Game arcade apparatus

Abstract

To reduce the risk of making it difficult to put out money and the risk of making a display part fully visible while enabling both prize exchange processing and adjustment processing.SOLUTION: In a game parlor device 27, a customer side display part 32 capable of receiving the operation of a player is provided on the right side of a casing 31 in the vertical direction in an inclined manner, and a card receiving port 37, a bill paying port 39 and a coin paying port 40 are provided on the left side of the casing 31 and in front of the upper end of the customer side display part 32. While both the prize exchange process and the settlement process are enabled, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the dispensing process of money becomes difficult, the possibility that the customer-side display unit 32 becomes fully visible, and the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an amusement park device. [Background technology]

[0002] In gaming parlors, before leaving the parlor, players perform a prize exchange process at a POS, which exchanges the gaming value they have acquired through games for prizes, and a settlement process at a payment machine, which settles the remaining balance of valuable value such as so-called prepaid value.However, in the past, many gaming parlors installed the payment machine and the POS in distant locations, so the settlement process and the prize exchange process were carried out separately.Considering the problem of players being forced to do this twice, Patent Document 1, for example, proposes a settlement device that integrates the functions of the POS and the payment machine and performs the prize exchange process and the settlement process in conjunction with each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-144111 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, as shown in [Figure 11] of the drawings, a counter settlement machine is placed below a prize management device equivalent to a so-called POS, and a customer display unit and an operation display unit are provided behind the POS and above the counter settlement machine. However, if the currency to be settled is, for example, banknotes, it is desirable to store them stacked vertically for easier dispensing, but it is difficult to secure storage space for banknotes stacked vertically in a settlement machine placed below the POS.

[0005] On the other hand, there are some players who want to keep the customer-side display unit and operation display unit from being seen by other players, but with a configuration like that shown in [Figure 11], the display unit is completely visible to other players, so there is a risk that a separate blindfold would be necessary to meet this need.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an amusement park device that enables both prize exchange processing and settlement processing, while reducing the risk of making it difficult to process coins or the risk of the display unit being completely visible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 is an amusement arcade device capable of accepting a recording medium (e.g., a membership card, a general card, etc.) that can associate deposit balance information, which indicates the deposit balance for receiving gaming value, with acquired value information (e.g., held ball information, saved ball information, etc.) that indicates the size of acquired value, which is gaming value acquired through playing, (e.g., held balls, saved balls, etc.), and is equipped with a display unit (e.g., customer side display unit 33, etc.) that is arranged at an inclination in the vertical direction on one side of the left-right direction of the cabinet (e.g., cabinet 31, etc.) and can accept operations from the player, a card acceptance slot (e.g., card acceptance slot 37, etc.) that can accept the recording medium, and a settlement payment outlet (e.g., banknote payment outlet 39 and coin payment outlet 40) that pays out a settlement amount corresponding to the deposit balance, and at least a portion of the card acceptance slot and the settlement payment outlet are arranged on the other side of the left-right direction of the cabinet, forward of the top end of the display unit.

[0008] With this configuration, the display unit capable of accepting player operations is provided on one side of the left-right direction of the cabinet, tilted vertically, while at least part of the card receiving opening and the settlement money payout opening are provided on the other side of the left-right direction of the cabinet, forward of the upper end of the display unit.This makes it possible to perform both prize exchange processing and settlement processing, while reducing the risk of coin payout processing becoming difficult or the display unit being completely visible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an amusement park system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing a prize counter [Figure 3] Perspective view of the amusement park device [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of an amusement facility device; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper part of the amusement park device; [Figure 6] Enlarged perspective view of the coin dispensing outlet [Figure 7] An enlarged perspective view of the coin dispensing outlet and the chute receiving port. [Figure 8] Diagram showing peripheral devices [Figure 9] Functional block diagram showing the equipment configuration [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing various screens in an amusement arcade device; [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing various screens in an amusement arcade device; [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing various screens in an amusement arcade device; [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing various screens in an amusement arcade device; [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing various screens in an amusement arcade device; [Figure 15] Diagram showing the summation pattern [Figure 16] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing various screens in a gaming machine device; [Figure 17] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing various screens in a gaming machine device; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an amusement arcade system. A large number of gaming machines 1 are installed in the amusement arcade, and a gaming machine device 2 and an information display device 3 are installed corresponding to each gaming machine 1. Each of the gaming machines 1, gaming machine devices 2, and information display devices 3 is connected to a relay device 4, two by two. The relay device 4 is connected to a management device 6 (corresponding to management means) via a LAN 5. The management device 6 receives game signals transmitted from the gaming machines (gaming machines 1, gaming machine devices 2, etc.) and manages game data for each gaming machine, as well as personal data for each registered member.

[0011] Also installed within the gaming facility are POS terminals, island counters, adjustment machines (none of which are shown), and these POS terminals, island counters, adjustment machines, etc. are also connected to the management device 6 via LAN 5. Although not shown in FIG. 1, in reality, for example, several hundred gaming machines 1 are managed by the management device 6. The management device 6 is installed in, for example, an office within the gaming facility, and is connected to a keyboard 7, a monitor 8, a printer (not shown), etc., which are operated by the gaming facility manager. The management device 6 manages the operating status of the gaming machines 1, gaming device 2, etc. installed within the gaming facility.

[0012] Cards that players use at gaming parlors include membership cards (corresponding to membership recording media) and general cards (corresponding to general recording media). Membership cards are valid until a preset expiration date (for example, three years) and are issued to players who have registered as members in advance. The balls corresponding to the membership card are stored for each loan price in a membership account in the management device 6. An IC chip built into the membership card records a member ID that can identify the card, as well as recorded (associated) with deposit balance information that can identify the deposit balance deposited in the gaming machine device 2. The balls corresponding to the membership card are associated (associated) with the membership card by reading, from the membership account, stored ball information (corresponding to earned value information) that can identify the balls (corresponding to playing value, earned value) stored for each loan price in the membership account in the management device 6.

[0013] General cards are valid only for the day and are issued to an unspecified number of players, including players who are not registered as members of the gaming facility. However, if a player so desires, they can also be issued to registered players. The IC chip built into the general card records (associates) a general ID that identifies the card, as well as deposit balance information that identifies the deposit balance deposited into the gaming machine device 2 and ball holding information (equivalent to earned value information) that identifies the balls held by the player through play on the day (equivalent to game value or earned value) for each loan price. However, if the deposit balance information and ball holding information can be associated with a recording medium like a card, it is of course possible to adopt a configuration in which the management device 6 records them in association with the identification information of the recording medium, for example, without recording them on the recording medium.

[0014] We will now explain the gaming machine 1. The gaming machine 1 has an operating handle 10, an upper tray 11, and a lower tray 12 that constitute a launching device that launches balls onto a board 9, and the board 9 also has an LCD display 13, a regular prize opening 14, a first start opening 15, a second start opening 16, a big prize opening 17, etc. The gaming machine 1 performs the following operations.

[0015] (1) The first starting hole 15 is a winning hole (a so-called center hole winning hole) in which the winning rate does not fluctuate, and the second starting hole 16 is a winning hole (a so-called electric chute) in which the winning rate fluctuates. (2) A lottery for a jackpot is held in response to a winning entry (start winning entry) into the first starting port 15 or the second starting port 16, and the result of the lottery is announced by a pattern change on the LCD display unit 13, and a jackpot is awarded in response to the result of the change.

[0016] (3) If a start win occurs during a pattern change, the pattern changes are cumulatively reserved up to a predetermined reserved upper limit (for example, 4 each), and the reserved pattern changes will start after the pattern change ends. Note that if a start win occurs when the number of reserved pattern changes (reserved number) is at the upper limit, the pattern change will not be reserved.

[0017] (4) The probability of winning the jackpot lottery (jackpot probability) is 1 / 200, and the probability rate, which is the percentage of jackpots that subsequently enter a probability state (probability change) and result in a jackpot (probability change jackpot), is 50% for center hole wins and 70% for the electric chute. When a jackpot occurs, the large prize slot 17 opens for the allocated number of rounds (R). Here, for center hole wins, all Rs are allocated to 4R, while for the electric chute, 50% are allocated to 10R and 50% to 4R. The maximum number of prizes per R is 10, and the maximum opening time is 30 seconds. One R ends when either the maximum number of prizes or the maximum opening time is reached.

[0018] (5) During the probability variation, the probability of winning increases to 1 / 50, and the time-saving state (time-saving) in which the winning rate to the first starting slot 15 and the second starting slot 16 increases becomes a compound time-saving state (time-saving), which continues until a jackpot occurs. On the other hand, if a normal jackpot that does not become a probability variation occurs, the time-saving state (single time-saving) that does not become a probability variation continues until 100 pattern variations are performed, and if a jackpot does not occur, it returns to the normal state.

