JP3753961B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and more particularly to improvement of an upper tray that stores gaming balls such as pachinko machines that play using gaming balls and supplies them to a gaming ball launching device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, when a game ball lent by operating a ball lending button is driven into a game board and awarded to a prize opening or the like, a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out to the player from the prize ball payout device. . In the first type pachinko machine, the game board is provided with a normal symbol display device and a special symbol display device. When the game ball passes through the gate or start area of the game board and an activation trigger is established, random numbers for normal and special symbol display devices are extracted, respectively. Then, when the activation trigger is established, the symbol change of the normal symbol display device and the special symbol display device is started, and “winning” or “big hit” is displayed in accordance with the random number value. In the case of “winning” or “hit”, the player is given a profit, and in the case of “out”, the player has no profit.
[0003]
FIG. 10 is an external view of a main part showing an example of a conventional gaming machine. The gaming machine 110 includes a vertically long outer frame 111 attached to an island facility of a game hall, a front frame 112 hinged to the outer frame 111, a substantially square gaming board 120 positioned above, and a front surface of the gaming board 120. A glass frame 113 hinged to the upper plate member 130, an upper plate member 130 positioned below the game board 120, and a lower plate member 140 positioned below the upper plate member 130 are included.
[0004]
As is well known to those skilled in the art, a substantially circular game area is formed on the game board 120, and a game ball is driven along a guide rail provided around the game area. In the game area, a plurality of winning holes, a gate, a starting area, a normal symbol display device, a special symbol display device, a large winning device, an out port, and the like are arranged.
[0005]
The upper plate member 130 has a front wall 132 and stores a game ball and supplies it to the game ball launching device 131, a ball outlet 133 and a ball release button for supplying (or discharging) the game ball to the upper plate 131 135. The bottom surface of the upper tray 131 is an inclined surface with the left side where the ball outlet 133 is formed as an upstream side and the right side as a downstream side. Then, the game balls supplied from the ball outlet 133 are aligned, guided to the rightmost ball supply port (not shown), and supplied to the game ball launching device through a rectifier provided there. The ball removal button 135 is operated when, for example, all the game balls in the upper tray 131 are discharged through the rectifier at the end of the game. In addition, a card operation unit 150 is provided on the front surface of the upper plate member 130, and a ball lending button 151 operated when a player borrows a ball from a ball lending device using a prepaid card and a return of the prepaid card are received. A return button 152 to be operated at the time.
[0006]
The lower tray member 140 includes a lower tray (game ball storage unit) 141, a firing handle 142, a ball removing device 143, an ashtray 144, and the like. The lower tray 141 stores game balls overflowed from the upper tray 131 or game balls extracted from the upper tray 131 by operating the ball removal button 135. The firing handle 142 is a game that is fired from the game ball launching device corresponding to the rotation angle by detecting and touching the player's touch (grip) by operating the game ball launching device and rotating it. Adjust the firing strength of the sphere. The ball removing device 143 is operated when the game balls in the lower tray 141 are pulled out of the ball receiving box outside the machine when the lower tray 141 is full or when the game ends (for prize exchange).
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the game balls flow down from the prize ball payout device or the like to the upper tray 131 through the cylindrical contact rod member provided on the back side of the ball outlet 133. When the upper tray 131 is filled with game balls, it overflows from the contact rod member at the back of the ball outlet 133 and is directly discharged to the lower tray 141. However, when a large number of prize balls (game balls) are paid out in a short time, such as when the game machine is in a big hit state, the upper tray 131 is filled with game balls, and the game balls are smoothly moved to the game ball launcher by the pressure of the game balls. There is a possibility that troubles such as “ball clogging” occur or the game ball overflows beyond the front edge of the upper tray 131 and is scattered outside the machine.
