JP7360714B2 - gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a gaming machine.

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional gaming machine, one is known in which a plurality of game balls are sealed inside and the plurality of game balls are circulated and used for a game (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2020-014953 A (paragraphs [0040], [0041], Figure 2)

The above-mentioned conventional gaming machine is provided with a polishing means for polishing the enclosed game balls, and there is a need for an operator to easily judge the timing of replacing the polishing means.

The invention according to claim 1, which was made to solve the above problem, is an enclosed type game machine that includes game balls enclosed and circulates game balls that have been fired into a game area so that they can be fired back into the game area. a firing device that fires game balls into the game area; a ball storage unit that stores game balls that have flowed down the game area; a communication unit that communicates between the ball storage unit and the launch device; and the firing device. A firing path that guides game balls fired by the device to the gaming area, and a ball branching from the middle of the firing path and communicating with a ball storage section, and a ball that is fired to the firing device but does not enter the gaming area. a return path for returning the game balls that have been released to the ball storage section; and a game ball of the communication section that the game balls that have been fired by the firing device and flowed down the gaming area must pass through before reaching the firing device again. a polishing means for polishing the enclosed game balls arranged in a polishing passage through which each ball can pass through ; a specific number setting means capable of setting an arbitrary value as a specific number; and a game ball fired by the firing device. The gaming machine is provided with a notification means for notifying that a number obtained by subtracting the number of return balls collected in the return path from the number of balls exceeds the specific number.

According to the above invention, since it is notified that the special number of game balls related to the number of game balls polished by the polishing means has exceeded an arbitrarily set specific number, the timing of replacing the polishing means is determined by the polishing means. It is possible to make a judgment based on the number of special balls related to the number of game balls polished.

Front view of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment Front view of game board Image of the area around the ball storage area Image of the area around the ball storage area Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the gaming machine Enlarged view of ball feeding device Enlarged view of ball feeding device Front view of the game board according to the second embodiment

[First embodiment]
A gaming machine 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. As shown in FIG. 1, the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment is a pachinko gaming machine, and is equipped with a front door 10Z on the front, and the front of the gaming board 11 is inserted through a glass window 10W formed in the front door 10Z. The gaming area R1 formed in the area is visible.

As shown in FIG. 2, the game area R1 is formed by being surrounded on all sides by guide rails 12 protruding from the front surface of the game board 11. The guide rail 12 is formed by a first rail 12A and a second rail 12B that are curved in an arc shape, and a buffer member 12C. The first rail 12A is arranged along the peripheral edge of the game area R1, excluding the upper approximately 1/4 circumference. A part of the second rail 12B (the upper part of the second rail 12B) extends along approximately 1/4 of the upper circumference of the peripheral edge of the gaming area R1, and the remaining part (the upper part of the second rail 12B) (left side) is arranged to face the left side of the first rail 12A from the outside. One end of the second rail 12B is arranged on the left side with respect to the lowest part of the first rail 12A, and the other end of the second rail 12B is arranged with respect to the right end of the first rail 12A. It is placed at a position offset upward by two positions.

The space between the right end of the first rail 12A and the right end of the second rail 12B is closed by a buffer section 12C. Moreover, between the left end of the first rail 12A and the middle part of the second rail 12B, one or two game balls are separated, and this becomes the entrance 12K for the game balls.

The game area R1 is provided with a starting winning hole 14 and a big winning hole 16, and when a game ball enters the starting winning hole 14, a judgment is made as to whether it is correct or not. The result of the judgment is displayed on the display device 13 provided in the game area R1 together with an effect based on the result. The grand prize opening 16 is normally closed by a movable door 16T, making it difficult for game balls to enter, and is opened to allow game balls to enter when the result of the above judgment is a win. It becomes a state. Further, a plurality of general winning holes 17 are arranged in the gaming area R1. All game balls that do not win in any of the winning holes 14, 16, and 17 described above are taken into the out hole 20 provided at the lower end of the gaming area R1.

The game machine 10 of this embodiment is a so-called enclosed pachinko machine in which a predetermined number of game balls are enclosed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the gaming machine 10 has a ball storage section 30 in which game balls are stored. A firing device 31 is provided above the ball storage section 30 to send game balls in the ball storage section 30 one by one via a ball feeding device 45. The firing device 31 fires game balls one by one when the firing handle 28 (see FIG. 1) arranged at the lower right corner of the front door 10Z is rotated. The game ball fired by the firing device 31 passes through the firing passage 11H including the passage between the left side of the first rail 12A and the left side of the second rail 12B, and enters the game area R1 from the entrance 12K. . The ball feeding device 45 will be explained in detail later.

On the back side of the game board 11 of the game machine 10, all the game balls flowing down the game area R1 and entering the respective winning ports 14, 16, 17 and the game balls taken into the out port 20 pass through. A discharge path 21 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge path 21 communicates with the ball storage section 30, whereby the game balls that have flown down the game area R1 return to the ball storage section 30 and are fired again towards the game area R1. . Further, the discharge path 21 is provided with a discharge ball sensor 22 that detects passing game balls.

As shown in FIG. 3, a return passage 11R branching downward is provided at a position near the end of the firing passage 11H on the firing device 31 side. The return passage 11R communicates with the ball storage section 30. Game balls fired by the firing device 31 but unable to enter the game area R1 due to their weak momentum are returned to the ball storage section 30 through the return path 11R.

A backflow prevention member 27 is provided at the branching portion of the firing passage 11H with the return passage 11R. The backflow prevention member 27 has a plate shape, and one end is disposed at the end on the firing device 31 side at the entrance of the return passage 11R. The backflow prevention member 27 is normally biased to extend in the vertical direction, and the game balls fired by the firing device 31 push down the backflow prevention member 27 and pass through the firing passage 11H (see FIG. 4(A) )reference). Then, the game ball that returns through the firing passage 11H with weak momentum is prevented from returning to the firing device 31 by the backflow prevention member 27 extending in the vertical direction, and is guided to the return passage 11R (Fig. 4(B) )reference).

As shown in FIG. 3, in the firing passage 11H, a firing ball sensor 35 for detecting game balls fired by the firing passage 11H is provided on the side closer to the firing device 31 than the backflow prevention member 27. A return ball sensor 36 is provided at the upper end to detect game balls passing through the return path 11R.

As shown in FIG. 1, a card unit 60 is arranged next to the gaming machine 10. The card unit 60 performs information processing such as reading and writing on the card 60C inserted into the card insertion slot 61. Specifically, the card unit 60 writes the number of balls held by the player (gaming balls owned by the player) into the card 60C as the number of balls stored in the card. The card unit 60 also reads the number of balls stored in the card written in the card 60C. Note that the card unit 60 is provided with a bill insertion slot 62 for lending game balls with cash, and the card unit 60 is also capable of writing information on the remaining amount on the card 60C.

The gaming machine 10 of this embodiment includes a ball management unit 40 at the center of the lower part of the front door 10Z. The ball management unit 40 displays the number of balls stored in the card as the number of balls owned by the player, and also displays the remaining amount of cash inserted into the bill insertion slot 62 that is not used for renting game balls. The amount etc. will be displayed. Then, the player performs an operation on the ball management unit 40 to set a part of the balls stored in the card as a ball stored on the gaming machine side that can be consumed in the gaming machine 10, or inserts a part of the balls stored in the card into the bill insertion slot 62. You can rent out game balls using cash. In addition, since the game balls enclosed in the machine base of this embodiment circulate, the actual game balls are not lent, but the number of game balls according to the loan amount is the number of balls stored on the game machine side. be remembered.

When a game ball is detected by the firing ball sensor 35 (see FIG. 3), the number of detected game balls is subtracted from the number of balls stored on the gaming machine side, and the game ball is returned to the ball sensor 36 (see FIG. 3). ), the number of detected game balls is added to the ball storage on the gaming machine side. Furthermore, when a game ball enters each winning hole 14, 16, 17, the game ball is detected by each prize ball sensor 37 (see FIG. 5), and the number of game balls corresponding to the winning ball is determined by the game machine. It is added to the number of side balls.

FIG. 5 shows the electrical configuration of the gaming machine 10. The reference numeral 50 shown in the figure is the main control board 50. The main control board 50 includes a one-chip microcomputer 51 as a main part, which is a package of a CPU 51A, a RAM 51B, and a ROM 51C. The one-chip microcomputer 51 receives detection signals from various sensors, switches, etc. for detecting winning balls via an input/output circuit, and executes the main control board main program. Then, control data is output to the sub-control board 52, game ball management board 54, etc. according to the processing results.

The sub-control board 52, like the main control board 50, includes a one-chip microcomputer 53 packaged with a CPU 53A, a RAM 53B, and a ROM 53C. In the one-chip microcomputer 53, the CPU 53A takes out the sub-control board main program from the ROM 53C and runs it. Furthermore, the one-chip microcomputer 53 outputs control data to the display device 13 in accordance with the control data output from the main control board 50.

The game ball management board 54 manages the game balls stored on the game ball side and the balls stored in the card. Specifically, the game ball management board 54 receives detection signals from the firing ball sensor 35, the return ball sensor 36, and the prize ball sensor 37, and increases or decreases the number of balls stored on the gaming machine side. Further, the game ball management board 54 receives information read from the card 60C by the card unit 60, and transmits information to be written to the card 60C to the card unit 60. The game ball management board 54 is connected to the ball management unit 40, and based on the signal received from the ball management unit 40, the game ball management board 54 transfers game balls from the ball storage in the card to the game machine side storage, or transfers game balls from the ball storage in the card to the game machine side storage. The game ball is transferred from the ball to the ball stored in the card, and information about the balls in possession to be displayed on the display section 40H of the ball management unit 40 is output to the ball management unit 40.

Now, in conventional game machines where actual game balls are lent to players, the game balls are ejected outside the game machine, so it was possible to polish the game balls outside the game machine. In this case, it takes time and effort to take the game balls out of the game machine and polish them, so a mechanism for polishing the game balls is built into the game machine 10. In the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment, a mechanism for polishing game balls is adapted to the ball feeding device 45.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ball feeding device 45 is disposed in a passageway communicating between the ball storage section 30 and the firing device 31, and includes a gutter section 46 extending in the vertical direction, and a gutter section 46 that moves the game balls upward. It has a screw 47 for moving it to. The gutter section 46 includes a pair of opposing walls 46A that face each other in a first horizontal direction, and a screw opposing wall 46B that faces the screw 47 in a second horizontal direction that is orthogonal to the first horizontal direction. Each ball can pass through. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a polishing sheet 46C is fixed to the inner surface of the screw facing wall 46B. The screw facing wall 46B is removable so that the polishing sheet 46C can be replaced.

The screw 47 has a rotating shaft 47A, a spiral projecting portion 47B extending spirally from the rotating shaft 47A, and a motor 47C that rotationally drives the spiral projecting portion 47B together with the rotating shaft 47A. The spiral projecting portion 47B of the screw 47 projects into the gutter portion 46 and supports the game ball surrounded by the pair of opposing walls 46A and the screw opposing wall 46B from below.

When the screw 47 rotates, the game ball surrounded by the pair of opposing walls 46A and the screw opposing wall 46B is pushed up by the spiral projecting portion 47B, moves upward in the gutter 46, and is sent to the firing device 31. It will be done. At this time, since the polishing sheet 46C is arranged on the surface of the screw facing wall 46B, the game ball pushed up by the spiral projecting portion 47B of the screw 47 is pressed against the polishing sheet 46C and polished. In addition, since the game ball is polished just before being fired, it is possible to present a clean game ball to the player. In addition, in the ball sending device 45 of this embodiment, one game ball is sent to the firing device 31 when the screw 47 rotates once.

As described above, in the game machine 10, the game ball is polished by the polishing sheet 46C installed inside the game machine 10. Here, if the same polishing sheet 46C is used for a long time, the polishing sheet 46C will wear out or get dirty, so the polishing sheet 46C will need to be replaced by the staff of the game hall. However, the timing at which the polishing sheet 46C needs to be replaced is difficult to judge because it varies depending on the operating rate of the gaming machine 10 and the like.

In contrast, in the game machine 10 of the present embodiment, the game ball management board 54 cumulatively stores the number of game balls detected by the shot ball sensor 35 (i.e., the number of shots), and It is configured to be displayed on the firing number display section 41 (see FIG. 1). The count on the firing number display section 41 is reset (counted again from 0) by operating a reset button (not shown). The firing number display section 41 may be a liquid crystal display or may be a 7-segment display.

As a result, the game hall staff can use the shot number display section 41 to determine when to replace the polishing sheet 46C, such as replacing the polishing sheet 46C when the number of shots has exceeded 10 million, for example, on the shot number display section 41. It becomes possible to judge. Furthermore, by displaying the number of shots, the displayed number of game balls can be made to substantially match the number of game balls passing through the polishing sheet 46C.

[Modified example]
(1) In the above embodiment, the number of shots is displayed, but the number of game balls detected by the ejected ball sensor 22 (the number of ejected balls) may be displayed. In this case, there will be a difference between the number of balls displayed and the game balls passing through the polishing sheet 46C due to the returned balls, but since the ratio of the returned balls to the number of shots is extremely small, this is a sufficient guideline for replacing the polishing sheet 46C. It can be done.

(2) In the above embodiment, the firing number display section 41 was provided on the front door 10Z, but it may be arranged on the game ball management board 54 and not visible unless the front door 10Z is opened.

(3) The shot number display section 41 may also be used as a display section that displays the number of balls held and an error number when an error occurs. In this case, the configuration may be such that the number of shots fired, the number of balls held, etc. are displayed in order, or the configuration may be configured such that the display is triggered by the operation of a specific switch.

(4) The number of shots may be counted up one ball at a time, or may be counted up by one for each plurality of balls (for example, 10 balls).

(5) The timing of replacing or inspecting parts other than the polishing sheet 46C may be determined based on the displayed number of shots.

[Second embodiment]
A gaming machine 10V according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. The game machine 10V of this embodiment differs from the game machine 10 of the second embodiment in that it does not have the firing number display section 41 and has a different configuration for notifying the replacement timing of the polishing sheet 46C. Details will be explained below.

In the gaming machine 10V of this embodiment, any numerical value (for example, 10 million) can be set as the "specific number of balls" in the CPU of the game ball management board 54. Then, when the number of game balls detected by the shot ball sensor 35 (i.e., the number of shots) exceeds the "specific number of balls", the game ball management board 54 sends the sub control board 52 via the main control board 50, send a signal. Upon receiving this signal, the sub-control board 52 displays a message 13M on the display device 13 to urge replacement of the polishing sheet 46C (see FIG. 8). Thereby, the staff of the game hall can know the timing to replace the polishing sheet 46C by the message 13M. Note that the message 13M is deleted by operating a reset button (not shown).

[Modified example]
(1) In the above embodiment, the display timing of the message 13M is determined based on the number of shots, but it may be determined based on the number of game balls detected by the ejected ball sensor 22 (the number of ejected balls). In this case, there will be a difference between the number of balls displayed and the game balls passing through the polishing sheet 46C due to the returned balls, but since the ratio of the returned balls to the number of shots is extremely small, this is a sufficient guideline for replacing the polishing sheet 46C. It can be done.

(2) In the above embodiment, the specific number of balls is set in the game ball management board 54, but it may be set in the sub-control board 52. In this case, the game ball management board 54 will output a signal having information regarding the number of shots to the sub-control board 52, but this output may be performed for each ball, or for a predetermined number of balls (for example, 1000 balls). ) may be performed every time. In the latter case, the burden on the game ball management board 54 and the sub-control board 52 is suppressed.

(3) Instead of the message 13M, a mark that can be identified by the staff of the game hall may be displayed on the display device 13. Further, instead of displaying on the display device 13, a lamp may be turned on, or a warning sound or voice may be output from a speaker.

(4) A specific number of pitches may be set in order to determine the timing of replacing or inspecting parts other than the polishing sheet 46C.

[Other embodiments]
(1) The game ball may be polished with a polishing brush, polishing cloth, or the like instead of the polishing sheet 46C. Even in this case, the staff at the game hall can be informed of the timing to replace the polishing brush or polishing cloth.

(2) In the above embodiment, the polishing sheet 46C was placed between the ball storage section 30 and the firing device 31, but the polishing sheet 46C was placed inside the firing device 31, the ball storage section 30, the firing passage 11H, etc. You can leave it there. Further, the polishing sheet 46C may be arranged within the discharge path 21. In this case, it is preferable to display the number of ejections instead of the number of shots (in the case of the first embodiment), or to display the message 13M when the number of ejections exceeds a specific number.

Note that although specific examples of technologies included in the scope of the claims are disclosed in this specification and drawings, the technologies described in the claims are not limited to these specific examples. This includes various modifications and changes to the example, as well as cases in which a part of the specific example is taken out alone.

<Additional notes>
Invention groups A to B extracted from the above-described embodiments will be described below, showing effects and the like as necessary. Note that, in the following, for ease of understanding, configurations corresponding to the above embodiments are appropriately indicated in parentheses, etc., but the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations shown in parentheses.

(Invention group A)
Invention group A relates to gaming machines, and states, ``As a conventional gaming machine, there are known machines in which a plurality of game balls are sealed inside and the plurality of game balls are circulated and used for games (for example, 2020-014953 (see paragraphs [0040], [0041], FIG. 2))." Regarding the background technology "The above-mentioned conventional game machine is equipped with a polishing means for polishing the enclosed game ball. It can be considered that this was done in response to the problem that "there is a need for an operator to easily judge the timing of replacing the polishing means."

[Invention A1]
In an enclosed type game machine, which is provided with game balls enclosed and circulates the game balls that have been fired into a game area so that they can be fired back into the game area,
a polishing means for polishing the enclosed game ball;
A game machine comprising: special ball number display means for displaying a special ball number related to the number of polished game balls.

According to the game machine of invention A1, since the special number of balls related to the number of game balls polished by the polishing means is displayed, the timing of replacing the polishing means can be adjusted according to the number of game balls polished by the polishing means. This can be determined based on the number of related special pitches.

[Invention A2]
comprising a firing device that fires a game ball into the game area,
The polishing means is disposed in a polishing path through which the game balls can pass one by one among the routes that the game balls fired by the firing device and flowing down the gaming area must pass before reaching the firing device again. The gaming machine according to invention A1.

[Invention A3]
The gaming machine according to invention A2, wherein the special ball number display means displays the number of game balls fired by the firing device as the special number of balls.

[Invention A4]
a ball storage section in which game balls flowing down the gaming area are stored;
a communication section that communicates between the ball storage section and the launch device;
a firing path that guides game balls fired by the firing device to the gaming area;
A return passage branching from the middle of the firing passageway and communicating with a ball storage unit for returning game balls that were fired to the firing device but did not enter the gaming area to the ball storage unit. ,
The gaming machine according to invention A3, wherein the polishing means is arranged in the communication section.

(Invention group B)
Invention group B relates to gaming machines, and states, ``As conventional gaming machines, there are known machines in which a plurality of game balls are sealed inside and the plurality of game balls are circulated for use in games (for example, 2020-014953 (see paragraphs [0040], [0041], FIG. 2))." Regarding the background technology "The above-mentioned conventional game machine is equipped with a polishing means for polishing the enclosed game ball. It can be considered that this was done in response to the problem that "there is a need for an operator to easily judge the timing of replacing the polishing means."

[Invention B1]
In an enclosed type game machine, which is provided with game balls enclosed and circulates the game balls that have been fired into a game area so that they can be fired back into the game area,
a polishing means for polishing the enclosed game ball;
a specific number setting means that can set any value as a specific number;
A game machine comprising: a notification means for notifying that a special number of balls related to the number of game balls polished by the polishing means has exceeded the specific number.

According to the game machine of invention B1, since it is notified that the special number of game balls related to the number of game balls polished by the polishing means has exceeded an arbitrarily set specific number, the timing of replacing the polishing means can be adjusted. , it becomes possible to judge based on the special ball number related to the number of game balls polished by the polishing means.

[Invention B2]
comprising a firing device that fires a game ball into the game area,
The polishing means is disposed in a polishing path through which the game balls can pass one by one among the routes that the game balls fired by the firing device and flowing down the gaming area must pass before reaching the firing device again. The gaming machine according to invention B1.

[Invention B3]
The gaming machine according to invention B2, wherein the special number of balls is the number of game balls fired by the firing device.

[Invention B4]
a ball storage section in which game balls flowing down the gaming area are stored;
a communication section that communicates between the ball storage section and the launch device;
a firing path that guides game balls fired by the firing device to the gaming area;
A return passage branching from the middle of the firing passageway and communicating with a ball storage unit for returning game balls that were fired to the firing device but did not enter the gaming area to the ball storage unit. ,
The gaming machine according to invention B3, wherein the polishing means is disposed in the communication section.

[Invention B5]
special pitch number storage means for cumulatively storing the special pitch number and outputting a signal having information on the special pitch number to the notification means;
The gaming machine according to any one of inventions B1 to B4, wherein the special ball number storage means outputs the signal to the notification means for every predetermined plurality of balls.

10,10V Game machine 11H Launch path 11R Return path 13 Display device 21 Ejection path 22 Ejection ball sensor 30 Ball storage section 31 Launch device 35 Launch ball sensor 36 Return ball sensor 36 Front door 41 Launch number display section 45 Ball feeding device 46 Gutter Part 46C Polishing sheet 47 Screw 50 Main control board 52 Sub control board 54 Game ball management board

Claims (1)

In an enclosed type game machine, which is provided with game balls enclosed and circulates the game balls that have been fired into a game area so that they can be fired back into the game area,
a firing device that fires a game ball into the game area;
a ball storage section in which game balls flowing down the gaming area are stored;
a communication section that communicates between the ball storage section and the launch device;
a firing path that guides game balls fired by the firing device to the gaming area;
a return path that branches off from the middle of the firing path and connects to a ball storage section for returning game balls that were fired at the firing device but did not enter the gaming area to the ball storage section;
A game ball fired by the firing device and flowing down the gaming area is placed in a polishing passage through which the game balls can pass one by one among the communication portions through which the game balls must pass before reaching the firing device again, and the game balls are sealed. a polishing means for polishing a game ball;
a specific number setting means that can set any value as a specific number;
A game machine comprising: a notification means for notifying that a number obtained by subtracting the number of return balls collected in the return path from the number of game balls fired by the firing device exceeds the specific number .

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