JP4758996B2 - Auxiliary equipment for gaming machines - Google Patents

Description

  In the present invention, a pachinko gaming machine used in combination with a pachinko gaming machine (in the present application, the pachinko gaming machine may be simply referred to as a “gaming machine”) is a pachinko gaming machine (in the present application, the pachinko gaming is simply “gaming”). The present invention relates to a gaming machine auxiliary device that enables continuous execution.

Pachinko machines are generally fixed to huge structures called islands when used in stores. The island is a shelf-like structure for mounting gaming machines, and a large number of gaming machines are mounted side by side there. Gaming machines also require the use of balls to execute the game. Therefore, many ball lending machines are attached to recent islands so as to be sandwiched between adjacent gaming machines. In addition, a display lamp for displaying information related to the operating state of the gaming machine and the game is usually attached to the island so as to be positioned above each gaming machine.
In addition, on the island, there is an upper bowl for flowing balls from the storage equipment installed at a predetermined place of the store to each gaming machine and each ball lending machine, and the off balls generated as a result of the game being executed by each gaming machine Is provided with a casket for flowing through the storage equipment described above. In some cases, the island also includes a conveyor for moving cigarette butts and the like stored in an ashtray provided under each gaming machine to a predetermined disposal location.
As described above, pachinko machines are currently used in combination with islands. The facilities described above, which attach a large number of gaming machines to the island, are very efficient, and are considered to be convenient in combination with the current situation of large-scale stores.
However, using the above-mentioned technology to assemble a gaming machine on the island to create a huge facility including the upper arm, the lower arm, and the storage facility, the initial investment when creating a new store becomes enormous. . In recent years, the initial investment to open a new store is not less than 600-700 million yen.
Then, this invention makes it the subject to provide the technique for enabling a pachinko machine to operate continuously, without using an island.

The present inventor proposes the following invention in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.
The present invention relates to an upper plate that temporarily stores balls, a launching device that launches a ball guided from the upper plate, and a game in which a pachinko game is executed by the balls fired by the launching device. A gaming machine having a portion, a dislodging ball discharge port for discharging a ball that is a dislodged ball resulting from the game, and a prize ball discharging port for discharging a ball that is a prize ball resulting from the game; It is a gaming machine auxiliary device used in combination.
Note that the gaming machine in this case may be an existing one. The above-described upper plate, launching device, game unit, off-ball discharge port, and prize ball discharge port are unlikely to be provided with existing game machines.
Here, the gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present invention includes a movable main body portion that can fix the gaming machine, and the main body portion is fixed to the main body portion. The balls discharged from the off-ball discharge port and the prize ball discharge port of the gaming machine are guided, and stored in the first ball reservoir and the first ball reservoir for temporarily storing the balls. A ball transfer mechanism that guides the balls to the upper plate of the gaming machine fixed to the main body, and the balls continue to circulate between the gaming machines. The game can be executed.
This gaming machine auxiliary device is provided with a main body portion that can fix one gaming machine and is movable. In other words, since this gaming machine auxiliary device can be moved in a state where one gaming machine is fixed, the installation of such an island eliminates the need for the island as described above, thereby suppressing the increase in equipment size and cost. It will be possible.
If the game machine can be moved in a state where the game machine is fixed to the main body, it is convenient when the game machine is carried in. For example, the gaming machine auxiliary device may include a caster that facilitates moving the gaming machine auxiliary device to which the gaming machine is fixed.
The main body portion of the gaming machine auxiliary device may be any as long as the gaming machine can be fixed, but the gaming machine may be detachably fixed. This is convenient because the gaming machine can be easily replaced. Any configuration may be used so that the gaming machine can be detachably fixed to the main body. For example, a movable member may be provided in the main body, and the gaming machine may be fixed to the main body by sandwiching the gaming machine from the top and bottom, the left and right, or both.
The gaming machine used in combination with the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention is sufficient as long as it has the upper plate, the launching device, the gaming unit, the off-ball discharge port, and the prize ball discharge port. The prize ball discharge port is provided in a state of being connected to the upper dish so that the balls that are the prize balls are supplied to the upper dish, and connected to the upper dish via a connecting pipe. A lower plate that is located under the upper plate and has a drop hole for dropping a ball contained therein, and the ball overflowing from the upper plate passes through the connecting pipe. The ball may be dropped on the lower plate and the ball in the lower plate can be dropped below the lower plate through the drop hole. Such a gaming machine having a lower plate and a connecting pipe in addition to the upper plate is also common.
The gaming machine auxiliary device combined with such a gaming machine may include first transfer means that guides the ball dropped from the dropping hole to the first ball pool. By providing such a first transfer means, the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention is convenient for circulating balls between the gaming machine having the lower plate as described above.
In addition, the gaming machine auxiliary device combined with the gaming machine as described above including the lower plate may include a second transfer unit that guides the ball discharged from the dislodging ball discharge port to the first ball reservoir. . By providing such second transfer means, the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention is convenient for circulating balls between the gaming machine having the lower plate as described above. The first transfer means and the second transfer means may be configured to guide the ball to the first ball reservoir by gravity. For example, the first transfer means and the second transfer means are tubular or bowl-shaped, and the first transfer means and the second transfer means are configured by tilting the ball so that the ball rolls by gravity. The transfer means may be such that the ball is guided to the first pool by gravity. By adopting such a configuration in which the balls are guided to the first pool by gravity, the power for transferring the balls can be minimized.
