JP2005329071A - Slot machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the outflow of game balls from a storage tray part clearly visible in a slot machine using the game balls as game media. <P>SOLUTION: A fetch port 66 from which the game balls x stored in the storage tray part 21 flow out is formed at the front part of the storage tray part 21, a fetch member (sprocket) 71 of a ball fetching device 50 is disposed in a ball fetch path 48 at a position more in front than the rear surface 34 of the opening/closing panel 7, also a cover part 37 is provided on the front part of a storage member 8, and the ball fetch path 48 and the fetch member 71 are covered from the front with the cover part 37. Thus, the game balls x in the storage tray part 21 flow out from the storage tray part 21 at a position close to a player and the player can easily view whether or not the game balls x are normally fetched. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a slot machine using game balls as game media.

  A slot machine having a rotating drum on the front surface of a gaming machine main body is well known. In such a slot machine, instead of a medal used as a game medium, a rotating drum can be rotated by inserting a game ball into the gaming machine, and when a predetermined hit state is achieved by stopping the rotating drum, a predetermined number of A configuration in which a game ball is paid out to a player has been proposed. Since these slot machines can be played using the game balls used for pachinko machines, by installing them together with the pachinko machines in the game hall, players can enjoy both pachinko machines and slot machines with one type of game medium. And the convenience of the player can be improved. In addition, this slot machine can be mounted on a game island for a pachinko machine in the amusement hall and can use a ball supply / discharge mechanism for the pachinko machine. There is also an advantage that administrative costs can be reduced.

  However, on the other hand, in a game hall, since the value of one game ball is generally treated lower than the value of one medal, a slot machine using a medal as a game medium uses one medal as the minimum unit of bets. On the other hand, in a slot machine that uses game balls, a plurality of game balls constitute the minimum unit of the number of bets, and instead of inserting one medal, a number of game balls corresponding to one medal are used. Must be thrown in. For this reason, such a slot machine has a mechanism for storing game balls in the front of the slot machine and automatically taking the number of game balls corresponding to the bet number unit into the slot machine by a button operation or the like. Slot machines have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  Such a slot machine has an opening / closing panel attached to the front surface of a gaming machine main body having a rotating drum, and an opening / closing panel disposed on the front surface side of the opening / closing panel for storing game balls as game media. It is formed between a storage member having a dish part, an intake ball discharge path for discharging the taken game ball to the game island side, and an intake port and an intake ball discharge path formed in the storage dish part. A ball take-in device disposed in the ball take-in path, and by taking the predetermined number of units as a unit by the operation of the ball take-in apparatus, taking the game balls on the storage tray side into the take-in ball discharge path side, The taken game ball is detected by the game ball detection means at the entrance of the take-in ball discharge path. Usually, this ball take-in device has a concave portion that accommodates a game ball flowing down from the intake port, and the concave portion communicates with the intake port, and the concave portion communicates with the intake ball discharge path. And an electric drive such as a motor that operates to accommodate the game ball on the intake port side in the recess and to discharge the game ball on the side of the intake ball discharge path. And the electric drive device changes the intake member in a predetermined manner based on the operation of the input switch by the player, etc., so that a predetermined number of game balls flow down from the intake port of the storage tray portion. As a unit, it is taken into the take-in ball discharge path side. Further, in such a slot machine, the ball take-in device is attached to the back surface (rear surface) of the open / close panel, and the take-in port of the storage tray portion from which the game ball flows out to the ball take-in device is on the open / close panel side. It forms in the rear edge part of the storage tray part which hits.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 7-47056 JP 2001-299995 A

  By the way, the slot machine only detects and counts the captured game balls and discharges them from the back side of the gaming machine, compared to a pachinko machine that launches the captured game balls on the game board surface. Are not directly involved in the game, it is required to clearly show the player that the game ball has been taken in normally. However, in the storage member of the conventional slot machine, the game balls stored in the storage tray portion can be viewed from above, but the intake port is a storage tray portion close to the ball acquisition device. Since it is formed at the rear edge and is located in the deep part of the storage tray portion, it is far from the player's viewpoint, and it is difficult for the player to visually recognize how many game balls are flowing out from the intake port. For this reason, it is easy for a player to have anxiety that a predetermined number or more of game balls have been taken in, and it is easy to miss even if the ball take-in device actually malfunctions. There is.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a slot machine that uses a game ball as a game medium and that can easily recognize the outflow of the game ball from the storage tray. To do.

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing panel attached to the front of a gaming machine main body having a rotating drum so as to be openable and closable, and a storage tray for storing a game ball as a game medium disposed on the front side of the opening / closing panel. In a ball intake path formed between a storage member having a portion, an intake port formed in the storage dish portion, and an intake ball discharge path for guiding the acquired game ball to the back side of the gaming machine main body And has a recess for accommodating a game ball flowing down from the intake port, and the intake port varies between a position where the recess communicates with the intake port and a position where the recess communicates with the intake ball discharge path. And a drive device that operates the take-in member to discharge a predetermined number of game balls to the take-out ball discharge path side. A ball take-in device to be taken in as a unit, and the ball placed at the entrance of the take-in ball discharge path; A slot machine having a game ball as a game medium, the game ball having a game ball detecting means for detecting a game ball taken in by the loading device, wherein a take-in port is formed at a front portion of the storage dish portion; The take-in member is disposed in the ball take-in path at a position in front of the back surface of the open / close panel, and a cover part is provided in the front part of the storage member, and the ball take-in path and the take-in member are moved forward by the cover part. The slot machine is characterized in that it is coated with (Claim 1). Here, the ball take-in device may be configured to automatically operate and take in the game ball when it is detected that there is a predetermined unit number of game balls in the storage tray portion regardless of the operation of the insertion switch. Good.

