JPH0120622B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention is directed to the centralized management of game machines, which centrally manages a plurality of video game machines installed in a game hall or a plurality of game machines installed in a coffee shop, for example. Regarding the device, in particular, the service requests of the players can also be managed remotely.

Conventional technology Many video game machines, cash registers,
At game arcades and coffee shops equipped with currency exchange machines and other money-handling equipment, managing sales proceeds, security measures against illegal play, services for players, etc. is extremely complex and requires a large number of staff. .
However, increasing the number of staff increased personnel costs and made management difficult.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide services to players based on the operational status and business performance of a large number of game machines and cash registers and other money handling equipment by a small number of staff members. An object of the present invention is to provide a centralized management device for game machines that can perform management such as the following.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the centralized management device for game machines of the present invention inputs a service request from a player for each of a plurality of game machines where a game is started based on the insertion of money. A keyboard with a plurality of keys arranged is provided, and the game machine and money handling equipment such as a cash register are connected online to a central processing unit installed in the control room, and the game machine and money handling equipment are handled by this central processing unit. The present invention has a configuration characterized in that it includes a display means for collecting and displaying the operation status and business results of the equipment as well as service requests from the keyboard arranged with the plurality of keys.

Operation: A central processing unit installed in the control room monitors the operational status and business operations of multiple game machines that start games based on the input of money, cash registers, and other money-handling equipment connected online to the central processing unit. The results and service requests of the players from the keyboard arranged with a plurality of keys provided for each of the plurality of game machines are collected and displayed on a display means.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a video game machine that serves as a plurality of game machines in which a game is started based on the insertion of money, and each video game machine 1 is provided with, for example, an attendant's call during a game on the game machine. A keyboard 21 (described later) with a plurality of keys arranged thereon is provided as an input means for inputting service requests such as orders for drinks, cigarettes, etc. from the video game machine 1, the cash register 2, the money exchange machine 4, etc. A central processing unit 7 installed in a control room 6 is connected online via a common bus line 5 to the equipment handling money, and the central processing unit 7 is connected to the video game machine 1, a cash register 2 serving as a equipment handling money, and a currency exchange machine. A display lamp 12 or a monitor television 13 is provided as a display means for collecting and displaying the operating status and business results of the machine 4 and service requests from the keyboard 21.

A plurality of video game machines 1 and money exchange machines 4 are installed in a game hall, and a cash register 2 and a terminal 3 are installed in a coffee shop. The electronic control units of each video game machine 1, money exchange machine 4, cash register 2, and terminal device 3 are connected to an input/output control device 8 of a central processing unit 7 in a management room 6 via a common bus line 5. There is.

The central processing unit 7 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and executes the program of the central management unit, processes input/output information, and performs logical operations. The input/output control device 8 is composed of an address circuit for specifying addresses of input/output devices, a bus driver for sending signals from the central processing unit 7 to the common bus line 5, gates, and the like.

A storage device 9 and an auxiliary storage device 10 are connected to the central processing unit 7, and the storage device 9 stores various information of this central management device, and has a program area for storing programs of this system and a program execution area. It consists of a working area where data is temporarily stored. Further, the auxiliary storage device 10 stores business data on a daily basis at the end of business hours, and is composed of, for example, a floppy disk.

Furthermore, the input/output control device 8 includes a keyboard 1 for instructing the central processing unit 7 to input and output information.
1, a machine display lamp 12 marked with the machine number of each video game machine that displays the business status of each video game machine 1, a monitor television 13 that displays keystrokes on the keyboard 11 and business data, business data, etc. A printing device 14 such as a line printer for printing out the information, and a broadcasting equipment control device 15 are connected to each other.

The broadcast equipment control device 15 includes a frequency allocation control section for a plurality of video signals (commercial TV signals, VTR video signals), a signal amplification section for transmitting the video signals to the TV line 16, and a central processing unit 7 according to instructions. It consists of an image memory and the like that stores still image (menu display) signals.

The TV line 16 is connected to each video game machine 1, and the keyboard 21 of the video game machine 1 shown in FIG. The image is displayed on the video display device 22 of the machine 1.

Furthermore, a plurality of monitor televisions 17, an antenna 18 for receiving normal television broadcasting, and a plurality of VTRs 19 are connected to the broadcast equipment control device 15, respectively.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the video game machine 1 includes a table 20, a keyboard 21, and a video display device 22. Reference numeral 23 denotes a game operation section, and a coin processing device 24 is provided on the side of the operation section 23.
is provided.

The coin processing device 24 of the video game machine 1 has a third
As shown in the figure, a coin input slot 31, a first coin detector 32, a second coin detector 33, a third coin detector 3
3', a coin sorter 34, and a coin return opening 35.

