JP4932589B2 - Game medium lending machine, game medium lending system, and remaining amount transfer method used for game medium lending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a reading unit that reads identification information from a game recording medium that has received an insertion operation, and a storage unit that stores a game recording medium, and the game record obtained from the identification information read by the reading unit The present invention relates to a gaming medium lending machine that performs gaming medium lending processing based on the remaining value of the medium, a gaming medium lending system, and a remaining amount transfer method used for the gaming medium lending machine.

  Conventionally, as a game medium lending machine for renting game media such as pachinko balls and medals, game media is based on the value of the game recording medium that is input (for example, value data indicating the amount of money or the value corresponding to the amount). Lending card processing units (hereinafter referred to as CR units) are well known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Such a CR unit temporarily holds one prepaid card to be read by a card reader, and stores up to 10 prepaid cards with no remaining amount as issuance cards in a card storage unit, and also uses a prepaid card in use. It is comprised so that it can accommodate temporarily. In this CR unit, when a prepaid card having a remaining amount is accepted, even if a new prepaid card insertion operation is accepted, the inserted card cannot be used.

JP 2004-2222979 A

  By the way, the consumption tax levied on the rental of gaming media is currently borne by the hall (game shop) side, but in the future, the consumption tax tends to increase, so gaming media Consumption tax is considered to be collected from the balance of the prepaid card by adding the consumption tax imposed on the loan to the loan consideration.

  If such a consumption tax is handled, a fractional amount below the amount equivalent to the minimum number of throwouts in the gaming machine's dispensing mechanism will remain on the prepaid card, but the fractional amount remains on the prepaid card However, since it is not possible to rent game media, it is possible that many players leave the gaming seats while leaving the prepaid card in the CR unit. For example, in a CR pachinko machine, the minimum number of throws of the pachinko ball throwing mechanism is “25 (= 100 yen)”, and at least “105 (yen) multiplied by a consumption tax, for example,“ 5% ”. ) "Is not left in the balance of the prepaid card, the pachinko balls cannot be paid out.

  For this reason, in the above-mentioned CR unit (Patent Document 1), a new prepaid card cannot be inserted unless a return operation is performed by returning the prepaid card in which the fractional amount or a small amount equivalent thereto remains. There is a problem that extra time is required for the player to borrow the game medium, which impairs the convenience of the player.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems (problems) of the prior art, and makes it easy for a player to insert a new prepaid card (second prepaid card). It is an object of the present invention to provide a game medium lending machine, a game medium lending system, and a remaining amount transfer method used for a game medium lending machine that can improve convenience.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a gaming medium lending machine according to the invention of claim 1 includes a reading unit that reads identification information from a gaming recording medium that has received an insertion operation, and the gaming recording medium A game medium lending machine that performs a game medium lending process based on the remaining value of the value of the game recording medium obtained from the identification information read by the reading unit, The first game recording medium when a new insertion operation of the second game recording medium is received in a state where the first game recording medium having a remaining valuable value is received in the storage unit. Threshold availability determination means for determining whether or not the remaining value of the medium is less than a predetermined value, and when the threshold value availability determination means determines that the remaining value is less than the predetermined value, the first game record Adding value to the media The remaining amount of the valuable value that is added to the second game recording medium is added to the remaining game value, and the remaining amount is transferred to the second game recording medium by the remaining value transfer value unit. When the transfer value is given, the second game recording medium for which the insertion operation has been accepted is received into the storage unit, and the first game recording medium is determined by the threshold availability determination unit. And a receiving / discharging control means for performing discharging control for discharging the second game recording medium when determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

