Game machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of preventing misidentification of symbols even when printing of multiple colors of paint is misaligned.SOLUTION: A slot machine includes a reel with a reel tape T1 on which a plurality of symbols are arranged, and a backlight having an LED 315 for illuminating the reel from the inside. A symbol P4 has a leaf part CHha that becomes green by overlapping a light blue paint layer and a yellow paint layer, and a shiny part CHteka2 where a white paint layer is exposed. A yellow area of an edge Fuch2 where the yellow paint layer has seeped into the shiny part CHteka2, is sandwiched between a white area of the shiny part CHteka2 and a green area of the leaf part CHha.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, gaming machines such as rotary gaming machines (slot machines) and ball shooting gaming machines (pachinko machines) are provided with a front door that can be opened and closed with respect to the housing, and by opening and closing this front door, it is configured to be able to access the inside of the gaming machine. There is known a gaming machine provided with a decorative sheet with decoration and a translucent panel that can transmit light on such a front door, and the decorative sheet is protected by the translucent panel (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the above-mentioned translucent panel is made of an acrylic resin or the like having a predetermined thickness (for example, about 3 mm) so as to withstand a certain degree of impact. However, if it has such a thickness, there is a possibility that it may be possible to look into the outside more than the decorative sheet due to the thickness, and there is a possibility that the inside of the front door can be visually recognized. If the inside of the front door can be visually recognized in this way, there is a problem that not only the aesthetic appearance as a design property is impaired, but also it is not good as a so-called countermeasure against dirt.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of making it impossible to visually recognize the inside through a panel portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention includes a housing, a front door that is attached to the housing so as to be openable and closable, and a reel. The state of the front door includes a first state, a second state, and a third state. The first state is a state in which the front door is closed. The second state is a state in which the front door is open, the supported portion of the front door is not in contact with the support portion of the housing, and the vertical dimension between the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door and the placement surface of the housing is a second dimension. The third state is a state in which the front door is open, the supported portion of the front door is in contact with the support portion of the housing, and the vertical dimension between the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door and the placement surface of the housing is a third dimension. The second dimension is smaller than the third dimension. The second dimension and the third dimension are larger than the thickness of a medal and smaller than the diameter of a pachinko ball. The reel has a reel tape on which a plurality of symbols including a specific symbol are arranged, and a light source that illuminates the reel tape from the inside. The reel tape has a red portion on which a red paint is printed, a yellow portion on which a yellow paint is printed, and a white portion on which a white paint is printed. The specific symbol has an orange region where orange can be visually recognized by the overlapping of the red portion and the yellow portion, a yellow region where the yellow portion can be visually recognized, and a white region where the white portion can be visually recognized. The yellow region is in contact with the orange region, the yellow region is in contact with the white region, and the yellow region is sandwiched between the orange region and the white region. It is a gaming machine. In addition, one aspect of the present invention includes a housing, a front door that is attached to the housing so as to be openable and closable, and a reel. The state of the front door includes a first state, a second state, and a third state. The first state is a state in which the front door is closed. The second state is a state in which the front door is open, the supported portion of the front door is not in contact with the support portion of the housing, and the vertical dimension between the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door and the placement surface of the housing is a second dimension. The third state is a state in which the front door is open, the supported portion of the front door is in contact with the support portion of the housing, and the vertical dimension between the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door and the placement surface of the housing is a third dimension. The second dimension is smaller than the third dimension. The second dimension and the third dimension are larger than the thickness of the medal and smaller than the diameter of the pachinko ball. The reel has a reel tape on which a plurality of symbols including a specific symbol are arranged, and a light source that illuminates the reel tape from the inside. The reel tape has a blue portion on which a blue paint is printed, a yellow portion on which a yellow paint is printed, and a white portion on which a white paint is printed. The specific symbol has a green region where green can be visually recognized by the overlap of the blue portion and the yellow portion, a yellow region where the yellow portion can be visually recognized, and a white region where the white portion can be visually recognized. The yellow region is in contact with the green region, the yellow region is in contact with the white region, and the yellow region is sandwiched between the green region and the white region. It is a gaming machine. In addition, one aspect of the present invention includes a housing, a front door that is attachable to the housing so as to be openable and closable, and a reel. The state of the front door includes a first state, a second state, and a third state. The first state is a state in which the front door is closed. The second state is a state in which the front door is open, the supported portion of the front door is not in contact with the support portion of the housing, and the vertical dimension between the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door and the placement surface of the housing is a second dimension. The third state is a state in which the front door is open, the supported portion of the front door is in contact with the support portion of the housing, and the vertical dimension between the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door and the placement surface of the housing is a third dimension. The second dimension is smaller than the third dimension. The second dimension and the third dimension are larger than the thickness of a medal and smaller than the diameter of a gaming ball. The reel has a reel tape on which a plurality of symbols including a specific symbol are arranged, and a light source that illuminates the reel tape from the inside. The reel tape has a black portion printed with a black paint, a red portion printed with a red paint, and a white portion printed with a white paint. The specific symbol has a black-red region where the black portion and the red portion overlap to make black-red visible, a red region where the red portion is visible, and a white region where the white portion is visible. The red region is in contact with the black-red region, the red region is in contact with the white region, and the red region is sandwiched between the black-red region and the white region. It is a gaming machine.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the interior from being visually recognized through the panel portion.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Also, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are essential constituent elements of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the front (near the player) is described as "front", the opposite as "rear", and the up, down, left, and right of the gaming machine are defined based on the front view of FIG. 1. That is, "up and down" means that the upper surface side of the slot machine is "up" and the lower surface side is "down", and "left and right" means that the left hand side of the player playing the slot machine is "left" and the right hand side is "right".

[0010] [Outline of the Configuration of the Gaming Machine] First, based on FIGS. 1 to 4, the schematic configuration of the gaming machine will be described. The slot machine 1 of the present embodiment is a so-called rotary drum type gaming machine, which is a type of gaming machine that plays a game using medals as gaming media. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this slot machine 1 includes a box-shaped housing BX and a front door FD that can be opened and closed with respect to the housing BX. As shown in FIG. 3, the housing BX includes a top plate BXU, a back plate BXH, a bottom plate BXB, and left and right side plates BXL, BXR, and is formed in a box shape having a front opening portion that opens on the front side of the housing BX. Note that the back plate BXH may be thinner than the top plate BXU, the bottom plate BXB, and the left and right side plates BXL, BXR.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the above-described housing BX has an opening BXa in the front surface, and various internal devices for enabling the execution of a game or for enabling the execution of an effect are stored therein. As various internal devices, the housing BX houses a reel unit 310 having a plurality of reels R1 to R3. Further, below the reel unit 310, a hopper unit 320 as a medal payout device is provided, and above the reel unit 310, a control board 10 that mounts a CPU, a ROM (an example of an information storage medium), a RAM, etc. and controls the operation of the slot machine 1 is housed. Further, on the right side of the hopper unit 320, a cash box 325 for sending out surplus medals when the medals stored in the hopper unit 320 reach a certain amount is provided. Also, on the left side of the hopper unit 320, a power supply unit 340 is provided. The power supply unit 340 is provided with a power switch, and when the power switch is in the ON state, power is supplied from the power supply unit 340 to each component.

[0012] Note that some components may be configured to be supplied with power even when the power supply unit 340 is in the OFF state. Also, the slot machine 1 may be of a so-called separable housing type in which the housing BX, the lower part of the front door FD, and the power supply unit 340, the hopper unit 320, etc. inside the housing BX remain attached to the island equipment in the game parlor, and the upper part of the front door FD, the reel unit 310, etc. are replaceable.

[0013] The above-described plurality of reels R1 to R3 (the first reel R1 arranged on the leftmost side, the second reel R2 arranged on the right side of the first reel R1, and the third reel R3 arranged on the right side of the second reel R2) each have an outer peripheral surface partitioned into 20 regions (hereinafter, each region is referred to as a "frame") at regular intervals, and any one of a plurality of types of symbols is arranged in each frame. Further, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are illuminated by the light of a reel backlight BL, which will be described later, from the inside, and are pivotally supported by a stepping motor M as reel driving means and are provided so as to be stoppable in frame units (predetermined rotation angle units, predetermined rotation amount units).

[0014] In the present embodiment, the first reel R1 is arranged on the leftmost side, the second reel R2 is arranged on the right side of the first reel R1, and the third reel R3 is arranged on the rightmost side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the order in which the first reel to the third reel are arranged may be any order, and there may be a fourth reel other than the first reel to the third reel, and it may be arranged at any position.

[0015] The front door FD is configured to be individually openable and closable, and is divided vertically into a front upper door UD that can close the upper half of the opening BXa and a front lower door DD that can close the lower half of the opening. These front upper door UD and front lower door DD are pivotally attached to the housing BX by hinges HN provided on the left side thereof (see FIG. 4), and the right side can be opened and closed with respect to the housing BX, and when closed, the various internal devices described above are blocked from the front. In the present embodiment, even for a device that is attached to the front door FD and cannot be accommodated inside the housing BX when the front door FD is closed with respect to the housing BX, but becomes inaccessible from the outside when the front door FD is closed, it is referred to as an internal device.

[0016] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, on the front upper door UD, a display window DW is provided to enable observation of the rotation states and stop states of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. In the stop states of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3, among the plurality of types of symbols arranged at regular intervals on the outer peripheral surfaces of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3, three symbols (upper-stage symbol, middle-stage symbol, lower-stage symbol) arranged continuously on the outer peripheral surface can be observed from the front of the slot machine 1 through the display window DW.

[0017] In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, for each reel, upper, middle, and lower stages are provided as display positions for observing symbols through the display window DW, and valid lines are set according to combinations of the display positions of the reels. In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, the number of medals required for one game, so-called the specified insertion number, is set to 3 in any game state. When medals corresponding to the specified insertion number are inserted, the valid line LX constituted by the middle stages of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is activated.

[0018] The game result is determined by the symbol combination stopped and displayed on the valid line LX in the display window DW. When the symbol combination on the valid line LX is a symbol combination corresponding to a predetermined winning combination, medals are paid out from the hopper unit 320 as if that winning combination has won.

[0019] On the front upper door UD, a game information display section DS is provided. The game information display section DS is composed of an LED, a lamp, a 7-segment display, etc., and displays various game information such as the credit number of medals, the payout number or winning number of medals in one game, the total payout number or winning number of medals in the bonus state, the information of the winning combination selected in the current game, and the information suggesting how to press the stop buttons B1 to B3 related to the payout of medals.

[0020] The game information display unit DS includes a main control display device 500 composed of a seven-segment display. When a prescribed number of medals are inserted and the start lever SL is tilted, a notification display, which is a display corresponding to a winning command that is a control signal created based on winning information, which is information on the winning combination selected in this game, is displayed. When the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 stop after the notification display is shown, the notification display ends and the number of medals paid out or the number of medals won is displayed. In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, a notification display is executed in which each segment of the main control display device 500 lights up and goes out in a display mode corresponding to the winning command.

[0021] Further, the main control display device 500 is provided with a favorable period notification unit 500A that is a dot of the seven-segment display and lights up when a favorable period is started by favorable period control means (not shown), and goes out when the favorable period is not started, that is, when an unfavorable period is started, to notify whether or not the favorable period is started.

[0022] Furthermore, the slot machine 1 is provided with an effect device 300 capable of executing effects related to the game, such as assisting the game or livening up the game. The effect device 300 includes a display device 330 provided on the front upper door UD so as to cover the display window DW, a plurality of electric decoration devices 360, and a plurality of electric decoration devices 370 provided on the front lower door. The display device 330 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display arranged on the front side of the display window DW (the first reel R1 to the third reel R3), and executes an effect of displaying various videos and images according to the progress of the game. That is, the present slot machine 1 is configured like a so-called full-face liquid crystal machine. The electric decoration devices 360 and 370 execute an effect of emitting light according to the progress of the game. In addition, the effect device 300 includes a plurality of acoustic devices 380, 390, and 395 provided on the front upper door UD and the front lower door DD. The acoustic devices 380, 390, and 395 are respectively arranged in a pair on the left and right at the upper part and the lower part of the front door FD, specifically, on the lower panel part UP which will be described later in detail, and execute an effect of outputting various voices according to the progress of the game. Note that an upper panel 350 with a model-specific design is arranged above the display window DW in the front upper door UD.

[0023] The front lower door DD is substantially the same size as the front lower door DD in a front view, and includes an operation unit CP for the player to perform operations related to the game, an electric decoration device 370, acoustic devices 390 and 395, a lower panel part UP, a medal tray MP, and the like. More specifically, the operation unit CP is configured to protrude forward at the upper part of the front lower door DD (the central part of the front door FD), and on its upper surface, there are a medal insertion port MI for the player to insert medals one by one, and a max bet button MB (bet button) as an insertion operation means for receiving an insertion operation of inserting a specified number of medals by one operation from the credited medals when the medals are in a credited (stored) state. In addition, a reject button REJ is provided in the vicinity of the medal insertion port MI and is operated when eliminating a jam of medals generated below the medal insertion port MI.

[0024] In addition, on the front surface of the operation unit CP, there are a single bet button BT as the input operation means, a start lever SL as the start operation means, stop buttons B1 to B3 which are a plurality of stop buttons as the stop operation means, a clearing button BS for clearing the credited medals, and a cylinder lock CY for opening and closing the front door FD. The single bet button BT accepts an input operation of inserting one medal from the credited medals in a state where medals are credited. The start lever SL accepts a start operation that triggers the rotation of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. The stop buttons B1 to B3 accept a stop operation that triggers the stopping of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 that is rotationally driven by a stepping motor M. The credited medals are stored (reserved) in the control board 10 as the storage means. Note that by rotating (twisting) the door key inserted into the cylinder lock CY clockwise from the initial position, the front door FD can be unlocked, and by rotating (twisting) it counterclockwise, an error release operation can be performed.

[0025] In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when a player inserts medals into the medal insertion slot MI or when the number of credited medals is equal to or more than the specified insertion number, a single bet operation (input operation) of pressing the single bet button BT backward the same number of times as the specified insertion number or a max bet operation (input operation) of pressing the max bet button MB downward is performed, so that the medals of the specified insertion number are set to the inserted state and set to a ready state where the rotation control of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be started. Then, when the player performs a start operation (tilting operation) of tilting the start lever SL with respect to the start lever SL, in the control board 10, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are started to rotate by the drive of the stepping motor M, and an internal lottery using a random number is performed. On the condition that the rotation speed of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 has increased to a predetermined speed and has become a steady rotation, the pressing operation of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is permitted, that is, the stop operation by the stop buttons B1 to B3 is enabled.

[0026] Note that when the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment are started to rotate, a waiting time (about 4.1 seconds), which is called a weight (or weight time), is set. Then, when a start operation is performed again within the period from the setting of the waiting time until the waiting time elapses, the slot machine 1 is configured to start rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 after the waiting time has elapsed.

[0027] After that, when the player presses the stop buttons B1 to B3 backward at an arbitrary timing (hereinafter referred to as the "pressing timing"), the stop switches, which are stop signal output means built into each of the stop buttons B1 to B3, perform an ON operation, and change the reel stop signal output to the control board 10 from the OFF state to the ON state.

[0028] Also, when the player releases the stop buttons B1 to B3 that are in the pressed state at an arbitrary timing, the stop switches corresponding to the stop buttons B1 to B3 perform an OFF operation, and change the reel stop signal output to the control board 10 from the ON state to the OFF state. Then, the control board 10 stops the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 at the stop positions corresponding to the result of the internal lottery based on the change of the reel stop signal from the OFF state to the ON state, the signal state of which changes according to the pressing timing and the releasing timing of the stop buttons B1 to B3.

[0029] In addition, a medal payout outlet MO and a medal tray MP are provided at the lower part of the front lower door DD. The number of medals corresponding to the result of the game is paid out from the medal payout outlet MO to the medal tray MP. Also, when the clearing button BS is pressed while medals are stored in the control board 10, the medal clearing switch built into the clearing button BS performs an ON operation as the clearing button BS is pressed, changing the medal clearing signal output to the control board 10 from the OFF state to the ON state. The control board 10 executes a clearing process of paying out the number of medals corresponding to the credit number (the number of credited medals) from the hopper unit 320 and paying out the medals from the medal payout outlet MO to the medal tray MP only when the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are not rotating and no medals are bet, along with the change of the medal clearing signal from the OFF state to the ON state.

[0030] [Lower Gap of the Front Door] Next, the lower gap of the front door FD (front lower door DD) will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIGS. 5 to 7 are cross-sectional views taken along the S-S line shown in FIG. 1. The position of the S-S line is a position shifted (offset) to the left by a predetermined dimension (for example, a dimension corresponding to the diameter of a medal) from the right end of the gaming machine 1 (the right side surface of the housing BX). Although details will be described later, FIG. 5 shows the case where the front door FD is in the "first state", FIG. 6 shows the case where the front door FD is in the "second state", and FIG. 7 shows the case where the front door FD is in the "third state".

