JP2008154912A - Game board unit, decorative frame, and game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game board unit, a decorative frame, and a game machine which make it possible to secure a ball flowing space in a game region while enlarging a video display device, to provide a more powerful and interesting game by unifying a game with video and a game with balls, and to allow a player to enjoy and concentrate on the game without becoming tired. <P>SOLUTION: The game board unit 7 used for a game machine has a game board 6 having the game region 6b for achieving the game by flowing down of balls 20, and having the video display device 13 for displaying video for performance of the game during playing. A video display surface 13a of the video display device 13 is substantially arranged along at least a part of the game region 6b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game board unit, a decorative frame, and a game machine, and more particularly, to a game board unit that has a video display device such as a liquid crystal display and can be improved.

  In a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, a ball that has been shot flows down on the surface of the game board, and in the process of flowing down, the ball rolls while colliding with a gauge (also called a nail) or impeller on the surface of the game board. The flow direction changes. As a result, if a ball wins at various winning holes arranged on the surface of the game board, a predetermined prize ball is paid out. On the other hand, if a ball flows into the out port without winning any prize hole, no prize ball is paid out. . The player enjoys the game by demonstrating his / her skill in the ball or using the chance of the ball flowing down and expecting to win a prize and give away a prize ball.

  In such a gaming machine, there is a tendency to increase the number of winning holes on the surface of the game board in order to further improve interest. There is also a game board in which an accessory such as a variable winning device or a symbol display device is arranged at the center of the board surface.

  In the variable winning device, for example, an accessory such as a character doll for game effects and a plurality of types of winning ports are arranged in the winning device. And it is comprised so that the sphere which flowed in the variable prize-winning apparatus can enjoy which kind of prize-winning opening a prize is influenced by operation | movement of a character doll etc. Depending on which type of winning a prize is won, the number of prize balls to be paid out is different, or different types of different games are started.

  In addition, the symbol display device is for configuring a so-called “hit” that allows a player to acquire a large amount of prize balls when the symbol displayed on the display screen changes and becomes a specific display mode. is there. By arranging this symbol display device in the gaming machine, not only when a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out by winning a prize at the prize opening on the game board surface, but also a large amount of prize balls depending on the result of the symbol fluctuation. Since it is paid out, the interest of the player is further improved.

  Furthermore, recently, the creation and operation of character dolls and other objects are complicated and precise, and the symbols and characters displayed on the symbol display device are becoming more complex and precise. The display device is also enlarged. By increasing the size of these devices, the interest of the player will be further improved.

  On the other hand, the area of the entire gaming board cannot be increased unnecessarily from the viewpoint that there is a restriction on the standard of the frame size for holding the gaming board and the securing of the number of gaming machines installed in the gaming machine hall. Therefore, the size of the game area on the game board (the area where gauges, winning holes, bonuses, etc. are arranged, and the area where the bullets flow down) is limited.

  In order to prevent the occurrence of clogging, it is necessary to secure a certain amount of space for the ball to flow down in the game area. However, the above-mentioned variable prize device and the symbol display device do not become the space for the flow down. . Therefore, if the size of the game area is limited, the size of the symbol display device or the like cannot be increased beyond a certain level. In order to solve such a problem, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a design in which a symbol display device is provided outside the game area.

JP 2006-158535 A

  However, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is simply a symbol display device arranged below the game area, and the player can improve the visibility of the symbol display device, but is arranged in the conventional game region. It does not look different from the symbol display device, and hardly contributes to improving the interest of the player.

