Game machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine that can be improved in terms of fairness in a game.SOLUTION: When the ratio at which a nail KG2 guides game balls between a side wall section 453a and an extended plate section 455a can be changed, since a left component member 450 can maintain the ratio at which the game balls enter a first ball guide section 457 and the ratio at which the game balls enter a second ball guide section 459, it is possible to avoid the game balls from easily and difficultly entering the first ball guide section 457 and the second ball guide section 459, so that improvement can be made in terms of fairness in a game. Since the left component member 450 is made of a resin material, if a part of the resin member is damaged, it can be easily restored to its original state by replacing the resin member itself.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 31

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In gaming machines such as pachinko machines, there is a gaming machine that distributes game balls to a winning hole by pins driven into a game board (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the above-described conventional gaming machine has a problem that there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of the fairness of the game. The present invention has been made to solve the above-exemplified problems, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine that can be improved from the viewpoint of the fairness of the game.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to achieve this object, the gaming machine according to claim 1 includes a passage area through which a game ball can pass, a guiding means configured to be able to guide the game ball in the passage area, and a flowing-down area for allowing the game ball that has passed through the passage area to flow down. The guiding means is configured to be able to change the ratio of guiding the game ball to the passage area, the flowing-down area includes a first ball entry port and a second ball entry port configured to be able to receive the game ball, and the ratio of the game ball entering the first ball entry port and the ratio of the game ball entering the second ball entry port are configured to be maintained.

[0006] The gaming machine according to claim 2 is the gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the flowing-down area is formed of a resin material.

[0007] The gaming machine according to claim 3 is the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first ball entry port is disposed upstream of the second ball entry port, and when a game ball enters the second ball entry port, the profit obtained by the player is greater than the profit obtained by the player when the game ball enters the first ball entry port.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the gaming machine of claim 1, it can be improved from the viewpoint of the fairness of the game.

[0009] According to the gaming machine of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the gaming machine of claim 1, when a part of the resin member forming the flow-down region is damaged, it can be easily restored to its original state by replacing the resin member itself.

[0010] According to the gaming machine of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the gaming machine of claim 1 or 2, it is possible to draw attention to whether the game ball flows down to the second ball entry port side.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 16, as a first embodiment, an embodiment in the case where the present invention is applied to a pachinko game machine (hereinafter simply referred to as "pachinko machine") 10 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10 in the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

[0013] In the following description, with respect to the pachinko machine 10 in the state shown in FIG. 1, the front side of the paper is defined as the front (front) side, the back side of the paper is defined as the rear (back) side, the upper side is defined as the upper (up) side, the lower side is defined as the lower (down) side, the right side is defined as the right (right) side, and the left side is defined as the left (left) side for explanation. Further, the arrows U-D, L-R, F-B in the figure (for example, see FIG. 2) indicate the vertical direction, horizontal direction, and front-rear direction of the pachinko machine 10, respectively.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 10 includes an outer frame 11 whose outer shell is formed by a wooden frame assembled in a substantially rectangular shape, and an inner frame 12 formed in substantially the same outer shape as the outer frame 11 and supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame 11. On the outer frame 11, metal hinges 18 are attached at two upper and lower positions on the left side in the front view (see FIG. 1) to support the inner frame 12, and the inner frame 12 is supported so as to be openable and closable to the front near side with the side provided with the hinge 18 as the axis of opening and closing.

[0015] On the inner frame 12, a game board 13 (see FIG. 2) having a large number of nails, winning holes 63, 64, etc. is detachably attached from the back side. A pinball game is played by balls (game balls) flowing down the front of the game board 13. In addition, on the inner frame 12, a ball launch unit 112a (see FIG. 4) for launching balls into the front area of the game board 13, a launch rail (not shown) for guiding the balls launched from the ball launch unit 112a to the front area of the game board 13, etc. are attached.

[0016] On the front side of the inner frame 12, a front frame 14 covering the upper part of the front and a lower tray unit 15 covering the lower part thereof are provided. Metal hinges 19 are attached at two upper and lower positions on the left side in the front view (see FIG. 1) to support the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15, and the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15 are supported so as to be openable and closable to the front near side with the side provided with the hinge 19 as the axis of opening and closing. In addition, the locking of the inner frame 12 and the locking of the front frame 14 are each released by inserting a dedicated key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a predetermined operation.

[0017] The front frame 14 is assembled with decorative resin parts, electrical parts, etc., and a window portion 14c formed in a substantially elliptical shape is provided at a substantially central portion thereof. A glass unit 16 having two plate glasses is disposed on the back side of the front frame 14, and the front of the game board 13 is visible on the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

[0018] On the front frame 14, an upper plate 17 for storing balls is formed in a substantially box shape that projects forward and has an open upper surface. Prize balls, lent balls, etc. are discharged onto this upper plate 17. The bottom surface of the upper plate 17 is formed with a downward slope on the right side in a front view (see Fig. 1), and due to this slope, the balls put into the upper plate 17 are guided to the ball launching unit 112a (see Fig. 4). Also, a frame button 22 is provided on the upper surface of the upper plate 17. This frame button 22 is operated by the player, for example, when changing the stage of the effect displayed on the third symbol display device 81 (see Fig. 2) or when changing the content of the super reach effect.

[0019] On the front frame 14, light emitting means such as various lamps are provided around its periphery (for example, corner portions). These light emitting means have their light emission modes changed and controlled by lighting or flashing in response to changes in the gaming state during a big win or a predetermined reach, etc., and play a role in enhancing the effect of the performance during the game. Around the periphery of the window portion 14c, ornamental parts 29 to 33 incorporating light emitting means such as LEDs are provided. In the pachinko machine 10, these ornamental parts 29 to 33 function as effect lamps such as big win lamps, and during a big win or a reach performance, etc., each ornamental part 29 to 33 lights up or flashes by the lighting or flashing of the built-in LEDs, notifying that it is during a big win or during a reach just before a big win. Also, on the upper left portion in a front view (see Fig. 1) of the front frame 14, a display lamp 34 incorporating light emitting means such as LEDs is provided, which can display during the payout of prize balls and when an error occurs.

[0020] Also, on the lower side of the right ornamental part 32, a small window 35 is formed by attaching a transparent resin from the back side so that the back side of the front frame 14 can be seen, and certificates, etc. pasted in the pasting space K1 on the front of the game board 13 (see Fig. 2) are made visible from the front of the pachinko machine 10. Also, in the pachinko machine 10, in order to create a more magnificent atmosphere, a plated member 36 made of ABS resin with chrome plating is attached to the area around the ornamental parts 29 to 33.

[0021] Below the window portion 14c, a ball lending operation unit 40 is disposed. The ball lending operation unit 40 is provided with a frequency display unit 41, a ball lending button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball lending operation unit 40 is operated with a bill, a card, or the like inserted into a card unit (ball lending unit) (not shown) disposed on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are lent according to the operation. Specifically, the frequency display unit 41 is an area where balance information of a card or the like is displayed, and the built-in LED lights up to display the balance as a number as the balance information. The ball lending button 42 is operated to obtain lent balls based on information recorded on a card or the like (recording medium), and lent balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a balance on the card or the like. The return button 43 is operated when requesting the return of a card or the like inserted into the card unit. In a pachinko machine, so-called a cash machine, in which balls are directly lent from a ball lending device or the like to the upper tray 17 without passing through the card unit, the ball lending operation unit 40 is not required. In this case, a decorative sticker or the like may be added to the installation portion of the ball lending operation unit 40 so that the component configuration is common. The pachinko machine using the card unit and the cash machine can be made common.

[0022] In the lower tray unit 15 located below the upper tray 17, a lower tray 50 for storing balls that could not be completely stored in the upper tray 17 is formed in a substantially box shape with an open upper surface on the left side thereof. On the right side of the lower tray 50, an operation handle 51 operated by a player to drive the balls into the front of the game board 13 is disposed.

[0023] Inside the operation handle 51, there are a touch sensor 51a for permitting the driving of the ball launching unit 112a, a firing stop switch 51b for stopping the firing of the ball during the period of the pressing operation, a variable resistor (not shown) for detecting the amount of rotational operation (rotational position) of the operation handle 51 by the change in electric resistance, etc. When the operation handle 51 is rotationally operated clockwise by the player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes corresponding to the amount of rotational operation, and the ball is launched with the intensity (launch intensity) corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, and thus the ball is driven into the front of the game board 13 with the jumping amount corresponding to the operation of the player. Also, when the operation handle 51 is not being operated by the player, the touch sensor 51a and the firing stop switch 51b are turned off.

[0024] At the lower front part of the lower tray 50, there is provided a ball removal lever 52 for operating when discharging the balls stored in the lower tray 50 downward. This ball removal lever 52 is constantly biased in the right direction, and by sliding it leftward against the biasing force, the bottom opening formed on the bottom surface of the lower tray 50 opens, and the balls naturally fall and are discharged from the bottom opening. The operation of this ball removal lever 52 is usually performed with a box (generally called a "senryo box") placed below the lower tray 50 to receive the balls discharged from the lower tray 50. To the right of the lower tray 50, the operation handle 51 is disposed as described above, and an ashtray (not shown) is attached to the left of the lower tray 50.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 13 is configured by assembling a base plate 60 machined into a substantially square shape in front view, a number of nails for guiding the balls (shown below the center frame 86 and not shown in the upper half of the game area), a windmill (not shown), rails 61, 62, a general winning opening 63, a first winning opening 64, a second winning opening 140, a variable winning device 65, a through gate 67, a variable display device unit 80, etc., and the peripheral part thereof is attached to the back side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 1).

[0026] The base plate 60 is formed of a light-transmissive resin material, enabling players to visually recognize various structures disposed from the front side to the back side of the base plate 60. The general winning opening 63, the first winning opening 64, the second winning opening 140, and the variable winning device 65 are disposed in through-holes formed in the base plate 60 by routing and fixed from the front side of the game board 13 with tapping screws or the like.

[0027] Note that the base plate 60 may be formed of a wooden plate member. In this case, outside the center frame 86, it is possible to shield various structures disposed from the front side to the back side of the base plate 60 from being visually recognized by players.

[0028] The front central portion of the game board 13 can be visually recognized from the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window portion 14c (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14. Hereinafter, the configuration of the game board 13 will be mainly described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0029] On the front surface of the game board 13, an outer rail 62 formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate into a substantially arc shape is erected, and at an inner position of the outer rail 62, an arc-shaped inner rail 61 formed of a strip-shaped metal plate similar to the outer rail 62 is erected. The inner rail 61 and the outer rail 62 surround the front outer periphery of the game board 13, and the front and back are surrounded by the game board 13 and the glass unit 16 (see FIG. 1), so that a game area where the game is played by the behavior of the balls is formed on the front surface of the game board 13. The game area is an area (an area where winning openings and the like are disposed and the launched balls flow down) partitioned and formed by the two rails 61, 62 on the front surface of the game board 13 and a resin outer edge member 73 connecting between the rails.

[0030] The two rails 61 and 62 are provided to guide the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 4) to the upper part of the game board 13. A return ball prevention member 68 is attached to the tip portion of the inner rail 61 (the upper left part of FIG. 2), preventing a situation where a ball once guided to the upper part of the game board 13 returns into the ball guide passage again. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip portion of the outer rail 62 (the upper right part of FIG. 2) at a position corresponding to the maximum flight portion of the ball. A ball launched with a momentum greater than a predetermined value hits the return rubber 69 and bounces back toward the central part while its momentum is attenuated.

[0031] A first symbol display device 37A and 37B including a plurality of LEDs which are light emitting means and a 7-segment display are disposed at the lower left part of the front view of the game area (the lower left part of FIG. 2). The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B are configured to perform displays according to each control performed by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), mainly displaying the game state of the pachinko machine 10. In the present embodiment, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B are configured to be selectively used according to whether the ball wins the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 140. Specifically, when the ball wins the first winning opening 64, the first symbol display device 37A operates, while when the ball wins the second winning opening 140, the first symbol display device 37B operates.

[0032] Further, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B use the LEDs to indicate whether the pachinko machine 10 is in a probability variation state, a time limit state, or a normal state by the lighting state, indicate whether it is in a variation state or not by the lighting state, indicate whether the stop symbol corresponds to a probability variation big win symbol, an ordinary big win symbol, or a losing symbol by the lighting state, indicate the number of hold balls by the lighting state, and perform the display of the number of rounds during a big win and error display by the 7-segment display device. Note that the plurality of LEDs are configured such that the emission colors of the respective LEDs (for example, red, green, blue) are different, and various game states of the pachinko machine 10 can be suggested with a small number of LEDs by the combination of the emission colors.

[0033] In the pachinko machine 10, a lottery is conducted when a winning occurs at the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140. In this lottery, the pachinko machine 10 determines whether it is a jackpot (jackpot lottery), and if it is determined to be a jackpot, it also determines the type of jackpot. The types of jackpots determined here are 15R sure-change jackpot, 4R sure-change jackpot, and 4R normal jackpot. The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B show not only whether the result of the lottery is a jackpot as the stopped symbol after the variation ends, but also show a symbol corresponding to the type of jackpot if it is a jackpot.

[0034] Here, the "15R sure-change jackpot" is a sure-change jackpot that transitions to a high-probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15 rounds, and the "4R sure-change jackpot" is a sure-change jackpot that transitions to a high-probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 4 rounds. Also, the "4R normal jackpot" is a jackpot that transitions to a low-probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 4 rounds, and is in a time-saving state for a predetermined number of variations (for example, 100 variation times).

[0035] Also, the "high-probability state" refers to a state where the jackpot probability increases as an added value after the jackpot ends, that is, during so-called probability variation (during sure-change). In other words, it is a game state where it is easy to transition to a special game state. The high-probability state (during sure-change) in this embodiment includes a game state where the jackpot probability increases for a predetermined number of variations (in this embodiment, 100 variation times), and the hit probability of the second symbol described later increases, making it easy for the ball to win at the second winning opening 140. The "low-probability state" refers to a time when it is not during sure-change, and is a state where the jackpot probability is normal, that is, a state where the jackpot probability is lower than during sure-change. Also, the time-saving state (during time-saving) among the "low-probability states" refers to a game state where the jackpot probability is normal and only the hit probability of the second symbol increases with the jackpot probability remaining the same, making it easy for the ball to win at the second winning opening 140. On the other hand, when the pachinko machine 10 is in the normal state, it is a game state that is neither during sure-change nor during time-saving (a state where neither the jackpot probability nor the hit probability of the second symbol increases).

[0036] In this embodiment, when it is determined that the game ball has passed through the through-hole of the probability variation detection sensor SE11 of the payout device 300 described later at the first round of the jackpot game, the game state after the end of the jackpot game becomes a high-probability state during 100 variation times. If it is not determined that the game ball has passed through the through-hole of the probability variation detection sensor SE11, the game state after the end of the jackpot game becomes a time-shortened state during 100 variation times.

[0037] During probability variation or time shortening, not only does the winning probability of the second symbol increase, but also the time during which the electric accessory 140a (electric accessory) associated with the second winning port 140 is opened is changed, and a longer time is set compared to normal. When the electric accessory 140a is in the opened state (opened state), the ball is more likely to win the second winning port 140 compared to when the electric accessory 140a is in the closed state (closed state). Therefore, during probability variation or time shortening, the ball is more likely to win the second winning port 140, and the number of times the jackpot lottery is conducted can be increased.

[0038] Note that during probability variation or time shortening, instead of changing the opening time of the electric accessory 140a associated with the second winning port 140, or in addition to changing the opening time, a change may be made to increase the number of times the electric accessory 140a is opened per win compared to normal. Also, during probability variation or time shortening, the winning probability of the second symbol may not be changed, and at least one of the time during which the electric accessory 140a associated with the second winning port 140 is opened and the number of times the electric accessory 140a is opened per win may be changed. Further, during probability variation or time shortening, without changing the time during which the electric accessory 140a associated with the second winning port 140 is opened or the number of times the electric accessory 140a is opened per win, only the winning probability of the second symbol may be changed to increase compared to normal.

[0039] In the gaming area, a plurality of general winning openings 63 are provided, and when a ball wins, 5 to 15 balls are paid out as prize balls. Also, a variable display device unit 80 is provided in the central part of the gaming area. In the variable display device unit 80, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply abbreviated as "display device") that performs variable display of a third symbol while synchronizing with the variable display in the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, triggered by winning (starting winning) in the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140, and a second symbol display device (not shown) composed of LEDs that perform variable display of the second symbol triggered by the passage of a ball through the through gate 67 are provided. Also, a center frame 86 is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the third symbol display device 81 of the variable display device unit 80 in a front view.

[0040] In this embodiment, the third symbol display device 81 is fastened and fixed to a back case fixed to the back surface of the game board 13, and the center frame 86 is disposed so as to border the window portion (central opening 60b) of the base plate 60. That is, in a front view, it appears that the center frame 86 is disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the third symbol display device 81, but actually, the third symbol display device 81 and the center frame 86 are arranged apart from each other front and back.

[0041] The third symbol display device 81 is composed of, for example, a large liquid crystal display with a 9-inch size, and by controlling the display content by a display control device 114 (see FIG. 4), for example, three symbol rows of upper, middle, and lower are displayed. Each symbol row is composed of a plurality of symbols (third symbols), and these third symbols scroll horizontally for each symbol row so that the third symbols are variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. The third symbol display device 81 of this embodiment performs a decorative display corresponding to the display of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, while the display of the game state accompanying the control of the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4) is performed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B. Note that instead of the display device, the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using, for example, a reel or the like.

[0042] The second symbol display device performs a variable display that alternately lights up the symbol "○" and the symbol "×" as display symbols (second symbols (not shown)) for a predetermined time every time the ball passes through the through gate 67. In the pachinko machine 10, when it is detected that the ball has passed through the through gate 67, a winning lottery is conducted. As a result of the winning lottery, if it is a win, in the second symbol display device, the symbol "○" is stopped and displayed after the variable display of the second symbol. Also, as a result of the winning lottery, if it is a loss, in the second symbol display device, the symbol "×" is stopped and displayed after the variable display of the third symbol.

[0043] The pachinko machine 10 is configured such that when the variable display in the second symbol display device stops at a predetermined symbol (in this embodiment, the symbol "○"), the electric accessory 140a associated with the second winning opening 140 is in an operating state (opened) for a predetermined time.

[0044] The time taken for the variable display of the second symbol is set to be shorter during probability boost or time limit mode than during normal game state. As a result, during probability boost and time limit mode, since the variable display of the second symbol is performed in a shorter time, more winning lotteries can be conducted than during normal mode. Therefore, since the chance of winning in the winning lottery increases, more opportunities for the electric accessory 140a of the second winning opening 140 to be in an open state can be given to the player. Thus, during probability boost and time limit mode, it can be made easier for the ball to win at the second winning opening 140.

[0045] Note that during probability boost or time limit mode, if the state is made such that it is easier for the ball to win at the second winning opening 140 by other methods such as increasing the winning probability, increasing the opening time or the number of opening times of the electric accessory 140a for each win, the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol may be made constant regardless of the game state. On the other hand, when setting the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol to be shorter during probability boost or time limit mode than during normal mode, the winning probability may be made constant regardless of the game state, or the opening time or the number of opening times of the electric accessory 140a for each win may be made constant regardless of the game state.

[0046] The through gate 67 is assembled to the game board 13 in the left and right regions of the variable display device unit 80 and is configured such that a part of the balls launched onto the game board 13 can pass through. When a ball passes through the through gate 67, a winning lottery for the second symbol is conducted. After the winning lottery, variable display is performed on the second symbol display device. If the result of the winning lottery is a win, the symbol "○" is displayed as the stopped symbol of the variable display, and if the result of the winning lottery is a loss, the symbol "×" is displayed as the stopped symbol of the variable display.

[0047] The total number of times a ball can pass through the through gate 67 is reserved up to a maximum of 4 times. The reserved number of balls is displayed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B described above and is also lit and displayed on a second symbol reserve lamp (not shown). Four second symbol reserve lamps are provided corresponding to the maximum number of reserved balls, and they are arranged symmetrically to the left and right below the third symbol display device 81.

[0048] Note that the variable display of the second symbol is performed by switching the lighting and non-lighting of a plurality of lamps in the second symbol display device as in this embodiment, but it may also be performed using a part of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B and the third symbol display device 81. Similarly, the lighting of the second symbol reserve lamp may be performed using a part of the third symbol display device 81. Also, the maximum number of reserved balls for the passage of a ball through the through gate 67 is not limited to 4 times, and it may be set to 3 times or less, or 5 times or more (for example, 8 times). Also, the number of through gates 67 assembled is not limited to 2, and it may be 1, for example. Also, the assembly position of the through gate 67 is not limited to the left and right of the variable display device unit 80, and it may be below the variable display device unit 80, for example. Also, since the number of reserved balls is indicated by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, it may not be lit and displayed by the second symbol reserve lamp.

[0049] Below the variable display device unit 80, a first winning port 64 into which a ball can win is provided. When a ball wins in this first winning port 64, a first winning port switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and a jackpot lottery is conducted by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4) due to the turning on of the first winning port switch, and a display corresponding to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37A.

[0050] On the other hand, below the first winning port 64 in a front view, a second winning port 140 into which a ball can win is provided. When a ball wins in this second winning port 140, a second winning port switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and a jackpot lottery is conducted by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4) due to the turning on of the second winning port switch, and a display corresponding to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37B.

[0051] In addition, the first winning port 64 and the second winning port 140 are each also one of the winning ports where 5 balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball wins. In this embodiment, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins in the first winning port 64 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins in the second winning port 140 are configured to be the same, but the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins in the first winning port 64 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins in the second winning port 140 may be different numbers. For example, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins in the first winning port 64 may be set to 3, and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins in the second winning port 140 may be set to 5.

[0052] An electric accessory 140a is attached to the second winning port 140. This electric accessory 140a is configured to be openable and closable, and normally the electric accessory 140a is in a closed state (contracted state), making it difficult for a ball to win in the second winning port 140. On the other hand, when the symbol "○" is displayed on the second symbol display device as a result of the variable display of the second symbol triggered by the passage of a ball through the through gate 67, the electric accessory 140a is in an open state (expanded state), making it easy for a ball to win in the second winning port 140.

[0053] As described above, during the probability-variable state and the time-limited state, the winning probability of the second symbol is higher than that during the normal state, and the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol is also shorter. Therefore, in the variable display of the second symbol, the symbol "○" is more likely to be displayed, and the number of times the electric accessory 140a enters the open state (expanded state) increases. Furthermore, during the probability-variable state and the time-limited state, the time during which the electric accessory 140a is open is also longer than that during the normal state. Thus, during the probability-variable state and the time-limited state, it is possible to create a state in which it is easier for balls to win in the second winning opening 140 compared to the normal time.

[0054] Here, whether a ball wins in the first winning opening 64 or in the second winning opening 140, the probability of a big win is the same whether it is in the low-probability state or the high-probability state. However, as the type of big win selected when a big win occurs, the probability of a 15R probability-variable big win is set higher when a ball wins in the second winning opening 140 than when a ball wins in the first winning opening 64. On the other hand, the first winning opening 64 does not have an electric accessory like the one in the second winning opening 140, and balls can always win.

[0055] Therefore, during normal times, since the electric accessory associated with the second winning opening 140 is often in the closed state and it is difficult for balls to win in the second winning opening 140, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for a big win by shooting the ball so that it passes through the left side of the variable display device unit 80 towards the first winning opening 64 without an electric accessory (so-called "left shooting") and obtaining more opportunities for the big win lottery by winning in the first winning opening 64.

[0056] On the other hand, during the probability-variable state or the time-limited state, by passing the ball through the through gate 67, the electric accessory 140a associated with the second winning opening 140 is likely to enter the open state, and it is in a state where it is easy for balls to win in the second winning opening 140. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for a 15R probability-variable big win by shooting the ball so that it passes through the right side of the variable display 80 towards the second winning opening 140 (so-called "right shooting"), passing the ball through the through gate 67 to open the electric accessory, and winning in the second winning opening 140.

[0057] Note that, in the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, since the configuration of the game board 13 is symmetric, it is possible to aim at the first winning opening 64 with a "right shot" or aim at the second winning opening 140 with a "left shot". Therefore, in the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to make the player change the way of shooting the ball between "left shot" and "right shot" according to the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in the probability variation state, the time shortening state, or the normal state). Thus, the annoyance of changing the way of shooting the ball can be eliminated.

[0058] Below the first winning opening 64, a variable winning device 65 (see FIG. 2) is disposed, and a specific winning opening 65a is provided in a substantially central portion thereof. In the pachinko machine 10, when the jackpot lottery conducted due to winning the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 140 results in a jackpot, after a predetermined time (fluctuation time) has elapsed, the first symbol display device 37A or the first symbol display device 37B is lit so as to become the jackpot stop symbol, and the stop symbol corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the third symbol display device 81 to indicate the occurrence of the jackpot. Thereafter, the game state transitions to a special game state (jackpot) where the ball is likely to win. As this special game state, the specific winning opening 65a, which is normally closed, is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds elapse or until 10 balls win).

[0059] This specific winning opening 65a is closed when a predetermined time has elapsed, and after the closure, the specific winning opening 65a is opened again for a predetermined time. The opening and closing operation of this specific winning opening 65a can be repeated up to, for example, 15 times (15 rounds) at most. The state in which this opening and closing operation is being performed is a form of a special game state advantageous to the player, and a larger number of prize balls are paid out to the player as an imparting of game value (game value) than in the normal state.

[0060] Note that the special game state is not limited to the above-described form. A large opening that is opened and closed separately from the specific winning opening 65a is provided in the game area. When the LEDs corresponding to a big win light up on the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, the specific winning opening 65a is opened for a predetermined time. During the opening of the specific winning opening 65a, when a ball wins into the specific winning opening 65a, a game state in which a large opening provided separately from the specific winning opening 65a is opened for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times may be formed as a special game state. Further, the specific winning opening 65a is not limited to one, and one or a plurality (for example, three) of them may be arranged, and the arrangement position is not limited to the lower right side or the lower left side of the first winning opening 64. For example, it may be on the left side of the variable display device unit 80.

[0061] At the lower right corner on the lower side of the game board 13, an attachment space K1 for attaching certificates, identification labels, etc. is provided, and the certificates etc. attached to the attachment space K1 can be visually recognized through the small window 35 (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14.

