JP2012152448A - Game system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game system wherein an effective performance differing from that of a conventional game machine can be executed and the game content can be controlled by a game parlor, or the like.SOLUTION: The game parlor system 1 includes: a sealed Pachinko machine 2 for executing a game by circulating and supplying game balls; a CR unit 3; and a decoration information management server 48 connected to the CR unit 3 via a communication network 6. The CR unit 3 includes a touch liquid crystal module 20 provided on the front of the Pachinko machine 2. In the decoration information management server 48, the CR unit 3 transmits information for decoration used for a display performance to the CR unit 3 by a prescribed trigger. The CR unit 3 displays a game ball image simulating a game ball on the touch liquid crystal module 20 for a display performance, and adds decoration to the game ball image to be displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20 based on the information for decoration when receiving the information for decoration from the decoration information management server 48.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming system including a gaming machine.

  Gaming machines such as pachinko machines and pachislot machines start playing in response to the insertion of game media, paying out the game media when winning a prize or winning a special prize (hereinafter referred to as “big hit”), An auditory game effect is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, some gaming machines output a jackpot signal that notifies the occurrence of a jackpot, and based on this signal, the peripheral device performs lamp lighting and voice output in conjunction with the gaming effect of the gaming machine. Some were performed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2002-113209 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-165568

As described above, since the device responsible for producing the gaming machine has to be arranged in a limited space around the gaming machine main body and the gaming machine, the production mode tends to be limited. Furthermore, the contents of the game effects correspond to the gaming state of each gaming machine, and there is no method for controlling the contents of the effects, for example, at the game store where the gaming machine is installed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and can be used to provide a player with an effective presentation different from that of a conventional gaming machine, and the contents of the presentation can be controlled by a game store or the like. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a gaming machine that uses a game medium to execute a game, stores the number of usable media that can be used in the game, and subtracts the number of usable media An enclosed game machine that circulates and supplies the game medium to execute a game, a game medium lending device that adds the number of usable media of the game machine in exchange for providing a price, and communication with the game medium lending device A decoration control device connected via a network, the gaming medium lending device, a receiving unit for receiving information transmitted from the decoration control device, a display unit provided on the front surface of the gaming machine, A display control unit that causes the display unit to perform a display effect based on information input from the gaming machine, wherein the decoration control device uses the decoration information used by the game medium lending device for the display effect. Lending The display control unit of the gaming medium lending device displays a gaming medium image imitating the gaming medium on the display unit to perform a display effect, and the receiving unit receives the decoration information. In this case, the game medium image is decorated based on the received decoration information and displayed on the display unit.

In the gaming system, the decoration information is information indicating a character, a symbol, or an image that is displayed over the image of the game medium, and the display control unit includes the decoration information in the game medium image. It is also possible to generate an image in which characters or symbols or images to be superimposed are generated and to display the newly generated image on the display unit.
In the above gaming system, the decoration information may be information designating any one of a display color of the game medium image, a display size, and a positional relationship when a plurality of the game medium images are displayed simultaneously. In this case, the display control unit may display the game medium image on the display unit according to the display color, the display size, or the positional relationship of the plurality of game medium images specified by the decoration information. Good.
In addition, the display control unit may be displayed on the display unit with a decoration that overlaps the game medium image with a mark or logo of a game store in which the gaming machine or the game medium rental device is installed, The game medium lending device may be decorated so that the lending unit price when the game medium is lent is overlaid on the game medium image.
In the gaming system, the decoration control device transmits the decoration information to the game medium lending device in accordance with a predetermined opportunity, and the game medium lending device that has received the decoration information receives the game medium image. It is good also as a structure which displays with decoration.
Further, in the game room system, the decoration control device stores the decoration information in association with a player, and the game medium lending device identifies the player who is playing a game on the gaming machine. Information specifying a player is transmitted to the control device, and the decoration control device sends the decoration information corresponding to the player specified by the information received from the game medium lending device to the game medium lending device. It is good also as a structure which transmits.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that in the above gaming system, the display control unit can simultaneously display a plurality of the game media images having different decoration states on the display unit.
In this configuration, the decoration control device transmits a plurality of different pieces of decoration information to the game medium lending device, and the display control unit receives the plurality of pieces of the decoration information received from the decoration control device by the reception unit. A plurality of types of game medium images to which decoration is added based on the decoration information may be simultaneously displayed on the display unit such that the number of the game medium images of each type has a predetermined ratio.

In the gaming system according to the present invention, the gaming machine performs a winning lottery every time a predetermined lottery opportunity is established in a game using the gaming media, and pays out the gaming media according to the lottery result. The number of usable media is added corresponding to the number of game media, and the display control unit adds when the number of usable media is added by payout of the gaming machine or by the game media lending device. The game media images corresponding to the number of the game media images are newly displayed on the display unit, and any one of the plurality of pieces of decoration information received from the decoration control device by the reception unit with respect to the game media images to be newly displayed. It is characterized by selecting or adding decoration.
In this configuration, the display control unit is configured to display the game medium image displayed on the display unit when the number of usable media is added by the game medium lending device and the number of usable media by paying out the gaming machine. It is good also as a structure which adds and displays a mutually different decoration with respect to the said game media image displayed on the said display part, when is added.
Further, in the above configuration, the display control unit is not necessarily limited to the one that newly displays the game medium image corresponding to the addition of the usable medium number, and the game corresponding to the added usable medium number. Only a part of the medium image may be newly displayed on the display unit. For example, the number of usable media may be reduced by limiting the size or resolution of the display area of the display unit or when limiting the number of game media images displayed on the display unit in order to maintain good visibility. Not all of the number of game media images corresponding to the added amount may be displayed, and only a part thereof may be newly displayed.
As described above, when the game media images corresponding to all the additions of the number of usable media are not newly displayed, the game media lending apparatus newly displays the corresponding game media image among the additions of the number of usable media. The number that is not displayed on the screen may be stored as an undisplayed number. Further, in the above configuration, when the number of usable media is subtracted when the game machine executes the game, the display control unit of the game medium lending device has a number corresponding to the subtracted number of the game media. The image may be deleted from the display unit. Here, when the undisplayed number is stored, the game medium lending device subtracts the undisplayed number by the subtracted number of the usable medium number. While the number of non-displays does not become zero, the game medium image being displayed on the display unit is not deleted, and when the subtraction number of the usable medium number exceeds the undisplayed number, the excess number is The game medium image may be erased.

Further, in the above configuration, the present invention is configured so that, when the number of usable media is subtracted in accordance with execution of a game of the gaming machine, the display control unit displays the number of game media images corresponding to the subtracted number. If the game medium is erased from the display unit and the game medium is paid out by the game executed by the gaming machine, the decoration state of the game medium image erased from the display unit due to the game causing the payout A decoration state determination unit for specifying
In this configuration, the display control unit, when the game medium is paid out by the game executed by the gaming machine, and when the game medium image is newly displayed on the display unit according to the number of payouts, The newly displayed game medium image may be configured to have the same decoration state as the decoration state specified by the decoration state determination unit.
Further, in the above configuration, the gaming medium lending device includes winning information including either the decoration state of the game medium image specified by the decoration state determination unit and the number of game media paid out by the lottery. It is good also as a structure notified to an external apparatus.
Also, in the gaming system according to the present invention, the decoration control device transmits switching instruction information for instructing switching timing of the decoration information to the game medium lending device, and the plurality of game medium lending devices include: According to the switching instruction information received from the decoration control device by the receiving unit, the decoration state of the game medium images being displayed on the display unit is switched all at once.
In the gaming system, the display control unit may display game information related to the game together with the game medium image on the display unit. The game information includes, for example, the number of game media used in the game by the gaming machine, the game win results, the game results such as the award game media obtained by the win, and the statistical information thereof. Information about the person may be included.

  According to the present invention, since the game medium image imitating the game medium is displayed on the display unit provided on the front surface of the game machine and the presentation is performed, the conventional game machine is in front of the game machine that was not used for the production. Using space, it is possible to display a decorated game media image and perform an effective presentation. Furthermore, since the decoration applied to the game medium image by the game medium lending apparatus can be controlled by the decoration control apparatus, the contents of the effect can be controlled by the game store or the like.

It is a figure showing the whole game hall system composition concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of a game system. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a game ball rental apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display mode in a liquid crystal display part. It is a figure which shows the example of a game ball display effect screen.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a game hall system 1 according to the present embodiment.
The game hall system 1 is a system provided in a game hall where a pachinko machine 2 that uses a game ball as a game medium is installed, and a plurality of pachinko machines 2 and a CR (Card Reader) unit (game medium lending device) 3 The settlement unit 4 and the management computer group 5 are provided, and each of the CR unit 3, the settlement machine 4 and the management computer group 5 is connected to the communication network 6 so as to be communicable with each other.
The pachinko machine 2 is a game machine that uses a game ball as a game medium. This pachinko machine 2 is a so-called CR in which a player purchases a prepaid medium 22 as a value medium or charges cash to the prepaid medium 22 and borrows a game ball at the price of the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22. A gaming machine called a machine, which is connected to the pachinko machine 2 and communicably connected to the pachinko machine 2 and includes the CR unit 3 that reads the prepaid medium 22, and constitutes a gaming system 7. The pachinko machine 2 The game ball can be launched on condition that a predetermined condition is satisfied by communication with the unit 3.

