Coin dispenser arrangement

Abstract: A coin dispenser arrangement (1) for a gaming machine has a bucket portion (2) for accommodating a plurality of coins and discharging the coins one by one, and a passage (5, 6) for guiding the discharged coins to a predetermined position, wherein the passage (5, 6) has a coin face adjustment (5a) for changing facing direction of the discharged coin to an optional facing direction. Because facing direction of coin discharged from the bucket portion can be changed optionally by the coin face adjustment, the passage does not need to have a gently sloped curve for changing the facing direction of coin. The inside space of the housing of gaming machine can be saved due to the shortened passage by eliminating the curve. Time required for paying out coins can be shortened. Also, when the curve is eliminated, coin clogging rarely occurs. As a result, coins can be smoothly paid out.

Description: This invention relates to a coin dispenser arrangement for a gaming machine such as a slot machine or the like that is played by using a playing medium such as a coin, token or a medal (hereinafter, called coin). A coin dispenser arrangement for a gaming machine is a device for paying out coins accommodated in a bucket one by one. A known coin dispenser arrangement has a structure by which a coin is guided to a higher position than a coin discharge slit of the bucket. This coin dispenser arrangement is called "escalator type" coin dispenser arrangement. This escalator type coin dispenser arrangement has a bucket portion having a bucket for accommodating a plurality of coins, a coin discharge disk that is disposed inclined to a horizontal plane in the bucket and is driven into rotation in the inclined plane, and a coin discharge slit; a passage for guiding coins, each of which has passed through the coin discharge slit, to a predetermined upper position; and a stand for supporting them. In operation, coins accommodated in the bucket are carried to the coin discharge slit one by one by means of the coin discharge disk, and each coin that has passed through the coin discharge slit is pushed into a bottom end of the passage, moved in the passage up to the upper end of the passage and paid out through a coin outlet. A coin is pushed out to the passage through the coin discharge slit with inclined state because the coin discharge disk is inclined to horizontal plane, and the coin discharge slit is inclined as well. Accordingly, the passage for guiding coins to the coin outlet in upper position has a gently sloped curve for gradually changing the coins from the inclined state to vertical state. For installing such an escalator type coin dispenser arrangement having the passage having a curve, a gaming machine needs large space in its housing. Also, the passage is often clogged with coins in the curve. Time is required for paying out coins because each coin that has been discharged from the bucket has to move in a long passage to arrive at the coin outlet in the upper position. WO 93/21606 discloses a device for sorting coins. The device comprises a feeder drum, a coin track and a turning means for turning the coin coming from the feeder drum and being in the feeder drum plane to a plane defined by the coin track. The turning means consists of a trough-like body in which the coin propagates supported by its peripheral surface on edges of the drum. The coin is supported with its side surface on a sliding surface of the turning means while a drive belt having a round diameter is positioned against the opposite side surface of the coin. The drive belt is pressed against the coin along a line situated in the middle of the side surface of the coin. Under the influence of a friction between the drive belt and the coin, the coin moves at a speed defined by the drive belt. The coin moves in a substantially straight line while being turned. US 5,323,398 describes a disk conveyor including a feeder device for serially feeding a plurality of disk-like objects. In particular, the device comprises an endless belt disposed along a medal transporting passage for applying frictional transporting force to the medals. Adjacent a transport start point of this endless belt, there are provided a pair of opposed driven rollers for transporting the medals in cooperation with the belt. It is desirable to provide a coin dispenser arrangement by which coins can be smoothly paid out, wherein a passage for guiding coins discharged from a bucket up to a coin outlet in upper position is formed short so that space can be saved, time required for movement of coins is shortened, and further coin clogging rarely occurs. The present invention is defined by the accompanying claims. There is provided a coin dispenser arrangement for a gaming /T machine having a bucket portion for accommodating a plurality of coins and discharging the coins one by one, and a passage for guiding the discharged coins to a predetermined position, the passage