Island

Abstract

To provide an island capable of changing the height for fixing a Pachinko game machine or a slot game machine depending on whether the pachinko game machine or the slot game machine is attached to the island.SOLUTION: An island 400 includes a lower plate 401 and an upper plate 402, both of which are horizontal. A game machine is placed on the lower plate 401. The lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 are fixed by a connection member 411. The connection member 411 can be fixed to a column 410 constituting the island 400. The connection member 411 can be fixed to the column 410 at a plurality of height positions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure called an island used to mount gaming machines (in this application, "gaming machines" refers to "pachinko gaming machines" and "slot gaming machines"). [Background technology]

[0002] In an amusement parlor, a gaming machine, whether it is a pachinko machine or a slot machine, is used while attached to a structure commonly called an island. Typically, multiple gaming machines are attached side by side on an island. An island generally has two plates called the lower plate and the upper plate. Both the lower plate and the upper plate are horizontal plates that make up part of the island, with the upper plate positioned above the lower plate. The lower plate and the upper plate are supported by pillars that make up the island. The gaming machine is fixed to the island while placed on the lower plate. If the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine, the pachinko gaming machine is attached to the island while being installed in the space inside a frame-like member called a "frame" that surrounds the gaming machine from above, below, left and right. If the gaming machine is a slot gaming machine, no frame is used. Whether the gaming machine is a pachinko machine or a slot machine, when it is fixed to the island, it is placed on the lower plate of the island. The upper surface of the gaming machine (in the case of a pachinko machine, more precisely, the upper surface of the upper plate of the frame to which the pachinko machine is attached) is then positioned directly below the upper plate of the island. Typically, the gap between the lower surface of the upper plate of the island and the upper surface of the gaming machine is set to a few millimeters, e.g., about 3 mm. In other words, whether it is a pachinko machine (including the frame) or a slot machine, the vertical height of the gaming machine is standardized to some extent, and the distance between the lower plate of the island and the upper plate is also standardized to some extent accordingly. In a typical example, the vertical height of the gaming machine (in the case of a pachinko machine, the height of the gaming machine including the frame) is 810 mm, and the distance between the upper plate of the island and the lower plate is 812 mm to 815 mm.

[0003] As described above, the gaming machine is placed on the lower plate and sandwiched between the lower plate and the upper plate, and is fixed to the island in that position. This fixing has been done using nails since ancient times. Due to the historical background that both the island and the frame used with the pachinko gaming machine were made of wood in the past, the gaming machine is fixed to the island by nailing it to the island. However, in recent years, techniques for fixing gaming machines to an island without using nails have also been used. For example, a type of gaming machine mounting device that is attached to the upper side of an upper plate of an island is known. This gaming machine mounting device is equipped with a pressing member that moves up and down while passing through a hole drilled in the upper plate. The pressing member moves up and down between an upper position and a lower position relative to the upper position. When the pressing member is moved to the lower position, its lower surface abuts against the upper surface of the gaming machine (in the case of a pachinko gaming machine, the upper surface of the upper plate of the frame). When in the lower position, the pressing member clamps the gaming machine from above and below between its lower surface and the upper surface of the lower plate, thereby fixing the gaming machine to the island. On the other hand, when the pressing member is moved to the upper position, its lower surface moves away from the gaming machine. As a result, the pressing member, when moved to the upper position, releases the clamping of the gaming machine between its lower surface and the upper surface of the lower plate. The use of such a gaming machine mounting device having a pressing member that moves up and down makes it easier to fix the gaming machine to the island compared to when nails are used. Also, the use of such a gaming machine mounting device makes it easier to release the gaming machine from the island compared to when nails are used.

[0004] In recent years, the business conditions of gaming parlors have been steadily worsening. Under these circumstances, in order for gaming parlors to continue providing enjoyment to users, gaming machines are being replaced (including moving gaming machines) more frequently than ever before. Of course, replacing gaming machines requires the machines to be attached and detached from the islands, and the gaming machine mounting devices described above make it easier to attach and detach gaming machines from the islands. When gaming machines are replaced, a slot gaming machine may be placed in the place where a pachinko gaming machine was located on an island, or a pachinko gaming machine may be placed in the place where a slot gaming machine was located. As mentioned above, the vertical heights of pachinko gaming machines and slot gaming machines are standardized, so it is essentially possible to replace either a pachinko gaming machine or a slot gaming machine located at a certain position on an island with the other of a pachinko gaming machine or a slot gaming machine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-78502 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the height from the floor that is considered to be suitable for players when using pachinko and slot machines differs. For example, the height that is considered to be comfortable for players when the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine is higher than the height that is considered to be comfortable for players when the gaming machine is a slot gaming machine. Therefore, the height at which they are fixed must be changed depending on whether the machine to be mounted on the island is a pachinko machine or a slot machine. However, no known islands are capable of meeting such challenges.

[0007] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned gaming machine mounting device is used in combination with a conventional island, the following inconveniences arise. As mentioned above, whether the gaming machine is a pachinko machine or a slot machine, the vertical height of the gaming machine is standardized to a certain extent to be the same. Therefore, whether the gaming machine placed between the lower plate and the upper plate is a pachinko machine or a slot machine, it should be possible to detachably fix it to the same island using the above-mentioned gaming machine mounting device with a pressing member attached to the upper plate, and in fact, the same gaming machine mounting device. However, while conventional gaming machine mounting devices are suitable for fixing pachinko gaming machines to islands, they are not suitable for fixing slot gaming machines to islands because the pressing members in conventional gaming machine mounting devices are generally thin. As mentioned above, the pressing member in a conventional pachinko gaming machine moves up and down while passing through a hole drilled in the top plate. Here, it is not desirable to reduce the strength of the top plate. Therefore, there is a limit to the size of the hole that can be drilled in the top plate. Therefore, the pressing member that is necessary to pass through such a hole has to be thin. However, the strength of the top surface of a slot machine's housing is not very strong. Therefore, if you try to fix a slot machine to an island by sandwiching it between the bottom surface of the pressure member and the top surface of the lower plate, the downward pressure from the thin pressure member will be concentrated on the area of ​​the top surface of the slot machine that abuts the pressure member, which could cause damage to the top surface of the slot machine's housing. This does not occur when the gaming machine is a pachinko machine, so conventional gaming machine mounting devices are not very suitable for fixing a slot machine to an island.

[0008] Whether the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine or a slot gaming machine, it would be convenient and would naturally be advantageous in terms of cost if the gaming machine could be detachably fixed to the island using a single gaming machine mounting fixture. However, with conventional gaming machine mounting devices, it is difficult to detachably fix a gaming machine to an island, whether the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine or a slot gaming machine, and at least at present, no technology is known to solve this problem.

