JP2005329073A - Slot machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a slot machine capable of smoothing downflow to a fetch port of game balls and increasing the number of the game balls to be aligned in a straightening path in the slot machine using the game balls as game media. <P>SOLUTION: The straightening path 38 in a nonlinear thin and long shape along the peripheral edge of a storage area 36 is formed in the storage area 36, and a fetch port 66 communicated with a ball fetch path 48 is formed at the downstream end part position of the straightening path 38. Thus, the pressure of the game balls x to flow down is dispersed on the side face of the straightening path 38 and the game balls x can be made to smoothly flow down to the fetch port 66. Also, since the shape of the straightening path 38 is flexibly changed, it becomes possible to make the straightening path 38 longer than before and align many game balls x in the straightening path 38 as well. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

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

  A slot machine using a game ball as a game medium has been proposed. 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 game ball is paid out to a player. 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 bets, and instead of inserting one medal, the number of games equivalent to one medal You must throw a ball. For this reason, such a slot machine has a mechanism for storing game balls in front of the slot machine and automatically taking the number of game balls corresponding to one unit of bet 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 provided with a rotating drum so as to be openable and closable, and a storage tray portion disposed on the front side of the opening / closing panel and having a storage area for storing game balls A ball take-in device that is provided in a ball take-in path that communicates with a take-in port formed in the storage dish portion, and that takes in a predetermined number as a unit, and detects a game ball taken in by the ball take-in device A game ball detecting means; and a take-in ball discharge path for allowing the game ball detected by the game ball detecting means to flow down. When the player operates the input switch, the ball take-in device is activated. The game balls flowing down from the intake on the storage tray side are taken into the intake ball discharge path side with a predetermined number as one unit. The ball take-in device includes a sprocket-like take-in member provided with a plurality of recesses for accommodating game balls, and the take-in member from a position where the recess communicates with the take-in port, An electric drive device such as a stepping motor that rotates to a communicating position. The take-in member and the driving device are attached to the back surface (back surface) of the open / close panel. In addition, the game ball detecting means is usually composed of a switch, a sensor, or the like disposed at a position where the game ball flows down from the ball take-in device, and the game ball taken in by the ball take-in device is It is detected by the game ball detecting means and counted by the control device on the game machine main body side. In addition, the game ball detected by the game ball detection means passes through the take-in ball discharge path formed downstream of the game ball detection means and is discharged to the back side of the game machine main body. Further, in such a slot machine, an elongated rectification passage is formed in the storage area along the rear edge thereof, and an intake port is formed at a position corresponding to the downstream end of the rectification passage. The game ball is guided to the intake port by a rectifying passage formed therein.

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

  By the way, in the conventional slot machine, the rear edge of the storage area has a linear shape following the front surface of the open / close panel, and the rectifying passage along the rear edge is formed in a straight and elongated shape. For this reason, when the game balls are aligned in the rectifying passage, the pressure at which the game balls attempt to flow (hereinafter referred to as ball pressure) is applied only to the downstream game balls, However, the ball pressure from the upstream game ball is strongly applied to cause clogging in the vicinity of the intake port, or the game ball protrudes upward, causing problems such as disordered alignment. Further, in such a rectifying passage, the passage length is limited depending on the width dimension of the opening / closing panel, and it interferes with the ball supply port opened in the opening / closing panel, so the number of game balls located in the rectifying passage is increased. It becomes difficult.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a slot machine that attempts to solve such a problem and facilitates the flow of game balls into the inlet and increases the number of game balls aligned in the rectifying passage. It is.

  The present invention is an opening / closing panel attached to the front of a gaming machine main body provided with a rotating drum so as to be openable and closable, and a storage tray portion disposed on the front side of the opening / closing panel and having a storage area for storing game balls, A ball take-in device provided with a take-in member that is provided in a ball take-in path that communicates with a take-in port formed in the storage dish part and takes in a predetermined number of game balls stored in the storage dish part as a unit And a game ball detecting means for detecting the game ball taken in by the ball take-in device, and a take-in ball discharge path for causing the game ball detected by the game ball detecting means to flow down. In the slot machine, a straight elongated rectification passage along the periphery of the storage region is formed in the storage region, and an intake port communicating with the ball intake passage is formed at the downstream end position of the rectification passage. A slot machine characterized by the above-mentioned (claim 1). .

