Inter-machine smartphone holder

Abstract

To provide an inter-machine smartphone holder capable of fixing a smartphone in a position and at an angle that a player can easily see the smartphone.SOLUTION: An inter-machine smartphone holder 100 is disposed between adjacent game machines. The inter-machine smartphone holder 100 includes: a post 120 extending vertically, and an elevation member 130 that can freely travel vertically relative to the post 120; and an arm 150 in which its base end is journaled by the elevation member 130 and its direction can be rotated vertically. A holder member 160 capable of detachably fixing a smartphone S via a spherical body joint 161 is mounted to the end of the arm 150.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is used by being attached between gaming machines (in the present application, a combination of "pachinko gaming machines" and "slot gaming machines" is referred to as a "gaming machine"), and relates to a counter smartphone holder used by a player who enjoys the game on the gaming machine to detachably fix their personal smartphone.

Background Art

[0002] A gaming machine is used by being attached to a structure commonly called an island in the hall of a game parlor. Whether the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine or a slot gaming machine, a plurality of gaming machines are attached side by side to the island. Normally, a gap is provided between adjacent gaming machines attached to the island. In recent years, in many cases, a facility called an intermediate pillar is arranged in the gap. The intermediate pillar is often provided with a drink holder for a player to place a drink, a shelf for storing a booklet describing information for notifying the player of how to enjoy the gaming machine and the services received at the game parlor, and a USB terminal that can be used by the player to charge their personal smartphone, etc.

[0003] By the way, among players who play games on gaming machines recently, there are those who use a smartphone while playing the game. For example, reading news or watching videos displayed on the screen of a smartphone while playing the game is the main way for players during the game to use the smartphone. For a player who executes such a way of using a smartphone, it is troublesome to keep holding the smartphone by their own hand. When playing a game, at least one hand is occupied by operating the gaming machine, and especially when playing a game on a slot gaming machine, both hands may be occupied, so in that case, it may even be impossible to keep holding the smartphone by their own hand. In order to increase the convenience of players who play games while using a smartphone, it has been proposed to add a counter smartphone holder to the above-mentioned intermediate pillar.

[0004] The pedestal smart phone holder attached to the intermediate column is provided with an arm extending forward from the intermediate column. At the tip of the arm, there is a holder member for detachably holding the smart phone. The holder member is often adjustable in orientation with respect to the tip of the arm. The player attaches their personal smart phone to the holder member located at the tip of the arm with the screen of the smart phone facing their face, and adjusts the orientation together with the holder member. Once the screen is adjusted to an easy-to-view angle, the player can enjoy the game while looking at the screen of the smart phone supported by the pedestal smart phone holder instead of using their own hands.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Such a pedestal smart phone holder has a certain demand, and it also has the effect that the player can maintain the position and angle of the smart phone screen facing their face without using their own hands. However, there are also points to be improved in such a conventional pedestal smart phone holder. As described above, the gaming machine is attached to the island. The gaming machine attached to the island is attached and detached from the island while being attached to a member commonly referred to as a "frame". Briefly speaking, the frame is a member formed by assembling four plate materials in a rectangular shape like a picture frame. The gaming machine is attached inside the frame surrounded by the frame on all sides, and in that state, the entire frame is attached to the island. The gaming machine is fixed to the frame by hinge connection. For example, the gaming machine is hinge-connected to the frame at the front part on the left side of the upper plate among the four plates constituting the frame and the front part on the left side of the lower plate. Thereby, the frame and the gaming machine attached to the frame have a relationship similar to that of a door frame and a door, and the gaming machine can be opened and closed with respect to the frame to which it is hinge-connected, just as a door can be opened and closed with respect to the door frame to which it is hinge-connected. In the normal state, for example, when a player is playing a game, the gaming machine is in a closed state with respect to the frame, but for purposes such as maintenance, the gaming machine may be opened up to 90° from the frame. The opening and closing of the gaming machine with respect to this frame impose restrictions on the design of the podium smartphone holder. This is because when the gaming machine is opened with respect to the frame, there is a risk that the opened gaming machine may interfere with the arm of the podium smartphone holder extending forward from between adjacent gaming machines or the holder member at the tip of the arm. Due to such circumstances, the arm in the conventional podium smartphone holder is short. That is, by making the arm of the podium smartphone holder extending forward from between adjacent gaming machines protrude only slightly from the front surface of the gaming machine, the arm or the holder member is made to interfere as little as possible with the gaming machine opened from the frame. However, due to such restrictions, in the conventional podium smartphone holder, a situation has occurred where the screen of the smartphone fixed in position and orientation by the podium smartphone holder is difficult for the player to see.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a podium smartphone holder that enables a player to easily fix a smartphone at a position and angle that are easy to view.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The present invention for solving the above problems is as follows. The present invention is a podium smartphone holder that is attached and used between adjacent gaming machines attached to an island. The between-pedestal smartphone holder includes a vertically extending column disposed between adjacent gaming machines, a lifting member that is vertically movable with respect to the column and is attached to be positionable at an arbitrary height with respect to the column, a rod-shaped arm whose proximal end is attached to the lifting member so as to be rotatable within a vertical plane including a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction of the island and positionable at an arbitrary angle, and a holder member attached to the distal end of the arm so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction and positionable at an arbitrary angle, and the smartphone can be detachably attached thereto. Further, the holder member is configured to be positioned at a storage position located behind the front surface of the gaming machine and a use position located in front of the front surface of the gaming machine by rotating the arm with respect to the lifting member so as to lower the distal end of the arm with the lifting member positioned higher than a predetermined position of the column. Note that the concept of "front and rear" in the present application follows the "front and rear" of the gaming machine. This between-pedestal smartphone holder is arranged and used between adjacent gaming machines attached to the island, similar to the intermediate column described in the background art section. The gaming machine may be a pachinko gaming machine or a slot gaming machine as described above. The between-pedestal smartphone holder includes a column. The column is disposed between adjacent gaming machines. The column extends in the vertical direction. A lifting member is attached to the column. The lifting member is vertically movable with respect to the column and can be positioned at an arbitrary position with respect to the column. The proximal end of a rod-shaped arm is attached to the lifting member. The arm is rotatable within a vertical plane including a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction of the island. The arm is not only rotatable about the attachment portion with the lifting member as an axis but also can be positioned at an arbitrary angle. Further, a holder member to which a smartphone can be detachably attached is attached to the distal end of the arm. The holder member is rotatable in the vertical direction and can be positioned at an arbitrary angle. The holder member can be positioned at a storage position and a use position. The storage position is a position where the holder member is located behind the front surface of the gaming machine. To position the holder member at the storage position, the arm may be rotated relative to the elevating member so as to lower the tip of the arm while the elevating member is positioned higher than a predetermined position of the column. By doing so, the arm comes to follow along the column. As a result, the holder member comes close to the column and, consequently, is positioned behind the front surface of the gaming machine. Positioning the holder member at the storage position is mainly when the gaming machine is opened with respect to the frame. Even if the gaming machine is opened with respect to the frame, if the holder member is positioned at the storage position, interference between the arm or the holder member and the gaming machine opened with respect to the frame can be avoided. The use position is a position where the holder member is located in front of the front surface of the gaming machine. Of course, the use position is selected when the player attaches the smartphone to the podium smartphone holder. To position the holder member at the use position, the height of the elevating member with respect to the column may be arbitrarily adjusted in the vertical direction, and then the angle of the arm with respect to the elevating member may be arbitrarily adjusted. By the player arbitrarily adjusting these two points, the height of the holder member and the protruding length from the front surface of the gaming machine can be adjusted to a position preferred by the user. The height position of the holder member after the player has made the adjustment may be higher or lower than the height of the player's line of sight. However, that is not a problem. Since the holder member is rotatable with respect to the arm, the player can swing the smartphone attached to the holder member up and down as a whole and fix it at a preferred angle, and by adjusting the angle of the holder member in such a way, the display of the smartphone can be directed towards the player's face. That is, by using the podium smartphone holder of the present invention, the player can appropriately adjust the height, front-rear position, and vertical angle of the smartphone, so that the player can easily view the screen of the smartphone supported by the podium smartphone holder.