having a coin face adjustment means for changing facing direction of the discharged coin to an optional facing direction. The facing direction of a coin discharged from the bucket portion can be changed optionally by the coin face adjustment. As a result, the passage does not need to have the gently sloped curve for changing the facing direction of coin. The inside space of the housing of gaming machine can be saved due to the shortened passage by eliminating the curve. Also, when the curve is eliminated, coin clogging rarely occurs. The coin face adjustment means has a pair of rollers disposed in right and left sides of the passage to which the discharged coin is led, and may have a drive source for driving the rollers into rotation, respectively, which is arranged so that the pair of rollers may be rotated facing each other to introduce or insert the coin between them and send the coin forward while changing the coin face to vertical. The facing direction of the coin discharged from the bucket portion is changed to vertical direction by the coin face adjustment, and the coin having vertical face can move upwards. As a result, it is unnecessary to form a gently sloped curve in the passage. The coin can be directly led to an upward passage and can smoothly move to the coin outlet at the upper end of the passage. Also, the coin is forced forward because the rotating rollers push out the coin. When shafts of the pair of rollers are disposed movably in a horizontal direction and pulled in a closing direction towards each other, it is possible to ease a shock that is added to the rollers and the coin when the coin enters between the rollers. When one of the pair of rollers is chamfered at upper edge of its roll face and the other is chamfered at lower edge of its roll face, the inclined coin is easily pulled between the right and the left rollers. Consequently, the facing direction of the coin can be changed smoothly. Because the coin face adjustment means can change a facing direction of the coin at a speed depending on the rotary speed of the pair of rollers, the coin facing direction can be changed at once by the rollers rotated at a high speed just after the coin has been discharged from the bucket portion. The time for sending the coin discharged from the bucket portion to the upper position of the passage is greatly shortened since the conventional gently sloped curve is unnecessary. The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an isometric representation of a coin dispenser arrangement in accordance with a specific illustrative embodiment of this invention; Fig. 2 is an isometric representation of a constitution of a coin face adjustment means in the coin dispenser arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an isometric representation of a state where a coin is inserted between a pair of rollers of the coin face adjustment means of Fig. 2; Fig.4 is a plan view that shows moving action in a right and left direction of the pair of rollers of the coin face adjustment means of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a front view of the coin face adjustment means of Fig. 2 watched from the bucket side. Fig. 1 shows an appearance of an "escalator type" coin dispenser arrangement 1 that is an illustrative embodiment of this invention. This "escalator type" coin dispenser arrangement 1 has a bucket portion including a bucket 2 for accommodating a plurality of coins C, a coin discharge disk (not shown) that is driven into rotation in a inclined plane to a horizontal plane in the bucket and a coin discharge slit 3, and a passage for receiving the coins C that have been discharged through the coin discharge slit 3 and guiding the coins C up to a predetermined position. The passage 5 has an upward passage 6 for guiding the discharged coins C to an upper position. Coins accommodated in the bucket 2 are carried to the coin discharge slit 3 by the coin discharge disk one by one and discharged through the coin discharge slit 3 into the passage 5. The coin discharge slit 3 is provided diagonally. A coin C is discharged though the coin discharge slit 3 in an inclined state into the passage 5. In the passage 5, a pair of coin receiving plates 4 (Fig. 5) are connected with the coin discharge slit 3 for receiving the coin in the inclined state. The passage 5 is equipped with a coin face adjustment means 5a for changing the facing direction of the coin C discharged through the coin discharge slit 3 and for sending it to the upward passage 6. The coin C moves with vertical coin face in the upward passage 6. The coins C are pushed up from the lower side in the upward passage 6 and pushed out of an upper end 6a of the upward passage 6 one by one. Fig. 2 is an isometric representation of a constitution of the coin face adjustment means 5a; Fig. 3 is an isometric representation of the coin face adjustment means 5a in drive; Fig.4 is a plan view thereof; and Fig. 5 is a front view of the coin face adjustment