  In addition, since the game area and the symbol display device are spaced apart from each other, there is no sense of unity between the game by the ball in the game region and the symbol variation game by the symbol display device, and expects a synergistic effect of fun and force I can't. A player may be distracted by both the game board surface and the symbol display device, and one of the games may be neglected. . The viewpoint must be moved around, which increases fatigue.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and while ensuring both a space for the flow of the ball in the game area and an increase in the size of the video display device, it further provides a sense of unity between the video game and the ball game. It is an exemplary problem to provide a game board unit, a decorative frame, and a game machine that can increase the power and interest of the game by creating it, and that allows the player to play happily and concentrate and play without getting tired And

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a game board unit as an exemplary aspect of the present invention has a game board in which a game area for realizing a game by flowing down a ball is formed on the surface, and directs a game during the game. A game board unit for a gaming machine having a video display device for displaying the video of the video display device, wherein the video display surface of the video display device is arranged substantially along at least a part of the game area. And

  Since the game board unit has a video display device, and the video display surface is arranged substantially along at least a part of the game area, the video display surface can be arranged outside the game area. The image display surface can be enlarged without being limited by the size of the area, and a powerful image can be displayed on the large screen. Since the video display surface is arranged along the game area, a game with a ball in the game area (hereinafter referred to as a ball game) and a game with a video on the video display surface (hereinafter referred to as a video display game). It can be a game with a sense of unity. Therefore, the player can concentrate on the game without having to move the viewpoint from place to place, so that the fatigue is reduced and the interest is improved. For example, a game having a sense of unity and fun can be configured by linking a ball game and a video display game.

  The symbol display device can be eliminated from the game area without lowering the interest, and the game area can be condensed in a compact manner. Therefore, the overall size of the game board can be reduced, which can contribute to the reduction of parts cost and the improvement of assembly.

  The video display surface may be arranged on the side of the game area. In gaming machines, a transparent plate such as a front glass is generally arranged on the front surface of a game board. Due to the size and positional relationship between the transparent plate and the game area, the side of the game area has more room for video display to the player than above or below. In particular, when the transparent plate has a substantially quadrangular shape and the game area has a substantially circular shape, a large displayable space is created on the diagonal side of the game area (diagonal direction of the transparent board). If a video display surface is arranged in the space, video display on a large screen is possible, and a more powerful game effect can be achieved. The degree of freedom in arrangement of the video display device is improved, and the design efficiency is improved.

  The video display surface may be substantially U-shaped. By configuring the video display surface to surround the three sides of the game area, it is possible to further improve the sense of unity and interest between the ball game and the video display game and provide a powerful game effect.

  A decorative frame according to another exemplary aspect of the present invention is for a gaming machine that is swingably supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to a machine frame that holds the gaming board and has an opening for visually recognizing the gaming board. It is a decorative frame and has a video display device for displaying a video for producing a game realized in a game area of the game board.

  Since the decorative frame has a video display device, it is possible to display various videos for the player and improve the interest. Since the video display device is provided on the decorative frame side, it is not necessary to replace the video display device even when the game board is replaced, which can contribute to saving resources and reducing maintenance costs.

  The video display surface of the video display device may be disposed inside the opening. By arranging the video display surface inside the opening, the game area viewed from the player and the video display surface can be close to each other. Therefore, the player can visually recognize the ball game and the video display game without moving the viewpoint from place to place, and can concentrate and enjoy the game without getting tired.

  The video display surface may be arranged substantially along at least a part of the game area in a front view of the game board through the opening. Since the video display surface is arranged along at least a part of the game area viewed from the player, the video display surface can be arranged outside the game area, and the video display surface is not limited by the size of the game area. Can be enlarged, and powerful images can be displayed on the large screen. Since the video display surface is arranged along the game area, a game with a ball in the game area (hereinafter referred to as a ball game) and a game with a video on the video display surface (hereinafter referred to as a video display game). It can be a game with a sense of unity. For example, a game having a sense of unity and fun can be configured by linking a ball game and a video display game.

  The symbol display device can be eliminated from the game area without lowering the interest, and the game area can be condensed in a compact manner. Therefore, the overall size of the game board can be reduced, which can contribute to the reduction of parts cost and the improvement of assembly.

  The video display device may be detachable from the decorative frame. Since only the video display device can be removed and replaced from the decorative frame, a video display device having a different shape or display method (for example, difference between monochrome display and color display, difference between liquid crystal display and EL display, etc.) is required. It can be appropriately selected and attached to the decorative frame. Further, when using a game board with a large game area, the video display device may be removed and the entire opening part may be used as a front glass so that the entire game area can be viewed.