[0008]
If a “ball clogging” occurs in which game balls are not smoothly supplied to the game ball launching device, there will be no game balls passing through a specific area of the big winning device at the time of a big hit, so the player can fully enjoy the big hit profit that the player has won. become unable. Also, if the game balls are scattered outside the machine, it takes time to collect them. When the player himself collects, the operation of the gaming machine is suspended during that time, which causes a disadvantage in the game hall. On the other hand, in such a case, if the player operates the ball removal button 135 to extract the game ball in the upper tray 131, there is no game ball supplied to the game ball launching device, and the above-described situation occurs. Become.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and when the game balls stored in the upper tray are likely to increase so as to cause overflow, or when the game ball launching device causes clogging. An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that allows an extra game ball in an upper receiving tray to be discharged directly to a lower receiving tray.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The gaming machine of the present invention has an upper tray that stores game balls rented out from a ball lending mechanism or game balls paid out from a prize ball dispensing device and supplies them to the game ball launching device, and is stored in the upper tray In a gaming machine having a game board in which game balls are driven and played,A ball outlet formed in a front wall facing the game ball housing space of the upper tray;SaidOpen and close the ball outletA door member and the door memberAccording to the control signal from the game control board according to the game stateOpen controlOpen the ball outlet,Part of the game balls stored in the upper trayBall outletFromThrough a bulb passage provided behind the bulb outlet.Door member driving means for enabling discharge to the lower tray.
[0011]
  As mentioned above, on the front wall of the upper trayOpen and close the formed ball openingSince a door member is provided and the door member is controlled to open, a ball outlet is formed in the front wall.By control signal from game control boardWhen the door member is controlled to open, a part of the stored game ball passes through the door member from the ball outlet.Through the ball passage provided behind the ball outletIt flows down to the game ball storage part of the lower plate.
[0012]
In this way, by controlling the door member according to the gaming state, it becomes possible to open the ball outlet before many gaming balls are paid out, and the gaming balls in the upper tray are concentrated. The state and ball clogging are prevented in advance, and the flow of the game ball to the game ball launching device can be made smooth without the player being concerned about the crowded state of the game ball. And it is also possible to avoid that the game ball discharged from the ball outlet to the upper tray overflows from the upper tray to the outside and is scattered.
[0013]
Further, unlike the case where the ball removal button is operated, it is possible to leave a certain number of game balls on the upper tray even if the door member is opened, regardless of the player's operation. Here, if the ball outlet is formed closer to the ball outlet, the number of remaining game balls is increased, and if it is formed closer to the ball supply port, the remaining game balls are reduced. The number of remaining game balls can be adjusted. Further, since the door member is provided, it is possible to avoid accidental or intentional insertion of a foreign object into the ball outlet by the player and a relatively small amount of game balls stored in the upper tray. In this case, it is possible to prevent the game ball flowing down the upper tray from flowing directly into the ball outlet.
[0014]
The ball outlet can be realized, for example, by penetrating through the waist plate of the upper plate member. Thereby, the game ball stored on the front side of the waist plate moves from the front side to the back side of the waist plate through the ball outlet, and is transferred to the lower plate member through the ball passage provided behind the ball outlet. Will be. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the crowded state of the game balls in the upper tray, smooth the flow of the game balls, and eliminate the cause of the ball clogging.
[0015]
The door member driving means may control the opening of the door member when, for example, the gaming machine is in a big hit state and a prize ball is paid out. Here, in the gaming machine, when the number of game balls to be paid out is particularly large, it is at the time of paying out a prize ball due to the occurrence of a big hit, and at this time, a particularly large number of game balls are stored in the upper tray. Therefore, game balls are likely to be in a dense state. Therefore, in a state where such ball clogging is likely to occur, the trouble caused by overflow or ball clogging can be effectively eliminated by driving the door member to open the ball outlet. Also, before the big hit occurs and the prize ball is paid out, the door member is driven to open in advance to open the ball outlet, so that the trouble can be avoided and the big hit is notified in advance. It can also contribute to the improvement of interest.
