JP2013116142A - Game device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game device capable of preventing occurrence of inconvenience of penalizing a player because of forgotten counting.SOLUTION: A token dispenser, which can take in and count tokens loaded from a token reception port to be stored on a storage tray, performs counting by counting operation (YES in S107, S109), and automatically performs counting upon satisfaction of automatic counting conditions (YES in S110, S109) even without any counting operations (NO in S107).

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a gaming apparatus that is provided corresponding to a gaming machine that pays out medals according to a result of a predetermined game and that can count medals inserted from a predetermined slot.

  As a game device of this type, for example, on the condition that a bill is inserted or a card is inserted, a predetermined number of medals are paid out according to the operation content, and a medal inserted from a medal slot is inserted. There has been a medal lending machine (for example, Patent Document 1) that counts medals in the medal storage tank when a medal is detected by a sensor of a medal storage tank that stores the medal or when a predetermined operation is detected.

JP 2010-252946 A

  However, since the medals have a flat plate shape unlike a spherical shape such as a pachinko ball, the medals do not always flow down to a position where the medals stored in the medal storage tank can be counted by their own weight. For this reason, in the medal lending machine as described above, for example, it is counted due to the fact that it is not counted without flowing down to a position where it can be counted although it is stored in the medal storage tank, or because a predetermined operation for counting is forgotten. A medal can be forgotten. In this case, if the player leaves the seat, the player may suffer a disadvantage.

  The present invention has been conceived in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming apparatus capable of preventing the occurrence of inconvenience that a player suffers from being disadvantaged due to forgetting to count. is there.

(1) It is provided corresponding to a gaming machine (slot machine 1) that pays out medals according to a result of a predetermined game, and medals inserted from a predetermined slot (medal receiving port 54) can be counted. Game device (medal lending machine 50),
A storage unit (storage tray 55a) for storing medals input from the input port;
Taking-in means (counter hopper motor 58) for taking in the stored medal from the storage unit;
Operation means for accepting the operation (the touch panel of the display 70, the counting button 85, etc.);
Until a predetermined end condition is satisfied after a predetermined operation is accepted by the operation means (until YES is determined in S107 in FIG. 5 until YES is determined in S306 in FIG. 7), And taking-in counting control means (S107 to S109 in FIG. 5) for taking in medals and performing taking-in counting control for counting the taking-in medals taken in from the storage unit by the taking-in means,
The taking-in counting control means is configured to perform the taking-in when the predetermined automatic counting condition is satisfied (when YES is determined in S110 in FIG. 5) even when the predetermined operation is not accepted by the operating means. Control.

  According to such a configuration, even when a predetermined operation is not performed, the capture counting control is performed when the automatic counting condition is satisfied. For this reason, forgetting to count occurs, for example, when a medal is inserted from the insertion slot but forgetting to perform a predetermined operation or when the user does not realize that the medal is still stored in the storage unit Even when the automatic counting condition is satisfied, the counting is performed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of inconvenience that the player is left unattended without noticing that the forgetting counting has occurred and the player suffers a disadvantage.

  The medals taken in by the take-in means are only required to be discharged out of the storage unit, and even if they are stored in the gaming device, they are discharged out of the gaming device. It may be.

  In addition, the predetermined automatic counting condition is satisfied regardless of whether or not medals are actually stored in the storage unit, and when the medal is stored in the storage unit and the situation becomes highly likely Anything is acceptable.

(2) In the gaming apparatus according to (1), inserted medal information (insertion information) that is output from the gaming machine and that is output on condition that a medal is inserted into the gaming machine; Information receiving means (S116 in FIG. 5) for receiving payout medal information (payout information) output on condition that a medal has been paid out from the gaming machine;
A payout means (supply hopper motor 57) for paying out medals from the gaming device;
A payout counting means (a process of counting the number of supplied medals based on a signal from the supply sensor 64) for counting payout medals paid out by the payout means;
The number of payout medals counted by the payout counting means (the number of supply) and the number of payout medals paid out from the gaming machine specified from the payout medal information received by the information receiving means (the number of payouts) And the number of medals taken in (the number of stakes) counted by the take-in counting control means and the gaming machine side inserted medals inserted into the gaming machine specified from the inserted medal information received by the information receiving means And possessed medal number determination means (S201 in FIG. 6) for determining whether or not the number of medals owned by the player (the number of hand-held medals) is equal to or greater than a predetermined number based on the number (the number of inserted).
The automatic counting condition is that a predetermined period of time elapses without determining that the number of medals owned by the player is equal to or greater than the predetermined number by the owned medal number determining means. (S203, S204 in FIG. 6).

  According to such a configuration, when the state where the number of medals owned by the player is equal to or greater than the predetermined number is maintained for a predetermined period, the automatic counting condition is determined as the possibility that medals are stored in the storage unit. It can be established and counted. Thereby, when there is a possibility that medals are stored in the storage unit, it is possible to efficiently and automatically perform counting.

  The predetermined period may be a period in which a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) elapses as long as it is a predetermined period, and a predetermined number of games (for example, 300). It may be a period for digesting the game.

(3) In the gaming apparatus of (2), the owned medal number determining means includes owned medal number calculating means (S115 in FIG. 5) for calculating the number of medals owned by the player (the number of hand held medals).
The automatic counting condition is calculated by the owned medal number calculating means even after the predetermined period elapses after the owned medal number determining means determines that the number of medals owned by the player is equal to or greater than the predetermined number. This is established when the number of medals owned by the player is equal to or greater than a specific number greater than the predetermined number (YES in S205 of FIG. 6).

  According to such a configuration, when the number of medals owned by the player becomes equal to or greater than a specific number, it is highly possible that medals are stored in the storage unit, and the automatic counting condition can be established and counted. . For this reason, when there is a high possibility that medals are stored in the storage unit, it is possible to immediately and automatically perform counting without waiting for a predetermined period of time.

Note that in the gaming device (1), information output from the gaming machine, which is output on condition that a medal is inserted into the gaming machine, and the game. Information receiving means (S116 in FIG. 5) for receiving payout medal information (payout information) output on condition that a medal has been paid out from the machine;
A payout means (supply hopper motor 57) for paying out medals from the gaming device;
A payout counting means (a process of counting the number of supplied medals based on a signal from the supply sensor 64) for counting payout medals paid out by the payout means;
The number of paid-out medals counted by the paid-out counting means (the number supplied) and the number of paid-out medals paid out from the gaming machine specified from the paid-out medal information received by the information receiving means (the number paid out) And the number of medals taken in (the number of stakes) counted by the take-in counting control means and the gaming machine side inserted medals inserted into the gaming machine specified from the inserted medal information received by the information receiving means And possessed medal number specifying determination means (YES in S205 of FIG. 6) for determining whether or not the number of medals owned by the player (the number of hand-held medals) is equal to or greater than the specific number based on the number (the number of inserted) ,
The automatic counting condition is calculated by the owned medal number calculating means even after the predetermined period elapses after the owned medal number determining means determines that the number of medals owned by the player is equal to or greater than the predetermined number. It may be configured to be established when the number of medals owned by the player is equal to or greater than a specific number greater than the predetermined number.

  (4) In the gaming machine of (1), the automatic counting condition is satisfied when a specific period elapses without performing the capture counting control (S207 to S211 in FIG. 6).

  According to such a configuration, when the taking-in counting control is not performed for a specific period, it is possible that the medal is stored in the storage unit and the automatic counting condition is satisfied and counting can be performed. Thereby, when there is a possibility that medals are stored in the storage unit, it is possible to efficiently and automatically perform counting.

  The specific period may be a period in which a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) elapses as long as it is a predetermined period, and a predetermined number of games (for example, 300). It may be a period for digesting the game.

(5) In the gaming device of any one of (1) to (4), value medium receiving means (banknote identification machine 60, card R /) capable of receiving a player-owned value medium (banknote, IC card, etc.) W61)
Provided that a discharge operation for discharging the value medium by the operation means is accepted, and a value medium discharge means for discharging the value medium (processing for returning banknotes and IC cards),
The automatic counting condition is satisfied when the discharging operation is accepted (YES in S212 in FIG. 6).

