JP2603069B2 - Data management system for amusement arcades - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to data management for a game arcade in which various game machines such as a pachinko game machine, a coin game machine, and a slot machine (so-called pachislot) are installed. About the system.

[Prior Art] As a conventional example of a data management device in a game arcade, a “central management device for a game arcade” described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-3071 and a “pachinko game arcade” described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-6306. A payout rate calculation device ", a" thin ball lending machine system in a game arcade "described in JP-A-59-98290, a" thin ball lending machine management system "described in JP-A-59-189883, and the like. The technology is known.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention is one step forward of the above-mentioned conventional game arcade management system, and occurs in a game arcade by using a predetermined recording medium such as a telephone card. An object of the present invention is to provide a management system capable of accurately and efficiently grasping various kinds of data and capable of managing data of a game arcade quickly and effectively.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, a game recording medium on which data for renting a game medium used for a game is recorded, and the game recording medium is sold according to insertion of money. A recording medium selling device, a game medium lending device that reads data recorded on the game recording medium, and lends a predetermined amount of game media based on the read data, the recording medium selling device and the game A data management device for summing up or calculating data necessary for game arcade management based on a signal sent from the medium lending device, the data management device comprising: a total number of the game recording media sold; Totaling the number of game recording media sales total number information, and totaling the total amount of gaming medium lending information, which is the total lending amount of gaming media rented using the gaming recording medium, And outputs the total information available visible.

[Operation] According to the present invention, a recording medium for sale is sold by the recording medium selling apparatus at the time of insertion of money. Data for renting out a medium used for the game is recorded on the game recording medium. By the function of the game media rental device,
Data recorded on the game recording medium is read, and a predetermined number of game media are lent based on the read data. By the operation of the data management device, data necessary for the management of the game arcade is tabulated or calculated based on the signals sent from the recording medium selling device and the game medium renting device. Then, by the data management device, information on the total number of game recording media sold, which is the total number of game recording media sold, is tabulated, and, for the game media lent using the game recording medium, The total amount information of the gaming medium lending, which is the total amount, is totaled, and both pieces of total information are output so as to be visible.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a "gaming center management system using a card" created by the inventor of the present application. The block diagram of FIG. 1 shows a management system using a card for managing a pachinko hall. As shown, this system sells at least a pachinko card 22 as an example of a game recording medium. Card vending machine 10 as an example of a recording medium vending device, and card settlement machine
12 and a card system management device 14 which is an example of a data management device that performs management based on data from the device 12.
Further, each processing data in the plurality of pachinko gaming machines 16, ball lending machines 18, and premium ball counters 20 are also given to the card system management device 14, and the card system management device 14
Performs data management based on these data.

The card vending machine 10 is for selling a pachinko card 22 on which predetermined information is recorded, such as a telephone card. The pachinko card 22 stores, for example, data on the number of balls that can be rented out, and the pachinko card 22 allows a pachinko ball to be borrowed from the ball lending machine 18.

Sales data generated by the card vending machine 10, that is, the amount of cash put into the card vending machine 10, the type of pachinko card sold (how much pachinko card was sold), and the number of pachinko cards sold The sales data such as the returned change amount is stored in the card system management device 14.
Sent to

The card settlement machine 12 is used to refund unused pachinko cards and to settle unused pachinko card charges. Data such as the amount of money and the card type settled by the card settlement machine 12 are stored in the card system management device
Given to.

In addition, the number of balls lent by the ball rental machine 18, pachinko machines
Number of driving balls, number of supply balls, other ball number data at 16,
The number of balls exchanged for prizes by the prize ball counter 20 and the like are also provided to the card system management device 14.

The card system management device 14 collects and analyzes various data such as sales data of amusement arcades, business guidelines or reference data based on the data sent from each of the above-described devices, and stores inventory data. It is intended for management and the like.

The above is the main device group constituting this system.
Although not shown in this block diagram, not only a game machine provided with only a pachinko game machine but also other game machines such as slot machines (so-called pachislot machines) and arrangement type coin game machines. May be provided. In such a case, a coin lending machine capable of lending coins with a pachinko card sold by the card vending machine 10 may be provided. In addition, instead of the card settlement machine 12, a card reader for reading card data is provided at a prize ball exchange, etc., and the staff checks the read data, manually inputs the settlement amount, and sends it to the management device. You may.

The merits of introducing such a management system using pachinko cards for game arcade management are as follows: Pachinko cards used for lending game balls and game coins (for example, relatively expensive cards such as 1000 yen) Because it can be sold (can be sold in advance), the sales increase for the game arcade.

The ball lending machine or the like may perform the ball lending process based on the insertion of the pachinko card, and it is easier to determine whether the pachinko card is correct as compared with the case where the ball lending process is performed based on the insertion of bills and coins. In other words, the determination of correctness of banknotes and money requires relatively complicated and precise devices, but the determination of correctness of pachinko cards requires only the use of a card reader such as a head that reads a magnetic signal. The manufacturing cost of the necessary ball rental machine itself can be reduced. In addition, if the apparatus is simplified, the ball lending machine can be made thin and slim, and can be arranged between pachinko gaming machines (arranged on an island stand).

Of the amounts stored in the pachinko card, it is only necessary to lend a ball by the amount of money, and it is not necessary to pay out change as compared with the case of bills.

For a player, it is easier to insert a pachinko card than to insert bills or coins, and the operation is easier. Further, it is not necessary to prepare a large number of bills and coins for pachinko ball lending, so that it is only necessary to carry one pachinko card, which is convenient.

 There are many advantages as described above.

In the following, the configuration and operation of the individual devices constituting the system, that is, the card vending machine, the pachinko card, the ball lending machine, the card settlement machine, and the card system management device will be described in detail in order.

