Claw game machine's winding reel

Abstract

A winding reel for a gripper game machine includes two discs and a hub axially connected to the discs. The hub and the discs cooperate to define a through groove. The hub has an outer peripheral surface surrounding the through groove and forms at least one through hole extending radially from the outer peripheral surface and communicating with the through groove, a threading groove extending inward from the outer peripheral surface and located radially outside the through groove, and a receiving groove extending inward from the outer peripheral surface and communicating with the threading groove. The minimum inner diameter of the receiving groove is larger than the inner diameter of the threading groove. The threading groove does not communicate with the through groove and the at least one through hole to prevent the rope from contacting fasteners or drive shafts. Furthermore, after the rope is knotted, a gentle pull is sufficient to contain the knot in the receiving groove without it protruding from the outer peripheral surface, thus ensuring smoothness and stability during rope winding.

Description

Claw game machine's winding reel Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a reel for winding up a rope, and more particularly to a winding reel for a claw game machine. Prior Technology

[0002] Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, a typical gripper game machine uses a motor to drive a winding reel 1 to rotate, thereby winding or releasing the string 21 on the reel 1, which in turn moves the gripper 22 connected to the string 21 up and down. The winding reel 1 surrounds a through groove 11 that is axially opened and located on the axis of rotation. The winding reel 1 includes a hub portion 12 and two disc portions 13 that are axially connected to opposite sides of the hub portion 12 and have an outer diameter larger than the hub portion 12. The hub portion 12 forms two through holes 121 that extend inward from the outer circumference to the through groove 11 and are coaxially corresponding to each other, and a thread hole 122 that passes through the hub portion 12 and connects the through groove 11 and one of the through holes 121. The through slot 11 allows a drive shaft 23 of the motor to pass through. Two fasteners are inserted into the through holes 121. By tightening these fasteners, their ends slightly extend into the through slot 11, pressing against the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 23 and fixing the winding wheel 1 to the drive shaft 23. The threading hole 122 allows the rope 21 to pass through, and a knot can be tied at one end of the rope 21 to prevent it from passing through the threading hole 122, thus fixing the rope 21 to the hub portion 12. This design allows the winding wheel 1 to be rotated by the motor and to wind and unwind the rope 21.

[0003] However, the threaded hole 122 connects the through groove 11 and one of the through holes 121 therein, and the central axis of the threaded hole 122 intersects with the central axis of the through hole 121. This means that when the wire 21 is threaded through and the fastener is locked in, one of the fasteners needs to pass through and contact the wire 21 during the locking process. This can easily increase the friction between the fastener and the wire 21, causing wear on the wire 21. It can also easily cause the fastener to be blocked from locking, making it impossible to tighten. At the same time, it is not easy to replace the wire 21. If the fastener does not properly pass around the wire 21, the wire 21 may be pushed into the through groove 11 when locking the fastener, or the wire 21 may enter the through groove 11 due to tension. This will cause the drive shaft 23 to be slightly misaligned due to the push of the wire 21. Furthermore, after the rope 21 is knotted, it cannot pass through the thread hole 122 due to its large outer diameter. However, this also means that the fixing knot 211 of the rope 21 will be located outside the outer circumference of the hub 12. As a result, the protruding fixing knot 211 will cause jamming and shaking during the winding of the rope 21, thus affecting stability and smoothness. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide a winding wheel that can prevent the rope from interfering with the fastener and prevent the rope from forming a fixed knot protrusion.

[0005] Therefore, the winding wheel of this novel gripper game machine includes two disc-shaped discs spaced apart from each other along the axial direction, and a hub axially connected to the discs and having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the discs. The hub and the discs cooperate to define a through groove extending along the axial direction. The hub has an outer peripheral surface surrounding the through groove and forms at least one through hole extending radially from the outer peripheral surface and communicating with the through groove, a threading groove extending inward from the outer peripheral surface and located radially outside the through groove but not communicating with the through groove and the at least one through hole, and a thread receiving groove extending inward from the outer peripheral surface and communicating with the threading groove. The minimum inner diameter of the thread receiving groove is larger than the inner diameter of the threading groove.

