JP2002058792A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To overcome the problems of a conventional game machine, in which installing other display devices or the like to the front panel is difficult and of an interest in displaying is lacking due to information of internal winning of a jackpot made by and LED on the top of the casing or an information lamp or the like provided on the front panel. SOLUTION: The game machine has a light source control means made of a microcomputer 70 luminously controlling a start lever LED 39 provided in the interior of a start lever 35 and an LED driving circuit 83, and information relating to an internal winning mode is informed to a player on the basis of the light emission mode of the start lever 35 by the light source control means. For example the kind of the result of an internal lottery by a winning mode determination means is informed by a luminous color or the timing of operating stop buttons 36 to 38 stopping patterns corresponding to an internal winning accessory is informed by the light emission mode of the start lever 35.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gaming machine provided with a light source for notifying a player of information relating to an internal winning mode determined by a winning mode determining means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of gaming machine, for example, there is a slot machine shown in FIG.

In the slot machine game, a medal slot 14 is provided.
Is started by inserting a medal into the medal, but before the medal is inserted, a medal insertion lamp 9 provided on the front panel 2 is provided.
Lights up "INSART MEDAL" to indicate that the medal can be inserted. In this state, when a medal is inserted into the medal insertion slot 14, the medal insertion lamp 9 is turned on.
Is turned off, and the game start display lamp 10 blinks "START". This blinking display indicates that the start lever 3 can be received and the rotation of the reels 15, 16, 17 is operable.

The activated pay line display lamps 8a to 8e are turned on in accordance with the number of medals inserted into the slot 14. That is, when the number of inserted medals is one, the central lamp 8a
Lights to indicate that only one medal has been inserted and that the central pay line L1 has been activated. When the number of inserted medals is two, lighting of the upper and lower lamps 8b and 8c is added to this, so that two medals have been inserted and three horizontal pay lines L1, L2A and L2.
Indicates that B has been activated. When the number of inserted medals is three, all the lamps 8a to 8e are turned on,
It indicates that three medals have been inserted and that all five pay lines L1, L2A, L2B, L3A and L3B have been activated.

When the start lever 3 is operated by the player, each of the reels 15 to 17 starts rotating, and the game start indicator lamp 10 is turned off. The player rotates the reel 15
Stop button 4 while observing the pattern drawn on ~ 17
6 to stop the desired symbol combination on any one of the winning lines.

When a predetermined symbol combination is arranged on the activated winning line when each of the reels 15 to 17 is stopped, a prize is generated, and the prize display lamp 11 blinks "WIN" to indicate the occurrence of the prize. Thereafter, a payout sound is output, a predetermined number of medals according to the winning combination are paid out, and the winning display lamp 11 is turned off. Further, when the symbol combinations of the re-games are aligned on the activated pay line when the reels 15 to 17 are stopped, the re-game display lamp 13 lights up as "FREE GAME" to indicate that the game is a re-game. When the start lever 3 is operated as a replay and the reels 15 to 17 start rotating, the replay indicator lamp 13 is turned off.

When one game is finished in a short time and the next game is to be started immediately, the game interval display lamp 12 lights up as "WAIT", and the next game can be started. No, that is, that the rotation of the reels 15 to 17 is not in an operable state. This display is turned on until a certain time (usually 4.1 seconds) elapses until the next game can be played. While the game interval display lamp 12 is on, the operation of the start lever 3 is not accepted. The once-lit game interval display lamp 12 is turned off after a predetermined game interval (normally 4.1 seconds) has elapsed, indicating that the game can be started.

The stop positions of the reels 15 to 17 are determined based on the operation timing of the stop buttons 4 to 6 so that the symbol corresponding to the winning mode determined by the lottery in the machine stops on the activated winning line. Stop display is controlled. That is, if the symbol stopped and displayed according to the operation timing of the stop buttons 4 to 6 is not the symbol corresponding to the winning mode determined by the internal lottery, for example, the following four frames are included in the symbols in the predetermined range. If there is a symbol corresponding to the winning mode in the symbols up to the minute, the reel pull-in control is performed to draw the symbol to the winning line and stop and display the symbol.

The winning modes include a jackpot winning, a medium winning winning, a small hit winning, and the like. The big hit winning and the middle winning winning are generated when a predetermined combination of a symbol "7" and a character symbol are arranged on the activated winning line. . A special game such as a big bonus game (BB game) can be performed in the big hit prize, and a regular bonus game (RB game) can be performed in the middle prize, and a large amount of medals can be obtained. In addition, the small hit prize is generated when a predetermined combination of symbols such as “Cherry” and “Bell” is aligned on any of the activated prize lines, and several medals can be obtained.

When the jackpot winning mode is determined by the internal lottery, the notification lamp 18 provided on the front panel 2 of the slot machine 1 is turned on, and at the same time, the upper decorative lamp 7 on the upper part of the housing is turned on in a predetermined light emitting mode. Then, the player is notified that the jackpot winning has been internally won. Also, when the start lever 3 is operated, a special game start sound is output from the speaker 19, thereby notifying the player of the internal winning of the jackpot winning. The jackpot winning request flag is also carried over to subsequent games, so that the player can stop on the activated winning line aiming at the jackpot winning symbols in the subsequent games.

[0011]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional slot machine 1, the display lamps 8 to 13 including the notification lamp 18 are arranged on the front panel 2, so that the space of the panel 2 is considerably reduced. Occupy the amount. For this reason, there are other states of the gaming machine, operation guidance, and the like to be displayed on the front panel 2, but it is difficult to add these lamps, and at present, only limited display items are displayed. Similarly, it is difficult to provide other devices other than the display lamp.

The arrangement of the notification lamp 18 for notifying the jackpot internal prize mode and the upper decorative lamp 7 is wide at the top and bottom of the panel 2, and the display by these is performed quickly in accordance with the flow of the game. Therefore, in order for the player to check these displays while performing a game operation, it is necessary to frequently perform a wide-angle viewpoint movement, which causes a feeling of fatigue.

[0013] Even if the internal winning of the jackpot is announced by the sound of the special game start sound, if the inside of the game hall is noisy or the sound output volume is reduced,
The player may miss the game start sound.

[0014] Even if the internal winning of the jackpot is announced, the beginner of the game operates the stop buttons 4 to 6 at a timing at which the symbol corresponding to the jackpot can be stopped and displayed on the activated winning line. It is difficult.

[0015] Further, since most of the slot machines for notifying the internal prize mode display in a display form having a similar arrangement, the player has become chronic and is interested in the internal prize mode display. Is fading.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and comprises a variable display means for variably displaying a plurality of symbols, and a variable display of symbols by the variable display means is started. Variable display starting means, winning mode determining means for determining an internal winning mode of the game by random number lottery for each game, and symbols to be stopped and displayed on the variable display means in accordance with the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means. In a gaming machine including a stop display control unit for controlling, the variable display start unit includes a light-transmitting operation unit and a light source for causing the operation unit to emit light from the inside, and the light emitting state of the light source Light source control means for controlling and notifying the player of information related to the internal winning state determined by the winning state determining means is provided.

According to such a configuration, information related to the internal winning mode is displayed based on the light emitting mode of the light source, and the player can recognize information related to the internal winning mode based on the light emitting mode.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the light source comprises a light emitting diode emitting a plurality of different colors or a plurality of light emitting diodes emitting a different color.

According to such a configuration, as the light emission control of the light source by the light source control means, for example, control of the light emission color is added in addition to lighting / flashing control, and the number of light emission modes is increased, and the display range is widened.

Further, according to the present invention, the light source control means controls the light emission of the light source, for example, by changing a light emission color or a blinking speed, and informs the player of the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means. It is characterized by reporting.

According to such a configuration, the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means is notified to the player by the light emitting mode of the light source.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the light source control means notifies the player of the reliability of notifying the type of the internal winning mode based on the number of times the light source blinks.

According to such a configuration, the player can use the light source to determine the degree of reliability that the type of the internal prize mode informed can be trusted to be the same as the type of the internal prize mode actually determined inside the machine. Can be inferred from the number of blinks of.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the light source control means controls light emission of the light source when the variable display means starts variable display by the variable display start means.

According to such a configuration, the player can know the kind of the internal winning mode before stopping the variable display of the variable display means, so that the player can easily stop the variable display. Is done.

Also, according to the present invention, when the variable display of the variable display means is started by the variable display start means, a game start sound corresponding to the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means is output. A start sound output means is provided, and the light source control means is synchronized with the game start sound being output from the game start sound output means, and emits light or blinks corresponding to the type of the game start sound output. The light emission of the light source is controlled at a speed.