  In such a configuration, the game ball stored in the storage tray portion does not flow out from the rear edge of the storage tray portion as in the conventional configuration, but flows out from the front side of the storage tray portion, that is, the player side. It becomes. Accordingly, the player can clearly see how the game ball flows down from the intake port, and can easily check whether the correct number of game balls have been taken in. In addition, in the present invention, the take-in member of the ball take-in device is installed at a position ahead of the back surface of the open / close panel according to the take-in port, and is covered from the front, thereby taking in from the take-in port. The distance to the member can be made close, and even if the intake port is formed at a position ahead of the conventional one, the game ball can flow down quickly to the ball intake device.

  In the above configuration, since the intake member is located in front of the back surface of the open / close panel, the front portion of the intake member of the storage member is formed of a transparent member so that the intake member can be visually recognized from the front. (Claim 2). Here, the front portion of the capturing member does not indicate only the front portion of the capturing member, but indicates a wide range including the front upper portion. In this configuration, the player selects the capturing member. At least one stroke in this range is made of a transparent member so that it can be viewed from the front, that is, from a normal viewpoint. According to such a configuration, the player can visually recognize not only how the game ball flows down from the storage tray part, but also the state that the take-in member fluctuates and the game ball is taken in, so that the process of taking in the game ball can be further improved. Accurately grasp. In addition, as long as the transparent member is within a range in which the process of taking in the game ball can be visually confirmed, a translucent member may be used, and not only the entire capture member but also a part thereof can be visually recognized. It does not matter.

  Furthermore, an opening window that faces the intake member is formed on the front surface portion of the storage member, and an opening / closing door that opens and closes the opening window is provided on the front surface of the storage member in association with the intake member being positioned in front of the back surface of the open / close panel. Is proposed (claim 3). According to such a configuration, when the door is closed, it is concealed from the front (player side) and exposed to the front when the door is opened. Therefore, if troubles such as ball clogging occur around the take-in member during the game, open this door, expose the take-in member, and handle the take-in member and surrounding game balls directly. Thus, such trouble can be improved. That is, in the conventional configuration in which the taking-in member is disposed on the back surface of the open / close panel, when the ball clogging occurs, the open / close panel must be opened to tilt the entire storage member forward. In this configuration, it is possible to deal with the clogging of the surroundings of the intake member, which is relatively frequently generated, by simply opening the front surface of the storage member locally, and the recovery operation can be easily performed. Since this door is used for maintenance, it is desirable to provide a locking mechanism so that a general player cannot open it. Further, if the opening window faces not only the take-in member but also the ball take-in path and the take-in port, it can cope with a wider range of balls.

  Further, in the present invention, since all the game balls in the storage tray portion are caused to flow down from the intake port formed in the front portion thereof, the guiding action for causing the game ball to flow down to the intake port is not impaired. The inner bottom surface of the storage dish portion can be inclined downward toward the front (claim 4). Here, the inner bottom surface of the storage tray portion refers to a portion of the upper surface of the storage tray portion that holds the game balls to be stored from below. According to such a configuration, the inner bottom surface of the storage dish portion is located in the deep portion of the dish, with the front side portion being located behind the rear side. Therefore, compared with the conventional configuration in which the front portion of the inner bottom surface is located at a shallow position of the dish, in this configuration, even if the vertical width of the storage tray portion is the same, the stored game balls are retained from the front by the depth of the inner bottom surface. Thus, the vertical width of the inner wall surface on the front side is increased, and the stored game balls are less likely to jump forward. Note that the inner bottom surface is not limited to a shape in which the entire surface is strictly inclined forward and downward, and may be one in which irregularities, grooves, or the like are locally formed.

  As described above, in the present invention, the intake port is formed in the front part of the storage dish portion, and the intake member of the ball intake device is positioned forward of the rear surface of the open / close panel at the ball intake path. Since the slot machine is provided with a cover part at the front part of the storage member, and the cover part covers the ball intake path and the intake member from the front (Claim 1), the player can play the game ball. It becomes possible to see the state of flowing out of the storage dish portion close up, and it is possible to easily confirm that the game ball is taken in normally. Therefore, the player can be absorbed in the game without feeling uneasy about the malfunction of the ball take-in device.

  In addition, when the front part of the intake member of the storage member is made of a transparent member and the intake member is visible from the front (Claim 2), the player changes the intake member, Since the process in which the game ball is taken in can be visually confirmed, the taking-in operation of the game ball can be confirmed more accurately, and while the game ball is taken in, it can be enjoyed while watching the take-in process.

  Furthermore, when an opening window that faces the intake member is formed on the front surface portion of the storage member and an opening / closing door that opens and closes the opening window is provided (Claim 3), a clogged ball or the like generated in the vicinity of the intake member It is possible to perform recovery work easily and promptly for any trouble.

