JP2005087677A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that in a conventional game machine, the front door is normally approximately vertically attached at an angle of approximate 6°, and a display section is attached at the same angle, and in the display section which is approximately vertically attached, as the display section is made larger, the end sections of the display screen become farther from the viewing line of a game player, and the display screen becomes difficult to see depending on the angle or the direction of the viewing line. <P>SOLUTION: A second display section is attached extending from the approximately central section of the front door to the lower side, and at the same time, a part of the front door is formed in a manner to protrude to the front surface side at a specified angle so that the second display section may tilt. Also, the tilting angle of the front door to which the second display section is attached is set in such a manner that a confronted surface rectangular to the viewing line exists within a range from the lower end part of the second display section at least to the central part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  In the present invention, a plurality of reels on which symbols are arranged are rotated and displayed, and a player's reel stop button operation controls the winning and payout based on the combination of symbols appearing when all reels stop rotating. The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and in particular, to a slot machine including various operation devices necessary for gaming and a plurality of display units.

  A gaming machine typified by a conventional slot machine has three rotating reels with symbols arranged on the outer periphery in a display window at a substantially central portion in front of the front door mounted substantially vertically. The arranged symbols are illuminated from the back by a lamp or LED (hereinafter referred to as a backlight) provided inside each reel so that the player can easily see the symbols during the game.

  When the player inserts a medal into the medal slot and operates the start switch, each reel starts rotating and the game starts. When the reels start rotating all at once, the symbols are moved and displayed on the display window.

  In the vicinity of the lower part of each reel, three stop buttons are arranged in parallel with each reel, and the three stops corresponding to each reel are seen while watching the symbols that the player moves and displays. When the buttons are operated in sequence, each reel stops and any symbol on the active line stops. Five effective lines are provided. As the number of inserted medals increases to 1, 2, and 3, the number of effective lines increases to 1, 3, and 5. As a result, when a predetermined symbol combination is aligned on a valid line, a prize is won and a medal is paid out.

  Such a symbol combination is determined by a lottery process using random numbers inside the gaming machine after the operation of the start switch for each game. As a result of this lottery, if any winning combination is won internally, the display lamp or notification lamp provided on the top of the front door, around the reel display window, etc. The player is informed using various presentation methods such as image display by the unit, sound, lighting of the backlight of the reel, blinking, and fluctuation stop control when the reel is stopped.

  In particular, the electrical display unit displays an effect display related to the lottery result for each gaming machine, management information unique to the gaming method or gaming machine, entertainment information not directly related to the game, etc. Various ideas have been devised to attract.

  When the winning combination of the winning combination is notified as described above, the player operates the stop button to stop the symbol corresponding to the combination on the activated line. As described above, when the player operates a plurality of stop buttons, the corresponding reels are controlled to stop sequentially. However, if the player does not perform the stop button operation, each reel is controlled. Is set to automatically stop after a predetermined time. If the symbols corresponding to the winning combination can be arranged on the valid line, the number of medals corresponding to the winning combination can be paid out. Also, if the symbols corresponding to the combination cannot be prepared, the inserted medal will be lost.

  In this way, the display unit provides various information that is advantageous for the player to play the game. Therefore, the player inserts a coin and presses the BET switch while constantly checking the display unit. Operate the start switch. After that, the stop button must be operated while identifying the moving state of the symbol drawn on the reel through the display window. Such a series of operations must be repeated for each game. When a game is played repeatedly over a long period of time, physical fatigue of eyes and arms increases, and the player is required to continue the game. It was a big burden for me.

  Also, in order to maintain the player's interest in the game for a long time, for example, a moving image such as an animation and a still image such as a picture or a character are combined, and the display content is expected to be more complicated. It is becoming. Therefore, in order to provide such a complicated and large amount of data to a player efficiently and effectively, the display unit itself tends to increase in size.

As an improvement measure, the display position of the display unit is set between the display position of the variable display unit and the operation unit. There is something that you can do.
JP 2003-33466 A JP-A-11-146939 JP 2002-156626 A

  The human eye has a central field of view (a range of about 20 degrees centered on the line of sight) that can discriminate even the details of objects, a Y-axis direction (up and down) of 130 degrees, and an X-axis direction (left and right) of 180 degrees outside the central field of view. Has peripheral vision. On the other hand, liquid crystal displays, CRT displays, and the like that are generally used as display devices have different appearances depending on the viewing direction (angle) of the screen. In particular, liquid crystal displays have a large viewing angle dependency and poor viewing angle characteristics. Even if it is within the peripheral visual field range, the visibility of a part of the screen may be significantly reduced.