  According to such a configuration, when the discharge operation is accepted and the player tries to leave the seat, the automatic counting condition can be established and counted, so that it is noticed that forgetting to count has occurred. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience such that the player leaves the seat as it is and the player suffers a disadvantage.

  The value medium discharging means may discharge the value medium when the discharge operation is accepted, after the uptake counting control by the acceptance of the discharge operation is completed, The value medium may be discharged when the discharge operation is accepted.

(6) In any one of the gaming devices of (1) to (5), information inserted from the gaming machine and output on condition that a medal is inserted into the gaming machine Information receiving means (S116 in FIG. 5) for receiving information (insertion information) and payout medal information (payout information) output on condition that a medal has been paid out from the gaming machine;
A payout means (supply hopper motor 57) for paying out medals from the gaming device;
A payout counting means (a process of counting the number of supplied medals based on a signal from the supply sensor 64) for counting payout medals paid out by the payout means;
The number of payout medals counted by the payout counting means (the number of supply) and the number of payout medals paid out from the gaming machine specified from the payout medal information received by the information receiving means (the number of payouts) And the number of medals taken in (the number of stakes) counted by the take-in counting control means and the gaming machine side inserted medals inserted into the gaming machine specified from the inserted medal information received by the information receiving means And possessed medal number calculating means (S115 in FIG. 5) for calculating the number of medals owned by the player (the number of hand-held medals) based on the number (the number of inserted).
The taking-in counting control means has a predetermined number of medals owned by the player based on the number of medals owned by the player after the taking-in counting control is performed. In the following cases, the execution of the uptake counting control is restricted (S106 in FIG. 5).

  According to such a configuration, fraud such as playing a game using medals brought in from outside the game hall or medals crossed by other players who play games on other gaming machines can be suppressed. The security of the venue can be improved.

  (7) In the gaming device of any one of (1) to (6), automatic counting is performed when the automatic counting condition is satisfied and the capture counting control is performed by the capture count control means. An informing means (S111 in FIG. 5) for informing that it is in the middle is provided.

  According to such a configuration, the uptake counting control is automatically performed, so that the player may feel uneasy about whether the gaming device has failed or is taken in without permission. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience such as causing distrust.

(8) In the game device according to any one of (1) to (7), the game device includes payout means (supply hopper motor 57) for paying out medals from the game device,
The take-in counting control means restricts execution of the take-in counting control when medals are paid out by the paying-out means (S104 and S105 in FIG. 5 and S215 and S216 in FIG. 6).

  According to such a configuration, there is an inconvenience that the counting-in control is wastefully performed until the medal is paid out by the payout means and there is a high possibility that there is no player-owned medal. Can be prevented.

  The automatic counting condition determining means for determining whether or not the automatic counting condition is satisfied based on the predetermined information updated as the period elapses, and the capture counting control means stores the predetermined information to be updated. It may be configured to be initialized when medals are paid out by the payout means (S215, S216 in FIG. 6). As a result, when there is a high possibility that there is no hand-held medal owned by the player, the automatic counting condition is satisfied by initializing the predetermined information to be updated, and automatic counting is performed wastefully. This can be prevented.

1 is an overall front view of a slot machine that is an example of a gaming machine and a medal lending machine that is an example of a gaming apparatus that is used in parallel with the slot machine. FIG. It is sectional drawing which looked at the internal structure of the medal lending machine from the right side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the internal structure of the medal rental machine from the upper surface. It is a block diagram which shows the relationship between a control board and various electrical components. It is a flowchart which shows the control content which the microcomputer for control performs. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the automatic count condition success / failure determination process which the microcomputer for control performs. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the count control process which the microcomputer for control performs. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the display state of a display.

  Hereinafter, an example of a form for carrying out the present invention is explained in detail based on a drawing. FIG. 1 is an overall front view of a slot machine 1 which is an example of a gaming machine installed in a game arcade and a medal lending machine 50 which is an example of a gaming device used in parallel with the slot machine 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the internal configuration of the medal lending machine 50 as viewed from the right side. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the internal configuration of the medal lending machine 50 as viewed from above.

  First, the configuration of the medal lending machine 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The medal lending machine 50 includes first to fourth front frames 50a to 50d forming a front surface, and a main body 50e provided with various devices.

  Of the first to fourth front frames 50a to 50d, the third front frame 50c will be described first. The third front frame 50c is provided with a bill insertion slot 60a for inserting a bill as a value medium and an IC card insertion port 61a for inserting an IC card as a value medium.

  A bill discriminator 60 that accepts a bill inserted from the bill insertion slot 60a and discriminates the authenticity and bill type of the inserted bill is provided inside the main body 50e with respect to the bill insertion slot 60a. On the condition that the banknote discriminator 60 has determined that it is a true banknote, medals for the number of sheets (for example, 50 sheets) corresponding to a predetermined amount (for example, 1000 yen) within the range of the amount specified from the banknotes. Outputs a signal to enable lending. That is, the bill validator 60 performs a game enabling control for enabling a game by lending out medals within a range of the amount specified from the accepted bill. The banknote discriminator 60 includes a banknote storage box that stores a plurality of received banknotes.

  The IC card includes a visitor card and a membership card. The visitor card is also called an ordinary card, and is an IC card having a prepaid function issued to an ordinary player who has not registered as a member. The member card is an IC card issued to a member player who has registered as a member in the game hall.

  A card reader / writer (hereinafter referred to as a card R / W) 61 for receiving an IC card inserted from the IC card insertion slot 61a is provided inside the main body 50e with respect to the IC card insertion slot 61a. The card R / W 61 reads and writes the recorded information of the received IC card, and the game value (for example, the card balance, the number of medals, or the stored value) owned by the player specified from the information stored in the IC card. A signal for enabling renting or paying out medals within the range of the number of medals) is output. In other words, the card R / W 61 can lend and pay out medals within the range of the game value owned by the player specified from the received IC card, and can play games by lending and paying out medals according to operations. The game enabling control is performed. In the following, “lending” and “dispensing” are collectively referred to as “supply”.

  The lower end of the third front frame 50c is pivotally supported, and a predetermined key is inserted into the key hole 52 of the locking device provided on the back surface of the third front frame 50c and rotated in the clockwise direction. By performing a dynamic operation, the locking is released and the third front frame 50c can be opened. The game hall clerk opens the third front frame 50c, collects the banknotes inserted from the banknote insertion slot 60a, and performs various maintenance.

  A state indicator lamp 71 is provided on the first front frame 50a. The status indicator lamp 71 can be lit in a plurality of colors, and the status relating to the medal lending machine 50 is notified by the lighting color and lighting pattern. For example, it lights in blue during normal operation, and lights in red when an error occurs. Further, it is lit in green during bill insertion, and is blinked in green in the first mode (for example, a long interval) during medal lending or payout (medal supply). Further, it is lit in yellow while the visitor card is inserted, and blinks in yellow in the first mode (for example, with a long interval) while the medal is supplied. Further, it is lit in purple while the membership card is inserted, and is flashed in purple in the first mode (for example, with a long interval) while the medal is supplied. In addition, when the counting described later is performed, it is blinked in the second mode (for example, the interval is short) by the lighting color that has been lit.

  Further, the lower end of the first front frame 50a is pivotally supported, and a predetermined key is inserted into the key hole 51 of the locking device provided on the back surface of the first front frame 50a, and rotated in the clockwise direction. The first front frame 50a can be opened by unlocking the lock by moving. The game hall clerk opens the first front frame 50a and replenishes medals used for supplying medals.

  The second front frame 50b is provided with a display 70, a guide nozzle 90, and a speaker 72 from above. The second front frame 50 b is formed with a hole for reporting sound corresponding to the speaker 72.

  The display device 70 can display various information and operation buttons, and the surface is configured by a transparent touch panel. Various operations can be performed by touching various display items displayed on the display unit of the display device 70 with a finger. It is configured to allow input.

  The various information includes the remaining amount of the inserted bill, the number of medals specified from the IC card, the number of stored medals, error information for notifying an error, and the like. The operation buttons include a lending button, a medal payout button, a stored medal payout button, a counting button, a stored medal button, and a return button.

  The lending button is a button for lending a predetermined number (50) of medals within the range of the amount of the inserted bill.