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, a supported portion 91 (protrusion) formed to protrude rearward is provided on the right rear surface of the front door FD (the left side when viewing the rear surface of the front door FD from the front, opposite to the hinge HN). In this embodiment, a roller portion is provided at the tip of the supported portion 91. Also, a support portion 92 is formed at a position on the right side when viewing the inside of the housing BX from the front and corresponding to the supported portion 91 when the front door FD is closed. The support portion 92 is formed to be able to support the supported portion 91 from below.

[0032] In this embodiment, the support portion 92 is formed in a plate shape and is arranged so as to have a plate surface perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. The support portion 92 is fixed, for example, to the inner surface of the right side plate of the housing BX by screwing or the like. When moving the front door FD from the open state (opened state) to the closed state (closed state), first, the roller portion of the supported portion 91 comes into contact (abuts) with the front side (front side) of the support portion 92, and then the roller portion of the supported portion 91 rides (mounts) on the support portion 92, and the roller portion advances backward on the support portion 92. Then, the roller portion stops at a predetermined position. In the state where the front door FD is closed, the supported portion 91 is supported from below, and in the state where the front door FD is opened, the support from below of the supported portion 91 is released (opened). The front door FD that has lost the support from below is in a state of sagging downward due to its own weight.

[0033] The state (position) of the front door FD includes a first state, a second state, and a third state. (First state) As shown in FIG. 5, the first state is a state where the front door FD is closed (closed), and the supported portion 91 of the front door FD is supported by the support portion 92 of the housing BX (closed state, locked state). In this embodiment, the supported portion 91 is applying a load (loading) on the support portion 92. It can also be said that the support portion 92 is lifting the supported portion 91 upward. (Second state) As shown in FIG. 6, the second state is a state where the front door FD is open and the supported portion 91 of the front door FD is not in contact (abutting) with the support portion 92 of the housing BX (separated state, open state). (Third state) As shown in FIG. 7, the third state is a state in which the front door FD is open and the supported portion 91 of the front door FD is in contact (touching) with the support portion 92 of the housing BX. It can also be said that the supported portion 91 is in contact with the support portion 92 and the front door FD is open without being completely closed. Also, although it is in contact with the support portion 92, the supported portion 91 is not supported by the support portion 92 and the front door FD is open without being completely closed (semi-open state: a state of being open just a little). Note that the third state may be a state in which only the tip portion of the support portion 92 supports the supported portion 91 (the supported portion 91 may be supported only by the tip portion of the support portion 92). Also, the third state can be said to be a state in which the opening angle of the front door FD is smaller than that in the second state. That is, the opening angle of the front door FD in the third state is smaller than the maximum opening angle of the front door FD. Note that the opening angle of the front door FD is, for example, the angle formed by the front surface of the housing BX and the rear surface of the front door FD.

[0034] The bottom surface (lower surface) BXb of the gaming machine (housing BX) is a surface that comes into contact with a mating member (island equipment, etc.). Hereinafter, this bottom surface BXb is referred to as the mounting surface Z of the housing BX. The mounting surface Z of the housing BX is flush with the upper surface of the installation table (stand). The installation table is formed to extend from the rear side to the front side and is also located below the medal tray MP. Hereinafter, when referring to the mounting surface Z of the housing BX, it may refer to the entire surface that is flush with the mounting surface Z (including the upper surface of the installation table). Note that a player can place beverages or the like in the space on, for example, the left side of the medal tray MP.

[0035] The lower end (lower surface) of the front door FD (medal tray MP) is located above the bottom surface BXb (mounting surface Z) of the housing BX. As shown in FIG. 5, in the first state (closed state), the dimension (vertical dimension) of the gap from the lower end (lower side, rear side of the lower surface of the front door FD) Y1 of the front door FD (medal tray MP) to the mounting surface Z of the housing BX is the first dimension L1 (designed to be the first dimension L1). The first dimension L1 is about 3 to 5 mm.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, in the second state (open state), the dimension (vertical dimension) of the gap from the lower end (lower surface, the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door FD) Y2 of the front door FD (medal tray MP) to the placement surface Z of the housing BX is a second dimension L2 that is smaller than the first dimension L1 (designed to be the second dimension L2). The second dimension L2 is about 2 to 3 mm.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 7, in the third state, the dimension (vertical dimension) of the gap from the lower end (lower surface, the rear edge of the lower surface of the front door FD) Y3 of the front door FD (medal tray MP) to the placement surface Z of the housing BX is a third dimension L3 that is smaller than the first dimension L1 (designed to be the third dimension L3). The third dimension L3 is about 2 to 3 mm.

[0038] The first dimension L1 to the third dimension L3 can also be said to be the vertical distance (difference) between the lower end (lower surface) of the front door FD (medal tray MP) and the bottom surface BXb (placement surface Z) of the housing BX. In the present embodiment, the lower surface of the medal tray MP is a surface that slopes upward from the rear to the front in the front-rear direction (a surface that slopes downward from the front side to the rear side of the gaming machine 1). Therefore, the first dimension L1 to the third dimension L3 is the vertical distance between the rear end (lowest end) of the lower surface of the medal tray MP and the bottom surface BXb (placement surface Z) of the housing BX. The thickness of the bottom plate BXB of the housing BX is about 15 mm.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 8, let the diameter of the medal M be dimension L4. Also, let the thickness of the medal M be dimension L5. The medal M used in the game in the gaming machine according to the present embodiment has a dimension L4 of Φ25 (diameter about 25 mm) and a dimension L5 of about 1.6 mm. However, the medal M may have a dimension L4 of Φ30 (diameter about 30 mm) and a dimension L5 of about 1.7 mm. Also, let the diameter of the game ball B be dimension L6. The dimension L6 is about 11 mm.

[0040] The first dimension L1 shown in FIG. 5 is smaller than the diameter L6 of the game ball B and larger than the thickness L5 of the medal M (designed to be larger). The second dimension L2 shown in FIG. 6 is smaller than the diameter L6 of the game ball B and larger than the thickness L5 of the medal M (designed to be larger). The third dimension L3 shown in FIG. 7 is smaller than the diameter L6 of the game ball B and larger than the thickness L5 of the medal M (designed to be larger).

[0041] As described above, in the state where the front door FD is closed (the first state), the supported portion 91 is supported from below. On the other hand, in the state where the front door FD is open (the second state and the third state), the support from below the supported portion 91 is released (opened). Therefore, the front door FD in the open state that has lost the support from below is in a state where it has slightly dropped downward (downward) due to its own weight. In other words, the lower end Y2 (the second state) and the lower end Y3 (the third state) are located below the lower end Y1 (the first state), and the second dimension L2 and the third dimension L3 are smaller than the first dimension L1. Further in other words, in the open state rather than the closed state, the lower end of the front door FD (the medal tray MP) approaches the upper surface of the base (the placement surface Z of the housing BX).

[0042] (Relationship with the thickness of the medal M) When the gaming machine according to this embodiment is placed on the placement surface Z, regardless of the state of the front door FD, a gap (first dimension L1, second dimension L2, and third dimension L3) larger than the thickness of the medal M is formed between the lower end of the front door FD (medal tray MP) and the placement surface Z. In other words, the first dimension L1, the second dimension L2, and the third dimension L3 are larger than the thickness (dimension L5) of the medal M. Therefore, even if the front door FD is opened and closed in a state where the medal M has entered (hidden) between the lower side of the front door FD (medal tray MP) and the base existing below the medal tray MP, the lower end of the front door FD (medal tray MP) and the medal M will not come into contact. In other words, the medal M hidden in the gap between the medal tray MP and the base will not prevent the opening and closing of the front door FD. For this reason, even when the medal M is present on the upper surface of the base (placement surface Z), the front door FD can be smoothly opened and closed. Also, if the lower end of the front door FD contacts the medal M when the front door FD is opened, the medal M will be pushed out and fall from the base, which will cause trouble such as searching for the medal M. However, according to this embodiment, such trouble can be prevented.

[0043] Moreover, according to this embodiment, in a state where the medal M is placed on the placement surface Z (upper surface of the base) of the housing BX without overlapping, the front door FD can change from the second state (open state) to the first state (closed state) without being blocked (prevented, hindered) by the medal M. A store employee at the game hall (hall) may open the front door FD to eliminate the cause of an empty error generated when the medal M in the hopper runs out. However, when closing the opened front door FD, even if the medal M is placed on the placement surface Z of the housing BX, the front door FD can be closed without the medal M contacting the front door FD. Thereby, a situation where the medal M is sandwiched in the gap between the front door FD and the housing BX (front surface of the housing BX) and the front door FD cannot be closed, or a situation where the front door FD is damaged due to the impact of the sandwiching of the medal M can be avoided.

[0044] Also, in a state where the medal M is placed on the placement surface Z (the upper surface of the base) of the housing BX without overlapping, the front door FD can change from the first state (closed state) to the second state (open state) without being blocked by the medal M. When a store employee in the game arcade (hall) opens the closed front door FD to eliminate the cause of an empty error caused by a shortage (depletion) of the medal M in the hopper, even if the medal M is placed on the placement surface Z of the housing BX, the front door FD can be opened without the medal M contacting the front door FD. This can avoid a situation where the medal M is caught in the gap between the front door FD and the placement surface Z (the upper surface of the base) and the front door FD cannot be opened, or a situation where the front door FD is damaged by forcibly opening the front door FD with the medal M caught. Furthermore, the second dimension L2 is smaller than the first dimension L1, and the gap between the lower end of the front door FD and the placement surface Z of the housing BX in a state where the front door FD is open is narrower than the gap in a state where the front door FD is closed. Therefore, it becomes more difficult to insert a member or the like through the gap when the front door is open. Thus, illegal acts can be suppressed. In other words, the anti-illegal measure performance can be improved.

[0045] (Relationship with the game ball B) For example, consider a case where a slot machine and a pachinko machine are installed nearby, and there is a game ball B near the front door FD (medal tray MP). In a state where the front door FD is closed (the first state), even if the game ball B rolls under the front door FD (medal tray MP), since the first dimension L1 is smaller than the diameter L6 of the game ball B, the game ball B does not enter deep into the back side (rear side) under the medal tray MP. The lower surface of the medal tray MP is inclined upward toward the front, but before the game ball B reaches the lower end of the front door FD (medal tray MP), it abuts (contacts) the inclined surface and stops. Then, when the front door FD is opened in that state, the game ball B is pushed out to the front side and falls from the table. Also, since the game ball B falls in this way, it does not hinder closing the opened front door FD. In addition, the same can be said when the game ball B rolls under the front door FD (medal tray MP) when the front door FD is in the second state or the third state. That is, the game ball B contacts the inclined surface and stops before reaching the lower end of the front door FD (medal tray MP), and when the front door FD is opened in that state, the game ball B is pushed out to the front side and falls. And since the game ball B falls, it does not hinder closing the opened front door FD.

[0046] Note that the gap (the first dimension L1 to the third dimension L3) between the lower end of the front door FD (medal tray MP) and the placement surface Z is made smaller than the diameter L6 (about 11 mm) of the game ball B, but it is more preferable that it is equal to or less than the thickness of two medals M (the thickness in a state where two medals M are stacked). The thickness of two medals M is about 3.2 mm. In that case, it is possible to more reliably prevent the game ball B from entering under the medal tray MP.

[0047] Also, in this embodiment, the first dimension L1 is larger than the third dimension L3, the third dimension L3 is larger than the second dimension L2, and the second dimension L2 is larger than the dimension L5 (the thickness of the medal M). In other words, the following relationship holds. L1>L3>L2>L5 Note that the third dimension L3 may be greater than or equal to the second dimension L2 (L3≧L2). Also, the third dimension L3 may be substantially the same as the second dimension L2 (L3≒L2). Substantially the same means, for example, that the difference between the two is within 1 mm.

[0048] In the state shown in FIG. 7 (the third state), the gap from the right side (right end) of the front door FD to the right side (right end) of the housing BX (the dimension of the distance (minimum distance) between the right side of the front door FD and the right side of the housing BX) is defined as the fourth dimension L7. The fourth dimension L7 may be the opening dimension of the right end portion of the front door FD in the third state. Although the fourth dimension L7 is shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S-S shown in FIG. 1 and does not strictly indicate the distance (dimension) between the right end of the front door FD and the right end of the housing BX. The fourth dimension L7 is approximately 33 mm. This fourth dimension L7 is larger than the diameter dimension L4 of the medal M (designed to be larger) (L7>L4).

[0049] Note that in this embodiment, it is assumed that the second dimension L2 and the third dimension L3 are designed to be larger than the thickness L5 of the medal M. However, due to factors such as the accuracy (variation) of the component dimensions, the deterioration of the quality (durability) of the hinge HN (see FIG. 4), and assembly errors, the second dimension L2 or the third dimension L3 may be less than or equal to (less than) the thickness L5 of the medal M. Even in such a case, when the front door FD moves from the third state (FIG. 7) to the first state (FIG. 5), the supported portion 91 of the front door FD is supported so as to rest (ride) on the support portion 92 of the housing BX (supported so that the supported portion 91 is loaded on the support portion 92), and a dimension corresponding to the thickness of the medal M is ensured between the lower end of the front door FD and the placement surface Z (bottom surface BXb). Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the front door FD cannot be closed or a situation where the front door FD is damaged due to the sandwiching of the medal M.

[0050] (Modification) In the second state (open state) shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed to include a 21st state in which the opening angle of the front door FD is the first opening angle, and a 22nd state in which the opening angle of the front door FD is a second opening angle larger than the first opening angle. The first opening angle is a predetermined angle of 10° (10 degrees) or less. Also, in the 21st state, the distance (gap) between the end (right end) of the front door FD and the end (right end) of the housing BX on the side opposite to the rotation axis side (hinge HN side) of the front door FD is the distance between one end and the other end when arranging 2 to 3 medals in a row on a horizontal plane (the distance for 2 to 3 medals, for example, about 50 mm to about 75 mm). In this modification, in the 21st state, the lower end (right lower end) of the front door FD approaches the placement surface Z, and the second dimension L2 becomes smaller than the first dimension (the first state: closed state) (in other words, the second state includes the 21st state in which the second dimension L2 is smaller than the first dimension L1). However, in the 21st state, the second dimension is larger than the thickness L5 of the medal M.

[0051] In this modification, when the opening angle of the front door FD is larger than the first opening angle, the lower end (right lower end) of the front door FD gradually separates from the placement surface Z as the opening angle increases. In this case, if the vertical dimension between the lower end on the right side (the side opposite to the rotation axis side) of the front door FD and the placement surface Z is defined as the second dimension L2, in the 22nd state (for example, when the opening angle of the front door FD is the maximum), the second dimension L2 is larger than the first dimension.

[0052] [Configuration for preventing damage to the exterior] Next, the damage prevention structure of the exterior of the slot machine 1 will be described. The exterior of the slot machine 1 is composed of the front door FD and the housing BX described above. Even when the front door FD is closed, it may come into contact with obstacles and be damaged during the transportation of the gaming machine or when it is installed in the hall. In particular, since the operator carries the slot machine 1 by grasping and holding the gripping portion 400 (see FIG. 2) formed on the side surface of the housing BX, the corners of the front door FD and the housing BX are most likely to come into contact with obstacles, and due to the shape being prone to stress concentration, there is a problem that they are easily scratched. In the following description, the structure for preventing damage to the exterior of this slot machine 1 will be described.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 1, the outer shape portion (outer peripheral portion) of the front door FD is formed by the upper surface (top surface) FDu, the lower surface (bottom surface) FDb, and the left and right side surfaces FDl, FDr. Similarly, the outer shape portion (outer peripheral portion) of the housing BX is also formed by the upper surface (top surface) BXu, the lower surface (bottom surface) BXb, the left and right side surfaces BXl, BXr, and the rear surface BXh (see FIG. 11). In the slot machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the outer shape portion of the front door FD is formed smaller than the outer shape portion of the housing BX, and the outer shape portion of the housing BX is the maximum outer shape of the slot machine 1. That is, in the present embodiment, the upper surface FDu, the lower surface FDb, and the left and right side surfaces FDl, FDr of the front door FD are each formed to be located inside in a front view compared to the upper surface BXu, the lower surface BXb, and the left and right side surfaces BXl, BXr of the housing BX.