  The game medium lending machine according to the invention of claim 2 further comprises recording medium type determining means for determining whether or not the first game recording medium is a member recording medium in the above invention, The remaining amount transfer pricing means determines that the first game recording medium is less than the predetermined value by the threshold availability determination means, and the recording medium type determination means determines that the first game recording medium is Only when it is determined that the recording medium is not the member recording medium, the remaining amount transfer value is added to the second game recording medium.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game medium lending system comprising: a management device that manages a valuable value corresponding to identification information recorded on a game recording medium used in a game hall; and a game that has received an insertion operation. A reading unit that reads identification information from the recording medium and a storage unit that stores the gaming recording medium, and based on the remaining value of the gaming recording medium obtained from the identification information read by the reading unit A gaming medium lending system having a gaming medium lending machine for lending gaming media, wherein the gaming medium lending machine receives the first gaming recording medium in which the remaining value of the value exists in the storage unit. And a threshold for determining whether or not the remaining valuable value of the first game recording medium is less than a predetermined value when a new insertion operation of the second game recording medium is received If the first game recording medium is determined to be less than the predetermined value by the rejection determination means and the threshold availability determination means, the second game recording medium that has accepted the insertion operation is stored in the storage area. Acceptance / ejection control for performing ejection control for ejecting the second game recording medium when it is determined that the first game recording medium is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. And when the threshold value determination means determines that the management device is less than the predetermined value, the management device outputs the remaining value of the valuable value valued to the first game recording medium. The present invention is characterized by comprising a remaining amount transfer means for transferring in addition to the valuable value corresponding to the identification information of the second game recording medium.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game medium rental system according to the above invention, wherein the game recording medium is a recording medium settlement machine that pays out money based on a valuable value assigned to the game recording medium. In the gaming media lending process, the gaming media lending instruction is issued to the CR gaming machine connected to the gaming media lending machine, and the gaming media lending of the CR gaming machine is performed. The management device corresponds to an amount that can be handled by the recording medium settlement machine, and a minimum dispensing unit of the gaming medium dispensing mechanism in the CR gaming machine. The first set value storage means for storing the amount of money and / or the amount of a predetermined small amount of money as a set value, and one of the set values stored by the first set value storage means is selected. A fixed value selection unit; and a set value distribution unit that distributes the set value selected by the set value selection unit to the game medium lending machine. The game medium lending machine is distributed by the set value distribution unit. Second setting value storage means for storing a setting value is further provided, wherein the threshold availability determination means stores the remaining value of the valuable value of the first game recording medium by the second setting value storage means. It is characterized by determining whether it is less than a setting value.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remaining amount transfer method used for a game medium lending machine comprising: a reading unit that reads identification information from a game recording medium that has received an insertion operation; and a storage unit that stores the game recording medium. A remaining amount transfer method for use in a gaming medium lending machine that performs a gaming medium lending process based on the remaining valuable value of the gaming recording medium obtained from the identification information read by the reading unit, wherein In the state in which the first game recording medium having the remaining amount is received in the storage portion, when an insertion operation of the second game recording medium is newly received, the first game recording medium A threshold value determining step for determining whether or not the remaining value of the valuable value is less than a predetermined value, and when it is determined by the threshold value determining step that the remaining value is less than the predetermined value, the first game recording medium With value The remaining amount of the valuable value that has been added to the second game recording medium is added to the remaining game transfer medium, and the remaining amount transferred to the second game recording medium is determined by the remaining amount transfer value process. When the transfer value is given, the second game recording medium that has accepted the insertion operation is received into the storage unit, and the first game recording medium is stored in the threshold availability determination step. An acceptance / discharge control step of performing discharge control for discharging the second game recording medium when it is determined that the value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

  According to the present invention, when a new game recording medium insertion operation is received in a state in which the first game recording medium having a remaining valuable value is received in the storage unit, It is determined whether the remaining value of the game recording medium is less than a predetermined value, and if it is determined that the remaining value is less than the predetermined value, the value valuable for the first game recording medium is determined. When the remaining amount is added to the second game recording medium and value is transferred to the second game recording medium, and the remaining amount is transferred to the second game recording medium, the second operation is accepted. Acceptance control for receiving the game recording medium into the storage unit is performed, and when it is determined that the first game recording medium is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, discharge control for discharging the second game recording medium is performed. The new game recording medium (second game record) Medium) insertion operation can be simplified, and the game media lending machine, the game medium lending system, and the remaining amount transfer method used for the game medium lending machine that can improve the convenience of the player can be obtained. Play.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the first game recording medium is a member recording medium, it is determined that the first game recording medium is less than a predetermined value, and the first Since the remaining amount transfer value to the second game recording medium is determined only when it is determined that the game recording medium is not a member recording medium, the first game recording medium is the member recording medium. In such a case, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the member recording medium is collected in the storage unit, and to improve the convenience of the player without incurring the disadvantage of loss of the member recording medium. There is an effect that a medium lending machine can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, the management apparatus can handle the amount that can be handled by the recording medium settlement machine, the amount that corresponds to the minimum dispensing unit of the gaming medium dispensing mechanism in the CR gaming machine, and / or the amount of the predetermined small amount of money. As a setting value, select one of the stored setting values, distribute the selected setting value to the game medium lending machine, and the game medium lending machine stores the distributed setting value. Since it is configured to determine whether or not the remaining valuable value of the first game recording medium is less than the stored set value, the game recording is performed in accordance with the characteristics of the game store such as in-store facilities and customer base. It is possible to obtain a game medium lending system capable of appropriately changing the medium receiving conditions and transferring the remaining amount of the game recording medium suitable for the characteristics of the game store.

  With reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the game medium lending machine (the remaining amount transfer method) according to the present invention will be described in detail. In the following, a game medium lending machine (hereinafter referred to as “CR unit”) according to the present invention will be described as a first embodiment, and then another embodiment included in the present invention will be described as a second embodiment.

  In the following first embodiment, the outline and features of the CR unit according to the first embodiment, the configuration of the CR unit, and the flow of processing will be described in order. In the first embodiment, the present invention is applied to a game system for pachinko games.

[Outline and Features (Example 1)]
First, the system configuration of the gaming system including the CR unit according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the positioning of the CR unit in the gaming system will be clarified, and then the first embodiment will be described. The outline and features of the CR unit will be described. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a system configuration of the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the features of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a gaming system 1 installed in a gaming store has a management device (hereinafter referred to as prepaid card management T / C) 10 for managing the remaining amount of money associated with a prepaid card as a top. Are connected to a management device (hereinafter referred to as member management T / C) 15 for member management, an island controller 20, a card issuing machine 60, and a card settlement machine 65 provided for each group called "island". It becomes the composition. Further, the island controller 20 is connected to a CR unit (card processing unit) 30 provided in each of the plurality of CR pachinko machines 40 installed on each island.

