JP2001095981A - Game medium lender - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply and completely prevent an injustice using a forged card and lower a cost for a prepaid card. SOLUTION: The recorded information of a prepaid card issued from a game medium lender is stored as the registration information of the prepaid card. The recorded information read from an inserted prepaid card is collated with the registration information. The value of amount of money and the registration information of the prepaid card are rewritten on the basis of the collated result to lend a game medium relative to a game machine. In a housing part 38, one prepaid card whose value of amount of money is zero can be housed. When it is judged that the value of amount of money of the rewritten prepaid card is zero, the prepaid card is recovered to the housing part 38.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a function of issuing a prepaid card having record information including a value of money, a function of receiving an inserted prepaid card, and renting a game medium according to the value of money to a game machine. The present invention relates to a game media lending device having

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of prepaid cards,
At playgrounds such as pachinko halls, game media such as pachinko balls and medals are rented out using prepaid cards. These playgrounds are provided with a ticket issuing device that issues a prepaid card in which information such as the value of money is recorded, and a game media lending device that accepts the prepaid card and lends a game medium to a game machine,
It is freely available to customers.

[0003] Each of the above ticket issuing devices and game media lending devices includes:
It performs wireless or wired information transmission via a plurality of repeaters to a control device provided in the appropriate place of the playground,
The ticket issuing device transmits information on the sales amount of the card, and the game media lending device transmits information on the value of the amount subtracted from the accepted card. The control device centrally manages the sales status of prepaid cards and the rental status of game media in the entire playground, using the result of processing the information received from each ticket issuing device or game media rental device.

The control device is further connected to the center device of the card company that sells the prepaid card, and transmits information relating to the value of money deducted by each game media lending device to the center device as appropriate.

In the center device of the card company, the amount of use of the prepaid card within a predetermined period, such as a month unit, is tabulated for each of the playgrounds using information sent from each of the playgrounds, and the settlement according to the totaled result is performed. Perform processing. The writing information of the prepaid card is set in a common format by the card company, and can be used anywhere in a playground where the system is introduced. The issued prepaid card can be used at any time as long as the value of the card remains.

[0006]

In the above system,
The versatility of prepaid cards increases the likelihood of card forgery.However, it is easy to incorporate counterfeit card discrimination functions in the system and to make settings so that card data cannot be illegally rewritten. Instead, it is very difficult to prevent fraud.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a function of issuing a prepaid card to a game media lending device, and the recording information of a prepaid card issued by its own device in the game media lending device. And verifying the suitability of the prepaid card in the device, making it a simple and complete prevention of fraudulent use of counterfeit cards.In addition, the cost reduction of the prepaid card is reduced. This is the second technical task.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a game medium lending apparatus for issuing a prepaid card having a value of money, receiving an inserted prepaid card, and renting a game medium corresponding to the value of the money to a game machine. Storage means for storing, as registration information of the prepaid card, recording information including the value of the prepaid card issued by the own device; and recording information read from the inserted prepaid card, the registration information of the storage means. Control means for rewriting the value of the prepaid card and the registration information in the storage means to lend the game medium to the amusement machine based on the result of the comparison by the verification means, and a prepaid card having a value of zero. And a prepaid card rewritten by the control means. Discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the value of money of the prepaid card is zero, and collecting means for collecting the prepaid card into the storage section when the discriminating means determines that the value of money of the prepaid card is zero. It comprises.

[0009]

According to the present invention, when a prepaid card is inserted into the game medium lending apparatus, the record information read for the prepaid card is compared with the registered information in the storage means. In addition, rewriting of registration information and lending of game media are performed. Also, when the value of the rewritten prepaid card becomes zero, the prepaid card is collected in the internal storage unit and reused when the next card is issued.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As an example of a game medium lending apparatus of the present invention, a medal lending apparatus for lending medals to a slot machine will be described, and the details of the structure will be described with reference to FIGS. As a game media lending system using a prepaid card, a system (shown in FIG. 1) having a configuration in which a plurality of medal lending devices, ticket issuing devices, settlement processing devices, and control devices are interconnected via a communication line L1 is shown as an example. Listed in

[0011]

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a game medium lending system using a prepaid card according to an embodiment of the present invention.
This game media lending system is configured by electrically connecting a plurality of medal lending devices 1, ticket issuing devices 2, and settlement processing devices 3 provided in a specific playground to a control device 4 via a bidirectional communication line L1. Further, the control device 4 is connected to the center device 6 of the card company via a communication line L2 such as a public line.

Each of the above-mentioned medal lending devices 1 is provided adjacent to the slot machine 5, and each of the slot machines 5 and the medal lending device 1 are electrically connected by a code line 7. Each medal lending device 1 has a function of issuing a prepaid card. When a bill is inserted, a magnetic card (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “card”) housed in a housing unit inside the machine is carried out, and a card number is given to the card. The information is written to the card entrance 22 on the front of the machine and written out.

The medal lending device 1 is capable of accepting a prepaid card issued by itself or another medal lending device 1 or a ticket issuing device 2, and possesses the card from a prepaid card inserted through a card entrance 22. Record information (hereinafter, referred to as "card information") including the amount of money to be paid is read and a collation process described later is performed. As a result, when the inserted card is an appropriate prepaid card, the control unit of the medal lending apparatus 1 sets the amount deducted from the prepaid card (hereinafter referred to as “subtraction amount data”) to a predetermined frequency. Convert.

Each slot machine 5 is provided with three reels (not shown) each having a plurality of symbols displayed on a peripheral surface thereof, and a start lever 9 and a stop button switch 10 for each reel are provided on the front surface thereof. , A medal lending switch 11, a frequency display 12, a medal number display 13, and the like, and a control circuit unit 14 for electrically controlling each component by using a CPU as a control body is incorporated in the machine.

The frequency indicator 12 is electrically connected to the medal lending device 1, and displays the frequency data when the medal lending device 1 performs a frequency conversion process on the deducted amount data. At this time, when the player presses the medal lending switch 11, the control circuit unit 14 sends a control signal (hereinafter referred to as a "medal lending signal") to the control unit of the medal lending device 1.
Is output.

The ticket issuing device 2 is a dedicated machine for issuing a prepaid card, and issues a prepaid card of the same type as the issuing card of the medal lending device 1 by inserting a bill into the body.

The prepaid card used in the above-mentioned system is set to be valid only on the day of issuance in this playground, and the card information is stored in the issuer's medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2, and It is transmitted to the control device 4 via the communication line L1. After reading the card information of the inserted prepaid card, each medal lending device 1 checks the card information against internal storage information if the card is a prepaid card issued by itself, and determines whether the card is appropriate, The above-described subtraction amount data is generated.

