JP2004000757A - Game machine system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine system which gives service in a form of a memory remembered by a player by combining a picture of the player and a display image displayed on a display device and by printing the composite image. <P>SOLUTION: If a jackpot occurs, the picture of the expression on the face of the player is taken, and the image data is synthesized with each image data of jackpot displays and is displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD). If he/she presses a button for printing, the image displayed on the LCD is printed, and the printed result is provided to him/her. Thus, since the composite image of the picture of the player and the image of the jackpot display is printed and is provided to him/her, the service in the form of the memory remembered by him/her is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a gaming machine system using a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine or a slot machine, and more particularly to a gaming machine system capable of providing a service as a memorable form of a player.

In recent years, at amusement arcades handling gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines, various services have been provided to players in order to improve their ability to attract customers. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-168647 discloses, as a kind of service, a captured image of a player combined with a display image such as a design and a background image on a display device of a pachinko machine, and the display image is refreshed and interesting. And give a sense of unity with the player.

サ ー ビ ス However, the service on the display is temporary, and disappears at least with the end of the game. In other words, there is a problem in that it is not possible to provide a service as a memorable form of the player.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem. By combining a captured image of a player and a display image displayed on a display device and printing the synthesized image, a form that is memorable to the player can be obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine system that can provide a service as a game machine.

In order to achieve this object, a gaming machine system according to claim 1 has a display device for performing a variable display of a symbol, and a photographing means for photographing a player, and photographing data photographed by the photographing means. A synthesizing unit for synthesizing the display data displayed on the display device; and a printing unit for printing the image data synthesized by the synthesizing unit.
According to the gaming machine system of the first aspect, the image data of the player photographed by the photographing means is combined with the display data displayed on the display device by the combining means, and the combined image data is printed by the printing means. Printed by.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine system according to the first aspect, the photographing means is configured by a monitoring camera of a game arcade where a plurality of gaming machines are installed.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine system according to the first or second aspect, the photographing means photographs the player immediately after a display for determining a jackpot is displayed on the display device.

According to the gaming machine system of the first aspect, image data of a captured image of a player and display data displayed on a display device can be combined and printed. Therefore, by presenting the printed matter to the player, there is an effect that a service can be provided as a memorable form of the player.
According to the gaming machine system of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the gaming machine system of the first aspect, it is necessary to provide another camera as the imaging unit by using the monitoring camera of the amusement arcade as the imaging unit. Therefore, there is an effect that the gaming machine system and the equipment cost of each gaming machine can be reduced.
According to the gaming machine system of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the gaming machine system of the first or second aspect, since the player has the best expression immediately after the display for determining the jackpot, There is an effect that a player with a good expression can be photographed.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine 1 and a card reading unit 23 constituting a gaming machine system 80 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The pachinko machine 1 is a so-called first-class pachinko machine, and a front frame 2 is disposed on a front surface thereof (on the front side with respect to the plane of FIG. 1). The front frame 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape, and a small camera 60 for photographing a player of the pachinko machine 1 is arranged in an upper central portion thereof. A substantially rectangular opening 2a is formed in a substantially central portion of the front frame 2, and a metal frame 3 is provided around the inner periphery of the opening 2a. Above the inside of the metal frame 3, a glass door frame 4 to which two glass plates 4a and 4b can be respectively mounted is provided so as to be openable and closable, and behind the glass door frame 4 (in FIG. A game board 5 is arranged on the far side (on the back side). The glass plate 4a is mounted on a front portion of the glass door frame 4, and the glass plate 4b is mounted on a rear portion of the glass plate 4a. That is, the glass plate 4b is mounted between the glass plate 4a and the game board 5.

略 A substantially arc-shaped outer rail 6 is planted on the front surface of the game board 5, and an arc-shaped inner rail 7 is planted inside the outer rail 6. On the front surface of the game board 5 surrounded by the inner rail 7 and the outer rail 6, a game area 8 into which a game ball (hit ball) is driven is formed. Around the game area 8, a game ball wins. In this way, a plurality of normal winning openings 9 from which six game balls are paid out as prize balls are provided. A variable display device 11 having a liquid crystal (LCD) display 10 for displaying a plurality of kinds of patterns as identification information is provided in a substantially central portion of the game area 8 in which the plurality of normal winning openings 9 are provided. Have been.

Around the front side of the liquid crystal display 10 of the variable display device 11, a center frame 11a also serving as a decorative member of the variable display device 11 is provided, and the periphery of the liquid crystal display 10 is decorated by the center frame 11a. I have. A seven-segment LED 11b, which is a kind of display device, is provided at the upper center of the center frame 11a, and the number of game balls (the number of reserved balls) passing through the symbol operation gate 12 is displayed by the seven-segment LED 11b.

図 Below the variable display device 11, a symbol operation gate (first type starting port) 12 is provided. When the game balls pass through the symbol actuation gate 12, the first-type start-up switch (not shown) is turned on, the variable display device 11 starts to display the fluctuation, and six game balls are awarded. Will be paid out as. A variable winning device 13 is provided below the symbol operation gate 12. The variable winning device 13 has a main body frame 13a formed so as to be attachable to the game board 5, and has a wide rectangular opening at a substantially central portion through which two or more game balls can pass at the same time. An opening 13b of a special winning opening is formed.