  In addition, when the inner bottom surface of the storage tray portion in which the game balls are stored is inclined downward toward the front (Claim 4), the vertical width of the front inner wall surface while maintaining the vertical width of the storage tray portion. Can be expanded, and the game ball can be prevented from jumping out of the storage tray. In particular, in the conventional configuration, when a ball supply port through which game balls are paid out is formed at the rear part of the storage tray portion, the game balls flowing in vigorously from the ball supply port cross the front front inner wall surface. However, in this configuration, it is possible to reduce such game balls.

Embodiments of the present invention are described according to the following examples.
The slot machine 1 of the present embodiment uses a game ball as a game medium, and is normally attached to a game island for a pachinko machine in the same manner as the pachinko machine. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slot machine 1 includes an outer frame 2 having the same shape as the pachinko machine fixed to the game island, and a display window 23 for displaying the design P of the rotating drums 12 a to 12 c. And a gaming machine body 3 pivotably attached to the outer frame 2 via a hinge member 9. Also, on the left side of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, a card unit 11 that is connected to the slot machine 1 and reads and writes a prepaid card storing the number of rented balls is mounted as an accessory device.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gaming machine main body 3 has a front frame 4 that pivots directly on the outer frame 2 via a hinge member 9, and a front frame 4 that is attached to the front half of the front frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed. The storage member 8 is provided on the front surface of the door 6, the opening / closing panel 7 attached to the lower side of the front door 6 so as to be opened and closed, and the back mechanism plate 5 attached to the back side of the front frame 4 so as to be opened and closed. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the front frame 4 is provided with three rotary drums 12 a to 12 c having various kinds of symbols P on the outer peripheral surface at the center. These rotating drums 12a to 12c are assembled integrally with a stepping motor that individually drives them and a support member that supports the motor, and those used in a slot machine having a conventional configuration are suitable. Can be used. In addition, at a position directly below the rotating drums 12a to 12c, a game number display 14 for displaying the number of winnings in a regular bonus, a payout number display 15 for displaying the number of winning balls acquired by one winning, An unpaid-out number display 16 for displaying the number of game balls for which the payout operation has not been completed is arranged side by side. In addition, a ball discharge port 18 is formed in the lower part of the front side of the front frame 4 so as to be positioned below the open / close panel 7, and an auxiliary tray member 19 is disposed so as to face the ball discharge port 18. The auxiliary dish member 19 is provided with a ball slide slider 20 that opens and closes an opening formed on the bottom surface thereof. When the player moves the ball slide slider 20, the opening is opened. The game balls in 19 are discharged downward. In addition, on the lower back side of the front frame 4, a speaker that emits game sound effects, a power supply unit that supplies power to various electrical components, and the like (not shown) are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the front door 6 has a rectangular shape with decoration on the front surface, and is attached so as to be openable and closable via a hinge member (not shown) provided on the left edge thereof. A display window 23 is formed at the center position of the front door 6 so that the rotary drums 12a to 12c provided on the front frame 4 can be visually recognized from the front, and the design P on the front of the rotary drums 12a to 12c is formed on the display window 23. Is now displayed. A display unit 29 is provided below the display window 23 so that the various indicators 14 to 16 can be visually recognized. On the left side of the display window 23, a winning line lamp for informing a player of an effective winning line. 24 is provided. Further, at the lower part of the front door 6, a card return button 25 for instructing the player to return the prepaid card inserted into the card unit 11, and a ball lending for instructing to pay out a predetermined number of game balls as rental balls. A card operation unit 28 including a button 26 and a frequency display 27 for displaying the balance of the prepaid card inserted into the card unit 11 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the open / close panel 7 made of a rectangular metal plate is attached to the lower portion of the front frame 4 via a hinge member 36 so that the open / close panel 7 can be opened and closed. A storage member 8 is disposed. The storage member 8 includes an upper storage tray portion 21 that forms a storage space 53 for storing game balls, a cover portion 37 that covers the front surface, and the like. The storage space 53 of the storage tray portion 21 has an intake port 66 formed in the front portion thereof, and a ball supply port 35 opened in the rear portion thereof, which stores game balls paid out from the ball supply port 35. After being stored in the space 53, it is sequentially discharged from the intake port 66, and a predetermined number (5 pieces) is taken in as a unit by a ball take-in device 50 described later. The cover portion 37 is continuous with the front edge of the storage tray portion 21, constitutes the front surface, both side surfaces, and the lower bottom surface of the storage member 8. The structure (see FIG. 8) such as the ball discharge path 49 is concealed from the front.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an operation portion 39 that bulges forward is formed at the lower front portion of the cover portion 37. The operation unit 39 includes a start lamp 40, a start lever 41, a MAXBET button 42a, a 2BET button 42b, a 1BET button 42c, left, middle and right stop buttons 44 to 46, and a ball removal button 65 from the left side when viewed from the front. The game is executed by operating these buttons and levers. The start lamp 40 is for notifying the player that the rotation drums 12a to 12c can start rotating. When the start lever 41 is depressed when the start lamp 40 is lit, the rotation drums 12a to 12c Start rotating. Each of the BET buttons 42a to 42c constitutes an insertion switch for inserting a game ball in units of bets. As described later, the game balls in the storage tray 21 are automatically operated by operating these buttons. It is taken into the gaming machine. The stop buttons 44 to 46 are used to stop the rotary drums 12a to 12c. When these buttons are pressed while the rotary drums 12a to 12c are rotating, the control device controls each button based on the operation timing. The rotating drums 12a to 12c corresponding to are stopped. The ball removal button 65 is for discharging the game ball stored in the storage tray portion 21 to the auxiliary tray member 19. When the player presses the ball removal button 65, the ball removal button 65 is stored in the storage tray portion 21. The played game ball flows down to the lower ball discharge port 18 and is discharged to the auxiliary tray member 19. Each of the buttons 42a to 42c and 44 to 46 includes a switch and a lamp, and the operation of each button 42a to 42c and 44 to 46 is transmitted to the main control board 100 described later by the ON operation of each switch, and each of them. The player is notified that the button operation is effective by lighting the lamp. Although the configuration of the storage member 8 is separately described in detail because it relates to the main part of the present invention, the conventional configuration can be suitably applied to the operation unit 39, and the details are omitted.