means 5a watched from the coin discharge slit 3 side. A pair of rollers 9a, 9b are disposed on right and left sides, respectively, of the passage to which the coin C on the coin receiving plates 4 is led. As shown in the front view of Fig. 5, roll faces of rollers 9a, 9b are vertically facing each other, the roll face of roller 9a being chamfered at upper edge to form a curved surface R1, and the roll face of roller 9b being chamfered at lower edge to form a curved surface R2. These curved surface R1, R2 are effective for smoothly dragging the inclined coin C on the coin receiving plate 4 between two rollers 9a, 9b as explained later. Each time a coin is discharged through the coin discharge slit 3, the pair of rollers 9a, 9b are driven into rotation so that each coin guided by the coin receiving plate 4 may be dragged betweeen the rollers 9a, 9b and is sent to the upward passage 6. Practically, depending on the situation of game, a controller of the gaming machine outputs a coin pay out signal to drive the coin discharge disk into rotation and to drive the rollers 9a, 9b into rotation, as well. A gear train that is driven by a motor 17 as driving source is provided for rotating the pair of rollers 9a, 9b. The gear train is constituted by a pinion 19 fixed to a rotation output shaft 18 of the motor 17, a reduction gear 15 engaged with the pinion 19, a first gear 7a, 16 formed as one body with the reduction gear 15, a second gear 7b engaged with the first gear 7a, a roller drive gear 7c fixed to a roller shaft 8c of roller 9a, and a roller drive gear 7d fixed to a roller shaft 8d of roller 9b. The first gear 7a is engaged with the roller drive gear 7c. The second gear 7b is engaged with the roller drive gear 7d. Underneath the gear train, two cover plates 12, 13 are provided. The cover plates 12, 13 have perforations through which a shaft 8a of the first gear 7a, a shaft 8b of the second gear 7b and roller shafts 8c, 8d penetrate. The rollers 9a, 9b are arranged underneath the cover plates 12, 13, respectively. In the gear train, when the motor 17 rotates, each gear rotates in a direction shown by each arrow of Fig. 2, and roller drive gears 7c, 7d can rotate simultaneously. As a result, roller 9a rotates in clock direction, and roller 9b rotates in anti-clock direction. A coin C can be dragged between rollers 9a, 9b by rotation of the rollers 9a, 9b. Under the cover plate 12 is disposed a turnable member 10 using the shaft 8a of the first gear 7a as the fulcrum and being penetrated by the roller shaft 8c in a condition where the roller shaft 8c can rotate. Under the cover plate 13 is disposed a turnable member 11 using the shaft 8b of the second gear 7b as the fulcrum and being penetrated by the roller shaft 8d in a condition where the roller shaft 8d can rotate. The roller shafts 8c, 8d penetrate through prolonged perforations 12b, 13b of the cover plate 12, 13, respectively, so that the roller shafts 8c, 8d may be movable in accompanied with turn of the turnable members 10, 11 and the movement thereof may be kept in a proper range. The coin face is preferably changed to vertical during passing through between the rollers 9a, 9b. It is desirable to nip the coin between roll faces vertical in order to stand up the coin vertical. It is also desirable that both faces of the coin come in contact with roll faces of rollers 9a, 9b, respectively. The turnable members 10, 11 are connected with a coil spring 14 at both ends of the spring 14 to be forced to closing direction mutually. Therefore, when the inclined coin C enters the space between the rollers 9a, 9b, the interval thereof can spread, and when the coin C passes between of the roller 9a, 9b, the interval between the rollers 9a, 9b becomes narrow by power of the coil spring 14. For keeping a certain interval necessary for a coin to pass between the pair of rollers 9a, 9b, the cover plates 12, 13 have stoppers 12a, 13a for stopping the movement of the turnable members 10, 11 by engaging with the movable ends of the members 10, 11, respectively. In Fig. 3, the coin C is going to be dragged between the pair of rollers 9a, 9b. The inclined coin C enters between the rotating rollers 9a, 9b and pushes them apart. On the other hand, the rollers 9a, 9b are pulled back by the coil spring 14 so that the coin C inclined is caught by the roll faces of the rollers 9a, 9b to be vertical and is sent to the upward passage 6. As in the embodiment, pulling the pair of rollers to the direction closing mutually with the spring can ease a shock caused when a coin discharged from the bucket portion is dragged between the pair of rollers. Thus, the interval between the pair of rollers may be adjusted so as to realize a smooth coin dragging therein and pushing out. Movement of rollers 9a, 9b is explained referring to Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, the coin before coming in the coin face adjustment means 5a is shown by "A" and the coin pushed out from the coin face