JP6343172B2 - Amusement park management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game hall management system including a counting device that receives and counts game media paid out from a gaming machine.

  Conventionally, when a small amount of game media (balls, medals, etc.) is left in the tray of a gaming machine, there is a problem that the next player hesitates to play the game, which causes the operating rate of the gaming machine to decrease. For this reason, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, an invention has been proposed for processing an abandoned game medium left in a tray.

JP 2011-45677 A

According to this kind of invention, the abandoned game medium can be easily returned to the gaming machine island, so that the work burden on the employee can be reduced.
However, while it is possible to easily process the abandoned game medium, there is a possibility that a trouble may occur with the player after the processing. In other words, when a player happens to leave the gaming machine due to a business such as a meal or a phone call, the player may assume that there is no player and process the game media. In that case, the player returns to the gaming machine. A player sometimes complained.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to appropriately process an abandoned game medium to suppress a decrease in the operating rate of the gaming machine and to cause a trouble with a player regarding the processing of the abandoned game medium. An object of the present invention is to provide a management system for a game arcade that can cope with the occurrence of the problem.

The present invention comprises a gaming machine that consumes gaming media to execute a game, and which is paid out in response to the occurrence of a prize, and a counting device that receives and counts gaming media paid out from the gaming machine. In the management system for game halls provided,
The counting device includes a storage means for storing the counted number of game media as the number of counted game media, and a game medium within a range of the number of counted game media stored in the storage means in accordance with a payout operation by the player. And a payout means for subtracting the number of counted game media, and information that can specify the number of counted game media stored in the storage means is recorded on a recording medium in response to an issuing operation by the player. Issuance means for issuing, and counting state switching means for switching the counting state of the game medium to the neglected game medium processing state in accordance with a switching operation by an employee who has found the abandoned game medium that is left in the tray , wherein the storage means, the number of game media counted in the left game media processing state, the stored as counted left game medium count the player to distinguish the medium number, the payout means, employees That is configured to paid out number the left game medium in accordance with the special payout operation, the in standing game media processing state and do not display the number of the standing game media (claim 1).

The game hall management system according to claim 1,
A remote control device carried by an employee and capable of accepting the switching operation and the special payout operation by the employee, and when the remote control device accepts the switching operation or the special payout operation, the counting state switching means Or you may make it transmit the instruction | command which operates the said paying-out means, respectively (Claim 2).

In the game hall management system according to claim 2,
When the special issuing operation is executed by the remote control device, the issuing means may record and issue information that can specify the number of abandoned game media on a recording medium (claim 3).

In the management system for game halls as described in any one of Claim 1 to 3,
The counting state switching means releases the abandoned game medium processing state when it detects that a new player has started a game in the gaming machine after switching the counting state to the abandoned game medium processing state. Then, the normal state may be restored (claim 4).

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when an employee finds an abandoned game medium, the abandoned game medium can be processed by counting after switching the count state to the notification game medium processing state. And when a player returns unexpectedly after processing as an abandoned game medium, the neglected game medium can be paid out and returned, so that troubles with the player can be avoided. Can do.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operation of switching the counting state to the notification game medium processing state and the operation of paying out the abandoned game medium can be performed with a remote control by the employee, so the mobility is high.
According to the invention of claim 3, since the abandoned game medium can be recorded and issued on the recording medium in the same manner as the normal counting game medium, the information on the recording medium is read by the premium exchange terminal in the same way as the normal premium exchange process. It can be processed as an abandoned game medium.

According to the invention of claim 4, the notification game medium processing state is automatically canceled when the start of a new player's game is detected and returned to the normal state, so that the burden on the employee can be reduced.

Schematic which shows the whole structure of the management system for game centers in one Embodiment. Front view schematically showing a gaming machine and a counting lending unit Functional block diagram showing the configuration of the counting lending unit

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a game hall management system. A plurality of gaming machines 1 are installed in the game hall, and a counting lending unit 2 (corresponding to a counting device) is installed corresponding to each gaming machine 1. The gaming machine 1 and the counting lending unit 2 are connected to the management device 5 via the relay terminal 3 and the LAN 4.

A prize exchange terminal (hereinafter referred to as POS) 6 and a payment device 7 are also installed in the game hall, and are connected to the management device 5 via the LAN 4. The POS 6 is a game value (the number of possession balls / numbers) specified by a general card 9 (corresponding to a recording medium, see FIG. 3) or a membership card 10 (corresponding to a recording medium, see FIG. 3) read by an attached card reader / writer 8. The prize exchange process is executed based on the number of stored balls). When the general card 9 or the membership card 10 is inserted into the card insertion slot 11, the checkout device 7 reads the deposit balance recorded in the inserted cards 9 and 10 with a card reader (not shown), and reads the read balance. The banknotes and coins corresponding to the deposit balance are returned from the return port 12.
When the game value recorded on the cards 9 and 10 is handled in the POS 6 and the checkout device 7, the management value is compared with the game value stored in advance corresponding to the cards 9 and 10 and is true. The treatment of game value is made effective on the condition that it is determined that.

