JP2010227321A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine which increases the storing amount of the put-out balls of a downstream-side passage on the side of a front frame, gives variation to the falling of game balls, and inhibits ball jamming. <P>SOLUTION: A ball put-out passage 15 includes an upstream-side passage 17 on the side of an inner frame 3 and the downstream-side passage 18 on the side of the front frame 7. The inlet part 18a of the downstream-side passage 18 is arranged according to the outlet part 17a of the upstream-side passage 17 at the time of the closing of the front frame 7, the upstream-side passage 17 and the downstream-side passage 18 continue, thereby the game balls can be guided to a ball tray 9. The bottom wall of the downstream-side passage 18 includes: the upper step section 18b located on the side of the inlet part; and the lower step section 18c which falls in the shape of a level difference from the downstream end of the upper step section 18b and extends to the side of the put-out port 9a of the ball tray 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

In a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, an inner frame is assembled to a rectangular outer frame so as to be openable and closable, and a front frame is disposed on the inner frame so as to be openable and closable via a hinge. A game board is detachably assembled on the front side of the inner frame, and a ball tray is provided on the front frame. The ball tray temporarily stores the game ball and guides the stored game ball to the launch position of the launch device provided in the inner frame.
A launch handle is provided on the front frame, and the launch device is operated by operating the launch handle.

  A control unit including an image processing board of the symbol display device and a main control board for controlling the operation of the pachinko machine is assembled on the back side of the inner frame. In addition, a replenishment tank for storing game balls supplied from the gaming machine island of the game hall, a tank rail for guiding the game balls in the replenishment tank to the downstream side, a ball passage for flowing down the ball pressure while dispersing the ball pressure, a ball passage A ball payout device for paying out game balls as prize balls / rented balls based on predetermined conditions is provided. The game balls paid out from the payout exit through the ball payout passage from the ball payout device are temporarily stored in the ball receiving tray.

  The ball payout passage is composed of a ball passage on the ball payout device side (inner frame side) and a ball passage on the ball receiving tray side (front frame side). Here, in the pachinko machine, the front frame may be opened by the staff to eliminate or check the ball clogging while the player is playing. Therefore, when the front frame is closed, the ball passage on the ball payout device side and the ball passage on the ball receiving tray side are connected, and the game balls paid out from the ball payout device are discharged through the ball payout passage. When the ball tray is temporarily stored and the front frame is opened, the ball path on the ball dispensing device side and the ball path on the ball tray side are separated (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-119718 A

The gaming machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above has a pachinko ball guide unit that guides a pachinko ball paid out as a prize ball by the payout device attached to the machine frame to the front plate part when the front frame having the front plate part is closed. The first opening is connected to the second opening of the front pan.
In the above gaming machine, game balls are arranged side by side on the downstream side through the second opening of the front plate corresponding to the outlet on the upstream side of the first opening, and from the payout port on the downstream side to the front plate Since the game balls are paid out only to one stage to the club (ball tray), the game balls are stored only in one stage in the front dish (ball tray), and the player can play the game in the ball payout passage by hand. There is a dilemma that if the work such as scraping out the ball is not performed, the amount of the original dish (ball tray) that can be stored cannot be satisfied.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the player does not need to manually scrape the game ball in the payout passage, and the game ball fluctuates in the downstream passage on the front frame side. The object is to provide a gaming machine capable of increasing the amount of game balls stored in the ball tray.

What achieves the above object is a gaming machine characterized by the following (1) to (9).
(1) A front frame is arranged on the front side of the inner frame holding the game board so as to be openable and closable via a hinge, and a game ball paid out from a ball payout device provided on the inner frame side is placed in the front frame. A ball payout passage that guides to a provided ball receiving tray, and the ball payout passage includes an upstream-side passage on the inner frame side and a downstream-side passage on the front frame side, and the front frame is connected to the inner frame. A gaming machine in which an inlet portion of the downstream passage is located at an outlet portion of the upstream passage and the game ball can be guided to the ball tray by the upstream passage and the downstream passage being continuous when closed. Because
The bottom wall of the downstream passage includes an upper step located on the inlet side, and a lower step extending downward from the downstream end of the upper step and extending to the payout outlet side of the ball tray,
The payout port has an opening height that allows at least game balls to pass in a stacked state.

