JP4570573B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gaming machine that requires a game ball to be inserted therein to play a game and that includes a ball tray for storing the game ball.

Conventionally, as a gaming machine for providing entertainment to people, a ball-ball game machine such as a pachinko machine that uses a game ball as a game medium and a revolving game machine such as a slot machine that uses a medal as a game medium have been used. ing.
For example, in a slot machine, when a medal is inserted, it is possible to operate a start switch that simultaneously rotates a plurality of rotating reels on which a plurality of types of symbols are written. Then, after the player operates the start switch, the player operates the stop switch one after another, stops the plurality of rotated reels in turn, and if the symbols of the rotating reels can be aligned to a predetermined combination, Thus, a predetermined number of medals can be paid out.

In this way, as a spinning-type gaming machine that performs a game in which the symbols of the rotating reels are aligned, in addition to a slot machine that uses medals as gaming media, a spinning-type gaming machine that uses gaming balls as gaming media, so-called `` Parrot "(registered trademark) is also used.
Game machines that use game balls, such as “Parrot” and pachinko machines, are provided with a ball tray to store the game balls, and the game balls are thrown into the game machine when starting the game. There are provided a mouth, a payout opening for paying out the game ball to the ball tray when winning in the game, and a payout device for sending the game ball to the payout opening. The bottom of the ball tray has a downward slope toward the slot so that the stored game ball rolls toward the slot with its own weight, and the game ball remains on the ball tray. As long as the player does not need to manually insert the game ball into the insertion slot, the troublesome operation of inserting the game ball in the game is automatically performed.

Here, as the payout outlet for paying out the game balls, it is common to adopt a discharge outlet that discharges the game balls at an angle close to the horizontal from the inside of the gaming machine to the outside where the ball tray is located.
As described above, when a payout opening for discharging the game ball at an angle close to the horizontal is adopted, when the game ball to be paid out is discharged from the payout opening to the ball tray, toward the side wall of the ball tray facing the payout opening. Since the vehicle collides with the side wall, loses momentum due to the collision, and starts rolling toward the charging port, there arises a problem that it takes time to reach the charging port.
In order to solve this problem, a gaming machine is known which is arranged at a position higher than the bottom surface of the ball tray and is provided with a payout opening opened downward (for example, Patent Document 1).

That is, the payout opening of this gaming machine is opened downward toward the bottom surface of the ball tray, and the game balls discharged from this payout port fall vertically toward the ball tray and collide with the bottom surface of the ball tray. It is like that. Here, since the bottom surface of the ball tray is inclined so as to have a downward slope toward the insertion port side, the game ball that has collided with the bottom surface of the ball plate repels toward the insertion port and gains momentum due to the collision. Without losing, it rolls toward the input port, thereby shortening the time to reach the input port.
In addition, the gaming machine includes a transport path for transporting game balls from the payout device to the payout exit, a branch path extending from a middle portion of the transport path toward the vicinity of the insertion port, and an end opening of the branch path. In addition, an overflow discharge port disposed in the vicinity of the input port is provided. As a result, a large amount of game balls are stored near the payout opening of the ball tray, and when the game balls overflow to the branch portion between the transfer path and the branch path, the overflowing game balls are introduced to the branch path side, It is paid out to the ball tray. Thereby, even if the original payout opening is blocked by a large amount of game balls stored in the ball tray, the overflow payout opening arranged in the vicinity of the insertion opening is hardly blocked by the game ball. The game ball can be paid out to the ball tray from the overflow payout exit.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-304920 (FIG. 2)

In the gaming machine as described above, when the player wins when the remaining amount of the game ball in the ball tray becomes little or completely lost, the game ball moves on the bottom surface of the ball tray with a gentle inclination, so that the payout It takes a certain amount of time for the game balls paid out from the apparatus to the payout opening to reach the insertion slot and a predetermined number of game balls are inserted into the insertion slot.
For this reason, the player has to wait without playing a game until a predetermined number of game balls are inserted into the slot, and has continued until then due to the occurrence of a waiting time without playing this game. Since the game is interrupted, the interest of the game may be impaired. Accordingly, there is a demand for further shortening the time until the paid game ball is inserted into the insertion slot when a winning is made with the ball tray empty.

For example, in a pachinko machine, when a game is played while it is continuously driven into the game board so that several or more game balls flow down the game board at the same time, the game balls are played one by one. The fun of the game is higher than when playing a game while driving into the board. Here, in order for several or more game balls to flow down the game board, it is assumed that a sufficient number of game balls are continuously thrown into the slot. If it takes a long time for a required number of game balls to be inserted into the slot, such as when winning a prize in such a state, the player may be frustrated, which impairs the game's interest Sometimes.
In particular, in a revolving game machine that uses game balls, the rental fee per game ball is less than a fraction of a medal (for example, about 1/5), so one game Compared to pachinko machines that can start games with balls, the number of game balls required to start a game is at least several times the number of pachinko machines (for example, 5 times). When starting, it is necessary to throw 15 game balls, which is a number corresponding to three medals, into the gaming machine.

