Polishing cassette

Abstract

To realize a polishing cassette that ensures a length of polishing bodies and prevents delivery operation failure because of overlapping of polishing bodies from occurring easily.SOLUTION: In a polishing cassette (1), a delivery port (5) and a winding port (4) are formed, and a polishing body (10) is bridged between the delivery port (5) and the winding port (4). A winding part (20) for winding polishing bodies 10 via a winding port, a housing part (30) for folding and housing the wound polishing bodies (10), a conveyance part (40) for temporarily routing the polishing bodies (10) delivered from a housing part exit (31) of the housing part (30) to a side in which the winding part (20) is positioned, and then conveying them through a conveyance route in the direction of a delivery port 5, and a conveyance roller (41A) that functions as an overlapping elimination part for eliminating overlapping by abutting on the polishing bodies (10) in front of the housing part exit (31) and is installed inrotatably.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a polishing cassette used in a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine.

Background Art

[0002] There is a gaming machine in which a player fires a game ball (hereinafter referred to as a ball) into a game area by a launching device, and when the launched ball enters a winning area such as a winning hole provided in the game area, a predetermined number of balls are paid out to the player as bonus balls.

[0003] Dirt adheres to the balls while the player touches them or they pass through the interior of the gaming machine. This dirt not only impairs the appearance of the balls but may also cause problems such as jamming of the balls inside the gaming machine. Therefore, the gaming machine is equipped with a polishing device that polishes the balls in the ball transfer path (for example, Patent Document 1). The gaming machine described in Patent Document 1 polishes the transferred balls by pressing a strip-shaped abrasive against them.

[0004] In addition, some polishing devices have a polishing cassette that removably incorporates a long strip-shaped and annular polishing body (abrasive) (for example, Patent Document 2). A winding section (winding means) is provided inside the polishing cassette. The polishing body is sent out to the outside of the polishing cassette, abutted against the balls transferred in the polishing area, and after passing through the polishing area, is drawn back into the interior of the polishing cassette again. The inside of the cassette serves as a storage section, and the wound strip-shaped polishing body is folded and stored inside the cassette.

[0005] In such a polishing cassette, in order to ensure contact between the polishing body and the ball, it is desirable that the polishing body is supported in the polishing area without overlapping and without slackening. That is, the polishing bodies folded inside the cassette need to be in a state without overlapping and slackening after being sent out of the polishing cassette. Therefore, in the vicinity of the outlet where the polishing bodies are sent out, there are some that are provided with a pressing plate or the like for pressing the polishing bodies. By applying tension between the pressing plate and the winding portion, the polishing bodies can be spanned across the polishing cassette without slackening.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the way, in such a polishing cassette, the polishing bodies are wound inside the polishing cassette at the winding portion and are accommodated so as to fold randomly, and they proceed to the outlet in a random overlapping state and are sent out from the outlet. Therefore, when the polishing bodies reach the outlet in an overlapped state, a sliding load is applied at the outlet, and there is a risk that the feeding cannot be performed and a malfunction occurs.

[0008] In addition, measures such as shortening the length of the polishing bodies to make overlapping less likely to occur, widening the outlet so that they can pass even in an overlapped state, or increasing the torque of the motor that drives the winding portion can also be considered. However, if the length of the polishing bodies is shortened, the replacement timing of the polishing bodies is advanced and the maintainability is reduced. The same applies when the outlet is widened. As the outlet is widened, the accommodation space becomes smaller and the length of the polishing bodies that can be accommodated becomes shorter. Also, since the current that can be supplied to the motor that drives the winding portion is limited, it is difficult to increase the torque of the motor.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a polishing cassette in which, while ensuring the length of the polishing body, it is difficult for a feeding operation failure due to the overlap of the polishing bodies to occur, and a gaming machine including the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, a polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention adopts the following configuration.

[0011] That is, a polishing cassette according to one side of the present invention is a polishing cassette that is attached to a base provided on a gaming machine and polishes gaming balls used in the game with a belt-shaped polishing body, and has a delivery port for delivering the polishing body and a winding port for winding up the polishing body, a box body across which the polishing body is spanned between the delivery port and the winding port, a winding portion provided inside the box body for winding up the polishing body through the winding port, a storage portion in which the wound polishing body is folded and stored, a conveying portion for conveying the polishing body sent out from the outlet of the storage portion to the conveying path leading to the delivery port after once turning it around to the side where the winding portion is located, and a overlap eliminating portion that contacts the polishing body in front of the outlet of the storage portion to eliminate the overlap.

