JP2024079357A - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a gaming machine capable of suppressing the cost of a molding die when providing a protruding decoration on the side of a gaming machine component having a design surface on the front. [Solution] In the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment, during injection molding of the base part 51, the parting lines of the first die 81A and the second die 81B, which approach and move away from each other in the thickness direction of the base part 51, are positioned on a line connecting the vertices of the first and second decorative parts 57A and 57B, so that the first and second decorative parts 57A and 57B are formed by cooperation of the first die 81A and the second die 81B. As a result, the mold removal direction of the molding die for forming the first and second decorative parts 57A and 57B protruding from the side of the base part 51 is made the same as the mold removal direction of the molding die for forming the design surface 53 protruding from the front of the base part 51. [Selected Figure] Fig. 12

Description

This disclosure relates to gaming machines.

A conventional gaming machine is known that is made of injection-molded resin and has gaming machine components with a design surface on the front (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-087419 A (paragraphs [0010], [0011] and FIG. 2)

In the above-mentioned conventional gaming machines, when protruding decorations are provided on the sides of the gaming machine components, the die-cutting direction of the mold for forming the design surface on the front differs from the die-cutting direction of the mold for forming the decoration on the side, which causes a problem of high mold costs, and a solution to this problem is required.

The gaming machine disclosed herein is an injection-molded resin component having a side wall that projects rearward from the outer edge of the rear surface of a main body whose front surface faces forward, the side wall having a first side wall with a protruding decorative portion formed on the outer surface and a second side wall on whose outer surface the decorative portion is not formed, the top of the decorative portion being positioned on a parting line formed during molding of the gaming machine component, and the end surface of the second side wall being located on the same plane as the parting line.

In the gaming machine of the present disclosure, the die-cutting direction of the molding die for forming the design surface on the front surface of the gaming machine component is the same as the die-cutting direction of the molding die for forming the decorative portion on the first side wall that forms the side surface of the gaming machine component, so the cost of the molding die can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Front view of the game board A perspective view of a game board with a rear cabinet fixed to the rear surface. An exploded perspective view of the game board, the game performance member, and the rear cabinet. Enlarged perspective view of the rear housing Front view of the game performance member An exploded perspective view of the lower decorative member (A) is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of the game board, the base part, and the rear cabinet, and (B) is an enlarged side cross-sectional view. A perspective view of the base unit from the front A perspective view of the base unit from the rear An enlarged perspective view of the base portion and the cover portion 8 is a cross-sectional view of the base portion and the molding die taken along the line AA in FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a base portion and a molding die according to another embodiment.

The gaming machine 10 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 12. The gaming machine 10 of this embodiment is a pachinko gaming machine, and as shown in Figure 1, the front is covered by a front frame 10Z, and the playing area R1 of the playing board 11 can be seen through a glass window 10W formed in the front frame 10Z. In the following description, the side of the gaming machine 10 closer to the player will be referred to as the "front side", and the opposite side will be referred to as the "rear side", and the "right side" and "left side" of the gaming machine 10 as viewed from the front side of the player will be simply referred to as the "right side" and "left side".

Below the glass window 10W of the front frame 10Z, an upper tray 26 and a lower tray 27 are arranged in two layers, one above the other, and an operating handle 28 is provided on the right side of the lower tray 27. When the operating handle 28 is rotated, the game balls contained in the upper tray 26 are ejected toward the game area R1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the game area R1 is entirely surrounded by guide rails 12, and has an effect window 11H on the inside that penetrates the game board 11. The display screen 13G of the display device 13 faces forward through the effect window 11H. An entry restriction frame 23 is attached to the opening edge of the effect window 11H, which restricts game balls flowing down the game area R1 from entering the effect window 11H.

The game area R1 is provided with start winning holes 14A, 14B and large winning holes 15, 16. When a game ball enters the start winning holes 14A, 14B, a win/lose determination is performed. The result of the win/lose determination is displayed on the display screen 13G along with a performance based on the result. The large winning holes 15, 16 are normally blocked by a movable door (not shown) to make it difficult for game balls to enter, and are opened when the result of the win/lose determination is a win, allowing game balls to enter. When a game ball enters each winning hole, the prize ball is paid out to the upper tray 26. In addition, an outlet 17 is provided at the bottom end of the game area R1. The game ball flowing down the game area R1 is taken into the rear side of the game board 11 through one of the winning holes or the outlet 17.