According to such a configuration, even when the inside of the game hall is noisy or the sound output volume is reduced, the player may not hear the game start sound. The type of the internal prize mode determined by the prize mode determination means based on the prize mode can be visually recognized.

Further, the present invention includes a plurality of stop buttons including a light source for stopping variable display of a symbol by the variable display means, and the light source control means is incorporated in each stop button together with the light source of the variable display start means. Each of the light sources is controlled to emit light, and the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means is notified to the player based on the light emitting modes of the plurality of light sources.

According to such a configuration, since a plurality of light sources can be combined to control the light emission in various light emission modes, one internal winning mode can be notified based on a plurality of light emission modes, and a notification effect Spreads.

Further, according to the present invention, the light source control means controls the light emission of each light source to a predetermined light emitting mode corresponding to each internal winning mode and sets the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means. It is characterized by reporting.

According to such a configuration, the internal prize mode is notified in the luminous mode selected from the predetermined luminous modes, so that the luminous mode corresponding to each internal prize mode is compared with the prize mode determining means. It is possible to predict what the determined internal winning mode is.

Further, according to the present invention, the variable light source control means may start the variable display on the variable display means by the variable display start means and stop the variable display on the variable display means by the stop button. The light emission of each light source built in each stop button together with the light source of the means is controlled.

According to such a configuration, the player can know the type of the internal winning mode before the stop button is operated to stop, so that the operation of stopping the variable display by the player is facilitated.

Further, the present invention comprises a variable display stopping means for stopping the variable display of the symbol by the variable display means, and the stop display control means comprises an internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means and the variable display stopping means. The symbol to be stopped and displayed on the variable display means is controlled in accordance with the stop operation timing, and the light source control means is a variable display which can stop and display the symbol corresponding to the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means by the stop display control means. The light emission of the light source is controlled at the operation timing of the stopping means.

According to such a configuration, for example, the operation timing of the variable display stop means capable of stopping and displaying the symbol corresponding to the internal winning state determined by the winning state determining means by the stop display control means is provided. Then, the light source is turned on, and the light source is turned off at the operation timing of the variable display stopping means which cannot stop and display the symbol corresponding to the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means.

Therefore, the player can grasp the operation timing of the variable display stop means by observing the light emission mode of the light source.

Further, according to the present invention, the light source control means controls the light emission of the light source every time the game is exhausted a predetermined number of times from the end of the jackpot winning game in which the jackpot internal winning mode is determined by the winning mode determining means, The light emitting mode is characterized in that a guide to the number of games consumed after the end of the jackpot winning game is notified.

According to such a configuration, the light source is controlled to emit light when the jackpot prize is completed and the general game is performed a predetermined number of times, and the predetermined number of general games are performed after the jackpot prize is completed depending on the light emission mode. Be informed. Further, when the general game is performed a predetermined number of times from that time, the light source is controlled to emit light in a light emitting mode different from the above light emitting mode,
Thereafter, each time a predetermined number of general games are performed, the light source is controlled to emit light in a different light emitting mode. Therefore, the player can know to some extent how many times the general game has been performed without the occurrence of the big hit prize by the light emission mode.

[0039]

Next, a first embodiment in which a gaming machine according to the present invention is applied to a slot machine will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a slot machine 2 according to this embodiment.
0 is a front perspective view of FIG.

Behind the front panel 21 of the slot machine 20, three reels 22, 2 constituting variable display means are provided.
3, 24 are provided rotatably. Each reel 22 ~
A plurality of types of symbols (hereinafter, referred to as symbols) are drawn on the outer peripheral surface of 24. Three of these symbols are observed through display windows 25, 26, and 27 on the front of the slot machine 20, respectively.

Each of the reels 22 to 24 is configured as a rotating reel unit shown in FIG. 3, and is attached to a frame 52 via a bracket 53. Each reel 22
24 are constituted by attaching a reel band 55 to the outer periphery of a reel drum 54. The above-mentioned symbol array is drawn on the outer peripheral surface of the reel band 55. Further, each bracket 53 is provided with a stepping motor 56, and each of the reels 22 to 24 is driven by the motor 56 to rotate.

The structure of each of the reels 22 to 24 is shown in FIG. 3, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. A lamp case 57 is provided inside the reel drum 54 behind the reel band 55, and back lamps 58a, 58b, 58c are attached to three rooms of the lamp case 57, respectively. These back lamps 58a to 58c are shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), it is mounted on a board 59, and this board 59 is mounted behind the lamp case 57. A photo sensor 60 is attached to the bracket 53. The photo sensor 60 is mounted on the reel drum 5
4 detects the passage of the shielding plate 61 provided through the photosensor 60 as the reel drum 54 rotates.

The lighting of each of the back lamps 58a to 58c is controlled by a lamp driving circuit 81 described later. By turning on each of the back lamps 58a to 58c, of the symbols drawn on the reel band 55, three symbols located at the front of each back lamp 58 are individually illuminated from behind, and each of the display windows 25 to 27 is displayed. 3 symbols are projected on each.

The display windows 25 to 27 shown in FIG.
Three horizontal (central L1 and upper and lower L2A, L2B) and two diagonal lines (diagonally lower right L3A, diagonally right upward L3B) are shown. Prior to the start of the game, when the player inserts one medal into the medal insertion slot 28, the central winning line L1 on each of the reels 22 to 24 is set.
Only activated. Also, two medals are inserted into the slot 28
, The upper and lower winning lines L2A, L2
B is added, and three horizontal pay lines L1, L2A and L
2B is activated. In addition, three medals are inserted into the slot 28
, All the winning lines L1, L2A, L2
B, L3A and L3B are activated.

On the lower left side of the display windows 25 to 27,
A 1-BET switch 30, a 2-BET switch 31 and a MAX-BET switch 32 are provided. When a medal is credited, the 1-BET switches 30 and 2B are used instead of inserting the medal into the medal slot 28.
Each push button operation of the ET switch 31 and the Max BET switch 32 causes one game to be played in one game.
Two and three medals are bet.

Below the BET switches 30 to 32, credit / payout of medals (PLAY CREDIT / PAY OU
Credit / payment changeover switch (C / P)
Switch) 34 is provided. C / P switch 34
A start lever 35 constituting variable display start means is provided on the right side of the device, and stop buttons 36, 37 and 38 constituting variable display stop means are provided on the right central portion of the apparatus. Start lever 35 and stop button 36 ~
An LED is embedded in 38 as a light source.

As shown in FIG. 5, the start lever 35
Is a transparent or translucent grip 35 having a hollow spherical shape.
a is fitted into the cylindrical shaft 35b. LE that emits light of multiple colors inside the grip 35a
D39 is provided, and is connected to an external power supply via an electric wire through the inside of the shaft 35b. Further, a sleeve 40 and a hemisphere 41 are fitted into the shaft 35b, and the outer spherical surface of the hemisphere 41 comes into contact with the spherical seat 43 of the pedestal 42 attached to the housing of the slot machine 20, and slides.

The start lever 35 is held at a horizontal position by the restoring force of the elastic spring 44, and can be swung by sliding of the hemisphere 41. A start switch 35s is provided near the rear end of the shaft 35b. The start switch 35s detects a displacement of the shaft 35b due to the swing of the start lever 35 and outputs a detection signal. In addition, in the present embodiment and each embodiment described later, the case where the LEDs 39 that emit light in a plurality of colors are used will be described. .

By operating the start lever 35,
The rotation of the reels 22 to 24 starts simultaneously. The stop buttons 36 to 38 constitute variable display stop means for stopping the rotation display of the reels 22 to 24 for each column, and are arranged corresponding to the reels 22 to 24. Each reel 22
When the rotation speeds of the rotation buttons # 24 to # 24 reach a certain speed, the operation of each of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is enabled, and
Reference numeral 38 denotes each of the reels 22 to according to the push button operation of the player.
24 rotation is stopped.

Further, a sound transmission hole 45 and a medal tray 46 are provided at the lower part of the front of the slot machine 20. The sound transmission hole 45 is provided for a speaker 6 (described later) housed inside the device.
The sound generated from 3 is output to the outside. The medal tray 46 stores medals paid out from a medal payout opening 47. In addition, a payout display section 48 is provided on the front upper portion of the slot machine 20 to indicate how many medals are paid out for each winning.

FIG. 6 shows a slot machine 20 according to this embodiment.
2 shows a circuit configuration including a control unit for controlling a game processing operation in and a peripheral device (actuator) electrically connected to the control unit.