(2) The upper stage has a length that allows at least one game ball to be placed thereon.
(3) The difference in height between the upper step and the lower step is equal to or greater than the radius of the game ball.
(4) The height difference between the upper and lower steps is substantially the same as the diameter of the game ball.
(5) The upper stage portion is located in the height range of the payout opening.
(6) The upper stage has an inclined bottom wall at the entrance.

(7) The lower step has a length that is at least twice the diameter of the game ball.
(8) The ball payout passage has a width that allows at least two game balls to pass side by side, and the downstream passage includes opposing side walls that extend upward from the bottom wall.
(9) The outlet part of the upstream passage has an outlet form that can flow out in a state where at least two game balls are arranged side by side when the front frame is closed to the inner frame.

According to the feature (1) of the gaming machine of the present invention, the lower step portion is provided in a step shape, and the opening height of the payout opening is provided so that the game balls can be passed in a state where they are stacked in two steps. By changing the flow of the game ball, even when the ball tray is filled with one stage of the game ball, it becomes possible to pay out the game ball from the top (second stage) from the payout outlet. It is possible to increase the amount of game balls stored in (can be discharged). As a result, it becomes possible to satisfy | fill the quantity which the front tray part (ball | bowl tray) can store originally. Since the upper step portion and the lower step portion are stepped, it is possible to vary the flow of the game ball, decelerate the flow of the game ball, and rectify the ball to prevent clogging of the ball.
In addition, when the front frame having the ball tray is opened, the game ball located near the entrance portion of the downstream passage moves to the upper step portion when there is no game ball in the upper step portion, and the game ball is moved to the upper step portion. If a ball is present, the game ball is pushed to the lower step side and moves to the upper step. For this reason, when the front frame having the ball tray is opened, the game ball located near the entrance of the downstream passage is prevented from falling. It is possible to suppress the player from pushing the game ball back to the upstream passage side from the ball tray filled with game balls, and to suppress or prevent the ball from spilling when the front frame is opened and closed.
Since the payout opening has an opening height that allows at least the game balls to be stacked in two stages, it is possible to suppress clogging of the balls and biting of the balls.

According to the feature (2), the upper stage portion of the downstream passage has a length that allows at least one game ball to be placed thereon, so that the game balls can be easily pushed out in two stages. And an upper stage part becomes a ball receiving part and can suppress or prevent ball spilling.
According to the feature (3), when the difference in height between the upper stage and the lower stage is equal to or greater than the radius of the game ball, even if there is a ball on the front surface of the lower stage, the subsequent game ball When the ball pressure is applied, the upper game ball can be pushed up onto the lower game ball.
According to the feature (4), when the height difference between the upper and lower tiers is substantially the same as the diameter of the game sphere, the subsequent game sphere can be smoothly pushed onto the lower tier game sphere. Can do.

According to the feature of (5), since the upper stage portion is located in the height range of the payout port, the game balls in the upper step portion can be discharged smoothly from the payout port.
In particular, if the difference in height between the upper step portion and the lower step portion is equal to or greater than the radius of the game ball, and the payout opening has an opening height corresponding to the height, the bottom wall of the ball receiving tray from the lower step portion. Even in a state where the game balls are completely filled, the ball pressure is not applied to the game balls located in the upper stage, and the game balls flowing to the upper stage are not affected by the game balls located in the lower stage. The game ball moves sequentially, and even when the game ball is present in the ball tray and the lower stage, the flow of the game ball is good.
According to the feature of (6), since the upper portion has an inclined bottom wall at the entrance, it is easy to push the game ball in the upper portion with the game ball flowing down from the upstream passage and move it to the lower step.

According to the characteristic of (7), since the lower stage part has the length of 2 times or more of the diameter of a game ball, the storage amount of a game ball can be increased from a lower stage part to a ball tray.
According to the feature of (8), the ball payout passage has a lateral width that allows at least two game balls to pass side by side, and the downstream passage includes opposing side walls extending upward from the bottom wall. As a result, the amount of game balls stored can be increased without spilling game balls.
According to the feature of (9), the outlet portion of the upstream passage flows out in a state where at least two game balls paid out from the ball payout device are arranged side by side when the front frame is closed to the inner frame. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly flow down to the downstream passage.

It is a front view which shows an example of the game machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the gaming machine of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view at the time of the front frame open | release of the gaming machine of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view at the time of front frame closure of the gaming machine of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of opening the front frame of the ball payout passage. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of closing the front frame of the ball payout passage. It is a top view explaining the action | operation of a ball spill prevention mechanism. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of the front frame closing of the ball delivery path of another Example.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a gaming machine (hereinafter also referred to as a pachinko machine) 1 includes a frame-like outer frame 2 that forms an outline of the pachinko machine 1, and one side is on the front side of the outer frame 2. Is supported by a hinge 2a, and the inner frame 3 is supported so as to be openable toward the front side. A game board 5 in which a game area 5a is formed by the guide rail 4 is mounted on the inner frame 3, and a launching mechanism (not shown) is provided below the inner board 3. A glass frame 6 is provided on one side of the inner frame 3 as a front frame provided with a transparent plate such as glass that covers the front of the game board 5 via a hinge 2b. Below that, a ball tray frame 7 is pivotally supported as a front frame through a hinge 2c so as to be freely opened and closed. A game ball is stored on the front surface thereof, and the stored game ball is rectified and supplied to the launch mechanism. A ball tray 9 is provided. A launching handle 10 for adjusting the launching force of the game ball is provided on the lower right side of the ball tray 9.

  In the present specification, the vertical direction in the pachinko machine 1 means a direction (vertical direction) in which the game ball flows down the game area 5a in a manner along the surface of the game board 5. Moreover, the left-right direction means a direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the up-down direction in a mode along the board surface of the game board 5. Further, the front-rear direction means a direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the board surface of the game board 5, the player side of the game board 5 is the front side, and the back side of the game board 5 (opposite side of the game area 5 a) is the rear side. On the side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inner frame 3 is formed in a vertical rectangular shape made of a metal such as aluminum or a synthetic resin, and has a frame shape in which a window portion 11 is opened in the center. A replenishment tank 12 for storing game balls replenished from a replenishment route (not shown) of the gaming machine island is provided above the rear surface of the window portion 11. In addition, a straight and bent ball guide path 13 is provided on the downstream side of the replenishing tank 12 to arrange and flow the game balls. Further, a ball payout device 14 for counting and paying out a predetermined number of game balls is provided on the downstream side of the ball guide path 13. Further, on the downstream side of the ball payout device 14, a ball payout passage 15 for guiding the game balls paid out from the ball payout device 14 from the payout opening 9a to the ball receiving tray 9 (see FIG. 1) is provided. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the ball payout passage 15 includes an upstream passage 17 provided on the inner frame 3 side and a downstream passage 18 provided on the ball tray frame 7 (front frame) side. ing. The ball discharge passage 15 has an outlet portion 17a of the upstream passage 17 opened downward, an inlet portion 18a of the downstream passage 18 opened upward, and the upstream side of the ball tray frame (front frame) 7 is closed. An inlet portion 18a of the downstream passage 18 is disposed corresponding to the outlet portion 17a of the passage 17, and the upstream passage 17 and the downstream passage 18 are connected to each other so that the game balls paid out from the ball dispensing device 14 are It can be guided to the ball tray 9 from the payout opening 9a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the gaming machine according to the present embodiment is the pachinko machine 1, wherein the bottom wall of the downstream passage 18 includes an upper step portion 18b positioned on the inlet portion 18a side, and the upper step portion. And a lower step portion 18c extending in a step shape from the downstream end of the portion 18b and extending toward the outlet 9a side of the ball tray 9. The payout opening 9a has an opening height through which at least game balls can be passed in a stacked state.