[0062] The game board 13 is provided with an out port 71. The balls flowing down in the game area that have not won into any of the winning openings 63, 64, 65a, and 140 are guided through the out port 71 to a ball discharge path (not shown).

[0063] A large number of nails are implanted in the game board 13 to appropriately disperse and adjust the falling direction of the balls, and various members (effect devices) such as windmills are arranged (not shown in FIG. 2).

[0064] As shown in FIG. 3, on the back side of the pachinko machine 10, there are mainly provided a control board unit 90, 91 and a back pack unit 94. The control board unit 90 is unitized with a main board (main control device 110), an audio lamp control board (audio lamp control device 113), and a display control board (display control device 114) mounted thereon. The control board unit 91 is unitized with a payout control board (payout control device 111), a launch control board (launch control device 112), a power supply board (power supply device 115), and a card unit connection board 116 mounted thereon.

[0065] The back pack unit 94 is a unit in which the back pack 92 forming the protection cover part and the payout unit 93 are unitized. Further, on each control board, an MPU as a one-chip microcomputer in charge of each control, a port for communicating with various devices, a random number generator used in various lotteries, a clock pulse generation circuit used when performing time counting or synchronization, etc. are mounted as necessary.

[0066] Note that the main control device 110, the voice lamp control device 113, the display control device 114, the payout control device 111, the emission control device 112, the power supply device 115, and the card unit connection board 116 are respectively housed in the board boxes 100 to 104. The board boxes 100 to 104 include a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and the box base and the box cover are connected to each other to house each control device and each board.

[0067] Further, the board box 100 (main control device 110) and the board box 102 (payout control device 111 and emission control device 112) are connected in a non-openable manner (connected by a caulking structure) by a sealing unit (not shown) between the box base and the box cover. Further, a sealing tape (not shown) is attached across the connection part between the box base and the box cover. This sealing tape is made of a brittle material, and if an attempt is made to peel off the sealing tape in order to open the board boxes 100 and 102, or if an attempt is made to forcibly open the board boxes 100 and 102, it will be cut between the box base side and the box cover side. Therefore, by checking the sealing unit or the sealing tape, it is possible to know whether the board boxes 100 and 102 have been opened.

[0068] The payout unit 93 includes a tank 130 located at the top of the back pack unit 94 and opening upward, a tank rail 131 connected below the tank 130 and gently inclined downward, a case rail 132 vertically connected to the downstream side of the tank rail 131, and a payout device 133 provided at the most downstream part of the case rail 132 for paying out balls according to a predetermined electrical configuration of a payout motor 216 (see FIG. 4). Balls supplied from the island facilities in the game hall are sequentially replenished in the tank 130, and the payout device 133 appropriately pays out a required number of balls. A vibrator 134 for applying vibration to the tank rail 131 is attached to the tank rail 131.

[0069] In addition, a state return switch 120 is provided in the payout control device 111, an operation knob 121 of a variable resistor is provided in the firing control device 112, and a RAM erase switch 122 is provided in the power supply device 115. The state return switch 120 is operated, for example, to eliminate ball jams (return to the normal state) when a payout error occurs, such as ball jams in the payout motor 216 (see FIG. 4) section. The operation knob 121 is operated to adjust the firing force of the firing solenoid. The RAM erase switch 122 is operated when the power is turned on when it is desired to return the pachinko machine 10 to the initial state.

[0070] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10.

[0071] The main control device 110 is equipped with an MPU 201 as a one-chip microcomputer which is an arithmetic unit. The MPU 201 has a ROM 202 that stores various control programs and fixed-value data executed by the MPU 201, a RAM 203 which is a memory for temporarily storing various data etc. when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 202, and in addition, various circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit are built in. In the main control device 110, the MPU 201 executes main processes of the pachinko machine 10 such as jackpot lottery, setting of displays in the first symbol display devices 37A, 37B and the third symbol display device 81, and lottery of display results in the second symbol display device.

[0072] In addition, in order to instruct operations to sub-control devices such as the payout control device 111 and the voice lamp control device 113, various commands are transmitted from the main control device 110 to the sub-control device by the data transmission / reception circuit, and such commands are transmitted only in one direction from the main control device 110 to the sub-control device.

[0073] The RAM 203 has, in addition to various areas, counters, and flags, a stack area that stores the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 201 and the return destination addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 201, and a work area (working area) that stores various flags, counters, values of I / O, etc. Note that the RAM 203 is configured to be able to hold (backup) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned off, and all the data stored in the RAM 203 is backed up.

[0074] When the power supply is cut off due to a power failure or the like, the values of the stack pointer and each register at the time of the power cut-off (including the occurrence of a power failure; the same applies hereinafter) are stored in the RAM 203. On the other hand, when the power is turned on (including the power-on due to the restoration of power from a power failure; the same applies hereinafter), based on the information stored in the RAM 203, the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power cut-off. Writing to the RAM 203 is executed at the time of power cut-off by the main process (not shown), and the restoration of each value written to the RAM 203 is executed in the startup process (not shown) at the time of power-on. Note that the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the MPU 201 is configured such that a power failure signal SG1 from the power failure monitoring circuit 252 is input at the time of power cut-off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. When the power failure signal SG1 is input to the MPU 201, the NMI interrupt process (not shown) as the process at the time of power failure is immediately executed.

[0075] An input / output port 205 is connected to the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 via a bus line 204 composed of an address bus and a data bus. To the input / output port 205, there are connected a payout control device 111, a voice lamp control device 113, first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, a second symbol display device, a second symbol hold lamp, a solenoid 209 including a solenoid for driving the opening / closing plate 65b of the specific winning port 65a (see FIG. 2) to open / close in the front side about the lower side as an axis, and solenoids for driving electric accessories. The MPU 201 transmits various commands and control signals to these via the input / output port 205.

[0076] In addition, various switches 208 including a switch group (not shown), a sensor group including a slide position detection sensor S and a rotation position detection sensor R, and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 provided in the power supply device 115, which will be described later, are connected to the input / output port 205. The MPU 201 executes various processes based on the signals output from the various switches 208 and the RAM erase signal SG2 output from the RAM erase switch circuit 253.

[0077] The payout control device 111 controls the payout of prize balls and lent balls by driving the payout motor 216. The MPU 211, which is an arithmetic unit, has a ROM 212 that stores control programs, fixed value data, etc. executed by the MPU 211, and a RAM 213 used as a work memory, etc.

[0078] Similar to the RAM 203 of the main control device 110, the RAM 213 of the payout control device 111 has a stack area that stores the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 211 and the return destination addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 211, and a work area (working area) that stores various flags, counters, values of I / O, etc. The RAM 213 is configured to be able to hold (backup) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned off, and all the data stored in the RAM 213 is backed up. Note that, similar to the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 is also configured such that a power failure signal SG1 is input from the power failure monitoring circuit 252 when a power failure or the like occurs and the power supply is cut off. When the power failure signal SG1 is input to the MPU 211, an NMI interrupt process (not shown) as a power failure time process is immediately executed.

[0079] An input / output port 215 is connected to the MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 via a bus line 214 composed of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, the payout motor 216, the launch control device 112, etc. are respectively connected to the input / output port 215. Also, although not shown, a prize ball detection switch for detecting the paid-out prize balls is connected to the payout control device 111. Note that the prize ball detection switch is connected to the payout control device 111 but not to the main control device 110.

[0080] When the main control device 110 gives an instruction to launch the ball, the launch control device 112 controls the ball launch unit 112a so that the launch strength of the ball corresponds to the amount of rotation operation of the operation handle 51. The ball launch unit 112a is provided with a launch solenoid and an electromagnet (not shown), and the launch solenoid and the electromagnet are permitted to be driven when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operation handle 51, and on the condition that the launch stop switch 51b for stopping the launch of the ball is off (not operated), the launch solenoid is excited corresponding to the amount of rotation operation (rotation position) of the operation handle 51, and the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the operation amount of the operation handle 51.

[0081] The voice lamp control device 113 controls the output of voice in the voice output device (such as a speaker not shown) 226, the output of lighting and extinguishing in the lamp display device (the lighting decoration parts 29 to 33, the display lamp 34, etc.) 227, and the setting of the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 performed by the display control device 114 such as variable effects (variable display) and preview effects. The MPU 221 which is an arithmetic device has a ROM 222 that stores the control program, fixed value data, etc. executed by the MPU 221, and a RAM 223 used as a work memory, etc.

[0082] An input / output port 225 is connected to the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 via a bus line 224 composed of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, the display control device 114, the voice output device 226, the lamp display device 227, other devices 228, the frame button 22, etc. are respectively connected to the input / output port 225. The other devices 228 include drive motors 648, 820, solenoids 651, etc.

[0083] The voice lamp control device 113 determines the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 based on various commands (such as a variation pattern command, a stop type command, etc.) received from the main control device 110, and notifies the display control device 114 of the determined display mode by commands (such as a display variation pattern command, a display stop type command, etc.). Further, the voice lamp control device 113 monitors the input from the frame button 22, and when the frame button 22 is operated by the player, it instructs the display control device 114 to change the stage displayed on the third symbol display device 81 or to change the effect content during super reach. When the stage is changed, a background image change command including information about the changed stage is transmitted to the display control device 114 so as to display a background image corresponding to the changed stage on the third symbol display device 81. Here, the background image is an image displayed on the back side of the third symbol, which is the main image to be displayed on the third symbol display device 81. The display control device 114 displays various images on the third symbol display device 81 according to the commands transmitted from this voice lamp control device 113.

[0084] Further, the voice lamp control device 113 receives a command (display command) representing the display content of the third symbol display device 81 from the display control device 114. Based on the display command received from the display control device 114, the voice lamp control device 113 outputs, from the voice output device 226, a voice corresponding to the display content in accordance with the display content of the third symbol display device 81, and also controls the lighting and extinguishing of the lamp display device 227 corresponding to the display content.

[0085] The display control device 114 is connected to the voice lamp control device 113 and the third symbol display device 81, and controls the display such as the variable effect of the third symbol on the third symbol display device 81 based on the command received from the voice lamp control device 113. Further, the display control device 114 appropriately transmits a display command for notifying the display content of the third symbol display device 81 to the voice lamp control device 113. The voice lamp control device 113 can match the display of the third symbol display device 81 with the voice output from the voice output device 226 by outputting voice from the voice output device 226 according to the display content indicated by this display command.

[0086] The power supply device 115 includes a power supply unit 251 for supplying power to each part of the pachinko machine 10, a power failure monitoring circuit 252 for monitoring power interruption due to a power failure or the like, and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 provided with a RAM erase switch 122 (see FIG. 3). The power supply unit 251 is a device that supplies the necessary operating voltage to each of the control devices 110 to 114 and the like through a power supply path (not shown). As an overview, the power supply unit 251 takes in an AC 24-volt voltage supplied from the outside, generates a 12-volt voltage for driving various switches such as various switches 208, solenoids such as solenoid 209, motors, etc., a 5-volt voltage for logic, a backup voltage for RAM backup, etc., and supplies the 12-volt voltage, 5-volt voltage, and backup voltage to the control devices 110 to 114 and the like as necessary voltages.

[0087] The power failure monitoring circuit 252 is a circuit for outputting a power failure signal SG1 to each NMI terminal of the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 and the MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 when the power supply is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. The power failure monitoring circuit 252 monitors the voltage of 24 VDC stabilized power, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 251. When this voltage becomes less than 22 V, it determines that a power failure (power cut, power supply cut-off) has occurred, and outputs the power failure signal SG1 to the main control device 110 and the payout control device 111. By the output of the power failure signal SG1, the main control device 110 and the payout control device 111 recognize the occurrence of a power failure and execute NMI interrupt processing. Note that even after the voltage of 24 VDC stabilized power becomes less than 22 V, the power supply unit 251 is configured to maintain the output of the 5 V voltage, which is the drive voltage of the control system, at a normal value for a sufficient time to execute the NMI interrupt processing. Therefore, the main control device 110 and the payout control device 111 can normally execute and complete the NMI interrupt processing (not shown).

[0088] The RAM erase switch circuit 253 is a circuit for outputting a RAM erase signal SG2 for clearing backup data to the main control device 110 when the RAM erase switch 122 (see FIG. 3) is pressed. When the main control device 110 inputs the RAM erase signal SG2 when the pachinko machine 10 is powered on, it clears the backup data and transmits a payout initialization command for clearing the backup data to the payout control device 111 to the payout control device 111.

[0089] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the winning port unit 930 and the ball delivery unit 970 disposed on the base plate of the game board 13 in the first embodiment will be described. In the description of FIGS. 5 and 6, FIG. 2 will be appropriately referred to.

[0090] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective front view of the game board 13. In FIG. 5, illustration of units other than the winning port unit 930 and the ball delivery unit 970 (for example, the center frame 86 (see FIG. 2), etc.) disposed on the base plate 60 is omitted.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 5, a through hole 60a penetrating in the thickness direction of the base plate 60 is formed by routing in the lower side in the gravitational direction (the lower side in FIG. 5) of the central opening where the center frame 86 (see FIG. 2) is attached to the base plate 60.

[0092] The through hole 60a is formed to be slightly smaller than the outer shape in the front view of the front unit 940 described later, and the drive unit 960 and the specific winning port unit 950 arranged in the front unit 940 are inserted inside.

[0093] On the base plate 60, a winning port unit 930 is arranged from the game area (front) side, and a ball feeding unit 970 is arranged from the side opposite to the game area (back), and they are fastened and fixed by tapping screws or the like. Details of the configuration of the winning port unit 930 and the ball feeding unit 970 will be described later.

[0094] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the game board 13 taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 2. In FIG. 6, the arrangement of the winning port unit 930 and the ball feeding unit 970 in the assembled state is shown.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 6, the connection of the respective passages of the front unit 940 and the ball feeding unit 970 is in a state of being in contact in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 6), and the convex portion formed on the ball feeding unit 970 is inserted into the protruding portion formed on the front unit 940.

[0096] More specifically, the first ball feeding portion 942g and the inflow port 982d are arranged such that the second protrusion 982d1 formed on the inflow port 982d is disposed inside the first concave portion 942g1 formed on the first ball feeding portion 942g. Also, the second ball feeding portion 942c and the side wall portion 981b are arranged such that the protrusion 981b1 formed on the side wall portion 981b is disposed inside the second concave portion 942c1 formed on the second ball feeding portion 942c. Thereby, the alignment of the front unit 940 and the ball feeding unit 970 when assembling to the base plate 60 can be easily performed.

[0097] Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the overall configuration of the ball-feeding unit 970 will be described. FIG. 7(a) is a front view of the ball-feeding unit 970, and FIG. 7(b) is a side view of the ball-feeding unit 970. FIG. 8(a) is an exploded perspective front view of the ball-feeding unit 970, and FIG. 8(b) is an exploded perspective rear view of the ball-feeding unit 970.

[0098] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the ball-feeding unit 970 includes a distribution unit 980 disposed on the player side (game area side) and having a space inside which game balls can be inserted, and a passage unit 990 disposed on the side opposite to the game area of the distribution unit 980.

[0099] The distribution unit 980 includes openings (inlet 982d and side wall portion 981b) that are continuous with the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140 of the above-described winning opening unit 930, and can receive inside the game balls that are fed to the side opposite to the game area through the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140 from the openings (inlet 982d and side wall portion 981b). A detailed description of the distribution unit 980 will be given later.

[0100] The passage unit 990 is disposed on one side (lower side in the gravity direction) in the gravity direction of the distribution unit 980. The passage unit 990 has a plurality of openings (first insertion holes 991a to second insertion holes 991d) on the surface facing the distribution unit 980, and can receive the game balls fed into the interior of the distribution unit 980 from the openings. A detailed description of the passage unit 990 will be given later.

[0101] Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12, the configuration of the sorting unit 980 will be described in detail. FIG. 9(a) is a front view of the sorting unit 980, and FIG. 9(b) is a side view of the sorting unit 980. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective front view of the sorting unit 980, and FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective rear view of the sorting unit 980. FIG. 12(a) is a cross-sectional view of the sorting unit 980 taken along line XIIa-XIIa of FIG. 9(a), and FIG. 12(b) is a cross-sectional view of the sorting unit 980 taken along line XIIb-XIIb of FIG. 12(a).

[0102] As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the sorting unit 980 mainly includes a rear base 985, a front base 981 disposed on the player side of the rear base 985, a sorting unit 983 rotatably disposed between the front base 981 and the rear base, and a cover member 987 disposed at a position corresponding to the sorting unit 983 on the rear side of the rear base 985.

[0103] The rear base 985 is formed of a colored translucent (blue in this embodiment) resin material, and mainly includes a base portion 985a formed in a plate-like body, a plurality of openings (openings 985b to 985g) penetrating in the thickness direction of the base portion 985a, a recess 985h recessed on the other side (upper side in the gravity direction) of the plurality of openings in the gravity direction, and a housing portion 986b and a protruding portion 986e protruding from the opposite surface of the recess 985h.

[0104] The base portion 985a is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a front view, and includes a plurality of fastening holes 986c and 986d penetrating in a circular shape at the outer edge portion thereof, and an inclined surface 986a inclined toward one side in the gravity direction on the side opposite to the front base 981 side. The fastening hole 986c is a hole for screwing a screw inserted through the front base 981 described later. Thereby, the front base 981 and the rear base 985 can be fastened and fixed. Further, the fastening hole 986d is a hole for screwing a screw inserted through the passage unit 990 described later. Thereby, the rear base 985 (sorting unit 980) and the passage unit 990 can be fastened and fixed.

[0105] The inclined surface 986a is formed at a position overlapping a part on the side opposite to the gravitational direction of the openings 985b to 985f described later. Further, the inclined surface 986a is formed at a position facing the inclined portion 982b of the front base 981 in a state where the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Thereby, the flow-down direction of the game balls flowing down in the gravitational direction can be guided toward the openings 985b to 985f. As a result, it becomes easier to make the game balls flow into the openings 985b to 985f.

[0106] The recess 985h is recessed toward the side opposite to the front base 981 (the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 9(b)) and is formed at a substantially central position in the short-side direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 9(b)) of the base portion 985a. Further, the recess 985h is formed to have a size capable of accommodating a part of the distribution unit 983 described later inside, and includes a bearing portion 985j protruding in an annular shape on the bottom surface. The bearing portion 985j is a hole into which one end of a shaft member 988a that pivotally supports the distribution unit 983 is inserted, and is formed to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a.

[0107] The openings 985b and 985c are respectively formed at both ends in the short-side direction of the base portion 985a, and the dimensions of the inner edges are set to be larger than the diameter of the game balls. Further, the inner surfaces on one side in the gravitational direction (the lower side in the gravitational direction) of the openings 985b and 985c are formed to be inclined downward as they go toward the side opposite to the front base 981 side. Thereby, the game balls flowing in from the front base 981 side can be rolled toward the side opposite to the front base 981 side.

[0108] The opening 985d is formed at a substantially central position in the short-side direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 9(b)) of the base portion 985a, and the position in the gravitational direction (the up-down direction in FIG. 9(b)) is set to be substantially the same as the positions of the openings 985b and 985c. Further, similar to the openings 985b and 985c, the inner surface on one side in the gravitational direction (the lower side in the gravitational direction) of the opening 985d is formed to be inclined downward as it goes toward the side opposite to the front base 981 side. Thereby, the game balls flowing in from the front base 981 side can be rolled toward the side opposite to the front base 981 side.

[0109] The opening 985e is formed between the openings 985b and 985d, and the opening 985f is formed between the openings 985c and 985d. Further, the openings 985e and 985f mainly include an inflow passage 985e1, 985f1 of a space opening to the front base 981 side, a discharge passage 985e3, 985f3 of a space opening to the side opposite to the front base 981 side, and an intermediate passage 985e2, 985f2 extending in the gravity direction and communicating the inflow passages 985e1, 985f1 and the discharge passages 985e3, 985f3.

[0110] The inflow passages 985e1 and 985f1 are connected to a first passage TR1 and a second passage TR2 formed between the front base 981 and the back base 985, which will be described later, and are formed to have a size through which the game balls can pass. Thereby, the game balls flowing down through the first passage TR1 and the second passage can be made to flow into the inflow passages 985e1 and 985f1.

[0111] The intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 are formed by extending in the gravity direction, with the other side in the gravity direction (the upper side in the gravity direction) being communicated with the inflow passages 985e1 and 985f1, and are formed to have a size through which the game balls can pass. Thereby, the game balls passing through the inflow passages 985e1 and 985f1 can be made to flow into the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2.

[0112] Further, in the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2, a recessed portion 985f4 recessed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the ball feeding direction (gravity direction) of the game balls is formed. The recessed portion 985f4 is a notch for disposing a detection device SE3, which will be described later, inside thereof, and is set to be substantially the same as the outer shape of the detection device SE3 in a rear view. Thereby, the detection device SE3 can be inserted and disposed from the back side of the base portion 985a (the side opposite to the front base 981).

[0113] The detection device SE3 is a device that detects the passage of a game ball, and a detection hole SE1a with an inner diameter slightly larger than that of the game ball in the thickness direction thereof is formed to penetrate therethrough. The detection hole SE1a is formed to be offset to either one or the other of the longitudinal directions of the detection device SE3 disposed in a horizontally long rectangular state when viewed from the back, and a detection substrate SE1b for controlling the detection device SE3 is disposed on either one or the other of the longitudinal directions where the detection hole SE1a is not formed.

[0114] In the present embodiment, when the passage of the game ball is detected by the detection device SE3, five prize balls are paid out and a lottery for the first symbol is executed. Corresponding to this lottery, a variable display of the third symbol is executed on the third symbol display device 81.

[0115] Also, the detection device SE3 is arranged at a position where the axial direction of the detection hole SE1a is set parallel to the extending direction of the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 and the internal space of the detection hole SE1a substantially coincides with the space of the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2. Thereby, when the game ball flows down from the other side (upper side in the gravity direction) to one side (lower side in the gravity direction) of the gravity direction of the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2, the game ball can pass through the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3. Thereby, the game balls passing through the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 can be detected.

[0116] Also, since the axial direction of the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3 is formed parallel to the gravity direction, it is easy to utilize the self-weight of the game ball when feeding the game ball into the detection hole SE1a. As a result, it is possible to suppress the game ball from getting caught at the connecting portion between the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 and the detection hole SE1a.

[0117] The recessed portions 985e4, 985f4 are formed continuously with the spaces of the inflow passages 985e1, 985f1 and the discharge passages 985e3, 985f3. That is, the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 are formed using the detection device SE3. Thereby, it is possible to suppress an increase in the length dimension of the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 in the gravity direction. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the back base 985 in the gravity direction.

[0118] The discharge passages 985e3 and 985f3 are connected to the gravity direction side (lower side in the gravity direction) of the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 and are formed to have a size through which the game balls can pass. Further, the discharge passages 985e3 and 985f3 are connected to the third insertion hole 991c and the fourth insertion hole 991d of the passage unit 990, which will be described later, in a state where the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. Thereby, the game balls passing through the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 can be made to flow into the discharge passages 985e3 and 985f3, and can be fed to the passage unit 990 by passing through the space thereof.

[0119] The opening 985g is formed on the gravity direction side (lower side in the gravity direction) of the opening 985d. Further, similar to the opening 985d, the inner surface on the gravity direction side (lower side in the gravity direction) of the opening 985g is formed to have a downward inclination as it goes toward the side opposite to the front base 981 side. Thereby, the game balls flowing in from the front base 981 side can be made to roll to the side opposite to the front base 981 side.

[0120] The inflow passages 985e1 and 985f1 are connected to the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 formed between the front base 981 and the rear base 985, which will be described later, and are formed to have a size through which the game balls can pass. Thereby, the game balls flowing down through the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 can be made to flow into the inflow passages 985e1 and 985f1.

[0121] The housing portion 986b is formed of a pair of semi-annular bodies. Further, the housing portion 986b is a portion for housing the magnetic body 988b, which will be described later, inside thereof, and its inner diameter is set to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the magnetic body 988b formed in a cylindrical shape. Further, the protruding dimension of the housing portion 986b is set to be larger than the axial dimension of the magnetic body 988b. Thereby, the magnetic body 988b can be housed inside the housing portion 986b. Further, since the housing portion 986b is formed of a pair of semi-annular bodies, even when the outer diameter of the magnetic body 988b is slightly larger due to manufacturing errors, the pair of semi-annular bodies can be elastically deformed to dispose the magnetic body 988b.

[0122] The protruding portion 986e protrudes in a columnar shape from a position on the opposite side across the bearing portion 985j and the base portion 985a described above. Further, the protruding portion 986e is provided with a fastening hole that is recessed in a circular shape on its axis. The fastening hole is a hole for screwing the tip of a screw that passes through a cover member 987 described later, and by screwing the screw with the cover member 987 in contact, the cover member 987 can be fastened and fixed to the back base 985.

[0123] The magnetic body 988b is formed of a magnet, and by being disposed in the accommodating portion 986b, a magnetic field can be generated toward the front base 981 side through the base portion 985a. Thereby, the magnetic body 988c disposed in the sorting portion 983 described later can be repelled, making it easier to displace the sorting portion 983.

[0124] The front base 981 is formed of a colored translucent (blue in this embodiment) resin material. Further, the front base 981 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is larger than the back base 985 in a front view, and is mainly formed of a base plate 981a and a bulging portion 982 that bulges from the base plate 981a toward the player side (opposite side to the back base 986).

[0125] The base plate 981a is formed as a plate member having a substantially rectangular shape in a front view, and is mainly provided with a plurality of insertion holes 981g that penetrate in the plate thickness direction at its outer peripheral edge, a first guide wall 981f and a second guide wall 981d that protrude toward the back base 985 side, a second insertion hole 981e that penetrates in the vicinity of the first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d, and a through hole 981c that penetrates in the plate thickness direction on one side (lower side in the gravity direction) of the bulging portion 982 in the gravity direction.

[0126] The insertion hole 981g is a hole through which a screw (not shown) for fastening the ball feeding unit 970 in the assembled state to the base plate 60 (see FIG. 5) is inserted, and is set to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the tip portion of the screw.

[0127] The first guide wall 981f is formed in a semi-circular annular shape, and a pair of them are formed in the short direction with a bulging portion 982, which will be described later, sandwiched therebetween. Further, the first guide wall 981f is formed with the open portion of the semi-circle facing substantially the center side in the short direction of the base plate 981a.

