Capsule toy dispenser

JP7641630B2Active Publication Date: 2025-03-07ALOHA LAB CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021137682
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-08-26
Publication Date
2025-03-07
Estimated Expiration
2041-08-26

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

【0010】 本発明は以上説明したように構成されているため、適宜に載置セットされたボックス筐体1の玩具収納域10内に投入収納されたカプセル玩具Tを、足踏み板32の足踏み部33を踏むことで1個ずつ取り出すことができ、例えば各種のイベント会場、遊技場その他に設置しておくことで、特に童幼児にとっては足踏みの簡単な操作で取り出して興趣あるカプセル玩具Tを得ることができる。

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To enable a slightly large-sized capsule toy including a toy such as a small-sized toy or a premium commodity, for example, to be taken out sequentially by foot operations.SOLUTION: A box enclosure 1 provided with a toy storage area 10, a temporarily staying area 20, and a take-out area 30 for a capsule toy T, and having an opened take-out port 9 is formed. The temporarily staying area 20 includes: a feeding plate 21 sloping downward to a front side wall 4 side and arranged at a bottom part of the box enclosure 1; and a lock piece 22 installed in a standing manner in the box enclosure 1 and arranged to be slidably inserted through the feeding plate 21. The take-out area 30 includes: a lever fulcrum stand 31 provided on a bottom side wall 3; and a foot-operated plate 32 including a foot-operated part 33 that swings with the lever fulcrum stand 31 serving as a fulcrum and extends outward from the front side wall 4 on one side of the lever fulcrum stand 31, and a swinging part 34 that swings the feeding plate 21, positions the feeding plate on the lock piece 22 at the time of upward swinging, and supports the feeding plate 21 in a coupled manner on the other side of the lever fulcrum stand 31, respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a capsule toy dispenser that enables slightly large capsule toys, for example those containing small toys, premium products, or the like, to be successively dispensed by stepping on the capsule toy. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, capsule toys, for example various small toys enclosed in transparent spherical capsule containers, are stored in a housing, and capsule toys are dispensed by rotating a handle in response to the insertion of a specified coin. Capsule toy dispenser machines known as gacha machines have been installed in amusement facilities and elsewhere.

[0003] These capsule toy dispensers are proposed as vending machines as shown in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3, and are equipped with various coin discrimination devices, illegal coin ejection mechanisms, and the like, for preventing illegal insertion of coins. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-212430 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-212438 [Patent Document 3] JP 2000-076511 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In these conventionally proposed capsule toy dispensers, capsule toys are dispensed by operating a handle that is permitted only when a legitimate coin is inserted. Therefore, in order to allow children, particularly at an event venue, to have them take out capsule toys one after another to enjoy playing with, it is necessary to prepare legitimate coins in advance, and the operation itself is cumbersome when targeting children.

[0006] Furthermore, in conventional capsule toy dispensers, the capsule toy itself is approximately 5 cm in diameter, so the size of the toys that can be enclosed is limited, and the device is not suitable for enclosing larger toys that are popular with small children, such as sweets, bread, stuffed toys, and the like.