  As described above, the back mechanism plate 5 is attached to the back surface of the front frame 4 so as to be openable and closable, and a plurality of substrates 100 to 106 incorporating electronic circuits are provided on the back surface (see FIG. 3). . These boards are electrically connected to each other and are connected to various sensors, switches, motors, lamps and the like provided in the gaming machine main body 3 to constitute a control device that controls the game. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a ball tank 30 that receives supply of game balls from a ball supply device on the game island is provided on the upper part of the back mechanism plate 5. The ball tank 30 communicates with the ball discharge port 18 and the ball supply port 35 formed in the lower front portion of the gaming machine body 3 through a ball guide passage (not shown) formed in the back mechanism plate 5. When the payout unit 31 provided in the middle of the ball guide passage is activated, a predetermined number of game balls located on the ball tank 30 side are sent out toward the storage member 8 and the auxiliary tray member 19. It has become. The game ball delivered from the payout unit 31 is normally discharged from the ball supply port 35 to the storage member 8 side. However, when the storage member 8 is full, the auxiliary tray member is released from the ball discharge port 18. 19 is released. Such a game ball supply mechanism to the storage member 8 can suitably use the configuration of an existing pachinko machine.

  Next, a control circuit for controlling the game operation of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The main control board 100 constituting the microcomputer is provided with a board circuit for performing game control of the slot machine 1 and controlling game ball take-in operation based on the operation of the input switch. The board circuit of the main control board 100 is provided with an input port and an output port (not shown) for performing data communication with peripheral devices, and a control signal from the main control board 100 is issued through the output port. The control board 101, the display control board 102, the lamp control board 103, and the information terminal board 105 are connected so as to be output toward the input ports. The input port of the main control board 100 is connected to the start lever 41, the BET buttons 42a to 42c, the stop buttons 44 to 46, and the ball release button 65 switches described above, and the main control board 100 is connected every 2 ms. These operation states are checked, and the game state is controlled according to the operation. In addition, the main control board 100 takes in the storage ball detection switches (storage ball detection SW) 95a to 95c provided in the rectifying passage 38, which will be described later, the take-in motor 72 of the ball take-in device 50, and the ball take-in device 50. A take-in ball detection switch (take-in ball detection SW) 77 for detecting the played game ball is also connected.

  The payout control board 101 is provided with a board circuit for controlling the payout operation of the game ball. The circuit board is connected to the payout unit 31 and operates the payout unit 31 in accordance with a command input from the main control board 100 to execute the payout of the rented or winning balls. Further, the payout control board 101 is connected to a card unit 11 which is an accessory device for reading and writing a prepaid card storing the number of rented balls via a CR connection board 104 that relays data processing of the prepaid card, Exchanges remaining ball data of game balls. Further, the payout control board 101 is provided with a ball break switch for detecting the ball break in the ball tank 30 and the back of the ball discharge port 18, and the auxiliary tray member 19 is filled with game balls. It is also connected to a full switch for detecting this.

  The display control board 102 is provided with a board circuit for performing stop control of the rotary drums 12a to 12c. The substrate circuit is connected to a drum motor that rotates each of the rotating drums 12 a to 12 c and a reference position sensor that detects the rotation angle of the rotating drums 12 a to 12 c, and the drum motor according to a command input from the main control substrate 100. Is operated to rotate each of the rotary drums 12a to 12c and stop at a predetermined rotation angle. The display control board 102 is connected to various displays 14 to 16 provided below the rotary drums 12a to 12c, and is also connected to a speaker via a sound control board 106 that controls output of sound effects and sounds. Has been.

  The lamp control board 103 is connected to the winning line lamp 24, the start lamp 40 of the operation unit 39, and the lamps built in the various buttons 42 a to 42 c and 44 to 46, and is input from the main control board 100. Various lamps are controlled to be turned on according to the command to notify the player that the winning line or button operation has become effective.

  The information terminal board 105 is for connection to the central management device 107 of the game island, and information such as the number of winning balls and the number of jackpots sent from the main control board 100 and the payout control board 101 is used as information. It can be transmitted to the centralized management device 107 via the board.