For this reason, when winning a prize in a state where the ball tray is empty, the waiting time without playing a game is increased until a required number of game balls are inserted, and the interest of the game is often impaired. .
As with the gaming machine described above, even if an overflow payout port is provided in the vicinity of the input port separately from the payout port that performs normal payout, the game ball is paid out from the overflow payout port. Since it is only when a large amount of game balls are stored near the payout opening, the game balls are not paid out from the overflow payout opening when the remaining amount of game balls in the ball tray is small or empty. Therefore, when a winning is made in a state where the ball tray is empty, it is not possible to shorten the time until the paid game ball is inserted into the insertion slot.

  Accordingly, each invention described in each claim has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and the purpose of the invention is to throw out the game balls that have been paid out into the slot. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that can shorten the time until it is played.

Each invention described in each claim is made to achieve the above-mentioned object. The features of each invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, a code | symbol shows the code | symbol used in embodiment of this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.
(Claim 1)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by the following points.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is for storing a ball ball (50) for storing a game ball used as a game medium and a game ball stored in the ball plate (50). And a payout device (82) for paying out game balls to the ball tray (50) when winning a game, and the stored game balls are loaded by their own weight ( 53) a gaming machine (P) in which the bottom surface (50A) of the ball tray (50) is inclined so as to roll toward the ball tray (50), in order to throw the game ball into the slot (53), to pay out the ball the inlet in the dish (50) (53) is turned for payout opening provided in the vicinity of the (51B), a game ball to be retained in the ball pan (50), said ball dish In order to convey the game ball from the storage outlet (51A) provided at a position away from the insertion port (53) in (50) to the ball tray (50) from the dispensing device (82), Dispensing device (8 2) to the ball tray (50), and a conveying path (83) having a downward slope as a whole, and the conveying path (83) extends to the charging outlet (51B) side on the way Branched to the storage conveyance path (83A) extending toward the storage discharge outlet (51A), and the branch portion of the conveyance path (83) is paid to the branch portion. A switching mechanism (80) is provided for switching the transport path of the game balls up to the exit from one of the transfer transport path (83B) and the storage transport path (83A) to the other, and the ball tray (50) A portion facing the charging payout opening (51B) is provided with a cushion portion (58) for absorbing an impact when a game ball discharged from the charging payout opening (51B) collides, A guide piece (56) for guiding the game ball discharged from the charging outlet (51B) to the cushion portion (58) is provided near the outlet (51B). The game ball discharged from the charging outlet (51B) collides with the cushion portion (58) by the guide piece (56) and enters the insertion port (53). Features.

(Claim 2)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, and has the following characteristic points.
That is, in the invention according to claim 2, as the switching mechanism (80), a switching operation for switching from one of the loading transport path (83B) and the storage transport path (83A) to the other is performed manually by a player. What can be performed is employed.
(Claim 3)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1 or 2 described above, and has the following characteristics.

That is, the invention according to claim 3 is a game ball for detecting that a plurality of game balls are staying in the vicinity of the insertion port (53) in the bottom surface (50A) of the ball tray (50). A stay sensor (55) is provided, and the switching mechanism (80) is configured to switch between the loading transport path (83B) and the storage transport path (83A) based on a detection signal of the game ball stay sensor (55). The switching operation for switching from one to the other can be automatically switched.
(Claim 4)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4 described above, and has the following characteristic points.

  That is, the invention according to claim 4 is provided with a charging opening (84B) communicating with the loading conveying path (83B) and a storage communicating with the storing conveying path (83A) at a branching portion of the conveying path (83). The switching mechanism (80) has a switching valve body (85) for closing the charging opening (84B) and the storage opening (84A). A switching valve body (85) is provided between the storage position (A) for closing the charging opening (84B) and the charging position (B) for closing the storage opening (84A). When the valve body (85) is moved to the storage position (A), the transport path of the game ball is switched to the storage transport path (83A) side, and the switching valve body (85) is moved to the loading position (B ), The transport path of the game ball is switched to the input transport path (83B) side.

(Claim 5)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4 described above, and has the following characteristic points.
That is, the invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that an overall length of the feeding conveyance path (83B) is shorter than that of the storage conveyance path (83A).

