JP3922821B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a gaming machine that uses a game ball stored in an upper plate , such as a pachinko game machine, in particular, a rental ball lent to a player and an award ball discharged as an award on the upper plate . It is related to what was constituted so that it might discharge from each ball discharge port which it faced.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The conventional technology will be described by taking a pachinko gaming machine as a typical gaming machine as an example.
An upper plate is attached to the front side of a general pachinko gaming machine, and an upper ball storage unit capable of temporarily storing game balls used for games is formed on the upper plate. The upper ball storage part is constituted by a concave part whose upper part is open, and the bottom surface is inclined downward toward the right side so that the stored game ball can be guided to flow down. Then, one ball discharge port for discharging prize balls and rental balls is opened facing the left side portion, which is the upstream portion of the upper ball storage section.
In such a pachinko gaming machine, the game ball is discharged to the upstream part of the upper ball storage part through the ball discharge port, and the discharged game ball is moved to the downstream side (right side) of the upper ball storage part along the downward slope of the bottom surface. Let it flow down. Then, the game ball that has flowed down is guided to a launch ball passage that communicates with the downstream end portion of the upper ball storage unit.
[0003]
Regarding the above-mentioned ball discharge port, in order to make it easy for the player to know the type of game ball discharged from the ball discharge port, the ball discharge port is used to discharge the prize ball discharge port and the rental ball. Pachinko machines that are divided into rental ball outlets are considered.
In this pachinko machine, for example, the prize ball discharge port is opened near the upstream end of the upper ball storage part, and on the downstream side of the prize ball discharge port, the ball rental outlet is adjacent to the prize ball discharge port. Open. The opening lower edge of the prize ball outlet and the opening lower edge of the lending outlet are provided at the same height as the bottom of the upper ball reservoir, so that the game balls discharged from the outlet can be smoothly transferred to the upper ball reservoir. It is designed to flow into the bottom.
And in this pachinko gaming machine, both the winning ball outlet and the lending outlet are opened so as to face the upstream part of the upper ball storage part, so that the game ball can be stored up to the upstream part of the upper ball storage part. Can do.
[0004]
In this type of pachinko gaming machine, as the number of game balls stored in the upper ball reservoir decreases, the player operates the ball lending button to receive a game ball lending. The timing for receiving this game ball rental varies depending on the player, and if there is a player who will receive a game ball loan just before the game ball stored in the upper ball storage part disappears, the game ball can be loaned early. There are also players who play games in a state where the upper ball reservoir is always filled with game balls.
[0005]
When a ball lending operation is performed at an early timing, the lending ball is discharged in a state where a relatively large number of game balls remain in the upper ball storage unit. Since the discharged rental balls hit the upstream side of the game balls already stored in the upper ball storage unit and stop, they gradually accumulate in the upstream side of the upper ball storage unit and reach the front of the rental ball discharge port.
When the lending balls are collected before the lending outlet, the bottom edge of the lending outlet is set at almost the same height as the bottom of the upper sphere storage, so it is discharged from the lending outlet after that. The game ball to be hit hits the game ball stored in front of the rental outlet, and stops in the rental passage communicating with the rental outlet. Accordingly, game balls to be discharged from the ball rental outlet are sequentially stored in the ball rental passage.
[0006]
In addition, if a lot of prize balls are discharged from the prize ball outlet after the rental balls have been collected before the ball outlet, it is pushed out by being pushed out by the game balls discharged from the prize ball outlet. The game balls stored in the ball storage part flow into the rental path from the rental outlet. Also in this case, the inflowing game balls are accumulated in the rental passage.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the inside of this ball rental passage cannot be visually recognized from the player side. For this reason, it is difficult for the player to confirm whether or not all the rental balls are actually discharged from the rental ball outlet. Similarly, when a ball lending operation is performed in a state where the game balls in the upper ball storage section are stored up to the front of the lending outlet, it is difficult to even check whether or not the lending balls are discharged. is there. In such a case, the player plays the game without being able to confirm whether or not the rental balls are normally discharged.
And it is not preferable to play a game with the question of whether or not the rental balls are normally discharged because it may cause distrust to the pachinko gaming machine.
[0008]
In addition, since it is difficult for a player to know how much game balls are stored in the ball rental passage, the ball is still considered to have room even though the ball rental passage is filled with game balls. There is a possibility of lending operations. If the ball lending operation is performed in a state where the ball lending passage is filled with game balls, the lending ball overflows and is directly discharged from the lending outlet without being discharged from the lending outlet. Will be discharged to the lower ball storage part.