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present invention is also configured to move a second ball reservoir located above the gaming machine attached to the main body and a ball in the first ball reservoir to the second ball reservoir. 3 transfer means and 4th transfer means which guides the ball from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate may be provided. The second ball reservoir is good for guiding the ball to the upper plate. The second ball reservoir may be used to guide the balls accumulated there to the prize ball outlet as prize balls. In this case, the gaming machine assisting apparatus of the present invention has fifth transfer means for guiding the ball that becomes the prize ball from the second ball reservoir to the prize ball discharge port. Similarly to the first transfer means and the second transfer means, the fourth transfer means and the fifth transfer means for transferring the balls from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate or the prize ball discharge port, It can be like transporting. The configuration as described above in the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention in which the second ball reservoir is positioned above the gaming machine is advantageous for that purpose.
In the case of having a second ball reservoir, the third transfer means of the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention may be provided with a polishing means for polishing a ball moving there. Since a ball becomes dirty when a game is executed, a polishing machine for polishing a ball has been put into practical use. However, a polishing machine is provided outside the gaming machine auxiliary device, and the ball taken out from the gaming machine auxiliary device or the gaming machine attached thereto is brought into the polishing machine once for polishing and then returned to the gaming machine auxiliary device. If the series of processes are performed, the advantage of the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention that allows the gaming machine to be used without other equipment may be killed. On the other hand, if the polishing means as described above is provided, the gaming machine can be operated for a long time without removing the ball from the gaming machine auxiliary device or the gaming machine attached thereto. The polishing means is preferably provided in the third transfer means. The circulating ball moves from the first ball reservoir to the second ball reservoir in the process of circulating between the gaming machine and the gaming machine auxiliary device. This is because the ball is surely polished because it always passes through the third transfer means. The polishing means may be provided in a part of the third transfer means, but may be provided in the entire area.
When the gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present invention includes the first transfer means, the first transfer means detects the number of balls that have fallen from the drop hole and led to the first ball pool by the first transfer means. A sensor may be provided. The number of balls dropped from the drop hole and guided to the first ball pool corresponds to the number of prize balls generated as a result of playing the game with the gaming machine. With such a first sensor, the number of prize balls can be managed.
When the gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present invention includes the first sensor, the gaming machine auxiliary device displays the number of balls detected by the first sensor and guided from the dropping hole to the first ball pool. A display unit may be provided. As a result, the player can grasp the number of prize balls he has. In addition, the output from the first sensor regarding the number of prize balls may be output to the outside of the gaming machine auxiliary device. This output can be used by those who manage the game.
In the case where the gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present invention is provided with the second transfer means, the second transfer means detects the number of the balls guided from the off-ball discharge port to the first ball reservoir by the second transfer means. A sensor may be provided. The number of balls led to the first ball reservoir from the dislodging ball discharge port corresponds to the number of dislodging balls generated as a result of playing the game with the gaming machine. Such a second sensor makes it possible to manage the number of missed balls. Note that the loose balls may include balls that have entered a winning opening as described later. In this case, the balls that have entered the winning opening are also discharged from the dislodging ball discharge port as part of the dislodging balls, and are detected by the second sensor.
When the gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present invention includes the second sensor, the second display that displays the number of balls guided to the first ball reservoir from the off-ball discharge port detected by the second sensor. May be provided. Thereby, the player can grasp | ascertain the number of the off balls produced as a result of his game. In addition, the output from the 2nd sensor about the number of out balls may be output to the exterior of a game machine auxiliary | assistance apparatus. This output can be used by those who manage the game.
In the case where the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention includes the fourth transfer means, the game machine auxiliary device includes a third sensor that detects the number of balls guided from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate by the fourth transfer means. It may be. The number of balls led from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate corresponds to the number of balls used by the player when playing a game on the gaming machine. Such a third sensor makes it possible to manage the number of balls used (or bought in some cases) by the player.
When the gaming machine auxiliary device of the present invention includes the third sensor, the gaming machine auxiliary device includes a third display unit that displays the number of balls guided from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate, which is detected by the third sensor. You may have. Thereby, the player can grasp | ascertain the number of the balls used when he played a game. The output from the third sensor regarding the number of balls used may be output to the outside of the gaming machine auxiliary device. This output can be used by those who manage the game.
The gaming machine auxiliary device may include only one of the first sensor to the third sensor described above, and may include two or three of them. The same applies to the first display unit to the third display unit. When the gaming machine auxiliary device includes two or more of the first display unit to the third display unit, they may be grouped together.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a gaming machine used in combination with the gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an upper plate of the gaming machine shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the vicinity of the lower portion of the gaming board provided in the gaming machine shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a frame used for fixing the gaming machine shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the gaming machine auxiliary device according to the present embodiment is viewed obliquely from the front right.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the gaming machine auxiliary device shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where the gaming machine auxiliary device shown in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a guide provided in the gaming machine auxiliary device shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a front view of an attaching / detaching mechanism provided in the gaming machine auxiliary device shown in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the attachment / detachment mechanism shown in FIG.
11 is a front view including a partially broken view showing the internal structure of the attachment / detachment mechanism shown in FIG.
