Game parlor system

Abstract

To appropriately specify the number of operating machines at fixed intervals.SOLUTION: A game parlor system specifies the presence or absence of operation at the fixed time for each machine number unit by one of first determination for determining whether a machine is operating according to a difference between out at time before the fixed time, such as "9:58" and fixed-time out at the fixed time, such as "10:00" and second determination for determining whether a machine is operating according to a difference between out at time after the fixed time, such as "10:02" and fixed-time out.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for an amusement park. [Background technology]

[0002] In arcades, players go to neighboring arcades to count the number of players, and so-called "top count" is performed to grasp the customer situation of the surrounding arcades. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes that, in order to save the trouble of inputting the top count data, the top count data is imported by reading a mark sheet on which the survey results are written, and then transmitted to a server.

[0003] In the past, headcount data was mainly collected by visiting nearby arcades and counting the number of players. However, in recent years, some arcades have begun to provide headcount data based on the number of players in operation managed by their own in-house management device (hereafter referred to as the management device) at set times (for example, 10:00, 15:00, 20:00, etc.) based on a contract in which they provide data from other arcades in return for providing data from their own arcade.

[0004] Now, for example, some arcades provide actual measurement top-up data even though the management device provides top-up data, either without knowing that the management device provides top-up data, or for reasons such as checking whether the number of machines in operation managed by the management device is correct. However, in this case, there are cases where the actual measurement top-up data and the top-up data provided by the management device are not consistent, which is problematic. That is, the management device may determine that a gaming machine is in operation when a so-called operation timer that operates for a certain period of time depending on the presence or absence of an out is operating, as shown in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-122372 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2022-40889 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When judging that a gaming machine with an operating timer is in operation as described above, there is a tendency to operate the operating timer for a relatively long period (for example, 10 minutes) due to the long-term fluctuation of symbols on gaming machines in recent years. Therefore, there are gaming machines where there is no player but the operating timer is operating at the regular time due to playing just a little while ago, and this is considered to be one of the causes of the inconsistency between the above-mentioned actual measurement head-taking data and the head-taking data provided by the management device.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an amusement arcade system that can appropriately specify the number of machines in operation at a regular time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention described in claim 1 is a system for an amusement facility that manages a gaming machine that is a target of a judgment as to whether or not it is in operation as a target gaming machine, and includes a gaming information specifying means (e.g., a management device 6, etc.) that specifies gaming information (e.g., an out, etc.) based on a gaming signal output from the gaming machine (e.g., a data item indicating an out output from a smart gaming machine, etc.), and a first difference judgment process (e.g., a second difference judgment process) that judges whether or not the target gaming machine is in operation based on a difference between pre-regular time gaming information (e.g., an out at "9:58" as shown in FIG. 6) indicating gaming information before a predetermined period based on regular time and regular time gaming information (e.g., an out at "10:00" as shown in FIG. 6). the first determination process (e.g., the management server 10, etc.) for performing at least one of the difference determination processes: a first determination process (e.g., the first determination process, etc.) for determining whether the target gaming machine is in operation based on the difference between post-hours gaming information indicating gaming information after a predetermined period based on regular time (e.g., an out at "10:02" shown in FIG. 6) and the regular time gaming information; and a third difference determination process for determining whether the target gaming machine is in operation based on the difference between the pre-hours gaming information and the post-hours gaming information, and an in-operation determination means (e.g., the management server 10, etc.) for determining whether the target gaming machine is in operation at regular time based on the difference determination process.

[0009] According to the above-mentioned configuration, at least one of the first difference judgment process, the second difference judgment process, and the third difference judgment process is used to determine whether or not each gaming machine is in operation at a regular time, making it possible to appropriately determine the number of gaming machines in operation at a regular time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an amusement park system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] Front view of the gaming machine [Diagram 3] Front view of the gaming device [Figure 4] A diagram showing the operation management of on-site management devices [Diagram 5] A diagram showing regular operation management of on-site management devices [Figure 6] Diagram showing server determination [Figure 7] Diagram showing the difference judgment result (model A) [Figure 8] Actual measurement results (model A) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a system for an amusement facility. A large number of gaming machines, namely gaming machines 1, are installed in an amusement facility A. Gaming devices 2 and information display devices 3 are installed in one-to-one correspondence with the gaming machines 1, and the gaming machines 1 are connected to the gaming devices 2, and the gaming devices 2 and the information display devices 3 are connected to relay devices 4, two each. The relay devices 4 are connected to an in-facility management device (hereinafter referred to as a management device) 6 (corresponding to a gaming information identification means) via a LAN 5.

[0012] The management device 6 receives game information indicating the game status of the gaming machine 1, and manages the game information for each gaming machine 1. In this case, the game information of the gaming machine 1 is received by the management device 6 via the gaming device 2 and the relay device 4. Meanwhile, various setting information of the gaming device 2 set in the management device 6 is received by the gaming device 2 from the management device 6 via the relay device 4.

