Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a gaming machine that handles game value solely through electromagnetic means and that can manage game value appropriately. [Solution] The system includes a normal process for controlling the progress of the game (normal process S407 in Figure 17) and a timer interrupt process that is executed at regular time intervals (timer interrupt process in Figure 8). The timer interrupt process is characterized by switching the state to counting mode when it is detected that the counting switch has been pressed (counting switch process S208 in Figure 10).

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a pachinko gaming machine, there has been developed a gaming machine in which a player cannot touch a game ball, and lending, recording, etc. of game value can be performed only by an electromagnetic method. Also, in a rotary gaming machine, there has been developed a gaming machine in which lending of game value, acquisition of game value by winning, and input of game value for use in the game can be performed only by an electromagnetic method without using physical game medals.

[0003] A game value lending machine (card unit) lends game value within the range of the remaining amount of the inserted card (magnetic card or IC card), and the lending of game value is performed by communication from the card unit to the gaming machine. Also, the input of game value is performed by subtracting from the number of held game values inside the gaming machine, and the acquisition of game value by winning is performed by adding to the number of held game values inside the gaming machine. And when ending the game, the number of held game values is transmitted from the gaming machine to the card unit by communication, and the number of held game values is stored in the inserted card (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, in gaming machines such as those exemplified above, suitable management of game value is desired, and there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the circumstances illustrated above, and aims to provide a gaming machine capable of managing suitable game value. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention comprises a game value storage means for storing game value, a communication means for communicating with a game value lending device, a counting switch, and an input port to which the operation signal of the counting switch is input. The game value transmitted from the game machine value lending device is received by the communication means, and the game value is lent out by adding it to the game value storage means, the game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means, and the game value, which is the result of the game, is acquired by adding it to the game value storage means. The gaming machine counts the game value by transmitting the game value stored in the game value storage means to a game value lending device via the communication means, and comprises a normal process that controls the progress of the game and a timer interrupt process that is executed at regular time intervals, wherein in the timer interrupt process, when it is detected that the counting switch has been pressed based on an operation signal input to the input port, the state is switched to a counting mode in which the game value stored in the game value storage means is transmitted to the game value lending device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that can manage the optimal gaming value. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a front view of the slot machine and card unit. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the slot machine with the front door open. [Figure 3] This is a front view of the slot machine cabinet with the front door removed. [Figure 4]This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a slot machine. [Figure 5] This is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the terminal board for the game ball dispensing device, and the connection status between the slot machine and the card unit. [Figure 6] This is communication between the slot machine and the card unit. [Figure 7] This is a notification regarding gaming machine information. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt processing performed in a slot machine. [Figure 9] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the power outage processing that is executed within the timer interrupt handler. [Figure 10] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the counting switch process executed within the timer interrupt processing. [Figure 11] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the game value input switch process that is executed within the timer interrupt process. [Figure 12] This flowchart shows the start lever process executed within the timer interrupt processing shown in Figure 8. [Figure 13] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the unit communication process executed within the timer interrupt handling. [Figure 14] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the counting process performed within the unit communication process. [Figure 15] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the lending process performed within the unit communication process. [Figure 16] This is a flowchart showing the main processes performed in a slot machine. [Figure 17] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the normal processes executed within the main process. [Figure 18] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the lottery process that is executed during normal processing. [Figure 19] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the reel control process performed during normal operation. [Figure 20]It is a flowchart showing the winning determination process executed in the reel control process of FIG. 19. [Figure 21] It is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine in the second embodiment. [Figure 22] It is an overview of communication in the second embodiment. [Figure 23] It is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt process in the second embodiment. [Figure 24] It is a flowchart showing the counting switch process executed in the timer interrupt process of FIG. 23 in the second embodiment. [Figure 25] It is a flowchart showing the communication process of the held game value number display control board executed in the timer interrupt process of FIG. 23 in the second embodiment. [Figure 26] It is a flowchart showing the main process executed on the held game value number display control board in the second embodiment. [Figure 27] It is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt process executed on the held game value number display control board in the second embodiment. [Figure 28] It is a flowchart showing the power failure process executed in the timer interrupt process of FIG. 27 in the second embodiment. [Figure 29] It is a flowchart showing the unit communication process executed in the timer interrupt process of FIG. 27 in the second embodiment. [Figure 30] It is a flowchart showing the counting process executed in the unit communication process of FIG. 29 in the second embodiment. [Figure 31] It is a flowchart showing the lending process executed in the unit communication process of FIG. 29 in the second embodiment. [Figure 32] It is a flowchart showing the main control board communication process executed in the timer interrupt process of FIG. 27 in the second embodiment. [Figure 33] It is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine in the third embodiment. [Figure 34] This is a flowchart illustrating the timer interrupt processing in the third embodiment. [Figure 35] This flowchart shows the timer interrupt processing performed by the game value display control board in the third embodiment. [Figure 36] This is a flowchart showing the counting switch processing that is executed in the timer interrupt processing shown in Figure 35 in the third embodiment. [Figure 37] This is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 38] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration when the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 cooperate to control the slot machine 10 in the fourth embodiment. This is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine. [Figure 39] This block diagram shows the electrical configuration in the fourth embodiment, where both the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 are equipped with input ports 148 and 158 that have a control function via an enable terminal. [Figure 40] This is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration when a game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to a main control board 131 equipped with an input port 158 ​​having a control function via an enable terminal, in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 41] This is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration when a game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to a main control board 131 equipped with an input port 155 that does not have a control function by an enable terminal, in the fourth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention applied to a type of amusement machine, specifically a slot machine, will be described in detail based on the drawings. Figure 1 is a front view of the slot machine 10 and card unit 230, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with the front door 12 open while the card unit 230 remains in place, and Figure 3 is a front view of the casing 11 with the front door 12 removed while the card unit 230 remains in place. In this embodiment, the slot machine 10 is used in connection with the card unit 230, and is configured to dispense game value within the range of the balance amount (value) stored in the card (prepaid card or membership card such as a magnetic card or IC card) inserted into the card unit 230. In this embodiment, game value does not have a physical form like a game token, and the lending of game value, acquisition of game value through winning, and input of game value for use in games are performed solely by electromagnetic means.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the slot machine 10 is equipped with a housing 11 that forms its outer shell. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the housing 11 consists of a top plate 11a, a bottom plate 11b, a back plate 11c, a left side plate 11d, and a right side plate 11e, all formed from wooden boards. The adjacent plates 11a to 11e are fixed together by means of adhesive or other fastening, so that the whole structure is a box shape with an open front. In addition, each plate 11a to 11e is made of wooden panels. The enclosure may be constructed from synthetic resin panels or metal panels, or it may be constructed by forming a single box shape from synthetic resin material or metal material. The enclosure 11 constructed as described above is attached to the so-called island equipment in the gaming hall by driving nails into it or the like.

[0012] A front door 12 is attached to the front side of the housing 11 so as to be openable and closable. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, a pair of upper and lower support shafts 25a and 25b are provided on the left side plate 11d of the housing 11. The support shafts 25a and 25b have tapered shaft portions that protrude upward. On the other hand, the front door 12 is provided with support brackets 26a and 26b, each of which has an insertion hole into which the shaft portions of the support shafts 25a and 25b are inserted. When the front door 12 is lowered after positioning the support brackets above each support shaft 25a and 25b, the shaft portions of the support shafts 25a and 25b are inserted into the insertion holes of the support brackets 26a and 26b. As a result, the front door 12 is supported so as to be rotatable around an opening / closing axis extending vertically from the housing 11, connecting the two support shafts 25a and 25b, and this rotation allows the front open side of the housing 11 to be opened or closed.

[0013] The front door 12 is locked in an inoperable state by a locking device provided on its back surface. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a key cylinder 20, which serves as the unlocking mechanism, is provided on the upper right side of the front door 12. The key cylinder 20 is integrated with the locking device, and the locked state is released by a predetermined key operation on the key cylinder 20. The locking mechanism, including the locking device, will now be briefly described.

[0014] A locking device is provided on the back surface of the front door 12, on the right end side, that is, on the side opposite the opening and closing axis of the front door 12. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the locking device comprises a base frame that extends vertically and is fixed to the front door 12, a key cylinder 20 that extends from the top of the base frame toward the front of the front door 12, and a long interlocking rod 21 that is assembled to be movable vertically relative to the base frame. Of the locking device, only the key cylinder 20 is provided in a position that protrudes toward the front of the front door 12. The position where the key cylinder 20 is provided is at the upper part of the front door 12 where the wall thickness is thin, and as a result, a versatile key cylinder 20 with a short overall length can be used.

[0015] The interlocking rod 21 moves downward when the key inserted into the key cylinder 20 is operated clockwise. The interlocking rod 21 is provided with a pair of hook-shaped upper and lower hook fittings 22. When the front door 12 is closed to the housing 11, the hook fittings 22 engage with the support fitting 23 (see Figure 3) on the housing 11 side, resulting in a locked state. The hook fittings 22 are also provided with a biasing member, such as a coil spring, that biases them toward the side that maintains the locked state. When the key is operated clockwise to the key cylinder 20, the interlocking rod 21 moves downward, and the hook fittings 22 move against the biasing force of the biasing member, releasing the engagement between the hook fittings 22 and the support fitting 23, and the front door 12 is released from the housing 11.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, a game panel 30 is provided near the top center of the front door 12 to inform the player of the game status. The game panel 30 has three vertically elongated display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R arranged horizontally. The display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R are made of transparent or translucent material, and the inside of the slot machine 10 can be seen through each of the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R. Alternatively, the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R may be combined into a single common display window.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the housing 11 is divided into upper and lower sections by a partition plate 40, and a reel unit 41 constituting the display device is attached to the upper part of the partition plate 40. The reel unit 41 consists of a left reel 42L and a middle reel, which are formed in a cylindrical (annular) shape. It is equipped with reel 42L and right reel 42R. Each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R only needs to be configured as an endless belt, and is not limited to a cylindrical (annular) shape. They may also be configured as a rotating body such as a belt or drum.

[0018] Each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R is rotatably supported so that its central axis is the axis of rotation of that reel. The axes of rotation of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R are arranged on the same axis extending approximately horizontally, and each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R corresponds one-to-one with each display window 31L, 31M, and 31R. Therefore, a portion of the surface of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R is visible through the corresponding display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R. Furthermore, when the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R rotate in the forward direction, the surface of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R is projected through the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R as if it were moving from top to bottom.

[0019] Each of these reels 42L, 42M, and 42R is connected to a stepping motor 61 (61L, 61M, 61R (see Figure 4)), and the drive of each stepping motor 61L, 61M, and 61R allows each of the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R to rotate individually, that is, independently.

[0020] The stepping motor 61 is configured to rotate once when given a drive signal of, for example, 504 pulses (also called an excitation signal or excitation pulse; the same applies hereinafter), and the rotational position of the stepping motor 61, that is, the rotational position of the corresponding reels 42L, 42M, and 42R, is controlled by these excitation pulses.

[0021] Each belt on reels 42L, 42M, and 42R has multiple patterns, specifically 21 patterns, printed along its long side (circumferential direction). Therefore, switching from one pattern to the next requires 24 pulses (= 504 pulses ÷ 21 patterns). Based on the number of pulses since the detection signal from the reel index sensor 55 (see Figure 4), which will be described later, is output, it is possible to recognize which patterns are visible from the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R, or to control which patterns are made visible from the exposure windows 31L, 31M, and 31R.

[0022] Of the symbols attached to each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R, the number of symbols that can be fully viewed through the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R is limited to a predetermined number, mainly determined by the vertical length of the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R. In this embodiment, there are three symbols on each reel. Therefore, when all reels 42L, 42M, and 42R are stopped, 3 x 3 = 9 symbols are visible to the player.

[0023] Note that each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R of the reel unit 41 is an example of a display device that displays identification information in a variable manner, and the display device may have a different configuration. For example, it may be a mechanical reel configuration such as one that rotates the belt instead of on its own axis, or in addition to a mechanical reel configuration, it may be an electrical display such as a liquid crystal display or a dot matrix display that displays identification information in a variable manner, in which case it is possible to have a wide variety of display forms.

[0024] The game panel 30 has a total of five combination lines: three parallel horizontal lines and two diagonal lines connecting the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R. Of course, the maximum number of combination lines may be six or more, or less than five, and the maximum number of combination lines may be changed according to predetermined conditions. Corresponding to each of these combination lines, active line display sections 32, 33, and 34 are provided on the left side when viewed from the front of the display window group 31L, 31M, and 31R. The first active line display section 32 is the central horizontal line of the combination lines (center The second active line display unit 33 lights up or otherwise indicates when a line is activated. The third active line display unit 34 lights up or otherwise indicates when a pair of diagonal lines (downward right line and upward right line) among the combination lines is activated. When symbols stop in a predetermined combination on an activated combination line, i.e., an active line, a prize is awarded, and predetermined game value payout processing or transition processing to a specific game is executed.

[0025] In this embodiment, multiple winning combinations with different game values ​​are available depending on the combination of symbols. Specifically, these include bonus winning combinations where symbols designated as bonus symbols line up on the active payline, minor winning combinations where symbols designated as minor winning symbols line up on the active payline, and replay winning combinations where symbols designated as replay symbols line up on the active payline. When a bonus winning combination is achieved (when bonus symbols line up on the active payline), 15 game values ​​are paid out. When a minor winning combination is achieved (when minor winning symbols line up on the active payline), 2 to 8 game values ​​are paid out depending on the type of minor winning symbol. When a replay winning combination is achieved (when replay symbols line up on the active payline), the player is granted the right to play again without placing a bet (investing game values ​​necessary to start the game). If a bonus, minor, or replay combination is not achieved (i.e., the same symbols do not line up on the left, middle, and right paylines), it is considered a loss, and no payout of game value will be made in this case.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, a start lever 71 is provided on the lower left side of the game panel 30, which is operated to start the rotation of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R simultaneously (they do not need to rotate at the same time). The start lever 71 constitutes a starting operation means that starts the rotation of the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R, that is, starts the display of changing symbols. The start lever 71 is a lever that the player pushes by hand when starting a game, and a built-in spring automatically returns it to its original position after the hand is released. When this start lever 71 is operated while game value is inserted, each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R starts rotating simultaneously or with a slight time interval between them.

[0027] To the right of the start lever 71, as shown in Figure 1, there are button-shaped stop switches 72, 73, and 74 that are operated to individually stop each of the rotating reels 42L, 42M, and 42R. Each stop switch 72, 73, and 74 is located directly below the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R corresponding to the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R to be stopped. The stop switches 72, 73, and 74 constitute a stop operation means that is operated to stop the fluctuation display based on the rotation of the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R. Each stop switch 72, 73, and 74 becomes ready to be stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed since the left reel 42L started rotating. During this time, a lamp (not shown) lights up to indicate that the stop operation is possible, and the lamp turns off when the rotation stops.

[0028] Below the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R of the game panel 30 are a game value display unit 35 that displays the number of game values ​​held, a game count display unit 36 ​​that displays, for example, the remaining number of games when a special game state such as a big bonus or regular bonus is in progress, and a game value acquisition display unit 37 that displays the number of game values ​​acquired. These display units 35 to 37 are composed of 7-segment displays, but it is of course possible to replace them with liquid crystal displays or the like. In this embodiment, the payout of loaned game values ​​is performed by an electromagnetic method, so when a game value loan is performed, the value displayed in the game value display unit 35 is updated according to the number of loaned game values.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1, a button-shaped first game value insertion switch 77 for inserting three game value coins at once is provided on the lower left side of the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R. To the left of the first game value insertion switch 77, a smaller button-shaped second game value insertion switch 78 and a third game value insertion switch 79 are provided. The second game value insertion switch 78 is for inserting two game value coins at once, and the third game value insertion switch 79 is for inserting one game value coin.

[0030] The input of game value is performed by an electromagnetic method using the first to third game value input switches 77 to 79. Specifically, when the third game value input switch 79 is pressed, the number displayed on the game value display unit 35 is reduced by one, the first active line display unit 32 lights up, and the center line becomes an active line. When the second game value input switch 78 is pressed, the number displayed on the game value display unit 35 is reduced by two, the first active line display unit 32 and the second active line display unit 33 light up, and a total of three combination lines become active lines. When the first game value input switch 77 is pressed, the number displayed on the game value display unit 35 is reduced by three, the number displayed on the game value display unit 35 is reduced by three, and all active line display units 32 to 34 light up, and a total of five combination lines become active lines.

[0031] Furthermore, if the number of game values ​​to be inserted when any of the first to third game value insertion switches 77 to 79 is pressed is insufficient, for example, if the first game value insertion switch 77 is pressed when the game value display unit 35 shows 2, the value on the game value display unit 35 will be reduced to 0, and 2 game values ​​will be inserted.

[0032] The first game value insertion switch 77 incorporates a lamp (not shown) as a light-emitting element to indicate that the maximum number of game values ​​(3 coins) that can be inserted per game has not been reached. This lamp lights up when the first game value insertion switch 77 is active to encourage operation of the switch 77, but turns off when there are no game values ​​remaining or when 3 game values ​​have already been inserted. Alternatively, the lamp could be made to blink to make the prompt to insert game values ​​even clearer to the player.

[0033] As shown in Figure 1, a button-shaped counting switch 80 is provided to the left of the start lever 71. When the counting switch 80 is pressed, the number of games played is transmitted to the connected card unit 230, and the card unit 230 stores this number of games played as the counted number of games played on the inserted card. As a result, the number of games played held by the slot machine 10 becomes zero.

[0034] When storing the number of counted game values ​​on a magnetic card, the card unit 230 may also store identification information for the loan amount (rate) per card. This is because game values ​​may be loaned at different rates within the gaming hall, and therefore the number of game values ​​held can be stored for each rate.

[0035] If the magnetic card already has a countable game value of the same rate stored on it, the newly received game value may be added to that countable game value and stored as a new countable game value. This saves storage space on the magnetic card. If there is sufficient storage space on the magnetic card, it may be stored as a separate record.

[0036] The transfer of the number of game values ​​held from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230 takes a period of time that is perceptible to the player, depending on the number of game values ​​held. The player counts when they finish playing on the slot machine 10, and if they have acquired a large amount of game value as a result of playing, the counting will take longer accordingly. You can truly experience a sense of fulfillment.

[0037] If the counting switch 80 is pressed again during counting, the counting may be stopped and the game may be allowed to resume. This is because the player may change their mind during counting. Alternatively, the counting switch 80 may be configured as a toggle switch that turns on when pressed once, turns off when pressed again, and switches between on and off each time it is pressed thereafter, with counting performed while it is in the on state. Alternatively, it may be a switch with a mechanical structure that holds the on state when pressed and then slid. This eliminates the need to hold the button down by hand, making it easier to operate.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, a settlement switch 76 is provided on the lower right side of the display windows 31L, 31M, and 31R. Pressing the settlement switch 76 returns the inserted game value to the game value count. However, after operating the start lever 71, the game has already started, so it is not possible to return the inserted game value to the game value count. If game value has been inserted but the start lever 71 has not yet been operated and the game has not started, pressing the counting switch 80 may be treated as if the settlement switch 76 had been pressed, and the inserted game value will be returned to the game value count before counting begins. Pressing the counting switch 80 by the player is in line with the player's intention to transfer the inserted game value, including the game value, to the unit 230.

[0039] The upper part of the front door 12 is provided with an upper lamp 13 that lights up and flashes in accordance with the progress of the game, a pair of left and right speakers 14 that play various sound effects and inform the player of the game status in accordance with the progress of the game, and an auxiliary display unit 15 that provides the player with various information. In this embodiment, the auxiliary display unit 15 is made of a liquid crystal display intended to diversify the display content and enhance the display effects, but other displays such as a dot matrix display may also be used. The auxiliary display unit 15 is for executing various display effects in accordance with the progress of the game, and since the gameplay of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R can be considered as being performed by the main display unit, it is referred to as the auxiliary display unit 15 in this embodiment. On the back of the auxiliary display unit 15 is provided a display control device 111 for driving the upper lamp 13, speakers 14, and auxiliary display unit 15. Note that the shape, position, number, etc. of the upper lamp 13 and speakers 14 are not limited to those described above.