[0019] (6) The second starting port 16 opens to a high winning rate when the normal symbol (normal symbol) that changes depending on the winning of the normal symbol winning port 14 becomes a winning symbol. In this case, the normal symbol changes over 30 seconds in the normal state and 3 seconds in the time-saving state. Also, the opening time is 0.3 seconds in the normal state and 5 seconds in the time-saving state. In other words, in the time-saving state, the normal symbol change time is shorter than in the normal state, while the opening time is longer, resulting in a higher winning rate for the second starting port 16.

[0020] In addition to these gaming machines, gaming machines other than those exemplified above, such as so-called ST machines that use a so-called limited-number probability change, gaming machines that can generate so-called ceiling time reductions, or gaming machines that have multiple jackpot probabilities that can be changed by settings, may also be subject to management.

[0021] The gaming machine 1 and the peripheral devices attached to the gaming machine 1 output the following gaming signals as the game progresses, such as when the player shoots a ball or when a ball enters the first starting hole 15 or the second starting hole 16.

[0022] Out signal = A signal (operation signal) that can identify the consumption value (out) output from the out box that collects consumed balls. Since one pulse is output for every 10 balls consumed (used, inserted, collected), the "number of out signals x 10" is identified as out. Note that it may also be a signal output from the gaming machine 1.

[0023] Safe signal = a signal that can identify the winning value (safe) output from the gaming machine 1. Since one pulse is output for every 10 balls paid out in response to a win, "number of safe signals x 10" is identified as safe. The supply signal output from the supply device can also be used as the safe signal. There are two types of safe signals: an actual safe signal that is output when balls are actually paid out, and a winning safe signal that is output when a payout is reserved in response to a win; however, it is preferable to use the latter in order to minimize the time lag between winning and output.

[0024] Start signal = A signal that can specify the start processing (pattern change, device operation, unit game) and start (number of start processing) in the LCD display unit 13 (device) that changes (operates) in response to the start winning (S winning) output from the gaming machine 1. Since it is output when the pattern change is confirmed, the start processing is specified according to the signal input. Note that it may be substituted with the S winning signal output at the time of the start winning.

[0025] The jackpot signal is a signal capable of identifying the jackpot period output from the gaming machine 1. Since it is a status signal whose level is output during a jackpot, the time when the jackpot signal is being input is identified as the time when a jackpot is occurring. The special state signal is a signal that can identify a special state (sweet state) output from the gaming machine 1. Since it is a state signal that is output at a high level during a special state (during time reduction (including combined time reduction)) in which the winning rate of the second starting port 16 increases, the special state is identified as being in progress when the special state signal is being input. Note that it may also be a state signal (probability variable signal) that is output at a high level during a probability variable in which the probability of a jackpot increases. Furthermore, the period in which neither a jackpot signal nor a special state signal is input is identified as being in a normal state.

[0026] The gaming machine 2 will now be described. The gaming machine 2 includes a status indicator light 18 that indicates the game status of the gaming machine 1 and the status of the gaming machine 2, a bill slot 19 into which bills are inserted, a camera unit 20 (only a protective cover is shown in FIG. 1 ) that incorporates a camera that photographs the upper body including the face of the player, a touch-panel liquid crystal display unit 21 that accepts operation inputs from the player and displays game data such as the number of symbol changes (start) and the probability of winning as the game progresses, a payout button 22 that is operated to pay out balls, a payout nozzle 23 through which paid out balls pass, a card insertion slot 24 into which a membership card or a general card is inserted, and a detachable counting tray 25 located below the lower tray 12 of the gaming machine 1. The gaming machine 2 also includes a remote control receiver (not shown) that receives remote control signals transmitted from an employee remote control carried by an employee.

[0027] The gaming machine device 2 performs the following operations. (1) When currency (banknotes, coins, etc.) is accepted (currency acceptance process), the amount of deposit is displayed on both the gaming machine 1 and the gaming device 2, and one unit of loaned balls (value of the loaned balls) (for example, 500 yen) is paid out from the gaming machine 1 (value grant process, grant process), and the amount of deposit is displayed as the remaining deposit amount excluding the value of the loaned balls according to the value grant process. Currency can be accepted in an amount corresponding to multiple value grant processes (for example, up to 11,000 yen).

[0028] (2) When the loan button on the gaming machine 1 is pressed (loan operation, grant operation) while there is a deposit balance, one unit of loan balls is paid out from the gaming machine 1, and the payment amount is deducted from the deposit balance. It also has a so-called counting function for each machine, which counts the balls acquired by the player and can also pay back balls using the counted balls as payment, and the number of balls excluding the payment amount can be determined as the balls held.

[0029] (3) When the return button on the gaming machine 1 is pressed (the issuance operation is accepted) while there is a remaining deposit balance or balls in hand, a general card is issued that can identify the remaining deposit balance and balls in hand. In this case, a minimum issuance limit (the amount of gaming value indicated by the predetermined minimum issuance limit information, the number of balls corresponding to the assumed purchase price of the general card, for example, 500 yen, or 125 balls for a 4-yen pachinko machine) is set for the general card, and when the deposit balance is "0," the condition for issuance is that the number of balls in hand reaches the minimum issuance limit. In other words, if a general card or membership card is not inserted and the deposit balance is not "0," a general card is dispensed and issued from the card stock section regardless of whether the number of balls in hand has reached the minimum issuance limit. However, if the deposit balance is "0," a general card will be issued if the number of balls in hand has reached the minimum issuance limit, but will not be issued (prohibited issuance) if the number of balls in hand has not reached the minimum issuance limit. Furthermore, if a general card is inserted and the deposit balance is not "0", the inserted general card will be issued regardless of whether the number of balls held has reached the minimum issuance limit, but if the deposit balance is "0", a card will be issued if the number of balls held has reached the minimum issuance limit, but if the number of balls held has not reached the minimum issuance limit, the card will not be issued (issuance is prohibited). There is no minimum issuance limit set for member cards, and if a member card is inserted, the inserted member card will be issued regardless of whether the deposit balance is "0". Note that, for the sake of simplicity, partial issuance, in which a portion of the deposit balance or held balls is to be issued, is not permitted, but it may be permitted.

[0030] (4) Serial communication with the relay device 4 (receiving sales signals) makes it possible to identify the currency acceptance process, the payment process, the remaining deposit balance, the number of balls lent, the deposit amount, the number of balls lent, the sales amount in exchange for the lent balls, the counted balls, the balls in hand, the payout balls, and the acceptance and issuance process of general cards. However, these can also be identified by pulse signals (for example, one pulse for every 1,000 yen deposited, one pulse for every 100 yen in sales, etc.).

[0031] Next, we will explain the self-exchange system. The self-exchange system has been introduced in gaming parlors in order to reduce the burden on employees, and is a system that allows players to perform the settlement operations for settling their deposited balances and the exchange operations for exchanging for prizes themselves, without the need for employees. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the self-exchange system is realized by an gaming parlor device 27 (corresponding to the settlement processing means, prize exchange processing means, and total processing means) installed in a prize counter 26 located in a corner of the gaming parlor. The prize counter 26 is sometimes called a self-counter. The amusement facility device 27 is installed (placed) on the counter table 30 with the customer display unit facing the player so that players who visit the prize counter 26 can directly see the customer display unit described below, and performs a settlement process of accepting membership cards and general cards, dispensing currency based on deposit balance information, a prize exchange process of exchanging prizes based on saved ball information and held ball information, and a summation process of adding up saved ball information and held ball information associated with membership cards and general cards (this corresponds to the operation acceptance means and the settlement process means being provided in the same cabinet).

[0032] The prize counter 26 is configured to include the above-mentioned amusement facility device 27, as well as a prize payout machine 28 and a leftover prize corner 29. The prize payout machine 28 is stored in the counter table 30 and is configured integrally with the counter table 30, and performs a prize payout process to pay out prizes that have been exchanged in the prize exchange process to players. As shown in FIG. 1, the amusement facility device 27 and the prize payout machine 28 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate data with each other, and are each connected to the management device 6 via the LAN 5 so as to be able to communicate data with each other.

[0033] When performing self-exchange, the player first faces the gaming facility device 27 and performs the settlement operation for the settlement process and the exchange operation for the prize exchange process at the gaming facility device 27, and if a prize is to be paid out, moves from in front of the gaming facility device 27 to in front of the prize payout machine 28 and moves to collect the prize paid out from the prize payout machine 28. After that, if the player is using leftover balls, moves from in front of the prize payout machine 28 to in front of the leftover ball prize corner 29 and moves to collect the leftover prize.

