JP2001062123A - Recording medium processor and game system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording medium processor and a game system effective for improvement in the recovery efficiency of a recording medium. SOLUTION: This game system is provided with a chip passage 100 for taking a recording chip 50 which is a non-contact recording medium, and a card passage 102 for taking a magnetic card 88 which is a contact type recording medium. A unit antenna 98 for reading the recorded contents of the recording chip 59 is disposed on the chip passage 100, and a magnetic head 92 for reading the recorded contents of the magnetic card 88 is disposed on the magnetic card passage 102. The chip passage 100 is connected to a transport path 72 for recovering the recording chip 50, whereby the used recording chip 50 is collected through the transported path 72 and collectively recovered.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording medium processing apparatus and a game system, and more particularly to a recording medium processing apparatus and a game system that are effective in improving the efficiency of recording medium collection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a card system using a prepaid card has been introduced into a game arcade such as a pachinko parlor. This prepaid card is mainly used as a card-shaped recording medium for recording valuable information in a game arcade. The introduction of such a card system eliminates the need to insert coins and bills into the gaming table each time a game is played, so that the player is very convenient. Also, there is an advantage that the amusement store side does not need to collect coins and bills for each gaming table.

[0003] In the above-mentioned card system, recycling of prepaid cards has received much attention in recent years. Recycling of prepaid cards is a technique for collecting prepaid cards discarded after use, recording information on the collected cards again, and reissuing them.

[0004] In the above recycling technology, a system for automatically collecting used cards is provided by providing a function for automatically taking used cards into each gaming table. This is because the collection efficiency depending on the will of the player does not increase the collection efficiency of the prepaid card.

[0005] As described above, the used cards collected at each gaming table are collected by a clerk after the game arcade is closed, and loaded again into a prepaid card vending machine. Then, when the prepaid card is issued, a new card ID, some valuable information is recorded again, and the new card ID is passed to the player.

[0006]

However, collection of used cards by the clerk as described above is not preferable in terms of work efficiency. In particular, in a large-scale amusement arcade where a large number of gaming tables are present, this collection operation requires a great deal of labor. In order to solve this problem, a method has been proposed in which used cards collected at each gaming table are transferred to one place and collected, but this method has the following problems. First, continuous conveyance is difficult due to the shape of the card, and a complicated conveyance device is required. The second problem is that alignment of the cards after collection requires labor.

As described above, the conventional recycling technologies include:
There are still problems that cannot be solved. To properly recycle a recording medium used in a game arcade, it is important to improve the collection efficiency of the recording medium.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium processing device and a game system that are effective in improving the efficiency of recording medium collection.

[0009]

As means for achieving the above object, the following approach has been taken and will be described here.

It is considered that the reason why it is difficult to automatically collect the prepaid card is its shape. That is, since the prepaid card has a property of being thin and easily sticking to other objects, it is difficult to fix, rotate, move, etc., and it is necessary to align the front and back, up and down directions. In order to automatically collect prepaid cards, it is necessary to provide a very complicated mechanism.

[0011] In addition, PET cards are often used as prepaid cards, and have a drawback in terms of strength such that they are easily bent and broken. From a recycling perspective,
Since the recording medium on which valuable information or the like is recorded reaches many people's hands, it is fully conceivable that the card may be deformed during repeated reuse and may not be conveyed properly.

Accordingly, attention has been paid to the application of a coin shape which is easier to handle than a card shape and has a shape suitable for continuous processing. The technology for handling coin-shaped objects
It has been developed in the field of handling coins, and there are many technologies for continuously transporting and collecting coins. Therefore, if a recording medium in which valuable information is recorded on a coin-shaped medium is introduced, it is possible to construct a system that effectively utilizes the coin-shaped conveyance capacity, and it is expected that the collection efficiency of the recording medium is improved.

Here, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-105683 has a storage element which is formed in a coin shape which can be inserted through a coin insertion slot and stores therein valuable data substantially equivalent to the amount of money. When accepting a simulated coin, exchanging data with the simulated coin provided in the ball lending device by using a data access device, lending pachinko balls when there is a balance of valuable data that can be lent, and rewriting the balance What is said is disclosed. That is, the publication is based on a coin lending machine instead of card processing.

However, once the coin-shaped recording medium is collected, it is difficult to return it to the user. Therefore, it is desirable to consider the time of return.

