mm), and the take-in claw 80 at the tilt position is arranged next to the rear end of the recording medium C at the processing position. Is done.

  Thereafter, the left and right transport rollers 74 on the rear side Y2 sandwiching the front end portion of the recording medium C at the processing position rotate, and the recording medium C is transported from the processing position to the rear side Y2 by several millimeters. Then, as shown in FIG. 11E, the recording medium C is detached from the conveying roller 74, and the take-in claw 80 on the front side Y1 from the front end portion of the recording medium C is vigorously rotated to the standing position. Is engaged from the front side Y1.

  Next, the lift 78 that has entered the storage chamber 73 so far retreats from the storage chamber 73 to the right side X2, as shown in FIG. 11F. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11G, the transport body 79 moves to the standby position of the rear side Y2, and at this time, the recording medium C engaged with the feeding claw 81 is taken into the storage chamber 73. This completes the capture operation. The recording medium C taken in by the taking-in operation is stored on the rightmost side X2 in the storage chamber 73.

  In the recording medium processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the feeding unit 42 moves back and forth another recording medium C in the storage chamber 22 before the recording medium C is transported to the processing position during the take-in operation. A gap 66 for information processing is secured in advance by waiting in a state inclined with respect to the direction Y (see FIG. 8A). Therefore, an independent process (see FIGS. 11B and 11F) is newly performed in which the lift 78 is moved in relation to the gap 82 necessary for information processing in the capture operation in the recording medium processing apparatus 70 according to the comparative example. Since this is not necessary, the processing time can be shortened.

In the present embodiment, the lift 33 corresponding to the lift 78 of the comparative example moves in conjunction with the movement of the take-in portion 41 during the take-in operation (see FIGS. 9B to 9D). Compared with the comparative example (see FIG. 11B and FIG. 11F) that moves alone, the processing time can be further shortened.
Further, in the recording medium processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, in the recording medium processing apparatus 70 according to the comparative example, after the information processing, a process of moving the transport body 79 to the rear side Y2 by several mm (see FIG. 11D), or the recording medium C Since the process (refer FIG. 11E) which conveys about several millimeters from the processing position to the rear side Y2 is unnecessary, the processing time can be further shortened.

The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.
For example, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 can be applied to all products that handle the recording medium C in addition to the inter-bed recording medium processing machine 3. In that case, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 may be arranged so that the doorway 15 is horizontally long. When the doorway 15 is horizontally long, the relationship between the left-right direction X and the up-down direction Z described above is reversed.

In the recording medium processing apparatus 1, the recording medium C is conveyed by the circular movement of the conveying belts 26 and 27 in the vicinity of the entrance / exit 15, but these conveying belts 26 and 27 are omitted and only the rollers 24 and 25 rotate. The recording medium C may be conveyed (see FIG. 3).
Further, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 described above can perform both the feeding operation and the taking-in operation, but it may be capable of performing only the feeding operation. In the recording medium processing apparatus 1 capable of only the feeding operation, the lift 33 can be omitted, so that the recording medium processing apparatus 1 can be reduced in size and cost can be reduced.

  Further, the recording medium C is not limited to the above-described IC card, and includes all stackable items.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording medium processing apparatus 2 Game machine 3 Inter-unit recording medium processing machine 15 Entrance / exit 21 Transport path 22 Storage room 33 Lift 41 Taking-in part 42 Feeding part 44 Taking-in claw 46 Feeding-out claw 48 IC reader 68 Interlocking mechanism C Recording medium X Left and right Direction Y Longitudinal direction Y1 Front side Y2 Rear side

Claims (4)

An entrance and exit for recording media;
A transport path extending from the entrance / exit along a transport direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the recording medium, and transporting the recording medium along the transport direction;
A storage chamber that is connected to the transport path from the side opposite to the entrance and exit side and extends in the thickness direction, and can store the recording medium in a stacked state;
A processing unit that performs information processing with the recording medium at the processing position in the conveyance path;
A feeding claw that can be engaged with the recording medium, and the feeding claw is moved from the opposite side to the entrance / exit side in a state of being engaged with the recording medium, thereby moving the recording medium from the storage chamber to the entrance / exit; And a paying-out part that is fed out to the side,
The feeding unit, when transporting the fed recording medium to the processing position for the information processing, brings the another recording medium in the transport direction by contacting another recording medium in the storage chamber. A recording medium processing apparatus, wherein the recording medium processing apparatus is placed on standby in a tilted state. A take-up claw that can be engaged with the recording medium, and the take-up claw is moved from the entrance / exit side to the opposite side in a state of being engaged with the recording medium; Including a take-in portion to be taken into the storage chamber;
When the recording medium to be taken in is transported to the processing position for the information processing, the feeding unit is in the standby position, and comes into contact with the other recording medium in the storage chamber, so that the other recording medium The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium processing apparatus waits in a state inclined with respect to the transport direction. A lift that moves the recording medium in the storage chamber in the thickness direction by moving in the thickness direction;
An interlocking mechanism that interlocks the movement of the lift with the movement of the intake part,
The take-in part and the feeding part are connected with play so that they can move relative to each other,
When the feeding portion is at the standby position, the feeding claw makes the recording medium stand by in a state inclined with respect to the transport direction by contacting the recording medium stored in the storage chamber,
In order to return the feeding portion to the standby position after the feeding claw is disposed on the opposite side of the recording medium in the storage chamber by the movement of the feeding portion for taking in the recording medium. When the portion moves to the entrance / exit side, the lift moves the recording medium so that the feeding claw does not catch on the recording medium in the storage chamber before the feeding portion moves behind the take-in portion. The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording medium processing apparatus is moved in the thickness direction.   The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium processing apparatus is mounted on an inter-bed recording medium processing machine that is attached to a gaming machine.

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