  The medal payout button is a button for paying out medals within the range of the number of medals when the medal is recorded on the inserted IC card. For example, medals are paid out within the range of the number of medals while the medal payout button is pressed. It should be noted that when the medal payout button is operated, the screen switches to a screen for inputting the number of medals to be paid out within the range of the number of medals, and medals may be paid out for the inputted number.

  The medal payout button is associated with identification information of the inserted IC card, and when a medal is recorded in the hole management computer 100, the medal is paid out within the range of the number of medal saved. It is a button for. For example, while the stored medal payout button is being pressed, medals are paid out within the range of the number of stored medals. It should be noted that when the stored medal payout button is operated, the screen is switched to a screen for inputting the number of medals to be paid out within the range of the number of stored medals, and medals for the inputted number may be paid out. When a medal is recorded on the inserted IC card, even if the stored medal payout button is operated, the medal is withdrawn with priority over the accumulated medal.

  Here, the hall management computer 100 is connected to a gaming machine such as a slot machine 1 installed in a game arcade and a gaming device such as a medal lending machine 50 provided corresponding to the gaming machine. A computer that performs various tabulations based on information from gaming machines and gaming devices and manages information for each member such as the number of medals. The medal lending machine 50 specifies the game information of the slot machine 1 corresponding to the medal lending machine 50 by two-way communication with the hall management computer 100, and outputs information for specifying the number of medals, etc. To do.

  The counting button is a button for causing the medal lending machine 50 described later to count medals. By counting, the player's hand-held medal is converted into a medal.

  The medal saving button is a button for depositing medals in the game hall within the range of the number of medals recorded on the inserted IC card. When the stored medal button is operated, the medal recorded on the inserted IC card is withdrawn, while the stored medal recorded on the hole management computer 100 or the like in association with the identification information of the IC card. Is added to For example, while the stored medal button is pressed, a process for converting a medal into a stored medal is performed within the range of the medal number. When the saving medal button is operated, the screen switches to a screen for inputting the number of medals to be converted into saving medals within the range of the number of medals, so that the number of medals that have been input are converted into saving medals. May be.

  The return button is a button for discharging the remaining amount of the inserted bill and the IC card. In addition, about the balance of a banknote, you may make it discharge | emit the banknote for the remainder, and it writes in the card | curd (member card, visitor card) stocked directly, and discharges it. You may do it.

  Here, the held medals and the stored medals will be described in comparison with each other. First, “held medal” refers to the number of hand-held medals owned by the player as a result of the player playing the game with the gaming machine and recorded on the card, which is still deposited in the game hall. Say no medals. Further, the “stored medal” is a medal deposited in a game hall, and generally refers to a medal managed by a management computer installed in the game hall. In general, a medal acquired by the player on the day at the game hall is referred to as “held medal”, and a medal acquired by the player before the previous day and deposited in the game hall is referred to as “stored medal”. In addition, you may manage a medal with the management apparatus for medal management set to the game hall. In short, the difference between “save medal” and “held medal” is a medal that has been deposited at the amusement hall by performing a saving medal operation to deposit at the amusement hall, or has not yet been deposited at the amusement park The point is whether it is a medal for the stage.

  In this embodiment, the stored medal data is not recorded directly on the membership card, but is stored in association with the membership card number that is the identification number in the hall server installed in the game hall such as the hall management computer 100 and the like. Based on this, the corresponding stored medals can be searched. On the other hand, medals are recorded directly on the card. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and both may be stored in the hall server in association with the card number. Even in the case of a visitor card, the medal is recorded directly on the visitor card. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the possessed medals may be stored in the hall server in association with the card number.

  The guide nozzle 90 has a displacement portion and an angle change portion, and adjusts the displacement portion and the angle change portion according to the model of the adjacent slot machine so that the tip is opposed to the medal slot 34 of the slot machine 1. It is comprised so that it can hold | maintain. Thereby, at the time of medal supply, a medal can be guided and inserted to the medal insertion slot 34 of the slot machine 1. When a bill or IC card is accepted and medals can be supplied, or when there are medals that can supply medals, any of the lending button, the medal payout button, or the stored medal payout button is operated The medal is supplied to the guide nozzle 90 and is inserted into the medal slot 34 of the slot machine 1. The medal discharged from the guide nozzle 90 is detected by the nozzle sensor 68 and is inserted into the medal slot 34 of the slot machine 1. The medal lending machine 50 is not limited to the one provided with the guide nozzle 90, and may be any one provided with a payout means for paying out medals according to the supply of medals.

  The speaker 72 notifies various information by sound effects and voice. The various types of information include when an error occurs or forgetting to count. A predetermined sound effect or sound is emitted from the speaker 72 according to the type of information.

  The fourth front frame 50d is provided with a seat separation sensor 83, a counting button 85, and an insertion tray 55 for forming a medal receiving port 54 for receiving a medal into the main body 50e.

  The away sensor 83 is an infrared sensor. On the front surface of the slot machine 1 corresponding to the medal lending machine 50, a seat is provided for a player to take a seat when playing a game in the slot machine 1. The away sensor 83 detects a temperature distribution in a predetermined range located above the seat. That is, the infrared sensor detects whether or not a person is present in a predetermined range located in the seat information.

  The control microcomputer 3 to be described later specifies that the player has changed from the seated state to the seated state based on the detection signal received from the seating sensor 83. In the present embodiment, an example in which an infrared sensor is employed will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is possible to specify that a player has changed from a seated state to a seated state. For example, by adopting a camera, the control microcomputer 3 analyzes an image acquired by the camera so that the player changes from a seated state to a seated state. Also good.

  The counting button 85 is a button for performing counting described later. The function when operated is the same as when the counting button displayed on the display unit 70 is pressed, but the counting button 85 is configured by a physical detection switch on the display unit 70. Different from the displayed virtual counting button. The counting button 85 is provided on the fourth front frame 50d, which is the same as the loading tray 55, and is provided immediately above the loading tray 55. Therefore, the counting operation is performed after inserting medals into the loading tray 55. Forgetting that can be reduced as much as possible.

  The input tray 55 forms a medal receiving port 54, and a medal (medal paid out from the medal lending machine 50 or the slot machine 1) owned by the player through the medal receiving port 54 is used as a medal lending machine. 50 is configured so that it can be put into the interior.

  The upper end of the input tray 55 is pivotally supported so that the input tray 55 can be opened by pulling the lower end to the near side. The game hall clerk opens the input tray 55 and performs various maintenance and the like. An opening detection sensor 63 for detecting a state in which the input tray 55 is opened is provided inside the main body 50e with respect to the input tray 55.

  Next, the structure inside the main body 50e of the medal lending machine 50 will be described. In the main body 50e of the medal lending machine 50, the storage tray 55a and the counted medal are discharged to the outside of the medal lending machine 50 in addition to the display unit 70, the bill validator 60, and the card R / W 61 described above. A control board box containing a discharge member 94, a supply medal storage tank 57a for storing medals used for medal supply, and a control board 2 (see FIG. 4) for controlling various devices based on operation signals from various buttons. 73 is provided.

  The supply medal storage tank 57a is provided above the guide nozzle 90, and is discharged from the supply hopper motor 57 for rotating the rotating member to pay out the stored medals one by one from the discharge port 57b and the discharge port 57b. And a supply sensor 64 for detecting medals. In this way, the supply hopper motor 57 rotates and rotates the rotating member, whereby the medals stored in the supply medal storage tank 57a are supplied to the guide nozzle 90 one by one.

  The game hall clerk can replenish medals in the supply medal storage tank 57a in which a large amount of medals used for medal supply are stored by opening the first front frame 50a. The medal supply to the supply medal storage tank 57a may be performed by an automatic medal supply device (not shown) installed on each island of the game arcade.

  The storage tray 55a is inclined downward toward the back of the medal lending machine 50, can store a predetermined amount of medals, and can be counted by the counting hopper motor 58 by the own weight of the medals received from the medal receiving port 54. It is formed to flow down to a predetermined position.