[0007] The present invention has been created in consideration of the various conventional circumstances described above, and its object is to provide a capsule toy dispenser which can be easily operated even by small children, which can dispense capsule toys containing various items by operating it, which is entertaining, and which can be played with safely. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a box housing 1 having a toy storage area 10 in which capsule toys T are inserted and stored, a temporary retention area 20 in which the capsule toys T supplied from the toy storage area 10 are temporarily retained, and a removal area 30 in which the capsule toys T in the temporary retention area 20 are removed, and the box housing 1 has a removal opening 9 formed therein. The temporary retention area 20 is provided with a supply plate 21 which is gradually inclined downward as it reaches the front wall 4 from the rear wall 5 of the box housing 1 and is disposed at the bottom of the box housing 1, and a sliding member which is erected at the bottom of the box housing 1 and is inserted into the supply plate 21 in a sliding manner. The take-out area 30 is characterized by comprising a lever fulcrum base 31 provided on the bottom wall 3 of the box housing 1 at the take-out opening 9, and a foot plate 32 which swings about the lever fulcrum base 31 as a fulcrum and has a foot step portion 33 protruding outside the front wall 4 of the box housing 1 on one side of the lever fulcrum base 31, and a swinging action portion 34 on the other side of the lever fulcrum base 31 which connects and supports the supply plate 21 to swing the supply plate 21 up and down and position it on the lock piece 22 when swinging upward. The toy storage area 10 is defined on a storage partition plate 11 arranged within the box housing 1 at a downward incline from the front wall 4 to the rear wall 5, and is configured so that the capsule toys T are dropped into a temporary retention area 20 below from a supply port 12 opened at the lowest part of the storage partition plate 11 on the rear wall 5 side. The gap between the scraper plate 13 provided at the end of the supply port 12 and the rear wall 5 of the box casing 1 can be set to a distance sufficient to allow one capsule toy T to fall through. The supply plate 21 is formed to the width between the left and right side walls 2 of the box housing 1, which is formed with an inside width approximately the same as the diameter of the capsule toy T, and the lock piece 22 can be positioned approximately in the center in the left-right direction of the supply plate 21 with its edge surface facing the direction in which the capsule toy T moves downstream. The footboard 32 is arranged along the front-to-rear direction of the box housing 1, and allows the footboard portion 33 to extend out from the front wall 4 of the box housing 1, while also being configured with a guide piece 36 for guiding the capsule toy T to an outlet 9 provided in either the left or right side wall 2 of the box housing 1. The swinging part 34 is fitted and inserted into the lock piece 22 so as to slide, and is configured to support the supply plate 21 from below by a triangular connecting piece 35 which is lower on the front wall 4 side of the box housing 1 and higher on the rear wall 5 side, so that the supply plate 21 is in a downwardly inclined state on the front wall 4 side of the box housing 1. In the supply area 40, a capsule toy breaker 41 in the form of a thin plate that comes into contact with the capsule toy T can be arranged upright along the rear wall 5 of the box housing 1, facing the supply opening 12 in the toy storage area 10.

[0009] In the capsule toy dispenser of the present invention configured as described above, capsule toys T stored in the box casing 1 are dispensed one by one from the dispenser opening 9 by stepping on the foot pedal portion 33 of the foot pedal 32 protruding from the box casing 1. The toy storage area 10 stores the inserted capsule toy T, and operation of the footboard 32 in the removal area 30 causes the supply plate 21 to swing to a position above the lock piece 22, which, together with the supply guide of only one capsule toy T by the scraper plate 13, releases the retention action of the lock piece 22 that temporarily retains the capsule toy T in the temporary retention area 20, and guides the capsule toy T downstream of the supply plate 21, making it possible to remove it. The swinging of the footboard 32 in the removal area 30 by stepping on the footboard 32 causes the single capsule toy T held by the locking piece 22 to climb over the locking piece 22 and guide it downstream, and after the swing is returned to its original position, the locking piece 22 is positioned so as to appear above the supply plate 21, and the capsule toy T that is dropped by the scraper plate 13 from the toy storage area 10 is temporarily held in the holding area 20 in preparation for the next operation. At a supply port 12 for supplying capsule toys T from a toy storage area 10 to a temporary retention area 20, a capsule toy breaking piece 41 arranged on a stand in a supply action area 40 bounces back the capsule toys T piled up at the supply port 12, smoothly guides the capsule toys T one by one from the supply port 12 to the temporary retention area 20, and supplies and drops them. The lock piece 22 is fitted and inserted into the swinging part 34 of the foot plate 32, and a triangular connecting piece 35 provided on the swinging part 34 supports the supply plate 21 at a downward incline toward the front wall 4. The downward swing of the foot plate 32 relative to the foot part 33 swings the swinging part 34 upward with the lever fulcrum base 31 as a fulcrum, lifting the supply plate 21 onto the lock piece 22 via the connecting piece 35, and guiding and dropping the capsule toy T downstream. Effect of the Invention

[0010] Since the present invention is configured as described above, the capsule toys T stored in the toy storage area 10 of the box housing 1 that has been appropriately placed and set can be taken out one by one by stepping on the stepping portion 33 of the footboard 32. By installing the present invention in various event venues, playgrounds, and the like, it is possible for children in particular to easily take out the capsule toys T by stepping on them.