[0012] According to the above configuration, since a conveying portion for guiding the polishing body sent out from the storage portion to the side where the winding portion is located and then guiding it toward the delivery port is provided inside the box body, the space of the storage portion has to be small. When trying to store a long polishing body in the limited space of the storage portion, there is a risk of an operation failure such that the polishing body passes through the outlet of the storage portion in an overlapping state, resulting in a sliding load and preventing the feeding of the polishing body.

[0013] Therefore, in the above configuration, an overlap eliminating portion that contacts the polishing body in front of the outlet of the storage portion to eliminate the overlap of the polishing body is provided. Thereby, even when a long polishing body is stored in the limited space of the storage portion, it is possible to suppress the polishing body from passing through the outlet of the storage portion in an overlapping state, and to make the feeding operation of the polishing body good.

[0014] In the polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the overlap eliminating portion may be configured as a columnar support member located at a corner of a path between the housing portion and the transport portion at an outlet of the housing portion.

[0015] If a transport roller that is carried around by the force applied to the abrasive body is installed at a corner of the path between the housing portion and the transport portion at the outlet of the housing portion, the abrasive bodies will be smoothly fed into the outlet of the housing portion in a stacked state, and it is likely to clog at the outlet. However, by using a non-rotating columnar support member as in the above configuration, the overlap of the abrasive bodies can be eliminated before reaching the outlet. That is, it can function as an overlap eliminating portion.

[0016] In the polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the transport portion may be configured to have a transport roller at a corner of the transport path. According to this, the transport of the abrasive bodies transported along the transport path can be improved.

[0017] In the polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the overlap eliminating portion may be configured by non-rotatably installing a component of the transport roller at a corner of a path between the housing portion and the transport portion at an outlet of the housing portion.

[0018] By non-rotatably installing a component of the transport roller, a columnar support member can be configured. According to this, it becomes possible to share components between the overlap eliminating portion and the transport roller.

[0019] In the polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the box body may be configured to have a wall portion that partitions the housing portion and the transport portion.

[0020] By providing a wall portion that partitions the housing portion and the transport portion, it is possible to prevent the portion of the abrasive body housed in the housing portion and the portion transported by the transport portion from coming into contact, and to further stabilize the feeding operation of the abrasive body.

[0021] In a polishing cassette according to one aspect of the present invention, the box body is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in one direction, the polishing body is stretched along the longitudinal direction of the box body, the accommodating portion is located on the side of the box body where the polishing body is stretched, and the conveying portion can be configured to have a path for temporarily turning the polishing body to the side where the winding portion is located, on the side opposite to the side of the box body where the polishing body is stretched.

[0022] According to the above configuration, it is possible to form a compact structure while ensuring a long polishing area for polishing the game balls in the transfer direction of the game balls.

[0023] In order to solve the above problems, a gaming machine according to one aspect of the present invention includes a game board through which game balls pass through the board surface, a transfer portion that transfers the game balls, and a polishing cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 6 disposed opposite to the transfer portion.

Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a polishing cassette in which it is difficult for a feeding operation failure due to the overlap of the polishing bodies to occur while ensuring the length of the polishing bodies, and a gaming machine including the same.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments according to one aspect of the present disclosure (hereinafter, also referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, as one aspect of the polishing cassette of the present disclosure, the polishing cassette 1 will be exemplified.

[0027] §1 Application Example First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIG. 6, an example of a scene where the polishing cassette 1 is applied will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the polishing cassette 1 is disposed so as to face a screw 107 that conveys balls 60 on a base 103 inside a door 102 of a gaming machine 100 that uses gaming balls (hereinafter referred to as "balls"). The polishing cassette 1 abuts on the balls 60 conveyed by the screw 107 and polishes the surface of the balls 60 to remove dirt adhering to the balls 60.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the polishing cassette 1 has an outlet 5 for sending out a long strip-shaped and annular polishing body (polishing cloth) 10 and a winding port 4 for winding up the polishing body 10 formed on the back surface, and the polishing body 10 is stretched between the outlet 5 and the winding port 4. This portion where the polishing body 10 is stretched is a polishing region that comes into contact with the balls 60 and polishes them.

