JP7703975B2 - Polishing Cassette - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a polishing cassette used in gaming machines such as pachinko machines.

There are gaming machines in which a player shoots gaming balls (hereafter referred to as balls) into a play area using a shooting device, and if the shot balls enter a winning area such as a winning slot provided in the play area, a predetermined number of balls are paid out to the player as prize balls.

Dirt accumulates on balls as they are touched by players and as they pass through the inside of the gaming machine. This dirt not only mars the appearance of the ball, but can also cause the ball to become clogged inside the gaming machine. For this reason, gaming machines are equipped with a polishing device that polishes the balls along the path the balls are transported through (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The gaming machine described in Patent Document 1 polishes the balls by pressing a strip of abrasive material against them as they are transported.

Some polishing devices also incorporate a removable polishing cassette that contains a long, band-shaped, annular polishing body (abrasive material) (see, for example, Patent Document 2). A winding section (winding means) is provided inside the polishing cassette, and the polishing body is sent out to the outside of the polishing cassette, where it comes into contact with a ball being transported in the polishing area, and after passing through the polishing area, it is pulled back into the polishing cassette. The inside of the cassette serves as a storage section, and the wound band-shaped polishing body is stored inside the cassette in a folded state.

In such a polishing cassette, in order to ensure that the polishing body and the balls come into contact with each other, it is desirable that the polishing body be supported in the polishing area without overlapping or slackening. In other words, the polishing body that is folded inside the cassette must be in a state without overlapping or slackening after being sent out to the outside of the polishing cassette. For this reason, some polishing cassettes are provided with a pressing plate or the like that holds down the polishing body near the exit where the polishing body is sent out. By applying tension between the pressing plate and the winding section, the polishing body can be hung over the polishing cassette without slackening.

JP 2000-185165 A JP 2016-203027 A

In such polishing cassettes, the polishing bodies are wound up inside the polishing cassette by the winding section, stored in a randomly overlapping state, and proceed to the exit in a randomly overlapping state, from which they are sent out. Therefore, if the polishing bodies reach the exit in an overlapping state, a sliding load is applied at the exit, which may prevent them from being sent out and result in malfunction.

Other possible solutions include shortening the length of the polishing bodies to prevent overlapping, widening the exit to allow overlapping bodies to pass through, or increasing the torque of the motor that drives the winding section. However, shortening the length of the polishing bodies leads to earlier replacement times and reduced maintainability. The same is true if the exit is widened; the storage space becomes smaller and the length of the polishing bodies that can be stored becomes shorter. Also, because the current that can be supplied to the motor that drives the winding section is limited, it is difficult to increase the torque of the motor.

One aspect of the present invention aims to provide a polishing cassette that is less susceptible to malfunctions in the feeding operation due to overlapping polishing bodies while ensuring the length of the polishing bodies, and an amusement machine equipped with the same.

In order to solve the above problems, a polishing cassette according to one embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, a polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention is a polishing cassette that is attached to a base provided on a gaming machine and is used to polish game balls used in a game with a strip-shaped polishing body, and has a box body formed with a delivery outlet for sending out the polishing body and a winding port for winding up the polishing body, in which the polishing body is hung between the delivery outlet and the winding port, a winding section provided inside the box body that winds up the polishing body via the winding port, a storage section in which the wound up polishing body is stored in an overlapped state, a transport section that once pulls the polishing body sent out from the outlet of the storage section to the side where the winding section is located and then transports it on a transport path toward the delivery outlet, and an overlap eliminating section that comes into contact with the polishing body just before the outlet of the storage section to eliminate the overlap.

According to the above configuration, a transport section is provided inside the box body that guides the polishing body sent out from the storage section toward the side where the winding section is located and then toward the delivery outlet, so the space of the storage section is inevitably small. If an attempt is made to store long polishing bodies in the limited space of the storage section, the polishing bodies will pass through the outlet of the storage section in an overlapping state, creating a sliding load, which may result in malfunction such as the polishing bodies being unable to be sent out.

The above configuration provides an overlap-eliminating section that comes into contact with the polishing bodies just before the outlet of the storage section to eliminate overlaps between the polishing bodies. This prevents the polishing bodies from passing through the outlet of the storage section in an overlapping state even when long polishing bodies are stored in the limited space of the storage section, allowing for smooth delivery of the polishing bodies.

