JP7570626B2 - Trolley - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a hand-pushed cart that is primarily used in gaming parlors to transport pachinko and pachislot gaming machines.

Pachinko or pachislot gaming machines (in this application, pachinko and pachislot gaming machines are collectively referred to as "gaming machines") are used by being attached to a structure commonly referred to as an island in the hall of an amusement parlor. Before being attached to the island, the gaming machine is first carried from, for example, the gaming machine manufacturer to, for example, a warehouse in the amusement parlor. Naturally, not one gaming machine is carried into the warehouse, but multiple machines, and in many cases a considerable number of machines. The gaming machine carried into the warehouse, etc. is then transported from the warehouse, etc. to the hall of the amusement parlor where the island is located.
The game machines are transported by a hand-operated cart, which is a well-known type of cart. The game machines are placed on the hand-operated cart and transported to the front of the island, where they are then installed on the island.
The cart is also used when removing the gaming machines that were installed on the island from the island and returning them to a warehouse or the like.

As mentioned above, trolleys are useful, however, their storage is often a problem.
As mentioned above, the carts are only used when gaming machines are carried in from a warehouse or the like to a hall or when gaming machines are carried out from a hall to a warehouse or the like, in other words, when gaming machines need to be replaced, and at other times they are simply stored in the warehouse or the like. And the number of carts that an amusement center needs to prepare for the replacement of gaming machines cannot be more than one or two.
Therefore, the problem is how to store the low-utilization trolleys when they are not in use. Although there are already efforts to make the trolleys stackable, even if they are stored in this way, it is unavoidable that the trolleys take up space.

The objective of the present invention is to provide technology to solve the problems of storing trolleys as described above.

The cart of the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
The cart of the present invention includes a cart body having a platform plate having a horizontal upper surface on which the gaming machine is placed, and casters attached to the lower part of the platform plate. In other words, the cart body corresponds to a conventional cart. The platform plate is, for example, rectangular in plan view.
The dolly also includes a detachable member that includes an auxiliary plate, which is a plate-like body with a lower hole that faces downwards and that can detachably store the loading platform plate inside by covering the loading platform plate from above, and a frame plate that stands up from the auxiliary plate and forms an upper hole that faces upwards and is surrounded by the frame plate on the auxiliary plate.
The use of the cart body of the present invention as a conventional cart is the same as before. The cart body can be used as a cart for moving the gaming machines loaded on its platform when carrying the gaming machines from a warehouse or the like to a hall or carrying them out from the hall to a warehouse or the like, that is, when replacing the gaming machines.
On the other hand, the cart of the present invention is provided with a detachable member that is used when the cart body is not being used for replacing the gaming machines, i.e., when the cart of the conventional type is in an idle state.
The detachable member includes an auxiliary plate, which is a plate, and includes an upper hole that opens upward and a lower hole that opens downward, which are located at a position that sandwiches the auxiliary plate. The upper hole is a hole surrounded by a frame plate. In this application, the concept of up and down for the detachable member refers to the up and down in a state in which the detachable member is attached to the bogie body.
The pilot hole is used to detachably fix or engage the detachable member to the dolly body by storing the bed plate. For example, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the pilot hole corresponds to the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the bed plate of the dolly body, and the detachable member is detachably fixed to the dolly body by inserting at least a part of the bed plate in the thickness direction into the pilot hole. Also, the pilot hole may be one size larger than the bed plate. In that case, when the detachable member tries to move horizontally relative to the bed plate, the walls around the pilot hole interfere with the side of the bed plate, so that the detachable member can be prevented from falling off the bed plate.
On the other hand, the upper hole is located above the loading platform plate when the detachable member is attached to the cart body, and is used by players to place their dollar boxes, which are boxes containing balls dispensed from pachinko machines and coins dispensed from slot machines, in it.
In other words, while the cart body can be used like a conventional cart when the detachable member is removed, when the detachable member is attached, it can be used as a place to store the money boxes by stacking them in the upper hole, by placing it near the player playing in the hall or near the gaming machine being used by the player. As a result, the cart of the present invention can function as a place to store the money boxes when the conventional carts are in play, and can be kept in the hall of the game parlor. This approach, which is completely different from the idea of how to store the carts when they are not being used, frees the cart of the present invention from the problem of storage.