  The video display surface may be disposed on the outer periphery of the opening. Ordinarily, a decorative member provided with a model, color, lamp, and the like for decorating the front surface of the gaming machine is arranged on the outer periphery of the opening. However, by arranging a video display surface on the outer periphery of the opening, it is possible to display various characters, colors, designs, and the like. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of parts by eliminating the decorative member, and it is possible to obtain a decorative effect having a powerful and interesting effect by the image.

  A gaming machine according to still another exemplary aspect of the present invention includes a housing frame that encloses the entire gaming machine, a gaming board that realizes a game by flowing down a ball, a gaming board, and a front surface with respect to the housing frame. A machine frame that is swingably supported so as to be opened and closed, a front transparent plate that is arranged at a certain distance from the game board, the decorative frame, and a ball tray that stores the ball to guide the ball to a ball launcher; It has a ball launcher for launching a ball into the game area, and a launch handle for driving the ball launcher and adjusting the launch intensity.

  Since the game board unit has a video display device, and the video display surface is arranged substantially along at least a part of the game area, the video display surface can be arranged outside the game area. The image display surface can be enlarged without being limited by the size of the area, and a powerful image can be displayed on the large screen. Since the video display surface is arranged along the game area, the ball game and the video display game in the game area can be made into a game with a sense of unity. Therefore, the player can concentrate on the game without having to move the viewpoint from place to place, so that the fatigue is reduced and the interest is improved. For example, a game having a sense of unity and fun can be configured by linking a ball game and a video display game.

  The symbol display device can be eliminated from the game area without lowering the interest, and the game area can be condensed in a compact manner. Therefore, the overall size of the game board can be reduced, which can contribute to the reduction of parts cost and the improvement of assembly.

  Further objects and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the preferred embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the video display surface can be enlarged without being restrict | limited to the size, ensuring the flow space of the ball | bowl in a game area. A powerful image can be displayed on the large-screen image display surface, and a sense of unity between ball games and video games can be created, increasing the power and interest of the game, making the player enjoyable And you can play games without getting tired by concentrating. The game board itself can also be made small.

  In addition, when the video display device is detachably provided on the decorative frame, the video display device can be replaced as required, and the decorative display can be performed by removing the decorative member.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an external appearance of a pachinko machine 2 as a gaming machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The pachinko machine 2 includes a housing frame 4, a game board 6, a machine frame 8, a front glass (front transparent plate) 10, a decorative frame 12, an upper plate (ball tray) 14, a ball launcher (not shown), and launching. A handle 17 is provided.

  The pachinko machine 2 includes a combination pachinko machine, an enclosed circulation pachinko machine, and the like. In addition to pachinko machines, various game machines and arcade machines can be conceptualized as gaming machines.

  The housing frame 4 is a frame for enclosing the entire pachinko machine 2 and is configured to be substantially rectangular in plan view. Wood is often used as the material, but other materials such as resin and aluminum are also used. The housing frame 4 surrounds the upper and lower surfaces and the left and right side surfaces of the entire pachinko machine 2, and swings and supports the machine frame 8 and the decorative frame 12 on the left side as viewed from the front surface (that is, the player side). A hinge part (swing support part) 18 is provided.

  In the pachinko machine 2, the game board 6 is for realizing a game by flowing down a ball 20 as a game medium, and a game area 6b is formed on the game board surface 6a on the surface. A rail ornament 22 is attached to the game board surface 6 a so as to surround the substantially circular shape, and the game area 6 b is surrounded by an inner side surface 22 a formed so as to stand inside the rail ornament 22. .

  In the game area 6b, a large number of gauges 24, a normal winning port 26, a starting winning port 28, an out port 30, and other various kinds of accessories are arranged. However, in this pachinko machine 2, since the decorative frame 12 has the video display device 13 described later, the symbol display device is not arranged in the game area 6b. Therefore, the game area 6b is configured to be compact while ensuring a sufficient space for the ball 20 to flow down.