  The downstream side passage 18 is provided on the rear surface side of the ball tray frame 7 in correspondence with the opening edge of the discharge port 9a, and is formed in a groove shape. That is, the downstream passage 18 forms the inlet portion 18a so that the entire upper surface is open. Specifically, the downstream passage 18 includes an upper step portion 18b and a lower step portion 18c provided in a step shape so as to roll (flow down) from the inlet portion 18a toward the discharge outlet 9a, and the upper step portion 18b and the lower step portion. It is formed in a groove shape by opposing side walls 18d extending above the bottom wall on both sides of 18c. The height of the upper step portion 18b with respect to the lower step portion 18c (the difference in height between the upper step portion 18b and the lower step portion 18d) is equal to or greater than the radius of the game ball. In this embodiment, the height is the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball. Accordingly, the game ball enters the groove-shaped downstream passage 18 from the upstream passage 17, so that when the ball tray frame (front frame) 7 is opened and the downstream passage 18 is detached from the upstream passage 17, the downstream passage The game ball will not spill from 18.

The upper step portion 18b is formed with an inclined bottom wall 18e for receiving a game ball corresponding to a guide portion 24a of the upstream side passage body 20 described later at the inlet portion, and is inclined slightly from the downstream end of the inclined bottom wall 18e. Thus, the game ball is formed so as to extend in the horizontal direction.
Since the upper step portion 18b has an inclined bottom wall in which the inlet portion 18a has a larger inclination angle than the downstream side, the ball pressure of the subsequent game ball from the upstream side passage 17 is reduced by the upper step portion 18b of the downstream side passage 18. It is easy to push the game ball on the upper step portion 18b and move it to the lower step portion 18c.
The upper stage portion 18b of the downstream side passage 18 has a length that allows at least one game ball to be placed thereon, so that the game balls can be easily pushed out in two stages. The upper step portion 18 b serves as a ball receiving portion for game balls flowing from the upstream passage 17. The upper stage part 18b (terminal) is located in the height range of the payout opening 9a. When the downstream passage 18 is in contact with the upstream passage 17, the distance between the upper step portion 18 b and the end portion of the ceiling wall portion 24 a of the upstream passage 17 is set to be approximately one game ball interval. The game ball does not fall down from the upper step portion 18b having a groove shape by the inclined bottom wall 18e and the side wall 18d.

  Furthermore, a lower step portion 18c is formed that descends in a step shape from the downstream end of the upper step portion 18b and extends to the payout opening 9a of the ball tray 9. That is, in order to guide the game ball downward from the end of the upper step portion 18b, the vertical portion 18f in the vertical direction and the arc portion 18g following the vertical portion 18f are slightly inclined to extend in the horizontal direction. The lower step portion 18c is formed so that the game ball can smoothly flow from the upper step portion 18b to the lower step portion 18c. The game ball does not fall down from the lower step portion 18c that forms a groove shape by the step-shaped vertical portion 18f and the side wall 18d.

Since the downstream passage 18 is provided with a lower step portion 18c that descends in a step shape from the downstream end of the upper step portion 18b and extends to the outlet 9a of the ball receiving tray 9, the storage amount (dischargeable amount) of the downstream passage 18 is provided. The flow of the game ball is changed by the step, and the flow of the game ball is decelerated and rectified to suppress clogging of the ball.
When the ball tray frame (front frame) 7 having the ball tray 9 is opened, the game ball located near the inlet 18a of the downstream side passage 18 is the upper step when the game ball is not present in the upper step 18b. If it moves to 18b and there is a game ball in the upper step portion 18b, it pushes the game ball to the lower step portion 18c side and moves to the upper step portion 18b. For this reason, when the ball tray frame (front frame) 7 having the ball receiving tray 9 is opened, it is possible to prevent the game balls located near the inlet portion 18a of the downstream passage 18 from falling down. When the player can prevent the game ball from being pushed out from the ball tray frame (front frame) 7 filled with game balls to the upstream passage 17 side, the ball tray frame (front frame) 7 can be opened and closed. It is possible to suppress or prevent ball spilling.