[0128] The second guide wall 981d is formed in an annular shape and is formed at two locations in the short direction of the base plate 981a. Further, the second guide wall 981d is formed on the lower side in the gravitational direction of the bulging portion 982, which will be described later, and a through hole 981c is formed between the two locations.

[0129] The inner edge shapes of the first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d are formed to be substantially the same as the outer shape around the fastening hole 986c of the back base 985 described above. Thus, when the front base 981 and the back base 985 are combined, the wall portion around the fastening hole 986c can be inserted inside the first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d, and the first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d can be positioned.

[0130] The second insertion hole 981e is formed at the center of the semi-circle of the first guide wall 981f and the center of the second guide wall 981d. The second insertion hole 981e is formed coaxially with the fastening hole 986c in a state where the front base 981 and the back base 985 are assembled, and by inserting a screw from the front base 981 side and screwing it into the fastening hole 986d, the front base 981 and the back base 985 can be fastened.

[0131] The through hole 981c is formed to penetrate a square with one side larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the through hole 981c is formed with a side wall portion 981b erected along its edge on the side opposite to the back base 985 side (the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 9(a)). The through hole 981c is a portion communicating with the second winning port 140 of the winning port unit 930 described above, and is formed at a position overlapping the rolling direction of the game balls flowing into the second winning port 140 in a state where the winning port unit 930 and the ball feeding unit 970 are mounted on the base plate 60.

[0132] The side wall portion 981b is formed to have a dimension such that the standing end face abuts against the second ball feeding portion 942c of the winning opening unit 930 when the winning opening unit 930 and the ball feeding unit 970 are mounted on the base plate 60. Further, on the inner surface of the side wall portion 981b on one side in the gravity direction (lower side in the gravity direction), a rolling surface 981c1 is positioned on one side in the gravity direction with respect to the end face 943a1 of the rolling portion 943a and is formed to be inclined downward toward the back base 985 side (see FIG. 6).

[0133] Furthermore, the side wall portion 981b is provided with a protrusion 981b1 protruding from the standing end face. The protrusion 981b1 is formed at a position separated from the rolling surface 981c1 by the radius of the game ball in the gravity direction. Thereby, when the game ball is fed from the end face 943a1 of the rolling portion 943a to the rolling surface 981c1 of the through hole 981c, it is possible to make it difficult for the game ball to be caught between the rolling portion 943a and the through hole 981c. A detailed description of the case where the game ball is fed from the end face 943a1 of the rolling portion 943a to the rolling surface 981c1 of the through hole 981c will be described later.

[0134] The bulging portion 982 is formed in a dome shape bulging from the base plate 981a, and is set to have a size into which a game ball can be inserted. It is formed with a ball feeding passage TR0 through which the game ball flowing in from the inflow port 982d passes inside, and a first passage TR1 and a second passage TR2 branching from the ball feeding passage TR0. The bulging portion 982 is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a front view, and mainly includes an inflow port 982d formed by notching the upper end portion in the gravity direction, a standing wall 982a that bends and stands upright toward the back base 985 side at a substantially intermediate position in the front view, and recesses 982e to 982j recessed at a plurality of positions on the other side in the gravity direction.

[0135] The inflow port 982d is formed by notching in a substantially U shape in a front view. Further, the inflow port 982d is formed at a position where the inner edge portion overlaps with the rolling direction of the game ball that has flowed into the first winning opening 64 of the winning opening unit 930 when the winning opening unit 930 and the ball feeding unit 970 are mounted on the base plate 60.

[0136] In addition, the inflow port 982d is provided with a second protrusion 982d1 that protrudes to the side opposite to the back base 985 side at the edge on the other side in the gravitational direction (upper side in the gravitational direction). The second protrusion 982d1 is formed in the inner edge shape of the first concave notch 942g1 of the above-described winning port unit 930, and when the winning port unit 930 and the ball feeding unit 970 are disposed on the base plate 60, the second protrusion 982d1 abuts against the inner edge of the first concave notch 942g1.

[0137] Also, the distance dimension L14 (see Fig. 9(a)) from the second protrusion 982d1 to the end face on one side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) of the inflow port 982d is set to be larger than the distance dimension L35 (see Fig. 87(b)) from the inner edge of the first concave notch 942g1 to the inner edge on one side in the gravitational direction of the first ball feeding portion 942g. Thereby, when the game ball fed to the first ball feeding portion 942g through the first winning port 64 flows into the inflow port 982d, it can be made difficult to be pinched between the inflow port 982d (bulging portion 982) and the first ball feeding portion 942g.

[0138] The standing wall 982a is formed in a rectangular shape with a predetermined interval from the outer edge shape of the bulging portion 982 in a front view. Further, the standing wall 982a is formed below the inflow port 982d in the gravitational direction and is formed with a contact portion 982a1 that is formed in a triangular shape in the standing direction view on the upper side in the gravitational direction.

[0139] The standing wall 982a is set such that the separation distance L16 (see Fig. 12(b)) in the horizontal direction from the inner edge of the outer peripheral portion of the bulging portion 982 is larger than the diameter of the game ball, and a first passage TR1 and a second passage TR2 of a space through which the game ball can pass are formed between the opposing sides.

[0140] The first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 are formed on the downstream side of a sorting portion 983 described later, and the game ball passing through the sorting portion 983 is fed to one of them. The sorting portion 983 is set to be able to alternately feed the game balls flowing into the inflow port 982d to the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the monotony of the feeding of the game balls flowing into the first winning port 64. As a result, it is possible to suppress the impairment of the player's interest.

[0141] On the other side of the standing wall 982a in the direction of gravity (the upper side in the direction of gravity), a bearing portion 982c that protrudes annularly from the inner surface of the bulging portion 982 toward the back base 985 is formed. The bearing portion 982c is a portion that supports the other end side of a shaft member 988a that pivotally supports a later-described sorting portion 983, and the inner diameter thereof is set to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a. Therefore, by inserting the shaft member 988a into the bearing portion 982c, the other end side of the shaft member 988a can be supported.

[0142] Also, as described above, since one end side of the shaft member 988a is inserted into the bearing portion 985j of the back base 985, when combining the front base 981 and the back base 985, one end of the shaft member 988a is inserted into the bearing portion 985j, and at the same time, the other end side of the shaft member 988a is inserted into the bearing portion 982c, so that the shaft member 988a can be supported between the front base 981 and the back base 985.

[0143] The contact portion 982a1 is formed on the rotation locus of a later-described sorting portion 983, and by the action portion 983a of the sorting portion 983 coming into contact therewith, the rotational displacement amount of the sorting portion 983 is regulated. A detailed description of the contact state between the contact portion 982a1 and the sorting portion 983 will be given later.

[0144] The recessed portion 982e and the recessed portion 982f are recessed from the inner surface on one side of the bulging portion 982 in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) in a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2. Also, inside the recessed portion 982e and the recessed portion 982f, a first branch passage BK1 or a second branch passage BK2 of a space communicating with the first passage TR1 or the second passage TR2 is formed.

[0145] The first branch passage BK1 communicates with the opening 985b of the back base 985 in a state where the front base 981 and the back base 985 are combined. Therefore, the first branch passage BK1 is formed to be able to receive the game balls flowing down the first passage TR1, and the received game balls can flow into the opening 985b of the back base 985.

[0146] The second branch passage BK2 communicates with the opening 985c of the rear base 985 in a state where the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the second branch passage BK2 is formed to be able to receive the game balls flowing down the second passage TR2, and the received game balls can flow into the opening 985c of the rear base 985.

[0147] The recesses 982h and 982j are recessed from the inner surface on one side (the lower side in the direction of gravity) of the bulging portion 982 in the extending direction of the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2. That is, the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 are extended by the amounts of the recesses 982h and 982j on one side in the direction of gravity.

[0148] The first passage TR1 communicates with the opening 985e of the rear base 985 in a state where the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the first passage TR1 allows the game balls that have flowed into the inflow port 982d to flow in, and the flowed-in game balls can flow into the opening 985e of the rear base 985.

[0149] The second passage TR2 communicates with the opening 985f of the rear base 985 in a state where the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the second passage TR2 allows the game balls that have flowed into the inflow port 982d to flow in, and the flowed-in game balls can flow into the opening 985f of the rear base 985.

[0150] The recess 982g is formed between the recesses 982h and 982j, and the recessed direction is set parallel to the extending direction of the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2. Also, inside the recess 982g, a third branch passage BK3 of the space communicating with the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 is formed. Thus, since the third branch passage BK3 communicating with the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 is formed between the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2, miniaturization of the distribution unit 980 can be achieved.

[0151] The third branch passage BK3 communicates with the opening 985d of the rear base 985 in a state where the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the third branch passage BK3 is formed to be able to receive the game balls flowing down through the first passage TR1 or the second passage TR2, and the received game balls can flow into the opening 985d of the rear base 985.

[0152] The inclined portion 982b is formed on one side in the direction of gravity (lower side in the direction of gravity) of the bulging portion 982, and extends obliquely toward the rear base 985 side on one side in the direction of gravity. Further, the inclined portion 982b is formed at a position facing the opening 985f from the opening 985b in a state where the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Thereby, by bringing the game balls flowing down through the first passage TR1, the second passage TR2, the first branch passage BK1, the second branch passage BK2, and the third branch passage BK3 into contact with the inclined portion 982b, the flowing game balls can be guided to the opening 985b~985f side and easily flow into the opening 985b~985f.

[0153] The guide portions 982h1, 982j1 are connected to the concave portions 982h and 982j and the inclined portion 982b, and the standing tip surface is inclined downward toward the rear base 985 side (the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 9(b)). Thereby, the game balls flowing down through the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 are brought into contact with the standing tip surfaces of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1, guided to the opening 985e and opening 985f sides, and can easily flow into the opening 985e and opening 985f.

[0154] Further, the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 are formed by connecting to the inclined portion 982b. Thereby, while guiding the game balls flowing down through the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 to the rear base 985 side by bringing them into contact with the inclined portion 982b and making them collide with the guide portions 982h1, 982j1, the game balls can be made to flow into the opening 985e and opening 985f more easily. Furthermore, due to the inclination of the inclined portion 982b, the standing distance of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 can be reduced, so that the rigidity of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 can be increased and the durability can be improved.

[0155] Here, as described above, the distribution unit 980 (the ball-feeding unit 970) is made visible to the player through the front unit 940 (the winning opening unit 930) disposed on the player side. Therefore, due to the front unit 940, the game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 become difficult to be visually recognized from the player side. Further, when the guide portions 982h1 and 982j1 are erected on the front sides of the openings 985e and 985f, there is a problem that the game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 become difficult to be visually recognized due to the thickness of the guide portions 982h1 and 982j1.

[0156] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the guide portions 982h1 and 982j1 are formed by being connected to the inclined portion 982b, the standing dimension of the inclined portion 982b can be reduced. Therefore, even when the game balls fed to the openings 985e and 985f (the game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2) are in a state passing through the front unit 940, they can be made easily visible. That is, in the present embodiment, the inclined portion 982b is inclined so as to be located on the back base 985 side as it goes in the flowing direction of the game balls, so that while ensuring rigidity and guiding the game balls, the thickness of the guide portions 982h1 and 982j1 in the front-rear direction can be made thin, and thus the visibility of the game balls can be ensured.

[0157] The distribution portion 983 is set to have a thickness slightly smaller than the dimension between the facing surfaces of the front base 981 and the back base 985, and is formed in a substantially T shape when viewed from the front. Further, the distribution portion 983 mainly includes an acting portion 983a on one side of the T shape, an intermediate plate 983b protruding from a substantially central position in the extending direction of the acting portion 983a, a through hole 983c penetrating through the connecting portion of the acting portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b, a contact portion 983d bulging in a circular shape around the axis of the through hole 983c, and a wall portion 983e formed by connecting to the back base 985 side of the acting portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b.

[0158] The through hole 983c is a hole into which a shaft member 988a supported between the opposing front base 981 and rear base 985 is inserted, and is formed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a. Thus, when assembling the front base 981 and the rear base 985, by inserting the shaft member 988a into the through hole 983c of the distribution part 983, the distribution part 983 is disposed between the opposing front base 981 and rear base 985 in a rotatable state.

[0159] The intermediate plate 983b is formed to extend radially outward of the through hole 983c, and in a state where the displacement of the distribution part 983 is restricted by rotating in one or the other direction, the separation distance L17 (see FIG. 12(b)) from the tip to the inside of the intermediate plate 983b is set to a dimension smaller than the diameter of the game ball. Thereby, the feeding of the game ball is restricted to either one of the first passage TR1 or the second passage TR2. Further, the intermediate plate 983b is switched from a state where the feeding of the game ball is restricted to one side of the first passage TR1 to a state where the feeding of the game ball is restricted to the other side of the second passage TR2 when the distribution part 983 is rotated about the through hole 983c.

[0160] The acting part 983a is formed to extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the intermediate plate 983b in a front view. Further, the connection position of the acting part 983a with the contact part 983d is set on the one side (lower side in the gravity direction) in the gravity direction than the connection position of the intermediate plate 983b with the contact part 983d. Thereby, the game ball fed to the distribution part 983 through the inflow port 982d is in a state of applying a load to the acting part 983a side. As a result, the distribution part 983 is rotationally displaced about the through hole 983c.

[0161] The wall portion 983e is connected to the acting portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b, and is formed in a substantially semicircular plate shape when viewed in the axial direction of the through hole 983c. The wall portion 983e is formed to protrude outward from the acting portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the through hole 983c, and the thickness dimension is set to be smaller than the recessed dimension of the recess 985h of the back base 985 described above. Therefore, in a state where the distribution portion 983 is disposed between the opposing surfaces of the back base 985 and the front base 981, the wall portion 983e can be disposed inside the recess 985h. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the flow-down of the game ball fed into the inside of the distribution unit 980 from the inflow port 982d from being hindered by being caught inside the recess 985h.

[0162] Further, the wall portion 983e is provided with a housing portion 983e1 that is recessed toward the intermediate plate 983b from the radially outer end portion of the through hole 983c on the back side of the intermediate plate 983b. The housing portion 983e1 is a portion that houses the magnetic body 988c formed in a columnar shape inside, and is recessed in a circular shape having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the magnetic body 988c. Further, the housing portion 983e1 is recessed from the back base 985 side toward the front base 981 side, and the magnetic body 988c is housed inside from the back base 985 side.

[0163] The magnetic body 988c is formed of a magnet and is disposed in a state of repelling the magnetic body 988b disposed on the back base 985. Thereby, the distribution portion 983 can be in a state where the magnetic force acts from the magnetic body 988b in which the magnetic body 988c is disposed on the back base 985, and the distribution portion 983 rotates about the through hole 983c and the extending direction of the acting portion 983a is inclined to one side or the other side.

[0164] In addition, the magnetic body 988c and the magnetic body 988b are arranged in a state where they repel each other, and the housing portion 983e1 is recessed toward the front side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the magnetic body 988c inserted into the housing portion 983e1 from coming out of the housing portion 983e1. That is, since there is no need for a portion that locks the magnetic body 988c inserted into the housing portion 983e1, the structure of the sorting unit 983 can be simplified, and the arrangement of the magnetic body 988c on the sorting unit 983 can be simplified.

[0165] Note that the magnetic forces of the magnetic body 988b and the magnetic body 988c are set to magnetic attracting forces smaller than the load of the game ball. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the game ball fed inside the sorting unit 980 from magnetically adhering to the magnetic body 988b and the magnetic body 988c and staying inside the sorting unit 980.

[0166] The cover member 987 is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a top view and is disposed on the side opposite to the front base 981 side of the recess 985h of the rear base 985. Further, the cover member 987 is formed with two first recesses 987a and second recesses 987b that are recessed in a circular shape in a front view and arranged in the direction of gravity.

[0167] The first recess 987a is a portion that houses the housing portion 986b of the rear base 985 described above inside, and is set to have an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the housing portion 986b. Therefore, in a state where the magnetic body 988b is housed inside the housing portion 986b as described above, by housing the tip of the housing portion 986b in the first recess 987a, it is possible to prevent the magnetic body 988b housed inside the housing portion 986b from coming out of the housing portion 986b.

[0168] The second recess 987b is provided with a through hole 987b1 for fastening and fixing to the rear base 985 on the bottom surface of the recess. Further, the second recess 987b is formed such that the inner shape of the recessed portion has an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the protruding portion 986e of the rear base 985 described above. Thereby, the cover member 987 can be positioned and arranged by housing the second recess 987b in the protruding portion 986e of the rear base 985, and can be fastened to the fastening hole of the protruding portion 986e through the through hole 987b1 in the positioned state.

[0169] Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the operation of the distribution unit 983 when game balls flow into the distribution unit 980 from the inflow port 982d will be described. FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) are partial enlarged cross-sectional views of the distribution unit 980 in the range XIIIa of FIG. 12(b). In the following, only the case where the acting portion 983a of the distribution unit 983 is displaced from the state of restricting the feeding of game balls to one side of the first passage TR1 to the state of restricting the feeding of game balls to the other side of the second passage TR2 will be described, and the description of the case where the feeding of game balls to one side of the first passage TR1 is restricted from the state of restricting the feeding of game balls to the other side of the second passage TR2 will be omitted.

[0170] As shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b), before the game balls are fed to the distribution unit 983 (before the game balls contact the acting portion 983a), as described above, the magnetic body 988c disposed in the distribution 983 repels the magnetic body 988b (see FIG. 10), so that the intermediate plate 983b on the radially outer side from the through hole 983c is inclined toward the second passage TR2 side. Note that the rotation amount of the acting portion 983a on the second passage TR2 side is restricted by contacting the contact portion 982a1 of the front base 981 (see FIG. 13(a)).

[0171] When game balls are fed to the distribution unit 983 in this state, the game balls are fed between the intermediate plate 983b and the acting portion 983a on the first passage TR1 side. As described above, since the connection position of the acting portion 983a with the contact portion 983d is set on the side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) than the connection position of the intermediate plate 983b with the contact portion 983d, the load of the game balls can be applied to the acting portion 983a on the first passage TR1 side.

[0172] As a result, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the distribution unit 983 is rotationally displaced about the through hole 983c, and the intermediate plate 983b on the radially outer side from the through hole 983c is inclined toward the first passage TR1. Note that when the operating portion 983a on the first passage TR1 side abuts against the abutting portion 982a1 of the front base 981, the amount of rotation thereof is regulated. Further, in this case, the direction of repulsion of the magnetic body 988c is switched from the state in which it acts on the intermediate plate 983b on the radially outer side from the through hole 983c toward the second passage TR2 to the state in which it acts toward the first passage TR1.

[0173] Therefore, the distribution unit 983 can be rotationally displaced about the through hole 983c by utilizing the load of the game ball and the repulsive force of the magnetic body 988c. Further, since the direction of the repulsive force of the magnetic body 988c is switched, the distribution unit 983 can be maintained in a rotated state. Therefore, each time a game ball is fed, the distribution unit 983 displaces the inclination direction of the intermediate plate 983b, and can feed the game balls one by one to the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2.

[0174] Next, with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16, the configuration of the passage unit 990 will be described. FIG. 14(a) is a front view of the passage unit 990, and FIG. 14(b) is a side view of the passage unit 990. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective front view of the passage unit 990, and FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective rear view of the passage unit 990.

[0175] As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the passage unit 990 mainly includes a first passage member 991 having a plurality of openings through which the distribution unit 980 side is open, a second passage member 992 that feeds a game ball passing through the first passage member 991 disposed in the first passage member 991, a third passage member 993 that feeds the game ball that has passed through the second passage member 992 disposed in the second passage member 992, and a detection device SE4 disposed between the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993.

[0176] The first passage member 991 is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed from the front and is formed with a predetermined width on the side of the second passage member 992. Further, the first passage member 991 is formed with a first insertion hole 991a penetrating through to the other side (upper side in the gravity direction) in the gravity direction on the side of the sorting unit 980, a second insertion hole 991b penetrating through to one side (lower side in the gravity direction) in the gravity direction of the first insertion hole 991a, third insertion holes 991c and fourth insertion holes 991d penetrating through and formed on both adjacent sides in the horizontal direction of the second insertion hole 991b, and mainly includes a plurality of through holes 991f penetrating through in a circular shape around the outer periphery when viewed from the front.

[0177] The first insertion hole 991a is formed in a square shape where one side is larger than the diameter of the game ball when viewed from the front. Further, the first insertion hole 991a is formed at a position where the opening 985d of the sorting unit 980 and the internal space are continuous in a state where the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. Thereby, the game balls flowing down inside the sorting unit 980 and passing through the opening 985d can be received into the first insertion hole 991a.

[0178] Further, the inner surface on one side (lower side in the gravity direction) of the first insertion hole 991a is formed to be inclined downward toward the second passage member 992 side. Thereby, the game balls fed into the first insertion hole 991a can be rolled toward the second passage member 992 side.

[0179] Furthermore, an annular protrusion 991g having a fastening hole 991g1 for screwing a screw penetrating through the second passage member 992 is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the first insertion hole 991a. Thereby, the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 can be fastened and fixed.

[0180] The second insertion hole 991b is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a front view, and the width dimension in the short side direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the second insertion hole 991b is formed at a position where the internal space is continuous with the opening 985g of the distribution unit 980 in a state where the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. Thereby, the game ball flowing down inside the distribution unit 980 and passing through the opening 985g can be received by the second insertion hole 991b.

[0181] Further, in the second insertion hole 991b, the inner surface on one side in the gravity direction (lower side in the gravity direction) is formed to be inclined downward toward the second passage member 992 side. Thereby, the game ball fed into the second insertion hole 991b can be rolled toward the second passage member 992 side.

[0182] The third insertion hole 991c is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a front view, and the width dimension in the short side direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the third insertion hole 991c is formed at a position where the internal space is continuous with the opening 985e of the distribution unit 980 in a state where the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. Thereby, the game ball flowing down inside the distribution unit 980 (the first passage TR1) and passing through the opening 985e can be received by the third insertion hole 991c.

[0183] Further, the third insertion hole 991c includes recessed portions 991c1 recessed on both sides in the horizontal direction on the other side in the gravity direction (upper side in the gravity direction). The recessed portion 991c1 is a portion that houses the detection substrate SE1b of the detection device SE3 disposed in the distribution unit 980, and is formed to have substantially the same dimensions as the outer shape of the detection device SE3. Thereby, the detection substrate SE1b side of the detection device SE3 can be protected by the recessed portion 991c1, and it is possible to prevent the detection device SE3 from being illegally operated from the outside in a state where the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined.

[0184] Furthermore, when combining the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990, the detection substrate SE1b of the detection device SE3 disposed in the sorting unit 980 can be received inside the recessed portion 991c1 of the passage unit 990, so that the positioning of the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 can be achieved. As a result, it is possible to suppress a part of the detection device SE3 from protruding to the outside and to reduce the size of the entire ball feeding unit 970.

[0185] The third insertion hole 991c includes a protruding portion 991c2 that protrudes from the second insertion hole 991b side to the inner edge on the side of the second passage member 992, and the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is formed to have a downward slope in a direction away from the horizontally adjacent second insertion hole 991b. Thereby, the game ball flowing into the third insertion hole 991c can be made to collide with the protruding portion 991c2 and can be rolled in a direction away from the second insertion hole 991b (the left direction in FIG. 14(a)).

[0186] The fourth insertion hole 991d is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a front view, and the width dimension in the short side direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the fourth insertion hole 991d is formed at a position where the internal space of the opening 985f of the sorting unit 980 is continuous in a state where the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. Thereby, the game ball flowing down inside the sorting unit 980 (the second passage TR2) and passing through the opening 985f can be received by the fourth insertion hole 991d.

[0187] In addition, the fourth insertion hole 991d includes recessed portions 991d1 that are recessed on both sides in the horizontal direction on the other side in the direction of gravity (the upper side in the direction of gravity). The recessed portion 991d1 is a portion that houses the detection substrate SE1b of the detection device SE3 disposed in the sorting unit 980, and is formed to have substantially the same dimensions as the outer shape of the detection device SE3. Thereby, the detection substrate SE1b side of the detection device SE3 can be protected by the recessed portion 991d1, and it is possible to prevent the detection device SE3 from being illegally operated from the outside in a state where the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined.

[0188] Furthermore, the fourth insertion hole 991d is provided with a protruding portion 991d2 that protrudes from the inner edge on the second passage member 992 side toward the second insertion hole 991b, and the inner surface on one side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) is formed to be inclined downward in a direction away from the horizontally adjacent second insertion hole 991b. Thereby, the game ball flowing into the fourth insertion hole 991d can be made to collide with the protruding portion 991d2 and roll in a direction away from the second insertion hole 991b (right direction in FIG. 14(a)).

[0189] The second passage member 992 is formed in a substantially T-shaped plate shape that is vertically inverted in a front view, and mainly includes a fifth insertion hole 992b that penetrates the other side in the gravitational direction (upper side in the gravitational direction), a sixth insertion hole 992c that penetrates the one side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) of the fifth insertion hole 992b, and a standing wall 992a that stands on the inner peripheral edge of the fifth insertion hole 992b.

[0190] The fifth insertion hole 992b is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a front view, and the width dimension in the short side direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the fifth insertion hole 992b is formed at a position where the internal space of the first insertion hole 991a of the first passage member 991 is continuous in a state where the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 are combined. Thereby, the game ball passing through the first insertion hole 991a of the first passage member 991 can be received by the fifth insertion hole 992b.

[0191] The standing wall 992a stands from the entire edge of the fifth insertion hole 992b toward the third passage member 993 side. Also, the inner surface on one side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) of the standing wall 992a is formed to be inclined downward toward the third passage member 993 side. Thereby, the game ball fed into the fifth insertion hole 992b can be made to roll toward the third passage member 993 side (right side in FIG. 14(b)).

[0192] On the outer peripheral surface of the standing wall 992a, an engaging portion 992d protruding in the horizontal direction and a protruding wall 992e protruding in the horizontal direction from the end on the side of the first passage member 991 are formed. The engaging portion 992d protrudes in the horizontal direction and is formed in an L shape with its tip bent toward the third passage member 993 side. The engaging portion 992d has a wiring of a detection device SE3 disposed between the standing wall 992a and a detection device SE4 and a sorting unit 980 described later inserted therebetween. Thereby, since the wirings of the detection device SE3 and the detection device SE4 can be locked, it is possible to prevent the detection device SE3 and the detection device SE4 from coming out of the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990.