Description of Card Vending Machine FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a card vending machine 10 according to one embodiment of this system, and FIG.
FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram drawn for explaining the configuration of the card vending machine 10. As shown in FIG. The configuration and operation of the card vending machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, and particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

When power is supplied from the power supply circuit 24 to each mechanism in the card vending machine 10, whether or not a card is being sold is displayed on the on-sale display 26 or the stop display 28. During the card sale, when coins or bills are inserted from the coin slot 30 or the bill slot 32, respectively, the coin sorter
Whether the inserted coin or the inserted bill is a legitimate coin or bill is discriminated by the 34 or bill sorter 36, and if it is a legitimate coin or bill, they are given to a bill counter 38. The money counter 38 detects the amount of inserted money (coins and bills) and performs integrated counting. The detection count data (money amount data) of the money counter 38 is given to the control section 40, stored in the money amount storing section 42, and displayed on the money amount display 46 via the display driver 44.

The inserted money counted by the money counter 38 is partially provided to the money holding and returning mechanism 48 as replenishing money, and the other money is stored and stored in the safe 52.

Input coin or bill sorter sorted by coin sorter 34
If the input bill selected in 36 is a bad coin or a bad bill, it is returned from the change return port 50 via the change holding and returning mechanism 48.

After inserting the money, the sorting instruction mechanism is operated by the user. That is, in a normal operation, one of the sales card amount selection buttons 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d, 54e is pressed, and one of the sales card number selection buttons 56a, 56b is pressed. The signals generated by these button operations are detected by the signal acquisition circuit 58 and provided to the control unit 40. The control section 40 supplies these signals to the display driver 44, and the sales card amount display 60
The sales card number display 62 displays the amount and the number of the selected sales cards.

The user checks the display on each of the display units 60 and 62, and presses the cancel button 64 when he / she wants to correct the display contents,
If you want to purchase a card with the indicated amount, press the sell button 66. The sales card number display 62 displays the number “1” when any one of the sales card amount selection buttons 54 is pressed, and thereafter, when any one of the sales card number selection buttons 56a and 56b is pressed. Then, the display of the number is changed.

Instead of providing the sales card number selection button 56, the number of sales cards may be detected and displayed in response to the number of times the sales card amount selection button 54 is pressed.

The signal of the sale button 66 is provided to the control unit 40 via the signal acquisition circuit 58. The control unit 40 controls the card issuing mechanism based on this signal, removes the card from the card paper stock unit 68, writes necessary data to the magnetic stripe unit of the card in the data writing unit 70, and writes the card in the data printing unit 72. The necessary data is printed on the front side, and a card is issued from the card payout port 76 via the ticketing processing section 74.

Further, the control unit 40 controls the change holding and return mechanism 48,
The change after purchasing the card is returned from the change return port 50, and the returned change amount and the like are stored in the change amount storage unit 42.

In the above description, in the card issuing mechanism, a card with no data is stocked in the card paper stock section 68, the card in the stock section is taken out based on the sales control signal, and necessary data is written (magnetically). It is described that the data is encoded and printed and the ticketing process is performed. However, instead of this, cards in which data is stored in advance are stocked by type, and one of them is selectively paid out. May be performed.

As shown, the amount of the pachinko card sold by the card vending machine 10 is, for example, a 1,000-yen card, a 2,000-yen card, a 3,000-yen card, a 5,000-yen card, and a 10,000-yen card, and usually a player borrows a ball by money. The price is higher than the case. This means that if you borrow a pachinko ball with a pachinko card, instead of borrowing the entire face value of the card, you can borrow a pachinko ball for the required amount of money, so the player can purchase the card many times This has been done so as to save time and effort.

The card vending machine is not limited to the one described above, and may include a ball-lending mechanism as shown in FIG. That is, in addition to the operation section for selling cards, a ball-in-lending display 78 for ball-lending processing, a ball-lending amount selection button 80
After the coin or bill is inserted into the coin slot 30 or the bill slot 32, a predetermined number of lending balls are paid out from the ball discharging port 82 by operating the lending amount selection button 80. It may include a mechanism.

If such a card sales and ball lending machine is used, the user borrows a predetermined number of pachinko balls at the start of the game, etc., and considers the necessity of borrowing more pachinko balls according to the progress of the game, etc. It can be a convenient device that can be purchased.

Further, in the pachinko hall, it is not necessary to provide a card vending machine and a ball rental machine at the same time, and the installation space of the hall can be advantageously used.

Furthermore, the card vending machine may have the following simple configuration. That is, a bill insertion slot that can insert only a predetermined bill, for example, a 1,000-yen bill, may be provided as a money insertion slot, and only a card payout slot may be provided. Then, a 1,000-yen bill is inserted from the bill insertion slot, and in response to the inserted bill being discriminated by the discriminating device to be a regular 1,000-yen bill,
A pachinko card of 1,000 yen may be paid out from the card payout exit. In other words, it is not a vending machine that can insert various kinds of money and can select the amount of pachinko cards to be purchased like the card vending machine 10 described in FIG. A simple configuration such as issuing a 1,000 yen pachinko card may be used.

Description of Pachinko Card FIG. 6 is an illustrative view showing one example of a pachinko card used in one embodiment of this system. Slingshot card
22 is made of, for example, a paper ticket or a thin ticket based on polyester, and has a magnetic coating portion on part or all of its front surface or back surface. In the illustrated embodiment,
A magnetic stripe 84 is provided on a part of the surface. On the surface of the pachinko card 22, the name of the store (for example, “Fever I store”), the expiration date (for example, “61.8.31”), the date of sale (for example, “61,7,01”), and the amount of the card (for example, : 3,000 ”) is printed.

The magnetic stripe 84 is a region where data can be written magnetically, and the written data can be read mechanically.
The magnetic stripe 84 includes, for example, data as schematically shown in FIG. 7, that is, a store name, a sales date, an expiration date, and a usable store code (not limited to the store that sold the pachinko card 22; This is the store where the pachinko card can be borrowed with this pachinko card), the amount of the card, whether there is a settlement (data indicating whether the card has been settled), the amount used (the amount of card 3,000)
Data such as how much of the yen has already been used for lending pachinko balls) is stored.

