Game machine

Abstract

To suppress a steep rise in the price of a game machine in a more appropriate manner.SOLUTION: There is provided a game machine including a game board having a game region on a front side, the game board including a transparent body plate and first ball entry means mounted on the transparent body plate. The first ball entry means includes a front side member mounted on the transparent body plate from a front side, at least part of which is formed transparently or translucently, and a back side member mounted on back side of the transparent body plate. A first ball entry port that a game ball flowing down in the game region can enter is disposed in the front side member, and first detection means capable of detecting a game ball entering the first ball entry port is disposed at a position where it is invisible or hardly visible in a front view in the back side member. Also, in an illumination device having a translucent part and a plurality of LEDs, a non-translucent part is provided in an outer edge of the translucent part, and the LEDs are disposed on a back side of the non-translucent part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Gaming machines such as pachinko machines are equipped with a game board having a game area at the front, and as a game ball launched by a launching means flows down the game area, it passes through a gate or enters the ball entry means, and based on this, a game state advantageous to the player is created, game value is awarded, etc. The game board installed in this type of gaming machine is formed by directly or indirectly mounting ball entry means and other game components, liquid crystal and other display means, main control board and other control boards, etc., on a main board formed to a certain thickness. Here, the main board used to be made of plywood or the like with a decorative sheet attached to the front, but recently transparent main boards made of polycarbonate or the like are often used (so-called transparent game boards). Such transparent game boards have the advantage of allowing greater freedom in decoration by placing decorative objects on the rear side of the transparent main body, but they have the disadvantage that electrical components such as switches and their wiring are visible from the front, which mars the appearance. Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a through passage is formed in the transparent main body plate, hidden by an opaque part, and the wiring of a ball passage detection switch (detection means) provided at the ball entrance is inserted into this through passage, making it possible to make the wiring running around the back of the transparent main body plate invisible from the front, thereby improving the appearance. In addition, in this type of gaming machine, illumination devices are arranged in various parts on the front side of the gaming machine main body, and by emitting light in a predetermined light pattern in synchronization with other presentation means such as image display means, movable bodies, and sound output means, it is possible to create presentations that correspond to the gaming status. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-17358 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Recently, the price of parts has risen due to the decrease in the supply of parts, which has led to the price of gaming machines rising. In this context, measures to suppress the price of gaming machines are required. As a measure against the price rise of gaming machines, it is considered to promote miniaturization, reuse, and diversion of gaming parts to other models in order to reduce the amount of new parts to be procured. However, there is a concern that such measures such as reuse will lose their novelty and players will become bored with them. Therefore, there is a demand for ideas to further improve the presentation effects, such as improving the appearance of presentation means such as illumination devices and game parts. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to curb the price hike of gaming machines in a more appropriate manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention relates to an amusement machine comprising an illumination device having a translucent portion and a plurality of light sources for illuminating the translucent portion, and a game board having a game area on the front side, wherein the game board has a transparent main body plate and a first ball entry means attached to the transparent main body plate, wherein a non-translucent portion is provided on the outer edge of the translucent portion, and the light source is arranged on the rear side of the non-translucent portion, and the first ball entry means comprises a front member which is attached to the transparent main body plate from the front and has at least a portion formed to be transparent or translucent, and a rear member which is attached to the rear side of the transparent main body plate, wherein a first ball entry port through which game balls that have flowed down the game area can enter is arranged in the front member, and a first detection means which can detect game balls that have entered the first ball entry port is arranged in a position on the rear member which is invisible or difficult to see when viewed from the front. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress price hikes of gaming machines in a more appropriate manner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of the pachinko machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the game board of the pachinko machine. [Diagram 5] 2 is a plan cross-sectional view of a main portion of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a front cross-sectional view of a main part of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a front view of the main parts of the game board of the pachinko machine. [Figure 9] 2 is a plan cross-sectional view of a main portion of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 10] 2 is a plan cross-sectional view of a main portion of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 11] 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 12] 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 13] 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the pachinko machine. [Figure 15] 11 is a front view of a main part of a game board of a pachinko machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 16] 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is a front view of a main portion of a game board of a pachinko machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 18] 2 is a plan cross-sectional view of a main portion of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is an overall front view of a pachinko machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the pachinko machine. [Figure 21] 2 is a front view of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. [Diagram 23] 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 24] 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Diagram 25] 13 is an explanatory diagram of the LED rows of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a front view of a movable illumination device for a pachinko machine according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 28] 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 29] 13 is an explanatory diagram of the LED rows of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. [Diagram 30] FIG. 13 is a front cross-sectional view of a movable illumination device for a pachinko machine according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 31] 13 is an explanatory diagram of the LED rows of the movable illumination device of the pachinko machine. [Diagram 32] 13 is a plan cross-sectional view of a main portion of a game board of a pachinko machine according to a modified example of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 33] 13 is a plan cross-sectional view of a main portion of a game board of a pachinko machine according to a modified example of the present invention. FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1 to 14 show a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine. In Figs. 1 and 2, a gaming machine main body 1 includes an outer frame 2 and a front frame 3 arranged in front of the outer frame 2. The front frame 3 is pivotally attached to the outer frame 2 via a first hinge 4 in the up-down direction arranged at one end side in the left-right direction, for example, at the left end side, so as to be openable, closable, detachable and so on, and can be locked in a closed state relative to the outer frame 2 by a locking means 5 provided on the opposite side in the left-right direction to the first hinge 4, for example, at the right end side.

[0009] The front frame 3 comprises a main body frame 6 and a glass door 7 arranged in front of the main body frame 6. The glass door 7 is pivotally attached to the main body frame 6 via a second hinge 8 in the vertical direction arranged at one end in the left-right direction, for example, at the left end, so as to be openable, closable, and detachable, and can be locked in the closed state relative to the main body frame 6 by a locking means 5. The first hinge 4 and the second hinge 8 are arranged, for example, to be coaxial with each other.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 2, the outer frame 2 is formed in a rectangular shape by a pair of left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b and a pair of upper and lower horizontal frame members 2c, 2d. A resin front cover member 9 is attached to the lower front side of the outer frame 2 so as to connect the lower front sides of the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b along the front edge of the lower horizontal frame member 2d. The front cover member 9 protrudes forward from the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b, and the main body frame 6 is disposed above it. In addition, the outer frame 2 has an upper outer frame hinge metal fitting 11 constituting the first hinge 4 disposed, for example, at the upper left, and a lower outer frame hinge metal fitting 12 disposed above the front cover member 9 at the lower left.

[0011] The main body frame 6 is made of resin and includes, for example, a rectangular frame portion 13 that is above the front cover member 9 and can substantially abut against the front edge of the outer frame 2, a game board mounting portion 14 provided on the upper side of the frame portion 13, and a lower mounting portion 15 provided on the lower side of the frame portion 13, which are integrally formed. A game board 16 is detachably mounted, for example, from the front side, on the game board mounting portion 14, and a launching means 17, a lower speaker 18, etc. are disposed on the front side of the lower mounting portion 15. In addition, on the main body frame 6, a main body frame upper hinge metal fitting 19 constituting the first hinge 4 and a main body frame upper hinge metal fitting 20 constituting the second hinge 8 are disposed, for example, on the upper left side, and a main body frame lower hinge metal fitting 21 constituting the first and second hinges 4, 8 are disposed, for example, on the lower left side.

[0012] The glass door 7 is provided with a resin door base 22 formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the front side of the main body frame 6. In this door base 22, a window hole 24a of a glass window 24 is formed corresponding to a play area 23 formed in front of the play board 16, and multiple (four in this case) upper speakers 25, a blower effect device 26 and other presentation means are arranged around the window hole 24a, and an upper decorative cover 27 is attached to substantially cover the upper speakers 25 etc. from the front side.

[0013] In addition, at the lower front side of the door base 22, there are arranged an upper tray 30 that stores game balls dispensed from the dispensing means 28 arranged at the rear side of the main body frame 6 and supplies them to the launching means 17, a lower tray 31 that stores surplus balls when the upper tray 30 is full, a launching handle 32 that is operated to operate the launching means 17, etc., and further, a lower decorative cover 33 that substantially covers the upper tray 30, the lower tray 31, etc. from the front side is attached. The lower decorative cover 33 is formed in a forward-facing bulge shape, and on its upper side, there are provided operation means such as a performance button 34 that can be pressed by the player and a cross operation means 35. The cross operation means 35 has four operation parts, an up key 35a on the rear side, a down key 35b on the front side, a left key 35c on the left side, and a right key 35d on the right side.

[0014] A glass unit 36 ​​is detachably attached to the rear side of the door base 22 so as to substantially cover the window hole 24a from the rear side, and a vertical hinge end side reinforcing sheet metal 37 arranged along the edge of the first and second hinges 4, 8, a vertical opening / closing end side reinforcing sheet metal 38 arranged along the edge of the opening / closing end side, and a left / right lower side reinforcing sheet metal 39 arranged below the window hole 24a are detachably fixed by screws or the like. In addition, a glass door upper hinge metal fitting 40 constituting the second hinge 8 is arranged on the upper left of the door base 22, and a glass door lower hinge metal fitting 41 is arranged on the lower left.

[0015] Also, for example, a ball feeding unit 42, a lower tray guide unit 43, etc. are attached to the back side of the lower reinforcing sheet metal 39. The ball feeding unit 42 is for supplying the game balls in the upper tray 30 one by one to the launching means 17, and is arranged corresponding to the front side of the launching means 17. The lower tray guide unit 43 is for guiding surplus balls when the upper tray 30 is full, and foul balls that have been launched by the launching means 17 but have returned without reaching the playing area 23, to the lower tray 31, and is arranged, for example, adjacent to the ball feeding unit 42 on the first and second hinges 4, 8 sides.

[0016] The game board 16 is a so-called transparent game board equipped with a transparent main body plate 45 formed from a transparent resin such as polycarbonate, and as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a guide rail 51, a central display frame means 52, a normal winning means 53, a start gate means 54, a first start winning means 55, a second start winning means 56, a big winning means 57, an LCD display means 58, a movable performance means 59, a rear decoration means 60, etc. are attached to the transparent main body plate 45.

[0017] The liquid crystal display means 58, the movable performance means 59, the rear decoration means 60, etc. are arranged on the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45 via the rear support member 61, as shown in Figs. 4 to 7 and 10. The rear support member 61 integrally comprises a rear wall portion 62 arranged substantially parallel to the transparent main body plate 45 and rearward of the transparent main body plate 45, and a peripheral wall portion 63 extending substantially forward from the outer periphery of the rear wall portion 62, and is fixed by screw fastening or the like in a state in which the front edge side of the peripheral wall portion 63 is in contact with the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45. A substantially rectangular opening 62a is formed in the rear wall portion 62, and the liquid crystal display means 58 is detachably fixed to the rear side of the rear wall portion 62 in a state in which the display screen 58a corresponds to the opening 62a. The movable performance means 59 and the rear decoration means 60 are arranged in the rear support member 61 and detachably fixed to the rear wall portion 62, etc.

[0018] The guide rail 51 is for guiding the game balls launched from the launching means 17, and is disposed in a substantially annular shape on the front side of the transparent main body plate 45 so as to surround the periphery of the game area 23, and is composed of a plurality of, for example, three, first to third rail members 51a to 51c as shown in Fig. 3 etc. The first to third rail members 51a to 51c are formed, for example, from a transparent or translucent resin.

[0019] The first rail member 51a is formed in a generally arch shape from the lower left side of the transparent main body plate 45 through the approximate center of the left edge, the approximate center of the upper edge, and to the upper right part, and is integrally provided with a front wall portion 64 parallel to the transparent main body plate 45 and a peripheral wall portion 65 of a generally constant width protruding rearward from the peripheral portion of the front wall portion 64, and is detachably fixed to the transparent main body plate 45 with the rear end side of the peripheral wall portion 65 abutting against the front surface of the transparent main body plate 45. The first rail member 51a has a peripheral wall portion 65a on the play area 23 side formed in a generally arc shape when viewed from the front, forming a part of the guide rail 51.

[0020] The second rail member 51b is formed in a plate shape of a constant width in the front-rear direction that stands upright approximately vertically on the front side of the transparent main body plate 45, and is disposed in an approximately arc shape so as to be parallel to the inside of the first rail member 51a from the upper left to the lower left of the transparent main body plate 45. The portion sandwiched between the first rail member 51a and the second rail member 51b forms a launch guide passage 66 that guides the game balls launched by the launching means 17 to the game area 23.

[0021] The third rail member 51c is formed in a generally L-shape in front view along the right and bottom edges of the transparent main body plate 45 so as to connect the upper right end of the first rail member 51a and the lower left end of the second rail member 51b, and integrally includes a front wall portion 67 parallel to the transparent main body plate 45 and a peripheral wall portion 68 of a generally constant width protruding rearward from the peripheral edge of the front wall portion 67, and is detachably fixed to the transparent main body plate 45 with the rear end side of the peripheral wall portion 68 abutting against the front surface of the transparent main body plate 45. The third rail member 51c has a peripheral wall portion 68a on the play area 23 side that forms a part of the guide rail 51.

[0022] The central display frame means 52 constitutes a display frame for the liquid crystal display means 58, and is detachably attached from the front side to a mounting hole (not shown) formed in the transparent main body plate 45, which is formed in a penetrating shape in the front-rear direction. The central display frame means 52 is made of transparent or translucent resin, and includes a front mounting plate 52a that is arranged outside the mounting hole along the front side of the transparent main body plate 45 and through which game balls can pass, a decorative frame 52b that is arranged in a gate shape in front view from both left and right sides to the upper side in front of the liquid crystal display means 58 and protrudes forward on the inner periphery side of the front mounting plate 52a, and a stage 71 that is arranged between the left and right lower ends of the decorative frame 52b. The game balls that are launched by the launching means 17 and enter the upper side of the game area 23 are sorted to the left and right at the top of the decorative frame 52b, and flow down either the left flow path 72a on the left side of the central display frame means 52 or the right flow path 72b on the right side.

