JP4358118B2 - Memory cartridge mounting device for gaming machines - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mounting device for a memory cartridge used in a gaming machine.

Conventionally, a gaming machine such as a slot machine has a control device for controlling a game and an effect accompanying the game. This control device includes a control board on which electronic components such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and IC memory are mounted. And in recent gaming machines, there are many effects that display images using a liquid crystal display device or the like, and a large-capacity memory is particularly required for storing effect data. Therefore, in order to reduce the number of memories mounted on the control board and reduce labor and cost for manufacturing the board, a memory cartridge equipped with a flash memory is attached to the board via a connector.
On the other hand, in order to prevent fraud with respect to the control board, various improvements have been made to the board case for housing the control board, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example. At first glance, no measures were taken to identify fraud.
JP 2004-65792 A

Here, it is conceivable that all or part of the memory cartridge is housed in a transparent case, and it is possible to confirm unauthorized attachment / detachment by sealing the case, but the space inside the substrate case is limited. It is not preferable that the space inside the substrate case is narrowed by mounting the memory cartridge.
Accordingly, the first and second aspects of the invention provide a memory cartridge that can be confirmed at a glance for unauthorized attachment and detachment, and that the memory cartridge can be easily attached and removed, can be stored compactly in the substrate case, and can be used to reinforce the memory cartridge. An object is to provide a mounting device.

The features of the present invention will be described below using the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, the code | symbol in parenthesis shows the code | symbol used in embodiment of invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.
(Feature point)
(Claim 1)
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by the following points.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a board connection provided on the control board (100) of the gaming machine at one end of a substantially rectangular board (memory board 10A) having an information recording medium (flash memory 10B). A memory cartridge mounting device for mounting a memory cartridge (10) having a connection portion (cartridge connector 11) for electrical connection with a portion (board connector 120) on the control board (100), A pair of fixed support members (12) fixed to the plate surface of the control board (100) and a covering member (14) fixed to the memory cartridge (10) are provided.

  Here, the control board (100) is a wiring board provided with electronic components such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and IC memory on the board surface, and is used for controlling a game. The memory cartridge (10) is an information recording medium such as a flash memory (10B) mounted on a plate-shaped memory board (10A), and connects the connection part (11) and the board connection part (120). This is a detachable memory that can read new data into the control board (100) or increase the memory capacity of the control board (100). The connecting portion (11) is the “one side edge of the substantially rectangular substrate (10A)” of the memory cartridge (10), that is, the side (side, side) surrounding the front and back surfaces of the rectangular plate substrate (10A). At the end of any one of the upper side and the bottom side).

In the present invention, the fixed support member (12) has insertion grooves (13) into which side end portions on both sides sandwiching the side where the connection portion (11) of the memory cartridge (10) is provided can be inserted. The insertion groove (13) is provided so as to face each other across the board connection portion (120), and is protruded in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the control board (100), and the insertion is performed from the front end side in the protruding direction. By inserting the memory cartridge (10) into the groove (13), the connection portion (11) guides the memory cartridge (10) to connect with the substrate connection portion (120), and the memory cartridge ( It is formed so as to be able to support at least the connection part side of the side end part of 10). Further, the covering member (14) is provided with a part of side end portions on both sides sandwiching a side where the connection portion (11) of the memory cartridge (10) is provided and / or the connection portion (11). It is fixed in advance so as to cover the side end of one side opposite to the side, and the memory cartridge (10) is inserted into the insertion groove (13), and the connection portion (11 of the memory cartridge (10)) ) And the board connecting portion (120) are connected to each other, and are formed so as to abut against the distal end of the fixed support member (12) in the protruding direction . Further, a sealing seal (16) is attached to the boundary between the fixed support member (12) and the covering member (14) when the memory cartridge (10) is mounted.

Here, the “side edge” of the memory cartridge (10) is a portion including a surface (side surface, top surface, bottom surface) other than the front and back surfaces of the memory cartridge (10) and a part of the surface adjacent to the surface. That is.
Here, “at least the connection part side of the side end part can be supported” means that the connection part (11) of the two opposite side end parts (for example, left and right side end parts) of the memory cartridge (10). It is a part or the whole including the side where is provided.
The “side ends of both sides sandwiching the side where the connection portion (11) is provided” are side ends of the left and right sides when the side where the connection portion (11) is provided is the bottom side. In addition, “a side end portion on one side opposite to the side on which the connection portion (11) is provided” is a side end portion of the upper side when the side on which the connection portion (11) is provided is defined as the base side.