(Effect of Claim 1)
The present invention configured as described above has the following effects.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to pay out the game ball to be stored in the ball tray, the game ball is inserted separately from the storage outlet provided at a position far from the input port. A feeding outlet is provided in the vicinity of the inlet, and further, a feeding path branched into a feeding conveyance path extending to the charging outlet side and a storage conveying path extending to the storage outlet side in the middle, and Since the switching mechanism for switching the transport path of the game ball from one of the input transport path and the storage transport path to the other is provided, when the ball tray is empty, or the remaining amount of game balls in the ball tray is In a few cases, the payout can be performed through the loading conveyance path.

When the game ball is paid out through the loading transport path, the game ball quickly reaches the insertion port without passing through the bottom surface of the loosely inclined ball tray. It is possible to shorten the time until it is put into the machine.
(Effect of claim 2)
According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the following effect is obtained.
That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a switching mechanism capable of performing a switching operation for switching from one of the input conveyance path and the storage conveyance path to the other by manual operation of the player is employed. When the player is empty or the remaining amount of game balls in the ball tray is small, the player operates the switching mechanism based on his / her own judgment so that the transfer path can be switched. When the player wants to shorten the time to throw in, the game ball is surely paid out through the loading transport path, and the time required to throw a predetermined number of game balls into the slot is ensured. It can be shortened.

(Effect of claim 3)
According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the following effect can be obtained.
That is, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the game ball staying sensor for detecting the plurality of game balls staying in the vicinity of the insertion port on the bottom surface of the ball tray is provided, Depending on the amount of game balls stored, a switching operation for switching from one of the loading transport path and the storage transport path to the other is automatically performed, especially when the ball tray is empty, When the remaining amount of game balls is small, the operation of switching the transport path from the storage transport path to the input transport path is automatically and reliably performed, and the game balls are automatically paid out through the input transport path. Thus, it is possible to shorten the time until the paid-out game ball is inserted into the insertion slot without bothering the player.

(Effect of claim 4)
According to invention of Claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention in any one of Claim 1 to Claim 3, there exists the following effect.
That is, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the switching is enabled to move between the storage position that closes the input opening that leads to the input conveyance path and the input position that closes the storage opening that leads to the storage conveyance path. Since the valve body is provided in the switching mechanism, when the transport path is switched to the storage transport path side, game balls do not flow through the input transport path, and conversely, the transport path is moved to the input transport path side. When switched, the game ball does not flow through the storage transport path, and the transport path of the game ball can be completely switched from one of the input transport path and the storage transport path to the other with a simple structure. it can.

(Effect of Claim 5)
According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the following effect is obtained.
That is, according to the invention described in claim 5, since the entire length of the input transport path is shorter than the storage transport path, the game ball transport path is changed from the storage transport path to the input transport path. Not only hardly passes through the bottom of the loose ball tray, but the overall length of the transport path to the slot is shortened, the time to reach the slot is further shortened, and the game balls that are paid out are thrown into the slot. It is possible to further shorten the time until the completion.

Hereinafter, an embodiment which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show this embodiment. 1 is a perspective view showing a gaming machine according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a front door showing the gaming machine according to the present embodiment is opened, and FIG. 3 is a gaming machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a charging outlet according to the present embodiment, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing a charging outlet according to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the distribution of prize balls in the gaming machine according to the present embodiment, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the switching mechanism according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a game according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows a ball | bowl residence sensor.

The gaming machine P according to the present embodiment is a so-called parrot game machine that uses a game ball as a game medium. This gaming machine P is configured such that when a player inserts a predetermined number of game balls, a game can be performed in which the symbols on the rotating reels are arranged in a predetermined combination.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such a gaming machine P has a frame 1 in which various devices for playing games are provided inside, and is detachably attached to the inside of the frame 1. , A game unit 2 which is a key device for playing a game, an operation unit 4 provided with operation switches for operation by a player, and a prize ball which is a game ball to be paid out by winning And a ball tray unit 5 for receiving.

