JP2007244431A - Token dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a token dispenser which by no means spoils the comfortability of games by informing players of the winning of the jackpot while eliminating bothering in the movement of the dispensing nozzle. <P>SOLUTION: With the dispensing of token out of operation, for example, when the jackpot is won by a performance with a slot machine 1 on the left, the tip part of a dispensing nozzle 71 is moved by a jackpot movement control means 283 to the position of making the supply of the tokens ready to the slot machine 1 (not shown) not involved in the winning of the jackpot. The movement of the tip part of the dispensing nozzle 71 helps inform players of the winning of the jackpot. Moreover, when a large number of tokens are put out to a lower tray 15 of the slot machine 1 involved in the winning of the jackpot, the dispensing nozzle 71 does not disturb the putting out of the tokens, thereby eliminating bothering in the movement of the dispensing nozzle 71. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medal lending machine that supplies medals to a slot machine that needs to insert medals in order to play a game.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, slot machines that use medals as game media have been used as gaming machines that provide entertainment for people. The slot machine starts a game by inserting medals, and pays out medals depending on the game results. The slot machine is provided with a normal game and a jackpot game that can acquire a large number of medals in a shorter time than the normal game.
Specifically, in the slot machine, when a predetermined operation is performed after inserting medals, a normal game is started. Along with the start of this normal game, a plurality of reels with multiple types of symbols are driven to rotate at the same time, and a lottery decision is made internally. It becomes possible to win a prize. Then, in the game situation where the jackpot is won, if the player can stop the plurality of rotating reels in order and the symbols shown on the stopped rotating reels can be arranged in a predetermined combination, the winning prize will be Is realized, and a large amount of medals can be paid out in a short time from the slot machine.

In such a slot machine, in order to notify the player of the fact that the jackpot is won, notifications with various tastes are given. For example, it is informed that a big win has been won by turning on a win lamp, displaying a win on a liquid crystal display device, or outputting a sound indicating a win from a speaker.
Also, depending on the amusement hall, a revolving light may be provided in an island facility where a plurality of slot machines are installed, and such a revolving light may be used to notify that a jackpot has been won. In other words, as a result of the winning or failing lottery performed inside the slot machine, if a big win is won, a winning signal indicating that is sent to the hall computer, and the hall computer that receives the winning signal rotates the rotating lights of the island facility. Thus, it is possible to notify that the jackpot has been won.

Here, in an island facility where a plurality of slot machines are installed, a medal lending machine for lending a medal to a player is generally provided. If a medal lending machine is installed between a plurality of arranged slot machines, a player who plays a game in an adjacent slot machine can receive a medal lending without leaving the slot machine.
As a medal lending machine, there is known a medal lending machine having a lending nozzle for discharging a medal from an opening provided at a tip portion to a lower plate of a slot machine. The lending nozzle of this medal lending machine has a tip portion that is rotatable, and manually moves the tip portion from the slot machine on one side of the two slot machines arranged on both sides to the slot machine on the other side. Can be rotated. In this way, if a nozzle rotating type medal lending machine in which the nozzle rotates is adopted, medals can be supplied to both of the two slot machines arranged on both sides by one medal lending machine. .

Furthermore, the nozzle rotation type medal lending machine has a motor for rotating the lending nozzle, and a lending switch for driving the motor corresponds to each of the slot machines arranged on both sides. What is provided at the position is known.
According to such a medal lending machine, when a player plays a game in one slot machine adjacent to the medal lending machine, when the player pays for the lending medal and operates the lending switch corresponding to the slot machine, Rotate the tip of the lending nozzle so that the motor of the lending machine approaches the bottom plate of the slot machine, and when the tip opening of the lending nozzle reaches above the bottom plate, the tip of the lending nozzle moves toward the bottom plate. A predetermined number of medals are discharged. As a result, among the slot machines arranged on both sides, medals are automatically supplied to the lower plate of the slot machine that requires supply of medals, and the convenience of the player can be improved (for example, patents). Reference 1).
JP 2005-102990 (page 12, FIG. 15)

  In the medal lending machine as described above, if a player who is playing a slot machine wins a jackpot in the game, it means that he wins a jackpot. The player is informed that the price has increased. Then, the player feels that the lending nozzle located above the lower plate hinders the payout of medals, so he wants to move the disturbing lending nozzle to another place and troublesome to move the lending nozzle I also feel. For this reason, there is a problem that the notification of the jackpot winning that the player should be pleased may cause the player to feel bothersome and impair the comfort of the game.

In addition, when a lot of medals are paid out to the lower plate of the slot machine with the lending nozzle positioned above the lower plate, the lending nozzle obstructs the payout of medals. Since there is no choice but to move the player, there is a problem that the player feels bothered.
Accordingly, each invention described in each claim has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and the purpose of the invention is to make the game comfortable by notifying the big win. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medal lending machine that is not damaged and that eliminates the troublesomeness of moving a lending nozzle.

Each invention described in each claim is made to achieve the above-mentioned object. The features of each invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, a code | symbol shows the code | symbol used in embodiment of this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.
(Claim 1)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by the following points.
In other words, the invention described in claim 1 inserts medals to start a game, pays out medals depending on the game result, and acquires a large number of medals in a short time compared with a normal game. A medal lending machine (2) that is arranged between slot machines (1) provided with a jackpot game that can be used and can lend medals to any slot machine (1), on one side It is formed so as to be movable between a position facing the slot machine (1) direction and a position facing the other slot machine (1) direction, and medals can be lent to any slot machine (1). A lending nozzle (71) is provided, and the leading end of the lending nozzle (71) is driven from the slot machine (1) on one side of the slot machines (1) on both sides to the slot machine (1) on the other side. Drive device (72) and either It becomes necessary to move the tip of the lending nozzle (71) to one of the two slot machines (1) and the lending switch (67A, 67B) for identifying the slot machine (1) and starting lending And a control device (280) for controlling the driving device (72) to move the tip portion of the lending nozzle (71), and a lending switch (67A, 67B) is operated on the control device (280). Then, the driving device (72) is operated to move the tip portion of the lending nozzle (71) to one of the specified slot machines (1), and the medal If the slot machine (1) on one side of the two slot machines (1) wins a big win in the game when the lending operation is not being performed, the medal is supplied to the slot machine (1) on the other side. The jackpot movement control means (28 for moving the tip portion of the lending nozzle (71)) 3) and is provided.

(Claim 2)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, and has the following characteristic points.
That is, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that a base end portion of the lending nozzle (71) is rotatably attached.
(Claim 3)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1 or 2 described above, and has the following characteristics.

That is, the tip of the lending nozzle (71) is located at a position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine (1) on the other side of the two slot machines (1), When the slot machine (1) on one side wins a big win in the game when the operation of lending medals is not performed, the position for supplying medals to the slot machine (1) on one side and the slot machine on the other side (1) is provided with a jackpot arrangement control means (284) for moving the tip portion of the lending nozzle (71) to an intermediate position with respect to the position for supplying medals to the intermediate position. To do.
(Claim 4)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3 described above, and has the following characteristic points.

  That is, the invention according to claim 4 is a groove-shaped transfer for guiding the medals from the portion adjacent to the medal lending machine (2) to the medal slot (11) in each of the slot machines (1) arranged on both sides. A passage (12A, 12B) is provided, and a transfer passage (12A) provided in the slot machine (1) on one side is a lending nozzle (positioned at a position facing the slot machine (1) on the one side. 71) guides the medals discharged from the slot machine (1) on one side to the medal slot (11), and a transfer passage (provided on the other slot machine (1)). 12B), the medals discharged from the lending nozzle (71) arranged at the position facing the slot machine (1) on the other side is used as a medal slot ( 11), and the specific movement control means (282) has two slots. When one of the machine (1) is specified by the lending switch (67A, 67B), the lending nozzle (71) is moved to a position facing the slot machine (1) direction specified by the lending switch (67A, 67B). Then, the medals are discharged from the lending nozzle (71) arranged at the position, the medals are sent into the transfer passages (12A, 12B) of the slot machine (1), and the medal slot ( It is characterized in that control is performed so that a medal is inserted into 11).