[0023] The central display frame means 52 is provided with a warp inlet 71a through which game balls can flow, on at least one side of the left flow-down path 72a side and the right flow-down path 72b side, for example, on the left flow-down path 72a side. The game balls that flow into the warp inlet 71a roll freely in the left-right direction on the stage 71, and then fall forward from either a central drop section 73 provided corresponding to the left-right center of the game area 23 or from other parts.

[0024] In addition, various display means such as a normal symbol display means 76, a normal reserved number display means 77, a first special symbol display means 78, and a second special symbol display means 79 are provided on the central display frame means 52. Of course, these display means 76 to 79 can be arranged not only on the central display frame means 52 but also at any position on the front side of the game board 16 in a state where they can be seen from the front side.

[0025] The normal winning means (first ball winning means) 53 is located corresponding to the lower left side of the game area 23, and as shown in Figures 3 to 7, it comprises a front member 82 that is removably attached from the front side to a front-to-rear through mounting hole 81 formed in the transparent main body plate 45, and a rear member 83 that is arranged on the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45 corresponding to the front member 82.

[0026] The front member 82 is made of resin that is at least partially, for example entirely, transparent or translucent, and is integrally provided with a front wall portion 84 that is arranged along the back surface of the glass unit 36, a peripheral wall portion 85 that extends rearward from the outer edge of the front wall portion 84, a mounting plate 86 that extends outward from the rear edge side of the peripheral wall portion 85 along the front surface of the transparent main body plate 45, a plurality of, for example two, ordinary prize openings 87a, 87b, one or more, for example one outlet 88, prize gutters 89a, 89b corresponding to the ordinary prize openings 87a, 87b, and an outlet gutter 90 corresponding to the outlet 88, and is fixed to the transparent main body plate 45 at a fixing portion 86a on the mounting plate 86 by screwing or the like so as to be freely attached and detached, with the lower peripheral wall portion 85a corresponding to the lower edge side of the front wall portion 84 aligned along the guide rail 51.

[0027] Incidentally, the front member 82 is composed only of integrally formed resin parts, and is not equipped with any electrical parts such as game ball detection means or an LED board, so that the fixing parts 86a for screwing are provided only on both ends in the longitudinal direction, i.e., in the direction along the guide rail 51, and are not provided in the intermediate part between the normal winning openings 87a, 87b and the outlet 88. In addition, since the front member 82 is not equipped with game ball detection means, etc., it is possible to make it more compact by arranging the normal winning openings 87a, 87b closer to the guide rail 51, and the limited space of the game area 23 can be used more efficiently.

[0028] The normal winning openings (first ball winning openings) 87a, 87b are openings facing approximately upward, and are arranged adjacent to the upper peripheral wall portion 85b corresponding to the upper edge side of the front wall portion 84 on the left and right. The outlet 88 is also an opening facing approximately upward, and is arranged adjacent to the upper peripheral wall portion 85b on the upstream side of the normal winning openings 87a, 87b, that is, on the left side. Of course, the outlet 88 does not have a game ball detection means arranged therein, but the game ball detection means is not arranged in the vicinity of the adjacent normal winning openings 87a, 87b, either, so it is difficult to determine whether it is an outlet or not based on the presence or absence of a game ball detection means. Of course, the front wall portion 84 has an outlet identification information 91 indicating that it is an outlet displayed at a position corresponding to the outlet 88, which makes it possible to recognize that it is an outlet. The outlet identification information 91 is composed of the characters "OUT", for example.

[0029] The winning gutters 89a, 89b guide game balls that have entered the normal winning openings 87a, 87b to the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45, respectively, and are provided protruding from the rear side of the front wall portion 84 at an incline downward toward the rear, with their front ends communicating with the lower sides of the normal winning openings 87a, 87b and their rear ends opening rearward through the mounting hole 81 at the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45. The out gutter 90 guides game balls that have entered the out opening 88 to the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45, and is provided protruding from the rear side of the front wall portion 84 at an incline downward toward the rear, with their front ends communicating with the lower side of the out opening 88 and their rear ends opening rearward through the mounting hole 81 at the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45.

[0030] At the upstream end of the upper peripheral wall 85b, an inclined guide portion (first inclined guide portion) 92 is formed to guide the game balls that have flowed down along the guide rail 51 toward the normal winning openings 87a, 87b. The inclined guide portion 92 is configured with a surface that slopes downward to the right, and the upstream end abuts or is close to the inner surface of the guide rail 51 at a gentle angle.

[0031] The rear member 83 is made of transparent, translucent or opaque resin, and as shown in Figures 4 to 7, is provided with a winning ball passage 93 for discharging game balls that have entered the normal winning holes 87a, 87b to the outside of the machine, and an out ball passage 94 for discharging game balls that have entered the out hole 88 to the outside of the machine.The rear member 83 is formed integrally with the rear decorative means 60, and is supported together with the rear decorative means 60 by a support portion 95 that protrudes forward from the rear wall portion 62 of the rear support member 61.

[0032] The winning ball passage (ball passage) 93 includes a first upstream passage section 93a whose upstream end side communicates with the winning gutter 89a on the normal winning opening 87a side, a second upstream passage section 93b whose upstream end side communicates with the winning gutter 89b on the normal winning opening 87b side, and a downstream passage section 93c where the first upstream passage section 93a and the second upstream passage section 93b join at a joining section 96 on the upstream end side and whose downstream end side communicates with a discharge passage not shown, and is disposed along the back surface of the transparent main body plate 45. A game ball detection means (first detection means) 97 capable of detecting a game ball is attached to a predetermined position on the downstream passage section 93c, for example, near the downstream end. The game ball detection means 97 is composed of a flat rectangular through-type proximity switch with a through-type detection portion 97a at one end, and is attached to the rear member 83 so that the game balls that have flowed down the downstream passage portion 93c pass through the detection portion 97a. In this way, the game balls that enter the normal winning holes 87a and 87b are detected by the common game ball detection means 97.

[0033] In addition, in a front view, the downstream passage portion 93c, including the junction portion 96, is substantially entirely disposed outside the play area 23, i.e., below the guide rail 51, and the game ball detection means 97 disposed on the downstream passage portion 93c is also disposed outside the play area 23, i.e., below the guide rail 51 (see FIG. 7). In this way, the game ball detection means 97 is disposed outside the play area 23 in a front view, and as shown in FIG. 6, the third rail member 51c is present in front of it, and the upper decorative cover 27 of the glass door 7 is present further in front of it. Therefore, although the game board 16 is a so-called transparent game board, the game ball detection means 97 is not visible or is difficult to see from the front, and deterioration of the appearance can be suppressed.

[0034] In addition, when the game ball detection means 97 is positioned outside the game area 23 when viewed from the front in this manner, the distance the game ball travels from the normal winning openings 87a, 87b to the game ball detection means (first detection means) 97, particularly the distance it travels in the vertical direction, becomes large, so that the time it takes for the game ball to be detected by the game ball detection means 97 after it enters the normal winning openings 87a, 87b becomes longer. However, since the game state for the normal winning openings 87a, 87b does not change as a result of the ball entering the normal winning openings 87a, 87b, there is no particular problem even if the time from the ball entering the normal winning openings 87a, 87b to its detection becomes longer.

[0035] The out ball passage 94 is disposed in a substantially vertical direction along the rear surface of the transparent main body plate 45 so that its upstream end communicates with the out gutter 90 and its downstream end communicates with a discharge passage not shown.

[0036] In this way, the winning ball passage (ball passage) 93 of the rear member 83 is equipped with the game ball detection means 97, but other electrical components, such as an LED board, are not installed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, no LED board is arranged in the area corresponding to the rear side of the winning ball passage (ball passage) 93 of the rear member 83 when viewed from the front.

[0037] Further, the rear decorative means (decorative body) 60 formed integrally with the rear member 83 includes a decorative plate 98 arranged along the back surface of the transparent main body plate 45, and an LED board 99 arranged behind the decorative plate 98. The decorative plate 98 is made of a translucent resin and is arbitrarily decorated, and is provided, for example, on the periphery of the winning ball passage 93 and the out ball passage 94, avoiding their front sides. The LED board 99 has a large number of LEDs 99a arranged on its front side, and is formed into a shape corresponding to the decorative plate 98.

[0038] When the LED (first light emitting means) 99a of the LED board 99 is turned on, the decorative plate 98 emits light. The light from the decorative plate 98 is then irradiated from the rear side through the transparent main body plate 45 to at least a part of the front member 82 on the front side thereof, such as the normal winning openings 87a and 87b, the outlet 88, the mounting plate 86, the front wall portion 84 (the outlet identification information 91, etc.), and the like, causing these to emit light.

[0039] The start gate means (third ball entry means) 54 is disposed on the right flow path 72b in the game area 23, and as shown in Figures 8 and 9, includes a start gate main body (front structure) 102 that is detachably attached from the front side to a front-rear penetrating attachment hole 101 formed in the transparent main body plate 45, and a game ball detection means 103 that can detect game balls. The start gate main body 102 is made of transparent or translucent resin, and a normal symbol start gate (gate portion) 104 that allows game balls that have flowed down the right flow path 72b to pass in the vertical direction is formed in a forward protruding shape relative to the transparent main body plate 45, and is fixed to the transparent main body plate 45 by screws or the like at fixing portions 102a on both the left and right sides of the normal symbol start gate 104.

[0040] The game ball detection means (third detection means) 103 is composed of a flat rectangular through-type proximity switch with a through-type detection portion 103a at one end, and is attached to the start gate main body 102 from the rear side so that the detection portion 103a coincides with the normal symbol start gate 104. The rear side of the game ball detection means 103 is inserted into the mounting hole 101 of the transparent main body plate 45, and a harness 105 drawn rearward from the rear end portion is disposed along the back side of the transparent main body plate 45 toward the outside of the game area 23, for example, facing rightward.

[0041] In addition, the start gate main body 102 has a decorative part (third decorative part) 106 formed at least on the front side of the normal pattern start gate 104. This decorative part 106 functions as a screen to make the game ball detection means 103 difficult or impossible to see when viewed from the front, and is formed of at least a part of an opaque decorative sheet or the like. Note that this decorative part 106 is not limited to a decorative sheet as long as it functions as a screen for the game ball detection means 103, and may be, for example, an uneven decoration applied directly to the front side of the normal pattern start gate 104. Even if it is a transparent part, it can function as a screen if unevenness is formed there and light is diffused.

[0042] In this manner, in the start gate means 54 of this embodiment, the game ball detection means 103 is disposed so that its detection section 103a is located in front of the transparent main body plate 45, and a decorative section 106 is provided as a screen on the front side of the start gate main body 102, so that the game ball detection means 103 is difficult or impossible to see when viewed from the front. This is because the start gate means 54 needs to pass the game ball within the game area 23, and the game ball detection means 103 cannot be disposed behind the transparent main body plate 45 like the normal winning means 53.

[0043] In addition, a decorative portion 107 is provided on the front side of the transparent main body plate 45 between the start gate means 54 and the nearest (i.e., right) guide rail 51. This decorative portion 107 functions as a screen to make the harness 105 drawn out from the game ball detection means 103 difficult or impossible to see when viewed from the front, and is formed on the front side of a decorative plate 108 arranged along the front side of the transparent main body plate 45 between the start gate means 54 and the guide rail 51 on the right side thereof. The decorative plate 108 is formed integrally with the central display frame means 52, for example. The decorative portion 107 may be formed of at least a partly opaque decorative sheet or the like, like the decorative portion 106, or may be an uneven decoration directly applied to the front side of the decorative plate 108.

[0044] The first start winning means 55 is disposed at the lower side in the left-right center of the game area 23, that is, between the central display frame means 52 and the guide rail 51 below it, and as shown in Figures 3 and 4, etc., includes a first start winning main body part 111 which is detachably attached from the front side to a front-rear penetrating attachment hole (not shown) formed in the transparent main body plate 45, and a game ball detection means 112 capable of detecting a game ball. An outlet 110 is provided on the guide rail 51 below the first start winning means 55.

[0045] The first start winning main body part 111 is made of, for example, transparent or translucent resin, and is integrally provided with a front mounting plate 113 arranged along the front surface of the transparent main body plate 45 and formed so that the game ball can pass through the front side, and a first special start opening 114 provided on the front side of the front mounting plate 113, and is fixed to the transparent main body plate 45 by screws or the like at the front mounting plate 113. The first special start opening 114 is formed in an upward opening shape corresponding to the lower side of the central drop part 73 provided on the stage 71.

[0046] The game ball detection means 112 is composed of a flat rectangular through-type proximity switch with a through-type detection section 112a at one end, and is attached to the first start winning main body section 111 from the rear so that the detection section 112a is located below the first special start hole 114. After the game ball enters the first special start hole 114, it is detected by the game ball detection means 112, and is guided to the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45 by a guide passage (not shown) and discharged outside the machine.

[0047] In addition, the first start winning main body 111 has a decorative part 115 formed at least on the front side of the first special start opening 114. This decorative part 115 functions as a screen to make the game ball detection means 112 difficult or impossible to see when viewed from the front, and is formed of at least a part of an opaque decorative sheet or the like. Note that this decorative part 115 is not limited to a decorative sheet as long as it functions as a screen for the game ball detection means 112, and may be, for example, an uneven decoration applied directly to the front side of the first special start opening 114.

[0048] In this way, in the first start winning means 55 of this embodiment, the game ball detection means 112 is disposed on the front side of the transparent main body plate 45, i.e., immediately downstream of the first special start opening 114, and a decorative part 115 is provided on the front side of the first special start opening 114 as a screen, so that the game ball detection means 112 is difficult or impossible to see from the front side. This is because, as described later, the winning of a game ball into the first special start opening 114 is the starting condition for the pattern variation by the first special pattern display means 78, and therefore the distance from the first special start opening 114 to the game ball detection means 112 cannot be made too large.