Below, with reference to FIGS. 4-11, the structure which concerns on the principal part of this invention is explained in full detail.
As described above, the storage member 8 is attached to the front side of the open / close panel 7 that is attached to the lower portion of the display window 23 so as to be openable and closable. The storage member 8 is formed by joining molded resin plates, and mainly includes an upper storage tray portion 21 and a cover portion 37 that constitutes a front surface, both side surfaces, and a lower bottom surface. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the recess formed on the upper surface of the storage tray portion 21 is used as a storage space 53 for storing the game ball x, and below the storage tray portion 21, the storage space 53 is provided. A mechanism for taking in and flowing down the stored game balls is provided, and these are covered and protected by the cover portion 37. As shown in FIG. 4, the storage space 53 is partitioned into a substantially horizontal U shape by a partition wall 51 extending in the right direction from the left edge of the storage dish portion 21, and a groove-shaped rectifying passage is formed at the front edge portion thereof. 38 is formed, and an intake 66 through which the game ball x flows out opens at the bottom of the tip (left end) of the rectifying passage 38. In addition, a sphere supply port 35 opens at the left rear portion of the storage space 53. The ball supply port 35 communicates with the back side of the open / close panel 7, and the game ball x paid out from the payout unit 31 via the gutter member 56 disposed on the back surface 34 of the open / close panel 7 is a ball. It flows out from the supply port 35. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10, the inner bottom surface 78 of the storage tray portion 21 that partitions the lower portion of the storage space 53 and holds the game ball from below is from the left rear portion that communicates with the ball supply port 35. It smoothly inclines downward toward the inlet of the rectifying passage 38 at the center front, and all the game balls x stored in the storage space 53 are sequentially flowed down to the rectifying passage 38. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the inner bottom surface 78 is inclined downward toward the front, and the front portion of the inner bottom surface 78 is located deeper than the rear portion. For this reason, even if the shape of the partition wall 51 that forms the front inner wall surface 79 that holds the stored game ball from the front is the same, in this embodiment, the inner bottom surface is inclined downward toward the rear (FIG. 10). The vertical width of the front inner wall surface 79 is increased from the middle 78b).

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 8 to 10, the rectifying passage 38 has a width dimension that allows one game ball to pass through, and is inclined downward toward the left. The game balls have a length that can be aligned in a row. An intake port 66 through which a single game ball can pass is formed at the left end bottom of the rectifying passage 38. Below the intake port 66, the intake port 66 and a later-described intake ball discharge passage 49 are formed. A ball take-in passage 48 communicating with each other is formed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the rectifying passage 38 has a storage ball detection switch 95a at positions facing the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth game balls x aligned with the rectifying passage 38, respectively. -95c are disposed. These switches 95a to 95c are turned on when a game ball x is present at the respective facing positions. Based on the operating state of the switches 95a to 95c, the main control board 100 determines whether or not five, ten, and fifteen (1 to 3 betting numbers) gaming balls are aligned in the rectifying passage 38. Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, a metal alignment bottom plate 59 is mounted on the bottom surface of the rectifying passage 38 on the resin material constituting the storage tray portion 21. x flows down on the aligned bottom plate 59. The aligned bottom plate 59 is inclined upward to the front side so that the game balls x in the passage lean against the rear side. As will be described later, the opening / closing door 32 is opened and the front side of the rectifying passage 38 is opened. In addition, the game ball x on the alignment bottom plate 59 does not spill from the front edge of the passage. In addition, a plurality of groove holes 60 are formed along the passage direction at the bottom of the rectifying passage 38 made of the resin material and the alignment bottom plate 59 so that the game balls are not locked. By discharging the dust that has fallen upward, the dust is prevented from accumulating in the passage.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ball intake path 48 formed at a position directly below the intake port 66 of the rectifying passage 38 includes an intake port 66 and an inlet of the intake ball discharge path 49 located at the lower left side thereof. The sprocket 71 of the ball take-in device 50 is provided in the ball take-in path 48. The ball take-in device 50 takes the game ball x on the rectifying passage 38 side into the take-in ball discharge passage 49 side in units of bets, and as shown in FIGS. And a sprocket 71 that constitutes a take-in member and rotates by the operation of the take-in motor 72, and gear members 74a and 74b that link the two rotating shafts and transmit the driving force to the sprocket 71. The The take-in motor 72 is a stepping motor, is connected to the main control board 100 provided on the back mechanism plate 5, and rotates the sprocket 71 at a rotation angle corresponding to a control signal from the main control board 100. . On the other hand, the sprocket 71 has a substantially Y-shaped front surface having a thickness dimension substantially equal to the width dimension of the rectifying passage 38 and three circumferential recesses 70 that can accommodate one game ball at equal intervals. It is made, and between each recessed part 70 is made into the latching | locking part 73 which latches a game ball. Here, the sprocket 71 is connected to the take-in motor 72 with the rotation axis facing front and rear, and is located directly below the take-in port 66 of the rectifying passage 38, and any one of the recesses 70 of the sprocket 71 is disposed above the sprocket 71. In the state directed to the intake port 66, one game ball x can be taken into the recess 70 from the rectifying passage 38. On the other hand, in a state where the sprocket 71 has one of the locking portions 73 facing the intake port 66, the intake port 66 is closed by the locking portion 73 as shown in FIG. 38 is locked at the leading position, and one of the recesses 70 communicates with the take-in ball discharge path 49. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the peripheral surface of each locking portion 73 is reduced in diameter toward the opening / closing panel 7 side, and as described later, the game ball x locked at the head of the rectifying passage 38 is Guide is made in the direction of the passage opening 80 of the ball passage 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the take-in ball discharge path 49 is formed by a flange member 68 that penetrates the open / close panel 7. As described above, the take-in ball discharge path 49 is connected to the ball take-in path 48 with the inlet 64 positioned at the lower left of the intake port 66 of the rectifying passage 38, and A game ball x taken in by the device 50 flows from the inlet 64. The opposite end of the take-in ball discharge path 49 communicates with the back side of the gaming machine main body 3, and the inflowing game ball x is discharged to the ball collecting device on the game island. In addition, a take-in ball detection switch 77 constituting a game ball detecting means is fixed to the entrance 64 of the take-in ball discharge path 49. This take-in ball detection switch 77 is connected to the main control board 100 as described above, and every time the game ball x taken in by the ball take-in device 50 flows into the take-in ball discharge path 49, The ball-in-ball detection switch 77 is turned ON, whereby it is determined that the main control board 100 has taken in a game ball.