When a coin is inserted into the coin input port 31 of the coin processing device 24, the first coin detector 32 is activated, and if the coin is sorted by the coin sorter 34 and is an appropriate coin, it passes through and enters the second coin detector. 33 and then sent to the cash box 36. The CPU 53 (see FIG. 5) of the video game machine 1 measures the signal time interval between the first coin detector 32 and the second coin detector 33, and inserts a coin only when this time is a predetermined time. It is assumed that the game is hot and the game starts. On the other hand, when the inserted coins are sorted by the coin sorter 34 and returned to the coin return slot 35 as unsuitable coins, the third coin sorter 33' is activated, and in this case, the video game machine 1 is not operated at all.

However, if the first coin detector 32 is activated and the second and third coin detectors 33, 33' are not activated within a certain period of time, it is assumed that a fraudulent act or trouble has occurred and the video game machine 1 is activated. The CPU 53 stores the status in the receiver latch 51 and transmits the status to the central processing unit 7 as described later.

A cash box 36 is provided at the bottom of the coin processing device 24, and the cash box 36
is detachably attached to the storage frame 41.

Reference numeral 37 indicates a key for the cash register 36, 38 a lock piece rotated by the key 37, reference numeral 39 a micro switch that opens when the cash register 36 is pulled out from the storage frame 41, and reference numeral 40 an actuator for the micro switch 39. , 43 is a slide piece, and 42 is a spring that presses the slide piece 43 in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG.

Then, the cash box 36 is placed in the storage frame 41.
When the slide piece 43 is pulled out by some method, the spring 42 moves the slide piece 43 in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIG.
will be open. The CPU 53 of the video game machine 1 detects the signal from the micro switch 39 at regular intervals, and when it detects an open signal, it stores it in the receiver switch 51.

On the other hand, in addition to collecting sales data, the central processing unit 7 in the control room 6 constantly scans the receiver unit 51 via the common bus line 5, and receives the above-mentioned fraud or trouble signal from a specific unit. When the open signal is read, the display lamp 12 in the control room 6 blinks to notify the staff. At this time, a buzzer or the like may also be used.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the electrical control section of the video game machine 1, in which the common bus line 5 is connected to the electronic control section via the receiver switch 51, and the TV line 16 is input to the channel selection circuit 52. ,
The CPU 53 of the video game machine 1 sets the receiver latch 51 and the tuning circuit 52, respectively.

Next, the operation of the central management device of this embodiment will be explained.

Each of the plurality of video game machines 1 and the cash register 2 has a sales proceeds addition storage area in the control device, and the storage contents are stored in the control room 6 in response to a sales proceeds collection signal from the central processing unit 7. is sent to the common bus line 5.

If you would like to know the sales proceeds from video game machine 1 or coffee corner during business hours, please use the keyboard 11 in the management room 6.
Press "MONEY" from the key. The keystroke characters are sent to the monitor television 1 by the input/output control device 8.
On the other hand, the keystroke character "MONEY" serves as a signal for instructing the central processing unit 7 to collect sales proceeds, and the central processing unit 7 sends the video game machine 1 and the cash register 2 via the common bus line 5.
Sends an instruction signal to. Upon receiving this instruction signal, the CPU 53 of the video game machine 1 and the CPU of the cash register 2 set the added storage contents of the sales proceeds to the receiver balance 51 in the control section of each video game machine 1 and the cash register 2. After sending the instruction signal, the central processing unit 7 immediately scans the latches of the video game machine 1 and the cash register 2 via the common bus line 5, reads the contents of the latches, and stores them in the storage device 9.When the reading is completed, The sales proceeds stored in the video game machine 1 are added up and displayed on the monitor television 13 in the management room 6.

The sales proceeds from the cash register 2 are also displayed on the monitor television 13.

The displayed contents are as follows.

MONEY 134500 REGI 56340 If you wish to print the sales proceeds for each video game machine 1 and the sales proceeds in the cash register 2, press "MONEYPRINT" using the keys on the keyboard 11 in the control room 6. In response to this instruction signal, the central processing unit 7 causes the sales proceeds to be collected and stored in the storage device 9 in the same manner as before, and the stored contents are printed by the printing device 14. The printed contents are as follows.

GAME 1 1800 2 2400 3 5600 : : 80 1200 TOTAL 134800 REGI 56340 Furthermore, if you want to know the high score of video game machine 1, press "SCORE" on the keyboard 11. By this instruction signal, the central processing unit 7
collects and stores the high scores of each video game machine 1 in the storage device 9 in the same manner as when collecting sales proceeds, and displays them on the monitor television 13 in the order of the scores.

The displayed contents are as follows.

SCORE GAME 8 15680 3 13220 25 12450 : : 13 9850 Also, a game is played using the keys on the keyboard 21 on the table 20 of each video game machine 1. You can select from regular TV broadcasts, VTR or menus, etc.
The display on the video display device 22 of the video game machine 1 is also used for other information services.

For example, the broadcast channels selected by the keyboard 21 are as follows.