[0011] That is, in the present invention, the box housing 1 is provided with a toy storage area 10 for the capsule toy T, a temporary retention area 20, and a removal area 30, and has an opening formed therein, with a removal port 9 formed therein, the temporary retention area 20 is comprised of a swinging supply plate 21 arranged at the bottom of the box housing 1, inclined downwardly from the front wall 4, and a lock piece 22 slidingly inserted into the supply plate 21, and the removal area 30 is comprised of a foot plate 32 which swings around a lever fulcrum base 31 as a fulcrum, with a foot step portion 33 on one side of the lever fulcrum base 31 and a swinging action portion 34 on the other side of the lever fulcrum base 31 which connects and supports the supply plate 21, swinging the supply plate 21 up and down and positioning it on the lock piece 22 when swinging upward.

[0012] In this way, one capsule toy T can be taken out at a time with each rocking operation of the foot pedal 32, and as the foot pedal 32 rocks the supply plate 21 when the capsule toys are taken out, combined with the dropping action of the scraper plate 13 to drop only one capsule toy T at a time, the capsule toys T are smoothly moved and supplied in sequence within the box casing 1, and prepared in the temporary retention area 20 for the next operation of taking out the capsule toy T.

[0013] In addition, when the capsule toy T is taken out by rocking the foot pedal 32 protruding from the front wall 4 of the box housing 1 against the foot pedal part 33, the capsule toy T can be taken out without confusion from the take-out opening 9 provided in either the left or right side wall 2 by the guide piece 36 without having the foot pedal part 33 guide the capsule toy T.

[0014] The capsule toy T itself does not need to be formed small as in the conventionally provided capsule toy dispensers of this type, but can be a slightly larger toy that children like, such as a stuffed toy, hygienically treated and sealed sweet bread, assembly toys, and other various interesting and novel items.

[0015] The reference numerals in the sections of the Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention are given for ease of reference to the components shown in the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the structures, shapes, etc. shown by the descriptions and reference numerals in the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment for carrying out the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the capsule toy during ejection operation. [Figure 4] 13A to 13D are cross-sectional views of the main part explaining how capsule toys are dropped from the toy storage area to the temporary retention area by the lifting and lowering action of the supply plate, and then moved one by one to the removal area. [Diagram 5] This is also a perspective view of the venue during entertainment.

[0017] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The reference numeral 1 in the drawings denotes a box housing of a capsule toy dispenser. The inside width of this box housing 1 corresponds to the size of a specific capsule toy, for example, a diameter of about 12 cm, and the capsule toys T are stored in a stacked state in the vertical and front-rear directions so that multiple capsule toys T can be easily dispensed.

[0018] That is, the box housing 1 is surrounded by left and right side walls 2 opposed to each other on the left and right, a bottom side wall 3 disposed at the bottom, and front and rear side walls 4, 5 opposed to each other on the front and rear, and a lid 6 is detachably provided at the top opening so that the capsule toy T can be inserted and fed. The box housing 1 itself is, for example, about 1500 mm in height, about 1600 mm in front-to-back width, and about 170 mm in left-to-right width, but is not limited thereto. In this way, by forming the box housing 1 itself thin, it can be installed, for example, against a wall, and the wall surface can be effectively utilized.

[0019] In this box housing 1, a toy storage area 10, a temporary retention area 20, a removal area 30, and a supply action area 40 are each provided, which are partitioned. An removal opening 9 is opened in the lower part of the front wall 4 of either the left or right side wall 2 of the box housing 1, and is connected to the removal area 30.