  The management device 5 is installed in, for example, an office room or the like in the game hall, and is connected to a keyboard 13, a monitor 14, a printer (not shown) and the like that are operated by the game hall manager. Although not shown in FIG. 1, for example, hundreds of gaming machines 1 are actually managed by the management device 5.

  The management device 5 manages the operating status of the gaming machine 1, the counting lending unit 2, the POS 6, etc. installed in the amusement hall, and based on the signal from the gaming machine (gaming machine 1, counting lending unit 2 etc.) side. The game value (the number of balls and the number of balls) for each player and the deposit balance are stored and managed. Note that “mochi” refers to balls counted during the day, and “save ball” refers to balls counted before the previous day.

FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the gaming machine 1 and the counting lending unit 2. The gaming machine 1 is a CR pachinko machine and has an operation handle 16, an upper saucer 17, and a lower saucer 18 that constitute a launching device that launches a ball on the board surface 15, and a liquid crystal display unit 19, a start port 20, It has a big prize opening 21. When the player operates the operation handle 16, a ball (game medium) is fired on the board surface 15, and when the ball wins the start port 20, the number of balls corresponding to the winning is paid out or a big hit lottery is performed. In the jackpot lottery, the liquid crystal display unit 19 executes a symbol change by a so-called special symbol (special symbol), and a jackpot is generated when the symbol that is stopped and displayed is a jackpot symbol. When a big hit occurs, the big winning opening 21 is opened for 15 rounds, for example.
Note that the gaming machine 1 has an out signal that can specify the number of inserted media that is the number of balls that have been struck and the number of payout media that is the number of balls that have been paid out as the game progresses by the player. Various game signals such as a safe signal that can be identified and a jackpot signal that can identify a jackpot state are output.

  The counting / lending unit 2 receives a status display unit 22 indicating a current operation state (normal state, error state, etc.), a bill insertion slot 23 into which a bill is inserted, an operation input from a player, and the progress of the game. Touch-panel type liquid crystal display 24 for displaying game data such as symbol variation count (start count) and jackpot probability, 1 payout button 25 for paying out a unit worth (500 Yen equivalent), passed through A payout nozzle 26, a remote control light receiving unit 28 for receiving an optical signal from an employee remote control 27 (counting state switching means, corresponding to a remote control device) carried by the employee, a card insertion into which a general card 9 or a membership card 10 is inserted The mouth 29, the detachable counting tray 30 etc. which are located under the lower tray 18 of the gaming machine 1 are provided.

  On the other hand, the gaming machine 1 is provided with a lending button 31 and a return button 32, and the counting lending unit 2 executes a lending process according to an operation on the lending button 31 and issues a card according to an operation on the return button 32. Execute the process. That is, the counting / lending unit 2 performs ball (game media) lending processing within the range of the deposit balance, accepts and counts balls (game value) paid out from the lower tray 18 of the gaming machine 1, and deposits the balance. And the number of possessed balls (the number of balls counted) is recorded on the general card 9 or the membership card 10 and issued. When the general card 9 is received, the deposit balance and the number of possessed balls are displayed and the lending / returning process is performed within those ranges. When the membership card 10 is received, the deposit balance and the number of balls are displayed, and the number of stored balls is displayed on condition that the PIN number is input, and the lending / returning process is performed within these ranges.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the counting / lending unit 2. The counting lending unit 2 includes a control unit 33 (corresponding to a storage unit, a payout unit, and an issuing unit) configured by a microcomputer having a CPU 33a, a ROM 33b, a RAM 33c, and an I / O 33d, and a peripheral unit connected to the control unit 33. It is prepared for. As a peripheral part, the I / F part 34 which transmits / receives various signals and various information between the management apparatus 5 and the game machine 1, the banknote processing part 35 which determines the authenticity of the banknote thrown into the banknote slot 23, liquid crystal A card reader as a predetermined position for reading and writing various information recorded on the display unit 24, the touch panel 36 provided on the liquid crystal display unit 24, and the cards 9 and 10 inserted in the card insertion slot 29 When the writer 37, the card stock unit 38 capable of stocking up to 10 general cards 9, the payout button 25, and the payout button 25 are operated, one unit (for example, 500 yen) of balls is discharged from the payout nozzle 26. A payout unit 39 for paying out, a counting unit 40 for counting the number of balls flowing in from the counting tray 30, and the like.

