JP2001112922A - Ball slot type game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball slot type game machine easily operable by a player without erroneously performing a lending ball operation and storing balls by effectively utilizing a limited space. SOLUTION: The storage part 21a of an upper tray 21 and the storage part 22a of a lower tray 22 are arranged at shifted positions and the upper tray 21 and the lower tray 22 are integrally constituted in a shape including a U shape. Also, a card operation part 23 is provided on a part (expanded part 80) where the upper tray 21 and the lower tray 22 are connected and a ball discharge flow passage 76 for taking out a game ball from the upper tray 21 is formed in the back surface side internal space of the upper tray 21 and the lower tray 22. Thus, a mechanism capable of easily taking the balls stored on the lower tray 22 and also easily recovering the balls fetched for plural as one bet is attained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball-slot type gaming machine, and more particularly, to a slot game in which a game ball (for example, a pachinko ball) is inserted, a payout is performed by a game ball, and a pachinko machine island is provided. The present invention relates to a slot-type gaming machine that can be installed as it is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a pachinko machine, a game board is provided with an upper plate and a lower plate below the game board, and a ball overflowing from the upper plate is spilled and stored in the lower plate. If you make the upper plate bigger, you can probably get rid of the lower plate, but making it bigger means that the width that protrudes toward the player will increase that much, which may not give the player a feeling of oppression. Since there is no such dish, the upper and lower dishes are separated to increase the amount of storage. In order to increase the storage amount, it is conceivable, for example, to increase the depth of the upper plate.However, if the balls overlap, it may cause the ball to stop, so the depth of the upper plate is increased. I have not done that. Here, since the upper plate and the lower plate need only be provided below the game board, they are provided with a sufficient interval,
Removing or scraping the ball in the lower plate can be done effortlessly. In addition, the firing operation handle for hitting the ball is provided substantially at the waist level, and is located at a position where the player is hardly tired.

On the other hand, in slot machines using coins (so-called pachislot machines, hereinafter referred to as pachislot machines), a display device (for example, a drum type display device) is provided on the front of a box-shaped housing, and a stop is provided below the display device. A game-related operation unit such as a button and a storage plate for storing coins are provided. In the case of a pachislot machine, a game-related operation unit is provided below, and only one storage plate is provided for directly paying out coins without using a ball unlike a pachinko machine. By arranging the coin insertion slot and the game-related operation unit at the player's chest near the display device, the player is given a feeling of directly operating the display device (drum-type display device).
In such a pachi-slot machine, a player usually inserts three or less arbitrary medals, activates a start lever, starts a plurality of reels, and stops all reels by a stop button or the like. When the reels are stopped and the symbols are aligned on the activated line, a predetermined number of medals are paid out. In addition to the “small role” design that simply pays out medals, there are also “bonus” designs that allow a special game different from the base game. There are two types of “bonus” symbols, which are classified into “regular bonus” and “big bonus”.

Recently, slot-type gaming machines using pachinko balls as game balls, that is, slot games (for example, by inserting a constant number of game balls (for example, pachinko balls in units of five) by inserting pachinko balls). A game in which a belt is rotated in an elliptical shape instead of a drum and the game is played based on the display drawing. The same shall apply hereinafter), payout is also made with game balls, and slot-type games that can be installed on pachinko machine islands as they are Machines (hereinafter referred to as ball slot machines) have also been proposed. In a ball-slot type gaming machine, after inserting a pachinko ball in units of five and starting a plurality of reels, when all the reels are stopped by a stop button or the like, the symbols of each reel arranged on a predetermined stop line A slot game is performed in which the game is determined based on whether or not (for example, a pattern) has a predetermined arrangement. In such a ball-slot type gaming machine, while using a pachinko ball, the pachi-slot machine, the game-related operation unit and the display device are almost the same, and the arrangement of the game-related operation unit is also operated by the player. Easier height (eg, chest)
Exists. A game operation unit, particularly a start lever, a stop button, and the like, which are always operated, is provided on a protruding portion slightly protruding from the front surface of the housing, similarly to the pachislot machine, so that the player can easily operate.

[0005]

However, the ball-slot type gaming machine proposed conventionally has the following problems. (B) A ball slot type gaming machine has almost the same game function as a pachislot machine, except that the game medium is changed from a coin to a game ball, so a similar configuration is required. Since playing games, there was a problem in the storage of balls. That is, since a plurality of balls (for example, five balls) are required for each bet, the number of balls decreases quickly, and if a large amount of balls cannot be stored as in the case of a pachinko machine, refilling balls (eg, , Replenishment by ball rental) increased, which took time and effort. Therefore, it is desired to provide the upper plate and the lower plate in the same configuration as the pachinko machine, but since there is a game operation unit (start lever, stop button, etc.), even if the upper plate and the lower plate are provided, the distance between each other is increased. Becomes short, and it becomes difficult to take the ball stored in the lower plate.

Therefore, it is conceivable to provide the lower plate opening at a position where the upper plate does not exist, but in that case, the upper plate is arranged in an empty space to the lower plate. However, in this case, there is a disadvantage that the "ball lending operation unit" (auxiliary operation unit), which has conventionally existed near the rectifying unit of the upper plate, cannot be provided. If the "ball lending operation unit" cannot be provided in the vicinity of the rectifying unit, it must be provided in another part of the upper plate. For example, the upper part of the upper plate may be considered. However, in this case, since the game operation unit protrudes, it is located below the game operation unit, and there is a drawback that it is difficult to operate the ball lending operation unit. It is also conceivable to provide an auxiliary operation unit such as the ball lending operation unit or the like on the protrusion provided with the game operation unit. However, a player who is absorbed in the game and continuously rubs and presses the three stop buttons The switch of the auxiliary operation unit may be erroneously pressed by the user, which is not preferable.
Therefore, it is necessary to make the configuration such that the switch of the auxiliary operation unit is not accidentally pressed.

(B) In a ball-slot type gaming machine, a plurality of balls are captured by one bet, and a sensor for detecting one or more spare balls is provided above a counting sensor for detecting the capture of one-bet balls. Required. Therefore, a space is required below the ball intake port of the upper plate (for example, below the rectifying section) where a small amount of balls are retained, and a mechanism for removing balls including balls immediately before the counting sensor is required. Since the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate is small, there is a problem that it is difficult to provide the mechanism.
As another mechanism, for example, when a predetermined number of balls corresponding to the number of bets are held in advance and the bet button is operated, the bet insertion is immediately supported (for example, the bet line is activated), and thereafter, However, a ball-slot-type gaming machine may be designed to increase the operability by adopting a mechanism that takes in the ball, but in this case, when returning the ball held without betting, the ball is returned. And a return route are required, resulting in a troublesome and complicated configuration.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is easy for a player to operate the ball without erroneously operating the ball, and the ball can be stored by effectively using a limited space. It is an object to provide a ball-slot type gaming machine.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a ball-slot type gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention performs a slot game using a game ball and stores an upper plate and a lower plate for storing the game ball. In the ball-slot type gaming machine provided with, the storage portion of the upper plate and the storage portion of the lower plate are arranged at shifted positions, and the upper plate and the lower plate are integrally formed in a shape including a U-shape. In addition, an auxiliary operation unit is provided at a portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected to each other, and a ball removal flow path for extracting game balls from the upper plate is formed in the inner space on the back side of the upper plate and the lower plate. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball-slot type gaming machine according to the second aspect, wherein the upper plate includes a storage portion protruding toward the player, and a rectifying portion for aligning the game balls in a line. The vicinity of the rectifying portion of the upper plate is formed in a shape recessed toward the gaming machine, and the lower plate is arranged so that the ball take-out portion of the lower plate is located in the vicinity of the rectifying portion of the upper plate recessed toward the gaming machine, A portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected bulges toward the player, the auxiliary operation portion is provided in the bulge portion, and the ball vent channel is formed in an internal space of the bulge portion. And Claim 2
The ball slot type gaming machine according to claim 3, wherein a ball counting unit that counts game balls and a ball removal channel are provided in an internal space of a bulging portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected. At least a main part of a flow path switching unit for switching to a dish return flow path or a counted ball flow path is disposed. A ball-slot type gaming machine according to claim 4 which is dependent on claim 1, wherein the portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected has an obliquely inclined shape that gradually expands from the upper plate to the lower plate, It is characterized in that the auxiliary operation section is arranged in the obliquely inclined portion.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A. FIG. 1 is a front view of a ball-slot type gaming machine. In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a ball-slot type gaming machine. The ball-slot type gaming machine 1 includes a machine frame (body frame) 11 (see FIG. 2), a front frame 12 openably supported by the machine frame 11, and a front frame 12. A front decorative cover member 13 supported to be openable and closable, and a front operation panel 14
And Note that a card-type ball lending machine (hereinafter, simply referred to as a ball lending machine) having a card reader built in is attached to the ball-slot type gaming machine 1, but is not shown (so-called C).
(Same as pachinko machines called R machines). The machine frame 11 is made of wood and has a size and a shape that can be installed as it is on a pachinko machine island (hereinafter simply referred to as an island as appropriate). That is, the ball-slot type gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment is fixed by attaching the machine frame 11 to the island. At this time, the ball slot-type gaming machine 1 can be attached to the existing facility of the game arcade in the same manner as a conventional pachinko machine. It has become. For example, the size of the ball-slot type gaming machine 1 including the machine frame 11 is 810 mm in height, 520 mm in width, and 95 mm in depth at the same maximum as the size of a normal pachinko machine.
mm, which is suitable for a normal pachinko machine island.

The front frame 12 is formed in a frame shape, and is supported on the wooden machine frame 11 by front frame shafts 15, 16 (for example, upper hinge and lower hinge) so as to be openable and closable. The front frame 12 is locked to the machine frame 11 by a key device 17. The front decorative cover member 13 is the front frame 12
Are supported by the cover member shafts 18 and 19 so as to be openable and closable. The front decorative cover member 13 is locked to the front frame 12 by the key device 20. An upper plate 21 and a lower plate 22 are formed on the front operation panel 14 for receiving prizes (paying game balls) and storing game balls, and a card operation unit 23 (auxiliary operation unit) for operating a prepaid card. Is provided. Further, the lower plate 22 is provided with a ball pulling lever 24 for pulling out the stored balls to the lower outside (for example, a dollar box). The card operation unit 23 includes a credit settlement button 25 for performing a credit settlement operation, a ball return button 26 (an upper plate ball removal button) for performing a game ball return operation, and a ball operated when purchasing a game ball. There are provided a lending button 31, a card frequency display (card balance display) 32 for displaying the balance of the prepaid card, and a card discharge button (return button) 33 operated when discharging the prepaid card.

The card operation unit 23 constitutes an auxiliary operation unit. The auxiliary operation unit referred to here includes switches for performing ball-lending operations, ball-discharging operations, and the like. A switch not normally used in the game in the ball slot game of the ball slot game machine 1, such as a display for performing,
An operation unit provided with a display and the like. Therefore, the auxiliary operation unit is not limited to the switch and the display as shown in FIG. Construct a display and the like. The front decorative cover member 13 does not include the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 (storage plate) for storing game balls, and is supported by the front frame 12 so as to be openable and closable. In the case of a pachislot machine using coins, a medal tray for storing paid-out coins etc. is provided at the lower side of the front door that is supported by the pachislot machine body so that it can be opened and closed, and the front door and medal tray are integrated. It has a different structure.

Here, the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are characteristic parts of the present embodiment.
Has a storage section 21a for storing balls and a rectifying section 21s for aligning the game balls in a line (see FIG. 3). In addition,
In FIG. 1, the bottom surface 21t of the upper plate 21 is shown, and a discharge port, a flow path, and the like of a sphere are shown by broken lines in FIG. The storage part 21a is formed in a shape protruding toward the player, and can store a certain amount of balls. An upper bowl discharge port 73 described later is opened in the storage section 21 a, and a ball is discharged from the discharge unit 64 to the upper bowl 21 through the ball discharge port 73.
On the other hand, the lower plate 22 has a storage portion 22a for storing balls (see FIG. 3), and a lower plate ball discharge port 74 described later is opened in the storage portion 22a. The ball is discharged from the unit 64 to the lower plate 22. The upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are arranged at positions where the storage portion 21a of the upper plate 21 and the storage portion 22a of the lower plate 22 are shifted, and the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are formed into a shape including a U-shape. It is designed to be integrated. Each storage unit 21a, 2
The arrangement at a position where 2a is shifted means that each of the storage units 21a, 22
a is displaced in the left-right direction and the up-down direction when viewed from the player side facing the ball slot-type gaming machine 1, so that, for example, when a player takes out a ball from the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 The concept is such that the player can easily recognize the stored state of the ball in both the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 by visual observation, so that the player can easily operate the ball. This is the configuration. In addition, the upper plate 21
In this embodiment, the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are integrally formed in a U-shape as an example in which the lower plate 22 and the lower plate 22 are integrally formed in a shape including a U-shape. This is because when the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are viewed from the front of the ball-slotted gaming machine 1, the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected at the right side of the front. This is a concept that the dish 22 is formed in a U-shape when viewed as a whole. In the present invention, since the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 may be integrally formed in a shape including a U-shape, for example, a small beam may be placed on the left portion of the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 and The case where the plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are integrally formed in a square shape is also included. The configuration requirement of the present invention is that the storage portion 21a of the upper plate 21 and the storage portion 22a of the lower plate 22 are arranged at shifted positions, and the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are integrally formed in a shape including a U-shape. In addition, an auxiliary operation unit (card operation unit 23) is provided at a portion where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected.
For example, the fact that the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are integrally formed in a square shape is included in the concept of design change or equality within the scope of the present invention.

The rectifying section 21s of the upper plate 21 communicates sequentially with a ball counting unit 35 (see FIG. 2) and a flow path switching unit 36 (see FIG. 2) through a ball inlet 34. Furthermore, it communicates with the lower plate 22 via the lower plate guide flow path 37. A portion where the lower dish guide flow path 37 is opened in the lower dish 22 is a lower dish ball removal ball outlet 38 through which the ball is passed from the lower dish guide flow path 37 to the lower dish. It is discharged to 22. The above-mentioned ball inlet 34, ball counting unit 35, channel switching unit 36, lower plate guide channel 3
7 and a ball outlet 38 for removing the lower tray ball are provided in the inner space on the back side of the upper tray 21 and the lower tray 22, of which a ball intake 34, a ball counting unit 35, and a flow path switching unit 36 are provided.
Flow path, lower plate guide flow path 37 and lower plate ball extraction ball outlet 3
Reference numeral 8 denotes a ball-extraction channel 76 for extracting game balls from the upper plate 21. The above-mentioned card operation unit 23 (auxiliary operation unit) is provided at a portion where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected.

The front decorative cover member 13 is arranged on the front side of the front frame 12 so as to face the internal display device 41 (see FIG. 2), and has three rows of transparent windows 42 and opaque portions other than the transparent windows 42. And a part. The transparent window portion 42 is made of, for example, a transparent resin, and makes a display portion of the display device 41 visible to a player. On the other hand, the opaque portion of the front decorative cover member 13 is formed of, for example, a colored or decorated translucent plastic plate (or formed of an opaque resin). Therefore, the front decorative cover member 1
3 makes the display device 41 at the rear visible to the player through the transparent window portion 42, and the other display portions are made invisible by an opaque portion.

The display device 41 is a belt type display unit (not shown).
The belt-type display unit has a mechanism (for example, a mechanism having a stepping motor) for rotating three belts in an elliptical shape instead of the drum of the pachislot machine. The three belts are made of polyethylene terephthalate having a width of 74 mm and a length of 658.8 mm, and have a major axis of 294 mm,
It can rotate in an elliptical shape with a short axis of 105 mm. Then, similarly to the drum type, three stop buttons 56 to 5 to be described later.
At 8 the rotation is stopped, and each symbol drawn on the belt competes for a prize such as a big hit with 5 lines of 3 horizontal rows and 2 diagonal rows. The rotation of the three belts can be controlled individually, and various symbols as symbols, for example, “7”, “BAR”, “＄”,
"￥" etc. are drawn respectively. The present invention is not limited to these, and may be a pattern such as “JAC”, “orange”, “bell”, and “cherry”. On the upper side of the front decorative cover member 13, a decorative lamp 43 that is turned on when a reach occurs, a big hit occurs, a number indicator 44 that displays the number of games during the big bonus, and a light / light for staging during a big hit game. Flashing jackpot game decoration lamp 45
(Eight are arranged, but since it becomes complicated, the coding is 1
Only) are placed.

At approximately the center of the front decorative cover member 13, the above-mentioned three rows of transparent windows 42 are arranged, and a bet line BL for displaying a betting line of a game ball is drawn so as to overlap the transparent window 42. Have been. On the side of the transparent window portion 42 of the front decorative cover member 13, a credit number display 46 for displaying the number of credits (for example, regulated to a maximum of 50 game balls), and the number of payout game balls at the time of winning. A payout display 47 is provided, and a bet valid display 48 for displaying that a bet is valid is provided. A betting button 54 for inserting and playing betting (betting a predetermined number (for example, five) of game balls) on the rotating lamps 51 to 53 and the game balls in the upper plate 21 on the lower side of the front decorative cover member 13. (Can bet even from credits), a start lever 55 (start switch) for starting the rotation (symbol variation) of the belt of the display device 41,
A stop button (stop button) 5 for performing a stop operation of a symbol (a symbol drawn on the belt of the display device 41; the same applies hereinafter).
6 to 58 are arranged. The rotating lamps 51 to 53 indicate that it is effective to stop the rotation of the symbol by operating the stop buttons 56 to 58. When the bet button 54 is pressed, the game balls on the upper plate 21 are automatically inserted when credits are released, and 5
In the credit state, game balls are inserted from the credits so that five bets can be made.

B. FIG. 2 is a view showing a back mechanism of the ball-slot type gaming machine 1 and FIG.
Here, the entire machine frame 11 described above is illustrated. In FIG. 2, the main components of the back mechanism in the ball-slot type gaming machine 1 include a display device 41, an upper tank 61, a taxiway 6,
2. There are a terminal board (external terminal board) 63, a discharge unit 64, a game control device 65, a card connector 66, a power supply unit 67, and a base frame 68 (back mechanism base) of a back mechanism board. The ball counter unit 35 and the flow path switching unit 36 can be viewed from the back side of the ball slot type gaming machine 1 on the back side, but a part of the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 2
2 is buried in the back side internal space. The base frame 68 is formed from an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin, and is a ball-slot type gaming machine 1.
Is attached to a metal frame (not shown) fixed to the back side of the front frame 12. Various components such as the display device 41 and the upper tank 6 are placed on the base frame 78.
1. Taxiway 62, terminal board (external terminal board) 6
3. A discharge unit 64, a card connector 66, a power supply unit 67, and the like are attached (for example, fixed by a one-touch holding member), and these various components and the base frame 68 are collectively referred to as a back mechanism panel. It is called.

The upper tank 61 stores the balls before they are discharged. The shortage of the number of balls in the upper tank 61 is detected by a replenishment sensor (not shown). Is replenished. The ball in the upper tank 61 is guided by the guide path 62 and discharged by the discharge unit 64. The discharge unit 64 has a discharge device 69 inside, and discharges a required number of game balls guided from the upper tank 61 to the player side based on a predetermined ball discharge command signal (signal from the game control device 65) (here, Emissions include prize ball emissions and ball rental emissions). The discharge unit 64 has two ball discharge passages (not shown), one of which discharges a prize ball, and the other of which discharges a ball for lending. It has become. That is, the configuration is such that the two ball discharge passages are properly used depending on the application. Ejecting for a prize ball is equivalent to supplying a game value generated in a game to a player. Control may be performed such that all the ball discharge passages of the two articles are discharged in prize balls or discharged in a lending manner, such that they are collectively used.

Whether or not there are balls for prize ball discharge and ball lending discharge on the guide path 62 is detected by an odd sensor (spare ball sensor) (not shown). The terminal board 63 relays the input of AC power and the transmission and reception of signals to and from a hall computer (management device: not shown) of the game arcade, and a relay unit and a connector unit (connects to the hall computer). ), And both are connected by a cable. The game control device 65 performs various controls (for example, accessory control, decoration control, sound control, and the like) necessary for a slot game using the game ball, and discharge control of the game ball, and this control is performed in a predetermined case. The control board that realizes the function is stored and configured,
It is attached to the back side of the display device 41. The card connector 66 is for connecting a cable extending from the ball lending machine to the ball slot-type gaming machine 1, and includes a mounting member (for example, a female connector) for receiving a connector at the end of the cable. .

The game control unit 65 includes a sound generation unit for controlling voice synthesis and generation of sound effects.
And a speaker (not shown) for outputting a sound effect or the like is arranged. The power supply unit 67 supplies necessary power to various components of the ball-slotted gaming machine 1 and includes a power switch and a reset switch (not shown). The power switch turns on / off the power of the ball-slot type gaming machine 1, and the reset switch resets the game control device 65. In addition,
The power supply unit 67 is a power conversion device (for example, a transformer)
May be provided.

Below the discharge unit 64, an upper plate ball discharge port 73 to the upper plate 21 and a lower plate ball discharge port 74 to the lower plate 22 are formed, and game balls overflow to the lower plate 22. Overflow sensor 75 for detecting the presence state
Is provided. In the front frame 12, a counting ball discharge opening 77 for accommodating the above-described ball counting unit 35 and the flow path switching unit 36 is formed. In FIG. Unit 35
2 shows the back side of the flow path switching unit 36. A counting ball discharge outlet 78 is formed on the lower side of the flow path switching unit 36, and five balls of the upper plate 21 are passed through the ball removing flow path 76 at the time of the betting operation of the slot game (one for each line). Each of them is taken in, counted by the ball counting unit 35, and the flow path is switched by the flow path switching unit 35 (the details will be described later with reference to FIG. 5). The ball discharged from the counting ball discharge outlet 78 flows out into the lower ball flow path on the island facility side at the lower side of the ball slot type gaming machine 1 and is collected.

C. Configuration of Upper Plate and Lower Plate FIG. 3 shows a ball-slot type gaming machine 1 including an upper plate 21 and a lower plate 22.
4 is a top view of the ball-slotted gaming machine 1 including the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22, and all show only a part of the ball-slotted gaming machine 1. FIG. In these figures,
The storage portion 21a of the upper plate 21 has a shape protruding toward the player, and the game balls stored in the storage portion 21a are aligned in a single line by the rectification portion 21s, and are passed from the ball intake port 34 to the channel switching unit 35. Has been taken into. Upper plate 21
Of the upper plate 21 recessed toward the ball-slot type gaming machine 1 is formed in the vicinity of the rectifying portion 21s, and the storage portion 22a of the lower plate 22 ( The lower plate 22 is disposed such that the lower plate 22 is located at a position corresponding to a ball take-out portion. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage portion 21a of the upper plate 21 and the storage portion 22a of the lower plate 22 are arranged so as to be shifted from each other (here, shifted in the left-right direction). It is convenient for the player to take out the ball, and the state of the ball stored in each of the dishes 21 and 22 can be understood at a glance. At the bottom of the lower plate 22, there is formed a ball-drawing opening 22k for pulling out the stored balls to the outside below (for example, a dollar box). The ball-drawing opening 22k can be opened and closed by the above-mentioned ball-drawing lever 24. An extension member 79 is provided on the upper side of the front operation panel 14 so as to fit with the front decoration cover member 13 to prevent fraud. A portion where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected is a bulging portion 80 (corresponding to a bulging portion) which bulges toward the player side, and the bulging portion 80 is connected to the card operating unit 23 (the auxiliary operating unit). ) Is provided. In addition, the bulging portion 80 to which the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected is
The lower side plate 22 is gradually swelled from the front to the lower plate 22, and the front side thereof is formed in an obliquely inclined shape, and a card operation unit 23 (auxiliary operation unit) is arranged in the obliquely inclined portion. In FIG. 4, the counted ball flow path 92 is disposed so as to protrude to the rear side of the front frame 12 (the details will be described later with reference to FIG. 5).

D. Configuration of Ball Counting Unit and Channel Switching Unit Next, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section of a ball extraction channel 76 including the ball counting unit 35 and the channel switching unit 36 (cross-sectional hatching is omitted for simplicity). . In FIG. 5, a front frame opening 12k is formed in the front frame 12, and the front frame opening 12k and the internal space of the machine frame 11 are connected to the base frame 68 from the back side (the back side of the machine frame 11). A concave chamber (not shown) is formed so as to be covered with the display device 41. The display device 41 is disposed in the concave chamber in a housed and fixed state, and the front frame opening 12k is formed.
The front decorative cover member 13 is arranged so as to cover the display device 41. A ball counting unit 35 and a flow path switching unit 36 are housed in the internal space of the bulging portion 80 where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected. Protruding from the counting ball discharge opening 77. In addition, the bulging portion 8
In the internal space of 0, a counted ball flow path 92 is formed in addition to the above-described ball removal flow path 76 and lower dish guide flow path 37. The ball counting unit 35 counts game balls (for example, five bets per line) taken in a slot game betting operation, and forms a ball counting unit.
The flow path switching unit 36 switches the ball removal flow path 76 to the lower dish guide flow path 37 (lower dish return flow path) or the counted ball flow path 92, and constitutes a flow path switching section.

The ball counting unit 35 is mainly composed of a non-contact type counting sensor 10 provided in a ball removal channel 76.
1, solenoid 102, drive cam 103, stop link 1
04. The solenoid 102, the driving cam 103, and the stop link 1 are within a range that can be understood from FIG.
04 displaces various fine members (for example, rod,
Screws, washers, etc.) are omitted from the reference numerals. FIG. 5 shows that the solenoid 102 is not energized, and a part of the drive cam 103 projects into the ball removal passage 76 to prevent and hold the ball T (other balls are omitted because they become complicated). It is in the state that it is. The second ball T in the drawing among the held balls is at the position of the counting sensor 101 (the counting sensor 101 outputs a signal indicating that there is a ball), and the first ball T is held by the driving cam 103. When the player presses the bet button 54, a signal for instructing the capture of a ball is input from the game control device 65 to the solenoid 102, the solenoid 102 is turned on, and the drive cam 103 is pulled out of the ball removal passage 76. The ball T (that is, the first ball) held up to now is discharged, and the first and subsequent balls are also discharged. At this time, the game control device 65 counts the number of discharged balls based on the output signal of the counting sensor 101, and when the discharge of a constant (five) balls corresponding to the one-line betting game is counted, the number of discharged balls is counted. The output of the signal for instructing the capture is stopped, and the solenoid 102 is turned off. When the solenoid 102 is turned off, the drive cam 103 projects into the ball removal passage 76 while abutting on the stop link 104, thereby preventing discharge of the ball. In this way, the constant (5
Spheres are taken in.

The passage switching unit 36 has a solenoid 105 and a passage switching valve 106 as main components.
Similarly, within the range that can be understood from FIG.
5. Various fine members (for example, rods, screws, washers, etc.) for displacing the flow path switching valve 106 are omitted from the reference numerals. The ball removal channel 76 branches off on the downstream side of the ball counting unit 35, one of which is a counted ball channel 92, the other is a lower plate guide channel 37, and the channel switching valve 106 is a branch of the channel. And the ball counting unit 35 in the ball removal channel 76
The downstream flow path of the ball is the counted ball flow path 92 or the lower plate guide flow path 3.
7 can be switched. FIG. 5 shows the solenoid 105
Is not energized, and the passage switching valve 106 linked to the solenoid 105 closes the lower plate guide passage 37 (for example, an elastic member (not shown) connected to the solenoid 105 causes the passage switch valve 106 to move the lower plate guide passage 37 (The lower plate guide channel 37 is closed by urging the ball in the closing direction), and the ball removal channel 76 is always in communication with the counted ball channel 92.

When the player presses the ball return button 26 for performing the operation of returning the game balls, a signal for instructing the game control device 65 to return the game balls to the lower plate 22 is sent to the ball counting unit 35 and the flow path. Output to the switching unit 36. As a result, the solenoid 102 of the ball counting unit 35 is turned on, and the driving cam 103 is drawn out from the ball ejection channel 76 to discharge the balls while being counted, and the solenoid 105 of the channel switching unit 36 as described above. Is turned on, the flow path switching valve 106 opens the lower plate guide flow path 37, closes the counted ball flow path 92, and closes the ball removal flow path 76.
Is communicated with the lower plate guide channel 37. Thereby, the upper plate 2
The ball at 1 is discharged to the lower plate 22 via the lower plate guide flow path 37. When the operation of pressing the ball return button 26 is stopped, the solenoid 102 of the ball counting unit 35 and the solenoid 105 of the flow path switching unit 36 are both turned off, the discharge of the balls is stopped, and the flow path switching valve 106 is again lowered. The dish guide channel 37 is closed, the counted ball channel 92 is opened, and the ball removing channel 76 communicates with the counted ball channel 92.

[Game of Ball Slot Game Machine 1] Next, the game of the ball slot game machine 1 will be described. Prior to the start of the game, the player performs a ball lending operation, and has the upper plate 21 discharge as many ball lending as necessary. Next, bet button 5
Press 4 to insert a constant number (5 in this case) of game balls and bet on a desired bet line. At this time, for example, in a state in which the credit is released, the solenoid 102 of the ball counting unit 35 is turned on, and a certain number of game balls (here, five) in the ball removal channel 76 are automatically taken in, and the counted balls are counted. Is discharged to the use channel 92. That is, the bet button 54
By pressing, game balls are automatically inserted (taken in), and five bets are placed. When the player is in the credit state, five credits are subtracted from the credits, and five credits are bet. This causes the line lamp 109 to light up and display the bet line B bet line B
L is illuminated.

Next, by operating the start lever 55, the plurality of belts 92a to 92c of the display device 41 on which various symbols (symbols) are displayed start rotating.
The lamps 51 to 53 are turned on during rotation. Thereafter, when the player operates the stop buttons 56 to 58 or a predetermined time elapses, the rotation of the belts 92 a to 92 c is stopped, and the belts 92 a to 92 c pass through the transparent window 42.
The upper symbol is stopped and displayed. At this time, a combination of symbols is placed on a bet line BL (betting line: winning line) activated at the time of winning determination with the insertion of a game ball. Role, "B
AR, BAR, BAR ")
Are arranged in the form of, the ejection device 69 is driven by a command from the game control device 65, and the number of game balls corresponding to the winning combination is paid out to the upper plate 21. The paid out game balls are accumulated in the upper plate 21, and the game operation of inserting the game balls again and betting is repeated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the storage portion 21a of the upper plate 21 and the storage portion 22a of the lower plate 22 are arranged at shifted positions, and the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are formed in a shape including a U-shape. And the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 2
A configuration in which a card operating portion 23 is provided in a portion (bulging portion 80) where 2 is connected to each other, and a ball removing channel 76 for extracting game balls from the upper plate 21 is formed in the inner space on the back side of the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22. It has become. More specifically, the upper plate 21 includes a storage portion 21a protruding toward the player and a rectifying portion 21s for arranging the game balls in a line, and the vicinity of the rectifying portion 21s of the upper plate 21 is a ball slot type gaming machine 1. The lower plate 22 is formed so as to be recessed toward the side, and the ball take-out portion (storage portion 22a) of the lower plate 22 is located in the vicinity of the rectifying portion 21s of the upper plate 21 recessed toward the ball-slot type gaming machine 1. And the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22
(Bulging portion 80) bulges toward the player side, and the card operating portion 23 (auxiliary operating portion) is provided in the bulging portion, and a ball vent channel 76 is formed in the internal space of the bulging portion. The configuration is as follows. Therefore, the following effects can be obtained.

Since the storage portion 21a of the upper plate 21 and the storage portion 22a of the lower plate 22 are shifted from each other and the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are integrally formed in a U-shape, the upper plate 21
Even if the distance between the lower plate 22 and the lower plate 22 becomes shorter, the balls stored in the lower plate 22 can be easily taken. Since the ball-exhausting passage 76 for extracting game balls from the upper plate 21 is formed in the inner space on the back side of the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22, the upper plate 2
Even if the distance between the lower plate 1 and the lower plate 22 is narrow, the space including a small space below the ball intake port 34 (tip from the rectifying portion) of the upper plate 21 and the sphere including the sphere immediately before the counting sensor 101 are removed. A mechanism for removing the balls can be easily provided, and a mechanism for storing the balls by effectively using the limited space and for taking in a plurality of balls with one bet can be easily realized. . That is, in the ball slot type game machine, since a plurality of balls constitute one bet, it is relatively difficult to collect the balls, but in the present embodiment, the portion where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected (the bulging portion 80). By using the inner space on the back side of (3), it is possible to realize a mechanism that can easily collect the balls taken in as one bed by a plurality. The card operation unit 23 is provided at a portion (bulging portion 80) where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected.
As in the case where the "ball lending operation unit" is present near the rectifying unit of the upper plate 21 where there is little erroneous operation, the user is enthusiastic about the game and continuously rubs the three stop buttons. It is possible to realize the ball-slot type gaming machine 1 that is less likely to be operated by the card operation unit 23 (for example, ball lending operation) by a player who pushes the card, and that is easy for the player to operate. . In addition, a card operation unit 23 is provided on the right side (generally the dominant arm side) where the player can easily operate, and this is the same as the position where the firing operation handle was in the case of a pachinko machine that performs a pachinko game. It is. Therefore,
It is possible to obtain the ball slot-type gaming machine 1 in which the ball-lending operation is not performed erroneously, the operability is good, and the limited space is effectively used.

A ball counting unit 3 for counting game balls is provided in the internal space of the bulging portion where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected.
5 (sphere counting unit) and the ball removal channel 76 to the lower plate return channel 3
7 or the main part of the channel switching unit 36 (channel switching unit) for switching to the counted ball channel 92,
It is possible to easily form the ball removing mechanism. Further, since the flow path of the ball removing mechanism is short, there is an effect that it is possible to easily perform the ball removing or the like immediately. By the way, the front frame 12
If the ball counting unit 35 and the flow path switching unit 36 are provided on the back side of the sphere counting unit 35, the ball counting unit 35 is slightly lowered due to the inclination of the flow path until the ball of the upper plate 21 reaches the ball counting unit 35. The upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 must be provided because the flow path must be inclined to guide the ball from the flow path switching unit 36 to the lower plate 22.
And the height is needed. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the ball counting unit 35 and the flow path switching unit 3 are provided in the internal space of the bulging portion where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected.
6 and the inclination of the flow path until the ball of the upper plate 21 reaches the ball counting unit 35 does not have to be considered, and even if the height of the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 cannot be taken. In addition, it is possible to easily form the ball removing mechanism.

The portion (bulging portion 80) where the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are connected has an obliquely inclined shape that gradually expands from the upper plate 21 to the lower plate 22. Since the card operating section 23 is arranged at the bottom, the player can easily operate the card operating section 23 by utilizing the fact that the connecting portion bulges from top to bottom (obliquely inclined). can do. That is, since the card operation unit 23 is located at the lower side of the ball-slotted gaming machine 1, it is simply parallel to the ball-slotted gaming machine 1 (for example,
When the card operation unit 23 is provided on a surface parallel to the front frame 12), it is difficult to operate the buttons of the card operation unit 23, and it is difficult to see the characters for explaining the buttons. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the card operation unit 23 is disposed in a tilted state so as to be seen by the player, the card operation unit 23 is located on the lower side of the ball-slotted gaming machine 1. Can also be made easier to operate.

The shapes of the upper plate and the lower plate in the present invention are not limited to those of the above-described embodiment, but may be other shapes within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the degree of swelling of the connecting portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected is not limited to the example of the above embodiment within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

[0036]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the storage portion of the upper plate and the storage portion of the lower plate are shifted from each other, and the upper plate and the lower plate have a U-shape. Since the upper plate and the lower plate are integrally formed in a shape including the lower plate, even if the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate becomes short, it is possible to easily catch the balls stored in the lower plate. Even if the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate is small, the ball can be taken into the upper plate because the ball-exhausting passage for extracting game balls from the upper plate is formed in the inner space on the back side of the upper plate and the lower plate. Mouth (for example,
It is possible to easily provide a space below the rectifying section) where a small amount of balls are held and a mechanism for removing balls including balls immediately before the ball counting section (for example, the counting sensor 101). It is possible to easily realize a mechanism for storing the balls by effectively using the space that has been used, and for taking in a plurality of balls with one bet. That is, in a ball-slot type gaming machine, since a plurality of balls constitute one bet, it is relatively difficult to collect the balls. In the present invention, however, in the portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected (for example, the bulging portion 80). By using the back side internal space, it is possible to realize a mechanism that can easily collect a plurality of balls taken as one bet.

The part where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected (for example,
The auxiliary operation unit (for example, the card operation unit 2)
Since 3) is provided, the user is enthusiastic about the game and continuously rubs the three stop buttons, as in the case where the "ball lending operation section" was present near the rectifying section of the upper plate where there was little erroneous operation. It is possible to realize a ball-slot type gaming machine which is less likely to be operated by the auxiliary operation unit (for example, ball-lending operation) by mistake even by a player who pushes the ball, and which is easy for the player to operate. In addition, an auxiliary operation unit is provided on the right side (generally the dominant arm side) which is easy for the player to operate, which is the same as the position where the firing operation handle was present in the case of a pachinko machine that performs pachinko games. is there. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a ball slot-type gaming machine in which a ball-lending operation or the like is not erroneously performed, operability is good, and a limited space is effectively used.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a ball counting unit (for example, a ball counting unit 35) for counting game balls is provided in the internal space of the bulging portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected. Since the main part of the flow path switching unit (for example, the flow path switching unit 36) for switching the path to the lower dish return flow path or the counted ball flow path is disposed, it is easy to form the ball removing mechanism. it can. Further, since the flow path of the ball removing mechanism is short, there is an effect that it is possible to easily perform the ball removing or the like immediately. Furthermore, it is not necessary to consider the inclination of the flow path until the ball of the upper plate reaches the ball counting unit, and even if the height of the upper plate and the lower plate cannot be taken, it is easy to form a ball removal mechanism. it can.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected (for example, the bulging portion 80) has an obliquely inclined shape that gradually bulges from the upper plate to the lower plate. Since the auxiliary operation unit (for example, the card operation unit 23) is disposed at the obliquely inclined portion, it is possible to prevent the connected portion from bulging from above to below (obliquely oblique). Utilization can make it easier for the player to operate the auxiliary operation unit. That is, since the auxiliary operation unit is located on the lower side of the ball-slot type gaming machine, the auxiliary operation unit is simply provided on a plane parallel to the ball-slot type gaming machine (for example, parallel to the front frame 12). It is difficult to operate the buttons of the auxiliary operation unit, and it is difficult to see the characters for button explanations,
On the other hand, in the present invention, since the auxiliary operation unit is arranged in a tilted state so that it can be seen by the player, even if the auxiliary operation unit is located at the lower side of the ball-slot type gaming machine, it is easy to operate. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a ball slot type gaming machine.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a ball-slot type gaming machine.

FIG. 3 is a lower side perspective view of a ball-slot type gaming machine.

FIG. 4 is a view of the ball-slot type gaming machine as viewed from above.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section of a ball emptying channel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ball-slotted game machine 11 Machine frame (body frame) 12 Front frame 21 Upper plate (reservoir) 22 Lower plate (reservoir) 23 Card operation unit (auxiliary operation unit) 35 Ball counter unit (ball counter unit) 36 Flow Road switching unit (flow path switching unit) 37 Lower dish guide flow path 76 Ball removal flow path 80 Swelling part 92 Counted ball flow path

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A slot game using a game ball,
In a ball-slot type gaming machine having an upper plate and a lower plate for storing game balls, the storage portion of the upper plate and the storage portion of the lower plate are arranged at shifted positions, and the upper plate and the lower plate are U-shaped. A ball that is integrally formed in a shape including a shape, and an auxiliary operation unit is provided at a portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected to each other, and a game ball from the upper plate is drawn into the inner space on the back side of the upper plate and the lower plate. A ball-slot type gaming machine characterized by forming a drawing channel. 2. The upper plate includes a storage portion protruding toward the player and a rectifying portion for aligning the game balls in a line, and a portion near the rectifying portion of the upper plate is formed in a shape recessed toward the gaming machine. The lower plate is arranged so that the ball take-out portion of the lower plate is located in the vicinity of the straightening portion of the upper plate recessed toward the gaming machine, and the portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected is expanded toward the player. 2. The ball slot type gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary operation portion is provided in said bulging portion, and said ball-extraction passage is formed in an internal space of said bulging portion. 3. An inner space of a bulging portion where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected to each other, a ball counting unit for counting game balls, and a ball removing channel for lower ball returning channel or counted ball. 3. The ball-slot type gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein at least a main part of a flow path switching unit for switching to a flow path is arranged. 4. The part where the upper plate and the lower plate are connected,
2. The ball-slot type gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary operation portion is disposed at an obliquely inclined shape which gradually expands from the upper plate to the lower plate. .