Game machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine in which a group to which a manufacturing company that has manufactured the game machine belongs and display that can identify the manufacturing company of the game machine can be easily recognized.SOLUTION: A game machine includes a base body and an opening / closing body that can be opened and closed with respect to the base body, causes a game to proceed with the opening / closing body being closed, and has a first display in which a manufacturing company of the game machine can be identified and a second display different from the first display in which a group to which the manufacturing company belongs can be identified. In a state where the opening / closing body is closed, at least a part of the first display is not visible and the entire second display is visible. In a state where the opening / closing body is open, the entire first display is visible and the entire second display is visible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines and slot machines, have an image display device such as a liquid crystal display device, and perform game effects using images displayed on the image display device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-116297 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Nowadays, it is common for a gaming machine manufacturer to have multiple manufacturing companies that produce gaming machines, and for these manufacturing companies to be treated as one group, in order to facilitate applications to the Security Communications Association, which tests the performance of gaming machines to determine whether they can be installed in halls. This can lead to problems such as, for example, when a trial play video or a practice video is viewed over a telecommunications circuit, it can be difficult to know which gaming machine manufacturer (group) the gaming machine featured in the video is from, or if a malfunction occurs with a gaming machine installed in the hall, it can be difficult for hall personnel to know which manufacturer they should contact.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and provides a gaming machine that displays easily recognizable indications that can identify the group to which the manufacturer of the gaming machine belongs and the manufacturer of the gaming machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine comprising a base and an opening / closing body that can be opened and closed relative to the base, and in which play progresses with the opening / closing body closed, wherein there is a first area that is above the upper end of a predetermined operating means when viewed vertically, and a second area that is below the predetermined operating means when viewed vertically, the first area and the second area are configured to be controllable by a predetermined control means, and the gaming machine has a first display that identifies the manufacturer of the gaming machine and a second display that is different from the first display and identifies the group to which the manufacturer belongs, wherein when the opening / closing body is closed, at least a portion of the first display is not visible in the second area and the entire second display is visible in the first area, and when the opening / closing body is open, the entire first display is visible in the second area and the entire second display is visible in the first area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a gaming machine is provided in which a display that can identify the group to which the manufacturer of the gaming machine belongs and the manufacturer of the gaming machine is easily visible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of the gaming machine. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hand area II enclosed by a dashed line in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a view showing the back side of the front door. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the gaming machine 10 without the front door. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower space III shown by hatching in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the arrangement of symbols on the reels in a planar form. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the types of symbols on the reels. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of the gaming machine. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the gaming machine. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the main flow on the main board. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the main flow on the main board. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the main flow on the main board. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the main flow in the medal number control board. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the medal number control board initial setting process. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram summarizing whether or not the number of medals is cleared depending on the operation state when the power is turned on. [Figure 16] Figure 16(a) is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed in the upper performance display area and the lower performance display area when no game is being played and the front door is closed, and Figure 16(b) is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed in the upper performance display area and the lower performance display area when no game is being played and the front door is open. [Figure 17] Figure 17(a) is a timing chart when the front door switches from a closed state to an open state while no play is being performed, and Figure 17(b) is a timing chart when the front door switches from an open state to a closed state while no play is being performed. [Figure 18] Figure 18(a) is a modified example of the display in the display area (display area 621 described later) when the front door switches from a closed state to an open state while not playing, and Figure 18(b) is a modified example of the display in the display area (display area 622 and display area 623 described later) when the front door switches from a closed state to an open state while not playing. [Figure 19]Figure 19(a) is a timing chart when the front door switches from a closed state to an open state during play, and Figure 19(b) is a timing chart when the front door switches from an open state to a closed state during play. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted where appropriate. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" refer to the gaming machine 10 as viewed from the front side (player side) as shown in FIG. 1.

[0010] <Features of the present invention> Before describing the details of the gaming machine 10 in this embodiment, the features of the invention (present invention) described in this embodiment will be described. In addition, when explaining the features, the configuration in parentheses is an example of the configuration of this embodiment corresponding to the immediately preceding configuration, and the configuration may be described in parentheses for the same purpose in the explanation of the gaming machine 10 that follows this explanation.

[0011] The present invention provides A gaming machine comprising a base (outer frame 90) and an opening / closing body (front door 20) that can be opened and closed relative to the base, wherein a game is played with the opening / closing body closed, A first indication (indication of the name of the manufacturer) that identifies the manufacturer of the gaming machine; A second indication (indication of the group name) that is different from the first indication and that identifies the group to which the manufacturing company belongs; and When the opening / closing body is closed, At least a portion of the first indication is not visible; The second display is entirely visible, When the opening / closing body is in an open state, The entire first display is visible, The second display is entirely visible. This is a gaming machine characterized by the above.

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent confusion between the first display and the second display during a game in which there is a high possibility that the opening / closing body is in a closed state.

[0013] As will be described later, the first display in this embodiment is made up of characters, but symbols or logos may be used in place of or in addition to characters in the first display, and the same applies to the second display. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is permissible for one manufacturing company (for example, the largest one) among multiple manufacturing companies included in a group to be identical to a group related to that group, and in that case, the names can be differentiated by changing the font or color of the characters that make up those names, making one an abbreviation and the other the official name, or making one with a logo and the other without a logo, etc. Furthermore, "the entire second display is visible" and "the entire first display is visible" refer to the fact that the entire display is visible when viewed directly facing the gaming machine.

[0014] Furthermore, although the gaming machine according to the present embodiment, which will be described later, is a slot machine (a so-called smart slot) that pays out all medals as electronic data, the present invention can also be applied to a conventional slot machine that pays out some medals as real medals. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a conventional pachinko machine that pays out real game balls as prize balls, or a pachinko machine (a so-called smart pachinko) that awards prize balls as electronic data.

[0015] The gaming machine 10 having the above-mentioned features will be specifically described based on the following embodiment.

[0016] <Structure of gaming machine 10> First, the structure of the gaming machine 10 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. Figure 1 is a front view of the gaming machine 10, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hand area II enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view showing the back side of the front door 20, Figure 4 is a view showing the front of the gaming machine 10 excluding the front door 20, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the lower space III hatched in Figure 4, Figure 6 is a view showing the arrangement of the symbols on the reels 65 in a planar development, and Figure 7 is a view showing the types of symbols on the reels 65.

[0017] The gaming machine 10 includes a rectangular parallelepiped outer frame 90 with an open front, a front door 20 pivotally supported on the left edge side (around axis Za) of the outer frame 90 so as to be rotatable open and closed, and a gaming machine main body 60. More specifically, three hinge portions 96 (96a, 96b, 96c) are provided on the left edge side of the outer frame 90, and the front door 20 is pivotally supported by the upper hinge portion 96a and the lower hinge portion 96c, and the gaming machine main body 60 is pivotally supported by the upper hinge portion 96a and the middle hinge portion 96b. 4, an opening is formed in the outer frame 90 by a left side wall 90a, a right side wall 90b, a top plate 90c, and a bottom plate 90d, and the back portion of the opening is shielded by a back side wall shown in another drawing (such as FIG. 5). Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, in the following description, the game components are simply provided on the inner surfaces of the plate members (left side wall 90a, right side wall 90b, top plate 90c, and back side wall) that make up the outer frame 90, and expressions such as "provided on the plate members" will be used to refer to game components being provided on the inner surfaces of the plate members.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, the front side of the front door 20 is provided with an upper panel 21, a lower panel 22, a bet button 23, a menu selection button 24, a status display LED 25, a start lever 26, a stop button 27, a medal number display LED 28, a settlement button 32, a medal count button 33, a door lock 34, a decorative LED 36, and a speaker vent 38. In particular, the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called medal-less slot machine in which games can be played without using actual medals. Therefore, the gaming machine 10 does not have the structures required for using actual medals, such as a medal insertion slot and a medal ejection slot, which are standard features of conventional slot machines that use actual medals. In the following description, medals do not refer to the actual medals that have been used in the past, but rather to those treated as electronic information.

[0019] In addition, as shown in Figure 3, on the back side of the front door 20, there are provided a decorative LED board 41, a status display LED board 42, a stop button board 43, a start lever sensor 44, a bet button board 45, a menu selection button board 46, a setting change device 48, a speaker 49, a medal number display LED board 50, and a medal count button board 51.

[0020] In addition, in order to open the front door 20, it is necessary to insert a door key (not shown) into the door lock 34 to unlock the locking mechanism (not shown) that locks the front door 20 to the outer frame 90. When the front door 20 is opened, the lower space III below the gaming machine main body 60 can be seen, as shown in Figure 4. In this embodiment, a door open sensor (not shown) for determining whether the front door 20 is open or not is provided on the right edge of the outer frame 90, and the door open sensor is in the OFF state when the front door 20 is closed and in the ON state when the front door 20 is open.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, in the lower space III (see Figure 4) below the gaming machine main body 60, a power supply unit 91 is provided on the bottom plate 90d along the left side wall 90a, and a medal number control board case 400 is provided on the rear side wall 90e. In particular, the medal number control board case 400 is located at a position lower in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) than the top surface of the power supply device 91. This is to make effective use of the space that would have been occupied by structures that conventional slot machines that use real medals have (such as a hopper that physically pays out the medals and an auxiliary storage cabinet that stores medals that overflow from the hopper, which are unnecessary in the medal-less slot machines described above). Furthermore, a metal plate 95 is provided in an area on the bottom plate 90d where the power supply device 91 is not installed.

[0022] The power supply device 91 is a device for supplying power to each component of the gaming machine 10, and its activation or deactivation is controlled by operating a power switch 92 provided on the device. Therefore, in order to enjoy a game, it is necessary to activate the power supply device 91 by operating the power switch 92 with the front door 20 open. In this embodiment, the main board 100, the sub-board 200, and the medal number control board 300, which will be described later, each have the function of maintaining the information that was held before the power supply from the power supply device 91 was turned off, even if the power supply is turned off. Further, a heat radiating port 93 is provided on the right side (X-axis direction side) of the power supply device 91 to release heat generated while the power supply device 91 is running.

[0023] The medal number control board case 400 houses the medal number control board 300, which will be described later, inside. In particular, since the medal number control board case 400 is transparent, the medal number control board 300 can be visually observed when the medal number control board 300 is housed inside.

[0024] The setting change device 48 provided on the rear side of the front door 20 is a device for performing a setting change process for changing a setting value and a setting confirmation process for confirming a setting value that has already been set, and is configured to include a setting key switch 48a, a setting change switch 48b, a setting display LED 48c, and a setting key cover 48d. Details of the setting change process and the setting confirmation process will be described later. The setting display LED 48c is an LED that displays the setting value being changed in the setting change process and displays the setting value that has already been set in the setting confirmation process, and in this embodiment is configured as a 7-segment display. The setting key cover 48d is a cover that covers the setting key switch 48a, and by sliding it, a setting key (not shown) can be inserted into the setting key switch 48a to operate it. Note that Fig. 3 illustrates the state in which the setting key cover 48d covers the setting key switch 48a. Here, the setting value is a different ball payout rate that indicates the expected value of the number of medals paid out relative to the number of medals used in the game, and in this embodiment, there are six levels from 1 to 6. The larger the setting value that is set, the higher the ball payout rate tends to be, and similarly in this embodiment, the ball payout rate increases as the setting value increases from 1 to 6. In the following explanation, a setting value of 1 will be referred to as setting value 1, and similarly a setting value of 2 will be referred to as setting value 2, a setting value of 3 as setting value 3, a setting value of 4 as setting value 4, a setting value of 5 as setting value 5, and a setting value of 6 as setting value 6.

[0025] The front door 20 has an upper panel 21 and a lower panel 22 on the front side. Since the upper panel 21 is made of a transparent material, a player positioned in front of the gaming machine 10 can see the gaming machine main body 60 (particularly the upper performance display area 62a, reel frame 64, and reel 65 of the upper performance display device described below) located on the back side of the upper panel 21 through the upper panel 21. Like the upper panel 21, the lower panel 22 is also made of a transparent material, so a player positioned in front of the gaming machine 10 can see the lower performance display area 62b of the lower performance display device 63b located on the back side of the lower panel 22 through the lower panel 22.

[0026] In addition, the gaming machine main body 60 includes the main components that control the games played by the gaming machine 10, and specifically, as shown in Figure 4, an upper performance display area 62a is formed at the upper front part, and a reel frame 64 is formed at the lower front part.

[0027] The upper performance display area 62a is the display screen of the upper performance display device 63a built into the gaming machine main body 60, and in addition to performances and information related to the game on the gaming machine 10, it can display the names of group companies and manufacturing companies described below. The lower performance display area 62b is the display screen of the lower performance display device 63b provided on the front door 20, and can display the model name and manufacturer name described below. In addition, the upper performance display device 63a and the lower performance display device 63b can be, for example, an LCD display type display device, and the performance displayed in the upper performance display area 62a is linked to the audio output from the speaker 49 and the illumination of the decorative LED 36, thereby effectively stimulating the player's interest. Furthermore, the upper performance display area 62a is located above the top end of the stop button 27 (in the direction away from the bottom plate 90d shown in FIG. 5) when viewed in the vertical direction (the z direction shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), and the lower performance display area 62b is located below the top end of the stop button 27 (in the direction closer to the bottom plate 90d shown in FIG. 5) when viewed in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper performance display area 62a is located further back than the lower performance display area 62b (in the direction closer to the back side wall 90e shown in FIG. 5) when viewed in the depth direction (the y direction shown in FIG. 5).

[0028] The reel frame 64 is a window frame formed on the front side of the reels 65 (65L, 65C, 65R) built into the gaming machine main body 60, and is divided into an internal area and an external area. The internal area of ​​the reel frame 64 is formed from a hollow or transparent material, and each part of the reels 65 can be seen through the internal area. The external area of ​​the reel frame 64 is formed from an opaque material (including a translucent material or a colored transparent material), making it difficult to see the reels 65 through the external area.

[0029] Here, reel 65 is made up of reel 65L, reel 65C, and reel 65R, and these reels are configured to be rotatable by a stepping motor. When reel 65 in this embodiment rotates, reel 65 rotates from top to bottom in principle, and the direction in which reel 65 rotates from top to bottom is sometimes referred to as the "forward direction," and the direction in which reel 65 rotates from bottom to top is sometimes referred to as the "reverse direction." Each of the reels 65 is provided with a plurality of types of symbols, and when the reels 65 are rotated, the symbols displayed on the reels 65 change, and when the rotating reels 65 are stopped, the symbols are displayed stationary. 6, the outer periphery of each reel 65 is divided into 21 equal parts, and each part has one symbol. In the following description, the parts arranged on reel 65L may be referred to as LZ00 to LZ20, the parts arranged on reel 65C as CZ00 to CZ20, and the parts arranged on reel 65R as RZ00 to RZ20.

[0030] Next, the types of symbols depicted on the outer periphery of each reel 65 will be described with reference to FIG. The symbol shown in Figure 7(a) is a blue symbol resembling the number "7," and will be referred to as the "blue 7 symbol" in the following description. The blue 7 symbol is arranged on LZ18, CZ18, and RZ18, and can be said to be a symbol that has been arranged on each of the reels 65 in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls (to be described later) (depending on the timing of operation of the stop button 27, it may be impossible to stop the symbol on an active line). The symbol shown in Figure 7(b) is a red symbol resembling the number "7," and will be referred to as the "red 7 symbol" in the following explanation. The red 7 symbol is arranged in LZ10, CZ10, and RZ10, and like the "blue 7 symbol," it can be said to be a symbol arranged in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls on each of the reels 65. The symbol shown in Figure 7(c) is a symbol marked "BAR" and will be referred to as the "BAR symbol" in the following description. The BAR symbol is arranged on LZ03, CZ03, RZ03, etc., and, like the "Blue 7 symbol" described above, can be said to be a symbol arranged on each reel 65 in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls. The symbol shown in Figure 7(d) is a symbol labeled "REPLAY," which means a replay, and will be referred to as a "replay symbol" in the following explanation. Note that the replay symbol is arranged on LZ04, CZ01, RZ02, etc., and can be said to be a symbol that is not arranged in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls on each reel 65 (a symbol that can be stopped on an active line regardless of the operation timing of the stop button 27). The symbol shown in Figure 7(e) is a symbol that resembles a bell, and will be referred to as a "bell symbol" in the following explanation. Note that the bell symbol is arranged on LZ00, CZ02, RZ01, etc., and, like the "replay symbol," can be said to be a symbol that is not arranged in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls on each reel 65. The symbol shown in Figure 7(f) is a symbol that resembles a cherry, and will be referred to as the "cherry symbol" in the following explanation. Note that the cherry symbol is arranged on LZ02, CZ08, RZ00, etc., and, like the "blue 7 symbol" mentioned above, can be said to be a symbol arranged on each reel 65 in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls. The symbol shown in Figure 7(g) is a symbol that resembles a watermelon, and will be referred to as the "watermelon symbol" in the following description. The watermelon symbol is arranged on LZ01, CZ00, RZ11, etc., and, like the "blue 7 symbol" mentioned above, can be said to be a symbol that is arranged on each reel 65 in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls. The symbol shown in Figure 7(h) is a symbol marked "BLANK" and will be referred to as a "blank symbol" in the following explanation. Note that the blank symbol is arranged on LZ07, CZ05, RZ05, etc., and like the "Blue 7 symbol" above, it can be said to be a symbol arranged on each reel 65 in excess of the maximum number of reel pulls.

[0031] Each reel 65 is provided with a detection piece (not shown) that moves with the rotation of the reel at a position (a position upstream in the forward direction by the amount of movement in a brake control state, which will be described later) that corresponds to the reference position (in this embodiment, LZ00, CZ00, RZ00), and is also provided with a reel sensor 66 that does not move with the rotation of the reel and detects the detection piece. Specifically, a reel sensor 66L is provided for reel 65L, a reel sensor 66C is provided for reel 65C, and a reel sensor 66R is provided for reel 65R, and these sensors are configured to be able to detect when each of the reels 65 has reached the reference position.

[0032] Furthermore, reel illumination boards 67 (67L, 67C, 67R) are provided inside the reels 65, and the LEDs mounted on the reel illumination boards 67 light up to make it easier to see the symbols displayed on the reels 65. In other words, the LEDs mounted on the reel illumination boards 67 function as backlights for the symbols displayed on the reels 65.

[0033] The start lever 26 can be operated by a player to trigger the start of a game. Here, the player's operation of the start lever 26 means tilting the start lever 26, which is initially positioned approximately perpendicular to the front door 20, in either direction. The start lever sensor 44 can detect whether the start lever 26 is in the on state or the off state. More specifically, the start lever sensor 44 detects the start lever 26 that is approximately perpendicular to the front door 20 as being in the off state, and detects the start lever 26 that is tilted in either direction as being in the on state.

[0034] In this embodiment, if the number of medals used in the game (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "number of bets", and this number is stored in the RAM 102, which will be described later) is one or less, the game will not start even if the start lever 26 is operated. That is, in this embodiment, the game can be started only when the number of bets is the maximum number (three in this embodiment) or two. Therefore, in order to reach the maximum number of bets, it is necessary to increase the number of bets by deducting the medals stored in the medal number control board 300 of the gaming machine 10 by pressing the bet button 23. Here, storing medals refers to a function of storing a numerical value (credits) corresponding to the medals owned by the player inside the gaming machine 10 (particularly, the RAM 302 described later). Furthermore, medals are stored (credits are added) when, for example, medals are loaned from the dedicated unit 1000 described later, or when a winning combination with a payout is won. In the following explanation, loaning medals from the dedicated unit 1000 includes not only the transfer (movement) of medals to the medal count control board 300 after the dedicated unit 1000 converts banknotes into medals, but also the transfer of stored medals stored in a membership card or the like to the medal count control board 300. In addition, if a replay role is won in the previous game, a replay is activated in that game, the number of bets in the previous game is set as the number of bets in the current game, and by pressing the bet button 23, the game can be started without setting new medals as the number of bets.

[0035] The gaming machine 10 also has a maximum bet button 23a and a single bet button 23b as the bet buttons 23, and operations on each button are detected by sensors provided on the bet button board 45. More specifically, a maximum bet button sensor 45a is provided for the maximum bet button 23a, and a single bet button sensor 45b is provided for the single bet button 23b, and these sensors individually detect operations on each button. The max bet button 23a is a button that, with one operation, subtracts credits by up to the maximum number of bets (3 in this embodiment) and adds the subtracted amount to the number of bets, thereby maximizing the number of bets, and the single bet button 23b is a button that, with one operation, subtracts 1 credit and adds 1 to the number of bets. Note that, when the number of bets has reached the maximum, operating any of the bet buttons 23 will not subtract credits and add to the number of bets.

[0036] Furthermore, the max bet button 23a may be used as a bet button to increase the number of bets by subtracting credits in response to an operation as described above, and may also be used as a trigger for executing an effect (effect button). When the max bet button 23a is used as a bet button, it is limited to a state in which the number of bets can be increased, but when the max bet button 23a is used as an effect button, it is not limited to this state, and may be in any state, such as during replay operation before the start of a game, or during a game. The bet button board 45 is provided with a push button sensor 45c that detects pressing of the max bet button 23a when the max bet button 23a is used as an effect button, and this is distinguished from detection by the max bet button sensor 45a. Specifically, the max bet button sensor 45a is directly connected to the main board 100, whereas the push button sensor 45c is directly connected to the sub-board 200.

[0037] The settlement button 32 is operated to transfer the bet amount before being used in the game to credits, and a settlement button sensor (not shown) detects the operation of the settlement button 32. When the settlement button 32 is operated, the entire bet amount is transferred to credits by operating the settlement button 32 in one operation, regardless of the value of the current bet amount.

[0038] In addition, the medal counting button 33 is operated to transfer some or all of the credits stored in the medal count control board 300 to the dedicated unit 1000, and operation of the medal counting button 33 is detected by a medal counting button sensor 51a provided on the medal counting button board 51. When the medal counting button 33 is pressed briefly, 1 credit is transferred to the dedicated unit 1000, and when the medal counting button 33 is pressed for a long time, 50 credits (or the credit value if it is less than 50) are transferred to the dedicated unit 1000 every time a certain period of time (500 ms in this embodiment) has elapsed.

[0039] The gaming machine 10 also has a menu selection button 24 on the left side of the bet button 23. The menu selection button 24 is composed of a cross key button 24a mounted on a menu selection button board 46 and a decision button 24b located in the center of the cross key button 24a.

[0040] The menu selection button 24 is a component that accepts operations related to the menu screen. Here, the menu screen refers to a screen that displays instructions on how to operate the gaming machine 10, game commentary information, etc., that are displayed in the upper effect display area 62a. A player can view a menu screen by operating the menu selection button 24. For example, when the enter button 24b is pressed in standby mode, a list of menus and a cursor are displayed in the upper effect display area 62a. The player operates the cross key button 24a to move the cursor to a position indicating a desired menu, and when the player presses the enter button 24b when the cursor is indicating one of the menus, that menu is displayed in the upper effect display area 62a.

[0041] The menu selection button board 46 is provided with a cross key button sensor 46a and a decision button sensor 46b, and the cross key button sensor 46a can detect in which direction the cross key button 24a is pressed (either up, down, left, or right with respect to the center of the decision button 24b). The decision button sensor 46b can detect that the decision button 24b has been pressed. The cross key button sensor 46a and the decision button sensor 46b are directly connected to the sub-board 200, similar to the above-mentioned push button sensor 45c.

[0042] The gaming machine 10 also has a status display LED 25, which displays information about the gaming machine 10, such as the number of bets, on the right side of the bet button 23. The status display LED 25 is made up of multiple LEDs or a 7-segment display mounted on a status display LED board 42, and is made up of the following eight types of LEDs: The first bet number display LED 25a is made up of three LEDs, and the number of lit LEDs increases by one each time the bet number increases by one. The second acquired medal display LED 25b is made up of two 7-segment displays, and displays the number of medals acquired by winning in numbers. The third instruction display LED 25c is composed of two 7-segment displays, and can light up in a manner that allows the operation conditions (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "operation conditions") related to the stop button 27, which will be described later, to be specified. The fourth replay display LED 25d is made up of one LED, and lights up when a replay is stopped and displayed during a game. The fifth game start display LED 25e is composed of one LED, and when the LED is lit, it indicates that the conditions for starting a game are met. The sixth bet possible display LED 25f is made up of one LED, and when the LED is lit, it indicates that the bet number can be set. The seventh advantageous mode display LED 25g is made up of one LED, and lights up in accordance with the game mode.

[0043] Furthermore, the gaming machine 10 is provided with a medal number display LED 28 that displays the number of credits on the right side of the status display LED 25. The medal number display LED 28 is made up of five 7-segment displays mounted on a medal number display LED board 50, and is configured to be able to display medal numbers from 0 to 99999 on the display.

[0044] The stop button 27 accepts a player's operation (stop operation) that triggers the stopping of the spinning reels 65. The stop button 27 can accept a stop operation (becomes enabled) when a stop enabling condition is met after the reels 65 start spinning. The player's operation of the stop button 27 means pressing the stop button 27. The stop possible condition is a prerequisite for performing a stop display in a game, and specifically, is a condition that is met when the rotation speeds of all of the reels 65 (65L, 65C, 65R) reach a predetermined speed and the reference position of each of the reels 65 is detected. In addition, in the following explanation, the operation on the first stop button in a game may be referred to as the "first stop operation," the operation on the next stop button as the "second stop operation," and the operation on the last stop button as the "third stop operation."

[0045] Each of the stop buttons 27 (27L, 27C, 27R) is mounted on a stop button board 43, and one is provided for each reel 65. Specifically, the stop button 27L accepts a stop operation to stop the reel 65L, the stop button 27C accepts a stop operation to stop the reel 65C, and the stop button 27R accepts a stop operation to stop the reel 65R. Furthermore, the stop button board 43 is provided with stop button sensors 43a that individually detect that the stop buttons 27L, 27C, and 27R have been pressed, and control is performed to stop the rotation of each of the reels 65 in response to the detection by the stop button sensors 43a. That is, the stop buttons 27 and the stop button sensors 43a detect a stop operation that triggers the reel control unit 112, which will be described later, to stop the rotation of the reels 65.

[0046] In addition, the stop button 27 in this embodiment includes a stop enable indicator LED 27a, and is covered with a light-transmitting member. The stop button 27 is designed to notify the player whether or not the stop enable condition is met by the lighting color of the stop enable indicator LED 27a. In this way, since the player can determine whether or not the stop enable condition is met by the color of the stop button 27, the player can smoothly perform stop operations in sequence.

[0047] In addition, in this embodiment, the stop position of the reel 65 can move up to the maximum number of reel-in frames (sometimes referred to as the maximum reel-in range, which is 4 in this embodiment) based on the position of the reel 65 when the stop button 27 is pressed. Here, the control from when the stop button 27 is pressed until the reel 65 stops is generally referred to as reel-in control.

[0048] The internal area of ​​the reel frame 64 corresponding to each reel 65 has a dimension of three frames in the vertical direction. Furthermore, each of the reels 65 is controlled to stop so that three symbols fit in the internal area of ​​the reel frame 64 in the vertical direction, and the player can see these three symbols through the internal area of ​​the reel frame 64. That is, since the reels 65 are arranged three by three in the horizontal direction, when the reels 65 are stopped, the player can see three symbols x three reels = nine symbols.

[0049] Here, the approximate straight lines (shown by dashed dotted lines in FIG. 1) formed by the upper, middle, and lower internal regions of each of the reels 65 are referred to as line L1, line L2, and line L3, respectively. Furthermore, the approximate straight line (shown by dashed dotted lines in FIG. 1) formed by the upper internal region of the reel 65L, the middle internal region of the reel 65C, and the lower internal region of the reel 65R is referred to as line L4, and the approximate straight line (shown by dashed dotted lines in FIG. 1) formed by the lower internal region of the reel 65L, the middle internal region of the reel 65C, and the upper internal region of the reel 65R is referred to as line L5. In this embodiment, only substantially straight lines are used as the lines in the internal area, but they are not limited to straight lines, and curved lines may also be used. Also, lines formed by including non-adjacent areas (for example, the upper row of reel 65L and the lower row of reel 65C) may also be used. In other words, any lines may be used as long as they are formed by arbitrarily selecting an internal area of ​​one symbol from each of the reels 65.

[0050] In this embodiment, the only activated line is the line L2. Here, the activated line is a line on which a winning determination, which will be described later, is made for a symbol combination that stops on that line. Specifically, when a symbol combination corresponding to a win is displayed stopped on an active line, the number of medals specified for that win is awarded. When a symbol combination corresponding to a replay is displayed stopped on an active line, a replay is activated in the next game. When a symbol combination corresponding to a role or a role continuous operating device is displayed stopped on an active line, the role or role continuous operating device is activated in the next game. Details of the symbol combinations corresponding to each role will be described later. The effective line may be a single line as in this embodiment, or may be a plurality of lines.

[0051] While the reel 65 is spinning (while the game is being played), various effects are displayed, such as images displayed in the upper effect display area 62a, sounds output from the speaker 49, or the lighting or extinguishing of the decorative LED 36, in order to attract the player's attention and stimulate their interest in the game.

[0052] A speaker port 38 is provided in front of each speaker 49. More specifically, a speaker opening 38a is provided in front of the speaker 49a located at the upper right when viewed from the front of the gaming machine (upper left in FIG. 3), a speaker opening 38b is provided in front of the speaker 49b located at the upper left when viewed from the front of the gaming machine (upper right in FIG. 3), a speaker opening 38c is provided in front of the speaker 49c located at the lower left when viewed from the front of the gaming machine (lower right in FIG. 3), and a speaker opening 38d is provided in front of the speaker 49d located at the lower right when viewed from the front of the gaming machine (lower left in FIG. 3). Each speaker opening 38 has a number of cavities so that the sound output from the speaker 49 can be output appropriately.

[0053] The decorative LEDs 36 are arranged so as to surround the upper effect display area 62a or the reel frame 64. More specifically, the upper right side of the upper performance display area 62a is provided with the decorative LEDs 36a mounted on the decorative LED board 41a and the decorative LEDs 36b mounted on the decorative LED board 41b, while the lower right side of the upper performance display area 62a is provided with the decorative LEDs 36c mounted on the decorative LED board 41c. The lower right side of the reel frame 64 is provided with the decorative LEDs 36d mounted on the decorative LED board 41d, while the lower left side of the reel frame 64 is provided with the decorative LEDs 36e mounted on the decorative LED board 41e. The lower left side of the upper performance display area 62a is provided with the decorative LEDs 36f mounted on the decorative LED board 41f, while the upper left side of the upper performance display area 62a is provided with the decorative LEDs 36g mounted on the decorative LED board 41g and the decorative LEDs 36h mounted on the decorative LED board 41h. Each decorative LED 36 may be illuminated in a single color or multiple colors.

[0054] <Electrical and functional configuration of the gaming machine 10> Next, the electrical configuration and functional configuration of the gaming machine 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. However, the components illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 described above will also be mentioned, so please refer to them as appropriate. Note that Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the gaming machine 10, and Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the gaming machine 10.

[0055] The gaming machine 10 incorporates, as its main components, a main board 100, a sub-board 200, and a medal number control board 300. In Fig. 8, the main board 100, the sub-board 200, and the medal number control board 300 are illustrated as if they were a single electronic board, but this is not necessarily a single electronic board. In other words, the main board 100, the sub-board 200, and the medal number control board 300 may all be realized by combining multiple electronic boards.

[0056] The main board 100 is equipped with electronic components such as a CPU 101, RAM 102, ROM 103, and random number circuit 104, and is connected to other electronic components such as sensors and boards as shown in Fig. 8. The main board 100 mainly controls the progress of the game by executing processes based on data and control signals exchanged between these electronic components and various sensors 40a. Here, the various sensors 40a include the above-mentioned start lever sensor 44, stop button sensor 43a, max bet button sensor 45a, single bet button sensor 45b, reel sensor 66, and the like. In addition to the main board 100, the medal count control board 300 (described later) has limitations on the ROM capacity and RAM capacity to enhance security against fraudulent acts such as tampering. On the other hand, the sub-board 200 does not have the same limitations.

