JPS6362232B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and more particularly, the display state of a variable display means is variably displayed depending on the passing of a ball to a ball passing area formed on a gaming board, and a predetermined number of gaming balls are displayed on a gaming board. This game machine has an improved mechanism for ejecting game balls (pachinko balls) into a game board in a game machine that returns the display state of a variable display means to an initial state each time the balls are ejected into the game board.

In general, a combination game machine is put into practical use in which a plurality of ball passing areas are arranged below the game board, and a combination display including a plurality of display parts corresponding to each ball passing area is arranged on the game board surface. It is served to. A metal game machine (commonly known as an arrangement ball), which is an example of a conventional combination game machine, has a metal slot and multiple ball slots, each with different identification information, arranged in parallel below the game board. A combination display consisting of a plurality of display parts on which identification information corresponding to the identification information of the ball socket is drawn is arranged in the center of the game board. In this metal gaming machine, when the metal borrowed from the metal rental machine is inserted into the metal slot, a predetermined number (usually 16) of pachinko balls are supplied to the ball-hitting position, allowing the player to play the ball-hitting game. A display section corresponding to the passage area through which the ball passes as it falls along the game board, bringing the hit ball above the game board using a ball guide rail formed in an arc shape from the ball hitting position to the top of the game board. is lit up, and when the display state of the combination display reaches a predetermined combination until a predetermined number of pachinko balls are hit, coins that can be played again are paid out as prizes.

By the way, some gaming parlors have well-known pachinko gaming machines and metal gaming machines installed on the same floor. In such a playground,
If a player wants to play pachinko, he borrows pachinko balls from a ball rental machine, and if he wants to play a metal game, he borrows metal from a metal rental machine and plays, and in the middle of the game, he switches from pachinko to a coin game, or vice versa. In this case, the player had to exchange the previously acquired pachinko balls or metal balls for prizes and then borrow new metal or pachinko balls, which was troublesome. Also,
In the case of a game hall, since two types of machines, ball lending machines and metal lending machines, must be installed, equipment costs are high and extra installation space is required, and pachinko balls and metal machines must be supplied separately. Therefore, it is necessary to provide two systems of reducing equipment, which increases the equipment cost.

Therefore, recently, a combination pachinko machine has been proposed that allows players to play games using pachinko balls lent out from a ball lending machine. This combination pachinko machine is
A ball waiting gutter is provided in the front, and a predetermined number of pachinko balls required for one game are taken into the gutter, and when the pachinko balls are hit one by one, the balls are moved from the ball hitting position to an arc-shaped ball guide rail. When the ball brought to the top of the game board falls and passes through or falls into a certain ball passing area, the corresponding display section lights up, and the combination of the display sections that are lit is displayed. When a combination of vertical, horizontal, or diagonal rows is reached, a predetermined number of pachinko balls are paid out as prizes.

As mentioned above, the conventional pinball game machine with a combination display uses a ball guide rail formed in an arc from the ball hitting point to the top of the game board in order to fire the pachinko balls to the game board. Since it is configured to guide the pachinko ball, if the hitting force is too strong, the fired ball will go around the rail and return, but on the other hand, if the hitting force is too weak, the fired ball will return. There have been problems such as the balls returning back and becoming fual balls, and the returning balls colliding with the subsequently fired balls and collecting in a string of beads inside the shot ball guide rail, making the game impossible. In addition, the structure of the ball-striking device of conventional pinball game machines is complicated and expensive, and it is difficult to shoot the ball in the player's desired direction due to the way the ball-striking force is adjusted. There were also problems such as making people feel uncomfortable. In particular, when a certain value is assigned based on the display state of the combination display every time a certain number of balls are hit as described above, and the display state of each display of the combination display is then reset, By providing a detector in connection with the ball guide rail to detect balls that have been hit, there was also the problem that if the ball balls were included in the fixed number, the player would feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, since the launching ball guiding rail guides thousands to tens of thousands of pachinko balls per day, it easily gets dirty, requires wiping and cleaning, and maintenance of the gaming machine is troublesome. Ta.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in order to solve various problems of the conventional ones as described above. A game machine that returns the display state of a variable display means to an initial state every time a ball is fired, and is equipped with a ball firing mechanism that can reliably fire the game balls into the game board without producing fual balls. The purpose is to provide

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game machine that can reliably fire game balls in a desired direction without requiring adjustment of the ball hitting force, and that is equipped with a simple and inexpensive ball firing mechanism. be.

