JP2003236087A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine in which a decorative light display means can be provided on the board at which a player stares without decreasing the number of barrier nails and the degree of freedom of arrangement and without arranging a transparent cable on the glass surface. <P>SOLUTION: The game machine uses small balls falling on the game board by its own weight, in which the game board is closed by a door having a see- through glass. The machine has an optical display means optically displaying a win or the like. The optical display means has a plurality of reflective surfaces 36a on the front side formed in the sectional direction in a prescribed site of the see-through glass 9 and practically not manifesting, and a light source (light emitter) 38 arranged at the end of the see-through glass 9 oppositely to the reflective surfaces 36a and capable of radiating bunchlight. The light source 38 emits light in response to signals from a CPU or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gaming machine which uses a small ball that falls on its board surface by its own weight and whose front surface is closed by a door body having a see-through glass. Here, a pachinko machine will be described as an example, but the invention is not limited to this. That is, the game machine of the present invention can be applied to a slot machine provided with an optical display means, other game machines, and the like.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART FIG. 1 shows a front view of a pachinko machine which is an example of a game machine to which the present invention is applied.

On the front surface of the wooden frame (main body frame) 1, a handle 3 and a lower tray (lower plate) 4 are attached to the lower side, and a base frame 6 whose upper side is a game board surface 5 is hinged to be openable and closable. A front plate 8 having an upper tray (upper plate) 7 and a glass door body 10 having transparent glasses (usually a double glass structure) 9 and 9A are hinged to the base frame 6 so as to be openable and closable. .

On the inside of the outer peripheral rail 14 of the game board surface 5 formed of a veneer board, that is, on the running surface of the small balls (pachinko balls), a large number of obstacle nails for restricting the small ball flow (including random change) are provided. 16 and the windmill 18 are arranged, and various winning openings (upper / lower left / right winning openings 20, 22 and left / right / center starting winning openings 24, 26) are arranged. Then, the variable display (design variation display) 28 is the variable display decoration section 30.
Is provided at a substantially central position of the game board surface 5. When the symbols are aligned, the variable display 28 is controlled by a CPU (not shown) so that the left / right / center starting winning openings 24, 26 are maintained open a plurality of times for a predetermined number of times to give a big hit. In addition, 32 is a mode indicator which shows the remaining number of times when it hits big, and 33 is an out port from which a small ball which has not won is discharged.

The decoration lamp (light display means) 34 for displaying a big hit etc. is a variable winning device (variable display device 2).
In parts other than 8), the ball (pachinko ball) is often arranged on the game board surface 16 on which the ball travels, that is, outside the outer peripheral rail 14. That is, on the game board surface 5, there are as many obstacle nails 16 as possible and the degree of freedom of arrangement (the degree of freedom of the flow path configuration of the hit ball) is required.

On the other hand, in order to increase the playability and design (decorativeness) of the board surface during a prize or a big hit in the game, there is a demand for providing a decorative light display means on the board surface that the player stares at.

In order to satisfy this trade-off requirement, for example, as in the case of the variable display disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-246097, a transparent glass is provided between the transparent glass (usually a two-panel structure) in the door when no light is emitted. It is conceivable to arrange various light sources (lamps).

However, as in the case of the variable display, it is necessary to wire a transparent cable provided with a transparent electrode from the glass end face side so that the light source emits light when necessary. Arranging many light sources and transparent cables may impair the transparency of the transparent glass.

Further, the transparent glass is used as a door body (glass holding frame).
It becomes difficult to assemble into and it is not practical. That is,
Usually, the assembling of the transparent glass is performed by sliding the transparent glass into a glass insertion hole formed in the glass holding frame of the door body.

[0010]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a board surface on which a player gazes without reducing the number of nails and the degree of freedom of arrangement, and without wiring a transparent cable on the glass surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine in which a decorative light display means can be provided.

In order to solve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has devised a game machine having the following structure as a result of intensive efforts for development.