[0013] In the game center A, a prize exchange terminal (hereinafter referred to as POS) and a payment machine (neither shown) are also installed, and the POS and the payment machine are also connected to the management device 6 via the LAN 5. The POS has a touch panel type liquid crystal display, a card insertion slot into which an IC card such as a membership card or a general card is inserted, and a numeric keypad for authentication processing. When an IC card is inserted into the card insertion slot, the POS executes a prize exchange process based on the game value such as points and deposited points (so-called saved balls) specified by the inserted IC card. When executing the prize exchange process, the POS specifies the acquired value that can be exchanged for prizes, for example, by reading the points acquired by a general player from the general card, or by identifying a member player from the membership card and acquiring the deposited points that the member player has deposited in the game center online from the management device 6.

[0014] The settlement machine has a card insertion slot into which an IC card is inserted, a bill insertion slot into which bills are inserted, a return slot for returning bills and coins, etc. When an IC card is inserted into the card insertion slot, the settlement machine returns bills and coins from the return slot that correspond to the deposit balance (monetary value, hereinafter sometimes referred to as the balance) specified by the inserted IC card. Also, when a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot, the settlement machine adds the inserted amount to the balance recorded on the IC card.

[0015] An IC card used as a recording medium in an arcade is an IC card with a built-in IC chip that can identify the gaming value and the balance. A membership card is a membership recording medium for a member player who has been registered as a member in advance, and records a member ID (member identification information) that can identify the card of the member player. A general card is a general recording medium for an unspecified number of general players, and records a general ID (general identification information) that can identify each individual card.

[0016] The management device 6 is installed in, for example, an office in the amusement facility A, and is connected to a monitor 7, a keyboard 8, etc. The management device 6 manages the operation status of various devices (gaming machines 1, gaming devices 2, information display devices 3, etc.) installed in the amusement facility A. Note that, for example, several hundred gaming machines 1, including so-called pachinko machines, are installed in the amusement facility A, and each gaming machine 1 is subject to management by the management device 6.

[0017] In the gaming center system, components equivalent to the gaming machines 1, gaming devices 2, information display devices 3, relay devices 4, LAN 5, and management device 6 installed in gaming center A are also installed in other gaming centers (gaming centers B and C in the example of FIG. 1). Each of the management devices 6 installed in each of these gaming centers A to C is connected to a gaming information management server (hereinafter referred to as the management server) 10 (corresponding to a difference determination means, an in-operation identification means, a player presence / absence determination means, a setting means, and a determination result management means) installed separately from each of the gaming centers A to C via a public line 9 such as the Internet or a VPN connection, and is configured to be able to communicate various signals and information with the management server 10 via the public line 9, etc.

[0018] We will now explain the gaming machine 1. The gaming machine 1 is a so-called smart gaming machine that stores and manages gaming points that are calculated by converting the balance, points held, and deposited points owned by the player, and it mainly manages the increase and decrease of points by supplying internal pachinko balls to a launching device and launching them onto the board on the condition that the stored gaming points remain, and when the player wins and gains gaming points, adding them to the data (corresponding to a virtual gaming value) without paying out the gaming balls.

[0019] In the gaming machine 1, the gaming value acquired by the player through playing the game, which is mainly managed by the gaming machine 1 side, is also called the gaming machine value (gaming machine acquired value), and the owned points mainly managed by the gaming device 2 side are also called the device value (device acquired value). Also, the gaming value acquired by the player, including the owned points (owned acquired value) which is the sum of the gaming machine value and the device value (the sum of the playing points and the owned points), is also called the acquired value.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, the gaming machine 1 has a board 11 from which pachinko balls are shot, an operating handle 12 constituting the shooting device, a balance display unit 13 that displays the balance, a counting button 14 for converting game points to points held, and a game point display unit 15 that displays the game points. The board 11 has a normal map display unit 16, a normal map reserved display unit 17, a special map display unit 18, a normal map winning port 19, general winning ports 20, 21, a first reserved number display unit 22, a second reserved number display unit 23, a first start port 24, a second start port 25, and a special winning port 26. In addition, a decorative panel 27 is provided below the counting button 14 and the game point display unit 15.

[0021] The gaming machine 1 operates as follows. (1) The first starting hole 24 is a winning hole with a constant winning rate (a so-called center winning hole), and the second starting hole 25 is a winning hole with a variable winning rate (a so-called electric chute). A lottery is held for a jackpot depending on the winning (start winning) at each starting hole 24, 25, and the lottery result is notified by the pattern change (unit game) performed by the special pattern display unit 18, and the jackpot is awarded depending on the result of the change.

[0022] (2) If a start win occurs during a pattern change, the pattern changes are cumulatively reserved up to a predetermined reserved upper limit (for example, 4 each), and the reserved pattern changes will start after the pattern changes have ended. Note that if a start win occurs when the number of reserved pattern changes (reserved number) is at the upper limit, the pattern changes will not be reserved.

[0023] (3) The probability of winning the jackpot lottery (jackpot probability) is set separately for the normal game state (normal state, normal) and the probability variable state (probability variable state, probability variable) (for example, 1 / 320 and 1 / 32). In addition, the probability variable rate, which is the percentage of jackpots that become probability variable after a jackpot (probability variable jackpot), is also determined (for example, 66%).