[0016]
Further, in the gaming machine, when the game balls stored in the upper tray become dense and clogging occurs, the game balls will not flow down to the rectifier provided on the back surface of the upper plate member, and the game for launching to the launch rail The ball is no longer supplied. For this reason, even if the player performs a launch operation, the launch is impossible and a so-called idle shot state is established. Therefore, the door member driving means may be driven and controlled to open the door member when the game ball launching device is in an idle state, that is, when occurrence of a ball clogging is detected. Thereby, the ball clogging caused by the crowded state of the game balls in the upper tray can be eliminated.
[0017]
The door member may be a rotary door member that rotates around a support shaft provided at one end to form a ball outlet. In this case, in a normal state, the ball outlet is closed to prevent foreign matters and the like from being transferred to the game ball storage unit. Then, by controlling the opening of the door member in accordance with the game state, it is possible to transfer the overflowing game ball to the game ball storage unit. In addition, since the ball outlet is normally closed by a door member, it prevents the game ball flowing down the upper tray from flowing directly into the ball outlet when a relatively small amount of game balls are stored in the upper tray. It becomes possible to do.
[0018]
The door member may be a sliding door that slides along the front wall and has a ball opening formed in the front wall by opening / closing control. In this case, in the normal state, the ball outlet is positioned so as to be closed, and the ball outlet is opened by sliding the door member according to the gaming state. For this reason, in a normal state, foreign matter and the like are prevented from being transferred to the game ball storage unit, and when the game balls stored in the upper tray are relatively small, the game balls flowing down the upper tray are removed. It is possible to prevent direct flow into the mouth.
[0019]
  The door member driving means may be constituted by a solenoid having a plunger that presses the door member. In this case, for example, a return elastic member such as a coil spring is normally wound, and the ball outlet is closed by urging the plunger in the pushing direction so as to always press the door member. , Depending on the gaming stateFrom game control boardOutgoingcontrolBy controlling the solenoid to retract the plunger according to the signal, The opening of the ball outlet according to the game stateRealized.
[0020]
Further, in the gaming machine, when the game balls stored in the upper tray are full, the game balls to be paid out are discharged to the lower tray through the overflow ball flow path formed on the upstream side of the ball outlet. Therefore, a detection device for detecting an overflow game ball flowing from the upper tray to the lower tray is provided, and when the overflow game ball is detected by this, the door member driving means may control the opening of the door member. . In other words, through the detection of overflowing game balls, indirectly detecting the fullness of the upper tray and opening the ball outlet allows the player to become aware of the crowded state or overflow of the ball even if the player is unaware of the crowded state of the game balls. Trouble to do can be solved.
[0021]
  In addition, an operation unit for ending the driving state of the door member driving means such as opening control of the door member can be provided. In this case, for example, when the player presses the operation unit, a detection signal transmitted from the operation unit is sent to the game control unit, and the door member is connected via the game control unit.TheBlockage controlTo close the ball outletCan be realized. Thereby, it becomes possible to return the door member to the “closed” state at any timing of the player. For this reason, it is possible to prevent troubles in the gaming machine that are caused by opening of the door member other than when necessary and caused by the intrusion of foreign matter into the interior or the mischief of the player inserting the foreign matter.
[0022]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0023]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a main part of a first embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention. This gaming machine 10A is characterized in that a door member is provided on the front wall of the upper tray, and this door member is automatically opened and closed according to the gaming state of the gaming machine. That is, the gaming machine 10A includes an outer frame 11, a front frame 12, a glass frame 13, a game board 20, an upper plate member 30, and a lower plate member 40. These constituent elements 11 to 40 correspond to the constituent elements 111 to 140 described above with reference to FIG.
