JP2001145772A - Game system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure of accuracy of acquiring information from a game medium dispenser and setting discriminating information for determination on the game medium dispenser by mediating poling and selecting performed between the game medium dispenser and a rental information managing device to avoid competition of both. SOLUTION: In the case where a game medium rental information collecting means is active, the rental information managing device interrupts the game medium rental information collecting means on completion of collecting game medium rental information from a game medium dispenser addressed by the game medium rental information collecting means to set discriminating information for determination on the game medium dispenser, and restarts the game medium rental information collecting means on the completion of setting the discriminating information for determination.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game system applied to a game machine such as a pachinko machine and a toy machine, and more particularly to a game medium lending device (for example, a pachinko machine) provided with each game machine. The present invention relates to a gaming system including a ball lending machine in a machine and a lending information management device (for example, a ball lending management device in a pachinko machine).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a game arcade equipped with a game machine such as a pachinko machine or a spinning-type game machine, a game medium lending device has been conventionally provided to each player to provide a game medium lending device. In particular, a prepaid card (also referred to as a prepaid voucher) type game media lending device is safe because it does not handle cash such as banknotes, and furthermore, the system does not require a cash transport mechanism. It is used in many amusement arcades because it has the advantage of simplifying the game. Hereinafter, the gaming machine will be described as a pachinko machine for convenience. That is, the game media will be described as “game balls”, the game media lending device will be referred to as “ball lending machines”, and the lending information management device that manages information on each game media lending device will be described as “ball lending management device”.

[0003] The operation of a prepaid card-type ball lending machine (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "ball lending machine") provided in a pachinko game hall is as follows. (1) The unused amount of the inserted prepaid card is read and the unused amount is read. Within the range of the amount of money, it receives a game ball discharge request from the ball rental operation unit of the pachinko machine, and issues a discharge command for instructing a predetermined number of game balls to be discharged for each game ball discharge request, and issues a discharge control device of the pachinko machine. Send to
(2) The unused amount of the prepaid card is updated on condition that a response to the transmission of the discharge command is sent. (3) In response to a substantially periodic information acquisition request from the ball rental management device provided in the game hall, The ball lending information such as the unused amount of the prepaid card and the number of discharged balls is notified to the ball lending management device.

Here, the ball lending management device and each ball lending machine are 1
Configure a many-to-many network. The transmission control procedure of this network is a basic control procedure (also referred to as a polling / selecting method) which is the most basic transmission control procedure. Each functions as a terminal. All transmission control in the basic control procedure is performed under the control of the control station. Data transmission from the terminal to the control station is called polling, and data transmission from the control station to the terminal is called selecting. For example, the operation of (3) is performed by polling, and a specific flow thereof will be described by a time run of FIG. That is, the ball lending management device outputs an information request command by designating one address of a ball lending machine provided in the game arcade. The designated ball lending machine determines the presence or absence of ball lending information, and if there is information, returns the information to the ball lending management device as an information response, otherwise returns a command (NAK signal) indicating that. The ball lending management device records the returned information (N
After receiving the AK signal, nothing is performed), the address is updated, and the information request is output again. A pair of one information request and its information response (or NAK return) is one unit of polling, and by repeating this polling for each ball rental machine sequentially, the latest information of all ball rental machines ( Ball lending information) is collected and managed by the ball lending management device.

On the other hand, a pachinko machine is provided with various devices such as a game control device equipped with the above-described discharge control device and a game processing device for controlling a game on a game board. In particular, in a pachinko machine equipped with a game control device equipped with a game operation processing device called an amusement chip, the amusement chip includes a CPU core, a main memory, a program ROM, etc.
Cores) are mounted on-chip (CPU cores and the like are integrated on a common semiconductor substrate), thereby making it physically impossible to use a so-called back ROM (a program ROM containing a falsified game program). In addition to preventing fraud, the amusement chip itself is provided with a function for determining the validity of the game program, and more reliable fraud prevention measures are taken. As a function of determining the validity of the game program, for example, when the amusement chip is started, the game program stored in the program ROM on the chip is read and encrypted with a predetermined algorithm, and the check generated at the time of the encryption is performed. The code is compared with a check code generated in the same procedure in advance and stored in the program ROM, and if they match, it is determined that the game program is legitimate, that is, the game program is not falsified. There is known a game machine that starts executing a game program stored in a ROM.

In the above-mentioned gaming system, a pachinko machine and a ball lending machine are provided side by side to facilitate the ball lending for the player, but the ball lending machine is exclusively used for ball lending. Considering that it has only a single function and is installed in pairs with pachinko machines in many game arcades, it was required to add multi-functions with some added value other than ball rental . Further, in a pachinko machine having the above-described game program validity determination function, the validity of the game program stored in the amusement chip is determined, but the amusement chip itself is illegally replaced (the game control device). (Including exchanging pachinko machines and pachinko machines).

[0007] Therefore, the applicant of the present invention provides a game media lending device (for example, a ball rental machine) with a function for preventing unauthorized use of a gaming machine (for example, a pachinko machine), thereby increasing the functionality of the game media lending device. In addition, a game media lending device has been proposed in which an illegal exchange of an amusement chip itself (including an illegal exchange of a game control device or an illegal exchange of a pachinko machine) can also be determined by the illegality prevention function (see, for example, US Pat. (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-317533, November 8, 1999). The game media lending device according to this proposal has the above-mentioned ball lending function, and outputs a management information request to a gaming machine (for example, a pachinko machine), and is returned from the gaming machine in response to the management information request. The individual identification information of the gaming machine included in the response to the management information and the identification information for determination held in advance are compared, and if they do not match, the illegal exchange of the amusement chip itself, the illegal exchange of the game control device or the pachinko machine It has a gaming machine determination function for determining unauthorized exchange. According to this, a single game media lending device can perform ball lending control and judge the quality of a gaming machine (judgment of unauthorized exchange of amusement chips), thereby increasing the number of functions of the game media lending device and strengthening fraud prevention. Can be achieved.

[0008]

However, in the technology according to the above proposal, the setting of the identification information for determination in the ball lending machine is performed by selecting from the ball lending management device. Since periodic polling is continuously performed between the lending management device and the ball lending machine, if the selecting timing and the polling timing conflict with each other, information acquisition from the ball lending machine and identification information for determination are performed. There is a risk that this will interfere with the setting. For example,
When trouble of pachinko machine occurs during business, usually,
The pachinko machine is replaced with a spare pachinko machine.In this case, the identification information for judging the ball rental machine attached to the pachinko machine is set to the individual identification information of the amusement chip mounted on the replacement pachinko machine. I have to fix it. However, even during this exchange work, the game is continued on other pachinko machines, and although the ball rental management device has to repeat polling to obtain information from the pachinko machines during the game, Depending on the timing of selecting, one unit of polling,
That is, selection may be performed between an information request and an information response (or a NAK response), and in this case, there is a problem that accurate information acquisition by the polling cannot be secured.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims at arbitration of polling and selecting performed between a game medium lending device and a lending information management device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming system that avoids the above and ensures the accuracy of acquiring information from the game medium lending device and setting the identification information for determination to the game medium lending device.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a gaming system according to the first aspect of the present invention controls the lending of a gaming medium based on the mounting of a storage medium storing value information. A game medium lending device, a lending information management device that manages lending information from the game medium lending device, a game control unit connected to the game medium lending device for controlling the progress of a game, and performs a discharge control of the game medium. An emission control unit, and a gaming machine including a gaming machine provided with a lending operation unit of the gaming medium lending device, in the gaming medium lending device, the lending operation unit from the lending operation unit on condition that the storage medium is mounted. Lending control means for performing lending control for causing the discharge control unit to lend game media based on the operation signal of the above, and game medium lending for the game media lent by the lending control means Game media lending information responding means for responding to a request from the lending information management device, and judging the validity of the individual identification information stored in advance in the game control unit based on the set identification information for judgment. Determination means, wherein the lending information management device is a game medium lending information collecting means for sequentially collecting game medium lending information from each game medium lending device by designating an address on the system of each of the game medium lending devices. And determination identification information setting means for setting identification information for determination in the game medium lending device, wherein the identification information setting means for determination determines whether the game medium lending information collection means is active. When the collection of the game medium lending information from the game medium lending device at the address designated by the medium lending information collecting means is completed, the game medium lending information collecting means is interrupted and the game medium lending information is interrupted. To set the determination identification information to the output device, wherein the resume game media lending information collecting means in response to the setting completion of the determination identification information.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described as a game arcade (hereinafter referred to as a "game store") in which a number of pachinko machines (ball game machines, hereinafter abbreviated as "game machines") are installed. )
An example applied to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A. Overall Configuration of Amusement Store In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a gaming device. The gaming machine 1 includes a gaming machine 2 (a pachinko machine in this embodiment) and a ball lending machine (corresponding to a gaming medium lending device described in the gist of the invention) 3 attached to the gaming machine 2. , A plurality of gaming machines (a pair of the gaming machine 2 and the ball rental machine 3 are counted as one) are installed in the gaming shop. The gaming machines 1 constitute one island (pachinko island) with a predetermined number, and supply and collect game balls to each gaming machine 2 for each island. In the amusement shop, one ball lending management device (corresponding to the lending information management device described in the summary of the invention) 4 and the main relay device 5 are provided, respectively.
One or a plurality of card issuing machines 6, money adding machines 7, and sub-relay devices 8 are provided. The ball lending management device 4, the main relay device 5, the card issuing machine 6, the money adding device 7, and the sub relay device 8 are integrally formed together with the ball lending machine 3 for each gaming device 1 as a prepaid card (in the gist of the invention). Ball lending network 1 for collecting and managing additional amount information and ball lending amount information according to 9)
0. The transmission control procedure of the ball lending network 10 is the polling selecting method described at the beginning, the ball lending management device 4 operates as a control station of the same method, and each ball lending machine 3 operates as a terminal of the same method. That is, the ball lending management device 4 collects and obtains the latest ball lending information while sequentially polling each ball lending machine 3, and performs selecting for any ball lending machine 3 as necessary. Go to set the ID code for determination.