Further, when the medal lending signal is input in response to the pressing operation of the medal lending switch 11 in the adjacent slot machine 5, the control unit of the medal lending device 1 uses the deducted amount data to generate a card. The stored card information and the internal money amount information are rewritten. When the rewriting process ends, the control unit transmits a control signal indicating the end of the process to the circuit control unit 14 of the slot machine 5. In response to the control signal, the control circuit unit 14 sets the machine in a state where medals corresponding to the frequency data have been inserted, and waits for the start of the game.

On the other hand, when a prepaid card issued by another medal lending device 1 or the ticket issuing device 2 is inserted, the medal lending device 1 reads the card information read from the prepaid card via the communication line L1. Send to the device that issued the card. In the device receiving the transmission, the transmitted card information is compared with the internal storage information,
The collation result is returned to the medal lending device 1 of the data transmission source.

When the card information of the received prepaid card is recognized as being correct by the return of the collation result, the medal lending apparatus 1 sends the card issued by itself to the prepaid card. In the same manner as described above, generation of the deduction amount data is performed. When a medal lending switch 11 is pressed by an adjacent slot machine 5, the medal lending device 1 issues rewriting information (to be described in detail later) including the deduction amount data to a card via the communication line L1. Send to original device. The device that issued the card performs rewriting processing of the stored information based on the received rewriting information, and when the rewriting process is performed normally, returns a response sentence described later to the token lending device 1 that is the transmission source. After receiving the response sentence, the sender's medal lending device 1 performs a rewriting process of the value of the prepaid card received, and then sends a control signal indicating the end of the process to the control circuit unit 14 of the slot machine 5 as described above. Transmit.

The medal lending device 1 does not necessarily need to be a type that is electrically connected to the slot machine 5, but may be a device that lends real medals according to the insertion of a prepaid card.

The payment processing device 3 accepts a prepaid card having a remaining value and performs a payment process, and also performs a process of confirming the value of the prepaid card. After reading, the card information and the rewriting information for the settlement process are transmitted to the card issuing device.

The control device 4 appropriately receives card information of a newly issued card from each of the medal lending devices 1 and the ticket issuing device 2 and also receives and processes data such as the number of used cards and the settlement amount in each device. Then, the processing result is output to the monitor 15 or the like. The processing result is transmitted to the center device 6 of the card company via the line L2 as appropriate.
It is used for management such as payment processing.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the medal lending device 1.
The display lamp 1 is provided on the upper door 16 on the front.
9 and a money receiving port 20, and an operation switch 21
And a card doorway 22, a display unit 23 on the lower door 18,
Each is provided. Upper door 16, middle door 17, lower door 1
The upper door 16 and the lower door 18 are provided with locks 24 and 25 for locking, respectively.

The display lamp 19 is for notifying the operating state of the machine, and is normally turned off, and blinks or lights when an abnormality occurs in the machine. The money accepting port 20 is a portion for accepting a bill (in this case, a 1,000-yen bill) according to the issued amount of the prepaid card, and inside the bill accepting port 20 for taking in the accepted bill. A bill take-in mechanism 49 (shown in FIG. 8) and a bill discriminator 48 (shown in FIG. 8) for discriminating whether the bill is authentic or not and determining whether or not the bill is a determined denomination.
A bill processing unit 26 including a safe (not shown) for stocking the taken bills is provided.

The card entrance 22 issues a prepaid card in response to the insertion of a bill into the bill accepting port 20, and is issued by the issued prepaid card or another medal lending device 1 or ticket issuing device 2. A transport mechanism 31, 39 for carrying in and out of the prepaid card, a magnetic head 32 for reading and writing ticketing information to and from the card, a money value, Card processing unit 2 including a card storage unit 38 (all shown in FIGS. 3 to 7) for storing a card having a zero value
7 are provided.

The operation switch 21 is connected to the card entrance 2
This card is used to immediately insert a card issued from 2 into the inside. By pressing this operation switch 21, the card issued from the card entrance 22 is automatically taken into the card processing unit 27. .

The display unit 23 normally displays information such as the amount of bills inserted into the bill accepting port 20 and the total sales of the cards in this apparatus, and the collation result of the inserted cards is incorrect. In some cases, a predetermined error message is displayed. In addition, a power supply unit (not shown) for supplying power to the above-described units is stored at the bottom of the medal lending device 1.

FIGS. 3 to 7 show the card processing unit 2.
7 shows an internal mechanism. On the front face of the card processing unit 27, a card carry-in / out port 29 which is continuous with the card entrance / exit 20 is formed, and a transport path 30 corresponding to the width and thickness of the card is formed inside along the depth. I have.
A first card transport mechanism 3 is located in front of the transport path 30.
1 is provided, and a magnetic head 32 for reading and writing the ticketing information is provided at the rear thereof.

The card transport mechanism 31 includes two pairs of front and rear feed rollers 34, 34, 35, 35, and transmission belts 36, 3.
6, a motor 37 and the like. The rotation of the motor is applied to rear feed rollers 35, 35 and then transmitted to front feed rollers 34, 34 via transmission belts 36, 36.

A first photoelectric sensor PH1 is provided between the card transport mechanism 31 and the card inlet / outlet 29, and a second photoelectric sensor PH2 is located at a position behind the first feed roller 34 of the card transport mechanism 31. Each is deployed. Behind the magnetic head 32, third and fourth photoelectric sensors PH
3, PH4 are arranged at a predetermined interval.

A surplus portion 38 corresponding to the length of the card is provided behind the photoelectric sensor PH4 in the transport path 30. The surplus portion 38 functions as a card accommodating portion for accommodating a card having a monetary value of zero by the rewriting process, and a second card transport mechanism 39 is provided at a front portion thereof. This card transport mechanism 39
Is a card for carrying a card in and out of the card accommodating section 38, and includes a pair of feed rollers 40, 40, a motor 41, a worm wheel, a transmission mechanism 42 including a worm gear, and the like. In addition, a fifth photoelectric sensor P for confirming the accommodation of the card is provided at the rear of the card accommodation part 38.
H5 is deployed.

When a bill (thousand-yen bill) is inserted from the bill receiving slot 19 in a state where a card (shown by a chain line in the figure) is housed in the card housing section 38 (see FIG. 3), a control section described later. The CPU 43 includes the card transport mechanisms 31 and 3.
9 to drive the motors 37 and 41 to rotate forward. As a result, the rotational movement of the motor 41 is given to the feed rollers 40, 40 via the transmission mechanism 42, and the card storage 38
The card inside is transported forward.

The interval between the third and fourth photoelectric sensors PH3 and PH4 is set according to the length of the information storage area of the card, and the CPU 43 confirms that the photoelectric sensors PH4 and PH3 are turned on in this order. After the confirmation, when the photoelectric sensor PH4 is turned off, the writing of information by the magnetic head 32 is started (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The magnetic head 32
Is terminated when the photoelectric sensor PH3 is turned off.

