JP4183253B2 - Game medal lifting mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game medal lifting mechanism used in a medal gaming machine such as a slot machine formed so that a large number of game medals can be inserted at a time.

Conventionally, in a medal gaming machine such as a slot machine, a medal feeding device has been devised that can insert a large number of medals at a time and can transfer medals one by one to a medal selector (Patent Document 1, Japanese Patent Application 2003-2003) 13010). Furthermore, in response to the player's request to avoid touching the medals as much as possible due to hygiene problems, the game medals are lifted so that the players can insert the game medals all at once without lifting the medals to the medal slot. A gaming machine provided with a feeding mechanism (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-125149), an inter-table machine, etc. (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-116906) have been devised.
JP 2002-282414 A

However, in the conventional game medal lifting mechanism, when the game medal paid out from the gaming machine to the medal tray is inserted into the medal insertion slot of the lifting mechanism, it has no choice but to depend on the human hand. .
Accordingly, the invention described in each claim has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object thereof is as follows.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the game medal paid out from the gaming machine can be directly transferred to the medal slot of the lifting mechanism, and the game medal stays in the medal slot of the lifting mechanism. If it is, the object is to provide a game medal lifting mechanism in which the payout medal automatically moves to a medal storage section such as a payout medal tray.

Further, a second aspect of the present invention, an object to provide a gaming machine having a pumped mechanism of game medals according to the first aspect.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine platform machine equipped with the game medal lifting mechanism according to the first claim.

The invention described in each claim has been made to achieve each of the above-described objects, and features of each invention will be described below using the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, the code | symbol in parenthesis shows the code | symbol used in embodiment of invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.
(Claim 1)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by the following points.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 includes a medal insertion unit for inserting game medals, a payout device (hopper unit (5)) for storing game medals and paying out game medals, and the payout device. This is a game medal lifting mechanism (6) used in a gaming machine having at least a medal storage section (13) capable of storing game medals to be paid out.

Here, the medal storage unit (13) can be a payout medal tray (12) provided at the lower front of the gaming machine, but the storage unit (13) is located at a place other than the payout medal plate (12). It may be provided. Further, a medal storage part (13) may be formed in a part of the payout medal tray (12).
The “medal insertion part” is an entrance for taking game medals into the gaming machine, and is inserted from the medal insertion slot (11) or the medal insertion slot (11) provided on the front of the gaming machine. It also includes a medal selector (4) for selecting the played game medals.
The game medal lifting mechanism (6) is provided below the medal insertion part, and an auxiliary medal insertion slot (lifting hopper opening (23)) through which game medals can be batch-loaded, and the auxiliary medal A medal feeding device (21) that is provided in the vicinity of the insertion slot and sends out the game medals inserted from the auxiliary medal insertion slot one by one; and the game medals sent out by the medal medal feeding device (21) A lifting device (30) for transferring to the insertion portion and a payout transfer passage (40) for transferring game medals paid out from the medal discharge port of the payout device toward the auxiliary medal insertion port are provided.

Further, when game medals that are not sent out by the medal feeding device (21) remain in the auxiliary medal slot, the game medals paid out toward the auxiliary medal slot are stored in the medal storage unit. that it has a drop unit for dropping (13).
The auxiliary medal insertion slot in the present invention enables a medal insertion method other than the insertion method of inserting game medals one by one into the medal insertion part of the gaming machine. That is, game medals can be thrown in at once. Here, “batch insertion” means that the game medals can be inserted in a random manner without adjusting the orientation of the game medals or dividing them into several pieces. Absent. As the auxiliary medal slot, for example, a tray or an opening provided above the medal feeder (21) can be used.