[0020] The toy storage area 10 is defined on a storage partition plate 11 disposed at a position near the center of the height within the box housing 1, sloping downward from the front wall 4 to the rear wall 5. The lowest portion of the storage partition plate 11 on the rear wall 5 side is opened as a supply port 12, so that capsule toys T inserted into the toy storage area 10 fall from the supply port 12 into the temporary retention area 20 below. A viewing window 8 formed as an opening in either the left or right side wall 2 allows the capsule toys T in the toy storage area 10 to be checked.

[0021] At the end of the supply port 12, a leveling plate 13 is provided by continuing downward from the storage partition plate 11 in a bent shape, and the distance between this leveling plate 13 and the rear wall 5 of the box housing 1 is set to a distance sufficient for one capsule toy T to fall, thereby preventing two or more capsule toys T from falling at the same time.

[0022] The temporary retention area 20 is arranged at the bottom of the box housing 1 so as to gradually incline downward from the rear wall 5 to the front wall 4 of the box housing 1, and is composed of a supply plate 21 that swings back and forth, and a lock piece 22 that stands on the bottom of the box housing 1, i.e., the bottom wall 3, and is inserted into the supply plate 21 in a sliding manner. As shown in the figure, the lock piece 22 is inserted into the supply plate 21, so that the lock piece 22 appears and disappears above the supply plate 21 due to the swinging of the supply plate 21 itself. When the supply plate 21 swings downward and the lock piece 22 protrudes above the supply plate 21, only one capsule toy T is retained between the lock piece 22 and the scraping plate 13 on the upstream side of the supply plate 21.

[0023] In the illustrated example, the supply plate 21 is formed with a width almost equal to the inside width between the left and right side walls 2 of the box housing 1, and the lock piece 22 is positioned almost at the center in the left-right direction of the supply plate 21 so that its edge surface faces the moving direction of the capsule toy T to the downstream side. In this way, when the lock piece 22 protrudes above the supply plate 21, the edge surface of the lock piece 22 abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the capsule toy T to prevent the capsule toy T from rolling and guiding (see FIG. 1). The lock piece 22 is inserted through a slit-shaped long hole formed in the supply plate 21, and as the foot plate 32 in the take-out area 30 swings, the supply plate 21 swings up and down accordingly, as described later, and when the supply plate 21 swings up and down to be positioned above the lock piece 22, the capsule toy T passes over the lock piece 22 and is rolled and guided to the downstream take-out area 30 (see FIG. 3).

[0024] Furthermore, when the supply plate 21 swings upward (see FIG. 4(A)), it approaches the scraper plate 13, and one capsule toy T is held by the scraper plate 13 at the supply port 12, and the capsule toy T held by the lock piece 22 climbs over the lock piece 22 and rolls on the supply plate 21 toward the take-out port 9 (see FIG. 4(B)). Then, when the supply plate 21 swings downward and returns to its original position, the capsule toy T at the supply port 12 that was aligned by the scraper plate 13 is positioned on the supply plate 21 (see FIG. 4(C)), and the supply plate 21 swings further downward, the lock piece 22 protrudes above the supply plate 21, and the lower part of the scraper plate 13 is opened, so that the capsule toy T rolls on the supply plate 21, but is temporarily held on the supply plate 21 by the lock piece 22 (see FIG. 4(D)). That is, when the supply plate 21 swings downward, the capsule toy T in the supply port 12 rolls downward on the supply plate 21, but the downward rolling is prevented by the lock piece 22 protruding from the supply plate 21, and the capsule toy T remains in place.

[0025] The take-out area 30 is composed of a lever fulcrum base 31 provided, for example, on the bottom side wall 3 of the box housing 1 at the take-out opening 9, and a footboard 32 that swings about the lever fulcrum base 31. The footboard 32 has a footboard portion 33 protruding outside the front side wall 4 of the box housing 1 on one side of the lever fulcrum base 31, and a swinging portion 34 on the other side of the lever fulcrum base 31 that connects and supports the supply plate 21 so as to swing the supply plate 21 up and down.