[0040] Below each stop switch 72, 73, and 74, as shown in Figure 1, is a lower plate 16 displaying the model name and characters related to the game. Additionally, a reversible ashtray 19 is provided on the lower left side of the lower plate 16.

[0041] As shown in Figure 2, a power supply box 121 is provided inside the housing 11, to the lower left of the partition plate 40. The power supply box 121 is equipped with a power switch 122, a reset switch 123, a setting key insertion hole 124, and the like. The power switch 122 is an activation switch that supplies power to various parts, including the main control board 131.

[0042] The reset switch 123 is a switch for resetting various states of the slot machine 10. This slot machine 10 has a backup function for various data, so that even if a power outage occurs, it will retain the state at the time of the power outage and will be able to return to that state when power is restored.Therefore, for example, when the power is cut off in the normal procedure, such as when the amusement hall closes for the day, the state before the power cut off is retained in memory.However, if the reset switch 123 is pressed while the power switch 122 is turned on, the backup data will be reset.Also, if the reset switch 123 is pressed while the power switch 122 is turned on, the error state will be reset.

[0043] The setting key insertion slot 124 is for hall managers and others to adjust the payout value of the game. In other words, by inserting a setting key into the setting key insertion slot 124 and operating it (rotating it), hall managers and others can change the setting state (winning probability setting process) of the slot machine 10 from "Setting 1" to "Setting 6".

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, the main control board 131 is mounted on the back plate 11c of the housing 11 above the reel unit 41. The main control board 131 comprises a main board including an MPU that is in charge of the main control, a ROM that stores the game program, a RAM that temporarily stores necessary data according to the progress of the game, ports for communication with various devices, and a clock circuit used for time counting and synchronization, etc. The main board is housed in a board box, which is a means of enclosure made of transparent resin material or the like. The board box comprises a box base that is roughly rectangular in shape and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base. The box base and the box cover are connected in a way that makes them impossible to open by a sealing unit, which is a sealing means, and the board box is sealed in this way. Alternatively, the box base and the box cover may be connected in a way that makes them impossible to open using a key member.

[0045] Furthermore, a gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is mounted on the left side panel 11d inside the housing 11. The gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is a relay board for connecting the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230. The gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to the slot machine 10 by cable 105 (see Figure 5). The gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is also connected to the card unit 230 by cable 260 (see Figure 5). By connecting the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 via this gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250, the connection and disconnection of each independently manufactured device can be easily performed.

[0046] A cable opening 261 is formed through the left side of the back plate 11c, located below the terminal board 250 for the gaming ball dispensing device, allowing a cable 260, one end of which is connected to the terminal board 250, to be led out of the housing 11. The other end of the cable 260, led out from the cable opening 261, is connected to the card unit 230 on its rear side. Since the card unit 230 is located on the left side of the slot machine 10, the routing of the cable 260 is facilitated by providing the terminal board 250 for the gaming ball dispensing device on the left side plate 11d and the cable opening 261 on the left side of the back plate 11c.

[0047] To the left of the slot machine 10 configured as described above, a vertically elongated rectangular card unit 230 is arranged side by side. The card unit 230 is a device that reads and rewrites the balance amount (magnetic information) recorded on the magnetic card, and lends game value based on the balance amount stored on the magnetic card, and stores the counted game value (the number of game values ​​held transmitted from the slot machine 10) on the magnetic card.

[0048] Approximately in the center of the card unit 230 in the vertical direction, there is a card slot 224 for inserting a magnetic card having a value equivalent to money, and below it, a return button 200 for ejecting the inserted magnetic card from the card slot 224. Above the card slot 224, at the top of the card unit 230, there is a liquid crystal display panel 225.

[0049] The return button 200 is formed to be pressable toward the back of the card unit 230 (towards the back of the page in Figure 1), and is normally biased toward the front of the card unit 230 by an internal spring. The return button 200 is a push-button type switch that turns on when pressed and turns off when the pressure is released. It has a built-in mechanism. When the return button 200 is pressed (switched on), the magnetic card inserted in the card unit 230 is forcibly ejected from the card slot 224 by an actuator (not shown).

[0050] Between the card slot 224 and the liquid crystal display panel 225, above the card unit 230, a pair of roughly triangular connecting stand direction indicator lamps 226 are provided. These pair of connecting stand direction indicator lamps 226 indicate the arrangement (parallel arrangement) direction of the slot machine 10 to which the card unit 230 is connected. For example, when the card unit 230 is connected to a slot machine 10 arranged on the right, the left LED lights up, and when the card unit 230 is connected to a slot machine 10 (not shown) arranged on the left, the right LED lights up. Below these connecting stand direction indicator lamps 226, a card insertion lamp 227 is provided. This card insertion lamp 227 lights up when a magnetic card is inserted into the card slot 224, and turns off when no magnetic card is inserted into the card slot 224.

[0051] Below the LCD display panel 225, a frequency indicator 205, a game value counting indicator 206, and a game value dispensing button 210 are provided.

[0052] The frequency indicator 205 consists of three 7-segment LEDs that display the remaining balance of the magnetic card read by the card unit 230. In this embodiment, since the game value is played in units of 100 yen, the frequency indicator LED 205 is configured to display the remaining balance in units of hundreds or more. In the front view of Figure 1, the rightmost 7-segment LED displays the hundreds digit of the remaining balance, the middle 7-segment LED displays the thousands digit, and the leftmost 7-segment LED displays the ten thousands digit. In this embodiment, the frequency indicator LED 205 displays an amount, but instead of an amount, it may display the remaining frequency or remaining game value equivalent to the remaining balance.

[0053] The game value dispensing button 210 is designed to be pressable toward the back of the card unit 230 (towards the back of the page in Figure 1), and is normally biased toward the front of the card unit 230 by an internal spring. The game value dispensing button 210 also incorporates a push-button type switch that turns on when pressed and turns off when the pressure is released.

[0054] The lending of game value becomes possible when both the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 are in a state where game value lending is possible. In the slot machine 10, the state where game value lending is possible is considered to be when all three of the following conditions are met. The first condition is when the slot machine 10 is not in a game state (when the game is not in a game state), that is, when all reels 42L, 42M, and 42R are stopped and there is no payout of game value, or if there is a payout of game value, that payout has been completed.

[0055] Furthermore, when the start lever 71 is operated with game value inserted, reels 42L, 42M, and 42R will start to rotate. However, if a predetermined amount of time has not elapsed since reels 42L, 42M, and 42R stopped in the previous game, operating the start lever 71 will not immediately cause reels 42L, 42M, and 42R to start rotating, but they will remain in a waiting state. In this case, although reels 42L, 42M, and 42R are stopped and no game value is paid out, the game is recognized as being in progress. Furthermore, if no game value is inserted, operating the start lever 71 will not cause reels 42L, 42M, and 42R to rotate, so the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R will not be in a waiting state after the start lever 71 is operated.

[0056] The second condition is that the game value has not been bet to the maximum. The maximum number of game value tokens required to start a game is 3, and when 3 game value tokens are put in to start a game, it becomes the maximum bet. In other words, if the number of game value tokens put in is 2 or less, the second condition is met.

[0057] The third condition is that the number of playable value points held internally by the slot machine 10 does not exceed its maximum value due to the lending of playable value points. This is because there is an upper limit to the number of playable value points, and operations that cause this to overflow will result in an error state. However, if there is enough playable value points to continue playing for the time being, there is no need to further increase the number of playable value points by lending playable value points, so the number of playable value points used as the third criterion may be set considerably lower than the actual maximum number of playable value points. When these three conditions are met, the lending of playable value points button 210 is pressed, and the lending of playable value points is executed (see S282 in Figure 13).

[0058] Furthermore, the game value lending button 210 has a built-in lamp, which is a light-emitting element (not shown). This lamp lights up when game value lending is possible, and turns off when game value lending is not possible. In this embodiment, the lamp lights up when the above three conditions are met in the slot machine 10 (the game is not in operation (except when the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R are waiting to rotate after the start lever 71 is operated, all reels 42L, 42M, and 42R are stopped, and there is no payout of game value or the payout has finished)), and furthermore, the number of game value tokens inserted is 2 or less, the number of game value tokens held is 1 or less, and a magnetic card is inserted into the card unit 230 (the magnetic card has a balance amount that allows for lending game value).

[0059] The counting game value display unit 206 consists of five 7-segment LEDs that display the counting game value of the magnetic card read by the card unit 230. The counting game value is the number of game values ​​held that is transmitted from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230 when the counting switch 80 is pressed, and which the card unit 230 stores on the magnetic card. Players can exchange the counting game value stored on the magnetic card for prizes at the counter of the gaming hall. As part of its membership service, the gaming hall may also deposit the counting game value into the member's account instead of exchanging it for prizes.

[0060] If the magnetic card stores both the balance amount and the counted game value, when the game value lending button 210 is pressed, the system may be configured to partially pay out from the counted game value instead of lending game value from the balance amount. This is because the counted game value is originally the number of game values ​​held that was transmitted from the slot machine 10, and by transmitting the number of game values ​​from the card unit 230 to the slot machine 10, it is possible to make it available for play again as held game value in the slot machine 10.

[0061] The LCD display panel 225 shows whether a magnetic card can be inserted into the card slot 224 if a magnetic card is not already inserted, and if a magnetic card is already inserted into the card slot 224, it displays instructions indicating that game value can be lent by pressing the game value lending button 210.

[0062] Furthermore, if the LCD display panel 225 is equipped with a touch panel function, the LCD display panel 225 alone may be used to display the balance amount stored on the magnetic card, the number of games to be played, and to operate the game value to be played, instead of the frequency display 205, the game value counting display 206, and the game value lending button 210.

[0063] When displaying the balance amount on the LCD display panel 225, it is possible to display all place values, not just the hundreds digit and above as frequencies. This would allow for a more flexible game value lending system that takes consumption tax into account. Alternatively, players could choose to have a number of game values ​​equivalent to the balance amount displayed instead of the monetary amount. This would make it easier for them to understand how much more they can play.

[0064] If the magnetic card stores the game value earned from gaming machines with different rates, the game value will be displayed for each rate. The player may then choose whether to play from the remaining balance or to receive the game value from the game value. In this case, game values ​​with rates different from the currently playing machine may be grayed out, and only game values ​​with matching rates may be paid out. Alternatively, game values ​​with different rates may be converted to the rate of the currently playing machine, and the game value may be displayed, with payouts limited to that game value. Furthermore, the game value calculated on a pachinko-style gaming machine may be converted and paid out based on the rate.

[0065] If the magnetic card also serves as a service membership card, it may display the balance of game value deposited in the member account and allow withdrawals from that balance. In this way, by receiving game value from the balance stored on the magnetic card, withdrawals from the counted game value stored on the magnetic card, and withdrawals from the deposit balance in the member account, players can play games without handling cash during gameplay, thus eliminating the inconvenience of handling cash.

[0066] Next, the electrical configuration of the slot machine 10 will be explained based on the block diagram in Figure 4. The main control board 131 is equipped with a microcomputer centered on the MPU 151, which is an arithmetic processing unit. In addition to the power supply unit 161 located inside the power supply box 121, the MPU 151 is connected via an internal bus to a clock circuit 154 that outputs a square wave of a predetermined frequency, as well as input ports 155, output ports 156, serial ports 157, etc. This main control board 131 functions as the main board built into the slot machine 10.

[0067] Various sensors are connected to the input side of the main control board 131, including a start detection sensor 71a that detects the operation of the start lever 71, stop detection sensors 72a, 73a, and 74a that individually detect the operation of each stop switch 72, 73, and 74, input detection sensors 77a, 78a, and 79a that individually detect the operation of each game value input switch 77, 78, and 79, a count detection sensor 80a that detects the operation of the count switch 80, a reel index sensor 55 that individually detects the rotation position (origin position) of each reel 42, a reset detection sensor 123a that detects the operation of the reset switch 123, a game value count clear detection sensor 127a that detects the operation of the game value count clear switch 127, and a setting key detection sensor 124a that detects when a setting key is inserted into the setting key insertion hole 124 and when the setting key is rotated. Signals from these various sensors are input to the MPU 151 via the input port 155.

[0068] Furthermore, the input side of the main control board 131 is connected to the power supply unit 161 via input port 155 to the power failure monitoring circuit 161b and the latch circuit 126. The power supply unit 161 is equipped with a power supply unit 161a that supplies driving power to the main control board 131 and other electronic devices of the slot machine 10, as well as the aforementioned power failure monitoring circuit 161b. The power failure monitoring circuit 161b may also be provided on the main control board 131.

[0069] The power outage monitoring circuit 161b monitors the power supply interruption status and generates a power outage signal not only during a power outage but also when the power is cut off by the power switch 122. Therefore, the power outage monitoring circuit 161b uses the stabilized drive voltage of 12 volts DC in this example, output from the power supply unit 161a. The system is configured to monitor the drive voltage and, if it drops to, for example, less than 10 volts, determine that the power supply has been cut off and output a power outage signal. The power outage signal is supplied to input port 155, and the MPU 151 recognizes this power outage signal and executes the power outage processing described later.

[0070] The power supply unit 161a is configured to output a 5-volt stabilized voltage, which is used as the drive voltage for control systems such as the main control board 131, even if the output voltage drops to less than 10 volts. The time during which this stabilized voltage is output is sufficient for the main control board 131 to perform power outage processing.

[0071] The random number counter update circuit 125 comprises a clock of a predetermined frequency and a 16-bit random number counter. For example, with each falling edge of the clock pulse output from the clock, the value of the random number counter is incremented by one count. The random value of the random number counter is constantly updated by the clock pulse at a speed that cannot be achieved by software control, within the range of "0 to 65535". The updated random value is constantly output to the latch circuit 126.

[0072] In addition to the input port 155 mentioned above, the latch circuit 126 is connected to the random number counter update circuit 125 and the start lever 71. This latch circuit 126 consists of a 16-bit memory circuit and is used to latch the signal (random value) output from the random number counter update circuit 125 when the start lever 71 is operated. The random value latched by the latch circuit 126 is output from the latch circuit 126 to the MPU 151.

[0073] Furthermore, the random number counter update circuit 125 and the latch circuit 126 are mounted on the main control board 131. In addition, the clock provided in the random number counter update circuit 125 operates at a frequency asynchronous to the frequency of the square wave output from the clock circuit 154, and is not capable of obtaining a 1.49 msec interval. By updating the random number counter at an interval asynchronous to the 1.49 msec interval of the main control board 131's operating period, even if an unauthorized board referred to as a "hanging board" is attached to the slot machine 10 to operate synchronously with the main control board 131 (MPU 151), the "hanging board" cannot obtain the value of the random number counter (random value).

[0074] The output side of the main control board 131 is connected via output port 156 to the following: each active line display unit 32, 33, 34, game value display unit 35, game count display unit 36, acquired game value display unit 37, each stepping motor 61 (61L, 61M, 61R) for rotating each reel 42L, 42M, 42R, the display control device 111, etc.

[0075] The display control device 111 is a control device for driving the upper lamp 13, speaker 14, and auxiliary display unit 15, and is equipped with a circuit board containing a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. for driving these components. After receiving signals from the main control board 131, the display control device 111 independently drives and controls the upper lamp 13, speaker 14, and auxiliary display unit 15. Therefore, the display control device 111 is a sub-board that performs auxiliary control in relation to the main control board 131, which is the main board that comprehensively manages the game. In other words, by providing a sub-board for indirect game-related sounds, lamps, and displays, the burden on the main board is reduced. It should also be noted that the display control device 111 may control the various display units 32 to 37.

[0076] Furthermore, the main control board 131 and the card unit 230 are connected via the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250. The main control board 131, the card unit 230, and the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 are properly connected, and the card unit 230 is functioning correctly. A VL connection confirmation signal, indicating that the system is always running, is input to the MPU 151 via input port 155, allowing the MPU 151 to know the connection status with the card unit 230. Furthermore, since a serial communication signal is connected via serial port 157, serial information communication can be performed between the card unit 230 and the MPU 151.

[0077] The MPU 151 described above includes a ROM 152 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 151, and a RAM 153 that reserves a work area for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 152. In addition, although not shown in the figures, it also incorporates various processing circuits necessary for the slot machine 10, such as interrupt circuits, timer circuits, and data transmission / reception circuits, as is well known. The ROM 152 and RAM 153 constitute the main memory as a storage means, and the programs for executing the processes shown in the flowcharts in Figures 8 to 20 are stored in the ROM 152 as part of the control program.

[0078] The RAM 153 is configured to retain (back up) data even after the power to the slot machine 10 is cut off, by receiving backup voltage from the power supply unit 161 located in the power box 121. In addition to memory and areas for temporarily storing various types of data, the RAM 153 is also provided with a backup area.

[0079] The backup area is an area for storing the stack pointer, each register, I / O values, etc., at the time of power interruption (including power interruption by operating the power switch 122; the same applies hereinafter) in the event of a power outage or other power interruption. When the power is restored (including power on by operating the power switch 122; the same applies hereinafter), the state of the slot machine 10 can be restored to the state before the power interruption based on the information in the backup area. Writing to the backup area is performed when the power is interrupted by the power outage processing (see Figure 9), and the restoration of each value written to the backup area is performed in the main processing when the power is turned on (see Figure 16). The power outage signal from the power outage monitoring circuit 161b is input to input port 155, so the MPU 151 can read this power outage signal via input port 155 and recognize whether or not a power interruption has occurred due to a power outage or the like. This power outage signal is monitored by a timer interrupt processing (see Figure 8) that is executed periodically, and if a power outage or the like is recognized, the power outage flag generation processing is executed.

[0080] Furthermore, RAM 153 includes a win / loss random number memory 153a, a bet counter 153b, a game value counter 153c, and a transmit input counter 153d as memory for temporarily storing various data. The win / loss random number memory 153a is a memory that stores random values ​​for determining the winning combination corresponding to the started game. Whether the started game results in a win or a loss is determined by the value stored in this win / loss random number memory 153a. Among the random values ​​output from the random number counter update circuit 125, the random values ​​latched to the latch circuit 126 when the start lever 71 is operated while the game value is bet are written to the win / loss random number memory 153a (see S601 in Figure 18). In the lottery process described later (S505, see Figure 18), the MPU 151 uses the random number stored in the success / failure random number memory 153a to draw lots for winning hands against a random number table selected based on various conditions, and determines whether the random number corresponds to a success or failure (whether it results in a winning hand or a failure), and, if it is a winning hand, what type of hand it will win.

[0081] The game value counter 153c is a counter that stores the number of game values ​​held by the slot machine 10. It increases when there are payouts of game value from the balance amount stored on the magnetic card, payouts from the counted game value stored on the magnetic card, payouts from the deposit balance in the member account, and payouts of game value from winning. Meanwhile, the 1st to 3rd game value input switches 7 When a button between 7 and 79 is pressed and game value is inserted, the amount of game value inserted is deducted. Also, when the counting switch 80 is pressed, the number of game value held, stored in the game value counter 153c, is transmitted to the connected card unit 230, and as a result, the number of game value held by the slot machine 10 becomes zero. Note that instead of transmitting the entire number of game value in one communication, the number of game value held may be transmitted in multiple communications. If the number of game value held is large, the time required for counting will be longer accordingly, allowing the player to feel the large amount of game value they have earned as a result of playing and to bask in a sense of satisfaction. In this case, the system may be configured so that counting can be stopped by pressing the counting switch 80 again. This allows for situations where the player changes their mind and resumes playing during counting. Also, the system may be configured so that counting is performed while the counting switch 80 is pressed. This makes it easier to stop counting.