  The apparatus for counting medals rotates a rotating member to take in medals stored on the storage tray 55a one by one and discharge them from the storage tray 55a to the discharge member 94 side. And a counting sensor 65 for detecting medals discharged to the discharge member 94 side. The medals discharged by the discharge member 94 are collected by a medal collection device installed on each island of the game hall.

  FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the counting hopper motor 58 as seen from above. Referring to FIG. 3A, medals flowing down the storage tray 55a are taken in one by one by rotating the rotating member by the counting hopper motor 58, and what is the storage tray 55a side? Sent to the other side. The sent medals are detected by the counting sensor 65 and discharged to the outside of the medal lending machine 50 by the discharge member 94.

  FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the supply hopper motor 57 as seen from above. Referring to FIG. 3B, the rotating member is driven to rotate by supply hopper motor 57, so that medals stored in supply medal storage tank 57a are paid out one by one. The paid-out medals are supplied to the guide nozzle 90 via the supply member 79 and discharged from the tip of the guide nozzle 90.

  The control board box 73 accommodates a control board 2 that performs medal supply control and counting control, which will be described later. Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the relationship between the control board 2 and the various electric components connected to the control board 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the control board 2 and various electrical components.

  A control microcomputer 3 for controlling the medal lending machine 50 according to a program is mounted on the control board 2. The control microcomputer 3 includes a CPU 4 for controlling various electrical components connected in accordance with a program, a RAM 5 as a storage means used as a work memory, a ROM 6 for storing a medal supply control program, and various electrical components and signals. Includes an I / O port unit 7 for transmitting and receiving. Data stored in the RAM 5 is backed up by a backup power source (not shown). For this reason, the control microcomputer 3 can resume the control based on the data stored before the occurrence of the power failure when the power failure is recovered.

  The control microcomputer 3 is connected to a bill validator 60, a card R / W 61, a display 70, and a hall management computer 100 so that bidirectional communication is possible. The control microcomputer 3 stores the specified amount of money to be inserted, the number of medals, and the number of stored medals in the RAM 5 based on the signal from the bill validator 60, the card R / W 61 or the signal from the hall management computer 100. At the same time, a process for outputting the specified input amount, the number of medals, the number of stored medals, and a signal for displaying the corresponding operation button to the display unit 70 is displayed. Further, the control microcomputer 3 performs a corresponding process based on an operation signal from the touch panel of the display 70.

  In addition, a status indicator lamp 71 and a speaker 72 are connected to the control microcomputer 3. The control microcomputer 3 performs processing for controlling the status indicator lamp 71 and the speaker 72 in accordance with the status of the medal lending machine 50.

  In addition, a signal from the away sensor 83 is input to the control microcomputer 3. Based on a signal from the away sensor 83, the control microcomputer 3 performs a process for determining whether or not the player has changed from the seated state to the seated state.

  The control microcomputer 3 is connected to a counting button 85 and a reset button 86. The control microcomputer 3 performs processing corresponding to the operation. The reset button 86 is an operating means for canceling an error state to be described later, and is provided at a position where the game shop clerk in the main body 50e can operate.

  Further, signals from the supply sensor 64, the counting sensor 65, the open detection sensor 63, and the nozzle sensor 68 are input to the control microcomputer 3. The control microcomputer 3 specifies that a medal is supplied from the supply medal storage tank 57a based on the signal from the supply sensor 64, and the medal on the storage tray 55a is taken in based on the signal from the counting sensor 65. Is determined based on a signal from the opening detection sensor 63, and the insertion tray 55 is specified to be opened based on a signal from the nozzle sensor 68. It is specified that the medal is discharged to 34.

  The control microcomputer 3 controls the driving of the supply hopper motor 57 and the counting hopper motor 58.

  Next, the configuration of the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The slot machine 1 includes a housing 2a having an open front surface and a front door 2b pivotally supported on a side end of the housing 2a, and a locking device provided on the back surface of the front door 2b. By rotating a predetermined key inserted into the key hole 3a in the clockwise direction, the lock is released and the front door 2b can be opened.

  An upper decorative frame 4 is provided at the upper front part of the front door 2b, a game effect lamp part 41 and a liquid crystal display part 15 are provided at the upper part, and a game panel 6 and a credit display part 31 are provided at the lower part. Is provided. The lower part of the upper decorative frame 4 is formed so as to protrude forward from the game panel 6, and a medal insertion slot 34 and various operation buttons 36a, 36b, 37 through which a medal as a game medium can be inserted. , 40L, 40C, 40R, a start lever 38, and the like.

  A lower decorative frame 7 is provided below the upper decorative frame 4, and a title panel on which the model name of the slot machine 1 is drawn is provided in this frame. Further, below the lower decorative frame 7, a medal payout hole 9 through which a medal as an example of a game medium is paid out is provided, and a medal tray 11 having an ashtray 10 provided at an end thereof is provided. The medal tray 11 is formed to have a capacity enough to store about 1000 medals at maximum.

  On the upper left and right sides of the upper decorative frame 4, there are provided sound emitting units 12a and 12b that emit sound output from a high-frequency speaker provided inside, respectively, and from these sound emitting units 12a and 12b, Sound effects such as voice and melody for enhancing the production effect are emitted.

  The gaming panel 6 is provided with a see-through window 14 through which the reels 51L, 51C, 51R provided in the housing 2a of the slot machine 1 can be seen through, and a credit display unit 31 positioned below the see-through window 14. ing.

  The credit display unit 31 displays credits. The credit is the number of medals stored in the storage unit (not shown) in the slot machine 1 as the valuable value owned by the player, and the occurrence of a prize accompanying the insertion of medals into the medal slot and the payout of medals. The number of bets is updated by setting the number of bets or the medals are discharged to the outside based on the settlement operation. In this slot machine 1, the maximum value that can be stored as credits is set to 50 medals at the maximum. When a credit addition / renewal request exceeding the upper limit is generated, medals exceeding the upper limit are paid out from the medal payout hole 9. Furthermore, the credit display unit 31 also functions as an error indicator that displays various abnormalities that have occurred in the slot machine 1, in particular, abnormalities that have occurred due to the payout of medals.

  A medal slot 34 having a medal slot is formed on the right side of the lower upper surface of the upper decorative frame 4 formed so as to protrude from the game panel 6 to the front side. A single BET button 36a and a MAXBET button 36b are provided.

  The one-BET button 36a is a button to be pressed when betting one credit, and the MAXBET button 36b stores the maximum number of bets allowed in one game (three medals in this embodiment) in the credit. This button is pressed when betting on the game within the range.

  The settlement button 37 is a button that is pressed when the settlement operation of the credit stored in the storage unit is performed, and the credit number displayed on the credit display unit 31 is reduced to 0 in accordance with the pressing operation of the settlement button 37. The medals corresponding to the credits are paid out from the medal payout hole 9 while being subtracted and updated.

  An insertion medal selector (not shown) for guiding medals inserted from the medal insertion port 34 to the hopper tank is fixedly provided at a substantially central portion on the rear surface of the front door 2b. An illegal medal discharge section (not shown) is provided upstream of the inserted medal selector, and an illegal medal having a size or thickness different from that of the appropriate medal is inserted into the upper part of the return medal channel provided below the inserted medal selector. It is discharged to the mouth and returned to the medal tray 11 through the medal payout hole 9.

  A start lever 38 and stop buttons 40L, 40C, and 40R are provided on the front side surface of the lower part of the upper decorative frame 4, respectively.

  The start lever 38 is a lever that is operated when starting the game, and the rotation of each of the reels 51L, 51C, 51R is started by operating the start lever 38 after the setting of the betting amount is completed.

  Each stop button 40L, 40C, 40R is a button operated when stopping the rotation of the reels 51L, 51C, 51R after the game is started.

  A plurality of types of symbols (for example, “Black 7”, “White 7”, “BAR”, “Watermelon”, “Bell”, “Cherry”, “Plum”, etc.) are printed in the approximate center of the housing 2a. A variable display device (not shown) comprising a reel unit having reels 51L, 51C, and 51R (game reels used for executing a game progress) wound with a translucent belt-like reel sheet wound around the outer periphery. ) Is provided. Each of the reels 51L, 51C, 51R is configured to rotate (drive) and stop in the vertical direction independently by a reel motor composed of a stepping motor provided corresponding to each of the reels 51L, 51C, 51R. By rotating 51C and 51R, the various symbols are displayed on the display window 14 while changing continuously.