  In this gaming system 1, a prepaid card PC (issued to a player by the CR unit 30 or the card issuing machine 60, and issuance store identification information, card-specific identification code, issuance amount, card type, etc. is recorded). Can be used as a game recording medium.

  The CR pachinko machine 40 is a device in which a player plays a game by firing a pachinko ball into the game area. The CR unit 30 has a main function of performing pachinko ball lending processing with the remaining amount of money associated with the prepaid card PC (hereinafter referred to as the remaining amount) as an upper limit, and is installed in an amusement store. Further, one pair is prepared for each of the plurality of CR pachinko machines 40, and the CR pachinko machines 40 are sandwiched between the CR pachinko machines 40.

  Further, from the viewpoint of improving the convenience for the player, the CR unit 30 issues a built-in card stored in the internal card storage unit 36 as a prepaid card PC when a bill inserted by the player is received. A function is added, and the card storage unit 36 is configured to store a maximum of “10” internal cards as an internal storage capacity. Note that the card storage unit 36 stores only prepaid cards whose value is not valued.

  The card issuing machine 60 has, as a main function, a prepaid card PC issuance process associated with a valuable value corresponding to the deposit amount and an addition process for the amount associated with the prepaid card PC when cash is deposited. There are several units installed at amusement stores. The card settlement machine 65 has a main function of the settlement process of the remaining amount associated with the prepaid card PC. Specifically, the card settlement machine 65 pays the cash corresponding to the remaining amount in exchange for the collection of the prepaid card PC. It is something to be issued.

  The player inserts the prepaid card PC issued from the card issuing machine 60 into the CR unit 30 to perform the pachinko ball lending operation, and also inserts cash into the CR unit 30 so that the CR unit alone When the prepaid card PC is issued, a pachinko ball can be borrowed and a pachinko game can be performed.

  The CR unit 30, the CR pachinko machine 40, and the card issuing machine 60 are under the control of management devices called prepaid card management T / C 10 and member management T / C 15 through the island controller 20 provided on each island.

  At least one member management T / C 15 is installed in the amusement store, and performs overall management of the installed amusement store, for example, card management, member management, sales management, and the like, and the prepaid card PC and the membership card MC are valuable. It is the part that stores and manages information about value. However, prepaid card management T / C10 assumes information management of prepaid card PC.

  The prepaid card management T / C 10 is an apparatus for storing and managing prepaid card identification information (prepaid card ID) and the remaining amount of the prepaid card. For example, when a large bill is inserted in the CR unit 30, the amount of the inserted bill is received from the CR unit 30 together with the prepaid card ID of the built-in card to be issued, and the amount of the inserted bill is entered in the prepaid card ID. After the value is added, a “value complete notification” is returned to the CR unit 30. In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of preventing fraud such as falsification of the magnetic data recorded on the card, a configuration is adopted in which only the prepaid card ID is recorded on the prepaid card without recording “amount”. And

  Here, in this gaming system 1, the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment includes a card reader (C / R) 35 that reads a prepaid card ID from a prepaid card that has received an insertion operation, and a card storage that stores the prepaid card. And a pachinko ball lending process based on the remaining amount of the prepaid card obtained from the prepaid card ID read by the C / R 35, and a new prepaid card (second prepaid card). The main feature is to improve the convenience of the player by simplifying the card insertion operation.

  In other words, in the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment, a situation where a new prepaid card insertion operation is received in a state where the first prepaid card having a remaining amount is already held in the card storage unit 36. In view of the above, whether or not to transfer the remaining amount of the first prepaid card to the second prepaid card is appropriately determined based on the remaining amount of the first prepaid card. The “first prepaid card” and the “second prepaid card” referred to here correspond to the “first game recording medium” and the “second game recording medium” in the claims. To do.

  More specifically, in the CR unit 30, a new prepaid card insertion operation is newly performed in a state where the first prepaid card having a remaining amount is already held in the card storage unit 36. (1) The second prepaid card is taken up to C / R35, and the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is a predetermined value (for example, the minimum throwing in the ball throwing mechanism of the CR pachinko machine 40) It is determined whether or not it is less than the amount corresponding to the number “105 yen” (2).

  At this time, if the CR unit 30 determines that the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than a predetermined value, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is added to the second prepaid card. The value to be transferred is given (3) and the second prepaid card is received in the card storage unit 36 (4). In this case, the first prepaid card whose remaining amount is shifted to zero becomes an issuing card.

  If it is determined that the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the second prepaid card is rejected and the second prepaid card is returned (discharged) from the card slot. (5).

  Thus, when the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than a predetermined value (for example, an amount corresponding to the minimum number of throws in the ball throwing mechanism of the CR pachinko machine 40), the first prepaid card is prepaid. By shifting the remaining amount of the card to the second prepaid card, the operation for inserting a new prepaid card (second prepaid card) is simplified.

  Therefore, in the example of the prior art described above, a new prepaid card insertion operation is accepted in a state where the first prepaid card having the remaining amount is already held in the card storage unit 36. However, by rejecting the acceptance of the second prepaid card uniformly, the first prepaid card can be returned instead of taking the effort to return the first prepaid card with a fractional amount or a small amount equivalent to it. If the remaining amount of the prepaid card is less than the predetermined value, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is added to the second prepaid card, and the value is transferred to transfer the second prepaid card. By accepting the card into the card storage unit 36, the insertion operation of the second prepaid card can be simplified, and the convenience of the player is improved as described above. Rukoto becomes possible.