[0008] The gaming machine is attached to the island in a state of being fitted into the frame, and the pillar may be positioned behind the front surface of the frame. By doing so, when the holder member is positioned at the storage position, the risk of interference between the arm that is in a state along the holder member or the pillar and the gaming machine opened with respect to the frame can be made smaller.

[0009] As described above, the holder member is attached to the tip of the arm so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The attachment of the holder member to the arm may be made by a universal joint. In that case, the holder member may be positionable at any angle in the vertical, horizontal, and lateral directions. By doing so, the screen of the smartphone attached to the holder member can be adjusted not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction, so that the player can more easily view the display of the smartphone supported by the inter-stage smartphone holder.

[0010] The inter-stage smartphone holder has a size and shape that fit between the adjacent gaming machines, and is a main body to which the pillar is fixed. It is a vertically long plate that hides the island between two adjacent gaming machines on its front surface. It includes a decorative plate having an opening running in the vertical direction that allows the rotation of the arm, a lower fixing member fixed to a lower plate that is a horizontal plate constituting the island on which the gaming machine is placed when the gaming machine fixed to the frame is fixed to the island, and an upper fixing member fixed to an upper plate that is a horizontal plate constituting the island and is positioned directly above the upper member of the frame and fixed to the upper member of the frame when the gaming machine is fixed to the island. The inter-stage smartphone holder having such a main body can be fixed to the island in the same manner as a conventional intermediate pillar, that is, by fixing the lower fixing member to the lower plate constituting the island and the upper fixing member to the upper plate constituting the island. The fact that it is possible to divert the same installation method as the conventional intermediate pillar reduces the burden on the operator who installs the inter-stage smartphone holder according to the present application.