[0193] The protruding wall 992e is formed to protrude in a semi-circular shape in front view on both sides in the horizontal direction of the standing wall 992a and includes a through hole 992e1 penetrating the axis of the semi-circle. Further, the protruding wall 992e is formed at a position facing the annular protrusion 991g of the first passage member 991 in a state where the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 are combined, and the through hole 992e1 is positioned coaxially with the fastening hole 991g1. Thereby, by inserting a screw through the through hole 992e1 from the second passage member 992 side and screwing the screw into the fastening hole 991g1, the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 can be fastened and fixed.

[0194] The sixth insertion hole 992c is formed in a square shape in front view with one side larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the sixth insertion hole 992c is formed at a position where its internal space is continuous with the internal space of the second insertion hole 991b of the first passage member 991 in a state where the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 are combined. Thereby, the game ball passing through the second insertion hole 991b of the first passage member 991 can be received by the sixth insertion hole 992c.

[0195] Further, around the sixth insertion hole 992c, a guide wall 992c1 is formed that stands upright toward the third passage member 993 side. The guide wall 992c1 is formed of a first wall portion 992c2 that stands upright on one side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) of the sixth insertion hole 992c, and a second wall portion 992c3 that is continuous with an end portion in the extending direction of the first wall portion 992c2 and extends in the gravitational direction.

[0196] The first wall portion 992c2 and the second wall portion 992c3 are wall surfaces that serve as positioning for disposing the detection device SE4, and the dimensions in the facing between the standing wall 993e and the engaging portion 993d formed in the third passage member 993 are set to be substantially the same as the dimensions in the facing of the detection device SE4.

[0197] Further, the detection device SE4 is disposed at a position where the internal space of the detection hole SE1a is continuous with the internal space of the sixth insertion hole 992c. Thereby, the game ball passing through the sixth insertion hole 992c passes through the detection hole SE1a and is detected by the detection device SE4, and is fed to the third passage member 993 side.

[0198] Further, the second passage member 992 includes an annular protrusion 992f that protrudes toward the third passage member 993 side at a position spaced apart from the sixth insertion hole 992c in the horizontal direction (left - right direction in FIG. 14(a)). The annular protrusion 992f has a fastening hole 992f1 in the shape of a circular hole on its axis. The fastening hole 992f1 is a hole into which a screw passing through the third passage member 993 is screwed, whereby the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 can be fastened and fixed.

[0199] The first insertion hole 991a is formed in a square shape in a front view where one side is larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the first insertion hole 991a is formed at a position where the opening 985d of the sorting unit 980 and the internal space are continuous in a state where the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. Thereby, the game ball flowing down inside the sorting unit 980 and passing through the opening 985d can be received by the first insertion hole 991a.

[0200] Further, the inner surface of the first insertion hole 991a on one side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) is formed to be inclined downward toward the second passage member 992 side. Thereby, the game ball fed into the first insertion hole 991a can be rolled toward the second passage member 992 side.

[0201] Furthermore, an annular protrusion 991g having a fastening hole 991g1 for screwing a screw for inserting the second passage member 992 is formed by connecting to the outer peripheral portion of the first insertion hole 991a. Thereby, the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 can be fastened and fixed.

[0202] The second insertion hole 991b is formed in a vertically long rectangle in a front view, and the width dimension in the short side direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball. Further, the second insertion hole 991b is formed at a position where the opening 985g of the distribution unit 980 and the internal space are continuous in a state where the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. Thereby, the game ball flowing down inside the distribution unit 980 and passing through the opening 985g can be received into the second insertion hole 991b.

[0203] Further, the inner surface of the second insertion hole 991b on one side in the gravitational direction (lower side in the gravitational direction) is formed to be inclined downward toward the second passage member 992 side. Thereby, the game ball fed into the second insertion hole 991b can be rolled toward the second passage member 992 side.

[0204] The third passage member 993 is formed in a plate shape that is horizontally long in a front view. The third passage member 993 mainly includes a seventh insertion hole 993a formed to penetrate at a substantially intermediate position in the longitudinal direction, a guide wall 993b erected from the edge of the seventh insertion hole 993a, an erected wall 993e erected from the edge on the other side in the gravitational direction toward the second passage member 992 side, an engaging portion 993d protruding in the longitudinal direction, and a recess 993c recessed in the side surface on the second passage member 992 side.

[0205] The seventh insertion hole 993a is formed in a square shape in which one side is longer than the diameter of the game ball in a front view. Further, the seventh insertion hole 993a is formed at a position continuous with the internal space of the detection device SE4 disposed in the second passage member 992 in a state where the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 are combined. Thereby, the game ball that has passed through the seventh insertion hole 993a of the second passage member 992 and the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4 can be received by the seventh insertion hole 993a.

[0206] The guide wall 993b is erected from the edge portions in three directions excluding the other side (upper side in the gravity direction) of the seventh insertion hole 993a in the gravity direction toward the side opposite to the second passage member 992. Further, the inner surface on one side (lower side in the gravity direction) of the guide wall 993b is formed to be inclined upward (downward inclined toward the side opposite to the second passage member 992) toward the second passage member 992 side. Thereby, the game ball fed into the seventh insertion hole 993a can be rolled to the side opposite to the second passage member 992 side (right side in FIG. 14(b)).

[0207] Further, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the third passage member 993 is disposed on one side (lower side in FIG. 14(b)) in the gravity direction of the standing wall 992a of the second passage member 992. As described above, since the other side (upper side in FIG. 14(b)) of the third passage member 993 is open, the third passage member 993 can be disposed closer to the standing wall 992a accordingly. As a result, the opening 985d and the opening 985g of the above-described distribution unit 980 can be brought closer to each other, and the outer shape of the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 in the gravity direction can be miniaturized.

[0208] The standing wall 993e is set such that the distance dimension between the opposing surfaces of the second passage member 992 and the first wall portion 992c2 in a state where the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 are combined is substantially the same as the short-side distance dimension in the direction orthogonal to the axis of the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4. Thereby, the positioning of the detection device SE4 in the gravity direction can be achieved.

[0209] Also, on the upstream side (the side of the second passage member 992) where the game balls are fed, a first wall portion 992c2 for positioning the detection device SE4 downward in the gravitational direction is formed. As a result, it becomes easier to insert the game balls passing through the sixth insertion hole 992c into the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4.

[0210] That is, the detection hole SE1a is formed to have a dimension slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball for the purpose of preventing cheating by the player. Due to a slight positional deviation in the height of the rolling surface of the game ball, the game ball cannot be inserted into it. In this embodiment, on the upstream side (the side of the second passage member 992) where the game balls are fed, a first wall portion 992c2 for positioning the detection device SE4 downward in the gravitational direction is formed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the height between the sixth insertion hole 992c, the detection hole SE1a, and the rolling surface. As a result, it becomes easier to insert the game balls passing through the sixth insertion hole 992c into the detection hole SE1a.

[0211] The engaging portion 993d is formed to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the third passage member 993 and includes a bent portion 993d1 that bends toward the second passage member 992 at its protruding tip. The bent portion 993d1 is set such that the distance dimension between the opposing surfaces of the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 in the combined state is substantially the same as the longitudinal side distance dimension in the direction orthogonal to the axis of the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4. Thereby, the positioning of the detection device SE4 in the horizontal direction can be achieved.

[0212] The recess 993c is formed at a position facing the annular protrusion 992f of the second passage member 992 in the combined state of the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993, and is formed to have an inner edge shape larger than the outer diameter of the annular protrusion 992f. Further, the recess 993c is provided with a through hole 993c1 formed coaxially with the fastening hole 992f1 of the annular protrusion 992f on its recessed bottom surface. Thereby, the annular protrusion 992f of the second passage member 992 is inserted into the recess 993c, and a screw is inserted through the through hole 993c1 from the side of the third passage member 993 and screwed into the fastening hole 992f1, so that the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 can be fastened and fixed.

[0213] According to the ball-feeding unit 970 configured as described above, since the ball-feeding unit 970 is formed from a unit different from the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140 and is disposed on the back side (opposite to the game area) of the front unit 940 including the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140, by replacing the ball-feeding unit 970 (the distributing unit 980) and disposing another unit, another game form can be achieved without affecting the flow of the game balls flowing down in the game area.

[0214] Next, with reference to FIGS. 17 to 69, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the case where the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 of the distributing unit 980 are formed as passages for guiding the balls backward without allowing the balls to move forward has been described. However, in the distributing unit 300 of the second embodiment, it is configured to allow the balls to move forward. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the above-described embodiments, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0215] First, with reference to FIGS. 17 to 35, the details of the configuration of the game board 13 will be described, and then, with reference to FIGS. 36 to 69, the details of the configuration of the operation unit 500 will be described.

[0216] FIG. 17 is a front exploded perspective view of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, an internal opening is formed in the center frame 86 disposed inside the game board 13, and the player can visually recognize the operation unit 500 through the internal opening of the center frame 86.

[0217] In addition, in this embodiment, since the base plate 60 of the game board 13 is formed of a light-transmissive resin material, the visual recognition is not limited to the visual recognition mode through the internal opening of the center frame 86, and the operation unit 500 can be visually recognized through the base plate 60 located outside the center frame 86.

[0218] FIG. 18 is a front view of the game board 13, FIG. 19 is a rear view of the game board 13, FIG. 20 is a front perspective view of the game board 13, and FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view of the game board 13. In FIG. 18, the windmill FS1 and the nail KG1, which were not shown in FIG. 2, are also shown.

[0219] In the present embodiment, as will be described later, an upper connecting member 270 is provided that substitutes for the function of the nail to distribute the flow path of the balls. In the range where the upper connecting member 270 is disposed, the nail KG1 is not disposed.

[0220] Thereby, it is possible to avoid the non-permeability of the nail KG1 acting as a drawback. In other words, by removing the nail KG1 from the upper position of the center frame 86 (the position above the center frame 86 and below the outer rail 62) where the upper connecting member 270 is disposed, it is possible to avoid the light passing through the upper position of the center frame 86 being reflected or blocked by the nail KG1 in various directions, so that the visibility of the light effect at the upper position of the center frame 86 can be improved. The mode of the light effect at the upper position of the center frame 86 will be described later.

[0221] In FIG. 19, the shape of the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 is formed from a shape that is recessed upward at the left and right center positions, and a sensor cover 254 that is also used to hold the electrical wiring DH1 connected to the electrical decoration board 251 disposed in the recessed portion is shown.

[0222] As shown in FIG. 19, below the center frame 86, on the back side of the base plate 60, a collecting gutter 480 that constitutes the flow path of the balls that have entered the general winning opening 63 and a wide decorative member 490 that is disposed above the collecting gutter 480 and is formed in a shape that straddles the rear side of the first winning opening 64 are fastened and fixed.

[0223] The collecting gutter 480 is formed of a colorless and transparent resin material. This can prevent the collecting gutter 480 from blocking the incidence of light from the back side. Also, in a front view, the visibility of the balls that enter the general winning opening 63 and flow down the collecting gutter 480 can be improved.

[0224] The wide decorative member 490 is formed of a colored transparent (blue in this embodiment) resin material. This can make the wide decorative member 490 conspicuous to the player who views the game area in a front view.

[0225] The wide decorative member 490 is provided with fastening screw insertion holes 491 at its left and right ends. Fastening screws that are screwed into the collecting gutter 480 are inserted through the insertion holes 491, and the wide decorative member 490 is fastened and fixed to the collecting gutter 480 by the fastening screws. This can connect the attention paid to the wide decorative member 490 to the attention paid to the balls flowing down the collecting gutter 480.

[0226] The wide decorative member 490 includes a pair of left and right inclined forming portions 492 formed at the same inclination angle as that of a plate-like portion (ceiling plate portion 455) that rolls the balls above the general winning opening 63, behind the plate-like portion, and a central forming portion 493 extending in the left-right direction inside the left and right of the inclined forming portions 492.

[0227] The upper surface of the inclined forming portion 492 is arranged along a plate-like portion (ceiling plate portion 455) that rolls the balls above the general winning opening 63 in a front view. Therefore, even when the plate-like portion that rolls the balls is formed of a colorless and transparent resin material, in a front view, it can be made to appear as if the balls are rolling on the inclined forming portion 492, making it easier to grasp the flow path of the balls.

[0228] The central forming portion 493 constitutes the ceiling portion of the flow-down path (the inclined extension portion 315, which will be described later) of the ball that has entered the first winning port 64. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ball from dropping out of the flow-down path, and even when the flow-down path of the ball that has entered the first winning port 64 is formed of a colorless transparent resin material, the central forming portion 493 formed of a colored transparent resin material makes it easier to grasp the flow-down path of the ball in a front view.

[0229] In FIG. 20, above and below the center frame 86, resin members such as the upper connecting member 270 having a portion protruding into the game area and formed of a light-transmissive resin material, and the winning port constituting member 400 are illustrated. These resin members can produce an effect of stably maintaining the flow state of the balls, but the details will be described later. In FIG. 20, the illustration of the nail KG1 and the windmill FS1 is omitted.

[0230] First, to explain the outline, as a common effect of resin members such as the upper connecting member 270 and the winning port constituting member 400, it is easy to repair when they are cracked or chipped. This effect is not achieved when using a commonly used metal nail.

[0231] In the case of the nails implanted in the base plate 60, there is a possibility that the nails may bend or break when the balls collide or when the operator accidentally applies an overload to the nails. When it bends, there is a possibility that it can be restored to its original state by bending it by the same amount in the opposite direction, but when it breaks, it is difficult to restore it to its original state.

[0232] Originally, the driving of the nails into the base plate 60 is performed by an automatic machine, and it is not driven one by one individually, but a method of driving them all at once for the entire game board is common. Therefore, even if only one nail is missing, it is difficult to drive the missing single nail again with the other nails implanted, and there is a possibility that the entire base plate 60 needs to be replaced.

[0233] At this time, since rails 61 and 62, outer edge members 73, etc. are assembled to the base plate 60, it is necessary to reassemble these assembled members to the base plate 60 of the replacement destination or replace these members as a whole. In any case, the repair cost is likely to increase.

[0234] On the other hand, when a part of a resin member such as the upper connecting member 270 or the winning opening constituent member 400 is cracked or chipped, the repair can be completed by replacing it with a new member, and there is no need to replace the base plate 60. Further, since the resin member is independent of the rails 61 and 62, the outer edge member 73, etc., no cost related to the rails 61 and 62, the outer edge member 73, etc. is incurred when replacing the resin member, so that the repair cost can be suppressed.

[0235] In FIG. 21, regarding the lighting substrate 251 and the substrate holding plate 252 disposed above the center frame 86, the substrate holding plate 252 is disposed so as to enter within the plate thickness dimension of the base plate 60, and it is shown that the lighting substrate 251 disposed on the front side of the substrate holding plate 252 is disposed so as to be accommodated inside the thickness dimension of the base plate 60. Details will be described later.

[0236] As shown in FIG. 21, the base plate 60 is provided with a plurality of fitting portions 60c projecting in a cylindrical shape with the outer shape portion tapering toward the back side from the back surface of the plate. The fitting portion 60c has a female screw formed on the inner diameter side, and functions as a portion into which a fastening screw is screwed when fastening and fixing the operation unit 500 to the base plate 60.

[0237] FIG. 22 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13, and FIG. 23 is an exploded back perspective view of the game board 13. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the game board 13 includes a base plate 60, a central configuration unit 240 disposed inside the base plate 60 and having a center frame 86, an upper connecting member 270 that connects the upper part of the central configuration unit 240 and the base plate 60 and restricts the flow direction of the balls flowing down in the game area, and a thin plate member 290 disposed between the upper connecting member 270 and the central configuration unit 240.

[0238] Details of the central component unit 240 will be described later. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 22, a fixing portion 244 used for positioning and fixing the thin plate member 290 is formed in the central component unit 240.

[0239] FIG. 24 is an exploded front perspective view of the central component unit 240, and FIG. 25 is an exploded rear perspective view of the central component unit 240. The central component unit 240 is a unit that is assembled in a ring shape when disposed in the central opening 60b of the base plate 60, has a center frame 86, and guides the flow of the balls.

[0240] The central component unit 240 includes an upper component member 241 that constitutes the upper portion of the center frame 86 and a lower component member 261 that constitutes the lower portion of the center frame 86. The upper component member 241 and the lower component member 261 are made of a light-transmissive resin material and respectively constitute the upper and lower halves of an annular shape, thereby constituting the center frame 86 that surrounds the third symbol display device in a front view in the assembled state (see FIG. 18).

[0241] In this way, instead of configuring the center frame 86 as a single annular unit, by combining a plurality of members to form an annular shape, the size of the resin mold required for molding the resin member can be reduced. Thereby, the manufacturing cost of the resin mold can be suppressed.

[0242] For example, when the shape of the upper edge portion of the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 is not formed in a shape that is recessed upward corresponding to the shape of the thin plate portion 242 at the left and right central portions as in the present embodiment, but is formed in a substantially arc shape, and the design of the base plate 60 is changed, since the center frame 86 can be assembled to the base plate 60 by only corresponding to and changing the design of the upper half (upper component member 241), for the lower half (lower component member 261), the members designed corresponding to the present embodiment can be diverted.

[0243] Accordingly, for the minor changes made by changing the design of the base plate 60 or changing the shape of the center frame 86 to improve the appearance, it is not necessary to newly manufacture a large mold that encompasses the entire center frame 86, so the mold cost can be reduced.

[0244] The upper constituent member 241 includes a thin plate portion 242 disposed flush with the front surface of the base plate 60 in the assembled state (see FIG. 18), a strip-shaped frame portion 245 that extends in a strip shape on the front side of the thin plate portion 242 and is formed with a dimension that does not allow a ball to pass between it and the glass unit 16 (see FIG. 1) during the game and is formed to guide the flow-down of the ball, and a decorative portion 247 disposed on the lower side and the left and right inner sides of the strip-shaped frame portion 245 and forming a substantially arc shape.

[0245] The thin plate portion 242 includes an extended portion 243 that extends to the back side for reinforcement at the left, right, and upper edges, and a fixing portion 244 that is used for positioning and fixing to the upper connecting member 270 (see FIGS. 22 and 23).

[0246] The extended portion 243 is designed such that the front-to-back width is approximately the same as the plate thickness of the base plate 60. That is, the front-to-back thickness of the thin plate portion 242, which has a shorter front-to-back width than the extended portion 243, is designed to be thinner than the plate thickness of the base plate 60. This makes it easier to secure a space on the back side of the thin plate portion 242.

[0247] The fixing portion 244 includes a recessed portion 244a that is recessed for positioning with the upper connecting member 270 (see FIGS. 22 and 23), a protruding portion 244b that is disposed in proximity to the recessed portion 244a and protrudes to the front side, and a fastening portion 244c into which a fastening screw inserted from the front side into the upper connecting member 271 is screwed, and these are provided at symmetric left and right positions.

[0248] The thin plate portion 242 is arranged flush with the base plate 60, and the protruding portion 244b can be formed at any position on the front side. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the design of the positioning with the upper connecting member 270 (see FIGS. 22 and 23) can be improved. Note that the assembly of the upper connecting member 270 using the fixing portion 244 will be described later.

[0249] The decorative portion 247 is formed with a plurality of three-dimensional patterns and figures, and is formed so as to have lower light transmittance compared to the thin plate portion 242. Thus, the decorative portion 247 can be used as a portion that divides the field of view while slightly remaining light transmissive.

[0250] So far, the configuration on the front side of the upper structural member 241 has been mainly described. Next, the configuration disposed on the back side of the upper structural member 241 will be described. The upper structural member 241 includes a lighting decoration substrate 251 fastened and fixed to a fastening portion formed on the back side of the thin plate portion 242, a substrate holding plate 252 fastened together with fastening screws for fastening and fixing the lighting decoration substrate 251, a dish-shaped member 253 sandwiched between the lighting decoration substrate 251 and the thin plate portion 242 and formed in a dish shape that widens toward the front side, and a sensor cover 254 fastened and fixed at a position on the back side of the decorative portion 247 on the left and right sides (the right side in this embodiment) of the upper structural member 241.

[0251] The substrate holding plate 252 is not symmetric in shape, and the formation of the lower right portion is omitted compared to the left side portion. This enables easy connection of the electrical wiring DH1 (see FIG. 19) passed from the sensor cover 254 side. That is, the connection terminal 251a of the lighting decoration substrate 251 is disposed on the back surface of the lower right side portion of the substrate, and the shape of the substrate holding plate 252 is designed to facilitate the connection of the electrical wiring DH1 to this position.

[0252] Furthermore, the substrate holding plate 252 includes a recessed portion 252a formed in a curved shape that protrudes upward at the left and right center positions. The recessed portion 252a is a portion formed for the purpose of improving the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the operation unit 500, and the details will be described later.

[0253] The sensor cover 254 is a fixing member for arranging a capacitance sensor (for example, a sensor capable of detecting that a player holds a hand in front of the glass unit 16) inside and fixing the capacitance sensor. In the present embodiment, it is not only used for fixing the capacitance sensor but also serves as a relay portion of the electrical wiring DH1 connected to the illumination board 251.

[0254] That is, by fixing the electrical wiring DH1 to the hook-shaped portion formed on the illumination board 251 with a binding band or the like, the electrical wiring DH1 can be held at the back position of the decorative portion 247. Thereby, the electrical wiring DH1 can be hidden so as not to be easily visible to the player. In this way, by using the sensor cover 254 to hold the arrangement of the electrical wiring DH1, compared with the case of preparing a dedicated member for holding the arrangement of the electrical wiring DH1, the assembly man-hour can be reduced and the material cost can be reduced.

[0255] The lower constituent member 261 includes a thin plate portion 262 fastened and fixed to the front surface of the base plate 60 in the assembled state (see FIG. 18), a strip-shaped extending portion 263 extending in a strip shape from the thin plate portion 262 to the back side, a back covering portion 264 fastened and fixed to a fastening portion formed at the extending end portion of the strip-shaped extending portion 263 and covering the back side of the strip-shaped extending portion 263, and a pair of left and right flow path front constituent portions 265 fastened and fixed to the front side of the left and right lower end portions of the thin plate portion 262 and constituting a flow-down path for flowing the ball to the back side between the thin plate portion 262 and a pair of left and right flow path rear constituent portions 266 fastened and fixed to the back side of the left and right lower end portions of the thin plate portion 262 and forming a flow-down path for guiding the ball to the upper surface of the strip-shaped extending portion 263 by combining with a semi-constituent portion protruding from the thin plate portion 262 of the flow path front constituent portion 265 to the left and right inner sides.

[0256] The strip-like extending portion 263 has an upper surface portion that slopes downward toward the left and right central portions, and functions to return the rolled ball to the front side of the base plate 60. At the left and right central portions of the strip-like extending portion 263, there are a central rear inclined portion 263a that slopes downward toward the rear side so that the balls with their left-right direction speed reduced can flow easily to the rear side, and a pair of left and right front inclined portions 263b that are disposed slightly below the central rear inclined portion 263a on both the left and right sides of the central rear inclined portion 263a and slope downward toward the front side so that the balls with their left-right direction speed reduced can flow easily to the front side, and a ball discharge hole 263c that is formed to penetrate through the strip-like extending portion 263 so as to be able to discharge the balls that have been guided to the front side by the back covering portion 264 after flowing to the rear side and flowing down by the central rear inclined portion 263a, to the front side of the base plate 60.

[0257] In relation to the strip-like extending portion 263, the back covering portion 264 basically closes to prevent the balls from dropping off from the rear end side of the strip-like extending portion 263, but only behind the central rear inclined portion 263a, a gap is formed between the strip-like extending portion 263 and the back covering portion 264 so that the balls can flow downward. The balls guided to the front side through this gap are discharged from the ball discharge hole 263c.

[0258] The ball discharge hole 263c is disposed at the left and right central positions, and the first winning port 64 is disposed below it (see FIG. 18). Therefore, the balls discharged from the ball discharge hole 263c enter the first winning port 64 with a high probability (with a higher probability than the balls approaching the first winning port 64 while being bounced by the nail KG1). Therefore, when the balls are guided to the strip-like extending portion 263, the attention to the balls can be improved.

[0259] The front flow path forming portion 265 forms a guiding path for guiding the balls flowing down the front side of the thin plate portion 262 to the rear side, and the rear flow path forming portion 266 guides the balls to the upper surface of the strip-like extending portion 263 by forming the rear end surface of the guiding path. In other words, the front flow path forming portion 265 and the rear flow path forming portion 266 form a tunnel-shaped portion for discharging the balls flowing in from the front side of the base plate 60 to the upper surface of the strip-like extending portion 263.

[0260] Returning to FIGS. 22 and 23 for description. The upper connecting member 270 is a member formed of a light-transmissive resin material, and includes a thin plate-like portion 271, projecting portions 272 to 277 that project from the back side to the front side with the plate-like portion 271 as the base end, a thin portion 278 that is partially formed thin on the back side of the plate-like portion 271, and a projecting portion 279 that is formed to project on the back side at the thin portion 278.

[0261] The plate-like portion 271 is formed in a left-right symmetric bow shape that is long in the left-right direction in a front view, and the shape of the lower edge portion is adapted to the shape of the upper edge portion of the center frame 86. Further, the upper edge portion of the plate-like portion 271 has a curved shape. Specifically, the tangent line at a specific point on the upper edge portion of the plate-like portion 271 is parallel to the tangent line at the corresponding point of the outer rail 62 disposed close to the specific point.

[0262] A space about the diameter of a ball (game ball) is provided between the outer rail 62 and the plate-like portion 271 (see FIG. 18). This can facilitate avoiding a situation where a ball rolling along the outer rail 62 collides with the plate-like portion 271 and its momentum is attenuated.

[0263] That is, before the ball introduced into the game area collides with the plate-like portion 271, the ball is configured to move away from the outer rail 62. In other words, as long as the ball is in contact with the outer rail 62, the ball will not collide with the plate-like portion 271. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where a ball launched with the maximum launch intensity (for example, a ball that rolls in contact with the outer rail 62 until it collides with the return rubber 69) collides with the plate-like portion 271 and its momentum is attenuated.

[0264] This can avoid unnecessary attenuation of the ball and can also avoid the plate-like portion 271 from cracking or chipping due to the collision of the ball with the maximum launch intensity with the plate-like portion 271.

