JP7755301B2 - trolley - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hand-pushed cart that is primarily used in gaming parlors to transport pachinko gaming machines (in this application, pachinko gaming machines may be simply referred to as "gaming machines").

Pachinko machines are installed in the halls of amusement parlors on structures commonly known as islands. Before being installed on the islands, the machines are first delivered from, for example, the machine manufacturer to a warehouse, for example, at the parlor. Naturally, not just one machine is delivered to the warehouse, but multiple machines, often quite a number. The machines delivered to the warehouse are then transported from the warehouse to the hall where the island is located.
The gaming machines are transported by a well-known hand-pushed cart, which is placed on the cart and transported to the front of the island, where they are then installed.
Similarly, carts are also used when gaming machines that have been used in the hall are removed from the islands and transported to a warehouse outside the hall.
The work of carrying in and out gaming machines occurs simultaneously when gaming machines are replaced. When gaming machines are replaced, at least multiple movements, and in some cases the transportation of hundreds of gaming machines, is required.
In order to carry out such work efficiently, carts are essential for carrying in and out gaming machines.

The applicant has filed several patent applications for carts suitable for transporting the gaming machines described above, and has brought the carts related to these patent applications to the market.

The cart in the patent application filed by the applicant of the present application is specialized for carrying gaming machines.
The gaming machine placed on the cart is fitted into a publicly known or well-known frame, and is placed on the cart while still fitted into the frame. The frame is a component for fixing the gaming machine to the island, and is formed by assembling boards of a specified width into a rectangle that surrounds the gaming machine from above, below, left, and right when viewed from the front. Generally, gaming machines are fitted into frames when shipped from the gaming machine manufacturer, and are handled in this state even after arriving at the gaming facility. The gaming machine placed on the cart also remains fitted into the space inside the rectangular frame.
One cart can carry one gaming machine along with its frame.
The cart has a platform, which is a plate on which the gaming machine is placed. The platform is roughly rectangular in plan view, and is supported on two opposing sides by two pillars extending vertically, each of which has casters attached to the bottom, to keep it horizontal.

Patent Publication No. 2018-122833 Patent Publication No. 2018-122058 Patent Publication No. 2018-122059

As described above, in the replacement of gaming machines, which is a typical situation in which a cart is used, the number of gaming machines to be transported is generally large.
However, because gaming machines are large, the above-mentioned carts can only carry one gaming machine per cart. Furthermore, the above-mentioned carts can only move each cart one by one. Therefore, if a large number of gaming machines are to be transported using the above-mentioned carts, the distance that the worker must travel will be long, and the number of times that the worker must travel will inevitably increase.

The objective of this invention is to improve a cart that can only carry one gaming machine so that when using the cart to transport multiple gaming machines, the distance and number of movements that workers must make are shortened.

The bogie of the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
The present invention relates to a cart having a flat-plate-shaped platform with a horizontal upper surface on which a gaming machine body, which is connected to the inside of a frame, is placed, two vertically extending pillars that support the platform from both sides while the upper surface is horizontal, and casters provided below the pillars. The cart may have the same structure as the conventional carts described in the Background Art section. The platform has, for example, a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the two pillars support, for example, two opposing sides of the substantially rectangular platform.
The front and rear of the cart are defined, for example, based on the front and rear of the gaming machine placed on the platform of the cart.
Each of the pillars of this bogie is provided with a connecting member, which can be detachably connected to the connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie placed next to it.
In other words, the cart of the present invention can be connected by detachably connecting side-by-side carts with each other. This allows a single worker to manually move multiple connected carts together, regardless of whether they are carrying gaming machines. This allows the worker to shorten the distance or the number of times they have to move when using a cart that can only carry one gaming machine to transport multiple gaming machines.

The reason for attaching the connecting member of the present invention to a pillar is as follows: Obviously, the connection of the trolleys must be detachable. If the operator is to perform the operation of connecting or disconnecting the trolleys, it is easier for the operator to perform the operation if the connection position between the trolleys is set at a certain height or higher. In this case, the pillar or the loading platform is the most suitable location for connecting the trolleys. However, as will be described later, the loading platform may need to be adjustable in height for height adjustment. If this is the case, connecting the trolleys using the loading platform may be difficult due to the difference in the height of the loading platforms of the two trolleys. Considering the above, by attaching the connecting member to a pillar located outside the loading platform and also to the pillar located outside the loading platform of the other trolley, it becomes easier to connect the connecting members and, ultimately, the trolleys. This is the reason for attaching the connecting member to a pillar.
As already mentioned, the loading platform may have a variable vertical height. This is for the following reason. As already mentioned, the gaming machine is fixed to the island. The island has a horizontal plate called a lower plate, on which the gaming machine is fixed together with its frame. To avoid the need to lift the gaming machine when pushing the gaming machine together with its frame from the loading platform relative to the lower plate or pulling the gaming machine together with its frame from the lower plate onto the loading platform (allowing the gaming machine to slide on the loading platform or the lower plate), it is preferable that the height of the top surface of the loading platform from the floor be the same as the height of the top surface of the lower plate from the floor. Furthermore, to accommodate the height of the lower plate, which may vary slightly depending on the gaming parlor, or to ensure that the height of the top surface of the loading platform and the lower plate from the floor are the same even when the floor is carpeted, it is preferable that the loading platform be slightly movable in the vertical direction.

The connecting member in the bogie of the present invention may include a fixed member that is immovable relative to the pillar to which it is attached, and a movable member that is movable relative to the pillar to which it is attached and cannot be removed from the connecting member, and by moving the movable member it may be possible to select between connecting to and releasing the connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie placed alongside it.
The movable member can be selectively connected or disconnected by moving it relative to the post to which it is attached (or relative to the fixed member). If the movable member cannot be removed from the fixed member, the risk of losing the movable member can be reduced.

The connecting members provided on each of the pillars in the bogie of the present invention may include a front connecting member located in front of the pillar and a rear connecting member located behind the pillar. In this case, the front connecting member may be capable of being detachably connected to the front connecting member or the rear connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side, and the rear connecting member may be capable of being detachably connected to the front connecting member or the rear connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side.
In this case, the carriages are connected to adjacent carriages as follows:
First, two bogies are placed side by side with the pillars of each bogie adjacent to each other. If the front and rear of the two bogies are aligned, the front coupling members attached to the two adjacent pillars will be adjacent to the front of each pillar, and the rear coupling members attached to the two adjacent pillars will be adjacent to the rear of each pillar. In this case, by detachably coupling adjacent front coupling members and detachably coupling adjacent rear coupling members, the coupling members are detachably coupled, and thus the bogies are detachably coupled. Furthermore, if the front and rear of the two bogies are facing in opposite directions, the front coupling members and rear coupling members are adjacent to each other on both the front and rear sides of the two adjacent pillars. In this case, by detachably coupling two adjacent pairs of front coupling members and rear coupling members, the coupling members are detachably coupled, and thus the bogies are detachably coupled.
The advantages of including a front coupling member and a rear coupling member in the coupling member are as follows. For example, suppose the coupling member is located on the outer surface of a pillar, and two adjacent bogies are coupled by detachably connecting the coupling members located on the outer surfaces of two adjacent pillars. If the two bogies are coupled at a single point on each adjacent pillar in this manner and then moved together, a force that would bend the bogies into a U-shape acts on the coupling portion of the two bogies coupled together like a train (i.e., the coupled coupling members), potentially damaging the coupling members. On the other hand, if the coupling member includes a front coupling member and a rear coupling member and is coupled on both the front and rear of the adjacent pillars in the manner described above, the coupling members become stronger against a force that would bend the bogies into a U-shape that acts on the coupling portion of the two bogies coupled together like a train, potentially damaging the coupling members.