The pachinko machine 2 includes a pachinko machine main body 10 provided with a front glass 9 on the front surface of a game board (gauge board) 8 so that the game area of the game board 8 can be seen through the front glass 9. The game area of the game board 8 includes a starting port 11 and a winning port 12 for obtaining a prize ball when passing the game ball, a normally closed large winning port (so-called attacker) 13, the starting port 11, the winning port 12 and the large A game port (a so-called out ball) that has not won a prize in any of the winning openings 13 is guided from the gaming area to the back side of the gaming board 8 and collected, a number of obstacle nails 15 and a game to the starting opening 11 A gaming machine liquid crystal display 16 is provided as a symbol display unit for variably displaying symbols according to the winning (passing) of the ball.
On the front surface of the pachinko machine body 10, there are a ball lending button 38A for lending (lending balls, ball lending) operation of game balls, a game ending button 38B for returning (paying game completion) operation of the prepaid medium 22, and a game machine liquid crystal Various operation buttons such as a push button 38C for performing operation input at the time of a display effect on the display 16 are provided.
A game ball launching handle 17 is provided at the lower right of the pachinko machine main body 10 to launch game balls one by one into the game area of the game board 8 at predetermined time intervals. The pachinko machine 2 performs a lottery winning of a special award when the game ball launched in accordance with the operation of the game ball launch handle 17 passes through the start port 11 and displays a symbol on the game machine liquid crystal display 16 to be described later. It is displayed in a variable manner along with the performance, and the winning lottery result is notified to the player by the stop symbol. At the time of winning, the pachinko machine 2 gives the player the opportunity to increase the number of balls by opening the grand prize opening 13 so that the game ball can easily win.

Here, the pachinko machine 2 is a sealed ball type game machine that encloses a predetermined number (for example, 25) of game balls in the pachinko machine body 10 and circulates and uses these game balls in the pachinko machine body 10. It is configured. Specifically, the pachinko machine 2 launches game balls (so-called safe balls) that have been launched on the game board 8 and won the prize opening 12 or the like and game balls (so-called out balls) collected at the collection opening 14 respectively. 8 has a circulation channel (not shown) that is collected on the back side and recirculates to the launch position. A predetermined number of game balls are enclosed in the circulation channel, and the enclosed game balls are repeated in the game area. It is configured to play a game by firing. In the enclosing ball type pachinko machine 2, it is not necessary to replenish game balls from the outside of the pachinko machine body 10, so a so-called upper plate or upper plate for temporarily storing game balls in front of the pachinko machine body 10. The pachinko machine main body 10 is not provided with a ball catching port for catching a game ball, a discharge port for discharging a prize ball on the upper plate, etc. A touch liquid crystal module 20 is provided under the front glass 9.
The touch liquid crystal module 20 is a display unit that can be touch-operated incorporated in the frame of the pachinko machine main body 10, and functions as an operation unit and a display unit of the CR unit 3 as will be described in detail later.

  In the amusement hall, a plurality of pachinko machines 2 are arranged side by side and attached to the island facility. Conventionally, a ball supply facility for supplying and collecting game balls to and from a gaming machine has been installed inside the island facility, and in order to accommodate facilities for flowing and collecting game balls below the gaming machine, the lower part of the island facility is It was configured to be covered with a decorative panel almost flush with the gaming machine. However, when the pachinko machine 2 which is an enclosed ball type gaming machine is provided, the ball supply facility is unnecessary, and therefore it is not necessary to secure a space for the facility below the island facility. For this reason, as a configuration in which the lower part of the pachinko machine 2 is opened, a space for placing the player's feet under the pachinko machine 2 can be provided. Thereby, for example, a player can play a game while riding on a wheelchair, and an environment where various people can play comfortably can be realized. In addition, since the enclosed ball type gaming machine does not allow the game ball to enter and exit from the outside, there are few openings and noise (flowing sound and collision sound) due to the game ball is difficult to leak to the outside. For this reason, a noise can be reduced compared with the case where the conventional game machine is installed. In addition, the ball supply equipment that flows a large amount of game balls is not used, so the noise of the game balls is greatly reduced. With this noise reduction, the sound production and the volume of the BGM are reduced to reduce the game environment. You can also plan.

  The CR unit 3 is disposed on one side of each pachinko machine 2 and is connected to be communicable with each other. The CR unit 3 is connected to the pachinko machine 2 according to the operation of the ball lending button 38A on condition that the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22 is not zero. A game ball rental instruction signal is output. The remaining value of the prepaid medium 22 is managed by the management computer group 5 (more precisely, the prepaid system management computer 42 described later), and the CR unit 3 lends with the management computer group 5 when the ball lending is completed. A process of reducing the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22 according to the number of balls is performed. The CR unit 3 is a unit of remaining value at the time of ball lending (for example, 100 yen unit, 500 yen unit, etc.) and a lending unit price per game ball (for example, 4 yen / ball, 1 yen / ball, etc.) ) Can be set in advance, and the amusement hall can be set and changed as appropriate according to the business form. In this way, the CR unit 3 executes the ball lending to the pachinko machine 2 in consideration of the decrease in the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22 managed by the prepaid system management computer 42, and the game machine management launch of the pachinko machine 2 The possible number of balls storage unit 54A is added.

  As the prepaid medium 22, a coin-shaped IC coin 22A with a built-in IC and a card-type member card 22B are used. The membership card 22B is a recording medium that is lent to customers who are registered as members of the amusement store, and the IC coin 22A is a recording medium that is lent to other customers (so-called visitors). Identification information for uniquely identifying the prepaid medium 22 is given, and the identification information and the residual value are associated with each other and managed by the management computer group 5.

The CR unit 3 has a function of issuing a prepaid medium 22 and has a bill insertion slot 39 for inserting bills (for example, bills such as “10,000 yen”, “5,000 yen”, and “2,000 yen”), IC A coin insertion slot 23 for inserting the coin 22A, a coin discharge slot 24 for discharging the IC coin 22A, and a member card insertion slot 25 for inserting the membership card 22B are provided.
When a banknote is inserted into the banknote insertion slot 39, the CR unit 3 communicates with the management computer group 5 and performs a process of assigning a value corresponding to the face value of the banknote to the prepaid medium 22. Specifically, when the membership card 22B is inserted as the prepaid medium 22, the CR unit 3 inputs the identification information of the membership card 22B to the management computer group 5 that manages the remaining value of the membership card 22B. Notify that the amount of value will be given. As a result, the prepaid balance is charged to the member card 22B. When the membership card 22B is not inserted, the CR unit 3 issues a new IC coin 22A and also manages the IC coin 22A with respect to the management computer group 5 that manages the remaining value of the IC coin 22A. Notify that the value for the input amount is added to the identification information. Thereby, IC coin 22A as prepaid medium 22 is newly issued to a player who does not have membership card 22B.

The CR unit 3 displays the remaining value on the touch liquid crystal module 20 while the prepaid medium 22 is inserted, and subtracts and updates the remaining value each time the ball lending is performed by operating the ball lending button 38A. The updated residual value is displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20. In addition, when the game end button 38B is operated, the CR unit 3 ejects the prepaid medium 22 and transmits the identification information and the residual value of the prepaid medium 22 to the management computer group 5, whereby the CR unit 3 The final residual value of the prepaid medium 22 when discharged from is recorded in the management computer group 5.
The settlement machine 4 is a device that settles the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22. The settlement machine 4 is provided with a coin insertion slot 26 for the IC coin 22A and a card insertion slot 27 for the member card 22B. When the prepaid medium 22 is inserted, the checkout machine 4 inquires the management computer group 5 about the remaining value and pays out an amount corresponding to the remaining value. The settlement machine 4 notifies the management computer group 5 of the completion of the payment of the amount, and the management computer group 5 clears the value recorded as the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22 to complete the settlement.

  In this game hall system 1, a data display 28 is provided for each pachinko machine 2. The data display 28 has a display panel 29 for displaying game information such as the jackpot information of the past business day of the corresponding pachinko machine 2, the number of jackpots of the day, the number of symbol changes from the previous jackpot (number of winning lotteries). Such game information is input from the CR unit 3 and displayed. In addition to the display panel 29, the data display 28 displays a predetermined game state such as a call button 30 for calling the hall staff of the game hall, a big hit state of the pachinko machine 2, a probability variation gaming state, a short-time gaming state, etc. A lamp 31 or the like for notification is provided. The call button 30 is also provided as a touch operation button on the touch liquid crystal module 20 provided in the pachinko machine 2. Further, the call button 30 may be provided on the CR unit 3 main body. When any one of the call button 30 provided on the data display 28, the call button provided as the touch operation button of the touch liquid crystal module 20, or the call button provided on the main body of the CR unit 3 is operated, the operation is performed. Output from the touch liquid crystal module 20 to the CR unit 3, an instruction to turn on the lamp 31 is output from the CR unit 3 to the data display 28, the lamp 31 is turned on, and call information is sent to the management computer group 5. It is notified together with the identification information (for example, machine number) of the machine 2.