[0034] The amusement facility device 27 will now be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the amusement facility device 27 has a cabinet 31, a customer-side display unit 32 (corresponding to a common operation unit, operation acceptance means, and display unit) located on the right side (one side) of the cabinet when the player is facing the amusement facility device 27, and a receiving / dispensing surface 33 located on the left side (the other side). The customer-side display unit 32 is inclined vertically relative to the receiving / dispensing surface 33, which is a substantially vertical surface, so that its upper end is rearward (toward the back) and its lower end is forward (toward the front). In other words, the receiving / dispensing surface 33 (corresponding to at least a part of the card receiving slot and the settlement money payout slot) is positioned to stand approximately midway between the upper and lower ends of the customer-side display unit 32 in the front-to-rear direction of the amusement facility device 27 (this corresponds to being located on the other side of the cabinet in the left-right direction, and forward of the upper end of the display unit). Because the upper portion of the customer-side display unit 32 is located behind the receiving / dispensing surface 33, there is a blind spot from the left side as viewed from the customer-side display unit 32. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the customer-side display unit 32 is located on the right side as viewed from the front and the receiving / dispensing surface 33 is located on the left side as viewed from the front is illustrated, but the left and right sides may be reversed. That is, the customer-side display unit 32 may be located on the left side as viewed from the front and the receiving / dispensing surface 33 may be located on the right side as viewed from the front, in which case there is a blind spot from the right side as viewed from the customer-side display unit 32. Note that, although the card receiving slot and the payment outlet are illustrated as being located behind the bottom end of the customer-side display unit 32, they may also be located forward of the bottom end.

[0035] The receiving and dispensing surface 33 includes a facial recognition camera 34 that captures the player's face, a speaker 35 that outputs audio such as operation guidance, a receipt issuing port 36 that issues receipts associated with prize information such as buffet prizes and received acquired value information such as so-called reserve tickets, a card accepting port 37 that accepts membership cards and general cards, a Felica acceptance unit 38 that accepts Felica terminals and Felica cards that perform contactless data communication using the Felica system, and a bill dispensing port 39 (corresponding to a settlement payment port) that dispenses bills. That is, because the customer-side display unit 32 is tilted as described above, the facial recognition camera 34, speaker 35, receipt issuing port 36, card accepting port 37, Felica acceptance unit 38, and bill dispensing port 39 are located behind the bottom end of the customer-side display unit 32. The receiving and dispensing surface 33 does not necessarily have to be vertical; it may be tilted, and it may have multiple surfaces instead of a single surface. That is, the face authentication camera 34, speaker 35, receipt issuing port 36, card receiving port 37, FeliCa acceptance unit 38, and bill payout port 39 may be arranged on separate, independent surfaces. Also, the bill payout port 39 is provided with a sensor that detects whether or not the dispensed bills have been collected.

[0036] Below the receiving / dispensing surface 33, there are provided a coin dispensing outlet 40 (corresponding to the settlement money dispensing outlet) for dispensing coins, and a PIN input unit 41 (corresponding to the PIN information input means) for the player to input a PIN number for a membership card, safety lock, etc. In this case, the coin dispensing outlet 40 is provided below the bill dispensing outlet 39, and the PIN input unit 41 is provided below the card receiving opening 37. In addition, the coin dispensing outlet 40 is provided with a sensor for detecting whether or not the dispensed coins have been collected.

[0037] The PIN input section 41 is provided with a recess 42 and is positioned at an angle so that it is difficult to see from the left and right, and there are blind spots from both the left and right directions when facing it. In other words, consideration is given to preventing the PIN entered by the player from being easily seen by people around.

[0038] Alarm units that can emit light, for example, in blue, are provided near the receipt issuing port 36, FeliCa reception unit 38, etc., and when a receipt is issued from the receipt issuing port 36, when banknotes are dispensed from the banknote dispensing port 39, when coins are dispensed from the coin dispensing port 40, when a membership card or general card is accepted by the card accepting port 37, or when a FeliCa terminal or FeliCa card is accepted by the FeliCa reception unit 38, the corresponding alarm unit can light up or flash to notify the user.

[0039] The gaming facility device 27 is provided with a display unit cover 43 (corresponding to a first front cover) including the customer-side display unit 32, and a receiving / paying cover 44 (corresponding to a second front cover) including the receiving / paying surface 33, each of which can be opened and closed relative to the cabinet 31. FIG. 4 shows the display unit cover 43 and the receiving / paying cover 44 in an open state. The two covers 43, 44 are each provided so as to be able to be opened and closed independently, and as shown in FIG. 5, a gap is provided between the two covers 43, 44, which gap is, for example, 6 to 8 mm.

[0040] A locking unit 45 is provided on the display unit cover 43 side, i.e., on the right side as viewed from the front, and a portion of the receiving / dispensing cover 44 (corresponding to the obstructing portion) protrudes toward the display unit cover 43 side (for example, the chute receiving opening 55 described below or other protruding obstructing portions not shown). Due to the structure in which a portion of the receiving / dispensing cover 44 protrudes toward the display unit cover 43 side, if the receiving / dispensing cover 44 is closed and then the display unit cover 43 is closed and locked with the locking unit 45, the protruding portion will obstruct the opening of the receiving / dispensing cover 44 unless the display unit cover 43 is opened. Note that the locking unit 45 and the obstructing portion may be configured to be reversed. That is, a locking unit may be provided on the receiving / dispensing cover 44 side, i.e., on the left side as viewed from the front, and a portion of the display unit cover 43 (corresponding to the obstructing portion) may protrude toward the receiving / dispensing cover 44 side. In this case, due to the structure in which a part of the display unit cover 43 protrudes toward the receiving / dispensing cover 44, if the display unit cover 43 is closed and then the receiving / dispensing cover 44 is closed and locked, the protruding part will prevent the display unit cover 43 from opening unless the receiving / dispensing cover 44 is opened.

[0041] A banknote dispensing unit 46 including a banknote storage unit for storing banknotes is provided on the right side, i.e., behind the receiving and dispensing cover 44, while a coin dispensing unit 47 (corresponding to a dispensing unit) including a coin storage unit for storing coins is provided on the right side, i.e., behind the display unit cover 43. Since the coin dispensing unit 47 is provided on the display unit cover 43 side and the coin dispensing outlet 40 is provided on the receiving and dispensing cover 44 side as described above, a dispensing chute 48 (corresponding to a dispensing passage) is provided as a passage for coins from the coin dispensing unit 47 to the coin dispensing outlet 40 (at least a part of the dispensing passage leading from the dispensing unit to the settlement dispensing outlet is provided behind the display unit). When coins stored in the coin storage unit are dispensed as settlement money, the coins dispensed from the coin dispensing unit 47 pass through the dispensing chute 48 and a chute receptacle 55 (described later) to reach the coin dispensing outlet 40, and are then dispensed from the coin dispensing outlet 40.

[0042] In the above configuration, for example, the printer attached to the receipt issuing port 36 and the display control board of the customer-side display unit 32 are arranged integrally with the display unit cover 43 and the receiving / dispensing cover 44 on the back side of the cover. This increases the weight of each cover 43, 44, and a certain amount of load is placed on opening and closing each cover 43, 44. In consideration of this, each cover 43, 44 is made to be able to be opened and closed independently. Also, on the back side of the display unit cover 43, there are provided a POS control unit 49 (corresponding to first control means) that controls POS-related processing, a settlement machine control unit 50 (corresponding to second control means) that controls settlement machine-related processing, and a buzzer output unit 51. Furthermore, on the back side of the receiving / dispensing cover 44, there are provided a card acceptance unit 52 (corresponding to return means), a card storage unit 53, and a card collection unit 54 (corresponding to collection means).

[0043] FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the coin payout outlet 40, and FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the coin payout outlet 40 and the chute receiving port 55. The coin payout outlet 40 is provided on the left side, i.e., on the receiving and dispensing cover 44 side, and the chute receiving port 55 is provided to facilitate the reception of coins dispensed from the dispensing chute 48. That is, coins dispensed from the coin dispensing section 47 pass through the dispensing chute 48 and the chute receiving port 55 in order to reach the coin payout outlet 40. The receiving and dispensing cover 44 is provided with a magnetic catch 56, which is magnetically connected to a magnet 57, thereby fixing the receiving and dispensing cover 44 in a closed state. Note that if the left and right sides are swapped as described above, the display cover 43 is provided with a magnetic catch, which is magnetically connected to a magnet, thereby fixing the display cover 43 in a closed state.