[0049] However, there may be cases where it is not possible to provide a sufficient distance from the first special starting port 114 to the outlet 110 in order to widen the game area 23. In that case, the game ball detection means 112 may be disposed behind the transparent main body plate 45 by reducing the vertical movement of the game ball that entered the first special starting port 114 and allowing it to flow down to the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45.

[0050] The second start winning means 56 is arranged on the front mounting plate 52a on the right side of the central display frame means 52, downstream of the start gate means 54 on the right flow down path 72b, and as shown in Figure 3, is equipped with a second special start opening 121 formed on the front mounting plate 52a, an opening / closing member 122 that can change this second special start opening 121 between an open state where the game ball can enter and a closed state where the game ball cannot enter (or where it is more difficult to enter than in the open state), and a game ball detection means 123 that can detect the game ball.

[0051] The opening / closing member 122 can swing, for example, around a left-right rotation axis provided on the lower side, and in the closed state, for example, it is roughly flush with the front mounting plate 52a, allowing the game balls to pass through the front side, and in the open state, it is inclined downward at the rear in front of the front mounting plate 52a, allowing the game balls to enter facing backwards.

[0052] The game ball detection means 123 is composed of a flat rectangular through-type proximity switch with a through-type detection part on one end side, and is arranged in the vicinity of the downstream side of the second special starting port 121. In addition, a decorative part 124 is formed on the front mounting plate 52a in correspondence with the front side of the game ball detection means 123. This decorative part 124 functions as a screen so that the game ball detection means 123 is difficult or impossible to see when viewed from the front, and is formed of at least a part of an opaque decorative sheet or the like. Note that the decorative part 124 is not limited to a decorative sheet as long as it functions as a screen for the game ball detection means 123, and may be, for example, a concave and convex decoration directly applied to the front side of the front mounting plate 52a.

[0053] In this way, in the second start winning means 56 of this embodiment, the game ball detection means 123 is disposed near the downstream side of the second special start opening 121, and a decorative part 124 is provided as a screen on the front mounting plate 52a in front of it, so that the game ball detection means 123 is difficult to see or cannot be seen from the front side. This is because, as described later, the entry of a game ball into the second special start opening 121 is the starting condition for the pattern variation by the second special pattern display means 79, so the distance from the second special start opening 121 to the game ball detection means 123 cannot be made too large, and the opening and closing member 122 needs to be closed when a specified number of game balls enter the second start winning means 56, so that the number of balls entering the second start winning means 56 is much more than the specified number.

[0054] The large prize winning means (second ball winning means) 57 is arranged along the guide rail 51 downstream of the second start winning means 56 on the right flow down path 72b, and is composed of a large prize winning unit (ball winning unit) 132 that is removably attached from the front side to a front-to-rear penetrating mounting hole 131 formed in the transparent main body plate 45, as shown in Figures 4, 10 to 13, etc.

[0055] The large prize unit 132 comprises a front mounting plate 133 arranged around the mounting hole 131 along the front surface of the transparent main body plate 45, a front structure 134 protruding forward from the front mounting plate 133, and a rear structure 135 protruding rearward from the front mounting plate 133, and with the rear structure 135 inserted into the mounting hole 131 from the front side, the front mounting plate 133 is fixed to the transparent main body plate 45 by screwing or the like.

[0056] The front structure 134 is made of a transparent or semi-transparent resin, and has an inclined surface 136 on its upper portion that guides the game ball toward the inside (left side) of the game area 23, and a large prize winning opening (second ball winning opening) 137, a normal prize winning opening 138, and an outlet 139 are all formed on the inclined surface 136 in the form of an opening that faces approximately upward. The large prize winning opening 137 is horizontally elongated, and the normal prize winning opening 138 is located on its upstream side (right side), and the outlet 139 is located further upstream (right side) near the guide rail 51. At the upper part of the upstream side of the inclined surface 136, an inclined guide section (second inclined guide section) 140 that guides the game ball toward the large prize winning opening 137 side, i.e., toward the left side, is formed integrally with the front structure 134, for example.

[0057] Incidentally, the front decorative plate (decorative member) 134a on the front side of the front structure 134 protrudes above the inclined surface 136, and the player can see the movement of the game ball on the inclined surface 136 from the front side through this transparent or semi-transparent front decorative plate 134a. Also, on the front decorative plate 134a, out exit identification information 91 consisting of the letters "OUT" or the like is displayed at a position corresponding to the out exit 139, which makes it possible to recognize that it is an out exit.

[0058] The front structure 134 is also provided with a prize guide section 141 (Figure 11) that guides backward a game ball that has entered the large prize opening 137, a prize gutter 142 (Figure 12) that guides backward a game ball that has entered the normal prize opening 138, and an outlet gutter 143 (Figure 13) that guides backward a game ball that has entered the outlet 139.

[0059] The rear structure 135 is made of transparent or translucent resin, and as shown in Figures 10 to 13, is integrally provided with a winning ball passage 144 for discharging gaming balls that have entered the big winning opening 137 to the outside of the machine, a winning ball passage 145 for discharging gaming balls that have entered the normal winning opening 138 to the outside of the machine, and an out ball passage 146 for discharging gaming balls that have entered the out opening 139 to the outside of the machine.

[0060] The winning ball passage 144 is disposed in a substantially vertical direction such that its upstream end communicates with the winning guide 141 and its downstream end communicates with a discharge passage not shown, and a game ball detection means (second detection means) 147 capable of detecting game balls is attached at a predetermined position, for example, near the upstream end. The game ball that enters the big winning opening 137 is guided backward by the winning guide 141, and after being detected by the game ball detection means 147, it is discharged outside the machine via the winning ball passage 144.

[0061] The winning ball passage 145 is disposed in a substantially vertical direction such that its upstream end communicates with the winning gutter 142 and its downstream end communicates with a discharge passage not shown, and a game ball detection means 148 capable of detecting a game ball is attached at a predetermined position, for example, near the upstream end. The game ball that enters the normal winning opening 138 is guided backward by the winning gutter 142 and detected by the game ball detection means 148 on the way to be discharged outside the machine via the winning ball passage 145.

[0062] The out ball passage 146 is disposed in a generally vertical direction such that its upstream end communicates with the out gutter 143 and its downstream end communicates with a discharge passage not shown in the figure. The game ball that enters the out port 139 is discharged outside the machine via the out gutter 143 and the out ball passage 146.

[0063] As described above, the big prize unit 132 of this embodiment has the outlet 139 on the upstream end side of the inclined surface 136, so there is no need to provide a ball flow path from the upstream end side of the inclined surface 136 to the outlet 110 along the guide rail 51. This allows the big prize unit 132 to be arranged along the guide rail 51, making it possible to use the limited space of the game area 23 more efficiently.

[0064] The rear structure 135 is provided with an opening / closing means 149 for opening and closing the large prize opening 137. The opening / closing means 149 is composed of an opening / closing member 151 corresponding to the large prize opening 137 and an opening / closing drive means 152 for driving the opening / closing member 151. The opening / closing member 151 is a plate-like member corresponding to the large prize opening 137, and is formed in a left-downward inclination in accordance with the inclined surface 136, and is supported in a state in which it can slide back and forth between a protruding position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 11) in which it protrudes forward from the front mounting plate 133 and a retreated position (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11) in which it does not protrude forward from the front mounting plate 133. When the opening / closing member 151 is in the protruding position on the front side, the large prize opening 137 is closed and the game ball cannot enter the opening (closed state), and when the opening / closing member 151 is in the retreated position on the rear side, the large prize opening 137 is opened and the game ball can enter the opening (open state).

[0065] The opening / closing drive means 152 is composed of an electromagnetic solenoid or the like, and its movable part 152a is connected to the opening / closing member 151 by a connecting means not shown in the figure.When OFF, the opening / closing member 151 is held in a protruding position to close the large prize opening 137, and when ON, the opening / closing member 151 is slid backward to a retracted position to change the large prize opening 137 to an open state.

[0066] The opening / closing member 151 is made of opaque resin of a predetermined color (e.g., red) and is visible from the front side through the transparent or semi-transparent front decorative plate 134a. By making the opening / closing member 151 opaque in comparison with the transparent or semi-transparent front structure 134 in this way, the position of the special prize opening 137 and its open / closed state can be easily seen from the front side. Also, since the opening / closing member 151 is opaque in this way, when a player looks down from diagonally above the front, the game ball detection means 147 arranged at the rear lower part of the special prize opening 137 is blocked by the opening / closing member 151 and cannot be seen or is difficult to see if the opening / closing member 151 is in a closed state (protruding position), but is visible through the opened special prize opening 137 if the opening / closing member 151 is in an open state (retracted position).

[0067] In addition, the front decorative plate 134a is formed with a decorative portion 153 corresponding to the front side of the game ball detection means 147, 148. This decorative portion 153 functions as a screen to make the game ball detection means 147, 148 difficult or impossible to see when viewed from the front, and is formed of at least a part of an opaque decorative sheet or the like. Note that the decorative portion 153 is not limited to a decorative sheet as long as it functions as a screen for the game ball detection means 147, 148, and may be, for example, a concave and convex decoration directly applied to the front side of the front decorative plate 134a. Furthermore, the position between the opening and closing member 151 and the decorative portion 153 in the front decorative plate 134a may be made transparent without decoration, so that the inside of the big winning opening 137 and the game ball detection means 147 can be seen through this transparent portion even when the opening and closing member 151 is closed. This is to enable visual confirmation in the unlikely event that a game ball becomes stuck inside the big winning opening 137 after the opening / closing member 151 is closed.

[0068] In this manner, in the special prize means 57 (special prize unit 132) of this embodiment, the game ball detection means 147 is disposed near the special prize opening 137, and the front side of the front decorative plate 134a is provided with a decorative portion 153 as a screen, so that the game ball detection means 147 is difficult or impossible to see from the front side. This is because the special prize opening 137 is controlled to switch to a closed state when the number of winning balls (the number of balls detected by the game ball detection means 147) after it is opened reaches a predetermined upper limit number, so the distance between the special prize opening 137 and the game ball detection means 147 cannot be made as large as that of the normal prize means 53.

[0069] In other words, in this embodiment, the distance that the game ball travels from the normal winning openings (first ball entry openings) 87a, 87b in the above-mentioned normal winning means (first ball entry means) 53 to the game ball detection means (first detection means) 97 is longer in at least any of the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions compared to the distance from the large winning opening (second ball entry opening) 137 in the large winning means (second ball entry means) 57 to the game ball detection means (second detection means) 147, making it possible to position the game ball detection means (first detection means) 97 in a position that is invisible or difficult to see when viewed from the front, i.e., outside the game area 23.

[0070] In addition, in the large prize unit 132, for example, an LED board 154 is arranged on the rear side of the front decorative plate 134a in the front structure 134, and when an LED (second light-emitting means) 154a arranged on the front side of the LED board 154 is turned on, the light is irradiated from behind onto the outlet identification information 91 and decorative portion 153 of the front decorative plate 134a without passing through the transparent main body plate 45.

[0071] This is because if a rear decorative means (decorative body) were placed behind the big prize winning unit 132 as in the normal prize winning means 53, and the light emitted through the rear decorative means (decorative body) were to be used to illuminate the front decorative plate 134a, the electrical components such as the game ball detection means 147, 148 and the opening / closing drive means 152 would cast shadows, degrading the appearance, so an LED board 154 is placed behind the front decorative plate 134a of the big prize winning unit 132.

[0072] In addition, the harness 155 pulled out from electrical components such as the game ball detection means 147, 148, opening / closing drive means 152, LED board 154, etc. mounted on this large prize means 57 (large prize unit 132) is arranged toward the outside of the game area 23, passing through the rear side of the rear structure 135, and since, as mentioned above, there is no ball flow path between the large prize unit 132 and the guide rail 51, it is possible to arrange the harness 155 in a state that is difficult or impossible to see from the front, despite the use of a transparent main body plate 45.

[0073] 3, 5 and 10, the movable performance means 59 includes a movable body 161 and a driving means 162 for driving the movable body 161, for example, in the vertical direction. The movable body 161 is disposed in a horizontally elongated shape in front of the liquid crystal display means 58, and a decorative part 161a formed in, for example, any shape (here, a three-dimensional shape with an airplane motif) is provided on the front side of the movable body 161, and both left and right ends of the decorative part 161a are supported in a state in which they can move in the vertical direction by a pair of driving means 162, 162 attached to the front side of the rear wall part 62 corresponding to the left and right sides of the liquid crystal display means 58.

[0074] The movable body 161 has an LED board 163 arranged inside a decorative portion 161a, and when an LED 163a arranged on the front side of the LED board 163 is turned on, the decorative portion 161a emits light.

[0075] The normal symbol display means 76 is for displaying normal symbols in a variable manner, and is provided with a plurality of light-emitting bodies (e.g., LEDs) corresponding to a plurality of normal symbols (e.g., two types, "○" and "×"). When a game ball flowing down the right flow-down path 72b passes through the normal symbol start gate 104, and the game ball detection means 103 detects it, the plurality of light-emitting bodies blink so as to emit light in a predetermined sequence. When the winning judgment random number value included in the normal random number information acquired when the game ball is detected by the game ball detection means 103 matches a predetermined winning judgment value, the light-emitting body on the "○" side corresponding to the winning mode (predetermined mode), for example, lights up, and otherwise the light-emitting body on the "×" side corresponding to the losing mode, for example, lights up and stops. When the stopped symbol after the variation of the normal symbol display means 76 becomes a winning mode, a normal profit state occurs. In the normal profit state, the opening and closing member 122 of the second start winning means 56 changes from a closed state to an open state for a predetermined time, and the game ball can enter the second special start port 121.