The rental balls directly discharged to the lower plate cannot be distinguished from the overflowed prize balls by the player. Therefore, even in this case, it is difficult for the player to confirm whether or not all the rental balls have been discharged from the rental ball discharge port, and the player has distrust. Furthermore, the player is likely to have a feeling that he / she has done a useless thing, and there is a possibility that the interest in the game may be impaired.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a gaming machine capable of reliably discharging a rented ball to the upper sphere storage unit even if some game balls are stored in the upper sphere storage unit The purpose is to do.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above object, and the one according to claim 1 has an upper plate capable of storing a game ball to be used for a game with a bottom inclined downward, and a front surface. An open / close panel attached to the frame so as to be openable and closable, a ball passage for guiding the game balls discharged from the ball discharge unit to flow down to the upper plate, and a game that is disposed below the upper plate and overflows from the ball passage In a gaming machine comprising a lower tray for storing a ball, and having a ball discharge port for discharging a game ball guided down by the ball passage to the upper plate on the front side of the opening / closing panel ,
The ball passage is constituted by a prize ball passage for guiding down the prize ball and a ball rental passage for guiding the rental ball down, and the ball discharge outlet communicates with the prize ball passage And a lending outlet that communicates with the lending passage,
While facing so opening the upstream end portion of the upper dish the prize ball outlet, and an opening in a state in which the loan sphere outlet was side-by-side to the downstream side of the prize ball outlet,
Lending balls discharged from the lending outlet by arranging the lending outlet so that the height difference from the opening lower edge of the lending outlet to the bottom surface of the upper plate is larger than the diameter of the game ball Can ride on the game balls stored in the upper plate,
By positioning the lower opening edge of the prize ball discharge port below the lower edge of the rental ball discharge opening, the prize ball passage is more easily overflowed than the ball rental passage .
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the gaming machine according to the first aspect , wherein an opening width of the ball rental outlet is wider than an opening width of the prize ball outlet .
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, a pachinko gaming machine that is a typical gaming machine will be described as an example.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko gaming machine 1 includes a pachinko machine body 2 and a card unit 3. The pachinko machine body 2 is surrounded by a machine frame 4, and a frame-shaped front frame 5 having an opening is attached to the machine frame 4 so that the frame can be opened and closed. A game board 6 (see FIG. 2) is attached so as to face the opening from behind. On the other hand, a glass frame 8 holding a front glass 7 (a kind of transparent member) is attached to the front surface of the front frame 5, and an opening / closing panel 10 having an upper plate 9 bulging on the front surface is formed below the glass frame 8. It can be opened and closed. The upper plate 9 is formed with an upper ball storage portion 11 capable of temporarily storing game balls used for games, facing the upstream portion of the upper ball storage portion 11 and on the front surface of the open / close panel 10. Has a ball outlet 12 open. The ball outlet 12 includes a ball outlet 13 for discharging a rental ball and a prize ball outlet 14 for discharging a prize ball. The configuration of the upper plate 9 will be described in detail later.
A lower plate 15 is provided below the open / close panel 10, an ashtray 16 is provided on the left side, and a firing operation unit 17 is provided on the right side. The lower plate 15 is provided with a lower sphere storage unit 18 for storing overflowing game balls or the like without entering the upper sphere storage unit 11.
[0014]
On the other hand, a card reader / writer 21 and a card unit controller 22 are attached to the card unit 3, and the card insertion slot 23 is arranged facing the front surface of the card unit 3. Then, the card reader / writer 21 sets the game card inserted into the card insertion slot 23, and reads the remaining number stored in the set game card. The card unit control device 22 manages the remaining number stored in the game card, that is, subtracts the remaining number based on the ball lending operation.
[0015]
Next, the game board 6 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 6 has a partition member 26 such as a guide rail attached to the front surface, and the partition member 26 partitions a substantially circular game area 27. A variable display device 28 is attached substantially at the center of the game area 27, and a start opening 29 is attached below the variable display device 28, and a big prize opening (attacker) 30 is attached below the start opening 29. Further, general winning holes 31 are attached to various places in the game area 27.
Here, the start opening 29, the big winning opening 30 and the general winning opening 31 are so-called winning devices, and a predetermined number of game balls (prize balls) are discharged as a prize by winning a hitting ball. For example, when winning at the start opening 29 or the general winning opening 31, seven prize balls are discharged, and when winning at the big prize opening 30, 15 prize balls are discharged. The prize balls are discharged from the prize ball discharge port 14 and stored in the upper ball storage unit 11.
[0016]
A rectangular cutout 32 is formed at the lower left end of the game board 6. The notch 32 is fitted with a front portion of a ball passage forming member 37 that forms a part of the ball rental passage 35 and the prize ball passage 36.
Here, the rental ball passage 35 is a rental ball passage communicating with the rental ball outlet 13 and is provided in a state where the rental ball outlet 13 and the rental ball flow path 38 (see FIG. 4) communicate with each other. . The rental ball passage 35 receives the rental ball that has flowed down in the rental ball flow path 38 and guides it to the rental ball outlet 13. On the other hand, the prize ball passage 36 is a path for prize balls communicated with the prize ball discharge port 14, and is provided in a state where the prize ball discharge port 14 and the prize ball flow path 39 (see FIG. 4) communicate with each other. The prize ball passage 36 guides the prize ball flowing down the prize ball flow path 39 to the prize ball discharge port 14.
[0017]
The ball passage forming member 37 is a member in which two grooves 40 and 41 that are open at the top and extend in the front-rear direction of the gaming machine are formed side by side. The groove for lending that constitutes the part is used as the groove for lending, and the other groove 41 is used as the groove for the winning ball that constitutes a part of the prize ball passage. The bottom surfaces of both groove portions 40 and 41 that are part of the bottom surfaces of the ball rental passage 35 and the prize ball passage 36 are gently inclined downward toward the front of the gaming machine, and the game balls on the groove portions 40 and 41 are It is configured such that it can be guided to the ball rental outlet 13 side or the prize ball outlet 14 side which is the front side of the gaming machine.