  In addition, a ball removal passage 52 is formed by the eaves member 84 behind the position where the leading game ball x faces the rectification passage 38. The ball extraction passage 52 opens a passage port 80 on the rear face of the left end of the rectifying passage 38 and communicates with the back side of the open / close panel 7 to guide the game ball x flowing in from the passage port 80 to the ball discharge port 18. . Here, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the passage port 80 has a plate shape that is converted into an upper open position where the passage port 80 is opened and a lower closed position where the passage port 80 is blocked. The opening / closing member 81 is provided. The opening / closing member 81 is driven to change its position by a solenoid (not shown). Normally, the passage port 80 is closed at the closed position, and when the solenoid is activated by the operation of the ball removal button 65, the opening / closing member 81 is raised to the open position. The passage opening 80 is opened.

  Moreover, in the storage member 8 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a rectangular opening window 33 is formed at the upper part of the front surface thereof, and is provided on the opening / closing door 32 that opens and closes the opening window 33. . The open / close door 32 is pivotally attached to the right end portion, and when the door is closed, the sprocket 71 is shielded from the front and forms the front side surface of the rectifying passage 38. When the door is opened, the sprocket 71 and the rectifying passage 38 are Expose forward. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when a ball clogging occurs in the rectifying passage 38 or the ball take-in passage 48, the opening and closing door 32 is opened and the game ball is handled directly, thereby easily improving the blockage of the game ball. be able to. The open / close door 32 includes a transparent member 43 made of a transparent resin at the front portion of the sprocket 71 so that the sprocket 71 can be viewed from the front. The open / close door 32 is provided with a locking mechanism 69 (see FIG. 5) so that a general player cannot open it.

  Thus, in the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, since the intake port 66 is formed in the front part of the storage dish part 21, the player can immediately see how the game ball flows out of the storage dish part 21. Can see. In particular, since the sprocket 71 is provided in front of the back surface 34 of the open / close panel 7 in accordance with the opening position of the intake port 66, the game ball flowing down from the intake port 66 can be quickly captured. In addition, the storage member 8 includes a transparent member 43 in the front portion of the sprocket 71, and the player can visually recognize how the sprocket 71 is rotated and the game ball is taken in. Furthermore, since an opening window 33 that faces the sprocket 71, the ball intake path 48, and the rectifying passage 38 is formed on the front surface portion of the storage member 8, and an opening / closing door 32 that opens and closes the opening window 33 is provided. It is possible to easily cope with ball clogging or the like generated in the ball intake path 48 and the rectifying path 38. Further, as described above, the storage tray portion 21 has the inner bottom surface 78 inclined forward and inclined downward, and the vertical width of the front inner wall surface 79 of the storage space 53 is enlarged. Jumping forward can be suppressed.

Before explaining the operation of taking in the game ball, the game operation of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment will be briefly explained.
In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, five game balls constitute one unit of bet number, and the game balls stored in the storage tray portion 21 are inserted for each game in units of bet numbers. I do. In the game form of the present embodiment, up to three bets can be set for one game, and the bet number is set by operating the three BET buttons 42a to 42c. That is, when the MAXBET button 42a is operated, a total of 15 game balls are taken into the game machine by the ball take-in device 50, and when the 2BET button 42b is operated, 10 game balls are operated when the 1BET button 42c is operated. Game balls are taken into the ball take-in device 50. It should be noted that the BET buttons 42a to 42c are used when the rotary drums 12a to 12c are rotating, when 15 game balls are already taken in, or when the number of game balls in the rectifying passage 38 is insufficient. Even if is operated, it becomes invalid and the ball take-in device 50 does not operate.

  The start lamp 40 is turned on when at least one unit of game ball is inserted by the button operation. When the start lever 41 is pushed down when the start lamp 40 is lit, the rotating drums 12a to 12c start to rotate. When the stop buttons 44 to 46 are pressed during this rotation, the main control board 100 determines the stop mode of the pattern P based on the operation timing, and the drum motors are set so as to be in the stop mode. Stop. When the rotary drums 12a to 12c are stopped and the symbols P on the winning line are arranged in a predetermined combination, the winning combination is “winning”, and a predetermined number of game balls are paid out from the payout unit 31 or a game is played. A bonus game or the like advantageous to the user is executed. Note that the stop control mechanism of the rotary drums 12a to 12c executed by the main control board 100 and the game contents such as the bonus game can be the same as those of a known slot machine.

