Gaming machine

Abstract

A gaming machine of the present invention incorporates a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by the driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of the driving motor to the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller. Herein, the power transmission mechanism is provided with idling means for making the driving motor idle upon application of load over a predetermined value to the driving motor.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2004-151385, 2004-151402, 2004-151457 and 2004-151410, filed on May 21, 2004 and Japanese Application No. 2004-282012, filed on Jun. 25, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gaming machine on which a game is played using a game medium such as a medal or a coin, and specifically relates to a gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device for processing the game medium inserted by a player.

2. Discussion of the Background

Generally, in a gaming machine (e.g., slot machine, roulette game apparatus, pusher game apparatus) where a game is started by insertion of the game medium as described above (hereinafter referred to as “medal”), a game medium processing device (hereinafter referred to as “medal processing device”) is incorporated for processing a large number of medals which are inserted successively or in piles through an insertion slot. In such a medal processing device, normally, a plurality of piled medals are separated into one, and the separated medals are guided to an identification device for identifying the effectiveness thereof.

As the above-described medal processing device known is one having a configuration as disclosed in JP-A 4-150884. The medal processing device disclosed in this document is configured as follows. The device has a conveyance belt and a separation roller opposed to the conveyance belt through a spacing (nip portion) formed to the extent that one medal can pass therethrough. By rotationally driving the conveyance belt and the separation roller in the same direction through the driving motor, medals in a piled state are separated into one in the nip portion, and the separated medals are further conveyed toward an identification device (selector) inside a casing of the gaming machine.

Further, voluminous medals can be separated into one also by employing a conveyance roller in place of the above-mentioned conveyance belt, arranging this roller as opposed to the above-mentioned separation roller, and rotationally driving the pair of rollers in the same direction.

Further, as disclosed in JP-A 8-24434, for example, an identification device (selector) for identifying the effectiveness of a medal inserted through the insertion slot is typically incorporated in the gaming machine. In the identification device disclosed in this document, a medal path is formed as continued to the insertion slot, and an identification portion, comprising an identification member, a detector and the like, for identifying the effectiveness of the inserted medal is installed in the middle of the medal path.

Further, for example, a typical medal insertion device to be incorporated in a slot machine comprises: an opening (insertion slot) through which a medal is inserted one by one; a rear surface wall provided on the backward side of the opening; and a medal guide portion comprised of an inclined plane provided so as to be inclined upwardly toward the opening on the front side of the opening. This medal insertion device is configured such that a plurality of medals are aligned in a standing state on a medal guiding portion and the medals are then pushed up, to be inserted into the opening. Moreover, for example, JP-A 8-252353 disclosed a medal insertion device with which a medal can be smoothly dropped into the opening even if sticky stain has adhered to the medal. The medal insertion device disclosed in this document is configured as follows. A protrusion is formed each on the surface of the medal guiding portion and a rear surface wall provided on the backward side of the opening, where a medal comes into contact, so as to come into point contact with the medal. Thereby, the influence of the stain having adhered to the medal is kept to the minimum, to allow smooth insertion of the medal into the opening. Namely, the medal guiding portion disclosed in JP-A 8-252353 is formed in an arc shape as matched with the outer peripheral edge of the medal, and configured to come into point contact with the lower end face of the medal at four points when the medal is held in a standing state.

The medal insertion device as described above has a configuration where the medal is placed in a standing state on the medal guiding portion, and then guided along the inclination of the medal guiding portion to be inserted into the opening. With this configuration, the mode of the medal inserting operation is undesirably uniformed. That is, in either cases of inserting a small number of medals or inserting a large number of medals, the inserting operation to be performed is placing the medal in a standing state on the arc-shaped medal guiding portion, to guide the medal along the inclined plane as pressing it onto the rear surface wall.

However, there have been problems with the foregoing configurations as described below.

In the medal processing device described in JP-A 4-150884, the player might insert voluminous medals into the insertion slot depending upon a game machine or a gaming state, which could cause clogging of the nip portion with medals. In such a case, there is a problem in that the driving motor for driving the conveyance belt and the separation roller becomes inoperable, to be acceleratingly worn.

Further, the above-mentioned known medal processing device is configured such that the conveyance belt is rotationally driven by the driving motor through a first power transmission belt, which is wound on an output axis of the driving motor, while a second power transmission belt is wound on the opposite side of the driving axis of the conveyance belt and the separation roller, which is rotationally driven in the same direction as the conveyance belt. On this account, the configuration of the whole device, especially the configuration of the power transmission system, is complicated, and the medal processing device cannot be reduced in size. This may result in occurrence of problems including a problem of poor workability in incorporation of the medal processing device into the gaming machine, making maintenance and the like hard to perform, as well as a problem of increasing a space for installing the device on the gaming machine side.

As for the medal processing device comprising the separation mechanism comprised of the conveyance belt and the separation roller, or the conveyance roller and the separation roller, which are rotationally driven in the same direction, in a case where clogging of the above-mentioned nip portion or the like with medals occurs, there is a problem in that the driving motor becomes inoperable, necessitating lots of work for removing the jammed medal.

Moreover, in the method for arranging the conveyance roller and the separation roller as opposed to each other to separate medals into one, the conveyance roller is rotationally driven to the side where the medal is sent inside (insertion side), and the separation roller is rotationally driven to the side opposite to the medal inserting direction (so-called ejection side). Therefore, in a configuration where voluminous medals are inserted toward the nip portion between the conveyance roller and the separation roller, there is a problem in that a large impact is given to each of the rollers, and especially the separation roller side is subjected to further a large impact from the inserted medals due to its rotational drive in the medal ejecting direction, thereby becoming vulnerable to wear.

Further, in the identification device described in JP-A 8-24434, the medal path is formed through the insertion slot, and a medal inserted from the insertion slot having a thickness in the order of the medal thickness is guided as it is (in a state parallel with the medal inserting direction) to the medal path, and then guided to the above-mentioned medal identification portion. Therefore, the identification device has a configuration where a foreign matter or the like readily enters through the insertion slot toward the medal identification portion. Further, the identification device is in a state where a wrong operation or an illicit action is easy to perform, such as an operation of inserting a foreign matter into the medal identification portion and then externally operating this portion.

Moreover, although the player might feel like inserting voluminous medals into the insertion slot depending upon the kind of gaming machine or the gaming state, in the identification device with the above-mentioned configuration, there is a limit to accepting voluminous medals and successively processing those medals.

Furthermore, in the conventional gaming machine, the operation of inserting one medal (or two to three medals) into the opening at a time, or the operation of successively inserting a large number of medals into the opening, might be performed depending upon the kind of the gaming machine, the gaming mode or the like. In the latter operation, when a large number of medals are held, piled and placed in a standing state on the medal guiding portion, since the medals have a thickness of the number thereof, the medals drop as they are into the opening by pressing them onto the rear surface wall, which causes no particular problem. However, in the former operation, it is necessary for example to perform the following inserting operation on each of the medals: one medal is held between the fingers, placed so as to stand on the medal guiding portion, and then pressed with the finger onto the rear surface wall.

Accordingly, there is a room for improvement in treatment of a small number of medals so that a smooth and comfortable inserting operation can be performed.

Further, in insertion of the medal into the opening, since the medal is once pressed onto the rear surface wall to be dropped into the opening, dropping of the medals might not follow up the operation of inserting the medals under the influence of friction generated between the medals and the rear surface wall, which might prevent smooth performance of the inserting operation.

The contents of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2004-151385, 2004-151402, 2004-151457, 2004-151410 and 2004-282012, JP-A 4-150884 (1992), JP-A 8-24434 (1996) and JP-A 8-252353 (1996) are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made based upon the above-mentioned problems, and has objects as follows.

Namely, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device capable of separating medals by rotationally driving a driving motor, wherein wear of the driving motor can be alleviated even in such a case that a medal is jammed. It is also an object to provide a gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device in which a power transmission system, from the driving motor up to a separation portion for separating medals, has a simple configuration, enabling an attempt for shrinking.

It is also an object to provide a gaming machine which is capable of processing voluminous medals through an insertion slot, and made resistant to entry of a foreign matter or the like into the insertion slot.

It is also an object to provide a gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device capable of separating medals by rotationally driving a driving motor, wherein a medal can be readily removed even if a medal is jammed.

It is also an object to provide a gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device capable of separating medals by rotationally driving the driving motor, wherein wear of a rotation member for separating medals can be suppressed.

It is further an object to provide a gaming machine incorporating a medal insertion device on which a medal inserting operation can be performed in a smooth and comfortable manner.

In order to achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention provides the following.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the following is provided.

(1) A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by the driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of the driving motor to the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller, wherein the power transmission mechanism is provided with idling means for making the driving motor idle upon application of load over a predetermined value to the driving motor.

According to the configuration (1), game media (medals) inserted in a large number through the insertion slot are subjected to a separation action in a gap between the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller which are rotated in the same direction, followed by high-speed processing. In such a process, even if the gap between the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller is clogged with a medal, which inhabits the rotations of the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller, the driving motor can rotate by the idling means even under predetermined load, making it possible to suppress wear of the driving motor.

(2) The gaming machine according to the configuration (1), wherein the power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of the driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around the pulleys.

According to the configuration (2), the power transmission mechanism is configured such that an output from the driving motor is transmitted as it is to the first pulley and the second pulley through the driving pulley mounted on the rotation driving axis of the driving motor, to drive the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller. Thereby, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism can be simplified and the whole device can be reduced in size.

(3) The gaming machine according to the configuration (2), wherein the driving belt is a round belt, and a sectionally V-shaped groove along which the round belt is wound is to be formed in the pulleys, to constitute the idling means.

According to the configuration (3), even when the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller halt and load is applied to the driving motor, the driving motor can rotate since the round belt has small portions in contact with the pulleys and can thus rotate idly, enabling prevention of wear of the driving motor. Further, in such a configuration, since the whole device as well as the idling means can be simplified, an attempt for reduction in size and cost can be allowed.

(4) The game machine according to the configuration (2), wherein the driving belt is a round belt, and a sectionally V-shaped groove along which the round belt is to be wound is formed in the first pulley rotationally driven to the insertion side to constitute the idling means.

According to the configuration (4), the first pulley portion for driving the first rotating roller is configured to be able to rotate idly so that, even if a medal is jammed and load is applied, the second rotating roller which rotates in the direction of removing the clogging (ejection side) can be rotationally driven, making it possible to readily take out the jammed game medium without application of large load to the driving motor.

(5) A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by the driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting the driving motor and also rotatably supporting the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of the driving motor to the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller, wherein the power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of the driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around the pulleys.