[0029] Inside the polishing cassette 1, there are provided a winding unit 20 that winds up the polishing bodies through the winding port 4, a storage unit 30 where the wound polishing bodies 10 are folded and stored, and a conveying unit 40 that conveys the polishing bodies 10 sent out from the storage unit 30 toward the discharge port 5. The conveying unit 40 is configured to convey the polishing bodies 10 sent out from the storage unit 30 to the conveying path leading to the discharge port 5 after first diverting them to the side where the winding unit 20 is located.

[0030] Furthermore, a first conveying roller 41A installed non-rotatably is provided at the storage unit exit 31. The non-rotatable first conveying roller 41A functions as an overlap elimination unit that comes into contact with the polishing bodies 10 in front of the storage unit exit 31 to eliminate the overlap of the polishing bodies 10. Thereby, even when long polishing bodies 10 are stored in the limited space of the storage unit 30, it is possible to suppress the polishing bodies 10 from passing through the storage unit exit 31 of the storage unit 30 in an overlapped state, and the feeding operation of the polishing bodies 10 of the polishing cassette 1 can be made good.

[0031] §2 Configuration Example (1. Gaming machine 100) FIGS. 1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of a gaming machine 100 equipped with the polishing cassette 1 according to the present embodiment and an image of the flow of the balls 60. FIG. 1 shows the front of the gaming machine 100 with the door 102 open. FIG. 2 shows the back of the gaming machine 100 with the door 102 open.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gaming machine 100, which is a pachinko machine, includes a gaming board 101 through which the balls 60 (shown by phantom lines in FIG. 2) pass, and a door 102 in which a glass plate 102a covering the gaming board 101 is fitted. The board surface on the front side of the gaming board 101 through which the balls 60 pass is the gaming area 101a.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, on the front side of the base 103 located below the game board 101, there are installed a launching device 104 for launching the ball 60, a rail 105 for guiding the ball 60 to the game board 101, and a polishing cassette 1. The polishing cassette 1 polishes the ball 60 with a long belt-shaped and annular polishing body 10 to remove dirt, and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape. Although details will be described later, the polishing cassette 1 is detachably attached to the base 103 such that the back surface where the polishing body 10 (see FIG. 4) is stretched outside the cassette faces the opening 103a provided in the base 103.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, on the back side of the base 103, there is provided a ball path 106 for returning the ball 60 discharged from the game area 101a to the launching device 104. In the ball path 106, a screw (transfer part) 107 and two path members 108 and 109, namely the first and the second, are arranged.

[0035] The screw 107 is a conveying device that lifts the ball 60 reaching the lower part of the screw to the upper part of the screw. The screw 107 is arranged to face the polishing cassette 1 facing the opening 103a of the base 103. The ball 60 lifted by the screw 107 abuts against the polishing body 10 stretched on the back surface of the polishing cassette 1.

[0036] As shown by the arrow Y in FIG. 1, the ball 60 launched from the launching device 104 is guided to the game area 101a along the rail 105. The ball 60 guided to the game area 101a is discharged to the back side of the game board 101 from the ball outlet 101b provided at the lower part of the game area 101a along the game area 101a.

[0037] As indicated by the arrow Y in FIG. 2, the balls 60 discharged to the back side of the game board 101 are conveyed to the lower part of the screw through the first path member 108 and lifted by the screw 107. While being lifted, the balls 60 come into contact with the abrasive bodies of the abrasive cassette 1 and are polished. This portion where the screw 107 and the abrasive cassette 1 face each other corresponds to the polishing region. The balls 60 reaching the upper part of the screw are returned to the launcher 104 on the front side through the second path member 109 (see FIG. 1).

[0038] In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the longitudinal direction of the abrasive cassette 1 and the axial direction which is the conveyance direction of the screw 107 are arranged in parallel, but the longitudinal direction of the abrasive cassette 1 may be inclined with respect to the axial direction of the screw 107.

