JPH01131689A - Card for pinball game - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To save labor required for management and issuing procedure of cards by providing a game recording medium with a punched hole part to record information on the status and history of the card in the form of punched holes and a print indicating part to print a serial number along the card inserting direction, besides a magnetic recording part to record an identification number. CONSTITUTION: A print indication part PRT, where a purchase sum of money AM, a card insert direction DIR, a date of issue (= date of validity) DATE, etc., that are necessary information for a player and a serial number of issue (n), etc., that are necessary to restore a damaged card are printed when the card is issued, is disposed along the center of the card. Right above the print indication part PRT is a false card discriminating part TF where four false card discriminating layers TF1-TF4 are arranged at adequate intervals. Above the false card discrimination part TF is a punched hole region PH where the status of the card, that is, the history of the card including information regarding issue, restoration, games, zeroing, adjustment, etc., is recorded in the form of punched holes. A magnetic recording part MG where a magnetic material is applied is disposed below the print indicating part PRT.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a card drawer for games, and is particularly applicable to card configurations in gaming systems configured to allow games to be played using cards exchanged for money. Regarding effective techniques.

[Prior Art] In recent years, a card-type pachinko game system has been proposed in which the game is played using a card-shaped storage medium as an intermediary. The card system has the advantage that the player only needs to carry the card, which is a storage medium, and can reduce the effort of carrying a large number of pachinko balls that are prone to falling.

Card-based pachinko gaming systems that have been proposed in the past can be roughly divided into the following two systems.

In the first method, when a card is issued, data on the number of balls held corresponding to the purchase amount is stored on the card, pachinko is played within the range of this data on the number of balls held, and data on the number of balls held that increases or decreases during the playing process is stored on the card. (See Japanese Patent Publication No. 47-42227).

The second card method is to issue a card with only a code number recorded at the time of card purchase, store the number of balls held in a management device, and store it by inserting the card into the card reading device of the pachinko machine. This allows the player to call up the number of balls he or she has and play the game. (Jikko Sho 61-327
(No. 09, Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-17106) [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] A unique feature of cards for pachinko games is that the terminals in which the cards are used are not only of the same type. In other words, the card is inserted not only into a pachinko machine but also into a terminal called a payment machine, information about the card is read out, a receipt is printed with the number of balls held, and the card is then cleared. Such cards cannot be reused in games. On the other hand, a card whose number of balls becomes zero during a game (hereinafter referred to as a zero state) cannot be used in a game from now on.

However, in the conventional method where information about the card is recorded only on the magnetic surface, information is recorded on the magnetic surface each time it is determined whether the card is a paid card, a return card, or a valid card. This has to be done by reading the information contained in the terminal and confirming it, which has the disadvantage of increasing the burden on the control device (computer) or management device of the terminal. Furthermore, if a system is adopted in which information about the card is recorded exclusively on the magnetic surface, there is a risk that the information on the magnetic surface may become unreadable due to damage to the card, which may impair the interests of the players.

Furthermore, in a card-based gaming system, if a card serving as a game medium having a value is copied and used illegally, the gaming parlor will suffer a great disadvantage.

Therefore, in conventional card-type gaming systems, the card has a magnetic surface and an identification code is recorded on it, and by reading and checking the identification code, it is possible to judge whether the card is genuine or not. I try to do it.

Note that there is also a system in which a code unique to the player is given along with the identification code.

However, information recorded on magnetic surfaces is relatively easy to copy, and even in systems that use encryption, it is impossible to completely prevent code theft and coincidence, as is the case with bank cash cards. cannot be prevented.

Therefore, in conventional card game systems in which fraudulent cards are identified only by information recorded on the magnetic surface of the card, there is a problem in that it is difficult to reliably prevent card fraud.

Furthermore, with conventional pachinko cards, cards with an amount printed in advance corresponding to the valuable data (purchase amount) recorded on the magnetic surface are prepared and issued. To give the option of purchase amount to
You must prepare multiple types of cards. Therefore, the card issuing machine requires a storage tank and a sorting device for the plurality of cards.

In addition, from an operational perspective, it is desirable for pachinko parlors to have players settle prize balls won on the same day, but in that case, the magnetic recording unit must record the issue date code as the expiry date. It is possible to record the information and check it using a card reader or payment machine. At this time, it is desirable that the date of issue is also displayed on the front of the card, but in the above-mentioned method of issuing a printed card, if you prepare a card with the date of issue printed in advance, it is possible to There is a large amount of waste due to variations in the number of issued copies. On the other hand, it is possible to manually stamp the date, but this is a tedious process and requires extra preparation in advance, so the date stamps on cards that are not issued on the day and remain are not corrected. Therefore, even more manpower is required.

The object of the present invention is to reduce the burden on the control device and management device of a terminal required to determine processing corresponding to the card status, and to save labor in card management and issuance procedures.

Another purpose of this invention is to restore the card even if the card is damaged and the information on the magnetic surface becomes unreadable, thereby preventing loss of profits to the player, as well as reliably preventing fraud by copying the card. The aim is to ensure that game parlors do not suffer any disadvantage.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes, in addition to a magnetic recording section that records an identification code, a perforation forming section that records information regarding the state or history of the card in the form of perforations; A print display section for printing the issuing serial number etc. is provided along the card insertion direction.

Further, the area other than the magnetic recording part, the perforation forming part, and the print display part is used as an authenticity discrimination area where a complicated pattern is displayed or cannot be seen or is difficult to forge.

[Operation] According to the above means, by optically reading the perforations made in the perforation forming part of the card, the data on the number of balls held is read from the file of the management device using the code recorded in the magnetic recording part. The status of the card can be easily grasped without having to check the status of the card, thereby making it possible to immediately decide on the corresponding process and reducing the burden on the terminal or management device.

In addition, when issuing a card, the amount, date of issue (valid date), and serial number of issue can be printed on the print display section, so all you need to do is prepare a blank card, making it easier to manage your cards. Even if the information in the magnetic recording section becomes unreadable, the card can be restored using the issuing serial number.

Furthermore, since the authenticity of the card can be determined by inspecting not only the magnetic information held on the card but also the authenticity discrimination area, the use of fraudulent cards can be more reliably prevented.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a pachinko gaming system to which the present invention is applied.

The pachinko gaming system of this embodiment includes a pachinko machine 100 as a gaming machine, and an issuing machine as a storage medium issuing device that issues a card CD as a storage medium having local value in order to start a game in each pachinko machine. 200, a settlement machine 300 as a storage medium settlement device for settling the prize balls obtained as a result of the game and the purchase money remaining without being used for the game, and the various terminals mentioned above are centrally managed and controlled. This management device 400
0 and a data transmission path 500 that organically connects each terminal, and these constitute an organic combination. This organic combination can only intervene with the card CD, and only the organic combination can operate the card and convert its valuable data. Therefore, the pachinko machine 10 which is each component of the organic combination
0, issuing machine 200, payment machine 300 and management device 4゜O
are each equipped with a card reader (in this specification, a device that writes on the magnetic surface of the card is also referred to as a card reader), and information on the card and information on each terminal is stored in the management device 4. It is stored in the storage device of O in the form of a file.

Next, before going into a specific explanation of each component of the above-mentioned organic combination, the card used in the system of this embodiment will be explained.

The card CD used in the system of this embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2(A). ) A print display section PRT is provided in which information necessary for the player such as DATE and the issuing serial number n necessary for restoring a damaged card are printed at the time of issuance. Therefore, there is no need to prepare in advance multiple types of cards with different amounts printed on them.

Immediately above this print display section PRT, there is an authenticity identification area TF.
A physical layer TFI for authenticity discrimination is provided here, consisting of a concealing member using special paint such as magnetic ink that is invisible from the card surface, or a structure that is difficult to counterfeit, such as a hologram.
~Four TF4s are provided at appropriate intervals, and above them, the history or status transitions of the card, such as issued, revived, played, returned to zero, and cleared, are recorded in the form of perforations. A punch hole forming region PH is provided as a punch hole forming portion.

By detecting the perforations formed on the card with a photoelectric detector, you can easily check the card's status without having to read and check the number of balls data from the management device's file using the code recorded on the magnetic surface. As a result, the burden on the card reader controller and management device required to determine the processing corresponding to the card status can be reduced.

On the other hand, a magnetic recording section MO coated with a magnetic material is provided below the print display section PRT, and a blank area other than the magnetic recording section MG, the print display section PRT, and the authenticity discrimination area TF is provided with a magnetic recording section MO coated with a magnetic material. Although not shown, patterns such as decorative illustrations and the name of the pachinko parlor are printed on it. Instead of providing the authenticity discrimination area TF, the ornamental pattern may be made elaborate and difficult to imitate, and the pattern may be optically inspected to discriminate the authenticity of the card. In the card of this embodiment, a magnetic recording section MO1, a print display section PRT, an authenticity discrimination area TF, and a punch hole forming area PH are formed along the card insertion direction. In addition, in the card of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, there is a strip-shaped blank area along the insertion direction between the print display part PRT and the magnetic recording part MO, which does not contain any important information used for card determination. , it may be used as a roller travel area in which the conveyance roller of the card reader travels. Also, Figure 2 (A)
In this card, the magnetic recording part MO is provided only in a part of the longitudinal direction, but it may be in the form of a continuous band from one end of the card to the other, similar to the print display part PRT, or the magnetic recording part MO can be provided on the entire back surface of the card. It may also be used as a magnetic recording section by coating.

The magnetic recording section MG is divided into five tracks TRI to TR5, for example, as shown in FIG. 2(B), of which a bit for parity check of the other four bits is recorded in the fifth track TR5. Ru. In addition, the magnetic recording section MG
From the left side, there is an 8-bit timing code TMS as dummy data for protecting the valid data section, 4-bit auxiliary data STX indicating the start of data, and a 16-bit identification code DSC indicating the code of the game parlor.

16-bit date data DATE that displays the card issue date, 16-bit card number No. converted based on the issued serial number n, 4-bit auxiliary data ETX that indicates the end of data, and the above data STX to ETX An 8-bit timing code TME, which is dummy data, is recorded to protect the valid data portion of the check pit LRC1 for parity check for each bit string of each data up to this point. Note that a spare area R3V is provided between the card number N o and the auxiliary data ETX so that information other than the above can be stored. For example, the number of balls held may be recorded here.

In this way, the information recorded on the magnetic surface of the card in this embodiment includes an identification code for specifying the usable space of the card, the date of issue for indicating the validity period of the card, and
Only the card number as an identification code obtained from the issuing serial number n using an appropriate function or conversion method and a check code for error detection are recorded, and the purchase price and number of balls held are not recorded. These are configured so that they can be withdrawn in real time from the data file in the management bag ff400 using the card number. This makes it possible to prevent fraud due to card copying and to minimize damage caused by fraud. In other words, even if the card is copied, the damage will not be greater than the purchase amount and the number of acquired balls registered in the data file, so copying the card is a completely wasteful act.

Moreover, in the above embodiment, not only the magnetic recording information recorded on the card but also the authenticity discrimination physics/ITFI~T which is difficult to forge.
Since the authenticity of the card is also judged by F4, card fraud can be more reliably prevented.

In addition, since a fraudulent card can be immediately detected by checking the authenticity discrimination physical layers TFI to TF4, a fraudulent card can be discovered more quickly than by sending magnetic information to the management device to determine whether the card is fraudulent. Note that perforations are now also formed in telephone cards and the like that have magnetic recording parts, but the perforations in conventional cards are provided to inform the user of the unused balance; It is not intended to be used for any kind of processing or judgment. In the embodiment, four authenticity discrimination physical layers are provided, but the number may be one.

In addition, by making the above cards disposable, card collection equipment is not required, simplifying the system and making card management easier.In addition, in order to reduce costs associated with disposable cards, the size of the cards has been reduced to 86 cm in length. The standard width is 54-, and paper is selected as the card material.

FIG. 26 shows a second pachinko game card according to the present invention.
An example is shown.

The card of this embodiment is similar to the card shown in FIG. 2, and although the respective positions on the card are slightly different, the card has a print display section PRT, a magnetic recording section MO, a punch hole forming section PH, and an authenticity identification section. A region TF is provided. Therefore, in the card of this embodiment, between the print display section PRT and the magnetic recording section MG, that is, at the center of the card, there is a belt-shaped roller running area IRA that is slightly wider than the conveyance roller in the card reader. The above-mentioned magnetic recording section MO1 print display section PRT and authenticity discrimination area TF, which are provided along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic recording section MO1 and have important information used for card judgment, are provided on the surface of the card through contact with the conveyance roller. This prevents the information from being damaged and becoming unreadable.

Further, in the card of this embodiment, instead of providing the authenticity discrimination physical ITFI to TF4 in the authenticity discrimination area TF, a security mark hidden in the characters such as the hole name printed on the card surface is provided. That is, the characters rPLAZAJ printed on the front of the card are placed so that the legs of each character are at positions corresponding to the 365 detection bit patterns BI, ~Bg provided at equal pitches, as shown in Figure 27. Design and print it. And the width of one character is 0.5 to 3. Onwn, and each bit “
1'' or u On is expressed by the shading of the characters.

Furthermore, out of the 10 bits, the fifth bit from the left is B.
4 and the last bit B, is bit B. -B3 and B, ~B
The shading of the characters is determined to represent the parity of .

Note that it is more preferable that the security bit hidden in this character string be formed using a special ink that can be detected only by a sensor and is indistinguishable to the human eye.

Further, on the surface of the game card of this embodiment, a head cleaning area HCN is provided in which a cleaning agent for removing dirt from the magnetic head is applied to a band-shaped area continuous with the magnetic recording part MG. At the same time, in the card of the embodiment, in order to make it impossible to tell where the magnetic recording part MO is provided, as shown in FIG.
A white layer 13 is formed on the magnetic RyJ 12 on which magnetic particles are uniformly applied, and a pattern printing layer 14 is further placed on top of it, and then a part of it (the part corresponding to the print display part PRT) is formed. A thermosensitive coloring M115 is formed, and a transparent protective film 16 is coated above it. A cleaning agent of the same color as the white layer 13 is applied to the cleaning area HCN, and the protective film 16 is not coated on its surface so that it is exposed, so that the cleaning area is hardly different in color from other areas. In this way, we are trying to improve the aesthetic appearance. Further, a pattern printing layer 17 is formed on the back surface of the base material 11 of the card, and a protective film 18 is coated on top of the pattern printing layer 17.

In the card having the above-described structure in which the white layer 13 is formed on the surface of the magnetic layer 12, the magnetic layer 12 made of black magnetic particles is covered with white ffJ 1.3. It is possible to print a pattern and provide a card with rich fashionability, and it also has a function to hide the magnetic recording part MG.

Furthermore, since the surface of the card is coated with a protective film 16, areas that hold important information used for card identification, such as the print display section PRT, magnetic recording section MO, and authenticity discrimination area TF, are protected. This information becomes less likely to be destroyed, improving the reliability of the card.

FIG. 29 shows another example of the configuration of the magnetic recording section MG provided in the card.

In the example of FIG. 2(B), five tracks are provided in the magnetic recording section MG, but here the recording density is 105 BPI (
4,134 bits/nn+), resulting in a two-track configuration. Of these, clock data that provides sampling timing is recorded in the first track TRCl. The second track TRC2 has, from the left, a field S containing a 4-bit start code and its parity pit.
TX, company code MKC indicating the manufacturer of the card reader, equipment code MCC indicating the model of the card reader, identification code of the gaming parlor DSC1 date data DATE, card number No., issuance command code given by the card reader at the time of card issuance FNC, and Text field T that contains the security data SDC read from the authenticity discrimination area
XT, a field ETX containing a text end code, a field LRC containing an exclusive OR value (detection code) of the text data and the end code, and a field STX containing a start code. Moreover, the year, month, and day data has a bit P indicating parity for each 4 bits, and the first 4 bits indicate the month.
The 6th to 9th bits and the 11th bit record the day, and the 12th to 14th bits and the 16th to 19th bit encode the last two digits of the year in binary code. There is.

For cards with a magnetic recording section, it is generally easiest to decipher the recording format and recorded data from the date, but in the card of the above example, the order of the year, month, and day is changed, and the parity is set every 4 bits. The presence of pits and the variable correspondence between recording bits make it extremely difficult to counterfeit cards.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the card issuing machine 200.

The card issuing machine 200 of this embodiment includes a banknote identification device 210 that identifies banknotes for the cardholder, a card reader 220 that prints the amount corresponding to the purchase amount and records the card number, and discharges change. Balance payment device 123 for
0, various displays 241 to 245, and issuing machine 200
It is composed of a control unit 250 and the like that performs overall control.

The front panel 201 corresponds to the banknote identification device 210.
has a bill insertion slot 211 and a purchase amount selection switch group 21.
2 and an amount display 213 are provided. Therefore,
When a player first inserts a bill into the bill insertion slot 211, the amount of money inserted is displayed on the amount display 213. and,
By pressing the switch corresponding to the desired purchase amount from the selection switch group 212, a card corresponding to the desired purchase amount is issued from the card outlet 202 of the card reader 220. Further, the amount selection switch group 212 is each composed of a switch with a built-in lamp, and when a switch is operated, the corresponding built-in lamp is lit.

The inserted banknotes are then collected into the banknote storage tank 214.

The card reader 220 takes out the blank cards stocked in the card tank one by one and prints the purchase amount, date of issue, and issue serial number n given by the management device 400 on one surface, and The card number, identification code (store code), issue date code, check code, etc. calculated by the control unit 250 are recorded on the magnetic surface on the back of the card, and the issued punching position P
After punching a hole in H□ (see FIG. 2), the card is ejected from the card ejection port 202 provided on the front panel 201.

The above issued serial number n is determined by the management device 400, which receives a card purchase application from the card issuing machine 200, and sequentially determines the issuing serial number n when receiving the purchase application from a plurality of card issuing machines under its control. This is a number assigned to each card issuing machine, and in order to prevent fraud due to copying of the card, the above issued serial number n is printed on the magnetic surface of the card.
The code obtained by performing an operation using a predetermined function f (n) or code conversion processing such as rearranging bits is recorded as a card number, and information regarding the card is stored in a file in the management device 400. It is supposed to be recorded. In addition, since the issuing serial number n is printed on the print display section PRT, even if the information in the magnetic recording section MG becomes unreadable due to damage to the card, it is possible to restore the card from the file information on the management device. can.

In order to make it possible to calculate the card number from the issued serial number n, the control program of the management device 400 includes a function f.
(n) or a code conversion procedure is given in advance, and an inverse function or an inverse conversion procedure is prepared to confirm the match between the card number read from the card and the issuing serial number n.

On the other hand, when a banknote is inserted through the banknote insertion slot 211 of the issuing machine 200 and a purchase amount is determined by the amount selection switch 212 and a balance is generated, the balance dispensing device 230 for refunding the balance is configured to stock the banknotes. Banknote tank 2
It is equipped with 31.

It is configured such that banknotes corresponding to the balance are discharged through a banknote discharge port 232 provided on the front panel 201.

Furthermore, on the front panel 201 of the card issuing machine 200, there is an issuing lamp 241 indicating that the card is in a state where the card can be issued, and an issuance stop lamp 2 that indicates the state where the card cannot be issued.
421 Banknotes inserted from the banknote insertion slot 211 into the tank 2
14 is full, a card shortage indicator 244 indicates that the unissued cards in the card tank 221 are empty, and the banknotes in the banknote tank 231 of the balance dispensing device are A lack of change indicator 245 is provided to notify you that the change has run out. Furthermore, sensors 261, 262, and 263 are provided in the one-bill tank 214, 231 and the card tank 221, respectively, in order to detect the above state and light up the corresponding display.

Furthermore, the card issuing machine 200 of this embodiment distinguishes between each of the plurality of issuing machines 200 (several tens of machines) installed in the game parlor, and selects the issuing machine that has issued a specific card using the management device 4.
Machine number setting device 2 to be able to grasp at 00
05 is provided inside, and the machine number set by this setting device 205 is sent to the management device 400 and used for generating a transmission address during data communication and creating a data file for each issuing machine. Ru.

Note that, although not particularly limited, the same number as the machine number set by the setting device 205 is displayed on the front panel 201 of the issuing machine.
It is displayed on a nameplate 206 attached to the top of the screen.

The details of the card reader 220 are shown in FIG.
At one end (right end in the figure) is a magnetic recording section MG and a printed display section PR.
A card tank 821 that stores a large number of cards with blank T, and a card take-out device 822 that takes out cards one by one from the tank are provided. A photoelectric sensor 814 that detects the edge of the card is provided at the other end (left end) of the card reader 220, and a photoelectric sensor 814 that detects the edge of the card is provided near the card insertion/ejection opening 801. 811 is arranged. A sensor 8 for inspecting the authenticity identification physical layers TFI to TF4 formed on the card adjacent to this sensor 811 to confirm whether the card is a genuine card.
12 are provided.