A gaming machine which uses a small ball that falls by its own weight on the board surface and is closed by a door body provided with a transparent glass on the front surface, which has a light emitting display means for optically (emission) displaying a prize or the like. The light emitting display means is provided at a predetermined portion of the transparent glass and has a plurality of reflecting surfaces that do not appear on the front side formed in the cross-sectional direction, and is arranged on the end surface of the transparent glass so as to emit a bundle of light rays facing the reflecting surfaces. And a different light source, and the light source is controlled to emit light.

A light beam from a light source arranged from the edge of the glass passes through the glass and travels toward the player (viewer) side through the reflecting surface of the transparent glass, giving a strong (impacting) visual impression to the viewer. Therefore, without reducing the number of nails and the degree of freedom in arrangement (the degree of freedom in designing the ball hitting flow path), and without wiring the glass surface with a transparent cable, the player (viewer) can gaze on the board surface. Can be provided with a decorative light display means.

The angle of the reflecting surface is usually about 4
Set to 5 °. This is because the light is reflected in the direction orthogonal to the glass front surface.

Further, usually, a notch portion is formed on the rear surface side of the transparent glass, and the light source facing surface side of the notch portion serves as a reflecting surface. Since only the notch (groove) is formed, the workability is good, and it is hard to appear on the front side of the glass. In particular, a notch having an opening angle of 45 ° with a reflection surface of 45 ° is desirable. The surface facing the reflecting surface is orthogonal to the glass front surface, and the light reflected from the reflecting surface is not emitted to the glass front surface side with respect to the incident light from the opposite side, and the reflected light from the reflecting surface is clear (clear).

The reflecting surface may be formed only on one piece of transparent glass, but when the transparent glass is composed of a plurality of transparent glasses, the reflecting surface may be formed at a different position where the transparent glasses do not overlap. With this configuration, when the reflecting surface is arranged in a straight line on the projection plane of the transparent glass, the light source (light source (light emitting body) is not provided from the opposite end surface only on one side of the glass end surface ( It is possible to arrange a light emitting body), and the wiring of the light source is simplified.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same parts (same members) as those in the above-described examples are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted in whole or in part.

An example is shown in which a V-mark display D as shown in FIG. 2 is made in a pachinko machine as shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

A plurality of notches 36, 36 ... Are formed on the back side of the first door glass (transparent glass) 9, 9A on the front side so as to form the V mark. Then, the lower surface side of the cutout portion 36 becomes the reflecting surface 36a. In the illustrated example, the shape of the cutout portion 36 has an opening angle α that makes the reflecting surface 36a 45 °:
It is at 45 °. Since the reflecting surface 36a is 45 °, it reflects in a direction orthogonal to the glass front surface. Also,
The surface 36b that faces the reflecting surface 36a is orthogonal to the glass front surface and does not emit reflected light to the glass front surface side when light enters from the opposite side (upper side in the example in the figure), and the reflected light from the reflecting surface is clear. (Clear). That is, when the two are combined, the reflected light directly goes to the viewer (player), and the impact of the display increases.

At this time, the depth h of the notch 36 (the length of the reflecting surface is about 1.4 h) is larger than the width of the light source (light emitter) 38 that can be received from the glass end face 9a, and the notch appears on the front surface of the glass. The size is not particularly limited as long as it does not. Usually, when the transparent glass 9, 9A has a wall thickness of 2 to 3 mm, it is usually 0.5 to 1.5 mm, preferably about 1 mm. That is, it is 0.2 to 0.6 times, preferably 0.3 to 0.5 times the glass thickness.

The width w of the notch is not particularly limited as long as it is larger than the width capable of receiving the light source and does not substantially interfere with the upper notch. Usually, it is 2 to the same as the thickness of glass.
3 mm.

A plurality of light sources (light emitters) 38 may be arranged in one notch 36. In this case, if various different colors (for example, red, yellow, and blue) are combined, the V mark display is further enhanced in decorativeness.

The diameter of the light beam emitted by the light source 38 is not particularly limited as long as it is not more than the depth of the notch, and is usually 5 mm or less, preferably 0.5 to 3 mm.

