Patent ID: 7793938

Claim:
A prize acquisition game apparatus, comprising: a housing configured to provide a closed space in which prizes are arranged; a console provided outside of said closed space with switches operable by a player who tries to get one of the prizes; a catching unit arranged movably inside said closed space in responding to an external operation on the console by the player, said catching unit being provided with a first driving mechanism and a set of movable catching arms, opening and closing movement of said catching arms being driven by said first driving mechanism, said catching arms being configured removably and exchangeably mountable against the first driving mechanism of said catching unit, each of said catching arms being provided with claws each configured exchangeably mountable to a tip of the corresponding catching arm, said catching arms and said claws being configured to allow a maintenance operator for the apparatus to removably and exchangeably mount them by selecting a set of said catching arms and/or a set of said claws from a storage in which exchangeable members including plural sets of alternative catching arms and claws are provided differently from one another at least in sizes; an input unit configured to input configuration data including information indicative of the respective types of said catching arms and/or said claws mounted on said catching unit; a second driving mechanism configured to movably support said catching unit in said closed space so as to enable said catching unit to move in X, Y, and vertical directions in responding to an operation on said switches by the player; and a control unit arranged to control said first driving mechanism in accordance with the configuration data including data associating said arm type and/or said claw type so as to control the movement of said catching arms to provide a certain spaced distance among said catching arms when said catching arms are opened and to provide a certain catching strength to be applied to a prize by said catching arms and said claws when said catching arms are closed in accordance with the configuration data including the data associating said catching arms and claws selectively mounted to said catching unit.