The opening 13b of the special winning opening forms a part of the special winning opening, and when the display result after the change of the variable display device 11 matches one of a predetermined combination of symbols (big hit display). The game balls are released until a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses so that the game balls can easily be won, or until a predetermined number (for example, 10) of the game balls enter the opening 13b of the large winning opening. Things. A state in which the opening and closing operation of the opening 13b of the special winning opening can be performed is a state in which a predetermined game value is given (special game state).

開 閉 An opening / closing shutter 13c is provided in the opening 13b of the special winning opening. The opening / closing shutter 13c is formed so as to conform to the shape of the special winning opening 13b, and opens and closes the special winning opening 13b. A guard member 13d is provided on the front surface of the main body frame 13a and in front of the opening / closing shutter 13c. The special winning opening includes an opening 13b of the special winning opening, an opening / closing shutter 13c, and a guard member 13d.

Below the variable prize device 13 and below the above-mentioned gaming area 8, an out port 14 for discharging a game ball that has not won any prize port out of the gaming area 8 is formed. I have. Below the glass door frame 4 provided in front of the game area 8 where the out opening 14 is formed, a front door plate (waist plate) 15 attached to the metal frame 3 so as to be openable and closable is provided. I have. An upper plate 16 for storing game balls and supplying the game balls to a game ball launching device (not shown) is disposed on the front surface of the front door plate 15, and below the upper plate 16, A lower plate 17 for storing game balls that could not be stored in the upper plate 16 is provided in a lower portion of the front frame 2. On the right side of the lower plate 17, an operation handle 18 operated by a player to drive a game ball into the game area 8 is provided. Inside the operation handle 18, a game ball launching device is used. A handle switch 18a, which is a switch for rotating a motor (not shown), is built in.

In the upper center of the front door plate 15 above the above-mentioned upper plate 16, a balance indicator constituted by three 7-segment LEDs for displaying the balance amount of the card read by the card reading unit 23 described later. 19 are provided. On the right side of the balance display 19, a return button 20 which is pressed to take out a card inserted into a card insertion slot 24 of a card reading unit 23 described later is provided, while on the left side of the balance display 19, Is provided with a lending button 21 which is depressed when starting the lending (lending) of lending balls. A lending button lamp 22 for notifying whether or not the lending button 21 can be pressed is disposed above the left side of the lending button 21. The lending button lamp 22 is turned on when the lending button 21 is in a state where the lending button 21 can be pressed, and is turned off when the lending button 21 is in a state where the lending button 21 cannot be pressed. Therefore, by visually recognizing the lending button lamp 22, the player can determine whether or not the lending button 21 can be pressed. Further, on the right side of the balance display 19 and the return button 20, three buttons of a print button 31, a photograph button 32, and a delete button 33 are arranged in order from right to left. Details of these buttons 31 to 33 will be described later with reference to FIG.

長方形 On the left side of the pachinko machine 1 configured as described above, a card reading unit 23 having a rectangular shape in a front view is provided side by side. The card reading unit 23 is for reading the data of the balance amount recorded on the card, and has a card insertion slot 24 for inserting a card having a value equivalent to money at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction. Are arranged vertically. Below the card insertion port 24, a printing paper discharge port 34 is provided vertically long like the card insertion port 24. The print paper discharge port 34 is a discharge port for discharging print paper printed by the printer 67 (see FIG. 2) provided in the card reading unit 23. By forming the printing paper discharge port 34 vertically long like the shape of the card reading unit 23, the width of the card reading unit 23 can be reduced, and the installation space thereof can be kept small.

The printer 67 described later is provided in the card reading unit 23, and one printer 67 is provided for two pachinko machines 1 provided on both sides of the card reading unit 23. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the gaming machine system 80 can be reduced as compared with the case where the printer 67 is provided for each pachinko machine 1.

(4) Above the card slot 24 and above the card reading unit 23, a card available lamp 25 composed of an LED is provided. The card usable lamp 25 is turned on, for example, when a card can be inserted into the card insertion slot 24, and turned off when a card cannot be inserted into the card insertion slot 24, for example. Therefore, the player can determine whether or not the card reading unit 23 is usable by visually recognizing the card usable lamp 25.

An amount setting button for setting a lending amount based on balance amount data recorded on the card, at a position between the card insertion slot 24 and the card usable lamp 25 and above the card reading unit 23. The loan amount can be set to 100 yen, 200 yen, 300 yen or 500 yen by pressing the amount setting button 26. Below the amount setting button 26, a fraction display button 27 is provided. The fraction display button 27 is pressed to display the fraction on the balance display 19 when the balance amount recorded on the card is less than the minimum lending amount (for example, 100 yen).

A pair of upper and lower connecting stand direction indicating lamps 28 formed in a substantially triangular shape are provided below the fraction display button 27. The pair of connecting stand direction indicating lamps 28 are for indicating the disposing (arranging) direction of the pachinko machine 1 to which the card reading unit 23 is connected, and one LED is built in each of them. ing. Therefore, for example, when the card reading unit 23 is connected to the pachinko machine 1 arranged on the right side, the lower LED is turned on, and the pachinko machine (not shown) in which the card reading unit 23 is arranged on the left side. ), The upper LED is turned on. A card insertion lamp 29 composed of an LED is provided below the connection stand direction display lamp 28. The card insertion lamp 29 is used when a card is inserted into the card insertion slot 24. While the light is turned on, the light is turned off when the card is not inserted into the card insertion slot 24. Note that the card available lamp 25 and the connection stand direction display lamp 28 are turned on when the power of the card reading unit 23 is turned on.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of a control board C and a display board D provided in the pachinko machine 1 constituting the gaming machine system 80, and a printing board P provided in the card reading unit 23. is there.

The control board C of the pachinko machine 1 includes an MPU 41 which is an arithmetic unit, a ROM 42 storing various control programs executed by the MPU 41 and fixed value data, and a memory for temporarily storing various data. And a RAM 43. The MPU 41, the ROM 42, and the RAM 43 are connected to each other via a bus line 44, and the bus line 44 is also connected to an input / output port 45. The input / output port 45 is connected to the display substrate D and another input / output device 46. The control board C sends operation commands to the display board D and other input / output devices 46 via the input / output port 45 to control these devices. The variable display of the LCD display 10 and the opening / closing operation of the winning opening 13a are also controlled based on the operation command.

The display substrate D of the pachinko machine 1 includes an MPU 51, a program ROM 52, a work RAM 53, a video RAM 55, a character ROM 56, an image data RAM 57, an image controller 58, and an input / output port 59, The LCD display 10 and the camera 60 are connected to the input / output port 59.

The MPU 51, the program ROM 52, and the work RAM 53 are connected to each other via a bus line 54. The MPU 51 performs display control (variable display) of the LCD display 10 in accordance with an operation command output from the control board C, and various programs executed by the MPU 51 are stored in the program ROM 52. ing. The work RAM 53 is a memory for temporarily storing various work data used when the MPU 51 executes a program.

The video RAM 55 is a memory for storing data to be displayed on the LCD display 10. By rewriting the contents of the video RAM 55, the variable display of the LCD display 10 and the display contents are changed. The character ROM 56 is a memory for storing character data such as symbols and background images displayed on the LCD display 10, and the imaging data RAM 57 is a memory for storing imaging data of the player captured by the camera 60. The data stored in the character ROM 56 and the image data RAM 57 are combined by the MPU 51, written into the video RAM 55, and displayed on the LCD display 10. The image controller 58 adjusts the timings of the MPU 51, the video RAM 55, and the input / output port 59 to intervene reading and writing of data, and to display the display data stored in the video RAM 55 on the LCD display 10 at a predetermined timing. , For transmission to the printing substrate P.

The camera 60 is for photographing the state of the player at the start of the jackpot display, that is, immediately after the variable display is stopped at the big hit symbol that determines the big hit. The player who knows the occurrence of the jackpot has the best expression. Therefore, the player who has the best expression is photographed, and the captured image is displayed on the LCD display 10 together with the big hit symbol as a background image, and the big hit is displayed. Specifically, the imaging data of the player captured by the camera 60 is stored in the imaging data RAM 57 via the input / output port 59 and the image controller 58, and then stored in the character ROM 56 such as a big hit symbol. The data is combined with the data, written into the video RAM 55, and displayed on the LCD display 10.

As described above, since the camera 60 is disposed in the upper central portion of the front frame 2 of the pachinko machine 1, it is possible to accurately photograph the player who watches the variable display on the LCD display 10. In general, the image data has a large data amount, and it takes a long time to transmit and receive the image data. However, since the camera 60 is directly connected to the display substrate D, the image data is displayed on the LCD display 10. Therefore, there is no need to transmit and receive the imaging data to and from another circuit board. Therefore, the image data of the player can be displayed on the LCD display 10 without placing a burden on other circuit boards.

The printing substrate P accommodated in the card reading unit 23 includes an MPU 61 that performs printing control, a ROM 62 that stores various programs executed by the MPU 61, and a RAM 63 that is a rewritable volatile memory. I have. The RAM 63 is provided with a work memory 63a and an image data memory 63b. The work memory 63a is a memory for temporarily storing various data and the like when the MPU 61 executes the program, and the image data memory 63b stores image data transmitted from the display substrate D to the print substrate P. Memory for The image data stored in the image data memory 63b is converted into printable data and then printed by the printer 67.

The MPU 61, the ROM 62, and the RAM 63 are connected to each other via a bus line 64, and the bus line 64 is also connected to an input / output port 65. The input / output port 65 is connected to the display board D, and also includes a print button 31, a photograph button 32, and an erase button 33, which are three buttons disposed on the front door plate 15 of the printer 67 and the pachinko machine 1. It is connected.

The print button 31 is a button for instructing printing of a composite image of the captured image of the player displayed on the LCD display 10 and the display image of the big hit symbol when the big hit is displayed. When the print button 31 is pressed, the image data stored in the video RAM 55 and displayed on the LCD display 10 is transmitted from the display substrate D to the print substrate P. On receiving the image data, the printing substrate P temporarily stores the image data in the image data memory 63b, converts the image data into printable data, and then prints the data with the printer 67. The printed paper is discharged from the print paper discharge port 34 of the card reading unit 23 and provided to a player.

The shooting button 32 is a button for the player to instruct re-shooting of the player when the captured image of the player taken at the start of the jackpot display and displayed on the LCD display 10 is undesirable for the player himself. It is. When the photographing button 32 is pressed, a pressing command is transmitted from the printing substrate P to the display substrate D, and the camera 60 is driven again by the display substrate D to re-photograph the player. The re-captured image data is stored in the image data RAM 57, then combined with a big hit symbol or the like, written into the video RAM 55, and displayed again on the LCD display 10. The shooting button 32 allows the player to take a pose during shooting.

The delete button 33 is a button that the player presses to instruct to delete the image when the player does not like to display the captured image on the LCD display 10. When the delete button 33 is pressed, a pressing command is transmitted from the print substrate P to the display substrate D, and the image data of the player stored in the image data RAM 57 by the display substrate D is deleted. Further, the content of the video RAM 55 is rewritten, and the captured image of the player displayed on the LCD display 10 is deleted.

When the delete button 33 is pressed once, the press of the delete button 33 is stored while the pressed player continues the game, and in the subsequent jackpot display, the captured image of the player is started. May not be displayed on the LCD display 10. With this configuration, it is possible to eliminate the troublesomeness of having a player who does not like to display his or her captured image press the delete button 33 every time a big hit occurs.

Since the print button 31, the photographing button 32, and the delete button 33 are all disposed on the front door plate 15 of the pachinko machine 1, the player can easily press the buttons 31 to 33 while continuing the game. Can be pressed.

FIG. 3 is a display example of a jackpot display displayed on the LCD display 10 when a jackpot occurs. As a result of pressing the print button 31 during the display, the display example is printed by the printer 67, and the card reading unit is displayed. This is an example of a print result output from the 23 print paper outlets 34 (hereinafter, referred to as “sample 70”). As shown in FIG. 3, in the sample 70, each display of the big hit symbol 72, the number of rounds 73, and the count number 74 is synthesized and displayed with the captured image 71 of the player as a background image. In this way, the captured image of the player is synthesized and displayed together with the big hit symbol, printed, and a service as a memorable form is provided to the player.

The captured image of the player may be used not only as a background image but also as another image. For example, the captured image of the player may be a big hit symbol, or the number of rounds or the number of counts may be displayed using the captured image of the player. Further, the shooting timing of the player may be a timing other than the start of the big hit display, that is, a timing other than immediately after the symbol change display is stopped and displayed at the big hit symbol that determines the big hit. For example, the start timing of a game, the occurrence of a reach, or the progress of a jackpot may be used as the shooting timing of the player. Further, printing may be performed on printing paper that can be used as a sticker, or the same image may be printed on two or more frames, for example, six or twelve frames on one printing paper (or sticker paper). good.

Next, each process executed in the gaming machine system 80 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the jackpot display process executed on the display substrate D of the pachinko machine 1. The jackpot display process is one of many processes executed on the display substrate D.

In the jackpot display process, first, it is determined whether or not a jackpot is in progress (S1). If it is not in a jackpot (S1: No), it is further determined whether or not to start the jackpot display (S2). If it is neither a big hit (S1: No) nor a big hit display start (S2: No), the big hit display processing is ended.

On the other hand, if the big hit display is started (S2: Yes), the player has the best expression since this stage is immediately after the big hit symbol is stopped and displayed. Therefore, the player with such a good expression is photographed by operating the camera 60 (S3). The imaging data of the photographed player is written into the imaging data RAM 57 (S4), the imaging data is read from the imaging data RAM 57, and this is used as the background image 71, and the big hit symbol 72, the number of rounds 73, the count is counted from the character ROM 56. The respective image data of Expression 74 are read and combined, and the combined image data is written to the video RAM 55 (S5). The image data written in the video RAM 55 is read at a predetermined timing by the image controller 58 and displayed on the LCD display 10. Thereby, the captured image of the player is displayed on the LCD display 10 together with the big hit symbol.

In the process of $ 1, if the big hit is already being displayed (S1: Yes), it is determined whether the big hit display is finished (S6). If the big hit display is not finished (S6: No), that is, if the big hit display is in progress, it is confirmed that the print button 31, the photograph button 32, and the delete button 33 are pressed (S7, S8, S10). ).

If the photographing button 32 is pressed (S7: Yes), it means that the player has given an instruction to re-photograph. Therefore, in that case, the processing shifts to S3, the player is re-photographed (S3), the image data is written into the image data RAM 57 (S4), and the image data is further stored in the big hit symbol 72 to 74. And write it to the video RAM 55 (S5). As a result, the re-captured captured image of the player is displayed on the LCD display 10.

If the print button 31 is pressed (S7: No, S8: Yes), the image data of the video RAM 55, that is, the image data displayed on the LCD display 10, is transmitted to the printing substrate P. The image data transmitted to the printing substrate P is converted into image data in a printable format and then printed by the printer 67, as described later with reference to FIG. As a result, the player can obtain his or her captured image synthesized with the big hit symbols 72 to 74 as printed matter.

When the delete button 33 is pressed (S7: No, S8: No, S10: Yes), the image data of the player stored in the image data RAM 57 is deleted (S11), and the image of the background image is read from the character ROM 56. The data is read out, combined with the image data of the jackpot symbol 72, the round number 73, and the count number 74 also read from the character ROM 56, and written into the video RAM 55 (S12). As a result, the captured image of the player himself displayed on the LCD display 10 is erased, so that even a player who does not like to display his / her captured image on the LCD display 10 feels uncomfortable. No, the game can be continued.

Note that even during the big hit display (S1: Yes, S6: No), if none of the print button 31, the photograph button 32, and the delete button 33 is pressed (S7: No, S8: No) , S10: No), the big hit display process ends as it is.

If the big hit display is completed (S6: Yes), the player's image data stored in the image data RAM 57 is erased (S13), and the big hit display process ends. As described above, at the end of the jackpot display process, the image data of the photographed player is always erased. Therefore, even if the player of the pachinko machine 1 is changed, the previous player is not changed during the game of the new player. Is not displayed, the privacy of the previous player is protected, and no discomfort is given to the new player.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a printing process executed on the printing substrate P accommodated in the card reading unit 23. This printing process is also one of many processes executed on the printing substrate P.

In the printing process, first, it is determined whether or not the print button 31 has been pressed by the player (S21). If the print button 31 has been pressed (S21: Yes), a command indicating that the print button 31 has been pressed is transmitted to the display board D. (S22). After the transmission of the command, the image data in which the captured image 71 of the player is synthesized is transmitted from the display board D, and the reception of the image data is awaited (S23: No). When the image data transmitted from the display substrate D is received (S23: Yes), the received image data is written to the image data memory 63b (S24). The writing to the image data memory 63b is repeated until the reception of all the image data is completed (S25: No). When the reception of all the image data is completed (S25: Yes), the image data written in the image data memory 63b is converted into a printable data format and then printed by the printer 67 (S26). After the printing, the image data written in the image data memory 63b is deleted (S27), and the printing process ends.

The print result is discharged from the print paper discharge port 34 of the card reading unit 23 and provided to the player. As described above, the print result is a composite of the captured image 71 of the player and the images 72 to 74 such as the big hit symbols (see FIG. 3). Therefore, by providing such a print result to the player, a service that can be remembered by the player can be provided.

If the print button 31 is not pressed by the player (S21: No) and the shooting button 32 is pressed (S28: Yes), a command indicating the pressing of the shooting button 32 is transmitted to the display substrate D (S29). As described with reference to FIG. 4, when receiving this command, the display board D re-images the player and updates the display on the LCD display 10.

If the photographing button 32 is not pressed (S28: No) and the delete button 33 is pressed (S30: Yes), a command indicating that the delete button 33 is pressed is transmitted to the display substrate D (S31). As described with reference to FIG. 4, when the display board D receives this command, the display board D deletes the player's image data from the image data RAM 57 and updates the display on the LCD display 10 to display the image of the player. Make no jackpot display.

If none of the print button 31, the photograph button 32, and the delete button 33 are pressed (S21: No, S28: No, S30: No), the printing process is terminated.

Next, a gaming machine system 100 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The gaming machine system 80 according to the first embodiment includes the pachinko machine 1 and the card reading unit 23, whereas the gaming machine system 100 according to the second embodiment includes a plurality of pachinko machines installed in the pachinko hall H. 101, and a centralized management device S that manages the gaming state and the like of the plurality of pachinko machines 101. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the gaming machine system 100 of the second embodiment. A plurality of pachinko machines 101 are installed in the pachinko hall H, and each of the pachinko machines 101 is provided with a monitoring camera 102 for monitoring a player's misconduct or the like. Each surveillance camera 102 is arranged at a position where the front of the player during the game can be photographed. By photographing a player using the monitoring camera 102, it is not necessary to separately provide a camera for photographing the player, and the apparatus cost of the gaming machine system 100 can be reduced.

The pachinko machine 101 and the surveillance camera 102 are connected to a central control device S installed in a control room outside the pachinko hall H. This centralized management device S is based on various signals output from the pachinko machine 101, and performs control of hitting, notification of occurrence of hitting, management data such as the balance of each pachinko machine 101, the number of hits, and the number of jackpots. In addition to the calculation of the abnormal state, detection of an abnormal state such as clogging of the game balls in the pachinko machine 101 and misconduct with respect to the pachinko machine 101, and further notification and display thereof are performed.

(4) The electrical configuration of the central management device S will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 101 and the centralized management device S of the gaming machine system 100 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the central management device S includes an MPU 111 as an arithmetic device, a ROM 112 storing various programs executed by the MPU 111, a RAM 113 as a rewritable volatile memory, And a real-time clock (hereinafter referred to as “RTC”) 114 for performing the operation.

The RAM 113 is provided with a work memory 113a and a code number memory 113b. The work memory 113a is a memory for temporarily storing various data and the like when the MPU 111 executes the program, and the code number memory 113b is transmitted from the pachinko machine 101 to the central management device S when a big hit occurs. This is a memory for storing the code number of the pachinko machine 101 to be executed. The central management device S identifies the pachinko machine 101 in which the jackpot has occurred based on the code number, activates the surveillance camera 102 corresponding to the pachinko machine 101, and photographs the player when the jackpot occurs.

The RTC 114 is an IC that measures the time of year, month, day, day of the week, hour, minute, and second. The data of the year, month, day, or time measured by the RTC 114 is captured by the monitoring camera 102 when a big hit occurs. The image is synthesized with the captured image of the player, and is printed by the printer 105 described later.

The MPU 111, the ROM 112, the RAM 113, and the RTC 114 are connected to each other via a bus line 115, and the bus line 115 is also connected to an input / output interface 117. The input / output interface 117 is connected to the display board D of the pachinko machine 101, a hard disk (hereinafter, referred to as “HD”) 116 of the central management device S, the monitor 103, the keyboard 104, the printer 105, and the monitoring camera 102. Is connected to

The HD 116 is provided with an image data memory 116a, an image data memory 116b, and a combined data memory 116c. The image data memory 116a is a memory for storing image data of a jackpot display transmitted from the pachinko machine 101 in which a jackpot has occurred to the centralized management apparatus S. Such image data is stored in the image data memory 116a in association with the code number of the pachinko machine 101. The imaging data memory 116b is a memory for storing imaging data of the player captured by the monitoring camera 102. This image data is also stored in the image data memory 116b in association with the code number of the pachinko machine 101.

The combined data memory 116c combines the code number, image data and image data stored in the image data memory 116a and the image data memory 116b in association with the code number, and further, date (or time) data of the RTC 114. This is a memory for storing the synthesized data. This combined data is also stored in the combined data memory 116c in association with the code number of the pachinko machine 101. Note that the synthesized data is displayed on the monitor 103 of the centralized management device S, and is converted into a printable data format and then printed by the printer 105 when a print instruction is issued by the administrator of the centralized management device S. .

The monitor 103 displays various information calculated or detected by the central management device S, and also displays composite data of the jackpot display and the captured image of the player, which is composite data stored in the composite data memory 116c. It is for. The keyboard 104 is for an administrator to perform various input operations on the central management device S, and the printer 105 is for printing various data based on a print instruction from the administrator. It is. In the gaming machine system 100 of the second embodiment, since only one printer 105 is provided in the central management device S, the gaming machine system 100 is compared with the case where a printer is provided for each pachinko machine or each card reading unit. Device cost can be reduced.

(4) The administrator of the central control device S checks the composite image displayed on the monitor 103 when a big hit occurs, and gives an instruction for printing via the keyboard 104 when the player is well reflected. When such a print instruction is issued, the composite image displayed on the monitor 103 is printed by the printer 105, and the print result is handed to the player from the employee of the pachinko hall H. When the manager of the centralized management apparatus S checks the composite image displayed on the monitor 103 and finds that the image of the player is poor, when a re-shooting instruction is given via the keyboard 104, the surveillance camera 102 The person is re-photographed. As a result of the re-shooting, the player is successfully photographed, and when a print instruction is given by the administrator, a combined image of the jackpot display and the captured image of the player is printed by the printer 105.

FIG. 8 is an example of a print result of a composite image of the jackpot display and the captured image of the player in the second embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as “sample 120”). As shown in FIG. 8, a large hit symbol 122, a round number 123, and a count number 124 are combined with a sample 120 by using a captured image 121 of a player as a background image, similarly to the sample 70 of the first embodiment. Further, the code number 125 of the pachinko machine 101 and the printing date (or time) 126 are combined and printed.

The printer 105 of the central management apparatus S prints a composite image corresponding to the plurality of pachinko machines 101 installed in the pachinko hall H, but since the code number 125 of the pachinko machine 101 is printed on each print result, An employee of the pachinko hall H does not mistake which pachinko machine 101 the print result is. In addition, since the print result is combined with the print date (or time) 126 using the RTC 114 of the central management device S, the print result is more valuable to the player.

As in the first embodiment, the captured image of the player may be used not only as a background image but also as another image. For example, the captured image of the player may be a big hit symbol, or the number of rounds or the number of counts may be displayed using the captured image of the player. Further, the shooting timing of the player may be a timing other than the start of the big hit display, that is, a timing other than immediately after the symbol change display is stopped and displayed at the big hit symbol that determines the big hit. For example, the start timing of a game, the occurrence of a reach, or the progress of a jackpot may be used as the shooting timing of the player. Further, printing may be performed on printing paper that can be used as a sticker, or the same image may be printed on two or more frames, for example, six or twelve frames on one printing paper (or sticker paper). good.

Next, each process executed in the gaming machine system 100 of the second embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the jackpot display process executed on the display substrate D of the pachinko machine 101. The jackpot display process is one of many processes executed on the display substrate D.

In the big hit display process, first, it is determined whether or not the big hit display is started (S51). If the big hit display is not started (S51: No), this process ends. On the other hand, if the big hit display is started (S51: Yes), the image data of the background image, the big hit design, the number of rounds, and the number of counts are read from the character ROM 56, synthesized, and written into the video RAM 55 (S52). By writing into the video RAM 55, a big hit display is displayed on the LCD display 10.

(4) After displaying the jackpot display on the LCD display 10, the code number assigned to the pachinko machine 101 is transmitted to the central control device S (S53). Further, the image data of the jackpot symbol, the number of rounds, and the number of counts other than the background image are read out from the character ROM 56 and combined, and the combined image data is transmitted to the central management device S (S54) to execute the jackpot display process. finish.

Note that the code number of the pachinko machine 101 is not directly transmitted from the display board D of the pachinko machine 101 to the central management device S, but is stored (registered) in a table management device (not shown) that manages the pachinko machine 101. ) May be transmitted to the central management apparatus S from the table management apparatus. Also, the synthesized image data such as the jackpot pattern is not directly transmitted from the display board D of the pachinko machine 101 to the centralized management device S, but is transmitted through the table management device and the island management device (not shown). You may make it transmit to the central management apparatus S.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the printing process executed by the central management device S. This printing process is also one of many processes executed by the central management device S. In the printing process, first, it is determined whether or not the code number transmitted from the pachinko machine 101 has been received (S61). If the code number of the pachinko machine 101 is not received (S61: No), the jackpot display is not started in any of the pachinko machines 101 in the pachinko hall H, and there is no print target. Therefore, in such a case, the printing process is terminated as it is.

On the other hand, when the code number transmitted from the pachinko machine 101 is received (S61: Yes), it is understood that the jackpot display is started on the pachinko machine 101 of the code number. Therefore, the code number is written in the code number memory 113b (S62), and the image data of the jackpot display transmitted from the pachinko machine 101 following the code number is associated with the code number, and the image data is stored in the image data memory 116a of the HD 116. (S63).

(4) The process of S63 is repeated until the reception of all the image data is completed (S64: No). When the reception of all the image data is completed (S64: Yes), the surveillance camera 102 corresponding to the received code number is operated to photograph the player who generated the big hit (S65). Thereafter, the captured image data is written into the image data memory 116b in association with the code number (S66), and the code number and the image data and image data corresponding to the code number are stored in the image data memory 116a and the image data. The data is read from the memory 116b and synthesized, and the synthesized data is written into the synthesized data memory 116c in association with the code number (S67). The date data is read from the RTC 114, and is further combined with the combined data written in the combined data memory 116c and overwritten (S68). Then, the data written in the combined data memory 116c is displayed on the monitor 103 so that the administrator of the central control device S can check the combined image (S69).

When an administrator who looks at the display on the monitor 103 issues a re-shooting instruction via the keyboard 104 (S70: Yes), the central management device S first sets the code numbers of the imaging data memory 116b and the composite data memory 116c. Are deleted (S71), and the process proceeds to S65. Through the processes of S65 to S69, re-shooting of the player (S65), combination of each data (S66 to S68), and display of the combined data on the monitor 103 are performed (S69). In the case where the image of the player is poor as described above, re-shooting can be performed any number of times according to the instruction of the administrator.

When the manager who sees the display on the monitor 103 determines that the image of the player is good, and the manager gives a print instruction via the keyboard 104 (S70: No, S72: Yes), the centralized management device S Reads out the composite data stored in the composite data memory 116c corresponding to the code number, converts the data into a printable data format, and prints it by the printer 105 (S73). After printing, each data corresponding to the printed code number is deleted from the image data memory 116a, the image data memory 116b, and the combined data memory 116c (S74), and the printing process is terminated.

The print result output from the printer 105 of the central management device S is provided to a player by an employee of the pachinko hall H. Since the code number 125 of the pachinko machine 101 is also printed on the print result, the employee does not mistake the player. The code number of the pachinko machine 101 may be displayed only on the monitor 103 without performing composite printing. In this case, the employee of the pachinko hall H hears the code number of the pachinko machine 101 from the manager who saw the monitor 103 and hands the print result to the player playing with the pachinko machine 101 of the code number. It is.

As described above, in the print result, the captured image 121 of the player and the images 122 to 126 such as the big hit symbols are combined and printed (see FIG. 8). Therefore, by providing such a print result to the player, a service that can be remembered by the player can be provided. In particular, since the synthetic image is printed up to the date 126 together with the captured image 121 and the big hit symbol 122 of the player himself, it becomes more memorable for the player.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the processing in S3 and S65 corresponds to the photographing means, the processing in S5 and S67 as the synthesizing means, and the processing in S26 and S73 as the printing means.

As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is easily understood that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It can be inferred.

For example, in the present embodiment, the first-type pachinko machines 1 and 101 have been described as examples of the gaming machines constituting the gaming machine systems 80 and 100, but the second-type or third-type pachinko machines or slot machines are used. May be used as a gaming machine constituting a gaming machine system.

In the first embodiment, the card reading unit 23 is described as a unit disposed between the pachinko machine 1 and the pachinko machine 1 and accommodating the printer 67. A thin unit disposed between the pachinko machine 1 and the pachinko machine 1 may be used, and a cash machine for renting out game balls by directly inserting cash may be used. That is, the printer 67 may be accommodated in such a cash machine. In this case, in order to keep the cash machine thin, the printing paper discharge port 34 of the printer 67 is arranged vertically. In addition, even if the unit is other than the card reading unit 23 and the cash machine, as long as the unit is disposed between the pachinko machine 1 and the pachinko machine 1, the printer 67 is installed in any of the units in the vertical direction. May be accommodated so as to be discharged to

(5) Modifications of the present invention are described below. 2. The gaming machine system 1 according to claim 1, wherein the photographing means is configured by a monitoring camera of a gaming arcade where a plurality of gaming machines are installed. By using the surveillance camera of the amusement arcade as the photographing means, it is not necessary to provide another camera as the photographing means, so that the apparatus cost of the gaming machine system and each gaming machine can be reduced.