Further, on the left side of the gaming machine P in FIG. 1, there is provided a ball lending machine 6 that pays out a predetermined number of game balls to the ball tray 50 of the ball tray unit 5 when the player inserts cash. The ball lending machine 6 is provided with a transfer nozzle 60 that extends from the ball lending machine 6 to a position just above the ball tray 50 of the ball tray unit 5 and transports the game balls to the ball tray 50 of the game machine P. Yes. The transfer nozzle 60 is attached to the ball lending machine 6 via a swivel joint device 61, whereby the tip of the transfer nozzle 60 can be rotated.
(Frame 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 1 is a frame-shaped member formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is a part fixed in parallel to a so-called “island” facility of a game arcade. is there. And on the back surface of the frame 1, a game ball from a ball circulation device (not shown) arranged on the island is paid out as a prize ball, and an inserted game ball is returned to the ball circulation device. A ball passage (not shown) is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a game unit 2 including a rotating reel 23 that is indispensable for the gaming machine P is attached to the inside of the frame 1 in a state where it is fitted. More specifically, the vertical frame members 1L and 1R arranged on both sides of the frame body 1 are provided with two fixing devices 11 for fixing the game unit 2 at intervals in the vertical direction. Yes. Here, the game unit 2 attached to the frame 1 can be removed from the frame 1 by performing a predetermined operation on the fixing device 11.
An operation unit 4 is arranged on the front side of the gaming unit 2 so as to cover a part of the front of the gaming unit 2. More specifically, the vertical frame member 1R disposed on the right side in FIG. 2 of the frame body 1 is provided with a hinge 12 for rotatably supporting the operation unit 4. As a result, when the operation unit 4 is rotated from the rotation position that is substantially parallel to the front of the gaming machine P to the front right side in FIG. 2, the operation unit 4 is rotated substantially orthogonal to the front of the gaming machine P as shown in FIG. It can be rotated to the position.

Below the operation unit 4 in FIG. 2, there is a ball tray unit 5 that forms a front lower edge portion of the game unit 2.
In the vicinity of the corners on both upper sides of the frame 1, speakers 14 for outputting sound for production are provided.
(Game unit 2)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gaming unit 2 includes a reel unit 20 provided with various parts related to gaming such as a rotating reel 23, and a front door 3 for covering the front side of the reel unit 20. It has become.

The reel unit 20 supports three rotary reels 23 each having a plurality of symbols on the periphery, a drive motor (not shown) that rotationally drives each rotary reel 23, the rotary reel 23, a drive motor (not shown), and the like. And a support 21 for the purpose.
Of these, the support 21 is made of a metal shaft assembly or the like assembled in a hexahedral shape. A board unit 24 for controlling the operation of the gaming unit 2 and other devices provided in the gaming machine P is provided in the upper portion of the support 21 in FIG. The board unit 24 includes a main board for controlling the gaming operation of the gaming machine P and a sub board for performing various presentation operations. The main board and the sub board are provided with a CPU composed of a one-chip LSI or the like called a microprocessor as a main component. The main board and the sub board are provided with the gaming machine P by including a ROM, a RAM, an I / O interface, and the like in addition to the CPU described above, and causing the CPU to execute a program stored in the ROM. It functions as a control device that controls various devices.

Further, upper door hinges 25 for rotatably engaging the front door 3 are provided at the upper and lower ends of the vertical frame member arranged on the left side of the front surface in FIG. As a result, when the front door 3 is rotated from the rotation position that is substantially parallel to the front of the gaming machine P to the front left side in FIG. 2, the front door 3 rotates substantially orthogonal to the front of the gaming machine P as shown in FIG. It can be rotated to the position.
(Front door 3)
The front door 3 is one of the components constituting the gaming unit 2 as described above. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front door 3 includes a front panel 32 formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape so as to cover the entire front of the gaming unit 2, and the left side of the front panel 32 in FIG. 1. And an inverted U-shaped door frame 31 extending along the right side and the upper side.

Among these, the front panel 32 has a symbol display window 33 formed at a substantially central portion thereof. Here, the three rotating reels 23 provided in the gaming unit 2 are exposed to the front side through the symbol display window 33 of the front panel 32.
A front surface of the front panel 32 is provided with a decorative portion 35 that extends along the left side, the right side, and the upper side in FIG. 1 and bulges outward from the surface thereof. A lighting device for production (not shown) is provided inside the decoration portion 35.
A display unit 34 such as a liquid crystal display device is provided below the decorative unit 35 on the front panel 32. The display unit 34 is attached to the front panel 32 so as to be inclined downward so as to face a player who is playing a game on the gaming machine P.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the door frame 31 includes engaging portions 36 (only the upper end side is shown in FIG. 1) provided at the upper and lower ends of the vertical frame arranged on the right side in FIG. By engaging the engaging portion 36 with the upper door hinge 25 provided on the support body 21 of the game unit 2, the support section 21 is rotatably supported.
Such a front door 3 is formed so that the height level of the lower edge of the front door 3 is lower than the upper edge of the operation unit 4 when closed.
Further, the front door 3 is formed so that the height level of the lower edge of the front door 3 substantially coincides with the upper edge of the ball tray unit 5 or is lower than the upper edge of the ball tray unit 5 when closed. . The operation unit 4 is configured to block both the lower end edge of the front door 3 and the upper end edge of the ball tray unit 5 from the front side.