[0265] Note that the distance between the outer rail 62 and the plate-like portion 271 is not limited to about the diameter of the ball, and various modes are exemplified. For example, considering the shape of the ball, the distance may be changed in the front-rear direction (the distance becomes wider as it moves away from the base plate 60) so as to avoid collision between the ball and the plate-like portion 271. In this case, since the distance between the plate-like portion 271 and the outer rail 62 on the side closer to the base plate 60 can be narrowed, when the plate-like portion 271 is decorated, the formation area of the decoration can be increased.

[0266] The protruding portions 272 to 277 are portions that protrude from the positions symmetric about the left and right center of the plate-like portion 271 in a left-right symmetric shape with respect to the left and right center of the plate-like portion 271, and each of them substitutes for the function of a nail.

[0267] From the left and right center sides, they will be described as the first protruding portion 272, the second protruding portion 273, the third protruding portion 274, the fourth protruding portion 275, the fifth protruding portion 276, and the sixth protruding portion 277.

[0268] The first protruding portion 272 and the second protruding portion 273 are arranged on the front surface of the central configuration unit 240 via the thin plate member 290. The third protruding portion 274 is arranged so as to straddle the central configuration unit 240 and the base plate 60. The fourth protruding portion 275, the fifth protruding portion 276, and the sixth protruding portion 277 are arranged on the front surface of the base plate 60.

[0269] Thus, since each of the protruding portions 272 to 277 is arranged on the front side of a different member, differences may occur in its function and design concept, the details of which will be described later.

[0270] The thin portion 278 is a portion formed to be thin by shifting the back surface of the plate forward by the thickness dimension of the thin plate member 290 or a dimension slightly exceeding the thickness dimension in order to arrange the thin plate member 290. In the present embodiment, instead of the mode in which the thin plate member 290 is held by applying a pressing force from the thin portion 278 to the thin plate member 290, a mode in which the thin plate member 290 is held by the fixing portion 244 (see FIG. 22) is adopted.

[0271] Note that the displacement dimension of the back surface of the plate toward the front side in the thin-walled portion 278 is not limited to the case where it is formed to be equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of the thin plate member 290, and various modes are exemplified. For example, the displacement of the back surface of the plate toward the front side may be designed to have a dimension less than the thickness dimension of the thin plate member 290. In this case, by forming the thin plate member 290 to be stretchable (compressible) in the thickness direction, it is possible to easily fix the arrangement of the thin plate member 290 while avoiding excessive pressure being applied to the thin plate member 290.

[0272] Also, for example, only the portion corresponding to the edge of the thin plate member 290 may be made to reduce the displacement of the back surface of the plate in the thin-walled portion 278 toward the front side. In this case, the range where pressure is applied to the thin plate member 290 can be limited to the edge of the thin plate member 290.

[0273] The protruding portion 279 is a portion that is inserted into the positioning hole 291 formed in the thin plate member 290 and is a protruding portion for positioning the thin plate member 290. Since a recess (depression) corresponding to the shape of the protruding portions 272, 273 is formed on the back side of the arrangement position of the first protruding portion 272 or the second protruding portion 273 in the thin-walled portion 278, the protruding portion 279 cannot be protruded from this position. That is, the protruding portion 279 protrudes from a position within the thin-walled portion 278 that avoids the arrangement of the first protruding portion 272 and the second protruding portion 273.

[0274] The thin plate member 290 is a member formed in a thin plate shape (sheet shape) from a light-transmissive resin material, and includes a plurality of positioning holes 291 formed for positioning during assembly, and a plurality of insertion holes 292 formed as holes through which fastening screws for fastening and fixing the upper connecting member 270 to the central component unit 240 are inserted.

[0275] The positioning holes 291 include a hole 291a formed on the left and right outer sides through which the protruding portion 244b of the central configuration unit 240 is inserted, and a hole 291b formed on the left and right inner sides through which the protruding portion 279 of the upper connecting member 270 is inserted. That is, the thin plate member 290 is used for positioning with both the central configuration unit 240 and the upper connecting member 270.

[0276] In this embodiment, the left and right outer sides mean the left and right edge sides of the game board 13 or the operation unit 500 in a front view, and the left and right inner sides mean the left and right central part sides of the game board 13 or the operation unit 500 in a front view.

[0277] As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the protruding portion 244b is formed at a position facing the recessed portion on the back side of the second overhanging portion 273. Therefore, in a front view, the protruding portion 244b is hidden by the second overhanging portion 273. Thereby, while reducing the visibility of the protruding portion 244b, the positioning (position stabilization) action of the thin plate member 290 by the protruding portion 244b can be caused.

[0278] As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, by making the portion formed on the upper connecting member 270 a protruding portion 279 instead of a hole portion, a positioning portion can be configured without problems even in a narrow range such as the boundary position of the overhanging portions 272 and 273. In other words, when forming a through hole or a recess in a narrow range, the member thickness may become excessively thin and the strength may be insufficient, but such a situation can be avoided.

[0279] In other words, it is easy to avoid the situation where the arrangement of the overhanging portions 272 and 273 is restricted or the strength is reduced due to the positioning portion of the thin plate member 290. That is, when forming a positioning hole portion at the boundary position of the overhanging portions 272 and 273, it is necessary to make the width length of the boundary position of the overhanging portions 272 and 273 equal to or greater than the width length of the hole portion (or the diameter or more if the hole portion is circular), and there is a possibility that the strength of the overhanging portions 272 and 273 is reduced by the amount of material cut by the hole portion. According to this embodiment, these problems can be easily solved.

[0280] On the other hand, as described above, since the back surfaces of the protruding portions 272 and 273 are recessed and the protruding portion 279 cannot be formed at this position, for this position, as shown in FIG. 22, the protruding portion 244b can be made to protrude from the central configuration unit 240, so that the positioning portions (the protruding portions 244b and 279) of the thin plate member 290 can be arranged without being restricted by the arrangement of the protruding portions 272 and 273.

[0281] Thus, according to the present embodiment, by forming the protruding portions 244b and 279 for positioning the thin plate member 290 on both the central configuration unit 240 and the upper connecting member 270, it is possible to avoid the arrangement of the positioning portion of the thin plate member 290 being restricted while maintaining a high degree of design freedom and strength of the upper connecting member 270, so that the position of the thin plate member 290 can be stabilized.

[0282] Furthermore, by designing the protruding portion 279 inserted through the thin plate member 290 to be insertable into the recessed portion 244a of the central configuration unit 240, it is possible to position the thin plate member 290 with respect to the central configuration unit 240 and the upper connecting member 270, and at the same time, to position the upper connecting member 270 with respect to the central configuration unit 240.

[0283] The thin plate member 290 is a member that can be visually recognized by the player through the upper connecting member 270. Although not shown deliberately, in the present embodiment, patterns, figures, characters or characters are vividly drawn on the front surface of the thin plate member 290, and depending on the difference in the light emission mode (difference in color tone and light and dark mode) of the light emitted from the LED arranged on the illumination substrate 251 of the central configuration unit 240, the color and light and dark modes visually recognized through the thin plate member 290 vary variously.

[0284] Different from the case of directly drawing patterns, figures, characters or characters on the base plate 60, according to the present embodiment, if the thin plate member 290 is removed, the patterns, figures, characters or characters drawn on the thin plate member 290 can be removed from the game board 13, so that the appearance of the game board 13 can be easily changed.

[0285] For example, when changing the game properties while reusing the same shape of the game board 13 (so-called, different specifications), the patterns, figures, characters or characters, colors, etc. drawn on the game board 13 may be made different so that the player can easily grasp the game properties.

[0286] When the patterns, figures, characters or characters are directly drawn on the base plate 60, it is necessary to replace the entire base plate 60, so it is likely to replace the entire game board 13, and the cost tends to increase when changing the game properties.

[0287] On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, it is sufficient to replace the thin plate member 290 with another thin plate member 290 having different patterns, figures, characters or characters, colors, etc. drawn thereon, so there is no need to replace the entire game board 13. Therefore, it is easy to suppress the cost for changing the game properties.

[0288] FIG. 26 is an enlarged front view of the game board 13 in the range XXVI of FIG. 18, FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board 13 taken along line XXVII-XXVII of FIG. 26, and FIG. 28 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board 13 taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII of FIG. 26.

[0289] As shown in FIG. 26, while the protruding portions 272 to 277 are formed in individual shapes, when the ball introduced into the game area collides, they have a common purpose of flowing down the ball to the left and right sides of the center frame 86 while reducing the momentum of the ball.

[0290] Conventionally, the protruding portions 272 to 277 have been formed as substitutes for nails that may have been implanted in the same arrangement. That is, each of the protruding portions 272 to 277 is designed in a shape that surrounds a plurality of implanted nails when viewed from the front.

[0291] As can be seen in common among the first payout section 272, the second payout section 273, and the third payout section 274, the upper surface is formed wider compared to other side surfaces. As a result, regardless of the position on the upper surface where the ball lands, the ball that lands can be configured to flow in the same direction along the inclination of the upper surface. Thereby, even if the adjustment of the launching force is slightly off, it becomes easier for the ball to flow down through a similar flow path, so it is possible to relieve the stress of the player during the game who wants the ball to flow down through the same path.

[0292] Since the third payout section 274 and the fourth payout section 275 are arranged adjacent to each other, even a slight deviation in the adjustment of the launching force of the ball will change which one the ball reaches, but the inclinations of the upper surfaces are significantly different. That is, the upper surface of the third payout section 274 is a descending inclined surface that gently inclines toward the left and right inner sides, whereas the upper surface of the fourth payout section 275 is formed as a descending inclined surface that steeply inclines toward the left and right inner sides.

[0293] Therefore, the ball that reaches and flows down on the upper surface of the fourth payout section 275 will bounce back upward significantly when colliding with the center frame 86 and is likely to lose its momentum. Therefore, it is easy for the ball to flow toward the out port 71 or toward the general winning port 63 without reaching the first winning port 64 on the downstream side of the game area.

[0294] On the other hand, the ball that reaches and flows down on the upper surface of the third payout section 274 collides with the center frame 86 in the left - right direction, and the load in the bouncing - back direction can also be utilized as the momentum of the flow, so it is easy for the ball to reach the first winning port 64 on the downstream side of the game area.

[0295] That is, the shapes of the payout sections 272 - 276 are designed such that the flow pattern of the ball on the downstream side of the game area changes depending on which payout section 272 - 276 the ball reaches. Thereby, it is possible to encourage the player to actively adjust the launching force of the ball.

[0296] As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the base plate 60 and the extension portion 243 of the central configuration unit 240 are designed to be arranged with gaps CL1 and CL2 of about the thickness of the thin plate portion 242 of the central configuration unit 240 between them vertically.

[0297] That is, it is not the design concept that the central configuration unit 240 is positioned in the central opening 60b of the base plate 60, but a gap is provided between the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 and the central configuration unit 240, and the alignment of the central configuration unit 240 with respect to the base plate 60 is simultaneously performed during fastening and fixing (connection) by the upper connecting member 270.

[0298] As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, a thin plate member 290 and a central configuration unit 240 are arranged on the back surface of the first overhanging portion 272, while a base plate 60 is arranged on the back surface of the third overhanging portion 274. Thus, the members arranged on the back surfaces of the overhanging portions 272 to 277 are not all the same and may be different.

[0299] As shown in FIG. 27, since the thin plate portion 242 of the central configuration unit 240 is formed with a thin wall, for example, when the first overhanging portion 272 is deflected and deformed due to a load applied to the first overhanging portion 272, the thin plate portion 242 of the central configuration unit 240 can also be deflected and deformed, so that the load applied to the first overhanging portion 272 can be absorbed. Thereby, the possibility that the first overhanging portion 272 cracks or chips can be reduced.

[0300] Therefore, for example, when a ball collides with the first overhanging portion 272, even if the momentum of the ball is very large, the momentum of the ball can be sufficiently reduced by the deflection and deformation of the first overhanging portion 272 and the deflection and deformation of the thin plate portion 242 caused by the influence of the deflection and deformation, so that the flow-down of the ball after colliding with the first overhanging portion 272 can be stabilized.

[0301] As described above, the bending deformation of the thin plate portion 242 is likely to occur because the structure adopted is not one in which the thin plate portion 242 and the base plate 60 are fitted together, but rather a structure in which gaps CL1 and CL2 are provided therebetween. That is, in the present embodiment, by providing the gaps CL1 and CL2 between the thin plate portion 242 and the base plate 60, the central configuration unit 240 is bent and deformed, so that the load applied to the first overhanging portion 272 can be released.

[0302] A similar effect can be expected for the second overhanging portion 273. Note that the loads applied to the first overhanging portion 272 include loads due to the collision of game balls, loads applied by store clerks at game arcades when eliminating ball jams in the game area, loads applied by workers performing maintenance work, and the like.

[0303] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 28, since the base plate 60 is formed thick enough not to bend, for example, when a load is applied to the third overhanging portion 274, it is not possible to expect the effect of releasing the load due to the bending deformation of the base plate 60. However, since the height position of the third overhanging portion 274 is lower than those of the overhanging portions 272 and 273, the momentum of the colliding ball is relatively small. Therefore, even in the configuration where the third overhanging portion 274 is arranged in front of the base plate 60, the possibility of the third overhanging portion 274 cracking or chipping can be reduced.

[0304] Furthermore, considering that if the momentum of the ball colliding with the third overhanging portion 274 is excessively reduced at a location where the momentum of the colliding ball is relatively small, the flow of the ball may stop, the present embodiment adopts a configuration in which the third overhanging portion 274 is arranged in front of the base plate 60.

[0305] In addition, since the bending of the third overhanging portion 274 is suppressed and the state is stable, it is distributed to the left and right sides of the center frame 86, and in an arrangement close to the left and right side regions and the lower side region of the center frame 86, which are the game areas where nails are implanted, the guiding of the ball can be stabilized. Therefore, the correspondence between the launching intensity of the ball and the flowing state of the ball can be stabilized.

[0306] In order to surely avoid the third protruding portion 274 from cracking or chipping, it is preferable to design the collision angle with the ball, the shape of the third protruding portion 274, etc. so that the load applied to the third protruding portion 274 becomes small (so that the load can easily escape). For the fourth protruding portion 275 to the sixth protruding portion 277, it is also preferable to adopt the same design concept.

[0307] The advantages of using the protruding portions 272 to 277 as substitutes for the nails KG1 implanted in the base plate 60 will be described. In particular, the production effect can be improved. That is, in the case of the protruding portions 272 to 277 formed of a resin material with light transmissivity, there are fewer parts that obscure the view for the player compared to the metal nails KG1.

[0308] For example, even in a configuration where the electric decoration substrate 251 and the thin plate member 290 are arranged on the back side of the protruding portions 272 and 273 as in this embodiment (see FIG. 27), since the protruding portions 272 and 273 transmit light, the light emitted from the light emitting means such as the LEDs arranged on the electric decoration substrate 251, the patterns, figures, characters or characters drawn on the thin plate member 290 can be made easily visible to the player.

[0309] The electric decoration substrate 251 includes a central light emitting means 251b composed of four LEDs arranged at the central position of the lower side portion, a peripheral light emitting means 251c composed of seven LEDs arranged so as to surround the left and right sides and the upper side of the central light emitting means 251b, and a far - away light emitting means 251d composed of two LEDs arranged near both left and right ends. In FIG. 26, the arrangement in this embodiment is shown by hidden lines. The light irradiation directions of the respective light emitting means 251b, 251c, and 251d are not necessarily unified, and the objects to be illuminated are different.

[0310] The central light-emitting means 251b irradiates the symbol mark (illustrated in white in Fig. 26) at the left and right center portions of the decorative portion 247 of the central component unit 240 with the irradiation direction of light being the forward direction (the optical axis being in the front-rear direction). In order to faintly emit light from the entire symbol mark, it is designed such that the width angle in the irradiation direction with respect to the optical axis of the light irradiated from the central light-emitting means 251b becomes large.

[0311] The peripheral light-emitting means 251c is arranged such that the irradiation direction of light is the forward direction (the optical axis being in the front-rear direction), and light is introduced into portions having a width in the front-rear direction, such as the belt-shaped frame portion 245 and the edges of the protruding portions 272 and 273. In order to prevent the light visible to the player from becoming weak after passing through a portion having a long width in the front-rear direction, the width angle in the irradiation direction with respect to the optical axis of the light irradiated from the peripheral light-emitting means 251c is designed to be small in order to collect the energy of the light on the optical axis.

[0312] Thereby, by the way of lighting and darkening of the light and the change of color, it is possible to directly make the path of the light (the path of the light passing through the belt-shaped frame portion 245 and the protruding portions 272 and 273) conspicuous and perform an effect that makes a difference in the way of making it conspicuous. For example, by making a difference in the lighting and darkening of the light on the left and right, it is possible to execute a light-emitting effect that suggests the direction of firing the ball in the dark.

[0313] For example, the LEDs of the peripheral light-emitting means 251c arranged behind the lower edge portion 272a of the first protruding portion 272 are arranged to guide light from the lower edge portion 272a of the first protruding portion 272 to the left and right outer edge portions 272b. Thereby, it becomes easier for the player to reach the left and right outer edge portions 272b of the first protruding portion 272 by firing the ball with the light of the first protruding portion 272 as a mark. The optical axis of the light passes through a position where the front-rear width of the first protruding portion 272 is long, and it is possible to easily cause total reflection of the light inside the first protruding portion 272.

[0314] In addition, since the internal shape of the first protruding portion 272 is curved such that the rear portion protrudes inward, the light that has advanced inside the first protruding portion 272 can be repeatedly reflected inside the first protruding portion 272, making it easier to collect the light inside the first protruding portion 272. As a result, in a front view, the first protruding portion 272 can emit light more brightly than its surroundings.

[0315] As shown in FIG. 27, the electrical decoration substrate 251 is disposed on the back side of the thin plate portion 242 of the central configuration unit 240. In the present embodiment, the electrical decoration substrate 251 is disposed within the thickness dimension (within the front-rear direction dimension) of the thick portion of the base plate 60 (the thick portion required for driving the nail KG1) on the back surface of the upper connecting member 270 in the range where the ball is guided on the front side. That is, the front-rear position of the electrical decoration substrate 251 is set closer to the front side than the front-rear position of the back surface of the thick portion of the base plate 60.

[0316] This is an impossible substrate arrangement in the range where the nail KG1, which is a component for guiding the ball, is driven into the base plate 60. In other words, in the range where the nail KG1 is driven, the base plate 60 has to be formed thick enough, so it is impossible to secure a space for disposing the electrical decoration substrate 251 within the thickness dimension of the base plate 60 (closer to the front side than the front-rear position of the back surface of the thick portion of the base plate 60).

[0317] In contrast, in the present embodiment, as a component for guiding the ball, instead of the nail KG1, a thin upper connecting member 270 is adopted, and the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 is disposed on the back surface thereof, and the thin plate portion 242 of the central configuration unit 240 is disposed instead of the base plate 60, so as to secure a space for disposing the electrical decoration substrate 251 on the back side in the range where the ball is guided.

[0318] As a result, compared with the case where the electrical decoration substrate 251 has to be disposed on the back side of the base plate 60, the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement of the electrical decoration substrate 251 can be improved, and the arrangement of the electrical decoration substrate 251 can be shifted forward.

[0319] By moving the decorative substrate 251 forward, it becomes easier to move the rotation effect device 800 (see FIG. 17) of the operation unit 500 disposed on the back side of the game board 13 forward. Also, the central light-emitting means 251b, the peripheral light-emitting means 251c disposed on the decorative substrate 251, and the light sources disposed on the rotation effect device 800 will be disposed forward, so the light visible to the player can be made brighter.

[0320] The distant light-emitting means 251d is arranged such that the light irradiation direction (optical axis direction) intersects the front-rear direction (the direction illustrated by the arrow in FIG. 26), and irradiates the overhanging portions 274 to 276 disposed on the left and right outer sides, the belt-shaped frame portion 245, the outer rail 62, etc.

[0321] Thus, even in the configuration of the present embodiment in which the base plate 60 forms a thick portion for ensuring strength and the overhanging portions 274 to 276 are disposed on the front surface of the thick portion, the overhanging portions 274 to 276 can be sufficiently illuminated using the light irradiation from the distant light-emitting means 251d.

[0322] In particular, in the present embodiment, since the decorative substrate 251 is positioned closer to the front end side than the rear end of the plate thickness of the base plate 60 (disposed within the plate thickness dimension), the light irradiated from the distant light-emitting means 251d in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction can easily reach the fifth overhanging portion 276 that is far away on the left and right outer sides.

[0323] The shapes of the overhanging portions 274 to 276 that receive the light from the distant light-emitting means 251d are designed to facilitate ensuring the light quantity. That is, for example, in the third overhanging portion 274, the side surface 274a (the left and right inner and upper side surface) on the side of the distant light-emitting means 251d is formed wide so as to receive the light from the distant light-emitting means 251d in a surface.

[0324] Also, on the opposite side (left and right outer sides and lower side) of the far light-emitting means 251d, a corner portion 274b is formed at the connection position between surfaces, and the cut formed in the overhanging portion 274 is formed in a shape that concentrates light on this corner portion 274b. Thereby, the light emission intensity can be ensured even at the corner portion 274b that is far from the far light-emitting means 251d.

[0325] Regarding the light irradiation to the sixth overhanging portion 277, instead of the light irradiation from the electric decoration substrate 251, it is performed by the light that passes through the thin plate portion 242 (the thin plate portion 242 on the left and right outer sides, not the left and right center) arranged on the left and right inner sides in the front view of the sixth overhanging portion 277 to the front side.

[0326] Also, the light emission effect of the sixth overhanging portion 277 is also executed by the light irradiated from the rotating member 810 of the rotation effect device 800 described later. However, the configuration for the light irradiated from the rotating member 810 to go toward the front side and the setting of its intensity will be described later.

[0327] Returning to FIG. 20 for explanation. As shown in FIG. 20, the winning openings 63, 64, etc. disposed below the center frame 86 are formed as a part of the winning opening constituent member 400 formed of a light-transmissive resin material.

[0328] FIG. 29 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13, and FIG. 30 is an exploded rear perspective view of the game board 13. In FIGS. 29 and 30, the state in which the winning opening constituent member 400 is disassembled is shown.

[0329] The winning opening constituent member 400 includes a central constituent member 410 fastened and fixed to the base plate 60 at the left and right central portions of the game board 13, a covering member 430 configured to cover the lower portion of the central constituent member 410 from the front side, a left portion constituent member 450 disposed on the left side of the central constituent member 410 and fastened and fixed to the base plate 60, and a right portion constituent member 470 disposed on the right side of the central constituent member 410 and fastened and fixed to the base plate 60. Note that the right portion constituent member 470 is formed in a shape that is substantially left-right symmetric with the left portion constituent member 450.

[0330] The central component 410 includes a flat main body plate portion 411 that is fastened and fixed in contact with the base plate 60, a horizontally long opening 412 formed as an opening constituting the specific winning port 65a, a pair of left and right distributing portions 413 that are formed to project upward on the left and right side portions of the horizontally long opening 412 so as to be able to distribute the flow path of the balls, a pair of left and right curved projecting portions 414 that are formed with an upper surface curved in a plate shape above the distributing portions 413 and project forward so as to be able to distribute the flow path of the balls, and a pair of left and right out ports 415 that are bored at positions separated from the left and right end portions of the horizontally long opening 412 to the left and right outer sides and are sized to be able to discharge the balls.

[0331] The main body plate portion 411 includes seat arrangement recesses 411a that are recessed on both the left and right sides so as to thin the plate thickness from the back side. The seat arrangement recesses 411a are recessed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the sheet member for effect (thin plate member 380) and are formed with a recess depth substantially equal to the thickness of the sheet member.

[0332] The gap between the distributing portion 413 and the curved projecting portion 414 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the ball. Thereby, since the ball can flow down through the gap between the distributing portion 413 and the curved projecting portion 414, the randomness of the flow down of the ball can be increased, and the attention-grabbing power to the ball can be improved.

[0333] The distributing portion 413 includes a plurality of protruding ridges 413a that project from the side surfaces on the left and right inner sides (the side of the second winning port 140). The protruding ridges 413a are shaped portions provided to decelerate the flow-down speed of the flowing-down balls by contacting the flowing-down balls, and the impact force applied to the opening and closing plate 65b of the specific winning port 65a from the balls can be reduced by the decelerating effect of the protruding ridges 413a. Thereby, damage to the opening and closing plate 65b can be prevented.

[0334] The tangent line HL1 (see FIG. 31) of the curved surface passing through the lower end portion of the curved surface of the curved projecting portion 414 is designed to pass through the left and right inner side surfaces (the side surfaces on the side of the first winning port 64) of the distributing portion 413. Therefore, a situation where the ball that has rolled to the lower end portion of the curved surface of the curved projecting portion 414 reaches the left and right inner side surfaces of the distributing portion 413 is likely to occur.

[0335] The covering member 430 is formed of a light-transmissive resin material, and includes a main body plate portion 431 formed in a thin plate shape, a pair of left and right strip-shaped portions 432 that extend from the left and right side ends of the main body plate portion 431 toward the left and right inner sides and extend to the back side in a strip shape, a pair of left and right vertical plate portions 433 that are connected to the left and right inner ends of the strip-shaped portions 432 and extend to the back side in a vertically long plate shape, a pair of left and right inclined plate portions 434 that extend to the back side in a long plate shape with a posture that rises and inclines from the upper end portions of the vertical plate portions 433 toward the left and right inner sides, and a standing portion 435 that is formed to stand upright from the main body plate portion 431 to the back side below the electric device 140a so as to regulate the rotation angle of the electric device 140a.

[0336] The strip-shaped portions 432, the vertical plate portions 433, the inclined plate portions 434, and the standing portion 435 are formed to have a length such that their tip ends can contact the main body plate portion 411 of the central component 410 when the covering member 430 is fastened and fixed to the central component 410. That is, the strip-shaped portions 432, the vertical plate portions 433, the inclined plate portions 434, and the standing portion 435 change the flow-down path of the balls and distribute the flow-down path of the balls.

[0337] The strip-shaped portions 432 are arranged along the left and right outer sides and the lower side of the out-port 415, and the balls that roll and flow down on the strip-shaped portions 432 are guided to the out-port 415 and discharged from the game area.