According to the configuration (5), game media (medals) inserted in a large number through the insertion slot are subjected to a separation action in a gap between the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller which are rotated in the same direction, followed by high-speed processing. Further, the game medium processing device capable of such high-speed processing on medals is configured such that the first rotating roller, the second rotating roller and the driving motor are supported on the base plate, and the rotating rollers are rotationally driven by the driving belt which is wound around the driving pulley mounted on the rotation driving axis of the driving motor and the first pulley and the second pulley which are mounted on the rotation axes of the respective rotating rollers. It is thereby possible to simplify the configuration of the power transmission mechanism to reduce the whole device in size.

(6) The gaming machine according to the configuration (5), wherein the base member is composed of a separable first base and second base, along with the first rotating roller and second rotating roller being rotatably supported between the first base and the second base, and the first pulley, the second pulley and the driving pulley are arranged so as to be exposed on one of the base sides.

According to the configuration (6), in the game medium processing device simplified and shrunk, for example, even if a medal, a foreign matter or the like is jammed, the jammed object can be removed simply by separation of the first base and the second base, making it possible to readily perform maintenance and the like.

(7) The gaming machine according to the configuration (5), wherein a guiding path for guiding the game medium toward an identification device is formed on the base member.

According to the configuration (7), medals inserted into the insertion slot are separated into one in a gap between the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller, and through the guiding path, each of the separated medals are successively transmitted as it is to the identification device with certainty.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the following is provided.

(8) A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by the driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting the driving motor and also rotatably supporting the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of the driving motor to the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; and a guiding path which is formed on the base member and guides a game medium inserted from the insertion slot toward an identification portion of an identification device for identifying the effectiveness of the game medium, wherein the guiding path is formed in a curved shape in relation to the traveling direction of the game medium inserted from the insertion slot.

According to the configuration (8), game media (medals) inserted in a large number through the insertion slot are subjected to a separation action in a gap between the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller which are rotated in the same direction, followed by high-speed processing. The medals separated into one move along the guiding path, being guided to the transmission path of the identification device, and then the effectiveness of each medal is identified in the identification portion provided on the transmission path. The guiding path is resistant to entry of a foreign matter or the like thereinto since it is formed by bending in relation to the traveling direction of the game medium which is inserted through the insertion slot. For example, even if a linear foreign matter is inserted through the insertion slot, such insertion is inhibited, and an illicit operation of the identification portion is thus inhibited.

It is to be noted that, as for the guiding path with the above-mentioned configuration, “bending” patterns include bending “in a curved shape”, bending “in a linear shape” by intersection of a plurality of lines, and further, bending configured by combination of the above two bending patterns”.

(9) The gaming machine according to the configuration (8), wherein the guiding path is formed on the base member such that the traveling direction of the game medium by the guiding path is different from the traveling direction of the game medium by a conveyance path of the identification device.

According to the configuration (9), after separation of medals in the game medium processing device, the traveling direction of the medals changes, and the medals are guided to the identification portion in the identification device. Therefore, in addition to the above-mentioned bent configuration of the guiding path, the channel from the insertion slot up to the identification portion further changes, thereby allowing prevention of an illicit action with more certainty.

(10) The gaming machine according to the configuration (8) or (9),

wherein

the power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of the driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around the pulleys.

According to the configuration (10), an output from the driving motor is transmitted as it is to the first pulley and the second pulley through the driving pulley mounted on the rotation driving axis of the driving motor, to drive the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller. Thereby, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism can be simplified and the whole device can be reduced in size.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the following are provided.

(11) A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor, which is rotationally driven in forward/backward directions; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by frontward rotational driving of the driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting the driving motor and also rotatably supporting the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of the driving motor to the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller, wherein the driving motor is rotationally driven in the backward direction upon detection of medal jam, and the power transmission mechanism includes a one-way clutch for controlling rotation of the second rotating roller which is rotationally driven to the ejection side upon the backward rotational driving of the driving motor.

According to the configuration (11), game media (medals) inserted in a large number through the insertion slot are subjected to a separation action in a gap between the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller which are rotated in the same direction, followed by high-speed processing. In this case, if medal jam occurs in the above-mentioned gap, the driving motor is rotationally driven in the backward direction. Thereby, the first rotating roller, which is rotationally driven to the insertion side, rotates in the ejection direction, attempting to eject the jammed medal. Further, the second rotating roller, which is rotationally driven to the ejection side, is going to rotate to the insertion side due to the backward rotational driving of the motor. However, the rotation of the second rotating roller is controlled by the above-mentioned one-way clutch, and hence the second rotating roller is not driven to the insertion side. It is therefore possible to readily remove the jammed medal by the first rotating roller which is rotationally driven to the ejection side without a medal pulling action.

(12) The gaming machine according to the configuration (11), wherein the power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of the driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around the pulleys, and the one-way clutch is arranged on the second pulley.

According to the configuration (12), the power transmission mechanism is configured such that an output from the driving motor is transmitted as it is to the first pulley and the second pulley through the driving pulley mounted on the rotation driving axis of the driving motor, to drive the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller. Thereby, the configuration of the power transmission system can be simplified to shrink the whole device, and the above-mentioned action effect can be obtained simply by arranging the one-way clutch in the second pulley portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the following is provided.

(13) A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by the driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting the driving motor and also rotatably supporting the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of the driving motor to the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller, wherein the power transmission mechanism has differential means for making a rotational driving speed of the second rotating roller, which is rotationally driven to the ejection side, slower than a rotational driving speed of the first rotating roller which is rotationally driven to the insertion side.

According to the configuration (13), game media (medals) inserted in a large number through the insertion slot are subjected to a separation action in a gap between the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller which are rotated in the same direction, followed by high-speed processing. In this case, since the second rotating roller is rotationally driven to the ejection side, namely in a direction opposite to the medal inserting direction, the second rotating roller is subjected to a large impact by the inserted medal. However, since the above-mentioned differential means makes the rotational driving speed of the second rotating roller slower than the rotational driving speed of the first rotating roller, it is possible to alleviate impulsive force by the medal, so as to suppress wear of the roller.

(14) The gaming machine according to the configuration (13), wherein the power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of the driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around the pulleys, and the differential means is configured such that the second pulley has a larger diameter than that of the first pulley.

According to the configuration (14), the power transmission mechanism is configured such that an output from the driving motor is transmitted as it is to the first pulley and the second pulley through the driving pulley mounted on the rotation driving axis of the driving motor, to drive the first rotating roller and the second rotating roller. Thereby, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism can be simplified to shrink the whole device, and the configuration of the differential means can also be simplified since the driving speed of the second rotating roller can be made slower simply by changing the diameter of the pulley.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the following is provided.

(15) A gaming machine comprising a game medium insertion device where a game medium is inserted and accepted, wherein the game medium insertion device includes: an insertion slot for accepting a game medium; and a game medium guiding portion having a guiding surface inclined downward toward the insertion slot for guiding the game medium, and the guiding surface has a contact portion which the outer peripheral edge of a portion of the game medium forming a line shorter than the diameter of the game medium contacts at two points, upon placement of the game medium on the guiding surface.

According to the configuration (15), when the player holds game medium (medal) and places it (in a relatively lying state or a standing state) on the guiding surface of the game medium guiding portion for the purpose of inserting the medal into the insertion slot, an outer peripheral edge of a portion forming a line shorter than the diameter of the medal contacts the guiding surface at two points, and the medal thus comes into an instable state. With the guiding surface inclined downward, when the medal held between the fingers is released, the medal is naturally guided toward the insertion slot while falling down along the inclined guiding surface due to the moment function generated by the weight of the medal. Namely, in the case of inserting the medal, by placing the medal on the guiding surface of the game medium guiding portion and then releasing it from the fingers, the medal slides while falling down so as to be in parallel with the inclination of the guiding surface due to the moment function generated by the weight of the medal. Eventually, the medal abuts on the rear surface wall or the like at the back of the insertion slot, to drop into the insertion slot. It is therefore possible to perform the medal inserting operation in a smoother and more comfortable manner.

Further, in the gaming machine with the above-mentioned configuration, when the player holds a medal, places it in a lying state on the guiding surface of the game medium guiding portion, and then releases the medal from the fingers as it is for the purpose of inserting the medal into the insertion slot, the medal slides along the inclined guiding surface, and eventually abuts on the rear surface wall or the like at the back of the insertion slot, to drop into the insertion slot. It is therefore possible to perform the medal inserting operation in a smoother and more comfortable manner.

(16) The gaming machine according to the configuration (15), wherein the game medium insertion device includes a rotating roller which rotates upon abutting of the game medium having been guided along the guiding surface, so as to change the posture of the game medium toward the insertion slot.

According to the configuration (16), when the medal comes close to the insertion slot, the end face or the surface portion of the end face side of the medal abuts on the rotating roller, and then the medal is guided to the insertion slot while the posture thereof is changed by the rotating action (downward rotating action) of the rotating roller. It is thereby possible to alleviate friction as compared with the rear surface wall in the case without installation of the rotating roller. Therefore the medal can drop more smoothly into the insertion slot.

(17) The gaming machine according to the configuration (16), wherein the rotating roller is rotatably supported in a position higher than a position of an open end of the insertion slot.

According to the configuration (17), since the rotating roller is rotatably supported in a position higher than the open-end of the insertion slot, when the medal which slides along the downwardly inclined guiding surface abuts on the rotating roller, the abutting position is on the lower side than a virtual line which passes through the center of the rotating roller and runs parallel with the extending direction of the guiding surface, making it possible to rotationally drive the rotating roller downwardly with certainty. By the downward rotation of the rotating roller, the posture of the medal is readily changed downward so that the medal smoothly drops into the insertion slot.

(18) The game medium according to the configuration (16) or (17), wherein a cover is installed around the rotating roller.

According to the configuration (18), with a cover installed around the rotating roller, the exposure regions of the upper, lower, right and left sides of the rotating roller can be effectively covered. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to make a foreign matter or the like enter the casing through the gap portion of the rotating roller, such entry can be prevented.

(19) A gaming machine comprising a game medium insertion device where a game medium is inserted and accepted, wherein the game medium insertion device includes: an insertion slot for accepting a game medium; a game medium guiding portion having a guiding surface inclined downward toward the insertion slot for guiding the game medium; and a rotating roller which rotates upon abutting of the game medium having been guided along the guiding surface, so as to change the posture of the game medium toward the insertion slot.

According to the configuration (19), when the player places a game medium (medal) on the guiding surface of the game medium guiding portion in a standing state or a lying state for the purpose of inserting the medal into the insertion slot, the medal is naturally guided as it is toward the insertion slot due to the downward inclination of the guiding surface. When the medal comes close to the insertion slot, the end face or the surface portion of the outer side in the diameter direction of the medal abuts on the rotating roller. By this rotating action (downward rotating action), the medal is guided to the insertion slot while the posture thereof is changed. It is thereby possible to alleviate friction as compared with the rear surface wall in the case without installation of the rotating roller. Therefore the medal can be dropped more smoothly into the insertion slot.