Note that the left corner of the front door 3 in FIG. 2 is formed with a notch 37 cut out in a quadrilateral shape. The notch 37 exposes the hinge 12 supported by the operation unit 4 so that the operation unit 4 can be rotated with no trouble in the state where the front door 3 is closed. Is for.
(Operation unit 4)
As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 4 is provided with a plurality of types of switches that are operated by the player in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape.
That is, the upper surface 40A of the box 40 of the operation unit 4 is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the front side, and the game balls stored in the ball tray 50 of the ball tray unit 5 are placed on the upper surface 40A on the gaming machine P. An input switch 41 is provided for input into the inside.

Further, on the front surface 40B of the box body 40, a start switch 42 for starting rotation of the rotary reel 23 and three stop switches 43 for stopping the rotation of each of the three rotary reels 23 are provided. . Here, the start switch 42 is arranged at the left end in FIG. 1 in the front face 40B of the box 40. The stop switch 43 is provided substantially at the center of the front surface 40B in FIG.
When the operation unit 4 is closed (a state where the operation unit 4 is disposed at a rotational position substantially parallel to the front of the gaming machine P), a gap 71 is formed between the front panel 32 of the front door 3 and the operation unit 4. It is supposed to be formed. Inside the gap 71 is housed a transfer nozzle 60 extending from the ball lending machine 6 disposed adjacent to the gaming machine P.

The operation unit 4 is locked in a closed state by a lock mechanism (not shown). The operation unit 4 and the front door 3 are alternately opened. Since the operation unit 4 is located outside the front door 3, the front door 3 is not opened by locking the operation unit 4. Is supposed to be locked.
(Ball plate unit 5)
As shown in FIG. 2, the ball tray unit 5 is a box-shaped block disposed in the vicinity of the front lower edge of the frame 1. The ball tray unit 5 includes a ball tray 50 that receives game balls to be paid out to the player at the time of winning a prize, a storage payout opening 51A that is an opening for paying out game balls to the ball tray 50, and an input payout. The outlet 51B, the ball tray unit 5 are detachably provided, and are provided with a lower panel 52 on which the name of the gaming machine P and the like are written, and an insertion port 53 for taking the game ball inside.

The ball tray 50 has a container shape for storing game balls used as game media. The ball tray 50 includes a bottom surface 50A that serves as a bottom of the container, a side surface 50B that rises upward from an edge on the gaming machine P side of the bottom surface 50A, and a weir portion that rises upward from an edge on the near side of the bottom surface 50A. It is equipped with 50C.
Among these, on the side surface 50B, there are a storage outlet 51A disposed in the vicinity of the left end in FIG. 2, and an input outlet 51B and an inlet 53 disposed in the vicinity of the left end in FIG. Is provided. The bottom surface 50A of the ball tray 50 has a downward slope from the storage outlet 51A toward the insertion port 53, and is formed so that the stored game ball rolls toward the insertion port 53 with its own weight. ing.

The charging outlet 51B is located between the storage outlet 51A and the inlet 53 and in the vicinity of the inlet 53 in the ball tray 50. The played game ball can quickly reach the slot 53.
In the back of the insertion port 53, a ball detection device (not shown) is provided in order to count the game balls thrown into the insertion port 53. Although not shown in the drawing, this ball detection device includes an internal passage that is a path of a game ball and a ball stopper member that dams a game ball about to pass through this passage. Among these, the ball stopper member is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat inside the passage, and when the player operates the insertion switch 41, the ball stopper member retreats from the passage and allows the game ball to pass therethrough.

Then, the ball detection device counts the number of game balls that have passed through the inside thereof, and when the number of game balls that have passed reaches a predetermined number (for example, 15), the operation of the start switch 42 is validated. ing.
(Switching mechanism 80)
In the gaming machine P as described above, when the game ball is paid out, the payout port through which the game ball is discharged is switched from one of the storage payout port 51A and the input payout port 51B to the other. A switching mechanism 80 according to the invention is provided.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the ball tray unit 5 is provided with the aforementioned storage outlet 51A at a position away from the inlet 53 in order to pay out game balls to be stored in the ball tray 50, and In order to quickly insert the game ball into the insertion port 53, the above-described insertion outlet 51B is provided in the vicinity of the insertion port 53 in the ball tray 50.