[0044] The functional configuration of the gaming facility device 27 will now be described. As shown in FIG. 8 , the gaming facility device 27 is connected to the prize dispenser 28 described above, as well as peripheral devices such as a store display unit 58 (corresponding to an auxiliary operation receiving means), a store card acceptance unit 59, and a scanner 60. The store display unit 58 is, for example, a tablet-type terminal that can be operated by an employee via touch, and is capable of accepting operations related to the exchange process, including operations that are only permitted to employees (e.g., so-called exchange processing, operations by a player who has registered a prize, or operations corresponding to auxiliary processing to assist in error resolution operations when an error occurs). Furthermore, the operations by the employee described above are permitted only when the store card acceptance unit 59 accepts an employee card for employee authentication. The scanner 60 is used for employee operations, such as reading barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks) printed on or attached to reserved tickets or prizes.

[0045] FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the gaming facility device 27. In addition to the POS control unit 49 and settlement machine control unit 50 described above, the gaming facility device 27 also has a display control unit 61 that controls various displays. In FIG. 9, the components shown below each control unit 49, 50, 61 indicate the components controlled by or connected to each control unit 49, 50, 61. That is, the POS control unit 49 controls or connects to the FeliCa acceptance unit 38, printer 62, and PIN input unit 41. The settlement machine control unit 50 controls or connects to the card notification unit 63, card acceptance unit 52, banknote notification unit 64, banknote processing unit 65, coin notification unit 66, coin processing unit 67, employee display unit 68, buzzer output unit 51, and card collection unit 54. The display control unit 61 is configured to control or connect to the customer side display unit 32, the status display notification unit 69, the printer notification unit 70, the speaker 35, and the PIN notification unit 71.

[0046] The POS control unit 49 and the settlement machine control unit 50 are not only connected to each other, but also to the management device 6 (corresponding to a management means for managing the information handled by each unit) via the LAN 5 (corresponding to a data-communicative connection). The facial recognition camera 34 is also connected to the management device 6 via the LAN 5. The solid connection lines in FIG. 9 indicate connections to the LAN 5 (or other connections such as CAN (registered trademark) are also acceptable), while the dashed connection lines in FIG. 9 indicate direct connections such as RS232C connections. Each control unit 49, 50, 61 monitors communication with not only the management device 6 but also each other. Even when each control unit 49, 50, 61 and the management device 6 are offline, prize exchange processing and settlement processing are possible (even when data communication between at least one of the first control means and the second control means and the management means is unavailable, at least one of the prize exchange processing and settlement processing is possible). Information from offline processing is output to the management device 6 when online operation is restored. On the other hand, if the POS control unit 49 and the settlement machine control unit 50 are offline, the processing itself is stopped (if data communication is not possible between the first control means and the second control means, the target processing is suppressed), and notification processing is performed, such as displaying an error screen to call an employee or outputting a voice message to call an employee.

[0047] The face authentication camera 34 is connected to the management device 6 without being connected to either the POS control unit 49 or the settlement machine control unit 50, but may be connected to either the POS control unit 49 or the settlement machine control unit 50. The processing result of the settlement process is sent from the settlement machine control unit 50 to the management device 6, and the processing result of the prize exchange process is sent from the POS control unit 49 to the management device 6.

[0048] Next, the display contents on the customer side display unit 32 corresponding to the prize exchange process and settlement process when a membership card or general card is accepted in the amusement facility device 27 will be explained with reference to Figures 10 to 12.

[0049] When the gaming facility device 27 is waiting to receive a membership card or a general card, it displays the standby screen shown in Fig. 10(a) on the customer-side display unit 32. The standby screen is a screen for waiting for the insertion of a card, and displays a message 111 such as "Please insert the card into the insertion slot" to guide the user to insert the card.

[0050] When a player inserts a membership card or a general card, the amusement facility device 27 places the inserted membership card or general card in an accepted state, and if the accepted card is security locked, displays the PIN entry screen shown in Fig. 10(b) on the customer-side display unit 32. The PIN entry screen is a screen that prompts the player to enter a PIN such as a PIN, and displays a message 121 such as "Security lock is on," an explanatory video 122 for entering the PIN, and a message 123 such as "Please enter your PIN" to guide the player in entering the PIN. If the PIN key is a FeliCa key, a message is displayed instructing the player to hold up a FeliCa terminal, and holding up the FeliCa terminal places the game machine in a FeliCa acceptance state.

[0051] When a player inputs a PIN into the PIN input unit 41, the gaming parlor device 27 displays an error message and returns the card if the input PIN does not correspond to the registered PIN. However, if the PIN does correspond and the card is associated with break information such as a meal or absence, the gaming parlor device 27 displays a cancellation selection screen shown in FIG. 10(c) on the customer display unit 32. The cancellation selection screen allows the player to select whether to cancel the break information. For example, the cancellation selection screen displays a message 131 such as "Mealtime or Away from Table. Transaction unavailable unless cancelled," machine number information 132 indicating the corresponding machine number, and a message 133 such as "If you want to continue the transaction, please select 'Cancel.'" In this case, the player can press either a "Cancel" button 134 or a "Don't Cancel" button 135 (to settle or exchange).

[0052] The gaming facility device 27 displays the operation selection screen shown in Fig. 11(a) on the customer-side display unit 32 when the safety lock is not activated and no rest information is associated, when the PIN information entered by the player in the PIN input unit 41 corresponds to the registered PIN information and the rest information, or when the player presses the "Cancel" button 134 on the cancellation selection screen. The operation selection screen is a screen on which either both settlement and prize exchange, settlement only, prize exchange only, or card totaling can be selected, and a message 141 such as "Please select the transaction details" is displayed to guide the user to select one of these options. In this case, the player can press (to settle or exchange) any of the following buttons: "Exchange all for prizes" button 142 and "Select a prize and exchange" button 143, which correspond to "Settlement and prize exchange", "Settlement only" button 144, which corresponds to "Settlement only", "Exchange all for prizes" button 145 and "Select a prize and exchange" button 146, which correspond to "Prize exchange only", and "Card total / all saved balls" button 147, which corresponds to "Card total". In addition, the lower right of the screen displays card information such as balls held and saved in rate units, deposited balance, points, etc.

[0053] When the player presses either the "Exchange all for prizes" button 142 or the "Select prizes and exchange" button 143, which correspond to "Settlement and prize exchange" on the operation selection screen, the gaming facility device 27 displays the settlement screen shown in Fig. 11(b) on the customer-side display unit 32. The settlement screen is a screen for notifying the customer that the settlement amount will be paid out, and displays an explanatory video 151 about the settlement amount payout outlet, settlement amount information 152 indicating the settlement amount, and a message 153 such as "Settlement amount will be paid out, please collect it" to provide guidance on the payment of the settlement amount.

[0054] The gaming facility device 27 pays out the settlement amount and monitors whether the paid-out settlement amount has been collected using sensors provided in the bill dispensing outlet 39 and the coin dispensing outlet 40. If the paid-out settlement amount has been collected, the account selection screen shown in FIG. 11(c) is displayed on the customer-side display unit 32. The account selection screen allows the customer to select an account with the exchange rate, and displays a message 161 such as "Please select the account you wish to trade with" to guide the customer in selecting the account. Note that, for example, if all accepted cards are to be exchanged for prizes, it is conceivable that button operation may not be necessary. However, since the exchange operation is an operation for exchanging prizes, the act of accepting cards itself constitutes an exchange operation, and is not necessarily limited to button operation. The same applies to the settlement operation.

[0055] When a player presses a button to select an account on the account selection screen (exchange operation), the gaming facility device 27 displays the prize exchange screen shown in FIG. 12(a) on the customer display unit 32. The prize exchange screen allows a player to select a prize (exchange operation), and displays the total number of selected accounts (the total number of balls to be exchanged for acquired value, such as owned balls and saved balls), the exchange number indicating the number of balls equivalent to the value of the selected prize, and the remainder (remaining number) that is the difference between the two, along with a message 171 such as "Please select a prize." In this case, the exchange number can be entered for each prize, and if the "Exchange all prizes" button 142 is pressed (exchange operation) on the operation selection screen shown in FIG. 11(a) when the prize exchange screen starts to display, the maximum number of special prizes that can be exchanged in total will be entered, whereas if the "Select prizes and exchange" button 143 is pressed (exchange operation), all prizes will be set to "0." If the player presses the "Exchange all" button 172 on the prize exchange screen (exchange operation) even when the value is "0" or while inputting, the maximum number of special prizes will have been entered, whereas if the player presses the "Enter the number of balls you wish to keep" button 173 (exchange operation), a separate numerical input screen will be displayed, and it will be possible to exchange for prizes with the total number excluding the input number (even if the "Exchange all" button 172 is pressed in this state, the maximum number of special prizes will have been entered while keeping the entered winning value).