[0024]
The greatest feature of the gaming machine 10A according to the present invention is that a door member 34 is provided along the game ball flow path on the front wall 32 of the upper tray 31 of the upper tray member 30, and this door member 34 is placed in the gaming state of the gaming machine. The opening and closing operation is performed accordingly. The door member 34 is shown in an enlarged perspective view in FIG. 2A shows the door member 34 in the “closed” state, and FIG. 2B shows the “open” state. The door member 34 is formed on a part of the front wall 32 facing the game ball housing portion of the upper tray 31. The door member 34 has a substantially rectangular flat plate portion 34a and a drive portion 34c extending to one end thereof, and is configured to be rotatable around a support shaft 34b.
[0025]
In the “closed” state of the door member 34 shown in FIG. 2A, the flat plate portion 34 a is substantially flush with the front wall 32 and does not interfere with the game ball flowing down in the upper tray 31. In other words, the game balls in the upper tray 31 smoothly flow down from the left (upstream) side to the right (downstream) side along the front wall 32 and the flat plate portion 34a. On the other hand, in the “open” state of the door member 34 shown in FIG. 2 (B), the flat plate portion 34a rotates in the direction substantially perpendicular to the back side, that is, the surface of the front wall 32. Therefore, a ball outlet 36 is formed in the front wall 32. Accordingly, a part of the game ball flowing down from the ball outlet 33 is bypassed through the ball outlet 36 and discharged or flowed down to the lower tray 41 as described later.
[0026]
3 shows the back surface of the upper plate member 30, FIG. 3 (A) is a rear view of the entire upper plate member 30, and FIG. 3 (B) shows the back side portion of the door member 34 of the upper plate member 30. It is a perspective view. As described above, the game ball is discharged from the connecting rod member 37 to the upper tray 31 through the ball outlet 33. In a normal state, the game ball supplied from the ball outlet 33 flows down toward the rectifier 39 and is supplied to the game ball launching device, and is continuously fired at a rate of, for example, about 100 per minute. However, when the door member 34 is in the “open” state, a part of the game ball is transferred to the lower tray 41 via the ball passage 38.
[0027]
Next, FIGS. 4A to 4E show operation steps of door member driving means for opening and closing the door member 34. As shown in FIG. 4A, the door member driving means is composed of a lower solenoid 60 and a plunger 61, and an upper coil spring 62. FIGS. 4B and 4C are cross-sectional views taken along lines AA and BB in FIG. 4A when the door member 34 is in the “closed” state, respectively. 4D and 4E show the states of the coil spring 62 and the plunger 61 in the “open” state of the door member 34, respectively.
[0028]
In the normal state, the drive member 34c is urged by the coil spring 62, and the door member 34 is pressed by the plunger 61 of the solenoid 60 in the non-energized state to urge the door member 34 to the “closed” state. . Accordingly, the ball outlet 36 is closed. On the other hand, when the gaming machine 10A is in a big hit state, for example, the solenoid 60 is energized by a control signal from the game control board. Along with this, the plunger 61 of the solenoid 60 moves in the (left) direction to pull back the drive part 34c of the door member 34. Since the force that biases the door member 34 to the “closed” state disappears, the door member 34 is rotated about the support shaft 34b by the elasticity of the coil spring 62, as shown in FIGS. To the “open” state. Accordingly, the ball outlet 36 is opened and the surplus game balls are caused to flow from the ball outlet channel 38 to the lower tray 41 through the ball outlet 36.
[0029]
In this embodiment, even when the gaming machine is in a big hit state and a large amount of game balls are paid out, the game balls in the upper tray become dense and an excessive pressing force is applied to the game balls in the upper tray. And the flow of the game ball is smooth without causing the ball clogging. Furthermore, since the smooth movement of the game ball flowing into the ball outlet is not related to the player, there is no need for the player to perform an operation for avoiding or eliminating the ball clogging. It is not necessary to pay attention to the storage state of the game balls.