In addition, since it is difficult to immediately shift the existing card system to the coin system as described above, the present invention considers coexistence with the existing card system.

[0016] In view of the above, from the above-mentioned viewpoint, the creative operation is repeated, and a new configuration of a recording medium processing technology suitable for a game system such as a pachinko parlor has been conceived. Hereinafter, this new configuration will be described in detail.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Summary of the Invention) A feature of a recording medium processing apparatus according to the present invention is that a moving state of a coin-shaped recording medium, which is a non-contact type recording medium, is manipulated to control the movement of the coin-shaped recording medium. The present invention has a movement control mechanism for controlling return, disposal, and positioning with respect to the antenna unit.

A plurality of recording medium processing apparatuses provided with the above-mentioned mechanism are installed in the gaming system, and each of the apparatuses independently returns and discards a coin-shaped recording medium and updates recorded information. The used recording medium in each device is discharged from each device and collected.

As described above, by providing the recording medium processing device having the above characteristics, it becomes possible to automatically collect the recording medium in the gaming system.

(Embodiment of the Invention) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external structure of a recording medium processing apparatus according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration of the recording medium processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The recording medium slot 16 is an opening for taking in both the card-shaped recording medium 14 and the coin-shaped recording medium 10. That is, the recording medium processing device 12 shown in FIG.
Can process both the card-shaped recording medium 14 and the coin-shaped recording medium 10. This configuration is intended to use both the card system and the coin system. However, being able to process the card-shaped recording medium 14 in this way is not an essential matter of the present invention.

If the card-shaped recording medium 14 or the coin-shaped recording medium 10 inserted into the recording-medium insertion slot 16 is still usable, the card-shaped recording medium 14 or the coin-shaped recording medium 10 It is returned from the inlet 16. Similarly, the used card-shaped recording medium 14 is discharged from the recording medium insertion port 16. On the other hand, the used coin-shaped recording medium 10 is discharged from the coin-shaped recording medium discharge port 18 to the outside. this is,
This is for collectively collecting the used coin-shaped recording medium 10.

In the present description, a configuration in which the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is inserted and returned through the same opening will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration in which an opening for charging and an opening for return are separately provided is also within the scope of the present invention.

The card-shaped recording medium 14 is a recording medium corresponding to a prepaid card or a membership card conventionally used in a game system.
Has a card shape as the name implies. That is, the card-shaped recording medium 14 records membership information such as frequency and membership number, which are valuable information, and the recording medium processing device 12 reads and updates the recorded contents. The card-shaped recording medium 14 may be of a non-contact type or a contact type. In this description, an example in which the card-shaped recording medium 14 is a non-contact type card will be described. Examples of the type card will be described in the embodiments described later.

The coin-shaped recording medium 10 is an information recording medium having a coin shape and has the same function as the card-shaped recording medium 14. Card-shaped recording medium 14
The difference is that the shape is a coin shape. The coin shape means a disk shape similar to coins and chips. This coin shape is formed of a hard material such as resin, metal, and ceramic in consideration of durability and transportability at the time of recycling. More preferably, it is formed of a material having a certain weight to make it easier to roll during transportation. When a lightweight material such as plastic is used as the molding material of the coin-shaped recording medium 10, it is preferable to embed a metal ring or the like in the outer periphery of the coin shape to give weight.

The coin-shaped recording medium 10 is a non-contact type recording medium including a semiconductor chip and an antenna section surrounding the semiconductor chip, as described in an embodiment described later. Reading and writing of information are performed on the semiconductor chip. Such a non-contact recording medium is also disclosed in JP-A-9-197965. Since this document describes in detail the structure and manufacturing method of a non-contact recording medium in which a semiconductor chip is embedded, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The reason why the non-contact type recording medium is used in this way is to suitably read and write information such as the number of times of use which is frequently updated during the game. In addition, this non-contact type recording medium is also effective at the time of recycling. That is, if a non-contact recording medium is used, new information can be rewritten on a used recording medium, and continuous automatic recycling can be achieved.

Further, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 may be provided with a variable display section whose display content is changed by an external operation, as will be described in an embodiment described later. This variable display portion can be formed of a material having visibility such as thermoreversible ink, magnetic powder, and magnetic microcapsules. The variable display unit can be used to display, for example, valuable information of the coin-shaped recording medium 10, information such as the name of the issue store, the date of issue, etc., which change during a game or during recycling. On the other hand, the fixed information such as the serial number and the mark of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 may be displayed by means such as printing.

