Lottery device

Abstract

To provide a lottery device capable of easily changing a difficulty level resulting in winning.SOLUTION: A lottery device 1 determines winning by allowing a spherical body to fall into one of multiple holes, and includes a body 10 having an incline 12a in which a placed spherical body is rolled and is inclined downward toward the center from an outer edge. The body 10 has multiple parts 121 that penetrate from the incline 12a, forms a winning hole 122A and multiple losing holes 122B into which a spherical body can be inserted, divides the incline 12a, and forms a losing hole 122. The multiple parts 121 are exchangeable at least partially.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lottery device, and more particularly to a lottery device for determining whether a prize has been won by dropping a ball into any of a plurality of holes, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that a lottery device is provided in a gaming machine installed in, for example, an entertainment facility such as a game arcade or a casino, or a commercial facility such as a shopping center. Such a lottery device drops a ball into one of a plurality of holes, and determines that a win has occurred if the ball falls into a predetermined hole.

[0003] For example, a lottery device has been proposed that has a lottery section that is circular in plan view, has a surface that slopes slightly downward from the outer edge to the center, and has multiple (e.g., five) lottery holes formed therein (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-029720 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The difficulty of winning in such a lottery device is determined by the positional relationship between a predetermined hole that is determined to be a win when the ball falls and the other holes. Here, there are cases where it is desired to change the difficulty of winning in the lottery device in the same gaming machine. For example, in a gaming machine, there is a desire to increase the difficulty of winning if the prize offered when a prize is won is expensive, and to decrease the difficulty of winning if the prize offered is inexpensive.

[0006] However, the lottery device in Patent Document 1 cannot change the relative positions of the multiple holes. Therefore, when changing the difficulty level of winning in the game machine, it is necessary to replace the lottery device, which causes a problem of increased costs.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and has an object to provide a lottery device that can easily change the difficulty level at which a winning prize can be won. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the lottery device according to the present invention is configured as follows: (1) A lottery device for determining whether a ball has been dropped into one of a number of holes, The balls roll in the main body, which has an inclined surface that slopes downward from the outer edge toward the center, The body includes: A plurality of holes are formed through the inclined surface, and the holes allow the spheres to be inserted therethrough. The inclined surface is divided into a plurality of parts in which the holes are formed, The plurality of parts are characterized in that at least some of them are replaceable.

[0009] According to the above-mentioned configuration (1) of the lottery device of the present invention, The lottery device for determining whether a ball has won by dropping it into any of a plurality of holes includes a body having an inclined surface along which the dropped ball rolls and which slopes downward from the outer edge toward the center. The main body has a plurality of holes formed therein that penetrate the inclined surface and through which the spheres can be inserted, and has a plurality of parts that divide the inclined surface and have holes formed therein. At least some of the parts are replaceable.

[0010] This allows the inclined surface of the main body to be divided, and at least some of the parts with holes formed therein to be replaced. For example, the difficulty level of hitting the target can be changed simply by replacing the part with a part with a hole of a different inner diameter than the hole formed in the previous part. Therefore, it is possible to provide a lottery device that can easily change the difficulty level at which a prize is won.

[0011] In the above-mentioned configuration (1) of the lottery device of the present invention, it is preferable to configure it as in the following (2) and (3).

[0012] (2) The plurality of holes are A hole for contact when the sphere is inserted; a missing hole through which the sphere is lost when inserted; At least one of the losing holes has an inner diameter different from that of the winning hole.

[0013] According to the preferred configuration of (2) above, the plurality of holes include a winning hole that becomes a winning hole when the sphere is inserted, and a losing hole that becomes a losing hole when the sphere is inserted. At least one of the losing holes has an inner diameter different from that of the winning hole.

[0014] The larger the inner diameter of the hole, the greater the chance that the sphere will fall. For this reason, by making the inner diameters of the losing hole and the winning hole different and adjusting the inner diameter of the losing hole, the difficulty of winning can be adjusted.

[0015] For example, by replacing a part with a hole for a losing ball with a part with a hole of a different inner diameter than the hole for a losing ball, the probability of a ball falling into the hole for a losing ball can be changed. In other words, the probability of a ball falling into the hole for a winning ball can be changed. Therefore, the difficulty of winning can be changed simply by replacing the part.

[0016] (3) The plurality of holes are A hole for contact when the sphere is inserted; a missing hole through which the sphere is lost when inserted; At least one of the losing holes is characterized by a different distance from the center of the body than the winning hole.

[0017] According to the preferred configuration of (3) above, the plurality of holes include a hit hole that will result in a hit when the sphere is inserted, and a miss hole that will result in a miss when the sphere is inserted. At least one of the losing holes has a different distance from the center of the main body than the winning holes.