As shown in Figure 3, a rear housing 30 is fixed to the rear surface of the game board 11. As shown in Figure 4, the rear housing 30 has a box-shaped structure with an open front, and has a frame-shaped main board wall 31 that faces the rear surface of the game board 11, and an enclosing wall 32 that protrudes forward from its outer edge. The game board 11 and the rear housing 30 are screwed together with the front edge of the enclosing wall 32 abutting against the outer edge of the rear surface of the game board 11.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the front ends of both sides of the surrounding wall 32 (only the left side is shown in FIG. 5) are formed with front end walls 33 that protrude outward, and abutment protrusions 33T are formed at both upper and lower ends of the front end wall 33. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(A), on both sides of the rear surface of the game board 11, receiving recesses 11U for receiving the abutment protrusions 33T are formed, and the rear housing 30 is positioned relative to the game board 11 by these abutment protrusions 33T and receiving recesses 11U. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, on both sides of the surrounding wall 32, step surfaces 34 that narrow the rear width in a stepped manner are provided near the front end wall 33. A pair of mounting protrusions 34T are formed protruding from the step surface 34 at a position closer to the center than the pair of abutment protrusions 33 in the vertical direction.

The above-mentioned display device 13 is fixed on top of the rear side of the main board wall 31, and the display screen 13G of the display device 13 can be seen by the player through the opening 35 provided in the main board wall 31 and the performance window 11H of the game board 11.

Now, as shown in FIG. 4, a game presentation member 40 is housed and fixed inside the rear cabinet 30. The game presentation member 40 is formed by attaching multiple decorative members to a frame-shaped mounting member 41 fixed to the rear cabinet 30. These multiple decorative members are arranged in positions facing the opening edge of the presentation window 11H and the outer portion of the presentation window 11H on the game board 11. Here, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the game board 11 is formed from a transparent resin, and the multiple decorative members are visible from the front of the gaming machine 10 through the presentation window 11H or through the transparent area of the game board 11.

These multiple decorative members include an upper decorative member 50A and a lower decorative member 50B, which are positioned to cover the upper right half and lower left half of the mounting member 41 from the front, as shown in FIG. 6. The upper decorative member 50A and the lower decorative member 50B have substantially the same configuration, and the lower decorative member 50B will be described below. Note that the base portion 51 included in the upper decorative member 50A and the lower decorative member 50B, which will be described later, corresponds to the "game machine component" in the claims.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lower decorative member 50B has a base portion 51, a cover portion 60 that is overlaid on the front surface of the base portion 51, and a substrate portion 70 that is overlaid on the rear surface of the base portion 51. The base portion 51, cover portion 60, and substrate portion 70 are integrated by passing a protrusion (not shown) provided on the rear surface of the cover portion 60 through through holes 51N, 70N formed through the base portion 51 and substrate portion 70, and screwing them together.

The base portion 51 is an injection-molded resin product, and has a plate-shaped main body portion 52 with its front surface facing forward, and first and second side walls 56A, 56B that protrude rearward from the outer edge of the rear surface of the main body portion 52 (see Figures 7 and 8).

The front surface of the main body 52 has a design surface 53 that is arranged facing the opening edge of the performance window 11H of the game board 11 and has a three-dimensional pattern 54, and a non-design surface 52B that is arranged facing the outer part of the performance window 11H. As shown in FIG. 2, part of the design surface 53 is arranged in a position that is visible through the performance window 11H, and another part is arranged in a position that faces the rear surface of the game board 11. In this embodiment, at least the area of the game board 11 that faces the design surface 53 is configured to be transparent as described above, and the entire design surface 53 is visible from the front.

As shown in FIG. 7, the design surface 53 extends in an arc in a band shape, and protrudes forward by a stepped surface 53D that connects to the non-design surface 52B in a stepped manner (see FIG. 9). The width of the design surface 53 narrows as it extends downward. A branching portion 53S is formed at the lower end of the design surface 53, which branches off from the direction along the opening edge of the performance window 11H and extends downward. A through hole 53K is provided in the branching portion 53S. The direction in which the design surface 53 extends along the outer edge of the performance window 11H and extends downward is referred to as the "first direction H1".