As described above, the upper hole is provided on the upper side of the auxiliary plate of the detachable member, and the lower hole is provided on the lower side. The upper hole and the lower hole may or may not overlap when viewed in a plan view.
On the other hand, the upper hole and the lower hole may overlap when viewed in a plan view. In that case, the frame plate may rise from the entire periphery of the edge of the auxiliary plate and reach the bottom of the auxiliary plate, and the space surrounded by the frame plate below the auxiliary plate may be the lower hole. In this case, the inner surface of the frame plate may be a vertical surface. If the thickness of the frame plate is uniform in all parts, the frame plate may extend in the vertical direction. By adopting such a configuration, for example, it is possible to make an upper hole on the upper side of the auxiliary plate and a lower hole on the lower side by a simple configuration in which plates of the same width and the same height in the vertical direction are used for the four sides of the frame plate and the auxiliary plate is fixed, for example, to the middle of the frame plate in the height direction. Such a simple configuration reduces the manufacturing cost of the detachable member.

As described above, the cart in the present invention functions as a cash box storage area when the detachable member is attached.
However, even if there is an upper hole on the loading plate of the cart body, there is a possibility that players will not be sufficiently motivated to use such a cart as a place to put money boxes. If this is the case, the cart of the present invention may not be fully utilized in the hall when the conventional cart is being played.
In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, the upper end surface of the frame plate may be made to emit light. By providing such an eye-catching, and in some cases flashy, effect, it is possible to encourage players to use the cart of the present invention as a place to put their winnings.

One method for illuminating the upper end face of the frame plate is, for example, to arrange LEDs or other light emitters around the entire periphery of the upper end face of the frame plate.
On the other hand, the frame plate may be made of a transparent material, and a light emitter may be attached to an appropriate position on the lower end surface of the frame plate, and the light emitted from the light emitter and entering the lower end surface of the frame plate may be emitted from the upper end surface of the frame plate, so that the upper end surface of the frame plate emits light. If the upper hole is used as a money box storage area, the upper end of the frame plate may come into contact with the money box that is inserted and removed from the upper hole. If a light emitter, which is an electronic component, is provided in such a place, the light emitter may be damaged by contact with the money box. If the frame plate is used as a light guide member, so to speak, and a light emitter is provided on the lower end surface of the frame plate, damage to the light emitter can be suppressed, and the light leaking from the side of the frame plate can enhance the design effect.
The light emitter may be disposed, for example, along the lower edge surface of the frame plate, thereby making it possible to efficiently illuminate the entire upper edge surface of the frame plate.
The light emitted from the upper end surface of the frame plate may be changed to a plurality of colors. This can improve the design of the cart when it is used as a place to put money boxes. The color change of the light emitted from the end surface may be performed automatically or may be selected by the hall staff or the player.

The platform plate of the cart body may be provided with a handle for pushing the cart by hand, and the handle may be detachable from the platform plate.
As described above, the cart body of the cart of the present invention is used as a conventional cart when replacing the gaming machines. At that time, the cart body is moved with the gaming machines placed on the loading platform, so it is convenient if there is a handle for pushing the cart. However, when the detachable member is attached to the cart body and the cart body is used as a money box storage area, the handle, which is a standard feature that extends upward from the loading platform, is an obstacle, and in some cases, there is a possibility that the handle may come into contact with the money box being inserted and removed from the upper hole. If the handle is detachable from the loading platform or the cart body, when the cart is used as a money box storage area, the handle can be removed from the cart body, so the handle does not get in the way when the cart is used as a money box storage area.

The present inventor also proposes, as one aspect of the present invention, an attachment/detachment device that can be attached and detached to an existing cart. In this case, the cart corresponds to the cart body in the cart of the present invention, and the attachment/detachment device corresponds to the detachable member in the cart of the present invention. The effect of this attachment/detachment device is equal to the effect of the cart of the present invention.
One example of the attachment/detachment device is used in combination with a cart having a platform plate, which is a plate with a horizontal upper surface on which the gaming machine is placed, and casters attached to the lower side of the platform plate.
This attachment/detachment device comprises an auxiliary plate, which is a plate-like body with a lower hole that faces downward and can be placed over the loading platform plate from above to allow the loading platform plate to be stored inside and detachably attached, and a frame plate that rises from the auxiliary plate and creates an upper hole that faces upward and is surrounded by the frame plate on the auxiliary plate.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carriage body included in the carriage according to the embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a platform plate and a handle are removed from the dolly body shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a perspective view of a detachable member that is combined with the dolly body shown in FIG. 1 . 4 is an end view of the detachable member shown in FIG. 3 along the line AA. 4 is an end view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3 when the detachable member shown in FIG. 3 is attached to the loading platform plate of the trolley body. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the handle is removed from the dolly body shown in FIG. 1 and the detachable member is assembled. FIG. FIG.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the bogie of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The cart of this embodiment may be used when replacing slot machines as gaming machines. That is, the cart may be used when carrying slot machines from a warehouse or the like into a hall, or when carrying slot machines from a hall to a warehouse or the like. However, the cart may also be used for replacing pachinko machines as gaming machines.

