JP2006000454A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an enclosed type game machine which can make the variation of the stream of game balls remarkable to a game player. <P>SOLUTION: This game machine has an outlet 20 which recovers game balls streaming down on a game region 13a, a storage tray 22 which temporarily stores game balls being recovered from the outlet 20, and at the same time, on which a ball passage 22a for guiding game balls to a launching position is formed, and a discharging port 26 which is formed under the outlet 20, and is opened to the ball passage 22a. The game machine also has a tray cover 27 for covering the ball passage 22a which is attached to the storage tray 22, and is equipped with a visually checking section 27c through which a part of the ball passage 22a can visually be checked. The visually checking section 27c is made of a member having transparency, and is provided in a vicinity of the discharging port 26 in which the variation of the stream of game balls is most intense. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and more particularly to an enclosed gaming machine that uses a gaming ball enclosed and circulated in the machine to play a game.

  In the enclosed game machine, a predetermined number of game balls are enclosed and stored in the pachinko game machine, and the enclosed game balls (encapsulated balls) are circulated and used.

  Specifically, the game ball sealed in the aircraft is sent to the launch position by the player's handle operation. The game ball sent to the launch position is bulleted by the launch device, guided by the rail, and sent to the game area of the game board. The game balls sent to the game area flow down the board while being played by the obstacle nails. Then, if a prize is entered in the winning slot while flowing down the board, a prize ball is paid (paid out) to the player. On the other hand, if it has flown down the board and has not finally won the winning opening, it will flow into the out opening.

  The game balls that have won the winning opening and the game balls that have flowed into the out opening are collected and collected in the storage tray from the payout opening, and then returned to the original launch position again. The encapsulated sphere returned to the launch position is again bulleted by the launch device.

  Documents describing such enclosed game machines include, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-218019, 2003-190588, and 2002-827.

Here, in JP 2000-218019 A, the game ball is isolated from the player by covering the storage tray. In JP-A-2003-190588, prize balls are paid out from a payout opening provided on the left side of the storage tray. And in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2002-827, the upper plate is replaced and the raising machine is provided.
JP 2000-218019 A JP 2003-190588 A JP 2002-827 A

  The enclosed game machine has a problem that the cost of the game machine increases because the game ball is circulated by using a lifting machine or the like.

  As a means for controlling costs, it is possible to form a payout outlet at a position below the out mouth without using a lifting machine and pay out the game balls collected from the out mouth and the winning mouth as it is to the storage tray. It is done.

  In such a structure, the game ball flows out from the payout opening to the central portion of the storage tray, so that the flow of the game ball is not monotonous and the interest of the game is increased, but the game ball is moved to the left and right of the storage tray. Although it spreads, it becomes difficult to understand the flow of game balls.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an enclosed game machine that can make a change in the flow of game balls noticeable to a player.

  In order to solve the above problems, a gaming machine according to the present invention is a gaming machine that uses a game ball enclosed and circulated in a machine, and includes an out port disposed at a lower portion of the gaming area, A game ball collection port for collecting game balls flowing down the game area, and a storage tray in which a ball passage for temporarily storing the game balls collected from the game ball collection port and guiding the game balls to a launch position is formed A payout opening that is formed below the outlet and opens toward the ball passage; and a dish cover that is attached to the storage tray and includes a visual recognition part that allows a part of the ball passage to be visually recognized and covers the ball passage. It is characterized by.

  Thus, since the visual recognition part is provided in a part of the plate cover that covers the ball passage formed in the storage tray, the game balls to be paid out to the storage tray stand out by the visual recognition unit, so that the change in the flow of the game balls can be changed. It becomes possible to make the player stand out and improve the interest of the game.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the visual recognition part is provided around the payout opening.

  Thereby, it is possible to make the player stand out in a place where the change in the flow of the game ball around the payout exit is the most intense.

  In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the visual recognition part is formed of a transparent member, mesh or slit.

  Thereby, a visual recognition part can be formed by a comparatively simple means.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  That is, according to the present invention, since the visual recognition part is provided in a part of the dish cover that covers the ball passage formed in the storage dish, the game ball paid out to the storage dish stands out by the visual recognition part. It becomes possible to make the change of the flow conspicuous to the player and improve the interest of the game.

  In addition, by providing the visual recognition portion around the payout opening, it is possible to make the player stand out in the place where the change in the flow of the game ball around the payout opening is most severe.

  Furthermore, by forming the visual recognition portion with a transparent member, mesh or slit, the visual recognition portion can be formed with a relatively simple means.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings. Here, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same members, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. In addition, since description here is the best form by which this invention is implemented, this invention is not limited to the said form.

