Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2002-10-15
Sager, Mark (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Housing
C463S025000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06464586
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure of a box-like game unit to be arranged in large numbers outside of and adjacently to a main body of a game machine such as a casino game machine, a horse race game machine, a boat race game machine or the like.
In a customary box-like game unit, a cash box capable of storing surplus coins resulted from deducting pay-back coins from cast coins (in the following, coin and medal are called coin collectively) is disposed on a bottom of a game unit cabinet, and on the cash box are piled up in order a flat parallelepiped control unit for carrying out controlling necessary to game, a coin pay-back apparatus, and a display apparatus for displaying progress of game, bet rate, result of game, allotment and the like.
The customary game unit has a difficulty that if the display apparatus is made larger it becomes higher and necessarily also the box-like game unit cabinet becomes higher.
If the flat parallelepiped control unit is disposed adjacently to a side wall of the game unit cabinet in an erect posture, a coin inspecting apparatus and a coin return must be disposed adjacently to another side wall of the game unit cabinet. And when a hinge-type machine door is provided at a front face of the game unit cabinet for repair, maintenance and inspection of the control unit, the coin pay-back apparatus, the coin inspecting apparatus and the like, the coin inspecting apparatus which may be repaired or inspected frequently is disposed on a side corresponding to a free end of the machine door, therefore the control unit must be disposed on a side corresponding to the hinge of the machine door.
As a result, in order to take out the control unit from the game unit cabinet, the machine door must be opened beyond 90 degrees.
Players often perform a casino game or a horse race game drinking drinks such as juice and beer. If a player spills the drink on the box-like game unit cabinet, the drink leaks into the game unit cabinet through a gap between an opening part of a top door and a top part of a display instrument to give various instruments in the cabinet a bad influence.
In a machine door hinged on one side of a front face of the game unit cabinet so as to open in front, sometimes a lower edge of the machine door is inclined downward from a hinge side by own weight of the door and the door does not close tightly.
Particularly, in case that a door for taking out a cash box is provided under the machine door, sometimes the lower edge of the machine door interferes with the cash box take out door to prevent smooth opening and closing of the cash box take out door.
In a game unit cabinet having a top face on which a top door is provided so as to be opened upward, since the top door is wide and heavy enough, spring force of a gas spring for letting the top door spring up when a locking mechanism of the top door is unlocked must be increased against own weight and inertia force of the top door acting in the closing direction. However, the increased spring force of the gas spring undesirebly lets the top door spring up vigorously when the top door is unlocked.
In a customary game unit in which players pay bet moneys of game by bills, a bill receiving apparatus is disposed on a front face of the game unit cabinet, therefore it is difficult to insert bills in a bill slot of the bill receiving apparatus because players must crouch in a half-sitting posture and there is high possibility that unfairness is acted behind back of the game unit cabinet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement of the game unit for a game machine which overcomes the aforementioned difficulties.
The present invention provides a game unit to be arranged outside of and adjacently to a game machine main, comprising: a game unit cabinet of box-shape having a front face and a top face; a display instrument housed in the game unit cabinet having a display surface for displaying progress of game, bet rate, result of game, allotment and the like, the display surface being disposed on the top face of the game unit cabinet upward; a top door provided at the top face of the game unit cabinet substantially on the same surface as the display surface so as to be opened upward; a machine door hinged on a side of the front face of the game unit cabinet by a hinge so as to be opened in front; a narrow flat space formed between the display instrument and a side wall of the game unit cabinet near the hinge within the game unit cabinet; and a control unit case in shape of a flat parallelepiped disposed in the flat space in an erect posture, the control unit case moving up and down in the flat space to be detachably housed in the flat space from above when the top door is opened.
According to this invention, the flat parallelepiped control unit case can be housed compactly in the narrow flat space formed between the display instrument and the side wall of the game unit cabinet near the hinge within the game unit cabinet so that the game unit cabinet can be miniaturized. In addition, the control unit case can be easily taken out and in through an opening formed by the top door opened upward.
The top door may be formed with an opening for the display instrument which is fitted to a circumference of the display instrument. The displayed picture of the display instrument can be watched directly and contents of the displayed picture can be easily and correctly recognized visually.
A vertical guide rail may be provided on an inner surface of the side wall of the game unit cabinet near the hinge, and a slide member going up and down guided by the guide rail may be provided on an outer surface of the control unit case. The control unit case can be housed in the game unit cabinet stably and taken out and in surely without collision with other instruments and parts.
A handle for pulling up the control unit case against its weight may be provided on a top of the control unit case. Taking out and in of the control unit case can be performed easily by holding the handle.
The present invention provides also, a game unit to be arranged outside of and adjacently to a game machine main, comprising: a game unit cabinet of box-shape having a front face and a top face; a display instrument housed in the game unit cabinet having a display surface for displaying progress of game, bet rate, result of game, allotment and the like, the display surface being disposed on the top face of the game unit cabinet upward; a top door provided at the top face of the game unit cabinet substantially on the same surface as the display surface so as to be opened upward; a machine door hinged on a side of the front face of the game unit cabinet by a hinge so as to be opened in front; a narrow flat space formed between the display instrument and a side wall of the game unit cabinet near the hinge within the game unit cabinet; a control unit case in shape of a flat parallelepiped disposed in the flat space in an erect posture; a control substrate with electronic control parts necessary for operation of the game unit housed in the control unit case; an opening formed in a front face of the control unit case for taking in and out the control substrate along a flat face of the control unit case; and a closing member formed on a front edge of the control substrate integrally for closing the opening when the control substrate is housed in the control unit case.
According to this invention, in a state that the control unit case is housed in the game unit cabinet, the control substrate with electronic control parts alone can be taken out and in easily through the opening of the front face to perform efficiently exchange, repair. inspection and the like of the electronic control parts.
Grooves of V-shape in plan may be formed at respective upper and lower parts on a rear side in the control unit case, for holding respective upper and lower edges on a rear side of the control substrate. The control substrate can be installed easily in the control unit case and held stably at a predetermined positi
Kamata Osamu
Miyauchi Hirobumi
Suga Jyoji
Yamaguchi Koji
Yano Keiji
Sager Mark
Sega Enterprises Ltd.
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