JP4641971B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine provided with a push button such as a slot machine.

  Among various gaming machines, for example, slot machines are equipped with push buttons that can be pressed by the player, such as a bet button and a stop button.

Normally, these push buttons have a button case that holds the push button so as to be movable in the axial direction, a biasing means such as a coil spring that biases the push button forward in the axial direction, and only the front end side of the push button is exposed to the front side. It is configured as a single push button unit together with a front cover and the like covering its peripheral portion, and is detachably mounted on the gaming machine main body in this unit state (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-126162 A

  In the conventional slot machine, an opening such as a circle or an ellipse is formed in the front cover of the push button unit according to the outer shape of the front end of the push button, and the front end of the push button is fitted into this opening. Therefore, the outer shape of the push button is the shape of the operation unit operated by the player as it is.

  Therefore, if you change the shape of the operation part of the push button from a circle to an ellipse with the model change, for example, the outer shape of the push button is changed from a circle to an ellipse. Since most of the main components of the unit have to be changed in shape, it is necessary to replace the entire push button unit, resulting in a high cost.

  In view of such a conventional problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of changing the shape of an operation part of a push button at a low cost.

The present invention includes a push button 27a to 27c, a button case 33 for regulating the movement in a certain range holds the pusher button 27a to 27c to movable in the axial direction thereof, the push button 27a to 27c Biasing means 34 for biasing the button case 33 forward in the axial direction, and the gaming machine main body so that the axial front side of the push buttons 27a to 27c is exposed to the front side of the gaming machine main body 1. 1 is provided with a front cover 38 that covers the front side of the button case 33, and the push buttons 27 a to 27 c have their front ends on the front wall of the button case 33. Provided on the button case 33 and on the rear side of the openings 61a to 61c in a state where the openings 61a to 61c formed in the portion 63 are exposed to the front side. While being axially slidably received in the button accommodating portion 64a to 64c, bulge on the front side with a different predetermined shape and its front side is provided in a partial region only and the front side of the front view overall shape The front cover 38 is formed with openings 71 a to 71 c corresponding to the shape of the protrusion 54, and the protrusion 54 is connected to the opening 71 a of the front cover 38. ˜71c is fitted from the rear side.

  According to the present invention, when the shape of the operation part of the stop buttons 27a to 27c is changed, the shape of the openings 71a to 71c of the front cover 38 may be changed at a minimum. it can.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 10 illustrate an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied as a slot machine. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a gaming machine main body, which includes a main body case 2 and a rectangular front panel 3 disposed on the front side of the main body case 2.

  The main body case 2 is made of, for example, wood and has a box shape with an open front side, and a front panel 3 is mounted so as to close the front side so as to be freely opened and closed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main body case 2 has a display reel unit 5 in which a plurality of symbol display reels 4a to 4c are arranged in the left-right direction, a medal payout device 6, and a main control board case 7 in which a main control board is accommodated. Etc. are arranged.

  The front panel 3 is attached to the main body case 2 through a hinge disposed on one end of the left and right sides, for example, the left side, and can be opened and closed. As shown in FIG. The window 11 and the second display window 12 are arranged above and below.

  The first display window 11 is formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the symbol display reels 4 a to 4 c on the main body case 2 side, and the player holds the symbol display reels 4 a to 4 c on the front side through the first display window 11. Is visible.

  The second display window 12 is formed in a rectangular shape larger than the first display window 11, for example, corresponding to the display screen 13 a of the liquid crystal display unit 13 (FIG. 2) mounted on the back side of the front panel 3. The player can visually recognize the display screen 13a from the front side through the second display window 12.

  A discharge port 14 for discharging the medals paid out from the medal payout device 6 and the returned medals to the front side is provided on the front side of the lower end portion of the front panel 3, and discharged from the discharge port 14 on the front side. A medal tray 15 for receiving medals is arranged in a horizontally long shape.

  Further, for example, in the operation panel unit 21 provided in a horizontally long shape on the lower side of the second display window 12, a medal insertion slot 22 into which a medal as a game medium can be inserted, and a medal jammed in the medal insertion slot 22. In addition to a return button 22a for returning, a 1-bet button 23, a max-bet button 24 and a cancel button 25 for betting medals from credits instead of inserting medals into the medal insertion slot 22, and symbol display reels 4a to 4c A start lever 26 for starting rotation, stop buttons (push buttons) 27a to 27c for individually stopping the rotating symbol display reels 4a to 4c, and the like are provided.