[0039] (2. Configuration of the Abrasive Cassette 1) In the present embodiment, as described above, the abrasive cassette 1 is attached with its longitudinal direction as the vertical direction. However, the direction of the longitudinal direction of the abrasive cassette 1 is not limited to this, and any direction along the conveyance direction by a transfer part such as a screw may be used. Therefore, hereinafter, starting from the state of FIG. 1, the abrasive cassette 1 is rotated 90 degrees to the left, and the longitudinal direction of the abrasive cassette 1 will be described as the left - right direction. In that case, the front - rear direction of the abrasive cassette 1 is the same as the front - rear direction of the gaming machine 100, but the left direction of the abrasive cassette 1 becomes the upper direction of the gaming machine 100, and the right direction of the abrasive cassette 1 becomes the lower direction of the gaming machine 100. Similarly, the upper direction of the abrasive cassette 1 becomes the right direction of the gaming machine 100, and the lower direction of the abrasive cassette 1 becomes the left direction of the gaming machine 100.

[0040] FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the configuration of the abrasive cassette 1. FIG. 3 is a front - side perspective view of the abrasive cassette 1 facing the front side of the gaming machine 100 in the state of being attached to the gaming machine 100. FIG. 4 is a back - side perspective view of the abrasive cassette 1 facing the back side of the gaming machine 100 in the state of being attached to the gaming machine 100.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the polishing cassette 1 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape that is long in the left-right direction, and the polishing body 10 is stretched in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) on the back surface (rear surface).

[0042] As shown in FIG. 4, guide edges 1a protruding rearward are formed at both edges in the short-side direction of the back surface of the polishing cassette 1. The polishing body 10 is guided at both ends in the width direction by these guide edges 1a.

[0043] At the corner between the right side surface on the right side of the back surface of the polishing cassette 1, a winding port 4 for winding up the polishing body 10 is formed. Also, at the corner between the left side surface on the left side of the back surface of the polishing cassette 1, a delivery port 5 for delivering the polishing body 10 is formed.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, a winding portion 20 is provided inside the polishing cassette 1. The polishing body 10 is pulled out from the delivery port 5 by the winding portion 20 and wound up from the winding port 4. The wound-up polishing body 10 is randomly accommodated so as to overlap inside the polishing cassette 1 (see FIG. 5).

[0045] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the polishing cassette 1 disassembled. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inside of the polishing cassette 1 with the lid member 12 removed, viewed from above. Note that FIGS. 5 and 6 show a state where the polishing bodies 10 are overlapped in a ninety-fold manner, but the polishing bodies 10 are soft cloths and actually overlap randomly and haphazardly.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, the case portion (box body) of the polishing cassette 1 is configured by combining a case member 11 and a lid member 12. The case member 11 and the lid member 12 are assembled by screws or the like through mounting holes 1b formed at the four corners of their respective joint surfaces.

[0047] The case member 11 has walls that constitute the front, back, left side, right side, and bottom (underside) of the polishing cassette 1, and the lid member 12 constitutes the wall of the upper surface of the polishing cassette 1. In the present embodiment, the case member 11 is formed from a transparent resin material or the like, and the inside of the polishing cassette 1 can be visually recognized.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, at the delivery port 5, a part of the wall constituting the back surface of the polishing cassette 1 extends into the inside of the polishing cassette 1. The space between the back surface and the part extending inside is connected by an inclined surface formed at an obtuse angle with the back surface. Thereby, the abrasive body 10 is smoothly delivered (drawn out) from the delivery port 5 at an obtuse angle.

[0049] Near the delivery port 5 inside the polishing cassette 1, a pressing plate 9 for pressing the abrasive body 10 delivered from the delivery port 5 is provided. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the pressing plate 9 is attached inside the wall constituting the left side surface of the polishing cassette 1 with screws or the like. The pressing plate 9 is formed in a shape that extends rearward (back surface side) and rightward from the attachment position, and the tip side contacts the abrasive body 10 at an acute angle in front of the delivery port 5.