In a polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the overlap eliminating section may be a cylindrical support part located at a corner of the path between the storage section and the transport section at the outlet of the storage section.

If a transport roller that rotates due to the force applied to the polishing bodies is installed at the corner of the path between the storage section and the transport section at the outlet of the storage section, the polishing bodies will be smoothly sent to the outlet of the storage section in an overlapping state, which makes them prone to clogging at the outlet. However, by using a non-rotating cylindrical support part as in the above configuration, it is possible to eliminate overlaps in the polishing bodies before they reach the outlet. In other words, it can function as an overlap elimination section.

In the polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the transport section may be configured to have transport rollers at the corners of the transport path. This allows for improved transport of the polishing body transported along the transport path.

In a polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the overlap elimination section may be configured by installing a part of the transport roller in a non-rotatable manner at a corner of the path between the storage section and the transport section at the outlet of the storage section.

By installing the transport roller components in a non-rotatable manner, a cylindrical support component can be constructed. This allows the components to be shared between the overlap elimination unit and the transport roller.

In a polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the box may be configured to have a wall that separates the storage section from the transport section.

By providing a wall separating the storage section from the transport section, contact between the portion of the polishing body stored in the storage section and the portion transported by the transport section can be prevented, making the operation of sending out the polishing body more stable.

In a polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the box body is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in one direction, the polishing body is hung along the longitudinal direction of the box body, the storage section is located on the side of the box body where the polishing body is hung, and the transport section has a path for temporarily pulling the polishing body to the side where the winding section is located, opposite the side of the box body where the polishing body is hung.

The above configuration allows the polishing area for polishing the game balls to be made compact while ensuring a long area in the direction in which the game balls are transported.

To solve the above problem, a gaming machine according to one aspect of the present invention includes a gaming board on which gaming balls pass, a transport section for transporting the gaming balls, and a polishing cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 6 that is disposed opposite the transport section.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a polishing cassette that is less susceptible to malfunctions in the feeding operation due to overlapping of the polishing bodies while ensuring the length of the polishing bodies, and an amusement machine equipped with the same.

An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a gaming machine equipped with a polishing cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image of the flow of balls, showing the front of the gaming machine with the door open. An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a gaming machine equipped with a polishing cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image of the flow of balls, showing the back of the gaming machine with the door open. This is an oblique view showing the configuration of a polishing cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an oblique view of the front side of the polishing cassette facing the front side of the gaming machine when attached to the gaming machine. This is an oblique view showing the configuration of a polishing cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an oblique view of the back side of the polishing cassette facing the back side of the gaming machine when attached to the gaming machine. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a polishing cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of the inside of a polishing cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from above, with a lid member removed;

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present disclosure (hereinafter, also referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a polishing cassette 1 is illustrated as one aspect of the polishing cassette of the present disclosure.

§1 Application Example First, an example of a situation in which the polishing cassette 1 is applied will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 and 6. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the polishing cassette 1 is disposed on a base 103 inside a door 102 of a gaming machine 100 that uses gaming balls (hereinafter referred to as balls) so as to face a screw 107 that transports the balls 60. The polishing cassette 1 comes into contact with the balls 60 being transported along the screw 107, polishing the surface of the balls 60 and removing dirt adhering to the balls 60.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the polishing cassette 1 has a feed outlet 5 for feeding out a long, band-like, annular polishing body (polishing cloth) 10 and a take-up port 4 for winding up the polishing body 10 on the back side, and the polishing body 10 is suspended between the feed outlet 5 and the take-up port 4. This part where the polishing body 10 is suspended is the polishing area where it comes into contact with the balls 60 and polishes.

Inside the polishing cassette 1, there are a winding section 20 that winds up the polishing body through the winding port 4, a storage section 30 in which the wound polishing body 10 is stored in a folded state, and a transport section 40 that transports the polishing body 10 sent out from the storage section 30 toward the outlet 5. The transport section 40 first pulls the polishing body 10 sent out from the storage section 30 to the side where the winding section 20 is located, and then transports it on a transport path toward the outlet 5.

Furthermore, a first transport roller 41A that is non-rotatable is provided at the storage section exit 31. The non-rotatable first transport roller 41A functions as an overlap eliminating section that comes into contact with the polishing bodies 10 just before the storage section exit 31 and eliminates overlaps of the polishing bodies 10. This prevents the polishing bodies 10 from passing through the storage section exit 31 of the storage section 30 in an overlapping state even when long polishing bodies 10 are stored in the limited space of the storage section 30, and allows for good delivery of the polishing bodies 10 from the polishing cassette 1.