The management computer group 5 includes a hall computer 40, a customer management server 41, a prepaid system management computer 42, a possession management server 43, a game result management server 46, and a decoration information management server 48.
The hall computer 40 is a computer that centrally manages game information such as the number of difference balls, error conditions, and number of jackpots in each pachinko machine 2. The game information of the pachinko machine 2 is transmitted from the CR unit 3 via the communication network 6. To acquire and manage.

  The customer management server 41 is a computer that manages the registered customers. The customer's name, age, gender, occupation, mobile phone number, membership number, PIN for service use, identification information of the membership card 22B, customer Manages the number of replayable game media (so-called number of stored balls) stored in the game hall and information related to the game history. When the membership card 22B is inserted, the CR unit 3 displays a personal identification number input screen on the touch liquid crystal module 20 to prompt the input, and the customer management server confirms the validity of the inputted personal identification number and the identification information of the membership card 22B. Ask 41. When these correctness is recognized by the customer management server 41, the CR unit 3 acquires the number of balls from the customer management server 41 and displays it on the touch liquid crystal module 20. Each time the stored unit is used, the CR unit 3 transmits the number of stored balls used to the customer management server 41, whereby the customer management server 41 subtracts and updates the number of stored balls of the customer. Further, when an instruction to change a customer's holding ball into a stored ball is input to the customer management server 41 from a computer or the like installed at a prize counter (not shown), the customer management server 41 adds and updates the number of stored balls of the customer.

  The decoration information management server 48 stores decoration information that the CR unit 3 uses for display effects in the touch liquid crystal module 20 as described later. The decoration information is added to the game ball image when the game ball lending device 63 executes the game ball display effect mode and displays the game ball image imitating the appearance of the game ball on the touch liquid crystal module 20. It is information for. Specifically, this decoration information includes character / symbol data used when displaying characters and symbols superimposed on the game ball image, and images used when displaying another image superimposed on the game ball image. Data, display color data for designating the display color of the game ball image, and a method for selecting a game ball image to be decorated and a game to be decorated when decorating only a part of the game ball image displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20 Data specifying the proportion of the ball image, data specifying the proportion of the game ball image corresponding to each decoration when a decoration different from the other game ball images is applied to some of the game ball images. The decoration information management server 48 can also store a plurality of image data in association with the membership number managed by the customer management server 41. In this case, the decoration information management server 48 stores different image data for each member number for some or all of the member numbers. These image data are read in response to a request from the CR unit 3 and transmitted from the decoration information management server 48 to the CR unit 3 via the communication network 6. The image data may be a specific pattern or the like, but a so-called avatar in which a member selects a character image selected from a plurality of character images by operating the touch liquid crystal module 20 or a selected character image. It may be a member-specific character image called.

The prepaid system management computer 42 is a computer that stores each identification value of the IC coin 22A and the membership card 22B as the prepaid medium 22 in association with the residual value, and manages these residual values. When the prepaid medium 22 is inserted, the CR unit 3 inquires the prepaid system management computer 42 for the residual value corresponding to the identification information of the prepaid medium 22, and displays the residual value obtained by the response on the touch liquid crystal module 20 in frequency. To do.
The remaining value of the prepaid medium 22 is increased by charging at the CR unit 3 and decreased by ball lending, and the prepaid system management computer 42 updates the remaining value according to these charges and ball lending. In other words, when the CR unit 3 charges the prepaid medium 22 with the residual value, the prepaid system management computer 42 acquires the charged residual value together with the identification information, and adds and updates the residual value. When the CR unit 3 makes a ball loan according to the operation of the ball lending button 38A, the prepaid system management computer 42 obtains the compensation value of the ball lending together with the identification information of the prepaid medium 22 and subtracts the residual value. Update.
The payment machine 4 is connected to the prepaid system management computer 42 via the communication network 6, and the payment machine 4 is connected to the payment machine 4 when the payment medium 22 is inserted. The remaining value is inquired to the prepaid system management computer 42, and the payment of the amount according to the remaining value is performed.

  The possession management server 43 is a computer that manages the number of possessions of the player. Specifically, the possession management server 43 acquires and manages the number of possessions of the player from the CR unit 3 through the communication network 6 together with the identification information of the prepaid medium 22 that has been inserted. The player can use the ball for the game only on the day of acquisition, and the CR unit 3 has the number of balls corresponding to the identification information of the prepaid medium 22 when the prepaid medium 22 is inserted. The management server 43 is inquired and the number of possessed balls obtained by the response is displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20. At this time, the CR unit 3 displays on the touch liquid crystal module 20 a holding ball use button for receiving payout of a game ball using the holding ball, and when the holding ball use button is operated, a predetermined number of balls are displayed. A game ball payout instruction signal is output to the pachinko machine 2 and the number of used balls is transmitted to the ball management server 43 together with the identification information of the prepaid medium 22. When the possessed ball management server 43 obtains the number of used balls, the number of possessed balls of the corresponding prepaid medium 22 is subtracted and updated. Further, the CR unit 3 sends the final number of balls together with the identification information of the prepaid medium 22 to the possession management server 43 when the prepaid medium 22 is discharged, and the number of possessions is sent to the possession management server 43. To be recorded.

The game result management server 46 acquires information about the difference ball from the CR unit 3 and stores it as a game result of the single game after the player ends the game with the pachinko machine 2. That is, when the game is finished in the pachinko machine 2, the game result management server 46 identifies each identification information of the IC coin 22A or the member card 22B used by the player and the model of the pachinko machine 2 connected to the CR unit 3. Name, game start date / time, game end date / time, number of balls lent, number of winning balls, number of out balls, number of foul balls, and number of balls after game are obtained from CR unit 3 to calculate the number of balls Then, it is stored in association with each identification information of the IC coin 22A and the membership card 22B. Here, the CR unit 3 may calculate a difference ball from the number of balls lent, the number of winning balls, the number of out balls, the number of foul balls, and the number of balls held, and may transmit the calculated difference ball number to the game result management server 46. . The game start date / time refers to the date / time when the prepaid medium 22 is inserted into the CR unit 3, and the game end date / time refers to the date / time when the customer is instructed to eject the prepaid medium 22.
The game result management server 46 can perform ranking based on the number of difference balls for each model and each date, and can transmit ranking information to the CR unit 3. In this case, the game result management server 46 extracts and counts only the number of difference balls when the membership card 22B is inserted into the CR unit 3 and ranks it so as to serve only the customer registered as a member. Also good.

  It should be noted that the management computer group 5 may include the other computers described above according to the management purpose, and of course, the functions of several computers or servers may be configured by a single computer or server. is there.

  In this game hall system 1, a player can exchange his possession for a prize or a storage ball. That is, when a player exchanges his / her own ball for a prize or a storage ball at a prize counter (not shown) or the like, the fact that the player has exchanged his / her own ball from the computer of the prize counter together with the identification information of the prepaid medium 22 The exchange is completed when the possession management server 43 subtracts and updates the possession number corresponding to the identification information of the prepaid medium 22. In addition, when exchanging the balls for storage, the number of stored balls is transmitted to the customer management server 41 together with the identification information of the prepaid medium 22, and the number of stored storage is added and updated. In addition, when the membership card 22B with no possession is recorded in the possession management server 43 at the end of the business day of the game hall, the possession management server 43 transfers the record to the customer management server 41, and You may make it transfer automatically by adding a ball to the storage of the membership card 22B which the customer management server 41 manages.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the gaming system 7.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pachinko machine 2 includes a gaming machine main board 53 and a payout control board 54 that are classified as main boards, and an effect sub board 51 and a launch control board 52 that are peripheral boards to the main board. ing. The main board is a board on which a circuit having a function that affects or may affect the winning lottery and the acquisition of the game ball is mounted.
The gaming machine main board 53 is a board provided with a circuit for drawing lottery for prize ball payout instructions and winning special prizes when winning a prize. Specifically, the pachinko machine 2 includes a winning detection sensor 55 that detects a winning of a game ball at each of the start port 11, the winning port 12, and the grand winning port 13, and a detection signal is output to the gaming machine main board 53. The The gaming machine main board 53 is provided with a prize ball number storage unit 53A for each prize opening which stores the number of prize balls in association with each of the start opening 11, the winning opening 12 and the big winning opening 13, and a winning at the winning opening is detected. Each time, a prize ball payout instruction signal for instructing the payout of the number of prize balls corresponding to the winning opening is output to the payout control board 54, and a prize ball notification lamp 56 provided on the game board 8 according to the number of prize balls is provided. Light.