Further, the ball tray unit 5 is provided with a push button switch 54 which is disposed in the vicinity of the upper left corner of the lower panel 52 in FIG. 3 and for manually switching the payout opening.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ball tray unit 5 has a guide piece 56 protruding from the side surface on which the charging / discharging outlet 51B is provided adjacent to the left side of the charging / discharging outlet 51B in FIG. Is provided. The guide piece 56 efficiently guides the game ball discharged from the charging outlet 51B without staying in the charging port 53 when the ball tray 50 is empty or almost empty. Here, the distal end side portion of the guide piece 56 extends obliquely to the right in FIG. 3 and is located closer to the insertion port 53 than the proximal end portion, so that the guide piece 56 is connected to the insertion outlet 51B. The discharged game balls can be guided to the insertion port 53.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the ball tray unit 5 is provided in the vicinity of the insertion payout 51B, and detects that a plurality of game balls are staying in the vicinity of the input payout 51B. A game ball retention sensor 55 is provided.
That is, a pair of side surfaces 57 that extend from both side edges of the input / outlet outlet 51B to the inner side and that face each other are provided in the back of the input / outlet outlet 51B. The game ball staying sensor 55 is provided on each of the pair of side surfaces 57, thereby including a pair of electrodes 55A and 55B that are spaced apart from each other. These electrodes 55A and 55B are disposed in the vicinity of the charging / discharging outlet 51B of the corresponding side surface 57, and are provided so as to be flush with the corresponding side surface. With such a game ball retention sensor 55, the two payout ports 51A and 51B can be automatically switched.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a cushion portion 58 is provided on the inner side surface 50D of the weir portion 50C provided in the ball tray 50 so as to cover a portion facing the charging outlet 51B. The cushion part 58 is formed of an elastic body such as hard rubber, and absorbs the impact when the game ball discharged from the charging outlet 51B collides with the weir part 50C. .
Here, if the game ball discharged from the insertion payout opening 51B enters the inside of the insertion port 53, if the momentum is too good, the game ball will be bounced back to the side surface 53A disposed at the back of the insertion port 53 and inserted. Although it jumps out of the port 53, when it collides with the weir unit 50C, the shock is absorbed by the cushion unit 58 and loses momentum, so that it is efficiently introduced into the input port 53.

Here, in order to arrange a plurality of gaming machines such as the gaming machine P in parallel in the game hall where the gaming machine P is installed, a so-called “island” facility is provided. This “island” is provided with a ball circulation device (not shown) that collects game balls discharged from each game machine and supplies the game balls to each game machine again.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the gaming machine P has a prize ball tank 81 for receiving a game ball falling through the inside of a supply duct (not shown) of the ball circulation device on the “island” side, and a prize in the game. The payout device 82 for paying out the game balls to the ball tray 50 and the overall downward gradient from the payout device 82 to the ball tray 50 in order to transport the game balls from the payout device 82 to the ball tray 50. A transport duct 73 is provided as a transport path. Of these, the award ball tank 81 and the payout device 82 are the same as conventional structures, and will not be described in detail.

The conveyance path 83 is branched into a loading conveyance path 83B extending toward the loading discharge outlet 51B and a storage conveyance path 83A extending toward the storage dispensing outlet 51A. A switching mechanism 80 is provided at the branch portion of the transfer path 83 to switch the transfer path of the game balls from the branch portion to the exit from one of the input transfer path 83B and the storage transfer path 83A. .
By this switching mechanism 80, the game balls discharged from the payout device 82 reach the branch portion of the transport path 83 through the upstream transport path 83C disposed on the upstream side of the transport path 83. The flow advances to one of the loading conveyance path 83B and the storage conveyance path 83A.
As shown in FIG. 7, a loading opening 84B that communicates with the loading conveyance path 83B and a storage opening 84A that communicates with the storage conveyance path 83A are provided inside the branch portion of the conveyance path 83.

The switching mechanism 80 has a switching valve body 85 for closing the charging opening 84B and the storage opening 84A, and a drive motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the switching valve body 85.
Among these, the switching valve body 85 is provided so as to be rotatable between two positions: a storage position A for closing the charging opening 84B and a charging position B for closing the storage opening 84A. When the switching valve body 85 is moved to the storage position A, the transport path of the game ball is switched to the storage transport path 83A, and when the switching valve body 85 is moved to the insertion position B, the game ball The transfer path is switched to the input transfer path 83B.
At this time, when the player manually pushes the push button switch 54 (see FIG. 3) disposed in the vicinity of the lower panel 52, the drive motor of the switching mechanism 80 is activated to store the switching valve body 85. By rotating from the position A to the insertion position B, the gaming machine P pays out the game ball from the insertion outlet 51B. The payout of the game ball from the payout outlet 51B is continued until the player releases the push button switch 54.