To summarize this invention, a firing direction variable member that can change the firing direction of balls is provided at the top of the game board, a ball storage member is provided below the game machine, and the game balls stored in the ball storage member are fired. A mechanism is provided to lift and feed the balls to the position where the variable direction member is disposed, detect the balls supplied to the variable firing direction member, and when the number reaches a certain number, return the display state of the variable display means to the initial state. This is what I did.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a front view of a pachinko machine that is an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a detailed view of the terminal end portion of the ball storage member. In the figure, a game board 11 of a pachinko machine 10 includes game balls (pachinko balls).
Arc-shaped guide rails 12 are formed on the left and right sides to restrict the area through which the vehicle can pass. Below the game board 11, a plurality of ball sockets 13a to 13p, which are examples of ball passage areas, are arranged in parallel. Each of the ball sockets 13a to 13p has identification information (numbers 1 to 16 in the illustration).
is drawn. A combination display 14, which is an example of variable display means, is arranged in the center of the game board 11. This combination display 14 includes the ball sockets 13a to 13.
It is composed of a plurality of display parts 14a to 14p arranged vertically and horizontally (in the figure, four display parts are arranged vertically and horizontally) corresponding to p. Each identification information (number) is drawn. Note that the ball sockets 13a to 13p are at least connected to the combination display 14.
1 corresponding to each display section 14a to 14p included in
However, if necessary, a plurality of ball sockets may be provided corresponding to appropriate display sections. Also,
If necessary, a safe hole 131 and a winning ball device (yakumono) 132 are provided on the game board 11, which are determined to award a predetermined number of prize balls in accordance with the winning of game balls.

Below the game board 11, there is a ball storage member (instead of the conventional batted ball waiting gutter) that also serves as a storage tray for storing the balls borrowed by the player from the ball rental machine or for storing the prize balls paid out from the prize ball payout port 16a. Corresponding) 15 are arranged. This ball storage member 15 is the prize ball dispensing port 1
The area near 6a is shaped like a plate, and one ball is placed on the right side of it.
An alignment gutter is formed to align and guide the particles one by one.
A path 151 is formed at the end of the alignment gutter to guide the balls to a lift 30, which is an example of lifting means to be described later. This path 151 has a stepped portion in the middle, and a ball removal hole 152 is bored on the back side of the stepped portion. Ball removal hole 1
On the back side of the solenoid 15, there is a shutter 154 for blocking or opening the ball extraction hole 152.
3 so as to be slidable. Further, on the back side of the ball extraction hole 152, a path 156 is provided which continues to the surplus prize ball dispensing port 16b in order to release the balls to the prize ball receiving tray 15'. Ball removal hole 1 of route 151
A ball detection switch 155 for detecting the presence or absence of pachinko balls stored in the ball storage member 15 is disposed below the 52 forming position. Path 15 on the lift 30 side from the installation position of this ball detection switch 155
Pachinko balls stored in 1' and lift 3
The pachinko balls that are being transported at zero always have a fixed number of enclosed balls.

Preferably, in order for the player to easily check the balls remaining in the ball storage member 15, the alignment gutter of the ball storage member 15 is preferably made of a transparent member, or the balls are stored on the left side of the ball detection switch 155. A mark (triangle mark in the figure) is formed in the alignment gutter of a predetermined number of balls (for example, the 16th ball) required for one game.