[0082] The bet counter 153b is a counter that stores the number of game values ​​inserted in a single game. Since game values ​​are inserted, the remaining game value counter 153c is deducted by the number of game values ​​inserted. Specifically, when the third game value insertion switch 79 is pressed, it is treated as if one game value was inserted, so the value of the bet counter 153b is increased by one, and the remaining game value counter 153c is decreased by one. When the second game value insertion switch 78 is pressed, it is treated as if two game values ​​were inserted, so the value of the bet counter 153b is increased by two, and the remaining game value counter 153c is decreased by two. When the first game value insertion switch 77 is pressed, it is treated as if three game values ​​were inserted, so the value of the bet counter 153b is increased by three, and the remaining game value counter 153c is decreased by three.

[0083] Furthermore, if the settlement switch 76 is pressed after the game value has been inserted but before the start lever is operated, the number of game values ​​stored in the bet counter 153b will be added to the remaining game value counter 153c, and the bet counter 153b will become 0.

[0084] The input counter 153d for transmission is a counter that stores the amount of game value inserted each time game value is inserted, and transmits that amount to the card unit 230. When the stored amount of game value is transmitted to the card unit 230, it is cleared to 0. Also, when the settlement switch 76 is pressed, the value of the bet counter 153b is subtracted from the input counter 153d for transmission, so it may become a negative value. The card unit 230 uses the value of the input counter 153d, which is transmitted each time a game is inserted, to monitor errors in the game value held by the slot machine 10.

[0085] Figure 5 is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250, and the connection status between the slot machine 10, the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250, and the card unit 230.

[0086] The gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 includes a first connector 251 to which the slot machine 10 is connected, a second connector 252 to which the card unit 230 is connected, and photocouplers 255 to 257 connected to the first connector 251 and the second connector 252. By connecting them via the photocouplers 255 to 257 in this way, the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 can exchange information while maintaining isolation.

[0087] The first connector 251 is a connector that connects to the slot machine 10 via cable 105, and has an input terminal that receives a 5-volt DC voltage from the slot machine 10 as a terminal connected to the power line. The first connector 251 also has an input terminal that receives a serial communication transmission signal from the slot machine 10. Furthermore, the first connector 251 receives VL connection confirmation signals and serial communication reception signals from the slot machine. An output terminal is provided for outputting to terminal 10.

[0088] The second connector 252 is a connector that connects to the card unit 230 via cable 260 and has an input terminal that receives a 5-volt DC voltage (VL) from the card unit 230 as a terminal connected to the power line. The second connector 252 also has output terminals that output the connection confirmation signal PSI and the serial communication reception signal to the card unit 230. Furthermore, the second connector 252 has an input terminal that receives the serial communication transmission signal from the card unit 230.

[0089] When power is supplied to the card unit 230, an MPU (not shown) that controls the card unit performs initial setup, self-diagnosis, and other initialization processes. When it determines that it is ready to connect to the slot machine 10, it turns on the power supply circuit 237. The power supply circuit 237 then outputs power (VL) to the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250. This power (VL) to the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to the anode of the diode of the photocoupler 235b via a resistor within the card unit 230. The cathode side of the photocoupler 235b is connected to the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 as a connection confirmation signal (PSI), but within the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250, the connection confirmation signal (PSI) is connected to the ground of the card unit 230. Therefore, when the power supply (VL) is turned ON and the card unit 230 and the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 are properly connected, current flows through the diode of the photocoupler 235b, and the transistor turns ON. As a result, the output signal of the photocoupler 235b, which was H due to the pull-up resistor 235a, becomes L, and the MPU of the card unit 230 can confirm that the connection with the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is normal via the input port 235.

[0090] On the other hand, when the card unit 230 is turned ON, the photocoupler 255 on the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is turned ON. The output side of the photocoupler 255 is output to the slot machine 10 as a VL connection confirmation signal, and within the slot machine 10, it is pulled up by resistor 155a and input to input port 155. In other words, the MPU 151 of the slot machine 10 can determine that the card unit 230 is ready to operate if the VL connection confirmation signal is L.

[0091] In this way, the slot machine 10 confirms that the card unit 230 is connected and ready to operate, and the card unit 230 confirms that the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is properly connected.

[0092] Meanwhile, serial data transmitted from the serial port 157 of the slot machine 10 is transmitted to the serial port 238 of the card unit 230 via the photocoupler 256, and serial data transmitted from the serial port 238 of the card unit 230 is transmitted to the serial port 157 of the slot machine 10 via the photocoupler 257.

[0093] Figure 6 illustrates the overview of serial communication between the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230.

[0094] The data within a single frame consists of message length, command, serial number, data section, and checksum, and this data is transmitted all at once without being split. Message length indicates the length of the message in bytes. The command indicates the type of message, and there are four types of messages: (1) Gaming machine information notification, (2) Counting notification, (3) Loan notification, and (4) Loan receipt result response. The serial number is the sequential number of the message, and whether or not it is consecutive can be used to detect message loss or transmission errors. The data section contains detailed information about each message. The checksum adds to the message data. This calculation is used to detect transmission anomalies.

[0095] (1) Gaming machine information notifications are sent from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230 every 300 msec. (2) Counting notifications are sent from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230 100 msec after (1) the gaming machine information notification. Subsequently, if (3) a loan notification is sent from the card unit 230 to the slot machine 10 within 170 msec, (4) a loan receipt result response is sent from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230.

[0096] (1) The gaming machine information notification is further subdivided into three types of messages depending on the content of the data section: (1-1) gaming machine installation information, (1-2) gaming machine performance information, and (1-3) hall computer / fraud monitoring information.

[0097] (1-1) Gaming machine installation information is information that can identify a gaming machine and consists of the control MPU chip ID, gaming machine manufacturer code, and product code.

[0098] (1-2) Gaming machine performance information is data that shows the payout performance of the gaming machine, and specifically consists of the following data: Total number of coins inserted (cumulative number of coins inserted since power-on), Total number of coins paid out (cumulative number of coins paid out since power-on), MY (maximum difference in coins calculated since power-on), Total number of coins paid out by special features (cumulative number of coins paid out by special feature operation since power-on), Total number of coins paid out by consecutive special features (cumulative number of coins paid out by consecutive special feature operation since power-on), Special feature ratio (ratio of the number of coins paid out by special feature operation out of a predetermined number of games), Consecutive special feature ratio (ratio of the number of coins paid out by consecutive special feature operation out of a predetermined number of games), Advantageous section ratio (ratio of the number of coins paid out in the advantageous section out of a predetermined number of games), Special feature ratio including instruction (ratio of the number of coins paid out when the instruction function is activated and when special features are activated out of a predetermined number of games), Special feature status ratio (ratio of the number of coins paid out by special features and consecutive special feature operation out of a predetermined number of games).

[0099] (1-3) Hall computer fraud monitoring information consists of information output to the hall computer and information used to monitor fraud, and is composed of the following: the number of game values ​​held (current number of game values), the number of game values ​​inserted (number of game values ​​inserted), the number of game values ​​paid out (number of game values ​​paid out at the end of one game), the status of the game machine (status of the main control such as RB, BB, AT), the error status (error code generated in the game machine), fraud detection information (information that fraud has been detected from magnetic sensors, vibration sensors, etc., and information that has been detected that a door has been opened or a setting has been changed), and game information (number of game values ​​inserted and paid out at the time of insertion: for monitoring game value errors).

[0100] (2) The counting notification is a message sent from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230, and is used when the slot machine 10 sends the game value it holds to the card unit 230. It can take a value from 0 to 255. If the counting switch 80 is not pressed, a counting game value of 0 is sent. If the counting switch 80 is pressed, a counting game value of 1 to 255 is sent. If the game value held by the slot machine 10 is greater than 255, the counting is performed by sending multiple counting notifications. As mentioned above, after one counting notification is sent, the next counting notification will be sent 300 msec later, so if the counting is performed by sending multiple counting notifications, the time taken for counting will be the number of notifications multiplied by 300 msec. If the time taken for counting is too short relative to the game value obtained as a result of the game, the player's satisfaction will decrease, and if it is too long, the player will get the impression that it is redundant, so there is an appropriate counting time. The number of game values ​​to be counted and sent in a single counting notification is set by the control program of the slot machine 10, so the time required for counting can be adjusted accordingly. In this case, the number of game values ​​to be counted and sent in a single counting notification may be changed depending on the number of game values ​​to be counted.

[0101] (3) The loan notification is sent from the card unit 230 to the slot machine 10. After the card unit 230 receives the counting notification via telegram, the slot machine 10 transmits it within a predetermined time. Therefore, if the slot machine 10 does not transmit the counting notification for any reason, the card unit 230 will not transmit a lending notification. When a player operates the card unit 230 to lend game value from the balance amount stored on the magnetic card, to withdraw from the counted game value stored on the magnetic card, to withdraw from the deposit balance in the member account, or to withdraw game value from winnings, a lending notification will be set and transmitted with a game value of 1 to 50 cards. If there is no lending, 0 cards will be set and transmitted. Since it is usually not possible to lend while counting is being performed, if there is one or more counting notifications transmitted before the lending notification, the lending notification will be transmitted with 0 cards.

[0102] (4) The loan receipt result response is a message sent from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230, which is a message in which the slot machine 10 responds with the result of receiving the loan notification (3). If the sequence numbers of the messages are not consecutive, if the slot machine 10 is inoperable, or if the number of games played after adding the number of loaned games exceeds a predetermined upper limit, the response will be "abnormal".

[0103] Thus, the series of communications between the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 begins with the (1) game machine information notification from the master slot machine 10. When the power to the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 are turned ON, if the card unit 230 starts up first, the card unit 230 does not initiate communication and waits for the slot machine 10 to start up and send the (1) game machine information notification. If the card unit 230 starts up first, two messages are sent: (1) game machine information notification and (2) counting notification. However, the (3) loan notification is not sent, and therefore the (4) loan receipt result response is also not sent. Until the card unit 230 starts up, only the (1) game machine information notification and (2) counting notification are unilaterally sent.

[0104] As mentioned above, the slot machine 10 detects that the power supply (VL) of the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 has been turned ON, and knows that the card unit 230 has finished starting up. Therefore, it may start the above communication after that. Furthermore, this confirmation that the power supply (VL) is ON may be performed not only at the start of communication but also at all times after communication has started. In this case, if the card unit 230 malfunctions for any reason, communication can be stopped by turning off the power supply (VL).

[0105] If the power supply (VL) of the gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is OFF, the system may not only stop communication, but also put the slot machine 10 into an error state, preventing various game operations, including the insertion of game value, from being performed, as this indicates that the card unit 230 is not properly connected. This is because if the card unit 230 is not connected, the player cannot receive game value. In this case, the MPU 151 may instruct the display device 111 to display on the auxiliary display unit 15 that the card unit is unusable, so that the player or hall staff can see what state the slot machine 10 is in.

[0106] The card unit 230 may add a condition for turning OFF or not turning ON the power supply (VL) of the gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250, which is whether or not the player is suspected of having a gambling addiction based on the player's situation identified based on the magnetic card's member ID. For example, this could be when the total amount of money spent playing, the amount of money lost, the amount of time spent playing, the number of times played, etc., over a recent predetermined period exceeds a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, it could be when an acceptable frequency of playing is registered along with the member ID at the request of a family member or close friend who wishes for the player to overcome their gambling addiction. These decisions may be made within the card unit 230, or on a server connected to the card unit 230 via a network.

[0107] If the operation of the gaming machine is restricted due to suspected gambling addiction, the LCD display panel 225 of the card unit 230 may be configured to display a warning about gambling addiction or messages from family and friends obtained from a higher-level server.

[0108] Figure 7 shows only the (1) Gaming Machine Information Notification, omitting the (2) Counting Notification, (3) Loan Notification, and (4) Loan Receipt Result Response messages. As explained in Figure 6, the omitted messages exist between the messages of the (1) Gaming Machine Information Notification. As mentioned above, the (1) Gaming Machine Information Notification is subdivided into three types of messages: (1-1) Gaming Machine Installation Information, (1-2) Gaming Machine Performance Information, and (1-3) Hall Computer / Fraud Monitoring Information. As shown in Figure 7, (1-1) Gaming Machine Installation Information is notified at 60-second intervals, (1-2) Gaming Machine Performance Information is notified at 180-second intervals, and (1-3) Hall Computer / Fraud Monitoring Information is notified at 300-msec intervals. If notification conditions overlap, the priority is given in the following order: (1-1) Gaming Machine Installation Information, (1-2) Gaming Machine Performance Information, and (1-3) Hall Computer / Fraud Monitoring Information.

[0109] Next, the control processes executed by the MPU 151 in the main control board 131 of the slot machine 10 will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 8 to 20. The processes of the MPU 151 can be broadly divided into the main process, which is started when the power is turned on, and the timer interrupt process, which is started periodically (at a period of 1.49 msec in this embodiment). For the sake of explanation, the timer interrupt process will be explained first, followed by the main process.

[0110] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt processing that is periodically executed on the main control board 131, where the MPU 151 of the main control board 131 generates a timer interrupt, for example, every 1.49 msec.

[0111] First, in the register saving process shown in S201, the values ​​of all registers in the MPU 151 used in the normal processing described later are saved to the backup area of ​​RAM 153 (S201). Then, it is checked whether or not a power outage signal has been received (S202), and only if a power outage signal has been received the power outage processing is executed (S203). The power outage signal is a signal generated by the power outage monitoring circuit 161b of the power supply unit 161 when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and is output to the main control board 131.

[0112] Here, the power outage processing (S203) will be explained using Figure 9. This power outage processing (S203) is performed immediately after the register save processing among the timer interrupt processing, so it can be executed without interrupting other interrupt processing. Therefore, this power outage processing will not be executed by interrupting each process, such as during the transmission of various commands or the reading of the switch state (on / off), and there is no need to create a power outage processing program that takes into account the timing of execution. This simplifies the processing program for power outages and reduces the program size. The same applies to the processing program for power restoration, which will be described later.

[0113] In the power outage processing (S203), it is first determined whether or not command transmission has finished (S221). If transmission has not finished (S221: No), the power outage processing (S203) is terminated, and the system returns to the timer interrupt processing shown in Figure 8, and command transmission is terminated. In this way, by determining whether or not command transmission is complete at the initial stage of power outage processing, prioritizing transmission processing if transmission is incomplete, and executing power outage processing (S203) after the completion of unit command transmission processing, it becomes unnecessary to construct a power outage processing program that takes into account the possibility of power outage processing being executed in the middle of command transmission. As a result, the power outage processing program can be simplified, and the capacity of ROM 152 can be reduced.

[0114] If the command transmission is complete during the S221 process (S221:Yes) The value of the stack pointer of the MPU151 is saved to the backup area in RAM153 (S222). Then, as a stop process, the RAM judgment value described later is cleared, the output state of the output port at output port 156 is cleared, and all actuators not shown are turned off (S223). Furthermore, the RAM judgment value is calculated and saved to the backup area (S224). Specifically, the RAM judgment value is the two's complement of the checksum at the working area address of RAM153. By saving the RAM judgment value to the backup area, the checksum of RAM153 becomes 0. Further RAM access is prohibited to prevent accidental overwriting of RAM153 (S225). After that, an infinite loop is entered in preparation for the complete power cut-off and the inability to execute processing.

[0115] Furthermore, to account for cases where the power outage signal is incorrectly received due to noise or other factors, the system checks whether a power outage signal is being output until it enters an infinite loop. If no power outage signal is output, it means that the power has been restored from the power outage state, so writing to RAM153 is permitted, the power outage flag is reset, and the system returns to the timer interrupt processing shown in Figure 8. If the power outage signal continues to be output, the system enters an infinite loop.

[0116] Furthermore, the power supply unit 161a of the power supply device 161 is configured to maintain the output of a stabilized voltage (5 volts) used as the drive voltage for the control system for a sufficient amount of time to perform the power outage processing described above. In this embodiment, the drive voltage is continuously output for 30 msec.

[0117] Returning to Figure 8, let's explain the timer interrupt processing. If a power outage signal is not received in processing S202, or after the power outage processing (S203) is completed, various processes from S204 onwards are performed.

[0118] In S204, a watchdog timer clearing process is performed to initialize the value of the watchdog timer used to monitor for malfunctions (S204). In S205, a stepping motor control process is performed to drive the stepping motors 61L to 61R, which are the respective reel drive motors, in order to rotate each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R (S205).

[0119] In S206, sensor monitoring is performed to monitor the status of various sensors (see Figure 4) connected to input port 155 (S206). The connection status with card unit 230 is also processed here. That is, as mentioned above, when card unit 230 turns on the power supply (VL) of the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250, the photocoupler 255 of the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 turns on, and the input of input port 155 to which the pull-up resistor 155a is connected is set to L level, so the connection status with card unit 230 can be recognized by monitoring input port 155. If a connection failure is detected, the status flag is set to card unit connection error or card unit not connected. If the status flag is set to card unit connection error or card unit not connected, the game value input switch processing (S209) described later may be controlled so as not to perform game value input processing, or the counting processing (S277) may be controlled so that the counted game value is always set to zero and counting notification communication is performed. If a counting notification is issued while the card unit is not connected, the game value counter of the slot machine 10 will become zero, but there is no guarantee that the game value will be transferred to the magnetic card of the card unit 230, which would cause damage to the player. If the card unit 230 is recognized to be properly connected from the power supply (VL) status, the status flags for card unit connection error or card unit not connected are cleared to indicate that it is normal. In addition, in the case of such an abnormal connection state, in the command output processing (S212) described later, the display control device 111 is instructed to display on the auxiliary display unit 15 that the card unit is unusable, so that the player or hall employee can see what state the slot machine 10 is in. You may display it.

[0120] In S207, a timer subtraction process is performed to subtract the values ​​of each counter and timer (S207).

[0121] In S208, processing related to the counting switch is performed (S208).

[0122] Here, the counting switch process (S208) will be explained using Figure 10. Counting is the operation of transferring the number of games played from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230, and the control of this counting operation is handled in the counting process (S277) during the unit communication process (S211). In this counting switch process (S208), the counting process (S277) performs a process to set a counting status flag that specifies whether or not to perform the counting operation.

[0123] First, it is determined whether the VL connection confirmation signal is ON or OFF (S231). As mentioned above, when the card unit 230 is operating normally, it turns ON the power supply (VL) to the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250. If this state cannot be confirmed (S231: NO), the card unit 230 is not ready to receive the transfer of the number of games held from the slot machine 10, so it returns without executing the counting switch process.

[0124] If the VL connection confirmation signal is ON in S231 (S231:YES), it is determined whether the counting switch 80 is turned ON or not (S232). If the counting switch 80 is not turned ON (S232:NO), it is determined whether the current game value counter is equal to or greater than the upper limit of the automatically counted game value (S240). If the specification is to implement a system where counting only occurs while the counting switch 80 is turned ON, the counting status flag is turned OFF here and the system returns.

[0125] In S240, if the current game value counter is equal to or greater than the upper limit of the automatically counted game value (S240: YES), the second counting status flag is set (S241). When the second counting status flag is set, a counting notification is sent to the card unit 230 in the counting process described later (S277). Then, in the counting process (S277), after sending the current game value to the card unit 230 until the current game value counter falls below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value, the second counting status flag is cleared (S300).

[0126] The second counting status flag is a flag that enables automatic counting to be performed so that the number of game values ​​held does not become too large, even when the player does not operate the counting switch 80. The upper limit of the automatically counted game value may be set by the player, or only by the hall manager. Alternatively, it may not be set and may be a value specific to the game machine. The lower limit of the automatically counted game value should preferably be a number relatively small compared to the upper limit so that automatic counting is not activated too frequently. For example, if the upper limit of the automatically counted game value is 2,000 coins and the lower limit is 1,000 coins, automatic counting will start when the number of game values ​​held exceeds 2,000 coins and end when the number of game values ​​held reaches 1,000 coins. If the game machine does not activate automatic counting, the processing in S240 and S241 is unnecessary.

[0127] The value of the game tokens held is stored electromagnetically in a game token counter, so unlike physical tokens, it is not subject to physical constraints such as volume, even if the number of tokens is large. However, a large amount of game tokens, such as several thousand, is not only unnecessary during gameplay, but also inconvenient because counting them all at once at the end of the game would take a long time. Furthermore, considering the risk of loss due to accidents or electrical malfunctions, it is safer to keep only the necessary number of game tokens in the game machine and transfer the rest to a magnetic card.