[0006] The advantages of this invention are as follows: the threading groove is located radially outside the through groove and does not connect the through groove and the at least one through hole. Thus, the rope passing through the threading groove will not enter or pass through the at least one through hole and the through groove, thereby preventing the rope from contacting fasteners or the drive shaft, and also facilitating rope replacement. Furthermore, after the rope end is knotted, a gentle pull is all that is needed to allow the knot to be contained within the threading groove without protruding from the outer circumference, ensuring smoothness and stability during rope winding. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0007] Other features and effects of this invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a side view illustrating part of the structure of a conventional claw machine game console; Figure 2 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating one of the conventional winding reels of the gripper game machine in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the conventional winding reel shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the winding wheel of this novel gripper game machine; Figure 5 is a three-dimensional view illustrating the three-dimensional appearance of Figure 4 from different angles; Figure 6 is a side view illustrating one embodiment of the grooving; and Figure 7 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of this embodiment. Implementation

[0008] Referring to Figures 4, 5, and 6, one embodiment of the winding reel of this novel gripper game machine includes two disc-shaped reels 3 spaced apart from each other along the axial direction, and a hub 4 axially connected to the discs 3 and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the discs 3. The winding reel can be made entirely of aluminum to achieve lightweight and high durability. The hub 4 and the discs 3 cooperate to define an axially extending through groove 5, meaning that the through groove 5 extends axially from the outer side of one disc 3 through the hub 4 and extends to the outer side of the other disc 3. The hub 4 has an outer peripheral surface 41 surrounding the through groove 5 and connecting the wheel discs 3; two inner straight surfaces 42 connecting the outer peripheral surface 41 and spaced apart from each other circumferentially; two inner arc surfaces 43 connecting the outer peripheral surface 41 and each connecting the inner straight surfaces 42; and an end face 44 connecting the inner straight surfaces 42 and the inner arc surfaces 43 and being substantially perpendicular to the inner straight surfaces 42 and the inner arc surfaces 43. In this embodiment, the middle portion of the outer peripheral surface 41 has the same outer diameter, while the outer diameter of the two side portions increases outwards. This design is beneficial for the winding of the rope, but actual designs are not limited to this.

[0009] Referring to Figures 5, 6, and 7, the hub 4 forms two through holes 45 extending radially from the outer peripheral surface 41 and connecting to the through groove 5; a wire-passing groove 46 extending radially from the outer peripheral surface 41 to the end face 44 and located radially outside the through groove 5 without connecting to the through groove 5 or any of the through holes 45; and a wire-receiving groove 47 extending radially from the outer peripheral surface 41 and connecting to the wire-passing groove 46. Each through hole 45 has an enlarged section 451 extending radially from the outer peripheral surface 41 and an extension section 452 extending radially from the enlarged section 451 and connecting to the through groove 5. The inner diameter of the enlarged section 451 increases radially away from the enlarged section 451. The enlarged section 451 is used to embed the screw head of the fastener to prevent the screw head of the fastener from protruding outward.

[0010] It should be noted that the figures in this embodiment illustrate that the central axes 450 of the perforations 45 of the hub 4 intersect in the through groove 5, forming an angle of less than 180 degrees, i.e., the central axes 450 of the perforations 45 form an obtuse angle. However, in practice, right angles or other angles can also be formed, and the perforations 45 can even be parallel to each other and the through groove 46, forming an angle of 180 degrees. Furthermore, the number of perforations 45 can be one or more, depending on the required locking strength and their arrangement.

[0011] The cable-receiving groove 47 is formed by the cooperation of the inner flat surfaces 42, the inner curved surfaces 43, and the end face 44. Since the shortest distance between the inner flat surfaces 42 is less than the shortest distance between the inner curved surfaces 43, the cross-section of the cable-receiving groove 47 is generally elliptical. The minimum inner diameter of the cable-receiving groove 47 is larger than the inner diameter of the threading groove 46, so that the cable-receiving groove 47 has space to accommodate the fixing knot 611 of the cable 61. The central axis 461 of the threading groove 46 is located axially outside the central axis 471 of the cable-receiving groove 47, so that the threading groove 46 is slightly offset relative to the cable-receiving groove 47. This design allows the fixing knot 611 of the cable 61 to bend to one side at a larger angle, thus making it easier for the cable-receiving groove 47 to hide the fixing knot 611.