Therefore, the covering member (14) is “a part of the side end portions on both sides sandwiching the side where the connection portion (11) of the memory cartridge (10) is provided and / or the connection portion of the memory cartridge (10) ( `` Cover the side edge of one side opposite to the side where 11) is provided '' means that the fixed support member (12) is formed to support the entire length of the left and right side edges of the memory cartridge (10) The covering member (14) only needs to be able to cover the side end of the memory cartridge (10) opposite to the connecting portion (11), and the fixed support member (12) is provided on the left and right side ends of the memory cartridge (10). For example, the covering member (14) is formed in a gate shape (U-shaped) so that the left and right side edges of the memory cartridge (10) and What is necessary is just to form so that the side edge part on the opposite side to the connection part (11) of a memory cartridge (10) may be coat | covered. Then, in the mounted state, the memory cartridge (10) is such that the outer periphery of all the sides other than the side where the connecting portion (11) is provided is almost covered by the fixed support member (12) and the covering member (14). It will be.

Incidentally, the covering member (14), that have been fixed in advance in the memory cartridge (10). Further, “fixing” the fixing support member (12) means fixing it so that it cannot be removed unless it is broken, for example, by caulking or welding. In view of the ease of mounting work, it is preferable that the covering member (14) is fixed to the memory cartridge (10) in advance.
The seal seal (16) may be a plastic film or paper, and is preferably formed so as to leave a trace when it is peeled off. Further, the "boundary" of the fixed support member (12) and the covering member (14), an end portion of the fixed support member (12) and a covering member covering the side end portion outer periphery (14) of adjacent memory cartridge (10) or Ri der that the abutting boundary, the "contact", in addition to the fixed support member (12) and the covering member (14) is in contact with butt-jointing the edges, one of the other It also includes overlapping with the upper side or the lower side.

(Function)
In the present invention, when the memory cartridge (10) is mounted on the control board (100), the memory cartridge (10) to which the predetermined covering member (14) is fixed in advance is fixed from the connecting portion (11) side to the fixed support member. Insert into the insertion groove (13) of (12) and slide in the insertion groove (13). The memory cartridge (10) is guided to the board connecting part (120) while being guided by the fixed support member (12), and the connecting part (11) and the board connecting part (120) are connected by being pushed in as it is. In this state, the side end portion of the memory cartridge (10) exposed from the fixed support member (12) is covered with the covering member (14). The covering member (14) may be fixed after the memory cartridge (10) is mounted. Finally, a seal seal (16) is affixed to the boundary between the fixed support member (12) and the covering member (14).

When removing the memory cartridge (10) mounted as described above, peel off the sealing seal (16) and remove the covering member (14) and pull out the memory cartridge (10) or remove the memory cartridge (10). (14) or withdraw the memory cartridge mounting device (110) from the entire control board (100) by destroying the fixed portion of the fixed support member (12), but since all removed traces remain, If it is illegally attached or detached, it can be confirmed at a glance.
According to the present invention, it is not necessary to attach the covering member (14) when the memory cartridge (10) is mounted, so that the operation can be performed easily. Further, since the covering member (14) is fixed to the memory cartridge (10), it is possible to prevent the corners of the memory cartridge (10) from being damaged during handling.

(Claim 2)
The invention described in claim 2 is characterized by the following points in addition to the features of the invention described in claim 1 described above.
That is, in the invention according to claim 2, the covering member (14) is formed by the concave portion formed when the covering pieces (141, 142) divided into two are opposed to each other. 10A) is formed so that it can be sandwiched, and one cover piece (141) is provided with a crimped portion (15), and the other cover piece (142) is a hole that can penetrate the crimped portion (15) ( 18) is provided, and the caulking portion (15) is fitted into the hole (18) of the other covering piece (142) through the hole (19) provided in the substrate (10A), thereby the covering member ( 14) is characterized in that it is formed so as not to be removable from the memory cartridge (10) unless the crimping portion (15) is destroyed .

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the memory cartridge can be confirmed at a glance, and the memory cartridge can be easily attached and detached, can be stored compactly in the substrate case, and can be used to reinforce the memory cartridge. A mounting device can be provided.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a slot machine as an example of a gaming machine.
(Explanation of drawings)
1 to 8 show an embodiment of the present invention.
1 is a perspective view of the slot machine S with the front door removed, FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a control board, FIGS. 4 and 5 are exploded perspective views of a memory cartridge mounting device, and FIGS. 6 to 8 are memory cartridges. It is a perspective view which shows other embodiment of a mounting apparatus.
(Slot Machine S)
As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine S according to the present embodiment is roughly divided into a housing 1 that opens to the front side, a reel unit 2 provided inside the housing 1, and an opening of the housing 1 that can be opened and closed. The front door 3 is composed of an upper door 30 that closes the upper opening of the housing 1 so that it can be opened and closed, and an upper door 30 that closes the lower opening of the housing 1 so that it can be opened and closed. Has been.