  According to such a configuration, the game ball that has flowed into the rectifying passage flows non-linearly along the passage to the intake port. For this reason, when the game balls are aligned in the rectifying passage, the pressure (ball pressure) at which the game balls attempt to flow is applied not only to the game balls on the downstream side (intake port side) but also to the side surfaces of the passage. It becomes. In other words, in the conventional straight rectifying passage, the ball pressure is strongly applied to the game ball near the top of the passage, and there is a risk that the ball will be clogged near the intake port, or the game ball may protrude upward and the alignment will be disturbed. Although it was large, in this configuration, the ball pressure of the game ball is also added to the side surface of the passage and dispersed, so the ball pressure applied to the game ball near the top of the passage is reduced, and the stable alignment state of the game balls, Smooth flow down to the intake port can be realized. In addition, in this configuration, the shape of the rectifying passage can be flexibly changed in accordance with the shape of the storage area, and the intake port can be formed at almost any position on the peripheral edge of the storage area. Therefore, there is a high degree of freedom in designing the installation location of the ball take-in device and the dish configuration. In addition, in this configuration, since the location of the intake opening is arbitrary, it is possible to form the rectifying passage so that the distance from the inlet portion of the rectifying passage to the intake opening is increased, and the game balls that are aligned It is possible to increase the number of game balls located in the rectifying passage while reducing the ball pressure acting between them as compared with the conventional art.

  Here, the peripheral portion forming the non-linear shape of the storage region is not limited to a curved shape, and may be a shape in which a plurality of straight lines such as a bent shape are gathered. When the rectifying passage has a curved elongated shape along the periphery of the storage region (Claim 2), the ball pressure is applied to a wide range of the side surface of the passage, and the ball pressure can be efficiently dispersed. On the other hand, when the rectifying passage is bent and elongated along the peripheral edge of the storage area (Claim 3), the ball pressure is strongly applied to the bent portion of the passage, and the game ball located downstream from the bent portion is applied. Such a ball pressure is greatly attenuated.

  Further, the downstream portion of the rectifying passage may be branched into a plurality of portions, and an intake port may be formed at each downstream end position of the branched passage. According to such a configuration, the game ball that has flowed in from the upstream inlet of the rectifying passage flows into one of the passages branched on the downstream side, and flows out from the inlet at the downstream end of the passage. As much as there are a plurality of mouths, a large number of game balls can flow out of the storage area in a short time. Also, instead of forming a plurality of rectifying passages, one rectifying passage is branched in the middle, so that the game balls flow more easily on the downstream side than on the upstream side of the passages, and the game balls are congested in the passage Difficult to do so, it is possible to smoothly guide the game ball to each intake port. In this configuration, the electric drive device of the ball take-in device, the take-in ball discharge path, and the like may be arranged as many as the number of intake ports, but can be shared by a plurality of intake ports. Yes, it can save space. Further, as described above, since the rectifying passage according to the present invention includes a shape in which a plurality of straight lines are gathered, the rectifying passage of this configuration does not need to have a non-linear shape in the downstream downstream portion. Only the upstream portion may be a non-linear shape, or may be a shape that is refracted at the branched portion.

  Further, a configuration is proposed in which the take-in member of the ball take-in device is disposed in the ball take-in path at a position ahead of the back surface of the open / close panel and the rectifying passage is formed along the front edge of the storage area. (Claim 5). Here, this ball take-in device is arranged in a ball take-in path formed between the take-in port formed in the storage tray portion and the take-in ball discharge path, and the game flows down from the take-in port. A take-in member that has a recess for receiving a ball, and that fluctuates between a position where the recess communicates with the take-in port, and a position where the recess communicates with the take-in ball discharge path, and a predetermined number of game balls And an electric drive device that operates the take-in member to discharge to the ball discharge path side, and the take-up member is driven by the electric drive device based on the operation of the insertion switch by the player, and the storage plate portion It is proposed to take a predetermined number of game balls stored as a unit. The take-in member may be configured to automatically drive and take in the game ball if it is detected that there is a predetermined number of game balls in the storage tray portion, regardless of the operation of the input switch. Good. Further, the game ball detecting means for detecting the game ball taken in by the ball take-in device can be constituted by a ball detection switch disposed at the entrance of the take-in ball discharge path.