[0054] In other words, the dimension of the upper surface BXu of the housing BX in the left-right direction (the width direction of the gaming machine) is larger than the dimension of the upper surface FDu of the front door FD in the left-right direction, and it can be said that the upper surface FDu of the front door FD is arranged so as to be within the dimension of the upper surface BXu of the housing BX in the left-right direction. The dimension of the lower surface BXb of the housing BX in the left-right direction is larger than the dimension of the lower surface FDb of the front door FD in the left-right direction, and it can be said that the lower surface FDb of the front door FD is arranged so as to be within the dimension of the lower surface BXb of the housing BX in the left-right direction. The dimensions of the left and right side surfaces BXl, BXr of the housing BX in the up-down direction (the height direction of the gaming machine) are larger than the dimensions of the left and right side surfaces FDl, FDr of the front door FD in the up-down direction, and it can be said that the left and right side surfaces FDl, FDr of the front door FD are arranged so as to be within the dimensions of the left and right side surfaces BXl, BXr of the housing BX in the up-down direction.

[0055] Therefore, the four corner portions of the front door FD are all configured so as not to protrude outward from the corresponding corner portions of the housing BX. For example, FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the C1 portion (the upper right corner portion on the mating surface S1 between the front door FD and the housing BX) in FIG. 2, (a) is an enlarged side view of the C1 portion, (b) is an enlarged plan view of the C1 portion, and (c) is an enlarged front view of the C1 portion. As shown in FIGS. 9(a) and (c), also in the C1 portion, the upper surface FDu of the front door FD is located inside (below) the upper surface BXu of the housing BX. For this reason, the front side 601 of the upper surface (housing top surface) BXu of the housing BX is located above the rear side 701 of the upper surface (front door top surface) FDu of the front door FD. Further, as shown in FIGS. 9(b) and (c), the right side surface FDr of the front door FD is located inside (leftward) the right side surface BXr of the housing BX. For this reason, the front side 602 of the right side surface (housing right side surface) BXr of the housing BX is located to the right of the rear side 702 of the right side surface (front door right side surface) FDr of the front door FD.

[0056] And, the side 700 where the upper surface FDu of the front door FD and the right side surface FDr of the front door FD intersect is located inside the side 600 where the upper surface BXu of the housing BX and the right side surface BXr of the housing BX intersect. In other words, the upper right side 600 of the housing BX formed by the upper surface BXu of the housing BX and the right side surface BXr of the housing BX is located outside (in the upper right direction in this embodiment) the upper right side 700 of the front door FD formed by the upper surface FDu and the right side surface FDr. That is, when the side formed by the two planes is taken as the corner, the corner 700 of the front door FD is configured not to protrude outward from the corner 600 of the housing BX.

[0057] Also, even when comparing with the vertex where three sides intersect as the corner, naturally, the top on the rear side of the upper right side 700 of the front door FD (the vertex where the upper right side 700, the rear side of the upper surface FDu (the left and right sides on the rear side of the upper surface FDu) 701, and the rear side of the right side surface FDr (the upper and lower sides on the rear side of the right side surface FDr) 702 intersect, hereinafter, simply referred to as the right rear vertex or the upper right rear vertex of the front door FD) 710 is located inside the top on the front side of the upper right side 600 of the housing BX (the vertex where the upper right side 600, the front side of the upper surface BXu (the left and right sides on the front side of the upper surface BXu) 601, and the front side of the right side surface BXr (the upper and lower sides on the front side of the right side surface BXr) 602 intersect, hereinafter, simply referred to as the right front vertex or the upper right front vertex of the housing BX) 610. In other words, the right front vertex 610 is located outside (in the upper right direction in this embodiment) the right rear vertex 710. That is, the corner 710 of the front door FD is configured not to protrude outward from the corner 610 of the housing BX.

[0058] When adopting the above-described configuration, the upper right side 600 of the housing BX constitutes the maximum outer shape of the slot machine 1 and becomes a portion likely to come into contact with an obstacle. For this reason, in this embodiment, the upper right side 600 has a chamfered shape. More specifically, in this embodiment, the angle between the upper surface BXu of the housing BX and the right side surface BXr forming the upper right side 600 is configured to be an obtuse angle. The upper right side 600 of the housing BX is located outside (in the upper right direction) the right rear vertex 710 of the front door FD in the chamfered state. Also, the upper right front vertex 610 of the housing BX is also chamfered (rounded off).

[0059] With such a configuration, when it comes into contact with an obstacle, the upper right side (corner) 600 (610) of the housing BX contacts the obstacle before the corner 700 (710) of the front door FD. For example, various effect devices 300 are arranged, and it is possible to prevent damage to the exterior of the front door FD that is easily noticeable to the player. In addition, since the corner 600 (610) of the housing BX is chamfered, even if the corner 600 (610) of the housing BX contacts an obstacle, stress concentration is less likely to occur compared to a right-angled corner, and it is less likely to be damaged.

[0060] Note that since the upper right side 600 of the housing BX is formed by a chamfered surface, in terms of the outer shape, it can also be said to be the upper right surface of the housing BX. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, this upper right surface 600 includes an upper side 600u and a lower side 600l on the upper side. In the present embodiment, this upper side 600u is located above and to the left of the corner (upper right side 700 / upper right vertex 710) of the front door FD, and the lower side 600l is located above and to the right of the corner 700 (710) of the front door FD.

[0061] Also, in the present embodiment, the front side 601 of the upper surface BXu of the housing BX is also chamfered, forming a chamfered surface similar to the upper right side 600. As shown in FIG. 9(c), this chamfered surface 601 includes an upper side 601u and a lower side 601l, and in the vertical direction, the lower side 601l is formed to be located above the rear side 701 (right rear vertex 710) of the upper surface FDu of the front door. That is, the vertical dimension from the upper surface BXu of the housing to the rear side 701 (right rear vertex 710) of the upper surface FDu of the front door is larger than the vertical dimension from the upper surface BXu of the housing to the lower side (front side) 601l of the chamfered surface 601. As a result, it is possible to prevent an extra gap from occurring between the front door FD and the housing BX due to the chamfered surface.

[0062] In this embodiment, the protruding amount in the vertical direction with relatively loose dimensional restrictions is made larger than that in the width direction (left - right direction) in which the slot machines 1 are arranged. That is, the protruding amount from the upper surface FDu of the front door FD to the upper surface BXu of the housing BX is made larger than the protruding amount from the right side surface FDr of the front door FD to the right side surface BXr of the housing BX. As a result, although the above - described positional relationship is obtained, as long as the positional relationship is maintained such that the upper - right surface 600 of the housing BX is located outside the corner 700 (710) of the front door FD, the positional relationship between the upper side 600u and the lower side 600l and the corner 700 (710) of the front door FD is not limited to this. For example, the upper side 600u may be located above and to the right of the corner 700 (710) of the front door FD, and the lower side 600l may be located below and to the right of the corner 700 (710) of the front door FD.

[0063] Note that, in this embodiment, the corner 700 of the front door FD is also chamfered. Also, the upper - right side 700 (upper surface FDu) of the front door FD may have a chamfering gradient that slopes downward from the front side toward the rear side, for example. Further, the upper - right side 700 may be formed by a front - side portion that constitutes a front - side portion of the effect device 300 or the like inside the front door FD and a rear - side portion that forms the mating surface S1, and the above - mentioned gradient may be formed only on the rear - side that forms the right - rear vertex 710. Also, in this embodiment, the entire upper - right side 700 of the front door FD is configured not to protrude from the upper - right side 600 of the housing BX, but at least the right - rear vertex 710 of the front door FD may be located inside the upper - right side 600 of the housing BX.

[0064] Furthermore, as described above, the front door FD of the slot machine 1 has some looseness due to tolerances, deterioration, etc. of the hinge HN. Also, even when the front door FD is closed with respect to the housing BX, there is a clearance between the housing BX and the front door FD. For this reason, even when the front door FD is in the closed state (closed position), the front door FD has looseness in a predetermined direction (vertical, horizontal, front-back, and left-right directions). Therefore, the corner of the front door FD is more likely to protrude outward on the side where the hinge HN is not provided (the right side in this embodiment) than on the side where the hinge HN is provided (the left side in this embodiment). However, in this embodiment, not only the upper right corner (see FIG. 9), but also as shown in FIG. 10, at the lower right corner, the corner 900 (910) of the front door FD is positioned inside the corner 800 (810) of the housing BX so that the corner 900 (910) of the front door FD does not protrude from the corner 800 (810) of the housing BX. Also, the lower right side 800 and the lower right front vertex 810 of the housing BX are chamfered in the same manner as the upper right side 600 and the upper right front vertex 610.

[0065] Note that the side 900 of the front door FD is the lower right side where the lower surface FDb and the right side surface FDr of the front door FD intersect, and the top 910 is the lower right rear vertex where the lower right side 900 intersects with the rear side of the lower surface FDb (the left and right sides on the rear side of the lower surface FDb) and the rear side of the right side surface FDr (the upper and lower sides on the rear side of the right side surface FDr). Also, the side 800 of the housing BX is the lower right side where the lower surface BXb and the right side surface BXr of the housing BX intersect, and the top 810 is the lower right front vertex where the lower right side 800 intersects with the front side of the lower surface BXb (the left and right sides on the front side of the lower surface BXb) and the front side of the right side surface BXr (the upper and lower sides on the front side of the right side surface BXr).

[0066] Thus, even if the front door FD is tilted in the closed state due to rattling as described above, it is possible to prevent the corners 710(700) / 910(900) of the front door FD from protruding from the corners 600 / 800 of the housing BX that are chamfered on the side opposite to the hinge HN. Also, from the normal state (non-rattling state, first state) where no external force is applied to the front door FD, for example, when the slot machine 1 is moved and the front door FD is gripped, even if the front door FD is in a rattling state (a state where it has moved outward from the above normal state, second state) within the clearance range, the corners 600 / 800 of the housing BX are positioned inside the corners 710(700) / 910(900) of the front door FD.

[0067] Furthermore, in addition to the sides 600 and 800 described above, the housing BX includes sides 920 to 970 shown in FIG. 11 as corners that form the outermost shape of the slot machine 1. Since these sides are also vulnerable to damage, they are formed by chamfering. Similarly, in addition to the top portions 610 and 810, the top portions 1010 to 1060 are also formed by chamfering (rounding the corners). For example, the front side (not shown) of the left side surface BXl of the housing is located to the left of the rear side (not shown) of the left side surface FDl of the front door, and the upper left side 920 of the housing BX is chamfered and is located outside the top portion 730 on the rear side of the upper left side 720 of the front door FD.

[0068] Note that the top 730 of the front door FD is formed by the upper surface FDu of the front door FD and the left side surface FDl of the front door FD. More specifically, it is the top (left rear vertex, upper left rear vertex of the front door FD) where the upper left side 7200, the rear side of the upper surface FDu (the left and right sides on the rear side of the upper surface FDu) 740, and the rear side of the left side surface FDl (the upper and lower sides on the rear side of the left side surface FDl, not shown) intersect. The upper left side of the housing BX is formed by the upper surface BXu of the housing BX and the left side surface BXl. The side 930 is the lower left side of the housing BX and is formed by the bottom surface BXb of the housing BX and the left side surface BXl (see FIG. 1). The side 940 is the rear side of the upper surface BXu of the housing BX and is formed by the upper surface BXu of the housing BX and the rear surface BXh. The side 950 is the rear side of the bottom surface BXb of the housing BX and is formed by the bottom surface BXb of the housing BX and the rear surface BXh. The side 960 is the rear side of the right side surface BXr of the housing BX and is formed by the right side surface BXr of the housing BX and the rear surface BXh. The side 970 is the rear side of the left side surface BXl of the housing BX and is formed by the left side surface BXl of the housing BX and the rear surface BXh.

[0069] Also, the top 1010 is the upper right rear vertex of the housing BX. The top 1020 is the lower right rear vertex of the housing BX. The top 1030 is the upper left front vertex of the housing BX. The top 1040 is the lower left front vertex of the housing BX (see FIG. 1). The top 1050 is the upper left rear vertex of the housing BX. The top 1060 is the lower left rear vertex of the housing BX. As described above, in the slot machine 1 according to this embodiment, the corners of the front door FD and the corners of the housing DX are configured to be less likely to be damaged. Therefore, when reusing the slot machine 1, etc., since there are few scratches on the exterior, the slot machine 1 can be reused smoothly.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, all the corner portions of the front door FD are configured to be inside the corresponding corner portions of the housing BX. However, it is sufficient if any of the corner portions of the front door FD is inside the corresponding corner portion of the housing BX. For example, it is also possible to configure only the right or upper corner portions of the front door FD to be inside the corresponding corner portions of the housing BX. Further, although it is more desirable for the corner portions of the front door FD to be located inside the corresponding corner portions of the housing BX, for example, the corner portions of the front door FD and the corner portions of the housing BX may be configured to overlap (be in the same position) in a front view.

[0071] Similarly, it is not necessary to chamfer all the corner portions of the housing BX that form the outermost shape of the slot machine 1. For example, it may be configured to chamfer only the sides 600, 920, 940, 960, 970 and the tops 610, 1010, 1050 of the housing BX. Further, it may be configured to chamfer only the side 940 of the housing BX. Also, it may be configured to chamfer only the sides 600, 601 (see FIG. 9), 602 (see FIG. 9), 920, 940, 960, 970, 800, 950 of the housing BX. Further, it may be configured to chamfer only the sides 600, 601 (see FIG. 9), 602 (see FIG. 9), 920, 940, 960, 970 of the housing BX.

[0072] Note that in the above-described embodiment, "chamfering" includes both so-called C-chamfering in which the corner is diagonally cut and R-chamfering in which the corner of the corner portion is rounded. The angle of the corner portion means the angle of the diagonally cut surface in the case of C-chamfering and the angle of R of the corner portion in the case of R-chamfering. Further, in the above-described embodiment, "chamfering" does not mean only chamfering as a post-processing, but refers to the state itself in which the angle of the corner portion is an obtuse angle. That is, for example, in the case of an integrally molded resin product such as the housing BX described above, it is sufficient if the radius or the angle of the surface of the pre-designed corner portion is an obtuse angle. Further, the housing BX does not necessarily need to be manufactured as an integrally molded product, and may be an assembled type that forms a box shape with a plurality of parts, and the material may be, for example, wooden.

[0073] Specifically, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a modified example in the case where the housing is configured by assembling a top plate, a bottom plate, and left and right side plates, and is a perspective view of an enlarged upper right portion of the housing BX2 according to the modified example. As shown in FIG. 12, in the housing BX2, the top plate BXu2 and the right side plate BXr2 are formed of separate members. The top plate BXu2 is configured with chamfers on its upper right side 6002 and front upper side 6012, and these upper right side 6002 and front upper side 6012 constitute the upper right side of the housing BX2 and the front side of the upper surface BXu of the housing BX, respectively. Similarly, the right front side 6022 of the right side plate BXr2 is also formed with a chamfer, and this right front side 6022 constitutes the front side of the right side surface of the housing BX.

[0074] Here, in the present embodiment, the front surface BXr21 of the right side plate BXr2 is located approximately 1 mm forward of the front surface BXu21 of the top plate BXu2. And the right front side 6022 of the right side plate BXr2 is chamfered so that the position of the right end L forming the front side of the right side surface BXr22 of the housing BX2 aligns with the position of the front surface BXu21 of the top plate BXu2. That is, the right front side 6022 of the right side plate BXr2 is chamfered so that at the boundary L with the right side surface BXr22 of the housing BX, the end position thereof aligns with the position of the corner 6102 where the front surface BXu21 of the top plate BXu2 and the right side surface BXu22 intersect. In other words, the right front side 6022 of the right side plate BXr2 is chamfered so that its dimension is reduced by 1 mm rearward from the position of the front surface BXr21. And by thus adjusting the chamfer dimension of the right front side 6022 of the right side plate BXr2 to match the front surface BXu21 of the top plate BXu2, it is possible to prevent the corner 6102 on the lower surface of the top plate BXu2 from protruding. Note that in FIG. 12, the upper right portion of the housing BX2 is taken as an example for explanation, but the housing BX2 is not limited to the upper right portion, and the upper left portion, lower right portion, and lower left portion also have the same configuration as the above-described upper right portion.

[0075] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the mating surface S1 between the front door FD and the housing BX is configured to be inclined such that the lower part is more forward than the upper part in a side view, and the force that causes the front door FD to fall forward when it is opened is alleviated. However, it is not always necessary for the mating surface S1 to be inclined. Further, in the above description, the front door FD is configured to be divided vertically, but it may be configured integrally. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine. In addition, the inventions described in the above-described embodiments may be combined in any way.

[0076] [Configuration of the lower panel portion] Next, the lower panel portion UP disposed on the front lower door DD of the front door FD in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 13, 14, and 15. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, the lower panel portion UP is disposed between the operation portion CP and the medal tray MP of the front lower door DD.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 13, the lower panel portion UP includes a lower panel frame 81 that forms a part of the front door FD and constitutes the exterior of the slot machine 1, a front panel 82 that constitutes the exterior of the slot machine 1, a decorative sheet 83 as a sheet having an image 85 (see FIG. 14) disposed on the back surface side of the front panel 82, and a rear panel 88 that sandwiches the decorative sheet 83 together with the front panel 82.

