Replacement procedure sheet set

Abstract

To provide a replacement support sheet set capable of making replacement of gaming machines easy.SOLUTION: A replacement procedure sheet set comprising a plurality of replacement procedure sheets that instruct a procedure of replacement work of gaming machines in a game arcade where gaming machines are installed respectively at a plurality of installation locations assigned with mutually different machine numbers, wherein a replacement procedure sheet 310 is configured to be placed on a gaming machine, and the replacement procedure sheet 310 bears an indication of removal of the gaming machine and a notation "NEXT→428" meaning that the next target machine number for performing work is No. 428.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a replacement procedure sheet set that assists in the replacement of gaming machines. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, many gaming machines are installed in an amusement parlor (game hall), and at predetermined intervals, among the existing gaming machines installed in each installation location of an island facility (hereinafter referred to as an "island"), a replacement operation is performed in which gaming machines to be removed (removed machines) are removed from the island facility and replaced with new machines, which are newly installed gaming machines. In this replacement operation, not only are the removed machines removed to empty the island facility and new machines installed in the vacant island facility, but the installation locations of existing gaming machines are also sometimes changed, and existing gaming machines are also moved (the gaming machines to be moved are referred to as "moved machines"). Because the replacement procedure becomes complicated during this replacement operation, a replacement support device shown in Patent Document 1 is known to support the replacement procedure. In this replacement support device, new machines, moving machines, and removed machines are assigned unique identifiers, and these identifiers, along with the so-called machine numbers that are identifiers assigned to each installation location on the island, are used to identify which gaming machine (new machine, moving machine, removed machine) is located at each machine number.The replacement support device then creates a replacement procedure created using a predetermined program, which specifies which gaming machine (removed machine) has the machine number to be removed, which machine number to install a new machine at, and which gaming machine has the machine number to move to. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-158511 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even if a replacement procedure can be created using the above-mentioned replacement support device, there is a problem in that in actual situations, it is difficult for workers to understand which gaming machines should be moved, in what order, and how.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a replacement support sheet set that makes it easy to replace gaming machines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a solution to the above object, The replacement procedure sheet set of the present invention includes: A replacement procedure sheet set including a plurality of replacement procedure sheets instructing a replacement procedure for gaming machines in a gaming facility where gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different installation identifiers are assigned, The replacement procedure sheet is configured to be placed on the gaming machine, The replacement procedure sheet contains the outcome of the gaming machine and the installation identifier of the next target machine to be worked on. This is a replacement procedure sheet set characterized by the following.

[0007] The replacement procedure sheet set of the present invention includes: A replacement procedure sheet set including a plurality of replacement procedure sheets instructing a replacement procedure for gaming machines in a gaming facility where gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different installation identifiers are assigned, The replacement procedure sheet is configured to be placed on the gaming machine, The replacement procedure sheet contains the outcome of the gaming machine and an order identifier indicating the order of the replacement work. The replacement procedure sheet set is characterized by:

[0008] The replacement procedure sheet set of the present invention includes: A replacement procedure sheet set including a plurality of replacement procedure sheets instructing a replacement procedure for gaming machines in a gaming facility where gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different installation identifiers are assigned, The replacement procedure sheet is configured to be placed on the gaming machine, The replacement procedure sheet includes a temporary placement sheet to be placed on a temporary placement table, which is a gaming machine that is temporarily placed at a location other than the installation location, The temporary placement sheet indicates that the temporary placement table is a temporary placement table and the identifier of the location where the temporary placement table is installed. The replacement procedure sheet set is characterized by:

[0009] The temporary placement sheet may also indicate a location where the temporary placement table is to be temporarily placed.

[0010] The replacement procedure sheet set of the present invention includes: A replacement procedure sheet set for instructing a replacement procedure of gaming machines in an amusement facility where gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different identifiers are assigned, comprising: A removal sheet to be placed on a removal machine, which is a gaming machine to be removed; A moving sheet to be placed on a moving table, which is a gaming machine to be moved; Equipped with The removal sheet indicates that the removal table is a removal table and an identifier of the installation location where the removal table is installed, The moving sheet indicates that the moving table is a moving table, and includes an identifier of the installation location where the moving table is installed and an identifier of the installation location to which the moving table is to be moved. The replacement procedure sheet set is characterized by:

[0011] The replacement procedure sheet set of the present invention includes: A replacement procedure sheet set for instructing a replacement procedure of gaming machines in an amusement facility where gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different identifiers are assigned, comprising: A removal sheet to be placed on a removal machine, which is a gaming machine to be removed; a new machine sheet to be placed on a new machine that is a newly installed gaming machine; A moving sheet to be placed on a moving table, which is a gaming machine to be moved; Equipped with The removal sheet indicates that the removal table is a removal table and an identifier of the installation location where the removal table is installed, The new machine sheet indicates that the machine is a new machine and includes an identifier of the location where the new machine is installed. The moving sheet indicates that the moving table is a moving table, and includes an identifier of the installation location where the moving table is installed and an identifier of the installation location to which the moving table is to be moved. The replacement procedure sheet set is characterized by:

[0012] The replacement procedure sheet set according to the present invention includes: At least a portion of the removal sheet is colored with a first color, At least a portion of the new base sheet is colored with a second color, At least a portion of the transfer sheet is colored a third color; The first color, the second color, and the third color may be different from each other.

[0013] The replacement procedure sheet set according to the present invention includes: A temporary placement sheet is provided to be placed on a temporary placement table, which is a gaming machine that is temporarily placed at a location other than the installation location; The temporary placement sheet may be configured to indicate that it is a temporary placement table, an identifier of the installation location where the temporary placement table is installed, and an identifier of the installation location to which the movable table will be moved.

[0014] The replacement procedure sheet set according to the present invention includes: A temporary placement sheet is provided to be placed on a temporary placement table, which is a gaming machine that is temporarily placed at a location other than the installation location; The temporary placement sheet indicates that the temporary placement sheet is a temporary placement table, an identifier of an installation location where the temporary placement sheet is installed, and an identifier of an installation location to which the movable table is moved, At least a part of the temporary placement sheet may be colored a fourth color different from the first to third colors.

[0015] The replacement procedure sheet set according to the present invention includes: The movement sheet may also indicate the priority of movement relative to other moving carriages.

[0016] The present invention also provides A replacement support device for supporting a replacement operation of gaming machines in an amusement facility in which gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different identifiers are assigned, comprising: Before the replacement work, pre-replacement data is data that lists identifiers of installation locations where gaming machines to be moved are installed as movement target identifiers; post-replacement data, which is data listing the identifiers of installation locations where the gaming machines installed at the installation locations related to the transfer target identifiers will finally be installed after the replacement work, as post-replacement identifiers corresponding to the transfer target identifiers; Removal data is data that lists, as removal identifiers, identifiers of installation locations where the gaming machines to be removed are installed; New data is data that lists the identifiers of the installation locations of new gaming machines that are newly installed as new identifiers. and and executing a new installation process to generate a new installation procedure indicating that the new machine is to be installed at an installation location associated with a certain new identifier of the new data, a removal generation process for generating a removal procedure indicating that the removal table is to be removed from an installation location associated with a certain removal identifier of the removal data; If the post-replacement data contains a post-movement identifier that is identical to a certain removal identifier in the removal data, the processing is configured to execute a removal and replacement process that generates a removal and replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at the installation location related to the first extraction identifier is to be installed at the installation location related to the certain removal identifier by setting the transfer target identifier corresponding to the post-movement identifier to a first extraction identifier extracted from the pre-replacement data, When the post-replacement data contains a post-movement identifier identical to the first extraction identifier, the transfer target identifier corresponding to the post-movement identifier is set to a second extraction identifier extracted from the pre-replacement data, thereby executing a transfer and replacement process to generate a transfer and replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at the installation location related to the second extraction identifier is to be installed at the installation location related to the first extraction identifier, If the post-movement identifier that is the same as the second extracted identifier is present in the replaced data, a repeat process is executed to repeat the same process as the movement and replacement process. The replacement support device may be characterized by the above.