The ball passage forming member 37 is formed integrally with the back mechanism board 42 (see FIG. 4), and the front portion is formed to protrude forward from the front surface of the back mechanism board 42. Further, the rear portion extends to the rear wall portion of the winning ball flow channel 39 and the rental ball flow channel 38. Note that the game balls that have flowed down in the rental ball flow path 38 or the prize ball flow path 39 and did not survive the rear portion of the ball passage forming member 37 are overflow flow paths 43 (see FIG. 4), as will be described later. Then, it is guided to flow down to the lower sphere storage unit 18.
[0018]
Next, the upper plate 9 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the upper plate 9 is provided in a state of bulging forward on the front surface of the opening / closing panel 10, and a game ball used for a game is temporarily placed on the upper plate 9. The upper sphere storage part 11 for storing is formed. The upper ball storage unit 11 is configured by a concave portion whose upper part is open, and the bottom surface 46 is inclined downward toward the right side so that the stored game ball can be guided to flow down. The bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere storage unit 11 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape with the right side (downstream side) tapered as viewed from above, and guides the game balls stored in the upper sphere storage unit 11 while aligning them. .
Then, facing the left portion, which is the upstream portion of the upper ball storage portion 11, a prize ball outlet 14 and a ball rental outlet 13 are opened on the front surface 10a of the open / close panel 10. The prize ball discharge port 14 is opened facing the upstream end portion of the upper sphere storage portion 11, that is, the inclined upper end portion of the bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere storage portion 11. Further, the rental ball discharge port 13 is located on the downstream side of the upper ball storage unit 11, that is, on the right side of the prize ball discharge port 14, and is opened in a state adjacent to the prize ball discharge port 14.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the lower opening edge 14a of the prize ball discharge port 14 is provided at substantially the same height as the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage part 11 or slightly above the bottom surface 46a. The lower opening edge 13 a of the ball discharge port 13 is provided above the lower opening edge 14 a of the prize ball discharge port 14. In other words, the difference in height from the opening lower edge 13a of the lending outlet 13 to the bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere reservoir 11 is determined from the opening lower edge 14a of the prize ball outlet 14 to the bottom 46 of the upper sphere reservoir 11. It is larger than the height difference.
The vertical position of the opening lower edge 13 a of the lending outlet 13 is determined based on the height difference from the bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere reservoir 11. That is, the difference in height from the opening lower edge 13a of the ball rental outlet 13 to the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage section 11 is a game in which the rental balls discharged from the ball rental outlet 13 are stored in the upper ball storage section 11. Set the size so that it can ride on the sphere. In the present embodiment, the height difference A from the left end of the opening lower edge 13a (upstream end of the opening lower edge 13a) to the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage unit 11 is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball.
[0020]
According to the present embodiment, even if game balls are stored up to the upstream portion of the upper ball storage unit 11, if the game balls stored in front of the loan outlet 13 are about 1 to 2 stages, The rental balls discharged from the ball outlet 13 ride on the game balls already stored.
In other words, if the number of stored game balls is one, the game balls discharged from the lending outlet 13 ride on the stored game balls without any trouble.
On the other hand, if the stored game balls are two stages, the second stage game balls enter the recess formed between the first stage game balls as shown by the dotted line in FIG. In this state, the player rides on the first stage game ball, and in combination with the downward slope of the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage section 11, the height of the upper end of the second stage game ball is It becomes a grade located slightly above the opening lower edge 13a of the discharge port 13. The lending balls discharged from the lending outlet 13 are energized to some extent because they move due to the downward inclination of the bottom surface of the lending passage 35, and over the second stage of the game ball with this momentum. Or, it is discharged to the upper ball storage section 11 so as to sew between the second stage game balls, and rides on the already stored game balls.
Therefore, the player can confirm that all of the rental balls have been reliably discharged.
[0021]
Further, due to the difference in height from the opening lower edge 13a of the lending outlet 13 to the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage unit 11, a large amount of prize balls are discharged due to big hits and the upper ball storage unit 11 is filled with game balls. Even in this case, the game balls stored in the upper ball storage unit 11 are unlikely to flow into the ball rental passage 35 from the ball rental outlet 13.
[0022]
A ball lending / discharging indicator 47 is disposed in a portion between the opening lower edge 13a of the lending / lending port 13 and the bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere storage unit 11. The ball rental discharge indicator 47 functions as a discharge mode indicator for notifying the player that the game ball (rental ball) is being discharged. For example, the ball rental discharge indicator 47 is rearward from the front surface 10a of the open / close panel 10. A concave chamber that is recessed toward the front, a translucent lens member that closes the front surface of the concave chamber, and a light source such as an LED or a light bulb disposed behind the lens member and in the concave chamber. On the surface of this lens member, the word “rental ball” is drawn, and the lens member shines by the light from the light source that emits light during the rental period of the rental ball, and the character “rental ball” is the player. Visible from.
[0023]
A cylindrical prize ball guide 48 is extended to the above-described prize ball outlet 14 toward the rear of the gaming machine. The prize ball guiding portion 48 constitutes a part of the prize ball passage 36 together with the prize ball groove portion 41 of the ball passage forming member 37. The bottom surface of the prize ball guide 48 is gently inclined downward toward the lower opening edge 14a of the prize ball discharge port 14. In the closed state in which the open / close panel 10 is closed, the rear end portion of the prize ball guiding portion 48 is fitted to the front end portion of the prize ball groove portion 41. In this fitted state, the bottom surface of the award ball groove 41 and the bottom surface of the award ball guiding portion 48, that is, the bottom surface of the award ball passage 36, form a series of downward inclined surfaces up to the lower opening edge 14 a of the award ball discharge port 14. Form.