The cart of the present application comprises a cart body and a detachable member.
The carriage body 100 is as shown in FIG.
The carriage body 100 may be an existing one, but the carriage body 100 in this embodiment is a dedicated product intended to be combined with a detachable member.

The dolly body 100 includes a loading platform plate 110. The loading platform plate 110 is, for example, a plate made of metal. The loading platform plate 110 does not necessarily have to be solid, and may be formed by bending a metal plate into the shape shown in Fig. 1, which is not necessarily the case, but is the case in this embodiment.
The top surface of the loading platform plate 110 is horizontal, and in this embodiment, the loading platform plate 110 is rectangular in plan view, although this is not limited thereto.
The top surface of the loading platform 110 is flush with the top surface of the lower plate (also called the tray plate), which is a horizontal plate on which the gaming machine is placed, in the island on which the gaming machine is attached, or at least is designed to be flush with the top surface of the lower plate (also called the tray plate). Therefore, when the gaming machine is carried out with the long side of the loading platform 110 on the front side in FIG. 1 abutting against the front side of the lower plate, the gaming machine can be smoothly slid from the lower plate onto the loading platform 110, and when the gaming machine is carried in, the gaming machine can be smoothly slid from the loading platform 110 onto the lower plate.
The lower surface of the loading platform 110 is located above the seat of the gaming machine or the seat of the chair fixedly provided in front of the island on which the gaming machine is attached. As described above, when moving the gaming machine from the cart body 100 onto the lower plate constituting the island, or when moving the gaming machine from the lower plate to the cart body 100, it is necessary to abut the long side of the loading platform 110 on the front side of the lower plate in FIG. 1 against the front side of the lower plate. In that case, the loading platform 110 may interfere with the seat of the chair. The reason why the loading platform 110 is located above the seat of the chair is to avoid interference between the loading platform 110 and the seat of the chair by positioning the seat of the chair under the loading platform 110 when the long side of the loading platform 110 on the front side of the lower plate in FIG. 1 is abutted against the front side of the lower plate.

Fig. 2 shows a state in which the platform plate 110 has been removed from the dolly body 100. In Fig. 2, a handle, which will be described later, has also been removed from the dolly body 100.
Directly below the loading platform plate 110 is a base member 120 that is substantially U-shaped in plan view. The base member 120 is a member for connecting casters, which will be described later, to the loading platform plate 110. The base member 120 is made of, but is not limited to, a square pipe that is rectangular in cross section, and is configured by connecting the square pipes in a U-shape in plan view with an open front side in FIG. 2 .
The long side of the base member 120 at the front in Figure 2 has been eliminated because there is also a square pipe there, and if the base member 120 were rectangular in plan view, when the long side of the loading platform plate 110 at the front in Figure 1 is abutted against the front edge of the lower plate when loading or unloading the gaming machine, there is a risk that the square pipe in that part will interfere with the seat of the chair.

Four rod-shaped legs 130 are provided below the base member 120. Although not limited to this, each of the four legs 130 is formed by bending a round pipe that is circular in cross section. The legs 130 may be fixed to the base member 120 in an appropriate manner based on publicly known or well-known technology.
1, each of the four legs 130 extends outward from the portions corresponding to the four corners of the platform plate 110, and then bends gently downward. This configuration of the legs 130 is useful for enabling the trolley body 100 to be stacked as described below.
A caster 140 is provided at the bottom end of each leg 130. The caster 140 is a known or well-known wheel for moving the dolly or dolly body 100. The caster 140 may be a commercially available one, but is not limited to this. At least one of the casters 140 may be provided with a stopper for preventing the caster 140 from rotating and preventing the dolly or dolly body 100 from moving relative to the floor. The caster 140 on the front side in FIG. 1 is provided with a stopper for preventing the caster 140 from rolling, but this is also a known configuration rather than a known one, so its description will be omitted.