[0017] Further, the replacement support device according to the present invention comprises: temporary placement data that lists identifiers relating to installation locations where gaming machines that are temporarily placed other than the installation location are installed as temporary placement identifiers; The system may be configured to execute a temporary placement process that generates a temporary placement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed with the temporary placement identifier related to the temporary placement data will be temporarily placed in another location.

[0018] Further, the replacement support device according to the present invention comprises: The repetitive process is configured to be executed a predetermined number of times, When the number of times of the repeated processing reaches the predetermined number, if the replaced data contains a post-movement identifier that is identical to the second extracted identifier in the predetermined number of times, a conversion process is executed in which a transfer target identifier corresponding to the post-movement identifier is set as the temporary identifier, the temporary placement process is configured to execute the temporary placement process on the temporary placement identifier related to the conversion process, The moving and replacing process may be configured so that, if the replaced data contains a post-movement identifier that is identical to the temporary placement identifier related to the conversion process, the moving and replacing procedure is generated to indicate that the gaming machine installed at the installation location related to the second extraction identifier is to be installed at the installation location related to the first extraction identifier by setting the moving target identifier corresponding to the post-movement identifier as a second extracted identifier extracted from the pre-replacement data.

[0019] Further, the replacement support device according to the present invention comprises: The temporary identifier and the new identifier may be configured to be the same.

[0020] Further, the replacement support device according to the present invention comprises: A configuration is made such that a post-replacement non-installation identifier, which is an installation location where a gaming machine will not be installed after the replacement work, or a post-replacement installation identifier, which is an installation location where a gaming machine was not installed before the replacement but will be installed after the replacement, can be extracted from the pre-replacement data, the post-replacement data, the removal data, and the new data, In a situation where the post-replacement non-installation identifier is present, a post-replacement non-installation procedure is generated which indicates that the gaming machine will not be installed at the installation location related to the post-replacement non-installation identifier, In a situation where the post-replacement installation identifier is present, the system may be configured to generate a post-replacement installation procedure indicating that the gaming machine is to be installed at the installation location associated with the post-replacement installation identifier.

[0021] The present invention also provides A replacement support method executed by a computer of a replacement support device for supporting a replacement operation of gaming machines in an amusement facility in which gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different identifiers are assigned, comprising: The computer executes receiving, before the replacement operation, pre-replacement data which is data listing identifiers of installation locations where gaming machines to be moved are installed as movement target identifiers; receiving post-replacement data, which is data listing identifiers of installation locations where the gaming machines installed at the installation locations associated with the transfer target identifiers will finally be installed after the replacement work, as post-relocation identifiers corresponding to the transfer target identifiers; receiving removal data, which is data listing, as removal identifiers, identifiers of installation locations where the gaming machine to be removed is installed; A step of receiving new data which is data listing identifiers of installation locations of new gaming machines that are newly installed as new identifiers; Executing a new installation process to generate a new installation procedure indicating that the new machine is to be installed at an installation location associated with a certain new identifier in the new data; executing a removal generation process for generating a removal procedure indicating that the removal table is to be removed from an installation location associated with a certain removal identifier of the removal data; a step of executing a removal and replacement process for generating a removal and replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at the installation location related to the first extraction identifier is to be installed at the installation location related to the certain removal identifier by setting a transfer target identifier corresponding to the transfer target identifier corresponding to the post-movement identifier in the replacement data as a first extraction identifier extracted from the pre-replacement data, when the post-movement identifier is the same as a certain removal identifier in the removal data; a step of executing a moving and replacing process for generating a moving and replacing procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at the installation location related to the second extraction identifier is to be installed at the installation location related to the first extraction identifier by setting the moving target identifier corresponding to the moving target identifier corresponding to the moving target identifier in the replaced data when the moving target identifier is the same as the first extraction identifier; a step of executing a repeat process of repeating the same process as the movement and replacement process when the post-movement identifier that is the same as the second extracted identifier is present in the replaced data; The replacement support method may include the steps of:

[0022] The present invention also provides A program for causing a computer to function as a replacement support device for supporting a replacement operation of gaming machines in an amusement facility in which gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different identifiers are assigned, the program comprising: The computer, receiving, before the replacement operation, pre-replacement data which is data listing identifiers of installation locations where gaming machines to be moved are installed as movement target identifiers; receiving post-replacement data, which is data listing identifiers of installation locations where the gaming machines installed at the installation locations associated with the transfer target identifiers will finally be installed after the replacement work, as post-relocation identifiers corresponding to the transfer target identifiers; receiving removal data, which is data listing, as removal identifiers, identifiers of installation locations where the gaming machine to be removed is installed; A step of receiving new data which is data listing identifiers of installation locations of new gaming machines that are newly installed as new identifiers; Executing a new installation process to generate a new installation procedure indicating that the new machine is to be installed at an installation location associated with a certain new identifier in the new data; executing a removal generation process for generating a removal procedure indicating that the removal table is to be removed from an installation location associated with a certain removal identifier of the removal data; a step of executing a removal and replacement process for generating a removal and replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at the installation location related to the first extraction identifier is to be installed at the installation location related to the certain removal identifier by setting a transfer target identifier corresponding to the transfer target identifier corresponding to the post-movement identifier in the replacement data as a first extraction identifier extracted from the pre-replacement data, when the post-movement identifier is the same as a certain removal identifier in the removal data; a step of executing a moving and replacing process for generating a moving and replacing procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at the installation location related to the second extraction identifier is to be installed at the installation location related to the first extraction identifier by setting the moving target identifier corresponding to the moving target identifier corresponding to the moving target identifier in the replaced data when the moving target identifier is the same as the first extraction identifier; a step of executing a repeat process of repeating the same process as the movement and replacement process when the post-movement identifier that is the same as the second extracted identifier is present in the replaced data; The program may be a program that executes the above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] It is possible to provide a replacement work sheet set that makes it easy to replace gaming machines. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a replacement support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the electrical configuration of the replacement support device according to FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing island map data generated by the replacement support device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a replacement instruction generated by the replacement support device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing a replacement procedure sheet. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of processing by a control unit of the replacement support device. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of processing by a control unit of the replacement support device. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of processing by a control unit of the replacement support device. FIG. [Figure 9] This is a simplified image showing the island maps before and after the replacement. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing input data and output data required for generating a replacement procedure. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining replacement work according to a replacement instruction sheet. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing input data and output data required for generating a replacement procedure. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining replacement work according to a replacement instruction sheet. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing input data and output data required for generating a replacement procedure. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing input data and output data required for generating a replacement procedure. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing island diagrams of islands before and after replacement in a simplified manner. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing input data and output data required for generating a replacement procedure. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing a replacement procedure sheet according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a replacement support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The replacement support device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for supporting the replacement of gaming machines in an amusement parlor where a large number of gaming machines, such as pachinko machines and slot machines, are installed. In an amusement parlor, gaming machines are installed in each of a plurality of installation locations arranged on an island, and each installation location is assigned a different machine number (identifier, installation identifier) ​​ranging from 1 to 520, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to identify the installation location. If the replacement is a simple operation in which, for example, five gaming machines installed in each installation location on the island are removed (hereinafter, the removed gaming machines will be referred to as "removed machines") and new gaming machines (hereinafter, "new machines") are installed in the installation locations vacated by the removal, the replacement operation is not complicated. However, in reality, after the removed machines are removed, the installation locations of existing gaming machines often change, making the replacement procedure complicated. The replacement support device 100 supports the replacement work in the gaming facility by generating the replacement procedure, which tends to be complicated, based on data from the gaming facility before and after the replacement work.

[0026] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of the replacement support device according to Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the replacement support device 100 is configured by a general-purpose computer such as a laptop computer, desktop computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. (Figure 1 shows a laptop computer as an example), and is managed by, for example, a supporter who supports the replacement work of gaming machines.

[0027] The replacement support device 100 generally comprises an operation unit 110 such as a keyboard for receiving operation input from outside, a control unit 120 such as a CPU which is a calculation device that performs calculations and receives operation input from the operation unit 110 and performs various controls (various processes) described below, a display unit 130 which displays island map data (see Figure 3) and replacement instructions (see Figure 4) under the control of the control unit 120, and an output unit 140 which outputs the island map data, instructions, etc. to an external device such as a printing device such as a printer under the control of the control unit 120.