  In addition, as the ball take-in device, it is possible to suitably use the already proposed configuration. For example, a sprocket or the like is used as the take-in member, and a motor or solenoid is used as the electric drive device. Can do. In such a configuration, since the intake member that has been conventionally disposed on the back surface of the open / close panel is disposed at the front position of the back surface, the structure on the back surface side of the open / close panel becomes simple, The degree of freedom in designing the slot machine can be improved. In particular, in this configuration, not only the take-in member but also the electric drive device is provided in the front part of the open / close panel, and if all of the ball take-in devices are arranged at the front position of the open / close panel, the storage plate part of the open / close panel The back side is flat, and the internal design freedom can be further improved.

  Moreover, in this structure, a rectification | straightening channel | path is formed along the front edge of a storage area | region. As a result, the player can see how the game ball flows out from the intake port, and can easily check whether the correct number of game balls have been taken in by the operation of the take-in device. . In addition, when the number of game balls in the storage area decreases, the remaining game balls are located on the front side of the storage area, that is, on the side closer to the player, so the player can accurately count the number of remaining balls. it can.

  As described above, the present invention forms a non-linear elongated rectification passage along the periphery of the storage area in the storage area, and communicates with the ball intake path at the downstream end position of the rectification path. Since the intake port is formed (Claim 1), when the game balls are aligned in the rectifying passage, the ball pressure applied to the game balls near the head of the passage is reduced, and the game balls are stably aligned. And can smoothly flow down to the intake port. In addition, since the arrangement position of the rectifying passage and the formation position of the intake port can be changed flexibly, the installation method of the intake device and the design freedom of the dish configuration are high. Furthermore, since the length of the rectifying passage can be extended without being limited by the width dimension of the open / close panel, more game balls can be aligned in the passage.

  Here, when the rectifying passage has a curved elongated shape along the periphery of the storage region (Claim 2), the ball pressure can be efficiently dispersed over a wide range along the passage, When the rectifying passage is bent and elongated along the periphery of the storage area (Claim 3), the ball pressure applied to the downstream game ball can be greatly reduced at the bent portion.

  Further, when the downstream portion of the rectifying passage is branched into a plurality of portions and intake ports are formed at the respective downstream end positions of the branched passages (claim 4), a large number of game balls are stored in a short time. While being able to flow down from the area to the ball take-in device, the game balls are less likely to be crowded in the passage, and the game balls can be smoothly guided to the respective take-in ports.

  Furthermore, when the taking-in member of the ball take-in device is disposed in the ball take-in path at a position in front of the back surface of the open / close panel, and the rectifying passage is formed along the front edge of the storage area (Claim 5). ) Has been provided on the front side of the open / close panel, and the structure on the back side of the open / close panel is simplified. It becomes possible to improve the degree of freedom of design. In addition, by forming the rectifying passage along the front edge of the storage area, it is possible for the player to see the game ball flowing out from the intake port up close, and the correct number can be obtained by operating the intake device. It is possible to easily confirm whether or not the game ball is taken in. In addition, when the number of game balls in the storage area decreases, the remaining game balls are located on the front side of the storage area, that is, on the side closer to the player, so the player must accurately count the number of remaining balls. Can do.

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 a pachinko machine fixed to a game island, and rotating drums 12 a to 12 c. 2 and a gaming machine main body 3 pivotably attached to the door. 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 door 6 is provided with a storage tray portion 8 or the like on the front surface, and includes an opening / closing panel 7 that can be opened / closed below the front door 6 and a back mechanism plate 5 that can be opened / closed on the back side of the front frame 4. Is done.