The housing 1 is a box opened to the front side including a bottom plate, a side plate, a top plate, and a back plate, and an intermediate plate is provided in the horizontal direction between two side plates at a substantially central portion in the height direction. A power supply unit 4 is fixed to the lower surface of the middle plate, and a hopper unit 5 is placed on the bottom plate. Further, the reel unit 2 is placed and fixed on the upper surface of the intermediate plate, and a control device 6 for controlling the operation of the slot machine S is accommodated in the upper portion of the intermediate plate. The left side plate on the front side is provided with two hinges for engaging the front door 3 and supporting the front door 3 in a vertically spaced manner.
Here, the control device 6 is configured with a CPU as a center, and a control board 100 including a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and the like is housed in a board case 200, and controls the games and effects of the slot machine S. Is what you do. The substrate case 200 is a transparent plastic case, and the internal control substrate 100 is fixed at a position in the housing that is visible from the front side of the slot machine S. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, various electronic components are fixed to the control board 100 by soldering or the like, and a memory cartridge 10 for adding a predetermined memory is provided with a memory cartridge mounting device 110. Is attached through. Details of the memory cartridge mounting device 110 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reel unit 2 has three rotary reels 20 that are pivotally attached to a motor. The reel unit 2 is placed on the middle plate of the housing 1 and is housed and fixed inside the upper opening 13. Is.
The upper door 30 is a plate-like door formed on the side plate of the housing 1 so as to be rotatable and lockable, and a symbol display window 31 through which the symbol of the rotary reel 20 can be seen from the front side is provided at a substantially central portion. A decorative portion 33 is formed around the symbol display window 31. The decoration part 33 may be an electric decoration such as a lamp. Below the symbol display window 31, there is provided a display section 32 for displaying numbers related to games and the like using a 7-segment display or a liquid crystal display device. Although not particularly illustrated, two upper door engaging portions that can be engaged with the hinges of the housing 1 are provided on the back surface of the upper door 30 at intervals in the vertical direction. A locking mechanism is provided on the opposite side. And the upper opening part of the housing | casing 1 can be sealed by closing and locking the upper door 30. FIG.

  The lower door 40 is a door wider than the upper door 30 for closing the lower opening of the housing 1, and is formed on the side plate of the housing 1 so as to be rotatable and lockable. The upper part of the lower door 40 is an operation part 41 for operating the slot machine, and the upper surface of the lower door 40 protrudes forward of the upper door 30 when the door is closed. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 41 includes a medal slot 42 for inserting game medals, a bet switch for reducing the number of stored medals to replace medal insertion, and paying the stored inserted medals. A settlement switch for taking out, a start switch for starting the rotation of the rotary reel 20, and a stop switch for stopping the rotation of the rotary reel 20 are provided. In addition, a medal tray 43 for storing the medals that have been paid out is formed at the lower part of the lower door 40. A key hole 44 is provided at the upper right end of the lower door 40. When a predetermined key is inserted into this hole and turned, the lock of the lower door 40 is released. Then, the lower door 40 is unlocked, so that the upper door 30 is also releasable.

Further, although not particularly shown, a medal selector is provided on the back side of the lower door 40 for determining whether the medal is correct or not while guiding the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 42. Although not particularly illustrated, two lower door engaging portions that can be engaged with the hinges of the housing 1 are provided on the back surface of the lower door 40 at intervals in the vertical direction. A locking mechanism is provided on the opposite side.
In the slot machine S, a game can be started by inserting medals from the medal insertion slot 42, and the three rotary reels 20 start rotating all at once when the start switch is pressed. In addition, the control device 6 performs a lottery for winning determination in response to the operation of the start switch, and determines whether or not the winning is made. When a stop switch provided corresponding to each rotating reel 20 is pressed while the rotating reel 20 is rotating, the rotation of the corresponding rotating reel 20 is stopped. At this time, the control device 6 performs stop control of the rotary reel 20.

When all of the rotating reels 20 are stopped, when winning symbols are aligned and stopped on a predetermined winning line, the winning is made, and a medal is paid out from the hopper unit 5 or an advantageous game such as a bonus game. It is formed so that the transition is performed.
(Memory cartridge mounting device 110)
Next, the memory cartridge mounting device 110 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the memory cartridge mounting device 110 includes a covering member 14 that covers the outer periphery of the end of the memory cartridge 10, and a fixing support member 12 that fixes the memory cartridge 10 to the control board 100. .