When changing the information on the variable display section,
The information to be displayed is converted into heat, a magnetic field, or the like, and applied to the thermoreversible ink or magnetic powder constituting the variable display section. For the understanding of the structure and operation of such a variable display unit, reference is made to JP-A-5-16578.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the recording medium processing apparatus 12 viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow II in FIG. As shown in the figure, a coin-shaped recording medium 10
And a card insertion slot 32 for taking in the card-shaped recording medium 14. The coin insertion slot 28 and the card insertion slot 32 are respectively connected to the coin-shaped recording medium 10 and the card-shaped recording medium 1.
4 are formed corresponding to the thicknesses, which are in communication with each other.

Since the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is thicker than the card-shaped recording medium 14, the coin insertion slot 28
The opening width is formed larger than the card insertion slot 32. Due to this difference in thickness, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 inserted into the coin insertion slot 28 is taken into the recording medium processing device 12 without entering the card insertion slot 32.

On the other hand, the card-shaped recording medium 14 is higher than the coin-shaped recording medium 10, so that
6, a part of the card-shaped recording medium 14 passes through the coin slot 28. However,
Since the opening width of the card insertion slot 32 has a size corresponding to the thickness of the card-shaped recording medium 14, the recording medium insertion port 1
The card-shaped recording medium 14 inserted into the recording medium 6 is taken into the recording medium processing device 12 without moving right and left.

The above structure of the recording medium inlet 16 is effective for downsizing the recording medium processing device 12. That is, the space saving can be achieved by the overlap of the loading opening of the card-shaped recording medium 14 and the loading opening of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 as compared with the structure in which both loading openings are separately provided.

Although FIG. 2 shows a structure in which the wall surfaces of the coin insertion slot 28 and the card insertion slot 32 coincide with each other on the left side of the drawing, it is not an essential requirement of the present invention to match these wall surfaces. Alternatively, the center line of the coin insertion slot 28 and the center line of the card insertion slot 32 may be aligned.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording medium processing device 12 viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow III in FIG. As shown in the drawing, inside the recording medium processing device 12, a coin passage 30 and a card passage 36 connected to the recording medium insertion port 16 are provided.
Are separately provided.

The card path 36 is formed straight from the card insertion slot 32 of the recording medium insertion port 16 toward the inside of the recording medium processing device 12 and has a length equal to that of the card-shaped recording medium 1.
4 corresponding to the length. On the other hand, the coin passage 30 is disposed obliquely with respect to the recording medium processing device 12, and its beginning is connected to the coin insertion slot 28 and its end is connected to the coin-shaped recording medium discharge opening 18. If the coin passage 30 is formed obliquely as described above, a space is secured between the coin passage 30 and the card passage 36, so that the card passage 3
6 can be freely arranged with the conveying roller. When the card-shaped recording medium 14 is of a contact type, means for accessing the recording information of the card-shaped recording medium 14 such as a magnetic head using this space can be freely arranged on the card path 36. it can.

The antenna section 3 is provided on the side of the card passage 36.
8 is provided in parallel with the card path 36, and the antenna section 38 is connected to the control section 26. The control unit 26 controls the non-contact type card-shaped recording medium 14 and the coin passage 30 inserted into the card passage 36 through the antenna unit 38.
Data communication is performed with the coin-shaped recording medium 10 inserted in the storage device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line IV-IV of FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG.
On 0, the following three position control levers connected to the control unit 26 are provided, and the movement position of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is controlled by the interlocking of these levers.

The insertion preventing lever 20 is
And prevents the coin-shaped recording medium 10 from being inserted into the coin passage 30. With the insertion prevention lever 20 protruding into the coin passage 30, the entrance of the coin passage 30 is closed, and the entry of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 into the coin passage 30 is prevented.

The R / W position lock lever 22 is provided at a position deeper than the insertion prevention lever 20, and stops the coin-shaped recording medium 10 at a position where the antenna section 38 is provided. This R / W position lock lever 22 is
The coin-shaped recording medium 10 stops on the side surface of the antenna unit 38 while protruding inward. The R / W position lock lever 22 is also used for returning the coin-shaped recording medium 10.

The temporary holding lever 24 is provided downstream of the R / W position lock lever 22 and temporarily holds the coin-shaped recording medium 10 in the coin passage 30. With the temporary holding lever 24 protruding into the coin passage 30, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is held in front of the coin-shaped recording medium outlet 18.