Similarly, the ball rental outlet 13 is provided with a cylindrical ball rental guide 49 toward the rear of the gaming machine. The ball rental guide portion 49 constitutes a part of the ball rental passage 35 together with the ball rental groove portion 40 of the ball passage forming member 37. The bottom surface of the lending guide 49 is gently inclined downward toward the opening lower edge 13a of the lending outlet 13, and when the open / close panel 10 is closed, the rear end of the lending guiding portion 49 is lended. The front end of the ball groove 40 is fitted. In this fitted state, the bottom surface of the lending groove portion 40 and the bottom surface of the lending guide portion 49, i.e., the bottom surface of the lending passage 35, form a series of downward inclined surfaces up to the lower opening edge 13 a of the lending outlet 13. Form.
In the present embodiment, the downward inclination angle of the bottom surface of the ball rental passage 35 and the downward inclination angle of the bottom surface of the prize ball passage 36 are provided at substantially the same inclination angle.
[0024]
Further, in the present embodiment, the opening width B of the ball rental outlet 13, that is, the length of the lower edge of the opening is provided wider than the opening width C of the prize ball outlet 14. This is because, in this type of pachinko gaming machine 1, when compared with one ball discharge operation, the number of balls lent out is larger than that of prize balls. For example, the number of prize balls discharged from the prize ball discharge port 14 is a maximum of 15 balls (at the time of winning the big prize opening 30) in one ball discharge operation. Is 25 in one ball discharge operation.
Therefore, as in the present embodiment, the opening width B of the lending ball discharge port 13 is wider than the opening width C of the winning ball discharge port 14, in other words, the lending ball discharge port 13 and the winning ball discharge port. By determining the opening widths B and C of 14 according to the number of game balls that can be discharged by one ball discharge operation, the game balls can be discharged to the upper ball storage unit 11 without clogging the balls.
[0025]
At the downstream end portion of the upper sphere reservoir 11, a launch ball passage is provided in communication with the upper sphere reservoir 11 (not shown). The projecting ball passage guides the game balls down while being aligned in one row. The exit of this launching ball passage faces the launching position of the game ball, and the game ball in the launching ball passage is supplied to the single launching position in conjunction with the launch of the ball.
[0026]
A remaining frequency indicator 51, a ball lending button 52, a return button 53, and the like are provided on the right front surface of the upper plate 9.
The remaining frequency indicator 51 displays the frequency (remaining frequency) that can be used by the game card attached to the card reader / writer 21 of the card unit 3, and is constituted by, for example, a 3-digit 7-segment LED. For example, 100 yen corresponds to 1 degree.
The ball lending button 52 is operated by the player when requesting ball lending. When the ball lending button 52 is operated, a number of game balls corresponding to a preset frequency are discharged from the ball lending outlet 13. For example, when it is set so that lending balls for 5 times (500 yen) are discharged in one lending operation, a ball discharging operation for discharging 25 lending balls corresponding to the number of times is performed. Repeat 5 times.
The return button 53 is a button that is operated when the game card with the remaining frequency is ejected from the card reader / writer 21.
[0027]
Next, the configuration of the back side of the pachinko machine body 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, a back mechanism board 42 is attached to the back side of the pachinko machine main body 2, and a ball storage for storing game balls to be used as rental balls or prize balls is provided in the upper part of the back mechanism board 42. A tank 55 is provided. Below the ball storage tank 55, a ball outlet rod 56 is provided for guiding the game balls derived from the ball reservoir tank 55 to flow down while being aligned. The ball outlet rod 56 is connected to the outlet portion of the ball outlet rod 56 and is connected to the ball outlet rod 56. A ball discharge unit 57 for discharging game balls as rental balls or prize balls is provided.
[0028]
The ball discharge unit 57 includes a discharge solenoid 58 and a discharge sensor 59. The plunger of the discharge solenoid 58 is connected to a ball locking piece 60 that is removably mounted in a ball passage in the ball discharge unit 57, and is discharged. The sensor 59 is disposed so as to face the ball passage on the upstream side of the ball locking piece 60.
The ball discharge unit 57 is controlled by a discharge control device (ball discharge control means) (not shown), and discharges a predetermined number of game balls.
For example, the discharge control device excites the discharge solenoid 58 to retract the ball locking piece 60 from the ball passage and causes the game ball in the ball passage to flow down and be discharged from the outlet of the ball discharge unit 57. Then, the detection signal from the discharge sensor 59 is monitored, and the number of game balls passing through the discharge sensor 59 accompanying the flow down is counted. Thereafter, the discharge solenoid 58 is demagnetized at the timing when a predetermined number of game balls have passed, the tip of the ball locking piece 60 protrudes into the ball path, and the game ball in the ball path is brought into contact with the ball locking piece 60. , Stop the flow of game balls.
[0029]
At the outlet of the ball discharge unit 57, a ball flow down path 61 is extended downward in a state of being slightly meandered to the left and right, and the ball flow down path 61 is connected to the prize ball flow down path 39 and the rental ball flow down path 38 along the way. Branch. A switching valve 62 is provided at this branching portion as a flow path switching means. The switching valve 62 guides the game balls discharged from the ball discharge unit 57 and flowing down the ball flow down path 61 to the prize ball flow down path 39 side or the rental ball flow down path 38 side.