(Effect of Claim 1)
The present invention configured as described above has the following effects.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the slot machine on one side of the two slot machines wins the jackpot in the game when the operation of lending medals is not performed, the lending is controlled by the jackpot movement control means. Since the tip of the nozzle is moved to a position where medals are supplied to the slot machine on the other side that has not won the jackpot, the player has won the jackpot by moving the tip of the lending nozzle Can be notified.

Also, if the slot machine on one side wins a jackpot in the game, the tip of the lending nozzle moves toward the slot machine on the other side that has not won the jackpot, so the bottom plate of the slot machine on the side that won the jackpot When a large amount of medals are paid out, the lending nozzle does not interfere with the payout of medals.
Furthermore, if a slot machine on one side wins a jackpot in the game, the slot machine on the other side that has not won the jackpot may need to lend medals earlier than the slot machine that won the jackpot Is expensive. In such a case, the tip portion of the lending nozzle is moved to a position where the medal is supplied to the other slot machine that is not won by the jackpot. Therefore, it is not necessary to point the lending nozzle toward the user, thereby further facilitating the medal lending operation to be performed by the player.

Therefore, the player does not feel that the lending nozzle gets in the way, and does not feel bothered by the notification of the big win, and the medal lending operation is further facilitated, so that the comfort of the game is lost. It will not be. In addition, since it is not necessary to move the lending nozzle when a large amount of medals are paid out to the lower tray of the slot machine, the troublesomeness of moving the lending nozzle can be eliminated.
(Effect of claim 2)
According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the following effect is obtained.

That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the rental nozzle whose base end portion is rotatably attached is adopted, the rotational motion of the cam, the link, etc. is converted into a linear motion as a driving device for driving the rental nozzle. Therefore, a simple structure such as a structure directly driven by a rotary drive device such as a motor or a structure in which only gears are combined can be adopted, and the drive device can be downsized.
(Effect of claim 3)
According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the following effect can be obtained.

  That is, according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the tip of the lending nozzle is located at the position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine on the other side and the operation for lending the medal is not performed, the slot on the one side When the machine wins a big win in the game, the jackpot arrangement control means moves the tip of the lending nozzle to an intermediate position between the position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine on one side and the position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine on the other side. Since it moves, the operation | movement of this rental nozzle can alert | report that the said player has won the jackpot. In other words, the player can recognize that he / she has won a big hit by visually recognizing that the tip of the lending nozzle facing the adjacent slot machine moves to the intermediate position.

(Effect of claim 4)
According to invention of Claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention in any one of Claim 1 to Claim 3, there exists the following effect.
That is, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the slot machines arranged on both sides are provided with the groove-shaped transfer passage for guiding the medal from the portion adjacent to the medal lending machine to the medal slot, and the slot on one side When the lending nozzle is moved to a position facing the machine direction and the medal is discharged from the lending nozzle arranged at the position, the medal is inserted into the slot machine through the transfer passage provided in the slot machine on one side. When the lending nozzle is moved to a position facing the direction of the slot machine on the other side so that the medal is discharged from the lending nozzle arranged at the position, the medal is inserted into the slot machine on the other side. The slot is inserted into the medal slot of the slot machine through the transfer passage provided in the slot machine. When starting, if you perform operations such as paying for the loan medal and operating the lending switch, the medal is automatically inserted into the slot machine, and the medal is taken out from the bottom plate of the slot machine and manually placed in the slot machine. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the convenience of the player in the game.

Hereinafter, an embodiment which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 8 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view and a plan view showing a slot machine and a medal lending machine according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the slot machine and a medal lending machine according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is this embodiment. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main part of the medal lending machine according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main part of the slot machine according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 shows the main part of the medal lending machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a rental nozzle according to this embodiment, FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a rental nozzle according to this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a nozzle according to this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a control apparatus.

1 and 2, a medal lending machine 2 according to the present embodiment lends a medal to a player who plays a game in a slot machine 1 that is a medal gaming machine that requires the insertion of a medal to play a game. Is. Such a medal lending machine 2 is arranged between two slot machines 1 installed in a game hall.
Here, in the medal lending machine 2, two operation modes are set. One of them is a one-side supply mode in which medals can be inserted only into one of the two slot machines 1 arranged on both sides, which is designated by a game attendant or the like. The other operation mode is a two-sided supply mode in which medals can be inserted into either of the two slot machines 1. These two operation modes, that is, the one-side supply mode and the two-side supply mode can be switched from one to the other by a key switch operation by an attendant at the game hall.

The outer box 20 which is the casing of the medal lending machine 2 is set to a height and a depth corresponding to the casing 4 of the slot machine 1 so that the outer box 20 can be aligned with the slot machine 1. The width is narrower than that of the housing 4.
Hereinafter, the medal lending machine 2 and the slot machine 1 will be described. Before describing the medal lending machine 2 in detail, first, the slot machine 1 will be briefly described.
In the following description, “front direction” and “front direction” refer to the direction from the back to the front toward the slot machine 1, in other words, the depth direction of the casing 4 of the slot machine 1. The direction.

On the other hand, “rearward direction” and “backward direction” refer to a direction from the front toward the back toward the slot machine 1, in other words, a direction away from the depth direction of the casing 4 of the slot machine 1. “Left direction” and “right direction” refer to the right direction and the left direction when facing the slot machine 1 or the medal lending machine 2, respectively.
(Overview of slot machine 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slot machine 1 according to the present embodiment is formed in a substantially hexahedron box shape having a front surface opened, and the housing 4 and a housing 4 for closing the front opening of the housing 4. And a front door 13 that is pivotably attached to the front door 13.

Of these, the front door 13 is divided into an upper front door 13A that closes an upper portion of the front opening of the housing 4 and a lower front door 13B that closes a lower portion of the front opening of the housing 4.
The upper front door 13A and the lower front door 13B rotate separately, and the upper front door 13A cannot be opened unless the lower front door 13B is opened first.
The front door 13 is formed with a symbol display window 14 for exposing a symbol of a rotating reel (not shown) provided inside the housing 4 to the outside. An operation portion 16 for performing a game operation of the slot machine 1 is provided at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the front door 13 below the symbol display window 14, and the operation switch 16 includes a start switch 16A and a stop switch. Equipment for operation such as 16B is installed.

In the vicinity of the right end in FIG. 2 of the operation unit 16, a medal insertion unit 10 for inserting game medals is provided.
Note that a medal selector for determining the authenticity of the game medal and counting the inserted medals is provided below the medal insertion unit 10 inside the housing 4 although not particularly illustrated.
Further, a lower plate 15 capable of storing a payout medal is provided at the lower part of the front door 13.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medal insertion portion 10 is formed in an elongated slit shape, and has an upper insertion opening 11 into which gaming medals can be inserted one by one from the upper side, and a recess to the side of the upper insertion opening 11. Side transfer passages 12A and 12B communicating in a groove shape are provided.

Of these, the side transfer passage 12A is a relatively short groove-like transfer passage extending from the upper charging opening 11 toward the right side edge of the slot machine 1 in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this side transfer passage 12 </ b> A is a medal that opens toward the left in FIGS. 1 to 3 when the slot machine 1 is arranged on the left side of the medal lending machine 2. The game medals discharged from the medal discharge port 66A of the lending machine 2 are guided to the upper insertion opening 11.
The side transfer passage 12B is a relatively long groove-like transfer passage extending from the upper charging opening 11 toward the left side edge of the slot machine 1 in FIG. 1 and 4, when the slot machine 1 is arranged on the right side of the medal lending machine 2, the side transfer passage 12B has a medal discharge port 66B opened to the right in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the game medal M discharged from the player is led to the upper insertion opening 11.

A downward slope is provided on the bottom surface of the side transfer passage 12B from the left end in FIG. 4 toward the end on the upper input opening 11 side. Due to the downward slope of the bottom surface, the medal M reliably reaches the upper insertion opening 11 from the left end in FIG. 4 of the side transfer passage 12B.
The slot machine 1 inserts a medal and starts a game, and pays out a medal to the player depending on the game result. More specifically, in the slot machine 1, the player inserts a game medal from the medal insertion unit 10 and operates the start switch 16A to start the rotation of the rotating reel and perform a lottery determination inside. It is like that.