The control section has a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer) 70 as a main component, and further includes a circuit for sampling random numbers. The microcomputer 70 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71 for performing a control operation according to a preset program, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 72 as a storage unit, and a RAM.
(Read / write memory) 73.
The CPU 71 includes a clock pulse generation circuit 74 and a frequency divider 75 for generating a reference clock pulse, a random number generator 76 for generating a random number within a certain range, and a random number sampling circuit 77 for extracting an arbitrary random number from the generated random numbers.
Is connected.

The main actuator whose operation is controlled by a control signal from the microcomputer 70 is the reel 22
24, a hopper 62 for storing medals, a speaker 63, a back lamp 58, and a start lever LED 39 built in the start lever 35. These are respectively a motor drive circuit 78, a hopper drive circuit 79, a speaker drive circuit 80,
It is driven by a lamp drive circuit 81 and an LED drive circuit 83. These drive circuits 78 to 83 are
0 is connected to the CPU 71 via the I / O port. Here, the microcomputer 70 and the LED drive circuit 83 constitute light source control means. Each of the stepping motors 56 is excited in one or two phases by a motor drive circuit 78, and rotates once when a drive signal of 400 pulses is supplied.

The main input signal generating means for generating an input signal necessary for the microcomputer 70 to generate a control signal includes a start switch 35 S for detecting the operation of the start lever 35, and an input from the medal insertion slot 28. There is an inserted medal sensor 28S for detecting the inserted medal, and the above-mentioned C / P switch 34. Also, the photo sensor 60,
There is also a reel position detecting circuit 84 which receives the output pulse signal from the photo sensor 60 and detects the rotational position of each of the reels 22 to 24.

The photo sensor 60 is connected to each of the reels 22, 23, 2
Each time the motor 4 rotates once, it detects the shielding plate 61 and generates a reset pulse. This reset pulse is given to the CPU 71 via the reel position detection circuit 84. In the RAM 73, a count value corresponding to a rotation position within one rotation of each reel 22 to 24 is stored.
When receiving the reset pulse, the PU 71 clears the count value formed in the RAM 73 to “0”. By this clearing process, the deviation between the movement display of each symbol and the rotation of each stepping motor 56 is eliminated for each rotation.

Further, as the above-mentioned input signal generating means,
Reel stop signal circuit 85 and payout completion signal generation circuit 8
There are seven. The reel stop signal circuit 85 includes a stop button 3
When 6, 37, 38 are pressed, the corresponding reel 22,
Generate a signal to stop 23 and 24. Further, the medal detection unit 86 counts the number of medals paid out from the hopper 62, and the payout completion signal generation circuit 87 converts the actually paid out medal count value input from the medal detection unit 86 into predetermined payout number data. When it reaches, a signal notifying the completion of the medal payout is output to the CPU 71.

The ROM 72 stores the slot machine 20
Is stored as a sequence program, and a winning probability table, a symbol table, a winning symbol combination table, and the like are separately stored.

The winning probability table is stored in the sampling circuit 7
7 is used to classify the random numbers extracted in 7 into the respective winning modes, and stores data for partitioning a certain range of random numbers generated by the random number generator 76 into the respective winning modes. Such a winning probability table is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. A1 to a3, b1 to b3, c1 to c in FIG.
3, d1 to d3, e1 to e3, f1 to f3, g1 to g3
Is numerical data set in advance, and is used when the random number extracted by the sampling circuit 77 is divided into each winning mode. This data is “a1 to g1” when the number of inserted medals is one, “a2 to g2” when the number is two, and 3
In the case of sheets, a combination of the numerical values of “a3 to g3” is used.

These numerical values are usually expressed as “a <b <c <d <e <
f <g ”and the extracted random number value is a
If it is less than that, it will be a jackpot winning (big hit) and "BB
(Big Bonus) "Winning flag is set. If the extracted random number value is equal to or larger than a and smaller than b, a medium winning prize (medium hit) is set, and a “RB (regular bonus)” winning flag is set. If the extracted random number value is equal to or more than b and less than f, a small hit prize (small hit) is obtained.
If it is less than c, the “watermelon” winning flag is set and c
If it is less than d, a “bell” winning flag is set, if it is d or more and less than e, a “four cherry” winning flag is set. If it is more than e and less than f, a “two cherry” winning flag is set. If the extracted random number value is equal to or more than f and less than g, a “replay” winning flag is set, and if the extracted random number value is equal to or more than g, a “losing” winning flag without winning is set.

That is, the winning mode is determined by which numerical range one sampled random number value belongs to, and is represented by a total of eight types of winning flags including “losing” and “replay”. Here, the random number generator 76, the sampling circuit 77, the winning probability table, and the microcomputer 70 constitute a winning mode determining unit that determines a winning mode of the game by random lottery.

FIG. 8 shows an example of each value of numerical data a3 to g3, which are hit section data when betting three medals shown in FIG. Here, the random number generator 76
A random number in the range of 5534 (= 2 ¹⁶ ) is generated.

According to the numerical data of the winning probability table, if a random number in the range of 0 to 200 is extracted by the sampling circuit 77 at the time of winning determination, the internal lottery result becomes a big hit and the "BB" winning flag is set. , 201-
If a random number in the range of 380 is selected, the internal lottery result is a medium hit and the “RB” winning flag is set. Similarly,
If a random number in the range of 381 to 10000 is extracted,
The small hit prize winning flag of each role is set, and 10001-1
If a random number in the range of 8000 is extracted, "Replay"
When a winning flag is set and a random number in the range of 18001 to 65534 is extracted, a "losing" winning flag is set.

The symbol table is conceptually shown in FIG. This symbol table is provided for each reel 22-24.
Is associated with the symbol and the symbol sequence is represented by a symbol. In this symbol table, a symbol code corresponding to the code number is stored for each of the reels 22 to 24. The code numbers are sequentially assigned at a constant rotation pitch of each of the reels 22 to 24 based on the rotation position at which the reset pulse is generated. The symbol code indicates a symbol provided corresponding to each code number.

In the winning symbol combination table,
The symbol code of each winning symbol combination shown in the payout display section 48, the symbol code of the symbol combination forming the "reach eye" that suggests to the player that the flag of the occurrence of the specific game has been established, and each winning is shown. A winning determination code, a winning medal payout number, and the like are stored. The winning symbol combination table is referred to at the time of stop display control of the first reel 22, the second reel 23, and the third reel 24, and at the time of performing a winning confirmation after stopping all the reels.

Reel position detection circuit 84, reel stop signal circuit 85, motor drive circuit 78, stepping motor 5
The microcomputer 6 and the microcomputer 70 constitute stop display control means. The stop display control means includes stop buttons 36 to 38
Is detected by the reel stop signal circuit 85, and the symbol displayed on the activation line at this operation timing is not a symbol according to the internal winning mode (internal winning combination) but is displayed on the activation line successively. Successor 4 to be
When there is a symbol corresponding to the internal winning mode among the symbols for the frames, control is performed to draw this symbol on the activation line of the display windows 25 to 27. At this time, while the type of the symbol displayed in the display windows 25 to 27 is recognized by the reel position detection circuit 84, the motor drive circuit 78
The microcomputer 70 controls the stepping motor 56 and controls the rotation of the reels 22 to 24.

Next, the operation of the gaming machine controlled by the microcomputer 70 in this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are flowcharts showing the outline of this game processing.

First, as a result of the previous game, a replay (replay) occurs, and whether or not there is automatic medal insertion is determined by the CPU 7.
1 (see FIG. 10, step 101). If there is this automatic insertion, the game medals corresponding to the insertion request are then automatically inserted (step 102). On the other hand, if there is no automatic insertion, a medal is inserted into the medal slot 28 by the player and a detection signal is output from the medal sensor 28s, or the player
The T switches 30, 31, and 32 are operated to output signals from these switches (step 103).

Next, by operating the start lever 35,
It is determined whether a start signal has been input from the start switch 35S (step 104). If this determination is "Yes", it is next determined whether the time from the start of the previous game to the start of the current game (hereinafter, referred to as a game interval) is 4.1 seconds or more (step 105). If the game interval is less than 4.1 seconds, the waiting time for starting the game is consumed until 4.1 seconds have elapsed (step 106). next,
A winning determination is made by the winning mode determining means. That is, a random number for lottery generated by the random number generator 76 is extracted by the sampling circuit 77 (step 107), and a probability lottery process is performed (step 108).