  Generally, in the conventional gaming machine, the front door is attached substantially vertically at an angle of about 6 degrees, and the display unit is also attached at the same angle. In such a display unit mounted substantially vertically, the larger the display unit is, the farther the end of the display screen is from the player's line of sight, and the display screen becomes difficult to see depending on the angle and direction of the line of sight. There was a problem.

  In addition, the angle of the line of sight where the display screen can be clearly seen is in the range of approximately 20 degrees up and down from almost horizontal. When a large display is attached to the center of the front door, the lower end of the display screen is the front door It extends to the lower part than the center. In particular, the player usually has to sit and play in a position facing the front of the game table at a position where the distance of the game table cannot be sufficiently secured, and the direction of the line of sight is considerably downward. In such a case, an appropriate viewing angle cannot be secured, which causes the video and characters displayed at the lower part of the display screen to appear distorted.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a game start operation unit having a medal slot, a start switch, and at least one BET switch is displayed on the front door, and a plurality of reels having symbols arranged on the outer periphery are displayed. A first display unit that displays information, a second display unit that displays information different from the first display unit, and a plurality of stop buttons that are operated to stop the plurality of reels. In a gaming machine that has lottery means to perform and is controlled to perform a predetermined payout based on a predetermined lottery result, the second display portion is attached from a substantially central portion to a lower portion of the front door, A part of the front door is formed to protrude in a front side direction at a predetermined angle so that the second display portion is inclined.

  In addition, the inclination angle of the front door to which the second display unit is attached includes the appropriate distance between the gaming machine and the player, the center or lower end of the display surface of the second display unit, and the player's line of sight. Is determined based on an angle obtained by inclining the display surface of the second display unit so that the angle formed by the second display unit is 90 degrees.

  Furthermore, the gaming machine is provided with the second display unit under the first display unit, and the game start operation unit and the plurality of stop buttons are arranged beside the second display unit, It is characterized in that main operations necessary for the game can be performed within the peripheral visual field range in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

  According to this structure of Claim 1 or Claim 2, even if a large-sized 2nd display part is attached from the center of a front door to a lower part, a display screen whole region including the lower end of a display screen is clearly played. Enter the viewing angle of the person and easily enjoy the game while easily confirming the information displayed on the second display unit, move the upper body diagonally left and right, or twist the upper body to confirm the display contents There is no need to do so, and the physical burden on the neck and the like can be reduced.

  In addition, by forming the front surface of the front door, which is the attachment portion of the second display portion, at an angle, the surface area of the attachment portion is increased, so that a larger display device can be attached. Since the frame itself does not need to be enlarged, it can be applied as it is to a conventional game machine installation environment.

  Furthermore, by using the large second display portion, it is possible to provide a gaming machine with more gaming properties. For example, in a conventional gaming machine, the size of the second display unit is small, and there is a limit to the processing capacity of data that can be displayed there. Therefore, symbol matching by reel rotation is the main game, and the second display unit is the main game. It is only possible to provide predetermined simple information related to a predetermined production, a game method, or a game table. However, according to the present embodiment, since it is possible to provide a larger second display unit, it is equivalent to a new main game on the second display unit while executing a game by rotating a conventional reel. To provide a more interesting gaming machine by using the second display section for multi-purpose and effective use, such as playing a game or the like and further displaying a complex presentation related to these multiple games. Can do.

  According to the configuration of claim 3, all of the first display unit, the second display unit, and the operation unit related to the gaming machine always enter the player's field of view within the viewing angle range that is most clearly visible. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform necessary operations during the game while confirming the display contents of the respective display units, and it is possible to concentrate more on the game and to reduce physical fatigue.