  Further, the gaming machine main board 53 performs a winning lottery of a special prize upon detection of winning at the start port 11 and displays a winning lottery result on a symbol display unit (so-called special symbol display) 59. The symbol display unit 59 is provided on the game board 8 so as to be visually recognized. The symbol display unit 59 includes, for example, a 7-segment display and a large number of LED lamps. The winning lottery result is displayed by a display symbol (a combination of a 7-segment display and a lighting LED lamp). indicate. In the symbol display section 59, a display symbol indicating the winning lottery result is displayed through a time variation display determined by the gaming machine main board 53 each time. Further, the gaming machine main board 53 designates what kind of effect is to be performed in order to perform the gaming effect according to the winning lottery result by the gaming machine liquid crystal display 16, the sound source, the lamp, and the like, and the variation time ( An effect instruction signal designating a winning lottery result display timing) and the like are output to the effect sub-board 51 together with a jackpot occurrence signal indicating the winning lottery result.

The payout control board 54 manages the payout and launch of game balls. Since the pachinko machine 2 is configured as an enclosed ball type gaming machine as described above, the gaming ball is not thrown from the outside of the pachinko machine 2 during the game, and the gaming ball is actually thrown in. Instead, a game ball that can be launched is inserted on the digital data.
That is, the payout control board 54 includes a gaming machine management launchable ball number storage unit 54A that stores the remaining number of game balls that can be launched by the player (hereinafter referred to as “the number of balls that can be fired”). On condition that the number is not “zero”, a launch permission signal for permitting the launch of the game ball is output to the launch control board 52 described later. When a lending instruction signal is input from the CR unit 3, the payout control board 54 adds the predetermined number of lent balls to the number of balls that can be fired instead of inserting the number of game balls of the predetermined number of lent balls.

In addition, the payout control board 54 has an out-ball detecting sensor 57 for detecting an out-ball collected in the collection port 14 so that the increase / decrease in the number of balls that can be shot can be managed, and a game that has not reached the post-launch game area. Detection signals of a foul ball detection sensor 58 that detects a foul ball that is a sphere and one or a plurality of shot ball detection sensors 64 (one in the illustrated example) that detect a game ball that has been shot are input. The payout control board 54 can be fired every time a prize ball payout instruction signal is received from the gaming machine main board 53, every time a foul ball is detected, or every time one of the rental instruction signals is input from the CR unit 3. The number of balls is added and updated, and the number of balls that can be fired is managed by subtracting and updating the number of balls that can be fired every time the detection signal of the firing ball detection sensor 65 is inputted, Further, the number of balls that can be fired is always displayed on the ball number display lamp 60 provided on the game board 8.
The outputs of the out ball detection sensor 57 and the foul ball detection sensor 58 may be input to the gaming machine main board 53 and output from the gaming machine main board 53 to the payout control board 54.
The launch control board 52 launches a game ball toward the game area according to the operation of the game ball launch handle 17 on the condition that a launch permission signal is input from the payout control board 54, and A firing state signal indicating whether or not firing is possible is output to the dispensing control board 54.

The production sub-board 51 controls the gaming machine liquid crystal display 16, a sound source (not shown), and a frame lamp based on the production instruction signal of the gaming machine main board 53, and performs a game production according to the winning lottery result. It is a board on which a circuit is mounted, and does not output a signal to the gaming machine main board 53, and its operation does not affect the winning lottery result of the gaming machine main board 53.
The gaming effects will be described by taking the display effects on the gaming machine liquid crystal display 16 as an example. The gaming machine liquid crystal display 16 displays the symbols (also referred to as decorative symbols) in accordance with the symbol variations of the symbol display section 59. When a big hit occurs, a display effect is performed by displaying an image in accordance with the progress of the big hit game. Typical display effects performed between the start of symbol change and the occurrence of a jackpot include a notice effect and a reach effect, and a jackpot effect is performed when a jackpot occurs. The notice effect refers to an effect that is a precursor to reaching a specific state such as reach or jackpot, and the reach effect is an effect that mainly occurs at the stage before the jackpot. For each of the notice effect and the reach effect, a plurality of types of effect patterns are facilitated in advance. For example, in reach production, so-called multiple types of normal reach and multiple types of super reach are facilitated in advance, and any one reach production pattern is used when the reach production is executed. Then, for each of the notice effect and the reach effect, the effect pattern is appropriately selected and combined to alleviate the monotony during the symbol variation.

At this time, the effect pattern used in the notice effect and the reach effect is determined by lottery of the gaming machine main board 53. In each of the effect patterns of the notice effect and the reach effect, an appearance rate is provided at the time of winning or winning a special prize (big hit). For example, by setting the appearance rate of the production pattern to be high at the time of winning and low at the time of winning, the expected value of the jackpot at the time of the production of the production pattern becomes high, and the player has a sense of expectation of the occurrence of the big hit by the production of the production pattern It is made.
The effect sub-board 51 includes an effect data storage unit 51A for storing image data used for each display effect, and the image data is sent from the effect data storage unit 51A in accordance with the effect instruction signal of the game machine main board 53 and the progress of the effect. The image signals based on the image data are sequentially read out and output to the gaming machine liquid crystal display 16 to be displayed on the gaming machine liquid crystal display 16.

In addition to the above-described members, the pachinko machine 2 includes an external terminal board 61 and a lending device connection board 62 as shown in FIG. 2, and further includes the touch liquid crystal module 20 described above.
The external terminal board 61 includes a jackpot signal indicating occurrence of a jackpot, a symbol stop signal indicating stoppage of the symbol on the symbol display section 59, a prize ball signal indicating the number of winning balls, an out ball signal indicating out ball detection, and a foul ball detection. It is a terminal board for outputting various signals, such as a foul ball signal indicating, to the peripheral device from the pachinko machine 2. For peripheral devices, by acquiring the jackpot signal and the symbol variation stop signal, the jackpot occurrence, the number of jackpot occurrences, the number of symbol variations can be specified, and based on the out ball signal, the foul ball signal, and the prize ball signal The difference ball can be obtained separately from the payout control board 54. In the present embodiment, the external terminal board 61 is connected to the CR unit 3, and the CR unit 3 is held based on the difference ball separately from the gaming machine management launchable ball number storage unit 54 </ b> A of the payout control board 54. I manage the number of balls.

The lending device connection board 62 is a board for connecting to the CR unit 3, and a lending instruction signal from the CR unit 3 to the pachinko machine 2 via the lending apparatus connection board 62 (a payout instruction signal when using the holding balls). And a lending (dispensing) result signal indicating whether or not ball lending / dispensing has been normally completed is input from the pachinko machine 2 to the CR unit 3.
The touch liquid crystal module 20 is controlled by the CR unit 3 and functions as a display unit and an operation unit of the CR unit 3. That is, the CR unit 3 corresponds to the main body of the game medium lending device, the touch liquid crystal module 20 corresponds to the display unit and the operation unit of the game medium lending device, and the game ball lending device 63 is configured by these.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the game ball lending device 63.
The CR unit 3 includes a main board 80, a coin R / W 81 for reading / writing the IC coin 22A, a card R / W 82 for reading / writing the membership card 22B, and one-segment broadcasting (one-segment broadcasting: one-segment portion for mobile phones / mobile terminals) Receiving service) and displaying it on the touch liquid crystal module 20, an infrared communication circuit 84 for transmitting and receiving data by infrared communication with an infrared communication compatible device such as a cellular phone, and the pachinko machine 2 A gaming machine side external input / output connection board 85 connected to the side so as to be able to send and receive data, and a hall side external input / output connection board 86 connected to the communication network 6 and the data display 28 so as to be able to send and receive data.

The main board 80 includes a main control general-purpose CPU 87 that centrally controls each part, and controls the reading and writing of data of the IC coin 22A and the membership card 22B, the transmission and reception of data with the management computer group 5 via the communication network 6, and the like. In addition to ball lending control for the pachinko machine 2, the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22, the number of balls that can be replayed and the number of balls that can be replayed (the number of balls stored) are managed.
Specifically, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 includes a cache memory, and using the cache memory, the prepaid residual value storage unit 88, the lending device management possession ball number storage unit 89, the replayable ball number storage unit 90, and the gaming machine It functions as a management remaining ball number storage unit 91, a payable ball number storage unit 93, and a game result storage unit 94.
The prepaid residual value storage unit 88 stores the residual value of the prepaid medium 22, stores the residual value acquired from the prepaid system management computer 42 when the prepaid medium 22 is inserted or issued as an initial value, The residual value is subtracted and updated with the operation, and added and updated with the charging operation.
The lending device management number-of-balls storage unit 89 calculates and stores the number of players' balls (hereinafter referred to as “lending device management number of balls”) based on various signals received by the CR unit 3 from the pachinko machine 2. To do. That is, the CR unit 3 adds the number of balls to be borrowed or the number of balls to be dispensed to the lending device management number of balls for each game ball lending operation, storage ball, and holding ball payout operation, and the lending device is based on the out ball signal. The number of managed balls is subtracted and updated, and the number of managed device balls is further updated based on the foul ball signal and prize ball signal. As shown in FIG. 2, the number of lending device management possessions is displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20 in real time.