In the probability lottery process, as described above, it is determined which one of the winning groups belongs to the winning probability table (see FIG. 7), with one random value specified by the sampling circuit 77. Done by The internal prize mode determined by the prize mode determination means is represented by the type of the winning flag, and includes “losing”, “replay”, “two cherries”, “four cherries”, “bell”, “watermelon”, "RB" and "BB"
Any one of the eight types of the winning flag is stored in the RAM 73
Is set in a predetermined area of

The internal prize mode determined by the prize mode determining means is notified to the player based on the light emission mode of the start lever 35. The notification of the internal winning combination is performed by determining to which hit section data of the winning probability table shown in FIG. 7 the random number value extracted in step 107 is similar to the winning determination.

First, in step 109, it is determined whether or not the extracted random number value is less than a. If it is less than a, a control signal is output from the CPU 71, and the start lever LED 39 is illuminated by the LED drive circuit 83 in green. (Step 110). This green light emission of the start lever 35 is a notification of the "BB" internal winning. If the extracted random number value is not less than a, it is next determined whether it is less than b (step 111). If it is less than b, the start lever LED 39 emits blue light to notify the "RB" internal winning (step 112). If both of the steps 109 and 111 indicate “No”, the start lever LED 39 emits red light (step 113). The red light emission of the start lever 35 is a small hit prize or a notification of a replay or internal loss of a loss.

Next, a predetermined area of the RAM 73 in which the rotational positions of the reels 22 to 24 are written is initialized at the start of the reel rotation (step 114). Subsequently, the reels 22 to 24 are rotationally driven by the stepping motor 56. Is done. Next, it is determined whether any of the stop buttons 36 to 38 has been turned on (step 11).
5). If the ON operation has not been performed, it is determined whether or not the automatic stop timer has reached 0 (step 11).
6). The automatic stop timer includes stop buttons 36 to 38.
Is to stop the reels 22 to 24 automatically after a lapse of a predetermined time when the operation is not performed for a predetermined time.

When any of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is turned on or the automatic stop timer becomes 0, the stop display control processing is performed in accordance with the game state, the winning request, the number of control frames, the symbol position, and the like. (Step 11)
7).

The game state is stored in the RAM 7 shown in FIG.
The game state is stored in a one-byte area called a game state of No. 3, and the game state at that time is indicated by hexadecimal data of 01 to 05. There are five types of gaming states: "in RB operation", "in BB operation", "in general game", "in BB inside hit", and "in RB inside hit".

"RB operation in progress" indicates a game state during the RB game. In this RB game, a high payout game in which a high payout is awarded can be performed once. The “BB operation” indicates a game state during the BB game, and in the BB game, the set of the general game and the high payout game can be performed a plurality of times. “General game” indicates a game state in which neither BB nor RB wins.

"BB inside win" indicates that the BB winning flag is set up, but the predetermined winning symbol combination is not stopped and displayed on each of the reels 22 to 24, and the BB has not yet occurred. ing. The “RB inside hit” flag has the RB winning flag set, but each reel 22 to
24, a predetermined winning symbol combination is not stopped and displayed, indicating a normal gaming state in which no RB has yet occurred.

The winning request is also sent to the RAM 7 shown in FIG.
3 is stored in the hit request flag storage area. This area also consists of one byte, and the hit request flag includes "B
B, RB, replay, watermelon, bell, four cherry, and two cherry.

The order of the symbols for which the stop display control is prioritized is stored as a table in the ROM 72 as shown in FIG. This figure shows a priority table of winning combinations drawn preferentially on the activated winning line during a general game, and the priority order is determined in the order of replay, small hit, and BB / RB game. The number of control frames is the number of frames within a range that can be controlled by pull-in by the stop display control means. In the table, each winning combination is set to four frames.

The symbol positions correspond to the reels 22 to 22 written in the area of the RAM 73 initialized in step 114.
24 is the position data. This symbol position is the data of the symbol present at each activation line at that time, and is stored as the symbol code shown in FIG.

In the stop display control process, first, the current game state is referred to, and a priority table according to the game state is selected. In other words, during the general game, the table shown in FIG. 13 is selected. Next, the symbol position is referenced,
The symbol at that time on the activation line of the first stop reel is grasped. If this symbol is not a symbol corresponding to the winning request, it is determined whether or not there is a symbol corresponding to the winning request within the range of four control frames. If the symbol corresponding to the winning request is within the range of four frames, the number of sliding frames is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 73 so that the first stop reel rotates by the number of frames.
A stop request flag for the stop reel is set.
The stop display control means stops the rotation of one reel in response to the setting of the stop request flag.

Next, it is determined whether or not all the reels have stopped (step 118 in FIG. 11). If the second stop reel and the third stop reel are not yet stopped,
The processing returns to step 115, and the above processing is repeated.

Step 11 by the stop display control means
The reel stop display control processing of 5 to 118 is performed as follows during a general game, for example.

For example, when the ON operation of the first reel stop button 36 is detected, the first reel stop button 36
Is operated by the player, the number of drive pulses supplied to the stepping motor 56 of the first reel 22 is read from the RAM 73, and is associated with the rotation position of the first reel 22. When the rotational position of the first reel 22 is known, three symbols appearing in the observation window 25 are grasped as symbol codes by comparing with the symbol table (see FIG. 9).

In this case, when the big hit winning flag is set, it is checked whether or not there is a symbol constituting the big hit on the activated pay line in the observation window 25. Similarly, when the winning flag of the medium hit and the small hit is set, it is checked whether or not there is a symbol constituting the medium hit and the small hit on the activated pay line of the observation window 25. When there is a symbol corresponding to the winning flag on the activated pay line, the CPU 71 immediately stops the first reel 22.

If the symbol corresponding to the winning flag does not appear on the activated pay line in the observation window 25 as a result of the above check processing, what happens when the first reel 22 is further rotated by the number of control frames? Check if a new symbol appears. If there is a symbol corresponding to the winning flag in this, the first position is reached to the frame position.
The reel 22 is rotated and stopped there. This pull-in control processing is performed by the second reel 23 and the third reel 23 described below.
The same applies to each stop display control process of the reel 24.

Next, when the stop button 37 of the second reel 23 is turned on, stop display control processing of the second reel 23 is performed. In the stop display control process, it is assumed that, in the state where the second reel 23 is rotating, first, 21 symbols of the code numbers 0 to 20 are stopped on the pay line L1 in the center of the observation window 26, and the effective The combination with the symbol of the first reel 22 which has already stopped on the winning line is read. Also, a rotation code indicating that the third reel 24 is rotating is read. Note that the second reel 23 is also rotating, but is not read as a rotation code because it is assumed that the second reel 23 is stopped by the above processing.

When the combination of symbol codes is read in this way, the winning symbol combination table described above is referred to, and the second reel 23 has 21 rotation positions with respect to the symbol determined by stopping the first reel 22. , It is sequentially determined what kind of winning may occur on the activated winning line. For example,
Assuming that the first reel 22 has stopped as shown in FIG. 14 (a), the symbol combination pattern at that time is checked assuming 21 stop positions of the second reel 23. For example, as shown in FIG.
Stops at the code number "5" in the center of the observation window 26, the winning lines L1, L2A, L2B, L3A,
The symbol combination on L3B is as shown in FIG.

The arrow on the third reel 24 is a rotation code indicating that the reel is rotating. Depending on the stop position of the third reel 24, a big hit "AAA" on the pay line L1 or a win is made. There is a possibility that a small hit prize of “EEE” may occur on the line L2B. Therefore, for the code number "5" of the second reel 23, a big hit prediction flag and a small hit prediction flag are set as shown in FIG. The presence or absence of such a prediction flag is determined by the second reel 23.
Are checked for all code numbers, and these data are written to the RAM 73.

The prediction flag data written in the RAM 73 in this manner is referred to at the time of the stop display control of the second reel 23. That is, the stop button 3 of the second reel 23
7 is operated, the prediction flag corresponding to the code number of the second reel 23 is referred to, and if a big hit is predicted, the big hit symbol is stopped on the activated pay line. Then, the stop display control of the second reel 23 is executed.

Next, when the ON operation of the stop button 38 of the third reel 24 is detected, a stop display control process of the third reel 24 is performed. In this stop display control process,
Since the first reel 22 and the second reel 23 have already been stopped and the combination of the symbols has been specified, the possibility of winning for each code number of the third reel 24 is determined for the combination of these symbols. The winning prediction flag is set in the same manner as in the table shown in FIG.