  Next, an operation for a player to play a game (game) and operating states of various devices accompanying the operation will be described. When starting a game, a bet number of a desired size is set by betting a valuable value of a desired size using medals and credits. The number of bets can be set by inserting medals from the medal insertion slot 34, or by pressing the MAX BET button 36b or the single BET button 36a and using credits. When a player inserts one medal from the medal slot 34 or presses the one BET button 36a, the bet number is set to “1”, and the second medal is inserted from the medal slot 34. When a single BET button 36a is pressed twice, the number of bets is set to “2”, and a third medal is inserted from the medal slot 34, or the single BET button 36a is When the pressing operation is performed three times or the MAXBET button 36b is pressed, the bet number is set to “3”, and a predetermined pay line corresponding to the bet number becomes valid.

  As described above, when the minimum number of bets “1” is set, the operation of the start lever 38 is effectively accepted, that is, the game can be started.

  If the start lever 38 is pressed in a state where the game can be started, the variable display device operates to rotate the reels 51L, 51C, 51R so that a plurality of kinds of symbols continuously change in the see-through window 14. Is displayed. When a predetermined time elapses after the rotation of the reels 51L, 51C, 51R starts, the operation of the stop buttons 40L, 40C, 40R becomes effective. If the player presses one of the stop buttons 40L, 40C, 40R while the operation valid lamp is lit, the rotation of the corresponding reels 51L, 51C, 51R is stopped, and the corresponding through the perspective window 14 The symbols are displayed on the upper, middle and lower parts of the variable display section.

  When all the reels 51L, 51C, 51R are stopped, if a predetermined symbol combination is displayed on any of the winning lines activated according to the number of bets, ) Occurs, a reel lamp (not shown) corresponding to the winning line is turned on, and an effect such as output of sound effects is executed. Then, a predetermined number of medals corresponding to the winning contents are paid out as credits to the player, and the credit number displayed on the credit display unit 31 is added and updated. When the number of credits reaches the upper limit of 50, the medal payout hopper motor is driven and the medal stored in the medal storage tank is paid out from the medal payout hole 9. Further, even when the settlement operation is performed, the medal payout hopper motor is driven and the medal stored in the medal storage tank is paid out from the medal payout hole 9.

  The player inserts the medal paid out from the medal payout hole 9 into the medal receiving port 54 of the medal lending machine 50, and operates the counting button or counting button 85 displayed on the display unit 70. The inserted medals can be counted and added to the possessed medals.

  A plurality of gaming machines including the slot machine 1 installed in the gaming hall are each connected to a hall management computer 100, and information according to the progress of the game in each gaming machine is managed from each gaming machine. Output to the computer 100.

  The slot machine 1 is paid out by driving inserted medal detection means (medal detection sensor) that detects medals that are inserted from the medal insertion slot 34 and are effectively received, and a medal payout hopper motor. A payout medal detection means (medal detection sensor) for detecting a medal is provided.

  The slot machine 1 outputs insertion information to the hole management computer 100 when a medal is detected by the inserted medal detection means, and when the medal is detected by the payout medal detection means, the payout information is output to the hole management computer. Output to 100.

  The hole management computer 100 calculates and aggregates the subtraction between medals inserted and paid out medals in the slot machine 1 based on the insertion information and the payout information from the slot machine 1 and inputs the input information. Or information corresponding to the payout information is output as gaming machine side information to the medal lending machine 50 corresponding to the slot machine 1.

  Next, the concept of supply control and counting control by the medal lending machine 50 in this embodiment will be described. When a banknote or an IC card is inserted, or when a lending operation or a payout operation is accepted in a state where it is already inserted, supply control is performed, and the medal stored in the supply medal storage tank 57a is guided to the guide nozzle. 90. Hereinafter, the lending operation and the dispensing operation are collectively referred to as a supply operation.

  Further, counting control is performed when the counting button or counting button 85 displayed on the display 70 is operated, or when a predetermined automatic counting condition is satisfied without these operations being performed, After the medals on the storage tray 55a are counted, they are discharged to the outside of the medal lending machine 50. Hereinafter, the operation of the counting button and the operation of the counting button 85 are collectively referred to as a counting operation.

  Next, details of control executed by the control microcomputer 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control contents executed by the control microcomputer 3.

  First, in S101, initial setting is performed with the start-up of the power supply. Specifically, the connection status and operation status of various electrical components connected to the control microcomputer 3 are checked and the presence or absence of backup data is checked. Execute processing to return to the state. If there is no backup data, settings of various registers in the RAM 5 are executed.

  When the setting process is completed, in S102, a process for determining whether or not the medal lending machine 50 is connected to the hall management computer 100 installed in the game hall is performed. Only when connected to the hall management computer 100, the processing after S103 is executed, and when not connected, the processing after S103 is not executed.

  In S103, automatic counting condition success / failure determination processing for determining whether or not a predetermined automatic counting condition is satisfied is executed. Regarding the automatic counting condition success / failure determination processing, as described later with reference to FIG. 6, when it is determined that the automatic counting condition is satisfied, an automatic counting flag is set in a predetermined area of the RAM 5.

  In S104, it is determined whether a lending operation or a payout operation has been accepted, that is, whether a supply operation has been detected. When the supply operation is detected, in S105, the supply hopper motor 57 is driven to rotate in accordance with the detected operation, and supply control processing for supplying medals from the supply medal storage tank 57a is executed, and the process proceeds to S113. To be migrated.

  In the supply control process in S105, control for supplying medals is performed within the ranges of the inserted amount, the number of medals, and the number of stored medals. The amount of money inserted, the number of medals, and the number of stored medals are specified based on a signal from the bill validator 60, the card R / W 61 or a signal from the hall management computer 100, stored in the RAM 5, and executed supply control. Will be updated accordingly. In the supply control process, a process of counting the number of supplied medals is also performed based on a signal from the supply sensor 64 in order to calculate the difference number.

  When it is determined in S104 that the supply operation is not detected, it is determined in S106 whether or not the difference number that is the number of medals held by the player is 0 or less. When the difference number is less than or equal to 0, there should be no player's hand medal and it is not necessary to count. Therefore, when a counting operation is detected in S112, the counting operation is invalidated and an automatic counting flag is set. When it is set, the automatic counting flag is reset, and the process proceeds to S113.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the difference number is not 0 or less, it is determined in S107 whether the operation of the counting button or the operation of the counting button 85 is accepted, that is, whether the counting operation is detected.

  When it is determined in S107 that the supply operation has been detected, operation count notification for notifying that counting is performed by the count operation is started in S108, and the detected count operation is invalidated, and the process proceeds to S109.

  In S109, a counting control process for counting and discharging the medals on the storage tray 55a by rotating the counting hopper motor 58 is executed. The counting control process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  When it is determined in S107 that the counting operation has not been detected, it is determined in S110 whether or not the automatic counting flag is set. When it is determined in S110 that the automatic counting flag is set, in S111, automatic counting notification for notifying that counting is performed when the automatic counting condition is satisfied is started and the automatic counting flag is reset, and in S109 The counting control process is executed.

  When it is determined in S110 that the automatic counting flag is not set, the process proceeds to S113 without performing the counting control process.

  In S113, whether or not the gaming machine side information that is information from the gaming machine side that is the slot machine 1 provided corresponding to the medal lending machine 50 is newly received via the hall management computer 100. Is determined. When it is determined in S113 that the gaming machine side information is newly received, the process proceeds to S115, and when it is determined that the gaming machine side information is not newly received, the process proceeds to S114.

  In S114, it is determined whether or not the unit side information regarding the supply or counting of the medal lending machine 50 has been updated. When it is determined in S114 that the unit side information has been updated, the process proceeds to S115, and when it is determined that the unit side information has not been updated, the process proceeds to S116.

  In S115, based on the gaming machine side information and unit side information, a difference number calculation process for calculating a difference number that is the number of medals held by the player is executed. In the difference number calculation process, a process of calculating a difference number, which is the number of medals held by the player, is performed based on the input information and payout information on the gaming machine side and the supply number information and count information on the unit side.