This switching valve 62 is also controlled by the discharge control device. That is, the switching valve 62 is connected to a valve switching solenoid 63 as a valve driving source, and the discharge control device switches the tilted state of the switching valve 62 by exciting and demagnetizing the valve switching solenoid 63.
[0030]
For example, when the rental ball is discharged, the discharge control device excites the valve switching solenoid 63, and the free end of the switching valve 62 is viewed from the back side of the game board 6 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. The same applies to the description of FIG. 4). In this excited state, the lending balls discharged from the ball discharge unit 57 and flowing down the ball flow down path 61 abut against the switching valve 62 and flow down along the switching valve 62 and are guided to the ball rental down path 38 side. Is done.
Further, the discharge control device demagnetizes the valve switching solenoid 63 in a state other than the rental ball discharge, such as the prize ball discharge. In this demagnetized state, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, the free end of the switching valve 62 is positioned substantially vertically upward. Therefore, in this demagnetized state, the prize ball discharged from the ball discharge unit 57 and flowing down the ball flow down path 61 is guided to the prize ball flow down path 39 side.
[0031]
A rear portion of the ball rental groove 40 (ball passage forming member 37) that forms the rear portion of the ball rental passage 35 extends at the lower end of the ball rental flow passage 38. The rear portion of the lending groove 40 is formed in a bowl shape with an open top. Therefore, the lending ball that has flowed down the lending flow path 38 is received by the bowl-shaped lending groove 40 and guided to the front side of the gaming machine along the downward slope of the bottom surface of the lending groove 40.
In addition, a rear portion of the prize ball groove portion 41 (ball passage forming member 37) that forms the rear portion of the prize ball passage 36 is extended to the lower end portion of the prize ball flow path 39. The rear portion of the prize ball groove portion 41 is also formed in a bowl shape having an open top. Accordingly, the prize ball that has flowed down the prize ball flow path 39 is received by the prize ball groove 41 and guided to the front side of the gaming machine along the downward slope of the bottom of the prize ball groove 41.
[0032]
Further, an overflow channel 43 is provided in communication with the downstream side of these ball rental flow channel 38 and prize ball flow channel 39. The overflow channel 43 is filled with the gaming ball 40 when the upper ball storage unit 11 is filled with game balls, and when the lending groove 40 and the winning ball groove 41 are also filled with lending balls and winning balls. Then, the lending balls and the winning balls (that is, the overflowing balls) that have fallen without getting through the groove 41 for winning balls are flowed down to the lower ball storing unit 18.
[0033]
With respect to the side wall portion 40a of the lending groove portion 40 and the side wall portion 41a of the prize ball groove portion 41 constituting the lower edge portion of the inlet of the overflow channel 43, in this embodiment, the upper end of the side wall portion 41a is the side wall portion 40a. It is provided at a position lower than the upper end. In other words, the lower edge of the prize ball side overflow inlet is provided below the lower edge of the ball rental side overflow inlet.
Accordingly, the bottom surface of the prize ball passage 36 is provided below the bottom surface of the ball rental passage 35. Here, the downward direction means to be provided at a lower position as a whole. That is, with respect to the bottom surface of the winning ball passage 36 and the bottom surface of the rental ball passage 35, the front ends of the bottom surfaces (that is, equivalent to the lower opening edge 13a of the rental ball discharge port 13 and the lower opening edge 14a of the winning ball discharge port 14), the bottom surface When the heights of the corresponding portions are compared, such as the rear ends of the rear surfaces and the front and rear centers of the bottom surfaces, the bottom surfaces of the prize ball passages 36 are provided at a lower position.
With this configuration, when the upper ball storage unit 11 is filled with a game ball, the game ball is first stored in the prize ball passage 36, and further, the side wall portion 41a of the prize ball groove 41 is formed. Since the upper end is lower than the upper end of the side wall 40a of the lending groove 40, the prize ball passage 36 overflows earlier than the lending passage 35.
[0034]
An overflow switch 65 is provided in the middle of the overflow channel 43 to detect that a predetermined amount of overflow spheres are stored in the lower sphere reservoir 18 and the overflow channel 43. This overflow switch 65 is used when an overflow ball that has not fully entered the lower ball storage section 18 is accumulated up to a predetermined height of the overflow channel 43, such as when a large amount of prize balls are discharged in a special game. It is pressed by the overflow ball in 43 and is continuously turned on.
[0035]
In addition, an entrance of the ball discharge path 66 is opened on the right side surface slightly upstream of the branching portion of the award ball flow down path 39 and the rental ball flow down path 38 in the ball flow down path 61. A ball discharge path 66 extends downward along the right side of 39. This ball discharge path 66 is for discharging the game balls in the pachinko machine body 2 to the island facility side, and a discharge switching valve 67 is provided at the entrance.
In the normal state, the discharge switching valve 67 stands substantially vertically as shown by a solid line in FIG. 4 and closes the inlet of the ball discharge path 66. In this state, the game balls discharged from the ball discharge unit 57 flow down to the prize ball flow down path 39 or the ball rental flow down path 38 side. And when discharging the game ball in the pachinko machine main body 2 to the island facility side, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 4, it tilts until the free end is brought into contact with the left wall portion of the ball flow path 61, The game balls discharged from the ball discharge unit 57 are guided to the ball discharge path 66 side.