The pachinko card 20 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is merely an example, and the pachinko card that can be used in this embodiment is not limited to such an embodiment. The following are possible modifications of the pachinko card.

Pachinko card amount is a predetermined amount, for example, 1,000
The pachinko card stores only the usable store name data of the expiration date data, and the pachinko card has pachinko balls that can be lent out by using it once and is set in 200 yen units. Card that can be used five times. Then, one punch hole or notch is formed each time the card is used, and the card is used when five punch holes or notches are formed.

Further, the storage of each data in the pachinko card may be such that the data is encoded in an optically detectable printing mode such as a bar code, instead of the magnetic storage. The encoding of data on the pachinko card may be performed by a combination of small through holes formed in the pachinko card.

Furthermore, the card expiration date data encoded on the card is not limited to the data stored in advance from the card vending machine, and when the card is used for the first time and the pachinko ball is lent for the first time, within a predetermined period from that time. The expiration date data may be recorded at that time so that the card can be used.

If the amount data (amount data) of pachinko balls that can be lent to the card is encoded, according to the number (amount) of pachinko balls already lent so that the data cannot be illegally re-recorded. , Forming a through hole in the data recordable part such as the magnetic coating part,
It may be physically impossible to re-record data.

Description of Ball Lending Machine FIG. 8 is a front view of a ball lending machine 86 applicable to one embodiment of this system, and FIG. 9 schematically shows a side longitudinal sectional view thereof. Further, FIG. 10 shows the ball rental machine 86
It is a block diagram of a structure of.

With reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the structure of the ball rental machine 86 will be described first. As shown in FIG. 8, the ball rental machine 86 has a slim shape that is vertically long and narrow in width, and is provided between a pachinko gaming machine disposed on an island stand. It is. On the front of the ball lending machine 86, in order from the top, a ball lending indicator 88 indicating that the device is operating, a card slot 90 capable of vertically inserting a pachinko card,
Amount indicator 92, lending amount selection button 94, and lending outlet
96 are provided. The amount indicator 92 is for displaying the amount of money that can be played and stored in the pachinko card. Ball lending amount selection button 94 is "1,000 yen""500yen"
Includes five buttons: 300 yen, 200 yen, and 100 yen.
When any one of the buttons is pressed, an instruction to rent a pachinko ball for an amount corresponding to the displayed amount is issued.

As shown in FIG. 9, inside the card insertion slot 90, a pachinko card insertion detection switch 98 is provided immediately behind the insertion slot, and a code transport mechanism 100 is provided longitudinally in the insertion direction of the card 22. Have been. Card insertion detection switch 9
Reference numeral 8 denotes a switch provided on each of the left and right sides of the card insertion path, and includes a pair of a light transmitter and a light receiver (in FIG. 9, both are overlapped and represented by one small block). The detection switch 98 detects the insertion of the pachinko card 22 when the tip of the pachinko card 22 is inserted, whereby light from the light emitter to the light receiver is blocked.

Note that the card insertion detection switch 98 may be configured by a microswitch configured so that the actuator unit moves lightly, instead of the switch including the light emitter and the light receiver.

The card transport mechanism 100 formed longitudinally in the insertion direction of the pachinko card 22 includes a card transport roller, a motor, and the like (the motor and the like are not shown). It has a transport function of taking the pachinko card 22 inside by driving in the direction, and discharging the pachinko card 22 to the outside by driving in the other direction.

Inside the card insertion slot 90, a card data reading and card data writing element 102 is further provided.
These card data reading / writing elements 102 are provided corresponding to the positions of the magnetic stripes 84 (see FIG. 6) provided on the pachinko card 22, and the encoded data magnetically stored in the magnetic stripes 84 are provided. And the data can be rewritten. In this embodiment, this is constituted by a magnetic head.

When the information of the pachinko card 22 is encoded by, for example, a bar code, the card data reading element may be constituted by a bar code reader capable of optically reading data.

Inside the ball lending machine 86, a ball lending supply passage 106 in which pachinko balls are supplied from an external supply gutter, a switching passage 108 connected to a downstream end thereof, and a ball lending storage passage 1 connected to a downstream side thereof.
10, a stopper 112 provided at the downstream end thereof, and a ball-lending supply gutter 114 for receiving pachinko balls discharged from the ball-lending storage passage 110. The switching passage 108 is provided rotatably about a fulcrum 115, and the stopper 112 is provided slidably in the up-down direction. And both are connecting members
Ball-solving solenoids 118 are connected to the connecting member 116c. The stopper 112 is slid upward by turning on the ball handling solenoid 118, and the switching passage 108 is rotated leftward about the fulcrum 115. When the switching passage 108 is rotated to the left, the switching passage 108 blocks the downstream end of the lending ball supply passage 106 and the upstream end of the lending ball storage passage 110. The supply of the pachinko balls to the storage passage 110 is stopped. In this state, since the stopper 112 slides upward to open the downstream end of the ball-lending storage passage 110, a certain number of pachinko balls stored in the ball-lending storage passage 110, for example, 25 pachinko balls, It flows down to the supply gutter 114. In this manner, a certain number of pachinko balls stored in the ball lending storage passage 110 are dispensed by turning on the solenoid 118.

A pachinko ball deficiency detector 119 is provided at a predetermined position in the ball lending supply passage 106. Normally ball lending supply passage 106
The pachinko ball is always replenished from its upstream end, but if the pachinko ball replenishment is stopped for some reason, the ball lending storage passage 110 is switched from the ball lending supply passage 106 through the switching passage 108. There is a possibility that the number of pachinko balls supplied to the vehicle may become insufficient. In such a case, the pachinko ball deficiency detector 119 detects the lack of pachinko balls, and based on that, the control unit 120 gives a signal to the display driver 124, turns off the display unit 88 during ball lending, The control operation of the other mechanism is stopped. The presence or absence of a signal from the pachinko ball deficiency detector 119 is detected by the control unit 120 through an interrupt process in a predetermined time cycle.