(Memory cartridge 10)
Here, the memory cartridge 10 is a rectangular thin plate-like component in which the flash memory 10B is mounted on the memory board 10A. As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge connector 11 is fixed to one end side of the memory board 10A, and the cartridge A hole 19 for fixing the covering member 14 is formed in the vicinity of the opposite end of the connector 11. Then, by connecting the cartridge connector 11 and the board connector 120 provided on the control board 100, the data of the flash memory 10B can be output to the CPU mounted on the control board 100.
(Coating member 14)
2, the covering member 14 is a gate-type cover that covers the outer periphery of the end of the memory board 10A. As shown in FIG. 4, the covering member 14 includes a covering piece 141 and a covering piece 142 that are divided into two vertically. It is configured. The covering piece 141 and the covering piece 142 have a substantially L-shaped cross section, and the memory board 10A can be held by a recess formed when the covering piece 141 and the covering piece 142 are opposed to each other.

  Further, one cover piece 141 has a caulking portion 15 projecting, and the other cover piece 142 has a hole 18 at a position corresponding to the caulking portion 15 when facing the cover piece 141. It has been. Although not particularly illustrated, the crimping portion 15 is formed in a cross-sectional arrow shape having a resilient tip portion. The hole 18 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of the caulking portion 15. When the tip of the crimped portion 15 (the tip of the arrow) is inserted into the hole 18 and pushed in, the portion formed to gradually increase in diameter from the tip is bent in the hole center direction and penetrates the hole 18. When the entire caulking portion 15 penetrates the hole 18, the bent portion returns to the original size and becomes larger in diameter than the hole 18. Therefore, the caulking portion 15 cannot be pulled out from the hole 18 unless the caulking portion 15 is cut or broken. In this way, the memory cartridge 10 can be fitted into the covering member 14 and fixed in a killed state by allowing the crimping portion 15 to pass through the hole 18 through the hole 19 provided in the memory board 10A.

(Fixed support member 12)
The fixed support member 12 is a columnar support member having a substantially U-shaped cross section that is fixed to both ends of the board connector 120 of the control board 100 so as to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the board surface, as shown in FIG. Further, the memory cartridge 10 can be inserted by installing the insertion grooves 13 of the two fixed support members 12 facing each other. Further, the fixing support member 12 is provided with a caulking portion 17 similar to the caulking portion 15 at the end opposite to the insertion side (insertion groove 13 side) of the memory cartridge 10. These are fixed to the control board 100 by passing through holes 101 provided in the control board 100.

(Installation of memory cartridge 10)
Next, when the memory cartridge 10 is attached to the control board 100, first, as shown in FIG. 5, the covering member 14 is fixed to the memory board 10A, and then the end of the anti-fixing side of the memory board 10A is fixed to the fixing support member 12. The cartridge connector 11 is connected to the board connector 120 by being inserted into the insertion groove 13 and sliding. In the drawing , a slight gap is formed between the lower end portion of the covering member 14 and the upper end portion of the fixed support member 12, but the upper end portion of the fixed support member 12 and the covering member 14 The lower end part contacts the end part. However , the connection between the cartridge connector 11 and the board connector 120 is formed so as not to be hindered by the contact between the covering member 14 and the fixed support member 12.

After fixing the memory cartridge 10 as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, a sealing seal 16 is affixed at the boundary between the covering member 14 and the fixing support member 12. This seal seal 16 is formed so that it cannot be restored once it is peeled off.If the memory cartridge 10 is removed, the seal seal 16 must be cut or peeled off. The trace remains. As shown in the figure, the seal seal 16 may be affixed only to one side of the boundary, or may be affixed to both boundaries.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the memory cartridge 10 is attached to the control board 100 by inserting the memory cartridge 10 to which the portal cover member 14 is fixed into the insertion groove 13 of the columnar fixed support member 12. Thus, the fixed support member 12 serves as a guide, and the memory cartridge 10 can be attached easily and reliably. Further, when attached, the fixed support member 12 and the covering member 14 cover the outer periphery of the memory board 10A, and serve to reinforce the memory cartridge 10. Further, since the seal seal 16 is affixed to the boundary between the fixed support member 12 and the covering member 14 so that unauthorized attachment / detachment can be confirmed, it is possible to appeal to the manufacturer that there is no fraud. As for sealing, compared to covering the entire memory cartridge 10 with a case and sealing it, a space in the substrate case 200 can be secured and the formation cost can be reduced.

