Game appliance

Abstract

The utility model provides a game tool which can improve game performance. The game tool includes: a track unit having an upper portion extending in a first direction located in a horizontal direction and a lower portion located below the upper portion and extending in the first direction, the track unit being formed in a ring shape and being driven to move at least a portion of the upper portion in one direction of the first direction to move the lower portion, at least one part of the lower part is moved towards the other direction of the first direction, so that the upper part is moved; a drive unit that drives the crawler unit; and a support unit, the lower end of which is grounded and which supports the track unit by separating the track unit from the ground contact surface by a predetermined distance, and in the track unit, a plurality of lattices indicating the placement place of the chess pieces are formed at the upper part and the lower part along a first direction and a second direction which is located in the horizontal direction and is perpendicular to the first direction. The lattice has a holding portion for holding the chess pieces, and the holding portion holds the chess pieces when located at the upper portion and the lower portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a game appliance. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, game appliances such as shogi and go, which determine the winner or loser by the arrangement of pieces, have been widely popularized. In addition, a board game appliance having a function of dropping a piece arranged on the upper side of the game appliance has been developed (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 4352186 Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Utility Model

[0007] However, in the technology described in the above Patent Document 1, pieces can only be arranged on the upper side of the game appliance, and there is room for further improvement.

[0008] In view of the above situation, the present utility model is completed, and an object thereof is to provide a game appliance capable of improving the game play.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In a first aspect, it is characterized in that

[0011] the game appliance includes:

[0012] a crawler unit having an upper part extending in a first direction located in a horizontal direction and a lower part located below the upper part and extending in the first direction, the crawler unit being formed in a ring shape and being driven to move at least a part of the upper part in one direction of the first direction and move downward, while moving at least a part of the lower part in the other direction of the first direction and move upward;

[0013] a drive unit for driving the crawler unit; and

[0014] a support unit having a lower end grounded and supporting the crawler unit by separating the crawler unit from the ground surface by a predetermined distance,

[0015] in the crawler unit, a plurality of grids representing the placement places of pieces are formed in the upper part and the lower part along the first direction and a second direction located in the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the first direction.

[0016] The grid has a holding part for holding the chess piece, and when located at the upper part and the lower part, the holding part holds the chess piece.

[0017] The second solution is based on the first solution and is characterized in that

[0018] The crawler unit has side parts that extend downward from both side parts in the first direction at the upper part and are connected to both side parts in the first direction at the lower part.

[0019] In the grid located at the side part, the holding part holds the chess piece.

[0020] The third solution is based on the first solution and is characterized in that

[0021] The crawler unit has a plurality of flat plate-shaped tread plate members formed with a plurality of grids in the second direction.

[0022] The crawler unit connects the plurality of tread plate members so as to be rotatable and forms a ring shape.

[0023] The fourth solution is based on the third solution and is characterized in that

[0024] The tread plate member has a shaft part connected to one of the two tread plate members to be connected and a bearing part connected to the other tread plate member.

[0025] A shaft pin extending in the second direction is formed on the shaft part.

[0026] A bearing for rotatably supporting the shaft pin is formed on the bearing part.

[0027] The fifth solution is based on the fourth solution and is characterized in that

[0028] The crawler unit has a first tread plate member and a second tread plate member at least partially different from the first tread plate member.

[0029] The shaft part of the first tread plate member, i.e., the first shaft part, is configured to be connectable to the bearing part of the second tread plate member, i.e., the second bearing part.

[0030] The shaft part of the second tread plate member, i.e., the second shaft part, is configured to be connectable to the bearing part of the first tread plate member, i.e., the first bearing part.

[0031] At least a part of the first shaft part is different from the second shaft part.

[0032] The sixth solution is based on the fifth solution and is characterized in that

[0033] A predetermined number of the axle pins are respectively formed on the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion.

[0034] A predetermined number of the bearing portions are respectively formed on the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion.

[0035] Among the axle pins formed on the second shaft portion,

[0036] at least one of the axle pins is formed at the same position as the axle pins formed on the first shaft portion.

[0037] At least one of the axle pins is formed at a position different from the axle pins formed on the first shaft portion.

[0038] The seventh aspect is based on the third aspect, and is characterized in that

[0039] The drive unit has a rotating member at least partially located between the upper part and the lower part of the crawler unit and rotating about the second direction as an axis.

[0040] The rotating member has a drive portion extending in the second direction and having a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which four side faces forming the side surfaces are of the same shape.

[0041] In the drive portion, one of the four side faces supports the upper part of the crawler unit.

[0042] The eighth aspect is based on the seventh aspect, and is characterized in that

[0043] The drive unit has a blocking portion that blocks the driving force for rotating the rotating member about the second direction as an axis.

[0044] In the blocking portion, the driving force when the side face of the drive portion that supports the upper part of the crawler unit is inclined from the horizontal state is blocked.

[0045] The ninth aspect is based on the first aspect, and is characterized in that

[0046] The support unit has a cover member located near both ends of the crawler unit on the second direction side and covering the both ends when viewed from the second direction.

[0047] The cover member includes:

[0048] An upper wall portion formed along the upper part of the crawler unit;

[0049] Side wall portions extending downward in the up and down direction from at least one end portion of the upper wall portion on the first direction side; and

[0050] The first protrusion extends inward from the corner formed by the upper wall portion and the side wall portion in the inner corner direction.

[0051] Based on the first solution, the tenth solution is characterized in that

[0052] The support unit has cover members located near both ends on the second direction side of the crawler unit and covering both ends when viewed from the second direction.

[0053] The cover member includes:

[0054] An upper wall portion formed along the upper part of the crawler unit; and

[0055] A second protrusion extending upward from the end on the crawler unit side of the upper wall portion.

[0056] Based on the first solution, the eleventh solution is characterized in that

[0057] The support unit has a third protrusion located on the upper side at the center in the first direction of the crawler unit.

[0058] Based on the first solution, the twelfth solution is characterized in that

[0059] The holding portion includes a locking pin extending vertically from the grid.

[0060] The chess piece forms a locked portion having flexibility and being locked to the locking pin.

[0061] Based on the twelfth solution, the thirteenth solution is characterized in that

[0062] The locked portion includes a recess locked to the locking pin.

[0063] The opening of the recess is polygonal.

[0064] Utility model effect

[0065] According to the first solution, the game apparatus can drive the crawler unit through the drive unit to move the crawler unit downward while maintaining the chess pieces held on the crawler unit. The crawler unit is supported by the support unit at a predetermined distance from the ground surface and is formed with a grid having a holding portion for holding the chess pieces. Therefore, the game apparatus can provide a game to the user in which the chess pieces are held above and below the crawler unit.

[0066] According to the second solution, the crawler unit can also hold the chess pieces at the side.

[0067] According to the third solution, manufacturability can be improved while forming it into a ring shape.

[0068] According to the fourth solution, the crawler unit can be a simple structure and support the tread plate members so that they can rotate relative to each other about the left-right direction axis.

[0069] According to the fifth solution, the drive unit can prevent so-called misassembly.

[0070] According to the sixth solution, the drive unit can prevent so-called misassembly.

[0071] According to the seventh solution, the drive unit can drive the crawler unit while maintaining the planarity of the upper part of the crawler unit.

[0072] According to the eighth solution, the drive unit can advantageously maintain the planarity of the upper part of the crawler unit.

[0073] According to the ninth solution, the first plate portion can inhibit foreign objects and the like from entering the inner corner side of the corner opened when the crawler unit is driven.

[0074] According to the tenth solution, the second plate portion can inhibit foreign objects and the like from entering the lower side of a part near the second plate portion in the upper part of the crawler unit.

[0075] According to the eleventh solution, the support unit can inhibit the upper part of the crawler unit from moving upward when the crawler unit is driven.

[0076] According to the twelfth solution, the crawler unit can stably hold the piece by engaging the piece having the flexible engaged portion with the holding portion.

[0077] According to the thirteenth solution, the concave portion can be formed so as to extend from the opening of the polygon toward the inside of the piece, so that the contact area between the locking pin 83 and the locked portion 8a is appropriate.

[0078] It should be noted that the above effects are merely illustrative for convenience and are not limiting. Any effects described in the present utility model or effects well-known to those skilled in the art may also be achieved on the basis of or in place of the above effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0079] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the game tool 1 according to the present utility model.

[0080] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the game tool 1 according to the present utility model.

[0081] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the upright member 13 on the right side in the left-right direction in the support unit 3.

[0082] Figure 4 is a partial front view of the game tool 1 as viewed from the front side in the front-rear direction.

[0083] Figure 5 It is a perspective view of the upper part of the crawler unit 7.

[0084] Figure 6 It is a bottom view showing the arrangement of the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72.

[0085] Figure 7 It is an explanatory view for explaining the correspondence relationship between the second shaft portion 87b and the second bearing portion 89b when the second tread plate member 72 is assembled to the second tread plate member 72.

[0086] Figure 8 It is a perspective view of the game appliance 1 in a state where the crawler unit 7 is driven by the drive unit 5.