  Here, the insertion information on the gaming machine side refers to information for specifying the number of medals that have been inserted into the slot machine 1 and received effectively (hereinafter also referred to as the number of insertions). Means information for specifying the number of medals (hereinafter also referred to as the number of payouts) paid out by driving the hopper motor for paying out medals in the slot machine 1.

  The unit-side supply number information refers to information for specifying the number of medals discharged from the guide nozzle 90 (hereinafter also referred to as the supply number). The unit-side count information refers to the counting hopper motor 58. Information for specifying the number of medals taken and counted (hereinafter also referred to as the number of medals).

  Therefore, the difference number that is the number of medals held by the player is calculated, for example, by adding or subtracting the number specified from the information that has changed with respect to the previously calculated difference number (initially 0). That is, with respect to the previously calculated difference number, when the medal is discharged from the guide nozzle 90, the supply number is added, and when the medal is taken in by the counting hopper motor 58 and counted, the take-in number is subtracted. When a medal is inserted into the slot machine 1, the number of insertions is subtracted, and when a medal is paid out in the slot machine 1, the number of payouts is added to calculate the difference number. Note that the method for calculating the difference number is not limited to this, and if the number of medals held by the player can be specified, for example, the number of credits of the slot machine 1 or the number of medals of the medal lending machine 50 is taken into account. And any calculation method may be used.

  In S116, other various corresponding processes are executed, and the process proceeds to S102. The various corresponding processes include, for example, a process for transmitting / receiving information to / from the hall management computer 100, a process for controlling the display 70, the status indicator lamp 71, and the speaker 72, a bill validator 60, and A player sits on the seat based on processing for controlling the card R / W 61 (for example, control for taking in and returning banknotes and IC cards, writing control, etc.) and a signal from the away sensor 83. A process for determining whether or not the state has changed from being present to being away is included.

  As described above, the control microcomputer 3 repeatedly executes the processing of S102 to S116 after executing the processing of S101 after the power is turned on.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control contents of the automatic counting condition success / failure determination process executed by the control microcomputer 3 in S103. In the automatic counting condition success / failure determination process, first, in S201, it is determined whether or not the difference number is 1 or more, that is, whether or not there is a player's hand medal. The determination target in S201 is not limited to 1 as long as it is a predetermined value, and may be other values.

  When it is determined in S201 that the difference number is 1 or more, 1 is added to the value of the difference counter with which the period for which the difference number is determined to be 1 or more is specified. The value of the difference counter is stored and updated in a predetermined area of the RAM 5.

  In S203, it is determined whether or not the value of the difference counter is greater than or equal to 30 minutes. The value corresponding to 30 minutes is, for example, that the process of S103 can be executed, for example, 900,000 times when the process of S105 and S109 that require a relatively long time in FIG. In this case, in S203, it is determined whether or not the value of the difference counter is 900,000 or more. Thereby, it can be determined whether it is left for 30 minutes in a state where the difference number is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. The determination target in S203 is not limited to the time of 30 minutes as long as it specifies a predetermined period, and may be other time. It may be a period of digestion (for example, 10 × 30 = 300 games if 10 games are averaged per minute).

  If it is determined in S203 that the value of the difference counter is equal to or greater than 30 minutes, the automatic counting flag is set in a predetermined area of the RAM 5 in S204, assuming that the automatic counting condition is satisfied.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S203 that the value of the difference counter is not equal to or greater than the value corresponding to 30 minutes, in S205, whether or not the difference is 1000 or more, that is, the player's hand It is determined whether or not there are 1000 or more medals. When it is determined in S205 that the difference number is 1000 or more, it is determined that the automatic counting condition is satisfied, and in S204, an automatic counting flag is set in a predetermined area of the RAM 5. When it is determined in S205 that the difference number is not 1000 or more, the process proceeds to S207.

  Note that the determination process of S205 is not limited to that executed when YES is determined in S201 and NO is determined in S203, and may be executed independently regardless of the determination results of S201 and S203. . For example, it is executed at a stage prior to S201, and when it is determined that it is 1000 or more, the automatic counting flag is set and the process proceeds to S214, whereas when it is determined that it is not 1000 or more, the automatic counting flag is set. Alternatively, the process may be shifted to S201.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S201 that the difference number is not 1 or more, since there is no player's hand medal, the value of the difference counter is reset (cleared to 0) in S206, and the process proceeds to S207.

  In S207, it is determined whether or not the counting control is executed by the counting control process in S109 after the previous execution of S103. When it is determined in S207 that the counting control is not being executed, the value of the non-counting counter for specifying the period during which the counting control is not being executed is added by 1 in S208. The value of the non-counting counter is stored and updated in a predetermined area of the RAM 5. On the other hand, when it is determined in S207 that the counting control has been executed, the value of the non-counting counter is reset (cleared to 0) in S211 and the process proceeds to S212.

  In S209, it is determined whether or not the value of the non-counting counter is equal to or greater than the value corresponding to 30 minutes. Thereby, it is determined whether at least 30 minutes have passed since the count control was executed last time. Note that the determination target in S209 is not limited to the time of 30 minutes as long as it specifies a predetermined period, and may be another time. It may be a period of digestion (for example, 10 × 30 = 300 games if 10 games are averaged per minute).

  If it is determined in S209 that the value of the non-counting counter has become equal to or greater than 30 minutes, the automatic counting flag is set in a predetermined area of the RAM 5 in S210, assuming that the automatic counting condition is satisfied.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S209 that the value of the non-counting counter is not equal to or greater than the value corresponding to 30 minutes, in S212, a bill or IC card return operation is detected, or the absence sensor 83 Based on the signal, a determination is made as to whether or not an absence has been detected by changing from a state in which the player is seated in the seat to a state in which the player has left.

  If it is determined in S212 that a return operation has been detected or that an absence has been detected, an automatic counting flag is set in a predetermined area of the RAM 5 in S213, assuming that an automatic counting condition is satisfied. On the other hand, when the return operation is not detected in S212 and the absence is not detected, the automatic counting condition success / failure determination process is ended.

  When the automatic counting flag is set in S204, S210, or S213, the value of the counter with difference and the value of the non-counting counter are reset (cleared to 0) in S214, and the process proceeds to S215.

  In S215, it is determined whether or not a supply operation has been detected. If it is determined in S215 that the supply operation has been detected, the supply control process is performed in S105 of FIG. 5, and therefore there is a high possibility that there is no hand-held medal owned by the player. The flag is reset so that the counting control process is not performed, and the automatic counting condition success / failure determination process ends.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control contents of the counting control process executed by the control microcomputer 3 in S109. In the counting control process, first, the driving of the counting hopper motor 58 is started in S301. Thereby, the medal counting on the storage tray 55a is started.

  In S <b> 302, it is determined whether or not a medal that has been taken in and discharged by driving the counting hopper motor 58 has been detected by the counting sensor 65. When it is determined that the medal is detected by the counting sensor 65, 1 is added to the value of the current acquisition number counter for specifying the medal number counted after the driving of the counting hopper motor 58 is started in S303. The value of the current acquisition number counter is added and updated in a predetermined area of the RAM 5.

  In S304, it is determined whether or not the value of the current acquisition number counter is equal to or less than the difference number. If it is determined that the value of the acquisition counter is not less than or equal to the difference number this time, medals that are equal to or greater than the player's hand medal have been counted. Such fraud has occurred. For this reason, in S305, fraud notification is performed, a fraud signal is output to the hall management computer 100, the driving of the counting hopper motor 58 is stopped, and an infinite loop is made until the reset button 86 is operated by the game hall clerk. Transition. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the current acquisition number counter is equal to or less than the difference number, the process proceeds to S302.

  When it is determined in S302 that the medal is not detected by the counting sensor 65, it is determined in S306 whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) has passed since the medal is detected by the previous counting sensor 65. The That is, in S306, it is determined whether or not a medal is not detected for a predetermined time by the counting sensor 65. If it is determined in S306 that the predetermined time or more has not elapsed, the process directly proceeds to S302. On the other hand, when it is determined that the predetermined time or more has elapsed, it is highly likely that all the medals on the storage tray 55a have been counted, so the process proceeds to S307 and the driving of the counting hopper motor 58 is stopped. Thereby, the counting ends.