The difference in height between the upper step portion 18b and the lower step portion 18c is preferably equal to or greater than the radius of the game ball, more preferably approximately the same as the diameter of the game ball.
When the difference in height between the upper step 18b and the lower step 18c is equal to or greater than the radius of the game ball, the upper step when the lower step 18c is full and when the subsequent game ball receives ball pressure. The game ball of the portion 18b can be pushed up onto the game ball of the lower step portion 18c.
When the difference in height between the upper step portion 18b and the lower step portion 18c is substantially the same as the diameter of the game ball, the upper step portion is subjected to the ball pressure by the subsequent game ball on the game ball of the lower step portion 18c. The game ball of 18b can be pushed out smoothly.
Since the height of the second stage game ball in the lower step portion 18c is the same as the height of the game ball in the upper step portion 18b, the ball pressure can be applied efficiently and pushed out to the payout opening 9a.

Further, the lower step portion 18c has a length that is at least twice the diameter of the game ball.
The upper step portion 18b and the lower step portion 18c have a lateral width that is at least twice the diameter of the game ball, and the downstream passage 18 includes opposing side walls 18d that extend upward from the bottom wall. The upper step portion 18b and the lower step portion 18c are slightly inclined downward so that the game ball rolls (flows down) toward the downstream side.
In addition, although the downstream channel | path 18 was made into two steps, the upper step part 18b and the lower step part 18c, it can also be made into two steps or more.

In the gaming machine according to the present embodiment, the downstream side passage 18 has the above-described structure, so that the game balls paid out from the ball payout device 14 can be received at the inlet portion of the downstream side passage 18 from the outlet portion 17a of the upstream side passage 17. It flows down to 18a, rests on the upper step portion 18b from the inclined bottom wall 18e of the upper step portion 18b, and further flows down from the end of the upper step portion 18b to the lower step portion 18c along the vertical portion 18f and the arc-shaped portion 18g. It flows down from 18c to the ball tray 9 through the outlet 9a. Since the upper step portion 18b and the lower step portion 18c are stepped, the flow of the game ball is changed, the flow of the game ball is decelerated, and the flow is rectified to suppress the ball clogging.
When the ball tray 9 is full, the game ball stays in the lower step portion 18c, and when the lower step portion 18c is full, the subsequent game ball paid out from the ball payout device 14 stays in the lower step portion 18c. It is pushed out on the game ball. That is, since the game balls can be stored in the lower stage portion 18c of the downstream side passage 18 and the upper part of the game balls from the upper stage portion 18b to the lower stage portion 18c, the storage amount (dischargeable amount) can be increased.
The payout opening 9a preferably has a height that is at least twice the diameter of the game ball.

  As shown in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the gaming machine according to the present embodiment is provided with a ball spill prevention mechanism that prevents the game ball from spilling when the ball tray frame 7 is opened in the upstream passage 17. Yes. Here, when the ball tray frame 7 is closed with respect to the inner frame 3, the ball spill prevention mechanism 16 allows the game balls discharged from the ball discharge device 14 to flow down in the ball discharge passage 15, and the ball tray frame 7. When the ball is opened, the flow of game balls in the ball payout passage 15 is blocked. The ball spill prevention mechanism 16 includes an upstream-side passage unit UT as an upstream-side passage 17 provided with a regulating member 30 described later, and a downstream-side passage 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upstream-side passage unit UT includes an upstream-side passage body 20 that mainly forms the upstream-side passage 17 and a regulating member 30 that forms a terminal portion of the bottom wall of the upstream-side passage 17. I have. The restricting member 30 reciprocates so that the end of the bottom wall advances and retreats, thereby expanding and reducing the opening area of the outlet portion 17a, and restricts the passage of game balls through the outlet portion 17a. The upstream-side passage unit UT includes a coil spring 40 as a biasing member that constantly biases the regulating member 30 in the direction in which the outlet portion 17a is contracted, and a holding member 50 that holds the regulating member 30 so as to be reciprocally movable. It has.