[0009] To provide an island whose height at which a pachinko game machine or a slot game machine is fixed can be changed depending on whether the machine attached to the island is a pachinko game machine or a slot game machine. In addition, a further object of the present invention is to improve such an island so that it can be used in combination with a game machine mounting device that has a pressing member that moves up and down. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention for solving the above problems is as follows. The present invention is an island to which a gaming machine is fixed. The island of the present invention, like a conventional island, is intended to have a gaming machine fixed thereto, and like a conventional island, is equipped with a lower plate that is a horizontally extending plate on which the gaming machine is placed, an upper plate that is a horizontally extending plate above the gaming machine placed on the lower plate, and vertically extending pillars that secure the lower plate and the upper plate. In the present invention, the upper plate and the lower plate are connected to each other by a connecting member, so that their vertical positional relationship is fixed. Furthermore, the connecting member can be fixed to the column at a plurality of predetermined heights on the column. In the island of the present invention, the lower plate and the upper plate are attached to the poles by fixing the connecting member to the poles, and the gap between them is maintained at a predetermined distance by the connecting member. Furthermore, the connecting member can be fixed to the poles at a plurality of predetermined heights. Therefore, the upper plate and the lower plate can be fixed to the poles at at least two height positions while maintaining the vertical gap between them. Here, if one of the at least two height positions is set so that when the connecting member is fixed at that height position, the height of the slot game machine placed on the lower plate will be a height suitable for a player to play on the slot game machine, and the other of the at least two height positions is set so that when the connecting member is fixed at that height position, the height of the pachinko game machine placed on the lower plate will be a height suitable for a player to play on the pachinko game machine, then by simply selecting an appropriate height position relative to the pillar and then attaching the connecting member to the pillar, the height position of the lower plate on which the game machine is placed can be appropriately changed to suit the type of game machine, i.e., whether the game machine is a slot game machine or a pachinko game machine. Furthermore, no matter at what height position the connecting member is fixed to the pillar, the distance between the upper and lower plates is uniquely maintained by the connecting member that connects them to each other, so by individually adjusting the height of the upper and lower plates relative to the pillar to match the standardized height of the gaming machine (this height is the same whether the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine or a slot gaming machine), there is no need to adjust the distance between the upper and lower plates to match the standardized height of the gaming machine. For this reason, not only can the height at which this island is fixed be changed depending on whether a pachinko game machine or a slot game machine is attached to the island, but it also makes it easy to carry out the work required to change the configuration of the island (the work to change the height of the lower and upper plates) when fixing a pachinko game machine or a slot game machine to the island. Any suitable method can be used to secure the connecting members at different heights on the pillar. For example, the pillar may be provided with a plurality of vertically aligned pillar holes, and the connecting member may be provided with a connection hole that corresponds to one of the pillar holes on the pillar and can be fastened to the corresponding pillar hole. In this case, the connecting member can be secured to the pillar by threading a nut onto a bolt that passes through both the corresponding connection hole and the pillar hole.

[0011] In the present invention, if the gaming machine is a slot machine, it is simply attached to the island. On the other hand, if the gaming machine is a pachinko machine, it is attached to a frame that surrounds the pachinko machine from above, below, left, and right, and then attached to the island. The distance between the upper plate and the lower plate maintained as described above by the connecting member may be such that when the gaming machine is placed on the lower plate, a gap of 50 mm or more is created between the top surface of the gaming machine (if the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine, the top surface of the upper plate of the frame) and the bottom surface of the upper plate. As mentioned in the Background Art section, when a gaming machine is placed on the lower plate, the gap that occurs between the top surface of the upper plate that forms the frame surrounding the gaming machine and the bottom surface of the upper plate is usually several millimeters, generally around 3 mm. In the present invention, the gap is set to 50 mm or more. As explained in the Background Art section, the reason for setting the gap to a few mm is that the gaming machine is fixed to the island using nails. The island of the present invention does not use nails, which has been the conventional method for fixing the gaming machine to the island for more than several decades, but instead requires the use of a gaming machine mounting device as described below to fix the gaming machine to the island. The inventors discovered that in order to use such a gaming machine mounting device, a certain amount of space is required between the top surface of the gaming machine placed on the lower plate and the bottom surface of the upper plate. From this perspective, the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate is set so that when the gaming machine is placed on the lower plate, the gap between the top surface of the upper plate that forms the frame surrounding the gaming machine and the bottom surface of the upper plate is 50 mm or more. In other words, the island of the present invention can be said to be specialized for combination with the gaming machine mounting device, as described below. The above-mentioned gap of 50 mm or more is, simply put, the space provided for the vertical movement of the components in the mounting device for the gaming machine. Therefore, as long as the space is large enough to allow the vertical movement of the components, there is no point in making it any larger. From this perspective, the gap between the gaming machine and the upper plate, which is said to be 50 mm or more, does not need to be 100 mm or more.

