Patent ID: 7635131

Claim:
A prize acquiring game apparatus comprising: a prize display chamber including a wall that is at least partially transparent and arranged to separate an internal space from outside of the game apparatus, a display floor having an expanse enough to display plural prizes, an outlet located at a portion of the display floor, and a prize-grabbing unit configured to move laterally and vertically in the internal space of the prize display chamber and to grab a prize when the prize-grabbing unit has moved downward to the display floor; an operation means arranged outside of the prize display chamber; a control means that controls the prize-grabbing unit to move laterally and vertically over the display floor in response to an operation signal from the operation means, and move over the outlet to release a prize if the prize-grabbing unit has successfully grabbed the prize; and a prize storage section including a bottom floor located at a bottom level of the prize acquiring game apparatus and a vertical passage arranged between the outlet and the bottom floor so as to allow a prize released from the prize-grabbing unit to fall down freely to the bottom floor, wherein the prize storage section further includes: a take-out opening arranged along the vertical passage; a cover door movably covering the take-out opening, the cover door being arranged to swing inwardly about an axis provided at an upper side of the take-out opening so as to block the vertical passage when the cover door is pushed up inwardly and to allow the prize to be recovered from the bottom floor; and a buffer unit removably disposed on the bottom floor, the buffer unit being formed of a lower layer of rigid material and an upper layer of buffering material formed on the lower layer of rigid material, wherein the upper layer of buffering material is formed of material having a buffering characteristic enough to absorb an impact caused by the prize which has fallen freely from the prize-grabbing unit, and wherein the lower layer of rigid material is formed of material having a hardness enough to firmly fit the buffer unit to the bottom floor of the prize storage section against an impact of the fallen prize.