  1 is a perspective view showing a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the gaming machine in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a storage tray constituting the gaming machine in FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the storage tray of FIG. 3.

  In FIG. 1, a gaming machine 10 is one in which a gaming table 11 as a single island and a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter referred to as “gaming machine main body”) 12 attached to the gaming table 11 are integrated. . The gaming table 11 supports the gaming machine body 12 so that the gaming area 13a of the gaming board 13 of the gaming machine body 12 is positioned at the eye level of the player. A mounting table 14 extending forward of the gaming machine 11 is provided at a position directly below the gaming machine body 12 in the gaming machine 11, and a position directly above the gaming machine body 11 is provided to the player. A display panel 15 for notifying predetermined information is provided.

  A predetermined number of game balls are enclosed and stored in the gaming machine main body 12, and the enclosed game balls are circulated to play a game.

  In the gaming machine main body 12, a frame on which the above-described gaming board 13 is mounted is rotatably attached to the gaming table 11 via a hinge. A glass door 16 that covers the game board 13 so as to be visible can be opened and closed on the front surface of the game board 13, and a dish unit 17 is similarly attached to the lower side of the glass door 16 so as to be opened and closed.

  On the game area 13a, which is partitioned by the rails 18 on the game board 13 and into which the game balls that have been driven flow down, there are numerous obstacles (not shown) such as game nails and windmills, a start port 19a, and a general prize. The winning holes 19 such as the opening 19b and the big winning hole 19c are appropriately arranged, and further, an out-port 20 through which game balls that have not won the winning holes 19 flow is arranged below the gaming area 13a. . The winning port 19 and the out port 20 constitute a game ball collection port for collecting game balls flowing down the game area 13a.

  In addition, a special symbol display unit 21 is provided in the game area 13a. This special symbol display unit 21 changes the display mode of a symbol which is a plurality of (for example, three) identification information images, and the start and stop of the symbol is triggered by the winning of a game ball at the start port 19a. Done. Then, when the symbol combination at the time of the stop becomes a specific symbol combination set in advance, the special winning opening 19c shifts to a special gaming state advantageous to the player who is in an open state according to a predetermined pattern. .

  Below the game board 13, the dish unit 17 is arranged as described above. The tray unit 17 is provided with a storage tray 22 for temporarily storing the paid-out game balls and the game balls to be driven into the game area 13a. In addition, although the lower tray 23 is provided below the storage tray 22, in this Embodiment which is an enclosed game machine, a game ball is not stored in this lower tray 23. FIG. Therefore, the shutter lever 25 for dropping the game ball stored in the storage tray 22 into the lower tray 23 by opening the flow path of the game ball that communicates with the storage tray 22 and the lower tray 23 cannot be operated. It has become.

  Details of the peripheral structure of the storage tray 22 will be described later.

  On the right side of the tray unit 17, a handle 24 is provided that is operated when a game ball is driven through the rail 18 into the game area 13 a of the game board 13. By rotating this handle 24, a launching device (not shown) is operated, and the game ball sent to the launching position is launched resiliently. The launching device swings the kite at a predetermined speed under the control of the payout / launch control circuit, and hits the game ball at the launch position (the end of the guide path leading from the storage tray 22 to the launching device) with the tip of the kite. The game board 13 is launched.

  A ball lending machine (game medium lending unit) 30 that lends a number of game balls corresponding to the amount of money thrown by the player and the like is provided at one side end (right side in the illustrated case) of the gaming machine main body 12. It has been.

  The ball lending machine 30 is provided with a credit number display unit 31, a credit settlement button 32, a credit transfer button 33, a medal number display unit 34, an infrared transmission unit 35, and the like on the front thereof.

  Here, the credit number display unit 31 is composed of a three-digit 7-segment LED (light emitting diode), and displays the number of coins currently credited (the number of coin credit data) inside the machine. The medal number display unit 34 is also composed of a three-digit 7-segment LED (light emitting diode), and displays the number of medals currently credited inside the machine.

  The credit transfer button 33 is a button for transferring credit data such as coins (coins) and medals that have been credited to the gaming machine main body 12, and is transferred by pressing this button. The transfer is performed as follows, for example.

  When the credit transfer button 33 is pressed, the CPU confirms the credited data. As a result, when the coin is credited, the credit data of the coin is transferred to the gaming machine main body 12. Thereby, the gaming machine main body 12 receives the credit data and converts it into game ball number data. For example, if the credited coin is a 100 yen coin, and if there are 120 game balls worth for 100 yen, it is converted into 120 game ball data. At this time, the credit number display unit 31 displays the number obtained by subtracting “1”.