Each mechanism of the ball rental machine 86 includes a control unit 12 as shown in FIG.
Controlled by 0. The control unit 120 is configured by a microcomputer, and a CPU as a control center,
RAM which is a storage circuit, ROM in which a control program is stored,
It includes an input / output interface and the like. A solenoid driver 122 for the ball-solving solenoid 118, a display driver 124 for the monetary value indicator 92, and a ball-in-ball indicator 88 are provided as necessary.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit of FIG. Next, the processing operation of the ball lending machine 86 will be described in accordance with the flow of the flowchart in FIG.

When the control starts, the control unit 120 (see FIG. 10) waits for a signal input from the card insertion detection switch 98. That is, the user waits for the tip of the pachinko card 22 to be manually inserted into the card insertion slot 90 shown in FIG.

When detecting that the leading end of the pachinko card 22 has been inserted, the control unit 120 controls the drive of the card transport mechanism 100,
The pachinko card 22 is taken into the ball lending machine 86, and the card data read / write element 102 is drive-controlled to read the card data stored in the magnetic stripe 84 of the pachinko card 22, and the read card data The amount data is displayed on the amount indicator 92.

Then, wait for the user to press any one of the ball lending amount selection buttons 94, and then press any one of the ball lending amount selection buttons.
When the button 94 is pressed, it is determined whether or not the amount corresponding to the pressed button is equal to or less than the amount data stored in the pachinko card 22. If the amount of the selection button 94 is larger than the amount data stored in the pachinko card 22, the error processing is performed because the player is trying to play a ball with the amount equal to or more than the remaining amount of the card.

If the appropriate selection button has been pressed, the control unit 120 controls the drive of the solenoid driver 122 according to the amount selected by the selection button, and sets the ball-playing processing solenoid 118 (see FIG. 9) to a predetermined value. When the ball is turned on for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times, the pachinko balls stored in the ball-lending storage passage 110 are discharged to the ball-lending storage gutter 114 to perform ball-lending processing.

Next, the control unit 120 subtracts the amount selected by the selection button from the amount data of the pachinko card 22, displays the remaining amount on the amount indicator 92, and if the remaining amount is not “0”,
The card data reading / writing element 102 is controlled to rewrite the amount data of the pachinko card 22, and the card transport mechanism 100 is driven to release the pachinko card 22 from the card insertion slot 90. If there is no remaining amount on the pachinko card 22, the pachinko card 22 is taken into the device 86 without being released.

FIG. 12 is a front view of another ball lending machine 26 applicable to one embodiment of this system, and FIG.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ball lending machine 126.

Referring to FIG. 12, the ball lending machine 126 includes a ball lending amount input button 128 for inputting a ball lending amount in units of 100 yen, and every time the ball lending amount input button 128 is operated. In addition, the ball loan amount is displayed in addition to the ball loan amount display unit 130. Also,
The ball lending machine 126 has a ball lending button 132 for instructing the execution of the ball lending process, a cancel button 134 for inputting a signal for correcting or canceling the lending amount, a pachinko card 22 that has been loaded.
Button 136 and the like for instructing to discharge the image. Signals generated by pressing these buttons are given to the control unit 120 as shown in FIG. 13, and the control unit 120 performs predetermined control based on the input signals.

Next, according to the flowchart of FIG.
Will be described.

When the end of the pachinko card 22 is inserted into the card insertion slot 90 by the user, the card insertion detection switch 98 is turned on, the control unit 120 detects the insertion of the pachinko card 22, drives and controls the card transport mechanism 100, The pachinko card 22 is taken into the device. At the same time, using the card data reading / writing element 102, the card data magnetically stored in the pachinko card 22 is read, and the money data of the card data is displayed on the card money display 92.

Next, when detecting that the lending amount input button 128 is turned on, the control unit 120 stores 1 in an internal memory (not shown).
00 yen is stored, and the 100 yen is displayed on the lending amount display device 130. Then, in response to the ball lending amount input button 128 being pressed a plurality of times, 100 yen is added for the number of times the button is pressed, and the added amount is stored in the internal memory,
It is displayed on the display unit 130.

If the cancel button 134 is pressed in the middle, the control unit 120 clears the amount of money to be drawn and the amount of money displayed on the display unit 130 for the amount of money to be drawn accumulated in the internal memory.

When there is a signal input from the ball lending button 132 after the ball lending amount input, the control unit 120 compares the ball lending amount with the amount data stored in the pachinko card 22, and the ball lending amount is the amount data of the pachinko card 22. In the following case, the solenoid driver 122 is controlled by the number of times corresponding to the ball-amount to turn on, and the ball-bending processing solenoid 118 (see FIG. 9) is turned on to execute the ball-ahead processing.

If the ball lending amount is not less than the amount stored in the pachinko card 22, it means that the player is trying to lend a ball larger than the amount of the pachinko card 22, and in that case, error processing is performed.

After executing the ball lending process, the control unit 120 displays the card amount indicator 92
The remaining data obtained by subtracting the lending amount from the amount data of the pachinko card 22 is displayed, and if there is no remaining amount, the pachinko card 22 is collected inside. If there is a balance, the next signal input is awaited, and when the ball-deposit amount input button 128 is pressed, the ball-dealing process is performed again. If the end button 13
When 6 is pressed and the signal is given, the amount data of the pachinko card 22 is rewritten. For this rewriting, the card data reading / writing element 102 is used. Then, the card transport mechanism 100 is operated to release the pachinko card 22.

The ball lending machine 126 according to this embodiment has a configuration in which the ball lending amount can be input by the number of times the ball lending amount input button 128 in which "100 yen" is set as the amount per unit is pressed. Alternatively, a ten key may be provided, and the lending amount may be input using the ten key.

FIG. 15 is a front view of a ball rental machine 138 of still another embodiment that can be used in one embodiment of the system, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a configuration block diagram, and FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining the operation.