Below the pachinko machine 10, there is an operating handle 17, which is an example of a firing direction adjusting member that adjusts the firing direction of game balls, and surplus prize balls overflowing in the ball storage member 15 are paid out from a surplus prize ball payout port 16b. A prize ball tray 15' for receiving prize balls is provided.

On the side of the pachinko machine 10, there is a combination display 14 that displays when the game balls run out during the game.
A settlement button 181 for instructing settlement when prize balls can be paid out due to the combination established, and a return switch 182 for instructing return of the game balls stored in the ball storage member 15 are provided.

Further, on the top of the game board 11, a predetermined number (usually
A game over indicator 191 that indicates that one game is over when a ball (16 balls) is fired, and a combination in which the display state of the combination indicator 14 is determined in advance by the ball passing through any of the passing areas 13a to 13p. A score display 192 that displays points awarded based on the achievement of the game, and a fired ball number display 193 that displays the number of balls fired onto the game board are provided.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view showing the relationship between the operating handle 17 and the rotating ball firing member 20, which is an example of the firing direction variable member. Next, details of the rotating ball firing member 20 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The rotating member 21 is made of a cylindrical member having a cavity 214 with an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of a pachinko ball, and a hole 2 in the upper part of the right side wall into which the support shaft 221 is inserted.
11 and an arc-shaped guide plate 2 at the top of the left side wall.
form 12. One end of the shaft 221 is inserted through the center hole of the gear 22 and the hole 211 of the rotating member 21, and the other end of the shaft 221 is pivotally attached to the upper center of the game board. A gear 23 is meshed with this gear 22 . A semicircular pulley 24 is fixed to the side surface (front side in the figure) of the gear 23, and the pulley 24 and the gear 23 are pivotally supported by a shaft 231, and the other end of the shaft 231 is pivotally connected to a game board. Further, a protrusion 241 is formed on a part of the pulley 24, and a spring 25 is connected between the protrusion 241 and a protrusion (not shown) formed on a part of the game board. The elastic force of the spring 25 always urges the rotating member 21 in the direction opposite to the arrow e. The circumference of the pulley 24 is grooved. A wire 26 is wound around the groove, and the wire 26
One end of the pulley 24 is fixed to a part of the pulley 24. The other end of the wire 26 is connected to one end of an arcuate pulley 28 via a pulley 27. This arc-shaped pulley 28
is fixed to the tip of a shaft 29 which is fixed to a lever 171 of an operating handle 17 provided below the game board.

By configuring in this way, the lever 17
1 in the direction of arrow a, the wire 2
6 in the direction of arrow b, gears 23 and 2
2 is rotated in the directions of arrows c and d, thereby rotating the rotating member 21 in the direction of e. On the contrary, when the lever 171 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow a, the rotation member 21 is rotated in the opposite direction to that illustrated. Preferably, a ball firing command switch (172 shown in FIG. 4A) is provided on the outer periphery of the operating handle 17, or a lever 171 is preferably provided in order to start the ball firing by the player's ball firing command operation.
It is provided in relation to the arcuate pulley 28 which is rotated by the operation.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the rotary ball firing member 20 and a lift 30, which is an example of a lifting means. Next, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the rotary ball firing member 2
0 and the lift 30 will be explained. lift 30
For example, protruding ball sockets 311 approximately equal in diameter to the pachinko balls are formed on the outer periphery of the belt 31 at predetermined intervals, and the belt 31 is hung between pulleys 32 and 33 provided at the upper and lower parts of the pachinko machine. By stopping the ball and rotating the pulley 32 with the motor 35, the balls are placed one by one on the ball receiver 311 and lifted upward. In addition, in order to prevent the balls placed on ball receivers 311 formed at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the belt 31 from falling due to vibration,
On the back side and front side of the lift 30, plate-like members (the front side may also be made of glass) are provided facing each other at an interval slightly larger than one ball, and the side on which the ball of the belt 31 is placed (not shown in the figure) is provided facing each other. outer plate member 3 on the right side)
41 is provided vertically, an inner plate member 342 is provided vertically inside, and the lift 30 is enclosed within the path 34. A path 343 for guiding the vertically lifted balls to the game board 10 is formed at the top of the path 34, which is lifted by the belt 31.
At the end of the path 343, the ball is connected to the rotating member 21.
A path 36 is provided for feeding. This path 36
The lower end on the path 343 side is configured to be rotatable as a fulcrum 361, and the tip on the rotating member 21 side is formed in an arc shape, so that the lower end engages with the upper end of the rotating member 21. It is composed of Also, route 3
A ball sensor 37 is provided below the ball 43 . The fired ball sensor 37 is composed of a coil 371 made of a conductive material that changes an inductance component as the pachinko ball approaches, and an oscillation circuit that changes an oscillation frequency based on the change in inductance of the coil 371.