[0050] The tip portion of the pressing plate 9 is bent in a direction away from the pressed abrasive body 10, and the abrasive body 10 is sandwiched and pressed between the rounded corner portion formed by this bending and the fourth conveying roller 41D located near the delivery port 5. The fourth conveying roller 41D is one of a plurality of conveying rollers provided inside the polishing cassette 1, which will be described later.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, the lid member 12, which is the wall of the upper surface of the polishing cassette 1, is formed with pivot holes 12a, 12b for pivotally supporting the winding portion 20, and fixing holes 12c, 12d for attaching the cover member 25. Further, the lid member 12 is formed with pivot holes 12e - 12h for pivotally supporting the first to fourth conveying rollers 41A - 41D.

[0052] Similarly, on the lower surface of the case member 11 that forms the bottom wall of the lower surface of the polishing cassette 1, there are formed bearing holes 11a, 11b for pivotally supporting the winding unit 20, and fixing holes 11c, 11d for attaching the cover members 22, 23. Further, on the lower surface of the case member 11, there are formed bearing holes 11e to 11h for pivotally supporting the four conveying rollers 41A to 41D from the first to the fourth (see FIG. 6). The winding unit 20 has two rollers 21A, 21B pivotally supported by the case member 11 and the lid member 12 of the polishing cassette 1, and winds up and renews the polishing body 10 spanned across the back surface of the polishing cassette 1. In the present embodiment, each of the two rollers 21A, 21B is configured by attaching a plurality of gear members to the rotating shaft. Each of the plurality of gear members has gear-shaped irregularities formed on its outer peripheral surface. The polishing body 10 is inserted between the two rollers 21A, 21B, and is fed into the polishing cassette 1 by the rotation of the two rollers 21A, 21B.

[0053] The two rollers 21A, 21B of the winding unit 20 are pivotally supported by the polishing cassette 1 with their respective rotating shafts inserted into the bearing holes 12a, 12b of the lid member 12 and the bearing holes 11a, 11b of the case member 11. The rotating shafts of the two rollers 21A, 21 are arranged parallel to each other. Among the two rollers 21A, 21B, a driving force is transmitted to the rotating shaft of the roller 21A on the rear side (the winding port 4 side) from the outside of the polishing cassette 1 through the bearing hole 11a of the case member 11.

[0054] The cover members 22, 23 are housed inside the polishing cassette 1 and prevent the polishing body 10 from being wound around the winding unit 20. The cover members 22, 23 are two members corresponding to the two rollers 21A, 21B of the winding unit 20, and are attached to the back surface side and the front surface side inside the polishing cassette 1. Note that the cover members 22, 23 are not limited to being attached to the polishing cassette 1, and may be integrally formed with, for example, the case member 11 or the lid member 12.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 6, inside the polishing cassette 1, a storage section 30, a conveying section 40, and an overlapping elimination section (first conveying roller 41A) are provided. The storage section 30 stores the polishing bodies 10 wound up by the winding section 20. The wound-up polishing bodies 10 are stored while being randomly overlapped and folded in the storage section 30, and move from the right side where the winding section 20 is located toward the left side where the storage section outlet 31 is located.

[0056] The conveying section 40 conveys the polishing bodies 10 sent out from the storage section outlet 31 along a conveying path leading to the outlet 5 after first diverting them to the side where the winding section 20 is located. The overlapping elimination section comes into contact with the polishing bodies 10 in front of the storage section outlet 31 to eliminate the overlap of the polishing bodies 10. In the present embodiment, the first conveying roller 41A has this function.

[0057] Both the storage section 30 and the conveying section 40 are formed along the longitudinal direction. The storage section 30 is located on the back side of the polishing cassette 1, and the conveying section 40 is located on the front side of the polishing cassette 1. Between the storage section 30 and the conveying section 40, there is a first wall (wall section) 15a that extends in the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 and is erected on the inner surface of the lower surface (bottom surface) of the case member 11. The first wall 15a is inclined so as to approach the back side from the right side where the winding section 20 is located toward the left side. Also, the first wall 15a is formed in an inverted L shape in top view, and the right side extends forward (front) parallel to the right side surface of the polishing cassette 1 and reaches the front of the polishing cassette 1.