  The stop buttons 27 a to 27 c are provided on one push button unit 31, and the push button unit 31 is attached to the mounting portion 32 provided on the front side of the operation panel unit 21 as shown in FIG. 3. For example, it is detachably mounted from the front side of the front panel 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the push button unit 31 includes stop buttons 27 a to 27 c and a button case 33 that holds the stop buttons 27 a to 27 c so as to be movable in the axial direction (the front-rear direction in the present embodiment). A coil spring (biasing means) 34 that is accommodated in the button case 33 and urges the stop buttons 27a to 27c toward the front side in the axial direction with respect to the button case 33; and a detection switch 35a that is accommodated in the button case 33 To 35c and LEDs 36a to 36c, and a front cover 38 attached to the front side of the button case 33.

  Each of the stop buttons 27a to 27c includes a body portion 41 and a cap portion 42 that is detachably attached to the front side of the body portion 41.

  The body portion 41 has, for example, a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 43 having a central axis in the front-rear direction, and is extended in a front opening shape from the front edge side of the tubular portion 43 toward the inner rear side of the tubular portion 43. The inner wall portion 44 and a rear wall portion 45 that substantially closes the rear end side of the inner wall portion 44 are integrally formed with a substantially M-shaped cross section.

  The cylindrical portion 43 is provided with a flange portion 46, for example, over the entire circumference at a position a predetermined distance behind the front edge side, and a portion on the front side of the flange portion 46 is connected to the fitting receiving portion 47 of the cap portion 42. It has become.

  On the fitting receiving portion 47, there are provided protrusions 47a for removably locking the cap portion 42 at a plurality of locations on the outer periphery thereof.

  In addition, on the cylindrical portion 43 and behind the flange portion 46, engaging claws 48 that are elastically deformable in the radial direction are formed in a rearward direction at a plurality of circumferential positions, for example, one each on the left and right sides. . At the front end side (rear end side) of these engagement claws 48, claw portions 48a are formed outward.

  In the rear wall 45, for example, an LED insertion hole 49 through which the LEDs 36a to 36c on the switch board 37 side are inserted is formed substantially at the center, and a rearward protruding piece 50 is integrally provided. In the present embodiment, one protruding piece 50 is provided above and below the LED insertion hole 49, and one of them, for example, the upper protruding piece 50 turns ON / OFF the detection switches 35a to 35c. Detection piece 50a.

  The cap portion 42 is made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin. The cap portion 42 is fitted to the outside of the fitting receiving portion 47 on the cylindrical portion 43 side, for example, an annular fitting portion 51, and this fitting. A cover portion 52 that closes the front side of the joint portion 51 is integrally provided.

  The fitting portion 51 is formed with an engagement hole 53 corresponding to the protrusion 47a on the fitting receiving portion 47 side, and the cap portion 42 side is fitted to attach the cap portion 42 to the front side of the body portion 41. When the portion 51 is fitted to the fitting receiving portion 47 on the body portion 41 side, the protrusion 47a on the fitting receiving portion 47 side is engaged with the engaging hole 53 on the fitting portion 51 side, and the mounted state Is to be retained.

  A part of the front side of the cover portion 52 bulges to the front side with a substantially constant thickness to form a protrusion 54 having a predetermined shape in front view. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 54 is formed in an oblong shape that is horizontally long when viewed from the front.

  The button case 33 includes a case body 61 and a back cover 62. The case main body 61 is provided on the rear side of the front wall portion 63 in which openings 61a to 61c corresponding to the stop buttons 27a to 27c are arranged in a line in the left-right direction, and the openings 61a to 61c of the front wall portion 63. Button accommodating portions 64a to 64c and a peripheral wall portion 65 extending to the rear side of the front wall portion 63 so as to surround the button accommodating portions 64a to 64c, and a rear end of the peripheral wall portion 65 A back cover 62 is detachably mounted so as to close the side.

  The button accommodating portions 64a to 64c accommodate the stop buttons 27a to 27c so as to be slidable in the axial direction (front-rear direction) with the coil spring 34 interposed therebetween, and are formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape by the cylindrical portion 66 and the rear wall portion 67. Is formed.

  The cylindrical portion 66 is arranged in front of the cap portion 42 rather than the rear side corresponding to the trunk portion 41 so as to correspond to the outer diameters of the trunk portion 41 and the cap portion 42 of the stop buttons 27a to 27c accommodated inside. The portion side is formed with a larger diameter, and a step portion 66a is formed at the boundary portion.