[0087] Figure 9 It is a side view of the game appliance 1 in a state where the crawler unit 7 is driven by the drive unit 5 as observed from the left side in the left - right direction.

[0088] Figure 10 It is Figure 8 An enlarged view of the range A in

[0089] Figure 11 It is Figure 8 An enlarged view of the range B in

[0090] Figure 12 It is an explanatory view for explaining the positional relationship between the chess piece 8 located in the range S and the game appliance 1 as observed from the left side in the left - right direction.

[0091] Figure 13 It is an explanatory view for explaining the visual confirmability of the chess piece 8 located in the range S as observed from the left side in the left - right direction.

[0092] Figure 14 It is Figure 13 An explanatory view for explaining the positional relationship between the chess piece 8 located in the range S and the game appliance 1 in the I - I cross - section in

[0093] Figure 15 It is an explanatory view for explaining the visual confirmability of the chess piece 8 located in the range S as observed from the front in the front - back direction.

[0094] Explanation of reference numerals

[0095] 1: Game apparatus; 3: Support unit; 5: Driving unit; 5a: Blocking portion; 7: Track unit; 7a: Upper portion; 7b: Lower portion; 7c: Side portion; 8: Chess piece; 8a: Fixed portion; 13: Upright member (cover member); 32: Upper wall portion; 33: Lower wall portion; 34: Side wall portion; 37: Corner portion; 46: First plate portion (first protruding portion); 47: Second plate portion (second protruding portion); 48: Third plate portion (third protruding portion); 51: Rotating member; 61: Driving portion; 61c: Side surface; 70: Track plate member; 71: First track plate member; 72: Second track plate member; 82: Grid; 83: Fixed pin (holding portion); 87: Shaft portion; 87a: First shaft portion; 87b: Second shaft portion; 89: Bearing portion; 89a: First bearing portion; 89b: Second bearing portion; 91: Axle pin; 93: Bearing. Detailed implementation mode

[0096] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, for convenience of description, an arbitrary direction in the horizontal direction is defined as the front-rear direction (first direction), the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction in the horizontal direction is defined as the left-right direction (second direction), and the direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction is defined as the up-down direction. In addition, the right side in the left-right direction represents the right hand direction when looking from the rear to the front in the front-rear direction, and the left side in the left-right direction represents the left hand direction when looking from the rear to the front in the front-rear direction.

[0097] Refer to Figure 1 , showing a perspective view of the game apparatus 1 according to the present invention. In addition, refer to Figure 2 , showing an exploded perspective view of the game apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The game apparatus 1 is, for example, arranged on a table (on the ground surface G) and is a game prop used by multiple people with chess pieces 8. The game apparatus 1 includes a support unit 3, a driving unit 5, and a track unit 7.

[0098] The support unit 3 is a support body for supporting the driving unit 5 and the track unit 7. According to Figure 2, the support unit 3 has a base member 11 and a pair of left and right vertically disposed members (cover members) 13. The base member 11 is a box-shaped resin member extending in the horizontal direction. The base member 11 supports the crawler unit 7 in a manner capable of driving the crawler unit 7. In addition, the base member 11 forms a first pin 21 and a second pin 22 at its left and right ends respectively. The first pin 21 is a substantially cylindrical pin extending in the left and right directions from the center in the front-rear direction of the base member 11. The first pin 21 forms a horizontal plane 23 at its lower end, for example. The second pin 22 is a cylindrical pin extending outward in the left and right directions from two locations on the front side and the rear side in the front-rear direction of the base member 11. The second pin 22 forms an internal thread portion 24 extending inward in the left and right directions from the front end portion.

[0099] Refer to Figure 3 , which is a perspective view showing the vertically disposed member 13 on the right side in the left-right direction in the support unit 3. Hereinafter, mainly the vertically disposed member 13 on the right side in the left-right direction will be described. Regarding the vertically disposed member 13 on the left side in the left-right direction, since it is a member of the same shape as that in the present embodiment and is rotated 180° about the up-down axis, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The vertically disposed member 13 is a box-shaped resin member extending in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. In addition, the vertically disposed member 13 has a cover portion 13a on the upper side and a leg portion 13b on the lower side starting from approximately the center in the up-down direction. Specifically, the vertically disposed member 13 forms an outer wall portion 31, an upper wall portion 32, a lower wall portion 33, a side wall portion 34, and an intermediate wall portion 35.

[0100] The outer wall portion 31 is a wall portion forming the outer surface on the right side in the left-right direction of the vertically disposed member 13. The outer wall portion 31 forms a horizontal hole 31a extending in the front-rear direction below the center in the up-down direction. The horizontal hole 31a is a hole penetrating the outer wall portion 31 in the left-right direction. The upper wall portion 32 is a wall portion extending leftward from the upper end of the outer wall portion 31, the lower wall portion 33 is a wall portion extending leftward from the lower end of the outer wall portion 31, and the side wall portion 34 is a wall portion extending leftward from the front and rear ends of the outer wall portion 31. The intermediate wall portion 35 is a wall portion extending in the front-rear direction approximately at the center in the up-down direction of the vertically disposed member 13. The intermediate wall portion 35 extends leftward from the outer wall portion 31 in the same manner as the upper wall portion 32 and the like. In addition, the details of the intermediate wall portion 35 will be described later. The intermediate wall portion 35 is located below the crawler unit 7. Thus, in the vertically disposed member 13, the right surface is formed by the outer wall portion 31, the upper surface is formed by the upper wall portion 32, the lower surface is formed by the lower wall portion 33, and the front and rear side surfaces are formed by the side wall portion 34. In addition, the vertically disposed member 13 is strengthened by the intermediate wall portion 35. Moreover, in the vertically disposed member 13, starting from the upper surface of the intermediate wall portion 35, the upper side is formed as the cover portion 13a and the lower side is formed as the leg portion 13b.

[0101] Reference Figure 4 , which shows a partial front view of the game device 1 as viewed from the front side in the front-rear direction. In the vertically disposed member 13, the height from the upper surface of the intermediate wall portion 35 to the lower surface of the lower wall portion 33 (i.e., the height of the leg portion 13b) is H1. Preferably, the height H1 of the leg portion 13b is preferably 30 mm or more and 35 mm or less. Here, if the height of the chess piece 8 is H2, the height H1 of the leg portion 13b is higher than the height H2 of the chess piece 8. Preferably, the height H2 of the chess piece 8 is, for example, preferably 18 mm or more and 25 mm or less. In addition, the subtraction height H3 obtained by subtracting the height H2 of the chess piece 8 from the height H1 of the leg portion 13b is lower than the height H2 of the chess piece 8. That is, the vertically disposed member 13 is formed such that the height H1 of the leg portion 13b is higher than the height H2 of the chess piece 8 and less than twice the height H2 of the chess piece 8. Preferably, the height H1 of the leg portion 13b is preferably 1.2 times or more and 1.9 times or less the height H2 of the chess piece 8.

[0102] Return to Figure 3 , the first support portion 41, the second support portion 42, the third support portion 43, and the fourth support portion 44, and the first plate portion (first protrusion) 46, the second plate portion (second protrusion) 47, and the third plate portion (third protrusion) 48 are formed in the vertically disposed member 13. The first support portion 41 is a cylindrical support portion extending in the left-right direction formed at approximately the center in the front-rear direction of the vertically disposed member 13. The first support portion 41 is a cylinder having an inner diameter the same as the outer diameter of the first pin 21 of the base member 11 and having a bottom on the outer wall portion 31 side. In addition, the first support portion 41 forms a horizontal plane 41a corresponding to the horizontal plane 23 of the first pin 21. The second support portion 42 is a cylindrical support portion extending in the left-right direction formed at a position corresponding to the second pin 22 of the base member 11. The second support portion 42 is a cylinder having an inner diameter the same as the outer diameter of the second pin 22 of the base member 11 and having a bottom on the outer wall portion 31 side. In addition, in the second support portion 42, a through hole corresponding to the internal thread portion 24 is formed in the bottom. That is, the through hole is formed by penetrating the outer wall portion 31 in the left-right direction.

[0103] The third support portion 43 is a cylindrical support portion extending leftward from the outer wall portion 31. The third support portion 43 is a cylinder with a bottom on the side of the outer wall portion 31. In addition, the third support portion 43 is strengthened, for example, by a reinforcing wall portion 43a extending radially in the vertical and horizontal directions. The fourth support portion 44 has a cylindrical support column 44a extending leftward from the outer wall portion 31. The outer shape of the support column 44a is a prism with a square cross-section. In addition, in the support column 44a, a through hole 44c penetrating the outer wall portion 31 is formed and extends in the left-right direction inside. Compared with the third support portion 43, there is no wall portion like the reinforcing wall portion 43a in the support column 44a in the vertical and front-back directions. In other words, in the fourth support portion 44, a space is formed at the periphery of the support column 44a. Therefore, the fourth support portion 44 can dispose the blocking portion 5a described later in this space.

[0104] The first plate portion 46 is a plate portion extending from the corner portion 37 which is the joint portion of the upper wall portion 32 and the side wall portion 34 and the T-shaped portion 38 which is the joint portion of the side wall portion 34 and the intermediate wall portion 35 toward the third support portion 43 or the support column 44a. The second plate portion 47 is a plate portion extending upward from the upper left end on the upper side of the third support portion 43 and the fourth support portion 44 in the upper wall portion 32. The third plate portion 48 is a plate portion extending leftward from the left end at the center in the front-back direction in the upper wall portion 32 and the intermediate wall portion 35. An inclined portion 48a extending outward in the vertical direction as it goes outward in the front-back direction is formed in the third plate portion 48. In other words, the inclined portion 48a is formed in the third plate portion 48 so as to separate from the crawler unit 7 as it goes outward in the front-back direction when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0105] According to Figure 2 , the drive unit 5 rotates about the left-right axis by a manual operation of the user to drive the crawler unit 7. The drive unit 5 is provided in a pair in the front and rear of the base member 11. The drive unit 5 has a rotating member 51 and a handle 53. In addition, the drive unit 5 has a click member 55, a spring 57, and a concave portion 63 of the rotating member 51 described later as a blocking portion 5a that gives a sense of block to the drive. Hereinafter, the drive unit 5 on the front side in the front-back direction will be mainly described. For the drive unit 5 on the rear side in the front-back direction, since it is the same in this embodiment and is rotated 180° about the up-down axis, the detailed description is omitted.

[0106] The rotating member 51 is located in front of the base member 11 and is a prismatic resin member extending in the left - right direction. The rotating member 51 has a drive portion 61, a rotating shaft 62, and a recess 63. The drive portion 61 is formed to extend in the left - right direction and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, with a square cross - section. That is, the drive portion 61 forms four side surfaces 61c in accordance with the same rectangle in the front - rear direction and the up - down direction. In addition, in the drive portion 61, Figure 2 the upper side in the posture shown is open to expose the internal space. In addition, in the drive portion 61, this space is strengthened by a reinforcing portion 61a parallel to the surfaces extending in the front - rear direction and the up - down direction. Further, in the drive portion 61, a groove portion 61b is formed along the corner portion corresponding to the four sides (long sides) extending in the left - right direction when viewed as a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0107] The rotating shaft 62 is a cylinder extending outward in the left - right direction from the left end face (sliding surface 61d) and the right end face of the drive portion 61. In this rotating shaft 62, the rotating shaft 62 extending in the left direction forms a flat surface 62a and an internal thread portion 62b. The flat surface 62a is a planar cut formed at the upper left end of the rotating shaft 62. The internal thread portion 62b is an internal thread formed by extending from the left end of the rotating shaft 62 to the right. The recesses 63 are formed along the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 62 on the left end face of the drive portion 61. In this embodiment, the four recesses 63 are arranged at equal intervals when viewed in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 62.

[0108] The handle 53 is, for example, a resin - made grip in which four gripping portions extend radially with respect to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 62. The handle 53 is located on the left side of the upright member 13. In addition, the handle 53 forms a cylindrical support portion 53a extending from the center in the front - rear direction and the up - down direction of the left side surface to the right. The support portion 53a has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter the same as the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 62. In addition, a flat surface 53b corresponding to the flat surface 62a is formed inside the support portion 53a.

[0109] The click member 55 included in the blocking portion 5a is a disc - shaped resin member disposed between the rotating member 51 and the upright member 13. According to Figure 3 ,the click member 55 has a biasing portion 65, a sliding portion 66, a prism hole 67, and a convex portion 68. Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, when explaining the click member 55, the click member 55 on the rear side in the front - rear direction will be taken as an example for explanation. It should be noted that, as described above, the click member 55 on the front side in the front - rear direction is obtained by rotating the click member 55 on the rear side in the front - rear direction by 180° around the up - down axis. Figure 3 When explaining the click member 55, the click member 55 on the rear side in the front - rear direction will be taken as an example for explanation. It should be noted that, as described above, the click member 55 on the front side in the front - rear direction is obtained by rotating the click member 55 on the rear side in the front - rear direction by 180° around the up - down axis.

[0110] The biasing portion 65 included in the blocking portion 5a is a disk-shaped flat plate portion that extends radially along the left-right direction. The outer diameter of the biasing portion 65 is larger than the outer diameter of the spring 57. The sliding portion 66 is a cylindrical column portion that extends rightward from the center of the biasing portion 65. The outer diameter of the sliding portion 66 is smaller than the inner diameter of the spring 57. The prism hole 67 is a hole that penetrates through the center of the biasing portion 65 and the sliding portion 66 in the left-right direction. The prism hole 67 has a substantially square cross-section corresponding to the outer shape of the support column 44a in the fourth support portion 44 of the vertically arranged member 13. The convex portion 68 is a hemispherical convex portion that protrudes leftward from the left end face of the biasing portion 65. In the present embodiment, similar to the concave portion 63 formed in the driving portion 61 of the rotating member 51, four convex portions 68 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from the center of the biasing portion 65. That is, the convex portion 68 is formed at a position corresponding to the concave portion 63 formed in the driving portion 61 of the rotating member 51.

[0111] Return to Figure 2 , the spring 57 is a helical spring that biases in the left-right direction. The spring 57 is disposed between the vertically arranged member 13 and the click member 55. Specifically, the spring 57 covers the outer periphery of the sliding portion 66 of the click member 55 in the radial direction, and at the same time, its right end contacts the biasing portion 65. In addition, the left end of the spring 57 contacts the support surface 44b (refer to Figure 3 ) of the fourth support portion 44 in the vertically arranged member 13.

[0112] The crawler unit 7 is a so-called endless track formed in a single annular shape. The crawler unit 7 has an upper portion 7a that extends in the front-rear direction, a lower portion 7b that is located below the upper portion 7a and extends in the front-rear direction, and side portions 7c that extend downward from both front-rear direction ends of the upper portion 7a and are connected to both front-rear direction ends of the lower portion 7b. In addition, the crawler unit 7 covers the upper side, front side, lower side, and rear side of the support unit 3 and the drive unit 5. In addition, the crawler unit 7 is composed of a plurality (for example, 16) of plate-shaped members 70 made of resin and extending in the left-right direction.

[0113] Refer to Figure 5 , a perspective view showing the upper portion of the crawler unit 7. The plate member 70 includes a dividing groove 81, a lattice 82, a locking pin (holding portion) 83, a rough surface 85, a shaft portion 87, and a bearing portion 89. The dividing groove 81 is a groove that extends in the front-rear direction and is formed on the upper surface (also referred to as the surface) of the plate member 70. The dividing groove 81 is a groove for evenly dividing the surface of the plate member 70 in the left-right direction. That is, on the surface of the plate member 70, a plurality of lattices 82 (six in the present embodiment) divided by the dividing groove 81 are formed.

[0114] The locking pin 83 is a pin that extends upward from the center of the lattice 82. The locking pin 83 can be locked to the formation on the chess piece 8 ( Figure 4For illustration purposes, the engaged portion 8a (showing a longitudinal section) is shown. Here, the game piece 8 is, for example, a flexible resin member containing ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin (Ethylen-Vinyl Acetate: EVA). The game piece 8 is, for example, formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In addition, the game piece 8 forms the engaged portion 8a. The engaged portion 8a is, for example, a recess extending inward from an opening in the shape of a square (polygon) formed at one end of the game piece 8.

[0115] Therefore, since there is a gap when the game piece 8 is engaged with the cylindrical engagement pin 83 at the engaged portion 8a, it is possible to adjust the frictional force between the engagement pin 83 and the engaged portion 8a while suppressing the change in air pressure within the engaged portion 8a when the engagement pin 83 is engaged with the engaged portion 8a. Therefore, even when the engagement pin 83 assumes a posture extending downward in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction by the drive of the crawler unit 7, the game piece 8 can be moderately held by the engagement pin 83 and can be removed from the engagement pin 83 by the user of the game apparatus 1. Further, since the game piece 8 includes a flexible material such as EVA, it is possible to increase the contact area between the engagement pin 83 and the engaged portion 8a when engaged with the engagement pin 83. In addition, as Figure 1 shown, projections are formed on the upper head portion 8b in the up-down direction of a part of the plurality of game pieces 8. The projection on the head portion 8b indicates the type of the game piece 8. That is, the shape of the head portion 8b has the same number of types as the number of types of the game pieces 8. Thus, the user can identify the type of the game piece 8 by touching the projection of the game piece 8.

[0116] Return to Figure 5 , the rough surface 85 is a surface with a higher surface roughness compared to other parts of the tread member 70. The rough surface 85 is formed every other one of the plurality of cells 82. That is, the surface roughness of the tread member 70 changes every other cell 82.

[0117] Refer to Figure 6 , showing a bottom surface (also referred to as a back surface) diagram in which the first tread member 71 and the second tread member 72 are arranged. The shaft portion 87 is formed at the rear end portion of the tread member 70. The shaft portion 87 includes a plurality of shaft pins 91 and a pin support portion 92. The shaft pin 91 is a pin extending in the right direction from the pin support portion 92 extending rearward from the rear side portion of the tread member 70. In addition, the shaft pin 91 and the pin support portion 92 project downward when viewed from the left-right direction (refer to Figure 5). The bearing portion 89 is formed at the front end portion of the track plate member 70. The bearing portion 89 includes a plurality of bearings 93. The bearings 93 project forward from the front side portion of the track plate member 70. The bearing 93 has an opening on the left side and a bearing hole 94 extending in the rightward direction is formed inside. The bearing hole 94 is a hole having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the axle pin 91. Further, the bearing 93 projects downward when viewed in the left-right direction, similarly to the axle pin 91 and the pin support portion 92 (see Figure 5 ).

[0118] Here, the plurality of track plate members 70 constituting the crawler unit 7 are composed of, for example, two types, namely, a first track plate member 71 and a second track plate member 72. The first track plate member 71 is formed such that the first cell 82, the third cell 82, and the fifth cell 82 from the right side in the left-right direction are successively formed as the rough surface 85. On the other hand, the second track plate member 72 is formed such that the surface roughness of the second cell 82, the fourth cell 82, and the sixth cell 82 from the right side in the left-right direction is successively formed as the rough surface 85. That is, in the first track plate member 71 and the second track plate member 72, the positions of the rough surfaces 85 in the plurality of cells 82 are different.

[0119] Further, in the shaft portion 87 of the first track plate member 71 and the shaft portion 87 of the second track plate member 72, at least a part of the positions of the axle pins 91 are different. Similarly, in the bearing portion 89 of the first track plate member 71 and the bearing portion 89 of the second track plate member 72, at least a part of the positions of the bearings 93 are different. Hereinafter, the shaft portion 87 and the bearing portion 89 of the first track plate member 71 are referred to as a first shaft portion 87a and a first bearing portion 89a, respectively, and the shaft portion 87 and the bearing portion 89 of the second track plate member 72 are referred to as a second shaft portion 87b and a second bearing portion 89b, respectively.

[0120] In the first shaft portion 87a of the first track plate member 71, a plurality of (six in the present embodiment) axle pins 91 are formed separated from each other by a first distance D1. Similarly, in the second bearing portion 89b of the second track plate member 72, the same number of bearings 93 as the axle pins 91 of the first shaft portion 87a are formed separated from each other by the first distance D1. That is, the plurality of axle pins 91 in the first shaft portion 87a of the first track plate member 71 are formed at the same intervals as the plurality of bearings 93 in the second bearing portion 89b of the second track plate member 72. Thereby, the first track plate member 71 can be rotatably assembled to the second track plate member 72 by inserting the axle pins 91 of the first shaft portion 87a into the bearing holes 94 of the bearings 93 in the second bearing portion 89b of the second track plate member 72.

[0121] In the first bearing portion 89a of the first tread plate member 71, a plurality (six in the present embodiment) of bearings 93 are formed in the same manner as in the second bearing portion 89b of the second tread plate member 72. On the other hand, different from the second bearing portion 89b of the second tread plate member 72, in the first bearing portion 89a of the first tread plate member 71, at least one bearing 93 (the third bearing 93 and the fourth bearing 93 from the right side in the left-right direction in the present embodiment) is formed at a position offset by a second distance D2 to the right side in the left-right direction. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the third bearing 93 and the fourth bearing 93 in the first bearing portion 89a are referred to as specific bearings 97. In addition, in the second shaft portion 87b of the second tread plate member 72, a plurality (six in the present embodiment) of axles 91 and pin support portions 92 are formed in the same manner as in the first shaft portion 87a of the first tread plate member 71. On the other hand, different from the first shaft portion 87a of the first tread plate member 71, in the second shaft portion 87b of the second tread plate member 72, at least one set of an axle 91 and a pin support portion 92 (the third axle 91, the fourth axle 91, and the pin support portion 92 from the right side in the left-right direction in the present embodiment) is formed at a position offset by a second distance D2 to the right side in the left-right direction. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the third axle and the fourth axle in the second shaft portion 87b are referred to as specific axles 95, and the third pin support portion and the fourth pin support portion in the second shaft portion 87b are referred to as specific pin support portions 96.

[0122] That is, the axles 91 and the pin support portions 92 including the specific axles 95 and the specific pin support portions 96 in the second shaft portion 87b of the second tread plate member 72 and the bearings 93 including the specific bearings 97 in the first bearing portion 89a of the first tread plate member 71 are formed so as to have the same interval. Thereby, the second tread plate member 72 can insert the axles 91 in the second shaft portion 87b into the bearing holes 94 of the bearings 93 in the first bearing portion 89a of the first tread plate member 71 and be rotatably assembled to the first tread plate member 71.

[0123] Here, when the first tread plate member 71 is assembled to the front side of the second tread plate member 72, all the pins 91 of the first shaft portion 87a are inserted into all the bearings 93 of the second bearing portion 89b for assembly. At this time, since all the pins 91 and the pin support portions 92 are provided at the same intervals as all the bearings 93, the right ends of all the pin support portions 92 abut against the left ends of the corresponding all the bearings 93. Thus, when the first tread plate member 71 is assembled to the front side of the second tread plate member 72, the left and right side portions of the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72 are aligned. Similarly, when the first tread plate member 71 is assembled to the rear side of the second tread plate member 72, all the pins 91 including the specific pin 95 of the second shaft portion 87b are inserted into all the bearings 93 including the specific bearing 97 of the first bearing portion 89a for assembly. At this time, since all the pins 91 and the pin support portions 92 are provided at the same intervals as all the bearings 93, the right ends of all the pin support portions 92 abut against the left ends of the corresponding all the bearings 93. Thus, when the first tread plate member 71 is assembled to the rear side of the second tread plate member 72, the left and right side portions of the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72 are also aligned.

[0124] Refer to Figure 7 , which is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence relationship between the second shaft portion 87b and the second bearing portion 89b when the second tread plate member 72 is to be assembled to the second tread plate member 72. When the second tread plate member 72 is to be assembled to the front side of the second tread plate member 72, in other words, when the second tread plate members 72 are to be erroneously assembled to each other, the specific pin 95 of the second shaft portion 87b in the front-side second tread plate member 72 in the front-rear direction is inserted into the bearing hole 94 of the bearing 93 that is not the specific bearing 97 of the second bearing portion 89b in the other second tread plate member 72. Thus, when the specific pin 95 is inserted into the bearing hole 94 of the bearing 93, the specific pin support portion 96 abuts against the bearing 93. On the other hand, the pin support portion 92 that is not the specific pin support portion 96 is separated from the bearing 93 by a second distance D2. That is, if the second tread plate members 72 are to be erroneously assembled to each other, the pin support portion 92 does not abut against the bearing 93, and only the specific pin support portion 96 abuts against the bearing 93. Thus, a relative displacement such as the second distance D2 is generated in the left-right direction between the two second tread plate members 72.

[0125] Therefore, by setting the specific pin 95 and the specific pin support portion 96 of the second shaft portion 87b in the second tread plate member 72 at a position offset by a second distance D2 from other pins 91, if the second tread plate members 72 are to be erroneously assembled with each other, a relative offset in the left-right direction can be generated between the second tread plate members 72. Thereby, the crawler unit 7 can prevent the second tread plate members 72 from being erroneously assembled with each other, that is, prevent so-called misassembly. In addition, since the difference between the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72 is the difference in the positions of the pins 91, the pin support portions 92, and the bearings 93 in the bearings 93 and the bearing holes 94, the crawler unit 7 can maintain the appearance while preventing misassembly.

[0126] The crawler unit 7 can be configured such that by alternately assembling the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72, the surface roughness of the grids 82 adjacent in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction becomes different from each other. Thus, since the crawler unit 7 is configured such that the surface roughness of the grids 82 adjacent in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is different from each other, for example, even when a visually impaired person uses the game device 1, the grids 82 can be distinguished by touch. In particular, by preventing misassembly such as erroneously assembling the second tread plate members 72 with each other as described above, the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72, which are difficult to distinguish, can be reliably assembled alternately.

[0127] Next, based on Figure 2 , Figure 3 , an example of the assembly steps of the game device 1 will be described. In the first step, the base member 11 is installed on the upright member 13 on the right side in the left-right direction. Specifically, the first pin 21 and the second pin 22 of the base member 11 are respectively inserted into the first support portion 41 and the second support portion 42 of the upright member 13. At this time, since a horizontal surface 23 is formed on the first pin 21 of the base member 11, the horizontal surface 23 of the first pin 21 of the upright member 13 abuts against the horizontal surface 41a of the first support portion 41. Thereby, the base member 11 can be installed on the upright member 13 in a correct posture without being reversed up and down. After that, the second pin 22 of the upright member 13 and the second support portion 42 are screwed together with the screw 9, and the base member 11 is fixed.

[0128] In the second step, the erected member 13 is provided for the drive unit 5 in the rear side in the front-rear direction to be mounted on the fourth support portion 44. Specifically, first, the click member 55 is provided for the support column 44a of the fourth support portion 44 to be inserted into the prism hole 67. At this time, the spring 57 is disposed in such a manner that it is sandwiched between the sliding portion 66 inserted into the click member 55, the biasing portion 65, and the support surface 44b of the fourth support portion 44. Next, the rotating member 51 presses the spring 57 to the right in the left-right direction while inserting the rotating shaft 62 into the through-hole 44c of the support column 44a in the fourth support portion 44 so that the rotating shaft 62 protrudes to the right side from the outer wall portion 31 of the erected member 13. Next, the handle 53 is provided for the support portion 53a to be inserted into the rotating shaft 62 of the rotating member 51 from the right side in the left-right direction of the erected member 13. Then, the handle 53 is fixed to the rotating member 51 by screwing the screw 9 into the internal thread portion 62b of the rotating shaft 62 in the rotating member 51. Here, as described above, a plane 53b corresponding to the plane 62a of the rotating shaft 62 is formed on the support portion 53a of the handle 53. That is, the handle 53 abuts the plane 53b of the support portion 53a against the plane 62a of the rotating shaft 62 and is fixed to the rotating shaft 62. Thereby, the plane 62a and the plane 53b can prevent the handle 53 from rotating relative to the rotating member 51.

[0129] In the third step, the erected member 13 is provided for the rotating member 51 of the drive unit 5 to be disposed on the front side in the front-rear direction on the third support portion 43. Specifically, the erected member 13 is provided for the rotating shaft 62 of the rotating member 51 to be inserted into the third support portion 43.

[0130] In the fourth step, the crawler unit 7 is disposed so as to cover the front-rear and up-down directions of the base member 11 and the rotating member 51. Specifically, the crawler unit 7 is formed into a ring shape by alternately splicing, for example, the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72 in advance. The crawler unit 7 formed into a ring shape in advance is moved from the left side to the right side in the left-right direction of the base member 11 and the rotating member 51 so as to cover the base member 11 and the rotating member 51. The right end of the crawler unit 7 moving to the right in the left-right direction abuts against the erected member 13. At this time, the upper and lower tread plate members 70 of the crawler unit 7 are located between the third plate portion 48 and the base member 11.

[0131] In the fifth step, the erecting member 13, the handle 53, the click member 55, and the spring 57 are assembled on the left side of the base member 11 and the rotating member 51 in the left-right direction. Specifically, first, the erecting member 13 inserts the support column 44a of the fourth support portion 44 into the prism hole 67 of the click member 55 while holding the spring 57. At this time, the upper and lower track members 70 of the crawler unit 7 are located between the third plate portion 48 and the base member 11. Next, the erecting member 13 inserts the first pin 21 and the second pin 22 of the base member 11 and the rotating shaft 62 of the rotating member 51 on both sides in the front-rear direction into the first support portion 41, the second support portion 42, the third support portion 43, and the fourth support portion 44, respectively. Next, the erecting member 13 is fixed to the base member 11 by screwing the second pin 22 and the second support portion 42 with the screw 9. Then, the handle 53 is fixed to the rotating member 51 by screwing the screw 9 into the internal thread portion 62b of the rotating shaft 62 in the rotating member 51. By assembling in this way, the game tool 1 can be efficiently assembled with relatively few operations, and thus, for example, the manufacturing cost involved in the assembly can be reduced.

[0132] Reference Figure 8 , a perspective view of the game tool 1 showing a state where the track unit 7 is driven by the drive unit 5. Figure 9 , which shows a side view of the game device 1 in which the track unit 7 is driven by the drive unit 5 as viewed from the left side in the left-right direction. It should be noted that, Figure 9 The game tool 1 in the figure does not show the upright member 13 and the handle 53, the click member 55 and the spring 57 on the left side in the left-right direction.

[0133] In the game device 1, when at least one of the two handles 53 is rotated by the user about the left-right direction, the track unit 7 is driven. Specifically, when the handle 53 is rotated about the left-right direction, the rotating member 51 is also rotated about the left-right direction in conjunction with the handle 53. Figure 9 For example, when the rotating member 51 on the front side in the front-rear direction is driven and rotated in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right side in the left-right direction, the shoe member 70 in contact with the rotating member 51 on the front side in the front-rear direction rotates in conjunction with the rotating member 51. In addition, the shoe member 70 located on the upper side of the base member 11 is pulled by the rotating shoe member 70 in conjunction with the rotating member 51 on the front side in the front-rear direction and moves forward in the front-rear direction.

[0134] In addition, the shoe member 70 in contact with the rotating member 51 on the rear side in the front-rear direction is pulled by the shoe member 70 moving forward in the front-rear direction. At this time, the shoe member 70 in contact with the rotating member 51 on the rear side in the front-rear direction rotates in conjunction with the rotating member 51 because the rotating member 51 can rotate around the rotating shaft 62. In addition, the shoe member 70 located on the lower side of the base member 11 is pulled by the shoe member 70 rotating in conjunction with the rotating member 51 on the rear side in the front-rear direction and moves backward in the front-rear direction. Then, the shoe member 70 in contact with the rotating member 51 on the front side in the front-rear direction is pulled backward by the shoe member 70 moving backward in the front-rear direction.

[0135] Therefore, the driving unit 5 can be driven by the user through the handle 53 to move the track member 70 like a so-called infinite track to drive the track unit 7. In particular, the rotating member 51 can be linked to the shaft portion 87 and the bearing portion 89 of the track member 70 by forming the groove portion 61b. In addition, the track unit 7 is driven by the driving unit 5, and the chess piece 8 can be moved in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction together with the track member 70 to which it is assembled.

[0136] Here, as described above, the third plate portion 48 is formed on the upper wall portion 32 of the vertical member 13. In addition, the third plate portion 48 is located on the upper side of the track member 70 on the upper side of the base member 11. That is, the movement of the track member 70 located on the upper side of the base member 11 in the up-down direction is restricted by the base member 11 and the third plate portion 48. As a result, the base member 11 and the third plate portion 48 can suppress the track member 70 located on the upper side of the base member 11 from rotating in the up-down direction when the track unit 7 is driven. Similarly, since the movement of the track member 70 located on the lower side of the base member 11 in the up-down direction is restricted by the base member 11 and the third plate portion 48, it is possible to suppress the track member 7 from rotating in the up-down direction when the track unit 7 is driven. In addition, by forming the inclined portion 48a on the third plate portion 48, the track member 70 can be appropriately guided to move to the outer side in the front-rear direction and the outer side in the up-down direction when the track unit 7 is driven.

[0137] Reference Figure 10 ,express Figure 8 When the crawler unit 7 is driven, if, for example, the rotating member 51 is in a vertical or horizontal state (hereinafter referred to as a static state) from the side surface 61c and rotates 30 degrees counterclockwise as viewed from the left side with the left-right direction as the axis (hereinafter referred to as the forward rotation direction), there is a case where the inner corner side of the corner 37 formed by the upper wall portion 32 and the side wall portion 34 is open ( Figure 10 At this time, the T-shaped portion 38, which is the joint between the side wall portion 34 and the intermediate wall portion 35, is also open toward the inner corner of the third support portion 43 (Figure 10 the open portions K2) therein. On the other hand, as described above, the first plate portion 46 extending from the corner portion 37 and the T-shaped portion 38 toward the third support portion 43 or the support column 44a is formed in the erected member 13. Therefore, the first plate portion 46 is formed in the erected member 13, so that the opening areas of the open portions K1 and K2 can be reduced even in the above-described case. Therefore, the first plate portion 46 can prevent a user's finger or the like from entering the open portions K1 and K2.

[0138] In addition, for example, when the rotating member 51 rotates 30° in the forward rotation direction from the static state, there is a case where the shaft portion 87 and the bearing portion 89, which are the joint portions of the two tread members 70 near the third support portion 43 and the fourth support portion 44 respectively, are located above the upper surface of the upper wall portion 32. In the above-described case, there is a gap formed above the upper surface of the upper wall portion 32 on the inner corner side of the two tread members 70 when viewed from the left-right direction. On the other hand, as described above, the second plate portion 47 extending upward from the upper left end of the upper wall portion 32 above the third support portion 43 and the fourth support portion 44 is formed in the erected member 13. Therefore, the second plate portion 47 is formed in the erected member 13, so that in the above-described case, the second plate portion 47 can also cover the gap. Therefore, the second plate portion 47 can prevent a user's finger or the like from entering the gap.

[0139] Refer to Figure 11 , which shows Figure 8 an enlarged view of the range B in Figure 11 This shows a cross-section obtained by cutting the erected member 13, the handle 53, the click member 55, and the spring 57 by a vertical-horizontal plane including the rotation axis center of the rotating member 51.