In addition, as a lifting means, the ball receiving part 311 is shown in the figure.
The case of a lift using a belt with a diameter of It may be something that is rotationally driven by a motor or the like.

In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 above, a rotary ball ejecting member was described as an example of the ejecting direction variable member, but various other modifications are possible. For example, a sliding path may be provided at the tip end of the path 36, a through hole may be provided below the sliding path, and the opening at the top of the guide rail 12 may be enlarged. Then, by rotating the operating handle or by operating a slidable sliding operating lever in place of the operating handle, the sliding path is slid, so that the firing direction (falling direction) of the ball can be varied. In yet another example, the path 36 is provided to extend in the width direction of the game board, and the bottom plate of the path 36 is configured to be freely rotatable downward by the player's operation. Then, when the pachinko balls passing through the path 36 come in a desired falling direction, the bottom plate may be rotated in response to a firing command from the player to fire the balls.

Fig. 4A is a diagram schematically showing the back parts provided on the back side of the pachinko machine 10, and Fig. 4B is an illustrative diagram showing the details of the ball sockets 13a to 13p and the passing ball detection means. . Next, the back structure of the pachinko machine 10 will be specifically explained with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. A path 411 is formed on the back side of the game board 11 to guide the winning balls that have entered the safe hole 131 or the Yakumono 132 to the winning ball processing device 42. This winning ball processing device 42 includes a cylindrical member 421
A ball receiving portion 422 is formed at the side end of the path 411, and the cylindrical member 421 is swingably supported by a support member 423.
A winning ball detection switch 424 is provided at the lower end of the cylindrical member 421 on the path 411 side. Then, when the winning ball that has entered the safe hole 131 or the yakumono 132 is guided by the path 411 and rides on the ball receiving part 422, the cylinder member 421 rotates clockwise due to the ball's own weight. At this time, since the lever of the winning ball detection switch 424 provided on the lower side in the rotating direction of the cylindrical member 421 is pressed by the cylindrical member 421, the winning ball detection switch 424 detects the winning ball.

The ball sockets 13a to 13p each have a receiving part for receiving game balls falling along the game board, and are formed so as to guide the game balls that have entered the receiving parts to the back side. Switches 43a to 43p, which are an example of passing ball detection means, are provided corresponding to each ball receptacle in order to detect game balls guided to the back side by the respective passing areas 13a to 13p. This passing ball detection switch 43
The levers a to 43p are arranged so that the levers are pressed by the falling of passing balls, and a pulse-like output is derived by performing one opening/closing operation by one passing ball. This passing ball detection switch 43a~
The passing ball detected at 43p falls downward and is collected.