  Further, a notch 68 a corresponding to the engaging claw 48 on the stop buttons 27 a to 27 c side is formed in a portion extending from the rear end side of the tubular portion 66 to the rear wall portion 67 side. An insertion hole 68b through which the protruding piece 50 on the stop buttons 27a to 27c side and the LEDs 36a to 36c on the switch board 37 side are inserted is formed.

  The stop buttons 27a to 27c inserted from the front side into the button accommodating portions 64a to 64c together with the coil spring 34 are moved forward in the axial direction by the urging force of the coil spring 34 when the engaging claws 48 engage with the notches 68a. Is restrained, and when it is pushed rearward in the axial direction against the urging force of the coil spring 34, the collar portion 46 on the stop button 27a-27c side comes into contact with the stepped portion 66a from the front side so that it moves backward. Movement is restricted.

  Further, on the inner surface side of the peripheral wall portion 65, for example, a plurality of protrusions 69 in the front-rear direction are provided. The projecting portion 69 is configured such that the rear end side thereof abuts on the front side of the switch board 37 mounted from the rear side in the case main body 61 and restricts the movement of the switch board 37 to the front side.

  In the peripheral wall portion 65, for example, a plurality of mounting bosses 70 projecting rearward from the back side of the front wall portion 63 are arranged, and the switch board 37 is connected to the rear cover 62 mounted on the rear side thereof. The mounting boss 70 is detachably fixed.

  Detection switch 35a-35c and LED36a-36c are provided in the switch board 37 in the front side. The detection switches 35a to 35c are configured to be able to detect the detection piece 50a that has moved backward (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 9) when the stop buttons 27a to 27c are pushed and moved rearward in the axial direction.

  The front cover 38 functions as a decorative plate of the push button unit 31, and is formed, for example, in a horizontally long shape corresponding to the shape on the button case 33 side using an opaque synthetic resin or the like. For example, the button case 33 is detachably fixed so as to cover the side.

  The front cover 38 has openings 71a to 71c corresponding to the stop buttons 27a to 27c. The openings 71a to 71c are formed in, for example, an oblong shape in a front view corresponding to the shape of the protrusions 54 on the stop buttons 27a to 27c side, and the protrusions 54 are fitted from the rear side. ing.

  Thus, since the portions other than the protrusion 54 are covered with the front cover 38 among the axial front surfaces of the stop buttons 27a to 27c, the opening 71a is included among the axial front surfaces of the stop buttons 27a to 27c. Only the protrusion 54 fitted to ˜71c is exposed to the front side of the front panel 3 to form an operation portion that can be pressed by the player. That is, although the overall shape of the stop buttons 27a to 27c is substantially circular when viewed from the front, the shape of the operation unit operated by the player is a horizontally long ellipse.

  In the normal state (the state where the pressing operation is not performed), the protruding portion 54 protrudes to the front side of the front cover 38, and when the pressing operation is performed, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It is configured to be substantially flush with the front side.

  The front cover 38 is provided with a mounting boss 73 for fixing to the mounting portion 32 on the front panel 3 side in addition to a mounting boss 72 for fixing to the button case 33 on the back side thereof. The unit 31 is mounted on the front panel 3 side by fixing the front cover 38 to the mounting portion 32 with a fixing screw 73a or the like.

  In the slot machine described above, for example, when the shape of the operation part of the stop buttons 27a to 27c is changed from a horizontally long ellipse to a vertically long ellipse (FIG. 10) by changing the model, the openings 71a to 71c of the front cover 38 are changed. Is changed from a horizontally long elliptical shape to a vertically long elliptical shape, and the protrusions 54 on the stop buttons 27a to 27c side may be changed to a vertically long elliptical shape in accordance with the openings 71a to 71c.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the stop buttons 27a to 27c include a body part 41 that is accommodated in the button case 33 so as to be axially slidable, and a cap part 42 that is detachably attached to the front side of the body part 41. The cap portion 42 is provided with a projection 54, and the front cover 38 is formed separately from the gaming machine main body 1 and the button case 33, so that the shape of the operation portion of the stop buttons 27a to 27c can be changed. In order to change, only the front cover 38 and the cap part 42 of the stop buttons 27a to 27c need to be replaced, and the body part 41, the button case 33, etc. of the stop buttons 27a to 27c can be used as they are, and the cost is kept low. be able to.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. For example, the shape of the operation part of the stop buttons 27a to 27c is not limited to an ellipse, and can be any shape such as a polygon such as an octagon shown in FIG. 11 or a star shown in FIG. In the conventional gaming machine in which the outer shape of the stop buttons 27a to 27c is the shape of the operation unit as it is, it is difficult to cope with a complicated shape. In the case of the present invention, the opening of the front cover 38 is used. Since the shape of 71a-71c and the shape of the projection part 54 by the side of the stop button 27a-27c corresponding to it are only changed, even if it is a complicated shape, it can respond easily.