As shown in FIG. 9, the design surface 53 has a stepped surface 53E that connects the outer edge and the middle part in a stepped manner, so that the middle part protrudes forward, and a three-dimensional pattern 54 is applied to the middle part. The three-dimensional pattern 54 bulges forward from the design surface 53, and in this embodiment, is composed of a pattern with multiple star shapes, heart shapes, and feather motifs, and is arranged one by one along the first direction H1. The size of the three-dimensional pattern 54 is formed to match the width of the design surface 53, and gradually becomes smaller as it moves in the first direction H1.

In addition, mounting protrusions 55A and 55B are formed at positions near both ends of the left edge of the main body 52. The mounting protrusions 55A and 55B have a support portion 55S that protrudes forward and a mounting wall 55H that protrudes outward from the front end of the support portion 55S. As shown in FIG. 8 (A), a receiving recess 55U is formed on the rear surface of the mounting wall 55H, and the base portion 51 is positioned relative to the rear housing 30 by receiving the mounting protrusion 34T provided on the step surface 34 of the surrounding wall 32 of the rear housing 30. Here, the forward protrusion amount of the mounting protrusion 55B is greater than the protrusion amount of the mounting protrusion 55A (see FIG. 9), and as a result, the main body 52 of the base portion 51 is positioned with the lower portion farther away from the rear surface of the game board 11 than the upper portion (see FIG. 8 (B)). In other words, the design surface 53 is positioned so as to move away from the rear surface of the game board 11 as it moves toward the first direction H1.

The rear surface of the main body 52 has a number of cylindrical protrusions 52H (see FIG. 10). These cylindrical protrusions 52H are received and screwed into unillustrated receivers on the mounting member 41 and other decorative members attached to the mounting member 41. The cylindrical protrusions 52H on the upper left and lower right ends protrude from the rear surface of the recessed surface 52J, which is a stepped recess on the front surface of the main body 52 (see FIG. 7), and the cylindrical protrusions 52H arranged along the design surface 53 receive protrusions, not shown, on the rear surface of the cover 60 and are screwed together with the cover 60.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first side wall 56A protrudes rearward from the outer edge of the main body 52 on the opening edge side of the presentation window 11H where the design surface 53 is located. The entire first side wall 56A is visible through the presentation window 11H or from a transparent area of the play board 11. The protruding length of the first side wall 56A gradually decreases as it moves in the first direction H1.

In addition, a plurality of first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B are alternately formed to protrude along the first direction H1 on the middle part of the outer surface of the first side wall 56A in the protruding direction. As shown in FIG. 11, the first decorative part 57A is hexagonal pyramid-shaped, and the second decorative part 57B is shaped like a cut-out part of a sphere, and the size of each part gradually decreases toward the first direction H1. In addition, a protrusion 80 is formed on a straight line connecting the vertices of the plurality of first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B. The protrusion 80 is disposed on the parting line of a molding die 81 of the base part 51, which will be described later. The protrusion 80 is inclined so as to gradually approach the main body part 52 as it approaches the first direction H1.

The outer surface of the first side wall 56A is formed with a recessed surface 58, which is recessed in a stepped shape at the tip side from a scallop-shaped curved portion 58D that resembles a series of semicircles formed by connecting the second decorative portion 57B in an arc shape. The end face of the first side wall 56A is cut out in a scallop shape that is approximately parallel to the curved portion 58D. The recessed surface 58 is also provided with a knurling process 58R consisting of multiple grooves that extend in the protruding direction. The knurling process 58R is provided on every other one of the connected semicircles.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second side wall 56B projects rearward from the outer edge of the outer portion of the presentation window 11H where the non-design surface 52B of the main body 52 is located.

As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate 70 is plate-shaped and corresponds to the design surface 53, and is positioned opposite the middle portion of the design surface 53 on which the three-dimensional pattern 54 is applied. A plurality of light-emitting elements 71 are provided on the front surface of the substrate 70, and light is emitted toward the design surface 53 of the main body 52. One of the plurality of light-emitting elements 71 is positioned opposite the through-hole 53K of the branch portion 53S on the design surface 53.