  IC cards 9a and 10a are built in the general card 9 and the membership card 10, respectively, and a general ID and a member ID are stored in the IC chips 9a and 10a, respectively. These cards 9 and 10 are recording media for specifying the amount of money (balance information) deposited in the counting lending unit 2 and the possession information for identifying the number of possessions. The general card 9 is valid only on the day and can record the deposit balance and the number of balls. The membership card 10 is valid until a preset expiration date (for example, three years) and can record the deposit balance, while the number of possessed balls / the number of accumulated balls is stored only in the management device 5.

The counting lending unit 2 has the following functions.
(1) The number of bills inserted into the bill insertion slot 23 (in units of 1000 yen) is stored, and after the amount of money (payment balance) is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 24, the number corresponding to one time (500 yen) (125 balls) are automatically paid out from the payout mechanism inside the gaming machine 1. At this time, the game machine 1 outputs a signal indicating that balls for a number of times have been paid out to the counting / lending unit 2, so an amount corresponding to the number of times (500) from the deposit balance displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 24. Yen) is reduced and a sales signal is output. Since this sales signal outputs one pulse every time one ball is paid out, one pulse is specified as a sales amount of 500 yen.

(2) In accordance with the operation of the lending button 31 provided on the gaming machine 1, the number of balls (125 balls) corresponding to the number of times (500 yen) is paid from the payout mechanism inside the gaming machine 1 within the range of the deposit balance. put out.
(3) The balls that have fallen from the lower tray 18 of the gaming machine 1 and received by the counting tray 30 flow into the counting section 40 so that the number of balls is counted and displayed on the liquid crystal display section 24.

(4) Depending on the operation of the payout button 25, the number of balls (number of balls held) or the number of balls stored (in the case of a member player) is paid out once (125 balls).
(5) In accordance with an operation on the return button 32 provided on the gaming machine 1, the deposit balance and the number of possessions are recorded and issued on the general card 9 inserted in the card insertion slot 29. When the membership card 10 is inserted, the deposit balance is recorded on the membership card 10 and the number of possessed balls is transmitted to the management device 5 on condition that the personal identification number is input, and then the membership card 10 is issued. When the cards 9 and 10 are issued, the issue information is transmitted to the management device 5 and stored also on the management device 5 side. When neither the ordinary card 9 nor the membership card 10 is inserted into the card insertion slot 29, the ordinary card 9 stocked in the card stock section 38 is fed (set) to the card reader / writer 37 by a recording medium moving means (not shown). ) And record and issue the deposit balance and number of balls. When both the deposit balance and the number of possessed balls become 0, the general card 9 set in the card reader / writer 37 is collected in the card stock unit 38 by the recording medium moving means.

  (6) When the general card 9 is inserted into the card insertion slot 29, the deposit balance and the number of possessions recorded in the general card 9 are read by the card reader / writer 37 and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 24. When the membership card 10 is inserted, the deposit balance recorded on the membership card 10 is read out and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 24, and the storage ball stored in the membership account of the management device 5 on condition that the password is entered The number (the number of balls stored on the day / the number of balls stored on the previous day) is also displayed. The number of balls stored on the day is the number of balls stored on the day, and the number of balls stored on the previous day is the number of balls stored up to the previous day. After the end of business, the number of balls stored on the day is added to the number of balls stored on the previous day and stored. In response to a payout operation by the player, balls for a few times are paid out from the payout nozzle 26 within the range of the number of balls.

  (7) The game data of the corresponding gaming machine 1 or other designated gaming machine 1 is displayed according to the operation input to the liquid crystal display unit 24, the message from the game hall is displayed, and the player plays the member game When it is determined that the player is a player, the game data of the gaming machine 1 is displayed.

  The management device 5 operates according to the stored computer program, temporarily stores game information display service for displaying game data indicating the operating status of the gaming machine 1, and game media acquired by the player through the game, Alternatively, it is possible to execute a savings service that can be reused for games at a later date. In order to execute these services, the operating state of the gaming machine 1 is specified based on the gaming signal input to the input / output unit from the gaming machine 1, the counting lending unit 2, etc., and the gaming data is stored for each gaming machine 1. It comes to manage.

The game data managed for each gaming machine 1 is as follows.
・ Out ・ Safe ・ Difference = Safe-Out ・ Rounding rate = Safe ÷ Out ・ Hit probability = Number of jackpots ÷ Number of starts

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
When the player inserts banknotes into the counting / lending unit 2, the counting / lending unit 2 stores the amount of the inserted banknotes and displays the lending frequency (1 number = 125 balls) on the liquid crystal display unit 24. The ball for several minutes is automatically paid out from the payout mechanism inside the gaming machine. Then, when the player further depresses the lending button 31 of the gaming machine 1 to receive the lending of the ball, a lending process of paying out the ball from the lending mechanism inside the gaming machine one by one according to the operation on the lending button 31 Run. On the other hand, when the member player has a stored ball, a payout process for paying out one unit of the ball from the payout nozzle 26 by an operation on the payout button 25 is executed.

  When counting the balls acquired by the player with the gaming machine 1, the balls are dropped from the lower tray 18 of the gaming machine 1. The dropped balls are received by the counting tray 30 of the counting lending unit 2 and flow into the counting lending unit 2 and are counted by the counting unit 40. When the counting lending unit 2 counts balls by the counting unit 40, the counting lending unit 2 displays the number of counting balls as the number of balls on the liquid crystal display unit 24. When the payout operation is performed with the payout button 25, a single ball (125 balls) is paid out from the payout nozzle 26 to the gaming machine 1 within the range of the number of balls and is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 24. The number of holding balls is updated. When the number of balls is less than one, all the numbers of balls are paid out. When the player operates the return button 32 of the gaming machine 1, the player issues a general card 9 in which the deposit balance and the number of possessions at that time are recorded (if the membership card 10 is inserted in the card insertion slot 29, Only the deposit balance is recorded on the member card 10 and issued, and the number of possessed balls is stored together with the same day savings in the member account of the management device 5). Then, the issued general card 9 (member card 10) is recorded in the general card 9 by inserting it into the destination counting / lending unit 2 (in the case of the member card 10, the management device 5 corresponding to the member card 10). Since the deposit balance / the number of possessed balls (the number of accumulated balls) stored in the screen is displayed, it is possible to play a game by lending or returning balls within that range. When the game is finished, information can be recorded on the general card 9 or the membership card 10 and returned (issued) by operating the return button 32 provided on the gaming machine 1.

Now, employees are constantly patroling the amusement hall, and when they find a state that seems to be an abandoned ball (abandoned game medium) in the trays 17 and 18 of the gaming machine 1, they call the player by broadcast in the hall. If the player does not return within a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) even though the player is called by the on-site broadcast, it is regarded as a “left ball” and the left ball processing is executed as follows.
The employee transmits a neglected ball processing command by operating a “left ball processing” button (not shown) by pointing the remote controller 27 to be carried toward the remote control light-receiving unit 28 of the counting and lending unit 2 (corresponding to a switching operation). The neglected balls are poured into the counting lending unit 2 and counted.

When the counting lending unit 2 receives the neglected ball processing command, it shifts to the neglected ball processing state (corresponding to the neglected gaming medium processing state), and the number of balls counted in the neglected ball processing state is set as the number of neglected balls (the number of neglected gaming media). Stored in the RAM 33c. At this time, the number of balls left is not displayed as the number of balls on the liquid crystal display unit 24. Therefore, the number of neglected balls stored in the counting lending unit 2 cannot be recorded and issued on the card even if the return button 32 is operated.

When the card lending unit 2 is inserted or credited, the counting lending unit 2 determines that the customer is changing, cancels the neglected ball processing state, and returns to the normal state. At this time, the number of neglected balls stored in the RAM 33c is transmitted to the management device 5 and then the number of neglected balls is cleared. Even if the employee confirms the customer change before the next player plays, and the cancel command is transmitted from the remote controller 27, the neglected ball processing state is canceled and the normal state is restored.
When the management device 5 receives the neglected ball number information from the counting lending unit 2, the management device 5 creates and stores abandoned ball processing history information indicating the correspondence between the neglected ball number information and the counting lending unit 2 of the transmission destination. To do.

  When the employee declares that the previous player has returned and no longer has a ball after the counting lending unit 2 has released the neglected ball processing state and returned to the normal state as described above, The operation of the 27 “Abandoned Ball Confirmation” button (corresponding to a special payout operation) is performed, and a neglected ball confirmation command is transmitted to the counting lending unit 2.

When the counting lending unit 2 receives a neglected ball confirmation command from the remote controller 27 in a normal state, it requests the management device 5 for neglected ball processing history information corresponding to itself. Then, since the management device 5 transmits the number of neglected balls corresponding to the requested count lending unit 2, the count lending unit displays the received number of neglected balls on the liquid crystal display unit 24. At this time, the management device 5 determines that the neglected ball processing history information corresponding to the transmitted number of neglected balls has been processed.
When the employee confirms the number of neglected balls displayed on the counting lending unit 2, the employee returns the neglected balls to the player by hand. The neglected balls may be returned directly from the counting lending unit 2.

On the other hand, if the previous player returns and requests an abandoned ball without performing a customer change after executing the abandoned ball processing as described above, the employee presses the “leave abandoned ball” button on the remote control 27. Operate and send a neglected ball payout command to the counting lending unit 2.
When the counting lending unit 2 receives a neglected ball payout command from the remote control 27 in the neglected ball processing state, the number of neglected balls stored in the RAM 33c is calculated after paying out the game media corresponding to the number of neglected balls from the dispensing nozzle 26. Clear and return to normal state.

According to such an embodiment, the following effects can be produced.
When the counting lending unit 2 counts the balls left in the trays 17 and 18 of the gaming machine 1, the counting lending unit 2 memorizes the count value without issuing a card, and then the player returns and no longer has any balls. When the employee operates the remote controller 27 in response to the notification, the stored balls are paid out and returned, so that troubles with the player can be avoided. In this case, since it can be carried out by remote control operation carried by the employee, the mobility is high.
When a card is inserted or credited, it is determined that the customer is changing, and the neglected ball processing state is canceled to return to the normal state, so that the burden on the employee can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified or expanded as follows, each modified example may be combined with the above-described embodiment, or each modified example may be combined.
Depending on the issuing operation by the remote controller, the number of balls left may be recorded on the card and issued. In that case, it is desirable that the number of left balls recorded on the card is read as a number of left balls by reading it with a prize exchange terminal in the same manner as a normal card.

Although a pachinko machine has been exemplified as a gaming machine, it can also be applied to other types of gaming machines such as a slot machine.
The type of game media is not limited to balls, but may be medals.
Although the number of neglected balls is not displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 24 of the counting and lending unit 2, it may be displayed as the number of neglected balls, or may be displayed only when a display command is received from the remote controller.
At the time of renting out the game medium, the game medium is paid out from the payout mechanism inside the gaming machine. However, the game medium may be paid out through the payout nozzle 26 from the payout mechanism provided in the counting lending unit 2.

The general card 9 is recorded with the number of balls and the deposit balance, but only the identification information is recorded, and the number of possessions and the deposit balance stored in the management device 5 are specified based on the identification information. It may be.
Only the identification information is recorded on the member card 10 and the number of possessed balls / the number of stored balls is not recorded. However, the number of possessed balls / the number of stored balls is also recorded on the member card 10 and the management device 5 stores the possession number. After checking the number of balls and the number of stored balls, it is possible to pay out the balls and stored balls, or exchange the prizes.
The form of the recording medium is not limited to the card, and may be any form such as a coin shape.

  In the drawings, 1 is a gaming machine, 2 is a counting lending unit (counting device), 27 is a remote controller (counting state switching means, remote control device), and 33 is a control unit (storage means, payout means, issuing means).

Claims (4)

A game is played by consuming a game medium, the game medium is paid out in response to the occurrence of a prize, and a game machine having a tray for receiving the game medium and a game medium paid out from the game machine are received and counted. And a game device management system comprising a counting device for displaying the counted number of game media as the number of counted game media ,
The counting device includes:
Storage means for storing the counted number of game media as the number of counted game media;
In accordance with a payout operation by the player, payout means for paying out game media within the range of the number of counted game media stored in the storage means and subtracting the number of counted game media;
Issuing means for recording and issuing information that can specify the number of counting game media stored in the storage means on a recording medium in response to an issuing operation by a player;
Counting state switching means for switching the counting state of the game medium to the neglected game medium processing state in response to a switching operation by an employee who has found the neglected game medium that is left in the tray ,
The storage means stores the number of game media counted in the abandoned game medium processing state as the number of abandoned game media distinguished from the number of counted game media;
The payout means is configured to pay out the number of abandoned game media in response to a special payout operation by an employee, and does not display the number of abandoned game media in the abandoned game media processing state. Field management system. A remote control device that is carried by an employee and that can accept the switching operation and the special payout operation by the employee,
The game machine management according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device transmits a command to operate the counting state switching means or the payout means when receiving the switching operation or the special payout operation. system. 3. The game room according to claim 2, wherein when the special issuing operation is executed by the remote control device, the issuing means records and issues information capable of specifying the number of abandoned game media on a recording medium. Management system. The counting state switching means releases the abandoned game medium processing state when it detects that a new player has started a game in the gaming machine after switching the counting state to the abandoned game medium processing state. 4. The game hall management system according to claim 1, wherein the game room management system returns to a normal state.

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