The control unit 26 returns and discards the coin-shaped recording medium 10 and obtains and updates data recorded therein by interlocking the three operation levers.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a VV section of FIG. As shown in the figure, a plurality of transport rollers 34 are provided in the card path 36, and the card-shaped recording medium 14 inserted from the card insertion slot 32 is taken into the card path 36 by the transport rollers 34. It is. Each of the transport rollers 34 is controlled by the control unit 26 via a driving device (not shown).

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line VI-VI of FIG. As shown in the figure, the antenna section 38 is disposed at a position where the card path 36 and the coin path 30 overlap, and the card-shaped recording medium 1 inserted into the card path 36 is provided.
4 or both the coin-shaped recording medium 10 inserted into the coin passage 30.

As described above, by disposing the antenna section 38 at the position where the card path 36 and the coin path 30 overlap, the antenna section 38 can be shared by the two paths.

Hereinafter, an operation example of the recording medium processing apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 7 shows the recording medium processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
9 is a flowchart showing a first operation flow of No. 2; As shown in the figure, the control unit 26 in the recording medium processing device 12
First, a medium insertion permission state is formed (step S1).
00). This medium insertion permission state is determined by the recording medium processing device 1
2 at power-on or reset.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the medium insertion permission state of FIG. As shown in the drawing, in the medium insertion permission state, the insertion prevention lever 20 retreats from the coin passage 30, and both the R / W position lock lever 22 and the temporary holding lever 24 project into the coin passage 30.

In this state, a new coin-shaped recording medium 10
Is inserted, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 enters the coin passage 30 and stops at the position where the R / W position lock lever 22 protrudes. The coin-shaped recording medium 10 stopped at this position is detected by the antenna unit 38. At this time, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 inserted just before is held by the temporary holding lever 24.

As described above, the R / W position lock lever 22
And the temporary holding lever 24 are projected into the coin passage 30, so that the next coin can be received while holding one coin inserted last time.

When the controller 26 detects the insertion of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 by an optical switch (not shown) (YES in step S102 of FIG. 7), the controller 26 causes the insertion prevention lever 20 to protrude into the coin passage 30 (step S10).
4), the temporary holding lever 24 is retracted from the coin passage 30 (step S106).

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the coin passage 30 after the insertion of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is detected. As shown in the figure, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 inserted into the coin passage 30 is
The coin-shaped recording medium 10 held and temporarily held is ejected from the coin passage 30 by retreating the temporary holding lever 24. The discharged coin-shaped recording medium 10 is discharged from the coin-shaped recording medium discharge port 18 in FIG. That is, the detection and collection of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 are automatically performed.

In this state, for example, the recording medium processing device 1
When the return of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is instructed by pressing the return button provided in Step S1 of FIG.
08 (YES), the control unit 26 retreats the insertion prevention lever 20 from the coin passage 30 (step S110),
Return the coin-shaped recording medium 10 (Step S11)
2).

FIG. 11 shows the inserted coin-shaped recording medium 1.
It is sectional drawing which shows the return operation of 0. As shown in the figure,
The return of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is performed by tilting the R / W position lock lever 22 toward the entrance of the coin passage 30 and causing the coin-shaped recording medium 10 to run backward.

If the return is not instructed in step S108 of FIG. 7, the control unit 26 reads and rewrites the stored contents of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 via the antenna unit 38. For example, the ID is read and the frequency is updated (step S114). The control unit 26 executes this updating process until the frequency of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 becomes 0 or until the return is instructed (NO in step S116).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a second operation flow executed subsequently to the operation flow of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, when the frequency becomes 0 in step S116 in FIG. 7, the control unit 26 first causes the temporary holding lever 24 to protrude into the coin passage 30 (step S20).
0) Then, the R / W position lock lever 22 is retracted from the coin passage 30 (step S202). at the same time,
The control unit 26 retracts the insertion prevention lever 20 from the coin passage 30 (step S204), and prepares for a case where a return of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 whose frequency has become 0 is requested.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the state of the coin passage 30 when the frequency of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 becomes zero. As shown in the figure, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 having the frequency of 0 is received by the temporary holding lever 24,
The coin is temporarily stored in the coin passage 30. Since the reserved coin has a frequency of 0, it is a recording medium that is a candidate for collection. However, if the coin is collected as it is, it becomes difficult to convert it to a player. It is temporarily held in case that it is done.