Then, when the player releases his hand from the push button switch 54, the drive motor of the switching mechanism 80 is operated in the opposite direction to rotate the switching valve body 85 from the closing position B to the storage position A. Thus, the gaming machine P pays out game balls from the storage outlet 51A.
On the other hand, the game ball retention sensor 55 provided in the ball tray 50 detects a state in which the game ball has accumulated to some extent in the ball tray 50 and outputs a detection signal indicating the retention of the game ball, as shown in FIG. It has become a thing.
That is, the game ball retention sensor 55 includes a power supply 55C that applies a detection voltage between the electrodes 55A and 55B, and electrodes 55A and 55B, in addition to the electrodes 55A and 55B provided on the pair of side surfaces 57, respectively. Continuity detecting means 55D for detecting whether or not current is conducted between 55B. Among these, the continuity detecting means 55D outputs a detection signal indicating that the game ball is staying when it detects that a current is conducted between the electrodes 55A and 55B.

Here, the distance D between the lower edges of the electrodes 55A and 55B and the bottom surface 50A of the ball tray 50 is larger than the diameter of the game ball B. As a result, the electrodes 55A and 55B have a certain amount or more of the game balls B staying inside the ball tray 50, and when the game balls B are stacked in two or more layers inside the dispensing outlet 51B, It is configured to be in an electrically conductive state.
The game ball retention sensor 55 as described above can detect that a certain amount of the game ball B stays in the ball tray 50, and if it detects that the game ball B stays, the game ball B stays. The detection signal which shows is output.
The game ball retention sensor 55 detects that there is no game ball in the vicinity when the number of game balls stored in the ball tray 50 is in a small state or when the ball tray 50 is completely empty. The output of the above-described detection signal is canceled.

The driving motor of the switching mechanism 80 releases the detection signal from the game ball stay sensor 55 because the game ball stay sensor 55 cancels the output of the detection signal. Rotate to B. As a result, a switching operation for switching the transport path of the game ball from the storage transport path 83A to the input transport path 83B is automatically performed, and the gaming machine P pays out the game ball from the input payout opening 51B. ing.
In addition, because the game ball is stored in the ball tray 50 to some extent due to winning, etc., the game ball retention sensor 55 transmits a detection signal, and when this detection signal is received, the drive motor of the switching mechanism 80 is switched to the switching valve. The body 85 is rotated from the loading position B to the storage position A. As a result, a switching operation for switching the transport path of the game ball from the transfer transport path 83B to the storage transport path 83A is automatically performed, and the gaming machine P pays out the game ball from the storage payout opening 51A. ing.

According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, in order to pay out the game ball to be stored in the ball tray 50, in the vicinity of the input port 53 where the game ball is inserted, separately from the storage discharge port 51A provided at a position far from the input port 53. A loading outlet 51B is provided, and further, a feeding path 83B branched into a loading conveying path 83B extending to the loading outlet 51B and a storage conveying path 83A extending to the storage outlet 51A is provided. In addition, since the switching mechanism 80 for switching the transport path of the game ball from one of the input transport path 83B and the storage transport path 83A to the other is provided, when the ball tray 50 is empty, When the remaining amount of game balls is small, the payout can be made through the loading transport path 83B.

When the game ball is paid out through the input conveyance path 83B, the game ball reaches the input port 53 quickly without passing through the bottom surface 50A of the base plate 50 having a gentle inclination. The time until the ball is thrown into the slot 53 can be shortened.
Further, a switching mechanism 80 that can perform a switching operation for switching from one of the loading transport path 83B and the storage transport path 83A to the other by manually operating the push button switch 54 by the player is provided. When the tray 50 is empty, or when the remaining amount of game balls in the ball tray 50 is small, the player manually operates the switching mechanism 80 based on his / her own judgment to switch the conveyance path. Therefore, when the player feels that the time until the introduction is shortened, the game ball is surely paid out through the insertion conveyance path 83B, and a predetermined number of game balls are inserted into the insertion port 53. It is possible to reliably reduce the time required to do this.

  Further, since the game ball staying sensor 55 for detecting the proximity of the game ball is provided in the vicinity of the insertion port 53 on the bottom surface 50A of the ball tray 50, the ball tray 50 is empty or the game of the ball tray 50 is played. When the remaining amount of the sphere is small, the operation of switching the conveyance path from the storage conveyance path 83A to the loading conveyance path 83B is automatically and reliably performed. For this reason, since the ball tray 50 is empty or the remaining amount of game balls in the ball tray 50 is in a slight state, it takes time to throw in the game balls if the ball is discharged from the storage outlet 51A. In such a case, the game ball is automatically switched to the payout through the input transport path 83B, so that the payout game ball is input to the input port 53 without bothering the player. The time until it can be shortened.