[0076] In addition, when a game ball passes through the normal symbol start gate 104 during a normal reservation period including during the pattern change of the normal symbol display means 76 and during the normal profit state, the normal random number information acquired thereby is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved number, for example, 4 pieces, and each time the normal reservation period ends, one piece is consumed and the normal symbol is changed. The number of stored normal random number information (normal reservation number) is notified to the player by the normal reservation number display means 77, etc.

[0077] The first special symbol display means 78 is composed of a display means such as a 7-segment type capable of variably displaying one or more first special symbols, for example, one first special symbol, and variably displays the first special symbol for a predetermined time on the condition that a game ball enters the first special starting hole 114 and is detected by the game ball detection means 112, and when the jackpot determination random number value included in the first special random number information acquired when the game ball is detected by the game ball detection means 112 matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, the first special symbol stops in the first jackpot mode, and otherwise stops in the first miss mode. When the stopped symbol after the variance of the first special symbol display means 78 becomes the first jackpot mode, a first special advantage state occurs.

[0078] In addition, because there is a route for the ball to enter the first special starting port 114 from the warp entrance 71a on the left flow path 72a via the stage 71, there is a higher probability that a game ball that has flowed down the left flow path 72a will enter the first special starting port 114 than a game ball that has flowed down the right flow path 72b.

[0079] The second special symbol display means 79 is composed of a display means such as a 7-segment type that can variably display one or more second special symbols, for example, one second special symbol, and variably displays the second special symbol for a predetermined time on the condition that a game ball enters the second special start hole 121 that has been opened during a normal winning state and the game ball detection means 123 detects it, and when the jackpot determination random number value included in the second special random number information acquired when the game ball is detected by the game ball detection means 123 matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, the second special symbol stops in the second jackpot mode, and otherwise stops in the second miss mode. When the stopped symbol after the variation of the second special symbol display means 79 becomes the second jackpot mode, a second special winning state occurs.

[0080] In addition, when a game ball enters the first and second special starting holes 114, 121 during a special reservation period including during the pattern change of the first special pattern display means 78, during the pattern change of the second special pattern display means 79, and during the first and second special advantage states, the first and second special random number information acquired thereby is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved number, for example, 4 pieces each. Then, when the special reservation period ends, if the reserved memory on the second special pattern side is 1 or more (if the pattern change start condition for the second special pattern is established), the reserved memory of the second special pattern is consumed and the second special pattern is changed, and if only the reserved memory on the first special pattern side is 1 or more (if the pattern change start condition for the first special pattern is established), the reserved memory of the first special pattern is consumed and the first special pattern is changed. In this embodiment, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are not both variable, and when there are reserved memories on both the first special symbol side and the second special symbol side, the second special symbol is given priority for variable. The number of stored first and second special random number information (number of first and second special reserved numbers) is notified to the player by the liquid crystal display means 58 or the like.

[0081] When the first and second special advantage states occur by the first and second special patterns of the first and second special pattern display means 78, 79 changing and then stopping in the first and second jackpot modes, the opening / closing member 151 of the big prize means 57 opens according to a predetermined opening pattern, allowing the game ball flowing down the inclined surface 136 to enter the big prize opening 137.

[0082] Here, the opening pattern of the opening / closing member 151 is configured to execute a predetermined unit opening operation for a predetermined number of rounds, such as 5R, 10R, etc. Here, the unit opening operation is an operation to close the large prize opening 137 (end the specific state) on the condition that a predetermined upper limit time (e.g., 28 seconds) has elapsed since the large prize opening 137 was opened (switched from the normal state to the specific state) or a predetermined upper limit number of game balls (e.g., 9 balls) have entered the large prize opening 137 by that time. In this way, the large prize opening 137 is controlled to be closed (end the specific state) when the number of game balls entering the large prize opening 137 while the large prize opening 137 is open (during the specific state) reaches a predetermined upper limit number. Therefore, in the large prize winning means 57, the distance from the large prize opening 137 to the game ball detection means 147 cannot be made too large, and the game ball detection means 147 is disposed in the vicinity of the downstream side of the large prize opening 137.

[0083] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal display means 58 displays a varying performance pattern 171 in parallel with the varying display of the first and second special patterns by the first and second special pattern display means 78, 79, and also displays various images such as first and second reserve display images X1-X4, Y1-Y4 indicating the number of first and second special reserves.

[0084] Here, the performance pattern 171 is composed of a combination of a pattern image 171a consisting of numbers 1 to 9 and the like and a character or other decorative image 171b, and can change in multiple rows in the left-right direction, for example, in three rows, and starts changing by vertical scrolling or the like according to a predetermined change pattern substantially simultaneously with the start of the change of the first and second special patterns, and stops in a predetermined order such as left, right, and center so as to finally stop substantially simultaneously with the stop of the change of the first and second special patterns. Note that, for example, when all the performance patterns 171 are aligned with the same pattern, it is a big win performance mode, and otherwise it is a miss performance mode, and when the first and second special patterns are in the first and second big win modes, the performance pattern 171 is in the big win performance mode, and when the first and second special patterns are in the first and second miss modes, the performance pattern 171 is in the miss performance mode.

[0085] Fig. 14 is a block diagram of the control system of this pachinko machine. In Fig. 14, the main control board 181 controls the overall game operation, and in addition to the display means such as the normal symbol display means 76, the first and second special symbol display means 78, 79, etc., the game ball detection means 103, 112, 123, 147, 97, 148, etc. provided corresponding to the normal symbol start gate 104, the first and second special start gates 114, 121, the big prize gate 137, and the normal prize gates 87a, 87b, 138 are connected.

[0086] In addition, various control boards such as a performance control board 182, a liquid crystal control board 183, a payout control board 184, and a launch control board 185 are connected below the main control board 181. The performance control board 182 controls performance based on control commands from the main control board 181, and is connected to various performance means such as an illumination means 186, speakers 18, 25, and a movable performance means 59, as well as operation means such as a performance button 34 and a cross operation means 35. The illumination means 186 is composed of various light emitting means such as LED boards 99, 154, 163, etc., arranged on the front frame 3 and the game board 16.

[0087] The liquid crystal control board 183 controls the liquid crystal display means 58 based on control commands from the performance control board 182. The payout control board 184 controls the payout means 28 based on control commands from the main control board 181, and a launch control board 185 is connected below it. The launch control board 185 controls the launch means 17 based on a launch control signal from the payout control board 184, an operation signal from the launch handle 32, and the like. The launch control board 185 is disposed, for example, on the back side of the launch means 17.

[0088] The main control board 181 is equipped with a normal random number creation processing means 191, a normal start port check processing means 192, a normal random number memory means 193, a normal pattern processing means 194, a normal pattern display control means 195, a normal advantage state generating means 196, a special random number creation processing means 197, a special start port check processing means 198, a special random number memory means 199, a special pattern processing means 200, a special pattern display control means 201, a special advantage state generating means 202, a special game state generating means 203, a prize processing means 204, a control command transmitting means 205, etc.

[0089] The normal random number creation processing means 191 is configured to repeatedly generate winning judgment random numbers and the like at predetermined time intervals to be used to determine whether the normal symbol after the change is a winning pattern. The normal start gate check processing means 192 performs processing based on the detection of a gaming ball by the normal symbol start gate 104, and is configured to obtain normal random number information such as winning judgment random number values ​​created by the normal random number creation processing means 191 based on the gaming ball passing through the normal symbol start gate 104 and being detected by the gaming ball detection means 103, and to store the normal random number information in a first-in, first-out normal random number storage means 193 up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved numbers (for example, 4).

[0090] The normal pattern processing means 194 performs processing related to the variable display of normal patterns, and is equipped with a hit determination function which, on condition that the normal pattern display means 76 is in a state capable of variable display and one or more hit determination random number values ​​are stored in the normal random number storage means 193 (the normal reserved number is 1 or more), retrieves a hit determination random number value from the head of the queue of normal random number information stored in the normal random number storage means 193 and determines whether or not the hit determination random number value matches a predetermined hit determination value, a normal stop pattern selection function which selects the type of stop pattern after the normal pattern changes based on the hit / miss determination result, and a change time selection function which selects the change time of the normal pattern.

[0091] In this embodiment, the probability of winning (e.g., 1 / 1.3) during a special game state (time-saving state and special bonus state) described below is set higher than the probability of winning (e.g., 1 / 10) during other normal game states, and the variable time during the special game state (e.g., 2.7 seconds) is set shorter than the variable time during the normal game state (e.g., 27 seconds).

[0092] The normal pattern display control means 195 controls the display of the normal pattern display means 76 based on the normal pattern processing by the normal pattern processing means 194, and starts varying the normal pattern by the normal pattern display means 76 on the condition that the normal pattern display means 76 is in a state capable of variable display and one or more pieces of normal random number information are stored in the normal random number storage means 193 (the normal reserved number is 1 or more), and stops the variation of the normal pattern at the stop pattern selected by the normal pattern processing means 194 based on the elapse of the variation time selected by the normal pattern processing means 194.

[0093] The normal profit state generating means 196 generates a normal profit state in which the opening and closing member 122 of the second special starting port 121 changes to an open state according to, for example, one of a plurality of opening and closing patterns when the stopped pattern after the variation of the normal pattern display means 76 becomes a winning pattern based on the result of the winning judgment by the normal pattern processing means 194 being a winning one. In this embodiment, two types of opening and closing patterns are set: a normal opening and closing pattern (for example, 0.2 seconds x 1 opening) and an extended opening and closing pattern (for example, 2 seconds x 3 openings) set so that the opening time is longer than that of the normal opening and closing pattern, and the normal opening and closing pattern is selected during the normal game state, and the extended opening and closing pattern is selected during the special game state.

[0094] The special random number creation processing means 197 is configured to perform special random number creation processing to repeatedly generate jackpot determination random numbers used to determine jackpot / miss, pattern determination random numbers used to select the stopping pattern after the special pattern changes, fluctuation pattern random numbers used to select the fluctuation pattern, and other specified random numbers.

[0095] The special start port check processing means 198 performs processing based on the entry of a game ball into the first and second special start ports 114, 121, and is configured to obtain first and second special random number information such as a jackpot determination random number value and a jackpot pattern random number value created by the special random number creation processing means 197 based on the entry of a game ball into either the first or second special start port 114, 121, and store the first and second special random number information in the special random number storage means 199 up to a predetermined upper limit of the number of reserved items (for example, 4 items), and to transmit first and second reserve increase commands specifying the increased number of first and second special reserved items, etc. to the performance control board 182 via the control command transmitting means 205.

[0096] The special start port check processing means 198 also includes a look-ahead determination means 198a. The look-ahead determination means 198a is configured to perform look-ahead determination as to whether or not the jackpot determination random number value included in the first and second special random number information, which is obtained when a game ball enters the first and second special start ports 114 and 121, matches the first and second jackpot determination values, for example, at the time of acquisition. The look-ahead determination result is transmitted to the performance control board 182, etc., by a reserved increase command transmitted based on the game ball entering either the first or second special start port 114 or 121.

[0097] The special pattern processing means 200 performs processing related to the variable display of the first and second special patterns, and when the first and second special pattern display means 78, 79 are in a state where they can be variable displayed, it takes out the top jackpot determination random number value from the queue of the second special random number information if the second special reserved number is 1 or more, or from the queue of the first special random number information if only the first special reserved number is 1 or more, and is equipped with a jackpot determination function that determines whether or not there is a jackpot / miss depending on whether the jackpot determination random number value matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, a special stop pattern selection function that selects the stop pattern after the first and second special patterns have changed based on the jackpot pattern random number value contained in the first and second special random number information depending on the result of the jackpot determination, and a change pattern selection function that selects a change pattern of the first and second special patterns from multiple types depending on the result of the jackpot determination.

[0098] Also, when the first and second special symbols start to change, a first and second reserved reduction command that specifies the number of first and second special reserved symbols after the reduction, a change pattern command that specifies the change pattern of the performance symbol 171, a pattern designation command that specifies the stop pattern of the first and second special symbols, etc. are transmitted to the performance control board 182 via the control command transmission means 205. On the other hand, when the first and second special reserved numbers are both in a state of 0 and the first and second special symbols are put into a waiting state for change, such as by ending the change of the first and second special symbols, a customer waiting demo command is transmitted to the performance control board 182 via the control command transmission means 205.

[0099] The special symbol display control means 201 controls the display of the first and second special symbol display means 78 and 79, and starts the variation of the first and second special symbols by the first special symbol display means 78 or the second special symbol display means 79 based on the special symbol processing by the special symbol processing means 200, and stops the variation of the first and second special symbols at the selected stop symbol based on the lapse of the variation time corresponding to the selected variation pattern. When the variation of the first and second special symbols ends, a variation stop command instructing the variation stop of the performance pattern 171 is transmitted to the performance control board 182 via the control command transmission means 205.

[0100] The special advantage state generating means 202 is for generating first and second special advantage states advantageous to the player, and is configured to generate first and second special advantage states (advantage states) that open the large prize opening 137 according to a predetermined opening pattern when the result of the jackpot determination by the special pattern processing means 200 is a jackpot and the stopped pattern after the variation of the first and second special patterns becomes the first and second jackpot patterns (specific patterns).

[0101] The special game state generating means 203 is for generating a special game state advantageous to the player after the end of the first and second special advantage states, and is configured to generate a special game state, for example, either a time-saving state or a special bonus state, depending on the jackpot pattern random number value when the jackpot determination random number value included in the first and second special random number information matches the jackpot determination value.