The middle part of the design surface 53 of the main body 52 is at least a transparent area that can transmit light, and the entire rear surface is formed with irregularities (see FIG. 12). When light is emitted from the multiple light-emitting elements 71, the light is scattered by the irregularities and emitted forward from the design surface 53, making the design surface 53 appear to be illuminated overall.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cover part 60 is shaped to resemble the design surface 53 and is arranged to cover the design surface 53 from the front of the main body part 52. Specifically, it has a frame-shaped part 61 that overlaps the outer edge of the design surface 53 extending in the first direction H1, a border part 62 that borders the outer shapes of the hearts and the star at the upper end of the three-dimensional pattern 54, a branch cover part 63 that covers the entire branch part 53S, and a side edge part 64 that overlaps the first side wall 56A. As shown in FIG. 11, the overhanging length of the side edge part 64 is shorter than the overhanging length of the first side wall 56A, and the end face of the side edge part 64 is cut out in a scallop shape like the end face of the first side wall 56A. In addition, the entire side edge part 64 is knurled 64R. The adjacent semicircles are connected by hexagonal protrusions. In addition, a side wall portion 62H that covers the side wall portion of the star shape is formed in the portion of the edging portion 62 that borders the upper end of the star shape, and a knurling process 62R is applied to the entire side wall portion 62H. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, a star-shaped bulge is formed at the bottom end of the branch cover portion 63, and a light-emitting element 71 is disposed in the center of the star shape, facing the through hole 53K.

The above is the explanation of the configuration of the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a cross section of the base portion 51 and a cross section of the molding die 81 corresponding to the cross section. The molding die 81 has a first die 81A and a second die 81B that approach and move away from each other in the thickness direction of the main body portion 52 of the base portion 51. The first die 81A and the second die 81B mold not only the three-dimensional pattern 54 of the design surface 53, but also the first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B on the first side wall 56A. Specifically, the parting line of the first die 81A and the second die 81B is on the line connecting the vertices of the first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B of the first side wall 56A, so that the first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B are formed by the cooperation of the first die 81A and the second die 81B. And by making the parting line between the first mold 81A and the second mold 81B on the line connecting the vertices of the first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B of the first side wall 56A, a protrusion 80 is formed as the parting line on the line connecting the vertices of the first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B.

Next, the effects of the gaming machine 10 will be described. The gaming machine 10 of this embodiment has a gaming board 11 with at least a partial transparent area, and decorative members 50A, 50B are arranged behind the gaming board 11. Among these decorative members 50A, 50B, a design surface 53 is provided on the front surface of the base portion 51, and the design surface 53 is made visible through the transparent area of the gaming board 11 or the performance window 11H, thereby improving the decorativeness of the gaming machine 10. In this embodiment, not only is the design surface 53 provided on the front surface of the base portion 51, but first and second decorative portions 57A, 57B are formed to protrude from the outer surface of the first side wall 56A, which is the side surface of the base portion 51, and are configured to be visible from the front, further improving the decorativeness.

In this embodiment, the base portion 51 is molded by injection molding, and the three-dimensional pattern 53 is applied to the design surface 53 using the first mold 81A and the second mold 81B that approach and separate from each other in the thickness direction of the main body portion 52. In this embodiment, the parting lines of the first mold 81A and the second mold 81B are further arranged on the line connecting the vertices of the first and second decorative portions 57A and 57B, so that the first and second decorative portions 57A and 57B are formed by cooperation between the first mold 81A and the second mold 81B. In other words, by arranging the vertices of the first and second decorative portions 57A and 57B on the parting lines of the first mold 81A and the second mold 81B, the mold-removal direction of the mold for forming the first and second decorative portions 57A and 57B protruding from the side surface of the base portion 51 is made the same as the mold-removal direction of the mold for forming the design surface 53 protruding from the front surface of the base portion 51. This makes it possible to easily mold both the three-dimensional pattern 54 and the first and second decorative parts 57A, 57B on the front and side of the base part 51 without using a slide mold, and also reduces the cost of the molding tool.

