JPH0330379B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electric slot machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electric slot machine that allows another game to be played only when the combination of symbols displayed on the stopped reels reaches a specific combination.

In an electric slot machine, the reels are rotated by inserting a coin and driving a stepping motor, and the player stops the reels by activating a reel stop switch at will. It is configured to detect a combination of symbols and pay out a predetermined number of coins only when the combination of the symbols is a specific combination.

The present invention provides the above-mentioned conventional electric slot machine with only a specific combination of display patterns.
It has an added function that can make another game with a high probability of winning special.It uses a stepping motor to rotate multiple reels, stops the reels by operating a stop switch, and changes the pattern displayed on each reel. In an electric slot machine that detects a combination of symbols, determines whether the combination is a specific combination of symbols, and pays out a predetermined number of coins only if the combination is a specific combination, means for re-spinning all the reels a number of times corresponding to the probability of the symbol appearing only in the case of a further specific combination of the symbols; (b) means for re-spinning each reel each time a coin is inserted (c) means for determining whether the displayed symbol of each stopped reel is a specific symbol; and (d) means for determining whether or not the displayed symbol of each reel is a specific symbol; The present invention relates to an electric slot machine characterized by having means for dispensing a number of coins.

A block diagram of the function realizing means of the electric slot machine of the present invention is shown in FIG.

1, 2 and 3 are all reels of the slot machine, and stepping motors 4 and 3 respectively.
It is driven by 5 and 6. 15 is a start switch, which is usually used in the form of a lever switch. The operation of the start switch 15 generates a basic clock signal, which is converted into four-phase pulses for exciting the stepping motors for driving each reel, thereby driving the stepping motors 4, 5, and 6.

The positions of the symbols displayed on the reels are determined by the basic clock signal and the reel symbol reference position detectors 7 placed on each reel 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
The symbol detection means 10 receives the reference position signals of the symbols on the reels from 8 and 9, and is constantly detected.

11, 12 and 13 are reel 1,
The stepping motors 4, 5, 6 are stopped by the operation of each switch 11, 12, 13, and a reel stop signal is sent to the pattern detection means 10.

The symbol detection means 10 receives a basic clock signal, a reel reference position signal and a reel stop signal,
The position of the displayed symbol of the stopped reel is detected, and a signal of the stopped position of the displayed symbol is output to the symbol combination determining means 14.

The display pattern position is detected by the pattern detecting means 10 in a conventional manner. For example, when a protrusion (not shown) provided on the reel 1 that indicates a reference symbol passes through the symbol reference position detector 7 of the reel, a reel counter (not shown) in the symbol detection means 10 is set to zero. do. When the specific number of steps of the basic clock signal corresponds to the rotation of the symbols on the reels, the number of steps of the basic clock signal matches the movement of the symbols, so
By counting the number of steps of the basic clock signal with a reel counter, the position of the displayed pattern can be detected. Therefore, by detecting the count number when the reel stop signal is input, the displayed symbol at the time of stop can be detected.

In the pattern combination determination means 14, the pattern detection means 10
When the display symbol stop position signal is received from the controller, it is determined whether the combination is a predetermined specific combination, and only if the combination of the stop symbols matches the specific combination, the display is set to that specific combination. The information on the number of coins to be paid out is outputted to the number-of-payout determining means 16, and the payout means d is driven to pay out a predetermined number of coins.

The above configuration and operation are performed in a conventional electric slot machine, but in the present invention,
The determination result of the symbol combination determining means 14 is sent to the reel re-rotating means a, and it is further determined whether or not it is a specific combination (hereinafter referred to as a combination for another game). The reel re-rotating means a enables the start switch and also sends a signal to the reel re-stopping means b only when the symbols displayed on the reels are a combination for another game.

In the reel re-stopping means b, the start switch 1
The stop switches 11, 12, and 13 are enabled only when both the reactivation signal No. 5 and the coin insertion signal from the coin insertion detector 17 are input.

When any one of the enabled stop switches is actuated, the corresponding reel is stopped and at the same time the remaining stop switches are released from the enabled state. Then, in the same way as described above, the pattern detecting means 10 detects the stopped reel display pattern and sends the information to the pattern determining means c. The symbol determining means c determines whether or not the displayed symbol is a specific symbol in another game, and only when the symbol is a specific symbol, outputs a signal to the payout number determining means 16, and outputs a signal to the payout number determining means 16.
The output drives the payout means d, and a predetermined number of coins are paid out.

