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US-12619847-B2 - Game token and method for manufacturing the same

US12619847B2US 12619847 B2US12619847 B2US 12619847B2US-12619847-B2

Abstract

A game token by which a plurality of RFID tags embedded in a plurality of the game tokens stacked each other can be read in a relatively stable manner is provided. A game token is provided with a security part and a receiving part that receives the security part. The security part has a shape with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the receiving part, a structure with a plurality of plastic layers laminated together, an RFID tag, and a visible print layer indicating a type or ID of the game token. The receiving part has a surface. The surface of the receiving part has a recessed portion for receiving the security part, and the depth of the recessed portion is 25% or more of the thickness of the game token.

Inventors

  • Yasushi Shigeta

Assignees

  • Angel Group Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20250303
Priority Date
20200214

Claims (8)

  1. 1 . A game token comprising: a receiving part including a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion on an opposite side to the first recessed portion; a security part housed in and fixed to the first recessed portion, wherein the security part includes a first central part constructing a first surface of the game token together with the receiving part; a second central part housed in and fixed to a second recessed portion to construct a second surface of the game token together with the receiving part; and an RFID tag housed inside or on an inner surface of the security part, wherein the first surface and the second surface have the same appearance, wherein a depth of the second recessed portion is shallower than the depth of the first recessed portion, wherein an amount of offset from the center of the game token to the RFID tag in the thickness direction is 0 to 25% of the thickness of the game token.
  2. 2 . The game token according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the first central part constructing the first surface is lower than a surface of the receiving part constructing the first surface, and a surface of the second central part constructing the second surface is lower than a surface of the receiving part constructing the second surface.
  3. 3 . The game token according to claim 1 , wherein the security part includes a first central part constructing a first surface of the game token together with the receiving part, the first central part includes a print layer, and the RFID tag is configured to store information related to a type or an ID of the game token represented by the print layer.
  4. 4 . The game token according to claim 3 , wherein the first central part includes the print layer on an inner surface thereof.
  5. 5 . The game token according to claim 1 , wherein the RFID tag is configured to store information relating to an appearance of the receiving part.
  6. 6 . The game token according to claim 1 , wherein the RFID tag is housed on the inner surface of the security part, the security part includes a plastic layer housed in a deep position of the first recessed portion, the plastic layer has an opposing surface facing the bottom of the first recessed portion, and the RFID tag is printed or adhered to the opposing surface.
  7. 7 . The game token according to claim 1 , wherein the RFID tag is housed on the inner surface of the security part, and is adhered to the bottom of the first recessed portion.
  8. 8 . The game token according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving part is constructed to include a weight member inside, and the weight member has a specific gravity larger than a member other than the weight member constructing the receiving part.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/120,145 dated Mar. 10, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/172,758 filed Feb. 10, 2021 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,790,202), which claims the benefit of JP Pat. App. 2020-023346 filed Feb. 14, 2020. The content of each application is hereby incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a game token with a security part and a receiving part that accepts the security part, and a method for manufacturing the same. BACKGROUND In the past, a game token, such as gaming chips and plaques, have been used in amusement facilities as a substitute for coins. A game token has a plate shape with two parallel planes (surfaces), and its outline is, for example, circular or rectangular. A type of game token with a central part embedded in the center of the surface is known. It can give a sense of luxury to the appearance of the game token by differentiating the material of the central part from that of the outer receiving part (e.g., the central part is made of ceramic and the receiving part is made of resin). As a game token with such a central part, it is also known a game token with a built-in RFID tag in which a security element such as an RFID tag is provided on the inner surface of the central part, and the central part is fixed to the receiving part (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,875). FIG. 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional game token with a built-in RFID tag. The game token 500 has a receiving part 510 formed by molding resin. A recessed portion is formed in the center of both surfaces of the receiving part 510. The central parts 520 and 530 are fitted into the recessed portions, respectively. The bottom of the recessed portion and the central parts 520 and 530 are glued to each other with adhesive. The RFID tag 550 is placed in the recessed portion on one side (the upper side in the example of FIG. 9) and is sandwiched between the bottom of the recessed portion and the central part 521 to be built into the game token 500. The RFID tag 550 records information that uniquely identifies the game token 500 (identification information), information on the manufacture of the game token 500 (manufacturing date, manufacturing plant, manufacturing line) and other information. Information stored in such a RFID tag 550 is read by using an RFID reader in amusement facilities. As is well known, the RFID reader communicates with an RFID tag in a non-contact manner by generating electromagnetic waves from an antenna, and reads the information stored in the RFID tag. In addition to reading the information stored in the RFID tag, the RFID reader/writer can also write information to the writable area of the RFID tag. The information stored in the RFID tag can be used to ensure the security of the game token 500, i.e., to detect counterfeit game token that do not have an RFID tag that stores the appropriate information. For this reason, the RFID tag 550 and the central part 521 for holding the RFID tag 500 inside the game token 500 so that it cannot be removed are collectively referred to as the security part 520. SUMMARY In an amusement facility, it may be necessary for using an RFID reader that reads a plurality of RFID tags embedded in a plurality of stacked game token at once. For example, when game token are stored in a chip tray, they are stacked in the thickness direction, so when the RFID reader reads the RFID tags of the game token in the chip tray, it is necessary to read the RFID tags of the multiple stacked game tokens at the same time. In this case, the RFID tags of the stacked game tokens need to be read at the same time. Further, when betting game tokens at a table, multiple game tokens are usually stacked on top of each other, and the RFID reader needs to read the RFID tags of the stacked game tokens at the same time. FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a stack of conventional game tokens with built-in RFID tags. As shown in FIG. 10, if the security part 520 is provided on one surface side of the game token 500, when such game token 500 are stacked in any direction, the distance between the plural RFID tags 550 embedded in two adjacent game token 500 is no longer uniform, and the difference in the distances becomes relatively large. This makes the reading or writing of the RFID tags 550 by electromagnetic waves unstable. When stacking RFID tags, the distance between adjacent RFID tags can be made uniform by adopting an appearance design in which the surface on which the security part 520 is embedded is distinguishable from the surface on the opposite side, and stacking the game tokens so that they are facing the same direction while checking the front and back. However, it is clear that such an operation is cumbersome. On the other hand, a conventional gaming chip with the configuration shown in FIG. 11 is also known.