[0028] In addition to the control unit 120, the replacement support device 100 has a ROM (not shown) in which programs and data for the control unit 120 to execute various processes are stored, a RAM (not shown) that provides a work area necessary for the control unit 120 to execute various processes, and an interface (not shown) for exchanging data between the control unit 120, the RAM, etc. and the outside, all of which are connected to each other by a bus. Also connected to this bus are the display unit 130, output unit 140, etc.

[0029] The control unit 120 executes various processes using a computer program (hereinafter simply referred to as a "program") stored in, for example, ROM or RAM. This program may be pre-installed in the replacement support device 100, or may be installed later by downloading it via a network such as the Internet or by using a recording medium such as a USB memory card.

[0030] Next, various controls of the replacement support device 100 will be explained. Prior to that explanation, however, a replacement operation based on a replacement procedure generated by the replacement support device 100 will be explained.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing island map data generated by the replacement support device 100, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a replacement instruction generated by the replacement support device 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the island map data shows a bird's-eye view of the layout of the islands in the gaming parlor. In FIG. 3, for example, the number "87" written in a box indicates a machine number, and the number "126" written next to the box of number 87 means that the gaming machine installed at number 126 will be installed at number 87 (the gaming machine at number 126 will be moved to number 87). Also, for example, the word "new" written next to the number 140 written in a box means that a new machine will be installed at number 140. Furthermore, the multiple "temporary storage areas" written in FIG. 3 refer to places where gaming machines installed at the installation locations of the islands are temporarily stored (the gaming machines temporarily placed are referred to as "temporary storage areas").

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, the replacement instruction sheet shows the replacement procedure for Mode 1, which will be described later. In Figure 4, the "Removed" in the leftmost column indicates the machine number to be removed, the numbers "1" through "6" refer to "STEP 1" through "STEP 6" and indicate the procedure (movement order) for moving the gaming machine, and "Temporary" indicates the machine number of the temporary machine to be placed in the temporary storage area. The parentheticals "red," "green," "yellow," and "pink" next to "Removed," "1," "2," and "Temporary" indicate that the background color of the "Removed" column is red, the background color of the "1" column is green, the background color of the "2" column is yellow, and the background color of the "Temporary" column is pink. This also applies to Figure 3, for example, where the background color of the box for "87" in Figure 3 is red, the background color of the box for "126" is green, the background color of the box for "226" is yellow, and the background color of the box for "136" is pink. The replacement instructions in Figure 4 indicate that the replacement work will be carried out in the following order: "Removed" → "Temporary" → "1" → "2" ... "6." Also, in the upper column of Figure 4, the lines that read "87," "126" ← "136" mean that the gaming machine with the lower machine number will be moved to the machine with the higher machine number. In this example, after the gaming machine with number 87 is removed and the gaming machine with number 136 is temporarily placed in a temporary storage area, the gaming machine that was at number 126 will be installed (moved) to the vacant number 87, and the gaming machine with number 136 that was temporarily placed will be moved to the vacant number 126. Similarly, in the lower column of Figure 4, the lines that read "136" and "New Machine" mean that a new machine will be installed in the vacant number 136 due to the temporary placement.

[0033] In Figure 4, the row corresponding to "150" in the "Removal" column lists the numbers 150, 160, 512, 510, 515, and 516 from top to bottom, and a supplementary explanation is provided below. After removing the gaming machine at number 150, the gaming machine at number 160 is installed in the vacant number 150, and the gaming machine at number 512 is installed in the vacant number 160. Subsequently, the gaming machine at number 510 is installed in the vacant number 512, the gaming machine at number 515 is installed in the vacant number 510, the gaming machine at number 516 is installed in the vacant number 515, and the gaming machine at number 176, which was temporarily placed, is installed in the vacant number 516. Note that a new machine will be installed in the vacant number 176, as shown in the "176" row in the bottom column of Figure 4.

[0034] FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing a replacement procedure sheet set consisting of a plurality of replacement procedure sheets 210 to 240. As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, after the replacement procedure is generated by the replacement support device 100 and island map data and replacement instructions are generated, a replacement procedure sheet set to be attached to the gaming machines is generated. For example, the "87" in the "Removed" column shown in FIG. 4 indicates that the gaming machine at No. 87 is the machine to be removed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5(a), data related to the replacement procedure sheet 210 (removal sheet) indicating that the gaming machine at No. 87 is the machine to be removed is output via the output unit 140. The replacement procedure sheet 210 is printed out by an external device that receives the data related to this replacement procedure sheet 210. Similarly, for "136" in the "Temporary" column shown in FIG. 4, data related to the replacement procedure sheet 220 (temporary placement sheet) indicating that the gaming machine at No. 136 will be temporarily placed and then installed at No. 126 is output as shown in FIG. 5(b). For "126" in the "1" column shown in the upper section of FIG. 4, data related to a replacement procedure sheet 230 (movement sheet) is output, indicating that the gaming machine at number 126 will be installed at number 87 as STEP 1 (priority of the machine to be moved), as shown in FIG. 5(c). For "136" in the "temporary" column shown in the lower section of FIG. 4, data related to a replacement procedure sheet 240 (new machine sheet) is output, indicating that a new machine will be installed at number 136, as shown in FIG. 5(d). In other words, the replacement procedure sheet set can be said to include the replacement procedure sheet 210, which is a removal sheet, the replacement procedure sheet 220, which is a temporary placement sheet, the replacement procedure sheet 230, which is a movement sheet, and the replacement procedure sheet 240, which is a new machine sheet. Note that the replacement procedure sheet set may be configured to include at least two of the replacement procedure sheets 210 to 240 described above.In other words, the entry "machine to be removed" on the replacement procedure sheet 210 indicates that the gaming machine will be moved to the back yard, the entry "machine to be temporarily placed" on the replacement procedure sheet 220 indicates that the gaming machine will be moved to a temporary storage area, the entry "STEP 1" on the replacement procedure sheet 230 indicates that the gaming machine will be moved to a numbered machine on an island facility, and the entry "new machine" on the replacement procedure sheet 240 indicates that the gaming machine will be moved to a numbered machine on an island facility, and each replacement procedure sheet can be said to describe the fate of the gaming machine. Also, the replacement procedure sheet 210 can be said to be a removal replacement sheet in which "87" is entered, which is the numbered machine where the gaming machine to be removed is installed (the numbered machine from which it will be replaced), and the replacement procedure sheets 220 to 230 can be said to be installation replacement procedure sheets in which the numbered machine to which it will be moved (the numbered machine to which it will be replaced) is entered.

[0035] The replacement procedure sheet 210 in Figure 5(a) is attached (placed) on the gaming machine installed at number 87 using adhesive tape, double-sided tape, etc., the replacement procedure sheet 220 in Figure 5(b) is attached to the gaming machine installed at number 136, the replacement procedure sheet 230 in Figure 5(c) is attached to the gaming machine installed at number 126, and the replacement procedure sheet 240 in Figure 5(d) is attached to the new machine before it is installed on the island. The replacement procedure sheet 210 for the removal table is colored red (first color), which corresponds to the color of "removed" shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (colored red). The replacement procedure sheet 220 for the temporary table is colored pink (fourth color), which corresponds to the color of "temporary" shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The replacement procedure sheet 230 for STEP 1 is colored green (third color), which corresponds to the color of "1" shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This allows intuitive understanding of the relationship with the island map data and replacement instructions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The replacement procedure sheet 240 for the new table only needs to be a color (second color) different from any of the other "removed," "temporary," and "1" through "6." The color of each replacement procedure sheet 210-220 may be the same color throughout, or only a portion of it may be the same color. Essentially, it is sufficient that the relationship with the island map data and replacement instructions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be understood.

[0036] 4 is added to explain the procedure of the replacement work, and is automatically generated by the control unit 120. Note that instead of automatically generating this <replacement procedure> by the control unit 120, the supporter may add it by directly inputting it, or the <replacement procedure> itself may not be added.