[0036]
Next, the state of game ball discharge in the pachinko gaming machine 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.
[0037]
Prior to the start of the game, the player inserts a game card into the card insertion slot 23 and operates the ball lending button 52 to receive a game ball lending. The operation information of the ball lending button 52 is sent to the discharge control device, and the discharge control device controls the ball discharge unit 57 based on the operation information to discharge the required number of game balls. For example, in the case where one game is equivalent to 25 gaming balls, and the ball rental for 5 times is discharged by one operation of the ball rental button 52, 125 ( (25 × 5 times) game balls are discharged.
When the lending ball is discharged, the valve switching solenoid 63 is excited and the switching valve 62 is tilted as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, and the lending ball discharged from the ball discharging unit 57 is guided to the lending ball flow path 38 side. Is done. Then, the lending balls are received by the lending groove portion 40 and discharged from the lending outlet 13 through the lending groove portion 40 and the lending guide portion 49 and stored in the upper sphere storage portion 11.
[0038]
A game is played using the lending balls discharged to the upper ball storage unit 11. At this time, a player who wants to play a game in a state where the upper ball storage unit 11 is filled with a game ball has an earlier timing. That is, the ball lending button 52 is operated with a relatively large number of game balls remaining in the upper ball storage unit 11. In this case, since the discharged rental balls hit the upstream side of the game balls already stored in the upper ball storage unit 11, the upper ball storage unit 11 is gradually filled with game balls.
And in this embodiment, since the height difference from the opening lower edge 13a of the lending outlet 13 to the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage part 11 is made larger than the diameter of the game ball, as shown in FIG. After the game balls are stored to the extent that the bottom surface of the upper ball storage unit 11 is covered, even when a further rental ball is discharged from the ball discharge outlet 13, the discharged ball is already stored in the upper ball storage unit 11. Get on the stored game balls. For this reason, the player can confirm that all the rental balls have been discharged normally.
[0039]
When the prize balls are continuously discharged, the upper ball storage unit 11 is filled with game balls. Also in this case, the game balls stored in the upper sphere storage unit 11 are rented from the rental sphere discharge port 13 due to the difference in height from the lower opening edge 13a of the rental sphere discharge port 13 to the bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere storage unit 11. It is difficult to flow into the passage 35, and it is difficult for game balls to accumulate in the ball rental passage 35.
Since the lower opening edge 14a of the winning ball outlet 14 is positioned below the lower opening edge 13a of the lending outlet 13, when the upper ball storage part 11 is filled with game balls, the winning ball passage 36 is filled. The prize ball guided by the downward slope of the bottom of the ball hits the game ball stored in front of the prize ball discharge port 14 and stops in the prize ball passage 36. Similarly, the subsequent prize balls hit the upstream side of the game balls stopped in the prize ball passage 36 and gradually accumulate toward the upstream side in the prize ball passage 36. When the prize balls are accumulated until the prize balls cannot reach the rear portion of the ball passage forming member 37, the prize balls that have flowed down the prize ball flow path 39 after that get over the side wall 41a and the prize ball grooves 41. The spilled prize balls (overflow spheres) are spilled from the (sphere passage forming member 37) and overflowed and guided to the lower sphere storage unit 18 through the overflow channel 43.
[0040]
Thus, since the lower opening edge 14a of the winning ball discharge port 14 is positioned below the lower opening edge 13a of the rental ball discharge port 13, it is difficult for game balls to accumulate in the rental ball passage 35, and the winning ball passage 36 It is easier to store game balls than the ball rental passage 35. Furthermore, since the upper end of the side wall portion 41 a is provided at a position lower than the upper end of the side wall portion 40 a, the prize ball passage 36 is more easily overflowed than the ball rental passage 35.
Therefore, even a player who thinks that the amount of storage in the upper ball storage unit 11 has a margin and wants to receive a game ball lending, the ball lending operation is wasted due to the start of award ball overflow. Can be recognized, and useless ball lending operation can be stopped in advance.
Furthermore, even if the start of the overflow of the prize ball and the ball lending operation are almost simultaneous, the ball lending passage 35 has a sufficient amount of ball storage until it overflows, so the ball lending flow 38 will flow down. The lending balls are led to the lending passage 35 without overflowing. For this reason, the game ball to be discharged as a rental ball is discharged from the rental ball discharge port 13 to the upper ball storage unit 11. Accordingly, the player can surely visually recognize the game ball discharged from the ball rental outlet 13, and can confirm the discharge of the rental ball corresponding to the ball rental operation.
[0041]
By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the ball discharge unit 57 discharges the prize balls and the rental balls without distinguishing them, and guides the prize balls discharged from the ball discharge unit 57 to the prize ball flow down path 39, thereby The ball is guided to the rental ball flow path 38. Then, the winning ball that has flowed down the winning ball flow path 39 is discharged from the winning ball discharge port 14 to the upper ball storage unit 11 through the winning ball passage 36, and the lending ball that has flowed down the lending ball flow path 38 is The ball is discharged from the lending outlet 13 through the passage 35 to the upper sphere reservoir 11.
However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a series of prize ball flow paths from the ball discharge unit to the prize ball discharge opening, and a series of ball rental flow paths from the ball discharge unit to the ball rental discharge opening. And may be configured separately. Hereinafter, an embodiment configured as described above will be described.