A support plate 150 is attached to the upper surfaces of the two short sides of the base member 120. The support plate 150 is rectangular, but is not limited to this, and its lower long side is fixed to the base member 120. The above-mentioned loading platform plate 110 is fixed to the base member 120 with its lower surface supported by the support plate 150. As a result, the loading platform plate 110 is fixed to the base member 120 in a state where it is raised by the vertical length of the support plate 150 from the base member 120, which is U-shaped in plan view. In addition, the loading platform plate 110 can be moved in the vertical direction relative to the base member 120 while maintaining a horizontal position, and can be positioned and fixed at any height. This is useful for matching the height of the upper surface of the loading platform plate 110 and the upper surface of the lower plate. To enable the loading platform plate 110 to be positioned at any desired position in the vertical direction relative to the base member 120, for example, a nut may be screwed onto a bolt that extends upward from the base member 120 and penetrates the loading platform plate 110, and the nut may be rotated to position the loading platform plate 110 at an appropriate position in the vertical direction along the bolt, and the loading platform plate 110 may be supported from below by the nut. However, the loading platform plate 110 may be appropriately positioned in the vertical direction relative to the base member 120 by any appropriate known or well-known technique. If it were possible to position the loading platform plate 110 in the vertical direction relative to the base member 120, it would be difficult to adopt a configuration in which the loading platform plate 110 is fixed to the support plate 150.
The base member 120 and the loading platform plate 110 may be fixed to each other in any manner. For example, the fixing may be achieved by a known or well-known technique such as screwing with a nut or welding. The loading platform plate 110 may be fixed to a support plate 150.

1 and 2 of the base member 120. The mounting pipe 160 is used to fix a handle, which will be described later, to the cart body 100, and in this embodiment, to detachably fix the handle, although this is not limited to this.
The mounting pipes 160 are fixed near both ends of the short side of the base member 120 on the near side in Figures 1 and 2, with their axial direction being vertical, although this is not limited to this embodiment. The mounting pipes 160 are round pipes, although this is not limited to this. Since the mounting pipes 160 are pipes, they have holes. Both the upper and lower ends of the holes are open.

As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 170 includes a handle body 171 which is generally U-shaped and open at the bottom when viewed from the front, and a horizontal locking plate 172 which is attached horizontally slightly above the lower end of the handle body 171.
The handle body 171 is formed by bending a round pipe, although this is not limited thereto. The outer diameter of the handle body 171 corresponds to the inner diameter of the mounting pipe 160. Both lower ends of the handle body 171 can be inserted into the mounting pipe 160.
When both lower ends of the handle body 171 are inserted into the mounting pipe 160 and the mounting pipe 160 is passed through, the lower surface of the locking plate 172, which is attached slightly above the lower end of the handle body 171, is locked onto the edges of the upper holes of both mounting pipes 160.
This allows the handle 170 to be fixed to the cart body 100. Of course, the handle 170 can be removed from the cart body 100 by lifting the handle 170 upward and removing both lower ends of the handle body 171 from both mounting pipes 160.
The handle 170 may be directly and detachably fixed to the platform plate 110, or, as already mentioned, may be detachably attached to the platform plate 110 via other members such as the base member 120 and the mounting pipe 160. Of course, there are many ways to detachably attach the handle 170 to the cart body 100, so it is of course possible to adopt other publicly known or well-known configurations to achieve the same purpose.

The detachable member 200 included in the cart of this embodiment and detachably attachable to the cart body 100 described above is shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
Figure 3 is an oblique view of the detachable member 200, Figure 4 is an end view of the detachable member 200 taken along the line A-A in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is an end view of the detachable member 200 and the platform plate 110 in the same position as in Figure 4 with respect to the detachable member 200 when the detachable member 200 is attached to the trolley body 100.
The detachable member 200 is used when the cart is used as a cash box storage area.
The detachable member 200 has a rectangular shape in plan view, although this is not limited thereto. As shown in Fig. 3, the detachable member 200 has four frame plates 210 having the same width in the vertical direction, although this is not limited thereto, and the four frame plates 210 are combined to form the outer shape of the detachable member 200 having a rectangular shape in plan view.
An auxiliary plate 220 is attached to the inside of the detachable member 200 assembled in a rectangular shape so as to be located at an appropriate position in the height direction of the detachable member 200 .
The lower end of the frame plate 210 is surrounded by a thin reinforcing plate 250, and cushion members 230 are attached to the four corners of the reinforcing plate 250. The cushion members 230 are made of rubber or other elastic material, and serve to protect the four corners of the lower end of the rectangular assembled frame plate 210. The cushion members 230 may be of a known or well-known type, or may be commercially available.