  On the other hand, if the medal is credited as a result of the confirmation, the credit data of the medal is transferred to the gaming machine main body 12. Thereby, the gaming machine main body 12 receives the credit data and converts it into game ball number data. For example, if there is a value of 7 game balls per credited medal, it is converted into 7 game ball data. At this time, the number obtained by subtracting “1” is displayed on the medal number display section 34.

  In the present embodiment, one credit data is transferred to the gaming machine main body 12 when the credit transfer button 33 is pressed once. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it transfer to the main body 12 of a machine.

  Further, when both the coin and the medal are credited when the credit transfer button 33 is pressed, in this embodiment, the credit data of the coin is preferentially transferred to the gaming machine main body 12, but conversely, The medal credit data may be preferentially transferred.

  The credit settlement button 32 is a button for paying out credited coins and credited medals, and the above payout is performed by pressing this button. The credited coins are converted into medals and paid out from the medal payout opening 36.

  For example, if the coins credited are two 100 yen coins, there is a value equivalent to 17 medals per 100 yen, so that when the credit settlement button 32 is pressed, a total of 34 medals are awarded to the medal payout opening 36. More paid out.

  On the other hand, medals are paid out from the medal payout opening 36 as they are. For example, if there are six medals that are credited, six medals are paid out from the medal payout opening 36 by pressing the credit settlement button 32.

  When such payout is completed, the credit amount display unit 31 and the medal number display unit 34 display that the credit balance is zero.

  Below the medal number display section 34, a medal insertion slot 37 for the player to insert a medal as a game medium, and a medal return operated by the player to return a medal inserted into the medal insertion slot 37. The lever 37a is provided with a medal return port 37b for returning a medal when an unspecified medal is inserted or when the player operates the medal return lever 37a.

  Also, below the medal return slot 37b, a coin insertion slot 38 for inserting coins such as 100 yen coins, a coin return lever 38a operated by the player to return coins inserted into the coin insertion slot 38, A coin return port 38b is provided through which coins are returned when an unspecified coin is inserted or when the player operates the coin return lever 38a.

  In this embodiment, a 100-yen coin is used as a specified coin, and when a coin other than a 100-yen coin is inserted into the coin insertion slot 38, it is considered to be out of the specified range. May be set to be regarded as a prescribed coin.

  An infrared transmission unit 35 is provided between the medal number display unit 34 and the medal insertion slot 37.

  The infrared transmission unit 35 can transmit game data (the number of medals obtained) after the game ends. For example, by accessing a predetermined site with a mobile phone and receiving the game data, the player receives the game data on the site. The number of acquired medals is registered. Then, a number of players register in the same way, and the national ranking of the number of medals earned in a predetermined period (for example, one day, one week) is displayed in a ranking, thereby giving consideration to further enhancing the interest of the game. Yes.

  A circuit configuration of a control system of the gaming machine main body 12 in such a gaming machine 10 is shown in FIG.

  The control system of the gaming machine main body 12 has a main control circuit 40 and a sub control circuit 50 connected to the main control circuit 40.

  Such a control system has the main control circuit 40 as a main component and is mounted on the back surface of the game board 13.

  The main control circuit 20 includes a main CPU (ultra-compact processing unit) 41 that performs a gaming operation of the gaming machine main body 12 according to a preset program, an initial reset circuit 42 that resets various settings to initial values in the event of an abnormality, and a main CPU 41. Main RAM 43 for storing various data necessary for operation, a program for the main CPU 41 to control the game operation of the gaming machine main body 12, a jackpot determination table to be referred to when determining a jackpot by random lottery, and an effect A main ROM 44 that stores various probability tables such as an effect group selection table that is referred to when the lottery is selected is mounted.

  Here, the main CPU 41 determines a big hit determination process for determining a big hit when a game ball is won at the start opening 19a and a start win is generated, and a special symbol displayed on the special symbol display unit 21 is variably displayed. Processing for determining the contents displayed on the normal symbol display unit (not shown) is performed. Further, the main CPU 41 constitutes a big prize opening SOL control means for controlling the big prize opening SOL (solenoid) 60 so as to open and close the door of the big prize opening 19c when the gaming state is shifted to the specific gaming state. .