  The present invention relates to a structure of a front door formed so that display contents on a display screen are easy to see in a gaming machine including a large second display unit.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a slot machine showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A front door 2 is attached to the slot machine body 1, and three reels 4 a, 4 b, which are arranged in parallel inside the slot machine body through a transparent display window, are provided in an upper portion 3 in the front door. The 1st display part 5 which can observe 4c is provided. For example, 21 symbols are arranged at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of each reel, and the symbols are composed of a big bonus (BB) symbol, a regular bonus (RB) symbol, a small role symbol, a replay symbol, etc. Each reel has a different symbol arrangement.

  The reels 4a to 4c are configured as a reel unit (not shown), and a stepping motor (not shown) which is a part of reel driving means is connected to each reel, and each reel is driven by this stepping motor. And the reels 4a to 4c are moved and displayed in the display window 3, respectively. Three lamp cases (not shown) are provided inside each reel, and a backlight (not shown) is attached in each lamp case. Each backlight is individually controlled to light through a lamp driving circuit (not shown), and three symbols can be illuminated from the back for each reel.

  On the display window of the first display section 5, a total of five lines are displayed, three effective lines (not shown) in the horizontal direction and two in the diagonal direction. Each reel stops sequentially, and when a specific symbol is arranged on any one of the effective lines, a winning is won and a predetermined medal is paid out.

  The number of valid lines is the number of medals inserted from the medal insertion slot 6 or the medal insertion set by pressing the BET switch 7 when a medal is credited on a credit medal display section (not shown). The effective number varies depending on the number. For example, when one medal is inserted, one effective line in the central horizontal direction is displayed, and when two medals are inserted, three effective lines in the horizontal direction are displayed. When three medals are inserted, all five effective lines including two diagonal directions are displayed.

  A decorative panel is fitted in the upper part 3 of the front door 2, and a plurality of display parts (not shown) are provided in addition to the display window to provide the player with various information necessary for proceeding with the game. Used for. Further, an upper lamp 8 is provided above the first display unit 5, and a second display unit 9 is provided from a substantially central part to a lower part of the front door, and these are controlled via respective drive circuits.

  On the lower left side of the second display section, a BET switch 7, a start switch 10 that is a variable display starting means for rotating the reels 4a to 4c, and three stop buttons 11 are arranged in parallel on the right side. Are arranged. The medal slot 6, the BET switch 7, and the start switch 10 constitute a game starting means, and function as a game operation unit together with the stop button 11. The start switch is a sensor that is attached to the start switch by a pressing operation by the player and transmits a start signal to the game control unit. The game control unit performs the next operation of the gaming machine based on the received signal. Alternatively, it has a function of controlling the gaming machine so as to validate the operation, and includes, for example, a start lever or a start button. In this embodiment, a case where a start lever is attached is shown.

  The front door lower part 12 has a medal for storing medals discharged from a return port (not shown) for returning inserted medals and a medal payout outlet (not shown) for paying out medals obtained at the time of winning a prize. A saucer 13 is provided.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the relationship between the viewing angle of the player, which is the main part in the configuration of the present invention, and the inclination angle of the second display unit will be described. In the present configuration in which the first display portion 5 for displaying the reel is provided on the upper portion 3 of the front door 2 and the second display portion 9 is provided on the lower portion 12, the second display portion 9 attached to the lower portion 12 of the front door. The second display unit 9 has a structure in which the display screen of the second display unit 9 inclines from the upper part toward the lower end part.

  This inclination angle has a larger inclination angle than the upper part 3 of the front door attached substantially vertically (about 6 degrees), and depending on the size and attachment position of the second display portion 9, particularly at the lower end of the display screen, It is preferable to have an appropriate inclination angle that can ensure sufficient visibility. In other words, the optimal visual recognition of the display screen is obtained when the display screen is disposed at right angles to the direction of the line of sight, so the first display unit 5 and the second display unit of the present invention. As a gaming machine that is excellent in the visibility of the second display unit 9 while taking the entire display 9 into view, there is an opposing surface that is perpendicular to the line of sight within a range from the lower end of the second display unit 9 to at least the center. Set the tilt angle as follows.