  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. Further, a sphere discharge port 18 is formed at 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 19 is disposed so as to face the sphere discharge port 18. The auxiliary tray portion 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 ball x in 19 is 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 for instructing to pay out a predetermined number of game balls x as rental balls. A card operation unit 28 including a lending button 26 and a frequency indicator 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 55 so that it can be opened and closed. A storage tray portion 8 to be stored and a resin cover portion 37 that supports the storage tray portion 8 from the front and is fixed to the open / close panel 7 are mounted. The inside of the storage tray portion 8 serves as a storage area 36 for storing the game ball x. The storage area 36 has a ball supply port 35 opened at the left rear portion thereof, and a game ball x flows in from the ball supply port 35 and is divided forward and backward by a partition wall 56, and a rectifying passage 38 is formed at the front thereof. The stored game balls x are sequentially allowed to flow down to the rectifying passage 38 and are taken in as a unit from the intake 66 formed at the top (left end) of the rectifying passage 38 as a unit. Make it. In addition, since it concerns on the principal part of this invention, the detailed structure of the storage tray part 8 grade | etc., Is mentioned later separately.

  The cover portion 37 fixes the storage tray portion 8 to the open / close panel 7, covers the entire bottom surface of the storage tray portion 8, and removes the ball intake device 50 and the intake ball discharge disposed at the lower position of the storage tray portion 8. The structure such as the passage 49 is concealed from the front lower side. As shown in FIG. 1, an operation portion 39 is formed in the lower portion of the front surface of the cover portion 37 such that the back side is positioned below the bottom surface of the storage plate portion 8 and bulges forward. The operation unit 39 is provided with a start lamp 40, a start lever 41, three BET buttons 42a to 42c, stop buttons 44 to 46, and a ball removal button 65 side by side from the left side when viewed from the front. A game is executed by the operation of. 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. The BET buttons 42a to 42c constitute an insertion switch for inserting game balls in units of bets. As described later, the game balls in the storage tray 8 are automatically played by these button operations. It is taken into the aircraft. 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 8 to the auxiliary tray portion 19. When the player presses the ball removal button 65, the ball removal button 65 is stored in the storage tray portion 8. The played game ball flows down to the lower ball discharge port 18 and is discharged to the auxiliary tray 19. Each of the buttons 42a to 42c and 44 to 46 includes a switch and a lamp. The button operation is transmitted to the main control board 100 described later by the ON operation of each switch, and the button operation is performed by lighting each lamp. The player is informed that it is valid.

  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. As shown in FIG. 2, a ball tank 30 that receives supply of the game ball x from the ball supply device of the game island facility is provided on the upper part of the back mechanism plate 5. The ball tank 30 is formed at a position facing the ball discharge port 18 formed in the lower front portion of the gaming machine body 3 and the storage tray portion 8 through a ball guide passage (not shown) formed inside 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 x located on the ball tank 30 side are stored in the storage tray 8 or It is sent out toward the auxiliary tray part 19. The game ball x delivered from the payout unit 31 is normally discharged from the ball supply port 35 to the storage tray unit 8, but when the storage tray unit 8 is full, the game ball x is supplemented from the ball discharge port 18. It is discharged to the dish part 19. Such a game ball supply mechanism to the storage tray portion 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 controlling the game of the slot machine 1 and controlling the taking-in operation of the game ball x 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. The main control board 100 also detects pooled ball detection switches 95a to 95c provided in a rectifying passage 38, which will be described later, a take-in motor 72 of the ball take-in device 50, and a game ball taken in by the ball take-in device 50. A take-in ball detection switch 77 is also connected.

  The payout control board 101 is provided with a board circuit for controlling the payout operation of the game ball x. 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, The remaining ball data of the game ball x is exchanged. Furthermore, the payout control board 101 is provided with a ball break switch for detecting the ball break in the ball tank 30 or at the back of the ball discharge port 18, and the auxiliary tray 19 is filled with the game ball x. 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 equipment, 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 The data can be transmitted to the central management apparatus 107 via this board.