[0012] The through slot 5 allows the drive shaft of the motor to pass through, while the through holes 45 provide fasteners for securing the drive shaft. The fasteners then press against and fix the drive shaft. The wire-passing slot 46 allows the wire 61 to pass through, and the wire-receiving slot 47 accommodates the fixing knot 611 at the end of the wire 61. Since the wire-passing slot 46 and the through holes 45 are independent, the fastening of the fasteners and the threading of the wire 61 are separate and do not interfere with each other. The wire 61 will not be able to enter the through holes 45 or the through slot 5. This avoids contact and interference between the wire 61 and the fasteners or the drive shaft, preventing accidental wear of the wire 61 and simplifying its replacement. Furthermore, after the cord 61 passes through the threading groove 46 and is knotted, the knot 611 can be easily placed in the receiving groove 47 by gently pulling the cord 61, so as to prevent the knot 611 from protruding from the outer peripheral surface 41, thereby ensuring that the cord 61 will not be obstructed by the knot 611 when it is wound up.

[0013] In summary, this invention separates the perforations 45 and the threading groove 46, so that the locking fastener and the threaded rope 61 will not interfere with each other. At the same time, the threading groove 46 will not connect with the through groove 5, so the rope 61 and the drive shaft will not affect each other. In addition, the accommodating groove 47 can accommodate the fixing knot 611 at the end of the rope 61, preventing the fixing knot 611 from protruding from the outer peripheral surface 41, thereby ensuring the smoothness and stability of the rope 61 when winding. Therefore, this invention can indeed achieve its purpose.

[0014] However, the above description is merely an embodiment of this invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of implementation of this invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the patent specification shall still fall within the scope of this invention.

[0015] 3: Roulette 4: Wheel hub 41: Outer peripheral surface 42:Inner flat surface 43:Inner arc surface 44: End face 45: Perforation 450: Central axis 451: Expanded section 452: Extension 46: Threading channel 461: Central Axis 47: Cable tray 471: Central Axis 5: Through-cut groove 61: Thread 611: Fixed knot

Claims

1. A winding reel for a gripper game machine, comprising: two discs, which are disc-shaped and spaced apart from each other along an axial direction; and a hub, which connects the discs along an axial direction and has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the discs, the hub and the discs cooperating to define a through groove extending along an axial direction, the hub having an outer peripheral surface surrounding the through groove and forming at least one through hole extending radially from the outer peripheral surface and communicating with the through groove, a threading groove extending inward from the outer peripheral surface and located radially outside the through groove but not communicating with the through groove and the at least one through hole, and a receiving groove extending inward from the outer peripheral surface and communicating with the threading groove, the minimum inner diameter of the receiving groove being larger than the inner diameter of the threading groove.

2. The winding reel of the gripper game machine as described in claim 1, wherein, The hub also has two inner flat surfaces that connect to the outer peripheral surface and are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, two inner arc surfaces that connect to the outer peripheral surface and are each connected to the inner flat surfaces, and an end face that connects the inner flat surfaces and the inner arc surfaces. The inner flat surfaces, the inner arc surfaces, and the end face cooperate to surround the cable groove, and the cable groove extends from the outer peripheral surface to the end face.

3. The winding reel of the gripper game machine as described in claim 2, wherein, The shortest distance between the inner straight surfaces of the wheel hub is less than the shortest distance between the inner curved surfaces.

4. The winding reel of the gripper game machine as described in claim 1, wherein, The central axis of the hub's threaded groove is located axially outside the central axis of the threaded groove.

5. The winding reel of the gripper game machine as described in claim 1, wherein, The hub has at least one perforation having an enlarged section extending inward from the outer circumference and an extension section extending radially from the enlarged section and communicating with the through groove, the inner diameter of the enlarged section increasing radially away from the enlarged section.

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