(20) The gaming machine according to the configuration (19), wherein the rotating roller is rotatably supported in a position higher than a position of an open end of the insertion slot.

According to the configuration (20), since the rotating roller is rotatably supported in a position higher than the open-end of the insertion slot, when the medal which slides along the downwardly inclined guiding surface abuts on the rotating roller, the abutting position is on the lower side than a virtual line which passes through the center of the rotating roller and runs parallel with the extending direction of the guiding surface, making it possible to rotationally drive the rotating roller downwardly with certainty. By the downward rotation of the rotating roller, the posture of the medal is readily changed downward so that the medal smoothly drops into the insertion slot.

(21) The gaming machine according to any one of the configurations (15) to (20), wherein the game medium insertion device includes a game medium placement portion where a plurality of game medium can be placed so that the game medium are guided toward the guiding surface.

According to the configuration (21), formation of the game medium placement portion permits a large number of game medium to be previously stored and held in this portion, making it possible to successively insert game medium toward the guiding surface, and also to insert a necessary volume of game medium among a large number of game media toward the guiding surface according to a gaming state.

(22) The gaming machine according to the configuration (21), wherein the game medium placement portion is formed continuously with the guiding surface, and has a substantially equivalent cross-sectional shape to the cross-sectional shape of the guiding surface.

According to the configuration (22), by forming the game medium placement portion continuously with the guiding surface, and making the cross sectional shape of the game medium placement portion substantially equivalent to the cross sectional shape of the guiding surface, it is possible to position the game medium in a stable state in the uppermost position of the guiding surface where a game medium is to be inserted, so as to smoothly shift the game medium as it is to the guiding surface. It should be noted that in this configuration, the cross-sectional shape of the game medium placement portion can be changed in a various ways as follows. The cross section of the game medium placement portion may be formed continuously with the guiding surface in completely the same shape as that of the guiding surface, or may be formed in a slightly different shape, for example in a shape slightly larger than that of the guiding surface, the curved portion may be made linear, or the linear portion may be made curved.

(23) The gaming machine according to the configuration (21) or (22), wherein the game medium placement portion is inclined downward toward the guiding surface.

According to the configuration (23), inclining the medal placement portion downward toward the guiding surface facilitates shift of the medal toward the guiding surface simply by performing a push-out operation with the finger of the player, or the like. In this case, an increase in inclined angle of the guiding surface may necessitate holding on the game medium between the fingers so as to prevent the game medium from shifting along the guiding surface. Hence it is preferable to form the guiding surface at an inclined angle to the extent that such a hold-on operation is not necessary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing one example of a gaming machine incorporating a medal processing device;

FIG. 2 is a view showing an internal configuration of the gaming machine incorporating the medal processing device;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the whole of the medal processing device;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a configuration of a base member;

FIG. 5A is a side view of the base member;

FIG. 5B is a sectional view along the line I-I of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an engaged state of a pulley with a driving belt;

FIG. 7 is a view showing an internal configuration of the gaming machine incorporating a medal processing device;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the substantially central portion of the medal processing device;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the whole of the medal processing device;

FIG. 10A is a side view of a base member;

FIG. 10B is a sectional view along the line I-I of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11 is a view showing a configuration of a one-way clutch.

FIG. 12A is a side view of a base member;

FIG. 12B is a sectional view along the line I-I of FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13 is one example of a gaming machine (slot machine) incorporating a medal insertion device;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the medal insertion device shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the medal insertion device with the front-side cover thereof removed;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the medal insertion device in a state cut along the central portion thereof;

FIG. 17 is a top view of the medal insertion device;

FIG. 18 is a front view of the medal insertion device;

FIG. 19 is a schematic front view showing a relation between a medal guide portion and a medal;

FIG. 20 is a schematic side view for explaining a preferable positional relation between the medal guide portion and a rotating roller;

FIG. 21 is a schematic side view showing one example of the medal behavior;

FIG. 22 is a schematic side view showing another example of the medal behavior;

FIG. 23 is a schematic side view showing the medal behavior in the case of placing a plurality of medals on the medal guide portion;

FIG. 24 is a schematic side view showing the medal behavior in the case of placing a large number of medals in a standing state in the medal guide portion;

FIG. 25 is a view showing another embodiment according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, and is a perspective view of an exposure plate portion which constitutes the medal insertion device to be incorporated into the gaming machine;

FIG. 26 is a plan view of the exposure plate shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a side view showing shapes of a medal placement portion and a guiding surface of the medal guide portion;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the exposure plate seen from the rear surface side;

FIGS. 29A and 29B are schematic side views each showing a state where medals are placed on the medal placement portion;

FIGS. 30A and 30B are views each showing a modified example of the guiding surface of the medal guide portion;

FIG. 31 is a top view showing a modified example of the medal insertion device; and

FIG. 32 is a front view of the medal insertion device shown in FIG. 31.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

An embodiment of the gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention is specifically described below. The gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention corresponds to a variety of gaming machines on which a game is played using a game medium such as a medal or a coin (hereinafter referred to as medal), e.g., a slot machine, a roulette game apparatus, a pusher game apparatus, etc. This gaming machine is configured such that a large number of medals which are inserted successively or in piles through an insertion slot can be processed (voluminous medals inserted are separated and each one of the separated medals is guided to an identification portion of an identification device) at high speed on a game medium processing device (hereinafter referred to as medal processing device) incorporated in the gaming machine. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, a gaming machine 1 incorporates a medal processing device 10 on the front surface side. This medal processing device is installed below (inside) a front plate 12 with an insertion slot 11 formed therein, adjacently to a mount 2a (where a variety of operational members, operational buttons, and the like are installed for performing a game) of a front panel 2.

The front plate 12 with the insertion slot 11 formed therein may be formed integrally with the medal processing device 10, or may be formed on the front panel of the gaming machine. Further, the insertion slot 11 is formed wide to the extent that a plurality of medals can be inserted in piles. While inserting medals successively or in piles into the insertion slot 11, the player plays a game in a game region 2b (where, for example, an image display device is installed, or a device performing a game inside is viewable) provided on the front panel 2 of the gaming machine.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an internal configuration of the gaming machine incorporating the medal processing device 10. As described above, the medal processing device 10 is configured to receive a large number of medals inserted successively or in piles through the insertion slot 11, perform a process of separating the medals into one, and then guide the separated medals to an identification device 100 for identifying the effectiveness of the medals. Namely, each of the medals separated into one by the medal processing device 10 drops as it is to be guided in a standing state to a conveyance path 101 of the identification device 100, and predetermined parameters, such as weight, thickness and diameter, are measured in an identification portion 105 provided in the middle of the slot machine 101. Subsequently, those medals, determined as effective, shift as they are in a standing state as indicated by the arrow in the figure, and then guided to a predetermined storage portion through a shooter 102. Meanwhile, those medals, determined as not effective, are for example returned to a return slot 3 shown in FIG. 1 through another conveyance channel. It is to be noted that the medal processing device 10 may be configured as a unit independent of the identification device 100, or as one unit integrated with the identification device 100.

Next, a specific configuration of the above-mentioned medal processing device 10 is described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. It should be noted that FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the whole of the medal processing device, FIG. 4 is a view showing a configuration of a base member, FIG. 5A is a side view of the base member, and FIG. 5B is a sectional view along the line I-I of FIG. 5A.

The medal processing device 10 is mounted on a casing of the gaming machine, and comprises a base member 15 composed, for example, of a PA type resin. A driving motor 17 (DC motor) is mounted on one lower edge side of this base member 15. Above the driving motor 17, a first rotating roller 18 and a second rotating roller 19, which are rotationally driven by the driving motor 17, are rotatably supported so as to receive medals, having been inserted into the insertion slot 11 and dropped, as they are and guide the received medals to the insertion side and the ejection side, respectively. Each of the rotating rollers 18, 19 is rotatably supported inside the base member 15 at an interval therebetween of the order of the thickness of one medal (nip portion N), as shown in FIG. 5. The first rotating roller 18 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow A so as to convey the inserted medal inside. The second rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow B so as to eject the inserted medal. (The rotating rollers 18, 19 are rotationally driven in the same direction in the side view). By the rotational driving of these rotating rollers 18, 19, medals that successively drop in a large number through the insertion slot 11 are separated into one in the nip portion N even if a plurality of medals are piled, and then conveyed further downward.

It is to be noted that each of the rotating rollers 18, 19 are composed of an inexpensive material, such as urethane rubber, and preferably has knurls or the like on the surface thereof which were previously formed so as to enhance frictional force between the medal and each of the rotating rollers. By certainly making frictional force therebetween larger than frictional force between piled medals by the way as above described, it is possible to certainly separate the piled medals.

Further, in the present embodiment, the base member 15 is composed of a first base 15A and a second base 15B, which are assembled by screw and the like and are separable along the axis direction of the rotating roller. Each edge of the driving axes 18a, 19a which rotationally drive the rotating rollers 18, 19 are rotatably supported on the first base 15A and the second base 15B, respectively. Namely, each of the rotating rollers 18, 19 is rotatably supported so as to be positioned between the first base 15A and the second base 15B.

A notch 20 is formed in the first base 15A so as to correspond to the insertion slot 11 formed in the front plate 12, and as shown in FIG. 4, a guiding path 22 for medal guidance continuously extending downward is formed with the notch 20. The above-mentioned rotating rollers 18, 19 are supported as opposed to each other with the guiding path 22 positioned in the middle therebetween. The nip portion N is formed in the middle of the guiding path 22.

In the first base 15A, holes 23, 24 are formed, through which driving axes 18a, 19a of the rotating rollers 18, 19 are allowed to pass, and a hole 25 is also formed, through which a rotation driving axis 17a of the driving motor 17 is allowed to pass. In this case, holes through which the driving axes 18a, 19a of the rotating rollers 18, 19 are allowed to pass are also formed in the second base 15B.

As a method for supporting the driving axes 18a, 19a on the bases 15A, 15B, the driving axis may be rotatably supported, on a rolling-type roller bearing, or a bushing 30 as shown in the figure. In the latter case, the bushing 30 is composed of a material excellent in wear resistance, such as POM (Duracon), to be low in cost, thereby allowing cost reduction. Further, a member for holding the bushing 30 by preventing its slip-off, such as an E-ring 32 composed of SUS (stainless) or the like is preferably arranged. As shown in FIG. 5, previous provision of a slight space between the bushing 30 and the E-ring 32 allows effective control of thrust play of the driving axis. It is to be noted that the supporting portion may be configured to be provided with no roller bearing member.