When the connecting member includes a front connecting member and a rear connecting member, and the front connecting member is capable of being detachably connected to a front connecting member or a rear connecting member provided on a pillar of another bogie arranged side by side, and the rear connecting member is capable of being detachably connected to a front connecting member or a rear connecting member provided on a pillar of another bogie arranged side by side, the connecting member can further be as follows:
The front connecting member may include a front fixing member immovable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached, and the rear connecting member may include a rear fixing member immovable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached. In this case, the front fixing member may further include a locking member that locks the front connecting member and the rear connecting member together by detachably attaching the front fixing member to the rear fixing member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged alongside it, so that the front fixing member can be selectively connected to or released from the rear fixing member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged alongside it.
When the front coupling member can be detachably coupled to a front coupling member or a rear coupling member provided on a pillar of another horizontally arranged bogie, and the rear coupling member can be detachably coupled to a front coupling member or a rear coupling member provided on a pillar of another horizontally arranged bogie, as already mentioned, the two coupled bogies may be arranged with their front and rear sides aligned or reversed. The front coupling member may be connected to the front coupling member or the rear coupling member. The rear coupling member may be connected to the rear coupling member or the front coupling member.
To enable the front connecting member to be connected to any of the front connecting members and the rear connecting members, and to enable the rear connecting member to be connected to any of the rear connecting members and the front connecting members, both the front connecting member and the rear connecting member must be detachably connected to different objects, which tends to make the configurations complicated. In contrast, if the front connecting member includes a front fixing member that is immobile relative to the pole and the rear connecting member includes a rear fixing member that is immobile relative to the pole, and the front fixing member and the rear fixing member are connected to each other by a locking member that is detachably attached to them, the configurations of the front connecting member and the rear connecting member can be simplified, even though another component, the locking member, is required. This leads to a reduction in the cost of manufacturing the front connecting member, the rear connecting member, and the locking member.

As already mentioned, the connecting members provided on each of the pillars in the bogie of the present invention may include a front connecting member located in front of the pillar and a rear connecting member located behind the pillar. In this case, the front connecting member may be capable of being detachably connected to the rear connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side, and the rear connecting member may be capable of being detachably connected to the front connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side.
When the coupling members provided on the bogies are configured in this way, when multiple bogies are to be coupled, the front and rear of adjacent bogies are oriented in opposite directions. In this case, the front coupling member and the rear coupling member are adjacent to each other on both the front and rear sides of two adjacent columns. In this case, by detachably coupling two adjacent pairs of front coupling members and rear coupling members, the coupling members are detachably coupled, and therefore the bogies are detachably coupled to each other.
With this configuration, all that is required when coupling bogies is the connection between the front coupling member and the rear coupling member. Therefore, the coupling partner seen from the front coupling member is always the rear coupling member, and the coupling partner seen from the rear coupling member is always the front coupling member. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, by arranging multiple bogies while switching the front and rear of adjacent bogies, it is possible to couple three or more bogies, and the configuration of the front coupling member and rear coupling member can be simplified.

When the connecting member includes a front connecting member and a rear connecting member, and the front connecting member is capable of being detachably connected to the rear connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side, and the rear connecting member is capable of being detachably connected to the front connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side, the connecting member can further be as follows:
For example, the front connecting member may include a front fixed member immovable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached and a front movable member movable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached and unable to be removed from the front connecting member, and the rear connecting member may include a rear fixed member immovable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached. In this case, the front connecting member may be capable of selecting, by moving the front movable member, connection with the rear fixed member by engaging the front movable member with the rear fixed member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged alongside, or release of the connection by releasing the engagement with the rear fixed member.
This allows the front connecting member and rear connecting member to be connected or disconnected by changing the position of the front movable member. Also, with this configuration, the front movable member is at least indirectly fixed to the pillar, so there is little risk of losing the front movable member.
The configurations of the front and rear connecting members described up to this point in this paragraph can be reversed, with the same results as in the above case.
That is, the rear connecting member may include a rear fixed member that is immovable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached, and a rear movable member that is movable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached and cannot be removed from the rear connecting member, and the front connecting member may include a front fixed member that is immovable with respect to the pillar to which it is attached. In this case, the rear connecting member may be capable of selecting, by moving the rear movable member, connection with the front fixed member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged alongside by engaging the rear movable member with the front fixed member, or release of the connection by releasing the engagement with the front fixed member.

1 is a perspective view of an island to which a gaming machine can be attached using a carriage according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bogie according to the embodiment as viewed from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bogie according to the embodiment as viewed from the rear. 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the upper end of the pillar for explaining the relationship between the pillar and the upper member in the bogie shown in FIG. 2 and the principle of up and down movement of the upper member relative to the pillar. FIG. FIG. (A) is a rear view of the protruding body when the locking mechanism is OFF, (B) is a front view of the protruding body when the locking mechanism is OFF, (C) is a rear view of the protruding body when the locking mechanism is ON, and (D) is a front view of the protruding body when the locking mechanism is ON. 1 is a perspective view showing the state in which the gaming machine body is mounted on the cart according to the embodiment, as viewed from the front. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the gaming machine mounted on the cart according to the embodiment, as viewed from the rear. FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the rod-shaped body and its vicinity for explaining how to use the rod-shaped body in the bogie according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing two carriages coupled together as viewed obliquely from below in the embodiment. 11A and 11B are front views of the height range near the connecting fittings of the two bogies shown in FIG. 10, where (A) the connecting fittings are in a lower position, and (B) the connecting fittings are in an upper position. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective side view showing the vicinity of the tip of the bridge plate when the bogie of the embodiment is in use. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the base end of the rod-shaped body in the embodiment. 10A is an enlarged front view of a portion of the bogie of the first modified example where a connecting member of the pillar is provided, and FIG. 10B is a plan view of the portion of the pillar. FIG. 10 is a front view of a connecting plate used in Modification 1. 1A is an enlarged front view of a portion where a connecting member of a pillar is provided in two connected bogies of modified example 1, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the corresponding portion of the pillar. 10A is an enlarged front view of a portion of the bogie of the second modified example where a connecting member of the pillar is provided, and FIG. 10B is a plan view of the portion of the pillar. 10A is an enlarged front view of the portion where the connecting member of the pillar is provided in two connected bogies of variant 2, and FIG. 10B is a plan view of the corresponding portion of the pillar.

A preferred embodiment of the bogie of the present invention and its modified examples 1 and 2 will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment and the modified examples, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as necessary.
10, 11, and 14 to 18, the members corresponding to the connecting members in the present invention are omitted from the drawings.

First, a brief description will be given of the structure of the island in this embodiment with the gaming machines attached thereto and transported by the carts described later.
1, the gaming machine is designated by 300. In this embodiment, the gaming machine 300 is a pachinko gaming machine. Since the gaming machine 300 in this embodiment is a pachinko gaming machine, the island to which it is attached, which will be described later, is an island for a pachinko gaming machine.
The gaming machine 300 itself, a pachinko gaming machine, is quite common. The area around the front of the gaming machine 300, indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1, may or may not have decoration. The decoration is located in front of the frame, which will be described later, and in some cases may extend above the frame or to the right of the frame. Regardless of the presence or absence of decoration, the gaming machine 300 is a commercially available machine. Since the gaming machine 300 is not particularly distinctive, further explanation will be omitted. Note that below the gaming machine 300, there is generally a tray for receiving balls, consisting of an upper tray and a lower tray, as well as a handle used to operate the balls. However, these are not relevant to the present invention and are well known, so they are not shown in the illustration.
The gaming machine 300 is fixed inside a rectangular member called a frame 500. The frame 500 is often made of wood, but is not limited to this, and is made of metal in this embodiment. The frame 500 is made up of four boards that form the four sides when viewed from the front, and are assembled in a frame-like or rectangular shape, with the width of each board aligned in the depth direction. The gaming machine 300 is fitted into the rectangular space within the frame 500. The gaming machine 300 is fixed to the frame 500 using a known or well-known method. Hereinafter, the combination of the gaming machine 300 and the frame 500 may be referred to as the "gaming machine body." Generally, the gaming machine 300 is fitted into and fixed to the frame 500 from the time it is shipped from the manufacturer to the gaming facility, and this embodiment follows this example.