[0011] As described above, the elevating member not only needs to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the column, but also needs to be positionable at an arbitrary height with respect to the column. Any configuration may be used for this purpose, and for example, the following configuration may be adopted. The elevating member may include a swing plate that is a plate whose rear end is hinge-connected in a state where the column passes through a through-hole penetrating the column, and whose front end extends to the front side of the decorative plate, and an elastic body that applies a biasing force to the swing plate in a direction along the length direction of the column. In this case, the swing plate is configured such that the inclination angle from the horizontal state becomes larger than a predetermined angle by the biasing force from the elastic body, and when the inclination angle becomes larger than the predetermined angle, the edge of the through-hole is strongly pressed against the column, and the elevating member is fixed to the column by the frictional force acting between the edge of the through-hole and the column so as not to be able to move up and down with respect to the column. Also, when the player pushes the tip of the swing plate in either the upward or downward direction against the biasing force applied by the elastic body to the swing plate to bring it closer to the horizontal, the pressing contact of the edge of the through-hole against the column is released, and the elevating member becomes movable up and down with respect to the column. With such a simple configuration, the elevating member can be made movable in the vertical direction with respect to the column and positionable at an arbitrary height with respect to the column. Also, whether the elevating member is in a movable state or an immovable state with respect to the column can be selected by a simple operation of making the swing plate closer to the horizontal or not horizontal. Such a simple operation can be relatively easily performed by the player himself / herself.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the inter-stage smartphone holder of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First, the structure of the island to which the inter-stage smartphone holder according to this embodiment is attached and the gaming machine attached to the island will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1. First, the configuration of the gaming machine will be described. Reference numeral 300 in FIG. 1 is a gaming machine. The gaming machine 300 in this embodiment is a pachinko gaming machine. The gaming machine 300 is attached to an island described later. The pachinko gaming machine can be replaced with a slot gaming machine. The slot gaming machine is also attached to the island in a state fixed to the frame as described later. The configuration of the island for attaching the slot gaming machine is basically the same as that of the island for attaching the pachinko gaming machine, except for the difference based on the sizes of the slot gaming machine and the pachinko gaming machine. The gaming machine 300 itself, which is a pachinko gaming machine, is quite common and is usually commercially available. Since there are no particular features of the gaming machine 300, further explanation is omitted. Note that below the gaming machine 300, there are generally a dish for receiving pachinko balls consisting of an upper dish and a lower dish, and a handle used for the operation of launching the balls. However, these are not related to the present invention and are all well-known, so the illustration thereof is omitted. The gaming machine 300 is fixed inside a rectangular member called a frame 500. The frame 500 is often made of wood, but it is not limited to this. In this embodiment, it is made of metal. The frame 500 is a combination in a picture-frame shape or a rectangle such that four plates form four sides when viewed from the front and the width direction of each plate becomes the depth direction. The gaming machine 300 is fitted into the internal rectangular space. The fixing of the gaming machine 300 to the frame 500 is performed by a known or well-known method, that is, as already described in the background art section, by using hinge fittings 502 provided on the frame 500 (see FIG. 1(B)). A fitting (not shown) capable of detachably hinge-connecting to the hinge fitting 502 is attached to a portion of the gaming machine 300 corresponding to the hinge fitting 502. The fitting and the hinge fitting 502 can be attached and detached with one touch by a known or well-known device provided on the fitting and the hinge fitting 502. Thereby, the attachment and detachment of the gaming machine 300 to and from the frame 500 can be performed with one touch. Also, as already described in the background art section, the gaming machine 300 is rotatable between a closed state (FIG. 1(A)) and an open state (FIG. 1(B)) with respect to the frame 500 about an imaginary line connecting the upper and lower hinge fittings 502, in the same way that a door is freely openable and closable with respect to a door frame. When it is opened to the maximum, the gaming machine 300 is in a state rotated approximately 90° from the original state (closed state) in a plan view. In FIG. 1, for simplicity of the drawing, only one gaming machine 300 is shown fixed to the island. In reality, the island is longer and a plurality of gaming machines 300 are mounted side by side.

[0015] Next, the island will be described. The gaming machine 300 is usually fixed to a structure called an island 400 in the hall. The island 400 may be made of metal, but in many cases it is made of wood and has a structure that allows a large number of gaming machines 300 to be mounted in parallel. In addition to this, on the island 400, a ball lending machine that lends gaming balls to the operator, a calling lamp that notifies the operator or the hall staff of the state of the gaming machine 300, a ball circulation mechanism that supplies balls to the ball lending machine and the gaming machine 300 and also recovers the balls that have come out of the gaming machine 300 to circulate the balls, etc. are appropriately mounted as necessary, but illustrations of these are also omitted. The gaming machine 300 fixed to the frame 500 is attached to the island 400 together with the frame 500. With the gaming machine 300 fixed to the frame 500, by fixing the frame 500 to the island 400, the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the island 400. On the island 400, there is a horizontal lower plate 401 for placing the frame 500 and an upper plate 402 parallel to the lower plate 401 located above the frame 500. The frame 500 is fixed to the island 400 in a state of being placed on the lower plate 401. The fixing of the frame 500 to the island 400 is performed, for example, by using nails or a dedicated mounting device to fix the lower frame plate 501 to the lower plate 401. Similarly, the upper plate of the frame 500 is fixed to the upper plate 402 using, for example, nails or a dedicated mounting device. There is a front plate 403 directly below the lower plate 401 of the island 400. The front plate 403 is a plate with a predetermined thickness whose lower and upper surfaces are in contact with the lower surface of the lower plate 401 and protrudes somewhat forward from the lower plate 401. Generally, an ashtray is attached to the front plate 403 or a place for placing a so-called dollar box is made.

[0016] Next, the podium smartphone holder 100 according to this embodiment will be described. A perspective view of the podium smartphone holder 100 is shown in FIG. 2, a front view of the podium smartphone holder 100 is shown in FIG. 3, and a perspective side view of the podium smartphone holder 100 is shown in FIG. 4. The inter-machine smartphone holder 100 is installed and used between two adjacent gaming machines 300 with the frame 500 attached to the island 400. The inter-machine smartphone holder 100 according to this embodiment is configured to function as an intermediate column.