In addition, more preferably, the passing ball detection switch 4
The shaft 432 is located below the installation position of 3a to 43p.
A rotation shielding plate 431 is fixed to the shaft 432 and rotated by the rotation of the shaft 432, and a plate-shaped side wall 433 whose diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of one pachinko ball is provided on the upper part of the rotation shielding plate. With this, only one ball is stored in the upper part of the rotation shielding plate 431 while the rotation shielding plate 431 is held in a horizontal position, and subsequent passing balls are allowed to pass through the passage on the rear plate 434 side formed on the back side. It is configured so that it is guided downward through the air. With this configuration, in the event of a power outage or electrical circuit failure during a game, the first ball that has passed through each ball receiver is stored on the rotating shield plate 431, so that the player and the game can This has the advantage of preventing trouble from occurring with the staff at the venue. Then, when the output of the fired ball sensor 37 is counted and a predetermined number of game balls determined to determine the combination display state of the combination display 14 is detected, the rotation shielding plate 431 is rotated to collect the stored balls. Just do it.

Below the ball sockets 14a to 14p, there is a path 4 for receiving game balls (used balls) and collecting them all at once.
13 are provided. In addition, the entered prize ball processor 42
A path 412 for collecting winning balls is provided below. The used balls guided through the paths 412 and 413 are discharged from the pachinko machine, are collected by an appropriate return device (not shown), and are sent to the prize ball supply path 414 as prizes, which will be described later. The ball is returned to the ball tank 44.

A back panel (not shown) is formed on the base frame on the back side of the game board 11, and a prize ball tank 44 is fixed to the back panel. A through hole is provided below the prize ball tank 44, and a storage path 45 is provided for receiving the prize balls dropped through the through hole and arranging them in a plurality of rows. Near the end of the storage path 45, a prize ball out detection switch 47 is provided to detect when the prize ball is out. A prize ball payout mechanism 46 is provided on the exit side of the storage path 45. This prize ball dispensing mechanism 46 includes a prize ball storage member 461 including a plurality of rows of grooves for receiving a fixed number of prize balls arranged in a storage path 45, and a prize ball storage member 461 supported by a fulcrum 462. A plunger of a solenoid 463 is fixed to one end of a member 461. When a prize ball is to be paid out, the solenoid 463 is energized to cause the plunger to attract and pull down the end of the prize ball storage member 461, causing the prize balls that have been stored until then to fall to the path 415 side. After a predetermined time, the solenoid 46
3, the end of the prize ball storage member 461 is pushed up and the prize balls guided through the storage path 45 are stored again. Note that when the prize ball storage member 461 rotates, the storage path 45
In order to prevent the prize balls supplied from falling, a stopper member 464 is formed at the lower end of the prize ball storage member 461 on the storage path 45 side.

The prize balls released through the path 415 are
It is dropped onto the upper surface of one side of the F-shaped lever 425. This F-shaped lever 425 is connected to the support member 426
The prize ball is pivoted clockwise by its own weight to move the prize ball to a prize ball guide path (not shown).
through which the prize balls are guided to the prize ball payout port 16a. One end of a lever 427 is linked to the other end of the F-shaped lever 425, and the other end of the lever 427 is linked to one end of the cylindrical member 421. By this,
When the lever 425 rotates due to the weight of the prize ball, the lever 427 is pulled up, so that the cylindrical member 4
21 is restored.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a game control circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the detailed circuit configuration shown in FIG. 5 and the operation when playing a game with the pachinko machine of this embodiment will be described.

The player inserts the pachinko balls purchased from the ball rental machine into the ball storage member 15 and closes the ball firing command switch 172 provided in relation to the operation handle 17 to release the game balls into the game board 11. Command to fire to. In addition, the player
By rotating a lever 171 for adjusting the firing direction provided at 7, the direction of the rotating member 21 is switched to a desired direction, and the ball firing direction is adjusted.
At this time, the ball detection switch 155 is closed based on the presence of a ball in the ball storage member 15, and the monostable multi 59, which will be described later, derives a signal to prohibit ball firing for a certain period of time after one game is over. (In other words, the low level output of 59 is inverted to high level and given to AND gate 511)
Therefore, the AND gate 511 derives a high level and supplies it to the motor drive circuit 52 as a motor drive command signal. In response, the motor drive circuit 52 drives the motor 35 to rotate. At this time, the ball receiving portion 31 formed on the belt 31 of the lift 30
1 is sealed with a predetermined number of balls supplied from the path 151', so that the game balls stored in the ball receiver located at the top of the belt 31 are sent to the path 343 at the same time as the ball firing command is issued. and path 36
The liquid is supplied to the hollow part of the rotating member 21 through the cylinder and is ejected to the game board. At this time, the fired ball sensor 3
7 detects one shot ball and gives it to the N-ary counter 53 as a step command signal.
3, the number of fired balls is counted and displayed on the fired ball number display 193. This N-ary counter 53 derives a count-up output when counting the number of balls that can be fired in one game (for example, 16), and again calculates the number from 1 to 16.
A hexadecimal counter (or ring counter) is used that cyclically counts up to.