By the above-mentioned arrangement of the four frame plates 210 and auxiliary plate 220, an upper hole 200X is formed on the upper side of the auxiliary plate 220, which has the upper surface of the auxiliary plate 220 as its bottom surface and is an upwardly opening hole surrounded by the range of the four frame plates 210 above the auxiliary plate 220. In addition, a lower hole 200Y is formed on the lower side of the auxiliary plate 220, which has the lower surface of the auxiliary plate 220 as its bottom surface and is a downwardly opening hole surrounded by the range of the four frame plates 210 below the auxiliary plate 220.
Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, all four frame plates 210 are perpendicular to auxiliary plate 220. Also, in this embodiment, the horizontal cross section of upper hole 200X and the horizontal cross section of lower hole 200Y are equal, and when viewed in a plane, they are in a relationship where they overlap exactly. However, the horizontal cross sections of upper hole 200X and lower hole 200Y do not necessarily need to be the same, and it is permissible for the former to be larger or smaller than the latter.
In addition, although each of the four frame plates 210 is a single plate in this embodiment, this is not limited to the above. For example, the four frame plates 210 may be divided into a portion above the auxiliary plate 220 and a portion below the auxiliary plate 220.
In this embodiment, the shape and size of the horizontal cross section of the pilot hole 200Y are the same as those of the platform plate 110. Therefore, by covering the platform plate 110 with the detachable member 200, it is possible to fit a certain range (or the entirety) of the upper side of the platform plate 110 into the pilot hole 200Y of the detachable member 200, and this makes it possible to engage the detachable member 200 with the platform plate 110 of the dolly body 100 (see Figs. 5 and 6). In this way, the detachable member 200 can be detachably fixed to the dolly body 100. In Fig. 5, the platform plate 110 is shown as being hermetically sealed, but this is for the sake of simplicity, and the platform plate 110 in this embodiment is not hermetically sealed as already described. In addition, in Figure 5, the loading platform plate 110 and the pilot hole 200Y are illustrated as if they are the same size, but this is not limited to this, and the horizontal cross section of the pilot hole 200Y may be, for example, one size larger than the horizontal cross section of the loading platform plate 110.
The upper hole 200X is used as a place to place a so-called money box, as described later. The shape and size of the upper hole 200X are determined within the limits of what is possible. For example, it is preferable that the long side of the upper hole 200X is about 500 to 600 mm, the short side is about 400 to 500 mm, and the depth is about 60 to 120 mm. Of course, these values can be modified as appropriate depending on the size of the money box used in the hall.
The size of the auxiliary plate 220, that is, in this embodiment, the size of the horizontal cross section of the upper hole 200X and the lower hole 200Y in plan view, which is a rectangle formed by the four frame plates 210 in plan view, may be slightly larger than that of the loading platform plate 110, as described above. By doing so, the frame plate 210 and the auxiliary plate 220 of the detachable member 200 can hide the wiring around the loading platform plate 110 and around the light-emitting body described later, improving the design of the cart when used as a cash box storage area.