[0338] The inclined plate portions 434 are arranged on the specific winning port 65a side rather than the out-port 415 side, but since the inclination direction of the upper surface is a direction that descends toward the out-port 415 side, the balls that roll and flow down on the inclined plate portions 434 are also guided to the out-port 415 and discharged from the game area.

[0339] The standing portion 435 is arranged with a gap larger than the diameter of the balls on the left and right inner sides of the distribution portion 413 of the central component 410 in the assembled state of the central component 410 and the covering member 430 (see FIG. 17). Thereby, the balls can flow down between the distribution portion 413 and the standing portion 435.

[0340] The left component member 450 is formed of a colorless and transparent resin material, and includes a flat main body plate portion 451 that is fastened and fixed in contact with the base plate 60 in a surface-to-surface manner, an overhanging portion 453 that is formed to project forward over a wide range on the left side of the main body plate portion 451, a plate-shaped portion whose left end is disposed with a gap large enough for a ball to pass through between the overhanging portion 453, and a ceiling plate portion 455 that is formed in a shape that slopes downward toward the right, and a plurality of ball guide portions 457 and 459 that are formed in a shape capable of guiding a ball to the general winning opening 63 below the ceiling plate portion 455.

[0341] The ceiling plate portion 455 is formed in a plate shape without being interrupted in the middle so that only the balls that have passed through the gap between the overhanging portion 453 and the ceiling plate portion 455 can flow down through the ball guide portions 457 and 459.

[0342] On the back side of the left component member 450 and the back side of the right component member 470, recessed portions 451b and 471b for sheet arrangement are formed to be recessed so as to reduce the plate thickness from the back side. The recessed portions 451b and 471b for sheet arrangement are recessed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of a sheet member for effect (not shown), and are formed with a recessed depth substantially equal to the thickness of the sheet member. Note that an example of the decoration of this sheet member is substituted with the description of the thin plate member 380.

[0343] FIG. 31 is an enlarged front view of the game board 13 in the range XXXI of FIG. 18. Balls that do not pass through the gap between the overhanging portion 453 and the ceiling plate portion 455 and roll and flow down on the upper surface of the ceiling plate portion 455 are not guided to the guide portions 457 and 459, but flow down so as to be guided to the central component member 410 side. The flow path of the balls from the upstream side of the left component member 450 and the central component member 410 will be described.

[0344] As shown in FIG. 31, a plurality of nails KG1 implanted in the base plate 60 are arranged with a gap less than the diameter of the ball along a straight line that slopes downward as it goes inward in the left - right direction. By doing so, a path (main path FL1) for the balls flowing downward toward the left - right center side is formed. On the other hand, by leaving gaps that exceed the diameter of the ball in some places, dropout paths FL2 and FL3 for the balls that pass through the gaps and deviate from the main path are formed.

[0345] The ceiling plate portion 455 is formed so that the ball can roll on the upper surface. However, the rolling speed of the ball rolling on the ceiling plate portion 455 varies depending on the timing of dropping downward from the main path FL1. More specifically, when the path of the ball changes from the main path FL1 to the dropout path FL2, the flowing - down speed of the ball is switched mainly from a state facing the left - right direction to a state facing the up - down direction.

[0346] And since the speed is switched back to a state facing the left - right direction again after reaching the ceiling plate portion 455, the earlier the ball reaches the ceiling plate portion 455 (the more upstream the flowing - down path is), the greater the rolling speed (momentum) of the ball when flowing down the ceiling plate portion 455, and it is easier to reach the left - right inner side (specific winning port 65a side) of the game area.

[0347] Also, since the left - right inner - side end portions (lower end portions) of the upper surface of the ceiling plate portion 455 are arranged above the upper end portions of the adjacent curved protruding portions 414, it is easy to avoid the balls that roll on the ceiling plate portion 455 and pass to the left - right inner side from being blocked by the left - right outer - side surfaces of the curved protruding portions 414.

[0348] When the rolling speed of the ball when flowing down the ceiling plate portion 455 is increased and the ball reaches the specific winning port 65a at that speed, there is a concern that the opening - closing plate 65b may be damaged due to a large impact force being transmitted from the ball to the opening - closing plate 65b. However, in this embodiment, the protruding strip portion 413a is arranged in the flowing - down path of the ball up to the opening - closing plate 65b, and the flowing - down speed of the ball is decelerated.

[0349] In addition, standing portions 435 are arranged opposite to each other on the left and right inner sides of the protruding strip portion 413a, preventing a plurality of balls from flowing down side by side. As a result, it is possible to avoid ball jams between the protruding strip portion 413a and the standing portions 435 (rectifying effect), and it is easier to avoid a situation where the balls land on the opening / closing plate 65b simultaneously, thus making it easier to prevent damage to the opening / closing plate 65b (improve durability).

[0350] In this way, while the flowing speed of the balls is reduced, the flowing path of the balls is restricted. As a result, the impact force generated when the balls collide with the opening / closing plate 65b can be reduced, so that the occurrence of problems where the opening / closing plate 65b is damaged can be suppressed.

[0351] In the present embodiment, since the protruding strip portions 413a are arranged at symmetric positions with respect to the standing portions 435, in a pair of flowing paths formed by the pair of left and right protruding strip portions 413a and the standing portions 435, if the balls flow down simultaneously, it is possible for a plurality of balls to land on the opening / closing plate 65b simultaneously.

[0352] Therefore, in a special gaming state, by distributing the balls to the left and right, it is possible to easily cause a plurality of balls to enter the specific winning opening 65a simultaneously. As a result, it is easier to avoid a situation where the progress of the special gaming state becomes too slow.

[0353] Since the upper surface of the ceiling plate portion 455 is formed as a wide inclined surface on the left and right, a plurality of balls can be received by the ceiling plate portion 455 simultaneously, and these balls can be flowed vigorously to the left and right inner sides (the side of the specific winning opening 65a) in an aligned state.

[0354] Then, the balls flowing to the left and right inner sides pass through the left and right inner sides of the diverging part 413 (the side where the protruding strip part 413a is formed) in sequence and reach the open / close plate 65b in the open state in sequence. Thus, according to the present embodiment, since the paths of the balls reaching the open / close plate 65b are gathered into the paths passing through the left and right inner sides of the diverging part 413, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where the balls collide with each other on the upstream side of the open / close plate 65b and the balls deviate from the specific winning opening 65a.

[0355] Furthermore, by designing such that the left and right ends of the specific winning opening 65a and the open / close plate 65b are located on the left and right outer sides rather than the position where the balls flow down while contacting the protruding strip part 413a of the diverging part 413 and reach the open / close plate 65b, even when the balls collide with each other on the open / close plate 65b and bounce to the left and right, it is possible to still maintain the state where the balls are riding on the upper surface of the open / close plate 65b. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where the balls spill from the open / close plate 65b.

[0356] In addition, even when a plurality of balls stay densely from the left and right ends of the open / close plate 65b, in the present embodiment, a space is formed below the inclined plate part 434, and the balls can be flowed to the left and right outer sides of the open / close plate 65b, so it is possible to avoid a situation where the paths of the balls passing through the left and right inner sides of the diverging part 413 are blocked.

[0357] In the present embodiment, by arranging a gap larger than the diameter of the ball between the ceiling plate part 455 and the curved protruding part 414, the flow-down of the balls passing through this gap is allowed. For example, when a ball rolling down the ceiling plate part 455 collides with a ball flowing down through the inner dropping path FL3, the ball rolling down the ceiling plate part 455 has its left and right direction speed reduced and is likely to enter the gap between the ceiling plate part 455 and the curved protruding part 414.

[0358] The frequency of the balls flowing down the main path FL1 through the outer dropping path FL2 or the inner dropping path FL3 can vary depending on the state of the nail KG1 (adhesion of dirt, production lot). Therefore, without countermeasures, the gaming efficiency and gaming profit are affected by the state of the nail KG1, and it is not possible to provide a game under equal conditions.

[0359] On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the balls rolling on the ceiling plate portion 455 through the outer dropping path FL2 occur more frequently than the balls flowing down through the inner dropping path FL3, the number of balls reaching the first winning port 64 decreases. Therefore, in a gaming state (normal state, time-saving state, high-probability state, etc.) where a jackpot is aimed for through a lottery, it is disadvantageous. However, in a jackpot gaming state where the specific winning port 65a opens and closes, the possibility of balls entering the gap between the ceiling plate portion 455 and the curved protruding portion 414 can be reduced, and most of the balls reaching the ceiling plate portion 455 can be guided to the specific winning port 65a. Thus, the gaming efficiency can be improved (for example, the time required for the jackpot game can be shortened).

[0360] On the other hand, when the balls flowing down through the inner dropping path FL3 occur more frequently than the balls rolling on the ceiling plate portion 455 through the outer dropping path FL2, the number of balls reaching the first winning port 64 increases. Therefore, in a gaming state (normal state, time-saving state, high-probability state, etc.) where a jackpot is aimed for through a lottery, it is advantageous. However, in a jackpot gaming state where the specific winning port 65a opens and closes, the balls flowing down from the inner dropping path FL3 collide with the path of the balls rolling on the ceiling plate portion 455 and flowing down, and balls falling into the gap between the ceiling plate portion 455 and the curved protruding portion 414, or balls passing through the gap between the distribution portion 413 and the curved protruding portion 414 and flowing toward the out port 415 side frequently occur. As a result, the number of balls deviating from the specific winning port 65a increases, and the gaming efficiency of the jackpot game decreases.

[0361] As described above, in this embodiment, when the magnitude relationship between the occurrence frequency of the balls rolling on the ceiling plate portion 455 through the outer dropping path FL2 and the occurrence frequency of the balls flowing down through the inner dropping path FL3 switches, the advantageous state and the disadvantageous state as the gaming state switch. It is designed so that the player does not become unilaterally advantageous or unilaterally disadvantageous.

[0362] That is, while allowing the state of the nail KG1 to differ, regardless of the state of the nail KG1, a relationship is maintained such that in one state, it is advantageous to the player, and in another state, it is disadvantageous to the player, thereby aiming to provide a game under equal conditions.

[0363] Describe the flow path of the ball that flows down through the outer drop path FL2 and flows between the extended plate portion 455a that extends upward at the left end of the ceiling plate portion 455 and the side wall portion 453a that is curved downward and outward on the left and right inner sides of the overhanging portion 453 disposed opposite to the extended plate portion 455a.

[0364] The rate at which the ball is guided into this flow path varies depending on the state of the adjacent nail KG2 (the interval at the position where the ball flows down). The state of the nail KG2 may vary due to the collision of the ball or the touch of a store clerk at the game arcade.

[0365] Also, the rate at which the ball reaches just before the nail KG2 varies depending on whether the ball rolls on the upper surface of the side wall portion 453. Whether the ball reaches the upper surface of the side wall portion 453 varies depending on the state of the windmill FS1 disposed above the side wall portion 453. Since the rotation axis of the windmill FS1 is also driven into the base plate 60 in the same manner as the nail KG2, the state may vary due to the collision of the ball or the touch of a store clerk at the game arcade.

[0366] Since the first ball guide portion 457 is disposed directly below the flow path between the extended plate portion 455a and the side wall portion 453a, normally, the flowing-down ball passes through the first ball guide portion 457 and is discharged from the game area. The first ball guide portion 457 constitutes the general winning opening 63, and when the ball is guided to the first ball guide portion 457, the payout of bonus balls is executed for the player.

[0367] In this embodiment, when the ball flows down directly below between the extended plate portion 455a and the side wall portion 453a, the ball is configured to enter the first ball guide portion 457 with an 80% probability, deviate to the left with a 10% probability, and deviate to the right with a 10% probability. Note that this ratio can be designed to be different depending on the shapes (such as inclination and spacing) of the extended plate portion 455a and the side wall portion 453a, and the arrangement of the first ball guide portion 457.

[0368] On the other hand, for example, while the ball that has reached the first ball guide portion 457 still remains in the first ball guide portion 457, if the next ball reaches the first ball guide portion 457, the next ball is likely to flow down while deviating to the left or right of the first ball guide portion 457. Also, for example, when a plurality of balls flow in a state of gathering toward the first ball guide portion 457, several of the plurality of balls are likely to flow down while deviating to the left or right of the first ball guide portion 457.

[0369] When deviating from the first ball guide portion 457 to the left and right outside, there is no winning port arranged on the downstream side, and it is discharged from the out port 415. On the other hand, when deviating from the first ball guide portion 457 to the left and right inside, it can reach the second ball guide portion 459 by rolling on the inclined guide portion 458 projecting from the first ball guide portion 457 to the left and right inside. The second ball guide portion 459 constitutes the general winning port 63, and when the ball is guided to the second ball guide portion 459, the payout of prize balls is executed for the player.

[0370] The number of prize balls paid out as the ball is guided to the first ball guide portion 457 and the number of prize balls paid out as the ball is guided to the second ball guide portion 459 can be arbitrarily set. However, in this embodiment, it is set so that the number of prize balls paid out is larger when the ball is guided to the downstream side.

[0371] That is, it is set so that the number of prize balls paid out as the ball is guided to the second ball guide portion 459 is larger than the number of prize balls paid out as the ball is guided to the first ball guide portion 457.

[0372] Thus, when the ball flows down to the left side of the left end of the ceiling plate portion 455, the ball can deviate to the right side (the second ball guide portion 459 side) without entering the first ball guide portion 457, creating a game play that the player desires and improving the attention paid to the left component member 450.

[0373] For example, when it is set that one prize ball is paid out as the ball is guided by the first ball guide portion 457, if the ball heading towards the first guide portion 457 deviates to the left and right outer sides (the left side in FIG. 31), the number of balls in the player's hand decreases. If the ball is guided by the first guide portion 457, the number of balls remains the same (one prize ball for one launched ball). If the ball deviates to the left and right inner sides (the right side in FIG. 31), the ball is guided to the second ball guide portion 459 and prize balls (a number more than one, generally 2 to 15 balls) are paid out, thus constituting a game play where the number of balls in the player's hand may increase.

[0374] Thus, the flow of the balls near the first guide portion 457 can be easily associated with the magnitude of the profit obtained by the player, so that the attention paid to the flow of the balls near the first guide portion 457 can be improved.

[0375] Since the inclined guide portion 458 extending to the right of the first guide portion 457 is formed of a resin material, it is easily damaged by bending or the like. Therefore, unlike the nail KG1, the change in state is easy to grasp. If the damaged state can be grasped, by stopping the operation of the pachinko machine 10 until the member is replaced, it is possible to avoid the player suffering unexpected disadvantages.

[0376] In the present embodiment, various shape improvements are made so that the ball rolling on the inclined guide portion 458 is guided to the second ball guide portion 459 with a high probability. First, a bulging portion 456 that bulges on the lower surface side of the ceiling plate portion 455 is formed at the upper left position of the second ball guide portion 459.

[0377] Starting to roll on the upper surface of the inclined guide 458, the ball that has not fully settled down in the up-and-down bouncing will come into contact with the bulging portion 456 in the left-right direction, and the velocity direction of the ball will be changed downward. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ball rolling on the upper surface of the inclined guide 458 from deviating to the right side of the second ball guide 459 as it is.

[0378] Second, the inclined guide 458 protrudes toward the second ball guide 459 until the horizontal distance between the inclined guide 458 and the second ball guide 459 is shorter than the radius of the ball and the vertical distance between the inclined guide 458 and the second ball guide 459 is shorter than the diameter of the ball (formed with a dimensional relationship that does not allow the ball to pass between the inclined guide 458 and the second ball guide 459). Therefore, the inclined guide 458 can easily prevent the ball from deviating to the left side of the second ball guide 459.

[0379] The winning port component 400 is a resin-molded component, and since it is fastened and fixed to the base plate 60 with fastening screws, replacement in case of a defect is easier compared to the case of replacing (re-driving) the nail KG1.

[0380] For example, when the nail KG1 breaks, there is a high possibility that the operation of the gaming machine will stop for a long time. Usually, since the nails KG1 are not driven one by one but a large number of nails KG1 are driven by an automatic machine, it is not easy to re-drive the nail KG1 just because some of the nails KG1 are broken.

[0381] Therefore, for repair, it is often necessary to replace the entire game board. However, if it is determined that the replacement cost cannot be covered, there is a possibility that the gaming machine will be stored in the warehouse without being restarted even though there are no other malfunctioning parts besides the nail KG1. That is, there was room for improvement from the viewpoints of maintainability and improvement of the operating period of the gaming machine.

[0382] In this embodiment, in order to minimize the occurrence of defective nails KG1, the ball falling in the vertical direction is received by the overhanging portion 453 of the left component member 450, and the received ball is rolled left and right on the upper surface of the overhanging portion 453 to reduce the momentum in the vertical direction, and then it is made to contact the nail KG1 on the downstream side. Thereby, the load applied from the ball to the nail KG1 can be reduced, and the occurrence of defects in the nail KG1 can be suppressed.

[0383] Also, paying attention to the nails KG1 arranged on the left and right outer sides of the outer dropping path FL2, since the left and right outer sides thereof are covered by the overhanging portion 453, the ball does not collide with these nails KG1 from the left and right outer sides. Therefore, the period until the nail KG1 breaks can be extended compared to the case where the nail KG1 receives a load from a random direction.

[0384] The ball that has flowed down the front side of the left component member 450 is discharged to the back side of the base plate 60 through the outlet 415. At this time, since the passage of the ball to the left and right inner sides (the side close to the opening / closing plate 65b) is restricted by the vertical plate portion 433, it is possible to prevent the ball from flowing to the opening / closing plate 65b side without passing through the outlet 415.

[0385] Therefore, since the rotation axis of the opening / closing plate 65b can prevent the ball from flowing in from the left component member 450 side, it is not necessary to always keep a space through which the ball can pass between the opening / closing plate 65b and the inner rail 61 as a countermeasure against ball jamming, and the vertical interval between the inner rail 61 and the rotation axis (lower edge portion) of the opening / closing plate 65b can be set to be less than the diameter of the ball.

[0386] Also, even if configured in this way, if the ball on the opening / closing plate 65b spills to the left and right, it can be temporarily placed between the vertical plate portion 433 and the opening / closing plate 65b. When the opening / closing plate 65b is in the closed state, the opening / closing plate 65b that has blocked the ball flow path retreats from the ball flow path, so the temporarily placed ball will flow downward toward the outlet 71. Therefore, the possibility of ball jamming can be reduced.

[0387] FIG. 32 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board 13 taken along line XXXII-XXXII in FIG. 31. The main body plate portion 451 of the left component member 450 is provided with an extension portion 451a that extends in a thin plate shape (a plate shape thinner than the thickness of the main body plate portion 451) along the front surface of the base plate 60 from the left and right inner edges, and the main body plate portion 411 of the central component member 410 is provided with a covering extension portion 411b that extends along the front side surface from the left and right outer edges.

[0388] In this embodiment, the extension portion 451a is sandwiched between the covering extension portion 411b and the base plate 60. As a result, since the fastening screws for fixing can be removed from the left and right inner end portions of the left component member 450 on the side to be sandwiched, it is easier to prevent the problem of reducing the production effect because the presence of the fastening screws becomes conspicuous when the left component member 450 is decorated. In addition, since the number of fastening screws for fastening and fixing the members can be reduced, the man-hours for assembly and the material cost can be reduced.

[0389] The front-rear position of the front end portion of the covering extension portion 411b in the state where the extension portion 451a is sandwiched between the base plate 60 is located on the back side with respect to the front-rear position of the front end portion of the main body plate portion 451. Thereby, when the balls flowing down on the front side of the main body plate portion 451 flow toward the front side of the main body plate portion 411, it is possible to prevent the situation where the front end portion of the covering extension portion 411b collides with the balls and the balls bounce back to the left and right outside.

[0390] FIG. 33 is an exploded front perspective view of the distribution unit 300, and FIG. 34 is an exploded rear perspective view of the distribution unit 300. As shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, the above-described distribution portion 983 is rotatably disposed inside the distribution unit 300, and the balls guided into the distribution unit 300 through the first winning port 64 are configured to be alternately distributed to the left and right.

[0391] The ball distributing unit 300 is a member in which the distributing portion 983 is rotatably disposed from the back side, and includes a first component member 310 that forms a flow-down path for distributing the balls that have passed through the first winning port 64 to the left and right and causing them to flow down, a ceiling component member 330 that forms the ceiling of the path through which the balls that have passed through the first winning port 64 flow backward, a first auxiliary member 340 that supports both ends of the shaft member 988a of the distributing portion 983 together with the first component member 310 and abuts against the distributing portion 983 to regulate the backward dropout of the balls flowing thereon, a second component member 350 that forms the discharge path of the balls discharged rearward from the downstream side of the first component member 310, a pair of left and right second auxiliary members 370 that are members to which the second component member 350 is fastened and fixed, are disposed so as to cover the rear and upper sides of the discharge path formed by the second component member 350, and are fastened and fixed to the first component member 310, and a pair of thin plate members 380 that are disposed on the front side of the first component member 310 and are disposed in a pair between the first component member 310 and the main body plate portion 411 of the central component member 410.

[0392] The first component member 310 is formed of a colorless and translucent resin material, and includes a plate-shaped central plate portion 311 formed along a plane orthogonal to the front-rear direction, an extended plate portion 313 extending from the upper end of the central plate portion 311 to the front side, a pair of inclined extended portions 315 extending in a belt shape on the back side of the central plate portion 311 and extending downward and outward to the left and right, a pair of direction switching portions 317 connected to the left and right outer ends of the inclined extended portions 315 for switching the flow-down direction of the balls (in this embodiment, switching by 90 degrees from the left-right direction to the front-rear direction), and a pair of opening forming portions 320 on the front side of the central plate portion 311 in which a plurality of openings of a size through which the balls can pass are arranged side by side.

[0393] The central plate portion 311 includes a substantially cylindrical bearing portion 312 into which one end of the shaft member 988a that pivotally supports the distributing portion 983 is inserted directly below the rear end of the extended plate portion 313. The bearing portion 312 is formed to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a.

[0394] The extended plate portion 313 includes a ridge portion 313a formed as a ridge whose upper end surface descends rearward along the left and right central portions to form a rolling path for the ball, and a pair of left and right wall-like portions 314 erected from the left and right edge portions to guide the ball rearward.

[0395] The ball flowing down the inclined extended portion 315 flows down to the left and right outside while being restricted from dropping to the back side by the front plate portion 371 of the second auxiliary member 370. Note that the second auxiliary member 370 is also used as a member for preventing the detection device SE3 from coming off.

[0396] The direction switching portion 317 is formed as a plate surface on which the ball can roll at a position one step lower than the inclined extended portion 315 on the left and right outside of the left and right end portions of the inclined extended portion 315, and includes an inclined surface portion 318 that descends and inclines toward the front side, and an erected curved portion 319 that is erected from the rear edge portion and the left and right outer edge portions of the inclined surface portion 318 and is curved toward the front side in a shape capable of guiding the ball to the front side.

[0397] The opening forming portion 320 includes a sensor arrangement opening 321 through which the detection device SE3 is inserted from the back side, a pair of left and right support extended portions 322 that extend forward along the left and right side surfaces of the sensor arrangement opening 321 to support the left and right end portions of the detection sensor SE3, a winning opening portion 323 formed to allow the ball to pass between the support extended portions 322, a pair of discharge opening portions 325 formed to allow the ball to pass on the left and right opposite sides of the winning opening portion 323 with respect to the support extended portions 322, a bottom surface forming portion 327 that receives the ball that has passed through the winning opening portion 323 and the discharge opening portions 325 and is formed with a curved bottom surface that can guide the ball to the back side, and a pair of partition wall portions 328 that extend from the lower edge of the support extended portions 322 toward the bottom surface forming portion 327 so as to partition the upper surface side of the bottom surface forming portion 327.

[0398] When inserting the detection device SE3 into the opening 321 for sensor placement, the detection hole SE1a is designed to be arranged inside the winning opening 323. The front-rear position of the detection device SE3 can be easily positioned by the contact between the positioning protrusion 322a protruding from the front edge of the support extension 322 and the front end of the detection device SE3.

[0399] The ball that passes through the direction switching part 317 and reaches the opening forming part 320 passes through either the winning opening 323 or the discharge opening 325, rolls on the upper surface of the bottom surface forming part 327, and is guided to the back side. Since each rolling path is divided by the partition wall part 328, the possibility of the balls intersecting or colliding on the upper surface of the bottom surface forming part 327 can be reduced. Thereby, the flow of the balls can be rectified, so that ball jams and ball stagnation can be prevented.

[0400] Among the balls rolling on the upper surface of the bottom surface forming part 327, the balls that pass through the winning opening 323 are detected by the detection device SE3 as passing through. On the other hand, the balls that pass through the discharge opening 325 are not detected by the detection device SE3 as passing through. In any case, the balls that roll on the upper surface of the bottom surface forming part 327 are guided to a ball discharge path (not shown) after being detected by a detection device (not shown) that detects the discharge of the balls.

[0401] For the ball discharge path (not shown), the balls roll on the rolling surface 351 of the second component 350 toward the left and right inner sides while being restricted from falling off to the back side by the second auxiliary member 370, and are guided through the common drop flow paths 352 arranged on the left and right respectively.

[0402] The second auxiliary member 370 includes a front plate portion 371 that covers the space open on the back side of the inclined extension portion 315 to prevent the balls from dropping off, a rolling surface 351 of the second component member 350, and a rear plate portion 372 that closes the upper surface side and the back side of the flow path of the balls flowing down along the common dropping flow path 352 to prevent the balls from dropping off, an insertion hole 373 formed in the front plate portion 371 through which a fastening screw screwed into the fastening portion 329 of the first component member 310 can be inserted, and an insertion hole 374 formed in the rear plate portion 372 through which a fastening screw screwed into the fastening portion 353 of the second component member 350 can be inserted.

[0403] Note that the materials forming the second component member 350 and the second auxiliary member 370 can be arbitrarily set. In this embodiment, the second component member 350 is formed of a colored opaque resin material, and the second auxiliary member 370 is formed of a colorless transparent resin material.

[0404] Thereby, the visibility of the balls flowing through the common dropping flow path 352 can be reduced and the attention to the discharged balls can be decreased. At the same time, since light can be taken in from the back side of the second auxiliary member 370, the first component member 310 disposed on the front side can be brightly illuminated by the taken-in light, and the visibility of the balls flowing down the first component member 310 can be improved.