[0128] If the counting switch 80 is turned ON in S232 (S232:YES), it is determined whether the counting status flag is ON or OFF (S233). The counting status flag specifies that the counting operation will be performed when ON, and the counting operation will not be performed when OFF. If the counting status flag is ON (S233:YES), the counting operation is already in progress, and no special processing is required even if the counting switch 80 is turned ON, so the system simply returns. If the system is designed to allow the player to cancel the counting operation by pressing the counting switch 80 again, the system will turn the counting status flag OFF here and then return. In that case, the determination that the counting switch 80 is turned ON (S232:YES) is the determination of whether the system is on edge.

[0129] If the counting status flag is not ON in S233 (S233:NO), it is determined whether the current game is a replay (S234). Since the value of the bet counter 153b in a replay game is not the number of bets resulting from the game value being invested, if it is a replay (S234:YES), the process of including the value of the next bet counter 153b in the counted game value is skipped, and the process of determining whether there is a number of game values ​​held is jumped to (S238).

[0130] If a replay is not in progress in S234 (S234:NO), it is determined whether the bet counter 153b is 0 or not (S235). If the bet counter 153b is not 0 (S235:NO), the value of the bet counter 153b is added to the game value counter 153c (S236), and the bet counter 153b is cleared (S237). The state where the bet counter 153b is not 0 is the state after inserting game value but before operating the start lever 71, so the processing in S236 and S237 is the same as the processing that cancels the insertion of game value, i.e., the processing when the settlement switch 76 is pressed. It is convenient that by pressing the counting switch 80, the inserted game value can be counted without pressing the settlement switch 76. If the specification is that settlement processing is limited to when the settlement switch 76 is pressed, then the processing in S234 to S237 is omitted.

[0131] If a replay is in progress in S234 (S234:YES), if the bet counter 153b is 0 in S235 (S235:YES), and after clearing the bet counter 153b in S237, it is determined whether the held game value counter 153c is 0 or not (S238). If the held game value counter 153c is 0 (S238:YES), there is no held game value to count, so the system returns without counting. If the held game value counter 153c is not 0 (S238:NO), the counting state flag is turned ON, the second counting state flag is cleared (S239), and the system returns. If the player presses the counting switch 80 during automatic counting, it means that they want to count all of their game value without stopping at the lower limit of the automatically counted game value, so the second counting state flag is cleared.

[0132] Returning to Figure 8, let's explain the timer interrupt processing. After the counting switch processing in S208, the game value input switch processing (S209) is performed.

[0133] Here, the game value input switch process (S209) will be explained using Figure 11. This process is performed when the first game value input switch 77 for inputting 3 game value coins at once, the second game value input switch 78 for inputting 2 game value coins at once, and the third game value input switch 79 for inputting 1 game value coin at once are pressed. Rather than simply inputting the number of game value coins corresponding to the pressed game value input switch, the actual number of game value coins to be input is determined by considering the number of game value coins held and the number of bets.

[0134] First, it is determined whether the counting status flag is ON or OFF (S251). If the counting status flag is ON (S251: YES), the game value input switch process is not performed and the program returns. When the counting status flag is ON, the system is in counting mode, transferring the value of the held game value counter 153c to the card unit 230. Therefore, the value of the held game value counter 153c will soon become 0. In this state, it would be unnatural to input game value from the held game value counter 153c, so inputting game value is prohibited while in counting mode. However, if the counting speed is slow and it takes a long time to count everything, it would not be unnatural to allow the player to play several games during counting. In that case, the process in S251 is omitted, and in the counting switch processing, when the counting switch 80 is pressed, it is treated as if the settlement switch 76 was pressed, and the process of returning the value of the bet counter 153b to the held game value counter 153c (S234~S237) is omitted.

[0135] Note that the status of the second counting state flag is not considered. Automatic counting is a state in which the surplus of the game value counter 153c is transferred to the card unit 230. Therefore, after counting, the value of the game value counter 153c will not become 0, and a sufficient amount of game value will remain to continue playing, allowing the player to continue playing. Consequently, in the second counting state, game operations, including the input of game value, can be performed.

[0136] If the counting status flag is not ON (S251: NO), it is determined whether the held game value counter 153c is 0 or not (S252). If the held game value counter 153c is 0 (S252: YES), there is no held game value to insert, so the game value insertion switch process is not performed and the system returns.

[0137] If the game value counter 153c is not 0 in S252 (S252: NO), then it is determined whether the bet counter 153b is at the specified number (S253). The specified number is the maximum amount of game value that can be invested in the game. If the bet counter 153b is at the specified number (S253: YES), then the maximum amount of game value has already been invested, so the game value investment switch process is not performed and the system returns.

[0138] If the bet counter 153b in S253 is not the specified number (S253: NO), it is determined whether any of the first to third game value input switches 77 to 79 are ON or OFF (S254). If none of the game value input switches are ON (S254: NO), the game value input switch processing is not performed and the process returns.

[0139] In S254, if any of the game value input switches 77-79 are ON (S254:YES), the number of game value tokens to be actually inserted is determined by the following process. First, the number of game value tokens to be inserted corresponding to the ON game value input switches 77-79 is set in the work area for the number of tokens to be inserted (S255). For example, if the first game value input switch 77 is ON, 3 is set as the number of tokens to be inserted.

[0140] Next, it is determined whether the number of game values ​​inserted is less than or equal to the value of the game value counter 153c (S256). If the number of game values ​​inserted is less than or equal to the value of the game value counter 153c (S256: YES), the number of game values ​​inserted is left as is. If the number of game values ​​inserted is not less than or equal to the value of the game value counter 153c (S256: NO), it means that the player does not have any game value remaining, as only the number of game values ​​corresponding to the pressed game value insertion switch has been inserted, so the value of the game value counter 153c is set to the number of game values ​​inserted.

[0141] Next, it is determined whether the difference between the specified number and the value of the bet counter 153b is greater than or equal to the number of tokens inserted (S258). If the difference between the specified number and the value of the bet counter 153b is greater than or equal to the number of tokens inserted (S258: YES), the number of tokens inserted remains the same. If the difference between the specified number and the value of the bet counter 153b is not greater than or equal to the number of tokens inserted (S258: NO), inserting all the tokens would cause the value of the bet counter 153b to exceed the specified number, so To prevent this, the number of tokens to be inserted is set to the difference between the specified number and the value of the bet counter 153b (S259).

[0142] The number of tokens inserted, as determined by the above process, is the actual number of game values ​​to be inserted. This value is subtracted from the game value counter 153c, added to the bet counter 153b and the input counter 153d, the active line display units 32-34 are updated (S260), and the game value insertion process S209 is returned.

[0143] Returning to Figure 8, let's explain the timer interrupt processing. After the game value input switch processing in S209, the start lever processing (S210) is performed.

[0144] Here, the start lever process (S210) will be explained using Figure 12. This process is an interrupt process that corresponds to the point (S504) where the game is waiting to start in the normal process (S407) which controls the progress of the game. It transmits the fact that the start lever 71 has been operated from the interrupt process to the normal process via the start flag.

[0145] First, it is determined whether the bet counter 153b is 0 or not (S261). If the bet counter 153b is 0 (S261: YES), it means that there is no value in the game that was played, so no special processing is performed and the system returns.

[0146] If the bet counter 153b is not 0 in S261 (S261:NO), it is determined whether the start lever 71 is ON or OFF (S262). The movement of the start lever 71 can be recognized from the input port 155 via the start detection sensor 71a. Here, ON refers to the timing of the so-called edge, when the lever changes from the OFF state to the ON state. If the start lever 71 is not ON (S262:NO), the start lever 71 has not been operated, so the process proceeds to the beginning of the processing when the next settlement switch 76 is operated, which is the process of determining whether a replay is currently in progress (S266).

[0147] If the start lever 71 is ON in S262 (S262:YES), it means that the start lever 71 has been operated with a bet of game value, so a series of processes S263 to S265 are performed to start the game. In S263, the start flag is set. In S264, the value of the bet counter 153b is set in the number of coins inserted field of the game information in the game machine information notification in order to send it to the card unit 230. In S265, the value of the bet counter 153 and the replay flag are cleared and the system returns.

[0148] If the start lever 71 is not ON in S262 (S262: NO), it is determined whether or not a replay is currently in progress (S266). If a replay is currently in progress (S266: YES), the number of bets in the replay game cannot be returned as game value, so the processing related to the subsequent settlement switch 76 is not performed, and the system returns.

[0149] If the current state in S266 is not replaying (S266:NO), then it is determined whether the settlement switch 76 is ON or OFF (S267). The movement of the settlement switch 76 can be recognized from the input port 155 via the settlement detection sensor 76a. If the settlement switch 76 is not ON (S267:NO), it means that the settlement switch 76 has not been operated, so no special processing is performed and the system returns.

[0150] In S267, if the settlement switch 76 is ON (S267: YES), since the game value has been bet but the game has not been started, the value of the bet counter 153b is added to the game value counter 153c (S268). Then, in order to send to the card unit 230, the value of the bet counter is added from the input counter 153d. Subtract the value of counter 153b (S269). This means that the game value will be returned to the number of games with the bet value. Then, clear the bet counter 153b (S270) and return.

[0151] Returning to Figure 8, let's explain the timer interrupt processing. After the start lever processing in S210, the unit communication processing (S211) is performed.

[0152] Here, the unit communication process (S211) will be explained using Figure 13. This process controls the serial communication between the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230, as shown in Figure 6.

[0153] First, the game machine information notification timer is updated (S271), and it is determined whether the game machine information notification timer is 0 or not (S272). Since the game machine information notification is transmitted at a 300 msec cycle, and in this embodiment the timer interrupt processing is activated every 1.49 msec, the timer value is initially set to 202, and in S271 the game machine information notification timer is decremented by 1. If it becomes 0 (S272: YES), the communication interval becomes 300.98 msec, satisfying the communication requirements.

[0154] If the gaming machine information notification timer is 0 in S272 (S272:YES), the aforementioned 202 is reset to the gaming machine information notification timer (S273), and the transmission of gaming machine information notifications begins (S274). As shown in Figure 7, the gaming machine information notifications are subdivided into (1-1) gaming machine installation information, which is transmitted every 60 seconds; (1-2) gaming machine performance information, which is transmitted every 180 seconds; and (1-3) hall control / fraud monitoring information, which is transmitted every 300 msec. Therefore, normally, (1-3) hall control / fraud monitoring information is transmitted, (1-1) gaming machine installation information is transmitted every 200 times, and (1-2) gaming machine performance information is transmitted every 600 times.

[0155] If the game machine information notification timer is not 0 in S272 (S272:NO), the count notification timing is determined (S275). In S273, 202 is reset to the game machine information notification timer, and then 1 is deducted every 1.49 msec. The timing that matches 134 is (202-134)×1.49 msec=101.32 msec, so this timing is the count notification timing (S275:YES). If it is not the count notification timing (S275:NO), the process proceeds to determine whether the loan notification timer is 0 or not (S279). If it is the count timing (S275:YES), the VL connection confirmation signal confirmation process is performed (S276). In S276, if the VL connection confirmation signal is ON, no special processing is performed. However, if the VL connection confirmation signal is OFF, the card unit 230 is not ready to receive the transfer of the number of games played from the slot machine 10, so the counting status flag and the second counting status flag are cleared. After that, the counting process (S277) is performed.

[0156] Here, the counting process (S277) will be explained using Figure 14. This process determines the number of games to be counted and starts sending a counting notification when the game is in the counting state. However, if the number of games held is large, the counting cannot be completed with a single counting notification, so this process is designed to perform the counting with multiple counting notifications.

[0157] First, it is determined whether or not the system is in counting mode (S291). In the counting switch processing (S208) described above, the counting mode flag is set if it is recognized that the counting switch 80 has been turned ON. Also, even if the counting switch 80 is not turned ON, the second counting mode flag is set if the current game value counter is equal to or greater than the upper limit of the automatically counted game value. The counting mode is the state in which either the counting mode flag or the second counting mode flag is set. If the system is not in counting mode (S291: NO), the counted game value is set to 0 (S2 99) Start sending the counting notification (S301).

[0158] In S291, if the counting state is in place (S291:YES), it is determined whether the value of the held game value counter 153c is less than the unit counted game value (S292). The unit counted game value is the maximum number of counted game values ​​transmitted from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230 in a single counting notification communication. This may be a fixed value specific to the slot machine 10, or a value corresponding to the held game value to be counted may be determined at the start of the counting process.

[0159] The time required to count the value of the game tokens held is (number of game tokens held / unit count value) × 300 msec (period of count notification communication). Therefore, if the unit count value is large, the time required for counting will be shorter. Conversely, if the number of game tokens held is large, the time required for counting will be longer. On the other hand, since slot machine 10 does not handle physical game tokens, the time required to count the game tokens at the end of the game is a valuable opportunity to feel the value of the game tokens that have been acquired, so a shorter counting time is not necessarily better. Therefore, in order to maximize the player's satisfaction, the time required for counting can be adjusted to the optimal length by adjusting the unit count value. Also, since satisfaction is subjective, the counting time required to obtain satisfaction may not be proportional to the number of game tokens held. In such cases, by appropriately selecting the unit count value according to the number of game tokens held, it is possible to give the player satisfaction in counting regardless of the number of game tokens held.

[0160] In S292, if the value of the held game value counter 153c is less than the unit counted game value (S292:YES), the current held game value can be sent with a single counting notification. Therefore, the value of the held game value counter 153c is set to the counted game value (S293), the held game value counter 153c is cleared (S294), and the process proceeds to clear the counting status flag (S300).

[0161] If, in S292, the value of the held game value counter 153c is not less than the unit counted game value (S292: NO), the current held game value cannot be transmitted in a single counting notification, so the value of the unit counted game value is set to the counted game value (S295), and the unit counted game value is subtracted from the held game value counter 153c (S296). As a result, the held game value counter 153c may become exactly 0, so it is determined whether the value of the held game value counter 153c is 0 or not (S297). If, in S297, the value of the held game value counter 153c is 0 (S297: YES), all the held game value has been counted, so the counting status flag is cleared (S300) to return the counting status to the normal state, and the transmission of counting notifications is started (S301).

[0162] If the value of the held game value counter 153c in S297 is not 0 (S297: NO), it is determined whether the held game value counter 153c is below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value (S298). If the held game value counter is below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value (S298: YES), the second counting state flag is cleared (S300). In this case, if the counting switch 80 is turned ON and the counting state is activated, there is no need to stop counting at the lower limit of the automatically counted game value, so the counting state flag is not cleared.

[0163] If, in S298, the value of the game value counter 153c is not below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value (S298: NO), the counting state continues, so the second counting state flag is not cleared, and the counting notification is started to be sent (S301).

[0164] Returning to Figure 13, let's explain the unit communication process. After the counting process in S277, the loan notification timer setting process (S278) is performed. The initial value of the loan notification timer is 0. After the counting process in S277, a value equivalent to 170 msec is set (S278).

[0165] In S279, it is determined whether the loan notification timer is 0 or not (S279). If the loan notification timer is 0 (S279: YES), the processing related to the loan notification is skipped and the system returns. Since the loan notification communication is a serial communication sent from the card unit 230 to the slot machine 10, the slot machine 10 will not receive the loan notification communication if the card unit 230 is not connected or has not yet started up. Even in such cases, to prevent waiting for the loan notification communication indefinitely, the system is configured to receive the loan notification communication only for 170 msec after the counting notification. Since the loan notification timer is not 0 for 170 msec after the counting process in S277, if the loan notification timer is not 0 (S279: NO), the processing related to the loan notification communication is performed.

[0166] In S280, the loan notification timer is updated (S280). In S281, it is determined whether or not a loan notification has been received (S281). If no loan notification has been received in S281 (S281:NO), the processing related to the loan notification is skipped and the program returns.

[0167] If a loan notification has been received in S281 (S281:YES), the loan process (S282) is performed.

[0168] Here, the lending process (S282) will be explained using Figure 15. This process updates the value of the held game value counter 153c in response to the lending notification of game value received from the card unit 230, and sends a response to the card unit 230.

[0169] First, it is determined whether the number of tickets to be lent in the received loan notification is 0 (S311). If the number of tickets to be lent is 0 (S311: YES), the game value counter 153c is not updated, and the process proceeds to setting the number of tickets received to "normal" (S314).

[0170] If the number of loaned tokens in S311 is not 0 (S311: NO), it is determined whether the value of the held game value counter 153c is equal to or greater than the number of game values ​​that do not need to be loaned (S312). When game value is loaned, if adding it to the held game value counter 153c would cause the held game value counter 153c to overflow, it is natural that the loan cannot be received. However, if there is already enough held game value to continue playing, there is no reason to receive any more loans. Therefore, a value that is sufficient to continue playing, even if it is much smaller than the maximum value that the held game value counter 153c can take, is defined as the number of game values ​​that do not need to be loaned, and if the held game value counter 153c exceeds that value, the loan is refused. For this reason, if the value of the held game value counter 153c is equal to or greater than the number of game values ​​that do not need to be loaned (S312: YES), the held game value counter 153c is not updated, and "abnormal" is set in the loaned token receipt result (S315). In this way, even if a loan notification is sent from the card unit 230, if it is determined that the loan is unnecessary, the loan notification will be rejected.

[0171] If, in S312, the value of the game value counter 153c is not equal to or greater than the number of games that do not need to be lent out (S312: NO), the number of lent out is added to the game value counter 153c (S313), and the result of receiving the number of lent out is set to "normal" (S314).

[0172] After setting the loan receipt result to "Normal" or "Abnormal," send it as the loan receipt result response (S316) and return.

[0173] Returning to Figure 13, let's explain the unit communication process. After performing the loan process in S282, the loan notification timer is cleared (S283), and the program returns.

[0174] Returning to Figure 8, the timer interrupt processing will be explained. After the unit communication processing in S211, command output processing (S212) is performed to send commands to the display control device 111. In S213, segment data for displaying the corresponding numbers, symbols, etc., in the game value display unit 35, the game count display unit 36, and the acquired coins display unit 37 is determined, and port output processing is performed to output this segment data to each display unit 35 to 37 via the output port 155 (S213). In S214, the values ​​of each register that were saved in the backup area in S201 are restored to the corresponding registers in the MPU 151 (S214). After that, interrupt enable processing is performed to allow the next timer interrupt, and this series of timer interrupt processing is completed.

[0175] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the main processing performed on the main control board 131 after power-on. The main processing is performed when power is restored from a power outage or when the power switch 122 is turned on.

[0176] First, as part of the initialization process, the value of the stack pointer is set within the MPU151, and the interrupt mode is set to enable interrupt processing. After that, various settings are made for the registers within the MPU151, I / O devices, etc. (S401).

[0177] Once these initialization processes (S401) are completed, it is then determined whether or not a setting key is inserted into the setting key insertion hole 124 (S402). If a setting key is inserted (S402: YES), it is then determined whether or not the reset switch 123 is turned ON (S403). If the reset switch 123 is turned ON (S403: YES), the reset switch 123 is turned ON when the power switch 122 is turned ON, so all the data stored in RAM 153 is cleared as a full clear process (S405). If the reset switch 123 is not turned ON (S403: NO), some of the data stored in RAM 153 is cleared as a partial clear process (S404). In other words, if the setting value of the slot machine 10 is changed without performing an operation to initialize RAM 153, the partial clear process (S404) is executed, and if an operation to initialize RAM 153 is performed, the full clear process (S405) is executed.

[0178] In the partial clear process (S404), all areas of RAM153 are cleared to 0, except for the area where data indicating whether or not the BB state is stored, the area where data indicating the total number of game values ​​awarded in the BB state is stored, the area where data indicating whether or not the AT state is stored, the area where data for identifying the termination conditions of the AT state is stored, and the area where data indicating the type of lottery mode (described later) is stored. In this case, the area where the winning combination is stored is cleared to 0. In the full clear process (S405), all areas of RAM153 are cleared to 0, including the areas that are excluded from the 0 clearing in the partial clear process. As a result, even if the partial clear process (S404) is executed, the BB state, AT state, and lottery mode are maintained in the state before the power was cut off, and if the full clear process (S405) is executed, the game returns to the normal game state regardless of the state before the power was cut off.