Below, the structure which concerns on the principal part of this invention is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 2, the open / close panel 7 is attached to a position below the display window 23 so as to be openable and closable, and a storage tray portion 8 is attached to the front side of the open / close panel 7. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a ball supply port 35 for discharging the game ball x to the storage tray portion 8 is formed at the upper left position of the open / close panel 7, and on the back surface 34 side of the open / close panel 7. Is provided with a bowl member 51, and the game ball x flowing down from the payout unit 31 when the panel is closed is discharged to the ball supply port 35 through the bowl member 51. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a saddle member 84 penetrating the panel is disposed at the left position (right side of FIG. 6) of the open / close panel 7 to return the game ball x of the storage tray portion 8 to the player. A ball passage 52 is formed. Further, a saddle member 68 is also provided at the lower left position of the saddle member 84, and a take-in ball discharge path 49 through which the taken game ball x flows down is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the storage tray portion 8 is made of a molded resin material, has a substantially semi-elliptical shape in plan view, is supported from the front by the cover portion 37, and has a linear portion at the periphery. It is fixed so as to be in contact with the front surface of the open / close panel 7. The storage tray 8 has a semi-elliptical interior as a storage area 36 for storing game balls, and the left rear edge of the storage area 36 communicates with the ball supply port 35. The storage region 36 is partitioned into a substantially U shape by a partition wall 56 extending in the right direction from the left edge of the storage plate portion 8, and an elongated rectifying passage 38 is formed at the front thereof. The intake port 66 through which the game ball x flows out opens on the bottom surface of the downstream end (left end) of the rectifying passage 38. Further, the rear portion of the storage area 36 is gently inclined downward toward the inlet of the rectifying passage 38, so that all game balls x stored in the rear portion sequentially flow into the rectifying passage 38.

  4 and 8 to 11, the rectifying passage 38 is formed in an elongated shape between the front edge of the storage region 36 and the partition wall 56. The rectifying passage 38 has a width that allows one game ball to pass through, and has a length that allows 15 game balls x, that is, three units of betting numbers, to be aligned in a row, starting from the left end. Further, the rectifying passage 38 is inclined downward to the left, and an inlet 66 through which one game ball x can pass is formed on the bottom surface of the downstream end portion (left end portion). A ball intake path 48 is formed at a position directly below the inlet 66. In addition, at the positions facing the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth game balls x aligned with the rectifying passage 38, the storage ball detection switches 95a to 95c are respectively arranged along the curved rectifying passage 38. It is arranged. These switches 95a to 95c are turned on when a game ball x is present at the respective facing positions. Depending on the operating conditions of the switches 95a to 95c, the main control board 100 is arranged in the rectifying passage 38 with 5 (one bet number unit) or more, 10 or more (15 bet number units) or more game balls x aligned. It is determined whether or not.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, since the rectifying passage 38 is formed along the front edge of the storage region 36 that is curved in an arc shape, the shape of the passage is not a straight line, but a curve that follows the front edge. Has an elongated shape. Therefore, the game balls x are arranged in a curved shape in the rectifying passage 38, and the ball pressure to which the gaming sphere attempts to flow down is not limited to the left (downstream) game ball but also on the side surface of the rectifying passage 38. It will also be applied to the front edge part of the storage tray portion 8 to be formed, and the ball pressure applied to the game ball near the top of the passage will be dispersed and reduced, so that the stable alignment of the game balls and smooth to the intake port It is possible to flow down. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a metal alignment bottom plate 59 having a curved shape following the rectifying passage is mounted on the bottom surface of the rectifying passage 38 on the resin material constituting the storage tray portion 8. The game ball x in the rectifying passage 38 flows down on the aligned bottom plate 59. Further, a plurality of grooves 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. Is discharged downward through the groove 60 to prevent dust from accumulating in the passage.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the ball intake path 48 formed immediately below the intake port 66 of the rectifying passage 38 allows the game ball x flowing from the intake port 66 to flow downward to the left. The ball take-in path 48 is provided with a ball take-in device 50 that takes in the game balls x on the rectifying passage 38 side in units of bets. Further, at the lower left end of the ball take-in path 48, a take-in ball detection switch 77 constituting a game ball detecting means for detecting the game ball x taken in by the ball take-in device 50 is disposed. On the left side of the incoming ball detection switch 77, there is provided an incoming ball discharge path 49 through which the detected game ball x flows down.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the ball take-in device 50 connects the take-in motor 72 constituting the electric drive device, the sprocket 71 constituting the take-in member, and the rotation shafts of the take-in motor 72 and the sprocket 71. Gear members 74a and 74b for transmitting the driving force to the sprocket 71. The take-in motor 72 is composed of 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 according 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 provided in the ball take-in passage 48 is connected to the take-in motor 72 with the rotation axis facing forward and backward, and is located immediately below the intake port 66 of the rectifying passage 38. In a state where any one of the concave portions 70 of 71 is directed to the upper intake port 66, one game ball x can be taken into the concave portion 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. 9, 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 described above, in the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, the ball take-in device 50 that is conventionally mounted on the back surface 34 of the open / close panel 7 is in a position in front of the back surface 34 of the open / close panel 7. Since it is disposed in the path 48, the back surface structure of the open / close panel 7 is simplified. In this embodiment, the front portion of the sprocket 71 of the storage tray portion 8 and the cover portion 37 is configured by the transparent member 43 so that the player can visually recognize the movement of the sprocket 71.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the take-in ball detection switch 77 constituting the game ball detecting means is fixed to the tip of the eaves member 68 forming the take-in ball discharge path 49 and faces the left side surface of the sprocket 71. It is arranged. 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 the game ball x. Here, since the take-in ball detection switch 77 of the present embodiment is provided immediately after the ball take-in device 50, the game ball x discharged from the ball take-in device 50 is immediately taken in by the take-in ball detection switch. 77. Therefore, in the present slot machine 1, the game ball x taken in by the ball take-in device 50 is confirmed without delay at the control level, and the game can be performed at a good tempo. Further, in the present embodiment, similarly to the ball take-in device 50, since the game ball detecting means provided on the back side of the open / close panel 7 is provided in the front part of the open / close panel 7 in the conventional configuration, the open / close panel The back structure of 7 is further simplified.