Referring to FIG. 15, a ball lending machine 132 according to this embodiment
Is a ball lending indicator 88, a card slot 90, an amount indicator 92,
A lending amount input button 128 for inputting a lending amount in units of 100 yen, an end button 136, and a lending discharge port 96 are provided.

Next, according to the flowchart shown in FIG.
The control operation of 138 will be described.

When the tip of the pachinko card 22 is inserted into the card insertion slot 90, a signal is given from the card insertion detection switch 98 to the control unit 120, and the control unit 120 controls the drive of the card transport mechanism 100 to move the pachinko card 22 inside the apparatus. To At the same time, the card data is read by the card data reading / writing element 102, and the amount data among the read data is displayed on the amount display 92.

Thereafter, when the ball input button 128 is turned on, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the displayed amount is larger than 100 yen, and if it is larger, subtracts 100 yen from the displayed amount, and the solenoid driver 122 , The ball lending process is performed for 100 yen by turning on the solenoid 118. In this manner, every time the lending amount input button 128 is pressed, a lending process for 100 yen is executed. This is one of the features of the control operation of this embodiment.

When the end button is pressed after the predetermined amount of lending has been paid out, the control unit 120 determines whether or not there is a balance in the amount data, and reads the amount data of the pachinko card 22 if there is a balance. The pachinko card 22 is released by rewriting by the writing element 102. If there is no remaining amount in the pachinko card 22, the card 22 is collected inside the apparatus, and the processing is terminated.

As described in the above embodiments, the ball lending machine applicable to one embodiment of this system does not lend a pachinko ball by directly inputting money (coins and / or bills) as in the conventional one. For this reason, the detection mechanism and the correctness determination mechanism of the money detection unit can be simplified, and the size of the entire apparatus can be reduced. Further, since the pachinko card 22 is an easy-to-handle paper roll or polyester base ticket having a predetermined thickness, it is easy to handle as compared with a banknote, and there is no trouble in inserting it vertically. Therefore, the pachinko card 22 can be easily inserted even when the card insertion slot 90 is an insertion slot having a slit formed in the vertical direction.

Furthermore, there is no need to pay change etc., pachinko cards
After the required amount of money is processed from the money amount data stored in the pachinko card 22, the remaining amount may be written into the pachinko card 22, and a change mechanism such as a conventional one may be omitted.

In the description of each of the above embodiments relating to the ball lending machine, the ball lending machine is provided with an automatic loading mechanism, and after the pachinko card tip is inserted from the card insertion slot, the card is automatically loaded by the automatic loading mechanism. The pachinko card was taken out, the card data was read, the card data was rewritten, and the pachinko card was automatically released. The structure which slides along a groove may be sufficient.

Also, after manually inserting the pachinko card from the card insertion slot, instead of sliding the pachinko card, the card data reading / writing element slides along the data writing section of the pachinko card to read data. There may be.

Furthermore, the data encoded on the pachinko card is optically detectable data, and the ball lending machine is provided with an element capable of collectively detecting the data, for example, a detection element such as a CCD, A mechanism for sliding the pachinko card, such as a pachinko card automatic loading mechanism at the time of data detection, may not be provided.

Generally, in a pachinko hall, thin ball rental machines are provided between pachinko gaming machines arranged on an island, and in one pachinko hall, a large number of ball rental machines are provided. Is arranged. In such a case, the control unit 120 is provided for each ball lending machine, and instead of performing the control operation for each ball lending machine, the control unit is provided in, for example, a card system management device or the like described later. A common control unit may be used, and a plurality of ball lending machines may be controlled by the common control unit, for example, in a time-division manner.

Description of Card Payment Machine FIG. 18 is an external perspective view showing an example of a card payment machine used in one embodiment of this system, and FIG. 19 is a front view thereof. Referring mainly to FIG. 19, the card settlement machine 12 is in a state in which the card settlement machine can perform settlement processing,
An in-payment indicator 140 and an abort indicator 142 are provided to indicate whether or not the settlement process is stopped. The card slot 144 is for a card user (player) to insert a pachinko card 22 to be settled. When the pachinko card 22 is inserted from here, the remaining amount of the pachinko card 22 is detected, and Amount indicator 146
Displays the amount. The payment amount display 148 is for displaying the payment amount. Bill refund slot 15
0 and the coin withdrawal slot 152 are both for repaying the settlement amount. The card settlement machine 12 further includes a numeric keypad 154 for inputting numerical data, a settlement key 156 for instructing settlement processing, and a collection key 158 for instructing card collection processing.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the card settlement machine 12. As shown in FIG. FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG. next,
The configuration and operation of the card settlement machine 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 20 and FIG.

The card user inserts the pachinko card 22 that the user wants to settle into the card slot 144, and the card detection switch 1
60 is turned on, and a signal is supplied from the card detection switch 160 to the control unit 162. The control unit 162 responds accordingly to the card transport mechanism 1.
64 is driven to take in the pachinko card 22, and at the same time, the card reader / writer 166 reads the data encoded in the pachinko card 22. Card reader / writer
The data read by 166 is detected and stored by the control unit 162, and the amount data of the read card data is changed to the remaining amount “0”.
If not, the remaining amount of the pachinko card 22 is displayed on the remaining amount indicator 146 via the display driver 168.

Next, when the numeric keypad 154 is operated by the user to input numerical data, the input numerical data is displayed on the settlement amount display 148, and the input of the settlement button 156 is awaited. When the payment button 156 is input, the control unit 162 compares the payment amount input by the ten keys 154 with the remaining amount of the pachinko card 22, and pays out the bill only when the input amount is smaller than or equal to the remaining amount. By driving the mechanism 170 and / or the coin dispensing mechanism 172, the bill storage box 174
And / or from the bills and / or coins in the coin storage box 176, the money corresponding to the settlement amount is paid out to the bill payout exits 150 and / or
Or pay out to the coin payout exit 152.