  When the ball 20 is launched toward the upper part in the game area 6b by a ball launching device (not shown), the ball 20 collides with the gauge 24 and flows down in the game area 6b while changing its flow direction. . In the middle of the flow, a certain thing wins the normal prize opening 26 and triggers a prize ball payout, and a certain thing wins the starting prize opening 28 and triggers a video display game by the video display device 13, Some are discharged from the out port 30 to the outside of the pachinko machine 2 without winning any of the winning ports 26. As described above, various games are produced when the ball 20 flows down on the game board 6.

  The game area 6b on the game board 6 is set so as not to overlap the video display device 13 with the decorative frame 12 closed. Accordingly, the lateral width dimension (dimension in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 1) of the game area 6b is reduced, and the lowermost out port 30 of the game area 6b is disposed above the video display device 13.

  On the rear side of the game board 6, a video path control board (not shown) for controlling video display of the video display device 13, a ball path for discharging the winning balls won in the winning opening 26 and the out balls flowing into the out opening 30. Z)), an accessory control board for controlling the operation of various accessories is arranged, but details are omitted.

  The machine frame 8 is a frame for holding the game board 6, and an attachment opening for attaching the game board 6 is formed in the vicinity of the center thereof. An attachment portion for removably attaching the game board 6 is provided around the attachment opening, and the machine frame 8 is configured to surround the game board 6. The machine frame 8 is disposed on the front surface side of the housing frame 4 and is swingably supported by the housing frame 4 at the hinge portion 18, and is swingably supported by the housing frame 4 so that the front surface can be opened and closed.

  The machine frame 8 is provided with a locking device 1, and the locking device 1 can lock the casing frame 4 and the decorative frame 12 in a locked manner. The machine frame 8 is formed of resin or metal, and a rear mechanism board (not shown) is disposed on the rear surface side. On the back mechanism board, a winning ball processing device (not shown) for counting and discharging the winning balls, a prize ball paying device (not shown) for counting and paying out the prize balls, and the like are arranged. Yes. In the first embodiment, an upper plate 14, a lower plate 15, and a firing handle 17 described later are also held by the machine casing 8.

  The front glass 10 is a transparent plate disposed at a certain distance from the game board 6. The front glass 10 is formed of a transparent flat glass, and has a function of forming a flowing-down space where the ball 20 flows down between the front board 10 and the player so that the player can visually recognize the game board 6 through the front glass 10. The function and the function of preventing unauthorized access to prevent the player from illegally accessing (contacting) the game board 6 are exhibited.

  Of course, a resin material such as transparent acrylic may be used as the front transparent plate in addition to the front glass 10 made of glass. In the first embodiment, the front glass 10 is held by the frame main body 11 of the decorative frame 12, but the front glass 10 is attached to the front surface of the game board 6 and is held by the machine frame 8 together with the game board 6. It may be configured to be.

  The decorative frame 12 is a frame body that is swingably supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the machine frame 8 that holds the game board 6. In the first embodiment, the decorative frame 12 is swingably supported together with the machine frame 8 at the hinge portion 18. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the decorative frame 12.

  An opening 12a for allowing the player to visually recognize the game board 6 is formed in the central portion of the frame body 11 of the decorative frame. And the decoration member 32 to which the shaping | molding / color / lamp etc. which decorate this pachinko machine 2 was attached is arrange | positioned at the outer peripheral front side of the opening 12a.

  On the rear side of the frame main body 11 (the arrow Y side in FIG. 2), the video display device 13 is arranged so that the video display surface 13a is located inside the opening 12a. The video display device 13 is a thin display device such as a liquid crystal display, an EL display (including an organic EL display and an inorganic EL display), a plasma display, and the like. Character information such as a message can be displayed as a still image or a moving image.

  The video display surface 13a has a left side portion 13b, a bottom side portion 13c, and a right side portion 13d and is substantially U-shaped. When the game board 6 is viewed from the front through the opening 12a in the gaming state, the game area It is located along the periphery of 6b. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the video display surface 13a is arranged in the vicinity of the inner side surface 22a surrounding the game area 6b and surrounding the outer side.