  The I / O port 46 of the main control circuit 40 has a V / count SW (switch) 61 for counting the number of game balls that have passed through a specific area (V zone) provided in the special winning opening 19c, A count SW 62 for counting the number of game balls that have passed through the general area provided in the big prize opening 19c, a general prize opening SW 63 for detecting that a game ball has won the general prize opening 19b, and a start gate ( A passage gate SW64 that is provided inside (not shown) to detect the passing of a game ball, a start winning port SW65 that detects that a game ball has won the start port 19a, and a normal electric combination of the start port 19a Driving a seesaw that distributes a game ball that has entered a start opening SOL66 that opens and closes an object, a prize winning opening SOL60 that opens and closes a door of a prize winning opening 19c, and a prize winning opening 19c into a specific area and a general area A seesaw SOL67, backup clear SW68 for erasing various data stored in the main RAM44 are connected.

  When each of the SWs 61 to 65 detects a game ball, the detection signal is input to the main CPU 41 of the main control circuit 40, and the main CPU 41 drives and controls each of the SOLs 60, 66, and 67 according to the input detection signal. To do. In addition, a control command is transmitted from the main control circuit 40 to the sub control circuit 50 and the payout / launch control circuit 70 via the command output port 45. Thus, the operations of the LCD (image display device) 80, the speaker 81, the lamp / LED 82, the dispensing device 71, and the launching device 72 are controlled by the sub control circuit 50 and the dispensing / launching control circuit 70.

  In the sub control circuit 50, a sub CPU 51, a work RAM 52, and a program ROM 53 are mounted.

  The sub CPU 51 interprets the control command received from the main control circuit 40 via the command input port 54, and controls the image control circuit 55, the sound control circuit 56, and the lamp control circuit 57 according to the interpretation result.

  In the program ROM 53, the sub CPU 51 receives a control program for controlling the processing of the image control circuit 55 based on the image control command signal output from the main control circuit 40, and a sound generation command signal output from the main control circuit 40. A control program for processing and controlling the sound control circuit 56 based on this, a control program for processing and controlling the lamp control circuit 57 based on the lamp control command signal output from the main control circuit 40, and the like are stored and stored.

  The work RAM 52 serves as a temporary storage unit when the sub CPU 51 performs processing control according to the control program.

  An LCD 80 is connected to the image control circuit 55. Based on the control of the sub CPU 51, the image control circuit 55 performs an image display control process such as variably displaying a special symbol and a background image corresponding to the result of the big hit determination on the special symbol display unit 21 of the LCD 80. Further, the image control circuit 55 and the LCD 80 constitute notification means for informing the presence / absence of the reach effect in the game, the type of reach effect to be generated, or the reliability of the jackpot occurrence according to the effect display mode at the time of the special symbol variation display. ing.

  A speaker 81 is connected to the sound control circuit 56. The sound control circuit 56 generates a sound signal based on the control of the sub CPU 51, and the speaker 81 generates a sound based on the input sound signal.

  A lamp / LED 82 is connected to the lamp control circuit 57. The lamp control circuit 57 generates an optical signal based on the control of the sub CPU 51. The lamp / LED 82 performs lighting display or the like based on the input optical signal.

  A payout device 71 and a fire device 72 are connected to the payout / fire control circuit 70. The payout / firing control circuit 70 drives and controls the launching device according to the turning operation of the handle 24 to fire the game ball, and pays out a medal to the player according to the payout instruction from the main control circuit 40.

  Next, the dish unit 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  As illustrated, the tray unit 17 is provided with a storage tray 22. A ball passage 22a is formed in the storage tray 22, and the game balls that have been paid out and the game balls that have been driven into the game area 13a and collected from the game ball collection ports 19, 20 are temporarily stored in the ball passage 22a. Stored.

  The ball passage 22a communicates with the launch position of the game ball, and is formed to be inclined downward toward the launch position in order to send the game ball to the launch position while rolling. Furthermore, the ball passage 22a is wide in a shape in which the opposite side of the firing position (left side in the illustrated case) swells forward, and gradually narrows from there toward the firing position. It is formed to have a width corresponding to one game ball.

  Thereby, the game balls rolling in the direction of the launch position are regulated by the width of the ball passage 22a that is gradually narrowed, aligned in a row, and guided one by one to the launch position.

  A payout opening 26 opens toward the storage tray 22. The payout port 26 is formed below the out port 20 disposed in the lower portion of the game area 13a described above (see FIG. 1), and the game balls collected at the game ball collection ports 19 and 20 flow down. Thus, the payout port 26 pays out to the central portion of the storage tray 22.

  Further, as shown in the figure, the storage tray 22 is fitted with a shutter lever 25 at a position that covers the ball passage 22a and the shutter closes the flow path of the game ball from the storage tray 22 to the lower tray 23. A dish cover 27 having a fitting hole 27a to be fixed at the position is attached. As a result, the operation of the shutter lever 25 becomes impossible, the game balls stored in the storage tray 22 are dropped into the lower tray 23, and the enclosed game balls cannot be taken out of the machine.