  In S <b> 308, the value of the current number-of-take-in counter is added and updated to the number of medals stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 5 of the medal lending machine 50. In S309, the value of the current acquisition number counter is reset (cleared to 0), and the count control process is terminated.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the display state of the display 70. FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining an example of a display state when the medal lending machine 50 is in a normal state. In FIG. 8A, “2000 yen” is displayed as the amount of money to be inserted, and it is displayed that both the medal and the stored medal are “0”.

  In FIG. 8 (a), only the input amount is displayed, and substantially only lending, counting, or returning can be performed. For this reason, the “lending button”, “counting button”, and “return button” that are substantially operable are the “medal medal payout button”, “stored medal payout button”, “save value” that are substantially inoperable. It is displayed differently from the “medal button”.

  FIG. 8B is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation count notification in S108 of FIG. When the operation count notification is made, instead of displaying the operation button shown in FIG. 8A, “Counting. Please wait for a while” and “Counting” according to the value of the current acquisition number counter The message “Middle ... 33” is displayed. Thereby, the player can specify that counting is in progress.

  FIG. 8C is a diagram for explaining an example of the automatic count notification in S111 of FIG. When the automatic counting notification is performed, instead of displaying the operation button shown in FIG. 8A, “Please wait for automatic counting !!” and “Counting” according to the value of the current acquisition number counter. The message “Middle ... 33” is displayed. Thereby, the player can specify that automatic counting is in progress.

  FIG. 8D is a diagram for explaining an example of a display state when an irregularity or abnormality occurs. Instead of displaying the operation buttons shown in FIG. 8A, as shown in FIG. 8D, a message such as “Abnormal occurrence! Please wait for a while! (E02)” is displayed. Thereby, it can be notified that fraud or abnormality has occurred. It should be noted that a specific sound effect is repeatedly output from the speaker 72 while it is notified that fraud or abnormality has occurred.

Next, main effects obtained by the embodiment described above will be described.
(1) Since the medal lending machine 50 as in the above-described embodiment is installed in a very narrow limited space between the gaming machine and the gaming machine, the width of the medal receiving port 54 is reduced. As a result, it is difficult to visually confirm whether or not there is a medal on the storage tray 55a. For this reason, when the medal is inserted through the medal receiving port 54, forgetting to perform the counting operation, or when the medal has not been allowed to flow down to the countable position and has not been recognized as being stored, etc. Forgetting to count easily occurs. However, in the medal lending machine 50 in the above-described embodiment, as shown in S110 and S109 of FIG. 5, when the automatic counting condition is satisfied and the automatic counting flag is set even if the counting operation is not performed, the storage is performed. Count control is performed regardless of whether or not medals are actually stored on the tray 55a. As a result, by allowing the player himself to count medals while on the spot, the number of store staff required to operate the game hall can be reduced and the operating rate of the gaming machine can be improved while forgetting to count. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of inconvenience that the player is left unattended without noticing the occurrence of the occurrence, and the player suffers a disadvantage.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the difference number that is the number of medals held by the player is calculated in S115 in FIG. 5, and the calculated difference number is 1 or more as shown in S201 to S204 in FIG. If this state is maintained for at least 30 minutes or more, it is assumed that a hand-held medal owned by the player may be inserted from the medal receiving port 54 and stored on the storage tray 55a. It is possible to establish counting control. Thereby, when there is a possibility that medals are stored on the storage tray 55a, the counting can be efficiently and automatically performed.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, even if it is determined NO in S203 of FIG. 6, if the difference number is 1000 or more, which is the maximum storage amount of the lower plate, at least a game that cannot be stored in the lower plate Assuming that there is a high possibility that a hand-held medal owned by the user is inserted from the medal receiving port 54 and stored on the storage tray 55a, the counting control can be performed by satisfying the automatic counting condition without elapse of 30 minutes. it can. Thereby, when there is a high possibility that medals are stored on the storage tray 55a, it is possible to immediately and automatically perform counting without waiting for 30 minutes to elapse.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in S207 to S210 of FIG. 6, when the counting control is not performed for 30 minutes, a player-owned medal is inserted from the medal receiving port 54 for storage. Assuming that there is a possibility of being stored on the tray 55a, it is possible to perform counting control by establishing an automatic counting condition. Thereby, when there is a possibility that medals are stored on the storage tray 55a, the counting can be efficiently and automatically performed.

  (5) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in S212 of FIG. 6, when a banknote or IC card is returned, or the player is seated in the seat based on a signal from the away sensor 83. When an action that interrupts or cancels a game is detected, such as when it is determined that the player has left the seat after performing a process to determine whether or not the seat has changed from the seated state The counting control can be performed by establishing the automatic counting condition. As a result, when the game is interrupted or stopped, if forgetting to count is generated, the counting is automatically performed, so that it is possible to prevent forgetting to count and the player suffers a disadvantage. Can be prevented. Also, if you forget to count even if you leave your seat temporarily by hand washing etc., the count will be done automatically. There is a merit in that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience that is taken away by fraudsters.

  (6) In the embodiment described above, as indicated by S106 and S112 in FIG. 5, when the difference number is 0 or less, there should be no player's hand medal, and there is no need to count, Counting based on counting operation or automatic counting condition establishment is not performed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent fraud such as playing medals using medals brought from outside the game hall or medals cross-flowed by other players who play with other gaming machines, improving the security of the game hall Can be made.

  (7) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in S110 and S111 of FIG. 5, when the automatic counting condition is satisfied and the automatic counting is performed, the automatic counting notification shown in FIG. Done. As a result, the automatic counting control causes the player to feel uneasy about whether or not the medal lending machine 50 has broken down or to feel untrustworthy about whether or not the player has taken it in without permission. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconveniences such as being lost.

  (8) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in S104 and S105 in FIG. 5, when the supply operation is performed and the supply control process is performed, the process of S109 is restricted. Further, as shown in S215 and S216 of FIG. 6, even if the supply operation is detected and the automatic counting flag is set at the same time, the automatic counting flag is reset when the supply operation is detected. Thus, the automatic counting flag is not maintained thereafter, and the automatic counting is restricted. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience that the count control is wastefully performed until the supply operation is performed and the supply control is performed and there is a high possibility that there is no player-owned medal. it can.

Next, a modification of the above-described embodiment will be described.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, in S305 of FIG. 7, since fraud has occurred, an example of performing fraud notification and outputting a fraud signal to the hall management computer 100 has been described. However, when it is determined that fraud has occurred, a fraud signal is output to the hall management computer 100, while the same processing is performed without performing fraud notification and with no fraud. May be executed continuously. Specifically, when it is determined NO in S304, an illegal signal is output to the hall management computer 100, and the process is shifted to S302 without stopping all driving and notifying illegality, and thereafter counting is performed. Control may be performed continuously. As a result, the player who performs the illegal act is input to the hall management computer 100 while the cheating person continues to play the game, thinking that the cheating is not determined. The game hall clerk who recognizes the fraud based on the signal at the time of fraud can make preparations and control the fraudster in a complete system. As a result, it is possible to make it more difficult for a fraudster to escape as compared to a case where fraudulent notification is performed immediately.

  Further, when configured as described above, for example, an illegal flag that can specify that fraud has occurred is stored in the RAM 5, and when a player who is performing an illegal act is seized, By operating the reset button 86, it may be notified as evidence that fraud has been performed based on the fraud flag. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the player who has been cheating from being escaped.

  (2) In the embodiment described above, an example in which the medals taken in and counted by the counting hopper motor 58 is discharged to the outside of the medal lending machine 50 by the discharge member 94 has been described. The medals may be made available as medals supplied from the medal lending machine 50 without being discharged to the outside. For example, the medal lending machine 50 is provided with a lifting device that lifts medals upward, and the medals taken in and counted by the counting hopper motor 58 are lifted upward by the lifting device to supply the medal storage tank. You may make it store to 57a. Thereby, the frequency | count which replenishes the supply medal storage tank 57a with a medal can be reduced.