[0026] The lever fulcrum base 31 is positioned at the outlet 9 provided on the front wall 4 of the box housing 1 and is provided on the bottom wall 3 of the box housing 1. The upper surface of the fulcrum protrusion, which is arc-shaped when viewed from the side of the lever fulcrum base 31, serves as a fulcrum, and the footboard 32 placed on the fulcrum protrusion is allowed to swing back and forth in a seesaw-like manner.

[0027] The footboard 32 is arranged inside the bottom of the box housing 1 along the front-to-rear direction, and by stepping on the footboard part 33 protruding from the front wall 4 of the box housing 1, the swinging part 34 is swung upward.

[0028] The swinging part 34 is inserted by fitting it to the lock piece 22 so as to slide, and as shown in the figure, the supply plate 21 is supported from below by a connecting piece 35 arranged on the upper surface of the swinging part 34. This connecting piece 35 has a triangular shape when viewed from the side, being lower on the front wall 4 side of the box housing 1 and higher on the rear wall 5 side. In this way, when the swinging part 34 is located at the lower position before the operation swinging against the foot plate 32, the front wall 4 side of the box housing 1 of the supply plate 21 is inclined downward. Then, when the capsule toy T tries to roll on the supply plate 21 toward the take-out opening 9, the capsule toy T itself is abutted against the lock piece 22, so that it does not roll toward the take-out area 30. Although not shown, the foot plate 32 and the supply plate 21 can be integrally formed by providing a bent portion, for example.

[0029] Furthermore, since the swinging action portion 34 on the front side of the foot plate 32, to which the connecting piece 35 and the supply plate 21 are attached, is heavier than the foot plate 33 on the rear side, the swinging action portion 34 is inclined downward except when the foot is being stepped on, and the capsule toy T on the upstream side is kept in a stagnant state by the locking piece 22 protruding above the supply plate 21.

[0030] A guide piece 36 is attached in the form of an upright leg to the front position of the footrest 33 of the footboard 32 for guiding the capsule toy T, which has been released from temporary retention by the lock piece 22 and is now rolling, to the dispensing opening 9.

[0031] In the supply action area 40, a thin plate-like capsule toy breaker 41 is disposed facing the supply port 12 in the toy storage area 10 that is continuous from the toy storage area 10 in the box housing 1 to the temporary retention area 20. This capsule toy breaker 41 is disposed on the bottom side wall 3 of the box housing 1 along the rear side wall 5 of the box housing 1. When the foot plate 32 is stepped on and swung, a capsule toy T following the capsule toy T taken out is struck against the capsule toy breaker 41 when it is dropped from the supply port 12, and the capsule toy breaker 41 itself is bent back by the recoil, thereby partially aligning the overlapping capsule toys T in the supply port 12, so that the capsule toys T can be smoothly dropped one by one.

[0032] In the dispenser of the present invention constructed as above, each of the components constituting the dispenser, such as the left and right side walls 2, bottom side wall 3, front and rear side walls 4, 5, and lid 6 forming the box housing 1, each component in the toy storage area 10, the supply plate 21, lock piece 22, etc. in the temporary retention area 20, the lever support 31, foot plate 32, connecting piece 35, guide piece 36, etc. in the dispense area 30, and the capsule toy breaker 41 in the supply action area 40, can be formed and assembled using, for example, a hollow and lightweight synthetic resin plate material having a large number of air bubbles, grooves, etc. This allows the dispenser to be constructed light and easy to carry, and can be easily brought in and set up at, for example, an event venue or other play area. Of course, the materials are not limited to these.

[0033] Next, an example of how to use this will be described. The box housing 1 is set up, for example, at various event venues attended by children, and the capsule toy T is placed and stored in the toy storage area 10 with the lid 6 open, allowing children to freely operate it by stepping on it.