FIG. 12 is a front view showing a display device provided in the gaming machine auxiliary device shown in FIG.
FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing the movement state of the ball between the gaming machine auxiliary device shown in FIG. 5 and the gaming machine shown in FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a best embodiment for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a gaming machine 100 used in combination with the gaming machine auxiliary device in this embodiment is shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view including a perspective view of the gaming machine 100.
This gaming machine 100 is a commercially available pachinko gaming machine that is used in general stores, though not necessarily so.
The schematic configuration will be described.
The gaming machine 100 has a gaming board 110. The game board 110 is a part where a pachinko game is executed, and has a glass plate and a board surface on which a large number of nails are placed behind the glass plate.
The gaming machine 100 also has an upper plate 120 and a lower plate 130.
The upper plate 120 has a recess 121. The concave portion 121 has a taper that becomes narrower toward the right side as shown in the plan view of FIG. 2, and has a downward slope from the left to the right in FIG. Moreover, the width | variety near the right end of the recessed part 121 becomes a width | variety substantially the same as the diameter of a ball | bowl.
A prize ball discharge port 122 is provided at the left end of the recess 121 so as to face the recess 121. The prize ball discharge port 122 is an opening that guides a prize ball generated as a result of the game to the upper plate 120. The prize ball is discharged from the inside of the gaming machine 100 to the upper plate 120 through the prize ball discharge port 122. Where and how the prize balls are supplied will be described later. A hole 123 is provided at the right end of the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 in FIGS. The hole 123 is continuous with the guide path 124. The guide path 124 is a vertical hole having a diameter of approximately one ball.
With such a configuration of the upper plate 120, the balls discharged into the concave portion 121 of the upper plate 120 through the prize ball discharge port 122 move the interior of the concave portion 121 from the left side to the right side in FIGS. , Aligned in a line at the narrowed portion near the right end of the recess 121, and sequentially falls into the guide path 124 from the hole 123.
The guide path 124 is connected to a launching device 125 built in the gaming machine 100 at the lower end thereof. The launching device 125 is a device that launches a ball onto the game board 110. Note that the launching device 125 of the gaming machine 100 can generally launch 100 balls per minute. The launching device 125 performs an ON state in which a ball guided to the launching device 125 through the guide path 124 is fired by the operation of the handle 126 provided in the lower right portion of the front surface of the gaming machine 100, and the ball is fired. No OFF state can be switched.
The lower plate 130 is formed in a box shape, and the upper side is an opening. The lower plate 130 is connected to the upper plate 120 and the communication path 131 described above. The communication path 131 is connected to the prize ball outlet 122 inside the gaming machine 100. When a prize ball that cannot be completely discharged from the prize ball discharge port 122 to the recess 121 of the upper dish 120 due to a large number of balls in the recess 121 of the upper dish 120 is generated, It is guided to the lower plate 130 through the passage 131.
A drop hole 132 is provided below the lower plate 130 (in this embodiment, the lower surface). In this embodiment, the drop hole 132 can be opened and closed by a player's operation. In addition, although the switch for performing the opening / closing operation | movement of the fall hole 132 is provided in the lower pan 130, the description is abbreviate | omitted in drawing. The dropping hole 132 may be fixed in an open state.
At the bottom of the game board 110, there is a dislodging ball entrance 111. As a result of the game performed on the game board 110, the ball that reaches the lowermost part of the game board 110 without entering any of the winning holes becomes a detached ball, and is taken into the game board 110 from the detached ball entrance 111. . The dislodging ball inlet 111 is connected to a dislodging ball discharge port 112 (see FIG. 3) opened on the back surface of the game board 110 (the back side of the drawing in FIG. 1) by a dislodging ball transfer pipe 113. Yes. The dislodging ball transfer pipe 113 is given a slight downward inclination from the dislodging ball inlet 111 toward the dislodging ball discharge port 112, so that the dislodging ball that has entered the dislodging ball collecting port 111 is removed from the dislodging ball outlet 112. The ball is pulled by gravity and rolls down in the ball transfer tube 113. Although not shown in the drawing, the game board 110 has a prize opening (a ball entrance where a phenomenon advantageous to the player occurs when a ball enters the ball). Multiple cases are provided. The winning opening and the dislodging ball discharge port 112 are connected by a pipe (not shown), and the ball that has entered the winning opening comes off as a part of the dislodging ball together with the ball that has entered the dismounting ball entrance 111. The ball moves out of the ball transfer tube 113 toward the ball discharge port 112. Since the winning opening is above the dislodging ball receiving opening 111 at the bottom of the game board 110, the ball that has entered the winning opening passes through the unillustrated pipe connecting the dismounting ball transfer pipe 113 from the winning opening. Rolls down naturally or falls. A tube not shown in the drawing is made possible.
On the back side of the gaming machine 100, a prize ball supply port (not shown) is provided. The prize ball supply port is connected to the aforementioned prize ball discharge port 122 and a predetermined pipe (generally a bellows pipe). The prize ball enters the gaming machine 100 from the prize ball supply port, and exits from the prize ball discharge port 122 through a predetermined pipe.
The gaming machine 100 as described above is attached to the gaming machine auxiliary device. For the attachment, a frame 200 as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 4 is used.