[0030]
Further, when the ball outlet is arranged in the vicinity of the ball supply port, the pressure of the game ball is large at this position, so that the overflow ball can be reliably transferred to the game ball storage unit. On the other hand, when the ball outlet is arranged in the vicinity of the ball outlet, the game ball supplied from the ball outlet is transferred to the game ball storage section when it is stored up to the mouth edge of the ball outlet, so there is excessive downstream. It is possible to avoid storing the game balls. Furthermore, when a ball outlet is formed on the ball outlet side, when a large number of game balls are paid out due to a combination of specific symbols, a certain number in the upper tray regardless of the player's operation. It is possible to leave other game balls on the downstream side of the ball outlet and discharge other game balls. At this time, if the ball outlet is formed closer to the ball outlet, the number of remaining game balls will increase, and if it is formed closer to the ball supply port, the remaining game balls will decrease, and depending on where the ball outlet is formed, The number of remaining game balls can be adjusted.
[0031]
Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of ball outlets can be formed side by side in the horizontal direction. In this case, even if it does not overflow from one ball outlet for some reason, it overflows from the other ball outlet, so that it is possible to overflow more reliably. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the edge of the ball outlet is formed so as to be flush with the front wall, but this is not limiting, and the upstream edge of the ball outlet is bulged forward. It is also possible to form. In this case, the game ball flowing down from the ball outlet bypasses the ball outlet and can reliably overflow the game ball stored from the downstream side toward the upstream side, and the upstream edge of the ball outlet. Since the portion protrudes forward from the downstream side edge portion, when a relatively small amount of game balls are stored in the upper tray, it prevents the game balls flowing down the upper tray from flowing directly into the ball outlet. It becomes possible.
[0032]
Next, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the principal part structure of 2nd Embodiment of the game machine by this invention is demonstrated. The second embodiment is characterized in that the door member is a slide type instead of the rotary type of the first embodiment described above. 5A shows a sectional view of the door member 34 ′ and the front wall 32, and FIG. 5B shows a perspective view. The door member 34 ′ of this gaming machine has a substantially flat plate shape, and slides (slids) in parallel with the surface of the front wall 32 of the upper tray 31. When the door member 34 ′ is at the left position, the ball outlet 36 is opened, and it is possible to pass (bypass) surplus game balls from the ball outlet 36 to the ball outlet channel 38. On the other hand, when the door member 34 ′ is slid rightward, the ball outlet 36 is closed, and the game ball simply passes along the front wall 32 to the game ball launcher.
[0033]
The door member 34 ′ may be provided with an operation portion 34d that is manually operated by the player. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, a solenoid 60, a plunger 61, a rack 63, and a rotating gear are provided. It is preferably electrically driven by the driving means of the door member 34 ′ composed of 64. The rotating gear 64 engages with teeth 65 formed on the back surface of the sliding door member 34 ′. FIG. 6A is a front view showing the positional relationship between the front wall 32, the door member 34 ′, and its driving means. FIG. 6B is a top view showing the “closed” state of the door member 34 ′ in which the plunger 61 is extended by the solenoid 60. On the other hand, FIG. 6C is a top view showing an “open” state of the door member 34 ′ in which the plunger 61 is pulled back by the solenoid 60. FIG. 6D is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the door member 34 ′ and its driving means.
[0034]
  The operation of the door member 34 'in the second embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention will be described. In the normal state where the solenoid 60 is in a non-energized state, the plunger 61 is extended, and the door member 34 ′ is in a “closed” state as shown in FIG. However, for example, when the gaming machine becomes a big hit state, a large number of prize balls are paid out and the upper tray 31 may overflow, a control signal is sent from the main control circuit mounted on the gaming control board of the gaming machine, Turn solenoid 60 energized. As a result, the plunger 61 is pulled back, and the rack 63 provided at the tip of the plunger 61rotationThe small-diameter gear formed inside the gear 64 is engaged and rotated.rotationThe door member 34 ′ is slid to the left by the teeth 65 of the door member 34 ′ engaged with the large-diameter gear formed outside the gear 64. Therefore, the ball outlet 36 communicates with the ball passage 38 and effectively bypasses excess game balls to the lower tray 41, so that it is possible to prevent the game balls from overflowing from the upper tray 31. It has two concentric gearsrotationThe gear ratio of the gear 64 is appropriately selected according to the moving distance of the plunger 61 and the moving amount of the door member 34 ′.
