Arcade Crane Game Vacuum Card Reader
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Crane games require frequent monitoring and refilling due to prize depletion, which disrupts gameplay and imposes a significant time burden on operators, despite advancements in pick-up devices and ticket systems.
Innovation Solution
A crane game using thin cards or planar targets on a rotating playing field with a vacuum pick-up device that captures and reads laminated cards with ticket values, allowing for immediate ticket dispensing and returning the card to the field, reducing the need for constant replenishment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional plush toys are used as prizes, then the mechanical claw can easily grasp them, but the prizes deplete quickly requiring frequent refilling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses target cards with printed images as copies or representations of actual prizes. The cards display images of plush toys, vehicles, or other prizes, allowing players to win tickets based on the displayed value without the physical prize being consumed. This maintains grasp reliability while eliminating prize depletion.
Solution Approach 2:
The target cards are designed to be automatically returned to the playing field after being read by the scanner, creating a self-sustaining system. The cards circulate continuously without requiring manual intervention for refilling, as they are not consumed in the process.
2Quantity of substance
If targets are used instead of prizes, then prize depletion is eliminated, but the system requires complex ticket dispensing mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical ticket dispensing systems with electronic scanning and processing. A scanner reads barcodes or RFID tags on target cards, and a computer system automatically calculates and dispenses the appropriate number of tickets, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining functionality.
3Area of stationary object
If cards are used as targets, then display space is reduced, but the cards require precise reading by the scanner
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multiple scanning technologies including barcode readers, RFID readers, and NFC readers to ensure accurate reading of card information. The system can detect and read various types of encoded data on the cards regardless of their small size, maintaining high measurement precision through technological parameter changes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution minimizes the need for frequent refilling, as cards are reusable and can be easily replaced, allowing the game to maintain an attractive display without depleting inventory, and simplifies the refilling process by enabling rapid capture, reading, and dispensing of tickets.
Implementation Method 1
A vacuum pick-up device is used to capture a target such as a laminated card
Data Source
AI summary
An arcade-type crane game has a vacuum pick-up device for capturing a target such as a laminated card that has ticket values printed prominently on each side of the card, and moves the captured card to a reader such as a barcode reader or RFID reader to read the card's information, e.g., value. The game then returns the card directly to the playing field, and a ticket dispensing machine delivers the proper number of tickets to the player. The use of cards reduces the space needed to display the targets, and the return of the cards to the playing field means that the proprietor rarely if ever needs to access the targets or the playing field. By placing the card reader inside the playing area, the entire process after capture can be completed in a matter of seconds, from capture to transport to reading to returning and ticket dispensing. The bar code is preferably printed on both sides of the card, so that vacuum pick-up device can acquire the card on the top surface and present the bottom surface of the card to the reader for examination.