[0179] Furthermore, the configuration is not limited to the above. If the power is cut off while in the BB state and a partial clear process is performed, the system may be configured to be in a state other than the BB state. Similarly, if the power is cut off while in the AT state and a partial clear process is performed, the system may be configured to be in a state other than the AT state. In addition, even if a partial clear process is performed, the area where data indicating that a BB role has been won is stored may not be reset to 0.

[0180] After performing a partial clear (S404) or a full clear (S405) operation, The setting change process (S406) is performed. In the setting change process, it is determined which of the six pre-set setting states ("Setting 1" to "Setting 6") has been selected, and then internal processing is executed according to the selected setting state. After the setting change process (S405) is performed, the normal processing (S407), which will be described later, is executed.

[0181] If no setting key is inserted in S402 (S402:NO), the process proceeds to the power restoration process shown in S408 and later. The power restoration process is executed. The power restoration process is the process of restoring the state of the slot machine 10 to the state it was in before the power was cut off.

[0182] In the power restoration process, the first step is to determine whether the set value is normal or not (S408). Specifically, if the set value is one of "Setting 1" to "Setting 6", it is determined to be normal, and if it is "0" or "7" or higher, it is determined to be abnormal. If the set value is normal (S408:YES), it is checked whether the power outage flag is set to "1" (S409). The power outage flag is set to "1" if the power outage processing is executed normally when the supply of operating power is stopped. If the power outage flag is set to "1" (S409:YES), it is checked whether the RAM judgment value is normal or not (S410). Specifically, the checksum value of RAM153 is checked, and it is confirmed whether the value is normal, that is, whether the checksum value including the RAM judgment value is 0 or not. If the checksum value including the RAM judgment value is 0 (S410:YES), it is determined that the data in RAM153 is normal.

[0183] If the RAM judgment value is determined to be normal (S410: YES), it means that all of S408 to S410 have been determined to be positive, which means that the power outage processing during the previous power outage was executed successfully. In that case, the value of the stack pointer stored in the backup area is written to the stack pointer of the MPU 151, and the stack state is restored to the state before the power was cut off (S411). Then, the power outage flag is cleared (S412), a power restoration command is sent to the display control device 111 to indicate the execution of the power restoration process (S413), and the address returns to the address before the power was cut off (S414).

[0184] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in any of S408 to S410, an operation prohibition process is executed. In the operation prohibition process, the execution of the next timer interrupt process (Figure 8) is prohibited (S415), all output ports of the MPU151 are cleared to 0, thereby turning off all actuators connected to those output ports (S416), and an error notification process is executed to notify the hall manager, etc., of the occurrence of an error (S417). Then, an infinite loop is created. This operation prohibition process is released when the all-clear process (S405) is executed.

[0185] Next, the normal processing (S407) that performs the main controls related to the game will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 17.

[0186] In normal processing (S407), first, a display clear process is performed (S501). In the display clear process, if the auxiliary display unit 15 was controlled to display a predetermined display in the previous game, that predetermined display is erased. As a result, the auxiliary display unit 15 is turned off and nothing is displayed.

[0187] Next, it is determined whether the result of the previous game was a replay win (S502). If it was a replay win (S502: YES), the current game can be played without investing any game value. Specifically, the number invested in the previous game is set in the bet counter 153b (S503), and the start flag is turned ON (S504).

[0188] If the result of the previous game was not a replay win (S502: NO), the value of the game is It is put in and we wait for the start flag to turn ON (S504).

[0189] As mentioned above, the input of game value when the game value input switch is pressed, the cancellation of the input game value when the settlement switch is pressed, the termination of the game when the counting switch is pressed, and the detection of operation of the start lever are all handled by timer interrupt processing. In the normal processing that controls the progress of the game, it is sufficient to wait for the start flag to turn ON (S504).

[0190] If the start lever 71 is operated and the start flag is turned ON (S504: YES), a lottery process is executed to determine whether the game is successful or not and what winning combination will be awarded for the game that is to be played as a result of the operation of the start lever 71 (S505).

[0191] Here, the lottery process (S505) will be explained using Figure 18. The lottery process is a process that determines whether the game to be played will be a win or a loss and which winning combination will be awarded. First, the random number value latched to the latch circuit 126 at this timing is written to the win / loss random number memory 153a (S601). This acquisition of random numbers may also be done at the point where the start flag is turned ON in the timer interrupt process. After that, a random number table for determining the win or loss is selected based on the current setting state of the slot machine 10, the number of game value tokens bet, the probability of winning a small role, etc. (S602). Here, the setting state of the slot machine 10 is one of "Setting 1" to "Setting 6" set using the setting key. When it is "Setting 1", the random number table with the lowest probability of winning a role is selected, and when it is "Setting 6", the random number table with the highest probability of winning a role is selected. Also, the number of game value tokens bet is one of 1 to 3 tokens, and a random number table is selected such that the probability of winning a role increases as the number of tokens bet increases. For example, the probability of winning a winning combination when three coins are bet is more than three times higher than the probability of winning a winning combination when one coin is bet. Furthermore, there are two types of small win probabilities: high and low. When the current payout rate is below a predetermined expected value, a random number table with a high probability of winning small wins is selected, and when it is above the predetermined expected value, a random number table with a low probability of winning small wins is selected.

[0192] In S603, the random number table selected in this manner is compared with the value stored in the win / loss random number memory 153a, that is, the random number value of the random number counter update circuit 125 latched to the latch circuit 126 when the start lever 71 is operated, to perform a draw for the winning combination (S603). Then, it is determined whether or not a winning combination has been achieved (S604). If no winning combination has been achieved (it is a miss) (S604: NO), this process ends. If a winning combination has been achieved (S604: YES), a winning flag corresponding to that combination is set (S605), and the valid lines for which the symbols should be aligned are determined. After the processing in S605, a slide table for reel stop control is determined and stored in the slide table storage area of ​​RAM 153 (S606), and this draw process (S505) ends.

[0193] In this context, the slip table is a table that determines how far the reel should slide to stop the symbol that should be stopped on a predetermined active line when the symbols on the predetermined active line at the time the stop switches 72-74 are pressed are different from the symbols that should be stopped on that active line. In the reel control process (S506), by using this slip table to control the stopping positions of the reels 42L, 42M, and 42R, the behavior of the stopped reels 42L, 42M, and 42R can be made consistent with the lottery result.

[0194] Returning to Figure 17, let's explain the normal process. After the lottery process in S505, a reel control process is executed to control the rotation and stopping of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R (S506).

[0195] Here, the reel control process (S506) will be explained using Figure 19. Reel control The process begins with a rotation start process (S701) to initiate the rotation of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R. In the rotation start process, it is checked whether a predetermined wait time (e.g., 4.1 seconds) has elapsed since the rotation of reels 42L, 42M, and 42R corresponding to the result of the hand lottery process (Figure 18) in the previous game. If the wait time has not elapsed, the system waits until the wait time has elapsed. Once the wait time has elapsed, the wait time for the next game is reset, and rotation start information is set in the motor control storage area located in the work area for specific control described later in RAM 153. By performing this process, the stepping motor acceleration process (S205) in the timer interrupt process (Figure 8) is initiated, and each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R begins to rotate. After that, the system waits until each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R rotates at a predetermined constant speed, and then the rotation start process ends. Furthermore, when the rotation speed of each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R reaches a constant speed, the MPU 151 illuminates the lamps (not shown) of each stop switch 72 to 74 to inform the player that it is possible to issue a stop command.

[0196] Subsequently, it is determined whether or not one of the stop switches 72 to 74 has been operated (S702). If it is determined that one of the stop switches 72 to 74 has been operated (S702: YES), it is determined whether or not the stop switch corresponding to the rotating reel has been operated (S703). If the stop switch corresponding to the rotating reel has been operated (S703: YES), the stop control processing shown in S704 to S709 is performed to stop the rotating reel.

[0197] In the stop control process, the base position (main In this embodiment, the symbol number of the symbol that has reached the lower position is confirmed (S704). Specifically, the symbol number of the symbol that has reached the base position is confirmed by the number of excitation pulses output from the time the detection signal of the reel index sensor is input. After that, the slip count of the reel that should be stopped is calculated (S705).

[0198] In this slot machine 10, when the stop switches 72-74 are operated, there are five stopping patterns for each reel 42L, 42M, and 42R: a stopping pattern where the reel stops at the position where it has reached the base position; a stopping pattern where the corresponding reel is slid one symbol's width before stopping; a stopping pattern where it is slid two symbol's widths before stopping; a stopping pattern where it is slid three symbol's widths before stopping; and a stopping pattern where it is slid four symbol's widths before stopping. In this case, S705 calculates a value from "0" to "4" as the number of slips.

[0199] Next, the calculated number of slips is added to the symbol number of the reached symbol to determine the symbol number of the stopping symbol to actually stop at the base position (S706). Then, it is determined whether the symbol number of the reached symbol and the symbol number of the stopping symbol for the reel to be stopped are equal (S707). If they are equal (S707:YES), the reel stop process is performed to stop the rotation of the reels (S708). After that, it is determined whether all reels 42L, 42M, and 42R have stopped (S709). If all reels 42L, 42M, and 42R have not stopped (S709:NO), the process returns to S702.

[0200] If it is determined that all reels 42L, 42M, and 42R are stopped (S709: YES), the prize determination process (S710) is executed, and then the prize result display command is set to the display control device 111 (S711) in order to display the prize result command, and the system returns.

[0201] Here, the award determination process (S710) will be explained using Figure 20. Award determination process First, the system identifies which symbols stopped on each reel (42L, 42M, 42R) (S801). Then, for each symbol displayed on each reel (42L, 42M, 42R), a logical operation is performed on the symbol combination using the 2-byte data set for each type of symbol (S802). After that, it is determined whether a win has occurred based on whether the derived 2-byte data corresponds to any winning data (S803). If a win has occurred (S803: YES), it is determined whether the winning data corresponds to the winning combination selected in the lottery process (Figure 18) at the start of the game (S804). If it corresponds to a winning combination (S804: YES), the winning combination processing is executed (S805), and the system returns. In the prize winning process (S805), if the winning combination is a minor role win, the number of game values ​​to be paid out is set in the payout counter so that game values ​​can be awarded in the next game value payout process (S507). On the other hand, if the winning combination is a replay win, a flag setting process is executed in the aforementioned normal process (Figure 17) so that the automatic input process (S503) is executed.

[0202] On the other hand, if the result does not correspond to the winning combination (S804:NO), it is determined that this is an fraudulent win that differs from the result drawn in the lottery process, and an abnormal notification command is set to the display control device 111 (S806). After that, the operation prohibition process (S807) is executed, and the game is stopped by entering an infinite loop. In the operation prohibition process (S807), the next timer interrupt process is prohibited and all output ports of the MPU 151 are cleared to 0, thereby turning off all actuators connected to those output ports. This operation prohibition state is released when the all clear process (S405) is executed.

[0203] Returning to Figure 17, let's explain the normal process. After the reel control process in S506, the game value payout process is executed (S507), in which the number of game values ​​set in the payout target counter for the winning result is displayed on the acquired coin display unit 37 or added to the held game value counter 153c. After that, the game end response process (S508), which controls the transition of game states such as RB, BB, AT, ART, and RT, is executed. Then, the process returns to the display clear process (S501) for the next game.

[0204] Thus, according to the first embodiment, since the timer interrupt processing, which is executed at regular time intervals, detects when the counting switch has been operated and switches the state to counting mode, it is possible to provide a gaming machine in which the player can operate the counting switch without being affected by the progress of the game controlled by normal processing.

[0205] Furthermore, the counting operation is intuitively understandable, and to interrupt the counting process, one simply needs to release the counting switch, thus providing a gaming machine with simple counting operation.

[0206] Furthermore, in the case of gaming machines where the counting operation takes a long time, it is not necessary to keep pressing the counting switch during the counting process, and if you want to interrupt the counting, you only need to press the counting switch again, thus providing a gaming machine with simple counting operation.

[0207] Furthermore, the second counting status flag allows for the provision of a gaming machine that automatically counts the number of game values ​​held by the player so as not to become excessively large, even if the player does not operate the counting switch 80. Since the game values ​​held are stored electromagnetically in the game value counter, they are not subject to physical constraints such as volume, unlike actual tokens, even if the number is large. However, a large amount of game value, such as several thousand tokens, is not only unnecessary during gameplay, but also inconvenient because counting it all at once at the end of the game would take a long time. Also, considering the risk of loss due to accidents or electrical malfunctions, it is safer to keep only the necessary number of tokens in the gaming machine and transfer the rest to a magnetic card.

[0208] Furthermore, even during automatic counting, the system can switch to the counting state simply by pressing the counting switch, without having to wait for the automatic counting to finish. This allows for the provision of a gaming machine with simple counting operations.

[0209] Furthermore, the time required to count the value of the game held is (number of game values ​​held / unit count game values) × 300 msec (period of count notification communication). Therefore, if the unit count game values ​​are large, the time required for counting will be shorter. Conversely, if the number of game values ​​held is large, the time required for counting will be longer. On the other hand, since slot machine 10 does not handle physical game tokens, the time required to count the game value at the end of the game is a valuable opportunity to feel the amount of game value acquired, so a shorter counting time is not necessarily better. Therefore, in order to maximize the player's satisfaction, the time required for counting can be adjusted to the optimal length by adjusting the unit count game values. Also, since satisfaction is subjective, the counting time required to obtain satisfaction may not be proportional to the number of game values ​​held. In such cases, by appropriately selecting the unit count game values ​​according to the number of game values ​​held, it is possible to give the player satisfaction in counting regardless of the number of game values ​​held.

[0210] Furthermore, since the number of game values ​​to be counted is determined according to the number of game values ​​to be counted, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that adjusts the counting processing time so that it does not feel unnatural whether the number of game values ​​to be counted is large or small. The number of game values ​​to be counted ranges from several tens of coins to more than 10,000 coins, so if a certain number of game values ​​is transmitted in the counting communication, the counting process will finish immediately if the number of game values ​​to be counted is small, but if the number of game values ​​to be counted is large, the player will have to wait for a long time until the counting process is finished.

[0211] Furthermore, as the number of communications related to counting increases, the number of game values ​​transmitted in a single counting communication can be increased. This allows for the provision of a gaming machine that adjusts the counting processing time to a level that feels natural regardless of whether the number of game values ​​to be counted is large or small. In addition, the normally passive waiting time for counting processing can be enhanced with an accelerated counting process, adding to the overall enjoyment.

[0212] Furthermore, even with the same game value, the impression a player receives will differ depending on whether the gaming machine has a high or low lending rate. For example, by measuring the game value of a high-rate gaming machine slowly and measuring the game value of a low-rate gaming machine quickly, it is possible to provide gaming machines with a counting processing speed that matches that impression.

[0213] Furthermore, since the counting speed can be adjusted by the player pressing the counting switch, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that performs counting in accordance with the player's preferences.

[0214] Furthermore, if a player already has enough remaining game value to continue playing, the game machine can be designed to refuse further lending. Since the remaining game value is stored electromagnetically in a game value counter, it is not subject to physical constraints such as volume, unlike physical tokens, even if the number of tokens is large. However, a large amount of game value, such as several thousand tokens, is not only unnecessary for gameplay, but also inconvenient because counting it all at once at the end of the game would take a long time. Also, considering the risk of loss due to accidents or electrical malfunctions, it is safer to keep only the necessary number of tokens in the game machine and transfer the rest to a magnetic card.

[0215] Furthermore, the game value lending device is connected to the network, and the lending operation for game value is accepted only if the value calculated by combining one or more data points from the player's game amount, loss amount, game time, and number of games played over a predetermined period, transmitted from the network's upper-level server based on the player's ID number (member ID on the magnetic card), does not exceed a predetermined value. This approach can prevent players from becoming excessively addicted, thus providing gaming machines that can be enjoyed in moderation. Furthermore, even for players who meet the aforementioned conditions, instead of completely prohibiting them from playing, a flexible approach may be adopted, such as allowing them to play as long as the playing time, amount spent, and number of plays per day are within predetermined limits.

[0216] Furthermore, if the decision of whether or not to lend out the value of the game, that is, whether or not to allow the player to play, is made by the upper-level server, then changing the decision criteria only requires changing the contents stored on the upper-level server, allowing for flexible responses to the criteria for determining addiction, which are prone to change due to social conditions and other factors.

[0217] Furthermore, based on the player's ID number, the criteria for deciding whether or not to allow the lending of gaming value to that player may be registered with a higher-level server connected to the network. This would allow the player's own opinion to be incorporated into the decision-making process regarding whether or not to allow them to play, thereby effectively promoting the resolution of gambling addiction.

[0218] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 21 to 32. In the first embodiment, the main control board 131 was configured to control the slot machine 10. In addition, in the second embodiment, the game value display control board 132 is configured to control the slot machine 10 in cooperation with the main control board 131. The game value display control board 132 is responsible for recording and displaying the total number of game values ​​that the player can use for playing the game by electromagnetic means. Since the other parts are the same as in the first embodiment described above, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the first embodiment and their descriptions are omitted.

[0219] Figure 21 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine 10 in the second embodiment. The MPU 151 mounted on the main control board 131 and the MPU 141 mounted on the game value display control board 132 can send and receive information from each other via a serial port or a parallel port. The game ball dispensing device connection terminal plate 250 for connecting to the card unit 230 was connected to the main control board 131 in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, it is connected to the game value display control board 132. The VL connection confirmation signal is received by the game value display control board 132 and communicates its status to the main control board 131. In addition, the total number of game values ​​that the player can use for playing is recorded in the game value counter 143c provided in the RAM 143 of the MPU 141 mounted on the game value display control board 132, and the value is displayed on the game value display unit 35.

[0220] The input counter 153d for transmission stores the number of game values ​​inserted each time game values ​​are inserted, and transmits this number to the game value display control board 132. After transmitting the stored number of game values ​​to the game value display control board 132, it is cleared to 0. Also, if the settlement switch 76 is pressed, the value of the bet counter 153b is subtracted from the input counter 153d for transmission, so it may become a negative value. The game value display control board 132 uses the value of the input counter 153d, which is transmitted each time a game value is inserted, to update the game value counter 143c, which is the game value held by the slot machine 10, and also transmits it to the card unit 230.

[0221] Although the card unit 230 and the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 are connected to the game value display control board 132, the contents of the serial communication between the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 are explained in Figures 6 and 7. The content is identical.

[0222] In Figure 21, the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 are shown as separate control boards. However, they may be configured as functional blocks on the same control board. This would eliminate the need for harnesses and connectors to connect the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132, resulting in cost savings. Furthermore, it would be easier to suppress the influence of external noise on signal transmission and reception, leading to more stable operation.

[0223] Figure 22 shows an overview of communication in the second embodiment. This figure illustrates the communication between the main control board 131, the game value display control board 132, and the card unit 230 in the slot machine 10.

[0224] The serial communication between the game value display control board 132 and the card unit 230 is identical in content and timing to the serial communication between the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 described in Figure 6, so its explanation is omitted.

[0225] Communication between the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 may be parallel communication or serial communication. The game value display control board 132 transmits (5) a game value notification, and the main control board 131 transmits (6) a game machine information notification. Although not shown in the diagram, each communication also includes an acknowledgment of the previous communication received from the other party, so the result of the previous transmission can be known, and measures such as retransmission can be taken as necessary.

[0226] As explained in Figure 6, in serial communication between the game value display control board 132 and the card unit 230, the game value display control board 132 functions as the master and determines the communication timing with a 300ms cycle. In communication between the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132, the game value display control board 132 functions as the master and the main control board 131 as the slave, which synchronizes with the communication with the card unit 230 and ensures that the preparation of transmission data and other operations are reliably performed.