The frame body 200 of this embodiment is made of metal. The frame body 200 is formed by combining four plate-like members into a rectangle. In this embodiment, the width and thickness of each of the upper, lower, left, and right members that make up the frame body 200 are equal.
The gaming machine 100 is fitted and fixed in the space inside the frame body 200. The gaming machine 100 can be fixed to the frame body 200 using an appropriate conventional technique. For example, this fixing can be performed using a nail or a bolt.
Next, the configuration of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 is seen from the diagonally forward right side, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 is seen from the diagonally forward front, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the machine auxiliary device 300 from diagonally left rear.
5 to 7 show a state where the frame body 200 in a state where the gaming machine 100 is not attached to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 is fixed. The term “front” of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 in this embodiment means a direction that coincides with the front of the gaming machine 100 when the gaming machine 100 is fixed to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300.
The gaming machine auxiliary device 300 is configured by attaching various components to the main body 310.
The main body 310 includes two vertical members 311 extending in the vertical direction, and horizontal members 313, 314, and 315 that extend horizontally to the two vertical members 311. These horizontal members 313, 314, and 315 all have a function of connecting two vertical members 311. The horizontal members 313, 314, and 315 are all formed in a plate shape. The horizontal member 313 connecting the upper end of the vertical member 311 is connected to the horizontal member 314 connecting the middle of the vertical member 311 and the lower end of the vertical member 311 so that the wide surface is vertical. The horizontal member 315 is oriented such that its wide surface is horizontal.
The horizontal member 313 is hinge-connected to the vertical member 311 at the upper part thereof, and can be rotated upward with its lower end protruding forward with its upper end as an axis. The reason why the front end of the horizontal member 313 is lifted by such a hinge connection so that the back of the horizontal member 313 is exposed is to enable an operation of an attaching / detaching mechanism, which will be described later, behind the horizontal member 313.
At both ends of the horizontal member 315, rod-like leg members 315A extending in the front-rear direction of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 are provided. This is for maintaining a stable upright state of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. Casters 315B are provided below both ends of the two leg members 315A. This caster 315B is for facilitating the movement of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 (where the gaming machine 100 is attached).
In this embodiment, a plate-like table 316 is provided on the front side of the horizontal member 314 so as to be positioned slightly below the horizontal member 314 in a horizontal state. On the table 316, a ball receiver 320 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape whose upper surface is opened is provided. A hole 321 reaching the inside of the table 316 is provided on the bottom surface of the ball receiver 320. The hole 321 is built in the table 316 and is connected to one end of a first connection rod 322 having a substantially U-shaped cross-section and passing under the lateral member 314. The other end of the first connection rod 322 faces the upper part of a first ball reservoir 330 described later. In addition, the 1st connection rod 322 inclines so that the other end side may become low from the one end to the other end.
A small table 317 narrower than the table 316 is provided behind the horizontal member 314 and below the table 316. A first ball reservoir 330 is provided on the small table 317. The first ball reservoir 330 has a function of temporarily storing balls.
A box-shaped release ball receiver 340 having an open upper surface is provided on the rear side of the horizontal member 314 and above the first ball pool 330. When the gaming machine 100 is attached to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300, the falling ball receiver 340 is positioned immediately below the above-described falling ball discharge port 112 included in the gaming machine 100. A ball falling from 112 can be received. Further, a cylindrical drop cylinder 341 for dropping the balls accumulated in the release ball receiver 340 downward is provided below the release ball receiver 340. The lower end of the dropping cylinder 341 is positioned above the first ball reservoir 330 so that the balls dropped from the falling ball receiver 340 via the dropping cylinder 341 are received in the first ball reservoir 330. It has become.
A doffing mechanism 350 configured to guide balls accumulated in the first ball reservoir 330 is provided to the right of the first ball reservoir 330 when viewed from the back side of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. The doffing mechanism 350 is also connected to a guide 351 constituted by four rod-like bodies 351A arranged in parallel so that the cross section thereof is positioned at the apex of the square. The four rod-shaped bodies 351A are arranged so that when the balls T are inserted into the space inside the guide 351, the balls T can be kept just circumscribed by the four rod-shaped bodies 351A (this state) Is shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, 351B is a cloth. The cloth 351B may be a non-woven fabric or a woven fabric. The cloth 351B is wound around the four rod-shaped bodies 351A, and is fixed around the four rod-shaped bodies 351A, for example, by being tied with a string. The cloth 351B enters the inside of the guide 351 from between the adjacent rod-like bodies 351A due to its flexibility. The cloth 351B is not shown in FIGS.
The doffing mechanism 350 has a function of pushing the balls received from the first ball reservoir 330 one by one into the space inside the guide 351 and pushing the balls upward. The doffing mechanism 350 includes, for example, a gear-like component (not shown) that has a plurality of recesses around the recess that can receive only one ball and is configured to rotate only in one direction. The ball receiving the ball in the recess is rotated, and the ball is released inside the guide 351, so that the balls received from the first ball reservoir 330 can be fed one by one into the space inside the guide 351. Has been. The balls are pushed into the guide 351 one by one from the lower end of the guide 351, and the spaces in the guide 351 are pushed up in a linked state. In the process of being pushed up, the balls are brought into contact with the cloth 351B and polished. That is, the rod-like body 351A and the cloth 351B in this embodiment function as the polishing means in the present invention.