[0018] Here, the main body has an inclined surface that slopes downward from the outer edge toward the center. Therefore, a ball dropped into the main body rolls from the outer edge toward the center. Therefore, the greater the distance from the center of the main body to the hole (the further away from the center), the greater the chance that the ball will fall. For this reason, the distance from the center of the main body between the losing hole and the winning hole is made different, and by adjusting this distance of the losing hole, the difficulty of winning can be adjusted.

[0019] For example, by replacing a part with a hole for a missing ball with another part with a hole that is a different distance from the center of the body than the missing hole of the part, the probability of a ball falling into the missing hole can be changed. In other words, the probability of a ball falling into the winning hole can be changed. Therefore, the difficulty of winning can be changed simply by replacing the part. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lottery device that can easily change the difficulty level at which a prize can be won. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a lottery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a lottery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of parts of the lottery device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from below. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating positions of holes in a lottery device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The present invention will be described in more detail below using preferred embodiments, but the following embodiments are merely examples of realizing the present invention and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0023] [Configuration of lottery device] The configuration of the lottery device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a lottery device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] The lottery device 1 comprises a main body 10 that judges whether a ball has been won by dropping the ball into any of a plurality of holes, a ball supply unit 20 that puts the ball into the main body 10, and a ball recovery unit 30 that recovers the balls that have dropped into the holes of the main body 10.

[0025] The lottery device 1 is installed in a gaming machine (for example, a crane game machine, etc.). A player playing the gaming machine scoops up balls stored in the ball collection unit 30 with an operable arm and drops the scooped balls into the ball supply unit 20. The balls dropped into the ball supply unit 20 roll along rails 21 extending toward the outer edge of the main body 10, and are placed into the main body 10.

[0026] The main body 10 includes a base 11, a ball rolling section 12 placed on the base 11, and a hit determination section 13 provided below the ball rolling section 12.

[0027] Base 11 stands upright from below and supports, at its upper end, ball rolling section 12 from below. Base 11 supports each of a plurality of parts 121 (see FIG. 2) that make up ball rolling section 12.

[0028] The sphere rolling portion 12 has a circular shape when viewed from above, is formed in a cone shape that is open at the top, and has an inclined surface 12a that slopes downward from the outer edge toward the center, along which the spheres put in from the sphere supply portion 20 roll. The sphere rolling portion 12 has a plurality of holes 122 that penetrate downward from the inclined surface 12a and through which the spheres can be inserted.

[0029] The multiple holes 122 are formed with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the sphere, and have a hit hole 122A that hits when the sphere is inserted, multiple miss holes 122B that miss when the sphere is inserted, and a center hole 122C that is formed in the center of the sphere rolling part 12 and misses when the sphere is inserted.

[0030] With this configuration, the spheres are introduced into the cone-shaped sphere rolling portion 12 from the normal direction of the outer edge near the outer edge of the sphere rolling portion 12, from the rails 21 extending toward the outer edge of the main body 10. That is, the spheres are released toward the outer edge of the sphere rolling portion 12 while maintaining a speed in the circumferential direction of the sphere rolling portion 12, and while circling within the sphere rolling portion 12, they move toward the center of the sphere rolling portion 12 due to the inclined surface 12a, so that the trajectory is a spiral shape going from the outer edge to the center.

[0031] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the lottery device in one embodiment of the present invention. Ball rolling portion 12 has a contact portion 12A in which a hit hole 122A is formed, and a plurality of parts 121 that divide inclined surface 12a and each have a missing hole 122B formed therein. In a top view, inclined surface 12a of ball rolling portion 12 is divided into four equal parts, each with one contact portion 12A and three parts 121. Note that ball rolling portion 12 is not limited to being divided into four parts, and may be divided into two, five or more parts.

[0032] Abutment portion 12A has a shape obtained by dividing a circle into four when viewed from above, and is formed in a fan shape having an arc-shaped outer edge centered at the center of spherical rolling portion 12, and is fixed to base 11, with abutment hole 122A formed therein. Furthermore, the center side of abutment portion 12A is formed in an arc shape centered at the center of spherical rolling portion 12. The arc-shaped portion of abutment portion 12A forms a part (for example, 1 / 4) of the outer edge of center hole 122C.

[0033] Part 121 has the shape of a circle divided into four when viewed from above, is formed in a fan shape with an arc-shaped outer edge centered at the center of ball rolling portion 12, is detachably attached to base 11, and is formed with missing hole 122B. Furthermore, part 121 has an arc-shaped portion on the center side of ball rolling portion 12 centered at the center of ball rolling portion 12. The arc-shaped portion of contact portion 12A forms part (for example, 1 / 4) of the outer edge of center hole 122C.