  The inclination angle is determined based on the distance a between the player and the gaming machine when the line of sight is held horizontally and the height h of the line of sight from the gaming machine installation surface g. It can be set by inclining the lower portion 12 of the front door 2 from a position b where the line of sight intersects at right angles to a position c where the lower end of the second display unit and the line of sight intersect at right angles. However, the distance “a” and the height “h” are variables that vary depending on individual differences, and the optimum inclination angle also varies among individuals. Thus, when the standard inclination of human being is taken as the central value and the inclination angle that is the most common divisor including the variation before and after is obtained, the inclination range of 25 to 45 degrees from the vertical line ff is set. Thus, it can be adapted to the majority of general players.

  Further, when calculating the tilt angle, which of the center part b and the lower end part c of the second display part 9 is used as a reference depends on the size of the second display part, the use range of the display screen, or the display location. It is preferable to select according to the characteristics of the gaming machine in consideration of various conditions such as the importance of display content.

  As the second display unit, a display device capable of displaying a CRT display device, a plasma display device, a liquid crystal display device, a dot matrix display device, a still image such as a picture or a character, and a moving image that is displayed as an animation by combining them. It includes the kind.

  The control operation of the slot machine of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 which is a schematic block diagram showing the game processing control circuit of the present invention. The control unit includes a main control unit 14 and a sub control unit 15. The main control unit 14 includes a CPU 16, a ROM 17, a RAM 18, a clock generation circuit 19, and a lottery processing unit 20, and further sends data to the sub control unit 15. The transmission timing control circuit 21 and the data transmission circuit 22 are mainly configured.

  The main control unit 14 includes an input port 23 and an output port 24. A medal sensor 25, a start switch 26, a reel index 27, a reel stop button operation unit 28, a BET switch 29, and a medal block solenoid 30 are provided. In addition, peripheral devices such as a start switch LED 31, a BET display lamp 32, and a first display unit 33 are electrically connected. Each of the reels 4a to 4c is coaxially connected to a reel motor (not shown), and rotates each reel at a constant step angle. The reel index 27 detects a reset pulse generated every rotation of each reel, counts the rotation angle from the predetermined reference position as the rotation position of the reel, and inputs the count value to the CPU 16.

  On the other hand, the sub-control unit 15 includes a CPU 34, an audio LSI 35, a data input circuit 36, a clock generation circuit 37, a control ROM 38, a RAM 39, an audio ROM 40, an amplifier circuit 41, and the like, a second display unit 42, an upper lamp 43, Main display units such as a side lamp 44, a reel backlight 45, and a speaker 46 are connected.

  The CPU 16 outputs a data output timing information signal to the transmission timing control circuit 21 in accordance with the game situation, temporarily stores the output timing information signal, and then via the data transmission circuit 22 to the sub control unit 15. To the data input circuit 36.

  Although not shown, the ROM 17 is provided with a game sequence program executed by the slot machine, and the progress of the entire game is controlled according to this program. In addition, data such as a symbol table, a winning combination table, a winning probability table, and the like are stored, and the lottery processing unit 20 generates a random value for each game at a predetermined timing, and based on the random number value selected. Whether or not there is a winning is determined, and in the case of winning, a dividend corresponding to the winning combination is paid out.

  Next, an outline of the game method of the present invention will be described. The player inserts a medal from the medal insertion slot 6 or, if there is a credited medal on the credit display unit, operates the BET switch 7 to arbitrarily determine the number of medals to be inserted. The number of valid lines is determined according to the number of inserted medals, and the game is started by operating the start switch 10. When the start switch 10 is operated, the reels 4a to 4c start rotating sequentially, and then stop in a predetermined symbol stop pattern by pressing each stop button of the stop button 11 or by automatic stop control on the gaming machine side. When all reels are stopped, a prize is awarded when a particular symbol is aligned along any of the five active lines. The winning combination corresponding to the type of symbol combination is determined in advance, and a payout is made according to the winning combination. When the winning combination is a big bonus (BB) or regular bonus (RB) symbol, the game can be shifted to a BB game or an RB game, respectively, and a further increase in payout can be expected. Also, if the winning combination is a small role symbol, a predetermined payout is made and the game ends, and if it is a replay symbol, the game can be started again without inserting coins.

  The result of the internal lottery of the winning combination is notified to the player in a plurality of notification forms. For example, one of them is a reach eye notice, and a reach eye is a symbol combination (out) that the reels are controlled to stop only when a bonus flag is established. There are more than 100 types depending on the model. A skilled player can instantly determine the internal winning of the bonus flag by learning this reach.

