JP2002177498A - Pinwheel and game machine using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pinwheel for eliminating the reduction of interest in a game player. SOLUTION: The pinwheel 23 is constituted by a pinwheel body 40 and a pinwheel attachment baseboard 50. A ratchet mechanism is arranged, which consists of a pawl part 56 for limiting the rotation of the pinwheel body 40 to rotate only in one predetermined direction and of saw-shaped teeth 44. A pair of left and right pinwheels 23 with such structure are disposed in the upper part of the game area 20 of a game board 10, the left side pinwheel 23A is rotated only in right by limit, the right side pinwheel 23B is rotated only in left by limit and, then, game balls are guided to a center part respectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a windmill provided in a game area of a pachinko machine or the like and rotated by collision of a hit game ball.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, a game ball is shot into a substantially circular game area of a game board at a speed adjustable by a player, and a plurality of winning ports provided in the game area are provided.
A game is played by passing or winning a game ball to a start gate and a start port. Further, a number of nails are driven into the game area, and a windmill is provided. The flow path of the game ball flowing down the game area is changed to enhance the game performance.

Here, when a game ball wins one winning opening, a predetermined number, for example, 15 prize balls are paid out to the player from the prize ball payout device. When the game ball passes through the operation gate, a normal symbol display device constituted by, for example, a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) is operated to determine a hit or a miss. In the case of a hit, the electric accessory in the winning opening is opened to facilitate the winning of the game ball to the starting opening. on the other hand,
When the game ball wins the starting port, for example, the fluctuation of the symbol displayed on the symbol display device of the special symbol display device constituted by the color liquid crystal display panel is controlled, and it is determined whether a big hit or a miss. In the case of a big hit, the big winning opening is opened to make the gaming state advantageous to the player.

[0004] In a general gaming machine, a pair of windmills are provided at symmetrical positions relatively above a game area.
Such a windmill is preferably colored, and exhibits an aesthetic appearance by being rotated by a collision of a game ball, thereby enhancing playability. Conventional windmills are right (clockwise) around the axis of rotation
Alternatively, it is configured to be freely rotatable leftward (counterclockwise). Therefore, the game balls that flow down in the game area rotate right or left depending on the collision direction, and the hit game balls are distributed to the center side or the outside, respectively.

[0005]

In recent gaming machines, most of the profits gained by the player are determined based on a "big hit" based on a "big hit" determined by a lottery when the game ball passes through the starting port. Obtained by opening. Since the starting port is arranged at the center of the game area, the player adjusts the firing speed of the game ball so that the game ball is concentrated in the center and the starting ball and the special winning opening are won. However, when the game ball collides with the windmill and is distributed to the outside, the game ball moves away from the starting port and the special winning opening, and the possibility of winning the game ball is reduced, thereby greatly reducing the interest of the player.

Accordingly, the present invention has been conceived in order to solve such problems of the conventional windmill, and has as its object to provide a windmill which can eliminate a decrease in interest of a player. is there.

[0007]

A windmill according to the present invention is a windmill which is rotatably mounted on a game board of a game machine and is rotated by a collision of a game ball, wherein the direction of rotation of the windmill is determined in one direction. In order to restrict the rotation direction, a ratchet mechanism is provided on the wind turbine body.

According to the embodiment of the gaming machine using the windmill of the present invention, a plurality of winning areas, a starting area, a symbol display device, a windmill and the like are provided in a gaming area of the gaming board, and a game ball is provided in the gaming area. In a gaming machine in which a game is performed by driving, the rotation direction of the windmill is limited to only one predetermined direction. Then, the rotation direction of the windmill can be limited to the direction of the variable winning device. Also, a pair of left and right windmills is provided, and both windmills can be rotated only in a direction to guide the game ball to the center side.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction and operation of an embodiment of a wind turbine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a game board to which a windmill according to the present invention is applied.
As shown in the front view of FIG.
A guide rail 21, a center case 22, a pair of left and right windmills 23A and 23B, a pair of left and right operation gates 24A and 24B, a plurality of winning openings 25A to 25E, a starting opening 26, an electric accessory 27, a special winning opening 28, an out opening 29, and the like. In the center case 22, a special symbol display device 30 constituted by, for example, a color liquid crystal display panel, for example, a normal symbol display device 32 composed of three LEDs (light emitting diodes), and a processing waiting prize winning in the starting port 26 are provided. For example, four LEDs for storing and displaying the number of balls
A display device 34 is provided.

