JPH08337241A - Article housing utensil - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an article housing utensil which can be used as a component of a game machine as it can be fitted simply and can afford a state locked assuredly. CONSTITUTION: A capsule 1 consists of a male hemisphere 3 as a first container member and a female hemisphere 4 as a second container member. On the inner face of the male hemisphere 3, four inserting legs 5 are provided. In the female hemisphere 4, four holes 6 in which the four inserting legs 5 are to be inserted are formed. In the inserting legs 5, steps 7 as engaging parts to be engaged with the edges of the holes 6 are formed at the outside thereof. On the insides of the inserting legs 5, edge parts 8 which can get over a protrusion 10 are formed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a pair of a first container member and a second container member having fitting portions formed in a circular shape,
An article container capable of containing an article in an internal space formed by fitting the first container member and the second container member, and particularly as one component of a game machine for pinching, hitting, throwing, or the like. A container that can be used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a game machine that allows a player to win a prize if the player gives a high score, and a game machine that wins the prize when the player wins the prize are well known. There are also many game machines that use the prize in a spherical capsule formed by fitting a hemispherical capsule component, for example. In recent years, the specifications of game consoles have diversified, and the capsules used as one component of the game consoles are
There are also game machines that pinch the capsule with considerable force, hit the capsule, and roll it.

In this type of game machine, when the capsule is pinched or hit, the capsule often comes off and opens. If the capsule comes off in the game machine, not only the game is interrupted but also the machine may be broken in some cases. Therefore, it is essential to take measures to prevent the capsule from coming off. Therefore, in the past, for example, in the case of a spherical capsule, when a hemispherical capsule component is fitted, winding the fitting portion with an adhesive tape is the most reliable method for preventing the detachment.

[0004]

However, wrapping the capsule parts with the adhesive tape is a very troublesome work, and in many cases a large number of capsules must be prepared, which imposes a burden on the operator. It was big.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an article container that can be used as a component of a game machine because the fitting operation is easy and a reliable locked state is obtained.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a pair of a first container member and a second container member having a fitting portion formed in a circular shape, and these first container members. In the article container capable of containing the article in the internal space formed by fitting the first container member and the second container member,
When the container member and the second container member are fitted together, a plurality of connecting means for connecting both container members are provided, and the connecting means are provided on the insertion leg provided on one container member and the one container member. And a hole into which the inserted leg is inserted, an engaging portion that is engaged with the edge of the hole is formed on the outer surface side of the insertion leg, and the engagement portion is formed on the inner surface side of the insertion leg. It is characterized in that a convex portion formed on the joint surface provided subsequent to the hole portion is elastically deformed to form a ridge portion capable of overcoming.

Further, according to the present invention, the insertion leg is movable in the circumferential direction between a removal position before the ridge crosses over the projection and a lock position where the ridge crosses over the projection. And, it is effective when it is inserted into the removal position.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the convex portion has a height that gives the insertion leg an elastic force in a direction in which the engaging portion engages with the edge of the hole. Furthermore, the present invention is effective when an even number of the connecting means are provided, and the inserting legs and the holes are alternately arranged with respect to one container member.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an article container according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a capsule as an article container, in which a prize 2 such as a stuffed animal is stored. This capsule 1 is a capsule made of a relatively large-sized polypropylene having a spherical shape and a diameter of about 15 cm in this embodiment. It should be noted that the capsule of this example is used as a component of a game machine, and therefore, it is advantageous that it is substantially transparent or semi-transparent and can distinguish the prize inside, but in some cases it may be transparent or semi-transparent. good.

As shown in FIG. 2, the capsule 1 is composed of a male side hemisphere 3 as a first container member and a female side hemisphere 4 as a second container member. There are four coupling means having a hole and a hole 6 at equal intervals. In the coupling means of this embodiment, four insertion legs 5 are provided on the inner surface side of the male side hemisphere 3, and four hole portions 6 into which the insertion legs 5 are inserted are formed in the female side hemisphere 4. A step 7 is formed on the outside of the insertion leg 5 as an engaging portion to be engaged with an edge of a hole 6 which will be described later, and inside the insertion leg 5, a ridge that can get over a protrusion 10 described later. The part 8 is formed.