  In addition, as another notification form, there is a production means for notifying the player with visual, auditory, and tactile sensations so that the player can easily determine whether there is an internal winning. For example, a side lamp (not shown), an upper lamp 8, a reel backlight (not shown), a dedicated notification lamp (not shown), etc. are lit, blinked, or specified from a speaker (not shown). The sound is output, and further, the effect is displayed on the second display unit 9 using a liquid crystal display device or the like. Further, when the reels 4a to 4c stop rotating, it is possible to control the reels 4a to 4c to stop by an operation different from the normal rotation, for example, reverse rotation or vibration. Further, by combining these various means, it is possible to notify the player of the occurrence of the internal winning of the winning combination with different probabilities. For example, when a dedicated notification lamp is lit, the player is informed that a predetermined winning combination has been won internally with a probability of 100%, and, for example, a flashing pattern of a reel backlight and output from a speaker. Depending on the combination of game sounds, it is also possible to display a pseudo effect that a predetermined winning combination may be 100% internally won or may not be internally won (gasse).

  Furthermore, in the second display unit 9, a plurality of effect patterns using moving images are provided for the probability of internal winning of a predetermined winning combination, and one or a plurality of patterns based on a predetermined selection condition among them are provided. It is possible to select and display the combination.

  Next, FIG. 4 is a front view of the slot machine showing the second embodiment of the present invention. The parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 1 showing the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals. . In the second embodiment, the positional relationship among the medal slot 6, the BET switch 7, the start switch 10 and the stop button 11 constituting the game starting means is arranged vertically, for example, on the second display unit 9. It is installed using the space on the right side. When arranged in this way, the operation devices are arranged almost vertically in the order in which the game progresses, so that a series of operations can be performed smoothly, for example, the devices are operated with the arms held hollow. In this case, the movement from top to bottom reduces the burden on the body and can reduce the player's feeling of fatigue.

  In addition, since the first display unit 5 and the second display unit 9 are arranged vertically, the player can display the second display unit 9 within the peripheral visual field dd ′ (130 °) in the Y-axis (vertical) direction. Since the front door is formed so as to incline the lower part of the second display unit 9 in the forward direction, the large second display can be obtained. Even if it is a part, the display content displayed in the lower part can also be clearly identified. Furthermore, since the operation unit is arranged beside the second display unit 9, two display units and an operation unit are included in the peripheral visual field (180 °) in the X-axis (left and right) direction. The game operation can be easily performed while confirming the display content of, so that the player can concentrate more on the game.

  Note that the relationship between the viewing angle and the tilt angle of the display screen of the second display unit and the control operation in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

1 is a front view showing a gaming machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side surface conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between the player's visual angle which concerns on implementation of this invention, and the inclination-angle of a 2nd display part. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the control part of the game machine which concerns on implementation of this invention. It is a front view which shows the game machine which concerns on the 2nd implementation of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slot machine 2 Front door 3 Front door upper part 4a, 4b, 4c Reel 5 1st display part (reel display window)
6 medal slot 7 BET switch 8 upper lamp 9 second display 10 start switch 11 stop button 12 lower front door 13 medal tray

Claims (3)

A game start operation unit having a medal slot, a start switch, and at least one BET switch on the front door, a first display unit for displaying a plurality of reels having symbols arranged on the outer periphery, and the first display unit A lottery means for lottery for each game, the second display unit for displaying information different from that and a plurality of stop buttons operated to stop the plurality of reels. In a gaming machine controlled to perform a predetermined payout based on
The second display portion is attached from a substantially central portion to a lower portion of the front door, and a part of the front door projects in a front side direction at a predetermined angle so that the second display portion is inclined. A gaming machine characterized by being formed.   The inclination angle of the front door to which the second display unit is attached is an angle formed between the appropriate distance between the gaming machine and the player, and the center or lower end of the display surface of the second display unit and the player's line of sight. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the game machine is determined in accordance with an angle at which the display surface of the second display unit is tilted so as to be 90 degrees.   In the gaming machine, the second display unit is provided below the first display unit, and the game start operation unit and the plurality of stop buttons are arranged beside the second display unit. The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a main operation necessary for a game can be performed within a peripheral visual field range in the axial direction and the Y-axis direction.

Images