[0057] In addition, electronic components such as a CPU 201, RAM 202, ROM 203, and random number circuit 204 are mounted on the sub-board 200, and the connection status with other electronic components such as sensors and boards is as shown in Fig. 8. The sub-board 200 is connected to the main board 100 via one-way communication, and controls the decorative LED board 41, speaker 49, upper performance display device 63a, lower performance display device 63b, etc. based on control commands sent from the main board 100, and mainly realizes control of performances related to games (including control related to the menu screen). Here, the various sensors 40b include a push button sensor 45c, a cross key button sensor 46a, a decision button sensor 46b, and the like.

[0058] The medal number control board 300 is also equipped with electronic components such as a CPU 301, RAM 302, and ROM 303, and is connected to other electronic components such as sensors and boards as shown in Fig. 8. The medal number control board 300 is connected to the main board 100 and a dedicated unit 1000 external to the gaming machine 10 via two-way communication, and is configured to be able to move medals through communication between them. The medal number control board 300 is also connected to the sub-board 200 via one-way communication (not shown) from the medal number control board 300 to the sub-board 200, and is configured to be able to obtain various information related to the medal number control board 300 (for example, the credit value and the content of each process executed on the medal number control board 300). Here, the dedicated unit 1000 is different from the dedicated unit 1000 described below, and is configured to accept cards capable of storing information, such as membership cards, and store medals transferred from the medal count control board 300 (credits counted by the medal count control board 300) in the membership card, etc. as saved medals so that they can be discharged. In addition to the electronic components described above, the medal count control board 300 is provided with a medal count clear button and an error reset button on the board, as well as connectors used for connecting to the other boards described above (all not shown).

[0059] Next, the functional configuration of the main board 100 and the sub-board 200 will be described using Figure 9. Note that the following functional configurations and the functions of each functional configuration are examples, and functional configurations not described below may be included, and each functional configuration may have functions not described below. Note that for ease of explanation, the figure also illustrates electronic components outside the main board 100 and the sub-board 200, such as the sensors and boards shown in Figure 8.

[0060] First, the functional configuration of the main board 100 can be broadly divided into a game progress management unit 110 that manages the progress of the game, a status management unit 120 that manages the status related to the game, and a main communication unit 130. Furthermore, the game progress management unit 110 is composed of an internal lottery unit 111, a reel control unit 112, a prize determination unit 113, a medal management unit 114, and a status display LED control unit 115, the status management unit 120 is composed of a setting change management unit 121, a game status management unit 122, a game mode management unit 124, and a main error management unit 125, and the main communication unit 130 is composed of a control command transmission / reception unit 131 and an external signal transmission unit 132.

[0061] When a game is started, the internal lottery unit 111 determines by lottery a winning combination (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as an "internal winning combination") from among a plurality of types of combinations. More specifically, the internal lottery unit 111 acquires the random number (in this embodiment, a 2-byte random number is used, the range of which is 0 to 65535) updated by the random number circuit 104 when a game is started, sequentially adds the lottery values ​​of the internal lottery table (details will be described later) stored in the ROM 103 to the acquired random number, and determines the role corresponding to the lottery value that has generated a carry as the internal winning role. Note that the "internal winning role is determined by lottery" in the internal lottery unit 111 may be simply expressed as "the internal winning role is derived."

[0062] When a game is started, the reel control unit 112 waits for a predetermined delay time, a so-called wait time (4.1 seconds in this embodiment), to elapse between the start of rotation of the reels 65 in the previous game and the start of rotation of the reels 65 in the current game, before starting rotation of each of the reels 65, and then controls the rotation of the reels 65 individually, such as by stopping the reel among the reels 65 that corresponds to the stop operation each time a stop operation is performed.

[0063] More specifically, the reel control unit 112 sets a reel control state (acceleration control state, constant speed control state, retraction control state, brake control state, stop control state) for each of the reels 65 according to the progress of the game, acquires an excitation pattern corresponding to the currently set reel control state from the excitation patterns stored in ROM 103, and controls each of the reel motors 68 (stepping motors) to output a pulse signal according to the acquired excitation pattern, thereby individually controlling the rotation of the reels 65.

[0064] To further explain the reel control states in more detail, the acceleration control state is a control state in which a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for accelerating the reel to a predetermined speed after rotation has started. The constant speed control state is a control state from the end of the acceleration control state until a stop operation is performed, and in this control state, a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for maintaining a predetermined speed. The reel pull control state is a control state in which the corresponding reel is rotated from a stop operation to a stop position, and in this control state, a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for maintaining a predetermined speed, as in the constant speed control state. The brake control state is a control state in which a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for stopping the corresponding reel after reaching the stop position. The stop control state is a control state in which the corresponding reel is maintained at its current position. The switching of the reel control state is performed in the main flow of the main board 100, which will be described later, and the output of the pulse signal is performed in a timer interrupt process (not shown) that is performed on the main board 100 at predetermined intervals (approximately 2 ms in this embodiment).

[0065] In addition, when the reel control unit 112 stops each of the reels 65 (switches from the retraction control state to the brake control state), it derives (or reads) candidate pattern numbers to stop from the stop data stored in ROM 103, and determines one pattern number from the candidate pattern numbers within the maximum retraction range (in this embodiment, four frames) from the position of the reel (pattern number on the reference line) at the time the stop operation is performed as the stop position. Here, the pattern number on the reference line on each of the reels 65 is corrected to the pattern number of the reference position (in this embodiment, RZ00, CZ00, LZ00) each time a detection piece is detected by the reel sensor 66 during the timer interrupt process, and is updated based on the number of times the pulse signal is switched thereafter. Furthermore, in the constant speed control state, if the pattern number on the reference line is not corrected until a predetermined time has elapsed (until a predetermined number of pulse signal switchings have been performed) since the pattern number on the reference line was last corrected, the reel control unit 112 determines that the corresponding reel has lost synchronization (hereinafter referred to as a loss of synchronization check), sets the reel control state to an acceleration control state, and accelerates the reel again.

[0066] The winning determination unit 113 performs a winning determination for determining whether a winning combination has been achieved based on the combination of symbols that have stopped and been displayed on the pay line (in this embodiment, the line L2) in the game. In addition, when determining whether a winning combination has been achieved, in addition to determining the combination of symbols stopped and displayed on the active line, it is also possible to determine whether the combination of symbols matches the winning combination derived in the game, and thereby determine whether the winning combination has been achieved.

[0067] The medal management unit 114 manages the increase and decrease of the number of bets and controls the exchange of medals with the medal number control board 300.

[0068] The status display LED control unit 115 controls the status display LED 25 described above.

[0069] The setting change management unit 121 performs setting change processing and setting confirmation processing. Specifically, the setting change process is initiated if the setting key switch 48a is operated when the power supply from the power supply device 91 changes from an OFF state to an ON state (hereinafter, this may be referred to as "power on"; on the other hand, changing the power supply from an ON state to an OFF state may be referred to as "power off"), and each time the setting change switch 48b is operated, the setting value is changed in a certain order (in this embodiment, setting value 1, setting value 2, setting value 3, setting value 4, setting value 5, setting value 6, setting value 1, setting value 2, ...), and the setting value at the time the start lever 26 was operated is confirmed as the current setting value. The setting change process also includes a process of displaying the setting value being changed on the setting display LED 48c. Furthermore, when the setting change process is executed, all of the information held by the main board 100 before the power supply was turned off is initialized. In particular, this information includes the number of bets. Furthermore, the timing at which the number of bets is cleared when the setting change process is executed may be any timing between when the power is turned on and before the start of the game start process (step S103, described later) that is executed after the setting change process related to the power-on is completed.

[0070] The setting confirmation process is initiated when the setting key switch 48a is operated while the power supply is on, and causes the setting display LED 48c to display the setting values ​​that have already been set. In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the "setting values ​​that have already been set" will be simply referred to as "setting values." In the setting confirmation process, the information held by the main board 100 is maintained. In this embodiment, the opening of the front door 20 by the door-open sensor may be added to the conditions for starting the setting change process and the setting confirmation process. In this way, unauthorized changes to setting values ​​and unauthorized confirmation of setting values ​​can be prevented.

[0071] The gaming state management unit 122 controls the transition of the gaming state among a plurality of types of gaming states in accordance with the transition conditions. The types of gaming states and the transition conditions will be described in detail later.

[0072] The game mode management unit 124 controls the transition of game modes among a plurality of game modes according to the transition conditions. The types of game modes and the transition conditions will be described in detail later, but in this embodiment, the degree of advantage varies depending on the game mode in which the player is staying, and in particular, a game mode with a high degree of advantage can be set in a specific game state (in this embodiment, during an internal MB win, which will be described later).

[0073] In addition to determining whether or not to set the various error states described above, the main error management unit 125 also determines whether or not to set an error state using the detection results of various sensors 40a, etc., and if it decides to set an error state, it stops the progress of the game as necessary and sets the gaming machine 10 in an error state. In addition, when an error state is reached, preparations for sending a control command indicating the occurrence of the error state may be made, and the control command transmission / reception unit 131 may be made to send the control command, and the occurrence of the error state may be notified using a performance device (upper performance display area 62a, decorative LED 36, speaker 49, etc.).

[0074] The control command transmitting / receiving unit 131 performs the process of transmitting control commands that have been prepared for transmission to the sub-board 200 and the medal number control board 300 , and the process of receiving control commands from the medal number control board 300 . Here, the control commands sent to the sub-board 200 include control commands sent when an error state occurs, as well as control commands sent as the game progresses. The control commands transmitted to the medal count control board 300 include a control command indicating that the bet button 23 has been operated, a control command transmitted when medals are awarded as a result of a win, a control command transmitted when the settlement button 32 is operated to settle the number of bets, etc. Furthermore, the control commands received from the medal count control board 300 include a control command indicating that the number of bets is being added, etc. Furthermore, each control command transmitted and received by the control command transmitting and receiving unit 131 has information corresponding to the type of control command in addition to information that can identify the type of the control command. Furthermore, in the following description, preparing to transmit a control command and having the control command transmitting and receiving unit 131 transmit the control command may be simply expressed as transmitting a control command. Note that the same applies to each control command transmitted or received by the control command receiving unit 211 and the control command transmitting and receiving unit 304, which will be described later.

[0075] The external signal transmitting unit 132 is different from the dedicated unit 1000 described above and transmits a signal (external signal) indicating the internal state of the gaming machine 10 to an external device (e.g., a hall computer or a data display) outside the gaming machine 10. To explain in more detail the information transmitted by the outer end signal, the information includes information indicating that a game has started, information indicating that the AT mode described below has started or that the device is currently in the AT mode, and information indicating that an error has occurred.