When the above operation is completed, by inserting a coin again, the reel restart means b enables the remaining stop switches, and the above operation is repeated. This repeated operation is performed until there are no more spinning reels, and one cycle of another game is completed.

This cycle of different games is repeated a number of times corresponding to the probability of the types of combinations for different games appearing. For example, for the highest winning combination, use 4 cycles, and for a combination with a relatively high probability of winning, use 3 cycles.
The settings are cycle, 2 cycles, and 1 cycle.

Although the above-mentioned function realizing means can be implemented by a normal electric circuit, it is preferable that the functions other than the various switches, the detector, and the dispensing means are constructed by a microcomputer.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of hardware corresponding to the function realizing means shown in FIG. 1.

20, 21 and 22 are CPU and ROM respectively
and RAM, which are connected to each other and to the input port 24 and output port 25 by an address bus 26 and a data bus 27.

The input port 24 includes a start switch 15, an input coin detector 17, a payout coin counter 30,
Signals are sent from reel stop switches 11, 12, 13 and reel symbol reference position detectors 7, 8, 9.

From the output port 25, the stepping motor 4,
5, 6 and the payout hopper motor 32. Although not shown, the signals are also output to various display lamps.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a schematic flowchart in which the function implementation means shown in FIG. 1 is achieved by a microcomputer.

Each symbol in FIG. 3 indicates the following processing and judgment, respectively.

100: Initial setting of input/output port 101: Has a coin been inserted? 102: Is the start switch ON? 103: Initial drive of reel 104: Is there an input from the reel photo sensor? 105: Set the counter that detects the symbol position on the reels to 0.

106: Are the number of basic clock signal steps corresponding to one symbol on the reels oscillated? 107: Reel counter +1 108: Stop switch ON? 109: Stop excitation of that reel 110: Save the displayed symbols on that reel 111: Are all three reels stopped? 112: Compare the combination of symbols displayed on the three reels and the winning combination 113: Won? 114: Coin payout 115: Is it a win for another game? 116: Set the number of cycles of another game corresponding to the winning 117: Enable the start switch 118: Has a coin been inserted? 119: Is the start switch ON? 120: Enable the stop switch.

121: Is there an input from the reel's photo sensor? 122: Set the counter that detects the symbol position on the reels to 0.

123: Reel counter +1 124: Stop switch enabled
Is it ON? 125: Stop excitation of that reel 126: Is it a hit? 127: Pay out coins 128: Has the set number of cycles ended? In this way, the electric slot machine of the present invention
In the case of a specific winning combination, a separate game can be played based on the probability of that combination, which was previously completed in one game, and the game quality of the electric slot machine can be further enhanced. .

Also, the number of cycles of another game is as described above,
Since the probability of a particular combination being changed is changed step by step, you can enjoy the game even more interestingly.

Note that the concept of "coin" used in this specification is not limited to so-called currency coins, but also includes medals.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the function realizing means of the electric slot machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an electronic circuit used to achieve the function realizing means shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a program for operating the slot machine of the present invention. (Main symbols in the drawing), 1, 2, 3: Reel, 4,
5, 6: stepping motor, 7, 8, 9: reference position detector for reel symbols, 10: symbol detection means, 11, 12, 13: reel stop switch, 1
4: Symbol combination determining means, 15: Start switch, 16: Payout number determining means, 17: Inserted coin detector, 20: CPU, 21: ROM, 22:
RAM, 24: Input port, 25: Output port,
a: Reel re-rotating means, b: Reel re-stopping means,
c: Stopped symbol detection means, d: Payout means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stepping motor rotates a plurality of reels, the reels are stopped by actuation of a stop switch, and a combination of symbols displayed on each reel is detected, and the combination is a specific symbol combination. In an electric slot machine that determines whether or not the combination is a specific combination, and pays out a predetermined number of coins only if the combination is a specific combination, (a) means for re-spinning all the reels a number of times corresponding to the probability of the symbol appearing; (b) means for re-stopping each re-spinning reel by operating a stop switch each time a coin is inserted; (c) stopping. and (d) means for paying out a predetermined number of coins only when the displayed symbol is a specific symbol. mold slot machine.