  Since the video display surface 13a is arranged along the left and right sides and the lower side of the game area 6b and substantially surrounds more than half of the circumference, the ball game in the game area 6b and the video display on the video display surface 13a are displayed. A highly entertaining game with a sense of unity with the game can be realized. For example, when the ball 20 wins the start winning opening 28, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), numbers as variable symbols are displayed on the side portions 13b to 13d of the video display surface 13a. May be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the right side near the normal winning opening 26 at the timing of winning the normal winning opening 26 is the letter “fired!” On the left side 13 b at the timing of launching the ball 20. The character “I did it!” May be displayed in the portion 13d and the character “I'm sorry!” May be displayed on the bottom portion 13c only for a short time at the timing of the inflow of the sphere 20 to the out port 30. By configuring in this way, a game with a sense of unity and power can be achieved by linking the ball game and the video display game.

  On the further rear side of the video display device 13, a front glass 10 is disposed so as to cover the entire opening 12a. By the arrangement of the front glass 10, it is possible to ensure visibility of the player on the game board 6 and prevent unauthorized access.

  The video display device 13 and the front glass 10 are detachably attached to the frame body 11 by known attachment means such as attachment screws and attachment rails. Therefore, when the video display device 13 or the front glass 10 breaks down or is damaged, only that part can be easily replaced. Further, when using the game board 6 having a large game area 6b, it is possible to remove only the video display device 13 and change the game board 6 so that the game board 6 can be visually recognized through the entire opening 12a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the video display device 13 may be configured so that the video display surface 13a is substantially L-shaped and surrounds either the left or right side of the game area 6b and the lower side. Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, the arrangement order of the video display device 13 and the front glass 10 is reversed, the front glass 10 is arranged on the rear side of the frame body 11, and the video display device is further arranged on the rear side. 13 may be arranged.

  Further, the front glass 10 does not cover the entire opening 12a, but may cover the opening 12a in cooperation with the video display device 13, as shown in FIG. In this case, the video display device 13 and the front glass 10 do not need to be shifted in the front-rear direction, and can be disposed at positions that match the front-rear direction.

  The upper plate 14 is for storing the ball 20 so as to guide it to the ball launcher, and has a function of storing the player's ball together with the lower plate 15. The upper plate 14 is disposed on the front surface of the pachinko machine 2 and below the game board 6, that is, at the lower portion of the decorative frame 12, and the lower plate 15 is disposed further below the upper plate 14. In the first embodiment, the upper plate 14 and the lower plate 15 are configured separately. Of course, the upper plate 14 and the lower plate 15 may be integrated to form one ball plate. .

  The upper plate 14 has a function of receiving the sphere 20 paid out from the pachinko machine 2 as a giveaway sphere, and a function of storing the sphere 20 so as to be guided to the sphere launcher via the sphere supply device. Further, when the ball 20 becomes too large to be stored in the upper plate 14 or when the player ends the game, the ball 20 can be discharged to the lower plate 15 by the ball discharge button 14b. It has become.

  The ball launching device (not shown) is for firing (bulleting) the ball 20 sent out by the ball supply device and stopped and held at the ball launching position toward the upper part of the game area 6b. The ball launching device energizes, for example, a launcher that launches the ball 20 sent to the launch position toward the game area 6b, a launch motor that drives the launcher to reciprocate the launcher, and a launcher. The unit is configured to have a firing spring or the like that generates a force for the ball and is attached to the machine casing 8.

  The firing handle 17 is a handle for adjusting the strength of the bullet ball by the ball launching device, and is operated by the player by hand. For example, it is arranged on the lower right side of the front surface of the pachinko machine 2 and has a substantially cylindrical shape, and its strength adjusting rod 17a is rotatable along the circumferential surface of the cylinder. The player can adjust the firing strength of the ball 20 by rotating the strength adjusting rod 17a while holding the firing handle 17 by hand.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, the case where the video display device 13 is attached to the decorative frame 12 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the video display device 13 that is substantially U-shaped with the game board 6, and May constitute the game board unit 7 together. Since the game board 6 and the video display device 13 can be arranged with almost no difference, the sense of unity between the ball game and the video display game is further improved. In this case, the front glass 10 (not shown) covers the entire opening 12 a of the decorative frame 12.