[0078] The lower panel frame 81 is formed of a colored synthetic resin and is coated, plated, metal-vapor deposited, etc. on the outer surface so as to have light-shielding properties, that is, it is configured as a light-shielding cover. It is attached to the lower front door DD of the front door FD and is integrally fixed to the front door FD to constitute the appearance of the lower front door DD. The lower panel frame 81 has an opening 81a for exposing the front panel 82 to the outside, and enables the image 85 of the decorative sheet 83 described later to be visible through the front panel 82. The opening 81a is configured to be smaller than the front panel 82. That is, the lower panel frame 81 presses the front panel 82, the decorative sheet 83, and the rear panel 88 from the front, and the position of the front panel 82 is regulated in the left-right and up-down directions by a regulating plate 81b (see FIG. 14) that extends in a plate shape rearward, and has a function of being integrally fixed to the front door FD. Note that the lower panel frame 81 may be integrally formed with other exterior components on the lower front door DD of the front door FD, and the front panel 82, the decorative sheet 83, and the rear panel 88 may be inserted and attached from the rear. In this case, an opening for making the image 85 of the decorative sheet 83 visible may be formed in the lower front door DD of the front door FD.

[0079] The lower panel frame 81 has a main frame 81mf that is generally rectangular. Inside this main frame 81mf, side protrusions 81si, 81si that protrude in the left-right direction and an under protrusion 81un that protrudes from below upward are formed. For this reason, the opening 81a is configured in a non-rectangular shape with a complex shape. Note that the side protrusions 81si, 81si and the under protrusion 81un are formed so as not to overlap with the acoustic device 395 in the front-rear direction.

[0080] The front panel 82 is made of a synthetic resin with high translucency (transparent in this embodiment) and is formed by a rectangular plate-like member. Further, the front panel 82 has a knurled portion 82S subjected to knurling as a knurled portion formed with a knurl (wrinkle) at the edge (periphery, outer edge) of its front surface 82FS, which will be described in detail later. This front panel 82 is disposed opposite to the front of the decorative sheet 83 and covers and protects the front surface side of the decorative sheet 83. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, an outer edge protrusion 82a protruding forward and a protrusion 82b disposed at a position having a rectangular shape when viewed from the rear are formed at the outer edge portion of the rear surface of the front panel 82. The front panel 82 is positioned on the lower panel frame 81 by fitting the outer edge protrusion 82a into the rear side of the lower panel frame 81. The surfaces 88a of the decorative sheet 83 and the rear panel 88 described later are positioned with respect to the front panel 82 by being inserted and fitted inside the protrusion 82b of the front panel 82.

[0081] Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, a large number of holes 82h are formed in the front panel 82 at a position overlapping the acoustic device 395 when viewed from the front, so that the sound output from the acoustic device 395 can be easily heard forward (outside). Note that holes may also be provided in the decorative sheet 83 and the rear panel 88 described later behind these large number of holes 82h at positions overlapping in the front-rear direction, so that the sound output from the acoustic device 395 can be heard more easily.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 13, the decorative sheet 83 has a base material 83a formed in a substantially rectangular sheet shape by a synthetic resin with high translucency (transparent in this embodiment). An image 85 (see FIG. 14) such as the product name of the slot machine 1, related characters, and an image for decorating the outer surface of the slot machine 1 is printed (applied) on the back surface of the base material 83a with a colored paint, thereby constituting a decorative image surface.

[0083] The decorative sheet 83 is sandwiched between the rear panel 88 and the front panel 82 arranged on the back side, and the player can visually recognize the image 85 of the decorative sheet 83 from the front through the front panel 82. The rear panel 88 is formed in a plate shape by a synthetic resin with high translucency (transparent in this embodiment) so that the surface 88a is smooth, and the surface 88a of this rear panel 88 is formed to be substantially the same size as the decorative sheet 83 (image 85). That is, the surface 88a of the rear panel 88 and the decorative sheet 83 (image 85) are smaller than the size of the front panel 82, and specifically, they are configured to be larger than the inner edge (transparent region 82T) of the embossed portion 82S described later in detail. Note that the rear panel 88 is not limited to being transparent, and for example, unevenness or the like that diffuses light may be provided on the front or back surface so that the transmitted light is diffused.

[0084] Also, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the rear panel 88 has a protruding plate 88b that extends in a plate shape outside the outer edge of the surface 88a. By this protruding plate 88b, the position of the rear panel 88 is restricted in the left-right and up-down directions with respect to the restricting plate 81b of the lower panel frame 81, and the front panel 82 is sandwiched and held between the lower panel frame 81. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, on the back side of the rear panel 88, leg portions 88c are formed so as to extend rearward, abut against the components of the front lower door DD, and are restricted so as to be positioned in the front-rear direction between the lower panel frame 81. Furthermore, the side surface 88d on the outer edge side of the surface 88a of the rear panel 88 is inserted inside the protruding portion 82b of the front panel 82, and the position of the rear panel 88 in the left-right and up-down directions with respect to the front panel 82 is restricted. Therefore, by these configurations, the front panel 82, the decorative sheet 83, and the rear panel 88 are positioned in the left-right and up-down directions with respect to the front lower door DD.

[0085] On the back side of the rear panel 88, a backlight board 95 having a plurality of LEDs 95a and a reflector 89 for reflecting light from the LEDs 95a are provided. In the present embodiment, the backlight board 95 is disposed on the back side of the reflector 89, and is configured such that light from the LEDs 95a is irradiated forward from the opening of the reflector 89. Note that, instead of the backlight board having an LED, a light source such as a fluorescent lamp like a cold cathode tube or a lamp may be provided on the front lower door DD. The reflector 89 is made of a material having light-shielding properties and being easy to reflect light, for example, a white synthetic resin.

[0086] Therefore, in the lower panel portion UP of the front lower door DD configured as described above, the decorative sheet 83 illuminated by the light of the LEDs 95a of the backlight board 95 via the rear panel 88 is visible through the front panel 82 from the opening 81a of the lower panel frame 81. Since these rear panel 88, decorative sheet 83, and front panel 82 are disposed on the front lower door DD of the front door FD so as to be in front of the various internal devices (particularly the reel unit 310, hopper unit 320, backlight board 95, reflector 89, peripheral members of the backlight board 95, etc.) described above, it has a function of making the internal devices invisible particularly by the image 85 of the decorative sheet 83.

[0087] [Details of the embossed portion] Next, the details of the embossing portion 82S according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1, 13, 14, and 15, the front panel 82 according to the present embodiment has an embossing portion 82S at the edge (peripheral edge, outer edge) of the front surface 82FS. Specifically, the embossing portion 82S is formed by embossing in a range where a predetermined distance d1 (see FIGS. 14 and 15) protrudes from the outer edge of the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 to the inside of the opening 81a of the lower panel frame 81. In other words, the embossing portion 82S is formed on the front surface 82FS so as to at least partially overlap the edge (peripheral edge, outer edge) of the image 85 of the decorative sheet 83 when viewed from the front and cover the edge of the image 85 and extend to the outside of the image 85. Note that the embossing in the present embodiment is formed by imparting wrinkles (fine irregularities) to the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 according to the shape of the mold when manufacturing the front panel 82, but is not limited thereto. After the entire front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 is formed smoothly, chemical treatment by etching, sandblasting, or the like may be formed in a subsequent process.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 15, the embossing portion 82S has two regions: a first region 82Sh that overlaps the rear side of the lower panel frame 81 and is hidden from view when viewed from the front side, and a second region 82Sx that protrudes inside the opening 81a of the lower panel frame 81 and is visibly exposed. Therefore, the embossing portion 82S is disposed on the outer periphery of the transparent region 82T while ensuring the transparent region 82T that allows the image 85 to be clearly visible inside the opening 81a. This transparent region 82T is smaller than the outer edge of the image 85.

[0089] Further, the first region 82Sh has a region 82Shmf behind the main frame 81mf (see FIGS. 1 and 13) of the lower panel frame 81, two regions 82Shsi, 82Shsi behind the side protrusions 81si, 81si (see FIGS. 1 and 13) of the lower panel frame 81, and a region 82Shun behind the under protrusion 81un (see FIGS. 1 and 13) of the lower panel frame 81.

[0090] And the second region 82Sx has a region 82Sxup that protrudes downward by a predetermined distance d1 below the main frame 81mf in the upper part of the opening 81a, regions 82Sxsi, 82Sxsi that protrude inward in the left - right direction by a predetermined distance d1 inside the side protrusions 81si, 81si in the side part of the opening 81a, and a region 82Sxun that protrudes upward by a predetermined distance d1 above the under - protrusion 81un in the lower part of the opening 81a.

[0091] By forming the uneven - processed part 82S in this way, the inner edge of the second region 82Sx is similar in shape to the opening 81a and smaller than the opening 81a, and is located at a position where it protrudes inward by a predetermined distance d1 at any part compared to the opening 81a. That is, the uneven - processed part 82S protrudes in a band - like shape with a width of approximately the predetermined distance d1 inside the opening 81a. As described above, a plurality of holes 82h (see FIG. 1) are formed in the front panel 82 at positions corresponding to the front of the acoustic device 395. The uneven - processed part S is formed so as not to overlap these holes 82h. In other words, the plurality of holes 82h are arranged at a distance of at least the predetermined distance d1 from the inside of the opening 81a.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 14, the thickness d2 of the front panel 82 is formed to be, for example, about 3 mm so as to withstand an impact from the outside. On the other hand, the above - mentioned uneven - processed part 82S is formed such that the predetermined distance d1 protruding from the opening 81a is, for example, about 5 mm. That is, the distance that the uneven - processed part 82S protrudes from the opening 81a is formed to be longer than the thickness d2 of the front panel 82. In particular, in this embodiment, even when a player tries to look inside through the front panel 82, considering the refractive index of light of the front panel 82 and the like, the predetermined distance d1 is set so that the outer edge of the image 85 cannot be seen even with a line of sight at an angle of 45 degrees to 60 degrees with respect to the uneven - processed part 82S. Therefore, the outside of the outer edge of the image 85 is blocked so that it cannot be seen by the uneven - processed part 82S with a predetermined distance d1 longer than the thickness d2 of the front panel 82, and the rear panel 88 and internal devices deeper than it (especially the reel unit 310, the hopper unit 320, the backlight substrate 95, the reflector 89, peripheral members of the backlight substrate 95, etc.) cannot be seen.

[0093] Thus, in the slot machine 1 according to the present embodiment, in the opening 81a of the lower panel frame 81, the embossed portion 82S is formed in a range from the opening 81a to a predetermined distance d1 inside the opening 81a so as to protrude by the predetermined distance d1 from the inside of the opening 81a. In other words, the embossed portion 82S is formed at the edge of the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 and is formed so as to cover the edge of the image 85 of the decorative sheet 83. Therefore, the embossed portion 82S is disposed so as to straddle between the opening 81a and the edge of the image 85. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the interior (internal devices) of the front door FD from being visually recognized through the front panel 82.

[0094] By the way, if the size of the image 85 formed on the decorative sheet 83 is, for example, about 5 mm larger than the opening 81a of the lower panel frame 81 (similarly, even if the opening 81a is made smaller than the image 85), the internal devices can be made invisible without the embossed portion 82S. However, it is difficult to increase the size of the decorative sheet 83 due to the positional relationship with the surrounding components. If the opening 81a of the lower panel frame 81 is made smaller, the visual range of the image 85 becomes smaller, and there is a risk that the design property of the slot machine 1 will lack impact. Therefore, by providing the embossed portion 82S as in the present embodiment, interference between the image 85 and the surrounding components can be avoided, and the design property of the slot machine 1 can also be improved.

[0095] Also, by providing an opaque portion instead of the embossed portion 82S, the internal devices can be made invisible. However, since the light from the LED 95a of the backlight substrate 95 is no longer transmitted, a dark portion is generated in the lower panel portion UP, and there is a risk that the appearance will deteriorate. Therefore, by providing the embossed portion 82S having transparency as in the present embodiment, the light from the LED 95a of the backlight substrate 95 is transmitted, and the brightness of the lower panel portion UP can be ensured to improve the appearance.

[0096] [Modification Example of Embossed Portion] In addition, in the present embodiment, as the embossing portion 82S, the embossing is performed on the first region 82Sh from the outer edge of the front panel 82 and the second region 82Sx inside thereof. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first region 82Sh may be embossed only partially, or may not be embossed at all. That is, if the second region 82Sx is embossed, the embossing is arranged in the range from the opening 81a to a predetermined distance d1 inside the opening 81a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the interior of the front door FD from being visually recognized through the front panel 82. Even in this case, since a gap due to a tolerance may be generated between the lower panel frame 81 and the front panel 82, it is preferable that the embossing is arranged so as to slightly overlap the opening 81a when viewed from the front.

[0097] In addition, in the present embodiment, the embossing is performed on the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 to form the embossing portion 82S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which another sheet having embossing is adhered to the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 may be employed.

[0098] In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where the opening 81a is surrounded entirely by the lower panel frame 81 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper side of the frame portion forming the opening 81a may be constituted by the operation portion CP where the start lever SL and the stop buttons B1 to B3 are arranged, or the left and right sides of the frame portion forming the opening 81a may be constituted by the lighting device 370. That is, the frame portion may be configured in any manner, that is, as long as the opening 81a for making the image 85 visible in the front door FD is formed. Further, the lower panel frame 81 and the members forming these openings 81a may be a colored resin such as black, a resin having a colored surface and painted or plated, or a metal, that is, as long as they are opaque and the internal devices cannot be visually recognized.

[0099] Also, in this embodiment, the lower panel portion UP has been described as including the lower panel frame 81. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The lower panel frame may be a component that forms part of the front door, that is, the lower panel frame may not be unitized as a component of the lower panel portion. In this case, the lower panel frame may have a structure that supports the lower panel portion (front panel, decorative sheet, rear panel).

[0100] Also, in this embodiment, the knurled portion 82S has been described as protruding from the opening 81a by a predetermined distance d1 over the entire circumference. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The distance by which the knurled portion 82S protrudes from the opening 81a may vary depending on the position of the knurled portion 82S. In particular, since the lower and left and right portions are more easily visible to the player than the upper portion, the distance by which the knurled portion 82S protrudes from the opening 81a may be made longer than the predetermined distance d1. Further, the inner edge of the knurled portion 82S has been described as being a similar shape that is inward by a distance of the predetermined distance d1 in accordance with the shape of the inner edge of the opening 81a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the distance by which the knurled portion 82S protrudes from the opening 81a does not necessarily have to be constant, such as in accordance with the shape related to the design of the image 85.

[0101] Also, in this embodiment, the knurling applied to the knurled portion 82S has been described as being in a form in which unevenness is formed on the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The knurling may be such that only convex portions are formed on the front surface 82FS, or only concave portions are formed on the front surface 82FS.

[0102] Also, in this embodiment, a large number of holes 82h overlapping the sound device 395 in the front panel 82 have been described as not overlapping the knurled portion 82S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Some or all of these holes 82h may overlap the knurled portion 82S.

[0103] Also, in this embodiment, the image 85 is printed on the entire back surface of the decorative sheet 83 in this embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as it is arranged to overlap in a range larger than the embossed portion 82S, it may be printed in an area smaller than the back surface of the decorative sheet 83, particularly in a range that fits inside the opening 81a.

[0104] Also, in this embodiment, the lower panel portion UP having the embossed portion 82S has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, even in a panel arranged between the operation portion CP and the display window DW or above the display window DW, it may be configured to have a similar embossed portion.

[0105] Also, in this embodiment, the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 of the lower panel portion UP, the decorative sheet 83, the front surface 88a of the rear panel 88, etc. have been described as being planar. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any surface shape may be used, such as a curved shape in which the center on the left and right bulges more than the ends. Particularly in a configuration where the center portion bulges, the angle between the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82 and the line of sight becomes small at the ends, and there is a risk that the internal equipment may be easily visible. Therefore, the predetermined distance d1 that protrudes from the opening 81a of the embossed portion 82S may be made longer than other portions.

[0106] Also, in this embodiment, the outer edge shape of the front surface 82FS of the front panel 82, the decorative sheet 83, and the front surface 88a of the rear panel 88 has been described as being rectangular. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be similar to the opening 81a, and furthermore, any shape may be used, such as a shape along the opening only on the left and right or a shape along the opening only on the top and bottom.

[0107] [Details of the Reel Unit] Next, the details of the reel unit 310 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 16, the reel unit 310 includes a stepping motor M provided for each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to rotationally drive each reel, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 supported on the drive shafts of the respective stepping motors M, and a transmissive optical sensor reel sensor 26 (see FIG. 16) provided corresponding to each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 for detecting the rotational position of each reel. Further, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 of the reel unit 310 each have a reel backlight BL provided to illuminate each reel from the inside forward, and a reflector RL that reflects the light from the reel backlight BL and guides it forward. The reel backlight BL includes a plurality of light sources LED composed of light-emitting diodes and a backlight substrate 316 on which the plurality of light sources LED are installed. On the backlight substrate 316, a total of six LEDs 315 (315-11 to 315-23) are arranged in three columns and two rows from each opening of the reflector RL (see FIG. 21).