[0227] The (5) Game Value Count Notification transmitted from the Game Value Count Display Control Board 132 transmits the value of the Game Value Count Counter 143c of the Game Value Count Display Control Board 132. The Game Value Count Display Control Board 132 manages the Game Value Count Counter 143c to be up-to-date by adding or subtracting the number of game values ​​inserted, the number of game values ​​paid out, and the loan notification received from the card unit 230 to the Game Value Count Counter 143c. The main control board 131 stores the (5) Game Value Count Notification received from the Game Value Count Display Control Board 132 in the Game Value Count Counter 153c and refers to it as the number of game values ​​that can be inserted when game values ​​are inserted. In addition, the Game Value Count Display Control Board 132 transmits the VL connection status, the counting status flag, and the second counting status flag, which indicate the status of the card unit 230.

[0228] The (6) Gaming machine information notification transmitted from the main control board 131 includes various data. The control MPU chip ID, gaming machine manufacturer code, and product code are always the same values ​​unique to the slot machine 10. Based on this data, the control board 132 converts the data of the control MPU chip ID, gaming machine manufacturer code, and product code into (1-1) Gaming machine installation information in Figure 6.

[0229] The number of game values ​​inserted is transmitted when the start lever 71 is operated. The number of game values ​​paid out is transmitted when all reels stop and one game is completed. In both cases, 1 Since the data is transmitted only once, if a reception error is detected by the receipt notification after sending non-zero data, it will be resent. The game value display control board 132 reflects these game value inputs and payouts in the game value counter 143c.

[0230] The current status of the gaming machine (RB, BB, AT, ...), error status, and fraud detection are transmitted.

[0231] The game value display control board 132 generates transmission data for the (1-3) Hall Computer Fraud Monitoring Information in Figure 6, based on the game value input, game value payout, game machine status (RB, BB, AT, ...), error status, fraud detection data, and the value of the game value counter 143c, which are received from the main control board 131.

[0232] Furthermore, the game value display control board 132 aggregates the total number of tokens inserted, the total number of tokens paid out, and MY (maximum difference in tokens) based on the same data, and uses this as the data for (1-2) the gaming machine performance information in Figure 6.

[0233] Next, in the slot machine 10 of the second embodiment, each control process executed by the MPU 151 in the main control board 131 will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 23 to 25.

[0234] Figure 23 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt processing that is periodically executed on the main control board 131. Compared to the timer interrupt processing in the first embodiment described in Figure 8, the processing content of the counting switch processing (S2208) and the game value display control board communication processing (S2211) are different, but the other processing content is the same.

[0235] Figure 24 is a flowchart of the counting switch processing (S2208) executed by the timer interrupt processing in Figure 23. The differences compared to the counting switch processing (S208) in the first embodiment described in Figure 10 will be explained.

[0236] First, it is determined whether the VL connection confirmation signal is ON or OFF (S2231). As mentioned above, the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to the game value display control board 132, so the VL connection confirmation signal, which can confirm whether the card unit 230 is operating normally, is input to the game value display control board 132 and the result is transmitted to the main control board 131. Therefore, the determination of whether the VL connection confirmation signal is ON or OFF is made based on the state of the VL connection confirmation signal received from the game value display control board 132. If the VL connection confirmation signal is not ON (S2231: NO), the system returns without executing the counting switch process.

[0237] The process of subtracting the value of the bet counter 153b from the transmission input counter 153d (S2236) is the part that performs the same processing as when the settlement switch 76 is pressed when the counting switch 80 is pressed after inserting game value but before operating the start lever 71. The transmission input counter 153d is a region that stores the number of game value inserted each time game value is inserted, in order to transmit it to the game value display control board 132, and is cleared to 0 after transmission. For example, after inserting 3 game value and before operating the start lever 71, the transmission input counter 153d is 0 because it has already been transmitted to the game value display control board 132. Subtracting the value of the bet counter 153b, which is 3, from this value, the value of the transmission input counter 153d becomes -3, a negative number. The game value display control board 132, upon receiving this value, will know that -3 game value has been inserted, meaning that the inserted game value is still available. It is interpreted that the number of coins has been returned to the game value, and 3 coins are added to the game value counter 143c. If the specification is that settlement processing will only occur when the settlement switch 76 is pressed, then the processing of S234, S235, S2236, and S237 is omitted.

[0238] S240 and S241 are processes that set a second counting status flag to automatically count the number of remaining game value so that it does not become too large, even if the player does not operate the counting switch 80. This process does not require any operation from the player and is executed by the main control board 131 based on the value of the remaining game value counter 153c, but it may also be executed by the remaining game value display control board 132 based on the value of the remaining game value counter 143c. This has the advantage of reducing the burden on the main control board 131 and allowing more resources such as memory and CPU time to be used for game control.

[0239] Figure 25 is a flowchart of the communication process (S2211) for the game value display control board, which is executed by the timer interrupt processing in Figure 23. As explained in Figure 22, in communication between the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132, the game value display control board 132 functions as the master and the main control board 131 functions as the slave. Therefore, the game value display control board communication process (S2211) operates by sending data from the main control board 131 after the completion of receiving communication from the game value display control board 132.

[0240] First, it is determined whether reception is complete or not (S2901). If reception is complete (S2901: YES), the number of game values ​​of the received data is set to the game value counter 153c, and the VL connection status is set (S2902).

[0241] Next, the game machine information notification is set in the transmission buffer (S2903). Specifically, the data for "(6) Game Machine Information Notification" shown in Figure 22 are the control MPU chip ID, game machine manufacturer code, product code, number of game value inserted, number of game value paid out, game machine status (RB, BB, AT, ...), error status, fraud detection, and game information (for updating the number of game value held: number of coins inserted, number of coins paid out). The number of coins inserted for updating the game value counter 143c is set to the value of the transmission insertion counter 153d. The number of coins paid out for updating the game value counter 143c is set to the number of coins paid out determined in S507. In addition, the counting status flag and the second counting status flag determined in the counting switch processing S2208 are also set in the transmission buffer. Then, transmission is started (S2904) and the system returns.

[0242] If reception is not complete in S2901 (S2901:NO), determine whether transmission is complete or not (S2905). If transmission is complete (S2905:YES), start receiving (S2906) and return.

[0243] If transmission is not complete in S2905 (S2905: NO), it is determined whether communication is in progress, i.e., whether transmission or reception is in progress (S2907). Since the main control board 131 is operating as a slave, it is impossible for it to be in a state that is neither receiving, reception complete, transmitting, or transmission complete. If it were to enter this state as a result of some malfunction, it would be impossible to exit this state. Therefore, if communication is not in progress (S2907: NO), the communication circuit is reset, the reception start process is performed (S2908), and the system returns.

[0244] The following processes in the first embodiment are the same in the second embodiment, so their explanations will be omitted. Power outage processing (S203) explained in Figure 9, game value input switch processing (S209) explained in Figure 11, start lever processing (S210) explained in Figure 12, main processing explained in Figure 16, normal processing (S407) explained in Figure 17, lottery processing (S505) explained in Figure 18, and in Figure 19 The reel control process (S506) explained above, and the prize determination process (S710) explained in Figure 20.

[0245] Next, in the slot machine 10 of the second embodiment, each control process executed by the MPU 141 in the game value display control board 132 will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 26 to 32.

[0246] Figure 26 is a flowchart showing the main processing performed by the game value display control board 132 after power is turned on. The main processing is performed when power is turned on, such as when power is restored after a power outage or when the power switch 122 is turned on.

[0247] First, as part of the initialization process, the value of the stack pointer is set within the MPU141, and the interrupt mode is set to enable interrupt processing. After that, various settings are made for the registers within the MPU141, I / O devices, etc. (S7001).

[0248] Once these initialization processes (S7001) are complete, it is then determined whether the remaining game value clear switch 127 is ON or OFF (S7002). If the remaining game value clear switch 127 is ON (S7002: YES), the remaining game value counter 143c is cleared (S7003).

[0249] If the game count clear switch 127 is not ON (S7002: NO), the process of clearing the game count counter 143c (S7003) is skipped, and the system checks whether the RAM judgment value is normal (S7004). Specifically, the system checks the value of the checksum of RAM 143 and checks whether the value is normal, that is, whether the checksum value including the RAM judgment value is 0. If the checksum value including the RAM judgment value is 0 (S7004: YES), the system determines that the data in RAM 143 is normal. In that case, the value of the stack pointer stored in the backup area is written to the stack pointer of MPU 141, and the stack state is restored to the state before the power was cut off (S7005). Then, the power outage flag is cleared (S7006), a timer interrupt is activated (S7007), and the system returns to the address before the power was cut off (S7008).

[0250] If the RAM judgment value is not normal (S7004: NO), it means that it is either the first time the power is turned on or the power outage processing from the previous power outage was not executed correctly. In that case, RAM143 is cleared to ensure normal operation (SS7009). Then, a timer interrupt is activated (S7010), and an infinite loop is used to wait for the interrupt processing to start.

[0251] Figure 27 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt processing that is periodically executed on the game value display control board 132. In this embodiment, it is described as being activated with a period of 2 msec.

[0252] First, in the register saving process shown in S7021, the values ​​of all registers in the MPU 141 are saved to the backup area of ​​RAM 143 (S7021). Then, it is checked whether or not a power outage signal has been received (S7022), and only if a power outage signal has been received, the power outage processing is executed (S7023). The power outage signal is a signal generated by the power outage monitoring circuit 161b of the power supply unit 161 when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and is output to the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132.

[0253] Here, the power failure processing (S7023) will be described using FIG. 28. In the power failure processing (S7023), first, it is determined whether the command transmission has ended (S7031). If the transmission has not ended (S7031: No), the power failure processing (S7023) is terminated and the process returns to the timer interrupt processing in FIG. 27 to end the command transmission. In this way, it is determined whether the command transmission has been completed at the initial stage of the power failure processing. When the transmission is incomplete, the transmission process is prioritized, and the power failure processing (S7023) is executed after the transmission process of the unit command is completed.

[0254] If the command transmission has been completed in the process of S7031 (S7031: Yes) , the value of the stack pointer of the MPU141 is saved in the backup area in the RAM143 (S7032). Then, the RAM determination value described later as the stop processing is cleared, and the output state of the output port in the output port 146 is cleared, and all the actuators not shown are turned off (S7033). Further, the RAM determination value is calculated and saved in the backup area (S7034). Specifically, the RAM determination value is the two's complement of the checksum at the working area address of the RAM143. By saving the RAM determination value in the backup area, the checksum of the RAM143 becomes 0. To prevent the RAM143 from being accidentally rewritten, subsequent RAM access is prohibited (S7035). After that, in preparation for the complete power-off and the inability to execute the process, an infinite loop is entered.

[0255] Note that in consideration of the case where a power failure signal is erroneously received due to noise or the like, it is confirmed whether the power failure signal is being output until entering the infinite loop. If the power failure signal is not being output, it means that the power failure state has been recovered. Therefore, writing to the RAM143 is permitted, the power failure flag is reset, and the process returns to the timer interrupt processing in FIG. 27. If the output of the power failure signal continues, an infinite loop is entered as it is.

[0256] Incidentally, the power supply unit 161a of the power supply device 161 is configured to hold the output of the stabilized voltage (5 volts) used as the drive voltage of the control system for a time sufficient to execute the above-described power failure processing. In the present embodiment, the drive voltage continues to be output for 30 msec.

[0257] Returning to FIG. 27, the timer interrupt processing will be described. If a power failure signal is not received in the process of S7022, or after the power failure processing (S7023) has ended, various processes after S7024 are performed.

[0258] In S7024, a watchdog timer clear process for initializing the value of the watchdog timer for monitoring the occurrence of malfunction is performed (S7024). In S7025, a timer subtraction process for subtracting the values of each counter and timer is performed (S7025).

[0259] In S7028, unit communication processing (S7028) is performed. Here, the unit communication processing (S7028) will be described using FIG. 29. This processing is the processing for controlling the serial communication between the slot machine 10 and the card unit 230 shown in FIG. 6.

[0260] First, the gaming machine information notification timer is updated (S7041), and it is determined whether the gaming machine information notification timer is 0 (S7042). Since the gaming machine information notification is transmitted at a cycle of 300 msec, and in this embodiment, the timer interrupt processing is activated every 2 msec, the initial value of the timer is set to 150. In S7041, the gaming machine information notification timer is decremented by 1, and when it becomes 0 (S7042: YES), the communication interval becomes 300 msec, satisfying the communication requirements.

[0261] Incidentally, the gaming machine information notification timer is also referred to in the main control board communication processing (S7029) described later and is used to determine the communication timing with the main control board. For the same timer, different By using a specific judgment value, it is advantageous to avoid the unit communication processing and the main control board communication processing operating simultaneously within the same interrupt.

[0262] If the gaming machine information notification timer is 0 in S7042 (S7042:YES), the aforementioned 150 is reset to the gaming machine information notification timer (S7043), and the transmission of gaming machine information notifications begins (S7044). As shown in Figure 7, the gaming machine information notifications are subdivided into (1-1) gaming machine installation information, which is transmitted every 60 seconds; (1-2) gaming machine performance information, which is transmitted every 180 seconds; and (1-3) hall control / fraud monitoring information, which is transmitted every 300 msec. Therefore, normally, (1-3) hall control / fraud monitoring information is transmitted, (1-1) gaming machine installation information is transmitted every 200 times, and (1-2) gaming machine performance information is transmitted every 600 times.

[0263] If the game machine information notification timer is not 0 in S7042 (S7042:NO), the count notification timing is determined (S7045). In S7043, the game machine information notification timer is reset to 150, and then 1 is deducted every 2 msec. The timing when it matches 100 is (150-100) × 2 msec = 100 msec, so this timing is the count notification timing (S7045:YES). If it is not the count notification timing (S7045:NO), the procedure proceeds to determine whether the loan notification timer is 0 or not (S7049). If it is the count timing (S7045:YES), the VL connection confirmation signal confirmation process is performed (S7046). In S7046, if the VL connection confirmation signal is ON, no special processing is performed. However, if the VL connection confirmation signal is OFF, the card unit 230 is not ready to receive the transfer of the number of games played from the slot machine 10, so the counting status flag and the automatic counting status flag are cleared. After that, the counting process (S7047) is performed.

[0264] Here, the counting process (S7047) will be explained using Figure 30. This process determines the number of games to be counted and starts sending a counting notification when the game is in the counting state. However, if the number of games held is large, the counting cannot be completed with a single counting notification, so this process is designed to perform the counting with multiple counting notifications.

[0265] First, it is determined whether or not the system is in counting mode (S7061). In the main control board communication process S7029, described later, this determination is made based on the values ​​of the counting mode flag and the second counting mode flag transmitted from the main control board. The counting mode is the state in which either the counting mode flag or the second counting mode flag is set. If the system is not in counting mode (S7061: NO), the counting game value is set to 0 (S7069), and the transmission of the counting notification is started (S7071).

[0266] In S7061, if the counting state is in place (S7061:YES), it is determined whether the value of the held game value counter 143c is less than the unit counted game value (S7062). The unit counted game value is the maximum number of counted game values ​​transmitted from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230 in a single counting notification communication. This may be a fixed value specific to the slot machine 10, or a value corresponding to the held game value to be counted may be determined at the start of the counting process.

[0267] The time required to count the value of the game held is (number of game values ​​held / unit count game values) × 300 msec (period of count notification communication). Therefore, if the unit count game values ​​are large, the time required for counting will be shorter. Conversely, if the number of game values ​​held is large, the time required for counting will be longer. On the other hand, since slot machine 10 does not handle physical game tokens, the time required to count the game value at the end of the game is a valuable opportunity to feel the value of the game held that has been acquired, so a shorter counting time is not necessarily better. Therefore, in order to maximize the player's satisfaction, the time required for counting can be adjusted to the optimal length by adjusting the unit count game values. Also, satisfaction is subjective. Therefore, the time spent counting that provides satisfaction may not be proportional to the number of games played. In such cases, by appropriately selecting the unit counting game value according to the number of games played, it is possible to provide players with satisfaction in counting regardless of the number of games played.

[0268] In S7062, if the value of the held game value counter 143c is less than the unit counted game value (S7062:YES), the current held game value can be transmitted in a single counting notification. Therefore, the value of the held game value counter 143c is set to the counted game value (S7063), the held game value counter 143c is cleared (S7064), and the process proceeds to clear the counting status flag (S7070).

[0269] In S7062, if the value of the held game value counter 143c is not less than the unit counted game value (S7062: NO), the current held game value cannot be transmitted in a single counting notification, so the value of the unit counted game value is set to the counted game value (S7065), and the unit counted game value is subtracted from the held game value counter 143c (S7066). As a result, the held game value counter 143c may become exactly 0, so it is determined whether the value of the held game value counter 143c is 0 or not (S7067). In S7067, if the value of the held game value counter 143c is 0 (S7067: YES), it means that all held game value has been counted, so the counting status flag is cleared (S7070) to return the counting status to the normal state, and the transmission of counting notifications is started (S7071).

[0270] If the value of the game value counter 143c in S7067 is not 0 (S7067: NO), it is determined whether the game value counter 143c is below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value (S7068). If the game value counter 143c is below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value (S7068: YES), the second counting state flag is cleared (S7070). In this case, if the counting switch 80 is turned ON and the counting state is activated, there is no need to stop counting at the lower limit of the automatically counted game value, so the counting state flag is not cleared.

[0271] If, in S7068, the value of the game value counter 143c is not below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value (S7068: NO), the counting state continues, so the second counting state flag is not cleared, and the counting notification is started to be sent (S7071).

[0272] Returning to Figure 29, the unit communication process will be explained. After the counting process in S7047, the loan notification timer setting process (S7048) is performed. The initial value of the loan notification timer is 0, and after the counting process in S7047, a value equivalent to 170 msec is set (S7048).

[0273] In S7049, it is determined whether the loan notification timer is 0 or not (S7049). If the loan notification timer is 0 (S7049: YES), the processing related to the loan notification is skipped and the system returns. Since the loan notification communication is a serial communication sent from the card unit 230 to the slot machine 10, the slot machine 10 will not receive the loan notification communication if the card unit 230 is not connected or has not yet started up. Even in such cases, to prevent the system from waiting indefinitely for the loan notification communication, the system is configured to receive the loan notification communication only for 170 msec after the counting notification. Since the loan notification timer is not 0 for 170 msec after the counting process (S7047), if the loan notification timer is not 0 (S7049: NO), the processing related to the loan notification communication is performed.

[0274] In S7050, the loan notification timer is updated (S7050). In S7051, it is determined whether or not a loan notification has been received (S7051). If no loan notification has been received in S7051 (S7051:NO), the processing related to the loan notification is skipped and the system returns. do.

[0275] If a loan notification has been received in S7051 (S7051:YES), proceed with the loan process (S7052).

[0276] Here, the lending process (S7052) will be described using FIG. 31. This process is to update the value of the held game value counter 143c in response to the lending notification of game values received from the card unit 230 and send a response to the card unit 230.

[0277] First, it is determined whether the number of lent items in the received lending notification is 0 (S7081). If the number of lent items is 0 (S7081: YES), the value of the held game value counter 143c is not updated, and the process proceeds to the process (S7084) of setting "normal" in the lending number reception result.

[0278] If the number of lent items is not 0 in S7081 (S7081: NO), it is determined whether the value of the held game value counter 143c is greater than or equal to the number of non - lendable game values (S7082). When receiving a loan of game values, if adding it to the held game value counter 143c causes an overflow, it is natural that the loan cannot be received. Also, if there are sufficient held game values to continue the game in the first place, there is no reason to receive more loans. Therefore, even if the value of the held game value counter 143c is much smaller than the maximum value it can take, a value sufficient to continue the game is defined as the number of non - lendable game values. If the held game value counter 143c exceeds this value, the loan is rejected. Therefore, when the value of the held game value counter 143c is greater than or equal to the number of non - lendable game values (S7082: YES), the held game value counter 143c is not updated, and "abnormal" is set in the lending number reception result (S7085).