[0035]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the energization time of the solenoid 60 may be set to, for example, 5 minutes by predicting the time required for the big hit operation when the gaming machine is in the big hit state. However, the time required for the big hit operation changes, and the period during which the game ball overflows from the upper tray 31 also changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, a detection device (sensor) 70 is provided on the overflow ball flow path of the game ball that flows from the upper tray 31 to the lower tray 41 via the ball outlet 36 and the ball passage 38. The energization time of the solenoid 60 may be controlled by the detection signal of the detection device 70.
[0036]
Next, a third embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This gaming machine 10C is provided with a blank shot detection device 71 that detects an “empty shot state” resulting from a clogged state of the game ball launch passage from the upper tray 31 to the game ball launch device. The door member may be either the rotary door member 34 of the first embodiment described above or the sliding door member 34 ′ of the second embodiment.
[0037]
  This idle shot detection device 71 is a game ball launch rail.72Is arranged so that a launch ball can be detected. The game ball is not fired even though the player is operating the launch handle 42 (for example, rotating more than a certain angle). The reason is that the upper tray 31 is filled with the game ball and the game ball is pressed by the pressure of the game ball. It is normal not to move smoothly to the game ball launcher. Therefore, when the “empty shot state” is detected by the blank shot detection device 71, a control signal for energizing the solenoid 60 is sent out by the main control circuit of the game control board in the gaming machine 10C. As a result, the door member 34 or 34 'is opened, and the ball outlet 36 is formed. Therefore, the surplus game balls flow down to the lower tray 41 through the ball discharge channel 38, and the ball clogging state is eliminated.
[0038]
Next, with reference to FIG. 9, 4th Embodiment of the gaming machine by this invention is described. This gaming machine 10D has a function of forcibly setting the door member in the “open” state to the “closed” state. The door member can be applied to either the rotary door member 34 or the sliding door member 34 ′ described above. In this gaming machine 10D, an operation unit 83 is arranged between a ball lending button 81 and a return button 82 of a card operation unit 80 provided in front of the upper plate member 30. When the player presses the operation unit 83, a detection signal is sent to the control circuit described above, and the energized state of the solenoid 60 that controls opening / closing of the door member 34 or 34 ′ is cut off. As a result, the door members 34 and 34 ′ return to the “closed” state. If the door members 34 and 34 'are open except when necessary, foreign matter may enter the inside or the player may mischief inserting foreign matter, which may cause trouble for the gaming machine. To do.
[0039]
The configuration and operation of various embodiments of the gaming machine according to the present invention have been described above. However, these embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Various modifications and changes can be made according to a specific application without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
  As can be understood from the above description, according to the gaming machine of the present invention, the following remarkable practical effects can be obtained. On the front wall of the upper trayOpen and close the formed ball openingSince a door member is provided and a ball opening is formed in the front wall by controlling the opening of the door member, when the door member is controlled to open according to the gaming state, the stored game balls Part of the ball passes through the door memberThrough the ball passage provided behind the ball outletIt flows down to the game ball storage part of the lower plate.
[0041]
In this way, by controlling the door member according to the gaming state, it becomes possible to open the ball outlet before many gaming balls are paid out, and the gaming balls in the upper tray are concentrated. The state and ball clogging are prevented in advance, and the flow of the game ball to the game ball launching device can be made smooth without the player being concerned about the crowded state of the game ball. And it is also possible to avoid that the game ball discharged from the ball outlet to the upper tray overflows from the upper tray to the outside and is scattered.