  Also in the pachinko machine 2, as described above, the payout control board 54 counts the number of balls, and this counted value is stored in the gaming machine management launchable ball number storage unit 54A. The number of remaining gaming machine management balls managed by the pachinko machine 2 (the number of balls that can be managed by gaming machine management) is subtracted and updated every time a signal indicating game ball launch is received from the launch control board 52, whereas the CR unit 3 is subtracted and updated based on the out-ball detection signal, the subtraction update timing of the lending device management number of balls is later than the number of remaining gaming machine management balls. Therefore, when notifying the ball management server 43 of the number of balls in association with the operation of the game end button 38B, the CR unit 3 obtains the number of balls that can be fired from the pachinko machine 2 and the number of remaining balls managed by the gaming machine. The exact number of balls is recorded by storing the number of balls that can be fired in the storage unit 91 and notifying the ball management server 43 of the number of balls that can be fired. When the game end button 38B is operated, the number of balls that can be fired is also displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20.

  In addition, in the CR unit 3, a part of the ball can be fired in the pachinko machine 2 every time the ball is paid out of the ball of the player acquired by the CR unit 3 from the ball management server 43. The number of balls that are added to the number of balls and not paid out is stored in the payable ball number storage unit 93 as the number of balls that can be paid out. Each time the operation of paying out the ball is performed, the number of balls managed by the lending apparatus is added, while the number of balls that can be paid out in the payable ball number storage unit 93 is subtracted. As shown in FIG. 2, the number of payable holding balls is displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20 in real time.

Further, when the prepaid medium 22 is inserted and the game of the pachinko machine 2 is started, the game start date and time is stored in the game result storage unit 94, and thereafter, based on the lending (payout) instruction signal output to the pachinko machine 2. Based on the external output signal of the pachinko machine 2 which is stored in the game result storage unit 94 and input via the external terminal board 61, the number of balls lent out or the number of balls paid out and the number of fouls are The number of balls is stored in the game result storage unit 94. When the game end is instructed by operating the game end button 38B, the game end date and time is stored in the game result storage unit 94. That is, the game result storage unit 94 stores information related to game recording after the player has inserted the prepaid medium 22 and started the game, and this information is updated as needed during the game. The information stored in the game result storage unit 94 is used to identify the IC coin 22A or the membership card 22B that has been inserted into the CR unit 3 during the game when the game end is instructed by operating the game end button 38B. The information is transmitted to the game result management server 46 together with the information.
The game result storage unit 94 may be configured to store only the game start / end date and time and the difference ball. In this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 until the game end is instructed after the prepaid medium 22 is inserted. During the game, the difference ball is calculated as needed and stored in the game result storage unit 94, or the number of balls lent out, the number of payout balls, the number of prize balls, the number of out balls and the number of foul balls in the game are stored. The difference ball is calculated in response to the operation of the end button 38B.

  The replayable ball number storage unit 90 stores the number of balls stored by the player, and stores the number of balls acquired from the customer management server 41 as an initial value when the password authentication is normally completed after insertion of the membership card 22B. The number of stored balls is subtracted and updated with the operation of paying out the stored balls. This number of stored balls is displayed as the number of replayable balls on the touch liquid crystal module 20, and the number of stored balls stored in the replayable ball number storage unit 90 is transmitted to the customer management server 41 when the game end button 38B is operated. Recorded.

The CR unit 3 also includes a display effect control unit 92 that controls the display screen of the touch liquid crystal module 20, and the display effect control unit 92 provides information to the player and provides an effect according to the number of balls in the game. When a touch operation is performed on the touch liquid crystal module 20 during display, this operation is detected and a corresponding operation is executed.
As shown in FIG. 3, the touch liquid crystal module 20 includes a liquid crystal display unit 72 including a liquid crystal panel 70 and a touch panel 71, an operation display control board 73 that controls the liquid crystal display part 72, and an effect sub-board 51. And a sub-board I / F 74 that is a connection interface to the CR unit 3 and a CR unit I / F 75 that is a connection interface to the CR unit 3.
Further, the operation display control board 73 includes an operation display control unit 78 that centrally controls the liquid crystal display unit 72, a liquid crystal driving unit 76 that drives the liquid crystal panel 70 according to the control of the operation display control unit 78, and a touch on the touch panel 71. And a touch panel driving unit 77 that detects an operation and outputs the operation to the operation display control unit 78.

  The touch liquid crystal module 20 receives an image display control signal Sg for controlling the display image of the liquid crystal display unit 72 from the CR unit 3 via the CR unit I / F 75. The operation display control unit 78 An image is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 70 based on the image display control signal Sg. The touch operation on the liquid crystal display unit 72 is output from the operation display control unit 78 to the CR unit 3 via the CR unit I / F 75 as a touch operation input signal St, and the touch operation is input to the CR unit 3. That is, the touch liquid crystal module 20 is incorporated in the pachinko machine 2, but its display operation is controlled by the CR unit 3, and the input operation is output to the CR unit 3. And an operation unit.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the game ball lending device 63 has a prepaid residual value, a replayable number of balls, a lending device management number of balls, a payable number of balls, and a launchable number on the liquid crystal display unit 72. While displaying numerical data such as the number of balls, a game ball display effect mode in which a game ball image simulating an actual game ball is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 72 is executed. In addition, although not shown, the game ball lending device 63 executes a standby display mode for displaying images and characters that guide the game method of the pachinko machine 2 and the operation method of the CR unit 3, or images of exchangeable prizes. It is also possible to do. For example, the game ball lending device 63 executes the game ball display effect mode when the prepaid medium 22 is inserted in the CR unit 3 and the game can be played, and the standby display mode in the game waiting state where the prepaid medium 22 is not inserted. Execute.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display mode displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 72 in the game ball display effect mode. 4A and 4B show examples of display modes of decorated game ball images, and FIG. 4C shows examples of display modes for moving and displaying game ball images.
In the game ball display effect mode, as shown in FIG. 4A, a game ball image 101 simulating the appearance of a game ball used for a game on the game board 8 of the pachinko machine 2 is displayed. The game ball image 101 can be decorated, for example, a decoration that displays characters, symbols, images, etc. on the game ball image 101 and a decoration that changes the display color of the game ball image 101.
In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the game ball image 101 is decorated by superimposing a logo mark 103 made of characters on the game ball image 101, and a game ball image 105 is generated. The logo 103 may be image data in which characters are arranged as shown in the figure, and designates character data (text data), font, character size, character decoration (bold, white, etc.) type, and the like. Information may be included. As shown in FIG. 4B, it is also possible to generate a game ball image 109 by overlapping another logo mark 107 on the same game ball image 101.

  The game ball images 105 and 109 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are generated by a texture mapping method in which the logo marks 103 and 107 are pasted as textures on the three-dimensional model of the game ball. For this reason, the logo marks 103 and 107 are arranged at specific positions on the surface of the game sphere. For example, when the game ball image 105 is rolled as shown in FIG. It changes in the same way as when the sphere is actually rolled. FIG. 4C shows an example where the game ball image 105 moves while the logo mark rotates in the horizontal direction, and an example where the logo mark moves while rotating in the vertical direction. In the example shown in FIG. 4C, the position and shape of the logo mark are changed, which imitates the actual three-dimensional movement of the game ball including the glossy position of the game ball. Although not shown, it is also possible to display the game ball image 105 so as to move while rotating in an oblique direction. As a result, a realistic game ball image similar to a real game ball can be displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20, and a high effect can be expected.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an example of a game ball display effect screen displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20. The game ball display effect screen 200 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is a pachinko machine provided with a store name display unit 201 that displays a store name, a logo, and the like of a game store at the top of the screen, and the touch liquid crystal module 20. A unit number display unit 202 for displaying the unit number 2 is arranged. In addition, the game ball display effect screen 200 includes a game data display unit 203, a playable ball number display unit 204, a prepaid residual value display unit 210, a member-specific image display unit 211, a handle state display unit 212, and a handle operation gauge. 213 is arranged.
The game data display unit 203 displays the game history of the pachinko machine 2 and displays, for example, the number of jackpots, the number of probability changes, the number of starts, and the jackpot probability. The information displayed on the game data display unit 203 displays data that the CR unit 3 aggregates based on the external output signals input by the pachinko machine 2 and data that the CR unit 3 acquires from the game result management server 46. The In the playable ball number display unit 204, the lending device management number of balls stored in the lending device management number of balls storage unit 89 is displayed as the number of playable balls. The prepaid residual value display unit 210 displays the prepaid residual value stored in the prepaid residual value storage unit 88 together with the unit price of gaming balls set in the CR unit 3 and the number of payout balls per one lending operation. The amount is displayed, and the member-specific image display unit 211 displays a member-specific image (avatar or the like) acquired by the CR unit 3 from the customer management server 41 or the decoration information management server 48 based on the member number read from the member card 22B. Is displayed.

  The handle state display unit 212 and the handle operation gauge 213 visually display the operation amount of the game ball launch handle 17 (FIG. 1) provided in the pachinko machine 2, and the handle state display unit 212 is an illustration of the handle. Thus, the color changes according to the operation amount (rotation angle) of the game ball launch handle 17, and the handle operation gauge 213 displays the operation amount of the game ball launch handle 17 with a linear gauge.