[0042]
FIG. 6 shows a pachinko machine in which a series of prize ball discharge paths from the ball discharge unit 71 to the prize ball discharge port 14 and a series of ball rental discharge paths from the ball discharge unit 71 to the ball rental outlet 13 are separated. 4 is a rear view of the main body 2. FIG.
[0043]
In the pachinko machine body 2, the game balls are aligned in two lanes with the ball lead-out rod 56, one game ball is used for the prize ball, and the other game ball is used for the rental ball. For this reason, the game balls arranged by the ball outlet 56 are supplied to the ball discharge unit 71 for each item.
The ball discharge unit 71 includes a prize ball discharge mechanism 72 that discharges a prize ball, and a ball rental discharge mechanism 73 that discharges a lending ball. The prize ball discharge mechanism 72 and the ball rental discharge mechanism 73 are In the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, it is composed of a discharge solenoid, a discharge sensor, a ball locking piece and the like, and is controlled by a discharge control device. The ball discharge unit 71 communicates with the prize ball outlet, and the prize ball downflow path 74 extends downward, and the ball discharge outlet 71 communicates with the ball rental outlet and extends the ball rental downflow path 75 downward. A prize ball groove 41 on the rear side of the ball passage forming member 37 is provided at the lower end of the downflow path 74 for the winning ball, and a lending groove is provided at the lower end of the downflow path 75 for the rental ball. 40 is disposed. Further, an overflow channel 43 is provided on the downstream side of the ball passage forming member 37.
The configurations other than those described above, for example, the configuration of the ball rental outlet 13, the ball rental passage 35, the prize ball outlet 14, the prize ball passage 36, and the like are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted. .
[0044]
Then, the prize ball flow path 74 and the prize ball passage 36 constitute a prize ball discharge path. The prize balls discharged from the ball discharge unit 71 are guided to the prize ball discharge port 14 through the prize ball discharge path, and the guided prize balls are discharged from the prize ball discharge port 14 to the upper ball storage unit 11.
Similarly, the ball rental flow 75 and the ball rental passage 35 constitute a ball rental discharge channel. The lending balls discharged from the ball discharging unit 71 are guided to the lending outlet 13 through the lending discharge path, and the guided lending balls are discharged from the lending outlet 13 to the upper sphere storage unit 11.
In this configuration, the winning ball discharge path and the rental ball discharging path are formed in separate sections, so that only the winning ball is discharged from the winning ball discharge port 14 without providing a flow path switching valve or the like in the middle. Only the lending balls can be discharged from the lending outlet 13.
As described above, in the present embodiment, only the lending balls are discharged from the lending outlet 13, so that the player can surely see how the lending balls are discharged to the upper ball storage unit 11.
For this reason, it is possible to dispel the distrust of the pachinko gaming machine 1 that the player holds with the question “Is the rental ball discharged normally?”, Giving the player a further sense of security. be able to.
[0045]
In each of the embodiments described above, the lower opening edge 13a of the lending outlet 13 is disposed at a position higher than the lower opening edge 14a of the winning ball outlet 14 so that the lower opening edge 13a of the lending outlet 13 is opened. To the bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere storage unit 11 is set larger than the height difference from the lower opening edge 14a of the prize ball outlet 14 to the bottom surface 46 of the upper sphere storage unit 11, and stored in the upper sphere storage unit 11. Thus, it is difficult for the game balls being made to flow into the ball rental passage 35 from the ball rental outlet 13.
If paying attention to this height difference, in the configuration in which the rental ball discharge port 13 is opened to the right side of the prize ball discharge port 14 (that is, the downstream side of the upper ball storage unit 11), Even if the configuration is arranged at the same height as the lower opening edge 14a of the prize ball discharge port 14 or at a position lower than the lower opening edge 14a, the height difference caused by the downward inclination of the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage section 11 is reduced. By making the height difference between the opening lower edge 13a of the ball rental outlet 13 and the opening lower edge 14a of the prize ball outlet 14 larger than the opening lower edge 13a of the ball rental outlet 13, The height difference to the bottom surface 46 can be made larger than the height difference from the opening lower edge 14a of the prize ball discharge port 14 to the bottom surface 46 of the upper ball storage portion 11, and from the ball rental discharge port 13 into the ball rental passage 35. Inflow of game balls can be prevented.
[0046]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the prize ball discharge port 14 is opened facing the upstream end portion of the upper ball storage unit 11, and the ball rental discharge port 13 is on the right side of the prize ball discharge port 14. The thing opened adjacent to the discharge port 14 was illustrated. In this configuration, the prize ball discharge port 14 with many ball discharge opportunities is located on the upstream side of the upper ball storage unit 11, so that the game ball can be efficiently stored up to the upstream end portion of the upper ball storage unit 11. Have advantages.
However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the rental ball discharge port 13 and the prize ball discharge port 14 are interchanged, the loan ball discharge port 13 is opened facing the upstream end portion of the upper ball storage unit 11, and the prize ball discharge port 14 is opened. The opening lower edge 14 a may be located downstream of the opening 13 so that the opening lower edge 14 a is positioned below the opening lower edge 13 a of the lending outlet 13.