  Furthermore, according to the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment, since the remaining amount of the first prepaid card and the second prepaid card is added to the second prepaid card and the value is transferred, The first prepaid card with a fractional amount or a small amount equivalent thereto is not discarded, and it becomes possible to reduce the capital investment cost related to the prepaid card of the amusement store.

  Further, according to the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment, when it is determined that the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that is, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is a fractional amount (= If it is determined that it is not a small amount, it will be controlled to reject the receipt of the second prepaid card, so that a third party will be prevented from fraudulently extracting the remaining amount from the first prepaid card. Is also possible.

[Configuration of CR unit 30]
Subsequently, an external configuration and an internal configuration of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, with reference to FIG. 3, the external configuration of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment is described, and then the internal configuration of the CR unit 30 is described.

  FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating an appearance of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the CR unit 30 is configured as a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped casing, and in the upper part of the front surface of the main body, the state display lamp 301 and the card state display are sequentially arranged downward. An LED 302, a remote control light receiving unit 310, and a depositable display LED 303 are attached.

  The status display lamp 301 is a lamp that indicates whether or not the CR unit 30 can be operated by switching the lighting color. For example, the status display lamp 301 indicates that the CR unit 30 can be operated by “green lighting” and cannot be operated by “red lighting”. It expresses that.

  The card status display LED 302 is an LED that indicates whether or not a prepaid card built in the CR unit 30 needs to be replenished or collected by lighting / flashing. For example, “lit” indicates that a prepaid card needs to be replenished. “Flashing” indicates that the prepaid card needs to be collected, and “Lights off” indicates that the prepaid card needs not be replenished and collected.

  The remote control light receiving unit 310 receives infrared rays emitted from a dedicated remote controller (not shown), and performs various operations on the CR unit 30 (for example, replenishment operation and collection operation of a prepaid card) through infrared rays emitted from the remote control. Accept.

  The depositable display LED 303 is an LED that indicates whether or not banknotes can be deposited in the CR unit 30 by lighting / flashing. For example, it indicates that banknotes can be deposited by “lighting”. "Flashing" indicates that banknotes cannot be deposited.

  In addition, a bill insertion slot 308 for inserting a bill containing a large amount of bills (for example, “10,000 yen”, “5,000 yen”, “2,000 yen”, etc.), etc. And a card insertion slot 309 for inserting various cards such as a membership card.

  Further, a 7SEG display unit 304, a mode display LED 305, various button groups, and a lending button 306 and a return button 307 are provided at the bottom of the front surface of the main unit in order downward.

  The 7SEG display unit 304 is a display unit formed from 7-segment LEDs and performs running display of the CR unit 30. For example, the amount of inserted bills, the remaining amount of the prepaid card, the number of stored balls, the number of replays and points are displayed, or the replenishment or collection operation of the prepaid card is performed with a dedicated remote control The number of sheets to be collected or the number of sheets to be collected is displayed.

  The mode display LED 305 displays which mode information is displayed on the 7SEG display unit 304. For example, which information is displayed on the 7SEG display unit 304 among “remaining amount”, “number of stored balls”, “number of replays”, or “points” is indicated by lighting the corresponding lamp.

  The lending button 306 is an operation button for accepting a ball lending request by a player. When the lending button 306 is pressed, a “ball lending process” is performed in a ball lending processing unit 39a described later. The return button 307 is an operation button for accepting a return request for a prepaid card by the player. When the return button 307 is pressed, the prepaid card being inserted is returned from the card insertion slot 309.

  Next, the internal configuration of the CR unit 30 shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the CR unit 30 includes an operation unit 31, a display unit 32, a communication control IF unit 33, a BV unit unit 34, a card reader (C / R) 35, and a card storage unit 36. A transport / feeding mechanism unit 37, a storage unit 38, and a control unit 39.

  The operation unit 31 is a collective term for various button groups, a lending button 306, a return button 307, and the like, and the display unit 32 is a status display lamp 301, a card status display LED 302, a depositable display LED 303, 7SEG shown in FIG. A general term for the display unit 304, the mode display LED 305, and the like.

  The communication control IF unit 33 controls various communications between the CR unit 30 and other devices (for example, devices such as the prepaid card management T / C 10, the member management T / C 15, the island controller 20, and the CR pachinko machine 40). Is a processing unit.

  The BV unit 34 is a bill discriminator that identifies the denomination of the bill inserted into the bill insertion slot 308, and outputs the identified denomination of the inserted bill to the control unit 39. In addition, when an insertion banknote is a forged banknote, the said banknote is returned.

  The card reader (C / R) 35 is a card reader that reads information recorded in various cards such as a prepaid card and a membership card inserted into the card insertion slot 309. Specifically, the card reader (C / R) 35 is a prepaid card from these various cards. Identification information and membership card identification information are read out, and the read information is output to the control unit 39.

  The card storage unit 36 is a storage unit for storing prepaid cards whose value is not valued. In order to enable a player to play with cash even if he / she does not bring a prepaid card, a plurality of prepaid cards are stored in advance. It is what was stored. For example, when a bill is inserted by a player, one of a plurality of prepaid cards is paid out to the position of C / R 35 and is set as a target of money amount association.