[0058] The storage section outlet 31 is provided on the left side of the first wall 15a. The polishing bodies 10 that have moved leftward inside the storage section 30 are sent out from the storage section outlet 31 to the conveying section 40.

[0059] The conveying section 40 conveys the polishing bodies 10 sent out from the storage section outlet 31 along a prescribed conveying path that first diverts them to the side where the winding section 20 is located and directs them toward the outlet 5. By first diverting them to the side where the winding section 20 is located, the surface of the polishing body 10 that has passed through the polishing area can be directed toward the front side of the polishing cassette 1.

[0060] In this embodiment, four conveying rollers 41A to 41D with curved outer peripheral surfaces that come into contact with the polishing bodies 10 are arranged at the corners of the conveying path. In this embodiment, the four conveying rollers 41A to 41D from the first to the fourth are made of POM (polyacetal resin).

[0061] The first conveying roller 41A is arranged at the outlet 31 of the accommodating portion and is arranged immediately to the left of the left end portion of the first wall 15a. More specifically, the first conveying roller 41A is located at the corner of the path between the accommodating portion 30 and the conveying portion 40 at the outlet 31 of the accommodating portion.

[0062] The second conveying roller 41B is the right end portion of the conveying portion 40 and is arranged on the front side of the first conveying roller 41A. The third conveying roller 41C is the left end portion of the conveying portion 40 and is arranged on the left side of the first conveying roller 41A and on the front side of the second conveying roller 41B. The fourth conveying roller 41D is arranged near the outlet 5 inside the polishing cassette 1 as described above, and is arranged to the left of the third conveying roller 41C and in front of the outlet 5 of the polishing cassette 1.

[0063] The polishing bodies 10 sent out from the outlet 31 of the accommodating portion are conveyed in the conveying portion between the second conveying roller 41B and the third conveying roller 41C with the surface that has passed through the polishing region facing the front side of the polishing cassette 1.

[0064] By arranging the four conveying rollers 41A to 41D from the first to the fourth in such a manner, the space required for the conveying portion 40 can be reduced, and a wider space for the accommodating portion 30 can be secured.

[0065] Among the four conveying rollers 41A to 41D from the first to the fourth, the three conveying rollers 41B to 41D from the second to the fourth are rotating rollers rotatably supported. In contrast, the first conveying roller 41A located at the outlet 31 of the accommodating portion is installed non-rotatably and serves as a non-rotating support member. By installing the first conveying roller 41A non-rotatably, it can function as an overlap elimination portion that contacts the polishing body 10 in front of the outlet 31 of the accommodating portion and eliminates the overlap of the polishing bodies 10.

[0066] Also, by configuring the overlap elimination portion using the same roller members as the three conveying rollers 41B to 41D from the second to the fourth, the sharing of members can be achieved. However, as long as it is a configuration that functions as an overlap elimination portion, it does not necessarily have to be in the shape of a roller. For example, it may be a support column with a D-shaped axial cross-sectional shape, where the side facing the left end of the first wall 15a is formed flat. Also, it may be formed integrally with the first wall 15a, that is, integrally with the case member 11, at the left end of the first wall 15a.

[0067] Also, on the front side of the first wall 15a in the conveying portion 40, a second wall 15b extending in the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1 is provided. The second wall 15b partitions the conveying portions between the first conveying roller 41A and the second conveying roller 41B, and between the second conveying roller 41B and the third conveying roller 41C. In the present embodiment, the second wall 15b is inclined so as to approach the surface side from the right side to the left side, contrary to the first wall 15a.

[0068] On the left side of the second wall 15a in the conveying portion 40, a third wall 15c extending from the front side to the back side is provided. The third wall 15c partitions the accommodating portion 30 and the path leading to the outlet 5 in the conveying portion 40. The space between the first conveying roller 41A and the third wall 15c serves as the outlet 31 of the accommodating portion.

[0069] (3. Operation of the polishing cassette 1) Using FIG. 6, the operation of the polishing cassette 1 with the above configuration will be described. When the winding unit 20 rotates, the polishing bodies 10 stretched across the back surface of the polishing cassette 1 are wound into the interior of the polishing cassette 1 from the winding port 4, and are accommodated in the accommodating unit 30, while the polishing bodies 10 are sent out from the delivery port 5 of the polishing cassette 1.