As described above, the game balls fired from the rotating member 21 either land in the safe hole 131 or the Yakumono 132, or fall downward without winning and fall into any of the ball sockets 13a to 13p.
Enter. For example, when a game ball enters the safe hole 131 or the Yakumono 132, it is guided to the back of the game board as a winning ball and dropped one by one by the winning ball processing device 42 via the path 411, and the winning ball detection switch 424 Detected in When the winning ball detection switch 424 detects a winning ball, payout of a predetermined number of prize balls is controlled in the same manner as in conventional pachinko machines.

On the other hand, if a game ball falls without landing in either the safe hole 131 or the Yakumono 132 and falls into either ball socket, the ball socket into which the game ball fell (for example, a ball with the number 1 drawn on it) The passing ball detection switch 43a corresponding to the socket 13a) is closed. In response, a high level signal is sent to switch 4.
Flip-flop (hereinafter referred to as FF) 54 via 3a
Since it is given as the set input of a, FF54
a is set. The set output of the FF 54a is given to the combination determination circuit 55, and the display section 14a corresponding to the ball socket 13a is displayed in a light-emitting manner (in the case of a lamp, the display is lit).

Thereafter, in the same way, every time the motor 35 rotates the pulley 32 by a predetermined angle, a ball is sent to a certain ball receiver 311 formed on the belt 31 located below the lift 30 via the ball storage member 15 and the path 151. The ball guided by the ball rides on the ball, and the ball previously held in the ball receiver near the pulley 32 is supplied to the rotating member 21 via the paths 343 and 36, and the ball is rotated according to the direction of the rotating member 21. It is fired in the direction determined by the direction. And every time there is a shot ball, the shot ball sensor 37
derives a pulse and increments the count value of the N-ary counter 53, and the display section corresponding to the ball socket into which the game ball has fallen is illuminated and displayed. At this time, the combination determination circuit 55 selects the FF5 corresponding to each ball socket.
Based on the set outputs 4a to 54p, it is determined whether the display state of the combination display 14 is in a predetermined combination state. For example, if it is determined that one set of combinations has been established when four vertical, horizontal, or diagonal display units (i.e., one row) of the plurality of display units 14a to 14p are displaying light emission, The combination determination circuit 55 is composed of a matrix circuit that detects 10 combinations.
It has combination judgment output terminals in vertical, horizontal, and diagonal columns,
It is assumed that a high level signal is derived from the output end corresponding to the column in which the combination is established. Each output of this combination judgment circuit 55 is connected to a score counting circuit 56 and
is given to AND gate 513. Therefore,
The score counting circuit 56 counts the number of high-level signals derived from each output terminal of the combination determination circuit, and displays the score on the score display 192, as well as the prize ball payout drive control circuit 57.
is giving to

When the N-ary counter 53 counts the number of balls (16) that can be fired in one game, the count-up output is sent to the delay circuit 5 through the OR gate 512.
81,582 and monostable multi 59. This delay circuit 581 is selected to be shorter than the delay time of the delay circuit 582, and is slightly longer than the time required for the 16th game ball to fall into the ball socket arranged in parallel below the game board after being fired. Selected during delay time. Therefore, after the N-ary counter 53 counts up, after a certain delay time determined by the delay circuit 581, the delay circuit 581 derives a high-level prize ball payout command signal and supplies it to the prize ball payout drive control circuit 57. Accordingly, the prize ball payout drive control circuit 57 intermittently energizes the solenoid 463 by a number corresponding to the score based on the score counted by the score counting circuit 56. Controls the payout of a number of prize balls.