adjustment means 5a is shown by "B". When the inclined coin A forces itself between the pair of rollers 9a, 9b to spread the interval between the rollers 9a, 9b, the roller shafts 8c, 8d move in a direction apart from each other with movement of the turnable member 10, 11, respectively. As a result, the interval between the rollers 9a, 9b is widened. Double dotted lines of rollers 9a', 9b' show positions of rollers 9a, 9b when the rollers 9a, 9b move to widen the interval between them. A coin dragged between rollers 9a, 9b moves to a direction shown by arrows. When the coin enters between the rollers 9a, 9b, the coin is inclined as shown by the coin A. However, the coin changes its facing direction while passing through between the rollers 9a, 9b and when the coin is sent out of the coin face adjustment means 5a, the coin becomes vertical as shown by the coin B. Because the coin that has become vertical can be moved upward, the coin can be directly sent to the upward passage 6. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to form a gently sloped curve in the passage for changing the facing direction of coin to vertical. By disposing the coin face adjustment means 5a in the passage near the coin discharge slit and by forming the vertically upward passage 6 in front of the coin face adjustment means 5a, there is provided a coin dispenser arrangement that is minimized in size, in which a coin clogging occurs hardly, and movement time of coins can be minimized due to the shortened passage. Next, a state where a coin enters the coin face adjustment means 5a from the coin receiving plate 4 is explained referring to Fig. 5. Coin A is led to the coin face adjustment means 5a in an inclined state where the coin is raised at the right side by the coin receiving plate 4. When coin A enters between rollers 9a, 9b, the coin A comes in contact with the curved surface R1 of roller 9a at the right side, and the coin A comes in contact with the curved surface R2 of roller 9b at the left side. Because the coin A can come in contact with the rotating rollers 9a, 9b in inclined state, it can be dragged between the pair of rollers 9a, 9b smoothly. If the curved surfaces of the rollers 9a, 9b are made so large, the vertical roll faces necessary for changing the coin face to be vertical become too small to change facing direction of a coin to vertical direction. Accordingly, the shape and size of the rollers are designed so as to easily drag a coin and to sufficiently change the facing direction of the coin. At least surfaces of the pair of rollers 9a, 9b are desirably made of an elastic material such as a rubber material or the like for smoothly changing the facing direction of the coin and for sending the coin forward. In the coin face adjustment means 5a of the embodiment, the roller shafts of the rollers 9a, 9b are movable shafts so that the rollers 9a, 9b can be moved apart or close depending on the power added. However, the coin dispenser arrangement of the present invention may include a coin face adjustment means that has a pair of rollers arranged unmovable in a predetermined interval for dragging the inclined coin and changing the facing direction of the coin to send out the coin. In the embodiment, the facing direction of the coin is changed to vertical direction. However, according to the present invention, the facing direction of the moving coin may be changed to another direction. In the embodiment, the coin face adjustment means 5a is established in the passage near the coin discharge slit 3. In the present invention, the position of a coin face adjustments means is not limited, and it can be established at an optional position necessary to change facing direction of the moving coin.

Claims: A coin dispenser arrangement (1) for a gaming machine having a bucket portion (2) for accommodating a plurality of coins and discharging the coins one by one, and a passage (5, 6) for guiding the discharged coins to a predetermined position, the passage (5, 6) having a coin face adjustment means (5a) for turning discharged coins about an axis substantially aligned with the direction of movement of the coins to another facing direction, characterized in that the coin face adjustment means (5a) turns coins about an axis substantially aligned with the direction of movement of the coins during passage between a single pair of rollers (9a, 9b) arranged at opposite sides of the passage (5, 6) to which the discharged coins are led. The coin dispenser arrangement (1) of claim 1, wherein the arrangement has a drive source (17) for driving the rollers (9a, 9b) into rotation, respectively, which is arranged so that the pair of rollers (9a, 9b) can be rotated facing each other so as to introduce or insert the coin between them and send the coin forward while turning the coins.

Inventors: TOKOYODA YUJI, TOKOYODA, YUJI
Applicants: ARUZE CORP, ARUZE CORPORATION
Application year: 1999
Main classification: G07D9
IPC codes: A63F9, G07D9, A63F5