[0037] In accordance with this "replacement procedure," we will now explain the replacement work method related to the island map data and replacement instructions shown in Figures 3 and 4. First, the worker attaches replacement procedure sheets corresponding to all of the new machines, machines to be removed, machines to be temporarily placed, and machines to be moved, such as attaching replacement procedure sheet 210 indicating that the gaming machines installed at numbers 87, 88, etc. shown in Figures 3 and 4 are machines to be removed, replacement procedure sheet 220 indicating that the machines are temporary placed, etc., to numbers 136, 137, etc., replacement procedure sheet 230 relating to step 1 to numbers 126, 127, etc., and replacement procedure sheet 240 relating to a new machine to a new machine that has not yet been installed in any installation location.

[0038] Next, the worker turns off the power to the machines to be removed, such as those installed at numbers 87 and 88 shown in Figures 3 and 4, in other words, all gaming machines with the red replacement procedure sheet 210 attached, and after performing various tasks such as removing the balls (in the case of pachinko machines) and disconnecting the wiring and information lines inside the gaming machines, removes them from their respective installation locations. These machines to be removed are then carried out to a warehouse such as a back yard ("1" in the replacement procedure in Figure 4).

[0039] Next, of the gaming machines to be temporarily placed, such as No. 136, No. 137, etc. shown in Figures 3 and 4, the temporary placement machines that will accommodate the new machines (gaming machines to which the replacement procedure sheet 240 is attached) are subjected to the various operations described above, and then these temporary placement machines are removed from their respective installation locations and temporarily placed in temporary storage areas ("2" in the replacement procedure in Figure 4). New machines are installed in No. 136, No. 137, etc., which have been vacated by "2" in the replacement procedure ("3" in the replacement procedure in Figure 4). Next, of the gaming machines to be temporarily placed, such as No. 141, No. 142, etc. shown in Figures 3 and 4, the temporary placement machines that will not accommodate the new machines (gaming machines to which the temporary placement sheet 220 is attached) are subjected to the various operations described above, and then these temporary placement machines are removed from their respective installation locations and temporarily placed in temporary storage areas ("5" in the replacement procedure in Figure 4). Then, gaming machines corresponding to STEP 1 such as No. 126 and No. 127 shown in Figures 3 and 4 (gaming machines with the replacement procedure sheet 230 attached), gaming machines corresponding to STEP 2 such as No. 226 and No. 227 (gaming machines with the yellow replacement procedure sheet attached corresponding to STEP 2, not shown), gaming machines corresponding to STEP 3 such as No. 510 and No. 174 (gaming machines with the light blue replacement sheet attached corresponding to STEP 3, not shown), gaming machines corresponding to STEP 4 such as No. 515 and No. 378 (gaming machines with the orange replacement sheet attached corresponding to STEP 4, not shown), and gaming machines corresponding to STEP 5 such as No. 516 and No. 457 (gaming machines with the gray replacement sheet attached corresponding to STEP 5, not shown) are moved to and installed to the corresponding machine numbers ("6" to "10" in the replacement procedure in Figure 4). 4, since there is no gaming machine associated with the blue replacement sheet corresponding to STEP 6 in replacement procedure "11," this replacement procedure "11" is skipped and replacement procedure "12" is performed. In this replacement procedure "12," the gaming machines that were temporarily placed in the temporary storage area are installed at the machine numbers corresponding to them, for example, the gaming machine to which the replacement sheet 220 shown in FIG. 5(b) is attached (the gaming machine removed from number 136 and temporarily placed in the temporary storage area) is installed at number 126.

[0040] In this way, the replacement worker can easily and smoothly perform the replacement work by simply removing, moving, and installing the gaming machines according to the colors and machine numbers written on the replacement sheet attached. Furthermore, since the replacement worker only needs to follow the replacement sheet that follows the replacement procedure generated by the replacement support device 100, misunderstanding or confusion about the replacement order associated with the replacement work can be prevented. Furthermore, the island map data, replacement instructions, and replacement sheet use unique colors according to the work process and order, such as red for removal, pink for temporary placement, and green for STEP 1 related to movement. This makes it intuitively easy to understand the next task, and the replacement work can be performed efficiently.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a main routine of processing by the control unit 120 of the replacement support device 100. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a subroutine of processing by the control unit 120 of the replacement support device 100. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a subroutine of processing by the control unit 120 of the replacement support device 100. FIG. 9 is an image diagram that simply shows island diagrams of islands before and after replacement, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing input data and output data required for generating a replacement procedure. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a replacement instruction sheet and replacement work in accordance with this replacement instruction sheet.

[0042] Here, various processes (various controls) performed by the control unit 120 of the replacement support device 100 according to this embodiment will be explained based on the flowcharts of Figures 6 to 8. For ease of explanation, the explanation will be based on the example shown in Figure 9, etc., which is a simplified version of the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4, rather than the cumbersome examples shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0043] In the island diagram shown in Figure 9, the boxes with numbers indicate machine numbers, and the letters A, B, etc. indicate the gaming machines installed at each machine number (the same applies hereinafter). In other words, Figure 9 shows an example of an island where gaming machines A to T are installed at machine numbers 1 to 20, respectively.

[0044] Fig. 9(a) is an island diagram before the replacement, and Fig. 9(b) is an island diagram after the replacement. In this example, a case will be described in which an amusement parlor manager or the like requests that the arrangement (installation state) shown in Fig. 9(a) be changed to the arrangement shown in Fig. 9(b). Specifically, the amusement parlor requests that gaming machines A to E, which were numbered 1 to 5 before the replacement, be moved to numbers 16 to 20 after the replacement, gaming machines F to J, which were numbered 6 to 10 before the replacement, remain as they are after the replacement, gaming machines K to O, which were numbered 11 to 15 before the replacement, be removed, and gaming machines P to T, which were numbered 16 to 20 before the replacement, be moved to numbers 11 to 15 after the replacement.

[0045] In this case, as shown in Fig. 10(a), the control unit 120 generates a replacement procedure based on input data (1) to (4) among the following input data (1) to (5). These input data may be data received from the gaming facility via the Internet, or may be data entered from the operation unit 110 in response to a request from the gaming facility. These input data are stored in RAM or the like of the replacement support device 100. (1) Data A before replacement (in Figure 10, this is referred to as "Before Movement (A)") (2) Data B after movement (in Figure 10, this is referred to as "After movement (B)") (3) Removal data C (in Figure 10, it is written as "Removal table (C)") (4) New machine data D (in Figure 10, it is written as "New machine (D)") (5) Provisional data E (not shown in Figure 10. In Figure 12, etc., it is shown as Provisional (E))

[0046] The pre-replacement data A is data that lists the machine numbers (identifiers) of the installation locations where gaming machines to be moved are installed before the replacement work as the machine numbers to be moved (movement target identifiers). The post-replacement data B is data that lists the machine numbers of gaming machines that were installed at the installation locations related to the machine numbers to be moved in the pre-replacement data A after the replacement work, as the post-removal machine numbers (post-removal identifiers) corresponding to the machine numbers to be moved. The removed machine data C is data that lists the machine numbers of gaming machines to be removed as removed machine numbers (removal identifiers). The new machine data (new data) D is data that lists the machine numbers (new identifiers) where new machines will be installed as new machine numbers (new machine numbers). The temporary placement data E is data that lists the machine numbers of gaming machines that will be temporarily placed in the temporary placement area as temporary placement machine numbers (temporary placement identifiers).

[0047] In the example shown in Figure 9, the machine numbers (1-5) for new machines, the machine numbers (11-15) for machines to be removed, and the machine numbers (16-20) for machines to be moved are input, while the machine numbers (6-10) for machines that will not be moved are not input. Also, in the example shown in Figure 9, there are no temporary placement machines, so no temporary placement data E is input. In this embodiment, if there is no temporary placement data E, the replacement procedure is generated as mode 0, which is the normal mode in which the installation of new machines is not prioritized, and if there is temporary placement data E, the replacement procedure is generated as mode 1, which is a mode in which the installation of new machines is prioritized.

[0048] In the input data shown in FIG. 10(a), in the pre-replacement data A, 1 to 5 and 16 to 20 are input in that order into columns No. 1 to 10, respectively, and in the post-movement data B, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, gaming machine A at No. 1 in column No. 1 will eventually be installed at No. 20, so 20 is input into column No. 1 (column of group 1). That is, in column No. 1, the machine number 1 in pre-replacement data A and the machine number 20 in post-movement data B correspond to each other and form one group. Similarly, in columns No. 2 to 10, adjacent machine numbers in FIG. 10(a) form one group. In addition, for removed machine data C and new machine data D, the machine numbers are input in ascending order, starting from column No. 1.

[0049] The output data shown in Figure 10(b) is output data related to the replacement procedure generated by the control unit 120 based on the above input data, and includes removal vehicle number data (represented as "Removal" in Figure 10), STEP1 data related to the first movement procedure (represented as "STEP1" in Figure 10), STEP2 data related to the second movement procedure (represented as "STEP2" in Figure 10), etc., generated by the control unit 120.

[0050] The control unit 120 generates the output data shown in Figure 10(b) based on the input data shown in Figure 10(a). Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, after the pre-replacement data A, post-movement data B, removal data C, and new machine data D are input, if the mode is 0 (Yes in steps 100 and 200), a mode 0 process is executed to generate a replacement procedure in mode 0 (step 300). As described above, the control unit 120 automatically switches between mode 0 and mode 1 based on the presence or absence of temporary placement data E. It goes without saying that the mode may be switched manually via the operation unit 110 instead of automatically switching modes by the control unit 120.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 7, in the mode 0 process, the control unit 120 first executes a removal generation process to generate a removal procedure indicating that the gaming machines with machine numbers 11 to 15 are to be removed by inputting the machine numbers 11 to 15 of the removal machine data C (indicated as "IN(C)" in Fig. 7) of the input data of Fig. 10(a) into removal No. 1 to 5 of the output data of Fig. 10(b) (step 310). This generates a removal procedure for the gaming machines.

[0052] Next, the control unit 120 determines whether a machine number identical to a certain machine number (e.g., 11) in the removed machine data C exists in the replaced data B (whether a machine number matching a certain machine number in the removed machine data C exists in the replaced data B), and if it does exist (Yes in step 311), it extracts a machine number in the same group as the certain machine number from the pre-replacement data A (denoted as "IN(A)" in Figure 7) (e.g., No. 6, 16 in the pre-replacement data A corresponding to No. 6, 11 in the post-replacement data B). By inputting this as the first extracted machine number (first extraction identifier) ​​into No. 1 of the STEP1 data (denoted as "OUT1" in FIG. 7) of the output data, a removal and replacement process is executed to generate a removal and replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at this first extracted machine number will be installed at a certain machine number in the removed machine data C (for example, installing gaming machine P at No. 16 in FIG. 9(a) at No. 11 in FIG. 9(b)) (steps 312, 313). The control unit 120 executes a process to repeat the removal and replacement process until there are no more machine numbers to be removed in the removal row (row of machine number to be removed) of the output data (No in step 311). As a result, machine numbers corresponding to Nos. 1 to 5 of the STEP1 data of the output data are input, and the first gaming machine movement procedure is generated.

[0053] Next, the control unit 120 determines whether a machine number identical to a certain machine number (e.g., 16) in the STEP 1 data of the output data exists in the post-replacement data B. If a machine number exists (Yes in step 314), the control unit 120 extracts a machine number in the same group as the certain machine number from the pre-replacement data A (e.g., No. 5 of 5 in the pre-replacement data A corresponding to No. 5 of 16 in the post-replacement data B). This is input as a second extracted machine number (second extracted identifier) ​​into the step 2 data of the output data (represented as "OUTN" in FIG. 7, where "N" is a positive integer including 1), and executes a moving face replacement process to generate a post-movement replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at this second extracted machine number is to be installed at a certain machine number in the STEP 1 data (e.g., installing gaming machine E at No. 5 in FIG. 9(a) at No. 16 in FIG. 9(b)) (steps 315, 316). As a result, the machine numbers corresponding to Nos. 1 to 5 of the STEP 2 data of the output data are input, and the second gaming machine movement procedure is generated.

[0054] The control unit 120 executes a repeat process for the removal and replacement process, repeating it until the machine numbers that match the machine numbers entered in STEPs 1 to N of the output data no longer exist in the replaced data B (No in step 314). In the example shown in Fig. 10, after inputting into each of Nos. 1 to 5 of the STEP2 data, the machine numbers that match the machine numbers in the STEP2 data do not exist in the replaced data B, so the STEP2 data is generated (for this reason, "N" in OUTN in Fig. 7 becomes 2).

[0055] Then, the control unit 120 executes a new installation process to generate new installation procedures indicating that new machines are to be installed at these machine numbers by inputting new machine data D (indicated as "IN(D)" in FIG. 7) from the input data in FIG. 10(a) into No. 1 to No. 5 of STEP 3 in the output data in FIG. 10(b). This completes the output data.

[0056] Thereafter, the control unit 120 outputs, based on this output data, island map data (not shown) and data relating to the replacement instruction sheet and replacement procedure sheet shown in Fig. 11(A) (step 500 in Fig. 6). This output causes the island map data and replacement instruction sheet to be displayed on the display unit 130. Alternatively, the output may cause an external device such as a printer to print an island map, replacement instruction sheet, replacement sheet, etc. based on the island map data on a predetermined sheet of paper.

[0057] The replacement work of gaming machines according to the replacement instructions shown in Figure 11(A), which is the replacement procedure generated in this way, first affixes various replacement procedure sheets to gaming machines 11 to 15 before replacement (for example, a replacement procedure sheet like that shown in Figure 3(a) indicating that the machine is to be removed (in this example, the notation

[87] in Figure 5(a) becomes any of

[11] to

[15] ).

[0058] As shown in Figure 11(a), gaming machines K to O corresponding to numbers 11 to 15 ("Removed" in Figure 11(A)) are removed and removed to the back yard. This leaves numbers 11 to 15 vacant. Next, as shown in Figure 11(b), in STEP 1, gaming machines P to T corresponding to numbers 16 to 20 are installed in numbers 11 to 15. This leaves numbers 16 to 20 vacant. As shown in Figure 11(c), in STEP 2, gaming machines A to E corresponding to numbers 1 to 5 are installed in these numbers 16 to 20. This leaves numbers 1 to 5 vacant. In STEP 3, new machines are installed in each of these numbers 1 to 5. This completes the gaming machine replacement work.

[0059] In this way, the replacement support device 100 according to this embodiment can automatically generate a replacement procedure for gaming machines using only the machine numbers, such as pre-replacement data A, post-replacement data B, removed machine data C, and new machine data D, thereby reducing the amount of data required to create the replacement procedure. As a result, it is possible to simplify the creation of the replacement procedure while preventing pressure on the memory capacity of the replacement support device 100, such as RAM.

[0060] Next, generation of a replacement procedure in mode 1 will be described. In this example, an example will be described in which an amusement facility manager or the like requests that the arrangement state (installation state) shown in FIG. 9(a) be changed to the arrangement state shown in FIG. 9(b). This example differs from FIG. 10 in that temporary placement data E is input as input data, as shown in FIG. 12. Note that FIG. 12 is a diagram showing input data and output data required for generating a replacement procedure. This mode 1 is a mode established to meet the needs of amusement facilities that want to check the operation of new machines in parallel with the replacement work of gaming machines. For this reason, mode 1 is a replacement procedure that prioritizes the installation of new machines.

[0061] The control unit 120 generates the output data shown in Fig. 12(b) based on the input data shown in Fig. 12(a). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, after the various data A to E are input, if the mode is 1 (No in steps 100 and 200), the control unit 120 executes mode 1 processing to generate a replacement procedure in mode 1 (step 400).

[0062] As shown in Fig. 8, in the mode 1 process, the control unit 120 first executes a removal generation process to generate a removal procedure indicating that the gaming machines with machine numbers 11 to 15 are to be removed by inputting the machine numbers 11 to 15 of the removal machine data C in the input data in Fig. 12(a) into removal No. 1 to 5 in the output data in Fig. 12(b) (step 410). This generates a removal procedure for the gaming machines.

[0063] Next, the control unit 120 executes a temporary placement generation process to generate a temporary placement procedure indicating that the gaming machines with these machine numbers are to be temporarily placed in the temporary placement area by inputting the machine numbers 1 to 5 of the temporary placement data E in the input data of Fig. 12(a) into the temporary table numbers 6 to 10 in the output data of Fig. 12(b) (step 411). This generates a temporary placement procedure for the gaming machines.

[0064] Next, the control unit 120 executes a new installation process to generate a new installation procedure indicating that new machines are to be installed at machine numbers 1 to 5 by inputting machine numbers 1 to 5 of new machine data D from the input data in Figure 12(a) so that they are in the same group as temporary machine numbers 6 to 10 in the row of STEP 1 from the output data in Figure 12(b) (step 412). This generates the installation procedure for the new machine.

[0065] Next, the control unit 120 determines whether the number of machine numbers related to the removed machine data C is the same as the number of machine numbers related to the new machine data D. If they are the same as in the example shown in Figure 12(a) (Yes in step 413), as in step 311 of Figure 7, it determines whether a machine number identical to a certain machine number (e.g., 11) in the removed machine data C exists in the replaced data B. If a machine number exists (Yes in step 414), it extracts a machine number in the same group as the certain machine number from the pre-replacement data A (e.g., No. 6 16 in the pre-replacement data A corresponding to No. 6 11 in the post-replacement data B). By inputting this as the first extracted machine number into No. 1 of the STEP1 data of the output data, a removal and replacement process is executed to generate a removal and replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at this first extracted machine number will be installed at a certain machine number in the removed machine data C (for example, installing gaming machine P at No. 16 in FIG. 9(a) at No. 11 in FIG. 9(b)) (steps 415, 416). The control unit 120 executes a process to repeat the removal and replacement process until there are no more machine numbers to be removed in the removal row (row of machine number to be removed) of the output data (No in step 414). As a result, machine numbers corresponding to Nos. 1 to 5 of the STEP1 data of the output data are input, and the first gaming machine movement procedure is generated.

[0066] Next, the control unit 120 determines whether a machine number identical to a certain machine number (e.g., 16) in the STEP 1 data of the output data exists in the post-replacement data B. If a machine number exists (Yes in step 417), the control unit 120 extracts a machine number in the same group as the certain machine number from the pre-replacement data A (e.g., No. 5 of No. 5 in the pre-replacement data A corresponding to No. 5 of No. 16 in the post-replacement data B). This is input as a second extracted machine number (second extracted identifier) ​​into the step 2 data of the output data, and a moving face replacement process is executed to generate a post-movement replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at this second extracted machine number is to be installed at a certain machine number in the STEP 1 data (e.g., installing gaming machine E at No. 5 in (a) of FIG. 9 at No. 16 in (b) of FIG. 9) (steps 419, 420). As a result, machine numbers corresponding to Nos. 1 to 5 in the STEP 2 data of the output data are input, and a second gaming machine movement procedure is generated.

[0067] The control unit 120 executes a repeat process for the removal and replacement process, repeating it until the replaced data B does not contain any machine numbers that match the machine numbers entered in STEPs 1 to N of the output data (No in step 417). In the example shown in FIG. 12, after inputting data into each of Nos. 1 to 5 of the STEP 2 data, the replaced data B does not contain any machine numbers that match the machine numbers of the STEP 2 data, so the STEP 2 data is generated (for this reason, "N" in OUTN in FIG. 7 becomes 2). This completes the output data. Steps 424 to 426 and steps 420 to 422 in FIG. 8 will be described later.

[0068] Then, the control unit 120 executes a new installation process that generates new installation procedures indicating that new machines are to be installed at these machine numbers by inputting new machine data D (indicated as "IN(D)" in FIG. 8) from the input data in FIG. 12(a) into temporary stand numbers 6 to 10 in the row of STEP 2 in the output data in FIG. 12(b). This completes the output data.

[0069] Thereafter, the control unit 120 outputs island map data (not shown) and data relating to the replacement instruction sheet and replacement procedure sheet shown in FIG. 13(A) based on this output data (step 500 in FIG. 6). This output causes the island map data and replacement instruction sheet to be displayed on the display unit 130. Alternatively, the output may cause an external device such as a printer to print an island map, replacement instruction sheet, replacement sheet, etc. based on the island map data on a predetermined sheet of paper. Note that FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the replacement work in accordance with the replacement instruction sheet related to mode 1.

[0070] The replacement work of gaming machines according to the replacement instructions shown in Figure 13(A), which is the replacement procedure generated in this way, first affixes various replacement procedure sheets to gaming machines 11 to 15 before replacement (for example, a replacement procedure sheet like that shown in Figure 5(a) indicating that the machine is to be removed (in this example, the notation

[87] in Figure 5(a) becomes any of

[11] to

[15] ).

[0071] As shown in Figure 13(a), gaming machines K to O corresponding to numbers 11 to 15 ("removed" in Figure 13(A)) are removed and removed to the back yard. This leaves numbers 11 to 15 vacant. Also, gaming machines A to E corresponding to numbers 1 to 5 ("temporary" in Figure 13(A)) are temporarily placed in a temporary storage area. This leaves numbers 1 to 5 vacant. To make it easier to understand, Figure 13(A) shows gaming machines A to E temporarily placed in front of the installation locations corresponding to numbers 1 to 15.

[0072] Next, as shown in FIG. 13(b), in STEP 1, gaming machines P to T numbered 16 to 20 are installed in numbers 11 to 15. This leaves numbers 16 to 20 vacant. Also, in STEP 1, new machines are installed in the vacant numbers 1 to 5. Then, as shown in FIG. 13(c), in STEP 2, gaming machines A to D numbered 1 to 5 that were temporarily placed are installed in numbers 16 to 20, respectively. This completes the gaming machine replacement work.

[0073] In this way, by using gaming machines 1 through 5 where new machines will be installed as temporary machines (by making the machine numbers of the new machines the same as the temporary machine numbers), the new machines can be installed during the replacement work, and the replacement work and the operation of the new machines can be checked simultaneously. Also, in addition to the vacant installation spaces created by the removed machines, vacant installation spaces can also be intentionally created by the temporary machines, which makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the replacement work. Note that in this example, the machine numbers of the temporary machines and the new machines are the same, but this is not limited to this, and a machine number other than the machine number of the new machine may be used as the machine number for the temporary placement.

[0074] Both Figures 14 and 15 are figures showing the input data and output data required to generate a replacement procedure, with Figure 14 illustrating a state in which the number of machine numbers associated with the removed machine data C is greater than the number of machine numbers associated with the new machine data D, and Figure 15 illustrating a state in which the number of machine numbers associated with the removed machine data is less than the number of machine numbers associated with the new machine data D.

[0075] As shown in Figure 14(a), if the number of machine numbers related to the removed machine data C is greater than the number of machine numbers related to the new machine data D, then after the replacement, some of the installation locations on the island will be blocked off with plywood or the like and will not have any gaming machines installed (hereinafter simply referred to as "plywood"). On the other hand, as shown in Figure 15(a), if the number of machine numbers related to the removed machine data C is less than the number of machine numbers related to the new machine data D, then before the replacement, some of the installation locations on the island were blocked off with plywood or the like and no gaming machines were installed, but these installation locations will be unblocked and new gaming machines will be installed.

[0076] In this example, even when such a veneer is present, it is possible to automatically create a replacement procedure. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the control unit 120 compares the number of machine numbers associated with the removed machine data C in the input data with the number of machine numbers associated with the new machine data D, and if these numbers are not the same (No in step 413), the process proceeds to step 424.

[0077] In step 424, if the control unit 120 determines that the number of machine numbers associated with the removed machine data C is greater than the number of machine numbers associated with the new machine data D (Yes in step 424), as shown in Figure 14(a), the control unit 120 compares the pre-replacement data A with the new machine data D and executes an extraction process to extract machine numbers 4 and 5 associated with Nos. 4 and 5, which are surplus machine numbers that have not been processed in the pre-replacement data A, as post-replacement non-installed machine numbers (post-replacement non-installed identifiers). The control unit 120 inputs the post-replacement non-installed machine numbers 4 and 5 extracted by this extraction process into Nos. 9 and 10 of STEP 1 as shown in Figure 14(b) (denoted as "plywood" in Figure 14(b)), thereby executing a post-replacement non-installation process to generate a post-replacement non-installation procedure indicating that the installation locations of Nos. 4 and 5 are machine numbers that will become plywood after the replacement.

[0078] In this post-replacement non-installation procedure, the surplus machine numbers may be treated as new machine numbers, and processed in the same way as the output data in Figure 12(b) (Nos. 9 and 10 in STEP 1 become "new machine" instead of "plywood"). In this case, after the replacement work, vacant installation locations will be generated, but by uniquely sealing off these vacant installation locations, the vacant installation locations can be made plywood locations.

[0079] 15(a), if the control unit 120 determines in step 424 that the number of machine numbers associated with the removed machine data C is less than the number of machine numbers associated with the new machine data D (No in step 424), the control unit 120 compares the post-movement data B with the removed machine data C and executes an extraction process to extract machine numbers 14 and 15 associated with Nos. 9 and 10, which are surplus machine numbers that have not been processed, from the pre-replacement data B as post-replacement installation machine numbers (post-replacement installation identifiers). The control unit 120 inputs the post-replacement installation machine numbers 14 and 15 extracted by this extraction process into removal Nos. 4 and 5 (indicated as "14 (plywood)" and "15 (plywood)" in FIG. 15(b)), thereby executing a post-replacement installation process to generate a post-replacement installation procedure indicating that the installation locations of Nos. 14 and 15 were plywood but the plywood has been removed after the replacement and gaming machines will be installed.

[0080] In this post-replacement installation procedure, the surplus machine numbers may be treated as machine numbers to be removed, and processed in the same way as the output data in Figure 12(b) (removal Nos. 4 and 5 will be "14" and "15" rather than "14 (plywood)" and "15 (plywood)"). In this case, after the replacement work, there will be installation locations that are plywood, but by uniquely removing the plywood installation locations and installing gaming machines, the plywood installation locations can be used as installation locations where gaming machines will be installed.

[0081] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing island map data before and after replacement, which is different from FIG. 9 described above, and FIG. 17 is a diagram showing input data and output data related to the island map of FIG.

[0082] In the example shown in Figure 16, there is no movement for numbers 11 to 20 (and therefore they are not entered as input data), and after the replacement, a new machine is installed at number 1, gaming machine J at number 10 is removed, and gaming machines A to I, which were installed at numbers 1 to 9 before the replacement, are shifted one position to the right after the replacement, with gaming machine A, which was number 1 before the replacement, being installed at number 2 after the replacement, and gaming machine B, which was number 2 before the replacement, being installed at number 3 after the replacement.

[0083] In this example, if the repeat process shown in step 316 → step 314 shown in Fig. 7 is performed, the procedure up to step 9 is required as shown in Fig. 17(b), which means that the number of steps is increased unnecessarily. For this reason, the control unit 120 according to this embodiment is configured to execute automatic step division processing shown in steps 420 to 422 in Fig. 8. In this automatic step division processing, when the number of repetitions (number of processing times) N reaches the predetermined division number (predetermined number of times) M (Yes in step 420), the control unit 120 executes the processing of steps 421 and 422.

[0084] In this embodiment, the number of repetitions M is set to four, and when the number of repetitions reaches four (when processing has progressed up to No. 7 of No. 4 in post-movement data B related to the input data), the control unit 120 searches for a unit number identical to this number 7 in the post-movement data B and executes a process to extract unit number 6 (group No. 4 in the input data) in the pre-replacement data A that corresponds to No. 7 in the post-movement data B. The control unit 120 executes a conversion process to convert this extracted number 6 as a temporary unit number. The control unit 120 executes an automatic STEP separation process to input No. 6, which has become the temporary unit number through the conversion process, into temporary unit No. 7 of the output data.

[0085] Then, the process proceeds to step 417, and similar processing is executed thereafter (steps 421, 422). Specifically, if the same machine number as number 6, which has been made the temporary placement machine number by the conversion process, is found in the post-movement data B, number 5 corresponding to this number 6 is extracted from the pre-replacement extracted data A, and this extracted number 5 is set as the second extracted machine number, thereby executing a movement and replacement process that generates a movement and replacement procedure indicating that the gaming machine installed at number 5 will be installed at number 6. As a result, as shown in Figure 17(C), output data is created in No. 7, starting from number 6, with number 5 in STEP 1, number 4 in STEP 2, and so on.

[0086] Thereafter, when the number of repetitions reaches 8 (an integer multiple of M) (when processing has progressed up to No. 3 of No. 8 of post-movement data B related to the input data), the step automatic separation process is executed to input No. 2 corresponding to No. 3 as the temporary table number into No. 8 of the temporary table of the output data. Then, the process proceeds to step 417, and similar processes are executed thereafter (steps 421, 422).

[0087] In this way, when generating replacement procedures, it is possible to prevent unnecessary increases in the number of procedures, and it is possible to simplify the control process.

[0088] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0089] In this embodiment, the replacement procedure sheets are distinguished by coloring them red and green, but the replacement procedures may be written directly, such as by writing "Procedure 1" on the red replacement procedure sheet and "Procedure 2" on the green replacement procedure sheet. In this case, as long as all replacement procedure sheets are properly attached to the gaming machines, the replacement work can be carried out smoothly even without a replacement instruction sheet.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 120 is configured to determine whether or not a machine is veneer from the input data, but instead, post-replacement veneer data relating to the machine number that will become veneer after replacement, or pre-replacement veneer data relating to the machine number that was veneer before replacement, may be separately input to allow the control unit 120 to determine that a machine is veneer, and then the control unit 120 may execute post-replacement non-installation processing or post-replacement installation processing.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the replacement procedure sheet set shown in Fig. 5 is applied, but the replacement procedure sheet set is not limited to this. An example will be described with reference to Fig. 18.

[0092] FIG. 18 is an image diagram showing a replacement procedure sheet set consisting of a plurality of replacement procedure sheets 310 to 380. As shown in FIG. 18, in this modification, after the replacement procedure is generated by the replacement support device 100 and island map data and replacement instructions are generated, a replacement procedure sheet set to be attached to the gaming machines is generated (note that the details are the same as in the above-described embodiment and are therefore omitted). In this modification, since there are many gaming machines to be replaced in an amusement facility, it is assumed that the workers performing the replacement work are divided into multiple teams, such as Team A, Team B, etc., and each team is assigned a task. The following describes the work performed by Team A. In addition, the work procedure for Team A is assumed to take into account the following steps (1) to (3). In addition, the order (sequence) of (1) is to first remove the gaming machines at Nos. 419, 428, and 438 (installation identifiers, identifiers) in that order, the order of (2) is to move the gaming machines at Nos. 119, 133, ... omitted, ..., and 336 in that order, and the order of (3) is to install new machines in Nos. 114, 134, and 336 (installation locations where no gaming machines have been installed) that have become vacant due to the removal or movement, in that order. Note that in this modified example, an island facility other than the island facility shown in Figure 3 above is used as an example for explanation, but illustration of this is omitted. (1) Removal of gaming machines to be removed (2) Move the gaming machines to be moved (including temporary placement if necessary). (3) Installation of new machines

[0093] Under these conditions, the letter "A" (which can also be considered a group identifier indicating the group of workers) is written in the upper left corner of each of the replacement procedure sheets 310 to 380 shown in Figures 18(a) to 18(h) to indicate that the work will be performed by Team A. By writing it in this way, when work is being performed by group, it is possible to prevent work from being performed by another group by mistake, and it is possible to prevent confusion during the replacement work.

[0094] The administrator can assign a group identifier such as "A" via the operation unit 110. For example, if a part of the island equipment is handled by Team A and another part is handled by Team B, the replacement support device 100 can generate a replacement procedure for a part of the island equipment and then automatically output data related to a replacement procedure sheet with the letter "A" added.

[0095] 18(a) through 18(h) each have a number (order identifier) ​​indicating the order of the replacement work, such as (1) indicating that the work should be performed first, (2) indicating that the work should be performed second, and so on. In other words, these numbers (1), (2), and so on can be said to indicate the relative priorities of the replacement procedure sheets 310 through 380, and in this modified example, they can also be said to indicate that the work related to the replacement sheet with the lower number is given priority. By including such information, it is possible to prevent errors in the replacement procedure and to prevent confusion during the replacement work due to errors in the replacement procedure.

[0096] The administrator can also input the addition of a sequence identifier such as "(1)", which is a number indicating the order of the replacement work, via the operation unit 110, or the replacement support device 100 can be configured to automatically output data related to a replacement procedure sheet with a number such as "(1)" added after generating the replacement procedure.

[0097] 18(a) to 18(c) show replacement procedure sheets relating to the above-mentioned procedure (1). As shown in FIG. 18(a), the replacement procedure sheet 310 states "419 → Remove," indicating that the gaming machine installed at No. 419 will be removed. Similarly, the replacement procedure sheets 320 and 330 shown in FIGS. 18(b) and 18(c) respectively state "428 → Remove," indicating that the gaming machine installed at No. 428 will be removed, and "438 → Remove," indicating that the gaming machine installed at No. 438 will be removed. Furthermore, the replacement procedure sheet 310 states "NEXT → 428," indicating that the next machine number to be worked on is No. 428. Similarly, replacement procedure sheets 330 and 340 respectively state "NEXT → 438" to indicate that the next machine number to be worked on is number 438, and "NEXT → 119" to indicate that the next machine number to be worked on is number 119.

[0098] Figures 18(d) and (e) show replacement procedure sheets relating to the above-mentioned procedure (2). Note that between Figures 18(d) and (e), there are replacement procedure sheets with sequence identifiers (5) to (16), but these replacement procedure sheets are the same as Figures 18(d) and (e), so illustration and description of these will be omitted.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 18(d), the replacement procedure sheet 340 states "119 → 120" to indicate that the gaming machine installed at No. 119 will be moved to No. 120 (installed at the destination), and also states "Temporarily placed near No. 120" to indicate that the gaming machine moved to No. 120 will be temporarily placed near No. 120. That is, the replacement procedure sheet 340 states "120", which is the destination machine number, as well as how to handle the destination gaming machine (in this case, temporarily placed near No. 120). Here, the gaming machine temporarily placed near No. 120 will later be installed at No. 120. In this way, in this modified example, the location for temporary placement is specified to be near the machine number that will later be installed, so it is possible to prevent the temporary placement machine from being installed at the wrong machine number.

[0100] 18(e) has "336 → 346" written on it, which means that the gaming machine installed at No. 336 will be moved to No. 346. In other words, when only "336 → 346" is written on it, as on the replacement procedure sheet 350, it means that the gaming machine will be moved (installed at the destination).

[0101] Furthermore, the replacement procedure sheet 340 states "NEXT → 120," which indicates that the machine number to be worked on next is number 120. Meanwhile, the replacement procedure sheet 350 states "Temporary Placement," which indicates that the next work is to install a temporary machine at the target machine number, and "New Machine Preparation," which indicates that a new machine is to be prepared. In other words, "Temporary Placement" means, for example, that the gaming machine that was temporarily placed near number 120 on the replacement sheet 340 of FIG. 18(d) is to be installed at number 120. "New Machine Preparation" means that a new machine will be newly installed, which also means that the above procedure (2) has been completed.

[0102] 18(f) to 18(h) show replacement procedure sheets relating to the procedure (3) described above. As shown in FIG. 18(f), replacement procedure sheet 360 states "NEW MACHINE → 114," indicating that a new machine will be installed at number 114. Similarly, replacement procedure sheets 370 and 380 shown in FIGS. 18(g) and 18(h) state "NEW MACHINE → 134," indicating that a new machine will be installed at number 134, and "NEW MACHINE → 336," indicating that a new machine will be installed at number 336, respectively. Furthermore, replacement procedure sheets 360 and 370 each state "NEXT → NEW MACHINE," indicating that the next step is to install a new machine. Meanwhile, replacement procedure sheet 380 states "NEXT → END," indicating that the step is complete. After this step is completed, the replacement procedure sheets affixed to each gaming machine are simultaneously removed from the gaming machines, thereby completing the step. By writing "END" in this way, you can clearly understand that a series of tasks has been completed, and you can complete the work with peace of mind.

[0103] When removing or moving a gaming machine, the gaming machine is fixed to the installation location with fixing devices such as screws, and the fixing devices are removed (hereinafter referred to as "fixing device removal work") before the gaming machine is removed. When installing the removed gaming machine, the gaming machine is installed in the installation location and then fixed with fixing devices (hereinafter referred to as "fixing device installation work").

[0104] The replacement procedure sheet 310, which is the first in the replacement work order, has gaming machine No. 419 removed, the second replacement procedure sheet has gaming machine No. 428 removed, and the third replacement procedure sheet has gaming machine No. 438 removed. In other words, the order of the fixing device removal work, such as No. 419 on replacement procedure sheet 310 with "(1)" written on it, No. 428 on replacement procedure sheet 320 with "2" written on it, No. 438 on replacement procedure sheet 330 with "3" written on it, No. 119 on replacement procedure sheet 340 with "(4)" written on it, and No. 336 on replacement procedure sheet 350 with "(17)" written on it, it can be said that the order of the replacement procedure indicated by the sequence identifier also indicates the order of the fixing device removal work.

[0105] Meanwhile, for numbers 419, 428, 438, 119...336, from which gaming machines have been removed, new machines or mobile machines (including temporary machines) will be installed later, and fixing tool striking work will be carried out when these machines are installed. Furthermore, replacement procedure sheet 360, which has "(18)" written on it, indicates that a new machine will be installed at number 114, replacement procedure sheet 370, which has "(19)" written on it, indicates that a new machine will be installed at number 134, and replacement procedure sheet 380, which has "(20)" written on it, indicates that a new machine will be installed at number 336. Fixing tool striking work will also be carried out for the installation of these new machines. Therefore, as with the explanation of the fixing tool removal work, the order of the replacement procedure indicated by the sequence identifier also indicates the order of the fixing tool striking work.

[0106] In summary, the sequence identifiers "(1)" through "(20)" written on replacement procedure sheets 310 through 380 indicate that the fastener removal work is to be performed in the order of "(1)" through "(17)," and that the fastener installation work is to be performed in the order of "(1)" through "(20)." The sequence identifiers not only indicate the order of the replacement work, but also the order of the fastener removal work and the order of the fastener installation work.

[0107] In this modified example, the replacement procedure sheet lists the outcome of the gaming machine (removal, relocation, installation, etc.) as well as the machine number to be worked on next (e.g., "NEST → 428") or the next task (e.g., "temporarily place near 120," "temporarily place and install," etc.). Therefore, even workers unfamiliar with replacement work can easily grasp the current and next tasks and the target machine numbers, and can perform the work without hesitation or error. Furthermore, the replacement procedure sheet lists numbers (e.g., (1)) indicating the order of the replacement work, the order of the fixture removal work, and the order of the fixture installation work, preventing incorrect work procedures. As a result, work efficiency can be improved, work time can be significantly reduced, and replacement of gaming machines can be facilitated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 100 Replacement support device 110 Operation section 120 control section 130 Display section 140 Output section 210~240 Replacement Procedure Sheet 310~380 Replacement Procedure Sheet

Claims

1. A replacement procedure sheet set including a plurality of replacement procedure sheets instructing a replacement procedure for gaming machines in a gaming facility where gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different installation identifiers are assigned, The replacement procedure sheet is configured to be placed on the gaming machine, The replacement procedure sheet contains the outcome of the gaming machine and the installation identifier of the next target machine to be worked on. A replacement procedure sheet set characterized by:

2. A replacement procedure sheet set including a plurality of replacement procedure sheets instructing a replacement procedure for gaming machines in a gaming facility where gaming machines are installed at a plurality of installation locations to which different installation identifiers are assigned, The replacement procedure sheet is configured to be placed on the gaming machine, The replacement procedure sheet contains the outcome of the gaming machine and an order identifier indicating the order of the replacement work. A replacement procedure sheet set.

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