[Embodiment 3]
FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the decorative frame 12 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the video display surface 16a of the video display device 16 is arranged on the outer peripheral front side of the opening 12a of the frame body 11 of the decorative frame 12. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange the decorative member 32 on the outer peripheral front side of the opening 12a. By displaying various characters, colors, patterns, and the like on the video display surface 16a, an interesting game effect can be performed. Moreover, since the video display surface 16a can display a moving image (video), a dynamic and powerful game effect can be achieved as compared with the static modeling, color, and lamp display by the conventional decorative member 32. .

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary. For example, as described above, it is of course within the scope of the present invention that the ball feeding unit according to the present invention is applied not to the rectifier but to a prize ball payout device or a winning ball processing device.

1 is an external perspective view of a pachinko machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the decoration frame shown in FIG. It is the front view which looked at the game field vicinity of the pachinko machine shown in FIG. 1 from the front, (a) shows a mode that a change symbol is displayed on a video display surface, (b) displays a character on a video display surface. It shows how it is done. It is a front view of the decoration frame which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is an exploded perspective view of a decorative frame according to another modification of the present invention, (a) shows an example in which a front glass is arranged on the rear side of the frame body and a video display device is arranged on the rear side, (B) shows an example in which the front glass and the video display device cooperate to cover the opening. It is an external appearance perspective view of the game board unit concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of the decoration frame which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

X, Y: Arrow 1: Locking device 2: Pachinko machine (game machine)
4: Housing frame 6: Game board 6a: Game board surface 6b: Game area 7: Game board unit 8: Machine frame 10: Front glass (front transparent plate)
11: Frame body 12: Decoration frame 12a: Opening 13, 16: Video display device 13a, 16a: Video display surface 13b: Left side 13c: Bottom side 13d: Right side 14: Upper dish (ball dish)
14b: Ball discharge button 15: Lower pan 17: Launch handle 17a: Strength adjustment rod 18: Hinge (swing support)
20: Ball (game media)
22: Rail decoration 22a: Inner side surface 24: Gauge 26: Ordinary winning opening 28: Start winning opening 30: Out opening 32: Decoration member

Claims (9)

A game board having a game area formed on the surface for realizing a game by flowing down a ball;
A game board unit for a gaming machine having an image display device for displaying an image for producing the game during the game,
A game board unit in which a video display surface of the video display device is arranged substantially along at least a part of the game area.   The game board unit according to claim 1, wherein the video display surface is arranged on a side of the game area.   The game board unit according to claim 1, wherein the video display surface is substantially U-shaped. A decorative frame for a gaming machine that is swingably supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to a machine frame that holds the gaming board and has an opening for visually recognizing the gaming board,
A decorative frame having an image display device for displaying an image for producing a game realized in a game area of the game board.   The decorative frame according to claim 4, wherein a video display surface of the video display device is disposed inside the opening.   The decorative frame according to claim 5, wherein the video display surface is disposed substantially along at least a part of the game area in a front view of the game board through the opening.   The decorative frame according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the video display device is detachable from the decorative frame.   The decorative frame according to claim 4, wherein the video display surface is disposed on an outer periphery of the opening. A housing frame surrounding the entire gaming machine,
A game board for realizing a game by the flow of the ball;
A machine frame that holds the game board and is swingably supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the housing frame.
A front transparent plate disposed at a predetermined distance from the game board;
The decorative frame according to any one of claims 4 to 8,
A ball pan for storing the sphere to guide the sphere launcher;
A ball launcher for firing the ball into the game area;
A game machine having a launch handle for driving the ball launcher and adjusting launch intensity.

Images