In the lower part of the game ball display effect screen 200, a ball image display unit 220 simulating an upper plate of a general pachinko machine is arranged. The ball image display unit 220 is an image of the appearance of an upper plate that stores game balls as a whole, and a ball payout opening 221 from which a game ball is released when the pachinko machine 2 pays out a prize ball is arranged at one end. In the center, a ball storage unit 222 for storing game balls discharged from the ball payout outlet 221 is arranged, and at the other end, a ball supply port 223 for supplying game balls to the pachinko machine 2 is arranged. . When the pachinko machine 2 pays out a prize ball and outputs an external output signal indicating the number of prize balls, the display effect control unit 92 causes game ball images 105 corresponding to the number of prize balls to appear from the ball payout exit 221. At this time, the number of prize balls that have been paid out is displayed on the prize ball number display section 225 disposed below the ball payout exit 221 each time. The appearing game ball images 105 move to the ball storage unit 222 and are arranged.
Further, when a ball is lent based on the remaining value of the prepaid medium 22 in the CR unit 3, the same number of game ball images 105 as the number of newly rented game balls appear from the ball payout exit 221. In this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 subtracts the prepaid residual value stored in the prepaid residual value storage unit 88 based on the lending unit price and updates the display of the prepaid residual value display unit 210. Further, according to the number of balls lent, the number of lending device management possessed balls stored in the lending device management possessed ball number storage unit 89 is increased, and the display of the playable ball number display unit 204 is updated.
Furthermore, in the CR unit 3, it is also possible to pay out the balls stored in the payable ball number storage unit 93 to the pachinko machine 2 and use them in the game. In this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 of the CR unit 3 subtracts the number of possessed balls stored in the payable number-of-balls storage unit 93, while playing the same number of game ball images under the control of the display effect control unit 92. To appear from. In addition, the display of the playable ball number display unit 204 is updated. Similarly, for the stored balls stored in the replayable ball number storage unit 90, the same number of game ball images appear from the ball payout exit 221 when paid out to the pachinko machine 2.
The game ball image 105 displayed in the ball storage unit 222 is moved so that it is sucked into the ball supply port 223 one by one every time the pachinko machine 2 launches the game ball, and is erased from the screen. The main control general-purpose CPU 87 subtracts the lending device management possession number stored in the lending device management possession number storage unit 89 in accordance with the deletion of the game ball image 105 from the screen. For this reason, the number of the game ball images 105 displayed in the ball storage unit 222 matches the number of the lending device management possession balls stored in the lending device management possession ball number storage unit 89, and the lending device management possession as described above. Although the subtraction update timing of the number of balls is later than the number of remaining balls managed by the gaming machine, if this slight time lag is taken into consideration, the gaming machine managed firing possible stored in the number-of-games storage unit 54A is possible. It matches the number of balls.

By the way, the number of game ball images 105 that can be displayed on the ball storage unit 222 is limited depending on the size and display resolution of the ball storage unit 222. Further, by limiting the number of game ball images 105 displayed on the ball storage unit 222, it is also possible to keep the ball storage unit 222 in a display state that is easier to see. Accordingly, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 performs control so that the same number of game ball images 105 as the added number are not displayed on the ball storage unit 222 when the lending device management possession number is added. In this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 causes the ball storage unit 222 to display a smaller number of game ball images 105 than the addition amount of the lending device management possession balls, or displays a new game ball image 105 in the ball storage unit 222. I won't let you. On the other hand, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 does not display the difference between the increase in the number of lending device management possessions and the number of newly displayed game ball images 105, that is, the number of game ball images 105 that have not been displayed. The number of balls is stored in a storage area such as the lending device management number of balls storage unit 89.
In the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the playable balls are 120 balls, but when the number of game ball images 105 that can be displayed on the ball storage unit 222 is less than 120 balls, the balls are displayed on the ball storage unit 222. Only possible game ball images 105 are displayed, and the number of balls that cannot be displayed among the number of balls managed by the lending device is stored as the number of undisplayed balls.

  When the lending device management possession number is subtracted, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 refers to the number of undisplayed balls before erasing the game ball image 105 being displayed in the ball storage unit 222 as described above. When the number of undisplayed balls is not zero, the number of undisplayed balls is subtracted by the subtraction number of the lending device management possession number, while the game ball image 105 of the ball storage unit 222 is not erased. If the number of undisplayed balls becomes zero due to subtraction, the game ball image 105 corresponding to the difference between the number subtracted from the lending device management number of balls and the number of undisplayed balls is deleted from the ball storage unit 222. By this control, the number of game ball images 105 that are not displayed in the ball storage unit 222 when the number of lending device management balls is added is reflected in the number of game ball images 105 that are deleted when the number of lending device management balls is subtracted. Therefore, even if the number of game ball images 105 that can be displayed simultaneously on the ball storage unit 222 is limited, the number of game ball images 105 does not deviate from the increase or decrease in the actual number of lending device management possessions. Therefore, display suitable for the player's feeling can be performed, and the display of the game ball display effect screen 200 can be made more realistic.

Since the touch liquid crystal module 20 includes the touch panel 71, when a player touches the surface of the touch liquid crystal module 20, this operation is detected by the touch panel drive unit 77, and a signal indicating the operation position is input to the game machine side externally. This is input to the main control general-purpose CPU 87 via the output connection board 85. When the main control general-purpose CPU 87 detects a player's touch operation on the touch liquid crystal module 20 and determines that an operation for moving the game ball image 105 displayed on the ball image display unit 220 has been performed, The display position of the game ball image 105 is moved along the operation position and the moving direction. That is, when the player touches the ball image display unit 220 and moves the contact position while touching, the game ball image 105 moves following this movement. In this operation, a plurality of game ball images 105 can be moved together.
When the game ball image 105 is moved in the ball image display unit 220, the display effect control unit 92 moves the game ball image 105 while rotating the game ball image three-dimensionally in the same manner as the actual game ball rolls. Due to this rotation, the logo mark 103 of the game ball image 105 is rotated, and thus a realistic display can be achieved, so that a high effect can be expected.
In addition, on the game ball display effect screen 200, the number of balls acquired by the player on the game day, that is, the number stored in the payable ball number storage unit 93, triggered by the touch operation on the touch liquid crystal module 20. The number of stored balls, that is, the number of replayable balls stored in the replayable ball number storage unit 90 can be displayed separately. In this case, on the game ball display effect screen 200, as shown in FIG. 5B, the current number of balls display section 205 for displaying the number of possessed balls and the number of stored balls display section 206 for displaying the number of stored balls are displayed. The

  Before displaying the game ball display effect screen 200, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 accesses the decoration information management server 48 through the hall-side external input / output connection board 86 and requests the latest decoration information. When the decoration information management server 48 transmits the decoration information in response to this request, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 receives the transmitted decoration information by the hall-side external input / output connection board 86 (communication unit), and displays the display effect. The game ball image is decorated based on the latest decoration information received by the function of the control unit 92 and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 72.

Further, while the game ball display effect screen 200 is being displayed, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 accesses the decoration information management server 48 at any time and requests the latest decoration information. Here, when the decoration information transmitted from the decoration information management server 48 in response to a request from the main control general-purpose CPU 87 is different from the decoration information used for decoration of the currently displayed game ball image, the main control general-purpose CPU 87. Switches the displayed game ball image to the game ball image decorated based on the new decoration information, and updates the display on the liquid crystal display unit 72.
Since the decoration information management server 48 operates according to the operation of an operation unit (not shown) or the control of the hall computer 40, an employee of a game shop where the pachinko machine 2 is installed operates the decoration information management server 48 or the hall computer 40. Thus, the decoration information transmitted from the decoration information management server 48 to the game ball lending device 63 can be updated. When the decoration information transmitted by the decoration information management server 48 is updated, the decoration of the game ball image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 72 by the plurality of game ball lending devices 63 can be updated.
Thus, in the game hall system 1, the decoration information management server 48 updates the decoration information transmitted to the game ball lending device 63, and each game ball lending device 63 sequentially receives the updated decoration information. The display of the liquid crystal display unit 72 is updated, and the display effect of the game ball image in all the game ball rental devices 63 can be updated in a short time. As described above, when a game shop employee operates the decoration information management server 48 or the hall computer 40, the decoration information management server 48 transmits the updated decoration information, and the conditions for starting the transmission. Can also be set. For example, when the percentage of pachinko machines 2 that are playing out of the pachinko machines 2 constituting the game hall system 1 exceeds a set value, or when a preset time such as a service time of a game store is reached, one of the pachinko machines 2 For example, when a big hit occurs in the machine 2. As described above, if the decoration information management server 48 transmits the decoration information to the game ball lending device 63 in accordance with a predetermined trigger such as the designated transmission timing or condition establishment, the CR that has received the decoration information. The unit 3 decorates the game ball image at the predetermined opportunity, or updates and displays the decoration.