The prepaid card 9 is used to print a voucher or other object (hereinafter referred to as a "voucher or the like") by an electromagnetic method (electronic or magnetic method or any other method which cannot be recognized by human perception, for example, an invisible light beam). , The value information recorded by the method of printing the recorded information, which makes it possible to read the recorded information by irradiating the money, that is, the amount (the amount is converted into “degrees” or other units). This is a so-called prepaid voucher, such as a voucher that is issued with a price (generally cash) corresponding to the number of units when it is considered to be displayed, and in a broad sense, the issuer of the voucher or the like. If you purchase, borrow, or receive services from a person designated by the issuer (hereinafter referred to as the "Issuers, etc."), you will be charged for these In the present embodiment, the prepaid card 9 is used in a game arcade where a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine or a spinning-type gaming machine is installed. It refers to the media used at the gaming site to pay for the borrowing of the game media (gaming balls and coins) used. Note that there are two types of prepaid vouchers: one that can only subtract and update the amount each time payment is made, and one that can add and update the amount in exchange for appropriate payment. The prepaid card 9 in the present embodiment may be of any type, but in the present embodiment, it belongs to the latter type. That is, the prepaid card 9 in the present embodiment is capable of subtracting and updating the amount recorded on the voucher or the like every time the payment is made, and adding and updating the amount recorded on the voucher or the like every time the payment is made. It corresponds to the kind of prepaid voucher that can be made.

In exchange for the price, the card issuing machine 6 issues a prepaid card 9 in which the same amount information as the price is recorded on a voucher or the like by an electromagnetic method to the player. In addition, the amount adding machine 7 adds and stores the same amount information as the price in exchange for a new price to the issued prepaid card 9 (including a card issued by a card issuing machine at another game store). . Although the detailed configuration of the ball rental management device 4 will be described later,
The information (card identification information, issuer information, amount information, etc.) of the prepaid card 9 issued by the card issuing machine 6 is acquired from the card issuing machine 6 and additionally recorded on the issued prepaid card 9 by the amount adding machine 7. Price information (including card identification information and issuer information)
From the information, the total card sales amount of the game store (the total amount of money recorded on the prepaid card 9 issued by the card issuing machine 6 and the additional amount recorded on the issued prepaid card 9 by the amount adding machine 7) (Hereinafter referred to as “total sales amount information”), and obtains ball rental information from each ball rental machine 3 to obtain total information on the ball rental amount of the game store. (Hereinafter referred to as “total ball lending amount information”), and furthermore, from each ball lending machine 3, the legitimacy information of the gaming machine 2 (accurately, the game processing unit of the gaming machine 2) Information on whether the arithmetic processing unit is used or whether it is a game arithmetic processing unit equipped with a legitimate game program) and manages the control of the game. For judgment on 3 In which it is possible to set the D code.

The main relay device 5 is connected via the sub relay device 8
A data connection is made between the ball lending management device 4 and the card issuing machine 6, the amount adding machine 7, and the ball lending machine 3, and the main relay device 5 and the ball lending management device 4 are connected by wire. The main relay device 5 and the sub relay device 8 and the sub relay device 8 and the card issuing machine 6, the money adding machine 7, and the ball lending machine 3 are connected by wireless (for example, infrared rays or radio waves). I have. The reason for the wireless connection is to increase the flexibility of the layout of the gaming machine 1, the card issuing machine 6, and the money adding machine 7 in the gaming arcade. If it is not necessary to take care of the cable re-routing due to the layout change, the main relay device 5, the sub-relay device 8, the card issuing machine 6, the money adding machine 7, and the ball lending machine 3 may also be wired. Incidentally, the sub-relay device 8 is located at an appropriate installation position at which a wireless connection can be made between all the card issuing machines 6, the value adding machine 7, and the ball lending machine 3 in the amusement store. If there is a position where all communication partners can see through the device 8, by installing the sub-relay device 8 at that position, the number of sub-relay devices 8 can be reduced to one.

B. Configuration of Ball Lending Management Device FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the ball lending management device 4. The ball lending management device 4 includes a CPU (corresponding to a game medium lending information collection unit and a determination identification information setting unit described in the gist of the invention). ) 4a, a display unit 4b, a display control unit 4c, a key input unit 4d, a first communication control unit 4e, a second communication control unit 4f, an information management unit 4g, and a power supply backup unit 4h. The CPU 4a executes a predetermined control program (a ball lending management control program described later;
14 to 16), the display control unit 4c, the key input unit 4d, the first communication control unit 4e, and the second communication control unit 4f.
While controlling each unit of the information management unit 4g, the above-described total sales amount information, total global lending amount information, and validity information are controlled and, if necessary, a judgment ID for any ball lending machine 3 is determined. Set the code. Under the control of the display control unit 4c, the display unit 4b displays total sales amount information, total global loan amount information, validity information, a warning when an error occurs, and the like. And input confirmation display of the ID code for determination and operation guidance are displayed. The key input unit 4d includes a function key for switching to the ID setting mode, an input key for inputting a setting destination address and a determination ID code, and the like. The first communication control unit 4e is, for example, a data modem for controlling communication with the card company 11. The second communication control unit 4f is a communication board that controls communication with the main relay device 5, and performs, for example, a polling / selecting transmission control at a speed of 9600 bps (bits / second). The information management unit 4g stores an information management table (hereinafter referred to as "TB
L1 ”), and a selecting information table (hereinafter“ TBL2 ”) that temporarily stores information of the setting destination address and the ID code for determination input from the key input unit 4d when executing the ID setting mode. ). The power supply backup unit 4h backs up the power supply of the information management unit 4g and retains the information even after the business operation of the game store ends.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of TBL1 and TBL2. The TBL 1 has an address field for storing addresses i (i = 1 to 99 in the figure for convenience) of all card issuing machines 6, money adding machines 7, and ball lending machines 3 installed in the game arcade. A pass / fail information field and a ball lending information field are provided, and TBL2 is a setting address j of the ID code for determination (in the figure, j = 6 and j =
12 and the ID code for determination (in the figure, j = 6 and “123” for convenience).
456 "and a determination ID code of" ABCDEF "is set at j = 12). The ball lending management device 4 includes a While reading the information in the address field, polling is performed on the card issuing machine 6, the amount adding machine 7, and the ball lending machine 3 indicated by each address i, and the information obtained from the polling destination is T
It is stored in each field of BL1. For example, the game machine pass / fail information and the ball lending information are acquired from the ball lending machine 3 and stored in the game machine pass / fail information field and the ball lending information field of the TBL1. When the setting mode of the ID code for determination (hereinafter, referred to as “ID setting mode”) is selected, the ball lending management device 4 selects the ball lending machine 3 indicated by the setting destination address j of the TBL 2. Is performed, and TBL2 determination I
The information of the D code field is set in the ball rental machine 3.
Note that the ball lending management device 4 responds to an access from the card company 11 (for example, an access after the amusement store closes), and
BL1 information (total sales amount information and total global lending amount information)
Notify. The card company 11 manages the notification information and requests the game store to pay the amount indicated by the total sales amount information. Ask for payment of the amount paid. As a result, settlement between the game store and the card company 11 is performed.

C. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the gaming device 1 (the gaming device 1 shown in FIG. 1).
The gaming machine 1 is composed of the gaming machine 2 and the ball rental machine 3 attached to the gaming machine 2 as described above. The gaming machine 2 has a frame-shaped front frame 71,
It has a metal frame (glass frame) 72 for supporting glass, a game board 73 in which a game area is formed, a front display panel 74, and an operation panel 75 provided below the front display panel 74, The front frame 71 is supported to be openable and closable with a wooden machine frame (not shown) on which the gaming machine 2 is installed.
2 is supported by the front frame 71 so that opening and closing are possible. One end of the display panel 74 is supported by the front frame 71 so as to be openable and closable.
An opening / closing lever 8 for opening and closing a passage connecting the balls of the upper plate 81 to a ball storage plate (also referred to as a saucer) 82 in order to transfer them.
3 are provided. Prepaid card 9 in the upper plate 81
Balance display 81a for displaying the unused amount of money, a ball lending possible display 81 for displaying a ball lending available state (a state in which the prepaid card 9 has an unused amount and no fraud has been detected).
b, a ball lending switch (corresponding to a lending operation unit described in the gist of the invention) 81c operated when requesting a predetermined number of ball lending to the ball lending machine 3 and return of the prepaid card 9 (ball lending machine 3) Return switch 81d which is operated when requesting the discharge from the printer.

The operation panel 75 is provided with an ashtray 84 and the above-mentioned ball storage tray 82, and a ball release lever 85 for pulling out the balls stored in the ball storage tray 82 to the outside and below.
Is provided. On the right side of the operation panel 75, an operation handle 86 for shooting a ball is provided. In the game board 73, a game area is formed in which a substantially circular area on the front surface is surrounded by a guide rail 88. In this game area,
A special figure display device 89 that displays a plurality of pieces of identification information (so-called special symbols; hereinafter, referred to as “special figures”) in a plurality of rows, a special variable winning device 90 having a special winning opening, a special figure starting port 91, a plurality of general winnings A mouth 94, a plurality of hitting direction changing members 96 called windmills, left and right side lamps 97, 98, an out hole 99, and the like are provided. At the upper part of the special figure display device 89, one of the above-mentioned general prize ports 94 is arranged.
Are provided. The special figure starting port 91 is provided with a special figure starting switch 101 (the reference numeral of the switch is shown in FIG. 6; the same applies hereinafter). The plurality of general winning ports 94 are provided with a winning switch 102 for each winning port. I have. In addition, a continuous switch 103 is provided in a continuous winning channel in the special winning opening of the special variable winning device 90, and a count switch 104 is provided in a general winning channel of the special variable winning device 90. The special figure starting switch 101 detects that a ball has won the special figure starting port 91, and the winning switch 102 detects that a ball has won each of the plurality of general winning ports 94. The count switch 104 detects all the balls that have entered the special winning opening of the special variable winning device 90, and the continuous switch 103 detects the balls that have continuously won (so-called V winning) among the balls that have entered the special winning opening. . Note that, in the game area of the game board 73, a number of obstacle nails, such as a not shown nail or a nail, are provided, and the game board 73 is provided with other various decorative lamps, LEDs, and the like. ing. Further, in the present embodiment, the type of the game area in the game board 73 is, for example, one belonging to the so-called “first type”, but other types, that is, “second type”, “third type” or It may belong to “other species”.

On the other hand, the ball rental machine 3 has an infrared receiving window 3a.
(Provided on the front face of the transceiver 24 in FIG. 5), the insertion slot 3b of the prepaid card 9 (corresponding to the card insertion slot of the card R / W device 26 in FIG. 5) and the prepaid card 9
Window 3c for displaying unused amount of money and improper status
(Provided on the display surface of the display 27 in FIG. 5).

D. Block Configuration of Gaming Device FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the gaming device 1 including the gaming machine 2 and the ball rental machine 3, and the gaming machine 2 includes a gaming control device 12 (details will be described later). The external communication terminal 13 provided, the discharge control device (corresponding to the discharge control unit described in the gist of the invention) 14, the discharge device 15, the relay board 1
6. A connection terminal 17 provided on the relay board 16, and a balance display 81a formed of, for example, a three-digit 7-segment element provided on the upper plate 81, a ball lending display 81b formed of, for example, an LED, a ball The rental switch 81c and the return switch 81d are provided. In addition, in addition to these, a power supply device, a launch unit, a launch control device, a display control device, a decoration control device, and the like are provided, but are omitted for convenience of illustration.

On the other hand, the ball lending machine 3 includes a one-chip microcomputer (corresponding to a lending control unit, a game medium lending information response unit, and a determination unit according to the gist of the invention) 18, an oscillator 1
9, nonvolatile memory 20, output interface 21,
Input interface 22, communication controller 23, transceiver 24, card R / W (read / write) controller 2
5, a card R / W device 26, a display 27, a chip terminal 28 and a ball rental terminal 29. It should be noted that circled alphabetic symbols (a to d) in the drawing indicate that signal lines of the same symbol are connected. The one-chip microcomputer 18 has a ball lending control program (FIG. 1)
1 to 13) to perform ball lending control and illegal exchange determination processing of the amusement chip (game processing unit 200 to be described later), and the oscillator 19 generates an operation clock of the one-chip microcomputer 19. The non-volatile memory 20 is a storage device that can hold the stored contents while the power is turned off.
M (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Memor
y) or a volatile semiconductor memory (SRAM: Static Random Access Memory or the like) backed up by a battery, and a determination ID code as criterion information for determining an unauthorized replacement of an amusement chip (the gaming machine 2 attached to the ball lending machine 3). (The same information as the individual identification information of the amusement chip mounted on the game control device 12).

The communication control unit 23 performs wireless communication between the transceiver 24 and the sub-relay device 8 (in the present embodiment, the communication is infrared communication, but may be wireless communication).
Control. The card R / W controller 25 controls the card R / W
It controls reading and writing of storage information (security information such as card identification information and issuer information and price information) of the prepaid card 9 inserted in the W device 26 and controls ejection or insertion prohibition of the prepaid card 9. The output interface 21 and the input interface 22 control data input / output between an internal bus (not shown) of the one-chip microcomputer 18, the communication control device 23 and the card R / W control device 25, and Terminal 28 and ball rental terminal 29,
It controls data input / output with the internal bus of the one-chip microcomputer 18.

Further, the output interface 21 and a game store management device (hereinafter referred to as a game store computer 30) may be connected as shown in the figure to output necessary information to the game store computer 30. In this case, the required information can include ball lending information, illegal exchange information of amusement chips, and the like. Between the gaming machine 2 and the ball rental machine 3, two harnesses 3 each composed of a required number of signal lines are provided.
1, 32 are connected. Connectors (connection terminals) 31a and 31b provided at both ends of the first harness 31 are used for an external communication terminal of the gaming machine 2 (an external communication terminal 13 provided in the game control device 12) and a chip of the ball lending machine 3, respectively. The connectors (connection terminals) 32a and 32b connected to the terminals 28 and provided at both ends of the second harness 32 are connection terminals (connection terminals 1 provided on the relay board 16) of the gaming machine 2, respectively.
7) and the ball lending terminal 29 of the ball lending machine 3.