[0056] When the player presses the "Confirm" button 174 (exchange operation) after selecting a prize as described above, the gaming facility device 27 displays the remaining ball handling selection screen shown in FIG. 12(b) on the customer display unit 32. On the other hand, when the player presses the "Reselect from the beginning" button 175 (settlement operation or exchange operation), the game center device 27 returns to the start of the prize exchange screen shown in FIG. 12(a). The remaining ball handling selection screen allows the player to select what to do with the remaining balls, and displays a message 181 such as "Please select what to do with the remaining balls." The game center device 27 allows the player to exchange the remaining prizes for the remaining number of balls, such as a buffet prize exchange, save the balls on a membership card, return them to a general card, or donate the balls.

[0057] When a player presses any of the "Exchange for Viking Prizes" button 182, "Save Balls to Member Card" button 183, "Return to General Card" button 184, and "Donate" button 185 on the remaining ball processing selection screen (exchange operation), the gaming parlor device 27 displays the operation completion screen shown in FIG. 12(c) on the customer-side display unit 32. The operation completion screen is a screen that notifies the player that the settlement operation or exchange operation has been completed, and displays a message 191 such as "Thank you for using our service" to notify the player that the settlement operation or exchange operation has been completed. The gaming parlor device 27 also transmits prize information indicating the number of prizes to be exchanged to the prize payout machine 28, causes the prize payout machine 28 to pay out that number of special prizes, and performs the process selected on the remaining ball processing selection screen, i.e., prints a receipt indicating the fractional prizes that can be exchanged, accepts the membership card, or returns the general card.

[0058] The above has been explained as to the case where there are remaining balls, but if there are no remaining balls, the remaining ball handling selection screen shown in Figure 12(b) is not displayed, and the operation completion screen shown in Figure 12(c) is displayed on the customer side display unit 32, prize information indicating the number of prizes to be exchanged is sent to the prize payout machine 28, and the accepted cards are collected.

[0059] Furthermore, on each of the above screens, if the player presses the "Call Attendant" button, the process of calling an employee will be carried out; if the player presses the "Go Back" button, the player will return to the previous screen; if the player presses the "Stop Transaction" button (cancel operation), the settlement process or prize exchange process will be canceled.

[0060] Furthermore, if the player presses the "Settlement only" button 144 on the operation selection screen shown in Fig. 11(a), the settlement process is carried out without displaying the account selection screen shown in Fig. 11(c), the prize exchange screen shown in Fig. 12(a), or the remaining ball processing selection screen shown in Fig. 12(b), and once the settlement process is completed, the operation completion screen shown in Fig. 12(c) is displayed on the customer-side display unit 32. Furthermore, if the player presses either the "All prize exchange" button 145 or the "Select prize and exchange" button 146, which correspond to "Prize exchange only", on the operation selection screen shown in Fig. 11(a), the prize exchange process is carried out without displaying the settlement screen shown in Fig. 11(b), and once the prize exchange process is completed, the operation completion screen shown in Fig. 12(c) is displayed on the customer-side display unit 32.

[0061] If the prize exchange process is canceled, the accepted card is returned (this corresponds to returning the recording medium when a cancel operation is accepted before the recording medium is collected by the collection means). In this case, if the deposit balance has already been settled, the settled deposit balance is not associated with the card but set to "0", and the unprocessed amount of earned value information is associated and returned. Similarly, if the player presses the "Return to normal card" button 184 on the remaining ball processing selection screen shown in Figure 12(b), the accepted card is returned, and the unprocessed amount, i.e., the remaining amount, is associated and returned.

[0062] While the above has been an example of performing the prize exchange process after the settlement of the deposited balance, it is also possible to perform the prize exchange process before the settlement of the deposited balance. Also, while the above has been an example of accepting a membership card or a general card before accepting a settlement operation or an exchange operation, i.e., when a settlement operation or an exchange operation is accepted, the membership card or general card accepted immediately before the settlement operation or the exchange operation is made the subject of the settlement process or the prize exchange process, it is also possible to accept a membership card or a general card after accepting a settlement operation or an exchange operation, i.e., when a settlement operation or an exchange operation is accepted, the membership card or general card accepted immediately after the settlement operation or the exchange operation is made the subject of the settlement process or the prize exchange process.

[0063] Next, a case where a player presses the "Card Total / Save All Balls" button 147 (total operation or settlement operation) on the operation selection screen shown in FIG. 11(a) will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. When a player presses the "Card Total / Save All Balls" button 147 on the operation selection screen, if the card currently being accepted contains acquired value information, the gaming facility device 27 keeps the acquired value information imported (the import of acquired value information is performed when the card is accepted), and if there is a deposit balance, displays the settlement screen shown in FIG. 13(a) on the customer display unit 32. The settlement screen is similar to the settlement screen shown in FIG. 11(b) above, and displays an explanatory video 201 about the settlement payout outlet, settlement amount information 202 indicating the settlement amount, and a message 203 such as "The settlement amount will be issued. Please collect it." to guide the payment of the settlement amount.

[0064] The gaming facility device 27 dispenses the payment and monitors whether the paid-out payment has been collected using sensors installed in the bill dispensing port 39 and coin dispensing port 40. If the paid-out payment has been collected, the card insertion screen shown in FIG. 13(b) is displayed on the customer display unit 32 (the settlement process for the deposit balance information is performed, thereby making the next recording medium to be subjected to the summing process available). In this case, it is desirable to provide a roller for card insertion / extraction in the card acceptance port 37, which is not rotated before the payment is collected, but is rotated after collection to allow the card to be accepted, thereby suppressing or disabling the acceptance process. The card insertion screen notifies the insertion of a second card (to be summed), and displays a message 211 such as "Card summing - all balls saved. Transaction in progress," an explanatory video 212 for card insertion, and a message 213 such as "Please insert a second card" to guide the insertion of the second card.

[0065] When the gaming facility device 27 receives a second card, it performs processing related to the PIN input screen shown in Figure 10(b) and the cancellation selection screen shown in Figure 10(c) as necessary, and then displays the processing screen shown in Figure 13(c) on the customer display unit 32, and performs a summation process to add up the winning values ​​of the previous card and the next card.

[0066] When the gaming facility device 27 has completed the totaling process, it displays the totaling result confirmation screen shown in Fig. 14(a) on the customer-side display unit 32. The totaling result confirmation screen is a screen that notifies the customer of the totaling result, and displays a message 231 such as "Please confirm the contents and press the OK button," to guide the customer to confirm the totaling result.

[0067] When the player presses the "OK" button 232 on the total result confirmation screen (to perform the total operation), the gaming facility device 27 displays the continuation selection screen shown in FIG. 14(b) on the customer-side display unit 32. The continuation selection screen is a screen that inquires about the continuation of the total, and displays a message 241 such as "Do you want to continue the transaction?" to guide the player to continue the total. In this case, the player can press either the "Yes" button 242 or the "No" button 243 (to perform the settlement operation or the exchange operation). When the player presses the "Yes" button 242, the gaming facility device 27 performs the processing from the operation selection screen shown in FIG. 11(a) onwards for the deposited balance for the second card and the combined winning value (in this case, the "Card Total - Save All Balls" button 147 corresponding to "Card Total" is not displayed). In other words, the summing process does not include the deposited balance because the deposited balance for the first ticket is settled in advance, but does include the acquired value. After the summing process, both the settlement process and the prize exchange process should be possible, but it is also possible to enable only one of them (at least one of the settlement process and the prize exchange process can be performed after the summing process).

[0068] If the player presses the "No" button 243 on the continuation selection screen, the gaming facility device 27 returns the currently accepted card after associating the total winnings and the second card's deposit balance with the currently accepted card, and displays the total screen shown in Fig. 14(c) on the customer-side display unit 32. The total screen displays an explanatory video 251 about card payout, as well as a message 252 such as "Your card will be dispensed. Please collect it." to guide the player about card payout.

[0069] The gaming facility device 27 dispenses a card and monitors whether the dispensed card has been collected. If the dispensed card has been collected, the device returns to the standby screen shown in FIG. 10(a) and enters a standby state. If settlement processing and prize exchange processing are possible after the summation, the processing may be performed without requiring a selection. Furthermore, the summation processing is limited to a maximum of two cards (the summation processing is performed on recording media that do not reach a predetermined upper limit), and if three or more cards are to be summed, the summation processing can be performed again using cards that have already been summed. However, the upper limit for the number of cards that can be summed may be set to three or more, or there may be no upper limit for the number of cards that can be summed.

[0070] The following describes card collection by the gaming facility. As shown in FIG. 4, the gaming facility device 27 has a card collection unit 54, which initializes processed cards and transfers them to the card collection unit 54 for collection. In other words, the cards are collected when an operation is accepted on the remaining ball processing selection screen shown in FIG. 12(b) and the acquired value, deposit balance, etc., that are the subject of prize exchange processing or settlement processing are confirmed. This is to return the accepted card as is in the event of a cancellation during processing, as described above. This processing reduces the need to issue a new card in place of the card collected by the card collection unit 54. Note that, when the remaining number is returned on the remaining ball processing selection screen shown in FIG. 12(b), the card is not collected, but is returned by associating the remaining number with the accepted card. Furthermore, if there is acquired value at a rate that was not eligible for exchange, the card is also returned.

[0071] When performing the summation process, the card is collected at the time of transition, i.e., when the settlement amount is paid out on the settlement screen shown in FIG. 13(a). This is because the next card cannot be accepted unless the card is collected (equivalent to the next recording medium to be processed for summation being accepted when the recording medium that was the subject of the summation process is collected by the collection means). However, as described above, the deposit balance is settled at the time of the summation process, and the summation process is performed for the acquired value. Therefore, unlike other processes, the summation process involves collecting the card before the acquired value and prize to be exchanged for the prize are identified. This allows for the card to be returned as is if a cancellation operation is performed before the card is collected, i.e., before the summation process (equivalent to returning the recording medium if a cancellation operation is received before the recording medium is collected by the collection means). This allows for the summation process to be performed while simplifying the mechanisms of the card collection unit 54, card slot 37, etc., but also allows for cancellation by pressing the "Stop Transaction" button 214 on the card insertion screen shown in FIG. 13(b). However, at this point, the initially accepted card has already been collected, so the accepted earned value is returned in association with the new card stored in the card storage unit 53 (if a cancellation operation is accepted, a new recording medium is returned to which at least one of the deposit balance information and earned value information that was associated with the collected recording medium is associated). Note that the earned value to be combined and the earned value to be associated with the new card both include all earned value at multiple rates (if a recording medium showing earned value at multiple rates is accepted as the target of the combination process, the earned value at those multiple rates will be the target of a single combination process), but it is also possible to exclude earned value at some rates from the combination process, for example by returning the card without collecting it.

[0072] Figure 15 shows the combination patterns for the combination process. Both general cards and membership cards are subject to combination. As shown in "No. 1," if multiple general cards, excluding membership cards, are combined, the last general card received in the order of reception will be the combined card. (If multiple general recording media, excluding membership recording media, are received as recording media for the combination process, the recording media to be combined will be determined based on the order of reception.) Note that the first card may be returned and then accepted after processing, for example, to be the combined card. Here, the combined card refers to the card to which the card will be associated when there is a remaining balance or earned value (i.e., the card needs to be returned). As shown in "No. 2" and "No. 3," if a combination of membership cards and general cards is combined, the membership card will be the combined card regardless of the order of reception. (If multiple recording media, including a membership recording media, are received, the membership recording media will be determined as the recording media to be combined.) On the other hand, as stated in "No. 4," if both the first and second accepted cards are membership cards, they cannot be combined.

[0073] The specific process will be explained below. When the first membership card is accepted and the summing operation is performed, the accepted membership card is returned without being collected. In this case, the settlement amount is paid out by detecting that the returned membership card has been collected by the player, and the next card can be accepted by detecting the collection of the settlement amount (if the accepted membership recording medium is associated with deposit balance information indicating the remaining deposit balance, the membership recording medium is returned, removed, and the settlement process is performed using the deposit balance information, thereby making it possible to accept the next recording medium to be subject to the summing process). However, it is also possible to simply pay out the settlement amount and accept the next card without detecting the collection of the settlement amount. When the next card is accepted, if the accepted card is a general card, the acquired value is summed as described in "No. 2," but if the accepted card is a membership card, the summing process is not performed as described in "No. 4." If a second general card is accepted, the remaining balance may be settled and then the total processing may be performed, but in this embodiment, the remaining balance of the second card is also associated with the first membership card.

[0074] To allow the player to understand that the deposit balance and acquired value are associated with the membership card, the membership card can be accepted again after the summation process. In other words, when performing the settlement process (when the prize exchange process is not involved) or the prize exchange process after the summation process, accepting the membership card after the settlement operation or the exchange operation will perform the termination process, such as paying out the settlement amount, paying out the prize by the prize payout machine 28, or displaying the operation completion screen shown in Figure 12(c).

[0075] Furthermore, if the settlement process or prize exchange process is not performed after the totaling process (if the "No" button 253 is pressed on the continuation selection screen shown in Figure 14(b)), the membership card may be accepted, but in this embodiment, the membership card is associated with the membership card without being accepted again. Note that if the second card is a membership card, the card is accepted until the prize exchange process is completed, so there is no need to accept the membership card again.

[0076] Deposit balances will now be described. Similar to the classification of so-called "previous day's deposit balance" and "current day's deposit balance," deposit balances are classified into "previous day's deposit balance" (corresponding to the first deposit balance) and "current day's deposit balance" (corresponding to the second deposit balance) based on the time of deposit. Here, the current day's deposit balance can be used as payment for a loan process or can be settled without an employee (no restrictions are placed on any process depending on the deposit balance). On the other hand, the previous day's deposit balance can be used as payment for a loan process, but settlement is prohibited or permitted only through an employee, and processing is restricted (any process depending on the deposit balance is restricted). For these reasons, in this embodiment, the deposit balance is excluded from the summation process (equivalent to restricting the summation process for deposit balance information indicating the first deposit balance). If the previous day's deposit balance is associated with the first card accepted for the summation process, not only the settlement process but also the summation process is restricted (for example, by hiding the corresponding operation button). In this embodiment, including other cases, "restriction" includes not only prohibition but also some kind of restriction. For example, in the above case, examples of restrictions include allowing the summing process to be performed through an operation by an employee, or limiting the summing process to only a portion of the deposit balance.

[0077] The previous day's deposit balance and the same day's deposit balance do not necessarily have to be distinguished based on whether the deposit is made on the same day or not, for example, if the deposit is made up to two days in advance, it is treated as the same day's deposit balance, while if it is received three days or earlier, it is treated as the same day's deposit balance. If the distinction is made based on the time of deposit, the period can be set in any way, but the first deposit balance and the second deposit balance can also be distinguished based on something other than the period, such as whether the amount has reached 5,000 yen.

[0078] While the settlement process is given as an example of a first deposit balance limit, any process may be restricted, such as restricting the use of the first deposit balance as payment for a loan process or as payment for purchasing a product. Furthermore, an upper limit (e.g., 11,000 yen) is set for the deposit balance, and deposits that would cause the deposit balance to reach the upper limit after the deposit are restricted. While the example shows excluding the deposit balance from the summation process, the deposit balance may be included in the summation process by allowing summation within the upper limit, or by allowing summation without setting the upper limit. In the former case, a summation upper limit (e.g., 3,000 yen) may be set for the first deposit balance in the summation process, and the deposit balance that reaches the upper limit (e.g., 1,000 yen out of 4,000 yen) may be settled, and the remaining upper limit may be included in the summation. Furthermore, when the balance is included in the summation process, the card may be collected without settlement, and the next card may be accepted. Furthermore, the summing process may be suppressed by including the second deposit balance as a target for the summing process, while excluding the first deposit balance from the target.

[0079] Next, the safety lock function will be described. When the gaming machine 2 enters the safety lock state, the player must input a personal identification number (PIN) to inhibit the issuance process, but the replay process remains permitted. The safety lock state is released when the player re-enters the PIN. The PIN can be selected from two options: a mobile device ID via short-range communication, such as FeliCa, on a mobile device such as a smartphone, or a personal identification number (PIN). When using a mobile device ID as the PIN, the safety lock state is entered by presenting the mobile device each time the safety lock is initiated. When using a personal identification number (PIN), a different PIN from the PIN registered at membership registration can be registered; however, the same PIN can also be registered, or the PIN registered at membership registration can be used. The PIN can be entered each time the safety lock is initiated, but once registered, it is not necessary to enter it each time. If the PIN is the same as the PIN registered at membership registration, a notification to that effect is issued when the safety lock is initiated.

[0080] Next, the break function will be explained. In addition to the safety lock function described above, the gaming machine device 2 is also provided with a break function (same meaning as the leave function) in case a player leaves his / her seat for business. The break function is a function that, when a break operation (same meaning as the leave operation) is performed to return a card, does not allow the acceptance of a new card, deposit, or granting process until the card is accepted, and displays a message to that effect. The process of returning the card is performed either by a player operation by the player or by an employee operation by an employee, and a break performed by a player operation is a self-break, and a break performed by an employee operation is a semi-self-break.

[0081] If the card accepted by the gaming machine device 2 is a membership card, the self-break function can be used by starting the self-break function without the need for an employee, even if there is no credit balance or balls remaining. However, a pre-set upper limit (e.g., one break for a meal) is set, and taking breaks exceeding the upper limit in a given period (e.g., one day) is prohibited. On the other hand, if the gaming machine device 2 does not accept membership cards, the gaming facility may pre-select between self-break and semi-self-break, and either option is permitted if a general card is issued that meets certain issuance conditions, such as a credit balance or balls reaching a certain threshold. The selection between self-break and semi-self-break may be made by a group of gaming machines, such as type (e.g., rental rate), model, or gaming island, or by individual gaming machine. The same applies to other settings. The issuance conditions for allowing self-break and semi-self-break may be different from those for issuing a regular general card, for example, by setting different thresholds.

[0082] In the self-break mode, when the gaming machine device 2 detects that the player has touched the standby screen shown in Figure 16(a) displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 21, it displays the menu screen shown in Figure 16(b) on the liquid crystal display unit 21, and displays a "meal break" button 321, a "cigarette break" button 322, a "share balls" button 323, a "use other account" button 324, a "safety lock release" button 325, a "withdraw deposit balance" button 326, a "quick loan" button 327, a "detailed information" button 328, a "next" button 329, and an "end" button 330.

[0083] When the player presses the "meal break" button 321 (break operation), the gaming machine device 2 displays the break start screen shown in Figure 16(c) on the liquid crystal display unit 21, displays a guidance message 331 saying "Break is starting. Your card will be returned. Are you sure?", prompts the player to confirm the start of the break, and displays an "OK" button 332 and a "Cancel" button 333.

[0084] When the player presses the "OK" button 332, the gaming machine device 2 returns the accepted membership card or general card from the card insertion slot 24, and displays the card removal screen shown in Figure 17(a) on the liquid crystal display unit 21, along with a message 341 saying "Please remove your card," to prompt the player to remove the card. In other words, in this state, the player can remove the membership card or general card from the card insertion slot 24.

[0085] When the gaming machine 2 detects that a membership card or a general card has been removed, the gaming machine 2 displays the break screen shown in FIG. 17(b) on the LCD display 21 and displays a message 351 saying, "Please insert the card used during the break," prompting the player to insert the card removed at the end of the break. At this time, the gaming machine 2 begins restricting the acceptance of new cards and deposits. A break time limit (e.g., 30 minutes) is set in advance. The gaming machine 2 displays the remaining time until the limit is reached, and after the limit is exceeded, displays the excess time exceeding the limit, as shown in FIG. 17(c). If the gaming machine 2 accepts an identical membership card or general card (the removed card) by inserting it into the card insertion slot 24, it returns to the standby screen shown in FIG. 16(a) and ends the restriction on deposits. In this way, with self-break mode, the player can initiate a break state by their own operation, and can terminate (cancel) the break state by their own operation by inserting the membership card or general card issued at the start of the break. In addition, although an example has been given in which a menu screen is displayed when the player touches while the standby screen is displayed, a button equivalent to the above-mentioned "meal break" button 321 may also be provided on the standby screen.

[0086] On the other hand, in the semi-self-service break mode, when the gaming machine device 2 detects that the player has touched the standby screen displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 21, it displays a menu screen on the liquid crystal display unit 21, but does not display the above-mentioned "meal break" button 321. In this case, the player calls an employee and performs a break operation by the employee, such as operating a remote control.

[0087] When an employee operates the remote control, the remote control signal transmitted from the employee remote control is received by the remote control receiver of the gaming machine 2, causing the gaming machine 2 to display the break start screen described above in FIG. 16(c) on the LCD display 21 and begin restricting the acceptance of new cards and deposits. Employee operation is not limited to the employee operating the employee remote control. For example, the employee may enter a secret code known only to the employee into the gaming machine 2. As with self-service breaks, any operation involving employee operation may be employed. For example, a break operation by the player may be permitted but only be initiated with employee approval. When the gaming machine 2 detects the acceptance of an identical general card by inserting a regular card (the removed card) into the card slot 24, it returns to the standby screen and ends the restriction on deposits. In this way, with semi-self-service breaks, the player can initiate the break state by calling an employee to perform the employee operation. While the break state cannot be initiated without employee operation, the break state can be ended without employee operation by inserting the regular card issued at the start of the break.

[0088] In the example above, the break is a relatively long break for a meal, but it may also correspond to a relatively short break such as a smoking break or toilet break. In this case, both may be started on the condition that an employee operation is involved, but the relatively long break may be started on the condition that an employee operation is involved, while the relatively short break may be started by the player's operation without an employee operation.

[0089] According to the embodiment described above, the following advantageous effects can be obtained. In the gaming facility device 27, the customer-side display unit 32 that can accept player operations is provided on the right side of the cabinet 31, tilted vertically, while the card acceptance slot 37, bill dispensing outlet 39 and coin dispensing outlet 40 are provided on the left side of the cabinet 31, forward of the upper end of the customer-side display unit 32. This makes it possible to perform both prize exchange processing and settlement processing, while reducing the risk of coin dispensing processing becoming difficult or the risk of the customer-side display unit 32 being completely visible.

[0090] While the coin dispensing unit 47 is provided behind the customer-side display unit 32, a dispensing chute 48 is provided that runs from the coin dispensing unit 47 to the coin dispensing outlet 40. This makes use of the fact that coins are more slippery than banknotes in the dispensing chute 48, thereby reducing the need to provide the coin dispensing unit 47 at the rear of the receiving / dispensing cover 44 on the coin dispensing outlet 40 side, and making it possible to provide the coin dispensing unit 47 at the rear of the display unit cover 43. In other words, it becomes possible to arrange the banknote dispensing unit 46 and the coin dispensing unit 47 in a balanced manner without any imbalance inside the housing 31, and it also becomes easier to ensure storage space for the dispensed coins.

[0091] Since the display cover 43 including the customer-side display unit 32 and the receiving / dispensing cover 44 including the card receiving slot 37, the bill dispensing slot 39, and the coin dispensing slot 40 can be opened and closed independently, even if the housing is enlarged by, for example, accommodating the control board and units for the prize exchange process and the settlement process within a single housing, it is possible to reduce the risk of the front cover becoming large and difficult to handle. In particular, in this embodiment, the printer, display control board, etc., including the bill dispensing slot 46 and the coin dispensing slot 47, are arranged in a balanced manner as described above, so there is a risk that the front cover will be heavy, but the above-mentioned configuration makes it possible to appropriately distribute that weight.

[0092] A gap is provided between the display unit cover 43 and the receiving / dispensing cover 44, which makes it easier to open the display unit cover 43 and the receiving / dispensing cover 44. Also, a blocking portion is provided in a part of the receiving / dispensing cover 44 to block the opening of the display unit cover 43, so that if the receiving / dispensing cover 44 is closed and then the display unit cover 43 is closed and locked, the protruding portion will block the opening of the receiving / dispensing cover 44 unless the display unit cover 43 is opened. Therefore, by providing the locking portion 45 on the display unit cover 43 side, it is possible to reduce the need to provide a locking portion on the receiving / dispensing cover 44 side.

[0093] The PIN input section 41 is provided below the card receiving opening 37, while the coin payout outlet 40 is provided below the bill payout outlet 39, so that the PIN input section 41 can be arranged in a location that is difficult for other players to see, and the height difference of the payout chute 48 is ensured, making it possible for coins to slide easily down the payout chute 48.

[0094] In the gaming center system, the settlement operation corresponding to the settlement process for paying out currency based on the deposit balance information, and the exchange operation corresponding to the prize exchange process for exchanging prizes based on the acquired value information, can be accepted by a common operation unit, the customer side display unit 32, and one of the settlement process or the prize exchange process is performed, and the other process is performed after the other process.Therefore, when adopting a self-operation system in which the player performs the operations related to the prize exchange process and the settlement process, the player will collect the settlement money and prizes in stages, such as collecting the settlement money and then the prizes that have been paid out, and by reducing the number of times settlement money or prizes are not collected, it is possible to reduce the risk of trouble occurring with the player.

[0095] The customer side display unit 32, which is a common operating unit, and the banknote dispensing unit 46 and coin dispensing unit 47, which perform the settlement processing, are provided in the same housing 31, and the housing 31 can be placed on the counter table 30, which reduces the need to reserve space to install a separate settlement device near the counter table 30, making it easier to install an amusement park device 27, which can also perform the settlement processing, near the counter table where prizes are exchanged.

[0096] As operation sections operated by employees, a store display section 58, a store card acceptance section 59 and a scanner 60 are provided, and auxiliary operations corresponding to auxiliary processes for assisting at least one of the prize exchange process and the settlement process can be accepted by operation by employees, so that even if some kind of trouble occurs due to self-operation by a player, the trouble can be dealt with by operation by an employee.

[0097] Since the POS control unit 49 for performing the prize exchange process and the settlement machine control unit 50 for performing the settlement process are provided separately, even if the POS that performs the prize exchange process and the settlement machine that performs the settlement process are made by different manufacturers or manufacturing subcontractors, by controlling each unit using the corresponding control unit, it becomes possible to effectively utilize the know-how of each unit and make it easier to develop and manufacture the amusement park device 27.

[0098] Prize exchange processing and settlement processing are possible even when at least one of the POS control unit 49 and the settlement machine control unit 50 is offline between the management device 6, while prize exchange processing and settlement processing are suppressed when the POS control unit 49 and the settlement machine control unit 50 are offline.This means that it is possible to respond even when the management device is offline, and when the POS control unit 49 and the settlement machine control unit 50 are offline, the processing may be delayed if one of them stops functioning, so it is possible to respond to problems early, such as by calling an employee in advance.

[0099] When a member's card or a general card is accepted, it is possible to accept a card summing operation and an operation to cancel the process; when the member's card or general card that was the subject of the summing process is collected, the next member's card or general card that is the subject of the summing process can be accepted; and when a cancellation operation is accepted before the member's card or general card is collected, the member's card or general card is returned. Therefore, when adopting a self-operation system in which the player performs the prize exchange process and the settlement process, even if the member's card or general card summing process is canceled, it is only necessary to return the member's card or general card that is being accepted, thereby reducing the risk of the process becoming complicated.

[0100] When a cancellation operation is accepted after a member card or general card that has been the subject of a summing process is collected to make the next member card or general card that will be the subject of a summing process available, a new member card or general card that is associated with the deposit balance information and acquired value information that were associated with the collected member card or general card is returned, so that even if a member card or general card is collected by a summing operation, it becomes possible to flexibly respond to subsequent cancellation processing.

[0101] When a combining operation is accepted while a membership card or general card with a balance has been accepted, the next membership card or general card can be accepted by performing a settlement process for the balance.Therefore, although it is conceivable that the balance cannot be combined because, for example, there is an upper limit on the balance that is easy to reach, or the available processing contents are different, it is possible to reduce the risk of the combining process being restricted by the balance.

[0102] When a summing operation is accepted while a membership card with a balance is accepted, the membership card is returned, and the balance is settled after the membership card is removed, and then the next membership card or a general card can be accepted, thereby reducing the possibility that a player will forget to collect the returned membership card.

[0103] When general cards are added together, the card to be added together is specified in the order of reception, while when membership cards are included in the total, the membership cards are made the destination of the total, so that for general cards, cards in the order of reception that are easy to collect and return can be made the destination of the total, while since membership cards are always returned, it is not necessary to return more general cards to players than necessary.

[0104] Since the earned value of a plurality of types of rates is subjected to a single summing process, it is possible to reduce the need to perform the summing process multiple times even if there is earned value of a plurality of types of rates.

[0105] When a summing operation is accepted while a membership card or general card has been accepted, if the membership card or general card being accepted has a deposit balance, the settlement process is carried out for the membership card or general card being accepted, making it possible to accept the next membership card or general card to be subject to the summing process.Therefore, when multiple membership cards or general cards are accepted and the prize exchange process and settlement process are carried out in conjunction, there are often cases where, for example, the deposit balance has an upper limit that is easy to reach, or the process contents that can be handled are different, but even in such cases, the risk of the summing process being restricted by the deposit balance is reduced, making it less likely that problems will arise regarding valuable values ​​such as prepaid value.

[0106] The system divides the balance into the previous day's deposit balance, which is subject to settlement processing restrictions, and the current day's deposit balance, which is not subject to such restrictions, and suppresses the combining process when a membership card or general card associated with the previous day's deposit balance is accepted. This reduces the risk of complicating the management of the deposit balance, such as dividing the balance into the previous day's deposit balance and the current day's deposit balance and combining them, and also reduces the risk of the combining process being delayed by restricting the settlement process of the previous day's deposit balance.

[0107] When the balance of the first member card or general card is settled, the next member card or general card can be accepted only after the settlement amount has been collected, so that it is possible to reduce the risk that the player will forget to collect the settlement amount when paying out the settlement amount during the summing process.

[0108] The summation process is limited to a maximum of two cards, and is performed on member cards and general cards that do not reach a predetermined upper limit. Therefore, even if an upper limit is set on the earned value or the deposited balance, the summation process makes it difficult for the earned value or the deposited balance to reach the upper limit, thereby reducing the risk of the summation process being delayed due to the earned value or the deposited balance reaching the upper limit during the summation process.

[0109] Since the settlement process and prize exchange process can be performed after the summation process, the settlement process and prize exchange process can be performed together after the summation process, thereby improving convenience for players.

[0110] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be modified or extended as described below, or each modified embodiment may be combined with the above-described embodiments or each modified embodiment may be combined with another modified embodiment in any combination, or configurations may be omitted as appropriate.

[0111] The related setting information may be set arbitrarily by the amusement facility manager if it is set in advance, or may be set by the manufacturer of the management device 6, or may be downloaded and set from an external management server (for example, a chain store headquarters or a gaming machine manufacturer).

[0112] All of the game information shown as examples may be specified directly by the input signal or indirectly by using an arithmetic expression. Also, the type of game machine may be classified in any way that indicates the type of game machine, such as by manufacturer or by specification. The numerical values, number of digits, items, etc. are merely examples, and any numerical values ​​may be used. Furthermore, the arithmetic expressions are merely examples, and any arithmetic expression may be used as long as it shows the same value as the exemplified arithmetic expression or calculates a value having the same meaning.

[0113] Either "less than" or "under" can be used, and expressions such as "not reached" can be used to refer to either "less than" or "under". The same is true for "above" and "exceed", and expressions such as "reached" can be used to refer to both. Also, although a liquid crystal display is used as an example, other display methods such as organic light emitting diodes (OLED) can also be used. Although a card is exemplified as a recording medium, a recording medium not exemplified, such as a coin, may also be used.

[0114] Although the target gaming machine 1 is a conventional payout gaming machine that pays out gaming media such as balls or medals, it may also be a so-called smart gaming machine that awards points without paying out gaming media, such as points or game points. In this case, the term "game value" is used appropriately to include both gaming media that are paid out and points that are awarded.

[0115] A part of the processing performed by the information display device 3 may be performed by the management device 6, the gaming machine device 2, the relay device 4, or the like, or the entire processing may be performed by the information display device 3 alone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] In the drawing, 1 is a gaming machine, 6 is a management device (management means), 26 is a prize counter, 27 is an amusement facility device (settlement processing means, prize exchange processing means, total processing means), 30 is a counter base, 31 is a housing, 32 is a customer side display unit (common operation unit, operation acceptance means, display unit), 37 is a card acceptance port, 39 is a banknote payment outlet (payment payment outlet), 40 is a coin payment outlet (payment payment outlet), 41 is a PIN input unit (PIN information input means), 43 is a display unit cover (first front cover), 44 is a receiving and payment cover (second front cover), 47 is a coin payment unit (payment unit), 48 is a payment chute (payment passage), 49 is a POS control unit (first control means), 50 is a payment machine control unit (second control means), 52 is a card acceptance unit (recording medium acceptance means, return means), and 54 is a card collection unit (collection means).

Claims

1. A gaming facility device capable of receiving a recording medium capable of associating deposit balance information indicating a deposit balance for receiving a gaming value with earned value information indicating the amount of earned value, which is the gaming value acquired through a game, a display unit provided on one side of the cabinet in the left-right direction, tilted vertically, and capable of receiving operations from a player; a card slot capable of receiving the recording medium; a settlement payment outlet for paying out a settlement amount corresponding to the deposit balance, An amusement arcade device in which at least a portion of the card receiving opening and the settlement amount payout opening are provided on the other left-right side of the cabinet and forward of the upper end of the display unit.

2. a dispensing unit disposed behind the display unit and configured to dispense coins included in the settlement amount; a dispensing passageway leading from the dispensing unit to the payment outlet, 2. The gaming facility device according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said payout passage is provided behind said display unit.

3. a first front cover including the display unit; a second front cover including the card receiving opening and the payment opening, 3. The amusement arcade device according to claim 1, wherein the first front cover and the second front cover are provided so as to be able to be opened and closed independently of each other.

4. an obstructing portion provided on one of the first front cover and the second front cover for obstructing opening of the other front cover; 4. The amusement park device according to claim 3, wherein when either the first front cover or the second front cover is closed, the opening of the other front cover is prevented by the preventing portion.

5. a password input means provided below the card slot for inputting a password; 3. The gaming facility device according to claim 1, wherein the settlement money payout outlet includes a bill payout outlet for paying out bills and a coin payout outlet for paying out coins, and the coin payout outlet is provided below the bill payout outlet.

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