When the second photoelectric sensor PH2 switches from on to off (shown in FIG. 6), the CPU 43 stops the motors 37, 41 of the card transport mechanisms 31, 39. At this time, the first photoelectric sensor PH1 is on, and when the photoelectric sensor PH1 is turned off, the CPU 43 recognizes that the card has been pulled out from the card entrance 22.

When an electric signal is obtained by pressing the operation switch 21 while the photoelectric sensor PH1 is kept on, CP
U43 drives the motor 37 of the card transport mechanism 31 to rotate in the reverse direction, and transports the card backward. Hereinafter, when the photoelectric sensors PH2 and PH3 are sequentially turned on, the CPU 4
Reference numeral 3 starts reading card information, and further rewrites the above-described card information based on a process of lending medals to the adjacent slot machine 5. Further, when the money value of the card becomes zero by this processing, the CPU 43 reversely rotates the motor 41 of the second card transport mechanism 39 to house the card in the card housing portion 38, and the money value is stored in the card. If it remains, the first card transport mechanism 31
The motor 37 is rotated forward to transfer the card to the card loading / unloading port 2
Take out to 9.

When a card issued by another medal lending device 1 or ticket vending device 2 is inserted, the card transport mechanism 31 operates in response to the first photoelectric sensor PH1 being turned on. , The card is taken inside. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, when a card is accommodated in the card accommodating section 38, the processed card is carried out to the card carry-in entrance 29 regardless of the value of the money.
On the other hand, if no card is accommodated in the card accommodating section 38 and the value of the inserted card after the rewriting process is zero, the card is accommodated in the card accommodating section 38.

FIG. 8 shows the electrical configuration of the medal lending device 2, and the CPU 43, which is the main body of control and calculation.
And a control unit 46 comprising a ROM 44 for storing programs and a RAM 45 for storing various data such as the card information. The CPU 44 includes a bus 47
Via the display lamp 19, the display unit 23, the operation switch 21, the five photoelectric sensors PH1 to PH5 in the card processing unit 27, the bill validator 48, the bill take-in mechanism 49, the first and second bills. In addition to the card transport mechanisms 31, 39, the magnetic head 32, etc., a transmitting / receiving unit 50 for transmitting / receiving information to / from other devices is connected.

FIG. 9 shows an external view of the ticket issuing apparatus 2. A card display section 51 for displaying a prepaid card to be sold and a selection for selecting the number of prepaid cards to be purchased are provided on the front of the body. Button switches 56a to 56
d, a bill insertion slot 57, a card issuing slot 58, a hanging bill return slot 59, a display unit 100, and the like.

FIG. 10 shows the electrical configuration of the ticket issuing apparatus 1. The control unit 63, which includes a CPU 60, a ROM 61, and a RAM 62, is connected to a control unit 63 via a bus 64 via the selection button switches 56a to 56d and the display unit 100. In addition, a bill detection sensor 65, a bill discriminator 66, a bill transport mechanism 67, a card transport mechanism 68, a magnetic head 69, a transmitting / receiving unit 70, and the like are connected.

The bill detection sensor 65 and the bill discriminator 66 are
Both are disposed inside the bill insertion slot 57, and are used for bill insertion detection and authenticity discrimination, respectively. Bill transport mechanism 67
Is for transporting the inserted banknotes to the internal banknote collection unit. The card transport mechanism 68 includes a plurality of pairs of rollers, a transmission belt, a motor, and the like. The card transport mechanism 68 sequentially takes out magnetic cards stored in an internal stocker (not shown) and transports the magnetic cards to the card issuing port 58. The magnetic head 69 is used to write the ticketing information into a predetermined storage area of the magnetic card being conveyed, and the display unit 100 is used to confirm a card issued by itself when the communication line is disconnected, which will be described later. It is for displaying information. The transmission / reception unit 70 is used for exchanging necessary information with other devices.

FIG. 11 (1) shows the front of the settlement processor 3 and FIG. 11 (2) shows the rear of the settlement processor. An information display 71 and a bill return slot are provided on the front of the machine. 72, a coin return port 73 and the like are provided. The rear side is for attendants, and is provided with a second information display section 74, an operation panel 75, a card reception port 76, and the like.

Each of the information display sections 71 and 74 is a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, and displays information such as a settlement amount at the time of settlement, and information on ticketing information of the card to be checked at the time of checking the ticketing information of the card. Are displayed respectively. The information display 71 on the front is for gamers and the information display 74 on the rear is for attendants, and the information display 74 for attendants displays more detailed information.

The operation panel 75 is provided with a plurality of operation switches 77 for settlement processing and various checks, and a clerk inserts a prepaid card received from a game player into the card reception slot 76 to be used. Is pressed, the card information of the prepaid card is read, and the control unit in the body of the medal lending device 1 as the issuing source of the card.
Alternatively, communication with the ticket issuing device 2 is performed to check the card information. As a result, if the read information matches the storage information of the issuer, settlement processing or display of the read information is performed. Note that a card processing unit 27 similar to that used in the medal lending apparatus 1 is provided inside the card reception slot 76.

FIG. 12 shows the electrical configuration of the payment processing device 3 and includes a CPU 78, a ROM 79, and a RAM 80.
To the control unit 81, which is composed of
, The operation switches 77 of the operation panel 75, and the photoelectric sensor PH of the card processing unit 27.
1 to PH5, card transport mechanisms 31, 39, magnetic head 3
2 is connected, a bill ejection mechanism 83 for paying out bills to the bill return port 72 at the time of settlement, a coin ejection mechanism 84 for paying out coins to the coin return port 73, and information between the other devices. Are connected to each other.

FIG. 13 shows an electrical configuration of the control unit 4. The control unit 89, which includes a CPU 86, a ROM 87, and a RAM 88, has an input unit 91 and a display circuit 9 via a bus 90.
2, the transmission / reception units 93 and 94, the disconnection detection circuit 95, and the like are connected.

The ROM 87 stores programs related to communication with other devices and card companies and information processing.
Various data such as card information of a prepaid card issued by each medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2 are stored in 88. The input unit 91 includes a keyboard and the like.
It is used to input data necessary for processing as appropriate. The display circuit 92 is for displaying data processing results and the like on the monitor 15.

The first transmission / reception unit 93 is connected to the communication line L1 and is used for exchanging information with the medal lending device 1, the ticket issuing device 2, and the settlement processing device 3. The second transmission / reception unit 51 is connected to the communication line L2, and is used for exchanging information with the center device of the card company. The details of the disconnection detection circuit 95 will be described later.

The medal lending device 1, ticket issuing device 2, settlement processing device 3, and RAMs 45, 62, 80,
A time storage area as shown in FIG. This time storage area further stores the current time T _N
R ₁ for storing the data, an area R ₂ for storing the latest time _Tr at which some data was received via the transmission / reception circuit (hereinafter referred to as “latest reception time _Tr ”), and transmitting data from the own device. is subdivided into region R ₃ for storing the latest time T _S (hereinafter referred to as "latest transmitting time T _S") was.