[0279] If the value of the held game value counter 143c is not greater than or equal to the number of non - lendable game values in S7082 (S7082: NO), the number of lent items is added to the held game value counter 143c (S7083), and "normal" is set in the lending number reception result (S7084). In this way, even if a lending notification is sent from the card unit 230, if it is determined that the loan is unnecessary, the lending notification is rejected.

[0280] After setting the loan receipt result to "Normal" or "Abnormal," send it as the loan receipt result response (S7086) and return.

[0281] Returning to Figure 29, let's explain the unit communication process. After performing the loan process in S7052, the loan notification timer is cleared (S7053), and the program returns.

[0282] Returning to Figure 27, let's explain the timer interrupt processing. After the unit communication processing (S7028) is performed, the main control board communication processing (S7029) is performed.

[0283] Here, the main control board communication process (S7029) will be explained using Figure 32. This process controls the communication between the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 within the slot machine 10, as shown in Figure 22.

[0284] First, the game machine information notification timer determines whether it is a communication timing (S7091). As mentioned above, the game machine information notification timer is updated in the unit communication process (S7026) and is used to determine the communication timing, taking a value from 0 to 150. When it is 0, it sends a game machine information notification, and when it is 100, it sends a count notification. For example, if the timer is set to send a game value count notification to the main control board 132 when it is 130, the processing timing will not overlap with the unit communication process (S7026), and moreover, Overall, this allows for synchronization of communication with the card unit 230 and the communication timing.

[0285] If the gaming machine information notification timer is at a communication timing (S7091: YES), the remaining game value notification data is set in the transmission buffer (S7092). Specifically, this includes the value of the remaining game value counter 143c, the VL connection status, the counting status flag, and the second counting status flag. The counting status flag and the second counting status flag are used because, as mentioned above, they may be cleared as a result of the counting process (S7047), and this result is communicated to the main control board 131. After that, the remaining game value notification is started to be transmitted (S7093), and the system returns.

[0286] If the gaming machine information notification timer is not at a communication timing (S7091: NO), it is determined whether transmission is complete or not (S7094). If transmission is complete (S7094: YES), reception begins (S7095) and returns.

[0287] If transmission is not complete (S7094: NO), it is determined whether reception is complete or not (S7096). If reception is complete (S7096: YES), the value of the held game value counter 143c is updated based on the received data (S7097). Specifically, the game information in the received data (for updating the held game value: number of tokens inserted) is the value of the transmission input counter 153d, which is the number of game value tokens inserted, so this is subtracted from the held game value counter 143c. In a special case, if the settlement switch 76 is pressed, a negative value is transmitted as the value of the transmission input counter 153d, but by subtracting the negative value, the value of the held game value counter 143c increases. This is because settlement is the act of returning the inserted game value to the held game value. Furthermore, the game information (for updating the number of remaining game values: payouts) is the number of game values ​​obtained as a result of the game, so this is added to the remaining game value counter 143c. In addition, the received data includes a counting state flag that is set when the counting switch 80 is pressed, and a second counting state flag that automatically enters the counting state based on the remaining game value, so the counting state is set to these flags. After that, the system returns.

[0288] If reception is not complete (S7096: NO), the game machine information notification timer determines whether or not it is within the reception period (S7098). As explained in Figure 22, the game value display control board 132 functions as a master in communication with the main control board 131, so after sending the (5) game value notification, it waits for the (6) game machine information notification sent from the main control board 131. However, there are cases where communication is not possible, such as when the main control board 131 is in the initialization process immediately after power-on, so the period for waiting for the reception of the (6) game machine information notification is limited so as not to interfere with the transmission of the next (5) game value notification. For example, in S7091 mentioned above, if the game machine information notification timer = 130, (5) the notification of the number of remaining game value is sent, and in S7098, if it is determined that the game machine information notification timer ≥ 30 is within the receivable time, then it waits for (6) the game machine information notification from the main control board 131 for a period of (130-30) × 2ms = 200ms. If it is within the time (S7098: YES), nothing is done and it returns.

[0289] If the gaming machine information notification timer is not within the reception period (S7098: NO), the communication circuit that was in the receiving state is reset (S7099), and the system returns.

[0290] Returning to Figure 27, let's explain the timer interrupt processing. After the unit communication processing in S7029, the values ​​of each register that were saved to the backup area in S7021 are restored to the corresponding registers in the MPU141 (S7030). Then, the interrupt enable processing that allows the next timer interrupt is performed, and this series of timer interrupt processing ends.

[0291] Thus, according to the second embodiment, the game value display control board 132 communicates with the card unit 230 and performs management processing of the game value, such as lending and counting game value, instead of the main control board 131. As a result, the load on the main control board 131 is significantly reduced, and the processing power can be allocated to controlling the progress of the game. Therefore, it is possible to provide a more interesting and engaging gaming machine.

[0292] Furthermore, in the processing of the game value control board (the game value display control board 132), the processing timing of the main control board communication processing (S7029) and the unit communication processing (S7028) can be avoided, thereby preventing the failure of periodic interrupt processing due to the interrupt processing time being extended at specific timings.

[0293] Furthermore, since the game value control board handles the processing related to the counting mode when the counting switch is operated, the ROM and RAM of the main control board that controls the progress of the game can be used for game control instead, thus providing a more engaging gaming machine.

[0294] Furthermore, in order to determine whether or not the number of game values ​​corresponding to the game value insertion switch operated by the player can be inserted, if the player transmits the number of game values ​​to be inserted to a game value control board equipped with a game value number storage means and has the board determine whether or not to insert the values, the time lag due to round-trip communication time means that it takes time from when the game value insertion switch is operated until the operation is accepted, resulting in poor operability. However, since the number of game values ​​that has been received in advance is used to determine whether or not to insert the game values, there is no need to wait for communication after operating the game value insertion switch, the response to operation is improved, and a game machine that is easy to operate can be provided.

[0295] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 33 to 36. In the second embodiment, the count detection sensor 80a that detects the operation of the count switch 80 is connected to the input port 155 of the main control board 131, whereas in the third embodiment, it is connected to the input port 145 of the game value display control board 132. Other parts are the same as in the first and second embodiments described above, so the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0296] Figure 33 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine 10 in the third embodiment. A count detection sensor 80a, which detects the operation of the count switch 80, is connected to the input port 145 of the game value display control board 132. The rest of the configuration is the same as that of the slot machine 10 in the second embodiment shown in Figure 21.

[0297] In the slot machine 10, communication between the main control board 131, the game value display control board 132, and the card unit 230 is the same as in the second embodiment described in Figure 22.

[0298] Figure 34 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt processing that is periodically executed on the main control board 131. Since the processing for when the counting switch 80 is pressed has been moved to the game value display control board 132, the counting switch processing (S2208) has been removed compared to the timer interrupt processing in the second embodiment described in Figure 23. The other processing steps remain the same.

[0299] The following processes in the first embodiment are the same in the third embodiment, so their explanations will be omitted. Power outage processing (S203) explained in Figure 9, game value input switch processing (S209) explained in Figure 11, start lever processing (S210) explained in Figure 12, main processing explained in Figure 16, and explained in Figure 17. The normal processing (S407), the lottery processing (S505) explained in Figure 18, the reel control processing (S506) explained in Figure 19, and the prize determination processing (S710) explained in Figure 20.

[0300] Furthermore, the communication processing (S2211) of the game value display control board in the second embodiment described in Figure 25 is the same in the third embodiment, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0301] Next, in the slot machine 10 of the third embodiment, each control process executed by the MPU 141 in the game value display control board 132 will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 35 and 36.

[0302] Figure 35 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt processing that is periodically executed on the game value display control board 132. Compared to the timer interrupt processing in the second embodiment described in Figure 27, the counting switch processing (S7026) has been added. The other processing contents are the same.

[0303] Figure 36 is a flowchart of the counting switch processing (S7026) executed by the timer interrupt processing in Figure 35.

[0304] First, it is determined whether the VL connection confirmation signal is ON or OFF (S7111). As mentioned above, when the card unit 230 is operating normally, it turns ON the power supply (VL) to the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250. If this state cannot be confirmed (S7111: NO), the card unit 230 is not ready to receive the transfer of the number of games held from the slot machine 10, so it returns without executing the counting switch process.

[0305] If the VL connection confirmation signal is ON in S7111 (S7111:YES), it is determined whether the counting switch 80 is turned ON or not (S7112). If the counting switch 80 is not turned ON (S7112:NO), it is determined whether the current game value counter is equal to or greater than the upper limit of the automatically counted game value (S7116). If the specification is to implement a system where counting only occurs while the counting switch 80 is turned ON, the counting status flag is turned OFF here and the system returns.

[0306] In S7116, if the current game value counter is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the automatically counted game value (S7116: YES), the second counting status flag is set (S7117). When the second counting status flag is set, a counting notification is sent to the card unit 230 during the counting process (S7047). Then, in the counting process (S7047), after sending the current game value to the card unit 230 until the current game value counter falls below the lower limit of the automatically counted game value, the second counting status flag is cleared (S7070). If the game machine does not activate automatic counting, the processes in S7116 and S7117 are unnecessary.

[0307] If the counting switch 80 is turned ON in S7112 (S7112:YES), it is determined whether the counting status flag is ON or OFF (S7113). The counting status flag specifies that the counting operation will be performed when ON, and the counting operation will not be performed when OFF. If the counting status flag is ON (S7113:YES), the counting operation is already in progress, and no special processing is required even if the counting switch 80 is turned ON, so the system simply returns. If the system is designed to allow the player to cancel the counting operation by pressing the counting switch 80 again, the system will turn the counting status flag OFF here and then return. In that case, the determination that the counting switch 80 is turned ON (S7112:YES) is the same as the determination that the system is on edge.

[0308] If the counting status flag is not ON in S7113 (S7113:NO), it is determined whether the held game value counter 143c is 0 or not (S7114). If the held game value counter 143c is 0 (S7114:YES), there is no held game value to count, so the system returns without counting. If the held game value counter 143c is not 0 (S7114:NO), the counting status flag is turned ON (S7115), and then the system returns.

[0309] The processes described below in the second embodiment are the same in the third embodiment, so their explanations will be omitted. These include the main process described in Figure 26, the power outage process (S7023) described in Figure 28, the unit communication process (S7026) described in Figure 29, the counting process (S7047) described in Figure 30, the lending process (S7052) described in Figure 31, and the main control board communication process (S7029) described in Figure 32.

[0310] Thus, according to the third embodiment, the game value display control board 132 handles the processing when the counting switch 80 is pressed, which frees up processing capacity for the main control board 131 compared to when the main control board 131 handles the processing related to the counting switch. Since the main control board 131 controls the progress of the game, it is possible to provide an interesting and engaging gaming machine.

[0311] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 37 to 40. In the first to third embodiments, the MPU 151 reads the VL connection confirmation signal via input port 155, or the MPU 141 reads it via input port 145, to confirm that the card unit 230 is properly connected and ready for operation, and then controls the slot machine 10. For example, in the counting switch processing (S208) of the first embodiment shown in Figure 10, there is a process (S231) that determines whether the VL connection confirmation signal is ON or OFF. In the fourth embodiment, the VL connection confirmation signal controls whether or not to activate the counting switch 80 etc. in hardware, so that the MPU can perform the same control without reading the VL connection confirmation signal.

[0312] Figure 37 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine 10 in the fourth embodiment. The VL connection confirmation signal output from the game ball dispensing device connection terminal plate 250 is connected to the enable terminal of the input port 158. The input port 158 ​​is an input port that has the function of controlling whether or not to output the signal input to the port to the MPU 151 according to the level of the signal input to the enable terminal.

[0313] Input port 158 ​​receives signals from game value input switches 77-79 and from counting switch 80. These signals are not transmitted to MPU 151 when the VL connection confirmation signal is disabled. Therefore, if the card unit 230 is not properly connected, the counting switch 80 and game value input switches 77-79 cannot be operated. In other words, if the card unit 230 is not properly connected, counting and game value input are not possible.

[0314] On the other hand, since the start lever 71, stop switches 72-74, and settlement switch 76 are connected to the input port 155, the reel rotation can be started, the reels can be stopped, and the inserted game value can be canceled regardless of the connection status of the card unit 230.

[0315] Thus, the type of operation to be restricted when the card unit 230 is not properly connected depends on the specifications of the gaming machine, but this can be achieved by selecting the input signals related to the game operation that are input to the input port 158. If all operations are to be prohibited, the input signals from the start lever 71, stop switches 72-74, settlement switch 76, game value input switches 77-79, and counting switch 80 should be input to input port 158. If only counting operations are to be prohibited, only the input signal from the counting switch 80 should be connected to input port 158.

[0316] Figure 38 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration in the fourth embodiment, where the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 cooperate to control the slot machine 10. The VL connection confirmation signal output from the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to the enable terminal of input port 148. The function of the enable terminal of input port 148 is the same as that of input port 158 ​​described above.

[0317] The input port 148 receives a signal from the counting switch 80. In other words, if the card unit 230 is not properly connected, the counting operation cannot be performed.

[0318] Figure 39 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration when both the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 are equipped with input ports 148 and 158 that have a control function via an enable terminal. The VL connection confirmation signal output from the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is input to the game value display control board 132, where it is connected to the enable terminal of input port 148. Then, it is output directly to the main control board 131 and connected to the enable terminal of input port 158.

[0319] Input port 148 receives a signal from the counting switch 80. Additionally, input port 158 ​​is connected to the game value input switches 77-79. In other words, even if the processing related to the counting switch 80 and the game value input switches 77-79 are distributed across two control boards, if the card unit 230 is not properly connected, the VL connection confirmation signal can restrict either operation.

[0320] Counting refers to the operation of transferring the number of playable values ​​held from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230. Therefore, it is reasonable that the counting switch 80 will not function if the card unit 230 is not properly connected. In such a state, by disabling operations on the start lever 71, stop switches 72-74, playable value input switches 77-79, and settlement switch 76, it is possible to prevent unintentional changes in the game state or the number of playable values ​​held. Furthermore, since it would be unnatural for operations to become impossible in the middle of a game, by suppressing the operation of the playable value input switches 77-79 and allowing the operation of the start lever 71 and stop switches 72-74, it is possible to stop the progress of the game by preventing the input of new playable values ​​at the end of a game when all reels have stopped. Moreover, even if counting operations and the lending of playable values ​​are not possible, it is still possible to play if there are playable values ​​held. In such cases, it is sufficient to suppress the operation of only the counting switch 80.

[0321] Figure 40 is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration when the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to the main control board 131, which has an input port 158 ​​with an enable terminal control function. The operation of the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 when the card unit 230 turns on the power (VL) is as described above. The same applies when the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to the game ball value display control board 132, which has an input port 148 with an enable terminal control function.

[0322] When the card unit 230 is turned ON (VL), the photocoupler 255 on the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is turned ON. The output side of the photocoupler 255 is output to the slot machine 10 as a VL connection confirmation signal, and within the slot machine 10, resistor 155b is used to... The signal is turned up and input to the enable terminal of input port 158. In other words, if the card unit 230 is ready to operate, the VL connection confirmation signal becomes low, and input port 158 ​​becomes enabled, so the input signal from the counting switch 80 is transmitted to the MPU 151.

[0323] Figure 41 is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration when a game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250 is connected to a main control board 131 equipped with an input port 155 that does not have a control function via an enable terminal.

[0324] A pull-up resistor 155a and a counting switch 80 are connected to the input terminal of input port 155. When the counting switch 80 is not operated, it is open, so a high level signal is input to the input terminal of input port 155 due to the effect of the pull-up resistor 155a. On the other hand, when the counting switch 80 is operated, it is short-circuited, so the VL connection confirmation signal is connected here. The VL connection confirmation signal is connected to the output transistor of photocoupler 255, so if the card unit 230 is properly connected and operating normally, the output transistor of photocoupler 255 is ON and at a low level. If the connection with card unit 230 is not normal or it is not ready to operate, this transistor is OFF, and even if the counting switch 80 is operated and connected to the pull-up resistor 155a, the signal remains at a high level. In other words, if the VL connection confirmation signal is normal, the MPU 151 can read the operating status of the counting switch 80, but if the VL connection confirmation signal is not normal, the operating status of the counting switch 80 cannot be read by the MPU 151.

[0325] Thus, according to the fourth embodiment, control processing can be executed without reading the VL connection confirmation signal in the program, thus freeing up processing capacity. By allocating this extra capacity to processing that controls the progress of the game, it is possible to provide a more interesting and engaging gaming machine.

[0326] <Regarding the group of inventions extracted from the above embodiments> The following describes the features of the group of inventions extracted from the embodiments described above, showing their effects and other aspects as necessary. For ease of understanding, corresponding configurations in the embodiments described above will be indicated in parentheses as appropriate, but the invention is not limited to these specific configurations.

[0327] <Characteristics Group A> Feature A1. A means for storing the number of game values ​​(game value counter 153c), A game value dispensing device (card unit 230) and a game value dispensing device communication means (game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250) that communicate with each other, Counting switch (counting switch 80), The input port (input port 155) to which the operation signal of the counting switch is input, Equipped with, The number of game values ​​transmitted from the game machine value lending device (the lending notification shown in (3) in Figure 6) is received by the game value lending device communication means and added to the game value count storage means (the process of adding to the held game value counter 153c in S313 shown in Figure 15) thereby lending out game values. The game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means (the process of subtracting it from the held game value counter 153c in S260 shown in Figure 11). Adding to the aforementioned game value storage means (in S507 shown in Figure 17, the payout target The number of game values ​​set in the counter is displayed on the acquired number display unit 37 or added to the held game value counter 153c (game value payout process) to determine the acquisition of game value as a result of the game. A gaming machine that counts the game value by transmitting the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means to the game value lending device via the game value lending device communication means (counting process S277 as shown in Figure 14), The normal process that controls the progress of the game (normal process S407 shown in Figure 17), It includes a timer interrupt process that is executed at regular time intervals (the timer interrupt process shown in Figure 8), The gaming machine is characterized in that, in the timer interrupt processing, when it is detected that the counting switch has been pressed based on the operation signal input to the input port, the state is switched to a counting mode in which the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means is transmitted to the game value dispensing device (counting switch processing S208 as shown in Figure 10).

[0328] According to Feature A1, the timer interrupt process, which is executed at regular time intervals, detects when the counting switch has been operated and switches the state to counting mode. This makes it possible to provide a gaming machine in which the player can operate the counting switch without being affected by the progress of the game controlled by normal processing, that is, a gaming machine that can manage the appropriate game value.

[0329] Feature A2. The counting mode is maintained while the counting switch is pressed (if YES is selected in S232 as shown in Figure 10, S239 is always executed to set the counting status flag). When the counting switch is released, the counting mode is canceled (in the case of NO in S232 shown in Figure 10, the counting status flag is cleared, although this is not shown). The gaming machine described in Feature A1.

[0330] According to Feature A2, the counting operation is intuitively understandable, and to interrupt the counting process, one simply needs to release the counting switch, thus providing a gaming machine with simple counting operation.

[0331] Feature A3. The gaming machine as described in Feature A1, characterized in that when the pressing of the counting switch is detected, if the state is not in counting mode (if NO in S233 shown in Figure 10), the state is switched to counting mode (the counting state flag is set in S239), and if the state is in counting mode, the counting mode is canceled (if YES in S233, the counting state flag is cleared, although not shown).

[0332] According to Feature A3, in the case of a gaming machine where the counting operation takes a long time, it is not necessary to keep pressing the counting switch while counting is in progress. Furthermore, if you want to interrupt the counting, you only need to press the counting switch again, thus providing a gaming machine with simple counting operation.