§2 Configuration Example (1. Gaming Machine 100)
1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of a gaming machine 100 equipped with a polishing cassette 1 according to this embodiment and an image of the flow of balls 60. Fig. 1 shows the front of the gaming machine 100 with the door 102 open. Fig. 2 shows the back of the gaming machine 100 with the door 102 open.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a gaming machine 100, which is a pachinko machine, is equipped with a game board 101 through which a ball 60 (shown in phantom lines in Figure 2) passes, and a door 102 into which a glass plate 102a is fitted to cover the game board 101. The surface of the game board 101 on the front side through which the ball 60 passes is the game area 101a.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the front side of the base 103 located below the game board 101, there are installed a launching device 104 that launches the balls 60, a rail 105 that guides the balls 60 to the game board 101, and a polishing cassette 1. The polishing cassette 1 is formed in the shape of a rectangular box and polishes the balls 60 with a long, band-like, annular polishing body 10 to remove dirt. Details will be described later, but the polishing cassette 1 is removably attached to the base 103 so that the back side, where the polishing body 10 (see FIG. 4) is hung to the outside of the cassette, faces an opening 103a provided in the base 103.

As shown in FIG. 2, a ball path 106 is provided on the back side of the base 103, which returns the ball 60 discharged from the play area 101a to the launching device 104. The ball path 106 is provided with a screw (transport section) 107 and two path members, first and second 108 and 109.

The screw 107 is a transport device that lifts the ball 60 that reaches the bottom of the screw to the top of the screw. The screw 107 is positioned to face the polishing cassette 1 that faces the opening 103a of the base 103. The ball 60 lifted by the screw 107 comes into contact with the polishing body 10 that is hung on the back surface of the polishing cassette 1.

As shown by the arrow Y in FIG. 1, the ball 60 launched from the launching device 104 is guided along the rail 105 to the play area 101a. The ball 60 guided to the play area 101a travels along the play area 101a and is discharged onto the back side of the play board 101 from a ball outlet 101b provided at the bottom of the play area 101a.

As shown by the arrow Y in Figure 2, the ball 60 discharged to the back side of the game board 101 is transported through the first path member 108 to the bottom of the screw and lifted up by the screw 107. While being lifted up, the ball 60 comes into contact with the polishing body of the polishing cassette 1 and is polished. This part where the screw 107 and the polishing cassette 1 face each other corresponds to the polishing area. The ball 60 that reaches the top of the screw is returned to the launching device 104 on the front side through the second path member 109 (see Figure 1).

In Figures 1 and 2, the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 and the axial direction, which is the transport direction of the screw 107, are arranged parallel to each other, but the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 may be arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the axial direction of the screw 107.

(2. Configuration of Polishing Cassette 1)
In this embodiment, the polishing cassette 1 is attached with its longitudinal direction as the up-down direction, as described above. However, the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 is not limited to this, and may be any direction along the transport direction of a transport unit such as a screw. Therefore, in the following, the polishing cassette 1 is rotated 90 degrees left from the state of FIG. 1, and the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 is described as the left-right direction. In this case, the front-rear direction of the polishing cassette 1 is the same as the front-rear direction of the gaming machine 100, but the left direction of the polishing cassette 1 is the upward direction of the gaming machine 100, and the right direction of the polishing cassette 1 is the downward direction of the gaming machine 100. Similarly, the upward direction of the polishing cassette 1 is the right direction of the gaming machine 100, and the downward direction of the polishing cassette 1 is the left direction of the gaming machine 100.

Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the configuration of the polishing cassette 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front side of the polishing cassette 1 that faces the front side of the gaming machine 100 when attached to the gaming machine 100. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the back side of the polishing cassette 1 that faces the back side of the gaming machine 100 when attached to the gaming machine 100.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the polishing cassette 1 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box that is long in the left-right direction, and the polishing body 10 is hung across the back surface (rear surface) in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction).

As shown in FIG. 4, guide edges 1a that protrude rearward are formed on both short edges of the rear surface of the polishing cassette 1. Both ends of the polishing body 10 in the width direction are guided by these guide edges 1a.