The rotation reel that has started to rotate is stopped when the player operates the stop switch 16B.
Here, as a result of the lottery performed during the normal game, the slot machine 1 wins a big win such as a bonus game, so that the symbols of the rotating reel displayed on the symbol display window 14 become a predetermined combination. Thus, it is possible that the player stops the rotating reel, in other words, the player can win a prize.
The slot machine 1 is a game situation where the player wins a big win, and when the symbols of the rotating reels stopped by the player are in a predetermined combination, the player has won a prize, which is shorter than in a normal game. It is configured to be able to perform a jackpot game capable of acquiring a large number of medals.

(Medal lending machine 2)
As described above, the medal lending machine 2 is arranged between the slot machines 1 and can lend medals to the slot machine 1 on either side. For this purpose, the front face 20A of the medal lending machine 2 is provided with a bill insertion slot 21 into which a bill as a price for the lent medal is inserted as shown in FIG.
The medal lending machine 2 is a box-type device installed adjacent to the side of the slot machine 1. When a bill, for example, a thousand yen bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 21, A game medal is lent to a player in exchange for a bill. Further, the medal lending machine 2 has a function of continuously and automatically inserting the lent medals into the medal insertion unit 10 of the slot machine 1 as necessary.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the medal lending machine 2 inspects banknotes inserted by a player and the like, and according to the banknote counter 22 that stores the inspected banknotes and the amount of the inserted banknotes. A medal insertion device 25 for paying out medals to the slot machine 1, a medal insertion device 3 for continuously inserting medals into the slot machine 1, and a medal insertion device 3 And a drive control device 280 for controlling the operation.
It should be noted that the key switch operation by the game attendant or the like can be performed on the drive control device 280, for example.
When the banknote counter 22 recognizes that it is a legitimate banknote by reading the design printed on the surface of the banknote inserted inside from the banknote slot 21 provided in the vicinity of the front lower end of the outer box 20, The medal payout device 25 is made to pay out a predetermined number of game medals.

The banknote counter 22 is provided with a banknote sensor (not shown) for reading a design printed on the surface of the banknote inserted into the banknote slot 21.
Such a bill counter 22 has a function of determining whether or not the inserted bill is a genuine one based on a signal output from the bill sensor and determining the type of the bill. If the bill is a regular one, a bill signal corresponding to the amount of the bill is output.
When the banknote signal from the banknote counter 22 is input, the lending medal payout device 25 pays out the number of medals according to the banknote signal to the player.

The medal lending machine 2 may include a coin insertion slot, a coin counter, a change dispensing slot, a prepaid card insertion slot, and a card reader in addition to the banknote insertion slot 21 and the banknote counter 22. Good.
The rented medal payout device 25 is a so-called hopper device that, when receiving a bill signal from the bill counter 22, pays out medals stored therein.
Although not particularly shown in the lending medal payout device 25, a tank for storing a large number of medals, a sending disk for discharging medals one by one from the bottom of the tank, and this sending disk And a medal sensor for counting the number of medals to be ejected.

Among these, the delivery disk is formed with a plurality of holes into which medals enter. When the delivery disk is rotationally driven by the drive motor described above, the medals entering the holes of the delivery disk are discharged one by one out of the lending medal payout device 25. In addition, the rental medal payout device 25 is configured to stop the drive motor and stop paying out medals when the number of medals counted by the medal sensor reaches a predetermined value.
(Medal insertion device 3)
The medal insertion device 3 receives a plurality of medals collectively from the lending medal payout device 25 or from the player's hand, and continuously inserts the received medals into the medal insertion unit 10 of the slot machine 1. It has the function of.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the medal insertion device 3 includes a cover body 30 attached so as to protrude from the front surface of the outer box 20 of the medal lending machine 2, and the inside of the cover body 30. And a medal transfer device 40 for sending out medals (shown only in FIG. 5) and a tip portion of a cover body 30 protruding from the front surface of the outer box 20, and a medal insertion portion 10 of the slot machine 1. In order to guide to the side, an introduction path device 60 that converts the moving direction and posture of the medal is provided.
(Cover body 30)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the cover body 30 is a box-shaped member that projects forward from the front surface 20 </ b> A of the outer box 20 at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the outer box 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cover body 30 is formed with a collective slot 31 that is opened upward to collectively put a plurality of medals into the cover body. A medal storage 44 for temporarily storing is provided inside. Inside the cover body 30 is stored a medal transfer device 40 capable of continuously transferring medals stored in the medal storage section 44 to the downstream side in the medal transfer direction.
As shown in FIG. 3, the central portion is recessed with respect to the peripheral portion in front of the collective charging port 31 in the cover body 30 and has a dish-like shape having a downward slope gently inclined from the peripheral portion toward the collective charging port 31. A portion 32 is formed.

The dish-like portion 32 extends toward the front side and the side of the batch loading port 31. The peripheral portion of the dish-like portion 32 is a dam portion 272 formed higher than the inner side. The dam portion 272 extends in a U shape from one side portion of the collective charging port 31 to the other side portion via the front portion, and has a flat upper surface.
Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the cover body 30 is provided with a slidable shutter 33 for closing the batch loading port 31. More specifically, the shutter 33 is slidable between a closed position U for closing the collective charging port 31 and an open position V for opening the collective charging port 31. Are concealed below the dish-like portion 32.

Further, inside the cover body 30, a pair of rollers 34A and 34B that frictionally engage with both surfaces of the shutter 33, and a shutter motor 35 that moves at least one of the pair of rollers 34A and 34B to move the shutter 33, respectively. And a gear group (not shown) that transmits the driving torque of the shutter motor 35 is provided on at least one of the rollers 34A and 34B.
The shutter 33 is moved to the closing position U when the attendant of the game hall operates the key switch and switches the operation mode from the one-side supply mode to the both-side supply mode, and closes the collective slot 31. Yes.
On the other hand, when the operation mode is switched from the both-side supply mode to the one-side supply mode, the shutter 33 is moved to the closed position V and opens the collective insertion port 31.

A contact sensor (not shown) made of a conductive material such as metal is laid on the flat upper surface of the dam portion 272 so as to extend in a U shape along the upper surface of the dam portion 272. The contact sensor is a contact operation switch for performing start and stop operations of the medal transfer device 40.
That is, when the operation mode of the medal lending machine 2 is the one-side supply mode, touching the contact sensor 274 activates a drive motor 55 (described later) provided in the medal transfer device 40 to touch the contact sensor 274. The drive motor 55 is stopped by releasing the hand.
More specifically, the drive motor 55 of the medal transfer device 40 receives three medals after starting when the time of continuous touching the contact sensor 274 is less than a predetermined continuous operation time. It stops when it is transferred, and when the time of continuous touching the contact sensor 274 exceeds the continuous operation time, more than three medals are continuously transferred. Note that when the operation mode of the medal lending machine 2 is the double-sided supply mode, the drive motor 55 is not activated even if the hand touches the contact sensor 274.

(Discharge mechanism 80)
Below the base portion of the cover body 30 protruding from the front surface of the outer box 20, as shown in FIG. It is pivotally supported. The medal removal tray 90 has a discharge storage portion 93 for storing foreign matter discharged from the medal transfer device 40 and a cancel medal, and can swing up and down at the bottom of the cover body 30.
Here, a cancel opening 49 opened on the bottom surface of the cover body 30 is provided above the discharge storage section 93, and further above the cancel opening 49, formed at the bottom of the medal storage section 44, A reset discharge port 85 is provided for communicating the medal storage part 44 with the space below the cancel opening 49.

Among these, the reset discharge port 85 is opened and closed by an opening / closing plate 82 formed in a flat plate shape corresponding to the reset discharge port 85. Further, a collective charging port 31 opened in the cover body 30 is located further diagonally to the left of the reset discharge port 85 in FIG.
The cancellation opening 49 is closed by a medal takeout plate 90 that is flipped upward.
That is, the medal removal tray 90 is urged by a spring (not shown) in the direction of flipping up the medal removal tray 90, in other words, in the direction of closing the cancel opening 49. Thereby, the cancellation opening 49 is always closed. On the other hand, if the medal removal tray 90 is pushed down by hand against the biasing force of the spring, the cancel opening 49 is opened. If necessary, push down the medal removal tray 90 by hand, open the cancellation opening 49, remove all the accumulated matter in the discharge storage section 93 of the medal removal tray 90, and then push down the medal removal tray 90. When the force is removed, the medal removal tray 90 is automatically closed.