If the settlement amount entered with the numeric keypad is larger than the remaining amount of the pachinko card 22, for example,
Until the settlement amount is corrected in step 4, the money dispensing process cannot be performed.

Along with the money payout process, the control unit 162 rewrites the amount data encoded on the pachinko card 22 by the card reader / writer 166. That is, pachinko card
The amount obtained by subtracting the input settlement amount from the remaining amount of 22 is encoded anew on the pachinko card 22, and that becomes the new remaining amount of the pachinko card 22. When there is no new remaining amount, the control unit 162 drives the card transport mechanism 164 to perform a card collection process, and collects the pachinko card 22 into the card collection box 178. If there is a new remaining amount, the pachinko card 22 is
Is returned to the card slot 144 again.

It should be noted that the settlement of the pachinko card 22 is preferably performed in units of, for example, 100 yen, and it is preferable that the settlement of a smaller amount cannot be performed so as to prevent a mischievous settlement.

If there is no remaining amount in the amount data in the card data detected when the pachinko card 22 is first taken in, the control unit 162 causes the remaining amount display 146 to display the card amount. Here, the card price will be briefly described.

The pachinko card 22 applied to this system is a disposable card. Therefore, the user discards the card 22 when the remaining amount encoded on the pachinko card 22 is exhausted. Normally, some scrap boxes are installed in the pachinko hall, but when a player playing with each pachinko machine borrows a pachinko ball with a ball rental machine attached to the pachinko machine When the remaining amount of the pachinko card 22 is exhausted, it is conceivable that the card 22 is put on the edge of an island stand or discarded to the floor without carrying the card 22 to the waste box. And since there will be many such players during business hours,
A large number of unnecessary pachinko cards 22 flutter in the pachinko hall, making it difficult to clean up later.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the disposable pachinko card 22 that is no longer needed is collected by the card checkout machine, and the unnecessary pachinko card 22 with no remaining balance is used to clean the pachinko hall and to eliminate the trouble of cleaning up the pachinko hall. That is, the unnecessary pachinko card 22 is purchased for a predetermined card price, for example, 20 yen, and in order to do so, the player puts the unnecessary pachinko card 22 into the card settlement machine.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 21, when the collection button 158 is pressed after the card price is displayed, the control unit 162 performs the collection processing of the pachinko card 22 into the card collection box 178. Then, thereafter, the coin payout mechanism 172 is driven to pay out the card price, for example, 20 yen from the coin payout port 152.

When the remaining amount of the pachinko card 22 is exhausted after the settlement, the card payment processing is performed after the card collection processing.

In addition to the above control, the card settlement machine 12 performs the following interrupt control. That is, the bill storage box 174
And it is determined whether or not a predetermined amount or more of banknotes and coins are respectively stored in the coin storage box 176, and if they are stored, further, whether or not the processing operation of the apparatus is normally performed, that is, It is determined whether any control trouble has occurred, and if no trouble has occurred,
The display 142 is turned on via the display driver 168.

If there is no money equal to or more than a predetermined amount or if there is an abnormality in the processing, the payment stop processing, that is, the processing operation of the card payment machine 12 is deactivated and the processing is prohibited, and the payment stop display 14
Turn on 2 Such an interrupt process takes, for example, 0.4 ms
It is performed every time.

Description of Card System Management Apparatus FIG. 22 is an external perspective view of a card system management apparatus 14 used in one embodiment of this system, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a key arrangement and the like provided on an operation panel unit.

Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, on operation panel 180 of card system management device 14, there are provided mode changeover switch 182 for switching operation modes, numeric keypad 184 for inputting numerical data, and various operations. Are provided with a plurality of function keys 186 and a receipt outlet 188 of the built-in printer. The mode changeover switch 182 is an OFF mode in which the power of the management device 14 is cut off, an ON mode in which the management device 14 can perform a normal operation, and management of a specific operator among functions performed by the management device 14, for example, a pachinko hall. A SECRET mode in which only data that can be confirmed by a person or the person in charge of the pachinko hall or the like and a PROGRAM mode in which an operation program of the management device 14 is changed or rewritten are switched. The mode changeover switch 182 is designed to be able to switch between modes by inserting a key.
It is conceivable that the person in charge of the pachinko hall has a key capable of switching between the OFF mode, the ON mode, the SECRET mode, and the PROGRAM mode.

When the mode changeover switch 182 is in a mode other than the OFF mode, the display lamp 190 for indicating that the management device 14 is energized is turned on by the corresponding mode changeover switch 1.
It is located above 82.

The numeric keypad 184 has eleven keys of "1" to "9" and "0" and a "C (clear)" key, and numerical data can be input using these keys.
The "C" key is used to correct input data.

The function keys 186 include various keys described below. That is, the card sales status key 192: This key 192 is used to indicate the number of cards sold for each card type, the sales amount for each card type, the total number of cards sold as an example of information on the total number of game recording media sold, and the total amount of all cards sold. And the like.Output money status key 194: This key 194 is data relating to the number of input money for each money type, the input money amount for each money type, and the total amount of gold money. The output change status key 196: This key 196 is used to display the number of coins for each type of change that has been dispensed, the amount of money for each type of change that has been dispensed, and the total amount of all changes that have been dispensed. Built-in change status key 198: This key 198 is used to display and instruct a monetary amount of change built in a card vending machine or a card settlement machine in advance. Built-in change setting key 200: This key 200 is used to input and set the amount of change stored in advance in the card vending machine and the card settlement machine using the numeric keypad for each change type. Number designation key 202: This key 202 is for instructing display of ball lending information for each ball lending machine.