[0070] The wound polishing bodies 10 are randomly overlapped and haphazardly accommodated inside the accommodating unit 30, and the accommodating unit 30 is moved to the left by being pushed by the newly wound polishing bodies 10. The polishing bodies 10 that have reached the accommodating unit exit 31 are sent out from the accommodating unit exit 31 and conveyed by the conveying unit 40 toward the delivery port 5 of the polishing cassette 1.

[0071] At this time, if the first conveying roller 41A located at the accommodating unit exit 31 is not installed so as not to be rotatable, the overlapping polishing bodies 10 will be smoothly fed into the accommodating unit exit 31 as they are, and a sliding load will be applied when trying to pass through the accommodating unit exit 31. If the sliding load is small, there is no problem, but if the sliding load is large, the polishing bodies 10 cannot be sent out, and the polishing cassette 1 will malfunction in the sending-out operation.

[0072] In contrast, in the above configuration, the first conveying roller 41A located at the accommodating unit exit 31 is installed so as not to be rotatable and serves as a non-rotating support column. Therefore, the overlapping polishing bodies 10 will have their overlap eliminated in front of the accommodating unit exit 31 by contacting the first conveying roller 41A. More specifically, the overlapping polishing bodies 10 contact the first conveying roller 41A, and only the cloth at the leading part where a pulling force is applied among the overlapping polishing bodies 10 is sent out from the accommodating unit exit 31.

[0073] The polishing bodies 10 sent out from the accommodating unit exit 31 go toward the delivery port 5 via the second conveying roller 41B, the third conveying roller 41C, and the fourth conveying roller 41D. Tension is applied by being pressed by the pressing plate 9 when passing through the fourth conveying roller 41D. The polishing bodies 10 sent out from the delivery port 5 pass through the polishing area and then are wound by the winding unit 20 via the winding port 4 again and are accommodated in the accommodating unit 30.

[0074] The winding of such a polishing body 10 can be intermittently performed, for example, every time a certain number of balls 60 pass through the screw 107, or every predetermined time. When the polishing body 10 gets dirty, it is removed from the polishing cassette 1 and replaced.

[0075] (4. Effect) Since the transport unit 40 is provided inside the polishing cassette 1 to guide the polishing body 10 sent out from the storage unit 30 to the side where the winding unit 20 is located and then guide it toward the delivery port 5, the space of the storage unit 30 has to be small. If an attempt is made to accommodate the long polishing body 10 in the limited space of the storage unit 30, a sliding load will occur as the polishing body tries to pass through the storage unit outlet 31 in a state where the polishing bodies overlap, and there is a risk of a malfunction in the feeding operation such that the polishing body 10 cannot be fed out.

[0076] According to the above configuration, the first transport roller 41A installed non-rotatably at the corner of the storage unit outlet 31 constitutes a columnar support member (overlap elimination part), and contacts the polishing body 10 in front of the storage unit outlet 31 to eliminate the overlap of the polishing bodies 10.

[0077] Thereby, even when the long polishing body 10 is accommodated in the limited space of the storage unit 30, it is possible to prevent or effectively suppress the polishing body 10 from passing through the storage unit outlet 31 in a state where the polishing bodies overlap, and the feeding operation of the polishing body 10 can be made good. And it is possible to meet the demand of making the entire length of the polishing body 10 as long as possible in order to suppress the replacement frequency of the polishing body 10.

[0078] Also, in the present embodiment, since the case member 11 having the front wall of the polishing cassette 1 is formed transparently, the inside of the polishing cassette 1 can be visually recognized in a state where the polishing cassette 1 is attached to the gaming machine 100. Thereby, a user such as an employee in the game arcade can confirm the degree of dirt of the polishing body 10 and determine the timing of replacing the polishing body 10 without removing the polishing cassette 1 from the gaming machine 100.

[0079] Moreover, in the above configuration, the conveying unit 40 first diverts the abrasive bodies 10 delivered from the outlet 31 of the accommodating unit to the side where the winding unit 20 is located, and then directs them toward the outlet 5. By adopting such a path, the surface of the abrasive body 10 that has passed through the polishing region can be oriented toward the front side of the polishing cassette 1. Although the degree of soiling of the abrasive bodies 10 can be confirmed even when they are randomly accommodated in the accommodating unit 30, the degree of soiling of the abrasive bodies 10 can be more clearly confirmed by observing the surface of the abrasive body 10 that has passed through the polishing region without overlapping.