Next, a game ball taking-in operation by the ball taking-in device 50 will be described.
When the BET buttons 42 a to 42 c are valid and the buttons 42 a to 42 c are operated, a pulse signal is sent from the main control board 100 to the take-in motor 72. The take-in motor 72 has a step angle of 7.5 ° and rotates the sprocket 71 counterclockwise as viewed from the front according to the number of received pulse signals. As shown in FIG. 12 (a), the ball take-in device 50 makes a stationary state a position where one of the locking portions 73 of the sprocket 71 faces the take-in port 66. It is controlled to always stop in a steady state. For this reason, when the take-in motor 72 is stopped, the game ball x in the rectifying passage 38 is locked by the locking portion 73 at the leading position, and cannot flow down to the ball take-in path 48. Then, when the take-in motor 72 is stopped and a pulse signal is sent from the main control board 100 and the take-in motor 72 rotates the sprocket 71 60 ° counterclockwise from the steady state, FIG. ) To (C), the concave portion 70 faces the intake port 66, and one game ball x in the rectifying passage 38 is accommodated in the concave portion 70. When the sprocket 71 is further rotated by 60 °, as shown in FIGS. 12 (C) to 12 (E), another locking portion 73 faces the outlet of the rectifying passage 38 and becomes a steady state again. The recess 70 containing x is opposed to the entrance of the right-hand intake ball discharge path 49, and the game ball x received in the recess 70 is detected by the take-in ball detection switch 77 and is taken as a game ball x taken in. After being counted by the main control board 100, it is guided to the back side of the openable / closable panel 7 along the take-in ball discharge path 49 and discharged to the ball collecting device on the game island.

  As described above, the ball take-in device 50 according to this embodiment rotates the sprocket 71 from the steady state by 120 ° counterclockwise when viewed from the front, so that one gaming ball x located at the head of the rectifying passage 38 is recessed 70. The game ball x is discharged to the intake ball discharge path 49 while the locking part 73 prevents the subsequent flow of the game ball x. Therefore, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the player operates the 1BET button to request the insertion of one unit of bet (5 game balls), the main control board 100 looks at the sprocket from the front. A pulse signal is transmitted to the take-in motor 72 so as to rotate counterclockwise by 600 ° (120 ° × 5), and five (one unit) game balls are taken in from the take-in port 66. Similarly, the main control board 100 is 1200 ° (120 ° × 10) counterclockwise when the 2BET button 42b is operated, and 1800 ° (120 ° when the MAXBET button 42a is operated. X15) A control signal is transmitted to the take-in motor 72 so as to rotate, and 10 (two units) and 15 (three units) game balls are taken in from the rectifying passage 38. In the present embodiment, even if the take-in ball detection switch 77 detects the game ball x other than during the operation of the take-in motor 72 (during the take-in operation), the main control board 100 takes in the game ball x. It is not counted as a game ball and is invalid.

  Next, an example of a game ball take-in control mode executed in accordance with the operation of the 1BET button 42c will be specifically described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. First, when the player presses the 1BET button, the 1BET button switch (1BET button SW) inside the button is turned ON. When the main control board 100 detects the ON operation of the 1BET button switch, the main control board 100 determines that the acquisition of one unit of bet number is requested, and determines whether or not the button operation is valid. Here, when the buttons are operated, the rotary drums 12a to 12c are not rotating, and five or more game balls are aligned in the rectifying passage 38, and the bet number is 0. After making the operation valid and setting the number of bets as one unit, a pulse signal is transmitted to the take-in motor 72 so that the sprocket 71 is rotated by 600 ° in the above direction, and the sprocket 71 is rotated. As the sprocket 71 rotates, each time a game ball is discharged from the intake port 66 of the rectifying passage 38 to the intake ball discharge path 49, the intake ball detection switch 77 (ball detection SW) is immediately activated. The main control board 100 adds 1 to the ball take-in counter provided on the board. Then, when the sprocket 71 rotates 600 ° and the ball take-in counter counts 5 game balls, the main control board 100 determines that one unit of bet has been taken in, turns on the start lamp 40 and turns on the start lever. The operation of 41 is made valid. Then, when the start lever 41 is pushed down and the built-in start lever switch (start lever SW) is turned ON, the rotating drums 12a to 12c start to rotate and the game starts, and the number of bets on the main control board 100 Or the ball counter is reset. In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, if the 1 BET button 42 c is operated again before operating the start lever 41, it is possible to acquire 5 more game balls into the ball capturing device 50. . Thus, in the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, the intake port 66 of the storage tray portion 21 is formed in the front portion thereof, and the game ball is allowed to flow down from the front side of the storage tray portion 21 while The sprocket 71 provided in front of the back surface 34 can reliably and promptly take in the game balls of the storage tray portion 21 as in the conventional configuration.

Next, the ball extraction operation of the game balls in the storage tray portion 21 will be described.
In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, in the normal state, the passage port 80 of the ball extraction passage 52 is closed by the opening / closing member 81, and the intake port 66 of the rectifying passage 38 is the locking portion of the sprocket 71. The game ball x before being stored in the storage tray 21 is locked at the leading position of the rectifying passage 38. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, an inclined surface that guides the game ball x to be locked to the side of the passage port 80 is formed on the lock surface of the lock portion 73 of the sprocket 71 that locks the game ball x. The game ball x locked at the head of the rectifying passage 38 is biased toward the passage port 80 and is held in a state of being pressed against the opening / closing member 81 by the subsequent game ball x. Therefore, when the player operates the ball removal button 65 to open the passage port 80 of the ball removal passage 52, the game ball x at the head of the rectifying passage 38 pressed against the opening / closing member 81 is moved to the ball removal passage 52. All of the game balls x in the storage tray portion 21 flow into the ball removal passage 52 and are discharged from the ball discharge port 18 to the auxiliary tray member 19.