[0024] (4) When a jackpot occurs, the jackpot opening 26 is opened for the corresponding round (R). By winning, game points are added (winning award processing), the upper limit of the number of winnings in 1R is 10, the upper limit opening period is 30 seconds, and 1R ends when either the upper limit of the number of winnings or the upper limit opening period is met. The corresponding round is also drawn in the same way as the jackpot drawing, and the distribution rate is 10% for 2R, 50% for 8R, and 40% for 15R when the first starting hole 24 is won, but 10% for 8R and 90% for 15R when the second starting hole 25 is won, and the priority order of reserved consumption of the pattern change according to the winning is set higher for the second starting hole 25 than for the first starting hole 24.

[0025] (5) During the probability of a jackpot, the probability of a jackpot increases and the winning rate of the second starting hole 25 increases. This state continues until the next jackpot occurs. If a jackpot that is not a probability of a jackpot (a normal jackpot) occurs, the state switches to a non-probability of a jackpot (a single time-saving, a normal time-saving) state after the jackpot, and the time-saving state continues until the pattern changes a predetermined number of times (for example, 100 times) or a jackpot occurs. If the pattern changes a number of times for the time-saving state without a jackpot occurring, the state returns to the normal state.

[0026] (6) When the normal pattern (normal pattern) that changes in response to the winning of the normal pattern winning port 21 becomes a winning pattern, the second starting port 25 becomes an open state with a higher winning rate than in the normal state. In this case, the period for one normal pattern to change is 30 seconds in the normal state and 3 seconds in the time-saving state. Also, the opening period is 0.3 seconds in the normal state and 5 seconds in the time-saving state. In other words, in the time-saving state, the period for the normal pattern to change is shorter than in the normal state, while the opening period is longer, making it easier to enter the open state, and the winning rate of the second starting port 25 becomes higher.

[0027] (7) Because the big prize hole 26 and the second starting hole 25 are located on the right side of the game board 11, the ball is shot toward the right side of the game board 11 during time-saving or big wins, which is called right-side shot. The above explanation was given using model A as an example, but the values ​​shown as examples vary depending on the model, for example, model B has a different round allocation, and the gameplay also differs, for example, the probability of a big win can be adjusted by the game machine setting value (mode).

[0028] The gaming machine 1 outputs the following data items as the game progresses, such as the player shooting balls and starting winning into each starting hole 24, 25. OUT = A data item that indicates the consumed (used, entered) value (OUT) since the last time data was sent in units of 1 point. Safe = A data item that indicates the winning award value (safe) that has been awarded based on winning since the last time data was sent, in units of 1 point. S Winning (Number of Times) = A data item that indicates the number of starting wins (S winnings) since the last time data was sent, one at a time.

[0029] Start (number of times) = A data item indicating the start (number of pattern changes, number of device operations, number of unit games) of the special device (special display unit 18) that operates (changes) due to S winning since the last data transmission. It is counted at the time of confirmation, but it may also be counted at the time of start. In operation (state) = If the reel is in operation, such as when the pattern is changing, at the time of data transmission, it will be shown as on, and if it is not in operation, it will be shown as off, so the period from when it turns on to when it turns off is specified as when the reel is in operation.

[0030] Jackpot (number of times) = A data item that indicates the number of jackpots that have occurred since the previous data transmission in units of one. It is counted when it occurs, but it can also be counted when it ends. Jackpot (state) = A data item that indicates whether the jackpot state is on when the data is sent, or off if the jackpot state is not occurring (the jackpot occurrence status). The period from when it turns on to when it turns off is identified as the jackpot state.

[0031] Amachu (state) = A data item that indicates that when the data is transmitted, if a special state (Amachu) or a jackpot state is occurring, it is on, otherwise it is off (occurrence status of special state). The period from when it turns on to when it turns off is specified as Amachu or jackpot. For example, if Amachu (state) is on, if the jackpot (state) is on, it is specified as jackpot, and if it is off, it is specified as Amachu. In addition, Amachu corresponds to special states such as time reduction and probability change as mentioned above. It does not necessarily have to be on during a jackpot. Furthermore, if both the jackpot (state) and Amachu (state) are off, it is specified as a normal state. A jackpot or Amachu state is specified as a special prize state.

[0032] A data signal such as a message capable of identifying the above data items is transmitted from the gaming machine 1 to the gaming device at a predetermined interval (300 ms). The above only illustrates information related to this embodiment, but other information such as game points and fraud information are also output. In this embodiment, a gaming machine 1 is illustrated that does not output a status signal capable of directly identifying C-time or time reduction (is not included in the data items), but it is of course possible to identify the gaming status of such a gaming machine 1 by the status signal.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the gaming device 2 has a status LED 28 that indicates the gaming status of the gaming machine 1 and the status of the gaming device 2, a bill insertion slot 29 into which bills are inserted, a camera 30 that photographs the upper body including the face of the player (only the protective cover is shown in FIG. 3), a touch panel type LCD display unit 31 that accepts operation inputs from the player and displays various gaming data described below, a payout button (grant button) 32 that accepts payout operations (grant operations), a loan button 33 for accepting loan operations, a call button 34 that accepts operations to call employees of the gaming facility, a non-contact type mobile terminal reader 35 capable of reading mobile IDs, a remote control receiver 37 that receives signals from an employee remote control 36 (see FIG. 1) carried and operated by an employee, a return button 38 for accepting return operations, a card insertion slot 39 into which an IC card is inserted, a USB connector 40 to which a USB cable can be attached and detached, and the like.