[0333] <Characteristics Group B> Feature B1. A means for storing the number of game values ​​(game value counter 153c), A game value dispensing device (card unit 230) and a game value dispensing device communication means (game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250) that communicate with each other, Counting switch (counting switch 80), The input port (input port 155) to which the operation signal of the counting switch is input, Equipped with, The number of game values ​​transmitted from the game value lending device (the lending notification shown in (3) Figure 6) is received by the game value lending device communication means and added to the game value number storage means (Figure The game value is loaned out by the process of adding it to the game value counter 153c in S313 described in 15. The game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means (the process of subtracting it from the held game value counter 153c in S260 shown in Figure 11). The game value, which is the result of the game, is acquired by adding it to the game value storage means (in S507 shown in Figure 17, the game value set in the payout target counter is displayed on the acquired number display unit 37 or added to the held game value counter 153c in the game value payout process). A gaming machine that counts the game value by transmitting the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means to the game value lending device via the game value lending device communication means (counting process S277 as shown in Figure 14), If the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means exceeds a predetermined number (if YES in S240 shown in Figure 10), the state is switched to a second counting mode in which the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means is transmitted to the game value dispensing device (the second counting state flag is set in S241). A gaming machine characterized in that, while in the second counting mode, if the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means falls below a predetermined number (if YES is the case in S298 shown in Figure 14), the second counting mode is canceled (the second counting state flag is cleared in S300).

[0334] According to Feature B1, the second counting status flag enables the provision of a gaming machine that automatically counts the number of game values ​​held by the player so that the number does not become excessively large, even if the player does not operate the counting switch 80. Since the number of game values ​​held is stored electromagnetically in the game value counter, it is not subject to physical constraints such as volume, unlike actual tokens, even if the number is large. However, a large amount of game value, such as several thousand tokens, is not only unnecessary during gameplay, but also inconvenient because counting it all at once at the end of the game would take a long time. Furthermore, considering the risk of loss due to accidents or electrical malfunctions, it is safer to keep only the necessary number of tokens in the gaming machine and transfer the rest to a magnetic card. In this way, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that can manage game values ​​appropriately.

[0335] Feature B2. The gaming machine according to Feature B1, characterized in that when the pressing of the counting switch is detected, and the state is in the second counting mode (NO in S233 shown in Figure 10), the second counting mode is canceled and the system switches to the first counting mode (the second counting state flag is cleared and the counting state flag is set in S239).

[0336] According to Feature B2, even during automatic counting, the system can switch to the counting state simply by pressing the counting switch without waiting for the automatic counting to finish, thus providing a gaming machine with simple counting operation.

[0337] <Characteristics Group C> Feature C1. A means for storing the number of game values ​​(game value counter 153c), A game value dispensing device (card unit 230) and a game value dispensing device communication means (game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250) that communicate with each other, Equipped with, The number of game values ​​transmitted from the game value lending device (the lending notification shown in (3) in Figure 6) is received by the game value lending device communication means and added to the game value count storage means (the process of adding to the held game value counter 153c in S313 shown in Figure 15) thereby lending out game values. The game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means (the process of subtracting it from the held game value counter 153c in S260 shown in Figure 11). The game value, which is the result of the game, is acquired by adding it to the game value storage means (in S507 shown in Figure 17, the game value set in the payout target counter is displayed on the acquired number display unit 37 or added to the held game value counter 153c in the game value payout process). A gaming machine that counts the game value by transmitting the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means to the game value lending device via the game value lending device communication means (counting process S277 as shown in Figure 14), A gaming machine characterized in that, in the transmission related to the counting, the number of game values ​​to be transmitted in a single communication is changed according to predetermined conditions (in S295 shown in Figure 14, the unit counting game value is set to the counting game value. The unit counting game value is the maximum value of the counting game values ​​transmitted from the slot machine 10 to the card unit 230 in a single counting notification communication, and may be a fixed value as a value unique to the slot machine 10, or a value corresponding to the number of game values ​​to be counted may be determined at the start of the counting process).

[0338] According to feature C1, since the time required for counting can be adjusted, it becomes possible to provide a gaming machine that can manage the optimal game value.

[0339] The time required to count the value of the game tokens held is (number of game tokens held / unit count value) × 300 msec (period of count notification communication). Therefore, if the unit count value is large, the time required for counting will be shorter. Conversely, if the number of game tokens held is large, the time required for counting will be longer. On the other hand, since slot machine 10 does not handle physical game tokens, the time required to count the game tokens at the end of the game is a valuable opportunity to feel the value of the game tokens that have been acquired, so a shorter counting time is not necessarily better. Therefore, in order to maximize the player's satisfaction, the time required for counting can be adjusted to the optimal length by adjusting the unit count value. Also, since satisfaction is subjective, the counting time required to obtain satisfaction may not be proportional to the number of game tokens held. In such cases, by appropriately selecting the unit count value according to the number of game tokens held, it is possible to give the player satisfaction in counting regardless of the number of game tokens held.

[0340] Feature C2. Feature C1 is characterized by determining the game value to be transmitted in the communication related to one counting cycle, according to the number of game values ​​at the start of counting (value of the held game value counter 153c). The gaming machines listed in [this document].

[0341] According to feature C2, the amount of game value to be transmitted in a single communication related to counting is determined according to the amount of game value to be counted. Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that adjusts the counting processing time to a level that feels natural whether the amount of game value to be counted is large or small. The amount of game value to be counted ranges from several tens to over ten thousand, so if a certain amount of game value is transmitted in a single communication related to counting, the counting process will finish immediately if the amount of game value to be counted is small, but if the amount of game value to be counted is large, the player will have to wait for a long time until the counting process is finished.

[0342] Feature C3. Depending on the number of communications related to counting after the start of counting, the amount transmitted in one communication related to counting is... A gaming machine as described in feature C1, characterized by determining the number of game values.

[0343] According to feature C3, as the number of communications related to counting increases, the number of game values ​​transmitted in a single communication related to counting can be increased, so even if there are many game values ​​to count, the number of communications is small. Even in such cases, we can provide gaming machines that adjust the counting processing time to a level that feels natural. Furthermore, the time that is normally spent simply waiting for counting to complete can be made more engaging with an accelerated counting process.

[0344] Feature C4. The game value transmitted in a single counting communication, according to the lending rate of the game value. A gaming machine as described in feature C1, characterized by determining the number of [something].

[0345] According to feature C4, even with the same number of game values, the impression a player receives will differ depending on whether the game machine has a high lending rate or a low lending rate. For example, by measuring the game value of a high-rate game machine slowly and measuring the game value of a low-rate game machine quickly, it is possible to provide game machines with counting processing speeds that match the impression.

[0346] Feature C5. The gaming machine according to Feature C1, characterized in that, during counting mode, the number of game values ​​transmitted in the communication related to a single count is changed each time the pressing of the counting switch is detected.

[0347] According to feature C5, the counting processing speed can be adjusted by the player pressing the counting switch, thus providing a gaming machine that performs counting processing in accordance with the player's preferences.

[0348] <Features Group D> Feature D1. A means for storing the number of game values ​​(game value counter 153c), A game value dispensing device (card unit 230) and a game value dispensing device communication means (game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250) that communicate with each other, Equipped with, The number of game values ​​transmitted from the game value lending device (the lending notification shown in (3) in Figure 6) is received by the game value lending device communication means and added to the game value count storage means (the process of adding to the held game value counter 153c in S313 shown in Figure 15) thereby lending out game values. The game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means (the process of subtracting it from the held game value counter 153c in S260 shown in Figure 11). The game value, which is the result of the game, is acquired by adding it to the game value storage means (in S507 shown in Figure 17, the game value set in the payout target counter is displayed on the acquired number display unit 37 or added to the held game value counter 153c in the game value payout process). A gaming machine that counts the game value by transmitting the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means to the game value lending device via the game value lending device communication means (counting process S277 as shown in Figure 14), A gaming machine characterized in that, when a communication regarding the lending of gaming value is transmitted from the gaming value lending device, if the number of gaming values ​​stored in the gaming value number storage means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (if YES is the case in S312 shown in Figure 15), the machine sends a response to the gaming value lending device refusing to lend the gaming value (a process in S315 to set "abnormal" to the number of loaned items received result).

[0349] According to feature D1, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that refuses to lend out any more tokens if the player already has enough game value to continue playing. The number of game value tokens is stored electromagnetically in the game value counter, so even if the number is large, it is not subject to physical constraints such as volume, unlike actual tokens. However, a large amount of game value, such as several thousand tokens, is not subject to physical constraints such as volume. In this case, not only is it unnecessary, but if the counting is attempted all at once at the end of the game, it will take a long time to count, which is inconvenient. Also, considering the risk of loss due to accidents or electrical malfunctions, it is safer to keep only the necessary number of tokens in the game machine and transfer the rest to magnetic cards. In this way, it becomes possible to provide a game machine that can manage the value of the game appropriately.

[0350] <Features Group E> Feature E1. A main control board (main control board 131) that controls the progress of the game, A game value control board (a game value display control board 132) that controls the number of game values, Equipped with, The aforementioned game value control board is A means for storing the number of game values ​​(a game value counter 143c), A game value dispensing device (card unit 230) and a game value dispensing device communication means (game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250) that communicate with each other, A main control board communication means that communicates with the main control board, Equipped with, The number of game values ​​transmitted from the game value lending device (the lending notification shown in (3) Figure 22) is received by the game value lending device communication means and added to the game value count storage means (the process of adding to the held game value counter 143c in S7083 shown in Figure 31) thereby lending out game values. The game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means (the game information (for updating the number of game values ​​held: number of tokens inserted) of (6) Game machine information notification shown in Figure 22 is subtracted from the game value counter 143c shown in S7097 in Figure 32), The game value, which is the result of the game, is acquired by adding it to the game value storage means (the game information (for updating the number of game values ​​held: payouts) of the game machine information notification shown in (6) Figure 22 is added to the game value counter 143c in S7097 shown in Figure 32). A gaming machine that counts the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means by transmitting the number of game values ​​stored in the game value dispensing device to the game value dispensing device via the game value dispensing device communication means (counting process S7047 as shown in Figure 30), The communication between the game value control board and the game value lending device is a periodic communication in which the game value control board acts as the master, controlling the timing and repeating a series of communications at regular time intervals (communication between the game value display control board 132 and the card unit 230 as shown in Figure 22). The communication between the game value control board and the main control board is also a periodic communication in which the game value control board controls the timing as the master, and a series of communications are repeated at the same time intervals as the communication with the game value dispensing device (communication between the main control board 131 and the game value display control board 132 as shown in Figure 22. In the main control board communication process S7029 in the processing of the game value display control board as shown in Figure 32, the communication timing is determined in S7091, which refers to the same game machine information notification timer that is updated in the unit communication process (S7026) and used to determine the communication timing).

[0351] According to feature E1, in the processing of the game value control board (the game value display control board 132), the processing timing of the main control board communication processing (S7029) and the unit communication processing (S7026) can be prevented from overlapping, thereby avoiding the failure of periodic interrupt processing due to the extension of the interrupt processing time at a specific timing. In this way, it becomes possible to provide a gaming machine that can manage game values ​​appropriately.

[0352] Feature E2. Counting switch (counting switch 80), An input port (input port 145) to which the operation signal of the counting switch is input, Equipped with, The gaming machine according to feature E1, characterized in that when the game value control board (current game value display control board 132) detects that the counting switch has been pressed based on an operation signal input to the input port, it switches its state to a counting mode in which it transmits the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means (current game value counter 143c) to the game value lending device.

[0353] According to feature E2, the game value control board handles the processing related to the counting mode when the counting switch is operated. This frees up resources in the ROM and RAM of the main control board that controls the progress of the game, which can then be used for controlling the game itself, thus enabling the provision of a more engaging gaming machine.

[0354] Feature E3. Game value input switch (Game value input switch 77-79), An input port (input port 155) to which the operation signal of the game value input switch is input, Equipped with, The main control board (main control board 131) receives the number of game values ​​(as shown in (5) "Notification of Number of Game Values" in Figure 22) transmitted from the game value control board (the number of game values ​​held) The gaming machine according to features E1 to E2, characterized in that it stores the number of game values, and when it detects that the game value input switch has been pressed based on the operation signal input to the input port, it determines whether or not to input game values ​​based on the number of game values ​​that it has stored (in the game value input switch processing S209 shown in Figure 11, it determines in S256 whether or not the value of the held game value counter is greater than the number of coins to be inserted).

[0355] According to Feature E3, in order to determine whether or not the number of game values ​​corresponding to the game value insertion switch operated by the player can be inserted, if the player transmits the game value to be inserted to a game value number control board equipped with a game value storage means and has the board decide whether or not to insert it, the time lag due to the round-trip communication time means that it takes time from when the game value insertion switch is operated until the operation is accepted, resulting in poor operability. However, since the game value that has been received in advance is used to determine whether or not to insert the game value, there is no need to wait for communication after operating the game value insertion switch, the response to the operation is improved, and a game machine that is easy to operate can be provided.

[0356] <Features Group F> Feature F1. A means for storing the number of game values ​​(game value counter 153c), A game value dispensing device (card unit 230) and a game value dispensing device communication means (game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250) that communicate with each other, Counting switch (counting switch 80), An input port (input port 158 ​​or input port 148) to which the operation signal of the counting switch is input, Equipped with, The number of game values ​​transmitted from the game machine value lending device (the lending notification shown in (3) in Figure 6) is received by the communication means and added to the game value number storage means (the process of adding to the held game value counter 153c in S313 shown in Figure 15) thereby lending out game values. Subtracting from the aforementioned game value storage means (in S260 shown in Figure 11, the number of games held) The game value is made available for use in the game by the process of subtracting it from the value counter 153c. The game value, which is the result of the game, is acquired by adding it to the game value storage means (in S507 shown in Figure 17, the game value set in the payout target counter is displayed on the acquired number display unit 37 or added to the held game value counter 153c in the game value payout process). A gaming machine that counts game values ​​by transmitting the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means to a game value lending device via the communication means (counting process S277 as shown in Figure 14), The aforementioned gaming value dispensing device communication means outputs a connection confirmation signal (VL connection confirmation shown in Figure 40) indicating the connection status of the gaming value dispensing device. A gaming machine characterized in that the connection confirmation signal is connected to the enable terminal of the input port, and the input signal of the input port can be blocked in accordance with the connection signal.

[0357] According to feature F1, control processing can be executed without reading the VL connection confirmation signal in the program, thus freeing up processing power. By allocating this extra power to processing that controls the progress of the game, it is possible to provide a more engaging and interesting gaming machine.

[0358] Feature F2. The gaming machine described in Feature F1, characterized in that one or more input signals from any of the following are connected as input signals to an input port: counting switch (counting switch 80), game value input switch (game value input switch 77-79), settlement switch (settlement switch 76), start lever (start lever 71), and stop switch (stop switch 72-74).

[0359] According to feature F2, if the gaming machine value dispensing device (card unit 230) is not properly connected, operations related to the start lever, stop switch, game value insertion switch, and settlement switch will not be accepted, thereby preventing unintentional changes in the game state and the number of game values ​​held. Furthermore, since it would be unnatural for operations to become impossible in the middle of a game, suppressing the operation of the game value insertion switch while allowing the operation of the start lever and stop switch will prevent the insertion of new game values ​​at the end of a game when all reels have stopped, thus halting the progress of the game. Moreover, even if counting operations and game value dispensing are not possible, if there is a number of game values ​​held, it is still possible to play, so in such cases, only the operation of the counting switch should be suppressed. In this way, it becomes possible to provide a gaming machine that can manage game values ​​appropriately.

[0360] Feature F3. A main control board (main control board 131) that controls the progress of the game, A game value control board (a game value display control board 132) that controls the game value, Equipped with, The aforementioned game value control board is connected to the game value dispensing device communication means (game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 250), The connection confirmation signal (VL connection confirmation shown in Figure 40) input from the game value lending device communication means to the game value control board is output from the game value control board to the main control board. The input port (input port 148) mounted on the aforementioned game value control board, Of the input ports (input port 158) mounted on the main control board, The gaming machine according to features F1 to F2, characterized in that the connection confirmation signal is connected to the enable terminal of at least one input port.

[0361] According to feature F3, even if the processing related to operation input is distributed across two control boards... If the card unit 230 is not properly connected, any operation can be restricted by the VL connection confirmation signal.

[0362] <Features Group G> Feature G1. A means for storing game value (game value counter 153c) that stores game value, A communication means (game ball and other dispensing device connection terminal board 250) that communicates with the game value dispensing device (card unit 230), Equipped with, The game value transmitted from the game value lending device (the lending notification shown in (3) in Figure 6) is received by the communication means and added to the game value storage means (the process of adding to the held game value counter 153c in S313 shown in Figure 15) thereby lending out the game value. The game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means (the process of subtracting it from the held game value counter 153c in S260 shown in Figure 11). The game value, which is the result of the game, is acquired by adding it to the game value storage means (in S507 shown in Figure 17, the game value payout process involves displaying the number of game values ​​set in the payout target counter on the acquired number display unit 37 or adding it to the held game value counter 153c). A gaming machine that counts game value by transmitting the game value stored in the game value storage means to a game value lending device via the communication means (counting process S277 as shown in Figure 14), The aforementioned gaming value lending device is connected to a network, and accepts a gaming value lending operation (sends a lending notification as shown in (3) Figure 6, or turns on the power supply (VL) of the gaming ball lending device connection terminal board 250) only if the value calculated by combining one or more data points from the gaming amount, loss amount, gaming time, and number of games played by the player over a predetermined period, transmitted from the network's upper-level server based on the player's ID number (member ID on the magnetic card), does not exceed a predetermined value.

[0363] According to feature G1, it is possible to suppress players from becoming addicted and to provide a gaming machine that can be enjoyed in moderation. Furthermore, even if the aforementioned predetermined conditions are met, instead of completely prohibiting the player from playing, a flexible approach may be taken, such as allowing the player to play as long as the playing time, amount of money spent, and number of plays per day are within predetermined limits.

[0364] Feature G2. The gaming machine described in Feature G1, characterized in that a higher-level server connected to the network makes a decision on whether or not to allow the lending of gaming value to a player based on the player's ID number.

[0365] According to feature G2, the decision of whether or not to lend out the value of the game, that is, whether or not to allow the player to play, is made by the upper-level server. Therefore, if the decision criteria are to be changed, only the contents of the upper-level server's memory need to be changed, and it is possible to flexibly respond to the criteria for determining addiction, which are prone to changing due to social conditions, etc.

[0366] Feature G3. The gaming machine described in Features G1 to G2, characterized in that the player can register criteria for determining whether or not to allow the lending of gaming value to the player based on the player's ID number with a higher-level server connected to the network.

[0367] According to feature G3, the decision of whether or not to lend out the value of the game, that is, whether or not to allow the player to play, can take into account the player's own opinion, thus effectively promoting the resolution of addiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0368] 10 Slot machines (amusement machines) 71 Start lever 77-79 Game Value Input Switch 80 Counting switch 131 Main control board 132 Control board for displaying the value of the number of games held 153b Bet counter (memory for the number of coins inserted) 153c Game Value Counter 210 Ball dispensing button (dispensing instruction means) 230 Card Unit (Game Value Dispensing Device) 250 Amusement ball and other dispensing device connection terminal board S208 Counting switch processing S211 Unit communication processing

Claims

1. A means for storing the number of game values, A means for communicating with a game value dispensing device, Counting switch and An input port to which the operation signal of the counting switch is input, Equipped with, The number of game values ​​transmitted from the game machine value lending device is received by the game value lending device communication means and added to the game value count storage means to lend out game values. The game value is made available for use in the game by subtracting it from the game value storage means. The game value, which is the result of the game, is obtained by adding it to the game value storage means. A gaming machine that counts game values ​​by transmitting the number of game values ​​stored in the game value count storage means to the game value dispensing device via the game value dispensing device communication means, The normal process controls the progress of the game, Timer interrupt processing that is executed at regular time intervals, It has, A gaming machine characterized in that, in the timer interrupt processing, when it detects that the counting switch has been pressed based on an operation signal input to the input port, it switches the state to a counting mode in which it transmits the number of game values ​​stored in the game value storage means to the game value lending device.

2. The counting mode is activated while the counting switch is pressed. The gaming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the counting mode is canceled when the counting switch is released.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a counting switch is pressed, the state is switched to counting mode if the state is not counting mode, and the state is canceled if the state is counting mode.

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