  Further, the eaves member 68 forming the take-in ball discharge path 49 is bent rearward at a right angle, passes through the open / close panel 7, flows into the passage, and is detected by the take-in ball detection switch 77. The game ball x is caused to flow down to the back side of the open / close panel 7. Further, a passage port 80 of the ball extraction passage 52 opens on the rear side surface of the downstream end position of the rectifying passage 38. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, on the back surface of the passage port 80, a plate-like shape that is converted into an upper open position that opens the passage port 80 and a lower closed position that blocks the passage port 80 is provided. An opening / closing member 81 is provided. The opening / closing member 81 is electrically or mechanically connected to a ball removal button 65 provided on the operation unit 39. When the ball removal button 65 is pressed, the opening / closing member 81 rises to an open position and the passage port 80 is opened. It has come to be.

Before describing the operation of taking in the game ball, the game operation of the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment will be briefly described.
In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, five game balls constitute one unit of bet number, and the game balls stored in the storage tray portion 8 for each game are inserted 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 a game ball corresponding to at least one bet is inserted by operating the BET buttons 42a to 42c. 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 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, and the game ball x The concave portion 70 that accommodates the right-hand side faces the entrance of the right-hand intake ball discharge path 49, and the game ball x that is accommodated in the concave portion 70 is detected by the intake ball detection switch 77, and is taken as a main game ball x. After being counted by the 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. Thereafter, 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 is started, and the number of bets on the main control board 100 is increased. 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 sprocket 71 and the take-in motor 72 constituting the ball take-in device 50 are provided in front of the back surface 34 of the open / close panel 7 and the back structure of the open / close panel 7 is provided. While simplifying, the ball take-in device 50 provided in the front can reliably take in the game ball x in the storage tray portion 8 as in the conventional configuration. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the take-in ball detection switch 77 is provided immediately after the sprocket 71, the take-in detection of the game ball x is released from the recess 70 of the sprocket 71. The game balls x are immediately counted on the main control board 100, so that the game balls x can be taken in quickly.

Next, the ball extraction operation of the game ball x in the storage tray portion 8 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 8 is locked at the leading position of the rectifying passage 38. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the locking surface for locking the game ball x of the locking portion 73 of the sprocket 71 is formed with an inclined surface that guides the game ball x to be locked to the passage port 80 side. 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. Accordingly, when the player operates the ball removal button 65 to open the passage port 80 of the ball removal passage 52, the leading game ball x pressed toward the opening / closing member 81 flows into the ball removal passage 52, All the game balls x in the storage tray portion 8 starting from this game ball x flow into the ball extraction passage 52 and are discharged from the ball discharge port 18 to the auxiliary tray portion 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. Further, in this embodiment, the game balls that are locked to the locking portion 73 of the sprocket 71 are biased toward the passage port 80, so that the game balls are blocked at the head of the rectifying passage 38 when the passage port 80 is opened. It is possible to smoothly flow into the passage opening 80 without making it.