Although not limited thereto, in this embodiment, all of the four frame plates 210 are transparent. For example, if the four frame plates 210 are transparent, they may be made of, for example, acrylic plates or glass plates. Although not limited thereto, in this embodiment, all of the four frame plates 210 are made of acrylic plates.
Light emitters 240 are provided on the lower end faces of the four frame plates 210. The light emitters 240 have a function of emitting light, and are attached to the lower end faces of the frame plates 210 with their light emitting surfaces facing upward as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, in such a manner that the emitted light is directed from the lower end face of the frame plate 210 toward the inside of the frame plate 210. The light emitters 240 are, for example, LEDs (light emitting diodes) or organic EL (organic electro-luminescence).
The light emitter 240 may be present at any suitable position on the lower end surface of the frame plate 210, but the light emitter 240 in this embodiment is long and is arranged so as to extend over the entire length of the lower end surface of the frame plate 210. The light emitter 240 may be configured to emit light constantly, or may be configured to flash so as to repeatedly turn on and off. The color of light emitted by the light emitter 240 may be only one color, or the color of the light may change to multiple colors. Although not limited to this, the light emitter 240 in this embodiment is configured to be able to select two types of flashing modes, flashing in a single color and flashing while changing colors, by operating a switch (not shown). The switch may be provided at any position on the detachable member 200, or may be provided outside the detachable member 200, for example, on a remote controller. For example, a technology for switching such a switch wirelessly is publicly known or well known without needing to be explained.
When the light emitters 240 are illuminated, the light emitted from the light emitters 240 enters the interior of the frame plate 210, some of the light leaks out from the sides of the frame plate 210, and most of the light is emitted from the upper end face of the frame plate 210. As a result, at least the upper end face of each of the four frame plates 210 is illuminated, and in this embodiment, their side faces are also illuminated to some extent.
It is also possible to attach the light emitting body 240 to an appropriate position on the upper end face of the frame plate 210, for example, over the entire length of the upper end face of the frame plate 210. By doing so, it is also possible to illuminate at least the upper end face of the frame plate 210.

The power source for the light emitter 240 may be, for example, an AC power source provided by a wiring plug connector (a so-called outlet) provided on the wall of the hall, etc., but it is more convenient to use a portable battery attached somewhere on the cart.
The battery may be attached to the cart body 100 or may be attached somewhere on the detachable member 200. If the battery is attached to the cart body 100, there are many places on the cart body 100 where the battery can be attached, so there is a high degree of freedom in design. However, if the battery is attached to the cart body 100, when the detachable member 200 is attached to the cart body 100, the battery on the cart body 100 side and the light-emitting body 240 on the detachable member 200 side must be electrically connected, so some ingenuity for this or work for the connection is required. If the battery is attached to the cart body 100, the battery can be attached to the underside of the loading platform plate 110, for example. If the battery is attached to the detachable member 200, it is possible to electrically connect the battery and the light-emitting body 240 in advance inside the detachable member 200, so when the detachable member 200 is attached to the cart body 100, it is not necessary to electrically connect the battery on the cart body 100 side and the light-emitting body 240 on the detachable member 200 side. However, if the battery is provided in the detachable member 200, there are not many places where the battery can be attached. If the battery is attached to the detachable member 200, the battery can be attached, for example, as a plate-shaped battery to the underside of the auxiliary plate 220.

The method of using the above-described cart and its operation will now be described.
First, a case where the cart is literally used as a cart will be described.
The case where the cart is literally used as a cart is when it is used to transport gaming machines from a warehouse or the like to a hall or to transport gaming machines from the hall to a warehouse or the like when replacing gaming machines.
In this case, only the cart body 100 of the cart is used, and the detachable member 200 is not used. When only the cart body 100 is used, the detachable member 200 may be stored in a warehouse or the like, or may be left in the hall.
The dolly body 100 with the handle 170 attached thereto can be used as a general dolly. To attach the handle 170 to the dolly body 100, as already described, both lower ends of the handle body 171 are inserted into the two mounting pipes 160 attached to the dolly body 100, the handle body 171 is passed through the mounting pipes 160, and the lower surface of the locking plate 172 is locked to the edges of the upper holes of both mounting pipes 160. In this way, the handle 170 is detachably fixed to the dolly body 100.