Furthermore, even when a minor change is performed so that only the effects by sound and images are different while leaving the game contents as they are, it is only necessary to replace the memory cartridge 10 without replacing the control board 100. At this time, the fixing support member 12 is changed by changing the place where the seal seal 16 is attached (for example, it is attached to one end at the time of initial installation and attached to the other end when the memory cartridge 10 is replaced). Is more economical because it can be left as is.
(Other forms of memory cartridge mounting device 110)
Incidentally, the covering member 14 may be formed so as to cover one end of the memory board 10A as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the covering member 14 is a rectangular plate member in which two folds 14a and 14b are formed in the length direction, and crimped portions 15 and holes 18 are provided at four corners. When attaching the covering member 14 to the memory board 10A, first, the crimping portion 15 is passed through the hole 19 of the memory board 10 and bent along the first fold line 14a. Then, the crimping portion 15 protruding from the hole 19 is bent along the second fold line 14b so as to pass through the hole 18, so that the end portion on the side opposite to the connector of the memory board 10A can be fixed. .

Also in this case, the fixed support member 12, as shown in FIG. 7, when inserting the memory cartridge 10 which is fixed the cover member 14 deepest, the upper end portion of the lower part and the fixed support member 12 of the cover member 14 It is formed in the length which abuts . Then, a seal seal 16 may be attached so as to straddle the boundary between the fixed support member 12 and the covering member 14.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, when inserting the memory cartridge 10 which is fixed the cover member 14 to the deepest of the insertion groove 13 of the fixed support member 12, substantially front end portion of the fixed support member 12 and the covering member 14 faces You may form so that it may become one. That is, the insertion groove 13 is formed to have a groove width capable of sandwiching the opposite end portion of the memory cartridge 10 when the covering member 14 is fixed to the memory board 10A. In the same manner as described above, the sealing seal 16 may be attached so as to straddle the boundary between the fixed support member 12 and the covering member 14.

In this embodiment, the covering member 14 is fixed to the memory cartridge 10 in advance, but the covering member 14 is fixed after the memory cartridge 10 is attached to the fixed support member 12, and the sealing seal 16 is attached. You may make it stick.
In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be used for gaming machines other than slot machines as long as the gaming machine includes a control board.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention with the front door removed. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a control board. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a control board. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a memory cartridge mounting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a mounting diagram of the memory cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a memory cartridge mounting device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a memory cartridge mounting device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a memory cartridge mounting device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

S slot machine 1 housing 2 reel unit 3 front door 4 power supply unit 5 hopper unit 6 control device
10 Memory cartridge 10A Memory board
10B Flash memory 11 Cartridge connector
12 Fixed support member 13 Insertion groove
14 Covering material
14A Covered piece 14B Covered piece
15 Caulking section 16 Seal seal
17 Caulking section 18 holes
19 holes 20 reel
30 Upper door 31 Symbol display window
32 Display 33 Decoration
40 Lower door 41 Operation section
42 Medal slot 43 Medal tray
44 Keyhole
100 Control board 101 holes
110 Memory cartridge loading device
120 Board connector 200 Board case

Claims (2)

A memory cartridge having a connection portion that is electrically connected to a board connection portion provided on a control board of a gaming machine is mounted on the control board at one end of a substantially rectangular board having an information recording medium. A memory cartridge mounting device for
A pair of fixed support members fixed to the plate surface of the control board; and a covering member fixed to the memory cartridge;
The fixed support member has insertion grooves into which side end portions on both sides sandwiching the side where the connection portion of the memory cartridge is provided, and the insertion grooves face each other across the substrate connection portion. The memory cartridge is protruded in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the control board, and the memory cartridge is inserted into the insertion groove from the front end side in the protruding direction so that the connection portion is connected to the substrate connection portion. The guide is formed so as to be able to support at least the connection side of the side end of the memory cartridge,
The covering member, the portion of the side edge portion of both sides sandwiching a side connection portion of the memory cartridge is provided, and / or to the connecting part covers the side end portion of the side opposite the side provided In the mounted state in which the memory cartridge is inserted into the insertion groove and the memory cartridge connection portion and the substrate connection portion are connected , the front end of the fixed support member is in contact with the leading end of the fixing support member. is formed so as to contact,
Wherein in the mounted state of the memory cartridge, the the boundary of the fixed support member and the cover member, mounting apparatus for a game machine memory over cartridge, characterized in that pasted seal seal. The covering member is formed so as to be able to sandwich the substrate of the memory cartridge by a recess formed when the covering pieces divided into two are opposed to each other.
One covering piece is provided with a caulking portion, the other covering piece is provided with a hole that can penetrate the caulking portion, and the other covering piece is passed through a hole provided in the substrate. 2. The memory cartridge mounting device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering member is formed so as not to be removable from the memory cartridge unless the caulking portion is broken .

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