[0140] In the blocking portion 5a of the drive unit 5, the click member 55 is urged to the right in the left-right direction by the spring 57. When the concave portion 63 and the convex portion 68 of the rotating member 51 are separated in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis 62, the convex portion 68 abuts against the sliding surface 61d of the rotating member 51. That is, in the case of the posture after the rotating member 51 rotates 30° in the forward rotation direction from the static state, the convex portion 68 abuts against the sliding surface 61d. From the above state, when the rotating member 51 further rotates 60° in the forward rotation direction, the convex portion 68 relatively approaches the concave portion 63 of the rotating member 51 when observed in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis 62. Then, when the rotating member 51 rotates 60° in the forward rotation direction and ends, the convex portion 68 is loosely fitted into the concave portion 63. That is, when the rotating member 51 is in the static state, the click member 55 is in a state where it is urged to the right in the left-right direction by the spring 57 and the convex portion 68 is loosely fitted into the concave portion 63.

[0141] On the other hand, when the rotating member 51 is in a static state and rotates in the forward rotation direction, the click member 55 moves to the left in the left - right direction. Specifically, in order for the click member 55 to disengage from the state where the convex portion 68 is loosely fitted in the concave portion 63, it moves to the left in the left - right direction by the height amount of the convex portion 68 in the left - right direction. Thus, in order for the rotating member 51 to rotate in the forward rotation direction in the static state, it is necessary to move the click member 55 to the left in the left - right direction against the applied force of the spring 57 that applies a force to the click member 55 to the right in the left - right direction. In other words, the blocking portion 5a of the drive unit 5 blocks the driving force that causes the rotating member 51 to rotate about the rotation axis 62 when the rotating member 51 rotates from the static state. Therefore, the user who rotates the handle 53 can judge whether the rotating member 51 is in a static state based on the sense of block (click sense) based on the rotation block when rotating the handle 53. Therefore, the user can easily make the rotating member 51 in a static state when rotating the handle 53. Further, the game apparatus 1 can reliably hold the upper grid 82 of the crawler unit 7 horizontally.

[0142] Refer to Figure 12 , which is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the chess piece 8 located in the range S and the game apparatus 1 as viewed from the left in the left - right direction. Additionally, refer to Figure 13 , which is an explanatory diagram showing the visual confirmability of the chess piece 8 located in the range S as viewed from the left in the left - right direction. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the chess piece 8 located in the grids 82 of the lower side of the crawler unit 7, excluding the grids 82 of the tread plate members 70 located at the front and rear ends or the left and right ends, is referred to as the invisible chess piece 8B.

[0143] According to Figure 13 , the crawler unit 7 is supported by the support unit 3 as described above. Additionally, the support unit 3 has a base member 11 that supports the crawler unit 7 as described above and a pair of left - right upright members 13. Furthermore, the base member 11 forms the leg portion 13b with the height H1 as described above. That is, the lower side in the up - down direction, the front side and the rear side in the front - rear direction of the crawler unit 7 are open. Thus, even for the chess piece 8 located on the lower side of the crawler unit 7, for the chess piece 8 installed on the locking pins 83 of the grids 82 of the tread plate members 70 located at the front and rear ends or the left and right ends, the support unit 3 enables the user to visually confirm.

[0144] On the other hand, the game apparatus 1 inhibits the invisible piece 8B from being visually confirmed by the user. Specifically, when viewed from the left side in the left-right direction, the invisible piece 8B is located in the rearward range S on the outer angle side of the inner angle C formed by the straight line L extending from the lower end point P in the up-down direction to the ground surface G and the ground surface G, where the inner angle C is less than or equal to the angle θ, and the inner angle C is formed by the straight line L extending from the shaft portion 87 or the bearing portion 89 of the tread plate member 70 located at the rear side in the front-rear direction of the crawler unit 7. Therefore, the game apparatus 1 can inhibit the invisible piece 8B from being visually confirmed by the user by positioning the invisible piece 8B within the range S.

[0145] Refer to Figure 14 , which shows the I-I cross-section of Figure 13 and an explanatory diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the piece 8 located within the range S and the game apparatus 1. Additionally, refer to Figure 15 , which shows an explanatory diagram for explaining the visual confirmability of the piece 8 located within the range S when viewed from the front in the front-rear direction. As described above, the appearance wall portion 31 is formed with a horizontal hole 31a extending in the front-rear direction at a position lower than the center in the up-down direction. Thus, even for the piece 8 located below the crawler unit 7, the game apparatus 1 enables the user to visually confirm the piece 8 with the locking pin 83 installed in the grid 82 near the horizontal hole 31a.

[0146] On the other hand, the game apparatus 1 inhibits the invisible piece 8B from being visually confirmed by the user. Specifically, when viewed from the front in the front-rear direction, the invisible piece 8B is located in the rearward range S on the outer angle side of the inner angle C formed by the straight line L extending from the left end point Q in the left-right direction of the upper end edge of the horizontal hole 31a formed in the appearance wall portion 31 to the ground surface G and the ground surface G, where the inner angle C is less than or equal to the angle θ. Therefore, the game apparatus 1 can inhibit the invisible piece 8B from being visually confirmed by the user by positioning the invisible piece 8B within the range S.

[0147] Here, the angle θ of the inner angle C described above is the angle of the inner angle C formed by the straight line L drawn from the starting point E of the user to the invisible piece 8B in such a way that it is not blocked by the tread plate member 70, the upright member 13, etc. and the ground surface G when the user visually confirms the ground surface G on the lower side of the crawler unit 7. Preferably, the angle θ is preferably 45° or less. More preferably, the angle θ is preferably 30° or less. Additionally, the height H1 of the leg portion 13b is preferably 100 mm or less. More preferably, the height H1 of the leg portion 13b is preferably 35 mm or less.

[0148] Therefore, the angle C formed by the straight line L and the ground plane G is below the angle θ, thereby suppressing the visual confirmation of the invisible piece 8B by the user when using the game tool 1. In addition, by making the angle θ 45° or less, since the angle bisector formed by the upper part and the side part of the crawler unit 7 coincides with the straight line L, when the user visually confirms the piece 8 held on the upper part and the side part of the crawler unit 7, it is possible to advantageously suppress the invisible piece 8B from appearing in the field of view. In particular, if the angle θ is made 30° or less and the invisible piece 8B is to be visually confirmed, due to the distortion of the user's posture, other users or the like can confirm that the user intends to visually confirm the invisible piece 8B. In addition, by making the height H1 of the leg 13b 100 mm or less, in other words, below the approximate average of the vertical length from the human chin to the eyes, even if the user assumes a posture of bringing the chin closer to the ground plane G, the visual confirmation of the invisible piece 8B by the user can be suppressed. Further, by making the height H1 of the leg 13b 35 mm or less, in other words, below the approximate average of the horizontal length from the temple to the eyes, even if the user assumes a posture of bringing the temple closer to the ground plane G, the visual confirmation of the invisible piece 8B by the user can be suppressed.

[0149] In addition, as described above, according to Figure 4 , by making the height H1 of the leg 13b higher than the height H2 of the piece 8 and less than twice the height H2 of the piece 8, it is also possible to prevent the piece 8 from coming into contact with the ground plane G and at the same time suppress the case where the height H1 of the leg 13b is unnecessarily increased and the possibility of the invisible piece 8B being visually confirmed by the user is increased. Furthermore, by making the height H1 of the leg 13b 1.2 times or more and 1.9 times or less the height H2 of the piece 8, it is possible to advantageously prevent the piece 8 from coming into contact with the ground plane G and at the same time advantageously suppress the case where the height H1 of the leg 13b is unnecessarily increased and the possibility of the invisible piece 8B being visually confirmed is increased, and further reduce the center of gravity of the game tool 1.

[0150] As described above, in the game tool according to the present utility model, there are provided: a crawler unit 7 having an upper part 7a and a lower part 7b extending in the front-rear direction, formed in a ring shape, and driven so that at least a part of the upper part 7a moves in one direction in the front-rear direction and moves downward to the lower part 7b while at least a part of the lower part 7b moves in the other direction in the front-rear direction and moves upward to the upper part 7a; a drive unit 5 that drives the crawler unit 7; and a support unit 3 that grounds the lower wall part 33 of the upright member 13 and supports the crawler unit 7 at a height H1 separating the crawler unit 7 from the ground plane G. In the crawler unit 7, a plurality of grids 82 indicating the placement positions of the pieces 8 are formed in the upper part 7a and the lower part 7b in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Moreover, the grid 82 has a locking pin 83 as a holding part for holding the piece 8, and the locking pin 83 holds the piece 8 when located in the upper part 7a and the lower part 7b.

[0151] Thus, the game apparatus 1 according to the present utility model can be driven by the drive unit 5 to move the crawler unit 7 downward while holding the chess piece 8 held by the crawler unit 7. The crawler unit 7 is supported by the support unit 3 at a separation height H1 from the ground surface G and is formed with a grid 82 having a holding portion for holding the chess piece 8. Therefore, the game apparatus 1 according to the present utility model can provide a game to the user in which the chess piece 8 is held above and below the crawler unit 7.

[0152] In addition, in the game apparatus 1 according to the present utility model, the crawler unit 7 has side portions 7c extending downward from both side portions in the front-rear direction of the upper portion 7a and connected to both side portions in the front-rear direction of the lower portion 7b. In the grid 82 located in the side portion 7c, the locking pin 83 holds the chess piece 8. Thus, the crawler unit 7 can also hold the chess piece 8 in the side portion 7c.