Then, for example, when the return of the temporarily stored coin-shaped recording medium 10 is instructed by pressing the storage medium return button provided in the recording medium processing device 12 (YES in step S206 in FIG. 8). ), Control unit 26
Tilts the R / W position lock lever to the right, drives the temporary holding lever 24, returns the coin-shaped recording medium 10, and then uses the R / W position lock lever 22 to rotate the coin slot 28.
(Step S208).

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of returning the temporarily stored coin-shaped recording medium 10. As shown in the figure, the return of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 having the frequency of 0 is
The temporary holding lever 24 is tilted toward the entrance of the coin passage 30, and then the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is returned by the R / W position lock lever.

As described above, the reason why the coin-shaped recording medium 10 having the frequency of 0 is temporarily held is that the player confirms that the frequency has become 0 as described above. In this case, the medium having the frequency of 0 is taken out from the recording medium processing device 12 so that the medium can be presented to the player. Then, after allowing the player to confirm that the frequency is 0, the coin-shaped recording medium 10 is inserted into the coin passage 30 again, and the coin is to be collected.

After executing the above-described series of processes, the control unit 26 forms the medium insertion permission state shown in FIG. 9 again, and prepares for the next insertion of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 (step S100).

According to the recording medium processing apparatus 12 described above, the recording information reading, writing, returning, and capturing of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 are automatically performed, and the coin-shaped recording captured from the recording medium processing apparatus 12 is performed. The medium 10 can be automatically collected.

In the recording medium processing device 12 described above, the card-shaped recording medium 14 can be processed.
It can be used in combination with a conventional prepaid card system.

[0064]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (Summary) A chip path 100 into which a recording chip 50 as a non-contact type recording medium is taken in and a magnetic card path 102 into which a magnetic card 88 as a contact type recording medium are taken in are provided. A unit antenna 98 for reading the recorded content of the recording chip 50 is provided on the top, and a magnetic card 88 is provided on the magnetic card path 102.
Is provided with a magnetic head 92 for reading the recorded contents. The chip path 100 is connected to a conveyance path 72 for collecting the recording chips 50, and the used recording chips 50 are transferred to the conveyance path 72.
And collectively collected (see FIG. 19).

(Preferred Embodiment) The above-described technical idea of using a coin-shaped recording medium is a very useful idea in a game system such as a pachinko parlor. Here, an example is shown in which this characteristic technical idea is embodied in a mode considered to be industrially preferable. Among the components described above, those that do not need to be particularly described are given the same names and the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The embodiments described below are embodied examples of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the external structure of a recording chip 50 used in the game system according to the present embodiment. The recording chip 50 is a recording medium corresponding to the coin-shaped recording medium 10 described above.

As shown in the figure, the recording chip 50 has a disk-shaped appearance, and a variable display section 52 made of a magnetic material is provided on the surface thereof. This recording chip 5
The external dimensions of 0 are determined according to the specifications of the existing coin processing device. The variable display section 52 is preferably formed in a circular shape in accordance with the appearance of the coin-shaped recording medium 10, as shown in FIG. If the variable display section 52 is formed in a circular shape in this manner, positioning during printing becomes easy.

That is, when the variable display section 52 is rectangular, it is necessary to match the arrangement of the displayed characters with the inclination of the rectangle, and therefore, it is necessary to rotate the coin-shaped recording medium 10 at a predetermined angle during printing. There is. On the other hand, the variable display unit 5
In the case where 2 is circular, the display information can be read by rotating the coin-shaped recording medium 10 in any manner of printing.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the recording chip 50 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a semiconductor chip 54 having a memory function is provided inside the recording chip 50. A coil-shaped chip antenna is provided around the semiconductor chip 54, and is sealed with a mold resin 55 in this state.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the game system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the gaming system according to the present embodiment is provided with an island 62 including a predetermined number of gaming tables 70, and the island 62 has a recording chip 50 on which valuable information is recorded to play a game. Issuing machine 6 to issue to customers
8 are provided. The gaming machines 70 constituting the issuing machine 68 and the island 62 are connected to a hall computer 56 and a management computer 58 via a connection line 60.

Each gaming table 70 includes a chip unit 64 for processing the recording chips 50 and a gaming table 66 for providing a gaming service to a player. The player inserts the recording chip 50 on which valuable information is recorded into the chip unit 6.
If you put it in 4, you can receive the game service.