[0102] During the time-saving state, for example, the fluctuation time of the first and second special symbols is switched to a shortened fluctuation time shorter than the normal fluctuation time, the probability that the normal symbols will be in a winning state is switched from a normal probability (for example, 1 / 10) to a high probability (for example, 1 / 1.3), the fluctuation time of the normal symbols is switched from a normal fluctuation time (for example, 27 seconds) to a shortened fluctuation time (for example, 2.7 seconds), and the opening and closing pattern of the second special starting port 121 is switched from a normal opening and closing pattern (for example, 0.2 seconds x 1 opening) to an extended opening and closing pattern (for example, 2 seconds x 3 openings). The time-saving state starts after the first and second special advantage states end, and ends when the next special advantage state occurs or when the first and second special symbols have changed a predetermined number of times (for example, 50 times) before that.

[0103] During the probability change state, the probability that the first and second special symbols will become the first and second jackpot patterns is switched to a higher probability (e.g., 1 / 35) than the normal probability (e.g., 1 / 350). In addition, during the probability change state, in principle, switching is also performed in the same way as in the time-saving state. Note that the probability change state begins after the end of the first and second special advantage states, and ends when the next special advantage state occurs, but other ending conditions such as the number of times the first and second special symbols change may be added.

[0104] The winning processing means 204 performs processing related to the payout of prize balls resulting from the winning of game balls into each winning port, i.e., the normal winning ports 87a, 87b, 138, the first and second special start ports 114, 121, and the large winning port 137. For example, the winning number of each of the winning ports 87a, 87b, 138, 114, 121, 137 is counted based on detection signals from the game ball detection means 97, 148, 112, 123, 147, and based on the count value of the number of winning balls for each winning port and the number of prize balls set for each winning port, a payout number designation command for each winning is transmitted to the payout control board 184 via the control command transmitting means 205.

[0105] The winning processing means 204 also includes an abnormal winning determination means 204a. The abnormal winning determination means 204a is for determining abnormal winning suspected to be cheating, and is configured to perform abnormal winning determination based on detection signals from the game ball detection means 97, 148, 112, 123, 147 provided corresponding to each winning port 87a, 87b, 138, 114, 121, 137. When the abnormal winning determination means 204a determines that an abnormal winning has occurred, an error notification or other error processing is performed. In this embodiment, with respect to the start gate means (third ball entry means) 54, abnormality determination based on detection signals from the game ball detection means (third detection means) 103 is not performed.

[0106] In this embodiment, the following processing is performed for the first abnormal winning judgment regarding winning at the normal winning ports 87a, 87b provided in the normal winning means (first ball winning means) 53, and the second abnormal winning judgment regarding winning at the special winning port 137 provided in the special winning means (second ball winning means) 57.

[0107] That is, in the first abnormal winning judgment (first abnormality detection judgment), an abnormality is judged when a predetermined number of winnings are detected in a predetermined time regardless of the game state. In the case of the normal winning ports 87a and 87b, since there is a possibility of winning in any game state, an abnormality cannot be judged by one winning detection, but by multiple winning detections.

[0108] As one specific example of the first abnormal winning judgment, in a timer interruption every 4 ms, it is judged whether or not the game ball detection means 97 corresponding to the normal winning openings 87a, 87b is ON, and if it is ON, the abnormality judgment counter is incremented (+1), and if it is OFF, the abnormality judgment counter is cleared to 0, and when the abnormality judgment counter reaches 250 (a predetermined value), that is, when the game ball detection means 97 has been ON for 1000 ms (250 timer interrupts), an abnormality is judged. In addition, as another specific example of the first abnormal winning judgment, when the game ball detection means 97 is turned ON, a timer starts counting a predetermined time (for example, a 5000 ms timer countdown) and starts counting the number of times the game ball detection means 97 is turned ON, and an abnormality is judged when the count value exceeds 10 times (a predetermined number of times) during the timer counting the predetermined time.

[0109] In the normal winning means 53 of this embodiment, the game ball detection means 97 is positioned in a position that is not visible or is difficult to see from the front, so it may be difficult to visually confirm cheating behavior against the game ball detection means 97, and therefore it is effective to constantly perform abnormal winning judgment as described above.

[0110] In addition, in the second abnormal winning judgment (second abnormality detection judgment), if the game ball detection means 147 corresponding to the large winning port 137 turns ON when it is not during a specific period including a special advantage state (specific state), it is judged as abnormal. The specific period starts at the start of the special advantage state and ends when the effective winning time has elapsed after the special advantage state ends. The effective winning time is the time required for all game balls that have won in the large winning port 137 during the special advantage state to pass through the game ball detection means 147, and is set to a predetermined time such as 30 seconds. For the large winning port 137, the game ball detection means 147 turns ON due to a regular winning only during the specific period, so if the game ball detection means 147 turns ON even once outside the specific period, it can be judged as abnormal at that time. In other words, it is possible to judge an abnormality by detecting winning fewer times compared to the case of a normal winning port.

[0111] The control command transmitting means 205 transmits various control commands to a control board such as the performance control board 182 to give control instructions.

[0112] As described above, in the pachinko machine of this embodiment, the normal winning means (first ball winning means) 53 comprises a front member 82 attached to the transparent main body plate 45 from the front and at least a portion of which is formed to be transparent or translucent, and a rear member 83 attached to the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45, and normal winning ports (first ball winning ports) 87a, 87b through which game balls that have flowed down the game area 23 can enter are arranged in the front member 82, and game ball detection means (first detection means) 97 capable of detecting game balls that have entered the normal winning ports 87a, 87b is arranged in a position on the rear member 83 that is invisible or difficult to see when viewed from the front.Therefore, when a so-called transparent game board is adopted, it is possible to eliminate the deterioration of appearance by suppressing the visibility from the front of the game ball detection means 97 that detects game balls that have entered the normal winning ports 87a, 87b.

[0113] The game board 16 also has a large prize winning means (second ball winning means) 57 consisting of a large prize winning unit (ball winning unit) 132 attached to the front side of the transparent main body plate 45, and in the large prize winning unit 132, a large prize winning port (second ball winning port) 137, an opening / closing member 151 that can be changed between an open state in which a game ball that has flowed down the game area 23 can enter the large prize winning port 137 and a closed state in which it is more difficult for the ball to enter than the open state or the ball cannot enter at all, and a game ball detection means (second detection means) 147 that can detect a game ball that has entered the large prize winning port 137, and by making the vertical distance from the normal prize winning ports 87a, 87b to the game ball detection means 97 in the normal prize winning means 53 longer than the vertical distance from the large prize winning port 137 to the game ball detection means 147 in the large prize winning means 57, the game ball detection means 97 is positioned in a position that is not visible or difficult to see when viewed from the front.

[0114] In addition, the big prize means 57 is switchable between a normal state in which the opening / closing member 151 is maintained in a closed state and a specific state in which the opening / closing member 151 is changed to an open state, and is configured to terminate the specific state when the number of game balls detected by the game ball detection means 147 during the specific state reaches a predetermined upper limit number.

[0115] In addition, the game ball detection means 97 is disposed at a position corresponding to the outside of the game area 23 on the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45 .

[0116] In addition, the front member 82 is provided with an inclined guide section (first inclined guide section) 92 upstream of the normal prize openings 87a, 87b, which guides the game ball toward the normal prize openings 87a, 87b, and the big prize unit 132 is provided with an inclined guide section (second inclined guide section) 140 upstream of the big prize opening 137, which guides the game ball toward the big prize opening 137.

[0117] In addition, the normal winning means 53 is provided with multiple normal winning ports 87a, 87b for one game ball detection means 97, and a junction 96 in a winning ball passage (ball passage) 93 that guides game balls from the multiple normal winning ports 87a, 87b toward the single game ball detection means 97 is positioned in a position that is invisible or difficult to see when viewed from the front.

[0118] Further, the game ball detection means 147 of the special prize means 57 is disposed behind a decorative portion 153 provided on the front decorative plate (decorative member) 134a in a state where it is not visible or difficult to see when viewed from the front.

[0119] In addition, the game ball detection means 147 is disposed at a position where it can be seen through the big prize opening 137 when the opening / closing member 151 is in the open state. In addition, the opening / closing member 151, which is formed opaque, can be seen from the front side through the front decorative plate 134a.

[0120] In addition, the start gate means (third ball entry means) 54 comprises a start gate main body portion (front structure) 102 which is attached to the front side of the transparent main body plate 45, a normal pattern start gate (gate portion) 104 which is configured to allow game balls to pass within the game area 23 and has a decorative portion (third decorative portion) 106 on the front side, and a game ball detection means (third detection means) 103 which can detect game balls passing through the normal pattern start gate 104, and by arranging the game ball detection means 103 behind the decorative portion 106 on the normal pattern start gate 104, it is made invisible or difficult to see from the front.

[0121] In addition, with regard to the normal winning means 53, a first abnormality detection judgment is made based on the passage of time and the number of detections by the game ball detection means 97, with regard to the big winning means 57, a second abnormality detection judgment is made based on detection by the game ball detection means 147 when the specific period including the specific state that changes the opening / closing member 151 to the open state is not in progress, and with regard to the start gate means 54, no abnormality detection judgment is made based on detection by the game ball detection means 103.

[0122] In addition, it is possible to illuminate the front member 82 through the transparent main body plate 45 by light emitted through the rear decorative means (decorative body) 60 arranged on the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45, and it is possible to illuminate the front decorative plate 134a by light from the LED (light-emitting means) 154a provided in the large prize unit 132 without passing through the transparent main body plate 45.

[0123] In addition, the big prize unit 132 is provided with an outlet 139, and outlet identification information (identification information) 91 indicating the outlet is displayed on the front decorative plate 134a, and light from the LED 154a is arranged to irradiate the outlet identification information 91.

[0124] Figures 15 and 16 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, in which the game ball detection means 97 in the normal winning means 53 is positioned at a position corresponding to the game area 23 when viewed from the front, and a decorative part 211 is positioned at a position corresponding to the front side of the game ball detection means 97 on the transparent main body plate 45.

[0125] The normal winning means 53 of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that the normal winning ports 87a, 87b, outlet 88, etc. are arranged in the front member 82, and the winning ball passage 93, game ball detection means 97, etc. are arranged in the rear member 83, but the shape of the winning ball passage 93 and the position of the game ball detection means 97 are different from those of the first embodiment.

[0126] In other words, almost the entire winning ball passage 93, including the junction 96, is positioned so that it corresponds to the playing area 23 when viewed from the front, and the playing ball detection means 97 arranged on the winning ball passage 93 is also arranged at a position that corresponds to the playing area 23 when viewed from the front.

[0127] In this embodiment, a decorative portion 211 is formed in the transparent main body plate 45 at a position corresponding to the front side of the junction 96 of the game ball detection means 97 and the winning ball passage 93. This decorative portion 211 functions as a screen to make the game ball detection means 97 and the like difficult or impossible to see when viewed from the front, and is formed of at least a part of an opaque decorative sheet or the like. Note that the decorative portion 211 is not limited to a decorative sheet as long as it functions as a screen for the game ball detection means 97 and the like, and may be, for example, an uneven decoration directly applied to the front side of the transparent main body plate 45. Even if it is a transparent part, it can function as a screen if unevenness is formed there and light is diffused. Note that in this embodiment, the decorative portion 211 is provided on the front side of the transparent main body plate 45, but it may be provided on the back side.

[0128] In this way, by arranging the game ball detection means 97 behind the decorative portion 211 provided on the transparent main body plate 45, it is possible to make the game ball detection means 97 invisible or difficult to see when viewed from the front, even if it is arranged at a corresponding position within the game area 23. Note that, although an example in which the decorative portion 211 is provided on the transparent main body plate 45 has been shown in this embodiment, the decorative portion 211 may be provided on a member arranged on the front side of the transparent main body plate 45, such as the front wall portion 84 of the front member 82, or may be provided on a member arranged on the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45, such as the front side of the winning ball passage 93.

[0129] 17 and 18 show a third embodiment of the present invention, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, in which the front member 82 of the normal winning means 53 is illuminated by light from a movable body 221 provided on the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45. The only difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that a new movable performance means 220 is provided.

[0130] In the game board 16 of this embodiment, a movable performance means 220 is arranged on the rear side of the transparent main body plate 45 separately from the movable performance means 59. This movable performance means 220 includes a movable body 221 and a driving means 222 for driving the movable body 221 to swing, for example. The movable body 221 has a transparent resin decorative plate 223 arranged on its front side and an LED board 224 arranged inside, and is supported to be swingable between an origin position (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 17) where the movable body 221 is substantially entirely retracted outside the display frame defined by the central display frame means 52 by driving the driving means 222, and an operating position (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 17) where at least a part of the movable body 221 advances into the display frame defined by the central display frame means 52.

[0131] When the movable body 221 is at the origin position, at least a part of the movable body 221 overlaps the rear side of the normal winning means 53. As a result, when the LED 224a on the front side of the LED board 224 is turned on when the movable body 221 is at the origin position, the decorative plate 223 emits light, and the light from the decorative plate 223 illuminates the front member 82 in front of it from the rear side through the rear member 83 and the transparent main body plate 45. Note that it is not only the light from the movable body 221 that illuminates the front member 82 from the rear side, but also the light from the rear decoration means 60 illuminates a part of the front member 82 from the rear side, as in the first embodiment.

[0132] In this manner, the front member 82 of the normal winning means 53 may be illuminated from behind by light from the movable body 221 disposed behind the transparent main body plate 45 .

[0133] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 19 to 25 show a fourth embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine. In Figure 19, a gaming machine main body 501 includes a rectangular outer frame 502 and a front frame 504 pivotally attached to the front of the outer frame 502 by a hinge 503 on one of the left and right sides, for example, the left side, so as to be freely opened and closed. In the front frame 504, a game board 505 and the like are arranged on the upper side, and a launching means 506 for launching game balls toward a game area 505a in front of the game board 505, a lower speaker SP1, and the like are arranged on the lower side, respectively, and a glass door 507 is arranged in front of the game board 505 and the like, and a front panel 508 is arranged in front of the launching means 506, the lower speaker SP1, and the like, and is pivotally supported by a hinge 509 on the same side as the hinge 503 so as to be freely opened and closed. The glass door 507 and the front panel 508 may be configured as a single door body so that they can be opened and closed as a unit.