[0017] The inter-machine smartphone holder 100 includes a main body 110. The main body 110 is a member for attaching a column, which will be described later, to the island 400, and also has a function of hiding the inside of the island 400 from the player's view. Due to the presence of the main body 110, the inter-machine smartphone holder 100 will function as an intermediate column. The main body 110 is not limited to this, but is configured by bending or combining metal plates. The main body 110 is sized and shaped to fit between adjacent gaming machines 300. Not limited to this, in this embodiment, the height of the main body 110 is set to a height corresponding to the height from the upper surface of the lower plate 401 that sandwiches the gaming machine 300 from above and below to the lower surface of the upper plate 402. Also not limited to this, in this embodiment, the width of the main body 110 is made to correspond to the width of the gap between adjacent gaming machines 300. However, there may be auxiliary columns or other members that extend from the upper surface of the lower plate 401 that sandwiches the gaming machine 300 from above and below to the lower surface of the upper plate 402 between adjacent gaming machines 300 other than the inter-machine smartphone holder 100. In such a case, the width of the inter-machine smartphone holder 100 is set to the width of the gap between adjacent gaming machines 300 minus the width of the above-mentioned other members. The main body 110 includes a decorative plate 111, which is a vertically long plate that hides the island 400 (more specifically, the inside of the island 400) between the two gaming machines 300. An opening 111A is provided in the decorative plate 111. The opening 111A in the present application does not have to be a hole and may be notched as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The opening 111A is for preventing the arm, which operates as described later, from interfering with the decorative plate 111. In other words, it is for allowing the rotation of the arm. At the lower end of the main body 110, a lower fixing member 112, which is a plate bent 90° backward from the decorative plate 111, is provided. The lower fixing member 112 is used to fix the lower end of the main body 110 to the lower plate 401. The lower fixing member 112 has a hole 112A. By screwing a screw passing through the hole 112A into the lower plate 401 from above, the lower fixing member 112 can be fixed to the lower plate 401. However, it is not necessary to use a screw to fix the lower fixing member 112 to the lower plate 401, and the lower fixing member 112 can be fixed to the lower plate 401 by other known or well-known methods. At the upper end of the main body 110, an upper fixing member 113, which is a plate bent 90° backward from the decorative plate 111, is provided. The upper fixing member 113 is used to fix the upper end of the main body 110 to the upper plate 402. The upper fixing member 113 has a hole 113A. By screwing a screw passing through the hole 113A into the upper plate 402 from below, the upper fixing member 113 can be fixed to the upper plate 402. However, it is not necessary to use a screw to fix the upper fixing member 113 to the upper plate 402, and the upper fixing member 113 can be fixed to the upper plate 402 by other known or well-known methods. The main body 110 includes, but is not limited to, a POP holder 114. The POP holder 114 is a shelf for storing booklets with information informing players about how to enjoy the gaming machine and the services received at the game arcade, or sheet-shaped POPs. Inside the POP holder 114, a pressing plate 115 is provided to prevent the booklets and POPs from falling off. On the side opposite to where the POP holder 114 in the width direction of the main body 110 is attached, an auxiliary plate 116, which is a vertical rectangular plate, is attached. Although the outline of the auxiliary plate 116 is shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, it is shown in a perspective state, and its description is omitted in FIG. 4. The auxiliary plate 116 is attached to increase the rigidity of the main body 110 and to prevent the inside of the island 400 from being visible to the player. At the lower end of the POP holder 114, a lower POP plate 117, which is a plate projecting rearward, is provided, and at the upper end of the POP holder 114, an upper POP plate 118, which is a plate projecting rearward, is provided. The lower POP plate 117 and the upper POP plate 118 are for fixing a column 120 to be described later, but they are not necessarily required if the length of the column 120 is not as described later. In addition, although not limited to this, below the decorative plate 111 of the stage smart phone holder 100 of this embodiment, a USB charger 119A used mainly by a player to charge the smart phone S and a drink holder 119B used by the player to place a drink are arranged.

[0018] Inside the main body 110, a column 120 extending in the vertical direction is provided. The column 120 may be a rod-shaped body extending over the entire length of the main body 110 in the height direction. For example, the column 120 may extend from the upper surface of the lower fixing member 112 to the lower surface of the upper fixing member 113. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the column 120 extends from the upper surface of the lower POP plate 117 to the lower surface of the upper POP plate 118. The lower end of the column 120 is fixed to the lower POP plate 117 by an appropriate method, and the upper end of the column 120 is fixed to the upper POP plate 118 by an appropriate method. Although not limited to this, the column 120 in this embodiment is made of metal, and its cross section is circular.

[0019] An elevating member 130 that can move in the vertical direction along the column 120 is attached to the column 120. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the elevating member 130 is hollow and in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box, and holes (not shown) for passing the column 120 are formed in its upper and lower plates. The elevating member 130 can move in the vertical direction with respect to the column 120 in a state where the column 120 passes through the upper and lower holes.

