Adjustable Prize Chute for Crane Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current claw or crane machines lack an adjustable prize chute feature, which affects the payout and skill required to win a prize, leading to player discouragement due to difficulty in selecting and retrieving prizes effectively.
Innovation Solution
The integration of an adjustable prize chute with four inner and four corner panels, featuring grooves and pivots, allows for repositioning to create varying chute sizes and shapes, ensuring a secure and gap-free path for prize dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the prize chute size is fixed, then the machine structure is simple, but the player success rate cannot be adjusted and prize loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The prize chute is divided into multiple adjustable panels (first panel, second panel, third panel, fourth panel) that can be independently repositioned along guide rails. This segmentation allows the chute to be configured in different sizes and shapes to optimize prize delivery while maintaining structural simplicity through modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
The prize chute transforms from a fixed structure to a dynamic, adjustable structure. The panels can be repositioned to different locations along the guide rails and locked in place, allowing the chute configuration to be changed based on prize size, player skill level, and operational requirements, thereby improving reliability without permanent complexity.
2Productivity
If the prize chute is made adjustable to improve player success rates, then player engagement increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chute adjustment mechanism is designed to be self-contained, with panels that slide along guide rails and can be locked into position without requiring complex external mechanisms. The system adjusts the prize dispensing configuration through simple panel repositioning rather than requiring complex mechanical or electronic control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable panel structure serves multiple functions: it defines the prize chute pathway, provides structural support, and enables configuration changes for different prize types and sizes. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby improving productivity without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Loss of substance
If the chute panels are repositioned to create varying chute sizes, then prize loss is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chute is manufactured as separate modular panels that can be independently produced and then assembled in different configurations. This segmentation allows each panel to be manufactured using standard processes, and the modular nature simplifies assembly and reconfiguration to minimize prize loss without requiring complex custom manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The chute configuration is adjusted by changing the positional parameters of the panels along the guide rails rather than manufacturing different chute structures. This allows the same manufactured components to be reconfigured for different prize sizes and types, reducing prize loss while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized parts.
Data Source
AI summary
A crane or claw machine in combination with an adjustable prize chute. The prize chute having four inner panels and four corner panels movable with respect to each other. A groove allows for the adjusting and repositioning of the panels for smaller or larger chute sizes. A pivot allows for adjustment of the panels with respect to each other, enlarging or shrinking the size of the chute.