The management computer 58 includes the recording chip 50
This is a computer provided for managing individual media such as permission to issue a license and life span determination. On the other hand, the hall computer 56 stores the sales of the recording chips 50 and the
This is a computer that mainly manages sales in the store such as the usage status of the store. The information recorded on the recording chip 50 is read by each chip unit 64 and transmitted to these computers. Similarly, when information is recorded on the recording chip 50 in the issuer 68, the recorded content is transmitted to these computers. In addition, the technology employed in the conventional prepaid card system can be applied to the above configuration.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of the arrangement of the transport path provided inside the island 62 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the chip unit 64 of each game console is connected to the transport path 72 inside the island 62. The transport path 72 communicates with the issuer 68, and the used recording chips 50 collected by each chip unit 64 are collected in the issuer 68 through the transport path 72.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the chip unit 64 shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. As shown in the figure, the chip unit 64 includes a unit control unit 8
4 and a reading unit 86. In front of the unit control section 84, the chip unit 6
4 is provided with a display panel 74 for displaying information relating to the frequency of the recording medium inserted in 4 and other messages. Further, below the display panel 74, operation buttons 76 for instructing withdrawal of a frequency from the recording medium, return of the recording medium, and the like are provided.

A control board 85 is provided in the unit control section 84, and controls the return of the recording medium and the reading of data. Also,
The unit control unit 84 has a function of communicating with the management computer 58 shown in FIG. 16. The frequency of the recording chip 50 used in the chip unit 64 is controlled by the connection line 60.
Is transmitted to the management computer 58 via.

The reading section 86 is a module for processing a recording medium, and is an apparatus corresponding to the above-described recording medium processing apparatus. The reading unit 86 includes the recording chip 50.
And a magnetic card 88 for inserting a chip
And a chip return port 82 for returning the processed recording chip 50.
Is provided.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line XIX-XIX in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the reading section 86 has a chip path 1 into which the recording chip 50 is taken.
00 and a magnetic card path 102 into which the magnetic card 88 is taken.

A unit antenna 98 is provided at the center of the reading unit 86, and a solenoid pin 94 is provided on the chip path 100 at a position corresponding to the position where the unit antenna 98 is provided. This solenoid pin 94
Are controlled by the control board 85 in the unit control section 84 shown in FIG.

The recording chip 50 inserted into the chip passage 100 by the solenoid pin 94 stops at the side of the unit antenna 98. Then, reading / writing of the recording chip 50 is performed at the stopped position. When the solenoid pin 94 retreats from above the chip passage 100 in accordance with a command from the control board 85, the recording chip 50 that has been stopped by the solenoid pin 94 has moved downward, and the solenoid gate provided downstream of the solenoid pin 94. The path is determined by 96. This solenoid gate 96 is also controlled by the control board 85 in the unit control section 84 shown in FIG.

When the return of the recording chip 50 is requested by pressing the operation button 76 shown in FIG. 18, the control board 85 lowers the solenoid gate 96 to the right side in FIG. To the chip return port 82 side. On the other hand, when the recording frequency of the recording chip 50 becomes 0, the solenoid gate 96 is turned off as shown in FIG.
And the recording chip 50 having the recording frequency of 0 is flown toward the transport path 72 side. The recording chips 50 discharged to the conveying path 72 are conveyed by a belt conveyor and collected in an issuing machine 68 shown in FIG.

In the magnetic card path 102, a plurality of pinch rollers 90 for transporting the magnetic card 88 are provided, and a magnetic head 92 for accessing information recorded on the magnetic card 88 is provided. The magnetic card 88 inserted from the magnetic card insertion slot 80 is moved by a pinch roller 90.
It is taken into the magnetic card path 102 and detected by the magnetic head 92. Reading and writing by the pinch roller 90 and the magnetic head 92 are controlled by the control board 85.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line XX-XX of FIG. As shown in the drawing, in a cross section near the chip insertion port 78 and the magnetic card insertion port 80, the chip path 100 and the magnetic card path 102 are separated. The magnetic head 92 provided on the magnetic card path 102
As shown in the drawing, the magnetic card passage 102 is provided on the left side surface. The pinch rollers 90 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the magnetic card path 102, respectively, and pinch and transport both sides of the magnetic card 88 inserted into the magnetic card path 102.

FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view showing a XXI-XXI cross section of FIG. As shown in FIG.
In the cross section near the center of FIG. 5, the chip path 100 and the magnetic card path 102 are connected. However,
Since the opening width of the chip passage 100 is wider than the opening width of the magnetic card passage 102, the recording chip 50 moving in the chip passage 100 does not enter the magnetic card passage 102.

As shown in FIG.
Is disposed on the right side of the chip passage 100, and the solenoid gate 96 is disposed on the left side of the chip passage 100. An antenna board 99 incorporating the unit antenna 98 shown in FIG. 19 is provided on the left side surface of the chip passage 100.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line XXII-XXII of FIG. As shown in the drawing, the chip path 100 and the magnetic card path 102 are connected to each other even in the cross section near the center of the reading unit 86, and the pinch roller 90 on the magnetic card path 102 It is arranged to avoid. Then, as shown in the figure, the antenna board 99 is provided on the side surface of the chip passage 100.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a block that contributes to communication of data recorded on the recording chip 50. As shown in the drawing, a processor 108 for executing a control code and a memory 106 for storing the control code are provided in the control board 85. The processor 108 is provided with an RF unit 110 in the control board 85.
Through the antenna board 99. The processor 108 communicates with the recording chip 50 using the antenna board 99.

The control board 85 includes an I / O
The O port 104 is provided, and the processor 108 transmits and receives data to and from the communication unit 112 provided in the unit control unit 84 via the I / O port 104. The result processed by the processor 108 is transmitted to the management computer 58 in FIG.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the semiconductor chip 54 provided in the recording chip 50.
As shown in FIG. 15, the semiconductor chip 54 shown in FIG.
Comprises an arithmetic unit 114, a register 116, and a chip memory 118.

The control board 85 includes the recording chip 5
A command command is transmitted to the arithmetic unit 114 via the chip antenna 40 within 0. The operation unit 114 to which the command has been input processes the data stored in the chip memory 118 according to the command, and stores the result in the register 1
16 is stored. The operation result stored in the register 116 is transferred to the chip memory 118 according to a transfer command from the control board 85.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a procedure for updating data in the recording chip 50. As shown in the figure,
When updating the data in the recording chip 50, first,
The processor 108 in the control board 85 transmits an update request to the arithmetic unit 114 in the recording chip 50 (Step S300).

After that, the processor 108 reads out the serial number of the recording chip 50 (step S30).
4) A true / false check is performed to determine whether or not the recording chip 50 can be used properly in the gaming system (step S306).

The processor 108 reads data (step S308) and writes data (step S31) to the recording chip 50 that has passed the authenticity check.
0), subtraction (step S312), addition (step S3
14), an instruction for restoration (step S316) is issued, and the arithmetic unit 114 executes these processes. This execution result is stored in the register 116. When data transfer is instructed from the processor 108, the register 11
6 is transferred to the chip memory 118. Such processing is repeated until the processor 108 sends an end command (step S318). Note that the data stored in the recording chip 50 may be only ID data, but the ID number, issue date, expiration date, issue amount, remaining amount,
The number of data updates and the like may be stored.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of a recording medium processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the recording medium processing apparatus 12 viewed from a direction indicated by an arrow II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording medium processing device 12 viewed from a direction indicated by an arrow III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line IV-IV of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a VV section in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a VI-VI cross section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a first operation flow of the recording medium processing device 12 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 shows a second example which is executed following the operation flow of FIG.
4 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a medium insertion permission state of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the coin passage 30 after detecting insertion of the coin-shaped recording medium 10;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation of returning the inserted coin-shaped recording medium 10;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the coin passage 30 when the frequency of the coin-shaped recording medium 10 becomes zero.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation of returning the temporarily stored coin-shaped recording medium 10;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an external structure of a recording chip 50 used in the gaming system according to the embodiment.

15 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the recording chip 50 shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the gaming system according to the embodiment.