[0020] The elevating member 130 can not only be moved up and down with respect to the column 120, but also be positioned and fixed at any height of the column 120. As a device for this purpose, although not limited to this, in this embodiment, a fixing mechanism 140 is provided on the elevating member 130. The fixing mechanism 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 5(A) is a perspective view of the elevating member 130 and the fixing mechanism 140, and FIG. 5(B) is a plan view of the fixing mechanism 140. FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the operation of the fixing mechanism 140. The fixing mechanism 140 is a mechanism that enables a player to arbitrarily select to lock the elevating member 130 in a state where it cannot move up and down with respect to the column 120 and to release the lock. Although not limited to this, the locking mechanism 140 in this embodiment is composed of a first L-shaped plate 141A and a second L-shaped plate 141B, a swing plate 142 that is swingable with respect to the second L-shaped plate 141B, and an elastic body 143 sandwiched between the second L-shaped plate 141 and the swing plate 142. Although not limited to this, all of these are made of metal. The first L-shaped plate 141A is a plate material bent in an L-shape in a side view. The second L-shaped plate 141B is a plate material bent in a crank shape. The second L-shaped plate 141B is fixed to the elevating member 130 with the front portion of the plate bent in a crank shape along the front surface of the elevating member 130 and the middle portion of the plate bent in a crank shape along the upper surface of the elevating member 130. A hole 141B1 for passing the column 120 is provided in the middle portion of the plate of the second L-shaped plate 141B bent in a crank shape. The column 120 passes through the hole 141B1. The rear portion of the plate of the second L-shaped plate 141B bent in a crank shape stands up vertically, for example, from the middle portion of the plate bent in a crank shape. A long hole 141B2 having a horizontal rectangular cross section with the longitudinal direction in the left-right direction of the gaming machine 300 is provided in the standing portion of the second L-shaped plate 141B. As will be described later, this long hole 141B2 is used to lock the rear end side of the swing plate 142. The first L-shaped plate 141A is fixed to the front surface of the lifting member 130 in a state where the plate corresponding to one side of the L-shape sandwiches the front portion of the plate bent in a crank shape of the second L-shaped plate 141. The plate corresponding to the other side of the first L-shaped plate 141A protrudes horizontally forward from the lifting member 130. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the plate corresponding to the other side of the first L-shaped plate 141A and the upper surface of the plate in the middle portion of the plate bent in a crank shape of the second L-shaped plate 141 are flush. The fixing of the first L-shaped plate 141A and the second L-shaped plate 141B to the lifting member 130 may be performed according to known and well-known techniques. For example, they are fixed to each other by screwing. The swing plate 142 is, although not limited to this, a substantially rectangular metal plate slightly narrower in width than the first L-shaped plate 141A and the second L-shaped plate 141B. The swing plate 142 is attached to the second L-shaped plate 141 with its vicinity near the rear end inserted into the long hole 141B2 provided in the second L-shaped plate 141B. A locking portion 142A that is wider than the portion of the swing plate 142 in front of it is provided at the rear end of the swing plate 142. The locking portion 142A is for restricting the forward movement of the swing plate 142. The swing plate 142 is in a state of being hinged to the rising portion of the second L-shaped plate 141 with the portion locked in the long hole 141B2 as an axis. Therefore, the swing plate 142 can swing with the portion of the long hole 141B2 as an axis. The swing plate 142 is also provided with a hole 142B through which the column 120 can pass. The hole 142B is a circular hole with a diameter slightly larger than that of the column 120. The swing plate 142 is attached to the L-shaped plate 141 with the column 120 passing through the hole 142B. An elastic body 143 is disposed between the upper surface of the middle portion of the crank-shaped bent plate of the second L-shaped plate 141B and the lower surface of the swing plate 142. The elastic body 143 is for applying a force to the swing plate 142 to move the tip of the swing plate 142 upward. Although not limited to this, the elastic body 143 in this embodiment is a coil spring. The coil spring is disposed between the second L-shaped plate 141B and the swing plate 142 in a compressed state, and biases the swing plate 142 with a large force. Although not limited to this, the elastic body 143 which is a coil spring is in a state of being wound around the column 120. In a normal state, the swing plate 142 is inclined such that its tip (front end) is positioned above the rear end by the biasing force from the elastic body 143. On the other hand, the player can push down the tip of the swing plate 142 against the biasing force applied by the elastic body 143 to the swing plate 142.

[0021] When the player does not apply a force to push down the tip of the swing plate 142, that is, in a normal state, the swing plate 142 is in a state of rotating with respect to the long hole 141B2 of the second L-shaped plate 141B such that its tip moves upward by the biasing force applied by the elastic body 143 (FIG. 6(A)). In that state, the inner edge of the hole 142B of the swing plate 142 abuts against the column 120 (see the circle indicated by the broken line with the symbol X). Then, a strong frictional force is generated between the edge of the hole 142B strongly pressed against the column 120 by the biasing force from the elastic body 143 and the outer surface of the column 120. Due to the frictional force, the fixing mechanism 140 including the swing plate 142 is virtually locked with respect to the column 120, and the fixing mechanism 140 cannot move up and down with respect to the column 120. That is, the elevating member 130 fixed to the fixing mechanism 140 is fixed with respect to the column 120. Next, a situation will be described in which a player applies a force to the tip of the swing plate 142 to push it downward against the biasing force exerted by the elastic body 143 on the swing plate 142, and when the swing plate 142 is brought close to the horizontal by a certain degree or more. A state in which the swing plate 142 is made horizontal by applying such a force to the tip of the swing plate 142 and rotating the swing plate 142 about the long hole 141B2 of the second L-shaped plate 141B is shown in FIG. 6(B). In this state, the inner edge of the hole 142B of the swing plate 142 moves away from the column 120. Then, the above-described frictional force that has been acting between the edge of the hole 142B and the outer surface of the column 120 in the normal state disappears or at least becomes smaller. As a result, the lock of the fixing mechanism 140 including the swing plate 142 with respect to the column 120 is released, and the fixing mechanism 140 becomes a state in which it can move up and down with respect to the column 120. That is, the lifting member 130 fixed to the fixing mechanism 140 can move up and down with respect to the column 120.

[0022] An arm 150 is attached to the lifting member 130. The arm 150 is a long rod-shaped body. The arm 150 is attached to a shaft 151 whose base end is attached to the lifting member 130 (see FIG. 5(A)). In FIG. 5, the reference numeral 151 is attached to a bolt, and the shaft portion of the bolt is the above-described shaft 151. The shaft 151 extends in the width direction of the inter-base smartphone holder 100 and is horizontally arranged. The arm 150 is pivotally supported by the shaft 151. Thereby, the arm 150 can rotate up and down about the shaft 151. The arm 150 can be brought into a state substantially parallel to the column 120 along the column 120 in front of the column 120 by lowering its tip in a state where the lifting member 130 is raised with respect to the column 120 by a certain degree or more. On the other hand, the arm 150 can raise its tip to at least a position where it is in a substantially horizontal state. The arm 150 in this embodiment can rotate to a position where its tip is higher than the lifting member 130, although it is not limited to this. The rotation of the arm 150 about the axis described above is performed in a vertical plane including a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction of the island 400. The arm 150 can not only rotate as described above, but can also be positioned at any angle with respect to the column 120. Fixing for the positioning of the arm 150 can be achieved by known or well-known techniques. For example, it can be achieved by appropriately adjusting the frictional force between the arm 150 and the shaft 151. To enable this, it is advantageous for the arm 150 to be light. The arm 150 is preferably made of aluminum, which is a relatively lightweight metal, or a resin.