[0034] The mobile ID read by the mobile terminal reader 35 is, for example, an ID given to an IC chip built into a FeliCa (registered trademark) mobile phone (hereinafter referred to as a mobile terminal) not shown, and is a unique ID for identifying the mobile terminal. In other words, the mobile ID corresponds to member identification information that can identify the mobile terminal (member recording medium) owned by the member player. The mobile terminal reader 35 is not only built into the gaming device 2, but also into the POS.

[0035] The gaming device 2 operates as follows. (1) When a bill is accepted (bill acceptance process), the amount of the deposit is added to the balance and displayed on both the gaming machine 1 and the gaming device 2, and when the loan button 33 is operated (loan operation, grant operation) while there is a balance, one loan unit (e.g. 125 points) is converted into gaming points (value granted) as loan points, the gaming points managed by the gaming machine 1 are increased by this converted amount to grant the loan points (loan process, value grant process), and an amount of value according to the gaming rate (hereinafter referred to as the rate) is deducted from the balance. Bills can be accepted in an amount corresponding to multiple value grant processes (e.g. up to 10,000 yen).

[0036] (2) Points are managed, and although the points cannot be used directly for playing, a conversion process (value providing process, replay process) is performed to convert the points for one unit of payout into game points (conversion value, conversion points) in response to the operation of the payout button 32 (replay operation, grant operation, payout operation). In this case, a conversion rate may be separately set, but in this embodiment, it is set to 1:1 (the same applies to the counting process below).

[0037] (3) When the gaming points of the gaming machine 1 increase in response to play, a counting process is performed in which the gaming points are converted into points as count points in response to the operation (counting operation) of the counting button 14 of the gaming machine 1. In this case, one point is converted for each operation, but if the operation is continued, the conversion can be continuous and accelerated. In this way, the gaming points and points are updated, and when a return operation (issuing operation) is performed by operating the return button 38 while there is remaining balance or points in the gaming device 2, the balance and points are associated with a general card and issued (issuing process). It is also possible to perform a partial issuance process in which only a portion of the points or the balance is issued.

[0038] (4) For the issuing process, an issuing condition is set according to the gaming points in the gaming machine 1, and in this embodiment, when the gaming points become a predetermined number "0" or less, the issuing condition is met and the issuing process becomes possible. Therefore, communication (including information such as out and safe) is performed with the gaming machine 1 at regular intervals (for example, every 300 ms), and when the gaming points become "0" due to use in a game or counting process, the gaming device 2 is notified of this, and when the issuing condition is met, the issuing process is permitted. It is sufficient to update the gaming points by including gaming point information that can identify the gaming points in the data item transmitted from the gaming machine 1, and to identify that the issuing condition has been met, but other identification methods such as providing a separate data item indicating that the gaming points have become "0" or outputting a separate signal may also be adopted.

[0039] (5) Points that can be identified by the issued general card can be exchanged for prizes at the POS, and the balance can be settled into currency at the settlement machine. Incidentally, monetary value, including currency accepted by the gaming device 2, can be exemplified by cash, but monetary value other than cash, such as electronic money or credit card payments, can also be accepted or settled. Also, while an example has been given of an issuance process in which points and balances are associated with a general card, it is of course also possible to perform an issuance process in which they are associated with other recording media, such as a membership card or a player's mobile terminal.

[0040] (6) Serial communication with the relay device 4 enables the management device 6 to identify various information such as currency acceptance processing, value granting processing, balance and points, loan points, conversion points, deposit amount, counting points and loan points, sales amount equivalent to loan points, and reception and issuance processing of recording media, but these may also be identified by pulse signals (for example, 1 pulse for every 1,000 yen deposited, 1 pulse for every 100 yen sold, etc.). Note that, although a configuration in which the gaming machine 1 and gaming device 2 communicate directly is illustrated, the gaming machine 1 and gaming device 2 may also communicate via the relay device 4.

[0041] (7) Commands from the employee remote control 36 are received by the remote control receiver 40, and various processes are carried out according to the contents of the commands.

[0042] 4 is an example of a form showing the status of managing the operation status by the management device 6. The items in FIG. "Machine number" = Indicates the identification information of gaming machine 1 (target gaming machine). "Out" = indicates the gaming value used in gaming machine 1 (specified by the data item "Out"). "In operation" = indicates whether the gaming machine 1 is in operation or not, and if an operation timer that operates for a predetermined period (for example, 10 minutes) when a change occurs in specific gaming information such as OUT or START is in operation, the predetermined period during which the operation timer is operating after the gaming information is specified is determined to be in operation, and so it is marked as "○" as being in operation, and if it is not in operation, it is marked as "×" as being not in operation. In other words, it indicates the result of a period determination process (corresponding to a player presence / absence determination process) that determines the presence or absence of a player by a determination method different from the above-mentioned difference determination process.

[0043] Such game information is managed as real data that is updated sequentially. In addition to "out", various game information such as "safe" and "start" are also managed, but for the sake of convenience, examples are omitted in this embodiment. In addition, as the period determination process, a configuration in which the operation of the operation timer is determined as being in operation has been exemplified, but if a configuration is used in which a predetermined period after the specification of game information is determined as being in operation, for example, the operation timer does not necessarily need to be operated, such as determining that the period from the time of operation specification to the predetermined time is in operation.