The guide 351 is gently bent toward the front of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 in the vicinity of the upper end thereof. The ball that has been pushed up the space in the guide 351 falls from the upper end of the guide 351.
A second ball reservoir 360 is provided at a portion where the ball falls from the tip of the guide 351 behind the horizontal member 313. The second ball reservoir 360 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a box shape with an upper surface opened. Two ball supply units 361 and 362 are provided behind the second ball reservoir 360.
The ball supply unit 361 is connected to one end of a first bellows tube (not shown). The ball supply unit 362 is connected to one end of the second bellows tube 362A. Note that both the first bellows tube and the second bellows tube 362A can be freely bent and can maintain the shape after the bending. The inner diameter of the first bellows tube and the second bellows tube 362A is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the ball. Both the ball supply units 361 and 362 have a function of feeding the balls accumulated in the second ball reservoir 360 to the first bellows tube or the second bellows tube 362A connected thereto. As long as the ball supply units 361 and 362 have such a function, there is no restriction on the shape and structure. The ball supply units 361 and 362 may be simple holes formed in the second ball reservoir 360.
The other end of the first bellows tube whose one end is connected to the ball supply unit 361 is the above-mentioned prize ball provided on the back side of the gaming machine 100 when the gaming machine 100 is attached to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. Connected to the supply port. As a result, the balls accumulated in the second ball reservoir 360 are guided into the gaming machine 100.
The second bellows tube 362A, one end of which is connected to the ball supply unit 362, is inserted into the right vertical member 311 when the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 is viewed from the back side through a hole (not shown), and the other end The side is exposed from the front side of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. The other end of the second bellows tube 362 </ b> A can be made to face the recess 121 in the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100 when the gaming machine 100 is attached to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. By causing the other end of the second bellows tube 362A to face the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100, the balls accumulated in the second ball pool 360 are guided to the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100. ing. If the tip of the second bellows tube 362A is spaced from the bottom surface of the recess 121 by a distance of about 1 to 2 times the diameter of the ball, the tip of the second bellows tube 362A is directly below the second bellows tube 362A in the recess 121 of the upper plate 120. Only when there is no ball, the ball is supplied to the recess 121 from the tip of the second bellows tube 362A, and when there is a ball, the ball is not supplied to the recess 121.
In this way, this gaming machine auxiliary device 300 utilizes the fact that balls are aligned without gaps in the second bellows tube 362A at least near the tip of the second bellows tube 362A, and thus The balls are automatically supplied to the recess 121 so that the amount becomes constant to some extent. This is equivalent to performing ball lending free of charge for games played on conventional gaming machines. However, instead of this, for example, by providing a mechanism near the tip of the second bellows tube 362A, the ball is placed in the recess 121 only when a specific condition is satisfied, such as when a certain amount of payment is made. It is also possible to be supplied.
An attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is provided on the upper part of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300.
The attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is for detachably fixing the frame body 200 to the main body 310.
As described above, the lateral member 313 can be lifted up to expose the back of the lateral member 313. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the horizontal member 313 is lifted and the exposed attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is viewed from the front.
The attaching / detaching mechanism 370 is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and includes a fixed main body portion 371 whose opening faces downward, and a movable member 372 attached to the fixed main body portion 371 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. ing.
Both ends of the fixed main body 371 are fixed to the vertical member 311, whereby the attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is fixed to the main body 310.
As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 10, two hollow guide members 371 </ b> A that are cylindrical in this embodiment are provided in the vicinity of both ends inside the fixed main body 371. The upper end portion of the guide member 371A is fixed to the inner surface of the upper portion of the fixed main body portion 371 so that the axis of the hole inside the guide member 371A is in the vertical direction.
Inside the fixed main body 371, a cam 371B having a shape close to one of four shapes obtained by dividing the ellipse along the major axis and the minor axis is provided. The cam 371B can be rotated 90 degrees around a shaft 371C passing through the fixed main body portion 371 in the width direction, and a position where the minor axis is oriented substantially vertically (FIG. 11 (a ) And a position (position shown in FIG. 11 (b)) in which the major axis is in a substantially vertical direction, can be fixed. In order to enable the fixing, a straight portion is formed at a portion that intersects the major axis of the arc and a portion that intersects the minor axis of the arc. Note that how these linear portions function when fixing the cam 371B will be described later. The cam 371B is connected to a lever 371D via a shaft 371C, and is rotated in accordance with an operation of rotating the lever 371D as indicated by an arrow in FIG.
The movable member 372 is formed in a substantially U-shape, and includes a movable main body portion 372A that is fitted inside the fixed main body portion 371 so that the opening faces upward. At both ends of the movable main body portion 372A, a hollow hollow projecting portion 372B having an outer surface corresponding to the inner surface of the guide member 371A is provided. The two protrusions 372B are both inserted inside the guide member 371A and are guided by the guide member 371A. Thereby, the moving direction with respect to the fixed main-body part 371 of the movable member 372 will be controlled only to an up-down direction. The hollow portion inside the protrusion 372B is cylindrical. A hole 372Ba is formed at the center of the upper portion of the two protrusions 372B.