The medal feeder (21) can be, for example, a rotating disk hopper, a belt-driven medal feeder, or the like. The lifting device (30) may be of any form as long as it is a device capable of transferring a game medal above the auxiliary medal slot, such as a screw-type medal lifting machine, a belt conveyor, or a push-up rail.
The payout transfer passage (40) can be, for example, a guide rail or a transfer passage extending from the medal discharge portion of the hopper unit (5) of the gaming machine to the auxiliary medal insertion port.
The game medal lifting mechanism (6) is being transferred by the payout transfer passage (40) when game medals that are not sent out by the medal feeding device (21) remain in the auxiliary medal slot. When the game medals that have been or have been transferred collide with the staying medals, there is provided a dropping portion that is formed so as to fall naturally (without a human hand) into the medal storage portion (13). The term “fall” here means that an object moves from a high place to a low place, and includes sliding down in addition to free fall.

  The medal lifting mechanism (6) may be automatically activated by inserting a game medal using a sensor, or based on the player's intention by operating the operating means (drive switch (24)). It may be possible to start operation.

Further, according to the present invention, the auxiliary medal insertion port is formed below the medal discharge port of the payout device, and the payout transfer passage (40) is connected to the medal storage part (13) from the medal discharge port of the payout device. Is formed so as to pass above the auxiliary medal insertion slot. And at least above the medal storage part (13) of the payout transfer passage (40) is a concave rail that can be rotated in a standing state, and this concave rail is a supporting side wall (substantially vertically formed) A front side guide portion (41a)) and a falling side wall (back side guide portion (41b)) which is inclined in a direction in which the upper end is separated from the supporting side wall and has a height smaller than the radius of the game medal, The falling side wall is the dropping portion.

In the present invention, a “falling portion” is provided in the dispensing transfer passage (40). That is, the falling side wall functions as a “falling portion”.
  At least above the medal storage portion (13) of the payout transfer passage (40) is, for example, a substantially V-shaped or bowl-shaped guide rail having an upper opening, and a game medal is provided between the support side wall and the falling side wall. Is configured to be transferred in a standing state (a state where the side face of the game medal is up and down). It should be noted that the game medals are in a substantially horizontal state (a state where the front and back surfaces of the game medals are up and down) at portions other than the upper part of the medal storage part (13) of the payout transfer passage (40), for example, near the medal discharge port of the payout device It may be formed in a shape that can be transferred, or may be formed so that the game medal is standing up as it approaches the upper side of the medal storage unit (13).

(Function)
According to the present invention, the game medal inserted into the auxiliary medal slot is lifted by the lifting device (30) and transferred to the medal slot (11) of the gaming machine above the auxiliary medal slot. . Since the auxiliary medal slot is provided below the medal slot (11), it is possible to reduce the distance that the player lifts the game medal, so that the payout medal tray (12) is paid out and stored. When a game medal is re-inserted, it is easy to insert it, and there is less concern about dropping the picked game medal. In addition, since the auxiliary medal slot can play game medals in a lump, there is no need to arrange the direction of medals.

  Further, according to the present invention, the game medal paid out from the gaming machine is directly inserted into the auxiliary medal slot through the payout transfer passage (40), so that the game medal paid out to the payout medal tray (12) There is no need to move to the auxiliary medal slot. In addition, when the auxiliary medal slot is full and a game medal cannot be accepted, the payout medal naturally drops and moves from the falling part to the medal storage part (13), so that the payout transfer passage (40) may cause clogging. There is no.

If no game medal is accumulated in the auxiliary medal slot, the game medal paid out from the payout device is transferred on the payout transfer passage (40) and inserted into the auxiliary medal slot. Since the game medals being transferred are rotating at a certain speed, the game medals are also erected on the concave rail part above the medal storage part (13). On the other hand, when a game medal stays in the auxiliary medal slot, the payout medal collides with the stay medal and stops on the payout transfer passage (40). Here, since the falling side wall is inclined to the outside of the passage and is lower than the radius of the game medal, the stopped game medal cannot be supported, and the game medal falls to the medal storage unit (13). .

(Claim 2 )
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 2 is characterized by the following points in addition to the features of the invention described in claim 1 described above.
That is, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the game medal lifting mechanism is provided in a gaming machine.
According to the present invention, the operation of the medal lifting mechanism (6) can be easily controlled in association with the operation of the gaming machine.