[0076] Next, the functional configuration of the sub-board 200 can be broadly divided into a sub-communication unit 210 and an effect management unit 220 that manages effects related to games. Furthermore, the sub-communication unit 210 is made up of a control command receiving unit 211, and the performance management unit 220 is made up of a performance control unit 221, a performance display control unit 222, a sound control unit 223, and a decorative LED control unit 224. Details of these functional configurations are as follows.

[0077] The control command receiving unit 211 receives control commands sent from the main board 100 or the medal count control board 300, analyzes the received control commands, and updates the information stored in RAM 202 using the information contained in the control commands.

[0078] The performance control unit 221 performs processing to determine the content of the performance to be performed by the performance devices (upper performance display device 63a, lower performance display device 63b, decorative LED 36, speaker 49, etc.) based on control commands sent from the main board 100 and the medal number control board 300.

[0079] When there is a performance that should be performed by the upper performance display device 63a or the lower performance display device 63b, the performance display control unit 222 reads the device data corresponding to that performance from ROM 203 and causes the upper performance display device 63a or the lower performance display device 63b to perform the performance using that device data.

[0080] When there is a performance to be performed by the speaker 49, the audio control unit 223 reads device data corresponding to the performance from the ROM 203 and causes the speaker 49 to perform the performance using the device data.

[0081] When there is a performance to be performed by the decorative LED board 41, the decorative LED control unit 224 reads device data corresponding to that performance from the ROM 203 and causes the decorative LED board 41 to perform the performance using that device data.

[0082] Next, the functional configuration of the medal count control board 300 includes a control command transmission / reception unit 304, a credit management unit 305, and a medal error management unit 306. Details of these functional configurations are as follows. Note that some of the processes executed by these functional configurations will be described in detail later.

[0083] The control command transmission / reception unit 304 transmits and receives control commands between the main board 100 and the dedicated unit 1000, analyzes the received control commands, and updates the information stored in RAM 302 using the information contained in the control commands. In addition, the control command transmission / reception unit 304 transmits a control command to the sub-board 200.

[0084] The credit management unit 305 performs processing to control the credit value, such as addition and subtraction, based on control commands sent from the main board 100 or the dedicated unit 1000, and operations performed on the medal count button 33 or the medal number clear button described below. In this embodiment, the credit value is managed as 2-byte data. Therefore, although the credit value can be stored up to 65536 in data, in this embodiment, the upper limit of the credit value is set to 16383, and a value exceeding this upper limit is not stored.

[0085] The medal error management unit 306 checks the connection with the main board 100 and the dedicated unit 1000, and if there is an abnormality in the connection, it sets the state to a connection error state, and checks whether there are any abnormalities in the information stored in RAM 302, such as the credit value, and if there is an abnormality in the check, it sets the state to a RAM error state.

[0086] <Main flow related to game progress> Next, the main flow relating to the progress of the game in this embodiment will be explained using Figures 10 to 12. However, the components illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, 8, and 9 explained above will also be mentioned, so please refer to them as appropriate. In particular, in the following explanation, the functions shown in Figure 9 may be cited as entities that perform processing, but the processing is not necessarily realized by only those entities.

[0087] Figures 10 to 12 are flowcharts showing the main flow of the main board 100 related to the progress of the game in this embodiment, and the processing related to this flow is executed when the power is turned on. The main board 100 performs one game while performing a series of processes from step S103 to step S143 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, and can repeat the game by repeating the series of processes. 10 to 12 are just specific examples, and the main board 100 may perform processes other than those listed here.

[0088] First, steps S101 to S119 will be described with reference to FIG. In the first step S101, an initial setting process for the main board 100 is performed. The initial setting process for the main board 100 is performed when the power supply is started, and once it is performed, it is not performed again until the power supply is cut off and then started again. More specifically, in this process, if the setting key switch 48a is operated, the backup information (including information specifying the number of bets) that was held at the time of power outage is discarded (cleared), the setting change process described above is performed, and then the process proceeds to step S103. In this embodiment, a setting change start command is sent to the sub-board 200 when the setting change process is started, and a setting change end command is sent to the sub-board 200 when the setting change process is completed. On the other hand, if the setting key switch 48a is not in an operated state, the process performs a process to restore the state at the time of power outage (if the state at the time of power outage was during a game involving reel rotation, then during that game) based on the backup information, provided that there is no abnormality in the backup information held at the time of power outage (in this embodiment, the checksum value is normal), and then proceeds to step S103, at which point a power outage restoration command related to the main board 100 is transmitted to the sub-board 200. Note that if there is an abnormality in the backup information, the state becomes one in which it is impossible to return to play (RAM error state), and the process waits for the execution of the setting change process described above. Then, at this time, a RAM error command capable of identifying the occurrence of the abnormality is transmitted to the sub-board 200.

[0089] In step S103, a game start process required in advance to start the next game is performed. The game start process includes a process for saving various information related to the previous game, a process for clearing information indicating the stop positions of the reels 65 that stopped in the previous game and the combinations of symbols that stopped on the pay lines, and a process for acquiring setting values. In step S105, a medal acceptance start process is performed, which is a preparation process for setting the number of bets for the next game. The medal acceptance start process includes a process for enabling reception of information on the number of bets from the medal number control board 300, and a process for setting the same number of bets as the number of bets set in the previous game if a replay combination was won in the previous game. In step S107, it is determined whether or not the replay is activated. If the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S111, and if the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S109.

[0090] In step S109, a medal management process is performed, which is a process related to medals that is performed based on the detected operation or the state of the gaming machine 10. In the medal management process, when pressing of the bet button 23 is detected, medal request information including the number of medals corresponding to the pressed bet button 23 is transmitted to the medal number control board 300 to request the same, a process of adding the medals transferred from the medal number control board 300 to the number of bets, and a process of transferring all of the number of bets that can be settled to the medal number control board 300 when pressing of the settlement button 32 is detected.

[0091] In step S111, a reel spin start check is performed to check whether the game start conditions are met. In the reel spin start check, it is checked whether the number of bets has reached the maximum, assuming that operation of the start lever 26 has been detected. In step S113, a reel spin start check is performed to determine whether the game start conditions are met, and if the conditions are met, the process proceeds to step S115, and if the conditions are not met, the process returns to step S107. In step S115, an internal lottery is performed using an internal lottery table to determine an internal winning combination. In step S117, a winning combination flag is set to store the internal winning combination derived in step S115 or a loss in the case of a non-winning combination in a corresponding area of ​​the RAM 102.

[0092] In step S119, a game mode management process is performed at the start of a game, for example, a process of controlling the instruction display LED 25c to a lighting mode that can specify an operation condition. Furthermore, the game mode management process at the start of a game also involves processing to send an internal winning command to the sub-board 200. The internal winning command includes at least information that can identify the derived internal winning combination, the current game state, and the current game mode, which enables a notification that can identify operation conditions to be executed by a device (in this embodiment, the upper performance display device 63a) managed by the sub-board 200. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the operation conditions identified by the instruction display LED 25c in one game and the operation conditions identified by the notification executed by the device managed by the sub-board 200 in that one game are the same.

[0093] From here, steps S121 to S135 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S121, it is determined whether or not the wait time has elapsed. If the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S123, and if the condition is not met, the process returns to the determination in step S121. In step S123, the reel control state of each of the reels 65 (if this process is performed due to a step-out, the reels that are currently rotating, i.e., the reels that are set to the constant speed control state) is set to the acceleration control state, and the reels that are set to the acceleration control state are caused to start rotating. In this way, when returning to the determination of step S121, the rotation of the reels 65 is not started, so the reel control unit 112 waits for the wait time to elapse before starting the rotation of the reels 65.

[0094] In step S125, it is determined whether the rotation speeds of all of the reels 65 that were set to the acceleration control state have reached a predetermined speed (i.e., whether the output of pulse signals has ended in accordance with the excitation pattern corresponding to the acceleration control state). If this condition is met, the process proceeds to step S127. If this condition is not met, the process returns to the beginning of step S125. Note that in this determination, if the rotation speeds of the reels that were set to the acceleration control state have reached a predetermined speed, they are sequentially switched from the acceleration control state to the constant speed control state. Furthermore, in this determination, after all of the reels have been switched to the constant speed control state, the process waits without proceeding to step S127 until the sensors corresponding to those reels among the reel sensors 66 have detected all of their respective detection pieces. After this wait, all of the stop buttons corresponding to those reels are enabled, and the process proceeds to step S127.

[0095] In step S127, the above-mentioned step-out check is performed on the reels 65 that are set to the constant speed control state. In step S129, it is determined whether or not a step-out has occurred in the step-out check, and if the condition is met, the process returns to step S123, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S131. In this way, if it is determined that a step-out has occurred in a spinning reel of the reels 65, the process of step S123 (reel restart) is performed again on the spinning reel. In step S131, it is determined whether or not an operation (stop operation) has been performed on the enabled stop button, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S133, and if the condition is not met, the process returns to step S127.

[0096] In step S133, reel stop processing is performed. The reel stop processing disables all stop buttons other than the stop button that was operated to stop, and as described above, switches the reel corresponding to the stop button that was operated to stop from the constant speed control state to the pull-in control state, derives the symbol number that will be the stop position, and switches the reel from the pull-in control state to the brake control state when the symbol position of the reel advances to the derived stop position, stopping the reel. Note that after the output of the pulse signal according to the excitation pattern corresponding to the brake control state has finished, the state switches to the stop control state, and the reel is held at the stop position. In addition, the reel stop processing also involves a process in which a stop command is sent to the sub-communication unit 210 via the control command transmission / reception unit 131, and the control command includes at least information that can identify the type of reel that has stopped (either reel 65L, reel 65C, or reel 65R) and the position (pattern number) at which the reel has stopped.

[0097] In step S135, it is determined whether all of the reels 65 have stopped, and if this condition is met, the process proceeds to step S137, and if this condition is not met, the process returns to step S127. In this way, if all of the reels 65 have not stopped, the processes from step S127 to step S135 are repeated.

[0098] From here, steps S137 to S143 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S137, the above-mentioned winning determination is performed, and the winning combination is determined. In step S139, a state transition process is performed to transition the gaming state.

[0099] In step S141, a game end game mode management process is performed. In this process, a process for transitioning the game mode and a process for controlling the lighting state of the advantageous mode display LED 25g are performed. In addition, the game mode management process at the end of game play also involves sending a game end command to the sub-board 200, and this control command includes information that can identify the winning combination, the updated game status, and the updated game mode.

[0100] In step S143, medals are awarded in the number corresponding to the winning combination. The medals awarded in step S143 are transferred to the medal number control board 300 and stored in the credits.

[0101] <Main flow of medal number control board> Next, the main flow of the medal number control board 300 will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 13 is a flowchart of the main flow of the medal count control board 300, and the processing related to this flow is executed when power is turned on, that is, when power is turned on to the medal count control board 300.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 13, in the first step S201 in the main flow of the medal number control board 300, an initial setting process for the medal number control board 300 is executed. In the initial setting process for the medal count control board 300, for example, a process is executed in which credits are cleared depending on the operation state of the medal count clear button when the power is turned on, and the details of this process will be described later.

[0103] In step S203, it is determined whether or not there is lending information, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S205, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S207. Here, the lending information is information indicating medals transmitted from the dedicated unit 1000 outside the gaming machine 10. In step S205, a credit addition process related to the lending information is executed, and in this process, the number of medals specified by the lending information is added to the credit. Note that, in the dedicated unit 1000, upon completion of the credit addition process, the number of medals stored in the dedicated unit 1000 is subtracted by the number of medals related to the credit addition process. In addition, in this embodiment, the upper limit of credit is set to 16383, so if the upper limit may be exceeded by receiving rental information, a control command indicating this is sent to the dedicated unit 1000 so that the credit addition process related to the rental information is not executed.

[0104] In step S207, it is determined whether or not there is medal request information, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S209, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S211. Here, the medal request information is, as described above, transmitted from the main board 100 when the bet button 23 is operated. In step S209, a credit subtraction process is executed, in which the number of medals specified in the medal request information is transmitted to the main board 100, and the number of medals is subtracted from the credits. In this embodiment, if the credits are less than the number of medals specified in the medal request information, the credit subtraction process is not executed. However, in this case, the entire current credits may be transmitted to the main board 100, and the transmitted number of medals may be subtracted from the credits.

[0105] In step S211, it is determined whether or not there is credit addition information, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S213, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S215. Here, the credit addition information is information transmitted from the main board 100 when the number of bets stored in the main board 100 is settled or when it is determined by the winning determination that a winning combination with a payout has been won. In step S213, a credit addition process related to the credit addition information is executed, and in this process, the number of medals specified by the credit addition information related to this process is added to the credit. In particular, on the main board 100, the number of bets is cleared to zero upon completion of the credit addition process related to the number of bets.

[0106] In step S215, it is determined whether or not the count button has been operated, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S217, and if the condition is not met, the process returns to step S203. In step S217, a credit counting process is executed, in which a part or all of the current credits are transmitted to the dedicated unit 1000, and the credits are decremented by the amount of the transmitted medals. More specifically, when the counting button is pressed once, if the credits at that time are 50 or less, all of the current credits are transferred to the dedicated unit 1000, whereas if the credits at that time are 50 or more, 50 credits are transferred to the dedicated unit 1000. Furthermore, when the counting button is pressed for a long time, the same processing as when the counting button is pressed once described above is executed every time a certain time period (1 second in this embodiment) has elapsed, until the long pressing of the counting button ends or the credits after subtraction become zero.

[0107] In this way, in this embodiment, the main board 100 and the medal count control board 300 are configured to be able to communicate with each other, and the medal count control board 300 and the dedicated unit 1000 are configured to be able to communicate with each other, thereby realizing the above-mentioned medalless slot machine. Furthermore, although not shown in the figures, the timer interrupt process in the medal count control board 300 determines whether the mutual communication between the main board 100 and medal count control board 300, and the mutual communication between the medal number control board 300 and the dedicated unit 1000, is normal, and if there is an abnormality in either of these mutual communications, the progress of the main flow of the medal number control board 300 is halted until the error release button is operated and it is determined that the abnormality has been resolved by the process executed by that operation. Note that execution of the timer interrupt process is permitted upon completion of the initial setting process related to the medal number control board 300. Furthermore, in the timer interrupt process, control is also executed to light up the medal number display LED 28 so as to display the current credit value, thereby enabling the player to identify the current credit value.

[0108] <Initial setting process for medal count control board> Next, details of the medal number control board initial setting process, which is the initial setting process related to the medal number control board 300, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the medal number control board initial setting process.

[0109] As shown in Figure 14, the first step S301 in the medal count control board initial setting process determines whether the medal count clear button was operated when the power was turned on, and if this condition is met, proceed to step S305, and if this condition is not met, proceed to step S303.

[0110] In step S303, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the recovery information, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S305, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S309. Here, the recovery information refers to the information stored in RAM 302 of the medal count control board 300. The determination of whether or not there is an abnormality in the recovery information is made up of a determination of whether or not the power interruption flag, which is set to ON in the power interruption processing executed when the medal count control board 300 is powered off, is ON, and a determination of whether or not the sum value of the data saved in the backup area of ​​RAM 302 during the power interruption processing matches the sum value in that area after power is turned on (so-called checksum), and if there is an abnormality in either of these determinations, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the recovery information when determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the recovery information.

[0111] In step S305, the credit value is cleared by setting the credit to zero. Note that in this embodiment, this determination is made regardless of the credit value. In step S307, a credit clear command is sent that can identify that the credit value has been cleared. This control command is sent to the sub-board 200 and the dedicated unit 1000, and the medal number control board initial setting process is completed.

[0112] In step S309, the credit is restored to the value before the power outage. In step S311, a power interruption recovery command for the medal count control board 300 is sent, and the medal count control board initial setting process is terminated. Note that this control command includes information that can identify the current credit value, and is sent to the sub-board 200.

[0113] In this way, in this embodiment, the same control command (credit clear command) is sent to the sub-board 200 and the dedicated unit 1000 in both cases where the credits are cleared because the medal count clear button is operated when the power is turned on, and where the credits are cleared because there is an abnormality in the recovery information when the power is turned on. As described above, in this embodiment, the processes in steps S305 and S307 are executed regardless of the credit value when the medal number control board initial setting process is executed.

[0114] <Regarding whether or not the number of medals on gaming machines has been cleared> As described above, in this embodiment, whether to clear the bet amount and credits is determined individually depending on the operation state of the setting key switch 48a and the operation state of the medal number clear button when the power is turned on, and if clearing is necessary, the target medal number is cleared. Details of this will be explained below using Figure 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram summarizing whether or not the number of medals is cleared depending on the operation state when the power is turned on.

[0115] As shown in Figure 15, if the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is OFF when the power is turned on, neither the bet number nor the credits will be cleared and the state will return to the state it was in when the power was turned off. Here, for any operation unit, the ON state refers to the state in which the operation unit is operated, and the OFF state refers to the state in which the operation unit is not operated. If the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is ON when the power is turned on, the number of bets is not cleared and the state at the time of power outage is restored, while the credits are cleared. If the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is OFF when the power is turned on, the number of bets is cleared when the setting change process is executed, but the credits are not cleared and the state at the time of power outage is restored. If the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is ON when the power is turned on, the bet number is cleared and the credits are also cleared as the setting change process is executed. Regarding the medal count control board 300, if there is an abnormality in the above-mentioned recovery information when the power is turned on, it will be treated in the same way as when the medal count clear button is ON.

[0116] In this way, in the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment, if the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is OFF when the power is turned on, the number of bets is cleared as the setting change process is executed. Furthermore, if the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is ON when the power is turned on, the credits are cleared. In particular, in the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment, if the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is OFF when the power is turned on, the number of bets is cleared as the setting change process is executed, but the credits are not cleared and the machine returns to the state it was in when the power was turned off. Also, when the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is ON when the power is turned on, the credits are cleared, but the number of bets is not cleared and the state at the time of power failure is restored. Furthermore, when the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is ON when the power is turned on, both the bet number and the credit are cleared. In this embodiment, the open / closed state of the front door 20 at the time of power-on is not referenced when determining whether the number of bets and the credits have been cleared, but the open / closed state may be referenced. More specifically, with regard to whether the number of bets and the credits have been cleared as shown in Fig. 15, if the setting key switch 48a is ON and the front door 20 is closed at the time of power-on, the setting key switch 48a may be treated as OFF, and if the medal number clear button is ON and the front door 20 is closed at the time of power-on, the medal number clear button may be treated as OFF.

[0117] As described above, the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment has an upper performance display area 62a (upper performance display device 63a) located above the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically, and a lower performance display area 62b (lower performance display device 63b) located below the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. Nowadays, it is common for a gaming machine manufacturer to have multiple manufacturing companies that produce gaming machines, and for these manufacturing companies to be treated as one group, in order to facilitate applications to the Security Communications Association, which tests the performance of gaming machines to determine whether they can be installed in halls. This can lead to problems such as, for example, when a trial play video or a practice video is viewed over a telecommunications circuit, it can be difficult to know which gaming machine manufacturer (group) the gaming machine featured in the video is from, or if a malfunction occurs with a gaming machine installed in the hall, it can be difficult for hall personnel to know which manufacturer they should contact. In contrast, the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment has a function that uses the upper effect display area 62a and the lower effect display area 62b to make it easy to understand which gaming machine manufacturer the gaming machine appearing in the video being viewed is from (hereinafter referred to as the first function), and a function that makes it easy to understand which manufacturer the hall staff should inquire about (hereinafter referred to as the second function). These functions will be explained in detail below.

[0118] <About the first function> First, the first function will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 16(a) is a diagram showing a specific example of images displayed in the upper effect display area 62a and the lower effect display area 62b when no game is being played and the front door 20 is closed. "Not playing" refers to a state in which a game is not being played but a game can be played. The closed state of the front door 20 refers to a state in which the door open sensor provided on the right edge of the outer frame 90 is OFF, and the open state of the front door 20, which will be described later, refers to a state in which the door open sensor provided on the right edge of the outer frame 90 is ON. The size of the characters shown in Figure 16(a) corresponds to the size of each display itself.

[0119] As shown in Figure 16(a), in this embodiment, when not playing and the front door 20 is closed, the group name is displayed in the display area 621 of the upper performance display area 62a, which is located above the top end of the stop button 27 (area Z1) when viewed vertically, so that the entire display of the group name can be seen in area Z1. Furthermore, when not playing and the front door 20 is closed, the manufacturer's name is displayed in the display area 622 of the lower performance display area 62b, which is located below the top of the stop button 27 (area Z2) when viewed vertically, making the entire display of the manufacturer's name visible in area Z2. Here, the group name is the name of a group to which multiple manufacturing companies belong, including the company that manufactured the gaming machine (the gaming machine that displays the group name), and in addition to the multiple manufacturing companies, the group may also include a parent company that has the multiple manufacturing companies as subsidiaries, and companies related to the multiple manufacturing companies or the parent company. In addition, the manufacturer's name is the name of the company that manufactured the gaming machine (the gaming machine that displays the manufacturer's name), and the display of the manufacturer's name helps hall personnel identify the manufacturer they should inquire about. In this embodiment, the display of the group name starts when a certain period of time (180,000 ms) has elapsed since the most recent game ended and the display ends when a game starts. The end of the most recent game means the end of step S143 (see FIG. 12) related to that game.

[0120] In this way, in the gaming machine according to this embodiment, when not playing and the front door 20 is closed, the entire group name can be seen in the area above the top of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. This makes it easier for a user to recognize which gaming machine manufacturer (group) the gaming machine appears in the trial play video or practice video that they are watching. This is because the angle of view for shooting these videos tends to be limited to the area above the top of the stop button 27 in order to make the upper effect display area 62a and the reels 65 easier to see when watching these videos. In order to achieve this effect, the reference operation unit is not limited to the stop button 27, but may be any operation unit that can be operated with the front door 20 closed, such as a bet button (which functions as an effect button) or a start lever. This also applies to the following inventions. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when not playing and the front door 20 is closed, the entire group name is visible in the area above the top of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically, but the period during which the entire group name is visible does not matter whether not playing is being done or not, and the length of the visible period does not matter, as long as the front door 20 is closed.

[0121] Therefore, in other words, the gaming machine 10 has a first display (display of the manufacturer's name) that makes it possible to identify the manufacturer of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and makes it possible to identify the group to which the manufacturer belongs, and when the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, the entire second display can be seen in a first area (area Z1) above the top end of the specified operating means (stop button 27) when viewed vertically. In the present invention, the phrase "the entire second display is visible" means that the entire second display is visible when viewed from directly facing the gaming machine. In addition, although the manufacturer name in this embodiment is composed of letters, symbols or logos may be used instead of or in addition to letters in the first display, and the same applies to the second display. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is permissible for one manufacturing company (for example, the largest one) among multiple manufacturing companies included in a group to be identical to a group related to that group, and in that case, the names can be differentiated by changing the font or color of the characters that make up the names, making one an abbreviation and the other the official name, or making one with a logo and the other without a logo, etc.

[0122] In addition, in this embodiment, when no game is being played and the front door 20 is closed, the manufacturer's name is configured to be invisible in the area above the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. This makes it possible to prevent confusion between the group name and the manufacturer name when viewing the test shot video or the practice video.

[0123] Therefore, the gaming machine 10 has a first display (display of the manufacturer's name) that makes it possible to identify the manufacturer of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and makes it possible to identify the group to which the manufacturer belongs, and in other words, when the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, the first display is not visible in the area above the top end of the specified operating means (stop button 27) when viewed vertically, but the entire second display is visible in that area.

[0124] As described above, in this embodiment, the group name is displayed in the upper performance display area 62a from a state in which the group name is not displayed. This makes it possible to make the display of the group name more easily recognizable, since the timing at which the image display starts makes the display of the image more easily recognizable. In order to achieve this effect, the conditions for starting to display the group name may be other than the conditions according to this embodiment, such as the start or end of the AT mode described above.

[0125] Therefore, in other words, the second display (display of the group name) is started when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0126] In particular, in this embodiment, the display of the group name begins during non-playing. This makes it possible to make the display of the group name easier to recognize without interfering with the display during the game. In addition, in order to achieve this effect, the conditions for starting to display the group name may be conditions other than those in this embodiment, as long as they are met while not playing, such as the menu selection button 24 being operated while not playing.

[0127] Therefore, in other words, in the gaming machine 10, the predetermined conditions are conditions that can be satisfied while not playing games.

[0128] Furthermore, in the gaming machine according to this embodiment, when not in play and the front door 20 is closed, the entire manufacturer's name is visible in the area below the top of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. This makes it possible to avoid confusion between the group name and the manufacturer name when viewing the trial play video or practice video, while also making it easier for hall staff to identify the manufacturer to contact in situations such as when a problem occurs with a gaming machine. In order for the effect to be exerted, when the game is not being played and the front door 20 is closed, the entire name of the manufacturer is visible in the area below the top of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically, but the period during which the entire manufacturer is visible does not matter whether the game is not being played or not, and the length of the visible period does not matter, as long as the front door 20 is closed.

[0129] Therefore, in other words, when the opening / closing body (front door 20) of the gaming machine 10 is closed, the entire first display (display of the manufacturer's name) can be seen in the second area (area Z2) below the specified operating means (stop button 27) when viewed vertically.

[0130] Also, as shown in Figure 16(a), in this embodiment, when not playing and the front door 20 is closed, the model name (title) is displayed in the display area 623 of the lower performance display area 62b, which is located below the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically (area Z2), so that the entire model name can be seen in area Z2. Here, the model name is different from the group name or manufacturer name mentioned above, and refers to the name of the gaming machine itself (the gaming machine that displays the model name).

[0131] <About the second function> Next, the second function will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 16(b), FIG. 17, and FIG. FIG. 16(b) is a diagram showing a specific example of images displayed in the upper effect display area 62a and the lower effect display area 62b when no game is being played and the front door 20 is open. Figure 17(a) is a timing chart when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while no play is being performed, and Figure 17(b) is a timing chart when the front door 20 switches from an open state to a closed state while no play is being performed. Fig. 18(a) is a modified example of the display in display area 621 when front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while not playing, and Fig. 18(b) is a modified example of the display in display area 622 and display area 623 when front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while not playing. In particular, in these drawings, the solid lines surrounding each display indicate the range in which the display exists.

[0132] 16(b), in this embodiment, when a game is not being played and the front door 20 is open, additional information is displayed in addition to the manufacturer's name in the display area 621 of the upper effect display area 62a, which is located vertically above the top end of the stop button 27 (area Z1), making the entire manufacturer's name visible in area Z1. Here, the additional information in this embodiment is the telephone number and address of the manufacturer's name displayed in the display area 621, but the content is not limited as long as it is information about the manufacturer. Furthermore, when a game is not being played and the front door 20 is open, the manufacturer's name is displayed in display area 622 of the lower effect display area 62b, which is located vertically below the top end of the stop button 27 (area Z2), making the entire manufacturer's name visible in area Z2. However, unlike when a game is not being played and the front door 20 is closed, when a game is not being played and the front door 20 is open, the model name is not displayed in display area 623 of the lower effect display area 62b.

[0133] Therefore, as shown in Figure 17(a), in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while no game is being played, the display of the group name in area Z1 switches to the display of the manufacturer's name. On the other hand, in the area Z2, the display of the manufacturer's name is maintained even if the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during non-play.

[0134] In this way, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while not in play, the entire manufacturer's name becomes visible above the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. This makes it easier for hall staff to know which manufacturer to contact if an abnormality (error, etc.) occurs in the gaming machine. This is because when an abnormality occurs in the gaming machine, hall staff will open the front door 20 to check the circuit board itself inside the gaming machine (the back in the case of a pachinko machine) and the harness connecting the circuit boards, etc. In order to achieve this effect, when the front door 20 is switched from a closed state to an open state while no game is being played, it does not matter whether the entire group name is visible above the top of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. Also, different from this embodiment, when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while not playing, the manufacturer's name is allowed to be hidden (unseen) below the top of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when not playing and the front door 20 is open, the entire manufacturer's name is visible vertically above the top of the stop button 27, but the period during which the entire manufacturer's name is visible does not matter whether the game is not being played or not, and the length of the visible period does not matter, as long as the front door 20 is open. This also applies to subsequent inventions.

[0135] Therefore, in other words, in the gaming machine 10, in a specific case where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is opened from a closed state, the entire first display (display of the manufacturer's name) becomes visible in at least the first area (area Z1).

[0136] In particular, in this embodiment, when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while not playing, the group name becomes hidden (invisible) above the top of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. This will prevent hall staff from mistaking the group name for the manufacturer they should contact if an abnormality occurs with a gaming machine. In order to achieve this effect, it is acceptable for the visibility of the group name display to be reduced, for example, by making part of the group name display invisible when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state while no play is being played, as in the modified example shown in Figure 18(a).

[0137] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, in the above-mentioned specified case, it can be said that the second display (display of the group name) related to the first area (area Z1) is not visible, or the visibility of the second display related to the first area is reduced compared to when the opening / closing body is closed.

[0138] Furthermore, in the modified example shown in Figure 18(a), the visibility of the group name display is reduced by displaying the name of the manufacturer and additional information when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state (in this embodiment, the name of the manufacturer and additional information are displayed). This can enhance the effect of making it easier for hall staff to know which manufacturer they should contact if an abnormality occurs in a gaming machine.

[0139] Also, although different from this embodiment, the display content of the manufacturer's name in display area 622 (which is maintained even when front door 20 is switched from a closed state to an open state) and the display content of the manufacturer's name in display area 621 may be made different by changing the font or color of the characters that make up these, making one the abbreviation and the other the official name, or making one with a logo and the other without a logo, etc. This also enhances the effect of making it easier for hall personnel to know which manufacturer they should contact if an abnormality occurs with a gaming machine.

[0140] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, in the above-mentioned specified case, the entire first display (display of the manufacturer's name) is maintained in a visible state in the second area (area Z2), and the display content of the first display related to the first area and the display content of the first display related to the second area are different.

[0141] In addition, with regard to the invention relating to the second function described above, the display position of the manufacturer's name when the front door 20 is open is not limited to the position according to this embodiment (above the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically), but may be below the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically (for example, in the display area 623). Similarly, the display position of the group name is not limited to the position in this embodiment (above the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically), but may also be below the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically (for example, in the display area 623).

[0142] Therefore, the gaming machine 10 has a first display (display of the manufacturer's name) that makes it possible to identify the manufacturer of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and makes it possible to identify the group to which the manufacturer belongs; in other words, when the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, the entire second display is visible, and when the opening / closing body is open, the second display is not visible, or the visibility of the second display is reduced compared to when the opening / closing body is closed, and the entire first display is visible.

[0143] In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, the entire manufacturer's name is visible when the front door 20 is closed. According to this, when an abnormality (such as an error) occurs in the gaming machine, the manufacturer can be identified without the front door 20 being in an open state.

[0144] Therefore, in other words, when the opening / closing body (front door 20) of the gaming machine 10 is closed, the first marking (the marking of the manufacturer's name) is entirely visible.

[0145] Furthermore, as shown in a modified example in Figure 18(b), when the front door 20 is closed, part of the manufacturer's name display may be invisible, and when the front door 20 is open, the entire manufacturer's name display may be visible. This prevents confusion between the manufacturer name and the group name during play, when the front door 20 is likely to be closed. In order to achieve this effect, the entire display of the manufacturer's name may be made invisible when the front door 20 is closed. Furthermore, when the front door 20 changes from a closed state to an open state, the display of the group name may be maintained in the display area 621. In this case, it is preferable to make the display of the manufacturer's name easier to recognize than the display of the group name by, for example, making the display of the group name when the front door 20 is open smaller than the display of the manufacturer's name when the front door 20 is open.

[0146] Therefore, the gaming machine 10 has a first display (display of the manufacturer's name) that makes it possible to identify the manufacturer of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and makes it possible to identify the group to which the manufacturer belongs, and in other words, when the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, at least a portion of the first display is not visible and the entire second display is visible, and when the opening / closing body is open, the entire first display is visible and the entire second display is visible.

[0147] Furthermore, in other words, when the opening / closing body (front door 20) is open, the first marking (manufacturer name marking) is more easily recognized than the second marking (group name marking).

[0148] In addition, in the modified example shown in Figure 18(b), when the front door 20 is closed, part of the manufacturer's name display is not visible, and when the front door 20 is open, the entire manufacturer's name display is visible.Therefore, when the front door 20 is closed, the location of the manufacturer's name display can be recognized, and then when the front door 20 is open, the manufacturer's name display can be recognized, making it easier to recognize the manufacturer's name when the front door 20 is open.

[0149] As described above, in this embodiment, the group name display is not visible when the front door 20 is in the open or closed state, and the entire group name display is visible when the front door 20 is in the open state. On the other hand, the entire manufacturer name display is visible regardless of whether the front door 20 is in the open or closed state. With regard to such a relationship, the open state of the front door 20 may be replaced with a state in which any state related to the gaming machine is occurring, and the closed state of the front door 20 may be replaced with a state in which any state related to the gaming machine is not occurring. Here, the arbitrary state related to the gaming machine may be a state in which game progress is restricted, such as an unrecoverable error that requires a setting change or RAM clear to be resolved, a game stop state (a state in which the so-called complete function is activated) that is set when the net increase in the number of medals from a predetermined starting position (for example, the state in which the most medals have been absorbed) reaches a specified number (for example, 19,000 medals), or a state in which game progress is allowed, such as a state in which a specific role has been internally won. As in the present embodiment, the group name does not need to be displayed at all times during the period when no state related to the gaming machine occurs, but may be displayed for part of that period.

[0150] Therefore, the gaming machine 10 has a first display (display of the manufacturer's name) that makes it possible to identify the manufacturer of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and makes it possible to identify the group to which the manufacturer belongs, and in other words, when the second display is in a specific state, at least a part of the second display is not visible, and when the specific state is not present, the entire second display is visible at least in part, and the entire first display is visible both when the specific state is present and when the specific state is not present. According to this, in the specific state, the first indication and the second indication are not confused with each other, and therefore the first indication can be easily recognized.

[0151] Furthermore, the specific state can be said to include a state in which the progress of the game is restricted. In other words, the specific state includes a state in which progress of the game is permitted.

[0152] In particular, it is preferable that any of the above-mentioned states of the gaming machine be a state in which a predetermined error has occurred. The content of the above-mentioned specified error does not matter, but for example, a state in which the progress of the game is restricted as described above, a state in which reel 65 is out of sync, or an abnormal winning (winning of a role that is not an internal winning combination) can be adopted as a specified error. Also, similar to the present embodiment, the group name does not need to be displayed all the time during the period when the predetermined error does not occur, but may be displayed for part of that period.

[0153] Therefore, the gaming machine 10 has a first display (display of the manufacturer's name) that makes it possible to identify the manufacturer of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and makes it possible to identify the group to which the manufacturer belongs, and in other words, when a specified error occurs in the second display, at least a portion of the second display is not visible, and when the specified error does not occur, at least a portion of the second display is visible in its entirety, and in both cases where a specified error occurs and where a specified error does not occur, the entire first display is visible. According to this, when the specified error occurs, the first display and the second display are not confused, making it easier to recognize the first display.

[0154] Furthermore, as in this embodiment, it is preferable to use a door open error that occurs when the front door 20 is opened as the predetermined error.

[0155] Therefore, in other words, the gaming machine 10 has a base (outer frame 90) and an opening / closing body (front door 20) that can be opened and closed relative to the base, and the above-mentioned specified error occurs when the opening / closing body is opened.

[0156] In addition, in this embodiment, when the front door 20 switches from an open state to a closed state (when the front door 20 is closed), the display of the group name begins (resumes), but as shown in Figure 17(b), the timing at which the entire display of the group name becomes visible is the timing at which time T (3000 ms in this embodiment) has elapsed since the front door 20 was closed. This makes it easier to recognize the display of the group name when the front door 20 is closed. The present invention can also be applied to the modified example shown in FIG. 18(a).

[0157] Also, as described above, in this embodiment, unlike when a game is not being played and the front door 20 is closed, when a game is not being played and the front door 20 is open, the model name is not displayed in the display area 623 of the lower effect display area 62b. In other words, when the front door 20 switches from the closed state to the open state, the model name is not displayed in the area (area Z2) below the top end of the stop button 27 when viewed vertically. This makes it easier to recognize the display of the manufacturer name in the display area 622 where the display is maintained in this case. Note that achieving this effect does not necessarily mean that the model name display is not hidden in the display area 623. For example, it is sufficient that the model name display is less visible when the front door 20 is open than when the front door 20 is closed, such as by lowering the brightness of the model name display when the front door 20 is open compared to when the front door 20 is closed.

[0158] <Display during gameplay> Next, with reference to FIG. 19, the flow of each display when the front door 20 changes from a closed state to an open state during a game, and when the front door 20 changes from an open state to a closed state during a game, will be described. Figure 19(a) is a timing chart when the front door 20 switches from a closed state to an open state during play, and Figure 19(b) is a timing chart when the front door 20 switches from an open state to a closed state during play.

[0159] 19(a), when the front door 20 changes from a closed state to an open state during play, the manufacturer's name starts to be displayed vertically above the top of the stop button 27 (area Z1). On the other hand, vertically below the top of the stop button 27 (area Z2), the manufacturer's name remains displayed, and the model name stops being displayed. 19(b), when the front door 20 changes from an open state to a closed state during play, the display of the manufacturer's name ends vertically above the top of the stop button 27. On the other hand, vertically below the top of the stop button 27, the display of the manufacturer's name continues, and the display of the model name begins. It should be noted that these figures show the game in progress, and therefore the group name is not displayed regardless of whether the front door 20 is open or closed.

[0160] <Other variations> Modifications not mentioned in the above description are listed below.

[0161] First, in this embodiment, as long as the relationship between the probability, rate, frequency, and number of times is ensured, the smaller value may be 0, and the larger value may be the maximum value. In particular, as long as the phenomenon aspect is ensured, the control for realizing the rate can be any. Furthermore, each lottery value in the lottery table illustrated in this embodiment is an example, and as long as the magnitude relationship between the lottery tables is maintained, each lottery value may adopt any value within the range.

[0162] The present invention described above is not limited to the above description, and includes various modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention is achieved.

[0163] <Additional Notes> The present embodiment encompasses the following technical idea. (1) A gaming machine comprising a base body and an opening / closing body that can be opened and closed relative to the base body, wherein a game is played with the opening / closing body closed, a first indication that identifies the manufacturer of the gaming machine; a second indication that is different from the first indication and that identifies the group to which the manufacturing company belongs; and When the opening / closing body is in a closed state, At least a portion of the first indicia is not visible; The second indication is entirely visible; When the opening / closing body is in an open state, The entire first indication is visible; The second display is entirely visible. A gaming machine characterized by: (2) The gaming machine described in (1) above, When the opening / closing body is in an open state, the first indication is more easily recognized than the second indication. A gaming machine characterized by: [Explanation of symbols]

[0164] 10 Gaming machines 20 Front door 21 Top Panel 22 Bottom Panel 23 Bet Button 23a Max Bet Button 23b Single Bet Button 24 Menu selection button 24a D-pad button 24b Confirm button 25 Status indicator LED 25a Input number display LED 25b Acquired number display LED 25c Instruction display LED 25d Replay indicator LED 25e Game start display LED 25f Ready to load indicator LED 25g advantageous mode indicator LED 26 Start lever 27(27L, 27C, 27R) Stop button 27a Can be stopped indicator LED 28 Medal number display LED 32 Checkout button 33 Medal count button 34 Door Lock 36(36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, 36f, 36g, 36h) Decorative LED 38(38a, 38b, 38c, 38d) Speaker 40a, 40b Various sensors 41(41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e, 41f, 41g, 41h) Decorative LED board 42 Status display LED board 43 Stop button circuit board 43a Stop button sensor 44 Start lever sensor 45 Bet Button Board 45a Max Bet Button Sensor 45b Single Bet Button Sensor 45c Push Button Sensor 46 Menu selection button board 46a D-pad button sensor 46b Decision button sensor 48 Setting change device 48a Setting key switch 48b Setting change switch 48c Setting display LED 48d Setting key cover 49(49a, 49b, 49c, 49d) Speaker 50 medal count display LED board 51 Medal counting button board 51a Medal counting button sensor 53 Operation board cover 60 Gaming machine main body 62a Upper production display area 62b Lower performance display area 63a Upper performance display device 63b Lower production display device 64 reel slots 65 (65L, 65C, 65R) reel 66 (66L, 66C, 66R) Reel Sensor 67 (67L, 67C, 67R) Reel lighting board 68 Reel motor 90 outer frame 90a Left side wall 90b Right side wall 90cm top 90d bottom plate 90e Back side wall 91 Power supply 92 Power switch 95 Sheet Metal 96 Hinge part 96a Upper hinge part 96b Middle hinge part 96c Lower hinge 100 Main board 101, 201, 301 CPUs 102, 202, 302 RAM 103, 203, 303 ROM 104 Random Number Circuit 100 Main board 110 Game Progress Management Department 111 Internal Lottery Department 112 Reel control section 113 Prize Judging Section 114 Medal Management Department 115 Status display LED control section 120 Status Management Unit 121 Configuration Change Management Unit 122 Game Status Management Department 124 Game Mode Management Unit 125 Main Error Management Unit 130 Main Communication Section 131 Control command transmitter / receiver 132 External signal transmitter 200 Sub-board 204 Random Number Circuit 210 Sub-Communication Department 211 Control command receiver 220 Performance Management Department 221 Production Control Unit 222 Production display control unit 223 Audio control section 224 Decorative LED control unit 300 Medal number control board 304 Control command transmission / reception unit 305 Credit Management Department 306 Medal Error Management Department 300 Medal number control board 400 medal number control board case 621 Display area 622 Display area 623 Display area 1000 dedicated unit L1~L5 lines Za axis

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising a base body and an opening / closing body that can be opened and closed relative to the base body, wherein a game is played with the opening / closing body closed, a first region above an upper end of a predetermined operating means when viewed in the vertical direction, and a second region below the predetermined operating means when viewed in the vertical direction; the first region and the second region are configured to be controllable by a predetermined control means, a first indication that identifies the manufacturer of the gaming machine; a second indication that is different from the first indication and that identifies the group to which the manufacturing company belongs; and When the opening / closing body is in a closed state, At least a portion of the first indication is not visible in the second region; The second display is entirely visible in the first region; When the opening / closing body is in an open state, The entire first display is visible in the second region; The second display is entirely visible in the first region. A gaming machine characterized by:

2. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, When the opening / closing body is in an open state, the first indication is more easily recognized than the second indication. A gaming machine characterized by:

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