[0044] 5 is an example of a report showing the operation status at a fixed time (00 minutes past the hour) in the management device 6. The management device 6 stores whether or not each gaming machine is in operation as historical information for each fixed time unit, as shown in FIG.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation determination at a fixed time by the management server 10. In FIG. 6, the operation determination is assumed to be performed at "10:00", but multiple fixed times can be assumed, such as "00 minutes" every hour during the business hours of the game arcade (for example, "9:00" to "23:00"). Also, a specific time other than every hour (for example, "10:00", "15:00", "20:00") may be set, or a time other than "00 minutes", such as "12 minutes" or "35 minutes", may be set as the fixed time. Any time may be set as the fixed time as long as it is set in advance. Also, a starting time such as the opening of business may be set, and the fixed time may be determined based on the period of time that has elapsed since that time (for example, 1 hour, 2 hours, etc.). Furthermore, the fixed time may be set to only one point in time.

[0046] In Fig. 6, the starting point is "10:00" which is the fixed time, and not only the fixed time but also a specified period before and after it, for example, "9:58" two minutes before (corresponding to the specified period before fixed time) and "10:02" two minutes after (corresponding to the specified period after fixed time), are targeted, and it is shown that the outs managed by the management device 6 shown in Fig. 4 are received at the relevant times and managed for comparison. Note that the specified period before and after may be the same time, or may be different times.

[0047] Also, if an out managed by the management device 6 cannot be received, it will be displayed as "-", for example, "9:58" for car number 4. The reason why an out managed by the management device 6 cannot be received is that a lot of information other than the relevant content is sent and received around regular time, and it is assumed that the information cannot be received on rare occasions due to communication problems, but it is also possible that the information cannot be received because the device is offline or there is a problem with the device.

[0048] Here, "in-yard determination" corresponds to "operating" in Fig. 4. That is, if it is determined that the vehicle is operating at regular time, it will be marked "○". Furthermore, since "operating" in Fig. 4 is managed by the management device 6 as historical information as shown in Fig. 5, even if the vehicle cannot be identified by communication at regular time, it is possible to identify the vehicle later. Although the information may be received at the time of regular tallying, in this embodiment, the information is received a predetermined period (e.g., 5 minutes) after regular time, taking into consideration that information transmission and reception is concentrated at regular time, thereby reducing the risk of not being able to receive the information.

[0049] The management server 10 performs the operation judgment in the following procedure. First, as the operation judgment method for regular hours, either the conventional method of directly adopting "in-house judgment" or the following "difference judgment" can be set in advance for each type, each gaming machine, or each gaming hall (it is set in advance whether the target gaming machine is in operation at regular hours by either the difference judgment process or the player presence / absence judgment process). The case where "difference judgment" is selected will be explained below.

[0050] The management server 10 compares the outs at "9:58" and "10:00", and if there is a change, it judges the difference as "○" indicating that the machine is operating at regular hours, whereas if there is no change, it judges the difference as "×" indicating that the machine is not operating at regular hours (first judgment) (corresponding to first difference judgment process). The management server 10 judges the difference as "○" indicating that the machine is operating since the number of machines has increased from "1,169 (playing information before regular hours)" to "1,302 (playing information at regular hours)" and there is a change in the out, whereas for machine 2, the number remains at "1,058" and there is no change in the out, so it judges the difference as "×" indicating that the machine is not operating. Furthermore, when the management server 10 cannot identify at least one of the outs between "9:58" and "10:00" (when it is marked "-" in FIG. 6), such as for machine 3 or machine 4, it compares the outs between "10:00" and "10:02" and makes a determination as to whether or not the machine is in operation at regular hours, similar to the above-mentioned first determination, based on whether or not there is a change (second determination) (corresponding to the second difference determination process). As the management server 10 cannot determine whether or not there is a change for machine 3, it makes a difference determination of "-", whereas for machine 4, the number of outs has increased from "527 (regular time play information)" to "644 (after regular time play information)", indicating a change in outs, it determines that the machine is in operation and makes a difference determination of "○".

[0051] If the management server 10 is able to identify whether or not a machine is in operation in the first or second judgment, the management server 10 sets the judgment result as an "overall judgment". In this case, since the management server 10 was able to identify whether the machine was in operation for the first and fourth machines, the management server 10 sets the "overall judgment" to "○", while since the management server 10 was able to identify whether the machine was not in operation for the second machine, the management server 10 sets the "overall judgment" to "×". On the other hand, if the management server 10 is unable to make a difference judgment, such as when the second judgment is unable to identify at least one out between "10:00" and "10:02", the management server 10 sets the judgment result of the "in-park judgment" to an "overall judgment" (third judgment). Since the management server 10 is unable to make a difference judgment for the third machine, the management server 10 sets the "overall judgment" to "×" based on the judgment result of the "in-park judgment".