The hole 6 is provided at a position where the insertion leg 5 passes from the inside to the outside of the female side hemisphere 4, and the female side hemisphere 4 is formed with a flat recess 9 following the hole 6. . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a projection 10 as a projection is formed in this recess 9, and the projection 10 is provided above the lower end of the inserted leg 5 and on the right end side of the recess 9 in the figure. Has been. Also, the width of the insert leg 5 is L
If it is 1, the width L1 is smaller than the width L2 of the hole 6 and the recess 9, and the width L1 of the insertion leg 5 is set to be slightly smaller than the width L3 from the left end of the recess 9 to the protrusion 10. .

In the capsule 1 constructed as described above, after the prize is put in the female side hemisphere 4, the insertion leg 5 of the male side hemisphere 3 is inserted into the hole 6. At this time, when the insertion leg 5 is inserted into the width L3 from the left end of the concave portion 9 to the protrusion 10 and the male side hemisphere 3 is fitted to a predetermined position of the female side hemisphere 4, the step 7 is located above the hole 6. Engaged to the rim. As a result, the male hemisphere 3 and the female hemisphere 4 are temporarily engaged with each other, but when the external pressure is applied to the mating portions of the two,
The insertion leg 5 may come off due to elastic deformation or the like. That is, the width L3 from the left end of the recessed portion 9 into which the insertion leg 5 is inserted to the protrusion 10 is a detached position. At this position, the male-side hemisphere 3 and the female-side hemisphere 4 are easily disengaged, so that the capsule 1 is pinched, It cannot be used for game machines such as hits.

Then, after inserting the insertion leg 5 to the predetermined position at the detached position, the male side hemisphere 3 and the female side hemisphere 4 are respectively fixed, or one of them is fixed and the other is turned in the arrow direction of FIG. By this turning operation, the insertion leg 5 moves to the right end of the recess 9 as shown in FIG. 4, and at this time, the elasticity of the insertion leg 5 causes the ridge portion 8 to pass over the projection 10 and
The protrusion 10 is located below the insertion leg 5. This position is the lock position, and at the lock position, the lower end side of the insertion leg 5 is pushed outward by the protrusion 10 and is pressed in the direction in which the engagement of the step 7 with the upper edge of the hole 6 is locked. At this time, the protrusion 10 is set to have a height which gives the insertion leg 5 an elastic force in a direction of engaging with the upper edge of the hole 6 of the step 7, that is, slightly higher than the ridge 8. As a result, the male hemisphere 3 and the female hemisphere 4 are reliably locked in the directions away from each other. Further, the ridge portion 8 has the protrusion 1 at the locked position.
By surpassing 0, the male hemisphere 3 and the female hemisphere 4 are also locked in a rotating direction.

In this way, both hemispheres can be securely and firmly locked by a simple operation of inserting the insertion leg 5 into the hole 6 and turning the male hemisphere 3 or the female hemisphere 4. Moreover, in order to release this lock, one hemisphere must be pressed and the other hemisphere must be rotated to allow the ridge portion 8 to get over the projection 10, and such an action does not occur due to pinching, tapping, or the like. Therefore, the capsule does not come off during the game in any form of the game.

To remove the capsule 1 from the locked position, one of the hemispheres is turned to return the ridge 8 to the disengaged position by overcoming the projection 10, and the stepped legs 5 are stepped one by one from the edge of the hole 6. If removed, both hemispheres can be separated. Further, depending on the elasticity of the insertion leg 5, the insertion leg 5 can be elastically deformed by pulling the hemispheres apart so that the step 7 is disengaged from the upper edge of the hole 6 and the two hemispheres can be separated.