[0108] As shown in FIG. 16, the first reel R1 includes a reel frame FR1, a thin belt-shaped reel tape T1 on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction (circumferential direction) Y, and an index portion 27. The second reel R2 includes a reel frame FR2, a thin belt-shaped reel tape T2 on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction (circumferential direction) Y, and an index portion 27. The third reel R3 includes a reel frame FR3, a thin belt-shaped reel tape T3 on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction (circumferential direction) Y, and an index portion 27. The index portion 27 is held by the reel frames FR1 to FR3 so as to be able to shield the optical axis of the reel sensor 26, and the rotational position of each reel is detected by the reel sensor 26 at the timing when the optical axis of the reel sensor 26 is shielded and transmitted.

[0109] The reel frames FR1 to FR3 each have a hub portion 24 attached to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor M, a first rim portion 21 and a second rim portion 22, a plurality of connecting portions 23 connecting between these first and second rim portions 21, 22, and a plurality of spoke portions 25, and are integrally formed of a synthetic resin having high translucency (transparent in this embodiment).

[0110] The first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 are formed in an annular shape concentric with the rotating shaft of the stepping motor M, and are spaced apart in the left-right direction (axial direction), that is, in the short-side direction (width direction) X orthogonal to the longitudinal direction Y of the reel tapes T1 to T3. A plurality of connecting portions 23 are provided at different positions on the circumferences of the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22, extend along the short-side direction X so as to bridge between the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22, and connect the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22.

[0111] Note that the reel frame may not have a connecting portion, the first rim portion and the second rim portion may be formed independently, and the first rim portion and the second rim portion may be configured to be connected via a reel tape. Further, the reel frame may be formed of a colored synthetic resin, and when formed of a colored synthetic resin (for example, a black synthetic resin), the above-described index portion can be integrally formed with the reel frame.

[0112] A plurality of spoke portions 25 are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of either the first rim portion 21 or the second rim portion 22, connect either the first rim portion 21 or the second rim portion 22 and the hub portion 24, and transmit the rotational force of the stepping motor from the hub portion 24 to the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22. In this embodiment, the spoke portion 25 connects the hub portion 24 and the second rim portion 22.

[0113] On the outer circumferences of the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 respectively, there are formed cylindrical end support surfaces 21a, 22a that have a predetermined width (for example, about 3.5 mm to 6.5 mm) in the left-right direction, contact the back surfaces (inner surfaces) of the reel tapes T1 to T3, and support the left and right end portions of the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the radial direction of the reel. In the present embodiment, the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 are formed such that the widths of the end support surface 21a and the end support surface 22a in the short-side direction X are substantially the same dimension. Note that the first rim portion and the second rim portion may be formed such that the widths of their respective end support surfaces are different dimensions.

[0114] Also, the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 have flange portions 21b, 22b that can contact the short-side X ends of the reel tapes T1 to T3 on the outer side in the left-right direction from the end support surfaces 21a, 22a. The flange portions 21b, 22b are formed to have a width of about 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm in the left-right direction, for example, and regulate the positions of the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the left-right direction.

[0115] In the connection portion 23, a connection support surface 23a is formed that is continuous with the end support surfaces 21a, 22a of the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 and supports the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the radial direction of the reel between the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22. The connection support surface 23a and the above-described end support surfaces 21a, 22a form a support surface FRa that supports the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the radial direction of the reel.

[0116] [Mounting Structure of Reel Tape] Next, with reference to FIGS. 16, 17, and 18, the mounting structure of the reel tapes T1 to T3 will be described. Since the mounting structures of the reel tapes T1 to T3 are the same, hereinafter, the mounting structure of the reel tape T1 will be described as an example, and the details of the mounting structures of the reel tapes T2 and T3 will be omitted.

[0117] As shown in FIGS. 16, 17, and 18, on the back surfaces of both ends of the reel tape T1 in the short-side direction X, there are formed adhesive regions where adhesive members 65, 65 such as double-sided tape for adhering the reel tape T1 to the end support surface 21a of the first rim portion 21 and the end support surface 22a of the second rim portion 22 are attached. When the reel tape T1 is viewed from the surface side, this adhesive region includes a right-side adhesive region that is in the range of a distance b inward from the right end T1c in the short-side direction X of the reel tape T1, and a left-side adhesive region that is in the range of a distance b inward from the left end (the edge on the X2 direction side) T1d in the short-side direction X of the reel tape T1. For example, the distance b is set to a distance in the range of 4 mm to 6 mm, and it is desirable that it is formed to be larger by about 1 mm (for example, 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm) in the left-right direction (short-side direction X) than the end support surfaces 21a and 22a.

[0118] The reel tape T1 wound around the reel frame FR1 is adhered by the adhesive member 65 such that the right-side adhesive region formed on the inner surface (back surface) and the end support surface 21a are adhered, and the left-side adhesive region formed on the inner surface and the end support surface 22a are adhered, and is held by the reel frame FR1.

[0119] Also, as described above, the reel tape T1 is formed such that the length in the longitudinal direction Y is longer than the circumferential length (circumference) of the end support surfaces 21a and 22a in the circumferential direction, and the other end (terminal end) T12 on the other side overlaps the one end (starting end) T11 on one side in the longitudinal direction Y from the outside in the radial direction of the reel and is wound (wrapped) around the reel frame FR1. In the state where the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1, the transparent portion 63 and the pattern P6, which is the pattern (pattern No. 19) arranged on the most other side in the longitudinal direction Y, overlap in the radial direction of the reel. In other words, in the state where the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1, the outer surface (front surface, outer peripheral surface) of the transparent portion 63 is covered by the other end T12 in the longitudinal direction Y.

[0120] Further, the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1, and the other end portion T12, which is the other end in the longitudinal direction Y of the reel tape T1, and the one end portion T11, which is the one end in the longitudinal direction Y, are adhered by an adhesive member 66 such as a double-sided tape. This adhesive member 66 extends along the short-side direction X within a range of a distance c inward from the other end T1b. The reel tape T1 can maintain a state in which the back surface of the other end portion T12 and the front surface of the one end portion T11 are in close contact with each other by the adhesive member 66. The distance c is set to a distance in the range of, for example, 8 mm to 12 mm. Further, the adhesive member 65 and the adhesive member 66 are preferably composed of a double-sided tape or the like made of a material such as white, milky white, or transparent that allows light from the reel backlight BL to easily pass through, but may also be composed of an adhesive or the like applied to the back surface of the reel tape T1.

[0121] [Details of Reel Tape] As shown in FIG. 16, the reel tape T1 (the same applies to the reel tapes T2 and T3) is wound around the support surface FRa of the reel frame FR1 (the reel frames FR2 and FR3) in a cylindrical (endless) shape such that the other end portion T12 on the Y2 direction side in the longitudinal direction Y overlaps the one end portion T11 on the Y1 direction side in the longitudinal direction Y from the outside.

[0122] FIG. 17 is a view of the reel tape T1 as seen from the front side (the outer peripheral surface side in the state of being wound around the reel frame FR1 (see FIG. 16)). As shown in FIG. 17, the plurality of symbols arranged on the reel tapes T1 to T3 are composed of, for example, numbers, character strings, fruits, characters, etc. that are designed specifically for each model, or combinations thereof. Among these plurality of symbols, for example, there are symbol P1 (symbol "Red 7"), symbol P2 (symbol "Blue 7"), symbol P3 (symbol "BAR"), symbol P4 (symbol "Cherry"), symbol P5 (symbol "Watermelon"), symbol P6 (symbol "Bell"), symbol P7 (symbol "Replay"), symbol P8A (symbol "Blank A"), symbol P8B (symbol "Blank B"), etc. Note that the actual symbol P4 (symbol "Cherry") has the shape shown in FIG. 19, but the symbol P4 (symbol "Cherry") in FIG. 17 etc. is shown simply for convenience of explanation.

[0123] Symbol P1 (symbol "Red 7"), symbol P2 (symbol "Blue 7"), and symbol P3 (symbol "BAR") are formed such that their widths in the short side direction X are at least larger than those of other symbols, and their visibility is high. They are symbols that can be displayed on the effective line or within the display window DW when the stop button is operated to stop at a predetermined timing according to the result of the internal lottery or the like, and are symbols that constitute a symbol combination that serves as an opportunity for the player to shift to an advantageous state, such as a bonus state or an AT state (assist state).

[0124] Symbol P4 (symbol "Cherry") and symbol P5 (symbol "Watermelon") as specific symbols are symbols that can be displayed on the effective line or within the display window DW when the stop button is operated to stop at a predetermined timing according to the result of the internal lottery or the like, and are symbols that constitute a symbol combination of a chance role (so-called rare role) that serves as an advantageous lottery opportunity for the player, or a symbol combination that serves as an opportunity for the player to be given an advantageous privilege.

[0125] The symbols P6 (symbol "Bell") and P7 (symbol "Replay") can be displayed on the winning line or within the display window DW regardless of the timing of the stop operation of the stop button according to the result of the internal lottery or the like, and are symbols for forming a combination of symbols for small winning combinations or Replay when winning.

[0126] The symbols P8A (symbol "Blank A") and P8B (symbol "Blank B") can be displayed on the winning line or within the display window DW when the stop button is stopped at a predetermined timing according to the result of the internal lottery or the like, and do not form a winning combination even if they are aligned in a straight line on the winning line or within the display window DW, and are symbols for forming a losing combination or the like. Note that the symbols P8A (symbol "Blank A") and P8B (symbol "Blank B") can be used as a chance for the player to have an advantageous lottery or to inform the player that the state is advantageous to the player when they stop aligned in a straight line or stop in a predetermined shape (such as a mountain shape or an L shape), although they do not win depending on the model. In addition, the symbols P8A (symbol "Blank A") and P8B (symbol "Blank B") can be used as a symbol combination combined with other symbols and used as a special small winning combination (such as a single symbol combination).

[0127] Each of the above symbols P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, and P7 has an edge part P1a, P2a, P3a, P4a, P5a, P6a, P7a that forms the edge (outline) of the outer shape of the symbol by printing paint, as will be described in detail later, and a colored part P1b, P2b, P3b, P4b, P5b, P6b, P7b that is colored inside the edge parts P1a, P2a, P3a, P4a, P5a, P6a, P7a. Note that the details of the colored part P4b of the symbol P4 (symbol "Cherry") will be described later.

[0128] Note that, when viewed from the radial direction, for the symbols P1, P2, and P3, the edge portions P1a, P2a, and P3a partially overlap with the first rim portion 21, the second rim portion 22, and the adhesive members 65, 65 in the short-side direction X, and the colored portions P1b, P2b, and P3b are arranged so as not to overlap with either the first rim portion 21 or the second rim portion 22. As a result, the light from the reel backlight BL passing through the colored portions P1b, P2b, and P3b is not blocked by the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22, and the symbols P1, P2, and P3 can be made to look large in the short-side direction X.

[0129] On the other hand, each of the symbols P8A and P8B has an edge portion P8Aa and an edge portion P8Ba that form the edge of the outer shape of the symbol, and a pattern portion P8Ab and a pattern portion P8Bb that form a pattern inside the edge portions P8Aa and P8Ba. Note that for the symbols P8A and P8B, the edge portions P8Aa and P8Ba and the pattern portions P8Ab and P8Bb are drawn by lines, and a background forming layer 61 that forms a background portion H, which will be described in detail later, is printed inside the symbol, that is, it has the same color as the background portion H of the symbols P8A and P8B.

[0130] The above reel tape T1 has one of the symbols P1 to P8B arranged in each of 20 virtual regions obtained by virtually and evenly dividing the longitudinal direction Y into 20 parts in a state where it is wound around the reel frame FR1 (that is, a state where the other end portion T12 overlaps the transparent portion 63). The numbers on the left side of the reel tape T1 shown in FIG. 17 indicate the symbol numbers, with the side closest to one end portion T11 being the 0th symbol, and in order from there in the Y2 direction, the 2nd symbol, the 3rd symbol, ··· the 19th symbol, and one of the symbols P1 to P8B is arranged in the arrangement shown in FIG. 17. Note that in the reel tapes T2 and T3, one of the symbols P1 to P8B is arranged in the virtual regions as the 0th symbol to the 19th symbol in an arrangement different from the arrangement of the reel tape T1 shown in FIG. 17.

[0131] Also, in the present embodiment, the symbols arranged in each virtual region are arranged such that the center of the symbol, where the center line in the X direction (width direction) and the center line in the Y direction (circumferential direction) of the virtual region intersect, coincides with the center of the symbol, where the center line with respect to both ends in the X direction (width direction) of the symbol and the center line with respect to both ends in the Y direction (circumferential direction) of the symbol intersect. However, it is not limited to this, and depending on the shape and arrangement of the symbol, the center of the symbol may be arranged so as to be displaced with respect to the center of the virtual region. In the present embodiment, particularly for the symbol No. 19 where the adhesive member 66 is arranged on the back surface, it is arranged so as to overlap the edge portion 6a of the symbol P6 with respect to the adhesive member 66 and not to overlap the colored portion P6b, so that the colored portion P6b does not become dark and the symbol P6 is configured to be beautiful and easy to see. For example, when the distance of the height in the Y direction (circumferential direction) of this symbol P6 is further large, etc., by displacing the center of the symbol in the Y1 direction with respect to the center of the virtual region, it is possible to avoid the colored portion P6b of the symbol P6 from being difficult to see due to the shadow of the adhesive member 66.

[0132] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 17. The reel tapes T1 to T3 have different arrangements of symbols (type of symbol, number of specific symbols, order in which the symbols are arranged, etc.) and identification displays 70 for identifying them, but since the other configurations are the same, hereinafter, the reel tape T1 will be described as an example, and the description of the same configurations as those of the reel tape T1 in the reel tapes T2 and T3 will be omitted.

[0133] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the reel tape T1 is configured by laminating a printing layer that is silk-printed with a plurality of types of paints or the like having different colors and transparencies on the back surface of a transparent synthetic resin base material 60. For example, in order from the side closer to the back surface of the base material 60, a symbol forming layer (symbol portion) 67 that forms a plurality of symbols, a background forming layer 61 that forms a background portion H that is a region extending around the symbol when viewed from the surface side, and a diffusion layer 64 for diffusing the light from the reel backlight BL are overlapped, and each layer is formed by screen printing or the like.

[0134] Further, the background forming layer 61 includes a first background forming layer (background portion) 61A printed on the side closer to the back surface of the base material 60, and a second background forming layer 61B printed on the opposite side of the base material 60 with the first background forming layer 61A interposed therebetween. Also, at one end portion T11 on one side (Y1 direction side, the lower side shown in FIG. 17) in the longitudinal direction Y of the reel tape T1, a transparent portion 63 where none of the pattern forming layer 67, the background forming layer 61, and the diffusion layer 64 is formed is formed. The transparent portion 63 (one end portion T11) is arranged so as to overlap and be hidden by the other end portion T12 in a state where the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1. In other words, the background portion H is formed so as to be continuous with at least one turn.

[0135] The pattern forming layer 67 is formed by laminating paints of a plurality of types of colors or transparent paints, etc., as will be described in detail later, and the shape (design) of each pattern is formed as seen from the surface of the reel tape T1. The pattern forming layer 67 is, for example, in order from the side closer to the back surface of the base material 60, for example, roughly from a color with lower lightness to a color with higher lightness as the four primary colors of a printed matter, a layer of a black-based paint (K: key plate) (the edge portion described later), a layer of a blue-based paint (C: cyan) (blue portion), a layer of a red-based paint (M: magenta) (red portion), a layer of a yellow-based paint (Y: yellow) (yellow portion), and a layer of a transparent paint, and in particular, in this embodiment, between the blue-based paint and the red-based paint, there is a water-based paint which is a type of blue-based paint (a paint with a high content ratio of cyan), and between the red-based paint and the yellow-based paint, there is a pink-based paint which is a type of red-based paint (a paint with a high content ratio of magenta), and at least six colors of paints including these are printed in layers in order. As will be described later, after these pattern forming layers 67, a background forming layer 61 which is a layer of a white-based paint (white portion) is printed.

[0136] In the present embodiment, in the pattern forming layer 67, in order to improve the design of the pattern, a layer of water-based paint and a layer of pink paint are described as intermediate colors. However, it may be formed only by the layers of the four primary colors of the printed matter, and further, other intermediate color layers may be added. In the following description of the present embodiment, the layer of water-based paint is also treated as a blue part as a kind of blue paint, and the layer of pink paint is also treated as a red part as a kind of red paint.