FIG. 15 shows the transmission / reception section 5 of the medal lending device 1, the ticket issuing device 2, the settlement processing device 3, and the control device 4.
0, 70, 85, and 93.
6, a transmission circuit 97, two relay circuits 98 and 99, and the like. The communication line L1 includes + and-signal transmission lines l1 and l2 and two disconnection detection lines l3 and l4. The reception circuit 96 and the transmission circuit 97 include relay circuits 98 and 99, respectively. Via each signal transmission line l1, l
2 are connected.

The relay circuits 98 and 99 are normally closed at normal times, and the transmission circuit 97 outputs various signals to be described later to the signal transmission lines l1 and l2. The receiving circuit 96 is connected to a signal transmission line 11 from another external device.
In addition to receiving the signal output to 12, it also receives the signal output from its own transmission circuit 97.

In the control device 4, the disconnection detection lines 13 and
The disconnection detection circuit 95 is connected to 14. The disconnection detection circuit 95 is for detecting a disconnection state of the communication circuit L1, and the detection signal is given to the CPU 86.
The occurrence of disconnection is recognized.

FIG. 16 shows an example of communication control when a disconnection occurs in the communication line L1. In the figure, a cross mark indicates a broken portion, and an arrow indicates a communicable range. As described above, even if a disconnection occurs in any place of the communication line L1, communication between the communicating devices can be continued without stopping the function of the entire system.

In the illustrated example, a medal lending device 1 (shown by 1a and 1b in the figure) capable of communicating with the control device 4 is provided with a device (1c, 1c in the diagram) that has become unable to communicate due to a disconnection.
When the card issued in step 1d) is inserted, there arises a problem that the matching process and the rewriting process of the inserted card become impossible.

In order to solve this problem, in this embodiment, new card information is transmitted to the control device 4 when each medal lending device 1 or the ticket issuing device 2 issues a card or rewrites card information. And when the medal lending device 1 accepts a card issued by another device with which communication is not possible, the destination of the information relating to the collation or rewriting of the card information is changed to the control device 4. Is set to Thereby, if the accepted card is issued before disconnection, the RAM 8 of the control device 4
The card collation processing and the rewriting processing can be performed without any trouble using the backup card information stored in the storage card 8.

However, if the accepted card has been issued after the disconnection, the medal lending device 1
And the backup data stored in the control device 4 does not match, and the card cannot be used. Further, in the case of a terminal device that cannot communicate with the control device 4 such as the medal lending devices 1c and 1d behind the disconnection point, the backup process by the control device 4 cannot be performed.

When such a situation occurs, the control unit 46 of the medal lending device 1 displays predetermined message information on the display device 23 to notify a game medium lending device available to the player. . As described above, since the appropriate card information of the card issued by the own device is stored in the medal lending device 1, the other medal lending devices 1 are thus stored.
Even if the card can no longer be used, the use or the card information can be confirmed in the issuer or the medal lending device 1 capable of communicating with the issuer.

In this game media lending system using a prepaid card, each device in the system is provided with a unique identification number for distinguishing each device from other devices. This identification number is one of three-digit numbers “000” to “999”. In this embodiment, the control device has a number “000”, and the other devices have a number “001” to “001”. "99
No. 9 "is assigned.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the structure of card information stored in the RAMs 45 and 62 of the medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2. Each rectangle in the figure means one byte of data for expressing a character code, and here, for the sake of explanation, the contents of each data are represented in a rectangle in the form of specific characters. are doing.

The card information has a data structure of 23 bytes, of which data YR indicating the last two digits of the Christian era is represented by the most significant two bytes, data MT representing the month is represented by the next two bytes, and Data DT representing the date is represented by the next two bytes, and the data YR, MT, and DT indicate the date of card issuance.

The next 3 bytes of data indicate the identification number PN indicating the card issuing terminal, and the following 8 bytes of data indicate the issue number NB assigned to the card. The following three bits represent the value of money VL ₀ given to the card at the time of issuance, and the last three bits represent the value of money VL that the card currently has. It should be noted that the first byte of the data VL ₀ and VL representing the monetary value represents a unit of ten thousand, the second byte represents a unit of one thousand, and the third byte represents a unit of one hundred.

In the card information at the time of issuance, the money value V
Both L ₀ and VL are “010”. Thereafter, when this card is inserted into any one of the medal lending devices 1 and the medal lending process is performed, as shown in the illustrated example,
The value VL is rewritten according to the number of lent medals.

Next, the signals transmitted from each device to the communication line L1 will be described step by step. In the following description, the concept including the medal lending device 1, the ticket issuing device 2, and the payment processing device 3 in the prepaid card-using game medium lending system is referred to as a "terminal device", and the system including the control device 4 "Equipment" for all devices
It is assumed that.

When transmitting information to one of the other devices, each device generates a signal (hereinafter referred to as a "command statement") in a predetermined format including the identification number of the own device and the identification number of the transmission destination. This is transmitted to the communication line L1.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the structure of a command sent from each device. Each rectangle in the figure means one byte of data for expressing a character code, as in FIG. 17.
A character “*” indicating that this signal is a command statement is expressed. The next three bytes of data indicate the identification number YN of the device targeted by the command statement.
The first one byte has 100's place, the next one byte has 10's
, And the last one byte represents the one's place.

The next three bytes of data indicate the identification number MN of the transmission source device. As described above, the first one byte has the hundreds digit, the next one byte has the tenth digit, and the last one has the last digit. The ones place is represented by one byte.

The next one byte indicates a command code CD described later. After the next several bytes of data indicate transmission information SI corresponding to the content of the command code CD, a predetermined number of bytes up to this point are specified. Is calculated as 2 bytes of data, and a carriage return code indicating the end of the command statement is added to the last byte. The capacity of the transmission information SI is 0 bytes for a predetermined command code CD. In this case, a command sent with a checksum CM1 added immediately after the command code CD is created.

The above-mentioned command statement is transmitted to each device via the communication line L1, and among them, the device specified by the identification number YN (in the illustrated example, the identification number “115”)
Only the terminal device) recognizes the command sentence and returns a response sentence as shown in FIG. The response sentence is composed of a character "!" Indicating that this signal is a response sentence, response information RI of several bytes, checksum CM2 of two bytes, and a carriage return code indicating the end of the response sentence. You. Note that the response sentence may not be returned depending on the content of the transmitted command sentence.

The command code CD indicates the type of information to be transmitted, and is composed of a character code corresponding to any of the alphabetic characters from "A" to "L". The codes “A” to “H” are used when transmitting various setting data from the control device 3 to each terminal device in order to ensure data consistency of the entire system, and remain. Each code of "I" to "L" is
Used for data transmission from the terminal device. Table 1 below shows correspondence between the transmission content specified by each command code, the data capacity of the transmission information SI, and the data capacity of the response information RI to the transmission.