A take-up port 4 through which the polishing body 10 is wound is formed at the corner of the right side of the rear surface of the polishing cassette 1 where it meets the right side face. In addition, a delivery port 5 through which the polishing body 10 is delivered is formed at the corner of the left side of the rear surface of the polishing cassette 1 where it meets the left side face.

As shown in FIG. 3, a winding section 20 is provided inside the polishing cassette 1. The polishing body 10 is pulled out from the delivery opening 5 by the winding section 20 and wound up from the winding opening 4. The wound polishing body 10 is randomly stored inside the polishing cassette 1 so that it overlaps (see FIG. 5).

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the polishing cassette 1. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the inside of the polishing cassette 1 with the cover member 12 removed, as seen from above. Note that although Figures 5 and 6 show the polishing bodies 10 folded in a zigzag pattern, the polishing bodies 10 are made of a loose cloth, and in reality they are folded randomly.

As shown in FIG. 5, the case portion (box) of the polishing cassette 1 is composed of a case member 11 and a lid member 12. The case member 11 and the lid member 12 are attached to each other by screws or the like through mounting holes 1b formed in the four corners of their respective joint surfaces.

The case member 11 has walls that form the front, back, left side, right side and bottom surface (bottom surface) of the polishing cassette 1, and the cover member 12 forms the top wall of the polishing cassette 1. In this embodiment, the case member 11 is made of a transparent resin material or the like, so that the inside of the polishing cassette 1 can be seen.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, at the delivery port 5, part of the wall constituting the back surface of the polishing cassette 1 extends into the inside of the polishing cassette 1. The back surface and the part that extends into the inside are connected by an inclined surface that forms an obtuse angle with the back surface. This allows the polishing body 10 to be smoothly delivered (pulled out) from the delivery port 5 at an obtuse angle.

A presser plate 9 is provided near the delivery port 5 inside the polishing cassette 1 to hold down the polishing body 10 delivered from the delivery port 5. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the presser plate 9 is attached with screws or the like to the inside of the wall that constitutes the left side of the polishing cassette 1. The presser plate 9 is formed in a shape that extends to the right of the rear (back side) from the attachment position, and its tip abuts against the polishing body 10 at an acute angle just before the delivery port 5.

The tip of the pressing plate 9 is bent in a direction away from the polishing body 10 it is pressing down, and the polishing body 10 is pinched and pressed down between the rounded corner caused by this bending and the fourth transport roller 41D located near the delivery outlet 5. The fourth transport roller 41D is one of multiple transport rollers provided inside the polishing cassette 1, and will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cover member 12, which forms the top wall of the polishing cassette 1, is formed with shaft support holes 12a and 12b for supporting the winding section 20, and fixing holes 12c and 12d for attaching the cover member 25. In addition, the cover member 12 is formed with shaft support holes 12e to 12h for supporting the first to fourth transport rollers 41A to 41D.

Similarly, the lower surface of the case member 11, which forms the lower wall (bottom) of the polishing cassette 1, is formed with shaft support holes 11a and 11b for supporting the winding unit 20 and fixing holes 11c and 11d for attaching the cover members 22 and 23. Furthermore, the lower surface of the case member 11 is formed with shaft support holes 11e to 11h for supporting the first to fourth transport rollers 41A to 41D (see FIG. 6).
The winding section 20 has two rollers 21A, 21B journaled between the case member 11 and the cover member 12 of the polishing cassette 1, and winds up and renews the polishing body 10 hung on the back surface of the polishing cassette 1. In this embodiment, each of the two rollers 21A, 21B is configured by attaching a plurality of gear members to a rotating shaft. Each of the plurality of gear members has gear-shaped projections and recesses formed on the outer circumferential surface. The polishing body 10 is inserted between the two rollers 21A, 21B, and is fed into the interior of the polishing cassette 1 as the two rollers 21A, 21B rotate.

The two rollers 21A, 21B of the winding section 20 are supported by the polishing cassette 1 with their rotating shafts inserted through the shaft support holes 12a, 12b of the cover member 12 and the shaft support holes 11a, 11b of the case member 11. The rotating shafts of the two rollers 21A, 21B are arranged parallel to each other. Of the two rollers 21A, 21B, the rear roller 21A (the roller opening 4 side) has a driving force transmitted from outside the polishing cassette 1 to its rotating shaft through the shaft support hole 11a of the case member 11.