  In the present embodiment, the protrusion 54 is provided on the stop buttons 27a to 27c side, and is configured to be fitted to the openings 71a to 71c on the front cover 38 side from the rear side. For example, the stop buttons 27a to 27c side The protrusion 54 is not provided, and only the shape of the openings 71a to 71c on the front cover 38 side is set to a predetermined shape (for example, an ellipse), but the shape of the operation unit viewed from the player side is set to a predetermined shape (oval) be able to. In this case, there is an advantage that only the front cover 38 needs to be replaced when the shape of the operation unit is changed. However, since the operation unit is located behind the front side of the front cover 38, operability and appearance are improved. There is a disadvantage of being bad.

  The shapes of the cylindrical portion 66, the body portion 41, and the fitting portion 51 are not limited to a circle, and may be any shape such as a rectangle as long as it can function as a button.

  In the present embodiment, the stop buttons 27a to 27c whose axes are directed back and forth have been described as examples. However, any buttons such as the 1 bet button 23 and the max bet button 24 can be used as long as they are push buttons. It is.

  In the embodiment, the front cover 38 is also a component of the push button unit 31, but the front cover 38 is separated from the push button unit 31, for example, the front cover 38 is from the front side of the front panel 3, and the push button unit 31 is front panel 3. It is good also as a structure which mounts | wears from the back side. Of course, the structure for attaching the push button unit 31 and the front cover 38 to the front panel 3 is arbitrary.

  In the embodiment, the slot machine has been described as an example. However, as long as it is a gaming machine equipped with a push button, it can be applied to a ball game machine such as a pachinko machine and other various gaming machines. Needless to say.

FIG. 2 is an overall front view of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an overall side view of a slot machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment state to the front panel of a pushbutton unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a push button unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a push button unit. It is an exploded plane sectional view of a pushbutton unit. It is a plane sectional view of a push button unit. It is an exploded side sectional view of a push button unit. It is side surface sectional drawing of a pushbutton unit. It is a front view of the pushbutton unit which shows an example of the shape change of an operation part. It is a front view of the pushbutton unit which shows an example of the shape change of an operation part. It is a front view of the pushbutton unit which shows an example of the shape change of an operation part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game machine main body 27a-27c Stop button 31 Push button unit 33 Button case 34 Coil spring (biasing means)
38 Front cover 41 Body part 42 Cap part 54 Projection part 71a-71c Opening part

Claims (3)

The push buttons (27a) to (27c), the button case (33) for holding the push buttons (27a) to (27c) in a state in which the push buttons (27a) to (27c) are movable in the axial direction and restricting the movement to a certain range ; And an urging means (34) for urging the push buttons (27a) to (27c) forward in the axial direction with respect to the button case (33), and the axial directions of the push buttons (27a) to (27c) In a gaming machine including a push button unit (31) attached to the gaming machine body (1) so that the front side is exposed to the front side of the gaming machine body (1), the front side of the button case (33) is A front cover (38) for covering is provided, and the push buttons (27a) to (27c) have openings (61a) to (61c) formed on the front wall (63) of the button case (33) on the front end side thereof. ) To the front side In the state, it is accommodated in the button accommodating portions (64a) to (64c) provided on the button case (33) and on the rear side of the openings (61a) to (61c) so as to be slidable in the axial direction. In addition, a projection (54) is formed which is provided only in a partial area on the front side and bulges to the front side in a predetermined shape different from the overall shape of the front side on the front side. ) Are formed with openings (71a) to (71c) corresponding to the shape of the protrusion (54), and the protrusion (54) is connected to the openings (71a) to (71a) of the front cover (38). A gaming machine characterized by being fitted to (71c) from the rear side. The front cover (38) is formed separately from the gaming machine body (1) and the button case (33), and the front cover (38) is detachably fixed to the button case (33) . The gaming machine according to claim 1.   The mounting boss (72) (73) for fixing to the button case (33) and the gaming machine main body (1) is provided on the back side of the front cover (38). Game machines.

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