When playing a game using video game machine 1,
When "13" is input from the keyboard 21 of the table 20, the CPU 53 of the video game machine 1 sets the channel selection circuit 52 to channel 13, and the video game can be enjoyed. Video signals other than those for games are constantly sent out through the TV line 16. For example,
When ordering from the menu, if you enter "14" from the keyboard 21, the CPU 5 of the video game machine 1
3, the channel selection circuit 52 is set to channel 14, and a menu is displayed on the video display device 22. This menu display shows the order number, product name,
Prices are displayed.

Order number ↓ 100 Coffee ¥300 101 Lemon tea ¥300 102 Orange juice ¥300: 150 Pilaf ¥500 And keyboard 2, which the player uses as an input method
When a service request is input by keying in the order number from 1, the CPU 53 of the video game machine 1 sets the order number in the receiver latch 51. The central processing unit 7 constantly scans the receiver latch 51 via the common bus line 5, and when it reads the order number, it sends the table number and order number to the terminal 3 in the cafe corner. The terminal 3 receives this signal and displays the table number and order number, that is, the service request, on a monitor television (not shown), which is a display means set in the terminal 3.

Note that this terminal 3 is also used to create and change menu tables, and this is done by typing on the keyboard on the terminal 3. Further, the monitor television set in the terminal 3 displays the contents of the keystrokes, sales proceeds, etc. If the player wishes to call a staff member for some reason such as a problem with the game machine, he/she can request service by keying in the call instruction number "20" from the keyboard 21, which is the input means of the video game machine 1. 1 CPU53
sets a call indication signal to receiver latch 51. The central processing unit 7 is constantly connected to the video game machine 1.
The receiver terminal 51 of the machine is scanned via the common bus line 5, and when a call signal from a specific machine is read, the machine display lamp 12 in the control room 6 is lit to display a service request and inform the staff of the call. Let me know what happened.

Further, the display lamp 12 also controls unauthorized use of the coin processing device 24, such as the use of stringed coins or the like, or the removal of the cash box 36.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the operation status of a large number of devices that handle money such as the video game machine 1 and the cash register 2, that is, the insertion of fraudulent coins into the video game machine 1, the operation of the cash register, etc. 36
occurrence of sampling, high scores of each game machine 1, business results, i.e., sales proceeds from video game machine 1 and cash register 2, and services for players, i.e., menu orders, malfunctions of game machines. Requests for staff calls, etc.,
Since the information is displayed on the lamp 12 serving as the display means, the monitor TV 13, or the monitor built into the terminal 3, the staff waits at the terminal 3 installed in the control room 6 or the coffee corner and operates it as necessary. It is sufficient to monitor the situation and business results and perform necessary work only when a service request is received from a player, and a large number of personnel are not required.

In this embodiment, the management room is set up separately from the cafe corner, but the central processing unit and other equipment in the management room are connected to the cash register, cafe corner, etc.
It may be installed centrally together with the terminals.

Effects of the Invention According to the centralized management device for game machines of the present invention, the operating status and business results of a large number of game machines and devices that handle money such as cash registers, and service requests from players can be monitored by the central processing unit. Since the information is collected and displayed on the display means, a small number of staff members can sufficiently manage the totaling of sales proceeds, crime prevention measures against illegal games, services for players, etc., thereby streamlining management.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a centralized management device for a video game machine as a game machine of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the coin processing device of the video game machine as described above;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cash box, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control section of the video game machine. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Video game machine, 2...Cash register, 3...Terminal, 4...Money exchange machine, 5...Common bus line, 6...Control room, 7...Central processing unit, 8...Input/output control device, 9...Storage device , 10... Auxiliary storage device, 11... Keyboard, 12... Display lamp, 1
3...Monitor TV, 14...Printing device, 15...Broadcast equipment control device, 16...TV line, 17...Monitor TV, 18...Antenna, 19...VTR, 20...
Table, 21...Keyboard, 22...Video display device, 23...Operation unit, 24...Coin processing device, 31...
Coin slot, 32...first coin detector, 33...second
Coin detector, 33'...Third coin detector, 34...Coin sorter, 35...Coin return slot, 36...Cash box, 37...Key, 38...Lock piece, 39...
Micro switch, 40... Actuator, 41
...Storage frame, 42...Spring, 43...Slide piece, 51
...Receiver balance, 52...Tuning selection circuit, 53...
CPU.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Each of a plurality of game machines where a game is started based on the insertion of money is provided with a keyboard with a plurality of keys arranged for inputting service requests from players, and also handles money on the game machine and cash register, etc. The device is connected online to a central processing unit installed in a control room, and the central processing unit collects operating status and business results of the gaming machine and money handling equipment, as well as service requests from the keyboard arranged with the plurality of keys. , a central control device for a game machine, characterized in that it is equipped with a display means for displaying the same.