  The transport / feed-out mechanism unit 37 is a mechanism unit that transports / feeds out various cards. Specifically, the prepaid card inserted from the card insertion slot 309 is conveyed to the C / R 35, or the prepaid card held in the C / R 35 is conveyed (stored) to the card storage unit 36 (FIG. 5-2). In addition, the built-in prepaid card stored in the card storage unit 36 is fed out to the C / R 35, and the prepaid card held in the C / R 35 is fed out (discharged) to the card insertion slot 309 (FIG. 5). 1).

  The storage unit 38 is a storage unit (storage unit) that stores data and programs necessary for various processes by the control unit 39, and is used as a comparison value in a threshold value determination unit 39b described later as information related to the present invention. Setting value information 38a is stored. In the first embodiment, the set value information 38a includes an amount “5%” multiplied by the minimum number of throws “25 (= 100 yen)” in the ball throwing mechanism of the CR pachinko machine 40. “105 yen” is notified from the prepaid card management T / C 10 at the time of activation.

  The control unit 39 is a control unit that controls the overall control of the CR unit 30, and particularly those closely related to the present invention include a ball lending processing unit 39a, a threshold value determination unit 39b, a recording medium type determination unit 39c, and a remaining amount. A migration value adding unit 39d is provided.

  Among these, the ball lending processing unit 39a is a processing unit that performs “ball lending processing” for lending pachinko balls. Specifically, when a prepaid card with a remaining amount is inserted and a pressing of the lending button 306 is accepted, a ball lending instruction is given to the CR pachinko machine 40 and a ball is thrown inside the CR pachinko machine 40 Pachinko balls “250” for a predetermined amount (for example, 1050 yen) are thrown from the mechanism.

  When the first prepaid card having a remaining amount is already held in the card storage unit 36, the threshold value determination unit 39b receives 1 when a new prepaid card insertion operation is received. It is a processing unit that determines whether or not the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than a predetermined value. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than the set value “105 yen” stored in the storage unit 38.

  The recording medium type determination unit 39c is a processing unit that determines whether the card type of the prepaid card being received by the card storage unit 36 is a membership card. Specifically, it is checked whether the prepaid card ID of the first prepaid card is registered in the member management T / C15, and if it is registered in the member management T / C15, the first prepaid card is registered. Is not a “member card”, and if it is not registered in the member management T / C 15, it is determined that the first prepaid card is not a “member card”. The attaching part 39d is requested to execute “remaining amount transfer value process” which will be described later.

  The remaining amount transfer pricing unit 39d is a processing unit that adds the remaining amount valued to the first prepaid card to the second prepaid card and transfers the remaining amount. Specifically, the threshold availability determination unit 39b determines that the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than “105 yen”, and the recording medium type determination unit 39c determines the card type of the first prepaid card. If it is determined that the card is not a “member card”, the remaining amount corresponding to the prepaid card ID of the first prepaid card is added to the remaining amount corresponding to the prepaid card ID of the second prepaid card, and the transfer is made. Request the prepaid card management T / C 10 as follows.

  In this way, only when the card type of the first prepaid card is not “member card”, the remaining prepaid card amount is added to the second prepaid card and the value is transferred. Therefore, when the first prepaid card is a “member card”, it is possible to prevent the card from being collected in the card storage unit 36.

[Process flow]
Next, the flow of various processes of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, (1) basic control processing performed in the CR unit 30 will be described, and then (2) remaining amount transfer pricing processing, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described.

(1) Basic Control Processing As described above, here, the basic control processing of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. 6 and 7 are flowcharts illustrating a procedure of basic control processing of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment. This “basic control process” is a process that is recursively performed as long as the power of the CR unit 30 is ON.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when a bill is inserted from the bill insertion slot 308 (Yes in step S601), the transport / feed-out mechanism unit 37 uses the built-in prepaid card stored in the card storage unit 36 as the first prepaid card. The card lending processing unit 39a pays out the amount of the inserted banknote determined by the BV unit 34 to the prepaid card (step S602), and then uses the first prepaid card as a card. The money is re-stored in the storage unit 36, and the amount of money valued to the prepaid card is displayed on the 7SEG display unit 304 (step S603). “Valued” here refers to the prepaid card ID of the built-in prepaid card and the amount of the inserted banknote to the prepaid card management T / C 10 and the prepaid card management T / C 10 inserts it into the prepaid card ID. Refers to the process of storing the money in association. In addition, as a matter of course, when the inserted banknote is a forged banknote, the inserted banknote is returned without performing the “valuation process”.

  In this case, since the remaining amount of the prepaid card is not “0” (Yes in step S604), the ball lending processing unit 39a shifts to a lending operation reception standby state in which the ball lending operation is waited for. (Step S605).

  When the first prepaid card is inserted from the card insertion slot 309 (Yes at step S606), the ball lending processing unit 39a uses the prepaid card management T to store the remaining amount corresponding to the prepaid card ID of the inserted prepaid card. / C10 is inquired (step S607), and the first prepaid card is stored in the card storage unit 36 and displayed on the remaining amount 7SEG display unit 304 obtained by the previous inquiry (step S603).

  At this time, if the remaining amount of the prepaid card is not “0” (Yes at Step S604), the ball lending processing unit 39a shifts to a lending operation reception standby state for waiting for a ball lending operation to be performed (Step S605). If the remaining number of the prepaid card is “0” (No at Step S604), the first prepaid card is stored as it is as an issuing card (Step S608), and the process is terminated.

  Here, when the pressing operation of the lending button 306 is received, that is, when the ball lending operation is received (Yes in Step S605), the ball lending processing unit 39a uses the remaining amount of the first prepaid card as the predetermined amount “ The prepaid card management T / C 10 is instructed to subtract “1050 yen”, and after this frequency subtraction is completed, the CR pachinko machine 40 is instructed to throw out “250” pachinko balls for a predetermined amount. The ball lending process ”is performed (step S609).

  At this time, if the remaining amount of the prepaid card being inserted becomes “0” (No at step S604), the first prepaid card is stored as it is as an issuing card (step S608), and the process is terminated. If the remaining amount of the prepaid card being inserted is not “0” (Yes at step S604), the process again shifts to the lending operation acceptance standby state (step S605).

  Further, when the pressing operation of the return button 307 is accepted, that is, when the prepaid card return operation is accepted (Yes at Step S610), the ball lending processing unit 39a returns the prepaid card to the transport / feeding mechanism unit 37. An instruction is given to feed (discharge) the prepaid card to the card insertion slot 309 (step S611), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when a new prepaid card insertion operation is received in a state where the first prepaid card having a remaining amount is already held in the card storage unit 36 ( In step S612, the threshold value determination unit 39b determines whether or not the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than the set value information 38a stored in the storage unit 38, for example, the set value “105 yen”. (Step S613).

  At this time, if it is determined that the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than “105 yen”, the recording medium type determination unit 39c determines that the prepaid card ID of the first prepaid card is the member management T It is further determined whether or not it is registered in / C15 (step S614).

  Here, when it is determined that the prepaid card ID of the first prepaid card is not registered in the member management T / C 15 (Yes in Step S613 and Yes in Step S614), the control unit 39 stores the card in the card storage unit 36. It is determined whether or not the number of stored cards (including the first prepaid card) is the upper limit number. As a result, if the upper limit number is not reached (No in step S615), the transport / feed-out mechanism unit 37 and the remaining amount transfer value assigning unit 39d cooperate with each other to perform “remaining amount transfer value processing” described later (step S616), and shift to a lending operation reception standby state for waiting for a ball lending operation to be performed. (Step S605).

  Even if the number of stored cards is the upper limit (Yes in step S615), the prepaid card ID of the second prepaid card is registered in the member management T / C 15 by the recording medium type determination unit 39c. If it is determined (Yes in step S617), “remaining amount transfer value processing” is performed (step S616), and the state shifts to a lending operation reception standby state in which a ball lending operation is performed (step S605). If the prepaid card ID of the second prepaid card is not registered in the member management T / C 15 (No in step S617), the second prepaid card is returned (discharged) as it is from the card insertion slot 309. (Step S618), it shifts to a lending operation acceptance standby state in which it waits for a ball lending operation to be performed (step S605).

  Thus, even if the number of cards stored reaches the upper limit at the time when the first prepaid card is stored in the card storage unit 36, if the second prepaid card is a member card, it remains as it is. “Balance amount transfer value processing” can be performed. This is because the membership card (second prepaid card) is always taken home, so that it is impossible for the card storage unit 36 to store more than the upper limit number of cards. As a result, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card can be added to the membership card inserted later, and the remaining amount can be valued up to the limit of the upper limit.

  Further, it is determined that the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is “105 yen” or more, or it is determined that the prepaid card ID of the first prepaid card is registered in the member management T / C 15. In the case (No in Step S613 or No in Step S614), the transport / feed-out mechanism unit 37 returns (discharges) the second prepaid card as it is from the card insertion slot 309 as shown in FIG. In step S618), the state shifts to a lending operation reception standby state in which a ball lending operation is performed (step S605).

(2) Remaining amount transfer value processing Next, the remaining amount transfer value processing of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the remaining amount transfer pricing process of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment. This “remaining amount transfer pricing process” is affirmative in step S612, positive in step S613, positive in step S614 and negative in step S615, or positive in step S612, positive in step S613, positive in step S614, positive in step S615. And it is performed when step S617 is affirmative.

  As shown in the figure, the remaining amount transfer value adding unit 39d adds the remaining amount corresponding to the prepaid card ID of the first prepaid card to the remaining amount corresponding to the prepaid card ID of the second prepaid card. The prepaid card management T / C 10 is requested to shift (step S801).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the transport / feeding mechanism unit 37 transports (stores) the second prepaid card to the card storage unit 36 (step S802). At this time, when the number of cards stored in the card storage unit 36 is the upper limit number and the second prepaid card is a member card (Yes in Step S615 and Yes in Step S617), it is stored in the card storage unit 36. Since it is impossible, the second prepaid card is held in the C / R 35 until the return button 307 is pressed.

  Thereafter, upon receiving a remaining amount transfer completion notification from the prepaid card management T / C 10, the control unit 39 causes the 7SEG display unit 304 to display the remaining amount after addition (step S803), and ends the process.

  As described above, according to the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment, when the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is less than the predetermined value, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is two. Since it is structured to add the second prepaid card and add the second prepaid card to the card storage unit 36, the insertion operation of the second prepaid card can be simplified. It is possible to improve the convenience of the player.

  Furthermore, according to the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is used for the second prepaid card only when the card type of the first prepaid card is not “member card”. Since it is configured not to add the value to be transferred to the card, when the first prepaid card is the “member card”, the situation where the “member card” is collected in the card storage unit 36 is prevented. It is possible to improve the convenience of the player without the disadvantage of losing the membership card.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the embodiments described above. Therefore, another embodiment included in the present invention will be described below.

(1) Handling of the remaining amount of the first prepaid card In the first embodiment described above, when the second prepaid card is accepted, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is changed to the remaining amount of the second prepaid card. The amount is uniquely added to the amount, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the game store may collect the remaining amount of the first prepaid card.

  For example, when a predetermined period (for example, “10 minutes”) has elapsed since the first prepaid card with a remaining amount of less than “105 yen” is stored in the card storage unit 36, the remaining amount is played The CR unit 30 may be configured to record in the store sales and update the remaining amount corresponding to the prepaid card ID of the prepaid card to “0”.

  In other words, when the player abandons a prepaid card with a fractional amount or a small amount equivalent thereto, the remaining amount of the prepaid card can be collected and the card itself can be collected in the card storage unit 36. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently collect and organize empty bases.

  Further, in the present invention, after the prepaid card management T / C10 permission notice is obtained, the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is added to the second prepaid card for the first time, or the remaining amount is added. The prepaid card management T / C 10 may determine how to handle the remaining amount of the first prepaid card.

  That is, by this, the manager of the game shop or the like confirms that the holders of the first and second prepaid cards are the same person, and then allows the remaining amount of the prepaid card to be transferred. If the holders of the first and second prepaid cards are different, the second prepaid card is accepted, but the remaining amount of the first prepaid card is collected at the game store. The remaining amount of prepaid card can be transferred in many ways.

(2) Distribution of set value In the above-described first embodiment, the threshold value determination unit 39b sets the minimum throw in the ball throwing mechanism of the CR pachinko machine 40 as the set value to be compared with the remaining amount of the first prepaid card. Although the amount corresponding to the number of issued moneys is used, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be similarly applied even when other set values are used.

  For example, in the prepaid card management T / C 10, the amount “105 yen” corresponding to the minimum number of throws in the ball throwing mechanism of the CR pachinko machine 40, the amount of money in the minimum unit handled by the card settlement machine 65 (for example, “500 yen”) and a predetermined small amount of money (for example, “100 yen”) are further stored and managed as set values, and any one of the set values stored and managed in this way is automatically Alternatively, the selected setting value is manually distributed, and the selected setting value is distributed at an arbitrary timing such as when the CR unit 30 is activated or when the equipment of the amusement shop is modified. On the other hand, the CR unit 30 stores the setting value accepted for distribution. 38. The game including the prepaid card T / C 10 and the CR unit 30 is used so as to be stored as a comparison value for comparison with the remaining amount of the first prepaid card. It may be configured as a body lending system.

  According to this example, the set value is determined so that the amount that cannot be thrown out by the ball throwing mechanism of the CR pachinko machine 40 is relieved by shifting the remaining amount, or the card settlement machine 65 disposed in the amusement store. Does not handle coins less than "500 yen", and if the remaining amount of the prepaid card cannot be settled, a setting value is set so that the remaining amount of the prepaid card can be transferred instead of the settlement of the prepaid card, or It is possible to set a set value so that the amount less than the small amount of money that is unlikely to attract the player's willingness to use is relieved by shifting the remaining amount. That is, it is possible to appropriately change the prepaid card acceptance conditions in accordance with the characteristics of the amusement store such as the in-store facilities and the customer base, and the remaining amount of the prepaid card can be transferred in accordance with the characteristics of the amusement store.

(3) Others For example, in Example 1 above, the example in which the consumption tax rate is set to “5%” has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the consumption tax rate is The same applies to any tax rate.

  In the first embodiment, the present invention is applied to a game system for pachinko games. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a game system including pachislot games. Alternatively, the present invention can be similarly applied even to a game system that targets only pachislot games.

  In addition, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed. All or a part can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the processing procedure, control procedure, specific name, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above-described document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

  Further, each component of each illustrated apparatus is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed or arbitrarily distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. Further, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

  As described above, the remaining amount transfer method used for the game medium lending machine, the game medium lending system, and the game medium lending machine according to the present invention makes it easy to insert a new game recording medium (second game recording medium). Therefore, it is suitable for a game medium lending machine, a game medium lending system, and a remaining amount transfer method used for a game medium lending machine that can improve the convenience of the player.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a system configuration of a gaming system 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining characteristics of a CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a CR unit 30 and a CR pachinko machine 40 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a CR unit 30 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating delivery (discharge) control of the 2nd prepaid card. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating conveyance (acceptance) control of the 2nd prepaid card. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of basic control processing 1 of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of basic control processing 2 of the CR unit 30 according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the remaining amount transfer pricing process of CR unit 30 which concerns on Example 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 gaming system 10 prepaid card management T / C
15 Member management T / C
20 island controller 30 CR unit (card processing unit)
31 Operation section 32 Display section 33 Communication control IF section 34 BV unit section 35 C / R (card reader)
36 Card storage section 37 Transport / feeding mechanism section 38 Storage section 39 Control section 39a Ball lending processing section 39b Threshold availability determination section 39c Recording medium type determination section 39d Remaining amount transfer pricing section 40 CR pachinko machine 60 Card issuing machine 65 Card settlement machine

