Rotating Prize Mixer for Dispensing Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prize capture and dispensing devices often bury prizes at the bottom, making them inaccessible until top prizes are dispensed, and traditional attraction methods like flashing lights and sounds are ineffective in competitive environments.
Innovation Solution
A prize mixer mechanism, located at the bottom of the prize area, rotates or moves radially to change the location and orientation of prizes, ensuring that all prizes have an equal chance of being captured and attracting players by dynamically rearranging them.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If prizes are stacked on top of each other in the prize area, then the prize area can contain a large number of prizes, but prizes at the bottom are buried and inaccessible until top prizes are dispensed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by introducing a rotating platform that continuously moves prizes within the prize area. This dynamic mechanism ensures that prizes are not statically stacked in fixed positions but are constantly repositioned, allowing any prize to become accessible at the top of the stack at any given time, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining large prize quantity and ensuring prize accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dimensionality change by transitioning from a vertical stacking arrangement (one-dimensional access from top only) to a three-dimensional rotating platform system. The rotation introduces a temporal dimension, allowing prizes to cycle through different positions and become accessible from multiple orientations, thus solving the accessibility problem while maintaining high prize density.
2Illumination intensity
If traditional attraction methods like flashing lights and sounds are used, then attention can be captured, but they are ineffective in areas with other games that have flashing lights or make sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the prize area itself visually distinctive through strategic lighting and arrangement of prizes, rather than relying on generic flashing lights. This creates a unique visual character for each machine's prize area that can stand out in a competitive environment without requiring excessive noise or light, thereby improving attraction effectiveness while adapting to competitive settings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes acoustic and simple optical attraction methods with a mechanical attraction system - the rotating platform. The motion of the rotating prizes creates visual interest and draws attention through dynamic display of prize variety and accessibility, replacing ineffective flashing lights and sounds with a more engaging mechanical demonstration of prize availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A prize mixer is provided for a prize capture and dispensing device. The prize mixer is configured to change the location and/or orientation of prizes within a prize area of the device, preferably by contacting one or more of the prizes. The prize mixer may be located at or near a bottom of the prize area and be configured to move relative to the prizes, such as in a linear or rotating motion. The prize mixer may comprise a plurality of rotatable arms which define ramped surfaces, the arms rotated by a drive shaft. The prize mixer may be activated automatically or by a player of the device, such as for payment, as a bonus, or upon a triggering event.