[0134] The glass door 507 has a glass window 507a corresponding to the play area 505a at its approximate center, and various presentation means such as an upper speaker SP2 and an illumination device 510 are arranged around the glass window 507a. The illumination device 510 includes an LED board 511 on the front side of which an LED 511a is arranged, and a light-emitting lens section 512 arranged in front of the LED board 511. A synthetic resin glass frame cover 513 is provided on the front side of the glass door 507 to cover the upper speaker SP2 and the like from the front side, and at least a part of the glass frame cover 513 is the light-emitting lens section 512 having translucency. The light-emitting lens section 512 is subjected to a light diffusion treatment such as uneven processing in order to make the LED board 511 and the like inside difficult to see from the front side and to appropriately diffuse the light emitted from the LED 511a.

[0135] In front of the front panel 508, an upper tray 515 is arranged on the upper side for storing game balls dispensed from the dispensing means 514 (see FIG. 20) and supplying them to the launching means 506, and below the upper tray 515, a lower tray 516 for storing surplus balls when the upper tray 515 is full is arranged on the left end side, and a launch handle 517 for operating the launching means 506 is arranged on the right end side. Furthermore, various operating means such as a performance button 519 that can be pressed by a player are arranged on an upper tray cover 518 that covers the upper tray 515 from the front side. An illumination means may also be arranged on the upper tray cover 518.

[0136] A guide rail 520 that guides the game ball launched from the launching means 506 is attached in a ring shape to the front side of the game board 505, and various game components such as a center case 521, a normal pattern starting means 522, a special pattern starting means 523, a big prize means 524, and a normal prize means 525 are arranged in the game area 505a inside the guide rail 520.

[0137] The center case 521 is disposed, for example, approximately in the center of the game area 505a, and is provided with an approximately rectangular display window 527 corresponding to an image display means 526 such as a liquid crystal type, and on a decorative frame 528 surrounding the display window 527, various display means such as a normal pattern display means 531, a special pattern display means 532, a normal reserved number display means 533, a first special reserved number display means 534, as well as a stage 535, a movable performance means 536, etc. are provided.

[0138] The stage 535 is arranged in the left-right direction on the lower front side of the image display means 526, and allows the game balls that flow into the side of the center case 521, for example the warp entrance 535a on the left side, to roll freely and then drop to the front, for example from a central drop section in the center in the left-right direction or a side drop section on either side of that.

[0139] The movable performance means 536 includes a movable illumination device 540, a movable body guide means 541 for movably supporting the movable illumination device 540, and a drive means 542 for driving the movable illumination device 540. The movable illumination device (illumination device) 540 is formed in a horizontally long shape, and an arbitrary decoration (here, the characters "Kappa Densetsu", which is the title of the gaming machine) is formed three-dimensionally on the front side of the movable illumination device, and a predetermined part (here, the characters of "Kappa Densetsu") is illuminated in an arbitrary color by lighting an LED 573 arranged inside. The details of the movable illumination device 540 will be described later.

[0140] The movable body guide means 541 supports the movable illumination device 540 in a state in which it can move in a predetermined direction (here, the vertical direction) along the front side of the display screen 526a of the image display means 526, and includes a pair of guide rails 543 arranged in the vertical direction along both the left and right sides of the display screen 526a of the image display means 526, and both left and right ends of the movable illumination device 540 are supported so as to be vertically movable by each of the guide rails 543. The movable body guide means 541 allows the movable illumination device 540 to move in the vertical direction between an upper position on the upper side of the image display means 526 and a lower position on the front side of the image display means 526, and is normally held in the upper position which is the origin position.

[0141] The driving means 542 is constituted, for example, by a stepping motor and is arranged on the rear side of the decorative frame 528, and is capable of moving the movable illumination device 540 in the vertical direction according to a predetermined operating pattern via a belt or the like (not shown).

[0142] The normal pattern starting means 522 is used to start the pattern change by the normal pattern display means 531, and is composed of a passing gate through which the game ball can pass. It is arranged to the left of the center case 521, and is equipped with a game ball detection means (not shown) that can detect the passage of the game ball.

[0143] The normal pattern display means 531 is used to variably display normal patterns and is equipped with a plurality of light-emitting elements (e.g., LEDs) corresponding to a plurality of normal patterns (e.g., two types, "○" and "X"). Based on the detection of a gaming ball by the normal pattern starting means 522, the plurality of light-emitting elements blink to emit light in a predetermined sequence. If the winning determination random number value included in the normal random number information acquired when the normal pattern starting means 522 detects a gaming ball matches a predetermined winning determination value, the light-emitting element corresponding to the winning state, for example, on the "○" side, lights up, and otherwise the light-emitting element corresponding to the losing state, for example, on the "X" side, lights up and stops.

[0144] The normal random number information acquired when the normal symbol starting means 522 detects a game ball is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit, for example, four pieces, and is consumed in sequence each time the normal symbol display means 531 starts changing the pattern. The number of stored normal random number information (normal reserved number) is notified to the player by the normal reserved number display means 533, etc.

[0145] The special symbol starting means 523 is for starting the variation of symbols by the special symbol display means 532, and is provided with, for example, two upper and lower start winning means 523a, 523b, an opening / closing means 546 for opening and closing the lower start winning means 523b, and a game ball detection means (not shown) for detecting the game balls that have won the start winning means 523a, 523b, respectively, and is disposed, for example, below the center case 521. The upper start winning means 523a is a non-opening / closing type winning means that does not have an opening / closing means, etc., and is disposed directly below the center drop part of the stage 535 with an upward opening. The lower start winning means 523b is an opening / closing type winning means which can be switched by the opening / closing means 546 between an open state in which the game ball can win a prize, and a closed state in which a prize is not possible (or a prize is more difficult to win than in the open state), and is arranged below the upper start winning means 523a, and is configured so that the opening / closing means 546 changes from a closed state to an open state for a predetermined time in the normal profit state which occurs when the stopped pattern after the change of the normal pattern display means 531 becomes a winning pattern.

[0146] The special pattern display means 532 is for variably displaying special patterns, and is composed of a display means such as a 7-segment type capable of variably displaying one or more special patterns, for example one special pattern, and when the special pattern start means 523 detects a game ball (when the pattern start condition is met), that is, when the game ball enters either of the two upper and lower start winning means 523a, 523b, the special pattern is variably displayed for a predetermined period of time, and if the jackpot determination random number value contained in the special random number information obtained at the time of the game ball entering the start winning means 523a, 523b matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, it stops in a predetermined jackpot mode, and if they do not match, it stops in, for example, a miss mode.

[0147] The special random number information acquired when the game ball enters the special symbol starting means 523 is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit, for example, up to four pieces, and is consumed in sequence each time the special symbol display means 532 starts changing the patterns. The number of stored special random number information (special reserved number) is notified to the player by the first special reserved number display means 534, the second special reserved number display means 549 described later, etc.

[0148] The big prize means 524 is an opening / closing type prize means equipped with an opening / closing plate 547 that can be switched between an open state in which the game ball can win a prize and a closed state in which the game ball cannot win a prize, and is arranged, for example, below the special pattern starting means 523, and in a special profit state that occurs when the stopped pattern after the change of the special pattern display means 532 becomes a big win state, the opening / closing plate 547 opens to the front according to a predetermined opening pattern, allowing the game ball that falls on it to win a prize inside.

[0149] The image display means 526 also includes a performance pattern display means 548, a second special reserved number display means 549, etc. The performance pattern display means 548 displays the performance pattern P in a variable manner in parallel with the display of the special pattern by the special pattern display means 532. The performance pattern P has a plurality of pattern rows (three in the left and right direction in the example of FIG. 19) consisting of a plurality of patterns including numerical patterns and other patterns, and starts to vary by vertical scrolling or the like for each pattern row according to a predetermined variation pattern at approximately the same time as the special pattern starts to vary, and finally stops at approximately the same time as the special pattern stops varying so that the stopped patterns on a predetermined effective line become a predetermined mode. In the performance pattern P, for example, when all the stopped patterns on the effective line are the same, it is a big win performance mode, and otherwise it is a miss performance mode, and when the special pattern becomes a big win mode or a miss mode, the performance pattern P becomes a big win performance mode or a miss performance mode.

[0150] The second special reserved number display means 549 is for notifying the number of special reserved items, and can display reserved display images Q4-Q1 for the number of special reserved items (maximum 4 items) and a changing reserved image Q0 corresponding to the changing performance pattern P at a predetermined position on the display screen 526a, for example, at the bottom. When the number of special reserved items increases due to the entry of a game ball into the special pattern start means 523, the second special reserved number display means 549 displays one additional reserved display image Q1- at the end of the queue (for example, the left end side), and when a new change of the special pattern starts and the number of special reserved items decreases, for example, the changing reserved image Q0 is erased and the reserved display image Q1- is shifted by one toward the front of the queue (for example, the right side), and the pushed-out top reserved display image Q1 is changed to the new changing reserved image Q0.

[0151] In addition to the movable performance means 536, an illumination device 550 is arranged on various game components such as the center case 521 on the game board 505. The illumination device 550 includes an LED board 551 having an LED 551a arranged on the front side, and a light-emitting lens section 552 arranged in front of the LED board 551. The light-emitting lens section 552 is composed of a light-transmitting section provided on at least a part of the decorative frame 528. The light-emitting lens section 552 is subjected to a light diffusion treatment such as uneven processing in order to make the LED board 551 and the like inside difficult to see from the front side and to appropriately diffuse the light emitted from the LED 551a.

[0152] FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram of the control system of this pachinko machine. In FIG. 20, the main control board 561 controls the overall game operation, and is connected to the normal symbol starting means 522, special symbol starting means 523, big prize means 524, normal prize means 525, normal symbol display means 531, special symbol display means 532, normal reserved number display means 533, first special reserved number display means 534, etc. on the game board 505 via, for example, a relay board not shown, etc., and below it are connected a sub-control board 562 which controls the performance such as image display by the image display means 526, audio output by speakers SP1, SP2, light emission by the illumination devices 510, 540, 550, and movable body drive by the drive means 542 based on control commands from the main control board 561, a payout control board 563 which controls the payout means 514 based on control commands from the main control board 561, and a launch control board 564 which controls the launch means 506 based on launch control signals from this payout control board 563, etc.

[0153] Next, the configuration of the movable illumination device 540 will be described with reference to Figs. 21 to 25 and the like. As shown in Figs. 21 to 24 and the like, the movable illumination device 540 is composed of a front cover body 571, a base body 572, and an LED board 574 on which a plurality of LEDs (light sources) 573 are arranged. The front cover body 571 is made of a synthetic resin having translucency, and integrally includes a front plate 575 and an outer peripheral plate 576 that is extended backward along the outer periphery of the front plate 575. The front plate 575 of the front cover body 571 is subjected to a non-translucent treatment on the front side (non-translucent portion 577) except for a character area corresponding to the character string "Kappa Legend" written in horizontal Gothic font, for example, and thus a translucent character portion (translucent portion) 578 constituting the horizontal character string "Kappa Legend" is formed on the front plate 575. 21, this light-transmitting character portion 578 is composed of a plurality of (here, 14) light-transmitting regions 578a-578n separated from each other by non-light-transmitting portions 577. For example, the character "ka" is composed of one light-transmitting region 578a, and the character "tsu" is composed of three light-transmitting regions 578b-578d.

[0154] The non-light-transmitting treatment for forming the non-light-transmitting portion 577 may be any treatment such as plating, pasting of a non-light-transmitting sheet, etc. The non-light-transmitting portion 577 is not required to be completely non-light-transmitting, but only needs to have a sufficiently low light transmittance compared to the light-transmitting character portion 578. It is also desirable to apply the non-light-transmitting treatment to the outer surface side of the outer peripheral plate 576 of the front cover body 571.

[0155] The front plate 575 of the front cover body 571 is formed in a horizontally elongated shape that is slightly larger than the outline of the horizontally written character string "Kappa Legend" that constitutes the light-transmitting character portion 578, and a non-light-transmitting border portion 577a of a substantially constant width is formed in a forward-protruding shape along the outer periphery of each character that constitutes the light-transmitting character portion 578. In this embodiment, the outside of the non-light-transmitting border portion 577a is the non-light-transmitting portion 577, and the inside of the non-light-transmitting border portion 577a is the light-transmitting character portion 578. Note that the non-light-transmitting border portion 577a does not necessarily have to be formed in a forward-protruding shape, and may be formed to the same thickness as the other non-light-transmitting portions 577.

[0156] As shown in FIG. 24, on the inner surface of the front cover body 571, lens cutting and other light diffusion treatments are applied at least to the area corresponding to the translucent letter portion 578 in order to make the LED board 574 and the like less visible from the front and to appropriately diffuse the light emitted from the LED 573 (light diffusion portion 579).

[0157] In FIG. 24, an example in which the light diffusion treatment is applied not only to the region behind the light-transmitting character part 578 but also to the region behind the non-light-transmitting part 577 is shown, but the light diffusion treatment may be applied only to the region behind the light-transmitting character part 578, and not to the region behind the non-light-transmitting part 577. When the light diffusion treatment is applied to the rear side of the non-light-transmitting part 577, the light diffusion treatment may be applied only to a certain region corresponding to the front side of the LED 573, not to the entire non-light-transmitting part 577. When the light diffusion treatment is applied to both the light-transmitting character part 578 and the non-light-transmitting part 577, the type of light diffusion treatment (for example, the type of lens cutting) may be different between the rear side of the light-transmitting character part 578 and the rear side of the non-light-transmitting part 577. In this case, the type of lens cutting may be any type, such as ball cutting, knurling, diamond cutting, ice cutting, etc. Further, regarding the transparent character portion 578, the side of the transparent character portion 578 (i.e., the front side) may be subjected to the same or different type of lens cut processing as that on the inner side.