[0042]
Further, unlike the case where the ball removal button is operated, it is possible to leave a certain number of game balls on the upper tray even if the door member is opened, regardless of the player's operation. Here, if the ball outlet is formed closer to the ball outlet, the number of remaining game balls is increased, and if it is formed closer to the ball supply port, the remaining game balls are reduced. The number of remaining game balls can be adjusted. Further, since the door member is provided, it is possible to avoid accidental or intentional insertion of a foreign object into the ball outlet by the player and a relatively small amount of game balls stored in the upper tray. In this case, it is possible to prevent the game ball flowing down the upper tray from flowing directly into the ball outlet.
[0043]
The ball outlet can be realized, for example, by penetrating through the waist plate of the upper plate member. Thereby, the game ball stored on the front side of the waist plate moves from the front side to the back side of the waist plate through the ball outlet and is transferred to the lower plate member through the ball passage provided behind the ball outlet. Will be. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the crowded state of the game balls in the upper tray, smooth the flow of the game balls, and eliminate the cause of the ball clogging.
[0044]
The door member driving means may control the opening of the door member when, for example, the gaming machine is in a big hit state and a prize ball is paid out. Here, in the gaming machine, when the number of game balls to be paid out is particularly large, it is a time of paying out a prize ball when a big hit occurs, and at this time, a particularly large number of game balls are stored in the upper tray. Therefore, game balls are likely to be in a dense state. Therefore, in a state where such ball clogging is likely to occur, the trouble caused by overflow or ball clogging can be effectively eliminated by driving the door member to open the ball outlet. Also, before the big hit occurs and the prize ball is paid out, the door member is driven to open in advance to open the ball outlet, so that the trouble can be avoided and the big hit is notified in advance. It can also contribute to the improvement of interest.
[0045]
Further, in the gaming machine, when the game balls stored in the upper tray become dense and clogging occurs, the game balls will not flow down to the rectifier provided on the back surface of the upper plate member, and the game for launching to the launch rail The ball is no longer supplied. For this reason, even if the player performs a launch operation, the launch is impossible and a so-called idle shot state is established. Therefore, the door member driving means may be driven and controlled to open the door member when the game ball launching device is in an idle state, that is, when occurrence of a ball clogging is detected. Thereby, the ball clogging caused by the crowded state of the game balls in the upper tray can be eliminated.
[0046]
The door member may be a rotary door member that rotates around a support shaft provided at one end to form a ball outlet. In this case, in a normal state, the ball outlet is closed to prevent foreign matters and the like from being transferred to the game ball storage unit. Then, by controlling the opening of the door member in accordance with the game state, it is possible to transfer the overflowing game ball to the game ball storage unit. In addition, since the ball outlet is normally closed by a door member, it prevents the game ball flowing down the upper tray from flowing directly into the ball outlet when a relatively small amount of game balls are stored in the upper tray. It becomes possible to do.
[0047]
The door member may be a sliding door that slides along the front wall and has a ball opening formed in the front wall by opening / closing control. In this case, in the normal state, the ball outlet is positioned so as to be closed, and the ball outlet is opened by sliding the door member according to the gaming state. For this reason, in a normal state, foreign matter and the like are prevented from being transferred to the game ball storage unit, and when the game balls stored in the upper tray are relatively small, the game balls flowing down the upper tray are removed. It is possible to prevent direct flow into the mouth.
[0048]
  The door member driving means may be constituted by a solenoid having a plunger that presses the door member. In this case, for example, a return elastic member such as a coil spring is normally wound, and the ball outlet is closed by urging the plunger in the pushing direction so as to always press the door member. , Depending on the gaming stateFrom game control boardOutgoingcontrolBy controlling the solenoid to retract the plunger according to the signal, The opening of the ball outlet according to the game stateRealized.