[0070]

[Table 1]

Hereinafter, the relationship between each command sentence and the response sentence will be described with reference to Table 1 above.

(1) Type information transmission command (command code A) The type, that is, whether each device is a medal lending device 1, a ticket issuing device 2, or a settlement processing device 3, is transmitted to each terminal device. The transmission information SI in this case is 0 bytes. The terminal device that has received this command statement transmits a response statement including data of “1” for the medal lending device, “2” for the ticket issuing device, and “3” for the settlement processing device as the response information RI. It is created and returned to the control device 4.

(2) Operation Status Transmission Command (Command Code B) This command instructs each terminal device to transmit information on the current operation status. In this case, the transmission information SI is also 0 bytes. The terminal device receiving this command statement,
A one-byte code as shown in Table 2 below is set as response information RI according to the operation state of the device, and the control device 3
Return to

[0074]

[Table 2]

(3) Time setting processing for terminal devices (command code C) This is for setting the current time for each terminal device.
Transmission information SI having a data configuration as shown in FIG. 20 is created. The transmission information SI has a data structure of 12 bytes, and the most significant 2 bytes of the transmission information SI have the lower 2nd year of the Christian era.
Data YR indicating a digit is represented by data MT indicating a month by the next two bytes, and data DT, HR, MIN, and SD indicating day, hour, minute, and second are sequentially expressed in units of 2 bytes. (In the illustrated example, a time “10:13:05 on September 5, 1995” is shown). Although this apparatus has received the command statement does not output a response sentence rewrites the current time data T _N region R ₁ in the RAM described above in accordance with the transmission information SI.

(4) Transmission Command of Set Time (Command Code D) This command is for instructing the terminal device to transmit the set current time. In this case, the transmission information SI is 0 bytes. In response to this command statement, the terminal device
Currently reads a time data T _N of the inner creates a response information RI having the same structure as that shown in FIG 20 and returns to the control device 3.

(5) Store number setting process (command code E) The control unit 4 receives the unique store number of the playground from the center device 6 of the card company. The same store number is set to each terminal device using E. In this embodiment, 5 as shown in FIG.
The store number is indicated by byte-structured data, and this store number is transmitted to each terminal device as transmission information SI.
Note that each device does not output a response statement to this command statement.

(6) Store Number Confirmation Processing (Command Code F) This is for confirming whether or not the store number set in each terminal device is the same as the one assigned to the playground. Is 0 bytes. In response to this command statement, the terminal device creates response information RI having the same configuration as that of FIG. 21 and returns it to the control device 3.

(7) Security Key Code Setting Processing (Command Code G) For each terminal device, a key code used for encrypting ticketing information in a card to be issued or for decrypting information read from a received card is provided. For setting, a random number sequence of 8 bytes is generated in the control device 3 and is used as transmission information SI and transmitted to each terminal device. As a result, the same key code is set to all terminal devices in the playground. Note that the terminal device does not output a response statement to this command statement.

(8) Security Key Code Setting Confirmation Process (Command Code H) This is for confirming the security key code set in each terminal device. In this case, the transmission information SI is 0 bytes. In response to this command statement, the terminal device creates 8-byte response information RI indicating the set key code, and returns it to the control device 3.

The above-described processing by the command codes A to H is appropriately performed at the time of starting the system or the like. By transmitting each command statement to each terminal device of the playground in sequence, the setting data in each device is changed. It can be integrated and enhance security. In addition, by appropriately changing the setting data of the store number and the key code,
The security of the system can be further increased.

(9) Data Transmission of Information Concerning Variations in Operational Status (Command Code I) This is for transmitting a status to the control device when the operational status of each terminal device changes. As the transmission information SI in this case, a code similar to that shown in Table 2 is used. In response to this command statement, the control device 4 does not output a response statement, but executes a backup process or the like for the terminal device in which an operation error has occurred.

(10) Transmission of Read Information (Command Code J) This command is issued when a card issued by another terminal device is inserted into the medal lending device 1 or when a payment process or a check process is performed by the payment processing device 3. The medal lending device 1 and the settlement processing device 3 extract the identification number data PN from the card information of the accepted card, and use this data PN in the command sentence. This is set as the identification number YN and the transmission information SI indicating the card information of this card is created.

FIG. 22 shows a configuration example of the transmission information SI. First, the first six bytes indicate data YR, MT, and DT indicating the date of card issuance, the next eight bytes represent the code number NB of the card, and the next three bytes represent the monetary value VL currently held by the card. Is done.

The terminal device of the card issuer receiving the information transmission checks the transmission information SI against the card information stored in the RAM, and when both match, the response information R
A code of "1" is returned as I. If the data of the received transmission information SI does not exist in the RAM as a result of the collation, the terminal device that issued the card issues the response information RI.
Is transmitted as the code "2". If the value VL of the received transmission information SI does not match the value VL of the corresponding card information in the RAM, the terminal device of the card issuer returns a code of "3" as the response information, Perform invalidation processing such as erasing the corresponding card information.

(11) Transmission of rewrite information (command code K) When the terminal device that has received the response information RI of the code “1” rewrites the value of the card, the terminal device of the card issuer is rewritten. This is for transmitting rewriting information including the deduction amount data. In this case, the transmission information SI
Is as shown in FIG. The transmission information SI has a configuration similar to the transmission information shown in FIG. 22 and has a 20-byte configuration in which the rewritten amount value VL _NEW is added.

The terminal device of the card issuer receiving the information transmission performs the above-mentioned transmission information SI again against the card information in the RAM, and when the corresponding information is found, the value VL _NEW After the rewriting process of the money amount value VL is performed by using, the code of “1” is returned as the response information RI. If the data of the received transmission information SI does not exist in the RAM as a result of the collation, the terminal device issuing the card issues “2” as the response information.
Submit the code. If the value of money VL of the received transmission information SI does not match the value of money VL of the corresponding card information in the RAM, the card issuing terminal device:
A code "3" is returned as response information, and RA
Perform invalidation processing such as erasing the corresponding card information in M.

(12) Card Information Transmission Process (Command Code L) Used when a new card is issued from each medal lending device 1 and ticket issuing device 2 to the control device 4 and the card information is transmitted. The transmission information SI has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. In this case, after storing the transmitted information in a predetermined area in its own RAM 88, control device 4 returns a code of “1” as response information.

In this game media lending system using a prepaid card, as described above, each device creates a command statement including the identification number of the device to which the information is to be transmitted, and sends this to the communication line L1. Of the devices that have received the command number, only the device having the identification number that matches the identification number YR executes the process corresponding to the command statement. In this case, if the target device of the command statement is performing some processing and cannot process the command statement within a predetermined time, a predetermined busy signal is returned from this device to the transmission source device. I have to. FIG. 24 shows an example of the configuration of the above-mentioned busy signal, which is represented by a character "@" indicating the type of the signal.

