JP7510057B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines.

Conventionally, slot machines (reel type gaming machines) are known as one type of gaming machine. One type of slot machine known is a point-type slot machine that allows players to play using points stored on a card without using medals (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-56055 A

The problem this invention aims to solve is to improve the performance of the gaming machine.

In the present invention, the total score storage means is configured to store a total score indicating the current number of game media,
The total points stored in the total points storage means are configured to be updateable in response to betting processes related to the gaming media;
The total points stored in the total points storage means are configured to be updated in response to the awarding process of the game media,
The total score stored in the total score storage means is configured to be updateable in response to a lending process relating to the game medium,
When the total score stored in the total score storage means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and less than an upper limit, the lending process for the game medium is disabled;
When the total score stored in the total score storage means is equal to the certain value, a betting process related to the gaming media is enabled;
When the total score stored in the total score storage means is equal to the certain value, a state in which a grant process for the game medium is possible is established;
The gaming machine is configured such that, at a predetermined timing when the hall control/fraud monitoring information can be output to the lending unit side, the first gaming state is in progress, the number of bets is 0, and the number of awarded points is 0, and at a second timing when a first period has elapsed from the predetermined timing and a second period has elapsed since the start-up of the gaming machine is complete, the first gaming state is in progress, the number of bets is 0, and the number of awarded points is 0, at the second timing when the gaming machine is in progress, the gaming machine installation information can be output to the lending unit side,
The apparatus is configured such that, at a predetermined timing when the hall control/fraud monitoring information can be output to the lending unit side, the first gaming state is in effect, the number of bets is 0, and the number of awarded points is 0, and at a second timing when a first period has elapsed from the predetermined timing and a second period has elapsed since the start-up of the gaming machine is completed, the first gaming state is in effect, the number of bets is a specific value (the specific value is a value of 1 or more), and the number of awarded points is 0, the hall control/fraud monitoring information can be output to the lending unit side at the second timing.
Amusement machine.
The present invention also provides a cabinet having a front door that can close the cabinet,
The device is configured to be capable of outputting predetermined information to the rental device at predetermined intervals,
In a situation where the front door is open, the predetermined information is configured to include information indicating that the front door is open,
In a situation where the front door is closed, the predetermined information may include information indicating that the front door is closed, and the predetermined information may include information indicating that the front door is open,
The gaming machine may be configured so that when it is determined that the front door is open, a timer set process is executed for a predetermined period of time, and when the front door is open, the timer set process can be executed multiple times.

This invention can improve the performance of the gaming machine.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the front door of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view of the cabinet of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the reel arrangement of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing symbol combinations of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing symbol combinations of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing symbol combinations of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing symbol combinations of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing symbol combinations of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a condition device of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the objects of the internal lottery of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the result of an internal lottery in the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the result of an internal lottery in the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the contents of messages used for communication between the gaming machine and the rental unit of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the contents of a gaming machine information notification, which is one of the messages output from the gaming machine of the present embodiment to the rental unit. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the gaming machine type included in the gaming machine information notification output by the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing gaming machine information included in a message when gaming machine performance information is set, among the gaming machine information notifications output by the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing gaming machine information included in a message when gaming machine installation information is set, among the gaming machine information notifications output by the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing gaming machine information included in a message when hall control/fraud monitoring information is set, among gaming machine information notifications output by the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a basic communication sequence between the gaming machine and the rental unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the start-up sequence of the gaming machine and rental unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the start-up sequence of the gaming machine and rental unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the counting notification sequence between the gaming machine and the rental unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a lending notification sequence between the gaming machine and the lending unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a recovery sequence from a communication abnormality between the gaming machine and the rental unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a sequence when a communication error occurs during counting between the gaming machine and the rental unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a sequence when a communication abnormality occurs during rental between the gaming machine and the rental unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 28 is a flowchart relating to counting control of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing the score awarding process of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 30 is a flowchart relating to the gaming machine information management of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a transmission pattern of a gaming machine information notification after the initial startup of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing a second transmission pattern of hall control/fraud monitoring information among the gaming machine information notifications of the gaming machine according to this embodiment. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a pattern in which the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information and the gaming machine installation information, among the gaming machine information notifications of the gaming machine according to this embodiment, coincides. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a pattern in which the transmission timing of hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information, among the gaming machine information notifications of the gaming machine according to this embodiment, coincides. Figure 35 is a comparative example to explain the action and effect of the gaming machine of this embodiment, and shows an undesirable example in which the number of balls inserted signal ON and the BB status signal ON are transmitted at the same time as the hall control/fraud monitoring information. FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a preferred example in which the input number signal ON and the BB state signal ON are transmitted with hole control/fraud monitoring information at different times in the gaming machine according to this embodiment. Figure 37 is a comparative example to explain the action and effect of the gaming machine of this embodiment, and shows an undesirable example in which the payout number signal ON and the BB status signal ON are transmitted at different times in the hall control/fraud monitoring information. FIG. 38 is a diagram showing a preferred example in which the payout number signal ON and the BB state signal ON are transmitted at the same timing in the hall control/fraud monitoring information in the gaming machine according to this embodiment.

<Terminology>
"Medals (number of medals)", "game media (number of game media)", "game value", and "points (points or points)" are synonymous, and may be referred to as medals as a concept even if there are no actual medals. "Bet", "BET", and "insertion" regarding game media are synonymous, and all are acts of betting game media. "Performance selection switch P8W" and "Performance decision switch P8E" may be collectively referred to as "sub-switches". When expressing a hexadecimal number, it is written as "0x00" or "00h", and if there is no special notation before or after the number, it is expressed in decimal. "Reel" may be referred to as "rotor", all of which are synonymous. "Storage means" may be referred to as "RWM", "RAM", or "storage area", all of which are synonymous. "Grant" used in "grant of game media" or "grant of points" may be referred to as "payout", all of which are synonymous. The "setting/reset switch" may be referred to as a "setting change switch" or a "reset switch" depending on its function, but in either case, it refers to the same switch. Note that the "setting change switch" and the "reset switch" may each be provided as separate switches.

The following describes (outline) the features of the gaming machine P according to this embodiment. Each element will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

<Description of the Appearance of the Gaming Machine P>
First, the basic structure of the gaming machine P according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the gaming machine P, a front door P2 (also called a front mask, a front door, a front panel, a door, or a door) and a cabinet P1 (also called a rear box or a housing) are locked by a hinge structure. The hinge structure is provided on the left side when the gaming machine P is viewed from the front, and is configured so that the front door P2 can be opened with the left side as an axis. In order to open the front door P2, a door opening key is inserted into a cylinder provided on the right side when the gaming machine P is viewed from the front (provided on the right side of the front door P2) when the gaming machine P is viewed from the front, and the door opening key is rotated to the right, thereby making it possible to change from a locked state to an unlocked state (an unlocked state). In addition, it may be possible to cancel a door opening error by rotating the door opening key to the left while it is inserted into the cylinder of the front door P2. In addition, the reversible errors are not limited to door opening errors, but may include, for example, all or some of the types of errors that can be recovered from by operating a reset switch (specifically, deposit abnormality, settlement abnormality, dispensing abnormality, communication abnormality, total score upper limit abnormality, total score threshold reached state, loaning device connection abnormality, loaning serial number abnormality, loaning device communication abnormality 1, loaning device communication abnormality 2, loaning device communication abnormality 3, loaning device communication abnormality 4, loaning device communication abnormality 5, loaning device communication abnormality 6, loaning device communication abnormality 7, etc.).

A door switch is provided near the cylinder on the back side of the front door P2, and it is possible to determine whether the front door P2 is open or closed by detecting whether the door switch is on or off.

The door switch can move back and forth using an elastic member such as a spring, and when the front door P2 is closed, the tip of the door switch comes into contact with the door switch receiving portion provided on the cabinet P1, causing the door switch to be pushed in. When the door switch is pushed in, an optical sensor provided on the door switch is blocked from light, detecting that the door switch is ON and determining that the door is closed.

In addition, when the front door P2 is open, the tip of the door switch is not in contact with the door switch receiving portion provided on the cabinet P1, and the door switch is in a protruding state due to the biasing force of an elastic member such as a spring. When the door switch is in a protruding state, the optical sensor provided on the door switch detects that the door switch is OFF because light is not blocked, and it is determined that the door is open.

The process of determining whether the door is open or not is performed for each interrupt process by the main control board P15. In the input port reading process within the interrupt process by the main control board P15, the input port corresponding to the door switch is checked to determine whether the door is open or not based on whether the door switch is ON or OFF.

The above-mentioned process for determining whether the door is open is not limited to this, and the correspondence between the detection result of the door switch being ON or OFF and the determination of whether the door is open may be reversed. For example, the door may be determined to be open by detecting that the door switch is ON, and the door may be determined to be closed by detecting that the door switch is OFF. In addition, the door switch may also be one that detects whether the door is open or closed using various sensors such as a proximity sensor, or the door may be opened by detecting that the door open key has been turned to the right.

On the front side of the front door P2, there are provided a start switch P3, a left stop switch P4L, a middle stop switch P4C, a right stop switch P4R (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as "stop switches P4"), a max bet switch P5M, a 1 bet switch P5O (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as "bet switches P5"), a settlement switch P6, a counting switch P7 (hereinafter, these may be referred to as a counting button), a performance selection switch P8W, a performance decision switch P8E, etc. In addition, a game media number display unit P9 and a number of awards display unit (not shown) are provided as display units for notifying information related to the game. In addition, there are provided a display window P10 for making the reels visible, and an image display unit (image display unit P11M, image display unit P11S) for increasing interest in the game.

(Start switch P3)
It is a lever-shaped switch that becomes active when any specified number of gaming media is bet (for example, a number of gaming media selected by the player from 1 to 3 input points is bet), and when operated, it starts the spinning of the reels.

(Stop switch P4)
In this embodiment, the left reel P18L corresponds to the left stop switch P4L, the center reel P18C corresponds to the center stop switch P4C, and the right reel P18R corresponds to the right stop switch P4R. When the stop switch P4 can be operated, the color of the lamp on the main body of the stop switch P4 or around it is changed to indicate that the stop switch P4 is active. For example, when the stop switch P4 can be operated, it is lit in blue, and when it cannot be operated, it is lit in red.

(Bet switch P5 (MAX bet switch P5M, 1 bet switch P5O))
The bet number is set by operating the bet switch P5 when the information stored in the gaming medium number storage means (also called the total score storage area) which is provided in the gaming machine P (more specifically, the gaming medium number control board P16) and stores the number of gaming media (also called the total score) owned by the player is not 0 (when the information displayed on the gaming medium number display unit P9 is not 0). However, if the information stored in the gaming medium number storage means is 0, the operation of the bet switch P5 is invalid (not accepted). In addition, the bet switch P5 is composed of a MAX bet switch P5M which allows the player to bet the maximum number set for each gaming machine P, and a 1 bet switch P5O which allows the player to bet "1". The 1 bet switch P5O is configured to be operated multiple times to bet the same number of coins as the number of operations within the range of the maximum bet number.

(Settlement switch P6)
When the settlement switch P6 is operated under a condition where a value of "1" or more is stored in the bet number storage means provided in the gaming machine P (under a condition where the bet number is a value of "1" or more), the number of bets stored in the bet number storage means is added to the number of game media storage means. For example, when the settlement switch P6 is operated under a condition where "2" is stored in the bet number storage means and "100" is stored in the game media number storage means, "0" is stored in the bet number storage means and "102" is stored in the game media number storage means. The period during which the settlement process can be executed when the operation of the settlement switch P6 is accepted is from the insertion of the game media until the start switch P3 is operated. In other words, the settlement process is not executed even if the operation of the settlement switch P6 is accepted from the operation of the start switch P3 until the end of the game. Alternatively, the operation of the settlement switch P6 may be accepted from the time the game medium is inserted until the start switch P3 is operated, but the operation of the settlement switch P6 may not be accepted from the time the start switch P3 is operated until the game ends.

Also, the 1 bet switch P5O and the settlement switch P6 may be configured as one switch (1 bet switch/settlement switch). For example, the function may be switched depending on the long press time of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch, and when the pressing time is less than 1000 ms (when the operation of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch is no longer accepted before 1000 ms has elapsed since the operation of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch is accepted), the function of the 1 bet switch P5O may be executed, and when the pressing time is 1000 ms or more (when 1000 ms has elapsed since the operation of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch is accepted), the function of the settlement switch P6 may be executed. Note that, in order to execute the function of the settlement switch P6 when 1000 ms have elapsed since the operation of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch is accepted, it is not necessary for the operation of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch to be no longer accepted, and the function of the settlement switch P6 is executed even if the operation of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch is accepted 1000 ms after the operation of the 1 bet switch/settlement switch is accepted.

(Counting switch P7)
By operating the counting switch P7, the information stored in the gaming medium number storage means can be transmitted to a rental unit outside the gaming machine P via a gaming ball etc. rental device connection terminal board (described later) provided in the gaming machine P. For example, in a situation where "50" is stored in the gaming medium number storage means, by operating the counting switch P7, the information "50" can be transmitted as a count value to the gaming ball etc. rental device connection terminal board, and then the information "50" can be transmitted as a count value to the rental unit. Note that the counting switch P7 is operated, and the gaming medium number storage means is configured to store "0" after the count value is transmitted.

(Performance selection switch P8W)
The effect selection switch P8W is a so-called "cross key" and is composed of an up switch, a right switch, a down switch, and a left switch. For example, by operating the up switch of the effect selection switch P8W, it is possible to move a cursor or the like displayed on the image display device P11M or the image display device P11S upward. In addition, during game standby (also called game standby state), the game may be configured such that operating the up switch increases the volume, operating the down switch decreases the volume, operating the right switch increases the light intensity of the lamp, and operating the left switch decreases the light intensity of the lamp.

(Performance decision switch P8E)
The effect determination switch P8E plays the role of a determination button when determining an effect, or a chance button when executing an effect that suggests to the player that a situation advantageous to the player will occur. For example, when the cursor is pointed to an item displayed on the image display device P11M or the image display device P11S, the item indicated by the cursor can be determined by operating the effect determination switch P8E. Also, when an effect such as "Press the chance button!" is displayed on the image display device P11M or the image display device P11S during a game, the effect determination switch P8E is operated so that the next effect can be executed. Note that the effect determination switch P8E may be provided with a drive source (solenoid, motor, etc.) to execute an effect in which the operation part of the effect determination switch P8E vibrates up and down.

(Number of gaming media display section P9)
This is a display device for displaying information on the number of gaming media (also called total points) stored in the gaming media number storage means, and can display numerical information of up to five digits. The display section for each digit constituting the gaming media number display section P9 is made up of five segment display sections arranged in a horizontal row, and the information on the number of gaming media can be notified by a combination of lighting and extinguishing of the seven segments constituting the segment display section. The five segments may include decimal points (sometimes called DP points), and a display mode using decimal points is also acceptable.

In this embodiment, the maximum number of gaming media that can be displayed on the gaming media number display unit P9 is "16383", and when "1" is displayed, "□□□□1" (four □ indicate blanks (four of the five segment display units are not lit)) is displayed right-justified. Also, when the number of gaming media stored in the gaming media number storage means is "0", "□□□□0" is displayed. If the number of gaming media stored in the gaming media number storage means is "0", and "□□□□□" is displayed on the gaming media number display unit P9, there is a possibility that the gaming media number display unit P9 may be mistakenly recognized as malfunctioning even when it is not malfunctioning. For this reason, by displaying "□□□□0" on the gaming media number display unit P9, it is possible to know that the gaming media number display unit P9 is not malfunctioning.

In addition, when an error occurs, the game media number display unit P9 may display error information corresponding to the error that occurred instead of notifying the game media number information. In this case, the game media number display unit P9 may display the game media number information and the error information alternately. For example, the game media number information may be displayed repeatedly in the following manner: display the game media number information for 3 seconds → display the error information for 3 seconds → display the game media number information for 3 seconds → ... In addition, when an error is displayed on the game media number display unit P9, "Pxx□□" (two □ indicate a space, and two x indicate a number, symbol, or alphabet (the type of error can be understood by displaying "xx", which is error identification information corresponding to various errors)) is displayed left-justified. In other words, the game media number information is displayed right-justified, such as the above-mentioned "1", and the minimum digit (the rightmost segment display unit) displays any of the numerical information "0" to "9". On the other hand, error information is displayed left-justified as in the above-mentioned "Pxx□□", and the lowest digit is hidden, so no numerical information is displayed (the rightmost segment display unit is not lit). By configuring it in this way, it is easy to determine whether the currently displayed information is numerical information or error information based on whether the lowest digit of the game medium number display unit P9 is displayed (whether at least a part of the rightmost segment display unit is lit).

Furthermore, by checking whether the second segment display section from the right of the gaming medium count display section P9 is similarly lit or unlit, it is easy to determine whether the currently displayed information is numerical information or error information.

In addition, when controlling a gaming machine using a main control chip and a gaming media number chip as in this embodiment, errors detected by the main control chip are expressed as "Pxx□□" and errors detected by the gaming media number chip are expressed as "Hxx□□", making it easier to determine where the error is occurring. For example, since an insertion abnormality is detected by the main control chip, it can be displayed as "P01□□", "PE1□□", etc., and since a communication abnormality is detected by the gaming media number chip, it can be displayed as "H01□□", "HE1□□", etc. In this way, by simultaneously displaying identification information such as "P" and "H" corresponding to the chip that detected the error (location of the abnormality), and error identification information such as "E1" and "01" corresponding to the above "xx", it is possible to display the location of the abnormality and the abnormality type (type of error) without changing the number of digits, even if there are more than 100 types of abnormalities.

In addition, while an example has been described in which the identification information is changed depending on which chip detected the error, this is not limiting, and the identification information may be changed depending on the type of error. For example, a recoverable error may be expressed as "Pxx□□", and an unrecoverable error may be expressed as "Hxx□□". With this configuration, it becomes easier to determine the importance of the error.

In addition, when an error is displayed on the game media number display unit P9, if an error occurs that allows counting processing, and the counting switch is operated while the error is being displayed to perform counting processing, the game media number display unit P9 may be configured to alternate between displaying information on the number of game media and information on the error, even during counting processing. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to check the error information even during counting processing.

In addition, when an error is displayed on the game media number display unit P9, if an error occurs that allows the lending process to be performed, and the lending switch is operated while the error is displayed to perform the lending process, the game media number display unit P9 may be configured to alternate between displaying information on the number of game media and information on the error, even during the lending process. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to check the error information even during the lending process.

In addition, when an error is displayed on the game medium number display unit P9, if the power is turned off while an error is displayed on the game medium number display unit P9, and the power is turned on while the total score clear switch is operated, the total score will be initialized but the error will not be cleared, so the game medium number display unit P9 may be configured to alternate between displaying information indicating "0" and error information. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to check the error information even if the total score clear switch is operated and the total score is initialized.

(Number of awards display section)
When game media (scores) are awarded as a result of a game, the display device is for displaying the number of awarded game media, and can display numerical information up to two digits. The display unit for each digit constituting the awarded number display unit is composed of a plurality of segments, and the information on the number of game media can be notified by lighting the segments. In addition, when error information corresponding to an error that has occurred is not displayed on the game media number display unit P9, the error information corresponding to the error that has occurred may be displayed on the awarded number display unit. In this case, the awarded number display unit may display the error information after the information on the number of awarded game media. For example, when the number of game media to be awarded as a result of a game is set to "7", the awarded number display unit may display "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", and "7", and then "E1" (error code). The awarded number display unit is not shown, but it is considered to be located to the left of the settlement switch P6 and the 1 bet switch P5O when viewed from the front.

(Display window P10)
With the front door P2 closed, the symbols on the reel tape attached to each of the left reel P18L, the center reel P18C, and the right reel P18R (see FIG. 3), which are provided so as to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction, can be seen through the display window P10. Specifically, when the reels are stopped, three symbols that are consecutive along the rotation direction of the left reel P18L, the center reel P18C, and the right reel P18R, among the 21 symbols (20, 16, etc.), can be seen through the display window P10. That is, a total of nine symbols (3 [symbols] x 3 [reels]) can be seen through the display window P10. Here, among the stop display positions where the left reel P18L, the center reel P18C, and the right reel P18R each display three symbols, the uppermost stop display position is called the upper row, the central stop display position is called the middle row, and the lowermost stop display position is called the lower row.

(Image display device)
The image display device displays various presentation images, as well as game instruction images that instruct the order in which to press the stop switch P4 during play, error images when an error occurs, etc. In this embodiment, two image display devices, an image display device P11M and an image display device P11S, are provided as the image display device. Note that, depending on the model, there may be only one image display device, three or more image display devices, or none at all. As the image display device, various types of display devices can be used, such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, a dot display, a projector, etc., as long as they are display devices that allow the player to view images.

In addition, an operation mode display device (also called an instruction monitor) that notifies the operation mode of the stop switch P4 may be provided. The operation mode of the stop switch P4 may be notified to the number of awards display unit (or may serve as both). When the operation mode of the stop switch P4 is notified to the number of awards display unit, the number of awards display unit may be called an instruction monitor. In addition, a 1 bet lamp, 2 bet lamp, or 3 bet lamp for notifying the number of bets, a replay indicator lamp indicating that a replay (also called a replay) is possible, a game executable lamp indicating that a game can be played by operating the start switch P3, and a game medium insert possible lamp indicating that a game medium can be inserted by operating the bet switch P5 may be provided.

<Explanation of the main parts located on the back of the front door P2 of the gaming machine P>

Next, the rear structure of the front door P2 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2.

(Sub-control board P12)
The sub-control board P12 (also referred to as sub-control means, sub-control board (means), or performance control board (means)) is housed in the case of the sub-control board P12. The sub-control board P12 is equipped with a sub-control CPU, a sub-control ROM, and a sub-control RAM (the sub-control CPU, the sub-control ROM, and the sub-control RAM may be built into one chip). The sub-control CPU, the sub-control ROM, and the sub-control RAM are capable of data communication with each other via a bus. The sub-control board P12 determines the data to be output to the performance lamps, speakers, and image display devices (image display device P11M, image display device P11S) based on information (also referred to as commands) from the main control board P15 described later. In other words, the sub-control board P12 mainly executes control related to performance. Note that the sub-control board P12 cannot transmit information to the main control board P15 (one-way communication). In addition, data input by operating the performance selection switch P8W or the performance decision switch P8E is obtained, and data to be output to the performance lamps, speakers, and image display devices (image display device P11M, image display device P11S) is determined based on the data input by operating the performance selection switch P8W or the performance decision switch P8E.

(Game Media Number Display Board P13)
The game medium number display board P13 is a board that displays the game medium number display unit P9. Specifically, it is a board on which the game medium number display unit P9 is installed.
(Speaker)
There are four speakers: an upper right speaker P14UR and an upper left speaker (not shown) at the top of the front door, and a lower right speaker P14DR and a lower left speaker P14DL at the bottom of the front door.The speakers output sound effects that match the performance, as well as error sounds and warning sounds to notify users that an error has occurred.

<Explanation of the main parts located in cabinet P1 of gaming machine P>

Next, the internal structure of the cabinet P1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

(Main control board P15)
The main control board P15 (also referred to as the main control means, the first main control board (means), the main control board (means), or the game control board (means)) is housed in a main control board case. The main control board P15 is protected by the main control board case, and the main control board case is sealed with a crimp (also referred to as a sealing member) so that it is difficult to open the main control board case.

The main control board P15 is equipped with a first main control CPU, a first main control ROM, and a first main control RAM (the first main control CPU, the first main control ROM, and the first main control RAM are built into a single chip and are referred to as the main control chip). The first main control CPU, the first main control ROM, and the first main control RAM are capable of data communication with each other via a bus. The main control board P15 performs internal lottery drawing, reel control such as driving and stopping the reels, prize determination control based on the stopped symbol combination when all reels are stopped, and game state transition control between various game states such as the bonus game state (also simply referred to as the bonus) and the RT state.

A RAM clear switch is connected to the main control board P15, and the advantageous zone information stored in the main control board P15 can be cleared by operating the RAM clear switch. When the RAM clear switch is operated during an advantageous zone, the advantageous zone ends and the normal zone is set. The information cleared by operating the RAM clear switch is information about the advantageous zone, and the set value, total score, number of bets, RT state, and information about the role ratio monitor are not cleared. In addition, the method of operating the RAM clear switch to clear the advantageous zone may be to press it once, or to detect that it has been pressed for a predetermined period of time (so-called long press), or to turn on the power while it is pressed. The RAM clear switch is located in a position that cannot be operated by the player (user) (for example, the main control board P15 that is not exposed unless the front door P2 is opened, inside the cabinet, the back of the front door, etc.). In addition, the RAM clear switch may also be used as a reset switch. Details will be provided later, but the advantageous zone is a play zone in which the instruction monitor may notify advantageous stop switch operation modes (including operation sequence and operation position), and the normal zone is a play zone in which the instruction monitor does not notify advantageous stop switch operation modes.

The built-in ROM of the main control chip mounted on the main control board P15 has a storage capacity of "16 KB or less", and has a usage area (also called the first program) of "7.5 KB or less" and the rest outside the usage area (also called the second program). The usage area has a control area (also called the first control area) of "4.5 KB or less" in which the programs executed by the main control board P15 are stored, and a data area (also called the first data area) of "3.0 KB or less" in which only information other than programs is stored or will be stored. The outside the usage area has a control area (also called the second control area) and a data area (also called the second data area) similar to the usage area. The usage area stores programs related to the progress of the game, and the outside the usage area stores programs related to anti-fraud measures and programs used for gaming machine testing.

(Game Media Number Control Board P16)
The game media number control board P16 (also referred to as the second main control board (means), payout control board (means), medal count control board (means), medal count display control board (means), or game media number display control board (means)) is housed in a game media number control board case. The game media number control board P16 is protected by the game media number control board case, and the game media number control board case is sealed with a crimp (also referred to as a sealing member) so that it is difficult to open the game media number control board case.

The game media number control board P16 is equipped with a second main control CPU, a second main control ROM, and a second main control RAM (the second main control CPU, the second main control ROM, and the second main control RAM may be built into a single chip). The second main control CPU, the second main control ROM, and the second main control RAM are capable of data communication with each other via a bus. The game media number control board P16 can control the display of the game media number display unit P9, send information to the rental unit via the game ball etc. rental device connection terminal board described below, receive information from the rental unit via the game ball etc. rental device connection terminal board, send information to the main control board P15, and receive information from the main control board P15.

The game media count control board P16 also has a game media count storage means for storing the number of game media acquired, and stores the number of game media currently owned by the user by adding the number of game media awarded, which is the number of game media awarded as a result of winning, and subtracting the number of game media inserted, which is the number of game media used to start playing.

A total score clear switch is connected to the game media number control board P16, and the total score stored in the game media number control board P16 can be cleared by turning on the power (detecting the operation of the total score clear switch during the power-on process) while the total score clear switch is being operated (pressed) when the power is off. The information that is cleared by operating the total score clear switch is the total score only; other information (e.g., bet number information, etc.) is not cleared. The total score clear switch can be operated by pressing it once, or by detecting that it has been pressed for a predetermined period of time (so-called long press). The total score clear switch is located in a position that cannot be operated by the user (e.g., on the game media number control board P16, inside the cabinet, or on the back of the front door).

If the total score is cleared by turning on the power while the total score clear switch is operated, the total score clear status is set to ON, and the ON status is maintained until the end of the first game that is started after that, after which the total score clear status is set to OFF. The information on the total score clear status may be sent to the rental unit, and when the rental unit receives information that the total score clear status is ON, it clears the total score information stored in the rental unit. In addition, if rental points are awarded by the rental unit while the total score clear status is ON on the gaming machine P, the rental points are added as new total points while the total score clear status remains ON, and even if one game ends and the total score clear status is set to OFF, the total score to which the new rental points have been added is not cleared.

If the power is turned off during play (while the reels are spinning, while a payout is being processed, etc.) and the power is turned on again while the total score clear switch is operated, the total score will not be cleared and the total score clear status will remain OFF. If the power is turned off after play is finished and the power is turned on again while the total score clear switch is operated, the total score will be cleared and the total score clear status will be turned ON. In this case, the game media number control board P16 determines whether or not play is in progress based on the game start information and game end information sent from the main control board P15, and prevents the total score from being cleared by operating the total score clear switch when play is in progress.

In addition, if the total score clear switch is operated during play, play ends with the total score clear switch operated, the power is turned off with the total score clear switch operated and play ends, and the power is turned on with the total score clear switch operated, the total scores will be cleared and the total score clear status will be turned ON.

The total score clear switch may also be configured to clear the total score and turn the total score clear status ON when the power is turned off during play and then turned on while the total score clear switch is operated. In this case, the total score clear status is turned from ON to OFF based on the end of the game following the game in which the total score clear switch was operated. In other words, the total score clear status is maintained ON at the end of the game in which the total score clear switch was operated, and the total score clear status is turned OFF when the next game ends. This allows the total score clear status to be maintained ON for the next game even if the total score clear status is only ON for a short time (the total score clear switch is operated just before the end of the game), so that fraud such as clearing the total score can be suppressed. The total score clear status may also be turned OFF after the game in which the total score clear switch was operated is completed. In this case, the effect of reducing capacity is expected by sharing the program that updates the total score clear status.

Although the total score clear switch is not cleared by simply pressing it, the total score clear switch is detected, and therefore a monitor lamp is lit to allow the amusement center manager to visually check whether there is an abnormality in the switch managed by the game media count control board P16. On the other hand, instead of the monitor lamp being lit when the total score clear switch is detected, the monitor lamp may be configured to be turned off when the total score clear switch is detected and to be lit when the total score clear switch is not detected. Note that the monitor lamp is a lamp mounted on the main control board P15 and/or the game media count control board P16, but may also be mounted on another board.

In addition, if the power is turned off during or after play has ended, and the power is turned on with the setting key switch ON and the total score clear switch ON, the main control board P15 determines whether the setting key switch is ON, and the game media count control board P16 determines whether the total score clear switch is ON.

When the power is turned on with the setting key switch ON and the total score clear switch ON, the setting change mode is activated and the setting value can be selected after initializing a specific range of the memory area of the first main control RAM. On the other hand, in the game media number control board P16, the memory area of a specific range of the second main control RAM is initialized based on the power being turned on, and then the total score is cleared by initializing the memory area of the second main control RAM that stores the total score based on the total score clear switch being ON. This configuration allows the setting to be changed and the total score to be cleared simultaneously with a single power-on, preventing the game center manager from having to perform cumbersome operations.

Here, when the power is turned on with the setting key switch ON and the total score clear switch ON, the main control board P15 starts the setting change mode and initializes the memory area of a predetermined range of the first main control RAM. Then, when the setting change mode termination condition is met (after the start switch P3 is operated to confirm the setting value, the setting key switch is turned OFF), the setting change mode is terminated. After that, when the bet button is operated, the bet processing using the total score is executed (waiting for play). In other words, if the initialization of the memory area storing the total score is not completed by the time the setting change mode ends, there is a possibility that the bet processing based on the total score that has not been cleared will be performed. In order to eliminate such a defect, it is preferable that when the power is turned on with the setting key switch ON and the total score clear switch ON, the timing at which the initialization of the memory area storing the total score of the second main control RAM starts is earlier than the timing at which the initialization of the memory area of the predetermined range of the first main control RAM starts. As another method, when the power is turned on with the setting key switch ON and the total score clear switch ON, it is preferable to configure the timing at which initialization of the memory area storing the total score in the second main control RAM is completed earlier than the timing at which initialization of a predetermined range of memory areas in the first main control RAM is completed.

In addition, if the power is turned on with the setting key switch ON and the total score clear switch ON, it is possible to switch to the setting change mode but not clear the total score. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the total score from being cleared even if the total score clear switch is accidentally operated during the process of switching to the setting change mode. The total score is important information, and if it is important that it is not easily cleared, this type of control system may be used.

It is also possible that when the power is turned on with the setting key switch ON and the total score clear switch ON, the total score is cleared without switching to the setting change mode. With this configuration, even if the setting key switch is accidentally operated while clearing the total score, it is possible to prevent switching to the setting change mode. The setting value is important information for controlling profits in an arcade, and if it is important to prevent unauthorized changes, this type of control system may be used.

When the setting change mode is entered, the LCD will display "Setting change mode in progress", the frame lamp will light up in red, and the speaker will output background music for the setting change mode and the voice "Settings being changed", respectively, until the setting change mode is terminated. When the total score is cleared, the frame lamp will light up in orange, and the speaker will output the voice "Total score cleared" for a short period of time or once. For this reason, even if the setting change mode is entered and the total score is cleared at the same time, the notification regarding the total score being cleared, which is output for a short period of time or once, is given priority in order to make it easier to recognize all situations. To prioritize, for example, if the audio channel for the setting change mode and the audio regarding the total score clearing are the same, the audio regarding the total score clearing can be output later so that the audio regarding the total score clearing can be recognized first, or even if the audio channel for the setting change mode and the audio regarding the total score clearing are different, the volume of the audio regarding the setting change mode can be lowered or muted while the audio regarding the total score clearing is being output. By configuring it this way, it becomes easier to recognize the situation even if the setting change mode is switched and the total score is cleared at the same time.

The built-in ROM of the game media number control chip mounted on the game media number control board P16 has a storage capacity of "16 KB or less", and has a usage area (also called the first program) of "7.5 KB or less" and the rest outside the usage area (also called the second program). The usage area has a control area (also called the first control area) of "4.5 KB or less" in which the program executed by the game media number control board P16 is stored, and a data area (also called the first data area) of "3.0 KB or less" in which only information other than the program is stored or will be stored. The outside of the usage area has a control area (also called the second control area) and a data area (also called the second data area) similar to the usage area. The usage area stores programs related to the progress of the game, and the outside of the usage area stores programs related to fraud prevention and programs used for the role ratio monitor.

The game media count control board P16 is also equipped with a role ratio monitor (also called a performance display monitor) and is configured to be able to perform calculation and display processes to display the stay ratios of various states.

The role ratio monitor is a display device that switches between displaying the cumulative advantageous zone ratio or cumulative indicated role ratio (selectable according to the specifications of the gaming machine), consecutive role ratio for the most recent 6000 games, role ratio for the most recent 6000 games, cumulative consecutive role ratio, cumulative role ratio, and cumulative role etc. status ratio every 4800 ms, and is capable of displaying a four-digit number by using four seven-segment LEDs (with DP). The top two digits of the four-digit number displayed by the four seven-segment LEDs are called the identification segment, and the bottom two digits are called the ratio segment.

In the role ratio, "role" refers to the first type special role (so-called RB), the second type special role (so-called CB), and the normal role (so-called SB), and the "role ratio" is the ratio calculated by payout during role operation ÷ total payout × 100. Note that payouts during operation of the first type special role continuous operation device (so-called BB) and the second type special role continuous operation device (so-called MB) are also included in "payouts during role operation", but payouts during general play during BB and general play during MB are not included in "payouts during role operation".

In the continuous feature ratio, "continuous feature" refers to the first type special feature (so-called RB), and the "continuous feature ratio" is the ratio calculated by: payout during operation of the first type special feature ÷ total payout × 100. Note that payouts during operation of the first type special feature continuous operation device (so-called BB) are also included in "payouts during feature operation", but payouts during general play during BB are not included in "payouts during feature operation".

The "instruction-included role" in the instruction-included role ratio includes the payout in the game in which the instruction function is activated (so-called AT) in addition to the "role" described above, and the "instruction-included role ratio" is a ratio calculated by (payout during instruction function activation, or payout during role activation) ÷ total payout × 100. Here, (payout during instruction function activation, or payout during role activation) does not refer to the payout in the game in which the instruction function is activated and the role is activated, but refers to the sum of the payout number in the game in which the instruction function is activated and the payout number in the game in which the role is activated. If the game in which the instruction function is activated is a game in which the role is activated, the two payout numbers are not added together, but the payout number for that game is (payout during instruction function activation, or payout during role activation). Note that if a player makes a mistake in the operation of the stop switch in a game in which the AT is activated, the maximum payout may not be obtained, but in this case the calculation is based on the actual payout.

The information displayed in the identification segment among the information displayed on the role ratio monitor is information for identifying which ratio is being displayed among the cumulative advantageous zone ratio, cumulative instructed role ratio, consecutive role ratio for the latest 6000 games, role ratio for the latest 6000 games, cumulative consecutive role ratio, cumulative role ratio, and cumulative role etc. state ratio, and is displayed as "7U.", "7P.", "6Y.", "7Y.", "6A.", "7A.", and "5H.", respectively. For example, when "7U." is displayed in the identification segment, it indicates the cumulative advantageous zone ratio, and when "6Y." is displayed in the identification segment, it indicates the consecutive role ratio for the latest 6000 games.

Of the information displayed on the winning ratio monitor, the information displayed in the ratio segment is intended to allow the calculation results of various ratios to be visually confirmed, and is displayed as a two-digit number using two seven-segment LEDs. For example, if the calculation result is 70, "70" is displayed in the ratio segment. The calculated result is rounded down to the nearest whole number. If the calculation result is 100, "99" is displayed. If the cumulative number of games played is less than 400, the ratio segment displays "00."

If the cumulative number of games is less than the reference number of games, the identification segment is displayed in a blinking manner. The reference number of games is determined according to various ratios, and is 175,000 games for the cumulative advantageous zone ratio, 175,000 games for the cumulative instructed role ratio, 6,000 games for the consecutive role ratio among the latest 6,000 games, 6,000 games for the role ratio among the latest 6,000 games, 17,500 games for the cumulative consecutive role ratio, 17,500 games for the cumulative role ratio, and 175,000 games for the cumulative role etc. state ratio.

The ratio segment is displayed in a blinking manner if the displayed value is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The threshold value is determined according to various ratios, and is 70 for the cumulative advantageous zone ratio, 70 for the cumulative indicated feature ratio, 60 for the consecutive feature ratio among the latest 6000 games, 70 for the feature ratio among the latest 6000 games, 60 for the cumulative consecutive feature ratio, 70 for the cumulative feature ratio, and 50 for the cumulative feature etc. state ratio. Note that if the cumulative number of games is less than 400 games and the calculation result is equal to or greater than the threshold value but the ratio segment displays "00", the ratio segment is displayed in a lit manner.

To check whether the role ratio monitor is operating normally, a test pattern is displayed in the identification segment and ratio segment for 4800 ms after the power is turned on and the interrupt process is started. The test pattern is displayed in a blinking manner by all segments (including DP) of the four 7-segment LEDs that make up the role ratio monitor. For example, "8.8.8.8." may be displayed in a blinking manner. In addition to being displayed immediately after power is turned on, the test pattern may also be displayed when settings are being changed, settings are being confirmed, or an RWM abnormal error occurs.

In the cases where the cumulative number of games in the identification segment does not reach the reference number of games, where the displayed value in the ratio segment is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and where a test pattern is displayed in the identification segment and ratio segment, the segments are displayed in a blinking mode. Specifically, the blinking mode is displayed by switching between lighting and off every 300 ms, such as lighting 300 ms → lighting 300 ms → lighting 300 ms → off 300 ms → .... Also, when various ratio information is switched, it starts with lighting, so that the display time of various ratio information does not become longer or shorter depending on the timing of lighting and blinking.