When the card CD is taken out from the card tank 821 by the card takeout device 822, inserted into the card intake port 823, and detected by the sensor 814, the transport motor 802 consisting of a pulse motor is driven, and the bell l-8
The conveyance roller 804 is rotated via Q3. Then, the card CD is transferred to the transport roller 804 and the guide roller 805.
The card is conveyed along the traveling path 806 and taken into the card reader. The transport motor 802 includes a rotation detector (sensor 5) 8 such as an encoder that detects the rotation angle.
15, and the motor is stopped when the card is conveyed by a predetermined amount.

In addition, a magnetic head 8 is located in the center of the main body of the card reader 220.
08a and 808b are provided, and the negative head 80
At step 8a, data such as an identification code is written in the magnetic recording section MG of the card, and read out for confirmation using the other head 808b.

(Card reader 18 of pachinko machine 100 and payment machine 300
Since no writing is performed at 0.310, the recording head 808a is unnecessary. )and.

A punching device 807 for forming punch holes is provided between the magnetic heads 808a and 808b. In the card reader 220 of the issuing machine 200, the punching device 807 is moved when issuing a card.

A hole can be punched at a predetermined punching position PH1.

Furthermore, a photoelectric sensor 813 for detecting a punched hole is provided near the punching device 807 to confirm whether or not the punching device 807 has punched a hole. This sensor 81
3 is used in pachinko machines and payment machines to detect the punch holes PH, ~PH, drilled in the card to grasp the card status 6 Furthermore, between the sensors 813 and 812, there is a printed A device 809 is installed, and the purchase amount AM is displayed on the print display section FIRT of the card that has been conveyed.
1 Print the issue date DATE and issue serial number n. Then, when the recording of magnetic data by the magnetic head 808a, the formation of punch holes by the punching device 807, and the printing by the printing device 809 are completed, and the rear end of the card is detected by the sensor 811, the transport motor 802 is stopped. .

The motor 802 and the punching device 807 based on the detection signals of the sensors 811 to 815. Magnetic head 808a, 8
08b is controlled by a controller 228 consisting of a microcomputer (188 for pachinko machines, 319 for payment machines)
) is carried out by

FIG. 5 shows a card issuing machine 20 configured as described above.
An example of the configuration of the control system of No. 0 is shown.

In the same figure, the lamps indicated by symbols L1 to L5 are built-in lamps in the purchase amount selection switch group 212, and the lamp corresponding to the switch that is turned on lights up, illuminating the operation button from the rear. It is supposed to be done.

In this system, each component of the card reader 220, such as magnetic heads 808a and 808b, a transport motor 802,
Punching device 807, printing device 809, card ejecting device 82
2 is controlled by a controller 228 (see FIG. 4) such as a CPU (microcomputer) based on detection signals from sensors 811 to 815, and various sensors and indicators provided in this controller 228 and the issuing machine , the banknote validator 210, and the balance dispensing device 230 are connected to a control unit 250 which also includes a microcomputer.
It is controlled by a unit controller 251 inside.

The unit controller 251 controls the components mentioned above, receives card numbers, executes card issuing processing, collects operational data, and transmits it to the dual ports 1 to 1.
The transmission data area SDA in the unit memory 270 as a parallel communication means consisting of memory is written. The operating data written in the unit memory 270 is transmitted to the management device 4 via a transmission cable (network) by a transmission controller and a network control unit (NAU), which will be described later.
The data is sent to the management device through data communication with 00.

Further, data sent from the management device 400 is also temporarily written to the reception data area RDA in the unit memory 270, and the unit controller 251 reads the data to receive the data. The unit memory 270 is provided with a shared data area CDA that contains commands and status information for informing the other party's controller that transmission data and reception data are in the memory.

Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3 respectively show the above unit memory 27.
Sending data area SDA, receiving data area RD within 0
An example of the configuration of A and the shared data area is shown.

Table 1 Composition of issuing machine unit memory transmission data area Table 2 Composition of issuing machine unit memory receiving data area Table 3 Composition of issuing machine unit memory shared data area At this time, the management device writes a code such as 010101...01 in the transmission area of the unit memory 270, and periodically sends it to the management device to check whether or not the RAM data is corrupted by noise such as static electricity. This makes it possible to quickly detect abnormalities in transmitted data.

As shown in Table 4, the monitor information 1 shown in Table 1 includes a bit indicating that a test is being executed at system start-up, a bit indicating initial value setting/unsetting, a bit indicating a hot code error, and a bit indicating a local It is composed of bits indicating an abnormality in the network (transmission cable 500) (two bits, one for low-rise and one for high-rise), one bit indicating an abnormality in the issuing machine, etc.

In addition, as shown in Table 5, monitor information 2 includes a bit that indicates an abnormality in the card reader, a bit that indicates the presence or absence of a card, a bit that indicates the status of the banknote in the banknote tank, a bit that indicates that the banknote is jammed, and a bit that indicates the forced withdrawal of the banknote. A bit that indicates the status of the banknote tank in the balance dispenser, a bit that indicates an abnormality in the balance dispenser, and the like.

Table 4 Next, an example of the configuration of a pachinko machine that provides the original game will be explained using FIG. 6.

The pachinko machine 100 of this embodiment has a one-to-one correspondence with the gaming machine main body 110 and the gaming machine, and is mounted on an island equipment or the like above the gaming machine main body, and mainly processes cards and collects operational data during gaming. It is composed of a control unit 160 that controls the control unit.

The control unit 160 is configured separately from the gaming machine main body 110, and includes a card insertion/ejection opening 161, an amount display 162 that displays the amount of money held by the card, and a balls display that displays the number of balls held by the player in digital numbers. 163, an analog display 164 made up of a plurality of lamps arranged in a line, a call switch 165 for calling an attendant, etc. are provided on the front side. The analog display 164 is used to display the number of balls held during the game in an analog manner, and to display the stopped state and free state by simultaneous flashing and moving flashing.

Although not particularly limited, the front of the control unit 160 also includes a safe lamp 166 for indicating the occurrence of winning balls, which was conventionally provided on the main body of a pachinko machine, a game display lamp 167 for indicating that a game is in progress, and a sound effect. A speaker 168 for generating a warning is also provided. Furthermore, a portion located inside the station equipment on the side of the control unit 160 is in a unique state where the pachinko machine 100 is separated from the management device 400.

A test switch 171 is provided to enable gaming operations using a test card, which will be described later, and a nameplate 172 is provided on the front of the unit to clearly indicate the machine number assigned to the pachinko machine.
are provided for each.

Inside the control unit 160, there is a card reader 180 corresponding to the card insertion/ejection port 161, and a machine number setting switch 173 behind the machine number nameplate 172.
Further, a unit controller 190 that controls the entire control unit 160 is provided. The unit controller 190 is connected to the control device 150 of the game machine main body 110 via a transmission line 191 such as an optical fiber or coaxial cable, and to the management device 400 via a transmission controller and a local network (transmission cable), which will be described later. .

The card reader 180 of the pachinko machine is almost the same as the card reader 220 for the issuing machine shown in FIG.
The difference is that it does not have 22.

On the other hand, the gaming machine main body 110 of the present embodiment is configured as a closed gaming machine that circulates game balls enclosed within the machine, and includes a circulation device 120 that circulates the enclosed balls. Further, at the bottom of the gaming machine main body 110, there is a firing device 111 that fires the enclosed balls one by one into the gaming area, an operation dial 112 for the firing device 111, a purchase switch 113 for enabling procedures for playing games using the card, and an end. A switch 114 and an interrupt switch 115 are provided.

The configuration of the gaming area is the same as the conventional one. The purchase switch 113 is an instruction switch for converting the amount into game balls in units of 200 yen or the like within the amount of money the card has, assuming that the card is inserted into the card slot 161.
The converted game balls become the number of balls you have. The number of balls held is displayed on the ball display 163, and each time one game ball is fired by the ball launcher, the number of balls held is subtracted by one, and when a winning ball occurs, the number of balls held is added and displayed by the number of prize balls. . End switch 11
4, by turning on this anytime the player wants to end the game (including when changing the game machine), the card being used can be ejected from the control unit 160. At that time, the unit controller 19
0 is the number of balls the player has at that time (sum of purchased balls and acquired balls)
is registered in the file of the management device 400, and then the card is ejected from the insertion/ejection opening 161. In addition, the interrupt switch 11
5 is a switch used by the player to temporarily interrupt the game for a break, even though the player has no intention of stopping the game he is currently playing on the game machine, and when this switch is operated,
The unit controller 190 once ejects the card and enters a standby state until the same card is inserted again, and does not accept any other cards during that time. In addition, among the above-mentioned switches, the purchase switch 113 and the interrupt switch 115
is a built-in lamp type, and when the number of balls held reaches rQJ, the lamp in the purchase switch 113 flashes, and when the interruption switch 115 is pressed, the built-in lamp is lit until the interruption is canceled.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the back side of the gaming machine main body 110.

A winning ball collection gutter 122 covering a plurality of winning ball outlet holes 121 formed so as to penetrate through the game board corresponding to a winning area provided in a gaming area on the front side of the game board is attached to the back surface of the game board Lot. It is being

The bottom wall of the winning ball gathering gutter 122 is sloped downward toward the center to form guide shelves 122a, 122b, and a first guide gutter 123 is connected to the downstream end of the guide shelves 122a, 122b.

The winning balls that have flowed into the winning ball collection gutter 122 are placed on the guide shelf 12.
2a, 122b and are collected, and the first guide gutter 12
3 is detected by the safe sensor 131 while flowing down. In addition, an out hole 102 provided at the bottom of the gaming area
Correspondingly, a collection u124 is provided on the back side of the game board, and the terminal end of this collection gutter 124 merges with the terminal end of the guide gutter 123. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a second guide gutter 125 is provided for collecting winning game balls from a large variable winning device provided in the gaming area, and the terminal end of the second guide gutter 125 is connected to the terminal end of the collection gutter 124. It has been merged with. The collection gutter 124 and the second guide gutter 125 are provided with an out sensor 132 and a safe sensor 133, which detect game balls that have flowed into them. By providing the first guide gutter 123 and the second guide gutter 125, it is possible to provide the player with different numbers of prize balls obtained by winning in each winning area.

The merging section of each of the above-mentioned machines is a guide gutter 1 that guides the game balls collected once through the communication port 127 to the batted ball launcher 111.
It is connected to the middle of 26.

As shown in FIG. 8, the guide gutter 126 is a foul ball intake port 104 provided in the middle of an arcuate guide rail 103 that guides the game ball fired by the ball launcher W1111 to the upper part of the game area. is a gutter connected to
All foul balls, safe balls (winning balls), and out balls! &Finally, it is collected by this guide trough 126 and guided to the batted ball launcher 111. In the middle of the guide gutter 126, there is a foul sensor 134 for detecting the game balls collected from the foul ball intake port 104, a ball guide 105 for arranging the game balls collected in the guide gutter, and a device for extracting the enclosed balls to the outside. A ball removal lever 106 is provided. The ball detected by the foul sensor 134 is subtracted from the shot ball to accurately count the number of balls actually hit into the game area. Furthermore, firing sensors 135 and 136 are provided at the starting end of the guide rail 103 to detect balls fired by the ball firing device 111, so that blank hits are not counted as fired balls.

The movement of the ball from the firing sensor 135 side to the firing sensor 136 side is counted as the number of shots.

The ball removal lever 106 is a rotatable rotating plate 107 provided so as to constitute a part of the bottom wall of the guide trough 126.
prevents the rotation of the game ball and supplies the game ball to the ball launcher side,
When the lever 106 is slid upward as shown in FIG. 9(A), the rotary plate 107 is rotated downward by its own weight, and the game balls in the guide gutter 126 are discharged.

On the other hand, at the lower end of the guide trough 126, as shown in FIG. 9(B), a ball feeder 128 having a ball holder part 128a is swingably attached. Separate the game balls one by one and attach them to the guide rail 1.
It is designed to be moved to the firing starting position of 03. Ball feed 128 is.

It is rotated upward in conjunction with the firing rod 111a of the batted ball firing device 111. A wall 109 is formed at the boundary between the guide trough 126 and the starting end of the guide rail 103, and when the ball feed 128 is rotated upward, the ball holder at the tip moves to the part 128a.
When only one game ball engaged with the ball gets over the separation wall 109, the ball is moved. A cylindrical weight 129 is built in the ball feeder 128, and the weight of this weight allows the ball feeder 128 to smoothly return to rotation.

FIG. 1O shows an example of the configuration of the control system of the pachinko machine 100.

The controller 188 in the figure is the transport motor 8 which is each component of the card reader 180 shown in FIG.
02, a controller that controls the magnetic head 808 and the punching device 807. Various switches 16 provided in this controller 188 and control unit 160
5,171,173 and display 162,163,164,
The speakers 166, 167, and 168 are controlled by a unit controller 190, which is also made up of a microcomputer.

Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the control bag giso, various sensors, display devices, etc. of the gaming machine main body 110 are connected to the unit controller 19 via the optical cable 191.
Connected to 0. To enable communication using optical fiber cables, an optical multiplex data link (interface ) 192 and 193 are provided between the unit controller 190 and the optical fiber cable 191 and between the optical fiber cable and the @IJ control device f150.

Furthermore, by using the optical fiber cable 191 for data communication between the unit controller 190 and the control device 150 of the pachinko machine, the large number of wirings that were conventionally arranged in a complicated manner on the back side of the pachinko machine can be simplified. Maintenance and management are facilitated, and incorrect wiring connections can be prevented.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the configuration of the control system of the gaming machine main body 110.

The above optical multiplex data link 193 and optical cable 191
Under the control of the unit controller 190, together with the control device 150, a batted ball launcher 111, a purchase ready indicator lamp L13a with a built-in purchase switch 113, and an interruption indicator lamp 115a with a built-in interruption switch 115 are installed via a driver 195. has been done. In addition, a purchase switch 113 and a game end switch 114 . Interrupt switch 115
is transmitted to the navigation unit controller 190 via an optical multiplex data link 193 and a fiber optic cable 191.

The above control device i! 150 is also constituted by a microcomputer, and detection signals from firing sensors 135, 136, safe sensors 131, 133, foul sensor 134, and out sensor 132 are input to this control device 150. Based on this, winning balls, foul balls, out balls, etc. are determined and notified to the unit controller 190.

On the other hand, the unit controller 190 calculates operation data such as the number of balls played, the number of balls out, the number of balls held, and the sales amount based on detection signals related to these game balls and signals from the purchase switch 113, etc. It generates operating information (gaming status), monitor information, etc. regarding the machine, and writes them to the transmission data area SDA of the unit memory 140 consisting of a dual port memory.

The operating data etc. written in the unit memory 140 are
The data is sent to the management device through data communication with the management device 400 by a transmission controller, which will be described later. Further, data sent from the management device 400 is also temporarily written to the reception data area RDA in the unit memory 140, and the unit controller 190 reads the data to receive the data. The unit memory 140 is provided with a shared data area CDA that contains commands and status information for informing the other party's controller that transmission data and reception data are in the memory.

Tables 6, 7 and 8 show the unit memory 14, respectively.
Sending data area SDA, receiving data area RD within 0
An example of the configuration of A and shared data area ODA is shown.

Table 6 Pachinko machine unit memory table 7 Pachinko machine unit memory reception data area configuration table 8 Pachinko machine unit memory table 9 Monitor information 1 (P machine) Table lO Note that the monitor information 1 shown in Table 6 is the same as Table 9
As shown in Figure 2, there are bits that indicate that a test is being executed at system start-up, bits that indicate initial value setting/unset, bits that indicate a hot code error, and bits that indicate an abnormality in the local network (transmission cable 500) (low layer and high layer). 2
It consists of bits that indicate abnormalities in the gaming machine, etc.

Furthermore, the monitor information 2 has a bit indicating an abnormality of the card reader as shown in Table 10.

Furthermore, as shown in Table 11, the operation information includes bits that indicate a discontinued state, bits that indicate that the game is being suspended, bits that indicate that the game is forcibly terminated by the management device or controller based on communication abnormality or fraud detection, and bits that indicate that the game is being terminated. It is made up of bits that indicate that there is a player, bits that indicate that the gaming machine is in a free state with no players, etc.

From Table 11 above, the actual state of the pachinko machine is ■Free state is 0000000000000001■
While playing, 0000000000000
010 ■ When receiving a forced termination, ooooooooooo
oooio.

■When interrupted, 0000000000001
000 ■ When the stop occurs, 0000000000
It is represented by 010000.

FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the payment machine 300 described above.

The payment machine 300 of this embodiment includes a card reader 310 that reads the card number of the inserted card CD, and a balance payment device 320 that refunds the unused amount of the card that remains unused. A printer 330 that issues a receipt with the number of balls acquired through games, various displays 340 to 342, and a payment machine 30
The control unit 350 and the like control the entire system.

A front panel 301 corresponds to the card reader 310 described above.
has a card slot 311 and the number of prize balls won (number of balls held).
A number display 312 for displaying the number of balls and an amount display 313 for displaying the unpurchased amount are provided. When a player first inserts a card into the card insertion slot 311, the card reader 310 reads the card number recorded on the magnetic surface of the card CD, sends it to the management device 400, and receives and receives data regarding the card. And the amount display 313
The unpurchased amount is displayed, and the number of balls display 312
The number of balls acquired is displayed, and a receipt is issued by the printer 330. Further, after the payment is completed, the inserted card is collected (confiscated) into the card storage tank 314 after a punch hole is formed at a predetermined punching position 11iPH by the punching device 807. This prevents misuse of cleared cards.

The configuration of the card reader 310 is almost the same as the card reader 22o (see FIG. 4) of the 1-issuing machine 200, and there is no card ejecting device 822 and card tank 821, and a card storage tank 314 is placed in their place. Then, the card conveyance direction is opposite to that of the issuing machine. printer 33
0 pulls out a blank sheet stocked in a roll, prints the date of issue, number of balls acquired, unused balance, card history, etc. on the surface, and discharges it from the receipt issuing port 331. .

At the same time, money corresponding to the unpurchased amount is paid out from the balance payout device R320. Balance payment bag'? 1320
It consists of a banknote tank 321 for storing one banknote and a banknote discharge port 322. Also, when paying the bill, there will be a fraction of less than 1000 yen.

A coin dispensing device 326 consisting of a coin tank 324 for storing coins in units of 100 yen and a coin dispensing port 325 is provided.

Further, on the front panel 301 of the payment machine 300, there is a payment in progress lamp 341 that indicates that the card payment is in progress, a payment cancellation lamp 342 that indicates that the card payment is not possible, and a tank 313 that is filled with a card inserted from the card insertion slot 311. A card overflow indicator that indicates that the card is full, a bill shortage indicator that indicates that the banknote tank 321 of the balance dispensing device 320 has run out of banknotes, and a card shortage indicator that indicates that the coin tank 324 of the coin dispensing device has run out of stock coins. A monitor display lamp group 340 is provided, which includes a coin shortage indicator to notify that the printer 330 is out of roll paper, a paper out indicator to indicate that the printer 330 is out of roll paper, and the like. In addition, in order to detect each of the above states and turn on the corresponding display, sensors 361 and 3 are installed in the card tank 314, bill tank 321, coin tank 324°, and printer 330.
62 degrees, 363 degrees, and 364 degrees are provided, respectively. Further, the coin dispensing device 326 is provided with a coin extraction switch 327.

Furthermore, the payment machine 300 of this embodiment has a plurality of payment machines installed at the gaming parlor, each of which is distinguished from the other.

The management device 400 controls the payment machine that performed the payment for a specific card.
In order to be able to understand the machine number setting device 305
is provided internally, and the machine number set by this setting device 305 is sent to the management device 400 and used for generating a transmission address during data communication and creating a data file for each payment machine.

Note that, although there is no particular limitation, the same number as the machine number set by the setting device 305 will be displayed on the front panel 30 of the payment machine.
It is displayed on a nameplate 306 attached to the top of 1.

FIG. 13 shows a configuration example of a control system for the payment machine 300 configured as described above.

In addition, in the figure, lamps that constitute the monitor display lamp group 340 are indicated by symbols LLl to L14.

In this system, a magnetic head 808, a punching device 807, and a transport motor 802 that constitute a card reader 310 are used.
is controlled by a controller 319 (corresponding to the controller 228 in FIG. 4) consisting of a CPU (microcomputer) based on detection signals from various sensors 811 to 815, and various sensors and The bill dispenser 320, coin dispenser 326, and printer 330 of the display 1 are controlled by a unit controller 351 within a control unit 350, which also includes a microcomputer.

The unit controller 351 executes payment processing by controlling the above-mentioned components, checking the card number, receiving and displaying card data, etc., and also collects operational data and stores it in the unit memory 370 consisting of a dual port memory. write to the transmission data area SDA. The operating data written in the unit memory 370 is transmitted to the management device 40 via the transmission cable by the transmission controller.
The data is sent to the management device through data communication with 0.

Data sent from the management device is also first written to the reception data area RDA in the unit memory 370, and the unit controller 351 reads this to receive the data.

The unit memory 370 has a shared data area C that contains commands and status information to notify the other party's controller that transmitted data and received data are in the memory.
A DA is provided.

Tables 12, 13, and 14 respectively show configuration examples of the transmission data area SDA, reception data area RDA, and shared data area CDA in the unit memory 370.

Table 13 As shown in Table 13, in this embodiment, the history data of the card is also received, and by printing this on the receipt along with the time data and discharging it, it is shown to the player that the payment data is highly reliable. You can make an impression. However, the maximum history data contained in the card file is 20.
This is the data up to the time.

Table 14 In addition, the monitor information 1 shown in the clothing 12 is as shown in Table 1.
As shown in Figure 5, a bit indicates that a test is being executed at system start-up, a bit indicates initial value setting/unset, a bit indicates a hot code error, and a bit indicates an abnormality in the local network (transmission cable 500) (low layer and high layer). It consists of a bit indicating an error in the payment machine, etc.

Table 15 In addition, as shown in Table 16, monitor information 2 includes bits indicating a plink error and bins 1 to 1 indicating an error in the card reader.
．． A bit that indicates the condition inside the coin tank, a bit that indicates a coin jam in the coin dispensing machine, a bit that indicates an abnormality in the coin dispensing machine,
It is made up of a focus that indicates the state inside the bill tank of the bill dispensing machine, a bit that indicates an abnormality in the bill dispensing machine, etc.

Table 16 Next, the pachinko machine 100, card issuing machine 200, and payment machine 300 configured as described above are controlled in an integrated manner, and operational data is collected in real time, so that even if a power outage or failure occurs, the machine is immediately restored upon recovery. A management device 400 that restores the original data state, restarts the operation of each part of the system, and enables the aggregation of data necessary for the management of a game parlor will be described.

FIG. 14 shows the specific configuration of the management device 400, and the first
Figure 5 shows the system configuration of the management device.

The management device 400 has a configuration substantially equivalent to that of an office computer. That is, a main memory M-MEM consisting of a central processing unit CPU and a semiconductor memory (RAM),
A control box 401 in which a timer (including a calendar) and a TMR1 communication control device SC are installed, a floppy disk storage device 402 and a hard disk storage device 403 as an auxiliary storage device provided above the control box 401, The management device 400 is composed of a printer 404 for printing collected data, etc., a CR7 display device 405 for displaying messages and collected data, and a console 406 for an operator to give commands and setting data to the central processing unit. has been done.

The printer 404 includes a buffer 404a that temporarily stores data to be printed in order to improve the throughput of the management device 400.

Furthermore, this management device 400 includes a card reader 407 that issues a test card as a medium for causing the system to take action from each terminal, and "pachinko stoppages" that occur in pachinko machines, as unique to the pachinko gaming system.
The control box 4 is equipped with an auxiliary printer 408 that prints emergency information generated in the system in real time.
It is provided on the top of 01.

In addition, in the event of a power outage, all terminal operating data stored volatilely in the main storage device and data on all issued cards can be transferred to the hard disk storage device 403 for protection. An auxiliary power supply bag M409 that allows the management device to operate for about a minute is provided below the control box 401.

In this embodiment, a system consisting of a pachinko machine, a card issuing machine, a payment machine, and a management device will be mainly explained.
As shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to extend the system to a system in which in-store broadcast displays, prize exchange devices, vending machines, etc. are also placed under the control of the management device 400. Especially the prize exchange device,
There is a possibility of easily applying a method in which a card can be directly exchanged for a prize without passing through the payment machine 300.

Furthermore, the console 406 constituting the management device 400 also has a unique key configuration most suitable for the pachinko gaming system of this embodiment.

FIG. 16 shows an example of the configuration of the console 406.

FIG. 2B shows the top surface of the console, that is, the panel surface, and FIG. 1A shows the back surface of the console.

In FIG. 16, 421 is an opening switch for instructing each terminal of the system to start business, and 422 is a closing switch for instructing end of business. After opening switch 421 is turned on, closing switch 422 is turned on. Cards can be used at each terminal until the end of the transaction. Further, 5423 is an end switch 42 for storing the operating data of all terminals in the floppy disk storage device 402 after business hours and for instructing the management device to stop the operation.
4 is a card restoration switch for instructing restoration processing of a damaged card.

Note that the store opening switch 421. closing switch 422,
The four switches, the end switch 423 and the card recovery switch 424, are particularly important switches for this system, and in order to prevent them from being easily operated while the system is running, keys are placed behind them (at the top in the figure). The switches 421 to 42 are linked to the switch 420, and unless the key switch 420 is turned on, each switch 421 to 42 is
4 cannot be turned on by operating it.

425, 426, and 427 are the same type of numeric keypad, return key, and delete key as those provided on the console of a normal personal computer or the like.

On the other hand, 428 is a display menu switch that gives a command to display card-related data and operation data of each terminal on the screen of the CR7 display device 405, and 429 is a CRT clear switch that requests deletion of data displayed on the CRT display device. It is. Further, 430 is a print menu switch that gives a command to print data related to the card, operating data of each terminal, etc. by the printer 404, and 431 is a print stop switch that requests the printer 404 to stop printing. 432 is a setting switch for requesting settings such as the number of stops and stop mode in the pachinko machine;
3 is a stop release switch 43 for giving a command to cancel the stop state of a pachinko machine which has been put out of a set number of prize balls and is now in a stop state, that is, a state in which the game cannot be continued;
4 is a forced termination switch for requesting a forced shutdown of a specific terminal or all terminals when normal control or data collection becomes impossible due to an abnormality in the communication network, or when fraud by a player is discovered; 435 is a termination release switch for canceling the suspension of a terminal that has been forcibly stopped, and 439 is a date and time setting switch. Furthermore, the console 406 of the embodiment is provided with a buzzer 440 that generates a sound to alert the operator in the event of an emergency situation such as a pachinko machine being stopped, and a buzzer stop switch 436 that instructs to stop the sound. It is being

Among the above switches, the switches 421 to 424 and 432 to 436 shown with double frames in the figure are switches with built-in lamps, and these switches are turned on and the corresponding process is being executed or the state is continuing. The built-in lamp lights up. However, the lamp in the buzzer stop switch 436 is linked to the buzzer, is lit while the buzzer is sounding, and is turned off when the stop switch 436 is pressed.

Additionally, the console 406 in this embodiment includes:

On the back side, there is a test card switch 437 for giving a test card issuing command, and setting values such as the exchange rate of purchased balls, store code, total number of terminals, and number of prize balls per winning ball when the system is installed. A built-in switch 438 is provided for making a setting request. These switches 437 and 438, unlike other switches, are switches that are rarely used and are not used by a specific person (
The switch is located on the back of the console because it only needs to be known to the person (such as the manager of the game parlor).

Here, the above test card will be mentioned.

As is clear from the configuration already explained, in the gaming system of this embodiment, all terminal machines (pachinko machine, card issuing machine, payment machine) are under the control of the management device, and can be operated by exchanging card numbers, etc. The terminal is now in a state where it cannot operate on its own. However,
Since pachinko machines are frequently used, balls often get jammed or accessories such as so-called tulips break down, and it is necessary to adjust the nails in the game area to adjust the ball payout rate. In this case, a trial shot will be performed after repairs and nail adjustments are made, but it is very inconvenient to start up the entire system and operate the pachinko machine only with a purchase card. Therefore, in this embodiment, the test switch 171 in the control unit 160 of each pachinko machine described above is turned on, and a special test card issued by the management device is inserted from the card insertion/ejection opening 161 of the control unit 160. Then, the pachinko machine is configured so that a certain number of five is given and the game operation can be executed by the pachinko machine alone.

Note that the card reader 407 provided in the management device 400
has substantially the same configuration as the card reader 220 in the card issuing machine shown in FIG. However, unlike card issuing machines, it does not have a blank card inside.

Insert a blank card from the outside and write the specified code.

Since it uses a recording method, it does not have a card tank 821 and a card ejecting device 822. In addition, the management device 4
The test cards and revival cards issued by 00 do not necessarily have the date of use, number, etc. written on them like other general cards, so there is no need to print 4A. When issuing a resurrection card, the punching device 807 punches a hole at a predetermined punching position fa PI (,) of the card.

As described above, the terminals 41100, 200 .
300 are all under the management of the management device 400, and cannot operate independently unless the management device 400 is activated. Therefore, when the system is started up, the management device 400 gives setting values to all the terminals to initialize them. Furthermore, prior to this initialization, in order to enable data transmission, the machine number is collected from each terminal and a transmission address is formed for each terminal.

While the system is in operation, operating data of all terminals is collected in real time and stored in the main memory M-MEM.

As described above, in this embodiment, the amount of data handled by the management device 400 is enormous. Therefore, in the embodiment, these data are organized by file management to facilitate handling.

Table 17 shows an example of the file structure of data managed by the management device 400.

These files are normally recorded in the main memory M-MEM, but all files are saved in the hard disk storage 403 during a power outage.

In addition, data files related to terminal machines, that is, pachinko machine files (hereinafter referred to as P machine files), issuing machine files, and payment machine files, are stored in the floppy disk storage device 402 at the end of business hours, and are used for monthly operation data aggregation. Ru.

Table 17 Next, each file shown in Table 17 will be explained in more detail.

The setting value file FLI in the same table is based on the characteristics and configuration of the system, such as the exchange rate at the time of purchase, store code, number of terminals, number of prize balls, number of shots, etc., which are stored in advance on the hard disk by input from the console at the time of system installation. This is a setting value that changes depending on the This setting value file is loaded from the hard disk HDD into the main storage device at the start of normal business operations. Further, the setting value file FLI can be updated from the console by pressing a built-in switch when replacing the pachinko machine.

Table 18 shows an example of the configuration of the setting value file FLI.

*Total capacity: 335 bytes In the same table, the exchange rate on purchase refers to the unit of purchase amount (
For example, 200 yen), it is the number of rental balls, that is, the initial number of balls held, and the number of NAUs is the network adapter unit (communication control device) installed at the connection part between the high- and low-layer networks as a data transmission system.
is the total number of

Further, the number of prize balls from a certain Pachinko machine to a certain Pachinko machine is set in the table indicated by the symbol i. Two types of prize balls can be set for each machine. - Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown by i=1 to 16, all the pachinko machines at the game parlor are divided into 16 groups, and the number of prize balls for each of the two main and sub prize balls can be set separately. It has become. However, consecutive machine numbers are given to pachinko machines with the same settings.

The target range is specified by the first number and the last number.