Moreover, since the apexes of the first and second decorative portions 57A, 57B are positioned on the parting line between the first and second dies 81A and 81B, a protrusion 80 is formed on the straight line connecting the apexes of the first and second decorative portions 57A, 57B. This allows the protrusion 80 created by the parting line to be incorporated into the design, further improving decorativeness. In addition, the end face of the first side wall 56A is cut out in a scalloped shape and is also knurled 58R, making the first side wall 56A more gorgeous and further improving decorativeness.

In this embodiment, the cover portion 60 is placed on the front surface of the base portion 51, and the side edge portion 64 of the cover portion 60 is placed on the first side wall 56A. The side edge portion 64 is entirely knurled 64R and has a scalloped end surface, giving the first side wall 56A a three-dimensional appearance and further enhancing its decorativeness.

The base portion 51 narrows in the first direction H1 along which the design surface 53 extends, and the first side wall 56A also narrows accordingly. The three-dimensional pattern 53 on the design surface 53 and the first and second decorative portions 57A, 57B formed on the first side wall 56A also become smaller, creating a sense of perspective and improving decorativeness. Furthermore, the base portion 51 is positioned so as to move away from the rear surface of the play board 11 in the first direction H1. This creates an even greater sense of perspective and improves decorativeness.

[Other embodiments]
(1) The end face of the second side wall 56B of the base portion 51 may be formed to be located on the same plane as the protrusion 80 of the opposing first side wall 56A (see FIG. 13). In this case, the mating surfaces of the first mold 81A and the second mold 81B are arranged on the same plane, which makes it possible to further reduce the cost of the molding die.

(2) In the above embodiment, the base portion 51 of the decorative members 50A, 50B, which are located behind the game board 11, has its apex protruding from the side surface positioned on the parting line, and the molding direction of the molding die for forming the protrusions protruding from the front surface is the same as the molding direction of the molding die for forming the protrusions protruding from the side surface. However, this method may be used for molding other objects, such as the front and side surfaces of various winning slots and roles located on the game area R1.

Note that although specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims are disclosed in this specification and drawings, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken separately.

<Additional Notes>
The following describes the features extracted from the above-described embodiment, while indicating the effects, etc., as necessary. Note that, in the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configurations in the above-described embodiment are appropriately indicated in parentheses, but these features are not limited to the specific configurations indicated in parentheses.

The following features have been developed in response to the background technology that, in relation to gaming machines, "there are known gaming machine components made of resin injection moldings and having a design surface on the front side." The problem is that "in the gaming machine of Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication No. 2014-087419 (paragraphs [0010], [0011] and Figure 2)), when a protruding decoration is provided on the side of the gaming machine component, the die-cutting direction of the mold for forming the design surface on the front side differs from the die-cutting direction of the mold for forming the decoration on the side, resulting in a problem of high mold costs."

[Feature 1]
The gaming machine comprises a base portion 51, which is an injection-molded resin product and has side walls (first and second side walls 56A, 56B) extending rearward from the outer edge of the rear surface of a main body portion 52 having a front surface facing forward;
The side wall is
a first side wall (first side wall 56A) having decorative portions (first and second decorative portions 57A, 57B) protruding from an outer surface thereof;
a second side wall (second side wall 56B) on whose outer surface the decorative portion is not formed,
The top of the decorative portion is disposed on a parting line formed during molding of the gaming machine component,
A gaming machine (gaming machine 10) in which the end face of the second side wall is located on the same plane as the parting line.

According to feature 1, the die-pulling direction of the mold for forming the front surface of the gaming machine component is the same as the die-pulling direction of the mold for forming the decorative portion on the first side wall, which is the side surface of the gaming machine component, so the cost of the mold can be reduced.

Note that although specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims are disclosed in this specification and drawings, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken separately.

10 Gaming machine 51 Base part (gaming machine component)
52 Main body portion 56A First side wall 56B Second side wall 57A, 57B First and second decorative portions

Claims (1)

A game machine component is an injection-molded product made of resin, the main body having a front surface facing forward and a side wall extending rearward from an outer edge of the rear surface of the main body,
The side wall is
a first side wall having a decorative portion protruding from an outer surface thereof;
a second side wall having no decorative portion formed on an outer surface thereof,
The top of the decorative portion is disposed on a parting line formed during molding of the gaming machine component,
An amusement machine, wherein the end face of the second side wall is located on the same plane as the parting line.

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