[0034] At least some of the multiple parts 121 (for example, when the ball rolling portion 12 is divided into four parts in top view, three parts excluding one winning portion 12A) are interchangeable. Furthermore, it is desirable that the multiple parts 121 be formed to have the same shape as one another, except for the size and position of the inner diameter of the losing hole 122B. This makes it possible to interchange the positions at which the multiple parts 121 are attached to the base 11. For example, if the size and position of the inner diameter of the losing hole 122B differs among the multiple parts 121, it is possible to adjust the difficulty of winning by interchanging their positions.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of parts of the lottery device according to one embodiment of the present invention, seen from below. Part 121 has a protrusion 121a formed on one side edge (the side extending radially of the fan shape) and a notch 121b formed on the other side edge at a position the same distance from the center of the ball rolling part 12 (see Figure 2) as protrusion 121a.

[0036] The protruding portion 121a protrudes outward in an arc shape from one side on the back surface 12b side opposite to the surface forming the inclined surface 12a (see FIG. 2). The protruding portion 121a may be provided with an engaging portion 121a1.

[0037] The notch 121b has a side edge formed on the back surface 12b in substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the protrusion 121a, and is a notch that engages with the protrusion 121a. The notch 121b may be provided with an engagement portion 121b1 that engages with the engagement portion 121a1 of the protrusion 121a.

[0038] Engagement portion 121a1 of protrusion 121a and engagement portion 121b1 of notch 121b may be formed, for example, by a protrusion and a hole into which this protrusion is inserted, or may be formed by a hole that communicates when protrusion 121a of one part 121 engages with notch 121b of another part 121. When formed by a communicating hole, inserting a fixing member (for example, an axial member such as a bolt) into this communicating hole prevents protrusion 121a of one part 121 from easily releasing the engagement with notch 121b of the other part 121.

[0039] It is also desirable to provide the contact portion 12A with a structure equivalent to the protrusion 121a and the notch 121b.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the positions of holes in the lottery device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the relationship between the size of the inner diameter and the position of the losing hole 122B and the difficulty of winning will be described.

[0041] First, the difficulty of winning estimated from the relationship between the winning hole 122A and the losing hole 122B will be described. In the example shown in (a), all three losing holes 122B have the same inner diameter as the winning hole 122A, and the distance from the center of the ball rolling portion 12 (main body 10) to the edge of each hole is the same (D1). Using the example shown in (a) as a standard, the difficulty of hitting the target increases in the order of the examples shown in (b) to (d) below.

[0042] In the example shown in (b), all three of the losing holes 122B have the same inner diameter as the winning hole 122A. On the other hand, one of the three losing holes 122B (for example, the losing hole 122B arranged immediately before the winning hole 122A in the rolling direction of the sphere (the direction of the arrow in the figure)) has a distance D2 from the center of the sphere rolling portion 12 (main body 10) to the edge of the hole, which is greater than the distance D1 of the winning hole 122A. In this way, by placing the losing hole 122B farther from the center of the ball rolling portion 12 (main body 10) than the winning hole 122A, the possibility of the ball falling into the losing hole 122B increases. Therefore, in the example shown in (b), the possibility of the ball falling into the winning hole 122A is lower than in the example shown in (a), and the difficulty of winning increases.

[0043] In the example shown in (c), one of the three losing holes 122B (for example, the losing hole 122B located immediately before the winning hole 122A in the rolling direction of the sphere (direction of the arrow in the figure)) has an inner diameter larger than that of the winning hole 122A. Furthermore, the distance from the center of the sphere rolling part 12 (main body 10) to the edge of the hole for losing 122B is D2, which is larger than the distance D1 of the winning hole 122A. By making the inner diameter of the losing hole 122B larger than in the example shown in (b), the possibility of the ball falling into the losing hole 122B increases. Therefore, in the example shown in (c), the possibility of the ball falling into the winning hole 122A is lower than in the example shown in (b), and the difficulty of winning becomes higher.

[0044] In the example shown in (d), the inner diameters of the three losing holes 122B are all larger than the winning hole 122A. Also, the distance from the center of the ball rolling portion 12 (main body 10) to the edge of the hole of the three losing holes 122B is D2, which is larger than the distance D1 of the winning hole 122A. In this way, as the number of losing holes 122B that have a larger inner diameter than winning holes 122A and a larger distance from the center of ball rolling portion 12 (main body 10) to the edge of the hole than winning holes 122A increases, the possibility of balls falling into these losing holes 122B increases. Therefore, in the example shown in (d), the possibility of balls falling into winning holes 122A is lower than in the example shown in (c), and the difficulty of winning becomes higher.