The fixed main body 371 and the movable main body 372A of the movable member 372 are connected by a first spring 372C. The first spring 372C is connected to the fixed main body portion 371 and the movable main body portion 372A in a state where the first spring 372C is considerably extended from a state where no force is applied. As a result, the movable member 372 is always subjected to a force that is drawn into the fixed main body 371. As a result, the state where the tip of the cam 371B is in contact with the upper surface of the lower member of the movable main body 372A is always maintained. Note that a plate-like contact material 372D for the purpose of reinforcement is provided at a portion of the movable main body 372A that contacts the cam 371B.
The cam 371B is formed at a portion that intersects the major axis of the arc and a portion that intersects the minor axis when the contact member 372D is in the state of FIG. 11 (a) and the state of FIG. 11 (b). A certain linear portion comes into contact and becomes stable. As a result, the cam 371B is stably fixed when the state shown in FIG. 11A and the state shown in FIG.
A pressing member 373 is also attached to both ends of the movable member 372.
Both of the two pressing members 373 are formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section, and have a pressing portion 373A that extends over the fixed main body portion 371 from the lower side through the upward opening thereof, and a lower side of the pressing portion 373A. It protrudes from the upper surface of the portion, and has a rod-shaped shaft member 373B that can be inserted into a hollow portion inside the protruding portion 372B.
A rubber mat 373D made of rubber is attached to the lower surface of the pressing portion 373A. This rubber mat 373D is for improving biting on the upper surface of the pressing portion 373A of the frame body 200.
The shaft member 373B is inserted into the protrusion 372B and passes through the hole 372Ba of the protrusion 372B. A stopper 373Ba having a diameter larger than that of the hole 372Ba is provided at the tip of the shaft member 373B to prevent the shaft member 373B from falling out of the hole 372Ba. A second spring 373C is disposed along the outer periphery of the shaft member 373B. One end of the second spring 373C is in contact with the uppermost portion of the hollow portion inside the protruding portion 372B, and the other end is in contact with the upper surface of the lower portion of the pressing portion 373A, so that the second spring 373C is always urged downward. It has become.
Next, a method of using the attachment / detachment mechanism 370 will be described.
The frame body 200 to which the gaming machine 100 is fixed is fitted into a space surrounded by the attaching / detaching mechanism 370, the vertical members 311 on both sides, and the table 316. At this time, the frame body 200 is placed on the table 316 such that the lower surface of the frame body 200 is in contact with the upper surface of the table 316.
At this time, the lever 371D is configured such that the cam 371B is located at the position shown in FIG. In this state, the portion of the cam 371B that intersects the minor axis of the arc is in contact with the contact member 372D of the movable member 372.
Next, the lever 371D is operated to rotate the cam 371B. Thereby, the cam 371B is located at the position shown in FIG. In this state, the portion of the cam 371B that intersects the major axis of the arc is in contact with the contact member 372D of the movable member 372. As the cam 371B rotates and the abutting member 372D is pushed down against the force from the first spring 372C, the entire movable member 372 is pushed down and moves downward. The movement of the movable member 372 is a vertical movement as the protruding portion 372B is guided by the guide member 371A.
As the movable member 372 moves downward, the pressing member 373 also moves downward. As a result, the lower surface of the rubber mat 373D of the pressing member 373 presses the upper surface of the frame body 200. At this time, the lower surface of the rubber mat 373 </ b> D of the pressing member 373 comes into contact with the vicinity of both end portions of the upper surface of the frame body 200. In this way, the frame body 200 is fixed while being sandwiched from above and below.
At this time, there is an error in the length of the frame body 200 in the vertical direction, and there is a problem in fixing the frame body 200 even if the position of the upper surface of the frame body 200 is above the planned position. Absent. In such a case, the pressing member 373 moves slightly upward against the urging force from the second spring 373C. As described above, the pressing member 373 absorbs an error in the length of the frame body 200 in the vertical direction.
In order to release the fixing of the frame body 200, the lever 371D may be rotated in the opposite direction to the above case. Then, the cam 371B rotates, and the portion that intersects the short axis of the arc of the cam 371B comes into contact with the contact material 372D of the movable member 372. At this time, the movable member 372 moves upward by the force acting on the movable member 372 from the first spring 372C. Along with this, the pressing member 373 also moves upward, and the fixing of the frame body 200 is released.
A display device 380 is provided in front of the lateral member 313 of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. The display device 380 is as shown in FIG. 12, and includes a used ball number display unit 381, a prize ball number display unit 382, and a missed ball number display unit 383.
The used ball number display unit 381, the prize ball number display unit 382, and the out-of-ball number display unit 383 display the number of used balls, the number of winning balls, and the number of out-of-balls, respectively, and are configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display. be able to. A mechanism for displaying the number of balls used, the number of prize balls, and the number of balls missed will be described later.
The display device 380 of this embodiment is provided with a reset button 384. In this case, the number of used balls, the number of winning balls, and the number of out-of-balls displayed on the used ball number display unit 381, the award ball number display unit 382, and the out-of-ball number display unit 383 are reset to zero.
The gaming machine auxiliary device 300 described above includes a used ball sensor, a prize ball sensor, and a missed ball sensor. Illustration of each sensor is omitted.