As a result, among the front doors 13 divided into the upper and lower parts of the slot machine 1, when opening the lower front door 13B arranged below as shown in FIG. It can be prevented that the lower front door 13B protrudes into the rotation range and obstructs the rotation.
The medal removal tray 90 may not be provided with a self-returning mechanism that automatically returns by the biasing force of a spring, and the concave portion and the convex portion are locked to each other in two positions, a closed state and an open state. However, it may be provided with a locking mechanism for stopping the medal takeout plate 90, or simply supported by the rotating shaft 95 so as to be opened and closed, and maintained open by its own weight. The medal removal tray 90 can be closed by pushing it up by hand, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. As a result, when opening the lower door provided in another slot machine 1 arranged on the right side when viewed from the front, the medal pick-up plate 90 is closed by hand, and the lower door is obstructed. Can be avoided.

Returning to FIG. 5, the opening / closing plate 82 is connected to the plunger 83 of the solenoid operating machine 81 by the pivot shaft 84 pivotally supported on the cover body 30 side. The outlet 85 is rotationally driven from one of a position for closing and an opening for the outlet 85 to the other.
The opening / closing plate 82 and the solenoid operating device 81 form a discharge mechanism 80 that discharges medals, foreign matter, and the like inside the medal transfer device 40 from a cancel opening 49 formed on the bottom surface of the cover body 30.
By the operation of the discharge mechanism 80, the medals inserted into the medal storage unit 44 through the collective slot 31 are discharged to the medal takeout plate 90.

In addition, when a game manager or the like collects storage such as trash, the storage mechanism accumulated in the medal removal tray 90 is activated by rotating the medal removal tray 90 toward the front side after operating the discharge mechanism 80. Things can be easily removed by hand.
(Medal transfer device 40)
As shown in FIG. 5, the medal transfer device 40 includes an endless belt 53 in which a belt-shaped member whose surface is covered with rubber or the like is formed in an annular shape, and a drive motor 55 for circulatingly driving the endless belt 53. It is provided. The endless belt 53 forms the bottom of the medal storage unit 44, and is circulated to send out medals stored in the medal storage unit 44.

Here, above the medal storage unit 44 and on the back side of the collective slot 31, a medal received from the lending medal payout device 25 is received to receive the medal storage unit 44. An inlet 42 is provided. Accordingly, the medal storage unit 44 is a space for temporarily storing both medals inserted from the batch insertion slot 31 and medals inserted from the lending medal receiving opening 42.
In addition, a partition bar 100 that connects the side surfaces on both sides is provided at a substantially central portion in the depth direction of the collective loading port 31. The partition rod 100 is for aligning medals in a substantially predetermined posture when medals are inserted into the medal storage section 44.

That is, when the medals pass through the collective slot 31, if the medals are in the vertical orientation (the crossing angle between the front and back surfaces of the medals and the partition bar 100 is close to a right angle), the partition bar 100 The medals are prevented from passing through the collective slot 31 in the same posture.
On the other hand, when the medal passes through the collective slot 31, if the medal is in the horizontal orientation (the front and back surfaces of the medal and the partition bar 100 are almost parallel), the partition bar 100 moves along the medal drop path. The medal is allowed to pass through the collective slot 31. Then, by adjusting the posture of the medals passing through the batch insertion slot 31 by the partitioning rod 100, when the medals passing through the batch insertion slot 31 fall into the medal storage section 44 below the medals, they are stacked on top of other medals. Thus, the transfer by the endless belt 53 can be easily performed.

(Circulation mechanism of endless belt 53)
The circulation mechanism that circulates the endless belt 53 includes two rollers 51A and 51B arranged on the introduction path device 60 side and the medal storage section 44 side, and of these rollers 51A and 51B, on the introduction path device 60 side. A drive motor 55 for driving the endless belt 53 via the arranged roller 51A and a reduction gear group (not shown) for transmitting the drive force of the drive motor 55 to the roller 51A are provided. .
The two rollers 51A and 51B are two belt wheels between which the endless belt 53 is stretched. The roller 51A is disposed at a slightly higher level than the roller 51B. Is inclined toward the front side so as to have a slight upward slope.

Of these two rollers 51A and 51B, above the roller 51A driven by the drive motor 55, there is a surplus medal removal roller 52 that is driven by the drive motor 55 and rotated in the same rotational direction as the roller 51A. Is provided.
The surplus medal exclusion roller 52 is formed with an agitation groove 58 extending in the axial direction of the rotation shaft on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The endless belt 53 rotates the surplus medal exclusion roller 52 and causes the stirring groove 58 to stir the medals above the endless belt 53, thereby preventing the medals from staying and efficiently transferring the medals. ing.
The gap 54 formed by the outer peripheral surface of the surplus medal removal roller 52 and the transfer surface on which the medal of the endless belt 53 is placed is larger than the thickness of one medal and smaller than the thickness of two medals. It is a dimension.

Further, the surplus medal exclusion roller 52 is set so that the moving speed in the radial direction on the outer peripheral surface thereof is faster than the moving speed of the transfer surface of the endless belt 53.
Further, since the surplus medal exclusion roller 52 rotates in the same direction as the rollers 51A and 51B, the movement directions of the transfer surface of the endless belt 53 and the outer peripheral surface of the surplus medal exclusion roller 52 facing each other are opposite to each other. Yes.
Then, when a plurality of medals transferred to the endless belt 53 are overlapped and approach the surplus medal removal roller 52, the game medals above the second one, leaving the bottom one game medal, The surplus medal removal roller 52 is flipped off toward the medal return section 45, which is a space provided on the upstream side of the surplus medal removal roller 52.

Further, in the upper edge portion of the unit cover 41 that surrounds the collective slot 31 in the left side edge in FIG. 3, medals thrown from the collective slot 31 are restricted from entering the medal return portion 45, but surplus. There is provided a movement adjusting valve 43 that allows the medal that has been flipped off by the medal exclusion roller 52 and reaches the medal return section 45 to further retreat to the upstream side.
That is, a flat movement adjustment valve 43 is swingably attached to the upper surface portion of the unit cover 41 in a suspended state.
Further, a stopper 43C protruding toward the movement adjustment valve 43 is provided on the inner side surface of the unit cover 41. The stopper 43C is engaged with the surface on the medal return portion 45 side of the movement adjustment valve 43 in the hanging state. Since the distal end portion of the movement adjusting valve 43 is locked by the stopper 43C, the movement adjusting valve 43 can be rotated toward the medal storage portion 44 side and cannot be rotated toward the medal return portion 45 side.

Here, the movement adjustment valve 43 prevents the medals from moving forward from the medal storage unit 44 to the medal return unit 45, and when the medals transferred by the endless belt 53 enter the gap 54, they are inserted from the collective slot 31. Therefore, only the medals transferred by the endless belt 53 can reach the gap 54. Accordingly, the plurality of medals transferred by the endless belt 53 are smoothly sent out one by one to the introduction path device 60 on the downstream side in the transfer direction.
On the other hand, since the movement adjustment valve 43 allows the medals from the medal return unit 45 to the medal storage unit 44 to move backward as appropriate, the surplus medals arranged above among the overlapping medals are the surplus medals. When it is bounced off by the removal roller 52 toward the medal return portion 45, the movement adjusting valve 43 is pushed open to promptly return to the medal storage portion 44.

The movement adjustment valve 43 is set so that the distance between the tip of the movement adjustment valve 43 and the transfer surface of the endless belt 53 is longer than the diameter of the medal. As a result, when the medal passes below the movement adjustment valve 43 in an upright state, the movement adjustment valve 43 does not become an obstacle, and even if the medal is in an upright state, the medal passes smoothly below the movement adjustment valve 43. It is possible.
The surplus medal removal roller 52 is applied with a driving torque via an internal mechanism such as a one-way clutch (not shown). Therefore, when the endless belt 53 rotates in the reverse direction, the surplus medal removal roller 52 is prevented from rotating by an internal mechanism such as a one-way clutch (not shown).

Further, on the way from the endless belt 53 to the introduction path device 60, a position on the downstream side in the medal transfer direction with respect to the position where the surplus medal removal roller 52 is attached is not particularly illustrated. A pair of protrusions may be formed that protrude from each of the opposing wall surfaces, have their tips in contact with the transfer surface of the endless belt 53, and have an interval corresponding to one medal between the tips of each other. By providing such a pair of protrusions, the medals transferred by the endless belt 53 pass through a predetermined position in the width direction, and the transfer position of the medals can be adjusted to a predetermined position.
(Introduction path device 60)
The introduction path device 60 is a device for introducing medals into either the side transfer passage 12A of the slot machine 1 arranged on the left side or the side transfer passage 12B of the slot machine 1 arranged on the right side. .

As shown in FIG. 5, the introduction path device 60 covers a receiving unit 63 that receives medals transferred by the endless belt 53, a switching unit 70 that switches the introduction destination of medals, and a lower front portion of the medal insertion device 3. And a cover member 61 for concealing the receiving portion 63 inside.
Among them, the receiving portion 63 includes a posture guide plate 62A whose upper end in FIG. 5 is curved toward the endless belt 53, a flat passage forming plate 62B disposed opposite to the posture guide plate 62A, and a posture guide plate. A passage portion 65 formed between 62A and the passage formation plate 62B is provided.
The receiving unit 63 moves the medal along the posture guide plate 62A, thereby causing the medal that has been transferred in a state of being fallen on the transfer surface of the endless belt 53, and passing the medal through the passage unit 65. Is dropped to the lower switching unit 70 and guided to the switching unit 70.

A proximity sensor 64 for detecting whether or not a medal has passed through the passage portion 65 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end in FIG. 5 of the posture guide plate 62A.
The proximity sensor 64 has relatively good response performance for detecting the approach of a medal. Such a proximity sensor 64 temporarily outputs a detection signal indicating that a medal has been detected when the medal passes in the vicinity of the proximity sensor 64. When the medals are jammed, medal detection signals are continuously output from the proximity sensor 64. Thereby, both passage of medals and clogged medals can be detected.
As such a proximity sensor 64, an inductive proximity switch that detects a change in the magnetic field in the detection region, a capacitive proximity switch that detects a change in the electric field in the detection region, and a reflection or blocking of the light beam is detected. It is preferable to employ a non-contact proximity switch such as an optical proximity switch, but a mechanical proximity switch that performs detection by directly contacting a non-detected object, that is, a so-called limit switch can also be employed.

Also, the detection signal of the proximity sensor 64 is received by a control unit (not shown) of the medal lending machine 2, and the control unit of the medal lending machine 2 detects an abnormality in medal transfer based on the received detection signal. Yes.
For example, when game medals are jammed inside the passage portion 65, the proximity sensor 64 continues to output a detection signal. When the control unit of the medal lending machine 2 continuously receives the detection signal from the proximity sensor 64, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the medal transfer, temporarily stops all operations, and Since the medals are jammed, it is set to output a sound for prompting to call an attendant or the like, or to display that effect.

(Switching unit 70)
As shown in FIG. 3, the switching unit 70 is formed to be movable from the direction in which the slot machine 1 on one side is arranged to the direction in which the slot machine 1 on the other side is arranged. A lending nozzle 71 that can be lent to the slot machine 1 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the switching unit 70 has a driving device for driving the tip end portion of the lending nozzle 71 from the slot machine 1 on one side of the slot machines 1 on both sides to the slot machine 1 on the other side. 72 is provided.
Of these, the lending nozzle 71 projects from the peripheral surface of a rotating member 73 that is rotatably attached to the cover member 61 as shown in FIG. In other words, the rental nozzle 71 has a base end portion rotatably attached to the cover member 61.

On the other hand, the driving device 72 is configured to include a thin motor, and is disposed below the rotating member 73. The drive shaft 72A of the drive device 72 is connected to the bottom of the rotating member 73.
Returning to FIG. 3, a push button type lending switch 67 </ b> A is provided at a position biased to the left in FIG. 3 on the front surface of the cover body 30. Further, a push button type lending switch 67B is provided at a position biased to the right side in FIG. 3 on the front surface of the cover body 30 so as to have a height level corresponding to the lending switch 67A on the left side.
These lending switches 67A and 67B are switches for specifying one of the left and right slot machines 1 and starting lending.

Then, by pressing the lending switch 67A, the slot machine 1 on the left side in FIG. 3 among the slot machines 1 on both sides is specified. By the pressing operation of the lending switch 67A, the driving device 72 drives the rotating member 73 to rotate clockwise, and the lending nozzle 71 is moved to the position facing the slot machine 1 on the left side in FIG. Is allowed to move.
On the other hand, by pressing the lending switch 67B, the slot machine 1 on the right side in FIG. 3 among the slot machines 1 on both sides is specified. By the pressing operation of the lending switch 67B, the driving device 72 drives the rotation member 73 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, and the lending nozzle 71 is moved to the specified position facing the slot machine 1 on the right side in FIG. It is allowed to move 71.

In addition to the lending nozzle 71, the drive device 72, and the rotating member 73, the switching unit 70 includes a fixed nozzle 74A disposed on the left side of the rotating member 73 in FIG. A fixed nozzle 74B disposed on the right side of the rotating member 73 in FIG. 3 is provided.
The fixed nozzle 74A is provided with a medal discharge port 66A facing the right end of the side transfer passage 12A provided in the left slot machine 1 in FIG. 3 at the tip, and a medal is inserted into the side transfer passage 12A. A cylindrical member to be fed. In other words, the fixed nozzle 74A is provided in the slot machine 1 on the left side in FIG. 3 by being connected to the lending nozzle 71 when the lending nozzle 71 is arranged at a position facing the slot machine 1 on the left side in FIG. This is a cylindrical member that communicates the lateral transfer passage 12A and the lending nozzle 71 with each other.

The fixed nozzle 74B is provided with a medal discharge port 66B facing the left end of the side transfer passage 12B provided in the slot machine 1 on the right side in FIG. 1, and a medal is inserted into the side transfer passage 12B. A cylindrical member to be fed. In other words, the fixed nozzle 74B is provided in the slot machine 1 on the right side in FIG. 1 by being connected to the lending nozzle 71 when the lending nozzle 71 is arranged at the position facing the slot machine 1 on the right side in FIG. This is a cylindrical member that allows the side transfer passage 12B and the rental nozzle 71 to communicate with each other.
Here, the fixed nozzle 74A and the fixed nozzle 74B have length dimensions set according to the distance from the switching unit 70 to the side transfer passages 12A and 12B provided in the corresponding slot machine 1, respectively. The fixed nozzle 74B is longer than the fixed nozzle 74A.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the rental nozzle 71 is moved to the connection position with the fixed nozzle 74A, a recess 75A for accommodating the rental nozzle 71 therein is provided between the fixed nozzle 74A and the rotating member 73. Is provided. The recess 75A is provided with a left-side nozzle proximity sensor (not shown) that detects that the lending nozzle 71 is housed inside. The left nozzle proximity sensor outputs a storage detection signal when the rental nozzle 71 is stored in the recess 75A.
Further, in order to prevent the lending nozzle 71 housed in the recess 75A from wobbling, magnets (not shown) in which magnetic poles are arranged so as to attract each other are provided on the mutually facing side surfaces of the lending nozzle 71 and the recess 75A. It has been.

Between the fixed nozzle 74B and the rotating member 73, similarly to the fixed nozzle 74A side, when the lending nozzle 71 is moved to the connection position with the fixed nozzle 74B, a recess 75B that accommodates the lending nozzle 71 therein. Is provided. The concave portion 75B is provided with a right-side nozzle proximity sensor (not shown) for detecting that the lending nozzle 71 is housed in the inside, as with the concave portion 75A. The right nozzle proximity sensor outputs a storage detection signal when the rental nozzle 71 is stored in the recess 75B.
Further, in order to prevent the lending nozzle 71 housed in the recess 75B from wobbling, magnets (not shown) in which magnetic poles are arranged so as to attract each other are provided on the side surfaces of the lending nozzle 71 and the recess 75B facing each other. It has been.

As the driving device 72, a device that exhibits a driving force sufficiently stronger than the magnet attracting force described above is adopted, and the rotating member 73 can be rotationally driven against the magnet attracting force.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rotating member 73 includes a main body member formed in a substantially columnar shape so that the rotating operation can be easily performed, and extends in a substantially L shape inside the main body member. A medal passage 73A is formed. The cross-sectional method of the medal passage 73A corresponds to the diameter and thickness of the medal in order to pass the medal one by one.
Further, one end of the medal passage 73A is opened at an upper end surface of the rotating member 73, and this opening serves as a medal entrance 73B. Further, the other end of the medal passage 73A is opened at a tip portion of the lending nozzle 71, and this opening serves as a medal outlet 73C.

The medals that have fallen from above enter the inside of the medal passage 73A extending in a substantially L shape from the medal entrance 73B, and the traveling direction is converted into a substantially horizontal direction at the bent portion of the medal passage 73A, and the horizontal direction from the medal exit 73C. It is designed to be discharged in the direction.
At this time, only when the lending nozzle 71 is housed in any one of the recesses 75A and 75B, the medal that falls through the passage portion 65 above the rotating member 73 becomes the medal inlet 73B. It is possible to enter the medal passage 73A from the inside. Only in this state, a medal that passes through the medal passage 73A and is discharged from the medal outlet 73C in a substantially horizontal direction can enter the fixed nozzle 74A or 74B. .

In the state where the lending nozzle 71 is housed in the recess 75A, the passage portion 65 of the introduction passage device 60, the medal passage 73A of the rotating member 73, and the passage formed inside the fixed nozzle 74A are connected. A series of medal passages for guiding medals sent from the medal storage section 44 by the endless belt 53 to the entrance of the side transfer passage 12A provided in the left slot machine 1 are formed.
In the state where the lending nozzle 71 is housed in the recess 75B, the passage 65, the medal passage 73A, and the passage formed inside the fixed nozzle 74B are connected, and the endless belt 53 removes the medal storage portion 44 from the medal storage portion 44. A series of medal passages for guiding the sent medals to the entrance of the side transfer passage 12B provided in the right slot machine 1 is formed.

(Drive controller 280)
Next, a nozzle control device that controls the operation of the driving device 72 disposed below the rotating member 73 to move the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 will be described.
That is, in order to control the operation of the medal insertion device 3, the drive control device 280 performs a medal lending operation control on hardware including a CPU using a microcomputer and storage means such as a ROM and a RAM. Software to do is installed.
When the drive control device 280 needs to move the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 to one of the two slot machines 1 arranged on both sides, the operation of the drive device 72 is controlled to lend the nozzle 71. A nozzle control program is also installed to move the tip of the nozzle. Accordingly, the drive control device 280 also serves as a nozzle control device that controls the operation of the drive device 72. In other words, the drive control device 280 is provided with nozzle control means 281 for controlling the operation of the drive device 72 as shown in FIG.

The nozzle control means 281 includes a specific movement control means 282 that moves the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 in order to lend medals, and a jackpot movement that moves the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 to the opposite side when a big hit is won in the game. The control means 283 and the big hit arrangement control means 284 for moving the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 and arranging it at a predetermined position when a big win is won in the game are provided.
The specific movement control means 282 operates the driving device 72 when any of the lending switches 67A and 67B is operated after the banknotes are inserted into the banknote insertion slot 21, and the operated lending switches 67A and 67B. The tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to one of the specified slot machines 1 side.

More specifically, the specific movement control means 282 includes a banknote signal indicating that a banknote has been inserted from the banknote counter 22, a left side specific signal output when the left lending switch 67A is operated, and a right side The right specific signal output when the lending switch 67B is operated is received.
By receiving these signals, the specific movement control means 282 determines that a bill has been inserted, that the left slot machine 1 has been specified as a medal lending destination, and that the right slot machine 1 has received a medal lending destination. It can detect that it has been identified.
The specific movement control means 282 outputs a control output signal for controlling the operation of the driving device 72 and a lending process signal indicating that a medal lending process is being performed. .

Among these, the control output signal is sent to the nozzle drive device driver 285 that operates the drive device 72. The nozzle drive device driver 285 operates the drive device 72 based on the received control output signal.
When the specific movement control means 282 detects that the banknote has been inserted into the banknote insertion slot 21 and then detects that the lending switch 67A has been operated, the specific movement control means 282 activates the drive device 72 to reach the recess 75A. A movement process for moving the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is performed.
Further, when the specific movement control means 282 detects that the banknote has been inserted into the banknote insertion slot 21 and then detects that the lending switch 67B has been operated, the specific movement control means 282 operates the driving device 72 to lend it into the recess 75B. A moving process for moving the tip portion of the nozzle 71 is performed.

When the movement process of the lending nozzle 71 by the specific movement control means 282 is completed, a payout process for paying out medals for lending is started. The lending process signal from the specific movement control means 282 is output at the same time as the movement process of the lending nozzle 71 is started, and stopped at the same time as the medal lending process is completed.
The jackpot movement control means 283 is configured such that when one of the two slot machines 1 wins a jackpot in the game when the medal lending machine 2 is not performing the lending operation, the other slot The tip of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to a position where medals are supplied to the machine 1.

More specifically, the jackpot movement control means 283 includes a lending processing signal from the specific movement control means 282, a jackpot winning signal from the left slot machine 1, a jackpot winning signal from the right slot machine 1, The storage detection signal from the left nozzle proximity sensor and the storage detection signal from the right nozzle proximity sensor are received.
By receiving these signals, the jackpot movement control means 283 confirms that the medal lending machine 2 is not performing the operation of lending medals, that either the left or right slot machine 1 has won the jackpot, and that one of the recesses 75A and 75B is selected. It is possible to detect that the lending nozzle 71 is also housed, and that the lending nozzle 71 is not housed in any one of the recesses 75A and 75B, that is, that it is disposed at the intermediate position. Yes.

The jackpot movement control means 283 outputs a control output signal for controlling the operation of the driving device 72 and a command signal for instructing to perform the intermediate arrangement processing of the lending nozzle 71. .
Among these, the control output signal is sent to the nozzle drive device driver 285 that operates the drive device 72. The nozzle drive device driver 285 operates the drive device 72 based on the received control output signal. The intermediate arrangement process of the lending nozzle 71 and its command signal will be described later.
Such a big hit movement control means 283 detects that the leading end portion of the lending nozzle 71 is in a state where it is disposed at the intermediate position between the concave portion 75A or the concave portion 75A and the concave portion 75B, and the slot machine 1 on the left side. When it is detected that the player has won the jackpot in the game, the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to the recess 75B.

Further, the jackpot movement control means 283 detects that the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is located at the concave portion 75B or an intermediate position between the concave portions 75A and 75B, and the right slot machine 1 When it is detected that the jackpot is won in the game, the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to the recess 75A.
Further, the jackpot movement control means 283 detects that the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is disposed in the recess 75B, and detects that the left slot machine 1 has won a jackpot in the game. It is determined that the movement process of the nozzle 71 cannot be performed, and a command signal for instructing to perform the intermediate arrangement process of the lending nozzle 71 is output to the big hit arrangement control means 284.

The jackpot movement control means 283 detects that the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is disposed in the recess 75A, and also detects that the right slot machine 1 has won a jackpot in the game. It is determined that the movement process of the nozzle 71 cannot be performed, and a command signal for instructing to perform the intermediate arrangement process of the lending nozzle 71 is output to the big hit arrangement control means 284.
The big hit arrangement control means 284 executes intermediate arrangement processing when a predetermined condition is satisfied. That is, one of the two slot machines 1 when the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is located at a position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine 1 on the other side and the operation of lending the medal is not performed. When the condition that the slot machine 1 of the game wins a big win in the game is satisfied, the big hit arrangement control means 284 executes an intermediate arrangement process. By executing the intermediate arrangement process, the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to an intermediate position between the position for supplying medals to the slot machine 1 on one side and the position for supplying medals to the slot machine 1 on the other side. It has become.