[0052] As described above, the "overall judgment" is the final operation judgment result, and the "basis of judgment" indicates whether the "overall judgment" was made based on the first, second, or third judgment; for example, "1" indicates that the "overall judgment" was made based on the first judgment. Also, "difference" indicates whether there is a difference between the judgment result of the "difference judgment" such as the first or second judgment, and the "in-yard judgment." If there is a difference, for example, as in the case of car number 1, it is marked as "no," whereas if there is a difference, for example, as in car number 2, it is marked as "yes" (in Fig. 6, the distinction is indicated by a dot).

[0053] In the above example, when comparing the outs using "difference judgment," it is determined that the system is in operation if there is a change of even one point. However, it is also possible to set a standard value for the difference in change, such as 20 points, and determine that there is a change if the difference in change reaches that standard value, and determine that there is no change if the difference in change does not reach that standard value.

[0054] Although the configuration in which the first, second, or third judgment is switched on a gaming machine basis has been exemplified, each judgment may be switched on any basis, such as on a machine type basis, on an amusement parlor basis, etc. Similarly, although the configuration in which the judgment is switched on a time period basis has been exemplified, each judgment may be switched on any time basis, such as on a business day basis.

[0055] FIG. 7 shows the results of the "overall judgment" judgment results determined as in FIG. 6, which are collected for machine A by fixed time unit. "○" and "×" at each fixed time indicate the contents of the "overall judgment" judged as in FIG. 6 by fixed time unit. The first identification (for example, an identification display by the first color, shown by hatching with a line slanting downwards to the right in FIG. 7. For example, this corresponds to "11:00" of machine No. 1) indicates a judgment in which the "overall judgment" is based on the third judgment, that is, a judgment that could not be determined by the first judgment or the second judgment. The second identification (for example, an identification display by the second color, shown by hatching with a line slanting upwards to the right in FIG. 7. For example, this corresponds to "10:00" of machine No. 2) indicates a case in which the "difference" in FIG. 6 is "present", that is, a case in which the judgment results of the "difference judgment" and the "in-house judgment" are different. In this way, the management server 10 manages the judgment results by the difference judgment process and the judgment results by the player presence / absence judgment process so that they can be compared.

[0056] Additionally, "out" indicates when the target machine number is out during a business day, while "operation rate" indicates the ratio of the number of operating machines to the number of installed machines. For example, at "9:00," there are 8 installed machines and 3 "○" machines, which indicates a so-called operation rate of 3÷8=37.5%. The "out" column in "operation rate" indicates the operation at regular times for the entire business day, calculated as the total number of "○" machines ÷ the total number of installed machines (8 machines) × the number of regular times between "9:00" and "23:00" (15 times). In Figure 7, the total number of "○" machines in operation is "51," so the result is 51÷(8×15)=42.5%.

[0057] The first discrimination described above serves as an index for determining whether operation determination is possible based on difference determination alone, and whether it is necessary to improve the communication environment or the state of the equipment in order to make an operation determination based on difference determination alone. On the other hand, the second discrimination serves as an index for determining the extent of the problem when making an operation determination based on an operation timer. Note that, after checking such a judgment result, if there is a time period of concern, it is possible to move the display to details as shown in FIG. 6 and check the time period by selecting, for example, any of the "○" or "×" corresponding to the time period (the same applies to FIG. 8 described later).

[0058] FIG. 8 shows the results of a so-called head count (hereinafter referred to as actual measurement) in which an affiliated person of an arcade visits an arcade (usually a different arcade from the arcade to which the affiliated person belongs) and counts the number of players. In FIG. 8, "○" (=players present) and "×" (=players absent) all indicate the results of judging the presence or absence of players based on the results of the actual measurement (player presence / absence judgment process). The third discrimination (e.g., discrimination display by a third color, shown by vertical hatching in FIG. 8. For example, "14:00" on machine number 3 corresponds to this) indicates a case where the "in-arcade judgment" and the actual measurement differ. That is, among the results of the first discrimination in FIG. 7, it is discriminated when the judgment results differ between FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. The fourth discrimination (e.g., discrimination display by a fourth color, shown by horizontal hatching in FIG. 8. For example, "21:00" on machine number 2 corresponds to this) indicates a case where the "difference judgment" and the actual measurement differ. The first and second discriminations are the same as in Fig. 7, but discrimination is made when the third and fourth discriminations are not made. Furthermore, discrimination may also be made when the operation rate is different from that in Fig. 7.

[0059] That is, Fig. 8 shows a comparison result including not only the "difference judgment" and "in-park judgment" as in Fig. 7 but also the actual measurement, and it is possible to grasp the case where the "in-park judgment" differs from the other judgment results according to the second discrimination, the case where the actual measurement differs from the other judgment results according to the fourth discrimination, the case where the "in-park judgment" is obtained according to the first discrimination but is different from the actual measurement, and the case where the "in-park judgment" is obtained according to the third discrimination but is different from the actual measurement. In this way, the management server 10 manages the judgment results by the difference judgment process and the judgment results by the player presence / absence judgment process so that they can be compared.