The used ball sensor is a ball led from the second ball reservoir 360 to the upper plate 120 (usually, a ball lent out for a game (in this embodiment, this is called “used ball”). This is a sensor for detecting the number of. The used ball sensor may be attached anywhere as long as it can detect the number of balls guided from the second ball reservoir 360 to the upper plate 120. In this embodiment, the used ball sensor may be attached at any position of the ball supply unit 362 or the second bellows tube 362A that guides the ball from the second ball reservoir 360 to the upper plate 120. In this embodiment, a ball sensor is attached to a portion of the second bellows tube 362A built in the vertical member 311. The ball sensor used in this embodiment is a proximity sensor, and detects it when a ball passes by. The used ball sensor detects the number of used balls, and sends used ball number data to the display device 380 via a connection line (not shown) at a predetermined timing.
The award ball sensor is a ball (the award ball generated as a result of the game (this is referred to as “award” in this embodiment) that has been dropped from the drop hole 132 of the lower plate 130 provided in the gaming machine 100 and led to the first ball reservoir 330. This is a sensor for detecting the number of spheres. The prize ball sensor may be attached anywhere as long as it can detect the number of balls guided from the drop hole 132 to the first ball reservoir 330. In this embodiment, the prize ball sensor may be attached to either the hole 321 or the first connecting rod 322. In this embodiment, a prize ball sensor is attached to a position of the first connecting rod 322 closest to the first ball pool 330. The prize ball sensor in this embodiment is a proximity sensor, and detects it when a ball passes by. The prize ball sensor detects the number of prize balls and sends prize ball number data to the display device 380 via a connection line (not shown) at a predetermined timing.
The off-ball sensor is a ball guided to the first ball reservoir 330 from the off-ball discharge port 112 provided in the gaming machine 100 (the off-ball generated as a result of the game (this is referred to as “out-of-ball” in this embodiment). Note that this out-of-ball is a combination of the ball that entered the winning opening and the ball that entered the out-of-ball entrance 111, and the number was fired by the launcher 125. This is a sensor for detecting the number of balls. The detached ball sensor may be attached anywhere as long as it can detect the number of balls guided from the detached ball discharge port 112 to the first ball reservoir 330. In this embodiment, the off-ball sensor may be attached to any position of the off-ball receiver 340. In this embodiment, a falling ball sensor is attached to a dropping cylinder 341 included in the falling ball receiver 340. The out-of-ball sensor in this embodiment is a proximity sensor, and detects it when a ball passes by. The missed ball sensor detects the number of missed balls and sends the number of missed balls data to the display device 380 via a connection line (not shown) at a predetermined timing.
Each of the used ball sensor, the prize ball sensor, and the off-ball sensor may be composed of a plurality of sensors, and may be constituted by, for example, a passing sensor (product number: TL-PP153) manufactured by OMRON Corporation. it can.
The usage method and operation of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 will be described below.
In order to continuously execute a game on the gaming machine 100 using the gaming machine auxiliary device 300, first, the gaming machine 100 is fixed to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. In this case, the gaming machine 100 is first fixed to the frame body 200, and then the frame body 200 to which the gaming machine 100 is fixed is fixed to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300. As described above, the frame body 200 is fixed to the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 by operating the lever 371D in a state where the lower end of the horizontal member 313 is lifted upward by the rotation of the horizontal member 313.
Note that the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 is moved to an appropriate place before or after the gaming machine 100 is attached.
Next, both ends of the first bellows tube described above are connected to the ball supply unit 361 of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 and the prize ball supply port of the gaming machine 100, respectively. Further, one end of the second bellows tube 362A described above is connected to the ball supply unit 362 of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300.
Next, the other end of the second bellows tube 362A is made to face a position about 1 or 2 cm away from the bottom surface of the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300.
In this state, the balls are in a state where they are accumulated in the first ball reservoir 330 and the second ball reservoir 360 and do not exist inside the gaming machine 100.
Thereafter, the game is executed while circulating balls between the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 and the gaming machine 100. For the understanding of the movement of the ball, refer to FIG. 13 in which the movement of the ball is described by simplifying the configuration of the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 and the gaming machine 100.
When the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 is driven, a ball that is to become a prize ball is guided from the second ball reservoir 360 to the prize ball supply port of the gaming machine 100 through the first bellows tube, and inside the gaming machine 100. It reaches. The ball to be a prize ball stays in the gaming machine 100 until the game is executed and a predetermined condition is satisfied. Further, a ball to be used reaches the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100 from the second ball reservoir 360 via the second bellows tube 362A. Note that the number of balls reaching the upper plate 120 is counted by the ball sensor used, and the data is sent to the display device 380.
The display device 380 displays the number of used balls in real time on the used ball number display unit 381 based on the data.
The ball reaching the recess 121 reaches the launching device 125 via the guide path 124. When the player operates the handle 126, the launching device 125 is turned on, and a ball is ejected toward the game board 110.
A game is executed by injecting a ball onto the game board 110. When the game is executed, a prize ball and a loose ball are generated.
The prize ball is discharged from the prize ball discharge port 122 to the recess 121 of the upper plate 120. When the amount of balls in the recess 121 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the prize ball passes through the communication path 131 and reaches the lower plate 130. When the player operates the ball that has reached the lower plate 130, the ball falls from the drop hole 132 and reaches the ball receiver 320, and the first ball reservoir via the first connection rod 322 from the hole 321 of the ball receiver 320. 330. At this time, the number of balls guided from the drop hole 132 to the first ball reservoir 330 is counted by a prize ball sensor, and the data is sent to the display device 380. The display device 380 displays the number of prize balls in real time on the prize ball number display unit 382 based on the data.