Specifically, the upstream-side passage body 20 has an L-shaped rectangular tube shape, and includes a vertical portion 21 extending in the vertical direction and a horizontal portion 22 extending in the horizontal direction. The upstream passage body 20 has an upstream opening 21 a at the end of the vertical portion 21 and a downstream opening 22 a at the end of the horizontal portion 22. The horizontal portion 22 includes a bottom wall portion 23 slightly inclined so that the game ball rolls (flows down) from the vertical portion 21 side toward the downstream opening 22a, and a ceiling wall portion facing the bottom wall portion 23. 24 and a pair of side walls 25 that connect both sides of the bottom wall portion 23 and the ceiling wall portion 24.
In the upstream side passage 17, a guide portion 24 a that guides a game ball flowing down the upstream side passage 17 toward an outlet portion 17 a that opens downward is formed at a terminal portion of the ceiling wall portion 24. When the front frame 7 is closed to the inner frame 3, the outlet portion of the upstream side passage 17 flows out in a state in which at least two game balls paid out from the ball payout device 14 are arranged side by side. It is possible to flow smoothly without spilling to the inlet 18a of the upper stage 18b.

  The restricting member 30 is formed on the lower side of the upper surface portion 31 so that the abutting portion with which the downstream side passage 18 abuts enters more upstream than the tip of the upper surface portion 31 constituting the bottom wall of the upstream side passage 17. When the side passage 18 comes into contact with the contact portion, the inlet portion 18a can be arranged below the tip of the upper surface portion 31.

  The regulating member 30 has a plate shape, and the upper surface portion 31 constituting the bottom wall of the upstream passage 17, the protrusion 32 that fixes one end of the coil spring 40, and the regulating member 30 reciprocate within a predetermined range. Are provided with a pair of guide pieces 33 formed on both sides, and an abutting portion 34 with which the downstream passage 18 abuts.

  On the lower surface side of the bottom wall portion 23, a holding member 50 that holds the regulating member 30 so as to be able to reciprocate is fixed by a fastening member 60 such as a screw. The ceiling wall portion 24 is formed with a guide portion 24a that guides the game ball flowing down the upstream passage 17 toward the outlet portion 17a (downstream opening 22a) that opens downward at the terminal portion.

The regulating member 30 is reciprocated in the state of projecting along the flow direction of the game ball when viewed from above on the lower side of the bottom wall 23 of the horizontal portion 22 of the upstream-side passage body 20 (an arrow in FIG. 7B). (See Q). Thereby, since the regulating member 30 reciprocates in the front-rear direction in the form of a plate, the height of the projected area in front view is reduced, and the degree of freedom in designing the gaming machine can be increased. Furthermore, the upper surface portion 31 constituting the bottom wall of the upstream passage 17 forms a step portion 23 a with respect to the bottom wall 23 in the horizontal portion 22 of the upstream passage body 20. That is, at the end of the bottom wall 23 (downstream side opening 22a), the thickness of the bottom wall 23 is used as a step that varies the flow of the game ball.
The inlet portion 18 a of the downstream passage 18 presses the restriction member 30 by abutting against the abutment portion 34, and when the restriction member 30 is pressed, the distal end portion of the inlet portion 18 a is upstream of the distal end of the upper surface portion 31. It is located on the side and below the upper surface portion 31.

  The regulating member 30 has a front position (see FIGS. 6 and 7B) where the outlet 17a of the upstream passage 17 is reduced and a rear position where the outlet 17a is enlarged (see FIGS. 5 and 7A). It is fixed so that it can reciprocate in the front-rear direction. The regulating member 30 is constantly biased toward the front position side by the coil spring 40, and when the front frame 7 is opened, the opening area of the outlet portion 17a is reduced to block the flow of the game ball. The outlet portion 17 a of the upstream passage 17 is constituted by the downstream opening 22 a of the upstream passage body 20 and the tip portion 35 of the upper surface portion 31 of the regulating member 30.

  The upper surface portion 31 includes a flat surface 31a located on the upstream side and an inclined surface 31b located on the downstream side. The flat surface 31a is immersed below the bottom wall 23 of the horizontal portion 22 of the upstream passage body 20 when the regulating member 30 is at a rear position (see FIG. 5) where the outlet portion 17a of the upstream passage 17 is enlarged. It is formed as follows. That is, when the restricting member 30 is at the front position (see FIG. 6) where the outlet portion 17a is reduced (see FIG. 6), only the inclined surface 31b is exposed from the bottom wall 23 (forms the bottom wall of the upstream passage 17). A game ball can flow down. Furthermore, by forming the flat surface 31a, when the flow of the game ball is blocked, it is possible to maintain the state of suppressing or stopping the flow of the flow, and the ball at the time of opening and closing the front frame 7 Spilling can be suppressed efficiently.