[0047]
Moreover, although each embodiment demonstrated and demonstrated the pachinko gaming machine 1 which is a typical gaming machine as an example, it used the game ball stored in the upper ball storage part, such as an arrangement ball game machine or a sparrow ball game machine. The present invention can be applied to any gaming machine configured to discharge a rental ball and a prize ball from a ball outlet.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention has the following effects.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the difference in height from the lower edge of the opening of the rental ball discharge port to the bottom surface of the upper plate is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball. Since it was possible to ride on the game balls stored in the tray, even if a ball lending operation was performed with the game balls stored in the upper plate reaching the front of the loan outlet, the rental outlet The game balls discharged from the car ride on the game balls stored in front of the lending outlet and are stored.
For this reason, the game ball to be discharged from the lending outlet can be reliably discharged from the lending outlet, and the player can confirm that the lending ball has been normally discharged to the upper plate. it can. Therefore, the distrust of the gaming machine that the player tends to hold can be dispelled, and the player can be given a further sense of security.
In addition, according to the present invention, the lower edge of the prize ball outlet is positioned below the lower edge of the rental outlet, so that the game balls stored in the upper plate are rented from the rental outlet. It is difficult for game balls to accumulate in the passage. For this reason, the prize ball passage tends to overflow earlier than the ball rental passage.
Therefore, even a player who thinks that the amount of storage of the upper plate has a margin and wants to receive a game ball rental recognizes that the ball lending operation is useless due to the start of overflow of the prize ball. It is possible to stop a useless ball lending operation in advance.
Furthermore, even if the overflow starts and the ball lending operations prize balls were nearly simultaneous, the direction of Kashitama passage can afford the storage amount of the sphere, Kashitama passage lent sphere that has flowed down does not overflow Led to. For this reason, game balls to be discharged as rental balls are discharged from the rental outlet to the upper plate. Therefore, the player can surely visually recognize the game balls discharged from the ball rental outlet, and can confirm the discharge of the rental balls in response to the ball rental operation.
[0049]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the opening width of the rental ball discharge port is wider than the opening width of the prize ball discharge port, the number of game balls discharged in one ball discharge operation is a prize. Even if there are more rental balls than spheres, they can be discharged to the upper sphere storage section without clogging the spheres.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko gaming machine.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an opening / closing panel and an upper plate as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram for explaining a relationship among a ball rental outlet, a prize ball outlet, and a bottom surface of an upper ball reservoir. .
FIG. 4 is a rear view of the pachinko gaming machine.
FIG. 5 (a) is a perspective view of the open / close panel and the upper plate when the upper sphere reservoir is filled with game balls, and FIG. 5 (b) is an upper view of the game sphere stored in the upper sphere reservoir. It is a figure explaining a mode that the game ball discharged | emitted from the lending outlet is picked up.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of the pachinko gaming machine according to the second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko machine 2 Pachinko machine main body 3 Card unit 4 Machine frame 5 Front frame 6 Game board 7 Front glass 8 Glass frame 9 Upper plate 10 Opening and closing panel 11 Upper ball storage part 12 Ball discharge port 13 Rental ball discharge port 14 Prize ball discharge Exit 15 Lower tray 16 Ashtray 17 Launch operation unit 18 Lower ball storage unit 21 Card reader / writer 22 Card unit controller 23 Card insertion slot 26 Partition member 27 Game area 28 Variable display device 29 Start port 30 Big prize port 31 General prize port 32 Notch portion 35 Ball rental passage 36 Prize ball passage 37 Ball passage formation member 38 Ball rental flow passage 39 Prize ball flow down passage 40 Ball rental groove portion 41 Award ball groove portion 42 Back mechanism board 43 Overflow passage 46 Upper ball storage portion Bottom 47 Ball rental discharge indicator 48 Prize ball guidance unit 49 Ball rental guidance unit 51 Remaining frequency indicator 52 Ball rental button 53 Return button 55 Ball storage tank 56 Ball outlet rod 57 Ball Exit unit 58 Discharge solenoid 59 Discharge sensor 60 Ball locking piece 61 Ball flow down path 62 Switching valve 65 Overflow switch 66 Ball discharge path 67 Discharge switching valve 71 Ball discharge unit 72 Prize ball discharge mechanism 73 Loan rental mechanism 74 Downflow for prize ball Road 75 Rent for rental

Claims (2)

It has an upper plate that can store game balls used for games with its bottom inclined downward, and an open / close panel attached to the front frame so as to be opened and closed, and the game balls discharged from the ball discharge unit flow down to the upper plate A ball path for guiding, and a lower dish that is disposed below the upper plate and stores game balls overflowing from the ball path, and flows down the front side of the open / close panel by the ball path. In a gaming machine having an open ball outlet for discharging the guided game ball to the upper plate,
The ball passage is constituted by a prize ball passage for guiding down the prize ball and a ball rental passage for guiding the rental ball down, and the ball discharge outlet communicates with the prize ball passage And a lending outlet that communicates with the lending passage,
The prize ball outlet is opened facing the upstream end portion of the upper plate, and the ball outlet is opened in a state adjacent to the downstream side of the prize ball outlet,
Lending balls discharged from the lending outlet by arranging the lending outlet so that the height difference from the opening lower edge of the lending outlet to the bottom surface of the upper plate is larger than the diameter of the game ball Can ride on the game balls stored in the upper plate,
A gaming machine characterized in that the prize ball passage is more easily overflowed than the ball rental passage by positioning the lower edge of the prize ball discharge port below the lower edge of the ball discharge outlet.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein an opening width of the ball rental outlet is wider than an opening width of the prize ball outlet.

Images