Amusement devices: games – Games accessories – All video game accessories
Patent
1994-01-27
1995-02-21
Layno, Benjamin H.
Amusement devices: games
Games accessories
All video game accessories
273143R, 273121B, A63F 900, G07F 1734
Patent
active
053909232
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a medal piece feed system for game machines. More particularly, it relates to a medal piece feed system which is used together with a large number of juxtaposed game machines, for example, slot machines, employing medal pieces as game media and which supplies the medal pieces to the game machines.
2. Background Art
Heretofore, there has been known a medal piece feed system which is so constructed that medal pieces to be supplied to game machines are stocked in a medal piece container, and that the medal pieces can be fed from holes formed in the bottom of the container, through chutes underlying the holes. In this system, the medal pieces in the medal piece container pass through the holes and drop under their own weight so as to be fed into the underlying chutes.
Such a structure, however, has had the problem that the system becomes incapable of feeding the medal pieces in, e.g., a case where a number of medal pieces become linked to one another above each hole and form a so-called bridge, with the result that the medal pieces fail to drop from the holes.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is contrived so as to solve the problem as stated above and to be capable of significantly enhancing the performance of feeding medal pieces. With this object in mind, a medal piece feed system for game machines is so constructed that feed cylinders, each of which has its lower part snugly inserted into a corresponding hole and can be driven to rotate, are erected inside a medal piece container, and that an acceptance opening is formed in a peripheral wall of each feed cylinder so as to face the interior of the medal piece container, while a delivery opening which is inserted into the interior of the underlying chute in communication therewith is formed in a base plane of each feed cylinder.
In the system of the present invention, the medal pieces may well be coins, a conveyor for resupplying the medal pieces to the game machines can also be extended so as to directly underlie the lower part of said each chute, and each chute may well be in the form of a flexible hose whose lower end is connected to a medal piece introducing fixture. Besides, a motor sensor may well be installed around a rotation driving shaft which is coupled to the upper part of each feed cylinder. Further, friction plates for a clutch may well be interposed between the sides of the rotation driving shaft and each feed cylinder, and a spring which resiliently compresses the friction plates may well be used for making it possible to set a torque.
Accordingly, even when the medal pieces stocked in the medal piece container are in the state where they have become linked to one another and have formed a bridge, they act to press against the feed cylinder within the container. While the bridge formed the medal pieces is being unbalanced by the acceptance opening of the feed cylinder owing to the rotation of this feed cylinder, the medal pieces are directly taken into the feed cylinder. The medal pieces taken into the feed cylinder are sent from the delivery opening thereof into the underlying chute, and are smoothly sent to the individual game machines through the resupply conveyor or the introducing fixtures. In this case, when the medal piece engages with the feed cylinder inside the container by way of example, the feed cylinder sometimes stops its rotation while the friction plates are slipping due to the resulting over-load. This state is detected by the motor sensor, and the attitude of the engaging medal piece around the feed cylinder can be corrected if this feed cylinder is kept reversed for, e.g., about 3 seconds. Thereafter, the feed cylinder is rotated forwards again, whereby the medal pieces can be favorably accepted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the essential portions of a medal piece feed system which is an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing part of FIG. 1 on an enlarged s
Muramatsu Meiji
Takemoto Takatoshi
Kabushiki Kaisha Ace Denken
Layno Benjamin H.
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