[0137] Also, specifically, the colors of each part, which will be described in detail later, refer to the color with the largest proportion of the paint of that color, and refer to a color that can be commonly recognized as that color. Specifically, for example, the color of the blue part refers to the color with the largest proportion of the blue-based paint among the four primary colors of the printed matter, and refers to a color that can be commonly recognized as blue. For example, cyan is a slightly greenish bright blue, a blue-green color close to water color, etc., and is commonly recognized as blue and a cool color.

[0138] The pattern forming layer 67 formed by printing each color paint in layers is formed by overlapping an edge forming layer 67a that forms the edges (P1a, P2a, P3a, P4a, P5a, P6a, P7a, P8Aa, P8Ba) of the pattern, a coloring forming layer 67b that forms a portion colored at least in part in the inner region of the edge, and a light-transmitting forming layer 67c that forms a portion that is colored at least in part in the inner region of the edge and is easily transmissive depending on the pattern.

[0139] The edge portions (P1a, P2a, P3a, P4a, P5a, P6a, P7a, P8Aa, P8Ba) form the outer shape (outline) of the symbol. The edge forming layer 67a is formed in black with the above-mentioned black paint so that light (visible light) from the reel backlight BL is difficult to transmit, that is, it is formed to have a low brightness. Note that the edge forming layer 67a only needs to form at least the edge portion of the symbol, and a part of the inner region of the edge portion may be formed by the same paint as the paint forming the edge portion. Also, the edge forming layer 67a is not limited to being formed by the same paint or the like between each symbol, and may be formed by different paints between each symbol. Also, although the edge portion of the present embodiment is described as being formed in black with black paint, it may be dark gray, dark blue, or the like.

[0140] The coloring forming layer 67b is formed, for example, by paints such as the above-mentioned blue, water-based, red, pink, yellow, etc., which are mostly colored with higher chroma and brightness than the edge forming layer 67a (black) and are easily permeated by light. In FIG. 18, since the coloring forming layer 67b shows a single color portion that is red in the symbol P1 (the symbol "red 7"), it shows a single layer, but it is not limited to this. As will be described in detail later, the paint forming the coloring forming layer 67b may be made of a plurality of different colored paints for each symbol, that is, a plurality of colored coloring forming layers may be stacked. The details of this coloring forming layer 67b will be described later.

[0141] The light-transmitting forming layer 67c is formed, for example, by a paint that is colored with even higher chroma and brightness than the coloring forming layer 67b and is easily permeated by light. The paint forming the light-transmitting forming layer 67c is made of a plurality of different colored paints for each symbol, and may be a paint with a higher chroma and brightness than the coloring forming layer 67b, a paint mixed with a transparent paint, etc., and may be a laminate of a coloring forming layer and a transparent forming layer, or a laminate of a plurality of transparent forming layers.

[0142] The first background forming layer 61A of the background forming layer 61 is formed in white with a paint that is more likely to transmit light from the reel backlight BL with a higher chroma and lightness than the edge forming layer 67a and the coloring forming layer 67b, for example, a white-based paint. The first background forming layer 61A is formed around each pattern so as to overlap with the edge forming layer of each pattern and not overlap with the coloring forming layer and the light-transmitting forming layer in the region from the end 61Aa of the first background forming layer 61A in the longitudinal direction Y (the other end (the edge on the Y2 direction side) of the transparent portion 63) to the other end (the edge on the Y2 direction side) T1b of the reel tape T1, that is, it is formed on substantially the entire surface excluding the transparent portion 63 and each pattern.

[0143] Also, the second background forming layer 61B of the background forming layer 61 is formed as a so-called undercoat layer (undercoat portion) printed on the opposite side of the base material 60 with the first background forming layer 61A interposed therebetween, and is formed in white with the same paint as the first background forming layer 61A. The second background forming layer 61B is formed around the light-transmitting portion of each pattern so as to overlap with the edge forming layer 67a and the coloring forming layer 67b of each pattern and not overlap with the light-transmitting forming layer 67c, that is, it is formed on substantially the entire surface excluding the light-transmitting portion. By having the second background forming layer 61B undercoat the first background forming layer 61A in this way, even if bubbles accidentally form when the first background forming layer 61A is silk-printed and the bubbles burst to form gaps such as pinholes, the second background forming layer 61B can block them, preventing the light of the reel backlight BL from leaking out. Also, by forming the first background forming layer 61A to the extent that it overlaps with the edge forming layer 67a of each pattern and forming the second background forming layer 61B so that it overlaps with the edge forming layer 67a and the coloring forming layer 67b, the end of the first background forming layer 61A is formed on the edge forming layer 67a of each pattern, but by the second background forming layer 61B covering that end, compared to the case where the printing areas of the first background forming layer 61A and the second background forming layer 61B are opposite, the unevenness on the back surface can be reduced.

[0144] The diffusion layer 64 is what is called a so-called puckering. In the present embodiment, for example, in the symbol forming layer 67 in symbol P1 (symbol "red 7") and symbol P2 (symbol "blue 7"), it is formed so as to cover the area of the portion where the symbol forming layer 67 is formed from the back side, that is, it is formed up to the area outside the edge of each symbol. The diffusion layer 64 is formed, for example, by thickly applying an ultraviolet curable transparent paint and irradiating it with ultraviolet rays to cure and shrink the paint, thereby forming fine irregularities on the back surface side. As a result, when the light from the reel backlight BL passes through the area where the diffusion layer 64 is formed, the light can be irregularly refracted and reflected to be diffused, and the light of the LED 315 (see FIG. 4) that transmits through the light transmitting portion and the colored portion of the symbol is diffused. For example, it is intended to suppress the occurrence of a so-called point light where the light of the LED 315 with high directivity remains concentrated and the appearance becomes poor.

[0145] In the present embodiment, the case where the diffusion layer 64 is formed so as to cover the entire symbol from the back side up to the outside of the edge of each symbol has been described. However, it is not limited to this. As long as it is arranged so as to cover at least the light transmitting portion of each symbol, the light transmitting through the light transmitting portion can be diffused, and it is possible to prevent the light of the LED 315 of the reel backlight BL from becoming point light.

[0146] [Details of the Colored Portion of the Cherry Symbol] Next, the color scheme of each part in the colored portion P4b of the symbol P4 which is a cherry symbol and the trapping process in the highlight portion will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the colors of each part of the cherry symbol according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a cross section of the reel tape. (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B - B of FIG. 19, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C - C of FIG. 19.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 19, in the symbol P4 which is a cherry symbol, inside the edge P4a formed in black, as a plurality of colored portions P4b, there are formed a branch portion CHeda representing a branch in brown, a leaf portion CHha representing a leaf in green, and three fruit portions CHmi each representing three fruits in red. The edge P4a forms the outer edges of these branch portion CHeda, leaf portion CHha, and fruit portion CHmi and partitions them. Further, inside the leaf portion CHha, a leaf vein portion CHhamya representing a leaf vein in black is formed, and inside the fruit portion CHmi, a shadow portion CHkage representing a shadow in red - black is formed. And in the branch portion CHeda, a highlight portion CHteka1 representing a so - called highlight is formed, in the leaf portion CHha, a highlight portion CHteka2 representing a highlight is formed, and in each of the two fruit portions CHmi, highlight portions CHteka3A and CHteka3B representing highlights are formed.

[0148] In the above - mentioned branch portion CHeda, a layer of pink paint (a kind of red portion), as a coloring formation layer 67b, is printed on the base material 60 so that the region excluding the highlight portion CHteka1 can be visually recognized as brown. Then, a layer of yellow paint (yellow portion) is printed so as to be overlapped on the back side thereof. Further, in the region of the highlight portion CHteka1, for example, a layer of white paint (white portion) formed together with the background portion H is printed so as to be overlapped after the layer of yellow paint. In other words, the highlight portion CHteka1 is formed to expose the layer of white paint while being adjacent to the branch portion CHeda so as to be visually recognized as white. When printing the branch portion CHeda in this way, the layer of pink paint and the layer of yellow paint are printed separately. However, since, for example, thousands to tens of thousands of sheets are printed according to the number of units shipped, there is a possibility that an error may occur in the printing positions of these. For example, if the pink paint invades into the inside of the highlight portion CHteka1, not only the design property will be impaired, but there is also a possibility of being misrecognized as a different symbol from the correctly printed cherry symbol.

[0149] Therefore, in the present embodiment, a printing region (yellow region) for printing a yellow layer is set in a region of an edge Fuch1 corresponding to the outer edge of the highlight portion CHteka1 such that at least a part of the yellow paint layer, which has a lighter color, higher brightness, and a color closer to white than the pink color, protrudes. That is, trapping processing is set so that the region of the yellow layer is larger than the region for printing the pink layer by an amount corresponding to the region of the edge Fuch1. In other words, the yellow region is formed so as to be sandwiched between a white region that becomes white in the highlight portion CHteka1 and a brown region that becomes brown in the branch portion CHeda. As a result, it is possible to cause the yellow, which is less conspicuous than the pink color, to protrude in the highlight portion CHteka1, and even if the printing of the pink paint layer and the yellow paint layer is misaligned, it is possible to prevent the pink color from protruding into the highlight portion CHteka1, thereby preventing misrecognition of the pattern.

[0150] Similarly, as shown in Fig. 20(a), for the above-mentioned leaf part CHha, so that the area (green area) excluding the highlighting part CHteka2 can be visually recognized as green, a layer of light blue paint (blue part) 67bC is printed on the base material 60 as the coloring formation layer 67b, and then, a layer of yellow paint (yellow part) 67bY is printed so as to be overlaid on the back side thereof. Further, in the area of the highlighting part CHteka2, for example, a layer of white paint (white part) 61 formed together with the background part H is printed so as to be overlaid after the layer of yellow paint. In other words, the highlighting part CHteka2 is formed so as to be adjacent to the leaf part CHha and expose the layer of white paint to be visually recognized as white. And in the present embodiment, in the area of the edge Fuch2 corresponding to the outer edge of the highlighting part CHteka2, at least a part of the layer of yellow paint 67bY, which is a color lighter than light blue, higher in brightness and closer to white, is set to protrude, that is, the area where the layer of yellow paint (yellow part) 67bY is printed is set so that the area of the layer of yellow paint 67bY is larger than the area where the layer of light blue paint 67bC is printed by the amount corresponding to the area of the edge Fuch2. In other words, a yellow area is formed so as to be sandwiched between the white area that becomes white in the highlighting part CHteka2 and the green area that becomes green in the leaf part CHha. Thereby, yellow that is less conspicuous than light blue can be made to protrude in the highlighting part CHteka2, and even if the printing of the layer of light blue paint and the layer of yellow paint is misaligned, it is possible to prevent the light blue from protruding into the highlighting part CHteka2, and it is possible to prevent misrecognition of the pattern.

[0151] As shown in Fig. 20(a), the width d of the edge Fuch2, that is, the width d of the yellow area, set so that the layer of yellow paint 67bY protrudes more than the layer of light blue paint 67bC, is set to, for example, 1 mm in design in the present embodiment. The width d of this edge Fuch2 is set to be narrower than the narrowest width (for example, 2 mm) at the edge part P4a (see Fig. 19) so as not to be conspicuous.

[0152] Similarly, the real part CHmi is printed such that the area excluding the highlight portions CHteka3A and CHteka3B is visible as red, and the area of the shadow portion CHkage (black-red area) is visible as black-red, as shown in Fig. 20(b). A layer of black paint (black portion) 67bK is printed on the substrate 60 as the coloring formation layer 67b with dots such that the non-printing area is 30% and the printing area is 70%. Then, a layer of red paint (red portion) 67bM is printed on the back side so as to overlap. Further, in the areas of the highlight portions CHteka3A and CHteka3B, a layer of white paint (white portion) 61 formed together with the background portion H, for example, is printed so as to overlap after the layer of red paint 67bM. In other words, the highlight portions CHteka3A and CHteka3B are formed to be adjacent to the shadow portion CHkage and expose the layer of white paint to be visible as white. In this embodiment, in the areas of the edges Fuch3A and Fuch3B corresponding to the outer edges of the highlight portions CHteka3A and CHteka3B, at least a part of the layer of red paint 67bM, which is a color lighter than black, higher in brightness, and closer to white, is set to protrude. That is, the area for printing the layer of red paint 67bM (red area) is set such that the area of the layer of red paint is larger than the area for printing the layer of black (70%) paint by the amount corresponding to the areas of the edges Fuch3A and Fuch3B. In other words, a red area is formed so as to be sandwiched between the white area that becomes white in the highlight portion CHteka3A and the black-red area that becomes black-red in the shadow portion CHkage. This real part CHmi is originally formed by red, but in particular, it is possible to prevent black (70%) from protruding into the highlight portion CHteka3A in a portion where the highlight portion CHteka3A and the shadow portion CHkage are close (the boundary portion between the highlight portion CHteka3A and the shadow portion CHkage), and it is possible to prevent misrecognition of the pattern.

[0153] Note that, as shown in FIG. 20(b), the width d of the edge Fuch3A, that is, the width d of the red region, is set to, for example, 1 mm in this embodiment in terms of design so that the layer 67bM of the red paint protrudes more than the layer 67bK of the black paint. Similarly, the width d of this edge Fuch3A is set to be narrower than the narrowest width (for example, 2 mm) at the edge portion P4a (see FIG. 19) so as not to be conspicuous.

[0154] In the pattern P4 which is the above-mentioned cherry pattern, although the case where yellow protrudes into the highlight portion in the combination of yellow and pink (brown color), yellow protrudes into the highlight portion in the combination of yellow and light blue (green color), and red protrudes into the highlight portion in the combination of red and black (blackish red color) has been described, it is not limited to this. For example, in the combination of yellow (yellow portion) and blue (blue portion) (visible as green or dark green), yellow (yellow portion) is used when used for a pattern representing vegetables or fruits, etc. In the combination of yellow (yellow portion) and red (red portion) (visible as orange (orange region)), yellow (yellow portion) is used when used for a replay pattern or a plum pattern, etc. In the combination of light blue and dark blue (visible as light blue), it is conceivable to perform trapping processing so that light blue protrudes into the highlight portion.

[0155] Also, in the pattern P4 which is the above-mentioned cherry pattern, the case where the yellow region or the red region is formed so as to be sandwiched between the outer peripheral region and the white region as the edge of each highlight portion has been described. However, depending on the design, etc., the yellow region or the red region is not necessarily only the edge of the highlight portion. That is, at least a part of the yellow region may be sandwiched between the green region or the brown region and the white region, at least a part of the red region may be sandwiched between the blackish red region and the white region, etc.

[0156] Also, although the highlight portions CHteka1 to CHteka3B have been described as being printed with white paint as the coloring formation layer 67b, they may be printed white by the first background formation layer 61A or the second background formation layer 61B.

[0157] [Relationship between the illuminating part and the LEDs of the backlight] Next, the positional relationship between the above-mentioned illuminating part and the LEDs 315 of the reel backlight BL will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 21. FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the cherry symbol and the LEDs of the backlight when viewing the cherry symbol with the line of sight of a general player, for example. Note that the state shown in FIG. 21 may deviate slightly depending on the height (sitting height) of the player, the error in the reel stop position, etc., but this is an example showing that it may be in such a state with a certain probability. Also, the “-11” to “-23” indicated by the hyphens in the symbols of each LED 315 are for distinguishing positions, and when there is no need to distinguish, it is simply referred to as LED 315.

[0158] As shown in FIG. 4, on the backlight substrate 316 of the reel backlight BL, a total of six LEDs 315 in three columns and two rows are arranged so as to be exposed from each opening of the reflector RL. For example, in a state where the reel R1 (the same applies to the reel R2 and the reel R3) has stopped, one symbol on the reel tape T1 (the same applies to the reel tape T2 and the reel tape T3) with respect to the opening of the reflector RL, that is, these six LEDs 315 are arranged so as to illuminate one symbol with the optical axis of these LEDs 315 as the central axis.

[0159] As shown in FIG. 21, in a state where the reel R1 (the reel tape T1) has stopped, six LEDs 315-11, 315-12, 315-13, 315-21, 315-22, and 315-23 may be located on the back side of the symbol P4 which is the cherry symbol. In this state, since the LED 315-12 overlaps with a part of the above-mentioned illuminating part CHteka2, the illuminating part CHteka2 and the edge Fuch2 are illuminated by the light passing through the central axis of the LED 315-12. For this reason, although the yellow paint has oozed into the part of the edge Fuch2 in the above-mentioned illuminating part CHteka2, it is brightly irradiated by the light passing through the central axis of the LED 315-12, and the yellow of the edge Fuch2 becomes brighter than the green of the leaf part CHha, approaching the white in the illuminating part CHteka2 and becoming less conspicuous, so that misrecognition of the symbol can be prevented.