Claims (5)

A gaming recording medium comprising: a reading unit that reads identification information from a gaming recording medium that has received an insertion operation; and a storage unit that stores the gaming recording medium, the gaming recording medium obtained from the identification information read by the reading unit A gaming media lending machine that performs gaming media lending processing based on the remaining value of value,
When the first game recording medium in which the remaining value of the valuable value is present is received in the storage unit, when a new operation for inserting the second game recording medium is received, the first game recording medium is used. Threshold value determination means for determining whether or not the remaining value of the recording medium is less than a predetermined value;
When the threshold value determining means determines that the threshold value is less than the predetermined value, the remaining value of the valuable value added to the first game recording medium is added to the second game recording medium. If the remaining amount transfer value is transferred to the second game recording medium by the remaining amount transfer value means for performing the transfer value and the remaining amount transfer value means, the second operation that has received the insertion operation When receiving control for receiving the game recording medium into the storage unit is performed, and the threshold value determining means determines that the first game recording medium is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the second game use A game medium lending machine comprising: acceptance / discharge control means for performing discharge control for discharging a recording medium. A recording medium type determining means for determining whether the first game recording medium is a member recording medium;
The remaining amount transfer pricing means determines that the first game recording medium is less than the predetermined value by the threshold availability determination means, and the recording medium type determination means determines that the first game recording medium is 2. The game medium lending machine according to claim 1, wherein the remaining amount transfer value is added to the second game recording medium only when it is determined that the recording medium is not the member recording medium. A management device that manages the value corresponding to the identification information recorded on the game recording medium used in the game hall, a reading unit that reads the identification information from the game recording medium that has received the insertion operation, and the game record And a game medium lending machine that performs a game medium lending process based on the remaining value of the value of the game recording medium obtained from the identification information read by the reading unit. A medium lending system,
The game media lending machine is
When the first game recording medium in which the remaining value of the valuable value is present is received in the storage unit, when a new operation for inserting the second game recording medium is received, the first game recording medium is used. Threshold value determination means for determining whether or not the remaining value of the recording medium is less than a predetermined value;
Acceptance control for accepting the second game recording medium that has accepted the insertion operation into the storage unit when the threshold value determining means determines that the first game recording medium is less than the predetermined value. And receiving / discharging control means for performing discharge control for discharging the second game recording medium when it is determined that the first game recording medium is equal to or greater than the predetermined value,
The management device
When the threshold value determining means determines that the threshold value is less than the predetermined value, the remaining value of the valuable value valued in the first game recording medium is used as identification information of the second game recording medium. A game medium lending system characterized by comprising a remaining amount transfer means for adding and transferring the corresponding valuable value. The gaming recording medium is to be settled in cash by a recording medium settlement machine that pays out money based on the valuable value valued for the gaming recording medium,
In the gaming medium lending process, the gaming medium lending instruction is issued to the CR gaming machine connected to the gaming medium lending machine, and the lending gaming medium is thrown out from the gaming medium dispensing mechanism of the CR gaming machine. Processing,
The management device
A first setting for storing, as a set value, an amount that can be handled by the recording medium settlement machine, an amount corresponding to a minimum throwing unit of a gaming medium dispensing mechanism in the CR gaming machine, and / or a predetermined small amount of money Value storage means;
Setting value selection means for selecting any one of the setting values stored by the first setting value storage means;
Setting value distribution means for distributing the setting value selected by the setting value selection means to the game medium lending machine;
The game media lending machine is
A second set value storage unit for storing the set value distributed by the set value distribution unit;
The threshold availability determination unit determines whether or not the remaining valuable value of the first game recording medium is less than a set value stored by the second set value storage unit. The game medium rental system according to claim 3. A gaming recording medium comprising: a reading unit that reads identification information from a gaming recording medium that has received an insertion operation; and a storage unit that stores the gaming recording medium, the gaming recording medium obtained from the identification information read by the reading unit A remaining amount transfer method used for a gaming medium lending machine that performs a gaming medium lending process based on the remaining amount of valuable value,
When the first game recording medium in which the remaining value of the valuable value is present is received in the storage unit, when a new operation for inserting the second game recording medium is received, the first game recording medium is used. A threshold availability determination step for determining whether or not the remaining value of the recording medium is less than a predetermined value;
When it is determined by the threshold value determination step that the value is less than the predetermined value, the remaining value of the valuable value added to the first game recording medium is added to the second game recording medium. When the remaining amount transfer value process for performing the transfer value and the remaining amount transfer value process to the second game recording medium is performed by the remaining amount transfer value process, the second operation that accepts the insertion operation When receiving control for receiving the game recording medium into the storage unit is performed, and the threshold value determination step determines that the first game recording medium is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the second game use An acceptance / discharge control process for performing discharge control for discharging the recording medium;
A remaining amount transfer method for use in a game medium lending machine characterized by comprising:

Images