Further, the first base 15A side is provided with a power transmission mechanism 40 for transmitting rotation driving force of the driving motor 17 to the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19. In the power transmission mechanism 40, the driving axes 18a, 19a of the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19 are protruded from the first base 15A so as to rotationally drive the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotation roller 19 in the same direction. The power transmission mechanism 40 is configured by comprising a first pulley 41 and a second pulley 42 which are mounted on the above-mentioned protruded portion; a driving pulley 43 which is mounted on the rotation driving axis 17a of the driving motor 17; and a driving belt 45 which is wound around the pulleys 41, 42, 43. Namely, according to such a configuration of the power transmission mechanism, with the driving motor 17 rotationally driven, each of the rotating rollers 18, 19 is rotationally driven in the foregoing direction through each of the pulleys 41, 42, 43 and the driving belt 45 wound around these pulleys.

Further, the second base 15B side is provided with a detection means 48 for detecting medal insertion when a medal is inserted into the insertion slot, to rotationally drive the driving motor 17. This detection means 48 can for example be comprised of a transmissive sensor arranged such that a light emitting element 48a and a light receiving element 48b are arranged as opposed to each other on the longer side of the insertion slot 11. Naturally, the detection means may be composed of a mechanical sensor for detecting abutting of a medal, other than the above-mentioned optical sensor.

The power transmission mechanism 40 is provided with an idling means so that the driving motor 17 can be rotated idly when load over a prescribed value is applied to the driving motor 17 (load over a predetermined value is applied to the driving motor 17 mainly in cases including a case where clogging of the nip portion N occurs due to weight of a medal).

As shown in FIG. 6, the idling means of the present embodiment is configured such that the driving belt 45 is a sectionally circular round belt, and a sectionally V-shaped groove 50 along which the round belt is to be wound is formed in each of the pulleys. Namely, by applying a round belt to the driving belt 45 and forming the sectionally V-shaped groove 50 along which the round belt is to be wound in each of the pulleys, a contact portion between each of the pulleys and the driving belt 45 is in a point contact state, to suppress frictional force in the engagement portion. Thereby, the driving belt 45 is slidable and the driving motor 17 is rotatable idly even when the rotations of the rotating rollers 18, 19 are inhibited and the pulleys 41, 42 come into a halt state.

It is to be noted that in the configuration above, each of the pulleys 41, 42, 43 is composed of a material excellent in wear resistance, such as POM, and the round belt is composed of a material such as polyurethane so as to be slidable along those pulleys.

According to a gaming machine configured as thus described, when medals are inserted in a larger number through the insertion slot 11, the detection means 48 detects insertion of the medals and the driving motor 17 is then rotationally driven. With the driving motor 17 rotationally driven, the rotation driving force is transmitted to the rotating rollers 18, 19 through the above-mentioned power transmission mechanism 40, and each of the rotating rollers is rotationally driven in the same direction, namely, the rotating roller 18 is rotationally driven in the medal inserting direction while the rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven in the medal ejecting direction. Thereby, even when a plurality of medals having been inserted in piles or successively into the insertion slot are piled, the medals are separated into one in the nip portion N, and thereafter shift along the guiding path 22 to be sequentially transferred to the identification device 100.

In the above-mentioned configuration, even if a medal is jammed in the nip portion N between the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19, the driving belt 45 can slide around the pulleys 41, 42 whose rotations are inhibited, by the above-mentioned idling means. Therefore, the rotational driving of the driving motor 17 is not forced to halt and hence wear of the driving motor is suppressed. It is to be noted that, since the driving belt 45 is composed of the round belt and the cross sectional shape thereof is circularity with no orientation, the driving belt 45 has excellent wear resistance and exerts characteristics excellent in flexibility and shock absorption.

Moreover, the above-mentioned medal processing device is configured such that an output from the driving motor 17 is transmitted as it is to the first pulley 41 and the second pulley 42 through the driving pulley 43 mounted on the rotation driving axis 17a of the driving motor to drive the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19. Thereby, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 40 as well as the configuration of the idling means can be simplified, enabling cost reduction. Further, the whole of the device can be shrunk, making it possible to bring efficiency to a space for installing the device in the gaming machine.

Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the base member 15 is comprised of the first base 15A and the second base 15B which are separable from each other, and the first pulley 41, the second pulley 42 and the driving pulley 43 are arranged so as to be exposed on the one base 15A side. Therefore, for example, if a medal, a foreign matter or the like is jammed inside, simply separating the first base and the second base from each other readily can lead to removal of the jammed matter, thereby facilitating maintenance and the like. Moreover, by integral formation of the guiding path 22 for guiding a medal in the first base 15A, medals inserted into the insertion slot 11 are separated into one in the nip portion N between the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19, and each of the separated medals is certainly conveyed as it is continuously to the identification device 100 side through the guiding path 22.

Although the first embodiment is described above, the first aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and is capable of modification in various manners.

For example, while in the idling means with the above-mentioned configuration, a sectionally V-shaped groove 50 was formed in each of pulleys 41, 42, 43, such a groove may be formed only in the first pulley 41. With such a configuration, in the case where a medal is jammed in the nip portion N between the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19, the medal can be ejected to the insertion slot side for clearing the clog. Namely, with a configuration where the first rotating roller 18 can be rotated idly on the first pulley 41 portion which drives the first rotating roller 18, if medal jam occurs, the driving belt 45 is rotated idly on the first pulley 41 whereas the second rotating roller 19 which rotates in the clog clearing direction (ejection side) is not rotated idly. Hence the second rotating roller 19 is rotated in the clog clearing direction (ejection side) to enable the jammed medal to be taken out without application of large load to the driving motor 17.

Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the idling means is comprised by means of the shape of the driving belt (round belt), and the shape of the groove portion (cross-sectional V-shape) of the pulley into which the belt is engaged. However, the idling means may be configured by appropriate selection of frictional force between the pulley and the driving belt, i.e., constitutional materials for the pulley and the driving belt. Moreover, the idling means may also be comprised of a torque limiter or the like which is mounted on the driving axis and permits rotation when a predetermined load is applied.

Second Embodiment

An embodiment of the gaming machine according to the second aspect of the present invention is specifically described below.

The gaming machine according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the gaming machine according to the first embodiment. Therefore, in the second embodiment, constituents corresponding to those of the gaming machine according to the first embodiments are described, being provided with the same numerals/symbols as those provided to the corresponding constituents in the first embodiments.

Since the schematic of the gaming machine according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and was already described using FIG. 1, the description thereof is omitted here.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an internal configuration of the gaming machine according to the second embodiment. Since the internal configuration of the gaming machine itself is the same as that of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment, and was already described using FIG. 2, arrows D1, D2 in the figure are described here. Namely, as later described, a guiding path for guiding a medal is formed inside the medal processing device 10 such that the traveling direction of the medal (direction of the arrow D1) along this guiding path is different from (in the present embodiment, substantially orthogonal to) the traveling direction of the medal (direction of the arrow D2) along a conveyance channel 101 of the identification device 100.

Next, a specific configuration of the medal processing device 10 according to the second embodiment is described using FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 8. It should be noted that, since FIGS. 3 to 5 were already described in the first embodiment, only a different point from the first embodiment is described here. FIG. 8 is a sectional view along a substantially central portion of a medal processing device according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the guiding path 22 formed inside the above-mentioned base member 15 is formed so as to be bent in relation to the entering direction of a medal that is inserted through the insertion slot 11. Specifically, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 8, the insertion slot 11 is formed such that the wall portions opposed to each other gets closer along the direction from the opening portion of the insertion slot 11 toward the nip portion, and a large number of medals, when inserted, naturally shift to the nip portion. The medals in a piled state in the upper region of the nip portion are separated into one by the roller action in the nip portion, and each of the separated medals is guided as it is to the guiding path 22. At this time, although the medals separated in the nip portion enter along the X direction as the direction of a common contact line of the rotating rollers 18 and 19, the guiding path 22 is not formed in parallel with the X direction, but formed so as to be bent in relation to the X direction (the guiding path of the present embodiment is formed by curving in an arc shape, and the X-direction is formed so as to intersect with the curved wall portion that regulates the guiding path 22).

According to a gaming machine configured as thus described, when medals are inserted in a larger number through the insertion slot 11, the detection means 48 detects insertion of the medals and the driving motor 17 is then rotationally driven. With the driving motor 17 rotationally driven, the rotation driving force is transmitted to the rotating rollers 18, 19 through the above-mentioned power transmission mechanism 40, and each of the rotating rollers is rotationally driven in the same direction, namely, the first rotating roller 18 is rotationally driven in the medal inserting direction while the rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven in the medal ejecting direction. Thereby, even when medals inserted in piles, or medals inserted successively, into the insertion slot are piled in a plurality of number, those medals are separated into one in the nip portion, and the separated medals then shift along the guiding path 22. As shown in FIG. 7, each of the medals is sequentially transmitted as it is to the identification device 100, and the effectiveness of each of the medals is identified in an identification portion 105 provided on the conveyance channel 101 of the identification device 100.

Since the guiding path 22 is formed by bending in relation to the entering direction of a medal that is inserted from the insertion slot 11, the guiding path 22 is resistant to entry of a foreign matter or the like thereinto, and even if the foreign matter or the like is intentionally inserted through the insertion slot 11, such insertion is effectively inhibited by the bent wall, and it is thereby possible to inhibit an illicit operation of the identification portion 105.

Further, in the medal processing device with the above-mentioned configuration, the traveling direction of the game medium (direction of the arrow D1 in FIG. 7) along the guiding path 22 is made to be different from the traveling direction of the medal (direction of the arrow D2 in FIG. 7) along the conveyance channel 101 of the identification device 100. Namely, the medals having been subjected to the separation processing and shifted along the guiding path 22 are guided as they are in a standing state to the conveyance channel 101 extending in the lateral direction. Therefore, in addition to the configuration of the bent guiding path 22 as above described, the channel from the insertion slot 11 through the identification portion 105 further significantly changes, making it possible to more certainly prevent the illicit act of inserting a foreign matter or the like.

Moreover, the above-mentioned medal processing device is configured such that an output from the driving motor 17 is transmitted as it is to the first pulley 41 and the second pulley 42 through the driving pulley 43 mounted on the rotation driving axis 17a of the driving motor to drive the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19. Thereby, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 40 as well as the configuration of the idling means can be simplified, enabling cost reduction. Further, the whole of the device can be shrunk, making it possible to bring efficiency to a space for installing the device in the gaming machine.

Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the base member 15 is comprised of the first base 15A and the second base 15B which are separable from each other, and the first pulley 41, the second pulley 42 and the driving pulley 43 are arranged so as to be exposed on the one base 15A side. Therefore, for example, if a medal, a foreign matter or the like is jammed inside, simply separating the first base and the second base from each other readily can lead to removal of the jammed matter, thereby facilitating maintenance and the like.

Although the second embodiment is described above, the second aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and is capable of modification in various manners.