In a pachinko parlor, the gaming machines 300 are usually fixed to a structure called an island 400. The island 400 may be made of metal, but is often made of wood, and is structured so that a large number of gaming machines 300 can be installed in parallel.
Other equipment that may be installed on the island 400 as needed include a ball lending machine that lends gaming balls to workers, a call lamp that notifies workers and hall staff of the status of the gaming machine 300, and a ball circulation mechanism that supplies balls to the ball lending machine and gaming machine 300 and also collects lost balls from the gaming machine 300 and circulates the balls, but these are not shown in the figures.
The gaming machine 300 fixed to the frame 500 is attached to the island 400 together with the frame 500. With the gaming machine 300 fixed to the frame 500, the frame 500 is fixed to the island 400, thereby fixing the gaming machine 300 to the island 400.
The island 400 has a horizontal lower plate 401 on which the frame 500 is placed, and an upper plate 402 that is parallel to the lower plate 401 and located above the frame 500. The frame 500 is fixed to the island 400 while placed on the lower plate 401. The frame 500 is fixed to the island 400 by fixing the plate corresponding to the lower edge of the frame 500 to the lower plate 401 and the plate corresponding to the upper edge of the frame 500 to the upper plate 402 using appropriate means such as nails or dedicated metal fittings.
A front plate 403 is located directly below the lower plate 401 of the island 400. The front plate 403 is a plate of a predetermined thickness whose upper and lower surfaces abut against each other, and protrudes slightly forward from the lower plate 401. The front end of the front plate 403 is also configured to be slightly thicker than the rear portion. An ashtray is generally attached to the front plate 403, or a cash box storage area is provided for placing a cash box.

The cart of this embodiment is used when transporting a gaming machine 300 (more precisely, a gaming machine 300 fixed to a frame 500) from, for example, a warehouse to the front of an island 400 and attaching it to the island 400, or when removing a gaming machine 300 that has been attached to the island 400 from the island 400 and transporting it to a warehouse, etc.

The configuration of the carriage 100 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carriage 100 as seen obliquely from the front, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view as seen obliquely from the rear.
The front and rear of the cart 100 are determined based on the front and rear of the gaming machine 300 loaded on the cart 100. The front side of the cart 100 is the near side in FIG. 2 and the far side in FIG.

Unless otherwise specified, the carriage 100 is basically made of metal.
The cart 100 includes a base 110. The base 110 supports the cart 100 from below and is configured to stably support the cart 100. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the base 110 is a member assembled in a U-shape in plan view with an open front.
Casters 111 are provided below the base 110 to allow the base 110, and therefore the cart 100, to run smoothly on the floor. The casters 111 are publicly known or well-known rotatable wheels. Part of the casters 111 are made of rubber or resin. As is widely known, the casters 111 are attached to the base 110 via rotation shafts so as to be rotatable 360° in a plan view, allowing the traveling direction of the cart 100 to be changed.

A pillar 120 is erected from the middle of each of the members extending in the front-to-rear direction on both sides of the base 110. Although not limited to this, the pillars 120 in this embodiment are made of rectangular or square pipes with a cross section. The distance between the two pillars 120 is approximately the same as the width of the frame 500 in the left-to-right direction, or slightly wider.
A long nut 123 having a threaded hole on its inner surface is fitted to the upper end portion of each of the columns 120 in the height direction. This results in an internally threaded hole (which may be a bottomed hole) being provided at the top end of each of the columns 120 along the length of the columns 120. A threaded portion of a bolt 124 having a head 124A with a larger diameter than the threaded portion is threaded onto the long nut 123 (see the cross-sectional view of the long nut 123 and bolt 124 in Figure 4). Although not shown, the upper surface of the head 124A of the bolt 124 has a recessed or protruding portion that can be engaged with a predetermined tool. In this embodiment, the predetermined tool is, but is not limited to, a hexagonal wrench 125, and the recessed or protruding portion is a hexagonal cross-sectional hole that engages with the hexagonal wrench 125.
The two pillars 120 are connected near their lower ends by a reinforcing plate 126 that maintains the upright position of the two pillars 120 .

The loading platform 131 is configured to include a base plate 131A and two bridge plates 131C.
The platform 131 is used to place the gaming machine 300 on. The top surface of the platform 131 is horizontal, and its height from the floor is set to a value that takes into account that the height from the floor of the lower plate 401 of the pachinko machine island is approximately 60 cm. When the platform 131 moves up and down together with the upper member 133, it can move up and down within a range of at least 5 cm, preferably about 10 cm, and more preferably about 15 cm, centered at a height of 60 cm from the floor. Increasing the range of this vertical movement is useful for making the cart 100 compatible with not only pachinko machines but also pachislot machines.
The gaming machines 300 placed on the loading platform 131 can be moved onto the lower plate 401 of the island 400 as described below, and the gaming machines 300 placed on the lower plate 401 of the island 400 can be placed onto the loading platform 131 as described below. The loading platform 131 is configured to withstand the weight of the gaming machines 300 placed thereon. The base plate 131A described above plays a role in supporting the weight of the gaming machines 300.
The base plate 131A is a plate material that is rectangular in plan view, although not limited thereto. Its width is slightly wider than the width of the gaming machine 300 (more precisely, the width of the frame 500 to which the gaming machine 300 is fixed), its length in the front-to-rear direction is greater than the length of the gaming machine 300 in the front-to-rear direction (more precisely, the length of the frame 500 to which the gaming machine 300 is fixed in the front-to-rear direction), and its thickness is, although not limited thereto, thinner than the thickness of the lower plate 401 attached to the island 400.

The bridge plate 131C is connected to the rear end of the base plate 131A. The bridge plate 131C is used to move the gaming machine 300, which is mounted on the base plate 131A and fitted in the frame 500, from the loading platform 131 over the front plate 403 of the island 400 to the bottom plate 401 of the island 400, or from the bottom plate 401 of the island 400 over the front plate 403 of the island 400 to the loading platform 131.
Both bridge plates 131C are elongated, rectangular plates in a plan view and have essentially the same configuration. As described below, the bridge plate 131C is long enough to span the portion of the front plate 403 that protrudes from the lower plate 401, in other words, longer than the length of the portion of the front plate 403 that protrudes from the lower plate 401. The bridge plate 131C is thinner than the thickness of a typical lower plate 401. The width of the bridge plate 131C is set to a level that allows the bridge plate 131C to have sufficient rigidity to withstand the weight of the gaming machine 300 and other components when the gaming machine 300 and the frame 500 are slid over the bridge plate 131C. In this embodiment, two bridge plates 131C are provided, one attached near each end of the base plate 131A in the width direction. This allows the two bridge plates 131C to support the frame 500 from below near each end of the width direction. The two bridge plates 131C are narrow and spaced apart in this manner to prevent the bridge plate 131C from interfering with obstacles, such as an ashtray, on the front plate 403 of the island 400 when the bridge plate 131C straddles the front plate 403. However, the number of bridge plates 131C does not need to be two, and can be three or more, as long as the frame 500 in which the gaming machine 300 is fitted can slide stably over it. Alternatively, if there is no need to avoid obstacles or if there is another way to avoid obstacles, it is possible to use a single bridge plate 131C that is wide, for example, approximately the same width as the base plate 131A.
In this embodiment, both bridge plates 131C are hinged at their front ends to the rear ends of the base plate 131A near both widthwise ends by a known or well-known method (details not shown). This allows both bridge plates 131C to rotate about their base ends as axes between two positions: a use position where their upper surfaces can be aligned with the upper surface of the base plate 131A (although it is possible for the bridge plates 131C to be rotated to a position where they are inclined slightly rearward (toward the front plate 403) relative to the base plate 131A, but this is not limitative; in this embodiment, the bridge plates 131C can only be rotated downward to an angle where their upper surfaces are aligned with the upper surface of the base plate 131A); and a transport position where their rear ends are raised so that the above-mentioned surfaces that can be aligned with the upper surface of the base plate 131A are perpendicular to the upper surface of the base plate 131A. For example, the bridge plate 131C in Figures 2, 3, and 7 is in the use position, and the bridge plate 131C in Figure 8 is in the transport position. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the bridge plate 131C in the use position is manually moved to the transport position by an operator. The same is true for the reverse movement. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the two bridge plates 131C can each independently take the use position and the transport position.
12, circular holes 131C2 and 131C3 of the same size, but not limited to, are drilled near the ends of both bridge plates 131C, for example, in the center of the width, at positions corresponding to the bridge plate 131C in the use position when viewed from above. A nut 131C4 threaded on the inner surface is fixed to a portion of the bridge plate 131C abutting the periphery of hole 131C3 at a position corresponding to holes 131C2 and 131C3 when viewed from above with the bridge plate 131C in the use position. A bolt 131C5, the head of which is exposed below the lower hole 131C3 in the bridge plate 131C, is threaded on the outer surface of the nut 131C4 and is threaded on the outer surface of the bolt 131C5. The bolt 131C5 has a head exposed below the lower hole 131C3 in the bridge plate 131C. The bolt 131C5 has a concave/convex portion at its upper end that can be engaged with a predetermined jig, such as a hexagonal wrench 131C6, inserted through the upper hole 131C2 in the bridge plate 131C. This allows the bolt 131C5 to be moved up and down by rotating the hexagonal wrench 131C6.