(Claim 3 )
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 3 has the following features in addition to the features of the invention described in claim 1 described above.
That is, in the invention according to claim 3 , at least the auxiliary medal slot, the medal feeding device (21), and the lifting device (30) are provided in a gaming machine intermediary machine arranged adjacent to the gaming machine. It is characterized by being.
Here, the “game machine platform machine” can be a medal lending machine for lending game medals used in the game machine, but is not limited thereto.
In the present invention, the payout transfer passage (40) may be provided on the medal lifting mechanism (6), that is, on the gaming machine inter-machine side, or may be provided on the gaming machine.
According to the present invention, the convenience of the medal lifting mechanism (6) can be enjoyed without significantly changing the design of the gaming machine.

The present invention has the following effects.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the game medal paid out from the gaming machine can be directly transferred to the medal slot of the lifting mechanism, and the game medal is placed at the medal slot of the lifting mechanism. In the case of staying, it is possible to provide a game medal lifting mechanism in which the payout medal automatically moves to the medal storage unit.
Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a slot machine with a pumped mechanism of game medals according to the first aspect, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the first aspect It is possible to provide a gaming machine pedestal machine provided with the described game medal lifting mechanism.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a slot machine as an example of a gaming machine.
(Explanation of drawings)
1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention.
1 is an external front view of the slot machine, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a medal lifting mechanism, FIGS. 3 and 4 are views showing a payout transfer passage, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a lifting device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a medal lifting mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.
(Slot Machine S)
As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine S includes a box-shaped housing 1 and a front door 2 attached to the front side of the housing 1.

Inside the housing 1, a reel unit 3 having a plurality of rotating reels, and a hopper unit 5 for storing game medals and paying out game medals when winning a prize are installed. Further, although not particularly illustrated, a control device for controlling the operation of the reel unit 3 and the hopper unit 5, a power supply device, and the like are incorporated.
The front door 2 is a plate-like door capable of closing the opening of the housing 1 so as to be openable and closable, and forms the front structure of the slot machine S in a closed state. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a symbol display window 10 is formed on the front side of the front door 2 so that the symbol of the rotary reel can be visually recognized. The central portion is an operation unit 18 provided with operation means such as a start switch 15, a stop switch 16, and a bet switch 17. The start switch 15 is for rotating the rotating reel, and the stop switch 16 is for stopping the rotating reel. The bet switch 17 is used to replace the game medals stored as credits with inserted medals.

At the end of the operation unit 18, a medal insertion slot 11 for inserting a game medal is provided. A medal selector 4 for selecting and counting the inserted game medals is provided inside the front door 2 and below the medal slot 11. Further, below the front door 2, a payout medal tray 12 is formed as a medal storage section 13 for storing game medals.
Then, a game medal is inserted or the bet switch 17 is pressed, the rotating reel is rotated by operating the start switch 15, the rotating reel is stopped by operating the stop switch 16, and the symbols displayed on the plurality of rotating reels are displayed. When the player stops at a predetermined position mode, a prize is won, and a predetermined number of game medals are paid out from the hopper unit 5.

Further, the slot machine S can store up to 50 inserted medals and payout medals as credits in the hopper unit 5, but when the credits exceed 50, the inserted medals are canceled by the medal selector 4. The payout medal is paid out when the hopper unit 5 operates.
By the way, the slot machine S in the present embodiment has a medal lifting mechanism 6 for directly lifting game medals paid out from the hopper unit 5 to the medal insertion slot 11. Hereinafter, the medal lifting mechanism 6 will be described in detail.
(Medal lifting mechanism 6)
The medal lifting mechanism 6 allows the game medals stored in the payout medal tray 12 to be inserted without being lifted up to the medal insertion slot 11, and the game medals paid out from the hopper unit 5 are directly transferred to the medal insertion slot 11. Is to do.