[0034] When the foot pedal 33 of the foot pedal 32 arranged in the removal area 30 is stepped on, the supply plate 21, which is integrated with the swinging part 34 via the connecting piece 35, swings upward. When the swinging supply plate 21 reaches a position above the locking piece 22, the capsule toy T temporarily held in the temporary holding area 20 by the locking piece 22 is released from its hold. The capsule toy T, which has been released from its hold and rolled on the supply plate 21, also rolls on the foot pedal 32 and is taken out of the box housing 1 through the removal opening 9 by the guide piece 36.

[0035] When the foot is released from stepping on the foot plate 32, the swinging part 34 side tilts downward due to its own weight, and, combined with the aligning action of the capsule toy breaking piece 41 in the supply action area 40, one capsule toy T is dropped from the toy storage area 10 to the temporary retention area 20 upstream of the lock piece 22 on the supply plate 21, in preparation for the next operation.

[0036] Although not shown in the figures, the entire box housing 1 does not have to be thin so that the capsule toys T are dispensed one after another in a single row, but may be widened so that a large number of capsule toys T are piled up like a mountain in the toy storage area 10 and supplied in a single row. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] T…Capsule toys 1...Box housing 2…Left and right side walls 3…Bottom side wall 4…Front wall 5…Rear wall 6…Lid 8. Peephole 9...Outlet 10…Toy storage area 11...Storage compartment plate 12…Supply inlet 13...Scraper plate 20…Temporary retention area 21...Supply plate 22…Lock piece 30...Extraction area 31...Lever base 32...Footboard 33…Foot pedal 34...Swinging part 35...Connection piece 36…Guide sheet 40…Supply action area 41... Capsule toy broken pieces

Claims

1. a temporary retention area comprising a supply plate arranged at the bottom of the box housing and gradually sloping downward as it extends from the rear wall to the front wall of the box housing; and a lock piece standing on the bottom of the box housing and slidingly inserted into the supply plate to retain the capsule toys on the supply plate; and the removal area comprising a lever fulcrum base arranged on the bottom wall of the box housing at the removal port, and a foot plate which swings about the lever fulcrum base as a fulcrum, and which has a foot part protruding outside the front wall of the box housing on one side of the lever fulcrum base and a swinging part on the other side of the lever fulcrum base that connects and supports the supply plate, swinging the supply plate up and down and positioning it on the lock piece when swinging upward.

2. 2. A capsule toy dispenser as described in claim 1, wherein the toy storage area is defined on a storage partition plate disposed within the box housing at a downward incline from the front wall to the rear wall, and the capsule toys are dropped into a temporary retention area below from a supply port opened at the lowest part of the rear wall side of the storage partition plate.

3. 3. A capsule toy dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the clearance between the scraper plate provided at the end of the supply opening and the rear wall of the box casing is set to a distance sufficient to allow one capsule toy to fall through.

4. A capsule toy dispenser as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supply plate is formed to a width between the left and right side walls formed with an inside width approximately the same as the diameter of the capsule toy, and the lock piece is positioned approximately in the center in the left-right direction of the supply plate with its edge surface facing the direction in which the capsule toy moves downstream.

5. A capsule toy dispenser as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the foot plate is arranged along the front-to-rear direction of the box housing, and has a guide piece for guiding the capsule toy to an outlet provided in either the left or right side wall of the box housing while allowing the foot plate to extend out from the front wall of the box housing.

6. 6. A capsule toy dispenser as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the swinging portion is fitted and inserted into the locking piece so as to slide, and the supply plate is supported from below by a triangular connecting piece viewed from the side which is lower on the front wall side of the box housing and higher on the rear wall side, so that the supply plate is inclined downward on the front wall side of the box housing.

7. 3. A capsule toy dispenser as described in claim 2, wherein a capsule toy breaker in the form of a thin plate that comes into contact with the capsule toy is arranged upright along the rear wall of the box housing in the supply area, facing the supply opening in the toy storage area.

Citation Information

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