When carrying a gaming machine from a warehouse or the like into a hall, a worker holds the handle 170 and pushes the cart 100 with the gaming machine placed on the loading platform 110 of the cart body 100. The casters 140 allow the cart body 100 to move easily.
When the cart body 100 comes to the island where the gaming machine is to be installed, the cart body 100 is pushed toward the island while the long side of the loading platform 110 in FIG. 1 faces the front side of the bottom plate of the island, and the long side of the loading platform 110 in FIG. 1 abuts against the front side of the bottom plate of the island. At this time, the seat of the chair in front of the island goes under the cart body 100. Also, the upper surface of the loading platform 110 is flush with the upper surface of the bottom plate. Therefore, it is easy to move the gaming machine that was on the loading platform 110 of the cart body 100 to the bottom plate of the island by pushing the gaming machine, etc. The gaming machine that has been moved to the bottom plate in this way is fixed to the island by a publicly known or well-known method.
When the gaming machine is to be transported from the hall to a warehouse or the like, the opposite process is performed. First, the gaming machine is released from the island. Next, the cart body 100 is pushed toward the island while the long side of the loading platform 110 in FIG. 1 faces the front side of the bottom plate of the island, and the long side of the loading platform 110 in FIG. 1 abuts against the front side of the bottom plate of the island. Then, the gaming machine placed on the bottom plate of the island is placed on the loading platform 110 of the cart body 100 by pulling or the like. With the gaming machine placed on the loading platform 110 of the cart body 100, the worker pushes the cart by holding the handle 170 to transport the gaming machine to a warehouse or the like. The cart body 100 moves easily by the casters 140.

Next, the cart is used as a cash cow storage area.
In this case, the detachable member 200 is detachably fixed to the carriage body 100 .
Before or after the operation of removably fixing the detachable member 200 to the dolly body 100, the handle 170 is removed from the dolly body 100. To remove the handle 170 from the dolly body 100, the handle 170 is lifted upward and both lower ends of the handle body 171 are removed from both mounting pipes 160. The removed handle 170 may be stored, for example, in a warehouse or the like. If it is only the handle 170 that needs to be stored in a warehouse or the like, the space required for this is not significant.
The detachable member 200 is detachably fixed to the cart body 100 by fitting a certain range of the upper side of the bed plate 110, in this embodiment, the entire bed plate 110, into the pilot hole 200Y of the detachable member 200 (FIGS. 5 and 6). In this embodiment, the shape and size of the horizontal cross section of the pilot hole 200Y are the same as the shape and size of the horizontal cross section of the bed plate 110. Therefore, when the bed plate 110 is fitted into the pilot hole 200Y, the two are locked together, and the detachable member 200 is detachably fixed to the cart body 100. Note that, if such detachable fixing is possible, it is not essential that the shape and size of the horizontal cross section of the pilot hole 200Y are the same as the shape and size of the horizontal cross section of the bed plate 110.
As already mentioned, the horizontal cross section of the pilot hole 200Y may be slightly larger than the bed plate 110 in plan view, causing play between the pilot hole 200Y and the bed plate 110. Even in such a case, if the detachable member 200 attempts to shift horizontally relative to the bed plate 110 by more than a certain amount, the inner surface of one of the frame plates 210 will interfere with the side surface of the bed plate 110. Therefore, the detachable member 200 will not fall off the bed plate 110.
The task of attaching the detachable member 200 to the cart body 100 so that it can be detached can be performed by a player, but is generally performed by an employee of the hall.

The cart body 100 to which the detachable member 200 is attached is placed, for example, next to a gaming machine or a chair in front of the gaming machine, and used as a place to put money boxes. The person who moves the cart body 100 to which the detachable member 200 is attached as a place to put money boxes to that position may be a player or an employee of the hall. Even if the cart interferes with something when being moved as a place to put money boxes, the cushion member 230 protects the cart.
A player places a so-called dollar box, which is a box containing coins dispensed from a slot machine as a gaming machine, on the upper hole 200X located on the loading platform plate 110, and stacks them as necessary.
On the other hand, by turning on the switch, the light emitter 240 emits light. The switch may be operated by the player or by a hall employee. There may be no switch and the light emitter 240 may be constantly lit. The light emitted from the light emitter 240 enters the inside of the frame plate 210, some of it leaks out from the side of the frame plate 210, and most of it is emitted from the upper end face of the frame plate 210. As a result, at least the upper end face of each of the four frame plates 210 is illuminated, and in this embodiment, the side faces of the four frame plates 210 are also illuminated to some extent. In this embodiment, the light emitter 240 has two types of illumination: a single color flashing and a flashing with changing colors. In this embodiment, the two types of flashing are selected by, for example, operating a remote controller (not shown). The remote controller may also be operated by a player or by a hall employee.

When replacing gaming machines, except when the cart body 100 is literally used as a cart, the cart in this embodiment can be used as a money box storage area by combining the cart body 100 with the detachable member 200. And the cart functioning as a money box storage area can be left in the hall.