  In this embodiment, the ball take-in device 50 is constituted 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. It is possible to suitably use the configuration of a known ball capturing device such as using a solenoid instead of the capturing motor 72. Moreover, in the said Example, although the auxiliary tray part 19 is provided below the storage tray part 8 like the conventional pachinko machine, the slot machine of this invention is equipped with this auxiliary tray part 19. There is no need, and the game ball x 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. 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.

  In the above-described embodiment, the straightening passage 38 having a curved elongated shape is formed along the front edge of the storage region 36 having a curved shape. Thereby, the ball pressure is distributed on the side surface of the passage, and the ball pressure applied to the game ball x in the vicinity of the intake port 66 is reduced, so that the game ball x is stably aligned with the rectifying passage 38 and the intake port 66 can smoothly flow down. In particular, in the above embodiment, since the rectifying passage 38 is curved, the spherical pressure can be efficiently distributed over the entire passage.

  Further, in the configuration of the above embodiment, if the arrangement position of the partition wall 56 is changed, it is possible to provide the rectifying passage 38 at various positions along the peripheral edge as well as the front edge of the storage region 36. In addition, since the intake port 66 can be formed at almost any position in the front portion of the storage region 36, the shape and arrangement of the storage dish portion 8 and the ball intake device 50 can be freely changed. In addition, since the length of the rectifying passage 38 can be set regardless of the width dimension of the open / close panel 7, more game balls x can be aligned in the passage.

  Furthermore, since the sprocket (take-in member) 71 of the ball take-in device 50 is disposed in the ball take-in path 48 at a position in front of the back surface 34 of the open / close panel 7, conventionally, the open / close panel 7 The sprocket (take-in member) 71 disposed on the back side of the opening / closing panel 7 is disposed on the front side of the opening / closing panel 7 so that the structure on the back side of the opening / closing panel 7 is simplified. The degree of freedom can be improved.

  Further, since the rectifying passage 38 is formed along the front edge of the storage area 36, the game ball x immediately before flowing out to the intake port 66 is positioned on the front side of the storage area 36, that is, on the player side. To do. For this reason, the player can check whether a correct number of game balls have been taken in by the operation of the ball take-in device 50 at a close position, and when the remaining game balls become few However, since the player can see the remaining balls aligned with the rectifying passage 38 close up, the remaining balls can be easily counted.

  FIG. 14 shows a modification in which the rectifying passage 38b is bent. The storage tray portion 8b of this embodiment is substantially rectangular in plan view, and a storage region 36b having a substantially trapezoidal periphery is formed inside. The storage region 36b is partitioned in a folded shape by a partition wall 56b extending in an L shape from the left rear edge, and an elongated rectification passage 38b is formed in the left front portion of the storage region 36b. The intake port 66b opens at the bottom surface of the downstream end (left rear end). Here, in the present embodiment, the left front edge of the storage region 36b has a bent shape, and the rectifying passage 38b has an L-shaped elongated bent shape that follows the bent shape of the left front edge. In the rectifying passage 38b having such a shape, most of the ball pressure of the game ball x aligned upstream of the bent portion q of the passage is applied to the side surface portion of the bent portion q. For this reason, the ball pressure of the game ball x in the upstream portion of the passage is greatly attenuated at the bent portion, and no strong ball pressure is applied to the game ball x at the top of the passage. In this modification, the shape of the upstream portion on the left side of the storage area 36b corresponding to the front portion of the ball supply port 35 is formed so as to receive the game ball supplied from the card sand lending nozzle adjacent to the slot machine. It is good to keep.

  FIG. 15 shows a modification in which the rectifying passage 38c is strongly curved. The storage tray portion 8c of the present embodiment has a storage region 36c having a substantially semi-elliptical periphery at the inside, similar to the storage tray portion 8 shown in FIG. 4, and the storage region 36c is moved back and forth by the partition wall 56c. By partitioning into two, a curved elongated rectifying passage 38c is formed along the front edge. Here, the storage tray portion 8c of the present embodiment has a narrower width than the storage tray portion 8 of FIG. 4, and the rectifying passage 38c that follows the front edge shape of the storage region 8c is strongly curved. For this reason, the ball pressure of the game ball x in the rectifying passage 38c is more strongly applied to the side surface of the passage, and the ball pressure of the game ball x can be suitably dispersed. In this modification, if the left upstream portion of the storage area 36b corresponding to the front portion of the ball supply port 35 is extended to the left in the front view (left direction in FIG. 15), the card adjacent to the slot machine. The game ball supplied from the lending nozzle of the sand can be received.