[0049]
Further, in the gaming machine, when the game balls stored in the upper tray are full, the game balls to be paid out are discharged to the lower tray through the overflow ball flow path formed on the upstream side of the ball outlet. Therefore, a detection device for detecting an overflow game ball flowing from the upper tray to the lower tray is provided, and when the overflow game ball is detected by this, the door member driving means may control the opening of the door member. . In other words, through the detection of overflowing game balls, indirectly detecting the fullness of the upper tray and opening the ball outlet allows the player to become aware of the crowded state or overflow of the ball even if the player is unaware of the crowded state of the game balls. Trouble to do can be solved.
[0050]
  In addition, an operation unit for ending the driving state of the door member driving means such as opening control of the door member can be provided. In this case, for example, when the player presses the operation unit, a detection signal transmitted from the operation unit is sent to the game control unit, and the door member is connected via the game control unit.TheBlockage controlTo close the ball outletCan be realized. Thereby, it becomes possible to return the door member to the “closed” state at any timing of the player. For this reason, it is possible to prevent troubles in the gaming machine that are caused by opening of the door member other than when necessary and caused by the intrusion of foreign matter into the interior or the mischief of the player inserting the foreign matter.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a first embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing a front wall and a door member of the upper tray of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 1, wherein (A) shows a “closed” state of the door member, and (B) shows an “open” state.
3 shows a back surface of the upper plate member of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 1, (A) is a rear view of the entire upper plate member, and (B) is a perspective view of a ball discharge channel.
4A and 4B are operation explanatory diagrams of the door member shown in FIG. 2 and its surroundings, in which FIG. 4A is a front view, and FIG. 4B and FIG. Sectional views along lines AA and BB, (D) and (E) are views corresponding to (B) and (C) in which the door member is in the “open” state.
FIG. 5 shows a door member of a second embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention, in which (A) is a sectional view and (B) is a perspective view.
6A and 6B are operation explanatory views of the door member shown in FIG. 5, in which (A) is a front view, (B) and (C) are a “closed” state and an “open” state of the door member, and (D) is It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a door member and its drive means.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a detection device that can be used in the first or second embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of main parts of a fourth embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view showing an example of a conventional gaming machine.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Pachislot machines
20 Game board
30 Plate material
31 Upper tray
32 Front wall
33 Ball exit
34, 34 'Door member
36 Evening mouth
38 Ball passage
40 Lower plate
41 Under tray
60 Solenoid
61 Plunger
62 Coil spring
63 racks
64rotationgear
70, 71 detector

Claims (9)

An upper tray that stores game balls lent out from a ball lending mechanism or a game ball paid out from a prize ball payout device and supplies it to the game ball launch device, and a game ball stored in the upper tray is driven In a gaming machine having a gaming board to
A ball outlet formed in a front wall facing the game ball housing space of the upper tray;
A door member for opening and closing the ball outlet ;
The door member is controlled to be opened by a control signal from a game control board according to a gaming state to open the ball outlet, and a part of the game balls stored in the upper tray are removed from the ball outlet. A door member driving means that enables discharge to a lower tray through a ball passage provided behind the mouth ;
A gaming machine comprising:   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball outlet is formed on a waist plate of the upper plate member. The gaming state is that the gaming machine is in a big hit state,
The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the door member driving means opens the door member by the control signal when the gaming machine is in a big hit state. The gaming state is a state in which the game ball launcher is in an idle state,
3. The game according to claim 1, wherein the door member driving means opens the door member in accordance with the control signal when detecting that the game ball launching device is in an idle state. 4. Machine.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the door member is a rotary door member that rotates around a support shaft provided at one end to form a ball outlet.   5. The sliding door member according to claim 1, wherein the door member is a sliding door member that slides along the front wall and opens and closes a ball outlet formed in the front wall. Gaming machine.   The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the door member driving means includes a solenoid and a plunger. The detection device for detecting an overflowing game ball flowing down the ball passage is provided, and the door member driving means controls the opening of the door member by a detection signal of the detection device. 8. The gaming machine according to any one of 7. The game according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an operation unit that controls the closing of the door member by closing the driving state of the door member driving means to close the ball outlet. Machine.

Images