[0012] The gaming machine mounting device to be used in combination with the above-mentioned island in the present invention, which is based on the premise that a certain amount of space is provided between the top surface of the gaming machine placed on the lower plate and the underside of the upper plate, is as follows. The gaming machine mounting device includes a fixing member fixed to the upper plate, and a pressing member that is movable up and down in the space below the upper plate between an upper position on the upper side and a lower position on the lower side relative to the upper position. When the pressing member of the gaming machine mounting device is moved to the lower position, the gaming machine placed on the lower plate is clamped from above and below between the lower surface of the pressing member and the upper surface of the lower plate, thereby fixing the gaming machine to the island, and when the device is moved to the upper position, the clamping of the gaming machine from above and below between the lower surface of the pressing member and the upper surface of the lower plate is released. The gaming machine mounting device used in combination with the island of the present application is attached to the upper plate of the island by a fixing member. In other words, the above-mentioned gaming machine mounting device is used in a state where it is attached to the upper plate of the island by the fixing member. The gaming machine mounting device also includes a pressing member. The pressing member is configured to move up and down between an upper position and a lower position. When the pressing member moves to the lower position, it clamps the gaming machine between itself and the lower plate, thereby fixing the gaming machine to the island, and when the pressing member moves to the upper position, it releases the clamping of the gaming machine between itself and the lower plate, thereby releasing the gaming machine from the island. The vertical movement of the pressing member, and the fact that the gaming machine is fixed to the island when the pressing member moves to the lower position and the gaming machine is released from the island when the pressing member moves to the upper position are similar to conventional gaming machine mounting devices. However, the pressing member of this gaming machine mounting device moves up and down in the space below the upper plate of the island. As described above, when a gaming machine is placed on the lower plate of the island of the present application, there is a large space between the lower surface of the upper plate and the upper surface of the upper plate of the frame to which the gaming machine is attached. The large space below the top plate of the island is used as space for the pressing member of the gaming machine mounting device to move up and down. This means that the pressing member does not need to pass through a hole drilled in the top plate of the island. The reason why the pressing member in conventional gaming machine mounting devices had to be thin is because the pressing member had to pass through a hole drilled in the top plate of the island, which had a size limit. Therefore, the pressing member in the gaming machine mounting device does not need to penetrate the hole in the upper plate, and does not need to be thin. Therefore, even when the pressing member in the gaming machine mounting device moves to the lower position, the downward force acting from the pressing member on the upper surface of the gaming machine or the frame of the gaming machine does not act in a narrow area. Therefore, even if the gaming machine is a slot machine, there is no risk of the lower surface of the pressing member lowered to the lower position applying excessive downward force, which could damage the housing of the upper surface of the slot machine. In other words, when used in combination with the gaming machine mounting device described above, the island of the present application is suitable for detachably fixing gaming machines, whether they are pachinko gaming machines or slot gaming machines, to the island, and in particular, when fixing a slot gaming machine to the island, it is less likely that the casing of the slot gaming machine will be damaged. The island of the present application may include a long member connecting the lower plate and the fixing member of the gaming machine mounting device fixed to the upper plate. In the gaming machine mounting device used in conjunction with the island of the present application, the pressing member of the gaming machine mounting device attached to the upper plate is moved vertically, and the gaming machine is clamped from above and below between the pressing member located in the lower position and the lower plate, thereby fixing the gaming machine to the island. When the pressing member moves to the lower position, an upward force acts on the upper plate from the fixing member of the gaming machine mounting device, which is a reaction force to the pressing member pushing the gaming machine downward. This force may, in some cases, damage the upper plate (including damage to the connection points between the upper plate and other components constituting the island, or damage to other components constituting the island connected to the upper plate; the same applies below). If the above-mentioned long member exists connecting the lower plate and the fixing member of the gaming machine mounting fixture (of course, the elongated member needs to have a certain degree of elongation when the pressing member moves to the lower position from when it was in the upper position), the upward movement of the upper plate due to the upward force acting from the fixing member when the pressing member moves to the lower position is suppressed, thereby making it possible to suppress the risk of damage to the upper plate due to the above-mentioned force. Possible materials for forming the elongated member that have little longitudinal elongation include metals such as iron and stainless steel. The elongated member may also be in the form of a plate. The elongated member may be in the form of a plate, with its lower end bent, and the portion closer to the tip than the bent portion may be fixed to the lower plate in a state that is aligned with the upper or lower surface of the lower plate. This allows the elongated member and the lower plate to be firmly fixed together. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1](A) Perspective view and (B) side view of the island on which the mounting fixture is attached. [Figure 2] Side view of the island. [Figure 3] Perspective view of the frame. [Figure 4(A)] Front view of the island with gaming machines installed. [Figure 4(B)] A perspective view of an island with a gaming machine attached in a closed state relative to the frame. [Figure 4(C)] A perspective view of an island with an amusement machine attached, in an open position relative to the frame. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the mounting fixture as viewed from the rear side. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view of the mounting fixture with the pressing member in the down position. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the mounting fixture with the pressing member in the down position. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a front view of the mounting fixture with the pressing member in the upper position. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the mounting fixture with the pressing member in the up position. [Figure 10] A rear view of the area around the top plate of the island with the gaming machine installed. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the mounting fixture. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the mounting fixture with the positioning member retracted. [Figure 13] (A) is a plan view of the island, and (B) is a plan view of a modified island. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a front view of an island for explaining the configuration of the long material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The island of the present invention will be described below. A gaming machine mounting fixture (hereinafter simply referred to as the "mounting fixture") is attached to the island of the present invention. A preferred embodiment of the island and the mounting fixture will be described with reference to the drawings. The island is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1(A) is a perspective view of the island 400, and Figure 1(B) is a side view of the island 400.

[0015] The island 400 is a structure on which gaming machines, which will be described later, are attached. Gaming machines placed in the hall of an amusement facility are fixed to the island placed in the hall and placed in the hall. The gaming machines are attached side-by-side to the island 400. The gaming machines may be attached to both sides of the island 400 or only one side. The island 400 described in this embodiment has gaming machines attached to both sides. The gaming machines installed on the island 400 may be only pachinko gaming machines, only slot gaming machines, or both pachinko and slot gaming machines. Gaming machines can be installed at a plurality of predetermined positions on the island 400, but in this embodiment, a desired one of pachinko gaming machines and slot gaming machines can be selected and installed at any position on the island 400. In the case of a pachinko gaming machine, the gaming machine is attached to a member called a frame and is then attached to the island 400. The frame will also be described later. Although island 400 is often made of wood, the components that make up island 400 in this embodiment are made of metal unless otherwise specified.

[0016] As described above, gaming machines are attached to the island 400. In addition, the island 400 may be appropriately equipped as needed with a ball lending machine that lends gaming balls to workers, a call lamp that notifies workers and parlor staff of the status of the gaming machines, a ball circulation mechanism that supplies balls to the ball lending machine and gaming machines and also collects balls that have lost from the gaming machines and circulates the balls, etc., but these are not shown in the figures. The island 400 has a horizontal lower plate 401 on which a gaming machine is placed, and a horizontal upper plate 402 located above the lower plate 401. Both the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 are horizontally placed plates. The gaming machine is fixed to the island 400 while placed on the lower plate 401. The gaming machine is fixed to the island 400 by, for example, using nails or a dedicated mounting tool to fix the gaming machine to the lower plate 401 or the upper plate 402. In this embodiment, the gaming machine is fixed to the island 400 using a mounting tool described below. Directly below the lower plate 401 of the island 400 is a front plate 403. The front plate 403 is a plate of a predetermined thickness whose upper surface abuts against the lower surface of the lower plate 401, and protrudes slightly forward from the lower plate 401. An ashtray is generally attached to the front plate 403, or a cash box storage area is provided for placing a cash box. The lower plate 401, upper plate 402, and front plate 403 are all fixed to pillars 410. The pillars 410 are components that constitute the island 400 and extend in the vertical direction. The lower plate 401, upper plate 402, and front plate 403 are all fixed to the pillars 410 directly or indirectly via other components.

[0017] The distance from the top surface of the lower plate 401 to the bottom surface of the upper plate 402, that is, the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402, is set to be slightly wider than the height of the gaming machine (if the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine, the height of the gaming machine including the frame). Many gaming machine manufacturers standardize the height of their gaming machines (in the case of pachinko machines, the height of the gaming machine including the frame) to 810 mm. The distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 is set larger than this standardized height of the gaming machine. Specifically, the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 is set at least 50 mm larger than the standardized height of 810 mm of the gaming machine including the frame. This is to ensure space for the movement of a pressing member of the mounting fixture, also described below, on the gaming machine that is fixed to the island 400 by the mounting fixture while placed on the lower plate 401. However, since there is little point in increasing the above-mentioned space unnecessarily by increasing the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402, there is little point in increasing the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 by 100 mm or more than the standardized height of 810 mm of the gaming machine. Therefore, the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 is preferably 860 mm or more and 910 mm or less, and more preferably 880 mm or more and 890 mm or less. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 is 880 mm.

[0018] The distance between the above-mentioned lower plate 401 and upper plate 402 is kept constant. The lower plate 401 and upper plate 402 can be moved up and down relative to the island 400 while maintaining this constant distance, and can also be fixed to the island 400 at least at two height positions. This can be achieved, for example, by the following mechanism. This will be explained using Figure 2. Fig. 2(A) is a side view of the island 400, the same as Fig. 1. In the example shown in Fig. 2(A), the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 are not able to move up and down relative to the pillar 410. On the other hand, Figs. 2(B) to 2(D) are side views schematically showing the configuration of the part of the island 400 surrounded by the dashed line in Fig. 2(A). In Fig. 2(B), a connecting member (described later) is not attached to the pillar 410, while in Figs. 2(C) and 2(D), a connecting member (described later) is attached to the pillar 410.

[0019] 2(B) to 2(D), the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 are connected by a connecting member 411. The connecting member 411 is a member for connecting the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 while maintaining a constant relative positional relationship between them. Although not limited to this, the connecting member 411 in this embodiment is a plate whose width direction is the left-right direction in FIG. 2 and whose length direction is the up-down direction. The connecting member 411 does not have to be plate-shaped and can be, for example, rod-shaped or other shapes, or can be composed of multiple members. A lower plate 401 is fixed near the lower end of the connecting member 411, and an upper plate 402 is fixed near the upper end of the connecting member 411. Furthermore, a front plate 403 is fixed further below the lower plate 401 near the lower end of the connecting member 411. There are no particular restrictions on how the lower plate 401, upper plate 402, and front plate 403 are fixed to the connecting member 411, and they can be fixed by publicly known or well-known techniques, for example, by using bolts and nuts, welding, or the like. The connecting member 411 can be fixed to the column 410. By fixing the connecting member 411 to the column 410, the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 fixed to the connecting member 411 are fixed to the column 410, and therefore to the island 400. The connecting member 411 can be fixed to the pillar 410 at least at two height positions. To enable this, the pillar 410 is provided with four holes 412 aligned vertically. Although the holes 412 are not limited to this, in this embodiment they are circular holes of equal diameter. Of these holes 412, the top two holes 412A form a pair, and the bottom two holes 412B form a pair. The distance between the two vertically aligned holes 412A is equal to the distance between the two vertically aligned holes 412B. On the other hand, two holes 413 are also provided in the connecting member 411, one above the other. The distance between the two holes 413 is equal to the distance between the two holes 412A and the distance between the two holes 412B. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the holes 413 are circular holes with the same diameter as the holes 412.

[0020] When fixing the connecting member 411 to the pillar 410, the two holes 413 provided in the connecting member 411 are aligned with two holes 412A or two holes 412B of the four holes 412 provided in the pillar 410. Suppose that the two holes 413 formed in the connecting member 411 are aligned with two holes 412A out of the four holes 412 formed in the column 410, as shown in FIG. 2(C). In this state, the connecting member 411 is fixed to the column 410 using the two corresponding pairs of holes 413 and 412A (for example, by passing bolts through the corresponding holes 413 and 412A and then screwing nuts onto them). In this way, the lower plate 401, the upper plate 402, and the front plate 403 fixed to the connecting member 411 are fixed to the column 410. The distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 is uniquely determined by the connecting member 411. On the other hand, suppose that the two holes 413 provided in the connecting member 411 are aligned with two holes 412B of the four holes 412 provided in the column 410, as shown in FIG. 2(D). In this state, the connecting member 411 is fixed to the column 410 using the two corresponding pairs of holes 413 and 412B (for example, by passing bolts through the corresponding holes 413 and 412B and then screwing nuts onto them). In this way, the lower plate 401, the upper plate 402, and the front plate 403 fixed to the connecting member 411 are fixed to the column 410. The distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 is uniquely determined by the connecting member 411. 2(C) and 2(D), the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 is the same in the case shown in FIG. 2(C) and the case shown in FIG. 2(D). Furthermore, the lower plate 401 is positioned higher in the case shown in FIG. 2(C) than in the case shown in FIG. 2(D). In this way, in the island 400 described in this embodiment, the height position of the lower plate 401 can be positioned at multiple positions (two in this embodiment) relative to the column 410 or the island 400, while maintaining a constant distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402. Of course, it is also possible to position the height position of the lower plate 401 at three or more positions, and it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that this is possible.

[0021] The advantages of being able to position the height position of the lower plate 401 at at least two positions are as follows. As described above, gaming machines are mounted on the island 400 described in this embodiment, and the gaming machines include pachinko gaming machines and slot gaming machines. The optimal height for a player to play a game differs between pachinko gaming machines and slot gaming machines. In this embodiment, one of the multiple height positions of the lower plate 401 that can be fixed to the pillar 410 or the island 400 is set to a position where the height of a pachinko machine placed on the lower plate 401 at that height position is appropriate for a player to play on the pachinko machine, and another of the multiple height positions is set to a position where the height of a slot machine placed on the lower plate 401 at that height position is appropriate for a player to play on the slot machine. In this way, by simply selecting an appropriate height position relative to the pillar 410 and then attaching the connecting member 411 to the pillar 410, the height position of the lower plate 401 on which the gaming machine is placed can be appropriately changed to suit the type of gaming machine, i.e., whether the gaming machine is a slot machine or a pachinko machine. In this embodiment, the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 as shown in Fig. 2(C) is about 600 mm from the floor of the room in which the island 400 is placed. When a pachinko gaming machine is placed on the lower plate 401 at such a height, it becomes easier for a player to play with the pachinko gaming machine. In this embodiment, the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 as shown in Fig. 2(D) is about 500 mm from the floor of the room in which the island 400 is placed. When a slot gaming machine is placed on the lower plate 401 at such a height, it becomes easier for a player to play with the slot gaming machine.

[0022] Island 400 is as described above. As already explained, gaming machines are installed on the island 400. The gaming machines are pachinko gaming machines or slot gaming machines. It is possible to install a desired pachinko gaming machine or slot gaming machine in the location of the island 400 where the gaming machine is scheduled to be installed. When the gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine, the gaming machine is attached to the island 400 in a state where it is fitted inside a frame X as shown in FIG. 3. The frame X is made of wood or metal. The frame X is made up of four boards assembled in a rectangular or frame-like shape. The lower board of the frame X may be thicker than the other three boards. The gaming machine is fitted into the space inside the frame X, and in this state, the gaming machine and the frame X are fixed.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows the state in which the gaming machines 300 (300A, 300B) are attached to the island 400. FIG. 4(A) is a front view of the island 400. FIGS. 4(B) and (C) are side views of the island 400 to which only the pachinko gaming machine 300A is attached. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the gaming machines 300 are attached to only one side of the island 400, but the gaming machines 300 may be attached to both sides of the island 400. In FIG. 4(A), the pachinko gaming machine 300A is located on the right side, and the slot gaming machine 300B is located on the left side. The slot gaming machine 300B is attached to the island 400 as is, and the pachinko gaming machine 300A is fitted into the space inside the frame X. FIGS. 4(B) and (C) are shown to facilitate understanding of the relationship between the pachinko gaming machine 300A and the frame X. As shown in FIGS. 4(B) and (C), the pachinko gaming machine 300A is hingedly connected to the frame X via a hinge X1 provided on the frame X. The relationship between the frame X and the pachinko gaming machine 300A is similar to the relationship between a door frame and a door. This allows the pachinko gaming machine 300A to rotate between a state where it is closed relative to the frame X (FIG. 4(B)) and a state where it is open relative to the frame X (FIG. 4(C)). The pachinko gaming machine 300A is opened relative to the frame X when it becomes necessary for reasons such as maintenance of the pachinko gaming machine 300A. As can be easily understood by comparing FIG. 1(A) with FIG. 4(A), two gaming machines 300 are intended to be placed side by side on a single lower plate 401 of the island 400 described in this embodiment. In FIG. 4(A), a pachinko gaming machine 300A and a slot gaming machine 300B are placed side by side on the lower plate 401 as the gaming machines 300. However, as described above, the pachinko gaming machine 300A and the slot gaming machine 300B differ in the height position from the floor that is considered appropriate for a player to play the game. Therefore, it is not ideal to place the pachinko gaming machine 300A and the slot gaming machine 300B on the same lower plate 401 as shown in FIG. 4(A). When multiple gaming machines 300 are placed on a single lower plate 401 whose upper surface is the same height at all parts, it is preferable to standardize all gaming machines 300 to either pachinko gaming machines 300A or slot gaming machines 300B. 1(A), 4(A), etc., can be modified so that the heights of the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 can be set arbitrarily in ranges corresponding to each gaming machine 300. In this way, adjacent gaming machines 300 can be made different in height, and the heights of the adjacent lower plates 401 on which the adjacent gaming machines 300 are placed can be made different. Of course, even in this case, the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 positioned above and below can be moved up and down while maintaining a constant distance between them. Using Figure 13, we will explain a method for transforming the island 400 so that the height of the lower plate 401 and upper plate 402 can be freely set in ranges corresponding to each gaming machine 300. Figure 13(A) is a simplified plan view of the island 400 shown in Figures 1(A) and 4(A). As shown in the simplified form in Figure 13(A), the island 400 shown in Figures 1(A) and 4(A) has two pillars 410 spaced apart so that two gaming machines 300 can be placed between them. A lower plate 401, an upper plate 402, and a front plate 403 are placed between the pillars 410, each long enough to accommodate two gaming machines 300. To modify such an island 400 so that the heights of the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 can be arbitrarily set in ranges corresponding to each gaming machine 300, the island 400 can be modified as shown in FIG. 13(B). That is, FIG. 13(B) is a plan view of the island 400 according to the modified example. In the island 400 shown in FIG. 13(B), two auxiliary columns 410X having a configuration similar to the columns 410 in FIG. 13(A) are placed exactly in the middle of the two columns 410. Adjacent columns 410 and auxiliary columns 410X form a pair. The distance between the paired columns 410 and auxiliary columns 410X corresponds to the width of one gaming machine. Between the paired columns 410 and auxiliary columns 410X, the lower plate 401, upper plate 402, and front plate 403 are spaced. The lengths of the columns 410 and auxiliary columns 410X are sufficient to support one gaming machine 300. The lower plate 401, upper plate 402, and auxiliary columns 410 are connected together by connecting members 411 (not shown), making them one unit, and they can be fixed at a desired height relative to the paired columns 410 and auxiliary columns 410 that support both ends of the lower plate 401 and upper plate 402 in the longitudinal direction while maintaining the distance between them. This makes it possible to make the height positions from the floor of the top surface of the lower plate 401, on which adjacent gaming machines 300 are placed, different in the island 400 of the example shown in Figure 13(B).

[0024] In this embodiment, the gaming machine 300 is fixedly attached to the island 400 using mounting hardware. The mounting fixture is used to fasten to the top plate 402 of the island 400 . The external appearance of the mounting fixture 100 is shown in FIGS. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the mounting fixture 100 as seen from the rear side. Figures 6 and 7 are front and rear views, respectively, of the mounting fixture 100 with the pressing member (described later) in the lower position, and Figures 8 and 9 are front and rear views, respectively, of the mounting fixture 100 with the pressing member (described later) in the upper position. Unless otherwise noted, all components of the fixture 100 are made of metal.

[0025] The mounting fixture 100 includes a fixing member 110. The fixing member 110 is for fixing the mounting fixture 100 to the upper plate 402 of the island 400. As long as the fixing member 110 can be configured in any manner, it does not matter. The fixing member 110 in this embodiment includes a fixing member main body 111 that has a U-shaped cross section that opens upward and whose length is in the horizontal direction, and plate-like ribs 112 provided at the front and rear of the fixing member main body 111. The rib 112 is horizontal and has screw holes for passing screws through. When fixing the mounting device 100 to the upper plate 402, the length of the fixing member 110 is aligned with the length of the upper plate 402, and the upper surface of the rib 112 of the fixing member 110 is placed against the underside of the upper plate 402. In this state, a screw is passed through the screw hole of the rib 112 from below and screwed into the upper plate 402 from below, whereby the fixing member 110, and therefore the mounting device 100, are attached to the underside of the upper plate 402. The mounting fixture 100 with the fixing members 110 attached to the underside of the upper plate 402 is partially shown in Figures 4(A) and (B). The mounting fixture 100 with the fixing members 110 attached to the underside of the upper plate 402 is also shown in Figure 10. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the island 400 with the mounting fixture 100 attached, viewed from the rear side.

[0026] A main body 120 is provided below the fixing member 110 of the mounting device 100. The main body 120 is a long, narrow rectangular box that is longitudinally aligned with the fixing member 110 and has an open bottom. The main body 120 and its internal structure are also shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. A pressing member 130, which is also in the shape of a long, narrow rectangular parallelepiped box with an open top, is inserted inside the main body 120. The length direction of the pressing member 130 coincides with the length direction of the main body 120. A bottom plate 131 is present at the bottom of the pressing member 130. The lower surface of the bottom plate 131 is flat, although this is not limited to this. As will be described later, the pressing member 130 moves in parallel in the up and down direction, but the lower surface of the bottom plate 131 is kept horizontal even when the pressing member 130 moves. The upper surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 and the lower surface of the upper plate of the main body 120 are connected by an elastic body 140. The elastic body 140 is designed to constantly apply an upward force to the pressing member 130, and may be configured in any manner as long as it is able to do so. The elastic body 140 can be made of rubber, for example, but in this embodiment it is made of a metal spring, and although not limited to this, in this embodiment it is made of a helical spring. The upward force from the elastic body 140 causes the pressing member 130 to move as far upward as possible relative to the main body 120 unless it receives force from a cam, which will be described later.

[0027] A cam 135 is disposed further inside the pressing member 130. The cam 135 is connected to a shaft 136 that passes through the main body 120 from front to back, and is capable of rotating through an angle of approximately 90° around the shaft 136. The cam 135 has a shape that approximates one of the shapes obtained by dividing an ellipse into four along its major and minor axes. Cam 135 is rotatable between two positions: a position where its major axis is oriented approximately vertical (the position shown in FIG. 11(A)), and a position where its minor axis is oriented approximately vertical (the position shown in FIG. 11(B)). That is, from the state shown in FIG. 11(A), cam 135 can rotate counterclockwise to the state shown in FIG. 11(B). Also, from the state shown in FIG. 11(B), cam 135 can rotate clockwise to the state shown in FIG. 11(A). Cam 135 is also designed to be fixed in a stable state at the two positions described above. A straight (flat) portion is formed at the intersection of the major axis and minor axis of the arc of cam 135. Therefore, when cam 135 is rotated around shaft 136, the straight portion of cam 135 abuts on the upper surface of bottom plate 131 and becomes stable when cam 135 is in the state of Figure 11(A) where the major axis is vertical, or in the state of Figure 11(B) where the minor axis is vertical. As a result, cam 135 is stable at these two angles. A link mechanism (described later) is connected to shaft 136, and is rotatable by the force acting from the link mechanism, so that cam 135 connected to shaft 136 rotates between the state shown in Figure 11(A) and the state shown in Figure 11(B). As described above, the cam 135 has a major axis and a minor axis that are different in length from each other. 11(A) where the major axis is vertical, pressing member 130 is pushed down by cam 135 against the upward force from elastic body 140, causing pressing member 130 to move downward relative to main body 120, and its lower end to be exposed from the opening at the bottom of main body 120. In other words, the lower surface of bottom plate 131 of the pressing member is positioned below the opening at the bottom of main body 120. At this time, pressing member 130 is defined as being in the lower position. 11(B), where the minor axis is vertical, pressing member 130 is not pressed down by cam 135. Therefore, pressing member 130 is pushed up by the upward force from elastic body 140, and moves upward relative to main body 120. As a result, the lower surface of bottom plate 131 of pressing member 130 is not exposed from the opening at the bottom of main body 120, or is positioned above the opening at the bottom of main body 120. At this time, pressing member 130 is defined as being in the upper position. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the pressing member 130 translates approximately 11 mm to 12 mm up and down when moving between the upper and lower positions.

[0028] A link mechanism 150 is provided on the rear side of the main body 120. The link mechanism 150 is configured like a pantograph, with two vertical members 151 extending vertically and two horizontal members 152 extending horizontally or diagonally. A wrench hole 153 serving as an operating member is provided on the front surface of the top of one of the two vertical members 151 that constitute the link mechanism 150 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). The wrench hole 153 can be rotated with a hex wrench inserted therein. In the state shown in FIG. 6, the wrench hole 153 can be rotated counterclockwise by rotating an inserted hex wrench (not shown). On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 8, the wrench hole 153 can be rotated clockwise by rotating an inserted hex wrench (not shown). 6 and 7, when pressing member 130 is in the upper position, wrench hole 153 shown in Fig. 6 can be rotated counterclockwise, as described above. When wrench hole 153 is rotated counterclockwise, the rotation is transmitted to shaft 136 via link mechanism 150. Then, cam 135 rotates counterclockwise together with shaft 136, causing pressing member 130, which was in the upper position shown in Fig. 11(A), to move to the lower position shown in Fig. 11(B). On the other hand, when pressing member 130 is in the lower position shown in Figures 8 and 9, wrench hole 153 shown in Figure 8 can be rotated clockwise, as described above. When wrench hole 153 is rotated clockwise, the rotation is transmitted to shaft 136 via link mechanism 150. Then, cam 135 rotates clockwise together with shaft 136, causing pressing member 130, which was in the lower position shown in Figure 11(B), to move to the upper position shown in Figure 11(A). When the pressing member 130 is in the lower position, the lower surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 presses the gaming machine 300 (which may be the housing of the gaming machine 300 or the frame X fixed to the gaming machine 300) from above. As a result, the gaming machine 300 is sandwiched from above and below between the pressing member 130 of the mounting fixture 100 and the bottom plate 401 of the island 400 on which the gaming machine 300 is placed, and as a result, the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the island 400. On the other hand, when the pressing member 130 is in the upper position, the lower surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 moves away from the gaming machine 300 (which may be the housing of the gaming machine 300 or the frame X fixed to the gaming machine 300). This releases the gaming machine 300 from being clamped from above and below between the pressing member 130 of the mounting device 100 and the bottom plate 401 of the island 400 on which the gaming machine 300 is placed, and as a result, the gaming machine 300 is no longer fixed to the island 400.

[0029] As described above, when wrench hole 153 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to shaft 136 via link mechanism 150. Although link mechanism 150 has been described as having a pantograph-like configuration, mechanical mechanisms for transmitting the rotation of one member to another are well known and therefore further description of link mechanism 150 will be omitted. Furthermore, the role of link mechanism 150 is to transmit the operation of one member (one example of "operation" is rotation) to another member, and as long as this is possible, a pantograph-like configuration is not necessary. For example, even those skilled in the art will readily understand that it is possible to arrange gears on one end and the other end of an endless belt so that the rotation of one gear can be transmitted to the gear on the other end. Link mechanism 150 of the present application can be substituted for such a mechanism for transmitting the operation of one member to another member. As described above, link mechanism 150 includes long vertical member 151, which is provided with wrench hole 153 near the upper end thereof. As described above, wrench hole 153 is used to move pressing member 130 from the upper position to the lower position or from the lower position to the upper position, and corresponds to the operating member in the present invention. Here, by being located near the upper end of the vertical member 151 of the link mechanism 150, the wrench hole 153 is positioned above the upper plate 402 of the island 400. This brings about the following advantages. In the island 400, the upper side of the top plate 402 is generally covered by a horizontally long plate that conceals the interior of the island 400 and can be opened and closed when, for example, performing maintenance on the interior of the island 400. This plate may be fitted with, for example, a call lamp or other equipment. If an operating member for operating to move the pressing member 130 from the upper position to the lower position or from the lower position to the upper position is located above the upper plate 402, then by opening the above-mentioned openable / closable plate, it is guaranteed that the operator can almost certainly perform the operation required to move the pressing member 130 on the operating member. For example, the plate marked with the symbol Z in Fig. 1(B) is the above-mentioned openable / closable plate. If the operating member, i.e., the above-mentioned wrench hole 153, is located on the upper side of the upper plate 402, it is obvious that if plate Z is opened, wrench hole 153 can be operated.

[0030] As described above, the attachment device 100 includes a fixing member 110 and a main body portion 120. As described above, the main body 120 includes the link mechanism 150 extending upward from near the center of the main body 120 in the length direction. On the other hand, second link mechanisms 160 are provided near both ends of the main body 120 in the longitudinal direction, extending upward from the main body 120. The second link mechanisms 160 are members for performing operations to move the main body 120 in the front-to-rear direction relative to the fixed member 110. By operating the second link mechanisms 160, the main body 120 can move, albeit slightly, in the front-to-rear direction relative to the fixed member 110. However, it is not essential that the main body 120 be movable back and forth relative to the fixing member 110. Therefore, it is not essential that the mounting device 100 be provided with the second link mechanism 160 for performing an operation to move the main body 120 relative to the fixing member 110. Therefore, a description of the second link mechanism 160 and a description of the configuration for allowing the main body 120 to move back and forth relative to the fixed member 110 will be omitted.

[0031] The mounting fixture 100 also includes a positioning member 170. The positioning member 170 includes a bolt 171 that is threadedly engaged with the mounting fixture 100 and that can be rotated to move back and forth relative to the mounting fixture 100, and a cylindrical abutment portion 172 attached to the front of the bolt 171 coaxially. The tip of the abutment portion 172 forms an abutment surface 173, which is a circular flat surface. When the gaming machine 300 is a pachinko gaming machine 300A, the abutment surface 173 abuts against the back surface of the frame X attached to the pachinko gaming machine 300A, thereby positioning the frame X and, by extension, the pachinko gaming machine 300A fixed to the frame X in the front-to-rear direction. When the gaming machine 300 is a pachinko gaming machine 300A, its thickness in the front-to-rear direction is smaller than that of the slot gaming machine 300B, so the pachinko gaming machine 300A placed on the lower plate 401 may fall excessively backward. The positioning member 170 prevents the pachinko gaming machine 300A placed on the lower plate 401 from falling excessively backward by abutting the abutment surface 173 against the back surface of the frame X of the pachinko gaming machine 300A. In order to enable proper positioning of the pachinko gaming machine 300A in the front-rear direction, the position of the abutment surface 173 of the abutment portion 172 can be adjusted in the front-rear direction by rotating the bolt 171. By rotating the bolt 171 and moving the abutment portion 172 fixed to the bolt 171 in the front-rear direction, the position of the abutment surface 173 in the front-rear direction is adjusted to an appropriate position, and the rear surface of the frame X is brought into abutment with the abutment surface 173, whereby the position of the pachinko gaming machine 300A in the front-rear direction can be adjusted to an appropriate position. On the other hand, the positioning member 170 is not used when the gaming machine 300 is a slot gaming machine 300B. This is because the thickness of the gaming machine 300 in the front-to-rear direction is large when the gaming machine 300 is a slot gaming machine 300B, and the slot gaming machine 300B placed on the lower plate 401 will not be excessively pushed back. Rather, when the gaming machine 300 is a slot gaming machine 300B, it is necessary to prevent the positioning member 170, or more precisely, the abutment portion 172 of the positioning member 170, from interfering with the housing of the slot gaming machine 300B. To make this possible, the positioning member 170 may be made detachable from the mounting fixture 100, but in this embodiment, the positioning member 170 is movable from the position shown in Figures 5 and 7 when the gaming machine 300 is a pachinko gaming machine 300A to the position shown in Figure 12. When the positioning member 170 moves to the position shown in Figure 12, the abutment portion 172 of the positioning member 170 no longer interferes with the housing of the slot gaming machine 300B. Any device may be used to enable the positioning member 170 to move between the two positions described above. In this embodiment, a plurality of metal fittings are used to enable the positioning member 170 to move as described above. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that any suitable device may be used to enable the positioning member 170 to move as described above.

[0032] The use and operation of the island 400 and mounting fixture 100 described above will now be described. First, the mounting fixture 100 is attached to the upper plate 402 of the island 400. In this embodiment, two gaming machines 300 are attached side by side between the upper plate 402 and the lower plate 401, which are paired vertically. Therefore, in this embodiment, two mounting fixtures 100 are attached to each upper plate 402 so that they are side by side. As described above, each mounting fixture 100 is attached to the upper plate 402 of the island 400 with the rib 112 of the fixing member 110 aligned with the underside of the upper plate 402. At this time, the length of the mounting fixture 100 is aligned with the length of the upper plate 402. This leaves the mounting fixture 100 attached to the top plate 402 of the island 400 as shown in FIG.

[0033] Next, the heights of the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 of the island 400 are adjusted. As described above, the gaming machines 300 are attached to the islands 400. The gaming machines 300 attached to the islands 400 include pachinko gaming machines 300A and slot gaming machines 300B. The height of the pachinko gaming machine 300A when a player plays on the pachinko gaming machine 300A is set to a higher position than the height of the slot gaming machine 300B when a player plays on the slot gaming machine 300B. When the gaming machine 300 to be fixed to the island 400 while placed on the lower plate 401 is a pachinko gaming machine 300A, the worker fixes the connecting member 411 to the pillar 410 by aligning the two holes 413 provided in the connecting member 411 with two holes 412A out of the four holes 412 provided in the pillar 410, as shown in Figure 2 (C). On the other hand, if the gaming machine 300 to be fixed to the island 400 while placed on the lower plate 401 is a slot gaming machine 300B, the worker fixes the connecting member 411 to the pillar 410 by aligning the two holes 413 provided in the connecting member 411 with two holes 412B of the four holes 412 provided in the pillar 410, as shown in Figure 2 (D). That is, when the gaming machine 300 is a pachinko gaming machine 300A, the height of the lower plate 401 is greater than when the gaming machine 300 is a slot gaming machine 300B. In the former case, the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 from the floor is, for example, 600 mm, and in the latter case, the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 from the floor is, for example, 500 mm. In either case, the distance between the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402, whose relative positional relationship is fixed by the connecting member 411, remains the same. In this embodiment, the lower plate 401 is fixed to the island 400 at two height positions. Of course, the number of height positions at which the lower plate 401 can be fixed to the island 400 may not be two, but may be three or more. No explanation is needed as to how to fix the lower plate 401 to the island 400 at three or more height positions; a person skilled in the art should be able to easily figure this out. The lowest position at which the lower plate 401 can be fixed to the island 400 may be a position where the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 is lower than 500 mm from the floor, and the lowest position at which the lower plate 401 can be fixed to the island 400 may be a position where the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 is lower than 500 mm from the floor. Furthermore, the position at which the lower plate 401 is fixed relative to the island 400 may be continuously adjustable. For example, it will be easily understood by at least one skilled in the art that the position at which the lower plate 401 is fixed relative to the island 400 can be continuously adjusted by using a hydraulic cylinder capable of realizing linear motion or a rotatable endless belt. In this case, the position at which the lower plate 401 can be fixed relative to the island 400 may be, for example, such that the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 is in the range of 500 mm or more and 600 mm or less from the floor, or such that the height of the upper surface of the lower plate 401 is in the range from a predetermined height position of 500 mm or less to a predetermined height position of 600 mm or more from the floor.

[0034] After the height positions of the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 are appropriately positioned, the gaming machine 300 is placed on the lower plate 401. As described above, the gaming machine 300 may be a pachinko gaming machine 300A or a slot gaming machine 300B. The gaming machine 300, which is the slot gaming machine 300B, is placed on the lower plate 401 fixed to the column 410 in the state shown in Fig. 2(D). At this time, the positioning member 170 described above is not used, and the gaming machine 300 is stored in the state shown in Fig. 12. On the other hand, the gaming machine 300, which is the pachinko gaming machine 300A, is placed on the lower plate 401 fixed to the pillar 410 in the state shown in FIG. 2(C). At this time, the positioning member 170 described above is used. The positioning member 170 used is in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. Then, the bolt 171 is rotated to move the abutment portion 172 back and forth, and the position of the abutment surface 173 is appropriately adjusted. Then, the back surface of the frame X with the pachinko gaming machine 300A fitted therein is abutted against the abutment surface 173. This appropriately positions the frame X and the pachinko gaming machine 300A fixed to the frame X in the front-to-rear direction.