The loading platform 131 described above is indirectly connected to the pillars 120 by fixing both widthwise ends of its base plate 131A to the lower ends of two connecting plates 132 that extend vertically along the front surfaces of the two pillars 120. Both connecting plates 132 are thin plates that extend vertically. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment the width of the two connecting plates 132 is approximately the same as the width of the pillars 120. A connecting fitting 131D that is approximately L-shaped in plan view is used to secure the connecting plate 132 to the base plate 131A. Both the connecting fitting 131D and the connecting fitting 131D and the connecting plate 132 can be secured by known methods, such as screws or welding.

An upper member 133 is attached to the upper ends of both pillars 120. The above-mentioned connecting plate 132 is attached to the lower side of the upper member 133.
The two upper members 133 are attached to the upper ends of the pillars 120, and can be moved up and down relative to the pillars 120 and positioned at an appropriate height using a mechanism described below. This allows the two connecting plates 132 attached to the upper members 133 to also be moved up and down along the two pillars 120 and positioned at an appropriate height. As a result, the loading platform 131 and base plate 131A connected to the connecting plates 132 can also move up and down and can be fixed at an appropriate height.
Each of the two upper members 133 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and has a hole (not shown) on the front side that opens downward and is used to insert the upper end of the column 120. The horizontal cross section of the hole corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the column 120. A hole 133A, which may be, but is not limited to, a circle, is drilled in the upper surface of the upper member 133.
The upper member 133 is attached to the upper end of the pillar 120 by inserting the upper end of the pillar 120 into the above-mentioned hole in the upper member 133. Since the cross sections of both pillars 120 and the cross sections of the holes in both upper members 133 correspond to each other, the two upper members 133 are guided by the pillars 120 and can only move in the vertical direction. How this movement and the positioning of the height of the upper member 133 are performed will be explained using Figure 4.
As described above, long nuts 123 are fitted into the upper end portions of both columns 120 in the height direction, and bolts 124 are threadedly engaged with the long nuts 123. The heads 124A of the bolts 124 are positioned directly below the aforementioned holes 133A drilled in the upper surface of the upper member 133. The diameter of the heads 124A of the bolts 124 is larger than the diameter of the holes 133A in the upper member 133. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4A , the plate having the holes 133A covering the upper side of the upper member 133 is supported from below by the heads 124A of the bolts 124. As a result, the upper member 133 is supported from below by the heads 124A of the bolts 124.
On the other hand, the tip of the hex wrench 125, which is the predetermined tool described above, can be inserted through the hole 133A provided in the upper member 133. The tip of the inserted hex wrench 125 can be inserted into the recessed or protruding portion (the hexagonal cross-section hole) provided in the head 124A of the bolt 124, thereby engaging the hex wrench 125 with the head 124A of the bolt 124 ( FIG. 4(B) ). Rotating the hex wrench 125 left or right in this state moves the bolt 124 up or down. This also moves the upper member 133, which is supported from below by the head 124A of the bolt 124, up or down. As a result, the vertical position (height position) of the upper member 133 can be changed and positioned at any desired height. FIG. 4(C) shows the case where the height position of the upper member 133 is lowered from the case shown in FIG. 4(A), but it is of course possible to raise the height position of the upper member 133 from the case shown in FIG. 4(A). In this embodiment, adjustment of the height position of the upper member 133 must be performed individually for each of the two upper members 133. However, if the difference in the height positions of the two upper members 133 becomes too large, there is a possibility that adverse effects such as distortion of the upper member 133 may occur. Therefore, when adjusting the height position of the upper member 133, care should be taken to ensure that the difference in the height positions of the two upper members 133 does not become too large.
The vertical movement of the upper member 133 relative to the column 120 and the positioning of its height position do not need to be performed using the bolts 124 as described above. Also, power generated by a power generating device such as a motor or hydraulic pump can be used to move the upper member 133. Also, in the above example, the movement of the upper member 133 causes the platform 131 and the upper member 133 to move in the same direction and the same distance in tandem, but it is also possible to move the platform 131 in the vertical direction without tandem with the movement of the upper member 133.
Considering that the upper member 133 moves up and down, the hole 133A into which the hex wrench 125 is inserted should be located at a height of approximately 145 cm to 155 cm from the floor. This allows the worker to turn the hex wrench 125 without difficulty.

Although not shown, a locking metal fitting is attached to the front surface of the upper member 133 provided at the upper end of each of the two pillars 120. The locking metal fitting is a metal fitting for detachably connecting to the belt fittings 172 attached to both ends of the belt 171.
The belt 171 is a strip made of a flexible material, for example, a flexible and durable cloth, and in this embodiment has a uniform width along its entire length.
The length of the belt 171 is set so that, when the belt fittings 172 at both ends are detachably connected to the two locking fittings, the belt 171 abuts against the front (front of the gaming machine 300) of the gaming machine body (the combination of the gaming machine 300 and the frame 500) placed on the base plate 131A, and is tensioned enough to prevent the gaming machine body from tipping forward. The belt 171 may be provided with a buckle or other known or well-known means for adjusting the length, and may be stretchable to a degree that does not affect the gaming machine body's ability to prevent tipping forward. In any case, these measures enable the belt 171 to prevent the gaming machine body from tipping forward regardless of the shape and size of the gaming machine 300, which may be affected by, for example, the type and presence of decorations.
Furthermore, the belt 171 does not need to be configured so that at least one end thereof can be detachably fixed to at least one of the pillars 120 by a combination of the belt metal fittings 172 and the locking metal fittings. The end of the belt 172 that is intended to be attached to and detached from the pillar 120 can also be attached and detached to the pillar 120 using Velcro (trademark) or other hook-and-loop fasteners (not shown). For example, if a hook-and-loop fastener (not shown) attached to the pillar 120 and a hook-and-loop fastener attached over a certain length on one end of the belt 171 are detachably fastened to each other, the length of the belt 171 connecting the two pillars 120 (the length of the belt 171 that contributes to preventing the gaming machine from tipping forward) can be adjusted by determining which portion of the length of the hook-and-loop fastener on one end of the belt 171 is attached to and detached from the hook-and-loop fastener on the pillar 120, which effectively makes it possible to adjust the length of the belt 171.

In this embodiment, a protruding/recessed body 181 is attached to the front side of each of the pillars 120. The two protruding/recessed bodies 181 are provided on the two pillars 120 in a mirror image relationship, for example. Note that the protruding/recessed body 181 may be provided on only one of the pillars 120.
The protruding-recessed body 181 is a member that can move between a first position where it protrudes from the column 120 on which it is provided toward the other column 120, and a second position where it moves away from the other column 120. When the protruding-recessed body 181 is in the first position, the front surface of the protruding-recessed body 181 abuts against the rear surface (the rear surface of the frame 500) of the gaming machine body (the combination of the gaming machine 300 and the frame 500) placed on the base plate 131A, thereby preventing the gaming machine body from tipping backward. On the other hand, when the protruding-recessed body 181 is in the second position, the protruding-recessed body 181 does not abut against the rear surface of the frame 500, and does not abut against the frame 500.
The configuration and function of the protruding-recessed body 181 will be described using the perspective view of Fig. 5 and the front and rear views of Fig. 6. As described above, the protruding-recessed body 181 is movable between the first position and the second position, but is equipped with a locking mechanism that prevents the protruding-recessed body 181 from moving toward the first position when in the second position. Fig. 6(A) shows a rear view of the protruding-recessed body 181 when the locking mechanism is OFF (as viewed from the outside of the column 120), Fig. 6(B) shows a front view of the protruding-recessed body 181 when the locking mechanism is OFF (as viewed from the inside of the column 120), Fig. 6(C) shows a rear view of the protruding-recessed body 181 when the locking mechanism is ON, and Fig. 6(D) shows a front view of the protruding-recessed body 181 when the locking mechanism is ON.