At the same time, the monostable multi 59 derives a high level output for a certain period of time required for paying out prize balls in response to the high level signal given from the OR gate 512, displays the game over indicator 191, and displays the game over indicator 191. , is given as an inhibit input to the AND gate 511. As a result, the output of the AND gate 511 is inverted to a low level signal, the motor rotation drive of the motor drive circuit 52 is stopped, the lift 30 is stopped, and the ball firing operation is stopped.

Furthermore, with a further delay from the output of the delay circuit 581, a delay circuit 582 derives a high level signal to reset the FFs 54a to 54p and the count value of the score counting circuit 56. In this way, each time a certain number of game balls are fired, the display state of the combination display 14 is returned to the initial state, and the payout of prize balls is controlled based on the immediately previous display state. After that, when the output of the monostable multi 59 is inverted to a low level signal,
When the AND gate 511 again derives a high level and causes the motor drive circuit 52 to rotate the motor, it becomes possible to play the game again.

By the way, when the game balls stored in the ball storage member 15 run out during the game, the player rents new balls from a nearby ball lending machine to replenish the number of balls. At this time, if the combination in any column of the combination display 14 is established, the player presses the payment switch 181 and a high level signal is output from the OR gate 512. In the same manner as the operation after the game ball firing is completed, payout control of a predetermined number of prize balls is performed according to the number of points based on the state in which the combination is established on the combination display 14.

Furthermore, if the game is to be terminated midway through, it is necessary to collect the game balls stored in the ball storage member 15. Therefore, if you want to end the game, press the return switch 182 and FF60 will be set.
By controlling the transistor 61 to conduct with the set output and energizing the solenoid 153, the shutter 154 is opened and the balls stored in the ball storage member 15 are collected through the ball removal hole 152, and the ball is removed from the path 15.
6 to the prize ball tray 15'. and,
When there are no balls stored in the ball storage member 15, the ball detection switch 155 is opened, so the output terminal of the ball detection switch 155 becomes a low level signal, which is inverted to a high level signal by the inverter 62 and sent to the reset input of the FF 60. given as. As a result, the energization of the solenoid 153 is released, and the shutter 154 closes the ball outlet 152 again. After that, the pachinko machine is played by another player.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the balls placed in the ball storage member are lifted to the upper part of the game board and fired from the upper center of the game board, so that no balls are generated, and the ball can be easily removed from the ball hitting handle. There is an advantage that there is no need to adjust the spring, and the ball can be easily fired in a desired direction depending on the direction of the rotating ball firing member. In addition, as in this embodiment, if a plurality of ball sockets are arranged in parallel below the game board and the combination indicator is used to display the combinations variably depending on the type of ball socket through which the game balls have passed, the combination display There is an advantage that a predetermined number of balls can be reliably fired to bring the device into a predetermined combination state. Furthermore, since there is no ball guide rail, there is no need to clean the guide rail, which has the advantage of saving labor.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case of a combination display was explained as an example of a variable display means that is variably displayed depending on the ball socket through which a game ball has passed, but the combination display is not limited to this, and various variable display means can be used. can be applied. For example, a plurality of display sections may be arranged in a linear or elliptical manner to form one variable display column,
A plurality of variable display columns are provided to form a horse racing course type display, identification information corresponding to each variable display column is drawn on each ball socket, and the variable display column corresponding to the ball socket through which the game ball has passed is displayed. The display state of the parts is incremented by a predetermined number, and when there is a variable display column in which the maximum number of display parts is lit, a point determined for that variable display column is controlled to be assigned. It's okay to be hot.