The cover members 22 and 23 are housed inside the polishing cassette 1 and prevent the polishing body 10 from wrapping around the winding section 20. The cover members 22 and 23 are two members corresponding to the two rollers 21A and 21B of the winding section 20, respectively, and are attached to the back side and front side inside the polishing cassette 1. Note that the cover members 22 and 23 are not limited to those attached to the polishing cassette 1, and may be formed integrally with the case member 11 or the lid member 12, for example.

As shown in FIG. 6, the polishing cassette 1 is provided with a storage section 30, a transport section 40, and an overlap eliminating section (first transport roller 41A) inside. The storage section 30 stores the polishing body 10 wound up by the winding section 20. The wound polishing body 10 is stored in the storage section 30 in a folded state with random overlaps, and moves from the right side where the winding section 20 is located to the left side where the storage section outlet 31 is located.

The conveying section 40 first routes the polishing body 10 sent out from the storage section exit 31 to the side where the winding section 20 is located, and then conveys it along a conveying path toward the delivery exit 5. The overlap eliminating section comes into contact with the polishing body 10 just before the storage section exit 31 to eliminate overlaps of the polishing body 10, and in this embodiment, the first conveying roller 41A has this function.

The storage section 30 and the transport section 40 are both formed along the longitudinal direction, with the storage section 30 located on the rear side of the polishing cassette 1 and the transport section 40 located on the front side of the polishing cassette 1. The storage section 30 and the transport section 40 are separated by a first wall (wall section) 15a that extends in the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 and is erected on the inner surface of the lower surface (bottom surface) of the case member 11. The first wall 15a is inclined so as to approach the rear side from the right side where the winding section 20 is located to the left side. In addition, the first wall 15a is formed in an inverted L shape when viewed from above, with the right side extending forward (front) parallel to the right side of the polishing cassette 1 and reaching the front of the polishing cassette 1.

The storage section outlet 31 is provided on the left side of the first wall 15a. The polishing body 10 that moves leftward inside the storage section 30 is sent out from the storage section outlet 31 to the transport section 40.

The conveying unit 40 conveys the polishing body 10 sent out from the storage unit outlet 31 along a specified conveying path that first routes it around to the side where the winding unit 20 is located, and then directs it toward the delivery outlet 5. By first routing it around to the side where the winding unit 20 is located, the side of the polishing body 10 that has passed through the polishing area can be made to face the front side of the polishing cassette 1.

In this embodiment, the first through fourth transport rollers 41A-41D, each of which has a curved outer circumferential surface that comes into contact with the polishing body 10, are disposed at the corners of the transport path. In this embodiment, the first through fourth transport rollers 41A-41D are made of POM (polyacetal resin).

The first conveying roller 41A is disposed at the storage section exit 31, and is disposed to the left of the left end of the first wall 15a. More specifically, the first conveying roller 41A is located at the corner of the path between the storage section 30 and the conveying section 40 at the storage section exit 31.

The second transport roller 41B is located at the right end of the transport section 40, and is located closer to the front than the first transport roller 41A. The third transport roller 41C is located at the left end of the transport section 40, and is located to the left of the first transport roller 41A and closer to the front than the second transport roller 41B. As mentioned above, the fourth transport roller 41D is located near the outlet 5 inside the polishing cassette 1, and is located to the left of the third transport roller 41C and in front of the outlet 5 of the polishing cassette 1.

The polishing body 10 sent out from the storage outlet 31 is transported in the transport section between the second transport roller 41B and the third transport roller 41C with the side that has passed through the polishing area facing the front side of the polishing cassette 1.

By arranging the first through fourth conveyor rollers 41A-41D in this way, the space required for the conveyor section 40 can be reduced, and more space can be secured for the storage section 30.

Of the first through fourth four transport rollers 41A-41D, the second through fourth three transport rollers 41B-41D are rotating rollers supported on a rotatable shaft. In contrast, the first transport roller 41A located at the storage unit outlet 31 is installed so as not to rotate, and is a support component that does not rotate. By installing the first transport roller 41A so as not to rotate, it can function as an overlap eliminating section that comes into contact with the polishing bodies 10 just before the storage unit outlet 31 and eliminates overlaps of the polishing bodies 10.

In addition, by configuring the overlap eliminating section using the same roller member as the second to fourth three conveying rollers 41B to 41D, it is possible to share the same member. However, as long as the configuration functions as an overlap eliminating section, it does not necessarily have to be roller-shaped, and for example, it may be a support with a D-shaped axial cross section, with the side facing the left end of the first wall 15a formed flat. In addition, the left end of the first wall 15a may be formed integrally with the first wall 15a, that is, integrally with the case member 11.