Further, in the configuration of this system, when a command statement or a response statement is sent from a plurality of devices at the same time, a problem occurs that interference occurs. In order to solve this problem, each device checks the signal transmitted by the own device immediately after transmission and, for all the received signals (the command sentence, the response sentence, the busy signal, etc.), receives the latest received signal. and stores the time in the region R ₂ in the RAM, and so as to delay the sending of command statements from the own apparatus from the latest receiving time T _r until a predetermined time DT has elapsed.

The delay time DT is determined by the following equation (A) based on the identification number MN assigned to each device. DT = 110 + MN * 1.5 (msec) (A) Note that the fixed value (100 msec,
1.5 msec) is set according to the information processing time of each device.

For example, the terminal device X to which the identification number "001" is assigned and the terminal device Y to which the identification number "002" is assigned
Therefore, if it is assumed that the command statements are simultaneously transmitted at the time T, each device cannot accurately recognize the received signal due to the interference of these command statements. At this time, each device performs abnormal processing on the received signal,
The reception time T is set in the area R ₂ in the RAM, respectively,
Hereinafter, transmission control based on the formula (A) is executed.

The above processing is similarly performed for the terminal devices X and Y that are the signal issuers, and is 111.5 m from the time T.
After the elapse of sec, the terminal device X with the smaller identification number
Is retransmitted, and then from time T to 11
When 3 msec has elapsed, the command sent from the terminal device Y is retransmitted.

FIG. 25 shows a control procedure of the medal lending apparatus 1. When the initial settings of the apparatus are made by the command statements including the command codes A to H, the CPU 43
Is the insertion of a bill into the bill receiving port 20, the card entrance 22
It stands by in a state where it can respond to both the insertion of a card into the device and the reception of a command statement from another device.

When a bill is inserted from the bill receiving port 20,
Step 1 (indicated by “ST1” in the figure) becomes “YES”, and the CPU 43 reads out and executes the program for the card issuing process in the ROM 44. As a result, if the inserted bill is appropriate, a prepaid card in which card information such as a monetary value of 1,000 yen is written is created and issued from the card entrance 22 (step 4).

When the card issued in the step 4 is taken in the machine body again by the push operation of the push operation switch 21, or the card issued by another medal lending device 1 or the ticket issuing device 2 is sent to the card entrance 22. When it is inserted into the airframe, step 2 becomes “YES” and the CP
The U43 reads and executes a program related to the medal lending process in the ROM 44 (Step 5).

The receiving circuit 96 of the transmitting / receiving section 50 receives all signals transmitted from each device,
Reference numeral 43 recognizes only a command sent to the own device from the received signals. When this recognition is performed, step 3 becomes “YES”, and the CPU 43 then compares the command sentence with the card issued by its own device for the card (read data of the card accepted by another terminal device). It is checked whether or not (step 6).

If the command code CD in the command sentence is the above-mentioned code "J", step 6 becomes "YES" and proceeds to step 7, where the CPU 43 reads the transmission information following this code "J" and Then, the card information represented by the transmission information is collated with the registration information in the RAM 88 (step 7). Thereafter, the CPU 43 creates a response sentence including any of the codes “1”, “2”, and “3” based on the collation result, and returns it to the information transmission source device (step 8). On the other hand, if the command code CD is a code other than “J”, the process proceeds to step 9 and processing based on the received command code is performed.

FIG. 26 shows a detailed procedure of the card issuance processing in step 4 described above. First, the CPU 43 executes step 4
At -1, it is checked whether or not the inserted bill is proper according to the discrimination signal of the bill discriminator 48, and if the judgment is "NO", the accepted bill is returned to the bill accepting port 20 ( Step 4-5).

If the accepted bill is correct, step 4-1 becomes "YES", and the CPU 43 next checks whether or not a card is accommodated in the card accommodating section 38. At this time, if the photoelectric sensor PH5 is off, the determination in Step 4-2 is "NO", and the routine goes to Step 4-5.

When the determination in step 4-2 is "YES", the CPU 43 reads the current time T _N from the area R ₁ in the RAM 45, determines the ticket issue number NB of the card to be issued, and And card information combining the price value data (thousand yen) and storing the card information in the registration area of the RAM 45 (step 4-).
3).

Next, the CPU 43 proceeds to a process for transmitting the created card information to the control device 4. First CPU43 reads out from said region R ₂ in the RAM45 latest receiving time T _r (in the early stages is set to a zero value), elapsed from the latest received time by the the time T _r and the current time T _N Calculate the time. The calculated value is the (A) "YES" is the delay time T if exceeded _A step 4-6 based on equation next, CPU 43 executes the transmission of the card information by the command code L (Step 4-7 ).

Next, the CPU 43 checks the command sentence fed back via the receiving circuit 96 of the transmitting / receiving unit 50 to check whether the transmission has been normally performed (step 4-8). If this determination is "NO", the flow returns to step 4-6, at a stage where the time T _A from the transmission has elapsed, transmits again the card information.

On the other hand, upon confirming that the transmission has been normally performed, the CPU 43 waits for a response sent from the control device 4. In this case, if the transmission time T _S is a predetermined time-out time T _B can not receive the response sentence is also passed in step 4-7, step 4-9 is "YES", again, the transmission processing of the read information Done. If a busy signal is received before the time-out, step 4-12
Becomes "YES", and returns to step 4-6 again to perform the same processing.

When a response sentence including the response information “1” is returned from the control device 4, “YES” is determined in step 4-11, and the CPU 43 drives the card transport mechanism 39 to move the card Unload the card to the transport path 30,
Thereafter, the card information is written in the information storage area of the card according to the above-described procedure, and is carried out to the card entrance 22 (step 4-14).

[0106] Incidentally, if there is no response from the control unit 4 also performs transmission, each time the time-out time T _B
Retransmission processing is performed every time. As a result, if no response is obtained for the predetermined number of transmissions, step 4-13 is “YES”, and the CPU 43 determines that the communication line to the control device 4 is disconnected, The process proceeds to a card issuing process in step 4-14.

FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 show the detailed procedure of the medal lending process in step 5 described above. When the accepted card is taken into the conveyance path 30 and conveyed, and the card information is read by the magnetic head 32, C
After checking the data YR, MT, and DT relating to the card issue date in the read card information, the PU 43 determines from the identification number PN whether or not this card has been issued by itself (step 5). -1, 5-2). As a result, if the identification number PN coincides with the identification number of the own device, the process proceeds to step 5-3, where the read card information and RA
The collation with the registration information in M45 is performed.