[0060] A supplementary explanation about the actual measurement will be given. The actual measurement can employ a conventional method. For example, a person related to the game center goes to a nearby game center, counts the number of players, and transmits the result to the management server 10. In this case, the result of counting the number of players is input into a mobile terminal such as a smartphone in association with attribute information such as the game center, the corresponding fixed time, or the time of counting, and the input information is transmitted from the mobile terminal to the management server 10. Of course, information may be input into the management device 6 instead of the mobile terminal and transmitted from the management device 6 to the management server 10, or the server administrator may be contacted by phone to report the counted results, and any method may be used as long as the result of the actual measurement can be registered in the management server 10. Here, the above-mentioned actual measurement only specifies the presence or absence of a player, and is not a method of directly specifying whether the gaming machine is operating, as in the difference determination process or the period determination process. However, in this embodiment, if a player is present, the gaming machine is deemed to be operating, and is determined to be operating.

[0061] A supplementary explanation about the management server 10. As shown in the embodiment, the management server 10 can collect the gaming information received from the management device 6 and manage it as shown in Fig. 7 or Fig. 8, but as shown in the configuration diagram, the target is not only one store such as amusement center A, but also the gaming information of multiple amusement centers including amusement center B and amusement center C is managed. In this case, the same applies to actual measurements. Also, for example, the judgment results as shown in Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 for each amusement center may be provided so that they can be viewed on a viewing terminal (e.g., a smartphone or the management device 6) of a contractor who has signed a viewing contract on the condition that the operating information as described above is provided.

[0062] As described above, according to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained: In the game center system, the first judgment determines whether a machine is in operation based on the difference between an out at a time before regular time, such as "9:58" shown in Fig. 6, and a regular out at regular time, such as "10:00", and the second judgment determines whether a machine is in operation based on the difference between an out at a time after regular time, such as "10:02", and a regular out, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the number of machines in operation at regular time can be appropriately determined.

[0063] If the difference cannot be determined by the first judgment, the difference is determined by the second judgment. Therefore, even if the difference cannot be determined by the first judgment due to a problem such as a communication failure during a period of high-traffic communication such as regular hours, the difference can be appropriately determined by the second judgment.

[0064] When a difference determination cannot be made, an operation determination based on an operation timer, such as an in-house determination, is adopted. Therefore, even if an out related to the difference determination cannot be received during a period of high-traffic communication, such as during regular hours, due to a problem such as a poor communication, it is possible to compensate by using an operation determination in the same manner as before.

[0065] Since it is possible to set in advance whether operation judgment will be based on the conventional operation timer or the difference judgment, it is possible to appropriately customize the difference judgment method according to the needs of the amusement center, such that a manager who is accustomed to the conventional configuration can judge operation based on the operation timer, and a manager who is dissatisfied with the conventional configuration can judge operation based on the difference judgment.

[0066] The results of operation determination using a conventional operation timer and the difference determination are managed in a comparable manner using the first and second classifications shown in Fig. 7, so it is possible to properly grasp cases where the operation timer erroneously determines that the unit is operating at regular times or where a difference determination cannot be made.

[0067] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified or expanded as follows. Although the configuration has been exemplified in which the management server 10 receives the game information shown in Figures 4 and 5 from the management device 6 and makes the judgments in Figures 6 and 7, for example, a relay management device between the management device 6 and the management server 10 may be provided within an amusement facility, and the relay management device may receive the above game information from the management device 6 and then make the above judgment.

[0068] When a relay management device is provided as described above, the judgment results may be transmitted to the management server 10, and the judgment results for a plurality of gaming facilities may be managed by the management server 10, or the judgment results may be managed by the relay management device without being transmitted to the management server 10. Furthermore, the judgment results may be made and managed by the management device 6 without providing a relay management device.

[0069] Although Figures 7 and 8 show an example of identifying and outputting the differences in each judgment result, it is also possible to aggregate the differences and manage information such as the ratio of the differences to the number of aggregation opportunities (for example, in Figure 7, the first identification (13 times) to the number of aggregation opportunities (8 vehicles x 15 regular times) = 10.8%) or the ratio, which may be further categorized according to the judgment result such as "○" or "×".

[0070] Although both the first and second judgments are performed as the difference judgment, only one of the judgments may be adopted. Also, only the third operation judgment process shown below may be adopted. For example, a configuration in which an in-park judgment is used instead of a difference judgment when a regular out cannot be identified, as in the case of the third machine in FIG. 6, is exemplified, but if information before regular hours and information after regular hours can be identified, the information can be compared to determine whether the machine is operating at regular hours (corresponding to the third operation judgment process), so a configuration in which the operation judgment is performed by performing the comparison may be adopted. Also, it is of course possible to perform an operation judgment by the comparison when the first and second judgments cannot be performed.

[0071] Although the configuration has been exemplified in which the first determination is performed with priority, and the second determination is performed if the first determination fails to determine whether the device is operational, the second determination may be performed with priority, and the first determination may be performed if the second determination fails to determine whether the device is operational. Similarly, any of the difference determination processes, including the third difference determination process, may be performed with priority.

[0072] Although the management device 6 does not manage the gaming information before and after regular hours corresponding to the first and second judgments as history information, it may manage it as history information. In this case, it is possible to avoid times when communication is concentrated, such as regular hours, and transmit information at a time when communication is likely to be stable, such as 3 minutes after regular hours, as with in-house judgment. Furthermore, although the example shows that the predetermined period before and after regular hours is the same, it is of course possible to adopt different predetermined times, such as 3 minutes before the predetermined period before regular hours and 1 minute after the predetermined period after regular hours.