For example, the guiding path 22 formed on the base member may be bent in “a linear shape” by intersection of a plurality of lines, other than by curving in an arc shape as shown in the figure, and may further be configured by combination of the above two patterns. Moreover, the bent direction, length, and the like can be appropriately changed according to the kind of the gaming machine, the arrangement mode of the identification device, or the like.

Third Embodiment

An embodiment of the gaming machine according to the third aspect of the present invention is specifically described below.

The gaming machine according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the gaming machine according to the first embodiment. Therefore, in the third embodiment, constituents corresponding to those of the gaming machine according to the first embodiments are described, being provided with the same numerals/symbols as those provided to the corresponding constituents in the first embodiments.

Since the schematic and the internal configuration of the gaming machine according to the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and were already described using FIGS. 1 and 2, the descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Next, a specific configuration of the medal processing device 10 according to the third embodiment is described using FIG. 4 and FIGS. 9 to 11. It is to be noted that, since FIG. 4 was already described in the first embodiment, only a different point from the first embodiment is described here.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the whole of the medal processing device. FIG. 10A is a side view of a base member, and FIG. 10B is a sectional view along the line I-I of FIG. 10A. FIG. 11 is a view showing a configuration of a one-way clutch.

The medal processing device 10 is mounted on the casing of the gaming machine, and comprises the base member 15 composed, for example, of PA type resin. A driving motor 17 (DC motor) which is rotationally driven in forward/backward directions is mounted on one lower edge side of this base member 15. Above the driving motor 17, a first rotating roller 18 and a second rotating roller 19, which are rotationally driven by the driving motor 17, are rotatably supported so as to receive medals, having been inserted into the insertion slot 11 and dropped, as they are and guide the received medals to the insertion side and the ejection side, respectively.

Each of the rotating rollers 18, 19 is rotatably supported inside the base member 15 at an interval therebetween of the order of the thickness of one medal (nip portion N), as shown in FIG. 10. By forward rotational driving of the driving motor 17, the first rotating roller 18 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow A so as to convey the inserted medal inside, while the second rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow B so as to eject the inserted medal. (The rotating rollers 18, 19 are rotationally driven in the same direction in the side view). By the rotational driving of these rotating rollers 18, 19, medals that successively drop in a large number through the insertion slot 11 are separated into one in the nip portion N even if a plurality of medals are piled, and then conveyed further downward.

It is to be noted that the driving motor 17 is controlled to be rotationally driven in the forward direction (in a counterclockwise direction in the side view of FIG. 10A) upon detection of insertion of a medal into the insertion slot, but rotationally driven in the backward direction in the case of occurrence of clogging of the nip portion with medal or the like to halt the forward rotational driving, namely upon detection of clogging with medal.

In the power transmission mechanism 40, a one-way clutch 60 is arranged for controlling the rotation of the second rotating roller 19 driven to the ejection side when the driving motor 17 is rotationally driven in the backward direction. Specifically, the one-way clutch 60 of the present embodiment is arranged between the second pulley 42 and a driving axis 19a of the second rotating roller 19, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

As shown in FIG. 11, the one-way clutch 60 is held by an outer ring member 61 and a holder 62 inside the outer ring member, and comprises a plurality of rollers 63 that rotationally move with respect to the driving axis 19a. On the inner peripheral face of the outer ring member 61, a freely rotating region 61a where each of the rollers can freely rotate, and a wedge region 61b for controlling the rotation of each of the rollers are adjacently formed. Each of the rollers 63 is in the state of being biased toward the wedge region by a spring member 65 arranged between each of the rollers 63 and the holder 62. Further, protruding pieces 61c for rotation locking and fixing are formed at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the outer ring member 61. By fitting this piece 61c into a fit-in portion (not shown) formed in the second pulley 42, the one-way clutch 60 comes into the state of being rotation-locked and fixed by the second pulley 42. It is to be noted that the one-way clutch 60 and the second pulley 42 may be integrally formed, namely, the second pulley 42 may be integrally formed in the outer ring member.

According to a gaming machine configured as thus described, when medals are inserted in a larger number through the insertion slot 11, the detection means 48 detects insertion of the medals and the driving motor 17 is then rotationally driven. With the driving motor 17 rotationally driven, the rotation driving force is transmitted to the rotating rollers 18, 19 through the above-mentioned power transmission mechanism 40, and each of the rotating rollers is rotationally driven in the same direction, namely, the first rotating roller 18 is rotationally driven in the medal inserting direction while the rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven in the medal ejecting direction. Thereby, even when a plurality of medals having been inserted in piles or successively into the insertion slot are piled, the medals are separated into one in the nip portion N, and thereafter shift along the guiding path 22 to be sequentially transferred to the identification device 100.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the one-way clutch 60 at this time, the second pulley is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow. Thereby, each of the rollers 63 is engaged in the wedge region 61b meshing on the wedge region 61b due to the rotational direction of the outer ring member 61 and bias force of the spring member 65, and the outer ring member 61 and the driving axis 19a are rotatable integrally. That is, the second pulley rotates in the direction of the arrow by the forward rotational driving of the driving motor 17, and the driving axis 19a (second rotating roller 19) is rotationally driven integrally in the same direction according to the above-mentioned engagement relation.

In a case where the nip portion N is clogged with medal during above-mentioned medal processing, the driving motor 17 is rotationally driven in the backward direction. Thereby, the driving belt 45 is rotationally driven in a clockwise direction in FIG. 10, and the first rotating roller 18, which is rotationally driven to the insertion side, is going to rotate in the ejection direction. Further, by the backward rotational driving of the driving motor 17, the second rotating roller 19 is going to rotate in the forward direction reversely. However, the second rotating roller 19 is not rotationally driven to the insertion side since the rotation thereof is controlled by the one-way clutch 60. Namely, as shown in FIG. 11, since the second pulley is rotationally driven in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow, each of the rollers 63 is positioned in the freely rotating region 61a against bias force of the spring member 65 due to the rotational direction of the outer ring member 61. Here, each of the rollers 63 rotates only in the freely rotating region 61a, and thus the rotation of the outer ring member 61 is not transmitted to the driving axis 19a. In such a state, the backward driving force of the driving motor 17 is not transmitted to the driving axis 19a (second rotating roller 19).

Consequently, as described above, the first rotating roller 18 is rotationally driven in the ejection direction by the backward rotational driving of the driving motor 17 whereas the second rotating roller 19 does not rotate. It is thereby possible to readily remove the jammed medal by the first rotating roller 18 which is rotationally driven to the ejection side, without occurrence of a medal pulling action.

Moreover, since the above-mentioned power transmission mechanism 40 is comprised of: the pulleys 41, 42, mounted on each of the rotating rollers; the driving pulley 43 which is mounted on the rotation driving axis of the driving motor 17; and the driving belt 45 which is wound around these pulleys, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism can be simplified. It is therefore possible, by a simple configuration where only the one-way clutch 60 is arranged on the second pulley 42, to shrink the whole of the device so as to make a space for arranging the device in the gaming machine more efficient.

It is to be noted that in the power transmission mechanism with the above-mentioned configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, the driving belt 45 is preferably a sectionally circular round belt, and the sectionally V-shaped groove 50 along which the round belt is to be wound is preferably formed on each of the pulleys. By making the driving belt 45 a round belt and forming the sectionally V-shaped groove 50 along which the round belt is to be wound on each of the pulleys as described above, the driving belt 45 and the groove 50 come into a point contact state, to suppress frictional force in the engagement portion. Therefore, even if the nip portion is clogged with medal to inhibit rotation of each of the rotating rollers 18, 19 (even if each of the pulleys 41, 42 comes into a halt state), the driving belt 45 becomes slidable, and thus wear of the driving motor 17 can be suppressed by idly rotating the driving motor 17. In this case, the timing for backward rotational driving of the driving motor 17 may for example be when idle rotation of the driving motor 17 is detected.

Further, since the driving belt 45 is composed of the round belt and thereby the cross sectional shape is circularity with no orientation, the driving belt 45 has excellent wear resistance and exerts characteristics excellent in flexibility and shock absorption. Specifically, in the configuration as described above, each of the pulleys 41, 42, 43 may be composed of a material excellent in wear resistance, such as POM, and the round belt may be composed of a material such as polyurethane so as to be slidable along those pulleys.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned configuration, the base member 15 is comprised of the first base 15A and the second base 15B which are separable from each other, and the first pulley 41, the second pulley 42 and the driving pulley 43 are arranged so as to be exposed on the one base 15A side. With this configuration, for example, even if a medal, a foreign matter or the like is jammed inside, and cannot be removed by the backward rotational driving of the driving motor 17, it is possible to readily remove the jammed matter by simply separating the first base and the second base, so as to facilitate maintenance and the like. Further, by integral formation of the guiding path 22 for guiding a medal in the first base 15A, medals having been inserted into the insertion slot 11 are separated into one in the nip portion N between the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19, and are conveyed as they are continuously and with certainty to the identification device 100 side through the guiding path 22.

Although the third embodiment is described above, the third aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and is capable of modification in various manners.

For example, although the power transmission mechanism is comprised of the pulleys and the driving belt in the above-mentioned configuration, it may also be comprised of a gear train. Further, it is possible to appropriately change the configuration and place for arrangement of the one-way clutch so long as controlling rotation of a separation roller rotationally driven to the ejection side. Moreover, in the above configuration, the portion where medals are separated was described as the rotating rollers arranged as opposed to each other. However, the above configuration is applicable even if a conveyance belt is used in place of the rotating rollers.

Fourth Embodiment

An embodiment of the gaming machine according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is specifically described below.

The gaming machine according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment, except for what is described below. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, constituents corresponding to those of the gaming machine according to the first embodiments are described, being provided with the same numerals/symbols as those provided to the corresponding constituents in the first embodiments.

Since the schematic and the internal configuration of the gaming machine according to the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and were already described using FIGS. 1 and 2, the descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Next, a specific configuration of the medal processing device 10 according to the fourth embodiment is described using FIGS. 3, 4 and 12. It is to be noted that, since FIGS. 3 and 4 were already described in the first embodiment, only a different point from the first embodiment is described here. FIG. 12A is a side view of a base member, and FIG. 12B is a sectional view along the line I-I of FIG. 12A.

As shown in FIG. 12, the power transmission mechanism 40 is provided with a differential means of making a rotational driving speed of the second rotating roller 19, which is rotationally driven to the ejection side, slower than a rotational driving speed of the first rotating roller 18, which is rotationally driven to the insertion side.

Since the power transmission mechanism has adopted the configuration comprised of pulleys and a driving belt as described above, as shown in FIG. 12, in the differential means of the present embodiment, the radius R of the second pulley 42, which rotationally drives the second rotating roller 19, is set to be larger than the radius r of the first pulley 41, which rotationally drives the first rotating roller 18. Namely, when the driving belt 45 is rotationally driven by the driving motor 17, the second rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven at a lower rotationally driving speed than the second rotating roller 19.