  In addition, the decoration information management server 48 transmits information designating the timing for updating the display to the game ball lending device 63, and the main control general-purpose CPU 87 sends the information to the liquid crystal display unit 72 at the designated timing according to this information. The decoration of the game ball image being displayed can be updated. In this case, the display effects of the liquid crystal display unit 72 can be updated simultaneously by the plurality of game ball lending devices 63 of the game hall system 1. The information transmitted by the decoration information management server 48 may be information that specifies the timing for updating the display according to the time, or may be information that specifies the timing by other methods.

  The decoration information management server 48 can transmit the same decoration information to all the game ball lending devices 63 connected to the game hall system 1, and identifies the game ball lending device 63 by a machine number or the like. It is also possible to transmit different decoration information to different game ball lending devices 63. Thereby, for example, when a number indicating the rental unit price of the game ball is displayed as a decoration on the game ball image, the decoration information management server 48 sets the decoration according to the rental unit price of the game ball of each game ball rental device 63. It is conceivable to transmit the business information to each game ball lending device 63.

The decoration information management server 48 can transmit a plurality of different pieces of decoration information to one game ball lending device 63. In this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 of the game ball lending device 63 decorates and displays the game ball image based on the plurality of decoration information received by the hall-side external input / output connection board 86. For example, a plurality of types of game ball images decorated based on each decoration information are mixed or arranged for each type of decoration, and simultaneously displayed on the ball image display unit 220.
Further, for example, the decoration information management server 48 transmits information indicating the ratio (ratio) of the number of game ball images to be decorated based on each piece of decoration information to the game ball lending device 63 together with a plurality of pieces of decoration information. In this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 decorates the game ball image at a rate indicated by the received information and displays it on the liquid crystal display unit 72. That is, the ratio between the decoration information A and B and the number of game ball images decorated with the decoration information A and the number of game ball images decorated with the decoration information B is 80:20. The main control general-purpose CPU 87 decorates 80% of the game ball images displayed on the ball image display unit 220 with the decoration information A and 20% of the games. The ball images are decorated with the decoration information B, and these game ball images are displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 72. Further, in this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 determines from the decoration information management server 48 which of the decoration information A and B is used for decoration of the game ball image every time the game ball image appears from the ball payout exit 221. It determines according to the ratio designated by the received information, and it makes it the game ball image currently displayed on the ball image display part 220 become a substantially designated ratio.

  Furthermore, the decoration information management server 48 can transmit to the game ball lending device 63 information instructing to randomly select and use each piece of decoration information together with a plurality of pieces of decoration information. In this case, the display effect control unit 92 randomly selects the decoration information to be used, for example, using a random number each time the game ball image appears from the ball payout exit 221 of the ball image display unit 220 according to the received information. Then, the game ball image is decorated and displayed based on the selected decoration information.

  The decoration information management server 48 can also store decoration information in association with the player as described above. Therefore, the game ball lending device 63 reads the membership number from the membership card 22B, inquires of the customer management server 41 based on the membership number, identifies the player who is playing the game with the pachinko machine 2, and identifies the player. When the information to be specified is transmitted to the decoration information management server 48, the decoration information management server 48 may transmit the decoration information corresponding to the player specified by the received information to the game ball lending device 63. it can. In this case, the ball image display unit 220 can display a game ball image with a decoration unique to the player, or display a game ball image selected and set by the player. In addition, the decoration information management server 48 that has received the information for specifying the player acquires the number of balls and the number of possessed balls of the player, and the game ball lending device 63 provides the decoration information according to the number of balls and the number of possessed balls. May be sent to.

  The main control general-purpose CPU 87 stores a plurality of pieces of decoration information received from the decoration information management server 48, and the main control general-purpose CPU 87 may switch the decoration information mainly to update the display of the game ball display effect screen 200. Is possible. Specifically, when the big hit of the pachinko machine 2 to which the main control general-purpose CPU 87 is connected, the decoration (logo mark, display color, etc.) of all displayed game ball images is changed to another decoration, a prize ball A mode in which the decoration of the game ball image being displayed on the ball image display unit 220 is temporarily changed according to the number of balls, when the remaining number of lending device management possessions is less than a predetermined number, or more than a predetermined number In such a case, the decoration of the game ball image being displayed on the ball image display unit 220 is changed.

The main control general-purpose CPU 87 displays a new game ball image on the ball image display unit 220 when the CR unit 3 lends a ball and the number of balls that can be fired by the pachinko machine 2 is added. The same applies when the pachinko machine 2 pays out a prize ball. Here, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 can apply different decorations to the game ball image that appears from the ball payout exit 221 by ball lending and the game ball image that appears by winning a prize ball.
As described above, each time the pachinko machine 2 launches a game ball and the number of balls that can be fired is subtracted, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 stores the game ball image displayed on the ball storage unit 222 one by one. Erasing to be sucked into 223. Here, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 can also specify the decoration of the game ball image to be erased.

When erasing game ball images one by one at the ball supply port 223, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 detects presence / absence of decoration of the game ball image to be erased, decoration information used, type of decoration, etc., and temporarily Remember. If the decoration stored here is the decoration corresponding to the game ball fired by the pachinko machine 2 at that time, when the game ball wins and the prize ball is paid out, the start winning that brought this prize ball The decoration corresponding to the sphere can be determined.
By the way, the behavior of the game balls on the game board 8 is various, and the game balls are not always awarded in the order of launch. In addition, the game balls circulated and supplied in the enclosed ball type pachinko machine 2 are homogeneous from the viewpoint of game fairness. For this reason, each game ball cannot be identified in the pachinko machine 2 and the origin and attribute of the game ball cannot be distinguished, so it is difficult to determine exactly the decoration corresponding to the start winning ball. However, based on the average time from game ball launch to winning, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 detects the game ball corresponding to the start winning ball at the ball supply port 223 from the time when a signal indicating winning is detected. It is possible to estimate the timing of deletion and specify the decoration of this game ball.

  In this case, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 can aggregate the number of prize balls and the type of decoration in association with each other, and can use this for production or a service of a game store. For example, when the number of award balls obtained with a game ball with a specific decoration exceeds a predetermined value, the CR unit 3 performs display on the touch liquid crystal module 20, It may be possible to notify a store clerk of a game store by transmitting a signal together with a member number. In this case, it is possible to provide highly unique services such as providing food and drinks and prizes to the player from the store clerk of the game store. Also, if the award balls acquired with the game balls lent out and the award balls acquired by using the award balls for the game are displayed on the ball image display unit 220 with different decorations, the game results for the player can be displayed. It can be shown visually and can be expected to enhance the interest of the player.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The game hall system 1 stores the number of balls that can be fired that can be used for a game, encloses the number of balls that can be fired, subtracts the number of balls that can be fired, circulates and supplies game balls, and executes a game. A game ball lending device 63 for adding the number of balls that can be fired by the pachinko machine 2 in exchange, and a decoration information management server 48 connected to the game ball lending device 63 via the communication network 6, and the game ball lending device 63 Is based on the hall-side external input / output connection board 86 that receives information transmitted from the decoration information management server 48, the touch liquid crystal module 20 provided on the front surface of the pachinko machine 2, and information input from the pachinko machine 2. And the main control general-purpose CPU 87 that causes the touch liquid crystal module 20 to perform display effects, and the decoration information management server 48 is used for decoration that the game ball rental device 63 uses for display effects. Information is transmitted to the game ball lending device 63, and the main control general-purpose CPU 87 of the game ball lending device 63 displays a game ball image imitating the game ball on the touch liquid crystal module 20 to perform a display effect, and the hall side external input / output When the decoration information is received by the connection board 86, the game ball image is decorated based on the received decoration information and displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20. Although the enclosed pachinko machine 2 cannot pick up a game ball, the game hall system 1 displays a ball image display unit 220 simulating an upper plate on the liquid crystal display unit 72, and displays a pachinko on the ball storage unit 222. Since a number of game ball images that substantially match the number of balls that can be fired by the machine 2 are displayed, a realistic and effective display effect can be achieved by using the liquid crystal display unit 72 that is arranged at a position that is well visible to the player. Since the decoration information used for the display effect can be controlled by the decoration information management server 48, the game store side controls the display effect, for example, the display effects of a plurality of game ball lending devices 63 in the game store can be collectively controlled. It becomes possible.
Furthermore, by decorating the game ball image with a store name logo or the like, a game ball image closer to the actual game ball can be displayed, and the game ball lending device 63 can display a plurality of game ball images with different decoration states. Since it can be displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20 at the same time, it is possible to realize an effective display effect such as color-coded display of game balls, which is impossible with a pachinko machine having an actual upper plate.

  The decoration information is, for example, information indicating a character, a symbol, or an image that is displayed superimposed on the game ball image, and the display effect control unit 92 includes the character, symbol, or image included in the decoration information in the game ball image. Is generated, and the newly generated image is displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20. For example, the display effect control unit 92 provides a decoration for superimposing a rental unit price and a store name logo when the CR unit 3 rents a game ball on the game ball image, or a display color of the game ball image is not decorated. The color is changed from silver to red, blue, green, gold, or the like. Since the game ball image imitating the appearance of the game ball attracts the player's interest strongly, by decorating the game ball image, the player is surely aware of the decoration. For this reason, information such as a store name and a rental unit price of a game ball can be surely notified to the player by decoration.