As described above, the cumulative advantageous zone ratio or cumulative indicated role ratio, consecutive role ratio for the most recent 6000 games, role ratio for the most recent 6000 games, cumulative consecutive role ratio, cumulative role ratio, and cumulative role etc. status ratio displayed on the role ratio monitor are configured to switch display contents every 4800 ms, but by setting this 4800 ms to a multiple of 600 ms, which is one set of lighting and blinking, it is possible to configure it so that one of the 7-segment LEDs is always lit, even if the various ratios displayed on the role ratio monitor are displayed in a blinking mode when they are switched.

By configuring it this way, the light starts off on even when various ratio information is switched, so it is possible to display the display continuously without any sense of incongruity caused by a shift in the blinking cycle.

In addition, the display period of the test pattern after the power is turned on as mentioned above is also set to 4800 ms, so when the test pattern has finished being displayed for 4800 ms, the 7-segment LED goes out, and the next interrupt process turns on and makes it possible to display information regarding the cumulative favorable zone ratio or cumulative instruction-included role ratio.

Next, we will explain how to control the blinking display on the role ratio monitor.

To blink the display mode of the role ratio monitor, it has a memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time for switching the light on and off. The memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time for switching the light on and off is a 2-byte memory area, and executes a process of adding 1 for each interrupt process. The memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time for switching the light on and off is initialized (0 is stored) when the power is turned on, and thereafter cycles through the values 0 to 299 each time an interrupt process is executed. In other words, the value following 299 is 0.

Example 1) When the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off is "0", if an update process is performed, the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off becomes "1". At this time, the carry flag becomes 1 (the carry flag becomes 1 because a carry occurs as a result of calculating "0-299").
Example 2) When the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off is "298", if an update process is performed, the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off becomes "299". At this time, the carry flag becomes 1 (the carry flag becomes 1 because a carry occurs as a result of the calculation of "298-299").
Example 3) When the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off is "299", if an update process is performed, the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off becomes "0". At this time, the carry flag becomes 0 (the carry flag becomes 0 because no carry occurs when "299-299" is calculated).

As mentioned above, if the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off is any value between 0 and 298, the carry flag will be 1, and if the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch the light on and off is 299, the carry flag will be 0. In other words, the carry flag will be 0 every 300 ms.

When the carry flag = 0, the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS) is configured to be updated. The blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS) is initialized (stores 0) when the power is turned on, and when 0 is stored in the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS), the role ratio monitor is turned on, and when 1 is stored in the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS), the role ratio monitor is turned off. In other words, since the carry flag = 0 every 300 ms, by repeatedly storing 0 and 1 in the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS) every 300 ms, it is possible for the display mode of the role ratio monitor to be displayed (blinking display) alternately between the on mode and the off mode every 300 ms.

The display of the ratio monitor is displayed in a blinking mode when the cumulative number of games in the identification segment does not reach the reference number of games, when the display value in the ratio segment is equal to or greater than the threshold, or when a test pattern is displayed in the identification segment and the ratio segment. In other cases, the display is made in a lit mode without referring to the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS). However, since the memory area (_TM_CHG_FLS) for managing the time to switch between on and off regardless of whether the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS) is referenced or not is updated for each interrupt process, the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS) is also updated from time to time, and even when the state is switched from not referring to the blinking switch flag (_FL_CHG_FLS) to referring to it, it is possible to display the display without any deviation in the timing of turning on and off and the timing of switching the various ratio displays.

(Terminal board for connecting game ball rental device)
The game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board (also referred to as the connection terminal board) serves as a relay board for two-way communication between the game machine P and the lending unit. The game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board is housed in a game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board case. The game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board is protected by the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board case, and is configured to be difficult to open by sealing the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board case with a crimp (also referred to as a sealing member).

The game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board has a connector (D-sub 9 pins) for two-way communication with the lending unit, and two-way communication is possible via a harness (approximately 1.5m to 2.0m long) connected to the connector from an opening on the back side of the housing of the gaming machine P. The game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board is also equipped with a capacitor to stabilize communication with the lending unit. The lending unit is provided with a lending switch, and when the lending switch is operated, a lending notification is sent from the lending unit, and the lending notification is input to the gaming media number control board P16 via the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board. The connector for connecting the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board and the lending unit is equipped with a spring lock, and is configured to prevent the harness from easily coming loose.

The main control board P15, the gaming media number control board P16, and the gaming ball etc. lending device connection terminal board are each stored in a board case, but this is not limited to this, and the main control board P15 and the gaming media number control board P16 may be stored together in a single board case, or the main control board P15, the gaming media number control board P16, and the gaming ball etc. lending device connection terminal board may be stored together in a single board case. In addition, the board case is configured so that the back side can be easily confirmed even when it is installed in the gaming machine P.

In conventional gaming machines that use medals, the main control board P15 and the reel device board are connected by a harness, and by unplugging the harness, the power supply from the capacitor mounted on the reel device board to the main control chip mounted on the main control board P15 is cut off, and the data stored in the RAM of the main control chip can be initialized. This makes it possible to reliably initialize the RAM even if invalid data is stored in it by unplugging the harness. In addition, since the board case of the main control board P15 is sealed, if a capacitor is mounted on the main control board, as described above, in order to cut off the power supply from the capacitor, it is necessary to destroy the board case of the main control board and then remove the main control chip from the main control board P15. In this way, in order to cut off the power supply from the capacitor without destroying the board case, it is desirable to mount the capacitor on a board other than the main control board.

On the other hand, the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board described in this embodiment uses a photocoupler to communicate at high speed with the lending unit, so it is prone to power shortages, and it is desirable to mount a capacitor to quickly supply power. Therefore, by mounting a capacitor on the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board, connecting this game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board to the game media number control board P16 with a harness, and further connecting the game media number control board P16 to the main control board P15 with a harness, the capacitor mounted on the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board serves as a backup power source for the main control chip mounted on the main control board P15.

The main control board P15, the gaming media count control board P16, and the gaming ball etc. lending device connection terminal board are each sealed in a board case, and the gaming media count control board P16 and the gaming ball etc. lending device connection terminal board, and the main control board P15 and the gaming media count control board P16 are each connected by a harness, so the data stored in the RAM of the main control chip can be initialized by unplugging the harness. Also, since the gaming media count control chip of the gaming media count control board is sealed in a board case, it is difficult to remove and insert it, but it is configured so that the total score can be initialized by operating the initialization operation of the total score clear switch.

The main control board P15 and the game media number control board P16 are connected via a 32-pin connector. Pin 1 is DC 12V, pin 2 is DC 12V, pin 3 is DC 5V, pin 4 is DC 5V, pin 5 is the main control data signal, pin 6 is control status signal 1, pin 7 is control status signal 2, pin 8 is control status signal 3, pin 9 is control status signal 4, pin 10 is control status signal 5, pin 11 is game media number control data signal 1, pin 12 is game media number control data signal 2, pin 13 is game media number control data signal 3, pin 14 is game media number control data signal 4, pin 15 is game media number control data signal 5, pin 16 is game media number control data signal 6, pin 17 is game media number control data signal 7, pin 18 is game media number control data signal 8, pin 19 is game media number control data signal 10, pin 20 is game media number control data signal 21, pin 22 is game media number control data signal 22, pin 23 is game media number control data signal 23, pin 24 is game media number control data signal 24, pin 25 is game media number control data signal 25, pin 26 is game media number control data signal 26, pin 27 is game media number control data signal 27, pin 28 is game media number control data signal 28, pin 29 is game media number control data signal 29, pin 30 is game media number control data signal 30, pin 31 is game media number control data signal 31, pin 32 is game media number control data signal 32, pin 33 is game media number control data signal 33, pin 34 is game media number control data signal 34, pin 35 is game media number control data signal 35, pin 36 is game media number control data signal 36, pin 37 is game media number control data signal 37, pin Pin 1 is the game media number control data signal 8, pin 19 is the game media number control data signal 9, pin 20 is the game media number control data signal 10, pin 21 is the game media number control data signal 11, pin 22 is the game media number control data signal 12, pin 23 is the game media number control data signal 13, pin 24 is the game media number control data signal 14, pin 25 is the game media number control data signal 15, pin 26 is the game media number control data signal 16, pin 27 is the game media number control data strobe signal, pin 28 is power interruption detection signal 1, pin 29 is a backup power supply, pin 30 is a GND signal, pin 31 is a GND signal, and pin 32 is a GND signal. The main control board P15 and the game media count control board P16 may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The game media number control board P16 and the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board are connected via a 5-pin connector. Pin 1 is DC 5V, pin 2 is a VL signal, pin 3 is a transmission signal, pin 4 is a reception signal, and pin 5 is a GND signal. The game media number control board P16 and the game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board may be directly connected by a harness, or may be indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The game media number control board P16 and the game media number display board P13 are connected via a 14-pin connector. Pin 1 is an LED digit A signal, pin 2 is an LED digit B signal, pin 3 is an LED digit C signal, pin 4 is an LED digit D signal, pin 5 is an LED digit E signal, pin 6 is a game media number display segment A signal, pin 7 is a game media number display segment B signal, pin 8 is a game media number display segment C signal, pin 9 is a game media number display segment D signal, pin 10 is a game media number display segment E signal, pin 11 is a game media number display segment F signal, pin 12 is a game media number display segment G signal, pin 13 is a game media number display segment P signal, and pin 14 is a game media number display segment P signal. Additionally, signals related to pins 1 to 14 are signals sent from the gaming media count control board P16 to the gaming media count display board P13. Note that the gaming media count control board P16 and the gaming media count display board P13 may be directly connected by a harness, or may be indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The game media number control board P16 and the counting switch P7 are connected via a two-pin connector. Pin 1 is the counting switch P7 signal, and is used to send a signal related to the operation input of the counting switch P7 to the game media number control board P16 when the counting switch P7 is operated. When the counting switch P7 signal is input, some or all of the total score information managed by the game media number control board P16 is sent to the lending unit. Pin 2 is a GND signal, and is used as GND. The game media number control board P16 and the counting switch P7 may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board and the lending unit are connected via a 9-pin connector. Pin 1 is the LG signal, pin 2 is the TXD- signal, pin 3 is the RXD- signal, pin 4 is the PSI signal, pin 5 is the LG signal, pin 6 is the TXD+ signal, pin 7 is the RXD+ signal, pin 8 is the VL signal, and pin 9 is the VL signal. The TXD+ signal and TXD- signal are used to send information from the game machine P (game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board) to the lending unit. The RXD+ signal and RXD- signal are used by the game machine P (game ball etc. lending device connection terminal board) to receive information from the lending unit. The PSI signal is used as a signal connection confirmation signal to confirm the connection between the game machine P and the lending unit. The VL signal is used as an isolated DC 5V power supply. In addition, the harness connecting pins 2 and 6 is twisted. In addition, the harness connecting pins 3 and 7 is twisted. The game ball/etc. rental device connection terminal board and the rental unit may be directly connected by the harness, or may be indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The main control board P15 and the door relay board are connected via a 40-pin connector. Pin 1 is DC 5V, pin 2 is DC 5V, pin 3 is DC 5V, pin 4 is DC 5V, pin 5 is a GND signal, pin 6 is an LED digit 1 signal, pin 7 is an LED digit 2 signal, pin 8 is an LED digit 3 signal, pin 9 is an LED digit 4 signal, pin 10 is an LED digit 5 signal, pin 11 is an LED segment 1A signal, pin 12 is an LED segment 1B signal, pin 13 is an LED segment 1C signal, pin 14 is an LED segment 1D signal, pin 15 is an LED segment 1E signal, pin 16 is an LED segment 1F signal, pin 17 is an LED segment 1G signal, pin 18 is an LED segment 1P signal, pin 19 is a GND signal, and pin 20 is a GND signal. Pin 21 is a GND signal, pin 22 is a GND signal, pin 23 is a GND signal, pin 24 is a GND signal, pin 25 is a start switch sensor signal, pin 26 is a GND signal, pin 27 is an adjustment switch signal, pin 28 is a one-sheet insertion switch signal, pin 29 is a three-sheet insertion sensor signal, pin 30 is a GND signal, pin 31 is a left stop switch P4L sensor signal, pin 32 is a GND signal, pin 33 is a middle stop switch P4C sensor signal, pin 34 is a GND signal, pin 35 is a GND signal, pin 36 is a right stop switch P4R sensor signal, pin 37 is a GND signal, pin 38 is a GND signal, pin 39 is a GND signal, and pin 40 is a connector connection monitor signal. The main control board P15 and the reel device board P17 may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The main control board P15 and the reel device board P17 are connected via a 26-pin connector. Pin 1 is DC 12V, pin 2 is DC 12V, pin 3 is DC 5V, pin 4 is DC 5V, pin 5 is the backup power supply, pin 6 is the left reel P18L motor Φ0 signal, pin 7 is the left reel P18L motor Φ1 signal, pin 8 is the left reel P18L motor Φ2 signal, pin 9 is the left reel P18L motor Φ3 signal, pin 10 is the center reel P18C motor Φ0 signal, pin 11 is the center reel P18C motor Φ1 signal, pin 12 is the center reel P18C motor Φ2 signal, and pin 13 is the center reel P18C motor Φ3 signal. 14th pin is the right reel P18R motor Φ0 signal, 15th pin is the right reel P18R motor Φ1 signal, 16th pin is the right reel P18R motor Φ2 signal, 17th pin is the right reel P18R motor Φ3 signal, 18th pin is the left reel P18L sensor signal, 19th pin is the center reel P18C sensor signal, 20th pin is the right reel P18R sensor signal, 21st pin is the door switch signal, 22nd pin is a GND signal, 23rd pin is a GND signal, 24th pin is a GND signal, 25th pin is a GND signal, and 26th pin is a GND signal. Note that the main control board P15 and the reel device board P17 may be directly connected by a harness, or may be indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The main control board P15 and the setting/reset switch are connected via a 5-pin connector. In this embodiment, the setting change switch that changes the setting value during setting change mode and the reset switch that clears an error during an error are the same switch, but they may also be provided as different switches.

The main control board P15 and the sub-control board are connected via a 30-pin connector.

The reel device board P17 and the power supply board are connected via an 8-pin connector.

The reel device board P17 and the left reel P18L motor are connected via a 4-pin connector. Pin 1 is the motor Φ0 signal, pin 2 is the motor Φ1 signal, pin 3 is the motor Φ2 signal, and pin 4 is the motor Φ3 signal. The reel device board P17 and the left reel P18L motor may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The reel device board P17 and the left reel P18L sensor are connected via a 3-pin connector. Pin 1 is DC 5V, pin 2 is the left reel P18L sensor signal, and pin 3 is the GND signal. Note that the reel device board P17 and the left reel P18L sensor may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The reel device board P17 and the middle reel P18C motor are connected via a 4-pin connector. Pin 1 is the motor Φ0 signal, pin 2 is the motor Φ1 signal, pin 3 is the motor Φ2 signal, and pin 4 is the motor Φ3 signal. The reel device board P17 and the middle reel P18C motor may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The reel device board P17 and the middle reel P18C sensor are connected via a 3-pin connector. Pin 1 is DC 5V, pin 2 is the middle reel P18C sensor signal, and pin 3 is the GND signal. Note that the reel device board P17 and the middle reel P18C sensor may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The reel device board P17 and the right reel P18R motor are connected via a 4-pin connector. Pin 1 is the motor Φ0 signal, pin 2 is the motor Φ1 signal, pin 3 is the motor Φ2 signal, and pin 4 is the motor Φ3 signal. The reel device board P17 and the right reel P18R motor may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The reel device board P17 and the right reel P18R sensor are connected via a 3-pin connector. Pin 1 is DC 5V, pin 2 is the right reel P18R sensor signal, and pin 3 is the GND signal. Note that the reel device board P17 and the right reel P18R sensor may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The reel device board P17 and the door switch are connected via a three-pin connector. Pin 1 is the door switch signal, pin 2 is the GND signal, and pin 3 is the GND signal. Note that the reel device board P17 and the door switch may be directly connected by a harness, or indirectly connected via a relay terminal board.

The door relay board and the display board are connected via a 14-pin connector.

The door relay board and the Maxbed are connected via a 6-pin connector.

The door relay board and start switch P3 are connected via a 3-pin connector.

The door relay board and stop switch P4 are connected via a 9-pin connector.

<Settings change mode>
The setting change mode is a mode in which the setting value can be selected (in other words, a setting value setting mode in which the setting value can be set), and in this embodiment, any of information "0" to "5" can be selected as the setting value information and stored in the setting value information storage means. Here, a setting value display (not shown) is provided for displaying the setting value, and in the setting change mode, the waiting staff can determine the setting value information based on the information displayed on the setting value display. The setting value displayed on the setting value display is any of information "1" to "6".

When the power switch is off (OFF) and the setting key switch is turned on (ON), the setting change mode is started (setting changes are started) by turning the power switch on.

After starting the setting change mode (starting setting changes), it becomes possible to select the setting value information by operating the setting change switch. For example, if the setting change switch is operated when the setting value display shows "2", the setting value display will show "3". Also, if the setting change switch is operated when the setting value display shows "6", the setting value display will show "1". When the setting change mode is started, a specified range of memory area in the first main control RAM is initialized. This initialization process initializes the game state, such as recoverable errors and advantageous zones, but does not initialize the total score. To initialize the total score, it is necessary to operate the total score clear switch separately.

After starting the setting change mode (starting the setting change), a setting value is selected by operating the setting change switch, the setting value is confirmed by operating the start switch P3, and then the setting change mode can be ended (setting change is ended) by turning off the setting key switch. After ending the setting change mode (setting change is ended), it becomes possible to bet on investment points, and if operation of the start switch P3 is accepted after investment points have been bet, play can be executed.

If the setting change mode is ended when the setting value display shows "1", "0" is stored as the setting value information, if the setting change mode is ended when the setting value display shows "2", "1" is stored as the setting value information, if the setting change mode is ended when the setting value display shows "3", "2" is stored as the setting value information, if the setting change mode is ended when the setting value display shows "4", "3" is stored as the setting value information, if the setting change mode is ended when the setting value display shows "5", "4" is stored as the setting value information, if the setting change mode is ended when the setting value display shows "6", "5" is stored as the setting value information.

Here, even in the setting change mode, communication between the lending unit and the gaming machine P is taking place. In other words, even in the setting change mode, it is possible to receive a lending notification, which will be described later, and add points to the gaming machine P. Also, even in the setting change mode, it is possible to send a counting notification, which will be described later, and count the points of the gaming machine P.

It is also possible to configure the game machine P so that communication between the rental unit and the game machine P does not occur even in the setting change mode. In other words, even if the rental switch of the rental unit is operated during the setting change mode, the game machine P does not receive a rental notification, so points cannot be added to the game machine P. Also, in this case, even if the counting switch P7 is operated during the setting change mode, a counting notification is not sent, so the points of the game machine P cannot be counted.

<Settings confirmation mode>
The setting confirmation mode is a mode in which the setting values can be confirmed, and the current setting values can be displayed on the setting value display.

When the power switch is on, the setting check mode can be started (setting check begins) when the setting key switch is turned on. Note that in the setting check mode, unlike the setting change mode, the setting value cannot be selected or changed. Also, when one or more points have been bet and the power switch is on, the setting check mode can be prevented from starting if the setting key switch is turned on. In other words, when no bets have been made (including automatic bets due to replay), the setting check mode starts when the setting key switch is turned on.

After starting the setting check mode (starting the setting check), you can exit the setting check mode (end the setting check) by turning off the setting key switch.

Here, even in the setting confirmation mode, communication between the lending unit and the gaming machine P is taking place. In other words, even in the setting confirmation mode, it is possible to receive a lending notification, which will be described later, and add points to the gaming machine P. Also, even in the setting confirmation mode, it is possible to send a counting notification, which will be described later, and count the points of the gaming machine P.

It is also possible to configure the system so that communication between the rental unit and the gaming machine P does not take place even in the setting confirmation mode. In other words, in the setting confirmation mode, even if the rental switch of the rental unit is operated, the gaming machine P does not receive a rental notification, so points cannot be added to the gaming machine P. Also, in this case, even if the counting switch P7 is operated in the setting confirmation mode, a counting notification is not sent, so the points of the gaming machine P cannot be counted.

<Rental unit>
In this embodiment, the gaming machine P is capable of communicating with the rental unit. For example, the rental unit is provided with a rental switch, and when the rental switch is operated, a rental notification is sent to the gaming machine P. The rental unit is equipped with an SC board that receives information from the gaming machine P, and is configured so that the information transmitted by the gaming media count control board P16 in the gaming machine P is received by the SC board.

<Hall computer>
When the SC board provided in the lending unit receives information from the gaming machine P, some of the information is transmitted from the lending unit to the hall computer. Here, examples of information transmitted from the lending unit to the hall computer include the number of coins inserted, the number of coins paid out, the main control state, and fraud information. When the hall computer receives information from the lending unit, it executes a process for displaying the information on a data display device outside the gaming machine. Since the hall computer may also simultaneously manage information from gaming machines using gaming medals as conventional objects, the number of coins inserted and the number of coins paid out are managed by receiving a pulse number corresponding to the number of coins inserted and the number of coins paid out. In other words, the gaming machine P transmits the values of the number of coins inserted and the number of coins paid out as they are, but since the hall computer, which is the final receiving medium, receives them as pulses, a time lag occurs before the hall computer completely receives the number of coins inserted and the number of coins paid out.

<Description of power-on process controlled by the main control board P15 applicable to this embodiment>
When the gaming machine is powered on, it determines whether the power cut detection signal is ON or not, and if the power cut detection signal is not ON (if it is OFF), it sets the functions of the main control chip, and if the power cut detection signal is ON, it loops to determine whether the power cut detection signal is ON or not (the following power-on process is not executed).

The main control chip's function settings perform the initial settings of the built-in registers.

Next, the checksum of the RWM area is calculated and the power-off processing completion flag is checked to generate power-off recovery data.

Next, it determines whether the door switch signal and the setting key switch signal are ON or not. If the door switch signal is ON (front door is open) and the setting key switch signal is ON, it executes the setting change device process, and if either switch is OFF, it determines whether the power interruption recovery data is normal or not.

Next, if the power failure recovery data is not normal, an error is displayed and the error state is looped until the initialization process is performed. If the power failure recovery data is normal, the stack pointer is restored based on the data saved when the power was lost.

Next, read the input port.

Next, the interrupt startup process is executed. In the interrupt startup process, the settings related to the four channels, channels 0 to 3, of the serial communication port are executed. Of these, channel 0 can be set to transmit and receive, channel 1 can be set to transmit only, channel 2 can be set to transmit only, and channel 3 can be set to transmit only.

To set channel 0 to allow reception, bit 7 in the setting area (part of the built-in register) corresponding to channel 0 is set to "1". Also, by setting bit 6 in the setting area (part of the built-in register) corresponding to channel 0 to "1", channel 0 can be set to allow transmission. In this embodiment, channel 0 is set to receive only, so bit 7 is set to "1" and bit 6 is left at "0". By allowing channel 0 to receive only, the main control board can receive commands from the game media count control board. In this embodiment, when sending commands from the main control board to the game media count control board, the serial communication port is not used because parallel communication is used, but when sending commands from the main control board to the game media count control board via serial communication, any of channels 1 to 3 of the serial communication port may be used for transmission. Even in this case, by setting channel 0 to allow reception only, communication between the two can be performed without performing complicated processing such as adjusting the timing of the commands related to transmission and the commands related to reception.

In the interrupt startup process, the receive setting for channel 0 is set in the usage area, and the transmit setting for channel 2 is set outside the usage area. Channel 2 executes the transmit setting to execute the process for outputting a test signal from the main control board to the test IF board.

In the interrupt startup process, after channel 0 is set to allow reception and channel 0 is not allowed to transmit, a serial communication setting program outside the area of use is called and channel 2 is allowed to transmit. In this way, by setting channel 0 to allow reception before channel 2 to transmit, it is possible to quickly prepare for the transmission of commands from the game media count control board.

After executing the interrupt startup process, the system will return to the interrupt processing that occurred when the power was turned off.

<Description of the main game progress process controlled by the main control board P15 applicable to this embodiment>
The processing related to games on the gaming machine P is broadly divided into interval interrupt processing (hereinafter, simply referred to as "interrupt processing") that is executed periodically (every 2.235 ms in this embodiment), and game progress main processing that is executed from the end of the interval interrupt processing to the start timing of the next interval interrupt processing.

The game progress main process first sets a setting changeable state in which settings can be changed. When the setting changeable state is set, if the setting key switch is on when the power is turned on, the game will transition to setting change mode. When the setting changeable state is not set (when the setting unchangeable state is set), the game will not transition to setting change mode even if the setting key switch is on when the power is turned on.

Then, while waiting to play, it checks whether the setting key switch, max bet switch, one bet switch, and settlement switch have been operated (checks whether the rising edge of various switch signals has been detected), and if it determines that the setting key switch signal has risen (if it determines that the setting key switch has risen), it executes a setting confirmation process, if it determines that the max bet switch has been operated it executes a three-point insertion process, if it determines that the one bet switch has been operated it executes a one-point insertion process, and if it determines that the settlement switch has been operated it executes a settlement process for the points bet.

Next, if a playable coin has been inserted, it checks whether the start switch has been operated (checks whether the rising signal of the start switch has been detected). If a playable coin has not been inserted, the machine will be placed in standby mode.

Then, it checks whether the start switch has been operated. If it is determined that the start switch has been operated, it sets the setting to a state where the settings cannot be changed, and if it is determined that the start switch has not been operated, it enters a waiting state for play.

Next, after the setting is set to the unchangeable state, an internal lottery process is executed. In the internal lottery process, a small winning combination, a replay (also called a replay), a BB, a RB, a loss, etc. are determined by drawing lots.

Then, it determines whether the minimum play time (the time required to ensure that the time from the start of the reel rotation of one game to the start of the reel rotation of the next game is 4.1 seconds or more) has elapsed, and if it determines that the minimum play time has elapsed, it executes the reel rotation start process, and if it determines that the minimum play time has not elapsed, it loops through the minimum play time determination process until the minimum play time has elapsed.

Next, in the reel rotation start process, the process to rotate all reels is executed, and the creation of the offset frame number data begins before the operation of the stop switch can be accepted.

Next, it is determined whether or not the operation of the stop switch can be accepted, and if so, it checks whether or not the stop switch has been operated (checks whether or not the rising edge of the stop switch signal has been detected). If the operation of the stop switch cannot be accepted, it returns to creating the number of frames to be shifted data.

Next, it is checked whether the stop switch has been operated. If it is determined that the stop switch has been operated, the stop position is determined from the stop acceptance position and the number of frames shifted. If it is determined that the stop switch has not been operated, the process returns to creating the number of frames shifted data.

Next, when the stopping position has been determined, it is determined whether all reels (three reels in this embodiment) have stopped, and if it is determined that all reels have stopped, a display determination process is executed, and if it is determined that all reels have not stopped, the process returns to creating the shift frame number data.

Next, after the display determination process is executed, the payout process is executed.

Next, the operation status management process for replay, reels, and reel continuous operation devices is executed. Execution of the operation status management process ends one game, and the process returns to the beginning of the game progress main process (setting changeable state process).

When it is determined that the start switch has been operated, the setting is set to a state in which the settings cannot be changed, so that the settings cannot be changed in that state. However, it is also possible to configure the settings to be changed even during play (even after the start switch has been operated) without providing a state in which the settings cannot be changed.

<Description of interval interrupt processing controlled by the main control board P15 applicable to this embodiment>
In the interval interrupt process, first, a register save process is executed, in which register values are stored in a stack area so that the game progress main process that was being executed immediately before the interrupt process is completed.

Next, the interrupt flag clear process is executed, which clears (turns OFF) the interrupt flag to allow interrupt processing.

Next, the power-off process is executed. In the power-off process, if the power-off detection signal is ON, the power-off process described below is executed, and if the power-off detection signal is OFF, the power-off process is terminated.

Next, the interrupt counter update process is executed. In the interrupt counter update process, the counter is updated for each interrupt process.

Next, the main control command acquisition process is executed. In the main control command acquisition process, commands are received from the game media count control board P16 and stored in the main control command buffer.

Next, execute the input port read process. The input port read process reads the input port.

Next, the reel drive management process is executed. In the reel drive management process, drive processing is executed for all reels according to their status.

Next, the game media count control command output process is executed. In the game media count control command output process, the command is stored in the game media count command buffer in order to send the command to the game media count control board P16.

Next, execute the port output process, which sets data in the output port and outputs it.

Next, the timer measurement process is executed. In the timer measurement process, various timers are updated, such as the condition device output timer, payout count signal output timer, overflow test signal timer, reel stop acceptance waiting timer, minimum play time management timer, score award timer, setting change device operation start waiting timer, bonus operation start waiting timer, and bonus operation end waiting timer.

Next, the error management process is executed. In the error management process, setting value errors and built-in random number errors are checked. Note that the error management process is a process that calls a program outside the area of use, and the error check is executed in the program outside the area of use.

Next, the gaming machine information management process (main control) is executed. In the gaming machine information management process (main control), the information on gaming machine fraud 1 and gaming machine fraud 2 is updated.

Next, the sub-control command transmission process is executed. In the sub-control command transmission process, the command to be sent to the sub-control board is set.

Next, the LED display process is executed. In the LED display process, the process of setting the 7-segment LED segment table to be displayed in the number of points displayed is executed.

Next, the sub-notification data output process is executed. In the sub-notification data output process, information such as whether the stop switch and max bed switch can be operated effectively and whether the door is open or closed is sent to the sub-control board.

Next, the gaming media count control notification process is executed. In the gaming media count control notification process, the gaming media count control notification information is updated.

Next, the register restore process is executed, which restores the information saved in the stack during the register save process.

Next, execute the interrupt permission process.

<Description of power-off processing controlled by the main control board P15 applicable to this embodiment>
When the power supply of the gaming machine P is turned off or the power supply interruption detection signal is turned ON due to an external factor such as a power outage, a power supply interruption process is executed. When the power supply interruption detection signal is not ON, the power supply interruption process is terminated. Note that when the voltage falls below a predetermined value, the power supply interruption detection signal is input to a predetermined input port, and when the power supply interruption detection signal is input to a predetermined input port twice consecutively in the interruption process, it is determined that the power supply has been interrupted and the power supply interruption detection signal is turned ON. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the power supply interruption detection signal may be turned ON when the voltage falls below the predetermined value even once.

If it determines that the power interruption detection signal is ON, it turns the output ports (0 to 6) OFF.

Next, execute the stack pointer save process.

Next, the power-off processing completion flag and RWM checksum data are set.

Next, execute the RWM write prohibition process.

Then it will wait for a reset signal and will loop in this state from then on.

<Description of power-on processing, main loop processing, and power-off processing controlled by the game media number control board P16 applicable to this embodiment>
When the power supply of the gaming machine is turned on, the function setting of the number of gaming media control chip is performed, which includes initial setting of the built-in register.

Next, the RWM initialization process is executed. In the RWM initialization process, the power status flag is checked and the RWM checksum data is calculated. Depending on whether the result is normal or abnormal, the RWM initialization start address is set and the RWM is initialized. In addition, the RWM area outside the used area is also initialized by a program outside the used area.

The power status flag is checked and the RWM checksum data is calculated (the power status flag check and the RWM checksum data calculation are sometimes collectively referred to as the RWM abnormality determination). If it is determined to be normal, the various memory areas storing the counting flag, gaming machine information notification timer A, gaming machine information notification timer B, gaming machine information notification timer C, serial number, counting serial number, counting points, counting cumulative points, loan serial number, loan point receipt result, calculation MY counter, output MY counter, main control chip ID, main control chip manufacturer code, main control chip product code, etc. are initialized (for example, 0 is stored in the various memory areas). Note that the various memory areas are initialized regardless of whether the setting key switch is on or not. In addition, after the RWM initialization process, it is determined whether the total score clear switch is on or not, and if it is determined to be on, the total score is initialized, and if it is not determined to be on, the total score is not initialized. With this configuration, the decision to clear the total score can be made based on the operation of the total score clear switch, preventing the total score from being cleared inadvertently.

The power status flag is checked and the RWM checksum data is calculated. If an abnormality is determined, the memory areas (counting flag, gaming machine information notification timer A, gaming machine information notification timer B, gaming machine information notification timer C, serial number, counting serial number, counting points, accumulated counting points, loan serial number, loan point receipt result, calculation MY counter, output MY counter, main control chip ID, main control chip manufacturer code, main control chip product code, etc.) that were used when the system was determined to be normal are initialized, and the memory areas that store information related to the total points and role ratio monitor are also initialized (for example, 0 is stored in various memory areas). Note that various memory areas are initialized regardless of whether the setting key switch is on or not.

If the result of checking the power status flag and calculating the RWM checksum data is normal, a determination is made as to whether the total score clear switch is ON or not, but if the result of checking the power status flag and calculating the RWM checksum data is abnormal, a determination is not made as to whether the total score clear switch is ON or not. This is because the total score is initialized by the initialization process that is executed when the result of checking the power status flag and calculating the RWM checksum data is abnormal. In other words, even if the total score clear switch is operated, the power status flag is checked and the RWM checksum data is calculated, and if an abnormality is determined, initialization based on the operation of the total score clear switch is not executed. By configuring in this way, it is possible to avoid initializing the memory area that stores the total score twice, making it possible to shorten the processing time related to the initialization process.

Note that, in this embodiment, the RWM abnormality is determined by checking the power status flag and calculating the RWM checksum data, but either one of them may be used. Also, other check methods may be used to determine the RWM abnormality.

It also calls a program outside the usage area and turns on the test pattern display flag to display a test pattern on the role ratio monitor.

Then, the interrupt process is started. In this embodiment, the interrupt period of the game media count control board P16 is 1 ms.

Next, a power failure detection process is executed to determine whether a power failure has been detected. If a power failure is detected, the power failure detection process is executed, and if a power failure is not detected, the system waits for interrupt processing.

When the power supply of the gaming machine P is turned off or the voltage falls below a predetermined value due to an external factor such as a power outage, a power outage detection signal is input to a specified input port, and if the power outage detection signal is input to a specified input port seven consecutive times during interrupt processing, it is determined that there has been a power outage and the power outage detection signal is turned ON. However, this is not limited to this, and the system may be configured such that if the voltage falls below the predetermined value even once, an external interrupt is generated and the power outage detection signal is turned ON.

Next, in the power-off processing when a power-off is detected during the power-off detection process, if the power-on is normal, the power status flag is saved as normal, and if the power-on is abnormal, the power status flag is saved as abnormal.

Next, execute the RWM write prohibition process.

Then it will wait for a reset signal and will loop in this state from then on.

<Description of the interval interrupt process controlled by the game media number control board P16 applicable to this embodiment>
In the interval interrupt process, first, an interrupt flag clear process is executed, in which the interrupt flag is cleared (OFF) to permit the interrupt process.

Next, the input port read process is executed. In the input port read process, the input port is read. For example, data of the input port to which the power interruption detection signal is input is acquired, and a process of adding 1 to a memory area that stores the number of times the power interruption detection signal has been input consecutively is executed.

Next, the game media count control command reception process is executed. In the game media count control command reception process, the game media count control command reception process is executed to receive commands from the rental unit and the main control board P15. If a game machine illegal command is received from the rental unit, a program outside the usage area is called and the illegal information is accumulated and stored.

In addition, when a reel operation status command is received from the main control board P15, a program outside the usage area is called to save the operation status of the reels, etc.

In addition, when a ratio display command is received from the main control board P15, a program outside the usage area is called and the role ratio monitor type number is saved.

When a start lever reception command is received from the main control board P15, the program in the use area stores the input point information used in the game information of the hall control and fraud monitoring information in the data area (_WK_MDL_IN) of the use area, and stores the input point information for calling a program outside the use area and displaying it on the role ratio monitor in the data area outside the use area (_SN_MDL_IN). Note that the input point information used in the hall control and fraud monitoring information is stored as "3" (if the input points in the previous game were 3 points; if the input points in the previous game were 2 points, it will be "2") when replay is activated (if a replay was won in the previous game), and the input point information for displaying it on the role ratio monitor is stored as "0" when replay is activated (if a replay was won in the previous game).

In addition, when a command to stop all reels is received from the main control board P15, the program in the usage area stores the bonus point information used in the game information of the hall control and fraud monitoring information in the data area (_WK_MDL_OUT) of the usage area, and stores the bonus point information for calling a program outside the usage area and displaying it on the role ratio monitor in the data area outside the usage area (_SN_MDL_OUT). Note that the bonus point information used in the hall control and fraud monitoring information is stored as "3" (if the bonus points for the previous game were 3 points; if the bonus points for the previous game were 2 points, it will be "2") when replay is activated (if a replay was won in the previous game), and the bonus point information for displaying it on the role ratio monitor is stored as "0" when replay is activated (if a replay was won in the previous game).

(_SN_MDL_OUT), which is a data area outside the area of use for displaying the award point information on the award ratio monitor, is information required for calculating the cumulative instruction-included feature ratio, the consecutive feature ratio for the most recent 6000 games, the feature ratio for the most recent 6000 games, the cumulative consecutive feature ratio, and the cumulative feature ratio. For example, by adding information stored in (_SN_MDL_OUT), which is the award point information for the game, to a memory area capable of storing the cumulative award number, a memory area capable of storing the cumulative consecutive feature activation award number, and a memory area capable of storing the cumulative feature activation award number, it is possible to update the memory area capable of storing the cumulative award number, the memory area capable of storing the cumulative consecutive feature activation award number, and the memory area capable of storing the cumulative feature activation award number.

In addition, if Bit 3 of Gaming Machine Illegal 2 is set to "1" when a command to stop all reels is received from the main control board P15 (if the total score clear switch was operated when the power was turned on, the total score was cleared, and the total score clear status is ON), a program outside the usage area is called and Bit 3 of Gaming Machine Illegal 2 is set to "0" (cleared).

In addition, when a command to stop all reels is received from the main control board P15, calculations are performed for game performance information and role ratio monitor.

Next, the lending notification reception process is executed. In the lending notification reception process, the process of receiving the lending notification from the lending unit is executed.

Next, the timer management process is executed. In the timer management process, a program outside the usage area is called to update loan notification reception timer 1 and loan notification reception timer 2. Loan notification reception timer 1 and loan notification reception timer 2 are used to determine communication abnormalities.

Next, a gaming machine information management process (control of the number of gaming media) is executed. In the gaming machine information management process (control of the number of gaming media), processes such as updating gaming machine information notification timer A, gaming machine information notification timer B, and/or gaming machine information notification timer C are executed. If, as a result of updating gaming machine information notification timer A, gaming machine information notification timer B, and/or gaming machine information notification timer C, it becomes time to notify the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, or gaming machine performance information, the gaming machine information that has become the notification time is transmitted to the rental unit. In addition, a program outside the usage area is called to check for rental device communication abnormalities 7.

Next, the counting control process is executed. In the counting control process, the counting process is executed according to the operation status of the counting switch.

Next, the rental control process is executed. In the rental control process, the rental process is executed according to the operation status of the rental switch of the rental unit. In addition, a program outside the usage area is called and the rental device communication error flags 1 to 6 are set according to the communication status.