According to a gaming machine configured as thus described, when medals are inserted in a larger number through the insertion slot 11, the detection means 48 detects insertion of the medals and the driving motor 17 is then rotationally driven. With the driving motor 17 rotationally driven, the rotation driving force is transmitted to the rotating rollers 18, 19 through the above-mentioned power transmission mechanism 40, and each of the rotating rollers is rotationally driven in the same direction, namely, the first rotating roller 18 is rotationally driven in the medal inserting direction while the second rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven in the medal ejecting direction. Thereby, even when a plurality of medals having been inserted in piles or successively into the insertion slot are piled, the medals are separated into one in the nip portion N, and thereafter shift along the guiding path 22 to be sequentially transferred to the identification device 100.

In the above configuration, the second rotating roller 19 is rotationally driven in the opposite direction to the medal insertion direction and thus is subjected to a large impact by an inserted medal. However, since the differential means as described above (driving speed of the second rotating roller<driving speed of the first rotating roller) makes the rotational driving speed of the second rotating roller 19 slower than that of the first rotating roller 18, impulsive force is alleviated even if a large number of medals are inserted, to allow suppression of frictional force for effectively suppressing wear. Especially, in the above-mentioned configuration, although a large number of medals may be inserted with great force through the insertion slot 11 toward the nip portion N, the configuration can suppress wear of the second rotating roller 19 effectively even if used in that way.

Further, since the power transmission mechanism 40 is comprised of: the pulleys 41, 42 which are mounted on each of the rotating rollers; the driving pulley 43 which is mounted on the rotation driving axis of the driving motor 17; and the driving belt 45 which is to be wound around these pulleys, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism can be simplified, and it is therefore possible to shrink the whole of the device so as to make a space for arranging the device in the gaming machine more efficient. Further, even with a simple configuration where the diameter of the pulley is changed, it is possible to make the driving speed of the second rotating roller 19 slower, so as to simplify the configuration of the differential means.

It is to be noted that in the power transmission mechanism with the above-mentioned configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, the driving belt 45 is preferably a sectionally circular round belt, and the sectionally V-shaped groove 50 along which the round belt is to be wound is preferably formed on each of the pulleys. By making the driving belt 45 a round belt and forming the sectionally V-shaped groove 50 along which the round belt is to be wound on each of the pulleys as described above, the driving belt 45 and the groove 50 come into a point contact state, to suppress frictional force in the engagement portion. Therefore, even if the nip portion is clogged with medal to inhibit rotation of each of the rotating rollers 18, 19 (even if each of the pulleys 41, 42 comes into a halt state), the driving belt 45 becomes slidable, to allow idle rotation of the driving motor 17. Namely, since the driving belt 45 can shift around the pulleys 41, 42 whose rotations have been inhibited, the rotational driving of the driving motor 17 is not forced to halt, and wear of the driving motor can be suppressed. Further, since the driving belt 45 is composed of the round belt and thereby the cross sectional shape is circularity with no orientation, the driving belt 45 has excellent wear resistance and exerts characteristics excellent in flexibility and shock absorption.

Specifically, in the configuration as described above, each of the pulleys 41, 42, 43 may be composed of a material excellent in wear resistance, such as POM, and the round belt may be composed of a material such as polyurethane so as to be slidable along those pulleys.

Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the base member 15 is comprised of the first base 15A and the second base 15B which are separable from each other, and the first pulley 41, the second pulley 42 and the driving pulley 43 are arranged so as to be exposed on the one base 15A side. Therefore, for example, if a medal, a foreign matter or the like is jammed inside, simply separating the first base and the second base from each other readily can lead to removal of the jammed matter, thereby facilitating maintenance and the like. Moreover, by integral formation of the guiding path 22 for guiding a medal in the first base 15A, medals inserted into the insertion slot 11 are separated into one in the nip portion N between the first rotating roller 18 and the second rotating roller 19, and each of the separated medals is certainly conveyed as it is continuously to the identification device 100 side through the guiding path 22.

Although the fourth embodiment is described above, the fourth aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and is capable of modification in various manners.

For example, although the power transmission mechanism is comprised of the pulleys and the driving belt by friction, and changing the diameter of the pulley in the above-mentioned configuration configures the differential means, the power transmission mechanism may also be comprised of a gear train and changing a gear ratio may configure the differential means. Moreover, in addition to the configuration of the differential means or regardless of the differential means, the second rotating roller 19 may be composed of a material more excellent in wear resistance than the first rotating roller 18, so as to more effectively suppress wear of the second rotating roller rotationally driven to the ejection side.

Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the portion where medals are separated was described as the rotating rollers arranged as opposed to each other. However, the above configuration is applicable even if a conveyance belt is used in place of the rotating rollers.

Fifth Embodiment

A gaming machine according to the fifth aspect of the present invention corresponds to a variety of gaming machines on which a game is played using a game medium such as a medal or a coin (hereinafter referred to as medal), e.g., a slot machine, a roulette game apparatus, a pusher game apparatus, etc. In this gaming machine, a game medium insertion device (hereinafter referred to as medal insertion device) is incorporated for taking a medal into the gaming machine for performing a game.

In the following, an embodiment of the gaming machine according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is specifically described by illustrating a slot machine.

As shown in FIG. 13, a slot machine 101 comprises: a body 103 containing a gaming device (reel unit) for executing a game, a medal payout device for paying out a medal as a game medium, a control board for controlling a game operation on the reel unit, and the like; and a front door (front surface door) 105 which rotates in a lateral direction to be opened and closed through a hinge mechanism. The front door 105 is provided with a display region 107, having reel display windows 107a, 107b, 107c, through which each of the rotational reels of the reel unit is viewable. In this display region 107, for example, an image display portion (e.g., liquid crystal display, plasma display, CRT display, dot matrix display unit etc.) is arranged where a variety of pieces of game information are displayed as still image information or moving image information, and the surface of each of the rotational reels of the reel unit can be seen through the reel display windows 107a, 107b, 107c. It is to be noted that the image display portion may be arranged in a position apart from the rotating reel and the slot machine 101 may not comprise such an image display portion.

A base portion 109 is formed on the side below the display region 107 of the front door 105. A variety of operational members such as a bet button 110a, a max bet button 110b, a start lever 112, and three stop buttons 113a, 113b, 113c are arranged on this base portion 109.

Further, a waist panel 115 is openably/closably attached to the front door 105 positioned below the start lever 112. A medal tray 117 is arranged on the front door 105 positioned below the waist panel 115 so as to face a medal ejection slot 116 for ejecting a medal paid out from a medal payout device arranged in the body 103.

Further, a medal insertion device 120 capable of performing a medal inserting operation in execution of a game is incorporated into the right side of a variety of operational members of the base portion 109. In the following, the configuration of the medal insertion device 120 is described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 20. It is to be noted that in these figures, FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the medal insertion device, FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a state where the front surface cover has been removed, FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state where the medal insertion device has been cut along the central portion, FIG. 17 is a top view, FIG. 18 is a front view, FIG. 19 is a schematic front view showing a relation between a medal guide portion and a medal, and FIG. 20 is a schematic side view showing a positional relation between the medal guiding portion and the rotating roller.

The medal insertion device 120 is incorporated in a panel 109a constituting the base portion 109, and comprises an exposure plate 121 formed so as to become substantially flush with the panel 109a. A concave portion 121a is formed on the central portion of the exposure plate 121. In this portion, a medal guiding portion (game medium guiding portion) 122 and a slit-shaped insertion slot 123 are formed. The medal portion 122 comprises a guiding surface 122a for guiding a medal placed by the player. The insertion slot 123 allows a medal guided along the guiding surface 122a to drop into the inside of the casing. In this case, the guiding surface 122a is formed so as to decline from the player side toward the insertion slot 123, and has a length to the extent that a large number of medals can be placed in a standing state. Further, the guiding surface 122a may be inclined in relation to the horizontal surface so as to allow the medal to smoothly slide, and the inclined angle of the guiding surface 122a is not particularly restricted.

It is to be noted that the guiding surface 122a preferably has a length of some extent such that a large number of medals can be successively inserted. Specifically, the guiding surface 122a preferably is the same length as or longer than the diameter of the medal, and more preferably is the same length as or longer than two to three times of the diameter of the medal so that an operation for successive insertion can be smoothly and readily performed.

Further, the above-mentioned exposure plate 121 is integrally formed for example by die-casting zinc (zinc alloy), and the surface thereof is chrome-plated for improving the appearance. Moreover, the exposure plate 121 may be configured attachably to/detachably from the panel 109a.

A medal reception opening 125 is formed in a frame inside the panel 109a so as to correspond to the insertion slot 123. A medal that drops from here is guided to a known selector device 200 and predetermined parameters (weight, diameter, etc.) are measured. A medal determined as real is guided for example to a bucket of a medal payout device, whereas a medal determined as not real is returned to the medal tray 117 through the medal payout slot 116.

The guiding surface 122a of the medal guiding portion 122 is configured to contact the outer peripheral edge of the game medium at two points of a portion forming a line shorter than the diameter of the game medium, upon placement of the game medium. Specifically, the guiding surface 122a of the present embodiment is formed in a sectional U-shape. As shown in FIG. 19, when a medal M is erected substantially vertically to the guiding surface (when the medal M is placed in any state but horizontal to the inclined angle of the guiding surface), the guiding surface 122a has a contact portion P1 which an outer peripheral edge of a portion forming a line shorter than the diameter of the medal contacts at two points. This causes a gap to be created between the deepest portion P of the sectionally U-shaped guiding surface 122a and the lower end edge M1 of the medal, and the contact portion P1 to be located in a position lower than the central position C of the medal, thereby making the holding state of the medal M unstable.

A rectangular opening 121c is formed on a rear surface wall 121b of the concave portion 121a of the exposure plate 121 such that the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller as later described is exposed. In this case, if the rotating roller is not arranged, the rear surface wall 121b does not have the opening 121c formed therein, but configured as it is as a wall portion (rear surface wall) positioned above the opening and behind the insertion slot 123, and serves to guide a medal, pressed thereto or abuts thereon, as it is to the insertion slot 123. Further, a substantially flat medal placement portion 121d is formed in the front portion of the concave portion 121a of the exposure plate 121 so that a predetermined number of medals can be placed. In this case, the medal placement portion 121d is formed in consideration of user convenience, and may not be formed.

Further, a medal return button 130 is provided on the right side of the concave portion 121a of the exposure plate 121. This button is configured to be pressed for returning an inserted medal to the medal tray 117.