[0023] A holder member 160 is attached to the tip of the arm 150. The holder member 160 is for holding a smartphone. The holder member 160 in this embodiment has two claws 162 arranged opposite to each other. The smartphone is to be gripped in a state of being sandwiched between these claws 162. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the distance between the two claws 162 can vary from a state significantly narrower than the length in the width direction of a commercially available general smartphone to a state significantly wider than the length in the width direction of a commercially available general smartphone. Further, the claws 162 are constantly given a biasing force in a direction to shrink the distance between the two claws 162 to the narrowest distance described above by an elastic body (not shown), such as a spring. The user resists the biasing force of the elastic body to once widen the distance between the two claws 162 to be wider than the width of their own smartphone, and inserts the smartphone between the two claws 162 so that both side surfaces in the width direction of the smartphone face each other. Then, when the force applied by the player to the claws 162 is removed, the two claws 162 sandwich the smartphone from both sides in the width direction. Thereby, the smartphone comes to be detachably fixed to the holder member 160. When the player removes the smartphone from the holder member 160, the distance between the two claws 162 may be opened. Such devices for holding a smartphone are known or well-known, and various variations of products are also commercially available. For example, the above-described holder member 160 was configured to sandwich the smartphone from the width direction or the left-right direction, but devices that sandwich the smartphone from the length direction or the up-down direction are also sold. Any configuration of the device may be used, but it is possible to divert a known, well-known, or commercially available device for detachably holding such a smartphone to the holder member 160 of this embodiment. The holder member 160 is attached to the tip of the arm 150 via a spherical joint 161 which is a type of universal joint. Thereby, the holder member 160 can be rotated in any direction of the up-down direction and the left-right direction with respect to the tip of the arm 150. Further, the holder member 160 can also be rotated around the axis of the arm 150. Note that it is necessary for the holder member 160 to be able to rotate at least in the up-down direction with respect to the tip of the arm 150. If it is possible to rotate only in the up-down direction with respect to the tip of the arm 150, the spherical joint 161 can be replaced with a hinge connection using an axis. The holder member 160 is not only rotatable with respect to the tip of the arm 150, but also capable of positioning its angle in a state of being rotated in an arbitrary direction. Fixing the angle of such a holder member 160 can also be achieved by known or well-known techniques.

[0024] Next, the usage method and operation of the pedestal smartphone holder 100 described above will be explained. First, the pedestal smartphone holder 100 is attached to the island 400. As described above, the island 400 has a horizontal lower plate 401 for placing the frame 500 to which the gaming machine 300 is fixed, and an upper plate 402 located above the frame 500. The gaming machine 300 fixed to the frame 500 is fixed in a state of being arranged in parallel side by side on the island 400. A predetermined gap is provided between adjacent gaming machines 300. The pedestal smartphone holder 100 is attached to the gap between the adjacent gaming machines 300. The between-stage smartphone holder 100 includes the main body 110 as described above, and the main body 110 also includes a lower fixing member 112 and an upper fixing member 113. The length from the lower surface of the lower fixing member 112 to the upper surface of the upper fixing member 113 substantially corresponds to the length from the upper surface of the lower plate 401 to the lower surface of the upper plate 402. The between-stage smartphone holder 100 is fixed to the island 400 by fixing its lower fixing member 112 to the lower plate 401 and its upper fixing member 113 to the upper plate 402. At this time, the front surface of the decorative plate 111 provided in the main body 110 is flush with the front surface of the frame 500 of the gaming machine 300. This is to position the column 120 behind the front surface of the frame 500. Positioning the column 120 behind the front surface of the frame 500 is to position the holder member 160 behind the front surface of the frame 500 when the holder member 160 is positioned at the storage position described later. In this embodiment, when the front surface of the decorative plate 111 in the main body 110 of the between-stage smartphone holder 100 is flush with the front surface of the frame 500, the holder member 160 positioned at the storage position can be positioned behind the front surface of the frame 500. Importantly, since the holder member 160 positioned at the storage position is located behind the front surface of the frame 500, making the front surface of the decorative plate 111 of the between-stage smartphone holder 100 flush with the front surface of the frame 500 is not an essential matter when attaching the between-stage smartphone holder 100 to the island 400. Although not necessarily limited to this, in this embodiment, between adjacent gaming machines 300, there is an auxiliary column 409 along the frame 500 of one of the gaming machines 300 (see FIG. 9). The auxiliary plate 409 is, for example, a unit that dispenses balls necessary for playing games by inserting money, which is commonly referred to as CR sand, and transmits data of the gaming machine 300 to other devices. And the width of the decorative plate 111 provided in the main body 110 of the under-counter smartphone holder 100 in this embodiment is the same as the distance from the side surface of the auxiliary column 409 on the side not in contact with the above-mentioned one frame 500 to the side surface of the auxiliary column 409 on the side of the other frame 500. Therefore, the decorative plate 111 of the under-counter smartphone holder 100 attached between adjacent gaming machines 300 exactly conceals the space between the side surface of the auxiliary column 409 on the side not in contact with one frame 500 and the side surface of the auxiliary column 409 on the side of the other frame 500.