[0405] The thin plate member 380 is positioned by being housed in the seat arrangement recess 411a (see FIG. 30) of the main body plate portion 411. In the state thus positioned, the game board 13 is assembled, and the thin plate member 380 is sandwiched between the main body plate portion 411 and the first component member 310 in the front-rear direction.

[0406] The displacement (arrangement change) in the front-rear, left-right directions during the process of the balls flowing down after entering the first winning opening 64 will be described. First, the balls that have entered the first winning opening 64 are displaced rearward along the extended plate portion 313. Thereafter, they are distributed left and right by the rotational displacement of the distribution portion 983 described in the first embodiment, and are displaced outward in the left and right directions along the inclined extension portion 315.

[0407] Thereafter, the flow-down direction is switched to the front side by the direction-switching unit 317, and it is displaced forward. When a guiding portion for forming a curved surface for switching the flow-down direction of the ball is disposed on the front side of the flowing-down ball, the guiding portion easily blocks the line of sight to the ball, and there is a possibility that the visibility decreases. However, in the present embodiment, since the standing curved portion 319 as the guiding portion is disposed on the back side of the ball, the standing curved portion 319 has a low possibility of blocking the line of sight to the ball. Thereby, it is possible to easily ensure the visibility of the ball.

[0408] Thereafter, the ball flowing down directly below the winning opening 323 is displaced rearward along the bottom surface component 327 after being detected by the detection device SE3. Further, the ball that is displaced either to the left or right above the winning opening 323 and reaches directly above the discharge opening 325 passes through the discharge opening 325 and is displaced rearward along the bottom surface component 327.

[0409] Thus, in the present embodiment, the arrangement of the balls that enter the first winning opening 64 is made to be closer to the rear side at the beginning of the entry, flow left and right, and closer to the front side immediately before passing through the detection device SE3. Thereby, compared with the configuration of the first embodiment, the arrangement of the sorting unit 983 can be shifted rearward, and a space can be created below the extended plate portion 313.

[0410] This empty space can be used as a space for arranging a drive mechanism for operating the electric device 140a of the second winning opening 140. Thereby, in the present embodiment, compared with the first embodiment, the arrangement of the second winning opening 140 can be brought closer to the first winning opening 64.

[0411] Further, by configuring the path along which the sorted balls flow down to switch the path in the front-rear direction, compared with the case where the flow paths are arranged side by side in the vertical direction in a consistent manner (for example, in the case of the configuration described above with the sorting unit 980), the vertical width in the front view of the flow paths can be shortened. Thereby, the degree of freedom in designing the relative vertical arrangement of the detection device SE3 with respect to the first winning opening 64 can be improved.

[0412] FIG. 35 is a partially enlarged front view of the game board 13 in the range XXXV of FIG. 18. In FIG. 35, the central component member 410 and the thin plate member 380 are shown semi-transparently, and the distribution unit 300 is made visible. Further, in FIG. 35, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the outer shapes of the electric accessory 140a in both the closed state and the open state are shown. In the description of FIG. 35, FIGS. 33 and 34 are appropriately referred to.

[0413] The thin plate member 380 is a member formed in a thin plate shape (sheet shape) from a light-transmissive resin material, and is a member that can be visually recognized by the player through the central component member 410. Although not shown deliberately, in the present embodiment, patterns, figures, characters or characters are vividly drawn on the front surface of the thin plate member 380, and depending on the difference in the mode of the irradiated light (difference in color tone and light and dark mode), the color and light and dark modes visually recognized through the thin plate member 380 change variously.

[0414] Unlike the case where patterns, figures, characters or characters are directly drawn on the base plate 60, according to the present embodiment, if the thin plate member 380 is removed, the patterns, figures, characters or characters drawn on the thin plate member 380 can be removed from the game board 13, so that the appearance of the game board 13 can be easily changed.

[0415] For example, when changing the game properties while using the same shape of the game board 13 (so-called, different specifications), the patterns, figures, characters or characters drawn on the game board 13, the colors, etc. may be made different so that the player can easily grasp the game properties.

[0416] When patterns, figures, characters or characters are directly drawn on the base plate 60, it is necessary to replace the entire base plate 60, so in essence, it is easy to replace the entire game board 13, and the cost tends to increase when changing the game properties.

[0417] On the one hand, according to the present embodiment, it is sufficient to replace the thin plate member 380 with another thin plate member 380 having a different pattern, figure, character, or color to be drawn, etc., so there is no need to replace the entire game board 13. Therefore, it is easy to suppress the cost for changing the game properties.

[0418] The mode of decoration applied to the thin plate member 380 is not limited in any way, and various modes are exemplified. For example, by forming a colorless and transparent range above the detection device SE3, the visibility of the ball rolling on the inclined surface portion 318 can be improved, and in other portions, figures or patterns may be densely drawn to improve the decorativeness. Also, for example, marks such as numbers may be drawn respectively at positions corresponding to the winning opening 323 and the discharge opening 325 in a front view, so that it is easy for the player to grasp the benefits obtained depending on which mark the ball flows down close to.

[0419] The thin plate member 380 is designed to have a large shape so as to protrude outwardly to the left and right of the through hole 60a, and is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the base plate 60 and the main body plate portion 411 of the central member 410.

[0420] In the present embodiment, the rear end surface of the thin plate member 380 and the front end portion of the first member 310 (for example, the front end portion of the support extension portion 322) are arranged to be in contact. That is, since the detection device SE3 is disposed close to the thin plate member 380, the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3 can be moved closer to the player side. Thereby, the visibility of the ball passing through the detection device SE3 can be improved, and it is easy to avoid the situation where the ball passing through the detection device SE3 is missed.

[0421] Also, the detection device SE3 is disposed on the left and right outer sides of the electric accessory 140a in a front view and is not hidden by the electric accessory 140a. Thereby, compared with the case where the flow path of the ball is hidden by the electric accessory 140a (see FIG. 5), the visibility of the ball passing through the detection device SE3 can be improved regardless of the state (open state, closed state) of the electric accessory 140a.

[0422] Further, since the detection device SE3 is disposed behind the main body plate portion 411 of the central component member 410, it does not affect the flow-down mode of the balls on the front side of the main body plate portion 411. That is, the degree of freedom in designing the game area can be improved as compared with the case where the detection device SE3 is disposed so as to protrude forward of the main body plate portion 411 (forward of the front end surface of the base plate 60).

[0423] In terms of strength, nails are not provided on the main body plate portion 411. However, in the present embodiment, as a substitute for nails, the ball path is configured to be distributed by the distribution portion 413 and the curved protruding portion 414. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the flow-down path of the balls on the front side of the main body plate portion 411 from becoming monotonous.

[0424] Both the balls detected by the detection device SE3 through the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3 (the balls passing through the winning opening 323) and the balls passing through the discharge opening 325 pass through a path that rolls on the inclined surface portion 318 and is displaced toward the front side. Therefore, there may be a difference between the number of balls reaching the inclined surface portion 318 and the number of balls detected by the detection device SE3.

[0425] Although the inclined surface portion 318 can improve the visibility of the balls by displacing the balls toward the front side, in a configuration where it is difficult to distinguish whether the balls have passed through the winning opening 323 or the discharge opening 325, it is impossible to determine whether the balls have actually passed through the detection device SE3 or whether a detection failure has occurred even though the balls have passed through the detection device SE3, and there is a possibility that the player may feel dissatisfied.

[0426] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the balls passing through the winning opening 323 from the inclined surface portion 318 are visually recognized as flowing downward in a front view along the winning-time flow-down path FL31, while the balls passing through the discharge opening 325 from the inclined surface portion 318 have the flow-down direction in a front view switched from downward to leftward or rightward by 90 degrees along the non-winning-time flow-down path FL32.

[0427] That is, whether there is a left - right component in the flowing - down direction of the ball or not, it is possible to determine whether the ball passes through the detection device SE3. Therefore, the possibility of misidentifying the passing position of the ball can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to easily determine whether the ball has passed through the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3.

[0428] The game balls flowing down along the winning - time flowing - down path FL31 and the game balls flowing down along the non - winning - time flowing - down path FL32 both flow down in the vicinity of the deflecting portion 413 and the curved protruding portion 414 in a front view. Therefore, their flowing - down paths are visually recognized as overlapping with the flowing - down path of the game balls flowing towards the specific winning port 65a.

[0429] Therefore, it is possible to make the player see the game balls flowing down through the inclined surface portion 318 as if they were flowing towards the specific winning port 65a. The player often visually confirms and grasps the number of game balls that reached above the opening - closing plate 65b but did not enter the specific winning port 65a (the game balls that passed by when the opening - closing plate 65b was in the closed state) among the launched game balls by observing the game balls rolling on the inner rail 61 towards the out - port 71. However, since the game balls flowing down through the inclined surface portion 318 flow backward along the bottom surface component 327 (see FIG. 34) after flowing down along the winning - time flowing - down path FL31 or the non - winning - time flowing - down path FL32, the game balls do not appear in front of the out - port 71.

[0430] As a result, during the execution of the big - win game, the game balls that entered the first winning port 64 can be added to the number of game balls that seem to be flowing towards the specific winning port 65a. Therefore, regardless of the number of game balls that entered the first winning port 64, it is possible to create an illusion that almost all of the launched game balls have entered the specific winning port 65a.

[0431] Furthermore, since the arrangement of the game balls flowing down through the inclined surface portion 318 and the game balls actually flowing towards the specific winning port 65a is divided front - to - back by the thin - plate member 380, they do not collide with each other. As a result, it is possible to create the above - mentioned illusion without hindering the flow of the game balls flowing towards the specific winning port 65a.

[0432] In addition, in this embodiment, the case where the non-winning downstream path FL32 is formed as a channel flowing in the left-right direction has been described, but it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, in the path through which the balls flowing down the inclined surface portion 318 toward the detection device SE3 flow, openings are formed in the main body plate portion 411 and the thin plate member 380 in the front-rear direction, and by passing through this opening, the non-winning downstream path FL32 may be formed as a channel through which the balls flow to the front side.

[0433] That is, the balls flowing through the non-winning downstream path FL32 may return to the front side of the main body plate portion 411 again and flow down toward the out port 71. In this case, if the opening / closing plate 65b is in the open state, the balls flowing through the non-winning downstream path FL32 are picked up by the opening / closing plate 65b and can enter the specific winning port 65a.

[0434] That is, since the game property can be configured such that the balls that have entered the first winning port 64 can enter the specific winning port 65a again after returning to the front side of the main body plate portion 411, the attention paid to the balls that have entered the first winning port 64 (particularly, the attention during the jackpot game in which the opening / closing plate 65b operates) can be improved.

[0435] Next, the structure of the operation unit 500 (see FIG. 17) fastened and fixed to the back side of the game board 13 will be described. The operation unit 500 is fastened and fixed to the base plate 60 (see FIG. 2) of the game board 13 from the back side.

[0436] FIGS. 36, 37, 38, and 39 are front views of the operation unit 500. In FIG. 36, the retracted state of the internal operation unit 600 of the operation unit 500 is shown. In FIG. 37, the intermediate state of the internal operation unit 600 is shown. In FIG. 38, the protruding state of the internal operation unit 600 is shown. In FIG. 39, one operation error limit state of the internal operation unit 600 is shown.

[0437] In this embodiment, the retracted state is a state in which the light emission operation effect unit 700 of the internal operation unit 600 is disposed at the upper end position of the vertical movement range, the intermediate state is a state in which the light emission operation effect unit 700 is disposed at the lower end position of the operable range while maintaining the posture in the forward and backward tilting direction from the retracted state, and the protruding state is a state in which the light emission operation effect unit 700 is disposed at the lower end position of the vertical movement range and the rotation axis RJ1 of the rotation effect device 800 faces in the front and rear direction.

[0438] In the state change from the intermediate state to the protruding state, a change in the posture (tilting operation) of the light emission operation effect unit 700 in the front and rear direction occurs. This change in posture is executed as a rotation operation about a predetermined rotation axis (central axis J1 described later).

[0439] In this embodiment, one of the operation error limit states is one of the states in which the allowable inclination in the left - right direction designed for the light emission operation unit 700 reaches the limit. In FIG. 39, for convenience, the right side portion of the light emission operation unit 700 is shown to be disposed at the same position as in the retracted state, and the left side portion is shown to be displaced downward. In this embodiment, the operation unit 500 is configured such that the light emission operation unit 700 can be operated in the vertical direction while maintaining the inclination angle of one of the operation error limit states. Details will be described later.

[0440] As shown in FIG. 36, in the retracted state of the internal operation unit 600, the rotating member 810 of the rotation effect device 800 is in a posture with the decorative plate 811 on which decorative figures and patterns are formed facing the front side.

[0441] The figures and patterns formed on the decorative plate 811 are formed in a manner related to the figures and patterns formed on the bottom wall portion 511 of the back case 510, as shown in FIG. 37, and are visually recognized integrally in the intermediate state of the internal operation unit 600 (visually recognized in the state formed on the rotating member 810 including the linear shape extending radially and the wave pattern formed on the left and right outer sides).

[0442] That is, since the figures and patterns formed on the decorative plate 811 can be designed as part of the figures that are visually recognized integrally with the bottom wall portion 511, it is possible to avoid limiting the size of the rotating member 810 by the figures and patterns formed on the rotating member 810.

[0443] Also, as shown in FIG. 38, in the protruding state of the internal operation unit 600, the light emission operation effect unit 700 tilts in the forward rotation direction, and the figures and patterns formed on the main body member 710 of the light emission operation effect unit 700 are visually recognized in a front view.

[0444] These figures and patterns are also formed in a manner related to the figures and patterns formed on the bottom wall portion 511 of the back case 510 and are visually recognized integrally in the protruding state of the internal operation unit 600 (among the linear shapes extending radially and the wave patterns formed on the left and right outer sides, the linear shape is formed only on the bottom wall portion 511, and the wave pattern is visually recognized as being formed on the main body member 710).

[0445] That is, since the figures and patterns formed on the main body member 710 can be designed as part of the figures that are visually recognized integrally with the bottom wall portion 511, it is possible to avoid limiting the size of the main body member 710 by the figures and patterns formed on the main body member 710.

[0446] Since the light emission operation effect unit 700 is displaced in the vertical direction from the retracted state to the protruding state, in relation to the fixed bottom wall portion 511, from the state where the figures and patterns are visually recognized integrally in the retracted state, the figures and patterns formed on the bottom wall portion 511 and the figures and patterns formed on the rotating member 810 begin to shift.

[0447] This deviation will become more prominent as the displacement amount in the vertical direction increases. In contrast, in the present embodiment, by tilting and displacing the light emission operation effect unit 700 in the protruding state, the surface to be visually recognized by the player is switched, and a figure or pattern that is visually recognized integrally with the bottom wall portion 511 can be newly visually recognized by the player. Therefore, the figure or pattern formed on the bottom wall portion 511 and the figure or pattern formed on the light emission operation effect unit 700 (main body member 710, rotating member 810) that is displaced in the vertical direction can be configured to be visually recognized integrally in the retracted state and the protruding state.

[0448] During the vertical displacement of the light emission operation effect unit 700 described here, the outer shape of the light emission operation effect unit 700 in the front view changes. As a result, a single effect unit can be made to appear as if it were a plurality of different effect units, and the degree of freedom in designing the operation effect can be improved.

[0449] FIG. 40 is an exploded front perspective view of the operation unit 500, and FIG. 41 is an exploded rear perspective view of the operation unit 500. In FIGS. 40 and 41, the illustration of the liquid crystal display device (third symbol display device 81) disposed in the opening 511a of the rear case 510 is omitted, and the inside is illustrated so as to be visible through the opening 511a.

[0450] The operation unit 500 includes a rear case 510 formed in a box shape with an open front side from a bottom wall portion 511 and an outer wall portion 512 erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall portion 511. The rear case 510 is formed in a rectangular frame shape in the front view by forming a rectangular opening 511a in the center of the bottom wall portion 511. The opening 511a is formed in a size corresponding to the outer shape (outer edge) of the display area of the third symbol display device 81 (that is, capable of partitioning the display area of the third symbol display device 81 in the front view).

[0451] The rear case 510 is extended as a flat plate along the back surface of the game board 13 (for example, arranged in parallel) at the front end of the outer wall portion 512, and includes a support plate portion 513 that supports the game board 13 in the assembled state (see FIG. 2).

[0452] The support plate portion 513 is provided with a plurality of positioning convex portions 513a protruding annularly toward the front side in a shape that can be fitted to a fitting concave portion (not shown) formed in the base plate 60 of the game board 13, and a plurality of insertion holes 513b formed through the center portion of the positioning convex portions 513a so as to allow a fastening screw fastened to the base plate 60 to pass through.

[0453] By fitting the positioning convex portion 513a to the fitting portion 60c (see FIG. 21) of the base plate 60, the back case 510 is positioned with respect to the base plate 60. By inserting a fastening screw through the insertion hole 513b and screwing it into the female screw of the fitting portion 60c, the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 can be integrally fixed, so that the rigidity of the entire game board 13 and operation unit 500 can be improved.

[0454] Note that the shape of the positioning convex portion 513a is not limited at all, and various modes are exemplified. For example, an annular convex portion having an outer shape slightly smaller than the outer shape of the fitting portion 60c of the base plate 60 (circular in this embodiment) may be used, or a protrusion having a shape (large-diameter annular shape) that increases the fitting gap may be used in consideration of the workability during assembly. Also, when the outer shape of the fitting portion 60c is formed in a rectangular shape, it is naturally assumed that the shape of the positioning convex portion 513a also corresponds to a rectangular shape.

[0455] The operation unit 500 is disposed on the back side of the game board 13, and light-emitting means and the operation unit are disposed inside. That is, the operation unit 500 includes a back case 510, a decorative fixing member 520 that is inserted from the front side into the back case 510 and fastened and fixed, an internal operation unit 600 disposed in the upper inner portion of the back case 510, and a light-emitting effect unit 518 disposed in the lower inner portion of the back case 510.

[0456] The light emission effect unit 518 is a unit that irradiates light forward from behind the distribution unit 300 and the winning opening component 400 (see FIG. 29), and functions to brightly illuminate the passage path of the ball formed by the distribution unit 300 and the winning opening component 400.

[0457] The decorative fixing member 520 is formed of a light-transmissive resin material, is symmetrically arranged at both left and right positions, and is composed of a plurality of thin plate-like members that can be divided vertically. It includes a first fixing member 530 arranged on the upper left side, a second fixing member 540 arranged on the lower left side, a third fixing member 550 arranged on the upper right side, a fourth fixing member 560 arranged on the lower right side, a left decorative circuit board 570 disposed on the back side of the first fixing member 530 and the second fixing member 540, and a right decorative circuit board 580 disposed on the back side of the third fixing member 550 and the fourth fixing member 560. The configuration and role of each part will be described with reference to FIGS. 42 and 43.

[0458] FIG. 42 is an exploded front perspective view of the operation unit 500, and FIG. 43 is an exploded rear perspective view of the operation unit 500. In FIGS. 42 and 43, the decorative fixing member 520 is disassembled from the back case 510 and arranged forward, and the internal operation unit 600 is disassembled from the back case 510 and arranged between the back case 510 and the decorative fixing member 520.

[0459] The first fixing member 530 includes a thin plate-like insertion plate portion 531 extending in the front-rear direction, a front plate portion 534 extending rightward from the front side portion of the insertion plate portion 531, and an outer plate portion 537 extending leftward from the front side portion of the insertion plate portion 531.

[0460] The insertion plate portion 531 has a plurality of insertion protrusions 532 protruding from the extended tip portion to the back side in a shape and arrangement that can be inserted into the receiving hole 623 of the internal operation unit 600, and serves to prevent the outer inclined displacement of the outer member 610 of the internal operation unit 600. The relative functions of the insertion plate portion 531 and the outer member 610 will be described later.

[0461] The front plate portion 534 is a plate-shaped portion that is disposed in front of the left decorative substrate 570 and is formed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the left decorative substrate 570 (formed so as to cover the left decorative substrate 570). A light diffusion process is formed on the back side to diffuse the light from light emitting means such as LEDs disposed on the front side of the left decorative substrate 570. Moreover, it is provided with an insertion hole 535 through which a fastening screw for fastening and fixing to the outer member 610 of the internal operation unit 600 can be inserted.

[0462] The outer plate portion 537 is a portion that can abut on the front portion of the outer wall portion 512 of the back case 510, and is provided with an insertion hole 538 through which a fastening screw screwed into the fastening portion 512a formed on the outer wall portion 512 can be inserted.

[0463] That is, in the assembled state of the operation unit 500 (see FIG. 36), the first fixing member 530 connects and fixes the outer wall portion 512 of the back case 510 and the outer member 610 of the internal operation unit 600.

[0464] The second fixing member 540 is a plate-shaped portion disposed at the same front and rear position as the front plate portion 534 of the first fixing member 530, and includes a front plate portion 541 disposed at a slight interval from the lower end of the front plate portion 534, a fastening extension portion 544 extending rightward from the lower right side portion of the front plate portion 541, and an outer plate portion 547 extending leftward from the left end portion of the front plate portion 541.

[0465] The front plate portion 541 is a plate-shaped portion that is disposed in front of the left decorative substrate 570 and is formed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the left decorative substrate 570 (formed so as to cover the left decorative substrate 570). A light diffusion process is formed on the back side to diffuse the light from light emitting means such as LEDs disposed on the front side of the left decorative substrate 570.

[0466] Moreover, an insertion hole 542 is formed through the outer member 610 of the internal operation unit 600 so as to allow insertion of a fastening screw, and an insertion hole 543 is formed through the inner member 670 of the internal operation unit 600 so as to allow insertion of a fastening screw. That is, by fastening and fixing through the front plate portion 541, the outer member 610 and the inner member 670 of the internal operation unit 600 can be connected and fixed.

[0467] The connecting extension portion 544 includes an insertion hole 545 formed through it so as to allow insertion of a fastening screw that is screwed into the fastening portion 518a of the light-emitting effect unit 518. The outer plate portion 547 is a portion that can contact the front surface portion of the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510, and includes an insertion hole 548 formed through it so as to allow insertion of a fastening screw that is screwed into the fastening portion 512b formed on the outer wall portion 512.

[0468] That is, in the assembled state of the operation unit 500 (see FIG. 36), the second fixing member 540 connects and fixes the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510, the outer member 610 and the inner member 670 of the internal operation unit 600, and the light-emitting effect unit 518.

[0469] Due to the difference in the shape of the inner member 670 of the internal operation unit 600, which is the object to be arranged and covered on the back side, the third fixing member 550, the fourth fixing member 560, and the right-side electrical decoration substrate 580 are somewhat different in shape from the first fixing member 530, the second fixing member 540, and the left-side electrical decoration substrate 570. However, they are basically formed symmetrically with the first fixing member 530 and the second fixing member 540 in the left-right direction, and the configurations they have and the roles of each configuration are the same. Therefore, the description of the overlapping parts is omitted, and the reference numerals described in the description of the first fixing member 530 and the second fixing member 540 are shown in the drawings for convenience.

[0470] The assembly order of the internal operation unit 600 and the decorative fixing member 520 to the rear case 510 will be described. For the assembly to the rear case 510, first, the internal operation unit 600 is assembled to the rear case 510 first (see FIG. 40), and then the decorative fixing member 520 is assembled to the rear case 510.

[0471] Briefly, the process of assembling the internal operation unit 600 to the back case 510 is as follows: First, fasten and fix the left and right outer members 610 and the inner member 670 to the back case 510. Then, insert the light emission operation effect unit 700 from the front side into the inside of the back case 510 and place it between the left and right outer members 610 and the inner member 670. Position the light emission operation effect unit 700 at the assembly position with the displacement member 680, and perform the work in the order of assembling the members (such as screws and collars) for preventing dropping from the front side to the fastening portion 682.

[0472] In this embodiment, when assembling the light emission operation effect unit 700, it is not necessary to assemble the decorative fixing member 520 to the back case 510. Therefore, the front side of the back case 510 can be widely opened, and it is possible to avoid the working line of the operator's hand being blocked by the decorative fixing member 520. Thereby, the working efficiency can be improved.

[0473] Moreover, since the work of inserting and fastening the fastening screws into the insertion holes 535, 538, 542, 543, 545, 548 of the decorative fixing member 520 can be performed from the front side of the back case 510, after the work of assembling the light emission operation effect unit 700 to the displacement member 680 is completed, the work for fastening and fixing the decorative fixing member 520 can be continuously performed without changing the posture of the back case 510. Thereby, the working efficiency can be further improved. Next, the details of the assembly work will be described.

[0474] FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view of the operation unit 500 along the line XLIV-XLIV in FIG. 36, FIG. 45 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the operation unit 500 in the range XLV in FIG. 44, and FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view of the operation unit 500 along the line XLIV-XLIV in FIG. 36.

[0475] In FIGS. 44 and 45, the light emission operation effect unit 700 is disassembled from the back case 510, and the illustration of the decorative fixing member 520 is omitted as a state before assembling the decorative fixing member 520. On the other hand, in FIG. 46, a state (see FIG. 36) in which the light emission operation effect unit 700 and the decorative fixing member 520 are assembled to the back case 510 is illustrated.

[0476] In this embodiment, the fastening positions are designed so that sufficient rigidity cannot be exhibited only by fixing the internal operation unit 600 and the back case 510 (for example, the fastening positions are arranged only at one end of the upper and lower sides), and the internal operation unit 600 is configured to be bendable (changeable in posture) to the left and right outer sides with respect to the back case 510 (see the imaginary line in FIG. 45).

[0477] By utilizing this bending deformation, it is possible to quickly assemble the light emission operation effect unit 700. That is, the assembly of the light emission operation effect unit 700 is performed by screwing a fastening screw into the fastening portion 682 in a state where the fastening portion 682 is inserted into the connected hole 764 of the light emission operation effect unit 700. When the internal operation unit 600 bends and deforms to the left and right outer sides, the dimension of the path for the light emission operation effect unit 700 to enter toward the fastening portion 682 can be widened from the fixed width dimension W1 to the bent width dimension W2 in the left and right directions, so that the workability of the assembly work can be improved.

[0478] At this time, when the internal operation unit 600 bends and deforms to the left and right outer sides, the entering direction of the fastening screw into the fastening portion 682 becomes an inclined direction (an inclined direction in which the front side spreads to the left and right outer sides) such that it turns more toward the left and right inner sides as it goes toward the back side.