[0045] In this way, by making the inner diameter of the losing hole 122B larger than that of the winning hole 122A, the possibility of a ball falling into the winning hole 122A can be reduced. However, if there is a losing hole 122B with an inner diameter larger than that of the winning hole 122A, it is clear that there is a high possibility that a ball will fall into this losing hole 122B, which may dampen the player's expectations. Therefore, for example, as shown in the example (b), by making the inner diameter of the losing hole 122B the same as that of the winning hole 122A but making the distance from the center of the ball rolling portion 12 (main body 10) of the losing hole 122B to the edge of the hole larger than that of the winning hole 122A, the possibility of a ball falling into the losing hole 122B can be improved, and the difficulty of winning can be adjusted while minimizing the impact on the player's expectations.

[0046] Returning to Figure 2, the hit determination unit 13 is provided on the back surface 12b opposite to the inclined surface 12a of the hit unit 12A, and detects a sphere that has fallen into the hit hole 122A. The hit determination unit 13 includes, for example, a passage portion through which the sphere that has fallen into the hit hole 122A passes, and a detection unit (e.g., a reflective sensor) that detects the sphere passing through the passage portion, and transmits a predetermined signal to the gaming machine when the detection unit detects the sphere. When the gaming machine receives the predetermined signal from the hit determination unit 13, it provides a prize to the player.

[0047] The sphere recovery section 30 includes a storage section 31 in which the spheres are stored, and an inclined surface 32 that is disposed below the sphere rolling section 12 and slopes downward toward the storage section 31.

[0048] The spheres discharged from the passage of the hit determination section 13 (spheres that fall into the hit hole 122A), the spheres that fall into the multiple miss holes 122B and the central hole 122C roll down the inclined surface 32 and are guided to the storage section 31 and stored therein.

[0049] According to the lottery device 1 of the present embodiment described above, the inclined surface 12a of the main body 10 is divided, and at least some of the multiple parts 121 in which the losing holes 122B are formed can be replaced. For example, the difficulty of winning can be changed simply by replacing the losing holes 122B formed in the part 121 before replacement with part 121 in which losing holes 122B with holes 122B having a different inner diameter are formed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a lottery device that can easily change the difficulty level at which a prize is won.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the lottery device 1, for example, by replacing the part 121 before replacement in which the losing hole 122B is formed with a part 121 in which a hole with an inner diameter different from the inner diameter of the losing hole 122B of the part 121 is formed, it is possible to change the possibility that a sphere will fall into the losing hole 122B. In other words, it is possible to change the possibility that a sphere will fall into the winning hole 122A. Therefore, it is possible to change the difficulty of winning by simply replacing the part 121.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the lottery device 1, for example, by replacing the part 121 before replacement in which the losing hole 122B is formed with a part 121 in which the losing hole 122B of the part 121 is formed at a different distance from the center of the main body 10 than the losing hole 122B of the part 121, it is possible to change the possibility that a sphere will fall into the losing hole 122B. In other words, it is possible to change the possibility that a sphere will fall into the winning hole 122A. Therefore, the difficulty of winning can be changed simply by replacing the part 121.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 Lottery device 10 Main Unit 11 Foundation 12 Ball rolling part 12A Contact part 12a Slope 12b Back 13 Judgment section 20 Sphere supply section 21 Rail 30 Sphere Recovery Section 31 Storage section 32 Slope 121 parts 121a Protrusion 121a1 Engagement part 121b Notch 121b1 Engagement part 122 holes 122A Perforation Hole 122B Missing hole 122C center hole

Claims

1. A lottery device for determining whether a ball has been won by dropping it into any of a plurality of holes, The balls roll in the main body, which has an inclined surface that slopes downward from the outer edge toward the center, The body includes: A plurality of holes are formed through the inclined surface, and the holes allow the spheres to be inserted therethrough. The inclined surface is divided into a plurality of parts in which the holes are formed, The lottery device is characterized in that at least some of the plurality of parts are replaceable.

2. The plurality of holes are A hole for contact when the sphere is inserted; a missing hole through which the sphere is lost when inserted; 2. The lottery device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the losing holes has an inner diameter different from that of the winning holes.

3. The plurality of holes are A hole for contact when the sphere is inserted; a missing hole through which the sphere is lost when inserted; 2. The lottery device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the losing holes is at a different distance from the center of the main body than the winning holes.

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