  Further, FIG. 16 shows a modification in which a downstream portion of the rectifying passage 38d is branched. In the present embodiment, the intake ports 66d and 66d formed in the storage tray portion 8d are formed at two locations, and the rectifying passage is arranged so that the aligned game balls x are guided toward the intake ports 66d and 66d. 38d is obtained by branching the downstream portion into two from the middle. And the ball | bowl take-in apparatus, the take-in ball discharge path 49, the ball | bowl extraction path | route 52, etc. similar to the storage tray part 8 shown in FIG. 4 are provided in the downward position of each intake 66d. In this way, since a plurality of intake ports 66d and a ball intake mechanism are provided to allow the game balls x to flow down from the plurality of intake ports 66d to the ball intake device, compared to the case where there is only one intake port 66d, The game ball x can be taken in a short time. Here, since the two rectifying passages 38d are not formed separately but one rectifying passage 38d is branched in the middle, the game balls x are aligned in a line upstream from the branch point r, and the branch point r Are divided into two rows and enter the respective intakes 66d, and the game balls x are more likely to flow after the branch point r. Therefore, the game ball x is not easily congested in the rectifying passage 38d, and the game ball x flows smoothly in each branch direction. In addition, in the said three modification, it is possible to use suitably the structure of the Example shown initially other than the shape of the illustrated reservoir parts 8b-8d, and a common part makes a code | symbol common In addition, detailed description is omitted.

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. It is a top view of the opening / closing panel 7 and the storage tray part 8. FIG. It is a front view of the opening / closing panel 7 and the storage tray part 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 expanded sectional view between CC of FIG. It is an enlarged view of D part 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 grade | etc.,. 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. It is a top view of the storage tray part 8b which shows a modification. It is a top view of the storage tray part 8c which shows a modification. It is a top view of the storage tray part 8d which shows a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slot machine 2 Outer frame 3 Game machine main body 4 Front frame 6 Front door 7 Opening and closing panel 8, 8b-8d Reservation tray part 12a-12c Rotating drum 19 Auxiliary dish part 34 Back surface 35 Ball supply port 36, 36b-36d Storage area 38 , 38b to 38d Rectifying passage 48 Sphere intake passage 49 Intake sphere discharge passage 50 Sphere intake device 52 Sphere extraction passage 56, 56b to 56d Bulkhead 65 Sphere extraction button 66, 66b to 66d Intake port 71 Sprocket (intake member) )
72 Take-in motor (electrical drive)
77 Capture ball detection switch (game ball detection means)
80 Passage port 81 Opening / closing member 95a-95c Reservation ball detection switch x Game ball

Claims (5)

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 tray portion disposed on the front side of the open / close panel and having a storage area for storing game balls;
A ball take-in device provided with a take-in member that is provided in a ball take-in path that communicates with a take-in port formed in the storage dish part and takes in a predetermined number of game balls stored in the storage dish part as a unit When,
Game ball detecting means for detecting a game ball taken in by the ball take-in device;
In a slot machine using a game ball as a game medium, including a take-in ball discharge path for flowing down the game ball detected by the game ball detection means,
A non-linear elongated rectification passage along the periphery of the storage region is formed in the storage region, and an intake port communicating with the ball intake passage is formed at the downstream end position of the rectification passage. Slot machine to be.   The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the rectifying passage is formed in a curved elongated shape along the periphery of the storage region.   The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the rectifying passage is formed in an elongated shape along the periphery of the storage region.   The slot machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a downstream portion of the rectifying passage is branched into a plurality of portions, and an intake port is formed at each downstream end position of the branched passage. . The intake member of the ball take-in device is disposed in the ball take-in passage at a position ahead of the back surface of the open / close panel, and the rectifying passage is formed along the front edge of the storage region. A slot machine according to any one of the above.

Images