On the other hand, if for some reason the carts are not to be used either as carts or as cash cows, the carts can be stored, for example, in a warehouse, in a stacked state as shown in FIG.
Since the legs 130 of the dolly body 100 extend downward outside the loading platform plate 110 in a plan view, the dolly bodies 100 can be stacked as shown in Fig. 7. In Fig. 7, the handle 170 is attached only to the topmost dolly body 100, but the handle 170 may be left attached to a desired dolly body 100 if possible, or may be removed from all dolly bodies 100.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100: Cart body 110: Loading platform plate 120: Base member 130: Leg 140: Caster 160: Mounting pipe 200: Detachable member 200X: Upper hole 200Y: Lower hole 210: Frame plate 220: Auxiliary plate 240: Light emitter

Claims (7)

A cart body having a loading platform having a horizontal upper surface on which the gaming machine is placed, and casters attached to the lower side of the loading platform;
a detachable member comprising: an auxiliary plate, which is a plate-like body having a lower hole that faces downward and can be placed over the loading platform plate from above to detachably store the loading platform plate inside; and a frame plate that stands up from the auxiliary plate and forms an upper hole that faces upward and is surrounded by the frame plate on the auxiliary plate;
A cart comprising:
The frame plate rises from the entire periphery of the edge of the auxiliary plate and reaches under the auxiliary plate, and the space surrounded by the frame plate on the underside of the auxiliary plate serves as the pilot hole.
Trolley. A cart body having a loading platform having a horizontal upper surface on which the gaming machine is placed, and casters attached to the lower side of the loading platform;
a detachable member comprising: an auxiliary plate, which is a plate-like body having a lower hole that faces downward and can be placed over the loading platform plate from above to detachably store the loading platform plate inside; and a frame plate that stands up from the auxiliary plate and forms an upper hole that faces upward and is surrounded by the frame plate on the auxiliary plate;
A cart comprising:
The frame plate is made of a transparent material, and a light emitter is attached to an appropriate position on the lower end surface of the frame plate,
The light emitted from the light emitter and entering the lower end face of the frame plate is emitted from the upper end face of the frame plate, so that the upper end face of the frame plate emits light.
Trolley. A cart body having a loading platform having a horizontal upper surface on which the gaming machine is placed, and casters attached to the lower side of the loading platform;
a detachable member comprising: an auxiliary plate, which is a plate-like body having a lower hole that faces downward and can be placed over the loading platform plate from above to detachably store the loading platform plate inside; and a frame plate that stands up from the auxiliary plate and forms an upper hole that faces upward and is surrounded by the frame plate on the auxiliary plate;
A cart comprising:
A handle for pushing the platform of the cart body is provided on the platform plate,
The handle is detachable from the platform plate.
Trolley. The light emitter is disposed along the lower end surface of the frame plate.
The trolley according to claim 2 . The light emitted from the upper end surface of the frame plate changes to a plurality of colors.
The trolley according to claim 2 . A mounting and dismounting device is used in combination with a platform plate, which is a plate having a horizontal upper surface on which a game machine is placed, and a cart having casters attached to the lower side of the platform plate,
An auxiliary plate is a plate-like body having a lower hole that is a downward hole that can be used to detachably store the loading platform plate inside by covering the loading platform plate from above;
a frame plate that stands up from the auxiliary plate, and an upper hole that is an upward hole surrounded by the frame plate is formed on the auxiliary plate;
A removal tool comprising:
The frame plate rises from the entire periphery of the edge of the auxiliary plate and reaches under the auxiliary plate, and the space surrounded by the frame plate on the underside of the auxiliary plate serves as the pilot hole.
Removal tool. A mounting and dismounting device is used in combination with a platform plate, which is a plate having a horizontal upper surface on which a game machine is placed, and a cart having casters attached to the lower side of the platform plate,
An auxiliary plate is a plate-like body having a lower hole that is a downward hole that can be used to detachably store the loading platform plate inside by covering the loading platform plate from above;
a frame plate that stands up from the auxiliary plate, and an upper hole that is an upward hole surrounded by the frame plate is formed on the auxiliary plate;
A removal tool comprising:
The frame plate is made of a transparent material, and a light emitter is attached to an appropriate position on the lower end surface of the frame plate,
The light emitted from the light emitter and entering the lower end face of the frame plate is emitted from the upper end face of the frame plate, so that the upper end face of the frame plate emits light.
Removal tool.

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