[0073] Although "out" has been exemplified as the game information for determining operation, game information not exemplified may be used as long as it is game information capable of determining operation such as "start" or "safe." □ As examples of player presence / absence determination processes, a period determination process using an operating timer and a process that makes a determination based on the results of inputting actual measurements have been given, but any process may be adopted as the player presence / absence determination process, even if it is another determination process not exemplified, such as photographing the player with a camera 30 provided on the gaming device 2 and determining the presence / absence of a player by image recognition of the photographed image, as long as it is a process that determines the presence / absence of a player using a determination method different from the difference determination process.

[0074] □In this embodiment, a period determination process using an operation timer is exemplified as the player presence determination process that determines whether or not the target gaming machine is in operation when it cannot be determined whether or not it is in operation at the regular time using the difference determination process, or as the setting target for the player presence determination process that determines whether or not the target gaming machine is in operation at the regular time instead of the difference determination process.However, as described above, other player presence determination processes may be adopted, such as determining the presence or absence of a player by actual measurement or photographing the player.

[0075] Each setting information in the management device 6, the information display device 3, etc. may be set by an administrator through operation input, may be set in advance by the manufacturer of the management device 6, the information display device 3, etc., or may be downloaded from an external server (such as the headquarters of a chain store) and set. In this case, too, the setting value is input by operation input in the server.

[0076] All of the game information shown as examples may be specified directly by the input signal or indirectly by using an arithmetic expression. Also, the type of the game machine may be classified in any way, such as by manufacturer or by specification, as long as it indicates the type of game machine. The numerical values, number of digits, items, etc. are merely examples, and any numerical values ​​may be used. Furthermore, the arithmetic expressions are merely examples, and any arithmetic expression may be used as long as it shows the same value as the exemplified arithmetic expressions or calculates an arithmetic value having the same meaning. Either "less than" or "less than" can be used, and expressions such as "not reached" are expressions that correspond to either "less than" or "less than". The same is true for "above" and "exceeding", and expressions such as "reached" are expressions that correspond to both. Also, while display is used as an example of a notification method, other notification methods such as printing can also be used.

[0077] Although a pachinko game machine is exemplified as the target game machine 1, other game machines such as slot machines may be targeted. In this case, a so-called smart game machine that does not pay out game value is exemplified, but a conventional payout type pachinko game machine that pays out game value may be targeted, and the same is true for slot machines. Since it is possible to assume game media (balls, medals, etc.) paid out not only in a point-based game machine as in this embodiment but also in a conventional payout type game machine, the expression "game value" which includes both is appropriately used.

[0078] As described above, some or all of the processing performed by the management server 10 may be performed by the management device 6, the game device 2, or the relay device 4, or the like, or the entire system may be configured only by the management server 10 or only by the management device 6. In addition, whether or not to adopt the exemplified configurations may be changed according to appropriate settings, and the exemplified configurations including modified examples may be combined in any way, or appropriate configurations may be excluded. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] In the drawing, 1 is a gaming machine, 6 is a management device (game information identification means), and 10 is a management server (difference determination means, operation determination means, player presence / absence determination means, setting means, and determination result management means).

Claims

1. A gaming facility system that manages a gaming machine that is a target gaming machine for determining whether or not it is in operation, comprising: A game information identification means for identifying game information based on a game signal output from the gaming machine; a difference determination means for performing at least one of a first difference determination process for determining whether the target gaming machine is in operation based on a difference between pre-hour game information indicating game information before a predetermined period based on regular time and regular time game information indicating game information at regular time, a second difference determination process for determining whether the target gaming machine is in operation based on a difference between post-hour game information indicating game information after a predetermined period based on regular time and the regular time game information, and a third difference determination process for determining whether the target gaming machine is in operation based on a difference between the pre-hour game information and the post-hour game information; and an operating state determination means for determining whether or not each gaming machine is in operation at a fixed time by the difference determination process.

2. The difference determination means is capable of performing a plurality of difference determination processes, The gaming facility system of claim 1, wherein when it is not possible to determine whether the target gaming machine is in operation by any one of the difference determination processes, the operation determination means determines whether the target gaming machine is in operation by at least one of the other difference determination processes.

3. a player presence / absence determination means for performing a player presence / absence determination process for determining the presence or absence of a player by a determination method different from the difference determination process; 3. An amusement facility system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation determination means, when it is not possible to determine whether the target gaming machine is in operation at the scheduled time by the difference determination process, determines whether the target gaming machine is in operation by the player presence / absence determination process.

4. a player presence / absence determination means for performing a player presence / absence determination process for determining the presence or absence of a player by a determination method different from the difference determination process; 3. The system for an amusement facility according to claim 1, further comprising: a setting means for setting in advance whether the operation determination means determines whether the target gaming machine is in operation at a scheduled time by the difference determination process or the player presence / absence determination process.

5. a player presence / absence determination means for performing a player presence / absence determination process for determining the presence or absence of a player by a determination method different from the difference determination process; 3. The game arcade system according to claim 1, further comprising a determination result management means for managing a determination result obtained by said difference determination process and a determination result obtained by said player presence / absence determination process so as to be comparable to each other.

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