More specifically, the jackpot arrangement control means 284 receives a command signal from the jackpot movement control means 283. By receiving this command signal, the jackpot arrangement control means 284 detects that it is in a situation where an intermediate arrangement process should be performed instead of the movement process by the jackpot movement control means 283.
Further, the jackpot arrangement control means 284 sends a control output signal for controlling the operation of the driving device 72 to the nozzle driving device driver 285 for operating the driving device 72. The nozzle drive device driver 285 operates the drive device 72 based on the received control output signal.

Such a jackpot arrangement control means 284 detects that the jackpot movement control means 283 is in a state where the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is arranged in the recess 75B, and the slot machine 1 on the left side wins a jackpot in the game. When this is detected, the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to an intermediate position between the concave portion 75A and the concave portion 75B, and is arranged at the intermediate position.
The jackpot arrangement control means 284 detects that the jackpot movement control means 283 is in a state in which the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is arranged in the recess 75A, and the right slot machine 1 wins the jackpot in the game. When this is detected, the leading end portion of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to an intermediate position between the concave portion 75A and the concave portion 75B and arranged at the intermediate position, as in the case described above.

Next, a series of processes related to the medal lending operation and the jackpot winning notification operation in the both-side supply mode of the medal lending machine 2 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to flowcharts.
The medal lending process, which is a series of processes related to the medal lending operation, and the jackpot winning notification process, which is a series of processes related to the jackpot winning notification operation, are processed in parallel inside the CPU of the drive control device 280, and are viewed from the player. Are to be processed at the same time. In the following description, first, the medal lending process will be described, and after this description, the jackpot winning notification process will be described.

The medal lending process is started, for example, by turning on the power of the medal lending machine 2, and in the first step S1000, a process for setting the operation mode of the medal lending machine 2 is performed. Here, the operation mode is set to the double-sided supply mode by the key switch operation described above. When the operation mode setting process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S1100. In this step S1100, the shutter 33 is driven, and the batch closing port 31 is closed by the shutter 33.
With this closing process, when lending medals to one slot machine 1, even if a player playing a game on the other slot machine 1 tries to insert a large number of medals into the collective slot 31, the collective slot 31 Since it is closed, the player cannot insert medals into the collective slot 31. Accordingly, even if the medal lending machine 2 is installed between the two slot machines 1 and the medal lending machine 2 lends medals to both of these two slot machines, The medal lent to the player playing in the slot machine 1 and the medal inserted by the player playing in the other slot machine 1 do not mix in the medal lending machine 2, and the owner's It is possible to prevent a trouble that different medals are mixed.

After such a closing process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S1200.
In step S1200, it is determined whether or not a thousand yen bill has been inserted into the bill insertion slot 21. If it is determined in step S1200 that the thousand yen bill has not been inserted into the bill insertion slot 21, step S1200 is repeated until the thousand yen bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 21. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1200 that a thousand yen bill has been inserted into the bill insertion slot 21, the process proceeds to the next step S1300.
In step S1300, it is determined whether or not one of lending switches 67A and 67B has been pressed. If it is determined in step S1300 that one of the lending switches 67A and 67B is not pressed, step S1300 is repeated until one of the lending switches 67A and 67B is pressed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1200 that one of the rental switches 67A and 67B has been pressed, the process proceeds to the next step S1400.

In step S1400, the lending nozzle 71 moving process for moving the lending nozzle 71 is started so that the lending nozzle 71 faces the slot machine 1 specified by either of the lending switches 67A and 67B that has been pressed. More specifically, when the left lending switch 67A is pressed, in step S1400, the lending nozzle 71 starts to move toward the left slot machine 1 side. On the contrary, when the right lending switch 67B is pressed, in step S1400, the lending nozzle 71 starts to move toward the right slot machine 1 side. When the movement process of the lending nozzle 71 is started, the process proceeds to the next step S1500.
In step S1500, it is determined whether or not the lending nozzle 71 has arrived in one of the recesses 75A and 75B and has stopped. If it is determined in step S1500 that the lending nozzle 71 is not stopped, step S1500 is repeated until the lending nozzle 71 is stopped.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1500 that the lending nozzle 71 is stopped, the process proceeds to the next step S1600.
In step S1600, the lending medal payout device 25 is driven, and thereby a medal lending process for lending medals to the specified slot machine 1 is started.
Here, when either one of the lending switches 67A and 67B is not pressed, the medal lending process for lending medals is not started, so that the medals are lent to the wrong slot machine 1 in advance. Can be prevented.
In addition, the medal lending process for lending medal is not started until the lending nozzle 71 arrives at one of the recesses 75A and 75B and stops completely. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of clogging of medals at the connecting portion with the moving medal passage 73A.

When the medal lending process is started, the process proceeds to the next step S1700. In this step S1700, it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of medals have been lent to the identified slot machine 1 side in the medal renting process, in other words, whether or not the discharge of all medals to be lent has been completed. If it is determined in step S1700 that the discharge of all medals has not been completed, step S1700 is repeated until the discharge of all medals is completed.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1700 that all medals have been discharged, a series of medal lending processes started from step S1000 is completed.
Next, the jackpot winning notification process will be described.

The big win winning notification process is started when a game is started in any of the slot machines 1 on both sides. Then, in the first step S2000, a determination is made as to whether or not a jackpot winning signal has been received from either of the slot machines 1 on both sides. If it is determined in step S2000 that the jackpot winning signal has not been received, step S2000 is repeated until the jackpot winning signal is received. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2000 that the jackpot winning signal has been received, the process proceeds to the next step S2100.
In step S2100, it is determined whether or not a medal lending process for lending medals to the slot machine 1 specified by operating the lending switches 67A and 67B is performed. If it is determined in step S2100 that the medal lending process is being performed, step S2100 is repeated until the medal lending process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2100 that the medal lending process has not been performed, the process proceeds to the next step S2200.

In step S2200, it is determined whether or not the lending nozzle 71 is directed toward the slot machine 1 that has output the jackpot winning signal, and whether or not the lending nozzle 71 is directed to the winning slot machine 1 side. If it is determined in this step S2200 that the direction of the lending nozzle 71 is the winning slot machine 1 side, the process proceeds to step S2300. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2200 that the direction of the lending nozzle 71 is not the winning slot machine 1 side, the process proceeds to step S2400.
In step S2300, the lending nozzle 71 that faces the slot machine 1 that has output the jackpot winning signal is moved, and a moving process is performed to face the slot machine 1 on the opposite side. When the lending nozzle 71 moves to the position facing the slot machine 1 on the opposite side, the movement process is completed, and a series of jackpot winning notification processes started from step S2000 are also completed.

In step S2400, an intermediate arrangement process is performed in which the lending nozzle 71 facing the opposite side of the slot machine 1 that has output the jackpot winning signal is moved to the intermediate position and arranged. More specifically, in step S2400, the lending nozzle 71 is moved toward an intermediate position set between the recess 75A and the recess 75B of the switching unit 70, and the lending nozzle 71 is disposed at the intermediate position. Perform placement processing. When the lending nozzle 71 reaches the above-described intermediate position, the lending nozzle 71 is stopped, and the intermediate arrangement process is completed as described above, thereby completing a series of jackpot winning notification processes started from step S2000.
(Effect of embodiment)
According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, when the medal lending machine 2 is not performing the operation of lending medals, if the slot machine 1 on one side of the two slot machines 1 arranged on both sides wins a big win in the game, the big hit movement control means 283 As a result, the leading end portion of the lending nozzle 71 is moved to a position for supplying medals to the slot machine 1 on the other side that has not won the jackpot. You can be notified that you won the jackpot.
Further, since the medals discharged from the lending nozzle 71 are fed into the side transfer passages 12A and 12B of the slot machine 1 through the fixed nozzles 74A and 74B, the lending nozzle 71 has a remarkably short protruding length. As a result, when a large amount of medals are paid out to the lower plate 15 of the slot machine 1 on the winning side, the lending nozzle 71 does not interfere with the payout of medals.