The notch may be formed by molding at the time of molding glass, but may be formed by a leather or a glass cutter. When the transparent glass molding material is not normal inorganic glass but organic glass such as acrylic plastic, it is usually desirable to form the notch by shaping.

Further, the reflecting surface may be subjected to a magic mirror treatment or the like in order to ensure the reflection.

Further, the shape of the notch is not limited to the above-mentioned form, but may be an oblique linear groove, or conversely a groove angle α: 90 °.

In the illustrated example, the cutout portion 136 (reflection surface 136a) formed in the winning display (winning hole) has a transparent glass 9 (9).
It is located on a straight line on the projection plane of A). For this reason, a cutout portion is provided in the second transparent glass 9A on the rear side. By doing so, the light source (light emitter) 38 can be arranged only on one side of the glass end surface 9a, and the wiring of the light source 38 is simplified.

In the case of a single piece of transparent glass, or the second transparent glass 9A may be provided with the light source 38 on the opposite side (upper side) as shown in FIG. 5 without forming a notch. Of course, in this case, since the reflecting surface 36a comes to the upper side, the notch 36
The cross section of is upside down (vertical symmetry) with the lower cutout 36 (see FIG. 5A).

Further, as shown in FIG.
When the rectangular display D1 is to be formed along the line, the light source 38 is provided on the upper, lower, left, and right end surfaces of the transparent glass 9 so that the beam light can be projected (projected) to the notches 36 formed in the rectangle in the left-right symmetry. Distribute.

As the light source, an incandescent lamp, a discharge lamp (a mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a sodium lamp, a xenon lamp), electroluminescence,
The light emitting diode, the laser, etc. are not particularly limited. If the light source does not diffuse into a beam light among these, it is used as a thin beam light (bundle light) by guiding with a condenser lens or an optical fiber. Although not particularly limited, among these, the light emitting diode is desirable because it consumes less power and can easily obtain the beam light directly.

Then, each light source 38 arranged on the glass end face
Is a CPU (not shown) attached to the back side of the game board 5.
When it is connected to the (control section) and enters a winning hole or the like, or when a big hit occurs, a signal is transmitted and the respective light sources emit light sequentially or simultaneously.

Next, a mode of use in the gaming machine having the above structure will be described.

First, when a hit ball enters the winning opening 22 (24), the light source 38 arranged on the lower end face of the second transparent glass 9A on the rear side emits a light beam to the reflecting surface for a predetermined time. Then, the light beam advances through the see-through glass 9A and is reflected by the reflecting surface toward the viewer (player). Therefore, the fact that a ball has entered the winning opening 22 is optically displayed to the viewer, and the playability is further increased as compared with the conventional case.

When a big hit occurs, the V display is displayed simultaneously or neon-signed in various colors, and the impact of the optical display at the time of a big hit contributes to an increase.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine which is an example of a game machine to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual plan view showing an example of optical display means in the gaming machine of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual plan view showing another example of the optical display means.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual plan view showing still another example.

[Explanation of symbols]

5: Game board surface 6 ... Base frame 9, 9A: see-through glass 16: Obstacle nail 36, 136 ... Notch 36a ... Reflecting surface 38 ... Light source (light emitter) R ... Ray

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A game machine in which a small ball that falls on its board surface by its own weight is used, and the front surface is closed by a door body provided with transparent glass,
In a device provided with an optical display means for optically displaying a prize or the like, the optical display means is provided with a plurality of reflecting surfaces which are not substantially manifested on the front surface side formed in a cross-sectional direction at a predetermined portion of the transparent glass, A gaming machine, comprising: a light source (light emitter) which is arranged on an end face of the transparent glass so as to face a reflecting surface and can emit a bundle of rays, and the light source is controlled to emit light. 2. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the reflecting surface is approximately 45 °. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting surface is formed by a notch formed on the back surface side of the transparent glass. 4. In the case where the transparent glass is composed of a plurality of sheets, the reflecting surface is formed at another position where the transparent glasses do not overlap with each other.
The game machine described.