All ball lending (all amount) key (204: This key 204 is for instructing to display the total number of ball lending and the total amount of ball lending as an example of the total amount of gaming medium lending information, etc.) Print key 206: A key 206 is used to issue a print processing command to display data displayed on the display screen by the built-in printer.Total number of supply balls Key 208: This key 208 is used for a total of supply balls supplied for each pachinko gaming machine. The number of balls to be driven key 210: This key 210 is for displaying and instructing the total number of balls driven in for each pachinko gaming machine. The payout rate key 212 relating to the number of balls: This key 212 is for displaying and instructing the ratio of the payout rate of the pachinko ball game machine to the number of pachinko balls borrowed by the ball rental machine, and relates to a card vending machine. Yield rate key 214: this key 214
Is for instructing to display the payout rate of all pachinko machines based on the current game with respect to the sales amount of the sold card, Difference key 216: This key 216 Actual sales key 218: This key 218 is for calculating and displaying the actual sales amount, and is used for calculating and displaying the actual sales amount. The key 220 is for instructing a comparison display of the total sales and the total lending amount.
Reference numeral 222 denotes a command for calculating and displaying the total sales amount of the card and the total ball lending amount.

Referring to FIG. 22, the card system management device 14 includes:
A CRT display 224 for displaying data is provided. Various data are displayed on the display 224 by operating each key of the operation panel 180.

The internal configuration of the management device 14 is composed of a microcomputer mainly including a CPU, and an example of a configuration circuit is as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 24, card system management device 14 includes an operation panel 180 including various keys as described above, a CPU 226 to which signals from operation panel 180 are given, and a ROM 228 storing CPU 226 and an operation program. And a RAM 230 capable of writing and reading various data, and a CRT display 224
And a printer 232. The block diagram of FIG. 24 is an illustrative view simplified and actually,
Although a signal path provided from the CPU 226 to the CPT 224 and the printer 232 includes an interface, a driver circuit, and the like, such a technique is already known and is omitted because it is not important as an embodiment of the present invention. I have.

Various data from the above-described card vending machine, card settlement machine, ball lending machine, pachinko game machine, premium ball exchange machine, and the like are input to the CPU 226. The CPU 226 temporarily stores these input data in the RAM 230,
In response to the command signal from 180, arithmetic processing is performed based on the data stored in the RAM 230, and the designated data is
It is displayed on the CRT display 224 or printed by the printer 232.

The RAM 230 includes at least the following storage areas as areas for storing various data.
That is, the storage area for each card type, the storage area for the number of inserted coins for each currency type, the storage area for the number of dispensed coins for each currency type, the storage area for the number of built-in changes for each currency type, the storage area for the number of refill balls for each pachinko machine, and the number of balls for each pachinko machine Storage area, payment number storage area by card type, payment refund amount storage area by card type, collection card number storage area by card type, prize exchange ball number storage area, exchange prize type and number storage area, calculation register area, etc. is there.

Of the above storage areas, more preferably, the sales number storage area for each card type, the insertion number storage area for each money type, the change payout number storage area for each money type, the built-in change number storage area for each money type are card vending machines, A storage area is configured for each card vending machine and each card payment machine so that each data can be stored for each card payment machine.

The CPU 226 of the management device 14 accesses the control units of the card vending machine, the card settlement machine, the ball lending machine, the pachinko gaming machine, and the premium ball exchange machine connected to the management device in a predetermined time cycle, and data from each machine is accessed. The data is fetched and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 230. The operation panel 18
When a display command signal or the like is given from 0, the RAM 230
A predetermined calculation process is performed based on the data stored in the CRT, and the result is displayed on the CRT display 224. When a printout signal is given from the operation panel 180, the data and the like displayed on the CRT display 224 are output to the printer.
Print out by 232.

In this embodiment, the case where the RAM 230 is used as the data storage means of the CPU 226 has been described, but when the storage capacity of the RAM 230 is insufficient, for example, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, or the like is used as the external storage device. You may.

Instead of outputting the data by the printer 232, the data may be stored on a floppy disk or the like.

FIG. 25 is an illustrative plan view showing an example of a system arrangement of an embodiment of the present invention in an actual pachinko hall. FIG. 25 is an example in which the system having the schematic configuration shown in FIG. 1 is arranged in an actual pachinko hall. In FIG. 25, 10 is a card vending machine, 12 is a card settlement machine, 14 is a card system management device, 16 is a pachinko machine, 18 is a ball lending machine, and 20 is a prize ball counter, which connects between them. Arrows representatively show a part of the signal flow.

FIGS. 26 to 33 show examples of data displayed on the CRT display 224 of the card system management device 14 described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 24 and data printed out by the printer 232. FIG. These figures show various data examples in a state of being printed as print data. Hereinafter, data obtained by the card system management device 14 by changing the order will be described.

FIG. 26 shows an example of “input money management data”. This data is a total of the type, the number, and the amount of money inserted into the card vending machine for card purchase.
This data is tabulated, for example, every three hours and printed automatically, as shown. Also, at the time you want to check,
It is driven out when the inserted bill status key 194 (see FIG. 23) is pressed.

FIG. 27 is a printout example of “sales card management data”. This data is data obtained by summing up the number of cards sold by all card vending machines by type and the sales amount, and is also printed out at regular intervals so that the change can be recognized. Also, the card sales status key
By pressing 192, it is possible to print out the card sales status at the desired time. By referring to this data, the pachinko hall manager can grasp the sales status of the cards and the like, and can know the timing of replenishment of card tickets and the like to be stocked in the card vending machine based on the information.

FIG. 28 is a printout example of “change management data”. This data is data obtained by summing up how many coins have been paid out of the change stored in advance in all card vending machines. Based on this data, the manager of the pachinko hall can always supply change in advance so that shortage of change at each card vending machine does not occur.

FIG. 29 shows “built-in change management data”, which indicates how much change is stored in the card vending machine in advance by money type.

FIG. 30 is a printout example of “actual sales amount, total ball lending amount comparison data”. This data is obtained by subtracting the settlement amount paid by the card settlement machine from the total card sales amount sold by the card vending machine, and displaying the actual sales of pachinko halls at a certain point in time. In this data, the sales amount of the ball lending machine, that is, the borrowed amount of money borrowed by the ball lending machine is also displayed.
In this case, if the actual sales amount> the ball lending machine sales amount, the card user determines that the remaining amount of the card that has been sold and has not been processed for ball lending and has not been settled is It appears as the difference between the actual sales amount and the ball rental machine sales amount.