[0153] In addition, in the game apparatus 1 according to the present utility model, the crawler unit 7 has a plurality of flat plate-shaped tread members 70 formed with a plurality of grids 82 in the left-right direction. Thus, the crawler unit 7 can maintain the surface of the grid 82 as a plane. In addition, by forming a plurality of grids 82 in the left-right direction in the flat plate-shaped tread member 70, the relative positions of the grids 82 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction can be appropriately maintained. Furthermore, in the game apparatus according to the present utility model, the crawler unit 7 is formed in a ring shape by rotatably connecting a plurality of tread members 70. Thus, the crawler unit 7 can be formed into a ring shape capable of relatively rotating a plurality of tread members 70 and softly changing its posture. Therefore, the crawler unit 7 can be composed of only a plurality of tread members 70 to improve manufacturability and be driven in an endless track shape.

[0154] Furthermore, in the game apparatus according to the present utility model, the tread member 70 has a shaft portion 87 connected to one of the two tread members 70 to be connected and a bearing portion 89 connected to the other tread member 70. An axle pin 91 extending in the left-right direction is formed on the shaft portion 87, and a bearing 93 for rotatably supporting the axle pin 91 is formed on the bearing portion 89. Thus, the crawler unit 7 can be supported such that the axle pin 91 extending in the left-right direction formed on the shaft portion 87 of one tread member 70 is rotatably supported by the bearing 93 of the bearing portion 89 in the other tread member 70, so that it can have a simple structure and support the tread members 70 to be rotatable relative to each other about the left-right direction axis.

[0155] In particular, among the game apparatuses related to the present utility model, the crawler unit 7 has a first tread plate member 71 and a second tread plate member 72 that is at least partially different from the first tread plate member 71. The first shaft portion 87a of the first tread plate member 71 is configured to be connectable to the second bearing portion 89b of the second tread plate member 72, and the second shaft portion 87b of the second tread plate member 72 is configured to be connectable to the first bearing portion 89a of the first tread plate member 71. At least a part of the first shaft portion 87a is different from the second shaft portion 87b. Thus, the crawler unit 7 can determine the first bearing portion 89a and the second bearing portion 89b to be connected based on the difference between the first shaft portion 87a and the second shaft portion 87b. Therefore, the crawler unit 7 can prevent a so-called misassembly in which the first tread plate member 71 and the second tread plate member 72 are assembled in the wrong order when connecting a plurality of tread plate members 70.

[0156] Specifically, a predetermined number (six in this embodiment) of axle pins 91 are respectively formed on the first shaft portion 87a and the second shaft portion 87b, and a predetermined number (six in this embodiment) of bearing portions 89 are respectively formed on the first bearing portion 89a and the second bearing portion 89b. Among the axle pins 91 formed on the second shaft portion 87b, at least one (four in this embodiment) is formed at the same position as the axle pins 91 formed on the first shaft portion 87a, and at least one (two specific axle pins 95 in this embodiment) is formed at a position different from the axle pins 91 formed on the first shaft portion 87a. Thus, the crawler unit 7 can maintain its appearance while preventing misassembly.

[0157] In addition, among the game apparatuses related to the present utility model, the drive unit 5 has a rotating member 51 that is at least partially located between the upper part 7a and the lower part 7b of the crawler unit 7 and rotates about an axis in the left-right direction. The rotating member 51 has a drive portion 61 in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with four faces extending in the left-right direction and having the same shape, and forming side faces 61c. Among the drive portion 61, one of the four side faces 61c supports the upper part 7a of the crawler unit 7. Thus, the drive unit 5 can support the upper part 7a of the crawler unit 7 through the side face 61c of the drive portion 61 to drive the crawler unit 7 while maintaining the flatness of the upper part 7a of the crawler unit 7.

[0158] In addition, among the game apparatuses related to the present utility model, the drive unit 5 has a blocking portion 5a that blocks the driving force for rotating the rotating member 51 about the left-right direction axis. The blocking portion 5a blocks the driving force when the side surface 61c of the drive portion 61 that supports the upper portion 7a of the crawler unit 7 tilts from the horizontal state. Thus, the drive unit 5 can give a user a blocking feeling when applying a driving force to the handle 53 to rotate the rotating member 51, for example, by blocking the driving force when the side surface 61c tilts from the horizontal state with the blocking portion 5a. Furthermore, since the drive unit 5 blocks the driving force when the side surface 61c tilts from the horizontal state through the blocking portion 5a, it can advantageously maintain the flatness of the upper portion 7a of the crawler unit 7.

[0159] In addition, among the game apparatuses related to the present utility model, the support unit 3 has upright members 13 located near both end portions in the left-right direction of the crawler unit 7 and covering these end portions when viewed from the left-right direction. The upright members 13 include: an upper wall portion 32 that is formed along the upper portion 7a of the crawler unit 7; side wall portions 34 that extend downward in the up-down direction from the front-back direction end portions of the upper wall portion 32; and a first plate portion 46 that extends inward at an inner corner direction from the corner 37 formed by the upper wall portion 32 and the side wall portions 34. Thus, the support unit 3 can block at least a part of the inner corner side of the corner 37 that is opened when the crawler unit 7 is driven through the first plate portion 46 that extends inward at an inner corner direction from the corner 37 formed by the upper wall portion 32 and the side wall portions 34. Furthermore, the first plate portion 46 can prevent foreign objects and the like from entering the inner corner side of the opened corner 37.

[0160] In addition, among the game apparatuses related to the present utility model, the support unit 3 has a cover member located near both end portions in the left-right direction of the crawler unit 7 and covering these end portions when viewed from the left-right direction. The upright members 13 include: an upper wall portion 32 that is formed along the upper portion 7a of the crawler unit 7; and a second plate portion 47 that extends upward from the end portion on the crawler unit 7 side of the upper wall portion 32. Thus, even when a part near the second plate portion 47 of the upper portion 7a of the crawler unit 7 moves upward more than the upper wall portion 32 when the crawler unit 7 is driven, the support unit 3 can cover a part of the crawler unit 7 when viewed from the left-right direction through the second plate portion 47 that extends upward from the end portion on the crawler unit 7 side of the upper wall portion 32. Furthermore, the second plate portion 47 can prevent foreign objects and the like from entering the lower side of a part of the crawler unit 7.

[0161] In addition, among the game apparatuses related to the present utility model, the support unit 3 has a third plate portion 48 located above the center in the front-back direction of the crawler unit 7. Thus, the support unit 3 can prevent the upper portion 7a of the crawler unit 7 from moving upward when the crawler unit 7 is driven.

[0162] In addition, among the game implements related to the present utility model, the locking pin 83 serving as the holding part for holding the game piece 8 includes a locking pin 83 extending in the vertical direction from the grid 82. The game piece 8 is formed with a flexible engaged part 8a that is engaged with the locking pin 83. Thus, the crawler unit 7 can lock and hold the game piece 8 having the flexible engaged part 8a formed thereon through the locking pin 83, thereby holding the game piece 8 well.

[0163] In particular, among the game implements related to the present utility model, the engaged part 8a includes a recess engaged with the locking pin 83, and the opening of the recess is polygonal. Thus, for example, the recess can be formed so as to extend from the square opening toward the inside of the game piece 8, making the contact area between the locking pin 83 and the engaged part 8a appropriate.

[0164] (Modification example)

[0165] As described above, the embodiments of the present utility model have been described, but the present utility model is not limited to the above embodiments and can be variously modified.

[0166] For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the game implement 1 includes the support unit 3, the drive unit 5, and the crawler unit 7 has been described, but it is not necessary to include all of them, and a part of them can also be integrated. In addition, the game implement 1 can also include parts other than the support unit 3, the drive unit 5, and the crawler unit 7.

[0167] In addition, the support unit 3 having the base member 11 and the pair of left and right upright members 13 has been described, but as long as it can support the drive unit 5 and the crawler unit 7, it is not limited by these configurations. For example, the base member 11 and the upright members 13 being box-shaped resin members have been described, but they can also be formed of a solid wooden body or composed of a combination of metal pipes. In addition, the upright member 13 having the cover portion 13a on the upper side and the leg portion 13b on the lower side starting from the approximate center in the vertical direction has been described, but it can also be formed as a single member. In addition, in the upright member 13, the reinforcing wall portion 43a radially extending in the vertical and horizontal directions from the third support portion 43 and the first plate portion 46 extending from the corner portion 37 and the T-shaped portion 38 toward the third support portion 43 have been described, but it is not limited thereto. For example, by extending the first plate portion 46 in a manner connected to the third support portion 43 while canceling the reinforcing wall portion 43a, the opening area of the open portion on the inner angle side of the third support portion 43 facing the corner portion 37 and the inner angle side of the T-shaped portion 38 can be reduced while strengthening the third support portion 43.