In addition, a second wall 15b extending in the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 is provided on the front side of the first wall 15a in the transport section 40. The second wall 15b separates the transport section between the first transport roller 41A and the second transport roller 41B, and between the second transport roller 41B and the third transport roller 41C. In this embodiment, the second wall 15b is inclined so as to approach the front surface side from the right side to the left side, in contrast to the first wall 15a.

A third wall 15c is provided to the left of the second wall 15a in the conveying section 40, extending from the front side to the back side. The third wall 15c separates the storage section 30 from the path toward the delivery outlet 5 in the conveying section 40. The space between the first conveying roller 41A and the third wall 15c is the storage section outlet 31.

(3. Operation of the Polishing Cassette 1)
The operation of the polishing cassette 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to Fig. 6. When the winding section 20 rotates, the polishing body 10 suspended across the back surface of the polishing cassette 1 is wound into the polishing cassette 1 from the winding opening 4 and stored in the storage section 30, and the polishing body 10 is sent out from the delivery opening 5 of the polishing cassette 1.

The wound polishing bodies 10 are randomly stored inside the storage section 30 while overlapping randomly, and move to the left side of the storage section 30 as they are pushed in by newly wound polishing bodies 10. When the polishing bodies 10 reach the storage section outlet 31, they are sent out from the storage section outlet 31 and transported by the transport section 40 toward the delivery outlet 5 of the polishing cassette 1.

At this time, if the first transport roller 41A located at the storage unit outlet 31 is not set to be non-rotatable, the overlapping polishing bodies 10 will be smoothly fed into the storage unit outlet 31 as is, and a sliding load will be applied as they try to pass through the storage unit outlet 31. If the sliding load is small, there will be no problem, but if the sliding load is large, the polishing bodies 10 cannot be fed out, and the polishing cassette 1 will have a malfunction in feeding.

In contrast, in the above configuration, the first transport roller 41A located at the storage outlet 31 is installed so that it cannot rotate, and serves as a support that does not rotate. Therefore, the overlapping polishing bodies 10 come into contact with the first transport roller 41A, and the overlap is resolved just before the storage outlet 31. More specifically, the overlapping polishing bodies 10 come into contact with the first transport roller 41A, and only the leading cloth portion of the overlapping polishing bodies 10 to which a pulling force is being applied is sent out from the storage outlet 31.

The polishing body 10 sent out from the storage outlet 31 travels via the second transport roller 41B, the third transport roller 41C, and the fourth transport roller 41D toward the delivery outlet 5. As it passes through the fourth transport roller 41D, it is pressed by the pressure plate 9, giving it tension. After passing through the polishing area, the polishing body 10 sent out from the delivery outlet 5 is wound up again on the winding section 20 via the winding port 4, and stored in the storage section 30.

The winding of the polishing body 10 can be performed intermittently, for example, every time a certain number of balls 60 pass the screw 107 or at a specified time interval. When the polishing body 10 becomes dirty, it is removed from the polishing cassette 1 and replaced.

(4. Effects)
The polishing cassette 1 is provided with a transport section 40 inside, which routes the polishing bodies 10 sent out from the storage section 30 to the side where the take-up section 20 is located, and then guides them toward the delivery outlet 5, so the space of the storage section 30 has to be small. If an attempt is made to store long polishing bodies 10 in the limited space of the storage section 30, the polishing bodies will try to pass through the storage section outlet 31 in an overlapping state, creating a sliding load, which may result in a delivery malfunction in which the polishing bodies 10 cannot be delivered.

According to the above configuration, the first transport roller 41A, which is installed in a corner of the storage section outlet 31 so as not to rotate, constitutes a cylindrical support part (overlap eliminating part) and comes into contact with the polishing body 10 just before the storage section outlet 31 to eliminate overlaps of the polishing body 10.

As a result, even when long polishing bodies 10 are stored in the limited space of the storage section 30, it is possible to prevent or effectively suppress the polishing bodies 10 from passing through the storage section outlet 31 in an overlapping state, thereby improving the sending out operation of the polishing bodies 10. This also meets the demand for making the overall length of the polishing bodies 10 as long as possible in order to reduce the frequency of replacement of the polishing bodies 10.

In addition, in this embodiment, the case member 11 having the front wall of the polishing cassette 1 is formed transparent, so that the inside of the polishing cassette 1 can be seen when the polishing cassette 1 is attached to the gaming machine 100. This allows users, such as employees of the gaming facility, to check the degree of dirt on the polishing body 10 and determine the timing for replacing the polishing body 10 without removing the polishing cassette 1 from the gaming machine 100.

Moreover, in the above configuration, the conveying unit 40 first routes the polishing bodies 10 sent out from the storage unit outlet 31 to the side where the winding unit 20 is located, and then directs them toward the delivery outlet 5. This route allows the side of the polishing body 10 that has passed through the polishing area to face the front side of the polishing cassette 1. The degree of dirt on the polishing bodies 10 can be confirmed even when they are randomly stored in the storage unit 30, but by looking at the sides of the polishing bodies 10 that have passed through the polishing area without overlapping, the degree of dirt on the polishing bodies 10 can be confirmed more clearly.

In addition, by providing the transport section 40, the space in the storage section 30 becomes smaller, and the polishing bodies 10 tend to overlap. However, as described above, the polishing bodies 10 are configured to eliminate overlaps just before the storage section outlet 31, so long polishing bodies 10 can be stored in the limited storage section 30.

In addition, by separating the storage section 30 and the transport section 40 with the first wall 15a, contact between the portion of the polishing body 10 stored in the storage section 30 and the portion transported by the transport section 40 can be prevented, making the operation of sending out the polishing body 10 more stable.

In addition, by separating the first transport roller 41A from the second transport roller 41B, and the second transport roller 41B from the third transport roller 41C with the second wall portion 15b, contact between the polishing bodies transported along each path can be prevented even if they are bent, making the feeding operation of the polishing body 10 more stable.

The polishing cassette 1 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in one direction, and the polishing body 10 is hung along the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1. The storage section 30 is located on the side where the polishing body 10 is hung, and the transport section 40 has a path for temporarily pulling the polishing body 10 to the side where the winding section 20 is located, opposite the side where the polishing body 10 is hung. With this configuration, the polishing area for polishing the balls 60 can be secured long in the direction of transport of the balls 60, while the polishing cassette 1 can be formed compact.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments.

1 Polishing cassette 4 Winding port 5 Delivery port 10 Polishing body 11 Case member (box body)
12 Lid member (box body)
15a: First wall portion 15b: Second wall portion 20: Winding portion 30: Storage portion 31: Storage portion outlet 40: Transport portion 41A: First transport roller (overlap eliminating portion, support member)
41B Second conveying roller 41C Third conveying roller 41D Fourth conveying roller 100 Gaming machine 101 Gaming board 103 Base 103a Opening 104 Launching device 105 Rail 106 Ball path 107 Screw (transport section)

Claims (7)

A grinding cassette that is attached to a base provided in a gaming machine and grinds game balls used in a game with a belt-shaped grinding body,
a box body having a delivery opening for delivering the polishing body and a take-up opening for taking up the polishing body;
the polishing body, the polishing body being suspended between the delivery port and the winding port on the outside of the box body , the suspended portion being a polishing area;
Provided inside the box,
a winding section that winds up the polishing body through the winding port;
a storage section in which the rolled up abrasive body is stored in a folded state;
a conveying section that once routes the polishing body sent out from the outlet of the storage section to a side where the winding section is located, and then conveys the polishing body along a conveying path toward the delivery outlet; and
and an overlap eliminating portion that comes into contact with the polishing body just before the outlet of the accommodation portion to eliminate the overlap. The polishing cassette according to claim 1, wherein the overlap eliminating section is a cylindrical support part located at a corner of the path between the storage section and the transport section at the outlet of the storage section. The polishing cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transport section has transport rollers at the corners of the transport path. The polishing cassette according to claim 3, wherein the overlap elimination section is configured by installing a part of the transport roller in a non-rotatable manner at a corner of the path between the storage section and the transport section at the outlet of the storage section. The polishing cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the box has a wall that separates the storage section from the transport section. The box body is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in one direction,
The polishing body is hung along the longitudinal direction of the box body,
the container is located on a side of the box on which the polishing body is hung,
A polishing cassette as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transport section has a path for temporarily pulling the polishing body to the side where the winding section is located, opposite the side where the polishing body of the box body is hung. A game board through which a game ball passes;
A transport unit that transports the game balls;
A gaming machine comprising: a polishing cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is disposed opposite the transfer section.

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