Further, the switching valve body 85 is movable between a storage position A that closes the input opening 84B that communicates with the input conveyance path 83B and an input position A that closes the storage opening 84A that communicates with the storage conveyance path 83A. Since the switching mechanism 80 is provided, when the transport path is switched to the storage transport path 83A, game balls do not circulate in the input transport path 83B. When switching to the 83B side, game balls do not circulate in the storage transport path 83A, and with a simple structure, the transport path of game balls from one of the input transport path 83B and the storage transport path 83A to the other Can be switched completely.
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The deformation | transformation in the range which can achieve the objective of this invention, improvement, etc. are included.

For example, the conveyance path that branches in the middle is not limited to the conveyance path 83 in which the total length of the input conveyance path 83B is longer than the total length of the storage conveyance path 83A, but as illustrated in FIG. However, the conveyance path 86 may be shorter than the entire length of the storage conveyance path 83A.
If such a transport path 86 is adopted, when the transport path of the game ball is switched from the transport path 83A for storage to the transport path 83B for insertion, it hardly passes through the bottom surface 50A of the ball tray 50 with a gentle inclination. The overall length of the conveyance path to the insertion port 53 is shortened, the arrival time to the insertion port 53 is further shortened, and the time until the paid game ball is thrown into the insertion port 53 can be further reduced. The effect that it is possible can be added.

  Further, the gaming machine is not limited to a rotary gaming machine using a game ball, but may be a ball game machine such as a pachinko machine. In short, the present invention employs a game ball as a game medium, It can be applied to all gaming machines having a ball tray in which the paid-out game balls roll as they are to reach the slot.

1 is a perspective view showing a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the state where the front door which shows the gaming machine concerning the embodiment was opened. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the ball tray of the game machine which concerns on the said embodiment. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the discharge outlet for injection concerning the said embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a charging outlet according to the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows typically distribution of prize balls in the gaming machine according to the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows typically the switching mechanism which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the game ball residence sensor which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure equivalent to FIG. 4 which shows a modification.

50 bowl
Bottom of 50A ball pan
51B Input outlet
51A Storage outlet
53 slot
55 Game ball retention sensor
80 switching mechanism
82 Dispensing device
83 Conveyance path
83B Feeding path
83A Storage path for storage
84B Input opening
84A Reservoir opening
85 Switching valve body A Storage position B Input position P Pachislot machine

Claims (5)

A ball tray for storing a game ball used as a game medium, an insertion port for taking in the game ball stored in the ball tray, and a game ball to the ball tray when winning a game A game machine having a payout device for paying out, and having a slope attached to the bottom surface of the ball tray so that a stored game ball rolls toward the insertion port under its own weight,
In order to insert a game ball into the insertion port, a charging outlet provided in the vicinity of the insertion port in the ball tray,
In order to pay out game balls to be stored in the ball tray, a storage outlet provided at a position away from the inlet in the ball tray ;
In order to transport the game ball from the payout device to the ball tray, a transfer path having a downward slope as a whole from the payout device to the ball tray is provided,
The conveyance path is branched into a loading conveyance path that extends to the loading discharge outlet side and a storage conveyance path that extends to the storage dispensing outlet side,
A switching mechanism is provided at the branch portion of the transfer path to switch the transfer path of the game ball from the branch portion to the payout port from one of the input transfer path and the storage transfer path to the other .
A portion of the ball tray facing the charging payout outlet is provided with a cushion portion that absorbs an impact when the game ball discharged from the charging payout outlet collides,
In the vicinity of the charging outlet, a guide piece for guiding the game ball discharged from the charging outlet to the cushion portion is provided,
A gaming machine characterized in that the game ball discharged from the insertion payout port collides with the cushion portion by the guide piece and enters the insertion port .   2. The game according to claim 1, wherein the switching mechanism is capable of performing a switching operation for switching from one of the loading transport path and the storage transport path to the other by a manual operation of the player. Machine. A game ball staying sensor for detecting that a plurality of game balls are staying in the vicinity portion is provided in the vicinity of the insertion port on the bottom surface of the ball tray,
The switching mechanism is capable of automatically switching a switching operation for switching from one of the loading transport path and the storage transport path to the other based on a detection signal of the game ball retention sensor. The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2. A branching portion of the conveyance path is provided with an opening for opening communicating with the conveying path for charging, and an opening for storage communicating with the conveying path for storage,
The switching mechanism includes a switching valve body for closing the charging opening and the storage opening, and a storage position at which the switching valve body closes the charging opening and a charging position at which the storage opening is blocked. When the switching valve element is moved to the storage position, the transfer path of the game ball is switched to the storage conveyance path side, and the switching valve element is moved to the input position. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the game ball transport path is switched to the loading transport path side.   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an overall length of the loading transfer path is shorter than that of the storage transfer path.

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