[0158] The front cover body 571 is detachably fixed to the front side of the base body 572 by means of screws or the like. The base body 572 is made of a synthetic resin having no translucency, and integrally includes a front plate 581 formed in substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the front cover body 571, and an outer peripheral plate 582 extending rearward along the outer periphery of the front plate 581, and the front cover body 571 is fixed to the front side of the front plate 581. The rear side of the front cover body 571 is substantially closed by the front plate 581 of the base body 572, so that a light emitting chamber 583 is formed in the front cover body 571. Rail connection parts 584 are provided on both the left and right ends of the base body 572 so as to be slidably mounted on the guide rails 543.

[0159] The LED board 574 is shaped to fit the inner surface of the outer peripheral plate 576 of the front cover body 571, and is equipped with a board main body 585 which is larger than the translucent character portion 578 and whose edges are formed to fit the outer shape of the translucent character portion 578, a number of LEDs 573 arranged on the front side of the board main body 585, and a connector 586 arranged on the back side of the board main body 585, and is fixed to the front plate 581 of the base body 572 by screwing or the like while being positioned at a predetermined rear position within the light-emitting chamber 583 and removably attached.

[0160] A boss 587 for supporting the board is formed on the front plate 581 of the base body 572 so as to protrude forward, and this boss 587 supports the LED board 574 while maintaining a certain gap between it and the base body 572. A harness 588 connected to the connector 586 is led out to the rear side of the movable illumination device 540 through an opening 589 formed in the base body 572, and is connected to the sub-control board 562 via a relay board or the like.

[0161] On the LED board 574, 3×10=30 LEDs 573 are arranged corresponding to the light-transmitting character section 578 on the front cover body 571 side, that is, the character string "Kappa Legend". That is, on the LED board 574, as shown in FIG. 25, a plurality of LED rows (light source rows) each consisting of a plurality of (three in this case) LEDs 573 arranged in the short side direction (here, the vertical direction which is the width direction of the character string) of the movable illumination device 540 are arranged in a plurality of (ten pairs of A to J in this case) in the long side direction (here, the horizontal direction which is the arrangement direction of the character string) of the movable illumination device 540. The LEDs 573 on the LED board 574 are controlled to emit light in a different channel for each LED row. This makes it possible to easily perform light emission control such as sequentially changing the light emission state (light emission color and light emission mode such as on / off) of the LEDs 573 in the arrangement direction of the character string.

[0162] 23, the 30 LEDs 573 are distinguished by adding the reference characters A to J (FIG. 25) indicating the LED column to which they belong, and the reference characters 1 to 3 indicating the number within each LED column. For example, the first LED 573 belonging to LED column A is LED 573A1, and the third LED 573 belonging to LED column B is LED 573B3.

[0163] Moreover, all of the 30 LEDs 573 are arranged on the rear side of the non-transparent border 577a along the boundary between the light-transmitting character portion 578 and the non-transparent border 577a so that at least a part of each LED 573 overlaps the rear side of the non-transparent portion 577 in a front view. Specifically, the LEDs 573 (here, LEDs 573G3, 573I1, 573I2, and 573J2) arranged corresponding to the non-transparent portion 577 (middle non-transparent portion) sandwiched between a plurality of light-transmitting character portions 578 adjacent to each other are arranged on the rear side of the non-transparent portion 577 in correspondence with the approximate center (positions approximately equidistant from each light-transmitting character portion 578). Moreover, the LEDs 573 (here, 573F1) arranged corresponding to the non-transparent portion 577 substantially surrounded by the light-transmitting character portions 578 are arranged on the rear side of the non-transparent portion 577 in correspondence with the approximate center (positions approximately equidistant from the surrounding light-transmitting character portions 578). In these cases, depending on the size relationship between the width of the non-transmitting portion 577 and the LED 573, if the LED 573 is larger (for example, LED 573I1), a portion of the LED 573 will extend beyond the transmissive character portion 578, but if the LED 573 is smaller (for example, LED 573J2, 573J3), the entire LED 573 will overlap the rear side of the non-transmitting portion 577.

[0164] On the other hand, when the other LEDs 573, that is, the non-transmitting portion 577 having a sufficient width is in contact with the translucent character portion 578, the LEDs 573 (here, LEDs 573A1-573A3, 573B1-573B3, etc.) arranged corresponding to the non-transmitting portion 577 are arranged so that the edges of the LEDs 573 approximately coincide with the front-rear boundary between the non-transmitting portion 577 and the translucent character portion 578. In this case, it is preferable that the edges of the LEDs 573 do not extend beyond the translucent character portion 578, but they may be arranged so that they extend partially.

[0165] In this way, by positioning the LED 573 behind the non-translucent portion 577, the light emitted from the LED 573 directly ahead is not (or is barely) irradiated directly onto the translucent letter portion 578, thereby eliminating spot light and reducing the brightness difference of the translucent letter portion 578.

[0166] Among the plurality of light-transmitting regions 578a-578n, in a specific light-transmitting region (here, light-transmitting regions 578a, 578d-578f, 578h, 578i, 578n) in which the plurality of LEDs 573 are arranged, the LEDs (specific light sources) 573 corresponding to each specific light-transmitting region are arranged as follows: That is, each LED 573 corresponding to a specific light-transmitting region is arranged such that an entire straight line path to at least one of the other LEDs 573 corresponding to the specific light-transmitting region passes through the specific light-transmitting region in a front view.

[0167] Specifically, among the LEDs 573A1 to 573A3 and 573B1 to 573B3 corresponding to the specific light-transmitting region 578a, for the LED 573A1, the straight path L1 for the LED 573A2 and the straight path L2 for the LED 573A3 all pass through the specific light-transmitting region 578a in a front view. Similarly, for the LED 573A2, the straight path L1 for the LED 573A1 and the straight path L3 for the LED 573B1 all pass through the specific light-transmitting region 578a in a front view. The same is true for the other LEDs 573A3 and 573B1 to B3. As a result, the light-emitting regions of the multiple LEDs 573 overlap each other in the specific light-transmitting region, making it possible to further reduce the brightness difference of the light-transmitting character portion 578 due to point light.

[0168] 23, the LED 573 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and three terminals 569a-569c, 569d-569f are arranged on predetermined opposite sides 573a, 573b of the four sides. Then, wiring patterns 570a-570c, 570d-570f are respectively drawn out straight and parallel from each of the terminals 569a-569c, 569d-569f in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined opposite sides 573a, 573b for at least a predetermined distance X, and then bent in any direction or directly connected to a via or the like. 23, LEDs 573 that are disposed near the edge of the LED substrate 574 and are particularly located less than the predetermined distance X from the substrate edge are disposed such that a side 573c on which no terminals are provided, different from the predetermined opposite sides 573a, 573b on which the terminals 569a-569c, 569d-569f are provided, faces the edge of the LED substrate 574. This has the advantage that the wiring pattern can be easily routed even though the LEDs 573 must be disposed near the edge of the LED substrate 574.

[0169] As described above, the pachinko machine of this embodiment is equipped with a movable illumination device (illumination device) 540 having a translucent character portion (translucent portion) 578 and a plurality of LEDs (light sources) 573 that illuminate the translucent character portion 578, and a non-translucent portion 577 is provided on the outer edge of the translucent character portion 578, and the LEDs 573 are positioned behind the non-translucent portion 577. Therefore, it is possible to improve the appearance when illuminated by reducing the brightness difference of the translucent character portion 578 caused by the point light of the movable illumination device 540.

[0170] Furthermore, the LED 573 is positioned at the boundary between the translucent letter portion 578 and the non-translucent portion 577 so that at least a portion of it overlaps the rear of the non-translucent portion 577 when viewed from the front of the movable illumination device 540, and further, for the intermediate non-translucent portion of the non-translucent portion 577 that is sandwiched on both sides by the translucent letter portions 578, the LED 573 is positioned behind it, corresponding to approximately the center in the width direction. This makes it possible to eliminate spot lights and make the entire translucent letter portion 578 emit light more brightly and as evenly as possible.

[0171] In addition, the light-transmitting character portion 578 has a plurality of light-transmitting regions 578a-578n separated from one another by non-light-transmitting portions 577, and a plurality of LEDs 573 (hereinafter, specific light sources) are arranged behind the outer periphery of the non-light-transmitting portion 577 in correspondence with specific light-transmitting regions among the plurality of light-transmitting regions 578a-578n. These specific light sources are arranged so that the entire straight line path for at least one of the other specific light sources passes through the specific light-transmitting region when viewed from the front of the movable illumination device 540. Therefore, the light-emitting regions of the multiple specific light sources overlap each other within the specific light-transmitting region, thereby making it possible to reduce the brightness difference in the light-transmitting character portion 578 caused by point light.

[0172] Furthermore, LED rows (rows of light sources) consisting of a plurality of LEDs 573 arranged in the short direction of the movable illumination device 540 are arranged in multiple rows in the long direction of the movable illumination device 540, and the LEDs 573 are controlled by different channels for each LED row. This makes it possible to easily perform illumination control such as sequentially changing the light emission state of the LEDs 573 (light emission color, light emission mode such as on / off, etc.) in the arrangement direction of the character string.

[0173] In addition, the LED board 574 is formed so that at least a portion of its edge conforms to the outline of the light-transmitting character portion 578, and the LEDs 573 near the edge of the LED board 574 are positioned so that the side other than the specified opposite side on which the terminals are provided faces the edge of the LED board 574. This has the advantage that even though the LEDs 573 must be positioned near the edge of the LED board 574, it is easy to route the wiring pattern.

[0174] 26 to 29 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention, which is a partial modification of the fourth embodiment, in which a non-translucent character section made of a non-translucent section is provided in the translucent section, and LEDs are arranged behind the non-translucent character section. This embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment only in the arrangement of the translucent section / non-translucent section in the movable illumination device, the associated arrangement of the LEDs, and the shape of the movable illumination device. The configuration of the movable illumination device will be described below, focusing on the differences from the fourth embodiment.

[0175] 26 to 28, the movable illumination device 590 of this embodiment is configured with a front cover body 591, a base body 592, and an LED board 594 on which a plurality of LEDs (light sources) 593 are arranged, similarly to the movable illumination device 540 of the fourth embodiment. The front cover body 591 is made of a translucent synthetic resin, and integrally includes a front plate 595 and an outer peripheral plate 596 that is provided so as to extend rearward along the outer periphery of the front plate 595. In front plate 595 of front cover body 591, a non-light-transmitting treatment is applied to the front side of a character area (non-light-transmitting character portion 597a) corresponding to the character string "Kappa Legend" written in horizontal Gothic font, and a frame area (non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b) surrounding each of these characters individually, so that the characters "KA", "TT", "PA", "DEN", ​​and "SETSU" constituting non-light-transmitting character portion 597a are formed in five rectangular light-transmitting portions 598 on front plate 595. Front plate 595 of front cover body 591 is formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape along the outer shape of non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b.

[0176] The non-light-transmitting treatment for forming the non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b may be any treatment such as plating, attachment of a non-light-transmitting sheet, etc. The non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b are not required to be completely non-light-transmitting, but only need to have a sufficiently low light transmittance compared to the light-transmitting portion 598. It is also desirable to apply the non-light-transmitting treatment to the outer surface side of the outer peripheral plate 596 of the front cover body 591.

[0177] In addition, as shown in FIG. 28, on the inner surface of the front cover body 591, lens cutting processing and other light diffusion processing are applied to at least the area corresponding to the translucent portion 598 in order to make the LED board 594, etc., less visible from the front and to appropriately diffuse the light emitted from the LED 593 (light diffusion portion 599).

[0178] 28 shows an example in which the light diffusion treatment is performed not only on the region behind the light-transmitting portion 598 but also on the region behind the non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b, but the light diffusion treatment may be performed only on the region behind the light-transmitting portion 598, and not on the region behind the non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b. When the light diffusion treatment is performed on the rear sides of the non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b, the light diffusion treatment may be performed only on a certain region corresponding to the front side of the LED 593, not on the entire non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b. When the light diffusion treatment is performed on both the light-transmitting portion 598 and the non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b, the type of light diffusion treatment (for example, the type of lens cut processing) may be different between the rear side of the light-transmitting portion 598 and the rear side of the non-light-transmitting portions 597a and 597b. In this case, the type of lens cut processing may be any type, such as ball cut processing, knurling processing, diamond cut processing, ice cut processing, etc. In addition, with respect to the light-transmitting portion 598, the light-transmitting portion 598 side (i.e., the front side) may be subjected to the same or different type of lens cut processing as that on the inner side.

[0179] The front cover body 591 is detachably fixed to the front side of the base body 592 by screwing or the like. The base body 592 is made of a synthetic resin having no translucency, and integrally includes a front plate 601 formed in substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the front cover body 591, and an outer peripheral plate 602 extending rearward along the outer periphery of the front plate 601, and the front cover body 591 is fixed to the front side of the front plate 601. The rear side of the front cover body 591 is substantially closed by the front plate 601 of the base body 592, so that a light emitting chamber 603 is formed in the front cover body 591. Rail connection parts 604 that are slidably attached to the guide rails 543 are provided on both the left and right ends of the base body 592.

[0180] The LED board 594 comprises a board main body 605 formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape that conforms to the inner surface of the outer peripheral plate 596 of the front cover body 591, a plurality of LEDs 593 arranged on the front side of the board main body 605, and a connector 606 arranged on the back side of the board main body 605, and is disposed at a predetermined rear position within the light-emitting chamber 603 and is fixed to the front plate 601 of the base body 592 by screwing or the like in a manner that allows it to be freely attached and detached.