  Positioning holes 27b are formed at four locations on the pan cover 27, and four positioning projections 22b corresponding to these positioning holes 27b are formed on the storage tray 22, and the positioning holes 27b are fitted into the positioning projections 22b. Match. Thereby, the dish cover 27 is positioned and fixed to the storage dish 22.

  Note that the fitting hole 27 a may not be formed, and the dish cover may be shaped to avoid interference with the shutter lever 25. Further, the positioning hole 27b and the positioning projection 22b fitted to the positioning hole 27b may not be formed. In this case, the dish cover is simply placed on the storage tray 22.

  Here, the dish cover 27 is formed of an opaque member (for example, metal or plastic) as a whole, and a visual recognition part 27c in which a part of the spherical passage 22a formed in the storage dish 22 is visible is provided in an arc shape. Yes.

  By forming such a visual recognition portion 27c, the game balls paid out to the storage tray are limitedly seen only at the location of the visual recognition portion 27c of the plate cover 22, so that the flow of the game balls is more enhanced. Become. Thereby, it becomes possible to make the change of the flow of the game ball conspicuous to the player and to improve the interest of the game.

  In the present embodiment, a member such as plastic having transparency is used for the visual recognition portion 27c. However, the visual recognition part 27c only needs to be able to visually recognize a part of the ball passage 22a. For example, the dish cover 22 may be partially meshed or provided with a slit, even if it is not a member having such transparency. May be formed. In addition, according to a member such as plastic having transparency, a mesh, or a slit, the visual recognition portion can be formed by a relatively simple means. Moreover, the shape of the visual recognition part 27c may not be circular arc shape.

  The visual recognition portion 27c is preferably provided around the payout opening 26 as in the present embodiment. As described above, since the game balls collected at the game ball collection ports 19 and 20 are paid out from the payout port 26, the change in the flow of the game balls around the payout port 26 is the most. This is because it is possible to make the intense place stand out for the player.

  In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a pachinko gaming machine is described as a gaming machine body, but the gaming machine body in the present invention is not limited to a pachinko gaming machine, such as a smart ball or Various game machine bodies in which game balls are used as game media such as sparrow balls can be applied.

It is a perspective view which shows the game machine which is one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the gaming machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows the storage tray which comprises the gaming machine of FIG. It is an exploded view which shows the storage tray of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Game machine 11 Game stand 12 Game machine main body 13 Game board 13a Game area 14 Mounting stand 15 Display panel 16 Glass door 17 Dish unit 18 Rail 19 Winning mouth (game ball collection port)
19a Starting port 19b General winning port 19c Large winning port 20 Out port (game ball recovery port)
22 storage tray 22a ball passage 22b positioning projection 23 lower tray 24 handle 25 shutter lever 26 outlet 27 tray cover 27a fitting hole 27b positioning hole 27c viewing section 30 ball lending machine 31 credit number display section 32 credit check button 33 credit transfer button 34 medal number display section 35 infrared transmission section 36 medal payout opening 37 medal insertion slot 37a medal return lever 37b medal return slot 38 coin insertion slot 38a coin return lever 38b coin return slot 40 main control circuit 41 main CPU
42 Initial reset circuit 43 Main RAM
44 Main ROM
45 Command output port 46 Port 50 Sub control circuit 51 Sub CPU
52 Work RAM
53 Program ROM
54 Command input port 55 Image control circuit 56 Audio control circuit 57 Lamp control circuit 60 Big prize opening SOL
61 V / Count SW
62 Count SW
63 General prize opening SW
64 Passing gate SW
65 Start prize opening SW
66 Start SOL
67 Seesaw SOL
68 Backup Clear SW
70 Launch Control Circuit 71 Dispensing Device 72 Launch Device 80 LCD
81 Speaker 82 Lamp / LED

Claims (3)

A gaming machine that uses a game ball enclosed and circulated to play a game,
A game ball collection port including an out port disposed at a lower portion of the game area, and for collecting game balls flowing down the game area;
A storage tray in which a ball passage for temporarily storing the game balls collected from the game ball collection port and guiding the game balls to a launch position is formed;
A payout opening formed below the out opening and opened toward the ball passage;
A dish cover that is attached to the storage dish and includes a visual recognition part from which a part of the ball path is visible and covers the ball path;
A gaming machine characterized by comprising: The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the visual recognition unit is provided around the payout port. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the visual recognition unit is formed of a transparent member, a mesh, or a slit.

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