This prediction flag data is also referred to when the stop button 38 of the third reel 24 is operated, and when a big hit is predicted, the big hit symbol is stopped on the activated pay line. The stop display control of the third reel 24 is executed. At the time of the stop display control processing of the third reel 24, the first reel 22, which has already stopped,
The reel stop position is controlled so that not only a winning according to the winning flag is obtained according to the combination with the symbol of the second reel 23 but also a winning different from the winning flag is not obtained.

When the reel stop display control process is completed, a winning search process is performed (step 119 in FIG. 11). In the winning search process, the type of the combination of the symbols actually arranged on the activated winning line is matched with the type of the winning flag won by the probability lottery process. Then, it is determined whether or not the winning flag is normal (step 120). If the result of this determination is not normal, for example, if the symbol combination of bells is aligned on the activated winning line, but the winning flag is a watermelon flag, an illegal error is displayed (step 121).

If the winning flag is normal, it is next determined whether or not the winning number is 0 (step 122). If the winning number is not 0, the game medals are stored or paid out depending on the state at that time (step 12).
3). In other words, in the state where the game is played with credits, the number of credits is increased by the number of medals obtained by winning, and when the game is played by inserting medals into the medal slot 28, the number of credits is obtained by winning. The number of medals is paid out to the medal tray 46.

Next, it is determined whether or not the internal winning mode is a re-game winning (step 124).
An automatic input request is set (step 125). Then, initialization at the end of one game, for example, the area of the RAM 73 used in the game is initialized (step 12).
6) One game ends.

In this embodiment, step 10
The type of the internal prize mode determined by the prize mode determination means by the processing of 9 to step 113 is changed to the start lever 35.
Is notified to the player by the light emission mode of the start lever LED 39 provided on the player. Therefore, unlike the conventional slot machine 1, a space for installing the notification lamp 13 on the front panel 2 is not required, and the slot machine 2 of the present embodiment is not required.
At 0, other devices can be provided in this space on the front panel 21. Further, since the display is displayed at a peculiar position distant from the other display devices, the display has a high visual effect. Since the display is of a format not available in the conventional slot machine, it can be differentiated from other models. Further, since the display is displayed on the start lever 35, the display can be confirmed without a large viewpoint movement.

In the present embodiment, the light source control means changes the emission color of the start lever LED 39 to inform the player of the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means. By changing the blinking speed of the LED 39, the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means can be notified to the player.

In this embodiment, the start lever 3
The light source of the light source No. 5 is controlled to emit light to notify the internally won prize according to the light emission mode.
A description will be given of a second embodiment in which the light emission control is performed in synchronization with the game start sound and the internal winning combination is notified visually or by hearing.

The slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment comprises:
A plurality of start sounds (game start sounds) are provided. A start sound corresponding to the internal winning mode is output when the start lever 35 is operated to notify the internal winning combination and to synchronize with the output of the start sound. The light emission of the start lever LED 39 is controlled, and the internal winning combination is announced by the light emission mode. The slot machine 2 according to the present embodiment
0, the slot machine 2 according to the first embodiment
Since the structure is the same as that of the microcomputer 70, the description of the structure is omitted, and the operation controlled by the microcomputer 70 will be described.
The same or corresponding parts as those of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an outline of this game processing.

First, automatic insertion or the insertion slot 28 of the player
It is determined whether or not medals have been inserted (step 130). If a medal has been inserted, it is next determined whether or not the start lever 35 has been operated (step 131). When the operation of the start lever 35 is recognized, an internal lottery is performed by the winning mode determining means, and an internal winning combination is determined (step 132). When the internal winning combination is determined, the corresponding start sound is selected (step 133).

FIG. 17 (a) is a diagram showing an example of start sounds corresponding to each winning combination, in which start sounds 1 to 4 are set in correspondence with each winning combination. The start sound 1 is emitted only when "BB (Big Bonus)" is internally won, and the start sound 2 is emitted when "BB" or "replay" is internally won. Similarly, start sound 3 is emitted when “RB (regular bonus)” or “watermelon” is internally won, and start sound 4 is emitted when “RB”, “bell” or “losing” is internally won. Be sounded. When “BB” and “RB” are internally won, there are two types of start sounds that are output,
A lottery for which start sound to select is further performed.

After the start sound is selected and determined, the start sound is output (step 134). The start sound is output by the speaker drive circuit 80 driving the speaker 63 according to a control signal output from the CPU 71. The microcomputer 70, the speaker drive circuit 80, and the speaker 63 constitute a game sound generation unit.

Next, in synchronization with the output of the start sounds 1-4, the start lever LED 39 is controlled to emit light corresponding to the emitted light (step 135). One example of the emission color of the start lever LED 39 corresponding to the start sounds 1 to 4 is shown in FIG. When the start sound 1 is emitted, the start lever 35 emits red light, and when the start sound 2 is emitted, the start lever 35 emits green light. Similarly, when the start sound 3 is emitted, the start lever 35 emits orange light, and when the start sound 4 is emitted, the start lever 35 does not emit light.

Start sounds 1-4 and start lever 3
When the internal winning combination is notified by the light emission mode of No. 5, the reels 22 to 24 start rotating next (step 13).
6), operation of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is awaited (step 137). Any of the stop buttons 36-38
Is operated, the rotation of the reels 22 to 24 corresponding to the stop buttons 36 to 38 is stopped by the above-described stop display control means (step 138). Thereafter, until all the reels 22 to 24 are stopped, each of the reels 22 to 2 is stopped.
The reel stop control process is performed by the stop display control means for No. 4 (step 139), and when all the reels stop, the start lever 35 turned on in step 135 is turned off (step 140).

Next, it is determined whether or not a winning has occurred (step 141). If no winning has occurred, one game is over and the process returns to the initial step 130. If a winning has occurred, a predetermined number of medals according to the winning mode are paid out (step 14).
2). When it is recognized that a predetermined number of medals have been paid out (step 143), one game is completed and the process returns to the initial step 130. However, when the winning that has occurred is a bonus winning, the process returns to step 130 after the end of each bonus game.

In the slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment, the start lever 35 emits light in synchronization with the start sounds 1 to 4, and the start lever 35 emits light in accordance with both the start sounds 1 to 4 and the light emission mode of the start lever 35. The internal winning role is announced. Therefore, the inside of the game hall is noisy,
Even in a situation where it is difficult to recognize the notification audibly because the volume of the game sound is reduced or the like, the start lever 35
By emitting light, visual recognition of the notification is possible. As a result, it is less likely that the player loses a prize because he / she cannot recognize the internal winning combination that has been notified.

Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the present invention in which an internal winning combination is notified by a light emitting mode in which the light emitting mode of the start lever 35 and the light emitting modes of the stop buttons 33 to 38 are combined.

The slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment
Except that the LEDs inside the stop buttons 36 to 38 are controlled to emit light by the light source control means, the other structures are the first
Since the structure is the same as that of the slot machine 20 according to the embodiment, the description of the structure is omitted, and the operation controlled by the microcomputer 70 will be described. The same or corresponding parts as those of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

FIG. 18 shows the microcomputer 7 in this embodiment.
It is a flowchart showing the outline of the game processing of the slot machine 20 controlled by 0.

First, automatic insertion or the insertion slot 28 of the player
It is determined whether or not a medal has been inserted into (step 150). If a medal has been inserted, it is next determined whether or not the start lever 35 has been operated (step 151). When the operation of the start lever 35 is recognized, an internal lottery is performed by the winning mode determining means, and an internal winning combination is determined (step 152). When the internal winning combination is determined, a predetermined light emission mode of the notification effect is selected corresponding to each internal winning combination (step 153).

FIGS. 19 (a) to 19 (d) show the start lever 35 and the stop button 3 for performing a notification effect of the internal winning combination.
It is the figure which showed an example of the light emission mode of 6-38. The light emission mode of the effect A shown in FIG.
Is operated, the start lever 35 is first turned on and turned off immediately, and then the stop button 36 is turned on and turned off immediately. Subsequently, the stop button 37 is turned on and turned off immediately, and finally, the stop button 38 is turned on and turned off immediately. By this series of light emission control, it appears that the light emitted from the start lever 35 flows rightward, flows through the stop buttons 36 and 37, and then flows to the stop button 38.