17 is a perspective view showing an example of disposing a transport path provided inside an island 62 shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a chip unit 6 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external appearance structure of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a XIX-XIX cross section of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line XX-XX of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a XXI-XXI cross section of FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is a sectional view showing a section taken along the line XXII-XXII of FIG. 19;

FIG. 23 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a block that contributes to communication of data recorded on the recording chip 50.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure of a semiconductor chip provided in the recording chip.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a data update procedure in the recording chip 50;

[Explanation of symbols]

10: coin-shaped recording medium, 12: recording medium processing device, 1
4 ... Card-shaped recording medium, 16 ... Recording medium slot, 18 ...
Coin-shaped recording medium outlet, 20 ... insertion prevention lever, 22
... R / W position lock lever, 24 ... Temporary hold lever, 2
6: control unit, 28: coin slot, 30: coin passage,
32: Card slot, 34: Convey roller, 36: Card path, 38: Antenna part, 40: Chip antenna, 50
... recording chip, 52 ... variable display section, 54 ... semiconductor chip, 55 ... mold resin, 56 ... hole computer
58 management computer, 60 connection line, 62
Island, 64: chip unit, 66: gaming table, 68: issuing machine, 72: transport path, 74: display panel, 76: operation button, 78: chip slot, 80: magnetic card slot, 8
2 ... Chip return port, 84 ... Unit control unit, 85 ... Control board, 86 ... Reading unit, 88 ... Magnetic card, 90 ... Pinch roller, 92 ... Magnetic head, 94 ... Solenoid pin, 96 ... Solenoid gate, 98 ... Unit Antenna, 99: antenna board, 100: chip passage, 102: magnetic card passage, 104: I / O port,
106: memory, 108: processor, 110: RF
Unit, 112: communication unit, 114: arithmetic unit, 116: register, 118: chip memory,

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A recording medium processing device capable of renting a game medium based on the recorded contents of a recording medium issued, wherein a coin in which a coin-shaped recording medium (10), which is a non-contact recording medium, moves. A passage (30); an antenna section (38) disposed on the coin passage; and controlling a moving state of the coin-shaped recording medium inserted into the coin passage to return the coin-shaped recording medium. A movement control mechanism for controlling the take-in and positioning with respect to the antenna unit; and a coin-shaped recording medium outlet (1) connected to the coin path and discharging the used coin-shaped recording medium to the outside.
8) A recording medium processing device comprising: 2. A card insertion section through which a card-shaped recording medium (14), which is a non-contact recording medium, moves, wherein the antenna section is arranged at a position where the coin path and the card insertion section overlap. The recording medium processing device according to claim 1, which is provided. 3. A card path (36) through which a card-shaped recording medium (14), which is a contact-type recording medium, moves; and means provided on the card path to access recorded information on the card-shaped recording medium. The recording medium processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. A coin insertion slot (28) into which the coin-shaped recording medium is inserted, and a card insertion slot (32) formed in communication with the coin insertion slot (28) and into which the card-shaped recording medium is inserted. 4. The recording medium processing device according to claim 2, further comprising: a part of the card-shaped recording medium, which is taken in through at least a part of the coin insertion slot. 5. The insertion control lever (20) provided on the coin passage for preventing the coin-shaped recording medium from being inserted into the coin passage, the movement control mechanism being provided downstream of the insertion prevention lever. An R / W position lock lever (22) provided to stop the coin-shaped recording medium at a position where the antenna unit is provided; and a coin-shaped recording medium provided downstream of the R / W position lock lever. 5. The recording medium processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a temporary holding lever (24) for temporarily holding the recording medium in the coin passage. 6. The R / W position lock lever (22) and the temporary holding lever (24) reverse the coin-shaped recording medium in the coin passage in response to an instruction from the outside, and 6. The recording medium processing device according to claim 5, wherein the recording medium is discharged to the outside. 7. The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein both the R / W position lock lever and the temporary holding lever have a state of protruding into the coin passage. 8. When detecting insertion of the coin-shaped recording medium into the coin passage, the R / W position lock lever is protruded into the coin passage, and the temporary holding lever is moved from the coin passage. Claim 4 to evacuate
7. A recording medium processing device according to claim 6. 9. When the recording frequency of the coin-shaped recording medium becomes zero, the temporary holding lever is protruded into the coin passage, and the R / W position lock lever is retracted from the coin passage. Claim 4 or Claim 6
The recording medium processing device according to claim 1. 10. A stop member provided in the coin passage, for stopping the coin-shaped recording medium at a position where the antenna unit is provided, and a stop member provided downstream of the stop member, for stopping the coin-shaped recording medium. 3. The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a branch lever for branching a course. 11. A captured coin-shaped recording medium comprising a plurality of recording medium processing apparatuses according to claim 1, wherein each of the recording medium processing apparatuses is connected to a common transport path. A gaming system that collects.