[0160] Also, when the reel R1 (reel tape T1) is rotating, the LEDs 315-11 and 315-21 in the same column with respect to the symbol P4 move relatively so as to pass through the virtual line LED-L1 virtually shown in FIG. 21, and similarly, the LEDs 315-12 and 315-22 in the same column move relatively so as to pass through the virtual line LED-L2, and further similarly, the LEDs 315-13 and 315-23 in the same column move relatively so as to pass through the virtual line LED-L3. Among these, the virtual line LED-L1 overlaps with the weighting part CHteka3B, and the virtual line LED-L2 overlaps with the weighting part CHteka2. In other words, the weighting part CHteka3B is arranged at a position overlapping with the LEDs 315-11 and 315-21 (at least one of the plurality of LEDs) in the short-side direction X (width direction), and the weighting part CHteka2 is arranged at a position overlapping with the LEDs 315-12 and 315-22 (at least one of the plurality of LEDs) in the short-side direction X (width direction). Therefore, when the reel R1 (reel tape T1) is rotating, the weighting part CHteka3B is illuminated by the light passing through the central axes of the LEDs 315-11 and 315-21, and the weighting part CHteka2 is illuminated by the light passing through the central axes of the LEDs 315-12 and 315-22.

[0161] For this reason, when the reel R1 (reel tape T1) is rotating, in the portion of the weighting part CHteka3B close to the shadow part CHkage, the red paint has oozed into the edge Fuch3B portion, but it is brightly irradiated by the light passing through the central axes of the LEDs 315-11 and 315-21, and the red color of the edge Fuch3B becomes brighter than the black color of the shadow part CHkage, approaching the white color of the weighting part CHteka3B in brightness and becoming less conspicuous. Similarly, when the reel R1 (reel tape T1) is rotating, in the weighting part CHteka2, the yellow paint has oozed into the edge Fuch2 portion, but it is brightened by the light of the LEDs 315-12 and 315-22, and the yellow color of the edge Fuch becomes brighter than the green color of the leaf part CHha, approaching the white color of the weighting part CHteka2 in brightness and becoming less conspicuous.

[0162] In the description using FIG. 21, the reel R1 (reel tape T1) was described as being in a rotating state. However, depending on the stopped position of the reel R1 (reel tape T1) and the line of sight of the player, for example, there may be a case where the LED 315-11 overlaps with the highlight portion CHteka1 or the highlight portion CHteka3B. Even in such a case, the effect of making the edge Fuch1 or the edge Fuch3B inconspicuous is the same.

[0163] [Modification Example of Reel Tape] In addition, in the present embodiment described above, the background portion H was described as having a background color formed by the white paint of the first background forming layer 61A. However, it is not limited to this, and any background color may be used. In particular, a white-based background color is preferable, and for example, it may contain a fluorescent pigment.

[0164] Also, in the present embodiment, the case where a white highlight portion is formed in the pattern has been described. However, it is not limited to this, and it may be configured as a so-called highlight region that expresses the light and dark of an object, expresses water droplets, etc. Furthermore, it is not limited to white, and as long as a color brighter than the color of the surrounding region is used, the color of such a highlight region may be any color.

[0165] Also, in the present embodiment, the edge portions of the respective patterns have been described as being formed by paints with low lightness (such as black, dark gray, dark blue paints). However, it is preferable to use paints of the same color system for each pattern. The same color system refers to the same color, as well as similar colors, for example, magenta for red, cyan for blue, gray for black, etc. Specifically, the same color system is a color with a small color difference (ΔE * ab), preferably a color with a color difference of less than 10, more preferably less than 5.0. This ΔE * ab is ΔE * ab = √((ΔL * ) 2 +(Δa * ) 2 +(Δb * )2 ) It is a value represented by, and the larger the value, the greater the difference in color when viewed visually.

[0166] Also, in the present embodiment, although the symbol pattern P3 (pattern "BAR") as the symbol pattern described above has been described as not having a light-transmitting portion, it is not limited to this. The pattern P3 (pattern "BAR"), the pattern P4 (pattern "cherry"), the pattern P6 (pattern "bell"), etc. may have a light-transmitting portion. In this case, it is preferable that the pattern having the light-transmitting portion also has a diffusion layer 64.

[0167] Also, in the present embodiment, although the coloring formation layer 67b has been described as forming the colored portion inside the pattern with a single color layer or a mixed color layer of various colors of paints, it is not limited to this, and it may be one that expresses shading with dots or the like.

[0168] Also, in the present embodiment, the main slot machine 1 has been described as a so-called full-face liquid crystal machine equipped with a display device 330 that is a liquid crystal display so as to cover the display window DW, but it is not limited to this. For example, the display device 330 may be arranged at a location different from the display window DW. Even in this case, by containing a transparent paint in the background portion H of the reel tapes T1 to T3 to facilitate the transmission of the illumination of the reel backlight BL, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be brightened, and together with the visibility of the pattern, the appearance can be made good.

[0169] [Structure of Medal Guide Passage] As shown in FIG. 1, a medal tray MP and a medal payout port MO are provided at the lower part of the front door FD. Also, as shown in FIG. 22(a), a cancel chute 40 is provided on the rear side of the medal tray MP. Although not shown, a hopper unit 320 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is arranged on the rear side (back side) of the cancel chute 40.

[0170] FIG. 22(b) is a view showing a state in which the medal tray MP and the cancel chute 40 are separated from each other. The medal tray MP is formed in a substantially rectangular (substantially rectangular) dish shape that is long in the left-right direction. The medal tray MP mainly includes a bottom MP1, an edge (wall portion) MP2 that stands up so as to surround the bottom MP1, and a medal payout port MO formed in the rear edge MP2. In the present embodiment, the medal tray MP includes a concave housing portion MP3 capable of housing medals and the like, but the housing portion MP3 may not be provided. In other words, the housing portion MP3 may not be provided, and the bottom MP1 may be ensured to be larger.

[0171] The edge portion MP2 has a function of preventing the medal paid out from the medal payout port MO from spilling out of the medal tray MP. The edge portion MP2 includes a front edge portion (front wall portion MP2a) provided on the front side of the bottom MP1, a right edge portion provided on the right side of the bottom MP1, a left edge portion provided on the left side of the bottom MP1, and a rear edge portion provided on the rear side of the bottom MP1. In the present embodiment, the height of the front edge portion (the height from the bottom MP1) is the lowest, but the height is a dimension equal to or larger than the diameter of the medal.

[0172] The cancel chute 40 is formed so as to have a space inside, and medals can pass through (be guided) inside. The cancel chute 40 functions as a medal passage (guide passage) that guides the medals that have entered the inside to the medal tray MP. In the present embodiment, the cancel chute 40 may be referred to as a "medal passage". The cancel chute 40 includes a plurality of openings (described later). In other words, the cancel chute 40 includes a medal inlet portion and an outlet portion. In the present embodiment, the cancel chute 40 is composed of two members, a first member (front member) and a second member (rear member), combined from the front and rear, but it is not limited to this and may be composed of one member or two or more members.

[0173] The medal passage (i.e., the cancel chute 40) is required to be formed so that medals can flow down (pass through) smoothly from the perspective of preventing medal jams inside the passage. However, in order to prevent medal jams, if the medal passage is shaped such that the smooth flow of medals is overly prioritized, there will be a problem that it becomes easier to commit improper acts against the hopper unit 320 etc. located behind (the anti-fraud performance deteriorates). Also, when the shape of the medal passage is made complex to improve the anti-fraud performance, it becomes difficult to achieve a smooth flow of medals. Furthermore, as the shape becomes complex, there will be a problem that it hinders the installation (arrangement) of other members on the front door FD (compresses the installation space of other members).

[0174] In this embodiment, the shape of the medal passage that can achieve (realize) a smooth flow of medals, an improvement in anti-fraud performance, and a suppression of hindrance to the installation of other members in a well-balanced manner will be described.

[0175] (Second opening 4002) As shown in Fig. 22(b), a second opening 4002 (tray-side opening) that opens in the front-rear direction is provided at the lower front side of the cancel chute 40. Fig. 23(a) is a view of the cancel chute 40 seen from the front side. The second opening 4002 is substantially rectangular when viewed from the front. As shown in Fig. 22(a), the second opening 4002 is in contact with the medal payout port MO of the medal tray MP. Note that being in contact includes both the case of being close and the case of being in contact. The second opening 4002 is provided at a position corresponding (opposite) to the medal payout port MO. It can also be said that in the front-rear direction, the second opening 4002 and the medal payout port MO are formed so as to overlap. The second opening 4002 serves as the exit part of the medals from the cancel chute 40.

[0176] The cancel chute 40 is provided between the medal tray MP and the hopper unit 320 (Fig. 3) in the front-rear direction, and it is possible to guide the medals sent out from the hopper unit 320 to the medal tray MP (details will be described later).

[0177] Figure 24 is a view of the hopper unit 320 seen from the front side. A medal payout opening 321 (payout portion, ejection port portion) is provided on the front side (front surface side) of the hopper unit 320. The medal payout opening 321 is formed so as to allow medals to pass through. For example, when a small winning occurs or when the clearing button BS is pressed in a state where there are credited medals, medals are sent out (ejected) from the medal payout opening 321. The opening of the medal payout opening 321 is substantially rectangular and slopes downward to the lower right when viewed from the front.

[0178] A peripheral wall portion 322 is provided around the medal payout opening 321. The peripheral wall portion 322 is a portion (wall portion) of a predetermined range around the medal payout opening 321 on the front surface of the hopper unit 320. The predetermined range is at least a range including a range facing the first opening 4001 (opening area of the first opening 4001) described below (for example, the range inside the broken line W in FIG. 24). The peripheral wall portion 322 is a surface perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

[0179] (First opening 4001) FIG. 23(b) is a view of the cancel chute 40 seen from the rear side (back surface side). A first opening 4001 (hopper-side opening) that opens in the front-rear direction is provided on the rear side of the cancel chute 40. The first opening 4001 is substantially rectangular and slopes downward to the lower left when viewed from the rear (slopes downward to the lower right when viewed from the front). The first opening 4001 is in contact with the medal payout opening 321 of the hopper unit 320 with the front door FD closed. Note that being in contact includes the case of being close and the case of being in contact.

[0180] With the front door FD closed, the first opening 4001 and the medal payout opening 321 face each other. The size of the opening is such that the first opening 4001 is larger than the medal payout opening 321 (opening). The first opening 4001 is provided at a position corresponding (opposite) to the medal payout opening 321. It can also be said that in the front-rear direction, the first opening 4001 and the medal payout opening 321 are formed so as to overlap. The first opening 4001 serves as the entrance (first entrance) of the medal to the cancel chute 40.

[0181] Figure 25 is a view of the front door FD (lower door) seen from the back side. Below the medal insertion opening MI (see Figure 1) in the front door FD, a medal selector 200 is provided. The medal selector 200 is provided above the cancel chute 40. The medal selector 200 has a function of sorting the medals inserted from the medal insertion opening MI. For example, when the inserted medal is not a regular medal or when the medal insertion timing is not appropriate, the medal selector 200 guides the inserted medal to the lower cancel chute 40 (drops the medal toward the lower cancel chute 40).

[0182] (Third opening 4003) Figure 26(a) is a view of the cancel chute 40 seen from above. On the upper side (upper right side) of the cancel chute 40, a third opening 4003 (selector side opening) is provided. The third opening 4003 opens in the vertical direction. The third opening 4003 is in contact with the lower end of the medal selector 200. Note that being in contact includes the case of being close and the case of being in contact. The third opening 4003 is substantially rectangular in shape. The third opening 4003 serves as the entrance (second entrance) of the medal to the cancel chute 40.

[0183] (Positional relationship of each opening) FIG. 26(b) is a view of the cancel chute 40 as seen from the left side (left side view). The first opening 4001 and the second opening 4002 are provided at different heights (shifted heights) in the vertical direction. The first opening 4001 is provided above the second opening 4002. The third opening 4003 and the second opening 4002 are provided at different heights in the vertical direction. The third opening 4003 is provided above the second opening 4002. The first opening 4001 and the third opening 4003 are provided at different heights in the vertical direction. The third opening 4003 is provided above the first opening 4001.

[0184] The medals launched from the medal payout outlet 321 of the hopper unit 320 enter the inside of the cancel chute 40 (medal passage) through the first opening 4001. Then, the cancel chute 40 guides (guides) the medals that have entered from the first opening 4001 to the front. The medals that have entered the inside of the cancel chute 40 from the first opening 4001 pass (flow down, slide) through the inside of the cancel chute 40 and come out of the cancel chute 40 through the second opening 4002.

[0185] Also, the medals sent out from the medal selector 200 (the medals that have passed through the medal selector 200) enter the inside of the cancel chute 40 through the third opening 4003. Then, the cancel chute 40 guides (guides) the medals that have entered from the third opening 4003 downward. The medals that have entered the inside of the cancel chute 40 from the third opening 4003 pass through the inside of the cancel chute 40 and come out of the cancel chute 40 through the second opening 4002.

[0186] FIG. 27(a) is a front view of the cancellation chute 40, showing a perspective (transparent) view of the members constituting the front side of the cancellation chute 40. The first opening 4001 and the second opening 4002 are provided at different positions (shifted positions) in the left-right direction. The first opening 4001 is provided on the left side of the second opening 4002. Also, the third opening 4003 and the second opening 4002 are provided at different positions (shifted positions) in the left-right direction. The third opening 4003 is provided on the right side of the second opening 4002. Also, the first opening 4001 and the third opening 4003 are provided at different positions (shifted positions) in the left-right direction.

[0187] In this embodiment, the left end of the first opening 4001 is located to the left of the left end of the second opening 4002, but the right end of the first opening 4001 is located between the left end and the right end of the second opening 4002. The first opening 4001 and the second opening 4002 have a relatively small shift amount in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, but a relatively large shift amount in the up-down direction (height direction). Therefore, there is no overlapping range (overlapping portion) when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the first opening 4001 and the second opening 4002 are provided at non-overlapping positions when viewed from the front.

[0188] The left end of the third opening 4003 is provided on the right side of the right end of the second opening 4002. The third opening 4003 and the second opening 4002 have a relatively large shift amount in both the left-right direction and the up-down direction (height direction), and there is no overlapping range (overlapping portion) when viewed from the front. Note that the third opening 4003 and the second opening 4002 have different opening directions (directions of the openings). In this embodiment, the third opening 4003 and the second opening 4002 are provided at non-overlapping positions when viewed from the front.

[0189] The first opening 4001 and the third opening 4003 have a relatively large displacement amount in the left-right direction and the up-down direction (height direction), and there is no overlapping range (overlapping portion) when viewed from the front. Note that the first opening 4001 and the third opening 4003 have different opening directions. In the present embodiment, the first opening 4001 and the third opening 4003 are provided at positions where they do not overlap when viewed from the front.

[0190] FIG. 27(b) is a view showing only the members constituting the rear side of the cancel chute 40. On the inner surface (the surface constituting the medal passage) of the cancel chute 40, a first inclined surface 4011, a second inclined surface 4012, and a third inclined surface 4013 are included.

[0191] The first inclined surface 4011 is an inclined surface (a downwardly inclined surface to the right) that is inclined so as to be lower on the right side in the left-right direction. The first inclined surface 4011 is formed so as to be able to contact the medal that has entered from the first opening 4001. When the medal comes into contact, the medal is guided to the lower right (the second inclined surface 4012).

[0192] The third inclined surface 4013 is an inclined surface (a downwardly inclined surface to the left) that is inclined so as to be lower toward the left side in the left-right direction. The third inclined surface 4013 is formed so as to be able to contact the medal that has entered from the third opening 4003. When the medal comes into contact, the medal is guided to the lower left (the second inclined surface 4012).

[0193] The second inclined surface 4012 is provided below the first inclined surface 4011 and the third inclined surface 4013. The second inclined surface 4012 is an inclined surface that is inclined so as to be lower on the front side in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the second inclined surface 4012 is composed of two inclined surfaces with different gradients, and the gradient (inclination with respect to the horizontal plane) of the front-side inclined surface is larger than that of the rear-side inclined surface.

[0194] The second inclined surface 4012 is formed so as to be able to contact the medal that has fallen from above, and guides the contacted medal to the front side (that is, the second opening 4002). The second inclined surface 4012 is formed so as to continue to the second opening 4002, and the medal that has descended along the inclined surface and reached the second opening 4002 is discharged from the second opening 4002 to the outside (that is, the medal tray MP).

[0195] Here, the medal passage from the first opening 4001 to the second opening 4002 (connecting the first opening 4001 and the second opening 4002) is defined as the first passage F1, and the medal passage from the third opening 4003 to the second opening 4002 (connecting the third opening 4003 and the second opening 4002) is defined as the second passage F2.

[0196] The first passage F1 has a shape that can change the direction in which the medal advances (the advancing direction). It can also be said that the first passage F1 has at least one bent portion (flexure portion). In other words, the first passage F1 has a crank shape.