[0479] In this case, compared with the case where the fastening screw enters in the front-rear direction, the fastening screw can enter into the back case 510 in a state where the driver for screwing the fastening screw is separated from (avoided) the decorative member 750 of the light emission operation effect unit 700 (a direction inclined with respect to the front-rear direction).

[0480] Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the fastening operation, and the degree of freedom in designing the decorative member 750 of the light emission operation effect unit 700, which is designed to avoid contact with the driver, can be improved. That is, it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the assembling operation of the light emission operation effect unit 700 and improve the degree of freedom in designing the decorative member 750.

[0481] In order to achieve this effect, in the present embodiment, the horizontal dimension of the long hole 764a of the connected hole 764 through which the fastening screw is inserted is designed to have a dimension (sufficient horizontal length) that can accommodate the displacement of the fastening portion 682 due to the bending deformation of the internal operation unit 600.

[0482] Note that the bending deformation of the internal operation unit 600 toward the left and right inner sides is less likely to occur compared to the bending deformation toward the left and right outer sides because the cylindrical member 695 abuts against the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510 and resistance is generated.

[0483] In the present embodiment, when the decorative fixing member 520 is assembled, it is configured to suppress the bending deformation of the internal operation unit 600 toward the left and right outer sides. This is because there are more fastening positions of the internal operation unit 600, the decorative fixing member 520, and the rear case 510 (fastening positions arranged on the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510, the front side of the internal operation unit 600, or closer to the front side) than the fastening positions of the internal operation unit 600 and the rear case 510 (fastening positions arranged on the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510 or closer to the rear side), and the effect is exerted due to the shape design of the decorative fixing member 520.

[0484] First, the decorative fixing member 520 includes an outer plate portion 547 that is fastened and fixed to the outer wall portion 512 or the support plate portion 513. The support plate portion 513, which is integrally formed with the outer wall portion 512, is fastened and fixed to the base plate 60 (see FIG. 42). That is, the displacement of the decorative fixing member 520 is restricted by the base plate 60 via the support plate portion 513. As a result, by utilizing the rigidity of the base plate 60, the rigidity of the decorative fixing member 520 and the internal operation unit 600 can be improved, so that the bending deformation of the internal operation unit 600 to the left and right outer sides can be suppressed.

[0485] Second, the insertion plate portion 531 of the decorative fixing member 520 is arranged to abut against the left and right outer sides of the internal operation unit 600. That is, the bending deformation of the internal operation unit 600 to the left and right outer sides can be suppressed by the insertion plate portion 531.

[0486] From these first and second configurations, it is possible to prevent the internal operation unit 600 from bending and deforming to the left and right outer sides when the decorative fixing member 520 is assembled.

[0487] In addition, the decorative fixing member 520 is configured to be assembled to the back case 510 from the front side, and the light emission operation effect unit 700 is also configured to be assembled to the back case 510 from the front side. Therefore, a series of assembly operations can be performed so that the decorative fixing member 520 is assembled following the assembly of the light emission operation effect unit 700 without changing the posture of the back case 510. Accordingly, the efficiency of the assembly work can be improved.

[0488] On the other hand, it is more efficient to configure the work of removing the light emission operation effect unit 700 from the fastening portion 682 during maintenance or the like to be executable without removing the decorative fixing member 520, as this can reduce the man-hours of the maintenance work.

[0489] Here, lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 are disposed on the back side of the decorative fixing member 520 (see FIG. 42). It is preferable to configure the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 to project inwardly to the left and right, so that the production range of the light emission effect can be expanded and the production effect can be improved.

[0490] On the other hand, when the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 are disposed to project inwardly to the left and right as in the present embodiment, when a maintenance worker moves the light emission operation production unit 700 to the front side, the connection plate portions 765 formed at the left and right end portions of the light emission operation production unit 700 may collide with the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580, and the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 may be damaged.

[0491] On the contrary, in the present embodiment, a protective extension portion 677b is extended in a sufficient shape to cover the back surfaces of the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 from the front side edge portion of the extension wall portion 677 of the inner member 670 described later toward the left and right inner sides (see FIG. 42).

[0492] The protective extension portion 677b is formed with left and right inner ends in the same shape as a shape line S51 (see FIG. 42) corresponding to the shape of the left and right inner edges of the upper portion of the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580, and is extended to a position corresponding to the shape line S51.

[0493] As a result, the area for supporting the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 from the back side can be increased, and the back surfaces of the upper portions of the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 can be protected by the protective extension portion 677b. Therefore, it is possible to avoid contact between the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 and the light emission operation production unit 700 during maintenance work.

[0494] On the other hand, below the lower end of the shape line S51, regardless of the shape of the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580, the formation of the extending portions inwardly to the left and right is omitted. Therefore, when the operation of removing the light emission operation production unit 700 is performed at this position, there remains a possibility that the light emission operation production unit 700 and the lighting decoration substrates 570 and 580 come into contact with each other.

[0495] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the light emission operation effect unit 700 is configured to be displaced downward and change its posture (see FIGS. 37 and 38). Due to the change in posture, the direction of the fastening portion 682 changes from the front-rear direction to the vertical direction, making it impossible to insert a driver into the fastening screw. Therefore, the operation of removing the light emission operation effect unit 700 is configured to be performed before the posture of the light emission operation effect unit 700 changes. Accordingly, it is sufficient to form the protective extension portion 677b at a position where it is arranged before the posture of the light emission operation effect unit 700 changes, and in the present embodiment, it is designed in this way (see FIG. 37).

[0496] In this way, instead of forming the protective extension portion 677b over the entire vertical range, the formation range of the protective extension portion 677b can be narrowed by restricting it to the formation of the minimum necessary range for avoiding contact between the light emission operation effect unit 700 and the electrical decoration substrates 570 and 580.

[0497] In other words, in the present embodiment, by configuring the arrangement of the light emission operation effect unit 700 where the operation of removing the light emission operation effect unit 700 can be performed to be restricted to the arrangement between the retracted state and the intermediate state of the internal operation unit 600, the formation range of the protective extension portion 677b is reduced.

[0498] Note that in the present embodiment, it is naturally possible to remove the light emission operation effect unit 700 after removing the decorative fixing member 520 from the back case 510. In this case, similar to the assembly operation, by flexing and deforming the internal operation unit 600 to the left and right outer sides, the left-right width of the path for removing the light emission operation effect unit 700 can be widened, so that contact between the light emission operation effect unit 700 and the protective extension portion 677b can be avoided.

[0499] FIG. 47 is an exploded front perspective view of the operation unit 500, and FIG. 48 is an exploded rear perspective view of the operation unit 500. In FIGS. 47 and 48, mainly the state where the internal operation unit 600 is disassembled is illustrated, and the illustration of the decorative fixing member 520 is omitted.

[0500] As shown in FIGS. 47 and 48, the internal operation unit 600 includes an outer member 610 fastened and fixed to the bottom plate portion 511 of the back case 510, a lifting plate member 630 supported by the outer member 610 so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction and disposed on the inner side in the left-right direction, and a device that generates a driving force for lifting and lowering the lifting plate member 630, the device including a drive motor 648 fastened and fixed to the outer member 610, a transmission gear 649 fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor 648 and transmitting the driving force to the lifting plate member 630, and a coil spring SP1 that applies an upward biasing force (a load in the pulling direction) to the lifting plate member 630.

[0501] In addition, the internal operation unit 600 includes a resistance generating device 650 configured to be able to generate a resistance force to the movement of the lifting plate member 630, an inner member 670 disposed on the inner side in the left-right direction so as to dispose the lifting plate member 630 between the outer member 610 and fastened and fixed to the outer member 610 by a fastening screw inserted through the outer member 610 in the left-right direction, a displacement member 680 supported by the inner member 670 so as to be displaceable and disposed on the inner side in the left-right direction, a rotation posture assisting member 690 fastened and fixed from the left and right inner sides on the back side of the upper end portion of the inner member 670, and a light emitting operation effect unit 700 having both ends connected to the displacement member 680.

[0502] The internal operation unit 600 is a unit configured to be generally left-right symmetric, with the light emitting operation effect unit 700 disposed at the left-right center, and the light emitting operation effect unit 700 is operably supported by a substantially common configuration fixedly disposed on the back case 510 side on both the left and right sides of the light emitting operation effect unit 700.

[0503] Hereinafter, details of each component of the internal operation unit 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 49 and 50, in which each range of FIG. 47 is enlarged and illustrated. In the description of FIGS. 49 and 50, FIGS. 47 and 48 are appropriately referred to.

[0504] FIG. 49(a) is an exploded front perspective view of the outer member 610, the lifting plate member 630, and the resistance generating device 650 in the range XLIXa of FIG. 47. FIG. 49(b) is a front perspective view of the outer member 610 in the range XLIXb of FIG. 47. FIG. 50(a) is an exploded front perspective view of the lifting plate member 630, the inner member 670, the displacement member 680, and the rotational posture assisting member 690 in the range La of FIG. 47. FIG. 50(b) is an exploded front perspective view of the displacement member 680 and the rotational posture assisting member 690 in the range Lb of FIG. 47.

[0505] As shown in FIGS. 49(a) and 49(b), the outer member 610 includes a plate-shaped portion 611 formed in a vertically long plate shape, and an extended wall portion 621 that extends in a wall shape to the left and right outer sides of the plate-shaped portion 611 (the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510, on the side of the outer wall portion 512 that is close in the assembled state) and is formed to partition the left and right outer regions of the plate-shaped portion 611.

[0506] The plate-shaped portion 611 includes a pair of upper and lower elongated holes 612 formed in an elongated oval shape that is vertically long, a wiring through hole 613 formed in an elongated oval shape that is vertically long and wide (wider than the elongated hole 612) behind the upper elongated hole 612, and a pair of upper and lower guide protruding portions 614 protruding in a columnar shape to the left and right outer sides behind the lower elongated hole 612.

[0507] The elongated holes 612 are elongated holes for restricting the displacement direction of the lifting plate member 630, and a pair is arranged on the upper side and the lower side. Since the front and rear width of the elongated holes 612 is formed to be slightly wider than the diameters of the upper fastening portion 632 and the lower fastening portion 633 of the lifting plate member 630 to be inserted, the displacement of the lifting plate member 630 in the front and rear directions is reduced. These pair of elongated holes 612 are formed with a deliberate shift in the front and rear arrangement. That is, the lower elongated hole 612 is arranged on the front side compared to the upper elongated hole 612.

[0508] As a result, since the support position of the upper portion of the lifting plate member 630 is on the rear side compared to the support position of the lower portion of the lifting plate member 630, the lower portion of the lifting plate member 630 suspended from the upper portion of the lifting plate member 630 is biased to the rear side by gravity.

[0509] As a result, the rack gear portion 634 of the lifting plate member 630 can be moved closer to the transmission gear 649 side, so that the rack gear portion 634 can be prevented from coming off from the transmission gear 649, and the proper meshing relationship can be achieved.

[0510] The wiring through-hole 613 is an electrical wiring connected inside the light emission operation effect unit 700. It passes through the deformed opening 685a of the anti-drop collar member 685 and through the electrical wiring located on the left and right outer sides of the inner member 670, and is an opening for discharging to the left and right outer sides of the outer member 610.

[0511] The guide protruding portion 614 functions as a portion for guiding the displacement of the front and rear displacement member 653 of the resistance generating device 650. That is, it guides the front and rear displacement member 653 so that it can be displaced in the front and rear directions, and functions to prevent the front and rear displacement member 653 from tilting forward and backward and changing its posture. Details will be described later.

[0512] The extended wall portion 621 includes a plurality of fastening portions 622 configured to be able to screw in fastening screws inserted through the decorative fixing member 520 and arranged at the front side end portion, and a pair of upper and lower receiving holes 623 formed at the back side and configured to be able to insert the insertion protrusion 532 (see FIG. 43) of the insertion plate portion 531 of the decorative fixing member 520. Note that the fastening portions other than the fastening portion 622 arranged at the front side end portion are mainly fastening portions for fastening and fixing the electric decorative substrates 570 and 580 (see FIG. 40).

[0513] The lifting plate member 630 includes a long main body portion 631 with its long axis direction oriented in the vertical direction, a pair of upper fastening portions 632 protruding from the long main body portion 631 to the left and right outer sides, inserted into the upper long holes 612 of the outer member 610 and configured to be able to screw in fastening screws, a pair of lower fastening portions 633 protruding from the long main body portion 631 to the left and right outer sides, inserted into the lower long holes 612 of the outer member 610 and configured to be able to screw in fastening screws, and a rack gear portion 634 formed in a gear tooth shape on the back side of the long main body portion 631 and meshed with the transmission gear 649.

[0514] Further, the lifting plate member 630 includes a detected portion 635 configured to be able to detect the position of the long main body portion 631 by being extended from the lower end portion of the long main body portion 631 to the back side and disposed in a detection groove of a position detection device (not shown); a front-rear long hole 636 formed as a long hole extending in the front-rear direction in the long main body portion 631 at an intermediate position between a pair of upper fastening portions 632; a drop prevention plate 637 disposed on the left and right outer sides of the plate-like portion 611 and fastened and fixed to the upper fastening portion 632 by a fastening screw inserted therethrough; a contact plate 638 disposed on the left and right outer sides of the plate-like portion 611 and fastened and fixed to the lower fastening portion 633 by a fastening screw inserted therethrough; and a ring member C1 assembled to the upper fastening portion 632 and the lower fastening portion 633 to reduce the frictional resistance during operation.

[0515] The upper fastening portion 632 and the lower fastening portion 633 are disposed corresponding to the front-rear arrangement of the long holes 612 of the outer member 610. Therefore, the lower fastening portion 633 is disposed on the front side of the upper fastening portion 632.

[0516] The front-rear long hole 636 is a long hole for guiding the front-rear movement of a metal rod-shaped member 686 inserted into the second long hole 673 and the curved long hole 674 of the inner member 670, and is formed with a front-rear length equal to or greater than the front-rear width of the range in which the second long hole 673 and the curved long hole 674 are formed.

[0517] With the upper fastening portion 632 of the lifting plate member 630 inserted into the upper long hole 612, the drop prevention plate 637 is fastened and fixed to the tip side of the upper fastening portion 632, and with the lower fastening portion 633 inserted into the lower long hole 612, the contact plate 638 is fastened and fixed to the tip side of the lower fastening portion 633, it is possible to easily prevent the lifting plate member 630 supported by the outer member 610 from dropping off the outer member 610.

[0518] The contact plate 638 includes locking portions for locking the lower end portions of the coil springs SP1 on the left and right outer sides. The upper end portions of the coil springs SP1 are locked to locking portions 638a formed on the left and right outer sides of the plate-like portion 611 of the outer member 610. That is, the coil springs SP1 generate a biasing force (tensile force) for biasing the contact plate 638 upward.

[0519] The anti - detachment plate 637 is formed in an oval shape, while the abutted plate 638 is formed in a rectangular shape. As a result, the contact area with the resistance generating device 650 can be increased, and the magnitude of the load per unit area generated during a collision can be reduced. Details will be described later.

[0520] The resistance generating device 650 includes a solenoid 651 with the plunger's protruding and retracting direction being the front - rear direction, a fixing cover 652 for accommodating the solenoid 651 and fixing it to the left and right outer sides of the outer member 610, and a front - rear displacement member 653 that is locked to the plunger of the solenoid 651 and is configured to be displaceable in the front - rear direction by being guided by the guiding protruding portion 614 of the outer member 610.

[0521] The fixing cover 652 includes a plurality of insertion holes 652a formed at both the upper and lower positions of the solenoid 651 as insertion holes through which fastening screws screwed into the outer member 610 can be inserted, and a pair of upper and lower fitting portions 652b recessed with an arrangement dimension that allows the tip of the guiding protruding portion 614 of the outer member 610 to be fitted.

[0522] The front - rear displacement member 653 includes a pair of guided long holes 653a that are formed in a front - rear long shape as long holes through which the guiding protruding portion 614 is inserted on both the upper and lower sides. With the guided long holes 653a inserted into the guiding protruding portion 614, by fitting the fitting portion 652b of the fixing cover 652 to the tip of the guiding protruding portion 614, it is possible to prevent the front - rear displacement member 653 from detaching from the guiding protruding portion 614.

[0523] As shown in FIGS. 50(a) and 50(b), the inner member 670 includes a plate - shaped portion 671 that is arranged opposite to the plate - shaped portion 611 of the outer member 610 in the left - right direction, an extended wall portion 677 that extends in a wall shape to the left and right outside of the plate - shaped portion 671, and a rectangular protruding portion 678 that protrudes in a rectangular shape to the left and right inside at the rear part on the upper - end side of the plate - shaped portion 671.

[0524] The plate-like portion 671 includes a first long hole 672 formed as a vertically long long hole on the back side rather than the front and rear positions of the elevating plate member 630, and a second long hole 673 formed as a long hole that is offset upward from the upper end of the first long hole 672 and extends parallel to the first long hole 672 on the front side of the first long hole 672, and a curved long hole 674 formed as a curved-shaped long hole connected to the lower end of the second long hole 673.

[0525] As a connecting portion between the plate-like portion 671 and the back case 510, in FIG. 48, the fastening portion is shown only on the back side of the upper end of the left inner member 670 on the left side, and there is no illustration of the fastening portion on the back side of the other inner member 670. As can be understood from this, the position fixing of the plate-like portion 671 is mainly not by direct fastening and fixing to the back case 510, but by fastening and fixing via the outer member 610 and the decorative fixing member 520 (see FIG. 40) that are fastened and fixed to the back case 510. In other words, the plate-like portion 671 has a fixing force with the back case 510 due to indirect fastening and fixing to the back case 510.

[0526] The plate-like portion 671 is provided with a plurality of fastening portions 671a into which fastening screws inserted from the left and right outer sides in the left-right direction are screwed into the plate-like portion 611 of the outer member 610, and the inner member 670 is fastened and fixed to the outer member 610 by screwing in the fastening screws.

[0527] The first long hole 672 is formed wider than the widths of the second long hole 673 and the curved long hole 674. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the first long hole 672 can be used as a through hole for electrical wiring, and it is possible to prevent the electrical wiring connected to the light emission operation effect unit 700 from being exposed in the left and right inner regions of the pair of left and right inner members 670. Details will be described later.

[0528] The second long hole 673 and the curved long hole 674 are formed with the same width. The curved shape of the curved long hole 674 is formed as an arc shape centered on the center of the cylindrical portion 684 of the displacement member 680 guided by the first long hole 672 in a state where the cylindrical portion 684 is located at the lower end of the first long hole 672.

[0529] The extended wall portion 677 includes a partition wall portion 677a formed to surround the first long hole 672 from the plate-like portion 671 to the left and right outer sides, and a protective extended portion 677b extended in a sufficient shape from the front edge portion to the left and right inner sides to cover the back surfaces of the electric decoration substrates 570 and 580.

[0530] The displacement member 680 includes a box-shaped main body portion 681 formed in a substantially rectangular box shape with open left and right inner sides, a pair of fastening portions 682 protruding outward from the short-side wall portions of the box-shaped main body portion 681, an extended portion 683 extending along the left and right outer side surfaces of the box-shaped main body portion 681, a cylindrical portion 684 protruding in a cylindrical shape from the corners of the box-shaped main body portion 681 in the left and right outer directions, a drop-preventing collar member 685 fastened and fixed to the tip side of the cylindrical portion 684, a metal rod-shaped member 686 fitted and fixed to a fitting recess 683a formed as a circular recess at the base end side of the extended portion 683, a plurality of ring members 687 disposed in the gap between the relatively displaced members and through which the metal rod-shaped member 686 is inserted, a large-diameter ring member 688 through which the cylindrical portion 684 is inserted, and front and rear ring members 689 inserted through the fastening portions 682 in a state where the light emission operation effect unit 700 is sandwiched front and back (see FIG. 46).

[0531] The fastening portion 682 has a female screw portion into which a fastening screw inserted into the connection hole 764 of the light emission operation effect unit 700 is screwed, and the light emission operation effect unit 700 is connected to the displacement member 680 by this fastening screw.

[0532] The extended portion 683 functions as a portion that protects the light emission operation effect unit 700 from contacting the inner member 670 when assembling the light emission operation effect unit 700 to the displacement member 680 (see FIGS. 45 and 46 for the arrangement relationship between the extended portion 683 and the light emission operation effect unit 700).

[0533] The cylindrical portion 684 includes a deformed opening 684b formed to penetrate the box-shaped single body portion 681 in the left and right directions on the inner peripheral side, and a fastening portion 684a formed to be able to screw a fastening screw inserted through the drop-preventing collar member 685 at both positions sandwiching the central axis passing through the deformed opening 684a.

[0534] The cylindrical portion 684 is inserted into the first long hole 672 of the inner member 670, and the anti-drop collar member 685 is fastened and fixed. An irregular opening 685a is formed at the center of the anti-drop collar member 685 as an opening having approximately the same size as the irregular opening 684b of the cylindrical portion 684.

[0535] That is, in a state where the anti-drop collar member 685 is fastened and fixed to the cylindrical portion 684, an opening penetrating in the left - right direction is formed on the inner circumferential side of the cylindrical portion 684 and the anti-drop collar member 685. This opening functions as a through - hole for the electrical wiring connected to the light - emitting operation effect unit 700. This will be described here.

[0536] The other end side of the electrical wiring having one end connected to the light - emitting operation effect unit 700 comes out of the wiring through - hole 762 (see FIG. 48) of the light - emitting operation effect unit 700 to the outside, passes through the irregular opening 684b of the cylindrical portion 684 of the displacement member 680 and the irregular opening 685a of the anti-drop collar member 685, and comes out to the left - right outside of the first long hole 672 of the inner member 670. Further, it comes out to the left - right outside of the plate - like portion 611 through the wiring through - hole 613 of the outer member 610.

[0537] The irregular opening 685a is not a simple circular opening, but has a protruding portion (a portion through which a fastening screw is inserted) protruding inward from the diameter position of the circular shape. When the irregular opening 685a rotates in the circumferential direction, the protruding portion catches the electrical wiring, thereby displacing the electrical wiring in the circumferential direction. Thereby, the friction generated between the irregular opening 685a and the electrical wiring can be suppressed, making it easier to prevent the disconnection of the electrical wiring.

[0538] The other end side of the electrical wiring crawls from the left - right outside of the plate - like portion 611 to the back side of the back case 510 and is connected to an individual relay substrate. The region on the left - right outside of the plate - like portion 611 is at least hidden by the decorative fixing member 520 (see FIG. 40).

[0539] At one end side of the electrical wiring, although there is a possibility that the electrical wiring may be exposed at the position between the light emission operation effect unit 700 and the displacement member 680, in this embodiment, the box-shaped main body portion 681 extends inwardly to the left and right so as to cover the electrical wiring, and the extended plate portion 763 of the light emission operation effect unit 700 extends so as to cover the electrical wiring in a front view on the front side of the wiring through hole 762 (see FIG. 48). Thereby, it is possible to easily prevent the electrical wiring from being exposed at the position between the light emission operation effect unit 700 and the displacement member 680.

[0540] By passing the electrical wiring in this way, it is possible to avoid a situation where the electrical wiring is exposed in the left and right inner regions of the pair of left and right inner members 670. Therefore, as problems that often occur when the electrical wiring is visible to the player, there are problems such as the electrical wiring being arranged in front of the third symbol display device 81 and reducing visibility by hiding the display, and the electrical wiring being arranged in a non-uniform manner and looking dirty, thereby reducing the production effect. That is, the visibility of the third symbol display device 81 can be improved and the electrical wiring can be hidden from the player.

[0541] At this time, since the partition wall portion 677a can limit the arrangement of the electrical wiring in the gap between the outer member 610 and the inner member 670, it is possible to avoid a situation where the lifting plate member 630 arranged on the front side of the partition wall portion 677a comes into contact with the electrical wiring.

[0542] The metal rod-shaped member 686 is formed into a rod shape with a flange by fitting E-rings at the left and right outer ends, thereby preventing the member from falling off from the left and right outer ends. As the insertion order of the metal rod-shaped member 686, the left and right inner ends are inserted in the order of the ring member 687, the front and rear long holes 636 of the lifting plate member 630, the ring member 687, the second long hole 673 (curved long hole 674) of the inner member 670, the ring member 687, and the fitting concave portion 683a of the displacement member 680, and is fitted and fixed to the fitting concave portion 683a of the extended portion 683.

[0543] In this way, the metal rod-shaped member 686 is a member inserted through the lifting plate member 630 and the inner member 670. Its vertical arrangement depe...

Claims

[Claim 1] A gaming machine comprising a gaming board, a first displacement member, a second displacement member, and a driving means, wherein the first displacement member is configured to be displaced relative to the second displacement member in accordance with the displacement of the second displacement member, a surface that can be viewed in a predetermined area when viewed in a predetermined direction can be changed between a first surface and a second surface by the relative displacement of the first displacement member; the driving means is configured to generate a driving force that causes the second displacement member to be displaced, the first displacement member is capable of being positioned at a first position and a second position different from the first position, The second position is a position where the visibility of the first displacement member is lower than that of the first position, the relative displacement and the change in the visible surface are configured to be caused by the driving force; At least a portion of the first displacement member is located forward of a predetermined position on the front side of the game board in the first position, The gaming machine includes: The relative displacement of the first displacement member is easily visible compared to the displacement of the second displacement member, When at least the first displacement member is relatively displaced from the second position to the first position, a situation in which a game ball is positioned on the front side of the first displacement member may occur, When the first displacement member is positioned at the first position, a predetermined portion of the first surface is configured to be positioned closer to the front of the gaming machine than a specific portion of the second surface, and when the first displacement member is positioned at the second position, the specific portion is configured to be positioned closer to the front of the gaming machine than the predetermined portion, The manner in which the visible surface changes can be configured as follows: a manner in which the area in which the first surface is visible is reduced while the area in which the second surface is visible is increased; and a manner in which the area in which the first surface is visible is increased while the area in which the second surface is visible is reduced. the driving means is configured to be able to change its state from a specific state in which the driving force is generated to a predetermined state, the visible surface is configured to be changeable by the driving means changing its state from the specific state to the predetermined state, The gaming machine is configured so that when the visible surface is changed, the changed state of the visible surface can be maintained.

Images