A rotating roller 140 is supported in the frame inside the panel 109a such that the outer peripheral surface thereof is partially exposed from the opening 121c formed in the exposure plate 121. As shown in FIG. 20, the rotating roller 140 is supported such that the rotating center E (supporting position) thereof is located in a position higher than the edge position P2 (position of the open end of the insertion slot 123) between the deepest portion P of the guiding surface 122a and the insertion slot 123. By supporting the rotating roller 140 in such a positional relation with respect to the guiding surface 122a of the medal guiding portion 122, it is possible to make the abutting position of the medal lower than a virtual line X which passes through the center E of the rotating roller and runs parallel with the extending direction of the guiding surface 122a, so that the rotating roller can certainly be rotationally driven downward. Namely, an abutting position of the medal on the rotating roller is on the lower side than a position E1 where the virtual line X intersects with the roller periphery, and hence, when the medal slides to the vicinity of the insertion slot and the end face thereof abuts on the rotating roller 140, the rotating roller 140 can certainly be rotationally driven downward (if the end face abuts on the upper position than the position E1, downward rotation becomes difficult). By such downward rotation of the rotating roller 140, it is possible, due to the weight of the medal as well as assistance by the rotation of the rotating roller 140, to readily change the posture of the medal downward so that the medal smoothly drops into the insertion slot 123.

It is to be noted that in practice, the supporting position of the rotating roller 140 is preferably set such that the height H from the deepest portion P to the above-mentioned position E1 is larger than the height h of medals from the deepest portion P to the medals which are placed in a lying state in an amount easiest to be pinched (here, the order of five to six medals). Namely, with the rotating roller supported so as to be in the position as described above, in placement of medals in an amount easiest to be pinched on the guiding surface 122a, even when those medals slide to abut on the periphery of the rotating roller 140, the abutting position is certainly on the lower side than the position E1. Therefore, the rotating roller 140 can be certainly rotationally driven downward (in FIG. 20, a virtual line X′ indicates a position on which a medal and the guiding surface 122a contact each other when the medal is placed in a lying state on the guiding surface 122a).

The above-mentioned rotating roller 140 is preferably formed, for example, of urethane rubber so as to make the cost low. Further, a means of increasing frictional force on the surface 140, such as knurl 140a, is preferably formed previously so as to further facilitate the rotation of the rotating roller 140 upon contact of the medal. Namely, the easier the rotation of the rotating roller 140, the greater degree of reduction can be made in frictional force which impedes dropping of the medal into the insertion slot 123.

Further, as above described, in the configuration where the rotating roller 140 is installed, a cover 142 is preferably arranged around the rotating roller 140. With the cover installed around the rotating roller 140 as thus described, the regions on the upper, lower, right and left sides of the rotating roller 140 which are exposed from the opening can be effectively covered. Hence, even if an attempt is made to make a foreign matter or the like enter through the gap portion around the rotating roller, such entry into the housing can be prevented. The cover 142 of the present embodiment is formed of a PA type resin with granular glass mixed therein, and configured to be attached to the frame in the panel 109a such that the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller is partially exposed from the rectangular opening 121c formed in the concave portion 121a of the exposure plate 121.

According to the gaming machine configured as thus described, in a case where the player inserts a medal into the insertion slot 123, for example when one medal M is erected so as to be in substantially vertical to the guiding surface 122a on the front side of the medal guiding portion 122, the medal contacts the U-shaped guiding surface 122a at the contact portions P1 (see FIG. 19) in a position lower than the center C of the medal M, and held in an unstable state with the lower edge thereof in the air. At this time, since the barycenter position of the medal M (central position C of the medal) is located above the contact portions P1, and the guiding surface 122a is inclined downward, a moment of falling forward as indicated by an arrow in the figure acts on the upper portion of the medal M. Eventually, the medal M falls along the surface of the guiding surface 122a as indicated by a chain double-dashed line, and naturally guided as it is toward the insertion slot 123. At this time, the end face M2 of the fallen medal on the opposing side to the rotating roller 140 abuts on the rotating roller 140, or the surface portion M3 thereof on the outer side in the diameter direction abuts on the rotating roller 140 by the momentum for the fall, and due to the rotating action (rotating action downward) and the weight of the medal, the posture of the medal is changed to a vertical direction toward the insertion slot 123, and the medal smoothly drops into the insertion slot 123.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, when one medal M is erected so as to be relatively laid with respect to the guiding surface 122a on the front side of the medal guiding portion 122, the medal is held in an unstable state with the lower edge thereof in the air. At this time, since the barycenter position of the medal M (central position C of the medal) is above the contact portions P1, and the medal guiding portion 122 is inclined downward, a moment of falling toward the player side as indicated by an arrow in the figure acts on the upper portion of the medal M in a standing state. Eventually, the medal M falls along the surface of the guiding surface 122a as indicated by a chain double-dashed line, and naturally guided as it is toward the insertion slot 123. At this time, the end face M4 of the fallen medal on the opposing side to the rotating roller 140 abuts on the rotating roller 140, and due to the rotating action (rotating action downward) and the weight of the medal, the posture of the medal is changed to a vertical direction toward insertion slot 123, and the medal smoothly drops into the insertion slot 123.

It is to be noted that in the modes shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, even if a plurality of medals in a small amount are also erected on the front side of the guiding surface 122a of the medal guiding portion and then released from the fingers, each of the medals sequentially abuts on the rotating roller 140 according to the track as described above, to successively drop into the insertion slot 123.

As described above, in the case of inserting a small number of medals, when the medals are held between the fingers, placed so as to stand on the front side of the guiding surface 122a, and then released from the fingers, the upper portion of the medals in a standing state falls toward the insertion slot, or the upper portion of the medals in a standing state falls toward the player side, and eventually the end face region on the opposing side to the rotating roller 140, or the front-side region on the outer side in the diameter direction, abuts on the rotating roller 140. While receiving the posture change due to the rotating action of the rotating roller 140, the medals drop into the insertion slot 123, thereby allowing performance of the medal inserting operation in a smooth and comfortable manner.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, even when medals are not erected on the guiding surface 122a and placed in piles in a simply lying state, each of the medals slides as it is along the guiding surface 122a toward the insertion slot, and eventually, the end face of each of the medals sequentially abuts on the rotating roller 140, and due to the rotating action (rotating action downward) and the weight of the medal, the medal is subjected to the posture change and then smoothly drops into the insertion slot 123. It is to be noted that, when the piled medals abuts on the rotating roller 140 to be subjected to the posture change, the player-side back end region of the uppermost medal in the piled medals is rotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow D1 (the second uppermost medal and other medals are not rotatable in the direction of the arrow D1 due to placement of the uppermost medal thereon). Hence the medals sequentially drop, starting with the uppermost medal, into the insertion slot 123 as receiving the posture change.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the guiding surface 122a was formed in a sectional U-shape, the medal shifts as follows. When the medal is inserted from the side region of the medal guiding portion 122, the medal slides along the surface of the guiding surface 122a toward the center of the extending direction as indicated by arrows of FIG. 17. And since a rolling moment acts on the medal while sliding, the medal gradually shifts to a horizontal state to the inclination of the guiding surface 122a as getting closer to the insertion slot, as indicated by arrows of FIG. 18. Eventually, the medal comes into a substantially horizontal state immediately before dropping into the insertion slot 123. The medal abuts on the rotating roller 140, is subjected to the posture change, and drops as it is into the insertion slot 123. Namely, even when the medal is inserted from the side region of the medal guiding portion 122, the medal comes into a substantially horizontal state where the medal most readily drops immediately before eventual dropping into the insertion slot 123 due to the action as described above (automatic aligning effect of the rolling moment). Thereby, the medal smoothly drops into the insertion slot 123.

As thus described, in a case where the player handles medals in a small amount, even when a medal is simply held between the fingers, erected or placed in a lying state on the front side of the guiding surface 122a of the medal guiding portion 122, or the medal is inserted from the side region, by the movement as described above, the medal can be smoothly inserted into the insertion slot 123. Namely, the player does not need to perform an inserting operation of holding a medal between the fingers and pushing the medal onto the rear surface wall side (rotating roller side), and can perform an inserting operation more simply and comfortably.

Further, even in the case of handling a large number of medals, for example, as shown in FIG. 24, a large number of medals are erected in piles on the guiding surface 122a, thereby each of the medals sequentially shifts downward along the guiding surface 122a due to weight of the medal. Eventually, each of the medals abuts on the surface of the rotating roller 140, and guided downward by the rotating roller 140 that rotates, to subsequently drop into the insertion slot 123.

As thus described, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the player can execute a smooth inserting operation simply by holding a medal between the fingers and placing the medal on the guiding surface 122a of the medal guiding portion 122 or performing an operation of inserting the medal as it is toward the guiding surface 122a, regardless of the number of medals to handle. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the rotating roller 140 is arranged to generate a function of assisting the medal in readily changing the posture thereof to the vertical direction to drop into the insertion slot 123. It is thereby possible to solve the problem of failure of the medal dropping into the insertion slot 123 to follow the medal inserting operation, so as to realize a smooth inserting operation.

Next, another embodiment according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 13 and FIGS. 25 to 29. It is to be noted that in this embodiment, a portion of a medal insertion device to be installed into a gaming machine is illustrated, and the illustration of the whole configuration of the gaming machine is omitted. Meanwhile, to the gaming machine incorporating the medal insertion device, for example, a slot machine as shown in FIG. 13 applies. Further, in those figures, the same portions as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are provided with the same numerals/symbols as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, and specific descriptions of those portions are omitted here.

As in the above embodiment, the concave portion 121a is formed on the central portion of the exposure plate 121 constituting the medal insertion device 120. In this portion, there is formed the medal guiding portion (game medium guiding portion) 122 which comprises the guiding surface 122a for guiding a medal inserted by the player. The guiding surface 122a declines from the player side toward the insertion slot 123, and is formed in a sectional U-shape, as shown in FIG. 19. In this case, as in the above embodiment, the guiding surface 122a preferably has a length of some extent such that a large number of medals can be successively inserted. Specifically, the guiding surface 122a preferably is the same length as or longer than the diameter of the medal, and more preferably is not less than two to three times of the diameter of the medal so that a successive medal inserting operation can be smoothly and readily performed.

Further, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the exposure plate 121 is for example integrally formed by die-casting zinc (zinc alloy), and the surface thereof is chrome-plated for improving the appearance. As shown in FIG. 28, a plurality of fixing holes 121f are formed in the above-mentioned integrally formed exposure plate 121 so as to be readily fixed to bosses (not shown) previously provided on the slot machine body side. As thus described, the exposure plate 121 as a portion where the medal is inserted (portion which the medal contacts) is integrally formed, being configured to be attachable to/detachable from the bosses previously formed in the slot machine (gaming machine), so that the exposure plate 121 can be readily re-used in other variety of kinds of machines. Namely, by previously standardizing the bosses formed on the gaming machine side and the fixing configuration of the exposure plate 121 according to predetermined ones, the exposure plate 121 can be attached to/detached from, or reused in a variety of kinds of machines. Further, in a case where the shape, the length or the like of the guiding surface 122a is wished to be changed according to the appearance design of the gaming machine or the like, the medal insertion device can be readily changed to an appropriate one by previously manufacturing an exposure plate 121 in a different shape.