[0197] The second passage F2 has a shape that can change the direction in which the medal advances (the advancing direction). It can also be said that the second passage F2 has at least one bent portion (flexure portion). In other words, the second passage F2 has a crank shape.

[0198] The first passage F1 from the first opening 4001 to the second opening 4002, as shown by the arrow F1, advances from the rear to the front, bends at the bent portion (the first bent portion) and advances to the right side (lower right side), and then bends at the next bent portion (the second bent portion) and advances to the front side (lower front side).

[0199] The medal launched from the rear to the front through the first opening 4001 can collide with the planar front surface (the surface marked with symbol V in FIG. 31) within the passage. And, a metal plate (a buffer member) may be arranged on the front surface where the medal collides to mitigate the impact caused by the medal collision. In other words, a part of the (inner surface of the) medal passage may be formed of a metal plate. By arranging the metal plate, it is possible to prevent the inner surface of the passage from being deformed, damaged, etc. due to the collision of the medal. The metal plate may be, for example, a stainless steel plate with a thickness of about 0.4 mm. Note that rubber (an elastic body) may be used instead of the metal plate as the buffer member.

[0200] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the medal launched from the rear to the front collides with the planar front surface within the passage. However, this is not limiting, and the medal may be configured to collide with the curved front surface within the passage. In other words, the front surface may be curved. The curved shape may be, for example, a shape that is concave (hollow) toward the front. When the front surface where the medal collides is curved, the impact caused by the medal collision is mitigated compared to the case where it is planar. Thereby, the medal can be guided to the medal tray MP more smoothly.

[0201] The second passage F2 from the third opening 4003 to the second opening 4002 proceeds from above to below as indicated by the arrow F2, bends at the bending portion (the third bending portion), proceeds to the left side (lower left side), and then bends at the next bending portion (the second bending portion) and proceeds to the front side (lower front side).

[0202] Also, let the passage from the third opening 4003 to the first opening 4001 be the third passage F3. Although not shown, the third passage F3 has at least one bending portion, similar to the first passage F1 and the second passage F2.

[0203] If the first passage F1 and the second passage F2 are not shaped to be able to change the direction in which the medal travels and are linear (when there is no bent portion), it becomes easy to insert an instrument (rod-shaped member) or the like from the player side and perform fraud (pranks). In the present embodiment, as described above, since the first passage F1 and the second passage F2 are shaped to be able to change the direction in which the medal travels (because they have a bent portion), it is difficult to insert an instrument (member) or the like from the player side. Thereby, the anti-fraud performance can be improved. Note that being able to improve the anti-fraud performance includes that the risk of components being damaged by inserting an instrument or the like is reduced.

[0204] Here, as shown in FIG. 28, a virtual straight line passing through (going through) the first opening 4001 and the second opening 4002 is defined as the first virtual straight line VL1. In the present embodiment, it is possible to draw (depict) the first virtual straight line VL1 without contacting the inner surface of the medal passage (first passage F1). In other words, the first virtual straight line VL1 is a line that can be depicted without contacting the inner surface of the medal passage. Further in other words, the first opening 4001 and the second opening 4002 can be connected by a straight line (first virtual straight line VL1) that does not contact the inner surface of the medal passage.

[0205] According to such a configuration, since the medal passage (first passage F1) has a shape (a shape having a linearly communicating space) that allows the first virtual straight line VL1 to be drawn without contacting the inner surface of the medal passage, smooth passage (payout) of the medal can be realized. Also, compared to the case where the medal passage (first passage) has a complex shape such that the first virtual straight line VL1 cannot be drawn, since it has a simple shape, it is possible to prevent interference with the installation of other members.

[0206] As shown in FIG. 29, a virtual straight line passing through the first opening 4001 and the third opening 4003 is defined as the third virtual straight line VL3. In the present embodiment, it is impossible to draw the third virtual straight line VL3 without contacting the inner surface of the medal passage (the third passage F3). In other words, the third virtual straight line VL3 is a line that cannot be drawn without contacting the inner surface of the medal passage. Further in other words, the first opening 4001 and the third opening 4003 cannot be connected by a straight line (the third virtual straight line VL3) that does not contact the inner surface of the medal passage. It can also be said that the third virtual straight line VL3 contacts the inner surface of the medal passage (the inner surface of the medal passage exists on the straight line).

[0207] According to such a configuration, since the medal passage (the third passage F3) has a shape in which the third virtual straight line VL3 cannot be drawn, for example, it is difficult to insert an instrument (a rod-shaped member) or the like from the third opening 4003 and access the first opening 4001 (the medal payout port 321). Thereby, the anti-fraud performance can be improved. Further, since the shape is such that the third virtual straight line VL3 cannot be drawn (because it is not linear), it is possible to prevent irregular movement in which the medal that has entered the cancel chute 40 from the third opening 4003 flows downward toward the first opening 4001.

[0208] As shown in FIG. 30, a virtual straight line passing through the second opening 4002 and the third opening 4003 is defined as the second virtual straight line VL2. In the present embodiment, it is impossible to draw the second virtual straight line VL2 without contacting the inner surface of the medal passage (the second passage F2). In other words, the second virtual straight line VL2 is a line that cannot be drawn without contacting the inner surface of the medal passage. Further in other words, the second opening 4002 and the third opening 4003 cannot be connected by a straight line (the second virtual straight line VL2) that does not contact the inner surface of the medal passage. It can also be said that the second virtual straight line VL2 contacts the inner surface of the medal passage (the inner surface of the medal passage exists on the straight line).

[0209] According to such a configuration, since the medal passage (second passage F2) has a shape where the second virtual straight line VL2 cannot be drawn, it is difficult to insert an instrument (rod-shaped member) or the like from the second opening 4002 and access the third opening 4003 (medal selector 200). Thereby, the anti-tampering performance can be improved.

[0210] In the present embodiment, the first passage F1 has a higher frequency of medal passage than the second passage F2. Considering that the medal passes through the first passage F1 frequently while strengthening anti-tampering measures, the first virtual straight line VL1 can be drawn in a shape that realizes smooth passage of the medal. On the other hand, it can be said that the second passage F2 has a shape where the second virtual straight line VL2 cannot be drawn, with stronger anti-tampering measures due to the lower frequency of medal passage.

[0211] As shown in FIG. 31, the front end (near side) of the first virtual straight line VL1 is taken as one end VL1a (one end). The first virtual straight line VL1 can be drawn such that one end VL1a does not contact the front edge (front wall portion MP2a) of the medal tray MP but contacts the bottom MP1 of the medal tray MP. In other words, the first virtual straight line VL1 is a line such that one end VL1a can contact the bottom MP1 without contacting the front wall portion MP2a of the medal tray MP.

[0212] According to such a configuration, since one end VL1a contacts the bottom MP1 instead of the front wall portion MP2a, the medal that has passed through the medal passage contacts the bottom MP1 instead of the front wall portion MP2a. Thereby, it is possible to more surely prevent the medal from climbing over the front wall portion MP2a and spilling out of the medal tray MP.

[0213] Also, when one end VL1a contacts the bottom MP1 rather than the front wall portion MP2a (when one end VL1a is located deeper), it is more difficult to insert an instrument (rod-shaped member) or the like into the first passage from the near side because the bottom MP1 becomes an obstacle. Thereby, the anti-tampering performance can be improved.

[0214] As shown in FIG. 32, the rear (inner) end of the first virtual straight line VL1 is defined as the other end VL1b (the other end portion). The first virtual straight line VL1 can be drawn such that the other end VL1b does not contact the medal payout outlet 321 of the hopper unit 320 and contacts the peripheral wall portion 322 (FIG. 24). In other words, the first virtual straight line VL1 is a line such that the other end VL1b can contact the peripheral wall portion 322 without contacting the medal payout outlet 321 of the hopper unit 320.

[0215] According to such a configuration, since the other end VL1b contacts the peripheral wall portion 322 instead of the medal payout outlet 321, even if an instrument (a rod-shaped member) or the like is inserted into the first passage F1, it is possible to make it difficult for the tip thereof to contact the medal payout outlet 321 (to access the medal payout outlet 321) (to be inserted into the medal payout outlet 321). Thereby, the anti-fraud performance can be further improved.

[0216] (member G) Here, a rod-shaped member having a predetermined diameter (for example, about 5 mm) and a predetermined length is defined as the member G. The predetermined length is, for example, longer than the straight-line distance from the third opening 4003 to the second opening 4002.

[0217] When the member G is inserted into the first opening 4001 from the back side with the front door FD open, the member G can be inserted through the first passage F1 without contacting the inner surface of the first passage F1, and the tip of the member G that has come out of the second opening 4002 contacts the bottom MP1 of the medal tray MP.

[0218] Also, when the front door FD is closed and the medal tray MP is not present, if a member G is inserted into the second opening 4002, the member G can be inserted through the first passage F1 without contacting the inner surface of the first passage F1, and the tip of the member G that has come out of the first opening 4001 contacts the peripheral wall portion 322 of the hopper unit 320. In practice, since the presence of the medal tray MP hinders it, it is difficult to insert the member G into the first passage F1 from the front side.

[0219] Also, when the front door FD is open and a member G is inserted into the third opening 4003 on the back side, the tip of the member G cannot be made to come out of the second opening 4002. In other words, the member G cannot be inserted through the second passage F2.

[0220] Also, when the front door FD is closed and the medal tray MP is not present, if a member G is inserted into the second opening 4002, the tip of the member G cannot be made to come out of the third opening 4003. In other words, the member G cannot be inserted through the second passage F2.

[0221] Also, when the front door FD is open and a member G is inserted into the third opening 4003 on the back side, the tip of the member G cannot be made to come out of the first opening 4001. In other words, the member G cannot be inserted through the third passage F3.

[0222] According to the present embodiment described above, since the first passage F1 has a shape that can change the direction in which the game value (medal) advances, it is difficult for a player to insert an instrument or the like. As a result, the anti-cheating performance can be improved. In other words, the risk of component damage due to the insertion of an instrument or the like can be reduced.

[0223] In addition, the first passage F1 can be drawn without contacting the inner surface of the first virtual straight line VL1. Thereby, smooth passage of game values (medals) can be realized. Further, the first passage F1 has a simpler shape compared to the case where it has a more complex shape that cannot draw the first virtual straight line VL1. Thereby, it is possible to prevent interference with the installation of other members.

[0224] Further, the first virtual straight line VL1 is a line that can be drawn such that one end VL1a contacts the bottom MP1 and the other end VL1b contacts the peripheral wall portion 322. According to such a configuration, the game value (medal) that has passed through the guide passage (cancel chute 40) contacts the bottom MP1 instead of the front wall portion MP2a. Thereby, it is possible to more reliably prevent the game value (medal) from climbing over the front wall portion MP2a and spilling outside the medal tray MP. Further, since the bottom MP1 becomes an obstacle, it becomes more difficult to insert an instrument or the like into the first passage F1 from the front side. Thereby, the anti-cheating performance can be further improved.

[0225] Further, even if an instrument or the like is inserted into the first passage F1, its tip contacts the peripheral wall portion instead of the ejection port portion. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the tip to contact the medal payout port 321 (to access the ejection port portion) (to insert the tip into the ejection port portion). Thereby, the anti-cheating performance can be further improved.

[0226] Further, the second virtual straight line VL2 is a line that cannot be drawn without contacting the inner surface of the second passage F2. In other words, the second passage F2 cannot be drawn without contacting the inner surface of the second virtual straight line VL2. For this reason, it is difficult to insert an instrument or the like from the second opening 4002 which is the opening on the tray side and access the third opening 4003 which is the opening on the selector side. Thereby, the anti-cheating performance can be improved.

[0227] Further, the third virtual straight line VL3 is a line that cannot be drawn without contacting the inner surface of the third passage F3. In other words, the third passage F3 is such that it is impossible to draw the third virtual straight line VL3 without contacting the inner surface of the third passage F3. For this reason, for example, it is difficult to insert an instrument or the like through the third opening 4003 which is the selector side opening and access the first opening 4001 (medal payout port 321) which is the hopper side opening. Thereby, the anti-fraud performance can be improved.

[0228] Also, since the third passage F3 has a shape that cannot draw the third virtual straight line VL3 (because it is not linear), it is possible to prevent irregular movement of game values (medals) that have entered the guide passage (cancel chute 40) from the third opening 4003 which is the selector side opening and flowing down toward the first opening 4001 which is the hopper side opening.

[0229] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and within the scope not departing from the gist thereof, free combination of each component, deformation of any component, omission of any component, etc. are possible. In other words, the configuration of the gaming machine and the like is not limited to that of the above-described embodiments. Further, the present invention is not limited to slot machines, and can also be applied to other gaming machines such as management slot machines (medal-less gaming machines) having a structure in which a player plays a game without using game medals.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0230] 1... Gaming machine (slot machine) / 82... Front panel / 82S... Grooved portion (grooved processing portion) / 83... Sheet (decorative sheet) / 85... Image / 320... Hopper (hopper unit) / 321... Ejection port portion (medal payout port) / 322... Peripheral wall portion / 4001... Hopper side opening (first opening) / 4002... Tray side opening (second opening) / BX... Housing / F1... First passage / FD... Front door / MP... Tray (medal tray) / MP1... Bottom / MP2a... Front wall portion / UP... Panel portion (lower panel portion) / VL1... First virtual straight line

Claims

1. A housing and A front door attached to the housing so as to be openable and closable; A reel; The state of the front door includes a first state, a second state, and a third state, The first state is a state in which the front door is closed, the second state is a state in which the front door is open, a supported portion of the front door is not in contact with a support portion of the housing, and a vertical dimension between a rear edge of a lower surface of the front door and a placement surface of the housing is a second dimension; the third state is a state in which the front door is open, a supported portion of the front door is in contact with a support portion of the housing, and a vertical dimension between a rear edge of a lower surface of the front door and a placement surface of the housing is a third dimension; the second dimension is smaller than the third dimension; The second and third dimensions are greater than a thickness of the medal; The second dimension and the third dimension are smaller than a diameter of a gaming ball, The reel has a reel tape on which a plurality of patterns including a specific pattern are arranged, and a light source that illuminates the reel tape from the inside, the reel tape has a red portion printed with a red-based paint, a yellow portion printed with a yellow-based paint, and a white portion printed with a white-based paint, The specific pattern has an orange area where the red area and the yellow area overlap to make the orange color visible, a yellow area where the yellow area is visible, and a white area where the white area is visible, the yellow region is in contact with the orange region, the yellow region is in contact with the white region, The yellow region is sandwiched between the orange region and the white region.

2. A housing, A front door attached to the housing so as to be openable and closable; A reel; The state of the front door includes a first state, a second state, and a third state, The first state is a state in which the front door is closed, the second state is a state in which the front door is open, a supported portion of the front door is not in contact with a support portion of the housing, and a vertical dimension between a rear edge of a lower surface of the front door and a placement surface of the housing is a second dimension; the third state is a state in which the front door is open, a supported portion of the front door is in contact with a support portion of the housing, and a vertical dimension between a rear edge of a lower surface of the front door and a placement surface of the housing is a third dimension; the second dimension is smaller than the third dimension; The second and third dimensions are greater than a thickness of the medal; The second dimension and the third dimension are smaller than a diameter of a gaming ball, The reel has a reel tape on which a plurality of patterns including a specific pattern are arranged, and a light source that illuminates the reel tape from the inside, the reel tape has a blue portion printed with a blue-based paint, a yellow portion printed with a yellow-based paint, and a white portion printed with a white-based paint, The specific pattern has a green area where the blue area and the yellow area overlap to make the green color visible, a yellow area where the yellow area is visible, and a white area where the white area is visible, the yellow region is in contact with the green region, the yellow region is in contact with the white region, The yellow region is sandwiched between the green region and the white region.

3. A housing, A front door attached to the housing so as to be openable and closable; A reel; The state of the front door includes a first state, a second state, and a third state, The first state is a state in which the front door is closed, the second state is a state in which the front door is open, a supported portion of the front door is not in contact with a support portion of the housing, and a vertical dimension between a rear edge of a lower surface of the front door and a placement surface of the housing is a second dimension; the third state is a state in which the front door is open, a supported portion of the front door is in contact with a support portion of the housing, and a vertical dimension between a rear edge of a lower surface of the front door and a placement surface of the housing is a third dimension; the second dimension is smaller than the third dimension; The second and third dimensions are greater than a thickness of the medal; The second dimension and the third dimension are smaller than a diameter of a gaming ball, The reel has a reel tape on which a plurality of patterns including a specific pattern are arranged, and a light source that illuminates the reel tape from the inside, the reel tape has a black portion printed with a black-based paint, a red portion printed with a red-based paint, and a white portion printed with a white-based paint, The specific pattern has a black-red area where the black part and the red part overlap to make the black-red color visible, a red area where the red part is visible, and a white area where the white part is visible, the red region is in contact with the black-red region, the red region is in contact with the white region, The red area is sandwiched between the black-red area and the white area.

Images