[0181] A boss 607 for supporting the board is formed on the front plate 601 of the base body 592 so as to protrude forward, and this boss 607 supports the LED board 594 with a certain gap between it and the base body 592. A harness 608 connected to the connector 606 is led out to the rear side of the movable illumination device 590 through an opening 609 formed in the base body 592, and is connected to the sub-control board 562 via a relay board or the like.

[0182] On the LED board 594, 3×9=27 LEDs 593 are arranged corresponding to the non-translucent character part 597a on the front cover body 591 side, that is, the character string "Kappa Legend". That is, on the LED board 594, as shown in FIG. 29, a plurality of LED rows (light source rows) each consisting of a plurality of (three in this case) LEDs 593 arranged in the short side direction (here, the vertical direction which is the width direction of the character string) of the movable illumination device 590 are arranged in a plurality of (nine sets of A to I in this case) in the long side direction (here, the left-right direction which is the arrangement direction of the character string) of the movable illumination device 590. The LEDs 593 on the LED board 594 are controlled to emit light by different channels for each LED row. This makes it possible to easily perform light emission control such as sequentially changing the light emission state (light emission color and light emission mode such as on / off) of the LEDs 593 in the arrangement direction of the character string.

[0183] 27, the 27 LEDs 593 are distinguished by adding the symbols A to I (FIG. 29) indicating the LED column to which they belong, and the symbols 1 to 3 indicating the number within each LED column. For example, the first LED 593 belonging to LED column A is LED 593A1, and the third LED 593 belonging to LED column B is LED 593B3.

[0184] All of the 27 LEDs 593 are disposed behind the non-translucent character portion 597a, and are disposed at approximately the center in the width direction of the non-translucent character portion 597a when viewed from the front. This means that the light emitted from the LEDs 593 directly ahead is not (or is minimally) irradiated directly onto the translucent portion 598, eliminating point light and reducing the brightness difference of the translucent portion 598, and making the silhouette of the non-translucent character portion 597a stand out more clearly.

[0185] 30 and 31 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention, which is a partial modification of the fifth embodiment, in which LEDs 593 are arranged not only behind the non-light-transmitting character portion 597a but also behind the non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b. This embodiment differs from the fifth embodiment only in the arrangement of the LEDs 593. The following description will focus on the differences from the fifth embodiment.

[0186] In the LED board 594 of this embodiment, 3×16=48 LEDs 593 are arranged corresponding to the non-translucent character part 597a and the non-translucent frame part 597b on the front cover body 591 side. That is, as shown in FIG. 31, the LED board 594 has a plurality of LED rows (light source rows) (here, 16 pairs of A to P) arranged in the longitudinal direction (here, the left-right direction in which the character strings are arranged) of the movable illumination device 590, each of which is composed of a plurality of (three here) LEDs 593 arranged in the short side direction (here, the up-down direction in which the character strings are arranged) of the movable illumination device 590. The LEDs 593 on the LED board 594 are controlled to emit light by different channels for each LED row. This makes it possible to easily perform light emission control such as sequentially changing the light emission state (light emission color and light emission mode such as on / off) of the LEDs 593 in the arrangement direction of the character strings.

[0187] 30, the 48 LEDs 593 are distinguished by adding the symbols A to P indicating the LED column to which they belong and the symbols 1 to 3 indicating the number within each LED column. For example, the first LED 593 belonging to LED column A is LED 593A1, and the third LED 593 belonging to LED column B is LED 593B3.

[0188] All of the 48 LEDs 593 are disposed behind either the non-light-transmitting character portion 597a or the non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b. The LEDs 593 (e.g., LEDs 593B2, 593B3) corresponding to the non-light-transmitting character portion 597a disposed inside the light-transmitting portion 598 are disposed substantially in the center in the width direction of the non-light-transmitting character portion 597a when viewed from the front. Furthermore, of the LEDs 593 corresponding to the non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b arranged outside the light-transmitting portion 598, the LEDs 593 (e.g., LEDs 593D2, 593G2, etc.) arranged corresponding to the non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b sandwiched between two light-transmitting portions 598 are arranged behind the approximate center of the non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b (at a position approximately equidistant from each non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b).Other LEDs 593, i.e., when a non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b of sufficient width is in contact with the light-transmitting portion 598, the LEDs 593 (here, LEDs 593A1 to 593A3, 593B1, 593C3, etc.) arranged corresponding to the non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b are arranged so that the edges of the LEDs 593 approximately coincide with the front-to-back boundary between the non-light-transmitting frame portion 597b and the light-transmitting portion 598. In either case, it is preferable that the edge of LED 593 does not extend beyond light transmitting portion 598, but LED 593 may be disposed so that it extends partially beyond the light transmitting portion.

[0189] By arranging the LEDs 593 in this manner, the light emitted from the LEDs 593 directly ahead is not (or is barely) irradiated directly onto the translucent portion 598, so that it is possible to eliminate point light and reduce the brightness difference of the translucent portion 598, and also to make the silhouette of the non-translucent letter portion 597a stand out more clearly.

[0190] 30, the LED 593 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and three terminals 569a-569c, 569d-569f are arranged on predetermined opposite sides 593a, 593b of the four sides. Then, wiring patterns 570a-570c, 570d-570f are respectively drawn out straight and parallel from each of the terminals 569a-569c, 569d-569f in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined opposite sides 593a, 593b for at least a predetermined distance X, and then bent in any direction or directly connected to a via or the like. Therefore, the LEDs 593 (LEDs 593A1 to 593A3, 593B1, etc.) that are arranged near the edge of the LED substrate 594 formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape and that are particularly far from the edge of the substrate by a predetermined distance X are arranged so that a side 593c on which no terminal is provided faces the edge of the LED substrate 594, which is different from the predetermined opposite sides 593a and 593b on which the terminals 569a to 569c and 569d to 569f are provided, as shown in a partially enlarged view of FIG. 30. The LEDs 593 are arranged to avoid the vicinity of the corners of the LED substrate 594 (for example, LED 593A1). This has the advantage that the wiring pattern can be easily routed even when the LEDs 593 must be arranged near the edge of the LED substrate 594 as in this embodiment.

[0191] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the first to third embodiments and the fourth to sixth embodiments are embodied as completely different gaming machines, but it goes without saying that the former and the latter can be embodied as the same gaming machine by appropriately combining them. For example, the gaming machines according to the fourth to sixth embodiments can adopt the same game board configuration as the gaming machines according to the first to third embodiments, and it is also possible to adopt the same illumination device as the gaming machines according to the fourth to sixth embodiments on the gaming machines according to the first to third embodiments.

[0192] In the first to third embodiments, the opening and closing member 151 for opening and closing the big prize opening (second ball opening) 137 is a sliding type, but the opening and closing member 151 is not limited to the sliding type, and any other opening and closing member, such as a type that swings around a horizontal axis on the lower side, can be used. In addition, the position of the big prize means (second ball entry means) 57 is arbitrary, and for example, it may be located on the lower side at approximately the center in the left-right direction of the game area 23. Similarly, the positions of the start gate means 54, the first start prize means 55, the second start prize means 56, etc. are also arbitrary.

[0193] In the first to third embodiments of the normal winning means (first ball winning means) 53, an example is shown in which one game ball detection means 97 is arranged for two normal winning ports (first ball winning ports) 87a, 87b, but one game ball detection means may be arranged for three or more normal winning ports, or one game ball detection means may be arranged for each normal winning port.

[0194] In the first to third embodiments, the rear member 83 constituting the normal winning means 53 is integrally provided with the rear decoration means 60, but as shown in FIG. 32, the rear member 83 may be provided separately from the rear decoration means 60. In the first to third embodiments, the LED board 99 of the rear decoration means 60 is arranged to avoid the rear member 83, but as shown in FIG. 33, the LED board 99 of the rear decoration means 60 may be arranged so that a part of it is located behind the winning ball passage 93 in the rear member 83. In this case, it is preferable to form the winning ball passage 93 and the out ball passage 94 so that at least a part of them, for example the whole of them, is transparent or translucent like the front member 82, so that the front member 82 can be effectively illuminated through the winning ball passage 93, the out ball passage 94, and the transparent main body plate 45.

[0195] The configurations of the movable illumination devices of the fourth to sixth embodiments can be similarly applied to the illumination device 50 fixedly disposed on the game components on the game board 5, such as the center case 21, and the illumination device 10 fixedly disposed on the front frame 4 side. Of course, they can be similarly applied to the case where a movable illumination device is provided on the front frame 4 side.

[0196] In the fourth embodiment, an example was shown in which the light-transmitting portion was in the shape of letters (light-transmitting letter portion 78), but the light-transmitting portion in this case is not limited to being in the shape of letters, and may be any shape, such as a graphic such as a logo mark, or a pattern such as a character. Also, in the fifth and sixth embodiments, an example was shown in which a non-light-transmitting portion in the shape of letters (non-light-transmitting letter portion 97a) was arranged in the light-transmitting portion, but the non-light-transmitting portion in this case is not limited to being in the shape of letters, and may be any shape, such as a graphic such as a logo mark, or a pattern such as a character.

[0197] In the fourth to sixth embodiments, the translucent and non-translucent portions are formed by applying a non-translucent treatment to a portion of the translucent front cover body 71. However, the translucent and non-translucent portions may also be formed, for example, by combining a non-translucent first member with a translucent second member (for example, fitting the second member to the back side of a first member having letter-shaped openings).

[0198] In the fourth to sixth embodiments, the illumination device is disposed facing the front of the gaming machine main body 1, but the illumination device may be disposed at an angle to the front of the gaming machine main body 1, for example, so that the front faces the player, such as by disposing the illumination device on the upper side of the front frame 4 diagonally downward. In this case, it is preferable that the LED (light source) of the illumination device is disposed behind the non-translucent part when viewed from the front of the illumination device, rather than when viewed from the front of the gaming machine main body 1.

[0199] In the fourth to sixth embodiments, the number of LEDs belonging to the LED row of the same channel is three, but it may be two or four or more.

[0200] The above-mentioned embodiments may be combined in any manner. For example, the third embodiment is illustrated as a partial modification of the first embodiment, but the second embodiment may be partially modified to be configured as the third embodiment. Two or more of the first to sixth embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0201] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to pachinko machines, but can also be implemented in other gaming machines such as arrange ball machines and mahjong ball gaming machines.

Explanation of Symbols

[0202] 16 Game board 23 Game area 45 Transparent main body plate 53 Normal winning means (first ball entry means) 57 Big winning means (second ball entry means) 82 Front member 83 Rear member 87a Normal winning opening (first ball entry opening) 87b Normal winning opening (first ball entry opening) 92 Inclined guide interior (first inclined guide interior) 93 Winning ball passage (ball passage) 96 Confluence part 97 Game ball detection means (first detection means) 132 Big winning unit (ball entry unit) 137 Big winning opening (second ball entry opening) 140 Inclined guide interior (second inclined guide interior) 147 Game ball detection means (second detection means) 151 Opening and closing member 540 Movable electric decoration device 573 LED (light source) 577 Non-light-transmitting part 578 Light-transmitting character part (light-transmitting part) 578a~578n Light-transmitting area 593 LED (light source) 597a Non-light-transmitting character part (non-light-transmitting part) 597b Non-light-transmitting frame part (non-light-transmitting part) 598 Light-transmitting part

Claims

1. A decorative device having a light-blocking portion, a light-transmitting portion, and a plurality of light sources for emitting light from the light-transmitting portion, A game board having a game area on the front side, The game board has a transparent main body plate and a first ball entry means attached to the transparent main body plate. In a gaming machine, A light-emitting substrate having the plurality of light sources is disposed so as to straddle a rear region of the light-blocking portion and a rear region of the light-transmitting portion. The first ball entry means includes a front member that is attached to the transparent main body plate from the front side and at least a part of which is formed to be transparent or translucent, and a rear member that is attached to the rear side of the transparent main body plate. A plurality of ball entry ports into which game balls flowing down through the game area can enter are disposed in the front member. A first detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered a first ball entry port among the plurality of ball entry ports, and a ball passage for guiding the game ball that has entered the first ball entry port toward the first detection means are disposed in the rear member at a position that is invisible or difficult to visually recognize in a front view. The front member is composed of an integrally formed resin component. Identification information regarding a specific ball entry port among the plurality of ball entry ports is displayed on the front member. A first light-emitting means is disposed on the rear side of the transparent main body plate. It is possible to emit light from the front member including the identification information through the ball passage and the transparent main body plate by the light emitted from the first light-emitting means. A gaming machine characterized by the above.

2. A decorative device having a light-blocking portion, a light-transmitting portion, and a plurality of light sources for emitting light from the light-transmitting portion, A game board having a game area on the front side, The game board has a transparent main body plate and a first ball entry means attached to the transparent main body plate. In a gaming machine, A light-emitting substrate having the plurality of light sources is disposed so as to straddle a rear region of the light-blocking portion and a rear region of the light-transmitting portion. The first ball entry means includes a front member that is attached to the transparent main body plate from the front side and at least a part of which is formed to be transparent or translucent, and a rear member that is attached to the rear side of the transparent main body plate. A plurality of ball entry ports into which game balls flowing down through the game area can enter are disposed in the front member. A first detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered a first ball entry port among the plurality of ball entry ports, and a ball passage for guiding the game ball that has entered the first ball entry port toward the first detection means are disposed in the rear member at a position that is invisible or difficult to visually recognize in a front view. The front member is composed of an integrally formed resin component. A fixing portion for fixing the front side member to the transparent main body plate is not provided in the middle portion of the plurality of ball entry ports, but is provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the front side member. A first light emitting means is disposed on the rear side of the transparent main body plate. It is possible to cause the front side member to emit light through the ball passage and the transparent main body plate by the light emitted from the first light emitting means. The gaming machine is characterized by the above.

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