Prize management system of game machine

• US 7,112,132 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unirec Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Junichi Yamagishi, Unirec Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US10/143,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20030211876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7, 463/16, 463/37, 463/1, 273/142.R, 273/448, 700/236, 700/244
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys

Abstract

There is provided a prize management system of a game machine in which a plurality of kinds of prizes (3, 5, . . . ) are accommodated in a case (1), a player operates from the outside of the case to select and catch his/her favorite prize, and the selected prize is discharged to a taking-out port, comprising a non-contact detection section (41) provided with each one of the prizes for specifying a kind of each prize, chute sections (25) and (27) for passing the prize in a path leading to the taking-out port of the prizes, reading sections (29, 31) for reading with non-contact the detection section of the prizes passing through the chute section. The prizes are managed on the basis of a result read by the reading section.

Claims

1. A prize management system comprising:

a game machine, said game machine internally storing a plurality of prizes and being externally engagable by a player for providing the player with one stored prize selected by the player;

said system further comprising;

a case, said case having a first section for storing said plurality of prizes;

said case having a second section distanced from said first area and not storing said plurality of prizes;

a drop port connected to a bottom of said case in said second section for receiving said one prize selected by said player;

a chute section for extending below said drop port, said chute descending and passing said one prize in a downwardly extending path;

a taking-out port provided with the case, said taking-out port connected below said chute path, said taking out port discharging said one prize to the player;

a detection section connected with a string to each one of the prizes, the detection section specifying a kind of the prize and being detectable in a non-contacting manner;

a reading section arranged at the chute section, for reading the detection section of the prize only as the prize passes through the chute section to be taken out in the non-contacting manner, said reading section being incapable of reading the detection section of prizes disposed in said first section of said case; and

management means for managing prizes in the case on the basis of a result read by the reading section.

2. The prize management system of a game machine according to claim 1,

wherein the detection section is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, and

the reading section comprises a radio frequency (RF) antenna provided in the chute section and a reader circuit for reading a signal of the RF antenna.

3. A prize management system for a game machine, comprising:

a case including a first section for containing a plurality of prizes for selection by and award to game player winners;

a withdrawal port in through which a prize that has been selected by a game player winner is withdrawn from the case;

a prize identification tag attached to each prize, bearing electronically readable indicia identifying the prize;

a downwardly extending passageway connected to bottom of a second section of said case through which one prize selected by a game player winner passes as it moves from the case to the withdrawal port, said plurality of prizes not being stored in said second section;

prize identification tag reading means, positioned in the passageway, for electronically reading, in a non-contact manner, information from the prize identification tag of a prize selected by a game player winner only as the prize moves from the case to the withdrawal port, said prize identification tag reading means being incapable of reading information from the prize identification tag of a prize disposed in said first section of said case; and

prize management means for managing and accounting for the prizes in the case based on information electronically read and obtained from the prize identification tags of those prizes that have bee removed from the case and withdrawn through the withdrawal port by game player winners.