[0168] In addition, a pair of drive units 5 are provided front and rear of the base member 11, but it may also be either the front or the rear of the base member 11. In this case, for the other side relative to this one side, instead of the drive unit 5, only the rotating member 51 needs to be arranged, as long as the tread plate member 70 can be moved passively and the upper tread plate member 70 can be supported when the crawler unit 7 is driven. In addition, in the rotating member 51, the drive portion 61 is described as a resin member having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but it may also be a triangular prism or a hexagonal prism. Further, in the rotating member 51, Figure 2 the case where the upper side in the shown posture is open and the internal space is open is described, but the open upper side may also be blocked by a flat plate or the like, or it may be composed of a solid body.

[0169] In addition, the blocking portion 5a of the drive unit 5 having the click member 55, the spring 57, and the concave portion 63 of the rotating member 51 is described, but it may not be configured as described above, and the side surface 61c of the rotating member 51 may be made recognizable to the user as a static state (i.e., the state where the tread plate member 70 located above the rotating member 51 is horizontal). In addition, the drive unit 5 is described as rotating about an axis in the left-right direction by a manual operation of the user, but it may also be configured to rotate, for example, by setting an electric motor or the like and using the driving force of the electric motor. In addition, the drive unit 5 is configured such that the user rotates the rotation handle 53, but it may also be, for example, provided with an operation button for the user to perform a pressing operation in a linear direction, and the force of the operation button being pressed in the linear direction is converted into a force (driving force) in the rotational direction, and the rotating member 51 is rotated using this driving force.

[0170] In addition, the crawler unit 7 is described as being composed of a plurality of tread plate members 70, but it may also be composed of, for example, an annular belt, and the chess piece 8 can be held on the upper and lower sides of the crawler unit 7. That is, the crawler unit 7 may form a holding portion such as a locking pin 83 protruding outward from the annular belt, or may be formed by attaching a plurality of plate members such as the tread plate members 70 to the annular belt. In addition, in the tread plate member 70, it is described that the locking pin 83 is locked to the locked portion 8a to hold the chess piece 8, but it may also be that a concave portion such as the locked portion 8a is formed in the tread plate member 70 and a pin such as the locking pin 83 is formed in the chess piece 8 to hold the chess piece 8, as long as the chess piece 8 can be held. For example, the tread plate member 70 may not form the locking pin 83 in the grid 82 and may be formed as a flat surface, and a suction cup may be provided on the chess piece 8, or a surface connecting member, a magnet, a snap fastener, etc. may be provided on the grid 82 and the locking pin 83. In addition, the chess piece 8 is described as including a flexible material such as EVA, but it is not necessary for the entire chess piece 8 to be flexible, and only the locked portion 8a needs to be flexible.

[0171] In addition, although the case where the surface roughness of the cells 82 adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the tread member 70 is different from each other due to the rough surface 85 has been described, for example, the touch feeling may be changed by the material, or a plurality of cutout grooves may be provided in such a manner that the extending directions of the cutout grooves of the cells 82 adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction on the surface of the cell 82 are different to change the touch feeling, as long as the cells 82 can be distinguished by the touch feeling. In addition, although the case where the shaft portion 87 and the bearing portion 89 are formed in the tread member 70 in order to rotatably connect the tread members 70 to each other has been described, for example, the tread members 70 may be connected to each other by using rubber members, as long as the tread members 70 can be rotatably connected to each other. In particular, in the tread member 70, the specific pin 95 and the specific pin support portion 96 of the second shaft portion 87b in the second tread member 72 are provided at a position offset by a second distance D2 from the other pins 91. However, it is not limited thereto, and the diameter of the specific pin 95 may be different from the diameters of the other pins 91, as long as misassembly can be prevented.

[0172] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example of the assembling steps of the game device 1 has been described, but the contents and the order of these steps are merely examples, and the game device 1 may be assembled by different contents and order of steps. Specifically, in the fourth step, the case where the tread unit 7 formed by alternately splicing the first tread member 71 and the second tread member 72 in advance into a ring shape is moved from the left side to the right side in the left-right direction of the base member 11 and the rotating member 51 to cover the base member 11 and the rotating member 51 has been described. However, the tread unit 7 may be formed into a ring shape in advance, or may be formed into a ring shape while alternately splicing the first tread member 71 and the second tread member 72 and covering the front-rear, upper-lower directions of the base member 11 and the rotating member 51 at the same time.

[0173] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, resin members and constituent materials such as EVA have been described as an example for each constituent object, but these are merely examples, and materials such as metal and wood may also be used.

[0174] In addition, the names described in the above-described embodiment are merely used to distinguish the devices and the configurations from each other, and other names may be used corresponding to the functions of the respective devices. In addition, in the present utility model, even if notations such as "first" and "second" are used, it does not mean that there are only two elements marked therewith. Of course, it may include a plurality of elements such as "third", "fourth", and more.

[0175] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, even for the content described with a specified direction, for the convenience of description, the content with the specified direction does not necessarily have to follow the direction used for the description. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the case where the rotating member 51 rotates counterclockwise (rotates in the forward rotation direction) when viewed from the left with the left-right direction as the axis is described as an example. However, the same effect can also be achieved when the rotating member 51 rotates clockwise when viewed from the left with the left-right direction as the axis.

Claims

1. A game tool, characterized in that: The game equipment comprises: A crawler unit having an upper portion extending in a first direction located in a horizontal direction and a lower portion located below the upper portion and extending in the first direction, the crawler unit being formed in an annular shape and being driven so that at least a portion of the upper portion moves in one direction of the first direction to move toward the lower portion, and at the same time at least a portion of the lower portion moves in the other direction of the first direction to move toward the upper portion; A driving unit, which drives the crawler unit; as well as A supporting unit, the lower end of which is grounded, so that the crawler unit is separated from the ground surface by a predetermined distance to support the crawler unit, In the crawler unit, a plurality of grids indicating the arrangement locations of chess pieces are formed in the upper part and the lower part along the first direction and a second direction located in the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the first direction. The grid has a holding portion for holding the chess piece, and the holding portion holds the chess piece when the grid is located at the upper portion and the lower portion.

2. The game tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The crawler unit has side portions extending downward from both side portions of the upper portion in the first direction and connected to both side portions of the lower portion in the first direction. The holding portion holds the chess piece in the grid located at the side.

3. The game tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The crawler unit has a plurality of flat crawler plate members having a plurality of grids formed in the second direction. The crawler track unit is formed into an annular shape by rotatably connecting a plurality of crawler plate members.

4. The game tool according to claim 3, characterized in that: The shoe member includes a shaft portion connected to one of the two shoe members to be connected and a bearing portion connected to the other shoe member. A shaft pin extending along the second direction is formed on the shaft portion, The bearing portion includes a bearing that rotatably supports the shaft pin.

5. The game tool according to claim 4, characterized in that: The track unit comprises a first track member and a second track member at least a portion of which is different from the first track member. The first shaft portion of the first crawler member is configured to be connectable to the second bearing portion of the second crawler member. The shaft portion, namely the second shaft portion, of the second track shoe member is configured to be connectable to the bearing portion, namely the first bearing portion, of the first track shoe member. At least a portion of the first shaft portion is different from the second shaft portion.

6. The game tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: A predetermined number of the shaft pins are formed on the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion, respectively. A predetermined number of the bearing portions are formed on each of the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion. formed in the shaft pin of the second shaft portion, At least one of the shaft pins is formed at the same position as the shaft pin formed on the first shaft portion, At least one of the shaft pins is formed at a position different from the shaft pin formed on the first shaft portion.

7. The game tool according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving unit includes a rotating member at least part of which is located between the upper portion and the lower portion of the crawler unit and rotates around the second direction as an axis. The rotating member includes a driving portion extending in the second direction and formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with four surfaces forming side surfaces having the same shape. In the driving portion, one of the four side surfaces supports the upper portion of the crawler unit.

8. The game tool according to claim 7, characterized in that: The driving unit includes a blocking portion for blocking a driving force for rotating the rotating member about the second direction as an axis. The blocking portion blocks the driving force when a side surface of the side surface of the driving portion that supports the upper portion of the crawler unit is inclined from a horizontal state.

9. The game tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support unit includes a cover member located near both ends of the crawler unit on the second direction side and covering the both ends when viewed from the second direction. The cover member comprises: an upper wall portion formed along the upper portion of the crawler unit; A side wall portion extending downward in a vertical direction from an end portion of the upper wall portion on at least one side in the first direction; and The first protrusion extends from a corner formed by the upper wall portion and the side wall portion toward an inner corner direction.

10. The game tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support unit includes a cover member located near both ends of the crawler unit on the second direction side and covering the both ends when viewed from the second direction. The cover member comprises: an upper wall portion formed along the upper portion of the crawler unit; and The second protrusion extends upward from an end portion of the upper wall portion on the crawler unit side.

11. The game tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support unit includes a third protrusion located above the center of the crawler unit in the first direction.

12. The game tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The holding portion includes a locking pin extending from the grid in a vertical direction. The chess piece forms a flexible locked portion that is locked to the locking pin.

13. The game tool according to claim 12, characterized in that: The locked portion includes a recessed portion locked to the locking pin, The opening of the recess is polygonal.

Images