  Thus, in the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, the passage port 80 of the ball removal passage 52 is formed at a position facing the game ball that is locked to the locking portion 73 of the ball take-in device 50. By opening the passage opening 80, it is possible to return the game balls before being taken in without leaving. In particular, in the present embodiment, the game ball that is locked to the locking portion 73 of the sprocket 71 is biased toward the passage port 80, so that the game ball is blocked at the head of the rectifying passage 38 when the passage port 80 is opened. It can be made to flow smoothly into the passage port 80 without any trouble.

  Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above embodiments, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the ball take-in device 50 is configured by the sprocket 71 and the take-in motor 72, but the configuration of the ball take-in device 50 is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment. For example, a configuration of a known ball capturing device such as using a solenoid instead of the capturing motor 72 can be suitably used. In the above embodiment, the take-in motor 72 is operated only by operating the BET buttons 42a to 42c. The take-in motor 72 is operated when game balls having one or more bets are arranged in the rectifying passage 38. The game ball may be automatically taken in. Further, the ball take-in path 48 in which the ball take-in device 50 is disposed is not limited to a short one as in the present embodiment, but is a long length formed using a gutter member, such as a take-in ball discharge path 49. It doesn't matter. On the contrary, the rectifying passage 38 is not long as in the embodiment, but may be short enough to align one or two game balls.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the auxiliary tray member 19 is provided under the storage tray part 21 like the conventional pachinko machine, the slot machine of this invention is equipped with this auxiliary tray member 19. There is no need, and the game ball may be discharged into a ball box or the like. The opening / closing panel 7 according to the present invention can be integrated with a front door 6 provided at an upper position of the opening / closing panel 7 so as to be opened and closed. In the embodiment, the operation unit 39 is provided at the lower front portion of the storage member 8. However, the operation unit 39 is not required to be provided on the front surface of the storage member 8 and can be provided on the front door 6. However, it is also possible to dispose near the auxiliary tray member 19.

2 is a front view of the slot machine 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the slot machine 1. FIG. It is a block circuit diagram which shows the control circuit which controls a game. 4 is a plan view of the open / close panel 7 and the storage member 8. FIG. 3 is a front view of a storage member 8. FIG. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the open / close panel 7. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is an enlarged view of D section of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view between CC of FIG. It is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of the intake port 66, the ball intake path 48, the intake ball discharge path 49, the sprocket 71, etc. FIG. It is explanatory drawing (i)-(e) which shows the action | operation of the ball | bowl ingestion apparatus 50. FIG. It is a timing chart which shows an example of ball taking-in operation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slot machine 3 Game machine main body 7 Opening / closing panel 8 Storage member 12a-12c Rotating drum 14 Game number display device 15 Discharge number display device 16 Unpaid number display device 21 Storage tray part 23 Display window 32 Opening / closing door 33 Opening window 34 Back surface 37 Cover part 42a MAXBET button 42b 2BET button 42c 1BET button 43 Transparent member 44-46 Stop button 48 Ball take-in path 49 Ball take-in path 50 Ball take-in device 59 Alignment bottom plate 64 Inlet 66 Inlet 70 Recess 71 Sprocket 72 -In motor 77 Intake ball detection switch 78 Inner bottom surface x Game ball P Pattern

Claims (4)

An open / close panel that can be opened and closed on the front surface of the gaming machine body equipped with a rotating drum,
A storage member disposed on the front surface side of the open / close panel and having a storage tray for storing game balls as game media;
It is arranged in the ball intake path formed between the intake port formed in the storage tray part and the intake ball discharge path that guides the taken game ball to the back side of the gaming machine body. A recessed portion that accommodates a game ball flowing down from the mouth, a receiving member that fluctuates between a position where the recessed portion communicates with the intake port and a position where the recessed portion communicates with the intake ball discharge path, and a predetermined number of A ball take-in device configured to take in a predetermined number of game balls stored in the storage dish unit as an electric drive device that operates a take-in member so as to discharge the game ball to the take-in ball discharge path side When,
A slot machine having a game ball as a game medium provided with a game ball detecting means disposed at an entrance of the take-in ball discharge path and detecting a game ball taken in by the ball take-in device;
An intake port is formed in the front part of the storage dish part, and the intake member of the ball intake device is disposed in the ball intake path at a position in front of the back surface of the open / close panel, and at the front part of the storage member. A slot machine characterized in that a cover part is provided, and the ball take-in path and the take-in member are covered from the front by the cover part.   2. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein a front portion of the intake member of the storage member is made of a transparent member, and the intake member is visible from the front.   3. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein an opening window that faces the intake member is formed on a front surface portion of the storage member, and an opening / closing door that opens and closes the opening window is provided. The slot machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an inner bottom surface of a storage tray portion in which game balls are stored is inclined downward toward the front.

Images