  Further, the decoration information may include information specifying any one of the display color of the game ball image, the display size, and the positional relationship when a plurality of game ball images are displayed simultaneously. In this case, the display effect control unit 92 May display the game ball image on the touch liquid crystal module 20 in accordance with the display color specified by the decoration information, the display size, or the positional relationship of a plurality of game ball images. In this case, decoration can be given by a change in display size and color in the touch liquid crystal module 20, and an effect can also be given by arranging a plurality of game ball images.

  Here, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 displays the game ball image displayed when the number of balls that can be fired is added by the rental balls of the game ball rental device 63, and the game ball image displayed by paying out the prize balls. Different decorations can be added and displayed in different colors, for example.

Further, if the decoration information management server 48 transmits the decoration information to the game ball lending device 63 according to a predetermined opportunity, the game ball lending device 63 has a timing determined by the game store side or a condition determined by the game store side. It is also possible to update the decoration of the game ball image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 72 when it is established. More specifically, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the decoration state of the game ball images being displayed by the plurality of game ball lending devices 63 is switched all at once under the control of the decoration information management server 48. In this case, the game store side can control the timing of updating the display effect. There is also an advantage that the display effect can be controlled in more detail.
Further, if the decoration information management server 48 stores the decoration information in association with the player, and the game ball lending device 63 identifies the player who is playing the game with the pachinko machine 2, the liquid crystal display unit 72 has A game ball image with a decoration corresponding to the player can be displayed.

In the progress of the game of the pachinko machine 2, a prize ball is generated according to the establishment of a predetermined payout condition, and when the number of prize balls is notified to the CR unit 3, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 is a number corresponding to the number of prize balls. Each time the pachinko machine 2 launches a game ball and the number of balls that can be fired is subtracted, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 is one. The game ball images are erased from the ball supply port 223 one by one. As a result, the pachinko machine 2 is equipped with an upper plate and a display effect that realistically reproduces the state of the game balls accumulated on the upper plate, thereby improving the fun and the progress of the game of the pachinko machine 2 The player can recognize the winning ball acquisition state. Here, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 can also add decoration by selecting any of a plurality of pieces of decoration information received from the decoration information management server 48 to the game ball image newly displayed on the ball storage unit 222.
When the decoration information management server 48 transmits a plurality of different decoration information to the game ball lending device 63, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 adds the plurality of decoration information received from the decoration information management server 48. A plurality of types of game ball images to which a decoration is added may be simultaneously displayed on the touch liquid crystal module 20 so that the number of game ball images of each type has a predetermined ratio. Since various types of game ball images can be mixed and displayed at such a ratio as to increase aesthetics and interest, it is possible to improve the design of display effects and further enhance interest.

  Furthermore, when a winning ball is generated in the lottery executed by the pachinko machine 2 and a winning ball is generated, the main control general-purpose CPU 87 decorates the gaming ball image corresponding to the gaming ball that has become the starting winning ball that generates the winning ball. Therefore, for example, by correlating the decoration of the game ball image corresponding to the start winning ball with the decoration of the game ball image corresponding to the winning ball, the winning of the pachinko machine 2 and the display on the touch liquid crystal module 20 are linked. This makes it possible to produce more interesting display effects. For example, the CR unit 3 may notify the external device via the communication network 6 of information indicating the specified decoration and the number of prize balls, aggregate the information by these devices, and provide a service based on this aggregation. It becomes possible.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, while the prepaid medium 22 is not inserted into the CR unit 3, the main control general-purpose CPU 87, for example, before the prepaid medium 22 is inserted or after the game end button 38B instructs the end of the game, 200 may be displayed. In this case, since the number of balls owned by the lending device is zero, the game ball image is not displayed on the ball image display unit 220, but when the prepaid medium 22 is inserted and the game ball is rented out, it is lent out. A game ball image corresponding to the number of played game balls may appear from the ball payout exit 221. Further, when the end of the game is instructed by the game end button 38 </ b> B, at the same time the number of the lending device management holding balls is made zero, one game ball image of the ball storage unit 222 is displayed at the center of the ball storage unit 222. Alternatively, a plurality of pieces may be erased.
Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where one game ball image was displayed with respect to the number of balls which can be fired, this invention is not limited to this, For example, with respect to several game balls One game sphere image may be displayed in association with each other, and conversely, a plurality of game sphere images may be associated with one game sphere. Further, a predetermined number of game ball images may be displayed regardless of the number of balls that can be fired. In this case, a game ball image displayed regardless of the number of balls that can be fired may be operated by a touch operation on the touch panel 71 to execute a game independent of the game of the pachinko machine 2.
In the above-described embodiment, the pachinko machine 2 is illustrated as an example of the gaming machine. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any game machine that performs a winning lottery when a predetermined lottery opportunity is established on condition that a gaming medium is inserted is arbitrary. The present invention can be applied to other gaming machines. Examples of such a gaming machine include a pachislot machine that uses a game medal as a game medium and performs a winning lottery when an operation lever is operated on condition that the game medal is inserted. In this case, the game medium lending device of the present invention is applied to a game medal lending device that lends game medals to pachislot machines.

1 Amusement hall system 2 Pachinko machines (game machines)
3 CR unit 4 Settlement machine 5 Management computer group 7 Game system 10 Pachinko machine body 16 Game machine liquid crystal display 20 Touch liquid crystal module (display unit)
22 Prepaid media (value media)
22A IC coin 22B Member card 40 Hall computer 41 Customer management server 42 Prepaid system management computer 43 Mochitama management server 46 Game result management server 48 Decoration information management server (decoration control device)
51 Sub board for production 53 Main board for gaming machine 61 External terminal board 62 Lending device connection board 63 Game ball lending device (game medium lending device)
70 liquid crystal panel 71 touch panel 72 liquid crystal display unit 73 operation display control board 78 operation display control unit 84 infrared communication circuit 87 main control general purpose CPU (decoration state determination unit)
88 Prepaid remaining value storage unit 89 Lending device management number of balls storage unit 90 Replayable number of balls storage unit 91 Game machine management remaining ball number storage unit 92 Display effect control unit (display control unit)
93 Number of payable balls storage unit 94 Game result storage unit 101, 105, 109 Game ball image 103, 107 Logo mark 200 Game ball display effect screen 220 Ball image display unit 221 Ball payout port 222 Ball storage unit 223 Ball supply port

Claims (7)

A gaming machine that uses a game medium to execute a game, stores the number of usable media that can be used for the game, and circulates and supplies the game media while subtracting the number of usable media to execute the game An enclosed game machine, a game medium lending device for adding the number of usable media of the game machine in exchange for providing a fee, and a decoration control device connected to the game medium lending device via a communication network Prepared,
The gaming medium lending device includes a receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the decoration control device, a display unit provided in front of the gaming machine, and the display unit based on information input from the gaming machine. And a display control unit for making the display effect,
The decoration control device transmits the decoration information used for the display effect by the game medium lending device to the game medium lending device;
The display control unit of the game medium lending device displays a game medium image imitating the game medium on the display unit to perform a display effect, and receives the decoration information when the reception unit receives the decoration information. A gaming system characterized by adding decoration to the game medium image based on the decoration information and displaying the decoration on the display unit.   2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit can simultaneously display a plurality of the game media images having different decoration states on the display unit. The decoration control device transmits a plurality of different pieces of decoration information to the game medium lending device,
The display control unit preliminarily designates a plurality of types of game medium images to which decoration is added based on a plurality of pieces of decoration information received from the decoration control device by the reception unit, and the number of the game medium images of each type is specified in advance. 3. The gaming system according to claim 2, wherein the display is performed on the display unit at the same time so as to achieve the ratio. The gaming machine performs a winning lottery every time a predetermined lottery opportunity is established in a game using the gaming media, pays out the gaming media according to the lottery result, and corresponds to the number of gaming media to be paid out. Add the number of usable media,
The display control unit newly displays the game medium image corresponding to the added number on the display unit when the number of usable media is added by payout of the gaming machine or the game medium lending device. ,
4. The decoration is selected from the plurality of pieces of decoration information received from the decoration control device by the receiving unit and added to the game media image to be newly displayed. Gaming system. When the number of usable media is subtracted with the execution of the game of the gaming machine, the display control unit deletes the number of game medium images corresponding to the subtracted number from the display unit,
When the game medium is paid out by a game executed by the gaming machine, a decoration state determination unit that specifies a decoration state of the game medium image erased from the display unit in association with the game causing the payout The game system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising:   The display control unit newly displays the game medium image when the game medium is paid out by a game executed by the gaming machine, and the game medium image is newly displayed on the display unit according to the number of the paid-out games. 6. The gaming system according to claim 5, wherein the gaming medium image to be set is in the same decoration state as the decoration state specified by the decoration state determination unit. The decoration control device transmits switching instruction information for instructing the switching timing of the decoration information to the game medium lending device;
The plurality of game medium lending devices simultaneously switch the decoration state of the game medium images displayed on the display unit according to switching instruction information received from the decoration control device by the receiving unit. The gaming system according to any one of 1 to 6.

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