  When configured in this manner, the following effects are further achieved. It is conceivable that a counting device for counting medals corresponding to each slot machine is installed as an island facility, for example, below the medal tray 11 of the slot machine. In this case, the island where the slot machine is installed is considered. It will be necessary to construct a large amount of equipment, which will increase capital investment. Compared to this, in the above-mentioned medal lending machine, it is possible to count medals while being on the spot by the player himself by simply replacing the conventional medal lending machine installed between the stands. The equipment environment can be easily prepared.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in S212 and S213 in FIG. 6, the example in which the automatic counting flag is set and the counting is automatically performed when the return operation is performed has been described. In this case, since the return operation is not invalidated, bills and IC cards are returned regardless of whether or not the counting is completed. In this case, after the banknotes are returned, if there are medals that have been forgotten to be counted and the medals are automatically counted, IC cards are stocked in advance in the medal lending machine 50 and are stocked. Information for specifying the number of medals counted on the IC card is stored and returned. On the other hand, after the IC card is returned, if there are medals that have been forgotten to be counted and the medals are automatically counted, the number of medals counted on the IC card stocked in the medal lending machine 50 is specified. Information is stored and returned, or the player is notified that the IC card is to be reinserted to allow the player to insert the IC card again, and the number of medals counted on the inserted IC card is specified. You may make it memorize | store and return the information for doing.

  In this case, since the banknote or IC card is returned first in response to the return operation, for example, the player is overlooked that the counting is performed automatically, and the returned banknote or IC card is held. There may be an inconvenience of being left away. In order to eliminate such inconvenience later, the following processing may be performed. For example, when a medal is detected by automatic counting after returning an IC card, the card number of the IC card that has already been returned is associated with forgetting counting information for specifying that forgetting counting has occurred. Are output to the hole management computer 100 and stored, or further output to each medal lending machine via the hole management computer 100 and stored in the RAM of each medal lending machine. Then, when the IC card is inserted into the medal lending machine again, it is stored in the hall management computer 100 or the RAM of the other medal lending machine as having noticed that the player is automatically counting. Information for identifying the number of medals counted is stored in the IC card, and when the IC card is inserted into another medal lending machine, the card of the IC card is deleted. When the forgetting to count information associated with the number is stored in the hole management computer 100 or the RAM of the other medal lending machine, the player has not yet noticed that the automatic counting has been performed or forgot to count. In order to notify that the forgetting counting has occurred, and to specify the number of medals automatically counted Information may be stored in the IC card. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of inconvenience that forgetting to count.

  In the above, an example in which a bill or an IC card is returned when a return operation is performed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when a return operation is performed, counting automatically performed is completed (FIG. 7). If the medal forgetting to count does not exist, the bill or the IC card is returned as it is, and the medal forgetting counting exists and is automatically counted. After storing the information for specifying the counted number of medals in the IC card, when it is a case where the banknote is returned, when the banknote and the IC card are returned, when the IC card is returned The IC card may be returned. Thereby, it is possible to prevent as much as possible from forgetting to receive a medal counted during the return operation.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the automatic counting condition is satisfied is shown using FIG. 6, but the automatic counting condition is based on whether or not medals are actually stored on the storage tray 55a. Regardless, it is not limited to that shown in FIG. 6 as long as it is established in a situation where medals may be stored on the storage tray 55a. For example, when the supply operation is performed when the difference number is not less than a predetermined number (for example, a value less than the number of medals for executing one game in the slot machine 1, 2 or the like), a hand-held medal owned by the player However, it is highly possible that the player has forgotten that it is stored on the storage tray 55a. For this reason, when the supply operation is performed when the difference number is not less than or equal to the predetermined number, the automatic counting condition may be satisfied and the automatic counting flag may be set to automatically perform counting. In this case, the detected supply operation may be invalidated so that the supply control process based on the supply operation is not executed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the medals from being supplied unnecessarily even though the medals owned by the player exist.

  Further, when it is determined in S215 in FIG. 6 that there has been a supply operation, the difference number is equal to or less than a predetermined number (for example, a value less than the number of medals for executing one game in the slot machine 1, 2 or the like). If it is determined that the number is less than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to S216 to perform supply control processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number is not less than the predetermined number, the handheld medal owned by the player is stored. Assuming that the player is highly likely to have forgotten that it is stored on the tray 55a, the counting control process may be executed thereafter without resetting the automatic counting flag. In this case, that is, when it is determined that there has been a supply operation, but it is determined that the difference number is not less than or equal to the predetermined number, the supply operation is invalidated so that the supply control process is not executed based on the supply operation. May be. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the medals from being supplied unnecessarily even though the medals owned by the player exist.

  (5) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the counting control is automatically performed on the condition that the automatic counting condition is satisfied and the automatic counting flag is set has been described. However, the automatic counting condition is not automatically controlled when the automatic counting condition is satisfied. For example, when the automatic counting condition is satisfied, the player knows that the handheld medal owned by the player is stored on the storage tray 55a. However, it is possible to execute counting promotion notification that prompts the counting operation. The count promotion notification may be executed using the display unit 70 or the speaker 72. For example, a message such as “Please count!” May be displayed on the display unit 70, and a voice such as “Please count” may be output from the speaker 72. Even in such a configuration, it is possible to prompt the counting operation in a situation where the player is likely to forget that the handheld medal owned by the player is stored on the storage tray 55a. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of inconvenience that the player leaves the seat without noticing that the forgetfulness has occurred and the player suffers a disadvantage.

  Note that when the count promotion notification is executed when the automatic counting condition is satisfied, the count promotion notification is not limited to being performed using the display unit 70 or the speaker 72 of the medal lending machine 50, but the display unit 70 or the speaker 72. Instead of or in addition to the above, other configurations of the medal lending machine 50, for example, the status indicator lamp 71 may be used. In addition, the count promotion notification is not limited to being executed only by the medal lending machine 50, and a notification signal may be output to the other device so as to be executed using the other device. The other equipment may be, for example, effect means (effect lamp, liquid crystal display, etc.) provided in the gaming machine itself such as the slot machine 1 and information on the gaming machine provided above the gaming machine. An information notification device (such as a data display) for notification may be used. In addition, the count promotion notification may be performed using another device only when the user leaves the seat with forgetting to count.

  (6) The medal lending machine 50 in the above-described embodiment has been described with respect to the example in which the gaming machine side information is received via the hall management computer 100. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the gaming apparatus is the medal lending machine 50. May be directly electrically connected to the gaming machine which is the slot machine 1, and the gaming machine side information may be directly received from the gaming machine.

  (7) In the above-described embodiment, the counting hopper motor 58 is driven until it is determined in S306 or S110 in FIG. 5 that YES is not detected by the counting sensor 65 in S306 in FIG. The example in which the counting control for counting is performed has been described. However, the counting control (in particular, the control for rotationally driving the counting hopper motor 58) may be performed until a predetermined operation (for example, a counting operation) is accepted again after it is determined YES in S107 or S110 of FIG. Further, the counting control determined as YES in S107 of FIG. 5 may be performed while the counting operation is accepted, and a predetermined time elapses after being determined as YES in S107 or S110 of FIG. You may make it carry out.

  (8) The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 slot machine, 2 control board, 3 control microcomputer, 50 medal lending machine, 54 medal receiving port, 57 supply hopper motor, 58 counting hopper motor, 60 banknote identification machine, 61 IC card insertion slot, 63 open detection sensor, 64 supply sensors, 65 counting sensors, 68 nozzle sensors, 70 indicators, 71 status indicators, 72 speakers, 83 away sensors.

Claims (1)

A gaming device that is provided corresponding to a gaming machine that pays out medals according to a result of a predetermined game, and that can count medals inserted from a predetermined insertion slot,
A storage unit for storing medals input from the input port;
Taking-in means for taking in the stored medal from the storage unit;
An operation means for accepting the operation;
Until the predetermined end condition is satisfied after a predetermined operation is received by the operating unit, the medal is taken in by the taking-in unit, and the medal taken in from the storage unit by the taking-in unit is counted. An uptake counting control means for performing uptake counting control of
The uptake counting control means performs the uptake counting control when a predetermined automatic counting condition is satisfied even when the predetermined operation is not accepted by the operating means. apparatus.

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