[0025] As described above, a side view of the under-counter smartphone holder 100 attached to the island 400 is shown in FIG. 7. Also, a perspective view of the island 400 with the under-counter smartphone holder 100 attached is shown in FIG. 8, and a front view is shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 7, the holder member 160 is in the storage position. Also, in FIGS. 8 and 9, two under-counter smartphone holders 100 are attached to the left adjacent side of the two gaming machines 300. Among the two under-counter smartphone holders 100, the one on the left has the holder member 160 in the storage position, and the one on the right has the holder member 160 in the use position. In FIG. 7, the member hatched with diagonal lines is the frame 500 shown in a perspective state. The storage position is a state in which, with the lifting member 130 raised higher than a predetermined position of the column 120, the holder member 160 is located behind the front surface of the gaming machine 300, preferably behind the front surface of the frame 500, by rotating the arm 150 with respect to the lifting member 130 so as to lower the tip of the arm 150. In this embodiment, when the lifting member 130 is moved up to the maximum within the range where it can move relative to the column 120, and the arm 150 is rotated relative to the lifting member 130 so that its tip is positioned at the lowest point, when the arm 150 is in a state along the approximate column 120, the holder member 160 is positioned at the storage position. When the holder member 160 is positioned at the storage position, the player does not attach the smartphone to the holder member 160. That is, when the gaming machine 300 is not using the pedestal smartphone holder 100 in relation to the smartphone, at least when the gaming machine 300 positioned on the right side of the pedestal smartphone holder 100 is opened with respect to the frame 500 in which it is fitted, the holder member 160 of the pedestal smartphone holder 100 is positioned at the storage position. In FIG. 7, the holder member 160 in the storage position is located behind the front surface of the frame 500 of the gaming machine 300. The holder member 160 in that position is naturally located behind the front surface of the gaming machine 300. When the holder member 160 is in the storage position, even if the gaming machine 300 on the right side of the pedestal smartphone holder 100 is opened with respect to the frame 500 in which it is fitted, the gaming machine 300 and the holder member 160, and thus the gaming machine 300 and the pedestal smartphone holder 100, do not interfere with each other. However, even if the holder member 160 protrudes forward by about 1 cm or 2 channels from the front surface of the frame 500, there is almost no risk of the gaming machine 300 opened from the frame 500 interfering with the holder member 160, depending on the outer shape of the gaming machine 300. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where the gaming machine 300 on the left side is opened with respect to the frame 500. From this figure, it can be understood that in the pedestal smartphone holder 100 with the holder member 160 in the storage position, the arm 150 and the holder member 160 do not interfere with the gaming machine 300 opened with respect to the frame 500. In addition, although not limited to this, below the decorative panel 111 of the console smart phone holder 100 of this embodiment, a USB charger 119A and a drink holder 119B are arranged. In particular, the drink holder 119B protrudes forward from the decorative panel 111 due to its structure. Depending on the outer shape of the gaming machine 300, there is also a slight possibility that the USB charger 119A and the drink holder 119B may interfere with the gaming machine 300 when the gaming machine 300 is opened with respect to the frame 500. In order to prevent such a situation, it is preferable to make these detachable with respect to the gaming machine 300, and this is what is done in the present application.

[0026] On the other hand, the player can hold their own smart phone in the console smart phone holder 100. The gaming machine 300 moves the elevating member 130 up and down with respect to the column 120. To move the elevating member 130 up and down with respect to the column 120, as described above, the tip of the swing plate 142 is pushed down against the upward biasing force provided by the elastic body 143 to make it close to the horizontal state. Specifically, by sandwiching the tip of the plate corresponding to the other side of the L-shape protruding from the front side of the first L-shaped plate 141A and the tip of the swing plate 142 with, for example, the index finger and thumb of one hand, the tip of the swing plate 142 can be pushed down. The tip portion of the plate corresponding to the other side of the L-shape protruding from the front side of the first L-shaped plate 141A and the tip portion of the swing plate 142 are located vertically, so the player can easily perform the operation of sandwiching both with the index finger and thumb of one hand. When the player performs that operation, the inner edge of the hole 142B of the swing plate 142 moves away from the column 120 (FIG. 6(B)). Thereby, the above-described frictional force that has been acting between the edge of the hole 142B and the outer surface of the column 120 in the normal state disappears. As a result, the lock of the fixing mechanism 140 including the swing plate 142 with respect to the column 120 is released, and the fixing mechanism 140 becomes a state where it can move up and down with respect to the column 120. In that state, while pinching the tip of the portion protruding forward of the first L-shaped plate 141A and the tip of the swing plate 142, the player moves the fixing mechanism 140 including the first L-shaped plate 141A and the swing plate 142, and the elevating member 130 integrated with the fixing mechanism 140 up and down with respect to the column 120. When the player moves the elevating member 130 up and down to a desired position with respect to the column 120, the player releases his / her hand from the tip of the swing plate 142. Then, the tip of the swing plate 142 moves upward by the upward biasing force from the elastic body 143 and returns to the normal state shown in FIG. 6(A). At this time, the inner edge of the hole 142B of the swing plate 142 abuts against the column 120. Then, a strong frictional force is generated between the edge of the hole 142B strongly pressed against the column 120 by the biasing force from the elastic body 143 and the outer surface of the column 120. Due to the frictional force, the fixing mechanism 140 including the swing plate 142 is virtually locked with respect to the column 120, and the fixing mechanism 140 cannot move up and down with respect to the column 120. That is, the elevating member 130 fixed to the fixing mechanism 140 is fixed to the column 120 at the height desired by the player.