Conversely, if the actual sales amount is less than the ball lending machine sales amount, the appropriate ball processing was not performed by the card, so it is possible to presume that there was something wrong with the ball lending, and prompt action can be taken. It is.

From this data, it is possible to ascertain the status of sales and use of cards in the pachinko hall, the status of using balls for money, the status of possession of unused cards by players, and the like.

FIG. 31 is a printout example of “Comparison data of total amount of card sales / total amount of ball lending”. This data calculates the calculated settlement amount based on the card sales total amount and the ball lending total amount, and calculates the difference between the calculated settlement amount and the actual settlement amount by summing up the actual settlement amount. Detected and used as reference data for ascertaining the possession rate and possession status of a card with an unpaid balance. In addition, when the difference between the calculated settlement amount and the actual settlement amount is larger than a predetermined amount, there is an advantage that it is possible to estimate or detect that the illegal operation has been performed.

FIG. 32 shows data representing the payout rate relating to the number of balls to be loaned, which is the result of calculating the payout rate from the total number of balls to be lent, the total number of supply balls, and the total number of driving balls. . Normal,
The payout rate during business hours in the pachinko hall is, for example, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-6306, payout rate = {total number of lending balls + (total number of supply balls−total number of driving balls)} / The total number of lending balls × 100 or the payout rate = {the total number of lending balls− (the total number of driving balls−the total number of supply balls)} / the total number of lending balls × 100.

Therefore, the card system management device according to this embodiment
14 calculates and outputs the payout rate based on data from the pachinko gaming machine 16 and the ball lending machine 18.

FIG. 33 shows a printout example of “payout rate for card vending machines”. The calculation of the payout rate in this case is calculated as follows: instead of the total number of ball lending in FIG. 32 described above, the total number of ball lending = total number of card sales total ball lending-total number of card adjustment total ball lending. It shows the expected payout rate calculated based on the assumption that the card amount pre-sold by the card vending machine was borrowed and not based on the number of balls borrowed by the ball rental machine. The hall is available.

Description of coin lending machine FIGS. 34 and 35 are diagrams showing an example of a coin lending machine that can use a card, FIG. 34 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 35 is a side vertical sectional view thereof. Both are illustrated graphically. As shown in FIGS. 34 and 35, a card sold at a card vending machine is not only usable for a ball lending machine, but constitutes a coin lending machine capable of performing a coin lending process with the sold card. You may. 34 and 35, 234 is a coin lending machine, 346 is a card slot, 238 is a stop indicator, 240 is a lending indicator, 242 is a card amount indicator, 244 is a coin lending amount selection button, 244 Indicates a coin payout exit. The detailed configuration of this apparatus relating to card reading, display, and the like is the same as the configuration of the ball lending machine, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, when a player pays money in connection with the sale of a game recording medium, the payment becomes an income of the game arcade, and on the other hand, the game recording medium is used for lending the game medium. If used, the amusement arcade will lend gaming media. Paying attention to the fact that the sale and use of such a game recording medium relates to money and management related to the game recording medium in the game hall, the present invention aggregates the total number of game recording medium sales, Aggregate the total amount of game recording medium loan information and output both total information visually so that it is possible to judge the balance between sales and use of game recording media, making it easier to manage the game arcade Become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of one embodiment of this system. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of a card vending machine. FIG. 3 is a front view of the card vending machine. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the card vending machine. FIG. 5 shows a card vending machine as another example of a card vending machine.
It is a front view which shows an example of a ball rental machine. FIG. 6 is an illustrative view showing one example of a card applicable to this system. FIG. 7 is an illustrative view showing an example of data magnetically encoded on a card. FIG. 8 is a front view showing an example of a ball rental machine applied to this system. FIG. 9 is a side longitudinal sectional view of the ball lending machine. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a ball lending machine. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ball lending machine. FIG. 12 is a front view showing a ball lending machine as another example. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a ball lending machine as another example. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ball lending machine as another example. FIG. 15 is a front view showing a ball lending machine as yet another embodiment. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a ball lending machine as yet another embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a ball rental machine as yet another embodiment. FIG. 18 is an external perspective view showing an example of a card settlement machine. FIG. 19 is a front view of the card settlement machine. FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a card settlement machine. FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the card settlement machine. FIG. 22 is an external perspective view showing an example of a card system management device. FIG. 23 is a plan view for explaining each key and the like provided on the operation panel of the card system management device. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the card system management device, and schematically shows the contents stored in the storage device. FIG. 25 is an illustrative plan view showing a connected state of each device constituting the system in the pachinko hall and the gaming machine. 26 to 33 are illustrative views showing examples of various data printed out by the card system management device. FIG. 34 and FIG. 35 are a front view and a side vertical sectional view showing a coin lending machine capable of performing a borrowing process with a card. In the figure, 10 is a card vending machine, 12 is a card settlement machine, 14
Denotes a card system management device, 16 denotes a pachinko gaming machine, 18 denotes a ball lending machine, 20 denotes a prize ball counter, and 22 denotes a card.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A game recording medium on which data for renting a game medium used for a game is recorded; a recording medium selling device for selling the game recording medium in response to insertion of money; A game medium lending device that reads data recorded on a recording medium for use and rents out a predetermined amount of game media based on the read data; and the recording medium sales device and the game medium lending device. A data management device for summing up or calculating data necessary for the management of the game arcade based on the signal, the data management device comprising: a total number of game recording media sold, which is the total number of the game recording media sold. The information on the number of pieces is totaled, and the total information on the rental amount of the game media, which is the total amount of the rental of the game medium lent using the recording medium for the game, is totaled, and the total information is output so as to be visually recognizable. A data management system for a game arcade, characterized by: