JP2005065969A - Top panel part structure and game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a top panel part structure capable of simply changing the design, the layout and the number of parts of the top panel part, and to provide a game machine. <P>SOLUTION: At the top panel part structure of the front face door of a slot machine, a speaker cover 19 for covering a speaker and an upper panel 17 for covering the front face opening part of an upper panel base 22 are fitted to the upper panel base 22 with an engaging panel, or the like in an attachable and detachable manner. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a front door of a slot machine, and more particularly to an upper panel structure and a gaming machine in an upper panel of the front door.

Conventionally, an upper panel mainly printed with a design and instructions, a speaker that outputs sound such as sound effects, a lens that visually creates a game, and the like are provided on the upper part of the front mask of the slot machine. Further, as in the case of the upper panel, the method for attaching the middle panel, the lower panel, and the like was detachable in a conventional slot machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a “slot machine front door” that can easily change the design and layout of the upper panel portion and can easily realize the upper panel portion with various and appealing designs (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP-A-7-31717 JP 2002-11138 A

  In recent years, game machines of game machines have become uniform in each company, and in order to differentiate the game machines, front masks of various designs are required from the hall where the game machines are installed. However, the parts composing the front mask are mainly resin products, and there are problems such as mold making in order to change the design frequently, and it has been difficult to satisfy the requirements of the hall.

In addition, as in the invention described in Patent Document 2, the upper panel portion of the conventional slot machine replaces the entire upper panel portion, and detailed parts of the upper panel portion cannot be replaced. The problem remains that a large mold must be created.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an upper panel structure and a gaming machine that can easily change the design and layout of the upper panel by making each part of the upper panel easily detachable. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve this object, the invention according to claim 1 is an upper panel portion structure formed on a front door that is openably and closably attached to a housing of a gaming machine, and a speaker that houses at least one speaker. An upper panel base having a housing part, an upper panel housed in the upper panel base part, and at least one speaker cover structure covering the speaker, the upper panel and the speaker cover structure being attached to and detached from the upper panel base It can be attached freely.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the upper panel base has an opening for mounting the effect display means.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the speaker cover member is formed with either a protrusion or an insertion port, and the upper panel has either the insertion port or the protrusion. The speaker cover member and the upper panel are attached in close contact with each other by forming the projection and the insertion port.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the upper panel portion structure according to any one of the first to third aspects is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily change the design and layout of the upper panel part and the number of parts by making each part of the upper panel part easily detachable, and it is possible to reduce the labor and cost of mold production.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As a representative example of a gaming machine having a housing structure according to the present invention, a slot machine SM is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the overall structure of the slot machine SM will be described with reference to these drawings. Here, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a general slot machine SM, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing the internal structure with the front door of the slot machine SM unlocked and opened.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine SM includes a box-shaped cabinet box 2 having a front opening and a front door (front mask) 3 that covers the front opening and is attached to be openable / closable. 1, and various game development devices are arranged in each part of the housing 1. The front door 3 is attached so that it can be opened laterally by an upper and lower hinge mechanism (not shown) disposed at the left edge of the cabinet box 2 and the front door 3, and is always provided at the right edge. 4, the cabinet box 2 is held closed and locked.

  The front side of the front door 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the drawings, the front door 3 has stop buttons 12, 13, provided on the front door 3 in correspondence with the reel reels R 1, R 2, R 3 of the coin reel slot 200, start lever 11, and reel reel device 200. 14, left and right upper speakers SL and SR are attached protected by respective speaker covers 19, and a lower speaker SW is attached to both sides of the medal payout opening. A transparent window 10 is disposed on the middle panel in the front center of the front door 3 so as to be aligned with the spinning reel device 200, and is drawn along the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of each of the spinning reels R1, R2, and R3. A predetermined range (for example, a range of three upper and lower patterns) among a large number of patterns can be seen through from the front of the gaming machine. A medal payout opening 6 is provided at the center lower portion of the front door 3, and a receiving tray 7 protruding forward is provided below the medal payout outlet 6, and a game medal paid out from the hopper device HP is this medal. The tray 7 is received and stored through the discharge outlet 6.

  The back side of the front door 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, an effect display device 8 is provided between the speakers SR and SL on the upper back side of the front door 3. Furthermore, a sub-control board 300 formed of an electric circuit board is attached to the rear surface side of the effect display device 8. The sub-control board 300 is formed as a so-called electric circuit board in which electronic components such as an integrated circuit device (IC), a transistor, a resistor, and a capacitor are mounted and connected on an insulating resin substrate on which a conductive wiring pattern is formed. It is attached so as to overlap the back side of the effect display device 8.

  Here, the sub-control board 300 is a board that controls effects related to lamps, sound such as sound effects and music, and effect images provided in the gaming machine. On this sub-control board 300, the production speakers SR, SL, SW, the production lamp (not shown) and the production display device 8 are wired and connected via predetermined wiring cables (not shown). The electric circuit provided in the sub control board 300 drives the effect speakers SR, SL, SW, the effect lamp (not shown) and the effect display device 8 in accordance with instructions from the main control board 100, It is designed to appeal to the visual and auditory sense of the player.

  Below the effect display device 8 and the sub-control board 300, a substantially rectangular frame 20 in which a see-through window 10 is formed is attached. Below the frame 20, it hits the back side of the lower panel 9, and is sorted by the selection mechanism G 0 that sorts whether the thrown-in thrown from the medal throwing unit 5 is a regular game medal or foreign object, and is sorted by the select mechanism G 0. A guide member G1 for guiding game medals to the hopper device HP provided on the cabinet box 2 side, a guide member G2 for guiding foreign matter distributed by the selection mechanism G0 to the medal payout port 6, and the hopper device HP. A guide member G3 for guiding a payout game medal to the payout exit 6 is provided, and a speaker SW constituting the sound emitting unit 21 is attached in the vicinity of the medal payout exit 6.

  Next, the inside of the cabinet box 2 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the interior of the cabinet box 2 is divided into two upper and lower stages than the shelf 15 fixed by connecting the left and right side plates, and the operation of the slot machine SM is integrated in the upper stage. A main control board 100 to be controlled is housed in a transparent resin board case, screwed to the upper part of the back plate 16, and three reel reels R1, R2, R3 on which a large number of symbols are drawn along the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. A rotating reel device 200 for rotating / stop-driving is supported and attached to the upper surface of the shelf board 15. In the lower part, a power source that supplies power to various game development devices such as a hopper device HP that pays out game medals according to a winning state in response to a command signal from the main control substrate 100, and the main control substrate 100 and the spinning reel device 200. An auxiliary storage unit SHP for storing game medals overflowing from the medal storage unit when the game medals are inserted when the device substrate 500 and the medal storage unit (not shown) of the hopper device HP are full are attached. ing. A main power supply unit PWU is provided below the cabinet box 2. The main power supply unit PWU is 100V or 24V input from the outside, is transformed to each predetermined voltage, and is supplied to each substrate.

  Here, at the upper part on the back side of the cabinet box 2, a main control board 100 having a unit structure housed in a hard plastic housing case is provided to control the operation of the slot machine SM. With the main control board 100 as the center, the sub control board 300, the central display board 400, the power supply device board 500, the spinning device board 600, and the external concentrated terminal board 700 are connected to each other via predetermined cables (not shown). Has been.

  The main control board 100 is equipped with a semiconductor memory ROM and a microprocessor MPU (both not shown), and the microprocessor MPU stores a system program and a slot machine game program stored in advance in the semiconductor memory ROM. By executing and controlling each of the substrates 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, the operation state of the slot machine SM and the progress of the game are integrated and managed. Specifically, the main lottery of gaming machines, control of each reel, management of input switches and the like are performed.

  As described above, game development devices (100, 200, 500, HP, etc.) attached to the cabinet box 2 and game development devices (5, 11-14, SL, SR, SW, etc.) attached to the front door 3 ) Are connected to each other by a wire harness (electrical wiring) (not shown) so that the slot machine SM can be played.

  In the slot machine SM configured as described above, when the player inserts a game medal into the medal slot 5, presses one of the bet buttons B1 and B2, and operates the start lever 11, the main control board 100 An activation command signal is output to the spinning reel device 200 based on the signal from the start lever 11, and the three spinning reels R1, R2, and R3 are simultaneously rotated and activated. The player can arbitrarily select a rotating reel and operate the corresponding stop buttons 12, 13, and 14 in a desired order and timing, and the main control board 100 receives an operation signal from these stop buttons. In response, a stop command signal is output to the spinning reel device 200, and the rotation of the corresponding spinning reel is braked and stopped.

  When all the reels R1, R2, and R3 that have been rotated stop, the main control board determines a winning symbol, that is, whether or not it is a win or miss. The main control board 100 has an effective line corresponding to the number of game medals inserted (upper, middle and lower three horizontal lines and left and right two diagonal lines) for the symbols displayed in the fluoroscopic window 10 after stopping. Judgment of winning design above. When the symbol combination on the active line corresponds to a predetermined winning symbol combination, a payout command signal corresponding to the winning state is output to the hopper device HP, and a predetermined number of game medals are received from the hopper device HP. To be paid out. At this time, sound effects corresponding to winnings are generated from the upper speakers SR and SL and the lower speaker SW, and the fever lens 18 is turned on.

  On the other hand, if the winning symbol determination result shows that the combination of symbols on the active line does not correspond to the winning symbol combination set in advance, the gaming medal is not paid out and the inserted gaming medal is stored in the hopper device HP. Part (not shown). Thus, a player who plays a game in the slot machine SM loses the inserted game medal when the displayed symbol does not correspond to the predetermined combination, but the displayed symbol is changed to the predetermined combination. When applicable, it is possible to acquire more game medals than the number inserted, and the enjoyment of increasing game medals can be enjoyed.

  Next, the upper panel part structure which is an Example of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the upper panel portion.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the upper panel base 22 has an opening 28 for attaching an effect display device such as a liquid crystal display, an effect reel, and a moving object device such as a doll at the center. Although the upper panel base 22 of the present embodiment uses a semi-elliptical shape, the present invention is not limited to this, and various shapes may be applied. In addition, speaker housings 23 are provided at both left and right ends of the upper panel base 22, and the speakers SR and SL are housed respectively. The speaker cover 19 is formed of colored plastic and has a slit-like sound passing portion on the front surface. The speaker cover 19 is detachably attached to the upper panel base 22 with locking claws (not shown) so as to cover the accommodated speakers SR and SL. The upper panel base 22 is attached to the front door 3 by inserting screws 34 into a plurality of screw hole members 29 formed on the outer edge and fastening them (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

  The upper panel 17 has a design and layout relating to the game on the surface thereof in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional manner. The upper panel 17 is detachably attached so as to cover the opening 28 in the front portion of the upper panel base 22.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1A, a protrusion 27 is formed on the outer edge of the back surface of the speaker cover 19, and this protrusion 27 fits into the insertion port 26 formed on the outer edge of the back surface of the upper panel 17. And may be attached. The protrusion 27 may be provided on the upper panel 17 and the insertion port 26 may be provided on the speaker cover 19, and the protrusions and insertion holes provided may be single or plural. By bringing the speaker cover 19 and the upper panel 17 into close contact with each other in this manner, it is possible to prevent unauthorized means from being inserted through the gap between the speaker cover 19 and the upper panel 17 and to prevent illegal acts on the upper panel portion.

  Further, as another embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 1A, a speaker cover 19 is formed by forming a claw member 35 at the tip of the projection 27 and inserting the claw member 35 into the insertion port 26. And the attachment part of the upper panel 17 can be made into a complicated labyrinth structure, and the illegal means insertion from the clearance gap between attachment parts can be prevented more firmly.

  FIG. 4 is a view partially showing the upper part on the back side of the front door 3, and shows a state before the above-described upper panel portion is attached. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper panel base 22 including the upper panel 17, the speakers SR and SL, and the speaker cover 19 is inserted into the upper opening of the front door 3. The effect display device 8 is inserted into the opening 28 at the center of the upper panel base 22. On the back side of the effect display device 8, a sub-board for controlling each effect is provided.

  The upper panel part structure attached to the front door 3 as described above is in the state shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a side sectional view of the upper portion of the slot machine SM, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the slot machine SM as viewed from directly above.

  Next, an example of the design and layout of the upper panel unit will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A shows an example in which a speaker cover 31 and an upper panel 30 having shapes different from those shown in FIG. 1 are used. Thus, the speaker cover and the upper panel can be applied in various shapes. FIG. 7B shows an example in which the speaker cover is attached to the picture balloon drawn on the upper panel without attaching the speaker cover. In this case, by producing a sound or a voice from the sound hole 33 of the speaker SL, it is possible to realize an effect such that the character drawn on the upper panel speaks. The number of speakers used in this way can be changed depending on the shape of the panel to be attached. Note that the upper panel 32 shown in FIG. 7B also functions as a speaker cover.

  As described above, according to the upper panel structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, parts such as the upper panel of the upper panel and the speaker cover can be detachable, so that the design and layout of the upper panel are partially It can be changed easily and easily, and the labor and cost of manufacturing parts can be reduced. Although the present embodiment has been described using a slot machine, it may be used for a box-shaped gaming machine other than the slot machine or an upper panel structure of a ball game machine.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the upper panel part which is an Example of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the slot machine which is an Example of this invention. It is an external appearance front view which shows the internal structure of the slot machine which is an Example of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the upper panel part structure which is the Example of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the upper panel part structure which is an Example of this invention. It is an upper section showing an upper panel part structure which is an example of the present invention. It is an external appearance front view which shows the upper panel part which is an Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Enclosure 2 Cabinet box 3 Front door (front mask)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 Locking device 5 Medal insertion slot 6 Medal payout opening 7 Receptacle 8 Production display device 9 Lower panel 10 Transparent window 11 Start lever 12, 13, 14 Stop button 15 Shelf plate 16 Back plate 17, 30 Upper panel 18 Fever lens 19, 31 Speaker cover 20 Frame body 21 Sound emitting part 22 Upper panel base 23 Speaker housing body 24 Fever lens substrate 25 Middle panel 26 Insertion part 27 Projection part 28 Opening part 29 Screw hole member 32 Speaker cover / upper panel 33 Sound hole 34 Screw 35 Claw member 100 Main control board 200 Spinning reel apparatus 300 Sub control board 400 Central control board 500 Power supply board 600 Spinning apparatus board 700 External concentration terminal board SM Slot machine SL, SR, SW Speaker R1, R2, R3 Spinning reel PWU Main power unit HP E Bapper device SHP Auxiliary storage G0, G1, G2, G3 Select mechanism B1, B2 Bet button

Claims (4)

An upper panel structure formed on a front door attached to a casing of a gaming machine so as to be freely opened and closed,
An upper panel base having a speaker housing portion for housing at least one speaker;
An upper panel accommodated in the upper panel base portion;
Having at least one speaker cover structure for covering the speaker;
The upper panel structure, wherein the upper panel and the speaker cover structure are detachably attached to the upper panel base.   2. The upper panel base structure according to claim 1, wherein the upper panel base has an opening for mounting the effect display means. The speaker cover member is formed with either a protrusion or an insertion port,
The upper panel is formed with either an insertion port or a protrusion,
The upper panel portion structure according to claim 1, wherein the speaker cover member and the upper panel are attached in close contact with each other by fitting the protrusion and the insertion port.   A gaming machine having the upper panel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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