Furthermore, the number of stops is set in the table indicated by j,
A stop mode is set in the table indicated by k. Here, the stop mode is the method of calculating the number of stops (arithmetic formula).
1 For example, there is a mode in which the game simply ends when the number of prize balls paid out reaches the number of batted balls, or a mode where the game ends when the number of prize balls paid out minus the number of batted balls reaches the number of balls hit. There are modes such as Although not particularly limited, in this example, j=1 to 16. As shown by =1 to 16, the number of stops and the stop mode can be set independently for each group of 16.

Table 19 shows an example of the configuration of the file FL2 with two transmission addresses used for data transmission.

Table 19 In Table 19, the type flag is a flag to indicate the type of terminal, and "1" indicates a pachinko machine, "2" indicates a card issuing machine, "4" indicates a payment machine, and "o" indicates the terminal type. respectively indicate the absence of a terminal. The unit number and serial number are the number of the terminal created by excluding "4" and "9" and its serial number, and the unit number is the number that is placed under one NAU (network adapter unit) regardless of the type of terminal. The number of each terminal set is a number that becomes an address on a low-layer network (described later), and the channel number is a number that becomes an address of each terminal seen from the management device, that is, a number that becomes an address on a high-level network (described later). However, in the system of the embodiment, the number of pachinko machines connected under one NAU is 64 or less.

As mentioned above, the NAU number and machine number are set using the setting switch (
173, 205, 305, 561), and in the case of a pachinko parlor, the machine number of the pachinko machine is a consecutive number that is customarily given by excluding "4" and r9J. Here, the fact that "4" and "9" are not used means that octal representation is possible. Therefore, the conversion table shown in Table 20 is used to express the machine number expressed in decimal notation using only numbers 0 to 7. According to this, for example, the machine number r258J is written as r247J.

Table 20 If this is expressed in binary code using the binary coded octal system, it will be "rolo・100・111".

This code indicates r167J in decimal notation, and as a result, the pachinko machine machine numbers without "4" and "9" become consecutive serial numbers. On the other hand, in order to limit the address on the low-layer network to 8 bits, the lower 8 bits of the above code are taken, and this is considered to be the code rlo10.0111 expressed in binary coded octal notation.If this is expressed in HEXA, rA7HJ becomes. Furthermore, in addition to pachinko machines, terminals such as issuing machines and payment machines are also connected under one NAU, and in order to give them 8-bit unit numbers, the number of pachinko machines under one NAU is 64. The code rA7HJ and the code r3FHJ are ANDed to obtain r 27 I-I J. In this embodiment, this is used as the unit number. and,
The NAU number is added to the beginning of this unit number to form an rNAU number, a ten number, a unit number, and a channel number. This method enables efficient address processing that matches the characteristics of microcomputers that process data using only binary notation, which is customary in pachinko parlors that have machine numbers that do not use "4" and "9". becomes possible.

By the way, the NAU address on the lower layer network is given the rFFHJ address, and the issuing machine and the payment machine are given one of the unit numbers "r41HJ to rEFH".

The above files are created for all terminals based on response data to a unit table request by the management device after one line test.

Table 21 shows an example of the configuration of card file FL3.

Card file FL3 contains information for each card.

Table 21 In the same table, the card number is calculated from the issuing serial number n to the function f
(n), and the number of balls held, the amount, and the card status are information indicating the current status of the card specified by the issuing serial number n and the card number, and in this example, it is referred to as card text hereinafter. . As shown in Table 22, the card status here refers to a bit that indicates a free status that is not used for gaming, a bit that indicates that the game is in progress, a bit that indicates that the card is in an interrupted state when the player is temporarily away from the gaming machine, and a bit that indicates that the card is currently in a suspended state when the player is temporarily away from the gaming machine. A bit that indicates that the card has been settled, a bit that indicates that the number of balls and balance of the card are both zero, a bit that indicates that the card has been discontinued at least once in the past, and a bit that indicates that the card has been forcibly terminated. It is made up of bits that indicate that the card was used in a pachinko machine, bits that indicate that the card has been revived, etc.

Table 22 On the other hand, returning to Table 21, in the card file FL3, the location terminal serial number indicating the location of the terminal where the card currently exists and the location terminal number are registered. As is customary in pachinko machine parlors, the numbers r4J and "9" are not used as machine numbers, so two types of terminal numbers are generated: one for the back and one for the front.

In addition, in Table 21, the i counter indicates the number of actions the card has taken, that is, the number of times the card has been ejected from the system, which is an organic combination. Number, number of balls, amount 1
Card information such as time, or history of the card, is recorded. Statistically speaking, most players play on less than 20 pachinko machines a day, so in this embodiment, card history is recorded up to 20 times at most. however,
If the number of times exceeds 20, it is recorded by updating the table indicated by 1=20. Note that in the above case, the i counter does not count game interruptions.

In other words, each card information is recorded in a new area at the time of suspension, but when the game end switch is turned on after the suspension is canceled, the counter is not updated and the card information is recorded in the same area overlappingly, so that the value of the i counter is changed to the actual game. It matches the number of units.

Here, the card status, action, and registration of FL3 card information in the card file will be explained using FIG. 17.

First, when a card is issued in the card issuing machine 200, the card is ejected and the card shifts from the unissued (blank) state SSO to the free state S81. Then, when the card is inserted into the desired pachinko machine 100, the game state shifts to S82. When the number of balls and the amount of money on the card become zero due to the game, the card is ejected and the state shifts to zero return state SS3. Also, during the game, the interrupt switch 11
When 5 is pressed, the card is ejected and the suspended state SS4
By re-inserting the same card, the game state returns to SS.
Return to 2. Then, when the end switch 114 is pressed to end the game during the game, the card is ejected and the game shifts to the free state SSI.

Even when a forced termination by the CPU or an abort occurs, the card is ejected and the game state moves from the gaming state SS2 to the free state SSI. When the card in the free state is brought to the payment machine 300 and payment processing is performed, an invalid mark is attached to the card, the card is collected, and the process moves to the payment completed state SS5. In the system of this embodiment, it is also possible to go directly to the payment machine 300 and perform payment processing without returning to the pachinko machine with the card in the suspended state SS4, and in that case, the payment completed status @SS5 is sent from the suspended state SS4. Move to.

In the above state transition diagram, the arrows indicating the transition direction with 0 attached are actions that involve recording card information in the card file FL3. In addition, the code indicated by XXH in each block represents the corresponding state in hexadecimal digits using the code indicating the card state in Table 22 (
HEXA expression).

Next, Table 23 shows an example of the configuration of the P machine file FL4.

In the figure, the items from machine number to card status are the data held in the transmission data area shown in Table 6, and these items are sent to the management device once every second. 1400 and registered in a file. Also,
The number of main prize balls, the number of sub-prize balls, the number of batted balls, and the batted-out mode are registered in the P machine file FL4 based on the setting value file FL1 shown in Table 18 when the system is started up.

*Total capacity 56×506=28336=approximately 30 Bytes Table 24 and Table 25 show the issuing machine file FL5 and the payment machine file FL6, respectively. The data items shown in Table 24 are held in the sending data area of the issuing machine shown in Table 1, and the data items shown in Table 25 are held in the sending data area shown in Table 12. Each match the data shown. These are sampled by the management device once per second.

In Tables 23 to 25, data marked with 0 in the save column is data that is saved on the floppy disk FDD at the end of business hours.

Next, the card issuing machine 100, the pachinko machine 200, the payment machine 300 as terminals configured as described above, and the management device 400 that performs centralized control of these terminals are organically combined to perform data transmission and card processing. The data transmission path (low-power area network) that enables this operation will be explained.

FIG. 18 shows a configuration example of a pachinko gaming system using a hierarchical data transmission path.

In other words, 100 to 1000 terminals are grouped into groups of 20 to 40 units, such as island equipment at a game store, and each group of terminals is connected to a token that circulates at high speed on a ring-shaped transmission path. A network adapter unit (hereinafter referred to as NAU) is connected to a network by a token-passing low-layer network (token bus) 510 in which a notebook (terminal device) that has acquired the access right called the NAU has the right to send and receive data in the form of packets. ) 53
Connected to 0.

A plurality of NAUs 530 that control each low layer network (token bus) 510 are connected to the management device 400 via a CSMA/CD type high layer network 520.

The low layer network 510 has a transmission speed of 2.5 Mbps (megabits per second), the high layer network 520 is controlled to have a transmission speed of 10 Mbps, and the NAU 530 absorbs the difference in transmission speed between the two. It acts as a buffer that enables smooth data transmission, thereby reducing the burden on the management device 400 and making it possible to collect a large amount of operational data.

In FIG. 18, the symbol P indicates a pachinko machine as a terminal, the symbol H indicates a card issuing machine, and the symbol S indicates a payment machine.

Each of the terminals P, H, and S is connected to a branch line branched from the low layer network 510 by a cable branch circuit 540 as shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 12. Control unit 16 of each terminal at the end of each branch line
0,250 and 350 are connected. In FIG. 18, reference numeral U indicates a control unit of each terminal.

FIG. 19 shows a configuration example of a control unit common to each terminal.

That is, the unit 1 controller 190 (251, 351) that controls each terminal and the low layer network 5
10, there is a unit memory 170 (270, 370) as a parallel communication means, and a data transmission controller 55 that transmits and receives data without interfering with the operation of the unit controller 190 (251, 351).
1, a buffer packet memory 552 that holds transmitted and received data in the form of packets to speed up data transmission;
A network controller 553 for communication control, which establishes transmission and reception claims on the low-layer network (token bus) 510, converts parallel data to be transmitted into serial data, and converts received serial data into parallel data, and a transmission/reception data signal. A level conversion circuit 554 that performs level conversion and a branch circuit 540 that separates and combines the transmitted signal and received signal are connected.

The controllers 551 and 553 are each composed of a microcomputer, and the packet memory 552, like the unit memory 170, is composed of a dual port memory. However, there is no shared data area for storing commands in the packet memory 552, and transmission and reception requests are exchanged directly between the data transmission controller 551 and the network controller 553.

FIG. 20 shows the NAU that buffers data transmission between the low layer network 510 and the high layer network 520.
An example of the circuit configuration of (network adapter unit) 530 is shown.

The NAU 530 in this example is connected to the lower layer network 510.
A low layer network controller 533 that establishes receivables and converts data into serial/parallel data, and a C8MA
A high-rise network controller 537 that establishes transmission/reception credits and performs serial/parallel conversion of data in a high-rise network of the /CD system, and a data transmission controller 535 that controls data transfer between these network controllers 533 and 537. . Among the above controllers, the low layer network controller 533 is
It is composed of a communication LSI dedicated to token passing, and the high-level network controller 537 and data transmission controller 535 are composed of general-purpose microcomputers. And these controllers 533 and 5
35 and between 535 and 537, there is a buffer packet memory 534 for absorbing the difference in data transmission speed between the low layer network 510 and the high layer network 520.
and 536 are connected to each other.