In the present embodiment, the guiding surface 122a is formed, keeping the cross sectional shape shown in FIG. 19, and further extending toward the player side. The extended portion is given a function as a medal placement portion where a medal can be placed. It is to be noted that this medal placement portion is denoted by symbol 122d in the figures, and since this portion has the same shape (may have substantially the same shape) as that of the above-mentioned guiding surface 122a, a portion which the medal contacts is denoted by symbol P1′, and the deepest portion of the U-shaped groove is denoted by symbol P′. The medal placement portion 122d may be formed such that the player can place a plurality of medals and the placed medals are readily pushed as they are toward the guiding surface 122a. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, the medal placement portion 122d is formed so as to be slightly inclined (slightly inclined against the horizontal surface PX) toward the insertion slot 123a.

As thus described, formation of the medal placement portion 122d having the same cross sectional shape as that of the guiding surface 122a for example facilitates holding a plurality of medals in a standing state between the fingers as shown in FIG. 29A, or placing a plurality of medals in piles as shown in FIG. 29B. The inclination of the medal placement portion 122d makes it easier to shift the medal toward the guiding surface 122a as it is, as indicated by the arrow. In this case, as described above, the medals successively and smoothly drop toward the insertion slot 123 in a state shown in above FIGS. 21 to 24 due to the shape of the guiding surface 122a. The medal placement portion 122d is formed so as to continuously have the same cross sectional shape as that of the guiding surface 122a and allow the medal to be placed thereon. Thereby it becomes possible to position the medal in a stable state in a position 122a′ (see FIGS. 26, 27 and 29) of the uppermost portion in the guiding surface 122a as a place for medal insertion. It is thus possible to more smoothly insert a large number of medals into the insertion slot 123 in the states shown in FIGS. 21 to 24. Namely, it is possible to position a plurality of medals in a stable state where the above-mentioned action effect can be exceedingly exerted, in the position of the uppermost portion 122a′ of the guiding surface 122a.

Further, since the medal placement portion 122d is formed with slight inclination in relation to the horizontal surface PX, it is possible to readily shift a large number of medals to the uppermost portion 122a′ of the guiding surface 122a by light pushing of the medals by the player with his or her finger or the like. That is, it becomes easier to perform the operation of putting a medal to the guiding surface 122a.

It is to be noted that, for example, the medal placement may be formed so that a large number of medals can be stably placed thereon as shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B. In FIG. 27, the medal placement portion 122d may be formed along the horizontal surface PX, or it may be formed so as to be slightly inclined toward the player side. Moreover, the length of the medal placement portion 122d is not particularly restricted so long as being long enough to allow a plurality of medals to be held between the fingers in a standing and piled state as shown in FIG. 29A, or at least one pile of medals to be placed along the extending direction of the medal as shown in FIG. 29B. Naturally, the length of the medal placement portion 122d can be variously changed according to design, and may be large enough to allow two or more piles to be placed along the extending direction.

Further, although the medal placement portion 122d is preferably configured to have the same cross sectional shape as that of the guiding surface 122a, the medal placement portion 122d can be appropriately modified by being gradually expanded while having the same cross sectional shape as that of the guiding surface 122a, or by being gradually made flat, or by other manners.

Although the fifth embodiment was described above, the fifth aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and is capable of modification in various manners.

In the medal insertion device with the above-mentioned configuration, the device may be comprised simply of a rear surface wall on which a medal abuts, without arrangement of the rotating roller 140 behind the insertion slot 123. Further, in the case of arranging the rotating roller, the medal guiding portion 122 may simply be inclined toward the insertion slot, and the cross sectional shape thereof may be flat or the like, being not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 19. Moreover, although the guiding surface 122a was configured to have a sectionally U-shaped curved portion so that the medal contacts the guiding surface 122a at two points in the above-mentioned embodiment, the guiding surface 122a may have such a shape that the medal, when placed, abuts on the outer peripheral edge of a portion forming a line shorter than the diameter of the medal at two points, and a gap is formed between the guiding surface 122a and the lower end edge of the medal. The guiding surface 122a can be appropriately modified as follows. For example, the guiding surface 122a may have a sectional V-shape (having linear portions) as shown in FIG. 30A, or have a sectional substantially U-shape (having curved portions and a linear portion) as shown in FIG. 30B. Or the surface of the guiding surface 122a may be made uneven, or the like.

Further, the medal insertion device 120 may be configured such that the constituent members such as the exposure plate 121 and the rotating roller 140 are previously unitized, to be incorporated into the gaming machine body. Moreover, the medal guiding portion 122 in the medal insertion device 120 may be configured to be extended to the right and left with respect to the player, to be extended askew, or to allow the medal to be inserted from the gaming machine side toward the player side as opposed to the present embodiment.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned shape of the exposure plate 121 can be appropriately changed. For example, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the exposure plate 121 may be configured such that a side wall portion 121f of the concave portion 121a is expanded in the width direction, as compared to the above-mentioned present embodiment, to increase the exposed portion of the medal return button 130, thereby to facilitate an operation of pressing the medal return button 130.

It is possible to apply the fifth aspect of the present invention to a variety of devices into which a coin or a medal is inserted, such as an automatic dispenser, a ticketing machine for issuing a variety of tickets, and the like, in addition to the foregoing gaming machine such as the slot machine.

Claims

1. A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by said driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of said driving motor to said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller, wherein said power transmission mechanism is provided with idling means for making the driving motor idle upon application of load over a predetermined value to the driving motor.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein said power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of said driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around said pulleys.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein said driving belt is a round belt, and a sectionally V-shaped groove along which said round belt is wound is to be formed in said pulleys, to constitute said idling means.

4. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein said driving belt is a round belt, and out of said pulleys, a sectionally V-shaped groove along which said round belt is to be wound is formed in the first pulley rotationally driven to said insertion side, to constitute said idling means.

5. A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by said driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting said driving motor and also rotatably supporting said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of said driving motor to said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller, wherein said power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of said driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around said pulleys.

6. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein said base member is composed of a separable first base and second base, along with said first rotating roller and second rotating roller being rotatably supported between said first base and said second base, and said first pulley, said second pulley and said driving pulley arranged so as to be exposed on one of said base sides.

7. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein a guiding path for guiding said game medium toward an identification device is formed on said base member.

8. A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by said driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting said driving motor and also rotatably supporting said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of said driving motor to said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; and a guiding path which is formed on said base member and guides a game medium inserted from said insertion slot toward an identification portion of an identification device for identifying the effectiveness of the game medium, wherein said guiding path is formed in a curved shape in relation to the traveling direction of the game medium inserted from said insertion slot.

9. The gaming machine according to claim 8, wherein said guiding path is formed on said base member such that the traveling direction of the game medium by the guiding path is different from the traveling direction of the game medium by a conveyance path of said identification device.

10. The gaming machine according to claim 8, wherein said power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of said driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around said pulleys.

11. A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor, which is rotationally driven in forward/backward directions; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by frontward rotational driving of said driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting said driving motor and also rotatably supporting said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of said driving motor to said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller, wherein said driving motor is rotationally driven in the backward direction upon detection of medal jam, and said power transmission mechanism includes a one-way clutch for controlling rotation of the second rotating roller which is rotationally driven to said ejection side upon the backward rotational driving of said driving motor.

12. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein said power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of said driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around said pulleys, and said one-way clutch is arranged on said second pulley.

13. A gaming machine incorporating a game medium processing device comprising: a driving motor; a first rotating roller and a second rotating roller which are installed at a predetermined interval and rotationally driven by said driving motor so as to guide a game medium inserted into an insertion slot respectively to an insertion side and an ejection side; a base member for supporting said driving motor and also rotatably supporting said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation driving force of said driving motor to said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller, wherein said power transmission mechanism has differential means for making a rotational driving speed of the second rotating roller, which is rotationally driven to said ejection side, slower than a rotational driving speed of the first rotating roller which is rotationally driven to said insertion side.

14. The gaming machine according to claim 13, wherein said power transmission mechanism includes: a first pulley and a second pulley which are mounted on respective driving axes of said first rotating roller and said second rotating roller; a driving pulley which is mounted on a rotation driving axis of said driving motor; and a driving belt which is to be wound around said pulleys, and said differential means is configured such that said second pulley has a larger diameter than that of said first pulley.

15. A gaming machine comprising a game medium insertion device where a game medium is inserted and accepted, wherein said game medium insertion device includes: an insertion slot for accepting a game medium; and a game medium guiding portion having a guiding surface inclined downward toward said insertion slot for guiding the game medium, and said guiding surface has a contact portion which the outer peripheral edge of a portion of the game medium forming a line shorter than the diameter of the game medium contacts at two points, upon placement of the game medium on the guiding surface.

16. The gaming machine according to claim 15, wherein said game medium insertion device includes a rotating roller which rotates upon abutting of the game medium having been guided along said guiding surface, so as to change the posture of the game medium toward said insertion slot.

17. The gaming machine according to claim 16, wherein said rotating roller is rotatably supported in a position higher than a position of an open end of said insertion slot.

18. The gaming machine according to claim 16, wherein a cover is installed around said rotating roller.

19. The gaming machine according to claim 15, wherein said game medium insertion device includes a game medium placement portion where a plurality of game media can be placed so that the game media are guided toward said guiding surface.

20. The gaming machine according to claim 19, wherein said game medium placement portion is formed continuously with said guiding surface, and has a substantially equivalent cross-sectional shape to the cross-sectional shape of said guiding surface.

21. The gaming machine according to claim 19, wherein said game medium placement portion is inclined downward toward said guiding surface.

22. A gaming machine comprising a game medium insertion device where a game medium is inserted and accepted, wherein said game medium insertion device includes: an insertion slot for accepting a game medium; a game medium guiding portion having a guiding surface inclined downward toward said insertion slot for guiding the game medium; and a rotating roller which rotates upon a butting of the game medium having been guided along said guiding surface, so as to change the posture of the game medium toward said insertion slot.

23. The gaming machine according to claim 22, wherein said rotating roller is rotatably supported in a position higher than a position of an open end of said insertion slot.

24. The gaming machine according to claim 22, wherein said game medium insertion device includes a game medium placement portion where a plurality of game media can be placed so that the game media are guided toward said guiding surface.

25. The gaming machine according to claim 24, wherein said game medium placement portion is formed continuously with said guiding surface, and has a substantially equivalent cross-sectional shape to the cross-sectional shape of said guiding surface.

26. The gaming machine according to claim 24, wherein said game medium placement portion is inclined downward toward said guiding surface.