  The contact portion 34 is formed below the upper surface portion 31 so as to enter the upstream side of the tip portion 35 of the upper surface portion 31. When the downstream side passage 18 comes into contact with the contact portion 34, the inlet portion 18 a can be disposed on the lower side (directly below; just below) the tip of the upper surface portion 31.

The distal end portion of the upper step portion 18 b (guidance receiving portion) of the downstream side passage 18 is formed as a pressing portion 19 that contacts and presses against the contact portion 34 of the regulating member 30.
The downstream passage 18 comes into contact with the restriction member 30 with the closure of the ball tray frame 7 and arranges the inlet portion 18a corresponding to the outlet portion 17a of the upstream passage 17 and moves by pressing the restriction member 30 as it is. To increase the opening area of the outlet portion 17a.

  Therefore, when the front frame is opened, the opening area of the outlet portion 17a is reduced by the regulating member 30 to block the flow of the game ball, and when the front frame 7 is closed to the inner frame, the regulating member 30 is connected to the downstream passage 18. Is retracted by pressing by the inlet portion 18a, and the passage of the game ball from the upstream side passage 17 to the downstream side passage 18 is allowed.

  When the upstream side passage 17 is provided with the ball spill prevention mechanism 16, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A, when the ball tray frame 7 is closed, the pressing portion (front end portion) of the upper step portion 18 b of the downstream side passage 18 is closed. ) 19 abuts against the abutting portion 34 of the regulating member 30 to hold the regulating member 30 in the rear position against the urging force of the coil spring 40. That is, the inlet portion 18a of the downstream passage 18 is disposed corresponding to the outlet portion 17a of the upstream passage 17, and the regulating member 30 is pressed and moved as it is (the closing direction of arrow P in FIG. 7B). The opening area of the outlet portion 17a is held in an enlarged state. As a result, since the upstream passage 17 and the downstream passage 18 are continuous as the ball dispensing passage 15, the game balls paid out from the ball dispensing device 14 flow down from the upstream passage 17 to the downstream passage 18. Then, it is paid out to the ball tray 9 through the outlet 9a through the inlet 18a, the upper step 18b and the lower step 18c of the downstream passage 18.

In the present embodiment, at the boundary between the upstream passage 17 and the downstream passage 18, the outlet portion 17a is opened downward, the inlet portion 18a is opened upward, and a horizontal type shutter (blocked horizontally) While adopting the ball spill prevention structure), the game balls are connected so as to flow down along the inclination of the inclined bottom wall 18e of the guide portion 24a and the inlet portion 18a. According to this, it becomes possible to connect the upstream passage 17 and the downstream passage 18 continuously in an overlapping manner at the height position, and the height of the projection area in the front view can be reduced.
Furthermore, while adopting a crossing-type shutter, the lower stage of the downstream passage is filled with game balls by allowing the flow of the ball at the boundary part to flow from the rear to the front instead of simply dropping it. In addition, it is possible to pay out from the top of the game balls from the payout opening (in the form of stacking two stages). The amount stored in the ball tray can be increased.

  When the ball tray frame 7 is opened, as shown in FIG. 5, the downstream passage 18 is separated from the upstream passage unit UT in the opening direction of the arrow P together with the ball tray frame 7 (see FIG. 3). The pressing force applied to the contact portion 34 of the restricting member 30 by the pressing portion 19 of the upper step portion 18 b of the passage 18 is released, and the restricting member 30 moves to the front position by the biasing force of the coil spring 40. That is, the regulating member 30 moves forward following the downstream passage 18 and is held in a state where the opening area of the outlet portion 17 a of the upstream passage 17 is reduced, so that the downstream passage 18 is separated from the upstream passage 17. I will do it. As a result, the upstream passage 17 and the downstream passage 18 are separated as the ball payout passage 15, and the regulating member 30 blocks the flow of the game ball at the outlet portion 17 a of the upstream passage 17. As a result, even when the ball receiving tray 9 is filled with game balls and filled with game balls up to the ball payout passage 15, or when the winning ball payout operation is performed by winning a prize, the ball payout passage 15 flows down or is stopped. It is possible to satisfactorily open and close the ball tray frame 7 without the game balls being spilled on the floor or the like.