When the read card information is recognized as being correct by the above collation, the step 5-4 proceeds to "Y".
ES ”, and the CPU 43 creates the above-mentioned difference amount data (step 5-5). As described above, the deducted amount data is converted into predetermined frequency data and is displayed on the frequency display 12 of the adjacent slot machine 5, and when the player presses the medal lending switch 11, A medal lending signal accompanying this operation is input from the slot machine 5 to the medal lending device 1. As a result, step 5-6 becomes "YES" and step 5
The process proceeds to -33, where the CPU 43 rewrites the value of the card using the deduction amount data, and transmits frequency data corresponding to the deduction amount data to the control circuit unit 14 of the adjacent slot machine 5 ( Step 5-3
4).

At the next step 5-35, the CPU 43
The updated value of the card is checked, and if the value is zero, the card holder 38 is checked in the next step 5-36.
After confirming that the inside is empty, the card transport mechanism 39 is driven, and the card is accommodated in the card accommodating section 38 (step 5-37). If the money value remains on the card, step 5-35 becomes “NO” and the CP
U43 drives the card transport mechanism 31 to carry out the card to the card entrance 22 (step 5-38).

On the other hand, if the card information read from the card does not match the registered information in the RAM 45 by the collation processing in step 5-3, step 5-4 becomes "NO" and step 5 Move to -38,
The input card is returned.

When it is determined in step 5-2 that the accepted card has been issued by another terminal device,
U43 is, after confirming that the said delay time from the latest receiving time T _r T _A has elapsed, transmits the card information of the received card issuing terminal equipment (step 5-7,5
-8). The content of the transmission information is checked in the same manner as the transmission of the card information at the time of issuing the card, and if the transmission is not performed correctly, the transmission information is retransmitted when the delay time T _A has elapsed. (step 5-7～5-9) Further, "YES" step 5-10 if not also obtained no response after the lapse of the timeout period T _B, similarly retransmit processing is performed .

When the transmission is normally performed and a correct response sentence is returned from the card issuer, both steps 5-11 and 5-12 are set to "YES", and the process proceeds to step 5-17. Then, in the next step 5-17, the CPU 43 checks whether or not the response information RI in the response sentence is the code “1”. This judgment is "Y
If it is "ES", the card information of the accepted card is considered to be appropriate, and the processing from step 5-18 is executed.

On the other hand, if the received response sentence is not proper, the result of step 5-12 is "NO", and the CPU 4
3 returns to step 5-7 again to execute the read information retransmission process. If the response information RI of the response sentence is the code “2” or “3”, Step 5-17,
5-19 are both "NO", and the flow shifts to the card return process in step 5-38.

If the communication line to the card issuing device is broken, no response is obtained even if the transmission is performed a predetermined number of times. Therefore, Steps 5-14 and 5-15
Are both "YES" and the process proceeds to step 5-16, where the CPU 43 changes the transmission destination of the transmission information to the control device 4, and returns to step 5-7 again to execute the transmission process. This change of the transmission destination is realized by changing the identification number YN in the transmission information to the identification number "000" of the control device 4, and this changed state is retained even when the following rewriting information is transmitted. You.

In the control device 4 having received the above-mentioned transmission, an appropriate collation process is performed, and when a response sentence including the code "1" is returned, step 5-17 becomes "YES" and step 5 The processing shifts to processing of -18 or lower. If the communication line to the control device 4 is also disconnected, the loop from step 5-7 to step 5-14 is repeated a predetermined number of times, and then the process returns to step 5-15. In this case, step 5-1
The determination at Step 5 becomes "NO" and the process proceeds to Step 5-31. The CPU 43 displays message information indicating the card issuing terminal device on the display unit 23 as shown in FIG. Then, the flow shifts to a card return process of No. 38.

Although communication with the control device 4 is possible, if the card information of the inserted card is not registered in the control device 4, the control device 4 sends a response message including the code "2". Will be returned. In this case, step 17 becomes "NO" and step 19 becomes "YES", and the process proceeds to step 31. As described above, the message information is displayed on the display unit 23, and then the inserted card is returned.

When step 5-17 is YES, C
The PU 43 performs processing similar to the processing for the card issued by its own device,
In addition to creating the deduction amount data, the frequency data according to this amount is given to the adjacent slot machine 5, and the process shifts to the medal lending process based on the input of the medal lending signal from the slot machine 5 (step). 5-1
8, 5-20).

When a medal lending signal is input, the CPU 4
3 creates the rewriting information and transmits the rewriting information to the card issuing terminal device. In this case, if a response sentence is returned from the control device 4 when the read information is transmitted, the rewriting information is also transmitted to the control device 4. Also, in this transmission, if communication with the card issuing terminal device cannot be performed for the first time, the transmission destination of the information is changed to the control device 4 in the same manner as described above (step 5-21 to step 5-).
32). As a result, when the terminal device or the control device 4 of the card issuer receives the rewrite information, normally rewrites the card information registered in the RAM, and returns a response sentence including the code "1", the process proceeds to step 5-32. The judgment is "YES"
, And the processing from step 5-33 described above is executed. When communication with the control device 4 is also disabled, after the message information is displayed on the display unit 23,
The inserted card is returned (steps 31 and 3).
8).

By the rewriting process in step 5-33, even if the value of the card becomes zero, the card storage 38
If the accommodation card is present in the card, this card is returned to the card entrance 22. If the response sent from the issuing terminal device or the control device 4 contains a code other than "1", step 5-32 becomes "NO" and the medal lending process is stopped, and the card The card is returned to the card entrance 22.

FIG. 29 shows the control operation of the ticket issuing device 2. As in the case of the medal lending apparatus 1, when the initial setting of the apparatus is performed, the CPU 60 stands by in a state capable of responding to both insertion of a bill from the bill insertion slot 57 and reception of a command sentence from another apparatus. .

When a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 57, step 1 becomes "YES" and the card issuing process of step 3 is executed. If a signal from another device is received and step 2 becomes “YES”, the next step 4
In step S5, if the command code CD of the received signal is "J", the card collation processing and the return processing of the collation result in steps 5 and 6 are performed. 7 is executed. The detailed procedures of Steps 3, 5 and 6 are the same as those described for the medal lending apparatus 1, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 30 and FIG.
A control procedure will be described. After the initial setting of the apparatus is completed, a card is inserted into the card receiving slot 76, and the step 1 is executed by the "YE
S ”, the CPU 78 proceeds to the next steps 2 to 13
Then, the same processing as in steps 5-1 to 5-17 in FIG. 27 is executed, and the collation result from the terminal device that issued the card is obtained.

When the response message including the code "1" is returned from the transmission destination, the result of step 13 is "YES", and the process proceeds to step 14 and subsequent steps, but the response message including the code "2" or "3" is returned. Is returned, the CPU 78
Displays an error message or the like on the information display sections 71 and 74 and stops the process (step 17).

If step 13 is "YES" and the operation switch related to the card information collation processing is pressed, the CPU 78 proceeds from step 14 to 15 to display the corresponding card information in the information display. Parts 71, 7
4 is displayed.