In addition, in the above explanation, as an example of a pinball game machine, pachinko balls purchased from a ball rental machine are placed in a ball storage member and the balls are fed to a rotating ball firing member provided at the upper center of the game board. As explained above, even in conventional coin-operated gaming machines that allow players to hit a predetermined number of pachinko balls in response to the insertion of a coin, the player must confirm that a predetermined number of balls have been hit in response to the insertion of a coin. Alternatively, the balls may be discharged into a ball alignment gutter provided at the lower part of the ball alignment gutter, and the balls in the ball alignment gutter may be lifted using a lift as in the present invention and guided to the upper part of the game board.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably fire the number of balls that can be fired in one game without producing any false balls, and it is possible to reliably adjust the firing direction of the balls in the direction desired by the player. Therefore, there is no need to adjust the ball hitting force, the structure of the ball launching device is simplified, and an inexpensive game machine can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view of a pachinko game machine as an example of a game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a detailed view of the terminal end portion of the ball storage member. FIG. 2 is a detailed illustration of the rotating ball firing member. FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing the relationship between the rotating ball firing member and the lifting means. FIG. 4A is an illustrative view showing the back structure of the pachinko game machine, and FIG. 4B is a detailed view of the ball socket and passing ball detection means. FIG. 5 is a game control circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 13a to 13p are ball sockets that are an example of the ball passing area, 131 and 132 are winning holes that are other examples of the ball passing area, 14 is a combination display that is an example of a variable display means, 15 is a ball storage member, 17 is an operation handle (fire direction adjustment member), 181 is a payment switch, 1
82 is a return switch, 20 is a rotating ball firing member (a firing direction variable member), 30 is a lift which is an example of a lifting means, 37 is a firing ball sensor, 42 is a winning ball processing device,
46 is a prize ball payout mechanism, 52 is a motor drive circuit,
53 is an N-ary counter, 54a to 54p, 60 are flip-flops, 55 is a combination determination circuit, 56 is a score counting circuit, and 57 is a prize ball payout drive control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device including at least a plurality of ball passing areas to which identification information is attached and a plurality of display parts, and the display state of the display part is variably displayed depending on the passing balls of the ball passing area, and the display state thereof A gaming machine in which a variable display means is disposed on a gaming board and is arranged on a gaming board so as to give a value depending on the state reached a predetermined state. a firing direction adjusting member for adjusting the firing direction of the game balls; and a firing direction adjusting member disposed on the upper part of the game board, the direction in which the game balls are fired into the game board can be varied according to the operation of the firing direction adjusting member. A possible launch direction variable member: a ball storage member that is provided below the gaming machine and has a ball tray for storing game balls, and has an alignment gutter formed at the end thereof to sequentially line up one game ball; A ball lifting means for lifting the game balls aligned at the end of the alignment gutter of the ball storage member to a position where the firing direction adjusting member is arranged; and a ball lifting means that is lifted by the lifting means and the firing direction adjusting member. The game ball detecting means detects game balls fired from the game ball, and each time the game ball detecting means detects a predetermined number of game balls, the display state of the variable display means is returned to an initial state. A gaming machine featuring: 2. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball passage area is a plurality of ball sockets arranged in parallel below the game board. 3. The ball passage area is a winning hole arranged on the game board and formed to guide passing game balls to the back side, and is set to pay out prize balls in accordance with winning of game balls. A gaming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: 4. Any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the alignment gutter formed at the end of the ball storage member is provided with ball detection means for detecting the presence or absence of game balls. A gaming machine described in Crab. 5. The variable display means arranges a plurality of display parts vertically and horizontally, each display part is given identification information corresponding to the ball passing area to which the identification information is given, and a predetermined combination of display parts is provided. Claims 1 to 4 are characterized in that the display device is a combination indicator that is determined to give a certain value depending on the ball passing through the ball passing area corresponding to the ball passing area. gaming machines.