Next, the state control process is executed. In the state control process, a process is executed to determine whether or not the VL abnormality flag, which is set when the VL signal is OFF, is ON, and whether or not the serial number abnormality flag, which is set when the serial numbers are not consecutive, is ON.

Next, the LED display process is executed. In the LED display process, display control of the game media count display section P9 is executed.

Next, the ratio control process is executed. In the ratio control process, a program outside the usage area is called to execute the update process of various counters for calculating the display contents of the role ratio monitor, and the display process of the role ratio monitor.

Next, execute the interrupt permission process.

<Description of a method for coordinating each board when the power is turned off and when the power is turned on, which is applicable to this embodiment>
In the game described in this embodiment, when a power outage occurs, the main control board P15 judges whether the power has been cut off by two interrupts, and the game media number control board P16 judges whether the power has been cut off by seven interrupts. In other words, the main control board P15 judges the power has been cut off 4.47 ms (2.235 ms x 2) after the voltage falls below a predetermined value, and the game media number control board P16 judges the power has been cut off 7 ms (1 ms x 7) after the voltage falls below a predetermined value.

As a result, if a power outage occurs, the main control board P15 can execute the power outage processing before the gaming media count control board P16, so that even when a power outage occurs, the gaming media count control board P16 can receive commands from the main control board P15.

In addition, when the power is turned on, the main control board P15 activates the security mode for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 2883.54 ms) and then activates the user mode, and the game media count control board P16 activates the user mode without activating the security mode. The user mode is a mode in which programs related to games are executed, and the main control board P15 and the game media count control board P16 first execute the power-on process.

As a result, when the power is turned on, the game media count control board P16 can start up before the main control board P15, so the game media count control board P16 can receive commands from the main control board P15.

Also, if the power-off process is configured to be executed by an external interrupt after a power outage is detected, the power-off process will be executed even in a situation where the voltage drops to a predetermined value only for an instant (a so-called momentary outage). In this case, the WDT (watchdog timer) set at the time of the power-off process is not cleared after the power-off process is executed, so a reset signal is output, and the main control board P15 executes the power-on process after activating the security mode for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 2883.54 ms), and the game media count control board P16 executes the power-on process without activating the security mode. As a result, even if the power-off process is executed due to a momentary outage, the game media count control board P16 can start up before the main control board P15, so the game media count control board P16 can receive commands from the main control board P15.

<Explanation of gameplay using advantageous zones applicable to this embodiment>
In this embodiment, the prescribed number of coins required to start playing is only 3. In other words, the game cannot start with anything other than 3 coins, and even when a bonus is activated, the game can only start with 3 coins.

In this embodiment, the active line is one line consisting of the bottom row of the left reel P18L, the middle row of the center reel P18C, and the bottom row of the right reel P18R. Hereinafter, when a symbol combination stops on an active line, it will be simply referred to as a symbol combination stopping.

In this embodiment, there are 10 types of symbols. They are called Red Seven, Blue Seven, Bar, Gold Bar, Blank, Cherry, Watermelon, Bell A, Bell B, and Replay. Note that the names and types of symbols are merely examples, and there is no problem if they are changed.

The reel arrangement of this embodiment will be explained using FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, each reel has 20 symbols, and is equipped with a first reel (left reel P18L), a second reel (middle reel P18C), and a third reel (right reel P18R).

The symbol combinations in this embodiment are shown in Figures 5 to 9. The "Winning symbol/Activation symbol/Pattern symbol name" item in the figure shows the name of the condition device corresponding to the symbol combination. Also, the "Specified number and game state" shows the bonus that is awarded when the symbol combination stops for each specified number. If "1 type BB" is written in the "Specified number and game state" item, it indicates that 1 type BB will be awarded when the symbol combination stops, if it is written "Replay" it indicates that replay will be awarded when the symbol combination stops, if a number is written, it indicates the number of coins to be paid out when the symbol combination stops, and if it is written "-" it indicates that the symbol combination will not stop in the corresponding game state.

In this embodiment, the bonus is equipped with a Type 1 BB, and the end condition is the awarding of more than 11 game media. This Type 1 BB is a type in which the RB operates continuously, and the RB ends when either two wins or two games are met. When the end condition of the RB is met, the RB operates automatically until the end condition of the Type 1 BB (awarding of more than 11 game media) is met.

As shown in Figure 5, there are eight types of BB symbol combinations, and the rate at which symbols related to BB symbol combinations are drawn on each reel (probability that symbols related to the symbol combination will stop) is not 100%, so to display a BB symbol combination, it is necessary to carefully press each reel.

In this embodiment, the RT transition starts from non-RT (also referred to as not inside 1st type BB), and if the 1st type BB is won during non-RT and the 1st type BB symbol combination does not stop, the next game (which may be the end of the game) transitions to RT1 (also referred to as inside 1st type BB). If the 1st type BB symbol combination stops during RT1, RT1 ends and the 1st type BB is activated (also referred to as during 1st type BB) from the next game, and when the activation of the 1st type BB ends, the next game transitions to non-RT. In addition, since the setting change starts from non-RT, if the setting change device is activated during RT1 or 1st type BB operation, non-RT is set when the operation of the setting change device ends. Note that in a power outage where the setting change device does not operate (sometimes referred to as a normal power outage), the RT state and the 1st type BB operation state are not cleared, so when the power is restored, it starts from the state before the power outage. Specifically, if a power outage occurs during type 1 BB and the power is subsequently restored, the type 1 BB operating state is type 1 BB, and if a power outage occurs while the state is RT1 and the power is subsequently restored, the RT state is configured to be RT1.

Here, RT is an abbreviation for replay time, and is a state in which the probability of winning a replay can be different for each of the multiple RTs. For example, it is possible to make the probability of winning a replay in RT1 different from the probability of winning a replay in RT2. Also, making the probability of winning a replay different may mean that the probability of winning the replay as a whole is different, or that only the probability of winning a certain replay is different so that the probability of winning the replay as a whole is the same. The trigger for transitioning to an RT can be set to a predetermined symbol combination coming to a stop, a bonus being won (the bonus condition device being activated), a predetermined number of plays being played after the bonus ends, or the like, and can be combined as appropriate.

The condition device in this embodiment is described in FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, the "Winning Replay" item has a number corresponding to the winning number. In addition, the "Condition Device" item has the condition device that will be activated. In addition, the "Common Name" item has a simple name of the condition device that will be activated. For example, the common name corresponding to the replay-H condition device is "Right Push: Strong-Battle Eye", which indicates that the Strong Battle Eye will stop when the right reel P18R is stopped for the first time, and the common name corresponding to the winning-A1 condition device is "Push Order Bell Group A 123", which indicates that the operation mode of the left reel P18L first stop, the center reel P18C second stop, and the right reel P18R third stop is the correct operation mode (in this case, the operation mode that stops the symbol combination of winning 52 (a winning with a larger payout number than winning 01-02, 09, 29-31)). In addition, the "Component" item shows the symbol combination corresponding to the condition device. For example, if the replay-A condition device is activated (a win), it is possible to display replay 01 or replay 02. Note that the "0" in the "Winning replay" section corresponds to a loss.

The internal lottery results that can be determined by the internal lottery means in the non-type BB in this embodiment are explained using Figures 11 to 13. The internal lottery results that can be determined by the internal lottery means in the non-type BB are Type 1 BB, Replay-A, Replay-B, Replay-C (+1 type BB), Replay-D (+1 type BB), Replay-E (+1 type BB), Replay-F (+1 type BB), Replay-G (+1 type BB), Replay-H (+1 type BB), Replay-I (+1 type BB), Replay-J (+1 type BB), Winning-A1, Winning-A2, Winning-A3, Winning-A4, Winning-A5, Winning-A6, Winning-A7, Winning-A8, Winning-A9, Winning-B10, Winning-B20, Winning-B3, Winning-B4, Winning-B5, Winning-B6, Winning-B7, Winning-B8, Winning-B9, Winning-B11, Winning-B12, Winning-B13, Winning-B14, Winning-B15, Winning-B16, Winning-B17, Winning-B18, Winning-B19, Winning-B20, Winning-B21, Winning-B22, Winning-B23, Winning-B24, Winning-B25, Winning-B26, Winning-B27, Winning-B28, Winning-B30, Winning-B31, Winning-B32, Winning-B33, Winning-B34, Winning-B35, Winning-B46, Winning-B47, Winning-B58, Winning-B59, Winning-B61, Winning-B62, Winning-B63, Winning-B64, Winning-B65 The possible results are -A6, Winner -B1, Winner -B2, Winner -B3, Winner -B4, Winner -B5, Winner -B6, Winner -C1, Winner -C2, Winner -C3, Winner -C4, Winner -C5, Winner -C6, Winner -D (+1 type BB), Winner -E (+1 type BB), Winner -F (+1 type BB), Winner -G (+1 type BB), Winner -H (+1 type BB), Winner -I (+1 type BB), Winner -J (+1 type BB), Winner -K (+1 type BB), and there are no losers.

The above-mentioned description of "Replay -C (+1 type BB)" indicates that Replay -C and 1 type BB are won at the same time, and corresponds to the fact that the names of both "Bonus Condition Device" and "Winning Replay" are written in Figures 11, 12, and 13. Also, the "Internal Lottery" item in Figures 11, 12, and 13 indicates whether or not the internal lottery is subject for each game state, with "○" indicating that the internal lottery is subject and "×" indicating that the internal lottery is not subject. Also, the "Advantageous Zone Transition" item in Figures 11, 12, and 13 indicates whether or not the advantageous zone transition lottery is executed for each game state, with "○" indicating that the advantageous zone transition lottery is executed and "×" indicating that the advantageous zone transition lottery is not executed. Note that in this embodiment, when the advantageous zone transition lottery is executed, 100% of the time, the game is configured to transition to the advantageous zone. Additionally, the "R1" to "R6" items in Figures 11, 12, and 13 indicate settings 1 to 6, respectively, and indicate the number of winning positions for the internal lottery that correspond to the setting value, with 65,536 positions being allocated for each game state.

In this embodiment, the internal lottery results that can be determined by the internal lottery means within the Type 1 BB are any of the following: Replay-A, Replay-B, Replay-C, Replay-D, Replay-E, Replay-F, Replay-G, Replay-H, Replay-I, Replay-J, Winning-A1, Winning-A2, Winning-A3, Winning-A4, Winning-A5, Winning-A6, Winning-B1, Winning-B2, Winning-B3, Winning-B4, Winning-B5, Winning-B6, Winning-C1, Winning-C2, Winning-C3, Winning-C4, Winning-C5, Winning-C6, Winning-D, Winning-E, Winning-F, Winning-G, Winning-H, Winning-I, Winning-J, and there are no losing results.

In this embodiment, the internal lottery results that can be determined by the internal lottery means during Type 1 BB are Winning -K, Winning -L, or Losing.

In this embodiment, the conditions for moving from the normal zone to the advantageous zone are winning any of Re-play-C, Re-play-D, Re-play-E, Re-play-F, Re-play-G, Re-play-H, Re-play-I, Re-play-J, Winning-A1, Winning-A2, Winning-A3, Winning-A4, Winning-A5, Winning-A6, Winning-B1, Winning-B2, Winning-B3, Winning-B4, Winning-B5, Winning-B6, Winning-C1, Winning-C2, Winning-C3, Winning-C4, Winning-C5, Winning-C6, Winning-D, Winning-E, Winning-F, Winning-G, Winning-H, Winning-I, Winning-J, or Winning-K; winning Re-play-A or Re-play-B does not move to the advantageous zone. That is, if you win any of the following during the normal period: Replay-C, Replay-D, Replay-E, Replay-F, Replay-G, Replay-H, Replay-I, Replay-J, Win-A1, Win-A2, Win-A3, Win-A4, Win-A5, Win-A6, Win-B1, Win-B2, Win-B3, Win-B4, Win-B5, Win-B6, Win-C1, Win-C2, Win-C3, Win-C4, Win-C5, Win-C6, Win-D, Win-E, Win-F, Win-G, Win-H, Win-I, Win-J, Win-K, you will be in the advantageous period from the next play.

In this embodiment, if any of the following is won during the normal zone: Replay-C, Replay-D, Replay-E, Replay-F, Replay-G, Replay-H, Replay-I, Replay-J, Winning-A1, Winning-A2, Winning-A3, Winning-A4, Winning-A5, Winning-A6, Winning-B1, Winning-B2, Winning-B3, Winning-B4, Winning-B5, Winning-B6, Winning-C1, Winning-C2, Winning-C3, Winning-C4, Winning-C5, Winning-C6, Winning-D, Winning-E, Winning-F, Winning-G, Winning-H, Winning-I, Winning-J, or Winning-K, the player will always move to the advantageous zone. That is, if you win any of the following during the normal period: Replay-C, Replay-D, Replay-E, Replay-F, Replay-G, Replay-H, Replay-I, Replay-J, Win-A1, Win-A2, Win-A3, Win-A4, Win-A5, Win-A6, Win-B1, Win-B2, Win-B3, Win-B4, Win-B5, Win-B6, Win-C1, Win-C2, Win-C3, Win-C4, Win-C5, Win-C6, Win-D, Win-E, Win-F, Win-G, Win-H, Win-I, Win-J, Win-K, you will be in the advantageous period from the next play.

In this embodiment, in RT1 (inside the 1st type BB), there are no misses (either the replay role or the winning role will always win), so once you move to RT1, it is possible to stop the BB symbol combination with some of the operation modes when the push order bell group C (winning-C1 to C6) is won. The part when the push order bell group C is won is, for example, some of the eye-pushing positions of the middle reel P18C when winning-C1 is won, or the first stop of the right reel P18R. Also, when winning-C1 is won in the advantageous zone, the winning 38 stops and the BB symbol combination does not stop by announcing the correct push order (in this case, "1, 2, 3") on the image display device). With this configuration, the user can maintain RT1 by announcing an operation mode in which the BB symbol combination does not stop. Also, the number of losing symbols during RT1 may be set to 4 (because the minimum winning probability in the design is 1/17500 or more), and the BB symbol combination may not stop for other replay roles or winning roles, so that the BB symbol combination stops only when there is a loss. Note that the "1, 2, 3" displayed on the image display device indicates that "1" corresponds to the left stop switch P4L, "2" corresponds to the middle stop switch P4C, and "3" corresponds to the right stop switch P4R, and the "1, 2, 3" displayed on the image display device indicates that the correct pressing order is to stop the left stop switch P4L for the first time, the middle stop switch P4C for the second time, and the right stop switch P4R for the third time.

In this embodiment, the game state (also referred to as the main game state) managed by the main control means in the advantageous zone includes the advantageous zone general state (also referred to as the normal state), the chance zone (also referred to as the CZ), and the AT, with transitions from the advantageous zone general state to the CZ, from the CZ to the AT, and from the AT to the advantageous zone general state or the CZ, respectively. Furthermore, the game state managed by the main control means in the normal zone is only the normal zone general state, and there is no transition of the game state until a transition to the advantageous zone occurs. Note that in the advantageous zone general state and the normal zone general state, the flags related to the game state managed by the main control means may be the same or different.

The normal state is when the internal lottery result is any of WINNER-A1 through WINNER-C6, and the advantageous winning button sequence is not announced.

The CZ is the state you enter when you win any of the internal lottery results from WINNER-D to WINNER-H under normal circumstances, and during the CZ, the transition to the AT is determined by the results of the internal lottery during the CZ or the lottery at the start of the CZ.

The AT is the state you enter when you win the AT lottery during the CZ, and is the state that notifies you of the advantageous operation mode (winning button sequence) when you win any of WIN-A1 through WIN-C6.

In this embodiment, the conditions for always transitioning from the advantageous zone to the normal zone are when the number of plays in the advantageous zone reaches a predetermined number (e.g., 1500), when MY in the advantageous zone exceeds 2400, when initialization processing based on a setting change is performed, and when the RAM clear switch is enabled, and the AT end conditions and the advantageous zone end conditions do not match. However, some of the AT end conditions (for example, in a specification where the end condition is 300 plays since entering the AT, when the number of plays reaches 300 (in this case, an ending that is a performance that indicates the end of the AT is performed) or when the number of winning coins reaches a predetermined number (e.g., 2300 coins) or more) may be the end conditions of the advantageous zone. In addition, when the CZ is won in the advantageous zone, the zone may be transitioned to the normal zone. In this case, it is determined whether or not to end the advantageous zone depending on the situation of the advantageous zone when the CZ is won in the advantageous zone.

The method for calculating MY in the favorable zone will be explained. The main control board P15 is equipped with a favorable zone MY counter as a memory area. The favorable zone MY counter is set to an initial value of "0" when entering the favorable zone, and increases or decreases depending on the results of the game. When the value of the favorable zone MY counter exceeds 2400, the favorable zone ends.

The advantageous zone MY counter is an increment counter, and in a gaming machine where the value of the advantageous zone MY counter is "0", if the input points are "3" points and the awarded points are "10" points, the value of the advantageous zone MY counter will be "10-3", which is "7".

The advantageous zone MY counter counts the maximum increase during an advantageous zone, so in a game where the advantageous zone MY counter value is "0", if the investment points are "3" and the awarded points are "0", the advantageous zone MY counter value will be "0-3", but if the result of the calculation is a negative value, it will be corrected to "0" and will be "0". This is because the carry flag becomes "1" when a carry flag is carried over as a result of the calculation, and an instruction is used to set the carry flag to "0" when the carry flag is "1".

In addition, if a replay is won as a result of a game, the update process of the advantageous zone MY counter is not executed, so the value of the advantageous zone MY counter for the game in which the replay is won does not increase or decrease.

The CZ is determined by drawing lots when one of the winning combinations, Winning-D through Winning-H (hereafter also referred to as rare combinations), is won, and basically the less likely the internal drawing result is to win, the more likely it is to win the CZ. In this embodiment, the order of likelihood of winning the CZ is Winning-G > Winning-E > Winning-H > Winning-F > Winning-D.

In this embodiment, the CZ does not occur immediately after winning, but after winning the CZ, it transitions from the advantageous zone to the normal zone and then starts when it transitions back to the advantageous zone (i.e., the CZ always starts when transitioning to the advantageous zone in RT1 (transitioning from the normal zone to the advantageous zone can also be said to be the condition for the CZ to occur), and if the CZ is won in the current advantageous zone, it will transition to the normal zone and start the next advantageous zone, causing the CZ to occur). This can solve the problem of not being able to put out balls when winning the AT from the CZ because there are few remaining games in the advantageous zone. This is particularly effective for specifications with a small net increase (expected number of coins to be won per game, also called the slope value). For example, in the case of a net increase of 2 coins, the maximum number of coins to be won in the advantageous zone is about 2400 coins, so 1200 games are required to win 2400 coins. However, the AT is not always performed in the favorable zone, and since various game states such as the normal state and CZ described above are transitioned, the number of remaining games in the favorable zone is often small (for example, 500 times) when the AT starts. In this case, even if 500 games are played, the net increase is 2, so the number of coins won ends up being about 1000 coins, making it difficult to meet the user's expectations of winning. Therefore, by ending the favorable zone once with a CZ win and starting the CZ when moving to a new favorable zone, even if the CZ has 100 games played, the favorable zone can be played 1400 times, creating the user's expectation of winning 2400 coins.

The probability of winning the CZ from the second time onwards within the same advantageous zone may also be varied depending on the number of coins won since the advantageous zone began (cumulative number of coins paid out - cumulative number of coins inserted). For example, if a CZ is started when moving to an advantageous zone and an AT is won, it is possible to vary the probability of winning the CZ in the remaining advantageous zone after the AT ends depending on whether 50 coins are won in the AT or 1000 coins are won. In this case, it is possible to make the probability of winning the CZ after winning 50 coins higher or lower than the probability of winning the CZ after winning 1000 coins.

If the probability of winning a CZ after winning 50 coins is made higher than the probability of winning a CZ after winning 1,000 coins, it will be easier to award the next CZ to users who have not won much in the AT, allowing them to play while maintaining a sense of anticipation.

If the probability of winning the CZ after winning 50 coins is made lower than the probability of winning the CZ after winning 1000 coins, since there is little remaining advantageous period after winning 1000 coins (since it is close to the end of the advantageous period, which is 1500 plays or winning 2400 coins), even if the CZ probability is made high, the ball payout design will not significantly increase gambling spirit, and a new sense of expectation can be created for the user.

When the CZ is won, a congratulatory performance is performed in which text such as "success" or "victory" is displayed when the game in which the CZ was won is played or when a predetermined number of games are played (which can be set arbitrarily depending on the specifications of the gaming machine P). This allows the user to understand that some kind of privilege has been granted, and allows the user to intuitively understand the progress of the game. Then, from the next game onwards, a display indicating "CZ preparation" is displayed by the image display device or the lighting state of the lamp, which creates a sense of expectation for the CZ in the user. When the CZ winning game is in an advantageous zone, the CZ preparation corresponds to the state from the end of the advantageous zone to the transition to the advantageous zone again in the subsequent normal zone. Since the "CZ preparation" is internally a normal zone, it is a disadvantageous state for users who do not perform any AT lottery or AT addition, but by lowering the ball output rate during the CZ preparation compared to the AT state, balls can be allocated to the AT, and a wave of balls can be created. In addition, during the preparation of the CZ, a sense of anticipation is created for the CZ, making it less likely that users will feel like they have lost out even if the payout rate is lowered.

In addition, the advantageous zone ends with the next play after the CZ wins, but a predetermined number of plays may be played from the play after the CZ wins until the advantageous zone ends. In this case, the CZ win is not announced in the play after the CZ win, and the winning or losing of the CZ is determined by the effects over a predetermined number of plays (so-called premonition effects or continuous effects). Then, a congratulatory effect is executed at the timing when the predetermined number of plays are played, and the CZ is in preparation from the next play. This is because the advantageous zone lamp is lit during the advantageous zone, and the advantageous zone lamp is turned off when the advantageous zone ends, so that it is not possible to tell whether the CZ has been won or not from the lighting state of the advantageous zone lamp between the CZ win play and the announcement of the CZ win. Note that the advantageous zone may be switched to the normal zone during CZ preparation, and in this case, since it has already been announced that the CZ is in preparation, the result is not known in advance by the lighting state of the advantageous zone lamp during CZ preparation.

In addition, CZ preparation does not necessarily have to be a normal zone, and may be set to a favorable zone. Even in this case, the rate at which CZ preparation is executed in a normal zone is relatively higher than the rate at which CZ preparation is executed in a favorable zone, and the condition for executing CZ preparation in a favorable zone is that the number of remaining plays in the favorable zone is a predetermined number (for example, 1000 times). By configuring in this way, CZ preparation is executed when there is a margin in the number of remaining plays in the favorable zone, so even if the CZ is executed after CZ preparation and the AT is executed as a result, a sufficient feeling of winning can be created. In addition, since the normal zone is not used during CZ preparation, it is also possible to create a surprise such as starting the AT immediately after CZ preparation (since information related to the AT is initialized at the end of the favorable zone, if the normal zone is used during CZ preparation, the CZ will be executed at the start of the favorable zone, and the AT cannot be started).

In addition, when executing CZ preparation during the above-mentioned advantageous zone, it may be determined by drawing lots whether or not to award an AT when any of WIN-D through WIN-H is won during CZ preparation. In this case, the order of rare roles that are likely to win the AT by AT drawing may be the same as the order that is likely to win the CZ, or may be slightly different, such as WIN-E > WIN-G > WIN-F > WIN-H > WIN-D. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to make the user expect to win a rare role even during CZ preparation.

Furthermore, in order to not discourage users who have won a rare role but not the AT from playing, a bonus different from the AT may be awarded. Such a bonus may, for example, be displayed as a two-dimensional code that can be read by the user's terminal, or a setting suggestion effect that allows the setting value to be determined. Such a bonus may be made easier to award the closer the number of plays in the advantageous zone is to the aforementioned predetermined number (e.g., 1500 plays), or when the number of CZ plays is a specific number (e.g., a multiple of 5).

The process for changing settings in this embodiment is explained below.

When the setting change device is started, the RAM initialization process described above is performed at the timing when the setting change device is started or when the setting value is confirmed. If the game state immediately before this RAM initialization process is performed is RT1, the RT1 information is initialized when the RAM initialization process is performed, and the game state after the RAM initialization process will be non-RT. Also, if the game state immediately before the RAM initialization process is performed is in Type 1 BB, the information in Type 1 BB is initialized when the RAM initialization process is performed, and the game state after the RAM initialization process will be non-RT. Note that the total score is not initialized in the RAM initialization process associated with a setting change (the input points are initialized).

In addition, if the game state immediately before the RAM initialization process is performed is a favorable zone, the information of the favorable zone is initialized when the RAM initialization process is performed, and the game state after the RAM initialization process becomes the normal zone. In other words, the game state during the favorable zone can be the normal state, CZ, or AT, but in any state, when the RAM initialization process is performed, it transitions to the normal zone.

When the RAM initialization process is performed, play will start in a non-RT and normal zone, but in this embodiment, the CZ is started when moving from the normal zone to the advantageous zone, so after the setting change, the game is in an advantageous state (a state in which the CZ can be started by moving to the advantageous zone without playing to win the CZ).

By configuring it this way, the settings are changed to a favorable state, which motivates customers to visit the store in the morning, thereby increasing the number of customers attracted.

In addition, if it is possible to set an overly favorable state after changing the settings (a state in which the machine transitions to the CZ after just a few plays), this could significantly stimulate gambling instincts (the so-called morning mode). For this reason, it is possible to change the contents of the CZ depending on the situation when the machine transitions to the favorable zone.

In this case, if the RT state of the next play that has been determined to transition to the favorable zone is RT1, a CZ will be started since this is the basic game flow, and if the RT state of the next play that has been determined to transition to the favorable zone is non-RT, a CZ will not be started as this is after a setting change. Games that have been determined to move into the favorable zone are those that have won any of the following: Replay-C, Replay-D, Replay-E, Replay-F, Replay-G, Replay-H, Replay-I, Replay-J, Winning-A1, Winning-A2, Winning-A3, Winning-A4, Winning-A5, Winning-A6, Winning-B1, Winning-B2, Winning-B3, Winning-B4, Winning-B5, Winning-B6, Winning-C1, Winning-C2, Winning-C3, Winning-C4, Winning-C5, Winning-C6, Winning-D, Winning-E, Winning-F, Winning-G, Winning-H, Winning-I, Winning-J, Winning-K.

In addition, since Replay-C, Replay-D, Replay-E, Replay-F, Replay-G, Replay-H, Replay-I, Replay-J, Winning-D, Winning-E, Winning-F, Winning-G, Winning-H, Winning-I, Winning-J, and Winning-K overlap with Type 1 BB, the RT state of the next play after the winning will be RT1 and CZ will start, but Winning-A1, Winning Since Prize-A2, Winning-A3, Winning-A4, Winning-A5, Winning-A6, Winning-B1, Winning-B2, Winning-B3, Winning-B4, Winning-B5, Winning-B6, Winning-C1, Winning-C2, Winning-C3, Winning-C4, Winning-C5, and Winning-C6 do not overlap with Type 1 BB, the next play after the win is non-RT and CZ will not start.

This configuration allows for cases where a player transitions to a favorable zone during non-RT, and therefore suppresses morning-related specifications such as transitioning to a CZ after just a few plays after changing the settings, thereby reducing the tendency for gambling.

It is also possible to reduce gambling by using a specification that changes the game state managed by the main control means in the favorable zone by referring to the RT state of the next game in which a transition to the favorable zone has been decided. In this case, the favorable zone that has transitioned to a non-RT (not inside the Type 1 BB) may not perform an AT, and the favorable zone that has transitioned to an RT1 (inside the Type 1 BB) may have the possibility of performing an AT. With this configuration, if a transition to the favorable zone occurs in a non-RT after the setting change, the AT will not be performed and no balls can be earned, thereby reducing gambling. The condition for ending the favorable zone at this time may be until the above-mentioned CZ is won, or may be that a predetermined number of games (for example, 1500 games) have been played.

In addition, the transition of the CZ is controlled by referring to the RT state of the next game that has won the advantageous zone transition lottery, but this is not limited to this, and the transition of the CZ may be controlled by referring to the condition device in operation for the game that has won the advantageous zone transition lottery. In this case, when the prize-winning-A1 is won while inside a type 1 BB in the normal zone, the CZ is controlled to start at the start of the advantageous zone based on the fact that the condition devices for the type 1 BB and the prize-winning-A1 are in operation. In addition, when the prize-winning-A1 is won while not inside a type 1 BB in the normal zone, the CZ is controlled not to start at the start of the advantageous zone based on the fact that the condition device for the prize-winning-A1 is in operation.

In this embodiment, only Type 1 BB was the subject of the lottery, but instead, RB or MB may be the subject of the lottery, or two or all of Type 1 BB, RB, and MB may be the subject of the lottery.

The messages used for communication between the gaming machine P and the rental unit are explained using Figure 14.

The data structure of the messages used for communication between the gaming machine P and the rental unit can be divided into the following five types.
(1) Message length (2) Command (3) Serial number (4) Data section (5) Checksum A group of data consisting of the above five items is called a message, and is sent in one transmission (it is not divided and sent).
Each data structure is explained below.

(1) Message Length This indicates the length of the data consisting of five items: message length, command, serial number, data section, and checksum, and is composed of 1 byte of data. For example, if the message length is 1 byte, the command is 1 byte, the serial number is 1 byte, the data section is 14 bytes, and the checksum is 1 byte, the message will be 18 bytes (1 byte + 1 byte + 1 byte + 14 bytes + 1 byte), and the message length will be the data corresponding to the 18 bytes (12h).

(2) Command The above message is used for one of the following messages: gaming machine information notification, counting notification, loan notification, and loan receipt result response. This command can be used to notify the type of message.
For example, the following is set as the command: 01h for gaming machine information notification, 02h for counting notification, 13h for loan notification, and 03h for loan receipt result response. The data length of the command is 1 byte.

(3) Serial Number The numbers contained in the gaming machine information notification, counting notification, loan notification, and loan receipt result response, which will be described later, are referred to as serial numbers. The serial number contained in the gaming machine information notification is referred to as the serial number, the serial number contained in the counting notification is referred to as the counting serial number, the serial number contained in the loan notification is referred to as the loan serial number, and the serial number contained in the loan receipt result response is referred to as the loan serial number. These various serial numbers are numbers within the range of 0 to 255 and are composed of 1 byte of data. The various serial numbers will be described later.

(4) Data section The data section refers to data corresponding to the gaming machine information notification, counting notification, loan notification, and loan receipt result response, which will be described later. The data included in the data section will be described later, but the data length varies depending on the notification content, such as 1 byte to 53 bytes.

(5) Checksum The five pieces of data, the message length, command, serial number, data section, and checksum, are added together, and the lowest byte of the total is used as the checksum. Using this checksum, the receiving side can grasp data corruption during communication, and for example, the gaming machine P or the rental unit can count the number of messages with checksums that do not match and check the communication malfunction status, etc. For example, in the gaming machine P, the number of messages with checksums that do not match may be displayed on an image display device or the like in a specified situation (during a setting confirmation mode in which the setting values can be confirmed or during a setting change mode in which the setting values can be changed).

Among the messages output from gaming machine P to the rental unit, the gaming machine information notification will be explained using Figure 15.

(1) Message Length This indicates the length of the data consisting of five items: message length, command, serial number, data section (including three items: gaming machine type, gaming machine information type, and gaming machine information), and checksum, and is composed of 1 byte of data. The message length changes depending on the type of gaming machine information, which will be described later.

(2) Command As described above, the command serves to notify any one of the gaming machine information notification, counting notification, loan notification, and loan receipt result response. The gaming machine information notification command corresponds to 01h (fixed value).

(3) Serial Number The serial number is a number between 0 and 255, and serves as a serial number for notifying gaming machine information. A specific example will be described below.
A) When the power is turned on, the serial number "00h (0)" is notified.
a) After the power is turned on, the serial number is updated (+1) every time a notification is sent.
c) The next value after the serial number "FFh (255)" is updated to "01h (1)" (+1 twice).
As described above, the first serial number after power recovery is 0, and thereafter, the serial number increases by 1 each time a gaming machine information notification is output. When the serial number of a gaming machine information notification reaches 255, the serial number of the next gaming machine information notification will be 1 (it will never become 0).

(4) Game Machine Type The game machine type is information constituting the data section, and is information for identifying the type of game machine P. This information will be described later with reference to Fig. 6, and is data for notifying the management medium, group classification, and game machine type.

(5) Gaming Machine Information Type The gaming machine information type is information constituting the data section, and is information for identifying whether the gaming machine information notification to be notified this time is gaming machine performance information, gaming machine installation information, or hall control/fraud monitoring information. The gaming machine information type is 00h when notifying gaming machine performance information, 01h when notifying gaming machine installation information, and 02h when notifying hall control/fraud monitoring information. The gaming machine performance information will be described later with reference to FIG. 17, the gaming machine installation information with reference to FIG. 18, and the hall control/fraud monitoring information with reference to FIG. 19.

(6) Gaming Machine Information Gaming machine information is information constituting the data section, and the gaming machine information notification to be notified this time is information notified according to any one of gaming machine performance information, gaming machine installation information, and hall control/fraud monitoring information. Details of the gaming machine information will be described later.

(7) Checksum The five pieces of data for the gaming machine information notification being sent this time, namely, message length, command, serial number, data section (including three items: gaming machine type, gaming machine information type, and gaming machine information), and checksum, are added together, and the lowest byte of the total is used as the checksum.

The gaming machine type, which is one of the pieces of information included in the gaming machine information notification, will be explained with reference to Figure 16.

The gaming machine type is a 1-byte data, where Bit 0 to Bit 3 indicate the type of gaming machine, Bit 4 to Bit 6 indicate the classification of the organization to which the manufacturer belongs, and Bit 7 indicates information about the gaming medium, whether it is a gaming machine that uses traditional gaming balls or traditional gaming medals.

The types of gaming machines listed are those stipulated in the Act on the Control and Proper Management of Amusement and Amusement Businesses, etc.

Next, we will use the gaming machine type list in Figure 16 to explain what the gaming machine types are by giving specific examples.

A) Pattern 1
Game machine type: Pachinko game machine P
Group category: Group A
Management medium: old gaming ball In this case, 01h is set as the gaming machine type.

B) Pattern 2
Machine type: Slot machine Group classification: Group A
Management medium: old gaming medal In this case, 82h is set as the gaming machine type.

C) Pattern 3
Machine type: Arrange ball machine Group classification: Group A
Managed medium: old gaming medal In this case, 83h is set as the gaming machine type.

D) Pattern 4
Game machine type: Jayan ball game machine Group classification: Group A
Management medium: old gaming medal In this case, 84h is set as the gaming machine type.

E) Pattern 5
Machine type: Slot machine Group classification: Group B
Management medium: old gaming medal In this case, 92h is set as the gaming machine type.

The gaming machine information included in the message when gaming machine performance information is set in the gaming machine information notification is explained using Figure 17.

A) Total number of insertions The total number of insertions is information on the number of game media inserted since the power was turned on. If a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 may be output as the information on the total number of insertions. For example, if the cumulative number of game media inserted is 2000 in a total of 1000 games, the total number of insertions will be 2000, and 2000 may be output as the information on the total number of insertions. If a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 may be output as the information on the total number of insertions. Note that if a replay role (also called a replay role) is won by an internal lottery and a symbol combination corresponding to the replay is stopped and displayed, the number of insertions of game media bet on the next game of that game is not included in the total number of insertions.

A) Total Award Number The total award number is information on the number of game media awarded accumulated since the power was turned on, and if a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 may be output as information on the total award number. For example, if the cumulative number of game media awarded is 2000 in a total of 1000 games, the total award number will be 2000, and 2000 may be output as information on the total award number. If a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 may be output as information on the total award number. Note that if a replay role is won by an internal lottery and a symbol combination corresponding to the replay is stopped and displayed, the number of game media awarded in that game is not included in the total award number.

C) MY
MY is information on the maximum difference that can be calculated from the number of game media given and the number of game media inserted since the power is turned on, and when a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 can be output as the information on MY. Specifically, the maximum difference is the increase in the number of game media from the reference (the total number of game media acquired minus the total number of game media inserted) based on the reference when the number of game media is the smallest when the game result is obtained. For example, in a total of 1000 games, the 100th game is the game in which the player has lost the most, and the number of game media that the player has lost at that time is -200, and from there an advantageous game begins, and the 800th game is the game in which the player has gained the most, and the number of game media acquired by the player at that time is 800, then 1000, which is the difference between -200 and 800, becomes MY, and 1000 can be output as MY. When a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 can be output as the information on MY.

To output this MY, the game media number control board uses a calculation MY counter and an output MY counter. Both the calculation MY counter and the output MY counter are initialized (set to 0) when the power is turned on, so the MY from when the power is turned on until it is turned off is output. In other words, since the power is usually turned off at the end of business for the day in an arcade, the MY for one day is output.

The calculation MY counter is configured to be updatable regardless of the game status or the specified number, and is configured to calculate the awarded points - the invested points in one game, and store the accumulated calculation results. For example, if a game is started when the calculation MY counter value is "0" and the invested points are "3" points and the awarded points are "10", the result of calculating "10 - 3", "7", is added to the calculation MY counter and the value of the calculation MY counter is stored as "7". Similarly, if the next game has the invested points as "3" points and the awarded points as "10", the result of calculating "10 - 3", "7", is added to the calculation MY counter and the value of the calculation MY counter is stored as "14".

For example, if a game is started when the value of the calculation MY counter is "0", and the put-in points are "3" and the awarded points are "0", the result of calculating "0-3" is "-3", but "0" is stored in the calculation MY counter. This is because the instruction is used to set the carry flag to "1" if a carry flag is "1" as a result of the calculation, and to set "0" if the carry flag is "1".

When the previous game was not a replay (in other words, when 3 points were actually bet), the calculation MY counter treats the investment points for the game in which the replay won as "3" and the awarded points as "0". Then, by setting the investment points to "0" in the next game (the game when the replay is activated), the actual MY can be corrected. For example, if the previous game was not a replay and a game (in which the replay won) started when the calculation MY counter value was "10" has an investment point of "3" and an awarded point of "0", then "-3", which is the result of calculating "0-3", is added to the calculation MY counter, and the calculation MY counter value is stored as "7". Furthermore, if a minor role that awards "10" points is won in the game following the game in which a replay was won, the investment points are "0" points and the awarded points are "10" points, and the result of calculating "10-0", "10", is added to the calculation MY counter, and the value of the calculation MY counter is stored as "17".

The output MY counter updates the value of the calculation MY counter to the value of the output MY counter when the value stored in the calculation MY counter is greater than the value stored in the output MY counter. For example, if a game is started when the calculation MY counter value is "10" and the output MY counter value is "12", and the input points are "3" points and the awarded points are "10", then "7", which is the result of calculating "10-3", is added and the value of the calculation MY counter is stored as "17". In addition, the calculation MY counter value of "17" is compared with the output MY counter value of "12", and since the calculation MY counter value is greater, the output MY counter value is updated to "17".

The game media count control board is configured to transmit the value of the output MY counter to the rental unit.

The calculation MY counter and output MY counter are initialized when the power is turned on, but the advantageous zone MY counter is not initialized when the power is turned on. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to appropriately protect the value of the advantageous zone MY counter, which may cause disadvantages to the player.