[0035] Whether the gaming machine 300 is a slot gaming machine 300B or a pachinko gaming machine 300A, the gaming machine 300 is not fixed to the island 400 when it is placed on the bottom plate 401. At that stage, the pressing member 130 of the mounting device 100 is located in the upper position shown in Figures 8, 9, and 11(B). The lower surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 located in the upper position does not abut against the gaming machine 300 or the frame X fixed to the gaming machine 300. In this state, the worker opens the plate Z located above the upper plate 402, inserts the tip of a hexagonal wrench into the wrench hole 153 provided near the upper end of the link mechanism 150 located above the upper plate 402 from the front of the mounting device 100, and rotates the hexagonal wrench clockwise. This causes the cam 135 to rotate clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 11(B) to the state shown in FIG. 11(A). This causes the pressing member 130 to be positioned in the lower position shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 11(A). The lower surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 located in the lower position abuts against the upper surface of the gaming machine 300 or the upper surface of the frame X fixed to the gaming machine 300. Therefore, whether the gaming machine 300 is a pachinko gaming machine 300A or a slot gaming machine 300B, the gaming machine 300 is sandwiched between the pressing member 130 and the upper surface of the lower plate 401 by the pressing member 130 pressing downward on the upper surface of the housing of the gaming machine 300 or the upper surface of the frame X fixed to the gaming machine 300. As a result, the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the island 400. When the gaming machine 300 is a slot gaming machine 300B, the lower surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 comes into contact with the upper surface of the housing of the slot gaming machine 300B. At this time, since the lower surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 has a certain amount of area, the force applied from the lower surface of the bottom plate 131 to the upper surface of the housing of the slot gaming machine 300B is dispersed. As a result, the force applied from the pressing member 130 to the upper surface of the housing of the slot gaming machine 300B is less likely to be concentrated in a narrow area, thereby damaging the housing of the slot gaming machine 300B.

[0036] In this manner, the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the island 400. When it becomes necessary to replace the gaming machine 300, it may be necessary to remove the gaming machine 300 from the island 400. In this case, the wrench hole 153 of the mounting tool 100 is rotated counterclockwise using a hexagonal wrench to move the pressing member 130 of the mounting tool 100 from the lower position to the upper position. Then, the lower surface of the bottom plate 131 of the pressing member 130 moves away from the upper surface of the gaming machine 300 or the upper surface of the frame X fixed to the gaming machine 300. As a result, the gaming machine 300 is released from being fixed to the island 400. The gaming machine 300 that has been released from the island 400 is removed from the island 400 by moving it from above the lower plate 401. When fixing a new gaming machine 300 to the island 400, as already mentioned, after placing the gaming machine 300 on the lower plate 401, the mounting fixture 100 is operated to move the pressing member 130 of the mounting fixture 100 from the upper position to the lower position. As already mentioned, the height position of the lower plate 401 should be adjusted to an appropriate height position before placing the gaming machine 300 on the lower plate 401. The method for adjusting the height position of the lower plate 401 can be carried out as already explained.

[0037] As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the gaming machine 300 is secured to the island 400 using the mounting fixture 100 . Specifically, with the gaming machine 300 placed on the lower plate 401, the worker moves the pressing member 130 of the mounting device 100 from the upper position to the lower position, thereby clamping the gaming machine 300 between the lower surface of the pressing member 130 and the upper surface of the lower plate 401, thereby fixing the gaming machine 300 to the island 400. Incidentally, when the pressing member 130 is moved to the lower position, an upward force is applied to the pressing member 130 from the gaming machine 300. As a result, a large upward force is applied from the mounting fixture 100 to the upper plate 402 to which the mounting fixture 100 of the gaming machine is attached. This force may damage the upper plate 402 in some cases. To prevent this, it is advisable to use a long material 500 as shown in FIG. Broadly speaking, the elongated member 500 is a member that connects the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402 and prevents the positional relationship between them from changing. When the pressing member 130 moves from the upper position to the lower position, an upward force is applied to the upper plate 402 from the mounting fixture 100, causing the upper plate 402 to try to move upward. The elongated member 500 prevents the upper plate 402 from moving upward relative to the lower plate 401, thereby preventing damage to the upper plate 402. Broadly speaking, the elongated member 500 connects the lower plate 401 and the upper plate 402. The elongated member 500 is preferably made of a material that has little elongation in the vertical direction when the pressing member 130 moves from the upper position to the lower position. For example, the elongated member 500 is made of a metal such as iron or stainless steel, and is made of iron in this embodiment. The elongated member 500 is long and can have any shape, such as a rod or plate. For example, the upper end of the long material 500 may be connected to the upper plate 402, or may be attached to a part of the mounting fixture 100 attached to the upper plate 402 that does not move vertically relative to the upper plate 402, such as the pressing member 130. In both of the examples shown in Figures 14(A) and (B) , the upper end of the long material 500 is fixed to the mounting fixture 100, and more specifically, but not limited to, to the fixing member 110 of the mounting fixture 100. There are no particular limitations on the method for fixing the long material 500 to the fixing member 110, and any known or well-known method (for example, fixing using bolts and nuts) will suffice. On the other hand, the lower end of the long material 500 is fixed to the lower plate 401. In both of the examples shown in Figures 14(A) and (B), the lower end of the long material 500 is bent 90°. In the example shown in Figure 14(A), the bent portion is made to fit along the upper surface of the lower plate 401, and in the example shown in Figure 14(B), the bent portion is made to fit along the lower surface of the lower plate 401. In both examples, the bent portion of the lower end of the long material 500 is fixed to the lower plate 401. There are no particular restrictions on how the lower end of the long material 500 is fixed to the lower plate 401, and any known or well-known method (for example, fixing by screwing a wood screw through a hole provided in the bent portion of the long material 500 into the lower plate 401) will suffice. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 100 Mounting fixture 110 Fixing member 120 Main body 130 Pressing member 135 Cam 140 Elastic Body 400 islands 401 Lower plate 402 Upper board 410 pillars 300 gaming machines 300A Pachinko machine 300B slot machine X Frame

Claims

1. An island on which a gaming machine is fixed, the island comprising: a lower plate which is a horizontally extending plate on which a gaming machine is placed; an upper plate which is a horizontally extending plate above the gaming machine placed on the lower plate; and pillars extending in the vertical direction for fixing the lower plate and the upper plate; The upper plate and the lower plate are connected to each other by a connecting member, so that their vertical positional relationship is fixed, and The connecting member can be fixed to the column at a plurality of predetermined heights on the column. island.

2. The gaming machine is placed on the lower plate in a state where it is fitted into a frame that surrounds the gaming machine from above, below, left, and right, and The distance between the upper plate and the lower plate is such that, when the gaming machine is placed on the lower plate, a gap of 50 mm or more is generated between the upper surface of the gaming machine and the lower surface of the upper plate. The island of claim 1.

3. The pillar is provided with a plurality of pillar holes which are holes aligned in a vertical direction, The connecting member is provided with a connection hole that is a hole that can be fixed to any one of the plurality of post holes provided in the post in a state where the connection member corresponds to the corresponding post hole. The island of claim 1.

4. a fixing member fixed to the upper plate; a pressing member that is movable up and down between an upper position on an upper side and a lower position on a lower side relative to the upper position in a space below the upper plate; The gaming machine is provided with a gaming machine mounting device including: When the pressing member of the gaming machine mounting device is moved to the lower position, the gaming machine placed on the lower plate is clamped from above and below between the lower surface of the pressing member and the upper surface of the lower plate, thereby fixing the gaming machine to the island, and when the device is moved to the upper position, the clamping of the gaming machine from above and below between the lower surface of the pressing member and the upper surface of the lower plate is released. The island of claim 1.

5. A long member is provided which connects the lower plate and the fixing member of the gaming machine mounting fixture fixed to the upper plate. The island of claim 1.

6. The elongated material is plate-shaped, its lower end is bent, and a portion closer to the tip than the bent portion is fixed to the lower plate in a state where it is aligned with the upper or lower surface of the lower plate. The island of claim 5.

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