[0027] Furthermore, the player pulls out the tip of the arm 150. The arm 150 may be pulled out, if possible, before moving the elevating member 130 in the vertical direction. When the holder member 160 is in the stored position, the arm 150 has its tip downward and is in a state along the column 120 in front of the column 120. By rotating the arm 150 about an axis (not shown) inside the elevating member 130 to a state close to horizontal or by rotating it until the tip is higher than its base end, the tip of the arm 150 can be pulled out to the front side of the front surface of the gaming machine 300 or the frame 500. The arm 150 can be positioned at any angle of rotation. When the holder member 160 is positioned in front of the front surface of the gaming machine 300 or the frame 500 by pulling out the arm 150, it is assumed that the holder member 160 is in the use position. As described above, in the right side inter-base smartphone holder 100 in FIGS. 8 and 9, the holder member 160 at the tip of the arm 150 protruding forward beyond the front surface of the gaming machine 300 between two gaming machines 300 is in the use position. Once the holder member 160 is positioned at the use position, the gaming machine 300 causes the smartphone S to be held with respect to the holder member 160. As described above, the smartphone S is inserted between the two claws 162 of the holder member 160 by once spreading the two claws 162 of the holder member 160 and making the side surfaces in the width direction of the smartphone S face each other between the two claws 162, and then the smartphone S is clamped by the two claws 162 after removing the force applied to the claws 162, thereby detachably fixing the smartphone S to the holder member 160. Thereafter, the player adjusts the angle of the smartphone S. The adjustment of the angle of the smartphone S is performed by rotating the angle of the holder member 160 in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, or around the axis with respect to the tip of the arm 150 via the spherical joint 161. For example, by rotating the holder member 160 around an imaginary axis extending in the length direction of the arm 150 with respect to the tip of the arm 150, it is possible to change the smartphone S, which was in the vertical holding state in FIG. 4, to the horizontal holding state as shown in FIG. 11. The holder member 160 can be rotated by the spherical joint 161 and can be positioned at any angle. Therefore, the player can position the vertical and front-rear positions of the holder member 160 by the vertical direction of the elevating member 130 and the angle of the arm 150, and can also position the angle of the holder member 160 by the spherical joint 161. Naturally, these positionings also apply to the display of the smartphone S attached to the holder member 160. The player can repeat adjusting the angle of the holder member 160 with respect to the arm 150, the angle of the arm 150, and the angle of the elevating member 130 with respect to the column 120 until the height of the display of the smartphone S, the protruding amount from the front surface of the gaming machine 300, and the angle reach the desired states.

[0028] In this state, the gaming machine 300 can enjoy the game by the gaming machine 300 while enjoying the image displayed on the display of the smartphone S. When enjoying the gaming machine 300, the player can refer to the POP stored in the POP holder 114 of the podium smartphone holder 100. In the event of a trouble occurring in the gaming machine 300 such as a ball jam, etc., or when the gaming machine 300 to the immediate right of the podium smartphone holder 100 where the holder member 160 is in the use position has to be rotated with respect to the frame 500 to which it is attached, or when the player stops the game on the gaming machine 300, the player or the store clerk in the hall returns the holder member 160 of the podium smartphone holder 100 from the use position to the storage position. Since it is considered unnecessary to explain the method of returning the holder member 160 from the use position to the storage position, the explanation is omitted.

Explanation of Signs

[0029] 100 Podium smartphone holder 110 Main body 120 Column 130 Lifting member 140 Fixing mechanism 141 L-shaped plate 142 Oscillating plate 143 Elastic body 150 Arm 160 Holder member 400 Island 401 Lower plate 402 Upper plate

Claims

1. A countertop smartphone holder used by being mounted between adjacent gaming machines attached to an island, comprising: a vertically extending column disposed between the adjacent gaming machines; a lifting member that is vertically movable with respect to the column and is attached to be positionable at any height with respect to the column; a rod-shaped arm having its proximal end attached to the lifting member so as to be rotatable within a vertical plane including an imaginary straight line extending in the front-rear direction of the island and positionable at any angle; a holder member attached to the tip of the arm so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction and positionable at any angle, and capable of detachably attaching a smartphone; and the holder member is configured to be positioned at a storage position behind the front surface of the gaming machine and a use position in front of the front surface of the gaming machine by rotating the arm with respect to the lifting member so as to lower the tip of the arm with the lifting member positioned higher than a predetermined position of the column. Countertop smartphone holder.

2. The gaming machine is attached to the island in a state of being fitted into a frame, and the column is positioned behind the front surface of the frame. The countertop smartphone holder according to claim 1.

3. The attachment of the holder member to the arm is made by a universal joint and is positionable at any angle in the vertical and horizontal directions. The countertop smartphone holder according to claim 1.

4. A main body having a size and shape that fit between the adjacent gaming machines, and to which the column is fixed, a vertically long plate that hides the island between the two adjacent gaming machines on its front surface, and a decorative plate having an opening running in the vertical direction that allows rotation of the arm; a lower fixing member fixed to a lower plate, which is a horizontal plate constituting the island, on which the gaming machine is placed when the gaming machine fixed to the frame is fixed to the island; an upper fixing member fixed to an upper plate, which is a horizontal plate constituting the island, positioned directly above the upper member of the frame and fixed to the upper member of the frame when the gaming machine is fixed to the island; including those having The countertop smartphone holder according to claim 1.

5. The elevating member is a swing plate that, with the column passing through a through-hole penetrating the column, has its rear end hinge-connected and its front end extending to the front side of the decorative plate, an elastic body that applies a biasing force to the swing plate in a direction along the length direction of the column, and is provided with, the swing plate, is configured such that the inclination angle from the horizontal state becomes larger than a predetermined angle by the biasing force from the elastic body, and when the inclination angle becomes larger than the predetermined angle, the edge of the through-hole is strongly pressed against the column, and the elevating member is fixed to the column by the frictional force acting between the edge of the through-hole and the column so as not to be able to move up and down relative to the column. When the player presses the tip of the swing plate in either the vertical direction against the biasing force applied by the elastic body to the swing plate to bring it closer to the horizontal, the contact of the edge of the through-hole with the column is released, and the elevating member becomes movable up and down relative to the column. The inter-stage smartphone holder according to claim 4.

Images