As described above, the game ball driven into the game area 20 of the game board 10 via the guide rail 21 is
It flows down through 20 through various routes. When passing (winning) through the starting gate 24A or 24B, the ordinary symbol display device 32 in the center case 22 is changed, and in the case of a hit, the starting opening 26
, The electric accessory 27 provided at the entrance of the game ball is opened for a certain period of time to facilitate the winning of the game ball to the starting port 26.

When a game ball wins in any of the winning ports 25A to 25E, for example, 15 prize balls are paid out to the player from the prize ball payout device. On the other hand, when the game ball wins the starting port 26, the special symbol display device 30 in the center case 22
The symbols displayed in a plurality (for example, three) of the symbol display areas are changed, and a big hit or a miss is produced and displayed. In the case of a big hit, the large winning opening 28 having a large opening is opened for a fixed time or a predetermined number of game balls until a winning is achieved, and a gaming state advantageous to the player is established. Missing game balls that did not win at these starting gate 24, winning opening 25, grand winning opening 28 or starting opening 26,
It is discharged out of the gaming machine through the out port 29.

The windmills 23A and 23B of the present invention are apparently the same as conventional windmills, but are provided with a ratchet mechanism, and the rotation direction is limited to only one predetermined direction.
That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the rotation of the left windmill 23A is restricted only to the right as shown by the arrow, while the rotation of the right windmill 23B is restricted to the left only as shown by the arrow. It is configured to guide a game ball that has collided with the windmills 23A, 23B to the center side.

Next, the detailed structure and operation of the wind turbines 23A and 23B of the present invention will be described based on the exploded perspective view of FIG. 2 and the sectional view of FIG. This windmill includes a windmill main body 40, a windmill mounting board 50, and a rotating shaft 60.

The windmill mounting board 50 has a substantially disc-shaped member 51, and mounting holes 52A and 52B are perforated and fixed to the game board surface using mounting screws and the like. The disk-shaped member 51 has a columnar member 55 implanted at the center. This cylindrical member 55
An elastic claw portion 56 such as a thin plastic tongue piece is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the device.

On the other hand, the windmill main body 40 is a substantially cylindrical body, and a shaft hole (not shown) through which the rotating shaft 60 is inserted is provided on the front side of the windmill main body 40, Relatively large recess
42 are formed, and saw teeth 44 are formed on the inner periphery thereof, and a plurality of convex portions 43 against which game balls collide are formed on the outer periphery thereof.

As is apparent from the sectional view of FIG. 3, the windmill main body 40 is rotatable in one direction by the cylindrical member 55 having the serrated teeth 44 and the claw portions 56 of the windmill main body 40. It constitutes a ratchet mechanism whose rotation is limited in the direction.

The configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the wind turbine according to the present invention have been described above. However, such an embodiment is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any way. Various modifications and changes can be made depending on the specific application without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, a claw portion 56 having elasticity is provided on the windmill main body 40 side, and
44 may be provided on the columnar member 55 side.

[0019]

As is clear from the description based on the above embodiments, the windmill of the present invention and the gaming machine using the same have the following remarkable practical effects. That is, conventional windmills for gaming machines simply rotate in both the right and left directions and distribute the game balls to the left and right due to the collision of the game balls. It is possible to enhance the interest of the people. Furthermore, by setting the rotation directions of the left and right windmills to the right and left, respectively, the player is guided toward the starting opening in which the player is interested, so that useless game balls can be reduced as much as possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a game board according to an embodiment of a gaming machine to which a windmill according to the present invention is applied,

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a ratchet mechanism of the wind turbine according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a ratchet mechanism of the wind turbine according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Game board 20 Game area 23A, 23B Windmill 25A to 25E Winning opening 26 Starting opening 28 Big winning opening 30 Graphic display device 40 Windmill main body 43 Convex part 44 Serrated tooth 50 Windmill mounting board 55 Columnar member 56 Claw part 60 Rotation axis

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A wind turbine which is rotatably mounted on a game board of a gaming machine and is rotated by a collision of a game ball, wherein the rotation direction of the wind turbine is limited to a predetermined direction. 2. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein a ratchet mechanism is provided on the wind turbine main body. 3. A plurality of prize areas in a game area of the game board,
In a gaming machine having a starting area, a symbol display device, a windmill, and the like, and playing a game ball by hitting a game ball in the gaming area, the windmill has a rotation direction limited to only one predetermined direction. Gaming machine to do. 4. The gaming machine using a windmill according to claim 3, wherein the rotation direction of the windmill is limited to the direction of the variable winning device. 5. A gaming machine using a windmill according to claim 3, wherein a pair of the windmills is provided on the left and right sides, and both windmills rotate only in a direction to guide the game ball toward the center.