{Circle around (2)} The gaming machine system or the gaming machine system 1 according to claim 1, wherein one of the printing means is provided for a plurality of gaming machines. For example, by using the printer of the management device of the amusement arcade as the printing means, the required number of printers can be reduced, and the device cost of the gaming machine system can be reduced. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a printing unit for each gaming machine, it is possible to reduce the equipment cost of each gaming machine.

The display control means for displaying the image data synthesized by the synthesizing means on a monitor device provided in a management device of a game arcade, and the display control thereof, in the gaming machine system or the gaming machine system 1 or 2 according to claim 1. And a print instructing means for instructing printing of the image data displayed on said monitor device by means. After confirming the image to be printed on the display of the monitor device, a print instruction can be given.

In the gaming machine system 3, the photographing means is re-operated to re-photograph the player, the re-captured image data is combined with the display data by the combining means, and the combined image data is displayed on the display control means. A game machine system 4 comprising a re-shooting instruction means for causing the monitor device to re-display. As a result of checking the display on the monitor device, if the image of the player is poor, the player can be photographed again. Therefore, it is possible to print a good image of the player.

2. The gaming machine system according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit prints a date or time of printing or a machine number of a gaming machine targeted for shooting by the shooting unit. A gaming machine system 5 characterized by printing with data.

2. The gaming machine system according to claim 1, wherein the photographing unit and the synthesizing unit are provided in a display control circuit that controls display on a display device of the gaming machine, and the display control circuit further includes the synthesizing unit. A gaming machine system 6 comprising: display control means for displaying the image data synthesized by the above on the display device. The image to be printed is displayed on the display device of the gaming machine, and is shown to the player who is playing the game, so that the interest of the game can be improved. Further, since the photographing means, the synthesizing means, and the display control means are provided in the display control circuit, the imaging data and the display data can be transmitted without transmitting / receiving data to / from other circuits (without burdening other circuits). Can be combined and displayed on a display device.

The gaming machine system 6 includes a print instructing unit for instructing printing of the image data displayed on the display device by the display control unit, and the print instructing unit is located at a position where it can be operated by a player during the game. A gaming machine system 7 which is provided. The player himself can instruct the printing of the image after confirming the image to be printed while continuing the game on the display device.

In the gaming machine system 6 or 7, the photographing means is re-operated to re-photograph the player, the re-photographed image data is combined with the display data by the combining means, and the combined image data is displayed on the display. A gaming machine system comprising re-photographing instructing means for causing the control device to re-display the image on the display device, wherein the re-photographing instructing means is disposed at a position operable by a player who is playing the game. 8. As a result of checking the display on the display device, if the player does not like the image, the player himself can instruct re-shooting while continuing the game. Therefore, the image which the player liked can be printed.

In the gaming machine systems 6 to 8, there are provided erasing means for erasing the image of the player displayed on the display device, and erasing instruction means for instructing erasure by the erasing means. A gaming machine system 9, wherein the gaming machine system 9 is provided at a position where it can be operated by a player who is playing a game. A player who does not like to display his / her image on the display device can delete the image while continuing the game.

The gaming machine system according to claim 1, or the gaming machine systems 1 to 9, wherein the printing means is provided in a unit disposed between the gaming machine and the gaming machine, and the printing means of the printing means is provided. The gaming machine system 10, wherein the outlet is formed to be vertically long. By forming the printed material outlet vertically long, even if the printing unit is provided in the unit, the width of the unit can be kept small. Examples of such a unit include a thin card reading unit provided between gaming machines and a cash machine for paying out gaming balls by directly inserting cash.

2. The gaming machine system or the gaming machine systems 1 to 10 according to claim 1, wherein the photographing means photographs the player immediately after a display for determining a jackpot is displayed on the display device. Gaming machine system 11. Immediately after the display for determining the jackpot, since the player has the best expression, the player with the good expression can be photographed.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine and a card reading unit constituting a gaming machine system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a control board and a display board of a pachinko machine constituting a gaming machine system, and a printing board of a card reading unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print sample. It is a flowchart of a jackpot display process performed on the display substrate. 6 is a flowchart of a printing process executed on a printing substrate. It is a block diagram showing a configuration of a gaming machine system in a second embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of a control board, a display board, and a centralized management device of a pachinko machine constituting a gaming machine system in a second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print sample according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart of a big hit display process performed by the display substrate in the second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart of a printing process executed by the central management device according to the second embodiment.

Explanation of reference numerals

1,101 Pachinko machines (game machines)
10 Liquid crystal (LCD) display 60 Camera 67, 105 Printer 70, 120 Print result (sample)
71, 121 Captured image 72, 123 Big hit symbol 73, 123 Number of rounds 74, 124 Number of counts 80, 100 Gaming machine system 102 Monitoring camera 103 Monitor 125 Code number of pachinko machine 126 Date C Control board D Display board P Printing Substrate S Centralized management device

Claims (3)

In a gaming machine system of a gaming machine having a display device for performing variable display of symbols,
Photographing means for photographing a player;
Synthesizing means for synthesizing image data captured by the image capturing means and display data displayed on the display device;
And a printing means for printing the image data synthesized by the synthesizing means. The gaming machine system according to claim 1, wherein the photographing means is configured by a monitoring camera of a gaming arcade where a plurality of gaming machines are installed. 3. The gaming machine system according to claim 1, wherein the photographing unit photographs the player immediately after a display for determining a jackpot is displayed on the display device. 4.

Images