The light emission mode of the effect B shown in FIG. 11B is obtained by adding the light emission control of the effect A in which light flows in the right direction to the light emission control of the effect A in which light flows in the right direction. This is a light emission mode in which light flowing rightward from the lever 35 to the rightmost stop button 38 flows back leftward from the rightmost stop button 38 to the leftmost start lever 35. In the light emission mode of the effect C shown in FIG. 9C, the control is performed in a direction completely opposite to the light emission control of the effect A, and the light emitted by the stop button 38 at the right end flows to the left and the start lever 35 at the left end. This is a light-emitting mode that flows into the device. The light emission mode of the effect D shown in FIG.
Does not emit light, and only the stop buttons 36 to 38 are lit.

The light emission mode of these effects A to D
The start lever LED 39 and the stop button 36
The light emission control is performed on the LED provided inside the LED.

The effects A to D are selected according to the internally won winning mode with reference to the notification effect table stored in the ROM 72. FIG. 20 shows an example of an effect table. Effect A is selected when the internal winning combination is “watermelon” or “bell” of a small role. The effect B is selected when the internal winning combination is “BB” or “RB” or the small combination “watermelon”. In production C, the internal winning role is "B
"B" or "replay". The effect D is selected when the internal winning combination is “RB”, the small combination is “bell”, or “losing”. If there is a plurality of production options for one internal winning combination, the production is further determined by lottery.

When the type of effect is determined according to the internal winning combination, the internal winning combination is notified by the light emission mode of the effect (step 154). The player can predict to some extent the internally won winning mode based on the displayed light emitting mode.

Next, following the notification of the internal winning combination, the rotation of the reels 22 to 24 starts (step 155), and the operation of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is awaited (step 15).
6). When one of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is operated, the rotation of the reels 22 to 24 corresponding to the stop buttons 36 to 38 is stopped by the stop display control means (step 157). Then, all reels 22-2
The reel stop control is performed by the stop display control means for each reel until the reels 4 stop (step 158). When all the reels 22 to 24 stop, it is determined whether or not a winning has occurred (step 159).

If no prize has occurred, one game is over and the process returns to the first step 150. If a prize has occurred, a predetermined number of medals according to the winning mode are paid out. (Step 160). Thereafter, when it is recognized that a predetermined number of medals have been paid out (step 161), one game ends and the process returns to the initial step 150. However, if the winning that has occurred is a bonus winning, the process returns to step 150 after the end of each bonus game.

In the slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment, the notification of the internal winning combination is performed by the light emission mode of the start lever 35 and the stop buttons 36 to 38. Therefore, the notification is displayed at a peculiar position distant from the other display devices, so that the display has a high visual effect. Since the display is in a format not available in the conventional slot machine, differentiation from other models can be achieved. Further, since the information is displayed on the start lever 35 and the stop buttons 36 to 38, the notification display can be confirmed without the need to move the viewpoint during the game operation.

Further, according to this configuration, the start lever 3
5 and the plurality of light sources of the stop buttons 36 to 38 can be combined to control light emission in various light emission modes, so that one internal winning mode can be notified based on a plurality of light emission modes, and the width of the notification effect. Spreads.

Further, since the internal prize mode is notified by the luminous modes of the effects A to D selected from the predetermined luminous modes, the luminous mode corresponding to each internal prize mode is determined by the prize mode determining means. It is possible to predict what kind of internal winning mode is performed.

In the present embodiment, the start lever 35
By the time the rotation display of the reels 22 to 24 is started and the rotation display of the reels 22 to 24 is stopped by the stop buttons 36 to 38, the light source control means operates the start lever 35 and the plurality of stop buttons 36 to 38. Is configured to control light emission of each light source. Therefore, the player can know the type of the internal winning mode before the stop operation of the stop buttons 36 to 38, so that the stop operation of the stop buttons 36 to 38 by the player is facilitated.

Next, a description will be given of a slot machine 20 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention for notifying the type of an internal winning combination and notifying the reliability of the notification based on the light emission mode of the start lever 35.

The slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment also
Since the structure is the same as that of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment, the description of the structure is omitted, and the microcomputer 70
The operation controlled by will be described. Further, the same or corresponding parts as those of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an outline of the game processing of the slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment.

First, the automatic insertion or the insertion slot 28 of the player
It is determined whether or not a medal has been inserted into (step 170). If a medal has been inserted, it is next determined whether or not the start lever 35 has been operated (step 171). When the operation of the start lever 35 is recognized, an internal lottery is performed by the winning mode determination means, and an internal winning combination is determined (step 172). When the internal winning combination is determined, the number of blinks of the start lever 35 corresponding to this is selected (step 173).

FIG. 20 shows an example of the correspondence between the internal winning combination and the number of blinks of the start lever 35 corresponding to the internal winning combination. When the internal winning combination is “BB”, the number of blinks of the start lever 35 is controlled to 10 or 9 times.
If the internal winning combination is “RB”, 9 times or 8 times
In the case of "replay", the number of times is controlled to eight or two. Similarly, in the case of the small part "watermelon", 8 times or 6 times
The number of times is controlled to seven or three in the case of "bell", and zero (no blinking) in the case of "losing".

In a winning combination having a plurality of options of the number of blinks, one of the number of blinks is further selected at a predetermined ratio. For example, for "BB", the number of blinks may be 9 or 10, but if the selection ratio is set to 1: 3, the number of blinks is 9 out of 4 times. "BB" is displayed, and "BB" is displayed with a blinking frequency of 10 times at a rate of 3 out of 4 times. Since the notification display of 10 times of blinking is only “BB”, when this notification display is made, the player sets “BB”.
Can be found that has been determined. In addition, since the notification display with 9 blinks may be “BB” or “RB”, when this notification display is made, the player is not expected to win “BB” or “RB”. You can know that there is. The selection ratio is appropriately set for other winning combinations, and the number of blinks to be notified and displayed is selected under the selection ratio.

When the number of blinks of the start lever 35 according to the internal winning combination is determined, next, the start lever LED 39 of the start lever 35 is controlled to blink by the number of times (step 174), and a notification display relating to the internal winning combination is displayed. Done. The greater the number of times the start lever 35 blinks, the higher the expectation of winning a jackpot.

Next, when the notification display is completed, the reels 22 to
24 starts rotating (step 175), and waits for operation of the stop buttons 36 to 38 (step 176). When any of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is operated, the reels 22 to 2 corresponding to the stop buttons 36 to 38 are operated.
The rotation of No. 4 is stopped by the stop display control means (step 177). Thereafter, until all the reels 22 to 24 stop, reel stop control is performed by the stop display control means for each of the reels 22 to 24 (step 178). When all the reels stop, it is determined whether or not a winning has occurred. A determination is made (step 179). If no prize has been generated, one game is over and the processing is started at step 17
Returning to 0, if a winning has occurred, a predetermined number of medals according to the winning mode are paid out (step 180). Thereafter, when it is recognized that a predetermined number of medals have been paid out (step 181), one game ends and the process returns to the initial step 170. However,
When the generated winning is a bonus winning, the process returns to step 170 after the end of each bonus game.

In this embodiment, step 17
By the processes of 3,174, the light source control means changes the number of blinks of the start lever LED 39 to notify the player of the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means. For this reason, the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means is notified to the player by the blink speed of the start lever LED39.

In the present embodiment, the light source control means
The reliability of notifying the type of the internal winning mode is notified to the player based on the number of times the start lever LED 39 blinks. For example, when the number of times of blinking is 10, the internal winning mode of “BB” to be notified is determined, and the reliability of the notification is 100%.
Is notified to the player. The number of blinks is 9
In the case of a round, there may be an internal winning mode of "BB",
There may be an internal winning mode of “RB”, and the reliability of the internal winning mode notification is a predetermined ratio. For this reason, the player
From the number of blinks of the start lever LED 39, it is possible to estimate the reliability that the reported type of the internal prize mode is the same as the type of the internal prize mode actually determined inside the machine.

Further, in this embodiment, the light source control means
When the rotation of the reels 22 to 24 is started by the start lever 35, the start lever LED 39 is controlled to emit light. According to such a configuration, the player can use the reels 22 to
Since the type of the internal prize mode can be known before the operation of stopping the rotation of 24, the operation of stopping the reels 22 to 24 by the player is facilitated.

In this embodiment, the start lever 3 is used as a light emitting mode indicating the reliability of the internal winning mode notification.
5, the number of blinks is changed, but instead of the blinking control, the emission color may be controlled to indicate the reliability of the internal winning mode notification. In the above-described embodiment, the larger the number of times the start lever 35 blinks, the higher the expectation of the jackpot win. However, for example, a warm color system such as red is displayed with a high expectation of occurrence of a big hit, and a cold color system such as blue is Is set as a display close to the loss, and the emission color is changed from red to blue according to the winning combination. In this case, the process in step 173 of FIG. 17 is a process of selecting the emission color of the start lever 35 corresponding to the winning combination. Further, the process of step 174 is a process of controlling the start lever 35 to emit light to the selected emission color. Even in such a case, the same effect as in the case of the above embodiment in which the light emission mode is changed by the blinking control can be obtained.