The packet memories 534 and 536 are configured by dual port memories and have a transmit data area and a receive data area. In addition, the low layer network controller 533 and the low layer network (talks bus) 510
A branch circuit 531 that separates and combines the transmitted signal and the received signal, and a level conversion circuit 532 that converts the level of the transmitted and received data signal are connected between the two. Also.

Similarly, a level conversion circuit 538 and a branch circuit 539 are connected between the high-rise network controller 537 and the high-rise network 520.

Furthermore, the NAU 530 of this embodiment includes a NAU number setting device 561 for setting a number to distinguish between a plurality of NAUs connected to each other, and a terminal device existing on the low layer network 510 under the control of each NAU 530. Of these, a minimum device number setting device 562 for setting the minimum device number and a number setting device 563 for setting the number of terminal devices existing on the low layer network are provided. Each setting device 561~
The 563 settings are input to the data transmission controller 535 within the NAU 530 and the NAU number is used to form the transmission address for each NAU in the high-rise network 520. Furthermore, the transmission address of each terminal in the low layer network 510 is formed by the minimum number and the number of terminals.

In the hierarchical local network 500 (FIG. 8), the management device 400 controls each NAU at system start-up.
NAU530 is used to perform line tests and set values for each terminal, and during system operation, NAU5
30 uses the low-layer network 510 to send the terminal f! once per second. &p.

Collects operating data from H and S and stores it in its own memory. Then, the accumulated data is sent to the high-rise network 5 at the same time (once per second) in response to a request from the management device 400.
20 from each NAU 530 in a data file in the management device 400.

As described above, one communication network has a hierarchical configuration using the NAU 530 as a buffer, and the high-rise network 520
has a transmission speed that is four times the transmission speed of the low-layer network 510, which is 2.5 Mbps, so 100
Even in a system having ~1000 terminals, a large amount of operating data as shown in Tables 1, 61 and 12 can be collected from each terminal to the management device once per second.

Next, an example of how to use a card using a card reader of a pachinko machine will be explained with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22.

Note that this flow shows a procedure for a card provided with only one authenticity discrimination physical layer.

When a card is inserted into the insertion/ejection opening 801 of the card reader 180 and sensor 1 (811) detects this, the transport motor 802 is rotated forward and the ejection flag prepared in the controller 188 is cleared (routine R1～
R3). The card is taken into the interior by the normal rotation of the motor 802. At this time, when a detection pulse is received from the sensor 5 (815) that detects the rotation of the motor 802, a counter counts the number of pulses, and the controller 188 calculates the number of pulses. The rotation angle is calculated from the numerical value, and when the card enters a predetermined position, that is, the position where the authenticity discrimination physical layer TFI faces the sensor 2 (812), the rotation of the motor is stopped, and the sensor 2 executes the authenticity discrimination physics/ffTF1. is scanned, and it is determined based on the detection signal whether or not the inserted card is a regular card (routines R4 to R7).

Here, if it is determined that the card is a regular card, the motor is rotated in the normal direction in routine R8, and if it is determined that the card is not a regular card, the discharge flag is set in routine R9, and then the motor is rotated in the routine RIO. Move to. If the number of physical layers for authenticity discrimination is four, the procedure of routines R5 to R8 is repeated four times before proceeding to routine R10.

In routine R10, it is determined whether the issuing hole forming part PH of the card has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when it comes to the reading position, sensor 3
It is determined whether the punched hole is open or not by reading the signal in routines R11 and R12). If it is not open, a discharge flag is set in routine R13, and if it is open, the process directly proceeds to routine R14.

In the routine R14, it is determined whether the restoration hole forming location PH2 of the card has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when it comes to the reading position, sensor 3
The routines R15 to R16) read the signal to determine whether the punch hole is open or not. If the hole is not open, a discharge flag is set in routine R17, and if it is open, the process directly proceeds to routine R18.

In routine R18, it is determined whether or not the zero return hole forming location PH4 of the card has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when it comes to the reading position, sensor 3
It is determined whether the punched hole is open or not by reading the signal in routines R19 and R20). If it is open, a discharge flag is set in routine R21, and if it is not open, the process directly proceeds to routine R22.

In routine R22, it is determined whether or not the payment hole formation location PH of the card has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when it comes to the reading position, sensor 3
It is determined whether the punched hole is open or not by reading the signal from the routine R23 to R24). If it is open, a discharge flag is set in routine R25, and if it is not open, the process directly proceeds to routine R26.

In routine R26, it is determined whether or not the magnetic data reading position has been reached based on the number of pulses from the sensor 5. If NO (no), the process proceeds to routine R29, and if YES, the process proceeds to routine R27 to read the magnetic recording section MO. After the magnetic head 808 reads the data recorded in (see FIG. 2 (B)), the data is temporarily stored in a register or RAM in the controller 188 (routine R28), and then the routine returns to routine R29. move on.

In routine R29, sensor 4 (
814) determines whether or not the edge of the card has been detected, and if NO, returns to routine R4 and repeats the above procedure, and when sensor 4 detects the edge of the card, routine R30 is executed.
After the motor is stopped, the process proceeds to the data verification process shown in FIG. 22.

Note that in the above flow, routines R9°R13,
After setting the discharge flag with R17, R21, and R25,
Although the process returns to the main flow, it is also possible to immediately proceed to the data appraisal process shown in FIG. 22, as indicated by the symbol Z.

In the data verification process shown in FIG. 22, it is first determined in routine R50 whether the discharge flag is set to "1", and only when it is not "1", the process proceeds to the original data verification process R51 to R65, and the discharge flag is set to "1". When is "1",
The program moves to routine R71, starts reversing the motor, then counts down the counter based on the number of pulses from the sensor 5, and stops the rotation of the motor 802 when it is determined that the card has reached the card ejection position while checking the counter value. (routines R72 to R74). At this time, the motor may be stopped when the signal from sensor 1 is turned off.

Proceeding to routine R51, processing routine R2 of FIG.
The magnetic data stored in step 8 is read out in the order in which it was stored, for example, in units of 4 bits. Since dummy data is included at the beginning of the stored magnetic data, it is necessary to determine whether the read data matches the auxiliary data STX, which is the first valid data (routine R52). , and repeat R51. Then, when the auxiliary data STX is read out, the process moves to the next routine R54, but if the auxiliary data STX has been destroyed, the routine R52 will no longer give a YES determination, so a predetermined number of If STX does not appear even after reading the data, routine R53
If the number of data exceeds the number of data, the process proceeds to the routine R71 described above, and the card ejection process is executed.

On the other hand, if the correct auxiliary data STX is read and the process moves to routine R54, the next magnetic data is read and it is determined whether it matches the correct identification code (
Routine R55). If the identification codes match, the process proceeds to the next routine R56, and if they do not match, the process proceeds to routine R71, which is card ejection processing.

In routine R56, the next magnetic data is read out, and in routine R57 it is determined whether or not it matches a preset date. If the year, month, and day match, routine R5
8, and if they do not match, the process moves to routine R71, card ejection processing.

In routine R58, the card number No., which is the next magnetic data, is read out, and in routine R59, the card number is stored in another storage area. Then routine R6
0, the next stored magnetic data is read, but since it is a preliminary code, it is skipped and discarded in routine R61, and the process advances to routine R62. Here, the next magnetic data is read, and in its routine R63 it is determined whether the data matches the auxiliary data ETX. If they match, the process advances to routine R64, and if not -M, the process advances to routine R71, the card ejection process. do.

In routine R64, the data ST read so far is
After calculating the check code for each bit string from X to ETX, the program proceeds to routine R65 and reads out the check code LRC, which is the next magnetic data. Then, in routine R66, the read data L R and C are read out in routine R64.
It is determined whether the check code matches the check code calculated in step R71. If they match, the process moves to the number verification process shown in FIG. 23, and if they do not match, the process moves to the card discharging process of routine R71.

In this manner, in the flow shown in FIG. 22, it is determined whether the card is a legitimate card or not based on the magnetic data. On the other hand, in the flowchart of FIG. 21, the card is authenticated by the authenticity discrimination physical layer on the card in routines R5 to R9. Therefore, fraud caused by card copying can be reliably eliminated.

In addition, in the flow of FIG. 21, routines RIO to R25
, the card status is determined using the punch holes PH1 to PH5, and here it is possible to determine whether or not the card is compatible with pachinko games, without performing the card number appraisal process by the management device described in the first step. Unplayable cards can be immediately ejected from the card reader 180.

Next, the procedure for verifying a card number by the management device will be explained using FIG. 23.

The controller 188 of the card reader 180 transfers the card number No. stored in a predetermined area in routine R59 during the data verification process in FIG. 22 to the unit controller 190 of the control unit )-160 (step SL).
. Then, the data (card number) is stored in the transmission area SDA in the unit memory 170, and a "card in" signal is sent to notify that the card has been inserted into the card reader.
It is put into a packet and transmitted from the control unit 160 to the management device 400 via the network 500 (step S2).

The management device 400 receives the card number and calculates the issued serial number n (step S3).
Search card file FL3 (Table 21) using
Step S4. S5).

When a corresponding file is found, the file is read (step S6) and the card status is changed to "free".
It is determined whether it is (step S7). If the card status is other than "free" or if the file is not found in step S5, a "NAK" is sent to refuse the response in step S10, and if there is a card file and the card status in it is "free", it is sent. If so, the card file is updated to change the card status to "playing", and the terminal number of the pachinko machine that sent the card number is written in a predetermined field (step S8).

Then, the card text (card information) is entered in the acknowledgment "ACK" and transmitted (step 89).

Control unit 160 that sent the Packardin'' packet
When there is a response from the management device 400, the response is "
Step 51 to determine whether it is “NAK” or “ACK”
1) When "A CK" is received, the unused amount and number of balls are displayed on the displays 162 and 163 on the front of the control unit by referring to the card text sent from the management device (step 512). ). Then, after lighting the lamps of the analog display 164 in proportion to the number of balls held (step 513), the ball launcher 111 is driven (step 514). In addition, the pachinko machine operating information in the transmission area SDA of the unit memory 170 is set to "playing".
(Step 515), the process moves to a game processing routine such as calculating the number of balls put out and the number of balls collected (Step 81).
6).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step Sll that "NAK" has been received, a discharge command is given to the controller 188 of the cart reader 180 (step 517).

When the controller 188 receives this discharge command.

After executing the card ejecting process which consists of the same procedure as the routines R71 to R74 shown in FIG. 22, a card insertion waiting state is entered (steps 818 and 519).

If there is no discharge command, the card is held in the card reader 180 and the reception of other cards is prohibited (step 520).

Next, the control procedure when the game end switch 114 (see FIG. 6) provided in the pachinko machine is turned on will be explained using FIG. 24.

When the end switch 114 is turned on and the unit controller 190 of the control unit 160 confirms this, it stops driving the ball launcher 111 (step 5IOI).
, 5102).

Next, after changing the card status in the transmission area SDA of the unit memory 170 to "free".

"End SW" to notify that the end switch has been turned on
The card text is put in a packet and sent to the management device 400 (step 5103. SiO2). When receiving the 'ACK' response from the management device 400, the displays on the ball number display 163 and amount display 162 are changed to rQJ (steps 8105 and 8106). After changing the pachinko machine operating information to "free", the card reader 180
A card ejection command is given to (step 3107.
5108). After that, the control unit 160 scrolls the lamp on the analog display 164 to indicate 'waiting for customers'.
A display is made to notify the status (step 5109).

On the other hand, upon receiving the card ejection command from the control unit 160 in step 5108 (routine RIOI), the control unit 188 of the card reader 180 causes the transport motor 802 to transmit (routine R102). Then, the counter that counts the pulses of the sensor 5 (815) that detects the rotation angle of the motor is counted down by the number of incoming pulses (routine R103), and the game hole forming part PH of the card faces the sensor 3. It is determined whether or not the card has been moved to the position (routine R104), and if the result is YES, the routine advances to routine R105. Routine R10
5, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped, and 9, the punching device 8
07 to punch a hole at the game hole forming location PH (routine R106), and then restart the reverse rotation of the motor (routine R107). Then, the pulses of the sensor 5 are counted (counted down) again, and when it is determined that the card has reached the ejection position, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped.
Card ejection ends (routines R108, R109
, RIIO). In this way, the card used in the second-time game is discharged after a hole is punched at a predetermined position by the punching device 807.

Next, with reference to FIG. 25, a control procedure when a zero state occurs in which the number of balls held by a card and the unused amount of money both become zero occurs during a game in a pachinko machine.

Control unit l-160 (7) Unit controller 1
If the unit 90 determines that a return to zero has occurred during the game, the drive of the batted ball launching device 111 is stopped (step 5201,
5202).

Next, the card status in the transmission area SDA of the unit memory 170 is changed to "free", and then the card text is included in a "return to zero" packet that notifies that a return to zero has occurred, and the card text is sent to the management device 400 ( Step 5203,5
204).

When receiving the "A CK" response from the management device 400, the display on the ball number display 163 and amount display 162 is changed to r.
QJ (steps 5205, 8206). Then, after changing the pachinko machine operating information in the transmission area SDA of the unit memory 170 to "free", a card ejection command is given to the card reader 180 (steps 5207, 3208).
, scrolls the lamp on the analog display 164 to display the status of "waiting for customers" (step 5209).
).

On the other hand, upon receiving the card ejection command from the control unit 160 in step 8208 (routine R201), the control unit 188 of the card reader 180 reverses the transport motor 802 (routine R202).

A sensor 5 (815) detects the rotation angle of the motor.
The counter for counting pulses is counted down by the number of incoming pulses (routine R203), and it is determined whether the card has moved to a position where the zero return hole formation point PH of the card faces the sensor 3 (routine R204). , then the routine proceeds to routine R'205. Routine R2
At O5, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped, and then the punching device 807 is driven to punch a hole in the zero return hole formation location PH4 (routine R206), and then the motor is restarted in reverse rotation (routine R207). , the pulses of the sensor 5 are counted (countdown) again to determine whether or not the game hole forming location PH of the card has moved to the position facing the sensor 3 (routines R2O3, R209), and if YES, the routine advances to routine R210.

In routine R210, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped,
Next, the punching device 807 is driven, and the game hole forming location PH,
After punching a hole (routine R211), the motor is restarted in reverse rotation (routine R212). Then, the pulses of the sensor 5 are counted (countdown) again, and when it is determined that the card has reached the card ejection position, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped, and the ejection of the card is completed (routine R2).
13, R214, R215).

However, when the card is ejected due to the occurrence of zero return, the above routines R207 to R211 are omitted and the zero return hole formation location PH,
Alternatively, punch holes may be punched only in the area for discharge.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention has a magnetic recording section that records valuable data or identification codes substantially equivalent to the amount of money or the number of balls, as well as information about the condition or history of the card in the form of perforations. The perforation forming part for recording information and the printing display part for printing the issue serial number etc. are provided along the insertion direction of the card, so by optically reading the perforation made in the perforation forming part, magnetic recording is possible. Using the code recorded in the card, you can read out the data on the number of balls held from the file on the management device and easily understand the status of the card without checking it. It is possible to reduce the burden on the management device. In addition, since the amount, date of issue, and issue serial number can be printed on the print display section when the card is issued, all you need to do is prepare a blank card, which makes card management easier and the information on the magnetic recording section. Even if the card becomes unreadable, it can be restored using the issuing serial number.

In addition, since the area other than the magnetic recording part, the perforation forming part, and the print display part is used as an area for authenticating a complex pattern or one that is invisible or difficult to forge,
Since the authenticity of the card can be determined by inspecting not only the magnetic information held in the magnetic recording section but also the authenticity discrimination area, the use of fraudulent cards can be more reliably prevented.

Furthermore, since the print display section and the perforation forming section are provided along the card insertion direction, the purchase amount, issue date, and issue serial number can be printed on the print display section while reading the information in the magnetic recording section with the card reader. It is also possible to continuously read the punched holes drilled in the perforation forming part.

In addition, since the magnetic recording section is provided on the same side as the print display section, the configuration of the card reader can be made more compact by arranging the magnetic head, printing device, and punching device on the same side of the card. This makes it possible to arrange a card reader between the gaming machines in the island equipment of a pachinko parlor.

Furthermore, by printing a decorative pattern on the area of the card surface other than the printed display area and the magnetic recording area, it is possible to improve the visual sense of value of the card itself, which has value. In other words, if the background of the card is white or only one color, the card will look cheap even though it has value, but by printing a pattern 7 in the margin, the visual sense of value can be enhanced. In addition, by adding a pattern to the card, it can be easily distinguished from cards for other game parlors, making it easier for staff to detect fraudulent card usage. By actively using it for identification, it is possible to more reliably prevent fraud.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a pachinko gaming system to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 (A) is a front view showing an example of the configuration of a card used in the system according to the present invention, (B) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the magnetic recording section of the card, FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of the card issuing machine used in the system according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is the configuration of the card reader. A schematic configuration diagram showing an example. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of a card issuing machine, Figure 6 (A) is a front view showing a configuration example of a pachinko machine, and Figure 6 (B) is a configuration example of a control unit of a pachinko machine. FIG. 7 is a rear view showing an example of the configuration of the back side of the Pachinko machine; FIG. 8 is a rear view showing an example of the configuration of the enclosed ball circulation device on the back side of the Pachinko machine. Figure 9 (A) is an enlarged view showing the details of the ball removal part of the sealed ball circulation device, Figure 9 (B) is a perspective view showing details of the ball feeding part of the sealed ball circulation device, and Figure 10 is a pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the entire control system. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control device for a pachinko machine, and FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration example of a payment machine. Figure 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system of the payment machine, Figure 14 is a perspective view showing an example of the overall configuration of the management device, and Figure 15 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system of the payment machine.
The figure is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the management device itself, FIG. 16 is a configuration example of the console of the management device, where (A) is a plan view, (B) is a rear view, and FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the invention 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transmission system in the gaming system of the present invention; FIG. 19 is a unit controller and transmission line of each terminal,
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control unit that controls data transmission and reception with a network. Fig. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of NAU (Network 1 to Work Adapter Unit l-) that controls data transfer on the network, and Fig. 21 is the first stage authenticity verification process in the card reader of a pachinko machine. Flowchart showing the steps. Figure 22 is a flowchart showing the second-stage authenticity verification processing procedure using magnetic data in the card reader of the pachinko machine, and Figure 23 is the third-stage authenticity verification processing procedure using the card number as an identification number by the management device. Flowchart showing. Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure at the card reader when the end switch of the pachinko machine is turned on, and Fig. 25 shows the processing procedure at the card reader when a return to zero occurs during play at the pachinko machine. Flowchart, FIG. 26(A) is a front view showing the second embodiment of the gaming card according to the present invention, FIG. 26(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of the card, and FIG. 27 is the inside of the card. FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of the card. FIG. 29 is an explanatory view showing another example of the structure of the magnetic recording section in the card. PH...Perforation forming part (punch hole forming area). TF...authenticity discrimination area, PRT...print display section, MG...magnetic recording section, 100...pachinko machine. 110... Game machine main body, 120... Enclosed ball circulation device, 160... Control unit, 170... Unit memory, 180... Card reader, 190...
... Unit controller, 200 ... Card issuing machine, 210 ... Bill validating machine, 220 ... Card reader, 230 ... Balance dispenser, 250 ...
Control unit, 300... Payment machine, 310...
Card reader, 320...Banknote dispenser, 330...
...Printer, 350...Control unit, 4, O
O...Management device, 510...Low layer network, 520...High layer network, 530...N
AU (Network Adapter Unit).

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) It has a magnetic recording section, in which valuable data or identification codes substantially equivalent to the amount of money or the number of balls are recorded, and the pachinko game machine records the information based on the information read from the magnetic recording section. A card used in a pachinko gaming system that allows games to be played within the range of valuable data, and includes a printed display section on which the purchase amount, effective date, and serial number of issue can be printed, and the history or condition of the card. A pachinko game card characterized by being provided with a perforation forming portion representing a transition. (2) The pachinko game card according to claim 1, wherein an authenticity discrimination area is provided in an area other than the magnetic recording part, print display part, and perforation forming part. (3) The pachinko game card according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the print display section and the perforation forming section are provided along the card insertion direction. (4) The magnetic recording section is formed in a band shape along the card insertion direction, and is provided on the same surface as the print display section,
The pachinko game card described in item 2 or 3. (5) The pachinko game card according to claim 2, wherein the authenticity discrimination area is printed with a pattern or code in which a security bit is hidden. (6) An information blank area serving as a roller running area is provided along the card insertion direction so as to avoid the magnetic recording section, print display section, perforation forming section, and authenticity identification area. A pachinko game card according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.