In addition, when the slot machine 1 on one side wins a jackpot in the game, the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 moves toward the slot machine 1 on the other side that has not won the jackpot, so that the lending nozzle 71 temporarily becomes the slot machine 1 Even if the projecting length is large in order to supply medals to the lower plate 15, the lending nozzle 71 is used when a large amount of medals are paid out to the lower plate 15 of the slot machine 1 on the winning side. Will not interfere with the payout.
Here, the slot machine 1 on the side that won the jackpot need not receive medal lending, while the slot machine 1 on the other side where the tip of the lending nozzle 71 has not won the jackpot lends medal. Since the lending nozzle 71 automatically moves toward the slot machine 1 that has not been won, the player who plays in the slot machine 1 that has not been won will immediately lend out medals. Can improve the efficiency of medal lending.

Therefore, the player does not feel that the lending nozzle 71 gets in the way, and does not feel bothered by the notification of winning the jackpot, the comfort of the game is not impaired, and the lower plate of the slot machine 1 Since it is not necessary to move the lending nozzle 71 when a large amount of medals are paid out in 15, the troublesomeness of moving the lending nozzle 71 can be eliminated.
In addition, since the rotation member 73 that is the base end portion of the lending nozzle 71 is rotatably attached to the cover member 61, the driving device 72 that drives the lending nozzle 71 performs a linear motion to rotate the cam or the link. Therefore, a mechanism for directly driving the rotating member 73 can be adopted, and the driving device 72 can be reduced in size.

  Furthermore, when the tip of the lending nozzle 71 is located at the position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine 1 on the other side and the operation of lending the medal is not performed, the slot machine 1 on the one side wins a big win in the game. Then, the big hit arrangement control means 284 moves the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 to an intermediate position between the position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine 1 on one side and the position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine 1 on the other side. The operation of the lending nozzle 71 can inform the player that the player has won the jackpot. In other words, the player can recognize that he / she has won the jackpot by visually recognizing that the tip of the lending nozzle 71 facing the adjacent slot machine 1 moves to the intermediate position.

Here, since the player who is playing in each of the slot machines 1 on both sides of the medal lending machine 2 does not always monitor the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71, the lending nozzle 71 is moved from which slot machine 1. In many cases, it has not been known whether or not it has moved to the intermediate position, in such a case, if both players visually recognize that the tip portion of the lending nozzle 71 is arranged in the intermediate position, these players, This makes it possible to make the player even more enthusiastic about the game because it makes him think that he has won the jackpot.
Further, since each slot machine 1 arranged on both sides is provided with groove-shaped side transfer passages 12A and 12B for guiding medals from a portion adjacent to the medal lending machine 2 to the upper insertion opening 11, for example, on the left side When the lending nozzle 71 is moved to a position facing the direction of the slot machine 1 and a medal is discharged from the lending nozzle 71 arranged at the position, the side transfer passage 12A provided in the slot machine 1 Through the upper opening 11 of the slot machine 1.

On the contrary, when the lending nozzle 71 is moved to a position facing the direction of the right slot machine 1 and a medal is discharged from the lending nozzle 71 arranged at the position, this medal is provided in the slot machine 1. It is introduced into the upper introduction opening 11 of the slot machine 1 through the side transfer passage 12B.
Accordingly, when the player starts the game, if the player performs an operation such as paying out the rental medal and operating the lending switch, the medal is automatically inserted into the slot machine 1, and the lower plate 15 of the slot machine 1 is inserted. Therefore, it is not necessary to take out medals from the slot machine 1 and manually insert the medals into the slot machine 1, so that the convenience of the player can be further enhanced.
(Modification)
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The deformation | transformation in the range which can achieve the objective of this invention, improvement, etc. are included.

That is, the slot machine is not limited to the one having both the side transfer passage 12A and the side transfer passage 12B, but the slot machine having the side transfer passage 12A is arranged on the left side of the medal lending machine 2, A slot machine provided with the one-way transfer passage 12B may be provided with only one of the slot machines on the right side of the medal lending machine 2. When such a slot machine is employed, the slot machine having the side transfer passage 12A is arranged on the left side of the medal lending machine 2, and the slot machine having the side transfer passage 12B is arranged on the right side of the medal lending machine 2. If it does, the effect | action and effect similar to the said embodiment can be achieved.
The slot machine is not limited to one in which one medal insertion portion 10 is formed in the vicinity of the right side edge of the front surface, and one medal insertion portion 10 is provided in the vicinity of both side edges of the front surface. The medal insertion part 10 may be arranged symmetrically. If the slot machine in which the two medal insertion portions 10 are arranged symmetrically in this way is adopted, the lengths of the side transfer passage 12A and the side transfer passage 12B can be made equal.

  Furthermore, the medal lending machine is not limited to the medal lending machine 2 that can directly insert medals into the upper insertion opening 11 of the medal insertion unit 10 provided in the slot machine 1, and a lending nozzle having a large protruding length is used. It is also possible to use a medal lending machine that supplies medals to the lower plate 15 of the slot machine 1 using this lending nozzle.

It is the front view and top view which show the slot machine and medal lending machine of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the slot machine and medal lending machine which concern on the said embodiment. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the principal part of the medal lending machine which concerns on the said embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the slot machine according to the embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the principal part of the medal lending machine which concerns on the said embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view showing the rental nozzle concerning the embodiment. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the rental nozzle which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the nozzle control apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the medal rental process which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the jackpot winning notification process which concerns on the said embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 slot machine 2 medal lending machine
11 Upper slot for medal slot
12A, 12B Side transfer passage as transfer passage
71 Rental nozzle
72 Drive unit
67A, 67B loan switch
280 Drive control device as control device
282 Specific movement control means
283 jackpot movement control means
284 jackpot placement control means

Claims (4)

Insert a medal and start playing, depending on the game result,
It is arranged between a normal game and a slot machine with a jackpot game that can win a large number of medals in a short time compared to this normal game, and medals can be lent out to any slot machine on either side A possible medal lending machine,
Provided with a lending nozzle that can be moved between two positions of a position facing the slot machine direction on one side and a position facing the slot machine direction on the other side, and that can lend medals to any slot machine,
A driving device for driving the tip portion of the lending nozzle from the slot machine on one side of the slot machines on both sides to the slot machine on the other side;
A lending switch for identifying one of the slot machines and starting lending,
When it is necessary to move the tip portion of the lending nozzle to one of the two slot machines, a control device is provided that controls the driving device to move the tip portion of the lending nozzle,
In the control device, when a lending switch is operated, a specific movement control means for operating the driving device to move the tip portion of the lending nozzle to any one of the specified slot machines,
When the operation of lending medals is not performed, if the slot machine on one side of the two slot machines wins a big win in the game, the tip portion of the lending nozzle is located at a position for supplying medals to the slot machine on the other side. A medal lending machine, characterized in that it is provided with a jackpot movement control means for moving the coin.   The medal lending machine according to claim 1, wherein a base end portion of the lending nozzle is rotatably attached.   Of the two slot machines, when the tip of the lending nozzle is located at the position where the medal is supplied to the slot machine on the other side and the operation of lending the medal is not performed, When a big win is won in a game, the tip of the lending nozzle is moved to an intermediate position between a position for supplying medals to the slot machine on one side and a position for supplying medals to the slot machine on the other side. 3. The medal lending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a jackpot arrangement control means for arranging the medal arrangement. Each of the slot machines arranged on both sides is provided with a groove-shaped transfer passage that guides a medal from a portion adjacent to the medal lending machine to a medal slot,
The transfer passage provided in the slot machine on one side is a medal slot provided in the slot machine on the one side, and the medal discharged from the lending nozzle arranged at the position facing the slot machine on the one side. That leads to
The transfer path provided in the slot machine on the other side is a medal slot provided in the slot machine on the other side, and the medal discharged from the lending nozzle arranged at a position facing the slot machine direction on the other side. That leads to
When one of the two slot machines is specified by the lending switch, the specific movement control means moves the lending nozzle to a position facing the slot machine direction specified by the lending switch, and the specific movement control means is arranged at the position. The medal is discharged from the lending nozzle, the medal is sent into the transfer path of the slot machine, and the medal is inserted into the medal slot of the slot machine. The medal lending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images