The gaming machine 2 and the ball lending machine 3 having the above-described configurations use the one-chip microcomputer 18 to transfer the price information and security information of the prepaid card 9 inserted into the card R / W device 26 of the ball lending machine 3. Under the control of
It is read by the card R / W device 26, and among the read information, in particular, the money amount information is sent to the gaming machine 2 via the second harness 32, and the balance display 81a provided on the upper plate 81 of the gaming machine 2 is displayed. Can be displayed. When the player confirms the display on the balance display 81a and presses the ball lending switch 81c, the information is transmitted to the ball lending machine 3 via the second harness 32 and the card is controlled under the control of the one-chip microcomputer 18. The amount information of the prepaid card 9 is reduced by the R / W device 26 in accordance with the operation of the ball lending switch 81c (for example, 200 yen for each operation; this amount can be set for each game store) and updated. 2nd harness 3
A ball lending signal corresponding to the above operation is sent to the discharge control device 14 of the gaming machine 2 via the control unit 2, and in response to a command from the discharge control device 14, the number of game balls corresponding to the above operation is discharged from the discharge device 15. It is discharged to the upper plate 81 of the gaming machine 2. When the amount information of the prepaid card 9 becomes zero, the unused amount of the balance display 81a is set to zero, the prepaid card 9 is discharged from the card R / W device 26, and a ball lending display is made. The device 81b is put into a non-sphere lending state (for example, turned off). Also, when the return switch 81d is pressed, the prepaid card 9 is naturally discharged from the card R / W device 26.

The ball lending machine 3 has not only the ball lending function described above, but also a function of judging an unauthorized exchange of amusement chips. This determination function outputs a management information request to the game operation processing device 200 of the game control device 12 via the first harness 31 and, based on the management information request, the amusement returned from the game operation processing device 200 Chip individual identification information (I of game processing device 200)
D code) and the validity determination result information of the game program executed by the game processing device 200, and the identification information for determination (determination ID) stored in the nonvolatile memory 20 of the ball rental machine 3 in advance. The ID code is compared with the ID code, and if they match, OK (determined as a valid gaming machine 2; hereinafter, referred to as “true”), and if they do not match, NG
(It is determined that the gaming machine 2 has been illegally exchanged; hereinafter, “false”)
And OK (true) and NG (false) from the acquired validity determination result information of the game program.
Is determined, the ball lending function is enabled when OK is determined, and the ball lending function is disabled when NG is determined (ie, the ball lending machine 3 is deactivated).
To stop ball lending control.

Further, the ball rental machine 3 is a ball rental network 1
In response to an information request from the ball lending management device 4 made via the Internet 0, the determination information (OK / NG) and the information relating to the ball lending function (amount information, security information and ball lending amount information of a prepaid card) ) Is sent to the requesting ball lending management device 4, and the determination ID code transmitted from the ball lending management device 4 is stored in the non-volatile memory 20 as necessary.

E. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the game control device 12. The game control device 12 divides the frequency of an amusement chip (game processing device 200; equivalent to the game control unit described in the gist of the invention) for controlling the accessory required for pachinko games and the like, and a high-precision oscillation frequency. An oscillator 111 for generating a predetermined clock signal CLK, a power-on reset generator 112 for detecting power-on and generating a power-on reset signal PWR_RST, an input interface 113 for inputting various sensor signals, and various drive signals. An output interface 114 for outputting, a sound generator 115 for generating a sound effect (electronic sound or voice synthetic sound) required for the game,
It is configured to include an amplifier 117 for amplifying a sound effect signal from the sound generator 115 and outputting the amplified sound signal to a speaker 116 provided at an appropriate position of the gaming machine 2, and an external communication terminal 13.

The input interface 113 selectively receives signals from the respective winning sensors provided on the game board, ie, the special figure start switch 101, the winning switch 102, the continuation switch 103, and the count switch 104, and performs a game calculation. The data is input to the external bus interface 204 (see FIG. 7) of the processing device 200, and the selection operation is performed according to chip select signals CS0 to CS7 (see FIG. 7) from the game processing device 200. Note that “1 to n” described in the rectangular figure representing the winning switch 102 indicates that n winning switches 102 are provided. Here, n is the number of general winning ports 94. The output interface 114 is the external bus interface 2 of the game processing device 200.
04 (see FIG. 7) is output to each part of the gaming machine 2, that is, the external information terminal 118, the display control device 11
9. Toku-zu start memory display 105, special winning opening solenoid 1
21, the discharge control device 14, the decoration control device 123, and the like, and the selection operation is performed in the same manner as the input interface 113, by selecting chip select signals CS0 to CS7 from the game processing device 200 (see FIG. 7). ). Incidentally, the function of each section will be described. The external information terminal 118 is for outputting game information to the game store computer 30, the display control device 119 is for controlling the display of the special map display device 89, The figure start memory display 105 is for displaying the number of start memories of the special figure, and the special winning opening solenoid 121 is a special variable prize winning device 9.
0 opening and closing of the grand prize mouth, discharge control device 14
Is for driving the discharge device 15 to control the discharge of the game medium (game balls), and the decoration control device 123 is for controlling the lighting of the decoration lamp, LED, etc. of each part of the game board.

F. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a game processing device 200.
The game processing unit 200 is divided into a game block 200A for performing game control and a management block 200B for performing information management. The components of each block described below are mounted on a common semiconductor substrate to form a single chip. , An amusement chip manufactured by packaging.
The game block 200A includes components such as a CPU core 201, a program ROM 202, and a user work RAM 203, and also includes an external bus interface 204, a clock generator 205, a reset controller 206, an address decoder 207, an input / output control circuit 208, a random number generation circuit 209, User periodic reset generation circuit 210 and attribute register 211
And a CPU bus 212 for connecting these components.

Although not shown, the CPU core 201 includes various register groups and arithmetic / logical operation units (ALU: Arit:
hmetic and Logic Unit), instruction register (IR: Inst)
ruction Register), decoder, program counter (PC), stack pointer (S
P: Stack Pointer), for example, a CPU core of a Z80 architecture including a data bus connecting them, an address bus, and various control units in the core.

The program ROM 202 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory (for example, the number of times data is written only once).
One-time PROM), and its storage contents are as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the game program 202a and the check code 202b are included. Check code 20
2b is data generated by encrypting the game program 202a with a predetermined encryption algorithm. The user work RAM 203 corresponds to the main memory of the CPU core 201, and is constituted by, for example, a high-speed semiconductor device such as an SRAM, and is used as a work area (work area) when executing processing based on a game program in the game block 200A. Things.

The external bus interface 204 corresponds to FIG.
, An external address signal A0 to A15 of a plurality of bits (for example, 16 bits) and a plurality of bits (for example,
It performs signal interface processing such as external data signals D0 to D7 (8 bits), a memory request signal MREQ, an input / output request signal IORQ, a memory write signal WR, a memory read signal RD, and a mode signal MODE.

For example, when the external data signals D0 to D7 are added from the outside while the external address signals A0 to A15 are sequentially incremented while the MODE signal is active, the mode becomes the write mode to the program ROM 202 and the gaming machine It is possible to write a game program by a manufacturer or a third party. However, when the writing of the game program into the program ROM 202 is completed, a write completion code is recorded in a predetermined area of a hardware parameter ROM 214 (abbreviated as HW parameter ROM in the figure) to be described later. When the write end code is recorded in the hardware parameter ROM 214, the game program cannot be written in the program ROM 202. When the WR signal is activated in a state where the MREQ signal or the IOREQ signal is activated, the external data signals D0 to D7 can be written to predetermined external I / Os. / O
, External data signals D0 to D7 can be taken. It should be noted that the predetermined external I / O refers to FIG.
Chip select signals CS0 to CS out of the ports of the input interface
One element selected according to the state of S7 and the state of the WR signal or the RD signal.

The clock generator 205 is external (see FIG. 6).
The internal clock signal iCLK is generated based on the clock signal CLK from the oscillator 111) and supplied to each block such as the CPU core 201 and the user periodic reset generation circuit 210. The reset controller 206 is a CPU core 2
CPU reset signal CPU applied to reset terminal 01
The CPU reset signal CPU_RST is synchronized with a power-on reset signal PWR_RST input from the outside (the power-on reset generator 112 in FIG. 6) when the power is turned on. It is also synchronized with a user periodic reset signal USR_RST periodically input from the generation circuit 210.

The address decoder 207 is connected to the CPU bus 21
2 and decodes information on the address bus 2 and generates an internal signal for selecting an I / O resource according to the decoding result. The input / output control circuit 208 controls the active / inactive state of the chip select signals CS0 to CS7 based on the I / O resource selection internal signal from the address decoder 207, and controls one of the ports of the input interface 113 in FIG. Output interface 11
One of the four ports or the sound generator 115
Select The random number generation circuit 209 generates a random number (the random number is used for determining a jackpot or determining a symbol at the time of stoppage, etc.) related to whether or not to add a game value (for example, a jackpot) in a game execution process. For example, a mathematical method (for example, a congruential method or an M-sequence method) for generating a uniform random number is used.

The user periodic reset generation circuit 210
User periodic reset signal US for PU core 201
R_RST is generated, and the generation interval (user periodic reset interval) is set in the attribute register 211.
Is determined by the value set in.

The attribute register 211 holds hardware parameter setting values such as a user periodic reset interval. The output port of the attribute register 211 is connected to (at least) the user periodic reset generation circuit 210, and the input port is connected to the management bus. 221 is connected to the management block 200B. The writing of the user periodic reset interval setting value to the attribute register 211 is performed from the management block 200B via the management bus 221. The setting timing is determined by the system reset (power Synonymous with on-reset). The CPU bus 212 includes a data bus, an address bus, and a control bus (not shown), and includes a CPU core 201 and peripheral circuits, that is, a program ROM 202, a user work RAM 203, an external bus interface 204, a clock generator 205, and a reset controller 20.
6. Address decoder 207 and random number generation circuit 209
And a part of the management block 200B (boot ROM 213, hardware parameter ROM 214, and bus monitor circuit 216).

Next, the configuration of a management block 200B for managing information in the game processing unit 200 will be described. The management block 200B includes a boot ROM 213, a hardware parameter ROM 214, a management work RA
M215, bus monitor circuit 216, security memory 217, ID property RAM 218, control circuit 21
9, including the external communication control circuit 220 and the management bus 221 and including a part of the CPU bus 212 extending from the game block 200A.
12 is connected to a boot ROM 213, a hardware parameter ROM 214, and a bus monitor circuit 216.

The boot ROM 213 stores a boot program and a self-diagnosis program for the management block (see the boot program 213a in FIG. 10), and is used when the game processing unit 200 is reset (to be precise, immediately after the system reset). Block 200B executed on the server
The boot program starts up, after the initialization process has been completed normally, and performs the legitimacy determination process of the game program (the details of this determination process will be described later), and confirms the legitimacy of the game program (in other words, falsification). If the start address of the game program is determined to be not a game program, the start address of the game program (a predetermined address in the address space of the CPU core 201; generally, the start address 0000h of the address space); (Return to 0).

The hardware parameter ROM 214 stores a predetermined write end code and hardware parameter setting information to be set in the attribute register 211 of the game block 200A when the system is reset. The write end code is information that clearly indicates that the game program 202a has been written in the program ROM 202, as described above.
The hardware parameter setting information includes the operating speed (so-called clock speed) of the CPU core 201, the address range used by the program ROM 202 and the user work RAM 203 (upper and lower limits of the address), and the usage (input) of the chip select signals CS0 to CS7. And for the user) and the set value of the user periodic reset interval. These hardware parameters are read into the control circuit 219 of the management block 200B via the CPU bus 212 and the bus monitor circuit 216 at the time of system reset of the game processing device 200, and are set as hardware parameter setting values required for game control. For example, the set value of the user periodic reset interval is set in the attribute register 211 of the game block 200A via the management bus 221.

The management work RAM 215 stores the game block 200A read through the bus monitor circuit 216.
(Storage contents of the program ROM 202, storage contents of the user work RAM 203, etc.) are temporarily stored. The bus monitor circuit 216 has a C
When the status of the PU bus 212 is monitored and the CPU bus 212 is not used by the CPU core 201 (for example, during a system reset period of the game processing device 200 or a refresh period of the user work RAM 203).
Then, if necessary, the program ROM 202 and the user work RAM 203 of the game block 200A are accessed via the CPU bus 212, and the necessary data (such as the game program and the contents of the user work RAM 203) are loaded into the management block 200B.

The security memory 217 stores the individual identification information of the game processing device 200, that is, a unique ID code (at least the game calculation device) assigned by the manufacturer (manufacturer of the game processing device 200) in advance. 200, which is a unique ID code among all manufactured individuals) in a non-rewritable state. In addition to this ID code, various identification information such as a game type code, a rank code, a manufacturer Information such as codes, model codes, and inspection numbers are stored in a non-rewritable manner. In addition, the game type code is information for distinguishing between a pachinko machine, a spinning machine, and the like.
For example, the information is “P” for a pachinko machine and “G” for a spinning-type gaming machine. The rank code is information representing a machine rank code (a code for distinguishing the first type, the second type, the third type, or another type) of the gaming machine,
The maker code is information indicating a maker ID (or maker number) for identifying a manufacturer of the gaming machine or the amusement chip, and the model code is information indicating a product code of the gaming machine set by the maker. The inspection number (or test code) is information indicating a number assigned to a gaming machine that has passed the inspection by a third party organization.

The ID property RAM 218 copies and stores all or a part (at least an ID code) of the storage contents of the security memory 217, and also executes a game program validity determination process (to be described later) performed in a boot process. The result information of step P2 in FIG. 9), that is, "information on the validity determination result of the game program" is stored, and the stored contents are retained during the power-on period. The timing of the copying is at the time of system reset of the game processing device 200. For example, immediately after the system reset, the management block 2
Copying is performed in the initialization process (see step C3 in FIG. 9) executed in 00B.

The control circuit 219 executes a predetermined sequence to control the operation of the management block 200B.
For example, the contents of the security memory 217 are copied to the ID property RAM 218 at the time of system reset (to be exact, in the initialization processing executed in the management block 200B immediately after the system reset), or the CPU is connected via the bus monitor circuit 216 during the game. The bus release period of the core 201 is detected, and the program R of the game block 200A is
The contents of the OM 202 (especially a game program) and the contents of the user work RAM 203 are read out and the management work RA is read out.
In addition to writing to the M215, the storage contents of the management work RAM 201 and the ID property RAM 218 (particularly the ID
In order to transfer the code and the validity determination result information of the game program) to the outside, it is set in a communication buffer (not shown) of the external communication control circuit 220.

The external communication control circuit 220 is connected to the external communication terminal 1
3 (see FIG. 6), a ball lending machine 3 (see FIG. 5 or 6) performed through the first harness 31, and a game processing unit 2
00, which controls the communication with the ball rental machine 3
In response to the management information request from the server, the contents of the communication buffer (not shown), that is, the contents of the management work RAM 215 and the contents of the ID property RAM 218 (particularly the ID
Code or the validity determination result information of the game program) and control to transmit the read information to the requesting ball lending machine 3 or the ball lending network 1
In response to a management information request from the ball lending management device 4 (this request is made via the ball lending machine 3), the contents of a communication buffer (not shown), that is, the contents of the management work RAM 215 (particularly, In addition to performing control to transmit the game program) to the ball lending management device 4 of the request source, when a predetermined operation stop request signal is input from the ball lending machine 3, the signal is transferred to the control circuit 219, Alternatively, a control signal indicating that the operation stop request signal has been input is transmitted to the control circuit 219.

G. System Reset Operation of Gaming Arithmetic Processing Unit Next, an operation of a system reset of the gaming arithmetic processing unit 200 (the system reset is synonymous with the power-on reset of the CPU core 201 as described above) will be described. . FIG. 8 is a state transition diagram of the game processing device 200. In the figure, 230 to 233 are states, and 234 to 243 are transition lines. First, when a system reset occurs due to power-on (transition line 234), initialization processing is executed in the management block 200B (state 230), and if the result is NG (transition line 235),
When a required alarm or the like is generated and the processing shifts to the standby state, and the state is OK (transition lines 236 and 237), the management block 200B is set to the idle state (transition line 238: standby state for a management information request) and the boot ROM 213 is activated. Is executed by the CPU core 201 (state 232).

The boot result is NG (transition line 24).
If it is 1), a necessary alarm or the like is generated and the process shifts to the standby state. If it is OK (transition line 242), a boot reset (generation of a start address of the game program) is generated and stored in the program ROM 202. The CPU core 201 executes the current game program (state 233).
Each time the user periodic reset signal USR_RST is generated (transition line 243), the game program is repeated. Here, the transition line 239 input to the state 231 is the ball rental machine 3
(Or management information request from the ball rental management device 4),
A transition line 240 output from the state 240 indicates a management information response to the request source. For example, if it is a management information request from the ball rental machine 3, the validity determination result information of the game program and I
The D code is returned to the ball lending machine 3 as a management information response, and if a management information request is received from the ball lending management device 4, the game program is returned to the ball lending management device 4 as a management information response.

H. Operation of Management Block and Game Block Next, the management block 200 of the game processing device 200
The operation of B and the operation of the game block 200A will be described in detail. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the management block 200B and the game block 200A,
The left side is the operation flow of the management block 200B, and the right side is the operation flow of the game block 200A. As described in the “system reset operation of the game processing device 200”, the two blocks (the game block 200A and the management block 200B) of the game processing device 200 are:
In response to the system reset at power-on, first, the management block 200B starts operating. Management block 20
The operation of 0B is controlled by the control circuit 219 in the following sequence. That is, the control circuit 219
First, the self-diagnosis of the management block 200B is executed in step C0, and if the result of the diagnosis is OK, it is determined in step C1 whether a write end code is recorded in the hardware parameter ROM 214.

As described above, this write end code is written in the hardware parameter ROM 214 when the writing of the game program 202a to the program ROM 202 is completed.
The determination in step C1 is, in short, the program R
That is, it is determined whether or not the game program 202a has been stored in the OM 202.

Then, if the game program 202a is not stored in the program ROM 202, the subsequent game processing cannot be executed as a matter of course.
After executing the writing process of a, the flowchart is ended to wait for the restart of the game processing device 200 (system reset).
The storage contents of M202 are as shown in FIG. 10. If the result of the "game game validity determination process" described below is OK, this game program 202a is
The game is periodically executed by the U-core 201 (see step P6 described later) to perform required game control.

If it is determined at step C1 that the game program has been stored, then at step C3 the management block 20 is stored.
0B initialization processing is performed. In this initialization processing, for example, the management work RAM 215 and the ID property RA
Initialization of M218, ID from security memory 217
Processing such as copying data to the property RAM 218 and setting hardware parameter set values in the hardware parameter ROM 214 in the attribute register 211 of the game block 200A and the like are performed. When the initialization process is completed, the boot program stored in the boot ROM 213 is started in step C4 (state 232 in FIG. 8).
8), and puts the management block 200B into the idle state in the “management process” of step C5 (transition line 23 in FIG. 8).
8).

The boot program is a game block 200
A is executed by the CPU core 201. That is, thereafter, the operation of the game block 200A is started. CPU
First, at step P0, the core 201
The self-diagnosis of 0A is performed, and if the diagnosis result is OK, an initialization process is performed in step P1. In the initialization processing, for example, processing such as initialization of the user work RAM 203 and adjustment of operating conditions of the game block 200A using hardware parameters set in the attribute register 211 are performed.

When the initialization process is completed, next, a "game program validity determination process" is executed in step P2. This determination process is performed in step P2a in FIG.
Then, using the encryption algorithm 213b read from the boot ROM 213, the game program 202a written in the program ROM 202 is encrypted. In step P2b, the generation check code generated at the time of the encryption and the program check code By comparing the check code 202b with the written check code 202b, if they match, OK (a valid game program) is determined, and if they do not match, NG (falsified illegal game program) is determined.

When the validity determination processing of the game program is completed, next, in step P3, the result (OK / NG) of the validity determination of the game program is stored in the management block 200B.
After storing the ID in the predetermined area of the ID property RAM 218 in step P4, if the result of the legitimacy determination of the game program is NG, the boot program is stopped (thus, the game control is not performed) and OK. If there is, the process proceeds to step P5, where the process is passed to the start address of the game program. Thereafter, the game control process of step P6 is performed for a predetermined period (user periodic reset signal USR_RS).
It is repeatedly executed every T generation cycle; for example, every 2 ms. When the determination result of the game program is NG, the control (game control) of the game block 200A is stopped, but the control (idle state) of the management block 200B is maintained. Therefore, even if the determination result of the game program is NG, a required management information response (especially, the validity determination result information of the game program and the ID code) is requested according to the management information request from the ball rental machine 3. It can be returned without any problems.

I. Next, the operation of the ball lending machine 3 will be described. FIG. 11 to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of a ball lending control program executed by the one-chip microcomputer 18 of the ball lending machine 3. After turning on the power, the ball lending machine 3 firstly executes step S21.
Executes initialization processing. In this initialization processing, for example, initialization processing of the communication control device 23, the card R / W control device 25, and the like is performed. After completing the initialization process,
In step S22, the presence or absence of access from the ball lending management device 4 is determined. If there is access, processing corresponding to the access type (polling / selecting) is performed in step S23, and the process proceeds to step S24. If no, the process proceeds directly to step S24. The determination as to whether or not there is an access from the ball lending management device 4 is performed, for example, by monitoring a data packet flowing through the ball lending network 10 and determining the address of the gaming machine 2 attached to the ball lending machine 3 at the destination of the packet. Is included, it is determined that access is made.

If there is an access, first, at step S2
In 3a, the access type code included in the access type portion of the packet is checked, and if the code is a code representing "selecting", in step S23b, the determination ID code (manufacturer) included in the information portion of the packet is determined. This is an ID code for determination set in the ball lending management device 4 by a technician or an inspector of a third-party organization, and is a game processing unit 200 for the gaming machine 2 attached to the ball lending machine 3
Is the same as the ID code written in. )
Is written in a predetermined area of the nonvolatile memory 20 of the ball rental machine 3. On the other hand, if the access type code is a code indicating "polling", in step S23c, the "gaming machine pass / fail determination information" and "ball lending information" (these are stored in the internal memory of the one-chip microcomputer 18). Is transmitted to the ball lending management device 4). Immediately after the power supply of the ball lending machine 3 is turned on, the "gaming machine pass / fail determination information" and the "ball lending information" are not yet stored in the one-chip microcomputer 18. "Gaming machine pass / fail determination information" is described in step S2 described below.
This is because “ball lending information” is stored and held when executing step S28 and step S29 described later. Therefore, tentatively, step S described later
When polling is performed from the ball lending management device 4 when 25 or step S28 and step S29 have not been executed at all, since valid transmission information is not stored and held, the ball lending management device 4 Then, a message (NAK signal) indicating that valid transmission information is not stored and transmitted is transmitted. When receiving the NAK signal, the ball lending management device 4 ignores the information response at that time and replaces the ball lending machine 3 in the next order.
Transition to polling.

Next, in step S24, it is determined whether or not the "game machine validity determination condition" is satisfied. One of the gaming machine validity determination conditions is immediately after turning on the power of the ball lending machine 3. That is, when the power of the ball lending machine 3 is turned on, the determination result of step S24 becomes “YES”, and the game machine validity determination process of step S25 is executed. Another one of the gaming machine validity determination conditions is an input of a predetermined periodic signal (a periodic signal generated by dividing the frequency of the oscillation signal of the oscillator 19). That is, every time a predetermined periodic signal is input (for example, every F seconds when the periodic signal is set to have a period of F seconds), the determination result of step S24 is “Y
ES ", and the game machine validity determination process of step S25 is executed.

In this game machine validity determination process, first, game machine information is obtained in step S25a. The gaming machine information is information stored in the management work RAM 215 or the ID property RAM 218 of the gaming arithmetic processing device 200 of the gaming machine 2 attached to the ball lending machine 3, and in particular, the ID code and the validity of the gaming program. This is the determination result information. The procedure for acquiring information is as follows.
In step 8, a management information request signal is generated, and the signal is transmitted to the management block 200B of the game processing device 200. When the management block 200B in the idle state receives the above-mentioned signal (the signal of the management information request), the management work R
The information stored in the AM 215 and the ID property RAM 218 (particularly, the ID code and the validity determination result information of the game program) is read, and the information is returned to the requesting ball rental machine 3 as a management information response. The gaming machine information acquired in step S25a is information returned from the gaming machine 2 in this manner.

When the game machine information is obtained, the "ID code" in the game machine information is compared with the determination ID code held in the non-volatile memory 20 in step S25b, and a match (OK) is made. : Legitimate game processing device 200
) / Mismatch (NG: the illegally exchanged game processing device 200). Then, in step S25c, the result of the determination and the "information on the validity determination result of the gaming program" in the gaming machine information are stored in the internal memory of the one-chip microcomputer 18 as "gaming machine quality determination information".
(Refer to step S23c). Next, in step S25d and step S25f, it is determined whether the determination result of the ID code is NG or whether the "validity determination result information of the game program" in the gaming machine information is NG. Or, when both are NG, the abnormality flag is turned ON (step S25e, step S25
g). Next, the process proceeds to step S26, and the abnormality flag is turned on.
In the case of, the abnormal process of step S27 is executed, and if it is not ON, the normal process, that is, the prepaid card process of step S28 and the ball lending process of step S29 are executed, and then Step S22 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed.

In the abnormality processing in step S27, first, in step S27a, an abnormality is displayed (notified) on the display 27 of the ball rental machine 3, and then, in step S27b, the card R / W is read.
It is checked whether a prepaid card has been inserted into the device 26. If it has not been inserted, the insertion of the prepaid card is prohibited in step S27d, and a ball lending impossible display is displayed on the ball lending display 81b of the gaming machine 2. If the card has been inserted, the process proceeds to step S27c. After discharging the prepaid card, the insertion of the prepaid card is prohibited in step S27d, and a ball lending impossible display is displayed on the ball lending possible display 81b of the gaming machine 2. In the prepaid card processing of step S28, the processing of checking the security information of the prepaid card, the processing of reading the amount information (unused amount) of the prepaid card, the processing of updating the display of the balance display 81a of the gaming machine 2, the processing of discharging the prepaid card ( However, when the unused amount is zero or when the return switch 81d of the gaming machine 2 is operated), display processing of the ball lending possible display 81b of the gaming machine 2 and the like are performed. Step S
In the ball lending process of 29, a signal (ball lending signal) for instructing the discharge of the number of game balls is generated in accordance with the operation of the ball lending switch 81c of the gaming machine 2, and is output to the discharge control device 14 of the gaming machine 2. The processing is performed, and furthermore, the processing of subtracting and updating the amount information (unused amount) of the prepaid card according to the number of discharged game balls is performed, and the number of discharged game balls (that is, the number of ball rentals) is converted into the amount. The information is stored and held in the internal memory of the one-chip microcomputer 18 as “ball lending information”.

J. Example of Operation of Ball Lending Management Device FIGS. 14 to 16 are diagrams showing preferred flowcharts of a ball lending management control program executed by the ball lending management device 4. This program executes step S1 only once at startup.
11 is performed, and thereafter, steps S112 to S112 are performed.
The loop consisting of step S116 is repeated. That is, when the program is started, a loop variable i (i is a polling address) is set to 1 in step S111 to initialize the program. Set the loop variable i to +
In step S115, the evaluation result of the expression “i> imax” is determined. If false (“NO”), the loop is repeated. If true (“YES”), step S116 is performed.
To return the loop variable i to 1 and repeat the loop again. Note that imax is the polling address i
Is the maximum value of FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the selecting process in step S112. In FIG. 15, step S112a is a determination unit that determines whether or not the mode is the ID setting mode. In the normal mode (when the mode is not the ID setting mode), the determination result in step S112a is always “N”.
O ". Therefore, in the normal mode, step S
The polling process of step S113 is executed without passing through the actual selecting process execution unit from 112b to step S112k and performing the selecting process. The substantial description of the selecting processing execution unit will be described later.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the polling processing in step S113. In this polling process, first, in step S113a, if the terminal indicated by the loop variable i, for example, i = 1 and the terminal with the address 1 is the ball lending machine 3, polling is performed on the ball lending machine 3. Execute. Next, in step S113b, a predetermined time has elapsed (elapse of a time obtained by adding an appropriate margin to the maximum delay time of the network response) or NAK (indicating that there is no information to be transmitted to the terminal or the transmission system is not established). If the predetermined time has not elapsed and the NAK has not been received, the process waits for information reception from the ball rental machine 3 in step S113d. Then, when the information is received in step S113d, the received information is recorded in the TBL1 of the information management unit 4g in step S113e, and the process returns to the loop process of FIG. If the NAK is received even before the lapse of the predetermined time, the polling retry is repeated n times (for example, n = 3) in step S113c. If the information is not received even after repeating the n times, Current loop variable i
(Address i is currently 1 and address 1
The polling process to the terminal (No.) is stopped, and the process returns to the loop process of FIG.

Now, assuming that the addresses of the terminals installed in the game hall are 1 to 99, the value of the loop variable i becomes 1, 2, 3,..., 88, 99, 1, every time the loop is repeated.
2, 3,... Sequentially. Therefore, every time the polling process of FIG. 16 is executed, polling of the terminal at address 1, polling of the terminal at address 2,.
.., Polling for the terminal at address 99, and polling for the terminal at address 1 are repeated. As a result, unless there is a failure or the like in each terminal, the latest information polled from each terminal (for example, the ball rental machine 3)
If so, the game machine pass / fail information and ball lending information) are transferred to the ball lending management device 4.
Are sequentially recorded in the TBL1 of the information management unit 4g.

By the way, as described at the beginning, when an arbitrary gaming machine 2 in a game hall is replaced, for example, the address 6
When exchanging the gaming machine 2 attached to the ball rental machine 3 with the number 2 and the gaming machine 2 attached to the ball rental machine 3 with the address 12 (the addresses 6 and 12 are of course The same ID code as the ID code of the amusement chip (game processing device 200) mounted on the gaming machine 2 must be set in the ball lending machine 3 at the address 6 and the address 12. Must. In this case, the employees of the amusement arcade can use the ID of the key input unit 4d of the ball rental management device 4.
By operating the setting start key (step S112a), the mode is switched to the ID setting mode, and the respective setting destination addresses (No. 6 and No. 12) and the ID code for determination (for example, “123456” for No. 6 and “ABCDEF” for No. 12) )). The ball lending management control program running on the ball lending management device 4 executes
Part for determining the mode change (step S112a)
When a change to the ID setting mode is determined, a substantial selecting process execution unit (step S1)
12b-). That is, I
When the change to the D setting mode is determined (“YES” determination in step S112a), first, in step S112
In step b, the input of the selecting address and the input of the ID code for determination are received from the key input unit 4d, and the selecting information (the ID code for determination and the selecting address are stored in pairs as exemplified in TBL2 in FIG. 3). In the illustrated example, a judgment ID code “123456” is assigned to the selecting address No. 6, and “ABCDEFG” is assigned to the selecting address No. 12.
Is stored. ). When the input end operation (for example, the operation of the ID setting end key of the key input unit 4d) is determined in step S112c, the address j of the first record of the TBL2 and the determination ID code are read in step S112d, and the address is determined in step S112e. The selection of the judgment ID code (“123456”) is executed for the ball lending machine 3 of j (j = 6). Then, in step S112f, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed or NAK has been received. If the predetermined time has not elapsed and no NAK has been received, step S112f is executed.
Waiting for ACK (setting completion notification) reception at 112i, ACK
Is received, it is determined in step S112j whether or not the selecting for the selecting information set and stored in TBL2 is completed (this determination is made, for example, by the EO of TBL2).
F is detected), and if all processing is completed, the selecting information of TBL2 is cleared in step S112k, and the process returns to the loop processing of FIG. On the other hand, if the selecting is not completed, step S1
Returning to 12d, the next ordering is executed. That is, after advancing the current record of TBL2 by one, in step S112e, the ball lending machine 3 of the address j (j = 12)
, The selection of the determination ID code (“ABCDEF”) is executed. If no ACK is received in step S112i and no information is received even if the predetermined time elapses in step S112f, or if a NAK is received even before the predetermined time elapses,
The retry of selecting is repeated up to n times, and if ACK is not received even after repeating n times, step S1
After performing the required error processing in 12h (for example, displaying a message indicating that "ID code setting to address j failed" on the display unit 4b), the selecting processing is stopped, and the loop of FIG. Return to processing.

K. Conclusion As described above, the game system of the present embodiment including the ball lending management device 4 that executes the ball lending management control program operates while operating in the normal mode, that is, unless switching to the ID setting mode. While the selecting process is not executed, only the polling process for each terminal (card issuing machine 6, money adding machine 7, and ball lending machine 3) is sequentially executed. This is because the step S112 of the selecting process and the step S113 of the polling process are placed in a loop that is repeated while updating the polling address i, and the actual selecting process is performed in the normal mode (when the mode is not the ID setting mode). This is because the execution unit (step 112b to step S112k) is passed. Then, when the mode is switched to the ID setting mode, after the completion of one unit of the polling process (from the information request to the terminal of the polling address i to the recording of the acquired information), the actual selecting process execution unit (step S112b) To step S112k). This means that one unit of polling is the same step (S
113), and before performing the polling process for the terminal of the next address i,
This is because the selecting process of step S112 is performed.

Therefore, according to the gaming system of the present embodiment, the selection process is performed after one unit of the polling process is completed, so that the conflict between the two can be avoided, and the information acquisition from the terminal and the information Accuracy of the record can be secured, and the certainty of setting the ID code on the ball rental machine can be secured.

In the ball lending management control program according to the above-described embodiment, step S112 of the selecting process and step S113 of the polling process are set in the polling loop, and the actual selecting operation of the selecting process is performed during the normal mode. (S112b to S112)
k) is passed, and only the step S113 of the polling process is executed. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this mode. In short, when the mode is switched to the ID setting mode, if the polling process for the terminal at the address i is being executed (active), the collection of the information from the terminal at the address i and the completion of the recording of the information are triggered. , Starts the selection (setting) of the judgment ID code to the ball lending machine 3 at the address j, and waits for the polling process for the terminal at the next address i until the selection is completed. It is sufficient that the polling is restarted upon completion.

The above “opportunity” means a so-called event-initiated type processing sequence or a sequence control type processing sequence. For example, in the case of the event-initiated processing sequence, the above-described aspect indicates that “when the polling process for the terminal at the address i is being executed (active) when the terminal is switched to the ID setting mode, In response to the event of collecting information from and recording the information, the selection (setting) of the judgment ID code to the ball rental machine 3 at the address j is started, and the selection completion event occurs. The polling process for the terminal at the next address i is suspended until the completion of the polling, and the polling is restarted in response to the selection completion event. " If the polling process for the terminal at the address i is being executed (active) when the mode is switched to the setting mode, the address i After completing the recording of the information with the information collection from the terminal, spherical rental machine 3 address j
Starts the selection (setting) of the determination ID code, waits for the polling process for the terminal of the next address i until the completion event of the selection, and performs the polling after the selection is completed. Resume ".

In the embodiment of the present invention, a pachinko machine has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In short, a game machine installed in a game hall using a prepaid voucher (prepaid card) for repayment of borrowing of game media such as game balls and coins may be used. Other gaming machines may be used. Further, the embodiment of the present invention exemplifies a ball lending system using a prepaid card, and when reading or rewriting information recorded on the prepaid card, the prepaid card is inserted into a card R / R.
The type (contact type) in which the information read / write unit (not shown) of the card R / W device 26 and the information recording unit of the prepaid card are brought into contact with each other by inserting into the insertion slot 3b of the W device 26 has been described as an example, but is not limited thereto. . As described above, the card R / W device 26 can read its recorded information by an electronic method or a magnetic method or other method that cannot be recognized by human perception, for example, by irradiating an invisible light beam. Any method can be used as long as the information can be read or rewritten by using a method for printing the recorded information, and the prepaid card is placed on the information reading / writing section as well as the contact type described above. Or a non-contact type in which the information reading unit and the information recording unit of the prepaid card are brought close to each other. The term "wearing" in the summary of the invention is used to encompass all of these types. Further, the embodiments disclosed this time are examples in all respects, and should be considered not to be restrictive.
That is, the scope of the present invention should not be interpreted restrictively based on the description in the above embodiment. It is shown by the description of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the claims.

[0070]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the game medium lending information collecting means is active, the lending information management apparatus can send the game medium lending information to the address designated by the game medium lending information collecting means. When the collection of the game medium lending information is completed, the game medium lending information collection unit is interrupted, the identification information for determination is set in the game medium lending device, and the setting of the identification information for determination is completed. The game media lending information collecting means is restarted. Therefore, once a game medium lending device has designated a request for game medium lending information,
The setting of the identification information for determination is made to wait until the collection of the game medium lending information is completed, and the collection of the next game medium lending information is interrupted when the collection of the game medium lending information is completed, and the identification for determination is stopped. The information setting is executed, and the collection of the game medium lending information is restarted when the setting of the identification information for determination is completed, so that the accuracy of the game medium lending information can be secured, and The setting of the identification information for determination can be performed reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a gaming device and a ball rental network.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a ball lending management device.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an information table stored in an information management unit.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the gaming machine.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a ball rental machine and a gaming machine.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a game control device.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a game processing device.

FIG. 8 is a state transition diagram of the game processing device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation for each block of the game processing device.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents stored in a program ROM.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a ball lending control program (1/1).
3).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a ball lending control program (2 /
3).

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a ball lending control program (3 /
3).

FIG. 14 is a flowchart (1/3) of a ball lending management control program.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart (2/3) of a ball lending management control program.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart (3/3) of a ball lending management control program.

FIG. 17 is a time run of the polling operation performed between the ball lending management device and the ball lending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Game machine 3 Ball lending machine (gaming media lending device) 4 Ball lending management device (lending information management device) 4a CPU (gaming media lending information collecting means, determination identification information setting means) 9 Prepaid card (storage medium) 14 discharge Control device (emission control unit) 18 One-chip microcomputer (lending control unit, game medium lending information response unit, determination unit) 81c Ball lending switch (lending operation unit) 200 Game processing unit (game control unit)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G07F 5/18 G07F 9/00 L 7/08 17/32 9/00 G06K 19/00 U 17/32 G07F 7/08 SF term (reference) 2C088 BA30 BC30 CA07 CA31 3E044 AA02 AA05 AA06 BA06 CA01 CA05 CA06 CA10 CB01 CB05 DA01 DA03 DA10 DB02 DC01 DE01 DE02 DE07 EA06 EB01 3E048 AA03 BA07 5B035 AA13 BB02 KA13 BB02 KA09 YA07

Claims (1)

[Claims] A game medium lending device that controls lending of a game medium based on mounting of a storage medium storing value information, and a lending information management device that manages lending information from the game medium lending device. A game control unit that is connected to the game medium lending device and controls the progress of the game, a discharge control unit that controls the discharge of the game medium, and a gaming machine that includes a lending operation unit of the game medium lending device. In the gaming system, the gaming medium lending device performs lending control for causing the discharge control unit to lend gaming media based on an operation signal from the lending operation unit on condition that the storage medium is mounted. Lending control means to perform, game medium lending information response means for responding to the request from the lending information management device game media lending information of the game medium lent by the lending control means, A determination unit for determining the validity of the individual identification information stored in advance in the game control unit based on the set identification information for determination, the lending information management device includes: A game medium lending information collecting means for sequentially collecting game medium lending information from each game medium lending device by designating an address on the system, and a judgment identification information setting means for setting judgment identification information in the game medium lending device The determination identification information setting means, when the game medium lending information collecting means is active, the game medium lending information from the game medium lending device at the address designated by the game medium lending information collecting means When the collection is completed, the game medium lending information collection unit is interrupted, the identification information for determination is set in the game medium lending device, and the setting of the identification information for determination is completed. Game system characterized in that to resume the work medium lending information collecting means.