Next, the start lever 35 is illuminated at the timing when the symbol corresponding to the internal winning mode can be stopped on the activated winning line by the stop display control means, and the operation timing of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is determined by the player. A fifth embodiment will be described.

The slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment also
Since the structure is the same as that of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment, the description of the structure is omitted, and the microcomputer 70
The operation controlled by will be described. The same or corresponding parts as those of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

FIG. 23 shows the microcomputer 7 according to this embodiment.
It is a flowchart showing the outline of the game processing of the slot machine 20 controlled by 0.

First, the automatic insertion or the insertion slot 28 of the player
It is determined whether or not a medal has been inserted into (step 190). If a medal has been inserted, it is next determined whether or not the start lever 35 has been operated (step 191). When the operation of the start lever 35 is recognized, the internal lottery is performed by the winning mode determining means, and the internal winning combination is determined (step 192). When the internal winning combination is determined, next, the reels 22 to 24 start rotating (step 193).

When the reels 22 to 24 start rotating, the symbols located on the activated pay line of each of the reels 22 to 24 are grasped, and the stop display control processing (reel pull-in control) is performed for the next four frames. The symbols are grasped, and the support range for eye pressing is checked (step 194). This check processing result is written in a predetermined area of the RAM 73, and is constantly updated as the reels 22 to 24 rotate. Next, it is determined whether or not the symbol corresponding to the internal winning combination exists in the symbols grasped in the process of step 194, and it is determined whether the symbol corresponding to the internal winning combination exists within the support range for eye-catching. Is performed (step 195). If there is, the start lever LED 39 in the start lever 35 is turned on (step 196). The processing operation from step 194 to step 196 is repeated until the operation of any of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is recognized in step 197.

On the other hand, if the symbol corresponding to the internal winning combination does not exist in the range where the reel pull-in control is possible and is outside the support range, "No" is determined in step 195.
And the start lever L in the start lever 35
The ED 39 is turned off (step 198). That is, during the rotation of the reels 22 to 24, the start lever 35 is turned on at the timing when the symbol corresponding to the internal winning combination can be stopped on the activated winning line by the reel pull-in control, and after the timing, the timing is over. The start lever 35 goes out. Therefore, the reel 22
The start lever 35 repeats lighting and extinguishing in response to the above-mentioned timing that repeatedly occurs with the rotation of .about.24. If the start lever 35 is to be illuminated all day, the configuration may be such that the luminance is controlled to be high or low instead of turning on and off.

Next, one of the stop buttons 36 to 3
8 is operated, the corresponding reel is stopped in accordance with the operation timing (step 199), and thereafter, it is determined whether all the reels 22 to 24 are stopped (step 200). When all the reels 22 to 24 are not stopped, the process returns to step 194, and the start lever 35 at a timing at which the above-described symbol support range check process and reel pull-in control can be continuously performed on the reel being rotated. Is repeatedly performed.

Thereafter, when all the reels 22 to 24 stop, the light emission control of the start lever 35 is stopped (step 201), and subsequently, it is determined whether or not a winning has occurred (step 202). If no winning has occurred, one game is over and the process returns to the initial step 190, and if a winning has occurred, a predetermined number of medals according to the winning mode are paid out (step 190). 2
03). Thereafter, when it is recognized that a predetermined number of medals have been paid out (step 204), one game ends and the process returns to the initial step 190. However, if the winning that has occurred is a bonus winning, the process returns to step 190 after the end of each bonus game.

In the slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment, the start lever 35 is turned on at the timing when the symbol corresponding to the internal winning combination can be stopped on the activated pay line, and the stop button 36 is turned on.
The operation timings of to 38 are notified to the player. Therefore, referring to this display, the stop buttons 36-3
Even a beginner of a game unfamiliar with how to set the stop operation timing of 8 can easily stop and display a desired symbol. This is particularly effective when stopping "BB" or "RB" symbols having a small number of symbols in the symbol row, and quickly wins without losing "BB" or "RB" which has been won inside the corner. Can be generated.

When a specific condition is satisfied, the stop display control is interrupted for some of the reels, that is, a slot machine in which a reel pull-in control for the next four frames is not performed for some of the reels, that is, a so-called CT machine. Also in the (challenge time) machine, it is effective to notify the operation timing of the stop buttons 36 to 38 by lighting the start lever 35 in the same manner as in the above embodiment. That is, during the period in which the reel pull-in control is not performed, the skill of the player is directly reflected in the game result, so that the beginner of the game can support the game skill by the notification and enjoy the CT machine.

Next, every time the number of games after the end of the “BB” game reaches a predetermined number, the start lever 35 is controlled to emit light, and according to the light emission mode, a guide of the number of games from the end of the “BB” game to the present is notified. A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment also
Since the structure is the same as that of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment, the description of the structure is omitted, and the microcomputer 70
The operation controlled by will be described. The same or corresponding parts as those of the slot machine 20 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

FIG. 24 shows the microcomputer 7 according to this embodiment.
It is a flowchart showing the outline of the game processing of the slot machine 20 controlled by 0.

First, if the slot machine 20 has just been turned on, at step 210, the game number counter is set to 0.
After that, the process proceeds to step 211. Step 2
At 11, it is determined whether or not the number-of-games counter has a value in the range of 0 to 299. This judgment is “Yes”
In the case of, a control signal is output from the CPU 71 to the LED drive circuit 83, and the start lever LED 39 is controlled to emit light by the LED drive circuit 83, so that the start lever 35
Lights green (step 212). After the start lever 35 is turned on, a medal insertion waiting process (step 217)
Becomes

If the determination in step 211 is "No", it is next determined whether or not the number-of-games counter is within a range of 300 to 599 (step 213). If this determination is "Yes", the start lever 35 is lit in orange (step 214), and waits for medal insertion in step 217. On the other hand, the determination in step 213 is “N
In the case of "o", the game number counter is next set to 600 to 899.
It is determined whether the value is within the range (step 215).
If this determination is "Yes", the start lever 35 is lit red (step 216), and waits for medal insertion in step 217. If the determination in step 215 is "No", it is determined that the game number counter is 900, and the process returns to step 210, where the game number counter is initialized to zero.

At step 217, it is determined whether or not a medal has been inserted into the slot 28 of the player automatically. If it is determined that a medal has been inserted, then the start lever 35 is operated. It is determined whether or not the operation has been performed (step 218). When the operation of the start lever 35 is recognized, an internal lottery is performed by the winning mode determination means, and an internal winning combination is determined (step 219). Thereafter, the reels 22 to 24 start rotating (step 22).
0), the operation of the stop buttons 36 to 38 is awaited (step 221). Any of the stop buttons 36-38
Is operated, the rotation of the reel corresponding to the stop button is stopped by the stop display control means (Step 222), and thereafter, the reel display is stopped by the stop display control means for each reel until all the reels 22 to 24 are stopped. Control is performed (steps 221 to 223).

When all the reels 22 to 24 are stopped, 1 is added to the game number counter and updated (step 2).
24) Subsequently, it is determined whether or not a winning has occurred (step 225). If no prize has been generated, one game is over and the process returns to step 211,
If a winning has occurred, a predetermined number of medals according to the winning mode are paid out (step 22).
6). Thereafter, when it is recognized that a predetermined number of medals have been paid out (step 227), it is determined whether "BB" has occurred (step 228). "BB"
When the "BB game" has occurred, the "BB game" is subsequently performed (step 229), and when the "BB game" ends, the process returns to the first step 210 and the game number counter is initialized to 0. If "BB" has not occurred in step 228, it is next determined whether "RB" has occurred (step 230). If "RB" has occurred, the "RB game" is subsequently performed (step 231), and the process returns to step 211. Also,
If "RB" has not occurred, one game is over, and the process returns to step 211.

In the slot machine 20 according to the present embodiment, an indication of how many times the general game has been performed without generating the big win "BB" is notified to the player by the light emission mode of the start lever 35. . That is, the number of games since the end of the BB game is 0 to
In the range of 299 times, the start lever 35 is lit green in steps 211 and 212, and in the range of 300 to 599 times, the start lever 35 is lit in orange in steps 213 and 214.
In the range of 00 to 899 times, the lights are red in steps 215 and 216, so that the player can know the approximate number of games by identifying these colors. Accordingly, the player can refer to these emission colors of the start lever 35 to know how much the game has been played on the gaming table since the previous BB game was finished, and the next BB game will be generated soon. The pleasure of guessing whether or not is obtained, and the fun of the game increases.

[0154] Conventionally, there is a game store where a numerical display is provided near the calling lamp of the gaming machine island equipment separately from the slot machine housing to display the number of games since the end of the BB game. However, on the other hand, some gaming stores do not perform the same display at all, and the uniformity of each gaming store regarding the display of the number of games since the end of the BB game is not so large. However, by installing the slot machine 20 having the function of displaying the number of games in the housing portion as in the present embodiment,
It is also possible to display the number of games at a game store where a display is not provided on a gaming machine island facility. Therefore, the slot machine can be differentiated from other slot machines that do not have a function of displaying the number of games in the housing itself.
Since this is a novel form based on the light emitting mode of No. 5, it is possible to attract the player's interest.

In this embodiment, the number of games is nine.
When the number of games exceeds 00, the number-of-games counter is initialized to 0. However, the emission color of the corresponding start lever LED 39 may be increased to provide a guide display for the number of games more than 900 times. Also, start lever LED3
The number of emission modes may be further increased by further increasing the emission color of No. 9 or by changing the emission control, and the range of the number of games notified and displayed by one emission mode may be narrowed and displayed more finely. With such a configuration, it is possible to perform a notification display as a measure of the number of games that is more accurate and closer to the actual number.

[0156]

As described above, according to the present invention, the light source provided in the variable display starting means of the gaming machine is controlled to emit light, and information relating to the internal winning mode is notified to the player based on the light emitting mode. . Therefore, the player can recognize information related to the internal winning mode by the light emitting mode. Also,
The notification lamp and the like displayed on the front panel as before can be omitted, and other devices and the like can be provided in the empty area.

Further, since the notification format is based on the light emission mode of the light source provided in the variable display starting means, it is a format not available in general game machines, and a display effect with a high visual effect can be provided. . Further, since each display is made on the variable display start means, the display can be confirmed without moving the viewpoint during the game.

When the internal winning of the jackpot winning is notified by the sound of the special game start sound, the inside of the game hall is noisy or the sound output volume is reduced,
Even if the player misses the game start sound, the player can reliably know the internal winning of the jackpot prize by the visual display of the variable display start means.

Also, the beginner of the game can know the timing at which the symbol corresponding to the internal winning combination can be stopped and displayed on the activated pay line from the light emission mode of the variable display starting means. Missed chances of generating jackpot winnings are reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a conventional general slot machine.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the slot machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an entire configuration of a rotating reel unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a reel constituting a rotary reel unit of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal configuration of a start lever of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a main control circuit configuration of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a winning probability table used in a game process of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of hit section data of a winning probability table used in a game process of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a symbol table used for a game process of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a first flowchart showing a game process of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a second flowchart showing a game process of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing contents of a storage area secured in a RAM of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating a pull-in priority table used in a game process of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a relationship between symbol codes which are assigned to and read from the respective rotating reels in the game processing of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a view showing a hit prediction flag table used in the game processing of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a game process of the slot machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a view showing a game start sound assigned to each winning combination and a light emission color of a game start lever assigned to each game start sound in the game processing of the slot machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a game process of the slot machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a view illustrating an example of a light emitting mode of a game start lever and a stop button for notifying an internal winning combination in a game of the slot machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a view illustrating an effect assigned to each winning combination in the game processing of the slot machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a game process of the slot machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a view showing the number of blinks of a game start lever assigned to each winning combination in the game processing of the slot machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a game process of the slot machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a game process of the slot machine according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of Signs] 20 Slot Machine 21 Front Panel 22, 23, 24 First Reel, Second Reel, Third Reel 25, 26, 27 Display Window 28 Medal Slot 30, 31, 32 BET Switch 33: Credit number display section 34: Credit / payment changeover switch 35 ... Start lever 36, 37, 38 ... Stop button 39 ... Start lever LED 45 ... Sound transmission hole 46 ... Medal tray 47 ... Medal payout port 48 ... Payout display section 50 ... medal payout number display section L1, L2A, L2B, L3A, L3B ... win line 70 ... microcomputer 71 ... CPU (central processing unit) 72 ... ROM (read only memory) 73 ... RAM (read / write memory) 83 ... LED Drive circuit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Keiji Ito 3-1-25 Ariake Frontier Building A, Koto-ku, Tokyo Building A (72) Inventor Yukiki Inamura 3-1-25 Ariake Koto-ku, Tokyo Ariake Frontier Building A Building (72 ) Inventor Kazuyuki Yanagi 3-1-25 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo Ariake Frontier Building A Building (72) Inventor Tamio 3-1-25 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo Ariake Frontier Building A Building (72) Inventor Shingo Matsuda 3-1-25 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo Ariake Frontier Building A Building (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Masaka 3-1-25 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo Ariake Frontier Building A Building (72) Inventor Rie Aoki 3, Ariake 3, Koto-ku, Tokyo −1-25 Ariake Frontier Building A

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. Variable display means for variably displaying a plurality of symbols, variable display start means for starting variable display of symbols by the variable display means, and a prize for determining an internal winning mode of a game by random number lottery for each game. A gaming machine comprising: a mode determining unit; and a stop display control unit that controls a symbol to be stopped and displayed on the variable display unit in accordance with the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining unit. The start means includes a light-transmitting operation section and a light source for causing the operation section to emit light from the inside. A light source control means for notifying a player of a game. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a light emitting diode emitting a plurality of different colors or a plurality of light emitting diodes emitting a different color. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source control means controls the light emission of the light source to notify a player of the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means. A gaming machine according to claim 1. 4. The gaming machine according to claim 3, wherein the light source control means notifies the player of the type of the internal prize mode by changing a light emission color or a blinking speed of the light source. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein the light source control unit notifies the player of the reliability of notifying the type of the internal winning mode based on the number of times the light source blinks. 6. The light source control unit controls light emission of the light source when the variable display of the variable display unit is started by the variable display start unit.
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. A game start for outputting a game start sound corresponding to the type of the internal prize mode determined by the prize mode determination means when the variable display of the variable display module is started by the variable display start module. Sound emitting means, wherein the light source control means synchronizes with the game start sound being emitted from the game start sound emitting means, and emits light or flashes corresponding to the type of the game start sound to be emitted. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein light emission of the light source is controlled at a speed. 8. A plurality of stop buttons including a light source for stopping variable display of symbols by the variable display means,
The light source control means controls light emission of each light source built in each stop button together with the light source of the variable display start means, and the internal light determined by the winning mode determination means based on the light emission mode of the plurality of light sources. The gaming machine according to claim 3, wherein the type of the winning mode is notified to the player. 9. The light source control means controls the light emission of each light source to a predetermined light emission mode corresponding to each internal winning mode, and notifies the type of the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means. The gaming machine according to claim 8, wherein 10. The light source control means, wherein the variable display of the variable display means is started by the variable display start means and the variable display of the variable display means is stopped by the stop button. The gaming machine according to claim 8, wherein light emission of the light source is controlled. 11. A variable display stopping means for stopping a variable display of a symbol by the variable display means, wherein the stop display control means includes an internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means and the variable display stopping means. The symbol to be stopped and displayed on the variable display means is controlled according to the stop operation timing, and the light source control means stops and displays the symbol corresponding to the internal winning mode determined by the winning mode determining means by the stop display control means. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the light emission of the light source is controlled at an operation timing of the variable display stop unit. 12. The light source control means controls the light source at an operation timing of the variable display stop means capable of stopping and displaying the symbol corresponding to the internal winning state determined by the winning state determination means by the stop display control means. The light source is turned off at the operation timing of the variable display stop means which is turned on and the symbol corresponding to the internal winning mode determined by the win mode determining means cannot be stopped and displayed by the stop display control means. The gaming machine according to claim 11. 13. The light source control means controls the light emission of the light source every time a predetermined number of games have been consumed from the end of the jackpot winning game in which the jackpot internal winning mode is determined by the winning mode determining means. The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light emitting mode notifies the user of the estimated number of games consumed after the end of the jackpot winning game. 14. The game according to claim 13, wherein the light source control means changes a light emission color or a blinking speed of the light source to notify a guide of the number of games consumed after the big hit prize game. Machine. 15. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is a slot machine.