Specifically, the medal lifting mechanism 6 includes a lifting hopper 20, a lifting device 30, and a medal guide 41 as a payout transfer passage 40.
(Lifting hopper 20)
The lifting hopper 20 accepts game medals stored in the payout medal tray 12, game medals paid out from the hopper unit 5, or game medals canceled from the lift device 30 described later, and separates them one by one. It is for sending out to 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting hopper 20 is provided at the right end of the payout medal tray 12, and includes a medal feeding device 21, a cover 22, a lifting hopper opening 23, a drive switch 24, have.

The medal feeding device 21 is for sending out game medals one by one to the ascending device 30. Specifically, it is provided with a delivery disk having a plurality of medal holes, and is formed such that game medals fitted in the medal holes are discharged one by one by rotating the delivery disk. is there.
In addition, a substantially cylindrical cover 22 is provided above the medal feeder 21 so that the player does not touch it by mistake or the medal hole is clogged with foreign matter. A lifting hopper opening 23 is formed on the left side of the cover 22 (see FIG. 2). The lifting hopper opening 23 functions as an auxiliary medal slot for inserting a game medal paid out or paid back into the payout medal tray 12 into the medal slot 11.

The drive switch 24 is a handle provided on the front side of the payout medal tray 12, and drives or stops driving a drive motor (not shown) for rotating the payout disk of the medal feeder 21. Is for.
Specifically, when the drive switch 24 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the switch is turned on and the drive motor is driven. Returning to the position, the switch is turned OFF to stop the drive motor. If formed in this way, the player must hold down the drive switch 24 while inserting the game medals into the medal slot 11, but it is only necessary to release the hand when the required number is inserted, so even if the number is small, as expected Easy to throw in. Note that a button may be provided as the drive switch 24, and the switch signal may be switched on and off each time the button is pressed.

By the way, the medal feeding device 21 may be formed so as to be automatically operable according to the presence or absence of medals. In other words, the medal feeding device 21 is provided with a medal confirmation sensor for detecting the presence of a game medal, and when this medal confirmation sensor detects a game medal, the drive motor is driven to rotate the feeding disk. When the game medal is not detected, the drive motor is not driven. If formed in this way, the medal feeder 21 is automatically driven as long as the player inserts a game medal into the lifting hopper opening 23 without operating the switch or the like.
Further, the drive motor may be stopped when the medal confirmation sensor does not detect a medal for a certain period of time. Further, both the drive switch 24 and the medal confirmation sensor may be provided.

(Climbing device 30)
The ascent device 30 is a device for lifting an inserted game medal sent out from the lifting hopper 20 upward and automatically inserting it into the front medal slot 11.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the lifting device 30 has a spiral shaft 31 and a transfer passage 32 in which the spiral shaft 31 is built. The spiral shaft 31 is for lifting the game medals sent out from the medal feeder 21, and the transfer passage 32 is a rectangular tube-shaped passage through which the game medals are lifted by the spiral shaft 31. The game medal inserted into the lifting hopper opening 23 is guided to the medal insertion slot 11.

As shown in FIG. 5, the spiral shaft 31 is a rotating shaft having a spiral projecting portion, and is installed inside the transfer passage 32. Then, the game medal M is taken in from the medal intake (not shown) provided at the lower part of the transfer passage 32, and the rotation axis is rotated in the downward inclination direction of the spiral of the overhanging portion. It is configured to move upward.
The transfer passage 32 includes a base portion 32a having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens to the front side and covers the spiral shaft 31, and a plate-shaped medal presser 32b that closes the opening of the base portion 32a. The projecting portion of the spiral shaft 31 protrudes slightly outward from the opening of the base portion 32a, and the game medal M fed into the transfer passage 32 is sandwiched between the base portion 32a and the medal presser 32b. (See FIG. 5A). Then, the game medal M rises along the inner surface of the medal presser 32b so as to be pushed up by the overhanging portion as the spiral shaft 31 rotates. The raised game medal M is pushed out from a medal discharge slit provided on the medal slot 11 side above the transfer passage 32.

The drive motor for rotating the spiral shaft 31 operates in synchronization with the drive motor of the medal feeder 21. When the medal feeder 21 is feeding out game medals, the spiral shaft 31 is also It is designed to rotate.
Further, the transfer passage 32 is provided with a cancel device for discharging all game medals M in the passage to the outside of the passage at the same time. This is for returning the game medal M retained in the transfer passage 32 to the payout medal tray 21 when the operation of the spiral shaft 31 is stopped. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the base portion 32a of the transfer passage 32 is provided with a solenoid 34 on the back side and a movable portion 32c having a substantially L-shaped cross section attached to the solenoid 34 on the side. When the solenoid 34 is operated, the movable portion 32c moves back and forth, and the side of the base portion 32a is opened. Since one side wall that supported the medal M is lost due to the movement of the movable portion 32c, the game medal M in the transfer passage 32 moves toward the base portion 32a along the downward slope of the projecting portion of the spiral shaft 31. (See FIG. 5B).

The game medal M canceled from the transfer passage 32 falls to the vicinity of the lifting hopper opening 23 through a cancellation passage 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) provided on the side of the transfer passage 32.
The solenoid 34 is not connected to the medal slot 11 when the medal feeder 21 stops driving, when the settlement switch is pressed to end the game, or when a certain number of credits are reached. Control to operate when a medal is not inserted (cannot be done).
By the way, since the raising device 30 is configured to lift the game medal in a standing state, when the game medal is sent out in a horizontal state from the medal feeding device 21, the game medal in the horizontal state is raised. It is desirable to provide a standing device for this purpose. As the standing device, for example, a rotating arm and a slope that gradually becomes vertical from the horizontal state are used, and the game medal in the horizontal state is pushed up on the slope by the rotating arm, and the game medal is raised, or a deformation cam is used. For example, a game medals standing in a horizontal state as the cam rotates. Alternatively, a transfer rail in which game medals discharged from the medal feeder 21 can move in parallel may be provided so that the game medals gradually change from a horizontal state to a vertical state in the moving process.

Further, as the ascending device 30, a game medal that is sent out in a horizontal state can be discharged in a standing state, for example, a medal in a horizontal state is accepted, and a game medal is gradually raised in a lifting process and discharged in a standing state You may use what has a transfer rail. The lifting device 30 is not limited to the one having the above-described configuration, and any form may be used as long as it is possible to lift game medals one by one.
The ascending device 30 and the medal feeding device 21 are preferably formed to stop operating when the credit reaches a maximum value or when the slot machine S is not in the medal acceptance state. This is because when the slot machine S is not in the medal acceptance state, the inserted medal is canceled by the medal selector 4, and the operation of the medal lifting mechanism 6 is wasted.

(Medal guide 41)
The medal guide 41 is a payout transfer passage 40 for guiding game medals paid out from the hopper unit 5 to the lifting hopper opening 23. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medal guide 41 is bent downward from the medal discharge portion of the hopper unit 5 and extends toward the lifting hopper opening 23 along the front inner edge portion of the payout medal tray 12. It is a guide rail installed. Further, the game medals discharged from the hopper unit 5 in a substantially horizontal direction are formed in a substantially V-shaped cross section with a twist so that the front and back surfaces of the game medals are raised up and down in the vicinity of the front inner edge of the payout medal tray 12. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the medal guide 41 extends to the vicinity of the medal feeding device 21, and the guided game medal is sent out into the lifting hopper opening 23. The game medal sent into the lifting hopper opening 23 is in a standing state, but falls from the tip of the medal guide 41 onto the upper part of the feeding disk of the medal feeding device 21, falls down, and fits into the medal hole.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the vicinity of the front inner edge portion of the payout medal tray 12 of the medal guide 41 has a substantially V-shaped cross section by a rail portion 41c, a front side guide portion 41a and a back side guide portion 41b rising from both ends. It has a letter shape. Further, the back side guide portion 41b is formed to be shorter than the front side guide portion 41a and to be inclined in the back direction. Furthermore, the height of the back side guide part 41b is shorter than the radius of the game medal.

Here, when the game medal rolls down on the medal guide 41 at a certain speed, the game medal can be kept upright on the rail portion 41c. However, when a game medal that moves ahead stops on the medal guide 41, the subsequent game medal collides with the game medal and cannot maintain an upright state. In such a case, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the subsequent game medal falls in the back direction, and the back side guide portion 41 b cannot support it, so the game medal falls on the payout medal tray 12.
Therefore, when no game medal stays in the vicinity of the lifting hopper opening 23, the gaming medal paid out from the hopper unit 5 rolls on the upper surface of the rail portion 41c and reaches the lifting hopper opening 23, and the medal It falls on the feeding disk of the feeding device 21 and is fed into the medal hole. On the other hand, if a game medal stays in the vicinity of the lifting hopper opening 23, the game medal rolling on the upper surface of the rail portion 41c stops by hitting the staying game medal, and falls down in the back direction and the medal guide 41 It will fall to the payout medal tray 12 from.

(Introduction of game medals)
Next, the operation of the medal lifting mechanism 6 having the above configuration will be described.
First, when a game is first started, a game medal is obtained from a medal lending machine. A medal lent out from the medal lending machine may be inserted into the medal insertion slot 11 or may be inserted into the lifting hopper opening 23. When throwing into the lifting hopper opening 23, it is only necessary to push the gaming medal from the payout medal tray 12 to the lifting hopper opening 23 by hand without stacking the gaming medals. It is convenient for a player who is not familiar with throwing in, or a player who is troublesome to manually throw in a large number of game medals.

  When a game medal is inserted into the lifting hopper opening 23 and the drive switch 22 is operated, the medal feeding device 21 and the lifting device 30 start to operate. Then, the medal feeder 21 sends out game medals one by one to the ascent device 30, and the ascent device 30 lifts the sent out game medals upward. The raised game medals are discharged one by one from the upper end of the transfer passage 32 and inserted one by one into the medal insertion slot 11. The inserted game medals are stored in the hopper unit 5 through the medal selector 4. Since the number of game medals that have passed through the medal selector 4 is displayed on a credit display section (not shown) provided below the symbol display window 10 of the slot machine S, the player can determine the maximum number of credits (50 The number of medals can be stopped by inserting a desired number of sheets within the range of the number of sheets and releasing the hand from the drive switch 22 (operating the drive switch 22 again).

When a game medal is paid out by winning, the game medal discharged from the hopper unit 5 is transferred to the lifting hopper opening 23 by the medal guide 41. When no game medals remain in the medal feeder 21, the game medals transferred from the medal guide 41 are sent out to the ascending device 30 by the medal feeder 21. Therefore, the payout medal can be reinserted without touching the game medal.
If the number of credits exceeds 50, the blocker device of the medal selector 4 operates to cancel game medals that are subsequently inserted, and the cancel device (solenoid 34) of the ascending device 30 cancels game medals in the transfer passage 32. Cancel. The canceled game medal is discharged from the cancellation passage 33.

Since the discharge port of the cancel passage 33 is in the vicinity of the lifting hopper opening 23, when the medals are inserted again, the game medals staying there are simply moved to the lifting hopper opening 23. It's okay. It is more effective to provide a slope for moving game medals between the lifting hopper opening 23 and the payout medal tray 12.
On the other hand, when game medals stay in the vicinity of the lifting hopper opening 23 or in the medal feeder 21, the game medals transferred from the medal guide 41 collide with the stayed game medals, and the medal guide Drops from 41 and falls onto the medal tray 12. That is, when the medal feeding device 21 is not activated or when the medal feeding device 21 is activated but the game medal inserted into the lifting hopper opening 23 cannot be judged, the payout medal is automatically paid out medal. It is to be stored in the tray 12.

  As described above, the slot machine S according to the present embodiment has two medal insertion ports, that is, a medal insertion port 11 capable of manually inserting game medals one by one and a transport hopper opening 23 capable of batch loading of game medals. Therefore, it is possible to select a game medal insertion method according to the preference of the player. Further, since the game medals paid out from the hopper unit 5 are directly guided to the lifting hopper opening 23 by the medal guide 41, the game medals can be reinserted without touching them at all. Furthermore, since the game medals can be easily dropped from the medal guide 41 to the payout medal tray 12, medals are not jammed during transfer from the hopper unit 5.

In the above-described embodiment, the medal lifting mechanism 6 is incorporated in the slot machine S. However, the medal lifting mechanism 6 is installed between the platforms installed adjacent to the slot machine S. It may be built in or attached to a machine such as a medal lending machine. In this case, the lifting hopper 20 and the lifting device 30 are installed in the inter-vehicle machine, and the dispensing transfer passage 40 is attached to the slot machine S. Further, an insertion transfer passage for transferring the game medal that has been raised by the lifting device 30 to the medal insertion slot 11 is provided. The payout transfer passage 40 and the input transfer passage are preferably formed detachably from the slot machine S or the lifting device 30.
Further, in the embodiment described above, the game medal is transferred from the ascent device 30 to the medal slot 11, but the game medal may be directly transferred from the ascent device 30 to the medal selector 4.

FIG. 4 is an external front view of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a medal lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an embodiment of the present invention and is a view showing a medal guide and a lifting hopper. It is embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is sectional drawing of a medal guide. It is embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is the cross-sectional view and longitudinal cross-sectional view of a raising apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

S slot machine 1 housing 2 front door 3 reel unit 4 medal selector (medal insertion part) 5 hopper unit (dispensing device)
6 medal lifting mechanism
10 Symbol display window 11 Medal slot (medal slot)
12 Dispensing medal tray 13 Medal storage
15 Start switch 16 Stop switch
17 Bet switch 18 Operation section
20 Lifting hopper 21 Medal feeder
22 Cover 23 Lifting hopper opening (auxiliary medal slot)
24 Drive switch
30 Lifting device 31 Spiral shaft
32 Transfer path 33 Cancel path
34 Solenoid
40 Dispensing transfer passage 41 Medal guide (concave rail)
41a Front side guide part (support side wall) 41b Back side guide part (falling side wall, falling part)

Claims (3)

A medal insertion part for inserting game medals,
A payout device for storing game medals and paying out game medals;
A game medal lifting mechanism used in a gaming machine having at least a medal storage unit capable of storing game medals paid out from the payout device,
An auxiliary medal slot that is provided below the medal slot and that can be used for batch gaming medals;
A medal feeding device that is provided in the vicinity of the auxiliary medal slot, and that sends out game medals inserted from the auxiliary medal slot one by one;
A raising device for transferring the game medal sent out by the medal feeding device to the medal insertion unit;
A payout transfer passage for transferring a game medal paid out from the medal discharge port of the payout device toward the auxiliary medal insertion port;
When a game medal that is not sent out by the medal feeder remains in the auxiliary medal slot, the game medal paid out from the payout unit toward the auxiliary medal slot is dropped into the medal storage unit. A falling part that causes at least
Forming the auxiliary medal slot below the medal outlet of the payout device;
The payout transfer passage is formed so as to pass from the medal discharge port of the payout device to above the medal storage part and reach the auxiliary medal insertion port,
At least above the medal storage part of the payout transfer passage is a concave rail that can rotate and move in a standing state.
The concave rail has a supporting side wall formed substantially vertically and a falling side wall that is inclined in a direction in which the upper end is separated from the supporting side wall and has a height smaller than the radius of the game medal. A game medal lifting mechanism, characterized in that it is the dropping portion . The game pumped mechanism of medals, game medals pumped mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that provided in the game machine. At least the auxiliary medal insertion slot, the medal feeding device and the rise device, the game medals according to claim 1, characterized in that provided in the gaming machine platform while machine is positioned adjacent to the game machine Lifting mechanism.

Images