The dislodged ball enters the gaming machine 100 from the dislodging ball inlet 111 and reaches the dislodging ball receiver 340 through the dislodging ball discharge port 112. The ball that has reached the detached ball receiver 340 falls within the drop tube 341 and reaches the first ball reservoir 330. At this time, the number of balls led to the first ball reservoir 330 from the detached ball outlet 112 is counted by the detached ball sensor, and the data is sent to the display device 380. Based on the data, the display device 380 displays the number of missed balls on the missed ball number display unit 383 in real time.
The balls accumulated in the first ball reservoir 330 are transferred to the second ball reservoir 360.
Ball transfer from the first ball reservoir 330 to the second ball reservoir 360 is performed by the doffing mechanism 350 through the guide 351. The ball is now polished by cloth 351B.
The ball guided to the second ball reservoir 360 is guided from the ball supply unit 361 to the prize ball supply port of the gaming machine 100 via the first bellows tube 361A (shown only in FIG. 13), and the inside of the gaming machine 100. Alternatively, the ball guided to the second ball reservoir 360 reaches the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100 from the ball supply unit 362 via the second bellows tube 362A.
In this way, the circulation of balls between the gaming machine auxiliary device 300 and the gaming machine 100 is realized.
Further, the player or the person managing the game can know the content of the game played by the player from the content displayed on the display device 380. This content can be used as information for the person who manages the game to charge the player according to the result of the game or to provide a free gift.
In this embodiment, all the outputs from the used ball sensor, the prize ball sensor, and the off-ball sensor are sent only to the display device 380. However, one or more of these outputs are used in the game. It may be configured to be sent to the outside of the machine auxiliary device 300 by wire or wirelessly.

Claims (12)

An upper plate for temporarily storing balls, a launching device for firing balls guided from the upper plate, a game unit adapted to execute a pachinko game with the balls launched by the launching device, and A game that has a dislodging ball discharge port that discharges a ball that is a dislodged ball resulting from a game, and a prize ball discharge port that discharges a ball that is a result of the game, and is incorporated in a frame A gaming machine auxiliary device used in combination with one machine,
The game machine has a movable main body portion that can be fixed, and
In the main body,
A first ball reservoir for guiding balls discharged from the dislodging ball discharge port and the prize ball discharge port of the gaming machine fixed to the main body and temporarily storing the balls; A ball transfer mechanism for guiding the ball stored in one ball reservoir to the upper plate of the gaming machine fixed to the main body,
By circulating the balls between the gaming machine, together with the gaming machine is enabled to perform a continuous game,
The main body is provided with a table on which the frame incorporating the gaming machine is placed, and an attachment / detachment mechanism positioned above the frame when the frame is placed on the table. ,
The attachment / detachment mechanism includes a movable member that moves up and down by operation of an operation means and is movable at two positions, the upper and lower positions. When the movable member is positioned at a lower position, the movable member is moved to the frame. The frame is clamped between the movable member and the table by pressing the upper surface of the body, and the frame is clamped by the movable member and the table when the movable member is positioned at an upper position. By being released, the gaming machine incorporated in the frame can be detachably fixed to the main body,
Amusement machine auxiliary equipment. The prize ball discharge port is provided in a state of being connected to the upper dish so that the balls that are the prize balls are supplied to the upper dish, and connected to the upper dish via a connecting pipe. It has a lower plate which is located under the upper plate and has a drop hole for dropping a ball contained therein, and the ball overflowing from the upper plate is connected via the connecting pipe. Claims to be used in combination with a gaming machine adapted to be dropped onto the lower plate and to allow balls in the lower plate to be dropped below the lower plate through the drop hole. A gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 1,
Comprising a first transfer means for guiding the ball dropped from the drop hole to the first ball reservoir;
Amusement machine auxiliary equipment. A second transfer means for guiding the balls discharged from the release ball discharge port to the first ball reservoir;
The first transfer means and the second transfer means are configured to guide a ball to the first ball pool by gravity.
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 2 . A second ball reservoir located above the gaming machine attached to the main body,
Third transfer means for moving the balls in the first ball pool to the second ball pool;
Fourth transfer means for guiding the balls from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate;
have,
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 1. The third transfer means is provided with a polishing means for polishing a ball moving there.
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 4 . Having a fifth transfer means for guiding the ball to be the prize ball from the second ball reservoir to the prize ball discharge port;
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 4 . A first sensor for detecting the number of balls dropped from the drop hole and guided to the first ball reservoir by the first transfer means;
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 2 . A first display unit that displays the number of balls that have been detected by the first sensor and that have been dropped from the drop hole and guided to the first ball pool;
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 7 . A second sensor for detecting the number of balls guided from the dislodging ball outlet to the first ball reservoir by the second transfer means;
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 3 . A second display unit configured to display the number of balls detected by the second sensor and led to the first ball reservoir from the dislodging ball outlet;
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 9 . A third sensor for detecting the number of balls guided from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate by the fourth transfer means;
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 4 . A third display unit configured to display the number of balls guided from the second ball reservoir to the upper plate detected by the third sensor;
The gaming machine auxiliary device according to claim 11 .

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