The protruding body 181 is a rectangular prism-shaped metal member that extends vertically and is trapezoidal in plan view. The protruding body 181 is hollow. In Figure 5, the protruding body 181 is in the first position. The surface at the back that is hidden in Figure 5 is the engagement surface 182, which is the surface that abuts against the rear surface of the frame 500 included in the gaming machine body. The engagement surface 182 is also visible in Figure 6. When viewed from above, the tip side of the protruding body 181 (the left side of Figure 5) has a shape that appears to be cut by a straight line that is diagonal to the line connecting the front and rear directions of the cart 100. The vertical surface that includes this diagonal line as its side is the abutment surface 183. Due to the presence of the contact surface 183, when, for example, the gaming machine attached to the island 400 is loaded onto the loading platform 131 from the rear side of the loading platform 131, if the gaming machine is slid forward on the loading platform, the projecting body 181 will be pushed by the contact surface 183 that comes into contact with the frame 500 included in the gaming machine, and will naturally move from the first position to the second position. In other words, the projecting body 181 will move in the same way as a publicly known or well-known latch on a door.
The retractable body 181 is housed in a case body 184 that has the function of attaching the retractable body 181 to the pillar 120 while it is housed therein. The case body 184 has an internal space with a width corresponding to the vertical width of the retractable body 181, and the retractable body 181 is guided by the case body 184 and is able to move horizontally within the internal space. The case body 184 has ribs 187 that protrude upward and downward. The ribs 187 are used to secure the case body 184 to the pillar 120. Holes are drilled in the ribs 187, and the case body 184 can be secured to the pillar 120 by, for example, passing a screw through the hole and threading it into the pillar 120.
A first elastic body 186, which is an elastic body, but is not limited to a spring in this embodiment, more specifically a coil spring, is housed inside the case body 184. The first elastic body 186 always applies a force to the protruding/retracting body 181 housed in the case body 184 in the leftward direction in Fig. 5, in other words, in a direction that moves the protruding/retracting body 181 from the second position to the first position.

A rectangular hole 181A is drilled in the surface of the recessed body 181 facing the pillar 120, although this is not limited to this. The significance of this hole 181A will be described later.
A circular hole (not shown) is provided on the surface of the case body 184 that abuts against the surface opposite to the surface where the hole 181A of the protruding/recessed body 181 is formed, although this is not limited to this. This hole is for rotatably supporting a switch member (described later). The switch member 185 is configured to include a switch shaft 185A rotatably supported in the circular hole provided in the case body 184, a rectangular plate-shaped knob 185B (including but not limited to this) provided at the end of the switch shaft 185A on the back side of the case body 184 in FIG. 5, and a rectangular plate-shaped locking piece 185C (including but not limited to this) provided at the end on the opposite side of the switch shaft 185A.
The knob 185B is operated by an operator to rotate the switch member 185, and may be any knob that allows the operator to perform an appropriate operation to rotate the switch member 185 by gripping it or the like.
The locking piece 185C is used to limit, or lock, the movement of the recessed body 181. When viewed from the longitudinal extension of the switch shaft 185A, the locking piece 185C is attached to the switch shaft 185A so that it overlaps with the knob 185B. The knob 185B is rotatable between the vertical position shown in FIG. 6(B) and the horizontal position shown in FIG. 6(D). When the knob 185B is positioned in the vertical position, the locking piece 185C is in the vertical position shown in FIG. 6(A), and when the knob 185B is positioned in the horizontal position, the locking piece 185C is in the horizontal position shown in FIG. 6(C).
When the locking piece 185C is in the vertical position, the locking piece 185C does not come into contact with the edge of the rectangular hole 181A provided in the protruding-recessed body 181, regardless of whether the protruding-recessed body 181 is in the first position, the second position, or somewhere between them (FIG. 6A). Therefore, when the knob 185B and the locking piece 185C are in the vertical position, the protruding-recessed body 181 receives a force from the first elastic body 186 and always tries to be located in the first position, but when it receives an external force that resists the force from the first elastic body 186, it can move from the first position to the second position, and when the external force is removed, it naturally returns from the second position to the first position due to the biasing force from the first elastic body 186.
When the locking piece 185C is in a horizontal position, the tip of the locking piece 185C comes into contact with the right edge in Fig. 6(C) of the rectangular hole 181A provided in the protruding/retracting body 181. This prevents the protruding body 181 from protruding from the case body 184, restricting movement from the second position, i.e., locking the protruding body 181 in the second position.
By rotating the knob 185B from horizontal to vertical, the locking piece 185C is rotated from horizontal to vertical, and the protruding body 181 is unlocked and allowed to move between the first position and the second position.

A rod-shaped body 191 is attached to the rear surface of the upper member 133 located at the top end of the left-hand column 120 in Figure 3. The rod-shaped body 191 is made of a thin square pipe in this embodiment, although not limited to this, and its length is set to be approximately equal to the distance between the two columns 120.
In this embodiment, although not limited to this, the rod-shaped body 191 is supported near its base end by a shaft 192 formed by a bolt that is fixed to the column 120 by screwing its tip into the column 120. The rod-shaped body 191 is able to rotate about the shaft 192, and is able to rotate at least between the position in which it hangs directly down as shown in Figure 3 and the approximately horizontal position in which its tip is located near the upper end of the column 120 on the side where the base end of the rod-shaped body 191 is not supported as shown in Figures 2, 7, and 8.
An elongated hole 193, which is a hole for receiving the pivotal support of the shaft 192 described above, is drilled near the base end of the rod-shaped body 191 (see FIGS. 3 and 9). This elongated hole 193 has a certain length along the length of the rod-shaped body 191. The rod-shaped body 191 can not only rotate around the shaft 192 inserted into the elongated hole 193, but can also slide along the length of the rod-shaped body 191 by the length of the elongated hole 193 while being guided by the shaft 192.
At the tip of the rod-shaped body 191, a recess is provided whose depth is the length of the rod-shaped body 191, and more specifically, although not limited to this, in this embodiment, a groove 194 is provided which extends across the width of the rod-shaped body 191 (see Figure 3).
13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of rod-shaped body 191. A rotating plate 191X, which rotates together with rod-shaped body 191 and shaft 192, is fixed to shaft 192, which supports rod-shaped body 191. Furthermore, a partition plate 191Y, which divides the interior of rod-shaped body 191 into a distal end side and a proximal end side in the longitudinal direction, is provided inside rod-shaped body 191, distal to the portion of rod-shaped body 191 supported by shaft 192. A second elastic body 191Z, which is a compressed spring, is provided between rotating plate 191X and partition plate 191Y. This constantly applies a force from second elastic body 191Z to rod-shaped body 191 that slides toward the distal end.

A locking portion 197 for locking the rod-shaped body 191 is provided on the rear surface of the upper member 133 of the pillar 120 to which the rod-shaped body 191 is not attached. The locking portion 197 is a recess, or more specifically a protrusion that fits into the interior of the groove 194, and although not limited to this, in this embodiment it is, for example, a cylindrical rod. By inserting the locking portion 197, which is a rod, into the groove 194 at the tip of the rod-shaped body 191, the tip of the rod-shaped body 191 is locked near the top end of the pillar 120 on the opposite side to where the rod-shaped body 191 is attached.

The method of using the cart 100 according to the embodiment described above and its operation will now be described.
However, as will be described later, the trolley 100 in this embodiment can be used by connecting multiple units together, but for the sake of convenience, we will only explain the usage and operation of each trolley 100 when used alone.
First, we will explain the case where the gaming machine 300 is transported on the cart 100 from a warehouse or the like to a hall where the island 400 is located, and after the gaming machine 300 is moved from the cart 100 to the island 400, the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the island 400.

When loading the gaming machine body, which is the frame 500 to which the gaming machine 300 is fixed, onto the cart 100, the bridge plate 131C is tilted to the use position. When this operation is performed, the protruding/retracting body 181 is in an unlocked state. In other words, both the knob 185B and the locking piece 185C are in a vertical position (FIGS. 6A and 6B). When no external force is applied, the protruding/retracting body 181 is positioned in the first position by the biasing force applied by the first elastic body 186.
In this state, the frame 500 to which the gaming machine 300 is fixed is placed on the bridge plate 131C. At this time, the front of the gaming machine 300 (the side on which the nailed board surface is located) should face the front of the cart 100. Once the gaming machine 300 is placed on the bridge plate 131C, the gaming machine 300 is slid forward.

The gaming machine moves forward and rests on the base plate 131A. Eventually, the frame 500 inside the gaming machine comes into contact with the abutment surface 183 of the protruding/retracting body 181, which is in the first position. If the gaming machine continues to move forward on the cart 100, the abutment surface 183 is pushed outward in the width direction of the base plate 131A, causing the protruding/retracting body 181 to move outward in the width direction of the base plate 131A. In other words, the protruding/retracting body 181 moves from the first position to the second position.
If the gaming machine is moved forward in this state, the frame 500 in the gaming machine will climb over the protruding-recessed body 181 and move forward of the protruding-recessed body 181. When the frame 500 moves forward of the protruding-recessed body 181, the abutment surface 183 of the protruding-recessed body 181 will no longer be in contact with the frame 500 and will no longer receive force from the frame 500. Then, the protruding-recessed body 181 will receive force from the first elastic body 186 and return from the second position to the first position. When the protruding-recessed body 181 is located at the first position, the locking surface 182 of the protruding-recessed body 181 will be in a state of abutting against the rear surface of the frame 500. The position where the locking surface 182 of the protruding-recessed body 181 abuts against the rear surface of the frame 500 is the position where the gaming machine is scheduled to be placed on the loading platform 131 of the gaming machine, and the gaming machine will slide forward until it reaches that scheduled position. As a result, the rear surface of the frame 500 included in the gaming machine is locked onto the locking surface 182 of the recessed body 181, preventing the gaming machine from tipping over backward.

It may be possible that the locking surface 182 of the projecting/retracting body 181 cannot be properly abutted against the rear surface of the frame 500 due to circumstances such as the shape or size of the frame 500 being different from that of a typical machine. In such cases, the rod-shaped body 191 is used to prevent the gaming machine from tipping backward. To do this, the rod-shaped body 191 is rotated so that the groove 194 at the tip of the rod-shaped body 191 engages with the locking portion 197 provided on the top of the pillar 120 on the side to which the rod-shaped body 191 is not attached (see Figures 7 and 8). This operation is performed as follows.
First, the rod-shaped body 191 is rotated about the shaft 192 so that its tip approaches the upper end of the column 120 on the side to which the rod-shaped body 191 is not attached, and is positioned approximately horizontal. Next, as shown by arrow 1 in FIG. 9 , the rod-shaped body 191 is slid toward the base end supported by the shaft 192. A force is applied to the rod-shaped body 191 from the second elastic body 191Z toward its tip end, but applying a force against this force causes the rod-shaped body 191 to move back slightly toward the base end. This brings the groove 194 at the tip of the rod-shaped body 191 directly opposite the locking portion 197 provided on the upper part of the column 120 on the side to which the rod-shaped body 191 is not attached. Then, as shown by arrow 2 in FIG. 9 , the rod-shaped body 191 is advanced toward its tip end, inserting the locking portion 197 into the groove 194.
In this state, a force is applied to the rod-shaped body 191 from the second elastic body 191Z in a direction that advances the rod-shaped body 191 toward its tip. Therefore, there is little risk that the locking portion 197 will come off the groove 194. The front surface of the rod-shaped body 191 abuts against the back surface of the gaming machine body, usually the rear surface of the gaming machine 300 included in the gaming machine body. There may be some gap between the gaming machine body and the rod-shaped body 191.
As a result, the gaming machine body is locked by the rear surface of the protruding and recessed body 181 or the rod-shaped body 191, and is prevented from tipping over backward.

Next, the belt 171 is wound around the front of the gaming machine. Specifically, the belt fittings 172 on both ends of the belt 171 are detachably fastened to two locking fittings (not shown) located near the top ends of the two pillars 120. The belt 171 then contacts the front of the gaming machine placed on the base plate 131A, more specifically, the front of the gaming machine 300. At this time, the belt 171 is tensioned to a degree that prevents the gaming machine from tipping forward. If necessary, or if the belt 171 has a mechanism for adjusting its length, the length of the belt 171 may be adjusted. Note that the order in which the process of winding the belt 171 around the front of the gaming machine and the process of positioning the rod-shaped body 191 at the rear of the gaming machine does not matter.
As a result, the gaming machine is prevented from tipping backward by the protruding member 181 or the rod-shaped member 191, from tipping forward by the belt 171, and from tipping left and right by the pillars 120 located on the left and right of the gaming machine. In other words, the gaming machine is placed stably on the loading platform 131 and is unlikely to tip forward, backward, left or right.
Then, the two bridge plates 131C are each flipped up to the transport position (FIG. 8).

In this state, the worker moves the cart 100 carrying the gaming machine 300 from the warehouse or the like to the hall where the island 400 is located. During this process, the gaming machine body mounted on the loading platform 131 is stable as described above. Furthermore, because the bridge plate 131C is raised and in a substantially vertical position, the bridge plate 131C is prevented from interfering with chairs or the like in the narrow hall. The cart 100 is moved by the worker holding a predetermined location on the cart 100 or the gaming machine 300 fixed to the frame 500 mounted on it in their hands, and pushing and pulling the cart 100 while walking. During transport, the front of the cart 100 does not need to be at the front of the cart 100's direction of travel.

Next, the worker positions the cart 100 facing the portion of the island 400 where the gaming machine 300 is to be attached. Then, the upper member 133 is moved up or down as necessary to align the height of the loading platform 131 and the lower plate 401 of the island 400. However, since the height of the lower plate 401 of each island 400 in a single amusement center is often the same, it is not necessary to adjust the height of the upper member 133 at this point and it can be done at any time. Specifically, the upper member 133 is moved up or down so that the height of the rear end of the bridge plate 131C continuing from the rear end of the upper surface of the base plate 131A of the loading platform 131 and the front end of the lower plate 401 of the island 400 are aligned.
To raise or lower the upper member 133, as shown in Figure 4 (B), the tip of a hexagonal wrench 125 is inserted through a hole 133A provided at the top end of the upper member 133 of each column 120 to engage with the head 124A of the bolt 124, and in this state the hexagonal wrench 125 is rotated in either the left or right direction. This causes the bolt 124 to move in either the up or down direction, and accordingly the upper member 133, which is locked from below by the head 124A of the bolt 124, moves up or down. This causes the loading platform 131 attached to the upper member 133 to move up or down together with the upper member 133.
After the adjustment of the height of the loading platform 131 by adjusting the height of the upper member 133 is completed, the following process is carried out.
When the retractable body 181 has prevented the gaming machine body from tipping backward, the knob 185B of the retractable body 181 is operated to lock the retractable body 181. As already mentioned, when the knob 185B is turned sideways to turn the locking piece 185C sideways, the tip of the locking piece 185C comes into contact with the right edge of the rectangular hole 181A provided in the retractable body 181 in Figure 6(C), and the retractable body 181 is fixed in the second position (Figures 6(C) and (D)).
Furthermore, when the rod-shaped body 191 is preventing the gaming machine body from tipping backward, the locking portion 197 is removed from the groove 194 at the tip of the rod-shaped body 191, and the rod-shaped body 191 is rotated around the shaft 192 so that the locking portion 197 hangs down directly below the shaft 192. To remove the locking portion 197 from the groove 194, the rod-shaped body 191 is simply slid slightly toward its base end.
Next, at least one end of the belt 171 is detached from the pillar 120. This allows the gaming machine body to move forward and backward on the loading platform 131.
Furthermore, the two bridge plates 131C are tilted to the use position, and the rear ends of the upper surfaces of the bridge plates 131C are butted against the front ends of the upper surfaces of the lower plate 401 of the island 400.
In addition, the steps of locking the protruding and retracting body 181, returning the rod-shaped body 191 to its downward position, removing at least one end of the belt 171 from the pillar 120, and tilting the bridge plate 131C to its use position can be performed in any order as long as they are performed before the bridge plate 131C and the lower plate 401 are butted together.

In any case, as a result of the above, the bridge plate 131C straddles the front plate 403 that protrudes forward of the island 400 from below the tip of the lower plate 401. If an obstacle such as an ashtray is present on the front plate 403 at this time, positioning it between the two bridge plates 131C prevents interference between the obstacle and the bridge plate 131C.
As described above, the thickness of the bridge plate 131C is generally smaller than the thickness of the lower plate 401. If the thickness of the bridge plate 131C is excessively smaller than the thickness of the lower plate 401, or if the positioning accuracy of the height of the loading platform 131 is somewhat lacking, it may be impossible to align the rear end of the upper surface of the bridge plate 131C with the front end of the upper surface of the lower plate 401, as shown in Figure 12(A), for example. In such a case, a hex wrench 131C6 is inserted through the upper hole 131C2 of the bridge plate 131C, and its front end is engaged with the upper end of the bolt 131C5. In this state, the hex wrench 131C6 is rotated to move the nut 131C4 back and forth, thereby adjusting the length of the bolt 131C5 protruding below the bridge plate 131C. By setting this to an appropriate length, for example, by abutting the lower end of the bolt 131C5 against the upper surface of the front plate 403 as shown in FIG. 12(B), the rear end of the upper surface of the bridge plate 131C and the front end of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 can be aligned in a stable manner. In other words, the bolt 131C5, nut 131C4, etc. at the tip of the bridge plate 131C are intended to adjust the height of the tip of the bridge plate 131C by changing the length of protrusion from the lower surface of the bridge plate 131C. Of course, other configurations, such as a ratchet mechanism, can be used in place of the bolt 131C5 and nut 131C4, etc., as long as such an effect can be achieved. Furthermore, by enabling the height of the tip of the bridge plate 131C to be adjusted by operating it from the top surface of the bridge plate 131C, as shown in FIG. 12, the operator can easily adjust the height of the tip of the bridge plate 131C.

In this state, the worker slides the gaming machine body from the loading platform 131 onto the bridge plate 131C, then moves it onto the lower plate 401, and finally pushes it into a predetermined position on the lower plate 401. The worker then secures the gaming machine 300 to the island 400. This securing method may be publicly known or may be based on well-known technology.

Next, we will explain how to remove the gaming machine 300 from the island 400, transport the gaming machine 300 from the hall where the island 400 is located to a warehouse or the like on the cart 100, and then remove the gaming machine 300 from the cart 100 and store it in the warehouse or the like. However, this work is basically the reverse of the work described above when installing the gaming machine 300 on the island 400. We will explain this just in case.

First, the operator releases the fixing of the gaming machine 300 to the island 400. This release of fixing may be performed by a publicly known or well-known technique.
Next, the worker positions the cart 100 in front of the gaming machine 300 to be removed from the island 400 and faces the island 400.
Next, the worker adjusts the vertical position of the loading platform 131 on the cart 100 as necessary. The method for adjusting the height of the loading platform 131 is the same as in the case described above. The height of the loading platform 131 is adjusted so that the rear end of the bridge plate 131C and the front end of the lower plate 401 of the island 400 are at the same height, as in the case described above.
Then, the two bridge plates 131C are tilted to the use position, and their rear ends are aligned with the front ends of the lower plate 401, respectively.
In this state, the worker slides the gaming machine body placed on the lower plate 401 from the lower plate 401 onto the bridge plate 131C and moves it onto the loading platform 131. At any point during this operation, the lock on the projecting and recessed body 181 is released.
As described above, the gaming machine body is prevented from tipping backward by the protruding body 181 or the rod-shaped body 191, from tipping forward by the belt 171, and from tipping left and right by the pillar 120.
Then, the worker flips up the bridge plate 131C and moves it to the transfer position.

Then, the worker moves the cart 100 carrying the gaming machine 300 from the hall where the island 400 is located to a warehouse or the like. The process of transporting the gaming machine 300 can be carried out in the same manner as described above.
A description will be omitted of the work of the worker unloading the gaming machine body from the cart 100. The work of unloading the gaming machine 300 in the warehouse can basically be the same as the procedure when moving the gaming machine 300 from the cart 100 to the island 400.

Now, the mechanism for connecting the carriages 100 will be described.
The carriages 100 are provided with connecting members, which allow the carriages 100 to be detachably connected to each other in a side-by-side state.
The connecting member according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this embodiment, the connecting member is composed of a connecting fitting 710 and a connecting pin 720 .
A connecting fitting 710 is provided on the front surface of each of the pillars 120 of the bogie 100, and a connecting pin 720 is provided on the rear surface of each of the pillars 120 of the bogie 100.
The connecting pin 720 extends rearward from the column 120 and is made of, for example, a bolt, and has a shaft and a head portion at the tip of the shaft that is thicker than the shaft.
The connecting fitting 710 is a plate-like body with a thickness that is approximately the same as (slightly thinner than) the length of the shaft of the connecting pin 720. The connecting fitting 710 has an elongated hole 711 extending in the vertical direction, and is attached to the pillar 120 by inserting a bolt 712, which extends forward from the pillar 120 and is screwed into the pillar 120, through the elongated hole 711. Like the connecting pin 720, the bolt 712 has a shaft and a thicker head. Because the bolt 712 is not tightened too tightly, the connecting fitting 710 can move vertically relative to the pillar 120 by the length of the elongated hole 711. However, the connecting fitting 710 cannot be removed from the bolt 712, and therefore from the pillar 120, unless the bolt 712 is removed from the pillar 120 (removing the bolt 712 from the pillar 120 is not intended as a method of using the bogie 100).
The position when the connecting fitting 710 is at its uppermost position will be referred to as the upper position, and the position when it is at its lowermost position will be referred to as the lower position.
The connecting fitting 710 has an outwardly projecting locking groove 713. The locking groove 713 is a generally U-shaped groove that is open downward.

When two carriages 100 are arranged side by side with their front and rear reversed and their adjacent columns 120 adjacent to each other, the front and rear surfaces of the two columns of the adjacent carriages 100 are aligned side by side. In this state, when the connecting fitting 710 of one carriage 100 is positioned in the lower position, the connecting pin 720 fits into the groove of the locking groove portion 713 of the connecting fitting 710. On the other hand, when the connecting fitting 710 is moved to the upper position in this state, the connecting pin 720 comes out of the locking groove portion 713.
When both of the connecting fittings 710 attached to the adjacent columns 120 of two carriages 100 arranged side by side as described above are lowered to the lower position, the connecting fittings 710 and connecting pins 720 are engaged on both the front and rear surfaces of the two adjacent columns 120 ( FIG. 11(A) ). At this time, the edge of the locking groove 713 of the connecting fitting 710 is almost in contact with (or sandwiched between) the donut-shaped inner surface of the head of the connecting pin 720 and the side surface of the column 120 to which the connecting pin 720 is attached, preventing the connecting pins 720 and the connecting fittings 710 from moving in the longitudinal direction of the connecting pin 720. In other words, there is no play in the engagement between the connecting fittings 710 and the connecting pins 720.
In this state, the worker can move the two connected carts 100 together, for example, with any side of them facing forward. At that time, a force that would cause the two carts 100 to bend when viewed from above at the connected portion may be applied, but because the connecting fittings 710 and connecting pins 720 are engaged on both the front and rear surfaces of the two adjacent columns 120, there is little risk of the connecting fittings 710 bending or the connecting pins 720 coming out of the grooves of the locking groove portions 713 of the connecting fittings 710.
When it becomes necessary to disconnect the two carts 100, such as when the cart 100 arrives in front of a warehouse or island 400, the two connecting fittings 710 at the front and rear of the adjacent pillars 120 are moved to the upper position. This causes the connecting pins 720 to come out of the grooves of the locking groove portions 713, thereby disconnecting the two carts (FIG. 11(B)).
In the example described in this embodiment, two carriages 100 are connected side by side. However, the number of carriages 100 is not limited to two, and it is also possible to connect three or more carriages 100 using the connecting fittings 710 and connecting pins 720, as long as the carriages 100 are connected side by side with the front and rear of adjacent carriages 100 facing in opposite directions.

<Modification 1>
A modified example of the bogie 100 will be described, which differs from the above-described embodiment only in the configuration of the connecting members.
Fig. 14 shows only a part of the pillar 120 of the bogie 100 of the modified example 1. Fig. 14 (A) is an enlarged front view of the part of the bogie 100 where the connecting member of the pillar 120 is provided, and Fig. 14 (B) is a plan view of the part of the pillar 120.
As shown in Figure 14, each of the two pillars 120 of the bogie 100 of Modification 1 is provided with a connecting pin 720 extending forward and backward. The connecting pins 720 provided at the front and rear of each pillar 120 do not necessarily have to have the same configuration, but in this embodiment they are all identical. Each connecting pin 720 is as described in the above embodiment and includes a head and a shaft.

The bogie 100 of the first modified example can also be coupled to other bogies 100 arranged side by side. In this case, the front and rear of the other bogies 100 arranged side by side may be oriented in the same direction or in opposite directions.
In Modification 1, a connecting plate 810 shown in Fig. 15 is used to connect the bogies 100. The connecting plate 810 is used to lock two connecting pins 720 that are arranged side by side and extend from the front and rear of two adjacent pillars 120 on two bogies 100 that are arranged side by side. The connecting plate 810 is a plate-like body with a thickness corresponding to the length of the shaft of the connecting pin 720. The connecting plate 810 also has two notches 811 for inserting the connecting pins 720 from below.

In the first modification, two carriages 100 arranged side by side (of course, three or more carriages can also be connected) are connected as follows.
First, the two carriages 100 are arranged side by side.
When the front and rear of the two bogies 100 are aligned, the two connecting pins 720 provided on the front side of the columns 120 that are lined up side by side are aligned side by side, and the two connecting pins 720 provided on the rear side of the columns 120 that are lined up side by side are aligned side by side. When the front and rear of the two bogies 100 are facing in opposite directions, the connecting pins 720 provided on the front side of the columns 120 and the connecting pins 720 provided on the rear side of the columns 120 are aligned side by side, on both the front and rear of the two bogies 100 that are lined up side by side.
The base 110 of the cart 100, which has been described in the embodiment as being U-shaped in plan view, is actually V-shaped with the front open. Therefore, if the front and rear orientations are reversed, two carts 100 can be placed side by side with the columns 120 adjacent to each other, but if the front and rear orientations are the same, the two carts cannot be placed side by side with the columns 120 adjacent to each other. In order to be able to place two carts side by side with the columns 120 adjacent to each other while the front and rear orientations are the same, the shape of the base 110 needs to be appropriately modified, for example, to a proper U-shape.
Whether the two carriages 100 are facing the same direction or facing opposite directions, the two horizontally aligned connecting pins 720 are engaged with the connection plate 810. This engagement is performed on both the front and rear sides of the two carriages 100 (see FIG. 16).
To achieve this locking, two connecting pins 720 are inserted one by one from below into two notches 811 in the connecting plate 810. By doing so, the two connecting pins 720 are locked to each other via the connecting plate 810, as shown in Fig. 16, thereby connecting the two carriages 100. The connecting pins 720 and the connecting plate 810 are preferably designed so that no rattle occurs when this locking is performed.
The two connected carts 100 can be moved together by one worker.
The connection of the carriages 100 is released by lifting the connection plate 810 and removing the connecting pin 720 from the notch 811. The method of use and operation of each carriage 100 is as described in the embodiment.

<Modification 2>
Like the bogie 100 of Modification 1, the bogie 100 of Modification 2 is capable of being detachably connected using a connecting plate 810. The connecting plate 810 is generally the same as that described in Modification 1 and is provided with two notches 811, but the shape, size, etc. have been appropriately modified.
The bogie 100 of the second modified example is provided with connecting pins 720 extending in the left-right direction on the outer surfaces of the two pillars 120 (see FIG. 17).

In the second modification, two carriages 100 arranged side by side (of course, three or more carriages can also be connected) are connected as follows.
First, two carts 100 are arranged side by side. At this time, the two adjacent pillars 120 are shifted forward and backward according to the distance between the two notches 811 provided in the connecting plate 810. The front and rear orientations of the two carts 100 may be aligned or may be opposite.
As a result, the two connecting pins 720 provided on each of the two adjacent columns 120 are arranged side by side, although the positional relationship between the tip and base ends is reversed.
Whether the two carriages 100 are facing in the same direction or in opposite directions, the two connecting pins 720 arranged side by side are engaged with the connection plate 810 (see FIG. 18).
To achieve this locking, two connecting pins 720 are inserted one by one from below into two notches 811 in the connecting plate 810. By doing so, as shown in Fig. 18, the two connecting pins 720 are locked to each other via the connecting plate 810, thereby connecting the two carriages 100. The connecting pins 720 and the connecting plate 810 are preferably designed so that no rattle occurs when this locking is performed.
The two connected carts 100 can be moved together by one worker.
The connection of the carriages 100 is released by lifting the connection plate 810 and removing the connecting pin 720 from the notch 811. The method of use and operation of each carriage 100 is as described in the embodiment.

110 Base 111 Caster 120 Pillar 131 Loading platform 131C Bridge plate 132 Connecting plate 133 Upper member 400 Island 401 Lower plate 403 Front plate 710 Connecting fitting 720 Connecting pin 810 Connecting plate

Claims (8)

a plate-shaped loading platform having a horizontal upper surface on which a gaming machine body, which is a gaming machine connected to the inside of the frame, is placed;
Two pillars extending in a vertical direction support the loading platform from both sides in a state in which the upper surface is horizontal;
A caster provided below the pillar;
A bogie having
The bogie has a front and a back defined thereon,
Each of the pillars is provided with a connecting member, and the connecting member is capable of being detachably connected to the connecting member provided on the pillar of another carriage arranged side by side.
Cart. The connecting members provided on each of the pillars include a front connecting member located in front of the pillar and a rear connecting member located behind the pillar,
The front coupling member is capable of being detachably coupled to the front coupling member or the rear coupling member provided on the pillar of another carriage arranged side by side, and
The rear connecting member is capable of being detachably connected to the front connecting member or the rear connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side.
The truck according to claim 1. The connecting members provided on each of the pillars include a front connecting member located in front of the pillar and a rear connecting member located behind the pillar,
The front connecting member is capable of being detachably connected to the rear connecting member provided on the pillar of another carriage arranged side by side, and
The rear connecting member is adapted to be detachably connected to the front connecting member provided on the pillar of another bogie arranged side by side.
The truck according to claim 1. The connecting member includes a fixed member that is immovable relative to the column to which it is attached, and a movable member that is movable relative to the column to which it is attached and cannot be removed from the connecting member, and by moving the movable member, it is possible to select between connection to the connecting member provided on the column of another bogie arranged alongside and release of the connection.
The truck according to claim 1. the front connecting member includes a front fixed member immobilized relative to the post to which it is attached, and the rear connecting member includes a rear fixed member immobilized relative to the post to which it is attached;
The vehicle further includes a locking member that locks the front connecting member and the rear connecting member together by detachably attaching the locking member so that the front fixing member can be selectively connected to or released from the rear fixing member provided on the pillar of another carriage arranged side by side.
The truck according to claim 2. the front connecting member includes a front fixed member immovable relative to the post to which it is attached, and a front movable member movable relative to the post to which it is attached and not removable from the front connecting member, and the rear connecting member includes a rear fixed member immovable relative to the post to which it is attached,
By moving the front movable member, the front connecting member can select between connecting with the rear fixed member by engaging the front movable member with the rear fixed member provided on the pillar of another carriage arranged side by side, and releasing the connection by releasing the engagement with the rear fixed member.
The truck according to claim 3. the rear connecting member includes a rear fixed member immovable relative to the post to which it is attached, and a rear movable member movable relative to the post to which it is attached and not removable from the rear connecting member, and the front connecting member includes a front fixed member immovable relative to the post to which it is attached,
By moving the rear movable member, the rear connecting member can select between connecting with the front fixed member by engaging the rear movable member with the front fixed member provided on the pillar of another carriage arranged side by side, and releasing the connection by releasing the engagement with the front fixed member.
The truck according to claim 3. The height of the loading platform is adjustable in the vertical direction.
The truck according to claim 1.