The calculation MY counter and output MY counter are configured to be updatable regardless of the game zone (normal zone, favorable zone), but the favorable zone MY counter is configured to be updatable in the favorable zone (but not to be updated in the normal zone).

The upper limit of both the calculation MY counter and the output MY counter is set to "917490". This configuration is much higher than the maximum MY normally achieved in a day, significantly reducing the possibility of reaching the upper limit. In addition, even if the calculation MY counter and the output MY counter are increased through fraudulent activity, the upper limit will not be reached immediately, making it difficult for the counter value to be restarted from "0".

e) Total number of granted devices The total number of granted devices is information on the cumulative number of granted game media by the operation of the device (single bonus (SB), regular bonus (RB), challenge bonus (CB)) since the power was turned on, and if a power outage occurs and the power is then turned on, 0 may be output as information on the total granted number of devices. For example, if the cumulative number of game media obtained by the operation of the device is 100 in a total of 1,000 games, the total granted number of devices will be 100, and 100 may be output as information on the total granted number of devices. And if a power outage occurs and the power is then turned on, 0 may be output as information on the total granted number.

E) Total number of consecutive bonuses The total number of consecutive bonuses is information on the cumulative number of bonuses that have been awarded by the operation of the first-class special bonus (regular bonus (RB)) since the power was turned on. If a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 may be output as the information on the total number of consecutive bonuses. For example, if the cumulative number of gaming media obtained by the operation of the first-class special bonus is 100 in a total of 1000 games, the total number of consecutive bonuses will be 100, and 100 may be output as the information on the total number of consecutive bonuses. If a power outage occurs and the power is turned on afterwards, 0 may be output as the information on the total number of consecutive bonuses. The number of bonuses of gaming media awarded by the operation of the first-class special bonus by the first-class special bonus continuous operation device (also referred to as the first-class BB) is also accumulated.

F) Gadget ratio The gadget ratio is a ratio in which the cumulative number of awards is the denominator and the cumulative number of awards when the gadgets are activated is the numerator. For example, if the cumulative number of games is a predetermined number (e.g., 17,500 games) or more, the cumulative number of awards is 20,000, and the cumulative number of awards when the gadgets are activated is 10,000, 50 may be output as the gadget ratio information. The cumulative total does not have to be the cumulative total of all games. For example, if the cumulative number of awards reaches a predetermined upper limit (e.g., 65,535) or exceeds the upper limit when the cumulative number of awards is added to the current game, the cumulative number of awards and the cumulative number of awards when the gadgets are activated are not updated in subsequent games. In other words, the gadget ratio is configured not to change. When the cumulative number of games played is less than a predetermined number (for example, 17,500), FFh is output as the bonus ratio information.

K) Successive feature ratio The consecutive feature ratio is a ratio in which the cumulative number of bonuses is the denominator and the cumulative number of bonuses when consecutive features are activated that are awarded by the activation of the consecutive feature (RB) is the numerator. For example, if the cumulative number of games is a predetermined number (e.g., 17,500 games) or more, the cumulative number of bonuses is 20,000, and the cumulative number of bonuses when consecutive features are activated is 10,000, 50 may be output as the bonus feature ratio information. The cumulative number does not have to be the cumulative total of all games. For example, if the cumulative number of bonuses reaches a predetermined upper limit (e.g., 65,535) or (if the cumulative number of bonuses is added to the cumulative number of bonuses in the current game and the upper limit is exceeded), the cumulative number of bonuses and the cumulative number of bonuses when consecutive features are activated are not updated in subsequent games. In other words, the bonus feature ratio is configured not to change. When the cumulative number of games played is less than a predetermined number (for example, 17,500), FFh is output as the continuous feature ratio information.

H) Advantageous Zone Ratio The advantageous zone ratio is a ratio with the cumulative number of plays as the denominator and the cumulative number of advantageous zone plays as the numerator. For example, if the cumulative number of plays is 20,000 and the cumulative number of advantageous zone plays is 18,000, 90 may be output as the advantageous zone ratio information. Note that the cumulative total does not have to be the cumulative total of all plays. For example, when the cumulative number of plays reaches a predetermined upper limit (e.g., 65,535), the cumulative number of plays and the number of advantageous zone plays are not updated in subsequent plays. In other words, the advantageous zone ratio is configured not to change.
The cumulative total does not have to be the cumulative total of all games. For example, when the cumulative number of games reaches a predetermined upper limit (e.g., 65,535) or (when the cumulative number of games is added to the number of games of the current game, the upper limit is exceeded), the cumulative number of games and the cumulative number of games in the advantageous zone are not updated in subsequent games. In other words, the advantageous zone ratio is not changed. When the cumulative number of games is less than a predetermined number (e.g., 17,500), FFh is output as the advantageous zone ratio. Also, FFh is output in gaming machines P that do not have advantageous zones.

I) Ratio of a device with instructions The ratio of a device with instructions is a ratio with the cumulative number of awards as the denominator and the sum of the cumulative number of awards when a device is activated given by the operation of the device (RB, CB, SB) and the cumulative number of instruction awards given by the operation of the instruction function (notification of the operation mode of the stop switch P4) as the numerator. The sum may be a value derived by calculation based on the number of awards when a device is activated and the number of instructions, or may be a single memory area to which the number of awards is added when a device is activated or when an instruction function is activated. For example, if the number of awards is 175,000 or more, the cumulative number of awards is 200,000, and the sum of the cumulative number of awards when a device is activated and the cumulative number of instruction awards is 100,000, 50 may be output as the information on the device ratio. The cumulative total does not have to be the cumulative total for all games. For example, when the cumulative number of awards reaches a predetermined upper limit (e.g., 1,677,215) or (when the cumulative number of games played plus the number of games played in the current game exceeds the upper limit), the cumulative number of awards and the sum of the cumulative number of awards when the device is activated and the cumulative number of awards by instructions are not updated in subsequent games. In other words, the advantageous zone ratio is not changed. Note that when the cumulative number of games played is less than a predetermined number (e.g., 175,000 games), FFh is output as the device ratio information. Also, FFh is output even in gaming machines P that are not equipped with device or instruction functions.

J) Ratio of the state of the reels The ratio of the state of the reels is a ratio in which the cumulative number of times of play is the denominator and the cumulative specific number of times of play, which is the number of times of play in which the reels (RB, CB, SB) are in operation or the number of times of play in which the reels continuous operation device (1BB, 2BB) is in operation, is the numerator. For example, when the cumulative number of times of play is 20,000 and the cumulative specific number of times of play is 5,000, 25 can be output as the information of the ratio of the state of the reels. The cumulative total does not have to be the cumulative total of all games. For example, when the cumulative number of times of play reaches a predetermined upper limit (for example, 1,677,215), the cumulative number of times of play and the specific number of times of play are not updated in subsequent games. In other words, the ratio of the state of the reels is not changed. When the cumulative number of times of play is less than a predetermined number (for example, 175,000), FFh is output as the ratio of the state of the reels. In addition, even in a gaming machine P that is not equipped with a reel or a reel continuous operation device, the gaming machine P is configured to output FFh.

The number of games is the cumulative number of games played since the gaming machine was turned on. It is cleared when the gaming machine is turned on.

C) Spare A spare is a device that is prepared in advance for possible future use. When only the above information A) to K) is to be output, 00h is output.

S) Reservation 1
Reservation 1 is not used by the gaming machine P itself alone. For example, after being sent from the gaming machine P to the rental unit, it is used when outputting from the rental unit to an external party such as group A or group B (for example, a gaming machine information center) using the 3-byte area reserved as a reservation on the unit side. An example of its use is adding the maximum MY calculated by the rental unit to the above-mentioned a) to cas), and outputting it to an external party (for example, a gaming machine information center).

C) Reservation 2
Reservation 2 is not used by the gaming machine P itself alone. For example, after being sent from the gaming machine P to the rental unit, it is used when outputting from the rental unit to an external party such as Group A or Group B (for example, a gaming machine information center) using the 2-byte area reserved as a reservation on the unit side. An example of its use is adding the number of plays calculated by the rental unit to the above-mentioned A) to C) and outputting it to an external party (for example, a gaming machine information center).

The gaming machine information included in the message when gaming machine installation information is set in the gaming machine information notification is explained using Figure 18.

A) Main control chip ID number The main control chip ID number is information including a chip individual number for identifying the main control chip in which the CPU, RWM, and ROM are integrated, which is provided on the main control board P15, and is different information even for the same model. For example, when the chip individual number is 4 bytes of 12345678h and the main control chip is purchased from company A, the main control chip ID number 000000001234567821h (the lower byte 21h indicates that it is a main control chip of model number X purchased from company A) can be output to the rental unit. Also, for example, when the chip individual number is 4 bytes of 23456789h and the main control chip is purchased from company B, the main control chip ID number 000000002345678941h (the lower byte 41h indicates that it is a main control chip of model number Y purchased from company B) can be output to the rental unit.

a) Main control chip manufacturer code: Information indicating the gaming machine manufacturer stored in the built-in memory of the main control chip.

(c) Main control chip product code: Information indicating the model name of the gaming machine P stored in the built-in memory of the main control chip.

The main control chip ID number, main control chip manufacturer code, and main control chip product code described above are transmitted from the main control board P15 to the gaming media count control board P16 during the power-on process when the gaming machine P is powered on. The main control chip ID number, main control chip manufacturer code, and main control chip product code are each configured to be stored in the RWM area provided on the gaming media count control board P16.

e) Game media count control chip ID number The game media count control chip ID number is information that includes an individual chip number for identifying the game media count control chip which is an integrated CPU, RWM, and ROM and is provided on the game media count control board P16, and is different information even for the same model.
For example, when the chip individual number is 4 bytes, 98765432h, and it is a main control chip purchased from Company A, the game media count control chip ID number 000000009876543221h (the lowest byte 21h indicates that it is a game media count control chip of model number X purchased from Company A) can be output to the rental unit.
For example, when the chip individual number is 4 bytes, 87654321h, and it is a main control chip purchased from Company B, the game media number control chip ID number 000000008765432141h (the lowest byte 41h indicates that it is a main control chip of model number Y purchased from Company B) can be output to the rental unit.

In the case of a gaming machine P that is not equipped with a gaming media count control board P16, it is possible to output 000000000000000000h as the gaming media count control chip ID number to the rental unit.

e) Game Media Number Control Chip Manufacturer Code: This is information indicating the game machine manufacturer stored in the built-in memory of the game media number control chip.
In addition, in the case of a gaming machine P that does not have a gaming media number control board P16 mounted thereon, it is possible to output 000000h as the gaming media number control chip manufacturer code to the lending unit.

(c) Game Media Number Control Chip Product Code: This is information indicating the model name of the game machine P stored in the built-in memory of the main control chip.
In addition, in the case of a gaming machine P that does not have a gaming media number control board P16 mounted thereon, it is possible to output 0000000000000000h as the gaming media number control chip product code to the lending unit.

The gaming machine information included in the message when hall control and fraud monitoring information is set among the gaming machine information notifications is explained using Figure 19.

A) Total Score The total score is the current number of gaming media stored in the gaming media number control board P16, and can increase or decrease depending on the gaming media insertion process and winning process. The current total score is displayed on the gaming media number display unit P9 provided on the gaming machine P. Total score information is sent to the lending unit. For example, if a total score of 2000 points is stored, 0007D0h can be output to the lending unit. The upper limit of the total score that can be stored in the gaming media number control board P16 is 16383 points.

A) Inserted points Inserted points indicate the number of gaming media inserted. For example, when 3 points are bet, 03h can be output to the lending unit. Also, when 3 points are bet and 3 points are settled on the gaming media number control board P16 by operating the settlement switch before starting the game (before the start switch P3 is operated), FDh can be output to the lending unit. In other words, information from -3 points (FDh) to +3 points (03h) can be output to the lending unit.

C) Award points Award points (also called winning points) indicate the number of game media awarded according to the pattern combination that stops (wins) on the pay line after all reels have stopped. For example, when 8 points are awarded, information of 08h can be output, and when 15 points are awarded, information of 0Fh can be output to the lending unit.

The gaming machine P transmits the above-mentioned "total score," "inserted points," and "awarded points" to the rental unit, making it possible to detect abnormalities in the total score using the total score information managed by the rental unit.

D) Main control state 1
The main control state 1 indicates a state related to the game state. Specifically, each bit of the 1-byte data is assigned to a game state. For example, when Bit 0 is 1, information indicating the RB state can be output to the lending unit. For example, when Bit 1 is 1, information indicating the BB state can be output to the lending unit. For example, when Bit 2 is 1, information indicating the AT state can be output to the lending unit. Bits 3 to 6 correspond to the game machine state signals 1 to 4. The game machine state signals 1 to 4 can be changed in use or not used depending on the type of game machine P. For example, a game machine state signal 1 can be output every time the score acquired in the AT game reaches 100 points. Bit 7 is configured to be unused and to be able to output 0 regardless of the type of game machine P. By configuring in this way, for example, when an AT state is to be notified, 00000100B can be output to the lending unit.

E) Main control state 2
The main control state 2 indicates a state related to the gaming state, similar to the main control state 1. Bits 0 to 2 correspond to the gaming machine state signals 5 to 7. The gaming machine state signals 5 to 7 can be used for different purposes or not used depending on the type of gaming machine P. For example, when a specific RT state (replay probability variable state) is entered, the gaming machine state signal 5 can be output. Bits 3 to 7 are left unused and configured to be able to output 0 regardless of the type of gaming machine P. By configuring in this way, for example, when a specific RT state is entered, 00000001B can be output to the lending unit.

(c) Gaming Machine Error State The gaming machine error state refers to an error state composed of information including an error code indicating an error occurring in the gaming machine P, etc.

Specifically, bits 0 to 5 indicate the error code. Bit 6 indicates whether there is an error in the game media count control board P16 (in this case, bit 6 is 0) or an error in the main control board P15 (in this case, bit 6 is 1). Bit 7 indicates whether the lending unit only notifies the error (in this case, bit 7 is 0) or whether the lending unit notifies the error and also notifies the hall computer (HC) of the error code via the lending unit (in this case, bit 7 is 1).

For example, suppose that the gaming machine P is capable of detecting random number anomalies and radio wave anomalies as types of errors. In this case, the error codes can be set to 00001B for random number anomalies and 00010B for radio wave anomalies, and information including these error codes can be output. Specifically, if the random number anomaly is an error in the main control board P15 and the lending unit only notifies the error, 01000001B can be output to the lending unit. Also, if the radio wave anomaly is an error in the game media count control board P16 and the lending unit notifies the error and notifies the hall computer of the error code, 10000010B can be output to the lending unit. Note that if no error has occurred or the gaming machine P does not have an error code, 00000000B can be output to the lending unit.

G) Gaming machine fraud 1 (main control)
Gaming machine fraud 1 (main control) indicates information regarding the detection of fraud related to the main control board P15 and the state related to the main control board P15. The signal of gaming machine fraud 1 (main control) is treated as a signal for the hall computer. In other words, each signal of gaming machine fraud 1 (main control) output from the gaming machine P is output to the hall computer through the lending unit.

The signals that make up Gaming Machine Illegal 1 (Main Control) are described below.

Bit 0 is assigned the setting change signal. In other words, it indicates that the setting is being changed (in setting change mode) and that the setting has been changed. Bit 0 is set to 1 for the setting change signal from when the setting is being changed until one game play has ended after the setting has been changed (for example, when all reels have stopped and the payout process has ended). Bit 0 is set to 0 in any situation other than when the setting is being changed until one game play has ended after the setting has been changed. The setting change signal is output while the setting change status is ON. The setting change status is set to ON after the setting change mode is started, RAM initialization processing is performed, and the setting value is displayed. Then, when one game play has ended after the setting has been changed, the setting change status is set to OFF, stopping the output of the setting change signal.

In other words, the setting change signal is not output based on the gaming machine P turning the setting change status ON, but rather, after the gaming machine P turns the setting change status ON, when it is time to send hall control and fraud monitoring information, the setting change signal is output based on the setting change status being ON (Bit 0 becomes 1). Similarly, when one game is completed and the setting change status is turned OFF, the setting change signal is stopped from being output based on the setting change status being OFF when it is time to send hall control and fraud monitoring information after the setting change status is turned OFF (Bit 0 becomes 0).

By configuring it in this way, it is possible to control the output information of the setting change signal included in the hole control/fraud monitoring information by managing the ON/OFF status of the setting change in progress.

Next, the setting confirmation signal is assigned to Bit 1. In other words, when the setting is being confirmed (in setting confirmation mode), Bit 1 is 1, and in any other situation, Bit 1 is 0.

Although an example has been shown in which the setting confirmation signal has a bit of 1 only during setting confirmation, the present invention is not limited to this and may be configured so that the bit is 1 for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 seconds) from the start of the setting confirmation mode. In other words, when the setting confirmation mode is started in the main control board P15 (for example, when the setting key switch is turned on in a game standby state), a command indicating that the setting confirmation mode is in progress is sent to the game media count control board P16, and the bit of game machine fraud 1 sent from the game media count control board P16 to the lending unit becomes 1, and the main control board P15 sets a setting confirmation timer, and when the main control board P15 measures the setting confirmation timer and determines that 5 seconds have elapsed (determines that the count value of the setting confirmation timer is "0"), a command indicating that 5 seconds have elapsed in the setting confirmation mode is sent to the game media count control board P16, and since a command indicating that the setting confirmation mode has ended has already been received from the main control board P15, the bit of game machine fraud 1 sent from the game media count control board P16 to the lending unit becomes 0.

In this case, if five seconds have elapsed during the setting check mode, a command regarding the fact that five seconds have elapsed during the setting check mode may or may not be sent. Also, if five seconds have elapsed during the setting check mode, the gaming machine fraud 1 bit remains at 1 until the setting check mode ends. Even if the setting check mode ends in less than five seconds (for example, two seconds), the gaming machine fraud 1 bit indicating that the setting check mode is in progress remains at 1 for the remaining three seconds (a total of five seconds). By configuring in this way, even if the setting check mode ends in a very short time, sufficient time can be secured to send information that the setting check mode is in progress to the rental unit, making it possible to detect unauthorized operation of the setting key switch.

In addition, when the setting confirmation mode is started in the main control board P15 (for example, when the setting key switch is turned on in a game standby state), a command indicating that the setting confirmation mode is in progress is sent to the game media number control board P16, and the bit of game machine fraud 1 sent from the game media number control board P16 to the lending unit becomes 1. At the same time, the main control board P15 sets a setting confirmation timer, and sends to the game media number control board P16 a command regarding the setting confirmation timer being set and a command regarding the setting confirmation timer being updated each time the main control board P15 updates the setting confirmation timer. Based on the value (count value) of the setting confirmation timer sent from the main control board, the game media number control board P16 determines that 5 seconds have elapsed in the setting confirmation mode (determines that the timer (count value) of the setting confirmation timer is 0), and thus the bit of game machine fraud 1 sent from the game media number control board P16 to the lending unit becomes 0.

In this case, if five seconds have passed during the setting check mode, the command regarding the setting check timer being updated will no longer be sent. Also, if five seconds have passed during the setting check mode, the gaming machine illegal 1 bit will remain at 1 until the setting check mode ends. Even if the setting check mode ends in less than five seconds (for example, two seconds), the gaming machine illegal 1 bit indicating that the setting check mode is in progress will remain at 1 for the remaining three seconds (a total of five seconds). By configuring in this way, even if the setting check mode ends in a very short time, it is possible to ensure sufficient time to send information that the setting check mode is in progress to the rental unit, making it possible to detect any unauthorized operation of the setting key switch.

In addition, when the setting confirmation mode is started on the main control board P15 (for example, when the setting key switch is turned on in a game standby state), a command indicating that the setting confirmation mode is in progress is sent to the gaming media count control board P16, and the bit of gaming machine fraud 1 sent from the gaming media count control board P16 to the lending unit becomes 1. At the same time, the gaming media count control board P16 sets a setting confirmation timer, and the gaming media count control board P16 determines that 5 seconds have elapsed in the setting confirmation mode based on the value (count value) of the setting confirmation timer (determines that the timer (count value) of the setting confirmation timer is 0), thereby setting the bit of gaming machine fraud 1 sent from the gaming media count control board P16 to the lending unit to 0.

In this case, if five seconds have elapsed during the setting check mode, the update of the setting check timer ends. Also, if five seconds have elapsed during the setting check mode, the gaming machine illegal 1 bit remains at 1 until the setting check mode ends. Even if the setting check mode ends in less than five seconds (for example, two seconds), the gaming machine illegal 1 bit, which indicates that the setting check mode is in progress, remains at 1 for the remaining three seconds (a total of five seconds). By configuring in this way, even if the setting check mode ends in a very short time, it is possible to ensure sufficient time to send information that the setting check mode is in progress to the rental unit, and it becomes possible to detect any unauthorized operation of the setting key switch.

The timing for setting the setting confirmation timer may be after starting the setting confirmation mode and displaying the setting value. Then, if either of the conditions "in setting confirmation mode" and "the setting confirmation timer is not 0" is met, the setting confirmation status is turned ON and the setting confirmation signal is output, and if neither of the conditions "in setting confirmation mode" and "the setting confirmation timer is not 0" is met any more, the setting confirmation status is turned OFF and the output of the setting confirmation signal is stopped.

Details on output control of the setting confirmation signal.

While the game progress main process is waiting for play, it determines whether the setting key switch has risen (determines whether the setting key switch has turned from OFF to ON), and if it determines that the setting key switch has risen, it sets a timer for 5 seconds (5004.165 ms to be exact) as the setting confirmation signal output period (the interval between interrupt processes is 2.235 ms, so the count value is set to "2239").

The timer for the setting confirmation signal output period is set (the count value is set to "2239"), and then the timer measurement process within the interrupt process is executed, which subtracts the timer for the setting confirmation signal output period (decreases the count value by "1"), and the gaming machine information management process within the same interrupt process determines whether 5 seconds have passed since the setting confirmation signal output period (determines whether the count value is "0" or not), and if 5 seconds have not passed (if it is determined that the count value is not "0" (the zero flag is not set)), the setting confirmation signal is set, and if 5 seconds have passed (if it is determined that the count value is "0" (the zero flag is set)), the setting confirmation signal is not set and processing moves to another process. Here, after the setting confirmation signal is set, when the timing for sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information notification arrives, the setting confirmation signal is output (sent to the lending unit side).

Whether 5 seconds have elapsed during the setting check signal output period is determined by whether the zero flag is set. If the timer for the setting check signal output period is 0 as a result of the subtraction by the timer measurement process, the zero flag is set and it is determined that 5 seconds have elapsed. If the timer for the setting check signal output period is not 0 as a result of the subtraction by the timer measurement process, the zero flag is not set and it is determined that 5 seconds have not elapsed. Note that after 5 seconds have elapsed after the setting check mode ends and the output of the setting check signal has ended, the timer is set to 0, and when the timer is 0, the result of subtracting the timer measurement process also becomes 0 and the zero flag is set, so the setting check signal will not be set after 5 seconds have elapsed since the setting check mode ended unless the mode is switched back to setting check mode.

In addition, during game play standby in the game progress main process, it determines whether or not there is a rising edge of the setting key switch, and if it determines that there is a rising edge of the setting key switch, a 5-second timer is set as the setting confirmation signal output period. After that, the next process determines whether or not there is a falling edge of the setting key switch signal (a falling edge of the setting key switch) (determines whether the setting key switch has changed from ON to OFF), and if it determines that there is no falling edge, it again sets a 5-second timer as the setting confirmation signal output period and returns to the process of determining whether or not there is a falling edge of the setting key switch.

In this way, after it is determined that the setting key switch has risen, the timer continues to set a 5-second setting confirmation signal output period until it is determined that the setting key switch has fallen, so the setting confirmation signal is always sent during setting confirmation mode. Also, even if it is determined that the setting key switch has fallen and the setting confirmation mode ends, the setting confirmation signal is sent until the timer for the setting confirmation signal output period reaches 0, so even if the setting confirmation mode ends within 5 seconds, the setting confirmation signal can be sent for 5 seconds after the setting confirmation mode ends, and the setting confirmation signal can be sent reliably to the rental unit.

In addition, even if someone commits fraud by switching to setting check mode and then instantly switching back to normal mode to sneak a peek at the settings, the setting check signal is transmitted for five seconds, making it possible to leave traces of the fraud.

In addition, since the process of setting the timer for the setting confirmation signal output period is executed using the loop process of the main game progress process, if the timer is set again in the loop process of the main game progress process after the timer measurement process in the interrupt process is executed to subtract the timer, the process of setting the timer for the setting confirmation signal output period can be executed multiple times, so that the timer for the setting confirmation signal output period can be reliably set to the initial value (5 seconds). In other words, in order to enable the process of setting the timer for the setting confirmation signal output period to be executed multiple times (at least twice), the time for executing one timer set process for the setting confirmation signal output period is configured to be shorter than 2.235 ms/2 (half the time of the interrupt process interval).

In addition, with this configuration, the output period of the setting checking signal can be controlled by the process of setting a timer, so that the output of the setting checking signal can be accurately controlled with a simple program. Note that the output period of the setting checking signal is an example, and the output period of the setting checking signal may be set to any period (e.g., 1 second, 3 seconds, or 10 seconds, etc.) as long as the output of the setting checking signal is not stopped immediately after the setting checking mode ends.

If it is determined that the setting key switch has risen during game play standby in the game progress main process, a sub-control command including at least a command based on the rising edge of the setting key switch is set. If it is determined that the setting key switch has fallen during the game progress main process, a sub-control command including at least a command based on the falling edge of the setting key switch is set. Then, in the sub-control command transmission process within the interrupt process, the set sub-control command is transmitted to the sub-control board P12, and when the sub-control board P12 receives a sub-control command, it analyzes the sub-control command and executes processing according to the analysis result. For example, when a command based on the rising edge of the setting key switch is received, a presentation corresponding to the setting confirmation mode is executed, and when a command based on the falling edge of the setting key switch is received, the setting confirmation mode is terminated and a presentation corresponding to the normal mode or the standby state is executed.

The effects corresponding to the setting check mode do not directly correspond to the output period of the setting check signal. For example, immediately after the setting check mode ends, the setting check signal continues to be output for 5 seconds, but a command based on the falling edge of the setting key switch is sent to the sub-control board P12, and when the command based on the falling edge of the setting key switch is received, the effects corresponding to the setting check mode are immediately terminated. If the effects corresponding to the setting check mode are executed even though the setting check mode has ended, the player will be given the illusion that he or she cannot continue playing. However, by configuring in this way, it is possible to immediately switch the effect state when the setting check mode ends, and it is possible to prevent any hindrance to the player's progress in the game. Furthermore, since the setting check signal is output for 5 seconds even after the setting check mode ends, it is possible to reliably transmit the setting check signal to the lending unit.

Next, Bit 2 is assigned the fraud detection signal 1, Bit 3 is assigned the fraud detection signal 2, and Bit 4 is assigned the fraud detection signal 3. For example, in a gaming machine P in which random number anomalies are considered fraudulent, if the detection of a random number anomaly is assigned to the fraud detection signal 1, Bit 2 will be 1 if a random number anomaly is detected, and Bit 2 will be 0 if a random number anomaly is not detected.

Next, a security signal is assigned to Bit 5. Specifically, Bit 5 is 1 when an illegal detection signal is being output, when a setting change signal is being output, or when a setting confirmation signal is being output, and Bit 5 is 0 in other situations.

Next, Bit 6 and Bit 7 are unused, so Bit 6 is 0 and Bit 7 is 0.

Here, we will focus on the setting change signal, setting confirmation signal, and security signal, and provide examples of the types of signals that are output. Note that fraud detection signal 1, fraud detection signal 2, and fraud detection signal 3 will not be mentioned here, but fraud detection signal 1, fraud detection signal 2, and fraud detection signal 3 also output "0" or "1." Also, the first game refers to the first game played after the setting change mode is performed.

(Case 1) For example, suppose that after a setting change, the first round of play ends (the end of play refers to when all reels have stopped or when the process of awarding points corresponding to the symbol combination has ended. The same applies below). In this case, a "1" (on) is output as the setting change signal from a specific timing when the setting change mode is started, and a "0" (off) is output as the setting change signal after the first round of play ends. In this case, if the setting confirmation mode has not been entered, a "0" (off) continues to be output as the setting confirmation signal. Also, even if "0" (off) is output as the fraud detection signal 1, fraud detection signal 2, and fraud detection signal 3, the security signal outputs "1" (on) because a "1" is output as the setting change signal, and if a "1" is not output as any of the fraud detection signals 1, fraud detection signal 2, and fraud detection signal 3 at the timing when a "0" is output as the setting change signal, a "0" is output as the security signal. In addition, if "1" is output as any of the fraud detection signals 1, 2, and 3 at the same time that "0" is output as the setting change signal, "1" is output as the security signal.

(Case 2) For example, after making a setting change, the power switch is turned off (a power outage occurs) before the first game is completed, and then the power switch is turned on (power is restored). Then, the first game is played and completed. In this case, "1" (on) is output as the setting change signal from the specified timing when the setting change mode is started, and while the power is out, no output processing is performed, and "1" (on) is output as the setting change signal from a specific timing after the power is restored, and after the first game is completed, "0" (off) is output as the setting change signal. In this case, if the game has not transitioned to setting confirmation mode, "0" (off) continues to be output as the setting confirmation signal. Also, even if "0" (off) is output as fraud detection signal 1, fraud detection signal 2, and fraud detection signal 3, "1" is output as the setting change signal, so the security signal outputs "1" (on). If "1" is not output as any of fraud detection signals 1, fraud detection signal 2, and fraud detection signal 3 at the timing of outputting "0" as the setting change signal, "0" is output as the security signal. Note that if "1" is output as any of fraud detection signals 1, fraud detection signal 2, and fraud detection signal 3 at the timing of outputting "0" as the setting change signal, "1" is output as the security signal.

(Case 3) For example, after the setting change, the setting confirmation mode is entered before the first game starts, and then the setting confirmation mode ends. Then, the first game is played and the first game ends. In this case, "1" (on) is output as the setting change signal from a predetermined timing when the setting change mode starts, and even during the setting confirmation mode, "1" (on) continues to be output as the setting change signal, and "0" (off) is output as the setting change signal after the first game ends. In this case, when in the setting confirmation mode, "1" (on) continues to be output as the setting confirmation signal. Also, even in a situation where "0" (off) is output as the fraud detection signal 1, the fraud detection signal 2, and the fraud detection signal 3, since "1" is output as the setting change signal, the security signal outputs "1" (on), and if "1" is not output as any of the fraud detection signals 1, 2, and 3 at the timing of outputting "0" as the setting change signal, "0" is output as the security signal. In addition, if "1" is output as any of the fraud detection signals 1, 2, and 3 at the same time that "0" is output as the setting change signal, "1" is output as the security signal.

H) Gaming machine fraud 2 (main control or control of the number of gaming media)
Gaming machine fraud 2 (main control or gaming media number control) indicates information regarding the detection of fraud related to the main control board P15 or the gaming media number control board P16, and information regarding the state related to the main control board P15 or the gaming media number control board P16. The gaming machine fraud 2 (main control or gaming media number control) signal is treated as a hall computer signal. In other words, each gaming machine fraud 1 (main control) signal output from the gaming machine P is output to the hall computer via the lending unit.

The signals that make up gaming machine fraud 2 (main control or gaming media count control) are described below.

Bit 0 is assigned the setting door open signal. The setting door open signal is a signal that indicates whether the setting key switch cover member that covers the setting key switch for changing settings is open or not. When the setting key switch cover member is open, Bit 0 becomes 1, and information indicating that the setting key switch cover member is open is included in gaming machine fraud 2, and when the setting key switch cover member is closed, Bit 0 becomes 0, and information indicating that the setting key switch cover member is closed is included in gaming machine fraud 2. Note that in gaming machines P that are not provided with a setting key switch cover member or gaming machines P that do not have a function for detecting the opening of the setting key switch cover member, Bit 0 becomes 0.

Next, a door open signal (also called a door switch signal) is assigned to Bit 1. The door open signal is a signal that indicates whether the front door P2 of the gaming machine P is open or not. When the front door P2 of the gaming machine P is open, Bit 0 becomes 1, and information indicating that the front door P2 is open is included in gaming machine fraud 2, and when the front door P2 of the gaming machine P is closed, Bit 0 becomes 0, and information indicating that the front door P2 is closed is included in gaming machine fraud 2.

The door open signal is output and controlled according to the open/close state of the front door P2, depending on whether the door switch is ON or OFF, as detected by the input port reading process in the interrupt process described above.

If the input port reading process in the interrupt process determines that the front door P2 is open, a timer is set for 5 seconds (5001.93 ms to be exact) (the count value is set to "2239" because the interrupt process interval is 2.235 ms). Then, the timer is measured by the timer measurement process in the same interrupt process (the count value is subtracted by "1"). Then, if the gaming machine information management process in the same interrupt process determines that the output time of the door open signal has not passed 5 seconds (the count value is not 0 as a result of subtracting the count value (zero flag is not set)), the door open signal is set, and if the output time of the door open signal has passed 5 seconds (the count value is 0 as a result of subtracting the count value (zero flag is set)), the door open signal is not set and the set process for signals related to other gaming machine information is executed.

Then, if the input port reading process in the next interrupt process determines that front door P2 is open, the 5-second timer is set again (because the interval between interrupt processes is 2.235 ms, the count value is set to "2239" again). In other words, if front door P2 is open, the 5-second timer will continue to be set repeatedly (the timer setting process will be executed multiple times).

In this way, when the front door P2 is open, the 5-second timer continues to be set for each interrupt process, so even if the timer is decremented (the count value is decremented), the zero flag will not be set. In other words, the process of decrementing "1" from the count value "2239" is repeated each time the timer measurement process within the interrupt process is executed. With this configuration, the door open signal is always output when the front door P2 is open.

When the front door P2 is closed, the input port reading process in the interrupt process detects that the door switch is ON and determines that the front door P2 is closed. If it is determined that the front door P2 is closed, the 5-second timer is not reset. Then, the timer measurement process in the same interrupt process measures the timer (decrements the count value by "1"). Then, the gaming machine information management process in the same interrupt process determines whether the output time of the door open signal has exceeded 5 seconds. Here, since the 5-second timer is not reset when the front door P2 is closed, the timer (count value "2239") that was set when the front door P2 was open is decremented by repeated interrupt processes, and the timer (count value) approaches "0".

In this embodiment, the process of setting the timer and the process of decrementing the timer are executed within the same interrupt process, so if the initial value is set to "2238", which is 5001.93 ms (2238 times x 2.235 ms), the number of interrupts until it reaches "0" will be 2237, which is less than 5 seconds (4999.7 ms to be exact). Therefore, the initial value is set to "2238 + 1 (2239)". In other words, the count value will become "2238" due to the timer measurement process within the interrupt process in which the initial value "2239" is set, making it possible to set the number of interrupts to 2238.

When the count value becomes "0" as a result of the timer measurement process, the zero flag is set, and the output of the door open signal can be stopped. In other words, the door open signal is output for five seconds after the front door P2 is closed, and the output of the door open signal is stopped after five seconds have passed. Note that after five seconds have passed since the door was closed and the output of the door open signal has ended, the timer becomes zero, and when the timer is at zero, the result of subtracting the value through the timer measurement process also becomes zero, and the zero flag is set. Therefore, after five seconds have passed since the door was closed, the door open signal will not be set unless the door is opened again. In other words, for five seconds after the front door P2 is closed, Bit 1 becomes 1 and information indicating that the front door P2 is open is included in gaming machine fraud 2, and after five seconds have passed, Bit 1 becomes 0 and information indicating that the front door P2 is closed is included in gaming machine fraud 2. When the front door P2 is closed, gaming machine fraud 2 may contain information indicating that the front door P2 is open, or may contain information indicating that the front door P2 is closed.

With this configuration, the output period of the door open signal can be controlled by setting the timer, so the output of the door open signal can be accurately controlled with a simple program. Note that the output period of the door open signal is an example, and as long as the output of the door open signal is not stopped immediately after the door is closed, the output period of the door open signal may be set to any period (e.g., 1 second, 3 seconds, or 10 seconds, etc.).

In addition, in the sub-notification data output process within the interrupt process, a door switch signal is sent to the sub-control board P12 depending on whether the door switch is ON or OFF, and when the sub-control board P12 receives an OFF door switch signal, it determines that the door is open and performs control so that a door open notification effect such as a door opening sound or a door open message is displayed.

The door open performance does not directly correspond to the output period of the door open signal. For example, immediately after the door is closed, the door open signal is output continuously for five seconds, but the door switch signal becomes an ON signal and is sent to the sub-control board P12. However, by configuring the sub-control board P12 to execute the door open performance for five seconds after detecting that the door switch signal has changed from OFF to ON, it is possible to make the output period of the door open signal similar to the execution period of the door open performance. This makes it possible to visually check the output period of the door open signal, making it easier for the administrator to grasp the signal output period.

In this embodiment, the output period of the door open signal and the execution period of the door open effect are made similar, but this is not limited thereto, and the execution period of the door open effect may be longer or shorter than the output period of the door open signal.

In this embodiment, the process of setting the timer is executed for each interrupt process, but it is not limited to this and the process of setting the timer may be executed for each predetermined number of interrupts (two or more). However, to prevent the timer value (count value) from becoming 0 between setting the timer and setting the next timer, the interrupt interval for executing the timer set process needs to be shorter than the time indicated by the timer (count value).

Next, Bit 2 is unused and becomes 0.

Next, Bit3 is assigned to detect clearing of the number of game media. Clearing the number of game media refers to clearing the total score stored in the game media number control board P16 when the total score clear switch provided on the game media number control board P16 is operated. For example, when the bet score is "3" and the total score stored in the game media number control board P16 is "1000", the bet score becomes "3" and the total score stored in the game media number control board P16 becomes "0" when the total score clear switch is operated. In other words, the bet score is not cleared when the total score clear switch is operated. When the operation of the total score clear switch is detected, Bit3 becomes "1", and when the operation of the total score clear switch is not detected, Bit3 becomes "0". In the case of a gaming machine P that does not have a total score clear switch, Bit3 becomes "0". If the total score is initialized, keep Bit 3 at "1" until the end of the game after the total score is initialized.

Next, bits 4 to 7 are unused and are set to 0.

I) Gaming machine fraud 3 (main control or control of the number of gaming media)
Gaming machine fraud 3 indicates detection of fraud relating to the main control board P15 or the gaming media number control board P16 provided as a spare, and information relating to the status of the main control board P15 or the gaming media number control board P16.
In the gaming machine P of the present embodiment, these bits are unused. In other words, Bit 0 to Bit 7 are set to 0.

Note that bits 2, 4, and 5 of gaming machine fraud 2, and bits 0 and 1 of gaming machine fraud 3 are unused and are basically set to "0." However, if any of these bits becomes "1" and is sent to the lending unit and received by the SC board in the lending unit, the lending operation is prohibited (e.g., the lending switch is disabled even if it is operated).

This is to prevent unused portions from being used carelessly, because if an illegal program or illegal data is inserted into unused storage space, the lending operation will be prohibited if the unused portions are used.

It is also assumed that a common lending unit is used by a managed gaming machine (also called an enclosed gaming machine) that uses gaming balls and the medalless gaming machine in this embodiment, and Bit 2 of gaming machine illegality 2 in the managed gaming machine is used to detect illegal radio waves, Bit 4 of gaming machine illegality 2 is used to detect winning ball count abnormality 1, Bit 5 of gaming machine illegality 2 is used to detect winning ball count abnormality 2, Bit 0 of gaming machine illegality 3 is used to detect small balls, and Bit 1 of gaming machine illegality 3 is used to detect iron balls. When these illegalities are detected, each bit becomes "1", and the SC board operates to prohibit lending operations. This configuration reduces the burden on the hall regarding the introduction of managed gaming machines and medalless gaming machines. Note that once the lending unit is prohibited from lending, it is set to a lending permitted state by receiving an error release signal, such as by operating a reset switch mounted on the gaming machine P.

The main control board P15 and/or the game media count control board P16 may be provided with a fraud detection means for detecting fraud. Below, we will provide an example of the behavior of the gaming machine P when, for example, a radio wave abnormality is detected by the fraud detection means.

As a first behavior, when the gaming machine P (main control board P15 or gaming media number control board P16) detects a radio wave abnormality, the game in the main control means is stopped (set to an error state). At this time, communication between the gaming media number control board P16 and the lending unit (outputting and receiving various telegrams) may continue, or communication between the gaming media number control board P16 and the lending unit may be stopped. Also, communication between the main control board P15 and the gaming media number control board P16 may continue, or communication between the main control board P15 and the gaming media number control board P16 may be stopped. Furthermore, communication between the main control board P15 and the performance control board may continue, or communication between the main control board P15 and the performance control board may be stopped. Note that an error notification may be performed using a lamp, image display, or amplifier (sound) under control of the performance control board.

As a second behavior, when the gaming machine P (main control board P15 or gaming media number control board P16) detects a radio wave abnormality, the main control means can be used to play the game. At this time, communication between the gaming media number control board P16 and the lending unit (outputting and receiving various telegrams) may continue, or communication between the gaming media number control board P16 and the lending unit may be stopped. Communication between the main control board P15 and the gaming media number control board P16 may continue, or communication between the main control board P15 and the gaming media number control board P16 may be stopped. Furthermore, communication between the main control board P15 and the performance control board may continue, or communication between the main control board P15 and the performance control board may be stopped. Note that, although the game can be played under the control of the main control board P15, an error notification may be executed using a lamp, image display, or amplifier (sound) under the control of the performance control board.

Note that, although radio wave anomalies have been used as an example, the above-mentioned behavior is not limited to radio wave anomalies and can also be applied to other anomalies that can be detected by fraud detection means for detecting fraud, such as random number anomalies, setting value anomalies that are determined to be abnormal when the setting value data stored in the RWM of the main control board P15 is not within the normal range (0 to 5), and RWM anomalies that are determined to be abnormal when the data stored in the RWM of the main control board P15 is not normal when the power is restored.

Furthermore, in a case where the fraud detection means for detecting fraud is capable of detecting multiple anomalies, the means may be configured to behave differently depending on the type of anomaly, such as performing the first behavior described above for a first anomaly (e.g., a random number anomaly) and performing the second behavior described above for a second anomaly (e.g., a radio wave anomaly).

Next, we will explain the game information included in the hall control and fraud monitoring information described below, including J) game information number, K) type information 1, L) count information 1, S) type information 2, and C) count information 2.

Information consisting of type information 1 and count information 1 may be referred to as game information 1, and information consisting of type information 2 and count information 2 may be referred to as game information 2. This game information 1 or game information 2 is composed of a total of 2 bytes: type information (upper byte) and count information (lower byte).

The type information consists of a data type (upper 4 bits) and a data number (lower 4 bits). When the data type is "0001B", the information indicates the specified number (number of bets). When the data type is "0010B", the information indicates the number of points awarded. Note that data types "0" and "3" to "15" are unused. The data number is fixed at "0001B" when the data type is "0001B", indicating the specified number, and when the data type is "0010B", indicating the number of points awarded. In other words, data numbers "0" and "2" to "15" are unused.

The count information has different settings for each data type. When the data type is "0001B", which indicates a set number, the count information can take values from "00000001B" to "00000011B". In other words, bits 4 to 7 are unused, and bits 0 to 3 are used. When the data type is "0010B", which indicates the number of points awarded, the count information can take values from "00000001B" to "00001111B" (up to the maximum number of points awarded for each gaming machine). In other words, bits 4 to 7 are unused, and bits 0 to 3 are used.

When the number of pieces of game information is 0, the type information and count information are not transmitted. This game information is treated as a signal for the hall computer. In other words, the game information output from the gaming machine P is output to the hall computer via the rental unit.

J) Number of Game Information This is information indicating the number of pieces of game information consisting of type information and count information. For example, when the number of game information is 0, type information 1, count information 1, type information 2, and count information 2 are not output. For example, when the number of game information is 1, type information 1 and count information 1 are output. For example, when the number of game information is 2, type information 1 and count information 1 are output and type information 2 and count information 2 are output.

K) Type information 1, and S) Type information 2
The type information is information constituting the game information described above. When indicating the number of bets (inserted points) used in a game, the type information becomes "00010001B" as type information 1. When indicating the number of awarded points (awarded points) awarded as a result of a game, the type information becomes "00100001B" as type information 1 or type information 2.

C) Count information 1, and C) Count information 2
The count information is information constituting the game information described above. When the number of bets (input points) used in a game is output as count information 1, a value corresponding to the number of bets (input points) used in the game is set. When the number of awards (award points) awarded as a result of a game is output as count information 1 or count information 2, a value corresponding to the number of awards (award points) awarded in the game is set. Note that, when a replay role is won as the game result of the game and a symbol combination corresponding to the replay is stopped and displayed, a value corresponding to the number of bets (input points) used in the game is set as the number of awards (award points) awarded as a result of the game.

For example, if three coins are bet and the start switch is operated, the game information count "00000001B" is output based on the reception of the start switch command, and the game information output is "0001000100000011B (1103h)," with the upper byte being type information indicating the number of bets (input points) used in the game, and the lower byte being count information, which is a value corresponding to the number of bets (input points) used in the game.

For example, if the internal lottery that determines the winning combination results in a lottery result that can award 10 points, and all the reels stop to display a symbol combination that awards 10 points, then at the end of the game (when the command to stop all reels is received), the game information number "00000001B" is output, with the upper byte being type information indicating the number of points awarded as a result of the game (awarded points), and the lower byte being count information that is a value corresponding to the number of points awarded in the game (awarded points), and "0010000100001010B (210Ah)" is output as the game information.

For example, if a start switch acceptance command is received when 3 points are used as the insertion points immediately after receiving a command to stop all reels when 10 points are awarded, the game information number is "00000010B", and game information 1 is "0001000100000011B (1103h)" in which the upper byte is type information indicating the number of bets (inserted points) used in the game and the lower byte is count information which is a value corresponding to the number of bets (inserted points) used in the game. Game information 2 is "0010000100001010B (210Ah)" in which the upper byte is type information indicating the number of awards (awarded points) awarded as a result of the game and the lower byte is count information which is a value corresponding to the number of awards (awarded points) awarded in the game.

The input points use the information stored in (_WK_MDL_IN) described above, and the grant points use the information stored in (_WK_MDL_OUT) described above. The memory area for the input points for outputting the input points for the gaming machine information of the hole control and fraud monitoring information is stored in a different memory area from the memory area for the input points for outputting the input points for the gaming information. Similarly, the memory area for the grant points for outputting the grant points for the gaming machine information of the hole control and fraud monitoring information is stored in a different memory area from the memory area for the grant points for outputting the grant points for the gaming information. The memory area (_WK_MDL_IN) that can store the input points for the gaming information and the memory area (_WK_MDL_OUT) that can store the grant points are initialized after transmission.

<Counting notification>
The above-mentioned counting notification (see Figure 20) is composed of a 7-byte message length, and is a signal transmitted from the gaming machine P to the rental unit based on the gaming machine P accepting the operation of the counting switch P7.

The information that makes up the counting notification consists of message length (1 byte), command (1 byte), counting serial number (1 byte), counting point (1 byte), counting cumulative point (2 bytes), and checksum (1 byte).

The message length indicates the length of the count notification message, and is 7 bytes, so it is set to "0x07".

The command is "0x02", which indicates a count notification.

The counting serial number is a serial number dedicated to counting, and is a dedicated serial number different from the serial numbers mentioned above and the loan serial number described below. The counting serial number ranges from "0x00" to "0xFF", and is incremented by gaming machine P every time it transmits a counting notification. Among the counting serial numbers, "0x00" is a counting serial number that is only transmitted when the power is turned on, and the next value after "0xFF" is "0x01".

The counting points are the points related to the counting sent in one gaming machine information notification out of the gaming machine information notifications sent by the gaming machine P every 300 ms. The counting points range from "0x00" to "0x32", so a maximum of 50 points is sent to the rental unit in one gaming machine information notification. Also, if the total score stored in the gaming media number control board P16 is 50 points or more, data "0x32" indicating 50 points is sent, but if the total score stored in the gaming media number control board P16 is less than 50 points, data corresponding to the current total score stored in the gaming media number control board P16 is sent (for example, if the total score stored in the gaming media number control board P16 is 30 points, data "0x1E" indicating 30 points is sent).

The above-mentioned example of counting points is an example of counting 50 points when the counting switch P7 is operated only once (hereinafter, may be referred to as a short press operation), but it is also possible to count 1 point as the counting point when the counting switch P7 is operated only once, and to count 50 points as the counting point when the counting switch P7 is operated for a long time.

In this case, a short press of the counting switch P7 is accepted when the period during which the game media count control board P16 has level data indicating ON regarding the acceptance of the operation of the counting switch P7 (the period during which the operation acceptance of the counting switch P7 has a value indicating ON in the interrupt process) is less than a predetermined period (e.g., less than 500 ms). In other words, when the operation of the counting switch P7 is accepted during a first period that is less than the predetermined period, a short press of the counting switch P7 is accepted and one point is counted.

In addition, a long press of the counting switch P7 can be accepted when the game media count control board P16 has a period during which the level data regarding the operation acceptance of the counting switch P7 is a value indicating ON (the period during which the operation acceptance of the counting switch P7 is a value indicating ON in the interrupt processing) that is longer than a predetermined period (e.g., 500 ms or more). In other words, when the operation of the counting switch P7 is accepted over a second period that is longer than a predetermined period, the long press of the counting switch P7 is accepted and 50 points are counted. Note that if the counting switch P7 is still being pressed and held at the timing of sending the counting notification after sending the counting point "50" to the lending unit as a counting notification, the counting point "50" is sent to the lending unit as a counting notification. In other words, once it is determined that the count switch P7 has been pressed and held, the count point "50" will continue to be sent to the rental unit as a count notification until the count switch P7 is no longer operated (until the level data related to the operation reception of the count switch P7 becomes a value indicating OFF) (however, if the total score is a value less than 50, that value will be counted). In this case, no counting will be performed until it is determined that the count switch P7 has been pressed and held (for example, for 500 ms).

The cumulative count point is the accumulated value of the count points since the gaming machine P was powered on. The cumulative count point ranges from "0x0000" to "0xFFFF", and the count point is added each time counting is performed. If the cumulative count point exceeds "0xFFFF", the next value after "0xFFFF" becomes "0x0000". In addition, when the gaming machine P is powered on, the cumulative count point is cleared to 0.

The checksum is the sum of the message length (1 byte), command (1 byte), counting serial number (1 byte), counting point (1 byte), and counting cumulative point (2 bytes). The checksum is used to determine whether the counting notification received by the lending unit is correct in relation to the counting notification sent from the gaming machine P.

<Lending notification>
The lending notification has a message length of 5 bytes, and is a signal that is sent from the lending unit to the gaming machine P based on the lending unit accepting the operation of the lending switch. When the lending unit receives a counting notification from the gaming machine P, it sends a lending notification to the gaming machine P. However, if the gaming machine information notification has not been received, if the gaming machine information type of the gaming machine information notification is notified as other than "0x02" (if information other than hall control/fraud monitoring information is notified), or if the counting point of the counting notification is notified as being in the range of 1 to 50 (a value other than 0), the lending point is notified to the gaming machine P as 0.

The information that makes up the loan notification consists of message length (1 byte), command (1 byte), loan serial number (1 byte), number of loaned gaming media (1 byte), and checksum (1 byte).

The message length indicates the length of the loan notification message, and is 5 bytes, so is set to "0x05".

The command is "0x13", which indicates a loan notification.

The loan serial number is a number used exclusively for loaning, and is a special number related to loaning that differs from the above-mentioned serial numbers and counting serial numbers. The loan serial number ranges from "0x00" to "0xFF", and is incremented each time a loan receipt result response, which will be described later, is sent from gaming machine P. Among the loan serial numbers, "0x00" is a loan serial number that is sent only when communication with gaming machine P begins, and the value following "0xFF" is "0x01".

The lending points are the lending points that are sent to the gaming machine P when the lending switch on the lending unit is operated. The lending points range from "0x00" to "0x32", so a maximum of 50 points is sent to the gaming machine P in one gaming machine information notification. Also, if the lendable points stored in the storage medium (membership card, visitor card, etc.) inserted in the lending unit are 50 points or more, the data "0x32" indicating 50 points is sent to the gaming machine P, but if the lendable points stored in the storage medium are less than 50 points, data corresponding to the current lendable points stored in the storage medium is sent (for example, if the lendable points stored in the storage medium are 20 points, the data "0x14" indicating 20 points is sent).

The checksum is the sum of the message length (1 byte), command (1 byte), rental serial number (1 byte), and rental points (1 byte). The checksum is used to determine whether the rental notification received by gaming machine P is correct in relation to the rental notification to be sent to gaming machine P.

<Loan acceptance result response>
The loan receipt result response is composed of a message length of 5 bytes, and is a signal sent from the gaming machine P to the loan unit based on the gaming machine P receiving the loan notification. When the gaming machine P receives the loan notification from the loan unit, it sends a loan receipt result response to the loan unit. However, if the loan serial numbers notified from the loan unit are not consecutive, if the gaming machine P side is in a state where loaning is not possible due to a RAM error or the like of the main control board P15 or the game media number control board P16, if the sum of the total score and the loan points stored in the game media number control board P16 exceeds the upper limit of the total score stored in the game media number control board P16 (for example, the above-mentioned 16383), or if the total score stored in the game media number control board P16 is a value equal to or greater than a threshold value (15000 or more), a value indicating an abnormality is responded as the loan point receipt result. The information constituting the loan receipt result response is composed of message length (1 byte), command (1 byte), loan serial number (1 byte), loan point receipt result (1 byte), and checksum (1 byte).

The message length indicates the length of the loan notification message, and is 5 bytes, so it is set to "0x05".

The command is "0x03", which indicates a loan acceptance response.

The lending serial number is the same as the lending serial number stored in the lending notification received from the lending unit. For example, if the lending serial number in the lending notification is 0x01, the lending serial number in the lending receipt result response sent to the lending unit is 0x01. However, if the lending point receipt result is not normal (abnormal), the lending serial number received from the lending unit when the lending point receipt result was normal is used as the lending serial number. In other words, the gaming machine P stores the lending notification sent from the lending unit (for example, all or part of the message length, command, lending serial number, number of lending game media, and checksum) and is equipped to respond with the lending point receipt result when the lending point receipt result is normal when the lending point receipt result is abnormal. In addition, the lending notification to be stored may be only the most recent one, and by not storing a new one when the lending point receipt result is abnormal, the latest lending notification when normal can be sent to the lending unit. In addition, the lending notification to be stored may be more than just the most recent one. The rental serial number is cleared to 0 when the gaming machine P is powered on.

If the loan point receipt result is normal, it will be "0x00", and if it is abnormal, it will be "0x01". Abnormal values are when the loan serial numbers notified by the loan unit are not consecutive, when the gaming machine P is in a state where loaning is not possible due to a RAM error on the gaming media count control board P16 or the like, when the sum of the total points stored on the gaming media count control board P16 and the loan points exceeds the upper limit of the total points stored on the gaming media count control board P16, or when the total points stored on the gaming media count control board P16 is equal to or greater than the threshold value (15,000 or more). The loan unit also determines that there is an abnormality when the value becomes anything other than "0x00" or "0x01" due to other factors.

The checksum is the sum of the message length (1 byte), command (1 byte), loan serial number (1 byte), and loan point receipt result (1 byte). The checksum is used to determine whether the loan receipt result response received by the loan unit is correct in response to the loan receipt result response sent to the loan unit.

The basic communication sequence between the gaming machine P and the rental unit is explained with reference to Figure 20.

<Basic communication sequence>
The gaming machine P transmits gaming machine installation information, gaming machine performance information, hall control and fraud monitoring information as the gaming machine information notification described above to the rental unit.

The gaming machine installation information is sent to the lending unit every 60 seconds (60,000 ms) from the time the gaming machine P completes its startup. The gaming machine performance information is sent to the lending unit every 180 seconds (180,000 ms) from the time the gaming machine P completes its startup. The hall control and fraud monitoring information is sent to the lending unit every 300 ms from the time the gaming machine P completes its startup.

The gaming machine installation information, gaming machine performance information, and hall control/fraud monitoring information may be sent to the rental unit at the same time. For example, after 60 s has elapsed since the start-up of gaming machine P is complete, the gaming machine installation information and hall control/fraud monitoring information may be sent at the same time. In this case, the gaming machine installation information is sent first, and then the hall control/fraud monitoring information is sent after 300 ms has elapsed.

For example, after 180 s has elapsed since the start-up of gaming machine P is complete, the gaming machine installation information, gaming machine performance information, and hall control/fraud monitoring information may be transmitted at the same time. In this case, the gaming machine installation information is transmitted first, and then after 300 ms the gaming machine performance information is transmitted, and after 300 ms the hall control/fraud monitoring information is transmitted.

In this way, in terms of the priority of information transmission, gaming machine installation information has the highest priority, followed by gaming machine performance information, and finally hall control and fraud monitoring information. For this reason, the timing of transmission of hall control and fraud monitoring information will be delayed by up to 600 ms.

However, if any of the main control status 1 and main control status 2 information among the hall control and fraud monitoring information shown in FIG. 19 is updated (if it is determined that the main control status has been updated), or if there is game information, the transmission priority of the hall control and fraud monitoring information will be the highest.

Specifically, it is determined that the main control state has been updated when any of the following bits, Bit 0 indicating RB in main control state 1, Bit 1 indicating BB, Bit 2 indicating AT, Bit 3 indicating gaming machine state signal 1, Bit 4 indicating gaming machine state signal 2, Bit 5 indicating gaming machine state signal 3, and Bit 6 indicating gaming machine state signal 4, is updated from "0" to "1" (corresponding to a transition of the gaming state to the gaming state corresponding to each bit). In this way, when it is determined that the main control state has been updated, it becomes possible to transmit the hall control and fraud monitoring information to the rental unit with the first priority.

In addition, when any of the following bits in main control state 1, Bit 0 indicating RB, Bit 1 indicating BB, Bit 2 indicating AT, Bit 3 indicating gaming machine state signal 1, Bit 4 indicating gaming machine state signal 2, Bit 5 indicating gaming machine state signal 3, and Bit 6 indicating gaming machine state signal 4, is updated from "1" to "0" (corresponding to the end of the gaming state corresponding to each bit), it is determined that the main control state has been updated. In this way, when it is determined that the main control state has been updated, it is possible to transmit the hall control and fraud monitoring information to the rental unit with the first priority.

Although Bit 7 in main control status 1 is unused, if Bit 7 is updated from "0" to "1" or from "1" to "0", it is determined that the main control status has not been updated. By configuring it in this way, even if the unused Bit 7 is updated due to noise or the like, the transmission priority of the hole control and fraud monitoring information does not change, so normal communication with the rental unit can be achieved.

However, this is not the only possible embodiment, and if the unused bit 7 is updated from "0" to "1" or from "1" to "0", it may be determined that the main control state has been updated. In this case, there is no need to check for updates for each bit (check whether the RAM value of main control state 1 has changed), and it is possible to reduce the program capacity related to the update confirmation process and speed up the program. It is also possible to determine whether the RAM value is greater than "40h (01000000B)" or "7Fh (01111111B)" and branch so that the transmission priority is not changed if it is greater. With this configuration, normal communication with the rental unit can be achieved by not changing the transmission priority even if the unused bit changes from "0" to "1" while checking the RAM value.

Next, when any of Bit 0 indicating game machine state signal 5 in main control state 2, Bit 1 indicating game machine state signal 6, and Bit 2 indicating game machine state signal 7 is updated from "0" to "1" (corresponding to a transition of the game state to the game state corresponding to each bit), it is determined that the main control state has been updated.

In addition, when any of Bit 0 indicating game machine state signal 5 in main control state 2, Bit 1 indicating game machine state signal 6, and Bit 2 indicating game machine state signal 7 is updated from "1" to "0" (corresponding to the end of the game state corresponding to each Bit), it is determined that the main control state has been updated.

Bits 3 to 7 in main control status 2 are unused, but if any of bits 3 to 7 are updated from "0" to "1" or from "1" to "0", it is determined that the main control status has not been updated. By configuring it in this way, even if the unused bits 3 to 7 are updated due to noise, etc., the transmission priority of the hole control and fraud monitoring information does not change, so normal communication with the rental unit can be achieved.

However, this is not the only possible mode, and if the unused bits 3 to 7 are updated from "0" to "1" or from "1" to "0", it may be determined that the main control state has been updated. In this case, there is no need to check for updates for each bit (check whether the RAM value of main control state 2 has changed), and it is possible to reduce the program capacity related to the update confirmation process and speed up the program. It is also possible to determine whether the RAM value is greater than "04h (00000100B)" or "07h (00000111B)" and branch so that the transmission priority is not changed if it is greater. With this configuration, normal communication with the rental unit can be achieved by not changing the transmission priority even if the unused bits change from "0" to "1" while checking the RAM value.

Then, the state in which it is determined that there is game information is determined based on whether the information stored in the input point memory area (_WK_MDL_IN) and the awarded point memory area (_WK_MDL_OUT), which are stored to output game information among the information constituting the hole control and fraud monitoring information, is "0".

The input point information stored in the input point memory area is stored when the start switch acceptance command sent from the main control board P15 is received. The award point information stored in the award point memory area is stored when the all reels stop command sent from the main control board P15 is received. This command reception process is executed as an interrupt process, and within the interrupt process, the command reception process is executed first, followed by the gaming machine information management process (gaming media number control).

The gaming machine information management process (gaming media number control) executes a process to send hall control and fraud monitoring information to the lending unit, and when sending the hall control and fraud monitoring information, it determines whether the input point information stored in the input point memory area and the awarded point information stored in the awarded point memory area are both "0" or not, and if the input points or awarded points are not 0, it becomes possible to immediately send the hall control and fraud monitoring information to the lending unit with first priority. In other words, it becomes possible to send the hall control and fraud monitoring information to the lending unit with first priority within the interrupt process that stores the input points or awarded points.

If it is determined that the input point information stored in the input point memory area and the awarded point information stored in the awarded point memory area are both "0" and that there has been no update to the main control state, the information to be output is selected based on the gaming machine installation information notification request flag and the gaming machine performance information notification request flag. In other words, the priority of gaming machine installation information is the first priority, the priority of gaming machine performance information is the second priority, and the priority of hall control and fraud monitoring information is the third priority.

In addition, the manner in which it is determined that there is game information may be a manner in which it is determined whether the number of game information is "0". When the input point information stored in the input point memory area is not "0", or when the awarded number information stored in the awarded number memory area is not "0", the game information number memory area (_WK_INF_GAM) can be "1" or "2". Then, before transmitting the hole control/fraud monitoring information in the gaming machine information management (gaming media number control) of the interrupt process, the game information number is generated from the information in the input point memory area and the awarded number memory area (the game information number is stored in the game information number memory area), and if the game information number is "1" or "2", it becomes possible to transmit the hole control/fraud monitoring information to the rental unit with the first priority.

In this way, by changing the priority of hall control and fraud monitoring information depending on the situation, when a gaming machine information notification is sent, if the gaming state is transitioning (the start or end of a gaming state) and the input points or payout points are not 0, the hall control and fraud monitoring information can be sent with priority even if gaming machine installation information or gaming machine performance information is being sent, making it possible for the hall computer managed by the gaming facility to accurately manage which gaming state the input points and payout points are in.

In addition, to associate the gaming machine status signal of the hall control/fraud monitoring information with the gaming information of the hall control/fraud monitoring information (inserted points or awarded points), a freeze is performed when the gaming state transitions (when the gaming state starts or ends).

For example, when a game is started with 3 coins as the Nth game number during the normal state (the start lever is operated), a BB is won, the BB symbol combination is stopped by the stop operation, and the BB state signal is turned ON, in order to ensure that the time from the start of the game to the BB state signal turning ON exceeds 300 ms, a freeze is executed for a predetermined period X after the BB symbol combination is stopped and before the BB state signal is turned ON.

Figure 35 shows an undesirable example in which the input number signal and the BB status signal are sent simultaneously in the hole control/fraud monitoring information notification. Figure 36 shows a favorable example in which the input number signal and the BB status signal are sent accurately in the hole control/fraud monitoring information notification.

The "number of inserts information" is information for transmitting an insert number signal for game information type information 1 or 2 in FIG. 19, and is information stored in a certain area of the RAM of the number of game media control board P16. A "0" in the number of inserts information means that 0 is stored in the number of inserts information, and a "n" in the number of inserts information means that any of 1 to 3 is stored in the number of inserts information. The number of inserts information is stored by the number of game media control board P16 as the specified number for that game when the main control board P15 sends a command indicating the number of inserts to the number of game media control board P16 upon reception of the start lever, and the number of game media control board P16 stores "0" in the number of inserts information after sending a hall control/fraud monitoring information notification including the insert number signal.

"BB status information" is information for transmitting a BB status signal of main control status 1 of the gaming machine information in FIG. 19, and is information stored in a certain area of the RAM of the main control board P15. A "0" in the BB status information means that a 0 is stored in the BB status information, and a "1" in the BB status information means that a 1 is stored in the BB status information. The BB status information is stored as "1" in the operation status set process within the operation status management process when the BB pattern combination stops after all reels have stopped, and as "0" in the operation status set process within the operation status management process when the BB gaming state ends after all reels have stopped. In other words, the hall control/fraud monitoring information notification including the BB status signal is transmitted from the start of BB to the end of BB. Furthermore, if "1" is stored in the BB state information, a main control state command is sent to the game media count control board P16 by the interrupt process of the main control board P15, and the game media count control board P16 acquires the received main control state command, and if the main control state is the BB state, stores the BB signal information in a specified area of the RAM of the game media count control board P16 that stores the main control state for sending a hall control fraud monitoring information notification.

"Freeze information" is information indicating that a freeze is being executed, and is stored in a certain area of the RAM of the main control board P15. Note that instead of information indicating that a freeze is being executed, it may be timer information related to the execution of a freeze, and whether or not a freeze is being executed may be determined by determining whether or not the timer information related to the execution of a freeze is 0.

Figure 35 shows a case where the operation of the start lever is accepted immediately after the transmission of the hole control/fraud monitoring information notification, and "n (n is a number)" is stored in the number of insertions information, and all stop switch operations and BB symbol combinations are stopped within 300 ms after the transmission of the hole control/fraud monitoring information notification, and "1" is stored in the BB status information. In this case, at the timing of transmitting the hole control/fraud monitoring information notification after the BB symbol combination is stopped, the number of insertions signal and the BB status signal may be ON and transmitted to the lending unit.

In Figure 35, the input number signal and the BB state signal are sent at the same time. The input number signal here is sent as incorrect information (input number information during the BB gaming state) because the correct information is the normal gaming state before the BB gaming state is entered.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 36, a freeze is executed for a predetermined period X ("X" in FIG. 36) when the BB symbol combination is displayed, and "1" is stored in the BB status information after the freeze ends. The value of X can be (300 ms) - (the shortest time Y from the acceptance of the start lever operation (start of the game) to the storage of 1 in the BB status information), and if Y = 200 ms is designed, the value of X will exceed 100 ms. In addition, since the time related to the game varies depending on the skill of the player, X = 300 ms may be used to ensure reliable transmission. Since the interval for the notification of the hole control and fraud monitoring information is 300 ms, if the freeze is executed for 300 ms or more, it is possible to transmit an accurate input number signal reliably under any circumstances.

The timing for executing the freeze can be any time between the BB symbol combination stopping and the storing of "1" in the BB status information. For example, the operation status setting process in the operation status management process can store "X" in RAM as the freeze timer value (count value), and after it is determined that X has become 0, store "1" in the RAM for the BB status information.

By configuring it in this way, it is possible to align the number of coins inserted for each game with the main control status information, so accurate information can be sent to the rental unit.

For example, in the Nth game during the BB state, a game is started with 3 coins (the start lever is operated), a small win is won, the small win symbol combination is stopped by the stop operation, a predetermined number of coins are paid out, the BB state ends, and the BB state signal turns OFF. In order to ensure that the time from the start of the payout to the BB state signal turning OFF exceeds (300 ms) + (payout time), a freeze is executed for a predetermined period X after the BB state ends and before the BB state signal is turned OFF.

Figure 37 shows an undesirable example in which the payout number signal and the BB status signal are not sent simultaneously in the hole control/fraud monitoring information notification. Figure 38 shows a favorable example in which the payout number signal and the BB status signal are sent accurately in the hole control/fraud monitoring information notification.

The "payout number information" is information for sending a payout number signal for game information type information 1 or 2 in FIG. 19, and is information stored in a certain area of the RAM of the game media number control board P16. A "0" in the payout number information means that 0 is stored in the payout number information, and an "m" in the payout number information means that any of 1 to 15 is stored in the payout number information. When the main control board P15 sends a command indicating the payout number to the game media number control board P16 when all reels are stopped, the game media number control board P16 stores any of the payout number information "1" to "15" as the payout number for that game, and after sending a hall control/fraud monitoring information notification including the payout number signal, the game media number control board P16 stores "0" in the payout number information.

The other information is the same as that explained in Figures 35 and 36.

Figure 37 shows a case where all reels are stopped after the hall control/fraud monitoring information notification is sent, "m (m is a numerical value)" is stored in the payout number information, and the BB gaming state ends within 300 ms after the hall control/fraud monitoring information notification is sent, storing "0" in the BB status information. In this case, at the timing of sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information notification after the BB gaming state ends, the payout number signal may be ON and the BB status signal may be OFF, and these may be sent to the rental unit.

In Figure 37, the payout number signal and the BB state signal are not sent at the same time. The payout number signal here is sent as incorrect information (payout number information during normal gaming state) because the correct information is the BB gaming state.

As shown in FIG. 38, in this embodiment, a freeze is executed for a predetermined period X ("X" in FIG. 38) at the end of the payout process, and "0" is stored in the BB status information after the freeze is finished. The value of X can be (300 ms) - (the shortest time Z from the end of the payout process until 0 is stored in the BB status information), and if Z = 250 ms, the value will exceed X = 50 ms. In addition, since the time related to the payout process differs depending on the setting of the maximum payout number for each gaming machine, X = 300 ms may be used to ensure reliable transmission. Since the interval for the hall control and fraud monitoring information notification is 300 ms, if the freeze is executed for 300 ms or more, it is possible to reliably transmit an accurate payout number signal under any circumstances.

The timing for executing the freeze can be any time between the end of the payout process and the storing of "0" in the BB status information. For example, the operation status set process within the operation status management process can store "X" in RAM as the freeze timer value (count value), and after it is determined that X has become 0, store "0" in the RAM for the BB status information.

By configuring it in this way, it is possible to align the payout amount information for each game with the main control status information, so accurate information can be sent to the rental unit.

The relationship between the number of coins inserted and the BB state signal, and between the number of coins paid out and the BB state signal has been described above, but the BB state signal can be replaced with other state signals. For example, there is an RB state signal for determining whether or not the state is RB, an AT state signal for determining whether or not the state is AT, and a specific main game state signal for determining whether or not the state is a specific main game state.

In the above embodiment, the freeze is performed for a predetermined period X until the BB status information stores "1" or "0", but the predetermined period X may be set to a period that is assumed to be until the information reaches the hall computer. For example, if the reaction time of each device, such as the SC board, for the input number information or payout number information transmitted by the gaming machine P to reach the hall computer is 1000 ms, the output time of one pulse received by the hall computer is 100 ms, and the maximum number of pulses received by the hall computer is 15 (because the maximum payout number of a reel type gaming machine is 15), then 1000 ms + 100 ms x 15 = 2500 ms, and it is desirable to set the value of the predetermined period X to 2500 ms or more.

The gaming machine P transmits a gaming machine information notification to the rental unit at a cycle of 300 ms, and then transmits a counting notification 100 ms later. The rental unit then transmits a rental notification to the gaming machine P within 170 ms after receiving the counting notification. The gaming machine P then transmits a rental receipt result response within 10 ms after receiving the rental notification. After that, the gaming machine P transmits the next gaming machine information notification 300 ms after transmitting the gaming machine information notification, so there is a time period of 20 ms or more between transmitting the rental receipt result response and transmitting the next gaming machine information notification.

The startup sequence of the gaming machine P and the rental unit is explained with reference to Figure 21.

<Startup sequence>
A case where the gaming machine P is started up before the rental unit is started up will be described.

When the power supply to the gaming machine P and the rental unit is OFF, the VL signal and PSI signal of the gaming machine P and the rental unit are OFF. The VL signal is a power supply shared by the I/F signal and is supplied from the rental unit, so it will be OFF until the rental unit starts up. Also, the PSI signal is a connection signal between the gaming machine P and the rental unit, so it will be OFF until the rental unit starts up.

Next, in a situation where the gaming machine P has completed booting but the rental unit has not yet completed booting, it sends a gaming machine information notification to the rental unit when the gaming machine P has completed booting, and then sends a counting notification. However, because the rental unit has not yet started, it cannot receive the sent gaming machine information notification and counting notification. Furthermore, even if the gaming machine P sends a counting notification, the rental unit does not receive the counting notification, so no rental notification is sent from the rental unit, and the gaming machine P does not send a rental receipt result response.

The serial number of the gaming machine information notification and the counting serial number of the counting notification that are sent first after the gaming machine P has finished booting up are "0x00". Also, since the serial number and counting serial number are updated regardless of whether the gaming machine P and the rental unit are connected or not, the serial number and counting serial number are sent as "0x01" at the next transmission timing (the timing of transmission 300 ms after the gaming machine information notification that was sent first after the gaming machine P has finished booting up).

In other words, regardless of whether gaming machine P is connected to the rental unit or not, it sends messages and updates the serial number.

Next, when the startup of the lending unit is completed, the VL signal and the PSI signal turn ON, and the operation of the bet switch P5 and the counting switch P7 of the gaming machine P becomes valid. In addition, the lending unit becomes able to receive information transmitted from the gaming machine P.

As described above, the gaming machine P sends gaming machine information notifications and counting notifications regardless of whether the rental unit is running or not, so the rental unit is managed using the serial number of the gaming machine information notification and the counting serial number of the counting notification sent from the gaming machine P after the rental unit has completed starting up. By configuring in this way, the gaming machine P can send information without determining the status of the rental unit, so the program capacity for determining the status of the rental unit can be reduced.

The startup sequence of the gaming machine P and the rental unit is explained with reference to Figure 22.

This section explains what happens when the rental unit starts up before the gaming machine P.

If the rental unit starts up before the gaming machine P, it will wait until the gaming machine P starts up. Here, the VL signal and PSI signal of the gaming machine P are OFF until the gaming machine P starts up, but when the rental unit has completed its startup, the VL signal and PSI signal of the rental unit will be ON. In this state, the rental unit will wait until the gaming machine P has completed its startup.

Next, when the startup of gaming machine P is complete, the VL signal and PSI signal of gaming machine P and the rental unit are turned ON, and gaming machine P sends a gaming machine information notification with serial number "0x00" and a counting notification with counting serial number "0x00". At this point, since the rental unit has already started up, it receives the gaming machine information notification with serial number "0x00" and the counting notification with counting serial number "0x00" and begins management. By configuring in this way, gaming machine P can send information without determining the status of the rental unit, so the program capacity for determining the status of the rental unit can be reduced.

The counting notification sequence between the gaming machine P and the rental unit is explained with reference to Figure 23.

<Counting notification sequence>
A case where the gaming machine P transmits a counting notification to the lending unit will be described. In this description, the situation before the operation of the counting switch P7 is accepted is that the total points managed by the gaming media count control board P16 are "200" and the lendable points managed by the lending unit are "20".

When the start-up of the gaming machine P and the rental unit is complete and communication between the gaming machine P and the rental unit is possible, the timing of sending a gaming machine information notification to the rental unit immediately after accepting the operation of the counting switch P7 provided on the gaming machine P is that the serial number "n (n is a numerical value)" and the total score "200" are sent as the gaming machine information notification, and the counting serial number "m (m is a numerical value)" and the total score are 200 as the counting notification, and since the total score stored in the gaming media number control board P16 is 50 points or more, the counting score "50" is sent as described above. Also, if the process related to the counting is the first process related to the counting since the start-up of the gaming machine P is complete, the counting cumulative score "50" is sent as the counting notification. Note that the gaming machine P subtracts the counting points from the total score stored in the total score memory area before executing the process of sending the counting notification.

Next, when the lending unit receives the counting notification, it updates the lendable points to "70" and sends the lending serial number "k (k is a number)" and lending points "0" as a lending notification to the gaming machine P (because the lending button has not been operated). In addition, when the gaming machine P receives a lending notification from the lending unit, it checks the consistency between the information indicated in the lending notification and the information indicated in the previous lending notification.

Next, after gaming machine P receives the rental notification, it sends the rental serial number "k" and the rental point receipt result "normal" to the rental unit as a rental receipt result response (if the result of checking the consistency between the information indicated in the rental notification and the information indicated in the previous rental notification is normal).

Next, when the gaming machine P next sends a gaming machine information notification to the rental unit, if it has not yet accepted operation of the counting switch P7 (if the counting switch P7 has been released), it sends the serial number "n+1" and the total score "150" as a gaming machine information notification. It also sends the counting serial number "m+1", counting points "0", and cumulative counting points "50" as a counting notification. It also sends the rental serial number "k+1" and rental points "0" as a rental notification from the rental unit to the gaming machine P. It also sends the rental serial number "k+1" and rental point receipt result "normal" as a rental receipt result response from the gaming machine P to the rental unit.

In addition, if the operation of the counting switch P7 is accepted at the timing of sending the second gaming machine information notification after accepting the operation of the counting switch P7 (if the counting switch P7 is pressed and held), the serial number "n+1" and the total score "150" are sent as the gaming machine information notification. In addition, the counting serial number "m+1", the counting points "50", and the accumulated counting points "100" are sent as the counting notification. In addition, the lending serial number "k+1" and the lending points "0" are sent to the gaming machine P as a lending notification from the lending unit. In addition, the gaming machine P sends the lending serial number "k+1" and the lending point receipt result "normal" as a lending receipt result response to the lending unit.

In this way, from the time when the operation of the counting switch P7 is accepted until the operation of the counting switch P7 is no longer accepted (while the counting switch P7 is being pressed and held), the gaming machine P continues to send a counting notification to the rental unit every 300 ms. By configuring it in this way, a fixed amount of counting points (50) can be sent to the rental unit every 300 ms without requiring complicated operations (just a long press), thereby reducing the burden of counting operations on the user.

Incidentally, since the counting switch P7 is connected to the game media number control board P16, the input port is checked for each interrupt process of the game media number control board P16, and if information indicating ON is input to the input port representing the counting switch P7, it is determined that the operation of the counting switch P7 has been accepted, and if information indicating OFF is subsequently input to the input port representing the counting switch P7, it is determined that the operation of the counting switch P7 has not been accepted.

The lending notification sequence between the gaming machine P and the lending unit is explained with reference to Figure 24.

<Lending notification sequence>
A case will be described where the lending unit sends a lending notification to the gaming machine P. In this explanation, the situation before the operation of the lending button is accepted is that the total score managed by the gaming media number control board P16 is "10" and the lendable points managed by the lending unit are "100." Note that, since the total score stored in the gaming media number control board P16 is less than "50," it can also be said that the count is "10" when the counting switch is operated.

When the gaming machine P and the rental unit have finished starting up and are able to communicate with the rental unit, and the rental button on the rental unit is operated, the gaming machine P sends a serial number "n (n is a number)" and a total score of "10" as a gaming machine information notification, and sends a counting serial number "m (m is a number)" and counting points "0" as a counting notification. Then, when the counting points included in the counting notification are "0", at the time when a rental notification is sent to the gaming machine P, the rental serial number "k" and rental points "50" are sent as the rental notification.

Then, when the lending unit sends the lending notification, it updates the lendable points to "50". Note that the lending unit may update the lendable points when it receives the lending acceptance result response.

Next, after gaming machine P receives the rental notification, it sends the rental serial number "k" and the rental point receipt result "normal" to the rental unit as a rental receipt result response (if the result of checking the consistency between the information indicated in the rental notification and the information indicated in the previous rental notification is normal).

Next, gaming machine P updates the total score to "60" between receiving the loan notification and sending the loan acceptance result response.

Next, if operation of the rental button provided on the rental unit continues to be accepted, the next time gaming machine P sends a gaming machine information notification to the rental unit, it will send the serial number "n+1" and the total score "60" as the gaming machine information notification.

Next, gaming machine P sends a counting notification with a counting serial number "m+1", counting points "0", and accumulated counting points "0", and then the lending unit sends a lending serial number "k+1" and lending points "50" to gaming machine P as a lending notification to gaming machine P, updating the lendable points to "0". Furthermore, gaming machine P sends a lending serial number "k+1" and lending point receipt result "normal" as a lending receipt result response to the lending unit.

In the above example, the lending unit determines the operation level when the lending button is continuously operated and accepts the operation of the lending button, but it may also determine the rising edge of the lending button and accept the operation of the lending button. In this case, even if the lending button is continuously operated, the lending operation will only be accepted at the timing of the first operation, so even if the lending button is continuously operated, the lending points will be sent as "0" when sending the second or subsequent lending notifications.

In addition, if the counting point in the counting notification sent from the gaming machine P when the lending button is accepted is 1 or more, the lending point in the next lending notification sent to the gaming machine P is sent as "0". The lending button accepted at this time may be invalidated, or the lending unit may store an operation reception flag for the lending button and transmit the lending point as "50" in the lending notification sent after the counting point in the counting notification becomes "0". In addition, when the lending unit stores the operation reception flag for the lending button, if the lending button is operated again while the flag related to the operation reception of the lending button is stored, the flag may be rewritten to a flag that has been operated twice, or operations from the second time onwards may be invalidated.

In addition, the lending unit transmits a lending notification to the gaming machine P, and when the gaming machine P receives the lending notification, it stores all information in the lending notification in a lending notification information storage area provided in the gaming machine P. This allows the gaming machine P to determine whether the information on the lending point receipt result is "normal" or "abnormal" when it transmits a lending receipt result response.

Specifically, "k" is stored as the rental serial number information in the rental notification information storage area of gaming machine P, and when the rental serial number of the rental notification sent from the rental unit is "k+1", the stored "k" is incremented to generate "k+1" and then compared with the received rental serial number "k+1", and since the generated rental serial number and the received rental serial number match, the received rental serial number "k+1" is stored in the rental notification information storage area of gaming machine P.

In addition, "k" is stored as the rental serial number information in the rental notification information storage area of gaming machine P, and when the rental serial number of the rental notification sent from the rental unit is "k+2", the stored "k" is incremented to generate "k+1" and then compared with the received rental serial number "k+2". Since the generated rental serial number does not match the received rental serial number, the received rental serial number "k+2" is not stored (the rental serial number in the rental notification information storage area of gaming machine P becomes "k").

In addition, because the upper limit of the rental serial number is 255, if the rental serial number is incremented when it is 255, the rental serial number will become 0. However, because rental serial number 0 can only be sent to the gaming machine immediately after the rental unit is started, it is incremented again to become rental serial number 1. In other words, when the gaming machine updates the rental serial number when the rental serial number is 255, it increments it twice, making the next rental serial number 1.

In the above example, the comparison method involves incrementing the rental serial number stored in the gaming machine P and then judging whether it matches the rental serial number received from the rental unit, but this is not limited to this. It is also possible to use a method in which the rental serial number received from the rental unit is decremented and then compared to see whether it matches the rental serial number stored in the gaming machine P, or a method in which the rental serial number stored in the gaming machine P is subtracted from the rental serial number received from the rental unit and the result is judged to be "1".

The loan notification information storage area of gaming machine P is composed of loan notification receiving buffer 1, loan notification receiving buffer 2, loan notification receiving buffer 3, loan notification receiving buffer 4, and loan notification receiving buffer 5.

Lending notification receiving buffer 1 stores the message length, lending notification receiving buffer 2 stores the command, lending notification receiving buffer 3 stores the lending serial number, lending notification receiving buffer 4 stores the lending point, and lending notification receiving buffer 5 stores the checksum.

For example, if the loan notification received by gaming machine P has a message length of "0x05", a command of "0x13", a loan serial number of "0x01", a loan point of "0x32", and a checksum of "0x4B", it stores it in the corresponding loan notification receiving buffer. Gaming machine P subtracts the loan point "0x32" stored in loan notification receiving buffer 4 from the checksum "0x4B" stored in loan notification receiving buffer 5 to calculate "0x19", subtracts the loan serial number "0x01" stored in loan notification receiving buffer 3 from "0x19" to calculate "0x18", subtracts the command "0x13" stored in loan notification receiving buffer 2 from "0x18" to calculate "0x05", and subtracts the message length "0x05" stored in loan notification receiving buffer 1 from "0x05" to calculate "0x00".

Next, it is determined whether the calculation result is "0x00", and if it is "0x00" as described above, it is determined that the checksum is normal. If the calculation result is not "0x00", it is determined that the checksum is abnormal, and all storage areas of loan notification receiving buffers 1 to 5 are cleared (for example, rewritten to "0x00"), and a loan receipt result response is sent with message length "0x05", command "0x03", loan serial number "0x00", loan point receipt result "0x01 (abnormal)", and checksum "0x09". Communication abnormalities during loan will be discussed later.

Next, if it is determined that the checksum is normal, it is determined whether the command information stored in the loan notification receiving buffer 2 is "0x13". If the command information stored in the loan notification receiving buffer 2 is "0x13", it is determined to be normal. If the command information stored in the loan notification receiving buffer 2 is not "0x13", it is determined to be abnormal, and all storage areas of the loan notification receiving buffers 1 to 5 are cleared (for example, rewritten to "0x00"), and a loan receipt result response is sent with a message length of "0x05", command "0x03", loan serial number "0x00", loan point receipt result of "0x01 (abnormal)", and checksum "0x09".

Next, if it is determined that the command is normal, it is determined whether the message length information stored in loan notification receiving buffer 1 is "0x05". If the message length information stored in loan notification receiving buffer 1 is "0x05", it is determined to be normal. If the message length information stored in loan notification receiving buffer 1 is not "0x05", it is determined to be abnormal, and all storage areas of loan notification receiving buffers 1 to 5 are cleared (for example, rewritten to "0x00"), and a loan receipt result response is sent with the message length "0x05", command "0x03", loan serial number "0x00", loan point receipt result "0x01 (abnormal)", and checksum "0x09".

The message length information stored in loan notification receiving buffer 1 and the command information stored in loan notification receiving buffer 2 are fixed values and will not change if they are normal. Also, by their very nature, checksums can sometimes match normal values even if they are abnormal values, so by comparing message length information and command information, which are fixed values in addition to the checksum, it is possible to bring the probability of determining that an abnormal value is a normal value as close to zero as possible.

To determine whether the information in the loan notification is normal or not, the checksum, command, and message length are checked in this order, but the order of the checks is not limited to this and may be any combination. In addition, if an abnormality is determined at any point during the process of checking the normality of the checksum, command, or message length, all storage areas of the loan notification receiving buffers 1 to 5 are cleared and no further judgment processing is performed. However, this is not limited to this, and even if an abnormality is determined during the process of checking the checksum, command, or message length, all storage areas of the loan notification receiving buffers 1 to 5 are not cleared, and the system may be configured to clear all storage areas of the loan notification receiving buffers 1 to 5 if any of the judgment results are determined to be abnormal after all judgments have been completed.

When detecting errors using only the checksum, the reliability is (1-(1/256)) x 100 = 99.609375000% because the checksum is 1 byte of data. However, if one fixed value (1 byte of data) is included, the reliability is (1-((1/256) x (1/256))) x 100 = 99.998474121%, and if two fixed values (1 byte of data) are included, the reliability is (1-((1/256) x (1/256) x (1/256))) x 100 = 99.999999977%. For this reason, if the 1 byte of data is a fixed value, the reliability will be nearly 100% if two fixed values are determined in addition to the checksum, making it easier to detect fraud or abnormalities.

The recovery sequence when the dedicated interface between the gaming machine P and the rental unit is disconnected is explained with reference to Figure 25.

<Recovery sequence when dedicated interface is disconnected>
The flow of various notification information when communication is restored after communication between the gaming machine P and the rental unit is disabled due to a disconnection will be described. In this explanation, it is assumed that the total score managed by the gaming media count control board P16 is "100".

When the startup of the gaming machine P and the rental unit is complete and communication between the gaming machine P and the rental unit is possible, at the timing of sending a gaming machine information notification to the rental unit, the gaming machine information notification sends the serial number "n (n is a numerical value)" and the total score "100", and the counting notification sends the counting serial number "m (m is a numerical value)" and the counting score "0". In addition, if the counting process is the first counting process since the startup of the gaming machine P is complete, the counting cumulative score "0" is sent as the counting notification. Note that the gaming machine P subtracts the counting points from the total score stored in the total score memory area before executing the process of sending the counting notification.

Next, when the lending unit receives the counting notification, it sends the lending serial number "k (k is a number)" and the lending points "0" as a lending notification to the gaming machine P. In addition, when the gaming machine P receives a lending notification from the lending unit, it checks the consistency between the information indicated in the lending notification and the information indicated in the previous lending notification.

Next, after gaming machine P receives the rental notification, it sends the rental serial number "k" and the rental point receipt result "normal" to the rental unit as a rental receipt result response.

Next, if the gaming machine P transmits the serial number "n+1" and total score "100" as a gaming machine information notification and then immediately thereafter there is a disconnection (the VL signal on the gaming machine P side is OFF, the VL signal and PSI signal on the rental unit side are both OFF, and the power supply of the gaming machine P and the rental unit is ON), the gaming machine P transmits the counting serial number "m+1", counting points "0", and counting cumulative points "0" as a counting notification. Note that even if the operation of the counting switch P7 was accepted before the disconnection, the counting process is stopped when the VL signal on the gaming machine P side turns OFF, as the acceptance of the counting switch P7 is invalidated, and therefore the counting notification after the disconnection transmits the counting points as "0". Also, if the VL signal on the gaming machine P side turns OFF, the acceptance of bet operations is also invalidated.

After that, since the rental unit has not received the counting notification, it will not send a rental notification, and the gaming machine P will not send a rental receipt result response. Then, the next gaming machine information notification will be sent 300 ms after the previous gaming machine information notification was sent, but if communication between the gaming machine P and the rental unit has not yet been restored, the gaming machine P will send the serial number "n+2" and total score "100" as the gaming machine information notification, and the counting serial number "m+2", counting points "0", and counting cumulative points "0" as the counting notification.

In other words, when communication between the gaming machine P and the rental unit is disconnected, the gaming machine P side continues to send only the gaming machine information notification and the counting notification. At this time, the serial number and counting serial number are updated and sent.

Next, when communication between gaming machine P and the rental unit is restored immediately before gaming machine P next transmits a gaming machine information notification, it transmits the serial number "n+3" and total score "100" as a gaming machine information notification, and transmits the counting serial number "m+3", counting score "0", and counting cumulative score "0" as a counting notification.

Then, the rental unit that receives the counting notification transmits the rental serial number "0" and rental point "0" as a rental notification to the gaming machine P. As a result, when the connection is restored after a disconnection, the rental serial number "0" is transmitted, so the gaming machine P can determine whether or not this is the first rental notification since the connection was restored after a disconnection.

Next, after gaming machine P receives the loan notification, it sends the loan serial number "k" as a loan receipt result response and a loan point receipt result response of "abnormal" to the loan unit. Here, the loan serial number sent is the loan serial number "k" that was received successfully last time, and the loan point receipt result response is determined to be "abnormal" because the loan serial number "0" sent from the loan unit is different from the loan serial number "k" that was received successfully last time and is "k+1", which is an increment of the loan serial number. Furthermore, when the loan unit receives the loan serial number "k", it stores "k" in the loan serial number storage area of the loan unit. Note that other methods mentioned above may be used to determine an abnormality in the loan serial number.

Next, when 300 ms have passed since the previous gaming machine information notification, the serial number "n+4" and total score "100" are sent as a gaming machine information notification, and the counting serial number "m+4", counting score "0", and cumulative counting score "0" are sent as a counting notification.

Next, the rental unit that receives the counting notification sends the rental serial number "k+1" and rental points "0" as a rental notification to the gaming machine P. As a result, when the gaming machine P receives the rental notification, the rental point receipt result becomes "normal".

Next, after gaming machine P receives the rental notification, it sends the rental serial number "k+1" and the rental point receipt result response "normal" to the rental unit as a rental receipt result response. At this point, recovery from the disconnection is complete, and subsequent communications proceed according to the normal sequence.

In the above example, when the rental unit transmits the rental serial number "0", the rental point in the rental notification is transmitted as "0" even if the rental button operation is accepted. In other words, even if the rental button operation is accepted between the time when the rental unit's VL signal and PSI signal are both turned ON and the time when the first rental notification is sent, the rental point for a rental serial number of "0" is configured to transmit "0", but this is not limited to this, and if the rental button operation is accepted when the rental serial number is "0", the rental point "50" may be transmitted even if the rental serial number is "0".

In addition, in the above example, if the dedicated interface is disconnected and then recovered from the disconnection immediately after the gaming machine P transmits the gaming machine information notification and the rental unit does not receive the gaming machine information notification, the rental unit may transmit a rental notification due to receiving the counting notification transmitted from the gaming machine P, or the rental unit may not transmit a rental notification after the counting notification transmitted from the gaming machine P because it has not received the gaming machine information notification, and may transmit a rental notification after receiving the counting notification following the reception of the next gaming machine information notification.

The communication error during counting between gaming machine P and the rental unit is explained with reference to Figure 26.

<Communication error during counting>
A case where the game machine P transmits a counting notification to the lending unit and the lending unit does not receive the counting notification transmitted thereto will be described. In this description, the situation before the operation of the counting switch P7 is accepted is that the total points managed by the game media count control board P16 is "200" and the lendable points managed by the lending unit are "20".

When the gaming machine P and the rental unit have finished booting up and are able to communicate with each other, immediately after the gaming machine P accepts the operation of the counting switch P7, the gaming machine P sends the serial number "n" and the total score "200" as the gaming machine information notification to the rental unit, and sends the counting serial number "m" and the counting points "50" as the counting notification. In addition, if the counting process is the first counting process since the gaming machine P has finished booting up, the gaming machine P sends the counting cumulative points "50" as the counting notification. Note that the gaming machine P subtracts the counting points from the total score stored in the total score memory area before executing the process of sending the counting notification.

Next, when the lending unit receives the counting notification, it updates the lendable points to "70" and sends the lending serial number "k" and lending points "0" as a lending notification to the gaming machine P (because the lending button has not been operated). In addition, when the gaming machine P receives a lending notification from the lending unit, it checks the consistency between the information indicated in the lending notification and the information indicated in the previous lending notification.

Next, after gaming machine P receives the rental notification, it sends the rental serial number "k" and the rental point receipt result "normal" to the rental unit as a rental receipt result response (if the result of checking the consistency between the information indicated in the rental notification and the information indicated in the previous rental notification is normal).

Next, if the gaming machine P transmits the serial number "n+1" and the total score "150" as a gaming machine information notification, and then transmits the counting serial number "m+1", counting score "50", and counting cumulative score "100" as a counting notification, but the lending unit fails to receive the counting notification, the lending unit will not transmit a lending notification. If the lending unit does not receive the counting notification 300 ms after receiving the gaming machine information notification, it turns off the VL signal and the PSI signal. In this case, the lending unit determines that an error has occurred in communication with the gaming machine P, and performs the same operation as the recovery sequence described above. Note that when recovering from a disconnected state, it is considered that the hall staff operates the error release switch on the lending unit or operates the initialization switch on the lending unit.

In addition, even after the lending unit determines that an error has occurred in communication with the gaming machine P and the lending unit turns OFF the VL signal and PSI signal, the gaming machine P continues to send gaming machine information notifications and counting notifications. In this case, the serial number as the gaming machine information notification and the counting serial number as the counting notification are updated and then sent to the lending unit (the lending unit cannot receive them). Note that if the counting switch P7 continues to be pressed even after the lending unit turns OFF the VL signal and PSI signal, the gaming machine P also invalidates the operation of the counting switch P7 due to the VL signal being OFF based on the lending unit turning OFF the VL signal and PSI signal, so the counting point as the counting notification is sent as 0.

The following explains a communication error that occurs between gaming machine P and the rental unit during rental with reference to Figure 27.

<Communication error during rental>
A case will be described where the lending unit transmits a lending notification to the gaming machine P. In this explanation, the situation before accepting the operation of the lending button is that the total points managed by the game media number control board P16 are "10" and the lendable points managed by the lending unit are "100".

When the gaming machine P and the rental unit have completed startup and are able to communicate with each other, and the rental unit receives an operation of the rental button provided on the rental unit, the gaming machine P will send a serial number "n" and a total score of "10" as a gaming machine information notification, and will send a counting serial number "m" and counting points "0" as a counting notification. Then, when the counting points included in the counting notification are "0", at the time when a rental notification is to be sent to the gaming machine P, the rental serial number "k" and rental points "50" will be sent as the rental notification.

Then, when the lending unit sends the lending notification, it updates the lendable points to "50". Note that the lending unit may update the lendable points when it receives the lending acceptance result response.

Next, after gaming machine P receives the rental notification, it sends the rental serial number "k" and the rental point receipt result "normal" to the rental unit as a rental receipt result response (if the result of checking the consistency between the information indicated in the rental notification and the information indicated in the previous rental notification is normal).

Next, gaming machine P updates the total score to "60" between receiving the loan notification and sending the loan acceptance result response.

Next, if the gaming machine P transmits a loan receipt result response but the loan unit fails to receive the loan receipt result response, and the loan unit does not receive the loan receipt result response more than 10 ms after transmitting the loan notification, it determines that the loan is incomplete and stores a value indicating that the loan is incomplete in the loan information storage area provided in the loan unit.

Next, gaming machine P sends the serial number "n+1" and total score "60" as a gaming machine information notification, and sends the counting serial number "m+1" and counting points "0" as a counting notification. Then, if the lending unit determines that the lending is incomplete in response to the previous lending notification, it sends the lending serial number "k" and lending points "50" as a lending notification at the time of sending the lending notification to gaming machine P. This lending notification contains the same information as the lending notification sent previously.

Next, when gaming machine P receives the rental notification, if it is normal, it should receive information "k+1" as the rental serial number. However, since the rental serial number received this time was "k", gaming machine P sends the rental serial number "k" and the rental point receipt result response "abnormal" to the rental unit as the rental receipt result response.

Next, since the rental serial number "k" of the rental notification sent by the rental unit when it received the rental receipt result response matches the rental serial number "k" of the received rental receipt result response, the rental unit determines that the rental notification has arrived at the gaming machine P normally, and stores a value indicating rental completion in the rental information storage area provided in the rental unit.

<Error type>
In this embodiment, errors and states of the gaming machine P that can be determined include insertion abnormality, settlement abnormality, payout abnormality, communication abnormality, total score upper limit abnormality, total score threshold reached state, rental device connection abnormality, rental serial number abnormality, rental device communication abnormality 1, rental device communication abnormality 2, rental device communication abnormality 3, rental device communication abnormality 4, rental device communication abnormality 5, rental device communication abnormality 6, and rental device communication abnormality 7.

An insertion abnormality is an abnormality detected by the main control board P15. If the insertion request command sent by the main control board P15 to the gaming media count control board P16 does not match the reply waiting command (insertion request acceptance command, or insertion request ineligible command) received by the main control board P15 from the gaming media count control board P16, an E1 error is detected, and the number of awarded balls display section displays the corresponding "E1". If an E1 error occurs, it can be cleared when operation of the set/reset switch is accepted. Note that the insertion request command is not resent even if the E1 error is cleared. If an E1 error occurs, some or all of the following processes are performed to stop the progress of the game: invalidating bets, invalidating operation of the start switch P3, invalidating operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidating settlement.

When an E1 error occurs, the main control board P15 sends an E1 error command to the sub-control board P12, thereby notifying the error via an image display device or a lamp. When the E1 error is cleared, the main control board P15 sends an error clear command to the sub-control board P12, and when the sub-control board P12 receives the error clear command, it ends the E1 error notification. Note that when the sub-control board P12 receives the error clear command, it may not immediately end the E1 error notification, but may end it after sending the notification for a predetermined period of time.

Settlement abnormalities are abnormalities detected by the main control board P15, and if the settlement request command sent by the main control board P15 to the game medium count control board P16 does not match the reply waiting command (settlement request acceptance command, or settlement request unacceptable command) received by the main control board P15 from the game medium count control board P16, an E2 error is detected, and the awarded number display section displays the corresponding "E2". If an E2 error occurs, it can be cleared when operation of the set/reset switch is accepted. Note that the settlement request command is not resent even if the E2 error is cleared. If an E2 error occurs, some or all of the following processes are performed to stop the progress of the game: invalidating the bet, invalidating the operation of the start switch P3, invalidating the operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidating the settlement.

When an E2 error occurs, the main control board P15 sends an E2 error command to the sub-control board P12, thereby notifying the error via an image display device or a lamp. When the E2 error is cleared, the main control board P15 sends an error clear command to the sub-control board P12, and when the sub-control board P12 receives the error clear command, it ends the E2 error notification. Note that when the sub-control board P12 receives the error clear command, it may not immediately end the E2 error notification, but may end it after sending the notification for a predetermined period of time.

A payout abnormality is an abnormality detected by the main control board P15. If the payout request command sent by the main control board P15 to the game medium count control board P16 does not match the reply waiting command (payout request acceptance command, or payout request unacceptable command) received by the main control board P15 from the game medium count control board P16, an E3 error is detected, and the number of payouts display section displays the corresponding "E3". If an E3 error occurs, it can be cleared when the set/reset switch is operated. Note that the payout request command is not resent even if the E3 error is cleared. If an E3 error occurs, some or all of the following processes are performed to stop the progress of the game: invalidating bets, invalidating operation of the start switch P3, invalidating operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidating settlement.

When an E3 error occurs, the main control board P15 sends an E3 error command to the sub-control board P12, thereby notifying the error via an image display device or a lamp. When the E3 error is cleared, the main control board P15 sends an error clear command to the sub-control board P12, and when the sub-control board P12 receives the error clear command, it ends the E3 error notification. Note that when the sub-control board P12 receives the error clear command, it may not immediately end the E3 error notification, but may end it after sending the notification for a predetermined period of time.

A communication abnormality is an abnormality detected by the main control board P15, and is deemed to have occurred when the game medium count control board P16 sends a communication abnormality command to the main control board P15 and the main control board P15 receives the communication abnormality command. A communication abnormality does not result in an error display on the number of awards display section. No operation is required to clear the communication abnormality, as it can be cleared automatically. Furthermore, if a communication abnormality occurs, the progress of the game is not stopped.

In the event of a communication abnormality, the main control board P15 will send a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the error using an image display device or lamp. Even after the communication abnormality is automatically cleared, the notification of the communication abnormality will not end immediately, but will end after a specified period of time. The game media count control notification command is a command that the main control board P15 sends to the sub-control board P12 with each interrupt, and depending on the bit position, it is a command that notifies the sub-control board P12 of various abnormalities such as counting, total score upper limit abnormality, communication abnormality, and the status of the gaming machine.

The total score upper limit abnormality is an abnormality detected by the game medium number control board P16, and is deemed to be a total score upper limit abnormality when the total score managed by the game medium number control board P16 reaches the upper limit (16383). No error is displayed on the total score upper limit display unit when the total score upper limit abnormality occurs. To cancel the total score upper limit abnormality, the counting switch P7 provided on the gaming machine P is operated to perform a counting process, and the abnormality can be canceled when the total score falls below the upper limit of 16383. When a total score upper limit abnormality occurs, some or all of the following processes are performed to stop the progress of the game: bet invalidation, invalidation of operation of the start switch P3, invalidation of operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidation of settlement. Note that when the upper limit of the total score is reached, the points exceeding the upper limit are not stored, so points exceeding 16383 will not be stored.

Next, we will explain how to prevent the game media count control board P16 from storing more than the upper limit of the total score, using the score awarding process (Figure 29) on the main control board P15.

The score awarding process is executed after judging the symbol combination that has stopped on the winning line and determining the number of points to be awarded based on the result of the judgment. For example, it is executed after judging that a specific symbol combination that can award 8 points has stopped on the winning line and then storing the number 8 in the award point memory area described below.

In "Score Awarded?", the main control board P15 determines whether there are points to award (whether a pattern combination that can award points has stopped and been displayed), and if it determines that there are no points to award, the answer is NO. Specifically, it determines whether the value in the award point memory area, which is a memory area in the RWM area of the main control board P15 that can store award points, is "0". If it determines that the value in the award point memory area is "0", the answer to "Score Awarded?" is NO, and the score awarding process ends. On the other hand, if it determines that the value in the award point memory area is not "0", the answer to "Score Awarded?" is YES.

In "Score awarding time elapsed?", it is determined whether the value stored in the score awarding timer area described below is "0". If the value stored in the score awarding timer area is "0", the answer is YES, and if the value stored in the score awarding timer area is not "0", the answer is NO. In other words, this determination process loops until the value stored in the score awarding timer area becomes "0" (in other words, it delays the "award request command set" described below). Note that the score awarding timer area stores an initial value ("27" in this embodiment) by "save score awarding time" described below.

In "score awarding time storage", "27" is stored in the score awarding timer area provided in the RWM area of the main control board P15. The value stored in the score awarding timer area is configured to be updated in response to the execution of a timer interrupt on the main control board P15 side (for example, it is configured to subtract 1 each time a timer interrupt process is executed). Note that the timer interrupt on the main control board P15 side is configured to be executed at a cycle of approximately 2.235 ms. Therefore, storing "27" in the score awarding timer area is synonymous with saving a time corresponding to approximately 60 ms. Also, even if a timer interrupt process is executed when "0" is stored in the score awarding timer area, the value of the score awarding timer area will remain "0".

In this way, by setting the processing order to "Has score awarding time elapsed?" → "Save score awarding time", when multiple points are awarded, the "Award request command set" processing described below is executed at a predetermined interval. For example, when the number of points to be awarded is "8", the (first) "Award request command set" corresponding to the first point is executed in a situation where "0" is stored in the score awarding timer area, because this is before "27" is stored in the score awarding timer area. Therefore, the standby processing based on the score awarding timer is not executed. Therefore, the main control board P15 can cause the game medium number control board P16 to quickly execute the processing to add the first point to the total score.

Meanwhile, the "award request command set" corresponding to the second to eighth points can be executed after "27" is stored in the score award timer area by "save score award time" and "score award time elapsed?" becomes "0". In other words, the "award request command set" corresponding to the second to eighth points can be executed at a rate of about once every 60 ms. In other words, the total score on the game medium number control board P16 based on the "award request command set" can be updated about every 60 ms, and the display update of the game medium number display unit P9 that can display the total score can also be updated about every 60 ms. By configuring it in this way, the player can visually see how the total score displayed on the game medium number display unit P9 is updated by "1".

Unlike the embodiment described above, the order may be "score awarding time saved" → "score awarding time elapsed?". In this case, even for the first point when multiple points are awarded, the main control board P15 executes a standby process for a time corresponding to the score awarding time (score awarding timer), and then the game media number control board P16 adds 1 point to the total score. Also, in this embodiment, "27" is stored in the score awarding timer area as "score awarding time saved", but any number (for example, a number in the range of "10" to "200") that allows the player to visually see the total score displayed on the game media number display unit P9 being updated by "1" at a time may be stored.

In the "award request command set", a command for sending an award request command indicating that one point is to be awarded from the main control board P15 to the game medium number control board P16 is stored in the command buffer of the main control board P15. The command stored in the command buffer of the main control board P15 is configured to be sent to the game medium number control board P16 by timer interrupt processing on the main control board P15 side. Therefore, the "award request command set" is synonymous with sending an award request command indicating that one point is to be awarded from the main control board P15 to the game medium number control board P16.

For example, when a symbol combination capable of awarding 8 points is displayed, the total score is updated by sending an award request command indicating that 1 point is to be awarded to the game media count control board P16 eight times. By updating the total score one point at a time in this manner, it is possible to award points up to the total score upper limit, even if the total score exceeds the upper limit (16,383) when all the awarded points are added to the total score.

"Command reception" refers to receiving a response command from the game medium count control board P16 after the main control board P15 sends a grant request command indicating that one game medium should be granted.

In this embodiment, the game media number control board P16 has at least the following two response commands.
A) Grant permission command: This refers to a command indicating that one point is to be added.
Specifically, after the game media number control board P16 receives an award request command indicating that one point should be awarded, if the game media number control board P16 determines that the total point before the addition does not exceed the upper limit value when adding one point to the total point, it sends an award permission command to the main control board P15 indicating that one point should be added to the total point.
a) Rejection command: This refers to a command indicating that 1 point will not be added.
Specifically, after the game media number control board P16 receives an award request command indicating that one point should be awarded, if the game media number control board P16 determines that the total point before the addition is the upper limit when adding one point to the total point, it sends an award refusal command to the main control board P15 indicating that one point cannot be added to the total point.

In "Not Grantable?", it is determined whether the command received from the game media count control board P16 was a grant refusal command, and if it was a grant refusal command, the answer is YES. It is also possible to determine whether the command received from the game media count control board P16 was a grant permission command, and if it was not a grant permission command, the answer is NO.

By configuring in this way, even if the game media number control board P16 receives an award request command indicating that one point is to be awarded when the total score has reached the upper limit, the game media number control board P16 can prevent the game media number control board P16 from updating the total score. In addition, when the main control board P15 judges "Award not possible (YES)" in "Award not possible?", it loops "Score award time elapsed?", "Score award time saved", "Award request command set", "Command received", and "Award not possible?" until the counting process is performed by the game media number control board P16 (until some or all of the total score is counted), making it impossible to make a bet to start the next game. Note that even if such a loop situation occurs, if the counting process is performed by the game media number control board P16 (the counting switch is operated to execute the counting process) and the total score is no longer the upper limit, the judgment of "Award not possible?" will be "NO" even in the loop situation, and it will be possible to proceed to the processing of "Score award data -1". In other words, even if the total score reaches the upper limit of 16383 in the middle of the score awarding process (when some of the points to be awarded remain), the score awarding process does not end and a loop occurs. Even in this loop, the player can operate the counting switch to execute the counting process, making it possible to make the total score fall below the upper limit of 16383. In other words, if the total score falls below the upper limit of 16383, the loop of the score awarding process can be escaped ("No points awarded?" returns NO), and the score awarding process can be resumed. By configuring in this way, even if the total score reaches the upper limit of 16383 in the middle of the score awarding process, the points to be awarded will not be discarded, and it is possible to prevent the player from being disadvantaged.

The loop status described above is not limited to this. For example, if the main control board P15 determines that "grant not allowed (YES)," it may loop "grant request command set," "command received," and "grant not allowed?".

In "score award data -1", the value in the award point storage area is subtracted by 1. For example, if the value stored in the award point storage area is "8", this process will cause the value in the award point storage area to become "7". Also, if the value stored in the award point storage area is "1", this process will cause the value in the award point storage area to become "0".

In "Score awarding completed?", it is determined whether the value in the award point storage area is "0". If the value in the award point storage area is not "0", the process returns to "Score awarding time elapsed?" and repeats the same process as described above. Then, if the value in the award point storage area is "0", the process ends.

By executing this type of score awarding process, it is possible to control the game media count control board P16 so that it does not store more than the upper limit of the total score.

In addition, if the process of awarding points one by one is performed at a time too quickly, the player will not be able to recognize that each point has been awarded. For this reason, the score awarding timer is set for 60.35 ms (27 interrupt processes) after awarding one point, and the timer is updated (the count value is subtracted by "1") each time one point is awarded, and one point is awarded again after 60.35 ms has elapsed. This configuration allows the player to recognize that each point has been paid out, making the game more interesting.

In the above embodiment, the main control board P15 awards one point to the game medium count control board P16, but this is not limited to this and the points may be awarded all at once.

For example, if the main control board P15 awards 8 points as a score, it requests the game media number control board P16 as an award request command whether 8 points can be added to the total score. The game media number control board P16 determines whether adding 8 points to the total score will exceed the upper limit (determines whether "total score + awarded points > 16383" is YES), and if it exceeds the upper limit (determines YES), it sends a command to the main control board P15 indicating that 8 points cannot be added to the total score (corresponding to an award refusal command), and when the main control board P15 receives a command indicating that 8 points cannot be added to the total score, it again requests the game media number control board P16 as an award request command whether 8 points can be added to the total score, and since there is no change in the total score if the counting process has not been performed, it again sends a command indicating that 8 points cannot be added to the total score, resulting in a loop of score awarding processes between the main control board P15 and the game media number control board P16. In other words, it is configured to loop until 8 points are added. By configuring it in this way, the points awarded will not be discarded, preventing the player from being disadvantaged.

For example, if the main control board P15 awards 8 points as a score, it sends a grant request command to the game media count control board P16 requesting whether 8 points can be added to the total score. The game media count control board P16 determines whether adding 8 points to the total score will exceed the upper limit (determines whether "total score + awarded points > 16383" is YES), and if it does not exceed the upper limit (determines NO), it sends a command to the main control board P15 indicating that 8 points can be added to the total score (corresponding to an award permission command), and the game media count control board P16 adds 8 points to the total score and ends the score awarding process.

When an abnormality in the total score upper limit occurs, the game media number control board P16 sends information that the total score upper limit is abnormal to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 sends a game media number control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the error using an image display device or lamp. Then, when the total score upper limit abnormality is released by the counting operation, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the total score upper limit abnormality in the game media number control notification command to a normal value (e.g., "0") and sends it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to end the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the total score upper limit abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media number control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping.

The total score threshold reached state is a state detected by the gaming media number control board P16, and is deemed to be in a state where the total score managed by the gaming media number control board P16 reaches a threshold value that is lower than the upper limit (16383). The threshold can be 15000, for example, and any value can be set as long as it is less than the total score upper limit (16383) - the count value for one round (50) (less than 16333). The total score threshold reached state is not displayed on the award number display unit. To cancel the total score threshold reached state, the counting switch P7 provided on the gaming machine P is operated to perform the counting process, and the state can be canceled when the total score falls below the threshold of 15000.

When the total score reaches or exceeds the threshold value of 15,000, the game media number control board P16 turns the overflow signal ON (the overflow signal rises). The overflow signal remains ON until the total score falls below 15,000, at which point the game media number control board P16 turns the overflow signal OFF (the overflow signal falls). The game media number control board P16 transmits the overflow signal to the main control board P15, and when the main control board P15 determines that the overflow signal is ON, it performs processing to output an overflow test signal to the test IF board.

When the overflow test signal is ON and is being output to the test IF board, the counting switch P7 connected to the test IF board is in an operated state, so when the overflow test signal is being output ON, the counting switch signal is also being output ON (the counting switch is being operated), and the counting process is executed.

As a process for outputting the overflow test signal, the main control board P15 turns on the overflow test signal output to the test IF board and stores the overflow test signal timer value (count value) in a specified memory area. The overflow test signal timer value is for managing the time for turning on the overflow test signal, and the overflow test signal maintains its ON state until it is determined that the overflow test signal timer value is 0. In addition, the main control board P15 stores the overflow test signal timer value when turning on the overflow test signal. Then, when the game media number control board P16 executes the counting process, the overflow signal turns OFF, and the main control board P15 determines that the overflow signal has turned OFF (when it detects the falling edge of the overflow signal), the main control board P15 starts subtracting the stored overflow test signal timer value. In other words, the overflow test signal maintains its ON state until the overflow test signal timer value becomes 0 even after the overflow signal turns OFF, and when the overflow test signal timer value becomes 0, the overflow test signal turns OFF. In addition, the overflow test signal timer value is stored by the main control board P15 when the overflow signal is turned ON, so even when the overflow signal is ON, the overflow test signal timer value is determined to be not 0, and the overflow test signal is turned ON. In other words, the overflow test signal will not be turned OFF when the overflow signal is ON.

The main control board P15 also determines whether the overflow test signal timer value before subtraction is 0 or not, and when it determines that the overflow test signal timer value before subtraction is not 0, it turns the overflow test signal ON, and when it determines that the overflow test signal timer value before subtraction is 0, it turns the overflow test signal OFF. The main control board P15 sets the overflow test signal timer value when the overflow test signal turns ON (or when it determines that the overflow signal has turned ON), and does not subtract the timer value while the overflow signal is being output, so that the counting switch signal does not turn OFF while the overflow signal is being output during the gaming machine test.

In the above example, an embodiment was described in which the main control board P15 determines whether the overflow test signal timer value before subtraction is 0 or not, and turns the overflow test signal ON when it determines that the overflow test signal timer value before subtraction is not 0, but this is not limited to this, and the main control board P15 may determine whether the overflow test signal timer value after subtraction is 0 or not, and turn the overflow test signal ON when it determines that the overflow test signal timer value after subtraction is not 0.

The main control board P15 may store an overflow test signal timer value of, for example, 1209 (2702.115 ms) when the overflow test signal is turned ON. This is because the interrupt processing interval of the main control board P15 is 2.235 ms, so 2702.115 ms elapses when the interrupt processing is executed 1209 times. Also, 2702.115 ms is the time required to send nine gaming machine information notifications, since the transmission interval for gaming machine information notifications sent by the gaming media count control board P16 to the lending unit is 300 ms. In other words, when the game media number control board P16 turns the overflow signal ON and the main control board P15 turns the overflow test signal ON, the counting switch signal turns ON and 50 is counted as the counting points, and then, as a result of the counting process being executed by the game media number control board P16, the total score falls below the threshold value of 15,000 and the overflow test signal remains ON for 1,209 interrupt processes of the main control board P15 even after the game media number control board P16 turns the overflow signal OFF, so the counting switch can be kept ON for 2,702.115 ms, and 450 points are counted as the counting points for 9 game machine information notifications. Therefore, when the test IF board and the main control board P15 are connected (when a gaming machine test is being performed), when the gaming media number control board P16 turns the overflow signal ON once, the counting switch signal also turns ON, and in addition to the one counting process (counting points of 50 points) that is performed when the overflow signal turns ON, the counting process can be performed nine times after the overflow signal turns OFF, so that 500 points are counted as the counting points. This allows the counting points of 500 points to be subtracted from the total score after the total score reaches 15,000 points during the gaming machine test, so it is possible to prevent the overflow signal from turning ON immediately after the overflow signal turns OFF, and even if the gaming machine being tested is in an advantageous state such as an AT, the frequency of performing the counting process due to the total score reaching 15,000 points or more is reduced, so that it is possible to reduce the malfunction of the gaming machine P and the frequency of output of error sounds during the gaming machine test.

The overflow test signal timer value is not limited to the above-mentioned value, and may be any value longer than the time required to send one gaming machine information notification (300 ms or more). In other words, if the overflow test signal timer value is updated (subtracted) at each interrupt, any value greater than or equal to 135 may be stored as the overflow test signal timer value.

In the above example, an embodiment was described in which the main control board P15 updates the overflow test signal timer value for every interrupt, but this is not limited to this, and the overflow test signal timer value may be updated once every two interrupts or once every three interrupts. In this embodiment, the overflow test signal timer value can be reduced. For example, if the main control board P15 updates the overflow test signal timer value once every five interrupts, an example is to store 242 as the overflow test signal timer value. In this case, the overflow test signal timer value can be kept within one byte, while the time for turning the overflow test signal ON can be set to 2704.35 ms.

In addition, since gaming machine P can continue playing (betting, internal lottery processing based on operation of start switch P3, stop control processing based on operation of stop switch P4, etc.) even during counting processing, gaming machine testing is not interrupted even if the total score threshold is reached during gaming machine testing and counting processing is performed. This allows gaming machine testing to be carried out smoothly.

When the total score threshold reached state occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that the total score threshold has been reached to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the state using an image display device or lamp. When the total score threshold reached state is released by the counting operation, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the total score threshold reached state in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (e.g., "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, thereby terminating the state notification of the sub-control board P12. Note that if the bit corresponding to the total score threshold reached state has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping the notification.

In the above embodiment, the bit positions of the total score upper limit abnormality and the total score threshold reached state in the game media count control notification command sent by the main control board P15 to the sub-control board P12 are different, but they may be managed in the same bit position. In this case, the sub-control board P12 cannot change the presentation based on the received game media count control notification command whether the total score upper limit is abnormal or the total score threshold reached state (the same presentation is executed). However, when it comes to performing a presentation that prompts the operation of the counting switch P7 whether the total score upper limit is abnormal or the total score threshold reached state, this can be executed without the sub-control board P12 distinguishing between the total score upper limit abnormality and the total score threshold reached state. In addition, the amount of information sent by the main control board P15 is reduced, making it possible to reduce the program capacity.

The notification manner by the sub-control board P12 for the above-mentioned total score upper limit abnormality and total score threshold reached state may be the same (specifically, the bit positions in the game media number control notification command for the total score upper limit abnormality and the total score threshold reached state are the same, or even if they are different bit positions, the same notification manner is given based on the judgment of the sub-control board P12), or it may be different (specifically, the bit positions in the game media number control notification command for the total score upper limit abnormality and the total score threshold reached state are different bit positions and different notification manners are given based on the judgment of the sub-control board P12, or in the case of a total score upper limit abnormality, game media number control notification command 1 is sent, and in the case of the total score threshold reached state, game media number control notification command 2 is sent). When the notification mode is the same, for example, "Please operate the counting switch" may be displayed on the image display device, and when the notification mode is different, for example, when there is an abnormality in the total score upper limit, "The upper limit has been reached. Please operate the counting switch" may be displayed on the image display device, and when the total score threshold has been reached, "The upper limit will be reached with XX points. Please operate the counting switch" may be displayed on the image display device. When displaying the number of points up to the total score upper limit when the total score threshold has been reached, the main control board P15 or the number of game media control board P16 may calculate the total score upper limit value - the current total score and send it to the sub-control board P12, or the sub-control board P12 may calculate the total score upper limit value - the current total score using the current total score information received.

In addition, if the notification mode by the sub-control board P12 for the total score upper limit abnormality and the total score threshold reached state is the same, the notification mode is the same from when the total score reaches the threshold (15,000) to when the upper limit is reached (16,383), and the notification is given in advance from when the total score reaches the threshold to when it reaches the upper limit, so the notification mode does not suddenly change or a notification is given when the upper limit is reached. As a result, since the player is notified in advance and the notification mode does not change even after the upper limit is reached, even if points are awarded that exceed the upper limit as a result of winning, it is possible to prevent the player from thinking that the excess has been lost (it is possible to make it appear that there is no urgency).

When the total score threshold is reached, gameplay can continue, but if the total score upper limit is abnormal, gameplay cannot continue (because the score awarding process is looping).

In addition, when the total score is between the threshold value (15,000) and the upper limit (16,383), the loan receipt result response sent to the loan unit is sent as an abnormality.

A rental device connection abnormality is an abnormality detected by the game medium number control board P16, and is determined to be a rental device connection abnormality when the VL signal between the game medium number control board P16 and the rental unit turns OFF. A rental device connection abnormality does not cause an error display on the awarded number display unit. The rental device connection abnormality can be cleared by communication with the rental unit becoming normal and the VL signal turning ON. Furthermore, if a rental device connection abnormality occurs, game progress is not stopped. However, because communication with the rental unit is not possible, the gaming machine P may disable the counting process based on the acceptance of the counting operation, may disable the acceptance of the counting operation itself, or may not disable the counting.

When a rental device connection abnormality occurs, the game media count control board P16 sends information about the rental device connection abnormality to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 sends a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the error using an image display device or lamp. When the rental device connection abnormality is resolved by the VL signal being turned ON, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (e.g., "0") and sends it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to end the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping.

A loan serial number abnormality is an abnormality detected by the game media count control board P16, and is deemed to be a loan serial number abnormality if the loan serial number received from the loan unit is not the previously received loan serial number +1. No error is displayed on the number of granted display unit when there is a loan serial number abnormality. The loan serial number abnormality can be cleared by receiving a normal loan notification from the loan unit. Furthermore, although the game progress is not stopped when a loan serial number abnormality occurs, the game progress may be stopped if a loan serial number abnormality is detected a predetermined number of times or more. To stop the game progress, some or all of the following are performed: bets are invalidated, operation of the start switch P3 is invalidated, operation of the stop switch P4 is invalidated, and settlement is invalidated.

When an abnormality occurs in the lending serial number, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating an abnormality in the lending serial number to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the error using an image display device or lamp. When the loaning serial number abnormality is cleared by a normal loan notification being transmitted from the lending unit, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (e.g., "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to terminate the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping.

Rental device communication error 1 is an error detected by the game media number control board P16, and is determined to be rental device communication error 1 if a rental serial number other than "0" is received before "0" is received as the rental serial number from the rental unit. Rental device communication error 1 does not display an error on the awarded number display section. Rental device communication error 1 can be released by receiving rental serial number "0" from the rental unit. When rental device communication error 1 occurs, the game progress is not stopped, but if rental device communication error 1 is detected a predetermined number of times or more, the game progress may be stopped. When the game progress is stopped, some or all of the following are performed: bet invalidation, operation of start switch P3 invalidation, operation of stop switch P4 invalidation, and settlement invalidation.

When a lending device communication abnormality 1 occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that a lending device communication abnormality 1 has occurred to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12, thereby notifying the error by means of an image display device or a lamp. When the lending device communication abnormality 1 is cleared by the lending unit transmitting the lending serial number "0", the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (e.g., "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to terminate the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping the notification.

The rental device communication error 2 is an error detected by the game media number control board P16, and is regarded as a rental device communication error 2 if the rental notification is received less than 100 ms after the previous rental notification is received. The rental device communication error 2 does not display an error on the number of awarded items display section. In order to cancel the rental device communication error 2, it can be canceled by receiving the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit, or by receiving the rental notification 100 ms or more but less than 500 ms after the previous rental notification is received. In addition, the progress of the game is not stopped when a rental device communication error 2 occurs, but the progress of the game may be stopped if the rental device communication error 2 is detected a predetermined number of times or more. When the progress of the game is stopped, some or all of the following are performed: invalidating the bet, invalidating the operation of the start switch P3, invalidating the operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidating the settlement.

When a lending device communication abnormality 2 occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that a lending device communication abnormality 2 has occurred to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12, thereby notifying the error by an image display device or a lamp. If the lending device communication abnormality 2 is released because the lending serial number "0" has been received from the lending unit, or the lending notification was received 100 ms or more but less than 500 ms after the previous lending notification was received, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (for example, "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to end the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time, rather than immediately, by the notification.

The rental device communication error 3 is an error detected by the game media number control board P16, and is regarded as a rental device communication error 3 if the rental notification is received more than 500 ms after the previous rental notification is received. The rental device communication error 3 does not display an error on the number of points displayed. The rental device communication error 3 can be released by receiving the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit, or by receiving the rental notification 100 ms or more but less than 500 ms after the previous rental notification is received. The progress of the game is not stopped when a rental device communication error 3 occurs, but the progress of the game may be stopped if a rental device communication error 3 is detected a predetermined number of times or more. When the progress of the game is stopped, some or all of the following are performed: bet invalidation, invalidation of operation of the start switch P3, invalidation of operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidation of settlement.

When a lending device communication abnormality 3 occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that a lending device communication abnormality 3 has occurred to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12, thereby notifying the error by an image display device or a lamp. When the lending device communication abnormality 3 is released because the lending serial number "0" has been received from the lending unit, or the lending notification was received 100 ms or more but less than 500 ms after the previous lending notification was received, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (for example, "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to end the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time, rather than immediately stopping the notification.

The rental device communication error 4 is an error detected by the game media number control board P16, and is regarded as a rental device communication error 4 if the rental notification is received less than 100 ms after the gaming machine information notification is sent. The rental device communication error 4 does not display an error on the number of awarded balls display section. The rental device communication error 4 can be released by receiving the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit, or by receiving the rental notification 100 ms or more but less than 300 ms after the gaming machine information notification is sent. In addition, the progress of the game is not stopped when a rental device communication error 4 occurs, but the progress of the game may be stopped if a rental device communication error 4 is detected a predetermined number of times or more. When the progress of the game is stopped, some or all of the following are performed: invalidating the bet, invalidating the operation of the start switch P3, invalidating the operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidating the settlement.

When a lending device communication abnormality 4 occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that a lending device communication abnormality 4 has occurred to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the error by means of an image display device or a lamp. When the lending device communication abnormality 4 is released because the lending serial number "0" has been received from the lending unit, or the lending notification has been received 100 ms or more but less than 300 ms after the game machine information notification has been sent, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (for example, "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to end the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping the notification.

The rental device communication error 5 is an error detected by the game media number control board P16, and is regarded as a rental device communication error 5 if the rental notification is received more than 300 ms after the game machine information notification is sent. The rental device communication error 5 does not display an error on the number of awarded balls display section. The rental device communication error 5 can be released by receiving the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit, or by receiving the rental notification 100 ms or more but less than 300 ms after the game machine information notification is sent. The game progress is not stopped when the rental device communication error 5 occurs, but the game progress may be stopped if the rental device communication error 5 is detected a predetermined number of times or more. When the game progress is stopped, some or all of the following are performed: bet invalidation, invalidation of operation of the start switch P3, invalidation of operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidation of settlement.

When a rental device communication abnormality 5 occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that a rental device communication abnormality 5 has occurred to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the error by an image display device or a lamp. When the rental device communication abnormality 5 is released because the rental serial number "0" has been received from the rental unit, or the rental notification has been received 100 ms or more but less than 300 ms after the game machine information notification has been sent, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (for example, "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to end the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping the notification.

The rental device communication error 6 is an error detected by the game media number control board P16, and is regarded as a rental device communication error 6 if the rental points exceed 50 when the rental notification is received. The rental device communication error 6 does not display an error on the awarded number display section. The rental device communication error 6 can be released by receiving the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit, or by receiving a rental point value of 50 or less when the rental notification is received. The progress of the game is not stopped when a rental device communication error 6 occurs, but the progress of the game may be stopped if the rental device communication error 6 is detected a predetermined number of times or more. To stop the progress of the game, some or all of the following are performed: invalidating bets, invalidating the operation of the start switch P3, invalidating the operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidating settlement.

When a rental device communication abnormality 6 occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that a rental device communication abnormality 6 has occurred to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12 to notify the error using an image display device or a lamp. When the rental device communication abnormality 6 is released due to the receipt of the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit, or the receipt of a rental point value of 50 or less when the rental notification is received, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (for example, "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to end the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping the notification.

The rental device communication error 7 is an error detected by the gaming media number control board P16, and is determined to be a rental device communication error 7 if the number of rental notifications received from the transmission of the gaming machine information notification to the transmission of the gaming machine information notification of the current value is not "1". The rental device communication error 7 does not display an error on the number of awards display section. The rental device communication error 7 can be released by receiving the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit or by sending a gaming machine information notification. The progress of the game is not stopped when a rental device communication error 7 occurs, but the progress of the game may be stopped if the rental device communication error 7 is detected a predetermined number of times or more. When the progress of the game is stopped, some or all of the following are performed: invalidating the bet, invalidating the operation of the start switch P3, invalidating the operation of the stop switch P4, and invalidating the settlement.

When a rental device communication abnormality 7 occurs, the game media count control board P16 transmits information indicating that a rental device communication abnormality 7 has occurred to the main control board P15, and the main control board P15 transmits a game media count control notification command to the sub-control board P12, thereby notifying the error by an image display device or a lamp. When the rental device communication abnormality 7 is resolved by receiving the rental serial number "0" from the rental unit or by transmitting a game machine information notification, the main control board P15 changes the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality in the game media count control notification command to a normal value (for example, "0") and transmits it to the sub-control board P12, causing the sub-control board P12 to terminate the notification. Note that if the bit corresponding to the communication abnormality has been changed to a normal value when the sub-control board P12 receives the game media count control notification command, the notification may be stopped after a predetermined period of time rather than immediately stopping the notification.

In this embodiment, for the above-mentioned rental device connection abnormality, rental device serial number abnormality, rental device communication abnormality 1, rental device communication abnormality 2, rental device communication abnormality 3, rental device communication abnormality 4, rental device communication abnormality 5, rental device communication abnormality 6, and rental device communication abnormality 7, information that an abnormality has occurred in the sub-control board P12 is sent, but information that can identify the type of abnormality is not sent.

By configuring in this way, it becomes difficult to determine under what conditions unauthorized access to rental device connection abnormalities, rental serial number abnormalities, rental device communication abnormality 1, rental device communication abnormality 2, rental device communication abnormality 3, rental device communication abnormality 4, rental device communication abnormality 5, rental device communication abnormality 6, and rental device communication abnormality 7 occurs.

In addition, for rental device connection abnormalities, rental serial number abnormalities, rental device communication abnormality 1, rental device communication abnormality 2, rental device communication abnormality 3, rental device communication abnormality 4, rental device communication abnormality 5, rental device communication abnormality 6, and rental device communication abnormality 7, information capable of identifying the type of abnormality may be transmitted to the sub-control board P12. With such a configuration, it becomes possible for the sub-control board P12 to manage the error history.

In addition, in addition to the abnormalities described above, the gaming machine P may detect other abnormalities such as radio wave abnormalities (for example, an abnormality when the gaming machine P determines that there is an abnormality in the radio waves it is receiving), random number abnormalities (for example, an abnormality when the gaming machine P determines that there is an abnormality in the random numbers used in the internal lottery or AT lottery), or setting value abnormalities (for example, an abnormality when the gaming machine P determines that there is an abnormality in the setting values used in the internal lottery or AT lottery).

Among the errors that can be detected by the main control board P15, there are unrecoverable errors that cannot be recovered even by operating the reset switch (they can be recovered by performing initialization processing such as changing settings). Unrecoverable errors occur when "power recovery cannot be performed normally", "there is an abnormality in the symbol combination display when all reels have stopped", "the setting value is out of range", "an abnormality is detected in the frequency of the clock input to the RCK terminal used to update the random numbers", and "an abnormality is detected in the update status of the built-in random numbers".

In addition, an example has been described in which, when an abnormality is detected in the game media count control board P16, a command is sent to the sub-control board P12 via the main control board P15, but this is not limited to the above. The game media count control board P16 and the sub-control board P12 may be directly connected with a communication cable (harness, etc.), and a command may be sent from the game media count control board P16 to the sub-control board P12 without going through the main control board P15.

In addition, although an error notification is provided by the awarded number display unit, an error notification may also be provided by the gaming media number display unit P9.

In addition, when the sub-control board P12 receives an error command sent from the main control board P15 due to an error occurring in the main control board P15 or the game medium count control board P16, the sub-control board P12 may be configured to store the time of reception, the error content, and the game status in association with each other in a specified memory area.

When storing the time, the sub-control board P12 is equipped with an RTC (real-time clock), and the time is stored in a specified memory area based on information from the RTC. The specified memory area is backed up by a backup power supply, and is configured so that it will not be initialized when the power is turned off or turned on. It is also configured so that it will not be initialized by changing settings.

When storing the game status, the contents based on commands from the main control board P15 related to the main game status (CZ, AT, etc.), and the fact that a game is in progress based on a start command or an end game command are stored in a specified memory area. The specified memory area is backed up by a backup power source, and is configured so that it will not be initialized when the power is turned off or on. It is also configured so that it will not be initialized by changing the settings.

The "received time", "error content", and "game status" stored in this way are configured to be viewable by the game center manager. For example, pressing the reset button (reset switch) once while changing or checking settings can display the manager menu screen, and the "error history" item can be selected from among the multiple items on the manager menu screen to view the information. The error history items can display multiple accumulated error contents. In addition, when there are many error histories, the manager can select a date range or type of error, etc., so that the manager can easily check the desired error history, narrowing the viewing range for checking. Furthermore, when there are many error histories, the system may be configured to display one of the most recent error histories based on the current time, or multiple error histories from the most recent error histories based on the current time.

The method of displaying the administrator menu screen is not limited to pressing the reset button once while changing or checking settings, but may also be, for example, operating a specified switch inside the gaming machine P while it is on standby to play. In other words, it is sufficient that the system is configured so that the player is unable (or has difficulty) displaying the administrator menu screen, but the administrator is able to display the administrator menu screen.

By configuring it in this way, for example, it becomes possible to store information such as "An input error occurred during game standby at XX year, XX month, XX day, XX hour, XX minute, XX second," on the sub-control board P12, and the administrator can check the desired error history by selecting an error history item. Note that the display may be in the "millisecond" range.

In addition, when storing the above-mentioned error contents, the sub-control board P12 may store information related to the total score stored by the game medium number control board P16 in association with the error contents. For example, when an error related to the loan notification occurs, such as loan device connection abnormality, loan serial number abnormality, loan device communication abnormality 1, loan device communication abnormality 2, loan device communication abnormality 3, loan device communication abnormality 4, loan device communication abnormality 5, loan device communication abnormality 6, or loan device communication abnormality 7, a command related to the total score may be sent to the main control board P15, and then sent from the main control board P15 to the sub-control board P12, thereby storing the error related to the loan notification and the total score information in association with each other.

By configuring it in this way, the increase or decrease in the total score at the time of the loan notification is stored, so even if a loan notification is made fraudulently, it is possible to store the history in the sub-control board P12. Note that the errors that are stored in association with the total score are not limited to the above errors, and information regarding the total score may be associated with all errors.

The sub-control board P12 may also be configured to store history information not only when an error occurs, but also when a counting process is performed, and in this case too, it is conceivable to store the counting information in association with the total score information. For example, when the counting switch is pressed and the counting process is performed, the count points and the total score are stored in association with each other. Also, when the counting switch is pressed and held down to continuously count every 300 ms, all of the counting information for every 300 ms is stored.

By configuring it in this way, the entire history of the counting process can be stored, so if an abnormal number is counted, it becomes possible to provide evidence to determine whether it is fraudulent or not.

The sub-control board P12 may also be configured to store history information not only when an error occurs, but also when a loan notification is received. In this case, too, it is conceivable to associate and store the loan information with the total score information. For example, when a loan notification is received, the loan points and the total score may be associated and stored. In other words, even if loan notifications are received continuously every 300 ms, all of the loan notification information for every 300 ms may be stored.

The sub-control board P12 may also be configured to store history information periodically, not just when an error occurs. In this case, it is also conceivable that the loan information and the total score information are stored in association with each other. For example, the game media number control board P16 periodically (e.g., every 60 seconds, every 180 seconds, etc.) transmits total score information to the main control board P15, the main control board P15 transmits the received total score information to the sub-control board P12, and the sub-control board P12 stores the received total score information in association with time information.

By configuring it in this way, even if there is no event that triggers the storage of history information, such as when an error occurs, the sub-control board P12 can periodically associate and store total score information, time information, etc., making it possible to store history information for fraud that does not use the counting switch or loan switch, and this history information can be used to determine whether or not fraud has occurred.

The sub-control board P12 may also make its own error judgment even if it does not receive an error command. For example, it may judge that an error has occurred if a command related to a loan notification or a command related to a counting notification is received twice within 300 ms. This is because the communication between the game media count control board P16 and the loan unit is configured to receive or transmit a loan notification or counting notification once every 300 ms, and if it is received or transmitted twice within 300 ms, it can be said that the communication is not normal.

In this case, when the sub-control board P12 receives a command related to a loan notification or a command related to a count notification from the main control board P15, it sets a timer equivalent to 300 ms, and if it determines that the next time it receives a command related to a loan notification or a command related to a count notification is within 300 ms, it issues a notification indicating an error (for example, displaying "Please check the total score" on the LCD, turning on a lamp in a lighting pattern corresponding to an abnormality, or outputting an audio message saying "An abnormality has been detected"). This abnormality determination method can be a method in which a timer equivalent to 300 ms is set for each command received (if the interval between interrupt processing of the sub-control board P12 is 1 ms, a count value of "299" is set as a timer equivalent to 300 ms), and the timer is periodically (for example, for each interrupt) decremented to determine whether the timer is 0 when a command is received, and if it is determined that the timer is 0, it is determined that the operation is normal, and if it is determined that the timer is not 0, it is determined that the operation is abnormal. However, this is not limited to this embodiment, and a method in which the timer is initialized to 0 and the timer is incremented may also be used.

By configuring it in this way, for example, it becomes possible for the sub-control board P12 to store information such as "At xx year, xx month, xx day, xx hour, xx minute, xx second, a counting notification abnormality occurred while waiting to play, the counting points at that time were 50, and the total points were 2000." Even if the game media count control board P16 is unable to send an error command due to fraud, the sub-control board P12 can determine the error, making it possible to provide a gaming machine that is able to prevent fraud.

The sub-control board P12 may also determine that an abnormality has occurred if it receives multiple (e.g., 10) consecutive loan notifications every 300 ms. If an abnormality has been determined, it will issue a warning indicating the abnormality (e.g., displaying "Please check your total score" on the LCD, lighting the lamps in a lighting pattern corresponding to the abnormality, or outputting an audio message saying "An abnormality has been detected"). By configuring in this way, even if the main control board P15 or the game media count control board P16 does not determine that an abnormality has occurred, if there is a possibility that a loan notification has been sent to the gaming machine P in an unauthorized manner, the sub-control board P12 can determine that an abnormality has occurred, making it possible to prevent fraud and provide a safer gaming machine.

Next, the counting process will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 28.

When the counting switch P7 is operated, a counting switch signal is turned ON and input to an input port provided on the game media count control board P16. When the counting switch signal is turned ON and input to the input port, information indicating that the counting switch signal has been turned ON and input (the counting switch P7 has been operated) ("1" if operated, "0" if not operated) is stored in a specified memory area of the RWM provided on the game media count control board P16. Note that the signal input to the input port is stored in the RWM by a timer interrupt process every 1 ms.

When it is time for count notification, the game media count control board P16 first clears (to 0) the counting flag (_FL_CAL_EXE) in the RWM area of the game media count control board P16, which indicates whether or not counting is in progress.

Then, it is determined whether or not the counting switch P7 has been operated based on the information stored in a specified memory area of the RWM of the gaming medium count control board P16. If it is not the counting notification timing, the counting process ends without determining whether or not the counting switch P7 has been operated based on the information stored in a specified memory area of the RWM. Note that the counting notification timing, as described above, refers to a timing that is approximately 100 ms (any time between 90 ms and 100 ms after) after the gaming machine information notification is sent.

Next, it is determined whether the counting switch P7 has been operated, and if it is determined that the counting switch P7 has been operated, it is determined whether the total score (total points) is 0 or not based on the total score memory area (_NB_MEDAL), which is the RWM area of the game media count control board P16 and can store the total score. If this determination shows that the total score is 0, it is determined as YES. Also, if this determination shows that the total score is not 0, it is determined as NO. Note that if it is determined that the counting switch P7 has not been operated, a counting notification is output without determining the total score.

If the total score is not 0, 50 is set as the counting point, and a calculation process (subtraction calculation process) is performed to compare the total score with 50. If the result of this calculation process determines that the total score is greater than 50, 50 is stored as the counting point in the counting point storage area (_CT_CAL_VAL) that can store the counting points to be counted, which is the RWM area of the game media count control board P16. On the other hand, if the result of this calculation process determines that 50 is greater than the total score, the total score is saved as the counting point in the counting point storage area (_CT_CAL_VAL) that can store the counting points.

In other words, if the total score is 50 or more, the count points will be 50, and if the total score is less than 50, the count points will be the total score. In other words, the maximum number of count points that can be counted in one go (one count notification) is 50.

In addition, in the counting process, first it is determined whether or not the counting switch P7 has been operated, and if the counting switch P7 has been operated, it is determined whether or not the total score is 0, and if the counting switch P7 has not been operated, it is not determined whether or not the total score is 0.

With this configuration, the probability of the total score being 0 is higher (the time it occurs is longer) than the probability of the counting switch P7 being operated, so by first determining whether the counting switch P7 is operated, the processing time is shorter than by first determining whether the total score is 0.

Then, the counting points are added to the counting cumulative point memory area (_CT_CAL_ALL) capable of storing the counting cumulative points, which is the RWM area of the game medium count control board P16, to update the counting cumulative point memory area (_CT_CAL_ALL) capable of storing the counting cumulative points.

After that, since it is decided that counting will be performed, the counting flag (_FL_CAL_EXE) is set ("FF" is stored).

Then, it outputs a count notification. Specifically, it outputs 0x07 as the message length, outputs 0x02 as the command, outputs the count serial number stored in the count serial number storage area (_NB_CAL_NUM) that stores the count serial number, which is the RWM area of the game medium count control board P16, outputs the count point stored in the count point storage area (_CT_CAL_VAL) that can store the count point, outputs the count cumulative point stored in the count cumulative point storage area (_CT_CAL_ALL) that can store the count cumulative point, and outputs the checksum value (1 byte) of the various data that was output.

After that, the data stored in the count point memory area (_CT_CAL_VAL) capable of storing count points is cleared. Note that the data stored in the count cumulative point memory area (_CT_CAL_ALL) capable of storing count cumulative points is not cleared at the time the count notification is output (or has been output).

Also, a process to update the counting serial number (a process to add +1) is executed. Note that when the counting serial number is 255, the result of adding +1 is 0, so if it becomes 0 (if it is determined to be 0), the process to update the counting serial number (a process to add +1) is executed again. In other words, when the counting serial number is 255, the process to update the counting serial number is executed twice, thereby updating the counting serial number to 1. Also, when the counting serial number is a value less than 255 (for example, 10), the result of executing the process to update the counting serial number (a process to add +1) does not become 0, so the process to update the counting serial number can be executed only once to update the counting serial number (for example, to 11).

In the above description, each memory area is provided in the RWM of the game media count control board P16, but in the case of a gaming machine P that does not have a game media count control board P16, the memory areas may be provided in the RWM of the main control board P15.

In addition, information based on the counting in progress flag (_FL_CAL_EXE) is sent to the main control board P15. This allows the main control board P15 to understand that counting is in progress. Also, for example, by sending information indicating that counting is in progress from the main control board P15 to the performance control board, the performance control board can perform a performance that corresponds to the time when counting is in progress.

Next, I will explain the effects that occur during counting.

As described above, when the counting switch P7 is operated and counting is in progress (when counting), information based on the counting flag (_FL_CAL_EXE) is sent to the main control board P15, making it possible for the performance control board to provide a performance that corresponds to the time when counting is in progress. Examples of performances that correspond to the time when counting are performances that use sound and/or images.

In addition, as a corresponding effect during counting, the length of the effect output can be varied according to the number of count points (referred to as one count point) counted by one operation (including a long press operation, etc.) of the counting switch P7. When configured in this way, the length of the effect differs according to the amount of count points based on the operation of the counting switch P7, making it possible to add joy to the act of accumulating and counting the total points.

As mentioned above, the maximum number of points that can be counted in one count notification (one cycle) is "50", and the cycle for outputting the count notification is approximately 0.3 seconds.

The following is an example of the length of the effect depending on the number of count points counted by one operation of counting switch P7 (including a long press operation, etc.).

Example 1) When the count point is "25" for one time Since the count point is greater than "0" and less than "50", a uniform effect of about 0.3 seconds (0.3 seconds x 1) is executed. Note that the coefficient (here, x 1) indicates the number of count notifications to count all the count points. The same applies below.

Example 2) When the counting point for one time is "50" Because the counting point is "50", a performance of approximately 0.3 seconds (0.3 seconds x 1) is executed.

Example 3) When the count point is "130" in one time Since the count point is greater than "100" and less than "150", a performance of about 0.9 seconds is executed, which is 0.3 seconds x 3. Note that the coefficient (here, x 3) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

Example 4) When the count point is "1480" Because the count point is greater than "1450" and less than or equal to "1500", a performance of about 9 seconds is executed, which is 0.3 seconds x 30. The coefficient (here, x 30) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

In addition, as a corresponding effect during counting, the type of effect output can be varied according to the number of points (total points) that can be counted with one operation of the counting switch P7. When configured in this way, the type and/or length of the effect varies according to the amount of counted points based on the operation of the counting switch P7, making it possible to add joy to the act of accumulating and counting the total points. When configured in this way, for example, it is conceivable that information from the total points memory area (_NB_MEDAL) in which the total points can be stored can be sent to the main control means so that the main control board P15 and/or the effect control board can grasp the number of points (total points) that can be counted with one operation of the counting switch P7.

For example, when the counting switch P7 is operated to count when the total score is less than "500", effect A can be executed as the corresponding effect during counting, when the counting switch P7 is operated to count when the total score is between "500" and "1000", effect B can be executed as the corresponding effect during counting, and when the counting switch P7 is operated to count when the total score is "1000" or more, effect C can be executed as the corresponding effect during counting.

Below are examples of the difference in the number of points counted per operation of counting switch P7 (including a long press operation, etc.), and the effects that result from the difference in the total score.

Example 1) When the total score is "25" and the count points for one time are "25" Since the total score is less than "500" and the count points are greater than "0" and less than "50", a uniform performance A of about 0.3 seconds (0.3 seconds x 1) is executed. Note that the coefficient (here, x 1) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

Example 2) When the total score is "300" and the count points for one time are "50" Since the total score is less than "500" and the count points are "50", the performance A is executed for about 0.3 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds x 1. The coefficient (here, x 1) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

Example 3) When the total score is "300" and the count points for one time are "150" Since the total score is less than "500" and the count points are greater than "100" and less than or equal to "150", the performance A is executed for about 0.9 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds x 3. The coefficient (here, x 3) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

Example 4) When the total score is "700" and the count points per time are "150" Since the total score is between "500" and "1000" and the count points are between "100" and "150", the performance B is executed for approximately 0.9 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds x 3. The coefficient (here, x 3) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

Example 5) When the total score is "700" and the count points for one time are "700" Since the total score is between "500" and "1000" and the count points are between "650" and "700", the performance B is executed for about 4.2 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds x 14. The coefficient (here, x 14) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

Example 6) When the total score is "2000" and the count points for one time are "700" Since the total score is "1000" or more and the count points are greater than "650" and less than or equal to "700", the performance C is executed for about 4.2 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds x 14. The coefficient (here, x 14) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

Example 7) When the total score is "2000" and the count points for one time are "2000" Since the total score is "1000" or more and the count points are greater than "1950" and less than "2000", the performance C is executed for about 12.0 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds x 40. The coefficient (here, x 40) indicates the number of count notifications required to count all the count points.

In this way, even if the counting points are the same, the total points are different as in example 5) and example 6), so the presentation that is output can be controlled to be different. Also, even if the total points are the same, if the counting points for one time are different, the length of the presentation that is output can be controlled to be different even if the presentation is the same as in example 6) and example 7).

If the player stops operating the counting switch P7 while the total points are being counted (partway through), one round of counting may end without counting all of the total points, as in Example 6). In other words, after enjoying the presentation during the counting up to a certain point, the player can stop operating the counting switch P7, and then operate the counting switch P7 again, thereby allowing the player to enjoy the presentation during the counting once more.

In this embodiment, one counting switch P7 is provided, and the maximum counting point by counting notification is set to "50", but a separate counting switch P7 may be provided to count the total points all at once.

In addition, in this embodiment, the counting is performed when the counting switch P7 is operated, but the total points may be counted all at once, for example, if the counting switch P7 is operated for a predetermined period (e.g., 10 seconds).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the counting is performed when the counting switch P7 is operated, but for example, if the counting switch P7 is operated for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 10 seconds) and the counting switch P7 is still operated thereafter, the counting may be performed in predetermined units (e.g., "50"). Note that although 50 is used as the predetermined unit, this is only one example. For example, if the remaining total score is 38 points and the counting switch P7 is operated, "38" may be counted.

In this embodiment, counting based on the operation of the counting switch P7 is possible even during the setting change mode and the setting confirmation mode. However, if the counting switch P7 is operated under circumstances in which points can be bet, an effect based on the operation of the counting switch P7 may be executed, and if the counting switch P7 is operated during the setting change mode and/or the setting confirmation mode, an effect based on the operation of the counting switch P7 may not be executed. The reason for this configuration is that when the counting switch P7 is operated during the setting change mode and/or the setting confirmation mode, it is highly likely that a hall attendant is counting (and not a player).

In other words, even if the counting switch P7 is operated during the setting change mode and/or during the setting confirmation mode, the necessary information can be provided to the hall staff by continuing to display a dedicated screen for the setting change mode and/or during the setting confirmation mode on the image display device and continuing to output audio. Note that a notification indicating that counting is in progress (for example, "Counting in progress" may be displayed on the screen) may be given while displaying a dedicated screen for the setting change mode and/or during the setting confirmation mode. This notification is configured to be different from the presentation during counting described above.

In addition, in this embodiment, counting based on the operation of the counting switch P7 is possible even during an error (which may be a predetermined (predetermined) portion of the error, or all errors). However, if the counting switch P7 is operated in a situation where points can be bet on, an effect based on the operation of the counting switch P7 may be executed, and if the counting switch P7 is operated during an error, the effect based on the operation of the counting switch P7 may not be executed. The reason for this configuration is that if the counting switch P7 is operated during an error, there is a high possibility that cheating is occurring.

In other words, even if the counting switch P7 is operated during an error, the necessary information can be provided to the hall staff by continuing to display the dedicated error screen on the image display device and continuing to output audio. Note that a notification indicating that counting is in progress (for example, "Counting in progress" may be displayed on the screen) may be made while the dedicated error screen is displayed. This notification is configured to be different from the presentation during counting described above. Note that the system may be configured so that the number of bets cannot be settled using the settlement switch at this time.

The types of errors include recoverable errors that can be recovered from by operating the reset switch (such as the above-mentioned "insertion abnormality," "settlement abnormality," and "payout abnormality"), and unrecoverable errors that cannot be recovered from even by operating the reset switch (they can be recovered from by initialization processing such as changing settings). The system may be configured so that counting processing is possible during a recoverable error by operating the counting switch P7, and so that counting processing is impossible during an unrecoverable error by operating the counting switch P7. With this configuration, counting processing is possible for recoverable errors that may occur during normal operation, and counting processing is impossible for unrecoverable errors that are more suspicious of fraud than recoverable errors, making it possible to realize fairer play.

In addition, in this embodiment, counting based on the operation of the counting switch P7 is possible even during play (for example, while the reels are spinning). However, if the counting switch P7 is operated under conditions in which points can be bet, an effect based on the operation of the counting switch P7 may be executed, and if the counting switch P7 is operated during play, the effect based on the operation of the counting switch P7 may not be executed. The reason for this configuration is that if the counting switch P7 is operated during play, there is a high possibility that fraudulent activity is occurring.

In other words, even if the counting switch P7 is operated during an error, the necessary information can be provided to the hall staff by continuing to display the dedicated error screen on the image display device and continuing to output audio. Note that while displaying the dedicated error screen, a notification indicating that counting is in progress (for example, "Counting in progress" may be displayed on the screen) may also be given. This notification is configured to be different from the presentation during counting described above.

During game standby (when a game is not being played), the volume of the effect sound during play may be selected from multiple levels by operating a switch (e.g., a sub switch). For example, the volume may be selected from five levels from volume 1 to volume 5, with volume 1 being the lowest sound output of the effect sound and volume 5 being the highest sound output of the effect sound. In this configuration, a specific effect sound (e.g., the voice of the dialogue effect, background music during normal play, background music during AT, background music during BB, ready-to-win sound, etc.) is output at a volume corresponding to the selected effect sound, but it is preferable that the effect sound output during counting is output at the same volume regardless of which of volumes 1 to 5 is selected. Specifically, after selecting volume 1, even if a player is counting in an illegal manner, by preventing the effect sound output during counting from being output at a low volume, it is possible to check a player who is trying to count in an illegal manner. Furthermore, even for regular players, the time when counting is a blissful moment, so even when the volume is set to 1, by outputting the sound at the same volume as when the volume is set to another volume, it attracts the attention of players other than the player who is counting, and increases the player's interest in counting.

In this embodiment, the gaming machine P transmits a gaming machine information notification to the rental unit every 300 ms, but this is not limited to this and the notification may be sent at any timing within the range of 300 ms to 310 ms. However, the notification is not sent with a random value each time it is sent, but with a predetermined value.

In this embodiment, the gaming machine P transmits the counting notification to the rental unit 100 ms after transmitting the gaming machine information notification, but this is not limited to this and the notification may be transmitted at any timing within the range of 90 ms to 100 ms. However, the value is not random each time it is transmitted, but is a predetermined value.

Next, gaming machine information management will be described with reference to FIG.
The gaming machine information management is a control for transmitting a gaming machine information notification from the gaming machine P to the rental unit, and Fig. 30 is one subroutine in the timer interrupt processing controlled by the gaming media number control board P16. In other words, the gaming machine information management is executed every time the timer interrupt processing is executed (at a period of 1 ms).

First, let us explain the various terms used in Figure 30.

Gaming machine information notification timer A is a timer for measuring 300 ms. Two bytes of the RWM area of the gaming media count control board P16 are used as the memory area (_TM_INF_CTL_A) for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A. The memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A is initialized to store an initial value ("0") when the power is turned on (ON).

Gaming machine information notification timer B is a timer for measuring 60 seconds. One byte is used in the RWM area of the gaming media count control board P16 as the memory area (_TM_INF_CTL_B) for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B. The memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B is initialized to store an initial value ("0") when the power is turned on (ON).

The gaming machine information notification timer C is a timer for measuring 180 seconds. One byte is used in the RWM area of the gaming media count control board P16 as the memory area (_TM_INF_CTL_C) for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer C. The memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer C is initialized to store an initial value ("0") when the power is turned on (ON).

The gaming machine performance information notification request flag is a flag that changes from "0" to "1" when the period for transmitting gaming machine performance information in the gaming machine information notification arrives. The memory area for storing the gaming machine performance information notification request flag uses the D0th bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL), which is a 1-byte memory area in the RWM area of the gaming media count control board P16.

The gaming machine installation information notification request flag is a flag that changes from "0" to "1" when the period for transmitting gaming machine installation information among the gaming machine information notifications arrives. The memory area for storing the gaming machine installation information notification request flag uses the D1 bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL), which is a 1-byte memory area in the RWM area of the gaming media count control board P16.

The gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL) is initialized when the power is turned on, and the initial value ("0") is stored (each bit becomes "0").

Next, the control process at each step will be explained using Figure 30.

"Gaming machine information notification timer A -1" is an arithmetic process that subtracts 1 from the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A. If this arithmetic process results in a carryover (if the arithmetic process that subtracts is executed when gaming machine information notification timer A is at "0" (also referred to as when it becomes less than "0")), the count value can be stored in gaming machine information notification timer A by storing "300" in gaming machine information notification timer A.

As described above, in this embodiment, the timer interrupt period of the gaming media number control board P16 is 1 ms, so by storing "300" as the count value in the gaming machine information notification timer A, it is possible to count 300 ms. However, this is not limited to this. If the timer interrupt period of the gaming media number control board P16 is 2 ms, the gaming machine information notification timer A can store "150" as the count value, and if the timer interrupt period of the gaming media number control board P16 is 2.235 ms, the gaming machine information notification timer A can store any value between "135" and "138" as the count value. In this way, if it is not divisible, any value between 300 ms and 310 ms can be set so that the timing of sending the gaming machine information notification is between 300 ms and 310 ms.

Here, "gaming machine information notification timer A-1" may cause the zero flag and carry flag of the flag register (also called the F register) of the CPU to become "1". The zero flag is a flag that becomes "1" when the result of the calculation process is "0". On the other hand, the carry flag is a flag that becomes "1" when the result of the calculation process is less than "0".

Below, we will explain the zero flag and carry flag using specific numerical examples.

Example 1) In the gaming machine information management executed when "10" is stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A, 1 is subtracted to make it "9." At this time, the zero flag and the carry flag do not change (they become "0").
Example 2) In the gaming machine information management executed when "1" is stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A, 1 is subtracted to make it "0". At this time, the zero flag becomes "1". On the other hand, the carry flag does not change (it becomes "0").
Example 3) When "0" is stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A, subtracting 1 makes it "300". At this time, the zero flag does not change (it becomes "0"). On the other hand, the carry flag becomes "1".

The DCPWLD instruction is an example of an operation instruction for the above-mentioned "gaming machine information notification timer A -1". The DCPWLD instruction is an instruction to store a predetermined value when the carry flag becomes "1" as a result of subtracting 1. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the predetermined value is "300".

Next, "Timer value before update = 0?" determines whether the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "Gaming machine information notification timer A -1" was "0". For example, when the carry flag after executing "Gaming machine information notification timer A -1" is "1", it can be determined that the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "Gaming machine information notification timer A -1" was "0" (the result of the determination of "Timer value before update = 0?" is YES). On the other hand, when the carry flag after executing "Gaming machine information notification timer A -1" is "0", it can be determined that the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "Gaming machine information notification timer A -1" was not "0" (the result of the determination of "Timer value before update = 0?" is NO).

If the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A -1" was "0" (if the result of the judgment of "Timer value before update = 0?" is YES), "Send Hall Control/Fraud Monitoring Information" is executed. Note that the case where the result is YES in this step is when gaming machine information management is executed in the first interrupt processing after the power is turned ON in a situation where the power is OFF. As described above, this is because the initialization processing when the power is turned ON initializes the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer A and stores "0". Also, if the value before the update was "0", the carry flag is "1", so by using the DCPWLD command, which is the subtraction command described above, it is possible to simultaneously store "300" as the count value in the gaming machine information notification timer A.

Furthermore, since "Hall control/fraud monitoring information transmission" can be executed immediately after power is restored without executing the process of updating gaming machine information notification timer B or gaming machine information notification timer C, it has the effect of shortening processing time and reducing program capacity. The reason why gaming machine information notification timer B or gaming machine information notification timer C is not updated when the power is turned ON will be explained later.

Next, if the result of the check "Timer value before update = 0?" is NO, the check "Timer value before update = 1?" is performed.

"Timer value before update = 1?" determines whether the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "gaming machine information notification timer A -1" was "1".

For example, when the zero flag is "1" after executing "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A -1", it can be determined that the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A -1" was "1" (the result of the determination of "Timer value before update = 1?" is YES). If the result of the determination of "Timer value before update = 1?" is YES, "Save gaming machine information notification timer A count value" is executed.

On the other hand, if the zero flag is "0" after executing "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A -1", it can be determined that the value of the memory area for measuring Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A before executing "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A -1" was not "1" (the result of the determination of "Timer value before update = 1?" is NO).

If the value in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "gaming machine information notification timer A -1" was not "1" (if the result of the determination of "Timer value before update = 1?" is NO), gaming machine information management is terminated. Note that a situation in which the value in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "gaming machine information notification timer A -1" is "1" corresponds to a situation in which 300 interrupt processes have been executed (300 ms have passed) as a result of the measurement of gaming machine information notification timer A.

In addition, a situation in which the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "gaming machine information notification timer A -1" is not "1" means a situation in which the value of gaming machine information notification timer A is between "2" and "300", which corresponds to a situation in which gaming machine information notification timer A is currently measuring. Note that a situation in which the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A before executing "gaming machine information notification timer A -1" is not "1" also includes "0", but if it is "0", this has been determined in the previous process, so the process does not proceed to this determination process.

Next, "Saving Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A Count Value" is a process for storing "300" in a storage area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A. This process allows the "0" stored in gaming machine information notification timer A to be updated to "300". As described above, in this embodiment, "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A -1" is executed using the DCPWLD command, so when the carry flag becomes "1", "300" is stored in gaming machine information notification timer A. However, "Saving Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A Count Value" stores "300" before gaming machine information notification timer A becomes "0" (when it becomes "1") except immediately after power-on. Therefore, except immediately after power-on, gaming machine information notification timer A will not become "0" (except in the case of an abnormality), so the count value is stored in this process.

Next, "gaming machine information notification timer B +1" is a calculation process that uses a special addition command to add 1 to the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B. This calculation process adds 1 to the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B when a value less than "199" is stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B, and stores "0" as the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B when a value less than "199" is not stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B (i.e., when a value of "199" is stored under normal operating conditions). A specific example is described below.

Example 1) When "0" is stored in the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer B, when an arithmetic process is performed using a special addition instruction that adds 1, the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer B becomes "1."
Example 2) When "100" is stored in the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer B, when an arithmetic process is performed using a special addition instruction that adds 1, the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer B becomes "101."
Example 3) When "199" is stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B, when an arithmetic process is performed using a special addition instruction that adds 1, the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B will become "0" instead of "200".

In this way, in "gaming machine information notification timer B +1", when "199" is stored in the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B, a calculation process using a special addition instruction that adds 1 is performed, and by executing an addition process that stores "0", it is possible to cycle between "0" and "199" as the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B. Also, the situation in which "1" is added when "199" is stored in the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B corresponds to the situation in which the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer A has become "0" 200 times. In other words, gaming machine information notification timer B is incremented by 1 every time the interrupt process is executed 300 times, so this is a situation in which 300 times x 200 times (= 60,000 times) of interrupt process have been executed (300 ms x 200 times (= 60,000 ms (60 s)) have elapsed). Normally, a 3-byte memory area would be required to measure whether 60,000 interrupt processes have been executed, but by using gaming machine information notification timer A, the memory area of gaming machine information notification timer B can be reduced to 1 byte, reducing the storage capacity of the RWM.

The ICPLD instruction is an example of the calculation instruction for the special addition instruction mentioned above, "game machine information notification timer B +1."

In this embodiment, an addition command such as "gaming machine information notification timer B +1" is used, but a subtraction command may also be used. In the case of a subtraction command, the count value "200" may be stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B when the power is turned on, and the command may then be executed when the count value becomes "0." Alternatively, the count value "199" may be stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B when the power is turned on, and the command may then be executed when the carry flag becomes "1."

In addition, in this embodiment, an addition command is used, such as "gaming machine information notification timer B +1", so compared to a subtraction command, the process of setting an initial value can be omitted (the initial value becomes "0" due to the initialization process when the power is turned on), which has the effect of improving processing speed and reducing program capacity.

Next, "Has time passed in gaming machine information notification timer B?" is judged as YES when the count number in gaming machine information notification timer B reaches 200 by "gaming machine information notification timer B +1". For example, it can be judged as YES when the value in the memory area of gaming machine information notification timer B becomes "0" by "gaming machine information notification timer B +1" (when the increment command has been executed 200 times from the initial value "0"). On the other hand, it can be judged as NO when the value in the memory area of gaming machine information notification timer B does not become "0" by "gaming machine information notification timer B +1" (when the increment command has not been executed 200 times from the initial value "0").

If the result of the determination of "Gaming machine information notification timer B time elapsed?" is NO, execute "Gaming machine installation information notification request?".

If the result of the determination of "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer B Time Elapsed?" is YES, execute "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer C +1".

Next, "gaming machine information notification timer C +1" is a calculation process that uses a special addition instruction to add 1 to the value in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C. This calculation process adds 1 to the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C when a value less than "2" is stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C, and stores "0" in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C when a value less than "2" is not stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B (i.e., when a value of "3" is stored under normal operating conditions). A specific example is described below.

Example 1) When "0" is stored in the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer C, when an arithmetic process is performed using a special addition instruction that adds 1, the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer C becomes "1."
Example 2) When a "1" is stored in a memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer C, when an arithmetic process is performed using a special addition instruction that adds 1, the value of the memory area for measuring the gaming machine information notification timer C becomes "2".
Example 3) When "2" is stored in the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C, when an arithmetic process is performed using a special addition instruction that adds 1, the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B becomes "0" instead of "3".

In this way, in "gaming machine information notification timer C + 1", when "2" is stored in the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C, an addition process is executed to store "0", thereby cycling between "0" and "2" as the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C. Also, the situation in which "1" is added when "2" is stored in the value of the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C corresponds to a situation in which the memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B has become "0" three times. In other words, gaming machine information notification timer B is incremented by 1 every 300 interrupt processes are executed, and the process of adding 1 to gaming machine information notification timer B has occurred three times, so 300 times x 200 times x 3 times (= 180,000 times) of interrupt processes have been executed (300 ms x 200 times x 3 times (= 180,000 ms (180 s)) has elapsed). Normally, a 3-byte memory area would be required to measure whether 180,000 interrupt processes have been executed, but by using gaming machine information notification timer A and gaming machine information notification timer B, the memory area for gaming machine information notification timer C can be reduced to 1 byte, reducing the storage capacity of the RWM.

The calculation instruction for the special addition instruction mentioned above, "gaming machine information notification timer C +1", is the ICPLD instruction, which is the same as the calculation instruction for "gaming machine information notification timer B +1".

In this embodiment, an addition command is used, such as "gaming machine information notification timer C +1", but a subtraction command may also be used. In the case of a subtraction command, a count value of "3" may be stored in a memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer C when the power is turned on, and the count value may then become "0", or a count value of "2" may be stored in a memory area for measuring gaming machine information notification timer B when the power is turned on, and the count value may then become "1".

In addition, in this embodiment, an addition command is used, such as "game machine information notification timer C +1", so compared to a subtraction command, the process of setting an initial value can be omitted (the initial value becomes "0" due to the initialization process when the power is turned on), which has the effect of improving processing speed and reducing program capacity.

Next, "Has time passed for gaming machine information notification timer C?" is judged as YES when the count number of gaming machine information notification timer C reaches 3 by "gaming machine information notification timer C +1". For example, it can be judged as YES when the value of the memory area of gaming machine information notification timer C becomes "0" by "gaming machine information notification timer C +1" (when an increment command has been executed three times from the initial value "0"). On the other hand, it can be judged as NO when the value of the memory area of gaming machine information notification timer C does not become "0" by "gaming machine information notification timer C +1" (when an increment command has not been executed three times from the initial value "0").

If the result of the determination of "Gaming machine information notification timer C time elapsed?" is NO, execute "Gaming machine installation information notification request flag set".

If the result of the determination of "Gaming machine information notification timer C time elapsed?" is YES, execute "Gaming machine performance information notification request flag set".

Next, "Set gaming machine performance information notification request flag" refers to a control that stores "1" in bit D0 of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL). Note that, as shown in the flowchart in FIG. 30, "Set gaming machine performance information notification request flag" is executed when "Has gaming machine information notification timer C time elapsed?" becomes YES. In other words, "Set gaming machine performance information notification request flag" is executed when the 180 second cycle arrives.

Next, the "gaming machine installation information notification request flag set" is a control that stores "1" in the D1 bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL). As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 30, the "gaming machine installation information notification request flag set" is executed when "gaming machine information notification timer C time elapsed?" is NO, and when "gaming machine performance information notification request flag set" is executed (when "gaming machine information notification timer C time elapsed?" is YES). In other words, the "gaming machine installation information notification request flag set" is executed when a 60 s period has arrived. Therefore, at the time of a period of 180 s, which is three times the period of 60 s, both the "gaming machine performance information notification request flag set" and the "gaming machine installation information notification request flag set" are executed.

In this way, the timing of sending the gaming machine installation information to the rental unit and the timing of sending the gaming machine performance information to the rental unit are managed by flags, so the process of sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information to the rental unit can be simplified (by linking timers corresponding to various information, it is possible to send to the rental unit without managing them individually). Furthermore, by not updating gaming machine information notification timer B and gaming machine information notification timer C when the power is turned on, the measurement start timing of the timers for sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information does not shift, so accurate transmission is possible. In other words, by updating only gaming machine information notification timer A when the power is turned on, it is possible to prevent the timing of sending the linked gaming machine information notification timer B and gaming machine information notification timer C to the rental unit from shifting without complex processing.

Next, "Amusement machine installation information notification request?" is a control that determines whether the gaming machine installation information notification request flag is set. For example, if the D1 bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL) is "1", it is determined as YES, and if the D1 bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL) is "0", it is determined as NO.

If the result of the determination of "Request for notification of gaming machine installation information?" is NO, execute "Request for notification of gaming machine performance information?".

If the result of the determination of "Amusement machine installation information notification request?" is YES, execute "Send gaming machine installation information."

Next, "Gaming machine performance information notification request?" is a control that determines whether the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is set. For example, if the D0th bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL) is "1", it is determined as YES, and if the D0th bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL) is "0", it is determined as NO.

If the result of the determination of "Request for notification of gaming machine performance information?" is NO, execute "Send hall control and fraud monitoring information."

If the result of the determination of "Request for notification of gaming machine performance information?" is YES, execute "Send gaming machine performance information."

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 30, the processing sequence is to determine a "gaming machine installation information notification request?" and then a "gaming machine performance information notification request?". By using such a processing sequence, in a situation where both the gaming machine installation information notification request flag and the gaming machine performance information notification request flag are set (for example, a situation where a 180 s period has arrived), the "gaming machine installation information notification request?" is determined first, so that transmission control of the gaming machine installation information can be executed before transmission control of the gaming machine performance information. Also, by simply determining the gaming machine installation information notification request before determining the gaming machine performance information notification request, communication according to priority is possible without using complex processing.

Next, "send hall control/fraud monitoring information" corresponds to a control process that sends the above-mentioned "hall control/fraud monitoring information" to the rental unit. The content sent to the rental unit at this time is the information stored in the memory area of the RWM acquired at the time of sending. For example, the total score included in the "hall control/fraud monitoring information" is the information stored in the total score memory area (_NB_MEDAL) at the time of sending. In other words, if the original timing of sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information, which is every 300 ms, coincides with the timing of sending the gaming machine installation information, since the gaming machine installation information has a higher priority, the hall control/fraud monitoring information is not sent at that timing of 300 ms, and the hall control/fraud monitoring information is sent after the next 300 ms. Regarding this "hall control/fraud monitoring information to be sent in the next 300 ms," instead of sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information at a time that coincides with the timing of sending the gaming machine installation information, by sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information obtained at the "timing of sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information in the next 300 ms," it is possible to send the latest information even if the sending timing is off.

After the process of sending the "hall control/fraud monitoring information" to the rental unit is completed, the serial number is updated (+1). As with the counting serial number, the serial number is updated so that "0" is sent as the serial number when sending immediately after the power is restored, and thereafter any of "1" to "255" can be sent (so that it cycles through "1" to "255"). This serial number is updated when any of the three pieces of information, hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information, is sent. In other words, since the same serial number is used for the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information, the serial number is configured to be updated every 300 ms when the power is on.

When "Hall control/fraud monitoring information transmission" is completed, gaming machine information management is terminated.

Next, "send gaming machine installation information" corresponds to a control process that sends the above-mentioned "gaming machine installation information" to the rental unit. Note that the content sent at this time is the information stored in the memory area of the RWM obtained at the time of sending.

In addition, after the process for sending the "gaming machine installation information" to the rental unit is completed, the gaming machine installation information notification request flag is cleared. Specifically, the D1 bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL) is set to "0." In addition, after the process for sending the "gaming machine installation information" to the rental unit is completed, the serial number is updated (+1).

When "sending gaming machine installation information" is complete, gaming machine information management is terminated.

Next, "transmission of gaming machine performance information" corresponds to a control process for transmitting the above-mentioned "gaming machine performance information" to the rental unit. The content transmitted at this time is the information stored in the storage area of the RWM acquired at the timing of transmission. In other words, if the transmission timing of the gaming machine installation information coincides with the transmission timing of the gaming machine installation information at the transmission timing every 180 s, the gaming machine performance information is not transmitted at the timing of 180 s, and the gaming machine performance information is transmitted after the next 300 ms, since the gaming machine installation information has a higher priority. Regarding this "gaming machine performance information to be transmitted after the next 300 ms", instead of transmitting the gaming machine performance information at the time when it coincides with the transmission timing of the gaming machine installation information, by transmitting the gaming machine performance information acquired at the "timing to transmit gaming machine performance information after the next 300 ms", it is possible to transmit the latest information even if the transmission timing is shifted.

In addition, after the process for sending the "gaming machine performance information" to the rental unit is completed, the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is cleared. Specifically, the D0 bit of the gaming machine information notification request flag (_FL_INF_CTL) is set to "0." In addition, after the process for sending the "gaming machine performance information" to the rental unit is completed, the serial number is updated (+1).

When "sending gaming machine performance information" is complete, gaming machine information management is terminated.

As described above, the gaming machine information notification is configured to be able to be sent to the lending unit every 300 ms. In addition, the blinking switching timing of the winning ratio monitor is also switched every 300 ms. However, while the timer update process that measures 300 ms for sending the gaming machine information notification is sent to the lending unit using the carry flag and zero flag, the timer update process that measures 300 ms for switching the winning ratio monitor on and off is switched using only the carry flag.

This is because gaming machine information notifications can cause greater damage if they are fraudulently transmitted, so two types of flags are used to manage the information sent in order to increase its accuracy.

Next, the timing of sending gaming machine information notification (any of the following information: hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, or gaming machine performance information) after the gaming machine P is powered on will be explained with reference to FIG. 31.

Figure 31 shows the timing of sending a gaming machine information notification from the gaming media count control board P16 to the rental unit after the gaming machine P is powered on, where "Timer A" in the figure indicates "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer A," "Timer B" indicates "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer B," "Timer C" indicates "Gaming Machine Information Notification Timer C," "After startup" indicates "the first interrupt processing in the gaming media count control board P16," and "1 ms later" indicates "the next interrupt processing." Also, "Timer A = 0" indicates that the value (timer value) of gaming machine information notification timer A is 0. Also, the timer value indicates the timer value at the time of interrupt processing startup, and is a value that has not been updated. In other words, it is the value updated in the previous interrupt processing.

As mentioned above, when the device is first started, gaming machine information notification timer A, gaming machine information notification timer B, and gaming machine information notification timer C are initialized, and each timer value is set to "0". Since the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A is "0" (the timer value before subtraction is 0), the hall control and fraud monitoring information is sent as the first gaming machine information notification. The timer values of the gaming machine installation information and gaming machine performance information are also "0", but since the zero flag is "0" in this case, the gaming machine installation information and gaming machine performance information are not sent.

Next, the timing of the second transmission of hole control and fraud monitoring information will be explained with reference to FIG. 32. Note that the wording that appears in FIG. 32 is the same as that in FIG. 31, so the explanation will be omitted.

The second time the hall control/fraud monitoring information is transmitted, it occurs when the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A is "1". When the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A is "1" (timer value before subtraction is 1), the subtraction process causes it to become "0", causing the zero flag to become "1", the hall control/fraud monitoring information to be transmitted, and "300" to be stored in the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A. In addition, when the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A changes from "1" to "0", the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer B becomes "1".

Next, the timing of sending the gaming machine information notification when the timing of sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information and the gaming machine installation information coincides will be explained with reference to FIG. 33. Note that the wording that appears in FIG. 33 is the same as that in FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, so the explanation will be omitted.

The timing for sending hall control and fraud monitoring information is when the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A changes from "1" to "0" and "300" is stored, but if the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer B changes from "199" to "0" at the same time, the gaming machine installation information notification request flag becomes "1". Therefore, in the interrupt process when the timing for sending hall control and fraud monitoring information and gaming machine installation information occurs at the same time, the gaming machine installation information is sent based on the gaming machine installation information notification request flag being "1", and the hall control and fraud monitoring information is not sent. Then, in the next interrupt process, the gaming machine installation information notification request flag is "0", but because the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A is "300", the zero flag is "0", and the hall control and fraud monitoring information is not sent.

In other words, when the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information and the gaming machine installation information coincides, the hall control/fraud monitoring information is not transmitted because the transmission of the gaming machine installation information has a higher priority, and the hall control/fraud monitoring information will not be transmitted until the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A next time changes from "1" to "0" and "300" is stored (until the next 300 ms has elapsed). Also, when the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A changes from "1" to "0", the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer B changes from "199" to "0", and the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer C changes from "0" to "1".

In addition, because the timing of transmission of the hall control/fraud monitoring information and gaming machine installation information coincides, even if the transmission of the hall control/fraud monitoring information is delayed by 300 ms, the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A continues to be updated, so even if one piece of hall control/fraud monitoring information is not transmitted, the timing of transmission of the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information will not be shifted.

In addition, if the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information and the gaming machine installation information coincides, and the transmission of the hall control/fraud monitoring information is delayed by 300 ms, the hall control/fraud monitoring information to be transmitted next 300 ms later will be acquired at the time of transmission, so information from 300 ms ago will not be transmitted. This means that old information will not be transmitted even if the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information is off.

Next, the timing of sending a gaming machine information notification when the timing of sending the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information coincides will be explained with reference to FIG. 34. Note that the wording that appears in FIG. 34 is the same as that in FIG. 31 to FIG. 33, so the explanation will be omitted.

The timing for sending hall control and fraud monitoring information is when the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A changes from "1" to "0" and "300" is stored, but if at the same time the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer B changes from "199" to "0" and the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer C changes from "2" to "0", the gaming machine installation information notification request flag becomes "1" and the gaming machine performance information notification request flag becomes "1". Therefore, in the interrupt process when the timing for sending hall control and fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information occurs at the same time, the gaming machine installation information is sent based on the gaming machine installation information notification request flag being "1", and hall control and fraud monitoring information and gaming machine performance information are not sent. Then, in the next interrupt process, the gaming machine installation information notification request flag is "0" and the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is "1", but because the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A is "300", the zero flag is "0" and no hall control or fraud monitoring information is sent. In this case, gaming machine information management ends, and no gaming machine performance information is sent. However, the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is stored as "1".

In other words, when the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information coincides, the transmission of the gaming machine installation information has a higher priority, so the hall control/fraud monitoring information and gaming machine performance information are not transmitted, and the next time the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A changes from "1" to "0" and "300" is stored, the gaming machine performance information is transmitted in priority over the hall control/fraud monitoring information based on the gaming machine performance information notification request flag being "1". After the gaming machine performance information is transmitted, the gaming machine performance information notification request flag becomes "0", so the next time the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A changes from "1" to "0" and "300" is stored (the next time 300 ms has elapsed), the hall control/fraud monitoring information will be transmitted.

In addition, because the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information coincides, even if the gaming machine performance information is transmitted 300 ms later and the hall control/fraud monitoring information is transmitted 600 ms later, the timer value of gaming machine information notification timer A continues to be updated, so even if the hall control/fraud monitoring information is not transmitted twice, the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information will not be shifted.

In addition, if the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information, gaming machine installation information, and gaming machine performance information coincides, and the gaming machine installation information is transmitted at that timing, and then the gaming machine performance information is transmitted 300 ms later, and the hall control/fraud monitoring information is transmitted 600 ms later, the gaming machine performance information transmitted 300 ms after the gaming machine installation information is transmitted is obtained at the timing of transmission, so information from 300 ms ago (the timing when the gaming machine installation information was transmitted) is not transmitted. In addition, the hall control/fraud monitoring information transmitted 300 ms after the gaming machine performance information is transmitted is obtained at the timing of transmission, so information from 600 ms ago (the timing when the gaming machine installation information was transmitted) is not transmitted. As a result, old information is not transmitted even if the transmission timing of the hall control/fraud monitoring information and the gaming machine performance information differs.

In the above embodiment, the gaming machine performance information transmitted every 180 seconds always has the request flag set to 1 at the same timing as the gaming machine installation information transmitted every 60 seconds. In other words, when the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is set to 1, the gaming machine installation information notification request flag is always set to 1. For this reason, the gaming machine performance information cannot be transmitted at the timing when the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is set to 1, and is transmitted the next 300 ms later. However, even in this case, the timing when the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is set to 1 is 180 seconds after the gaming machine performance information notification request flag is set to 1, so it is possible to transmit the gaming machine performance information periodically.

The memory areas that store gaming machine information notification timers A, B, and C managed by the gaming medium count control board P16 are configured to be initialized when the power is turned off (initialized by the power-on process), but the timer that measures the wait time (4.1 seconds, also called the minimum gaming time) managed by the main control board P15 is saved when the power is turned off and is not initialized when the power is turned on, so that it resumes measuring from where it left off after the power is turned on. With this configuration, the various gaming machine information notification timers for sending gaming machine information notifications to the lending unit can be reset after the power is turned on, making regular communication possible.

In addition, the memory areas that store gaming machine information notification timer A, gaming machine information notification timer B, and gaming machine information notification timer C managed by the gaming medium number control board P16 are configured to be initialized when the power is turned off (initialized by the power-on process), but the timer that measures the freeze time (also called the reel performance time) managed by the main control board P15 is saved even when the power is turned off and is not initialized when the power is turned on, so that the freeze time continues to be measured after the power is turned on. With this configuration, the various gaming machine information notification timers for sending gaming machine information notifications to the lending unit can be reset after the power is turned on, making regular communication possible.

<Description of Operation Check Mode Applicable in This Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the gaming machine is prohibited from playing unless it communicates with the rental unit, so when it is desired to check the operation of the gaming machine alone, it is necessary to attach a dummy unit instead of the rental unit. Since the dummy unit can communicate with the gaming machine in the same way as the rental unit, if the dummy unit is illegally distributed, there is a possibility that the communication between the gaming machine and the rental unit will be analyzed, so the management of the dummy unit must be very strict. Therefore, in order for a second-hand dealer to check the operation of a second-hand gaming machine, he or she must borrow a dummy unit from the gaming machine manufacturer, which takes time to check the operation.

Therefore, in order to perform an operation check of the gaming machine by itself, the gaming machine is equipped with an operation check mode that allows it to operate without being connected to a rental unit or dummy unit. Since this operation check mode is a mode for checking whether the gaming machine is operating normally, it is configured not to insert or dispense gaming media.

It is desirable to configure the operation check mode so that it cannot be easily executed by a player. For this reason, the input port for a specified switch is read during the power-on process, and the operation check mode is started when it is determined that the operation of the specified switch has been detected during the power-on process. The specified switch may be any one of the following: 1 bet switch, MAX bet switch, start switch, left stop switch, middle stop switch, right stop switch, settlement switch, reset switch, counting switch, and setting key switch, or a combination of two or more of these. As an example of a combination of two or more, it is possible to turn on the power while turning on the setting key switch while the power is off and pressing the counting switch. Alternatively, a dedicated switch that cannot be operated unless the front door is opened may be provided, and the operation check mode may be started by turning on the power while operating the dedicated switch.

The operation check mode is a mode that allows the gaming machine to be played on its own, but it is also possible to start the operation check mode even if it is connected to a rental unit. For this reason, since it is assumed that the rental unit and gaming machine P may or may not be connected during operation check mode, communication with the rental unit during operation check mode is performed in the same way as normal operation. For example, it receives rental notifications and sends rental receipt result responses, etc.

When the operation check mode is activated, the five segment display section of the game medium count display section P9 displays "----". Furthermore, in the operation check mode, three points are automatically inserted for each game, and operation of the start switch becomes valid. To make it easier to recognize that the operation check mode is active, the message "In operation check mode" may be displayed on part of the image. The message "In operation check mode" is displayed at the same size at all times, even if the presentation changes due to a presentation lottery or transition to a demo screen.

When the start switch is operated in the operation check mode, the game machine is operated using the same game progress program as the normal game operation, such as lottery processing (for example, programs executed on the main control board P15, the number of game media control board P16, and the sub-control board P12, such as internal lottery processing, reel control processing, performance lottery processing, and command transmission processing), making it possible to check whether the game machine is normal or not. However, the payout process is not executed, and only the number of awards is displayed on the award number display unit, and the display on the number of game media display unit P9 is not updated. In addition, in the case of a game machine that does not have an award number display unit, the award number is displayed on the LCD, so the award number is displayed on the LCD display during the operation check mode. In addition, since the minimum play time is measured even during the operation check mode, if the start switch is operated before the minimum play time has elapsed, the reel rotation is put on hold until the minimum play time has elapsed.

In addition, in the operation check mode, the communication processing performed between the gaming machine and the rental unit may be configured not to be executed. By configuring in this way, the abnormality determination processing based on the communication processing performed between the gaming machine and the rental unit will not be executed.

In addition, in the operation check mode, the gaming machine may be configured to operate at a preset setting value related to the player's advantage (for example, "1" which results in the lowest ball payout rate, or "6" which results in the highest ball payout rate), or may be configured to operate after an arbitrary setting value is set. Furthermore, in the operation check mode, the setting value may be displayed on the setting value display by operating the setting key switch, or the setting value may be displayed on the setting value display regardless of whether the setting key switch is operated, or the setting value may not be displayed on the setting value display even if the setting key switch is operated.

In addition, in the operation check mode, the effects of the display device such as the liquid crystal display, the lighting state of the frame lamp, the sound output from the speaker, etc. are executed as normal. For this reason, if the operation check mode is played for a long time, effects with a low appearance rate (so-called premium effects) can be easily confirmed in the operation check mode, and the confirmed premium effects are uploaded to the web as videos or images, which may reduce the interest of the game. Therefore, when a predetermined number of games are played in the operation check mode, the operation check mode is automatically terminated (in other words, a predetermined number of times is set as the upper limit number of games that can be played in the operation check mode, and after the predetermined number of games is reached, play in the operation check mode cannot be performed). This predetermined number of times can be, for example, 1 time, 10 times, 20 times, etc. When a predetermined number of games are played in the operation check mode, the operation check mode is terminated and normal play thereafter may be prohibited. In order to change from a state in which normal play is prohibited to a state in which normal play can be played, the power can be turned on again or an operation to switch to the setting change mode (power switch ON with the setting key switch ON) can be performed. Furthermore, if the conditions for starting the operation check mode are met when normal play is prohibited, the operation check mode will start again.

When terminating the operation check mode at will, it is desirable to terminate the mode by normal operation, such as by cutting off the power during the operation check mode (executing the operation check mode termination process during the power off process) or by cutting off the power during the operation check mode and turning it on (executing the operation check mode termination process during the power on process). This is because the operation check mode is required only in limited situations, such as moving used vehicles, so even if the operation check mode is accidentally started due to a setting change operation at the game center, the operation check mode can be immediately terminated by normal operation such as cutting off the power, thereby reducing the possibility of entering the operation check mode during business hours. Note that the method of terminating the operation check mode at will is not limited to cutting off the power during the operation check mode, and the operation check mode may be terminated by the initialization process associated with the setting change process executed by the operation to switch to the setting change mode (power switch ON with the setting key switch ON).

In addition, if there is a power outage during operation check mode while the reels are spinning, the operation check mode may end without the reels being respinned when the power is turned on, or the reels may be respinned when the power is turned on and the operation check mode may end after the game has finished. Note that although the explanation was given for when the reels are spinning, the same behavior occurs if a power outage occurs between the operation of the start switch and the end of the game.

When the operation mode is ended, a process is performed to initialize the RWM used in the operation mode. This makes it possible to prevent play in the operation mode from being carried over to normal play. However, the RWM required for signal output to the lending unit is not initialized. Note that, if the specifications require an operation to switch to the setting change mode (power switch ON with the setting key switch ON) when ending the operation mode and starting normal play, and the process to initialize the RWM used in the operation mode is performed by starting the setting change mode, then it is not necessary to perform the process to initialize the RWM used in the operation mode when the operation mode is ended.

In addition, while the above describes an example in which the effects of the display device such as a liquid crystal display, the lighting state of the frame lamps, and the sound output from the speaker are executed as normal during the operation check mode, the present invention is not limited to this, and the effects of the display device such as a liquid crystal display are not executed (the message "Operation check mode in progress" is continuously displayed on a black background), the lighting state of the frame lamps is turned off or in a special lighting state, and no sound is output from the speaker, or special background music or sound is output. Since the operation check only requires determining whether the operation of the main control board P15 and the game medium number control board P16 is normal or not, by configuring in this manner, when it is not necessary to check the operation of the sub-control board, it is possible to prevent situations such as accidentally playing in the operation check mode during business hours or a premium effect appearing during the operation check mode.

The game results played during the operation check mode are configured not to affect the normal game mode after the operation check mode is terminated. For example, even if the player wins the AT lottery during a game played during the operation check mode and is entitled to the AT when the operation check mode is terminated, the game is configured to start in the normal game mode after the operation check mode is terminated without the right to the AT.

In addition, during the operation check mode, a test pattern is configured to be displayed on the role ratio monitor. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the operation check mode is in progress based on the display on the role ratio monitor. Note that during the operation check mode, a test pattern may be displayed for 5 seconds after the power is turned on, and after 5 seconds have elapsed, various ratios may be displayed on the role ratio monitor as in normal operation, or during the operation check mode, various ratios may be displayed on the role ratio monitor without displaying a test pattern when the power is turned on.

The game results played during the operation check mode are configured not to affect the ratios of the various items displayed on the role ratio monitor. For example, the various memory areas (accumulated number of plays, cumulative number of awards, etc.) used to calculate the ratios of the various items displayed on the role ratio monitor are not updated based on the games played during the operation check mode. By configuring in this way, various ratios that show the behavior in the actual market can be displayed on the role ratio monitor.

In this embodiment, the gaming machine and the lending unit communicate via the gaming media number control board P16 and the gaming ball etc. lending device connection terminal board, but this is not limited to this, and the gaming machine and the lending unit may also communicate via the main control board P15 and the gaming ball etc. lending device connection terminal board. In this case, production costs are reduced by not installing the gaming media number control board P16. In addition, all processing controlled by the gaming media number control board P16 is performed by the main control board P15. Note that, when the functions of the main control board P15 and the gaming media number control board P16 are realized on the same board, it is possible to realize it by providing the main control chip and the gaming media number control chip on the same board and performing transmission and reception processing similar to the above-mentioned embodiment between the main control chip and the gaming media number control chip.

The above describes the configuration of a slot machine (a reel-type gaming machine) as an example of a gaming machine, but the above configuration can be applied to various gaming models such as casino machines.

P: Gaming machine P1: Cabinet P2: Front door P3: Start switch P4: Stop switch P4C: Middle stop switch P4L: Left stop switch P4R: Right stop switch P5: Bet switch P5M: MAX bet switch P5O: 1 bet switch P6: Settlement switch P7: Counting switch P8E: Performance decision switch P8W: Performance selection switch P9: Number of gaming media display unit P10: Display window P11M: Image display device P11S: Image display device P12: Sub-control board P13: Number of gaming media display board P14DL: Lower left speaker P14DR: Lower right speaker P14UR: Upper right speaker P15: Main control board P16: Number of gaming media control board P17: Reel device board P18C: Middle reel P18L: Left reel P18R : Right reel

Claims (1)

The total score storage means is configured to store a total score indicating the current number of game media;
The total points stored in the total points storage means are configured to be updateable in response to betting processes related to the gaming media,
The total points stored in the total points storage means are configured to be updated in response to the awarding process of the game media,
The total score stored in the total score storage means is configured to be updated in accordance with a lending process related to the game medium,
When the total score stored in the total score storage means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and less than an upper limit, the lending process for the game medium is disabled;
When the total score stored in the total score storage means is equal to the certain value, a betting process related to the gaming media is enabled;
When the total score stored in the total score storage means is equal to the certain value, a state in which a grant process for the game medium is possible is established;
The gaming machine is configured such that, at a predetermined timing when the hall control/fraud monitoring information can be output to the lending unit side, the first gaming state is in progress, the number of bets is 0, and the number of awarded points is 0, and at a second timing when a first period has elapsed from the predetermined timing and a second period has elapsed since the start-up of the gaming machine is complete, the first gaming state is in progress, the number of bets is 0, and the number of awarded points is 0, at the second timing when the gaming machine is in progress, the gaming machine installation information can be output to the lending unit side,
A gaming machine configured to be capable of outputting hall control and fraud monitoring information to the lending unit at the second timing when the machine is in the first gaming state, the number of bets is 0, and the number of awarded points is 0 at a predetermined timing when a first period of time has elapsed from the predetermined timing and a second period of time has elapsed since the start-up of the gaming machine is complete, the machine is in the first gaming state, the number of bets is a specific value (the specific value is 1 or more), and the number of awarded points is 0.

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