In the above embodiment, the male side hemisphere 3 is provided with the insertion leg 5 and the female side hemisphere 4 is provided with the hole portion 6.
It is also possible to provide the insertion leg 5 and the hole 6 in a mixed manner in one hemisphere. In this case, the hemispheres may be arranged such that the hemispheres are arranged at the positions corresponding to the insertion legs 5 of the other hemisphere and the insertion legs 5 are arranged at the positions corresponding to the holes 6. In order to mix the insertion leg 5 and the hole 6 in the hemisphere, as shown in FIG. 6, one hemisphere 3 or 4 is provided with an even number, for example, four coupling means at equal intervals.
By arranging the insertion legs 5 and the holes 6 alternately, it is possible to fit hemispheres of the same shape to make one capsule. Therefore, the number of molds for forming the hemisphere is half, and the manufacturing cost is significantly reduced. In this case, if a step portion for overlapping is formed in the fitting portion of the hemisphere at a predetermined angle, for example, a half circumference of 180 °, the step portion fits in a portion without it, and the overlapping portion is held in the fitting direction. Hemispheres can also be fitted.

The present invention can be applied to a container having a conical or cylindrical capsule shape as long as the fitting portion has a circular shape. Further, the item container of the present invention is not limited to the one for storing prizes of game machines, but a container of a vending machine or another vending machine in which an arbitrary one containing a product comes out when a coin is inserted. It can also be used as a container for goods such as.

[0019]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the first container member and the second container member are fitted together, a plurality of connecting means for connecting both container members are provided, and the connecting means is one container. An engaging portion provided on a member and a hole portion provided on one of the container members into which the inserting leg is inserted, and an engaging portion engaged with an edge portion of the hole portion on an outer surface side of the inserting leg. Since the inner surface of the insertion leg is formed with a ridge portion that can be overridden by elastically deforming the convex portion formed on the joint surface provided subsequent to the hole portion, the ridge of the insertion leg is formed. By the portion elastically deforming over the convex portion and riding over the convex portion, the fitting between the first container member and the second container member is reliably held, and it is possible to prevent the container from coming off due to an external force.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the insertion leg is provided with a hole so as to be movable in the circumferential direction between the disengagement position where the ridge rides over the convex portion and the front side and the lock position where the ridge rides over the convex portion. Since it can be inserted into, the fitting and removal operations of the container can be easily performed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the convex portion has a height that gives the insertion leg an elastic force in the direction in which the engaging portion engages with the edge of the hole, the convex portion has a fitting position at the locking position. The state can be firmly held.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, an even number of connecting means are provided, and the inserting legs and the holes are alternately arranged with respect to one container member. The items can be mated to create a single item container. Therefore, the mold for molding the container member is halved,
Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an embodiment of an item container according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the insertion leg is removed and inserted into a position.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the insertion leg is inserted in the lock position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the insertion leg is inserted in the lock position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Capsule 2 Prize 3 Hemisphere on male side 4 Hemisphere on female side 5 Insertion leg 6 Hole 7 Step 8 Ridge 9 Recess 10 Protrusion

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An internal space formed by fitting a pair of a first container member and a second container member, the fitting portion of which is formed in a circular shape, and formed by fitting the first container member and the second container member. In an article container capable of containing an article, a plurality of joining means for joining both container members when the first container member and the second container member are fitted to each other are provided, and the joining means is one container member. An insertion leg provided in the container, and a hole into which the insertion leg provided in one of the container members is inserted, and the outer surface of the insertion leg is engaged with the edge of the hole. A portion is formed, and a ridge portion that is capable of overcoming by elastically deforming a convex portion formed on the joint surface provided subsequent to the hole portion is formed on the inner surface side of the insertion leg. Item storage container. 2. The article container according to claim 1, wherein
The insertion leg is movable in the circumferential direction between a removal position before the ridge crosses over the projection and a lock position where the ridge crosses over the projection, and is inserted into the removal position. An article container characterized by the above. 3. The article container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion has a height that gives the insertion leg an elastic force in a direction in which the engaging portion engages with the edge of the hole. An article container characterized by having. 4. The article container according to claim 1, wherein the coupling means is provided in an even number.
The article container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting means has the insertion legs and the holes alternately arranged with respect to one container member.