[0080] In addition, by providing the conveying unit 40, the space of the accommodating unit 30 becomes smaller, and the abrasive bodies 10 are more likely to overlap. However, as described above, since the configuration is such that the overlapping of the abrasive bodies 10 is eliminated in front of the outlet 31 of the accommodating unit, long abrasive bodies 10 can be accommodated in the limited accommodating unit 30.

[0081] In addition, by partitioning the accommodating unit 30 and the conveying unit 40 with the first wall portion 15a, contact between the portion of the abrasive body 10 accommodated in the accommodating unit 30 and the portion conveyed by the conveying unit 40 is prevented, and the feeding operation of the abrasive body 10 can be further stabilized.

[0082] In addition, by partitioning between the first conveying roller 41A and the second conveying roller 41B, and between the second conveying roller 41B and the third conveying roller 41C with the second wall portion 15b, even if the abrasive bodies conveyed along each path are deflected, contact is prevented, and the feeding operation of the abrasive body 10 can be further stabilized.

[0083] In addition, the polishing cassette 1 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in one direction, and the abrasive bodies 10 are spanned along the longitudinal direction of the polishing cassette 1. The accommodating unit 30 is located on the side where the abrasive bodies 10 are spanned, and the conveying unit 40 has a path for first diverting the abrasive bodies 10 to the side where the winding unit 20 is located, on the side opposite to the side where the abrasive bodies 10 are spanned. By adopting such a configuration, while ensuring a long polishing region for polishing the balls 60 in the transfer direction of the balls 60, the polishing cassette 1 can be formed compactly.

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0085] 1 Polishing cassette 4 Take-up port 5 Delivery port 10 Abrasive 11 Case member (box body) 12 Lid member (box body) 15a First wall portion 15b Second wall portion 20 Take-up portion 30 Storage portion 31 Storage portion outlet 40 Conveying portion 41A First conveying roller (overlap elimination portion, support member) 41B Second conveying roller 41C Third conveying roller 41D Fourth conveying roller 100 Gaming machine 101 Game board 103 Base 103a Opening 104 Launching device 105 Rail 106 Ball path 107 Screw (transfer portion)

Claims

1. A polishing cassette attached to a base provided in a gaming machine for polishing game balls used in games with a belt-shaped polishing body, a box body formed with a delivery port for delivering the polishing body and a winding port for winding up the polishing body, the polishing body stretched between the delivery port and the winding port outside the box body, with the stretched portion being a polishing area, provided inside the box body, a winding section for winding up the polishing body through the winding port, a storage section for storing the wound-up polishing body in a folded manner, a transport section for transporting the polishing body sent out from the outlet of the storage section to the transport path leading to the delivery port after temporarily routing it to the side where the winding section is located, and a overlap elimination section that contacts the polishing body in front of the outlet of the storage section to eliminate the overlap. A polishing cassette having these components.

2. The overlap elimination section is a columnar support component located at a corner of the path between the storage section and the transport section at the outlet of the storage section. The polishing cassette according to Claim 1.

3. The transport section has transport rollers at the corners of the transport path. The polishing cassette according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The overlap elimination section is configured by non-rotatably installing the component of the transport roller at a corner of the path between the storage section and the transport section at the outlet of the storage section. The polishing cassette according to Claim 3.

5. The box body has a wall section that partitions the storage section and the transport section. The polishing cassette according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. The box body is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in one direction, the polishing body is stretched along the longitudinal direction of the box body, the storage section is located on the side of the box body where the polishing body is stretched, The transport section has a path for temporarily routing the polishing body to the side where the winding section is located on the side opposite to the side of the box body where the polishing body is stretched. The polishing cassette according to any one of Claims 1 to 5.

7. A gaming board through which a game ball passes through the board surface, a transfer section for transferring the game ball, and A gaming machine provided with the polishing cassette according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, arranged opposite to the transfer section.

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