   The gaming machine of the above embodiment has been described in the case where the ball payout passage 15 is provided with the ball spill prevention mechanism 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention has a ball spill prevention mechanism as shown in FIG. It can also be applied to gaming machines that are not provided.

The gaming machine of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is not provided with a ball spill prevention mechanism in the upstream passage 17.
This gaming machine is configured such that the upstream-side passage 17 and the downstream-side passage 18 constituting the ball payout passage 15 abut on each other. In other words, the pressing portion (tip portion) 19 of the downstream side passage 18 abuts on the lower surface wall 17b of the upstream side passage 17 or enters the lower side.
When the ball tray frame 7 is closed, the ball discharge passage 15 is in a continuous state in which the upstream passage 17 and the downstream passage 18 are in contact with each other, and flows down from the upstream passage 17 to the downstream passage 18, and from the downstream passage 18. The game balls paid out from the ball payout device 14 are paid out to the ball receiving tray 9 through the payout opening 9a.
Other configurations of the ball payout passage are the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

  In the present invention, a pachinko machine has been described as an example of a gaming machine. However, the present invention can be applied to a gaming machine provided with a ball payout device such as an arrangement ball gaming machine or a sparrow ball gaming machine.

1 Pachinko machine (game machine)
2 Outer frame 3 Inner frame 5 Game board 6 Glass frame (front frame)
7 ball tray frame (front frame)
9 Ball tray 9a Discharge outlet 14 Ball discharge device 15 Ball discharge passage 16 Ball spill prevention mechanism 17 Upstream passage 17a Outlet portion 18 Downstream passage 18a Inlet portion 18b Upper step portion 18c Lower step portion 20 Upstream passage main body 21 Vertical portion 21a Upstream side Opening 22 Horizontal portion 22a Downstream opening 23 Bottom wall portion 24 Ceiling wall portion 24a Guide portion 25 Side wall 30 Restriction member 31 Upper surface portion 32 Projection portion 34 Contact portion 35 Tip 40 Coil spring (biasing member)
50 Holding member UT Upstream passage unit

Claims (8)

A front frame is disposed on the front side of the inner frame holding the game board via a hinge so as to be opened and closed, and a game ball paid out from a ball payout device provided on the inner frame side is provided on the front frame. A ball discharge passage for guiding to a ball tray, the ball discharge passage includes an upstream passage on the inner frame side and a downstream passage on the front frame side, and when the front frame is closed to the inner frame, A gaming machine in which an inlet portion of the downstream passage is located at an outlet portion of the upstream passage, and the upstream passage and the downstream passage are continuous so that a game ball can be guided to the ball tray. ,
The bottom wall of the downstream passage includes an upper step located on the inlet side, and a lower step extending downward from the downstream end of the upper step and extending to the payout outlet side of the ball tray,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the payout port has an opening height that allows at least a game ball to pass in a stacked state.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the upper stage portion has a length that allows at least one gaming ball to be placed thereon.   The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a difference in height between the upper step portion and the lower step portion is equal to or greater than a radius of the game ball.   The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a difference in height between the upper step portion and the lower step portion is substantially the same as a diameter of the game ball. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the upper stage portion is located in a height range of the payout opening.   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lower step portion has a length that is twice or more the diameter of a game ball.   7. The ball payout passage has a width that allows at least two game balls to pass side by side, and the downstream passage includes opposing side walls that extend upward from the bottom wall. The gaming machine according to any one of the above.   8. The outlet part of the upstream passage has an outlet form in which at least two game balls can flow out side by side when the front frame is closed to the inner frame. The gaming machine according to any one of the above.

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