If the operation switch related to the settlement process is being pressed, step 14 becomes "YES" and C
The PU 78 transmits the card rewriting information to the card issuing terminal device in the same manner as in steps 5-20 to 5-31 in FIG. 28, and updates the registration information with the rewriting information according to a response sent from this device. It is confirmed that the processing has been completed (steps 18 to 29). If this confirmation is made and step 29 becomes “YES”, the CPU 7
8 uses the magnetic head 32 to change the monetary value of the card to “0”.
At the same time, the banknote discharge mechanism 83 or the coin discharge mechanism 84 is operated to pay out the settlement money (steps 30 and 31).

On the other hand, when a response message including the code “2” or “3” is returned from the terminal device of the card issuer,
If step 29 becomes "NO", the process shifts to step 32, and the CPU 78 stops the settlement process after displaying an error message on the information display sections 71 and 74.

In the settlement processing device 3, as in the case of the medal lending device 1, if no response is obtained from the card issuing terminal device to the accepted card reading information or rewriting information, Is changed to the control device 4 and retransmission is performed (step 1).
0-12, steps 25-29). In this case, if no response message can be obtained from the card issuing device or the control device 4 with respect to the transmission of the read information or the transmission of the rewrite information, or the registered information corresponding to the transmitted read information is controlled. If it is not stored in the device, the process proceeds to step 28, where message information as shown in FIG. 33 is displayed on the information display sections 71 and 74, and the process is stopped.

The attendant moves to the card issuing terminal device indicated in the message information and inserts the card into the card entrance 22 (in the case of the ticket issuing device 2, the card issuing opening 58). The control unit of the terminal device having received the card reads the recording information of the card using the magnetic head, reads the corresponding registration information from the RAM and checks the registration information with the recording information. Are displayed on the display units 23 and 100.

According to the above configuration, each medal lending device 1
Normally, the collation processing of the cards inserted into the payment processing device 3 is performed by the terminal device that issued each card, so that the concentration of transmission to the control device 4 can be avoided. Therefore, there is no need to mount large-scale hardware in the control device 4 or to increase the communication speed between the devices, and the hardware configuration of the entire system can be greatly reduced.
In addition, in each medal lending device 1, the card with a value of zero is collected and reused, so that the cost for issuing the card can be greatly reduced, and the configuration is simple, inexpensive, and simple.
And a system with high security can be provided.

The controller 4 does not participate in the normal card collation processing, but executes the above-mentioned backup processing when communication between any of the terminal devices becomes impossible. Furthermore, even if communication with other devices becomes impossible, the terminal device of the card issuer can properly perform the collation processing of the card information issued by its own device. Without stopping completely, the convenience of the system is greatly improved.

When the disconnection state of the communication line L is restored, the control device 4 confirms the backup process for the terminal device in which communication has been disabled, and returns to the terminal device which has rewritten the card registration information during the disconnection. On the other hand, the rewriting information is transmitted. Further, the control device 4 transmits to each terminal device a command statement requesting transmission of the latest card information held by the own device, and in response to this, sends the card information returned from each device to the internal device. Then, processing such as correcting data having different contents is performed by collating with the backup data. As a result, data consistency between the control device 4 and the terminal device is quickly restored, and thereafter, stable processing can be performed.

Further, in this game media lending system using a prepaid card, usually, at the end of the business hours of the playground, the control device 4 communicates with the center device 6 of the card company, and the daily card sales amount and It is obligatory to transmit data such as the amount of money used, and if the amusement park shuts down this communication and does not transmit data to the card company, a function to prohibit system startup is provided in the control device 4. Incorporated in.

The start-up prohibition function is activated when communication with the card company has not been performed for a predetermined number of days (for example, three days). Command code A to H), and instead transmits a special command statement for setting each terminal device to a non-operational state. As a result, all the devices become inoperable, thereby preventing unauthorized operation of the system.

The system according to this embodiment includes a medal lending device 1 adjacent to the slot machine 5 and a ticket issuing device 2.
And the settlement processing device 3 and the control device 4 are connected by a communication line L1, and a lending device for other game media, such as a pachinko ball lending device for lending a pachinko ball to a pachinko game machine, is added to this configuration. You may be comprised so that lending of several types of game media is possible with a card.

When the medal lending device 1 is used alone without being connected to a communication line, it is possible to accept only a prepaid card issued by the own device and lend a medal. In this case, the prepaid card issued by each medal lending device 1 can be used only by that device, but the reliability of the collation of the card information is further increased, preventing unauthorized use of the card and introducing the prepaid card. Cost can be significantly reduced.

[0136]

According to the present invention, as described above, a game medium lending device reads recorded information of a prepaid card received, and compares the read information with registration information of a prepaid card issued by the device itself. Is rented, it is possible to easily and completely prevent fraudulent acts using forged cards. In addition, a collection unit is provided to collect prepaid cards whose value has become zero after rewriting, so that the same card can be used over and over again, greatly reducing card costs. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a game medium lending system using a prepaid card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view and a perspective view showing a configuration example of a medal lending device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view and a side view showing a configuration of a card processing unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view and a side view showing a configuration of a card processing unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view and a side view showing a configuration of a card processing unit.

FIG. 6 is a plan view and a side view showing a configuration of a card processing unit.

FIG. 7 is a plan view and a side view showing the configuration of the card processing unit.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the medal lending device.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a configuration example of a ticket issuing device.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the ticket issuing device.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are a front view and a rear view showing the configuration of the settlement processing device.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a settlement processing device.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the control device.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration of a time storage area in a RAM of each device.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a transmission / reception unit of each device.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a communicable range at the time of disconnection.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration example of card information.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data configuration example of a command statement.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of a response sentence.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data configuration example of transmission information during a time setting process.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration example of transmission information at the time of a store number setting process.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration example of read information.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration example of rewrite information.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a busy signal.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the medal lending device.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a detailed control procedure of a card issuing process.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a detailed control procedure of a medal lending process.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing a detailed control procedure of a medal lending process.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the ticket issuing device.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the settlement processing device.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the settlement processing device.

FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of message information.

FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of message information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 medal lending device 4 control device 27 card processing unit 38 card storage unit 43 CPU 45 RAM 50 transmission / reception unit L1 communication line

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A game media lending device having a function of issuing a prepaid card having record information including a value of money, and a function of receiving an inserted prepaid card and lending a game medium corresponding to the value of money to a game machine. Storage means for storing record information including the value of a prepaid card issued by the own device as registration information of the prepaid card, and recording information read from the inserted prepaid card in the storage means. Collating means for collating information, control means for rewriting the value of the prepaid card and the registration information in the storage means based on the collation result of the collating means and lending the game medium to the game machine, and a prepaid card having a value of zero. An accommodating portion for accommodating one card; and a prepaid card rewritten by the control means. Discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the value of money of the prepaid card is zero, and collecting means for collecting the prepaid card into the storage section when the discriminating means determines that the value of money of the prepaid card is zero. A game media lending device comprising: